Optical Damage Threshold Research Articles

Influence of Host Lattice Ions on the Dynamics of Transient Multiband Upconversion in Yb-Er Codoped NaLnF4 and LiLnF4 Microcrystals (Ln: Y, Lu, Gd).

Inorganic host matrices provide a tunable luminescence environment for lanthanide ions, allowing for the modulation of upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties. AREF4 (A = alkali metal, RE = rare earth) have a low phonon energy and a high optical damage threshold, making them widely used as the host matrix for UCL materials. However, the impact mechanism of alkali metal ions and lanthanide lattice ions on transient UCL dynamics in AREF4 remains unclear. This study utilized a high-power nanosecond-pulsed laser at 976 nm to excite Yb-Er codoped NaLnF4 and LiLnF4 (Ln: Y, Lu, and Gd) microcrystals (MCs). All samples exhibit multiband emission, and the transient UC dynamics are discussed in detail. Compared with LiLnF4, NaLnF4 has higher UC efficiency and red to green (R/G) ratio. Lanthanide ions (Y, Lu, and Gd) affect the energy transfer (ET) distance in Yb-Er codoped systems, thereby altering UC efficiency and the R/G ratio. The energy level coupling between Gd3+ and Er3+ prolongs the duration of the UC emission. Specifically, the red emission lifetime of NaGdF4 is five times longer than that of NaYF4. Our research contributes to exploring excellent alternative host matrices for NaYF4 in the fields of rapid-response optoelectronic devices, micro-nano lasers, and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy.

Optical damage thresholds of single-mode fiber-tip spintronic terahertz emitters.

Spintronic terahertz emitters (STEs) are gapless, ultrabroadband terahertz sources that can be driven within a wide pump-wavelength and repetition-rate range. While STEs driven by strong pump lasers operating at kilohertz repetition rates excel in generating high electric field strengths for terahertz spectroscopy or ellipsometry, newly advancing technologies such as ultrafast modulation of terahertz polarization, scanning tunneling microscopy, laser terahertz emission nanoscopy, and fully fiber-coupled integrated systems demand an STE pumping at megahertz repetition rates. In all these applications the available terahertz power is ultimately limited by the STE's optical damage threshold. However, to date, only very few publications have targeted this crucial topic and investigations beyond the kilohertz repetition-rate regime are missing. Here, we present a complete study of our single-mode fiber-tip STEs' optical damage thresholds covering the kilohertz, megahertz, and gigahertz repetition-rate regimes as well as continuous-wave irradiation. As a very important finding, we introduce the necessity of classifying the optical damage threshold into two regimes: a low-repetition-rate regime characterized by a nearly constant fluence threshold, and a high-repetition-rate regime characterized by an antiproportional fluence dependence ("average-power threshold"). For our single-mode fiber-tip STEs, the transition between these regimes occurs around 4 MHz. Moreover, we present a cohesive theory of the damaging thermodynamical processes at play and identify temperature-driven inter-layer diffusion as the primary cause of the STE failure. These findings are substantiated by atomic force microscopy, infrared scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements. This new level of understanding offers a clear optimization lever and provides valuable support for future advancements in the promising field of spintronic terahertz emission.

Exploring the Fundamental Spatial Limits of Magnetic All-Optical Switching.

All-optical switching (AOS) results in ultrafast and deterministic magnetization reversal upon single laser pulse excitation, potentially supporting faster and more energy-efficient data storage. To explore the fundamental limits of achievable bit densities in AOS, we have used soft X-ray transient grating spectroscopy to study the ultrafast magnetic response of a GdFe alloy after a spatially structured excitation with a periodicity of 17 nm. The ultrafast spatial evolution of the magnetization in combination with atomistic spin dynamics and microscopic temperature model calculations allows us to derive a detailed phase diagram of AOS as a function of both the absorbed energy density and the nanoscale excitation period. Our results suggest that the minimum size for AOS in GdFe alloys, induced by a nanoscale periodic excitation, is around 25 nm and that this limit is governed by ultrafast lateral electron diffusion and by the threshold for optical damage.

