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

这笔拨款为中佛罗里达大学用于纳米和微加工应用和学生培训的飞秒激光材料辐照和原位探测设备的开发提供支持。飞秒激光最近的应用显示了在光活性透明介质（特别是玻璃）中制造微型和纳米级微结构的前景。这种微结构制造的新方法在某些应用中比传统的光刻和机械装配技术具有固有的优势，特别是在复杂三维结构的制造中，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。它也可能对先进显微外科应用的发展具有重要意义。本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，同时评估书面材料发生的材料变化。该站将包括三个基本组成部分，(i)一个最先进、配置最佳的MHz飞秒处理激光器，（ii）一个高速、纳米精度、计算机控制的三轴光学处理平台，结合先进的光束操作技术，以及（iii）一个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。通过动态探测光致变化来理解导致结构改变的永久和亚稳态（瞬态）时间依赖过程的能力所带来的智力价值将得以实现。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修饰变化的能力将有助于阐明所涉及的复杂科学，并导致识别有前途的工业，医疗，国防和科学应用的激光书写微结构。这个系统将是学生培训的一个很好的工具。研究生和本科生将被雇用从事该系统的组装和测试阶段，以及将与之相关的许多物理、生物和材料科学相关的研究。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群初始核心用户已经订购了空间站建成后的使用权。它将位于中佛罗里达大学光学/CREOL学院的激光发展实验室。一旦建立，它将作为一个开放、成本中立、收费的设施来运作。

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.