Optical Gain Research Articles

Highly sensitive and selective laser-based BTEX sensor for occupational and environmental monitoring

A mid-infrared laser-based sensor is designed and demonstrated for trace detection of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers at ambient conditions. The sensor is based on a distributed feedback inter-band cascade laser emitting near 3.29 µm and an off-axis cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy configuration with an optical gain of 2800. Wavelength tuning and a deep neural network (DNN) model were employed to enable simultaneous and selective BTEX measurements. The sensor performance was demonstrated by measuring BTEX mole fractions in various mixtures. At an integration time of 10 s, minimum detection limits of 11.4, 9.7, 9.1, 10, 15.6, and 12.9 ppb were achieved for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, o-xylene, and p-xylene, respectively. The sensor can be used to detect tiny BTEX leaks in petrochemical facilities and to monitor air quality in residential and industrial areas for workplace pollution.

Controlling the Polarization of Nitrogen Ion Lasing.

Air lasing provides a promising technique to remotely produce coherent radiation in the atmosphere and has attracted continuous attention. However, the polarization properties of N2+ lasing with seeding have not been understood since it was discovered 10 years ago, in which the polarization behaviors appear disordered and confusing. Here, we performed an experimental and theoretical investigation of the polarization properties of N2+ lasing and successfully revealed its underlying physical mechanism. We found that the optical gain is anisotropic, owing to the permanent alignment of N2+ induced by the preferential ionization of the pump light. As a result, the polarization of the N2+ lasing tends to align with that of the pump light after amplification, which becomes more pronounced as the amplification factor increases. Based on the permanent alignment of N2+, we built a theoretical model that analytically interpreted and numerically reproduced the experimental observations, which points out the key factors for controlling the polarization of N2+ lasing.

Luminescence properties of CdF2 single crystals co-doped with Er3+ and Y3+ ions.

The luminescence properties of erbium and yttrium co-doped cadmium difluoride with three different concentrations of yttrium were investigated. First, we synthesized single crystal samples with good optical quality using the Bridgman technique. From the optical absorption spectra, recorded at room temperature, both in the ultraviolet-visible and infrared spectral ranges, Judd-Ofelt analysis was performed based on yttrium concentrations to predict the radiative properties of Er3+ luminescent ions. For the 10% optimum concentration of yttrium, a detailed photoluminescence investigation was carried out. We mainly explored green, red, and near-infrared fluorescence under different excitation wavelengths and presented their highlight spectroscopic characteristics. The desired transitions had relatively high emission cross-sections both under visible and near-infrared excitation. Optical gain followed a similar trend. Furthermore, the dynamic fluorescence study showed a significant increase in the measured lifetime under an 800 nm infrared excitation. The upconversion process under an 800 nm excitation produced quantum efficiency greater than 100% due to the contribution of more than one energy transfer mechanism.

Optical Gain in AlGaN Quantum Wells: Impact of Higher Energy States

Optical Gain in AlGaN Quantum Wells: Impact of Higher Energy States

Effect of Wet Etching on AlGaN‐Based Ultraviolet‐B Laser Diodes Grown on Wet‐Etched Periodic AlN Nanopillars

The effect of wet etching on the characteristics of ultraviolet‐B (UV‐B) lasers fabricated on AlGaN templates grown as crystals or wet‐etched AlN nanopillars is compared in detail. Specifically, a tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution is used to form templates with AlN nanopillars of different diameters, followed by determining the dependence of the dislocation density in AlGaN crystals grown on the templates, the threshold power density (Pth) of an optically pumped UV‐B laser, and the threshold current density (Jth) of a UV‐B laser diode (LD) on the extent of etching. It is observed that the pillar diameter decreases almost linearly as the etching time with the TMAH solution increases. The dislocation density of AlGaN crystals grown on AlGaN templates is almost independent of the etching time. Meanwhile, Pth of the optically pumped UV‐B laser is almost halved upon etching with TMAH. Finally, the Jth of the UV‐B LD tends to decrease by 10%–20% upon etching. The optical gain is estimated by optical excitation; wet etching of AlN nanopillars with TMAH solution results in a larger optical gain at the same excitation intensity, indicating that nonradiative recombination centers, such as point defects, are reduced.

