紫外光强对聚合物分散液晶电光特性的影响

聚合物分散液晶(PDLC)是液晶微滴分散在聚合物基体中形成的一种具有优异电光性能的材料,PDLC的电光特性对基于PDLC的电光器件的性能具有显著影响。本文对紫外固化光强对PDLC电光特性的影响进行研究。本研究使用紫外照射引发的聚合物诱导相分离方法制备PDLC。在4个不同紫外固化光强(1mW/cm~2、1.8mW/cm~2、3mW/cm~2和9mW/cm~2)条件下制备PDLC样品,并对4个样品的电光特性如电压-透过率、响应时间和迟滞效应进行研究,并对实验结果给出了分析。实验结果表明:随着紫外固化光强的增加,PDLC的阈值电压和饱和电压增加,开态响应时间ton上升,关态响应时间toff下降,同时对于高紫外光强聚合制备的样品迟滞效应也更加明显。本研究表明可以通过改变制备过程中的紫外光强来优化PDLC的电光特性,从而获得性能优异的基于PDLC的电光器件。     

Ultrafast IR Laser Writing of Strong Bragg Gratings Through the Coating of High Ge-Doped Optical Fibers

Strong fiber Bragg gratings were written through the standard polymer coatings of "off-the-shelf" high numerical aperture single-mode optical fibers after a few seconds exposure with femtosecond pulse durations of infrared radiation through a phase mask. While writing through the acrylate coating, we obtained index modulations of up to 1.4 x 10^-3 and 7 x 10^-4 with and without H₂ -loading, respectively.     

Experimental evidence for strong UV transition contribution in theresonant nonlinearity of doped fibers

We report a new theoretical interpretation of the strong resonantly-enhanced third-order nonlinearity observed in fibers doped with Nd³⁺, Er³⁺, or Yb³⁺. For each fiber, the absolute contributions of the near resonance (IR-visible) and far from resonance (UV) transitions to the nonlinearity are calculated and compared to experimental values. We show that in all cases, a large fraction of the measured nonlinearity is due to strong UV transitions. The consequences of this observation on the bandwidth, switching power and response time of switches based on this effect are discussed     

Efficient diode-pumped single-frequency erbium:ytterbium fiberlaser

We report a 7.6-mW single-frequency fiber laser operating at 1545 nm, using for the first time an Er³⁺:Yb³⁺ doped fiber and a fiber grating output coupler. The laser did not exhibit self-pulsation, which is a typical problem in short three-level fiber lasers, and had a relative intensity noise (RIN) level below -145.5 dB/Hz at frequencies above 10 MHz. The linewidth of the laser was limited by the relaxation oscillation sidebands in the optical spectrum and was typically less than 1 MHz     

Proton implanted VCSEL's for 3 Gb/s data links

Transverse single-mode and multimode intensity modulated butt-coupled InGaAs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL)s are investigated as a light source for optical fiber communication systems. Data transmission at 3 Gb/s with a bit error rate (BER) of less than 10 ^-11 is reported for both 4.3 km of standard fiber, as well as 0.5 km of multimode graded-index fiber, 10-μm active diameter single-mode VCSELs are shown to have lower mode competition noise requiring 3 dB and 6 dB less power at the front end receiver at a BER of 10^-11 compared to 19-μm and 50-μm active diameter devices, respectively. In data transmission with multimode VCSELs, the dispersion penalty is lower than for single-mode sources since the noise at the receiver is mainly determined by transmitter-mode competition noise     

Ultrashort-Pulse High-Power Yb3+-Doped Fiber Amplifiers

Ultrashort optical pulse propagation in high-power Yb³⁺-doped fiber amplifiers (YDFA) is studied using a spectrally resolved nonlinear power equation for the coupled pulse components. The Yb³⁺ ions transitions are modeled using a rate equation. Examples for high-power YDFAs with normal dispersion show good qualitative agreement with experimental results. We analyze the effects of the incident pulse wavelength, pulse peak power, Yb³⁺ concentration, pump filling factor, fiber length, pumping configuration, pump power and nonlinear index, on the intensity distribution of short amplified pulses. We also demonstrate the spectral compression of an initially negative-chirped pulse.     

High performance single frequency fiber grating-basederbium/ytterbium-codoped fiber lasers

The device characteristics of Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ single frequency fiber lasers are reported. A 5-cm long 1550-nm distributed feedback fiber laser with 4 mW output power is shown to have excellent specifications in terms of optical linewidth, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), relative intensity noise, side-mode suppression and polarization purity. For higher power applications, a 1.5 cm single frequency Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ grating-based fiber laser with 60 mW output power and a net efficiency of 12% is demonstrated     

Pressure-dependent Sellmeier coefficients and material dispersionsfor silica fiber glass

