The preparation of single photons in a pure quantum state is a subject of great interest in physics, enabling the control of light at an unprecedented level. The ease with which certain degrees of freedom of photon states, such as polarisation, can be manipulated, along with the inherent resilience of photons to decoherence, makes them well suited for use as qubits. Recent rapid developments in the transmission and processing of quantum information, as well as the likely technological impact of potential real-world applications such as quantum cryptography and quantum computation, mean that the demand for high performance single photon sources is likely to increase in the near future. One approach to producing single photon states, which are known to be in a well-defined spatio-temporal mode without destructively measuring them, is to take advantage of nonlinear optics. Nonlinear processes can be used to realise frequency conversion by generating a single, correlated pair of photons from an intense pump laser source. The detection of one of the photons from a pair can then be used to indicate the presence of the other photon in the pair, a procedure known as heralding. This thesis describes the development of a source of heralded single photons at 1550 nm, generated directly in the core of a photonic crystal fibre (PCF). By taking advantage of low loss fibre components for the required spectral filtering of the generated photon state, a heralding fidelity of 52% was achieved. The source was designed to be used with a picosecond pulsed fibre laser, making it relatively low cost and maintenance free. With 148 mW of average pump power a heralded output photon rate of 6.4 × 104 s-1 was observed, demonstrating the brightness of the source. The purity of the generated single photons was established by measuring non-classical interference, with a visibility of 70%, between the photons output from this source and a source based on a PPLN waveguide. The fabrication of a series of birefringent PCFs for the generation of spectrally pure state photons at 1550 nm is also discussed. These PCFs will be useful for incorporation in the next generation of high performance, fibre-based photon sources.

This Masters thesis investigates the ligand–particle binding interactions in the thiol–capped CdTe nanoparticles and dye adsorbed gold nanoparticles. In the CdTe nanoparticles, Raman modes corresponding to the CdTe core, thiol ligand and their interfacial layers were observed and correlated to the different nanoparticle properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such strong Raman modes of the thiol-capped nanoparticles in aqueous solution have been reported. In the gold nanoparticle systems, gold–citrate binding interactions were observed as well as adsorption of the Raman dyes and binding with the polyethyleneglycol polymer coating and phospholipid coating. These observations coincided with findings from conventional optical techniques. In addition, gold nanoparticles were found to carbonize at high pump power and prolonged exposure time. In summary, the two nanoparticle characterizations demonstrated the high sensitivity and nondestructive nature of the photonic crystal fiber for Raman spectroscopy.

This Masters thesis investigates the ligand–particle binding interactions in the thiol–capped CdTe nanoparticles and dye adsorbed gold nanoparticles. In the CdTe nanoparticles, Raman modes corresponding to the CdTe core, thiol ligand and their interfacial layers were observed and correlated to the different nanoparticle properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such strong Raman modes of the thiol-capped nanoparticles in aqueous solution have been reported. In the gold nanoparticle systems, gold–citrate binding interactions were observed as well as adsorption of the Raman dyes and binding with the polyethyleneglycol polymer coating and phospholipid coating. These observations coincided with findings from conventional optical techniques. In addition, gold nanoparticles were found to carbonize at high pump power and prolonged exposure time. In summary, the two nanoparticle characterizations demonstrated the high sensitivity and nondestructive nature of the photonic crystal fiber for Raman spectroscopy.

This research reports a simple and novel method to fabricate microlens arrays by soft stamping the unexposed SU-8 photoresist. A SU-8 based stamp composed of micro-nozzle arrays with a reservoir structure on a glass substrate is first fabricated using a process of dosage control exposure. The unexposed SU-8 is then encapsulated in the cross-linked SU-8 shell and was used as the ¡§ink¡¨ for the stamping process. The proposed SU-8 microlens array is then formed by stamping the formed SU-8 structure on a bare glass substrate at a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the unexposed SU-8 microlens array. Lenses with various radii of curvature can be formed by controlling the working temperature during the stamping process. In addition, this work also employed a simple electric static pulling scheme to manipulate the fabricated lenses profiles. Aspherical SU-8 microlens arrays with a wide range of tunable focal lengths were fabricated with this approach. Furthermore, we develop an advanced localize E-field control technique to fabricate microlenses with various focus length and microlenses with different tilt angle in a single lens array sheet. A novel grayscale mask fabrication technique is also proposed first. This low cost and rapid method is applied on stepwise and continuous tilt plane fabrication for produces a gradually changed E-field. Hetero axes and focus lengths microlenses are fabricated with this approach. In order to farther understand the real E-field distribution, a novel PCF based E-field sensor fabrication technique is also proposed. This technique also shows the potential on various PCF based devices fabrications.

