Oluwaseyi Balogun

Laser-based ultrasonic generation and detection of zero-group velocity Lamb waves in thin plates

A novel laser-based ultrasonic technique for the inspection of thin plates and membranes is presented, in which a modulated continuous-wave laser source is used to excite narrow bandwidth Lamb waves. The dominant feature in the acoustic spectrum is a sharp resonance peak that occurs at the minimum frequency of the first-order symmetric Lamb mode, where the group velocity of the Lamb wave goes to zero while the phase velocity remains finite. Experimental results with the laser source and receiver on epicenter demonstrate that the zero-group velocity resonance generated with a low-power modulated excitation source can be detected using a Michelson interferometer coupled to a lock-in amplifier. This resonance peak is sensitive to the thickness and mechanical properties of plates and may be suitable, for example, for the measurement and mapping of nanoscale thickness variations.

Building embedded microchannels using a single layered SU-8, and determining Young's modulus using a laser acoustic technique

In this paper, an innovative method to create embedded microchannels is presented. The presented technology is based on a direct-write technique using a scanning laser system to pattern a single layered SU-8. The enormous flexibility of the scanning laser system can be seen in two key features: the laser pulsing can be controlled spot-by-spot with variable exposure doses, and the laser intensity penetrating into samples can be adjusted by varying the laser focus level. The UV laser direct-write method greatly simplifies the fabrication processes. Moreover, it can be set up in a conventional manufacturing environment without the need for clean room facilities. The second part of this paper describes the underlying theory and method to determine Youngs modulus of exposed SU-8 by using a laser acoustic microscopy system. The laser-based ultrasonic technique offers a non-contact, non-destructive means of evaluation and material characterization. This paper will determine Youngs modulus of UV exposed SU-8 generated with different exposure doses. Measurements show that Youngs modulus is highly dependent on exposure dose. Youngs modulus ranges from 3.8 to 5.4 GPa when the thickness of a fully cross-linked SU-8 microbeam varies from 100 to 205 µm with a gradually increased UV exposure dose.

High-sensitivity laser-based acoustic microscopy using a modulated excitation source

A laser-based acoustic microscopy system has been developed that uses an amplified electroabsorption modulated diode laser for narrow bandwidth acoustic wave generation at frequencies up to 200 MHz. The detection bandwidth reduction afforded by this technique allows for a significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio over systems using pulsed-laser excitation and broadband detection. Femtometer range displacement sensitivity is demonstrated, allowing for materials characterization with only minimal surface heating. The source modulation frequency is scanned over the bandwidth of interest and the transient response of the specimen is reconstructed from the frequency domain data. This signal processing approach allows for easy identification of individual acoustic arrivals or multiple acoustic modes.

Adaptive Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Network for Structural Health Monitoring: Applications to Impact Monitoring:

A passive structural health monitoring (SHM) system for locating foreign-object impact using a network of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors that monitor high frequency dynamic strains is described. The FBG sensor signals are adaptively demodulated using a two-wave mixing (TWM) spectral demodulator. Strains applied on the FBG sensors are encoded as wavelength shifts of the light reflected by the FBG sensor which are then converted into phase shifts and demodulated by the TWM interferometer. The demodulator adaptively compensates for low frequency drifts caused by large quasi-static strain and temperature drift and allows only high frequency signals to pass through. The FBG sensor network is mounted on a plate, and the structure is subjected to artificial impacts generated by dropping small ball bearings. Owing to the directional sensitivity of the FBG sensors, an FBG sensor-pair configuration is used at each sensing location. The impact signals from multiple FBG sensors are simultaneously acquired at frequencies of up to 180kHz. Using time-frequency wavelet analysis, the group velocity dispersion curve of the detected Lamb wave modes is obtained from the measured transient responses of the sensors, and this is used to determine the location of the impact.

Simulation and measurement of the optical excitation of the S1 zero group velocity Lamb wave resonance in plates

Recent reports on the thermoelastic generation of Lamb waves in isotropic elastic plates show that a laser source efficiently excites a resonance that occurs at the minimum frequency of the first order symmetric (S1) Lamb mode. The group velocity of the Lamb wave goes to zero at this frequency while the phase velocity remains finite, and the resonance is referred to as the S1 zero group velocity (S1 ZGV) resonance. The S1 ZGV resonance can be employed for the nondestructive evaluation of the elastic properties of plates or plate thickness. A model for the generation of elastic waves in plates using an intensity-modulated continuous wave laser source is developed and used to study the behavior of the S1 ZGV resonance. The effects of the laser source parameters on the generation of the S1 ZGV resonance are explored, and the spatial distribution of the displacement produced at the resonance frequency is determined. The predicted displacement spectrum of Lamb waves generated in micron scale plates is found to...