The pressure-dependent Sellmeier coefficients are essential to characterize the optical design parameters for the optical fiber communication systems under deep sea environmental conditions. These coefficients are calculated for densified silica glass for the first time to compute the pressure dependence of material dispersion at any wavelength from the ultraviolet (UV) to 1.71 μm. The zero dispersion wavelength λ₀ (1.2725 μm at 0.1 10⁶ N m ^-2) varies linearly with pressure, and dλ₀/dP is 0.0027 nm/(10⁶ N m^-2). The calculated value is approximately one-third of the experimental value of 0.0076 nm/(10⁶ N m^-2) for a germanium-doped dispersion shifted fiber having λ₀=1.5484 μm and -0.0070 nm/(10⁶ N m^-2) for a pure silica-core fiber cable having λ₀ =1.2860 μm. Since, the refractive indexes are increased with pressure, the negative value of shift of the zero-dispersion wavelength is erroneous. The explanations are due to Ge-doping in silica glass, a possible temperature fluctuation of 0.16°C in the pressure-dependent measurement system of the zero dispersion wavelength and different experimental conditions of the silica glass and the optical fibers. This anomaly can also be attributed to the internal strain development at the core-cladding and fiber-jacketing boundaries due to pressure, which shows a larger experimental value. It accounts for the experimental values satisfactorily     

Reduction of transmission spectrum shift of long-period fibergratings by a UV-preexposure method

We examined the photosensitivity and stability in an ultraviolet (UV)-preexposure method that locks the photosensitivity of refractive index by hydrogen loading in the fabrication of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs). Photosensitivity and stability comparisons are made between the UV-preexposure method, a typical hydrogen-loading method, and a UV-exposure method without hydrogen loading. The UV-preexposure method can enhance the photosensitivity to induce effective refractive index modulations up to 1.6×10^-4, which is sufficient for fabricating LPFGs in a practical manner under the hydrogen-loading condition at a relatively low pressure of 2.9 MPa. The sensitivity is preserved in terms of the length of time at least over 10 000 h. The spectrum changes after the completion of the LPFG writing are more stable than under the typical hydrogen loading. Therefore, the proposed UV-preexposure method is one of the most useful techniques for fabricating precise and stable fiber gratings, because there are no free hydrogen molecules in the fiber when the fiber gratings are written     

Time resolved self-defocusing in InSb at room temperature

We report a detailed study of time resolved self-defocusing in InSb at room temperature, using 3 μs long CO2laser pulses. We have determined that the intensity dependence of the refractive index varies as intensity to the two-thirds power. The measured values correspond to an equivalentdn/dIof -0.11 cm²/MW at an incident intensity of 210 kW/cm².     

Er3+-Yb3+ and Er3+ doped fiberlasers

Single-mode fiber lasers operating at ~1.57 μm are described. Output powers of >2 mW are reported for laser diode pumped operation. Direct comparison is made between fiber lasers using sensitized erbium (Er³⁺ and Yb³⁺) and erbium on its own. The performance of Er³⁺-Yb³⁺ fiber lasers is analyzed in more detail as a function of fiber length. Both CW and Q-switched operations are studied and the results obtained demonstrate that practical sources at 1.5 μm are available from diode pumped Er³⁺ -Yb³⁺ systems     

A self-calibrating single-chip CMOS camera with logarithmicresponse

A high-dynamic-range CMOS image sensor consisting of nonintegrating, continuously working photoreceptors with logarithmic response is presented. The nonuniformity problem caused by the device-to-device variations is greatly reduced by an implemented analog self-calibration. After performing this calibration, the remaining fixed pattern noise amounts to 3.8% (RMS) of an intensity decade at a uniform illumination of 1 W/m². The sensor provides a resolution of 384×288 pixels and a dynamic range of 6 decades in the intensity region from 3 mW/m² to 3 kW/m². It contains all components required for operating as a camera-on-a-chip. The image data can be read out either via a single analog line (video standard) or via a digital interface after undergoing an analog-to-digital conversion on the chip. Additional features like automatic exposure control, averaging of adjacent pixels, and digital zoom have been implemented, making the sensor suitable for a wide field of applications     

Tensile-strained GaInAsP-InP quantum-well lasers emitting at 1.3μm

Tensile-strained GaInAsP-InP quantum-well (QW) lasers emitting at 1.3 μm are investigated. Low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) is used for crystal growth. High-resolution X-ray diffraction shows good agreement with theoretical simulation, photoluminescence spectra have good energy separation between light-hole and heavy-hole bands due to biaxial tension. The lowest threshold current density for infinite cavity length J_th/N_w ^∞ of 100 A/cm² is obtained for the device with -1.15% strain and N_w=3. The amount of strain which gives the lowest J_th/N_w^∞ experimentally clarified is around -1.2%. Threshold current of a buried-heterostructure (BH) laser is reduced to be as low as 1.0 mA. Enhanced differential gain of 7.1×10^-16 cm² is also confirmed by measurements of relative intensity noise. Much improved threshold characteristic with the feasibility of submilliamp threshold current can be achievable by optimizing the BH structure. The tensile-strained QW laser emitting at 1.3 μm with very low power consumption is attractive for the light source of fiber in the loop system and optical interconnection applications     

Experimental and theoretical analysis of the resonant nonlinearityin ytterbium-doped fiber

