With simple optical geometries a separate resonant Fabry-Perot cavity can serve as an optical feedback element that forces a semiconductor laser automatically to lock its frequency optically to the cavity resonance. This method is used to stabilize laser frequencies and reduce linewidths by a factor of 1000 from 20 MHz to approximately 20 kHz.

Nonlinear periodically poled ridge LiNbO3 waveguides have been fabricated on silicon substrates. Components are carved with only the use of a precision dicing machine without the need for grinding or polishing steps. They show efficient second harmonic generation at telecommunication wavelengths with normalized conversion reaching 204%/W in a 15 mm long device. The influence of the geometrical non uniformities of waveguides due to fabrication processes is asserted. Characteristics of the components are studied; notably their robustness and tunability versus temperature.

Transparent conducting coatings of sol gel ATO (antimony doped tin oxide) were used to improve surface smoothness of commercial sputter deposited ITO (indium tin oxide) coatings for application as display electrodes. In order to overcome the deteriorating evaporation cooling during dip coating, the coating solution was heated moderately to 25-C thus providing the substrate with the required heat. This way, the surface roughness of the ITO could be reduced with an only 45 nm thick ATO coating to R pv 3.8 nm (R a 0.4 nm) compared to 31 nm (3.8 nm) for the ITO substrate. Another benefit of such additional coating is the possibility to tailor surface properties of the electrodes in wide ranges. This was used to increase the work function of the ITO substrate from initially 4.3 4.6 eV to about 4.8 5.2 eV by the ATO coating.

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A new versatile tool, combining Shear Force Microscopy and X-Ray Spectroscopy was designed and constructed to obtain simultaneously surface topography and chemical mapping. Using a sharp optical fiber as microscope probe, it is possible to collect locally the visible luminescence of the sample. Results of tests on ZnO and on ZnWO4 thin layers are in perfect agreement with that obtained with other conventional techniques. Twin images obtained by simultaneous acquisition in near field of surface topography and of local visible light emitted by the sample under X-Ray irradiation in synchrotron environment are shown. Replacing the optical fibre by an X-ray capillary, it is possible to collect local X-ray fluorescence of the sample. Preliminary results on Co-Ti sample analysis are presented.