arXiv subjects

Tomas Katkus

Publications and source records attributed to Tomas Katkus.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Diamond membranes: platform for photonic and opto-mechanical applications

Diamond 1 - 10 micrometers thick membranes are platform for photonic, quantum and opto-mechanic devices with applications across UV-IR spectral ranges. IR characterization of diamond gratings in reflection and transmission showed a change of the IR absorbance dichroism between positive and negative when the grating period was 1-2 wavelengths (free space) including inside the region of the intrinsic diamond absorbance. Femtosecond laser cutting of micrometers-wide and mm-long structures are demonstrated by steps of carbonization > 0.4 J/cm2/pulse (1030 nm/200 fs) and oxidation of diamond membranes. Light intensity distribution inside form-birefringent diamond structure was modeled for a scaled-down structure and wavelength to reveal characteristic interference patterns for different polarizations.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Olivine annealed up to 1500 C: changes traced by polarised IR reflectance and magnetization

Spectral analysis at the infrared (IR) spectral range is introduced with assignment of synthetic red-green-blue (RGB) colours defined by adjustable wavelength and bandwidth. The RGB bands were selected at the phase-specific absorbance A or reflectance R bands of olivine and related materials, which can be formed via high temperature annealing (HTA) of natural minerals up to 1500 C. Natural olivines were collected from quarry at volcanic site in Mortlake, Victoria, Australia and spectrally characterised during IR-THz spectroscopy beamtime experiments at Australian Synchrotron. Phase changes in HTA natural olivines were traced by correlation of optical IR 4-polarisation spectroscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and magnetisation. After HTA, olivine samples were magnetized via precipitation of Fe-rich oxides.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

High Entropy Alloy under Shock Compression: Optical-Pump X-Ray-Probe

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are multi-principal-element alloys designed for tailorable mechanical performance and have been attracting significant engineering interest, yet their fundamental behaviour under extreme dynamic conditions, such as shock loading, remains unexplored. Here, we report laser-shock experiments on two different types of 1-micrometers-thick HEA microfilms, CuPdAgPtAu and CrFeCoNiCuMo, on 25-micrometers-thick black-Kapton ablator driven by a high intensity laser pulse (532 nm, 5 ns, 16 J, 0.5-mm diameter focal spot) and probed by an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) pulse (12 keV, 7 fs). Time-resolved X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the formation of a transient phase with a lattice compression up to 5.1% of the CuPdAgPtAu HEA along the (111) plane; this transient compressed phase existed for 0.3 ns. The impedance matching Hugoniot analysis estimated a shock pressure of 55 +/- 6 GPa in the HEA film, while Au- and Fe-based equations of state (EoS) modelling predict 80 GPa (0.8 MBar) at the free HEA surface. The free HEA surface reached maximum velocities of ~ 5 km/s as recorded from in situ monitoring with the velocity interferometry system for any reflector (VISAR) imaging. These initial HEA results show the suitability of HEA sample preparation and XFEL-based XRD characterisation under extreme shock loading, and are promising for experimental determination of the EoS of this emerging class of materials (beamtime proposal No.: 2024A8503 for a 6-hour preliminary experiment).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Structure orientation determined in transmission and reflection: q-plate

Determination of orientation in the imaged sample/scene has a large application potential when the anisotropy of properties is analysed, usually, under a linearly polarised illumination. This study combined several improvements of microscopy imaging: use of an incoherent white illumination source (a lamp) with a spectral filter to define a spectral window, a plastic circular polariser to image with circularly polarised light (instead of linear), and a 4-pol. camera with integrated polarisers for simultaneous acquisition of images at four pi/4-azimuth shifts. In the transmission mode, a high-fidelity readout of form birefringent optical elements, q-plates, was achieved using a fitting procedure based on the analytical expression of S0 (intensity) Stokes parameters at the pixel level. In the reflection mode, the S0 fit was used to determine the azimuth orientation of the q-plates, as well as a generic Amp x cos(2Q1 - 2Q0) + Offset fit (at pixel level) applied to images taken at four Q1 azimuths. The 4-pol. analysis in reflection under circularly polarised illumination is discussed.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Burst-mode fs-laser direct writing for full-thickness oxidation of Ta thin films

