An AlGaAs/GaAs oxide‐stripe double‐heterostructure laser

Abstract

An AlGaAs/GaAs oxide‐stripe double‐heterostructure (DH) laser is fabricated by liquid‐phase epitaxy (LPE) successfully. This laser consists of four epilayers, i.e., (N) Al_0.35Ga_0.65As cladding layer, (p) Al_0.05Ga_0.95As active layer, (P) Al_0.35Ga_0.65As cladding layer and (p) Al_0.05Ga_0.95As contact layer, and a top SiO₂ insulating layer. The stripe window opened through the SiO₂ layer is either 5 or 10 μm wide. The emission properties of the laser diodes were all measured under pulse mode. The lowest threshold current measured is 95 mA for a 10, μm‐wide stripe laser which corresponds to a threshold current density of 3,200 A/cm². The best power output is more than 30 mW per facet with a differential quantum efficiency of 10% per facet. In addition, the single filament operation is also observed in a 5 μm‐wide stripe laser. The lasing wavelength is centered around 8,500 Å.     

The New Method for the Synthesis of Fullerols Based on Radical Reaction

Abstract

The method for the synthesis of fullerols C₆₀(OH) _x was developed, allowing to obtain products with low number of hydroxy groups attached to fullerene molecule. At the first stage, product C₆₀(tert‐BuO) _x was obtained by the radical reaction of C₆₀ with tert‐butyl‐peroxide under heating or UV‐irradiation. At the second stage, fullerol C₆₀(OH) _x was synthesized after the elimination of tert‐butyl groups by acid treatment. Several samples C₆₀(OH) _x containing different numbers (x = 2–5) of hydroxy groups were obtained, the main product had x = 2. The structure of the fullerols was confirmed by UV‐ and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR)‐spectroscopy and MALDI‐TOF mass‐spectrometry.     

Cw and passively Q-switched laser performance of a mixed c-cut Nd:Gd0.33Lu0.33Y0.33VO4 crystal operating at 1.34 μm

Continuous wave and passively Q-switched laser operation with a mixed c-cut Nd:Gd_0.33Lu_0.33Y_0.33VO₄ crystal at 1.34 μm has been realized for the first time as far as we know. The largest output power of the continuous wave was 1.1 W for the output mirror of 5% transmission, with the optical conversion efficiency and the slope efficiency being 15% and 17.2%, respectively. The passive loss and the stimulated emission cross-section of the Nd:Gd_0.33Lu_0.33Y_0.33VO₄ crystal were found to be 0.6% and 0.47 × 10⁻¹⁹ cm². The thermal lens effect that weakened the laser performance has also been measured. For passively Q-switched operation, the shortest pulse duration of 26 ns, the highest peak power of 1.8 kW, along with the pulse energy as large as 47 μJ, were obtained using V:YAG as Q-switch. The experimental results have shown that the passively Q-switched Nd:Gd_0.33Lu_0.33Y_0.33VO₄ laser can generate pulses with larger pulse energy and higher peak power in comparison with the passively Q-switched Nd:GdYVO₄ lasers.     

Singlet‐Triplet Transition in the C60 2− Dianion

Abstract

The C₆₀ complexes with decamethylcobaltocene: (Cp*₂Co)₂C₆₀(C₆H₄Cl₂, C₆H₅CN)₂ (1) and [K · (18‐crown‐6)]₂ · C₆₀ · (DMF)₄ (2) have been obtained as single crystals by the diffusion method. The IR‐ and UV‐VIS‐NIR‐spectra justify the formation of the C₆₀ ^2? dianions in these salts. EPR measurements show that the low temperature signals of 1 in the 4–140 K range and 2 in the 4–60 K range have intensity corresponding only to 0.4% and 3.5% from total C₆₀. Because of this, most of the complexes are EPR silent, and, consequently, C₆₀ ^2? has a diamagnetic singlet (S = 0) state in these temperature ranges. The appearance of a broad EPR signal in the spectum of 1 above 140 K and 2 above ～60 K is assigned to a thermal population of a close lying excited triplet (S = 1) state. The singlet–triplet energy gap for C₆₀ ^2? in solid 1 and 2 was estimated to be 730 ± 10 and 300 ± 10 cm^?1.     