Plasmonic tuning of nano-antennas for super-gain light amplification

Nanoscale conductive materials are often used for inducing localized free electron oscillations known as plasmons. This is due to their high electronic excitability under optical irradiation owing to their super-small volume. Recently, plasmons have been of interest for enhancing the gain-bandwidth product of optical amplifiers. There are currently two well-established mechanisms for light amplification. The first one is via stimulated emission of radiation (lasers) using a given energy source and often an optical feedback mechanism. The second one is based on the nonlinear coupling of a low-intensity input wave and a high-intensity pump wave for energy exchange (parametric amplifiers). Both techniques have shortcomings. Lasers have a small operation bandwidth and offer a limited gain, but require moderate energy pumping to operate. Whereas optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) offer a high operation bandwidth along with a much higher optical gain, with the drawback of requiring intense pumping to be functional. The aim of this paper is to introduce a technique that combines the advantages and eliminates the drawbacks of both techniques in the nanoscale to allow for a better amplification performance in integrated optical devices. This is achieved by inducing a plasmonic chirp in conductive nanomaterials a.k.a nano-antennas, which enables the confinement of an enormous electric energy density that can be coupled to an input beam for amplification. Using the Finite Difference Time Domain numerical-method with the material parameters of well-known semiconductors, intramaterial condensation of electric energy density is observed in semiconductor nano-antennas for certain plasmonic chirp-frequencies which enables broadband high-gain optical amplification based on free-electron oscillations that is promising for small-scale optical devices requiring a high gain-bandwidth product. The results are in good agreement with semiempirical data.

Special role of indium nitride in the properties of related compounds and quantum structures

This Review provides a thorough description of the experimental progress on the InN family and other relevant compounds. Although InN is of great interest, many of its properties are not well understood and are still puzzling researchers with a number of unexpected effects. These include a surprisingly small energy gap, sensitivity to applied pressure in terms of lattice stability, and poor miscibility with compounds with smaller lattice parameters, such as GaN and AlN. Special features of InN under pressure are highlighted, such as the effect of conduction band filling and the strong pressure dependence of the effective mass. Several negative and positive effects due to the presence of In have been observed. We highlight their implications for InN-based alloys and quantum structures, which are crucial materials in modern optoelectronics (light emitting diodes and laser diodes). These effects include In clustering, large piezoelectricity resulting in strong internal electric fields that reduce the optical gain in nitride heterostructures, and difficulties in growing high-In superlattices and other quantum structures. All of these effects pose challenges that need to be addressed. We show that theoretical explanations allow for the clarification of puzzling experimental observations. Discussed are (i) a reformulation of the rule describing the bandgap dependence on pressure in all III–V semiconductors; (ii) the very large bandgap curvatures in nitride alloys; and (iii) the discrepancies between theory and experiment in the optical emission from InN/GaN superlattices, leading to the conclusion that epitaxial growth of high In content InxGa1−xN (x > 0.3) quantum wells on GaN is not possible.

Growth and spectroscopic properties of Ca3(Ta,Ga)5O12:Pr3+ single crystal as a promising new laser material in the visible domain

Structurally disordered Pr3+-doped Ca3(Ta,Ga)5O12 - Pr:CTGG single crystal was grown by the Czochralski technique for the first time and its spectroscopic properties were investigated. Modified Judd-Ofelt analysis was applied to determine spectroscopic and laser emission characteristics. Based on low-temperature absorption and emission spectra, the partial energy levels of Pr3+ ions have been obtained and a multicenter structure of the optical spectra was highlighted. The electron-phonon interactions were also observed in the emission spectra corresponding to the 3P0 → 3H4 transition under different excitation wavelengths. The fluorescence decays of the 3P0 and 1D2 levels were measured. The emission cross-sections corresponding to the 3P0 → 3H4 (486.5 nm) and 3P0 → 3F2 (652.7 nm) transitions were found to be σem = 19 × 10−20 cm2 and σem = 15 × 10−20 cm2, respectively. The values for other parameters that may predict the possibility of achieving efficient laser emission, especially at 486.5 nm, such as quantum efficiency (ⴄ = 50 %), gain bandwidth (σem× Δλeff, = 32.2 × 10−26 cm3), and optical gain (σem× τmeas = 12.86 × 10−25 cm2 s) were determined. The obtained results indicate that the Pr:CTGG crystal has a high potential for obtaining efficient laser emission in the blue domain.

