Search Results (113)

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are important laser sources in the mid-infrared band. Among them, single-mode quantum cascade lasers show significant advantages in key performance such as output wavelength stability and narrow linewidth. These lasers have broad application prospects in fields such as gas detection, component analysis, and medical diagnosis. Single-mode quantum cascade lasers are mainly achieved through distributed feedback (DFB) gratings and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) gratings. This paper presents the basic principles of quantum cascade lasers and summarizes the research progress of distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers and distributed Bragg reflector quantum cascade lasers in recent years, respectively. Finally, an in-depth discussion and outlook on the development direction and research trends of single-mode quantum cascade lasers are presented. Full article

This study investigates the mechanical and optical characteristics of silicon nitride thin films deposited with PECVD at 80 °C for tunable silicon-rich SiN_x-SiO_y-based MEMS optical cavities. Varying the deposition parameters using SiH₄ and N₂ as precursor gases for silicon-rich SiN_x thin films allows us to tune the refractive index to a value as high as 2.40 ± 0.013 at an extinction coefficient of only 0.008, an extremely low surface roughness of only 0.26 nm, and a compressive stress of about 150 MPa. We deposited 6.5-layer pairs of silicon-rich SiN_x/SiO_y-distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror that covers the whole 1300 and 1550 nm range. Cavity architectures of 6.5 top and 6 bottom layer-pairs were fabricated in the clean room providing a variety of cavity lengths between 0.615 µm and 2.85 µm. These lengths were then simulated in order to estimate the Young’s Modulus of silicon-rich SiN_x, obtaining values from 56 to 92 GPa. One of the designs was characterised electro-thermally providing a tuning range of at least 86.7 nm centred at 1585 nm. The tunable filters are well suitable for implementation as tuning element in lasers for optical coherence tomography. Full article

This article provides a brief overview of the research on localized optical states called Tamm plasmons (TPs) and their potential applications, which have been extensively studied in recent decades. These states arise under the influence of incident light at the interface between a metal film and a medium with the properties of a Bragg mirror, or between two media with the properties of a Bragg mirror. The localization of the states in the interfacial region is a consequence of the negative dielectric constant of the metal and the presence of a photonic band gap of the Bragg reflector. Optically, TPs appear as resonant reflection dips or peaks in the transmission and absorption spectra in the region corresponding to the photonic band gap. The relative simplicity of creating a Tamm structure and the significant sensitivity of TPs to its parameters make them attractive for applications. The formation of broadband and tunable TP modes in hybrid structures containing, in particular, rugate filters and porous distributed Bragg reflectors are considered. Considerable attention is paid to TP designs that include liquid crystals, which allow for the remote tuning of the TP spectrum without the mechanical restructuring of the system. The application of TPs in sensors, thermal emitters, absorbers, laser generation, and the experimental capabilities of TP-liquid crystal devices are also discussed. Full article

This work investigates the changes in the optical response of photonic crystals based on porous silicon (PSi) as a function of temperature. Using the transfer matrix method in combination with thermo-optical properties, we numerically calculate the optical response of two types of photonic crystals: Distributed Bragg Reflectors (DBRs) and Fabry–Perot microcavities (FPMs). The results reveal that the photonic bandgap shifts with increasing temperature and pressure, with the defect mode in the microcavity notably shifting to longer wavelengths as the temperature rises. Additionally, we explore the transformation of PSi into porous quartz (PQz) via thermal oxidation, which preserves the porosity and multilayer structure, while altering the chemical composition. This results in geometrically identical photonic systems with distinct chemical properties, offering enhanced stability. Our simulations show that PSi structures exhibit a redshift in the photonic bandgap due to thermal expansion, while PQz structures remain optically stable even at elevated temperatures. This work highlights the potential of PQz as a robust material for high-temperature photonic applications, with tunable optical properties and stable performance under extreme conditions. The findings emphasize the feasibility of using porous-silicon-based photonic crystals for advanced optical devices in harsh environments. Full article

