Thermal processes taking place in the bone during CO2 laser irradiation

The present study examines the drilling and heating of a bone due to pulsed CO₂ laser irradiation. To obtain temperature profiles inside and at the surface of the bone, electron-kinetic and Fourier theories are used. The study is extended to include an experimental investigation into the measurement of the penetration speed. This is achieved using a fibre-optic system. In order to reduce the degree of burning around the hole side, helium was used as the assisting gas during drilling. It is found that the penetration speeds predicted from the theory are in good agreement with the experimentally obtained values.     

Analysis of mechanism of plasma and spatter in CO2 laser welding of galvanized steel

In laser welding, quality, reproducibility and formability are required. That is the great problem in the automation of the laser welding process. Therefore, construction of an on-line process monitoring system of high accuracy is requested.The light which is emitted from plasma and spatter in laser welding was detected by photo-diodes. It was found that the light intensity depends on welding speed, laser power and flow rate of assist gas. The relationship between the plasma and spatter and the bead shape, and the mechanism of plasma and spatter were analyzed for on-line laser weld monitoring systems.     

Optically pumped submillimeter laser lines from CD2Cl2 using a large tunability CW CO2 laser

Twenty-five new laser lines have been obtained in the wavelength region from 155 to 830 μm by optically pumping the CD₂Cl₂ (deuterated dichloromethane) molecule with a CW CO₂ laser having a tunability range of 300 MHz. The wavelength, polarization relative to that of CO₂ pumping radiation, and offset relative to the CO₂ center frequency were determined for all of the new lines and some other already known laser emissions. For all of them we give also the relative intensity and the optimum pressure of operation. Permanent address: Depto de Física e Química da FEIS — UNESP 15.378-000 Ilha Solteira-SP, Brazil     

A scribing laser marking system using DSP controller

Laser marking is an important branch of laser processing technology, and has been widely used in many fields of industry. Digital signal processor (DSP) is an incredibly fast and powerful microprocessor that can deal with signals in real time. Not only it is portable but has the ability to integrate the processing signals of subsystems. In this research, it is emphasized that we designed a scribing laser marking system based on a DSP in galvanometric marking method. To control the rotating angle of the galvanometric scanning mirrors more accurately, we combine the D/A converter of the DSP with the human–machine interface successfully. The whole marking system is not only inexpensive, but also miniaturized.     

In situ monitoring the pulse CO2 laser interaction with 316-L stainless steel using acoustical signals and plasma analysis

In most laser material processing, material removal by different mechanisms is involved. Here, application of acoustic signals with thermoelastic (below threshold) and breakdown origin (above threshold) together with plasma plume analysis as a simple monitoring system of interaction process is suggested. In this research the interaction of pulse CO₂ laser with 200 ns duration and maximum energy of 1.3 J operating at 1 Hz with austenitic stainless steel (316-L) is reported. The results showed that the non-linear point of the curve can serve as a useful indicator of melting fluence threshold (in this case ≈830 J cm⁻²) with corresponding temperature calculated using plasma plume analysis. Higher acoustic amplitudes and larger plasma plume volume indicates more intense interaction. Also, analysis showed that a phase explosion process with material removal (ejecta) in the form of non-adiabatic (i.e., d_t ? α⁻¹) is at play after laser pulse is ended. Also, SEM photographs show different surface quality medication at different laser intensities, which indicates the importance of recoil momentum pressure and possibly electrons and ions densities in heat transfer. Finally, electrochemical test indicate an improved corrosion resistance for laser treated samples compared to untreated ones.     

Surface treatment with linearly polarized laser beam at oblique incidence

An effective method for surface heat treatment with 10.6 μm linear polarized laser beam at oblique incidence is reported. A circular focused laser spot on the workpiece surface, simultaneously with 2.2–4 times increasing of the absorption are obtained in the 70–80° range of the incidence angle. The main element of the experimental setup is the astigmatic focusing head which focalize the laser beam into an elliptical spot of ellipticity >3 at normal incidence. At a proper incidence angle (obtained by the focusing head tilting) the focused laser spot on the work piece surface gets a circular form and p-state of polarization is achieved.We performed laser heat treatment (transformation hardening, surface remelting) of the uncoated surface, as well as the alloying and cladding processes by powder injection. An enhancement of the processing efficiency was obtained; in this way the investment and operation costs for surface treatment with CO₂ laser can be significantly reduced. Several technical advantages concerning the pollution of the focusing optical components, powder jet flowing and reflected radiation by the work piece surface are obtained.     

