C-band three-port tunable band-pass thin film optical filter with low polarization-sensitivity

According to the oblique incidence characteristics of thin film narrowband filter, the stack of 100 GHz DWDM four cavities angle-tuned thin film filter has been designed and optimized. The two polarization modes’ central wavelengths of the thin film filter can be centered at the same one in oblique incidence, and it has a stable tuning range of 20 nm without the phenomenon of polarization central wavelength separation. Using this kind of angle-tuned thin film filter and the polarization beam-splitters, the tuning range of the angle-tuned thin film filter can be further expanded due to the reason that it can transmit only the s-polarization light. In this paper we also developed a three-port bandpass tunable filter device with new structure, which tuning range can cover the whole C-band and its adjacent channel isolation degree is high. The experiments show that the three-port tunable filter has an effective tuning range of 33 nm, and its adjacent channel isolation degree is more than 35 dB. It has a bright application opportunity for its flexibility and effective performance.     

一种斜入射F-P型薄膜滤光片消偏振设计方法

薄膜滤光片在斜入射使用时,s偏振光和p偏振光的特性会产生分离:两偏振光的中心波长不一致,且s偏振光的通带宽度要小于p偏振光.而采用多种材料且满足特定条件的膜系结构,可使角度入射滤光片两偏振方向的特性趋于一致.通过理论分析,建立了两偏振光反射率的表达式,由表达式可看出非偏振的条件.通过计算,求出相应材料折射率值,从而设计出消偏振的膜系.对一个三腔129层实例膜系进行了计算求解、仿真分析及误差分析.最后的结果验证表明此方法是可行的.     

Nano-structural characteristics and optical properties of silver chiral nano-flower sculptured thin films

Silver chiral nano-flowers with 3-, 4- and 5-fold symmetry were produced using oblique angle deposition method in conjunction with the rotation of sample holder with different speeds at different sectors of each revolution corresponding to symmetry order of the acquired nano-flower. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), were employed to obtain morphology and nano-structure of the films. Optical characteristics of silver chiral nano-flower thin films were obtained using single beam spectrophotometer with both s- and p-polarization incident light at 30° and 70° incidence angles and at different azimuthal angles (φ). Optical spectra showed both TM (TDM (transverse dipole mode) and TQM (transverse quadruple mode)) and LM (longitudinal mode) Plasmon resonance peaks. For 3- and 4-fold symmetry chiral nano-flowers the s-polarization extinction spectra obtained at different azimuthal angles did not show significant change in the Plasmon peak position while 5-fold symmetry chiral nano-flower showed a completely different behavior, which may be the result of increased surface anisotropy, so when the φ angle is changed the s-polarization response from the surface can change more significantly than that for lower symmetries. In general, for 3-, 4- and 5-fold symmetry chiral nano-flowers a sharp peak at lower wavelengths (<450 nm) is observed in the s-polarization spectra, while in addition to this peak a broad peak at longer wavelengths (i.e., LM) observed in the p-polarization spectra, which is more dominant for 70° incidence angle.     

Engineering of hydrophilic and plasmonic properties of Ag thin film by atom beam irradiation

Hydrophilic Ag nanostructures were synthesized by physical vapour deposition of 5 nm Ag thin films followed by irradiation with 1.5 keV Ar atoms. Optical absorbance measurements show a characteristic surface plasmon resonance absorption band in visible region. A blue-shift in absorbance from 532 to 450 nm is observed with increasing fluence from 1 × 10¹⁶ to 3 × 10¹⁶ atoms/cm². Atomic force microscopy was performed for the pristine and irradiated samples to study the surface morphology. The atom beam irradiation induced sputtering and surface diffusion lead to the formation of plasmonic surface. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy of the pristine and irradiated film indicates that metal content in the film decreases with ion fluence, which is attributed to the sputtering of Ag by Ar atoms. The contact angle measurement demonstrates the possibility of engineering the hydrophilicity by atom beam irradiation.     

