Polarisation dependent all-optical nonlinearity far from the bandedge in active GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well waveguides

This paper describes a measurement on a GaAs quantum well waveguide with a high built in field across the quantum wells at a wavelength far from the bandedge. The device structure used for the measurement has been fabricated at STC Technology Ltd and is that of a standard laser ridge structure. In fabrication double heterostructure layers are grown on a [001] n + GaAs substrate, with the active region containing two intrinsic GaAs quantum wells of 10nm thickness separated by 10nm. A 4μm wide ridge is etched to provide transverse optical guiding. The experimental work has involved the use of 1.06μm wavelength light from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Any induced change in refractive index is determined by measuring the change in transmission of the quantum well waveguide Fabry-Perot cavity. The waveguide is placed on a Peltier temperature controller to allow thermal tuning.

High power short pulse generation at high repetition rate from InGaN violet laser diodes

The generation of 22 ps pulses with peak powers of 0.74 W by a gain-switched InGaN violet laser diode is reported. Significant pulse width dependence on repetition rate is observed. © 2011 OSA.

A modular planar robotic manipulandum with end-point torque control.

Robotic manipulanda are extensively used in investigation of the motor control of human arm movements. They permit the application of translational forces to the arm based on its state and can be used to probe issues ranging from mechanisms of neural control to biomechanics. However, most current designs are optimized for studying either motor learning or stiffness. Even fewer include end-point torque control which is important for the simulation of objects and the study of tool use. Here we describe a modular, general purpose, two-dimensional planar manipulandum (vBOT) primarily optimized for dynamic learning paradigms. It employs a carbon fibre arm arranged as a parallelogram which is driven by motors via timing pulleys. The design minimizes the intrinsic dynamics of the manipulandum without active compensation. A novel variant of the design (WristBOT) can apply torques at the handle using an add-on cable drive mechanism. In a second variant (StiffBOT) a more rigid arm can be substituted and zero backlash belts can be used, making the StiffBOT more suitable for the study of stiffness. The three variants can be used with custom built display rigs, mounting, and air tables. We investigated the performance of the vBOT and its variants in terms of effective end-point mass, viscosity and stiffness. Finally we present an object manipulation task using the WristBOT. This demonstrates that subjects can perceive the orientation of the principal axis of an object based on haptic feedback arising from its rotational dynamics.

Comparison of different scheduling techniques for H-infinity controllers

Several approaches to designing schedule H-infinity control systems are compared. These include a controller switching approach and also parameter scheduling of an observer representation of the controller. They are illustrated by application to a Generic VSTOI. Aircraft Model (GVAM) supplied by The Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) at Bedford. The switched design has been tested on the simulator at RAE Bedford. The linear H-infinity designs make use of a loop-shaping followed by robust stabilisation to additive perturbations of a normalised coprime factorisation of the shaped plans. The different scheduling approaches are compared with respect to achieved robust stability levels. performance and complexity of implementation.

First demonstration of two photon absorption in a semiconductor waveguide pumped by a diode laser

For the first time, lasers have been used to induce a fast all-optical nonresonant nonlinearity at wavelengths well beyond the band edge in a GaAs/GaAlAs multiquantum well waveguide. Using a Q-switched diode laser, which gave optical pulses of 3.5 ps duration and 7 W peak power, an intensity-dependent transmission was recorded that was consistent with the presence of two photon absorption in the waveguide. The measured two photon absorption coefficient was 11 ± 2cm/GW.

Evaluation of two-phase induction motor drives for low-cost applications

An experimental evaluation of small two-phase induction motor drives operating with different inverter topologies is described. Results show that a PWM-based four-switch inverter, having only low-side switches is attractive for high-speed low-cost applications where speeds greater than those that can be obtained using single phase induction motors are required.

Nonlinear pulse switching and compression in a dispersion-imbalanced loop mirror

The results of the high-quality nonlinear pulse compression of gain-switched laser diode pulses using a two-cascade compression scheme are presented. The scheme incorporates a dispersive delay line and a nonlinear pulse compressor based on a dispersion-imbalanced fiber loop mirror (DILM). It is demonstrated that the DILM can be also used for the pulse compression with a compression ratio of 10 or higher.

Picosecond pulse source for OTDM/WDM applications based on arrayed waveguide grating

A novel technique for high quality femtosecond pulse generation from a gain-switched laser diode by means of pulse compression and transformation in a compact nonlinear fiber device, based on a dispersion-imbalanced fiber loop mirror (DILM) is demonstrated. This source allows the generation of extremely high quality pulses as short as 270 fs on demand with strong suppression of pulse pedestals. Spectral filtering in arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) converts the device into a compact multiwavelength source of high-quality picosecond pulses for optical time division multiplexing/wavelength division multiplexing applications.

