All-solid-state Cr:forsterite laser generating 14-fs pulses at 1.3 mum

We report the generation of 14-fs pulses at 1.3mum with 80-mW average power at 100-MHz repetition rate by an all-solid-state Kerr-lens mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser. The laser spectrum covers wavelengths of 1230-1580 nm, with a FWHM of 250 nm. Since 1.3-mum wavelengths are close to the zero dispersion wavelength of Cr:forsterite, higher-order dispersion is the main factor limiting pulse durations. We use specially designed and fabricated double-chirped mirrors in combination with high-index PBH71 prisms to compensate for the intracavity dispersion over almost 300 nm.     

Frequency-agile kilohertz repetition-rate optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

We report kilohertz repetition-rate pulse-to-pulse wavelength tuning from 3.22 to 3.7 mum in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Rapid tuning over 400 cm(-1) with random wavelength accessibility is achieved by rotation of the pump beam angle by no more than 24 mrad in the PPLN crystal by use of an acousto-optic beam deflector. Over the entire tuning range, a near-transform-limited OPO bandwidth can be obtained by means of injection seeding with a single-frequency 1.5-mum laser diode. The frequency agility, high repetition rate, and narrow bandwidth of this mid-IR PPLN OPO make it well suited as a lidar transmitter source.     

1.5-microm-band wavelength conversion based on difference-frequency generation in LiNbO3 waveguides with integrated coupling structures

We report wavelength conversion within the 1.5-mum telecommunications band based on difference-frequency generation in periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides with integrated coupling structures. A conversion efficiency of -7 dB and a normalized efficiency of 260%/W are demonstrated. Static tests show that the conversion bandwidth is 72 nm and the conversion efficiency is constant over the 20-dB range of input powers tested.     

宽波段单色仪多级谱高精度波长定标

通常利用单色仪输出的单色光对空间遥感光谱仪进行波长定标。提出以空间遥感光谱仪的置信度为标准,来评价宽波段单色仪高精度波长定标精度的方法。通过对仪器精度的分析,分别求出单色仪的波长的重复性误差和偏差。应用高压汞灯的本征谱和光栅衍射多级谱作为定标谱线,避免更换灯源带来的误差。通过粗细定标相结合的方法,缩短扫描时间,并且运用高斯拟合对波峰进行精确定位,缩小误差。最后利用高次拟合得到的关系式,测出单色仪波长精度,计算出空间遥感光谱仪定标的置信度。以1.5 M单色仪为例,单色仪在200～840 nm波段内波长精度±0.016 nm,则空间遥感光谱仪的波长精度达到±0.050 nm的置信度为99.82%。     

Photochemical etching of GaAs with Cl2 induced by synchrotron radiation

The quality and efficiency of etching at room temperature is determined in the wavelength range from 105 nm to 300 nm by replicating a mask on a GaAs(100) wafer and by wavelength selection of synchrotron radiation with filters and a monochromator. A good anisotropy and selectivity is found for Cl₂ pressures from 10^–2 mbar up to 1.5 mbar, but above 3 mbar the selectivity is lost. Efficiencies for stimulation of the chlorination reaction and for desorption are separated and an optimal efficiency for stimulation of about 100 removed Ga and As atoms per photon is obtained around a wavelength of 122 nm at 1.5 mbar. Growth of reaction products on the surface occurs for short wavelengths and transport processes through layers up to a thickness of 350 nm are relevant. The efficiency and quality of etching can be improved by additional desorption with long wavelengths especially with lasers.     

Optical parametric generation in 2-mum-wavelength-pumped periodically poled LiNbO(3)

An optical parametric generator based on periodically poled LiNbO(3) and pumped by a 2.051-mum-wavelength laser has been demonstrated. Pump pulses of 50-ns duration of 50-Hz repetition frequency were converted into signal and idler pulses in the 3.4-5.2-mum wavelength range in a double-pass pump configuration by a 5-cm-long quasi-phase-matched crystal. An average pump power of 180 mW generated 30-mW average signal power at 3.64-mum wavelength, corresponding to 16.7% signal conversion efficiency.     

Near-field probing of active photonic-crystal structures

We report a study of the optical near field of an active integrated component operating near the 1.55-mum telecommunications wavelength. The device is based on a two-dimensional photonic crystal etched in a suspended InP membrane. Topographic as well as optical information is collected by use of a scanning near-field optical microscope in collection mode, providing information about the local distribution of the losses.     

