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Fiber Array Fabrication Techniques (view source)
Revision as of 23:35, 27 October 2008
, 23:35, 27 October 2008→Gluing
== Gluing ==
== Gluing ==
The gluing process is on-going, so there will be updates to this section.
The gluing process is on-going, so there will be updates to this section.
* <u>Setup:</u>
* <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:
** There is quite a bit to set up before you begin actually applying epoxy. To start, make sure you have the following supplies:
** 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.
** 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]]
[[Image:Pipette equip.JPG|thumb|center|Pipette equipment]]
There have been some additions to the equipment used during and those are seen in the picture below
=== Gluing a Single Set ===
* <u>Epoxy 20-3238</u>
* <u>Epoxy 20-3238</u>
** 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.
** 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]]
** 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.
** 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.
** 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.
=== Gluing Multiple Sets ===
This process is almost identical to the process for gluing a single set of fibers except for a few key differences. The exact same care is required while mixing and handling the epoxy, however, the preparation of and epoxy application to the fibers is quite different.
* 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:
{| cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
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| [[Image:Chimneywg.JPG|right|300 px]] || || [[Image:Chimneyscint1.JPG|left|300 px]]
|-
|}
** 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. 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.
<u/>Note:</u> When the fibers are aligned and clamped down it is important not to move, bump, breathe on, etc. because the set up is very sensitive and any disturbance will mean about an hour of extra work.
* 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 ===
{| 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 ==