The Extension of the Electronic Speckle Photography to the Measurement of In-Plane Displacement

In this paper, a modified speckle photography technique is demonstrated for the measurement of a variable range of the in-plane displacement. The modification focuses on coupling the diode pump solid state laser DPSS with the conventional speckle photography technique. The DPSS laser emerges different wavelengths to provide speckle patterns of suitable size to measure the desired range of the in-plane displacement. The second harmonic generation in a nonlinear crystal of wavelength 532 nm and the principle diode laser wavelength 808 nm are employed in identifying the object positions within a lateral displacement made by a standard linear stage in the range from few microns up to 1.2 mm. The sensitivity and the correlation of the speckles formed by both wavelengths suit both small and large movements. A continues measurement by the modified technique can be achieved by identifying a scale factor in the uniform area in which both wavelengths are effective, and high correlation between the results obtained by 532 and 808 nm is maintained. The uncertainty in measuring 1.2 mm lateral movement by the modified speckle photography is found to be 26.8 μm.     

Development of a Skin Burn Predictive Model adapted to Laser Irradiation

Laser technology is increasingly used, and it is crucial for both safety and medical reasons that the impact of laser irradiation on human skin can be accurately predicted. This study is mainly focused on laser–skin interactions and potential lesions (burns). A mathematical model dedicated to heat transfers in skin exposed to infrared laser radiations has been developed. The model is validated by studying heat transfers in human skin and simultaneously performing experimentations an animal model (pig). For all experimental tests, pig’s skin surface temperature is recorded. Three laser wavelengths have been tested: 808 nm, 1940 nm and 10 600 nm. The first is a diode laser producing radiation absorbed deep within the skin. The second wavelength has a more superficial effect. For the third wavelength, skin is an opaque material. The validity of the developed models is verified by comparison with experimental results (in vivo tests) and the results of previous studies reported in the literature. The comparison shows that the models accurately predict the burn degree caused by laser radiation over a wide range of conditions. The results show that the important parameter for burn prediction is the extinction coefficient. For the 1940 nm wavelength especially, significant differences between modeling results and literature have been observed, mainly due to this coefficient’s value. This new model can be used as a predictive tool in order to estimate the amount of injury induced by several types (couple power-time) of laser aggressions on the arm, the face and on the palm of the hand.     

Encryption of nonlinear optical signals in ZnO:Al thin films by ultrashort laser pulses

Described herein is the effect of optical annealing on the third-order non-linear optical properties exhibited by nanostructured Al-doped ZnO thin films. The samples were synthetized by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The optical annealing process was carried out by laser pulses at 532, 835 and 1064 nm wavelengths with, ps, fs and ps pulse duration, respectively. The optical non-linearity of the films was measured by the z-scan method with three different irradiations of excitation: 100 fs at 835 nm, 120 ps at 532 nm, and 150 ps at 1064 nm. The as-grown samples showed a saturable optical absorption that evolves into two-photon absorption transitions by a picosecond optical annealing phenomenon induced at 532 nm wavelength. Potential applications for developing optical encryption functions were considered.     

The influence of laser wavelength on the structure,morphology, and photoluminescence properties of pulsed laser deposited CaS: Eu2+ thin films

Europium-doped calcium sulfide thin films were grown on Si (100) substrates using the pulsed laser deposition technique. The influence of the laser wavelength on the structure, morphology, and photoluminescent properties of the films was studied. The X-ray diffraction data showed that the films were amorphous, except for the (200) diffraction peak observed from the films deposited at the wavelengths of 266 and 355 nm. The atomic force microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy data showed that the film deposited at 355 nm was rougher and thicker than those deposited at 266 and 532 nm. As a result, the highest photoluminescence emission intensity around 650 nm was observed from the film deposited at 355 nm. This emission was attributed to the 4f⁶5d¹ → 4f⁷Eu²⁺ transitions of Eu²⁺ observed. These films were evaluated for blue light-emitting diodes.     

