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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Laser velocimeter (LV) designed to use semiconductor-diode laser is 100 times smaller than continuous-wave gas-laser velocimeter permitting mounting within wind-tunnel models or on engine walls. Mini LV uses only 0.4 watts of power and measures velocities with accuracy of 98% or better.
Results of the environmental test of a compact, rigid and lightweight diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG laser module are discussed. All optical elements are bonded onto the module using space applicable epoxy, and two 200 mW diode laser arrays for pump sources are used to achieve 126 mW of CW output with about 7 percent electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency. This laser assembly and a set of 20 semiconductor diode laser arrays were environmentally tested by being subjected to vibrational and thermal conditions similar to those experienced during launch of the Space Shuttle, and both performed well. Nevertheless, some damage to the laser front facet in diode lasers was observed. Significant degradation was observed only on lasers which performed poorly in the life test. Improvements in the reliability of the Nd:YAG laser are suggested.
This work describes the development and testing of a new instrument for in situ measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on airborne platforms in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). The instrument is based on the laser-induced fluorescence technique and uses the fifth harmonic of a tunable fiber-amplified semiconductor diode laser system at 1084.5 nm to excite SO2 at 216.9 nm. Sensitivity and background checks are achieved in flight by additions of SO2 calibration gas and zero air, respectively. Aircraft demonstration was performed during the NASA Volcano Plume Investigation Readiness and Gas-Phase and Aerosol Sulfur (VIRGAS) experiment, which was a series of flights using the NASA WB-57F during October 2015 based at Ellington Field and Harlingen, Texas. During these flights, the instrument successfully measured SO2 in the UTLS at background (non-volcanic) conditions with a precision of 2 ppt at 10 s and an overall uncertainty determined primarily by instrument drifts of +/- (16% + 0.9 ppt).
Abstract Stable laser emission with narrow linewidth is of critical importance in many applications, including coherent communications, LIDAR, and remote sensing. In this work, the physics underlying spectral narrowing of self-injection-locked on-chip lasers to Hz-level lasing linewidth is investigated using a composite-cavity structure. Heterogeneously integrated III–V/SiN lasers operating with quantum-dot and quantum-well active regions are analyzed with a focus on the effects of carrier quantum confinement. The intrinsic differences are associated with gain saturation and carrier-induced refractive index, which are directly connected with 0- and 2-dimensional carrier densities of states. Results from parametric studies are presented for tradeoffs involved with tailoring the linewidth, output power, and injection current for different device configurations. Though both quantum-well and quantum-dot devices show similar linewidth-narrowing capabilities, the former emits at a higher optical power in the self-injection-locked state, while the latter is more energy-efficient. Lastly, a multi-objective optimization analysis is provided to optimize the operation and design parameters. For the quantum-well laser, minimizing the number of quantum-well layers is found to decrease the threshold current without significantly reducing the output power. For the quantum-dot laser, increasing the quantum-dot layers or density in each layer increases the output power without significantly increasing the threshold current. These findings serve to guide more detailed parametric studies to produce timely results for engineering design.
Here, we report on the substantial advancement of long wavelength InAs-based interband cascade lasers (ICLs) utilizing advanced waveguides formed from hybrid cladding layers and targeting the 10-12 µm wavelength region. Modifications in the hole injector have improved carrier transport in these ICLs, resulting in significantly reduced threshold voltages (V th ) as low as 3.62 V at 80 K. Consequently, much higher voltage efficiencies were observed, peaking at about 73% at 10.3 µm and allowing for large output powers of more than 100 mW/facet. Also, low threshold current densities (J th ) of 8.8 A/cm 2 in cw mode and 7.6 A/cm 2 in pulsed mode near 10 µm were observed; a result of adjustments in the GaInSb hole well composition intended to reduce the overall strain accumulation in the ICL. Furthermore, an ICL from the second wafer operating at a longer wavelength achieved a peak voltage efficiency of 57% at 11.7 µm, with a peak output power of more than 27 mW/facet. This ICL went on to lase beyond 12 µm in both cw and pulsed modes, representing a new milestone in long wavelength coverage for ICLs with the standard W-QW active region.
