Dependence Of Refractive Index Research Articles

Characterization of SiNx grown at different nitrogen flow and prediction of refractive index using artificial neural networks

SiNx films were grown on silicon substrates by Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition. The effect of nitrogen flow on the structural and optical properties of the obtained films was investigated using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer and spectroscopic ellipsometer, respectively. XRD spectra of the films showed that all films belong to amorphous structure. SEM photographs of SiNx films were analyzed. As a result of the analysis, it was observed that the surfaces of the films had a homogeneous and smooth structure as the nitrogen flow increased. The total and diffuse reflectance spectra of the films were measured and the energy band gaps of the films were determined using the Kubelka-Munk function by using the diffuse reflectance. It was observed that the energy band gap changed as the nitrogen percentage increased. The refractive index of all films was obtained as a function of temperature using a spectroscopic ellipsometer. In the second part of this study, we focused on predicting the temperature dependent refractive indices of the nitrogen flow-dependent films using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). For the training of the ANN model, wavelength and temperature values from experimental data were used as input and refractive index as output parameters. The simulation and prediction results obtained from this model are compared with the experimental data and interpreted. It is concluded that the ANN approach is suitable for simulating and predicting the temperature dependent refractive index. The models successfully trained with ANN will be especially preferred for predicting the refractive indices of SiNx films, which cannot be measured experimentally, thus providing predictions in non-experimental ranges. In particular, the results obtained by focusing on the ability of the developed artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict the optical properties of SiNx films and their potential to provide information in non-experimental conditions, offer a new approach to quickly and effectively evaluate the optical properties of SiNx films. This approach reveals the importance of artificial intelligence-based methods in materials characterization studies.

Age dependence of the average refractive index of the isolated human crystalline lens.

We measured the average group refractive index (RI) of 120 isolated lenses from 120 human donors (age: 0.03 to 61 years). The average group RI was calculated from a measurement of the optical thickness of the lens using optical coherence tomography and the apparent window shift of the test chamber caused by the lens. The estimated measurement uncertainty was ±0.004. The group RI at 880 nm was converted to phase RI at 589 nm using the dispersion equation of water and protein. From 2 to 61 years, the mean value of the RI was 1.415 ± 0.002 (group index at 880 nm) and 1.406 ± 0.002 (phase index at 589 nm) independent of age (p = 0.774). Two lenses from donors of age 0.33 and 3 months had significantly lower RI (group index: 1.405 and 1.403; phase index: 1.396 and 1.394). From age 2 to 61, the average lens RI is constant with age within the measurement uncertainty (±0.004).

A Cyclic Spectroscopy Scintillation Study of PSR B1937+21. I. Demonstration of Improved Scintillometry

We use cyclic spectroscopy to perform high-frequency resolution analyses of multihour baseband Arecibo observations of the millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21. This technique allows for the examination of scintillation features in far greater detail than is otherwise possible under most pulsar timing array observing setups. We measure scintillation bandwidths and timescales in each of eight subbands across a 200 MHz observing band in each observation. Through these measurements we obtain intra-epoch estimates of the frequency scalings for scintillation bandwidth and timescale. Thanks to our high-frequency resolution and the narrow scintles of this pulsar, we resolve scintillation arcs in the secondary spectra due to the increased Nyquist limit, which would not have been resolved at the same observing frequency with a traditional filterbank spectrum using NANOGrav’s current time and frequency resolutions, and the frequency-dependent evolution of scintillation arc features within individual observations. We observe the dimming of prominent arc features at higher frequencies, possibly due to a combination of decreasing flux density and the frequency dependence of the plasma refractive index of the interstellar medium. We also find agreement with arc curvature frequency dependence predicted by Stinebring et al. in some epochs. Thanks to the frequency-resolution improvement provided by cyclic spectroscopy, these results show strong promise for future such analyses with millisecond pulsars, particularly for pulsar timing arrays, where such techniques can allow for detailed studies of the interstellar medium in highly scattered pulsars without sacrificing the timing resolution that is crucial to their gravitational-wave detection efforts.