Nanoparticles of antimony sulfide by pulsed laser ablation in liquid media

In the present article, antimony sulfide nanoparticles have been synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of an antimony sulfide pellet in distilled water and isopropyl alcohol. The target was irradiated by 1064 and 532 nm from a pulsed Nd:YAG laser operated at 10 Hz and pulse width of 10 ns at room temperature. Analysis of the morphology, crystalline phase and elemental composition were done using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical band gap energies of these colloidal nanoparticles were evaluated from UV–Visible absorption spectra. It was observed that the morphology, size, and optical properties of the antimony sulfide nanoparticles depend on the wavelength of the laser and the liquid media.     

Gold nanoparticles deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates as materials for laser operated optoelectronic devices

We have discovered occurrence of strong narrow spectral lines in gold nanoparticles deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates at wavelengths 410, 440 and 550 nm under influence of 808 nm wavelength laser illumination with power about 200 mW. These lines appear just after the 1 s of illumination and are almost unchanged during all the remaining time of illumination. Such lines are absent for the other content of gold nanoparticles-modified substrates. So a principle role here is played by the inter-particle distances. The relaxation process is continued during 8–10 h and the samples return to their initial states. The occurrence of the such narrow spectral lines may be a consequence of the two-photon absorption related with the corresponding electron–phonon interactions due to specific interactions between the plasmons and the phonon subsystem and the free carriers.     

Laser induced surface structuring and ion conversion in the surface oxide of titanium: possible implications for the wetability of laser treated implants

In the present study, commercially pure titanium was irradiated with UV-light with varying wavelengths using a Q-switched Nd:YAG-laser. This was performed in order to investigate if a laser treatment can be employed to rapidly introduce hydrophilic properties to titanium surfaces, which is believed to facilitate protein adsorption and cell attachment. It was demonstrated that irradiation with 355 nm light (10 Hz, 90 mJ/shot) for 1 min or more caused an ion conversion of Ti⁴⁺ to Ti³⁺ sites in the surface oxide which lead to an increase in hydrophilicity of the surface. Furthermore, shorter irradiation times at 355 nm caused a surface structuring that gave rise to an unexpected and unstable hydrophobic state at the surface. Irradiation with 266 nm light (10 Hz, 40 mJ/shot) did not introduce any ion conversion in the surface oxide, nor did it give rise to any hydrophobicity of the surface.     

(Ga<Subscript>54.59</Subscript>In<Subscript>44.66</Subscript>Er<Subscript>0.75</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>300</Subscript> single crystal: novel material for detection of γ-radiation by photoinduced nonlinear optical method

It was shown a possibility to use the (Ga_54.59In_44.66Er_0.75)₂S₃₀₀ single crystal as optoelectronics detectors of gamma-irradiation using photoinduced nonlinear optical methods and photoluminescence. The crystal was irradiated by a ⁶⁰Co source at ambient conditions. The average energy of the incident γ-rays was about 1.25 MeV. The luminescence excitation was carried out using a 150 mW cw laser with wavelength 532 nm. The best results sensitive to the gamma irradiation were obtained for the third harmonic generations (THG) of the materials treated by bicolor Er: glass laser two beams propagated at angles about 21°–24°. The photoinduced gratings profile also were explored and their correlation with the gamma radiation and nonlinear optical response were explored. Comparison of photoluminescence and photoinduced nonlinear optical sensitivity to radiations was performed.     

Photoinduced operation and diagnostic of superconductivity in the MgB2 films

The occurrence of the optical second harmonic generation (SHG) at fundamental wavelength of Er:glass nanosecond 1,540 nm stimulated by two coherent CO₂ microsecond laser beams at wavelengths 10.6 and 5.3 μm was observed for the MgB₂ films. The SHG signal has shown its sensitivity to the occurrence of the superconducting (SC) phase transition. The SHG achieves its maximum at temperatures higher with respect to the SC transition. The effect is reversible with respect to the photo induced treatment. After the switching off of the external photoinducing treatment the effect almost disappears. However, this still strongly affects the SC properties of the MgB₂ thin layers, as the critical current is increased by 50 % after illumination.     

