Method for measuring small optical absorption coefficients with use of a Shack-Hartmann wave-front detector

We present a method for measuring absorption at the 1 x 10(-5) cm(-1) level in high-quality optical materials. Using a Shack-Hartmann wave-front detector, thermal lensing in these materials may be measured. Then, the absorption coefficient may be estimated by fitting the observed deformation to a thermal lensing model based on the temperature dependences of the refractive index and the thermal expansion coefficient. For a particular sample of fused silica, the absorption coefficient was determined to be 1.8 +/- 0.4 x 10(-5) cm(-1). Obtaining this result requires a resolution in the optical path length better than +/- 0.1 nm.     

Investigation of the soda aluminosilicate glass system for application to fiber optical waveguides

An extensive investigation of the soda aluminosilicate glass systems has been conducted to determine the suitability of this material for low loss fiber optical waveguides. Based on measurements of scattering loss energy gap, and glass transition temperature we conclude that certain compositions of soda aluminosilicate glass have substantially lower measured scattering loss and less estimated absorption loss than pure fused silica, the best of the present waveguide materials. Scattering losses less than $\text{1}\text{4}$ that of pure fused silica have been observed.     

Fabrication of beam shapers in the bulk of fused silica by femtosecond laser pulses

We reported a new approach to the fabrication of three-dimensional refractive-index-modified microstructures inside transparent materials by combining two-dimensional writing by scanning the focus of the femtosecond laser pulse and by forming the long filament in the third dimension. In this way, embedded diffractive beam shapers of grid, square, and ring gratings were obtained in the bulk of fused silica by use of a femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 810 nm and a repetition rate of 1 KHz. These structures and their refractive efficiencies were optimized by selection of the appropriate fabrication parameters, including the pulse energy, grating period, scanning speed, and scanning repetition. The good performance of these devices indicates that, owing to its simple and flexible method for fabricating complex phase elements inside transparent materials, this technique has potential applications to integrated optics.     

Formation of void array inside transparent and absorptive glasses by femtosecond laser irradiation

We demonstrate self-fabrication of void arrays in a fused silica transparent in the visible and a color-filter borosilicate glass strongly absorptive at 800 nm using tightly focused Ti-sapphire femtosecond laser pulses at 1 kHz without scanning. The period, the size, the number of voids, and the length of the aligned void structure were controlled by changing the laser pulse energy, and the position of the focal point inside two materials. The void arrays were observed by an optical microscope and also estimated by an optical diffraction experiment. The void size and period were smaller in the absorptive glass than in the transparent glass. The submicrometer-sized void was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The smaller and clearer void arrays were formed in the color filter than the fused silica glass. With increasing the laser focal depth, the void-array length increased in the fused silica and decreased in the color filter.     

A technique for making low-loss fused silica core-borosilicate clad fiber optical waveguides

A technique for producing low-loss fused silica core-borosilicate clad fiber optical waveguides is described. The method consists of depositing radially oriented needles of borosilica on the outside surface of a fire-polished fused silica rod. This deposition is accomplished by a flame reaction of boron and silicon hydrides with oxygen. The deposit is subsequently sintered at approximately 1000°C to form a bubble free glass cladding. A thin fused silica outer jacket is then developed on this cladding to enhance the strength and the composite structure is drawn down to a fiber.     

Chemical vapour deposition of thin films of BN onto fused silica and sapphire

Thin films of BN were prepared by chemical vapour deposition onto fused silica and sapphire using the reaction of BCl₃ with NH₃. The temperature of the substrate was varied between 600 and 1100°C. Transparent and smooth films of BN were obtained on fused silica and sapphire at substrate temperatures of 1000–1100°C. The growth rate of the film on sapphire was about 1 μm h^?1, and the growth rate on fused silica was about one-half that on sapphire. The films were chemically inert and adherent to the substrate. The absorption of the BN film was measured at room temperature. In the near-UV region, the main absorption peak was at about 6.2 eV and a sharp drop occurred near 5.8 eV. The sharp drop is attributed to the direct band gap. The photoluminescence of the films was measured at room temperature by excitation with light of wavelength 254 nm. A broad emission with a peak near 360 nm was observed.     

