Le premier volet de cette thèse est consacré à la modélisation des phénomènes de transport dans le LN. Partant d'une analyse critique des modèles de bande usuels, nous montrons leur inadéquation dans le cas du LN et nous proposons un modèle de saut basé sur la théorie des petits polarons. Nous étudions d'abord par simulation Monte-Carlo la décroissance d'une population de polarons liés NbLi4+ relaxant vers des pièges profonds FeLi3+. Nous montrons que les pièges FeLi3+ ont des rayons effectifs particulièrement grands, rayons qui augmentent encore à température décroissante, et limitent considérablement les longueurs de diffusion des polarons. Les résultats de simulations sont ensuite confrontés aux résultats expérimentaux obtenus par différentes techniques ; Absorption photo-induite, Raman, Enregistrement holographique et Pompe-sonde. Le deuxième volet de cette thèse est consacré aux applications électro-optiques dans le LN périodiquement polarisé (PPLN). Sous l’effet d’une tension électrique, l’indice de réfraction du PPLN est périodiquement diminué et augmenté, formant ainsi un réseau d’indice activable électriquement. Un premier composant utilisant l’effet électro-optique dans du PPLN a été développé et démontré expérimentalement. Dans ce composant, la lumière est défléchie sous l’effet de la tension électrique par le réseau d’indice. Ce déflecteur de Bragg atteint une efficacité de diffraction proche de 100% avec une faible tension de commande de l’ordre de 5 V. Un deuxième composant a également été proposé, où la lumière se propage perpendiculairement aux parois de domaines du PPLN. Dans cette configuration un réflecteur de Bragg électro-optique peut être réalisé / The first part of this thesis is devoted to the modeling of transport phenomena in the LN. From a critical analysis of the usual band models, we show their inadequacy in the case of LN and we propose a hopping model based on the theory of small polarons. We first study by Monte-Carlo simulation the population decay of bound polarons NbLi4+ in deep traps FeLi3+. We show that the traps (FeLi3+) have particularly large effective radii, which increase further at decreasing temperature, and considerably limit the diffusion lengths of the polarons. The results of simulations are then compared with experimental results obtained by different techniques; Light-induced absorption, Raman, Holographic storage and Pump-Probe. The second part of this thesis is devoted to electro-optical applications in the periodically poled LN (PPLN). Under the effect of an electrical voltage, the refractive index of the PPLN is periodically decreased and increased, thus forming an electrically activatable index grating. A first component using the electro-optical effect in PPLN has been developed and demonstrated experimentally. In this component, the light is deflected under the effect of the electrical voltage by the index grating. This Bragg deflector achieves a diffraction efficiency of close to 100% with a low drive voltage of the order of 5 V. A second component has also been proposed, where light propagates perpendicularly to the domain walls of the PPLN. In this configuration an electro-optic Bragg reflector can be realized

Les travaux développés dans ce manuscrit de thèse concernent la proposition et la mise au point d’une nouvelle architecture optique basée sur la modulation de cohérence (MC) d’une source à spectre large dédiée aux calculs arithmétiques et au traitement des signaux. La modulation de cohérence de lumière est une technique particulière de codage optique qui autorise, entre autres, le multiplexage des signaux à travers une seule porteuse. Les signaux à traiter sont codés en MC par le biais de paires modulateur de lumière/lame de phase placées en série et éclairées par un seul faisceau de lumière polarisée. Cette technique est basée sur l’introduction d’un retard optique supérieur à la longueur de cohérence de la source utilisée. La validation expérimentale de l’approche proposée pour la réalisation d’opérations arithmétiques, telles que la somme et la soustraction, a été effectuée par le biais de signaux temporels. Différentes formes et fréquences des signaux ont été testées et ont parfaitement validé l’approche. L’impact du cross-talk des signaux et de la divergence du faisceau gaussien sur la qualité des opérations effectuées a été étudié. Ces effets se traduisent par un bruit de modulation d’intensité affectant le résultat des opérations effectuées. Dans ce travail, nous avons proposé des solutions permettant de minimiser son impact. L’originalité de la technique proposée est qu’elle permet la réalisation d’opérations multiples entre plusieurs signaux. Des tests ont été réalisés sur des images à deux et plusieurs niveaux de gris. Les résultats obtenus ont été évalués par les figures de mérite incluant le rapport signal sur bruit (SNR, signal to noise ratio), le rapport signal/bruit crête à crête (PSNR, peak signal to noise ratio) et l’erreur quadratique moyenne (MSE, mean squared error). Enfin, nous avons appliqué la technique à la cryptographie par contenu. Nous avons démontré la performance et la robustesse de la technique. Comme perspectives de ce travail, nous envisageons exploiter d’avantage la technique dans le domaine de la cryptographie (ie: utilisation d’une phase aléatoire pour le