Cell interactions with laser-modified polymer surfaces

The performance of a polymeric biomaterial depends on the bulk and surface properties. Often, however, the suitability of the surface properties is compromised in favour of the bulk properties. Altering the surface properties of these materials will have a profound effect on how cells and proteins interact with them. Here, we have used an excimer laser to modify the surface wettability of nylon 12. The surface treatment is rapid, cost-effective and can cause reproducible changes in the surface structure of the polymers. Polymers were treated with short wavelength ( < 200 nm) UV light. These wavelengths have sufficient photon energy (6.4eV) to cause bond scission at the material surface. This results in a surface reorganisation with incorporation of oxygen. Surface wettability changes were confirmed using contact angle measurements. Cell interactions with the surfaces were examined using 3T3 fibroblast and HUVEC cells. Cells morphology was examined using a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Cell activity and cell number on the treated nylon were assessed using biochemical assays for up to seven days. Both fibroblasts and endothelial cells initially proliferated better on treated compared with untreated samples. However, over seven days activity decreased for both cell types on the control samples and endothelial cell activity and cell number also decreased on the treated polymer.     

Effects of excimer laser annealing energy on the properties of thermally evaporated tin antimony sulfide thin films and TEM characterization of the powder

Tin antimony sulfide (TAS) is one of the most promising compounds for the next generation of optoelectronic and thin film photovoltaic devices. TAS material was synthesized by a solid-state reaction using earth-abundant tin, antimony and sulfur elements. The structural properties of the TAS powder were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected electron diffraction (SAED) were employed to establish the crystalline nature of the powder. The TEM observations demonstrated that the powder was polycrystalline in nature with rod-shaped structure. The effects of excimer laser annealing (ELA) at different pulse energies on the structural, morphological and optical properties of thermally evaporated TAS films were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy measurements showed that the films annealed by an excimer laser of 248 nm were amorphous for weak energy densities whereas the sample irradiated with 111 mJ/cm^??2 was polycrystalline with a preferential \({\text{(}}\overline {{\text{2}}} {\text{1}}\overline {{\text{3}}} {\text{)}}\) orientation. The ELA effects on the optical properties were also studied in the wavelength range 300–1800 nm by using UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy. The absorption coefficient of all samples in the fundamental absorption region is higher than 10⁴ cm^?1. We also found that the optical band gap decreases from 2.04 to 1.84 eV after irradiating the thin films under different laser energy densities.     

Bilateral Comparison of Spectral Irradiance Between NIM and VNIIOFI from 250 to 2500 nm

With the new spectral irradiance measurement facility based on blackbody BB3500M of National Institute of Metrology (NIM), a bilateral spectral irradiance comparison was carried out between NIM and VNIIOFI (All Russian Research Institute for Optical and Physical Measurements) in the spectral wavelength from 250 to 2500 nm for the period of January 2015 to June 2016. The temperature measurement of the high temperature blackbodies were traced to the Pt–C and Re–C fixed point blackbodies and checked against the WC–C fixed-point blackbody for the two institutes respectively. The consistency of the temperature at 3021 K is better than 70 mK. The comparison result shows that the average relative deviation of spectral irradiance at 44 designated wavelengths is 0.45%. The consistency is better than 0.9% except the maximum deviation 1.1% at the wavelength of 2000 nm. The spectral irradiance units measured by NIM and VNIIOFI in this comparison are in agreement within the combined standard uncertainties of the laboratories over the wavelength range compared.     

