Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Optimizing erbium doped materials for optical processing, memory, and laser frequency stabilization applications at 1.5 /spl mu/m

Thomas Böttger, Charles W. Thiel, Yazhou Sun, R. L. Cone

Published May 16, 2004• 0 citations

Abstract

Dramatically lengthened coherence lifetimes in erbium doped crystals for spatial-spectral holography applications at 1.5 /spl mu/m were obtained through optimization of multiple material design parameters. Microscopic processes responsible for spin dynamics were elucidated and quantitatively modeled.

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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Optimizing erbium doped materials for optical processing, memory, and laser frequency stabilization applications at 1.5 /spl mu/m

Thomas Böttger, Charles W. Thiel, Yazhou Sun, R. L. Cone

Published May 16, 2004• 0 citations

OpenAlex

Abstract

Related papers

Optimizing erbium doped materials for optical processing, memory, and laser frequency stabilization applications at 1.5 /spl mu/m

Böttger, Thiel, Sun Sun

Jan 1, 20040 citations

Material optimization of Er3+:Y 2 SiO 5 at 1.5 μm for optical processing, memory, and laser frequency stabilization applications

Thomas Boettger, Yongchen Sun, Charles W. Thiel +1 more

Spatial-spectral holography using spectral hole burning materials is a powerful technique for performing real-time, wide-bandwidth information storage and signal processing. For operation in the important 1.5 μm communication band, the material Er3+:Y2SiO5 enables applications such as laser frequency stabilization, all-optical correlators, analog signal processing, and data storage. Site-selective absorption and emission spectroscopy identified spectral hole burning transitions and excited state T1 lifetimes in the 1.5 μm spectral region. The effects of crystal temperature, Er3+-dopant concentration, magnetic field strength, and crystal orientation on spectral diffusion were explored using stimulated photon echo spectroscopy, which is the "prototype" interaction mechanism for device applications. The performance of Er3+:Y2SiO5 and related Er3+ materials has been dramatically enhanced by reducing the effect of spectral diffusion on the coherence lifetime T2 through fundamental material design coupled with the application of an external magnetic field oriented along specific directions. A preferred magnetic field orientation that maximized T2 by minimizing the effects of spectral diffusion was determined using the results of angle-dependent Zeeman spectroscopy. The observed linewidth broadening due to spectral diffusion was successfully modeled by considering the effect of one-phonon (direct) processes on Er3+ - Er3+ interactions. The reported studies improved our understanding of Er3+ materials, explored the range of conditions and material parameters required to optimize performance for specific applications, and enabled measurement of the narrowest optical resonance ever observed in a solid-with a homogeneous linewidth of 73 Hz. With the optimized materials and operating conditions, photon echoes were observed up to temperatures of 5 K, enabling 0.5 GHz bandwidth optical signal processing at 4.2 K and providing the possibility for operation with a closed-cycle cryocooler.Spatial-spectral holography using spectral hole burning materials is a powerful technique for performing real-time, wide-bandwidth information storage and signal processing. For operation in the important 1.5 μm communication band, the material Er3+:Y2SiO5 enables applications such as laser frequency stabilization, all-optical correlators, analog signal processing, and data storage. Site-selective absorption and emission spectroscopy identified spectral hole burning transitions and excited state T1 lifetimes in the 1.5 μm spectral region. The effects of crystal temperature, Er3+-dopant concentration, magnetic field strength, and crystal orientation on spectral diffusion were explored using stimulated photon echo spectroscopy, which is the "prototype" interaction mechanism for device applications. The performance of Er3+:Y2SiO5 and related Er3+ materials has been dramatically enhanced by reducing the effect of spectral diffusion on the coherence lifetime T2 through fundamental material design coupled with the application of an external magnetic field oriented along specific directions. A preferred magnetic field orientation that maximized T2 by minimizing the effects of spectral diffusion was determined using the results of angle-dependent Zeeman spectroscopy. The observed linewidth broadening due to spectral diffusion was successfully modeled by considering the effect of one-phonon (direct) processes on Er3+ - Er3+ interactions. The reported studies improved our understanding of Er3+ materials, explored the range of conditions and material parameters required to optimize performance for specific applications, and enabled measurement of the narrowest optical resonance ever observed in a solid-with a homogeneous linewidth of 73 Hz. With the optimized materials and operating conditions, photon echoes were observed up to temperatures of 5 K, enabling 0.5 GHz bandwidth optical signal processing at 4.2 K and providing the possibility for operation with a closed-cycle cryocooler.

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Controlled compositional disorder in Er 3 + : Y 2 Si O 5 provides a wide-bandwidth spectral hole burning material at 1.5 μ m

Thomas Böttger, Charles W. Thiel, R. L. Cone +1 more

The subgigahertz spectral bandwidth of the lowest energy $1.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ $^{4}I_{15∕2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{4}I_{13∕2}$ optical transition in ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ has been increased to $\ensuremath{\sim}22\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GHz}$ by intentionally introducing compositional disorder through codoping with ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ impurity ions. This illustrates a general bandwidth control technique for spectral hole burning device applications including spatial-spectral holography and quantum computing. Coherence measurements by stimulated photon echoes demonstrated that the increased disorder does not perturb the dynamical properties of the ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ transition and, thus, gives the desired bandwidth enhancement without penalty in other properties. The echo measurements and model analysis also show that phonon-driven spin flips of ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ ions in the ground state are responsible for the spectral diffusion that was observed for the optical transition. These results collectively give a better understanding of both the nature of disorder and of the ion-ion interactions in doped materials, and they also enable the high bandwidths required for signal processing and memory applications at $1.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ based on spectral hole burning.The subgigahertz spectral bandwidth of the lowest energy $1.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ $^{4}I_{15∕2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{4}I_{13∕2}$ optical transition in ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ has been increased to $\ensuremath{\sim}22\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GHz}$ by intentionally introducing compositional disorder through codoping with ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ impurity ions. This illustrates a general bandwidth control technique for spectral hole burning device applications including spatial-spectral holography and quantum computing. Coherence measurements by stimulated photon echoes demonstrated that the increased disorder does not perturb the dynamical properties of the ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ transition and, thus, gives the desired bandwidth enhancement without penalty in other properties. The echo measurements and model analysis also show that phonon-driven spin flips of ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ ions in the ground state are responsible for the spectral diffusion that was observed for the optical transition. These results collectively give a better understanding of both the nature of disorder and of the ion-ion interactions in doped materials, and they also enable the high bandwidths required for signal processing and memory applications at $1.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ based on spectral hole burning.

Physical Review BApr 24, 200825 citations

The subgigahertz spectral bandwidth of the lowest energy $1.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$

{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}

$^{4}I_{15∕2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{4}I_{13∕2}$ optical transition in

{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}

has been increased to $\ensuremath{\sim}22\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GHz}$ by intentionally introducing compositional disorder through codoping with

{\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}

impurity ions. This illustrates a general bandwidth control technique for spectral hole burning device applications including spatial-spectral holography and quantum computing. Coherence measurements by stimulated photon echoes demonstrated that the increased disorder does not perturb the dynamical properties of the

{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}

transition and, thus, gives the desired bandwidth enhancement without penalty in other properties. The echo measurements and model analysis also show that phonon-driven spin flips of

{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}

ions in the ground state are responsible for the spectral diffusion that was observed for the optical transition. These results collectively give a better understanding of both the nature of disorder and of the ion-ion interactions in doped materials, and they also enable the high bandwidths required for signal processing and memory applications at $1.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ based on spectral hole burning.