Controlled growth of poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) brushes via atom transfer radical polymerisation on planar silicon surfaces

Progress in making pH-responsive polyelectrolyte brushes with a range of different grafting densities is reported. Polymer brushes of poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) were synthesised via atom transfer radical polymerisation on silicon wafers using a 'grafted from' approach. The [11-(2-bromo-2-methyl) propionyloxy]undecyl trichlorosilane initiator was covalently attached to the silicon via silylation, from which the brushes were grown using a catalytic system of copper(I) chloride and pentamethyldiethylenetriamine in tetrahydrofuran at 80°C. X-ray reflectivity was used to assess the initiator surfaces and an upper limit on the grafting density of the polymer was determined. The quality of the brushes produced was analysed using ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy, which is also discussed.

Dynamic two-axis curvature measurement using multicore fiber Bragg gratings interrogated by arrayed waveguide gratings

We describe the use of arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) in the interrogation of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) for dynamic strain measurement. The ratiometric AWG output was calibrated in a static deflection experiment over a ±200 με range. Dynamic strain measurement was demonstrated with a FBG in a conventional single-mode fiber mounted on the surface of a vibrating cantilever and on a piezoelectric actuator, giving a resolution of 0.5 με at 2.4 kHz. We present results of this technique extended to measure the dynamic differential strain between two FBG pairs within a multicore fiber. An arbitrary cantilever oscillation of the multicore fiber was determined from curvature measurements in two orthogonal axes at 1125 Hz with a resolution of 0.05 m-1. © 2006 Optical Society of America.

Interferometric and fibre Bragg grating sensor interrogation using an arrayed waveguide grating

We investigate the use of an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) to interrogate both fibre Bragg grating (FBG) and interferometric sensors. A broadband light source is used to illuminate both the FBG and interferometric sensors. Reflected spectral information is directed to an AWG with integral photodetectors providing 40 electrical outputs. To interrogate interferometric sensors we investigated the dual wavelength technique to measure the distance of a Fabry-Perot cavity, which produced a maximum unambiguous range of 1440μm with an active sensor. Three methods are described to interrogate FBG sensors. The first technique makes use of the reflected light intensity in an AWG channel passband from a narrow bandwidth grating, giving a usable range of 500με and a dynamic strain resolution of 96nε/√Hz at 30Hz. The second approach utilises wide gratings larger than the channel spacing of the AWG; by monitoring the intensity present in corresponding AWG channels an improved range of 1890με was achieved. The third method improves the dynamic range by utilising a heterodyne approach based on interferometric wavelength shift detection providing a dynamic strain resolution of 17nε/√Hz at 30Hz.

Mode locking of semiconductor laser with curved waveguide and passive mode expander

Active mode locking is reported for a 1.55 μm semiconductor laser with a curved waveguide and passive mode expander, placed in a wavelength tunable external cavity. One facet with a very low reflectivity of 8×10−6 is achieved through a curved active region that tapers into an underlying passive waveguide, thus expanding the mode to give reduced divergence. 10 GHz pulses of 3.1 ps duration have been generated, with a linewidth of 0.81 nm.

Efficient yellow-green light generation at 561 nm by frequency-doubling of a QD-FBG laser diode in a PPLN waveguide

A compact high-power yellow-green continuous wave (CW) laser source based on second-harmonic generation (SHG) in a 5% MgO doped periodically poled congruent lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide crystal pumped by a quantum-dot fiber Bragg grating (QD-FBG) laser diode is demonstrated. A frequency-doubled power of 90.11 mW at the wavelength of 560.68 nm with a conversion efficiency of 52.4% is reported. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the highest output power and conversion efficiency achieved to date in this spectral region from a diode-pumped PPLN waveguide crystal, which could prove extremely valuable for the deployment of such a source in a wide range of biomedical applications.