Thermally controlled multiband,mode-switching plasmonic filter operating at terahertz frequencies

A thermally controlled multiband, mode-switching plasmonic filter with periodic subwavelength metal asterisk-shaped air hole arrays has been proposed in the terahertz range. Utilizing the changing properties to terahertz wave propagating on the metal-semiconductor interface and in the semiconductor InSb at varying temperature, thermally controlled multiband, mode-switching plasmonic filter owns an excellent tuning ability to terahertz wave. The simulation results show that the maximum transmittance of the structure is 99.8% at 434 GHz, 80 K, the bandwidths at 80 K are 56 GHz at 0.434 THz, 14 GHz at 944 GHz and maximum intensity modulation depth could reach to 99.8% at 434 GHz between 80 K and 373 K.     

Circular arc plasmonic waveguide couplers between two-dimensional dielectric slab waveguides and plasmonic waveguides

We investigate the properties of arc plasmonic waveguide coupler between two-dimensional dielectric slab waveguides and plasmonic waveguides with two-dimensional finite difference time domain methods. The simulation results show that transmission efficiency between high index dielectric slab waveguides with width 300 nm and silver-air-silver waveguides with width 40 nm connected by the coupler can reach to 90.4% at optical communication wavelength. And, by optimizing the shapes near the ends of the coupler, the transmission efficiency can be improved to 98.4%.     

薄膜截止滤光片的消偏振设计

薄膜截止滤光片在倾斜入射时不可避免地会产生s和p二个偏振分量的分离,因而在许多应用,特别是光通讯的应用中成为一个棘手的难题。提出了一种新的设计方法,对最常用的45°入射角,实现了长波通和短波通两种截止滤光片的完全消偏振, 在透射率为50%处,其偏振分离分别为0.3 nm和0.1 nm。基本的设计方法是采用宽带法布里珀罗薄膜干涉滤光片中心波长两侧的干涉带作为长波通或短波通截止滤光片的初始膜系,然后经过适当的优化以提高透射带的透射率。宽带干涉滤光片的间隔层常由半波长厚度的高、低折射率混合膜层组成,如2H2L2H或2L2H2L。由于这种设计的截止区和透射带带宽常嫌不足,故提出了展宽截止区和透射带的方法。对一个典型的短波通截止滤光片,在波长1550 nm,截止区和透射带宽均达到了200 nm。这种设计方法不仅简单、性能优良,而且膜厚控制容差较大,故易于制造。     

A flat-top birefringent interleaver based on ring-cavity architecture

We propose and demonstrate a flat-top 25-GHz birefringent interleaver using a novel ring-cavity architecture. The ring-cavity provides the phase shifts needed to achieve a flat-top spectral passband at the output. Fresnel reflectivities (for s- and p-polarization states) at the prism-air interface of the ring cavity are employed so that highly accurate thin-film coatings are not needed for the phase shifts. By choosing the appropriate incident angle near the Brewster angle, the optimum interface reflectivities for flat passbands and low crosstalk can be obtained. The ring cavity based interleaver in a 25-GHz channel spacing application exhibits a 0.5-dB passband larger than 0.14 nm, a 25-dB stopband greater than 0.14 nm, and a channel isolation higher than 28 dB over the entire C-band.     

Photoluminescence from ZnO-SiO2 opals with different sphere diameters and thicknesses

We systematically investigated the photoluminescence (PL) and transmittance characteristics of ZnO-SiO₂ opals with varied positions of the stop-band and film thicknesses. An improved ultraviolet (UV) luminescence was observed from ZnO-SiO₂ composites over pure ZnO nanocrystals under 325 nm He-Cd laser excitation at room temperature. The UV PL of ZnO nanocrystals in SiO₂ opals with stop-bands center of 410 nm is sensitive to the thickness of opal films, and the UV PL intensity increases with the film thickness increasing. The PL spectra of ZnO nanocrystals in SiO₂ opals with stop-bands center of 570 nm show a suppression of the weak visible band. The experimental results are discussed based on the scattering and/or absorbance in opal crystals.     