Nonlinear Optical Characteristics of C60 Thin Films

Abstract

The results of investigation of the real and imaginary parts of third‐order nonlinear susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) of C₆₀ thin films (～100 nm) at the wavelength of Nd: YAG laser radiation (532 nm, τ = 55 ps) are presented using Z‐scan technique. Our studies show that the sign of Reχ⁽³⁾ changes from negative, at pulse repetition rate of 2 Hz to positive, at 0.5 Hz. Sign variations of the real part of the third‐order susceptibility were attributed to the influence of the thermal lens.     

Sub-nanosecond Nd:Lu0.61Gd0.39VO4 microchip laser

We report the fabrication and operation of a single-to-three-mode, sub-nanosecond passively Q-switched Nd:Lu_0.61Gd_0.39VO₄/Cr⁴⁺:YAG microchip laser, which exhibits changes in mode structure with increasing incident pump power. The laser exhibits longitudinal mode oscillations with a partial transverse mode overlap. The shortest pulse duration, highest pulse energy and peak power observed are 646 ps, 8.7 μJ and 13.5 kW, respectively.     

Diode-pumped efficient laser operation and spectroscopy of Tm,Ho:YVO4

Spectroscopic characterization of co-doped Tm,Ho:YVO₄ crystal grown by the Czochralski method has been performed including absorption spectrum, emitting spectrum and luminescence decay lifetime. The polarization emitting spectrum around 2 μm is accomplished by exciting a singly Ho³⁺ doped YVO₄ crystal to exclude the influence of Tm³⁺³F₄-³H₆ transition and the emission cross section is deduced from both Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg (F-L) equation and reciprocity method (RM). In addition, we report up to 10.4 W continuous wave (CW) output with a conversion efficiency of 40% and 10.3 W Q-Switch output with 12.5 kHz pulse repetition rate of diode-pumped cryogenic Tm,Ho:YVO₄ laser. For Q-Switch operation, the minimum pulse width of 28.2 ns is obtained, all of which demonstrate that the Tm,Ho:YVO₄ is excellent laser material for 2 μm radiation.     

Ultrahigh Responsivity in Graphene–ZnO Nanorod Hybrid UV Photodetector

Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors based on ZnO nanostructure/graphene (Gr) hybrid‐channel field‐effect transistors (FETs) are investigated under illumination at various incident photon intensities and wavelengths. The time‐dependent behaviors of hybrid‐channel FETs reveal a high sensitivity and selectivity toward the near‐UV region at the wavelength of 365 nm. The devices can operate at low voltage and show excellent selectivity, high responsivity (R_I ), and high photoconductive gain (G). The change in the transfer characteristics of hybrid‐channel FETs under UV light illumination allows to detect both photovoltage and photocurrent. The shift of the Dirac point (V _Dirac) observed during UV exposure leads to a clearer explanation of the response mechanism and carrier transport properties of Gr, and this phenomenon permits the calculation of electron concentration per UV power density transferred from ZnO nanorods and ZnO nanoparticles to Gr, which is 9 × 10¹⁰ and 4 × 10¹⁰ per mW, respectively. The maximum values of R_I and G infer from the fitted curves of R_I and G versus UV intensity are 3 × 10⁵ A W^?1 and 10⁶, respectively. Therefore, the hybrid‐channel FETs studied herein can be used as UV sensing devices with high performance and low power consumption, opening up new opportunities for future optoelectronic devices.     

Investigation of a long‐term sealed CW transversely‐excited CO2 laser

Abstract

In this report, several methods have been provided to investigate the possibility of a long‐term sealed‐off operation of a CW transversely‐excited (TE) CO₂ laser. These methods include the additions of molecular 3A sieve, CO gas, auxiliary discharge, and catalysts. Variations of gas composition, discharge voltage, and laser power under different conditions have been analyzed. SnO₂ coating devices and monolithic catalysts have been introduced for the first time in a CW TE CO₂ laser. With an appropriate amount of these catalysts, sealed‐off operation with an output level at 550W for more than 110 Hours of discharge time was achieved.     

Synthesis of Novel Supramolecular Complexes from Fullerene C60 and Two New Cavitands

Abstract

Two new cavitands were prepared, their reactions with fullerene C₆₀ afford novel complexes, hosting one and two C₆₀ molecules. The cavitands were studied by solution NMR and solid‐state ¹³C, ²⁹Si CP‐MAS NMR. The complexes obtained were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹³C and ²⁹Si CP‐MAS NMR, UV and FTIR. In the complexes π–π, CH–π and n–π interactions were observed.     