Experimental measurements are described characterizing the nonlinear index change over the range from 500 to 1550 nm induced in an ytterbium (Yb³⁺)-doped twin-core fiber by a 980 nm pump. At 1550 nm, a phase change of π is induced with as little as 14 mW of pump power for a signal loss of only 0.2 dB, By allowing the doped fiber to lase and observing the associated clamping of the induced phase change, we show that a digital nonlinear response can be achieved in which a constant, pump-power-insensitive, phase change is induced for all pump powers above a certain threshold. This lasing induced clamping of the phase change also demonstrates that the nonlinear effect is population dependent as opposed to thermal. The pump-induced phase change is observed to increase for shorter signal wavelengths, which suggests that the effect is due principally to pump-induced changes in the strong ultraviolet (UV) absorptions of Yb³⁺. This observation is accurately predicted by a theoretical analysis that takes into account absorptions in both infrared and ultraviolet regions. This analysis shows that Yb³⁺ may be suitable for low-power all-optical switching applications in both 1300 and 1550 nm telecommunications windows when the speed of response is not a critical parameter     

Simultaneous emission of the HF and N2 lines from aplasma cathode TEA laser

Simultaneous laser action from HF and N₂ is obtained, from a plasma cathode TEA laser, for the first time. The sliding discharge along the surface of a dielectric is used as a plasma cathode, for the main volumetric discharge. The laser operates at atmospheric pressure, with a gas mixture of SF₆:C₃H₈:N₂:He. For a typical flow rate ratio of 0.27:0.024:0.2:19.8 1 min^-1, it produces simultaneously 160 mJ HF and 0.6 mJ N₂ laser outputs at 0.43% and 1.4×10^-3% efficiencies respectively, at the moderate charging voltage of 28.5 kV. These output characteristics are obtained from a small active discharge volume and length of 10⁶ cm³ and 38 cm respectively. These values extend the performance, recently reported in the literature, of a sliding discharge HF/N₂ laser with corresponding simultaneous energy outputs of 12 mJ HF and 1.1 mJ N₂, to a higher energy output level, thus making the device suitable for a broader range of applications. This novel dual wavelength HF/N₂ laser system presented, can be particularly convenient for medical experiments, where the IR beam can be used for tissue ablation, while the UV beam can be used as the excitation source for fluorescence spectroscopic measurements, for the evaluation of the ablation process. Details are presented on the dependence of the laser performance parameters, such as output energy, discharge voltage and current and structure of the laser output pulses on the mixture composition and the circuit parameters     

Ultrafast all-optical switching using highly nonlinear chalcogenideglass fiber

Ultrafast all-optical switching with a switching power of 14 W was demonstrated in a Kerr shutter configuration using a single-mode As₂S₃-based glass fiber only 48 cm long. The nonlinear refractive index of the fiber was evaluated from the switching characteristics to be n₂=4.2×10^-14 (cm²/W), which is higher by two orders of magnitude than silica glass fiber     

Dye-doped photorefractive liquid crystals for dynamic and storageholographic grating formation and spatial light modulation

The basic mechanisms of photo-induced space charge field formation, director axis re-orientation, and refractive index changes in fullerene C60- and dye-doped nematic liquid crystals films are presented. In particular, in aligned methyl-red-doped nematic liquid crystal film, we observe a nonlinear index change coefficient as high as 10 cm²/W, associated with purely optically induced liquid crystal director axis re-orientation. Experimental observations of dynamic and high-resolution storage holographic grating formation, two beam coupling with gain of nearly 3000 cm^-1, optical limiting action at nanowatt cw laser power, and incoherent-coherent image conversion at μW/cm² light intensity level are discussed     

An Enhanced Optical Multimode Fiber Sensor Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance With Cascaded Structure

A cascaded side-polished multimode fiber sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is proposed. The sensing area is a multimode optical fiber in which half of the core has been polished away and a 40-nm gold thin film is deposited on to the polished surface. The cascaded structure is demonstrated in the small difference variation of the refractive index between the two solutions, deionized (DI) water and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The transmitted intensity of SPR fiber sensor in dynamic measurement between single SPR fiber structure and the cascaded structure achieved to increase the variation from 73% to 58% for DI water and 70.5% to 53% for PBS, and enhance the difference between DI water and PBS from 2.5% to 5% is obtained in the experiment. The stability and the double variation to enhance the high sensitivity of the intensity measurement is achieved to be 2 times 10^-5 refractive-index units.     

GaAs VCSEL's at λ=780 and 835 nm for short-distance 2.5-Gb/splastic optical fiber data links

Selectively oxidized GaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers for λ=780- and 835-nm emission wavelength and 120-μm-core diameter step index plastic optical fiber (POF) are investigated for short distance interconnects. 2.5-Gb/s pseudorandom data transmission over up to 2.5 m of plastic fiber is demonstrated with a bit-error rate (BER) of better than 10^-11. Furthermore, bias-free data transmission at 2.5 Gb/s over 1-m fiber length again at a BER of better than 10^-11 is reported