Optical Hydrogel Detector for pH Measurements

Measuring pH has become a major key for determining health conditions, and food safety. The traditional pH assessment approaches are costly and offer low sensitivity. Here, a novel pH sensor based on a pH-responsive hydrogel has been developed. A Fresnel lens pattern was replicated on the surface of the pH-responsive hydrogel using the replica mould method. The pH sensors were tested in a pH range of 4–7. Introducing various pH solutions to the pH sensor led to volumetric shifts as the hydrogel swelled with pH. Consequently, the dimensions of the replicated Fresnel lens changed, modifying the focal length and the focus efficiency of the optical sensor. As a result, the measured optical power at a fixed distance from the sensor changed with pH. The optical sensor showed the best performance in the acidic region when pH changed from 4.5 to 5.5, in which the recorded power increased by 13%. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity to pH changes with a short respond time in a reversible manner. The developed pH optical sensor may have applications in medical point-of-care diagnostics and wearable continuous pH detection devices.

A Probabilistic Approach to Estimating Allowed SNR Values for Automotive LiDARs in “Smart Cities” under Various External Influences

The paper proposes an approach to assessing the allowed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) of unmanned autonomous vehicles based on the predetermined probability of false alarms under various intentional and unintentional influencing factors. The focus of this study is on the relevant issue of the safe use of LiDAR data and measurement systems within the “smart city” infrastructure. The research team analyzed and systematized various external impacts on the LiDAR systems, as well as the state-of-the-art approaches to improving their security and resilience. It has been established that the current works on the analysis of external influences on the LiDARs and methods for their mitigation focus mainly on physical (hardware) approaches (proposing most often other types of modulation and optical signal frequencies), and less often software approaches, through the use of additional anomaly detection techniques and data integrity verification systems, as well as improving the efficiency of data filtering in the cloud point. In addition, the sources analyzed in this paper do not offer methodological support for the design of the LiDAR in the very early stages of their creation, taking into account a priori assessment of the allowed SNR threshold and probability of detecting a reflected pulse and the requirements to minimize the probability of “missing” an object when scanning with no a priori assessments of the detection probability characteristics of the LiDAR. The authors propose a synthetic approach as a mathematical tool for designing a resilient LiDAR system. The approach is based on the physics of infrared radiation, the Bayesian theory, and the Neyman–Pearson criterion. It features the use of a predetermined threshold for false alarms, the probability of interference in the analytics, and the characteristics of the LiDAR’s receivers. The result is the analytical solution to the problem of calculating the allowed SNR while stabilizing the level of “false alarms” in terms of background noise caused by a given type of interference. The work presents modelling results for the “false alarm” probability values depending on the selected optimality criterion. The efficiency of the proposed approach has been proven by the simulation results of the received optical power of the LiDAR’s signal based on the calculated SNR threshold and noise values.

Top-emitting 940-nm thin-film VCSELs transferred onto aluminum heatsinks

Thin-film vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) mounted onto heatsinks open up the way toward low-power consumption and high-power operation, enabling them to be widely used for energy saving high-speed optical data communication and three-dimensional sensor applications. There are two conventional VCSEL polarity structures: p-on-n and n-on-p polarity. The former is more preferably used owing to the reduced series resistance of n-type bottom distributed Bragg reflection (DBR) as well as the lower defect densities of n-type GaAs substrates. In this study, the p-on-n structures of thin-film VCSELs, including an etch stop layer and a highly n-doped GaAs ohmic layer, were epitaxially grown in upright order by using low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD). The p-on-n structures of thin-film VCSELs were transferred onto an aluminum heatsink via a double-transfer technique, allowing the top-emitting thin-film VCSELs to keep the p-on-n polarity with the removal of the GaAs substrate. The threshold current (Ith) and voltage (Vth) of the fabricated top-emitting thin-film VCSELs were 1 mA and 2.8 V, respectively. The optical power was 7.7 mW at a rollover point of 16.1 mA.

Endoscopic Imaging Using a Multimode Optical Fibre Calibrated with Multiple Internal References

The interferometric acquisition of the transmission matrix (TM) of a multimode optical fibre (MMF), which is at the heart of multimode fibre-based endoscopic imaging methods, requires using a reference beam. Attempts to use an internal reference, that is to provide the reference in a common pathway geometry through the MMF itself, lead to a speckled reference intensity and consequential occurrence of “blind spots”—locations where insufficient optical power in the reference wave inflicts strong measurement errors. Here we show that combining a relatively small number of TMs, which are measured using different internal references, facilitates a complete elimination of blind spots, and thereby a significant enhancement of the imaging quality.

