Asymmetric optical loop mirror: analysis of an all-optical switch

We present an analysis of the optical loop mirror in which a nonlinear optical element is asymmetrically placed in the loop. This analysis provides a general framework for the operation of a recently invented ultrafast all-optical switch known as the terahertz optical asymmetric demultiplexer. We show that a loop with small asymmetry, such as that used in the terahertz optical asymmetric demultiplexer, permits low-power ultrafast all-optical sampling and demultiplexing to be performed with a relatively slow optical nonlinearity. The size of the loop is completely irrelevant to switch operation as long as the required degree of asymmetry is accommodated. This is therefore the first low-power ultrafast all-optical switch that can be integrated on a single substrate.     

Linearity of Response of Ultrafast Photoconductive Switches: Critical Dependence Upon Ion-implantation and Fabrication Conditions

We have measured the responsivity of photoconductive switches as a function of electrical bias and optical intensity. The switches were fabricated using standard 50 z microstrip transmission line technology on silicon-on-sapphire wafers. Picosecond photoconductive response was produced by self-implanting the silicon to reduce the carrier lifetime. Although all of the switches tested possessed ultrafast response, the linearity of response with electrical bias and optical intensity was dependent on the order of the metallization and ion-implantation processing steps during the fabrication procedure. Switches fabricated using processes reported in the literature to yield switches with linear response (Ohmic contacts) instead yielded switches with nonlinear response (Schottky contacts). Furthermore switches fabricated using processes reported in the literature to yield switches with nonlinear response (Schottky contacts) instead yielded switches with linear response (Ohmic contacts). We discuss the effects of photo-generation-recombination dynamics, carrier transport, charge screening, the build-up of space charge, and switch geometry on the photo-conductive response. Further, we discuss the effects of the observed nonlinear response on the use of ultrafast photoconductive switches to generate and to sample ultrafast electrical waveforms. We also discuss possible applications of both linear and nonlinear switches.     

Terahertz all-optical modulation in a silicon-polymer hybrid system

Although gigahertz-scale free-carrier modulators have been demonstrated in silicon, intensity modulators operating at terahertz speeds have not been reported because of silicon's weak ultrafast nonlinearity. We have demonstrated intensity modulation of light with light in a silicon-polymer waveguide device, based on the all-optical Kerr effect-the ultrafast effect used in four-wave mixing. Direct measurements of time-domain intensity modulation are made at speeds of 10 GHz. We showed experimentally that the mechanism of this modulation is ultrafast through spectral measurements, and that intensity modulation at frequencies in excess of 1 THz can be obtained. By integrating optical polymers through evanescent coupling to silicon waveguides, we greatly increase the effective nonlinearity of the waveguide, allowing operation at continuous-wave power levels compatible with telecommunication systems. These devices are a first step in the development of large-scale integrated ultrafast optical logic in silicon, and are two orders of magnitude faster than previously reported silicon devices.     

Optical characteristics of the compound PLZT

We present a summary of measured characteristics of lanthanum-doped lead zirconium titanate (PLZT) compound in its mechanical housing. It is expected that the PLZT device will be used as the main component in an ultrafast electro-optic switch. We have performed several experiments to measure and calculate the following characteristics: optical power transmission, thermodynamic effects, switching speed, and dc drift phenomenon.     

Double Fano-type resonances in heptamer-hole array transmission spectra with high refractive index sensing

Nanohole arrays or individual nanohole oligomers in metallic films have attracted intense attention due to their unique optical properties such as extraordinary optical transmission or Fano resonance. However, the nanohole oligomer array still remains largely unexplored. In this work, we numerically investigate the heptamer-hole arrays in an optically thin silver film, which can support double Fano-type resonances in the transmission spectra. The two Fano-type transmissions arise from the interference between the non-resonant direct transmission through holes and the resonant indirect scatterings based on the excitations of surface plasmons polaritons (SPPs, set up by the array periodicity) and a sub-radiant localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR, arising from the anti-bonding hybridization between the central and the surrounding holes). Because of their different physical mechanisms, the two Fano resonances can be tuned independently. In addition, the LSPR-related Fano resonance shows an ultra-high sensitivity to surrounding dielectric medium with a figure of merit of 25 due to its sub-radiant feature, far larger than the SPP-related Fano resonance, offering tremendous potentials for plasmonic biosensors.     

