A. Žukauskas

Photopolymerized microscopic vortex beam generators: Precise delivery of optical orbital angular momentum

Direct femtosecond laser photopolymerization is used to fabricate high resolution microscopic spiral phase plates. The total phase change all around their center is prepared to be a integer multiple of 2π for the operating wavelength in the visible domain. The optical performances of the spiral plates are measured and we propose a simple single beam interferometric technique to characterize the phase singularity of the generated vortex beams. The experimental results are compared to simulations and a satisfying agreement is obtained. Potential of large scale fabrication, templating, and smart spiral plate architectures are also illustrated.

Optical Bandgap Formation in AlInGaN Alloys

We report on the spectral dynamics of the reflectivity, site-selectively excited photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation, and time-resolved luminescence in quaternary AlInGaN epitaxial layers grown on GaN templates. The incorporation of a few percents of In into AlGaN causes significant smoothening of the band-bottom potential profile in AlInGaN layers owing to improved crystal quality. An abrupt optical bandgap indicates that a nearly lattice-matched AlInGaN/GaN heterostructure with large energy band offsets can be grown for high-efficiency light-emitting devices.

Black silicon: substrate for laser 3D micro/nano-polymerization

We demonstrate that black silicon (b-Si) made by dry plasma etching is a promising substrate for laser three-dimensional (3D) micro/nano-polymerization. High aspect ratio Si-needles, working as sacrificial support structures, have flexibility required to relax interface stresses between substrate and the polymerized micro-/nano- objects. Surface of b-Si can be made electrically conductive by metal deposition and, at the same time, can preserve low optical reflectivity beneficial for polymerization by direct laser writing. 3D laser polymerization usually performed at the irradiation conditions close to the dielectric breakdown is possible on non-reflective and not metallic surfaces. Here we show that low reflectivity and high metallic conductivity are not counter- exclusive properties for laser polymerization. Electrical conductivity of substrate and its permeability in liquids are promising for bio- and electroplating applications.

A femtosecond laser-induced two-photon photopolymerization technique for structuring microlenses

Light-initiated quasi-instant solidification of a liquid polymer is attractive for its ultra-precise spatial and temporal control of the photochemical reaction. In this paper we present microlenses structured by femtosecond laser-induced photopolymerization. Due to nonlinear phenomena the fabrication resolution is not restricted to the diffraction limit for the applied laser excitation wavelength but is determined by the intensity of a focused beam. Furthermore, pin-point structuring enables one to produce three-dimensional structures of any form from the photopolymer. The smallest structural elements of 200 nm lateral dimensions can be achieved reproducibly by using high numerical aperture oil immersion focusing optics (NA = 1.4). Axial resolution (which is fundamentally a few times worse than lateral resolution due to the distribution of light intensity in the focal region) can be controlled to a precision of a few hundred nanometers by decreasing the scanning step. In our work we applied the commercially available and widely used zirconium–silicon based hybrid sol–gel photopolymer (Ormosil, SZ2080). Arrays of custom-parameter spherical microlenses for microscopy applications have been fabricated. Their surface roughness, focal distance and imaging quality were tested. The obtained results show potential for fast and flexible fabrication of custom-parameter microlenses by the proposed technique.

Decay of stimulated and spontaneous emission in highly excited homoepitaxial GaN

The high-density effects in the recombination of electron–hole plasma in photoexcited homoepitaxial GaN epilayers were studied by means of transient photoluminescence at room temperature. Owing to the “backward” and “lateral” photoluminescence measurement geometries employed, the influence of stimulated transitions on the decay of degenerate nonthermalized plasma was revealed. The lateral stimulated emission was demonstrated to cause a remarkable increase in the recombination rate on the early stage of the luminescence transient. A delayed enhancement of the stimulated emission due to the cooling of plasma from the initial temperature of 1100 K was observed. After completion of the thermalization process and exhaustion of the stimulated emission, the spontaneous-luminescence decay exhibited an exponential slope that relates to the nonradiative recombination of the carriers. The homoepitaxially grown GaN layer featured a luminescence decay time of 445 ps that implies a room-temperature free-carrier lifetim...