Tm3+-doped fiber master oscillator power amplifier with broad tunability in pulse duration using an acousto-optic external modulator

ABSTRACT

We demonstrate a pulse-duration tunable Tm³⁺-doped pulsed all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) operating at a central wavelength of 1908 nm. By using acousto-optic(AO) external modulation, the amplified laser pulse shows a tuning range having pulse durations from 66.5 ns to 8.0 μs and a repetition rate of 100 kHz-2 MHz. The laser achieved a maximum average power of 28.1 W and a corresponding energy of 28.1 μJ at 1MHz with a 3 dB linewidth of 0.63 nm and a beam quality factor of M_x²=1.25 and M_y²=1.32. The ASE suppression ratio is 50 dB and the corresponding total amplifier gain is 27.5 dB. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest average output power and slope efficiency (～51.0%) achieved using AO external modulation in a Tm³⁺-doped pulsed fiber amplifier.     

New Polymeric Phase in Low‐Doped Lithium Intercalated Fullerides

Abstract

The low‐doped Li _x C₆₀ compounds (x≤6) were investigated using laboratory X‐ray and synchrotron radiation diffraction, ¹³C NMR and Raman spectroscopy. Li₄C₆₀ shows an unusual 2D polymerisation in which the C₆₀ units are connected both by [2+2] cycloaddition and by single carbon–carbon bonds, a unique feature among the known polymerised fullerene compounds. This picture is fully supported also by static NMR and Raman measurements. The charge transfer to C₆₀ in the polymeric phase was evaluated from the shift of the A_g(2) mode. The depolymerisation process was investigated as well; despite the presence of two different bonds, the polymer‐to‐monomer transition induced by thermal treatments is a single‐step phenomenon.     

Frequency Spectral Measurements of a Pulsed,TE CO2

Abstract

Experimental measurements of the intra-pulse chirp and temporal coherence from a Joule class TE CO₂ laser incorporating LAWS transmitter design features are presented. Digitized quadrature data (I and Q) from our ground-based coherent Doppler lidar system utilizing return signals off a hard target in the telescope far field are processed using fast Fourier transform and pulse pair techniques to obtain laser pulse frequency spectral components (offset frequency and spectral width) and high-resolution (～ 50 ns/sample) frequency chirp profiles. Less than 300 kHz of frequency chirp is observed in the first 3·5 μs of the laser pulse which contains approximately 90% of the pulse energy. Spectral width of the laser pulse, including both chirp and transform limited components, are measured to be less than 300 kHz full width at half maximum.     

Passively Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser using cobalt oxide nanocubes as a saturable absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched Erbium-doped fibre laser (EDFL) utilizing cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) nanocubes film based saturable absorber (SA) as a passive Q-switcher. Co₃O₄ nanocubes are embedded into a polyethylene oxide film to produce a high nonlinear optical response, which is useful for SA application. It has saturation intensity and modulation depth of 3 MW/cm² and 0.35%, respectively. The proposed laser cavity successfully generates a stable pulse train where the pulse repetition rate is tunable from 29.8 to 70.92 kHz and the pulse-width reduces from 10.9 to 5.02 μs as the 980 nm pump power increases. This result indicates that the Co₃O₄ is excellent for constructing an SA that can be used in producing a passively Q-switched fibre laser operating at a low pump intensity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Co₃O₄ film based fibre laser.     

Tungsten tri-oxide (WO3) film absorber for generating Q-switched pulses in erbium laser

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a new type of passive saturable absorber (SA) made of transition metal oxide (TMO) embedded in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The Tungsten trioxide (WO₃)-PVA SA is placed in an erbium-doped fibre laser cavity to produce Q-switched pulses operating at 1562.82?nm. The pulse laser starts to manifest at the threshold pump power of 40?mW and continues to exist until the maximum pump power of 195?mW. Within that pump power range, its pulse energy, repetition rate and pulse width vary from 98 to 142.85?nJ, 29.86 to 56.7?kHz and 5.032 to 1.85?µs, respectively. The pulse train is stable with a signal to noise ratio of 70?dB. This is the first demonstration of a Q-switched laser using such a SA.     