Recently, long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) based on PCFs have been demonstrated by using heating or a mechanically pressure to induce periodic index variations along the fibers. However, LPFGs fabricated by these two methods suffer the structure damage. In this thesis we propose novel optically controllable LPFGs based on the photoresponsive photonic liquid crystal fibers (PLCFs) and no structure damage occurs during the fabrication process. The photoresponsive PLCF was filled with a LC mixture consisting of the nematic LC E7 and the photoresponsive 4MAB. The properties of the photoresponsive PLCF can be modulated by using laser irradiation. In addition, the transmission bands of the photoresponsive PLCF can also be tuned by controlling the 4MAB concentration or operation temperature. An optically controllable LPFG was fabricated based on the photoresponsive PLCF by using blue-laser irradiation through a mask with 700-£gm grating period. The measured resonant wavelength appeared at 1539 nm with the FWHM was 27 nm, and the maximum dip depth was about −15 dB with a 6.5-dB insertion loss. The LPFG was shown to be erasable by using a green laser. In addition, we have also investigated the effects of the number of grating period, 4MAB concentrations, operation temperatures, thermal recovery properties, and irradiation intensity on the LPFGs. Our proposed optically controllable LPFGs possess reversible property and are quite useful to be applied in tunable optical devices.

In this thesis, we have compared between dual-core fiber coupler with photonic crystal fiber coupler. From Surface Integral Equation Method derived from Maxwell¡¦s equations, we can simulate tapered fiber coupler, dual-core fiber coupler and photonic crystal fiber coupler. By analyzing the propagating characteristics and performance of these couplers, we hope to discuss between their advantages and dis-advantages. We have found that at the same parameters, conventional fiber coupler¡¦s coupling length is roughly half compared to photonic crystal coupler. In terms of bandwidth, photonic crystal coupler aided by air-hole tuning can achieve multiples times larger than conventional fiber coupler. So, we believe that in communication networks with a lust of bandwidth, photonic crystal coupler can definitely live up its expectations.

Orientadores: Luiz Carlos Barbosa, Cristiano Monteiro de Barros Cordeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T19:12:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santos_ElianeMourados_M.pdf: 4020531 bytes, checksum: 57766702771129e7f4bfe1d0c7852f67 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Este trabalho apresenta estudos de como inserir fluidos (líquidos e gases) em fibras ópticas microestruturadas, especialmente fibras de cristal fotônico, também conhecidas como PCF¿s (do inglês Photonic Crystal Fibers). Estas fibras possuem buracos de ar que percorrem todo seu comprimento. Elas podem ser divididas em dois grandes grupos: as de núcleo sólido que guiam luz por reflexão interna total e as de núcleo oco que guiam luz por um mecanismo conhecido como photonic bandgap. Ambos os tipos de fibras permitem várias aplicações em áreas como óptica e fotônica e nos dedicamos aqui à área de sensoriamento a fibra. Nesta área, usamos os microburacos para inserir fluido e dessa maneira manipular as propriedades de guiamento (em fibras de núcleo líquido), deixar a fibra mais sensível a algum parâmetro externo ou para sensoriar o fluido em questão. Nos três casos, precisamos estudar os processos de preenchimentos de fibras microestruturadas. Para este fim, estudamos e desenvolvemos maneiras de inserir fluidos em fibras de núcleos sólidos ou ocos. Usando preenchimento seletivo, produzimos fibras com núcleo líquido, criando uma região de alta interação entre luz e material. Neste trabalho, estudamos diferentes técnicas de preenchimento. A primeira, para fibras de núcleo líquido, é um preenchimento seletivo que pode ser feito usando uma máquina de emendas (splicer) ou um polímero para bloquear os microburacos. O outro consiste em manter as pontas das fibras livres (para medidas ópticas) enquanto o preenchimento é feito. Por fim, usamos o conhecimento desses processos em aplicações como sensoriamento de fluidos ou parâmetros externos e manipulação de propriedades de guiamento da luz / Abstract: This work presents studies of how to insert fluids (liquid and gas) into microstructured optical fibers, especially photonic crystal fibers, also known as PCF¿s. These optical fibers possess air holes that run along its entire length. They can be divided into two major groups: solid core fibers that guide light by total internal reflection and hollow core fibers that guide light by photonic bandgap. Both types of fibers allow several applications in areas such as optics and photonics and we dedicated this work to the fiber-sensing field. In this area we use the micro holes to insert fluids and in this way to manipulate the guidance properties in liquid core fibers, to leave the fiber more sensitive to some external parameter or to sensing the fluid. In these three cases we need to study the filling procedures in microstructured fibers. For this purpose, we studied and developed ways of inserting fluids in hollow and solid core fibers. We produced liquid core fibers, creating a high light-material overlap, using a selective filling technique. In this work we studied different filling techniques. The first one, for liquid core fibers, is a selective filling, which can be done by using a splicer machine or a polymer to block the fiber micro holes. The last one consists of keeping the fiber tips free (for optical measurements) while the filling is done. And finally we used the filling process knowledge in applications like sensing of fluids or external parameters and manipulation of guidance properties / Mestrado / Física Geral / Mestre em Física

