A double acousto-optic monochromator for the uv region with improved optical characteristics based on a KDP single crystal

A double monochromator is developed and manufactured on the basis of an acousto-optic filter made of a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) single crystal. The device has an operating range of 260–540 nm and improved optical characteristics: high aperture ratio (an angular aperture of 2° and a linear aperture of 6.5x15 mm), high polarization contrast (～10⁸), and low level of transmission sidelobes (～10³). The spectral resolution of the monochromator at the edges of the operating range is 0.5 and 3 nm, respectively. The control frequency band is 60–150 MHz. Experimentally, it is shown that, for sound beams with equivalent geometric parameters, the diffraction efficiency provided by the KDP-based acousto-optic filter is an order of magnitude higher than that obtained with a noncollinear acousto-optic filter fabricated on the basis of crystalline quartz.     

Control of light polarization by acousto-optic diffraction from leaky acoustic wave in LiNbO₃

The acousto-optic control of light polarization due to diffraction by leaky acoustic waves in ZX-LiNbO? has been demonstrated. The randomly polarized light of 633 nm wavelength is converted by the anisotropic diffraction into two beams with mutually orthogonal polarizations, the relative intensities of which depend on the light incidence angle and acoustic frequency. Variation in acoustic frequency from 108 to 112 MHz rotates the polarization of the output optical beam by 90°. The acousto-optic control is accomplished entirely by electronic means and can be applied for implementation of fast polarization converters.     

声光可调谐滤波器(AOTF)消色散设计

介绍了非共线声光可调谐滤波器的构成及基本原理,计算了非共线声光可调谐滤波器衍射出的±1级衍射偏振光的偏转角,采用在光路中添加光楔的方法补偿非共线声光可调谐滤波器晶体色散引起的图像漂移.分析结果表明使用TeO_2材料设计的光楔在楔角为7.6°的时候可以控制图像漂移在一个像元以内,并在400～900 nm的工作波段范围内满足稳定成像的要求.     

Spectral and polarization analysis of optical images by means of acousto-optics

This paper presents results of a theoretical and experimental study of Bragg anisotropic diffraction. The diffraction may be used for filtration of optical radiation and processing of images. Special attention is devoted to the investigation of diffraction, which provides spectral filtration simultaneously with polarization analysis of divergent optical beams. A tunable tellurium dioxide acousto-optical filter for processing of optical images is described in the paper. Some experimental results of the image analysis in visible light and in the near-infrared region of the spectrum are discussed.     

基于声光滤光和液晶相位调谐的高光谱全偏振成像新技术

为了获取高光谱分辨率、高空间分辨率、高偏振精度、高信噪比和稳定性好的全部Stokes参量光谱图像, 考虑到声光可调谐滤光器(acousto-optical tunable filter, AOTF)的±1级衍射光的正交特性, 提出用一个AOTF滤光, 一个液晶可变延迟器(liquid crystal variable retarder, LCVR)进行相位调制和两个CCD相机分别对±1级衍射光成像的高光谱全偏振成像新技术. 从所采用的光学元件的穆勒矩阵出发, 阐述了该技术的基本工作原理; 理论分析表明, LCVR不但不会影响到第一个Stokes参量的探测精度, 而且后3个Stokes参量的相对误差分别优于0.064%, 0.31%和3.97%; 利用原理样机获取了450–700 nm、光谱带宽为10 nm的26个光谱通道的图像数据, 成像质量良好; 以工作波长为600 nm的入射光为例, 对其全部Stokes参量图像进行了具体分析讨论. 结果表明, 该新技术原理正确, 方案可行. 该研究可为光谱偏振成像技术提供新的理论和实现方案.     

