Infrared dye laser excited by a diode laser

A waveguide dye laser with an inner diameter of 30 μm and a length of 1.0 nm has been excited with a pulsed GaAlAs diode laser. The infrared-absorbing dye 5,5′-dichloro-11-diphenylamino-3,3′-diethyl-10,12-ethylenethiatri- carbocyanine perchlorate was used in tetramethylene sulfoxide solution. By changing dye concentration, laser wavelengths from 950 to 1005 nm were obtained.     

A facile method for the synthesis of large‐size Ag nanoparticles as efficient SERS substrates

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) enjoy a reputation as an ultrasensitive substrate for surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). However, large‐scale synthesis of Ag NPs in a controlled manner is a challenging task for a long period of time. Here, we reported a simple seed‐mediated method to synthesize Ag NPs with controllable sizes from 50 to 300 nm, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. SERS spectra of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) from the as‐prepared Ag NPs substrates indicate that the enhancement capability of Ag NPs varies with different excitation wavelengths. The Ag NPs with average sizes of ~150, ~175, and ~225 nm show the highest SERS activities for 532, 633, and 785‐nm excitation, respectively. Significantly, 150‐nm Ag NPs exhibit an enhancement factor exceeding 10⁸ for pyridine (Py) molecules in electrochemical SERS (EC‐SERS) measurements. Furthermore, finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) calculation is employed to explain the size‐dependent SERS activity. Finally, the potential of the as‐prepared SERS substrates is demonstrated with the detection of malachite green. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ag nanoparticles obtained by pulsed laser ablation in water: surface properties and SERS activity

We studied the surface properties and reactivity of silver nanoparticles obtained by picosecond or nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in water and with 1064‐nm wavelength. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy results and subsequent modelling by Mie theory indicated the presence of an oxide layer on the nanoparticle surface, which favours the colloidal stability, but reduces the interaction with the environment. The oxide layer is also responsible for the reduced surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of these colloids with respect to those obtained by chemical reduction. However, SERS activation can be efficiently obtained by addition of chloride ions to the colloids, leading to SERS enhancement factors that are comparable with those of the chemically prepared counterparts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

600 mW optical output power at 488 nm by use of a high-power hybrid laser diode system and a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 bulk crystal

600 mW second-harmonic blue light at 488 nm has been generated by use of a master-oscillator power amplifier diode laser system as a pump source with a maximum optical output power of 4 W in continuous-wave operation. For frequency doubling, a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 bulk crystal was used in a single-pass configuration. A conversion efficiency of 15% and an overall wall-plug efficiency of 4% were achieved.     

The comparison between CdS thin films grown on Si(111) substrate and quartz substrate by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition

Two kinds of cadmium sulfate (CdS) thin films have been grown at 600 °C onto Si(111) and quartz substrates using femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The influence of substrates on the structural and optical properties of the CdS thin films grown by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition have been studied. The CdS thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. Although CdS thin films deposited both on Si(111) and quartz substrates were polycrystalline and hexagonal as shown by the XRD , SEM and AFM results, the crystalline quality and optical properties were found to be different. The size of the grains for the CdS thin film grown on Si(111) substrate were observed to be larger than that of the CdS thin film grown on quartz substrate, and there is more microcrystalline perpendicularity of c-axis for the film deposited on the quartz substrate than that for the films deposited on the Si substrate. In addition, in the PL spectra, the excitonic peak is more intense and resolved for CdS film deposited on quartz than that for the CdS film deposited on Si(111) substrate. The LO and TO Raman peaks in the CdS films grown on Si(111) substrate and quartz substrate are different, which is due to higher stress and bigger grain size in the CdS film grown on Si(111) substrate, than that of the CdS film grown on the amorphous quartz substrate. All this suggests that the substrates have a significant effect on the structural and optical properties of thin CdS films. PACS 81.15.Fg; 81.05.Ea; 78.20.-e; 78.67.-n; 42.62.-b     

Diamine-linked array of metal (Au,Ag) nanoparticles on glass substrates for reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements

Metal (Au, Ag) nanoparticles (M NPs) (ca. 30–40 nm) prepared by citrate reduction method were arrayed on amine-terminated glass substrates using diamine linkers with different chain lengths. 1,4-diaminobutane (C-4 diamine) produced the uniform and densely-packed array of M NPs on glass substrates at appropriate concentration ranges, whereas diamine linkers with longer chain lengths (C-8 and C-12 diamines) produced more heterogeneous and aggregated array of M NPs. When compared to Ag NPs, Au NPs demonstrated more controllable and higher packing density due to their mono-dispersed size and higher affinity to diamine linkers. Uniformly arrayed M NPs (Au, Ag) on glass substrates exhibited high enhancement factors in SERS measurements of o-chlorothiophenol probes. Au NPs arrayed substrates exhibited an approximate power-law linearity of Raman intensity with probe concentrations (from 10⁻⁷ M to 10⁻⁴ M), demonstrating more reliable SERS substrates than Ag arrayed substrates with higher SERS activity.     

