Search

We present an experimental investigation on third-order nonlinear optical properties of RF-sputtered WSe 2 thin films using a single-beam Z -scan technique around the optical communication window in a near-infrared spectral band. The nonlinear absorption coefficient was obtained from the open-aperture Z -scan transmission using ultrashort pulses centered at 1520 nm excitation wavelength. The results show a reverse saturable absorption signature for all the WSe 2 films due to two-photon absorption (TPA) mediated electronic transitions. The dependency of the TPA coefficient on film thickness is analyzed through the modification in an electronic band structure essentially caused due to defects induced in the samples. In addition, we also explored the impact of high laser intensity on the TPA process, which essentially pointed toward a significant contribution of free-carrier absorption at small laser intensities in WSe 2 thin films. This investigation provides a basis for optimally tailoring the nonlinear optical properties of transition-metal-dichalcogenides via bandgap engineering for improving photonic device functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A refractive index sensor is proposed comprising one-dimensional photonic bandgap geometry in conjunction with a thin metal film. The refractive index sensor is based on the cavity mode formed in a thin cavity layer sandwiched between multilayers of SiO2/Ta2O5 and a metal film. The cavity structure traps light through excitation of the cavity mode and hence sharp resonance minima (maxima) are obtained in the reflection (transmission) spectrum. Our theoretical model investigates the impact of cavity thickness, nature of plasmon-active metal, the angle of incidence, and polarization of light on the sensitivity. It is found that the resonance wavelength increases linearly as the analyte refractive index increases. Additionally, the enhancement in the interaction between the analyte medium and micro-cavity mode-field further enhances the sensitivity of the proposed sensor. It is observed that as the cavity thickness increases from 200 nm to 900 nm, the sensitivity increases from 200 nm/RIU to 350 nm/RIU. The performance of the proposed photonic crystal based sensor exhibits strong polarization and angular dependences. Also, the sharp micro-cavity resonance results in improved detection accuracy as compared to surface plasmon resonance based schemes. The proposed structure advantage is an alternative to the conventional surface plasmon refractive index sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive study on the impact of phase transformations of metallophthalocyanine thin films on their third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The metallophthalocyanine thin films are prepared by thermally evaporating the commercially available Copper(II)2,9,16,23-Tetra-tert-butyl-29H, 31H-phthalocyanine (CuPc) and Zinc(II) 2,9,16,23-Tetra-tert-butyl-29H, 31Hphthalocyanine (ZnPc) powder on glass substrate. Thermal annealing causes a phase transformation which has a distinct signature in powder X-ray diffraction and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. The NLO characteristics which include nonlinear refractive index n2, as well as nonlinear absorption coefficient (βeff), were measured by using a single beam Z-scan technique. An ultrashort pulsed fiber laser emitting femtosecond pulses (▵ ι≈250 fs) at 1064nm central wavelength is used as a source for the Z-scan experiment. The βeff values in as prepared thin films were ascertained to be smaller as compared to the annealed one due to the smaller value of saturation intensity (Is) which, in turn, is a consequence of ground-state bleaching in the thermally unstable amorphous state of the molecule. Interestingly, the nonlinear refractive indices bear opposite sign for CuPc and ZnPc. The variations in the third-order nonlinearity in CuPc and ZnPc are discussed in terms of molecular packing and geometries of metallophthalocyanine molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel scheme for generation of broadband mid-infrared (mid-IR) radiation using a quasiphase-matched difference-frequency-generation (DFG) process in a planar high index core symmetric Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW) geometry based on GaN/AlxGa1-xN system. By suitably tailoring the dispersion properties of the BRW so as to maintain the phase-matching condition over a broad range of pump wavelengths, we show that the pump acceptance bandwidth could be enhanced by nine to ten times for a DFG process. This manifests into a broadband mid-IR difference-frequency idler with greater than 280 nm bandwidth close to 4.35 μm wavelength. Since the design presented here exploits the dispersive features of the BRW; we can shift the broadband characteristics to any desired region of the mid-IR spectrum within the constraints imposed by transparency and nonlinearity of the constituent materials. The design also facilitates pumping by standard high-power solid-state laser sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed design principle and propagation characteristics of channel Bragg-plasmon-coupled-waveguide. We have found that there is a significant change in the slope of the phase-velocity dispersion curve leading to an ultranarrow interaction bandwidth (∼765 pm) and group-velocity dispersion (GVD∼±4.5×104 ps/km-nm) that is an appreciably large GVD using a waveguide mode-coupling geometry in any region of the optical spectrum. The effect of waveguide parameters such as channel width, number of bilayers, etc. on a mode-coupling mechanism is also studied with significant emphasis on the propagation loss suffered by the supermodes of the structure. The proposed waveguide exhibits sensitivity as high as 7500 nm/RIU, thereby opening a route for biochemical sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]