Quantitative evaluation of the electro-optic effect and second-order optical nonlinearity of lithium tantalate crystals of different compositions using Raman and infrared spectroscopy

Nominally pure lithium tantalate (LiTaO₃) crystals with different chemical compositions were characterized by Raman scattering, infrared reflection, and infrared absorption spectroscopy. In these crystals specific phonon bands are correlated to electro-optic and nonlinear optical properties. The electro-optic and nonlinear optical coefficients were determined and the data are compared with literature values obtained by direct measurements. Our measurements are in good accordance with the literature data, which opens up a new possibility for fast and easy estimation of electro-optic and nonlinear optical performance of newly developed LiTaO₃-based materials modified by stoichiometry. PACS 42.70.Mp; 78.20.Jq; 78.30.-j     

Flame-Retarding and Mechanical Properties of Flexible Polyvinyl Chloride with Surface-Treated Lamellar Magnesium Hydroxide

The effects of hydrophobic magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂) particles, prepared by a surface modification method with oleic acid, on the flame-retarding and mechanical properties of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were investigated. Comparison between the use of modified and unmodified Mg(OH)₂ in the preparation of PVC composites showed that the former could provide excellent optical and flame-retarding properties. The dispersion of the modified Mg(OH)₂ particles in the PVC matrix was investigated through scanning electron microscopy. Compared with a composite containing unmodified Mg(OH)₂, the rheological and impact strength properties of that containing the modified Mg(OH)₂ filler were found to be significantly improved. These improvements were mostly attributed to the better dispersion of the modified Mg(OH)₂ particles and the strong adhesion between the filler and matrix.     

Parameter-dependent third-order optical nonlinearity in a CdSe/ZnS quantum dot quantum well in the vicinity of a gold nanoparticle

The nonlinear optical properties of the CdSe/ZnS quantum dot quantum well (QDQW) in the vicinity of a spherical metal nano-particle (MNP) have been described. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility induced by the transition between E₁ (inside the well) and E₂ (outside the well) has been calculated for the third-harmonic generation (THG) under the effective mass approximation and modified by the local field theory. The parameters-dependent third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility for the THG has been specifically explored and the influence of the distance between the QDQW and the MNP on the third-order susceptibility for the THG in the system has been shown and analyzed.     

Ion synthesis and optical properties of gold nanoparticles in an Al2O3 matrix

Single-crystal Al₂O₃(0001) and Al₂O₃(1120) substrates are implanted by 160-keV Au⁺ ions with doses from 10¹⁵ to 10¹⁷ cm^?2. Some of the implanted samples are air-annealed at 800–1200°C. The properties of the synthesized composite layers are studied by Rutherford backscattering and linear optical reflection measurements, and their nonlinear optical characteristics are examined by RZ-scanning using a picosecond Nd: YAG laser operating at a wavelength of 1064 nm. The Rutherford backscattering spectra indicate that the implanted impurity concentrates near the surface of the Al₂O₃. The formation of gold nanoparticles in the Al₂O₃ can be judged from the characteristic optical plasmon resonance band in the reflectance spectra of the samples irradiated to a dose higher than 6.0 × 10¹⁶ cm^?2. The synthesized particles are shown to be responsible for nonlinear optical refraction in the samples. The nonlinear refractive index, n ₂, and the real part of the third-order susceptibility, Rex⁽³⁾, of the composite layers are determined.     

