Nonlinear photosensitivity of photo-thermo-refractive glass by high intensity laser irradiation

Photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass is a material for high-efficiency phase volume hologram recording which possesses linear photosensitivity in the near UV region from 280 to 350 nm. In this paper nonlinear photosensitivity by 355 nm nanosecond pulses with intensity exceeding 1 MW/cm² and by 783 nm femtosecond pulses with intensity exceeding 1 TW/cm² is demonstrated. No photo-sensitizers are necessary in PTR glass for nonlinear photosensitivity. Photosensitivity by 355 nm nanosecond pulses is determined by glass matrix ionization resulting from two-photon absorption of incident radiation by glass matrix. Photosensitivity by 783 nm femtosecond pulses is determined by glass matrix ionization from nonlinear interaction of fundamental radiation and supercontinuum with modified glass matrix due to strong electric fields of incident radiation.     

Laser oscillation in 5-cm Nd-doped silica fiber fabricated by zeolite method

We have demonstrated a laser oscillation in the highest concentration and the shortest Nd-doped silica fiber, an only 5-cm multimode Nd-doped silica fiber. This fiber-core glass was fabricated by the zeolite method, and the glass contained 1.25 wt.% of Nd₂O₃, which is 10 times higher than previously reported Nd-doped silica fiber. The laser output power was 10 mW at 1062 nm, and the threshold power and slope efficiency of the laser oscillation was 1.39 W and 2.4%, respectively.     

Fabrication of two-dimensional lattices by using photosensitive sol-gel and four-beam laser interference

This work demonstrates a promising method to fabricate 2D lattices by using photosensitive sol-gel method combining with four-beam of a 350.7 nm Kr ion laser interference. Photosensitive TiO₂ gel films with chelate complexes as precursors are fabricated. The characteristics of UV and IR spectra of the films and their variations in the process of laser irradiation are investigated. The results show that the gel films had an absorption peak at about 358 nm due to the formation of chelate complex. This peak gradually decreases with irradiation in time, which indicates the photosensitive properties of the TiO₂ films. A flexible four-beam interference system is proposed. Given incident angles 20.5° and 44.5°, the lattices with pitch of 700 nm and 326 nm are fabricated, respectively. The diffraction phenomenon of the 700 nm lattices is investigated by inverse method. The results are fully consistent with the 2D crystal diffraction theory.     

Morphology and microstructure in fused silica induced by high fluence ultraviolet 3ω (355 nm) laser pulses

The morphology and microstructure induced in high quality fused silica by UV (355 nm) laser pulses at high fluence (10-45 J/cm²) have been investigated using a suite of microscopic and spectroscopic tools. The laser beam has a near-Gaussian profile with a 1/e² diameter of ∼0.98 mm at the sample plane and a pulse length FWHM (full width at half maximum) of 7.5 ns. The damage craters consist of a molten core region (thermal explosion), surrounded by a near concentric region of fractured material. The latter arises from propagation of lateral cracks induced by the laser-generated shock waves, which also compact the crater wall, ∼10 μm thick and ∼20% higher in density. The size of the damage crater varies with laser fluence, number of pulses, and laser irradiation history. In the compaction layer, there is no detectable change in the Si/O stoichiometry to within ±1.6% and no crystalline nano-particles of Si were observed. Micro- (1-10 μm) and nano- (20-200 nm) cracks are found, however. A lower valence Si³⁺ species on the top 2-3 nm of the compaction layer is evident from the Si 2p XPS. The results are used to construct a physical model of the damage crater and to gain critical insight into laser damage process.     

Raman amplification in nanoparticles doped glasses

Resonant Raman effects are studied for CdS_xSe_1−x nanoparticles in a silicate glass matrix in order to explore new possibilities of Raman amplification for telecommunication fibers. Nanoparticles with diameters ranging from less than 2 nm up to 6 nm are excited with the 458 nm, 488 nm and 633 nm laser lines corresponding both to resonance and off-resonance conditions. Due to confinement effects the resonance conditions are achieved at a given frequency by varying the size of the nanoparticles. In resonance no enhancement is observed for the silicate glass matrix but the (1LO-CdS), (2LO-CdS), (1LO CdSe + 1 LO CdS) modes are strongly enhanced showing the possibility of resonant Raman amplification of the discrete frequencies of the LO modes and of their overtones.     

Micromachining of polyurea aerogel using femtosecond laser pulses

We successfully sliced cylindrical polyurea aerogel samples of 10-15 mm in diameter into 1-3 mm disks using femtosecond laser. The experiments were performed using a Ti:sapphire laser with 800 nm wavelength in ambient air with a pulse duration of ~ 40 fs. We found that the laser fluence to breakdown this material is 1.3 J/cm². The ablation rate at different energy levels was evaluated. The factors influencing the ablation surface quality were investigated. The proper fluence to slice the porous polyurea is 6.4- 8.9 J/cm² with the beam linearly scanning the sample at a speed of 0.1 mm/s, or 5.1-7.6 J/cm² with the beam circularly scanning the sample at a speed of 3.5-4°/s, and high quality machining surface was obtained under these conditions. The material removal mechanisms are proposed. Structural details of the machined area were characterized using a number of techniques such as optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This work provides insights for micromachining nanostructured porous polymers using femtosecond lasers.     