This is a more urgent problem than it might sound. The westernmost Hawaiian island of significant size, Kauai is home to around 70,000 residents and 30,000 tourists at any given time. Renewable energy accounts for 70 percent of the energy produced in a typical year - a proportion that's among the highest in the world and that can be hard to sustain for such a small and isolated grid. During the day, the local system operator, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, sometimes reaches levels of 90 percent from solar alone. But on 2 April, the 26-MW generator was running near its peak output, to compensate for the drop in solar output as the sun set. At the moment when it failed, that single generator had been supplying 60 percent of the load for the entire island, with the rest being met by a mix of smaller generators and several utility-scale solar-and-battery systems.
Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) using high-energy Nd:glass lasers has the potential to produce ultra-intense pulses (>10 23 W/cm 2 ). We report on the performance of the final high-efficiency amplifier in an OPCPA system based on large-aperture (63 x 63-mm 2 ) partially deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate (DKDP) crystals. Here, the seed beam (170 nm, 240 mJ) was provided by the preceding OPCPA stages. The maximum pump-to-signal conversion efficiency of 37% was achieved with a 52-mm-long DKDP crystal and 40-J pump energy at 527 nm due to the flattop super-Gaussian pump beam profile and flat-in-time pulse shape. The 11.8-J output signal was compressed to 19 fs.
To employ graphene’s rapid conduction in 2D devices, a heterostructure with a broad bandgap dielectric that is free of traps is required. Within this paradigm, h-BN is a good candidate because of its graphene-like structure and ultrawide bandgap. We show how to make such a heterostructure by irradiating alternating layers of a-C and a-BN film with a nanosecond excimer laser, melting and zone-refining constituent layers in the process. With Raman spectroscopy and ToF-SIMS analyses, we demonstrate this localized zone-refining into phase-pure h-BN and rGO films with distinct Raman vibrational modes and SIMS profile flattening after laser irradiation. Furthermore, in comparing laser-irradiated rGO-Si MS and rGO/h-BN/Si MIS diodes, the MIS diodes exhibit an increased turn-on voltage (4.4 V) and low leakage current. The MIS diode I-V characteristics reveal direct tunneling conduction under low bias and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling in the high-voltage regime, turning the MIS diode ON with improved rectification and current flow. This study sheds light on the nonequilibrium approaches to engineering h-BN and graphene heterostructures for ultrathin field effect transistor device development.
Individual ''fingerprint'' signals are produced when system photoexcites chips. ''Fingerprints'' are analyzed for characteristics associated with defects, including many not visible to the naked eye. Electromagnetic radiation photogenerates free electrons and holes in semiconductor chip. These carriers produce electrical signals at terminals. Signals vary depending on what defects are present.
Differential absorption of laser radiation by various molecular species represents both a selective and a sensitive method of measuring specific atmospheric constituents. DIAL measurements can be carried out via two different means. Both involve using two laser pulses with slightly different wavelengths (lambda), (one lambda at a strong absorption line of the molecule of interest, the other detuned into the wing of the line), and comparing the attenuation of the pulses. One approach relies on scattering of the radiation from some conveniently located topographical target. In the other technique elastic scattering from atmospheric aerosols and particulates is used to return the radiation to the lidar receiver system. This case is referred to as the differential absorption and scattering technique, and is the technique we are interested in to measure water vapor at 940 nm. The 940 nm wavelength is extremely desirable to atmospheric scientist interested in accurate DIAL measurements of H2O in the upper and lower troposphere. Simulated measurements using approximately 940 nm and 815 nm lasers at a range of altitudes and experimental conditions are shown. By offering access to larger absorption cross-sections, injected seeded, 940 nm DIAL laser transmitters would allow for more accurate water profile measurements at altitudes from 6 to 16 km than is currently possible with 730 nm and 815 nm DIAL laser transmitters. We have demonstrated the operation of an injected seeded titanium-sapphire (TS) laser operating at approximately 940 nm with an energy of more than 90 mJ per pulse. The TS laser is pumped by a commercial, 600 mJ, 532 nm, 10 Hz Nd:YAG laser. The slope efficiency of the laser using a flat 50 percent R output coupler and a 10 m end-mirror is shown. The laser was injected seeded with a CW, AlGaAs, semiconductor diode laser which had an output of 83 mW. The CW diode seed beam was introduced into the TS laser cavity through a HR end-mirror. When the diode beam is aligned to the TS resonator, it controls the TS laser output wavelength and its spectral line width with the required resolution for DIAL applications. This work supports the need for the development of 940 nm, titanium-sapphire DIAL transmitters.