PbSnTe-PbTeSe lattice matched single heterostructure diode lasers grown by LPE on a (110) oriented PbSnTe substrates

Pb_0.8Sn_0.2Te-PbTe_0.92Se_0.08 lattice matched single heterostructure (SH) diode lasers were prepared from layers grown by LPE on a (110) oriented Pb_0.8Sn_0.2Te substrate. Threshold current density was measured as a function of temperature from 14 to 132K and found to be comparable to that observed previously in similar SH lasers grown on (100) oriented substrates. The lasers exhibited relatively low quantum efficiency.     

Optical gain on the 476.5 nm Argon-ion laser line in a gas-target excited by a heavy ion beam

Optical gain on the 476.5 nm Ar II 4p–4s ion laser transition has been observed in argon-gas excited by 2.5 ns pulses of 90 MeV³²S ions with a repetition rate of 4883 Hz. The energy per pulse was 23 J. The projectiles were stopped in the target at pressures between 5 and 20 kPa. Gain was determined from a measured transient increase of the intensity of a 476.5 nm probe laser beam sent along the ion beam axis and back reflected by an aluminum foil. The maximum gain observed was (0.4±0.1)×10^–3 at a target-gas pressure of 5 kPa. Control experiments using krypton as target-gas were performed and yielded a null result. The optical gain observed in argon is consistent with the result from an analysis of spectroscopic studies of rare-gas targets excited by heavy ion beams.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. P. Kienle on the occasion of his 60th birthday. This work has been funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFT) under contract No. 06 TM 310 I, Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Darmstadt, and the Tandem accelerator laboratory, Munich     

ZnO nanorods–polymer hybrid white light emitting diode grown on a disposable paper substrate

We demonstrate intrinsic white light emission from hybrid light emitting diodes fabricated using an inorganic–organic hybrid junction grown at 50 °C on a paper substrate. Cyclotene was first spin coated on the entire substrate to act as a surface barrier layer for water and other nutrient solutions. The active area of the fabricated light emitting diode (LED) consists of zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) and a poly(9,9‐dioctylfluorene) (PFO) conducting polymer layer. The fabricated LED shows clear rectifying behavior and a broad band electroluminescence (EL) peak covering the whole visible spectrum range from 420 nm to 780 nm. The color rendering index (CRI) was calculated to be 94 and the correlated color temperature (CCT) of the LED was 3660 K. The low process temperature and procedure in this work enables the use of paper substrate for the fabrication of low cost ZnO–polymer white LEDs for applications requiring flexible/disposable electronic devices. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Deposition of Ag nanoparticles on porous anodic alumina for surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate

Ag nanoparticles were exclusively deposited inside the pores of the porous anodic alumina (PAA) template through the deposition cycle including the incubation and the subsequent reduction of Ag(NH₃) . Both the density and size of the produced Ag nanoparticles increased as the deposition cycle number increased. A field‐emission scanning electron microscopeand an ultraviolet‐visible spectrometer were applied, respectively, to study the morphology and the extinction spectra of the Ag nanoparticles. The optimum deposition number was found from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of p‐aminothiophenol recorded on the Ag–PAA substrates prepared under increasing number of deposition cycles, manifested an enlarging trend of peak intensity. A point‐by‐point SERS mapping of p‐aminothiophenol on the Ag–PAA substrate was acquired to characterise the homogeneity of the substrate. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical research on enhancement of gain for Ni-like Ag 13.9nm x-ray laser using a new two-layer target

For experiments such as on Ni-like Ag x-ray laser, driven by 1\omega laser, the gain region is only several~nm depth near the target surface, this paper proposes a new two-layer target, in which a thin layer (several nm depth) of silver is plated on the surface of some other materials. Furthermore, the Ni-like Ag 13.9~nm x-ray laser produced by three new kinds of two-layer target with CH, Al and Ge as foundation, was theoretically studied.     