Production of “dichroitic” diffraction gratings in glasses containing silver nanoparticles via particle deformation with ultrashort laser pulses

By repetitive irradiation of pico- or femtosecond laser pulses on glasses containing silver nanoparticles, dichroitic areas can be produced with different optical properties depending on the actual irradiation parameters. This effect, which is nanoscopically caused by permanent deformation of the initially spherical particles to non-spherical shapes and an additional formation of a halo of very small particles, is studied as a function of polarization and number of the applied pulses using two different laser systems (Ti:sapphire, λ=400 nm, t_p=150 fs; Nd:YLF, λ=523.5 nm, t_p=4 ps). A very special diffraction grating produced by this local deformation, which has strongly polarization- and wavelength-dependent features, is introduced and discussed. Received: 20 July 2001 / Published online: 10 October 2001     

Nonadiabatic nondegenerate excitation by optical near-field and its application to optical pulse-shape measurement

Using DCM dye grains and light of different wavelengths generated by two CW laser diodes that oscillate in the near-infrared wavelength region, visible light emission from dye grains due to near-infrared excitation based on a nonadiabatic, nondegenerate excitation process was observed for the first time. Unlike sum-frequency generation with nonlinear polarization, the difference in polarization angles of the two beams did not affect the emitted light intensity. Optical sampling based on this nonadiabatic, nondegenerate excitation principle was demonstrated for the first time. The optical pulse shape in the wavelength band of λ=1250–1350 nm, which is close to the wavelength range used for optical fiber communications, was measured with a temporal resolution of 0.8–1.1 ps.     

Ultrasonic diffraction of Bessel light beams in uniaxial gyrotropic crystals

Specific features of the acousto-optic diffraction of Bessel light beams propagating in the vicinity of the optical axis of a uniaxial gyrotropic crystal have been investigated. The dependences of the diffraction efficiency on the acousto-optic interaction length, ultrasound power, and polarization state of the incident Bessel light beam have been analyzed using the coupled-wave equations and the overlap-integral method. It is shown that polarization-independent diffraction of Bessel light beams is observed in paratellurite crystals, when the Bragg diffraction efficiency is independent of the polarization state of the incident beam. The physical reason for this diffraction has been established (both theoretically and experimentally) to be simultaneous implementation of two processes of anisotropic scattering, at which the Bragg synchronism conditions are satisfied for orthogonal polarized Bessel beams with elliptical polarization.     

Peculiarities of spontaneous grating generation in light-sensitive waveguide layers during holographic grating formation

The generation of spontaneous (noise) gratings during the simultaneous formation of a holographic grating in thin (on the order of the cutoff thickness of the TE₀ waveguide mode) AgCl-Ag films by two laser beams with λ = 532 nm and polarization vectors that make an angle of 45° with the plane of incidence have been studied. The electron microscopy images and diffraction patterns have revealed a significant difference of the spontaneous-grating structure from the structure obtained under irradiation by one laser beam. The spontaneous gratings have a significant spread in the directions of their wave vector, and the diffraction pattern (recorded using a probe beam with λ = 337 nm) has the form of a bundle of diverging arcs that intersect at one point. This difference is caused by self-diffraction from the holographic grating, which is responsible for the main diffraction peaks with odd orders, the growth of spontaneous gratings because of the interference of the beams diffracted by the holographic grating with the waveguide TE₀ modes scattered in the film, and silver transport to the interference minima. The diffraction patterns are quantitatively analyzed and the period of the new (formed under two-beam irradiation) spontaneous gratings is calculated. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Acousto-Optics Tunable Filter Based on a Hollow Optical Fiber for Broadband Polarization Switch Application

A novel acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) using a hollow optical fiber (HOF) is proposed. Its broadband rejection over 100nm was observed and high polarization dependence as a polarization switch is discussed.     

Transverse grating-assisted narrow-bandwidth acousto-optic tunable filter

An experimental acousto-optic tunable filter that has a narrow spectral bandwidth (0.2 nm at 1550 nm) and a fast (10-micros) tuning capability with a continuous tuning range of approximately 50 nm is described. The tunable filter consists of an acousto-optic beam deflector with a diffraction grating whose grating vector is transverse to the direction of light propagation.     

