Required Laser Parameters Research Articles

Photodiode-based machine learning for optimization of laser powder bed fusion parameters in complex geometries

The quality of parts produced through laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing can be irregular, with complex geometries sometimes exhibiting dimensional inaccuracies and defects. For optimal part quality, laser process parameters should be selected carefully prior to printing and adjusted during the print if necessary. This is challenging since approaches to control and optimize the build parameters need to take into account the part geometry, the material, and the complex physics of laser powder bed fusion. This work describes a data-driven approach using experimental diagnostics for the optimization of laser process parameters prior to printing. A training dataset is generated by collecting high speed photodiode signal data while printing simple parts containing key geometry features with various process parameter strategies. Supervised learning approaches are employed to train both a forward model and an inverse model. The forward model takes as inputs track-wise geometry features and laser parameters and outputs the photodiode signal along the scan path. The inverse model takes as inputs the geometry features and photodiode signal and predicts the laser parameters. Given the part geometry and a desired photodiode signal, the inverse model can thus determine the required laser parameters. Two test parts which contain defect-prone features are used to assess the validity of the inverse model. The use of the model leads to improved part quality (higher dimensional accuracy, reduced dross, reduced distortion) for both test geometries.

The Concept of an Erosion Monitor for In-Vessel ITER Components with the Use of a Pulsed Laser

The erosion monitor is the ITER diagnostic system designed to control the erosion and deposition of materials on the plasma-facing components of the vacuum vessel under the influence of particle flows and radiation from the plasma. The required accuracy and range of measurements can be achieved using the two-frequency speckle interferometry method. However, because of vibration of the installation, the images should be taken in such a short time that is not provided by existing CMOS cameras. In this paper, it is proposed to use an interferometer based on a pulsed solid-state laser with a tunable radiation wavelength, and methods for recording interferograms under vibration conditions are considered. The required laser parameters are estimated; the expected results are analyzed.

Laser Requirements for High-Order Harmonic Generation by Relativistic Plasma Singularities

We discuss requirements on relativistic-irradiance (I0 > 1018 W/cm2) high-power (multi-terawatt) ultrashort (femtosecond) lasers for efficient generation of high-order harmonics in gas jet targets in a new regime discovered recently (Pirozhkov et al., 2012). Here, we present the results of several experimental campaigns performed with different irradiances, analyse the obtained results and derive the required laser parameters. In particular, we found that the root mean square (RMS) wavefront error should be smaller than ~100 nm (~λ/8). Further, the angular dispersion should be kept considerably smaller than the diffraction divergence, i.e., μrad level for 100–300-mm beam diameters. The corresponding angular chirp should not exceed 10−2 μrad/nm for a 40-nm bandwidth. We show the status of the J-KAREN-P laser (Kiriyama et al., 2015; Pirozhkov et al., 2017) and report on the progress towards satisfying these requirements.

Temperature-feedback direct laser reshaping of silicon nanostructures

Direct laser reshaping of nanostructures is a cost-effective and fast approach to create or tune various designs for nanophotonics. However, the narrow range of required laser parameters along with the lack of in-situ temperature control during the nanostructure reshaping process limits its reproducibility and performance. Here, we present an approach for direct laser nanostructure reshaping with simultaneous temperature control. We employ thermally sensitive Raman spectroscopy during local laser melting of silicon pillar arrays prepared by self-assembly microsphere lithography. Our approach allows establishing the reshaping threshold of an individual nanostructure, resulting in clean laser processing without overheating of the surrounding area.

Controlling the spectral shape of nonlinear Thomson scattering with proper laser chirping

Effects of nonlinearity in Thomson scattering of a high intensity laser pulse from electrons are analyzed. Analytic expressions for laser pulse shaping in amplitude and frequency are obtained which control spectrum broadening for arbitrarily high laser pulse intensities. These analytic solutions allow prediction of the spectral form and required laser parameters to avoid broadening. The predictions are validated by numerical calculations. This control over the scattered radiation bandwidth allows of narrow bandwidth sources to be produced using high scattering intensities, which in turn greatly improves scattering yield for future x- and gamma-ray sources.

Investigation on laser forming of stainless steel sheets under coupling mechanism

Abstract In laser forming of three dimensional surfaces simultaneous bending and thickening of the sheet being formed are often required. Laser forming by the coupling mechanism has the capability to generate both of them. However, literature is scarce on the study of laser forming under coupling mechanism. A part of this work investigates the effect of Fourier number and laser spot diameter on bending angle and thickness increment induced by laser scans promoting coupling mechanism. Peak surface temperature was maintained nearly constant. It was chosen so as to avoid surface melting and sensitization at the scan track on top surface. The required laser parameters were determined with the help of an analytical model for temperature estimation. The experimental results showed that while the bending angle reduced with the increase of Fourier number, the thickness increment increased. And, with the increase of laser spot diameter both bending angle and thickness increased. Finite element simulations were carried out using ABAQUS software on a three dimensional model for developing a better understanding of the deformation behaviour. Multimode intensity distribution of the laser beam and temperature dependant material properties were considered in the simulations. Finite element analysis and microstructure study showed that chances of sensitization are rare with the current laser parameter combinations. Based on temperature gradient and coupling mechanisms a different laser scanning strategy has been proposed for laser forming of deep pillow shaped surfaces retaining symmetry.

