Comparison of different irrigation activation techniques on smear layer removal: An in vitro study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different irrigation activation techniques on smear layer removal. About 80 single‐rooted human maxillary central teeth were decoronated to a standardized length.The samples were prepared by using ProTaper system to size F4 and divided into eight equal groups (n = 10) according to the final irrigation activation technique; distilled water was used as an irrigant in Group 1. The other groups were treated with 2.5% NaOCl and 17% EDTA, respectively. Conventional syringe irrigation (CSI) was used in Group 2. Irrigation solutions were activated using passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI, Group 3), EndoVac apical negative pressure (ANP, Group 4), diode laser (Group 5), Nd:YAG laser (Group 6), Er:YAG laser (Group 7), and Er:YAG laser using with photon‐induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS?, Group 8). Teeth were split longitudinally and subjected to scanning electron microscope (SEM). PIPS showed the best removal of smear layer when compared with PUI, ANP, Nd:YAG, and Er:YAG, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Smear layer scores obtained with PIPS technique were statistically significant different from those of obtained with control, CSI and diode laser groups (P < 0.05). All experimental irrigation techniques except ANP and diode laser removed smear layer more effectively at the coronal and middle levels compared to the apical level (P < 0.05). Irrigation activated/delivered techniques except diode laser have a positive effect on removing of smear layer. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:230–239, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Laserthermia: a computer-controlled contact Nd:YAG system for interstitial local hyperthermia

Contact Nd:YAG laser surgery is assuming a role of greater importance in endoscopic and open surgery, allowing coagulation, cutting, and vaporization with greater precision and safety. A synthetic sapphire probe allows a wider angle of irradiation and diffusion of low power laser energy (less than 5 W) using an interstitial technique for producing local hyperthermia. Sensors placed directly into surrounding tissue or tumor continuously monitor temperature, and a pertinent computer program produces a controlled and stable temperature (e.g., 42 degrees C) over a period of time (e.g., 20-40 min). The Laserthermia system (Surgical Laser Technologies, Inc., Malvern, PA), using the Nd:YAG laser, offers many advantages in the experimental and clinical treatment of carcinoma by local interstitial hyperthermia.     

Development of controlled Nd:YAG laser for medical applications

Several medical fields are concerned with applications of thermal lasers such as neodymium-doped, yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG), argon, and CO2. However, quantification of the necrotic volume of Nd:YAG laser-induced damage is not possible at the time of treatment. Mathematic models and feedback control can help to optimize Nd:YAG laser treatments. We therefore formulated mathematic models for coagulation processes and developed an intelligent Nd:YAG laser system with closed-loop feedback control. Surface temperature evolution proved to be valuable data for real-time control of coagulation and ablation. Infrared thermometry provided the noncontact measurement of temperature. A computer stored the temperature data calculated by the mathematic model. Deviations of surface temperature during the treatment beyond established tolerances causes the Nd:YAG laser system to adjust the laser power automatically.     

垂直腔面发射激光端面泵浦的高能量调Q Nd:YAG激光

采用垂直腔面发射激光端面泵浦Nd∶YAG获得了高能量的1 064 nm调Q激光输出。与边发射半导体激光相比,垂直腔面发射激光具有各向发散角相同、波长随温度漂移小等优点,更适合用作泵浦源以产生高效率、结构紧凑的激光。泵浦能量为200 mJ时,产生了最高45 mJ的1 064 nm激光输出,光光转换效率达到22.5%,激光脉宽为8 ns,发散角为1.2 mrad。基于模拟计算优化了Nd3+掺杂浓度,通过采用低浓度的Nd∶YAG晶体减小泵浦端面增益,从而有效抑制了影响调Q激光能量提高的自激振荡,为获得高能量的端面泵浦调Q激光输出提供了有效的技术手段。     

激光二极管阵列侧泵浦Nd:YAG板条热效应的研究

为了解决激光二极管阵列侧面泵浦激光板条引起的热效应问题,对于激光板条温度模式分布进行了研究。通过激光板条工作特点分析,建立了符合实际情况的热模型。基于热传导理论,建构了Poisson方程新的求解方法,得出了侧泵板条温度场与热形变场的一般解析表达式。该解析方法不仅解决了将板条内部热流线径向假设造成的温场计算误差问题,而且解决了数值分析方法带来的计算精度不高的问题。研究结果表明：使用输出功率为30W的激光二极管阵列侧面泵浦Nd:YAG板条,考虑耦合到板条侧面的高斯光斑半径为150μm、板条钕离子掺杂质量分数为1.0at.%,板条泵浦面具有102.3 oC的最高温升,泵浦面与通光端面同时发生1.54μm和2.66μm的最大热形变。并定量研究了激光二极管阵列不同泵浦功率以及不同泵浦光斑下Nd:YAG板条温度场的分布情况。研究结果可以用于侧泵板条激光器谐振腔的设计之中,为减小激光系统的热效应提供了理论依据。     

