Development and Testing of a Dual-Wavelength Sensitive Photopolymer Layer for Applications in Stacking of HOE Lenses

Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) have been in development for many years and are an exciting technology with the capability to re-direct light, using diffraction rather than refraction. Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs) are a subset of diffractive optical elements for which the photonic structure is created holographically, i.e., by recording a specific interference pattern in a suitable, photosensitive optical material. Volume HOEs are of particular interest for some applications because of their very high diffraction efficiency and single diffracted order; however, high dispersion and angular wavelength selectivity still present significant challenges. This paper explores a method for producing a compound DOE useful for situations where elements designed for two separate target wavelengths can be advantageously combined to achieve a highly efficient HOE with reduced dispersion. A photopolymer material consisting of two independently sensitized laminated layers is prepared and used in sequential holographic recording at two different wavelengths. The photonic structures recorded are investigated through examination of their diffraction peaks and comparison with the structure predicted by modeling. Finally, the device is illuminated with an expanded diverging beam at both target wavelengths and with white light, and a strong diffracted beam is observed.

III-Nitrides Resonant Cavity Photodetector Devices

III-nitride resonant cavity-enhanced Schottky barrier photodetectors were fabricated on 2 µm thick GaN templates by radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The optical cavity was formed by a bottom distributed Bragg reflector based on 10 periods of Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN, an Au-based Schottky contact as top mirror, and an active zone of 40 nm-thick GaN layer. The devices were fabricated with planar geometry. To evaluate the main benefits allowed by the optical cavity, conventional Schottky photodetectors were also processed. The results revealed a planar spectral response for the conventional photodetector, unlike the resonant devices that showed two raised peaks at 330 and 358 nm with responsivities of 0.34 and 0.39 mA/W, respectively. Both values were 80 times higher than the planar response of the conventional device. These results demonstrate the strong effect of the optical cavity to achieve the desired wavelength selectivity and to enhance the optical field thanks to the light resonance into the optical cavity. The research of such a combination of nitride-based Bragg mirror and thin active layer is the kernel of the present paper.

1 × 2 plasmonic wavelength demultiplexer using rectangular MIM waveguide

A 1 × 2 plasmonic demultiplexer with a rectangular metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide comprising one input port and two output ports has been proposed. The proposed demultiplexer is based on the principle of interference of surface plasmon polariton waves. By placing the output port at the designed position along the rectangular MIM waveguide, the desired wavelength can be extracted from the mixture of the wavelengths. Results were simulated using finite element method (FEM) technique and plot of field and its intensity were obtained for both the wavelengths. The results agree with the proposed theory. Power transmission of more than 80% at the desired port with a suppression of more than 90% at the undesired port is obtained for both the wavelengths. A low crosstalk of less than −11.06 dB with a low insertion loss of less than 14.32 dB are measured. It is shown that the wavelength selectivity of the plasmonic demultiplexer is further dependent on the width of the MIM waveguide as well as the materials chosen. The design can be further extended to a 1×N demultiplexer by appropriate selection of position of the output ports.

ZnO Nanoparticle/Graphene Hybrid Photodetectors via Laser Fragmentation in Liquid

By combining the enhanced photosensitive properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles and the excellent transport characteristics of graphene, UV-sensitive, solar-blind hybrid optoelectronic devices have been demonstrated. These hybrid devices offer high responsivity and gain, making them well suited for photodetector applications. Here, we report a hybrid ZnO nanoparticle/graphene phototransistor that exhibits a responsivity up to 4 × 104 AW−1 and gain of up to 1.3 × 105 with high UV wavelength selectivity. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by pulsed laser fragmentation in liquid to attain a simple, efficient, ligand-free method for nanoparticle fabrication. By combining simple fabrication processes with a promising device architecture, highly sensitive ZnO nanoparticle/graphene UV photodetectors were successfully demonstrated.

Heavy Ion RBS Characterization of Multilayer Coatings Deposited on Glass Through the Sol-Gel Technique

Multilayer reflecting thin films of the systems TiO2-SiO2 and ZrO2-SiO2 were deposited on glass surface using the sol-gel technique. A 12C beam was utilized in RBS analysis to investigate the inner structure of these multilayer stacks. No evidence for defects or diffusion between the layers were found. Optical Spectroscopy showed wavelength selectivity in the reflection of an 8-layer TiO2-SiO2 sample.