Magnetic ceramics based on hydroxyapatite modified by particles of M-type hexagonal ferrite for medical applications

Magnetic bioceramics based on hydroxyapatite Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH and particles of the M-type hexagonal (barium or calcium) ferrite with a high bioactivity and magnetic characteristics providing hyperthermal treatment of oncology diseases has been developed and studied. The phase composition, microstructure, and magnetic properties of the synthesized bioceramics have been determined. It has been shown that the synthesized biomaterial consists of the biocompatible matrix with the apatite structure into which particles of hexagonal ferrite are incorporated. The magnetic parameters of the synthesized ceramics are substantially higher than those of the bioglass ceramics modified by iron oxides that have been used in medicine, which suggests good potential and effectiveness of application of the created ceramics for medical purposes. Thus, a new class of magnetic bioceramics combining hydroxyapatite Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH, which exhibits good properties in biocompatibility and bioactivity, with particles of the M-type hexagonal ferrite, which possess high magnetic characteristics, has been created.     

Nonlinear optical characteristics of CdS and ZnS nanoparticles implanted into zirconium oxide thin films

The nonlinear refractive indices γ and nonlinear absorption coefficients of ZrO₂ films doped with CdS or ZnS nanoparticles, as well as with various metals, are measured. The effects of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles and annealing on the nonlinear optical properties of films are studied. The structural parameters of films, determined by electron microscopy and x-ray dispersion spectroscopy, are compared to the optical and nonlinear optical characteristics of these media. The high magnitude of γ of the films ((3±0.6)×10^?11 cm² W^{? 1}) is attributed to the surface enhancement effect in semiconductor nanoparticles. On the basis of Z-scan data obtained at different intensities of radiation, it is shown that the variations in γ of the ZrO₂:CdS(Cr) and ZrO₂:ZnS(Mn) films are related to the generation of free carriers.     

Optical properties of BiB3O6 with different phase matching orientations

Basic optical properties of the new nonlinear crystal BiB₃O₆ (BIBO) are measured for second harmonic generation (SHG) of 1064 nm radiation. These properties include the effective nonlinearities for different phase matching orientations, the corresponding acceptance bandwidths and the optical losses. Effective nonlinearities of up to 3.2 pm/V (ϕ=90°, θ=-11°) and losses of less than 0.1 %/cm at 1064 nm indicate that BIBO is a promising new nonlinear crystal for SHG of 1064 nm radiation. A two-dimensional measurement with high spatial resolution of the SHG efficiency and the optical homogeneity, clearly demonstrate the high optical quality of BIBO crystals now available. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.70.Mp     

Polar Fe(IO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanocrystals as local probes for nonlinear microscopy

We have investigated nanocrystals of Fe(IO₃)₃ by polarization-sensitive second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy. As the nonlinear optical properties of this material were only poorly characterized, we have first determined the relative values of the elements of its second-order susceptibility tensor, by the global fitting of the polarization-resolved SHG response of an ensemble of nanocrystals. This information allows one to optically retrieve the orientation of individual particles in the sample. The high SHG efficiency measured for nanocrystals of Fe(IO₃)₃ and their polar nature could make them very attractive for nonlinear microscopy of biological samples. PACS 42.70.Mp; 78.67.Bf     

Electrical and optical properties of composites based on carbazole derivatives and silicon particles

The electrical and optical properties of polymer-silicon composites with particles incorporated by different means have been studied. It is shown that both when silicon particles are embedded in a carbazole-containing polymer matrix and in the case of a pure polymer, the I–V characteristics are nonlinear and asymmetric (the I–V characteristics of the carbazole-containing polyorganosiloxane, which has silicon atoms in the monomer link, behave in a more symmetric pattern). In all cases, the I-V characteristics can be fitted with power laws, I(V) ～ V ^p , with three different slopes for different voltage intervals, which remainds one of the pattern typical of the mechanism of space-charge-limited currents. It is shown that, in its luminescent properties, the carbazole-containing polyorganosiloxane is similar to a carbazole-containing polymer matrix with embedded silicon particles. The results obtained argue for charge transfer between the polymer and silicon nanoparticles if they are embedded in the matrix and for an formation of an interchain charge-transfer complex in the case of chemically bound silicon.     

