Abstract
Hydroxide-catalysis bonding is a precision technique used for jointing components in opto-mechanical systems and has been implemented in the construction of quasi-monolithic silica suspensions in gravitational wave detectors. Future detectors are likely to operate at cryogenic temperatures which will lead to a change in test mass and suspension material. One candidate material is mono-crystalline sapphire. Here results are presented showing the influence of various bonding solutions on the strength of the hydroxide-catalysis bonds formed between sapphire samples, measured both at room temperature and at 77 K, and it is demonstrated that sodium silicate solution is the most promising in terms of strength, producing bonds with a mean strength of 63 MPa. In addition the results show that the strengths of bonds were undiminished when tested at cryogenic temperatures.
Highlights
Hydroxide-catalysis bonding is a precision optical jointing technique originally developed and patented by Gwo for use in the Gravity Probe B telescope [1, 2]
Hydroxide-catalysis bonding may be useful for constructing sapphire suspensions in a manner similar to the fused silica suspensions constructed for other detectors, making characterization of the properties of sapphire jointed by hydroxide-catalysis bonding an important area of interest
In the case of those samples broken at cryogenic temperatures, the samples and breaking equipment were first placed in a bath that was filled with liquid nitrogen to cool the set-up to approximately 77 K
Summary
Hydroxide-catalysis bonding (sometimes called silicate bonding) is a precision optical jointing technique originally developed and patented by Gwo for use in the Gravity Probe B telescope [1, 2] This technology has been implemented in the construction of quasi-monolithic suspensions in laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors [3,4,5]. It allows precision bonding of optical components, creating optically clear bonds with strengths that can be similar to the bulk material [6]. In the field of gravitational wave detection the technique of hydroxide-catalysis bonding was first used in jointing fused silica prisms or ‘ears’ to the test masses in the GEO 600 detector to create a quasi-monolithic suspension system [3]. Hydroxide-catalysis bonding may be useful for constructing sapphire suspensions in a manner similar to the fused silica suspensions constructed for other detectors, making characterization of the properties of sapphire jointed by hydroxide-catalysis bonding an important area of interest
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