Timing is everything, as the old adage goes, and this is a pivotal time for ultrafast laser technology. Ultrafast lasers are on the verge of opening up a large variety of engineering and industrial applications. These “realworld” applications range from high-tech, such as high-speed circuit testing and biological imaging, to more everyday applications such as inspection of packaged food. The markets that will be influenced include industries such as telecommunications, automotive, electronics, medical (device manufacturing, diagnostics, therapy), dental, and ophthalmic and the manufacture and inspection of consumer goods. Although many of the concepts and techniques that make these ultrafast applications possible have proven in the laboratory, there are still barriers to their becoming mainstream. The primary obstacle arises from the complexity, size, and cost of conventional ultrafast laser systems. However, as can be seen from the first half of this book, there have also been significant advances in developing compact, rugged, turnkey ultrafast lasers for use in many of these applications. These new generations of lasers will need to operate very robustly under sometimes harsh conditions. There has been significant progress to date, and progress continues on several fronts, including solidstate, fiber, and diode lasers.
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