Innovative Optical Devices Research Articles

Phase manipulation in reflective phase gradient photonic crystals.

Phase gradient photonic crystals (PGPCs) are proposed as promising candidates for phase manipulation and can enable arbitrary electromagnetic functions, such as deflection and focusing. In stark contrast to the proposed metasurfaces, the phase variation in PGPCs arises from simple edge-configuration rather than structure resonance. Moreover, the reflection magnitude maintains a constant of 1 for the reflective case in the Bragg gap, which affords significant convenience in design. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the deflector based on reflective PGPCs possesses strong angular stability and is applicable across a broadband frequency range. Our work provides a promising avenue for the implementation of phase manipulation on novel optical platforms, facilitating the development of innovative optical devices with distinctive features in the future.

Large‐Range Beam Steering through Dynamic Manipulation of Topological Charges

AbstractDynamic tuning of light properties by external stimuli is at the core of various applications such as electro‐optical modulators, beam steering, and spatial light modulators. The conventional mechanism involves fine‐tuning the eigenmode of an optical system through adjusting the effective refractive index. However, the weak nonlinearity results in low modulation efficiency, leading to devices with poor performance and large size. Polarization topological charge is a significant concept that has facilitated the development of innovative optical devices like low‐threshold lasers and vortex generators. But the devices reported so far are static in nature. Here, a method for dynamically controlling light by actively manipulating the evolution of topological charges in momentum space is first presented. By switching between integer and half‐integer states of topological charges, the device's radiation properties undergo a significant transformation. The beam direction can be tuned up to 160°, which, to the best of the authors' knowledge, is the largest tuning angle among similar beam steering devices. Furthermore, the device demonstrates high radiation efficiency while maintaining a compact device size. This light controlling method can be applied in various fields, including optical communication, tunable lasers, and light detection and ranging.

Colloidal‐Doped Semiconductor Nanocrystals Embedded in One‐Dimensional Photonic Crystals for Ultrafast Photonics

The optical properties of strongly doped semiconductor nanocrystals depend strongly on the carrier density of the nanocrystals. These characteristics can be exploited for the design of innovative optical devices based on ultrafast switching potentially in the THz modulation bandwidth. In this study, the optical response of one‐dimensional photonic crystals incorporating colloidal nanoparticles of a highly doped semiconductor such as indium tin oxide (ITO) is investigated, taking into consideration the angular dependence of the photonic band gap and the position dependence of the photonic band gap on the light‐induced tunability of the ITO doping.

Optical control of Cu/ZnO composite film for solar battery

To investigate the optical properties of Cu/ZnO composite thin films within the visible spectrum, a conceptual design for photo-controlled solar cells is built in this paper. By employing Cu-doped nanoparticles in ZnO, we fabricated a series of Cu/ZnO composite films. The optical modulation characteristics of these films were analyzed through numerical simulations. Our findings reveal a nonlinear correlation between the optical constants of Cu and the doping concentration. Notably, we observed a pronounced absorption peak at a 430 nm wavelength, underscoring its potential significance in the development of innovative optical devices.

Realizing the topological rainbow based on cavity-coupled topological edge state

Topological photonic crystals (PCs) can support topologically protected states of light. These states are immune to backscattering and can be used to construct a variety of optical devices. One promising application of topological PCs is the formation of a topological rainbow. We propose a method for realizing a topological rainbow based on cavity-coupled topological edge state (TES) in a topological photonic crystal waveguide (TPCW). This is a new type of cavity coupled TPCW, in which the cavity is located inside the waveguide at the interface between two topologically distinct PCs. We demonstrated that by varying the cavity length in the TPCW, the separation of different frequencies of topological states can be controlled. Moreover, we showed that the topological rainbow is unaffected by the cavity shape inside the TPCW. This method is more robust and versatile than previous methods, as it is unaffected by the cavity shape. This makes it possible to create topological rainbow in a wide variety of high-performance devices. For example, it could be used to build topological rainbow in integrated circuits, which would be very difficult if the cavity shape was precisely controlled. We hope our findings will inspire further research in this area and lead to the development of new and innovative optical devices.