Temperature Measurement of Semitransparent Silicon Wafers Based Upon Absorption Edge Wavelength Shift

The temperature dependence of silicon wafer transmittance is well understood, and is caused by various absorption mechanisms over a wide spectral range. As the wavelength increases, the photon energy decreases until it becomes lower than the minimum energy gap in the silicon band structure. At this point, which is often referred to as the absorption edge wavelength, there is a rapid drop in absorption. The absorption edge shifts to a longer wavelength with increasing temperature, because the bandgap narrows with increasing temperature. Experiments were carried out with varying wavelength (900 nm to 1700 nm), polarization (p- and s-polarized), and direction (from normal to 80°), using specimens with different resistivities (0.01 Ω · cm to 2000 Ω · cm). A characteristic curve relating the absorption edge wavelength and temperature was obtained for all of the silicon wafers, despite their differing resistivity. This method enables in situ temperature measurements of silicon wafers from room temperature to 900 K, using wavelengths to which the wafer is semitransparent. In this article, an experimental apparatus and measurement results are described in detail, and several remaining problems are discussed.     

Nickel oxide nanoparticles thin film saturable absorber for 1-micron pulsed all-fibre lasers operation

A passive Q-switched and mode-locked ytterbium-doped fibre laser (YDFL) pulse generation using a nickel oxide thin film as a saturable absorber is reported. The nickel oxide nanoparticle thin film was fabricated by a simple processing technique, and it has a modulation depth of 39% and saturation intensity of 0.04 MW/cm². The saturable absorber was constructed by inserting a small piece of the film between two fibre ferrules. Then it was integrated in a YDFL cavity. The Q-switching operation started at a threshold pump power of 117.73 mW with an initial wavelength of 1073.5 nm. When the pump power was raised from 117.73 to 133 mW, the repetition rate grew from 9.5 to 15.8 kHz. The pulses had a maximum pulse energy of 478 nJ. Furthermore, a stable self-started mode-locked pulse was also succesfully generated at the threshold pump power of 97.3 mW. The central wavelength and repetition rate of the laser were 1037.72 nm and 23 MHz, respectively. The maximum pulse energy of 0.56 nJ and a peak power of 26.4 W were recorded at a pump power of 137.5 mW.     

High Speed Photon Number Resolving Detector with Titanium Transition Edge Sensor

We have developed new photon number resolving detectors with titanium transition edge sensors (Ti-TESs) for a high counting rate operation in quantum information. The titanium superconducting films were fabricated by ultra-high vacuum electron beam evaporation, and showed a sharp superconducting transition at 359 mK. The device was coupled to a single mode optical fiber, and cooled down to 100 mK. Some of optical responses of the devices were measured by illuminating heavily attenuated laser pulses at wavelengths of 405 and 1550 nm. As a result, the device showed a fast decay time constant of 300 ns, which enables the operation at the counting rate of 400 kcps. The energy resolution was 0.76 eV at 405 nm and 0.68 eV at 1.5 μm, that make it possible to clearly resolve the number of photons of incident laser pulses. These features of the high counting rate operation and the reasonable energy resolution are very promising for quantum information field.      

Bactericidal and biocompatible properties of TiN/Ag multilayered films by ion beam assisted deposition

Nanoscale TiN/Ag multilayered films of thickness 500 nm were synthesized on AISI317 stainless steel by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) with the modulation period of 4, 5, 6, 7.5, and 12 nm. The bactericidal and biocompatible properties of TiN/Ag multilayered films were investigated through Gram negative E. coli bacteria and L929 cells (mice fibroblast) as well as human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The results show that the TiN/Ag multilayered films with the modulation period of 7.5 nm possess the strongest bactericidal property. The cytotoxicity grade of TiN/Ag multilayered coating with the modulation periods of 7.5 nm, 12 nm is in 0–1 scope, which indicates this film has no cytotoxicity to L929. HUVEC on TiN/Ag multilayered film grows well and shows good cellularity. Auger electronic spectroscopy reveals the relationship between the structure of TiN/Ag multilayered film and the biomedical properties.     

