STTR Phase I: Fabrication of Blue/UV Lasers and Laser Systems

这项小型企业技术转移（STTR）第一阶段研究项目建议开发蓝色/紫外激光制造的新方法。这些新器件将具有更高的发射强度、更高的可靠性和将发射扩展到深紫外光谱范围的能力等竞争优势。制造的器件将由铜棒尖端的切割AlGaN外延层结构组成。这种半导体材料封装将显著改善大带隙AlGaN半导体活性区材料的散热。增强的有源区域散热将允许操作与更高的注入电流和相应的更高的光输出。研究将集中于采用俄克拉荷马大学最初开发的金属化，键合和切割技术，用于使用IVVI半导体外延层材料制造中红外激光器。该项目还将重点开发一种能够测量短荧光寿命的低成本电子系统。该项目的电子部分工作将致力于设计一个小型电路板，其中包含低成本的数字信号处理器和相关组件。固件还将编写以执行相干欠采样测量算法，该算法将能够精确测量1纳秒或更短的光电探测器衰减瞬态。制造改进的蓝色/紫外光发射器和用于快速光电探测器信号测量的低成本电子设备的进展将使改进的化学和生物（CB）传感器的发展成为可能。一个重要的成果将是紧凑和低功耗的深紫外光源；这些器件将增强基于荧光和拉曼散射检测原理的CB传感器的能力。用于区分无害无机材料和潜在有害致病生物材料的手持式CB传感器只是该项目可以开发的产品的一个例子。此外，改进的蓝光和紫外线发射器也可用于光学数据存储和固态照明。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project proposes to develop new methods for blue/UV laser fabrication. These new devices will have the competitive advantages of higher emission intensities, higher reliability, and ability to extend emission into the deep UV spectral range. Fabricated devices will consist of cleaved AlGaN epitaxial layer structures on the tips of copper bars. Such semiconductor material packaging will significantly improve heat dissipation from large band gap AlGaN semiconductor active region materials. Enhanced active region heat dissipation will allow operation with much higher injection currents and correspondingly higher light output. Research will focus on adapting a metallization, bonding, and cleaving technique originally developed at the University of Oklahoma for mid-IR laser fabrication using IVVI semiconductor epitaxial layer materials. The project will also focus on developing a low cost electronics system capable of measuring short fluorescence lifetimes. Work on the electronics portion of this project will be devoted to the design of a small circuit board populated with a low cost digital signal processor and related components. Firmware will also be written to perform a coherent under-sampling measurement algorithm that will enable accurate measurement of photodetector decay transients of 1 nanosecond or less.Advances in fabricating improved blue/UV light emitters and low cost electronics for fast photodetector signal measurements will enable development of improved chemical and biological (CB) sensors. An important outcome will be compact and low power consumption deep UV light sources; devices that will enhance the capabilities of CB sensors based on fluorescence and Raman scattering detection principles. A handheld CB sensor for distinguishing between a harmless inorganic material and a potentially harmful pathogenic biological material is just one example of a product that can be developed as a result of this project. In addition, improved blue and UV emitters can also be used for optical data storage and solid state lighting.