Licensable Technologies : Materials : Environment/Waste Management

Nanocrystal Quantum Dot Materials for Dynamic Holography

Abstract
The current state-of-the-art materials for ultrafast dynamic holography suffer a number of serious deficiencies including: photodegradation, lack of tunable nonlinear optical properties, and generally low efficiencies in the ultrafast regime. These limitations are a roadblock to real-world applications of dynamic holographic gratings in such areas as real-time image processing or ultrafast telecommunication. LANL scientists have developed a new method of dynamic holography based on semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots). In this new method, the unique absorptive properties of quantum are harnessed to yield holographic gratings that have ultrafast response, high efficiencies, greatly improved photostability, and tunable optical properties.LANL researchers have built and tested nonlinear optical media for dynamic holography based on quantum dots. Measurements indicate that the temporal diffraction efficiency (TDE) obtained to date are comparable to the highest results reported for polymeric materials.

Application(s)

• Information storage
• Optical logic
• Image amplification and processing
• Adaptive optics
• Beam Steering

Advantages

• Precise control over the spectral position of the nonlinear optical response by varying quantum dot size
• Ultrafast buildup/decay times
• Large diffraction efficiencies
• Excellent photostability

IP Status: Available both Exclusively and Non Exclusively

Reference Number: 512

S Number: DOE reference no.(s): 97,741

Patents & Applications:
Application(s) Pending

Posted: 10-22-2008

Contact
David Pesiri
Technology Transfer Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
P.O. Box 1663, MailStop C334
(505) 665-7279
pesiri@lanl.gov