Wavelength-Tunable Single Frequency Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser with Loop Mirror Filter

By using a loop mirror filter, a novel wavelength-tunable single-frequency ytterbium-doped fiber laser is developed to select single longitudinal modes in a linear cavity. The output wavelength could be tuned 2.4 nm intervals range from 1063.3 to 1065.Tnrn with the temperature change of the fiber Bragg grating. The maximum output power could reach 32 m W while the pump power increases to 120 m W. The corresponding optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is 26.7% and the slope efficiency is 33.9%, respectively. The output power fluctuation is below 2%, and its highest signal-to-noise ratio is 60 dB.

Improved Performance of a Wavelength-Tunable Arrayed Waveguide Grating in Silicon on Insulator

The improved performance of a wavelength-tunable arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) is demonstrated, including the crosstalk, insertion loss and the wavelength tuning efficiency. A reduced impact of the fabrication process on the AWG is achieved by the design of bi-level tapers. The wavelength tuning of the AWG is achieved according to the thermo-optic effect of silicon, and uniform heating of the silicon waveguide layer is achieved by optimizing the heater design. The fabricated AWG shows a minimum crosstalk of 16 dB, a maximum insertion loss of 3.91 dB and a wavelength tuning efficiency of 8.92 nm/W, exhibiting a ～8 dB improvement of crosstalk, ～2.1 dB improvement of insertion loss and ～5 nm/W improvement of wavelength tuning efficiency, compared to our previous reported results.

Wavelength-Tunable Rectangular Pulses Generated from All-Fiber Mode-Locked Laser Based on Semiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror

The wavelength-tunable rectangular mode-locking operation is demonstrated in an all-fiber laser based on semi- conductor saturable absorber mirror. As the dissipative soliton resonance signature, the pulse duration varies from 5SOps to 2.1 ns as a function o~ the increasing pump power. Correspondingly, the maximum pulse energy is 9.11 n3. Moreover, it is found that the wavelength tunable operation with a range of approximately 10 nm could be obtained by properly adjusting the polarization controllers. The characteristics of the rectangular pulses at different wavelengths are similar to each other. The demonstration of the wavelength tunable rectangular pulses would be beneficial to some applications for many fields such as spectroscopy and sensing research.

Experimental Investigation of Wavelength-Tunable All-Normal-Dispersion Yb-Doped Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers:Compression and Amplification

Wavelength-tunable ultrashort pulse source with high energy is highly desired for a lot of applications. The wavelength-tunable all-normal-dispersion （ANDi） mode-locked fiber laser, which can be compressed easily and amplified by an all-fiber structure, is a promising seed of such a source with compact structures. The pulse compression and amplification at different center wavelengths （from 1026 to 1058nm） of the tunable ANDi Yb- doped mode-locked fiber lasers that we previously proposed are experimentally investigated in this work. It is found that, for different wavelengths, the duration and chirp of the direct output pulse from the oscillator vary considerably, however, the duration of compressed pulse fluctuates less. For the amplification process, due to the unf/at gain spectrum of Yb-doped fiber, the gain at a short wavelength is larger than that at a long wavelength. Consequently, the trends of spectrum distortions induced by the amplification process are different for different wavelengths. These results and analyses will be helpful for the design of a high-energy and wavelength-tunable ultrashort pulse source based on an ANDi seed.

Wavelength-tunable infrared light emitting diode based on ordered ZnO nanowire/Si1-xGex alloy heterojunction

A novel infrared light emitting diode （LED） based on an ordered p-n heterojunction built of a p-Si1-xGe/alloy and n-ZnO nanowires has been developed. The electroluminescence （EL） emission of this LED is in the infrared range, which is dominated by the band gap of Si1-xGex alloy. The EL wavelength variation of the LED shows a red shift, which increases with increasing mole fraction of Ge. With Ge mole fractions of 0.18, 0.23 and 0.29, the average EL wavelengths are around 1,144, 1,162 and 1,185 nm, respectively. The observed magnitudes of the red shifts are consistent with theoretical calculations. Therefore, by modulating the mole fraction of Ge in the Si1-xGex alloy, we can adjust the band gap of the SiGe film and tune the emission wavelength of the fabricated LED. Such an IR LED device may have great potential applications in optical communication, environmental monitoring and biological and medical analyses.

