Terahertz wave omnidirectional dielectric mirror

We design an omnidirectional dielectric mirror that operates over a wide terahertz wavelength range and is based on a periodic bilayer (tellurium and polystyrene) structure. The structure is characterized by using transfer matrix calculation. Results of simulation show that the presented dielectric mirror is highly reflecting for all incidence angles and TE as well as TM polarization in the frequency band from 0.451 to 0.821 THz (i.e. wavelength ranges from 365.5 to 665.5 μm), when the incidence angle is less than 45°. Tolerance analysis reveals a large tolerance to fabrication errors.     

A 1 × 4 polarization and wavelength independent optical power splitter based on a novel wide-angle low-loss Y-junction

A 1 × 4 polarization and wavelength independent optical power splitter is reported. This device is based on a novel wide-angle low-loss Y-junction structure which can give a theoretical TE junction excess loss of 0.26 dB at a branching angle of 16°. To the best of our knowledge, it is so far the lowest reported loss at such a large angle. The detailed design of the device and its fabrication are described. Our experimental results show the measured TE excess loss to be 1.2 dB and TM excess loss 1.8 dB for the whole splitter over the wavelength between 1.47 μm and 1.57 μm.     

Double groove silicon grating polarizer in telecommunication wavelength band

In this paper, we propose an ultra broad band polarizer operating in the telecommunication wavelength band, this device consisting a double groove silicon grating is designed with using the inverse mathematical method and rigorous vector diffraction theory. It is shown from our calculations that the device presents extremely high reflection (R > 95%) for TE polarization light and high transmission (T > 95%) for TM polarization over ∼400 nm wavelength range, moreover, the extinction ratio is ∼30 in the central wavelength 1550 nm. Furthermore, it is found with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) that the extremely wide band property for TE polarization is due to the excitation of strong modulation guided modes in the design wavelength range.     

Wide band polarizer with suspended silicon grating

In this paper, we propose an ultra broadband polarizer operating in the telecommunication wavelength band; this device consisting a single silicon suspended resonant grating layer is designed with using the inverse mathematical method and rigorous vector diffraction theory. It is shown from our calculations that the device presents extremely high reflection (R > 98%) for TE polarization light and high transmission (T > 98%) for TM polarization over ∼330 nm wavelength range; moreover, the extinction ratio is ∼100 in the central wavelength 1550 nm. Furthermore, it is found with Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) and near field distribution that the extremely wide band property for TE polarization is due to the excitation of strong modulation guided modes in the design wavelength range.     

Polarizing beam splitter based on a double-layer subwavelength grating

A Si–ZnS double-layer subwavelength grating is theoretically used as a high-efficient polarizing beam splitter. To design this structure, the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) is applied to study the reflectivity and transmissivity for the TE and TM polarization, respectively. Simulation results show that both the zero-order reflection for TE polarization and the zero-order transmission for TM polarization can exceed 90% in a wide tunable working incident angle range from 48° to 72°. Moreover, the proposed polarizing beam splitter has a working wavelength that is in the range of 1500–1600 nm.     

利用基于自动复形技术的二维光子晶体模型设计宽角度宽波长偏振分束器

基于自动复形技术，在148—152μm的近红外波段设计了可以实现全角度偏振分束（TM模透过，TE模反射）的波状膜层二维光子晶体结构.从能带角度解释了全角度偏振分束的原理.波状膜层倾角θ和a-Si单层膜厚T分别可以在38°—49°和014—015μm的范围内变动，不影响全角度的偏振特性.对波状膜层进行了变形，针对波长128—1 31μm设计了宽角度偏振分束的箭羽型二维光子晶体结构.对比两种结构的能带，阐明了二 维光子晶体偏振分束器光线入射角范围的拓宽与能带结构变化的关系.能带计算全部采用平 面波展开算法. 关键词： 偏振分束 平面波展开 完全禁带     

Tolerance and tuning properties of the optical parametric processes using periodically poled RbTiOAsO4