Polarization Effect in ESR of Co Doped CuGeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Electron spin resonance of a single crystal of CuGeO₃ doped with 2% of Co has been studied at f = 99 GHz in temperature range 1.8–50 K. Contributions to ESR absorption from Cu²⁺ chains and from Co²⁺ ions were derived. It is found that functions obtained for ESR integrated intensities: Curie-Weiss for Cu²⁺ (χCu ∼ C _Cu/(T + Θ), with Θ = 92 K) and Curie for Co²⁺ (χCo ∼ C _Co/T) are well consistent with temperature dependence of static magnetic susceptibility. Strong dependence of ESR absorption on polarization of oscillating magnetic field was discovered for Co²⁺ contribution. Polarization effect was studied for magnetic field applied along a, b and c directions. Values of g-factors of resonance lines are presented.     

Spectroscopic properties and energy transfer process in Er doped ZrF4-based fluoride glass for 2.7 μm laser materials

Intense 2.7 μm emission from Er³⁺ doped in a new type of ZrF₄-based fluoride glass is reported. 2.7 μm emission characteristics and energy transfer process upon excitation of a conventional 980 nm laser diode are investigated. Based on the absorption spectra, the Judd-Ofelt parameters and radiative properties were calculated and compared with those of other glass hosts. The prepared glass possesses higher predicted spontaneous transition probability (29.04 s⁻¹) along with larger calculated emission cross section (9.16 × 10⁻²¹ cm²). Besides, the energy transfer coefficient of laser upper level (⁴I_11/2) can reach as high as 6.56 × 10⁻³⁹ cm⁶/s. Hence, these results indicate that this Er³⁺ doped ZrF₄-based fluoride glass has potential applications in 2.7 μm laser.     

Diode-end-pumped passively Q-switched 1.34 μm Nd:Gd0.5Y0.5VO4 laser with Co:LMA saturable absorber

In this paper, the output performances at 1.34 μm in continuous wave operation and passive Q-switching regime of a diode-end-pumped Nd:Gd_0.5Y_0.5VO₄ laser have been investigated. The passive Q-switching regime was achieved with Co²⁺:LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉ (Co²⁺:LMA) saturable absorbers crystals. A maximum average output power of 230 mW was recorded with a Co²⁺:LMA with initial transmission of 81%. The minimum pulse duration was 116 ns, which corresponded to a repetition rate of 360 kHz, the single pulse energy of 2.1 μJ and the pulse peak power of 5.5 W.     

Multisheet structure of Inconel 718 superalloy processed by LBW/SPF technology and its microstructure

Abstract

Multisheet structure of Inconel 718 superalloy will be widely used in vehicles as heat resisting and heat shielding structure due to its lightweight, high strength and stiffness. Multisheet structure of Inconel 718 superalloy was processed by laser beam welding and superplastic forming (LBW/SPF) technology in the present paper. Multisheet structure of Inconel718 superalloy processed by LBW/SPF technology exhibits good configuration and uniform thickness distribution. Laser beam welding parameters for multisheet structure were as follows: pulse frequency was 32 Hz; pulse duration 3 ms; peak power per pulse 4500 W; welding speed 180 mm min^–1; SPF parameters were as follows: temperature T_f=965°C; forming pressure P _f=4·2 MPa; forming time t _f=130 min. Microstructure of multisheet structure was studied carefully. Microstructure in weld fusion zone was constituted of austenite dendritics and Laves phase precipitated in interdendritics. After SPF process, austenite dendritics in the weld fusion became coarser and most of Laves phases were dissolved and turned into δ precipitated phase but a few of Laves phases were still reserved. And Nb concentration in dendritics increased to 5·42% compared to 2·82% under as welded condition. Weld metal hardness increased from 331·63 under as welded condition to 391·74 under post-SPF condition which was closed to the base material hardness of post-SPF. Grain size of base material grew slightly and an amount of precipitated phase appeared in the base material undergoing SPF process. The tensile test results of base material show that tensile strength increased obviously and the ductility decreased slightly after SPF process. Therefore, LBW/SPF technology is an appropriate forming technique for multisheet structure of Inconel 718 superalloy.     

Generating 3-μm radiation in YAG:Er crystals with resonance excitation of activator ions to a lower laser level

A pulse laser on a phosphate glass activated by Cr³⁺-Yb³⁺-Er³⁺ ions (λ = 1.54 μm) was used to pump Y₂Al₅O₁₂:Er³⁺ (YAG:Er) crystals to the lower laser level of a 3-μm transition (⁴I_11/2 → ⁴I_13/2) in Er³⁺ ions (λ = 2.94 μm). For a pumping pulse energy of E _exc = 200 mJ, the efficiency of 3-μm lasing was 20%. A differential efficiency of the YAG:Er laser in the case of a resonance pumping into the lower laser level amounted to 26%.