Disk Laser Research Articles

On the Processability and Microstructural Evolution of CuCrZr in Multilayer Laser-Directed Energy Deposition Additive Manufacturing via Statistical and Experimental Methods

Laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) is a promising technology for coating, repairing, and building near-net-shape 3D structures. However, the processing of copper alloys, specifically, has presented a significant challenge due to their low laser absorptivity at the 1060 nm laser wavelength and high thermal conductivity. This study undertook a methodical examination by employing a 2 kW disk laser, operating at a wavelength of 1064 nm, and a coaxial nozzle head to comprehensively examine the processability of the highly conductive CuCrZr alloy for expanding the range of materials that can be successfully processed using LDED. The investigation focuses not only on optimizing the input process parameters that are the laser power, scanning speed, powder feed rate, and overlap ratio, but also on planning the toolpath trajectory, as these factors were found to exert a substantial influence on processability, geometrical accuracy, and the occurrence of defects such as lack of fusion. The optimal toolpath trajectory discovered involved implementing a zigzag strategy combined with a 90° rotation of the scanning direction. Additionally, a start point rotation was considered between each layer to even out the deposition of the layers. Moreover, a contour with a radial path at the corners was introduced to enhance the overall trajectory. Based on the hierarchal experimental study, the appropriate ranges for the key process parameters that leads to 99.99% relative density have been identified. They were found to be from 1100 up to 2000 W for the laser power (P), and from 0.003 up to 0.016 g/mm for the amount of powder that is fed to the melt pool distance (F/V). Regarding the influence of process parameters on the microstructure of the samples with equal deposition height, it was observed that varying combinations of process parameters within the optimal processing window resulted in variations in grain size ranging from 105 to 215 µm.

Influence of ambient temperature on an Yb:YAG disk laser with anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling.

In general, the operating characteristics of solid-state lasers are significantly impacted by the ambient temperature, especially for Yb:YAG crystal with an anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling effect. In this Letter, the influence of the ambient temperature on the operating characteristics at the zero thermal load (ZTL) state is studied for an Yb:YAG disk crystal with a 1030 nm intra-cavity-pumped scheme. Theoretical analysis indicates that the output power of the laser at the ZTL state is significantly enhanced as the ambient temperature increases. Experimental results show that when the ambient temperature increases to 40°C, the output power of the laser at the ZTL state can reach 1.11 W, which is more than twice than that achieved at an ambient temperature of 25.5°C. This Letter provides a technical pathway for achieving a higher-power radiation-balanced laser (RBL).

Underwater Channel Characteristics and Wireless Optical Communications Using a Blue Mode- Locked Semiconductor Disk Laser

An advanced light source at blue-green waveband is the key to improve the link-distance and communication performance of an underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) system. This work presents the underwater channel characteristics and UWOC system using a blue semiconductor disk laser that passively mode-locked by a semiconductor saturable absorb mirror for the first time. The attenuation coefficients of the continuous-wave and mode-locked lasers under different concentrations of Maalox solution are studied, and the results indicate that the attenuation coefficients of the mode-locked laser are obviously lower than that of the continuous-wave laser. Then an UWOC system based on an acousto-optic modulator are constructed, and the water tank communication experiments are carried out by using quasi-cyclic low-density-parity-check coding and 64-pulse-position-modulation. Experimental results show that the bit error rates of the mode-locked laser are significantly lower than that of continuous-wave laser under the same Maalox solution concentration and same signal-noise-ratio. These results provide an attractive light source for practical long-distance UWOC.

Two-Mode Disk Laser with Subgigahertz Difference Frequency Based on a Degenerate Cavity

Two-Mode Disk Laser with Subgigahertz Difference Frequency Based on a Degenerate Cavity

Ultrasmall InGa(As)P Dielectric and Plasmonic Nanolasers.

