Nicholas F. Borrelli

Quantum confinement effects of semiconducting microcrystallites in glass

The optical properties of glasses containing a small amount of thermally developed CdSexS1−x microcrystalline phase are studied with emphasis on quantum confinement effects exhibited at small crystallite size. Optical absorption, photoluminescence, x‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy are used to examine microcrystallites as a function of composition and development. Results are presented for a series of commercially available CorningR filter glasses with a selenium mole fraction in the range 0.28≤x≤0.74, as well as for several experimental glasses in which the average microcrystallite diameters range from 30 to 80 A. Optical effects observed in the experimental glasses that are due to electron and hole confinement are not present in the filter glasses considered; variations in optical properties of the filters are due to changes in stoichiometry of the CdSexS1−x mixed anion system. A brief discussion of other microcrystalline phases in glass is also presented. These microcrystallites s...

Electron Injection from Colloidal PbS Quantum Dots into Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Injection of photoexcited electrons from colloidal PbS quantum dots into TiO(2) nanoparticles is investigated. The electron affinity and ionization potential of PbS quantum dots, inferred from cyclic voltammetry measurements, show strong size dependence due to quantum confinement. On the basis of the measured energy levels, photoexcited electrons should transfer efficiently from the quantum dots into TiO(2) only for quantum-dot diameter below approximately 4.3 nm. Continuous-wave fluorescence spectra and fluorescence transients of PbS quantum dots coupled to titanium dioxide nanoparticles are consistent with electron transfer for small quantum dots. The measured electron transfer time is surprisingly slow ( approximately 100 ns), and implications of this for future photovoltaics will be discussed. Initial results obtained from solar cells sensitized with PbS quantum dots are presented.

Low-loss hollow-core silica/air photonic bandgap fibre

Photonic bandgap structures use the principle of interference to reflect radiation. Reflection from photonic bandgap structures has been demonstrated in one, two and three dimensions and various applications have been proposed. Early work in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibre technology used a hexagonal structure surrounding the air core; this fibre was the first demonstration of light guided inside an air core of a photonic bandgap fibre. The potential benefits of guiding light in air derive from lower Rayleigh scattering, lower nonlinearity and lower transmission loss compared to conventional waveguides. In addition, these fibres offer a new platform for studying nonlinear optics in gases. Owing largely to challenges in fabrication, the early air-core fibres were only available in short lengths, and so systematic studies of loss were not possible. More recently, longer lengths of fibre have become available with reported losses of 1,000 dB km-1. We report here the fabrication and characterization of long lengths of low attenuation photonic bandgap fibre. Attenuation of less than 30 dB km-1 over a wide transmission window is observed with minimum loss of 13 dB km-1 at 1,500 nm, measured on 100 m of fibre. Coupling between surface and core modes of the structure is identified as an important contributor to transmission loss in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibres.

Infrared photosensitivity in silica glasses exposed to femtosecond laser pulses

We investigate the use of infrared femtosecond laser pulses to induce highly localized refractive-index changes in fused-silica glasses. We characterize the magnitude of the change as a function of exposure and measure index changes as large as 3x10(-3) and 5x10(-3) in pure fused silica and boron-doped silica, respectively. The potential of this technique for writing three-dimensional photonic structures in bulk glasses is demonstrated by the fabrication of a Y coupler within a sample of pure fused silica.

Nonlinear optical susceptibilities of high‐index glasses

We report results of degenerate four‐wave mixing measurements of nonresonant nonlinearities in a variety of high‐index lead and bismuth containing oxide glasses and the chalcogenide As2S3. The third‐order nonlinear susceptibilities of the oxide glasses are found to scale with the heavy metal content. A lead‐bismuth‐gallate glass was identified with a nonresonant χ3 equal to 42±7×10−14 esu, which is approximately three times larger than that of any glass previously reported.

Fabrication and analysis of a directional coupler written in glass by nanojoule femtosecond laser pulses

A directional coupler written in a glass sample by the focused 400-nm output from a 25-fs oscillator is reported. The coupler is single mode; the splitting ratio is 1.9 dB at 633 nm. A refractive-index profile of the waveguide with a magnitude of Dn = 4.5 x 10(-3) was retrieved from a near-field mode pattern.

Transparent glass-ceramics

Glass-ceramic materials may transmit visible light if either of the following conditions are operative: (i) the crystallites of all species are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light, or (ii) the optical anisotropy (birefringence) within the crystals and refractive index difference between crystals and glass are very small. These conditions are achieved in several aluminosilicate glass-ceramic systems. Solid solutions (ss) of β-quartz, spinel, and mullite are the major crystalline phases in these transparent glass-ceramics. The transparent β-quartz solid solution glass-ceramics can be divided into three areas: ultra-low expansion materials, refractory and colourless materials, and high electrical resistivity—low dielectric loss materials. These three material groups, though chemically distinct, are all characterised by high crystallinity, thermal shock resistance, excellent chemical durability, and susceptibility to mechanical strengthening by ion-exchange techniques.The transparent spinel and mullite glass-ceramics contain considerable glassy phase, but nevertheless are characterised by excellent transparency, even after thermal exposure for long periods above 1000° C.

Transparent glass ceramics for 1300 nm amplifier applications

The properties of an oxyfluoride glass ceramic that possesses high transparency after ceramming are described. Approximately 25 vol % of this material is comprised of cubic, fluoride nanocrystals and the remainder is a predominantly oxide glass. When doped with Pr+3, the fluorescence lifetime at 1300 nm is longer than in a fluorozirconate glass, suggesting that a significant fraction of the rare‐earth dopant is preferentially partitioned into the fluoride crystal phase. This material has the added advantage of being compatible with ambient air processing.

Surface modes in air-core photonic band-gap fibers

We present a detailed description of the role of surface modes in photonic band-gap fibers (PBGFs). A model is developed that connects the experimental observations of high losses in the middle of the transmission spectrum to the presence of surface modes supported at the core-cladding interface. Furthermore, a new PBGF design is proposed that avoids these surface modes and produces single-mode operation.

PbS quantum-dot doped glasses as saturable absorbers for mode locking of a Cr: forsterite laser

Quantum confined nanocrystals of PbS in glass were used as intracavity saturable absorbers to obtain passive continuous-wave mode locking in a Cr:forsterite laser. We obtained near transformed-limited 4.6 ps laser pulses at 110 MHz repetition rate, and a wide tunability range of 1207–1307 nm. The absorption saturation intensity of the quantum-dot PbS doped glasses was measured to be 0.2 MW/cm2.