External-cavity wavelength tunable laser with an electro-optic deflector

A near-IR tunable external-cavity laser that uses an electro-optic deflector and a reflection grating as a tunable filter is demonstrated. The deflector is an electronically reconfigurable nonpixelated nematic liquid-crystal device. By controlling the voltage applied to the electro-optic deflector, a tuning range of 12 nm and a side-mode suppression higher than 30 dB are obtained.     

Integrated high-power electro-optic lens and large-angle deflector

We present a theoretical discussion and experimental demonstration of what to our knowledge is a novel integrated electro-optic lens and beam deflector fabricated in lithium tantalate. The cylindrical lens collimates Gaussian beams as small as 4 mum in diameter, whereas the independently controlled deflector is capable of scanning the collimated beam through an angular range of nearly 20 degrees .     

Resolution considerations in electro-optic, single interface deflectors

We discuss the maximum theoretical resolution of a single interface, electro-optically controllable beam deflector in domain-engineered LiNbO3 and report on experimental results for implementation of devices optimized either for maximum resolution or for maximum deflection angle. For the resolution optimized device we observed approximately 50 resolvable spots for a +/- 1250-V range, which to our knowledge is a report of one of the highest ratios of resolution per volt from a solid-state electro-optic beam deflector.     

电光晶体研究进展

电光效应就是晶体折射率随外加电场而发生变化的现象。这种效应在光调制领域中有广泛的应用,可以制作激光器件,如高速电光开关、电光偏转器等。介绍了电光晶体的类型,以及电光晶体的研究现状和发展趋势。比较详细地介绍了偏硼酸钡晶体(1985年由我国科学家发现的第一个"中国牌"晶体)、磷酸钛氧钾和磷酸钛氧铷晶体、硅酸镓镧晶体等的特性和应用。最后提出了有关电光晶体研究的建议和展望,指出,必须从理论和实际两个方面来开展对电光晶体的研究,争取有所突破。     

Domain-engineered lithium niobate as a medium for an integrated solid-state two-dimensional color laser scanning system

A recently proposed alternative to conventional prism-type electro-optic solid-state deflectors is the single interface deflector. Whereas these deflectors are comparable in performance to prism-type deflectors, they are far simpler in construction. This simplicity obviously has the advantages that it reduces fabrication time and cost and allows for easier optimization. Less obviously, but more advantageously, the simplified geometry provides, for the first time to our knowledge, the ability to achieve a completely solid-state two-dimensional beam deflector. We also detail how the two-dimensional deflector can be further augmented by the addition of intensity and color switching to the device.     

Numerical analysis of a high-resolution fast tunable filter based on an intracavity Bragg grating

A fast tunable filtering technique is proposed associating a diffraction grating with an intracavity Bragg grating. The bandwidth and the tuning range of this filter can be easily adapted by changing the diffraction grating's orientation, or its period, and its response is uniform over the whole tuning range. A numerical simulation of the filter response to a Gaussian beam has been developed, and it fits the experimental results allowing a calculation of the performances that could be obtained with more specific elements. For example, using a commercial acousto-optic deflector would allow a separation of 500 frequencies. It would then be possible to have a tuning range of 100 nm with a bandwidth of 0.2 nm for optical telecommunications.     

Tuning of a Ti3+:sapphire laser by an electro-optic beam deflection method

A wavelength-switching method for tuning a self-injection-seeded Ti3+:sapphire laser that uses an electro-optic beam deflection technique is reported. A LiNbO3 prism was employed in a tuning arm of the dual-cavity Ti3+:sapphire laser, and wavelength tuning of approximately 94 pm was attained by altering the deflection angle with the application of an electric field of 10 kV/cm to the prism. The spectral characteristics of the output laser were mainly determined by the diffraction grating in the dual-cavity laser, and the electro-optic prism just behaved as a light-beam deflector for the wavelength tuning purpose. This configuration can allow a simple tuning approach where fast and stable electronic wavelength switching is required in a narrow tuning range, on an order between a few tens of picometers to nanometers, without involving any mechanical movement.     

Advanced Optical Techniques

The development of a digital electro-optic light beam deflector (DLD) is described. Each deflection stage consists of a DKDP polarization switch with a coating of transparent electrodes (longitudinal electro-optic effect) and a calcite prism for angular deflection. Effects which limit the switching frequency and the capacity speed product (i.e. product of the number of resolvable beam directions and the switching frequency) are theoretically investigated. A four-stage solid-state DLD has been realized which operates at switching frequencies up to 10 kHz and at a random access time of 30 μ s. The system is going to be expanded to 8 × 8 stages for the addressing of 256 × 256 beam directions.     

