128 channels of integrated filter array rapidly fabricated by using the combinatorial deposition technique

A combinatorial deposition technique is developed to fabricate integrated narrow bandpass filters (NBPFs) on a single substrate. It is highly efficient for the fabrication of integrated filter arrays in optical regions. An array integrated with 128 NBPFs has been fabricated by using the technique in a nine-step deposition process. The pass bands of the filters distribute almost linearly in the range of 722.0∼880.0 nm. The relative bandwidth of the pass bands is smaller than 0.44%. Such a NBPF array can be utilized as a wavelength division component in many optical applications. It is very powerful for the miniaturization of relevant apparatuses. PACS 42.79.Ci; 84.30.Vn; 42.82.Cr; 42.82.Gw     

16 × 1 integrated filter array in the MIR region prepared by using a combinatorial etching technique

A combinatorial etching technique is introduced to prepare integrated narrow bandpass filters in the mid-infrared (MIR) region. In this region, a 16×1 filter array has been fabricated successfully with two deposition processes combined with the combinatorial etching technique. The pass bands of the 16 filter elements range from 2.534 to 2.859 μm with bandwidth (BW_{3 dB}) less than 0.013 μm (BW_{3 dB}/λ≤0.48%). The insertion loss of the pass bands is between 1.75 and 3.43 dB. The results show that the technique is effective for the fabrication of filter arrays in the MIR region and can be extended to most of the important optical regions. PACS 42.79.Ci; 84.30.Vn; 42.82.Cr; 42.82.Gw     

Improved optical coupling based on a concave cavity lens fabricated by optical fiber facet etching

We report a low-fabrication-complexity and wideband fiber lens, which is formed by fiber facet etching and filling high refractive index UV adhesive. The optical field can be significantly shrunk by the facet lens so as to obtain improved optical coupling. Numerical simulations were carried out for different coupling conditions, on both fundamental mode and highorder mode, for a nine-mode fiber. The fundamental mode area can be reduced from 152.17 to 12.57 μm~2, and the coupling loss between the fiber lens and a photonic waveguide can be reduced to-2.9 d B with over 1000 nm 3 d B bandwidth.     

Superconducting flux flow transistor fabricated by an inductively coupled plasma etching technique

Superconducting flux flow transistors (SFFT) was successfully fabricated by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching technique. YBaCuO thin films on LaAlO₃ substrate were patterned as a three-terminal device by a conventional wet etching method and the ICP system. The characteristics of a fabricated device were investigated by examining the I–V curves under various applied currents. The control current dependence of the transresistance was also measured. The SFFT with a channel fabricated by the ICP system showed a transistor-like characteristic over the liquid nitrogen temperature.     

利用离子交换技术制备跑道形波导谐振腔滤波器的研究

采用AgNO3和KNO3混和熔盐作为离子交换源,在K9玻璃上制备了跑道形波导谐振腔滤波器。利用ASE宽带光源和光谱仪对器件特性进行了测试,得到的该滤波器自由光谱范围为0.176nm。对比对Cr=4dB和3dB带宽δλ=0.13nm来说,耦合系数和传输损耗分别为к=0.9和α=3.2dB/cm。测试了环形腔的热光调相特性,在16℃的变化范围内实现了2π的相移。通过分析,波导材料的热光系数约为1.49×10-5/℃。该滤波器不仅可用于滤波、传感等领域,而且也可与其它波导结构相结合实现新的功能。     

Silica-based microcavity fabricated by wet etching

Silica whispering gallery mode(WGM) microcavities were fabricated by the buffered oxide etcher and potassium hydroxide wet etching technique without any subsequent chemical or laser treatments. The silicon pedestal underneath was an octagonal pyramid, thus providing a pointed connection area with the top silica microdisk while weakly influencing the resonance modes. The sidewalls of our microdisks were wedge shaped, which was believed to be an advantage for the mode confinement. Efficient coupling from and to the 60 μm diameter microdisk structure was achieved using tapered optical fibres, exhibiting a quality factor of 1.5×10~4 near a wavelength of 1550 nm. Many resonance modes were observed, and double transverse electric modes were identified by theoretical calculations. The quality factor of the microdisks was also analysed to deduce the cavity roughness. The wet etching technique provides a more convenient avenue to fabricate WGM microdisks than conventional fabrication methods.     