Far-infrared radiation 1 to 6 GHz generated by two-wave mixing in asymmetrically grown GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs multiple-quantum-well devices. Two near-infrared semiconductor diode lasers phase-locked. Outputs amplified, then combined in semiconductor nonlinear multiple-quantum-well planar waveguide. Necessary to optimize design of device with respect to three factors: high degree of confinement of electromagnetic field in nonlinear medium to maximize power density, phase matching to extend length of zone of interaction between laser beams in non-linear medium, and nonlinear susceptibility. Devices used as tunable local oscillators in heterodyne-detection radiometers.
The effects of a pulsed, focused, deep-UV (4.66 eV) laser on wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors were investigated with photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. Three semiconductor single crystals were studied: silicon carbide (6H-SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and gallium oxide (β-Ga 2 O 3 ). Atomic emission lines from neutral Ga or Si were observed during the laser-damage process. For all three semiconductors, PL mapping (3.49 eV laser excitation) of the damaged material revealed visible emission bands in the 2.6–2.8 eV range, attributed to point defects. Raman spectra (2.33 eV excitation) showed a reduction in the Raman peak intensities in the damaged region, along with weak PL bands around 1.9–2.1 eV.
Photothermal heating represents a major constraint that limits the performance of many nanoscale optoelectronic and optomechanical devices including nanolasers, quantum optomechanical resonators, and integrated photonic circuits. Here, we demonstrate the direct laser refrigeration of a semiconductor optomechanical resonator >20 K below room temperature based on the emission of upconverted, anti-Stokes photoluminescence of trivalent ytterbium ions doped within a yttrium-lithium-fluoride (YLF) host crystal. Optically-refrigerating the lattice of a dielectric resonator has the potential to impact several fields including scanning probe microscopy, the sensing of weak forces, the measurement of atomic masses, and the development of radiation-balanced solid-state lasers. In addition, optically refrigerated resonators may be used in the future as a promising starting point to perform motional cooling for exploration of quantum effects at mesoscopic length scales, temperature control within integrated photonic devices, and solid-state laser refrigeration of quantum materials.
In the present paper, some results are given for UV laser light irradiation of the photoanode (SnO2, SrTiO3, or TiO2) in a cell for the light-driven electrolysis of H2O, at radiation intensities of up to 380 W/sq cm. The properties of the anode material are found to be independent of light intensity. Conversion of UV light to stored chemical energy in the form of 2H2/O2 from H2O was driven at a rate of up to 30 W/sq cm. High O2 evolution rates at the irradiated anodes without changes in the current-voltage curves are attributed to the excess oxidizing power associated with photogenerated holes. A test for this sort of hypothesis for H2 evolution at p-type materials is proposed.
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A diffraction-limited laser diode transmitter module suitable for wideband direct detection laser communication is described. The transmitter module incorporates a high power semiconductor diode laser, collimating lens, thermal control, and driver circuit in a hermetic enclosure. The module has undergone environmental testing which demonstrates its suitability for space application, and accelerated lifetesting of the laser diode suggests an operational lifetime of nearly ten years.
A space-qualified module incorporating a high power semiconductor diode laser, collimating lens, thermal control, and driver circuit is described. Three such modules are used in an optical transmitter designed for use in NASA space laser communications experiments. Details of the various components are discussed, as well as laser diode lifetest results.