Fresnel Reflection Losses Research Articles

Flexible Epitaxial Lift‐Off InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs Triple‐Junction Solar Cells Integrated with Micro/Nanostructured Polymer Film

Epitaxial lift‐off (ELO) InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs inverted metamorphic triple‐junction solar cells are encapsulated with a micro/nanostructured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. The microprism array (MPA) is realized on the PDMS film to redirect the light incident on the metal grid line to the active area. Subwavelength structures (SWSs) are also introduced onto the PDMS film to suppress the Fresnel optical reflection loss. Triangular and hemicylindrical shapes are considered for the MPA. The optical responses of the two MPAs are calculated by using ray‐tracing methods. The triangular MPA performs better than the hemicylindrical MPA in terms of light‐redirection efficiency. It is confirmed that 82.0% of the light incident on the metal grid can be harvested by the effect of the triangular MPA and the Fresnel optical reflection loss is reduced effectively by the SWSs. These effects contribute to photocurrent enhancement. The short‐circuit current density and power conversion efficiency of the flexible ELO triple‐junction solar cells integrated with the micro/nanostructured PDMS film improve by 7.0% and 7.1%, respectively, compared with those of the solar cells without the PDMS film. By using the flexible PDMS film for light management, the flexibility of the ELO solar cells is preserved.

Detection of a glass fiber-reinforced polymer with defects by terahertz computed tomography

Terahertz (THz) computed tomography (THz CT) exhibits the potential to provide a wealth of data, surpassing that of THz tomographic imaging in applications such as detecting embedded defects, particularly defect evolution within a glass fiber-reinforced polymer. To realize high-resolution THz CT, a systematic approach guided by wave propagation simulation was employed. First, the front wave of the THz beam was fine-tuned to realize a beam diameter of <2 mm. To mitigate the strong refractive effect and minimize Fresnel reflection loss, a refractive-index-matching material was fabricated and utilized as a rounded enclosure for samples with sharp corners. To further improve the reconstruction resolution, a flat surface enclosure was applied to collect all incident beams at the detector. To realize comparable results to those of full-angle CT, a limited-angle CT approach was implemented, and the frequency range 0.1–3 THz was used in the image reconstruction study. The experimental and simulated images were used to validate the findings, and conductive and non-conductive defects measuring 200 µm were successfully visualized. Additionally, a custom-built user interface enabled us to visualize the field spatial distribution of the THz beam with respect to frequency.

Black Silicon as Anti-Reflective Structure for Infrared Imaging Applications.

For uncooled infrared cameras based on microbolometers, silicon caps are often utilized to maintain a vacuum inside the packaged bolometer array. To reduce Fresnel reflection losses, anti-reflection coatings are typically applied on both sides of the silicon caps.This work investigates whether black silicon may be used as an alternative to conventional anti-reflective coatings. Reactive ion etching was used to etch the black silicon layer and deep cavities in silicon. The effects of the processed surfaces on optical transmission and image quality were investigated in detail by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and with modulated transfer function measurements. The results show that the etched surfaces enable similar transmission to the state-of-the-artanti-reflection coatings in the 8-12 µm range and possibly obtain wider bandwidth transmission up to 24 µm. No degradation in image quality was found when using the processed wafers as windows. These results show that black silicon can be used as an effective anti-reflection layer on silicon caps used in the vacuum packaging of microbolometer arrays.

VCSEL-based optical transceiver with a 90°-bent graded-index core polymer waveguide coupler for 25.78-Gb/s transmission

In this paper, we propose a low-loss assembly of optical elements [vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL)/photodiode (PD)] and a 90°-bent graded-index (GI) core polymer optical waveguide for compact high-speed optical transceivers. The air gap between the 90°-bent GI-core waveguide and VCSEL/PD chips are filled with a high-index resin, and we demonstrate a reduction not only of the Fresnel reflection loss but also of the coupling loss due to the lower divergence angle of VCSEL and fiber output beams. In this paper, the core size and NA of the 90°-bent GI-core in the polymer waveguide are redesigned to match the specific launch conditions realized with the gap filled with resins, resulting in theoretical estimates of insertion losses as low as 0.82 dB and 1.38 dB for the waveguides on the transmitter and receiver sides, respectively. Such low insertion losses are obtained not by step-index core but GI core waveguides. After redesigning the structure, 90°-bent GI-core polymer waveguides with a bending radius of 1 mm are experimentally fabricated using the Mosquito method, and we experimentally demonstrate that the insertion loss of the waveguide can be reduced by about 4 dB when the 100-µm air gap is filled with an optical adhesive (na = 1.51). In addition, an error-free 25.78-Gb/s data transmission is successfully demonstrated over a 100-m MMF link using the fabricated VCSEL based transceivers with 90°-bent GI core polymer optical waveguides.

