Computational-Experimental Design Framework for Laser Path Length Controller

Fenercioglu T. O., YALÇINKAYA T.

SENSORS, vol.21, no.15, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 21 Issue: 15
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/s21155209
  • Journal Name: SENSORS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Aqualine, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Biotechnology Research Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, EMBASE, INSPEC, MEDLINE, Metadex, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: path length controller, piezoelectric actuator, laser interferometry, low force gauge, laser triangulation, finite element analysis, mode-scanning, OPTIMIZATION
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The application areas of piezoelectric materials are expanding rapidly in the form of piezo harvesters, sensors and actuators. A path length controller is a high-precision piezoelectric actuator used in laser oscillators, especially in ring laser gyroscopes. A path length controller alters the position of a mirror nanometrically by means of a control voltage to stabilize the route that a laser beam travels in an integral multiple of laser wavelength. The design and verification of a path length controller performance requires long (up to 3 months), expensive and precise production steps to be successfully terminated. In this study, a combined computational-experimental design framework was developed to control, optimize and verify the performance of the path length controller, without the need for ring laser gyroscope assembly. A novel framework was structured such that the piezoelectric performance characteristics were calculated using finite element analysis. Then, a stand-alone measurement system was developed to verify the finite element analysis results before system integration. The final performance of the novel framework was verified by a direct measurement method called mode-scanning, which is founded on laser interferometry. The study is concluded with the explanation of measurement errors and finite element correlations.