codage des images). De plus, une extension de l’étude à la compression des images sera utile. Une autre perspective de ce travail de recherche est l’étude de l’impact de l’incohérence spatiale sur le codage et le décodage des signaux / In this thesis, we study and developed the use of coherence multiplexing (also called path-difference, by analogy with WDM optical communications) to achieve simultaneous coding and decoding of analogue signals. The coherence modulation of light consists in encoding a signal on a light beam as an optical path-difference larger than its coherence length. This opens the way to the use of broadband sources in systems that thought to be restricted to quasi-monochromatic light. The different signals to be processed are encoded by using an Electro-optic Modulator and a birefringent plate placed between two polarizers. First, we have shown how the coherence multiplexing process can be exploited to achieve parallel real-time all optical signal addition and subtraction. Then, we have studied the impact of the crosstalk, due to the imperfection of the opto-geometrical parameters of the elements in the architecture, in the quality of the obtained results. The second part of the work consists of the validation of the technique to image signals. Thus, we have tested both image with binary and several gray levels. Also, we have confirmed that the method can be used for simple and multiplex encoding module. After that, we have evaluated the performance of the processor as a function of the continuous optical path-difference ratio in terms of Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Mean Square Error (MSE) and Peak to peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). Finally, we have tested the coherence multiplexing method to the encryption method based on merging together multiple-images. Therefore, we have evaluated the performance and the robustness of the method

Transparent glass-ceramics have been of industrial interest because of their multifarious applications. These are becoming increasingly important because of the flexibility that is associated with this route of fabricating intricate sizes and shapes as per the requirement. A number of glass-ceramics, based on well known ferroelectric crystalline phases (LiNbO3, LaBGeO5, SrBi2Nb2O9, Bi2WO6 etc.) were fabricated and their polar and electro-optic properties were reported. Keeping the potential applications of transparent glass-nano/microcrystal composites in view, attempts were made to fabricate SrBi2B2O7 and CaBi2B2O7 glasses and glass-nano/microcrystal composites. An attempt has been made to employ strontium bismuth borate SrBi2B2O7 (SBBO) as a reactive host glass matrix for growing the nanocrystals of ferroelectric oxides belonging to the Aurivillius family. The in situ nucleation and growth of SrBi2Nb2O9 (SBN) nanocrystals in a reactive SrBi2B2O7-Nb2O5 system and its influence on various physical (dielectric, pyroelectric and optical) properties were investigated. The strategy has been to visualize the formation of nanocrystalline SrBi2Nb2O9 as a result of the simple chemical reaction between glassy SrBi2B2O7 and Nb2O5. Indeed at lower concentrations of Nb2O5 transparent glasses were obtained which upon heat-treatment at appropriate temperatures yielded nanocrystalline SrBi2Nb2O9 phase in a transparent glass matrix. Textured SrBi2Nb2O9 ceramics were obtained by quenching the melts of SrBi2B2O7-Nb2O5 in equimolar ratio and their physical properties were studied. A strong anisotropy in physical properties (which are akin to single crystals) were demonstrated in the textured ceramics.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy systems were developed and used for the anaylsis and characterization of various materials. By using ultra-fast Ti:Sapphire and Er-doped fiber lasers, terahertz time-domain spectrometers of different configurations were constructed and tested. To increase the accuracy and sensitivity of the measurements, the systems were optimized for spectroscopic analysis. MBE grown nominally undoped epitaxial GaAs samples were used for the spectroscopic measurements. These samples were first charactrized by electrical measurements in order to check the accuracy of the terahertz time-domain experiments. We have shown that the terahertz time-domin spectroscopic techniques provides a quick way of the determining the real ( ) and complex () components of the refractive index of material. In addition, we have investigated the photoexcitation dynamics of these GaAs samples. We have demonstrated that direct and photoexcited terahertz time-domain measurements give an estimate of the carrier densities and both the hole and electron mobility values with good precision. rnin An algorithm is developed to prevent the unwanted Fabry-Perot reflections which is commonly encountered in Terahertz Spectroscopy systems. We have performed terahertz time-domain transmission measurements on ZnTe &lt / 110&gt / crystals of various thicknesses to test the applicability of this algorithm. We have shown that the algorithm developed provides a quick way of eliminating the &ldquo / etalon&rdquo / reflections from the data. In addition, it is also shown that these &ldquo / etalon&rdquo / effects can be used for the frequency calibration of terahertz time-domain spectrometers.

