Watt-level 775†nm SHG with 70% conversion efficiency and 97% pump depletion in annealed/reverse proton exchanged diced PPLN ridge waveguides.

We report on fabrication of ridge waveguides formed in congruent periodically poled lithium niobate substrates using annealed and reverse proton exchange followed by diamond blade dicing. 1 W of second-harmonic generation at 775 nm has been obtained in a single-pass in 50 mm long ridge waveguides with internal conversion efficiency of 70%. At this power level, 97% pump depletion has been reached. Although elevated temperature operation and ridge geometry help to mitigate photorefractive damage (PRD) effects, nevertheless, at even higher second harmonic outputs significant power drop with blue shift and distortion of the SHG tuning curve have been observed indicating an onset of PRD.

KLu(WO4)2/SiO2 Tapered Waveguide Platform for Sensing Applications.

This paper provides a generic way to fabricate a high-index contrast tapered waveguide platform based on dielectric crystal bonded on glass for sensing applications. As a specific example, KLu(WO4)2 crystal on a glass platform is made by means of a three-technique combination. The methodology used is on-chip bonding, taper cutting with an ultra-precise dicing saw machine and inductively coupled plasma-reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) as a post-processing step. The high quality tapered waveguides obtained show low surface roughness (25 nm at the top of the taper region), exhibiting propagation losses estimated to be about 3 dB/cm at 3.5 m wavelength. A proof-of-concept with crystal-on-glass tapered waveguides was realized and used for chemical sensing.

Efficient Nd:Ti:LiNbO3 ridge waveguide lasers emitting around 1085 nm.

In this work, we report on efficient neodymium-doped titanium in-diffused ridge waveguide lasers in x-cut congruent LiNbO3 under excitation at 814 nm. For the sample fabrication we used our novel technique of three-side evaporation and in-diffusion for Nd and Ti incorporation into pre-defined ridges. Due to improved photorefractive damage resistance by indium tin oxide (ITO) coating we achieved stable laser operation at 1084.7 nm with a maximum output power of 108 mW and a slope efficiency of 34% exceeding the best literature values for Nd:Ti:LiNbO3 ridge waveguide lasers.

Dual parameter fiber-integrated sensor for refractive index and temperature measurement based on Fabry-Perot micro-resonators.

We report on a miniature all-fiber dual parameter sensor capable of simultaneous measurement of the refractive index (RI) and temperature of fluids and gases. The high-sensitivity sensing element is comprised of two Fabry-Perot (FP) micro-resonators fabricated in a single-mode fiber and has a total length of <100 µm. The RI sensing cavity is formed by diamond blade dicing, whereas a thinner silicon inlay glued into it serves as a temperature sensor. The sensor's performance was tested on sucrose solutions over a range of temperatures. For the evaluation of the backreflected FP spectra, phase tracking of the characteristic Fourier transform components was used. Good accuracy (0.01°C) and linearity of temperature measurement with Si inlay with sensitivity 0.097 rad/°C (85.2 pm/°C) were found, whereas the open cavity allowed for reliable temperature-compensated measurements of 10-3 RI steps with 290 rad/RIU (1130 nm/RIU) sensitivity.

Coherent propulsion with negative-mass fields in a photonic lattice.

In this Letter, we demonstrate the first, to the best of our knowledge, coherent propulsion with negative-mass fields in an optical analog. We observe a self-accelerating state, driven by a nonlinear coherent interaction of its two components that are experiencing diffractions of opposite signs in a photonic lattice, which is analogous to the interaction of two objects with opposite mass signs. Surprisingly, the coherent propulsion is highly immune to the initial phase of the two components, which is in sharp contrast with the behavior encountered in traditional coherent wave interactions. Compared to its incoherent counter-part, the coherent propulsion exhibits an enhanced acceleration.

Periodically poled ridge waveguides in KTP for second harmonic generation in the UV regime.

Waveguide circuits play a key role in modern integrated optics and provide an appealing approach to scalability in quantum optics. We report on periodically poled ridge waveguides in z-cut potassium titanyl phosphate (KTiOPO4 or KTP), a material that has recently received growing interest due to its unique dispersion properties. Ridges were defined in surface-near rubidium-exchanged KTP by use of a precise diamond-blade dicing saw. We fabricated single-mode ridge waveguides at around 800 nm which exhibit widths of 1.9-3.2 µm and facilitated type-II second harmonic generation from 792 nm to 396 nm with high efficiency of 6.6 %/W·cm2. Temperature dependence of the second harmonic process was found to be 53 pm/K. The low temperature dependence and high nonlinear conversion efficiency make our waveguides ideally suited for future operations in classical nonlinear integrated optics and integrated quantum networking applications.

