Microchip lasers

Microchip lasers are miniature diode-pumped solid-state devices formed by dielectrically coating thin platelets of gain media. Their simplicity and small size give them the potential for inexpensive mass production, while their cw output characteristics are comparable to those of the best conventional devices. By incorporating a thin platelet of a second material into the device, tunable cw lasers and picosecond Q-switched microchip lasers have been produced which outperform larger devices in many aspects. Electrooptically tuned devices have demonstrated a flat-band tuning response of 15 MHz/V at modulation rates from dc to 1.3 GHz. Pulses as short as 115 ps, with peak powers of 80 kW, have been generated by electrooptically Q-switched microchip lasers, and pulse repetition rates as high as 2.25 MHz have been demonstrated. Passively Q-switched devices generate pulses as short as 218 ps and produce peak powers in excess of 130 kW, without the need for switching electronics. A variety of miniature nonlinear optical devices, including harmonic generators, parametric amplifiers, parametric oscillators, and fiber-based Raman amplifiers, have been used to frequency convert the output of these lasers, accessing the entire spectrum from 5 μm to 190 nm in extremely compact optical systems.     

Integrated optical components in glass for sensory microsystems

Integrated optical circuits in glass are developed, manufactured, and studied for the purpose of creating a base for the construction of different optical sensors. Thermal ion exchange and electro-stimulated migration of ions into the glass are used as the basic fabrication technologies.     

Stray-light effects of diffractive beam-shaping elements in optical microsystems

The use of diffractive beam-shaping elements in hybrid or monolithic microsystems is investigated. Compact optical systems require diffractive structures with small grating periods for creating large deflection angles. Such elements are difficult to fabricate while a low stray-light level is maintained. In addition, because of the small geometrical dimensions and the short propagation lengths in an optomechanical microsystem, any stray light generated by the diffractive structure critically affects the overall optical performance. A model for the estimation of the interference effects between the designed and the unwanted diffraction orders is developed and applied to an example of a collimating diffractive optical element. On the basis of theoretical and experimental results, design rules for the application of diffractive beam-shaping elements in microsystems are derived.     

External cavity tunable quantum cascade lasers and their applications to trace gas monitoring

Since the first quantum cascade laser (QCL) was demonstrated approximately 16 years ago, we have witnessed an explosion of interesting developments in QCL technology and QCL-based trace gas sensors. QCLs operate in the mid-IR region (3-24?μm) and can directly access the rotational vibrational bands of most molecular species and, therefore, are ideally suited for trace gas detection with high specificity and sensitivity. These sensors have applications in a wide range of fields, including environmental monitoring, atmospheric chemistry, medical diagnostics, homeland security, detection of explosive compounds, and industrial process control, to name a few. Tunable external cavity (EC)-QCLs in particular offer narrow linewidths, wide ranges of tunability, and stable power outputs, which open up new possibilities for sensor development. These features allow for the simultaneous detection of multiple species and the study of large molecules, free radicals, ions, and reaction kinetics. In this article, we review the current status of EC-QCLs and sensor developments based on them and speculate on possible future developments.     

A digital self-calibration circuit for absolute optical rotary encoder microsystems

The parameters of the analog waveforms produced by the front-end electronics of absolute optical rotary encoders are affected by substantial differences and drifts. The threshold level required to convert the generated analog signal into a digital square wave in each read-out channel has to, therefore, be calibrated so as to keep the output duty-cycle close to its ideal value of 50%. This paper presents a digital self-calibration circuit specifically designed for this purpose. The circuit performs dynamic calculation of the threshold level, continuously compensating for encoder nonidealities while the system is normally operating. This avoids the need for manual calibration, provides thermal stabilization, and prevents performance degradation. The proposed digital calibration system was integrated in conventional CMOS technology and was then successfully evaluated.     

Sputtering preparation of ferroelectric PLZT thin films and their optical applications

Preparation of epitaxial PLZT thin films on sapphire has been investigated, and excellent ferroelectric properties such as piezoelectricity and electrooptic effect with high transparency were obtained in thin films. Moreover, a preparation process was developed involving the multitarget sputtering method, and strict control of film composition and epitaxial growth with the buffer layer of graded composition were performed. Using these PLZT thin films, some optical applications, including an acoustooptic deflector and an electrooptic guided-light switch, are shown.     

Semiconductor lasers for optical communication

Recent progress in the development of semiconductor lasers for optical-fibre communication is reviewed. GaInAsP buried heterostructure and distributed feedback structure, are described in some detail. An overview of the novel GaInAsSb mid-infrared (2–4 microns) lasers is also presented.     

In situ synthesis of metal nanoparticles in polymer matrix and their optical limiting applications

We present an overview of the simple and environmentally benign protocol we have developed recently, for the in situ generation of metal nanoparticles inside polymer films by mild thermal annealing, leading to free-standing as well as supported thin films of nanoparticle-embedded polymer. The fabrication chemistry is discussed and spectroscopic/microscopic characterizations of silver and gold nanoparticles in poly(vinyl alcohol) film are presented. Optical limiting characteristics of the silver-polymer system are investigated in detail and preliminary results for the gold-polymer system are reported.     