Tailoring refractive index dispersion in ionic liquids: The influence of charge delocalization in cations

In this work, we study the contributions that different molecular blocks have in the wavelength-dependence of the refractive index in ionic liquids. The ionic liquids chosen for this work are combinations of the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion with cations based on four different heterocycles with different extents of charge delocalization. The analysis is performed in terms of the experimental electronic polarizability, which is obtained by combining measurements of refractive index curves and densities via the Lorentz-Lorenz equation. Exploiting the additivity of electronic polarizability in ionic liquids, the contribution of the anion and the heterocycles of the cations is separated from that of the alkyl chains. Our results show important differences in these contributions, revealing a key influence of the charge delocalization in the cationic rings on the behavior of the refractive index dispersion. The understanding of how different parts of ionic liquids affect their refractive index dependence on wavelength would allow to gain precise control of this magnitude, enabling the development of customized optical materials for diverse applications in photonics and sensing technologies.

All-optical method to directly measure the pressure–volume–temperature equation of state of fluids in the diamond anvil cell

We have developed a new all-optical method to directly measure the pressure–volume–temperature (PVT) equation of state (EOS) of fluids and transparent solids in the diamond anvil high pressure cell by measuring the volume of the sample chamber. Our method combines confocal microscopy and white light interference with a new analysis method, which exploits the mutual dependence of sample density and refractive index: Experimentally, the refractive index determines the measured sample chamber thickness (and therefore the measured sample volume/density), yet the sample density is by far the dominant factor in determining the variation in the refractive index with pressure. Our analysis method allows us to obtain a set of values for the density and refractive index, which are mutually consistent and agree with the experimental data within error. We have conducted proof-of-concept experiments on a variety of samples (H2O, CH4, C2H6, C3H8, KCl, and NaCl) at ambient temperature and at high temperatures up to just above 500 K. Our proof-of-concept data demonstrate that our method is able to reproduce known fluid and solid EOS within error. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our method allows us to directly and routinely measure the PVT EOS of simple fluids at GPa pressures up to, at least, 514 K (the highest temperature reached in our study). A reasonable estimation of the known sources of error in our volume determinations indicates that the error is currently ±2.7% at high temperature and that it is feasible to reduce it to ca. ±1% in future work.

Temperature dependence of LiTaO3 refractive index: corrections of Sellmeier equation

We report a new and more precise Sellmeier equation obtained by using the analysis of quasi-phase-matching curves of the optical parametric generation (OPG) in 1D periodically poled LiTaO3 (1D-PPLT) of different grating periods.

Layer Dependence of Complex Refractive Index in CrSBr.

CrSBr is a recently discovered two-dimensional anti-ferromagnet. It has attracted much attention due to its superior properties for potential optoelectronic and spintronic applications. However, its complex refractive index with layer dependence has not been systematically studied yet. In this work, we studied the room-temperature complex refractive indices of thin CrSBr flakes of different thicknesses in the visible light range. Using micro-reflectance spectroscopy, we measured the optical contrast of thin CrSBr flakes with respect to different substrates. The complex refractive index was extracted by modeling the optical contrast with the Fresnel equations. We extracted the band gap values of CrSBr in the few-layer limit. We determined the band gaps for monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer CrSBr to be 1.88 eV, 1.81 eV, and 1.77 eV, respectively. As a comparison, the band gap for multilayer CrSBr is outside our measured range, that is, below 1.55 eV. Our results suggest that the band gap of CrSBr decreases as thickness increases.

Temperature-dependent optical functions of selected Ge-Sb-Se bulk chalcogenide glasses obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry

In this paper, we present spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements of five selected bulk chalcogenide glasses (Ge28Sb6Se66, Ge19Sb17Se64, Ge12Sb25Se63, Ge28Sb12Se60 and As40Se60) for broad wavelength range (0.3–15 μm) at the temperatures from room temperature up to glass transition temperature (with reserve). Temperature dependence of bandgap energy obtained from Tauc-Lorentz oscillator together with temperature dependence of refractive index for selected wavelengths (1.55, 3.4, 7.0 and 10.6 μm) where the studied materials are transparent are presented together with thermo-optic coefficients dEg/dT and dn/dT for these wavelengths.