Laser-induced structural changes in pure GeO2 glasses

We report on the characterization of structural modifications created by micro-explosions at the beam waist of a tightly focused femtosecond laser pulse inside of GeO₂ glass. Micro-Raman scattering revealed the presence of structurally strongly modified regions at and around the irradiated sites. For separations of 5 μm between adjacent irradiated sites structural modifications due to a pressure increase are observed, whereas smaller spacings of 2 μm lead to thermal effects and crystallization. The mechanisms and the interplay of pressure and temperature effects are discussed.     

Texture and surface analysis of thin-film GaAs on glass formed by pulsed-laser deposition

Thin-film GaAs on glass was formed by ablating n-type GaAs with nano-second pulses at 532 nm. The deposition was done in the most straightforward way without heating the substrate. The texture of films has been investigated with X-ray measurements, spatially resolved micro-Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results reveal that the film texture is of multi-phase nature consisting of randomly oriented GaAs microcrystallites, amorphous parts, and (1 1 1) zincblende migrations in the nano-regime.     

Preparation and optical properties of silicate glasses containing Pd nanoparticles

We report the space selective precipitation of Pd nanoparticles in Pd²⁺-doped silicate glass by ultrashort laser pulses irradiation and further annealing. Absorption spectra, transmission electron microscopy, refractive index measurement and Z-scan technique demonstrated that metallic Pd nanoparticles were precipitated in the glass sample after irradiation by an 800-nm femtosecond laser and subsequent annealing at 600 °C. We discuss a refractive index change and nonlinear absorption that combines the precipitation of Pd nanoparticles.     

Diamond nanorods from nanocrystalline diamond films

Diamond nanorods (DNRs) have been prepared by hydrogen plasma post-treatment of nanocrystalline diamond films in radio-frequency (RF) plasma-assisted hot-filament chemical vapor deposition. Single-crystal diamond nanorods with diameters of 3–5 nm and with lengths up to 200 nm grow under hydrogen plasma irradiation of nanocrystalline diamond thin film on the Si substrate at high temperatures. The DNRs growth occurs from graphite clusters. The graphite clusters arises from the etching of diamond carbon atoms and from the non-diamond phase present in the parent film. The graphite clusters recrystallized to form nanocrystalline diamonds which further grow for diamond nanorods. The negative applied bias and surface stresses are suggested to support one-dimensional growth. The growth direction of diamond nanorods is perpendicular to the (1 1 1) crystallographic planes of diamond. The studies address the structure and growth mechanism of diamond nanorods.     

Growth of embedded ErAs nanorods on (4 1 1)A and (4 1 1)B GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy

The low solubility of Er in GaAs results in the formation of ErAs nanostructures when GaAs is grown with 5–6 at% Er/Ga ratio by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs surfaces. For growth on the (4 1 1)A GaAs surface, cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy images show the presence of ErAs nanorods embedded in a GaAs matrix extending along the [2 1 1] direction with a spacing of roughly 7 nm and a diameter of roughly 2 nm. Growth on the GaAs (4 1 1)B surface resulted in only nanoparticle formation. Variation of the polarized optical absorption with in-plane polarization angle is consistent with coupling to surface plasmon resonances of the semimetallic nanostructures.     

Optical properties of Ho-doped alumino-germano-silica glass optical fiber

We present the optical characteristics of Ho-doped alumino-germano-silica glass fiber prepared by the Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD) technique. Strong absorption peaks were observed at 1153 nm, 890 nm, 653 nm and 551 nm and another peak around 1726 nm. A possibility of lasing in the Ho-doped alumino-germano-silica glass fiber is shown by the Judd-Ofelt analysis predicting the multiple visible emissions around 550 nm and 650 nm and near infra red emissions around 1050 nm and beyond 1726 nm.     

Nanofabrication in transparent materials with a femtosecond pulse laser

Femtosecond lasers have been applied for materials processing when high accuracy and small structure size are required. Various induced structures have been observed inside glasses after the femtosecond laser irradiation. We report the femtosecond laser induced refractive-index change, space-selective valence state change of active ions, formation of nanograting, and precipitation and distribution of nanoparticles. We systematically studied the morphology of structures that are induced in the bulk of transparent materials by the tightly focused femtosecond laser radiation. Rugby-ball-like asymmetric induced structures were observed inside Ag⁺-doped silicate glass. These structures are due to the aggregation of Ag nanoparticles at the depth of the focal point. The size of the induced structure depended on the time interval between successive femtosecond laser pulses. In the case of zinc-tellurite glass, TeO₂ rich parts were formed in the center of the focal spot, while zinc migrated to the outside. The mechanisms of the observed phenomena are discussed.     

