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Nabeel A Riza

Publications and source records attributed to Nabeel A Riza.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Wide-aperture no-moving-parts optical beam profiler using liquid-crystal displays.

To the best of our knowledge, we demonstrate the first no-moving-parts largest aperture profiler design that is also cost effective. Specifically exploited is the large-scale production of thin-film transistor liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) to produce a high intrinsic reliability low-cost profiler. Today, the maximum beam diameter under test can reach 70 cm using 117 cm diagonal LCDs. Experiments conducted with the laboratory LCD profiler include 1D and 2D knife-edge profiling, 2D pinhole profiling, and beam divergence measurements.

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Optoelectronic approach to adaptive radio-frequency transversal filter implementation with negative coefficients by using optical spectrum shaping.

A multitap negative and positive coefficient radio-frequency transversal filter is implemented by using a digital-micromirror-device spatial light modulator for weighting-factor control and a chirped fiber Bragg grating for time-delay control. The demonstrated architecture is reconfigurable, has high speed and low loss, and is robust through digital programmability for a wide variety of filtering algorithms. A design using an interleaver for differential detection realizes an ultrahigh bandwidth with a maximum processable frequency of 33.7 GHz. A multitap low-pass filter, a negative tap notch filter with 40 dB attenuation, and a multitap negative coefficient bandpass filter are experimentally demonstrated. The results are in agreement with theory.

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Bulk acousto-optic wavelength agile filter module for a wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner.

An acousto-optic tunable filter-based wavelength-selection module with features optimized for a wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner (W-MOS) is proposed and demonstrated. The W-MOS produces high-speed multiple scan beams if it is engaged with an agile tunable source with multiwavelength generation capability. In particular, the proposed fiber-connected module features high-speed, low-loss, narrow-linewidth, and single-multiple wavelength selection by means of radio frequency drive signal control for single- or multiple-beam scan operations. The unique module offers input laser beam power control that in turn delivers the desired scanned laser beam power shaping. Experimental results match module design theory and demonstrate a fast 5.4-micros wavelength selection speed, a low (1.53-dB) fiber-to-fiber optical insertion loss, a 5.55-nm 3-dB spectral width, and a 1500-1600-nm agile wavelength operational band.

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Fiber-optic tunable multiwavelength variable attenuator and routing module designs that use bulk acousto-optics.

A compact fiber-coupled bulk acousto-optical multiwavelength variable optical attenuator module design that uses a retroreflective double-pass geometry within a single bulk acousto-optic tunable filter device is presented. The proposed attenuator module demonstrates a high 17-dB notch dynamic range at a low 100-mW drive power and uses a single bulk collinear-interaction acousto-optic tunable-filter device. Experiments show a low (<1.8-dB) fiber-to-fiber insertion loss with a fast 34-micros speed within a wide 1520-1640-nm agile multinotch band. The basic broadband attenuator module design is extended to allow for efficient architectures for routing modules such as agile drop filters, analog hitless tap filters, and digital add-drop switches.

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Liquid-crystal-deflector based variable fiber-optic attenuator.

A compact, low-component-count, no-moving-parts variable optical attenuator (VOA) is demonstrated for the first time by means of beam spoiling that is implemented via an electrically reconfigurable nonpixelated nematic liquid-crystal deflector. The VOA design features an in-line alignment polarization-insensitive design that does not use bulky polarization splitting and combining optics. The proof-of-concept VOA at 1550 nm demonstrates a 30-dB attenuation range, a 2.5-dB insertion loss, a < or = 0.8-dB polarization-dependent loss, and a 1-s maximum attenuation reset time. The VOA design can counter performance-reducing environmental effects such as excess-loss increases due to temperature variations.

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Programmable broadband radio-frequency transversal filter with compact fiber-optics and digital microelectromechanical system-based optical spectral control.

To the best of our knowledge, for the first time a programmable broadband rf transversal filter is proposed that operates on the principle of broadband optical spectral control implemented with a spatial light modulator input rf signal time delay and weight selection over a near-continuous signal space. Specifically, the filter uses a chirped fiber Bragg grating in combination with a two-dimensional digital micromirror device to enable a programmable rf filter. As a first step, a two-tap rf notch filter is demonstrated with a tuning range of 0.563-6.032 GHz with a 25-dB notch depth at test notch frequencies of 845 and 905 MHz. The proposed filter can find applications in diverse fields such as radar, communications, medicine, and test and measurement.