Resonance shift induced by free carriers of a silicon resonator of quadrangular shape

The nonlinear optical interaction of a silicon resonator with a quadrangular shaped smooth bend is studied with inclusion of free carriers (FCs), two-photon absorption, the Kerr effect, and loss. It is shown that for the range of input light power from zero up to 2 W, the incident light transmits between the silicon resonator and waveguide linearly. However, with an increase of light power from 2 W to higher values, the light transmission decreases very rapidly, so that it approximately vanishes at about 10 W. Furthermore, the resonance spectrum and stability condition of the silicon resonator in the nonlinear regime is studied with inclusion of FC dispersion and FC absorption for continuous wave operation. Thermal effects induced by FC absorption increase the refractive index, which causes a redshift of about 1.2 nm for 125.13 mW light power.     

转动竖直镜面的微机械光开关

提出并制作了转动竖直微镜的微机械光开关,采用曲线形状的电极设计,有效地减低了悬臂梁驱动器的吸合电压,采用体硅深刻蚀技术结合(110)硅的各向异性腐蚀技术制备了光开关芯片和耦合对准的U形槽和卡簧。芯片经初步封装后进行了电学测试和光学测试,测得吸合电压78.5V,谐振频率2.3kHz,光开关损耗5dB,隔离度45dB。     

Influence of scattering on transmission through long-period fiber gratings and tunable microstructure fibers

Controlled optical scattering within or around an optical fiber provides a potentially useful mean for adjusting its transmission characteristic. This approach can complement conventional methods based on the establishment of well-defined variations in the index of refraction of the core or the cladding of the fiber. We describe the use of a highly scattering submonolayer of nanoparticles deposited onto the fiber surface for adjusting the resonance wavelength, depth, and width of an in-fiber long-period grating filter. We also introduce a polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal material that has a thermally tunable scattering cross section and can be incorporated into the channels of a microstructure optical fiber; this system may provide the means for a fiber-based scattering switch.     

Interferometric all-optical switches for ultrafast signal processing

All-optical switches find applications in ultrahigh-speed network-user interfaces and in specialized high-speed processors, such as data regenerators and encryptors and microwave signal generators. We describe a semiconductor optical-amplifier-based single-arm interferometric switch called the ultrafast nonlinear interferometer. We discuss how the gain and the refractive-index nonlinearities in semiconductor optical amplifiers have an impact on the all-optical switch design, and we review experimental results obtained with the ultrafast nonlinear interferometer.     

Plasmon dynamics in colloidal Cu₂-xSe nanocrystals

The optical response of metallic nanostructures after intense excitation with femtosecond-laser pulses has recently attracted increasing attention: such response is dominated by ultrafast electron-phonon coupling and offers the possibility to achieve optical modulation with unprecedented terahertz bandwidth. In addition to noble metal nanoparticles, efforts have been made in recent years to synthesize heavily doped semiconductor nanocrystals so as to achieve a plasmonic behavior with spectrally tunable features. In this work, we studied the dynamics of the localized plasmon resonance exhibited by colloidal Cu(2-x)Se nanocrystals of 13 nm in diameter and with x around 0.15, upon excitation by ultrafast laser pulses via pump-probe experiments in the near-infrared, with ～200 fs resolution time. The experimental results were interpreted according to the two-temperature model and revealed the existence of strong nonlinearities in the plasmonic absorption due to the much lower carrier density of Cu(2-x)Se compared to noble metals, which led to ultrafast control of the probe signal with modulation depth exceeding 40% in transmission.     

