Electro-optically active nanoparticles in glass for fast infrared modulators

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60461373%3A22310%2F17%3A43915461" target="_blank" >RIV/60461373:22310/17:43915461 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Electro-optically active nanoparticles in glass for fast infrared modulators

Original language description

Fast infrared modulators, with a response time to an electric signal of less than 1 µs, are required for high speed processing of optical signals in free space communications. For these modulators, new materials with a high electro-optic coefficient are needed. Because the electro-optic coefficient of heavy metal glasses doped with metal nanoparticles can reach very high values, these materials are promising for such application. In this work, we developed a new glass based on a PbO-Bi2O3-Ga2O3 system, which was doped with Ag+ ions for nanoparticle precipitation and with Sb2O3 as a reducing agent. The glass was melted at 1000 °C for 35 min and then cast into a steel mould. Using Sb2O3, Ag+ ions were successfully reduced to metallic silver Ag0, and during heat treatment nanoparticles of a defined size were formed by the clustering of mobile Ag0 atoms. The electro-optic coefficient of the glass was measured in an optical system comprising a laser source, a polariser, a glass sample, a quarter wave plate, an analyser, a diaphragm and a detector. The laser light source was operated in a continuous regime at a wavelength of 2090 nm. The maximum of the transmittance peak was influenced by the high voltage (5–27 kV) applied on the glass sample. From the rotation angle of the analyser, the electro-optical coefficient b was calculated. The highest value of b (5.9·10-11 m·V-2) was measured for the glass containing nanoparticles with the optimized mean size of 7 nm that were precipitated by heat treatment at 350 °C for 35 min. Another advantage of this glass was that in the range of 550–2750 nm it had a transmittance of above 70%, which is high enough to achieve low optical signal attenuation in the near infrared region. Collectively, our results indicate that the developed glass with Ag0nanoparticles of the optimized size could be applied to the construction of fast infrared modulators with a response time of less than 1 µs to an electric signal.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20504 - Ceramics

Project

<a href="/en/project/TH01010567" target="_blank" >TH01010567: Modulators for free-space optics</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

C - Předmět řešení projektu podléhá obchodnímu tajemství (§ 504 Občanského zákoníku), ale název projektu, cíle projektu a u ukončeného nebo zastaveného projektu zhodnocení výsledku řešení projektu (údaje P03, P04, P15, P19, P29, PN8) dodané do CEP, jsou upraveny tak, aby byly zveřejnitelné.