Nanolasers have great potential for both on-chip light sources and optical barcoding particles. We demonstrate ultrasmall InGaP and InGaAsP disk lasers with diameters down to 360 nm (198 nm in height) in the red spectral range. Optically pumped, room-temperature, single-mode lasing was achieved from both disk-on-pillar and isolated particles. When isolated disks were placed on gold, plasmon polariton lasing was obtained with Purcell-enhanced stimulated emission. UV lithography and plasma ashing enabled wafer-scale fabrication of nanodisks with an intended random size variation. Silica-coated nanodisk particles generated stable subnanometer spectra from within biological cells across an 80 nm bandwidth from 635 to 715 nm.

Self-consistency equations in axicon-based thin-disk laser resonators

Self-consistency equations in axicon-based thin-disk laser resonators

Stability of the modulator in a plasma-modulated plasma accelerator.

We explore the regime of operation of the modulator stage of a recently proposed laser-plasma accelerator scheme [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 184801 (2021)0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.127.184801], dubbed the plasma-modulated plasma accelerator (P-MoPA). The P-MoPA scheme offers a potential route to high-repetition-rate, GeV-scale plasma accelerators driven by picosecond-duration laser pulses from, for example, kilohertz thin-disk lasers. The first stage of the P-MoPA scheme is a plasma modulator in which a long, high-energy "drive" pulse is spectrally modulated by copropagating in a plasma channel with the low-amplitude plasma wave driven by a short, low-energy "seed" pulse. The spectrally modulated drive pulse is converted to a train of short pulses, by introducing dispersion, which can resonantly drive a large wakefield in a subsequent accelerator stage with the same on-axis plasma density as the modulator. In this paper we derive the 3D analytic theory for the evolution of the drive pulse in the plasma modulator and show that the spectral modulation is independent of transverse coordinate, which is ideal for compression into a pulse train. We then identify a transverse mode instability (TMI), similar to the TMI observed in optical fiber lasers, which sets limits on the energy of the drive pulse for a given set of laser-plasma parameters. We compare this analytic theory with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and find that even higher energy drive pulses can be modulated than those demonstrated in the original proposal.

Experimental generation of nondiffracting Mathieu beams using a thin-disk laser configuration

Nondiffracting modes were experimentally generated in an end-pumped thin-disk laser with a new kind of axicon-based stable laser resonator. The eigenvalue and eigenvector of the resonator were investigated based on the geometrical optics view. Ytterbium ions doped in the YAG crystal as an active medium were then utilized in this configuration. The experimental generation of the Mathieu–Gauss and Ince–Gauss modes was performed and also discussed during the thin-disk deformation.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF LASER-WELDED BUTT JOINTS OF X2CRTINB18 STEEL

The process of autogenous laser welding of stainless steel X2CrTiNb18 was investigated. The Yb:YAG disk laser was used in the study for welding of 1.5mm thick butt joins. The influence of basic laser welding parameters on the joint quality, fusion zone geometry, microhardness distribution across the butt joint, structure and microstructure of fusion zone (FZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ) was studied and determined. The quality level of the test joints was determined according to the PN-EN ISO 13919-1 standard. The chemical composition of the base metal was determined by spark emission spectroscopy. Results of the study have shown that laser welding parameters have a significant influence on the quality of butt joints. However, it is possible to produce joints that meet the high requirements and criteria of quality. The width of HAZ of the butt joints welded in the investigated range of parameters was narrow and did not exceed 0.2 mm. It was found that the most common imperfections of the analysed joints are concavity of the weld face and insufficient penetration. The HAZ region of joints is characterized by mainly ferritic microstructure with complex carbides precipitates. In turn, the fusion zone is dominated by a ferritic microstructure but also precipitates were observed, which were identified as fine dispersion carbides. Hardness of the base metal is round 160÷170HV0.3. A tendency to increase in hardness in the HAZ and FZ was observed. The maximum hardness measured in HAZ was approx. 220HV0.3, while in the FZ 190HV0.3.

Self−Mode−Locked 2−μm GaSb−Based Optically Pumped Semiconductor Disk Laser

We present a mode−locked GaSb−based optically pumped semiconductor disk laser operating at 2 µm based on the self−mode−locked mechanism. Using the delay differential equation model, we discuss the influence of cavity length on the stability of self−mode−locking and design a Z−shaped long cavity for self−mode−locking. Employing an aperture and an F−P etalon in the cavity length of ~365 mm, we obtain stable self−mode−locking at a center wavelength of 2034.5 nm, with a pulse duration of 255.48 ps and average output power of 173 mW at a repetition rate of 404 MHz.