Direct fs-laser (1030~nm/200~fs) write of a throughout oxide Ta$_{2}$O$_{5}$ on a 200~nm Ta film was achieved using a combined ps- and ns- burst mode (Burst-in-Burst or BiB) of fs-pulse exposure at a high 0.6~MHz repetition rate. Few micrometers-wide lines were formed at the center of 12~$\mu$m focal spot by controlled oxidation without ablation. The oxidized regions were flat and optically transparent. Wavelength-scale self-organized ripples of oxidized Ta$_{2}$O$_{5}$ sub-1~$\mu$m gratings were recorded by rastering a $1\times 1$~mm$^2$ area. The oxidized ripples with periodic pattern $\sim wavelength$ were aligned with the polarization of the writing beam. Energy deposition in the burst-mode oxidation is discussed by comparing 200~fs and 20~ps BiB-mode writing modes. The presented strategy of self-guided oxidation with heat deposition by BiB fs-laser opens an opportunity for debris-free and annealing-free oxidation on a sub-wavelength scale.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Ablation of black-Si by (Gauss-)Bessel femtosecond laser beams

Laser machining and modification of black-Si (b-Si) by femtosecond laser Gaussian (G-) and Gauss-Bessel (GB-) beams are compared at a wavelength of 1030 nm. The GB-beam was generated using a diffractive axicon lens and 10x demagnification optics. It was found that modification of b-Si well below (a factor 50x) the single pulse ablation fluence of 0.2 J/cm2 was possible, corresponding to ablation/melting of nano-needles. The width of modification was almost independent of pulse energy/fluence and had a width of 1/e2-intensity profile at the melting regime. For the GB-beam, the smallest width of laser modification at 0.2 J/cm2 threshold (at the center core) was close to the FWHM of the core of the GB-beam. The aspect ratio of the ablated groove on the surface of b-Si made by GB-beam was twice as large - up to 8 - compared to that achievable with G-beam, and it was at a lower fluence of 4 J/cm2 (50x reduction). Reflectivity of two-side nanotextured b-Si on plasma-thinned 70-micrometers thick Si was strongly reduced in the near-IR range, reaching transmittance >95% at 1.7-2.1 micrometres wavelengths.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

3D Free-Form Optical Lens -- Miniaturised Fibre Couplers for Astrophotonics

In astronomy, multi-object spectrographs employ fibre positioning robots to couple the light from multiple astronomy sources (stars or galaxies) into multiple multi-mode fibres, which are distributed across the focal plane of the telescope. These fibres transport the celestial light to the entrance slit of a spectrograph (or bank of spectrographs) for analysis. For any multi-object system mm-scale opto-mechanical solutions are required to couple the telescope light efficiently into the fibre. We demonstrate a unique micro-optics solution to replace current optical fibre couplers. Specifically, we target technology on board the Keck telescope's FOBOS - Fibre-Optic Broadband Optical Spectrograph - which operates at UV to IR spectral ranges. For spectrally broad UV-IR band operation we use glass and crystals: fused silica, crystalline quartz (transparency 0.16 - 2 micrometers), sapphire Al2O3 (0.2 - 5 micrometers), CaF2 (0.2-7 micrometers), and BaF2 (0.2-10 micrometers). The miniaturised micro-coupler is monolithic, with the entire light path contained within glass or crystal, seamlessly extending to the fibre entrance, which is laser-machined and precisely aligned with the optical axis.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Laser writing and spin control of near infrared emitters in silicon carbide

Near infrared emission in silicon carbide is relevant for quantum technology specifically single photon emission and spin qubits for integrated quantum photonics, quantum communication and quantum sensing. In this paper we study the fluorescence emission of direct femtosecond laser written array of color centres in silicon carbide followed by thermal annealing. We show that in high energy laser writing pulses regions a near telecom O-band ensemble fluorescence emission is observed after thermal annealing and it is tentatively attributed to the nitrogen vacancy centre in silicon carbide. Further in the low energy laser irradiation spots after annealing, we fabricated few divacancy, PL5 and PL6 types and demonstrate their optical spin read-out, and coherent spin manipulation (Rabi and Ramsey oscillations and spin echo). We show that direct laser writing and thermal annealing can yield bright near telecom emission and preserve the spin coherence time of divacancy at room temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Bessel-beam direct-write of the etch-mask in a nano-film of alumina for high-efficiency Si solar cells

Large surface area applications such as high-efficiency > 26% solar cells require surface patterning with 1-10 micrometers periodic patterns at high fidelity over 1-10 cm^2 areas (before up scaling to 1 m^2) to perform at, or exceed, the Lambertian (ray optics) limit of light trapping. Here we show a pathway to high-resolution sub-1 micrometer etch mask patterning by ablation using direct femtosecond laser writing performed at room conditions (without the need for a vacuum-based lithography approach). A Bessel beam was used to alleviate the required high surface tracking tolerance for ablation of 0.3-0.8 micrometer diameter holes in ~40 nm alumina Al2O3-mask at high writing speed, 7.5 cm/s; a patterning rate 1 cm^2 per 20 min. The plasma etching protocol was optimised for a zero-mesa formation of photonic crystal (PhC) trapping structures and smooth surfaces at the nanoscale level. Scaling up in area and throughput of the demonstrated approach is outlined.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Beyond Lambertian light trapping for large-area silicon solar cells: fabrication methods

