Interaction of Te and Se interlayers with Ag or Au nanofilms in sandwich structures.

Noble metal nanolayers on flat substrates are often deposited with the use of semiconductor interlayers, which may strongly interact with the noble metal overlayer. We investigated the crystallinity, atomic concentration profile and optical parameters of ≈35 nm-thick silver and gold layers deposited on glass substrates with 2 nm-thick tellurium or selenium interlayers. Our study, based on X-ray reflectometry (XRR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ellipsometric measurements, showed that using either of these interlayers introduces strain in nanocrystals of both plasmonic films.

Growth model and structure evolution of Ag layers deposited on Ge films.

We investigated the crystallinity and optical parameters of silver layers of 10-35 nm thickness as a function 2-10 nm thick Ge wetting films deposited on SiO substrates. X-ray reflectometry (XRR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements proved that segregation of germanium into the surface of the silver film is a result of the gradient growth of silver crystals. The free energy of Ge atoms is reduced by their migration from boundaries of larger grains at the Ag/SiO interface to boundaries of smaller grains near the Ag surface.

Ge wetting layer increases ohmic plasmon losses in Ag film due to segregation.

We have investigated the influence of the Ge wetting layer on both ohmic and scattering losses of a surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) wave in Ag film deposited on SiO2 substrate with an e-beam evaporator. Samples were examined by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and microscopic four-point probe (M4PP) sheet resistance measurements. Ag films of 100 nm thickness were deposited at 180 and 295 K directly onto the substrates with or without a Ge interlayer.

Correlation optics in progress: introduction to the feature issue.

This feature issue of Applied Optics contains a series of selected papers reflecting recent progress of correlation optics and showing, in part, the trend from micro-optics to nano-optics.

Ultrasmooth metal nanolayers for plasmonic applications: surface roughness and specific resistivity.

The future of plasmonic devices depends on effective reduction of losses of surface plasmon-polariton waves propagating along metal-dielectric interfaces. Energy dissipation is caused by resistive heating at the skin-deep-thick outer layer of metal and scattering of surface waves on rough metal-dielectric interfaces. Fabrication of noble metal nanolayers with a smooth surface still remains a challenge.

Optimum deposition conditions of ultrasmooth silver nanolayers.

Unlabelled: Reduction of surface plasmon-polariton losses due to their scattering on metal surface roughness still remains a challenge in the fabrication of plasmonic devices for nanooptics. To achieve smooth silver films, we study the dependence of surface roughness on the evaporation temperature in a physical vapor deposition process. At the deposition temperature range 90 to 500 K, the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients of Ag, Ge wetting layer, and sapphire substrate does not deteriorate the metal surface.

Fabrication of corrugated Ge-doped silica fibers.

We present a method of fabricating Ge-doped SiO2 fibers with corrugations around their full circumference for a desired length in the longitudinal direction. The procedure comprises three steps: hydrogenation of Ge-doped SiO2 fibers to increase photosensitivity, recording of Bragg gratings with ultraviolet light to achieve modulation of refractive index, and chemical etching. Finite-length, radially corrugated fibers may be used as couplers.

Performance of Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope Probes with Single Groove and Various Metal Coatings.

We investigate the performance of a simple corrugated aperture scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) probe with various cladding metals. The probes have only one corrugation, however, they offer increased transmission over both uncorrugated probes and those with many grooves. Enhancement of light throughput results from excitation of surface plasmons at the corrugation at the core-cladding interface.

Magnetic field concentrator for probing optical magnetic metamaterials.

Development of all dielectric and plasmonic metamaterials with a tunable optical frequency magnetic response creates a need for new inspection techniques. We propose a method of measuring magnetic responses of such metamaterials within a wide range of optical frequencies with a single probe. A tapered fiber probe with a radially corrugated metal coating concentrates azimuthally polarized light in the near-field into a subwavelength spot the longitudinal magnetic field component which is much stronger than the perpendicular electric one.

Focusing radially polarized light by a concentrically corrugated silver film without a hole.

We report a phenomenon of focusing a radially polarized beam from the visible range by a silver film with no hole on the optical axis and double-sided concentric corrugations. The axes of symmetry of grooves and the illuminating beam coincide. An Ag lens of 100 nm thickness, five grooves, of which the outermost has 5 microm diameter, at lambda=400 nm transmits 22% of electric energy and focuses light into a 0.

Nanofocusing of radially polarized light with dielectric-metal-dielectric probe.

Nanofocusing properties of a tip in the form of a dielectric tapered fiber with metal apertureless coating and dielectric nanocladding can be tuned within a wide spectral range by choice of cladding permittivity. The silica core of diameter decreasing from 2 mum to 5 nm in apex is covered with a silver layer and has a 5 nm dielectric cladding. Internal illumination with a radially polarized Laguerre-Gauss beam guided in fiber is used.