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Space-multiplexed optical scanner.

A low-loss two-dimensional optical beam scanner that is capable of delivering large (e.g., > 10 degrees) angular scans along the elevation as well as the azimuthal direction is presented. The proposed scanner is based on a space-switched parallel-serial architecture that employs a coarse-scanner module and a fine-scanner module that produce an ultrahigh scan space-fill factor, e.g., 900 x 900 distinguishable beams in a 10 degrees (elevation) x 10 degrees (azimuth) scan space. The experimentally demonstrated one-dimensional version of the proposed scanner has a supercontinuous scan, 100 distinguishable beam spots in a 2.29 degrees total scan range, and 1.5-dB optical insertion loss.

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Superwide-angle coverage code-multiplexed optical scanner.

A superwide-angle coverage code-multiplexed optical scanner is presented that has the potential to provide 4 pi-sr coverage. As a proof-of-concept experiment, an angular scan range of 288 degrees for six randomly distributed beams is demonstrated. The proposed scanner achieves its superwide coverage by exploiting a combination of phase-encoded transmission and reflection holography within an in-line hologram recording-retrieval geometry. The basic scanner unit consists of one phase-only digital mode spatial light modulator for code entry (i.e., beam scan control) and a holographic material from which we obtained what we believe is the first-of-a-kind extremely wide coverage, low component count, high speed (e.g., microsecond domain), and large aperture (e.g., > 1-cm diameter) scanner.

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High-speed two-dimensional laser scanner based on Bragg gratings stored in photothermorefractive glass.

A high-speed free-space wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner with high-speed wavelength selection coupled with narrowband volume Bragg gratings stored in photothermorefractive (PTR) glass is reported. The proposed scanner with no moving parts has a modular design with a wide angular scan range, accurate beam pointing, low scanner insertion loss, and two-dimensional beam scan capabilities. We present a complete analysis and design procedure for storing multiple tilted Bragg-grating structures in a single PTR glass volume (for normal incidence) in an optimal fashion. Because the scanner design is modular, many PTR glass volumes (each having multiple tilted Bragg-grating structures) can be stacked together, providing an efficient throughput with operations in both the visible and the infrared (IR) regions. A proof-of-concept experimental study is conducted with four Bragg gratings in independent PTR glass plates, and both visible and IR region scanner operations are demonstrated.

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Submicrosecond speed optical coherence tomography system design and analysis by use of acousto-optics.

A novel high-speed no-moving-parts optical coherence tomography (OCT) system is introduced that acquires sample data at less than a microsecond per data point sampling rate. The basic principle of the proposed OCT system relies on use of an acousto-optic deflector. This OCT system has the attractive features of an acousto-optic scanning heterodyne interferometer coupled with an acousto-optic (AO) variable optical delay line operating in a reflective mode. Fundamentally, OCT systems use a broadband light source for high axial resolution inside the sample or living tissue under examination. Inherently, AO devices are Bragg-mode wavelength-sensitive elements. We identify that two beams generated by a Bragg cell naturally have unbalanced and inverse spectrums with respect to each other. This mismatch in spectrums in turn violates the ideal autocorrelation condition for a high signal-to-noise ratio broadband interferometric sensor such as OCT. We solve this fundamental limitation of Bragg cell use for OCT by deploying a new interferometric architecture where the two interfering beams have the same power spectral profile over the bandwidth of the broadband source. With the proposed AO based system, high (e.g., megahertz) intermediate frequency can be generated for low 1/f noise heterodyne detection. System issues such as resolution, number of axial scans, and delay-path selection time are addressed. Experiments described demonstrate our high-speed acousto-optically tuned OCT system where optical delay lines can be selected at submicrosecond speeds.

Acoustics↗

Angstrom-range optical path-length measurement with a high-speed scanning heterodyne optical interferometer.

A highly accurate method of optical path-length measurement is introduced by use of a scanning heterodyne optical interferometer with no moving parts. The instrument has demonstrated the potential to measure optical path length at angstrom resolution over continuous thickness in the micrometer range. This optical path length can be used to calculate the thickness of any material if the refractive index is known or to measure the refractive index of the material if the thickness is known. The instrument uses a single acousto-optic device in an in-line ultra-stable reflective geometry to implement rapid scanning in the microsecond domain for thickness measurements of the test medium.

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Programmable high-speed polarization multiplexed optical scanner.

