Diffraction of IR radiation by ultrasound in tellurium single crystals

The optic, acoustic, and acousto-optic properties of tellurium single crystals are considered to analyze the possibilities of applying this material in acousto-optic filters to control mid- and far-IR radiation. The results of measuring the optic and acousto-optic parameters of a tellurium crystal are reported. The isotropic and anisotropic light diffraction by ultrasound in the crystal is investigated. The wide-aperture geometry of interaction in tellurium is implemented and an acousto-optic figure of merit M ₂ of a tellurium crystal exceeding 10 × 10^?15 s³ g^?1 is experimentally obtained.     

Acousto-optic control of light beams in the infrared range

The control over the parameters of the far-infrared and terahertz radiation by the acoustooptic method is discussed. The operation of a tunable acousto-optic filter based on the tellurium crystal is investigated. The crystal used in the filter was transparent for the optic radiation in the wavelength range of 4.0 to 23 µm. The device allows electronic tuning and processing of optic images in the spectral interval of 8.0 to 14 µm.     

Features of acousto-optic interaction in uniaxial gyrotropic crystals

The features of noncollinear acousto-optic interaction in gyrotropic crystals in the intermediate diffraction regime and the regime of Bragg diffraction were investigated. The dependence of the efficiency of diffraction in gyrotropic paratellurite, tellurium, and quartz crystals on the intensity of the ultrasonic wave, acousto-optic interaction length, and incident-light polarization was investigated. It is shown that the gyrotropy of the crystal is responsible for the appearance of a multiple-peak structure of the Bragg maximum. It has been established that in the case of propagation of incident and diffracted waves in the vicinity of the optical axis of the crystal, the diffraction efficiency is independent of the polarization state of the incident light. The results of theoretical calculations are in agreement with the experimental results obtained for uniaxial crystals. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 105–110, January–February, 2000.     

压电换能器等效模型分析与阻抗匹配设计

声光可调滤光器(Acousto-optic tunable filter,AOTF)的衍射效率不仅与功率信号源的质量、声光晶体氧化碲(TeO_2)的切型有关,而且压电超声换能器的结构以及其阻抗匹配网络也对AOTF的衍射效率有很大影响。本文对X切型铌酸锂(LiNbO_3,LN)四层镀膜压电超声换能器的等效模型进行了分析,确定了声光介质存在时换能器的阻抗特性,利用射频微波仿真软件,设计了电感-电容复合匹配网络。将换能器压合在TeO_2上,用复色光作为光源进行了声光衍射实验,经仿真与实验验证表明,该匹配电路可以有效的改善压电换能器的阻抗特性,提高换能器带宽,提高能量传输效率,AOTF衍射效率最高可达92.67%。     

Anisotropic acousto-optic diffraction in tellurium in the presence of optical activity

The peculiarities of acousto-optic interaction in tellurium caused by its optical activity have been investigated. Due to the high optical activity, wide-angle geometry is implemented at relatively high ultrasonic frequencies, even when ultrasound is directed orthogonally to the optical axis. Theoretical data are compared with experimental results.     

基于一维耦合腔光子晶体的声光可调谐平顶滤波器的研究

本文利用一维耦合腔光子晶体,提出了一种声光可调谐平顶滤波器.该滤波器利用声光效应,通过改变超声波频率使一维耦合腔光子晶体透射谱的平顶滤波器的中心波长产生漂移,从而实现可调谐的滤波功能.基于传输矩阵法和声光效应理论,建立了这种平顶滤波器的理论模型;利用COMSOL软件,对平顶滤波器的矩形度、通带带宽、插入损耗、可调谐特性、加工精度进行仿真研究.研究结果表明,通过施加频率为6-11 MHz的超声波,可实现通带带宽为5-6 nm及中心波长在1514-1562 nm范围内可调谐的平顶滤波器;在可调谐范围内通带带宽内插入损耗不超过2.23 dB,最低仅为0.78 dB,矩形度最低可达1.4;加工误差在±10 nm内平顶滤波器的中心波长、矩形度、插入损耗、通带带宽出现的偏差很小.该平顶滤波器具有易于设计和集成、通带平坦、可调谐范围宽、通带带宽稳定、插入损耗低、品质因素高的特点,在光开关、可调谐光纤激光器、光纤传感等光通信领域有重要应用.     

