Showing papers on "Total internal reflection published in 2004"

Guiding and confining light in void nanostructure.

Abstract: We present a novel waveguide geometry for enhancing and confining light in a nanometer-wide low-index material. Light enhancement and confinement is caused by large discontinuity of the electric field at highindex-contrast interfaces. We show that by use of such a structure the field can be confined in a 50-nm-wide low-index region with a normalized intensity of 20 mm 22 . This intensity is approximately 20 times higher than what can be achieved in SiO2 with conventional rectangular waveguides. © 2004 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 030.4070, 130.0130, 130.2790, 230.7370, 230.7380, 230.7390, 230.7400. Recent results in integrated optics have shown the ability to guide, bend, split, and f ilter light on chips by use of optical devices based on high-index-contrast waveguides. 1–5 In all these devices the guiding mechanism is based on total internal ref lection (TIR) in a highindex material (core) surrounded by a low-indexmaterial (cladding); the TIR mechanism can strongly confine light in the high-index material. In recent years a number of structures have been proposed to guide or enhance light in low-index materials, 6–1 1 relying on external ref lections provided by interference effects. Unlike TIR, the external ref lection cannot be perfectly unity; therefore the modes in these structures are inherently leaky modes. In addition, since interference is involved, these structures are strongly wavelength dependent. Here we show that the optical field can be enhanced and conf ined in the low-index material even when light is guided by TIR. For a high-index-contrast interface, Maxwell’s equations state that, to satisfy the continuity of the normal component of electric f lux density D, the corresponding electric field (E-field) must undergo a large discontinuity with much higher amplitude in the low-index side. We show that this discontinuity can be used to strongly enhance and confine light in a nanometer-wide region of low-index material. The proposed structure presents an eigenmode, and it is compatible with highly integrated photonics technology. The principle of operation of the novel structure can be illustrated by analysis of the slab-based structure shown in Fig. 1(a), where a low-index slot is embedded between two high-index slabs (shaded regions). The novel structure is hereafter referred to as a slot waveguide. The slot waveguide eigenmode can be seen as being formed by the interaction between the fundamental eigenmodes of the individual slab waveguides. Rigorously, the analytical solution for the transverse E-field profile Ex of the fundamental TM eigenmode of the slab-based slot waveguide is

Photonic Crystal Fibers

Abstract: Photonic crystal fibers are a new class of optical fibers. Their artificial crystal-like microstructure results in a number of unusual properties. They can guide light not only through a well-known total internal reflection mechanism but using also photonic bandgap effect. In this paper different properties possible to obtain in photonic crystal fibers are reviewed. Fabrication and modeling methods are also discussed.

Experimental demonstration of guiding and confining light in nanometer-size low-refractive-index material.

Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate a novel silicon waveguide structure for guiding and confining light in nanometer-wide low-refractive-index material. The optical field in the low-index material is enhanced because of the discontinuity of the electric field at high-index-contrast interfaces. We measure a 30% reduction of the effective index of light propagating in the novel structure due to the presence of the nanometer-wide low-index region, evidencing the guiding and confinement of light in the low-index material. We fabricate ring resonators based on the structure and show that the structure can be implemented in highly integrated photonics.

Microstructure fibres for optical sensing in gases and liquids

Abstract: A novel water-core microstructure fibre design allows nearly ideal guidance for aqueous sensing applications. The total internal reflection by a microstructured silica–air cladding provides robust confinement of light in a fluid-filled core, if the average cladding index is sufficiently below the index of water. Numerical results show dramatically improved loss and overlap of light with the sample, compared to evanescent-field fibres, indicating a direct improvement of sensor performance. A strategy for the improvement of evanescent-wave gas sensors is also discussed.

Substrate-guided optical devices

Abstract: There is provided an optical device, having a light-transmitting substrate (20) having at least two major surfaces parallel to each other and edges; a display light source; optical means for coupling light from the light source into the substrate (20) by internal reflection, and at least one partially reflecting surface (22) located in the substrate (20) which is non-parallel to the major surfaces of the substrate wherein the source emits light waves located in a given field-of-view, that the light waves are collimated, that an angular resolution is defined for the optical device, and wherein the angular deviation between any two different rays located in one of the collimated light waves, is smaller than the angular resolution.

