SBIR Phase I: Ultra-High-Speed Z-Scanning Optics for Laser Manufacturing

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在创造一种超高速可变焦距光学元件，以满足与激光制造相关的强劲性能需求。在激光加工中改变焦点位置的能力对于适应工业制造中通常遇到的快速生产量和复杂的材料形状和结构是必要的。然而，最先进的镜头仍然很慢，需要机械移动，这可能会导致生产时间增加，精度降低，系统复杂性增加，总体成本增加。相反，这项工作提出了一种范式转换的方法，通过开发一种新型的液体透镜，利用声音来塑造和重新聚焦光。为了在制造领域实施这种快速增长、高冲击性的技术，关键的挑战是管理和减少设备的激光加热，因为激光加热可能导致不良的光学效应。通过实验测试和数值模型的结合，我们期望确定最佳的设计条件，以最小化加热效应和最大化透镜的折射率。随着被动和主动冷却方法的加入，我们希望能够在不同功率和脉冲持续时间范围内实现生产级激光制造的透镜操作。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将在激光制造业产生重大影响，该行业日益重要，在许多方面负责日常材料和设备的效率和经济成本。具体地说，该项目解决了技术市场需求，通过在不影响x和y轴分辨率的情况下对z轴上的激光束进行额外控制，缩短了制造周期，并简化了流程；从而通过提高激光制造系统的精度和速度来提高制造产量。制造产量的提高对社会和环境条件都非常重要，因为它们可以减少浪费，提高所生产部件的质量，并降低制造成本。此外，这项建议还将增加对如何在高功率激光系统中应用超高速z扫描光学器件进行制造操作的科学和技术理解。这不仅将导致将这些设备整合到现有系统中，更重要的是，将实现新的创新，例如创建具有更高性能和能力的全新制造方法。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to create an ultra-high-speed variable focus optical element meeting the robust performance needs associated with laser manufacturing. The ability to change the focal spot location in laser processing is necessary to accommodate the rapid throughput and complex materials shapes and structures generally encountered in industrial manufacturing. However, the state-of-the-art remains slow, mechanically moving lenses, which can lead to increased production times, reduced accuracy, increased system complexity and overall increased cost. Instead, this work proposes a paradigm-shifting approach to variable focus by developing a new type of liquid lens that uses sound to shape and refocus light. In order to implement this rapidly growing, high impact technology in the manufacturing arena, the key challenge is to manage and reduce laser heating of the device which can lead to undesirable optical effects. By using a combination of experimental tests and numerical models we expect to determine the optimum design conditions that minimize heating effects and maximize refractive power of the lens. With the inclusion of passive and active cooling approaches we expect to enable lens operation for production-level laser manufacturing across different power and pulse duration scales.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will have significant repercussions in the laser manufacturing industry, an increasingly important industry which is in many ways responsible for the efficiency and economical cost of every day materials and devices. Specifically, this project addresses a technological market need which will reduce the manufacturing cycle, and streamline processes by providing additional control of the laser beam in the z axis without effecting the x and y axis resolution; thereby, improving the manufacturing yield by increasing the precision, and speed of laser manufacturing systems. Improvements in manufacturing yield are incredibly important to both societal and environmental conditions as they lead to a reduction in waste, an increase in the quality of the parts produced, and a reduction in manufacturing costs. Additionally this proposal will increase scientific and technical understanding on how to applying ultra-high speed z-scanning optical devices in high power lasers systems for manufacturing operation. This will not only lead to the incorporation of such devices in already existing systems but more importantly, enable new innovations such as the creation of entirely new manufacturing approaches with increased performance and capabilities.