Metal Improvement Company, LLC

University of California

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

C Brent Dane

Lloyd A Hackel

Fritz B Harris, Jr

Joseph T Taranowski

Stewart B Brown

Scott N Fochs

Fritz Harris

Jon Rankin

Shamasundar N Dixit

John Honig

Steven L Honett

Chanh H Truong

Edward W H Lao

Luiz B Da Silva

Dennis L Matthews

Peter M Celliers

Georg F Albrecht

Mary A Norton

Mark D Rotter

Detlev H Tiszauer

Randall L Hurd

Mark R Hermann

James D Wintemute

Mathew Everett

Bill Neuman

Stanley Mrowka

Fritz B Harris

Jon E Rankin

Edward W Lao

A beam delivery technology for high power laser systems, like laser peening systems, for work pieces which may have compound curvatures, includes placing an optical assembly having a receiving optic, beam formatting optics and a scanner mounted thereon, in a position to receive laser pulses from a laser source and within an operating range of the process area. Polarized laser pulses are delivered to the receiving optic while the position of the optical assembly remains unchanged. The pulses proceed through the beam formatting optics to the scanner, and are direct to respective impact areas having nominal shapes and locations on the work piece. The scanning process includes for each laser pulse, setting direction, divergence, polarization, rotation and aspect ratio of the laser pulses output from the scanner, to control the polarization, shape and location on respective impact areas.

Flexible beam delivery system for high power laser systems

A beam sampling system, includes a first beam splitter adapted to split a laser beam having a primary polarization component and a secondary polarization component, into a first intermediate sample beam, and a first beam splitter output beam, the intermediate sample beam including first percentage of the primary polarization component and a second percentage of the secondary polarization component. A 90-degree polarization rotator is positioned in the intermediate sample beam line. A second beam splitter is mounted so that the intermediate sample beam is split into an output sample beam on an output sample beam line, and a second transmitted beam, the output sample beam including substantially said first percentage of the secondary polarization component and substantially said second percentage of the primary polarization component.

Polarization compensated beam splitter and diagnostic system for high power laser systems

A laser energy delivery system includes a relay imaging system. Input optics arranged to receive the laser energy, a transmitting mirror having adjustable angle of incidence relative to the input optics, and a robot mounted optical assembly are configured to direct laser energy toward the movable target image plane. The laser energy follows an optical path including an essentially straight segment from the transmitting mirror to the receiving mirror, having a variable length and a variable angle relative to the input optics through air. Diagnostics on the processing head facilitate operation.

Active beam delivery system with variable optical path segment through air

A method of manufacturing a driver, or other types of golf club, includes inducing residual compressive stress by high intensity laser shock peening to form an array of laser shock peened impact zones on the club face. Laser pulses having irradiance greater than 4 GW/cm, with spot size greater than 4 mmare used, including a pulse with on the order of 16 ns, with spot size greater than 9 mm. Residual compressive stress of more than 400 MPa penetrating with a depth of more than 0.2 mm are imparted, without increased hardening in or damage to the face of the club. Laser shock peening a pattern that covers an interior area leaves the perimeter unpeened, inducing a stress gradient between interior area and the perimeter of the club face. Multiple layers of arrays of laser shock impact zones are applied on the club. The technology is readily applied to assembled club heads.

Engineered residual stress in golf clubs

A method of operating a laser to obtain an output pulse having a single wavelength, comprises inducing an intracavity loss into a laser resonator having an amount that prevents oscillation during a time that energy from the pump source is being stored in the gain medium. Gain is built up in the gain medium with energy from the pump source until formation of a single-frequency relaxation oscillation pulse in the resonator. Upon detection of the onset of the relaxation oscillation pulse, the intracavity loss is reduced, such as by Q-switching, so that the built-up gain stored in the gain medium is output from the resonator in the form of an output pulse at a single frequency. An electronically controllable output coupler is controlled to affect output pulse characteristics. The laser acts a master oscillator in a master oscillator power amplifier configuration. The laser is used for laser peening.