A frequency domain laser based ultrasonic system for time resolved measurement of broadband acoustic transients

A high-sensitivity frequency domain laser based ultrasonic system is presented which uses a low power, amplitude modulated continuous wave (cw) laser source for acoustic wave generation. The acoustic signals are detected using a path stabilized Michelson interferometer coupled to a rf lock-in amplifier. The modulation frequency of the generation laser is scanned over the bandwidth of interest, and transient acoustic signals are reconstructed from the frequency domain data. The effects of measurement frequency resolution, bandwidth, and time domain aliasing on the reconstructed transient response are discussed. Experimental results on thin plates, where diffuse acoustic wave fields lasting several hundred microseconds are seen as a result of multiple reflections off of sample boundaries, demonstrate that the time domain signal can be unambiguously reconstructed through appropriate selection of frequency resolution. Time domain reconstructions of acoustic signals over a bandwidth of 200MHz demonstrate the u...

Quantitative Imaging of Rapidly Decaying Evanescent Fields Using Plasmonic Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy

Non-propagating evanescent fields play an important role in the development of nano-photonic devices. While detecting the evanescent fields in far-field can be accomplished by coupling it to the propagating waves, in practice they are measured in the presence of unwanted propagating background components. It leads to a poor signal-to-noise ratio and thus to errors in quantitative analysis of the local evanescent fields. Here we report on a plasmonic near-field scanning optical microscopy (p-NSOM) technique that incorporates a nanofocusing probe for adiabatic focusing of propagating surface plasmon polaritons at the probe apex, and for enhanced coupling of evanescent waves to the far-field. In addition, a harmonic demodulation technique is employed to suppress the contribution of the background. Our experimental results show strong evidence of background free near-field imaging using the new p-NSOM technique. Furthermore, we present measurements of surface plasmon cavity modes, and quantify their contributing sources using an analytical model.

High-spatial-resolution sub-surface imaging using a laser-based acoustic microscopy technique

Scanning acoustic microscopy techniques operating at frequencies in the gigahertz range are suitable for the elastic characterization and interior imaging of solid media with micrometer-scale spatial resolution. Acoustic wave propagation at these frequencies is strongly limited by energy losses, particularly from attenuation in the coupling media used to transmit ultrasound to a specimen, leading to a decrease in the depth in a specimen that can be interrogated. In this work, a laser-based acoustic microscopy technique is presented that uses a pulsed laser source for the generation of broadband acoustic waves and an optical interferometer for detection. The use of a 900-ps microchip pulsed laser facilitates the generation of acoustic waves with frequencies extending up to 1 GHz which allows for the resolution of micrometer-scale features in a specimen. Furthermore, the combination of optical generation and detection approaches eliminates the use of an ultrasonic coupling medium, and allows for elastic characterization and interior imaging at penetration depths on the order of several hundred micrometers. Experimental results illustrating the use of the laser-based acoustic microscopy technique for imaging micrometer-scale subsurface geometrical features in a 70-μm-thick single-crystal silicon wafer with a (100) orientation are presented.

Ultrasonic near-field optical microscopy using a plasmonic nanofocusing probe

Ultrasonic waves are sensitive to the elastic properties of solids and have been applied in a variety of nondestructive materials characterization and metrology applications. The spatial resolution of established ultrasound techniques is limited to the order of the ultrasound wavelength, which is insufficient for nanomechanical characterization and imaging of nanoscale aspects of a material microstructure. Here, we report of an ultrasonic near-field optical microscopy (UNOM) technique that enables local mapping of ultrasound with deep sub-optical wavelength spatial resolution. In this technique, ultrasonic waves generated by a pulsed laser are detected by a scanning near-field optical probe over a broad frequency bandwidth. The scanning probe features a plasmonic nano-focusing lens that concentrates light to a strongly localized focal spot at the tip of the probe. The plasmonic probe enhances the scattering of evanescent light at the probe-tip and enables reliable measurement of the dynamic motion of a vi...

Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy to Measure Nanoscale Mechanical Properties of Cement Pastes

The measurement of elastic properties at the nanoscale is a prerequisite to building a foundation for nanomechanics applications. At present, nanoindentation is widely used to measure the properties of elasticity. Under this method, a sample is indented with a rigid probe and the resistant force of the indentation is measured. The reduced modulus measured on the basis of the resistant force and the indentation depth is then converted to the elastic modulus of the sample. However, its spatial resolution, the distance between two consecutive locations of measurement, is limited to about 5 μm because of the area of the indented tip. Ultrasonic atomic force microscopy is an alternative method of attaining spatial resolution at the nanometer level. It uses information based on the vibrations transferred from the piezoelectric actuator at the bottom of a sample to the cantilever contacting the top surface of the sample. The cantilever makes contact with a relatively small force; as a consequence, it decreases the contact area and improves the spatial resolution. The application of atomic force acoustic microscopy to a cementitious material is described, and the results of the measurement of the elastic modulus of a cement paste are presented.