Space-selective co-precipitation of silver and gold nanoparticles in femtosecond laser pulses irradiated Ag+, Au3+ co-doped silicate glass

We report on space-selective co-precipitation of silver and gold nanoparticles in Ag+, Au3+ co-doped silicate glasses by irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses and subsequent annealing at high temperatures. The color of the irradiated area in the glass sample changed from yellow to red with the increase of the annealing temperature. The effects of average laser power and annealing temperature on precipitation of the nanoparticles were investigated. A reasonable mechanism was proposed to explain the observed phenomena. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formation of array microstructures on silicon by multibeam interfered ferntosecond laser pulses

We report on an optical interference method to fabricate array microstructures on the surface of silicon wafers by means of five-beam interference of femtosecond laser pulses. Optical microscope and scanning electron microscope observations revealed microstructures with micrometer-order were fabricated. The diffraction characteristics of the fabricated structures were evaluated. The present technique allows one-step realization of functional optoelectronic devices on silicon surface. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal stress-induced birefringence in borate glass irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

Thermal stress-induced birefringence in borate glass which has been irradiated by 800-nm femtosecond laser pulses is observed under cross-polarized light. Due to the high temperature and pressure formed in the focal volume, the material at the edge of the micro-modified region is compressed between the expanding region and the unheated one, then stress emerges. Raman spectroscopy is used to investigate the stress distribution in the micro-modified region and indicates the redistributions of density and refractive index by Raman peak shift. We suggest that this technique can develop waveguide polarizers and Fresnel zone plates in integrated optics.

Generation of 210 fs laser pulses at 1093 nm by a self-starting mode-locked Yb:GYSO laser

We report the first demonstration, to our knowledge, of the femtosecond laser operation by using a new alloyed Yb:GYSO crystal as the gain medium. With a 5 at. % Yb3+-doped sample and chirped mirrors for dispersion compensation, we obtained pulses as short as 210 fs at the center wavelength of 1093 nm. The average mode-locking power is 300 mW, and the pulse repetition frequency is 80 MHz. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Mode-locked and single-longitudinal-mode waveguide lasers fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses in Er:Yb-doped phosphate glass

Mode-locked and single-longitudinal-mode waveguide lasers, manufactured by femtosecond laser writing in Er-Yb-doped phosphate glasses, are presented. Transform-limited 1.6-ps pulses and a cw output power exceeding 50 mW have been obtained in the two regimes. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

Mode-locked and single-longitudinal-mode waveguide lasers fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses in Er: Yb-doped phosphate glass

Mode-locked and single-longitudinal-mode waveguide lasers, manufactured by femtosecond laser writing in Er-Yb-doped phosphate glasses, are presented. Transform-limited 1.6-ps pulses and a cw output power exceeding 50 mW have been obtained in the two regimes. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

Absolute measurement of detector quantum efficiency using optical parametric down-conversion pumped by femtosecond laser pulses

Absolute measurement of detector quantum efficiency using optical parametric down-conversion has been extensively studied for the case of a continuous wave pump. In this paper, we have used the temporally and spatially correlated properties of the down-converted photon pairs generated in a nonlinear crystal pumped by a femtosecond laser pulse to perform an absolute measurement of detector quantum efficiency. The measured detector quantum efficiency is in excellent agreement with the measured value in the conventional way. A lens with a long focal length was adopted for efficiently increasing the intensity of the down-conversion entangled photon source.

Optimization of multiple filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses in air using a pinhole

The robustness and prolongation of multiple filamentation (MF) for femtosecond laser propagation in air are investigated experimentally and numerically. It is shown that the number, pattern, propagation distance, and spatial stability of MF can be controlled by a variable-aperture on-axis pinhole. The random MF pattern can be optimized to a deterministic pattern. In our numerical simulations, we configured double filaments to principlly simulate the experimental MF interactions. It is experimentally and numerically demonstrated that the pinhole can reduce the modulational instability of MF and is favorable for a more stable MF evolution. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.