Polarisation‐independent liquid crystal devices

Liquid crystal (LC) devices can be used as amplitude modulators and phase modulators. Most LC devices are polarisation‐dependent and require at least one polariser. As a result, the optical efficiency is greatly reduced. In this paper, we review some of our recently developed polarisation‐independent LC devices. For amplitude modulation, we report two polariser‐free devices which combine light scattering with dye absorption: dye‐doped polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) and dye‐doped LC gels. For phase modulation, we also present two examples: residual phase type, e.g., voltage‐biased PDLC, Polymer‐Stabilised Cholesteric Texture (PSCT), and homeotropic LC gels; and double‐layered structure, such as thin polymer film‐separated orthogonal LC layers, and double‐layered LC gels. Potential applications of these polarisation‐independent LC devices for displays, laser beam steering and adaptive optics are emphasised.     

Nd:NaY(WO4)2激光晶体光谱性能研究

Nd:NaY(WO4)2 是一种性能优良的激光晶体.本文采用提拉法生长了Nd:NaY(WO4)2晶体,测试了该晶体的吸收光谱和光荧光光谱.结果表明,该晶体在804nm、752nm、586nm附近有较强、较宽的吸收峰,适合于LD泵浦.从光荧光光谱得到发射波长分别为1064nm和1350nm,并计算了晶体的吸收截面和发射截面.     

Reverse saturable absorption in nano colloidal Ge28Sb12Se60 chalcogenide glass

We report the preparation and investigation of nano colloidal solutions of Ge₂₈Sb₁₂Se₆₀ chalcogenide glass based on nonlinear optical transmission by the open-aperture Z-scan technique, using nanosecond laser pulses, at the excitation wavelengths of 532 nm. The Z scan spectra reveal a strong non linear absorption (reverse saturable absorption) for the nano colloid Ge₂₈Se₆₀Sb₁₂ solutions. Observation of optical limiting at excitation wavelength suggests the potential of these materials to be used as optical limiters.     

Influence of gamma radiation on the absorption spectra and optical energy gap of Li‐ doped ZnO thin films

We have studied the effect of subsequent gamma (γ) irradiation on the absorption spectra and the optical energy gap of ZnO thin films doped with Li (ZnO:Li). The optical transmission (T) and optical reflection (R) in the wavelength range 190∼800 nm of films deposited at 300 °C on sapphire, MgO or quartz substrates were measured. The dependence of the absorption coefficient α on photon energy hν was determined as a function of γ‐doses. The films show direct allowed interband transition that influenced by the gamma doses. Both the optical energy gap E^opt_g and the absorption coefficient (α) were found to be γ‐dose dependent. The results can be discussed on the basis of γ‐irradiation‐induced defects in the film and on the film structure. The absorption coefficient exhibits exponential dependence on photon energy obeying Urbach's rule in the absorption edge. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis,growth and characterization of l‐alaninium oxalate ‐ a novel organic NLO crystal

Nonlinear optical material of L‐alaninium oxalate (LAO) has been synthesized and single crystals are grown by slow evaporation technique. The solubility data of LAO is determined in water. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction study showed that LAO belongs to orthorhombic system with a non‐centrosymmetric space‐group P2₁2₁2₁. The functional groups have been identified from FT‐IR spectrum. The UV‐Vis‐NIR spectrum of LAO shows less optical absorption in the entire visible region. The second harmonic generation (SHG) in the material was estimated using Nd:YAG laser. The mechanical properties of the grown crystals are studied using Vickers microhardness tester. The AC and DC conductivity, and dielectric studies are also carried out and reported for the first time. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

P和As掺杂Mn4Si7第一性原理计算

采用第一性原理计算方法,对本征Mn₄Si₇以及P和As掺杂的Mn₄Si₇的电子结构和光学性质进行计算解析。计算结果表明本征Mn₄Si₇是带隙值为0.810 eV的间接带隙半导体材料,P掺杂Mn₄Si₇的带隙值增大为0.839 eV,As掺杂Mn₄Si₇的带隙值减小为0.752 eV。掺杂使得Mn₄Si₇的能带结构和态密度向低能方向移动,同时使得介电函数的实数部分在低能区明显增大,虚数部分几乎全部区域增加且8 eV以后趋向于零。此外掺杂还增加了高能区的消光系数、吸收系数、反射系数以及光电导率,明显改善了Mn₄Si₇的光学性质。     

