Optical properties of AsSe1.5−xTex glassy system

Thin AsSe_1.5−xTe_x films with 0x<1.5 have been prepared by a thermal vacuum evaporation technique onto quartz and glass substrates kept at room temperature (300 K). The optical constants, the refractive index, n, and the absorption index, k, of the films were determined for the investigated compositions of different thickness values (100–300 nm) using spectrophotometric measurements of the transmittance, T, and the reflectance, R, at normal incidence in the spectral range 400–2500 nm. The obtained values of both n and k were found to be independent of the film thickness within the above mentioned thickness range. The estimated indirect and direct optical energy gap decreased as tellurium content increased in the parent sample AsSe_1.5. The values of dispersion energy, E_d, and lattice dielectric constant, _L, of the system have been determined and correlated with the type and amount of chemical bonds and the relative proportion of the constituent elements in the examined compositions.     

Growth, structural and optical properties of CdxZn1−xS thin films deposited using spray pyrolysis technique

Cd_xZn_(1−x)S (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1) thin films were deposited by the chemical spray pyrolysis technique using a less used combination of chemicals. Depositions were done at 573 K on cleaned glass substrates. The composition, surface morphology and structural properties of deposited films were studied using EDAX, SEM and X-ray diffraction technique. XRD studies reveal that all the films are crystalline with hexagonal (wurtzite) structure and inclusion of Cd into the structure of ZnS improved the crystallinity of the films. The value of lattice constant ‘a’ and ‘c’ have been observed to vary with composition from 0.382 to 0.415 nm and 0.625 to 0.675 nm, respectively. The band gap of the thin films varied from 3.32 to 2.41 eV as composition varied from x = 0.0–1.0. It was observed that presence of small amount of cadmium results in marked changes in the optical band gap of ZnS.     

Second harmonic generation in transparent microcrystalline α-CdGa2S4-containing chalcogenide glass ceramics

Transparent glass ceramics were prepared by heat treating of the as-prepared 80GeS₂ · 10Ga₂S₃ · 10CdI₂ glass at 370 °C (T_g + 15 °C) for 72 h (labeled as GGCd10-370). The existence of α-CdGa₂S₄ crystal in GGCd10-370 glass ceramics has been testified by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Using the typical Maker fringe technique, SHG was observed in the original transparent GGCd10-370 glass ceramics successfully, which is mainly ascribed to the α-CdGa₂S₄ nonlinear optical microcrystal. And the SH intensity is almost 0.8 times larger than that of the standard quartz reference. It can be also deduced that the thickness of crystalline layer is a little larger than the coherent length, l_c ≈ 2.7 μm.     

Study on the binding equilibrium between surfactant FC95 and DNA by resonance light-scattering technique

The binding equilibrium of potassium perfluorooctanesulfonate (FC95) to DNA was studied by UV spectra and resonance light scattering technique in the present paper. It was found that the interaction resulted in strongly enhanced resonance light scattering signals characterized by the RLS peak at 370 nm. The results indicated that the conformation of the DNA has changed during the interaction because the micro environment of DNA changed. The binding constant K_f and the number of binding n were calculated according to the equilibrium equation, which was established based on the data of the resonance light scattering measurements at 370 nm. It was found that the binding K_f and the number of binding n were 6.02 × 10³ and 2.0, respectively.     

Luminescence from ZnO/MgO nanoparticle structures prepared by solution techniques

The optical and structural properties of mixed ZnO/MgO particles prepared by solution techniques are investigated by the cathodoluminescence and electron microscopy techniques. The samples annealed at 400–1000 °C show well crystalline wurtzite structure of the ZnO (MgZnO) particles with the size in range of 10–100 nm. Annealing at high temperatures (>700 °C) leads to Mg diffusion in ZnO and Mg_xZn_1−xO alloy formation. The blue shifts of the near-band-edge emission as a result of the alloy band gap widening and quantum confinement effect for the small size particles are demonstrated.     

Birefringence of muscovite mica

Birefringence of muscovite mica (n_e−n_o) is usually calculated from the dispersion relations of the indices n_e and n_o. As small differences between relatively large experimentally-measured values, the few available data for birefringence of mica are widely distinct and sometimes contradict basic experimental facts. A different procedure is adopted in this work to measure birefringence directly as a single quantity in terms of the thicknesses of mica plates and the wavelengths at which they act as quarterwave or halfwave phase retarders. Birefringence is found to decrease gradually from −0.0040 at 420 nm to −0.0046 at 700 nm in conformity with pertinent independent experimental results.     