Self-seeded single-frequency laser peening method

A method for laser shock processing a device, including a metallic body having a surface, comprises conformally applying a compliant solid material to the first region on the surface of the metallic body and applying a layer of ablative material to the second region on the surface of the metallic body. A damping liquid is flowed over the layer of ablative material. An array of pulses of laser energy is directed through the damping fluid to impact the layer of ablative material on the surface and peen the surface in the second region. The pulses induce pressure waves within the metallic body which propagate to the surface in the first region. The compliant solid material acts as a momentum trap, so that the acoustic waves are at least partially coupled into the compliant solid material and attenuated outside of the metallic body.

Laser shock processing with momentum trap

An active laser energy delivery system includes a relay imaging system. Input optics arranged to receive the laser energy, a transmitting mirror having adjustable angle of incidence relative to the input optics, and a robot mounted processing head including an optical assembly are configured to direct laser energy toward the movable target image plane. The laser energy follows an optical path including an essentially straight segment from the transmitting mirror to the receiving mirror, having a variable length and a variable angle relative to the input optics. Diagnostics on the processing head facilitate operation.

Active beam delivery system with image relay

A laser peening method and system allows the work piece to be fixed, while moving and directing the laser beam. A laser energy delivery system includes a relay imaging system. Input optics arranged to receive the laser energy, a transmitting mirror having adjustable angle of incidence relative to the input optics, and a robot mounted processing head including an optical assembly are configured to direct laser energy toward the movable target image plane. The laser energy follows an optical path including an essentially straight segment from the transmitting mirror to the receiving mirror, having a variable length and a variable angle relative to the input optics. Diagnostics on the processing head facilitate operation.

Active beam delivery system for laser peening and laser peening method

A system for applying a laser beam to work pieces, includes a laser system producing a high power output beam. Target delivery optics are arranged to deliver the output beam to a target work piece. A relay telescope having a telescope focal point is placed in the beam path between the laser system and the target delivery optics. The relay telescope relays an image between an image location near the output of the laser system and an image location near the target delivery optics. A baffle is placed at the telescope focal point between the target delivery optics and the laser system to block reflections from the target in the target delivery optics from returning to the laser system and causing damage.

Target isolation system, high power laser and laser peening method and system using same

A laser system, such as a master oscillator/power amplifier system, comprises a gain medium and a stimulated Brillouin scattering SBS mirror system. The SBS mirror system includes an in situ filtered SBS medium that comprises a compound having a small negative non-linear index of refraction, such as a perfluoro compound. An SBS relay telescope having a telescope focal point includes a baffle at the telescope focal point which blocks off angle beams. A beam splitter is placed between the SBS mirror system and the SBS relay telescope, directing a fraction of the beam to an alternate beam path for an alignment fiducial. The SBS mirror system has a collimated SBS cell and a focused SBS cell. An adjustable attenuator is placed between the collimated SBS cell and the focused SBS cell, by which pulse width of the reflected beam can be adjusted.

Method for pulse control in a laser including a stimulated brillouin scattering mirror system

Stimulated Brillouin scattering mirror system, high power laser and laser peening method and system using same

Self-seeded single-frequency solid-state ring laser and system using same

A laser system includes an optical path having an intracavity relay telescope with a telescope focal point for imaging an output of the gain medium between an image location at or near the gain medium and an image location at or near an output coupler for the laser system. A kinematic mount is provided within a vacuum chamber, and adapted to secure beam baffles near the telescope focal point. An access port on the vacuum chamber is adapted for allowing insertion and removal of the beam baffles. A first baffle formed using an alignment pinhole aperture is used during alignment of the laser system. A second tapered baffle replaces the alignment aperture during operation and acts as a far-field baffle in which off angle beams strike the baffle a grazing angle of incidence, reducing fluence levels at the impact areas.

Relay telescope for high power laser alignment system

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

C Brent Dane