Fiber-based laser and amplifier systems provide high output power, excellent beam quality and easy handling by utilizing a setup consisting of fiber components like signal-pump combiners and cladding-light strippers. Large-mode-area fibers are used in these systems to improve the performance while maintaining single-mode operation. Compared to pure single-mode fibers, these fibers always guide higher order modes, which can have an impact on the system’s performance. An instrument was developed based on the S2-method, which is able to perform high-speed, in-line measurements of the modal composition and polarization extinction ratio. This device is used to monitor the fiber component manufacturing process using large-mode-area fibers in real-time, enabling us to improve critical process steps and, thereby, optimize the manufactured components, namely signal-pump combiners and fiber endcaps.
Photonic integrated circuits (PIC) have been established for miniaturized, on-chip optical systems. Current approaches for producing PICs mostly rely on semiconductor processing technologies, which are complex and costintensive. A promising alternative with the potential to revolutionize PIC fabrication is additive manufacturing (AM), which offers the opportunity to develop tailored and customized waveguide designs for functionalities needed in fast-evolving modern applications like the Internet of Things. Here, an AM technology called laser glass deposition (LGD) is presented for the production of on-chip core-cladding waveguides based on fused silica. Commercially available glass fibers with a diameter of 125 μm are fused onto a quartz glass substrate using a CO2-laser in a 2.5D-printing process. Test series are performed to determine the process window to reach a stable connection between fiber and substrate while maintaining the fiber´s optical functionality. To enable efficient light coupling into the waveguide, the fiber end facets are laser cleaved after the deposition within the same process environment. Again, parameter studies are performed to reach a high surface quality. Both the waveguides and the cleaved surfaces are characterized using different imaging techniques. In addition, the optical properties of the generated waveguides are analyzed.
Integrated optics are an innovation driver for a multitude of industrial applications like autonomous driving or point-of-care diagnostics. With the increasing demand for miniaturized, low-cost optical systems, new methods for fabricating tailored graded index micro-optics are required. Additive manufacturing is a promising technology for this not only due to its high design freedom, but also because of the potential for function integration via multi-material printing or the integration into digitized process chains. In fact, additive manufacturing of optical elements has not matured yet due to the requirement to fabricate 3D objects with optical quality. In this contribution, μ-dispenser direct ink writing based on transparent photopolymers is presented that enables the production of multi-material micro-optical elements. It will be shown that the achievable printing resolution for 0D- and 1D-structures is mainly depending on the needle diameter. Mono-material spherical and cylindrical lenses with a geometric dimension in the range of a few micrometers have been successfully fabricated and characterized. The geometric shape fidelity of printed 2D-layers, which suffers from surface tension effects due to the material’s molecular cohesive forces, is optimized by proper printing strategies. In an outlook, the route towards the production of micro-optic, function-integrated 3D GRIN elements is given, by using a mixer module to realize combined and gradable extrusion of two photopolymers.
In this contribution, we demonstrate the capabilities of additive manufacturing (AM) to transfer complex optical assemblies into function-integrated systems. The Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technique is combined with the print-pause-print (PpP) scheme and the possibilities of multi-material printing. Thereby conventional optics are fully embedded into a lightweight and compact 3D printed optomechanic for a solid-state laser system. An optical characterization of the laser system proves the functionality in comparison to setups with discrete conventional optomechanics. We show that AM is a technology that can increase the level of integration of optical technologies and offers the potential to rethink optics assembly and optomechanical systems design.
An advantage of using additive manufacturing (AM) processes as opposed to conventional fabrication methods is that the additional degrees of freedom in design allow compact and at the same time lightweight components to be manufactured. In addition, AM reduces the material consumption, resulting in a more cost efficient production. Among others, the field of laser development benefits from the progressive implementation of AM-related opportunities. However, this integration is mostly limited to single components. In contrast, we present a compact, lightweight solid-state laser oscillator system for low-power applications based on additively manufactured optomechanical components via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). The laser system is based on a Nd:YVO4-crystal pumped externally with a fiber-coupled laser diode at a wavelength of 808nm and a maximum output power of 3 W. The commercial optical components, such as lenses and the crystal, are firmly embedded via FFF in quasi-monolithic optomechanics. Thereby, they are fixed at their position and thus secured against misalignment. Furthermore, sensor technology for temperature monitoring is implemented into the structure. The possibility of the FFF process to work with different materials in parallel is used here. This multi-material printing approach enables the use of the appropriate polymer for the individual mechanical and thermal requirements for any structural part. The thermal stability of the printed structures is evaluated to ensure damage-free operation of the 3D-printed polymer optomechanics. Furthermore, output power, optical-to-optical efficiency, beam pointing, and spatial beam profile of the laser system are measured for several on- and off-switching cycles as well as for long-term operation.
