Fiber Array Fabrication Techniques - Revision history

Nettleton: /* Gluing */

2008-10-27T23:35:03Z

Gluing

Nettleton: /* Gluing */

2008-10-27T23:31:41Z

Gluing

Nettleton: /* Gluing Multiple Sets */

2008-10-27T23:29:37Z

Gluing Multiple Sets

Nettleton: /* Gluing a Single Set */

2008-10-27T22:23:49Z

Gluing a Single Set

Nettleton: /* Gluing */

2008-10-27T20:50:40Z

Gluing

Nettleton: /* Cleaving and Polishing Techniques */

2008-10-17T21:24:37Z

Cleaving and Polishing Techniques

Nettleton: /* Gluing */

2008-10-17T21:21:18Z

Gluing

Nettleton: /* Gluing */

2008-10-17T21:20:43Z

Gluing

Nettleton: /* Using Fly Cutter */

2008-10-17T21:18:07Z

Using Fly Cutter

Nettleton: /* Cleaving and Polishing Techniques */

2008-10-17T21:02:59Z

Cleaving and Polishing Techniques

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:35, 27 October 2008
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	=== Removing Cured Excess Epoxy ===		=== Removing Cured Excess Epoxy ===
		+	{\| cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
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		+	\| [[Image:Gluebump.JPG\|right\|300 px]] \|\|   \|\| [[Image:Glueremovalstarted1.JPG\|left\|300 px]]
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[Image:Glueremovalfinished.JPG\|left\|300 px]]
		+	\|-
		+	\|}

	== Protochimney ==		== Protochimney ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:31, 27 October 2008
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	* For gluing follow the instructions for mixing and pipetting the epoxy. The procedure for applying the epoxy to multiple fibers is very much like the applying to single fiber, that is; inject glue between waveguide and scintillator, gently close the gap between scintillator and waveguide, remove excess run off if there is any, finally verify that the fibers are still in proper alignment. For a single set of fibers this procedure requires some care and delicacy, for multiple fibers the difficulty increases exponentially. One pitfall to beware of is that the epoxy has a pot life of 30 to 45 minutes, and after allowing time to let the bubbles escape for the freshly mixed epoxy leaves only about 20 to 30 minutes before it should be disposed of. This should be enough time to apply the epoxy to all the fibers properly, however, if for whatever reason, one of the waveguide/scintillator pairs are now misaligned, there is not much time to make the necessary adjustments. If making adjustments to misaligned fibers takes too long, separate the problem scintillator from the waveguide but do not try and remove anything from the set as that will most likely disturb the other fiber pairs.		* For gluing follow the instructions for mixing and pipetting the epoxy. The procedure for applying the epoxy to multiple fibers is very much like the applying to single fiber, that is; inject glue between waveguide and scintillator, gently close the gap between scintillator and waveguide, remove excess run off if there is any, finally verify that the fibers are still in proper alignment. For a single set of fibers this procedure requires some care and delicacy, for multiple fibers the difficulty increases exponentially. One pitfall to beware of is that the epoxy has a pot life of 30 to 45 minutes, and after allowing time to let the bubbles escape for the freshly mixed epoxy leaves only about 20 to 30 minutes before it should be disposed of. This should be enough time to apply the epoxy to all the fibers properly, however, if for whatever reason, one of the waveguide/scintillator pairs are now misaligned, there is not much time to make the necessary adjustments. If making adjustments to misaligned fibers takes too long, separate the problem scintillator from the waveguide but do not try and remove anything from the set as that will most likely disturb the other fiber pairs.
		+
		+	=== Removing Cured Excess Epoxy ===