Optical fiber microcoil resonators.

Abstract: The optical microfiber coil resonator with self-coupling turns is suggested and investigated theoretically. This type of a microresonator has a three-dimensional geometry and complements the well-known Fabry-Perot (one-dimensional geometry, standing wave) and ring (two-dimensional geometry, traveling wave) types of microresonators. The coupled wave equations for the light propagation along the adiabatically bent coiled microfiber are derived. The particular cases of a microcoil having two and three turns are considered. The effect of microfiber radius variation on the value of Q-factor of resonances is studied.

Whispering-gallery-bottle microcavities: the three-dimensional etalon.

Abstract: In a tapered optical fiber there exist localized light structures that, in analogy to the magnetic bottles used in plasma fusion, can be called whispering-gallery bottles (WGBs). These essentially three-dimensional structures are formed by the spiral rays that experience total internal reflection at the fiber surface and that also bounce along the fiber axis in response to reflection from the regions of tapering. It is shown that the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin quantization rules for the strongly prolate WGBs can be inversed exactly, thus determining the cavity shape from its spectrum. The approximation considered allows one to find the shape of the etalon bottle, which, similar to the one-dimensional Fabry-Perot etalon, contains an unlimited number of equally spaced wave-number eigenvalues. The problem of determining such a non-one-dimensional cavity is not trivial, because such a cavity does not exist among the uniformly filled cavities such as rectangular boxes, cylinders, and spheroids that allow separation of variables. The etalon cavity corresponds to the fiber radius variation p(z) = rho0/cos(deltakz)/, where deltak is the wave-number spacing. The latter result is in excellent agreement with ray-dynamics numerical modeling.

Perturbation approach to resonance shift of whispering gallery modes in a dielectric microsphere as a probe of a surrounding medium

Abstract: A first-order perturbation theory similar to the one widely used in quantum mechanics is developed for transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic photonic resonance modes in a dielectric microsphere. General formulas for the resonance frequency shifts in response to a small change in the exterior refractive index and its radial profile are derived. The formulas are applied to two sensor applications of the microsphere to probe the medium in which the sphere is immersed: a refractive index detector; and a refractive index profile sensor.

Total internal reflection ellipsometry: principles and applications

Abstract: A concept for a measurement technique based on ellipsometry in conditions of total internal reflection is presented. When combined with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects, this technique becomes powerful for monitoring and analyzing adsorption and desorption on thin semitransparent metal films as well as for analyzing the semitransparent films themselves. We call this technique total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE). The theory of ellipsometry under total internal reflection combined with SPR is discussed for some simple cases. For more advanced cases and to prove the concept, simulations are performed with the Fresnel formalism. The use of TIRE is exemplified by applications in protein adsorption, corrosion monitoring, and adsorption from opaque liquids on metal surfaces. Simulations and experiments show greatly enhanced thin-film sensitivity compared with ordinary ellipsometry.

Collective electromagnetic modes for beam-plasma interaction in the whole k space.

Abstract: We investigate the linear stability of the system formed by an electron beam and its return plasma current within a general framework, namely, for any orientation of the wave vector k with respect to the beam and without any a priori assumption on the orientation of the electric field with respect to k . We apply this formalism to three configurations: cold beam and cold plasma, cold beam and hot plasma, and cold relativistic beam and hot plasma. We proceed to the identification and systematic study of the two branches of the electromagnetic dispersion relation. One pertains to Weibel-like beam modes with transverse electric proper waves. The other one refers to electric proper waves belonging to the plane formed by k and the beam, it divides between Weibel-like beam modes and a branch sweeping from longitudinal two-stream modes to purely transverse filamentation modes. For this latter branch, we thoroughly investigate the intermediate regime between two-stream and filamentation instabilities for arbitrary wave vectors. When some plasma temperature is allowed for, the system exhibits a critical angle at which waves are unstable for every k . Besides, in the relativistic regime, the most unstable mode on this branch is reached for an oblique wave vector. This study is especially relevant to the fast ignition scenario as its generality could help clarify some confusing linear issues of present concern. This is a prerequisite towards more sophisticated nonlinear treatments.