Improved optical performance in circular-grating distributed feedback nanoplasmonic lasers

Optical modes control has been driven from vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) applications with multi-mode operation such as optical fiber communication or optical sensing. Optical gain materials coupling with optical resonators provides an effective way to tuning the optical mode of VCSELs. In this paper, a kind of novel circular-grating distributed feedback (CGDFB) nanoplasmonic laser is designed by using a special semiconductor nanorods array VCSEL coupled optically with a second-order distributed feedback (DFB) circular grating. In the device, the mode field is cooperatively controlled by the confinement of surface plasmon around the nanorod cavity and the spatial tuning with the DFB circular grating. By optimizing the design on the device comprehensively, the CGDFB nanoplasmonic laser exhibits the optimum lasing performance with a single-longitudinal mode peak at 511.2 nm with a side-mode suppression ratio of 45 dB. The 3 dB line-width is compressed to 1.98 p.m. at a driven current of four times of the threshold current of 124 mA. A six-fold rotational symmetric far-field mode corresponding to the third-order Laguerre Gaussian azimuth mode is produced by the DFB circular grating. This work paves a fundamental way for the mode engineering design of novel nanolaser in the technical applications of optical communication, sensing and integrated photonics.

Miniaturization of Multicolor Quantum Dots Lasing Based on 2D Constrained Resonator

AbstractElevated expectations for laser performance, encompassing broadband tunability, integration, low power consumption, and a low threshold, have emerged within the realms of photonic chips and optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, achieving multicolor miniaturized lasers within a singular micro‐nano structure remains challenging, hindered by constraints in geometric structure, optical gain, and bandgap considerations. Here, an approach to obtain integrated multicolor lasing beam output simultaneously in a desired direction from a 2D‐constrained micro‐resonator is proposed. The wavelength of the lasing beam is tuned by controlling the size of quantum dots (QDs) in the resonator. Owing to the high density of power within the cavity and the localized surface plasmon resonance on the surface of the Au‐Ag nanowires (NWs), a notably low laser threshold is realized in the micro‐resonator channel. This work introduces a method for realizing an integrated multicolor micro‐laser, providing a pathway toward the implementation of active photonic chips and advanced optoelectronic devices.

Quantum‐Defect‐Minimized, Three‐Photon‐Pumped Ultralow‐Threshold Perovskite Excitonic Lasing

AbstractThree‐photon‐pumped (3PP) excitonic lasing in inorganic semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is of particular importance for near‐infrared biophotonics and optical communications. However, the implementation of such lasers has been hindered severely by the required high pump thresholds. Here, 3PP excitonic lasing of all‐inorganic cesium lead bromide perovskite QDs (CsPbBr3 PQDs) embedded in a whispering‐gallery microcavity is demonstrated, and achieving a record low threshold of 3 mJ cm−2 by tuning the 3P pump energy in resonance with the S exciton state. Wavelength‐dispersive Z‐scan spectroscopy reveals that such reduced lasing threshold is attributed to the exciton resonance enhanced multiphoton absorption, which, as disclosed by the kinetics analysis of transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS), leads to the appearance of net gain at a pump fluence as low as 2.2 mJ cm−2, corresponding to an average S exciton population of 1.5. A microscopic model incorporating the quantum master equation reproduces the TAS results and provides the intrinsic parameters of biexciton relaxation for lasing. The 3PP resonant excitonic transition is the most favored multiphoton pumping process that minimizes quantum defect (6.8% of the pump photon energy) to realize optical gain at low threshold, marking a major step toward using all‐inorganic perovskite QDs for on‐chip integrated microlasers and multiphoton bioimaging.