Light trapping photonic crystal (PhC) patterns on the surface of Si solar cells provides a novel opportunity to approach the theoretical efficiency limit of 32.3%, for light-to-electrical power conversion with a single junction cell. This is beyond the efficiency limit implied by the Lambertian limit of ray trapping 29%. The interference and slow light effects are harnessed for collecting light even at the long wavelengths near the Si band-gap. We compare two different methods for surface patterning, that can be extended to large area surface patterning: 1) laser direct write and 2) step-&-repeat 5-times reduction projection lithography. Large area throughput limitations of these methods are compared with the established electron beam lithography (EBL) route, which is conventionally utilised but much slower than the presented methods. Spectral characterisation of the PhC light trapping is compared for samples fabricated by different methods. Reflectance of Si etched via laser patterned mask was 7% at visible wavelengths and was comparable with Si patterned via EBL made mask. The later pattern showed a stronger absorbance than the Lambertian limit (M.-L. Hsieh et al., Sci. Rep. 10, 11857 (2020)).

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Imaging with Diffractive Axicons Rapidly Milled on Sapphire by Femtosecond Laser Ablation

Fabrication of large area (sub 1 cm cross-section) micro-optical components in a short period of time (approximately 10 min) and with lesser number of processing steps is highly desirable and cost-effective. In the recent years, femtosecond laser fabrication technology has revolutionized the field of manufacturing by offering the above capabilities. In this study, a fundamental diffractive optical element, binary axicon i.e axicon with two phase or amplitude levels, has been designed in three configurations namely conventional axicon, photon sieve axicon (PSA) and sparse PSA and directly milled onto the Sapphire substrate. The fabrication results revealed that a single pulse burst fabrication can produce a flat and smooth profile than pulse overlapped fabrication which gives rise to surface damage and increased roughness. The fabricated elements were processed in IsoPropyl Alcohol and Potassium Hydroxide to remove debris and redeposited amorphous Sapphire. An incoherent illumination was used for optical testing of the components and a non-linear optical filter was used for cleaning the noisy images generated by the diffractive optical elements.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Tilted black-Si: ~0.45 form-birefringence from sub-wavelength needles

The self-organised conical needles produced by plasma etching of silicon (Si), known as black silicon (b-Si), create a form-birefringent surface texture when etching of Si orientated at angles of $θ_i < 50 - 70^\circ$ (angle between the Si surface and vertical plasma E-field). The height of the needles in the form-birefringent region following 15~min etching was $d\sim 200$ nm and had a 100 $μ$m width of the optical retardance/birefringence, characterised using polariscopy. The height of the b-Si needles corresponds closely to the skin-depth of Si $\simλ/4$ for the visible spectral range. Reflection-type polariscope with a voltage-controlled liquid-crystal retarder is proposed to directly measure the retardance $Δn\times d/λ\approx 0.15$ of the region with tilted b-Si needles. The quantified form birefringence of $Δn = - 0.45$ over $λ= 400-700$~nm spectral window was obtained. Such high values of $Δn$ at visible wavelengths can only be observed in the most birefringence calcite or barium borate as well as in liquid crystals. The replication of b-Si into Ni-shim with high fidelity was also demonstrated and can be used for imprinting of the b-Si nanopattern into other materials.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Compact Three-Dimensional Quantitative Phase Contrast Imager

Detection of phase variations across optically transparent samples is often a difficult task. We propose and demonstrate a compact, lightweight and low cost quantitative phase contrast imager. Light diffracted from a pinhole is incident on a thick object and the modulated light is collected by an image sensor and the intensity pattern is recorded. Two optical configurations namely lens-based and lensless cases are compared. A modified phase-retrieval algorithm is implemented to extract the phase information of the sample at different axial planes from a single camera shot.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Fresnel incoherent correlation holography with single camera shot

Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH) is a self-interference based super-resolution three-dimensional imaging technique. FINCH in inline configuration requires an active phase modulator and at least three camera shots to reconstruct objects without the twin image and bias terms. In this study, FINCH is realized using a randomly multiplexed bifocal binary Fresnel zone lenses fabricated using electron beam lithography. A modified hologram reconstruction mechanism is presented which introduces the single shot capability in FINCH. A point spread hologram library was recorded using a point object located at different axial locations and an object hologram was recorded. The image of the object at different planes were reconstructed using decorrelation of the object hologram by the point spread hologram library. Application potential including bio-medical optics is discussed.

physics.optics↗