Enhanced ultrasound transmission through the human skull using shear mode conversion

Abstract: A new transskull propagation technique, which deliberately induces a shear mode in the skull bone, is investigated. Incident waves beyond Snell’s critical angle experience a mode conversion from an incident longitudinal wave into a shear wave in the bone layers and then back to a longitudinal wave in the brain. The skull’s shear speed provides a better impedance match, less refraction, and less phase alteration than its longitudinal counterpart. Therefore, the idea of utilizing a shear wave for focusing ultrasound in the brain is examined. Demonstrations of the phenomena, and numerical predictions are first studied with plastic phantoms and then using an ex vivo human skull. It is shown that at a frequency of 0.74 MHz the transskull shear method produces an amplitude on the order of—and sometimes higher than—longitudinal propagation. Furthermore, since the shear wave experiences a reduced overall phase shift, this indicates that it is plausible for an existing noninvasive transskull focusing method [Clement, Phys. Med. Biol. 47(8), 1219–1236 (2002)] to be simplified and extended to a larger region in the brain.

Near-wall hindered Brownian diffusion of nanoparticles examined by three-dimensional ratiometric total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (3-D R-TIRFM)

Abstract: A three-dimensional nanoparticle tracking technique using ratiometric total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (R-TIRFM) is presented to experimentally examine the classic theory on the near-wall hindered Brownian diffusive motion. An evanescent wave field from the total internal reflection of a 488-nm bandwidth argon-ion laser is used to provide a thin illumination field on the order of a few hundred nanometers from the wall. Fluorescence-coated polystyrene spheres of 200±20 nm diameter (specific gravity=1.05) are used as tracers and a novel ratiometric analysis of their images allows the determination of fully three-dimensional particle locations and velocities. The experimental results show good agreement with the lateral hindrance theory, but show discrepancies from the normal hindrance theory. It is conjectured that the discrepancies can be attributed to the additional hindering effects, including electrostatic and electro-osmotic interactions between the negatively charged tracer particles and the glass surface.

Supercritical angle fluorescence (SAF) microscopy

Abstract: We explore a new confocal microscope for the detection of surface-generated fluorescence. The instrument is designed for high resolution imaging as well as for the readout of large biochips. Special feature is the separated collection of two different fluorescence emission modes. One optical path covers the emission into the glass at low surface angles, the other captures high angles, exceeding the critical angle of the water/glass interface. Due to the collection of the supercritical angle fluorescence (SAF) the confocal detection volume is strictly confined to the interface, whereas the low angles collect much deeper from the aqueous analyte solution. Hence the system can deliver information about surfacebound and unbound fraction of fluorescent analyte simultaneously.

Near-surface velocimetry using evanescent wave illumination

Abstract: Total internal reflection velocimetry (TIRV) is used to measure particle motion in the near-wall region of a microfluidic system. TIRV images are illuminated with the evanescent field of an incident laser pulse and contain only particles that are very close to the channel surface. Sub-micron-sized fluorescent particles suspended in water are used as seed particles and their images are analyzed with a particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) algorithm to extract information about apparent slip velocity. At relatively low shear rates (less than 2,500 s-1), a velocity proportional to the shear rate was observed. The statistical difference between velocities measured over hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces was found to be minimal. The results suggest that the slip length, if present, is less than 10 nm, but uncertainty regarding the exact character of the illumination field prevents a more accurate measurement at this time. Numerical simulations are presented to help understand the results and to provide insight into the mechanisms that result in the experimentally observed distributions. Issues associated with the accuracy of the experimental technique and the interpretations of the experimental results are also discussed.

