Nanophotonics and negative ε materials

The feasibility of using metal optics or negative ε materials, with the aim of reducing the transversal extent of waveguided photonic fields to values much less than the vacuum wavelength, in order to achieve significantly higher densities of integration in integrated photonics circuits that is possible today is discussed. Relevant figures of merit are formulated to this end and used to achieve good performance of devices with today＇s materials and to define required improvements in materials characteristics in terms of decreased scattering rates in the Drude model. The general conclusion is that some metal based circuits are feasible with today＇s matals. Frequency selective metal devices will have Q values on the order of only 10-100, and significant improvements of scattering rates or lowering of the imaginary part of e have to be achieved to implement narrowband devices. A photonic ＂Moore＇s law＂ of integration densities is proposed and exemplified.

Broadband all-fiber optical phase modulator based on photo-thermal effect in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber

We report broadband all-fiber optical phase modulation based on the photo-thermal effect in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber.The phase modulation dynamics are studied by multi-physics simulation.A phase modulator is fabricated using a 5.6-cm-long anti-resonant hollow-core fiber with pure acetylene filling.It has a half-wave optical power of 289 mW at 100 kHz and an average insertion loss 0.6 dB over a broad wavelength range from 1450 to 1650 nm.The rise and fall time constants are 3.5 and 3.7μs,respectively,2–3 orders of magnitude better than the previously reported microfiber-based photo-thermal phase modulators.The gas-filled hollow-core waveguide configuration is promising for optical phase modulation from ultraviolet to mid-infrared which is challenging to achieve with solid optical fibers.

Glass-compatible and self-powered temperature alarm system by temperature-responsive organic manganese halides via backward energy transfer process

A pioneering glass-compatible transparent temperature alarm system self-powered by luminescent solar concentrators(LSCs) is reported.Single green-emitted organic manganese halides(OMHs) of PEA_(2)MnBr_(2)I_(2),which has a unique temperature-dependent backward energy transfer process from selftrapped state to^(4)T_(1)energy level of Mn,is used for triggering the temperature alarm.The LSC with redemitted CsPbI_(3)perovskite-polymer composite films on the glass substrate is used for power supply.The spectrally separated nature between the green-emitted OMHs for temperature alarm and red-emitted CsPbI3in LSC for power supply allows for probing the signal light of temperature-responsive OMHs without the interference of LSCs,making it possible to calibrate the temperature visually just by a self-powered brightness detection circuit with LED indicators.Taking advantage of LSC without hot spot effects plaguing the solar cells,as-prepared temperature alarm system can operate well on both sunny and cloudy day.

Nonlinear Photocurrent Responses in Janus WSSe Monolayer

Janus WSSe monolayer is a novel two-dimensional(2D)material that breaks the out-of-plane mirror symmetry and has a large built-in electric field.These features lead to sizable Rashba spin-orbit coupling and enhanced nonlinear optical properties,making it a promising material platform for various spintronic and optoelectronic device applications.In recent years,nonlinear photocurrent responses such as shift and injection currents were found to be closely related to the quantum geometry and Berry curvature of materials,indicating that these responses can serve as powerful tools for probing the novel quantum properties of materials.In this work,we investigate the second-order nonlinear photocurrent responses in a Janus WSSe monolayer theoretically based on first-principles calculations and the Wannier interpolation method.It is demonstrated that the Janus WSSe monolayer exhibits significant out-of-plane nonlinear photocurrent coefficients,which is distinct from the nonJanus structures.Our results also suggest that the second-order nonlinear photocurrent response in the Janus WSSe monolayer can be effectively tuned by biaxial strain or an external electric field.Thus,the Janus WSSe monolayer offers a unique opportunity for both exploring nonlinear optical phenomena and realizing flexible 2D optoelectronic nanodevices.

