Inscription of holographic gratings using circularly polarized light: influence of the optical set-up on the birefringence and surface relief grating properties

The polarization properties of the optical set-up used for holographic recording of diffraction gratings on azopolymer thin films are analyzed. The state of polarization of circularly polarized light is fully analyzed after reflection on a mirror at various incidences (Lloyd-mirror set-up). The Stokes analysis is performed using a photopolarimeter and the phase shift, the ellipticity and the azimuth orientation are compared with those calculated from Fresnel formulae. At large angles of incidence, an initially right circularly polarized (RCP) beam becomes elliptically polarized with an azimuth of nearly +45°. From these results, holographic diffraction gratings are recorded on an azobenzene-containing polymer thin film using (i) co- and contra-circularly polarized beams and (ii) a right circularly polarized beam interfering with a +45° linearly polarized light beam. Using Jones-matrix formalism, the polarization states of the diffracted orders from the birefringence (Δn) and the surface-relief (2Δd) gratings are derived and compared with experimental measurements. Finally, the induced local birefringences and surface-relief amplitudes are discussed in connection with atomic force microscopy measurements. The diffraction efficiencies obtained under the (+45°+RCP) and (LCP + RCP) (where LCP = left circularly polarized) configurations are thus compared and discussed. Received: 5 October 2001 / Revised version: 26 November 2001 / Published online: 17 January 2002     

Surface grating formation and erasing on a-Se films

Surface relief formation at holographic recording on amorphous selenium films was demonstrated and investigated. The presence of this optical phase modulation component is essential for ensuring significant, stable and erasable optical recording in a-Se films at 290–320 K temperatures, where conventional photodarkening was known as insignificant and unstable. Photocrystallization can only be observed in super-exposed a-Se films at the given experimental conditions of hologram recording. Erasing behavior of surface relief gratings under heat treatment was also investigated in order to reveal further details of the mechanism. Photoinduced structural transformations within the amorphous phase, connected to local ordering under the condition of light-induced fluidity, are proposed as an explanation for the relief formation and erasing. The observed reversible optical recording process may be useful for the various optoelectronic applications of photoconductive a-Se layers. Received: 12 June 2000 / Accepted: 6 June 2001 / Published online: 30 August 2001     

The role of carrier mobility in holographic recording in LiNbO3

We investigate the role of carrier mobility in holographic recording in LiNbO₃ crystals. Both normal holographic recording (single wavelength, single trap) and two-center recording are considered, and the differences between the performances of the two methods are explained. We show that increasing mobility by using stoichiometric crystals or by doping with Mg does not improve sensitivity considerably, but does reduce M/# by at least one order of magnitude. Received: 22 February 2001 / Revised version: 5 March 2001 / Published online: 27 April 2001     

Abnormal reflecting mirror structures for intra-cavity Čerenkov second-harmonic generation

Abnormal reflecting mirror (ARM) structures, consisting of a corrugated optical waveguiding structure, can serve as a wavelength-selective end mirror in a laser cavity. The ARM structure shows, for each wavelength in a certain region, 100% reflection at a certain angle of incidence. In the vicinity of this angle the waveguide is resonantly excited, leading to strong enhancement of the optical field in the layer structure, which is interesting for efficient second-harmonic generation (SHG). In this paper, experimental results of a first prototype, exhibiting Čerenkov SHG, are reported. Received: 16 May 2001 / Revised version: 28 August 2001 / Published online: 30 October 2001     

Associative recall in a volume holographic storage system based on phase-code multiplexing

We present two different techniques on how to realize a content-addressed holographic memory when using phase-code multiplexing, relying on simple intensity measurements rather than phase distributions. Theoretical and experimental results of associative recall in a phase-coded system designed for digital data storage will be presented and compared to the corresponding method when using angular multiplexing. Received: 2 August 2001 / Revised version: 20 September 2001 / Published online: 23 November 2001     

Light can transform the secondary structure of silk protein

Fibroin is the main component of silk and is expected to be used as a novel functional material in medicine and bioelectronics. The main secondary structures of this protein are of the random-coil and the β-sheet types. In this study, we carried out laser-induced transformation of the secondary structure, from the random-coil type to the β-sheettype, in solid fibroin films. We prepared two types of fibroin films with the random-coil structure. One is a fibroin film doped with a dye as a photosensitizer with a small amount (1 wt %), and the other is a neat fibroin film. The former was excited at 532 nm and the latter was excited at 266 nm. Irradiations were carried out with fluences much lower than each ablation threshold. The excitation of the dye at 532 nm did not affect the secondary structure of the random-coil type. By contrast, 266-nm laser irradiation, which excites tryptophan (an amino-acid residue) involved in fibroin, created the β-sheetdomain in the film. The structural transformation was revealed by infrared absorption spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Received: 1 August 2001 / Accepted: 2 August 2001 / Published online: 2 October 2001     