Linear electro-optic effect in the organic crystal 4-aminobenzophenone

The linear electro-optic effect in single crystals of 4-aminobenzphenone (ABP) is reported together with calibration data on LiNbO(3). For ABP the linear electro-optic coefficients r(22) and r(32) at 488 nm were found to be 2.12 and 5.05 pm/V, respectively, with the corresponding reduced half-wave voltages being 49.4 +/- 0.1 and 9.3 +/- 0.1 kV. For LiNbO(3) the half-wave voltage was found to be 4.0 +/- 0.1 kV at 632.8 nm and 2.4 +/- 0.1 kV at 488 nm.     

Large-angle electro-optic laser scanner on LiTaO(3) fabricated by in situ monitoring of ferroelectric-domain micropatterning

We report on a horn-shaped electro-optic scanner based on a ferroelectric LiTaO(3) wafer that is capable of scanning 632.8-nm light by an unprecedented 14.88 degrees angle for extraordinary polarized light and by 4.05 degrees for ordinary polarized light. The device concept is based on micropatterning ferroelectric domains in the shape of a series of optimized prisms whose refractive index is electric field tunable through the electro-optic effect. We demonstrate what we believe is a novel technique of using electro-optic imaging microscopy for in situ monitoring of the process of domain micropatterning during device fabrication, thus eliminating imperfect process control based on ex situ monitoring of transient currents.     

Optical, thermo-optic, electro-optic, and photoelastic properties of bismuth germanate (Bi(4)Ge(3)O(12))

To assess the suitability of bismuth germanate as an electro-optic material for high precision applications, we have confirmed and extended previous data on its refractive index, electro-optic tensor element r(41), and thermal expansion coefficient. In addition, we have measured the thermo-optic coefficient dn/dT, the temperature dependence of the electro-optic coefficient, and the stress-optic tensor elements. From the stress-optic tensor elements and previously published data, we have computed the strain-optic tensor elements. The index of refraction is given, to a good approximation, by the single-term Sellmeier equation, n(2) - 1 = S(0)λ(0)(2)/[1 - (λ(0)/λ)(2)], with S(0) = 95.608 μm(-2) and λ(0) = 0.1807 μm. The thermo-optic coefficient is 3.9 × 10(-5)/°C at 632.8 nm and 3.5 × 10(-5)/°C at 1152.3 nm. The electro-optic tensor element varies between approximately 1.05 and 1.11 pm/V over the spectral range of 550-1000 nm; its normalized effective change with temperature is approximately 1.54 × 10(-4)/°C. The thermal expansion coefficient is 6.3 × 10(-6)/°C over the range 15-125 °C. Values of the stress-optic tensor elements are q(11) - q(12) = -2.995 × 10(-13) m(2)/N and q(44) = -0.1365 × 10(-12) m(2)/N. The strain-optic tensor elements are p(11) - p(12) = -0.0266 and p(44) = -0.0595.     

Simulation of cross-talk reduction in multimode waveguide-based micro-optical switching systems by use of single-mode filters

We propose a method to reduce cross talk by using single-mode filters, namely, extracting the fundamental mode from a multimode optical network (EFMON). The EFMON effect is evaluated for a three-step switching system consisting of cascade electro-optic (EO) waveguide prism deflector (WPD) micro-optical switches (MOSs) and a multimode waveguide network. The WPD MOS is optimized for single-mode operation in lead lanthanum zirconate titanate thin films as EO slab waveguides with a driving voltage of 12 V, a length of 310 microm, and a channel distance of 20 microm. Beam propagation method simulation reveals that mode disturbance, higher-order modes, and cross talk are accumulated by switching steps. A single-mode filter for EFMON in the output region of the switching system reduces cross talk to below -20 dB at a propagation length of 2000 microm in the single-mode filter and below -30 dB at 20000 microm.     

Polarization dependence of the coupling ratio in LiTaO3 directional couplers

The effect of design and fabrication parameters on the polarization dependence of the splitting ratio in directional couplers produced in LiTaO3 by Zn diffusion has been investigated experimentally at a wavelength of 1558 nm. The directional couplers featured various combinations of waveguide width, separation gaps between waveguides, bending angle, and diffusion conditions. In each case the coupling region was 3.5 mm long. Of particular interest was the identification of parameter sets for which the sum of power splitting ratios from TE and TM inputs equals unity at the output, as needed for electro-optic tunable filters with relaxed beam-splitter requirements.     