The laser dressing of resin-bonded CBN wheels by a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser

Resin-bonded cubic boron nitride (CBN) grinding wheels are widely used in industry due to their good grinding ability. There is, therefore, a need to find a good method suitable for the dressing of these wheels. This paper presents a new method dressed by an acoustic-optic Q-switched Nd: YAG laser based on thermal interaction, which is unlike the conventional mechanical dressing methods based on force interaction. The mechanism of the selective removal of the bond was analysed. Experiments of a single pulse ablation on the resin bond and the CBN grains, and the laser dressing of resin-bonded CBN wheels with different dressing parameters have been carried out. The grinding force has been compared for the conventional mechanical dressed wheel and the laser dressed wheel. It is shown that the resin-bonded CBN grinding wheel is suitable for an acoustic-optic Q-switched Nd: YAG laser dressing with radial irradiation, which is better than a continuous wave (CW) laser dressing with radial irradiation and conventional mechanical dressing methods.     

Mobile spectroscopic system for trace gas detection using a tunable mid-IR laser

We describe a mobile spectroscopic system for trace gas analysis based on the open path differential absorption spectrometer and the photoacoustic spectrometer. The first method allows long distance measurements (up to a few kilometers) while the second one provides local in situ detection of pollutants. The open path system is based on the nanosecond (f = 10 Hz, tau = 5 ns) lamp pumped Nd:YAG laser and a tunable two cascade optical parametric generator operating in the 5-12 microm spectral region. This source was mounted into the lidar setup based on the coaxial transmitter/receiver. The photoacoustic system was constructed using the same laser as well as a nonresonant photoacoustic cell.     

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry for time-resolved measurements

A time-resolved time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) that can simultaneously monitor multiple species on the millisecond time scale has been constructed. A pulsed photolysis laser is used to initiate reaction, and then via a pinhole the reaction mixture is sampled by the TOF-MS. The ions are created by photoionization via either a discharge lamp or a pulsed laser. Comparison between the two ionization sources showed that the laser is at least an order of magnitude more efficient, based on the time to accumulate the data. Also, unlike the continuous lamp the pulsed laser is not mass limited. Frequency tripling the 355 nm output of a Nd:YAG laser provided a convenient laser ionization source. However, using a dye laser provided an equally intense laser ionization source with the ability to tune the vacuum ultraviolet (vuv) light. To show the versatility of the system the kinetics of the reaction of SO and ClSO radicals with NO(2) were simultaneously measured, and using the dye laser the vuv light was tuned to 114 nm in order to observe H(2)CO being formed from the reaction between CH(3)CO and O(2).     

Development of a time-resolved attenuated total reflectance spectrometer in far-ultraviolet region

A far-ultraviolet transient absorption spectrometer based on time-resolved attenuated total reflectance (ATR) has been developed and tested for aqueous solutions of phenol and tryptophan in the region 170-185 nm. In this region, a stable tunable laser was not available, and therefore, white light from a laser-driven Xe lamp source was used. The time resolution, which was determined by the time response of a continuous light detector, was 40 ns. A new ATR cell where a sample liquid is exchanged continuously by a flow system was designed to reduce efficiently the stray light from the excitation light. We have tested the performance of the instrument by using aqueous solutions of phenol and tryptophan, whose photochemistry is already well known. Phenol and tryptophan have very strong absorptions due to a π-π? transition near 180 nm. Even for dilute solutions (10(-3) mol dm(-3)), we could observe decreases in their concentrations due to photochemistry that occurred upon their irradiation with a fourth harmonic generation laser pulse produced by an Nd:YAG laser. The sensitivity of the spectrometer was about 10(-4) abs, which corresponded to a concentration variation of 10(-3) mol dm(-3) for phenol and tryptophan.     