Research on micro-vibration measurement by a laser diode self-mixing interferometer

The self-mixing vibration signals are observed in the laser diode when the optical beam is back-scattered into the laser cavity which causes laser output power modulated. Based on these properties, a laser diode self-mixing vibrometer with wide dynamic range is proposed. This current investigation further reports new work to improve the accuracy and range of the measured vibration signals. Numerical simulations and experimental results are given and discussed. The experimental results show that the frequency measurement range can be achieved up to 22 kHz with 0.241% maximum relative error while utilizing the reflecting film. For amplitude measurement utilizing the same reflecting film, the error of measurement result is 4.77 nm which has approached nanometer order of magnitude.     

An orthogonal-beam Doppler velocity measurement system based on a single laser diode

Optical Review - A novel method for analyzing a rotating target by an orthogonal-beam Doppler velocity measurement system on the basis of a single laser diode is presented. Using the method of fast...     

The carotenoid content in seedlings of maize seeds irradiated by a 650 nm diode laser: Qualitative photoacoustic study

The aim of the present study was to obtain qualitative content of carotenoids in the leaves of maize seedlings the seeds of which were irradiated by the 650 nm diode laser. Four different irradiation doses have been applied; and the control (non-irradiated) seeds used for comparison purposes. Optical absorption spectra of leaves from seedlings were recorded by means of photoacoustic spectroscopy in the 400 to 500 nm range. The experimental unit comprised 10 seeds, among which one seedling was selected at random for each repetition. Data was subjected to variance analysis (ANOVA) using the SAS GLM procedures (SAS, 1998 version). The ANOVA revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences among treatments in the 471 to 478 nm range.     

Coherent artifact as a tool for probing vibrational distribution in molecules excited by femtosecond IR laser pulse

We suggest a new method of probing vibrational distribution in a mode of a molecule pumped by an intense resonant infrared laser pulse, and its change in course of intramolecular vibrational redistribution. The method is based on the so-called coherent artifact attending to the pump-probe experiments. This effect is treated analytically for the anharmonic oscillator, and also numerically for a realistic spectroscopic model of a molecular mode. It is shown that the artifact signal is very sensitive to the distribution properties, in particular, the mean energy in the mode. Possible applications of the suggested method are discussed, namely for studies of intramolecular vibrational redistribution that are important for the femtosecond laser chemistry, and also as a part of feedback in laser control schemes for optimization of the laser pulse shape.     

双光栅实现半导体激光阵列波长组束

在波长光束组合基础上,用一个光栅和一个准直透镜代替传输透镜,可以有效地减小单个发光单元光束质量的退化,明显地克服相邻发光单元的反馈串扰,实现了较窄线宽的光谱组束输出。采用标准的半导体激光阵列,连续输出激光功率44.8 W,电光转换效率最高38.9%,光谱线宽为4.1 nm。光束慢轴方向光束质量因子为11.7,快轴方向光束质量因子为1.37,快慢轴两个方向都接近单个发光单元光束质量。     

SERS as a probe for adsorbate orientation on silver nanoclusters

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has been used to characterize multilayers of three isomeric aromatic compounds adsorbed on silver nanoclusters. The three structural isomers, all of which adsorb in the carboxylate form onto the silver nanoclusters, bind in two different geometries to the silver surface. Different molecular configurations correlate to differences in bonding strength of these molecules to the silver surface, which can be probed by SERS. For ortho‐hydroxybenzoic acid (salicylic acid), we observed red shifts of major SERS peaks in comparison to the normal Raman vibrations of nonadsorbed crystalline material. For this molecule the steric hindrance between the adjacent carboxylate and hydroxyl groups causes the carboxylate group to rotate from the common flat geometry of benzene substituents on surfaces and bond directly through one of the oxygen atoms to the surface. In this case, strong coordinative bonding between the carboxylate group and the metal surface causes the red shifts in the SERS peaks. For para‐, and meta‐hydroxybenzoic acid, the steric hindrance is less likely since the two functional groups are not at adjacent positions, and therefore these molecules adsorb on the silver surface in a totally flat geometry. For these molecules, in contrast to the ortho isomer, the CO₂ interacts with the surface through an extended π bond, and these molecules are physically adsorbed in the common flat position. Therefore, for the meta and para substituents, we do not observe significant red shifts in the SERS spectrum. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.