Generation of coherent terahertz radiation by photomixing of dual-mode lasers

We have reviewed and discussed the generation of continuous-wave terahertz radiation by the photomixing of dual-mode lasers, which includes a multi-mode laser diode (LD), a dual-mode microchip laser, a monolithic dual-mode DBR LD, and a widely tunable dual-mode external cavity LD. It is demonstrated by several experiments that the beat frequency of a dual-mode laser is more stable than the original laser modes because of the common-mode rejection effect. We also suggest a novel scheme by which the optical beat is stabilized to less than 1 kHz and its frequency can be precisely determined as well.     

Employing external injection-locked Fabry-Perot laser scheme for mm-wave generation

We propose and experimentally investigate a 170 GHz band millimeter-wave source employing an external dual-mode-locked Fabry-Perot laser diode (FP-LD) with a 1.38 nm mode-spacing. Two continuous-wave (CW) lights are aligned to inject the corresponding modes of FP-LD to generate dual-beat-mode output. The proposed dual-mode laser is not only stable, but also has single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) output characteristics. Moreover, the relationship between two external-injected wavelengths is also analyzed for the dual-wavelength output.     

Square microcavity semiconductor lasers

Square microcavities, which support whispering-gallery modes with total internal reflections, can be employed as high-quality laser resonators for fabricating compact, low-threshold semiconductor lasers. In this paper, we review the recent progress of square microcavity semiconductor lasers. The characteristics of confined optical modes in the square microcavities are introduced briefly. Based on the mode properties of the square microcavities, dual-mode lasers with tunable wavelength intervals are realized for generating microwave signals. Furthermore, deformed square microcavity lasers with the sidewalls replaced by circular sides are proposed and experimentally demonstrated to enhance the mode confinement and increase the dual-mode interval to the THz range. In order to further reduce the device size, metal-confined wavelength-scale square cavity lasers are also demonstrated.     

Study on the method of controlling chaos in an Er-doped fiber dual-ring laser via external optical injection and shifting optical feedback light

Controlling chaos in an erbium-doped fiber dual-ring laser is studied by injecting an external light and shifting the phase of an optical feedback light. First, the parameters of the externally injected optical signal are adjusted to bring the chaotic laser into a single-period state and a multiperiod state, respectively. In addition, the single-mode locking in a single ring of the laser as well as the dual-mode locking in dual ring of the laser are found. Secondly, the method of optical feedback is used to stabilize chaos by controlling the parameters of the optical devices in an external optical path. We show that the optical negative feedback can stabilize the chaotic laser into a single-period state, while the optical positive feedback can stabilize the chaotic laser into another single-period state and a period-doubling state. Lastly, various dynamical states are produced in the laser by shifting the phase of the optical feedback light.     

红外/激光双模共口径光学系统设计

针对未来导弹的发展趋势,提出一种红外/激光双模共口径光学系统设计方案,可用于获取目标的双模信息。分析了光学系统的基本参数,研究了双模共口径系统的设计思想,并进行了光学系统设计。所设计系统实现了长波红外和激光双波段的共口径成像。红外部分相对孔径1.27,光学系统传递函数接近于衍射限;激光部分相对孔径0.63,接近于理论极限,成像光斑能量分布均匀,线性区范围内光斑变化较小。     

Tunable 19 × 10 GHz L-band FP-SOA based multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber laser

We present a multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber ring laser incorporating a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and a Fabry-Perot semiconductor optical amplifier (FP-SOA). Because the gain of the SOA is depleted by an external injection optical signal, the SOA acts as a loss modulator. The FP-SOA serves as a tunable comb filter. The presented laser source can generate 19 synchronized wavelength channels with the extinction ratio of about 21 dB, each mode-locked at 10 GHz, and mode-locked pulse width is about 40 ps. Oscillation wavelengths band can be tuned by adjusting the bias current of the SOA, and wavelength spacing also can be changed by using a tunable optical delay line (ODL) or a temperature controller. The polarization-insensitive devices ensure that the output power is rather stable. This fiber laser has potential applications in longer waveband (L-band) within the low-attenuation window.     

Laser-induced changes on optical band gap of amorphous and crystallized thin films of Se75S25−xAGx

Optical band gap of amorphous, crystallized, laser induced amorphous and laser induced crystallized films of Se₇₅S_25−xAg_x (x=4, 6 and 8) glassy alloys was studied from absorption spectra. The amorphous and crystallized films were induced by pulse laser for 10 min. After laser irradiation on amorphous and crystalline films, optical band gap was measured. It has been found that the mechanism of the optical absorption follows the rule of indirect transition. The amorphous thin films show an increase in the optical band gap, while the crystallized (thermally annealed) thin films show a decrease in the optical band gap by inducing laser irradiation. Crystallization and amorphization of chalcogenide films were accompanied with the change in the optical band gap. The change in optical energy gap could be determined by identification of the transformed phase. These results are interpreted in terms of concentration of localized states due to shift in Fermi level.     