Orientador: Cláudio Kitano / Resumo: Os transformadores de potencial baseados em tecnologia óptica têm sido desenvolvidos com a finalidade de melhorar o desempenho na proteção e medição nos sistemas elétricos de potência. Estes transformadores de potencial podem ser projetados em torno dos moduladores eletro-ópticos de amplitude que, por sua vez, são baseados no efeito Pockels em cristal como o Niobato de Lítio. A expressão geral da transmissão (razão entre o retardo de fase e a tensão aplicada) de um modulador eletro-óptico de intensidades é idêntica à expressão do sinal de saída de um interferômetro de dois feixes. Através de processamento eletrônico de dois sinais interferométricos de saída, com fase relativa de 90o entre si, consegue-se demodular o sinal, independentemente das derivas ambientais. Esses interferômetros, chamados de interferômetros de quadratura, são amplamente utilizados em laboratórios de metrologia. Assim, em 2014, um método de detecção interferométrica de fase óptica foi desenvolvido no Laboratório de Optoeletrônica (LOE) da FEIS-UNESP, constituindo uma versão melhorada da técnica de phase-unwrapping. Este método é imune ao fenômeno de desvanecimento, consegue medir o tempo de atraso entre o estímulo e a resposta, tem ampla faixa dinâmica, reconstrói a forma de onda do sinal de modulação sem a necessidade de aplicação de filtros à saída interferométrica, possuindo, ainda, a capacidade de demodular sinais com formas de ondas não periódicas. Beneficiando-se dessas informações, promoveu-se a ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Optical technology-based potential transformers have been developed to improve performance in protection and measurement in electrical power systems. These potential transformers can be designed around amplitude electro-optical modulators which, in turn, are based on the crystal Pockels effect such as Lithium Niobate. The general expression of the transmission (ratio between phase delay and applied voltage) of an electro-optical modulator of intensities is identical to the expression of the output signal of a two-beam interferometer. By electronic processing of two interferometric output signals, with relative phase of 90o between each other, the signal can be demodulated, irrespective of the environmental drift. These interferometers, called quadrature interferometers, are widely used in metrology laboratories. Thus, in 2014, an optical phase interferometric detection method was developed at the FEIS-UNESP’s Optoelectronic Laboratory (LOE), constituting an improved version of the phase-unwrapping technique. This method is immune to the phenomenon of fading, can measure the delay time between the stimulus and the response, has a wide dynamic range, reconstructs the waveform of the modulation signal without the need of applying filters to the interferometric output, also possessing the ability to demodulate signals with non-periodic waveforms. Taking advantage of this information, the adaptation of the method to a high voltage optical sensor in a quadrature configuration was p... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The photorefractive crystals of the sillenite family are very interesting because their large potentiality of applications in devices development, such as non‐destructive interferometer tests. Among the crystals of this family, the Bi12TiO20 (BTO) is more attractive because their relatively fast response time and the lower optical activity, being promising for application in real time image processing. The effective electro‐optic coefficient ( reff ) is a parameter too important for application of the BTO. The wavelength dispersion of this coefficient in the visible spectrum has attracted some discussion in the literature. Another important parameter is the electric screening field coefficient (ξ ). This parameter is necessary to take into account the material response to the applied electric field. Because the material is photoconductor and due to nonuniform illumination, the material responds creating an electric field, called screening field ( E scr ), that is opposed to the applied ones. In this work, we present an alternative procedure to determine ef r and ξ by measuring the optical intensity variation induced by an applied electric field ( E App ), which is transmitted through an undoped photorefractive 12 20 Bi TiO (BTO) crystal in an oblique incidence setup. The transmitted intensity variation (TIV) was modeled taking into account the transmission coefficients for the polarization plane parallel and perpendicular to the incidence plane, as well as the birefringence induced by the E App, which changes the components of the polarization vector of the light beam. The measurements were performed with infrared radiation at 780 nm and provided 5.5 0.2 pm/V reff = ± . It allowed us to conclude, with support of results from the literature, that the region without dispersion of the electro‐optic