Research progress of third-order optical nonlinearity of chalcogenide glasses

Chalcogenide glasses （ChGs） are a promising candidate for applications in nonlinear photonic devices. In this paper, we review the research progress of the third-order optical nonlinearity （TONL） of ChGs from the following three aspects： chemical composition, excitation condition, and post processing. The deficiencies in previous studies and further research of the TONL property of ChGs are also discussed.

High efficiency of Brillouin scattering behavior in single-mode Ge–As–Se–Te fibers at 2μm

The Brillouin characteristics of step-index Ge–As–Se–Te(GAST)fibers at 2μm are designed and simulated on the basis of optical and acoustic properties.The refractive indexes of Ge_(20)As_(20)Se_(45)Te_(15)glass and Ge_(20)As_(20)Se_(43)Te_(17)glass serving as fiber core and cladding are 3.20 and 3.18 at 2μm,and their acoustic velocities are 2200 m/s and 2300 m/s,respectively.Numerical results indicate that the stimulated Brillouin scattering(SBS)efficiency is 248 m^(-1)·W^(-1),and the Brillouin threshold power is 66 m W when the core diameter of the 2-m-long GAST fiber is 4μm at 2-μm wavelength.The optic–acoustic coupling factor,the Brillouin frequency shift,and the Brillouin gain coefficient are 0.98,7.02 GHz,and 3.81×10^(-9)m/W,respectively.The SBS effect of GAST fibers simulated for the first time provides a new promising approach to selecting gain medium based on 2-μm-wavelength fiber laser.

Effect of thickness of antimony selenide film on its photoelectric properties and microstructure

Antimony selenide(Sb2Se3) films are widely used in phase change memory and solar cells due to their stable switching effect and excellent photovoltaic properties. These properties of the films are affected by the film thickness. A method combining the advantages of Levenberg–Marquardt method and spectral fitting method(LM–SFM) is presented to study the dependence of refractive index(RI), absorption coefficient, optical band gap, Wemple–Di Domenico parameters, dielectric constant and optical electronegativity of the Sb2Se3films on their thickness. The results show that the RI and absorption coefficient of the Sb2Se3films increase with the increase of film thickness, while the optical band gap decreases with the increase of film thickness. Finally, the reasons why the optical and electrical properties of the film change with its thickness are explained by x-ray diffractometer(XRD), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer(EDS), Mott–Davis state density model and Raman microstructure analysis.

Dual-phase coexistence enables to alleviate resistance drift in phase-change films

The amorphous phase-change materials with spontaneous structural relaxation leads to the resistance drift with the time for phase-change neuron synaptic devices. Here, we modify the phase change properties of the conventional Ge_2Sb_2Te_5(GST) material by introducing an SnS phase. It is found that the resistance drift coefficient of SnS-doped GST was decreased from 0.06 to 0.01. It can be proposed that the origin originates from the precipitation of GST nanocrystals accompanied by the precipitation of SnS crystals compared to single-phase GST compound systems. We also found that the decrease in resistance drift can be attributed to the narrowed bandgap from 0.65 to 0.43 eV after SnS-doping. Thus, this study reveals the quantitative relationship between the resistance drift and the band gap and proposes a new idea for alleviating the resistance drift by composition optimization, which is of great significance for finding a promising phase change material.

Glass formation and physical properties of Sb_(2)S_(3)–CuI chalcogenide system

Novel chalcogenide glasses of pseudo-binary(100-x)Sb_(2)S_(3-x)CuI systems were synthesized by traditional meltquenching method.The glass-forming region of Sb_(2)S_(3)-CuI system was determined ranging from x=30 mol% to 40 mol%.CuI acts as a non-bridging modifier to form appropriate amount of [SbSI] structural units for improving the glass-forming ability of Sb_(2)S_(3).Particularly,as-prepared glassy sample is able to transmit light beyond 14 μm,which is the wider transparency region than most sulfide glasses.Their physical properties,including Vickers hardness(Hv),density(ρ),and ionic conductivity(σ) were characterized and analyzed with the compositional-dependent Raman spectra.These experimental results would provide useful knowledge for the development of novel multi-spectral optical materials and glassy electrolytes.

