Showing papers in "Applied Optics in 2020"

Complex refractive indices measurements of polymers in visible and near-infrared bands

Abstract: The complex refractive indices of polymers have important applications in the analysis of their components and the study of radiation endothermic mechanisms. Since these materials have high transmittance in the visible to near-infrared ranges, it is difficult to accurately measure their complex refractive indices. At present, the data for complex refractive indices of polymers are seriously lacking, which greatly limits the applications of these materials in the field of thermal radiation. In this work, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) combined with the ray tracing method (RTM) is used to measure the complex refractive indices of five polymers, polydimethylsiloxane, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate, in the spectral range of 0.4-2 µm. The double optical pathlength transmission method (DOPTM) is used to measure the complex refractive indices of three polymers, PMMA, polyvinyl chloride, and polyetherimide, in the 0.4-2 µm range. The complex refractive index of PMMA measured by the DOPTM almost coincides with the data measured by SE combined with the RTM. The results show that the trends of the complex refractive indices spectra for the seven polymers in the 0.4-2 µm range are similar. This work makes up for the lack of complex refractive indices in the 0.4-2 µm range for these seven materials and points out the direction for accurate measurements of the complex refractive indices of polymers with weak absorption.

Characterization of e-beam evaporated Ge, YbF3, ZnS, and LaF3 thin films for laser-oriented coatings.

Abstract: Thin films of Ge, ZnS, YbF3, and LaF3 produced using e-beam evaporation on ZnSe and Ge substrates were characterized in the range of 0.4–12 µm. It was found that the Sellmeier model provides the best fit for refractive indices of ZnSe substrate, ZnS, and LaF3 films; the Cauchy model provides the best fit for YbF3 film. Optical constants of Ge substrate and Ge film as well as extinction coefficients of ZnS, YbF3, LaF3, and ZnSe substrate are presented in the frame of a non-parametric model. For the extinction coefficient of ZnS, the exponential model is applicable. Stresses in Ge, ZnS, YbF3, and LaF3 were estimated equal to (−50)MPa, (−400)MPa, 140 MPa, and 380 MPa, respectively. The surface roughness does not exceed 5 nm for all films and substrates.

Determination of 1-propanol, ethanol, and methanol concentrations in water based on a one-dimensional phoxonic crystal sensor

Abstract: In this research, the photonic and phononic response of one-dimensional multilayer phoxonic crystals (PxCs) with normal incident of electromagnetic and acoustic waves is discussed. The presented design can work as a highly sensitive sensor for measuring three binary alcohol/water mixtures (i.e., 1-propanol/water, ethanol/water, and methanol/water) for a wide range of concentrations. The PxC sensor is able to detect small changes in the refractive index and longitudinal sound velocity of the alcohol/water mixture with initially neglecting the acousto-optical interaction. The sensor design is a defective structure as [$({\rm Si}/{\rm SiO}_2)^4 (\rm mixture\;wt. \%) {({{\rm SiO}_2}/{\rm Si})^4}$(Si/SiO2)4(mixturewt.%)(SiO2/Si)4]. Also, we studied the effects of changing mixture concentrations from 0 wt. % to 100 wt. % on the physio-chemical parameters and resonant mode frequency. In our results, we have achieved high performance for the three alcohol mixtures in both phononic and photonic sensors especially for low concentrations. For example, in the photonic sensor we obtained sensitivity, $Q$Q value, and figure of merit of 873 nm/RIU, 755, and ${290}\;{{\rm RIU}^{ - 1}}$290RIU−1, respectively, for methanol of concentration 10% in water. The phononic sensor showed higher results compared with the photonic sensor, as for ethanol with concentration 26.8% in water we obtained sensitivity, $Q$Q value, and figure of merit of ${37}\;{{\rm MHz/ms}^{ - 1}}$37MHz/ms−1, 1604, and ${8.4}\;{({\rm m/s})^{ - 1}}$8.4(m/s)−1, respectively. The proposed structure has different merits: operation at high temperatures, compact size, ease of fabrication, and feasibility of alcohol detection with two different methods that could be used in many chemical applications.