	== Protochimney ==		== Protochimney ==

@@ Line 152: / Line 152: @@
 * The preparation begins with placing all the properly polished fibers/scintillators into the chimneys as seen in the picture to the right. This task, of course, is simple, however there are some important things to keep in mind that will help insure a successful gluing. These things are:
 ** When placing the waveguides in their chimney, be sure to arrange the fibers so that the ends to be glued are extruding out from the chimney no more then about 3 to 4 mm. The reasoning for this is that the channels in the chimney are wider then the fibers allowing for "wiggle room" and the shorter the amount of fiber sticking out is the less the waveguide will move.
 ** Once the waveguides are in place screw down the top plate to hold them firmly in place. Then secure the waveguide chimney to a flat surface using c-clamps as seen in the picture below. Add the extra c-clamp in the middle to ensure that the waveguides will not move and are lying flat in the channels.
 ** The chimney with the scintillators should not be secured with the top plate like the waveguides because during the application process, as will be discussed further down, the scintillators will need to be able to move.  However the chimney itself should be secured to the flat surface with the waveguides. (See to the picture above)
-** Once both chimneys are secured to the plate, use the tweezers and the watchmaker's loupe 10x to gently slide each of the scintillators up to their waveguide counterpart to make sure that they are aligned properly.
+** Once both chimneys are secured to the plate, use the tweezers and the watchmaker's loupe 10x to gently slide each of the scintillators up to their waveguide counterpart to make sure that they are aligned properly. Most likely the fibers will not line up exactly. To make major adjustments loosen the clamps holding down the scintillator chimney and move the entire group. For minor adjustments, loosen the extra clamp holding the waveguides and make the adjustments to the fibers using the tweezers. Once every thing is lined up its time to start gluing.
 == Protochimney ==

@@ Line 142: / Line 142: @@
 ** Once you have the two components weighed out, mix them together.  The mixture should turn mildly opaque and become viscous. When the components are mixed completely, the mixture should turn clear and the viscosity should decrease a bit, becoming more like cooking oil in viscosity.
 ** There will be bubbles left in the mixture. To get rid of them, just let the mixture sit for about 10 or 15 minutes and the bubbles will come to the surface.  Then gently pop the bubbles with a tongue depressor. Now since the pot life of epoxy is 40 to 45 minutes, you will have plenty of time to get rid of the bubbles.  [[Image:Setup Noepoxy.JPG|thumb|Fibers aligned and ready to receive epoxy]]
-** Once you have the mixed the epoxy, lay the fibers out in the apparatus how you want them to be glued together as shown in the picture to the left.  Click on the picture to get a better look at the fibers. Make sure that the ends of the fibers are clean and polished before applying the epoxy.  This can and should be done while you wait for the bubbles to escape from the epoxy.
+** Once you have the mixed the epoxy, lay the fibers out in the apparatus how you want them to be glued together as shown in the picture to the left.  Click on the picture to get a better look at the fibers. Make sure that the ends of the fibers are clean and polished before applying the epoxy.  This can and should be done while you wait for the bubbles to escape from the epoxy. [[Image:Glued Fibers.JPG|thumb|left|Fibers after epoxy has been applied]]
-** Now that you have the fibers set and ready to receive the epoxy, take a clean pipette with a dispensing pump and install a tip on the end of the pipette.  It is not extremely easy to tell when a tip is completely attached to the end of the pipette, so practice installing pipette tips before running through the entire procedure for the first time.   [[Image:Glued Fibers.JPG|thumb|left|Fibers after epoxy has been applied]]
+** Now that you have the fibers set and ready to receive the epoxy, take a clean pipette with a dispensing pump and install a tip on the end of the pipette.  It is not extremely easy to tell when a tip is completely attached to the end of the pipette, so practice installing pipette tips before running through the entire procedure for the first time.
 ** With the tip on the pipette, get a small amount of the epoxy in the pipette, and then inject it into the small gap between the two fibers. The final result should look like the picture seen to the right. Click on the photo to see a bigger image.
 ** Now that the epoxy has been applied, make the final adjustments to the fibers to make sure that they are at the distance desired and that they are lined up properly.  All the adjustments should be minor ones, correcting any motion that occurred during the application process.  Then let the epoxy cure for 18 to 24 hours at STP, or for 1 to 2 hours at 60 Celsius.

