SPIE Short Courses

Shaping Light, with applications in Advanced Microscopy and Optical Manipulation
SC1043

Date: 25th(Wed) 9:00-12:00

Shaping the transverse dimension of an optical field is an important topic in many areas. This course will cover: the basic Gaussian beam, the need for other beams such as: Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes, Bessel beams, Airy beams, and other notable beams and how they may be generated. In addition, we will cover some approaches used for adaptive optics / wavefront correction, often termed complex photonics which aims to increase the depth penetration of optical fields. We will consider uses of Deformable Mirror Arrays, Spatial Light Modulators, Acousto-Optic Deflectors, etc. Applications include sub-diffraction imaging / super-resolution microscopy, OCT, optical manipulation, multi-photon microscopy, and light sheet imaging at a more intermediate/advanced level.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course will enable you to:

1. assess a variety of approaches to beam shaping and wavefront correction
2. explain simple alignment protocols for optimizing some optical beam types of broad interest
3. describe various aspects of data acquisition and analysis when using shaped light
4. identify key options for enhanced degrees of beam control, resolution, and sensitivity for both imaging and manipulation

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This material is appropriate to researchers who are considering work in a wide variety of areas where wavefront correction or generation of novel beams is of interest.

COURSE LEVEL

Intermediate to Advanced

COURSE LENGTH

Half-day; 3.5 hours

INSTRUCTOR

Kishan Dholakia is the 2016 winner of the OSA R. W. Woods Prize, the 2017 winner of the Institute of Physics Thomas Young Medal and Prize, a Professor of Physics at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) and co-Chair of the Conference on Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation at the SPIE Optics and Photonics Meeting. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, of OSA, and of SPIE.

Precision Laser Micromanufacturing
SC689Canceled

Date: 24th(Tue) 13:00-17:00

This course is a comprehensive look at laser technology as applied to precision micromanufacturing. A brief background discussion on laser history, technology and definition of important terms will be presented. Then, available laser sources will be compared and contrasted including CO2, excimer, Nd:YAG, fiber and short pulse lasers. IR and UV material/photon interaction, basic optical components and system integration are also crucial to getting good processing results and these will all be examined in detail. Finally, real applications from the medical, microelectronics, aerospace and other fields will be presented.

This course has been greatly expanded to include detailed discussions on short pulse lasers (ps and fs) and their applications, both present and future. Also, MicroManufacturing includes technologies such as welding, joining and additive technologies. While the main emphasis of the course is still MicroMachining (material removal), additive technologies will be discussed also – especially 3D LAM (Laser Additive Manufacturing).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course will enable you to:

1. compare UV, IR and other laser sources to each other and learn where each is best applied
2. describe and be familiar with several kinds of microprocessing lasers on the market
3. describe material/photon interaction and why and how UV lasers for instance are different than IR lasers
4. analyze a potential manufacturing application to identify it as a possible candidate for laser processing
5. familiarize yourself with ‘real world’ opportunities for laser micromanufacturing
6. identify marketplace growth opportunities

INTENDED AUDIENCE

The course will benefit anyone with an interest in small-scale industrial laser processing and achieving the best part quality, highest resolution and cost effectiveness. Engineers will benefit from the technical discussions. Project Managers will benefit from cost considerations and risk reduction scenarios.

COURSE LEVEL

Introductory

COURSE LENGTH

Half day (3.5 HOURS)

INSTRUCTOR

Ronald Schaeffer is Chief Executive Officer of PhotoMachining, Inc. He has been involved in laser manufacture and materials processing for over 30 years, working in and starting small companies. He has over 150 publications, has written monthly web and print columns and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Industrial Laser Solutions magazine where he also writes an ongoing BLOG. He is the author of the textbook “Fundamentals of Laser Micromachining”. He is also a past member of the Board of Directors of the Laser Institute of America and is affiliated with the New England Board of Higher Education. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Lehigh University and did graduate work at the University of Paris, after which he worked for several major laser companies. He is a US Army veteran of the 172nd Mountain Brigade and the 101st Airborne division. In his spare time he farms, collects antique pocket watches, plays guitar and rides a motorcycle.

SPIE Short course price