Detection and sensing of hemoglobin using one-dimensional binary photonic crystals comprising a defect layer

Abstract: Believing that the detection of hemoglobin possesses a vital role in the discovery of many diseases, we present in this work a simple method for sensing and detecting hemoglobin based on one-dimensional photonic crystals. Implementing hemoglobin as a defect layer inside the proposed photonic crystal results in a resonant peak evolving within the bandgaps. The strong dependence of these resonant peaks on concentration and the consequent refractive index are the essential bases of the detection process. The role played by these parameters together with the angle of incidence on performance and efficiency of our sensor is demonstrated. In the vicinity of the investigated results, we demonstrate the values of sensitivity, figure of merit (FOM), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and resolution to optimize the performance of our sensor. The numerical results show a significant effect of polarization mode on performance of this sensor. For TE polarization with an angle of incidence equal to 45°, we investigated sensitivity of 167nmRIU-1, SNR of 0.23, FOM of 0.63RIU-1, and resolution of 257 nm.

Silicon nitride waveguide devices based on gradient-index lenses implemented by subwavelength silicon grating metamaterials

Abstract: The rapid development of photonic integrated circuits demands the design of efficient and compact waveguide devices such as waveguide tapers and crossings. Some components in the silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide platform are superior to their counterparts in the silicon waveguide platform. Designing a compact SiN waveguide taper and crossing is crucial to reduce the size of SiN photonic components. In this paper, we utilize the focusing property of the Luneburg lens to design an SiN taper connecting a 10-µm-wide waveguide to a 1-µm-wide waveguide. Three-dimensional full-wave simulations indicate that the designed 13-µm-long taper has an average transmission efficiency of 92% in the wavelength range of 1500-1600 nm. We also present an in-plane SiN waveguide crossing based on the imaging property of the square Maxwell's fisheye lens designed with quasi-conformal transformation optics. The designed waveguide crossing occupies a compact footprint of 5.65µm×5.65µm, while its average insertion loss is 0.46 dB in the bandwidth of 1500-1600 nm. To the best our knowledge, the designed SiN waveguide taper and crossing have the smallest footprints to date.

Cancer cell detection by a heart-shaped dual-core photonic crystal fiber sensor

Abstract: This paper contributes a novel design of sensor with a heart-shaped dual-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) to detect cancerous cells in human cervical, blood, adrenal glands, and breast. Cancer-infected cells and their normal cells are considered in liquid form having their own refractive indices. In the designed PCF, the two heart-shaped cores separated by a large circular air hole serve as two independent waveguides. The large circular air hole is infiltrated by sample cells from different body parts. Detection of cancer-contaminated cells by the proposed PCF is based on the mode-coupling theory. According to the mode-coupling theory, the guided optical light transmits periodically from one core to another, throughout the PCF length. During this transmission, the optical light interacts with the cancerous cell, which is filled in the center air hole of the PCF. Due to this interaction, the dip wavelength of the transmission spectrum is sensitive to the corresponding cancerous cell filled in the center air hole of the PCF. The variation in the PCF transmission spectrum for cancerous cells and their normal cells is observed by using the finite element method. The dip wavelength shift of the cancer cell in reference to its normal cell has been measured from the transmission spectrum to determine the sensing performance of the proposed sensor. The sensitivity achieved of the proposed sensor for cervical cancer cell, blood cancer cell, adrenal gland cancer cell, and breast cancer cells are 7916.67 nm/RIU, 8571.43 nm/RIU, 9285.71 nm/RIU, and 10,000 nm/RIU, respectively, with a maximum detection limit of 0.024. Therefore, the proposed PCF sensor suggests high sensitivity with a rapid cancer detection mechanism.

Defect mode tunability based on the electro-optical characteristics of the one-dimensional graphene photonic crystals.