Interferometric detection in picosecond ultrasonics for nondestructive testing of submicrometric opaque multilayered samples: TiN/AlCu/TiN/Ti/Si

An experimental investigation of nanometric thin films by a picosecond ultrasonic technique is presented. A photoelastic model is used with an interferometric device, combined with ultrafast optical pump and probe setup, to measure the thicknesses of submicrometric layers made of TiN, Ti, and AlCu deposited on silicon (Si) wafers. The results are in good agreement with ellipsometry measurements showing that the picosecond ultrasonic technique can give accurate results even when the reflectance signal is very low. Additional important results are first, that the adhesion of the TiN surface film is probed by processing both the frequency and the damping of the oscillation of a resonance acoustic mode; and second, the presence of a thin buried TiN layer under an opaque AlCu film is highlighted by the interferometric setup.     

Doped semiconductor nanomaterials

The development and properties of doped nanomaterials including doped titanium dioxide, doped silicon, and doped cadmium telluride are reviewed, as well as their ultrafast dynamics. Doping nanomaterials provides a flexible way to tune to the properties of the materials while maintaining their high surface areas. The electronic, optical, photochemical, photoelectrochemical, photocatalytic and photoexcited relaxation properties can be tuned towards the desired direction by doping different elements. The materials can be engineered towards specific applications through careful selection of the dopants.     

Effect of defects on electrical properties of 4H-SiC Schottky diodes

Most of power electronic circuits use power semiconductor switching devices which ideally present infinite resistance when off, zero resistance when on, and switch instantaneously between those two states. Switches and rectifiers are key components in power electronic systems, which cover a wide range of applications, from power transmission to control electronics and power supplies.

Typical power switching devices such as diodes, thyristors, and transistors are based on a monocrystalline silicon semiconductor or silicon carbide. Silicon is less expensive, more widely used, and a more versatile processing material than silicon carbide. The silicon carbide (SiC) has properties that allow devices with high power voltage rating and high operating temperatures. The technology overcomes some crystal growth obstacles, by using the hydrogen in the fabrication of 4H-SiC wafers.

The presence of structural defects on 4H-SiC wafers was shown by different techniques such as optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The presence of different SiC polytypes inclusions was found by Raman spectroscopy. Schottky diodes were realized on investigated wafers in order to obtain information about the correlation between those defects and electrical properties of the devices. The diodes with voltage breakdown as 600 V and ideality factor as 1.05 were obtained and characterized after packaging.     

Two-Dimensional Image Transmission Based on the Ultrafast Optical Data Format Conversion between a Temporal Signal and a Two-Dimensional Spatial Signal

We have experimentally demonstrated a two-dimensional (2-D) image transmission based on the ultrafast optical data format conversion between a temporal signal and a spatial signal with an ultrashort optical pulse. In the proposed system we adopt a spectral holography technique to transmit a one-dimensional (1-D) spatial signal and use a spatial-domain time-frequency transform to realize a transform between 1-D and 2-D spatial signals. By use of these techniques, a low-optical-loss transmission system can be constructed. To demonstrate a 2-D image transmission with this technique, we achieved experimentally transmission of the alphabet letter T as a 3 x 3 pixel 2-D spatial image.     

Ultrafast laser-induced microstructure/nanostructure replication and optical properties

This paper demonstrates replication of ultrafast laser-induced micro/nano surface textures on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The surface texture replication process reduces the processing steps for microtexturing while improving light trapping. Two methods are demonstrated to replicate surface microtexture, a simple mold method and an embossing method. The laser microtextured silicon and titanium surfaces with micro to nanoscale features have been successfully replicated. Optical characterization of the replicated microtextured PDMS surfaces is performed and the results agree with model predictions. The replicated microtextured PDMS film is applied on a silicon surface and optical characterization shows that surface reflectance can be suppressed over 55% compared to the control value.     

Hot‐Electron‐Assisted Femtosecond All‐Optical Modulation in Plasmonics

The optical Kerr nonlinearity of plasmonic metals provides enticing prospects for developing reconfigurable and ultracompact all‐optical modulators. In nanostructured metals, the coherent coupling of light energy to plasmon resonances creates a nonequilibrium electron distribution at an elevated electron temperature that gives rise to significant Kerr optical nonlinearities. Although enhanced nonlinear responses of metals facilitate the realization of efficient modulation devices, the intrinsically slow relaxation dynamics of the photoexcited carriers, primarily governed by electron–phonon interactions, impedes ultrafast all‐optical modulation. Here, femtosecond (≈190 fs) all‐optical modulation in plasmonic systems via the activation of relaxation pathways for hot electrons at the interface of metals and electron acceptor materials, following an on‐resonance excitation of subradiant lattice plasmon modes, is demonstrated. Both the relaxation kinetics and the optical nonlinearity can be actively tuned by leveraging the spectral response of the plasmonic design in the linear regime. The findings offer an opportunity to exploit hot‐electron‐induced nonlinearities for design of self‐contained, ultrafast, and low‐power all‐optical modulators based on plasmonic platforms.     

