The infrared portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum is a challenging region in which to perform optical techniques, limited by both device efficiency and availability. In this dissertation, a new optical technique is introduced to facilitate polarization state measurement across the mid-IR. In addition, cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) is investigated as a potential new material suitable for electro-optic devices which function in the mid-IR, while also being characterized by other optical analysis methods. Thin film interference is discussed as it relates to optical techniques and electronic devices. A Stokes polarimeter is used to study the oxide development on the surface of CZT electronic devices, and the effect of natural thin films on substrates used in optical techniques is discussed. In particular, the impact of thin film interference on sum-frequency generation spectroscopy measurements of methyl group orientation are assessed. An FTIR source operated in step-scan mode is used to create a broadband, IR Stokes polarimeter which measures the polarization state of light from 2.5-11 μm simultaneously. Its design, involving two photo-elastic modulators and an analyzer, and theory are described in detail. This instrument is demonstrated by measuring linearly polarized light, and is applied to the measurement of the refractive index dispersion of quartz from 2.5-4 μm, which goes beyond the limits of literature values. Electro-optic crystals of CZT with electrodes of gold and indium are characterized at each wavelength in the mid-IR in terms of their electro-optic effects and apparent depolarization using the Stokes polarimeter. The material displays high-resistivity, allowing it to be operated with up to 5 kV applied DC voltage. The linear electro-optic effect is observed, but overall properties of the samples are found to be heavily dependent on the choice of metal for the electrodes. With a high-work function electrode material in gold, a large depletion region is created when high voltage is applied, which leads to a gradient in electric field throughout the material. This causes a beam of light transmitted through it to experience a distribution of electro-optic behaviours, which leads to overall depolarization of the light. Indium’s work function is lower than gold’s, and is closer to that of CZT. With indium electrodes, the electric field is found to be more consistent, and behaviour is much closer to ideal. The electro-optic effect of CZT is also characterized with AC applied voltage in order to assess its suitability to AC applied voltage applications. The power supply used for this was limited to 60 Hz, which precludes a complete characterization in this regard, but unexpected behaviour was seen. A methodology utilizing an oscilloscope and FTIR was developed in order to more completely understand the material response, and divergent behaviour with positive and negative voltage was found. / Graduate / 2018-12-18

This dissertation explores techniques for improving slab-coupled optical fiber sensor (SCOS) technology for use in specific applications and sensing configurations. SCOS are advantageous for their small size and all-dielectric composition which permit non-intrusive measurement of electric fields within compact environments; however, their small size also limits their sensitivity. This work performs a thorough analysis of the factors contributing to the performance of SCOS and demonstrates methods which improve SCOS, while maintaining its small dimensions and high level of directional sensitivity. These improvements include increasing the sensitivity by 9x, improving the frequency response to include sub 300 kHz frequencies, and developing a method to tune the resonances. The analysis shows that the best material for the slab waveguide is an electro-optic polymer because of its low RF permittivity combined with high electro-optic coefficient. Additional improvements are based on changing the crystal orientation to a transverse configuration, which enhances the sensitivity due to a combined increase in the effective electro-optic coefficient and electric field penetration into the slab. The transverse SCOS configuration not only improves the overall sensitivity but increases the directional sensitivity of the SCOS. Lithium niobate and electro-optic polymer are both experimentally shown to exhibit minimal frequency dependent sensitivity making them suitable for broad frequency applications. Simultaneous interrogation of multiple SCOS with a single tunable laser is achieved by tuning the resonant wavelengths of KTP SCOS so their resonances overlap.

Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) and KTiOPO4 (KTP) are ferroelectric crystals of considerable interest in different fields of optics and optoelectronics. Due to its large values of the nonlinear optical, electro-optic (EO), piezoelectric and acousto-optical coefficients, LiNbO3 is widely used for laser frequency conversion using the quasiphase matching (QPM) approach where the sign of nonlinearity has been periodically modulated by electric field poling (EFP). In the microwave and telecommunication field LiNbO3 is used for surface acoustic devices and integrated optical modulators. KTP and its isomorphs, on the other hand, exhibit slightly lower nonlinear coefficients but have much higher photorefractive damage thresholds, so that it is mainly used in the fabrication of QPM devices for both UV, IR and visible light generation and in high power applications. This thesis focus on different key issues: (1) accurate characterization of specific optical properties of LiNbO3, which are of interest in nonlinear and EO applications; (2) in-situ visualization and characterization of domain reversal by EFP in LiNbO3 and KTP crystals for a through understanding of the ferroelectric domain switching; (3) fabrication of periodic surface structures at sub-micron scale in LiNbO for photonic applications. An interferometric method is used for accurate measurement of ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices in uniaxial crystals, which is of great interest in the proper design of QPM crystals. A digital holography (DH) based method is presented here for 2D characterization of the EO properties of LiNbO , which is considerably interesting in the applications where the proper design of the EO device requires a spatially resolved information about the EO behaviour and the existing pointwise techniques are not sufficient. A DH method for novel in-situ monitoring of domain reversal by EFP in both LiNbO3 and KTP, is also presented here. The technqiue could be used as a tool for high fidelity periodic domain engineering but also provides information about domain kinetics, internal field and crystals defects. 3 3 3 Finally this thesis presents novel results concerning nanoscale periodic surface structuring of congruent LiNbO3. Holographic lithography (HL) is used for sub-micron period resist patterning and electric overpoling for surface domain reversal. Surface structures are obtained by selective etching. Moiré effect is also used in the HL to fabricate complicated structures with multiple periods. The depth compatibility with waveguide implementation allows foreseeing possible applications of these structures for Bragg gratings or innovative photonic crystal devices, exploiting the additional nonlinear and EO properties typical of LiNbO3. / QC 20100824

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