Abstract: New (to the best of our knowledge) photonic crystal optical filters with unique optical characteristics are theoretically introduced in this research. Here, our design is composed of a defect layer inside one-dimensional photonic crystals. The main idea of our study is dependent on the tunability of the permittivity of graphene by means of the electro-optical effect. The transfer matrix method and the electro-optical effect represent the cornerstone of our methodology to investigate the numerical results of this design. The numerical results are investigated for four different configurations of the defective one-dimensional photonic crystals for the electric polarization mode. The graphene as a defect layer is deposited on two different electro-optical materials (lithium niobate and polystyrene) to obtain the four different configurations. The electro-optical properties of graphene represent the main role of our numerical results. In the infrared wavelength range from 0.7 µm to 1.6 µm, the reflectance properties of the composite structures are numerically simulated by varying several parameters such as defect layer thickness, applied electrical field, and incident angle. The numerical results show that graphene could enhance the reflectance characteristics of the defect mode in comparison with the two electro-optical materials without graphene. In the presence of graphene with lithium niobate, the intensity of the defect mode increased by 5% beside the shift in its position with 41 nm. For the case of polystyrene, the intensity of the defect mode increased from 6.5% to 68.8%, and its position is shifted with 72 nm. Such a design could be of significant interest in the sensing and measuring of electric fields, as well as for filtering purposes.

Two-point, parallel-beam focused laser differential interferometry with a Nomarski prism.

Abstract: A Nomarski polarizing prism has been used in conjunction with a focused laser differential interferometer to measure the phase velocity of a density disturbance at sampling frequencies ≥10MHz. Use of this prism enables the simultaneous measurement of density disturbances at two closely spaced points that can be arbitrarily oriented about the instrument’s optical axis. The orientation is prescribed by rotating the prism about this axis. Since all four beams (one beam pair at each measurement point) propagate parallel to one another within the test volume, any bias imparted by density fluctuations away from the measurement plane on the disturbance phase velocity is minimized. A laboratory measurement of a spark-generated shock wave and a wind tunnel measurement of a second-mode instability wave on a cone model in a Mach 6 flow are presented to demonstrate the performance of the instrument. High-speed schlieren imaging is used in both cases to verify the results obtained with the instrument.

Ultra-compact ultra-fast 1-bit comparator based on a two-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystal structure

Abstract: In this paper, a compact optical high-speed 1-bit comparator is proposed based on photonic crystals. In this structure, the nonlinear rods are used at the cross-connecting point of two optical waveguides. The optical transmission and reflection from these rods depend on the amount of the optical intensity. In response to the different states of the input ports, different values of the optical power reach these rods and the interference patterns make the correct function of the output ports. The refractive index and the Kerr coefficient of nonlinear rods are 1.4m2/W and 10−14m2/W, respectively. The footprint of the structure is 55µm2, which is much smaller than the previous works. Besides, the lower delay time is the other advantage of this work compared with the previous works. Based on the simulation results, the proposed structure can be used in integrated optical circuits.

Designing an electro-optical encoder based on photonic crystals using the graphene-Al2O3 stacks.

Abstract: In this paper, an electro-optical 4-to-2 encoder based on a photonic crystal is presented. The structure is composed of four silicon waveguides, four photonic crystal structures including the graphene–Al2O3 stacks, and two optical combiners. Two one-dimensional arrays of air holes in the silicon background are designed parallel to the waveguides. Also, a graphene–Al2O3 stack is placed at the center of each array, which provides the desired interferences. This feature is used for controlling the optical wave transmission through the waveguides. Using two optical combiners at the end of two waveguides, the received signals from the waveguides will be guided toward the output ports. The amount of the transmitted signal from input ports to the output of the encoder can be controlled by applying the proper chemical potential to the graphene-based stacks. The simulation results show that the encoding operation can be achieved by using 0.2 eV and 0.8 eV for chemical potentials. In addition, the normalized output power margins for logic 0 and 1 are calculated to be 8.2% and 46.7%, respectively. The footprint for the proposed structure is approximately equal to 127µm2. Also, the required optical power intensity at input ports is 100mW/µm2.

Reconciling models of primary production and photoacclimation [Invited]