Wavelength optimization for machining metals with the harmonic generations of a short pulsed Nd:YAG laser

The wavelength conversion for a short pulsed Nd:YAG laser has been implemented from infrared to visible and to ultraviolet spectra by using nonlinear optical crystals. The analytical method of wavelength optimization for machining metals with various harmonic generations of a Nd:YAG laser is presented in this paper. Combining the absorptivity of metal and the conversion efficiency of laser apparatus, the absorption efficiency is proposed to select an optimum machining wavelength. Various metals have different optimum machining wavelengths. The optimum machining wavelengths for gold, silver, and copper are in the third-, fourth- and second-harmonic generations of a Nd:YAG laser, respectively. For other metals, such as nickel, their optimum machining wavelengths are all in the fundamental wavelength of a Nd:YAG laser.     

LD泵浦的室温运转内腔倍频473nm全固态蓝激光器

从理论上分析了准三能级系统固体激光器室温运转的条件以及实现方法,同时给出了实现473nm蓝光发射的方案.报道了用波长808.5nm,功率为2W的半导体激光器泵浦Nd:YAG,采用内腔倍频的方法,在室温下获得946nm波长准三能级连续红外激光输出120mW,以及用BBO晶体倍频获得473nm波长10mW的连续蓝色激光输出.     

Enhanced processing speed in laser drilling of stainless steel by spatially and temporally superposed pulsed Nd:YAG laser radiation

Percussion drilling through holes in stainless steel (1.4301, 5, 8, and 10 mm in thickness) was performed with the superposed radiation of two pulsed Nd:YAG lasers. Holes were drilled with flash lamp pumped Nd:YAG slab-laser radiation with a pulse duration of 0.5 ms superposed with diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser radiation with a pulse duration of 17 ns. The drilling efficiency is improved by the spatially and temporally superposed radiation of the two lasers. With the superposed laser radiation, drilling through stainless-steel samples at a maximum aspect ratio of 60 is performed up to four times faster with the reproducibility of the drilling time improved by a factor of six in standard deviation.     

Modeling and optimization of Nd:YAG laser micro-weld process using Taguchi Method and a neural network

The use of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser in the 0.1 mm- thick aluminum alloy lap micro-weld process was optimized. The welding parameters that influence the quality of the pulsed Nd:YAG laser lap micro-weld were evaluated by measuring of the tensile-shear strength. In this work, the Taguchi method was adopted to perform the initial optimization of the pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-weld process parameters. A neural network with a Levenberg-Marquardt back-propagation (LMBP) algorithm was then adopted to develop the relationships between the welding process parameters and the tensile-shear strength of each weldment. The optimal parameters of the pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-weld process were determined by simulating parameters using a well-trained back-propagation neural network model. Experimental results illustrate the proposed approach.     

不同波长激光对激光—MAG电弧复合焊接熔滴行为的影响

通过计算分析了金属对Nd：YAG激光和CO2激光的吸收率;以8.0mm厚高强钢板为试验材料,采用高速摄像系统观测熔滴过渡模式和等离子体形态的变化.建立脉冲MAG焊接熔滴力学模型,从熔滴受力角度分析了不同波长两种激光YAG激光和C02激光在激光—MAG焊接中对熔滴过渡形式和熔滴过渡频率的影响.结果表明,Nd：YAG激光和CO2激光输出特性存在差异,金属表面对YAG激光的吸收率约为CO2激光的3倍多;在焊接电流180A、焊接电压26V、光丝间距3mm的相同条件下,YAG激光—MAG电弧复合焊接熔滴过渡频率高于CO2激光—MAG电弧复合焊接的熔滴过渡频率,且熔滴过渡频率均随着激光功率的增加而降低,但是增加等量的激光功率,YAG激光—MAG电弧复合焊接熔滴过渡频率下降幅度更大;CO2激光—MAG电弧复合焊接过程中,熔滴的过渡形式由射滴过渡转变为颗粒过渡,在YAG激光—MAG电弧复合焊接过程中,熔滴过渡形式主要为射滴过渡.     

