Micro-Structured Materials for Generation of Coherent Light and Optical Signal Processing

Abstract

Abstract : Our research interests focus on improving nonlinear optical materials, developing microstructuring techniques to access new wavelength regions and new applications, and fabricating devices for high-power visible generation, ultra-fast optical interactions, mid-IR generation, and optical signal processing. This program has continued the development of microstructured nonlinear optical materials and quasi-phase-matched devices based on those materials. The material systems investigated, periodically-poled ferroelectrics, especially lithium niobate (PPLN) and lithium tantalate (PPLT), and orientation-patterned GaAs (OP-GaAs), enable nonlinear interactions impossible in conventional nonlinear media. This work included characterization of vapor-transport- equilibrated near-stoichiometric ferroelectrics, enhancements in periodic-poling technology, and development of improved proton-exchanged waveguide techniques. Following the materials characterization and improved processing techniques, we have been able to fabricate new devices including OP-GaAs devices for broadband optical parametric generation (OPG) at mid-infrared wavelengths, wide bandwidth parametric amplifiers in aperiodic QPM structures, high power visible light generation including the sodium yellow line, and reverse-proton-exchanged PPLN waveguide devices for quasi-group-velocity- matching, optical signal processing, and generation of nearly-transform- limited OPG.