Abstract: Primary production and photoacclimation models are two important classes of physiological models that find applications in remote sensing of pools and fluxes of carbon associated with phytoplankton in the ocean. They are also key components of ecosystem models designed to study biogeochemical cycles in the ocean. So far, these two classes of models have evolved in parallel, somewhat independently of each other. Here we examine how they are coupled to each other through the intermediary of the photosynthesis-irradiance parameters. We extend the photoacclimation model to accommodate the spectral effects of light penetration in the ocean and the spectral sensitivity of the initial slope of the photosynthesis-irradiance curve, making the photoacclimation model fully compatible with spectrally resolved models of photosynthesis in the ocean. The photoacclimation model contains a parameter θm, which is the maximum chlorophyll-to-carbon ratio that phytoplankton can attain when available light tends to zero. We explore how size-class-dependent values of θm could be inferred from field data on chlorophyll and carbon content in phytoplankton, and show that the results are generally consistent with lower bounds estimated from satellite-based primary production calculations. This was accomplished using empirical models linking phytoplankton carbon and chlorophyll concentration, and the range of values obtained in culture measurements. We study the equivalence between different classes of primary production models at the functional level, and show that the availability of a chlorophyll-to-carbon ratio facilitates the translation between these classes. We discuss the importance of the better assignment of parameters in primary production models as an important avenue to reduce model uncertainties and to improve the usefulness of satellite-based primary production calculations in climate research.

SESAM mode-locked Tm:LuYO3 ceramic laser generating 54-fs pulses at 2048 nm.

Abstract: Mode-locked laser operation near 2.05 µm based on a mixed sesquioxide Tm:LuYO3 ceramic is demonstrated. Continuous-wave and wavelength-tunable operation is also investigated. Employing a GaSb-based semiconductor saturable absorber mirror as a saturable absorber, a maximum average output power of 133 mW is obtained for a pulse duration of 59 fs. Pulses as short as 54 fs, i.e., eight optical cycles are generated at a repetition rate of ∼78MHz with an average output power of 51 mW. To the best of our knowledge, this result represents the shortest pulse duration ever achieved from Tm-based solid-state mode-locked lasers.

Dual-polarized highly sensitive surface-plasmon-resonance-based chemical and biomolecular sensor.

Abstract: As the research work in surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is getting tighter, a perfectly circular-shaped PCF with elliptical air holes is proposed where the performance parameters are improved significantly. The performances among our designed elliptical, circular, and rectangular air holes are compared, and the best result is achieved with the elliptical air holes. The technique used for the investigation is the finite element method, and for the simulation of data COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a software is used. The method covers a wider range of the optical spectrum from 0.59 to 1.05 µm. The highest confinement loss achieved through our design is 340 dB/cm. The wavelength sensitivity and amplitude sensitivity are 13,000 nm/RIU and ${1189.46}\;{{\rm RIU}^{ - 1}}$1189.46RIU−1, respectively. The sensor resolution is ${7.69} \times {{10}^{ - 6}}$7.69×10−6 for our proposed design. The proposed sensor also achieved a maximum birefringence of ${2.8} \times {{10}^{ - 3}}$2.8×10−3, which is, to our knowledge, the highest birefringence reported so far for a PCF-SPR sensor. This enables the fiber to be operated in a dual-polarized mode. The RI for the analyte ranges from 1.33 to 1.40. Based on all the characteristics, the proposed PCF structure can be used effectively for chemical and biomolecular sensing.

Identification of microplastics in a large water volume by integrated holography and Raman spectroscopy.

Abstract: A noncontact method to identify sparsely distributed plastic pellets is proposed by integrating holography and Raman spectroscopy in this study. Polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) resin pellets with a size of 3 mm located in a 20 cm water channel were illuminated using a collimated continuous wave laser beam with a diameter of 4 mm and wavelength of 785 nm. The same laser beam was used to take a holographic image and Raman spectrum of a pellet to identify the shape, size, and composition of material. Using the compact system, the morphological and chemical analysis of pellets in a large volume of water was performed. The reported method demonstrates the potential for noncontact continuous in situ monitoring of microplastics in water without collection and separation.

Size-dependent optical-electrical characteristics of blue GaN/InGaN micro-light-emitting diodes.

Abstract: To derive the impact of chip size reduction on optical efficiency in micro-LED array panels, blue InGaN/GaN LEDs, which consist of 21×7 arrays (60 ppi display) with different mesa sizes on sapphire substrates, are designed and fabricated in this study. Changing the mesa area of the chip is first proposed to investigate the luminous efficiency (cd/A) of the screen. The current efficiency with a peak wavelength of 450 nm reaches up to 14.29 cd/A for the biggest pixel 50µm×60µm and to 12.25 cd/A for the 15µm×25µm chip, delivering high-level efficiencies to the current LED research field. The mechanisms of size-dependent efficiency variation trends and efficiency droops of blue LEDs are investigated experimentally, confirming that the current efficiency is more efficient at high injection current density while exhibiting poorer performance at the low current density region for smaller chips. The peak efficiency corresponds to higher current density with a decrease in chip size according to the carrier recombination ABC model. Moreover, the characteristic curve of the spectrum and the changes in the yellow light band under different incident light conditions (i.e., 355 nm and 375 nm) are analyzed by photoluminescence.

