Development of a Photorefractive Glass Processing and Characterization Facility

9625964理查森该奖项为采购设备开发光热折射玻璃(PTRG)材料的加工和表征设施提供支持。该设备对于基于微晶玻璃材料的高效率体全息光学元件应用的新型光学记录介质的制造的持续进展至关重要。CREOL(光学和激光研究与教育中心)在过去18个月中获得的实验结果首次在该国证实了一项重要的新技术的潜力，该技术通过在坚固的玻璃基质中选择性地成核和结晶光诱导相来记录和存储信息。然而，到目前为止，这种玻璃材料只能在俄罗斯获得。由于我们的实验结果，俄罗斯材料的局限性和在我们实验室内处理这些材料的重要性已经得到了坚定的认识。在CREOL建立这一设施将利用我们研究所在光折变材料设计和表征方面的优势，以及我们在用于光学应用的新玻璃的熔化和表征方面的独特能力。CREOL拥有国内为数不多的专门设计和熔化用于光学应用的新玻璃成分的学术研究小组之一。该合同将有助于建立块状玻璃的加工能力，并建造经过改进的、可靠和准确的全息元素形成和表征设施。该设备包括允许内部熔化和制造玻璃原料的熔炉和光学精加工设施，以及能够有效地照射玻璃、形成全息图并随后表征所得到元素的质量的紫外线(UV)激光系统。一旦投入使用，将继续对内部生产的玻璃组合物进行辐照/析晶研究，并同时进行材料物理性能的热、机械和光学分析。%这个加工和表征设施的建立将有助于实现我们在CREOL/UCF项目的教育目标。CREOL在加州大学伯克利分校设立光学科学和工程硕士和博士学位课程方面发挥了重要作用。20多门光学课程由25名国家认可的CREOL教师授课。联合PI负责监督研究项目，共有5名学生从事与光学相关的各种跨学科主题的工作。目前，2名本科生和2名研究生使用有限的(非氧化物)玻璃熔化设备。购买该计划中确定的熔化和制造设备将允许在研究生和本科生水平上扩大基于实验室的传统玻璃加工培训。一名CREOL资助的博士生将与PTRG材料的玻璃加工和光学表征相关。***

9625964 Richardson This award provides support for the acquisition of equipment to develop a processing and characterization facility for photo- thermo-refractive glass (PTRG) materials. This facility is critical to the continued progress in the fabrication of new optical recording media for high efficiency volume holographic optical element applications based on glass-ceramic materials. Experimental results obtained at CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers) during the past 18 months have confirmed for the first time in this country, the potential of an important new technology for recording and storing information through the selective nucleation and crystallization of photo- induced phases in a robust glass matrix. This glass material, however has to date been obtainable only in Russia. As a result of our experiments, the limitations of the Russian material and the importance of processing these materials within our laboratory, has been firmly realized. Establishment of this facility at CREOL will utilize our institute's strengths in both the design and characterization of photorefractive materials and our unique capabilities in the melting and characterization of new glasses for optical applications. CREOL contains one of the few academic research groups in the country specifically engineering and melting new glass compositions for optical applications. This award will enable the establishment of bulk glass processing capabilities and construction of an improved, reliable and accurate holographic element formation and characterization facility. The equipment includes furnace and optical finishing facilities to allow in-house melting and fabrication of glass starting materials, and an ultraviolet (UV) laser system which can efficiently irradiate the glass, forming the hologram, and subsequently characterize the quality of the resulting element. Once operational, irradiation/crystallization studies on in-house produced glass compo sitions, with accompanying analysis of material physical properties thermal, mechanical and optical will continue to be carried out. %%% Establishment of this Processing and Characterization facility will assist in the educational goals of our program at CREOL/UCF. CREOL has been instrumental in establishing Master's and Doctoral degree programs in Optical Sciences and Engineering at UCF. Over twenty courses in optics are taught by twenty five nationally- recognized CREOL faculty. The co-PI's oversee research programs containing a total of 5 students working on various, interdisciplinary topics related to optics. Currently, 2 undergraduate and 2 graduate students utilize limited (nonoxide) glass melting facilities. Acquisition of melting and fabrication equipment identified in this program will allow expansion of lab- based training in traditional glass processing at both graduate and undergraduate levels. A CREOL-funded Ph.D. student will be associated with the glass processing and optical characterization of the PTRG materials. ***