Ultralow refractive index substrates-a base for photonic crystal slab waveguides

Abstract: Out of plane radiation losses in two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) waveguides occur due to a lack of total internal reflection at the core-substrate∕superstrate boundaries. In order to minimize these losses, either a high vertical refractive index contrast or deep etching into the substrate is required [G. Boettger, C. Liguda, M. Schmidt, and M. Eich, Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 2517 (2002)]. The maximum vertical contrast is achieved in air bridge type PC waveguides, which are inherently fragile. In this article, we introduce a concept which combines the advantages of a high vertical index contrast of an air bridge with those of a solid substrate. This approach consists of mesoporous silica as substrate material with an ultralow refractive index (n=1.14 at 1.3μm), close to that of air. Finite 2DPC line defect resonators consisting of an optical polymer as core and mesoporous silica as substrate were fabricated. Compared to ordinary substrates with higher refractive indices like silica or amorphous Tefl...

Experimental observation of the Imbert-Fedorov transverse displacement after a single total reflection.

Abstract: We describe a simple experimental setup with which to observe the transverse shift—also known as the Imbert-Fedorov effect—that circularly or elliptically polarized optical beams undergo after a single total internal reflection on a dielectric plane. A comparison between a theoretical model based on the conservation of energy and experimental measurements shows good agreement simultaneously for longitudinal (Goos-Hanchen) and transverse (Imbert-Fedorov) displacements.

Reflection of plane waves at the free surface of a fibre-reinforced elastic half-space

Abstract: The propagation of plane waves in fibre-reinforced, anisotropic, elastic media is discussed. The expressions for the phase velocity of quasi-P (qP) and quasi-SV (qSV) waves propagating in a plane containing the reinforcement direction are obtained as functions of the angle between the propagation and reinforcement directions. Closed form expressions for the amplitude ratios for qP and qSV waves reflected at the free surface of a fibre-reinforced, anisotropic, homogeneous, elastic half-space are obtained. These expressions are used to study the variation of amplitude ratios with angle of incidence. It is found that reinforcement has a significant effect on the amplitude ratios and critical angle

Light emitting diode system packages

Abstract: Light emitting diode systems disclosed include semiconductor diodes arranged in cooperation with electrical contacts, mounting provisions, and optical couplings; where the optical couplings include at least a Fresnel lens. A Fresnel lens is further coupled to additional optical elements such as a concave or ‘negative’ lens and still further to a reflector operating via principles of total internal reflection. Both the concave lens and the reflector are aspherical in preferred versions. A cover element of single piece plastic may be formed in a molding process whereby all three of these optical elements, i.e. the Fresnel lens, the negative lens and the reflector, are formed into the single plastic piece. Further, the plastic piece may be arranged to also accommodate auxiliary systems such as alignment indexing and fastening means as well as interlocking peripheral configurations.

Low-Dimensional Optical Waves And Nano-Optical Circuits

Abstract: Optical waves with one or two dimensions can be used to create nanowaveguides that could ultimately find application in nano-optical circuits.

Lighting device image, reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus

Abstract: A lighting device used in an image forming apparatus includes point light sources that emits rays; and a condensing body that is arranged in a direction of the rays emitted from the point light source and that condenses the rays on a surface of a document, which is placed on a contact glass, within a reading width in a sub-scanning direction of the document. The condensing body is arranged in a direction in which angles of all rays, which pass through the condensing body, are smaller than a critical angle of total reflection on the contact glass.

Tunable, oblique incidence resonant grating filter for telecommunications.

Abstract: We have designed a tunable, oblique-incidence resonant grating filter that covers the C band as an add-drop device for incident TE-polarized light We tune the filter by tilting a microelectromechanical systems platform onto which the filter is attached The fabrication tolerances as well as the role of finite incident-beam size and limited device size were addressed The maximum achievable efficiency of a finite-area device as well as a scaling law that relates the resonance peak width and the minimum device size is derived In good agreement with simulations, measurements indicate a negligible change in shape of the resonance peak from 1526 nm at a 45° angle of incidence to 1573 nm at a 53° angle with a full width at half-maximum of 04 nm In this range the shift of the peak wavelength is linear with respect to changes in the angle of incidence

Small form factor all-polymer optical device with integrated dual beam path based on total internal reflection optical turn

Abstract: A monolithic optical module (110) of injection-molded high temperature polymeric resin combines an optical turn of typically 90 degrees together with dual or triple beam paths No additional piece parts are necessary for achieving the optical turn, since this occurs by total internal reflection (TIR), and no additional piece parts are necessary for dual monitoring, which is realized by means of an air-gap functioning as a dual beam-splitter plate (112) The monolithic optical module further includes integrally surfaces for accurate alignment of the module with external optical elements, and can additionally include integral optical elements, for example lenses and this film coatings

Absorption enhancement of an electric quadrupole transition of cesium atoms in an evanescent field.