Self-injection-locked optical parametric oscillator based on microcombs

Narrow-linewidth yet tunable laser oscillators are one of the most important tools for precision metrology, optical atomic clocks, sensing, and quantum computing. Commonly used tunable coherent oscillators are based on stimulated emission or stimulated Brillouin scattering; as a result, the operating wavelength band is limited by the gain media. Based on nonlinear optical gain, optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) enable coherent signal generation within the whole transparency window of the medium used. However, the demonstration of OPO-based Hertz-level linewidth and tunable oscillators has remained elusive. Here, we present a tunable coherent oscillator based on a multimode coherent OPO in a high-Q microresonator, i.e., a microcomb. Single-mode coherent oscillation is realized through self-injection locking (SIL) of one selected comb line. We achieve coarse tuning up to 20 nm and an intrinsic linewidth down to sub-Hertz level, which is three orders of magnitude lower than the pump. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this scheme results in the repetition rate stabilization of the microcomb. These results open exciting possibilities for generating tunable coherent radiation where stimulated emission materials are difficult to obtain, and the stabilization of microcomb sources beyond the limits imposed by the thermorefractive noise in the cavity.

Comparative study of single pump all optical fiber amplifiers (POAs) with ultra wide band and high gain fiber optic parametric amplifiers in highly nonlinear fibers

Abstract This paper has clarified comparative study of single pump all optical fiber amplifiers with ultrawide band and high gain fiber optic parametric amplifiers in highly nonlinear fibers. Different amplifiers gain is demonstrated versus system distance for different light amplifiers in highly nonlinear fiber channel. As well as amplifier gain is clarified against system distance for different light amplifiers in DCF, DSF and NZDSF fiber channel. The mechanism of generation of single idler signal is studied based on single signal and pump signal. Moreover the mechanism of generation of single idler signal is analyzed and investigated clearly based on signal and two pump signals. Amplifier bandwidth is demonstrated against system distance for different fiber channel types in the presence of POA amplifiers based on 100 mW, 300 mW and 500 mW pumping power. The map of the signal losses is discussed and clarified versus wavelength band in the presence of all amplification techniques. Light signal per noise ratio and bit error rates are demonstrated against system distance for different fiber channel types in the presence of POA amplifiers based on 100 mW, 300 mW and 500 mW pumping power. POA is more suitable for the operation in HNLF fiber channel in compared to other proposed fiber communication channels. All optical amplifiers operation performance gain efficiency is compared together in different fiber channel media. The system can be employed with POAs for the fiber reach up to 100 km distance with a suitable amplifier gain and bandwidth. An important criteria for any amplifier is its gain and bandwidth for the compensation of the system loss and dispersion together. The optimum suitable pumping power is clarified for upgrade the system amplifier performance signature.

"Giant" Colloidal Quantum Well Heterostructures of CdSe@CdS Core@Shell Nanoplatelets from 9.5 to 17.5 Monolayers in Thickness Enabling Ultra-High Gain Lasing.

Semiconductor colloidal quantum wells (CQWs) have emerged as a promising class of gain materials to be used in colloidal lasers. Although low gain thresholds are achieved, the required high gain coefficient levels are barely met for the applications of electrically-driven lasers which entails a very thin gain matrix to avoid charge injection limitations. Here, "giant" CdSe@CdS colloidal quantum well heterostructures of 9.5 to 17.5 monolayers (ML) in total with corresponding vertical thickness from 3.0 to 5.8nm that enable record optical gain is shown. These CQWs achieve ultra-high material gain coefficients up to ≈140000cm-1, obtained by systematic variable stripe length (VSL) measurements and independently validated by transient absorption (TA) measurements, owing to their high number of states. This exceptional gain capacity is an order of magnitude higher than the best levels reported for the colloidal quantum dots. From the dispersion of these quantum wells, low threshold amplified spontaneous emission in water providing an excellent platform for optofluidic lasers is demonstrated. Also, employing these giant quantum wells, whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasing with an ultra-low threshold of 8µJcm-2 is demonstrated. These findings indicate that giant CQWs offer an exceptional platform for colloidal thin-film lasers and in-solution lasing applications.