多光束激光干涉光刻图样

利用电磁理论,研究了多光束激光干涉图样的产生原理,结合计算机数值模拟和相关实验结果,分析了干涉图样的影响因素。研究结果表明：多光束激光干涉图样可以看成是多组余弦分布的平行线条纹的叠加;相干光束的偏振方向、入射方向、光束间相差是干涉图样的重要影响因素,改变这些因素,余弦分布的平行线条纹的振幅、置、周期和方向发生变化,图样也随之变化。     

Characterization of the laser cleaving on glass sheets with a line-shape laser beam

A CO₂ laser with a line-shape beam was used to cleave a soda-lime glass substrate at various beam-rotation angles to the cutting direction. The stress distribution on the glass substrate cleaved by the laser beam has been analyzed in this study. An uncoupled thermal-elastic analysis was achieved by the ABAQUS software based on the finite element method. The numerical results show that the stress field of the fracture is caused by a complex stress state and the cleavages are significantly affected by the heat diffusion and beam rotation angle. At the rotation angle of zero degree to the cleaving direction, the phenomena of the chip formation have been found due to a large temperature gradient at the cleaving depth of the glass substrate.     

Amplitude-detuning characteristic of a CO2 laser with biharmonic loss modulation

The nonlinear response of a CO₂ laser to biharmonic loss modulation was theoretically investigated for tuning of the radiation frequency within the limits of the amplification band. It is shown that the value and form of the amplitude-detuning characteristic (and, consequently, the temporal and energy parameters of the laser radiation) can be controlled within sufficiently wide limits by changing the modulation frequency and the phase shift of oscillations. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 43–47, January–February, 1999.     

Nonlinear dynamics of the dual-wavelength CO2 laser

Theoretical studies have been made of the nonlinear-dynamic modes of operation of a dual-wavelength CO₂ laser with continuous pumping by electric discharge and loss modulation in one of the lasing channels. It is shown that by varying the modulation depth and frequency, it is possible to control, over a fairly wide range, the time and energy parameters of lasing in both channels, going from regular to chaotic modes of operation. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 316–321, May–June, 2000.     

Mathematical modeling of hybrid CO2 laser

A Teller–Landau six-temperature model describing the dynamic emission of single-mode TEA CO₂ laser has been adapted. This model has been also used to describe the mechanism of obtaining relatively high-power output pulses from hybrid TE-TEA or CW-TEA CO₂ laser consisting of high- and low-pressure sections. The suggested mathematical model allows to investigate the mechanism which limits the TEA oscillation to single longitudinal mode (SLM) due to the narrow gain bandwidth of low-pressure section, and also to study the effect of the laser input parameters on the smooth output laser pulse parameters. In addition, numerical solutions of non-linear rate equation system of the suggested model are quantitatively discussed. The solutions describe the radiation field intensity, the population inversion, and the energy transfer processes. The calculated values of maximum peak power, total energy in pulse, pulse width, etc. are in a very good agreement with the observed experimental values.     

Mitigation of laser damage growth in fused silica by using a non-evaporative technique

A non-evaporative technique is used to mitigate damage sites with lateral sizes in a range from 50 μm to 400 μm and depths smaller than 100 μm.The influence of the pulse frequency of a CO 2 laser on the mitigation effect is studied.It is found that a more symmetrical and smooth mitigation crater can be obtained by increasing the laser pulse frequency form 0.1 to 20 kHz.Furthermore,the sizes of laser-affected and distorted zones decrease with the increase of the laser pulse frequency,leading to less degradation of the wave-front quality of the conditioned sample.The energy density of the CO 2 laser beam is introduced for selecting the mitigation parameters.The damage sites can be successfully mitigated by increasing the energy density in a ramped way.Finally,the laser-induced damage threshold(LIDT) of the mitigated site is tested using 355 nm laser beam with a small spot(0.23 mm 2) and a large spot(3.14 mm 2),separately.It is shown that the non-evaporative mitigation technique is a successful method to stop damage re-initiation since the average LIDTs of mitigated sites tested with small or large laser spots are higher than that of pristine material.     

A DC excited waveguide multibeam CO2 laser using high frequency pre-ionization technique

High power industrial multibeam CO₂ lasers consist of a large number of closely packed parallel glass discharge tubes sharing a common plane parallel resonator. Every discharge tube forms an independent resonator. When discharge tubes of smaller diameter are used and the Fresnel numberN ≪ 1 for all resonators, they operate in waveguide mode. Waveguide modes have excellent discrimination of higher order modes. A DC excited waveguide multibeam CO₂ laser is reported having six glass discharge tubes. Simultaneous excitation of DC discharge in all sections is achieved by producing pre-ionization using an auxiliary high frequency pulsed discharge along with its other advantages. Maximum 170 W output power is obtained with all beams operating in EH₁₁ waveguide mode. The specific power of 28 W/m is much higher as compared to similar AC excited waveguide multibeam CO₂ lasers. Theoretical analysis shows that all resonators of this laser will support only EH₁₁ mode. This laser is successfully used for woodcutting     

Kinetic modelling of electrooptically Q-switched CO2 laser

In this paper, a six-temperature model for CO₂ lasers is used to describe the process of the dynamic emission in the electrooptically Q-switched laser. The dissociation of CO₂ molecules, the electron excitation and the energy-transfer of vibrational levels and the rotational relaxation of rotational levels are involved. The calculated pulse waveforms are in good agreement with the experiment.     