Abstract: We have observed for the first time reflection spectra of an electric quadrupole transition for the cesium atom (6 (2)S(1/2)-5 (2)D(5/2)) line at an angle of incidence from theta(c)-11.9 to theta(c)+107.5 mrad, where theta(c) is the critical angle for total reflection. From a comparison with the calculated absorption in the attenuated total reflection, the oscillator strengths for s and p polarizations were found to increase with an increase in the angle of incidence by a factor up to 1.5 at theta(c)+83.8 mrad and 2.4 at theta(c)+107.5 mrad, respectively, in the experiment. The dependences of the observed enhancement on the angle of incidence were in good agreement with the calculated ones for the oscillator strength of the quadrupole transition in the evanescent light.

Light guide for pixel crosstalk improvement in deep submicron CMOS image sensor

Abstract: Light guide, a novel dielectric structure consisting of PE-Oxide and FSG-Oxide, has been developed to reduce crosstalk in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS image sensor technology. Due to the difference in refraction index (1.46 for PE-Oxide and 1.435 for FSG-Oxide), major part of the incident light can be totally reflected at the interface of PE-Oxide/FSG-Oxide, as the incidence angle is larger than total reflection angle. With this light guide, the pixel sensing capability can be enhanced and to reduce pixel crosstalk. Small pixels with pitch 3.0-/spl mu/m and 4.0-/spl mu/m have been characterized and examined. In 3.0-/spl mu/m pixel, optical crosstalk achieves 30% reduction for incidence angle of light at 10/spl deg/.

Observation of discrete gap solitons in binary waveguide arrays

Abstract: We report an experimental study of discrete gap solitons in binary arrays of optical waveguides. We observe self-focusing indicating soliton generation when the inclination angle of an input beam is slightly above the Bragg angle and show that the propagation direction of the emerging gap soliton is influenced by the effect of interband momentum exchange.

Total internal reflection-based biochip utilizing a polymer-filled cavity with a micromirror sidewall

Abstract: A total internal reflection (TIR)-based biochip utilizing a polymer-filled cavity with a micromirror sidewall has been designed and fabricated. The implementation of the micromirror sidewall cavity facilitates precise alignment of the excitation light beam into the system. The incident angle of illumination can be easily modified by selecting polymers of different indices of refraction while optical losses are minimized. The design enables the hybrid, vertical integration of a laser diode and a CCD camera, resulting in a compact optical system. Brownian motion of fluorescent microspheres and real-time photobleaching of rhodamine 6G molecules is demonstrated. The proposed TIR-based chip simplifies current TIR optical configurations and could potentially be used as an optical-microfluidic platform for an integrated lab-on-a-chip microsystem.

Fresnel phase matching for three-wave mixing in isotropic semiconductors

Abstract: We deal with phase matching of three-wave mixing by total internal reflection in isotropic semiconductors. This technique makes use of the large relative phase lag between the three interacting waves at total internal reflection, as described by Augustin Fresnel. This is why we denote this technique as Fresnel phase matching. The theory of Fresnel phase matching is developed with a propagation matrix method: It allows us to describe the conditions (sample thickness, polarization, tuning angles, etc.) for phase matching, the influence of surface roughness, and the walk-off effects due to Goos–Hanchen shifts. Moreover, we show that nonresonant phase matching strongly alleviates the phase-matching tolerance while keeping good conversion yields. The potential of this technique is demonstrated by largely tunable mid-infrared generation (between 7 and 13 μm with a single sample) by use of difference-frequency mixing of two near-infrared sources. Excellent agreement between the presented theory and experiments is demonstrated both in GaAs and ZnSe samples.