Nematic Defects and Colloids as Photonic Elements

Birefringent structures in liquid crystalline fluids, such as colloidal assemblies or topological defects, show high potential for use as photonic elements. Here, we present a brief overview of two photonic phenomena originating from coupling light fields with complex birefringent nematic profiles: (i) the generation of vector laser beams from simple Gaussian beams by propagating light along nematic discliantions, and (ii) tunable photonic crystals from blue phase colloidal crystals conditioned by the different underlying symmetries of the particle lattice and the blue phase birefringence. The polarization profile of initially simple linearly polarized Gaussian beams is shown to change into a defect structure at distinct distances travelled along the disclination with the topological invariant (winding number) of the light field and nematic director distinctly coupled. Upon pulsed laser illumination, the nematic discliantions are also shown to split the light pulse into multiple intensity regions. Blue phase I face centred cubic colloidal crystals are shown as examples of tunable photonic crystals, where local band-baps can open by differently combining the symmetries of the two components, e.g. by changing the particle size. The spatial profiles of selected photonic bands in the blue phase colloidal crystals are shown, finding the particles and blue phase double twist cylinders as possible carriers of high-light-intensity regions.     

Band gap energy determination by photoacoustic absorption and optical analysis of Cd1−xZnxTe for low zinc concentrations

In this paper we present a study of the optical properties of CdZnTe single crystal for low Zn concentrations at room temperature using photoacoustic spectroscopy and photoreflectance (PR) measurements. The photoreflectance measurements were carried out in order to determine the E_g value at room temperature of the CdTe sample to validate the criterion for the photoacoustic absorption measurements. The closed photoacoustic cell configuration (CPC) was used for the absorption measurements and, we use the knee method in the spectra for the energy band gap determination of CdZnTe as a function of the Zn concentration. The samples under study are commercial samples grown by the Bridgmann technique. X-ray diffraction was carried out in order to determine the Zn concentration of the samples and the FWHM of the diffraction peaks. The correlation between FWHM of the diffractograms and the photoacoustic absorption slopes shows that the absorption slopes could be associated with the crystalline quality of samples.     

Light-Induced Instabilities in Photo-Oriented Liquid Crystal Cells

In a planar liquid crystal sample sandwiched between a photosensitive and a reference plate instabilities occurred, when the cell was illuminated from the reference side. The instabilities were induced both by polarized white light source and monochromatic laser beams. Static and dynamic regimes were found; for laser irradiation dynamic instability was found only in a range of polarization directions. A model, developed for monochromatic excitation, predicts that at certain thicknesses dynamic instability is forbidden. Experiments on a wedge-like cell confirmed this conclusion.     

Infrared semiconductor laser irradiation used for crystallization of silicon thin films

We report the rapid thermal crystallization of silicon films using infrared semiconductor laser. Carbon films were used on silicon films to absorb the laser light. Uniform crystalline regions were achieved by a line shape laser beam with a length of 20 μm. Polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors were fabricated in crystallized regions. The effective electron carrier mobility and threshold voltage were achieved to be 130 cm²/Vs and 0.4 V, respectively, when the crystalline volume ratio of the silicon films was 0.95.     

无序激光晶体及其超快激光研究进展

激光是受激辐射的光放大,所辐射的波长取决于增益介质中关键电子的能级结构,特别是其最外层电子的状态决定了可能实现的激光特性.激光发展60年来,激光晶体作为激光的重要激活材料,推动了激光技术的进步和普及,是一个研究历史长而又异常活跃的研究领域.当前,超短超强脉冲激光在加工、医疗、国防等关系国计民生的领域有重要需求,适合超短...     

ALIGNMENT INSTABILITY INDUCED BY IRRADIATION OF VISIBLE LIGHT IN FRUSTOELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE CELLS SHOWING THE V-SHAPED SWITCHING

Abstract

Irradiation of the powerful visible light from the laser expedites the deterioration of the frustoelectric liquid crystalline cells (Inui mixture) showing the V-shaped switching. This deterioration is caused by the light absorption in the aligning layer, which strongly influences the molecule-surface polar interaction; this cannot be observed in the cell with the transparent aligning material in the used visible light region. This is observed just in the tilted smectic X* phase, not in the SmA phase. Irradiation during the switching leads to hysteresis in the V-shaped pattern and changes even the surface molecular alignment. These results can be explained by the shielding of the surface charge due to the alignment of the spontaneous polarization and the disturbed polar anchoring.     

