Interface and defects engineering for multilayer laser coatings

High-reflective multilayer laser coatings are widely used in advanced optical systems from high power laser facilities to high precision metrology systems. However, the real interface quality and defects will significantly affect absorption/scattering losses and laser induced damage thresholds of multilayer coatings. With the recent advances in the control of coating design and deposition processes, these coating properties can be significantly improved when properly engineered the interface and defects. This paper reviews the recent progress in the physics of laser damage, optical losses and environmental stability involved in multilayer reflective coatings for high power nanosecond near-infrared lasers. We first provide an overview of the layer growth mechanisms, ways to control the microstructures and reduce layer roughness, as well as the nature of defects which are critical to the optical loss and laser induced damage. Then an overview of interface engineering based on the design of coating structure and the regulation of deposition materials reveals their ability to improve the laser induced damage threshold, reduce the backscattering, and realize the desirable properties of environmental stability and exceptional multifunctionality. Moreover, we describe the recent progress in the laser damage and scattering mechanism of nodule defects and give the approaches to suppress the defect-induced damage and scattering of the multilayer laser coatings. Finally, the present challenges and limitations of high-performance multilayer laser coatings are highlighted, along with the comments on likely trends in future.     

Sensitive targeted multiple protein quantification based on elemental detection of Quantum Dots

A generic strategy based on the use of CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots (QDs) as elemental labels for protein quantification, using immunoassays with elemental mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), detection is presented. In this strategy, streptavidin modified QDs (QDs-SA) are bioconjugated to a biotinylated secondary antibody (b-Ab₂). After a multi-technique characterization of the synthesized generic platform (QDs-SA-b-Ab₂) it was applied to the sequential quantification of five proteins (transferrin, complement C3, apolipoprotein A1, transthyretin and apolipoprotein A4) at different concentration levels in human serum samples. It is shown how this generic strategy does only require the appropriate unlabeled primary antibody for each protein to be detected. Therefore, it introduces a way out to the need for the cumbersome and specific bioconjugation of the QDs to the corresponding specific recognition antibody for every target analyte (protein). Results obtained were validated with those obtained using UV–vis spectrophotometry and commercial ELISA Kits.     

Time dependent Schrödinger equation for black hole evaporation: No information loss

In 1976 S. Hawking claimed that “Because part of the information about the state of the system is lost down the hole, the final situation is represented by a density matrix rather than a pure quantum state”. ¹ This was the starting point of the popular “black hole (BH) information paradox”.     

Metamorphic InAs(Sb)/InGaAs/InAlAs nanoheterostructures grown on GaAs for efficient mid-IR emitters

High-efficiency semiconductor lasers and light-emitting diodes operating in the 3–5?μm mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range are currently of great demand for a wide variety of applications, in particular, gas sensing, noninvasive medical tests, IR spectroscopy etc. III-V compounds with a lattice constant of about 6.1?Å are traditionally used for this spectral range. The attractive idea to fabricate such emitters on GaAs substrates by using In(Ga,Al)As compounds is restricted by either the minimum operating wavelength of ～8?μm in case of pseudomorphic AlGaAs-based quantum cascade lasers or requires utilization of thick metamorphic In_xAl_1-xAs buffer layers (MBLs) playing a key role in reducing the density of threading dislocations (TDs) in an active region, which otherwise result in a strong decay of the quantum efficiency of such mid-IR emitters. In this review we present the results of careful investigations of employing the convex-graded In_xAl_1-xAs MBLs for fabrication by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates of In(Ga,Al)As heterostructures with a combined type-II/type-I InSb/InAs/InGaAs quantum well (QW) for efficient mid-IR emitters (3–3.6?μm). The issues of strain relaxation, elastic stress balance, efficiency of radiative and non-radiative recombination at T?=?10–300?K are discussed in relation to molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth conditions and designs of the structures. A wide complex of techniques including in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffractometry, reciprocal space mapping, selective area electron diffraction, as well as photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy was used to study in detail structural and optical properties of the metamorphic QW structures. Optimization of the growth conditions (the substrate temperature, the As₄/III ratio) and elastic strain profiles governed by variation of an inverse step in the In content profile between the MBL and the InAlAs virtual substrate results in decrease in the TD density (down to 3?×?10⁷ cm^?2), increase of the thickness of the low-TD-density near-surface MBL region to 250–300?nm, the extremely low surface roughness with the RMS value of 1.6–2.4?nm, measured by AFM, as well as rather high 3.5?μm-PL intensity at temperatures up to 300?K in such structures. The obtained results indicate that the metamorphic InSb/In(Ga,Al)As QW heterostructures of proper design, grown under the optimum MBE conditions, are very promising for fabricating the efficient mid-IR emitters on a GaAs platform.     

