Corner effects in reflecting oblique shock-wave/boundarylayer interactions

A separated oblique shock reflection on the floor of a rectangular cross-section wind tunnel has been investigated at M=2.5. The study aims to determine if and how separations occurring in the corners influence the main interaction as observed around the centreline of the floor. By changing the size of the corner separations through localised suction and small corner obstructions it was shown that the shape of the separated region in the centre was altered considerably. The separation length along the floor centreline was also modified by changes to the corner separation. A simple physical model has been proposed to explain the coupling between these separated regions based on the existence of compression or shock waves caused by the displacement effect of corner separation. These corner shocks alter the adverse pressure gradient imposed on the boundary-layer elsewhere which can lead to local reductions or increases of separation length. It is suggested that a typical oblique shock wave/boundary-layer interaction in rectangular channels features several zones depending on the relative position of the corner shocks and the main incident shock wave. Based on these findings the dependence of centre-line separation length on effective wind tunnel width is hypothesised. This requires further verification through experiments or computation. © 2013 by H. Babinsky.

Ultrafast and widely tuneable vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser, mode-locked by a graphene-integrated distributed Bragg reflector

We report a versatile and cost-effective way of controlling the unsaturated loss, modulation depth and saturation fluence of graphene-based saturable absorbers (GSAs), by changing the thickness of a spacer between SLG and a high-reflection mirror. This allows us to modulate the electric field intensity enhancement at the GSA from 0 up to 400%, due to the interference of incident and reflected light at the mirror. The unsaturated loss of the SLG-mirror-assembly can be reduced to$\sim$0. We use this to mode-lock a VECSEL from 935 to 981nm. This approach can be applied to integrate SLG into various optical components, such as output coupler mirrors, dispersive mirrors, dielectric coatings on gain materials. Conversely, it can also be used to increase absorption (up to 10%) in various graphene based photonics and optoelectronics devices, such as photodetectors.

Theoretical study of line narrowing in a sub-terahertz monolithic dual laser source with an integrated reflector

A monolithic design is proposed for low-noise sub-THz signal generation by integrating a reflector onto a dual laser source. The reflectivity and the position of such a reflector can be adjusted to obtain constructive feedback from the reflector to both lasers, thus causing a Vernier feedback effect. As a result, 10-fold line narrowing, the narrowing being limited by the resolution of the simulation, is predicted using a transmission line model. Finally, a simple control scheme using an electrical feedback loop to adjust laser biases is proposed to maintain the line narrowing performance. This line narrowing technique, comprising a passive integrated reflector, could allow the development of a low-cost, compact and energy-efficient solution for high-purity sub-THz signal generation. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2014.

FREQUENCY AND TEMPORAL COHERENCE PROPERTIES OF DISTRIBUTED BRAGG REFLECTOR LASER

This article presents the investigation of frequency and temporal coherence properties of distributed Bragg reflector laser. In this scheme, a square-wavefrom voltage is applied to the phase section of the laser to little optical wavelength, and delayed optical heterodyne technique is used for the analysis of spectral characteristics. Experiments show that lightwaves emitted from the same active region asynchronously are partially frequency and temporal coherent. When the two wavelengths are closer, the two waves are strong v coherent, and the coherence properties get weak as the delay v time increases. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Left 52: 822-825, 2010 Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25031

Passively mode-locked YVO4/Nd : YVO4 composite crystal laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber as a high reflector

A passively mode-locked diode end-pumped YVO4/Nd:YVO4 composite crystal laser with a five-mirror folded cavity was first demonstrated in this paper by using a low temperature semiconductor saturable absorber mirror grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Both the Q-switching and continuous-wave mode locking operation were realized experimentally. A stable averaged output power of 10.15 W with pulse width of about 11.2-ps at a repetition rate of 113 MHz was obtained, and the optical-to-optical efficiency of 43% was achieved.

Self-starting mode-locked femtosecond Ti : sapphire laser using saturable, Bragg reflector(SBR)

Stable self-starting mode-locking states in a compact Ti: sapphire laser incorporating a home-made SBR with low loss double quanturn-well and low temperature and surface state hybrid absorber are investigated experimentally. The three mode-locking states, i.e. the passive mode-locking with a saturable absorber, the solition mode-locking and the Kerr-lens mode-locking have been successfully demonstrated. In this laser, chirped mirrors are used for dispersion compensation, and the 18 fs pulses are produced from the Kerr-lens mode-locking at 4.5W pump power, and output power is 150mW.

Design, fabrication, and characterization of an ultracompact low-loss photonic crystal corner mirror

An ultracompact, low-loss, and broad-band corner mirror, based on photonic crystals, is investigated in this paper. Based on the theoretical analysis of the loss mechanism, the boundary layers of the photonic crystal region are revised to improve the extra losses, and the transmission characteristics are evaluated by using the 3-D finite-difference time-domain method. The device with optimized structure was fabricated on silicon-on-insulator substrate by using electron-beam lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching. The measured extra losses are about 1.1 +/- 0.4 dB per corner mirror for transverse-electronic polarization for the scanning wavelength range of 1510-1630 nm. Dimensions of the achieved PC corner mirror are less than ;7 x 7 mu m(2), which are only about one tenth of conventional wave-guide corner mirrors.

