Polymeric saturable-absorber mirror for passive Q-switching of a laser-diode-pumped Nd3+:YVO4 microchip laser

A polymeric multilayered mirror doped with a saturable dye worked as a passive Q-switch of a laser-diode-pumped Nd(3+):YVO4 microchip laser. The multilayered mirror consisted of alternately spin-coated layers of polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) and cellulose acetate on a glass substrate. A dye of bis-(dimethylaminodithiobenzil)-nickel was doped in one of the layers of PVK, providing the repetitively Q-switched pulses. The pulse width and repetition rate were 4 ns and 68 kHz, respectively, for a laser-cavity length of 5 mm, and the average and the peak power were 40 mW and 156 W, respectively, for the highest pump power of 435 mW. The dependence of the Q-switched characteristics on the pump power and on the concentration of the doped dye is described.     

Image reconstruction by using the propagation law of mutual intensity

An imaging method for partially coherent objects is proposed by the aid of the propagation law of mutual intensity, and it can be reduced to principles used in holography and radio astronomy if the coherence reaches the both extremes, i.e., perfect coherence and complete incoherence, respectively.     

Investigation of void formation beneath thin AlN layers by decomposition of sapphire substrates for self-separation of thick AlN layers grown by HVPE

Void formation at the interface between thick AlN layers and (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates was investigated to form a predefined separation point of the thick AlN layers for the preparation of freestanding AlN substrates by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). By heating 50–200 nm thick intermediate AlN layers above 1400 °C in a gas flow containing H₂ and NH₃, voids were formed beneath the AlN layers by the decomposition reaction of sapphire with hydrogen diffusing to the interface. The volume of the sapphire decomposed at the interface increased as the temperature and time of the heat treatment was increased and as the thickness of the AlN layer decreased. Thick AlN layers subsequently grown at 1450 °C after the formation of voids beneath the intermediate AlN layer with a thickness of 100 nm or above self-separated from the sapphire substrates during post-growth cooling with the aid of voids. The 79 μm thick freestanding AlN substrate obtained using a 200 nm thick intermediate AlN layer had a flat surface with no pits, high optical transparency at wavelengths above 208.1 nm, and a dislocation density of 1.5×10⁸ cm⁻².     

Proton conductive polyimide ionomer membranes: Effect of NH,OH, and COOH groups

A new series of sulfonated polyimide (SPI) copolymers containing NH, OH, or COOH groups were synthesized by the polycondensation of 1,4,5,8‐naphthalnetetracarboxylic dianhydride, 3,3′‐bis(sulfopropoxy)‐4,4′‐diaminobiphenyl, and 3‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐5‐(3‐aminophenyl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazole (SPI‐8‐m), 3,5‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazole (SPI‐8‐p), 3,6‐diaminocarbazole (SPI‐9), 3,5‐diamino‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazole (SPI‐10), bis(3‐aminopropyl)‐amine (SPI‐11), 2,6‐diaminopurine (SPI‐12), 2,4‐diamino‐6‐hydroxyprymidine (SPI‐13), or 3,5‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)benzoic acid (SPI‐14). The obtained SPIs were soluble in polar organic solvents and gave tough and flexible membranes by solution casting. The SPI membranes having NH and COOH groups showed high thermal (decomposition temperature ≈200 °C) and mechanical (maximum stress >22 MPa) stability. Introducing NH groups, especially triazole and carbazole groups, was effective in improving proton conductive properties of SPI membranes at low humidity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2846–2854, 2010     

A distortion compensation method for a conical holographic stereogram

An image processing technique to display a distortion-free reconstructed image from a rainbow type conical holographic stereogram is proposed. The method consists of forming a new set of 2D images from the original set by applying an image process. The image processing method is made through ray tracing equations. The results show that the performance of the proposed method is good as it removes distortion of the image.     

Vibration measurement by vibrating-plate holograms

If a hologram of a vibrating object is recorded on a photographic plate which vibrates synchronously with the object, the reconstructed image produces equi-amplitude fringes of the object vibration, the amplitude of which is reduced by a constant determined from the amplitude of the plate vibration. This phenomenon can be used as a method to extend the measurable range of vibration amplitudes, and some experimental results are shown.     

Dynamic range of a thermoplastic photoconductor hologram

A thermoplastic photoconductor material is well-known as a hologram recording material. The dynamic ranges of a thermoplastic hologram are studied in two softening methods. One is the conventional heating method, and the other is the newly developed solvent vapor method. It is found that the solvent vapor method makes the dynamic range ten times as wide as the heating method, and in the solvent vapor method exposure time and charging voltage hardly affect the final diffraction efficiency.     

An improved technique for holographic recording on a thermoplastic photoconductor

A new method for holographic recording on a thermoplastic-photoconductor has been developed. By using this new method which involves the application of white light to the thermoplastic-photoconductor after exposure, the sensitivity, reciprocity and signal-to-noise ratio have been improved. A higher diffraction efficiency (about 30%) can also be obtained.     

Comments on speckle interferometry with regard to displacements of the camera during an exposure

Displacements of single-lens-reflex camera, which lead to errors in measuring displacements of an object by speckle interferometry, are studied to make sure that cameras with focal plane shutters displace to some extent, regardless of ways of mounting.