In recent years, AI technology using Neural Network (NN) has made remarkable progress and is used for highly accurate classification, object detection, and anomaly detection in sensing. The difficulties with high-accuracy NN are the long processing time and high-power consumption. As one solution, an optical neural network (ONN), which realizes NN by diffraction and propagation of light, has attracted attention as an implementation method with ultra-high speed and low power consumption. Although many of the prior studies on ONN are related to classification, ONN has the potential to be applied to various tasks. As one example, the use of ONN has the possibility of ultra-fast object detection. In this study, simulations and experiments were conducted to verify the possibility of detection by ONN. Metal nuts were selected as the detection targets as a representative example of mass-produced industrial parts. In the experiment, SLM was used to implement the data input layer as phase input and the trained diffraction layer. First, the case of a single detection target in the input data was demonstrated. The precision for the 551-input data was 96.4 % in the experiment. In the data that could be detected correctly, the root mean square error between the inferred and correct positions was 2.2 % of the metal nut size. Next, another experiment has confirmed that ONN can detect multiple targets accurately. In addition, we examined ONN that uses light transmitted through the sample and found that the inference process finished within 4.17 msec (the response time of the CMOS of this setup). The results show that ONN can accurately and rapidly detect objects.
In recent years, sensing and imaging have significantly progressed due to AI algorithms such as Neural Network (NN). The main issues of applying NNs to information processing are the limited processing speed and high energy consumption of electronic processors. Optical Neural Network (ONN), which utilizes diffraction and propagation of light for processing, is an intriguing implementation of an ultra-fast and low-energy-consuming NN. However, previous studies of ONN are mainly on simulations due to the experimental difficulty of processing more than hundreds of input data. In hardware implementations, the performance or the classification accuracy of ONNs can be reduced by the noise and the displacements. Therefore, not only must the ONN achieve high theoretical accuracy, but it must also be robust to these experimental errors. In this study, the classification of 1,000 MNIST input data (100 data for each of 10 classes) was realized experimentally as well as theoretically, taking advantage of our novel setup with a variable spatial light modulator (SLM). With our experimental configuration, we investigated the classification accuracy with several loss functions for the ONN training. The inference accuracy of the MNIST classification task was up to 97% in the simulation and ~95% in the experiment by softmax-cross-entropy (SCE) loss function. Also, the classification accuracy of 98% for a Surface crack classification and 93% for a Pollen classification was achieved experimentally. These results show that SCE can realize high-accuracy classification in the ONN implementation. Our results revealed the high application capability of the optical neural network for practical sensing tasks.
Design optimization of single emitter broad stripe 900-nm laser diodes was experimentally studied to achieve high power conversion efficiency (PCE) for a use in fiber laser systems. We chose two approaches for PCE improvement. The first is an optical confinement factor Γwell optimization which affects threshold current and internal loss. The second is electric resistance minimization to suppress unwanted power consumption causing heat generation. As a result, the newly designed LD successfully demonstrates the high PCE of 72.5 % at middle power range and 66.7 % at practical high power of 20 W.
Polarization characteristics of self-aligned stripe (SAS) laser diodes (LDs) and Ridge-LDs are investigated to realize highly efficient polarization beam combined (PBC) LD modules. Vertical layers of both lasers are designed identically. Near field patterns (NFP) of TM polarization for the Ridge-LD showed peaks at the side edges, as expected by the strain simulation. On the other hand, SAS-LD showed a relatively flat and weak profile. Polarization purity (ITE/ (ITE+ITM)) of SAS-LDs exceeds 99%, while those of the Ridge-LDs are as low as 96%. It is confirmed that our SAS-LDs are suitable sources for PBC with low power loss.
Design optimization of single emitter broad stripe 9xx-nm laser diodes was studied to achieve ultimate high power and high efficiency operation for a use in fiber laser pumping and other industrial applications. We tuned laser vertical layer design and stripe width in terms of optical confinement as well as electrical resistance. As a result, newly designed LDs with 4mm-long cavity and 220 μm-wide stripe successfully demonstrate maximum CW output power as high as 33 W and high efficiency operation of more than 60 % PCE even at 27 W output power. In pulse measurement, the maximum output of 68 W was obtained.
