Fiber optic sensing for ultrasonic NDE

An innovative approach to nondestructive evaluation (NDE) using noncontacting optical sensors has demonstrated. In this effort a single mode optical fiber interferometer (OFI) was used to sense the presence and form of Rayleigh waves traveling along the surface of a steel test bar at a velocity of nearly 3mm/µs. Acousto-optic time-domain data was successfully used to detect the presence and locate the position of a test flaw (a machined slot) in the bar, and spectrum analysis was used to estimate its geometry and size. This approach has many potential applications in the ultrasonic evaluation of real flaws in structures with complex geometries. Coupled with the authors' earlier work demonstrating the feasibility of generating acoustic waves in metals using laser light pulses transmitted through the fiber optic probes, this latest achievement points to the development of a fully noncontacting, fiber optic based thermal-acousto-photonic (TAP) NDE system, with potential applications to the reliability testing of many important structures where composition, scale, geometry, or restricted access preclude the use of conventional NDE techniques.     

Room-Temperature-Processable Highly Reliable Resistive Switching Memory with Reconfigurability for Neuromorphic Computing and Ultrasonic Tissue Classification

Reversible metal-filamentary mechanism has been widely investigated to design an analog resistive switching memory (RSM) for neuromorphic hardware-implementation. However, uncontrollable filament-formation, inducing its reliability issues, has been a fundamental challenge. Here, an analog RSM with 3D ion transport channels that can provide unprecedentedly high reliability and robustness is demonstrated. This architecture is realized by a laser-assisted photo-thermochemical process, compatible with the back-end-of-line process and even applicable to a flexible format. These superior characteristics also lead to the proposal of a practical adaptive learning rule for hardware neural networks that can significantly simplify the voltage pulse application methodology even with high computing accuracy. A neural network, which can perform the biological tissue classification task using the ultrasound signals, is designed, and the simulation results confirm that this practical adaptive learning rule is efficient enough to classify these weak and complicated signals with high accuracy (97%). Furthermore, the proposed RSM can work as a diffusive-memristor at the opposite voltage polarity, exhibiting extremely stable threshold switching characteristics. In this mode, several crucial operations in biological nervous systems, such as Ca²⁺ dynamics and nonlinear integrate-and-fire functions of neurons, are successfully emulated. This reconfigurability is also exceedingly beneficial for decreasing the complexity of systems—requiring both drift- and diffusive-memristors.     

Direct Freeform Laser Fabrication of 3D Conformable Electronics

3D conformable electronic devices on freeform surfaces show superior performance to the conventional, planar ones. They represent a trend of future electronics and have witnessed exponential growth in various applications. However, their potential is largely limited by a lack of sophisticated fabrication techniques. To tackle this challenge, a new direct freeform laser (DFL) fabrication method enabled by a 5-axis laser processing platform for directly fabricating 3D conformable electronics on targeted arbitrary surfaces is reported. Accordingly, representative laser-induced graphene (LIG), metals, and metal oxides are successfully fabricated as high-performance sensing and electrode materials from different material precursors on various types of substrates for applications in temperature/light/gas sensing, energy storage, and printed circuit board for circuit. Last but not the least, to demonstrate an application in smart homes, LIG-based conformable strain sensors are fabricated and distributed in designated locations of an artificial tree. The distributed sensors have the capability of monitoring the wind speed and direction with the assistance of well-trained machine-learning models. This novel process will pave a new and general route to fabricating 3D conformable electronic devices, thus creating new opportunities in robotics, biomedical sensing, structural health, environmental monitoring, and Internet of Things applications.     

Investigation of Ablation Efficiency of Stainless Steel Using Pulsed Lasers in Burst Mode

Due to its high corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, stainless steel is commonly used in various industrial applications. Although different types of stainless steel are similar in their chemical composition, they can differ significantly in their thermal diffusivity. This property is relevant in the ability of a material to conduct heat and thus, in laser processing. In this frame, this study compares the ablation efficiency and characteristics of polished stainless steel samples of the alloys AISI 304, AISI 420, and AISI 316Ti. They are irradiated with single ultrashort pulses having pulse durations between 250 fs and 10 ps as well as using GHz burst modii. The goal is to investigate the differences in both the ablation threshold and the ablation rate to improve the ablation efficiency. The results show that shorter pulse durations lead to a more efficient ablation process. On the other hand, GHz bursts are found to be, in general, less efficient. In addition, there is a significant difference in the surface morphology depending on the process parameters. The differences in the thermal diffusivity do not significantly influence the ablation threshold fluence but surface morphology and the ablation rate.     