Wet thermal annealing effect on TaN/HfO_2/Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with and without a GeO_2 passivation layer

Wet thermal annealing effects on the properties of TaN/HfO2/Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor （MOS） structures with and without a GeO2 passivation layer are investigated. The physical and the electrical properties are characterized by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, capacitance-voltage （C-V） and current-voltage characteristics. It is demonstrated that wet thermal annealing at relatively higher temperature such as 550 ℃ can lead to Ge incorporation in HfO2 and the partial crystallization of HfO2, which should be responsible for the serious degradation of the electrical characteristics of the TaN/HfO2/Ge MOS capacitors. However, wet thermal annealing at 400 ℃ can decrease the GeOx interlayer thickness at the HfO2/Ge interface, resulting in a significant reduction of the interface states and a smaller effective oxide thickness, along with the introduction of a positive charge in the dielectrics due to the hydrolyzable property of GeOx in the wet ambient. The pre-growth of a thin GeO2 passivation layer can effectively suppress the interface states and improve the C V characteristics for the as-prepared HfO2 gated Ge MOS capacitors, but it also dissembles the benefits of wet thermal annealing to a certain extent.

A Passive Q-Switched Microchip Er/Yb Glass Laser Pumped by Laser Diode

A laser-diode-pumped 1.54-μm passive Q-switched erbium doped glass laser was reported. We utilize a laser diode with wavelength of 973nm to pump a 1-mm Er/Yb co-doped phosphate glass with the erbium and ytterbium concentrations of 1 wt.% and 21 wt.%, respectively. A Co^2＋ ：MgAl2O4 slab crystal was used as a passive Q- switcher. Q-switched pulses with repetition frequency of 800Hz, width of 7.4ns, peak power of 2.2kW and average power of 13.3 m W were obtained when absorbed pump power was 4 75 m W. A sandwich structure of the Q- switched microchip Er/Yb glass laser was demonstrated, which shows shorter pulse width of 6.8 ns. Dependences of pulse duration and repetition frequency on pump power were also investigated.

Interaction between Two-Dimensional White-Light Photovoltaic Dark Spatial Solitons

Using fully incoherent white light emitted from an incandescent bulb （a line source） and amplitude mask, we study experimentally the interaction between two 21） white-light photovoltaic dark spatial solitons with three different separations （40μm, 50μm and 60μm） and arrangement directions （parallel to, perpendicular to and tilted at 45° with respect to the crystalline c axis） propagating in parallel in close proximity in seff-defocusing LiNbO3：Fe crystal. Experimental results reveal that a 21） white-light dark soliton pair only experiences attractive forces when their mutual separation is sufflciently small （〈 60 μm）, and the degree of the attraction depends on their mutual separation and their arrangement direction. When the separation is larger than 60 μm, the interaction is not evident.

AlGaN-Based Deep-Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes Fabricated on AlN/sapphire Template

We report on the growth and fabrication of deep ultraviolet （DUV） light emitting diodes （LEDs） on an AIN template which was grown on a pulsed atomic-layer epitaxial buffer layer. Threading dislocation densities in the AlN layer are greatly decreased with the introduction of this buffer layer. The crystalline quality of the AlGaN epilayer is further improved by using a low-temperature GaN interlayer between AlGaN and AlN. Electroluminescences of different DUV-LED devices at a wavelength of between 262 and 317nm are demonstrated. To improve the hole concentration of p-type AlGaN, Mg-doping with trimethylindium assistance approach is performed. It is found that the serial resistance of DUV-LED decreases and the performance of DUV-LED such as EL properties is improved.

High efficiency continuous-wave tunable signal output of an intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

In this paper we report on a continuous-wave （CW） intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator （ICSRO） based on periodically poled LiNbO3 （PPLN） pumped by a diode-end-pumped CW Nd：YVO4 laser. Considering the thermal lens effects and diffraction loss, an optical ballast lens and a near-concentric cavity are adopted for better operation. Through varying the grating period and the temperature, the tunable signal output from 1406 nm to 1513 nm is obtained. At a PPLN grating period of 29 pm and a temperature of 413 K, a maximum signal output power of 820 mW at 1500 nm is achieved when the 808 nm pump power is 10.9 W, leading to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 7.51%.