Quantum Dot‐Based Thermal Spectroscopy and Imaging of Optically Trapped Microspheres and Single Cells

Laser‐induced thermal effects in optically trapped microspheres and single cells are investigated by quantum dot luminescence thermometry. Thermal spectroscopy has revealed a non‐localized temperature distribution around the trap that extends over tens of micrometers, in agreement with previous theoretical models besides identifying water absorption as the most important heating source. The experimental results of thermal loading at a variety of wavelengths reveal that an optimum trapping wavelength exists for biological applications close to 820 nm. This is corroborated by a simultaneous analysis of the spectral dependence of cellular heating and damage in human lymphocytes during optical trapping. This quantum dot luminescence thermometry demonstrates that optical trapping with 820 nm laser radiation produces minimum intracellular heating, well below the cytotoxic level (43 °C), thus, avoiding cell damage.     

Temperature sensors based on multimode chalcogenide fibre Bragg gratings

In this work, a theoretical study was conducted on temperature sensing in Ge–Sb–Se multimode fibre Bragg grating (MM-FBG). The sensing characteristics of the designed MM-FBGs with different fibre parameters and operating wavelengths were calculated using a coupled model method. The temperature sensitivity of this MM-FBG was found to improve significantly by shifting the operating wavelength from telecom range to mid-infrared (MIR) and utilizing the wide transmission range of Ge–Sb–Se glasses. The temperature sensitivity of the proposed Ge–Sb–Se MM-FBG was calculated to be 0.0758 nm/°C at 1550 nm, which is 7.58 times higher than silica FBGs at 1550 nm, and the temperature sensitivity was calculated to be more than 0.16 nm/°C at 3390 nm, which is 2.2 times higher than that at 1550 nm. In addition, the proposed MM-FBGs provided multi-peak information, and the sensitivity of each peak was calculated to be comparable to the single-mode FBG. The proposed Ge–Sb–Se MM-FBG has great potential for temperature sensing in MIR because of its advantages of simple preparation, high coupling efficiency, multi-peak information and wide working window.     

Generation of stable and narrow spacing dual-wavelength ytterbium-doped fiber laser using a photonic crystal fiber

Abstract

We demonstrate the design and operation of novel narrow spacing and stable dual-wavelength fiber laser (DWFL). A 70-cm ytterbium-doped fiber has been chosen as the gain medium in a ring cavity arrangement. Our design includes a short length photonic crystal fiber, acting as a dual-wavelength stabilizer based on its birefringence coefficient and nonlinear behavior and tunable band pass filter (TBPF) to achieve narrow spacing spectrum lasing. Our laser output is considered to be highly stable, with power fluctuation less than 0.8 dB over a period of 15 min. The flexibility and tunability of TBPF, together with polarization controller enable the spacing tuning of the DWFL from 0.03 nm up to 0.07 nm for 1040 nm region, and 0.10 nm up to 0.40 nm for 1060 nm region. The tunable wavelength spacing shows the flexibility of the DWFL in addition to stable and reliable properties of fiber laser in 1-μm region.     

Studies on the two-photon pumped upconverted fluorescence and superradiance of a new organic dye material in solutions

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of a new organic dye, trans-4-[p-(N-ethyl-N-ethylamino)-styryl]-N-methyl-pyridinium tris(thiocyanato) cadmates (II), are reported in this paper. When pumped with a picosecond laser at the wavelength range of 850-1200 nm, intense upconversion fluorescence can be obtained. The upconversion efficiencies at different pump energies were measured when pumped with a 1064-nm laser beam from a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. The highest upconversion efficiencies were measured to be 5.8% and 7.6% in dimethyl formamide (DMF) and methanol. The lifetime of the dye in DMF was measured to be 75 ps. The strongest nonlinear absorption was at the wavelength of 940 nm, and the highest upconversion efficiency was at the wavelength of 1030 nm. The difference of the two wavelengths was caused by excited state absorption in the dye at wavelengths shorter than 1000 nm. The dye solution in DMF and methanol show a clear optical power limiting effect.