Cooperation in a fluid swarm of fuel-free micro-swimmers

While motile bacteria display rich dynamics in dense colonies, the phoretic nature of artificial micro-swimmers restricts their activity when crowded. Here we introduce a new class of synthetic micro-swimmers that are driven solely by light. By coupling a light absorbing particle to a fluid droplet we produce a colloidal chimera that transforms optical power into propulsive thermo-capillary action. The swimmers’ internal drive allows them to operate for a long duration (days) and remain active when crowded, forming a high density fluid phase. We find that above a critical concentration, swimmers form a long lived crowded state that displays internal dynamics. When passive particles are introduced, the dense swimmer phase can re-arrange to spontaneously corral the passive particles. We derive a geometrical, depletion-like condition for corralling by identifying the role the passive particles play in controlling the effective concentration of the micro-swimmers.

Junction temperature measurement in optically-activated power MOSFET

The temperature-dependent optical properties of silicon carbide (SiC), such as refractive index and reflectivity, have been used for a direct monitoring of the junction temperature of a power MOSFET. In particular, the optical response of a 4H-SiC MOSFET-integrated Fabry-Perot cavity to temperature changes has been investigated through parametric optical simulations at the wavelength of λ=450 nm. The reflected optical power exhibited oscillatory patterns caused by the multiple beam interference for which the MOSFET epilayer, between the gate-oxide and the doped 4H-SiC substrate, acts as a Fabry-Perot etalon. These results were used to calculate the refractive index change and, therefore, the optical phase shift of ∆φ= π/2 corresponding to a temperature variation that can be considered as a warning for the device “health”. In practical applications, the periodic monitoring of the optic spectrum at the interferometric structure output gives an essential information about the device operating temperature condition that, for high power operations, may lead to device damages or system failure.

Competition between Entrainment Phenomenon and Chaos in a Quantum-Cascade Laser under Strong Optical Reinjection

The topic of external optical feedback in quantum-cascade lasers is relevant for stability and beam-properties considerations. Albeit less sensitive to external optical feedback than other lasers, quantum-cascade lasers can exhibit several behaviors under such feedback, and those are relevant for a large panel of applications, from communication to ranging and sensing. This work focused on a packaged Fabry–Perot quantum-cascade laser under strong external optical feedback and shows the influence of the beam-splitter characteristics on the optical power properties of this commercially available laser. The packaged quantum-cascade laser showed extended conditions of operation when subject to strong optical feedback, and the maximum power that can be extracted from the external cavity was also increased. When adding a periodic electrical perturbation, various non-linear dynamics were observed, and this complements previous efforts about the entrainment phenomenon in monomode quantum-cascade lasers, with the view of optimizing private communication based on mid-infrared quantum-cascade lasers. Overall, this work is a step forward in understanding the behavior of the complex quantum-cascade-laser structure when it is subjected to external optical feedback.

Temperature Dependence of The Thermo-Optic Coefficient In 4H-SiC and GaN Slabs At The Wavelength of 1550 nm

The refractive index and its variation with temperature, i.e. the thermo-optic coefficient, are basic optical parameters for all those semiconductors that are used in the fabrication of linear and non-linear opto-electronic devices and systems. Recently, 4H single-crystal Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) have emerged as excellent building materials for high power and high temperature electronics, and wide parallel applications in photonics can be consequently forecasted in the near future, in particular in the infrared telecommunication band of λ=1500-1600 nm.In this paper, the thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT) is experimentally measured in 4H-SiC and GaN substrates, from room temperature to 480 K, at the wavelength of 1550 nm. Specifically, the substrates, forming natural Fabry-Perot etalons, are exploited within a simple hybrid fiber–free space optical interferometric system to take accurate measurements of the transmitted optical power in the said temperature range. It is found that, for both semiconductors, dn/dT is itself remarkably temperature dependent, in particular quadratically for GaN and almost linearly for 4H-SiC.

Phacoemulsification and calculation of intraocular lenses in patients given keratorefractive surgery. Part 2

Effective rehabilitation of patients with cataracts who underwent keratorefractive surgeries requires that the optical power of the IOL be calculated correctly to avoid hyperopic error. The purpose of the 2nd part of the research (for the 1st part, see ROJ, 2021; 14 (2): 55–58) is to present the results of cataract phacoemulsification in patients subjected to keratorefractive surgery based on the author’s algorithm for calculating the optical power of the IOL. Material and methods. The algorithm used optical biometry with an IOL-Master device. The main technique of improving the accuracy of IOL calculation after keratorefractive operations has been to introduce amendments to standard IOL calculation formulas. This work proposes an alternative, which consists in using the Hoffer Q formula, as it is more consistent with changes in the anterior segment of the myopic eye after keratorefractive surgery than other basic. The main distinguishing feature of the Hoffer Q formula is that the corneal refraction is not converted into the radius of curvature but is applied directly as the optical power of a “thin lens”. Results. The empirical customized correction was +1.0 D with regard to the estimated planned postoperative refraction (for patients with initial myopia from -3 to -9 D). The use of the “thin lens” principle made it possible to extrapolate this formula and apply it after LASIK surgery and after radial keratotomy. Conclusion. The proposed technique of IOL calculation was implemented for cataract phacoemulsification in over 200 patients who underwent keratorefractive surgeries. No cases of hyperopic shift of postoperative refraction were noted. The deviation from the planned myopic refraction did not exceed 1.0 D.