Orientadores: Cristiano Monteiro de Barros Codeiro, Marcos Antonio Ruggieri Franco / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T13:14:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ValenzuelaEspinel_YovannyAlexander_M.pdf: 51370027 bytes, checksum: 2f925ea5d4b6a8642e1244ad21e8e82b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Foram realizados estudos sobre o controle de propriedades ópticas, por meio de pressão, e sensibilidade à pressão com fibras de cristal fotônico (PCF). No primeiro caso foi demonstrado por meio de simulações, uma nova forma para obter e sintonizar com pressão hidrostática externa o estado monomodo e única polarização em fibras PCF de polimetilmetacritalo (PMMA). Em relação à sensibilidade à pressão hidrostática, o comportamento espectral do coeficiente de sensibilidade de varias fibras PCF em sílica, Cs = (?? / ?P) (onde ?? é a variação num mínimo do espectro de transmissão de uma fibra PCF que acontece quando a pressão hidrostática externa muda em LlP), é calculado teoricamente e corroborado experimentalmente. Com a finalidade de estudar teoricamente o coeficiente Cs, a birrefringência de grupo e a sensibilidade da birrefringência modal de fase à pressão são simuladas para as fibras. Expressões analíticas do coeficiente Cs na aproximação de primeira e segunda ordem são calculadas. Nas duas aproximações é confirmado um aumento do Cs para comprimentos de onda no visível devido à birrefringência de grupo. Para baixas pressões, tal comportamento é corroborado experimentalmente. Segundo a literatura apresentada até agora a possibilidade de otimizar o coeficiente Cs, fazendo uso da birrefringência de grupo no visível e ao mesmo tempo incorporando geometrias com uma alta anisotropia geométrica para aumentar a sensibilidade da birrefringência modal de fase à pressão, não tem sido explorada. Na aproximação de segunda ordem do coeficiente Cs são incorporadas as mudanças do comprimento de onda e da pressão e são comparadas com a aproximação de primeira ordem. Cálculos analíticos foram feitos e apresentados nos Apêndices B e C. As equações do efeito fotoelástico, determinantes para realizar as simulações com o software (COMSOL 3.5a), são apresentadas no Apêndice B, relações que descrevem o coeficiente Cs de fibras PCF são apresentadas no (Apêndice C) / Abstract: Abstract Studies about both the active control of optical properties by means of external hydrostatic pressure and pressure sensitivity in photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) were made. In the first case, a new form to obtain and tune, by using pressure, the single-mode single-polarization state in microstructured polymer optical fibers (mPOFs) is demonstrated by simulations. In relation to pressure sensitivity, the spectral behavior of the sensitivity coefficient of some PCFs in silica, Cs = (?? / ?P) (where ?? é is the change in a minimum of the transmission spectrum for a PCF as a consequence of the change in the external hydrostatic pressure 11P that is applied on the fiber), is calculated and corroborated experimentally. In order to investigate the coefficient Cs, the group birefringence and the sensitivity of phase modal birefringence to pressure are calculated in the fibers. Analytical expressions for the coefficient Cs in the first and second order approximation are calculated. In these two approximations an increase of the coefficient Cs is confirmed to wavelengths in the visible. To low pressures this behavior is corroborated experimentally. At the best of our knowledge, the possibility to optimize the coefficient (Cs) by using the group birefringence and geometries with high geometric anisotropy to enhancing the sensitivity of phase modal birefringence to pressure has not been investigated. In the coefficient Cs with the second order approximation are incorporated the changes of the wavelength and pressure and are compared with the first approximation. On the other hand, analytic calculates are realized in the Appendixes B and C. The equations related to the photoelastic effect were calculates (Appendix B). Finally, the relations that describing the behavior of pressure sensitivity also were calculates (Appendix C) / Mestrado / Física / Mestra em Física