Computational study of K vacancy with an H interstitial defect in [formula omitted] crystal

The electronic structures, defect formations, defect transition levels and optical properties for VK+Hi defect models in KDP crystals have been studied based on DFT. Lattice dynamics methods give the most reasonable compensation mechanism for VK, namely compensation with the third-nearest Hi neighbor from VK for the paraelectric (PE) phase and compensation with the fourth-nearest neighbor Hi from VK for the ferroelectric (FE) phase. The defect formation energies indicate that the (VK+Hi)x (The superscript represents the charged state, the ‘x’ represents neutral, ‘’’ represents −1 charge state and ‘.’ represents +1 charge state.) is the main defect type in this kind of defect cluster and a self-trapped electron is located at Hi in the (VK + Hi)′ system. For (VK+Hi)x system, one electron is accommodated in VK. There is not a new defect state in the band gap. The Hi bonds with the O ion (0.99 Å) form a hydroxyl. For (VK + Hi)′ system, the hydroxyl is broken, the Hi exists in an atomic form and introduces new defect states in the band gap. As the large relaxation energy leads to a large Huang-Rhys factor, the Stokes red shifts will significantly affect the optical properties. A broad ultraviolet (UV) absorption band and emission band range from UV to visible are obtained originating from the defect cluster. We believe that the far-violet absorption peaks (167 nm and 179 nm) caused by defect cluster VK+Hi can significantly impact the optical damage threshold of the KDP.

Frequency Conversion of Femtosecond Ti:Sapphire Laser Pulse to the Long-Wave Mid-IR Range with BaGa2GeSe6 Crystal

Generation of ultrashort mid-IR pulses spanning from 8.5 to 10.5 μm with high energy (up to 4.5 μJ) was experimentally demonstrated through difference frequency generation in BaGa2GeSe6 crystal pumped by 100-fs 0.95-μm Ti:sapphire laser pulses. Optical damage threshold and two-photon absorption coefficient were determined for this pump pulses. Frequency conversion efficiency reached 0.24% at 1.85 mJ pump pulse energy and was decreased at higher one. Estimations indicate that application of 15 mm in diameter wide-aperture BaGa2GeSe6 sample will allow one to increase pump pulse energy up to ~10 mJ, and to increase the mid-IR pulse energy up to 24 μJ at the same efficiency.

Tunable and stable micro-ring resonator based on thin-film lithium tantalate

As ferroelectric materials, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate share similar material characteristics, such as a high Pockels effect and nonlinear optical coefficients. When compared to lithium niobate, lithium tantalate offers a higher optical damage threshold, a broader transparent window, and lower birefringence, making it a promising candidate for high-performance electro-optical photonic integrated devices. In this study, we design and successfully fabricate micro-ring resonators on an acoustic-grade lithium-tantalate-on-insulator wafer, demonstrating their tunability and dynamic modulation capabilities. Experimental results indicate that the achieved thin-film lithium tantalate based micro-ring resonator exhibits an intrinsic Q-factor of 8.4 × 105, corresponding to a waveguide propagation loss of 0.47 dB/cm and a tuning efficiency of 1.94 pm/V. More importantly, as compared to those based on thin-film lithium niobate, a much weaker photorefractive effect and drift phenomenon around the 1550 nm wavelength under a direct-current drive are observed in the present fabricated thin-film lithium tantalate micro-rings with a silicon oxide over-cladding and a tuning electrode on top.

Multiphysics analysis of chip and resonator designs for increased damage threshold of external cavity high-power laser diodes.

We present a detailed analysis of multiphysics simulation results to evaluate the threshold for catastrophic optical damage (COD) of high-power laser diodes under misaligned external optical feedback. Three different chip designs are investigated: the non-injecting mirror concept, the non-absorbing mirror concept and the introduction of an additional energy barrier within the waveguide near the front facet. Furthermore, a modification of the external resonator that promises a lower sensitivity towards misalignments is considered. The dependence of the COD threshold on the additional design parameters (bandgap change, modification length, focal length) and the impact of the different approaches on electro-optical efficiency as well as beam quality are analyzed. Compared to the initial design, the different chip design concepts promise an increase of the achievable output power by 8%, 27% and 27% respectively, whereas the modified resonator fully prevents feedback-induced failure.

Bidirectional mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser based on an all-fiber gold nanofilm saturable absorber.

