Solid-state Optical Refrigeration Research Articles

Potential of ytterbium doped silica glass for solid-state optical refrigeration to below 200 K.

We report on the optical refrigeration of ytterbium doped silica glass by >40 K starting at room temperature, which represents more than a two-fold improvement over the previous state-of-the-art. A spectroscopic investigation of the steady-state and time-dependent fluorescence was carried out over the temperature range 80 K to 400 K. The calculated minimum achievable temperature for our Yb3+ doped silica sample is ≈150 K, implying the potential for utilizing ytterbium doped silica for solid-state optical refrigeration below temperatures commonly achieved by standard Peltier devices.

Opto-refrigerative tweezers.

Optical tweezers offer revolutionary opportunities for both fundamental and applied research in materials science, biology, and medical engineering. However, the requirement of a strongly focused and high-intensity laser beam results in potential photon-induced and thermal damages to target objects, including nanoparticles, cells, and biomolecules. Here, we report a new type of light-based tweezers, termed opto-refrigerative tweezers, which exploit solid-state optical refrigeration and thermophoresis to trap particles and molecules at the laser-generated cold region. While laser refrigeration can avoid photothermal heating, the use of a weakly focused laser beam can further reduce the photodamages to the target object. This novel and noninvasive optical tweezing technique will bring new possibilities in the optical control of nanomaterials and biomolecules for essential applications in nanotechnology, photonics, and life science.

Effect of interface recombination on the efficiency of intracavity double diode structures

In the past ten years, there has been significant progress in solid-state optical refrigeration, causing a renewed interest in the possibility of electroluminescent cooling (ELC) in light emitting diodes (LEDs). More recently, our work on III-As based intracavity double diode structures (DDSs) indicates that the threshold for ELC can be reached, in practice, at high powers and 300 K if certain non-radiative recombination mechanisms and photodetector (PD) losses are minimized. The studied DDSs consist of a LED, incorporating a high-quality GaAs active layer, optically coupled to a GaAs p–n homojunction PD. Both the LED and PD are integrated in a single device, offering a unique environment for studying ELC. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the DDS characteristics and investigate the impact of non-radiative interface recombination on the LED, showing how the choice of the barrier layer materials can suppress this effect. We use experimental characterization techniques to calibrate numerical simulations, coupling the drift-diffusion model for charge transport to a photon transport model. To explore the interface effects, we compare DDSs with either GaInP/GaAs or AlGaAs/GaAs double heterojunctions. The results suggest that GaInP barriers allow interface recombination suppression that is sufficient to reach internal cooling in the LED.

Observation of optical refrigeration in a holmium-doped crystal

We report the first demonstration of solid-state optical refrigeration of a Ho-doped material. A 1 mol% Ho-doped Yttrium Lithium Fluoride (YLF) crystal is cooled by mid-IR laser radiation, and its external quantum efficiency and parasitic background absorption are evaluated. Using detailed temperature-dependent spectroscopic analysis the minimum achievable temperature of a 1% Ho:YLF sample is estimated. Owing to its narrower ground- and excited-state manifolds, larger absorption cross-section, and coincidence of optimum cooling wavelength of 2070 nm with commercially available high-power and highly efficient Tm-fiber lasers, Ho^3+-doped crystals are superior to Tm^3+-doped systems for mid-IR optical refrigeration. With further improvement in material purity and increased doping concentration, they offer great potential towards enhancing the cooling efficiency nearly two-fold over the best current Yb:YLF systems, achieving lower temperatures as well as for realization of eye-safe mid-IR high-power radiation balanced lasers.

First demonstration of an all-solid-state optical cryocooler

Solid-state optical refrigeration uses anti-Stokes fluorescence to cool macroscopic objects to cryogenic temperatures without vibrations. Crystals such as Yb3+-doped YLiF4 (YLF:Yb) have previously been laser-cooled to 91 K. In this study, we show for the first time laser cooling of a payload connected to a cooling crystal. A YLF:Yb crystal was placed inside a Herriott cell and pumped with a 1020-nm laser (47 W) to cool a HgCdTe sensor that is part of a working Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer to 135 K. This first demonstration of an all-solid-state optical cryocooler was enabled by careful control of the various desired and undesired heat flows. Fluorescence heating of the payload was minimized by using a single-kink YLF thermal link between the YLF:Yb cooling crystal and the copper coldfinger that held the HgCdTe sensor. The adhesive-free bond between YLF and YLF:Yb showed excellent thermal reliability. This laser-cooled assembly was then supported by silica aerogel cylinders inside a vacuum clamshell to minimize undesired conductive and radiative heat loads from the warm surroundings. Our structure can serve as a baseline for future optical cryocooler devices.

Solid-state optical refrigeration to sub-100 Kelvin regime.

Since the first demonstration of net cooling twenty years ago, optical refrigeration of solids has progressed to outperform all other solid-state cooling processes. It has become the first and only solid-state refrigerator capable of reaching cryogenic temperatures, and now the first solid-state cooling below 100 K. Such substantial progress required a multi-disciplinary approach of pump laser absorption enhancement, material characterization and purification, and thermal management. Here we present the culmination of two decades of progress, the record cooling to ≈ 91 K from room temperature.