coefficient in the BTO crystal ranges from 510 nm to at least 780 nm. The results point to the existence of an intensity threshold inside the crystal to create a significant E scr. The procedure proposed here can be used for distinct wavelengths and seems to be suitable for other electrically induced birefringent materials. / Os cristais fotorrefrativos da família das silenitas são de grande interesse tecnológico devido as suas grandes potencialidades de aplicações no desenvolvimento de dispositivos, como em testes interferométricos não‐destrutivos. Dentro dessa família, o Bi12TiO20 (BTO) se destaca por apresentar tempo de resposta relativamente curto e a menor atividade óptica, sendo promissores para aplicação no processamento de imagens em tempo real. Um parâmetro muito importante para aplicação do BTO é o coeficiente eletro‐óptico efetivo ( ref ). A dispersão desse coeficiente na região visível do espectro tem atraído discussão considerável. Outro parâmetro importante é o coeficiente de blindagem do campo elétrico aplicado (ξ ). Esse parâmetro surge devido à resposta do meio a aplicação de campo elétrico. Pelo fato do material ser fotocondutor, o meio responde criando um campo elétrico interno, chamado de campo elétrico de blindagem (E scr), por conta da não‐uniformidade na iluminação e contatos elétricos. Neste trabalho, propomos um procedimento alternativo para a determinação de ref e ξ . A determinação desses parâmetros é realizada medindo a variação da intensidade transmitida (VIT) do feixe óptico pelo cristal em incidência oblíqua. Esta variação é provocada pelo campo elétrico aplicado (E Ap) e se deve a birrefringência induzida no cristal que muda as componentes do vetor polarização do feixe. A VIT foi modelada levando em conta os coeficientes de transmissão para polarização paralela e perpendicular ao plano de incidência, que no caso de incidência oblíqua são diferentes, como também a birrefringência induzida no cristal por E Ap. Foi investigado um cristal BTO e as medidas foram realizadas em 780 nm. O valor obtido para ref foi 5,5±0,2 pm/V o que nos permitiu concluir, com suporte de resultados da literatura, que a região a qual ef r não apresenta dispersão para os cristais BTO é de 510 nm até pelo menos 780 nm. Verificamos que o parâmetro ξ é dependente da intensidade do feixe incidente, do ângulo de incidência e do ângulo de polarização. Os resultados obtidos indicam a existência de um limiar de intensidade dentro do cristal para a criação de E scr significante. Apesar das medidas terem sido realizadas em apenas um cristal e um comprimento de onda, o procedimento proposto pode ser utilizado em outros comprimentos de onda e outros meios onde a birrefringência é induzida por E Ap.

Submitted by FERNANDO DA CRUZ PEREIRA (fernandocp.eng@gmail.com) on 2018-04-24T17:28:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Fernando da Cruz Pereira.pdf: 6132578 bytes, checksum: 5b74ffd75609af94d4d9dea04e13c167 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Cristina Alexandra de Godoy null (cristina@adm.feis.unesp.br) on 2018-04-24T17:59:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_fc_dr_ilha.pdf: 6132578 bytes, checksum: 5b74ffd75609af94d4d9dea04e13c167 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-24T17:59:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_fc_dr_ilha.pdf: 6132578 bytes, checksum: 5b74ffd75609af94d4d9dea04e13c167 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Os transformadores de potencial baseados em tecnologia óptica têm sido desenvolvidos com a finalidade de melhorar o desempenho na proteção e medição nos sistemas elétricos de potência. Estes transformadores de potencial podem ser projetados em torno dos moduladores eletro-ópticos de amplitude que, por sua vez, são baseados no efeito Pockels em cristal como o Niobato de Lítio. A expressão geral da transmissão (razão entre o retardo de fase e a tensão aplicada) de um modulador eletro-óptico de intensidades é idêntica à expressão do sinal de saída de um interferômetro de dois feixes. Através de processamento eletrônico de dois sinais interferométricos de saída, com fase relativa de 90o entre si, consegue-se demodular o sinal, independentemente das derivas ambientais. Esses interferômetros, chamados de interferômetros de quadratura, são amplamente utilizados em laboratórios de metrologia. Assim, em 2014, um método de detecção interferométrica de fase óptica foi desenvolvido no Laboratório de Optoeletrônica (LOE) da FEIS-UNESP, constituindo uma versão melhorada da técnica de phase-unwrapping. Este método é imune ao fenômeno de desvanecimento, consegue medir o tempo de atraso entre o estímulo e a resposta, tem ampla faixa dinâmica, reconstrói a forma de onda do sinal de modulação sem a necessidade de aplicação de filtros à saída interferométrica, possuindo, ainda, a capacidade de demodular sinais com formas de ondas não periódicas. Beneficiando-se dessas informações, promoveu-se a adaptação