We demonstrate a bidirectional mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser by incorporating gold nanofilm as a saturable absorber (SA). The gold nanofilm SA has the advantages of high stability and high optical damage threshold. Besides, the SA exhibits a large modulation depth of 26% and a low saturation intensity of 1.22 MW/cm2 at 1.56 μm wavelength band, facilitating the mode-locking of bidirectional propagating solitons within a single laser cavity. Bidirectional mode-locked solitons are achieved, with the clockwise pulse centered at 1568.35 nm and the counter-clockwise one at 1568.6 nm, resulting in a slight repetition rate difference of 19 Hz. Moreover, numerical simulations are performed to reveal the counter-propagating dynamics of the two solitons, showing good agreement with the experimental results. The asymmetric cavity configuration gives rise to distinct buildup and evolution dynamics of the two counter-propagating pulses. These findings highlight the advantage of the gold nanofilm SA in constructing bidirectional mode-locked fiber lasers and provide insights for understanding the bidirectional pulse propagation dynamics.

Periodically-Poled Lithium Tantalate Ridge Waveguides for Efficient Nonlinear Frequency Conversion in the Near UV

Optical damage resistant ridge waveguides for blue and near UV wavelengths have been fabricated using high-temperature Zr and Zn diffusion doping and vapor transport equilibration (VTE) of congruent LiTaO3 crystals. For both dopants high optical damage thresholds >10 MW/cm2 for 532 nm light were demonstrated at room temperature, which can be increased by a factor ~3 when heating the samples to ~150°C. Ridge waveguides with low optical losses of ~0.4 dB/cm were fabricated using diamond-blade dicing. First-order periodic poling with grating periods of ~3 μm can be used for efficient nonlinear frequency conversion for both SHG (800 nm pump) or SPDC (400 nm pump) processes.

Self‐Compression of High Energy Ultrashort Laser Pulses

AbstractNonlinear pulse compression techniques have been applied widely in the pursuit of ultra‐intense laser pulse with extremely high pulse energy (≈mJ) and extremely short pulse duration (≈sub‐10 fs). Although postcompression techniques using dispersive gratings or chirped mirrors have achieved 1 TW few‐cycle pulses, further increasing of the pulse intensity is limited by the damage threshold of dispersive optics, especially when self‐focusing and ionization in the propagation medium are considered. To overcome such limitations, ultrashort pulses self‐compression techniques without vulnerable dispersive optics have been explored in the past two decades. In this paper, the latest advances in these techniques will be reviewed with a discussion on the progress of various experimental approaches as well as their potential applications and roles in generating extremely intense optical fields for strong‐field physics research.

Synthesis, crystal growth, structural, optical, and laser damage threshold characterizations on 2-amino-4,6-di­methyl­pyrimidinium hydrogen sulfate single crystal for nonlinear optical applications

2-Amino-4,6-di­methyl­pyrimidinium hydrogen sulfate (2AMPHS) organic single crystal was successfully grown by slow evaporation solution technique (SEST) for the first time. A good transparent 2AMPHS single crystal with dimensions of 5 mm × 5 mm × 2 mm was grown after a 25-day growth period. The 2AMPHS single crystals structural parameters were confirmed and well matched with the reported values. The good crystalline nature of 2AMPHS crystal was characterised using SXRD, PXRD, UV–Visible NIR, laser damage threshold, and third harmonic generation (THG). The optical property of 2AMPHS crystal was investigated by UV–visible-NIR analysis. Laser damage threshold analysis was performed with an Nd: YAG laser, and the laser wavelength is 1064 nm. The third harmonic generation study was analysed by a Z-scan study. The He-Ne laser source with a wavelength of 632.8 nm has used for Z-scan analysis.

Crystal growth, structural, Hirshfeld surface analysis, optical and laser damage threshold analysis of 2-Methylimidazolium glutarate single crystal: third-order nonlinear optical applications

Crystal growth, structural, Hirshfeld surface analysis, optical and laser damage threshold analysis of 2-Methylimidazolium glutarate single crystal: third-order nonlinear optical applications

Development and Evaluation of an Efficient Second Order Non-Linear Optical Single Crystal – 2-(3-Aminopyridinium-1-yl)-3-Carboxy-Proponate Monohydrate