The maximal tolerance parameters of poling period and phase-matching, temperature in second harmonic generation (SHG) using periodically poled RbTiOAsO₄(PPRTA) as a function of the fundamental wavelength are investigated theoretically. The tolerance of the poling period ΔΛ of PPRTA is found larger than that of PPLN and PPKTP when the fundamental wavelength is beyond 2 μm, which reaches its maximum ΔΛ_max for PPRTA at a fundamental wavelength of 2.7433 μm. However, the tolerance for the phase-matching temperature ΔT of PPRTA is found smaller than that of PPLN and PPKTP with an exception that PPRTA has a larger tolerance of the temperature or a larger temperature phase-matching bandwidth at fundamental wavelength of 2.2474 μm, where the maximum of ΔT(ΔT_max) is obtained. Furthermore, the tuning characteristics of the optical parametric processes using PPRTA for collinear quasi-phase-matching (CQPM) is analyzed. The combination of temperature tuning and poling period tuning enables a quasi-continuous wavelength tuning range of 1493.2-1593.7 nm for the signal and 3201.8-3699.2 nm for the idler, where poling period of 39 μm, 39.5 μm and 40 μm and a temperature between 20 and 120° have been employed in the corresponding theoretical analysis.     

A detailed study of metallic surface-relief grating

This paper presents a more detailed interaction of an electromagnetics light with a metallic surface-relief subwavelength grating utilizing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis. The focus of this work is the accurate modeling of undetermined aspects of diffraction patterns produced by binary metallic grating structures, specially gold grating. First-order diffraction efficiency for rectangular-groove gold grating with equal groove and ridge widths are presented for various wavelengths as a function of period, groove depth, polarization and angle of incidence. We also studied diffraction efficiency of both of TE and TM polarization modes against increasing of incident angle as well as TE polarization against increment of grating period. As a result, very low reflectivity at zero-order was found out for TE and TM polarizations at the pitch of Λ = 2λ. Having been studied diffraction efficiency of metallic surface-relief gratings, we also examined polarization-dependent efficiency of diffraction orders, for different groove depths. Simulation results have been completely presented.     

Widely phase-matched tunable difference-frequency generation in periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal

We report on the development of a laser source in the mid-infrared spectral region based on difference-frequency generation (DFG) in a periodically poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN) crystal. Continuously tunable coherent radiation from 2.75 to 4.78 μm was produced by optical parametric interaction between a diode-pumped monolithic continuous-wave (CW) Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.064 μm and a CW Ti:Sapphire laser tunable from 767 to 871 nm. Temperature-dependent quasi-phase-matched DFG wavelength acceptance bandwidth was studied and characterized. An empiric formula is given to estimate the phase-matched wavelength acceptance bandwidth as a function of the crystal temperature at Λ = 22.5 μm. A large frequency scan of 128 cm⁻¹ (about 78 cm⁻¹ above 1 μW) near 4.2 μm was achieved. The whole absorption spectrum of the P and R branches of the ν₃ band of atmospheric carbon dioxide has been recorded with a single phase-matched frequency scan.     

Research on terahertz photonic crystal fiber characteristics with high birefringence

A new high birefringence photonic crystal fiber is proposed within the terahertz frequency region. It has two types of claddings, the inner is composed of six ellipse air holes arranged in a honeycomb array and the outer surrounded by circle holes. By using the full vector finite element method with anisotropic perfectly matched layers absorption boundary condition, the birefringence, chromatic dispersion and confinement loss of the fundamental mode are evaluated. The results show that the birefringence can achieve 10⁻³ when the wavelength increases from 600 μm to 900 μm. This structure will provide some reference value for the designing of high birefringence terahertz photonic crystal fiber.     

Design of broadband and broad angular Cr/C multilayer reflector for “near water window” region

Traditional periodic multilayer reflector working in the soft X-ray region should be placed at the designed incidence angle and wavelength, which is extremely difficult and complicate in practice especially for “near water window region” (4.43-6.50 nm). In this region, Ni-like-Ta laser working at the wavelength 4.48 nm provides a possible source which has caught a lot attention. In this paper, to overcome the shortcoming of the periodic structure, top-flat broad band (normal incidence) and broad angular (around quasi-Brewster angle) Cr/C non-periodic multilayer reflector have been designed for the 4.48 nm soft X-ray optical system. In the wavelength region 4.473-4.488 nm, 4.455-4.496 nm and 4.435-4.529 nm, mean theoretical normal-incidence reflectivity can get 35.0%, 24.2% and 12.6%, respectively, by the top-flat broad band reflectors. In the grazing incidence angle region 44.85-45.16°, 44.54-45.46° and 44.02-45.98°, mean s-component theoretical reflectivity at 4.48 nm can get 39.7%, 23.1% and 13.0%, respectively, by the top-flat broad angular reflectors.     

