October 2005

EEEL Researchers Develop Excimer Laser Treatment Process for Carbon Nanotube Coatings

EEEL researchers John Lehman, Darryl Keenan, Natalia Varaksa and Stephen Russek have demonstrated an excimer laser treatment process for carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings. The researchers documented their results through a series of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and spectral responsivity measurements on both multi-wall and single-wall carbon nanotubes. The multi-wall carbon nanotubes were grown by chemical vapor deposition on substrates made of either copper or lithium niobate. The single-wall carbon nanotubes were deposited on silicon carbide, quartz, and lithium tantalate. These treatment studies have implications not only for enhancement and evaluation of thermal detector coatings, but for other CNT applications such as cleaning, purification, and production of CNT-based field emitters. This work is part of a larger program to develop the next generation of optical coatings based on CNT technology. The CNT coatings, which have been deposited on a variety of optical detector platforms, exhibit remarkable thermal and mechanical properties making them ideal coatings for absolute standards of laser power and energy measurements. These properties include resistance to damage and aging while maintaining desirable optical and thermal properties over the broad range of laser wavelengths (0.157 μm to 10.6 μm) served by the Optoelectronics Division's calibration services for laser power and energy.

Contact:

John Lehman, (303) 497-3654