Improving transmittance of long-wave infrared guided-mode resonant filters

The long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectral region spanning from 8 to 12 μm is useful for many scientific and industrial applications. Many of these applications require use of either a bandpass or a bandstop filter that can be realized by the guided-mode resonance (GMR) effect with subwavelength periodic features in layered dielectric materials transparent in the LWIR. The GMR filters operating in the LWIR region are fabricated by depositing an amorphous germanium (Ge) film to form a zero-contrast (ZC) waveguide-grating (WGG) on a polished zinc selenide (ZnSe) substrate. In general, the backside of a ZnSe substrate with refractive index 2.41 is uncoated causing a 17% Fresnel-reflection loss in the light transmitted through the filter due to a large impedance mismatch at the ZnSe/air interface. Because we use such filters in the LWIR laser experiments for notch filtering, to improve the filter transmittance we used ZnSe substrates coated on one-side with broadband antireflection coating (ARC) covering the 7 to 12 μm spectral range to fabricate GMRFs with one-dimensional (1D) Ge ZC WGG. We employed high-spatial resolution e-beam lithography and reactive-ion etching nanofabrication techniques to achieve high-performance large-area (12 × 12 mm2) 1D notch filters with subwavelength periods. We characterized polarization dependent spectral performance of the prototype filters with both coherent and incoherent incident light using a tunable quantum cascade laser system that spans the 7 to 12 μm region, and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer with collimated incident beam to achieve close to 15% improvement in the peak transmittance as well as significant reduction in coherent noise compared to our earlier results with GMRFs without ARC. Here, we present the filter design simulation and measurement results.

Comparative studies of terahertz-based optical properties in transmission/reflection modes of GaSe: S and measurement of its scattering losses due to surface roughness for efficient terahertz generation

The paper reports the efficient terahertz generation using nonlinear optical rectification process and comparative studies of optical, dielectric, and surface scattering properties of 1.0 mm thin GaSe: S crystal in transmission/reflection modes. We employed 800 nm wavelength of 140 fs and 50 fs pulse durations obtained from Ti: Sapphire oscillator and amplifier systems at 80 MHz and 1 kHz repetition rates, respectively, and evaluated the THz generation potential and optical properties such as refractive index, absorption coefficients, relative permittivity in transmission mode. In the next step, the crystal was subjected to a commercial THz system of 0.3 picosecond pulses at 100 MHz repetition rate in reflection geometry and once again recorded the similar parameters and compared with the transmission mode data. In addition, these data were used to measure the scattering losses from the surface of the crystal in terms of surface roughness, optical impedance, and Fresnel’s reflection coefficients. The maximum generated THz power was of the order of 4.5 μW with conversion efficiency (η) ∼ 2.2 × 10−3%. The measured THz efficiency was found equivalent to 20 mm thick GaSe crystal used in the difference frequency mixing technique. Finally, we have measured the Rayleigh roughness factor (g) of the crystal surface at different THz frequencies. When g < 1 (for small roughness) the Fresnel reflection loss factor becomes 0.75 at 1.4 THz frequency range which helps to enhance the generated signal.

Including Fresnel reflection losses in freeform lens design

We present an inverse method for optical design that compensates local Fresnel reflections. We elaborate this method for a point source and far-field target. We modify an existing design algorithm based on the least-squares method. This is done in such a way that the shape of the transmitted intensity is as desired.

