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NY L80035




October 21, 2004

CLA-2-90:RR:NC:MM:114 L80035

CATEGORY: CLASSIFICATION

TARIFF NO.: 9013.90.9000

Mr. Chuck Ratermann rpmc
203 Joseph Street
O’Fallon, MO 63366

RE: The tariff classification of a laser subsystem called the UFPO from Germany

Dear Mr. Ratermann:

In your letter dated September 20, 2004 you requested a tariff classification ruling.

The laser subsystem is called the ultra fast pockels-cell switch (UFPO). The UFPO is also referred to as a Q-switch. The UFPO is used as a fast optical switch and is employed in lasers such as the Staccato diode pumped Nd:YVO4 picosecond laser. The UFPO picks pulses from mode-locked picosecond or femtosecond lasers. For example, a picosecond laser can produce 50 million pulses per second. The pulses are sent to the UFPO and it selects 50,000 pulses, 100,000 pulses, or whatever number of pulses is required and discards the other pulses. The UFPO also has applications in pulse switching in regenerative amplifiers, and in cavity dumping of pico-, femto-, or nanosecond lasers.

The UFPO consists of three components: the optical head, a power supply and a DG (delay generator) on an electronic plug-in card for personal computers. The optical head contains the pockels-cell (the optical crystal), the HV-switch and an alignment stage. The ultra fast pockels switch is used in high pulse energy picosecond lasers. The lasers are used in material processing, for example, selective drilling, cutting, structuring and surface treatment of bulk material and in semiconductor technology.

The applicable subheading for the UFPO will be 9013.90.9000, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), which provides for other parts of lasers. The rate of duty will be 4.5 percent ad valorem.

This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Part 177 of the Customs Regulations (19 C.F.R. 177).

A copy of the ruling or the control number indicated above should be provided with the entry documents filed at the time this merchandise is imported. If you have any questions regarding the ruling, contact National Import Specialist Barbara Kiefer at 646-733-3019.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Swierupski
Director,

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