Wideband two-port beam splitter of a binary fused-silica phase grating

The usual beam splitter of multilayer-coated film with a wideband spectrum is not easy to achieve. We describe the realization of a wideband transmission two-port beam splitter based on a binary fused-silica phase grating. To achieve high efficiency and equality in the diffracted 0th and -1st orders, the grating profile parameters are optimized using rigorous coupled-wave analysis at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Holographic recording and the inductively coupled plasma dry etching technique are used to fabricate the fused-silica beam splitter grating. The measured efficiency of (45% x 2) = 90% diffracted into the both orders can be obtained with the fabricated grating under Littrow mounting. The physical mechanism of such a wideband two-port beam splitter grating can be well explained by the modal method based on two-beam interference of the modes excited by the incident wave. With the high damage threshold, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and wideband high efficiency, the presented beam splitter etched in fused silica should be a useful optical element for a variety of practical applications. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Modal analysis of deep-etched low-contrast two-port beam splitter grating

Modal analysis of a deep-etched low-contrast two-port beam splitter grating under Littrow Mounting is presented. The guideline for the design of a subwavelength transmission fused-silica phase grating as high-efficiency grating, polarizing beam splitter (PBS), and two-port beam splitter, is summarized. As an example, a polarization-independent two-port beam splitter grating is designed at wavelength of 1064 nm. We firstly analyzed the physical essence of the grating by the simplified modal method. The guideline for the grating design and the approximate grating parameters are obtained. Then using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) with parameters varying around the approximate ones, Optimum grating parameters can be determined. With the design guideline, the time for the rigorous calculation of the grating profile parameters can be reduced significantly. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Three-port beam splitter of a binary fused-silica grating

A deep-etched polarization-independent binary fused-silica phase grating as a three-port beam splitter is designed and manufactured. The grating profile is optimized by use of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis around the 785 nm wavelength. The physical explanation of the grating is illustrated by the modal method. Simple analytical expressions of the diffraction efficiencies and modal guidelines for the three-port beam splitter grating design are given. Holographic recording technology and inductively coupled plasma etching are used to manufacture the fused-silica grating. Experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical values. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Talbot effect of a high-density grating under femtosecond laser illumination

The Talbot effect of a high-density grating under femtosecond laser illumination is analyzed with rigorous electromagnetic theory which is based on the Fourier decomposition and the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA). Numerical simulations show that the contrast of the Talbot images steadily decreases as the transmitted femtosecond laser pulses propagate forward and with wider spectrum width of the femtosecond laser pulses. The Talbot images of high-density gratings have much higher sensitivity of the spectrum widths of the incident laser pulses than those of the traditional low-density gratings. In experiments, the spectrums and the pulse widths of the incident pulses are measured with a frequency-resolved optical grating (FROG) apparatus. The Talbot images are detected by using a Talbot scanning near-field optical microscopy (Talbot-SNOM) technique, which are in coincidence with the numerical simulations. This effect should be useful for developing new femtosecond laser techniques and devices. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous phase-shifting ellipsometry based on grating beamsplitter

Simultaneous phase-shifting ellipsometry based on a grating beamsplitter is presented. In the corresponding setup, an orthogonal grating and analyzer array are used. The latter is composed of four separate analyzers arranged in a 2x2 grid, the polarization axes of which are set to 0, 45, 90, and 135 deg. A mask allows only four diffracted beams of the fist order, having the same optical intensities, to pass. Each beam is incident on one of the analyzers of the array. The intensities of the four beams are simultaneously detected by a quadrant detector. The ellipsometric parameters are obtained using the four intensity signals. The feasibility of simultaneous phase shifting ellipsometry is thus demonstrated. (C) 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Instabilities in a grating feedback external cavity semiconductor laser

Output power fluctuations in a grating external cavity diode laser with Littman configuration are described, showing peculiar chaotic behaviors of self-pulsation at the L-I curve kink points. Different spectral characteristics with multiple peaks are observed at upper and lower state of the self-pulsation. It is found also that P-N junction voltage jumps in a same pace with the pulsation. The observed phenomena reflect competition between different longitudinal modes, and transient variation of transverse modes in addition. These experimental results may contain information about the mechanisms of the chaotic instability in strong filtered feedback semiconductor lasers. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America