Sensing applications of arrayed waveguide grating devices

Progress in optical fibre sensor research has often been achieved by taking advantage of components developed for use in telecommunications, where the greater existing market is able to support the rapid commercialisation of novel devices. In the last few years there has been considerable interest in the telecommunications community in deploying arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) produced in a range of technologies in a variety of roles. We feel it is therefore surprising that there have been very few reports of research into using AWGs for sensing. In this paper we consider some possible roles for these devices in interrogation systems for interferometric and fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors.

Numerical solution of parabolic Cauchy problems in planar corner domains

An iterative method for the parabolic Cauchy problem in planar domains having a finite number of corners is implemented based on boundary integral equations. At each iteration, mixed well-posed problems are solved for the same parabolic operator. The presence of corner points renders singularities of the solutions to these mixed problems, and this is handled with the use of weight functions together with, in the numerical implementation, mesh grading near the corners. The mixed problems are reformulated in terms of boundary integrals obtained via discretization of the time-derivative to obtain an elliptic system of partial differential equations. To numerically solve these integral equations a Nyström method with super-algebraic convergence order is employed. Numerical results are presented showing the feasibility of the proposed approach. © 2014 IMACS.

Direct laser writing of a channel waveguide in Al2O3:Nd thin film

The femtosecond laser modification of refractive index in amorphous Al2O3:Nd thin film prepared by rf magnetron sputtering is investigated. Modifications of the refractive index in a sample with a single Al2O3:Nd layer and in a sample composed of the Al2O3:Nd layer and SiO2 layer on the top were compared. Advantages arising from addition of the SiO2 layer are shown. The film was patterned in order to form an active waveguide. Waveguide loss and mode composition were investigated experimentally and theoretically. Spectrum and kinetics of luminescence in the region of 1.06 μm were measured.

Thermalized polarization dynamics of a discrete optical-waveguide system with four-wave mixing

Statistical mechanics of two coupled vector fields is studied in the tight-binding model that describes propagation of polarized light in discrete waveguides in the presence of the four-wave mixing. The energy and power conservation laws enable the formulation of the equilibrium properties of the polarization state in terms of the Gibbs measure with positive temperature. The transition line T=∞ is established beyond which the discrete vector solitons are created. Also in the limit of the large nonlinearity an analytical expression for the distribution of Stokes parameters is obtained, which is found to be dependent only on the statistical properties of the initial polarization state and not on the strength of nonlinearity. The evolution of the system to the final equilibrium state is shown to pass through the intermediate stage when the energy exchange between the waveguides is still negligible. The distribution of the Stokes parameters in this regime has a complex multimodal structure strongly dependent on the nonlinear coupling coefficients and the initial conditions.

Assembly accuracy analysis for small components with a planar surface in large-scale metrology

Large-scale mechanical products, such as aircraft and rockets, consist of large numbers of small components, which introduce additional difficulty for assembly accuracy and error estimation. Planar surfaces as key product characteristics are usually utilised for positioning small components in the assembly process. This paper focuses on assembly accuracy analysis of small components with planar surfaces in large-scale volume products. To evaluate the accuracy of the assembly system, an error propagation model for measurement error and fixture error is proposed, based on the assumption that all errors are normally distributed. In this model, the general coordinate vector is adopted to represent the position of the components. The error transmission functions are simplified into a linear model, and the coordinates of the reference points are composed by theoretical value and random error. The installation of a Head-Up Display is taken as an example to analyse the assembly error of small components based on the propagation model. The result shows that the final coordination accuracy is mainly determined by measurement error of the planar surface in small components. To reduce the uncertainty of the plane measurement, an evaluation index of measurement strategy is presented. This index reflects the distribution of the sampling point set and can be calculated by an inertia moment matrix. Finally, a practical application is introduced for validating the evaluation index.

Miniature slow light delay lines and buffers:a review

Miniature planar waveguide and fiber-based delay lines and buffers including slow light resonant structures and devices are reviewed.