Received November 28, 1989; accepted April 10, 1990 We use semi-insulating multiple quantum wells to combine the holographic properties of the photorefractive effect with the large resonant optical nonlinearities of quantum-confined excitons. GaAs-AlGaAs multiplequantum-well structures are made semi-insulating by proton implantation. The implant damage produces defects that are available to tra...

We demonstrate a new nanoimaging platform in which optical excitations generated by a low-energy electron beam in an ultrathin scintillator are used as a noninvasive, near-field optical scanning probe of an underlying sample. We obtain optical images of Al nanostructures with 46 nm resolution and validate the noninvasiveness of this approach by imaging a conjugated polymer film otherwise incomp...

Although the optical sensing technology has been available for a number of years the recent rapid adoption is due to a breakthrough in the way that optical fibre sensors are deployed. Optical fibres are now being embedded within a glass fibre/epoxy composite carrier to form a robust component suitable for handling offshore. The carrier provides resistance to damage during deployment and from ex...

The phenomenon of destruction of silica fiber cladding by the fiber fuse effect has been observed for the first time to the authors' knowledge. Experiments on the optical discharge propagation along a fiber were conducted with fibers of decreased cladding thickness. The destruction of fiber cladding led to expansion of the optical discharge plasma and to a decrease of its density. This resulted...

We demonstrate semitransparent small molecular weight organic photovoltaic cells using a laminated silver nanowire mesh as a transparent, conductive cathode layer. The lamination process does not damage the underlying solar cell and results in a transparent electrode with low sheet resistance and high optical transmittance without impacting photocurrent collection. The resulting semitransparent...

We have determined the depth of ion implant damage in semiconductor materials by nonlinear optical measurements. The carrier lifetime in ion-implanted mesas was measured by the pump-probe technique, and the carrier diffusion coefficient in unetched material was measured by degenerate four-wave mixing. An effective depth of damage within which the carriers experience fast recombination is then d...

Several optical methods including ultraviolet absorption, infrared absorption of the hydroxyl ions, Raman spectroscopy, and the Z-scan method have been used to determine the damage resistance threshold in 0-0.72 mol. % Zr-containing, flux-grown, nearly stoichiometric LiNbO₃ single crystals. All spectroscopical methods used indicate that samples containing at least ≈0.085 mol. % Zr in the crysta...

We propose and demonstrate a new optical trapping method for single cells that utilizes modulated light fields to trap a wide array of cell types, including mammalian, yeast, and Escherichia coli cells, on the surface of a two-dimensional photonic crystal. This method is capable of reducing the required light intensity, and thus minimizing the photothermal damage to living cells, thereby extend...

When a dielectric object is placed between two opposed, nonfocused laser beams, the total force acting on the object is zero but the surface forces are additive, thus leading to a stretching of the object along the axis of the beams. Using this principle, we have constructed a device, called an optical stretcher, that can be used to measure the viscoelastic properties of dielectric materials, i...

Expanding medical applications of laser power have resulted in an increase in demand for silica optical fibers, but these applications often require the fiber to endure the damaging combination of high laser power levels and increasingly tighter bends. In this study, we examine the damage to step index multimode fibers transmitting Ho:YAG laser light at a wavelength of 2140 nm when bent to a ra...