High-efficiency bragg gratings in photothermorefractive glass

Photosensitive silicate glasses doped with silver, cerium, fluorine, and bromine were fabricated at the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers. Bragg diffractive gratings were recorded in the volume of these glasses with a photothermorefractive process (exposure to UV radiation of a He-Cd laser at 325 nm is followed by thermal development at 520 degrees C). Absolute diffraction efficiency of as much as 93% was observed for 1-mm-thick gratings with spatial frequencies up to 2500 mm(-1). No decreasing of diffraction efficiency was detected at low spatial frequencies. Original glasses were transparent (absorption coefficient less than 1 cm(-1)) from 350 to 4100 nm. Induced losses in exposed and developed glass decreased from 0.3 to 0.03 cm(-1) between 400 and 700 nm, respectively, and did not exceed 0.01-0.02 cm(-1) in the IR region from 700 to 2500 nm. Additional losses caused by parasitic structures recorded in the photosensitive medium were studied.     

High-efficiency binary fan-out gratings by modulation of a high-frequency carrier grating

A modulation scheme that uses pulse-position modulation of a high-frequency binary grating to increase the diffraction efficiency of the elements is presented. These elements are designed and fabricated with both one- and two-dimensional signals for operation in transmission or reflection modes in the visible and the infrared regions of the spectrum. A direct electron-beam lithography fabrication process capable of realizing features of ～280 nm with a resolution of 15 nm is described in detail. Experimental results show that diffraction efficiencies of >80% are attainable.     

Microspectrometer with slab-waveguide transmission gratings

An integrated transmission diffraction grating in a planar optical waveguide is presented for broadband spectroscopic analysis of liquids and gases. Silicon oxynitride slab waveguides on silicon substrates with low optical loss in the visible range are combined with a phase transmission grating exhibiting a blaze effect at 500 nm to achieve high-efficiency diffraction and high spectral dispersion. Collimated white light propagates through the waveguide and couples into air at a stepped formed planar grating. The beams of each adjacent step interfere constructively at the focal line of a cylindrical lens, its focal line positioned perpendicular to the waveguide plane. We used a common silicon photodiode array to detect the spectral data. Our approach is to develop a compact and economic spectrometer without moving parts that can be applied for UV-visible analysis and near-infrared industrial process control as well.     

Low-loss measurement in partially buried opticalwaveguideson glass with a plastic prism

Surface and buried planar waveguides have been fabricated in glass microscope slides with purely thermal potassium and sodium ion-exchange techniques. We measured propagation loss as low as 0.08 dB/cm in the partially buried waveguides using an improved two-prism coupling method. The method includes a plastic prism and involves applying heat to soften the base of the outcoupling plastic prism so that the prism is temporarily in extremely close contact with the waveguide surface.     

Negligible birefringence in dual-mode ion-exchanged glass waveguide gratings

Polarization dependence of UV-written Bragg gratings in buried ion-exchanged glass waveguides is investigated. A polarization-dependent shift in Bragg wavelength of less than 0.02 nm is measured, both for the even and the odd modes of a laterally dual-mode waveguide. The measured wavelength shift corresponds to a waveguide birefringence of the order of 10(-5), which is negligible for most applications in optical communications. It is observed that the UV-induced birefringence is small, within the limits of the measurement accuracy. The thermal stability of the fabricated gratings is also very good. The results are of particular importance for devices considered here since they require a polarization-independent mode-converting waveguide Bragg grating. Polarization-independent performance of these gratings enables the fabrication of a new class of integrated optical devices for telecommunication applications.     

Electron-beam-fabricated asymmetric transmission gratings for microspectroscopy

Asymmetric transmission gratings operating in the resonance domain are designed by modeling of the dose-controlled electron-beam lithography process with Gaussian convolution. We aim to exceed some efficiency limit eta(s) over a specified spectral range and to maximize eta(s). The resultant continuous-profile gratings are fabricated by electron-beam lithography and proportional reactive-ion etching into SiO(2). We demonstrate gratings with good signal-to-noise ratio and a diffraction efficiency greater than 40% for wavelengths from 400 to 750 nm.     

High-efficiency input coupling into optical waveguides using gratings with double-surface corrugation

Waveguide grating couplers that have surface corrugation on both boundaries of the waveguide were fabricated by the deposition of waveguide material at high-vacuum pressures onto a surface-relief grating etched into the substrate. A lateral shift between the two gratings along the direction of the common grating vector was created during the waveguide deposition when the substrate normal was tilted with respect to the direction of material deposition. A series of waveguide thicknesses having an identical angle of deposition were examined to observe the effect of the waveguide thickness, and corresponding lateral shift, on the branching ratio and input-coupling efficiency. Branching ratios of above 98% and input-coupling efficiencies near the theoretical limit for an incident Gaussian beam were obtained.     