LD泵浦腔内倍频Nd:YAG/LBO蓝光473nm激光器的低噪声运转

激光二极管（LD）泵浦腔内倍频Nd:YAG/LBO蓝光473nm激光器在不加入腔内特殊元件的情况下,往往倍频输出功率具有很大的高频噪声,即所谓的“蓝光问题”！这大大限制了473nm蓝色激光的应用！为了降低该激光器件倍频输出功率的高频噪声,采用了通过提高腔内基频光循环强度和缩短激光晶体以减小准三能级激光系统再吸收损耗的方法来实现473nm激光器的低噪声运转！实验中利用两个2W激光二极管耦合作为泵浦源及1.0mm厚的Nd:YAG材料作为激光晶体,在利用10mm长LBO材料作为倍频晶体的情况下,获得了输出功率为195mW的具有低噪声特性的473nm蓝光激光运转！实验结果表明：倍频输出功率（峰－峰值）/平均值小于1%！激光输出在1h内没有发生激光跳变现象发生并且无需腔内其它元件的引入。     

Artificial sapphire probe for contact photocoagulation and tissue vaporization with the Nd:YAG laser

A contact artificial sapphire, developed for use with the Nd:YAG laser, allows the performance of open surgery (laser probe) and has endoscopic applications for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding (micro laser tip) and tumors (micro laser rod). Advantages of this contact irradiation include precision of surgical technique, minimal tissue damage, and excellent hemostatic and cutting capabilities, with low backscattering of laser energy.     

Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy microstructural investigation of high-speed tool steel after Nd:YAG pulsed laser melting

This article presents the microstructure of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser‐melted high‐speed steel, namely HS6‐5‐2. The high chemical homogeneity and fine structure of the melted zone was attributed to high cooling rates due to the short duration of interaction with the Nd:YAG pulsed laser radiation and the relatively small volume of the melted material. The structure obtained in the surface layer after laser melting has a high level of hardness and shows improved wear resistance.     

Feasibility of the 248 nm Excimer laser in the laser structuring of fine circuit lines on printed circuit board

Excimer laser (KrF) is used as a new laser source to determine its feasibility in the laser structuring process. Compared with frequency-tripled Nd:YAG lasers, the Excimer laser can conveniently change the spot size of a laser beam to get a smaller sized circuit line/space by inserting a mask. Some frequently used laser parameters of the Excimer laser are discussed in this paper, such as laser energy, number of repetition, repetition rate, bite size and laser beam size. The differences between the Nd:YAG laser and the Excimer laser in laser structuring are also explored in this paper.     

Characterization of hole circularity in pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling of TiN–Al2O3 composites

In micro-manufacturing, circularity of a drilled hole at entry and exit are important attributes which greatly influence the quality of a drilled hole. This study investigates the effect of five parameters in the circularity of drilled holes in pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling process. The drilling operation has been carried out on titanium nitride–alumina (TiN–Al₂O₃) composite, an important electroconductive ceramics suitable for wear and heating applications. The effect of various process parameters like lamp current, pulse frequency, pulse width, air pressure, and focal length of Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling on hole circularity at entry and exit has been investigated through response-surface-methodology-based experimental study. The parametric combination for optimal hole circularity at entry and exit has also been evaluated.     

Parametric analysis and optimization of Nd:YAG laser micro-grooving of aluminum titanate (Al2TiO5) ceramics

Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser offers an excellent role for various micro-machining operations of a wide range of engineering materials such as ceramics, composites, diamond etc. The micro-machining of ceramics are highly demanded in the present industry because of its wide and potential uses in various field such as automobile, electronic, aero-space, and bio-medical engineering applications etc. Aluminum titanate (Al₂TiO₅) has tremendous application in automobile and aero engine industry due to its excellent thermal property. The present research paper deals with the response surface methodology based mathematical modeling and analysis on machining characteristics of pulsed Nd:YAG laser during micro-grooving operation on a work piece of aluminum titanate. In this present study, lamp current, pulse frequency, pulse width, assist air pressure and cutting speed of laser beam are considered as machining process parameters during pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-grooving operation. The response criteria selected for analysis are deviation of taper and deviation of depth characteristics of micro-groove produced on a work piece made of aluminum titanate (Al₂TiO₅). The analysis of variance test has also been carried out to check the adequacy of the developed regression mathematical models. The optimal process parameter settings are assist air pressure of 1.3 kgf/cm², lamp current of 20.44 amp, pulse frequency of 1.0 kHz, pulse width of 10% of duty cycle, and cutting speed of 10 mm/s for achieving the predicted minimum deviation of taper and deviation of depth of laser micro-groove. From the analysis, it is evident that the deviation of taper angle and deviation of depth of the micro-groove can be reduced by a great extent by proper control of laser machining process parameters during micro-grooving on aluminum titanate (Al₂TiO₅).