Ultrafast Optical Field Engineering for Laser Micro- and Nanofabrication

Abstract

Ultrafast laser micro- and nanofabrication has emerged as a powerful platform for precision manufacturing due to the unique capability of femtosecond pulses to provide highly localized energy deposition and controlled laser–matter interactions. However, conventional scanning-based processing approaches remain limited by a fundamental trade-off between spatial resolution and fabrication throughput. Recent advances in ultrafast optical field engineering provide new strategies for overcoming these limitations through coordinated control of temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal characteristics of ultrashort laser fields. This review presents recent developments in ultrafast optical field engineering for laser micro- and nanofabrication, covering programmable pulse shaping, spatiotemporal control, spatial light modulation, structured light approaches, holographic methods, and hybrid optical architectures. The operating principles of these technologies are discussed together with their influence on energy deposition, processing accuracy, scalability, and manufacturing efficiency. Particular attention is given to applications in high-throughput surface structuring, parallel microfabrication, three-dimensional processing, photonic device fabrication, and functional material modification. Different optical architectures are compared in terms of flexibility, optical efficiency, power-handling capability, and industrial applicability. The review highlights the transition from conventional single-spot processing toward adaptive, parallel, and programmable optical manufacturing systems, emphasizing integrated control of ultrafast optical fields as a key direction for future laser fabrication.