Prolonged acousto-optic interaction with Lamb waves in crystalline plates

The propagation and acousto-optic interaction of Lamb modes in an anisotropic plate of tellurium dioxide (TeO2) are studied numerically and analytically. In the case of a Y-cut X-propagating TeO2 plate, the very high elastic anisotropy of the crystal greatly modifies the dispersion curves, giving rise to their multiple oscillations. The existence ranges of backward Lamb modes increase with the mode order contrary to the case of isotropic plates. The quasi-collinear light scattering by Lamb waves is considered. Owing to the structure of Lamb wave field, a simultaneous light diffraction at two different optical frequencies can take place while Lamb waves are excited only at the single frequency. It is demonstrated with the Z-cut (110)-propagating plate that a small change in the acoustic frequency can result in a significant shift in the frequency of the scattered light.     

Best candidate materials for fast speed response and high transmission performance efficiency of acousto optic modulators

An acousto-optic modulator (AOM), also called a Bragg cell, uses the acousto-optic effect to diffract and shift the frequency of light using sound waves (usually at radio frequency). They are used in lasers for quality switching, telecommunications for signal modulation, and in spectroscopy for frequency control. This paper has presented the best candidate selected acousto optic materials based AOM for upgrading speed response and transmission performance characteristics. These materials are common materials for acousto-optic devices such as silica glass (SiO₂), tellurium dioxide TeO₂), gallium phosphide, and gallium arsenide. As well as we have deeply investigated the important transmission characteristics of acousto optic modulators such as transmission performance efficiency, transmission bit rate, diffraction angle and efficiency, transient speed response, signal transmission quality, bit error rate and modulation bandwidth under wide range of the affecting parameters for different selected acousto optic materials to be the major of interest.     

Acousto-optic diffraction with allowance for the influence of the acousto-optic cell boundaries

The influence of the dimension of an acousto-optic cell in the plane orthogonal to the plane of acousto-optic diffraction on the acoustic field structure and, consequently, on acousto-optic diffraction is studied theoretically and experimentally. A method is suggested for approximate calculation of the acoustic field with regard to the acoustic column reflection from the crystal faces. Based on this method, the influence of the acousto-optic cell dimensions is analyzed in a wide range of ratios between the height of the piezoelectric transducer and the height of the crystal. A region of acoustic power concentration is predicted to arise both for parallel faces and for slight wedging. A number of statements are demonstrated with paratellurite used as an interaction medium. The results may be useful in designing acousto-optic devices.     

Angular and power characteristics of noncollinear acousto-optic tunable filters

The angular and the power characteristics of noncollinear acousto-optic tunable filters are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The dependencies of the acoustic wave frequency, the bandpass width and the diffraction efficiency of the filter are studied as functions of the angle of incidence of the optical wave and of the acoustic signal power density. These dependencies are illustrated and tested on the basis of a realized such a filter based on tellurium dioxide (TeO₂). A good agreement of theory and experiment is demonstrated, which indicates that the approach used can be effective in designing such devices.     

Transmission characteristics of acousto-optic filter using sectioned transducer

The paper examines operation of a tunable acousto-optic filter applying a sectioned piezoelectric transducer. The analysis was carried out for a tellurium dioxide cell having 1.4-cm long transducer divided into 7 identical sections connected in series. Each section generated acoustic waves with a time delay relatively to adjacent sections. The time delay caused electric and acoustic phase shifts as well as inclination of a resulting acoustic wave front in the crystal. We showed that the inclination of the acoustic front influenced on shape of the filter transmission function causing asymmetry of side lobes. Investigation of the filter was carried out at the driving acoustic frequencies 100–240 MHz. The measurement proved that the electric phase shifts between the adjacent sections increased with the frequency up to 30°. Ratio of intensities of the first two side lobes in the transmission function was varying with the frequency from 0.9 to 0.5. Based on the carried out analysis, we discussed a prototype device using the acoustic beam steering effect. The device applied two sets of transducer sections that simultaneously generated two acoustic wave fronts tilted with respect to each other.     

Anisotropic light diffraction in crystals with a large acoustic-energy walk-off

The influence of energy walk-off in an acoustic beam on the characteristic of anisotropic Bragg diffraction of light has been investigated by the example of paratellurite crystal. The angular and frequency characteristics of acousto-optic diffraction have been calculated in wide ranges of ultrasound frequencies and Bragg angles using the modified Raman-Nath equations. It is shown that the walk-off of an acoustic beam may change (either widen or narrow) significantly the frequency and angular ranges. The calculation results have been experimentally checked on an acousto-optic cell made of 10.5°-cut paratellurite crystal.     

Spatial structure of acousto-optic phase matching in uniaxial crystals

The spatial structure of Bragg angles and the transfer functions of an acousto-optic cell are calculated for the cases of isotropic and anisotropic light diffraction in a uniaxial crystal. Their change with ultrasound frequency is traced. The possibility of image processing by acousto-optic filtration of the spatial spectrum of an image is considered. The results of experimental visualization of the transfer functions of a calcium molybdate crystal cell are presented.     

