In this paper, we demonstrated the processing of free-standing thin films by the ultrafast laser ablation, which has been difficult to process using existing nanoprocessing methods such as focused ion beam milling. First, we fabricated a holographic diffraction grating for transmission electron microscopy using a two-beam interference laser processing. We fabricated an electron phase hologram made of silicon with a thickness of 35 nm that generated electron vortex beams with high efficiency. Then, we demonstrated the laser processing of silicon nitride membranes with a thickness of 10 nm at near-threshold conditions and realized gratings with sub-100-nm structure. We believe that this technique will introduce a new nanoengineering technology using light because of its suitability for nanofilm processing and ease of use.
A full comparative analysis of the chain of phase singularities generated when a quasi-plane wave and a Gaussian beam pass a double-phase-ramp (DPR) converter is presented based on the theoretical and experimental data. The overall output beam structure includes a system of interrelated optical vortices (OVs) whose linear trajectories form a threedimensional singular skeleton which can be applied for the trapping and guiding of microparticles. An internal structure of each individual phase singularity is characterized by the OV topological charge and by the morphology parameters of the equal intensity ellipses in the OV-core area. The rectilinear equidistant OV trajectories form a chain in the transverse cross section, and their identical morphology parameters can be useful for the applications to metrology and micromanipulation. As a separate result, we consider the DPR-induced transformations of the incident Laguerre-Gaussian beams of the lowest orders and show that the incident multicharged OVs are transformed into small sub-chains of the OVs located in the near-axial region.
We report the superior properties of cylindrical vector beams such as radially and azimuthally polarized beams realized under tight focusing condition. A higher-order radially polarized Laguerre-Gaussian beam has a capability of producing a much smaller focal spot compared to a conventional linearly or circularly polarized beam. On the other hand, a higherorder azimuthally polarized mode beam can produce a smaller dark spot at the focus. We utilize these features to significantly enhance the spatial resolution in laser scanning microscopy.
In vivo two-photon microscopy is an advantageous technique for observing living mouse brains at high spatial resolutions. We previously used a 1064 nm high-power light source based on an electrically controllable gain-switched laser diode (maximum power: 4 W, repetition rate: 10 MHz, pulse width: 7.5 picoseconds) and successfully visualized EYFP expressing neurons at deeper regions in H-line mouse brains under living conditions. However, severe damages were frequently observed when the laser power after the objective lens was over 600 mW, suggesting that a higher average power might not be suitable for visualizing neural structures and functions at deep regions. To increase fluorescent signals as a strategy to avoid such invasions, here, we evaluated the effects of the excitation laser parameters such as the repetition rate (5 - 10 MHz), or the peak power, at the moderate average powers (10 - 500 mW), by taking the advantage that this electrically controllable light source could be used to change the repetition rate independently from the average power or the pulse width. The fluorescent signals of EYFP at layer V of the cerebral cortex were increased by approximately twofold when the repetition rate was decreased from 10 MHz to 5 MHz at the same average power. We also confirmed similar effects in the EYFP solution (335 μM) and fixed brain slices. These results suggest that in vivo two-photon microscopic imaging might be improved by increasing the peak power at the same average power while avoiding the severe damages in living brains.
In this study, we demonstrated a facile method for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) by applying femtosecond laser pulse irradiation in aqueous colloidal solution. Utilization of femtosecond (fs) laser pulse irradiation enabled us to control GO reduction by adjusting laser fluence and irradiation time. The formation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was induced by solvated electrons generated through laser irradiation of colloidal GO solution, which was confirmed by means of UV-visible and Raman spectroscopy, XPS and XRD. By applying an optimum femtosecond laser condition, the interplanar spacing between carbon layers decreased significantly from 9.81 Å to 3.52Å indicating the effective removal of oxygen-containing groups from the basal plane of GO. Furthermore, the sheet resistivity of the fabricated rGO in disk form was 1,200 times lower than GO.
We have succeeded in observing the structure of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal cell using SHG laser scanning
microscopy combined with the Z polarization generator we have developed. The SHG phenomenon should occur in the
boundary between LC molecules and the polymer surface where the inversion symmetry of LC molecules is lost. This
method has the advantage of non-destructive measurement compared with the SEM imaging method.
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