Fiber-integrated refractive index sensor based on a diced Fabry-Perot micro-resonator.

We report on a fiber-integrated refractive index sensor based on a Fabry-Perot micro-resonator fabricated using simple diamond blade dicing of a single-mode step-index fiber. The performance of the device has been tested for the refractive index measurements of sucrose solutions as well as in air. The device shows a sensitivity of 1160 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) at a wavelength of 1.55 µm and a temperature cross-sensitivity of less than 10-7 RIU/°C. Based on evaluation of the broadband reflection spectra, refractive index steps of 10-5 of the solutions were accurately measured. The conducted coating of the resonator sidewalls with layers of a high-index material with real-time reflection spectrum monitoring could help to significantly improve the sensor performance.

Rb/Ba side-diffused ridge waveguides in KTP.

We report on characterization of ridge waveguides fabricated in KTP (KTiOPO4) by use of diamond-blade dicing and Rb/Ba ion exchange. The waveguides were prepared in substrates that have their z-axis in the surface plane, perpendicular to the waveguide direction. This hinders the RbBa ions from diffusion into the depth, as they are only mobile along the z-axis, and improves the waveguide's resistance against elevated temperature. Attenuation coefficients of 0.3 dB/cm (0.4 dB/cm) for TM (TE) polarization were measured at 1060 nm wavelength. Internal conversion efficiency of up to 3.3%/(W cm2) was determined for type-II SHG of 1064 nm.

Characteristics and crosstalk of optical waveguides fabricated in polymethyl methacrylate polymer circuit board.

Electro-optical circuit boards should provide simple and cost-effective coupling techniques and crosstalk levels of less than -30 dB. A dicing saw was used to create waveguide grooves with a surface roughness of less than 183 nm in a 1.6-mm-thick polymethyl methacrylate polymer (PMMA) substrate. The buried optical waveguides were made from SU-8 in a PMMA substrate covered with a 1-mm PMMA sheet. The propagation loss for a 500 µm×570 µm straight waveguide was 0.9 dB/cm at 1310 nm. The coupling between parallel waveguides was measured at separation distances from 45 to 595 µm. The crosstalk was less than -40 dB for 65-mm-long waveguides. This fabrication method shows potential for dense optical interconnects with very low crosstalk.

Second harmonic generation of diamond-blade diced KTiOPO4 ridge waveguides.

We report on the fabrication of ridge waveguides in KTiOPO4 nonlinear optical crystals through carbon ion irradiation followed by precise diamond blade dicing. The diced side-walls have low roughness, which allows for low propagation loss of ~1dB/cm in fabricated of ridges. The waveguide property investigation has been performed at 1064 nm as well as 532 nm, showing good guidance at both TE and TM polarizations. Based on type II phase matching configuration, efficient second harmonic generation of green light at room temperature has been realized. High conversion efficiencies of ~1.12%W-1 and ~12.4% have been obtained for frequency doubling under the pump of continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed fundamental waves at 1064 nm, respectively.

Low loss ridge waveguides in lithium niobate thin films by optical grade diamond blade dicing.

We report on the fabrication and characterization of ridge waveguides in lithium niobate thin films by diamond blade dicing. The lithium niobate thin films with a thickness of 1 µm were fabricated by bonding a He-implanted lithium niobate wafer to a SiO(2)-coated lithium niobate wafer and crystal ion slicing. Propagation losses of 1.2 dB/cm for TE and 2.8 dB/cm for TM polarization were measured at 1550 nm for a 9.28 mm long and 2.1 µm wide waveguide using the Fabry-Perot method.

Formation of higher-band dark gap solitons in one dimensional waveguide arrays.

We experimentally observe the formation of spatial dark gap solitons in higher bands in one-dimensional waveguide arrays possessing a saturable defocusing nonlinearity. By using the prism-coupler scheme, pure Floquet-Bloch modes of higher bands are excited and dark gap solitons are formed due to the counteraction of normal diffraction and the defocusing nature of the photovoltaic nonlinearity. The modulation of refractive index induced by the soliton formation is demonstrated by the guidance of a low-power probe beam in the waveguide array sample. Additionally, the phase structure of dark solitons formed in the second band is discussed.