Theoretical Study of the Effects Type of Host’s Crystal on the Lasing Output of High – Power Thin –Disk Laser

Ytterbium-doped (Y2O3), (Sc2O3) and (YAG) crystals are very important for high-power thin-disk lasers. These lasers have shown their ability to operate quasi-three-level materials with high efficiency as well as high thermal conductivity ratio for crystalline hosts. All these reasons have required studying this type of laser. In the present work, the analytical solution was found for the equation of laser output power, pumping threshold power, and efficiency of a quasi-three-level thin disk laser. The numerical solution of these equations was also found through the Matlab program at the fundamental transverse mode, at a temperature of 299K0and with high pumping capabilities in order to know the effect of the type of crystal host (YAG, Sc2O3,Lu2O3) on the laser production of this design and thermal effect when operating continuously. We found out that the crystal host (Lu2O3) was the best type of these hosts in obtaining the highest laser output power and efficiency at all values of pumping power

Investigations on the thermal conditions during laser beam welding of high-strength steel 100Cr6

This study examines the thermal conditions during laser beam welding of 100Cr6 high-strength steel using a TruDisk5000 disc laser with a continuous adjustable power range of 100–5000 W. Two parameter sets, characterized by laser power and welding speeds, were analyzed by thermal-metallurgical FE simulations to determine their impact on the thermal conditions during welding. The results show a significant shift in heat coupling, with conduction transitioning to deep penetration welding. As a result of the high welding speeds and reduced energy input, extremely high heating rates up to 2∙104 K s−1 (set A) respectively 4∙105 K s−1 (set B) occur. Both welds thus concern a range of temperature state values for which conventional Time-Temperature-Austenitization (TTA) diagrams are currently not defined, requiring calibration of the material models through general assumptions. Also, the change in energy input and welding speed causes significantly steep temperature gradients with a slope of approximately 5∙103 K mm−1 and strong drops in the temperature rates, particularly in the heat affected zone. The temperature cycles also show very different cooling rates for the respective parameter sets, although in both cases they are well below a cooling time t8/5 of 1 s, so that the phase transformation always leads to the formation of martensite. Since the investigated parameters are known to cause a loss of technological strength and conditionally result in cold cracks, these results will be used for further detailed experimental and numerical investigation of microstructure, hydrogen distribution, and stress-strain development at different restraint conditions.

The Influence of Progressive Cladding Technologies on Layers Quality

Experimental work was focused on the restoration of functional surfaces of shaped parts of the molds for high-pressure casting of aluminum alloys. Paper presents results of the research aimed at determination of the quality of renovation layers applied by laser technology and TOP TIG technology. The TruDisk 4002 solid-state disk laser and the AirLiquide TOPTIG 220 welding power source were used to create the layers. Clad was applied to the base material of nickel-chromium-molybdenum vanadium steel 1.2714, DIN-56NiCrMoV7, with a hardness of 44 HRC. Uddeholm Deivar 1.2344, DIN-X40CrMoV51 wire with a 1.2 mm diameter was used as an additive material. The clad quality was evaluated using the light and electron microscopy and EDX microanalysis. The size of the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the presence of internal defects in the clads were determined. HAZ was set as max. a min. Value. Experimental work was supplemented by evaluation of tribological properties of clads by Pin-on-disc method.

Introducing a 2V-resonator for the improvement of pulse stability in a high-gain Q-switched Yb:YAG thin-disk laser.

