Diode-pumped Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti: sapphire laser with broad wavelength tunability

We report a direct blue-diode-pumped wavelength tunable Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti: sapphire laser.Central wavelength tunability as broad as 89 nm(736-825 nm) is achieved by adjusting the insertion of the prism.Pulses as short as 17 fs are generated at a central wavelength of 736 nm with an average output power of 31 mW.The maximum output power is 46.8 mW at a central wavelength of 797 nm with a pulse duration of 46 fs.

High performance micromachining of sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA)using GHz burst mode femtosecond pulses

GHz burst-mode femtosecond(fs)laser,which emits a series of pulse trains with extremely short intervals of several hundred picoseconds,provides distinct characteristics in materials processing as compared with the conventional irradiation scheme of fs laser(single-pulse mode).In this paper,we take advantage of the moderate pulse interval of 205 ps(4.88 GHz)in the burst pulse for high-quality and high-efficiency micromachining of single crystalline sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA).Specifically,the preceding pulses in the burst generate plasma by ablation of copper placed behind the sapphire substrate,which interacts with the subsequent pulses to induce ablation at the rear surface of sapphire substrates.As a result,not only the ablation quality but also the ablation efficiency and the fabrication resolution are greatly improved compared to the other schemes including single-pulse mode fs laser direct ablation,single-pulse mode fs-LIPAA,and nanosecond-LIPAA.

Ionization behavior and dynamics of picosecond laser filamentation in sapphire

Currently,laser-induced structural modifications in optical materials have been an active field of research.In this paper,we reported structural modifications in the bulk of sapphire due to picosecond(ps)laser filamentation and analyzed the ionization dynamics of the filamentation.Numerical simulations uncovered that the high-intensity ps laser pulses generate plasma through multi-photon and avalanche ionizations that leads to the creation of two distinct types of structural changes in the material.The experimental bulk modifications consist of a void like structures surrounded by cracks which are followed by a submicrometer filamentary track.By increasing laser energy,the length of the damage and filamentary track appeared to increase.In addition,the transverse diameter of the damage zone increased due to the electron plasma produced by avalanche ionizations,but no increase in the filamentary zone diameter was observed with increasing laser energy.

Laser processing effects on Ti−45Nb alloy surface,corrosive and biocompatible properties

The Ti−45Nb(wt.%)alloy properties were investigated in relation to its potential biomedical use.Laser surface modification was utilized to improve its performance in biological systems.As a result of the laser treatment,(Ti,Nb)O scale was formed and various morphological features appeared on the alloy surface.The electrochemical behavior of Ti−45Nb alloy in simulated body conditions was evaluated and showed that the alloy was highly resistant to corrosion deterioration regardless of additional laser surface modification treatment.Nevertheless,the improved corrosion resistance after laser treatment was evident(the corrosion current density of the alloy before laser irradiation was 2.84×10^(−8)A/cm^(2),while that after laser treatment with 5 mJ was 0.65×10^(−8)A/cm^(2))and ascribed to the rapid formation of a complex and passivating bi-modal surface oxide layer.Alloy cytotoxicity and effects of the Ti−45Nb alloy laser surface modification on the MRC-5 cell viability,morphology,and proliferation were also investigated.The Ti−45Nb alloy showed no cytotoxic effect.Moreover,cells showed improved viability and adherence to the alloy surface after the laser irradiation treatment.The highest average cell viability of 115.37%was attained for the alloy laser-irradiated with 15 mJ.Results showed that the laser surface modification can be successfully utilized to significantly improve alloy performance in a biological environment.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of duplex-phase Ti6242 alloy treated by laser shock peening

The effects of laser shock peening(LSP)on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the Ti6242 alloy,including the residual stress,surface roughness,Vickers microhardness,tensile mechanical response,and high-cycle fatigue properties,were studied.The results showed that the LSP induced residual compressive stresses on the surface and near surface of the material.The maximum surface residual compressive stress was−661 MPa,and the compressive-stress-affected depth was greater than 1000μm.The roughness and Vickers micro-hardness increased with the number of shocks,and the maximum hardness-affected depth was about 700μm after three LSP treatments.LSP enhanced the fraction of low-angle grain boundaries,changed the grain preferred orientations,and notably increased the pole density ofαphase on the near surface from 2.41 to 3.46.The surface hardness values of the LSP samples increased with the increase of the number of shocks due to work hardening,while the LSP had a limited effect on the tensile properties.The high-cycle fatigue life of the LSP-treated sample was significantly enhanced by more than 20%compared with that of the untreated sample,which was caused by the suppression of the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks.