We reported on a single-longitudinal-mode operated distributed Bragg reflector laser diode emitting at 1950 nm with an on-chip integrated power amplifier. Second-order Chromium–Bragg gratings are carefully designed and fabricated at the end of the ridge waveguide. Achieving a stable single-mode operation with a large injecting current range of 800 mA from 15 °C to 40 °C. The maximum side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) is up to 42 dB. To increase the output power, an on-chip integrated master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) is also introduced. MOPA-DBR lasers with different matching configurations between the gain peak and Bragg wavelength are fabricated, resulting in various amplification consequences. The best device is realized with 40 nm red-shifted between Bragg wavelength and photoluminescence (PL) peak. A power amplification of 5.6 times is achieved with the maximum output power of 45 mW. Thus, we put up the feasibility and key design parameters of on-chip integrated power amplification DBR lasers towards mid-infrared. Full article

Vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers in UVA band (UVA VCSELs) operating at a central wavelength of 395 nm are designed by employing PICS3D(2021) software. The simulation results indicate that the thickness of the InGaN quantum well and GaN barrier layers affect the emission efficiency of UVA VCSELs greatly, suggesting an optimal thicknesses of 2.2 nm for the well layer and 2.7 nm for the barrier layer. Additionally, an overall consideration of threshold current, series resistance, photoelectric conversion efficiency, and optical output power results in the optimized thickness of the ITO current spreading layer, ~20 nm. Furthermore, by employing a five-pair Al_0.15Ga_0.85N/GaN multi-quantum barrier electron blocking layer (EBL) instead of a single Al_0.2Ga_0.8N EBL, the device shows a ~51% enhancement in the optical output power and a ~48% reduction in the threshold current. The number of distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) pairs also plays crucial roles in the device’s photoelectric performance. The device designed in this study demonstrates a minimum lasing threshold of 1.16 mA and achieves a maximum wall plug efficiency of approximately 5%, outperforming other similar studies. Full article

This paper presents a 3D-printed fully dielectric bi-material reflectarray with bandgap characteristics for multi-band applications. To achieve bandgap characteristics, a “1D Bragg reflector” unit cell is used. The latter is a layered structure characterized by a spatial distribution of refractive index that varies periodically along one dimension. By appropriately selecting the dimensions, the bandgap can be shifted to cover the desired frequency bands. To validate this bandgap characteristic, a (121.5 mm × 121.5 mm) with an f/D ratio of 0.5 reflectarray was fabricated. The measured gain at 27 GHz is 27.22 dBi, equivalent to an aperture efficiency of 35.05%, demonstrating good agreement between simulated and measured performances within the frequency range of 26–30 GHz. Additionally, the transparency of the reflectarray was verified by measuring the transmission coefficient, which exhibited a high level of transparency of 0.32 dB at 39 GHz. These features make the proposed reflectarray a good candidate for multi-band frequency applications. Full article

The circularly polarized laser sources are core components for many optical applications such as biomedicine, quantum technology, and AR/VR. However, conventional techniques make it difficult to further diminish the size of circularly polarized lasers. Thus, the high-contrast subwavelength chiral metasurface (HCCM) with a 980 nm operating wavelength is numerically investigated. The HCCM is composed of chiral metasurfaces modulating the circular dichroism of reflectance and 6 pairs of Distributed Bragg Reflectors (DBR) with 55% reflectivity. The reason that the HCCM has an ultra-high reflectivity (99.9%) at the operating wavelength of 980 nm is the combination of the optical refractive index difference between the GaAs metasurface and the AlOx substrate and weak destructive interference in the AlOx support layer. In addition, the circular dichroism of the chiral metasurfaces (2.1%) is mainly caused by the displacement of two square air holes in opposite directions, thus transforming the unit cell of the metasurface from C2 symmetry to chiral symmetry. The reflector has the advantages of a simple structure and miniaturization, which is expected to greatly reduce the fabrication difficulty and cost of the circular polarization VCSELs. Full article