K、Ti掺杂Mg2Si电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

采用第一性原理方法,对本征Mg₂Si以及K和Ti掺杂Mg₂Si的几何结构、电子结构和光学性质进行计算分析。计算结果表明本征Mg₂Si是带隙值为0.290 eV的间接带隙半导体材料,K掺杂Mg₂Si后,Mg₂Si为p型半导体,电子跃迁方式由间接跃迁变为直接跃迁,Ti掺杂Mg₂Si后,Mg₂Si为n型半导体,仍然是间接带隙。K、Ti掺杂后的静介电常数ε₁(0)从20.52分别增大到53.55、69.25,使得掺杂体系对电荷的束缚能力增强。掺杂后,吸收谱和光电导率均发生红移现象,这有效扩大了对可见光的吸收范围,此外可见光区的吸收系数、反射系数以及光电导率都减小,导致透射能力增强,明显改善了Mg₂Si的光学性质。     

Growth and characterization of pure and doped nonlinear optical l‐arginine acetate single crystals

Single crystals of organic nonlinear optical material of pure, Cu²⁺ and Mg²⁺ doped L‐arginine acetate (LAA) were successfully grown by slow evaporation method at room temperature. The UV‐Vis‐NIR spectra of pure and doped LAA indicate that these crystals possess a wide optical transmission window from 240‐1600 nm. Non‐linear optical studies reveal that the SHG efficiency of LAA is nearly three times that of KDP. The dielectric response of the samples was studied in the frequency region 100 Hz to 2 MHz and the influence of Cu²⁺ and Mg²⁺ substitution on the dielectric behaviour had been investigated. Photoconductivity study proves that both pure and Cu²⁺ and Mg²⁺ doped LAA crystal exhibit positive photoconductivity. It is evident from the Vickers hardness study that the hardness of the crystal decreases with increasing load both for pure and doped samples. ESR studies confirmed the incorporation of Cu²⁺ into LAA and the value of g‐factor was found to be 2.1654. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Yb3+:YVO4晶体的生长及光谱性能研究

采用提拉法生长出光学质量优良的Yb3+:YVO4晶体,研究生长过程中工艺参数的控制.测得掺杂浓度为18.1;Yb3+:YVO4晶体中Yb3+离子的有效分凝系数Keff为0.96.测定了不同Yb3+离子掺杂浓度晶体的吸收光谱和荧光光谱,并分别计算了不同掺杂浓度下Yb3+:YVO4晶体的光谱参数.本文总结和解释了掺杂浓度影响其性能的规律,讨论了Yb3+:YVO4晶体作为激光晶体的优点.     

Growth,structure and optical characterization of Al‐doped ZnO nanoparticle thin films

Al‐doped ZnO nanoparticle thin films were prepared on glass substrate at the optimum temperature of (410±10) °C by spray pyrolysis technique using zinc nitrate as a precursor solution and aluminium chloride as a dopant. The dopant concentration (Al/Zn at%) was varied from 0 to 2 at%. Structural analysis of the films shows that all the films are of polycrystalline zinc oxide in nature, possessing hexagonal wurtzite structure. The films exhibit variation in peak intensities corresponding to (100), (002) and (101) reflection planes on Al‐doping. The crystallite size calculated by Scherrer formula has been found to be in the range of 35‐65 nm. The optical absorption study shows that the optical band gap in the Al‐doped films varies in the range of 3.11 – 3.22 eV. The width of localized states in the band gap estimated by the Urbach tail analysis has been found to be minimum in case of the 1 at% Al‐doped zinc oxide thin film. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and Optical Absorption of Photorefractive Bi12SiO20 Crystals Doped with Zn and Cd and Co-doped with P

Single crystals of Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ (BSO) Zn- and Cd-doped and co-doped with P have been grown by Czochralski technique and optimum conditions for producing optically homogeneous crystals were established. The transmission and reflection spectra have been measured in the range 0.38–0.85 μm and absorption coefficients have been determined. The Zn dopants have been found to bleach the crystals and decrease the transmission shoulder, whereas Cd dopant increases the absorption and makes the shoulder well pronounced. P-doping strongly decreases the transmission shoulder and shifts absorption to shorter wavelengths. The absorption Coefficient of BSO doped with P has been found to decrease with dopant concentration increase up to 3 mol% P and above it increases with P concentration in the whole studied range. Zn + P- and Cd + P-co-doping (P concentration in the crystal less than 3 mol%) decreases strongly the absorption coefficient and shifts the spectra to short wavelengths.     