A high-precision optical metrology system for determining the thickness of birefringent wave plates

This study develops a non-destructive measurement system for determining the thickness and refractive indices of birefringent optical wave plates. Compared to previous methods presented in the literature, the proposed metrology system provides the ability to measure the thickness of the birefringent optical plate in high-precision. The results show that for a commercially available birefringent optical wave plate with refractive indices of n_e=1.5518, n₀=1.5427 and a thickness of 452.1428 μm, the experimentally determined value for the error in the wave plate thickness measurement is just 0.046 μm. The measurement resolution of the proposed system exceeds that of the interferometer hardware itself. The proposed method provides a simple yet highly accurate means of measuring the principal optical parameters of birefringent glass wave plates.     

Spectrophotometric calibration of a quarterwave plate

A new photometric method for calibrating a quarterwave phase plate is presented and the underlying physical phenomenon is explained. A mica sheet of thickness about 30 μm was found to introduce quarterwave phase retardance at 515 nm. The accuracy of the method and the sources of error are discussed.     

Influence of Fe ions in characteristics and optical properties of mesoporous titanium oxide thin films

Fe-doped mesoporous titanium dioxide (M-TiO₂-Fe) thin films have been prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates by sol–gel and spin coating methods. All films exhibited mesoporous structure with the pore size around 5–9 nm characterized by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) and further confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Raman spectra illustrated that lower Fe-doping contributed to the formation of nanocrystalline of M-TiO₂-Fe thin films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicated that the doped Fe ions exist in forms of Fe³⁺, which can play a role as e⁻ or h⁺ traps and reduce e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination rate. Optical properties including refractive indices/n, energy gaps/E_g and Urbach energy width/E₀ of the thin films were estimated and investigated by UV/vis transmittance spectra. The presence of Fe content extended the light absorption band and decreased the values of n, implying enhanced light response and performance on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The optimum Fe content in M-TiO₂-Fe thin films is determined as 10 mol%, for its compatibility of well crystalline and well potential electron transfer performance.     

Phase gratings in the visible and near-infrared spectral range realized by metastable electronic states in Na2[Fe(CN)5NO] · 2H2O

Phase and amplitude gratings in the visible and near-infrared spectral range can be written in SodiumNitro-Prusside (SNP), Na₂[Fe(CN)₅NO] · 2H₂O, single crystals by optical excitation of infinitely long-living metastable electronic states, localized in the [Fe(CN)₅NO]^2– anions. Hence, its photorefractive effect does not depend on dopants or defects. The refractive index is modulated by more thann = 1 × 10^–3 in the red (632.8 nm) andn = 5 × 10^–4 in the near-infrared region (1047 nm). The absorption coefficient is modulated by about = 100 m^–1 at 632.8 nm and 40 m^–1 at 1047 nm. The wavelength dependence ofn can be explained by strong absorption bands in the ultraviolet considering Kramers-Kronig dispersive analysis. The time constant of the write-read-erase processes and the diffraction efficiency depend on light intensity, wavelength and polarization of the light with respect to the crystallographic axes. After excitation of the metastable states the indicatrix is modulated only along thea- andb-axis of the orthorhombic system.     

Nonlinear Optical Characteristics of BSO and BGO Photorefractive Crystals in Visible and Infrared Ranges

Nonlinear refraction, nonlinear absorption and optical limiting in photorefractive crystals Bi₁₂SiO₂₀(BSO) and Bi₁₂GeO₂₀(BGO) at the wavelengths of 1064 and 532 nm were investigated. It was shown that both BSO and BGO crystals possess by positive nonlinear refraction in two investigated spectral ranges (n ₂ ^BSO=(2.5 ± 0.5)× 10^–12 esu, n ₂ ^BGO=(6.3 ± 1.3)× 10^–12 esu at equals 1064 nm; n ₂ ^BSO=(4.4 plusmn; 0.9)× 10^–12 esu, n ₂ ^BGO=(7.4 ± 1.5)× 10^–12 esu at = 532 nm). The nonlinear absorption was due to three-photon absorption at the wavelength of 1064 nm ( ⁽³⁾ _BSO=(2.5 ± 0.8)× 10^–20cm³W^–2, ⁽³⁾ _BSO=(4.4 ± 1.3)× 10^–20cm³W^–2) and two-photon absorption at the wavelength of 532 nm ( ⁽²⁾ _BSO=(2 ± 0.4)× 10^–9cm W^–1, ⁽²⁾ _BGO=(3.7 ± 0.7)× 10^–9cm W^–1).     