Design and operation characteristics of a high power transverse flow pulser sustained cw CO2 laser

A transverse flow, transverse discharge cw CO₂ laser in which de discharge is sustained by employing high repetition rate high voltage pulses has been developed. Pulser sustained discharge through electrodes of innovative design provided uniform excitation at electrical input power densities more than 10 W/cc. Laser output power more than 2.5 kW was obtained in a laser gas mixture consisting of 0.5 mbar of CO₂, 16 mbar of N₂ and 38.5 mbar of He. Design details and operational characteristics of this laser are presented.     

CO2 laser cutting of slate

Slate is a natural stone which has the characteristic that shows a well-developed defoliation plane, allowing to easily split it in plates parallel to that plane which are particularly used as tiles for roof building. At present, the manufacturing of slate is mostly manual, being noisy, powdery and unsafe for the worker. Thus, there is a need to introduce new processing methods in order to improve both the working conditions and the quality of the products made of slate.Following the previous work focused on the drilling and cutting of slate tiles using a Nd : YAG laser, we present in this paper the results of the work carried out to explore the possibilities to cut slate plates by using a CO₂ laser. A 1.5 kW CO₂ laser was used to perform different experiments in which, the influence of some processing parameters (average power, assist gas pressure) on the geometry and quality of the cut was studied. The results obtained show that the CO₂ laser is a feasible tool for a successful cutting of slate.     

Optoacoustic Laser Stark spectroscopy and FIR laser action on CH3Br using a waveguide CO2 laser

The optoacoustic spectrum of CH₃Br around 10 m band lines of a tunable cw waveguide CO₂ laser is investigated. Several new infrared absorptions are observed and most of the correspond ing molecular transitions are assigned. Far infra red laser action is reported by pumping with the same CO₂ laser: pump offsets are given using the Transferred Lambs dip (TLD) technique. A new FIR laser emission is obtained and assigned. An optoacoustic Laser Stark spectroscopy technique is used to investigate off resonance infrared tran sitions.     

Surface evolution and laser damage resistance of CO2 laser irradiated area of fused silica

A 10.6 μm CO₂ laser has been reported to effectively mitigate the laser damage growth of fused silica. Two zones of the laser irradiated area are defined in this work: the distorted zone and the laser affected zone. The parameters of the two zones are studied at different CO₂ laser beam sizes, irradiation times, and powers by microscopy, profilometry, and photoelastic method. The results show that the diameter of laser affected zone is almost completely determined by the laser beam size and the distorted zone is associated with the mitigation range of CO₂ laser beam. The diameter and depth of the distorted zone increase as the laser power and irradiation time increase. The depth grows exponentially depending on the irradiation time. The maximum residual stress discrepancy is located near the boundary of the laser affected zone. The laser damage resistance test results show that the distorted zone and the laser affected zone have a better damage resistance than the original substrate.     

Phase-locking of a multi-channel radial array CO2 laser

A theoretical analysis of phase-locking in a multi-channel radial array CO₂ laser is presented. The concepts are based on the theories of injection phase-locking and matrix optics. The mutual optical coupling occurring within the central region is demonstrated by theoretical deduction. Interrelated graphs of the coupling coefficient and the distance between the coupling position and the cavity mirror are calculated by numerical simulation. The results of the analysis are in accord with experimental results.     

High-power multibeam CO2 laser for industrial applications

Multibeam CO₂ lasers consist of a large number of closely packed parallel glass discharge tubes, all sharing a common plane parallel resonator. This paper describes construction and operation of a CW multibeam CO₂ laser consisting 20 discharge tubes and cooled length of 1500 mm, delivering 1 kW power. A high-frequency pulser is used for producing preionization in all discharge sections for initiating the main DC discharge simultaneously in all discharge tubes. Plane parallel resonator consists of a plane ZnSe mirror of 90 mm diameter having 60% reflectivity and a gold-coated copper mirror of same diameter. This laser operates in waveguide regime and laser power is not critically sensitive to mirror misalignment.