Funneling light through a subwavelength aperture with epsilon-near-zero materials.

We present a comprehensive study of enhanced light funneling through a subwavelength aperture with realistic (lossy) epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials. We realize experimentally an inclusion-free ENZ material layer operating at optical frequencies and characterize its performance. An analytical expression describing light funneling through several structures involving ENZ coupling layers is developed, validated with numerical solutions of Maxwell equations, and utilized to relate the performance of the ENZ coupling systems to their main limiting factor, material losses.

Mid-infrared doping tunable transmission through subwavelength metal hole arrays on InSb.

Doping-tunable mid-infrared extraordinary transmission is demonstrated from a periodic metal hole array patterned on n-InSb. The polarization-dependent transmission was measured at room temperature and 77 K. In addition, the extraordinary transmission was measured for incident angles from 0 degrees to 35 degrees in 5 degrees steps. A fundamental resonance shift of approximately 123 cm-1 (1.4 microm) is observed by varying the doping from 1 x 10(16) to 2 x 10(18) cm(-3). The calculated transmission resonances were in good agreement with the experimental results. This suggests that InSb semiconductor-based plasmonic structures may be suitable for a variety of tunable mid-infrared device applications.

Fabrication and optimization of uniform output couplers for far-infrared lasers.

An improved technique for the fabrication of uniform output couplers for far-infrared lasers has been developed. The technique includes a process for uniformly removing material from the back side of the coupler's substrate to tune the coupler's reflectivity precisely to the specified value for a particular laser line. Depending on the condition of the coupler after use, it can be retuned to another laser line, which lies within the coupler's reflectance envelope. Furthermore, when there is the possibility of lasing at two different laser wavelengths (as happens with some far-infrared lasers), it is possible to optimize the coupler for one wavelength while at the same time detuning the other wavelength. The fabrication and optimization of these devices are discussed.

Measurement of third-order optical nonlinear susceptibility using four-wave mixing in a single-mode ridge waveguide.

Nondegenerate four-wave mixing in a single-mode ridge waveguide has been demonstrated as a technique for simultaneous measurement of the imaginary component and the absolute magnitude of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility chi((3)). In the same experimenal apparatus, Im chi((3))(omega(2) = omega(1) + omega(2) - omega(1)) was obtained by measuring the pump-induced probe power loss and |chi((3))(omega(3) = omega(1) + omega(1) - omega(2))| was derived from Stokes wave generation efficiency. The ratio of these quantities was obtained without significant system uncertainties. The technique has been applied to AlGaAs/GaAs quantum-well waveguides with picosecond laser pulses. For homega(1) approximately homega(2) approximately 1.43 eV, it was found that Im chi((3)) = (6.1 +/- 0.5) x 10(-11) esu, |chi((3))| = (7.6 +/- 1.7) x 10(-11) esu with a system uncertainty of 25%, and Im chi((3))/|chi((3))| = 0.8 +/- 31%, indicating the dominance of two-photon absorption.

Optical nonlinearities in Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs asymmetric coupled quantum wells.

Optical nonlinearities of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs asymmetric coupled quantum wells within a p-i-n structure have been observed by using time-resolved spectroscopy. Under photoexcitation, exciton absorption lines exhibit spectral shifts of as much as approximately 1 meV. The recovery times of these spectral shifts are of the order of hundreds of picoseconds when the excitation photon is above the lowest exciton state but become less than 10 psec when excitation is below the lowest exciton state, indicating a virtual process. The behavior of these spectral shifts is consistent with the presence of a polarization induced by optical pumping. The polarization is believed to be due to the excitons that have nonvanishing electric dipole moments along the axis of the asymmetric coupled quantum wells.