CsCl effect on the optical properties of the 80GeS2–20Ga2S3 base glass

Optical properties of chalcogenide glasses belonging to the series (80GeS₂–20Ga₂S₃)_100−x (CsCl) _x with x=0;5;10;15;20 were investigated. The linear refractive indices (n ₀) were determined by prism measurements at four wavelengths: 633 nm, 825 nm, 1311 nm, and 1511 nm. Z-scan experiments were performed at 800 nm to measure the non-linear indices (n ₂) and the absorption coefficients (β). CsCl additions in the base glass (80GeS₂–20Ga₂S₃) are characterized by a white shift of the transmission in the visible range and a strong decrease of both n ₀ and n ₂. As the same time, β is also decreasing and this results in a figure of merit FOM=2βλ/n ₂ that remains relatively low at 800 nm, meaning that this series of highly non-linear glasses should be very suitable for optical switching applications at telecommunication wavelengths.     

Effect of gamma irradiation on the optical properties of nano-crystalline InP thin films

Thin films of InP were prepared onto glass and quartz substrates using laser ablation technique. Some of the prepared films were irradiated using a ⁶⁰Co γ -ray source irradiation with a total dose of 100 kGy at room temperature. The as deposited and irradiated films were identified by scanning electron microscopy, SEM and X-ray diffraction, XRD. The SEM images have shown a nano-flower like structure for the as deposited films and influenced by the irradiation dose. The Optical characterizations of the as deposited and irradiated InP films were studied using spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance T(λ) and reflectance, R(λ) at normal incidence of light in the spectral range from 200 nm to 2500 nm. The refractive index, n, and the absorption index, k values were calculated using a modified computer program based on minimizing (ΔT)² and (ΔR)² simultaneously, within the desired accuracy. Analysis of the dispersion of the refractive index in the range 900 ≤ λ ≤ 2500 was discussed in terms of the single oscillator model. The optical parameters, such as the dispersion energy, E_d, the oscillator energy, E_o, the high frequency dielectric constant, _∞ and the lattice dielectric constant, _L were evaluated for the as deposited and irradiated films. The allowed optical transitions were found to be direct for the as deposited and irradiated films with energy gaps of 1.35 eV and 1.54 eV, respectively.     

Modified Michelson interferometer for probing refractive index of birefringent crystal CSBN50

Based on the modified Michelson interferometer and phase analysis method, a high-accuracy method for probing the refractive index (RI) of transparent medium is proposed. The validated test was performed on a birefringent crystal CSBN50 with the estimated accuracy being up to 10⁻⁴. The ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of CSBN50 at 632.8 nm are determined as n₀=2.32853±0.00016 and n_e=2.27664±0.00016, respectively.     

Dependences of structural and electrical properties on thickness of polycrystalline Ga-doped ZnO thin films prepared by reactive plasma deposition

Polycrystalline Ga-doped (Ga content: 4 wt%) ZnO (GZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates at 200 C by a reactive plasma deposition with DC arc discharge technique. The dependences of structural and electrical properties of GZO films on thickness, ranging from 30 to 560 nm, were investigated. Carrier concentration, n, and Hall mobility, μ, increases with increasing film thickness below 100 nm, and then the n remains nearly constant and the μ gradually increases until the thickness reaches 560 nm. The resistivity obtained of the order of 10⁻⁴ Ω cm for these films decreases with increasing film thickness: The highest resistivity achieved is 4.4×10⁻⁴ Ω cm with n of 7.6×10²⁰ cm⁻³ and μ of 18.5 cm²/V s for GZO films with a thickness of 30 nm and the lowest one is 1.8×10⁻⁴ Ω cm with n of 1.1×10²¹ cm⁻³ and μ of 31.7 cm²/V s for the GZO film with a thickness of 560 nm. X-ray diffraction pattern for all the films shows a hexagonal wurtzite structure with its strongly preferred orientation along the c-axis. Full width at half maximum of the (002) preferred orientation diffraction peak of the films decreases with increasing film thickness below 100 nm.     

