O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar in vitro, a ação dos lasers de alta potência (Nd:YAG e diodo 980nm), associados ao carvão mineral como fotopotencializador, sobre a adesividade do cimento endodôntico, por meio do teste de pushout, e na interface dentina/material obturador, por meio de microscopia confocal a laser. 50 caninos foram instrumentados com sistema Mtwo até #50.04 e irrigados com hipoclorito a 1% a cada troca dos instrumentos. Os espécimes foram distribuídos em 5 grupos (n=10): GI - controle EDTAC, GII - EDTAC e laser Nd:YAG, GIII - EDTAC e laser diodo 980 nm, GIV - EDTAC, laser Nd:YAG e carvão mineral 5 g/100mL, e GV - EDTAC, laser diodo 980 nm e carvão mineral 5 g/100 mL. As aplicações de laser foram na potência de 1.5 W, frequência de 100 Hz pulsátil e fibra de 200&mu;m, por 16 segundos em movimentos elípticos (8 s no sentido coroa-ápice e 8 s no sentido ápice-coroa). Após, os espécimes foram obturados com cimento AH Plus, pela técnica de condensação lateral ativa. As raízes foram seccionadas no sentido transversal, em slices de 1mm de espessura, e submetidas ao teste de pushout em máquina universal de ensaios e o tipo de falha foi analisado em microscópio confocal a laser, e se determinou a profundidade e a uniformidade dos tags de cimento na interface dentina/material obturador. Os dados foram analisados por meio do teste ANOVA a nível de significância de 5%, seguidos dos testes de Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn e Tukey (para a comparação dos grupos). O GI apresentou a maior a resistência de união do cimento à dentina que o tratamento somente com EDTAC 17% (17,21 ± 21,75 MPa), sendo semelhante ao GII (12,21 ± 18,20 MPa) e ao GIV (14,92 ± 28,06 MPa), ambos tratados com laser Nd:YAG, com exceção do GIV, que foi adicionado de carvão mineral. O GV (8,75 ± 13,42 MPa) apresentou resultados similares aos dos grupos GII e GIV, mas a mesma similaridade foi observada quando comparado ao GIII (7,11 + 11,28 MPa), que apresentou os piores resultados. O terço apical (23,27 ± 29,21 MPa) apresentou valor de resistência de união maior que o cervical (5,92 ± 5,33 MPa) e médio (6,93 ± 7,11MPa), que foram semelhantes entre si (p>0,05). Houve predominância de falhas mistas, seguidas das coesivas. O GII (86,27&micro;m) apresentou os maiores valores de penetração de tags, com diferença estatisticamente significante em relação aos GIII (51,57&micro;m), IV (36,77&micro;m) e V (32,37&micro;m) (p<0,05). O GI (71,63&micro;m) não apresentou diferenças estatisticamente significantes em relação ao II e III (p>0,05). O GIV apresentou os menores valores, sem diferenças do III e V, (p>0,05). O terço cervical (58,44&micro;m) apresentou os melhores valores, seguidos dos terços médio (45,02&micro;m) e apical (42,24&micro;m) (p>0,05). Concluiu-se que o tratamento com laser Nd:YAG associado ou não ao carvão mineral, apresentou melhores resultados de força adesiva que o tratamento com laser diodo 980nm, exceto quando esse foi adicionado do carvão mineral. O grupo controle e o laser diodo 980nm apresentaram menores quantidades de falhas adesivas e maiores quantidades de falhas mistas comparados aos demais grupos. Ambos os lasers não interferiram de maneira negativa na penetração de cimento se comparados ao grupo controle, no que se relaciona à resistência adesiva do cimento obturador. / The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the influence of high-power lasers (Nd:YAG and diode 980nm) associated with mineral coal as fotopotencializer on Bond strenght of an epoxy resin-based root canal sealer to root dentin, using the push-out test, and on the dentin/filling material interface, using confocal laser microscopy. For this purposes, 50 canines were instrumented with Mtwo Rotary system up to #50.04 instrument, irrigating with sodium hypoclorite 1% at each instrument exchange. The specimens were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n=10), according the treatment of root canal dentin: group I - control EDTAC, group II - EDTAC and Nd:YAG laser, group III - EDTAC and diode laser 980 nm, group IV - EDTAC, Nd:YAG laser and mineral coal 5 g/100 mL, and group V - EDTAC, diode laser 980 nm and mineral coal 5 g/100 mL. All the lasers application was assigned according to the parameters: 1.5 W of power, 100 Hz pulsatile frequency and 200 &micro;m fiber, for 16 seconds in eliptical movements (8 s crown-down direction and 8 s apex-crown direction). Following irradiation, the canals were filled with active lateral condensation of AH Plus sealer and gutta-percha cones. After, the roots were sectioned transversally to obtain 1mm-thick slices. One of two slices from each third were subjected to a push-out test in a universal testing machine and the failure mode was analyzed with confocal laser microscopy and classified as: adhesive to the filling material, adhesive to dentin, cohesive in the filling material and mixed. The remaining slice was analyzed by confocal laser microscopy to evaluate the penetration and homogeneity of the perimeter of the root canal cross-section with sealer tags, at the dentin/filling material interface. All data were analyzed by ANOVA (at 5% significance level) following the Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn and Tukey tests (for groups comparation). Any of the proposing treatments increased more Bond strength of the sealer to root dentin that treatment with only EDTAC 17% (17.21 ± 21.75 MPa), similar to the group II (12.21 ± 18.20 MPa) and group IV (14.92 ± 28.06 MPa), both treated with Nd: YAG laser, with the exception of group IV, which was added to mineral coal. The group V (8.75 ± 13.42 MPa) had similar results to the groups II and IV, but the same similiarity were found when compared with group III (7.11 + 11.28 MPa), with lower results. Regarding the root thirds, the apical third (23.27 ± 29.21 MPa) presented a statistically higher value on Bond strenght than the cervical third (5.92 ± 5.33 MPa) and middle third (6.93 ± 7, 11 MPa) (p> 0.05). It was observed in general that there was a predominance of mixed failures, followed by cohesive failures. The lowest amount were the adhesive failures. Group II (86.27&micro;m) showed the highest tags penetration values, with a statistically difference to the group III (51.57 &micro;m), IV (36.77 &micro;m) and V (32.37 &micro;m) (p < 0.05). Group I (71.63 &micro;m) was statistically similar to groups II and III (p> 0.05). Group IV had the lowest values and was statistically similarity to groups III and V (p> 0.05). The cervical third (58.44 &micro;m) showed best values, followed by the middle third (45.02mm) and apical third (42.24 &micro;m) (p> 0.05). It was concluded that the treatment with Nd:YAG laser provides better results than the diode 980 nm laser, except when was added mineral coal. The control and diode 980 nm laser groups presented less adhesive failures and more mists failures than the other groups. Both lasers did not interfere negatively compared to the control group