Hybridization of surface lattice modes: towards plasmonic metasurfaces with high flexible tunability

Abstract When assembled in periodic arrangements, metallic nanostructures (NSs) support plasmonic surface lattice (SL) resonances resulting from long-range interactions these surface lattice resonances differ radically from localized surface plasmon (LSP). Similarly to the hybridization of LSP resonances, observed in short-range interactions, we demonstrate the possibility to generate a hybridization of surface lattice (SL) plasmon resonances, by the excitation of grazing order diffraction within the metasurface. This hybridization leads to the emergence of bonding and anti-bonding modes. If hybridization of LSP modes has been widely described in recent literature, there is still no experimental proof-of-concept reporting such hybridization with SL plasmon resonances. We fill this gap in the present paper by considering surfaces made of binary arrays with unit cells made of two gold disks of distinct diameters. We demonstrate the possibility to maximize or cancel the interaction between the hybridized SL resonances by simply controlling the distance between particles. All our experimental results are supported by FDTD calculations. The hybridization of SL modes results in much richer hybridization scenario in terms of wavelength and quality factor control, compared to a hybridization of LSP in a short-range configuration. It offers unprecedented opportunities to generate innovative optical devices, with high flexible tunability.

A review on innovative optical devices for the diagnosis of human soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis: from research and development to commercialization.

Diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and schistosome infections relies largely on conventional microscopy which has limited sensitivity, requires highly trained personnel and is error-prone. Rapid advances in miniaturization of optical systems, sensors and processors have enhanced research and development of digital and automated microscopes suitable for the detection of these diseases in resource-limited settings. While some studies have reported proof-of-principle results, others have evaluated the performance of working prototypes in field settings. The extensive commercialization of these innovative devices has, however, not yet been achieved. This review provides an overview of recent publications (2010–2022) on innovative field applicable optical devices which can be used for the diagnosis of STH and schistosome infections. Using an adapted technology readiness level (TRL) scale taking into account the WHO target product profile (TPP) for these diseases, the developmental stages of the devices were ranked to determine the readiness for practical applications in field settings. From the reviewed 18 articles, 19 innovative optical devices were identified and ranked. Almost all of the devices (85%) were ranked with a TRL score below 8 indicating that, most of the devices are not ready for commercialization and field use. The potential limitations of these innovative devices were discussed. We believe that the outcome of this review can guide the end-to-end development of automated digital microscopes aligned with the WHO TPP for the diagnosis of STH and schistosome infections in resource-limited settings.

Reconstruction of multidimensional nonlinear polarization response of Pancharatnam-Berry metasurfaces

Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) metasurfaces have been considered as innovative optical devices for efficient manipulation of both the phase and the polarization of the electromagnetic field. Here, we present the simultaneous generation of circularly, elliptically, and linearly polarized states by the simplest PB metasurface with one-dimensional phase gradient unit cells. Furthermore, we propose that the reconstruction of a multidimensional nonlinear polarization response of a nanomaterial can be achieved in a single heterodyne measurement by active manipulation of the polarization states of incident light. Using multidimensional spectroscopy, we demonstrate the possibility to track both stationary and transient delocalized charge distributions via detecting plasmonic populations and coherences.

Multilayer Thin-Film Optical Filters for Reflectance-Based Malaria Diagnostics.

Malaria diagnosis relies on optical microscopy and/or rapid diagnostic tests based on detecting specific malaria antigens. The clinical sensitivity of these methods is highly dependent on parasite density, with low levels of detection at low parasite density, challenging the worldwide malaria elimination efforts. Therefore, there is a need for diagnostic methods with higher sensitivity, demanding innovative diagnostics devices able to detect malaria at low parasite density and at early stages of the disease. We propose an innovative optical device for malaria diagnosis, based on optical reflectance spectrophotometry, for the detection of parasites through the quantification of haemozoin. For this purpose, a set of eight thin-film optical filters, based on multilayer stacks of MgO/TiO2 and SiO2/TiO2 thin-films, with high transmittance and low full width at half maximum (FWHM) at specific wavelengths, was designed and fully characterized (both numerically and experimentally). A preliminary assessment of its potential to reconstruct the original spectra of red blood cells was performed, both in uninfected and Plasmodium falciparum-infected samples. The obtained results show that, although the experimental filters have a non-ideal performance characteristic, they allow us to distinguish, based on only 8 discrete points in the optical spectrum, between healthy and malaria infected samples, up to a detection limit of 12 parasites/μL of red blood cells. Those results enhance the potential of using such a device for malaria diagnostics, aiming for non-invasiveness.

