Power delivery of free electron laser light by hollow glass waveguides

Hollow glass waveguides are used to deliver free electron laser (FEL) energy for applications in medicine and laser surgery. The hollow guides, optimized for the delivery of 6.45-μm FEL radiation, exhibited losses for the 1000-μm bore as low as 0.39 dB/m when the guide was straight and 1.75 dB/m when bent to a radius of 25 cm. Hollow glass guides are flexible, and their broadband capability provides an ideal fiber optic for the tunable FEL.     

Small-bore hollow waveguides for delivery of 3-µm laser radiation

Flexible hollow glass waveguides with bore diameters as small as 250 μm have been developed for 3-μm laser delivery. All the guides exhibit straight losses between 0.10 and 1.73 dB/m, and the loss increases to between 2.4 and 5.1 dB/m upon bending 1 m of the guides into 15-cm-diameter coils. This behavior is shown to depend strongly on the launch conditions and mode quality of the input beam. The waveguides are capable of efficiently delivering up to 8 W of Er:YAG laser power with proper input coupling, and they are suitable for use in both medical and industrial applications.     

Optical properties of small-bore hollow glass waveguides

Hollow glass waveguides with a 250-μm i.d. have been fabricated with a liquid-phase deposition technique that uses silica tubing as a base material. The losses of the 250-μm-bore guide measured at CO(2) laser wavelengths are as low as 2.0 dB/m. The straight losses for the hollow guides are in good agreement with theoretically predicted losses as a result of the nearly ideal structure of the guides. It is also shown that the guides have low bending losses, a nearly pure-mode delivery, and good high-power laser transmission. By proper design of the dielectric thickness, the guide is also able to deliver Er:YAG laser energy with a low loss of 1.2 dB/m for the 320-μm-bore waveguide. Because the hollow glass waveguide is very flexible and robust, it is quite suitable for medical applications.     

Optical properties of dual-core hollow waveguides

A new type of hollow glass waveguide has been fabricated that transmits radiation from visible to infrared wavelengths with low loss. The broadband transmission is achieved with a structure consisting of two distinct core regions; a silica annulus for transmission of wavelengths from 0.3 to 2.0 μm and a hollow core for transmission from 2.0 to 12.0 μm. Losses in the silica core at 633 nm are 0.3 dB/m. Losses in the 575-μm bore hollow core at 10.6 μm are 0.6 dB/m. Bending loss is negligible for radiation transmitted in the solid silica core, whereas the hollow guide loss exhibits a 1/R dependence. The dual-core waveguide can transmit broadband radiation, is rugged and flexible, and therefore, is a good candidate for medical or sensor applications.     

High-peak-power, pulsed CO(2) laser light delivery by hollow glass waveguides

Flexible hollow glass waveguides with internal metallic and dielectric coatings have been used to deliver high-peak-power transversely excited atmosphere CO(2) laser energy. The straight guide loss is as low as 0.17 dB/m for 1000-mum-bore guides and 0.46 dB/m for 530-mum-bore guides propagating the HE(11) mode. The loss increases to 0.93 and 1.36 dB/m, respectively, when guides are bent to a radius of 0.25 m. The hollow glass waveguides have been used to deliver pulsed CO(2) laser energy successfully with a peak power of 0.7 MW and an energy of 350 mJ per pulse with a gas purge through the hollow core. The delivered average power is as high as 27 W. It is concluded that these waveguides are promising candidates for pulsed CO(2) laser delivery in medical and surgical applications.     

Infrared transmissive, hollow plastic waveguides with inner Ag-Agl coatings

Hollow polycarbonate waveguides with thin-film coatings of Ag-AgI were fabricated by liquid-phase chemistry methods. These hollow waveguides, which have bore sizes ranging from 500 to 2000 microm and lengths as long as 2 m, are transmissive from 2 to more than 20 microm. The lowest loss of 0.02 dB/m was obtained for a straight 2000 microm bore guide at 10.6 microm. This is to our knowledge the lowest loss measured for any IR fiber at CO2 laser wavelengths. The bending losses were found to increase as 1/R, where R is the radius of the bend. These waveguides were able to withstand 18 W of CO2 laser input power for bore sizes greater than 1000 microm.     

Optical properties of hollow calcium aluminate glass waveguides

Calcium aluminate glass has a refractive index less than 1 at 10.6 μ, and therefore it is a good candidate for a hollow fiber for the transmission of CO(2) laser energy. We have drawn hollow calcium aluminate glass fibers with inner diameters ranging from 380 to 500 μ. The loss for our 500-μm inner-diameter hollow glass fibers measured at 10.6 μm is 8.6 dB/m.     

Gradually tapered hollow glass waveguides for the transmission of CO2 laser radiation

Hollow glass waveguides with bores tapered from 1000 to 500 microm and from 700 to 500 microm over a length of 2 m were coated with silver and silver iodide inner films. These waveguides were designed for low attenuation at the 10.6-microm CO2 laser wavelength. The straight losses, which were measured to be 0.8 and 1.6 dB/m, respectively, decreased when the guides were bent. A simple ray-trajectory model is presented to explain this unexpected behavior.     