Fibre lasers for gamma colliders

The required laser parameters for recently proposed gamma-gamma collider Higgs factories are presented and reviewed in the context of new developments in high average and peak power fibre laser technology. A possible laser architecture based on fibres is proposed and some issues surrounding high average power frequency conversion to the wavelengths required for a gamma collider are discussed.

Theoretical analysis of a quasi-Bessel beam for laser ablation

A quasi-Bessel beam (QBB) is suitable for laser ablation because it possesses a micrometer-sized focal spot and long depth of focus simultaneously. In this paper, the characterizations of QBBs formed by the ideal axicon and oblate-tip axicon are described. Strong on-axis intensity oscillations occur due to interference between the QBB and the refracted beam by the oblate tip. Using the axicon for laser ablation was theoretically investigated. Simple analytical formulas can be used to predict the required laser parameters, including the laser pulse energy, the generated fluence distributions, and the beam diameters.

Numerically optimized structures for dielectric asymmetric dual-grating laser accelerators

Optical scale dielectric structures are promising candidates to realize future compact, low cost particle accelerators, since they can sustain high acceleration gradients in the range of GeV/m. Here, we present numerical simulation results for a dielectric asymmetric dual-grating accelerator. It was found that the asymmetric dual-grating structures can efficiently modify the laser field to synchronize it with relativistic electrons, therefore increasing the average acceleration gradient by ∼10% in comparison to symmetric structures. The optimum pillar height which was determined by simulation agrees well with that estimated analytically. The effect of the initial kinetic energy of injected electrons on the acceleration gradient is also discussed. Finally, the required laser parameters were calculated analytically and a suitable laser is proposed as energy source.

The laser uniformity of polar drive design on the SG-Ⅲ prototype facility

In this paper, the train of thought and contents of studying the polar drive for SG-Ⅲ prototype facility are teased out, and the beam approximation principle regarding the illumination uniformity on the target is proposed. Based on such a principle, the increase-by-degrees design method is developed and numerically simulated as well. The required laser parameters of target symmetrical illumination are optimally designed under various conditions. The investigation results are experimentally demonstrated on SG-Ⅲ prototype facility, showing that they are in excellent agreement with the designed illumination uniformity on the target. The obtained conclusions can give powerful guidance for the theoretical and experimental study of polar drive in the future.

Numerical investigations into a fiber laser based dielectric reverse dual-grating accelerator

Dielectric laser accelerators (DLAs) have great potential for applications, since they can generate acceleration gradients in the range of GeV/m and produce attosecond electron bunches. We described a novel reverse dual-grating dielectric accelerator structure made up of Silicon which is expected to improve beam confinement, and make fabrication easier. Numerical simulation results show that this structure effectively manipulates the laser field and generates a standing wave in the vacuum channel with a phase velocity synchronized to relativistic particles travelling through the structure. Optimum pillar height and channel width have been determined. All required laser parameters and initial particle energy have been analytically estimated and a suitable laser as an energy source is proposed. Finally, the effect of fabrication error on the acceleration gradient is discussed.

Parameters affecting ultrafast laser microsurgery of subepithelial voids for scar treatment in vocal folds

Toward developing a new method for restoring tissue viscoelasticity in scarred vocal folds, we previously proposed a method to localize biomaterials within subepithelial voids ablated using ultrafast laser pulses. The clinical implementation of this method necessitates the quantification of the laser parameters for ablating scarred tissue. Here, we present a comprehensive study of these parameters including ablation threshold and bubble lifetime in healthy and scarred tissues. We also present a new method for extracting tissue-specific ablation threshold and scattering lengths of different tissue layers. This method involves finding the ablation threshold at multiple depths and solving the equations based on Beer's law of light attenuation for each depth to estimate the unknown parameters. Measured threshold fluences were 1.75 J/cm2 for vocal folds and 0.5 J/cm2 for cheek pouches for 3-ps, 776-nm laser pulses. Scarred pouches exhibited 30% lower threshold than healthy pouches, possibly due to the degraded mechanical properties of scarred collagen during wound healing. The analysis of tissue architecture indicated a direct correlation between the ablation threshold and tissue tensile strength and that the bubble lifetime is inversely related to tissue stiffness. Overall, this study sheds light on the required laser parameters for successful implementation of ultrafast laser ablation for phonosurgery.