Super-resolution imaging of low-contrast periodic nanoparticle arrays by microsphere-assisted microscopy

We use the label-free microsphere-assisted microscopy to image low-contrast hexagonally close-packed polystyrene nanoparticle arrays with diameters of 300 and 250 nm.When a nanoparticle array is directly placed on a glass slide,it cannot be distinguished.If a 30-nm-thick Ag film is deposited on the surface of a nanoparticle array,the nanoparticle array with nanoparticle diameters of 300 and 250 nm can be distinguished.In addition,the Talbot effect of the 300-nm-diameter nanoparticle array is also observed.If a nanoparticle sample is assembled on a glass slide deposited with a 30-nm-thick Ag film,an array of 300-nm-diameter nanoparticles can be discerned.We propose that in microsphere-assisted microscopy imaging,the resolution can be improved by the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) on the sample surface or at the sample/substrate interface,and a higher near-field intensity due to the excited SPPs would benefit the resolution improvement.Our study of label-free super-resolution imaging of low-contrast objects will promote the applications of microsphere-assisted microscopy in life sciences.

Theoretical and experimental study of the intensity distribution in biological tissues

Based on the diffusion approximate theory （DA）, a theoretical model about the distribution of the intensity of a narrow collimation beam illuminating on a semi-lnfinite biological tissue is developed. In order to verify the correctness of the model, a novel method of measuring the distributions of the intensity of light in Intralipid-10% suspension at 650 nm is presented and ts of the distributions of the distance-dependent intensity of scattering light in different directions are made. The investigations show that the results from our diffusion model are in good agreement with the experimental results beyond and in the areas around the light source, and the distance-dependent intensity in the incident direction attenuates approximately in the exponential form. Furthermore, our theoretic results indicate the anisotropic characteristics of the intensity in different directions of scattering light inside the biological tissue.

Novel si mulation method for fiber Bragg grating under inhomogeneous strainfields

The spectra of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in inhomogeneous strain fields are distorted due to its inhomogeneity of both the periods and the effective refractive index. The couple mode theory and the Runge-Kutta method can be employed for exact simulation of the spectrum of Bragg grating in such field, but the convergence speed is slow. On the other hand, although the transfer matrix method could be used with higher convergence speed, the precision is poor because of the neglect of the grads of strain change. By improving the FBG equivalent period, a novel simulation method based on a modified transfer matrix method is proposed, which has the advantage of quick-convergence as well as good accuracy.

Q-Switched Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser Using Black Phosphorus as Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser （YDFL） using a newly developed multi-layer black phosphorous （BP） saturable absorber （SA）. The BP SA is prepared by mechanically exfoliating a BP crystal and sticking the acquired BP flakes onto a scotch tape. A small piece of the tape is then placed between two ferrules and incorporated in a YDFL cavity to achieve a stable Q-switched operation in a 1.0 μm region. The laser has a pump threshold of 55.1 mW, a pulse repetition rate that is tunable from 8.2 to 32.9 kHz, and the narrowest pulse width of 10.8 μs. The highest pulse energy of 328 nJ is achieved at the pump power of 97.6 mW. Our results show that multi-layer BP is a promising SA for Q-switching laser operation.

Analysis of Laser Diode Pumped Solid-State Laser Resonator by the Transform Circle Approach

The typical laser characteristics of a laser diode pumped,solid-state laser with a Z-type resonator structure are analyzed by the transform circle approach.Laser waists change with the thennal focus length of the lasing medium so that the output power becomes unstable.In particular,there is a very unstable operation region when the pump power is of medium magnitude.A method is put forward to avoid this situation.

Negative Refraction of a Symmetrical π-shaped Metamaterial

A symmetrical π-shaped metamaterial is investigated. Numerical simulations exhibit the negative-refractive property of this structure. The complex refractive index n, wave impedance z, effective permittivity ε and effective permeability μ have been retrieved from the simulated S parameters. The negative-refractive band lies between 11.2 GHz and 13.05 GHz. The frequency band with high transmission with low loss occurs between 11.95 GHz and 12.5 GHz, which is helpful for practical applications. The mechanism of the electromagnetic resonance is also revealed.