UV-light-assisted synthesis of CeB_(6)@Ag nano-trees for SERS application

The conventional methods of using surfactants to synthesize noble metal nanoparticles usually introduce residues on the surface,which inevitably decreases nanoparticles’ surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) performance.Herein,we propose a surfactant-free and feasible approach of preparing cerium hexaboride-Ag nano-trees hybrids(CeB_(6)@Ag nano-trees) as the SERS substrate.First,the CeB_(6)was synthesized by a one-pot ionothermal method.Secondly,the CeB_(6)powder and silver nitrate were dispersed in an aqueous solution.Thereafter,the Ag+was reduced by the UV-light assisted photoreaction and deposited on the surface of the CeB_(6).The SERS performance of the CeB_(6)@Ag nano-trees was evaluated by using the Rhodamine 6 G as the Raman reporter.It shows that CeB_(6)@Ag nano-trees exhibit good SERS sensitivity with the enhancement factor of 2.45 × 10^(7) and detection limit of 10^(-10) mol/L.Moreover,uniformity evaluation of the SERS signal intensity on the substrate also shows that relatively good relative standard deviation values of 12.6%(Raman peak@612 cm^(-1)) and 14.1%(Raman peak@1652 cm^(-1))can be achieved.Finally,finite element simulation evidences that excellent SERS performance of the CeB_(6)@Ag nano-trees is produced by the strong coupled localized surface plasmon resonance generated under the Raman laser irradiation.

Experimental demonstration of a flexible-grid 1×(2×3)mode-and wavelength-selective switch using silicon microring resonators and counter-tapered couplers

A flexible-grid 1×(2×3)mode-and wavelength-selective switch which comprises counter-tapered couplers and silicon microring resonators has been proposed,optimized,and demonstrated experimentally in this work.By carefully thermally tuning phase shifters and silicon microring resonators,mode and wavelength signals can be independently and flexibly conveyed to any one of the output ports,and different bandwidths can be generated as desired.The particle swarm optimization algorithm and finite difference time-domain method are employed to optimize structural parameters of the twomode(de)multiplexer and crossing waveguide.The bandwidth-tunable wavelength-selective optical router composed of12 microring resonators is studied by taking advantage of the transfer matrix method.Measurement results show that,for the fabricated module,cross talk less than-10.18 dB,an extinction ratio larger than 17.41 d B,an in-band ripple lower than0.79 dB,and a 3-dB bandwidth changing from 0.38 to 1.05 nm are obtained,as the wavelength-channel spacing is 0.40 nm.The corresponding response time is measured to be 13.64μs.

A low-threshold multiwavelength Brillouin fiber laser with double-frequency spacing based on a small-core fiber

We demonstrate multiwavelength Brillouin fiber lasers(MWBFLs)with double-frequency spacing based on a small-core fiber(SCF)and a standard single-mode fiber(SMF),which have core diameters of 5 and 8.8μm,respectively.Experimental results show that the SCF-based MWBFL exhibits a higher laser output power and a lower pump threshold.The output powers of the SCF-based MWBFL are>1.4 times those of the SMF-based MWBFL.Moreover,the threshold power required to generate each channel of the SCF-based MWBFL is 59%that of the SMF-based MWBFL.When the same pump power of 180 mW is injected,the number of laser channels generated for the SCF-based MWBFL is 13,which is twice that generated for the SMF-based MWBFL.In addition,the SCF-based MWBFL exhibits good wavelength tunability from 1535 to 1565 nm and temporal stability over an hour.

Ultra-compact and broadband polarization-insensitive mode-order converting power splitter

A polarization-insensitive mode-order converting power splitter using a pixelated region is presented and investigated in this paper.As TE_(0)and TM_(0)modes are injected into the input port,they are converted into TE_(1)and TM_(1)modes,which evenly come out from the two output ports.The finite-difference time-domain method and direct-binary-search optimization algorithm are utilized to optimize structural parameters of the pixelated region to attain small insertion loss,low crosstalk,wide bandwidth,excellent power uniformity,polarization-insensitive property,and compact size.Experimental results reveal that the insertion loss,crosstalk,and power uniformity of the fabricated device at 1550 nm are 0.57,-19.67,and 0.094 d B in the case of TE polarization,while in the TM polarization,the relevant insertion loss,crosstalk,and power uniformity are 0.57,-19.40,and 0.11 d B.Within a wavelength range from 1520 to 1600 nm,for the fabricated device working at TE polarization,the insertion loss,crosstalk,and power uniformity are lower than 1.39,-17.64,and 0.14 dB.In the case of TM polarization,we achieved an insertion loss,crosstalk,and power uniformity less than 1.23,-17.62,and 0.14 dB.