Surface plasmon resonance temperature sensor based on a photonic crystal fiber filled with silver nanowires.

Abstract: A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) temperature sensor based on a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) filled with silver nanowires is proposed in this paper. We inject ethanol solution filled with silver nanowires into the grapefruit PCF to realize temperature sensing. The sensitivity of the sensor can reach -433pm/∘C by numerical simulation, and the experimental result is -160pm/∘C. Simulations and experiments show that the wavelength of the resonance peak will blueshift with the invalidity of silver nanowires, and the resonance effect of the sensor will weaken. It can provide reference for the realization and application of other SPR sensors based on PCF.

Optomechanical inertial sensors.

Abstract: We present a performance analysis of compact monolithic optomechanical inertial sensors that describes their key fundamental limits and overall acceleration noise floor. Performance simulations for low-frequency gravity-sensitive inertial sensors show attainable acceleration noise floors on the order of 1×10-11m/s2Hz. Furthermore, from our performance models, we devised an optimization approach for our sensor designs, sensitivity, and bandwidth trade space. We conducted characterization measurements of these compact mechanical resonators, demonstrating mQ-products at levels of 250 kg, which highlight their exquisite acceleration sensitivity.

Digital lensless holographic microscopy: numerical simulation and reconstruction with ImageJ.

Abstract: The description and validation of an ImageJ open-source plugin to numerically simulate and reconstruct digital lensless holographic microscopy (DLHM) holograms are presented. Two modules compose the presented plugin: the simulation module implements a discrete version of the Rayleigh-Somerfield diffraction formula, which allows the user to directly build a simulated hologram from a known phase and/or amplitude object by just introducing the geometry parameters of the simulated setup; the plugin's reconstruction module implements a discrete version of the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz diffraction integral, thus allowing the user to reconstruct DLHM holograms by introducing the parameters of the acquisition setup and the desired reconstruction distance. The plugin offers the two said modules within the robust environment provided by a complete set of built-in tools for image processing available in ImageJ. While the simulation module has been validated through the evaluation of the forecasted lateral resolution of a DLHM setup in terms of the numerical aperture, the reconstruction module is tested by means of reconstructing experimental DLHM holograms of biological samples.

Realization of an all-optical comparator using beam interference inside photonic crystal waveguides.

Abstract: Using optical beam interference inside photonic-crystal-based waveguides is a promising method for designing and realizing all-optical logic gates and other digital devices. In this paper we design and propose an all-optical 1-bit comparator using optical beam interference. In the proposed structure, the logic states of input ports are determined based on their initial phases. The 180 deg and 0 deg phases are used as logic 0 and 1. However, the logic states of the output ports are determined based on the amplitude of the optical signal at the output ports. For the proposed structure, the maximum rise and fall times are about 0.6 ps and 0.3 ps, respectively.

Direct and accurate phase unwrapping with deep neural network.

Abstract: In this paper a novel, to the best of our knowledge, deep neural network (DNN), VUR-Net, is proposed to realize direct and accurate phase unwrapping. The VUR-Net employs a relatively large number of filters in each layer and adopts alternately two types of residual blocks throughout the network, distinguishing it from the previously reported ones. The proposed method enables the wrapped phase map to be unwrapped precisely without any preprocessing or postprocessing operations, even though the map has been degraded by various adverse factors, such as noise, undersampling, deforming, and so on. We compared the VUR-Net with another two state-of-the-art phase unwrapping DNNs, and the corresponding results manifest that our proposal markedly outperforms its counterparts in both accuracy and robustness. In addition, we also developed two new indices to evaluate the phase unwrapping. These indices are proved to be effective and powerful as good candidates for estimating the quality of phase unwrapping.

Fano resonance based on D-shaped waveguide structure and its application for human hemoglobin detection.

