Anisotropic luminescence and third-order electric susceptibility of Mg-doped gallium oxide under the half-bandgap edge.

Strong anisotropy of photoluminescence of a (100)-cut ß-Ga2O3 and a Mg-doped ß-Ga2O3 single crystals was found in UV and visible spectral range, the bands of which were attributed to different types of transitions in the samples. Green photoluminescence in the Mg-doped sample was enhanced approximately twice. A remarkable enhancement of two-photon absorption and self-focusing in ß-Ga2O3 after doping was revealed by 340-fs laser Z-scanning at 515 nm. The absolute value of complex third order susceptibility χ(3) determined from the study increases by 19 times in [001] lattice direction. Saturable absorption and associated self-defocusing were found in the undoped crystal in the [010] direction, which was explained by the anisotropic excitation of F-centers on intrinsic oxygen defects. This effect falls out of resonance in the Mg-doped crystal. The χ(3) values which are provided by a decrease of bandgap in Mg-doped ß-Ga2O3 are χ(3) [001] = 1.85·10-12 esu and χ(3) [010]=χ(3)yyyy = 0.92·10-12 esu. Our result is only one order of magnitude lower than the best characteristic in green demonstrated by a Mg-doped GaN, which encourages subsequent development of Mg-doped ß-Ga2O3 as an effective nonlinear optical material in this region.

High dispersive mirrors for erbium-doped fiber chirped pulse amplification system.

We report on the development of near-infrared high dispersive mirrors (HDM) with a group delay dispersion (GDD) of -2000 fs2. A HDM pair based on one optimized result at two reference wavelengths (1550 nm and 1560 nm) can reduce the total oscillation of the GDD effectively in the wavelength range of 1530-1575 nm. This HDM pair is designed and fabricated in a single coating run by means of the nonuniformity in film deposition. For the first time, near-infrared HDMs with two different reference wavelengths have been successfully applied in an erbium-doped fiber chirped pulse amplification system for the compression of 4.73 ps laser pulses to 380 fs.

Suppression of nano-absorbing precursors and damage mechanism in optical coatings for 3ω mirrors.

Damage precursors in the 3ω (351 nm) mirror for a high-power laser system are investigated as well as the relevant damage mechanisms. The precursors are classified into two ensembles according to the different laser resistance and damage features. The former is nano-absorbing precursors, which are sensitive to the standing wave electric field and vulnerable to the laser irradiation. The latter is submicrometer nodular defects, which have higher laser resistance and are sensitive to the adhesion strength between the fluoride coatings and oxide coatings. The damage due to nano-absorbing precursors is efficiently suppressed with the double stack design that screens the electric field in the oxides. Currently, the nodular seed is major originating from the Al2O3/SiO2 stack. Even for the same defect type and mirror, the final damage features are dependent on the local mechanical properties at the irradiation location. The investigations of the damage mechanisms provide a direction to further improve the laser-induced damage threshold of the 3ω mirror.

Defect analysis of UV high-reflective coatings used in the high power laser system.

By considering the rapid change of standing-wave electric-field and assuming the interface defect distribution, an improved model is developed to analyze the defect density distribution and assess the damage performance of high-reflective coatings. Two kinds of high-reflective coatings deposited by e-beam evaporation (EBE) and ion beam sputtering (IBS) techniques are analyzed with this method. The lower overall damage threshold is the major feature for the coatings deposited by IBS method according to the defect parameters extracted from the model. Typical damage morphologies of coatings are also measured and analyzed. The assumption of interface defects is supported by the damage behavior. The damage mechanisms of two high-reflective coatings are attributed to the formation of molten pool and mechanical ejection. The influence of the incident angle on the damage probability is also considered and numerically calculated. The defect analysis model improved here is suitable for high-reflective coatings.

Scattering analysis for random antireflective structures on fused silica in the ultraviolet.

Random antireflective structures are fabricated on fused silica by the thermal dewetting process and reactive ion etching, which shows a broadband antireflective effect over the whole visible wavelength. However, the transmittance in the ultraviolet is limited by the scattering from the etched structures. A graded refractive index model ignoring the scattering in the visible range is applied to extract the etched profile. Then the Lubachevsky-Stillinger algorithm is used to reconstruct the random antireflective structures with the extracted profile. Bidirectional scattering distribution for the reconstructed structures is simulated with the finite-difference time-domain method, which indicates the importance of transmissive scattering the scattering directivity. The scattering directivity is explained well with an effective grating model. The period of the effective grating can guide the prepared technique in the ultraviolet.

