Design, Fabrication and Assessment of Nanostructured Materials and Systems for Advanced Optical Applications

A special issue of Ceramics (ISSN 2571-6131).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2018) | Viewed by 21834

Special Issue Editors

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
Interests: photonic; RF sputtering; luminescence; optical materials; rare earths; photonic crystals; waveguides; glasses; nanostructured materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences 2 Okolna Street, 50-422 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: nanoparticles; nanocrystals; silicate glass; glass-ceramic; biomaterials; graphene-based composites; thin films; lanthanides; spectroscopy; optical properties; optical applications; photonics; sol-gel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Physics Department, Politecnico di Milano, piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: photonic structures; metal oxides for photonics; doped metal oxides for plasmonics; optical properties of inorganic nanostructures; optical properties of inorganic/organic nanostructures; ultrafast spectroscopy; photon-to-energy conversion processes
Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology, National Research Council, IFN-CNR CSMFO Lab., Via alla Cascata 56/C, Povo, 38123 Trento, Italy
Interests: glass photonics; properties, structure and processing of glasses, crystals and film for optical applications and photonics; integrated optics; transparent glass ceramics; confined structures including photonic crystals, waveguides, microcavities, and microresonators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The activity in the field of nanostructured materials and systems for advanced optical applications is amazing in terms of new science, new technologies, and new products covering a very broad spectrum of applications. The application of these structures allows to successfully face socio-economic challenges in many fields—from energy to efficient photons management, from environmental protection to novel integrated communication systems, from structural monitoring to quantum technologies and to healthcare applications. Nanostructured systems for advanced optical application are the focus of this Special Issue. The general idea is to collect impressive papers devoted to the physical, chemical, and hybrid fabrication techniques; to the design of innovative systems; to the modeling and simulation of the physical and chemical mechanisms and properties; to the theory behind nanostructured optical systems. Concerning spectroscopic, optical, morphological, and structural assessment, we expect scientific papers employing diagnostic techniques covering photoluminescence, time resolved spectroscopy, Raman, AFM, TEM, SEM, XPS, Neutron scattering, synchrotron radiation based technologies, thermodynamic analysis and more. Emphasis is expected for new physical and chemical properties. Technical articles looking at novel diagnostic, design and fabrication of components and devices are also welcome. The aim of this Special Issue is to gather experiences of leading scientists, but also to be a guide for people who needs to confront with non-conventional and emerging routes for the development of nanostructured materials and systems for advanced optical applications. From this point of view, we believe that the Special Issue will provide the presentation of technological advances and the latest research on the state-of-the-art in innovative processing and device applications of new materials to meet the challenges of sustainable energy and optical nanotechnologies. Interested and committed individuals from academia, national laboratories, industries, and start-up companies are invited to contribute by submitting papers on the following and related topics:

  • Aerospace, defense, security
  • Bioinspired optical nanostructures
  • Biomaterials
  • Coherent optical sources
  • Energy-related Technologies
  • Environmental Protection
  • Frequency conversion
  • Healthcare
  • Integrated optics
  • Laser material processing
  • Lasers
  • Lightning
  • Luminescent nanostructured materials and systems
  • Nanocavities
  • Nano scale interaction and optical properties
  • Nanoreactors
  • Ongoing applications and forecasts
  • Phosphors
  • Photon conversions
  • Photonic crystals and light trapping devices
  • Plasmonic nanostructures
  • Quantum nanotechnologies
  • Scintillators
  • Sensors

Dr. Alessandro Chiasera
Dr. Anna Lukowiak
Prof. Francesco Scotognella
Dr. Maurizio Ferrari
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Ceramics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Optical nanostructures
  • Physical and chemical fabrication methods
  • Novel processing and synthesis
  • Nanostructured materials and devices
  • Design of innovative optical structures
  • Assessment of optical, structural, morphological and spectroscopic properties
  • Nanocrystals
  • Ceramics and Glass-ceramics
  • Modeling and simulation
  • Novel diagnostic techniques
  • Photons management