Holographic study of chain length in photopolymerizable compositions

We describe a study of the free-radical homopolymerization kinetics for a system based on acrylamide, triethanolamine and methylene blue by analyzing temporal variations of the diffraction efficiency. The modulation index is related to the component’s parameters, giving as a result a method that can be used to determine the chain length of the polymer and the kinetic rate constants. By using this method we have studied the effect of intensity on the kinetic parameters of the photopolymerization process. Received: 20 August 2001 / Published online: 7 February 2002     

Distinct correlation between CeO2 and YSZ in out-of-plane and in-plane mosaic dispersions of heteroepitaxial CeO2/YSZ/Si(001) films

The structural correlations including the lattice constants and the mosaic dispersions between CeO₂ and yttria-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) in CeO₂/YSZ/Si(001) heteroepitaxial films have been investigated by out-of-plane and in-plane X-ray-diffraction techniques. The distinct linear correlations of the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the ω scan between CeO₂ and YSZ have been found in both directions. CeO₂ always has a 0.7° lower FWHM of the ω scan than YSZ in the out-of-plane direction, but has a 2.6° higher FWHM in the in-plane direction. A possible relationship between the out-of-plane and in-plane FWHMs of the ω scans has been demonstrated with a lattice-rotation model. Besides, the lattice constants of CeO₂ are dependent on the FWHMs of the YSZ ω scans: as the FWHM is below 3.5°, CeO₂ has a tetragonal distortion, and as the FWHM is higher than 3.5°, CeO₂ exhibits a cubic structure without distortion. The results are of great interest, both for the fundamental understanding of the film-growth mechanisms and for potential applications. Received: 11 September 2000 / Accepted: 5 June 2001 / Published online: 30 August 2001     

Photorefractive properties of Cr-doped Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 related to crystal purity and doping concentration

The purity and the concentrations of the constituents Sr, Ba, Nb and Cr were determined in single crystals of chromium-doped Sr_0.61Ba_0.39Nb₂O₆ (SBN) by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). Experiments with different Cr concentrations C_Cr reveal constant Sr and Ba concentrations as well as a decreasing Nb concentration with an increasing C_Cr. Therefore, Cr is incorporated at Nb lattice sites. The distribution coefficient of Cr is 1.2 between 100 and about 7000 ppm Cr and 1 above. From measurements of the holographic two-beam coupling gain Γ for different C_Cr, we deduced response times for the buildup of holographic gratings. The saturation value of Γ depends in a nonlinear manner on C_Cr and reaches its maximum at about 6000 ppm Cr. The inverse photorefractive response time of the grating erasure depends linearly on the erasure intensity for all doping concentrations. Thus a one-center model can be assumed for the charge transport in SBN:Cr. Received: 8 December 2000 / Revised version: 23 January 2001 / Published online: 21 March 2001     

Single-frequency Ti:Er:LiNbO3 distributed Bragg reflector waveguide laser with thermally fixed photorefractive cavity

The first single-frequency Ti:Er:LiNbO₃ distributed Bragg reflector waveguide laser with two thermally fixed photorefractive gratings as resonator mirrors is reported. The optically pumped (λ_p=1480 nm,120-mW incident power) laser emits up to 1.1 mW at λ_s=1561.1 nm. The threshold pump power is 70 mW. Received: 7 June 2001 / Published online: 30 October 2001     

Kilohertz extreme-ultraviolet light source based on femtosecond high-order harmonic generation from noble gases

A compact, versatile table-top kilohertz source of coherent extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) radiation in the wavelength region 18–100 nm, based on high-order harmonic generation from noble gases induced by a 40-femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser system, is presented. The XUV beamline delivers at its output 10⁸ photons/s at a wavelength of 23 nm. The monochromatized XUV radiation is directly focused onto a 10^-2-mm² spot by a toroidal grating, allowing one to reach intensities higher than 10⁶ W/cm². Optimization results are presented for a new XUV-generating geometry, utilizing a ‘semi-infinite’ quasi-static gas cell and strong focusing. In those conditions, we observe an anomalous inversion between the cutoffs of argon and krypton, with the krypton spectrum extending to much higher orders than expected in an adiabatic limit. Received: 9 July 2001 / Revised version: 1 August 2001 / Published online: 7 November 2001     

Anisotropic self-diffraction under Bragg mismatching

Anisotropic self-diffraction (ASD) under Bragg mismatch has been studied. We derive a solution that can describe well the diffraction characteristics of the anisotropic self-diffraction under Bragg mismatch. The solution is useful for estimating the Bragg constraint when the ASD is applied to optical information processing. Both the theory and the experiment are presented. Received: 11 July 2000 / Revised version: 2 January 2001 / Published online: 30 March 2001     

Photorefractive gratings generated by band-gap excitation: Application to KNbO3

A simple model was developed to account for the generation of thin space–charge gratings induced by band-gap illumination in photorefractive crystals. It includes the high-intensity regime where the contribution of free carriers to the space–charge field cannot be neglected. The model was specifically applied to explain the occurrence of two mutually π-phase-shifted gratings below the surface of KNbO₃ as well as diffraction features that have been previously observed experimentally. Received: 11 October 2000 / Revised version: 22 January 2001 / Published online: 20 April 2001     

