Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) Components

We are the world leader in the manufacture of finished composite crystal and glass components for solid-state lasers. We patented its Adhesive-Free Bond^® technology, which enables the joining of crystal or glass optical materials without the use of an adhesive or an organic or inorganic bonding aid. Composite optical components manufactured using Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) technology will enable cost-effective systems of increased output power and improved beam quality.

AFB^® allows for the separation of functionalities of laser components into lasing and non-lasing regions, which is critical for high power DPSSL systems. Our AFB^® composites offer a new degree of freedom for the design engineer's realization of rugged, compact, solid state laser systems.

In addition to providing AFB^®, we possess full-finishing capabilities at our facility in Dublin, CA. We work to support our customers from the conceptual design phase all the way through to large-scale production. Please contact us to discover how AFB^® composites can improve your laser system.

1. Standard Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) Components

Slab, Disk, Rod AFB^® Components

We have product lines of various Slabs, Disks and Rod-based AFB^® components.

Vanadate AFB^® Components

AFB^® YVO4 or GdVO4 components are extremely useful for higher power in YVO4-based laser systems. Undoped end-caps increase damage threshold by separating the pump input face with the lasing doped portion. We produce slabs and rods with plano or spherical end faces.

Microchip AFB^® Components

AFB^® microchips, especially in the form of Nd:YAG/Cr4+:YAG passively q-switched microchips have found a host of applications due to their compact size and the incorporation of both the lasing material and q-switch into a monolithic element. This approach minimizes system complexity and system size, and maximizes efficiency.

Waveguide AFB^® Components

Tolerances of λ/30 flatness over the core and dimensional tolerances down to +/- 0.001mm over the core are available.

2. Customized AFB^® Components

We welcome all inquiries about the feasibility of AFB^® composite optical components. We are interested in discussing and manufacturing new material combinations and structural geometries. It is our goal to provide high-quality composites that will provide a solution for your system's needs, so we encourage any design submissions for review.

Large AFB^® Components

We have become well known for its ability to produce crystals of larger sizes than previously possible.

MOSAIC AFB^® Laser Components

With MOSAIC AFB^® multiple crystals are edge-AFB^®'d together in array fashion to produce larger plates or slabs. For example, if the maximum size of a certain crystal is 50x50x5mm, four plates could be MOSAIC AFB^®'d to produce one 100x100x5mm plate. This is useful for both active laser crystals such as Yb:YAG, Nd:YAG, Nd:GGG, Yb:S-FAP and inactive window material such as sapphire or spinel.

3. Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) Technology

Adhesive-Free Bonding (AFB^®) is patented technology developed and owned by us, Inc. Since laser environments dictate robust components with minimal loss or damage, Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) has been developed to produce strong and optically transparent bonds. Both similar and dissimilar crystals and glasses may be bonded using this unique process. In most cases AFB^® is as strong as bulk material.

We have patents in the U.S. for bonding without any adhesive at the interface. We had originally called the process diffusion bonding because volatile components are diffusing out during the bonding process.  Thermal and optical bonding are two other names for the same type of bond. Chemically activated bonds have some chemical component at the interface between components and are therefore not as strong or as stable as if there were no adhesive at the interface. Chemically activated bonds also are not compatible with composites consisting of differing materials such as YAG and sapphire or YAG and spinel, whereas adhesive-free bonds are.

4. Adhesive-Free Bonding Applications:

Defense and Aerospace

·       Missile defense

·       Lidar

·       Remote Sensing

·       Range-Finding

·       Countermeasures

·       Wind speed measurement

·       Cloud and aerosol monitoring

Materials Processing

·       Drilling, cutting, welding

·       Marking

·       Stereolithography

·       Thickness of thin films

Medical Surgery

·       Ophthalmology

·       Orthopedics

·       Microsurgery

·       Aesthetic skin resurfacing

·       Hair removal

OEM

·       High Power DPSSL

·       OPO Pump

·       Ring laser

·       Microchip laser

·       CD writing

5. Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) Features

• Elimination of ground state absorption losses of quasi-3-level lasing ions, especially for high power Yb:YAG based rod and slab systems

• Reduction of parasitic oscillations by using Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^® undoped or laser radiation absorbing crystals

• Reduction of thermal lensing and other thermal effects with undoped YAG or sapphire acting as heat sink

• Passive q-switching with e.g. Cr4+:YAG as integral component of lasing element

• Elimination of spatial hole burning for non-planar ring laser (NPRO) by allowing the reflected beam to traverse through an undoped crystal

• Mechanical support of thin lasing layers, down to about 2-4 µ thickness, thereby also essentially eliminating thermal effects in this geometry to a negligible level

• Undoped ends in rods, shaped as straight cylinders or flanges, can function as light ducts for pump radiation

• Light guiding and wave guiding effects by combining dissimilar compatible materials of different refractive index, e.g. YAG lasing medium with sapphire cladding, YAG with spinel, and GGG with YAG cladding

6. Material Combinations

Materials that can be Adhesive-Free Bonded (AFB^®) include common laser host media such as oxides (YAG, GGG, Sapphire, Spinel), fluorides (YLF, LuLiF, S-FAP), vanadates (YVO4, GdVO4), crystals as well as glasses. In selected compatible cases (for example YAG/Spinel, YAG/Sapphire and YAG/Glass), dissimilar materials may be AFB^®'d with high bond strength. The most common combinations are  YVO4/Nd:YVO4, Yb:YAG/YAG, Yb:YAG/sapphire, Cr4+:YAG/Nd:YAG, Nd:YAG/YAG, Nd:YAG/Cr4+:YAG. 

AFB^® composites are available with the following materials, and we welcome inquiries regarding the feasibility of any materials that you do not see listed:

·           YAG

·           LuAG

·           GGG

·           TeO2

·           SiC

·           Diamond

·           Sapphire

·           LiNbO3

·           YALO (YAP)

·           YVO4

·           YLF

·           LuLiF

·           S-FAP

·           Ti:Sapphire

·           SrTiO3

·           Spinel

·           Laser glass

·           Fused silica

·           Optical glass

·           Ceramics

·           KTP

·           ZGP

·           ALON

·           GVO4

Optical coatings at bonded interfaces are available.

7. Pump Geometries

Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB^®) is useful for end-, face-, and side-pumped laser geometries to greatly reduce thermal end-effects and to provide a new degree of engineering freedom for the laser designer. End- and face-pumped systems benefit greatly from AFB^® undoped end caps due to the higher damage threshold of the pump end of the laser component and separating the pump absorption from the optical coating. Side-pumped geometries also benefit from higher damage thresholds with AFB^® of undoped end caps and high thermal conductivity side claddings.

8. Properties of Composites

Although there are differences between composites, the following summary of properties applies to most representative combinations:

Mechanical and Thermal

·       Flexural strength: Same as non-composite control samples

·       Thermal shock resistance: Same as non-composite controls; no separation at interface during failure

·       Can be finished and optically coated like conventional crystals

Optical Properties

·       Transmitted wave front unchanged; may actually be improved in long rods by selective arrangement of individual components with respect to each other

·       Negligible stress birefringence

Interface Properties

·       Very high laser damage resistance

·       Negligible scatter or absorptive loss

·       Fresnel reflection corresponding to difference in refractive index of components

8. Stocked AFB Rods

Note: 1)HR 1064nm, HT 808nm

10. Stocked AFB Slabs

Note: 1) AR@1064nm & 808nm

2) AR@1030nm & 940nm

3) S1:R<0.1%@1064; S2: R<0.1% @1064, R<3% @808nm