Development of a Femtosecond Laser-Materials Irradiation and In-Situ Probing Facility for Nano- and Micro-Processing Applications and Student Training

这笔赠款提供了一个飞秒激光材料辐照和原位探测设施的纳米和微加工应用和学生培训在中央佛罗里达大学的发展支持。 飞秒激光器的最新应用显示出在光敏透明介质（特别是玻璃）内制造微米和纳米尺度微结构的前景。这种新的微结构制造方法在某些应用中具有优于传统光刻和机械组装技术的固有优势，特别是复杂三维结构的制造，例如用于航空航天和生物系统的微流体系统，以及用于先进光子器件的光波导结构。它也可能对先进的显微外科应用的发展具有重要意义。该项目将建立一个独特的飞秒激光材料加工和原位光学探针诊断站，适用于各种先进的微结构制造应用，同时评估写入材料的材料变化。该站将包括三个基本组成部分，（一）最先进的，最佳配置的MHz飞秒加工激光器，（二）高速，纳米精度，计算机控制，三轴光学加工阶段，采用先进的光束操纵技术，和（三）同步多轴多波长探头和光谱诊断系统。将这些多台仪器组装成一个综合设施将为飞秒激光-材料相互作用社区提供一个独特的测试平台，用于在制造过程中实时研究微结构。从动态探测光致变化的能力，以了解永久和亚稳态（瞬态）的时间依赖性过程负责结构修改的智力优点将被实现。这些基本过程的详细知识将扩展和加速飞秒激光材料加工技术在许多不同方向的应用。在加工周期中以纳米和飞秒精度诊断材料改性变化的能力将有助于阐明所涉及的复杂科学，并导致识别激光写入微结构的有前途的工业，医疗，国防和科学应用。这个系统将是一个很好的工具，为学生的培训。研究生和本科生将受雇于该系统的组装和测试阶段，以及将使用该系统进行的许多物理、生物和材料科学相关研究。来自UCF内部、其他美国和外国大学、政府实验室和私营企业的一大批核心初始用户已同意在该站建成后使用该站。它将位于中央佛罗里达大学（UCF）光学学院/CREOL的激光开发实验室。 一旦建立，它将作为一个开放的、不增加费用的、收费的设施运作。

This grant provides support for the development of a femtosecond laser-materials irradiation and in-situ probing facility for nano- and micro-processing applications and student training at the University of Central Florida. The recent use of femtosecond lasers show promise for the fabrication of micro- and nano-scale microstructures within photo-active transparent media, particularly glasses. This new approach to microstructure fabrication has inherent advantages over conventional lithographic and mechanical assembly techniques for some applications, especially the fabrication of complex three-dimensional structures, such as micro-fluidic systems for aerospace and biological systems, and for optical waveguide structures for advanced photonic devices. It may also have major importance for the development of advanced micro-surgery applications. This project will establish a uniquely constructed femtosecond laser materials processing and in-situ optical probe diagnosis station, suitable for a variety of advanced micro-structural fabrication applications with concurrent assessment of material changes occurring to the written material. The station will comprise three basic components, (i) a state-of-the-art, optimally-configured MHz femtosecond processing laser, (ii) a high-speed, nanometer-precision, computer-controlled, three-axis optical processing stage incorporating advanced optical beam manipulation techniques, and (iii) a synchronized multiple-axis multi-wavelength probe and spectroscopic diagnostic system. The assembly of these multiple instruments into a comprehensive facility will provide the femtosecond laser-materials interaction community with a unique test bed for real-time studies of microstructures while under fabrication. The intellectual merit derived from the ability to dynamically probe photo-induced changes to understand both permanent and metastable (transient) time-dependent processes responsible for structure modification will be realized. The detailed knowledge of these fundamental processes will extend and accelerate the application of femtosecond laser-materials processing techniques in many diverse directions. The ability to diagnose materials modification changes with nanometer and femtosecond precision during the processing cycle will help elucidate the complex science involved, and lead to the identification of promising industrial, medical, defense and scientific applications of laser-written micro-structures. This system will be an excellent vehicle for student training. Graduate and undergraduate students will be employed in both the assembly and testing phase of this system, and in many of the physical, biological and materials science-related studies that will be performed with it. A large core group of initial users, from within UCF, other US and foreign universities, government laboratories and private industry, have subscribed to make use of the station once it is established. It will be located in the Laser Development Laboratory at University of Central Florida (UCF) School of Optics/CREOL. Once established, it will be operated as an open, cost-neutral, fee-based facility.