Facilities
The laboratories of CHSLT-NEST are fully operational, and are used for educational and research activities. These activities range from fundamental studies of laser light interaction with materials to sophisticated applications in metrology. Research at the CHSL T-NEST has been externally funded in areas relating to MEMS, nanotechnology, smart sensors and structures, shape memory materials, electronic packaging, high density separable electronic interconnections for high speed digital applications, radar technology, microelectronics, micromechanics, submarine technology, jet engine technology, modern powder materials, ceramics, composites, energy systems, mathematical modeling/simulation, and other areas of current interest.
Main Offices
The main offices are located in Higgins Lab on the first floor, and contain:
- Faculty Offices
- Conference Room
Laboratories
The CHSLT-NEST located in Higgins Labs consists of 14 laboratories furnished with state-of-the-art equipment including:
- Vibration isolation optical tables,
- Ultra-high speed cameras and related imaging optics,
- High-speed infrared (IR) cameras and related optics,
- Fiber-optic systems,
- Loading devices and instrumentation for static, dynamic, thermal, electro-magnetic, and acoustic loading of samples,
- He-Ne lasers, Ar-ion lasers, Nd:YAG lasers, a nanosecond high energy pulsed laser, semiconductor and solid state lasers, as well as supporting mechanical and electro-mechanical instrumentation systems, including computer controlled environmental chambers where temperature and relative humidity can be controlled simultaneously, yet independently of each other,
- In addition, the Nano-Indentation (NIN) system has been developed for studies of mechanical properties of materials in sub-micrometer geometries,
- The CHSLT has its own computational facilities, housed in the CML (Computational Mechanics Laboratory) with state-of-the-art software for Finite Element, Finite Difference, and Boundary Element analysis/modeling/simulation.