Mid-infrared resonant ablation of PMMA

Laser ablation proved to be a reliable micro-fabrication technique for patterning and structuring of both thin film and bulk polymer materials. In most of the industrial applications ultra-violet (UV) laser sources are employed, however they have limitations such as maintenance costs and practical issues. As an alternative and promising approach, mid-infrared resonant laser ablation (RIA) has been introduced, in which the laser wavelength is tuned to one of the molecular vibrational transi-tions of the polymer to be ablated. Consequently, the technique is selective in respect of processing a diversity of polymers which usually have different infrared absorption bands. In this paper, we present mid-infrared resonant ablation of PolyMethyl MethAcrylate (PMMA), employing nanosec-ond laser pulses tunable between 3 and 4 microns. This RIA nanosecond laser set-up is based on a commercial laser at 1064 nm pumping a singly resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) built around a Periodically-Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystal with several Quasi-Phase Matching (QPM) periods. RIA has been successfully demonstrated for structuring bulk PMMA, and selective patterning of PMMA thin films on a glass substrate has been implemented

Robust, frequency-stable and accurate mid-IR laser spectrometer based on frequency comb metrology of quantum cascade lasers up-converted in orientation-patterned GaAs

We demonstrate a robust and simple method for measurement, stabilization and tuning of the frequency of cw mid-infrared (MIR) lasers, in particular of quantum cascade lasers. The proof of principle is performed with a quantum cascade laser at 5.4 \mu m, which is upconverted to 1.2 \mu m by sum-frequency generation in orientation-patterned GaAs with the output of a standard high-power cw 1.5 \mu m fiber laser. Both the 1.2 \mu m and the 1.5 \mu m waves are measured by a standard Er:fiber frequency comb. Frequency measurement at the 100 kHz-level, stabilization to sub-10 kHz level, controlled frequency tuning and long-term stability are demonstrated

Mid-infrared resonant ablation for selective patterning of thin organic films

The fast growing market of organic electronics, including organic photovoltaics (OPV), stimulates the development of versatile technologies for structuring thin-film materials. Ultraviolet lasers have proven their full potential for patterning single organic layers, but in a multilayer organic device the obtained layer selectivity is limited as all organic layers show high UV absorption. In this paper, we introduce mid-infrared (IR) resonant ablation as an alternative approach, in which a short pulse mid-infrared laser can be wavelength tuned to one of the molecular vibrational transitions of the organic material to be ablated. As a result, the technique is selective in respect of processing a diversity of organics, which usually have different infrared absorption bands. Mid-IR resonant ablation is demonstrated for a variety of organic thin films, employing both nanosecond (15 ns) and picosecond (250 ps) laser pulses tunable between 3 and 4 microns. The nanosecond experimental set-up is based on a commercial laser at 1064 nm pumping a singly resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) built around a Periodically-Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystal with several Quasi-Phase Matching (QPM) periods, delivering more than 0.3 W of mid-IR power, corresponding to 15 mu J pulses. The picosecond laser set-up is based on Optical Parametric Amplification (OPA) in a similar crystal, allowing for a comparison between both pulse length regimes. The wavelength of the mid-infrared laser can be tuned to one of the molecular vibrational transitions of the organic material to be ablated. For that reason, the IR absorption spectra of the organic materials used in a typical OPV device were characterized in the wavelength region that can be reached by the laser setups. Focus was on OPV substrate materials, transparent conductive materials, hole transport materials, and absorber materials. The process has been successfully demonstrated for selective thin film patterning, and the influence of the various laser parameters is discussed

Near-infrared active polarimetric and multispectral laboratory demonstrator for target detection

International audienceWe report on the design and exploitation of a real-field laboratory demonstrator combining active polarimetric and multispectral functions. Its building blocks, including a multiwavelength pulsed optical parametric oscillator at the emission side and a hyperspectral imager with polarimetric capability at the reception side, are described. The results obtained with this demonstrator are illustrated on some examples and discussed. In particular it is found that good detection performances rely on joint use of intensity and polarimetric images, with these images exhibiting complementary signatures in most cases

Tunable Narrowband Tm:YAP Laser using a Transversally Chirped Volume Bragg Grating

International audienceTunable long wave infrared (LWIR) coherent sources emitting between 8 and 12 μm can be used for versatile remote gas sensing. In ref [1] we implemented a parametric oscillator in which wavelength tunability was achieved by temperature tuning of the crystal indices of refraction. It is well known that a similar wavelength range can be addressed by tuning the pump wavelength rather than the crystal temperature [2]. In addition, pump tuning can be significantly faster than temperature tuning. In this context we also need a narrow band spectrum to control the spectral output of the optical parametric oscillator, which is based on Vernier spectral filtering in doubly-resonant cavities. Seger and his team exhibited single longitudinal mode operation in a microlaser tuned with transversally chirped volume Bragg grating (TC-VBG) near 1 μm [3]. We show how this concept can be applied to a different laser emitting at 2 μm