Enhanced Amplified Spontaneous Emission from Perovskite Films by a Multifunctional 4′‐Aminoacetophenone Hydrochloride Additive Assistant Engineering

AbstractMetal halide perovskites are considered as a prospective candidate as optical gain media for stimulated emission, and the advancement of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of perovskite materials is gradually becoming the key to realize the commercialization of perovskite lasers. Nonetheless, the ASE of solution‐processed polycrystalline perovskite films still experiences a high threshold and poor optical stability due to their high defect density and poor crystalline quality. In this scenario, a noticeably ameliorated ASE performance with decreased threshold and greater photo‐stability is demonstrated in solution‐processed (FAPbI3)0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15 polycrystalline perovskite films by introducing a neoteric 4′‐Aminoacetophenone hydrochloride (APCl) additive with cost‐effective fabrication. The ASE threshold of the APCl‐embedded perovskite films is prominently curtailed from 12.8 to 5.3 µJ cm−2, with an augmented optical gain, ASE output intensity, and optical durability. The ameliorated ASE performance can be credited to multifunctional effects of the APCl additive in the perovskite films, presenting a low defect density, an unambiguously elevated photoluminescence, a prolonged decay lifetime and thus enabling the easily achieved population inversion caused by the attenuated nonradiative carrier recombination in the optical gain media. These findings provide a significant foundation and pave the way for realizing the electrically excited lasing based on the perovskite materials.

Widely and fast tunable external cavity laser on the thin film lithium niobate platform

We develop an integrated external cavity laser with a broad wavelength tuning range and a fast switching speed on thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform. By butt coupling an InP-based optical gain chip with a TFLN external cavity chip, a hybrid lithium niobate/III-V tunable laser with a wavelength switching speed of 18 ns is achieved. Furthermore, using a cascaded external cavity filter composed of three micro-ring resonators (MRRs), the laser features an ultra-wide wavelength tuning range of 96 nm across the C + L + U bands, which is the greatest value known for tunable lasers integrated on TFLN. The maximum laser output power is 0.98 mW, with a measured side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of better than 52 dB. The laser we developed is critical in applications such as optical sensors and wavelength routed optical switch.© 2023 xxxxxxxx. Hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural, thermal and spectroscopic properties of Er2O3-doped oxyfluoro tellurophosphate glasses

Employing the melt quench method, the oxyfluoro tellurophosphate glasses (PTBMEr), doped with varying erbium concentrations, were prepared. Their physical, structural, optical, and luminescent characteristics were investigated using XRD, EDX, FTIR, absorption and Photoluminescence studies. The amorphous nature and elemental composition were identified using the XRD and EDX spectra. The J-O parameters and radiative parameters, including energy gap (ΔE), branching ratio (βR), radiative lifetime (τrad), and radiative transition probability (AR), were established for different excited levels of erbium in PTBMEr glass matrices. The visible emission spectra were acquired through excitation at a wavelength of 377 nm, resulting in a highly pronounced emission band at 544 nm, corresponding to the transition 4S3/2→ 4I15/2. The NIR emission spectra obtained through excitation at 980 nm showed a prominent broad emission band at 1534 nm pertaining to the transition 4I13/2→4I15/2. Within the set of prepared samples, the PTBMEr05 sample exhibits highest stimulated emission cross section of 0.75 × 10-20 cm2 for the transition 4S3/2→4I15/2. It also exbited superior parameters for the transition 4S3/2→4I15/2 including a stimulated emission crosssection of 1.19 × 10-20 cm2, gain bandwidth of 64.87 × 10-25 cm3, and optical gain of 53.41 × 10-24 cm2s. Experimental lifetime values for the excited level 4I13/2 of erbium in PTBMEr glasses were calculated and found to decrease with concentration due to non-radiative mechanisms and concentration quenching. These results reflect that PTBMEr05 glass is best suited for green laser emission devices and optical fiber communication windows.