On the domain decomposition and transmission line modelling finite element method for time-domain induction motor analysis

This paper demonstrates how a finite element model which exploits domain decomposition is applied to the analysis of three-phase induction motors. It is shown that a significant gain in cpu time results when compared with standard finite element analysis. Aspects of the application of the method which are particular to induction motors are considered: the means of improving the convergence of the nonlinear finite element equations; the choice of symmetrical sub-domains; the modelling of relative movement; and the inclusion of periodic boundary conditions. © 1999 IEEE.

Viewing the future

As many industrial organizations have learned to apply roadmapping successfully, they have also learned that it is "roadmapping" rather than "the roadmap" that generates value. This two-part special report has focused primarily on product and technology roadmapping in industry. The first part (RTM, March-April 2003, pp. 26-59) examined the workings of the process at Lucent Technologies, Rockwell Automation, the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry, and United Kingdom-based Domino Printing Sciences. This second part examines roadmapping in the UK, Motorola, General Motors, the services sector, and in cases that demand major investment decisions under conditions of volatility.

Duty cycle and modelling considerations in three-phase induction motor drives for washing machines

Three-phase induction motors offer significant advantages over commutator motors in some domestic appliances. Models for wide speed range three-phase induction motors for use in a horizontal axis washing machine have been developed using the MEGA finite element package with an external formulation for calculating iron losses. Motor loss predictions have been verified using a novel high accuracy calorimeter. Good agreement has been observed over a wide speed range at different loadings. The model is used to predict motor temperature rise under typical washing machine loading conditions to ensure its limiting temperature is not exceeded and enables alternative designs to be investigated without recourse to physical prototypes. © 2005 IEEE.

Impact of PWM schemes on induction motor losses

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the impact of pulse width modulation (PWM) switching schemes on power losses in induction motors and their inverter drives. The PWM schemes considered include sinusoidal PWM, spacevector PWM and discontinuous PWM. Both experimental results and simulated predictions are presented for fractional horsepower and small integral horsepower motors. Direct loss measurements have been carried out using a calorimetric test rig; detailed simulations of the skewed motors have been carried out using multi-slice time-stepped 2D FEA. The simulated and measured losses under the different modulation schemes are compared and discussed. © 2006 IEEE.

Bimesogenic liquid crystals: New materials for high performance flexoelectric and blue phase displays

In this paper we will describe new bimesogenic nematic liquid crystals that have high flexoelectro-optic coefficients (e/K),of the order of 1.5 CN 1 m-1, high switching angles, up to 100° and fast response times, of the order of 100μs or less. We will describe devices constructed, using the ULH texture that may be switched to the optimum angle of 45° for a birefringence based device with the fields of 4Vμm-1 over a wide temperature range. Such devices use an "in plane" optical switching mode, have gray scale capability and a wide viewing angle. We will describe devices using the USH or Grandjean texture that have an optically isotropic "field off" black state, uses "in plane" switching E fields, to give an induced birefringence phase device, with switching times of the order of 20μs. We will briefly describe new highly reflective Blue Phase devices stable over a 50V temperature range in which an electric field is used to switch the reflection from red to green, for example. Full RGB reflections may be obtained with switching times of a few milliseconds. Finally we will briefly mention potential applications including high efficiency RGB liquid crystal laser sources. © 2006 SID.

Low-cost, scalable optical packet switching networks with multi-wavelength labels

We propose a self-forwarding packet-switched optical network with bit-parallel multi-wavelength labels. We experimentally demonstrate transmission of variable-length optical packets over 80 km of fiber and switching over a 1×4 multistage switch with two stages. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

The silicon backplane design for an LCOS polarization-insensitive phase hologram SLM

Polarization-insensitivity is achieved in a reflective spatial light modulator by laying a quarter-wave plate (QWP) at the incident wavelength directly over the mirror pixels of a silicon backplane, and forming a nematle Fréedrickcz cell over the QWP to modulate the reflected phase. To achieve the highest drive voltage from the available silicon process, a switched voltage common front electrode design is described, with variable amplitude square wave drive to the pixels to maintain constant root-mean-square drive and minimize phase fluctuations during the dc balance refresh cycle. The silicon has been fabricated and liquid-crystal-on-silicon cells both with and without the QWP assembled; applications include optically transparent switches for optical networks, beam steering for add-drop multiplexers for wavelength-division- multiplexing telecommunications, television multicast, and holographic projection.