限域量子态调控研究

电子、激子和声子等量子态在固体中的行为早已被人们所熟知. 然而，当体系的尺寸只有纳米量级的时候，已有的固体理论常常不能适用，需要新的低维物理理论的建立. 我们系统研究了低维体系限域量子态（包括电子、激子和声子）的行为对环境、应力、压力及光的响应和性质的调控. 较早认识到低维体系之显著的表面-体积比对量子态性质调控之有效性，系统地揭示了低维体系的一系列由表面和应力决定的新颖性质，证明了低维体系的表面和应力效应同量子限域效应同等重要. 本文概况了如下五个方面的结果：（1）一种使用应力效应调控电子能带结构的方法和（2）一种使用表面效应调控电子能带结构的方法（这两个方法都可将低维体系能带从间接能隙调控至直接能隙能带结构）；（3）一种低维体系表面掺杂方法，该方法将在低维体系掺杂中取代传统方法；（4）量子点表面诱导的光致异构现象；（5）基于表面自催化半导体低维结构的形成机理. 希望我们的研究工作有助于促进低维体系在光电子、纳电子、环境、能源、生物和医学等领域的应用.     

A paper-based resonance energy transfer nucleic acid hybridization assay using upconversion nanoparticles as donors and quantum dots as acceptors

Monodisperse aqueous upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) were covalently immobilized on aldehyde modified cellulose paper via reduction amination to develop a luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET)-based nucleic acid hybridization assay. This first account of covalent immobilization of UCNPs on paper for a bioassay reports an optically responsive method that is sensitive, reproducible and robust. The immobilized UCNPs were decorated with oligonucleotide probes to capture HPRT1 housekeeping gene fragments, which in turn brought reporter conjugated quantum dots (QDs) in close proximity to the UCNPs for LRET. This sandwich assay could detect unlabeled oligonucleotide target, and had a limit of detection of 13 fmol and a dynamic range spanning nearly 3 orders of magnitude. The use of QDs, which are excellent LRET acceptors, demonstrated improved sensitivity, limit of detection, dynamic range and selectivity compared to similar assays that have used molecular fluorophores as acceptors. The selectivity of the assay was attributed to the decoration of the QDs with polyethylene glycol to eliminate non-specific adsorption. The kinetics of hybridization were determined to be diffusion limited and full signal development occurred within 3 min.     

Electrical and Thermal Transport Properties of n-type Bi6Cu2Se4O6 (2BiCuSeO + 2Bi2O2Se)

New thermoelectric materials, n-type Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ oxyselenides, composed of well-known BiCuSeO and Bi₂O₂Se oxyselenides, are synthesized with a simple solid-state reaction. Electrical transport properties, microstructures, and elastic properties are investigated with an emphasis on thermal transport properties. Similar to Bi₂O₂Se, it is found that the halogen-doped Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ possesses n-type conducting transports, which can be improved via Br/Cl doping. Compared with BiCuSeO and Bi₂O₂Se, an extremely low thermal conductivity can be observed in Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆. To reveal the origin of low thermal conductivity, elastic properties, sound velocity, Grüneisen parameter, and Debye temperature are evaluated. Importantly, the calculated phonon mean free path of Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ is comparable to the interlayer distance for BiO─CuSe and BiO─Se layers, which is ascribed to the strong interlayer phonon scattering. Contributing from the outstanding low thermal conductivity and improved electrical transport properties, the maximum ZT ≈0.15 at 823 K and ≈0.11 at 873K are realized in n-type Bi₆Cu₂Se_3.2Br_0.8O₆ and Bi₆Cu₂Se_3.6Cl_0.4O₆, respectively, indicating the promising thermoelectric performance in n-type Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ oxyselenides.     

Fused vs. spiro: Kinetic,not thermodynamic preference may direct the reaction of α-carbonyl oxonium ylides

Rh(II)-catalyzed decomposition of certain cyclic α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of cyclic ethers has been shown to give bicyclic ring expansion products. These are thought to arise from a [1,4]-alkyl shift toward the carbonyl oxygen atom and are in contrast with the recently observed spirocyclic products of a Stevens-type [1,2]-alkyl shift within the postulated oxonium ylide intermediate. Quantum chemical calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory showed that the former reaction pathway (toward fused bicycles) is kinetically preferred.