Arkadiusz J. Antończak

Controlling the 1 μm spontaneous emission in Er/Yb co-doped fiber amplifiers

In this paper we present our experimental studies on controlling the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from Yb(3+) ions in Er/Yb co-doped fiber amplifiers. We propose a new method of controlling the Yb-ASE by stimulating a laser emission at 1064 nm in the amplifier, by providing a positive 1 μm signal feedback loop. The results are discussed and compared to a conventional amplifier setup without 1 μm ASE control and to an amplifier with auxiliary 1064 nm seeding. We have shown, that applying a 1064 nm signal loop in an Er/Yb amplifier can increase the output power at 1550 nm and provide stable operation without parasitic lasing at 1 μm.

Single-longitudinal mode Nd:YVO4/YVO4/KTP green solid state laser

We present the concept and practical realization of a single frequency, tuneable diode pumped Nd:YVO4/YVO4/KTP microchip laser operating at 532 nm. Theoretical analysis of the single mode operation of such a laser configuration is presented. The single frequency operation has been obtained in a birefringent filter, where an YVO4 beam displacer acts as an ideal polarizer. Experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical analysis. We have obtained stable single frequency operation, tuneable over 0.6 nm in the spectral range around 1064 nm. The laser operated with output power up to 110 mW at 53 nm. The total optical efficiency (808 nm to 532 nm) was 14%.

Recent development of WDM fiber vibrometry

For the last few years we were elaborating the laser-fiber vibrometer working at 1550 nm. Our main stress was directed towards different aspects of research: analysis of scattered light, efficient photodetection, optimisation of the fiber-free space interfaces and signal processing. As a consequence we proposed the idea of a multichannel fiber vibrometer based on well developed telecommunication technique – Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). We present the results of a just finished project “Developing novel laser-fiber monitoring technologies to prevent environmental hazards from vibrating objects” where we have constructed a 4-channel WDM laser-fiber vibrometer.

Laser prototyping of printed circuit boards

This paper describes the application of laser micromachining to rapid prototyping of printed circuit boards (PCB) using nano-second lasers: the solid-state Nd:YAG (532/1064 nm) laser and the Yb:glass fiber laser (1060 nm). Our investigations included tests for various mask types (synthetic lacquer, light-sensitive emulsion and tin). The purpose of these tests was to determine some of the basic parameters such as the resolution of PCB prototyping, speed of processing and quality of PCB mapping with commonly available laser systems. Optimization of process parameters and the proposed conversion algorithm have allowed us to produce circuit boards with a resolution similar to that of the Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) technology.

Demodulator electronics for laser vibrometry

One of the most important parts of a fiber-laser vibrometer is demodulation electronic section. The distortion, nonlinearity, offset and added noise of measured signal come from electronic circuits and they have direct influence on finale measuring results. Two main parameters of an investigated vibrating object: velocity V(t) and displacement s(t), influence of detected beat signals. They are: the Doppler frequency deviation f(t) and phase shift φ(t), respectively. Because of wide range of deviations it is difficult to use just one demodulator. That is the reason why we use three different types of demodulators. The first one is the IQ demodulator, which is the most sensitive one and its output is proportional to the displacement. Each IQ channel is sampled simultaneously by an analog to digital converter (ADC) integrated in a digital signal processor (DSP). The output signals from the two FM demodulators are proportional to the frequency deviation of heterodyne signals. They are sensitive directly to th...

Laser Doppler vibrometry with a single-frequency microchip green laser

We have developed a laser vibrometer based on an Nd:YVO4/YVO4/KTP monolithic single-frequency green laser operating at 532 nm, with a narrow linewidth of radiation. Two configurations of the laser Doppler vibrometer have been investigated—with the so-called single- and double-frequency Bragg shifts. Measurement of heterodyne signals as a mixing result of scattered and reference beams has been carried out. In both configurations we have obtained signals with a high S/N ratio of >30 dB with resolution bandwidth = 200 kHz for a vibrometer output power of 3 mW. In our opinion, stable single-frequency solid-state green lasers provide new opportunities for the development of miniature laser vibrometry.

