LAM Center
Projects

University of Virginia

Laser Material Interactions, Process sensing, monitor and control, Materials and metallurgical aspects, Laser systems, Optics and beam delivery systems, Laser micromachining, welding, plasma processing and hybrid processes, Micromachining. Welding, texturing, drilling, surface modification, cladding, shaping, alloying, cleaning, sintering. Lasers for photovoltaics manufacturing.

• Laser texturing of metals and semiconductors surfaces and solar cells
• Laser cleaning of surfaces
• Laser notch formation
• Laser sintering of high temperature ceramics and cermets
• Laser shot peening process monitoring system
• Laser imaging of weld pool surface
• Laser cladding
• Laser micromachining using nanosecond and femtosecond lasers
• Laser drilling for fuel injectors
• Micromachining of polymer composites

University of Michigan

The center has worked closely with Toyota USA and developed a plasma sensor which can identify important defects for sheet metal welding with lasers. It includes, Porosity, Drop through , undercut and blow holes. The field trial is planned for this fall. GM also has agreed for Field Trial. One of the GM’s first tier supplier Classic Design is working with the University for license too.

Southern Methodist University

• Developed a hybrid laser/arc welding process for welding galvanized high-strength steels in gap free lap joint configuration
• Developed a hybrid laser/arc welding for welding plates of ½” in thickness with a fiber laser of 4 kW in power
• Developed a surface texturing process based on cathodic spots generated by electric arc
• Developed a low-cost laser-based machine vision profilometer for monitoring and control of welding processes
• Developed a slurry erosion resistant coating by using nano-particles of tungsten carbide and laser cladding
• Developed a new generation of dental implants by sintering Ti-alloy with electron beam in vacuum environment
• Developed a localized heat treatment process by direct diode laser
• Developed a technique for paint striping by laser
• Performed numerical simulation of heat transfer and formation of residual stresses for different heat-based processes
• Developed a machine vision system assisted by a green laser as an illumination source for on-line monitoring the molten pool during different welding processes (laser, hybrid, arc, plasma)
• Developed a technique for repair of high-value components by combining subtractive (machining) with additive (laser cladding, arc and plasma cladding) processes.

University of Illinois

• Successful low-temperature deposition and materials characterization of transparent conducting oxides on polymer substrates
• Demonstrated high-power deposition and elaborate materials characterization of Ta thin films using an industrial-sized 200-mm hollow cathode magnetron (HCM)
• Determined the characteristics of modulated power pulsed plasma using a 13-inch industrial-sized planar magnetron sputtering system
• Improvement of the breakdown voltage by coating electrodes with refractory metal thin films using surface plasma arcs control studies (SPARCS) facility
• Successful removal of particle contamination off of EUV masks using PACMAN process
• Demonstrated successful cleaning of tin debris in DPP EUV source systems
• Development of a calibrated Electro Static Analyzer (ESA) to measure energy spectra of ions and neutrals that is widely used by several partners
• Reduction of Line Edge Roughness using a novel approach
• Development of a novel Gridded Ion Energy Analyzer for ionization fraction measurements
• Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma for Surface Modification on food and automotive components