Spectroscopic study of the expected optical cooling effect of LiNbO3:Er3+ crystal

Possibilities of using the LiNbO3:Er3+ crystal as a new cooling element for solid-state optical refrigerators are described based on the results of spectroscopic investigations. Optimum excitation conditions for the laser cooling effect in this material are found, and the cooling efficiency is evaluated. Additional opportunities to improve the efficiency of the optical cooling effect in this material, provided by a rich set of physical properties inherent to the ferroelectric nature of the matrix, are discussed.

Laser-induced lensing effects in solid-state optical refrigerators

Laser-induced thermal and population lensing effects in solid-state optical refrigerator materials are quantitatively evaluated. Time-resolved lensing transients in Yb3+ doped ZBLAN and aluminosilicate glasses are measured, and the model decouples thermal and population lensing effects. The analysis yields the net power density, the cooling efficiency, and important photo-physical parameters. The respective values are in good agreement with previously reported parameters for ZBLAN glass. Aluminosilicate glass is found to be a promising optical refrigerator material. We show that the measurement of laser-induced lensing is a valuable tool that can advance the characterization and optimization of materials for cryogenic optical refrigerators.

Precise determination of minimum achievable temperature for solid-state optical refrigeration

We measure the minimum achievable temperature (MAT) as a function of excitation wavelength in anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling of high purity Yb3+-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF) crystal. Such measurements were obtained by developing a sensitive noncontact thermometry that is based on a two-band differential luminescence spectroscopy using balanced photo-detectors. These measurements are in excellent agreement with the prediction of the laser cooling model and identify MAT of 110K at 1020nm, corresponding to E4–E5 Stark manifold transition in Yb:YLF crystal.

Model of laser-induced temperature changes in solid-state optical refrigerators

We present an efficient and numerically stable method to calculate time-dependent, laser-induced temperature distributions in solids and provide a detailed description of the computational procedure and its implementation. This study combines the two-dimensional heat equation with laser-induced heat generation and temperature-dependent luminescence. The time-dependent optical response of a system is obtained numerically by the Crank–Nicolson method. This general model is applied to the specific case of optical refrigeration in ytterbium (Yb3+) doped fluorozirconate glass (ZBLAN). The laser-induced temperature change upon optical pumping and the respective transient luminescence response are calculated and compared to experimental data. The model successfully predicts the zero-crossing temperature, the net quantum efficiency, and the functional shape of the transients. We find that the laser-cooling transients have a fast and a slow component that are determined by the excited-state lifetime of the lumines...

Measurement of solid-state optical refrigeration by two-band differential luminescence thermometry

We present a non-contact optical technique for the measurement of laser-induced temperature changes in solids. Two-band differential luminescence thermometry (TBDLT) achieves a sensitivity of 7 mK and enables a precise measurement of the net quantum efficiency of optical refrigerator materials. The TBDLT detects internal temperature changes by decoupling surface and bulk heating effects via time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. Several Yb 3+ -doped fluorozirconate (ZrF4‐BaF2‐LaF3‐AlF3‐NaF‐InF3, ZBLANI) glasses fabricated from precursors of varying purity and by different processes are analyzed in detail. A net quantum efficiency of 97.39±0.01% at 238 K (at a pump wavelength of 1020.5 nm) is found for a ZBLANI:1% Yb3+ lasercooling sample produced from metal fluoride precursors that were purified by chelate-assisted solvent extraction and dried in hydrofluoric gas. In comparison, a ZBLANI:1% Yb 3+ sample produced from commercialgrade metal fluoride precursors showed pronounced laser-induced heating that is indicative of a substantially higher impurity concentration. The TBDLT enables rapid and sensitive benchmarking of laser-cooling materials and provides critical feedback to the development and optimization of high-performance optical cryocooler materials. © 2010 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 160.5690, 300.2530, 300.6430.

Femtosecond photon echo in a dye-doped polymer film and the possibility of coherent optical cooling

The signals of primary and stimulated femtosecond photon echoes are investigated in a dye-doped polymer film at room temperature. The homogeneous S 0 → S 1 spectral line width, which is due to the interaction between the impurity molecules and the quasi-local low-frequency modes, is estimated (≈5 × 1012 Hz). Special attention is paid to the study of spectra of femtosecond echo signals. The short-wave shifts of these spectra, with respect to the spectrum of femtosecond exciting pulses, are observed. These shifts indicate that the anti-Stokes regime of femtosecond pulse emission is realized. Therefore, the coherent regime of laser cooling of solids appears to be possible. The prospects of using of this new cooling regime in the function of a solid-state optical refrigerator are discussed.

Development of the Los Alamos solid-state optical refrigerator

Laser-induced cooling of a solid by net anti-Stokes fluorescence, first experimentally demonstrated in 1995, can be the basis of a new type of cryocooler, an optical refrigerator. This article describes the physics and design issues of a practical optical refrigerator for operation at 77 K. In particular, the Los Alamos Solid-State Optical Refrigerator (LASSOR) which we are developing would have an operating efficiency comparable to commercial small cryocoolers, be completely vibration-free and operate for years without maintenance.