do método a um sensor óptico de altas tensões em configuração de quadratura de sinais. Desta forma, a presente pesquisa aborda o estudo e o desenvolvimento de um sensor óptico de alta tensão com chaveamento de quadratura, baseado em célula Pockels, dando continuidade às pesquisas em desenvolvimento no LOE, de um sistema de sensoriamento eletro-óptico de alta tensão. O sensor de alta tensão com chaveamento de quadratura e realimentado por controle de fase, foi implementado e submetido a testes com aplicação de tensões entre 200 V e 8,4 kV (de pico) em 60 Hz, apresentado excelente linearidade na faixa de interesse e boa precisão na medição do conteúdo harmônico dos sinais. Tais resultados evidenciam o potencial do sistema para operar na análise da qualidade de energia elétrica em sistemas da classe de 13,8 kV. / Optical technology-based potential transformers have been developed to improve performance in protection and measurement in electrical power systems. These potential transformers can be designed around amplitude electro-optical modulators which, in turn, are based on the crystal Pockels effect such as Lithium Niobate. The general expression of the transmission (ratio between phase delay and applied voltage) of an electro-optical modulator of intensities is identical to the expression of the output signal of a two-beam interferometer. By electronic processing of two interferometric output signals, with relative phase of 90o between each other, the signal can be demodulated, irrespective of the environmental drift. These interferometers, called quadrature interferometers, are widely used in metrology laboratories. Thus, in 2014, an optical phase interferometric detection method was developed at the FEIS-UNESP’s Optoelectronic Laboratory (LOE), constituting an improved version of the phase-unwrapping technique. This method is immune to the phenomenon of fading, can measure the delay time between the stimulus and the response, has a wide dynamic range, reconstructs the waveform of the modulation signal without the need of applying filters to the interferometric output, also possessing the ability to demodulate signals with non-periodic waveforms. Taking advantage of this information, the adaptation of the method to a high voltage optical sensor in a quadrature configuration was promoted. In this way, the present research deals with the study and development of a high voltage optical sensor with quadrature switching, based on Pockels cell, giving continuity to researches in the LOE of a high voltage electro-optical sensing system. The high voltage sensor with quadrature switching and phase controlled feedback was implemented and submitted to tests with voltage between 200 V and 8.4 kV (peak) at 60 Hz, with excellent linearity in the range of interest and good accuracy in measuring the harmonic content of the signals. These results show the potential of the system to operate in the analysis of electric power quality in systems of the class of 13.8 kV.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:37:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Heidi Kaori Sato Pertile.pdf: 2322047 bytes, checksum: aaee9a054b94e9557394faaf3251bec9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-01-24 / In this work we present a study on the generation of pulse train in an Erbium doped fiber laser in the hybrid mode-locking regime operating with short pulses at high repetition rates. The short pulses are generated by passive mode-locking technique using carbon nanotubes as saturable absorbers. High repetition rates are generated by active mode-locking technique using a phase modulator. We built cavities with three different mode-locking regimes: active, passive and, finally, hybrid, to compare results. In active and hybrid cavities we used an electro-optical modulator. In passive and hybrid cavities we used a homemade film of a polymer containing carbon nanotubes with diameter of 1 nm. With the cavity operating in the hybrid regime we obtained pulse durations of 1.77 ps with repetition rate of 10 GHz. / Neste trabalho apresentamos um estudo sobre a geração de trem de pulsos em laser à fibra dopada com Érbio operando em regime de acoplamento híbrido de modos, com pulsos curtos a altas taxas de repetição. Os pulsos curtos são obtidos pela técnica de acoplamento passivo de modos utilizando absorvedores saturáveis de carbono. As altas taxas de repetição são obtidas pela técnica de acoplamento ativo de modos através de um modulador. Construímos três cavidades distintas: ativa, passiva e finalmente a híbrida para comparação de resultados. Nas cavidades ativa e híbrida foi utilizado um modulador eletro-óptico de fase e, nas cavidades passiva e híbrida foi utilizado um filme de um polímero (NOA 73TM) contendo nanotubos de carbono com diâmetro de 1 nm por nós fabricado. Com a cavidade em regime híbrido de modos, foi obtida uma duração de pulso de 1,77 ps com uma taxa de repetição de 10 GHz.

