Nonlinear optical element and uses thereof
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A nonlinear optical element based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, comprising:
- (a) a substrate;
(b) at least one transparent microsphere having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
m suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode, the at least one transparent microsphere having a surface and fixed to said substrate;
(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and
(d) at least one light reflection region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere, the at least one light reflection region having an interface and at least a part of the at least one interface being common with the surface of said at least one transparent microsphere.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The nonlinear optical element includes a sunstrate and one or more transparent microspheres made of a nonlinear optical active substance system fixed to the substrate, or the nonlinear optical element includes one or more transparent microspheres contacting a solid medium and fixed to the substrate. The element can be used for controlling nonlinear optical characteristics such as light amplification, optical switching, injection mode locking, and coupling of whispering gallery modes.
79 Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A nonlinear optical element based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, comprising:
-
(a) a substrate; (b) at least one transparent microsphere having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
m suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode, the at least one transparent microsphere having a surface and fixed to said substrate;(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and (d) at least one light reflection region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere, the at least one light reflection region having an interface and at least a part of the at least one interface being common with the surface of said at least one transparent microsphere. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A nonlinear optical system based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, comprising:
-
(1) an excitation beam source; and (2) a nonlinear optical element optically connected to said excitation beam source, said nonlinear optical element comprising; (a) a substrate; (b) at least one transparent microsphere having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode, the at least one transparent microsphere having a surface and fixed to said substrate;(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and (d) at least one light reflection region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere, the at least one light reflection region having an interface and at least a part of the at least one interface being common with the surface of said at least one transparent microsphere. - View Dependent Claims (18)
-
-
19. A method of amplifying a light, comprising the steps of:
-
(1) providing an excitation beam source, and a nonlinear optical element based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, and optically connected to said excitation beam source, said nonlinear optical element comprising; (a) a substrate; (b) at least one transparent microsphere having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
m suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode, the at least one transparent microsphere having a surface and fixed to said substrate;(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and (d) at least one light reflection region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere, the at least one light reflection region having an interface and at least a part of the at least one interface being common with the surface of said at least one transparent microsphere; (2) irradiating an excitation beam from said excitation beam source to said nonlinear optical element to introduce said excitation beam into said at least one nonlinear optical active region to emit a beam in the at least one nonlinear optical active region; and (3) repeatedly reflecting said beam in the at least one light reflection region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A method of injection mode locking, comprising the steps of:
-
(1) providing an excitation beam source, and a nonlinear optical element based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, and optically connected to said excitation beam source, said nonlinear optical element comprising; (a) a substrate; (b) at least one transparent microsphere having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
m suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode, the at least one transparent microsphere having a surface and fixed to said substrate;(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and (d) at least one light reflection region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere, the at least one light reflection region having an interface and at least a part of the at least one interface being common with the surface of said at least one transparent microsphere; (2) irradiating an excitation beam from said excitation beam source to said nonlinear optical element to introduce said excitation beam into said at least one nonlinear optical active region to emit a beam in the at least one nonlinear optical active region; (3) repeatedly reflecting said beam in said at least one light reflection region to cause a laser emission; and (4) irradiating, to said at least one nonlinear optical region, a control beam in a monitoring mode with a specified wavelength in a wavelength region equivalent to that of said laser beam, thereby enhancing the laser emission intensity of said at least one transparent microsphere to cause injection mode locking at an order number equivalent to that of said monitoring mode.
-
-
26. A method of optical switching, comprising the steps of:
-
(1) providing an excitation beam source, and a nonlinear optical element based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, and optically connected to said excitation beam source, said nonlinear optical element comprising; (a) a substrate; (b) at least one transparent microsphere having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
m suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode, the at least one transparent microsphere having a surface and fixed to said substrate;(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and (d) at least one light reflection region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere, the at least one light reflection region having an interface and at least a part of the at least one interface being common with the surface of said at least one transparent microsphere; (2) irradiating an excitation beam from said excitation beam source to said nonlinear optical element to introduce said excitation beam into said at least one nonlinear optical active region to emit a beam in the at least one nonlinear optical active region; (3) repeatedly reflecting said beam in said at least one light reflection region to cause a laser emission; (4) irradiating, to said at least one nonlinear optical region, a control beam in a monitoring mode with a specified wavelength in a wavelength region equivalent to that of said laser beam, thereby enhancing the laser emission intensity of said at least one transparent microsphere to cause injection mode locking at an order number equivalent to that of said monitoring mode; and (5) rendering said control beam on or off.
-
-
27. A method of coupling whispering gallery modes, comprising the steps of:
-
(1) providing an excitation beam source, and a nonlinear optical element based on photoconfinement effect in a microspherical cavity, and optically connected to said excitation beam source, said nonlinear optical element comprising; (a) a substrate; (b) a plurality of transparent microsphere each having a particle diameter of 1 to 200 μ
m suitable for establishing whispering gallery mode and each having a surface and fixed to said substrate;(c) at least one nonlinear optical active region associated with said at least one transparent microsphere; and (d) a plurality of light reflection regions associated with said plurality of transparent microspheres, each of said plurality of light reflection regions having an interface, at least a part of each of said interface being common with the surface of each of said transparent microspheres; (2) irradiating an excitation beam from said excitation beam source to said nonlinear optical element to introduce said excitation beam into said at least one nonlinear optical active region to produce at least one beam; and (3) repeatedly reflecting said at least one beam in said light reflection regions, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (28)
-
Specification