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Implementation of a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) System on a Ti:Sapphire and OPO Laser Based Standard Laser Scanning Microscope

Laser scanning microscopes combining a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser and an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to duplicate the laser line have become ...

Université de Nîmes

CNRS, IES, UMR 5214

A new optical fiber sensor based on surface plasmon resonance is described. It uses an optical fiber with an inverted graded-index profile. A theoretical analysis of the optical propagation when a point light source was used and a computation of the optical power transmitted by the fiber were performed. Experiments were carried out to measure changes of the transmitted power caused by refractive-index variations of the surrounding dielectric medium. Both the simulation and experiments have shown that the sensor exhibits high sensitivity for changes of the surrounding medium in a refractive index range from 1.33 to 1.39.

Surface plasmon resonance sensor using an optical fiber with an inverted graded-index profile.

We describe a closed-loop control system ensuring full penetration in welding by controlling the focus position and power of a 4-kW Nd:YAG laser. A focus position monitoring system was developed based on the chromatic aberration of the focusing optics. With the laser power control system we can determine the degree of penetration by analyzing the keyhole image intensity profile. We demonstrate performance in bead-on-plate welding of Inconel 718 and titanium. The focus control system maintained a focal position on tilted and nonflat workpieces, and the penetration monitoring technique successfully controlled the laser power to maintain the full-penetration regime in the presence of linear and step changes of thickness. Finally we discuss the performances and the limits of the systems when applied to a realistic complex aerospace component.

Closed-loop power and focus control of laser welding for full-penetration monitoring.

Optical techniques for real-time full-penetration monitoring for Nd:YAG laser welding have been investigated. Coaxial light emission from the keyhole is imaged onto three photodiodes and a camera. We describe the spectral and statistical analyses from photodiode signals, which indicate the presence of a full penetration. Two image processing techniques based on the keyhole shape recognition and the keyhole image intensity profile along the welding path are presented. An intensity ratio parameter is used to determine the extent of opening at the rear of a fully opened keyhole. We show that this parameter clearly interprets a hole in formation or a lack of penetration when welding is performed on workpieces with variable thicknesses at constant laser power.

Optical techniques for real-time penetration monitoring for laser welding.

Conduction welding offers an alternative to keyhole welding. Compared with keyhole welding, it is an intrinsically stable process because vaporization phenomena are minimal. However, as with keyhole welding, an on-line process-monitoring system is advantageous for quality assurance to maintain the required penetration depth, which in conduction welding is more sensitive to changes in heat sinking. The maximum penetration is obtained when the surface temperature is just below the boiling point, and so we normally wish to maintain the temperature at this level. We describe a two-color optical system that we have developed for real-time temperature profile measurement of the conduction weld pool. The key feature of the system is the use of a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor standard color camera leading to a simplified low-cost optical setup. We present and discuss the real-time temperature measurement and control performance of the system when a defocused beam from a high power Nd:YAG laser is used on 5 mm thick stainless steel workpieces.

Process control of laser conduction welding by thermal imaging measurement with a color camera.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing is an optical technique that allows real time detection of small changes in the physical properties, in particular in the refractive index, of a dielectric medium near a metal film surface. One way to increase the SPR signal shift is then to incorporate a substance possessing a strong dispersive refractive index in the range of the plasmon resonance band. In this paper, we investigate the impact of materials possessing a strong dispersive index integrated to the dielectric medium on the SPR reflectivity profile. We present theoretical results based on chromophore absorption spectra and on their associated refractive index obtained from the Lorentz approach and Kramers-Krönig equations. As predicted by the theory, the experimental results show an enhancement of the SPR response, maximized when the chromophore absorption band coincides with the plasmon resonant wavelength. This shows that chromophores labeling can provide a potential way for SPR response enhancement.

Absorption and related optical dispersion effects on the spectral response of a surface plasmon resonance sensor.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques have become, over the last ten years, powerful tools to study biomolecular surface interaction kinetics in real-time without any use of labels. The highest resolution is currently obtained using spectroscopic SPR systems through the measurement of the complete surface plasmon resonance curve in angular or spectral configuration. But, these systems are limited to a few independent channels (<10). In order to expand their capability to an array format, SPR sensors have also been developed in an imaging mode, allowing parallel monitoring of hundreds of sensing spots onto a camera. However, such sensors rely on the intensity variation measurement at a single position of the resonance spectrum, hence resulting in smaller resolution. We present in this work a SPR spectro-imaging system which aims at keeping the advantage of a mono-channel SPR sensor based on the full resonance curve measurement while introducing an additional spatial dimension (linear multi-spot array). The system is based on the illumination of a biochip through a vertical slit (y-dimension) by a white light source. The reflected light spectrum obtained through a diffracting grating is then imaged on the x-dimension of the camera. The complete spectral resonance curve of a full column of sensing spots can be monitored in parallel and in real-time. We demonstrate that data processing is key to reduce the noise and to improve the resolution. We report on the detection of signals with resolution comparable to the one obtained with a classical SPR mono-channel spectroscopic sensor (3.5 x 10(-7) Refractive Index Unit), gaining an order of magnitude compared to SPR imaging sensors. Eventually, we show that short base DNA-DNA hybridizations with concentrations as low as 100 pM can be detected and discriminated in a few tens of minutes following injection by the SPR spectro-imaging system.

Surface plasmon resonance spectro-imaging sensor for biomolecular surface interaction characterization.

The optical stimulation of neurons from pulsed infrared lasers has appeared over the last years as an alternative to classical electric stimulations based on conventional electrodes. Laser stimulation could provide a better spatial selectivity allowing single-cell stimulation without prerequisite contact. In this work we present relevant physical characteristics of a non-lethal stimulation of cultured mouse vestibular and retinal ganglion neurons by single infrared laser pulses.

Characteristics of laser stimulation by near infrared pulses of retinal and vestibular primary neurons.

The effect of a 645 nm Light Emitting Diode (LED) light irradiation on the neurite growth velocity of adult Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) neurons with peripheral axon injury 4-10 days before plating and without previous injury was investigated. The real amount of light reaching the neurons was calculated by taking into account the optical characteristics of the light source and of media in the light path. The knowledge of these parameters is essential to be able to compare results of the literature and a way to reduce inconsistencies. We found that 4 min irradiation of a mean irradiance of 11.3 mW/cm(2) (corresponding to an actual irradiance reaching the neurons of 83 mW/cm(2)) induced a 1.6-fold neurite growth acceleration on non-injured neurons and on axotomized neurons. Although the axotomized neurons were naturally already in a rapid regeneration process, an enhancement was found to occur while irradiating with the LED light, which may be promising for therapy applications. Dorsal Root Ganglion neurons (A) without previous injury and (B) subjected to a conditioning injury.

Fabrice Bardin

Université de Nîmes

Implementation of a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) System on a Ti:Sapphire and OPO Laser Based Standard Laser Scanning Microscope