Three filters for visualization of phase objects with large variations of phase gradients.

We propose three amplitude filters for visualization of phase objects. They interact with the spectra of pure-phase objects in the frequency plane and are based on tangent and error functions as well as antisymmetric combination of square roots. The error function is a normalized form of the Gaussian function.

Phase-change visualization in two-dimensional phase objects with a semiderivative real filter.

A method of visualization of phase changes in two-dimensional pure-phase objects by use of two orthogonal Fourier plane filters that realize the half-order differentiation is presented. Real semiderivative filters used in two dimensions and in sequence yield output-image intensity signals proportional to the first derivatives of the input-object phase that appear on a constant background. This nonlinear filtration of spatial frequencies permits the alleviation of the consequences of square-law detection and makes phase changes visible.

Fractional derivative Fourier plane filter for phase-change visualization.

Fractional derivatives of two-dimensional images have been discussed theoretically in terms of Fourier optics and computer simulated. Filters that realize the half-order differentiation can be either complex or real. We prove, in terms of fractional calculus, that the semiderivative filter is useful for the visualization of phase changes in a phase object in such a way that the output-image intensity is directly proportional to the first derivative of the input object.

Mathematical morphology operations with a comparator array processor.

We present a demonstrator photonic system for mathematical morphology image processing. Optically interconnected arrays of differential pairs of optoelectronic transceivers realize morphological erosion and dilation in an 8x8 pixel size image.

Corrugated metal-coated tapered tip for scanning near-field optical microscope.

This paper addresses an important issue of light throughput of a metal-coated tapered tip for scanning near-field microscope (SNOM). Corrugations of the interface between the fiber core and metal coating in the form of parallel grooves of different profiles etched in the core considerably increase the energy throughput. In 2D FDTD simulations in the Cartesian coordinates we calculate near-field light emitted from such tips.

Description of near- and far-field light emitted from a metal-coated tapered fiber tip.

We present an analytical calculation of near- and far-field radiation emitted from a metal-coated tapered fiber probe. From FDTD simulations made in Cartesian coordinates we find that charge distribution on a tip is rim localized and its density is a bipolar periodic and continuous function. Similar angular charge density distributions may result from random irregularities of tip surfaces created in the fabrication process.

Group front evolution of Gaussian beam refracted from a right- to left-handed medium.

Amplitude enhancement in a group front of continuous wave (CW) Gaussian beam refracted at the boundary of right- and left-handed media is observed. Behind the interface plane in a high dispersion double negative medium the individual Fourier components of the beam diffract at different angles and have diversified phase speeds. This results in the group front build-up that propagates on with the beam and moves sideways with respect to the group velocity direction, where energy is transported.

Optimization of optical transmittance of a layered metamaterial on active pairs of nanowires.

Optical metamaterials with a negative value of the refractive index can be fabricated by means of patterning techniques developed for microelectronics. One of those is a layered metamaterial, where the electric and magnetic response comes from coupled parallel subwavelength size wires. We simulate propagation of EM waves through such a metamaterial.

Radar-echo tracking by use of invariant moments.

A number of techniques to track rainfall patterns by use of radar observations have been developed over the years. We present a method for radar-echo tracking based on Hu invariant moments. The method has been tried on several sequences of test images, and the derived displacement fields were in good agreement with the real motions of the tested objects.

Imaging phase objects with square-root, Foucault, and Hoffman real filters: a comparison.

Methods of imaging phase objects are considered. First the square-root filter is inferred from a definition of fractional-order derivatives given in terms of the integration of a fractional order called the Riemann-Liouville integral. Then we present a comparison of the performance of three frequency-domain real filters: square root, Foucault, and Hoffman.

Rank-order and morphological enhancement of image details with an optoelectronic processor.

In all-optical processors, enhancement of image details is the result of high-pass filtering. We describe an optoelectronic processor in which detail enhancement results from the digitally calculated difference between an original input image and its low-pass filtered version. The low-pass filtering is realized through the rank-order median and the morphological opening and closing operations calculated by use of the optical convolver.

Optoelectronic morphological image processor.

A morphological optoelectronic image processor based on the threshold decomposition concept is described and demonstrated. Binary slices of a gray-scale input image are optically convolved with a binary structuring element of arbitrary size and shape in a noncoherent convolver. The slices are displayed on a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator of 320 x 264 pixels.

Optical-digital method of local histogram calculation by threshold decomposition.

A theorem for calculating the local histograms of a gray-scale input image by means of convolution of input-image binary slices with a binary kernel is presented and proved. The calculation of the local histograms of a gray-scale image for all resolution cells and its arbitrary neighborhoods is optically implemented in a shadow-casting correlator. The choice of different rank-order values from the local histograms can lead to a wide spectrum of nonlinear filtration algorithms.