Lasers guides d'onde dans le niobate de lithium dopé erbium

Taking advantage of the combination of the lasing properties of rare earth ions with electrooptic behavior in erbium-doped lithium niobate can be particularly rewarding in a single-mode waveguide configuration, where the high energy confinement increases the laser gain and allows for the realization of high speed electro-optic components with low driving voltage, thus promising high peak power Q-switched lasers.Toward this goal, a concentration-related gain reduction mechanism, adapted to bulk-doped crystals has been identified and a new method developed to simply evaluate its effects.The corresponding modeling of optical amplification, described in the case of waveguides, is in good agreement with measurements carried out after titanium stripes indiffusion in various substrates, including erbium-indiffused ones.This led to the first demonstration of laser action in erbium-doped lithium niobate waveguides pumped by a 1.48 µm diode. The further integration of electrooptic modulators also enabled to Q-switch the continuous wave lasers. Whereas the currently available pump power limits the pulses, predictions indicate future peak powers of several hundreds of watts and durations of a few nanoseconds.Le niobate de lithium dopé à l'erbium permet de tirer parti des propriétés optiques des ions terre rare et du fort coefficient électro-optique de la matrice. Il constitue ainsi un matériau prometteur pour la réalisation de lasers déclenchés monolithiques émettant vers 1,5 µm. En configuration guidée, l'obtention d'impulsions à forte puissance crête est en particulier envisageable à partir d'un pompage par diode laser du commerce et avec de faibles tensions de commande.Dans cette perspective, un mécanisme prépondérant de réduction du gain aux fortes concentrations de dopant, caractéristique des cristaux dopés dans la masse, a été identifié et une méthode originale développée pour évaluer simplement ses effets de façon quantitative.Ce mémoire souligne l'excellent accord entre les prévisions théoriques du modèle d'amplification optique mis en place puis adapté au cas de guides monomodes et les mesures réalisés sur les composants fabriqués dans le même temps par diffusion de bandes de titane dans des substrats dopés dans la masse et en surface.Ceci a permis d'observer pour la première fois l'effet laser en continu dans des guides d'onde sur niobate de lithium dopé à l'erbium dans la masse et pompés par une diode à 1,48 µm. L'intégration de modulateurs électro-optiques a également conduit à l'observation d'impulsions déclenchées. Pour l'instant limitées par la puissance de pompe disponible, elles devraient pouvoir atteindre plusieurs centaines de watts de puissance crête avec des durées de quelques nanosecondes

Analyse stratégique et marketing du redéploiement d'une attraction touristique : Analyse comparée de l'attractivité de Mini-Europe sur différents sites belges

L’industrie des loisirs est l’un des secteurs qui a le mieux subit la crise de 2008. C’est un secteur extrêmement lucratif et en perpétuel développement. Néanmoins, il peut arriver que des facteurs externes inattendus viennent perturber l’exploitation de ces activités. L’un d’eux est la relocalisation forcée du site d’activités. Depuis 2007, le parc miniature bruxellois Mini-Europe est menacé par le projet NEO, un projet mené par les pouvoirs publics de Bruxelles. Le dirigeant du parc, Thierry Meeùs, s’interroge depuis sur une éventuelle relocalisation de l’attraction touristique. Ce mémoire consiste en l’analyse stratégique et marketing des sites potentiels de relocalisation d’attractions touristiques. La problématique de ce mémoire concerne le redéploiement d’une attraction touristique : quelle serait la meilleure option de redéploiement de Mini-Europe ? Sous quelles conditions stratégiques et marketing le parc miniature serait-il suffisamment attractif afin que la relocalisation soit envisageable ?Master [120] en Ingénieur de gestion, Université catholique de Louvain, 201

Tunable Narrowband Tm:YAP Laser using a Transversally Chirped Volume Bragg Grating

International audienceTunable long wave infrared (LWIR) coherent sources emitting between 8 and 12 μm can be used for versatile remote gas sensing. In ref [1] we implemented a parametric oscillator in which wavelength tunability was achieved by temperature tuning of the crystal indices of refraction. It is well known that a similar wavelength range can be addressed by tuning the pump wavelength rather than the crystal temperature [2]. In addition, pump tuning can be significantly faster than temperature tuning. In this context we also need a narrow band spectrum to control the spectral output of the optical parametric oscillator, which is based on Vernier spectral filtering in doubly-resonant cavities. Seger and his team exhibited single longitudinal mode operation in a microlaser tuned with transversally chirped volume Bragg grating (TC-VBG) near 1 μm [3]. We show how this concept can be applied to a different laser emitting at 2 μm