Synthesis of CdZnO thin film as a potential candidate for optical switches

Cadmium doped zinc oxide thin films have been prepared using a thermal decomposition technique. The influence of Cd as a doping agent on the structure, optical and nonlinear optical properties was carefully investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a UV-vis spectrophotometer. A deep correlation has been found between the surface roughness and the optical properties. The roughness is found to deteriorate the nonlinear response, such that the highest nonlinear susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ is obtained for the smoothest layer. The third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ has been calculated using the Frumer model, and is estimated to be 3.37×10⁻¹⁰ esu. The dispersion of the refractive index of the prepared thin film is shown to follow the single electronic oscillator model. From the model, the values of oscillator strength (E_d), oscillator energy (E_o) and dielectric constant (ε_∞) have been determined. The conductivity has been measured as a function of the energy of the photons, revealing marginal change at energies below 3.15 eV, while above this value there is a large increase in the conductivity. This suggests that CdZnO is a potential candidate for applications in optical devices such as optical limiter and optical switching.     

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor particles

Abstract

The field of nonlinear optics is briefly introduced, followed by a review of quantum size effects in small semiconductor particles, with special reference to the linear and nonlinear optical properties. Experimental methods, especially the “laser induced grating” technique are described. Semiconductor (CdS _x Se_1?x ) doped glasses are examined, both the commercially available niters and a specially made experimental CdSe doped glass. Both linear and nonlinear optical properties are discussed. Colloidal and polymers systems are also briefly discussed.     

Lead sulfide colloidal nanocrystals with strong optical nonlinearity

Colloidal PbS nanocrystals have been synthesized by a developed procedure. UV–Vis absorption and Z-scan technique was also applied to study the nonlinear optical properties of prepared lead sulfide nanocrystals at 532 nm wavelength. The nonlinear refractive (n₂) and absorption (β) were determined which are confirming the strong nonlinearity at 532 nm of colloidal PbS nanocrystals. The obtained results have not been reported before. In this study, only a weak thermal optical nonlinearity was observed and the dominating nonlinear response is resulted by the electronic origin. The nonlinear optical properties of prepared sample supported wide applications in nanophotonics.     

Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties Of Racemic (±)2-(α-Methylbenzylamino)-5-Nitropyridine Single Crystals

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of racemic (±)2-(α-methylbenzylamino)-5-nitropyridine ((±)MBANP) single crystals have been comprehensively investigated and compared with those of the enantiomorph (–)2-(α-methylbenzylamino)-5-nitropyridine ((–)MBANP) crystals. (±)MBANP crystal exhibits very high chemical and physical stability, but relatively small nonlinear optical coefficients (d₃₁ = 6.8 pm/V, d₃₂ = 4.7 pm/V, d₃₃ = 0.84 pm/V). A comparison between the nonlinear optical coefficients of (±)MBANP and (–)MBANP demonstrates the validity of the oriented-gas model in molecular crystals that neglects all the contributions from intermolecular interaction.     

The growth,thermal and nonlinear optical properties of single-crystal GdAl3(BO3)4

The nonlinear optical single-crystals GdAl₃(BO₃)₄ (GAB), space group R32, were grown by the top-seed solution growth (TSSG) method. The thermal properties and the nonlinear optical characteristics have been investigated. The two principal coefficients of thermal expansion along (100) and (001) were measured to be 5.30 × 10⁻⁶, 1.88 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹. The transmission spectrum was measured and the second-harmonic generation (SHG) was presented. By way of our designed cross superimposed laser crystal multiplier, the frequency doubling laser at wavelength 457.5 nm was measured to be 18.2 mW and the facular properties indicated the multiplier contributed to the improvement of the frequency doubling conversion efficiency.     

