Optical limiter with an organic solution sandwiched between a polymer slab and a polymer grating

Journal Article · Wed Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Applied Optics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.44.004976· OSTI ID:20702616

Ming, Chen; Chunfei, Li; Yundong, Zhang; Mai, Xu; Shaojie, Ma; Weibiao, Wang; Yuxue, Xia

An optical limiter was designed and fabricated. The device consists of an organic solution sandwiched between a polymer slab and a transparent relief polymer grating with a triangular groove. At low power the device has a high transmittance because the refractive index of the solution is matched with those of the slab and the grating materials and because the grating does not diffract. However, high power makes the organic solution thermally vaporize and makes the indices of the solution, slab, and grating materials become mismatched, which causes the grating to appear. The incident light is strongly absorbed, scattered, and self-defocused by the organic solution, and the grating suppresses the zero-order diffraction. Thus the transmitted light energy becomes lower than the damage threshold of human eyes or optical sensors. The device is an effective protection for human eyes or optical sensors against broadband pulsed-laser damage.

• OSTI ID: 20702616
• Journal Information: Applied Optics, Vol. 44, Issue 23; Other Information: DOI: 10.1364/AO.44.004976; (c) 2005 Optical Society of America; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6935
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
DIFFRACTION GRATINGS
EYES
LIMITERS
MAN
NONLINEAR OPTICS
PHOTODETECTORS
POLYMERS
RADIATION PROTECTION
REFRACTIVE INDEX
SOLUTIONS
VISIBLE RADIATION