Ultra‐low cost Ti powder for selective laser melting additive manufacturing and superior mechanical properties associated

One of the bottleneck issues for commercial scale-up of Ti additive manufacturing lies in high cost of raw material, i.e. the spherical Ti powder that is often made by gas atomization. In this study, we address this significant issue by way of powder modification & ball milling processing, which shows that it is possible to produce printable Ti powders based on ultra- low cost, originally unprintable hydrogenation-dehydrogenation (HDH) Ti powder. It is also presented that the as-printed Ti using the modified powder exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, showing a combination of excellent fracture strength (~895 MPa) and high ductility (~19.0% elongation).

Tunable Supercontinuum Generated in a Yb^3＋-Doped Microstructure Fiber Pumped by Ti：Sapphire Femtosecond Laser

We experimentally demonstrate that a tunable supercontinuum（SC） can be generated in a Yb3＋-doped microstructure fiber by the concept of wavelength conversion with a Ti：sapphire femtosecond（fs） laser as the pump.Experimental results show that an emission light around 1040 nm in an anomalous dispersion region is first generated and amplified by fs pulses in the normal dispersion region. Then, SC spectra from 1100 to 1380 nm and 630 to 840 nm can be achieved by combined effects of higher-order soliton fission and Raman soliton self-frequency shift in the anomalous dispersion region and self-phase modulation, dispersive wave, and four-wave mixing in the normal dispersion region. It is also demonstrated that the 20 nm change of pump results in a 280 nm broadband shift of soliton and the further red-shift of soliton is limited by OH-absorption at 1380 nm.

Microstructure and mechanical property of additively manufactured NiTi alloys:A comparison between selective laser melting and directed energy deposition

NiTi shape memory alloy(SMA)with nominal composition of Ni 50.8 at%and Ti 49.2 at%was additively manufactured(AM)by selective laser melting(SLM)and laser directed energy deposition(DED)for a comparison study,with emphasis on its phase composition,microstructure,mechanical property and deformation mechanism.The results show that the yield strength and ductility obtained by SLM are 100 MPa and 8%,respectively,which are remarkably different from DED result with 700 MPa and 2%.The load path of SLM sample presents shape memory effect,corresponding to martensite phase detected by XRD;while the load path of DED presents pseudo-elasticity with austenite phase.In SLM sample,fine grain and hole provide a uniform deformation during tensile test,resulting in a better elongation.Furthermore,the nonequilibrium solidification was studied by a temperature field simulation to understand the difference of the two 3D printing methods.Both temperature gradient G and growth rate R determine the microstructure and phase in the SLM sample and DED sample,which leads to similar grain morphologies because of similar G/R.While higher G×R of SLM leads to a finer grain size in SLM sample,providing enough driving force for martensite transition and subsequently changing texture compared to DED sample.

Operation of Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser in the non-soliton regime

A Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti：sapphire laser operating in a non-soliton regime is demonstrated. Dispersive wave generation is observed as a result of third order dispersion in the vicinity of zero dispersion. The characteristics of the Ti：sapphire l^ser operating in a positive dispersion regime are presented, where the oscillator directly generates pulses with duration continuously tunable from 0.37 ps to 2.11 ps, and 36 fs pulses are achieved atter extracavity compression. The oscillation is numerically simulated with an extended nonlinear Schr6dinger equation, and the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

A High-Pulse-Energy High-Beam-Quality Tunable Ti:Sapphire Laser Using a Prism-Dispersion Cavity

A high-pulse-energy high-beam-quality tunable Ti：sapphire laser pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd：YAG laser is demonstrated. Using a fused-silica prism as the dispersion element, a tuning range of 740-855 nm is obtained. At an incident pump energy of 774mJ, the maximum output energy of 104mJ at 790nm with a pulse width of 100μs is achieved at a repetition rate of 5 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest pulse energy at 790 nm with pulse width of hundred micro-seconds for an all-solid-state laser. The linewidth of output is 0.5 nm, and the beam quality factor M2 is 1.16. The high-pulse-energy high-beam-quality tunable Ti：sapphire laser in the range of 740-855 nm can be used to establish a more accurate and consistent absolute scale of second-order optical-nonlinear coefficients for KBe2BO3F2 measured in a wider wavelength range and to assess Miller＇s rule quantitatively.