Abstract: Fano resonance is a pervasive resonance phenomenon which can be applied to high sensitivity sensing, perfect absorption, electromagnetic-induced transparency, and slow-light photonic devices In this paper, we propose a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide structure consisting of a D-shaped cavity and a bus waveguide with a silver-air-silver barrier The Fano resonance can be achieved by the interaction between the D-shaped cavity and the bus waveguide The finite element method is used to analyze the transmission characteristics and magnetic-field distributions of the structure in detail Simulation results show the Fano resonance can be adjusted by altering the geometric parameters of the MIM waveguide structure or the refractive index of the D-shaped cavity The maximum refractive index sensitivity of the structure can reach up to 1510 nm/RIU, and there is a good linear relationship between resonance wavelength and refractive index Since it has good sensitivity and tunability, the MIM waveguide structure can be used in bio-sensing, such as human hemoglobin detection We show its applicability for the detection of three different human blood groups as well

Simultaneous measurement of temperature and refractive index based on a hybrid surface plasmon resonance multimode interference fiber sensor

Abstract: We propose and demonstrate a hybrid fiber-based sensor combining a multimode interference (MMI) structure and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) structure for simultaneous measurement of temperature and refractive index (RI) of a liquid sample. We configure the MMI structure by connecting a single-mode fiber, a no-core fiber, and a single-mode fiber sequentially. We set up the SPR structure by coating a gold film with a thickness of 50 nm on the surface of the no-core fiber. We measure the sensitivity of RI and the temperature of the MMI and SPR structure, respectively. Then we obtain the coefficient matrix to simultaneously measure the temperature and RI of a liquid sample and obtain the highest RI sensitivity of 2061.6 nm/RIU and temperature sensitivity of 37.9 pm/°C. We verify the feasibility of the sensor in liquid alcohol. The testing results indicate that the proposed sensor and testing method are feasible, accurate, and convenient.

Construction and validation of UV-C decontamination cabinets for filtering facepiece respirators.

Abstract: We present evidence-based design principles for three different UV-C based decontamination systems for N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) within the context of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak of 2019-2020. The approaches used here were created with consideration for the needs of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and other under-resourced facilities. As such, a particular emphasis is placed on providing cost-effective solutions that can be implemented in short order using generally available components and subsystems. We discuss three optical designs for decontamination chambers, describe experiments verifying design parameters, validate the efficacy of the decontamination for two commonly used N95 FFRs (3M, #1860 and Gerson #1730), and run mechanical and filtration tests that support FFR reuse for at least five decontamination cycles.

Ultra-fast all-optical 2-to-4 decoder based on a photonic crystal structure

Abstract: In this paper, a photonic crystal structure based on nonlinear cavities has been proposed to improve the time response of a 2-to-4 decoder. The structure includes an array of chalcogenide rods with an air gap in which the spatial period of rods is 500 nm. The radius of the fundamental rods is assumed to be 125 nm, which results in a photonic bandgap of 1092–1724 nm at TM mode. Three cavities, including the nonlinear rods with a Kerr coefficient of 10−14m2/W, drop the incoming waves concerning the amount of optical intensity. The finite-difference time-domain method was used to calculate the components of the electric and magnetic fields throughout the structure. The time analysis of the device shows the rise time is equal to 200 fs, which is less than one for the previous structures. The area of 110µm2 and the margins of 4% and 88% for logics 0 and 1 are other advantages of the proposed structure. Based on the obtained results, it was proven that the performance of the 2-to-4 photonic crystal-based decoder has been improved by this work.

Design of all-optical D flip-flop using photonic crystal waveguides for optical computing and networking

Abstract: The performance of an ultra-compact all-optical D flip-flop using photonic crystal waveguides is numerically analyzed and examined by optimized parameters such as refractive index and silicon rod radius. In the field of optical networking and computing, flip-flops are used to reduce the complexity of digital circuits. The phenomenon of optical interference effect is used to implement a D flip-flop at a wavelength of 1550 nm. This structure is designed using T-shaped waveguides without using non-linear material. The proposed design is small, has low insertion losses of 0.087 dB when operated at low power level, and provides high contrast ratio of 25 dB and transmission ratio of more than 96%.

