The sensor works by emitting a laser beam and detecting the reflection off reference points mounted on the workpiece. Inside SixDOF, the beam is split and directed onto three photo diodes. The analog signals from the diodes are digitized and fed into a computer that can instruct corrective action or provide position readings. Before the availability of this lasing medium, generating tunable UV light required multiple complex and sensitive nonlinear optical conversion steps. LiSAF eliminates these deficiencies.
LiSAF lasers are particularly well suited to remote sensing applications.
Another potential application is secure wireless communication links between infantry units in the battlefield. Sensor offers greater performance, reduced cost Teaming with the Read-Rite Corp. of Fremont, California, Laboratory scientists have developed an advanced magnetic sensor, a critical component in magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives in computers. A typical disk drive in a computer would use 1 to 10 magnetic sensors. Built of alternating layers of thin magnetic materials and nonmagnetic materials, this giant GMR sensor uses thin-film technologies previously developed at Lawrence Livermore. Because the manufacturing process devised for the CPP-GMR does not require expensive fabrication tools, mass production costs can be kept low.