There is an increasing demand for highly integrated optical and optoelectronical devices that provide active laser emission, adaptability and low optical losses. A well-established production technology for customized structures with high functionality and geometrical flexibility is additive manufacturing (AM). It enables new constructional degrees of freedom to overcome the limitations of substractive material processing such as milling and drilling. Commercial AM systems for metals and polymers are ubiquitous; whereas glass AM systems almost exclusively exist in scientific environments. Laser glass deposition welding allows the AM of waveguides by fusing coreless
fused silica fibers with a diameter of 400 µm and a 50 µm thick polymer coating onto a fused silica substrate. The deposition process is performed with defocused CO2-laser radiation (10.6 µm). Based on laser deposition welding, the fiber is fed laterally into the processing zone and is melted or fused by the incoming laser beam.
In order to achieve a sufficient coupling of laser radiation into and out of the fibers, a proper cleaving process for the end faces has been established. The cleaving is performed with a CO2-laser based process for optimized and reproducible results. In this contribution, the focus is on the manufacturing of bended waveguides and the feasible bending radii, which can be accomplished during the deposition process. The influence of the bending radius on the guiding efficiency is investigated. Therefore, the light transmission and beam profile of the deposited fibers is measured and compared with an untreated one. Furthermore, the appearance of the cleaved end faces and the internal stress in the glass substrate are characterized. Functional, nearly stress-free curved and straight waveguides for light transmission with high position stability are achieved, which opens a wide range of applications for optical system integration.
The use of additive manufacturing methods in research and industry has led to the possibility of designing more compact, light and low-cost assemblies. In the field of laser development, new opportunities resulting from additive manufacturing have rarely been considered so far. We present a compact, lightweight solid-state amplifier system for low-power applications where the optomechanical components are manufactured completely additive via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). The amplifier system is based on a Nd:YVO4-crystal pumped with an external, fiber-coupled diode at a wavelength of 808nm and a maximum output power of 3 W. The seed source is a Nd:YVO4-crystal based solid-state laser with an emission wavelength of 1064 nm. The commercial optical components, such as lenses and crystal, are firmly imprinted via FFF in the optomechanics and thus secured against misalignment. Additionally, sensor technology for temperature measurement is implemented into the devices. The use of FFF, in which the components are printed from polymers, results in a lightweight yet stable construction. We have shown, that optical components can be imprinted without adding mechanical stress. To increase the mechanical and thermal robustness of the system different types of polymers as well as post process treatments are tested and the use of Laser Metal Deposition for this application is investigated. The thermal stability of the printed structures is evaluated to determine the maximum power level of the system without damaging the polymer-optomechanics. Furthermore, output power, optical-to-optical efficiency, beam pointing, and beam shape are measured for several on- and off-switching processes as well as long-term operation.
The interaction effect of photodisruption, which is used for dissection of biological tissue with fs-laser pulses, has been intensively studied inside water as prevalent sample medium. In this case, the single effect is highly reproducible and, hence, the method of time-resolved photography is sufficiently applicable. In contrast, the reproducibility significantly decreases analyzing more solid and anisotropic media like biological tissue. Therefore, a high-speed photographic approach is necessary in this case. The presented study introduces a novel technique for high-speed photography based on the principle of chromatic encoding. For illumination of the region of interest within the sample medium, the light paths of up to 12 LEDs with various emission wavelengths are overlaid via optical filters. Here, MOSFET-electronics provide a LED flash with a duration <100 ns; the diodes are externally triggered with a distinct delay for every LED. Furthermore, the different illumination wavelengths are chromatically separated again for detection via camera chip. Thus, the experimental setup enables the generation of a time-sequence of ≤ 12 images of a single cavitation bubble dynamics. In comparison to conventional time-resolved photography, images in sample media like water and HEMA show the significant advantages of this novel illumination technique. In conclusion, the results of this study are of great importance for the fundamental evaluation of the laser-tissue interaction inside anisotropic biological tissue and for the optimization of the surgical process with high-repetition rate fs-lasers. Additionally, this application is also suitable for the investigation of other microscopic, ultra-fast events in transparent inhomogeneous materials.
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