Multiple-spot optical tweezers created with microlens arrays fabricated by proton beam writing

We report two different applications for using arrays of microlenses on glass substrate to facilitate multiple-spot optical trapping of colloidal microbeads. The array of microlenses was made of SU8 or PMMA resist and created by a combination of Proton-Beam writing followed by thermal reflow processes. Firstly, similar to previous reports [8, 9, 10 ], the lenses were utilized as an optical element in generating multiple laser spot arrays that were subsequently focused down to impose a microbead array. In addition, we demonstrated the feasibility of a novel approach of integrating the microlens array into a sample chamber to provide localized optical trapping. PACS 07.60.Pb; 41.75.Ak; 42.15.Eq; 42.65.Jx; 42.79.Bh     

MFM observation of spin structures in nano-magnetic-dot arrays fabricated by damascene technique

Regularly aligned arrays of magnetic nano dots buried in silicon wafers have been fabricated using damascene technique with the help of electron beam lithography. Arrays of square, rectangular, cross-shaped and Y-shaped structures of submicron size have been obtained. Spin distributions have been observed by means of magnetic force microscopy and analyzed by a micromagnetic simulation with Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equations. Importance of magnetostatic interactions working between adjacent dots has been elucidated.     

Polymeric PLC-type thermo-optic optical attenuator fabricated by UV imprint technique

A planar lightwave circuit-type polymer thermo-optic optical attenuator was fabricated via a UV imprint technique. In order to reduce the step for filling of cores and minimize the detrimental residual slab waveguide, convex ridge-type micro cores for guidance of light were defined with an accuracy of ±0.5 μm on the under-clad by a single step of imprinting. The voltage-controlled polymer optical attenuator showed 30-dB attenuation with 80-mW electrical input power at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. The rise and fall times are less than 5 ms. It displays about 0.2- and 1-dB polarization dependence at 0- and 10-dB attenuations, respectively.     

Optimum beam steering of optical phased arrays using mixed weighting technique

In this paper, we present a novel technique for high precision optical beam steering of optical phased arrays (OPA) using mixed weighting method. Optimal OPA parameters are determined to obtain the best beam directivity by minimizing the main lobe width and eliminating grating lobes of the far field diffraction pattern. The quantitative analysis for a fibre-type optical phased array is given. The calculation results demonstrate that the grating lobe level can be distinctly reduced from 80% to 20% of the main lobe level. Thus, the mixed weighting technique proposed in this paper can substantially improve the beam steering efficiency and the beam quality.     

Serially grafted polymer optical waveguides fabricated by light-induced self-written waveguide technique

Serially grafted polymer optical waveguides were fabricated by the light-induced self-written (LISW) waveguide technique for the first time to our knowledge. To realize functional waveguide cores by the LISW technique, transparent materials at the writing wavelength were selected. By inserting thin transparent partitions, a serial-graft structure consisting of passive and active waveguides without any misalignment was realized automatically. This technique is advantageous for its extremely easy process over conventional fabrication techniques.     

Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio silicon nanopillar arrays with the conventional reactive ion etching technique

We fabricate silicon nanopillar arrays with pillar diameters smaller than 200 nm by using the conventional reactive ion etching (RIE) technique and nickel masks. We use the ratio between the lateral and vertical etching rates as an estimate of the etching anisotropy. The dependence of this ratio on the rf power, the chamber pressure, and the gas mixture is investigated systematically to achieve the largest etching anisotropy. Using the optimized etching parameters in the RIE process, we demonstrate silicon pillars with smooth surface, vertical sidewalls, and aspect ratios higher than 20. In addition, we employ dilute aqua regia to treat the pillars and shrink the diameters to 70 nm. The pillar height remains ∼2500 nm after the treatment. PACS 52.77.Bn; 81.65.Cf; 85.40.Hp     

One-dimensional photonic crystal fabricated by the photochemical etching of silicon

The formation of periodic wall arrays on an n-type (100) Si substrate with V-shaped seed grooves on the surface was investigated. The influence of silicon sidewall roughness on the optical properties of onedimensional (1D) of photonic crystals obtained on the basis of the arrays was studied. The reflection spectra of the 1D photonic crystals exhibit a high modulation level of up to 95% and photonic band gaps of a high order that are in good agreement with calculations over a wide spectral range (1.5—15 μm).     