Nanostructure induced by femtosecond laser in Various OH-contents silicas

Synthetic fused silicas with different OH content were irradiated with an ultrashort pulse laser, and the induced nanostructures were investigated. Compared with the samples before laser irradiation, two absorption bands centered at 4.8 eV corresponding to the E' (alphaSi*) center and at 5.8 eV corresponding to the non-bridging oxygen hole center (NBOHC, alphaSi-O*), were observed after laser irradiation in high-OH silicas. A photoluminescence band with photon energy of 1.9 eV was observed in the irradiated silicas under 4.8 eV light excitation. Though no red photoluminescence was observed after irradiating the inside of the low OH-containing silica samples, a similar phenomenon occurred when the laser beam was focused near the surface of low-OH silicas. The induced structures relaxed after annealing at 400 degrees C. A possible model for the generation of 1.9 eV photoluminescence induced by an ultrashort pulse laser in wet and dry silicas was proposed.     

Dispersion properties of liquid-core photonic crystal fibers

Dispersion properties of liquid-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with large air fraction in clads between 300 to 2000?nm have been calculated by a multipole method for various liquids including CS₂, toluene, chloroform, and water for different core diameters. In calculations, air holes are assumed to be arranged in a regular hexagonal array in fused silica, and a central hole is filled with liquid to create a core. The results are compared with those obtained by a fully vectorial effective index method, and fitting parameters for core sizes are found for each liquid except for water, where the latter method does not give correct dispersions at short wavelengths. Also, the power ratios inside liquid cores and effective core areas were calculated at different wavelengths.     

Fluorescence imaging of the desorption of dye from fused silica versus silica gel

The desorption rate constants for a cationic dye from strong adsorption sites are compared for the same chromatographic interface but for two different substrates, fused silica and chromatographic silica gel. The dye is 1,1'-didodecyl-3,3,3'3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI). The interface consists of acetonitrile and a hydrocarbon monolayer (C8) covalently bound to the silica substrate. To measure slow desorption from fused silica, fluorescence imaging combined with correlation spectroscopy is used. To measure slow desorption from silica gel, fluorescence movies of silica gel particles are used. In both cases, the results show that there are two types of slow desorption processes on time scales exceeding 1 s. The desorption time from one type of site is within an experimental error of 7 s for both silica substrates. The adsorption kinetics for this type of site are slow, and the equilibrium population of DiI on these sites is comparable to that for DiI weakly adsorbed to the hydrocarbon monolayer. For the second type of site, for fused silica, the population of DiI is even higher than that of weakly adsorbed DiI, and the desorption time constant is approximately 2 min, although this is likely shortened by photobleaching. For silica gel, the relative population of DiI on this ultrastrong site is more than an order of magnitude lower, and the desorption time constant is 4.0 +/- 0.1 min. Both silica substrates thus show two types of sites whose time constants agree within experimental error, suggesting that the strong adsorption sites on fused silica are chemically the same as those on chromatographic silica gel.     

Fine-pitched microgratings encoded by interference of UV femtosecond laser pulses

Fine-pitched microgratings are encoded on fused silica surfaces by a two-beam laser interference technique employing UV femtosecond pulses from the third harmonics of a Ti:sapphire laser. A pump and prove method utilizing a laser-induced optical Kerr effect or transient optical absorption change has been developed to achieve the time coincidence of the two pulses. Use of the UV pulses makes it possible to narrow the grating pitches to an opening as small as 290 nm, and the groove width of the gratings is of nanoscale size. The present technique provides a novel opportunity for the fabrication of periodic nanoscale structures in various materials.     

Optische und mechanische Eigenschaften von RLVIP HfO2‐Schichten

Optical and mechanical properties of RLVIP HfO₂ films In this paper HfO₂‐films were deposited on unheated fused silica, borosilicate glass, and silicon wafer substrates by reactive low voltage ion plating (RLVIP). Optical film properties, i. e. refractive index and absorption as well as mechanical properties, particularly film stress, were investigated. Their dependence on deposition parameters, i. e. arc current and oxygen partial pressure was studied. The film refractive index was calculated from spectrophotometric measurements. The low absorption was determined by photothermal deflection spectrometry. Stress measurements were performed by bending disc method with uncoated and coated silicon wafer substrates.     

Absorption of low-loss optical materials measured at 1064 nm by a position-modulated collinear photothermal detection technique

A collinear photothermal detection bench is described that makes use of a position-modulated heating source instead of the classic power-modulated source. This new modulation scheme increases by almost a factor 2 the sensitivity of a standard mirage bench. This bench is then used to measure the absorption coefficient of OH-free synthetic fused silica at 1064 nm in the parts per 10(6) range, which, combined with spectrophotometric measurements, confirms that the dominant absorption source is the OH content.     

