Facilities

Formlabs 3+ SLA 3D Printer

The Formlabs Form 3+ is a desktop stereolithography (SLA) printer that delivers high-precision resin prints with smooth surface finishes and excellent accuracy. It has a 250 mW 405 nm laser with an 85-micron spot size. Its build volume is approximately 5.7 × 5.7 × 7.6 in (about 145 × 145 × 193 mm), and it supports layer thicknesses from 25 to 300 microns, allowing both fine details and quicker builds. The machine accepts over 30 validated materials covering a wide palette of standard, engineering, and specialty resins.

Use: We use the Form 3+ for fabricating custom experimental components, electrode housings, diagnostic fixtures, and prototype parts needed for plasma and pulsed-power experiments, as well as for creating complex geometries that are difficult to machine with conventional methods. To ensure high-quality prints and consistent material properties, we also utilize the Form Wash and Form Cure stations, which provide automated part cleaning and optimized post-curing under controlled UV and thermal conditions.

Status: Operational

Photron SA5 High-Speed Camera

The Photron FASTCAM SA5 is a high-speed digital camera designed for capturing rapid transient events with excellent spatial resolution and sensitivity. It offers up to 1 million fps at reduced resolutions and 7,500 frames per second at full 1024×1024 resolution. It uses a 12-bit monochrome CMOS sensor with 20 µm pixels, giving strong light collection even under challenging illumination. The camera supports global electronic shutter, and a range of trigger and synchronization options. It is compatible with all lenses.

Use: The Photron SA5 is used extensively for pulsed plasma imaging, shockwave imaging, Schlieren and shadowgraph imaging, fluid dynamics visualization, materials research, and other experiments where fast motion and transient phenomena must be resolved with clarity and temporal precision.

Status: Operational

Stanford Computer Optics Nanosecond ICCD

The Stanford Computer Optics 4 Picos-dig ICCD camera is an ultra-fast imaging system optimized for capturing rapid, time-resolved events with nanosecond precision. It offers gating down to 0.2 nanoseconds with 10-picosecond step control, enabling precise visualization of ultrafast phenomena. Our system is configured with a high-resolution ~1360×1024 sensor, 12-bit digital output, and a single-stage MCP intensifier, providing excellent spatial detail and sensitivity. With a broad spectral response from 180 nm to 900 nm, the camera is well suited for imaging across the UV to visible range.

Use: We use the ICCD camera extensively for optical emission spectrometry, as well as other time-resolved plasma diagnostics, shockwave visualization, and other experiments where transient light signals must be captured with nanosecond-scale temporal accuracy and high spatial resolution.

Status: Operational

Tektronix DPO3054 Oscilloscope

Four-channel scope for ns-rise pulses and discharge transients.

BW: 500 MHz • SR: 5 GS/s

Status: Operational

PVM4 High-Voltage Probe

The PVM-4 is a precision high-voltage probe designed for accurate measurement of fast, high-voltage pulses. It can measure up to 40 kV DC or 60 kV pulsed signals and provides a 1000:1 divider ratio, making it well-suited for use with oscilloscopes and other diagnostic equipment. With a bandwidth of about 110 MHz and a risetime of approximately 2.5 nanoseconds, the PVM-4 offers excellent response for high-frequency applications. Our lab has three PVM-4 probes available for use in experiments.

Use: V(t) for spark gaps, pulsed discharges, steady-state discharges, and other electrical diagnostics

Status: Operational

Pearson 5046 Current Transformer

Non-intrusive, fast-response current sensing for pulse profiles. The Pearson 5046 is a wide-band current transformer designed for measuring very large, fast transient currents with high fidelity. It provides an output sensitivity of 0.01 V per ampere (±0.5 %), operates into a 50-ohm load, and responds from 0.5 Hz to 20 MHz with a usable rise time near 20 nanoseconds. It can handle peak currents up to 25,000 A, while its RMS current rating is nominally 100 A. It has a low‐frequency cutoff around 0.5 Hz, a droop rate of roughly 0.25 % per millisecond under flat‐top current pulses, and a maximum current-time product of 0.5 ampere-seconds (with a core reset bias) to avoid saturation. The 5046 is usable over a temperature range from 0 to 65 °C, making it well suited for high-power, high-speed pulsed experiments in our laboratory.