Corrosion resistance of the AISI 304, 316 and 321 stainless steel surfaces modified by laser

The article presents the analysis results of the influence of laser fluence on physical and chemical structure and corrosion resistance of stainless steel surfaces modified by irradiating with nanosecond-pulsed laser. The study was carried out for AISI 304, AISI 316 and AISI 321 substrates using Yb:glass fiber laser. All measurements were made for samples irradiated in a broad range of accumulated fluence (10÷400 J/cm2). The electrochemical composition (by EDX) and surface morphology (by SEM) of the prepared surfaces were carried out. Finally, corrosion resistance was analyzed by a potentiodynamic electrochemical test. The obtained results showed very high corrosion resistance for samples made by fluency of values lower than 100 J/cm2. In this case, higher values of corrosion potentials and breakdown potentials were observed. A correlation between corrosion phenomena, the range of laser power (fluence) and the results of chemical and structural tests were also found.

Rapid fabrication of microdevices by controlling the PDMS curing conditions during replication of a laser-prototyped mould

This paper presents a method that enables fast and low-cost fabrication of microchannels with oval cross-section. The procedure is based on formation of a concave meniscus at the interface between an initially cured PDMS and a polymeric mould fabricated using excimer laser. In this technique, the mould is not filled with uncured PDMS. The replica is formed by expanding gas trapped within the structures of the mould during thermal curing. A second shaping factor is connected with surface phenomena at the interface between the mould, gas and partially cured PDMS. The final shape of the meniscus is determined when the PDMS reaches the high cure extent. The microchannels with oval cross-section are obtained by using a completely cured PDMS replica as a mould in an analogical second fabrication step. As a result an all-in-PDMS chip can be produced. The cross-section of channels can be controlled by changing the curing conditions. We investigated the influence of the initial PDMS curing time and pressure during final curing on the geometry of the created microchannels. The fabricated microstructures are characterized by constant depth and high quality of the surface.

Excimer laser-induced incubation of poly(L-lactide)

The irradiation of polylactide by KrF excimer laser with subthreshold fluence results in modification of its properties via photochemical reactions. A common approach is to modify chemical composition of polymer surface by UV irradiation, for example, in order to improve their wetting properties. In this paper, authors present a possibility of bulk modification of poly(L-lactide) which is related to photofragmentation and creation of new terminal groups. The irradiation results in decrease of molecular weight and increase of polydispersity. The appearance of new terminal groups is responsible for enhancement of absorption in UV-C range. The intensity of chemical composition changes introduced by UV irradiation can be precisely dosed thanks to a pulse character of laser source. Modifications can be controlled during the process by the analysis of energy transmitted through a polymer sheet. The distribution of absorption coefficient changes along with the depth of irradiated polymer and its correlation with polydispersity was discussed. Presented technique can be used for selective and controllable modification of hydrolytic degradation time of biodegradable polyesters utilized in biomedical applications.

Fabrication of Fresnel microlens with excimer laser contour ablation

Laser micromachining systems based on excimer lasers are usually oriented to work with mask projection regime because of the low pulse repetition rate as well as large beam aperture of the laser source. In case of fabricating of the complex 3D structures, this approach introduces a number of limitations. Alternative solution might be usage of direct writing laser mode. Some examples of the so called contour ablation approach for fabricating microlenses with an absolutely monotonically changing cross-sectional profile are presented in the literature. Based on this idea and introducing new variables like automatic mask selection as well as optimizing process algorithms led us to obtain more versatile method for shape approximation. Hence, there were fabricated structures with cross-sectional profiles described as functions that are monotonic on specified intervals such as Fresnel microlenses. In this paper we describe approximation of process parameters for obtaining desired cross-sectional profiles and finally fabrication of few exemplary microlenses. All structures were characterized by a digital optical microscopy and compared to the given profiles. The accuracy of reproduction of the desired structures at the level of single microns was achieved.