Effects of static load and residual stress on fused silica direct bonding interface properties

Defect free direct bonding of rigid and large area glass samples, such as prisms, becomes increasingly important for the manufacturing of modern optical and optomechanical components. Typically, in order to apply a static load during the annealing step, specialized heat-resistant pressure mountings are required. This makes manufacturing effortful and cost-intensive. In this paper, we present plasma activated bonding experiments conducted on fused silica plates where residual stress has been introduced prior to the contacting step and where annealing is performed with and without a static load. We find that in case of a sufficiently smooth surface, bonding strength is insensitive towards residual stress or static load, or more precisely, towards the interface stress. Furthermore, the residual Fresnel reflection losses of the realized bonding interface were optically measured and they amount to only 10^{-6}. We propose that a consideration of the change in Gibbs free energy, dG, allows qualitatively predicting the resulting bonding strength and its spatial distribution, where dG is determined by surface energy and interface stress. At the end of this article, conceivable applications are discussed.

Phosphor-in-Glass for High Performance WLEDs by Reduction Phosphor Interaction and AR Coating

We demonstrate co-doped phosphor-in-glass (PiG) for high performance white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) employing reduction of red/green phosphors interaction and antireflection coating (ARC). In this study, the novelties are a suitable selection of the 650-nm red and 540-nm green phosphor materials to reduce the mutual interaction between the emission of green phosphor and the absorption of red phosphor, evidenced by photoluminescence spectroscopy, and then an ARC on both sides of the PiG to reduce Fresnel reflection loss. Therefore, the PiG with high luminous efficiency of 63 lm/W, high color rendering index (CRI) of 96, and less amount of phosphor material are obtained. The overall luminous efficiency of the PiG-based WLED is improved by about 15% and the total amount of phosphors is reduced by about 58%. This proposed of co-doped PiG with excellent performance and less amount of phosphor material usage is essential to meet the economic requirement for high-quality WLEDs indoor lighting applications.

Ultrabroadband suppression of mid-infrared reflection losses of a layered semiconductor by nanopatterning with a focused ion beam

Moth-eye structures are patterned onto gallium selenide surfaces with sub-micrometer precision. In this way, Fresnel reflection losses are suppressed to below one percent within an ultrabroad optical bandwidth from 15 to 65 THz. We tune the geometry by rigorous coupled-wave analysis. Subsequently, ablation with a Ga+ ion beam serves to write optimized structures in areas covering 30 by 30 μm. The benefits are demonstrated via optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulses under tight focusing, resulting in emission of phase-stable transients in the mid-infrared. We analyze the performance of antireflection coating directly in the time domain by ultrabroadband electro-optic sampling.

Comprehensive analysis on the assembly of a dielectric-filled crossed compound parabolic concentrator and a concentrator photovoltaic module.

A comprehensive analysis on assembly of dielectric-filled 3D crossed compound parabolic concentrator (CCPC) and concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module is presented by embracing the consideration of spectral irradiance, incident angles, and breakdown optical losses. The theoretical modeling is supported by experimental validation to evaluate the optical efficiency of the CCPC-CPV module. From our analysis, Fresnel reflection loss of 11.27%, absorption loss of 11.59%, and other losses of 4.79% are obtained to reach the total loss of 27.65% or equivalent solar concentration ratio (SCR) of 4.65 suns out of a geometrical concentration ratio (GCR) of 5.998 suns. Then, indoor and outdoor measurements prove the actual SCR of 4.57 and 4.48 suns, respectively.

Intracavity-Pumped, Mid-Infrared Tandem Optical Parametric Oscillator Based on BaGa4Se7 Crystal

We have demonstrated a tunable mid-infrared tandem optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on BaGa4Se7 (BGSe) crystal, which was intracavity-pumped by the tunable signal wave at ∼1 μm generated from a KTiOPO4-OPO (KTP-OPO) in doubly-resonant oscillator (DRO) configuration. Wavelength tuning of the mid-infrared tandem OPO was realized by tuning the pump wavelength at the fixed phase matching angle to reduce the effects of beam cutting and Fresnel reflection loss. Together with pump-tuning method, angle-tuning method was supplied to extend tuning range. A tuning range of 4.1–4.5 μm was obtained with just 5 individual phase matching angles of the BGSe crystal. The maximum output energy of 1.92 mJ/pulse was obtained at 4.26 μm with an estimated slope efficiency of 9.5%.