Optical metasurfaces based on spheroidal nanoparticles: Theory and applications

Metasurfaces are revolutionizing the way we can control and manipulate light. Unprecedented functionalities, such as anomalous reflection and refraction, can be achieved using ultrathin surfaces textured at nanoscale. The aim of this contribution is reviewing our recent efforts in the development of analytical models able describing the response of some widely-used classes of optical metasurfaces. We show, both theoretically and through full-wave simulations, that arrays of spheroidal nanoparticles can be fully characterized relying on the surface impedance concept, and that the availability of such models enables the design of innovative optical devices and components.

Optogenetic Stimulation and Recording of Primary Cultured Neurons with Spatiotemporal Control.

We studied a network of cortical neurons in culture and developed an innovative optical device to stimulate optogenetically a large neuronal population with both spatial and temporal precision. We first describe how to culture primary neurons expressing channelrhodopsin. We then detail the optogenetic setup based on the workings of a fast Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector. The setup is able to stimulate tens to hundreds neurons with independent trains of light pulses that evoked action potentials with high temporal resolution. During photostimulation, network activity was monitored using patch-clamp recordings of up to 4 neurons. The experiment is ideally suited to study recurrent network dynamics or biological processes such as plasticity or homeostasis in a network of neurons when a sub-population is activated by distinct stimuli whose characteristics (correlation, rate, and, size) were finely controlled.

Dressed photon technology

Abstract This paper reviews the theoretical picture of dressed photons used to describe the electromagnetic interactions between nanometric particles located in close proximity to each other. The coupling between a dressed photon and multi-mode coherent phonons is also presented, revealing the presence of a novel phonon-assisted process in light-matter interactions. Applications of this novel process to innovative optical devices, fabrication technologies, energy conversion, and hierarchical systems are demonstrated.

Nanoparticle layer deposition for plasmonic tuning of microstructured optical fibers.

Plasmonic nanoparticles with spectral properties in the UV-to-near-IR range have a large potential for the development of innovative optical devices. Similarly, microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) represent a promising platform technology for fully integrated, next-generation plasmonic devices; therefore, the combination of MOFs and plasmonic nanoparticles would open the way for novel applications, especially in sensing applications. In this Full Paper, a cost-effective, innovative nanoparticle layer deposition (NLD) technique is demonstrated for the preparation of well-defined plasmonic layers of selected particles inside the channels of MOFs. This dynamic chemical deposition method utilizes a combination of microfluidics and self-assembled monolayer (SAM) techniques, leading to a longitudinal homogeneous particle density as long as several meters. By using particles with predefined plasmonic properties, such as the resonance wavelength, fibers with particle-adequate spectral characteristics can be prepared. The application of such fibers for refractive-index sensing yields a sensitivity of about 78 nm per refractive index unit (RIU). These novel, plasmonically tuned optical fibers with freely selected, application-tailored optical properties present extensive possibilities for applications in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensing.

C208 画像相関情報に基づいた多時刻高次解析に関する研究

The authors have considered the higher-order analysis on multi-frame correlation information in spatio-temporal field. The latest innovative optical devices enable us to obtain more than sufficient information to obtain mean values. Present approach allows us to get acceleration and spatio-derivatives by considering the accumulation of multi-frame correlation maps. The VSJ standard images were used for the evaluation of their performances. The authors also have proposed an inductive approach, which will offer us further development of for the higher-order analysis.