Thermal nonlinear effects in hybrid silica/polymer microdisks

The linear and thermal nonlinear spectral responses of silica and hybrid silica/polymer microdisk resonators are investigated. Both types of resonators can be fabricated using the same technological procedure with only slight modification. An extra polymer layer results in opposite sign of the nonlinear thermal optical response of the hybrid microdisks compared to the pure silica ones, which can be explained by the different thermorefractive coefficients of silica and polymer. A full compensation of eigen frequency shift, caused by thermal nonlinearity, has been demonstrated experimentally.     

Physical properties of silver-coated silica clusters: A computer experiment

The effect on the physical properties of a silica cluster after silver coating has been studied by the molecular dynamics method. It has been established that silver atoms make a sphere-like cluster shape, increase mechanical stability and give a stable positive value of the surface tension. They increase the number of electrons able to interact with the electromagnetic field, and, hence, enhance the efficiency of thermal radiation transfer by clusters.     

Mode coupling between first- and second-order whispering-gallery modes in coupled microdisks

The mode characteristics for two coupled microdisks are investigated by the finite-difference time-domain technique. In the two coupled micodisks, mode coupling between the same order whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) results in coupled WGMs with split mode wavelengths. The numerical results show that the split mode wavelengths of the coupled first- and second-order WGMs can have a crossing point in some cases, which can induce anticrossing mode coupling between them and greatly reduce the mode Q factor of the coupled first-order WGMs. The time variation of mode field pattern shows the transformation between the coupled first- and second-order WGMs.     

Characterization of photonic nanojets in dielectric microdisks

The direct imaging of photonic nanojets in different dielectric microdisks illuminated by a laser source is reported. The SiO₂ and Si₃N₄ microdisks are of height 650 nm with diameters ranging from 3 μm to 8 μm. The finite-difference time-domain calculation is used to execute the numerical simulation for the photonic nanojets in the dielectric microdisks. The photonic nanojet measurements are performed with a scanning optical microscope system. The photonic nanojets with high intensity spots and low divergence are observed in the dielectric microdisks illuminated from the side with laser source of wavelengths 405 nm, 532 nm and 671 nm. The experimental results of key parameters are compared to the simulations and in agreement with theoretical results. Our studies show that photonic nanojets can be efficiently created by a dielectric microdisk and straightforwardly applied to nano-photonics circuit.     

Quality-factor enhancement of supermodes in coupled microdisks

We investigate the optical modes in a coupled pair of semiconductor microdisks in symmetric and asymmetric configurations both experimentally and theoretically. While the quality factors of coupled first- and second-order whispering gallery modes (WGMs) show a conventional crossing, the quality factors of the same-order WGMs reveal an interesting splitting behavior, leading to the formation of high- and low-quality supermodes. Our results are reproduced by numerical simulations, and an explanation based on optical interference is suggested. Quality-factor splitting is a subtle phenomenon that might help to design microarchitectures for efficient optical coupling in cavity quantum electrodynamic experiments.     

Light streak tracking of optically trapped thin microdisks

Nonspherical particles can uniquely probe soft system dynamics. We show that laser tweezers stably trap thin coinlike microdisks in 3D with an edge-on orientation. Scattered light forms a streak that we track using a fast camera to measure the disk's angular displacement. Linearly polarized tweezers rotationally trap a birefringent disk, and we measure its harmonically bound Brownian rotation over 5 decades in time. Near a surface, the disk exhibits a translational-orientational switchback oscillation. Circularly polarized tweezers rotate the disk and streak, yielding a colloidal lighthouse.     

Waveguide modulated non-local optical interaction of semiconductor microdisks

The non-local optical interaction of two semiconductor microdisks with a waveguide bridged at radial direction is proposed and studied by three dimensional finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） electromagnetic simulations. The strong and weak optical interactions between two microdisks are observed and ascribed to the internal coupled modes with different coupling ratios. The vertical radiation losses and the related mode quality factors are modulated by waveguide length and present oscillation characteristics for the resonant modes. In addition, the optical leakage of coupling system is affected by the etching depth of disks due to tile emission of minor components of electric field.     

Combining directional light output and ultralow loss in deformed microdisks

A drawback of optical modes in microdisk cavities is their isotropic light emission. Here we report a novel, robust, and general mechanism that results in highly directional light emission from high-quality modes. This surprising finding is explained by a combination of wave phenomena (wave localization along unstable periodic ray trajectories) and chaotic ray dynamics in open systems (escape along unstable manifolds) and applies even to microlasers operating in the common multimode regime. We demonstrate our novel mechanism for the lima?on cavity and find directional emission with narrow angular divergence for a significant range of geometries and material parameters.     

Spectroscopic characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on silica

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 55, No. 2, pp. 230–235, August, 1991.     