Optimization of Si solar cells with full band optical absorption increased in all polarizations using plasmonic backcontact grating

We present a numerical study on the optimization of plasmonic thin-film solar cells with full band optical absorption increased in all polarization using plasmonic backcontact gratings. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) are combined to achieve the maximum absorption enhancement. Through optimization, we obtained approximately a 288% average absorption enhancement, 304% and 273% absorption enhancement for TE- and TM-polarized illumination as compared to a bare cell. The corresponding optimal design parameters of plasmonic solar cell are P = 442 nm, h₄ = 283 nm, h₅ = 191 nm and w=238$w=238$ nm. The full band absorption enhancement arises from the waveguide-plasmon-polariton, Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavity mode and multiresonant guided modes. The average absorption enhancement under an unpolarized illumination is almost immune to the incident angle ranging from −40° to 40°. If the thickness of the light absorbing layer is increased, the absorption enhancement could be reduced significantly. And the average absorption enhancement is maximum (2.88) when the thickness of Si layer is 100 nm.     

Structural and spectroscopic studies of thin film of silver nanoparticles

We report the deposition of thin film of silver (Ag) nanoparticles by wet chemical method. The as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) respectively. FESEM image indicates that the silver film prepared on the quartz substrate is smooth and dense. XRD pattern reveals the face-centered cubic (fcc) structure of silver nanoparticles. EDS spectrum indicates that samples are nearly stoichiometric. From TEM analysis, it is found that the size of high purity Ag nanoparticles is ranging from 10 to 20 nm with slight agglomeration. Absorption in UV-vis region by these nanoparticles is characterized by the features reported in the literature, namely, a possible Plasmon peak at ∼403 nm. Optical absorbance spectra analysis reveals that the Ag film has an indirect band structure with bandgap energy 3.88 eV. TGA/DTA studies revealed that a considerable weight loss occurs between 175 and 275 °C; and the reaction is exothermic.     

Electrically ultra-fast tunable optical filter employing HiBi fiber and phase modulator

An electrically tunable optical filter with ultra-fast tuning time of a few picoseconds is proposed and demonstrated. The filter consists of a phase modulator with HiBi pigtails sandwiched between two polarizers. Tuning of 6.62 nm for a 16.06 nm FSR filter is obtained with an applied voltage of 0.9 V. Tuning speed at 10 Gb/s and risetime of 40 ps is demonstrated with a frequency shift keying modulation experimental setup. Faster tuning speed is potential since the scheme is based on the electro-optic effect of the LiNO₃ crystal with sub-picosecond response time.     

Study on the electrical and optical properties of Ag/Al-doped ZnO coatings deposited by electron beam evaporation

A layer of silver was deposited onto the surface of glass substrates, coated with AZO (Al-doped ZnO), to form Ag/AZO film structures, using e-beam evaporation techniques. The electrical and optical properties of AZO, Ag and Ag/AZO film structures were studied. The deposition of Ag layer on the surface of AZO films resulted in lowering the effective electrical resistivity with a slight reduction of their optical transmittance. Ag (11 nm)/AZO (25 nm) film structure, with an accuracy of ±0.5 nm for the thickness shows a sheet resistance as low as 5.6 ± 0.5 Ω/sq and a transmittance of about 66 ± 2%. A coating consisting of AZO (25 nm)/Ag (11 nm)/AZO (25 nm) trilayer structure, exhibits a resistance of 7.7 ± 0.5 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 85 ± 2%. The coatings have satisfactory properties of low resistance, high transmittance and highest figure of merit for application in optoelectronics devices including flat displays, thin films transistors and solar cells as transparent conductive electrodes.     

Low cost wavelength filter of SiGe photodetector with a-Si:H capped layer

The strained Si_0.8Ge_0.2 film has been prepared onto Si substrate by using an ultrahigh-vacuum chemical vapor deposition system. A low cost wavelength filter of photodetector has been demonstrated for the first time. This filter was simply carried out by just inserting a 60 nm thick a-Si:H capped layer onto Si_0.8Ge_0.2 thin film. The room-temperature photoluminescence shows that the sample with Si_0.8Ge_0.2 layer has a tendency to shift wavelength into longer regime than that of Si substrate. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) was 185 nm for Si_0.8Ge_0.2 photodetector without a-Si:H capped. By inserting a 60 nm thick a-Si:H capped layer, the FWHM was narrowed into 97 nm. This demonstrates that the a-Si:H capped layer has an ability acted as wavelength filter in our study.     