Supercontinuum generation in square photonic crystal fiber with nearly zero ultra-flattened chromatic dispersion and fabrication tolerance analysis

This paper presents a simple index-guiding square photonic crystal fiber (SPCF) where the core is surrounded by air holes with two different diameters. The proposed design is simulated through an efficient full-vector modal solver based on the finite difference method with anisotropic perfectly matched layers absorbing boundary condition. The nearly zero ultra-flattened dispersion SPCF with low confinement loss, small effective area as well as broadband supercontinuum (SC) spectra is targeted. Numerical results show that the designed SPCF has been achieved at a nearly zero ultra-flattened dispersion of 0 ± 0.25 ps/(nm·km) in a wavelength range of 1.38 μm to 1.89 μm (510 nm band) which covers E, S, C, L and U communication bands, a low confinement loss of less than 10⁻⁷ dB/m in a wavelength range of 1.3 μm to 2.0 μm and a wide SC spectrum (FWHM = 450 nm) by using picosecond pulses at a center wavelength of 1.55 μm. We then analyze the sensitivity of chromatic dispersion to small variations from the optimum value of specific structural parameters. The proposed index-guiding SPCF can be applicable in supercontinuum generation (SCG) covering such diverse fields as spectroscopy applications and telecommunication dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) sources.     

High power room-temperature design of terahertz quantum cascade laser based on difference frequency generation

Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are key elements for high-power terahertz beam generation for integrated applications. In this study, we design a highly nonlinear THz-QCL active region in order to increase the output power of the device especially at lower THz frequencies based on difference frequency generation (DFG) process. It has been shown that the output power increases for a 3.2 THz structure up to 1.2 μW at room temperature in comparison with the reported power of P = 0.3 μW in [1]. The mid-IR wavelengths associated with this laser are λ₁ = 12.12 μm and λ₂ = 13.93 μm, which are mixed in a medium with high second-order nonlinearity. A similar approach has been used to design an active region with THz frequency of 1.8 THz. The output power of this structure reaches to 1 μW at room temperature where the mid-IR wavelengths are λ₁ = 12.05 μm, λ₂ = 12.99 μm.     

High sensitivity long-period grating-based temperature monitoring using a wide wavelength range to 2.2 μm

Temperature effects on the various cladding modes of a long-period grating (LPG) fabricated in B-Ge co-doped fibre have been investigated to create a high sensitivity measurement device. The temperature sensitivities of the attenuation bands of the LPG over the wavelength region 1.2-2.2 μm, for a grating with a 330 μm period, were obtained by monitoring the wavelength shift of each attenuation band, with a temperature increment of 20 °C, over the range from 23 °C to 140 °C. The attenuation band appearing over the 1.8-2.0 μm wavelength range has shown a nearly five times higher temperature sensitivity than that of lower order modes, and thus it shows significant promise for fibre optic temperature sensor applications.     

Extremely wide band Rayleigh resonant reflector with sharp angular spectra in near infrared wavelength band

In this paper, we propose an extremely broadband Rayleigh resonant reflector with sharp angular spectra operating in near infrared wavelength band, this device consisting of a single germanium resonant grating layer is designed and analyzed by using with the rigorous vector diffraction theory. At the Rayleigh angle, the first diffracted order can be appear from evanescent to a propagating one, thus, a very sharp angular spectrum characteristics can be presented in the device. Based on the guided mode resonant effect, high index material such as silicon and germanium can be designed as wide band reflector, beam splitter and polarizer in near infrared wavelength region. Through connecting Rayleigh phenomena and guided mode resonant effect, we can design a new kind of optical devices with versatile characteristics such as sharp angular spectra and extremely wide reflection band. In this paper, we present a Rayleigh resonant reflector with extremely high reflection (R > 99.5%) for TE polarization light over ∼600 nm wavelength range and sharp angular spectral distribution. In addition, it is shown from our calculations that the high-index nano-layer located adjacent to the substrate is seen to critically affect the resulting spectra of Rayleigh resonant reflector.     

