A simple procedure is demonstrated for fabrication of waveplates which can be released from substrate by laser cutting. Oblique angle deposition, chemical etching and laser inscription steps were used for the final lift-off and release of micro-waveplates in HCl solution.
We report on the rst evidence of direct micropeak machining using a photonic jet (PJ) with nanosecond laser pulses. PJ is a high concentrated propagative light beam with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) smaller than the diraction limit. In our cas
e, PJs are generated with a shaped optical ber tip. Micropeaks with a FWHM of around 1 $mu$m, a height until 590 nm and an apex radius of 14 nm, were repeatability achieved on a silicon wafer. The experiments have been carried out in ambient air using a 100/140 multimode silica ber with a shaped tip along with a 35 kHz pulsed laser emitting 100 ns pulses at 1064 nm. This study shows that the phenomenon occurs only at low energies, just under the ablation threshold. Bulk material appears to have moved around to achieve the peaks in a selforganized process. We hypothesize that the matter was melted and not vaporized; hydrodynamic ow of molten material governed by surfacetension forces may be the causes. This surface modication has many applications. For example, this paper reports on the decrease of wettability of a textured silicon wafer.
Traditional concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems utilize multijunction cells to minimize thermalization losses, but cannot efficiently capture diffuse sunlight, which contributes to a high levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and limits their use to g
eographical regions with high direct sunlight insolation. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) harness light generated by luminophores embedded in a light-trapping waveguide to concentrate light onto smaller cells. LSCs can absorb both direct and diffuse sunlight, and thus can operate as flat plate receivers at a fixed tilt and with a conventional module form factor. However, current LSCs experience significant power loss through parasitic luminophore absorption and incomplete light trapping by the optical waveguide. Here we introduce a tandem LSC device architecture that overcomes both of these limitations, consisting of a PLMA polymer layer with embedded CdSe/CdS quantum dot (QD) luminophores and InGaP micro-cells, which serve as a high bandgap absorber on top of a conventional Si photovoltaic. We experimentally synthesize CdSe/CdS QDs with exceptionally high quantum-yield (99%) and ultra-narrowband emission optimally matched to fabricated III-V InGaP micro-cells. Using a Monte Carlo ray-tracing model, we show the radiative limit power conversion efficiency for a module with these components to be 30.8% diffuse sunlight conditions. These results indicate that a tandem LSC-on-Si architecture could significantly improve upon the efficiency of a conventional Si photovoltaic module with simple and straightforward alterations of the module lamination steps of a Si photovoltaic manufacturing process, with promise for widespread module deployment across diverse geographical regions and energy markets.
We present a monolithic semiconductor microcavity design for enhanced light-matter interaction and photon extraction efficiency of an embedded quantum emitter such as a quantum dot or color center. The microcavity is a hemispherical Fabry-Perot desig
n consisting of a planar back mirror and a top curved mirror. Higher order modes are suppressed in the structure by reducing the height of the curved mirror, leading to efficient photon extraction into a fundamental mode with a Gaussian far-field radiation pattern. The cavity finesse can be varied easily by changing the reflectivity of the mirrors and we consider two specific cases: a low-finesse structure for enhanced broad band photon extraction from self-assembled quantum dots and a moderate-finesse cavity for enhanced extraction of single photons from the zero-phonon line of color centers in diamond. We also consider the impact of structural imperfections on the cavity performance. Finally, we present the fabrication and optical characterisation of monolithic GaAs hemispherical microcavities.
Electrodes in close proximity to an active area of a device are required for sufficient electrical control. The integration of such electrodes into optical devices can be challenging since low optical losses must be retained to realise high quality o
peration. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to place a metallic shallow phosphorus doped layer in a silicon micro-ring cavity that can function at cryogenic temperatures. We verify that the shallow doping layer affects the local refractive index while inducing minimal losses with quality factors up to 10$^5$. This demonstration opens up a pathway to the integration of an electronic device, such as a single-electron transistor, into an optical circuit on the same material platform.
Realizing optical manipulation of microscopic objects is crucial in the research fields of life science, condensed matter physics and physical chemistry. In non-liquid environments, this task is commonly regarded as difficult due to strong adhesive s
urface force ($simmurm N$) between solid interfaces that makes tiny optical driven force ($simrm pN$) insignificant. Here, by recognizing the microscopic interaction mechanism between friction force -- the parallel component of surface force on the contact surface -- and thermoelastic waves induced by pulsed optical absorption, we establish a general principle enabling the actuation of micro-objects on dry frictional surfaces based on the opto-thermo-mechanical effects. Theoretically, we predict that nanosecond pulsed optical absorption with mW-scale peak power is sufficient to tame $murm N$-scale friction force. Experimentally, we demonstrate that two-dimensional spiral motion of gold plates on micro-fibers driven by a nanosecond pulsed laser, and reveal the specific rules of motion control. Our results pave the way for future development of micro-scale actuators in nonliquid environments.