Synthesis of Y_2O_3 particle enhanced Ni/TiC composite on TC4 Ti alloy by laser cladding

A Y2O3 particle enhanced Ni/TiC composite coating was fabricated in-situ on a TC4 Ti alloy by laser surface cladding. The phase component, microstructure, composition distribution and properties of the composite layer were investigated. The composite layer has graded microstructures and compositions, due to the fast melting followed by rapid solidification and cooling during laser cladding. The TiC powders are completely dissolved into the melted layer during melting and segregated as fine dendrites when solidified. The size of TiC dendrites decreases with increasing depth. Y2O3 fine particles distribute in the whole clad layer. The Y2O3 particle enhanced Ni/TiC composite layer has a quite uniform hardness along depth with a maximum value of HV1380, which is 4 times higher than the initial hardness. The wear resistance of the Ti alloy is significantly improved after laser cladding due to the high hardness of the composite coating.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser additive repaired Ti17 titanium alloy

Laser additive manufacturing technology with powder feeding was employed to repair wrought Ti17titanium alloy with small surface defects.The microstructure,micro-hardness and room temperature tensile properties of laser additive repaired(LARed)specimen were investigated.The results show that,cellular substructures are observed in the laser deposited zone(LDZ),rather than the typicalαlaths morphology due to lack of enough subsequent thermal cycles.The cellular substructures lead to lower micro-hardness in the LDZ compared with the wrought substrate zone which consists of duplex microstructure.The tensile test results indicate that the tensile deformation process of the LARed specimen exhibits a characteristic of dramatic plastic strain heterogeneity and fracture in the laser repaired zone with a mixed dimple and cleavage mode.The tensile strength of the LARed specimen is slightly higher than that of the wrought specimen and the elongation of11.7%is lower.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti−Al−V−Nb alloys with cluster formula manufactured by laser additive manufacturing

Ti−Al−V−Nb alloys with the cluster formula,12[Al−Ti_(12)](AlTi_(2))+5[Al−Ti1_(4)](V,Nb)2Ti,were designed by replacing V with Nb based on the Ti−6Al−4V alloy.Single-track cladding layers and bulk samples of the alloys with Nb contents ranging from 0 to 6.96 wt.%were prepared by laser additive manufacturing to examine their formability,microstructure,and mechanical properties.For single-track cladding layers,the addition of Nb increased the surface roughness slightly and decreased the molten pool height to improve its spreadability.The alloy,Ti−5.96Al−1.94V−3.54Nb(wt.%),exhibited better geometrical accuracy than the other alloys because its molten pool height was consistent with the spread layer thickness of the powder.The microstructures of the bulk samples contained similar columnar β-phase grains,regardless of Nb content.These grains grew epitaxially from the Ti substrate along the deposition direction,with basket-weaveα-phase laths within the columnar grains.Theα-phase size increased with increasing Nb contents,but its uniformity decreased.Along the deposition direction,the Vickers hardness increased from the substrate to the surface.The Ti−5.96Al−1.94V−3.54Nb alloy exhibited the highest Vickers hardness regardless of deposition position because of the optimal matching relationship between theα-phase size and its content among the designed alloys.

Microstructure,mechanical properties and corrosion performance of selective laser melting Ti/GNPs composite with a porous structure

In this study,nano-graphene reinforced titanium matrix composites(GNPs/Ti)with a honeycomb porous structure were fabricated by selective laser melting(SLM).The effects of graphene on the microstructure,mechanical properties and corrosion performance of the SLM GNPs/Ti were systematically investigated.Results of microstructure characterization show that:1)the density of the SLM GNPs/Ti was improved as compared to that of the SLM Ti;2)abundant TiC particles were formed in the SLM GNPs/Ti.The hardness and compressive strength of the composite increased by 90%(from HV 236 to HV 503)and 14%(from 277 MPa to 316 MPa),respectively,attributed to the uniformly distributed TiC and fine GNPs in the Ti matrix.Electrochemical tests reveal that the corrosion current density of the SLM GNPs/Ti is only 0.328μA/cm^(2),that is about 25%less than that of the SLM Ti.The results indicate that the incorporation of nano-graphene is a potential method to strengthen the Ti by SLM.

Electrochemical dissolution and passivation of laser additive manufactured Ti6Al4V controlled by elements segregation and phases distribution

The electrochemical dissolution and passivation of laser additive manufactured Ti6Al4V were investigated through Tafel polarization,potentiostatic polarization and AC impedance measurements.The results show that the solution treatment−aging(STA)process aggravates the element micro-segregation compared to the annealing process,leading to varied Al and V contents of the phases from different samples.It is proven that either Al-rich or V-rich condition can highly affect the electrochemical dissolution behaviors due to thermodynamical instability caused by element segregation.The dissolution rate in the metastable passivation process is controlled by the stability of the produced film that is affected by phases distribution,especially the difficult-to-dissolve phase.And then,the dissolution rate of the phases in the transpassivation region is consistent with the rank in the activation process because the dense film is not capable of being produced.Compared to the annealed sample,the higher dissolution rate of the STA sample is beneficial to the electrochemical machining(ECM)of Ti6Al4V.