Birefringence mapping of biological tissues based on polarization sensitive non-interferometric quantitative phase imaging technique

ObjectiveOral cancer is a leading cause of mortality globally, particularly affecting developing regions where oral hygiene is often overlooked. The optical properties of tissues are vital for diagnostics, with polarization imaging emerging as a label-free, contrast-enhancing technique widely employed in medical and scientific research over past few decades. Materials and methodsWe present a novel polarization sensitive quantitative phase imaging of biological tissues by incorporating the conventional polarization microscope and transport of intensity equation-based phase retrieval algorithm. This integration provides access to the birefringence mapping of biological tissues. The inherent optical anisotropy in biological tissues induces the polarization dependent refractive index variations which can provide the detailed insights into the birefringence characteristics of their extracellular constituents. Experimental investigations were conducted on both normal and cancerous oral tissue samples by recording a set of three polarization intensity images for each case with a step size of 2 μm. ResultsA noteworthy increment in birefringence quantification was observed in cancerous as compared to the normal tissues, attributed to the proliferation of abnormal cells during cancer progression.The mean birefringence values were calculated for both normal and cancerous tissues, revealing a significant increase in birefringence of cancerous tissues (2.1 ± 0.2) × 10−2 compared to normal tissues (0.8 ± 0.2) × 10−2. Data were collected from 8 patients in each group under identical experimental conditions. ConclusionThis polarization sensitive non-interferometric optical approach demonstrated effective discrimination between cancerous and normal tissues, with various parameters indicating elevated values in cancerous tissues.

RF sputtered metal oxide layers as ARCs to improve photovoltaic performance of commercial monocrystalline solar cell

The rf-sputtered ZnO, MgO and Al2O3 transition metal oxide nano layers were developed as efficient antireflection coatings (ARCs) on commercial monocrystalline silicon (m-Si) photovoltaic cells. Wavelength dependence reflectance measurements show minimal reflectance (i.e., ∼1.3–2.0%) between 350 and 800 nm wavelength regions affirming antireflection behavior of oxide layers. The phase formation studies of these oxide layers display the crystalline phase however the presence of non-crystalline phase is noted in Al2O3 diffractogram pattern. Cross section microstructure characterization carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to know the ARC layer thickness illustrates MgO, ZnO and Al2O3 layers with coating thickness around 85 nm, 87 nm and 77 nm respectively. Also, the thickness of antireflection coatings computed using wavelength dependent refractive index measurement is consistent with cross section microstructure images. Photon to energy conversion (PEC) of ARC coated device under 1 sun condition display 1.99%, 1.07% and 0.39% improvement in efficiencies compared with commercial m-Si-solar cell endorsing suitability of selected transition metal oxides as efficient ARC materials. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements show notable improvement in efficiency for MgO, ZnO and Al2O3 coated devices reaffirming their usability as efficient ARC materials on commercial m-Si-solar cells.

Surface-phonon-polariton-enhanced photoinduced dipole force for nanoscale infrared imaging.

The photoinduced dipole force (PiDF) is an attractive force arising from the Coulombic interaction between the light-induced dipoles on the illuminated tip and the sample. It shows extreme sample-tip distance and refractive index dependence, which is promising for nanoscale infrared (IR) imaging of ultrathin samples. However, the existence of PiDF in the mid-IR region has not been experimentally demonstrated due to the coexistence of photoinduced thermal force (PiTF), typically one to two orders of magnitude higher than PiDF. In this study, we demonstrate that, with the assistance of surface phonon polaritons, the PiDF of c-quartz can be enhanced to surpass its PiTF, enabling a clear observation of PiDF spectra reflecting the properties of the real part of permittivity. Leveraging the detection of the PiDF of phonon polaritonic substrate, we propose a strategy to enhance the sensitivity and contrast of photoinduced force responses in transmission images, facilitating the precise differentiation of the heterogeneous distribution of ultrathin samples.

Dependence of refractive index of Zamzam, bottled drinking, and distilled waters on temperature and wavelength: a simple approximation using computer simulation phase shifting digital interferometry

Dependence of refractive index of Zamzam, bottled drinking, and distilled waters on temperature and wavelength: a simple approximation using computer simulation phase shifting digital interferometry

Impact of Sn-doping on the optoelectronic properties of zinc oxide crystal: DFT approach.

This study aims to provide a concise overview of the behavior exhibited by Sn-doped ZnO crystals using a computational technique known as density functional theory (DFT). The influence of Sn doping on the electronic, structural, and optical properties of ZnO have been explored. Specifically, the wavelength dependent refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectance, and absorption coefficient, along with electronic band gap structure of the Sn doped ZnO has been examined and analyzed. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns have been obtained to investigate the structural characteristics of Sn-doped ZnO crystals with varying concentrations of Sn dopant atoms. The incorporation of tin (Sn) into zinc oxide (ZnO) has been observed to significantly impact the opto-electronic properties of the material. This effect can be attributed to the improved electronic band structure and optical characteristics resulting from the tin doping. Furthermore, the controllable structural and optical characteristics of tin-doped zinc oxide will facilitate the development of various light-sensitive devices. Moreover, the impact of Sn doping on the optoelectronic properties of ZnO is thoroughly investigated and documented.