Transient absorption in excimer-exposed silica

The transient absorption produced in high-purity fused silica by exposure to a 193-nm excimer laser is investigated as a function of exposure, dissolved molecular hydrogen content, and hydrogen-related processing. Long-term recovery of transmittance was found to correlate with the dissolved molecular hydrogen concentration, whereas short-term fade was due to geminate recombination of an E? center with an H radical. The redarkening process was shown to be the result of photolysis of SiH, which regenerates color centers. When the silica was processed in a hydrogen atmosphere at high temperature and subsequently exposed at 193 nm, the glass was found to produce an absorption spike, a fast, recoverable decrease in transmittance. The origin of the spike was linked to the creation of a precursor produced in the thermal reaction of silica with hydrogen. The precursor can be identified by its signal in the Raman spectrum. It is suggested that the precursor has absorption at 193 nm.     

Crack arrest and stress dependence of laser-induced surface damage in fused-silica and borosilicate glass

Results of experiments on stress-inhibited laser-driven crack growth and stress-delayed laser-damage initiation thresholds in fused silica, borosilicate glass (BK-7), and cleaved bulk silica are presented. A numerical model is developed to explain the crack arrest in fused silica. Good agreement is obtained between the model and a finite-element code. The crack arrest is demonstrated to be the result of the breaking of a hoop-stress symmetry that is responsible for crack propagation in fused silica.     

Borosilicate glasses for fiber optical waveguides

Of the existing optical glasses, pure fused silica is known to have the lowest optical attenuation in the red and near infrared portion of the spectrum where optical communications appears most promising. However, to approach the low attenuations afforded by pure fused silica in a waveguide structure requires that a core of fused silica be clad with a glass of slightly lower index refraction. This paper describes an investigation of the binary borosilicate glass system which has led to the realization of a promising cladding material for pure fused silica core fibers.     

Room temperature direct space-selective growth of gold nanoparticles inside a silica matrix based on a femtosecond laser irradiation

A one-step procedure without heat-treatment was carried out to yield the space-selective growth of gold nanoparticles inside a transparent silica matrix. A silica porous monolith was prepared via a sol-gel route and then post-doped with an aqueous solution of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (HAuCl₄) as a gold precursor, in the presence of sodium carbonate as an additive. Direct and local precipitation of gold nanoparticles inside the deep volume of the silica matrix was induced by a femtosecond laser irradiation at room temperature. Gold nanoparticles with size of about 50-60 nm were evidenced by absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The additive is assumed to be involved in a photo-electrochemical mechanism including redox reactions, which is necessary to the formation of gold nanoparticles.     

Absorption mapping for characterization of glass surfaces

The surface quality of bare substrates and preparation procedures take on an important role in optical coating performances. The most commonly used techniques of characterization generally give information about roughness and local defects. A photothermal deflection technique is used for mapping surface absorption of fused-silica and glass substrates. We show that absorption mapping gives specific information on surface contamination of bare substrates. We present experimental results concerning substrates prepared by different cleaning and polishing techniques. We show that highly polished surfaces lead to the lowest values of residual surface absorption. Moreover the cleaning behavior of surfaces of multicomponent glasses and their optical performance in terms of absorption are proved to be different from those of fused silica.     

Optimized condition for etching fused-silica phase gratings with inductively coupled plasma technology

Polymer deposition is a serious problem associated with the etching of fused silica by use of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology, and it usually prevents further etching. We report an optimized etching condition under which no polymer deposition will occur for etching fused silica with ICP technology. Under the optimized etching condition, surfaces of the fabricated fused silica gratings are smooth and clean. Etch rate of fused silica is relatively high, and it demonstrates a linear relation between etched depth and working time. Results of the diffraction of gratings fabricated under the optimized etching condition match theoretical results well.     

Investigation of laser-induced damage by nanoabsorbers at the surface of fused silica

A model for describing laser-induced damage in optical materials by nanosecond laser pulses is investigated. The laser-damage critical fluence is obtained based on calculating the light absorption of nanoabsorbers by using Mie theory and solving the heat equation. Considering a power law distribution of nano-absorbers, we calculated the damage probability at the surface of fused silica including Pt particles. The theoretical results calculated with appropriate parameters are applied to fit the experimental data in order to identify the properties of nanodefects.     

Ultrashort pulsed fiber laser welding and sealing of transparent materials

In this paper, methods of welding and sealing optically transparent materials using an ultrashort pulsed (USP) fiber laser are demonstrated which overcome the limit of small area welding of optical materials. First, the interaction of USP fiber laser radiation inside glass was studied and single line welding results with different laser parameters were investigated. Then multiline scanning was used to obtain successful area bonding. Finally, complete four-edge sealing of fused silica substrates with a USP laser was demonstrated and the hermetic seal was confirmed by water immersion test. This laser microwelding technique can be extended to various applications in the semiconductor industry and precision optic manufacturing.