Abstract: An apparatus for refractive ophthalmic surgery by laser radiation including a source of radiation which emits a processing beam a beam path for focusing and scanning. The beam path focuses the processing beam into a cornea of an eye and shifts a position of a focus therein. A beam splitting device generates several foci in the cornea and divides the processing beam into a primary beam and at least one secondary beam. The primary and secondary beams have substantially the same cross section as the processing beam which is incident on the beam splitting device and the beam-splitting device introduces a separation between the primary and secondary beams. The primary and secondary beams expand in the beam path. A contact glass induces a pre-defined geometric boundary surface at the cornea.

Abstract: An apparatus for material processing by laser radiation, including a laser source which emits a processing beam, and a beam path for focusing and scanning, the beam path focusing the processing beam into a processing volume and shifting the position of the focus therein. A beam splitting device generates several foci in the processing volume and the beam splitting device splits the processing beam up into a primary beam and at least one secondary beam and leaves the cross section of the beam in a pupil plane of the beam path unchanged during said division and introduces an angle of separation between the primary and secondary beams, so that these beams expand in the beam path in directions which differ by the angle of separation.