The spectral characteristics of fiber grating-stabilized 980nm pump lasers were studied theoretically and experimentally. A new process of fiber tip flattening making quadrangular-pyramid-shaped fiber lens (QPSFL) was successfully developed. This fiber tip flattening process can improve the yield fabricating QPSEL up to 20% compared with the previous research of the process without tip flattening. The QPSFL was used in coupling between the high-power 980nm laser diodes and the single mode fibers (SMFs). A fiber grating was fused at the end of the single mode fiber. The reflectivity of fiber gratings were 6%, 8% and 10%, and the length of the external cavity was about 2.5m. The measured result showed that the stability of temperature to peak wavelength and driving current to peak wavelength were improved 60 and 30 times, respectively. A theoretical modeling which combined the laser rate equation and the grating theory was successfully developed as well. The qualitative analysis of the numerical simulation showed that the peak wavelength would be locked in the reflection spectrum of the fiber grating. On the other hand, we have also finished packaging a butterfly 980nm pump laser module by the laser welding technology.

A new scheme of asymmetric elliptic-cone-shaped microlens (AECSM) employing a single-step fabrication technique for efficient coupling between the high-power 980nm laser diodes and the single-mode fibers is proposed. The asymmetric elliptic-cone-shaped fiber endface (AECSFE) was fabricated by a single-step grinding and polishing a cleaved fiber by applying a periodically variable torque on the fiber ferrule to change the grinding pressure. The periodically variable torque was made by an eccentric mass with a constant rotation speed double that of the fiber. After the AECSFE was formed, an AECSM was obtained by heating the fiber tip in a fusing splicer. In comparison with the previous works on asymmetric fiber microlenses fabricated by the multi-step processes with complicated fabrication, the advantages of the AECSM structure for achieving high coupling are a single-step fabrication, a reproducible process, and a high-yield output. In this study, we demonstrated that the average grinding offset of the AECSM structure for 30 measurements was about 0.4 £gm, the average coupling efficiency was 71%, and the maximum of the measured coupling efficiency was 83%. The yield of the AECSM for coupling efficiency over 70% was 47%, for coupling efficiency over 60% was almost 100%.

The growth optimization and fabrication of 980nm quantum well (QW) lasers is presented. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is used to determine the optimized growth conditions for the QWs. The results are presented for optimization of both growth temperature and group V overpressure. Broad area lasers, with active regions grown at and around optimized QW growth conditions, are fabricated and characterized under pulsed conditions. These results are used to determine the optimum growth conditions for a ridge waveguide (RWG) laser structure. Once grown, RWG lasers are fabricated and characterized under continuous wave (CW) conditions. External quantum efficiencies as high as 71 % and cavity losses as low as 5.2 cm-1 are achieved. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)