Use: I(t) of discharges

Status: Operational

Vacuum Vessel

Controlled-atmosphere plasma experiments with optical access.

Range: mTorr–atm • Ports: KF/CF

Status: Limited Use

10,000 psi API Pressure Vessel

Simulates subsurface brine and rock conditions for plasma-assisted drilling.

Rating: 10 ksi

Status: Under Maintenance

Fume Hoods

Wet chemistry and safe reagent handling for plasma/materials work.

Status: Operational

Waveform/function generator

The B&K Precision 4063 is a dual-channel function/arbitrary waveform generator capable of producing a wide variety of signals with high precision and flexibility. It offers 14-bit vertical resolution, a 500 MSa/s sampling rate for arbitrary waveforms, and a 512k-point arbitrary waveform memory. Standard waveform types include sine, square, triangle, pulse, and arbitrary shapes, along with modulation modes (AM, FM, PM, PWM, etc.), burst, sweep (linear and logarithmic), and both internal and external triggering. The generator supports fine control over frequency (down to microhertz), DC offset, and pulse duty cycle (from as low as 0.0001% up to nearly 100 %). Outputs are delivered with 50-ohm impedance (or high impedance option) and protected against short-circuits.

Use: In our lab, the 4063 is used to drive and test circuits, provide precise timing and waveform shapes for diagnostics, generate reference signals for oscilloscopes and sensors, simulate test pulses or noise, and generally support experiments that require customizable signal sources with both high fidelity and fast transitions.

Status: Operational

Nikon Camera

The Nikon D3300 and D5600 are DX-format DSLR cameras, each equipped with a 24.2 megapixel sensor that provides high-resolution imaging without an optical low-pass filter, ensuring sharp detail. The D3300 is lightweight and well suited for straightforward documentation, time-lapse sequences, and capturing experimental setups with clarity, and the D5600 offers a fully articulating touchscreen, expanded ISO range, and built-in wireless connectivity for added flexibility in video recording, remote operation, and imaging at varied angles.

Use:We use these cameras for documenting experiments, recording videos, photographing components, and capturing dynamic processes where high-quality stills and reliable video are essential. For example: motion tracking melt probes, pendulums, etc.

Status: Operational

Orion Helium Ion Microscope

Nanometer-scale imaging with exceptional surface sensitivity.

Use:

Status: Under Maintenance

Walk-In Freezer

Stable low-temperature storage for sensitive reagents and samples.

Use:

Status: offline

High-frequency Plasma Driver

The PVM500 is a high-voltage, high-frequency plasma driver capable of supporting both non-resonant and resonant discharge loads. It delivers AC voltages up to ~ 20 kV peak-to-peak, with adjustable frequencies in the range of about 20–50 kHz.

Use: In our lab, we use the PVM500 to power DBD jets, drive plasma cells, and perform experiments requiring tunable high-voltage AC excitation. Its configuration allows us to vary voltage, frequency, and duty cycle, making it valuable for studying discharge behavior, power consumption, thermal effects, and plasma–fluid or plasma–surface interactions with good control over the excitation waveform.

Status: Operational

Mercury spectral calibration lamp

The Newport/Oriel Model 6035 Mercury-Argon spectral calibration lamp is a pencil-style source used for precise wavelength calibration of spectrometers, monochromators, and other optical instruments. It produces sharp, well-defined mercury emission lines with argon buffer gas, covering the UV through visible range. Operating at about 18 mA with a long service life, it provides a stable reference for spectral alignment and calibration tasks.

Use: In our lab, we use the 6035 lamp for calibrating spectrometers and spectroscopic diagnostics, ensuring accurate wavelength assignments in optical emission spectroscopy and other plasma and light-based measurements.

Status: Operational