New viewport design compatible with high vacuum

Summary

A Spanish research centre specialized in ultra-intense lasers, in collaboration with a synchrotron light source specialised centre, have developed a new design of viewport compatible with high vacuum and are looking for collaboration under license, technical or research agreement with any size company or academia of the optic or vacuum systems sectors.

Description

The Spanish centre is an installation specialized in ultra-intense lasers, it has a laser system capable to reach one petawatt of peak power; the other infrastructure involved in this technology is a third generation synchrotron light, a complex of electron accelerators to produce synchrotron light, which allows the visualization of the atomic structure of matter as well as the study of its properties.
A window transparent to visible light and lasers is required for beam transport or other needs in some vacuum systems, and the Spanish centres have developed a new design of viewport compatible with high vacuum to solve this need.
The system has been developed in two different nominal diameters, 126 mm and 400 mm, of free space that contains a BK7 glass with a suitable coating that does not disturb the beam. The glass is independent of the viewport structure and a mandatory requirement is to be replaceable. The BK7 coated glass used on 200TW compressor vacuum chamber is a circular piece of 160mm OD and 15mm thickness. The viewport is divided in four elements, two structural parts, two O-rings and the BK7 glass.

The collaborations sought are license and technical or research cooperation agreement with any size company or academia of the vacuum systems or optic sectors.

Stage of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Requested Partner

The increase of the laser power results in new challenges and needs due to the laser needs wider interfaces between vacuum and air. These interfaces must be big enough and should not introduce important changes in the quality of the laser. There are not companies in the market with developed products capable to cover these needs because it is a small market. But this market is increasing over time and new countries are developing greater laser projects.

For this reason, the partners desired are:
· Academic or research institution
· Vacuum companies
· Optic companies

The activities of the partners can differ:
· The academic and research institution should be involved or interested in the development of high power or high-intensity laser technical solutions.
· The vacuum companies should be involved in the high complex beam systems, but general providers with depth knowledge of vacuum fabrication are also welcomed to develop commercial solutions for extended, complex infrastructures.
· The optic companies should be involved in the design and development of extending optic mirrors and glasses (over 12”) to add this development to her catalogues.

The role also varies:
· The academic and research institutions should be co-developers of new solutions for these kinds of products under research cooperation agreement.
· The companies could be co-developers and commercial partners for the developed solutions under license agreement or technical cooperation agreement.