Evaluation of transfer learning of pre-trained CNNs applied to breast cancer detection on infrared images

Abstract: Breast cancer accounts for the highest number of female deaths worldwide. Early detection of the disease is essential to increase the chances of treatment and cure of patients. Infrared thermography has emerged as a promising technique for diagnosis of the disease due to its low cost and that it does not emit harmful radiation, and it gives good results when applied in young women. This work uses convolutional neural networks in a database of 440 infrared images of 88 patients, classifying them into two classes: normal and pathology. During the training of the networks, we use transfer learning of the following convolutional neural network architectures: AlexNet, GoogLeNet, ResNet-18, VGG-16, and VGG-19. Our results show the great potential of using deep learning techniques combined with infrared images in the aid of breast cancer diagnosis.

Three-dimensional-printed Fabry-Perot interferometer on an optical fiber tip for a gas pressure sensor.

Abstract: We demonstrate a three-dimensional (3D)-printed miniature optical fiber-based polymer Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometric pressure sensor based on direct femtosecond laser writing through two-photon polymerization. An unsealed cylinder column with a suspended polymer diaphragm is directly printed on a single-mode fiber tip to form an FP cavity. Here, two FP cavities with different lengths and the same diaphragm thickness (5 µm) are presented. The fabricated FP interferometer has a fringe contrast larger than 15 dB. The experimental results show that the fabricated device with a 140 µm cavity length has a linear response to the change of pressure with a sensitivity of 3.959 nm/MPa in a range of 0-1100 kPa, and the device with a 90 µm cavity length has a linear pressure sensitivity of 4.097 nm/MPa. The temperature sensitivity is measured to be about 160.2 pm/°C and 156.8 pm/°C, respectively, within the range from 20 to 70°C. The results demonstrate that 3D-printing techniques can be used for directly fabricating FP cavities on optical fiber tips for sensing applications.

Precise determination of the optical properties of turbid media using an optimized integrating sphere and advanced Monte Carlo simulations. Part 1: theory

Abstract: In this paper, we describe a method used to determine the optical properties, namely, the effective scattering and absorption coefficients, employing an optimized three-dimensional-printed single integrating sphere. The paper consists of two parts, and in Part 1, the theoretical investigation of an optimized measurement and the evaluation routine are presented. Using an analytical and a numerical model for the optical characterization of the integrating sphere, errors caused by the application of a non-ideal sphere (the one with ports or baffles) were investigated. Considering this research, a procedure for the precise determination of the optical properties, based on Monte Carlo simulations of the light distribution within the sample, was developed. In Part 2, we present the experimental validation of this procedure.

Convolutional neural network-based approach to estimate bulk optical properties in diffuse optical tomography

Abstract: Deep learning has been actively investigated for various applications such as image classification, computer vision, and regression tasks, and it has shown state-of-the-art performance. In diffuse optical tomography (DOT), the accurate estimation of the bulk optical properties of a medium is paramount because it directly affects the overall image quality. In this work, we exploit deep learning to propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approach to estimate the bulk optical properties of a highly scattering medium such as biological tissue in DOT. We validated the proposed method by using experimental, as well as, simulated data. For performance assessment, we compared the results of the proposed method with those of existing approaches. The results demonstrate that the proposed CNN-based approach for bulk optical property estimation outperforms existing methods in terms of estimation accuracy, with lower computation time.

Design of all-optical reversible logic gates using photonic crystal waveguides for optical computing and photonic integrated circuits.

Abstract: Reversible logic gates are capable of designing lossless digital systems, which have received a great deal of attention in photonic integrated circuits due to their advantages, such as less heat generation and low power dissipation. In this paper, all-optical reversible Feynman and Toffoli logic gates are designed for optical computing devices and low-power integrated circuits. Proposed designs of all-optical reversible logic gates are implemented with two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides without using any nonlinear material. The finite-difference time-domain method is used to simulate and verify the proposed design, and it is operated at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The structure of all-optical reversible logic gates requires much less area, and Feynman logic gates offer a contrast ratio (CR) of 12.4 dB, transmittance of 0.96, and less insertion loss of −0.015dB, while Toffoli logic gates offer a CR of 32.5 dB, transmittance of 0.9, and less insertion loss of −0.04dB.