@@ Line 118: / Line 118: @@
 == Gluing ==
 The gluing process is on-going, so there will be updates to this section.
 * <u>Setup:</u>
 ** There is quite a bit to set up before you begin actually applying epoxy.  To start, make sure you have the following supplies:
@@ Line 131: / Line 130: @@
 ** Once you have collected all the necessary equipment you can begin setting up for gluing. First and foremost, PUT ON GLOVES. Now, take out several kim wipes and place them under the digital scale, the waste container, the resin and catalyst, and on anything that could have unwanted chemicals spilled on.  Set 3 or 4 tongue depressors and 3 or 4 pipettes off to the side of your workstation so that they are not in the way but easily accessible.  Pour some acetone or isopropanol in your waste container for quick cleaning.   Inspect all glassware to make sure that they are completely clean.  If you find glassware that is not clean, clean it using acetone and then wait at least 10 minutes before using the glassware.  Now that you are all set up you can begin gluing.
-Here is a picture of all the new equipment that is required for the new application process.
+Here is a picture of the equipment that is required for the application process.
 [[Image:Pipette equip.JPG|thumb|center|Pipette equipment]]
 * <u>Epoxy 20-3238</u>
@@ Line 143: / Line 146: @@
 ** With the tip on the pipette, get a small amount of the epoxy in the pipette, and then inject it into the small gap between the two fibers. The final result should look like the picture seen to the right. Click on the photo to see a bigger image.
 ** Now that the epoxy has been applied, make the final adjustments to the fibers to make sure that they are at the distance desired and that they are lined up properly.  All the adjustments should be minor ones, correcting any motion that occurred during the application process.  Then let the epoxy cure for 18 to 24 hours at STP, or for 1 to 2 hours at 60 Celsius.
 == Protochimney ==

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 === Cleaving and Polishing Techniques ===
-* [[Using Hand Tools]]
+'''Step 1: Cleaving'''
-* [[Using Fly Cutter]]
+# Technique 1
 === Transmission Testing ===

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 To ensure that that fiber is in the same position every time in the protochimney, we wrap the end of the fiber in electrical tape (even amounts on all sides).  Once wrapped the fiber should fit snugly in the chimney thereby reducing the movement of the fiber. Addressing the remaining problem, we are still working on a proper solution.
-== [[Gluing]] ==
+== Gluing ==
 The gluing process is on-going, so there will be updates to this section.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:18, 17 October 2008
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	* [[Using Fly Cutter]]		* [[Using Fly Cutter]]

−	~~==== Using Fly Cutter ====~~
−	~~[[Image:Fibersinangleclamp.JPG\|thumb\|right]]~~
−	The Fly Cutter is a milling tool used to shave away layers of a flat surface. For our purposes, the fly cutter is used to cut several fibers at the same time leaving the fiber's ends with a flat and even surface. We designed a "angle clamp" to bundle the fibers together so that we can cut a 5x5 set of fibers with the fly cutter. In the picture to the right, we see the fibers bundled in the angle clamp, the angle clamp itself is attached to a metal piece used to mount the angle clamp in the fly cutter machine. With the fibers secured in the angle clamp, we set the bundle through a few test runs with the fly cutter to determine how fast the blade needs to spin the cut the fibers properly. A rotation speed of 1500 rpms was deemed to produce the best results. In the picture below, we see the fibers after being cut by the fly cutter. Notice the fiber's ends have many small scratches in them but I am confident that those scratches will easily be removed with just a quick polish.
−	~~[[Image:Scratches_afterflycut.jpg\|center\|400 px]]~~
−	Something that was expected to happen was flaying or stripping of the outer most fiber's cladding. The picture on the right shows a close up view of the outer fibers, on the left a zoomed out view of the same fibers. The cladding is not damaged on all the outer fibers but it is stripped on the majority. All though there was noticeable damage to the cladding, I was surprised to see how well the cladding faired.
−	~~{\| cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto 1em auto"~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| [[Image:Fiberbundle_stripped.jpg\|left\|300 px]] \|\|   \|\| [[Image:Fiberbundle_stripped_zoomout.jpg\|right\|300 px]]~~
−	\|-
−	\|}
−	The machinists who cut the bundled fibers gave warning about a consequence of using the fly cutter. That is, the interior fibers would become slightly recessed. Therefore, brief testing will be done to determine if the inner fibers do in fact recess slightly.

−	~~[[Image:Recessed_inner_afterflycut.jpg\|center\|400 px]]~~

	=== Transmission Testing ===		=== Transmission Testing ===