Synthesis and spectral properties of starch capped CdS nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Synthesis of cadmium sulphide nanoparticles has been carried out in aqueous solution precipitation. Starch added during the synthesis of the nanoparticles resulted in cadmium-rich nanoparticles forming a stable complex with starch. The morphology and crystalline structure of such structures were measured by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The grain size of the nanoparticles determined by these techniques was of the order of 5 nm, which correlates well with measurements performed by Raman scattering and photoacoustic spectroscopy.     

Photothermal Transformation of Bessel Light Beams in Periodically Polarized Nonlinear Crystals

Crystallography Reports - A mechanism of the formation of a photodeflection response in a periodically polarized nonlinear crystal illuminated by a Bessel light beam (BLB) is considered. The...     

Methods for measuring light scattering in germanium and paratellurite crystals

Methods for studying the scattered light in germanium and paratellurite (α-TeO₂) crystals are considered. Investigations of the light scattering in Ge crystals were performed in the infrared wavelength range by the photometric-sphere method (in the range 2–3 μm) and by measuring the line-scattering functions (at 10.6 μm). In the visible range, the paratellurite single crystals were investigated by recording and analyzing images of laser beams transmitted through the samples. It is shown that small-angle Mie scattering is characteristic of both materials. Some conclusions about the sizes and the physical nature of scattering inhomogeneities are drawn. The effect of high-temperature annealing on the scattering intensity is studied.     

Laser Induced Reorientation of Nematic Liquid Crystals

A significant increase of the divergence and appearance of a fringe system has been observed by illuminating of MBBA (p-n-methoxybenzilidene-p-butylaniline) and OCB (octyl-cyano-biphenyl) nematic liquid crystalline samples with a collimated beam of an argon ion laser. The dependence of this effect on laser power, beam polarization, and angle of incidence has been studied in homeopolar and planar sandwich-like cells of 50-150 μm thickness, in the nematic phase. At a homeopolar cell of MBBA (150 μm thickness), at normal incidence a threshold laser power of 45 m W was found. The phenomena can be explained as deformation of the orientation by the Fredericks effect due to light fields. The observations are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions including an estimation of the laser power threshold.     

Photoelectric and photothermal investigations of Zn1‐x‐yBexMnySe solid solutions

Zn_1‐x‐yBe_xMn_ySe solid solutions were grown from the melt by the high pressure Bridgman method. Optical, luminescence, photoelectric and photothermal properties of this material were investigated. Interpretation of the piezoelectrically detected photoacoustic spectra was performed using Jackson and Amer theory. From the spectral dependence of the amplitude and phase of photoacoustic signal as well as from photoluminescence spectra the variation of energy gap with composition was determined. The values of thermal diffusivity were derived from the dependence of photoacoustic signal on modulation frequency of the laser radiation illuminating the sample. The photoluminescence‐excitation spectra and photoconductivity spectra were measured. The origin of luminescence in Zn_1‐x‐yBe_xMn_ySe was discussed. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growing of bulk crystals and structuring waveguides of fluoride materials for laser applications

We report on recent progress in the synthesis, the crystal growth and the epitaxial growth of fluoride and other laser materials. Results on the fabrication of single crystalline waveguides for dielectric down - and upconversion lasers pumped by semiconductor diode lasers are summarized. Epitaxial growth (molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), pulsed laser deposition (PLD)) and surface modifying techniques (high energy ion implantation, ion diffusion) have been applied in several laboratories. Progress in techniques fabricating optical waveguides from glassy media is addressed as well. Particular emphasis is given on the structuring (wet etching, chemical polishing, ion beam etching) of fluoride crystals for the purpose of obtaining 2-D and 1-D optical waveguides. Results on the structuring of LiYF₄ by wet and ion beam etching are reported. With respect to laser action, the generation of short wavelength light by upconversion (UC) processes, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and second harmonic generation (SHG) is discussed. Reports on the first crystalline waveguide lasers of fluoride crystals LiYF₄ and LaF₃, both doped with neodymium, are presented.     

Cw argon laser crystallization of silicon films: Structural properties

This paper deals with the structural characterization of amorphous silicon films deposited on glass in the amorphous state and then post-crystallized using a continuous wave argon laser. In opposite to the excimer laser crystallization method, the processing window is wider. Due to the low cooling rate induced by the continuous irradiation, very large grains are obtained. With an epitaxial growth induced by an adequate overlapping of the laser traces, grains as large as 100 μm can be reached. Electron back-scattered diffraction analysis highlights the single crystalline character of the large size grains crystallized with this kind of laser. The technique is able to produce large area single crystalline regions, suitable to fabricate high speed circuits.     