We propose and analyze numerically new approaches to force the laser emission from VCSELs in a well-defined linear polarization independent of the existing phase and amplitude anisotropies by using dielectric columnar thin-film (CTF) layers in the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). In one approach, we have demonstrated CTF-VCSELs with top DBR consisting of two alternating CTF layers grown in orthogonally oriented planes and with high and low refractive index for one linear polarization while having the same value of the refractive index value for the orthogonal linear polarization. Such CTF-VCSELs have large dichroism of the mirror losses for two orthogonal linear polarizations. We have also shown DBR designs with parallel columnar orientations of the two CTF dielectric materials. In a second approach, we implement only one CTF layer in the dielectric DBR chosen in such a way that only one linearly polarized longitudinal mode is resonant in the CTF-VCSEL while light with the orthogonally oriented linear polarization is out of resonance and thus cannot lase. Simple estimation of the polarization mode suppression ratio for the different exemplary designs of CTF-VCSELs based on $Ti{O}_2$ and $Ta{O}_2$ dielectric CTFs results in values as high as 80 dB, which compares favorably to the existing alternative approaches. Full article

The utilization of a nanoporous (NP) GaN fabricated by electrochemical etching has been demonstrated to be effective in the fabrication of a high-performance ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD). However, the NP-GaN PD typically exhibits a low light-dark current ratio and slow light response speed. In this study, we present three types of UV PDs based on an unetched GaN, NP-GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), and NP-GaN-DBR with a Ga₂O₃ single-crystal film (Ga₂O₃/NP-GaN-DBR). The unetched GaN PD does not exhibit a significant photoresponse. Compared to the NP-GaN-DBR PD device, the Ga₂O₃/NP-GaN-DBR PD demonstrates a larger light-dark current ratio (6.14 × 10³) and higher specific detectivity (8.9 × 10¹⁰ Jones) under 365 nm at 5 V bias due to its lower dark current (3.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ A). This reduction in the dark current can be attributed to the insertion of the insulating Ga₂O₃ between the metal and the NP-GaN-DBR, which provides a thicker barrier thickness and higher barrier height. Additionally, the Ga₂O₃/NP-GaN-DBR PD device exhibits shorter rise/decay times (0.33/0.23 s) than the NP-GaN-DBR PD, indicating that the growth of a Ga₂O₃ layer on the DBR effectively reduces the trap density within the NP-GaN DBR structure. Although the device with a Ga₂O₃ layer presents low photoresponsivity (0.1 A/W), it should be feasible to use Ga₂O₃ as a dielectric layer based on the above-mentioned reasons. Full article

This article presents the results of a numerical analysis of a nitride-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The analyzed laser features an upper mirror composed of a monolithic high-contrast grating (MHCG) and a dielectric bottom mirror made of SiO₂ and Ta₂O₅ materials. The emitter was designed for light emission at a wavelength of 403 nm. We analyze the influence of the size of the dielectric bottom mirrors on the operation of the laser, including its power–current–voltage (LIV) characteristics. We also study the effect of changing the electrical aperture radius (active area dimensions). We demonstrate that the appropriate selection of these two parameters enables the temperature inside the laser to be reduced, lowering the laser threshold current and increasing its optical power output significantly. Full article

We demonstrate substrate-emitting resonant cavity interband cascade light emitting diodes (RCICLEDs) based on a single distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). These devices operate in continuous wave mode at room temperature. Compared to standard ICLEDs without a cavity, we achieved an 89% reduction in the emission spectrum width, as indicated by the Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of 70 nm. Furthermore, we observed far-field narrowing and improved thermal stability. A single DBR configuration allows the cavity length to be adjusted by adding refractive index-matched material to the top of the epitaxial structure after epitaxial growth. This modification effectively shifts the cavity response towards longer wavelengths. We fabricated emitters comprising two cavities of different lengths, resulting in the emission of two distinct spectral lines that can be independently controlled. This dual-color capability enables one of the emission lines to serve as a built-in reference channel, making these LEDs highly suitable for cost-effective gas-sensing applications. Full article