Adsorption characteristics of parent and copper-sputtered RD silica gels

Surface modification of type RD silica gel was achieved by depositing layers of thin-film copper on the parent silica gel surfaces so as to improve their performances, circumventing the poor thermal conductivity of the adsorbent. Porous properties (surface area, pore size and volume) were determined using nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm measurements, which were performed on adsorbents for both parent and Cu-sputtered silica gels in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of 77.4?K. The copper sputtering experiments were conducted in a chamber of inert argon gas where the chamber was bombarded with a radio frequency (RF) of 13.56?MHz. The comparative performance of the parent and Cu-sputtered silica gels was determined via various key measurements such the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), the Horvath and Kawazoe (HK) and the hot-disc sensor methods.     

Mode characteristics of nano-width rectangle resonator

A new method based on Maxwell's equations,ABCD ray matrices,and total internal reflection is proposed to theoretically analyze the characteristics of eigenmodes confined in nano-width rectangle resonators.Using this method,mode wavelengths and indices of transverse and longitudinal modes are obtained.Another method based on the finite difference time domain technique and Pad′e approximation is used to numerically calculate resonant wavelengths,mode field distributions and quality factors.The results of two methods show that the resonant wavelengths obtained from both methods are very close,and the maximum relative error is less than 2%.The mode indices of transverse and longitudinal modes obtained agree well with mode field distribution patterns calculated by finite difference time domain techniques.     

Large enhancement of spontaneous emission rates of InAs quantum dots in GaAs microdisks

We have studied the enhancement of spontaneous emission rates for InAs quantum dots embedded in GaAs microdisks in a time-resolved photoluminescence experiment. Inhomogeneous broadening of the quantum dot energy levels and random spatial distribution of the quantum dots in a microdisk lead to a broad distribution of the spontaneous emission rates. Using a nonnegative least-norm algorithm, we extract the distribution of spontaneous emission rates from the temporal decay of emission intensity. The maximum spontaneous emission enhancement factor exceeds 10.     

Mode dispersion characteristics of graded-index optical waveguides

A method to compute the propagating modes of graded index waveguides with an arbitrary refractive index distribution is proposed, based on the variational method applied to the integral wave equation. The method is applied to two refractive index distributions: a Gaussian index distribution and a complementary error-function index distribution. The results are compared with the predictions of perturbation analysis and are experimentally verified by measuring the mode spectrum of a Ti-diffused LiNbO₃ waveguide.     

Fluorescence characteristics of Dy/CdS nanocrystals doped silica xerogel

Cadmium sulfide semiconductor nanocrystals along with dysprosium ions were incorporated in silica xerogels through sol-gel route. The fluorescence properties were analyzed for samples annealed at different temperatures. The incorporation of the CdS semiconductors as nanocrystallites was confirmed from the HRTEM measurements. The fluorescence intensities were compared for Dy³⁺, CdS and Dy³⁺/CdS-doped silica xerogels. Enhanced blue emission was observed for codoped samples annealed up to 100 °C.     

Mode characteristics of hollow core Bragg fiber

Analytical expression to calculate propagation constant and mode field of the hollow core Bragg fiber is derived. Numerical results are presented. It is shown that the fundamental mode of the hollow core Bragg fiber is circularly symmetric TE01 mode with no polarization degeneracy, while the higher order mode may be HE11, TM01, or TE02 etc.. This property is different from conventional optical fiber that its fundamental mode is the linearly polarized HE11 mode and is polarization degeneracy.     

Evolution of pore and surface characteristics of silica xerogels during calcining

This paper has investigated the effect of calcining temperature (600-1000°C) on the mesopore structure and surface fractal dimension of silica xerogels derived from two-step acid-base-catalyzed TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) systems. Two base contents were adopted in the base step. FE-SEM (field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy) observation and XRD (X-ray diffraction) analysis indicate that gel coarsening, agglomeration and sintering occurred successively with increasing temperature, and those prepared with higher base content exhibit easier agglomeration, lower sintering temperature and weaker crystallizability. Percent mesoporosity and surface fractal dimensions evaluation via image analysis methods shows that the mesoporosity of those prepared with lower base content increases below 700°C and decline at higher temperatures, while the surface fractal dimension appears to decrease above 800°C.     

Controlled growth of Cu2S hexagonal microdisks and their optical properties

Chalcocite Cu₂S particles have been prepared hydro- and solvo-thermally from a copper plate in pure water, mixed solvents of water and ethylenediamine (en), and pure en, respectively. Their structural and optical properties have been characterized by a combination of powder X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and VIS-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Their growth and optical properties were found to be highly dependent on synthesis conditions and in particular the en/water volume ratio. For the first time, Cu₂S particles wish the shape of hexagonal microdisks were synthesized in a mild hydrothermal condition and these crystalline particles were found to exhibit unique optical properties.