Beam modulation caused by the plasma scalds in the multilayer dielectric films.

The near-field phase modulation (NFPM) caused by the plasma scalds is investigated with a newly proposed mixed overcoat layer model. Based on the NFPM, the far-field intensity modulation (FFIM) is calculated and discussed with the scalar diffraction theory. The results indicate that both the NFPM and FFIM are sensitive to the scalding depth. A feature curve is developed to analyze the NFPM for arbitrary scalding depth. The modulation can be ignored when the scalding depth is less than the first feature point in the feature curve. Even though the diffraction intensity in the Fresnel region can be enhanced dozens of times, the FFIM in the Fraunhofer region can recover gradually if the scalding depth is below a critical value. The preliminary experimental results are consistent with the theoretical prediction.

Intrafilm separation of solgel film under nanosecond irradiation.

We have observed large-scale intrafilm separation after the irradiation of solgel film with a single Nd:YAG pulse (1064 nm, 12 ns) in air. The irradiated but undamaged surface or the surface after intrafilm separation is densified. These damage features are distinctly different from the scalding surface of the electron beam evaporation coating or the ripple structures on the rear surface of fused silica, which indicates the extreme pressure gradients at the free surface-film interface. The submicrometer size melted cavity in the center of damage site is related with the nanoscale absorber. A phenomenological description that combines the defect-induced incubation phase and laser-supported surface breakdown wave is used to explain the damage process.

Near-field enhancement of the nanostructure on the fused silica with rigorous method.

A rigorous electromagnetic method is developed to analyze the resonance effect of near field caused by nanoscale subsurface defects, which play a key role in describing absorption enhancement during laser-matter interaction for transparent dielectric materials. The total electric field calculated with this new method is consistent with the result of finite-difference time-domain simulation. The concept of mode amplitude density spectrum is developed to analyze the specific modes of the total field. A new mode parameter is proposed to demarcate the contribution of the resonance. The frequency space is divided into four parts and the resonance effect is analyzed as well as the contributions of different modes to the total field. The influence of the structure parameters on the near-field modulation and energy transference is also discussed. It is found that the enhancement mechanism of the near-field and local absorption is the resonance effect caused by the total internal reflection on the sidewall of the nanostructure. In addition, the surrounding energy is mainly guided into the structure by the root of the structure via the energy flow analysis.

Nanosecond laser pulse induced concentric surface structures on SiO2 layer.

We report the periodic concentric surface structures on SiO2 layer induced by a single shot nanosecond laser pulse at 1.06 µm. The fringe period of the structures ranges from 7.0 µm to 26.8 µm, depending on the laser fluence and the distance from central defect precursor. The size and depth of the damage sites increase almost linearly with the laser fluence from 19.6 J/cm(2) to 61 J/cm(2). Plasma flash was clearly observed during the damage process. We attribute the formation mechanism of the structures to the interference between the reflected laser radiations at the air/shock-front and the shock-front/film interfaces.

Optical limiting properties of a nonlinear multilayer Fabry-Perot resonator containing niobium pentoxide as nonlinear medium.

The optical limiting effect was numerically simulated and experimentally observed for a 25-layer thin-film Fabry-Perot microresonator by 7 ns laser pulses at 532 nm. The sample, made by vacuum evaporation and consisting of alternating Nb2O5 and SiO2 layers, has an ultranarrow line of transparency at near 532 nm within a wide spectral band of reflection. By adjusting simulated results in accordance with experimental dependencies of transmittance, reflectance, and absorbance on incident light intensity, the coefficient of optical nonlinearity of Nb2O5 was estimated at (6+1i)·10(-12) cm2/W.

Under-Seawater Immersion ß-Ga2O3 Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Imaging Photodetector with High Photo-to-Dark Current Ratio and Fast Response.

This work displays a photovoltaic solar-blind UV photodetector based on a ß-Ga2O3 photoelectrode/simulated seawater (NaCl). The photodetector exhibits extremely high photocurrent (6.70 µA); the responsivity can reach 23.47 mA W-1, and the fastest response rise time is 40 ms under 213 nm illumination at zero bias, the responsivity is 25.10 mA W-1 at 0.8 V, and the photo-to-dark current ratio reaches a maximum of 4663, whose responsivity can be effectively adjusted by changing electrolyte concentration, ensuring a good working stability of this device. In addition, with original seawater as the electrolyte, the detector still achieves a high switching ratio (754) and stable detection under zero bias, demonstrating its capability for practical uses. What's more, we present the capability of the photodetector in seawater imaging. This work provides a method for solar-blind UV detection in seawater, which compensates for the limited detection of most current seawater detectors in the visible band, and can provide certain guidance in the field of seawater detection.