Monolithic generators of pseudo-nondiffracting optical vortex beams at the microscale

We report on the fabrication and characterization of micro-optical elements with typical size of 100 μm, which enable the production of pseudo-nondiffracting optical vortex beams of arbitrary order. This is made possible from the monolithic integration of spiral phase plates and axicons into helical axicons by direct laser writing using femtosecond laser nanopolymerization. The optical performances of the fabricated three-dimensional singular microstructures are experimentally measured and compared with their expected theoretical behavior, both in intensity and phase. The proposed approach thus represents an attempt to merge the field of singular integrated optics with that of nondiffracting light fields.

Closely packed hexagonal conical microlens array fabricated by direct laser photopolymerization

We apply femtosecond laser direct writing in photopolymers for manufacturing of conical microlenses and closely packed arrays thereof. We demonstrate the fabrication of high optical quality axicons of 15 µm in radius, having 150°, 160°, and 170° cone angles. Their optical properties and performance are modeled using the finite-difference time-domain method and compared with experimentally measured data. Additionally, optimization of the laser direct writing parameters regarding these types of micro-objects is presented. Possible applications of closely packed arrays of axicon microlenses are discussed, having potential attractivity in the fields of modern microscopy, light-based material processing, particle manipulation in microfluidic, and optofluidic applications.

Exciton and carrier motion in quaternary AlInGaN

Temperature and excitation power dependences of the photoluminescence Stokes shift and bandwidth were studied in quaternary AlInGaN epilayers as a function of indium content. At low excitation power, gradual incorporation of indium into AlGaN is shown to result in S- and W-shaped temperature dependences of the band peak position and bandwidth, respectively. At high excitation power, the S- and W-behavior disappears; however, increased indium molar fraction boosts the redshift of the luminescence band at high temperatures. Our results indicate that the incorporation of indium into AlGaN has a noticeable impact on the alloy transport properties. At low temperatures and low excitation power, the indium incorporation facilitates hopping of localized excitons, whereas at high temperatures and high excitation power, it sustains free motion of delocalized carriers that results in the band-gap renormalization via screening.

Characterization of photopolymers used in laser 3D micro/nanolithography by means of laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT)

An ISO certified laser-induced damage threshold testing method was applied to characterize photopolymers widely used in 3D laser micro/nano-lithography. For the first time, commercial as well as custom made materials, including epoxy based photoresist (SU-8), hybrid organic-inorganic polymers (OrmoComp and SZ2080), thermopolymer (PDMS) and pure acrylate (PMMA), are investigated and directly compared. The presence of photoinitiator molecules within host matrix clearly indicating the relation between damage threshold and absorption of light is revealed. To simulate single- and multiphoton absorption processes optical resistance measurements were carried out at both fundamental (1064 and 1030 nm) and second harmonic (532 and 515 nm) wavelengths with laser pulse duration’s representing nanosecond and femtosecond regimes. Damage morphology differences from post mortal microscopic analysis were used to enrich the discussion about the possible breakdown mechanisms. The obtained characteristic values of damage threshold reveal potential of photopolymers and their possible applications in high power lasers.

Deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes for frequency domain measurements of fluorescence lifetime in basic biofluorophores

We report on the development of deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with AlGaN multiple-quantum-well active region for real-time fluorescence lifetime sensing in natural biofluorophores. The peak wavelengths of the devices are 340 and 280 nm, linewidth at half maximum approximately 10 nm, wall-plug efficiency up to 0.9%, output power in the milliwatt range, peak-to-background ratio up to four orders of magnitude, and cutoff frequencies for electrical modulation in the range of 100 MHz. Devices with high-frequency modulated output were demonstrated for frequency domain fluorescence lifetime measurements in basic biological autofluorophores (nicotinamide adenine dinucliotide, riboflavin, tyrosine, and tryptophan) with subnanosecond resolution.