Realization of an ultracompact low-loss photonic crystal corner mirror

We report on the realization and characterization of an ultracompact, low-loss, and broadband corner mirror based on photonic crystals (PCs). By modifying the boundary layers of the PC region, extra losses of 1.1 +/- 0.4 dB per corner mirror are achieved for transverse-electronic polarization for silicon-on-insulator ridge waveguides fabricated by electron beam lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching. Dimensions of the PC corner mirror are less than 7 x 7 mu m(2), which are only about one tenth of conventional waveguide corner mirrors.

Novel folding 8x8 silicon-based optical matrix switch with tapered waveguides and self-aligned corner mirrors

Novel folding 8 x 8 matrix switches based on silicon on insulator were demonstrated. In the design, single-mode rib waveguides and multimode interferences are connected by optimized tapered waveguides to reduce the mode coupling loss between the two types of waveguides. The self-aligned method was applied to the key integrated turning mirrors for perfect positions and low loss of them. A mixed etching process including inductively coupled plasma and chemical etching was employed to etch waveguides and mirrors, respectively. The compact size of the device is only 20 x 3.2 mm(2). The switch element with high switching speed and low power consumption is presented in the matrix. The average insertion loss of the matrix is about -21 dB, and the excess loss of one mirror is measured of -1.4 dB. The worst crosstalk is larger than 21 dB. Experimental results illuminate that some of the main characteristics of optical matrix switches are. developed in the modified design, which is in accord with theoretic analyses.

Si1-xGex/Si resonant-cavity-enhanced photodetectors with a silicon-on-oxide reflector operating near 1.3 mu m

We report on a Si1-xGex/Si multiple quantum-well resonant-cavity-enhanced (RCE) photodetector with a silicon-on-oxide reflector as the bottom mirror operating near 1.3 mu m. The breakdown voltage of the photodetector is above 18 V and the dark current density at 5 V reverse bias is 12 pA/mu m(2). The RCE photodetector shows enhanced responsivity with a clear peak at 1.285 mu m and the peak responsivity is measured around 10.2 mA/W at a reverse bias of 5 V. The external quantum efficiency at 1.3 mu m is measured to be 3.5% under reverse bias of 16 V, which is enhanced three- to fourfold compared with that of a conventional p-i-n photodetector with a Ge content of 0.5 reported in 1995 by Huang [Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 566 (1995)]. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00628-8].

Wavelength tunable distributed Bragg reflector laser integrated with electro-absorption modulator by a combined method of selective area growth and quantum well intermixing - art. no. 68240N

Wavelength tunable electro-absorption modulated distributed Bragg reflector lasers (TEMLs) are promising light source in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical fiber communication system due to high modulation speed, small chirp, low drive voltage, compactness and fast wavelength tuning ability. Thus, increased the transmission capacity, the functionality and the flexibility are provided. Materials with bandgap difference as large as 250nm have been integrated on the same wafer by a combined technique of selective area growth (SAG) and quantum well intermixing (QWI), which supplies a flexible and controllable platform for the need of photonic integrated circuits (PIC). A TEML has been fabricated by this technique for the first time. The component has superior characteristics as following: threshold current of 37mA, output power of 3.5mW at 100mA injection and 0V modulator bias voltage, extinction ratio of more than 20 dB with modulator reverse voltage from 0V to 2V when coupled into a single mode fiber, and wavelength tuning range of 4.4nm covering 6 100-GHz WDM channels. A clearly open eye diagram is observed when the integrated EAM is driven with a 10-Gb/s electrical NRZ signal. A good transmission characteristic is exhibited with power penalties less than 2.2 dB at a bit error ratio (BER) of 10(-10) after 44.4 km standard fiber transmission.

Theoretical and Experimental Studies of an Ultra-compact Photonic Crystal Corner Mirror Based on Silicon-On-Insulator

An ultra-compact silicon-on-insulator based photonic crystal corner mirror is designed and optimized. A sample is then successfully fabricated with extra losses 1.1 +/- 0.4dB for transverse-electronic (M) polarization for wavelength range of 1510-1630nm.

Offset quantum-well method for tunable distributed Bragg reflector lasers and electro-absorption modulated distributed feedback lasers

A two-section offset quantum-well structure tunable laser with a tuning range of 7 nm was fabricated using offset quantum-well inethod. The distributed Bragg reflector （DBR） was realized just by selectively wet etching the multiquantum-well （MQW） layer above the quaternary lower waveguide. A threshold current of 32 mA and an output power of 9 mW at 100 mA were achieved. Furthermore, with this offset structure method, a distributed feedback （DFB） laser was integrated with an electro-absorption modulator （EAM）, which was capable of producing 20 dB of optical extinction.

An Integratable Distributed Bragg Reflector Laser by Low-Energy Ion Implantation Induced Quantum Well Intermixing

An integratable distributed Bragg reflector laser is fabricated by low-energy ion implantation induced quantum well intermixing. A 4.6nm quasi-continuous wavelength tuning range is achieved by controlling phase current and grating current simultaneously,and side mode suppression ratio maintains over 30dB throughout the tuning range except a few mode jump points.

Self-aligned Coupled Waveguide Distributed Bragg Reflector Lasers

A novel self-aligned coupled waveguide (SACW) multi-quantum-well (MQW) distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser is proposed and demonstrated for the first time. By selectively removing the MQW layer and leaving the low SCH/SACW layer the Bragg grating is partially formed on this layer. By optimizing the thickness of the low SCH/SACW layer, a ～80% coupling efficiency between the MQW gain region and the passive region are obtained. The typical threshold current of the SACW DBR laser is 39 mA, the slope efficiency can reach to 0.2 mW/mA and the output power is more than 20 mW with a more than 30dB side mode suppression ratio.