A novel 4-channel demultiplexer based on photonic crystal ring resonators

A 4-channel wavelength division demultiplexer based on photonic crystal structures suitable for WDM communication applications is proposed. In order to improve the wavelength selectivity we introduce four scattering rods above and under the X-shaped ring resonators in the proposed structure. It is shown that the PBG of the structure is tuned for communication systems in both TE and TM modes but the results demonstrated that just the first PBG in TM mode is suitable for WDM applications, so all the simulations will be done in TM mode. The minimum and maximum crosstalk between channels is −23.7 dB and −7.5 dB, respectively. Also, the average channel spacing in this structure is 3 nm.     

Radiative properties of optical board embedded with optical black holes

Unique radiative properties, such as wavelength-selective transmission or absorption, have been intensively studied. Historically, geometries for wavelength-selective of light absorption were developed based on metallic periodical structures, which were only applied in the case of TM wave incidence due to the excitation of surface plasmons. In this paper, we develop an alternative approach to selective wavelength of light absorption (both TE and TM waves), based on an optical board periodical embedded with optical black holes. Numerical work was carried out to study such structure’s radiative properties within the wavelength range of 1-100 μm. The electromagnetic wave transmission through such a structure is predicted by solving Maxwell’s equations using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Spectral absorptance varies with the period of optical black holes. When the incidence wavelength is much larger than the inner core radius, most of the light energy will be transmitted through the inner core. Otherwise, the energy will be mainly absorbed. Numerical results of the radiative properties of the optical board with different incidence wavelengths are also obtained. The effect of the oblique incidence wave is investigated. This study helps us gain a better understanding of the radiative properties of an optical board embedded with optical black holes and develop an alternative approach to selective light absorption.     

Ion beam etching of high resolution structures in Ta2O5 for grating-assisted directional coupler applications

An investigation on thin Ta₂O₅ films patterning using argon ion beam etching (IBE) is presented. The etch rates are characterised by varying the angle of incidence of the beam onto the substrate. Ta₂O₅ gratings with a period of 2.2 μm (1.1 μm linewidth) and 0.25 μm thickness are fabricated using an angle of incidence of 0°. The resulting Ta₂O₅ grating cross sectional profiles are analysed using AFM and SEM imaging. A fabrication method is thus demonstrated which could be used to implement wavelength selective gratings in applications such as grating-assisted directional couplers (GADCs).     

Dispersion characteristic of hexagonal and square lattice chalcogenide As2Se3 glass photonic crystal fiber

In this paper, we report a chalcogenide As₂Se₃ glass photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for dispersion compensating application. We have used the improved fully vectorial effective index method (IFVEIM) for comparing the dispersion properties (negative and zero dispersion) and effective area in hexagonal and square lattice of As₂Se₃ glass PCF using different wavelength windows. It has been demonstrated that due to their negative dispersion parameter and negative dispersion slope in wavelength range 1.2-2.5 μm, both lattice structures of As₂Se₃ glass PCFs, with pitch (Λ = 2 μm), can be used as dispersion compensating fibers. Further, design parameters have been obtained to achieve zero dispersion in these fibers. It is also shown that As₂Se₃ glass PCF provides much higher negative dispersion compared to silica PCF of the same structure, in wavelength range 1.25-1.6 μm and hence such PCF have high potential to be used as a dispersion compensating fiber in optical communication systems.     

Control of polarization deviation at two separate wavelength by using all dielectric thin film materials

Two separate wavelength 1315 nm and 1550 nm were most widely used in near-infrared spectrum region. Based on a four-layer structure and a symmetry structure, a initial thin film stack system was constructed. Then it was optimized alternately by simplex and conjugate graduate algorithm, a beam splitter with splitting ratio R:T = 50:50 at this two wavelength was gained. The design result showed that the difference between reflectivity of P and S light around wavlength range 1300?1330 nm and 1535?1565 nm at incident angle 40°?50° was all below 2%. That indicated our design controlled the polarization deviation well at two separate wavelength with a reasonable range for both wavelength and incident angle.