A slow evaporation solution approach was used to create high-quality single crystals of 2-(3-aminopyridinium-1-yl)-3-carboxyproponate monohydrate (3ACPM). The single crystal X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystal system and lattice characteristics. Software called Krystal Shaper was used to mimic the morphology of the 3ACPM. To evaluate the optical transmittance, UV-vis spectral analysis was used. The Nd:YAG laser was used to assess the laser-induced surface damage threshold (LISDT) of 3ACPM single crystal. The presence of second harmonic generation (SHG) was evaluated using the Kurtz-Perry powder method. Full Text: PDF References Y. Zhang, H. Li, B. Xi, Y. Che,vJ. Zheng, "Growth and characterization of l-histidine nitrate single crystal, a promising semiorganic NLO material", Mater. Chem. Phys. 108, 192 (2008), CrossRef S. Draguta, M.S. Fonari, A.E. Masunov, J. Zazueta, S. Sullivan, M.Y. Antipin, T.V. Timofeeva, "New acentric materials constructed from aminopyridines and 4-nitrophenol", Cryst. Eng. Comm. 15, 4700 (2013) CrossRef G. Peramaiyan, R. Mohan Kumar, "Nonlinear optical and laser damage threshold studies of an ammonium p-toluenesulfonate crystal", Appl. Phys. A 119, 707 (2015), CrossRef G.M. Corrales, D. Morales-Morales,S. Hernandez-Ortega, J.J. Campos-Gaxiolaa, A. Cruz Enrıquez, "2-(3-Aminopyridinium-1-yl)-3-carboxypropanoate monohydrate", Acta Cryst. E68, o853 (2012), CrossRef S.K. Kurtz, T.T. Perry, "A Powder Technique for the Evaluation of Nonlinear Optical Materials", J. Appl. Phys. 39, 3798 (1968), CrossRef S. Panchapakesan, K. Subramani, B.Srinivasan, "Growth, characterization and quantum chemical studies of an organic single crystal: 3-Aminopyridine 4-Nitrophenol for opto-electronic applications", J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Electron. 28, 5754 (2017), CrossRef

New insights into refractive indices and birefringence of undoped and MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals at high temperatures

The lithium niobate single crystal is a well-known optical material that has been employed in a wide range of photonic applications. To realize further applications of the crystal, the birefringence properties need to be determined over a large range of temperatures. We report refractive indices and birefringence properties of undoped and MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals with high accuracy using spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range from 450 to 1700 nm and a temperature range from ambient temperature to 1000 °C. The birefringence results indicate a transition temperature, where the crystal transforms from an anisotropic to isotropic property, and the advance of MgO doping in the crystal, which is related to the optical damage threshold of the materials. In addition, the lattice dynamics of the crystals have been analyzed by revisiting the Raman spectroscopy. The results establish the foundation of optical properties of lithium niobate crystals, providing pathways for their photonic applications.

Tosylate family crystals for optoelectronic applications

Since the discovery of lasers, high-quality nonlinear optical (NLO) single crystals have served as the foundation for the creation of novel, cutting-edge devices that meet societal demands. Modern optoelectronic applications such as telecommunication lasers, optical fibers, photodiodes, solar cells, etc. favor high-performance nonlinear optical single crystals with improved optical nonlinearity. Organic crystals are extensively explored for these applications because of their high NLO coefficient. This paper deals with the problems and advancements of organic nonlinear optical single crystals. Here, we review the growth and characterizations of various tosylate family crystals from the vast realm of organic single crystals and their potential applications in the field of optoelectronic devices. Various properties like linear and nonlinear optical, thermal, mechanical, and laser damage threshold values for these samples have been summarized. The attempts are made for highlighting how these tosylate (p-Toluenesulfonic acid based) family crystals can be realized into efficient optoelectronic devices by summarizing variously reported cut-off wavelengths and their wide transmission ranges.

Optical and femtosecond laser-induced damage-related properties of Ta2O5-based oxide mixtures

In this study, four Ta2O5-based mixture coatings, including Ta2O5-TiO2, Ta2O5-HfO2, Ta2O5-Al2O3, and Ta2O5-SiO2, are deposited via plasma-ion-assisted electron-beam co-evaporation and compared with a Ta2O5 monolayer coating. The chemical compositions, microstructures, and optical and femtosecond laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) properties of the coatings are investigated. For different doping materials, when the refractive indices of the mixture coatings are close, the femtosecond LIDTs exhibit a considerable difference. The experimental results indicate that the Ta2O5-HfO2 mixture coating exhibits a larger optical bandgap and higher femtosecond LIDT than other coatings. The 1-on-1 LIDT of the Ta2O5-HfO2 mixture coating is approximately 1032.3 mJ/cm2 (170 fs), which is 25% higher than that of the Ta2O5 monolayer coating. We believe the Ta2O5-HfO2 mixture will be useful for various multilayer coatings such as chirped mirrors and other mirrors in femtosecond laser applications.