KEYWORDS: High power lasers, Reliability, Semiconductor lasers, Active optics, Heterojunctions, Fiber lasers, Laser systems engineering, Absorption, Broad area laser diodes, Absorbance
915nm high-power and high-reliability single emitter laser diodes based on Asymmetric Decoupled Confinement
Heterostructure (ADCH) are demonstrated. Advantage of ADCH is that it can optimize active layer confinement () and
confinement ratio of p- to n-doped layer (p/n), independently, to manage large effective spot size and low internal loss
without any penalty in carrier confinement. 4mm-cavity, 100m wide stripe LDs with large effective spot size of 1.5m
demonstrates record high Catastrophic-optical-damage (COD) free operation over 42W output. Accelerated aging tests are
conducted for 325 devices in total with 1.8 million device hours. Mean time to failure of random failure mode is estimated
to be 1.1 million hours for 12W at room temperature.
High power and reliable 980nm single mode lasers are required for pumping EDFAs and 915, 940, 975nm broad area lasers are demanded for pumping double clad fiber lasers and amplifiers. While we have demonstrated high power lasers by using decoupled confinement heterostructure (DCH) , we employed a window structure due to impurity free vacancy disordering (IFVD.) 980nm single mode lasers showed complete rollover with I=4A(CW). For 12000 hour lifetest at 700mW-40C, no sudden failure was observed. And the average gradual degradation rate was zero. Also the window structure applied to 975nm broad area laser successfully. The degradation rate during 500 hours operation was decreased to zero.
In order to overcome catastrophic optical damage, decoupled confinement heterostructure (DCH) featuring a broadened waveguide and thin carrier block layers have been developed. Due to decoupling of carrier and optical confinement, a DCH laser can be designed more flexibly than a conventional separated confinement heterostructure laser, i.e., laser diodes can be designed with a variety of gain coupling factor (Gamma) (perpendicular), quantum-well number NW, keeping the beam divergence angle constant.
High power InGaAs/AlGaAs laser diodes with decoupled confinement heterostructure (DCH) have been developed. Almost Al-free waveguide and cladding layers were realized in 980 nm DCH laser diodes without degrading temperature characteristics. The extremely low electrical and thermal resistances allowed high power and efficient operation. The maximum CW output power as high as 9.5 W was obtained with 100-micrometer-aperture broad area. DCH laser diode. The maximum efficiency was 55% at 2.5 W. The series resistance of 1.8-mm long cavity was 0.04(Omega) and internal loss was 1.5 cm-1. The characteristic temperature (T0) was 155 K. The substantially Al-free DCH structure enables easy fabrication of various index guided laser diodes. We have developed two types of real index guided laser diodes, buried- ridge and self-aligned structure. Buried-ridge laser diode presented 1.3 W maximum CW output power and 500 mW single mode operation. Self-aligned structure laser diodes showed 1.4 W CW output power and 700 mW single mode operation with better reproducibility.
High Power GaAs/AlGaAs laser diodes with a decoupled confinement heterostructure (DCH) have been developed. This novel structure features broadened waveguide layers and thin carrier block layers sandwiching an active layer. Catastrophic optical damage (COD) level was twice as high as the corresponding separated confinement heterostructure (SCH) laser diode due to the improvement of mode profiles. Al- content of cladding layers is greatly reduced in DCH laser diode without degrading temperature characteristics. The decrease of electrical and thermal resistivities allows high- power and high-efficiency operation. CW output, 4.6 W was obtained with a 50 micrometer-aperture 809 nm DCH laser diode. The maximum efficiency was 49% at 2.8 W. Life test was carried out over 2,000 hours under the conditions of 1.0 W - 50 degrees Celsius. The median life was estimated to be more then ten thousand hours at this condition. Decoupled confinement heterostructure is advantageous for the fabrication of the index guided structure, since the reduction of chemically active Al-composition relieves the process difficulties related to the chemical etching and the selective re-growth. Index guided laser diode with a buried ridge structure presented 400 mW single mode operation at 860 nm. The life test was carried out under the conditions of 300 mW - 50 degrees Celsius. All the 25 devices showed no failure up to 7,000 hours.
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