Dependence of tetragonal barium titanate spontaneous polarization and refractive indices on DFT exchange-correlation functionals

The present work aims to use the Quantum Espresso software to theoretically investigate the spontaneous polarization and refractive indices of barium titanate (BaTiO3) in its tetragonal phase, and their dependence on the considered DFT exchange-correlation functionals. Among the functionals implemented in Quantum Espresso, twenty-four functionals were considered. The calculations, in which pseudopotentials of type ultrasoft were used, show that the values of all studied magnitudes depend on the used exchange-correlation functional. According to the obtained results, for the considered functionals, it appears that there is a linearity between the spontaneous polarization and the ionic shift difference Δz(Ti)-Δz(Oz); this linearity can be explained by the fact that the dipolar interaction Ti-Oz is the main contributor to the spontaneous polarization, being seen that: (i) the spontaneous polarization is a consequence of the coupling between the displacements of the constituent ions and their effective charges, (ii) the ionic shifts lead to a decrease in the Ti-Oz distance and an increase in the Ti-Ox and Ti-Oy distances, and then an increase in the Ti-Oz dipolar interaction compared to the Ti-Ox and Ti-Oy dipolar interactions, and (iii) the Ti and Oz ions possess the highest Born effective charges (in absolute values), in the polar direction, compared to the other ions, as reported in the literature. However, the closest values of the spontaneous polarization to the experimental data were obtained for the exchange-correlation functionals VDW-DF-C09, PZ, VDW-DF-CX, VDW-DF3-OPT1, VDW-DF2-C09, WC, and PBESOL. For these functionals, the refractive indices of ordinary and extraordinary polarizations were studied as a function of the light wavelength, in the range 160–940 nm. The obtained results show that the behavior of both refractive indices with respect to the wavelength, for visible light, is quit similar to that of Sellmeier equation with good agreement with the experimental data, particularly for the van der Waals functionals VDW-DF3-OPT1, VDW-DF-CX, VDW-DF2-C09, and VDW-DF-C09.

Refractive index dependence of the radiative rate of a magnetic dipole transition for a nanoparticle system

The emission spectra of Cs2NaEuCl6 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by the hot injection method are interpreted. Dispersion of the NPs in alkane solvents experimentally enables the magnetic dipole radiative rate in vacuum for the 5D0 - 7F1 channel to be determined as 14.7 ± 0.1 s−1, in agreement with the calculated value.

Separation of an Industrial Mixture of Decalin or Naphthalene Fluorination Products: Cis-Perfluorodecalin, Trans-Perfluorodecalin and Perfluoro(butylcyclohexane): Physicochemical, Thermophysical, and Spectral Data

New physicochemical data for trans-perfluorodecalin (trans-PDF) and cis-perfluorodecalin (cis-PFD) are presented. Based on the differential scanning calorimetry, the temperature and heat of the solid−liquid phase transition are determined. The coefficients of Antoine’s equation are calculated based on the experimental temperature–pressure dependence data. This article also presents data on the rheological properties («zero» shear viscosity and apparent activation energy for the viscous flow) of the studied compounds. The dependencies of refractive index and excess volume (density) on temperature are studied. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry data and FTIR, 13C NMR, and 19F NMR spectra are provided. The dependencies are given for the perfluoro(butylcyclohexane) (BCH)–trans-PFD, BCH–cis-PFD, and trans-PFD–cis-PFD binary systems and BCH–trans-PFD–cis-PFD ternary system: refractive index and density (liquid molar volume and excess molar volume) of composition and temperature. The dependences of the excess molar volume on the composition and temperature of the mixtures are correlated with Redlich-Kister and Kohler equations.

GaN film optical nonlinearity: wavelength dependent refractive index for All-Optical switching application

Gallium Nitride (GaN) is fast becoming a potential replacement for silicon in complex electronic and photonics circuitries and systems. At higher optical intensity, optical effects such as non-linear effects would become non-trivial. To this end, we investigated nonlinear optical properties of metal–organic chemical vapor deposited GaN. Specifically, continuous-wave laser Z-scan techniques were employed to obtain nonlinear refractive index, n2, of a 1-µm thin layer on a c-plane sapphire substrate. FESEM, PL, XRD and EDS analysis confirmed the good quality growth of GaN thin film. We detected a reversal of polarity of the n2 value at 637 nm and 405 nm of CW laser excitation and femtosecond laser pulse at 808 nm. This is substantiated by theoretical calculation of GaN’s n2 showing sign switchover at wavelength shorter than 420 nm. This presents a new all-optical switching scheme based on the switchover of wavelength dependent n2. These findings point to opportunities for GaN-based integrated photonics for nonlinear and quantum photonics applications.