Thickness dependent optical dispersion parameters and nonlinear optical properties of nanostructured Cr doped CdO thin films

Cr doped CdO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering with varying film thickness from 250 to 400 nm. XRD studies reveal that the films exhibit cubic structure with preferred orientation along the (2 0 0) plane. The optical transmittance of the films decreases from 92 to 72%, whereas the optical energy band gap of the films decreased from 2.88 to 2.78 eV with increasing film thickness. The Wemple–DiDomenico single oscillator model has been used to evaluate the optical dispersion parameters such as dispersion energy (E_d), oscillator energy (E_o), static refractive index (n_o) and high frequency dielectric constant (ε_∞). The nonlinear optical parameters such as optical susceptibility (χ⁽¹⁾), third order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) and nonlinear refractive index (n₂) of the films were also determined.     

Optical surface polaritons of TM type at the nonlinear semiconductor–nanocomposite interface

TM-polarized optical surface polaritons in a nonlinear semiconductor–nanocomposite guiding structure have been considered. The nanocomposite consists of alternating layers of bismuth-containing garnet ferrite (BIG, Lu_{3 – x}Bi_xFe_{5 – y}Ga_yO₁₂) and gallium–gadolinium garnet (Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂), and the semiconductor (n-InSb) has a cubic nonlinearity and is characterized by two components of the nonlinear susceptibility tensor. With allowance for the anisotropy of the optical properties of the nanocomposite, caused by the magnetization of the BIG layers, the dispersion relation has been obtained and analyzed and its solutions are shown to split into two pairs of high- and low-frequency branches. The influence of the electric field at the interface on the wave characteristics and the existence domains of nonlinear surface TM polaritons has been studied. By solving the inverse problem of finding the profile of the longitudinal electric component of the surface polariton, it has been found that the nonlinearity gives rise to soliton-like wave fields.     

Nonlinear optical and optical limiting studies of alkoxy phthalocyanines in solutions studied at 532 nm with nanosecond pulse excitation

We report our results on the nonlinear optical and optical limiting properties of two alkoxy phthalocyanines namely 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis-(heptyloxy) phthalocyanine and 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis-(heptyloxy) phthalocyanine zinc(II) studied at a wavelength of 532 nm using 6 ns pulses. Using the standard Z-scan technique we observed that both the phthalocyanines exhibited negative nonlinearity as revealed by the signature of closed aperture data. The magnitude of the nonlinear refractive index n₂ evaluated from the closed aperture data was ∼ 1.61×10^-11 cm²/W for the free-base phthalocyanine and ∼ 1.56×10^-11 cm²/W for the metallic phthalocyanine. Open aperture Z-scan data indicates strong nonlinear absorption in both the phthalocyanines with measured nonlinear coefficients of ∼ 1650 cm/GW and ∼ 1850 cm/GW respectively. We also report optical limiting properties of these phthalocyanines with limiting thresholds (I_1/2) of ∼ 0.5 J/cm². Our studies suggest that these phthalocyanines are one of the best molecules for nonlinear optical applications studied recently. PACS 42.65.-k; 42.70.Jk, 42.65.Jx     

Third-order nonlinear optical properties of GeSe2-Ga2Se3-PbI2 glasses

The third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of new selenium-based GeSe₂-Ga₂Se₃-PbI₂ glasses have been measured using the optical Kerr effect (OKE) technique, with picosecond and femtosecond laser pulses. The 0.70GeSe₂-0.15Ga₂Se₃-0.15PbI₂ glass has the largest third-order optical nonlinear susceptibility in GeSe₂-Ga₂Se₃-PbI₂ glass system with χ⁽³⁾ of 5.28×10¹² esu. In addition, the response time of glasses is sub-picosecond, which is predominantly associated with electron cloud. Local structure of the glasses has been identified by using Raman studies, while the origins of the observed nonlinear optical response are discussed. The [Ge(Ga)Se₄] tetrahedral and lone-pair electrons from highly polarizable Pb atom in glasses play an important role in enhanced NLO response. These results as well as their good chemical stability indicate that GeSe₂-Ga₂Se₃-PbI₂ glasses are promising materials for photonic applications of third-order nonlinear optical signal processing.