Laser

NRL Looks at Substrates for More Efficient Optics

March 7, 2018
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is pursuing advanced materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) devices, to form extremely small lasers and nanoscale optics.

Some of the effort to improve laser technology is also taking place within government organizations, such as the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and its investigations into the properties of materials for optical devices. A research team headed by the NRL has explored the optical loss characteristics and transmission efficiency of various materials, including hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) devices for extremely small lasers and nanoscale optics.

“The applications for this research are considerably broad,” said Dr. Alexander J. Giles, research physicist at the NRL Electronics Science and Technology Division. “By confining light to very small dimensions, nanophotonic devices have direct applications for use in ultra-high-resolution microscopes, solar energy harvesting, optical computing, and targeted medical therapies.”

This image shows directly measured polaritons propagating through a flake of hBN materials. (Image courtesy of Naval Research Laboratory)

This hBN material has shown great promise as an optical substrate, especially for two-dimensional device configurations, including infrared (IR) nanophotonics devices. The material may support applications in applications such as chemical sensing, energy conversion, and subdiffractional optical imaging.

“We have demonstrated that the inherent efficiency limitations of nanophotonics can be overcome through the careful engineering of isotopes in polar semiconductors and dielectric materials,” Giles explained. “The research team has focused on creating isotopically pure samples of hBN, enabling the further discoveries in the performance capabilities of the substrate.”

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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