Fabrication of silver nanoparticle colloids using ultrashort pulse laser ablation in water is studied. Ablation in liquid flow improves the reproducibility and increases the nanoparticle productivity by 380% compared to stationary liquid. Femtosecond laser ablation in water is 20% more efficient than picosecond laser ablation, but due to higher picosecond laser power (higher repetition rate), the nanoparticle productivity at the same pulse fluence is three times higher for picosecond laser ablation. With picosecond laser pulses, the maximum productivity of $8.6\mu \mathrm{g}∕\mathrm{s}$ is achieved at a pulse energy of $110\mu \mathrm{J}$ and repetition rate of $50\mathrm{kHz}$ .

A dramatic rise in research interest in laser‐induced graphene oxide (GO) reduction and modification requires an overview of the most recent works on this subject. Typical methods for the recognition and confirmation of modified graphene and its derivatives, such as Raman, Fourier‐transform infra‐red (FTIR), X‐ray photoelectron (XP), and ultraviolet‐visible (UV–vis) spectroscopies, are introduced briefly in this review. A major part of the survey is devoted to the main modification ways and the laser parameters used in the literature. A discussion of possible reduction and modification mechanisms is also presented. Recent applications, especially in the biomedical field such as cell therapy treatment, as well as significant results of GO modification, are discussed in detail. Finally, perspectives for the application of laser‐induced GO modifications in passive THz photonics and biomedicine are briefly addressed.

Ultra-short laser pulses are frequently used for material removal (ablation) in science, technology and medicine. However, the laser energy is often used inefficiently, thus, leading to low ablation rates. For the efficient ablation of a rectangular shaped cavity, the numerous process parameters such as scanning speed, distance between scanned lines, and spot size on the sample, have to be optimized. Therefore, finding the optimal set of process parameters is always a time-demanding and challenging task. Clear theoretical understanding of the influence of the process parameters on the material removal rate can improve the efficiency of laser energy utilization and enhance the ablation rate. In this work, a new model of rectangular cavity ablation is introduced. The model takes into account the decrease in ablation threshold, as well as saturation of the ablation depth with increasing number of pulses per spot. Scanning electron microscopy and the stylus profilometry were employed to characterize the ablated depth and evaluate the material removal rate. The numerical modelling showed a good agreement with the experimental results. High speed mimicking of bio-inspired functional surfaces by laser irradiation has been demonstrated.

Ultra-short pulse lasers, generating coherent light pulses with pulse durations in the picosecond and femtosecond range, are becoming popular in precision laser microfabrication. They are benefiting not only from well-predicted laser ablation with the suppressed heat-affected zone but also by opening new processing opportunities, especially in transparent materials, due to enhanced non-linear interaction with the material. In this review, the evolution of various kinds of mode-locked lasers from a scientific toy to a robust industrial tool is reviewed. The utilization benefits of high-average-power, high-pulse-repetition-rate ultra-short pulse laser are closely related to beam shaping and manipulation techniques. Fast beam scanning with galvanometric and polygon scanners as well as multi-beam parallel processing methods were developed. Some hot applications areas are briefly described. The efficient use of photons from ultra-short pulse lasers pushed the development of optimization methods in the ablation process. Efforts toward upscaling the process by increasing the average power of mode-locked lasers made feedback to laser developers, and burst regime became a necessity as well as high-speed beam scanning devices. Unique opportunities of ultra-short pulses are successfully exploited in machining transparent materials, with glass separation being the leading application.