Infrared-ultraviolet sum-frequency generation spectrometer with a wide tunability of the ultraviolet probe

We have constructed a multiplex infrared-ultraviolet (IR-UV) sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectrometer that has a wide tunable range (235-390 nm) of the UV probe wavelength. The tunable UV probe was obtained by doubling the signal output of an optical parametric amplifier pumped by a 400 nm picosecond pulse. A prism monochromator was used as a tunable sharp-cut bandpass filter to reduce stray light due to the scattering of the UV probe so that any wavelength within the tunable range can be chosen as that of the UV probe. The SFG spectra of p-mercaptobenzoic acid on a gold substrate was measured with 289 and 334 nm UV probes. The SFG vibrational band intensities due to the carbonyl stretch mode and a phenyl ring stretch mode measured with the 289 nm probe were approximately three times larger than those measured with the 334 nm probe. The enhancement was ascribed to an electronic resonant effect.     

Tunable power splitter based on an electro-optic multimode interference device

Power splitters based on multimode interference (MMI) devices that offer the possibility of dynamically tuning the power-splitting ratio using electro-optic (EO) polymers are presented. The so-called 1 x 2 electro-optic MMI (EO-MMI) is demonstrated to provide a tuning range of 6 dB at approximately 54 V as theoretically predicted. Also a method is discussed to reduce the driving voltage by generating multiple beats, which provide 15 V for a tunable range of 10 dB for r(33)=15 pm/V at wavelength 1.55 microm.     

Bulk electro-optic deflector-based switches

We propose two novel electro-optic (EO) deflectors based on two new nonrectangular geometries: the parabolic and the half-horn configurations. These devices not only provide excellent deflection angles, but also have the potential to build nonblocking 2 x 2 optical switches. A deflector figure of merit is defined, and comparisons with existing EO deflectors are given. Devices fabricated in LiTaO(3) demonstrate 3 dB of average insertion loss and 3 degrees deflection angles. These results represent the best deflection performances to our knowledge reported to date for bulk EO deflectors.     

Guided wave acousto-optic and electro-optic tunable filter designs with relaxed beam-splitter requirements

New designs for acousto-optic tunable filters and electro-optic tunable filters with the Mach-Zehnder configuration are proposed. The new designs differ from conventional designs in three respects: (1) polarizing beam splitters are not required, (2) the optical path difference for the waveguides between the beam splitters is a half-wavelength, and (3) the relative positions of the polarization coupling regions in the two waveguides are displaced in the propagation direction by half of the spatial period of the perturbation responsible for the coupling. Because the new designs provide an additional degree of freedom in achieving the required beam-splitter performance, they are expected to be much easier to fabricate than conventional filter designs with polarizing beam splitters.     

Diffraction from tunable periodic structures: application for the determination of electro-optic coefficients

We discuss a method for measuring electro-optic coefficients by measuring diffraction from a tunable grating. The method involves measuring the changes in the diffraction pattern of a reflection grating, where applied electric fields of alternating direction induce changes in the index of refraction through the electro-optic effect. For certain geometries, these applied fields cause period-doubling effects that produce new peaks in the diffraction pattern. Numerically calculated diffraction patterns are presented for the assumptions of both homogeneous and inhomogeneous fields. Peak splitting, as a function of both the number of slits illuminated and the induced change in the index of refraction, is observed and discussed. Finally, the usefulness of our method for the measurement of electro-optic coefficients is discussed.     

All solid-state Cr:LiSAF laser

Many kinds of experiments about all solid-state Cr:LiSAF lasers have been reported. A tunable all solid-state cw laser having tunability over more than 100 nm was developed by using the spectrum selection self-injection locking (SSSIL) method in 1992. The authors realize tunable picosecond radiation from an all solid-state laser with 146-200 ps pulses in an 88 nm range. Also, 70 fs pulse generation was achieved using a Kerr-lens mode-locking pumped with an Ar⁺ laser     

Tunable coupled-ring-resonator of thermally actuated optical switch array

In this research, we design tunable micro-ring resonators and propose the employment of an integrated control circuit to compensate for the fabrication error, and tune as well as lock the wavelength in a thermal-actuated ring-type optical switch through an amplitude modulation scheme. Additional functionalities can also be added in this circuit by tailoring externally the roundtrip loss or coupling constants of the ring. The design concept can be easily scaled up for a large array optical switch system without much change to the terminal numbers thanks to the three-dimensional hierarchy of the high gray-scale control circuit design, which effectively reduces the terminal numbers to the cubic root of the total control unit numbers. The integrated circuit has been designed, simulated, as well as fabricated, and demonstrated a decent performance with free spectral range (FSR) equal to 1.5 nm at 1532 nm and very accurate wavelength modulation to 0.3 nm within 0.01 nm fluctuation for a thermal actuated ring type optical switch.