Dispersive optical constants of glassy AsSe1−xTex system

The compositional dependence of the optical constants, the refractive index n, and the absorption index k, of the AsSe_1−xTe_x thin films with 0<x<1.0 were determined in the spectral range of 400–2500 nm. The maximum value of the refractive index n, is shifted toward the long wavelength by increasing the Te content in the examined system. The values of the forbidden energy gap of the system have been determined and were correlated with the type and the amount of chemical bonds formed by the increasing Te content in the AsSe_1−xTe_x glassy system. The value of the dispersion energy E_d exhibits low value at the composition containing the same atomic percent of Se and Te.     

CEMS study of ultra-thin films of57Fe interfaced with nickel

Using conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, we have studied the hyperfine field distributions of ultra-thin iron films interfaced on both sides with nickel. The configuration of the studied system was (Ni/⁵⁷Fe/Ni) _n =(20 nm/X nm/20 nm) _n , withn=3–7 andX=0.5–1.5 nm. The films were grown at room temperature in high vacuum on (111) buffer layers of nickel previously deposited on mica substrates at 300 °C. It has been found that the average hyperfine field is practically independent of the iron layer thickness, while this parameter strongly affects the distribution profiles and the orientation of iron atom spins.     

AFM images of G1-phase premature condensed chromosomes: Evidence for 30 nm changed to 50 nm chromatin fibers

To gain evidence for 30 nm changed to 50 nm chromatin fibers, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the ultrastructural organization of G₁-phase premature condensed chromosomes (PCC). The surface of early G₁-phase PCC is smooth and fibrous structures exist around the chromatids. The height of early G₁-phase PCC is about 410 nm and the width is 1.07 ± 0.11 μm (n = 30). At late G₁-phase, the surface becomes globular. The height of late G1-phase PCC is about 370 nm and the width is 845.04 ± 82.84 nm (n = 30). Phase image reveals that early G₁-phase PCC is composed of 50 nm (48.91 ± 6.63 nm, n = 30) chromatin fibers and these 50 nm chromatin fibers tangle together, while late G₁-phase PCC is composed of 30 nm (30.96 ± 4.07 nm, n = 30) chromatin fibers. At high magnification, fibers existing around the chromatids become clear in early G₁-phase PCC. Chromatin fibers revealed by closer view of the end of chromatid are about 50 nm. In late G₁-phase PCC, the surface presents globular structures. The shape of these globular structures is regular and the diameter is 118.96 ± 11.70 nm (n = 30). Our results clearly show that 30 nm chromatin fibers change to 50 nm chromatin fibers in G₁-phase PCC and suggest that 50 nm chromatin fibers are the basic component of the mitotic chromosomes.     

Structural and optical properties of In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum dots in an In0.1Ga0.9As well using repeated depositions of InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices for the application of optical communication

We report structural and optical properties of In_0.5Ga_0.5As/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) in a 100 Å-thick In_0.1Ga_0.9As well grown by repeated depositions of InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices with atomic force microscope, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurement. The QDs in an InGaAs well grown at 510 °C were studied as a function of n repeated deposition of 1 monolayer thick InAs and 1 monolayer thick GaAs for n=5–10. The heights, widths and densities of dots are in the range of 6–22.0 nm, 40–85 nm, and 1.6–1.1×10¹⁰/cm², respectively, as n changes from 5 to 10 with strong alignment along [1 −1 0] direction. Flat and pan-cake-like shape of the QDs in a well is found in TEM images. The bottoms of the QDs are located lower than the center of the InGaAs well. This reveals that there was intermixing—interdiffusion—of group III materials between the InGaAs QD and the InGaAs well during growth. All reported dots show strong 300 K-PL spectrum, and 1.276 μm (FWHM: 32.3 meV) of 300 K-PL peak was obtained in case of 7 periods of the QDs in a well, which is useful for the application to optical communications.