In this dissertation, high-power ytterbium-doped fiber amplifiers designed with advanced waveguide concepts are characterized and power scaled. Fiber waveguides utilizing cladding microstructures to achieve wave guidance via the photonic bandgap (PBG) effect and a combination of PBG and modified total internal reflection (MTIR) have been proposed as viable single-mode waveguides. Such novel structures allow larger core diameters (>35 μm diameters) than conventional step-index fibers while still maintaining near-diffraction limited beam quality. These microstructured fibers are demonstrated as robust single-mode waveguides at low powers and are power scaled to realize the thermal power limits of the structure. Here above a certain power threshold, these coiled few-mode fibers have been shown to be limited by modal instability (MI); where energy is dynamically transferred between the fundamental mode and higher-order modes. Nonlinear effects such as stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) are also studied in these fiber waveguides as part of this dissertation. Suppressing SBS is critical towards achieving narrow optical bandwidths (linewidths) necessary for efficient fiber amplifier beam combining. Towards that end, new effects that favorably reduce acoustic wave dispersion to increase the SBS threshold are discovered and reported. The first advanced waveguide examined is a Yb-doped 50/400 µm diameter core/clad PBGF. The PBGF is power scaled with a single-frequency 1064 nm seed to an MI-limited 410 W with 79% optical-to-optical efficiency and near-diffraction limited beam quality (M-Squared < 1.25) before MI onset. To this author's knowledge, this represents 2.4x improvement in power output from a PBGF amplifier without consideration for linewidth and a 16x improvement in single-frequency power output from a PBGF amplifier. During power scaling of the PBGF, a remarkably low Brillouin response was elicited from the fiber even when the ultra large diameter 50 µm core is accounted for in the SBS threshold equation. Subsequent interrogation of the Brillouin response in a pump probe Brillouin gain spectrum diagnostic estimated a Brillouin gain coefficient, gB, of 0.62E-11 m/W; which is 4x reduced from standard silica-based fiber. A finite element numerical model that solves the inhomogenous Helmholtz equation that governs the acoustic and optical coupling in SBS is utilized to verify experimental results with an estimated gB = 0.68E-11 m/W. Consequently, a novel SBS-suppression mechanism based on inclusion of sub-optical wavelength acoustic features in the core is proposed. The second advanced waveguide analyzed is a 35/350 µm diameter core/clad fiber that achieved wave guidance via both PBG and MTIR, and is referred to as a hybrid fiber. The waveguide benefits mutually from the amenable properties of PBG and MTIR wave guidance because robust single-mode propagation with minimal confinement loss is assured due to MTIR effects, and the waveguide spectrally filters unwanted wavelengths via the PBG effect. The waveguide employs annular Yb-doped gain tailoring to reduce thermal effects and mitigate MI. Moreover, it is designed to suppress Raman processes for a 1064 nm signal by attenuating wavelengths > 1110 nm via the PBG effect. When seeded with a 1064 nm signal deterministically broadened to ~1 GHz, the hybrid fiber was power scaled to a MI-limited 820 W with 78% optical-to-optical efficiency and near diffraction limited beam quality of M_Squared ~1.2 before MI onset. This represents a 14x improvement in power output from a hybrid fiber, and demonstrates that this type of fiber amplifier is a quality candidate for further power scaling for beam combining.

Hybrid microstructured fibers, utilizing both air holes and high index cladding structures, provide important advantages over conventional fiber including robust fundamental mode operation with large core diameters (>30 mu m) and spectral filtering (i.e. amplified spontaneous emission and Raman suppression). This work investigates the capabilities of a hybrid fiber designed to suppress stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and modal instability (MI) by characterizing these effects in a counter-pumped amplifier configuration as well as interrogating SBS using a pump-probe Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) diagnostic suite. The fiber has a 35 mu m annularly gain tailored core, the center doped with Yb and the second annulus comprised of un-doped fused silica, designed to optimize gain in the fundamental mode while limiting gain to higher order modes. A narrow-linewidth seed was amplified to an MI-limited 820 W, with near-diffraction-limited beam quality, an effective linewidth similar to 1 GHz, and a pump conversion efficiency of 78%. Via a BGS pump-probe measurement system a high resolution spectra and corresponding gain coefficient were obtained. The primary gain peak, corresponding to the Yb doped region of the core, occurred at 15.9 GHz and had a gain coefficient of 1.92x10(-11) m/W. A much weaker BGS response, due to the pure silica annulus, occurred at 16.3 GHz. This result demonstrates the feasibility of power scaling hybrid microstructured fiber amplifiers