High-resolution low-frequency fluctuation map of a multimode laser diode subject to filtered optical feedback via a fiber Bragg grating.

A highly detailed and extended map of low-frequency fluctuations is established for a high-power multi-mode 980 nm laser diode subject to filtered optical feedback from a fiber Bragg grating. The low-frequency fluctuations limits and substructures exhibit substantial differences with previous works.

Demonstration of optical rogue waves using a laser diode emitting at 980 nm and a fiber Bragg grating.

Rogue waves are observed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, in a 980 nm laser diode subject to filtered optical feedback via a fiber Bragg grating. By counting the number of rogue waves in a fixed time window, a rogue wave map is established experimentally as a function of both the optical feedback ratio and the laser current. The comparison with low frequency fluctuations (LFFs) reveals that the rogue waves observed in our system are, in fact, LFF jump-ups.

Self-organized nanoparticle photolithography for two-dimensional patterning of organic light emitting diodes.

We report a new simple and inexpensive sub-micrometer two dimensional patterning technique. This technique combines a use of a photomask featured with self-organized particles in the micro- to nano-meter size range and a photoresist-covered substrate. The photomask was prepared by depositing monodispersed silicon dioxide (SiO(2))- or polystyrene- spheres on a quartz substrate to form a close-packed pattern. The patterning technique can be realized in two configurations: a hard-contact mode or a soft-contact mode. In the first configuration, each sphere acts as a micro ball-lens that focuses light and exposes the photoresist underneath the sphere. The developed pattern therefore reproduces exactly the same spatial arrangement as the close-packed spheres but with a feature size of developed hole smaller than the diameter of the sphere. In the soft-contact mode, an air gap of few micrometers thick is introduced between the 2D array of self-organized spheres and the photoresist-covered substrate. In this case, a phase mask behavior is obtained which results in an exposure area with a lattice period being half of the sphere diameter. A 2D lattice structure with period and feature size of a developed hole as small as 750 nm and 420 nm, respectively, was realized in this configuration. We further applied this technique to host the deposition of organic films into the 2D nanostructure and demonstrated the realization of green and red nano-structured OLEDs.

Multiscale Fabrication Process Optimization of DFB Cavities for Organic Laser Diodes.

In the context of the quest for the Organic Laser Diode, we present the multiscale fabrication process optimization of mixed-order distributed-feedback micro-cavities integrated in nanosecond-short electrical pulse-ready organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). We combine ultra-short pulsed electrical excitation and laser micro-cavities. This requires the integration of a highly resolved DFB micro-cavity with an OLED stack and with microwave electrodes. In a second challenge, we tune the cavity resonance precisely to the electroluminescence peak of the organic laser gain medium. This requires precise micro-cavity fabrication performed using e-beam lithography to pattern gratings with a precision in the nanometer scale. Optimal DFB micro-cavities are obtained with 300 nm thick hydrogen silsesquioxane negative-tone e-beam resist on 50 nm thin indium tin oxide anode exposed with a charge quantity per area (i.e., dose) of 620 µC/cm2, developed over 40 min in tetramethylammonium hydroxide diluted in water. We show that the integration of the DFB micro-cavity does not hinder the pulsed electrical operability of the device, which exhibits a peak current density as high as 14 kA/cm2.

Gold Nanocylinders on Gold Film as a Multi-spectral SERS Substrate.

The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) efficiency of gold nanocylinders deposited on gold thin film is studied. Exploiting the specific plasmonic properties of such substrates, we determine the influence of the nanocylinder diameter and the film thickness on the SERS signal at three different excitation wavelengths (532, 638 and 785 nm). We demonstrate that the highest signal is reached for the highest diameter of 250 nm due to coupling between the nanocylinders and for the lowest thickness (20 nm) as the excited plasmon is created at the interface between the gold and glass substrate. Moreover, even if we show that the highest SERS efficiency is obtained for an excitation wavelength of 638 nm, a large SERS signal can be obtained at all excitation wavelengths and on a wide spectral range. We demonstrate that it can be related with the nature of the plasmon (propagative plasmon excited through the nanocylinder grating) and with its angular dependence (tuning of the plasmon position with the excitation angle). Such an effect allows the excitation of plasmon on nearly the whole visible range, and paves the way to multispectral SERS substrates.

Filtered optical feedback induced frequency dynamics in semiconductor lasers.

We demonstrate experimentally and numerically that, by spectrally filtering the delayed optical feedback into a semiconductor laser, one can elicit novel dynamics in the frequency of the laser output light on a time scale that is set by the delay time of the feedback. In particular, we show that through a judicious choice of the filter bandwidth, and its frequency relative to that of the laser, one can produce controlled oscillations in the frequency of light from the laser.