High-efficiency dielectric reflection gratings: design, fabrication, and analysis

We report on reflection gratings produced entirely of dielectric materials. This gives the opportunity to enhance the laser damage threshold over that occurring in conventional metal gratings used for chirped-pulse-amplification, high-power lasers. The design of the system combines a dielectric mirror and a well-defined corrugated top layer to obtain optimum results. The rules that have to be considered for the design optimization are described. We optimized the parameters of a dielectric grating with a binary structure and theoretically obtained 100% reflectivity for the -1 order in the Littrow mounting for a 45 degrees angle of incidence. Subsequently we fabricated gratings by structuring a low-refractive-index top layer of a multilayer stack with electron-beam lithography. The multilayer system was fabricated by conventional sputtering techniques onto a flat fused-silica substrate. The parameters of the device were measured and controlled by light scatterometer equipment. We measured 97% diffraction efficiency in the -1 order and damage thresholds of 4.4 and 0.18 J/cm(2) with 5-ns and 1-ps laser pulses, respectively, at a wavelength of 532 nm in working conditions.     

Extreme-ultraviolet efficiency measurements of freestanding transmission gratings

We report new, near-normal-incidence, transmission grating efficiency results at selected extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths between 4.5 and 30.5 nm for two transmission gratings, one with a period of 200 nm and the other with a period of 400 nm. These gratings consist of opaque gold bars separated by open spaces that have been produced by photolithography techniques commonly used to produce electronic components. The gold bars and the open spaces are nominally of the same width. Both gratings have a thickness of 470 nm. The transmission efficiency at the central, first, and, when possible, second order of diffraction was measured. In addition, guided-wave phenomena at nonnormal angles of incidence, as well as transmission differences depending on which side of the grating was illuminated, were investigated. The observed guided-wave effects allow one to selectively enhance the transmission of the grating at desired wavelengths, as is realized with a blazed reflection grating.     

Extreme-ultraviolet radiation filtering by freestanding transmission gratings

Measurement of energetic neutral atoms fluxes in space requires efficient suppression of exceptionally strong background extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and UV radiation. Diffraction filters make it possible to separate (transmit) charged and neutral particles from the background radiation (which would be suppressed). Recently developed freestanding transmission gratings look especially promising for implementation in a new family of diffraction EUV/UV filters. The first results of our experimental study of filtering properties of freestanding transmission gratings with a period of 200 nm are presented. The grating transmission was measured in the 52-131-nm wavelength range, and grating polarization properties were determined at 58.4 nm. It is shown that transmission gratings can be used efficiently as filters and polarizers in the EUV/UV spectral range.     

Study on crack propagation behavior in a quenched glass plate

Crack pattern transition and crack propagation behavior in a quenched glass plate are investigated. Theoretical analysis indicates that the distance between the crack tip and the cold front is closely related to the crack pattern transition. This theoretical result is examined experimentally using instantaneous phase-stepping photoelasticity. As expected theoretically, when the crack tip remains close enough to the cold front, crack propagation remains straight. When this distance reaches a given value, the crack oscillates. These experimental results are in good agreement with the theory of crack pattern transition. Therefore, present theoretical analysis is valid in predicting the instability of crack propagation. The crack tip stress field is also examined by the present experimental method. In particular, in the oscillating regime, the mode-I stress intensity factor frequently becomes larger than the fracture toughness, and the mode-II stress intensity factor has a nonzero value during propagation. For the former result, some reasons are discussed, but the cause of this problem is still unknown. However, the latter result can be explained by the theoretical analysis of an infinitesimal kinked edge crack just after crack initiation.     

Stress measurements in glass by use of double thermal gratings

We developed a nondestructive and noncontact method for measuring stress at the midplane of tempered glass plates that uses Bragg scattering from a pair of thermal gratings. These gratings are formed by 1064-nm beams from a seeded Nd:YAG laser, and we measure the polarization state of light from a 532-nm beam that scatters from both thermal gratings. The change in polarization of the doubly scattered light with separation between the two gratings allows measurement of the in-plane stress. A model of the Bragg scattering efficiency, experimental investigations of the scattered beams, and stress measurements are reported.     