Characterization of dip-coated ITO films derived from nanoparticles synthesized by␣low-pressure spray pyrolysis

In₂O₃:Sn (Indium Tin Oxide; ITO) films were prepared from a sol solution with highly crystalline ITO nanoparticles (less than 20 nm in size with 10 at.% Sn) which had been prepared by low-pressure spray pyrolysis (LPSP) in a single step. The ITO sol solution was prepared by dispersing LPSP-prepared ITO nanoparticles into ultra pure water. The nanoparticle ITO film was deposited on a glass substrate using a dip-coating method and then annealed in air at various temperatures. The optical transmittances of the ITO films were measured by UV–Vis spectrometry, and the films were found to have a high transparency to visible light (in the case of a film thickness of 250 nm annealed at 400°C, the transparency was in excess of 95% over the range λ=450–800 nm, with a maximum value near 100% at wavelengths above λ=700 nm). The optical transmittances of the films were influenced by the size of the ITO particle used, the film thickness and the annealing temperature. The ITO films showed a minimum resistivity of 9.5×10⁻² Ω cm, and their resistivity was affected by both the ITO particle size and the annealing temperature used.     

Wide-aperture acousto-optic interaction in birefringent crystals

Regularities of the wide-aperture mode of light diffraction by acoustic waves in crystals with different values of birefringence are considered. The diffraction has been investigated theoretically and experimentally with the aim of applying it in acousto-optic filters used in processing uncollimated optical beams and images. It is proved that the main filtration parameters depend on the birefringence of crystals used in processing luminous fluxes. By the example of wide-aperture filters based on paratellurite, magnesium fluoride, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals, it is shown that the choice of crystals with high birefringence may increase the maximum attainable angular aperture and throughput of devices. It is also proved that application of crystalline compounds of mercury and tellurium (characterized by high optical anisotropy) in filters increases spectral resolution and improves the quality of filtered images.     

A new type of small size acousto-optic tunable filter with super narrow optical linewidth

The new concept of the creation of an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) with super-resolution and small size is discussed. The advantage of the device is based on the use of a novel type of multi reflector beam expander that produces a highly collimated optical beam (angular spread about 100 ppm), tilted with a change in optical wavelength. The proposed AOTF, 1 cm in length, can have an optical linewidth about 0.1 nm and up to 400 tunable channels at a wavelength of 1540 nm. It can be utilized as a tunable filter for dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) in fiber optic networks and as a small-sized tunable optical spectrometer, for example, in sensors of gases, liquids and solids. The acousto-optic tunable filter can be developed by known technology developed for the creation of integrated optics and microelectronics devices. Received: 28 April 2001 / Revised version: 22 August 2001 / Published online: 2 November 2001     

Amorphous and crystalline IrSi Schottky barriers on silicon

The electro-optical properties of the films are studied by measuring the infrared optical absorption and the yield of hole photoemission across the Schottky barrier to the p-Si substrate. The Schottky barrier height of the amorphous a-IrSi to the valence band of Si is 0.17–0.18 eV. The barrier height of the polycrystalline c-IrSi depends on the degree of texturing of the silicide; the Schottky barrier height increases from 0.14 eV to 0.18 eV when the substrate temperature is increased from room temperature to 400 °C during the Ir metal deposition prior to the 500 °C silicidation. The non-linearity of the photoemission yield observed for the amorphous a-IrSi in the Fowler plot is due to an energy-dependent photon absorption of these amorphous films. An evaluation of the scattering events in the metal films shows that the mean free path for inelastic scattering is λ_in=500 nm in the amorphous a-IrSi which is one order of magnitude larger than that in the crystalline c-IrSi. The mean free path for quasi-elastic scattering λ_qe=0.3 nm, of the amorphous a-IrSi is in the order of the interatomic distance, indicating a localization of the electronic states. Received: 14 November 1997/Accepted: 12 January 1998     

Optimization of a KDP-based acoustooptic tunable filter

The characteristics of an acoustooptic cell optimized for a tunable filter making it possible to analyze optical images in the UV range (λ = 200–400 nm) are studied. The attenuation of a slow shear acoustic wave in the (010) plane of the crystal is measured. It is shown that attenuation of ultrasound affects the filtering characteristics at frequencies f > 500 MHz. Analytical and experimental data are presented, and factors influencing the quality of images obtained with KDP-based acoustooptic filters are discussed.     