Choline oxidase immobilized into conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) film for choline detection

The effect of choline oxidase (Chox) on the electrochemical polymerization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was described. Result shows that the growth rate of PEDOT film varied with the addition of Chox quantity. The properties of PEDOT and PEDOT/Chox films were characterized by XPS and UV-vis absorption techniques. Meanwhile, a novel UV-vis absorbance method for the detection of choline was achieved. In a medium of 1/30 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 8.0), a very sensitive absorbance peak at 293 nm was observed. The linear relationship between UV-vis absorption intensity and choline concentration in a range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.1 × 10⁻⁵ M was obtained. This method has also been applied to determine choline in several feedstuff additive samples.     

ITO/Au/ITO multilayer thin films for transparent conducting electrode applications

Transparent and conducting ITO/Au/ITO multilayered films were deposited without intentional substrate heating on polycarbonate (PC) substrate using a magnetron sputtering process. The thickness of ITO, Au and ITO metal films in the multilayered structure was constant at 50, 10 and 40 nm, respectively.Although the substrate temperature was kept constant at 70 °C, ITO/Au/ITO films were polycrystalline with an (1 1 0) X-ray diffraction peak, while single ITO films were amorphous. Surface roughness analysis indicated ITO films had a higher average roughness of 1.76 nm, than the ITO/Au/ITO film roughness of 0.51 nm. The optoelectrical properties of the ITO/Au/ITO films were dependent on the Au thin film, which affected the ITO film crystallinity. ITO/Au/ITO films on PC substrates were developed with a resistivity as low as 5.6 × 10⁻⁵ Ω cm and a high optical transmittance of 71.7%.     

Magnetotransport properties of epitaxial Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 films grown by a solution technique

Epitaxial Pr_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ films have been synthesized on (0 0 1) SrTiO₃ substrate using a chemical solution deposition technique and two-step post-annealing process. The zero field resistivity of the films shows semiconducting behavior and a characteristic of charge ordering is observed at 230 K. The resistivity of the 10 nm film did not show any effect with the magnetic field. However, melting of charge ordering was observed for the 120 nm film at an applied magnetic field of 4 T. Large decrease in the resistivity of the 120 nm film (<100 K) resulted in magnetoresistance of nearly −100% at 75 K.     

Effects of post-thermal treatments on morphological and optical properties of NiO/Ni(OH)2 thin films synthesized by solution growth

Room temperature deposition of PVP capped nanostructured NiO/Ni(OH)₂ thin film, the morphological and optical characterizations by solution growth technique are reported. The nanostructured thin films which were deposited on optical glass substrates were annealed at different temperatures and then subjected to structural, morphological and optical characterizations. X-ray diffraction measurements of the films revealed that higher temperatures during the thermal treatment enhanced the crystallinity of the thin films. The SEM surface micrographs show non-interconnected uniformly deposited fibre-like structures with approximate lengths between 400 and 1200 nm. The optical band gap energy roughly decreased from about 2.7 eV to about 2.2 eV with thermal treatment. The absorbance of the thin films annealed at 300 and 400 °C was as high as 90% in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. These materials could be useful in solar thermal conversion processes.     

Structural characterization of La0.9Ba0.1MnO3/Y-ZrO2 film by X-ray diffraction

Perovskite manganite La_0.9Ba_0.1MnO₃(LBMO) films were deposited on (0 0 1)-oriented single crystal yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate by 90° off-axis radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The film thickness ranged from 10 nm to 100 nm. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique and high resolution X-ray diffraction were applied to characterize the structure of LBMO films. The LBMO film mainly consisted of (0 0 1)-orientated grain as well as weakly textured (1 1 0)-orientated grain. The results indicated that an amorphous layer with thickness of about 4 nm was formed at the LBMO/YSZ interface. The strain in LBMO film was small and averaged to be about -0.14%. The strain in the film was not lattice mismatch-induced strain but residual strain due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between film and substrate.     

超光滑基片表面散射的数值研究

以一阶微分散射理论为基础,从理论和模拟两个方面对超光滑基片表面的散射电磁场进行了数值研究.分析了s偏振光和p偏振光的微分散射随入射角和散射角的分布情况.研究发现,当入射角较大时,p偏振光在某个散射方向的微分散射为0,而无论入射角和散射角如何变化,s偏振光的微分散射均大于0.当用光散射法对超光滑基片进行表面测试时,相对于...