Anionic framework descriptors and microstructure affects on optical parameters of Ag7+x(P1-xGex)S6 single crystals

Herein we present a detailed study of single crystalline samples of Ag7+x(P1-xGex)S6 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 0.75, 1) solid solutions. The Ag7+x(P1-xGex)S6 crystals were grown by directional crystallization from melt and characterized by techniques of XRD, Raman scattering, optical transmission measurements, spectral ellipsometry and electron microscopy. XRD and Raman scattering indicates a formation of solid solutions. The spectral dependences of refractive index are nonlinear with a maximum at the spectral range of ∼645–820 nm. It has been established, that P5+→Ge4+ cationic substitution leads to a monotonic nonlinear increase in the refractive index n from 2.58 (x = 0) to 2.75 (x = 1). The obtained values of refractive index were used to describe the optical parameters by the Wemple-DiDomenico equation. The spectral dependences of lnα at all studied temperatures (77–300 K) have an exponential shape near the absorption edge, indicating that they obey Urbach's rule. The corresponding value of the pseudo-gap Eg* and Urbach energy EU were determined. Increasing the Ge content in solid solutions causes a decrease in Eg* (1.971–1.466 eV) and EU (179.46–21.90 meV) values. Revealed Eg* values suggest that single crystalline Ag7+x(P1-xGex)S6 might be used as perspective solar harvesting materials. The practical application of these materials can be further enhanced with the results of temperature studies of variations of Eg* values. The changes in optical parameters are explained based on the structural and microstructural parameters of the studied solid solutions.

Nonlinearity shaping in nanostructured glass-diamond hybrid materials for optical fiber preforms

Nanodiamond integration with optical fibers has proved a compelling methodology for magneto-optics. We reveal that the applicability of nanodiamonds in nonlinear optics goes beyond the previous demonstrations of frequency converters. Instead, we exploit the recently reported volumetric integration of nanodiamonds along the optical fiber core and show that the nonlinear response of glasses can be manipulated by nanodiamonds. By taking the mature z-scan approach we measure the nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction of three dielectric materials containing nanodiamonds in different concentrations and sizes. The work begins with nanodiamond-water suspensions, which offer the advantage of rapidly assessing the dependence of the nonlinear refractive index on the nano-particle concentration and size. Subsequently we investigate two fiber preforms based on silica and soft glass doped with nanodiamonds to evaluate the feasibility of nonlinearity shaping. We achieve a nearly 20% reduction of the nonlinear refractive index of fused silica containing trace amounts of nanodiamonds relative to a pristine reference. The demonstration of such a noticeable impact on the nonlinear response of the key optical material widely accepted by ultrafast optics practitioners provides a guideline for future work on the novel concept of negative nonlinearity fibers, which could disrupt the established chromatic dispersion-nonlinearity landscape.

On the thermal response of multiscale nanodomains formed in trans-anethol/ethanol/water surfactant-free microemulsion

HypothesisSurfactant-free microemulsion (SFME), an emerging phenomenology that occurs in the monophasic zone of a broad category of ternary mixtures ‘hydrophobe/hydrotrope/water’, has attracted extensive interests due to their unique physicochemical properties. The potential of this kind of ternary fluid for solubilization and drug delivery make them promising candidates in many industrial scenarios. ExperimentsHere the thermodynamic behavior of these multiscale nanodomains formed in the ternary trans-anethol/ethanol/water system over a wide range of temperatures is explored. The macroscopic physical properties of the ternary solutions are characterized, with revealing the temperature dependence of refractive index and dynamic viscosity. FindingsWith increasing temperature, the ternary system shows extended areas in the monophasic zone. We demonstrate that the phase behavior and the multiscale nanodomains formed in the monophasic zone can be precisely and reversibly tuned by altering the temperature. Increasing temperature can destroy the stability of the multiscale nanodomains in equilibrium, with an exponential decay in the scattering light intensity. Nevertheless, molecular-scale aggregates and mesoscopic droplets exhibit significantly different response behaviors to temperature stimuli. The temperature-sensitive nature of the ternary SFME system provides a crucial step forward exploring and industrializing its stability.