Periodic modulation on the refractive index in a Bi12TiO20 crystal

It is, well know that some, optical materials to change his refractive index when these exposed to light, depending on particular conditions, they can generate several distributions of refractive index. In this work, an experimental periodic arrangement of refractive index generated on the Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ photorrefractive crystal is presented, the initial condition used was generated by superposing two He‐Ne laser linearly polarized beams in a perpendicular direction to the external field applied to the crystal at 632.8 nm. The diagrams of bands generated with this arrangement is studied, based on the similarities presented by the periodic refractive index with the photonic bandgap (PBG) diagrams one‐dimensional superlattices composed of alternating layers of two distinct materials. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Temporal characteristics and the sign of photoacoustic effect in high-resistivity CdS crystals

The influence of light illumination on the nonelastic properties of high-resistivity light-sensitive CdS crystals under ultrasound (the so-called photoacoustic effect (PAE)) is studied. It is shown that the crystal steady state is attained with two different characteristic times τ₁ and τ₂ (τ₁ ≪ τ₂), which correspond to switching on (>₁) and switching off (τ₂) light, respectively. The PAE sign (i.e., the increase or decrease in the ultrasonic attenuation) under illumination is not a permanent characteristic of CdS crystals.     

Generation of high-amplitude soliton waves in crystalline materials of different dimensions under high radiative,dynamic, and temperature loads

It is shown that beams of high-amplitude supersonic breather solitons, phonons, and subsonic excitations of new type (torsions) are generated in crystalline materials of different dimensions under high radiative and dynamic loads near the stability threshold. The dispersion dependences of solitons and phonons in 1D crystals are presented. It is shown that, in 2D crystals beams consisting of six or two (depending on the bombarding particle direction), breather solitons are generated and propagate in certain crystallographic directions. The masses of soliton excitations as particles (coupled complexes of massless phonons) have been determined. It is shown that the subsonic soliton waves of a new type with torsion atomic vibrations are generated in 3D nanotubes, along with supersonic soliton waves of longitudinal vibrations.     

On Measuring Impurity Absorption Spectra of Semiconductors by Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

Theoretical relations are derived for the amplitude of the photoacoustic signal of a gas-coupled cell for thick semiconductor samples including the influence of multiple reflections of light within the sample. It is shown that in the range of low absorption coefficients characteristic of impurity absorption spectra the sensitivity of the cell can be enhanced by using a highly reflecting metal as backing material. Numerical estimates for CuInSe₂ are given to illustrate this effect.     

钨基陶瓷结晶釉的快速结晶制备及其光催化性能探索

本文通过对钨基陶瓷结晶釉材料进行了快速结晶制备,所得釉层晶相为WOP2O7结构.通过扫描电镜分析发现其表面具有显著地结晶化特征形貌,进一步结合EDS能谱分析发现其表面形貌有钨基结晶釉相和底釉相两种结构构成.在光催化性能探索中发现该釉层材料在紫外可见光照射下展现出一定的催化降解罗丹明B溶液的能力,为陶瓷结晶釉材料的功能化价值提升提供了参考.     

Characterizations of a-Se based photodetectors using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy

The ‘PLUMBICON’ was one of the first successful imaging tubes using amorphous selenium (a-Se) and many followed. Significant properties of a-Se based imaging tubes have been rediscovered through the invention of the ‘HARP (high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor)’, but its operational mechanism and the physics, however are yet poorly described. Previously, we have fabricated photodetectors using nitrogen (N)-doped diamond as a cold cathode and a-Se as a photoconducting target, which successfully responded to light illumination, The device performance,in this case, deteriorates after continuous use largely due to the degradation of a-Se. In this paper, a-Se and amorphous arsenic selenide (a-As₂Se₃) films have been deposited Stoichiometry has been determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) followed by Raman spectroscopy characterization. We have found that even an extremely weak incident laser power causes sample degradation during signal accumulation. We speculate that either the incident laser itself and/or the temperature rise due to illumination causes the phase transition in a-Se films. In addition, when As is added into the film, the phase transition leading the degradation is hardly observed, implying that As affects the formation of crystalline Se making chemical bonds in the crystallographic network stronger.     

Features of controlled laser thermal cleavage of crystal quartz

Controlled laser thermal cleavage of crystalline quartz has been simulated. The thermoelastic fields formed in a square single-crystal quartz plate as a result of successive laser heating and exposure to coolant have been calculated for five different versions specified by the crystal cut orientation and direction of laser beam displacement. The results have been verified experimentally using a CO₂ laser. The simulation results can be used in the electronics industry to optimize laser cutting of quartz crystals.