Growth and high frequency dielectric study of pure and thiourea doped KDP crystals

Non linear optical (NLO) materials have acquired new significance with the advent of a large number of devices utilizing solid‐state laser sources. Several NLO materials have been used for this kind of technological applications. The Potassium di‐hydrogen phosphate (KDP) one of NLO material having superior non linear optical properties has been exploited for variety of applications. In the present investigation we have grown KDP crystals from aqous solution with thiourea, an organic non linear optical material. We could enhance the SHG efficiency of thiourea doped KDP crystal. It was 1.99 times more that of pure KDP. We observed more enhancements in nonlinearity for low concentration of thiourea.The crystal structure and cell parameters of grown crystal were determined from Powder XRD.The incorporation of thiourea in the grown crystals was qualitatively analyzed from FT‐IR study. The absorption spectra of pure and thiourea doped KDP crystal reveal that thiourea doped KDP crystals would be a better nonlinear optical (NLO) material for second harmonic generation (SHG) than pure KDP. The thermal decomposition and weight loss of pure and thiourea doped KDP crystal was observed by thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The high frequency dielectric study of pure KDP crystal, thiourea doped KDP crystals and organic additive thiourea was carried out using X‐band at frequency 8GHZ and 12GHZ by transmission line wave guide method. We observed low dielectric constant of thiourea doped KDP crystal when it is doped with 2mole% of thiourea. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of UV-exposure on the crystallization and optical properties of photo-thermo-refractive glass

Photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass is a photosensitive multi-component silicate glass. Photoinduced crystalline phase precipitation results in refractive index variations in UV exposed areas of PTR glass. The precipitation of silver containing particles which occurs during photo-thermo-refractive process increases the optical absorption of the samples in the range 350 nm to NIR wavelengths and the growth of sodium fluoride crystals and their aggregation increases light scattering in visible and NIR regions. We show that one effect of the UV-exposure is a decrease in the crystallization temperature by ～50 °C compared to the unexposed areas as measured by differential scanning calorimetry, which we attribute to an increase in nucleation rate. Using spectro-photometric measurements, a linear function is fitted to the changes in the amplitude of the absorption band of the silver containing particles versus the UV-dosage. The root mean square scatter of the data from the linear function is better than 0.99 and the slope of the function is 0.32 ± 0.01 cm/J. The IR absorption of PTR sample, measured by laser calorimetry shows that the increase of the absorption in infrared region at 1.1 μm, is due to the tail of the absorption band of silver containing particles having maximum at 465 nm. We finally show that after hyper-development, one effect of UV-exposure at 325 nm on the crystallization kinetics of PTR glasses is a decrease in particle sizes from micron size to nanometers size. But additional investigations demonstrate that smaller dosage UV-exposures (a few tens of milliwatts) increase the optical scattering by one order of magnitude. Optical micrographs taken after UV-exposure and hyper-development reveal the use of smaller dosages enhances nucleation rate without preventing the growth of large crystals and therefore induces higher scattering.     

Growth and characterization of l-Tartaric acid,an NLO material

Single crystals of l-Tartaric acid (C₄H₆O₆), an organic nonlinear optical (NLO) material, have been grown by hanging seed solution and submerged seed solution techniques at room temperature. The crystal system has been confirmed from the single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystalline perfection was evaluated using high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD). From this analysis, it was found that the quality of the crystal is quite good. The functional groups were identified using FTIR spectroscopy. UV–vis–NIR spectrum showed the absence of absorption in the wavelength region of 220–900 nm. The second harmonic generation efficiency is 89% compared to that of standard potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP). The laser damage threshold value is much higher than that of KDP and closer to that of β-barium borate.     