Holographic recording mechanisms of gratings in indium oxide films using 325 nm helium–cadmium laser irradiation

UV (325 nm) holographic recording of gratings in indium oxide films fabricated by reactive pulsed laser deposition has been investigated as a function of growth temperature, oxygen pressure and angle of incidence of the plasma plume on the substrate. The influence of the ambient environment (air or vacuum) and the film temperature during recording has also been studied. Large steady state refractive index changes up to 6×10^-3 were observed in layers grown at an oblique angle of 75°. About 77% of the magnitude of these changes residues after thermal annealing and is attributed to UV-induced permanent structural rearrangements. In contrast, refractive index changes in films grown at normal incidence were smaller in magnitude and completely reversible. Received: 30 July 2001 / Accepted: 20 November 2001 / Published online: 23 January 2002     

Efficient cascaded difference frequency conversion in periodically poled Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides using pulsed and cw pumping

Using an FM-mode-locked Ti:Er:LiNbO₃ waveguide laser as the fundamental source, wavelength conversion by cascaded χ⁽²⁾:χ⁽²⁾-difference frequency generation with a conversion efficiency of up to +3(-4.6) dB was demonstrated at a pulse repetition rate of about 2 (10) GHz. In addition, multi-channel conversion was demonstrated with a fully packaged wavelength converter using a continuous fundamental source. Received: 29 May 2001 / Revised version: 10 August 2001 / Published online: 2 November 2001     

Growth of a textured quasicrystalline phase in Ti-Ni-Zr films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The preparation in thin film form of the known icosahedral phase in Ti-Ni-Zr bulk alloys has been investigated as a function of substrate temperature. Films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on sapphire substrates at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 350 °C. Morphological and structural modifications have been followed by grazing-incidence and θ–2θ X-ray diffraction, transmission electron diffraction and imaging. Chemical composition has been analyzed by electron probe microanalysis. The in-depth variation of composition has been studied by secondary neutral mass spectroscopy. We show that pulsed laser deposition at 275 °C makes the formation of a 1-μm-thick film of Ti-Ni-Zr quasicrystalline textured nanocrystallites possible. Received: 7 June 2001 / Accepted: 18 February 2002 / Published online: 3 June 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +33-3/8357-6300, E-mail: brien@mines.u-nancy.fr     

Dynamic light beam deflection caused by space charge waves in photorefractive crystals

During holographic recording in photorefractive crystals (BSO, BGO, and BTO) by an oscillating interference pattern we observe a strong dynamic deflection of the laser beams reflected from the crystal’s surface. The theoretical treatment shows that this new effect is associated with a nonlinear interaction of space charge gratings resulting in a quasi-homogeneous oscillating space charge field which provides deformations of the crystal via the piezoelectric effect. Received: 3 August 1999 / Accepted 5 August 1999 / Published online: 8 September 1999     

Electroluminescence of silicon nanocrystals in MOS structures

We have studied the structural, electrical and optical properties of MOS devices, where the dielectric layer consists of a substoichiometric SiO_x (x<2) thin film deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. After deposition the samples were annealed at high temperature (>1000 °C) to induce the separation of the Si and the SiO₂ phases with the formation of Si nanocrystals embedded in the insulating matrix. We observed at room temperature a quite intense electroluminescence (EL) signal with a peak at ∼850 nm. The EL peak position is very similar to that observed in photoluminescence in the very same device, demonstrating that the observed EL is due to electron–hole recombination in the Si nanocrystals and not to defects. The effects of the Si concentration in the SiO_x layer and of the annealing temperature on the electrical and optical properties of these devices are also reported and discussed. In particular, it is shown that by increasing the Si content in the SiO_x layer the operating voltage of the device decreases and the total efficiency of emission increases. These data are reported and their implications discussed. Received: 31 August 2001 / Accepted: 3 September 2001 / Published online: 17 October 2001     

Properties of CdF2:Ga as a medium for real-time holography

The metastable nature of the excited state of bistable Ga centers in semiconducting CdF₂ crystals allows for the use of CdF₂:Ga and CdF₂:Ga,Y crystals as materials for real-time holography over a wide range of response times (1–1000 ms). The characteristics of these materials and optimal conditions for their use are discussed in the framework of a model that describes the decay of photo-induced gratings written in them. Received: 20 November 2000 / Published online: 20 April 2001     

Detection of small forest fires by lidar

The possibility of detecting small forest fires with the help of a simple and cheap lidar operating at 0.532-μm wavelength up to distances of about 6.5 km is demonstrated. The values of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) achieved in the experiments are consistent with theoretical estimations obtained by computational modeling of the lidar detection process, including simulation of the smoke-plume shape and of the laser beam–plume interaction. This model was used to assess the potential of the lidar technique for fire surveillance in large forest areas. In particular, the upper limiting range for effective detection (SNR>5) of small localized fires in dry- and clear-weather conditions is estimated at 7–15 km depending on operation mode, burning rate, and observation geometry. Received: 29 August 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001