Low-threshold wavelength-tunable ultraviolet vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers from 376 to 409 nm

Optically pumped wavelength-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers(VCSELs)operating in the ultraviolet A(UVA)spectrum were demonstrated.The VCSELs feature double dielectric distributed brag reflectors and a wedge-shaped cavity fabricated using the substrate transfer technique and laser lift off,resulting in a graded cavity length in one device.A resonant period gain structure is used in the InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well active region to enhance the coupling between the cavity mode field and the active layers.The optical field inside the cavity is modulated by the cavity length;thus,tunable lasing at different wavelengths is realized at different points of a single VCSEL chip.The lasing wavelength extends from 376 to 409 nm,covering most of the UVA band below the band gap of GaN.The threshold pumping power density of the UVA VCSELs at different wavelengths ranges from 383 to 466 kW/cm^(2),which is among the lowest values for ultraviolet(UV)VCSELs.This study is promising for the development of small-footprint,power-efficient UV light sources.

All-fiber, wavelength-tunable ultrafast praseodymium fiber laser

The interest in tunable ultrafast fiber lasers operating in the 1.3 μm region has seen a significant increase due to rising demands for bandwidth as well as the zero-dispersion characteristic of silica fibers in this wavelength region. In this work, a tunable mode-locked praseodymium-doped fluoride fiber(PDFF) laser using single-walled carbon nanotubes as a saturable absorber is demonstrated. The mode-locked pulses are generated at a central wavelength of 1302 nm with a pulse repetition rate of 5.92 MHz and pulse width of 1.13 ps. The tunability of the mode-locked PDFF laser covers a tuning range of 11 nm.

From MEMS to NEMS： Smart Chips with Senses and Muscles

The last half-century was transformed by the electronic revolution that essentially reproduced the human brain and its computing capacity on a chip. But over time, scientists have realized that something was missing to give life, so to speak, to the small chip with a brain： One needed to awaken its senses and develop its muscles! This challenge was solved through MEMS （micro electro mechanical systems）. Indeed, MEMS today are equipped with the sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch through microsensors. They are also capable of physical exertion through small muscles called microactuators. These new capabilities open wide fields of imagination and important specific applications.

Single stain hyperspectral imaging for accurate fungal pathogens identification and quantification

The most widely used method of identification of microbial morphology and structure is microscopy,but it can be difficult to distinguish between pathogens with a similar appearance.Existing fluorescent staining methods require a combination of a variety of fluorescent materials to meet this demand.In this study,unique concentration-dependent fluorescent carbon dots(CDs)were synthesized for the identification and quantification of pathogens.The emission wavelength of the CDs could be tuned spanning the full visible region by virtue of aggregation-induced narrowing of bandgaps.This tunable emission wavelength of the specific concentration response to diverse microbes can be used to distinguish microorganisms with a similar appearance,even in a same genus.A hyperspectral microscopy system was demonstrated to distinguish Aspergillus flavus and A.fumigatus based on the results above.The identification accuracy of the two similar-looking pathogens can be close to 100%,and the relative proportions and spatial distributions can also be profiled from the mixture of the pathogens.This technique can provide a solution to the fast detection of microorganisms and is potentially applicable to a wide range of problems in areas such as healthcare,food preparation,biotechnology,and health emergency.

Sb2Te3 topological insulator for 52 nm wideband tunable Yb-doped passively Q-switched fiber laser

Topological insulator Sb2Te3 has the advantage of broadband saturable absorption from the visible to the infrared bands.Herein,the two-dimensional material Sb2Te3 saturable absorber(SA)of the topological insulator family was first applied experimentally in a wideband tunable passively Q-switched Yb-doped fiber laser.High-quality Sb2Te3 crystals were synthesized by the flux zone method.The Sb2Te3 SA with fewer layers was further prepared via a modified mechanical exfoliation procedure.Meanwhile,stable wavelength-tunable passive Q-switching pulse operation was obtained in a Yb-doped fiber ring cavity based on the Sb2Te3 SA,where the central wavelength can be continuously tuned from 1040.89 to 1092.85 nm.Results suggest that Sb2Te3 has wideband saturable absorption properties,and that the tunable pulse laser can provide a convenient and simple source for practical applications.