Laser excitation dependent nonlinear absorption of 2-Amino 5-Nitropyridinium dihydrogen phosphate

Abstract

Laser excitation and intensity-dependent third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) absorption properties of 2-amino 5-nitropyridinium dihydrogen phosphate (2A5NPDP) in both pulsed (532?nm, 5?ns, 100 µJ) and continuous wave (532?nm, 50?mW) regime were studied by Z-scan experiment. Under CW laser excitation, 2A5NPDP exhibits saturable absorption (SA) ascribed to be of thermo-optic origin. Interestingly the sample show reverse saturable absorption (RSA) due to genuine two-photon absorption (2PA) process under nano pulsed laser excitation. Earlier thermodynamic properties such as thermal conductivity (51?W/m.K), specific heat capacity (3894?J/Kg.K) and thermal diffusivity (7.5?×?10^?6 m²/s) were estimated theoretically from the DSC curves. Thus 2A5NPDP with excellent thermal stability and high NLO coefficients can be utilized as an energy-absorbing optical limiter and saturable absorber under nano pulsed and CW green laser excitation.     

S-La共掺杂ZnO性能的第一性原理研究

采用基于广义梯度近似的第一性原理方法,研究了纯ZnO、S单掺、La单掺和S-La共掺ZnO的能带结构、态密度和光学性质.S单掺ZnO后,价带和导带同时向低能量转移,导致带隙减小.La单掺ZnO后在导带底产生杂质能级使得带隙减小.S-La共掺ZnO导致La的局部化减弱,表明La形成的施主能级由于S的3 p态的影响变得更浅...     

Liquid Crystal Alignment Behavior on Rubbed Films of Cellulose Acetate

The liquid crystal (LC) alignment behaviors of LC cells fabricated with cellulose acetate films were investigated. These polymer films exhibited good optical transparency in the visible light region (400–700 nm). For example, transmittance value (92%) of the cellulose acetate film onto glass substrate at 550 nm is better that (89%) of the polyimide (PI) film, the most commonly used LC alignment layers. These LC cells fabricated with the rubbed cellulose acetate films showed the homogeneous planar LC alignment with parallel direction with respect to the rubbing direction. The electro-optical characteristics of the LC cells made from the cellulose acetate films such as response time were as good as those fabricated from rubbed PI films.     

Controllable space selective precipitation of copper nanoparticles in borosilicate glasses using ultrafast laser irradiation

Transparent glasses containing copper nanoparticles are promising materials for ultrafast all-optical switches in the THz region due to their wide range of resonant absorption frequencies, ultrafast time response, as well as large third-order nonlinear optical coefficients associated with the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the visible region. In this paper, three dimension controllable precipitation of copper nanoparticles inside a borosilicate glass by irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses is studied. According to the designed program, different patterns made up of copper nanoparticles can be induced inside the glass sample. Absorption spectra are used to confirm the precipitation of copper nanoparticles. The precipitated nanoparticles can be space-selectively “dissolved” by the second time femtosecond laser irradiation. The involved mechanisms are discussed.     

铌酸锂单晶薄膜材料

铌酸锂晶体集电光、声光和非线性光学等物理特性于一身,且透光范围宽,作为一种重要的光学材料被广泛应用于通信、传感等领域。通过离子注入与直接键合的方式制备出的铌酸锂单晶薄膜材料,保留了铌酸锂体材料的优秀物理特性,并且具有高折射率对比度的优点,使光子器件在集成度和性能上都得到了很大程度的提升。本文介绍了铌酸锂薄膜的制备及应用,展示了直径6英寸(1英寸=2.54 cm)的铌酸锂单晶薄膜。将硅单晶薄膜覆盖在铌酸锂单晶薄膜上面,形成一种新型的复合薄膜材料,结合了铌酸锂出色的光学性能和硅出色的电学性能,本文报道了直径3英寸的复合薄膜材料,X射线证明硅薄膜是单晶结构,这种复合薄膜在未来的集成光电芯片中具有应用潜力。     

Electron microscopic investigations on optical oxide single crystal

Scanning and transmission electron microscopic methods including energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and reflection high energy electron diffraction as well, were used for the inspection of the growth, the shape-processing and the laser irradiation induced defects in pure and doped optical oxyde single crystals. Some general results will be presented and discussed in the light of theoretical predictions.