Loss prediction of three-level amplified spontaneous emission sources in radiation environment

A model of three-level amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) sources, considering radiation effect, is proposed to predict radiation induced loss of output power in radiation environment. Radiation absorption parameters of ASE sources model are obtained by the fitting of color centers generation and recovery process of and gain loss data at lower dose rate. Gain loss data at higher dose is applied for self-validating. This model takes both the influence of erbium ions absorption and photon bleaching effect into consideration, which makes the prediction of different dose and dose rate more accurate and flexible. The fitness value between ASE model and gain loss data is 99.98%, which also satisfies the extrapolation at the low dose rate. The method and model may serve as a valuable tool to predict ASE performance in harsh environment.

3D printed and spiral lithographically patterned erbium-doped polymer micro-waveguide amplifiers

Infrared (IR)-emitting RE doped materials have been extensively used to fabricate active components of integrated optical devices in various fields, such as fiber amplifiers, telecommunications, optoelectronics, and waveguides. Among various RE elements, trivalent erbium ions (Er 3+) are of great interest since their emissive behavior span the low loss telecommunication window of 1300–1650 nm. In this paper, we report two types of polymeric waveguide amplifiers. 8 cm long, lithographically patterned spiral waveguides provide 8 dB of gain using a 980 nm pump power of 95 mW. Gain is observed from 1530 to 1590 nm. We further report the first demonstration of polymeric waveguide amplifiers fabricated using 3D printing methods based on two-photon lithography, paving the way for rapid prototyping of active 3D printed devices and active photonic devices which may transcend planar limitations.

Novel Blue-Wavelength-Blocking Contact Lens with Er3+/TiO2 NPs: Manufacture and Characterization

Thermally stable titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) doped with erbium ions (Er3+) are characterized by uniformity, low excitation energy, and high surface area. The impregnation methodology was used to enhance the optical properties of TiO2 NPs impregnated with various Er3+ ion contents. The synthesized Er3+/TiO2 samples were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), metal mapping, UV–Visible spectrum, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Er3+ ions, per our findings, were well-distributed on the TiO2 surface of the anatase phase and there was an insignificant difference in particle size, but there was no change in the particle shapes of the Er3+/TiO2 NPs structure. The maximum band gap degradation occurred with 1.8 wt % of Er3+/TiO2, where the energy gap degraded from 3.13 to 2.63 eV for intrinsic TiO2. The synthesized Er3+/TiO2 samples possess predominantly finely dispersed erbium ion species on the surface. Er3+ ions agglomeration on the surface increased with increasing ions in each sample. We found that 0.6 wt/vol % of Er+3/TiO2 is the best optical coating and produced satisfying results in terms of blocking the transmittance of blue wavelength without reducing the image quality.

Thermal, Optical, and IR-Emission Properties of Extremely Low Hydroxyl TeO2-WO3-Bi2O3-La2O3-xEr2O3 Glasses for Mid-Infrared Photonics

A series of glass samples of the tungsten–tellurite system TeO2-WO3-Bi2O3-(4-x) La2O3-xEr2O3, x = 0; 0.4; 0.5; 0.7; 1.2; 2; 4 mol%, CEr = 0 - 15 × 1020 cm−3 were synthesized from high-purity oxides in an oxygen flow inside a specialized sealed reactor. In all samples of the series, an extremely low content of hydroxyl groups was achieved (~n × 1016 cm−3, more than 4 orders of magnitude lower than the concentration of erbium ions), which guarantees minimal effects on the luminescence properties of Er3+. The glasses are resistant to crystallization up to 4 mol% Er2O3, and the glass transition temperatures do not depend on the concentration of erbium oxide when introduced by replacing lanthanum oxide. Thin 0.2 mm plates have high transmittance at a level of 20% in the 4.7–5.3 µm range, and the absorption bands of hydroxyl groups at about 2.3, 3, and 4.4 µm, which are typical for ordinary tellurite glass samples, are indistinguishable. The introduction of erbium oxide led to an insignificant change in the refractive index. Er2O3-concentration dependences of the luminescence intensities and lifetimes near the wavelengths of 1.53 and 2.75 μm were found for the 4I13/2–4I15/2 and 4I11/2–4I13/2 /transitions of the Er3+ ion. The data obtained are necessary for the development of mid-infrared photonics; in particular, for the design of Er3+-doped fiber lasers.

Dynamic control of Purcell enhanced emission of erbium ions in nanoparticles

The interaction of single quantum emitters with an optical cavity enables the realization of efficient spin-photon interfaces, an essential resource for quantum networks. The dynamical control of the spontaneous emission rate of quantum emitters in cavities has important implications in quantum technologies, e.g., for shaping the emitted photons’ waveform or for driving coherently the optical transition while preventing photon emission. Here we demonstrate the dynamical control of the Purcell enhanced emission of a small ensemble of erbium ions doped into a nanoparticle. By embedding the nanoparticles into a fully tunable high finesse fiber based optical microcavity, we demonstrate a median Purcell factor of 15 for the ensemble of ions. We also show that we can dynamically control the Purcell enhanced emission by tuning the cavity on and out of resonance, by controlling its length with sub-nanometer precision on a time scale more than two orders of magnitude faster than the natural lifetime of the erbium ions. This capability opens prospects for the realization of efficient nanoscale quantum interfaces between solid-state spins and single telecom photons with controllable waveform, for non-destructive detection of photonic qubits, and for the realization of quantum gates between rare-earth ion qubits coupled to an optical cavity.