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2557 KiB  
Article
Low-Threshold Coherent Emission at 1.5 µm from Fully Er3+ Doped Monolithic 1D Dielectric Microcavity Fabricated Using Radio Frequency Sputtering
by Cesare Meroni, Francesco Scotognella, Yann Boucher, Anna Lukowiak, Davor Ristic, Giorgio Speranza, Stefano Varas, Lidia Zur, Mile Ivanda, Stefano Taccheo, Roberta Ramponi, Giancarlo C. Righini, Maurizio Ferrari and Alessandro Chiasera
Ceramics 2019, 2(1), 74-85; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics2010007 - 21 Jan 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2912
Abstract
Low threshold coherent emission at 1.5 µm is achieved using Er3+-doped dielectric 1D microcavities fabricated with a Radio Frequency-sputtering technique. The microcavities are composed of a half-wavelength Er3+-doped SiO2 active layer inserted between two Bragg reflectors consisting of [...] Read more.
Low threshold coherent emission at 1.5 µm is achieved using Er3+-doped dielectric 1D microcavities fabricated with a Radio Frequency-sputtering technique. The microcavities are composed of a half-wavelength Er3+-doped SiO2 active layer inserted between two Bragg reflectors consisting of ten, five, and seven pairs of SiO2/TiO2 layers, also doped with Er3+ ions. The morphology of the structure is inspected using scanning electron microscopy. Transmission measurements show the third and first order cavity resonance at 530 nm and 1.5 µm, respectively. The photoluminescence measurements are obtained using the optical excitation at the third order cavity resonance using a 514.5 nm Ar+ laser or Xe excitation lamp at 514.5 nm, with an excitation angle of 30°. The full width at half maximum of the emission peak at 1535 nm decreased with the pump power until the spectral resolution of the detection system was 2.7 nm. Moreover, the emission intensity presents a non-linear behavior with the pump power and a threshold at about 4 µW. Full article
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22 pages, 5224 KiB  
Article
Coupled Photonic Crystal Nanocavities as a Tool to Tailor and Control Photon Emission
by Annamaria Gerardino, Giorgio Pettinari, Niccolò Caselli, Silvia Vignolini, Francesco Riboli, Francesco Biccari, Marco Felici, Antonio Polimeni, Andrea Fiore, Massimo Gurioli and Francesca Intonti
Ceramics 2019, 2(1), 34-55; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics2010004 - 14 Jan 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3155
Abstract
In this review, we report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of photonic crystal arrays, made of two and three coupled nanocavities. The properties of the cavity modes depend directly on the shape of the nanocavities and on their geometrical arrangement. A non-negligible [...] Read more.
In this review, we report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of photonic crystal arrays, made of two and three coupled nanocavities. The properties of the cavity modes depend directly on the shape of the nanocavities and on their geometrical arrangement. A non-negligible role is also played by the possible disorder because of the fabrication processes. The experimental results on the spatial distribution of the cavity modes and their physical characteristics, like polarization and parity, are described and compared with the numerical simulations. Moreover, an innovative approach to deterministically couple the single emitters to the cavity modes is described. The possibility to image the mode spatial distribution, in single and coupled nanocavities, combined with the control of the emitter spatial position allows for a deterministic approach for the study of cavity quantum electrodynamics phenomena and for the development of new photonic-based applications. Full article
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12 pages, 6828 KiB  
Article
Optical, Dielectric and Magnetic Properties of La1−xNdxFeO3 Powders and Ceramics
by Paweł Głuchowski, Karen Oganisian, Robert Tomala, Anna Łukowiak, Dmitry Karpinsky, Denis Alikin, Andrei Kholkin and Wiesław Stręk
Ceramics 2019, 2(1), 1-12; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics2010001 - 21 Dec 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3204
Abstract
Nanocrystalline La1−xNdxFeO3 powders with different concentrations of Nd3+ have been synthesized using a modified Pechini method. Their structures were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, La1−xNdxFeO3 nanoceramics were prepared using a [...] Read more.