Broadband and High Efficient 1530 nm Emission from Oxyfluoride Glass Ceramics Codoped with Er3＋ and Yb3＋ Ions

The emission at 1530nm and its applications in optical communications are discussed. The efficient width of the emission band △eff, which is up to 91 nm, is larger as compared with silica-based glass, bismuth glass and ZrF4-BaF2-LaFa-AIF3-NaF （ZBLAN） glass doped by Er^3＋ ions. Under the excitation of 785 nm laser, the emission integral intensity of 153Onto increases about five times in the glass ceramics higher than that in the glass. This is explained by the quantum cutting process by two-photon emission with phonon assistance. The results indicate that the glass ceramics are a promising candidate for developing broadband optical amplifiers in wavelength-division multiplexed systems.

Second harmonic generation of a new nonlinear optical material:urea L-malic acid

Second harmonic generation （SHG） of a new organic optical crystal-urea L-malic acid （ULMA） was studied. A comparison of SHG efficiency of ULMA and KDP at a fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm using the Kurtz powder method demonstrated that the second order nonlinear coefficient of ULMA is 1 57 times of that of KDP,and the damage threshold of ULMA is relatively higher Finally,both Type Ⅰ and Type Ⅱ phase match angles of the biaxial crystal ULMA were calculated.

Q-Switched Raman Fiber Laser with Molybdenum Disulfide-Based Passive Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched Raman fiber laser using molybdenum disulfide （MoS2） as a saturable absorber （SA）. The SA is assembled by depositing a mechanically exfoliated MoS2 onto a fiber ferrule facet before it is matched with another clean ferrule via a connector. It is inserted in a Raman fiber laser cavity with a total cavity length of about 8kin to generate a Q-switching pulse train operating at 1560.2nm. A 7.7-kin-long dispersion compensating fiber with 584 ps.nm-i km-1 of dispersion is used as a nonlinear gain medium. As the pump power is increased from 395 m W to 422 m W, the repetition rate of the Q-switching pulses can be increased from 132.7 to 137.4 kHz while the pulse width is concurrently decreased from 3.35μs to 3.03μs. The maximum pulse energy of 54.3 nJ is obtained at the maximum pump power of 422 roW. These results show that the mechanically exfoliated MoS2 SA has a great potential to be used for pulse generation in Raman fiber laser systems.

Surface Modification of Cu-Cr Complex by NIR and MIR Laser

Irradiated by infrared laser, the surface reducibility and adsorbability of Cu-Cr complex could be improved, owing to the interaction of photo-fragmentation and laser texturing. Analyzed by the binding energy spectra and the auger spectra, the valence states of chromium ion and copper ion were+3 and+1 after radiation respectively, which still had the reducibility to release electrons. In contrast with the near-infrared(NIR)1 064 nm and mid-infrared(MIR) 10 600 nm laser at the same average output power of 15 W, the reduced metal percentage in the Cu-Cr complex was obviously distinguished at the depth from nanometer to micron. After chemical plating, the average coating thickness and mean-square deviation of the NIR sample were 11.61 μm and 0.30 for copper layer, and 2.69 μm and 0.08 for nickel layer. The results were much better than those of the MIR sample.

Modulation of WN_x/Ge Schottky barrier height by varying N composition of tungsten nitride

Modulation of the Schottky barrier heights was successfully demonstrated for WNx/p-Ge and WNx/n-Ge contacts by increasing the nitrogen component in the WNx films. The WN0.38/p-Ge contact exhibits rectifying characteristic and an apparent Schottky barrier of 0.49 eV while the WN0.38/n-Ge Schottky contact exhibits quasi-Ohmic current–voltage characteristics. Dipoles formed at the contact interface by the difference of the Pauling electronegativities of Ge and N are confirmed to alleviate the Fermi-level pinning effect.