新型双通道差分偏振干涉成像系统

针对Wollaston棱镜和Savart偏光镜(SP)组合的差分成像光谱系统存在光线溢出和无法改变系统光程等问题,设计了一种新型双通道差分偏振干涉成像系统.此系统不仅可获取正交偏振图像,还可以通过调整Savart偏光镜的厚度来改变系统光程.介绍了该系统的结构、理论原理,并利用琼斯矩阵推导出四束偏振光线的复振幅及其相干光干涉强度表达式.分析了宽视场Savart偏光镜(WSP)和可调光程的Savart偏光镜(MSP)的分束特性,得出WSP相较于SP具有更好的剪切能力和WSP可优化系统光路的结论.获得了不同楔形结构角下MSP的光程差、横向剪切量随楔形移动量的变化曲线.通过实验验证,获取了不同剪切量下的干涉图像和复色光下平行、垂直分量的空间图像,进而获得了总的强度图像和差分强度图像.得出差分强度图像相较于偏振强度图像具有较高对比度的结论.研究结果对双通道成像光谱系统的性能优化具有一定的参考意义.     

Analysis of the deviation of the diffracted beams caused by acousto-optic tunable filter in multispectral imaging

The deviation caused by acousto-optic tunable filter(AOTF) diffraction in multispectral imaging is analyzed through derivation calculus of the deviation angle.The rotatory polarization of acousto-optic crystal is taken into account in this analysis.The relationships between the polar angle of the incident and the diffracted beams are acquired by using the momentum-matching condition.During the diffraction of the incident beams,far more deviations are induced.     

Multi-beam second-harmonic generation in beta barium borate with a spatial light modulator and application to internal structuring in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Parallel beam frequency doubling of 170 fs, NIR pulses is demonstrated by placing a thin beta barium borate (BBO) nonlinear crystal after a spatial light modulator. Computer-generated holograms applied to the spatial light modulator create 18 parallel diffracted beams at the fundamental wavelength λ=775 nm, then frequency doubled to λ=387 nm and focussed inside the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate for refractive index structuring. This procedure, demonstrated for the first time in PMMA, requires careful attention to phase matching of multiple beams and opens up dynamic parallel processing at UV wavelengths where nematic liquid crystal devices are more sensitive to optical damage. By overlapping filamentary modifications, an efficient, stable volume phase grating with dimensions 5×5×2.0 mm³ and pitch Λ=15 μm was fabricated in 18 minutes and reached a first-order diffraction efficiency of 70 % at the Bragg angle.     

Simulation of light propagation in anisotropic,optically active and slightly inhomogeneous medium,concerning the acousto-optic interaction

A novel modeling technique is introduced for modeling light propagation in slightly inhomogeneous, anisotropic and optically active materials. With the aid of the model the phenomenon of acousto-optic interaction can be efficiently and accurately simulated in a completely general approach. The applied inhomogeneity caused by the sound waves can be arbitrary, similarly the incident and propagating light beams can be also arbitrary, nonparaxial. The basis of the model is described in our previous paper, in addition present work introduces further improvements. The calculation speed is significantly enhanced by increasing the speed of convergence in the case of large spatial frequency ranges and arbitrary angles between the acoustic and optical waves. We also extend our model to handle optical activity, which considerably influences the acousto-optic effect in widely used materials, like TeO2.Mathematical confirmation of the calculated field convergence to the exact solution of the Maxwell's equations is included. The simulation precisely describes the acousto-optic interaction, as a physical verification, simulation results satisfy accurately principal theoretical expectations i.e. diffracted light intensity, phase and polarization distribution.