Ce mémoire présente des travaux portant sur le développement de trois sources lasers pompées longitudinalement par diodes laser et déclenchées activement par modulateur électro-optique pour deux applications spécifiques : la LIBS et le marquage par laser. Ces travaux ont été réalisés en collaboration avec deux sociétés : Bertin Technologies et SDAE.Le premier chapitre de ce manuscrit présente le développement d’une nouvelle source laser compacte, réalisée pour la société Bertin Technologies dans le cadre d’un projet de tri de matériaux plastiques par analyse spectroscopique de plasma induit par laser (LIBS). Cette technique d’analyse ponctuelle ainsi que le contexte spécifique du projet sont détaillés dans la première partie de ce chapitre. Ensuite, les différentes étapes de recherche et de développement qui ont permis d’aboutir à cette nouvelle source laser innovante, compacte et de hautes performances seront décrites en détail. Le second chapitre présente le développement de deux sources lasers pour le marquage industriel réalisées en partenariat avec la société SDAE. Après avoir présenté les principes et techniques généraux de l’application marquage ainsi que les contraintes spécifiques au projet, les deux sources lasers développées seront décrites. Des tests de LIBS et de marquage ont été réalisés grâce aux lasers développés / This thesis deals with the development of three lasers end-pumped by laser diode and actively Q-Switched by electro-optic Pockels cells for two specific applications: Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and marking. This work was done in collaboration with two companies: Bertin Technologies and SDAE.In the first part, we present the development of a new compact laser source, made for Bertin Technologies as part of sorting of plastics waste by LIBS. This analysis technique and the specific context of the project will be detailed in the first part of this chapter. Then, the different steps of research and development which have resulted in this innovative, compact and high performance new laser are described in detail. The second part is devoted to the development of lasers for industrial marking accomplished in partnership with SDAE. More precisely, the general principles and techniques of laser marking are described as well as the specific constraints of this project. LIBS and laser marking tests will be done with these lasers

A novel experimental setup has been realized to measure weak magnetic moments which can be modulated at radio frequencies (~1–5 MHz). Using an optimized radio-frequency (RF) pickup coil and lock-in amplifier, an experimental sensitivity of 10 -15 Am2 corresponding to 10 -18 emu has been demonstrated with a one second time constant. The detection limit at room temperature is 9.3 10 -16 Am2/√Hz limited by Johnson noise of the coil. In order to demonstrate the sensitivity of this technique it was used to electrically detect the polarized spins in semiconductors in zero applied magnetic fields. For example in GaAs, the magnetic moment due to a small number (~ 7 x 108) of spin polarized electrons generated by polarization modulated optical radiation was detected. Spin polarization was generated by optical injection using circularly polarized light which is modulated rapidly using an electro-optic cell. The modulated spin polarization generates a weak time-varying magnetic field which is detected by the sensitive radio-frequency coil. Using a radio-frequency lock-in amplifier, clear signals were obtained for bulk GaAs and Ge samples from which an optical spin orientation efficiency of ~ 10–20% could be determined for Ge at 1342 nm excitation wavelength at 127 K. In the presence of a small external magnetic field, the signal decayed according to the Hanle Effect, from which a spin lifetime of 4.6 ± 1.0 ns for electrons in bulk Ge at 127 K was extracted. The spin dynamics in n-Ge was further explored and the temperature dependence of the spin lifetime was plotted for a temperature range of about 90 K to 180 K. The temperature dependence of the optical pumping efficiency was also measured though no quantitative conclusions could be derived. The signals observed for semi-insulating GaAs, n-GaAs, GaSb and CdTe which are direct gap semiconductors are much larger than expected (almost two orders of magnitude). An attempt was made to explain this unexpected behavior of these direct gap semiconductors using the spin hall effect.