Nanocrystalline La1−xNdxFeO3 powders with different concentrations of Nd3+ have been synthesized using a modified Pechini method. Their structures were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, La1−xNdxFeO3 nanoceramics were prepared using a high pressure sintering technique. The luminescence spectra of the powders were investigated as a function of concentration of active dopant to check the possible energy transfers observed due to Nd3+ concentration changes. The electrical and magnetic properties of the powders and ceramics were investigated to determine the effect of Nd3+ doping on the dielectric permittivity and magnetization in the wide frequency range. Full article
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11 pages, 13396 KiB  
Article
On the Enlargement of the Emission Spectra from the 4I13/2 Level of Er3+ in Silica-Based Optical Fibers through Lanthanum or Magnesium Co-Doping
by Manuel Vermillac, Jean-François Lupi, Stanislaw Trzesien, Michele Ude and Wilfried Blanc
Ceramics 2018, 1(2), 364-374; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics1020029 - 11 Dec 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3120
Abstract
Improving optical fiber amplifiers requires the elaboration and use of new materials and new compositions. In this sense, we prepared erbium-doped optical fiber samples that were co-doped with magnesium or lanthanum by gradual-time solution doping. Doping concentrations and thermal processes induce the formation [...] Read more.
Improving optical fiber amplifiers requires the elaboration and use of new materials and new compositions. In this sense, we prepared erbium-doped optical fiber samples that were co-doped with magnesium or lanthanum by gradual-time solution doping. Doping concentrations and thermal processes induce the formation of nanoparticles. The effect of lanthanum and magnesium contents on the width of the spontaneous emission of the 4 I 13 / 2 level of Er 3 + was characterized in the nanoparticle-rich fiber samples. For that purpose, the width was characterized by the effective linewidth and the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM). The results indicate the robustness of the effective linewidth to strong variations in the intensity profiles of the 4 I 13 / 2 spontaneous emission. Increasing the doping concentrations of both magnesium and lanthanum increases the FWHM and the effective linewidth, along with optical losses. Results show that the fabrication of nanoparticle-rich optical fibers through lanthanum or magnesium doping induces an FHWM broadening of 54% and 64%, respectively, or an effective linewidth broadening of 59% (for both elements) while maintaining a transparency that is compatible with fiber laser and amplifier applications. Full article
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6 pages, 984 KiB  
Article
Tantalum Arsenide-Based One-Dimensional Photonic Structures
by Ilka Kriegel, Michele Guizzardi and Francesco Scotognella
Ceramics 2018, 1(1), 139-144; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics1010012 - 13 Aug 2018
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4034
Abstract
Weyl semimetals can be described as the three-dimensional analogue of graphene, showing linear dispersion around nodes (Weyl points). Tantalum arsenide is among the most studied Weyl semimetals. It has been demonstrated that TaAs has a very high value of the real part of [...] Read more.
Weyl semimetals can be described as the three-dimensional analogue of graphene, showing linear dispersion around nodes (Weyl points). Tantalum arsenide is among the most studied Weyl semimetals. It has been demonstrated that TaAs has a very high value of the real part of the complex refractive index in the infrared region. In this work we show one-dimensional photonic crystals alternating TaAs with SiO2 or TiO2 and a microcavity where a layer of TaAs is embedded between two SiO2-TiO2 multilayers. Full article
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11 pages, 2169 KiB  
Article
On the Synthesis and Characterization of Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks
by Andrius Laurikenas, Aldona Beganskiene and Aivaras Kareiva
Ceramics 2018, 1(1), 54-64; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics1010006 - 12 Jun 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4393
Abstract
In this study, lanthanide metal-organic frameworks Ln(BTC)(DMF)2(H2O) (LnMOFs) are synthesized using the metal nitrates as lanthanide (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) source and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) as a [...] Read more.
In this study, lanthanide metal-organic frameworks Ln(BTC)(DMF)2(H2O) (LnMOFs) are synthesized using the metal nitrates as lanthanide (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) source and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) as a coordination ligand. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) analysis fluorescence spectroscopy (FLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are employed to characterize the newly synthesized LnMOFs. Full article
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