Colloidal Quantum Dot Infrared Lasers Featuring Sub-Single-Exciton Threshold and Very High Gain

The use of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) as a gain medium in infrared laser devices has been underpinned by the need for high pumping intensities, very short gain lifetimes, and low gain coefficients. Here, PbS/PbSSe core/alloyed-shell CQDs are employed as an infrared gain medium that results in highly suppressed Auger recombination with a lifetime of 485 ps, lowering the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) threshold down to 300 µJ cm⁻², and showing a record high net modal gain coefficient of 2180 cm⁻¹. By doping these engineered core/shell CQDs up to nearly filling the first excited state, a significant reduction of optical gain threshold is demonstrated, measured by transient absorption, to an average-exciton population-per-dot 〈N^th〉_g of 0.45 due to bleaching of the ground state absorption. This in turn have led to a fivefold reduction in ASE threshold at 〈N^th〉_ASE = 0.70 excitons-per-dot, associated with a gain lifetime of 280 ps. Finally, these heterostructured QDs are used to achieve near-infrared lasing at 1670 nm at a pump fluences corresponding to sub-single-exciton-per-dot threshold (〈N^th〉_Las = 0.87). This work brings infrared CQD lasing thresholds on par to their visible counterparts, and paves the way toward solution-processed infrared laser diodes.     

Diode-Pumped Solid-State Lasers for Inertial Fusion Energy

We have begun building the Mercury laser system as the first in a series of new generation diode-pumped solid-state lasers for inertial fusion research. Mercury will integrate three key technologies: diodes, crystals, and gas cooling, within a unique laser architecture that is scalable to kilojoule and megajoule energy levels for fusion energy applications. The primary near-term performance goals include 10% electrical efficiencies at 10 Hz and 100J with a 2–10 ns pulse length at 1.047 m wavelength. When completed, Mercury will allow rep-rated target experiments with multiple chambers for high energy density physics research.     

High power pulsed lasers

Pulsed high power lasers can deliver sufficient energy on inertial fusion time scales (0.1–10 ns) to heat and compress DT fuel to fusion reaction conditions. Several laser systems have been examined for application to the fusion problem. Examples are Ndglass, CO₂, KrF, and I₂, etc. A great deal of developmental effort has been applied to the Ndglass laser and the CO₂ gas laser systems. These systems now deliver >10⁴ kJ and >20×10¹² W to inertial fusion targets. The Nova Ndglass laser is being constructed to provide >200 kJ and >200×10¹² W of 1 m radiation for fusion experimentation in the mid-1980s. For inertial fusion target gain, >100 times the laser input, it is expected that the laser must deliver 3–5 MJ of energy on the 10–20 ns time scale. This paper reviews the developments in laser technology and outlines approaches to construction of a 3–5 MJ driver.     

Cryogenic thermometry with a common diode: Type BAS16

Cryogenic test experiments often require a large number of temperatures to be monitored. In order to reduce cost, we investigated the feasibility of low-cost common diodes. We chose the Philips BAS16 diode in a type SOT23 package. By means of Stycast 2850FT, these diodes were glued into alumina holders. In total, 20 sensors were assembled and tested. With an excitation current of 100 μA and considering a temperature range from 50 K to room temperature, a quadratic least-squares-fit was obtained: T = 486.1 − 363.7V − 38.3V². All sensors agreed with this fit within an error of 1.3 K.     

用于大功率半导体激光器的新型焊料

在大功率半导体激光器列阵及叠阵的组装中,焊料的选择是极其关键的,因为焊料直接参与对激光器的导电、导热激光器所需的电流全部从焊料通过,而半导体激光器列阵或叠阵工作时电流是很大的,可达50A～100A。同时半导体激光器工作时产生的热量非常大,如焊料的导热性不好,由于电流的热效应,就会在焊料上产生巨大的热量,使焊料熔化。文中研制了一种新型的焊料,这种焊料在两层铟之间蒸镀几层金,焊料由钨/镍/金/铟/铜等多层金属构成。利用这种焊料研制出脉冲功率达100W的半导体激光器列阵。     

可调脉宽YAG激光脱毛机研究

介绍了可调脉宽YAG激光脱毛机的工作原理，整机结构和关键技术指标。该机工作频率为1次／秒，脉宽可达40ms，单脉冲输出可达40J，能量密度达140J／cm^2，经初步临床实验，取得了较满意的结果。