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A new method was used to prepare erbium-doped high silica (SiO2% > 96%) glasses by sintering nanoporous glasses. The concentration of erbium ions in high silica glasses can be considerably more than that in silica glasses prepared by using conventional methods. The fluorescence of 1532 nm has an FWHM (Full Wave at Half Maximum) of 50 nm, wider than 35 nm of EDSFA (erbium-doped silica fiber amplifer), and hence the glass possesses potential application in broadband fiber amplifiers. The Judd-Ofelt theoretical analysis reflects that the quantum efficiency of this erbium-doped glass is about 0.78, although the erbium concentration in this glass (6 x 103) is about twenty times higher than that in silica glass. These excellent characteristics of Er-doped high silica glass will be conducive to its usage in optical amplifiers and microchip lasers.

A new kind of Nd3+, -doped high silica glass (SiO2 > 96% (mass fraction)) was obtained by sintering porous glass impregnated with Nd3+, ions. The absorption and luminescence properties of high silica glass doped with different Nd3+, concentrations were studied. The intensity parameters Omega(t) (t = 2, 4, 6), spontaneous emission probability, fluorescence lifetime, radiative quantum efficiency, fluorescence branching ratio, and stimulated emission cross section were calculated using the Judd-Ofelt theory. The optimal Nd3+ concentration in high silica glass was 0.27% (mole fraction) because of its high quantum efficiency and emission intensity. By comparing the spectroscopic parameters with other Nd3+ doped oxide glasses and commercial silicate glasses, the Nd3+-doped high silica glasses are likely to be a promising material used for high power and high repetition rate lasers.

A method to fabricate europium ions doped-high silica glass for transparent fluorescence materials based on the fabrication and sintering technique of nano-porous silica glass was reported. Glasses impregnated with Eu ions and sintered at above 1150 °C in a reduction atmosphere show a very strong blue light from an emission band at about 430 nm due to the 4f65d→4f7(8S7/2) transition of the Eu2+ ions. On the other hand, the Eu-doped glass obtained by co-impregnated with Y3+ and V5+ ions and sintering in oxidation atmosphere behaves a very strong red emission band at about 615 nm with a UV excitation. An appearance of vanadate band in the excitation spectrum of Eu3+, Y3+ and V5+ ions co-doped high silica glass implies an effective energy transferring from VO43- to Eu3+ and effective excitation of Eu3+ by about 500 nm strong broad emission of VO43-.

We report transparent Ni2+-doped ZnO-Al2O3-SiO2 system glass-ceramics with broadband infrared luminescence. After heat-treatment, ZnAl2O4 crystallite was precipitated in the glasses, and its average size increased with increasing heat-treatment temperature. No infrared emission was detected in the as-prepared glass samples, while broadband infrared luminescence centered at 1310 nm with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of about 300 nm was observed from the glass-ceramics. The peak position of the infrared luminescence showed a blue-shift with increasing heat-treatment temperature, but a red-shift with an increase in NiO concentration. The mechanisms of the observed phenomena were discussed. These glass-ceramics are promising as materials for super broadband optical amplifier and tunable laser. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal stress-induced birefringence in borate glass which has been irradiated by 800-nm femtosecond laser pulses is observed under cross-polarized light. Due to the high temperature and pressure formed in the focal volume, the material at the edge of the micro-modified region is compressed between the expanding region and the unheated one, then stress emerges. Raman spectroscopy is used to investigate the stress distribution in the micro-modified region and indicates the redistributions of density and refractive index by Raman peak shift. We suggest that this technique can develop waveguide polarizers and Fresnel zone plates in integrated optics.

We report on an optical interference method to fabricate arrayed holes on metal nickel foil and aluminum film deposited on glass substrate by means of five-beam interference of femtosecond laser pulses. Optical microscope and scanning electron microscope observations revealed that arrayed holes of micrometre-order were fabricated on both metal foil and metal film. The present technique allows one-step, large-area, micrometric processing of metal materials for potential industrial applications.