Damage threshold influenced by the high absorption defect at the film-substrate interface under ultraviolet laser irradiation.

The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of a single-layer coating at the nanosecond (ns) regime is obviously lower than an uncoated substrate or a high reflectivity coating coated by the same material. To elucidate this phenomenon, we demonstrate the LIDT of three types of samples at 355 nm with 8 ns. High absorption defects are found at the film-substrate interface by comparing their LIDTs and damage morphologies. These defects originate from the substrate and appear during the coating process. Simulation results show that these defects, coupled to the coating, are mainly responsible for decreasing the damage threshold.

Optical properties and microstructure of Ta2O5 biaxial film.

This study investigates the optical properties and microstructure of Ta(2)O(5) film deposited with the glancing angle deposition technique. The tilted nanocolumn microstructure, examined with scanning electron microscopy, induces the optical anisotropy of thin film. The optical properties of thin film are characterized with an inverse synthesis method. Based on the Cauchy model, the dispersion equations of optical constants of film are determined from the transmittance spectra measured at normal and oblique incidence over 400-800 nm. The starting values derived with an envelope method quicken the optimization process greatly. The dispersion of the principal indices N(1), N(2), and N(3) and the thickness d of thin film are presented statistically. A good agreement between the measured optical properties and theoretical calculation is obtained, which validates the model established for thin film produced by glancing angle deposition.

Enhanced visible transmittance and reduced transition temperature for VO2 thin films modulated by index-tunable SiO2 anti-reflection coatings.

The low visible transmission is one of the bottleneck problems for the application of vanadium dioxide films since the high refractive index (RI) of VO2 films results in strong reflection in the visible wavelength. To address this problem, in this paper, high-purity VO2 films were deposited on fused silica by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at low temperature of 320 °C. Silica sol-gel coatings with tunable refractive index (RI) coated onto VO2 films have been fabricated to enhance visible transmittance with the potential application in the field of smart windows. SiO2 coatings with tunable RI (1.16-1.42 at λ = 700 nm) were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating technique. The double structure SiO2/VO2 films were characterized through several techniques, including X-ray diffraction, UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy. Compared with the single-layer VO2 film (ΔT sol of 6.25% and T lum of 38.58%), the three kinds of SiO2/VO2 bilayer films had higher T lum (41.93-50.44%) and larger ΔT sol (8.15-8.51%) simultaneously due to significantly decreased reflectance. Moreover, the crystallization properties of VO2 films are essentially unchanged by applying a SiO2 top layer, while the phase transition temperature and thermal hysteresis width of sample S116 are lower than those of pure VO2 film. The presented RI-tunable SiO2 coatings, can regulate optical properties continuously for various VO2 substrates, paving the way for practical applications of VO2 films in the field of smart windows or others.

Thermochromic and Femtosecond-Laser-Induced Damage Performance of Tungsten-Doped Vanadium Dioxide Films Prepared Using an Alloy Target.

Thermochromic tungsten-doped VO2 thin films were successfully fabricated using a W-V alloy target. X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the W-doped VO2 film had a preferred orientation of (011), and that the doping did not degrade the film crystallinity compared with that of the pure film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy showed that the doped 0.81 atom% tungsten replaced vanadium in the lattice of the film. The metal⁻insulator transition temperature of the W-doped VO2 film was reduced to 35.5 °C, which is close to room temperature. Additionally, the infrared transmittance modulation of the W-doped film at λ = 2500 nm reached 56%, indicating an excellent switching efficiency. The damage behavior of the W-doped VO2 film under a femtosecond-laser irradiation was experimentally investigated. Our results revealed that defect-related damages induced by the femtosecond laser are relevant for W-doped VO2 films. This study provides valuable insights into VO2 films for potential applications in laser protection.

Nonpolarizing and polarizing filter design.

We describe a nonpolarizing filter design at oblique incidence and a polarizing filter design at normal incidence that use a uniaxially anisotropic layer. The phase thicknesses and the optical admittances of the layers are compensated for by the birefringent properties of a thin film at oblique incidence. This concept can be applied to the design of nonpolarizing bandpass and edge filters at oblique incidence and of polarizing beam splitters at normal incidence. Besides, the dependence of narrow-bandpass filters on normal incidence is discussed.