Abstract-A laser-desorption mass spectrometer will be part of the ESA-led ExoMars mission with the objective of identifying organic molecules on planet Mars. A UV laser source emitting nanosecond pulses with pulse energy of about 250 μJ at a wavelength of 266 nm is required for the ionization of nonvolatile soil constituents. A passively q-switched, diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser oscillator with external frequency quadrupling has been developed. The basic optical concept and a previously developed flight-near prototype are redesigned for the engineering qualification model of the laser, mainly due to requirements updated during the development process and necessary system adaptations. Performance issues like pulse energy stability, pulse energy adjustment, and burst mode operation are presented in this paper.
The reliability of copper welds is still a problem today concerning the high demands of spot or contact welding for the electronic or medical industry. Due to the low absorptivity at wavelengths of 1 micron and the very high thermal conductivity of copper, even small surface contaminations lead to drastic variations in weld quality. The wavelength of 532 nm (frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser) is much better absorbed by copper at room temperature. Combining the two wavelengths and using the drastic increase in absorption with increasing temperature leads to an efficient spot welding solution. By the use of intelligent pulse forming with the thermal pulses of a Nd:YAG laser the spot weld reliability is improved significantly. This paper discusses a solution where Nd:YAG laser pulses composed of 85 -90% of 1 micron and 10 -15% of 532 nm radiation are used for spot welding of 80 -300 micron thick copper ribbons. A weld spot diameter variation below 6% combined with 100% full penetration welding is achieved. The process efficiency is improved by more than a factor of two compared to conventional spot welding with 1 micron radiation.
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