Ngoc Diep Lai

Fabrication of two- and three-dimensional periodic structures by multi-exposure of two-beam interference technique

A simple and efficient optical interference method for fabricating high quality two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) periodic structures is demonstrated. Employing multi-exposure of two-beam interference technique, different types of periodic structures are created depending on the number of exposure and the rotation angle of the sample for each exposure. Square and hexagonal 2D structures are fabricated by a multi-exposure of two-beam interference pattern with a rotation angle of 90 masculine and 60 masculine between two different exposures, respectively. Three-exposure, in particular, results in different kinds of 3D structures, with close lattice constants in transverse and longitudinal directions, which is difficult to be obtained by the commonly used multi-beam interference technique. The experimental results obtained with SU-8 photoresist are well in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Multi-exposure of two-beam interference technique should be very useful for fabrication of photonic crystals.

Building blocks for a two-frequency laser lidar-radar: a preliminary study

A new principle of lidar-radar is theoretically and experimentally investigated. The proposed architecture is based on the use of an rf modulation of the emitted light beam and a direct detection of the backscattered intensity. Use of a radar-processing chain allows one to obtain range and Doppler measurements with the advantages of lidar spatial resolution. We calculate the maximum range of this device, taking into account different possible improvements. In particular, we show that use of a pulsed two-frequency laser and a spatially multimode optical preamplification of the backscattered light leads to calculated ranges larger than 20 km, including the possibility of both range and Doppler measurements. The building blocks of this lidar-radar are tested experimentally: The radar processing of an rf-modulated backscattered cw laser beam is demonstrated at 532 nm, illustrating the Doppler and identification capabilities of the system. In addition, signal-to-noise ratio improvement by optical pre-amplification is demonstrated at 1.06 microm. Finally, a two-frequency passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser is developed. This laser then permits two-frequency pulses with tunable pulse duration (from 18 to 240 ns) and beat frequency (from 0 to 2.65 GHz) to be obtained.

Rapid fabrication of large-area periodic structures containing well-defined defects by combining holography and mask techniques

We demonstrate a promising method to fabricate large-area periodic structures with desired defects by using the combination of multiple-exposure two-beam interference and mask-photolithography techniques. Multiple-exposure of two-beam interference pattern at 325 nm into a positive AZ-4620 (or a negative SU-8) photopolymerizable photoresist is used to form a square and hexagonal two-dimensional periodic structures. Desired defects are introduced in these structures by irradiating the sample with one beam of the same laser through a mask in which the design of defects is patterned. A 1cm x 1cm periodic structures with the lattice constant as small as 365nm embedding several kinds of defect, such as waveguide or Mach-Zehnder, was obtained by employing this combination technique. It shows that the proposed combination technique is useful for mass production of photonic crystal optoelectronics devices.

Influence of a static magnetic field on the photoluminescence of an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy color centers in a diamond single-crystal

We investigate the electron spin resonance of an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in a bulk diamond crystal. The four possible orientations of the NV center in the lattice lead to different dependences on the magnitude and the orientation of an external static magnetic field. Experimental results obtained with a continuous microwave excitation are in good agreement with simulations. In addition, we observe that the average radiative lifetime of the NV color center is also modified when the external magnetic field is applied. This variation is explained by the mixing between mS=0 and mS=±1 spin states of the NV center with different radiative lifetimes, due to magnetic coupling. These results are of interest for a broad range of applications, such as spin-resonance-based magnetometry with a high-density ensemble of NV centers.

Submicrometer 3D structures fabrication enabled by one-photon absorption direct laser writing

We demonstrate a new 3D fabrication method to achieve the same results as those obtained by the two-photon excitation technique, by using a simple one-photon elaboration method in a very low absorption regime. Desirable 2D and 3D submicrometric structures, such as spiral, chiral, and woodpile architectures, with feature size as small as 190 nm have been fabricated, by using just a few milliwatts of a continuous-wave laser at 532 nm and a commercial SU8 photoresist. Different aspects of the direct laser writing based on ultralow one-photon absorption (LOPA) technique are investigated and compared with the TPA technique, showing several advantages, such as simplicity and low cost.