Azobenzenes for photonic network applications: Third-order nonlinear optical properties

We review the third-order nonlinear performance of pseudo-stilbene type azobenzenes with an eye to application in ultrafast optical signal processing. We discuss mechanisms responsible for the nonlinear response of the azobenzenes. By aggregating experimental data and theoretical trends reported in the literature, we identify five characteristic regions of optical nonlinear response. Analyzed with respect to Stegeman figures of merit, pseudo-stilbene type azobenzenes show promise for ultrafast optical signal processing in two spectral regions, one lying between the main and two-photon absorption resonances, and the other for wavelengths longer than the two-photon absorption resonance. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Designed ultrafast optical nonlinearity in a plasmonic nanorod metamaterial enhanced by nonlocality

All-optical signal processing enables modulation and transmission speeds not achievable using electronics alone. However, its practical applications are limited by the inherently weak nonlinear effects that govern photon-photon interactions in conventional materials, particularly at high switching rates. Here, we show that the recently discovered nonlocal optical behaviour of plasmonic nanorod metamaterials enables an enhanced, ultrafast, nonlinear optical response. We observe a large (80%) change of transmission through a subwavelength thick slab of metamaterial subjected to a low control light fluence of 7 mJ cm(-2), with switching frequencies in the terahertz range. We show that both the response time and the nonlinearity can be engineered by appropriate design of the metamaterial nanostructure. The use of nonlocality to enhance the nonlinear optical response of metamaterials, demonstrated here in plasmonic nanorod composites, could lead to ultrafast, low-power all-optical information processing in subwavelength-scale devices.     

Controllable optical bistability and Fano line shape in a hybrid optomechanical system assisted by kerr medium: possibility of all optical switching

We theoretically analyse the optical and optomechanical nonlinearity present in a hybrid system consisting of a quantum dot(QD) coupled to an optomechanical cavity in the presence of a nonlinear Kerr medium, and show that this hybrid system can be used as an all optical switch. A high degree of control and tunability via the QD-cavity coupling strength, the Kerr and the optomechanical nonlinearity over the bistable behaviour shown by the mean intracavity optical field and the power transmission of the weak probe field can be achieved.The results obtained in this investigation has the potential to be used for designing efficient all-optical switch and high sensitive sensors for use in Telecom systems.     

Diffraction-based tracking of surface plasmon resonance enhanced transmission through a gold-coated grating

Surface plasmon resonance enhanced transmission through metal-coated nanostructures represents a highly sensitive yet simple method for quantitative measurement of surface processes and is particularly useful in the development of thin film and adsorption sensors. Diffraction-induced surface plasmon excitation can produce enhanced transmission at select regions of the visible spectrum, and wavelength shifts associated with these transmission peaks can be used to track adsorption processes and film formation. In this report, we describe a simple optical microscope-based method for monitoring the first-order diffracted peaks associated with enhanced transmission through a gold-coated diffraction grating. A Bertrand lens is used to focus the grating's diffraction image onto a CCD camera, and the spatial position of the diffracted peaks can be readily transformed into a spectral signature of the transmitted light without the use of a spectrometer. The surface plasmon peaks appear as a region of enhanced transmission when the sample is illuminated with p-polarized light, and the peak position reflects the local dielectric properties of the metal interface, including the presence of thin films. The ability to track the position of the plasmon peak and, thus, measure film thickness is demonstrated using the diffracted peaks for samples possessing thin films of silicon oxide. The experimental results are then compared with calculations of optical diffraction through a model, film-coated grating using the rigorously coupled wave analysis simulation method.