A method to measure interfacial mechanical properties at high temperatures and in a controlled atmosphere has been developed to study anodized aluminum surface coatings at temperatures where the interior aluminum alloy is molten. This is the first time that the coating strength has been studied under these conditions. We have investigated the effects of ambient atmosphere, temperature, and surface finish on coating strength for samples of aluminum alloy 7075. Surprisingly, the effective Young's modulus or strength of the coating when tested in air was twice as high as when samples were tested in an inert nitrogen or argon atmosphere. Additionally, the effective Young's modulus of the anodized coating increased with temperature in an air atmosphere but was independent of temperature in an inert atmosphere. The effect of surface finish was also examined. Sandblasting the surface prior to anodization was found to increase the strength of the anodized coating with the greatest enhancement noted for a nitrogen atmosphere. Machining marks were not found to significantly affect the strength.
The ''Design and Manufacturing of Complex Optics'' LDRD sought to develop new advanced methods for the design and manufacturing of very complex optical systems. The project team developed methods for including manufacturability into optical designs and also researched extensions of manufacturing techniques to meet the challenging needs of aspherical, 3D, multi-level lenslet arrays on non-planar surfaces. In order to confirm the applicability of the developed techniques, the team chose the Dragonfly Eye optic as a testbed. This optic has arrays of aspherical micro-lenslets on both the exterior and the interior of a 4mm diameter hemispherical shell. Manufacturing of the dragonfly eye required new methods of plunge milling aspherical optics and the development of a method to create the milling tools using focused ion beam milling. The team showed the ability to create aspherical concave milling tools which will have great significance to the optical industry. A prototype dragonfly eye exterior was created during the research, and the methods of including manufacturability in the optical design process were shown to be successful as well.
We have researched several new focused ion beam (FIB) micro-fabrication techniques that offer control of feature shape and the ability to accurately define features onto nonplanar substrates. These FIB-based processes are considered useful for prototyping, reverse engineering, and small-lot manufacturing. Ion beam-based techniques have been developed for defining features in miniature, nonplanar substrates. We demonstrate helices in cylindrical substrates having diameters from 100 {micro}m to 3 mm. Ion beam lathe processes sputter-define 10-{micro}m wide features in cylindrical substrates and tubes. For larger substrates, we combine focused ion beam milling with ultra-precision lathe turning techniques to accurately define 25-100 {micro}m features over many meters of path length. In several cases, we combine the feature defining capability of focused ion beam bombardment with additive techniques such as evaporation, sputter deposition and electroplating in order to build geometrically-complex, functionally-simple devices. Damascene methods that fabricate bound, metal microcoils have been developed for cylindrical substrates. Effects of focused ion milling on surface morphology are also highlighted in a study of ion-milled diamond.
The effects of H{sub 2}O vapor introduced during focused ion beam (FIB) milling of diamond(100) are examined. In particular, we determine the yield, surface morphology, and microstructural damage that results from FIB sputtering and H{sub 2}O-assisted FIB milling processes. Experiments involving 20 keV Ga{sup +} bombardment to doses {approx}10{sup 18} ions/cm{sup 2} are conducted at a number of fixed ion incidence angles, {theta}. For each {theta} selected, H{sub 2}O-assisted ion milling shows an increased material removal rate compared with FIB sputtering (no gas assist). The amount by which the yield is enhanced depends on the angle of incidence with the largest difference occurring at {theta} = 75{sup o}. Experiments that vary pixel dwell time from 3 {micro}s to 20 ms while maintaining a fixed H{sub 2}O gas pressure demonstrate the additional effect of beam scan rate on yield for gas-assisted processes. Different surface morphologies develop during ion bombardment depending on the angle of ion incidence and the presence/absence of H{sub 2}O. In general, a single mode of ripples having a wave vector aligned with the projection of the ion beam vector forms for {theta} as high as 70{sup o}. H{sub 2}O affects this morphology by lowering the ripple onset angle and decreasing the ripple wavelength. At high angles of incidence ({theta} > 70{sup o}) a step/terrace morphology is observed. H{sub 2}O-assisted milling at {theta} > 70{sup o} results in a smoother stepped surface compared with FIB sputtering. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the amorphized thickness is reduced by 20% when using H{sub 2}O-assisted FIB milling.