Widely tunable ring-cavity tellurite fiber Raman laser

We report a widely tunable ring-cavity tellurite fiber Raman laser covering the S+C+L+U band. A tunable range (1495-1600 nm, limited by the tunable optical bandpass filter) over 100 nm is obtained by using a single-mode tellurite fiber with high Raman gain coefficients (55 W(-1)km(-1)) and large Raman shift (~22.3 THz) as the gain medium. Furthermore, the free-running 1665 nm Raman fiber laser is achieved from the ring cavity by removing the tunable optical bandpass filter, which shows that such a tellurite fiber has potential for constructing a widely tunable fiber Raman laser covering the S+C+L+U band. A high optical signal-to-noise ratio of over 60 dB for almost all of the tunable range is also demonstrated.     

Simplified model for calculation of power and spectral characteristics of laser diode with fiber Bragg grating

A simplified model consisting of a laser diode, air gap, and optical fiber is used to calculate power and spectral characteristics and the band width of the radiation of laser with fiber Bragg grating. The results of the simplified model are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data on power and spectral characteristics. The radiation band width of the laser diode with fiber Bragg grating can be less than the band width for a single laser diode by four orders of magnitude.     

基于平行偏振光注入的1550nm波段垂直腔表面发射激光器获取窄线宽光子微波的理论和实验研究

提出一种基于1550 nm垂直腔表面发射激光器(1550 nm-VCSEL)获取高质量微波信号的全光方案.在该方案中,采用波长位于VCSEL中被抑制模式的中心波长附近、振动方向与VCSEL中主导模式相同的偏振光注入(即平行注入)1550 nm-VCSEL获取高频微波,并借助双光反馈对该高频微波的线宽进行窄化.一方面,基于VCSEL的自旋反转模型,从理论上分析了采用该方案产生微波信号的可行性;另一方面,通过构建相应的实验系统,对该方案产生的微波的特性进行初步实验研究.实验结果表明:在合适的注入条件下,1550 nm-VCSEL能够产生30 GHz左右的微波信号,但该信号的线宽较宽(百兆水平);引入双光反馈后,微波线宽可被压窄两个数量级以上,得到了线宽低于1 MHz、信噪比大于40 d B的微波信号.     

Adjustable surface plasmon resonance with Au,Ag, and Ag@Au core-shell nanoparticles

We report an experimental study on the synthesis of metal nanoparticles （NPs） with adjustable optical density based on surface plasmon resonance （SPR）. Metal NPs prepared by laser ablation in liquid method and the effect of laser parameters on the size, distribution, wavelength of SPR of Ag, Au, and mixture of Ag-Au, and Ag core/Au shell NPs are investigated. Our results show that the adjustable SPR band can be achieved in each class of NPs which is suitable for adjustable optical window applications.     

Study of the bandgap renormalization in Ga-doped ZnO films by means of optical absorption under high pressure and photoelectron spectroscopy

In this paper we investigate the band gap renormalization in heavily Ga-doped ZnO thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on C$C$-plane sapphire and mica substrates. Thin films were studied by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and also by optical measurements under high pressure. The Fermi-level shift, as obtained from ultraviolet photoelectron experiments, exhibits a relatively small and positive shift (about 0.3 eV) with respect to the valence band for increasing electron concentrations up to 10²¹ cm⁻³. The optical gap exhibits a much larger increase (0.6 eV) for the same concentration range. Absorption measurements under pressure show that the pressure coefficient of the optical gap is correlated to the electron concentration in films, decreasing with increasing electron concentration. As a consequence, the contributions of band filling and band renormalization to the optical gap shift can be separated on the basis of the different pressure behavior of the physical parameters involved in each effect.     

半绝缘GaAs的双调制反射光谱研究

半导体材料电子能带结构的确定对研究其物理性质及其在半导体器件方面的应用有重要意义.光调制反射光谱是一种无损和高灵敏度的表征半导体材料电子能带结构的光学手段.光调制反射光谱中激光调制导致的材料介电函数的变化在联合态密度奇点附近表现得更为明显.通过测量这些变化,可以得到有关材料能带结构临界点的信息.然而在传统的单调制反射光谱中,激光调制信号的光谱线型拟合和临界点数目的分析往往被瑞利散射和荧光信号所干扰.本文将双调制技术与双通道锁相放大器结合,消除了瑞利信号和荧光信号的干扰,获得了具有较高信噪比的调制反射光谱信号.双通道锁相放大器可以同时解调出反射光谱信号及其经泵浦激光调制后的细微变化量,避免了多次采集时可能存在的系统误差.利用这种技术,在可见激光(2.33 eV)泵浦下,我们测量了半绝缘GaAs体材料从近红外至紫外波段(1.1-6.0 eV)的双调制反射光谱,获得了多个能带结构临界点的信息.探测到了高于泵浦能量之上的与GaAs能带结构高阶临界点对应的特征光谱信号,说明带隙以上高阶临界点的光调制反射光谱本质是光生载流子对内建电场的调制,并不是来自该临界点附近的能带填充效应.这一结果表明双调制反射光谱能够对半导体材料能带结构带隙及其带隙以上临界点进行更准确的表征.     