This paper describes the microstructural transformations of borate glass and barium metaborate crystals induced by femtosecond laser. Such structural transformations were verified by Raman spectroscopy. The borate glass is transformed into low temperature (LT) phase of barium metaborate (BaB2O4) crystals after being irradiated for 10 min by a femtosecond laser. In addition, after 20 min of irradiation, high temperature (HT) phase of BaB2O4 crystals is also produced. Further studies demonstrate that LT phase BaB2O4 crystals are formed in the HT phase BaB2O4 crystals after femtosecond laser irradiation for 10 s.

This paper studies the phenomenon of long-lasting phosphorescence induced by a femtosecond laser in Pr3+-doped ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 glass. With the glass irradiated by a focused femtosecond laser for a short time, the emission of strong reddish long-lasting phosphorescence from the irradiated part of the glass can be observed. The emission peaks are located at 495 and 603 nm in wavelength, showing that the long-lasting phosphorescence originates from the emission of Pr3+. The intensity of the phosphorescence decreases in inverse proportion to time after the removal of the laser. By analysing the absorption and electron spin resonance spectra of the glass, we find that colour-centres are induced in the glass matrix after the irradiation of the femtosecond laser. A possible mechanism has been provided to account for the generation of long-lasting phosphorescence.

Optical absorption, electron spin resonance and photoluminescence spectra were used to study the defect formation in high purity fused silica induced by a focused infrared femtosecond laser with the input intensity below damage threshold. Si E' centres were formed in the silica. The number of Si E' centre was found increasing linearly with power density of the fs laser, deviated from the increment photo-induced free carrier density. We concluded that the colour centres were formed at the defect sites that were newly generated by radiolysis of silica tetrahedral network and displacement of oxygen between two silicon atoms. Material structure is already modified even though the irradiation fs laser power was well below the damage threshold.

The thresholds of laser-induced darkening in different optical glasses irradiated by a 800 nm, 120 fs, 1 kHz Ti:sapphire laser are reported for the first time. Absorption spectra of the glasses before and after irradiation were measured. The absorption in visible region of the irradiated glasses increased greatly after irradiation and then decreased slightly along with time. The mechanism of the laser-induced darkening was demonstrated based on the ESR measurement and excimer laser irradiation results.

Near-infrared to visible upconversion luminescence was observed in a multicomponent silicate (BK7) glass containing Ce3+ ions under focused infrared femtosecond laser irradiation. The emission spectra show that the upconversion luminescence comes from the 4f-5d transition of the Ce3+ ions. The relationship between the intensity of the Ce3+ emission and the pump power reveals that a three-photon absorption predominates in the conversion process from the near-infrared into the blue luminescence. The analysis of the upconversion mechanism suggests that the upconversion luminescence may come from a three-photon simultaneous absorption that leads to a population of the 5d level in which the characteristic luminescence occurs.

The fabrication of one kind of large core area Nd 3+ doped silicate glass photonic crystal fiber, and demonstration of the fiber's waveguidence properties were reported. This fiber owns a random air hole distribution in the cladding. The measured minimum loss of this kind of fiber is 10 dB· m −1 at 660 nm. These fibers can sustain only a single mode at least over wavelength ranging from 660 nm to 980 nm.

We provide a novel hollow-core holey fibre that owns a random distribution of air holes in the cladding. Our experiments demonstrate that many of the features previously attributed to photonic crystal fibres with perfect arrangement of air holes, in particular, photonic bandgap guidance, can also be obtained in the fibre. Additionally, this fibre exhibits a second guided mode with both the two-lobe patterns, and each pattern is in different colour.

We prepare bismuth-doped borosilicate glasses and the luminescence properties in infrared wavelength region are investigated. Transmission spectrum, fluorescence spectrum and fluorescence decay curve are measured. The glasses exhibit a broad infrared luminescence peaking at 1340 nm with the full width at half maximum of about 205 nm, and lifetime of 273 μs when excited by an 808-nm laser diode. The glasses are promising materials for broadband optical amplifiers and tunable lasers.