Terahertz broadband anti-reflection moth-eye structures fabricated by femtosecond laser processing

Anti-reflection (AR) coatings aiming at the reduction of Fresnel reflection losses has come into demand in the terahertz (THz) region. Implementation of such a coating in practice is a difficult task, partially because the broad spectrum of the THz signal is difficult to control. Here, we propose and demonstrate a moth-eye AR structure capable of suppressing reflection losses in the range of 0.3 to 2.5 THz for high-resistivity silicon, resulting in a maximum transmission of 91%. The structure comprises of pyramid-like structures with a height of about 100 μm created on the material surface by femtosecond laser processing. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that such micromachining considerably increases transmittance of the silicon in the spectral range of 0.3–2.5 THz. We also demonstrate experimentally that such a structure allows one to improve performance of the THz source based on the LiNbO3 crystal.

Gradient-index dark hole based on conformal mapping with etendue conservation.

An omnidirectional light collector consisting of an axisymmetric spatially gradient refractive index medium can almost perfectly absorb light rays, regardless of where they come from. Based on the conformal mapping with complex gradient-index medium, the omnidirectional light collector, which is here called a dark hole, is able to be designed with an exponential function. The dark hole, however, has a reflective boundary where the Fresnel reflection occurs, which might lessen the absorption efficiency. To design a dark hole with consideration of the Fresnel reflection loss, a method to estimate its absorptance is necessary. Therefore, a formula to calculate the absorptance of the dark hole is derived based on the Lagrangian optics with the etendue conservation. Absorptances calculated using the formula agree well with those calculated using the Mie scattering theory in refractive index small-difference limit, which validates the formula. Absorptance of a dark hole with a silicon core and another dark hole with a complex gradient-index intermediate medium are calculated using the formula to be more than 98.8%. A micro-size dark hole is also shown to efficiently collect light rays with an absorptance of more than 95% using FDTD (finite-difference time-domain) simulation.

Design and Fabrication of Wafer-Level Microlens Array with Moth-Eye Antireflective Nanostructures.

Wafer-level packaging (WLP) based camera module production has attracted widespread industrial interest because it offers high production efficiency and compact modules. However, suppressing the surface Fresnel reflection losses is challenging for wafer-level microlens arrays. Traditional dielectric antireflection (AR) coatings can cause wafer warpage and coating fractures during wafer lens coating and reflow. In this paper, we present the fabrication of a multiscale functional structure-based wafer-level lens array incorporating moth-eye nanostructures for AR effects, hundred-micrometer-level aspherical lenses for camera imaging, and a wafer-level substrate for wafer assembly. The proposed fabrication process includes manufacturing a wafer lens array metal mold using ultraprecise machining, chemically generating a nanopore array layer, and replicating the multiscale wafer lens array using ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography. A 50-mm-diameter wafer lens array is fabricated containing 437 accurate aspherical microlenses with diameters of 1.0 mm; each lens surface possesses nanostructures with an average period of ~120 nm. The microlens quality is sufficient for imaging in terms of profile accuracy and roughness. Compared to lenses without AR nanostructures, the transmittance of the fabricated multiscale lens is increased by ~3% under wavelengths of 400–750 nm. This research provides a foundation for the high-throughput and low-cost industrial application of wafer-level arrays with AR nanostructures.

Hyperspectral Terahertz Tomography in Amplitude Contrast

Hyperspectral tomography in THz amplitude contrast is presented using a time-domain spectroscopy system in the spectral range 0.3–2.5 THz. The Fourier transformed signal data are used to reconstruct test objects’ cross-sections at multiple frequencies using standard filtered backprojection. The full hyperspectral set of images reconstructed at around 300 adjacent spectral points is used to trace the combined contribution of Beer–Lambert volume attenuation, Fresnel reflection losses, and Rayleigh roughness scattering losses, which is in good overall agreement with the experimental results. The image quality for Styrofoam (refractive index around 1.02, attenuation coefficient <1 mm−1) test objects is best in the range 0.8–2.0 THz depending on the porosity of the material.