Transparent nanocrystal-in-glass composite fibers for multifunctional temperature and pressure sensing

The pursuit of compact and integrated devices has stimulated a growing demand for multifunctional sensors with rapid and accurate responses to various physical parameters,either separately or simultaneously.Fluorescent fiber sensors have the advantages of robust stability,light weight,and compact geometry,enabling real-time and noninvasive signal detection by monitoring the fluorescence parameters.Despite substantial progress in fluorescence sensors,achieving multifunctional sensing in a single optical fiber remains challenging.To solve this problem,in this study,we present a bottom-up strategy to design and fabricate thermally drawn multifunctional fiber sensors by incorporating functional nanocrystals with temperature and pressure fluorescence responses into a transparent glass matrix.To generate the desired nanocrystal-in-glass composite(NGC)fiber,the fluorescent activators,incorporated nanocrystals,glassy core materials,and cladding matrix are rationally designed.Utilizing the fluorescence intensity ratio technique,a self-calibrated fiber sensor is demonstrated,with a bi-functional response to temperature and pressure.For temperature sensing,the NGC fiber exhibits temperature-dependent near-infrared emission at temperatures up to 573 K with a maximum absolute sensitivity of 0.019 K−1.A pressure-dependent upconversion emission is also realized in the visible spectral region,with a linear slope of-0.065.The successful demonstration of multifunctional NGC fiber sensors provides an efficient pathway for new paradigms of multifunctional sensors as well as a versatile strategy for future hybrid fibers with novel combinations of magnetic,optical,and mechanical properties.

Dynamic tunable LWIR achromatic metalens comprising all-As_(2)Se_(3) microstructures

In the field of long-wave infrared(LWIR) thermal imaging, vital for applications such as military surveillance and medical diagnostics, metalenses show immense potential for compact, lightweight, and low-power optical systems. However, to date, the development of LWIR broadband achromatic metalenses with dynamic tunable focus, which are suitable for both coaxial and off-axis applications, remains a large unexplored area. Herein, we have developed an extensive database of broadband achromatic all-As2Se3microstructure units for the LWIR range. Utilizing this database with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, we have designed and demonstrated LWIR broadband achromatic metalenses capable of coaxial and off-axis focusing with three dynamic tunable states. This research may have potential applications for the design of compact, high-performance optical devices, including those with extreme depth-of-field and wide-angle imaging capabilities.

Three-Dimensional Shape Measuring Method Based on Dual-Frequency Digital Moiré Fringe

A dual-frequency digital Moiré measurement method(DFDM) is proposed for the three-dimensional(3D) shape measurement of an object.The high-and low-frequency fringes are modulated separately along orthogonal direction using different carrier frequencies before being projected onto the measured object.After collecting and demodulating the composite fringe,the digital π phase shift is used to remove the DC component of the demodulated fringes,resulting in high-precision Moiré fringes for calculating the wrapped phase.The unwrapping of the high-frequency wrapped phase is guided by the low-frequency phase to further realistically reconstruct the surface of the measured object.When compared with existing single-shot digital Moiré profilometry,DFDM effectively removes the DC component of the fringe and calculates the phase more accurately.

Photonic lattice-like waveguides in glass directly written by femtosecond laser for on-chip mode conversion

We report on a conceptually new type of waveguide in glass by femtosecond laser direct writing,namely,photonic latticelike waveguide(PLLW).The PLLWfs core consists of well-distributed and densified tracks with a sub-micron size of 0.62μm in width.Specifically,a PLLW inscribed as hexagonal-shape input with a ring-shape output side was implemented to converse Gaussian mode to doughnut-like mode,and high conversion efficiency was obtained with a low insertion loss of 1.65 dB at 976 nm.This work provides a new freedom for design and fabrication of the refractive index profile of waveguides with sub-micron resolution and broadens the functionalities and application scenarios of femtosecond laser direct-writing waveguides in future 3D integrated photonic systems.