Wavefront evolution of the signal beam in Ti:sapphire chirped pulse amplifier

We studied the evolution of wavefront aberration(WFA) of a signal beam during amplification in a Ti:sapphire chirped pulse amplification(CPA) system. The results verified that the WFA of the amplified laser beam has little relation with the change of the pump beam energies. Transverse parasitic lasing that might occur in CPA hardly affects the wavefront of the signal beam. Thermal effects were also considered in this study, and the results show that the thermal effect cumulated in multiple amplification processes also has no obvious influence on the wavefront of the signal beam for a single-shot frequency. The results presented in this paper confirmed experimentally that the amplification in a Ti:sapphire CPA system has little impact on the WFA of the signal beam and it is very helpful for wavefront correction of single-shot PW and multi-PW laser systems based on Ti:sapphire.

Performance of Ti6Al4V fabricated by electron beam and laser hybrid preheating and selective melting strategy

Electron beam selective melting(EBM)and selective laser melting(SLM)are regarded as significant manufacturing processes for near-net-shaped Ti6Al4V components.Generally,in the conventional EBM process,preheating is necessitated to avoid"smoke"caused by the charging of electrons.In the conventional SLM process,laser as an energy source without the risk of"smoke"can be employed to melt metal powder at low temperatures.However,because of the low absorption rate of laser,the powder bed temperature cannot reach a high level.It is difficult to obtain as-built TiAl4V with favorable comprehensive properties via conventional EBM or SLM.Hence,two types of electron beam and laser hybrid preheating(EB-LHP)combined with selective melting strategies are proposed.Using laser to preheat powder allows EBM to be performed at a low powder bed temperature(EBM-LT),whereas using an electron beam to preheat powder allows SLM to be performed at a high powder bed temperature(SLM-HT).Ti6Al4V samples are fabricated using two different manufacturing strategies(i.e.,EBM-LT and SLM-HT)and two conventional processes,i.e.,EBM at a high powder bed temperature(EBM-HT)and SLM at a low powder bed temperature(SLM-LT).The temperature-dependent surface quality,microstructure,density,and mechanical properties of the as-built Ti6Al4V samples are characterized and compared.Results show that EBM-LT Ti6Al4V exhibits a higher ultimate tensile strength(981±43 MPa)and a lower elongation(12.2%±2.3%)than EBM-HT Ti6Al4V owing to the presence ofα′martensite.The SLM-HT Ti6Al4V possesses the highest ultimate tensile strength(1,059±62 MPa)and an elongation(14.8%±4.0%)comparable to that of the EBM-HT Ti6Al4V(16.6%±1.2%).

An all-solid-state high power quasi-continuous-wave tunable dual-wavelength Ti：sapphire laser system using birefringence filter

This paper describes a tunable dual-wavelength Ti：sapphire laser system with quasi-continuous-wave and high-power outputs. In the design of the laser, it adopts a frequency-doubled Nd：YAG laser as the pumping source, and the birefringence filter as the tuning element. Tunable dual-wavelength outputs with one wavelength range from 700 nm to 756.5 nm, another from 830 nm to 900mn have been demonstrated. With a pump power of 23 W at 532 nm, a repetition rate of 7 kHz and a pulse width of 47.6 ns, an output power of 5.1 W at 744.8 nm and 860.9 nm with a pulse width of 13.2 ns and a line width of 3 nm has been obtained, it indicates an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 22.2%.

Elastic Modulus and Stress Analysis of Porous Titanium Parts Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting

The mismatch of elasticity modulus has limited the application of titanium alloys in medical implants,and porous structures have been proved effective to deal with this problem. However,the manufacturing of porous structures has been restricted from conventional technologies. In this study,selective laser melting( SLM) technology was employed to produce a set of Ti-6Al-4V porous samples based on cubic lattices with varying size of strut width from 200 μm to 600 μm. Then the compression tests were conducted to analyze the influence of the strut width on the elasticity modulus and the ultimate strength. The result shows both of them increases linearly with the growth of strut width or with the decrease of porosity,and the elasticity modulus of porous parts is largely reduced and actually meets the requirement of clinical application. Additionally,a finite element model was established to verify the un-uniform stress distribution of porous parts. It reveals that fractures always initially occur at the vertical struts along the force direction which suffer from the main deformation.

A 100-TW Ti:Sapphire Laser System at a Repetition Rate of 0.1 Hz

We demonstrate a 100-TW-class femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser running at a repetition rate of 0.1Hz based on a 20TW/10 Hz laser facility (XL-Ⅱ).Pumping the new stage amplifier with a 25J green Nd:glass laser,we successfully improve the laser energy to 3.4J with duration of 29 fs,corresponding to a peak power of 11 7 TW.