Near-infrared transmittance enhancement using fully conformal antireflective structured surfaces on microlenses fabricated by direct laser writing

Structured surfaces composed of subwavelength-sized features offer multifunctional properties including antireflective characteristics that are increasingly important for the development of micro-optical components. Here, three-dimensional (3-D) direct laser writing, via two-photon polymerization, is used to fabricate planoconvex spherical microlenses with antireflective structured surfaces. The surfaces are composed of subwavelength-sized conicoid structures, which are arranged fully conformal to the convex surface of the microlenses. The dimensions of the conicoid structures are optimized to effectively reduce Fresnel reflection loss over a wide band in the near-infrared spectral range from 1.4 to 2.2 μm, with a maximum reduction at 1.55 μm. Infrared reflection and transmission measurements are used, in combination with 3-D finite element calculations, to investigate the performance of the microlenses. The experimental results reveal that in the spectral range from 1.4 to 2.2 μm an effective suppression of the Fresnel reflection loss at the convex surface of spherical microlenses can be achieved. The transmittance enhancement is ranging from 1% to 3% for spherical microlenses with antireflective structured surfaces, in comparison to an uncoated reference.

Terahertz Computed Tomography of High-Refractive-Index Objects Based on Refractive Index Matching

Terahertz (THz) computed tomography (CT) is a promising technique to obtain the internal information of objects due to its properties of nonionizing and high penetration of nonpolar objects. However, THz CT is hindered by the strong refractive effect and Fresnel reflection loss when it is applied to high-refractive-index samples. In this paper, the three-dimensional image of the sample is performed in the low absorption liquid, the refractive index of which is close to the sample. This novel experimental procedure can eliminate the refractive effect and Fresnel reflection loss effectively. Together with the data processing to eliminate the liquid absorption and to restrain the artifacts, the THz CT imaging of high-density polyethylene ( n = 1.53) cylinders and cubes is achieved successfully. The internal hole and metallic foreign body are shown accurately. In addition, the defects with different sizes inside the sample are measured with refractive index matching method. It shows that THz CT imaging based on refractive index matching method has high sensitivity to detect the small defect inside the sample as small as 0.5 mm diameter.

Solution processes for ultrabroadband and omnidirectional graded-index glass lenses with near-zero reflectivity in high concentration photovoltaics

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems, where incident direct solar radiation is tightly concentrated onto high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells by geometric optical elements, exhibit the highest efficiencies in converting the sun’s energy into electric power. Their energy conversion efficiencies are greatly limited, however, due to Fresnel reflection losses occurring at three air/optics interfaces in the most sophisticated dual-stage CPV platforms. This paper describes a facile one-step wet-etching process to create a nanoporous surface with a graded-index profile on both flat and curved glasses, with capabilities of achieving ~99% average transmission efficiency in a wide wavelength range from 380 nm to 1.3 µm and for a wide range of incident angles up to ±40° regardless of the polarization state of incident sunlight. The simplicity of the etching process remarkably increases their versatility in various optical elements that require unconventional form factors such as Fresnel lenses and microlens arrays, and/or demanding curvatures along with much reduced dimensions such as ball lenses. Etched glass surfaces on two-stage optical concentrating systems yield enhancements in total optical transmission efficiencies by 13.8% and in the photocurrent by 14.3%, as experimentally determined by measurements on microscale triple-junction solar cells. The presented strategy can be widely adapted in a variety of applications such as image sensors, display systems, and other optoelectronic devices.

Random antireflective nanostructuring on binary near-wavelength period gratings

Fresnel reflection losses have been reduced by the fabrication of random nanostructures on optical component surfaces, acting as an antireflective treatment. These structures have shown a broadband enhancement over a wide range of angle-of-incidence and polarization insensitivity. The random nanostructures were fabricated on pre-existing, near-wavelength period, fused silica binary gratings, with periods of 1.595 and 1.166 μm, respectively. The diffractive properties and the efficiency were measured and compared prior and postimplementation of the random nanostructures. The postprocessed gratings retained the diffractive properties of the original gratings, such as the propagating diffraction order angles, period, and the fill factor. A selectable multiwavelength He–Ne laser working at 594, 612, and 633 nm was used to test the gratings for both incident polarizations, S (TE) and P (TM). The data were collected at normal and Bragg incidence. The Fresnel reflection was suppressed by a factor of 10 postprocessing, resulting in a reflected intensity of 0.5% to 1.0% for 1.595-μm period grating and around 0.5% to 4% for 1.166-μm period grating. A 10% enhancement was observed for the combined transmission diffraction efficiency at S polarization for the 1.166-μm grating. Beam profiles of the diffracted light show no adverse changes due to the random nanostructuring on both the gratings. The results indicate that random nanostructures can be an antireflective treatment for pre-existing binary gratings, without adverse effects on the grating diffractive properties and beam profiles.