A fast digital-analog control polarization-based optical scanner with complete three-dimensional beam-forming programmability is described. Its features include low power consumption and large-aperture liquid-crystal-based optics, digital repeatability, and time-multiplexed accurate analog beam forming. Analog frequency and amplitude control of the nematic liquid-crystal beam-former cells permits continuous fine-scan programmability over a 0.66-mrad horizontal deflection, a 0.75 mrad vertical deflection, and an infinity-to-1.84-m focal-length longitudinal scan. First demonstrations included an 8-point volumetric scan and a 2-bit digital lens scan, both at 1310 nm, with a 35-micros random-access time.

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Code-multiplexed optical scanner.

A three-dimensional (3-D) optical-scanning technique is proposed based on spatial optical phase code activation on an input beam. This code-multiplexed optical scanner (C-MOS) relies on holographically stored 3-D beam-forming information. Proof-of-concept C-MOS experimental results by use of a photorefractive crystal as a holographic medium generates eight beams representing a basic 3-D voxel element generated via a binary-code matrix of the Hadamard type. The experiment demonstrates the C-MOS features of no moving parts, beam-forming flexibility, and large centimeter-size apertures. A novel application of the C-MOS as an optical security lock is highlighted.

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Foundations for low-loss fiber gradient-index lens pair coupling with the self-imaging mechanism.

A fiber-optic collimator that emits a Gaussian beam with its beam waist at a certain distance after the exit face of the lens is labeled a self-imaging collimator. For such a collimator, the waist of the emitted Gaussian beam and its location are partly dependent on the properties of the gradient-index (GRIN) lens. Parameters for the self-imaging collimator are formulated in terms of the parameters of a GRIN lens (e.g., pitch, core refractive index, gradient index, length) and the optical wavelength. Next, by use of the Gaussian beam approximation, a general expression for the coupling power loss between two self-imaging-type single-mode fiber (SMF) collimators is, for the first time to our knowledge, derived as a function of three types of misalignment, namely, separation, lateral offset, and angular tilt misalignment. A coupling experiment between two self-imaging collimators with changing separation distance is successfully performed and matches the proposed self-imaging mechanism coupling loss theory. In addition, using a prism, lateral offset, as well as angular tilt, misalignments are experimentally simulated for a two self-imaging collimator coupling condition by a single collimator reflective test geometry. Experimental results agree well with the proposed loss formulas for self-imaging GRIN lenses. Hence, for the first time to our knowledge, the mathematical foundations are laid for employing self-imaging-type fiber collimators in SMF-based free-space systems allowing optimal design for ultra-low-loss coupling.

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Free-space wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner demonstration.

Experimental demonstration of a no-moving-parts free-space wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner (W-MOS) is presented. With fast tunable lasers or optical filters and planar wavelength dispersive elements such as diffraction gratings, this microsecond-speed scanner enables large several-centimeter apertures for subdegree angular scans. The proposed W-MOS design incorporates a unique optical amplifier and variable optical attenuator combination that enables the calibration and modulation of the scanner response, leading to any desired scanned laser beam power shaping. The experimental setup uses a tunable laser centered at 1560 nm and a 600-grooves/mm blazed reflection grating to accomplish an angular scan of 12.92 degrees as the source is tuned over an 80-nm bandwidth. The values for calculated maximum optical beam divergance, required wavelength resolution, beam-pointing accuracy, and measured scanner insertion loss are 1.076 mrad, 0.172 nm, 0.06 mrad, and 4.88 dB, respectively.

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Micro-electro-mechanical system-based digitally controlled optical beam profiler.

An optical beam profiler is introduced that uses a two-dimensional (2-D) small-tilt micromirror device. Its key features include fast speed, digital control, low polarization sensitivity, and wavelength independence. The use of this 2-D multipixel device opens up the important possibility of realizing several beam profile measurement concepts, such as a moving knife edge, a scanning slit, a moving pinhole, a variable aperture, and a 2-D photodiode array. The experimental proof of the optical beam profiler concept using a 2-D digital micromirror device to simulate the 2-D moving knife edge indicates a small measurement error of 0.19% compared with the expected number based on a Gaussian beam-propagation analysis. Other 2-D pixel arrays such as a liquid-crystal-based 90 degrees polarization rotator sandwiched between crossed polarizers can also be exploited for the optical beam whose polarization direction is known.

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