Integrated-Optics Multimode-Interference Wavelength Division Multiplexer for Optical Communication

An integrated-optics multimode-interference 1.3 1.55-mum wavelength division mul tiplexer demultiplexer for optical communication is reported. We have found that the device length can be reduced by adopting a restricted-resonance multimode-interference scheme and a lower beat length ratio. The former allows the device length to be 3 times shorter, and the latter has been found to be able to avoid the wavelength insensitivity of the multimode-interference effects. Modal propagation analysis was used to investigate transmission characteristics of the device. Simulation results show that a demultiplexer with contrasts of 40 dB at 1.3-mum wavelength and 34.5 dB at 1.55 mum can be achieved at an optimum coupler length of 435.5 mum. We have also discussed the fabrication and operation tolerances of the wavelength multiplexer and the effect of the wavelength-dependent refractive index.     

Gain-Flattened Optical Limiting Amplifier Modules for Wavelength Division Multiplexing Transmission

By integration of a bidirectional erbium-doped fiber amplifier and a three-port optical circulator with several fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), two gain-flattened optical limiting amplifier (OLA) modules are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. They rely on the use of central wavelength misalignment and bending loss methods, respectively. They can effectively cover the whole useful 1.55-mum band. Both modules can provide gain-flattening characteristics over a large input dynamic range. The FBGs integrated OLA configuration has potential application in wavelength division multiplexing lightwave communication systems.     

Antireflection microstructures fabricated upon fluorine-doped SiO(2) films

Two-dimensional periodic structures were fabricated upon a fluorine-doped SiO(2) film in which the fluorine content changed gradually in the direction of film thickness. The films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition. The film was periodically patterned into a 1-mum period and an ~1-mum -groove depth by inductive coupled plasma reactive-ion etching followed by chemical etching in a diluted HF solution. A surface reflectance of 0.7% was attained at 1.85-mum wavelength, a value that is one fifth as large as the 3.5% Fresnel reflection of a SiO(2) substrate with a flat surface.     

Absolute metrology by phase and frequency modulation for multiwavelength interferometry

A fiber interferometer for absolute distance measurements is presented whereby wavelength variation is achieved via a sinusoidal strain modulation of a fiber Bragg grating to generate a series of beat wavelengths. The interferometer employs fiber laser sources where the design is based on the use of narrow-bandwidth fiber Bragg gratings. The accuracy of the beat wavelengths is improved compared to the use of multiple wavelengths measured with conventional optical spectrum analyzers or available wavemeters. Initial measurements are presented for beat wavelengths of 254.74 mm and 27.4 m over an optical path difference of 200 mm and 3.8 m, respectively. Combined with a two (or three) wavelength interferometer, this technique has the potential for ultrahigh dynamic range metrology ranging over several meters while preserving subfringe resolution and a low system complexity.     

光纤激光功率溯源至低温辐射计方法

介绍了1.3 μm/1.5 μm光纤激光功率溯源至低温辐射计的测量方法,与传统溯源至绝对辐射计的方法相比较,最终利用低温辐射计法通过633 nm波长稳定光源标定陷阱式探测器,然后用陷阱式探测器将量值传递到陷阱式量传探测器,最后通过1310 nm/1550 nm通信用光功率稳定光源通过热释电光功率计标定InGaAs光电探测器并用于测量光纤功率。实验结果表明,溯源至低温辐射计的光纤功率测量方法在1310 nm及1550 nm波长点处对一标准光功率计修正系数测量的相对标准差分别为0.0011及0.0007,其测量不确定度可优于0.6％(k=2),在保证量值一致性的同时有效降低了测量不确定度,提高量值传递精度。     

手掌静脉识别典型波长选择

目前的手掌静脉识别系统均采取主动光源来获取掌脉图像,光源波长的选择直接影响掌脉图像的清晰度与识别性能。典型的掌脉识别成像波长为760,850,890,940 nm,但没有指出哪种波长识别性能最佳。从两个角度解决此问题,从识别特征提取角度,建立了基于Fisher判别率的掌脉成像清晰度模型,对4种波长拍摄的掌脉清晰度进行比较;从特征匹配角度,以3种典型的生物特征识别算法对4种波长拍摄的掌脉图像进行识别性能比较。在包含4种波长共2400幅掌脉图像的自建图库中进行实验,模型选择和典型算法实验结果都表明,850 nm优于其他3种波长。证明了850 nm拍摄的掌脉图像的识别性能最佳。     

Measurement of the nonlinear coefficient of orientation-patterned GaAs and demonstration of highly efficient second-harmonic generation

Quasi-phase-matched (QPM) GaAs structures, 0.5 mm thick, 10 mm long, and with 61-mum grating periods, were grown by a combination of molecular-beam epitaxy and hydride vapor phase epitaxy. These were characterized by use of mid-IR second-harmonic generation (SHG) with a ZnGeP(2) (ZGP) optical parametric oscillator as a pump source. The SHG efficiencies of QPM GaAs and QPM LiNbO(3) were directly compared, and a ratio of nonlinear coefficients d(14)(GaAs)/d(33) (LiNbO(3))=5.01+/-0.3 was found at 4.1-mum fundamental wavelength. For input pulse energies as low as 50muJ and approximately 60-ns pulse duration, an internal SHG conversion efficiency of 33% was measured in QPM GaAs.     