Discrete mode lasers for communication applications

The authors present a novel, low cost laser transmitter for telecommunication systems. This device, called discrete mode (DM) laser, is basically a ridge waveguide Fabry?Pe′ rot (FP) laser, whose wavelength spectra has been modified to obtain a single mode operation. This is achieved by perturbing the effective refractive index of the guided mode along very small sections of the laser cavity, by etching features into the ridge waveguide. Suitable positioning of these interfaces allows the mirror loss spectrum of an FP laser to be manipulated in order to achieve single longitudinal mode emission. The waveguide structure requires only a single growth stage and uses optical lithography to realise the ridge. In addition, the fabrication process is re-growth free. Despite this simple and low cost fabrication process, the DM lasers portray many advantages over the distributed feedback and distributed Bragg reflector lasers, such as very high side mode suppression ratio, stable operation over a large temperature range, narrow linewidth and low sensitivity to optical feedback.     

Potential applications of free electron lasers in biomedicine

Free electron lasers (FELs) are shown to be potentially useful in biomedicine as sources of high power radiation at selected wavelengths. Possible applications of an FEL for surgery, phototherapy and for photodynamic therapy of tumors are, in particular, discussed.     

Q-switching in single-heterojunction lasers and generation of ultrahigh-power picosecond optical pulses

Q-switching has been obtained for single-heterojunction lasers. The ultrafast saturable absorber in the laser cavity is created by implantation of high-energy heavy ions. The peak power generated by the lasers in a 150 μm stripe width is 380 W with a pulse length of 40 ps. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 23, 11–16 (February 26, 1997)     

Narrowband optical filters suitable for various applications in optical communications

We propose three types of narrowband optical filters based on a Fox-Smith resonator. We demonstrate that by choosing the appropriate combination of coating materials on each prism facet, one can design either a high reflectance or a high transmittance optical filter, suitable for low bit rate optical communication applications with International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) standards. We also show the possibility of designing an optical filter having a desirable finite reflectance/transmittance ratio with simultaneous peaks at ITU-T standard wavelengths. Such filters could be suitable for wavelength tuning applications.     

Technique for continuous tuning of optical fiber lasers

For the first time to the authors' knowledge, we have demonstrated how thermally controlled overcoupled fused fiber couplers and fiber loop mirrors based on these couplers can be used as broadband tuning elements in a fiber laser cavity. No bulk optical elements play any role in this technique. Temperature tuning the coupler results in a shift in the coupling ratio or in the effective output coupler transmission. For a fixed pump source, and for a given laser cavity, this shift causes the lasing wavelength to shift. We have continuously tuned an Er silica fiber laser in this manner over the range of 1527-1570 nm in a ring configuration, and, using a fiber loop mirror with these couplers in a linear Tm silica fiber laser cavity, we have achieved more than 50-nm broadband tuning over the range of 1850-1910 nm. The tuning range and the sensitivity to temperature depend on the degree of overcoupling of the loop mirror coupler.     

Nonlinear optical interactions of laser modes in quantum cascade lasers

We overview the results of recent experimental and theoretical studies of nonlinear dynamics of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) associated with nonlinear interactions of laser modes. Particular attention is paid to phase-sensitive nonlinear mode mixing which turns out to be quite prominent in QCLs of different kinds and which gives rise to frequency and phase locking of laser modes. Nonlinear phase coupling of laser modes in QCLs leads to a variety of ultrafast and coherent phenomena: synchronization of transverse modes, beam steering, the RNGH multimode instability, and generation of mode-locked ultrashort pulses.     

Long-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers for high-speed applications and gas sensing

Long-wavelength InGaAlAs-InP vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (LW-VCSELs) covering the wavelength range from 1.3 to 2.3 mum are presented. Furthermore, these lasers can be fabricated in a novel high-speed design-reducing parasitics to enable bandwidths in excess of 11 GHz at 1.55 mum. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the fastest 1.55 mum VCSEL ever presented. As a proof-of-concept one- and two-dimensional arrays have been fabricated with high yield. All devices use a buried tunnel junction for current confinement and a dielectric backside reflector with integrated electroplated gold-heatsink. This concept enables CW operation at room temperature with typical single-mode output powers above 1 mW. Both, wavelength range and modulation performance, together with VCSEL features such as operation voltage around IV and power consumption as low as 10-20 mW enable applications in tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) and optical data transmission. Error-free data transmission at 10 Gbit/s over 22 km which can be readily applied in uncooled coarse wavelength division multiplex passive optical networks is presented. A laser hygrometer using a 1.84 mum VCSEL demonstrates the functionality of TDLS systems with VCSELs.     

通体发光光纤及其应用

通体发光光纤不仅具有导光性 ,而且具有通体发光特性。本文介绍了通体发光光纤的种类、制备方法及优越性能 ,并简单概述了通体发光光纤在照明、装饰装璜、广告及其它领域中的应用。     

Molecular materials for electronic and optical applications

In the past two years molecular rectification and single electron transistor effects in molecular devices have been demonstrated. Because of the ambiguity of assigning these effects to particular molecules, research has turned to carbon nanotubes which are larger than more classical molecules. For optical applications bright and multicoloured organic light emitting diodes are available.