Laser radiation effects on optical and structural properties of nanostructure CdSe thin film

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were deposited on a glass substrate using the thermal evaporation method at room temperature. The changes in the optical properties (optical band gap and absorption coefficient) after irradiation by TEA N₂ laser at different energies were measured in the wavelength range 190–800 nm using a spectrophotometer. It was found that the optical band gap is decreased after irradiating the thin films. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the grain size of the CdSe thin film was calculated from XRD data, which was found to be 41.47 nm as-deposited. It was also found that grain size increases with laser exposure. The samples were characterized using a scanning electron microscope and it was found that big clusters were formed after irradiation by TEA N₂ laser.     

Generation of 10-GHz duty-cycle tunable square optical pulse in an SOA-based mode-locked fiber laser

We demonstrate the generation of 10-GHz optical square pulses by injecting a picosecond pulse train into an SOA-based mode-locked fiber laser. The novel scheme exploits nonlinear effects and gain saturation phenomenon in the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). This technique uses gain-compression dynamics between the input pulses and the generated ones in gain-saturated SOA to form square pulses. The center wavelength of the generated optical square pulse can be tuned from 1530 to 1570 nm by adjusting the center wavelength of the optical band pass filter (OBPF) in the SOA-based mode-locked fiber ring laser. The duty cycle of the output pulse can be tuned from 12.7 to 88.4%, which strongly depends on the input power and intra-cavity power.     

Faraday laser at Rb 1529 nm transition for optical communication systems

We experimentally demonstrate a Faraday laser at Rb 1529 nm transition by using a performance-improved Rb electrodeless-discharge-lamp-based excited-state Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter as the frequencyselective element. Neither the electrical locking scheme nor the additional frequency-stabilized pump laser are used. The frequency of the external-cavity diode laser is stabilized to the Rb 1529 nm transition, and the Allan deviation of the Faraday laser is measured by converting the optical intensity into frequency. The Faraday laser can be used as a frequency standard in the telecom C band for further research on metrology, microwave photonics, and optical communication systems.     

超短激光脉冲对宽带光学物质的微加工

通过讨论超快飞秒激光脉冲和长脉冲宽度的激光脉冲紧导致宽能隙透明电介质的损伤机理和比较超短激光脉冲与长激光脉冲对宽能隙透明电介质的损伤程度，得出超短激光脉冲是一种可对透明宽带电介质进行加工的有效工具的结论。当波长为800nm，脉冲宽度为150fs的激光脉冲紧聚焦到不同的宽能隙透明电介质（K9玻璃和ZK6玻璃）体内时，可制作不同光栅常数的光栅，并在波长为635nm的He-Ne连续激光的垂直照射下，对光栅的远场相对衍射效率和光栅的衍射效率进行了测量。     

Infrared laser-induced fast photovoltaic effect observed in orthorhombic tin oxide film

The SnO_2/SnO with an orthorhombic structure is a material known to be stable at high pressures and temperatures and expected to have new optical and electrical properties. The authors report a new finding of the infrared laser induced a fast photovoltaic effect arising from orthorhombic tin oxide film with an indirect band gap(~2.4 e V) which is deposited by pulsed laser deposition. The rising time of the photovoltaic signal is about 3 ns with a peak value of 4.48 mV under the pulsed laser beam with energy density 0.015 m J/mm~2. The relation between the photovoltages and laser positions along the line between two electrodes of the film is also exhibited. A possible mechanism is put forward to explain this phenomenon.All data and analyses demonstrate that the orthorhombic tin oxide with an indirect band gap could be used as a candidate for an infrared photodetector which can be operated at high pressures and temperatures.     

Relative Intensity Noise in Optical Single Side Band Systems with Multiple In-Line Amplifiers: Analysis and Validation

This article analyzes and validates through simulation the influence of fiber nonlinearity, dispersion, and loss on the Relative Noise Intensity (RIN) spectrum at fiber output in externally modulated optical single side band (OSSB) systems. The analysis includes the RIN generated by the laser source, the effect of the OSSB modulator, and noise generated by the in-line optical amplifiers. The analysis takes into account conversion between phase noise and intensity noise introduced by fiber transmission. It is shown that, depending on the operating conditions, the system performance may be predominantly affected either by the laser RIN or by the noise generated by the in-line optical amplifiers. The impact of the OSSB modulator can be relevant when the RIN of the system is dominated by the laser noise and should therefore be considered.     

光电系统光轴平行性检测方法研究

对目前常用的多光谱多传感器融合光电系统光轴一致性的几种检测方法进行了分析、研究和比较,提出了一种实用新方法.该方法主要利用上转换板将红外波段的激光转换为CCD可探测到的可见光波段的红光并对光斑进行延时,使普通CCD能够很容易地探测到单、低频窄脉冲激光的光斑,在经进一步处理后,即可检测到发射出的激光光斑的形心、质心、尺寸等参数,以及激光光轴与光学观瞄装置光轴的平行性.