Pulse instability in Q-switched solid-state lasers at enough high repetition rates is a significant problem for getting high powers. This issue is more critical for Thin-Disk-Lasers (TDLs) due to the smallness of round-trip gain in the thin active media. The main idea of this work is that increasing the round-trip gain of a TDL makes it possible to diminish its pulse instability at high repetition rates. Accordingly, a novel 2V-resonator is introduced to overcome the low gain of TDLs, in which the passage of the laser beam from the active media is twice that of the standard V-resonator. The experiment and simulation results indicate that the threshold of laser instability considerably improves for the 2V-resonator relative to the traditional V-resonator. This improvement is well seen for various time windows of the Q-switching gate and different pump powers. By choosing appropriate Q-switching time and pump power, the laser was stably run at 18 kHz, a recorded repetition rate for Q-switched TDLs.

Numerical Simulation of Temperature Fields during Laser Welding-Brazing of Al/Ti Plates.

The formation of dissimilar weld joints, including Al/Ti joints, is an area of research supported by the need for weight reduction and corrosion resistance in automotive, aircraft, aeronautic, and other industries. Depending on the cooling rates and chemical composition, rapid solidification of Al/Ti alloys during laser welding can lead to the development of different metastable phases and the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs). The effort to successfully join aluminum to titanium alloys is associated with demands to minimize the thickness of brittle IMC zones by selecting appropriate welding parameters or applying suitable filler materials. The paper is focused on the numerical simulation of the laser welding-brazing of 2.0 mm thick titanium Grade 2 and EN AW5083 aluminum alloy plates using 5087 aluminum filler wire. The developed simulation model was used to study the impact of laser welding-brazing parameters (laser power, welding speed, and laser beam offset) on the transient temperature fields and weld-pool characteristics. The results of numerical simulations were compared with temperatures measured during the laser welding-brazing of Al/Ti plates using a TruDisk 4002 disk laser, and macrostructural and microstructural analyses, and weld tensile strength measurements, were conducted. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of welded-brazed joints increases with an increase in the laser beam offset to the Al side and with an increase in welding speed. The highest UTS values at the level of 220 MPa and 245 MPa were measured for joints produced at a laser power of 1.8 kW along with a welding speed of 30 mm·s-1 and a laser beam offset of 300 μm and 460 μm, respectively. When increasing the laser power to 2 kW, the UTS decreased. The results exhibited that the tensile strength of Al/Ti welded-brazed joints was dependent, regardless of the welding parameters, on the amount of melted Ti Grade 2, which, during rapid solidification, determines the thickness and morphology of the IMC layer. A simple formula was proposed to predict the tensile strength of welded-brazed joints using the computed cross-sectional Ti weld metal area.

Quality characteristics and analysis of input parameters on laser beam welding of hairpin windings in electric drives

The relevance of electric drives in individual mobility is continuously increasing. This requires the use of new manufacturing processes in automotive production. In modern stators, the so-called hairpin winding is used. The production process entails rectangular copper conductors (hairpin) to be contacted by laser beam welding. To avoid temperature peaks due to resistance heating in the current-carrying wire, a high cross-sectional area in the welding seam is required. Therefore, the pore volume must be considered. This is proven by thermographic investigations of electrically stressed hairpin connections. To optimize the welding process, effects of the previous manufacturing steps and the welding parameters themselves must be taken into account. This paper analyses systematically the impact of all translational and rotational deviations on the corresponding welding quality. The tests are performed by using a disk laser. A laser spot with a focus diameter of 170 μm is compared to a statically shaped beam, capable of distributing power in core and ring beam. As an additional parameter, the influence of oxygen content in the copper wire is investigated by using electrolytic tough pitch copper (Cu-ETP) and oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF). Furthermore, the interaction between an additional cutting step before contacting and the welding path is considered. X-ray computed tomography (CT) is used to analyse the welding quality. The main finding of the studies is the significant influence of the gap and height offset between the wire ends on the resulting cross-sectional area. In addition, a low oxygen content of the copper and the use of static beam shaping reduce weld spatters, porosity and increase process stability. Three geometries in the welding path perform better in gap bridging and cause less spatters.