Gain Coefficient Comparison between Silicon and InP Laser Diode Substrate

The article presents the study on the comparison of gain coefficient of laser diode on silicon and InP substrate. Fabry–Perot GaInAsP bulk laser diode on InP/Si substrate is successfully obtained to study the optical gain coefficient of laser diode. The influences of temperature, threshold current comparison, and optical gain achievements between bulk InP/Si laser diode substrate and InP laser diode substrate are also analyzed using the same growth structure. A new approach is found by the research group which involves bonding of 1 μm InP semiconductor crystal and a low‐cost silicon crystal prior to epitaxial laser structure growth. With the help of metal–organic vapor‐phase epitaxy technique, GaInAsP double‐heterostructure laser is epitaxially deposited on the well‐bonded InP/Si crystal. Fabry–Perot lasing under pulsed condition is achieved, and the lasing characteristics of InP/Si substrate are compared with that of InP laser device to study the gain coefficient.

Optimizing elastic optical networks quality of transmission with an empirical optical amplifier gain saturation model

In this paper, we revisit the problem of adjusting transceiver power, amplifier gain, and nodal gain in optical-bypass-enabled networks, taking into account an empirical model of erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) gain saturation. We assume that network demands have been routed via the shortest possible paths. A heuristic algorithm, which estimates the degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each demand, is used to assign the modulation level and spectrum slots to the routed demands. Our optimization process aims to maximize the minimum SNR margins of demands, by adjusting EDFA small-signal gain, variable optical attenuator (VOA) attenuation, and transceiver power. Constraints and impairments imposed by the physical-layer include EDFA and VOA gain limits, transceiver power limits, receiver sensitivity, insertion loss of optical switch input ports, EDFA gain saturation, EDFA noise, and fiber non-linear interference. These are modeled using the Gaussian noise model. The proposed optimization problem is formulated as a geometric programming problem and then converted into an equivalent convex problem.Numerical results suggest that in the optimal solution of our optimization, all demands are served with typically low bit error rates (BER) (<10−4). We calculate the operational gains of the EDFA to set the spans to full compensation whenever possible. Pre-amplifiers and line amplifiers do not experience gain saturation due to relatively small input powers, while approximately 10% of boosters undergo more than a 1 dB gain reduction due to high input powers. We observe that overlooking the effect of EDFA gain saturation and physical-layer-imposed constraints such as nodal gain limits or transceiver power limits during network optimization leads to a considerable number of blocked demands due to SNR degradation or high BER (>10−3).

Spectroscopic evaluation of Nd3+ doped cadmium-boro-phosphate glasses for near-IR (1060 nm) laser applications

Neodymium-doped Cadmium-boro-phosphate glasses were synthesized using the melt quenching procedure to investigate their lasing capacities. The FTIR results reveal the different functional groups and structural units of our glass system. Physical parameters such as density (ρ), molar volume (VM), refractive index (n), Urbach energy (ΔE), and band gap (Eg) were measured, and computed. The results demonstrated that our glasses have indirect-allowed transitions with low localized states. The photoluminescence and absorption spectra were measured and the results suggest that the Nd3+ ions have a uniform distribution throughout the glass network. The Judd-Ofelt parameters (Ω2, Ω4, and Ω6) were obtained using the least-squares procedure. The spectroscopic quality factor (χ), the emission-peak-wavelength (λp), the radiative-transition-probability (Ar), the radiative lifetime (τrad), the radiative and experimental branching-ratio (βrad, βexp), the effective-bandwidth (Δλeff), the stimulated-emission-cross-section (σ(λp)), the gain-bandwidth (σ(λp), × Δλeff) and the optical-gain (σ(λp) x τrad) were measured, computed and compared with other famous reported glasses. The current glass showed low χ values (=0.45), high βexp (=0.7), and high optical gain (15.8 × 10− 24 cm2 s). According to its spectroscopic and radiative properties, our glass system shows remarkable potential for lasing around 1057 nm.