Stable, continuously tunable operation of a diode-pumped doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate, for what is the first time to our knowledge, long-term stable, continuously tunable operation of a doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a single-stripe diode laser without the use of an external semiconductor amplifier. The OPO is based on periodically poled lithium niobate and is pumped by a 150-mW distributed Bragg grating diode laser. 18-mW total output power is generated at 1.3- and 2.3-mum wavelengths. A cavity-length servo system allows continuous signal tuning of 17 GHz and idler tuning of 10 GHz, limited only by the range of a piezoelectric cavity mirror mount. OPO tuning is demonstrated from 1.1 to 1.4 mum and from 2.2 to 3.7 mum.     

Tunable multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on a Hi-Bi fiber loop mirror

A novel tunable multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA)is proposed by using a high-birefringence(Hi-Bi)fiber loop mirror(FLM)as wavelength filter.With this configuration,the wavelength spacing of this laser can be varied by using the different lengths of Hi-Bi fiber.8 wavelengths spacing on 450 GHz are experimentally obtained with more than 25-dB signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)for each channel using 1.28-m Hi-Bi fiber in Hi-Bi FLM.The output power variation between different channels is measured to be less than 5.9 dB.The linewidth of each channel is compressed from 0.347 to 0.186 nm by 1.5-m unpumped erbium-doped fiber(EDF).Meanwhile,17 wavelengths spacing on ITU-gird(100 GHz)are also obtained with 5.9-m Hi-Bi fiber in Hi-Bi FLM.All these channels can be tuned together over 0.4 nm.     

Efficient mid-IR spectral generation via spontaneous fifth-order cascaded-Raman amplification in silica fibers

Spontaneous cascaded Raman amplification is demonstrated as a practical and efficient means of power transfer from telecommunications wavelengths to mid-IR wavelength bands through use of conventional silica fibers and amplifiers. We show that silica fibers possessing normal dispersion over all near-IR and mid-IR wavelengths can facilitate 37% and 16% efficient Raman power conversion from 1.53 microm to 2.15 and 2.41 microm wavelength bands, respectively, using nanosecond pulses from an all-fiber laser source. In contrast to supercontinuum-based techniques for long-wavelength generation, the high levels of Raman gain generated at these wavelength bands could produce useful optical amplification necessary for the development of numerous mid-IR laser sources.     

光栅耦合外谐振腔调谐的半导体量子级连激光器

本文研究了由InGaAs/InAlAs材料组成,波长为4.6和5.1微米的量子级连中红外半导体激光器的光栅外耦合谐振腔的特性。在温度是80K时波长可调制宽度是激光中心波长的1.5%左右。对于这两个激光器而言,它们的波长可调制宽度随温度升高而减低。被调制的单模激光器的输出光功率是几个毫瓦,激光的谱线宽度是1到2个微米。激光阈值电流随波长缓慢变化,然而激光输出效率在短波长时更加优化。     

Multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber ring lasers with overlap-written fiber Bragg gratings

Eight-wavelength Er-doped fiber lasers with lasing wavelength separations of ~1.6 and ~0.8 nm , respectively, have been achieved by use of overlap-written fiber Bragg gratings (OWFBG's) in the fiber lasers and by cooling of the Er-doped fiber with liquid N(2) . Our experiment shows that by utilizing the OWFBG's to select the lasing wavelengths one can achieve fiber lasers with lasing wavelengths and lasing wavelength separations that match the International Telecommunication Union channel-allocation grid well.     

Wavelength assignment for all-to-all broadcast in WRMD WDM linear array and ring

This paper proposes a wavelength assignment method for all-to-all broadcast in wavelength reusable multi-carrier distributed (WRMD) wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) linear array and ring networks with wavelength reuse. An expression on the minimum number of wavelengths required to establish all-to-all broadcast is also derived for the networks. It is observed that one carrier regeneration per wavelength significantly reduces the number of wavelengths compared to that without carrier regeneration. The results also show that regenerating carriers more than once has little effect on the required number of wavelengths.