纳米孔模板浸润法制备聚乙烯纳米线阵列的热导率的实验研究

采用纳米孔模板润湿技术制备了直径为200 nm的低密度聚乙烯(LDPE)纳米线阵列, 并利用纳秒激光闪光法测量了20—80℃时LDPE纳米线阵列的热导率. 测量得到室温时LDPE纳米线阵列的热导率为2.2 W/mK, 大约比其体材料的热导率高1个数量级, 并且纳米线阵列的热导率随温度的升高略有增加. 忽略纳米线之间的声子散射, 估算得到室温下单根LDPE纳米线的热导率高于5 W/mK. 本文制备LDPE纳米线热导率的提高源自其分子链定向度增加导致的低维导热效应的增强, 纳米线的分子链定向度受工艺过程中流体剪切、振动、分子链迁移运动、 纳米孔约束等几种因素的综合影响.     

Linear variable filters fabricated by ion beam etching with triangle-shaped mask and normal film coating technique

In this Letter, we propose a method of fabricating linear variable filters by ion beam etching with masking mechanisms. A triangle-shaped mask is designed and set between the ion source and sample. During the ion etching,the sample is moved back and forth repeatedly with a constant velocity for the purpose of obtaining the linearly varied thickness of the cavity. Combined with ion beam assistant thermal oxidative electron beam evaporation deposition technology, we finish the fabrication of linear variable filters, whose filtering range is from 500 to 580 nm. The measured results indicate that the transmittance and bandwidth at the peak wavelength are around 40% and 3 nm.     

Freestanding circular GaN grating fabricated by fast-atom beam etching

We report here a top-down process for fabricating a freestanding circular GaN grating. The circular gratings are defined by electron-beam lithography and realized by fast-atom beam (FAB) etching. The silicon substrate below the GaN grating region is completely removed to make the circular grating suspended in space. The optical responses of the fabricated GaN gratings are characterized in reflectance measurements. The polarization-independent responses of circular gratings are experimentally demonstrated, corresponding well with the theoretical prediction. This work represents an important step in combining GaN-based material with freestanding nanostructures.     

Perfectly notched long-period fiber grating filter based on ICP dry etching technique

This study presents a new process using inductively a coupled plasma dry etching method to manufacture a long-period fiber grating filter with exact period, vertical sidewalls, and smooth etched surfaces, and the filter is thus named a perfectly notched long-period fiber grating (NLPFG). This process can dramatically reduce production time, and thereby provide higher volume production. The fabricated NLPFG has periods of 640 μm, resonant-attenuation wavelengths of 1518 nm, and maximum resonance-attenuation of 21.79 dB. A force induced loss-tunable calibration of the NLPFG filter was implemented, and a monotonically increasing quadratic fitting was observed. The results demonstrated that the proposed NLPFG has a much better period precision compared to corrugated LPFG, and it has great potential for a loss-tunable filter and force transducer applications.     

Micro-hole fabricated inside FOTURAN glass using femtosecond laser writing and chemical etching

Vertical micro-holes were fabricated inside a photosensitive glass (FOTURAN) by focused femtosecond laser (λ = 775 nm) writing, followed by heat treatment and wet chemical etching in 8% hydrofluoric acid solution for 50 min. The micro-holes were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, and was found they own circular cross-section and clear edge. At present, micro-holes with aspect ratio of about 7 is achieved. By varying the incident laser fluence in a range of 2.3–36.2 J/cm² and the laser writing velocity in 100–1000 μm/s, the influences of femtosecond laser parameters on the formation of micro-holes are characterized as that: writing velocities hardly affect the micro-hole diameter, while relatively lower laser fluences result in smaller diameter, and the cross-section is more circular in this case. The possible reason for this phenomenon is discussed.     

Integrated waveguide splitter fabricated by Cs-Na ion-exchange

This paper reports a optical power splitter fabricated by Cs⁺-Na⁺ ion-exchange in KF3 glass. The propagation loss of the waveguide is about 0.25 dB/cm derived from measured contrast ratio and 3 dB bandwidth.