Stabilization of the repetition rate of passively Q-switched diode-pumped solid-state lasers

We present a simple technique to stabilize the period of the pulses emitted by passively Q-switched lasers. By slightly modulating the pump diode power, the repetition rate of a Nd3+:YAG laser passively Q switched by Cr4+:YAG is experimentally shown to reach a time stability of 10−6 over 106 pulses. Simulations using a rate-equation model are in close agreement with the experiments.

Fabrication of two- and three-dimensional quasi-periodic structures with 12-fold symmetry by interference technique.

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally a useful technique for fabrication of two- and three-dimensional (2D or 3D) quasi-periodic structures by a double-exposure of a periodic interference pattern. With three-beam and three-beam-plus-one interference techniques, one can fabricate a periodic 2D and 3D structure having six-fold symmetry, respectively. When this structure is duplicated in another orientation, its combination results in a quasi-periodic twelve-fold symmetry structure. Experimental results obtained by using two-exposure of three-beam and/or three-beam-plus-one interference pattern at 442 nm into a positive photoresist (AZ-4620) proved the theoretical predictions. This study is potentially useful for photonic researches and applications.

Generation of tunable high-purity microwave and terahertz signals by two-frequency solid state lasers

We show that diode-pumped solid-state lasers can generate tunable high-purity microwave signals. In the case of a single-axis cavity containing an adjustable linear phase anisotropy, orthogonal linear eigenstates oscillate with a continuously tunable frequency difference. The maximum beat frequency is fixed by the laser cavity length and can reach a few tens of GHz. In order to reach the THz range, insertion of a double refraction crystal inside the laser cavity creates a two-axis laser that allows one to choose independently the frequencies of the two eigenstates. In this case the maximum beat frequency is fixed by the active medium gain bandwidth which is of a few THz for an Er:Yb:glass active medium. We show that doubling the two frequencies emitted by such a two-axis laser at 1.55 mum yields a source of tunable cw THz beat notes suitable for photomixing in GaAs-based THz emitters. Moreover, the beat notes generated by diode-pumped solid-state lasers can be phase-locked to microwave local oscillators. In particular, we show that a single-axis Er:Yb:glass laser provides a beat note continuously tunable from 0 to 20 GHz with a 170 muHz line width. The phase noise of such a source is measured to be lower than -130 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset from the carrier.

Two-frequency Er-Yb:glass microchip laser passively Q switched by a Co:ASL saturable absorber

Passive Q switching of a two-frequency Er3+-Yb3+:glass laser at 1.55 microm with a new Co2+:La(x)Sr(1 - x)Mg(x - y)Co(y)Al(12 - x)O19 crystal as a saturable absorber is demonstrated. We show that, with an extended cavity setup, the beat frequency between the orthogonally polarized laser eigenstates is continuously tunable by adjustment of the retardance of an intracavity birefringence. A similarly built microchip laser emits two-frequency pulses of 6-ns duration with a beat frequency of as much as 19 GHz. Moreover, two-frequency pulses at 777 nm are obtained by second-harmonic generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. Such pulses can be useful for applications such as Doppler lidar radar.

Concept for three-dimensional optical addressing by ultralow one-photon absorption method

With respect to experimental condition, we have investigated the point spread function of a high numerical aperture objective lens, taking into account the absorption effect of the studied material. By using a material possessing an ultralow one-photon absorption (LOPA) coefficient at the excitation wavelength, the light beam can penetrate deeply inside the material and be tightly focused into a subwavelength spot, almost the same as in the absence of material. Combining tight focusing and ultralow absorption conditions, we show that LOPA-based microscopy is thus capable of three-dimensional imaging and fabrication with long penetration depth up to 300 μm. As compared to the commonly used two-photon absorption microscope, the LOPA method allows simplification of the experimental setup and also minimization of the photodamaging or bleaching effect of materials.