The spatial structure of acousto-optic phase matching in biaxial crystal of alpha-iodic acid

Anisotropic acousto-optic diffraction in biaxial crystal of alpha-iodic acid has been studied in the case in which the wave vector of the ultrasound is almost orthogonal to one of the optical axes and the directions of incident and diffracted light beams are close to the optical axis. It is shown that, owing to the complex form of wave surfaces in the field of optical axes of a biaxial crystal, the considered variant of acousto-optic interaction is very sensitive to changes in the direction of the wave vector of the ultrasound that imposes special requirements to accuracy of manufacturing of acousto-optic devices.     

Acousto-optic diffraction in biaxial crystals possessing considerable optic dispersion

Influence of optic wavelength dispersion on phase matching conditions of acousto-optic interaction in optically biaxial media is considered for the first time. Diffraction of light by ultrasound is examined in basic optical plane of a biaxial crystal by the example of monoclinic double lead molybdate single crystal (Pb₂MoO₅). Frequency dependences of Bragg angle have been analysed taking into account wavelength dispersion of light. It is shown that a considerable transformation of the characteristics of the acousto-optic interaction is caused by a change of the directions of optic and dielectric axes in a biaxial medium with a tuning of optic wavelength.     

Optimal conditions of the acousto-optic interaction in crystals with gyrotropy

The conditions of the acousto-optic interaction in the crystals with gyrotropy are considered. The optimal length of the acousto-optic interaction and the diffraction efficiency in the gyrotropic direction are calculated. The diffraction efficiency is determined by the coupled wave method which allows calculation of the field interaction in the gyrotropic crystal [1]. It is theoretically shown and experimentally confirmed that the diffraction efficiency in the gyrotropic direction is independent of incident light polarization, when the polarization plane rotates by 45° along the interaction length.     

Polarizer-Free Acousto-Optic Monochromators

Monochromators based on a noncollinear acousto-optic filter without external polarizers have been studied. As an element to select an operating diffracted light beam, (1) a spatial filter-telescope and (2) an output plane of a filter crystal rotated in a diffraction plane have been used. In the latter case, dispersion of the acousto-optic filter crystal is compensated using a correcting prism made from the same crystal and placed behind an output filter plane along a path of a filtered light beam. As a result, the transmission coefficient of the monochromator is increased upon an effective compensation of the angular drift of the filtered light beam, the monochromator design is simplified, and its sizes are decreased.

     

Acousto-optic interaction in an InI single crystal

The acousto-optic figure of merit M ₂ of the InI single crystal has been measured using the Dixon method at a laser-radiation wavelength of 1.15 μm. The maximum measured value was M ₂ = 1100 × 10^–15 s³/kg. It is comparable with the figures of merit of the most efficient acousto-optic materials: TeO₂ and KRS-5. The velocities of longitudinal ultrasonic waves along the basic directions of the InI single crystal have also been measured.     

表面波布拉格声光互作用耦合波方程的研究

定义了压电晶体的增劲声光系数，它反映压电晶体中声光、电光和压电效应共同作用的结果。从参量互作用基本理论出发，同时考虑声光效应、电光效应和压电效应三个因素，用一个压电增劲声光系数来表示三种因素的共同作用，导出表面波声光布拉格互作用的耦合波方程。并求解得出相应衍射效率的计算公式。该式说明在弱声光互作用条件下，衍射导光波强度与超声功率成正比。表面波声光器件具有体积小、工作稳定、能耗小、易于集成等优点。可以用作光偏转器、光调制器、滤光器。在光通信以及各类实时信号处理，如相关、卷积、频谱分析、矩阵光计算等领域具有广泛的应用前景。     

Acousto-optic filter of nonpolarized electromagnetic radiation

An acousto-optic tunable filter that is insensitive to the polarization of incident light is studied both theoretically and experimentally. The fundamental possibility of designing an acousto-optic filter of nonpolarized light is demonstrated. The filter operates in the visible range of electromagnetic waves with λ=480–750 nm and provides a high spatial and temporal resolution. The number of resolvable spots of the filtered image reaches a value of 400×400 with the spectral bandwidth of the device being Δλ=1.7 nm. The results of the processing of optical images formed by arbitrarily polarized light beams are discussed. An acousto-optic filter based on a TeO₂ crystal can be used in optics and spectroscopy in the processing of light beams with an arbitrary polarization, as well as in analyzing optical images formed by light beams whose polarization varies with time.