O/W/O多重乳液法制备毫米级氧化铝空心球

采用O/W/O多重乳液法, 以液体石蜡为内核, 氧化铝溶胶为外壳层组成的复合液滴作为前驱体, 制备毫米级氧化铝空心球, 研究了装置几何结构对前驱体的形成和固化过程对空心球结构的影响。结果表明, 内部油相通过直流通道直接注射到水相液滴内部时, 形成的复合液滴具有均一核壳结构, 壁厚和直径在30~80 μm和800~2200 μm可控。液滴置于水平方向旋转固化, 保持转速在20~60 r/min, 所得凝胶球可以保持完整的球形度和核壳结构。1200℃高温煅烧制备出的氧化铝空心微球维持高的球形度和空心结构, 表面粗糙度大约22 nm, 壁厚达到几十微米, 直径达到毫米级, 主要晶型为稳定的α-Al₂O₃。     

空心微球/环氧树脂复合泡沫塑料的抗压性能与破坏机制

以环氧树脂为基体, 不同粒径空心玻璃微球为填充体, 制备了轻质高强复合泡沫塑料。通过单轴准静态压缩试验研究了空心微球的粒径大小对复合泡沫塑料的抗压性能的影响, 并采用SEM对复合泡沫塑料的微观结构进行观测。通过随机空间分布法建立了空心玻璃微球/环氧树脂复合泡沫塑料的实体模型, 并且使用有限元分析软件对复合泡沫塑料在1 kPa载荷下的应力分布进行了分析。结果表明, 在相同体积含量下, 当空心微球的粒径从30 μm增大到120 μm时, 复合泡沫塑料的抗压强度无明显变化。有限元分析的结果表明, 在复合泡沫塑料中主要承载部分为空心微球, 空心微球上的应力大于树脂基体上的应力。最大应力分布在空心微球的内壁, 结合SEM图像可推测, 空心微球在破裂之前受到充分的挤压, 并且从内壁产生裂纹。     

Hollow-waveguide delivery systems for high-power, industrial CO(2) lasers

Hollow-sapphire and metal-dielectric-coated hollow-glass waveguides have been used to deliver CO(2) laser power for industrial laser applications. The transmission, bending loss, and output-beam properties of these waveguides are described. The bore sizes of the hollow-sapphire waveguides were 1070 and 790 μm, and the hollow-glass waveguide had a bore of 700 μm. The waveguides ranged in length from 1.1 to 1.5 m. The sapphire waveguides were bent to 90°, and the hollow-glass waveguides were bent into a full 360° loop. We delivered a maximum of 1.8 kW through the 1070-μm-bore sapphire waveguide and 1.0 kW through the hollow-glass waveguide. All the hollow waveguides incorporated a water jacket to prevent overheating.     

Investigation into the Mechanical Cause of Failure of Neutron Guide NG-2 at the NIST Research Reactor

This study investigates the fractures that occurred in a glass structure used to carry neutrons from a cold source in the NIST reactor into an experimental hall that contains neutron-scattering instrumentation used to perform experiments in chemistry, materials science, physics, and biology. These guides are typically made of rectangular borosilicate glass tubes, coated on the inside with a neutron-reflecting coating. The guide tubes used at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) have internal cross sections of dimensions 150?×?60?mm, with lengths extending over as great as 60?m, with gaps for insertion of the instruments used to evaluate materials. On August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Mineral, Virginia, which resulted in significant ground motion over 150?km away at the NCNR. An initial inspection and vacuum test revealed no significant damage to the seven neutron beam lines. After a few weeks, neutron guide 2 (NG-2) that was located in the Guide Hall near the reactor building wall cracked and broke while being evacuated. The cause of fracture was identified by observation of the glass fragments and analysis of the stress distributions in the guide. The delayed fracture was caused by damage introduced during the earthquake.     

Ray optics model for triangular hollow silicon waveguides

Closed silicon V grooves are proposed as new hollow waveguides suitable for optical microelectromechanical systems applications. These easily fabricated guides with large index contrast could be designed to work with very low loss for the fundamental mode. A ray optics model is developed for the loss analysis of such guides. The model is tested using the beam propagation method. The model allows one to obtain approximate design equations for the fundamental mode losses in equilateral triangles as well as the practical waveguide and thus greatly simplifies the design effort.     

基于硅与非硅复合方法的异平面空心微针制作

为了解决制备空心微针工艺复杂且成本高的问题,本文提出了采用湿法刻蚀、光刻和电镀结合的方法制备低成本空心金属微针.首先采用湿法刻蚀硅,得到280μm深的倒四棱锥锥坑;然后在锥坑上甩200μm厚的负胶SU-8填充锥坑,并通过曝光显影负胶形成微针的形貌;最后在曝光显影后的负胶上电镀50μm厚的镍得到所需形状的空心金属微针.用此方法制备的空心微针高度为350μm、壁厚为50μm,其针尖形状为三棱锥和四棱锥.通过有限元仿真分析微针强度与微针结构尺寸的关系.用此方法加工出的微针具有锥形尖,改善了刺入皮肤的效果.     

