Abstract

We study the recording of permanent Bragg gratings on surface-colored lithium fluoride (LiF) crystals by using the interference pattern of a continuous-wave UV argon-ion laser operating at 244 nm. Gratings with spatial periodicity ranging from 400 to 1000 nm are written by using a phase-mask interferometer and are stable for several months after the writing process. Absorption and photoluminescence spectra show the bleaching of primary F and F -aggregate laser-active color centers as a result of the process. Confocal microscopy is used to determine the pitch and the profile of the fluorescent gratings. The UV laser-induced optical bleaching in highly colored LiF ultrathin layers is responsible for the periodic spatial modulation of absorption and photoemission properties that characterize the gratings. In the colored surface layer, a reduction of as much as 50% of the initial color-center-induced refractive-index increase has been estimated in the bleached areas.

© 2009 Optical Society of America

» View Full Text: Acrobat PDF (516 KB)

History
Original Manuscript: April 2, 2009
Manuscript Accepted: July 10, 2009
Revised Manuscript: June 25, 2009
Published: July 22, 2009

References

Please [login to View References]

Author Affiliations

Francesca Bonfigli, Maria Aurora Vincenti, Salvatore Almaviva, Rosa Maria Montereali, Enrico Nichelatti

ENEA

Hypolito José Kalinowski

Federal Technological University of Paraná

Rogério N. Nogueira

University of Aveiro

Cited By

OSA is able to provide readers links to articles that cite this paper by participating in CrossRef's Cited-By Linking service. In addition to listing OSA journal articles that cite this paper, citing articles from other participating publishers will also be listed.

Select a Journal:
Applied Optics Optics InfoBase Google Scholar

Search by title, abstract, or author

Advanced Search

Recent ToC Categories (Beta)

Select a Journal:
J. Opt. Soc. Am. AJ. Opt. Soc. Am. BApplied OpticsOptics LettersOptics ExpressAdv. Opt. Photon.J. Opt. Netw. (2002-2009)J. Opt. Soc. Am. (1917-1983)Virtual J. Biomed. Opt.Optics & Photonics NewsOptics NewsJ. Opt. Commun. Netw.J. Lightwave Technol.J. Opt. Technol.J. Display Technol.Chinese Optics LettersApplied Spectroscopy

Vol

Issue

Page

• Oct 08 2009 : See the latest ISP articles in the Applied Optics feature on Digital Holography in 3-D Imaging.
• Sep 25 2009 : Energy Express: Optics Express announces a special bi-monthly supplement dedicated to rapid developments in optics for sustainable energy.
• Sep 21 2009 : The 2009 Education and Training in Optics and Photonics papers are now available.

More News

• Invisibility Visualized
  Nov 12, 2009 - Scientists and curiosity seekers who want to know what a partially or... more
• Diamonds are a Laser's Best Friend
  Sep 18, 2009 - Tomorrow’s lasers may come with a bit of bling, thanks to a new... more
• Open Wide and Say ‘Zap’
  Aug 19, 2009 - A group of researchers in Australia and Taiwan has developed a new... more