We report on the fabrication of two kinds of large core area Nd3+ doped silicate glass photonic crystal fibres, and demonstration of the fibre waveguiding properties. The measured minimum loss of one kind of fibres is 2.5 db/m at 660nm. The fibres sustain only a single mode at least over the wavelength range from 660nm to 980nm.

We report the space-selective formation of colour centres and refractive index change in LiF crystals at room temperature by an 800 nm Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser irradiation. Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra have been measured for the crystal before and after the laser irradiation. The absorption spectra indicate F and F3+ colour centres are induced in LiF after the laser irradiation. When the temperature of heat treatment reaches 300°C, the absorption peak disappears, indicating that the induced colour centres are bleached. The induced refractive index change is also evaluated. A mechanism for the formation of colour centres and refractive index change is proposed.

Colloidal Au less than 20 nm was prepared in an aqueous solution of HAuCl4 by irradiation with a near-infrared femtosecond laser. The absorption peak around 526 nm in the absorption spectra and the peaks 2θ = 38.3° and 2θ = 44.3° in the x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern indicated the formation of Au colloid. Nonlinear optical properties of Au colloid were investigated by using the Z-scan technique with 8 ns pulses at 532 nm. The transition characteristics from self-defocusing to self-focusing and from saturable absorption (SA) to reverse saturable absorption (RSA) were observed for the Au colloid.

Silver nanoparticles were precipitated inside an Ag2O-doped glass by femtosecond laser irradiation and successive heat treatment. The influence of heat treatment temperature on the precipitation of silver nanoparticles was investigated. Absorption spectra show that the femtosecond laser irradiation results in an apparent decrease of the treatment temperature for the precipitation of Ag nanoparticles. We demonstrate the control of precipitation, dissolution and growth of silver nanoparticles inside glass by changing the heat treatment temperature or using further femtosecond laser irradiation.

We have investigated, by using Z-scan technique with ns pulses at 532nm, the nonlinear absorptions of Au-nanoparticles-precipitated glasses obtained by irradiation of focused femtosecond pulses with the help of heat treatment. We observed the saturable absorption behavior in Au-nanoparticles-precipitated glasses.We obtain, by fitting to the experimental results, in the light of the local field effect near the surface plasmon resonance,Imχ(3)m=57×10-7 esu for the imaginary parts of the third-order susceptibilities for Au nanoparticles. The nonlinear response of Au nanoparticles in the glass samples arises mainly from the hot electron contribution.

Reversible thermochromic properties were observed in Bi2O3-Li2O system glasses. The temperature coefficient of optical absorption edge increases with increasing Bi2O3 content, implying that Bi2O3 is the main reason of thermochromism. The thermochromic mechanism is explained in terms of the temperature dependence of the optical energy gap Eg, caused mainly by the electron-phonon interaction. The low phonon energy and high electron density of Bi—O bond are important factors contributing to the electron-phonon interaction in these glasses.

The thresholds of laser-induced darkening in different optical and laser glasses irradiated by a 800nm, 120fs, 1kHz Ti:sapphire laser are reported for the first time. The ESR spectra of irradiated glass show laser-induced darkening results from color-center generation. The glasses are transparent in the wavelength of 800nm, so we suggest that color-center is generated through multi-photon absorption.

The nonlinear optical properties of In2O3 nanoparticles coated by a layer of organic molecules (DBS) in toluene sol and bare In2O3 nanoparticles in hydrosol have been studied in the transparency region by the Z-scan technique.It was found that the surface modification can enhance nonlinear response of In2O3 nanoparticles.The influences of pole effect resulting from surface modification on the optical nonlinearities of In2O3 nanoparticles were also investigated.

We have measured the thermo-optic coefficient dn/dT and the thermal-induced index of refraction n２ of PbS nanoparticles in organosol with the single beam Z-scan technique. The optical limiting properties of PbS nanoparticles were studied under continuous wave laser illumination. Finally, the results obtained were analyzed and discussed.

In this paper, the characters of thermal fracture and optical distortion pump-induced in Nd: glass slab lasers are described. Both the calculation formulas and the experimental results are given. The calculation results are well consistent with the experiments.