Experimental observation of Rabi oscillations in photonic lattices.

We demonstrate spatial Rabi oscillations in optical waveguide arrays. Adiabatic transitions between extended Floquet-Bloch modes associated with different bands are stimulated by periodic modulation of the photonic lattice in the propagation direction. When the stimulating modulation also carries transverse momentum, the transition becomes indirect, equivalent to phonon-assisted Rabi oscillations. In solid state physics such indirect Rabi oscillations necessitate coherent phonons and hence they have never been observed. Our experiments suggest that phonon-assisted Rabi oscillations are observable also with Bose-Einstein condensates, as well as with other wave systems-where coherence can be maintained for at least one period of the Rabi oscillation.

Spatial frequency combs and supercontinuum generation in one-dimensional photonic lattices.

We experimentally demonstrate the formation of spatial supercontinuum and of spatial frequency combs in nonlinear photonic lattices. This process results from multiple four-wave mixing initiated by launching two Floquet-Bloch modes into a one-dimensional lattice. The dynamics of the waves is sensitively dependent on the transverse momentum difference between the two initial modes: when this momentum difference is commensurable with the lattice momentum the waves evolve into a frequency comb, whereas when it is incommensurable the waves evolve into a supercontinuum of spatial frequencies.

Higher-band gap soliton formation in defocusing photonic lattices.

We report on the experimental observation of higher-band gap solitons in a one-dimensional photonic lattice possessing a defocusing saturable nonlinearity. Pure Floquet-Bloch modes of the first three bands are excited using a prism-coupler setup, and spatial gap solitons of different width are formed, the latter property being related to the increasing anomalous diffraction in the three bands and the fixed value of the nonlinearity in our lithium niobate sample.

Measurement of the enhanced evanescent fields of integrated waveguides for optical near-field sensing.

The sensitivity of an integrated optical sensing device can be enhanced by coating it with a high refractive index layer, while both incoupled intensity and spatial resolution are maintained. The potential for enhanced sensing is demonstrated using titanium indiffused waveguiding structures in LiNbO(3) coated with a TiO(2) film. To the best of our knowledge, it could be measured for the first time that the outcoupled intensity at the surface was enhanced by a factor of 12-15 while keeping the penetration depth of the evanescent field constant of the order of only a few tens of nanometers. The evanescent fields of the guided modes were measured and characterized with a scanning near-field optical microscope and are in accordance with the numerical simulations.

Observation of higher-order solitons in defocusing waveguide arrays.

We observe experimentally higher-order solitons in waveguide arrays with defocusing saturable nonlinearity. Such solitons can comprise several in-phase bright spots and are stable above a critical power threshold. We elucidate the impact of the nonlinearity saturation on the domains of existence and stability of the observed complex soliton states.

Tamm oscillations in semi-infinite nonlinear waveguide arrays.

We demonstrate the existence of nonlinear Tamm oscillations at the interface between a substrate and a one-dimensional waveguide array with either cubic or saturable, self-focusing or self-defocusing nonlinearity. Light is trapped in the vicinity of the array boundary due to the interplay between the repulsive edge potential and Bragg reflection inside the array. In the special case when this potential is linear these oscillations reduce themselves to surface Bloch oscillations.

Interaction of counterpropagating discrete solitons in a nonlinear one-dimensional waveguide array.

We experimentally investigate the interaction of counterpropagating discrete solitons in a one-dimensional waveguide array in photorefractive lithium niobate. While for low input powers only weak interaction and formation of counterpropagating vector solitons are observed, for higher input powers a growing instability results in discrete lateral shifting of the formed discrete solitons. Numerical modeling shows the existence of three different regimes: stable propagation of vector solitons at low power, instability for intermediate power levels leading to discrete shifting of the two discrete solitons, and an irregular temporal dynamic behavior of the two beams for high input power.

Optical modes at the interface between two dissimilar discrete meta-materials.

We have studied theoretically and experimentally the properties of optical surface modes at the hetero-interface between two meta-materials. These meta-materials consisted of two 1D AlGaAs waveguide arrays with different band structures.