High-power continuous-wave optical waveguiding in a silica micro/nanofibre

As miniature fibre-optic platforms, micro/nanofibres (MNFs) taper-drawn from silica fibres have been widely studied for applications from optical sensing, nonlinear optics to optomechanics and atom optics. While continuous-wave (CW) optical waveguiding is frequently adopted, so far almost all MNFs are operated in low-power region (e.g., <0.1 W). Here, we demonstrate high-power low-loss CW optical waveguiding in MNFs around 1550-nm wavelength. We show that a pristine MNF, even with a diameter down to 410 nm, can waveguide an optical power higher than 10 W, which is about 30 times higher than demonstrated previously. Also, we predict an optical damage threshold of 70 W. In high-power CW waveguiding MNFs, we demonstrate high-speed optomechanical driving of microparticles in air, and second harmonic generation efficiency higher than those pumped by short pulses. Our results may pave a way towards high-power MNF optics, for both scientific research and technological applications.

Effect of Dopants on Laser-Induced Damage Threshold of ZnGeP2

The effect of doping Mg, Se, and Ca by diffusion into ZnGeP2 on the optical damage threshold at a wavelength of 2.1 μm has been studied. It has been shown that diffusion-doping with Mg and Se leads to an increase in the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of a single crystal (monocrystal), ZnGeP2; upon annealing at a temperature of 750 °C, the damage threshold of samples doped with Mg and Se increases by 31% and 21% from 2.2 ± 0.1 J/cm2 to 2.9 ± 0.1 and 2.7 ± 0.1 J/cm2, respectively. When ZnGeP2 is doped with Ca, the opposite trend is observed. It has been suggested that the changes in the LIDT depending on the introduced impurity by diffusion can be explained by the creation of additional energy dissipation channels due to the processes of radiative and fast non-radiative relaxation through impurity energy levels, which further requires experimental confirmation.

3D nanopolymerization and damage threshold dependence on laser wavelength and pulse duration

Abstract The dependence of the polymerization and optical damage thresholds in multi-photon polymerization (MPP) lithography was studied using a broadly-tunable laser system with group delay dispersion (GDD) control. The order of non-linearity and the light–matter interaction mechanisms were investigated using the resolution bridges method for non-photosensitized SZ2080TM and photosensitized SZ2080TM + IRG369 prepolymers. Energy deposition, voxel dimension growth, and the size of the dynamic fabrication window (DFW) were measured in the 700–1300 nm wavelength range at three different pulse durations measured at the sample – 100, 200 and 300 fs. Polymerization was observed at all wavelengths and pulse durations without significant differences in the achieved minimal spatial dimension ( &lt; 300 ${&lt; } 300$ nm). This was achieved despite the broad range of excitation wavelengths used which spanned two- and three-photon absorption bands, and the differences in the absorption spectra of the prepolymers. The lateral and longitudinal voxel growth dynamics revealed an abrupt change in the power dependence of polymerization and a significant variation of the DFW – from 1 at 1250 nm to 29 at 700 nm. This result can be interpreted as a consequence of a change in the instantaneous refractive index and a lowering of the polymerization but not the damage threshold. The optimization of energy delivery to the material by a wavelength-tunable laser source with pulse duration control was experimentally validated. These findings are uncovering the complexity of polymerization mechanisms and are useful in further development of MPP technology.

Flexible optical limiters based on Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals.

Optical limiters are greatly needed to protect eyes and sensitive optoelectronic devices such as photodetectors and sensors from laser damage, but they are currently plagued by low efficiency. In this work, we utilized Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals (NCs) to enhance laser protection performance, and they exhibit higher saturation intensity and broader nonlinear spectral response extending into the near IR region than the C60 benchmark. A flexible optical limiter goggle prototype based on the NCs significantly attenuated the incident laser beam, with Z scan and I scan measurements demonstrating a giant nonlinear absorption coefficient β value of 1.0 × 10-7 m W-1, a large optical damage threshold of 3.5 J cm-2, and a small starting threshold of 0.22 J cm-2. Transient absorption spectroscopy disclosed that the origin of the excellent nonlinearity was associated with quasi-static dielectric resonance behavior and a large TPA cross-section of 3.3 × 106 GM was measured for Cu3VSe4 NCs, suggesting the potential of intermediate bandgap (IB) semiconductors as alternatives to plasmonic noble metals for ultrafast photonics. Hence, optical limiters based on such semiconductors offer new avenues for laser protection in optoelectronic and defense fields.