Extreme-ultraviolet polarization and filtering with gold transmission gratings

The polarization and transmission characteristics of freestanding gold transmission gratings, with 200-nm periods, for extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) radiation (1 < 200 nm) have been measured. We find that EUV transmission through the gratings is dominated by the waveguide characteristics of the gratings and that polarization efficiencies of 90% for wavelengths of 121.6 nm are achievable. Both the EUV polarization and transmission properties are in good agreement with a complete vector, numerical solution of Maxwell's equations. The fraction of open area to total area of the grating has been measured using a 10-keV proton beam and was found to be in good agreement with the microscopic slit and wire dimensions that were obtained by scanning electron microscopy. The use of these gratings for particle measurements in the presence of intense EUV radiation is briefly discussed.     

Diffraction analysis of blazed transmission gratings with a modified extended scalar theory

An alternative interpretation of the diffraction of blazed transmission gratings with moderate structure period is proposed according to a modified extended scalar theory (MEST). The diffraction field on the bottom facet of the grating is considered to be the interference of four subfields investigated in the problem of diffraction of a plane wave by an infinite half-plane. It is observed that MEST gives the total field that agrees with rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA), and the result is more reliable than that of extended scalar theory (EST). The MEST is still a ray-optical-based approximation approach, and the region of validity is compared with EST and RCWA.     

Volume gratings for holographic storage applications written in high-quality germanosilicate glass

Volume holographic gratings are written with ultraviolet light in high-optical-quality, commercially available Ge-doped silica films and in Ge-doped optical-fiber preform sections loaded with molecular hydrogen. In the film samples, peak refractive-index changes exceeding 10(-2) and a sensitivity (index change/absorbed energy density) of 0.4 × 10(-7) cm(3)/J are measured. Angular multiplexing of up to 51 gratings is demonstrated in the preform samples.     

High-efficiency MoRu-Be multilayer-coated gratings operating near normal incidence in the 11.1-12.0-nm wavelength range

MoRu-Be multilayer coatings were applied to two diffraction gratings for the purpose of enhancing their normal-incidence efficiency in the 11.1-12.0-nm wavelength range. The grating substrates were replicas of a holographic master grating that had a blazed groove profile with 2400 grooves/mm and a 2-m radius of curvature. The relatively low average microroughness (0.8 nm) of the grating surfaces contributed to the relatively high groove efficiency of the grating substrates and the reflectance of the MoRu-Be multilayer coatings. The peak efficiency, measured with synchrotron radiation, was 10.4% in the second diffraction order at a wavelength of 11.37 nm.     

Hot stage transmission electron microscopy of crystallisation in a lithia-silica glass

Hot stage transmission electron microscopy has allowed the nucleation sequence in a 30 mole % Li₂O-70 mole % SiO₂ glass to be monitored in situ. This result agrees with previous work, in that the sequence of phases observed is identical but small temperature changes give rise to pronounced morphology changes. Hot stage electron microscopy has been proven to be a very useful technique for observing glass crystallisation processes, but the results must be carefully interpreted because of possible surface effects.Commercial masking lacquer.     

Effective diffraction gratings via acidic etching of thermally poled glass

Relief diffraction gratings are formed via acidic chemical etching of a periodically poled soda-lime glass. The thermal poling under 1000 V DC is performed at 325 °C using a thermally stable glassy-carbon anodic electrode with periodic grooves, the depth of the grooves being of ∼650 nm. Poling-induced modification of the glass results in deepening the glass anodic surface in the regions under the ribs of the anodic electrode due to volume relaxation and in increasing chemical durability of these regions in acidic media comparatively to the virgin glass. Chemical etching of the poled glass in NH₄F:8H₂O solution allows additional to the thermal poling shaping of the glass surface via faster dissolution of unpoled/less poled glass regions. The morphology of the glass surface before and after the etching is characterized with atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. About 30 min etching provides the formation of ∼0.9 μm in height relief diffraction gratings with the diffraction efficiency close to the theoretically achievable ∼30% for multi-order diffraction. In vivo measuring of the diffraction efficiency in the course of the etching allows precise fabrication of the gratings.     

Enhanced transmission due to nonplasmon resonances in one- and two-dimensional gratings

Enhanced transmission through subwavelength slit gratings and hole arrays is studied in view of its application in the far-infrared and microwave domains. Because for perfectly conducting gratings, plasmon resonances are not expected to produce an enhanced transmission, other kinds of resonance, such as Fabry-Perot, waveguide-mode, and cavity-mode resonances, are studied. The possibility of reaching 100% transmittivity for some particular wavelengths is established when two superimposed identical gratings are used while each of them transmits approximately 1% off resonance. A similar transmission is obtained with hole arrays. The study of the field map inside the groove region allows our establishing the nature of the resonance, that is involved. Comparison of the bandwidth with respect to the wavelength or incidence given by various kinds of resonance is presented.