Summer of 1997 at Colorado State University

The summer of 1997, I worked for Carl Patton at the Magnetic Materials Lab at CSU. My job involved taking data, writing some simple programs, and building the things shown here.


This is an assembly of three linear stages, using english system measurements, with a metric stepper motor attached. The difference in measuring systems made it somewhat difficult to align the shaft of the screw with the motor shaft accurately. It is unfortunate that at that point I didn't know about standard parts used for attaching misaligned shafts, but I guess it was good practice with precision machining. The three stages are mounted together to enable three dimensions of motion. There are two more motors to be attached, but the measuring is finished, and written down so the project can be continued easily. Everything that isn't stage, stepper motor, or screw was machined.



 
These three things are mounts for the Yyttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) film being tested in a magnetic field. The things on the sides are attachments for the microwave generator. When bursts of microwaves hit the small antennae on the films, a magnetic wave is produced that propagates down the film. It is picked up at the other end by another small antenna.



 
This is me, standing behind the electromagnet that will use the stage at the top of the page. The electromagnet is on an optical table, with a laser focused into the center of it. The stage will position the YIG sample in focus with the laser, and move it around a bit to test different parts of the surface of the film. The stepper motors are so the computer can do the positioning, and the scientists can leave it overnight and come back in the morning with a nice set of data waiting for them.