Speaker
Description
Silicon is one of the candidates for the construction of monolithic mirror suspensions of 3rd generation GW detectors. In this context, one of the open challenges is the realization of the interfaces between the suspension fibers and the rest of the system. Having a technology that allows the welding of two crystalline components is therefore a first crucial step. With this aim, we decided to investigate the possibility of welding two silica cladded crystalline silicon rods using a technique developed by Clemson University (Prof. Ursula Gibson). The inserting of a thin gold leaf between the two rods creates a eutectic alloy, which improves the quality of the weld. Through the Virgo silica fiber production machine, which is equipped with fine control of movements and CO2 laser power, soldering is carried out and then followed by recrystallization of the soldered part and migration of the gold residue. The technique will be described in detail and the promising results of the preliminary tests will be presented.