Fast sinter-crystallization of a glass from waste materials

A glass belonging to the CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system and corresponding to the melting of a mixture of industrial inorganic waste (feldspar mining residues, lime from fume abatement systems of the glass industry and recycled soda-lime glass) has been successfully transformed into dense and strong sintered glass-ceramics, even for very short holding times (30 min at 960 °C) and a very rapid heating, consisting of direct insertion of pressed fine glass powders in furnace (‘fast sinter-crystallization’). The addition of kaolin clay, conceived as binder for pressed glass powders, proved to positively influence the phase balance, the homogeneity and the degree of crystallization of fast sintered glass-ceramics, thus justifying the achievement of remarkable mechanical properties (bending strength exceeding 100 MPa, micro-hardness exceeding 7 GPa).     

Characterization of GaInN/GaN layers for green emitting laser diodes

An enhancement of radiative recombination in GaInN/GaN heterostructures is being pursued by a reduction of defects associated with threading dislocations and a structural control of piezoelectric polarization in the active light-emitting regions. First, in conventional heteroepitaxy on sapphire substrate along the polar c-axis of GaN, green and deep green emitting light-emitting diode (LED) wafers are being developed. By means of photoluminescence at variable low temperature and excitation density, internal quantum efficiencies of 0.18 for LEDs emitting at 530 nm and 0.08 for those emitting at 555 nm are determined. Those values hold for the high current density of 50 A/cm² of high-power LED lamps. In bare epi dies, we obtain efficacies of 16 lm/W. At 780 A/cm² we obtain 22 lm when measured through the substrate only. The 555 nm LED epi material under pulsed photoexcitation shows stimulated emission up to a wavelength of 485 nm. This strong blue shift of the emission wavelength can be avoided in homoepitaxial multiple quantum well (MQW) and LED structures grown along the non-polar a- and m-axes of low-dislocation-density bulk GaN. Here, wavelength-stable emission is obtained at 500 and 488 nm, respectively, independent on excitation power density opening perspectives for visible laser diodes.     

Novel UV devices on high-quality AlGaN using grooved underlying layer

A grooved Al_0.25Ga_0.75N underlying layer on an AlN-coated sapphire substrate was used to grow crack free and low dislocation density Al_0.25Ga_0.75N to successfully realize high-performance UV A light emitters. A light-emitting diode grown on a grooved AlGaN underlying layer exhibited an output power of 12 mW at a DC current of 50 mA for a peak emission wavelength of 345 nm with an external quantum efficiency of 6.7%, which is the highest to date in this wavelength region. We also fabricated UV A laser diodes with an emission wavelength of 356 nm at a pulsed injection current of 414 mA.     

Synthesis and characterization of Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 nanotube arrays

Nd-substituted bismuth titanate (Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂, BNT) nanotube arrays are fabricated by means of a sol–gel method utilizing porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The morphologies and structures have been determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The diameter and length of these nanotubes are about 200 nm and 60 μm, respectively, and their wall thickness is about 30 nm. The average grain size is around 40 nm. XRD data show that the BNT nanotubes possess bismuth-layered perovskite structure. High-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) image demonstrates that the BNT nanotubes are polycrystalline. Polarization–electric field (P–E) response curves of BNT nanotube arrays were measured, and a size induced polarization reduction phenomenon is observed.     

Silicate nanoparticles by bioleaching of glass and modification of the glass surface

Bioleaching is examined as a low temperature (50 °C) soft chemical approach to nanosynthesis and surface processing. We demonstrate that fungus based bioleaching of borosilicate glass enables synthesis of nearly monodispersed ultrafine (∼5 ± 0.5 nm) silicate nanoparticles. Using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FTIR we compare the constitution and composition of the nanoparticles with that of the parent glass, and establish the basic similarities between the two. The bioleaching process is shown to enhance the non-bridging oxygen component and correspondingly influence the Si-O-Si network. The root mean square roughness of glass surface is seen to increase from 1.27 nm for bare glass to 2.52 nm for 15 h fungal processed case, this increase being equivalent to that for glass annealed at 500 °C.     

Luminescence of GeO2 glass, rutile-like and α-quartz-like crystals

The luminescence of GeO₂ rutile-like crystals was studied. Crystals were grown from a melt of germanium dioxide and sodium bicarbonate mixture. Luminescence of the crystal was compared with that of sodium germanate glasses produced in reduced and oxidized conditions. A luminescence band at 2.3 eV was observed under N₂ laser (337 nm). At higher excitation photon energies and X-ray excitation an additional band at 3 eV appears in luminescence. The band at 2.3 eV possesses intra-center decay time constant about 100 μs at 290 K and about 200 μs at low temperature. Analogous luminescence was obtained in reduced sodium germanate glasses. No luminescence was observed in oxidized glasses under nitrogen laser, therefore the luminescence of rutile-like crystal and reduced sodium germanate glass was ascribed to oxygen-deficient luminescence center modified by sodium. The band at 2.3 eV could be ascribed to triplet-singlet transition of this center, whereas the band at 3 eV, possessing decay about 0.2 μs, could be ascribed to singlet-singlet transitions. Both bands could be excited in recombination process with decay kinetics determined by traps, when excitation realized by ArF laser or ionizing irradiation with X-ray or electron beam. Another luminescence band at 3.9 eV in GeO₂ rutile-like crystal was obtained under ArF laser in the range 100-15 K. Damaging e-beam irradiation of GeO₂ crystal with α-quartz structure induces similar luminescence band.