Fabry–Perot interferometers (FPIs), comprising foundry-compatible dielectric thin films on sapphire wafer substrates, were investigated for possible use in chemical sensing. Specifically, structures comprising two vertically stacked distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), with the lower DBR between a sapphire substrate and a silicon-oxide (SiO₂) resonator layer and the other DBR on top of this resonator layer, were investigated for operation in the near-ultraviolet (near-UV) range. The DBRs are composed of a stack of nitride-rich silicon-nitride (SiN_x) layers for the higher index and SiO₂ layers for the lower index. An exemplary application would be formaldehyde detection at sub-ppm concentrations in air, using UV absorption spectroscopy in the 300–360 nm band, while providing spectral selectivity against the main interfering gases, notably NO₂ and O₃. Although SiN_x thin films are conventionally used only for visible and near-infrared optical wavelengths (above 450 nm) because of high absorbance at lower wavelengths, this work shows that nitride-rich SiN_x is suitable for near-UV wavelengths. The interplay between spectral absorbance, transmittance and reflectance in a FPI is presented in a comparative study between one FPI design using stoichiometric material (Si₃N₄) and two designs based on N-rich compositions, SiN_1.39 and SiN_1.49. Spectral measurements confirm that if the design accounts for phase penetration depth, sufficient performance can be achieved with the SiN_1.49-based FPI design for gas absorption spectroscopy in near-UV, with peak transmission at 330 nm of 64%, a free spectral range (FSR) of 20 nm and a full-width half-magnitude spectral resolution (FWHM) of 2 nm. Full article

In this work, we propose a sensor based on Tamm plasmonic resonance; the structure is composed of gold nanoribbons deposited on a Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) (SiO₂/Si₃N₄)₆. We have enhanced the sensitivity of our sensor from 40 nm/RIU to 200 nm/RIU for a refractive index change of 1% by replacing the last layer of Si₃N₄ in contact with gold with porous Si₃N₄ with a porosity of p = 40%. Full article

Thin metal layers such as silver (Ag) are being utilized for various optical and plasmonic applications as well as for electrical purposes, e.g., as transparent electrodes in display devices or solar cells. This paper focuses on optical MEMS applications such as the Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI). Within such filters, reflector materials such as distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) or subwavelength gratings (SWGs) have been widely used so far, whereas metallic thin films (MTFs) were limited in application due to their comparatively higher absorption. In this paper, thin sputtered Ag layers with thicknesses of 20, 40 and 60 nm on glass substrates have been investigated, and it is shown that the absorption is very low in the visible spectral range (VIS) and increases only in near-infrared (NIR) with increasing wavelength. Thus, we consider Ag-thin layers to be an interesting reflector material at least for the VIS range, which can be easily fabricated and integrated. However, Ag is not inert and stable when exposed to the atmosphere. Hence, it needs a passivation material. For this purpose, AlN has been chosen in this contribution, which can be deposited by sputtering as well. In this contribution, we have chosen thin AlN layers for this purpose, which can also be deposited by sputtering. Thus, various AlN/Ag/AlN-reflector stacks were created and patterned by lift-off technology preferably. The fabricated reflectors were characterized with respect to adhesion, stress, cohesion, homogeneity, and most importantly, their optical properties. It was found that the thickness of the AlN can be used to adjust the reflectance–transmittance ratio in the VIS range, and influences the adsorption in the NIR range as well. Based on the measured values of the reflectors with 40 nm Ag, an exemplary transmission filter characteristics has been predicted for a wavelength range from 400 to 800 nm. Both the maximum transmittance and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) can be tuned by variation of the AlN thickness from 20 to 60 nm. Full article