KHz, 10s TW, Femtosecond Source Based on Yb:YAG Thin Disk Laser Pumped OPCPA of Low Quantum Defect

We propose to obtain kHz, 10s TW, femtosecond sources through optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) pumped by Yb:YAG thin disk lasers. The final amplifiers of the OPCPA are based on LGS (LiGaS2) crystals with wide transparent range. To suppress the quantum defect for high efficiency, the final amplifiers are designed such that the wavelength of the signal is set very close to 1.03 μm, while the idler spectra span from 4–8 μm. Multiple crystals with different phase-matching configuration can be employed for the amplification of different spectral regions to support broadband pulse amplification. According to the numerical simulations, the pulse duration from Yb:YAG lasers can be shortened to 20–30 fs pulse with efficiency beyond 60%. This technique is energy scalable with the size of the LGS crystal size and can support a 26 TW pulse with current available LGS. The output pulses are ideal drivers for secondary light and particle source generation.

The role of spine adipose index in predicting the risk for septic spondylodiscitis after lumbar percutaneous laser disc decompression

The aim. To analyze the role of the spine adipose index (SAI) in predicting the risk of septic spondylodiscitis after lumbar percutaneous laser disk decompression (PLDD).Material and methods. A retrospective observational single-center study was performed. Various clinical and instrumental parameters have been studied, including the spine adipose index, which are potential risk factors for the development of postprocedural septic spondylodiscitis.Results. The study included 219 patients who underwent PLDD for degenerative lumbar disk disease. The average period of postoperative observation was 30.8 ± 13.3 months. Signs of septic spondylodiscitis were detected in 5 (2.28%) cases. Multivariate analysis showed that III degree of anesthesiological risk by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scale (p = 0.021), a high value of body mass index (more than 25 kg/m2) (p = 0.043) and a high value of SAI (over 0.7) (p = 0.037) are statistically significantly associated with the development of septic spondylodiscitis in patients who underwent lumbar PLDD.Conclusion. The value of SAI is statistically significantly associated with the development of spondylodiscitis in patients who underwent PLDD for degenerative lumbar disk disease.

Realization of thermally-near-unstable resonator thin-disk laser and compensation of air wedge effect

This paper reports on a Yb: YAG thin-disk laser based on a thermally-near-unstable resonator. The cavity length of the resonator is 3 m, which is 3.5 m less than the cavity length of a stable resonator, simplifying the oscillator structure and reducing the optical loss of the resonator cavity. The disk laser based on a thermally-near-unstable resonator achieves a laser output power of 38.3 W with beam quality approaching the diffraction limit. The laser center wavelength is 1.03 μm. The resonator becomes misaligned during the increase in pump power due to air convection, reducing laser output power. In this paper, one end mirror of the thermally-near-unstable resonator is replaced with a retro-reflector to compensate for the misalignment of the resonator. The laser output power of the resonator with retro-reflector increased to 81 W. The beam qualityM2 factors in the × and y directions are 1.03 and 1.14, respectively. retro-reflector significantly improves the operational stability of the laser.

Keyhole-in-keyhole formation by adding a coaxially superimposed single-mode laser beam in disk laser deep penetration welding

Laser deep penetration welding is characterized by the formation of a vapor capillary (keyhole) and a high overall absorption (coupling rate) of the laser radiation in comparison to heat conduction welding. Due to multiple reflexions within the highly dynamic keyhole, the absorption mechanisms are very complex. The questions, how a laser beam interacts with the existing keyhole, and, if shadowing effects occur, are a matter of concern for several researchers. In this study, the hypothesis that the beam of a laser source can be transmitted to a significant extent through an existing keyhole and acts predominantly at the keyhole bottom was investigated. Experiments were carried out on mild steel and technical pure aluminum, using a specially designed optical system, which allows to coaxially combine two laser beams and to adjust their settings like the energy and the focal plane individually. A combination of a disk laser with a focal diameter of 390 µm and a single-mode fiber laser with a focal diameter of 30 µm was used. Weld depths and seam shapes were analyzed in cross and longitudinal sections. Based on the results, it is shown that the much smaller focal diameter of the single-mode laser beam acted at the bottom of the keyhole and caused a kind of “keyhole-in-keyhole formation” in the form of a local maximum in weld depth whose expression depended on the focal plane of the single-mode laser beam.