To evaluate and compare the effect of misalignment and tilt on the optical performance of different aspheric intraocular lens (IOL) designs. Methods Three aspheric IOLs with a different quantity of spherical aberration (SA) have been designed and the effect of IOL misalignment and tilt on the imaging quality of an eye model has been numerically assessed using a commercial optical design software. The prototypes have been manufactured by lathe turning and tested in vitro using the same optical bench (PMTF, Lambda-X) that complies with International Organization for Standardization standard 11979-2 requirements. Image quality was evaluated from the modulation transfer functions (MTFs), through-focus modulation transfer functions (TF-MTFs), root mean square (RMS) values of defocus, astigmatism and coma, and images of the United States Air Force (USAF) target were taken. A comparison with the optical performance of spherical IOLs has also been performed. Results Intraocular lens misalignment and tilt increased wavefront aberrations; the effect of misalignment on root mean square (RMS) astigmatism and coma was positively correlated with the spherical aberration of the IOL. Aberration-free IOLs showed the highest MTF for all misalignment values and for IOLs with negative SA correction the MTF decays below 0.43 when they are decentered 0.50 mm. Conclusions Aspherical IOLs are more sensitive than spherical IOLs to misalignment or tilt, depending on their SA correction. The optical degradation caused by IOL misalignment had a greater effect on IOL designs with a higher amount of negative spherical aberration. In contrast, the effect of tilt on the optical performance was less sensitive to the IOL design.

No abstract

Ion migration in high repetition rate femtosecond laser inscribed waveguides is currently being reported in different optical glasses. For the first time we discuss and experimentally demonstrate the presence of two regimes of ion migration found in laser written waveguides. Regime-I, corresponds to the initial waveguide formation mainly via light element migration (in our case atomic weight < 31u), whereas regime-II majorly corresponds to the movement of heavy elements. This behavior brings attention to a problem which has never been analyzed before and that affects laser written active waveguides in which active ions migrate changing their local spectroscopic properties. The migration of active ions may in fact detune the pre-designed optimal values of active photonic devices. This paper experimentally demonstrate this problem and provides solutions to avert it.

A new approach to produce structured optical materials is described. The method relies on the capability of growing eutectic crystals of wide optical band gap materials by directional solidification procedures. The laser float zone technique was used to produce ordered arrays of alternate lamellae with thickness of the order of microns of erbium doped CaZrO3 and calcia stabilized zirconia single crystals. The later, having a higher refractive index, exhibited planar waveguiding effects as it has been proved experimentally. The possibility of producing waveguides from eutectic crystals promises the fabrication of hundreds of planar waveguides integrated into a crystal grown at a speed of several tenths of cm/h.

No abstract

A 16.5 mm long, heavily doped erbium-ytterbium phosphate glass-waveguide amplifier was fabricated by the femtosecond laser (fs-laser) inscription technique. The femtosecond laser inscription of waveguides was carried out at 500 kHz repetition rate using a 0.68 NA aspheric lens. The energy deposition profile in the dielectric material was initially simulated using a generalized adaptive fast-Fourier evolver (GAFFE) algorithm. The size and shape of the guiding structures were carefully controlled by the slit shaping technique to reduce the coupling losses, with achievable values down to less than 0.1 dB. Rigorous simulations of the response of the active waveguides were carried out to optimize their performance as optical amplifiers. A maximum of 8.6 dB internal gain at 1534 nm was obtained upon bidirectional laser pumping at 976 nm, leading to a gain per unit length of 5.2 dB cm −1 . Laser action was also achieved for both ring and linear cavity configurations.

The effect of nonlinear propagation on the shape of the focal volume has been assessed by in situ plasma emission imaging during the subsurface processing of a commercial phosphate glass. The sample was processed with an elliptically shaped femtosecond-laser beam at 1 kHz repetition rate and scanned transversely with respect to the writing beam axis. As a consequence, optimal conditions for minimizing undesirable nonlinear propagation effects during the production of optical waveguides by direct laser writing have been determined. Under these conditions, it is possible to induce structural transformations and still preserve the focal volume shape associated with the linear propagation regime. While at low pulse energy a single scan laser-written structure does not support a guided mode, the use of multiple scans with minimized nonlinear propagation effects enables the production of optical waveguides. The latter show a significantly improved performance in terms of the refractive index change and propagation losses when compared to single scan waveguides.

No abstract