新型保温隔热外墙涂料的研制

以碳酸钙、金红石型二氧化钛、空心玻璃微珠、氧化锌为颜填料,以苯丙乳液为主成膜物,制备出的建筑外墙保温隔热涂料,其常规性能符合外墙涂料的相关标准要求。研究了添加碳酸钙、金红石型二氧化钛和氧化锌三种填料及复合添加四种填料对涂层隔热性能的影响。结果表明：添加碳酸钙、金红石型二氧化钛和氧化锌可提高涂层隔热性能;复合掺入碳酸钙、金红石型二氧化钛、氧化锌和空心玻璃微珠可进一步提高涂层隔热性能。掺加15％碳酸钙、7％金红石型二氧化钛、5％氧化锌和8％空心玻璃微珠时,隔热温差为7．9℃,导热系数为0．0767W／（m·K）,具有明显的保温隔热效果。     

玻璃基掩埋式光波导堆栈的制作与表征

在硅酸盐光学玻璃基片上制作了光波导堆栈, 这种光波导堆栈通过Ag⁺/Na⁺熔盐离子交换和电场辅助离子扩散技术顺次制作了两层掩埋式光波导. 对光波导堆栈的横截面显微结构进行了观察, 并对堆栈中两层波导的损耗特性进行了测试. 所获得的光波导堆栈中的上、下两层波导芯部分别位于玻璃表面以下14和35 μm处; 上层光波导芯部尺寸约为12 μm×7 μm; 下层光波导芯部尺寸约为9 μm×8 μm. 通光测试显示两层波导在1.55 μm工作波长下均为单模光波导, 且两者之间没有相互耦合. 损耗测试分析结果显示: 堆栈中两层光波导的传输损耗均约为0.12 dB/cm,与单模光纤之间的耦合损耗分别为0.78和0.73 dB. 分析表明, 这种光波导堆栈在玻璃基集成光芯片的高密度集成方面具有很好的应用前景.     

Evaluation of diffraction loss in prism light guides by finite-difference time-domain field modeling

Prism light guides are hollow dielectric tubes that use prismatic facets to guide light by means of total internal reflection. An unresolved problem has been to determine the magnitude of loss caused by diffraction in prism light guides. Neither experimental measurement nor an analytical solution has yet been achieved, so we attacked the problem numerically, in two steps. First, we found a way to represent such a transitionally invariant three-dimensional system as an equivalent two-dimensional problem. Second, we employed the finite-difference time-domain algorithm, with periodic boundary conditions, to yield a computation problem of manageable size. We found that the diffraction-induced transmissivity of a prism light guide wall is of the order of the wavelength divided by the prism size-a result that has encouraging practical implications.     

Capillary Ion Chromatography with On-Line High-Pressure Electrodialytic NaOH Eluent Production and Gradient Generation

A small inexpensive system is described that allows high-performance suppressed anion chromatography on a capillary scale. A fully computer-controlled stepper motor-driven syringe-type dispenser, equipped with a 500 μL-capacity glass syringe is capable of pumping at pressures up to 1000 psi when equipped with an appropriate inlet check valve. Fused-silica capillary columns ～50 cm in length and 180 μm i.d., packed in-house with a commercial packing, provide excellent performance, significantly exceeding the efficiencies observed for the same packing in commercially available 2 mm bore format. The system operates with a pressure drop of <800 psi at a flow rate of 2 μL/min. The system utilizes a novel electrodialytic NaOH eluent generator that is deployed on the high-pressure side of the pump and thus requires no special measures for electrolytic gas removal. This device permits both isocratic and gradient operation with excellent eluent purity; the NaOH concentration is generated linearly with applied current with near-Faradaic efficiency, up to a concentration of at least 100 mM.     

Fabrication of copper oxide-coated hollow waveguides for CO2 laser radiation

Hollow fibers for transmitting CO(2) laser light were fabricated by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. A dielectric film of copper oxide (Cu(2)O) was deposited upon the inside of a Ag-coated glass capillary by use of a metal acetylacetonate as the precursor. The waveguide, which was coated with Cu(2)O and had a bore diameter of 700 mum, showed a loss of 0.9 dB/m for CO(2) laser light. The Cu(2)O film deposited by CVD had high chemical and heat resistivity. Therefore a hollow fiber coated with copper oxide is suitable for high-power laser applications in a severe environment.     

纺丝参数对PVC/PVB中空纤维膜性能的影响

采用干-湿相转化法制备聚氯乙烯(PVC)/聚乙烯醇缩丁醛(PVB)中空纤维膜。考察了凝固浴组成、芯液流速、卷绕速度、入水距离等纺丝参数对中空纤维膜性能的影响。结果表明,通过外凝固浴中溶剂含量的改变,可以控制中空纤维膜的皮层结构;通过芯液流速和卷绕速度的改变,可以控制内径和壁厚;通过入水距离的改变,控制水通量和截留率。因此通过控制纺丝参数,可制备性能不同的PVC/PVB中空纤维膜。