Tunable feedback loop for suppression of relaxation oscillations in a diode-pumped Nd: laser

An optoelectronic noise suppression circuit connected to the RF input of a commercial diode laser mount is presented. Adjustable phase shift and amplitude control enable efficient suppression of the relaxation oscillations of a diode laser-pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser at variable frequencies between a few hundred kHz and 1.8 MHz. At least 25 dB reduction of the relaxation oscillations at 500 kHz and 1.5 MHz noise peaks is demonstrated.     

The oscillation condition and optical detection of series photodetector frequency circuit system matched with PMMA

In this study, the oscillation conditions for series photodetector frequency circuit system were proposed and verified experimentally. The effect of the capacitance C_p and oscillator phase θ on the oscillation ability of series photodetector frequency circuit system was investigated. It revealed that series photodetector frequency circuit system possessed excellent oscillation ability, but the oscillation ability decreased with increasing oscillator phase or decreasing capacitance C_p, even resulted in a cease-to oscillate zone. Moreover, this study elucidated the frequency response and optical detection of series photodetector frequency circuit system matched with PMMA for fluorescence dye concentration. In accordance with Hex fluorescence dye concentrations and frequency responses, the detection limit of fluorescence dye concentration 3.3 pmol/L can be measured by 100 MHz sensor system matched with PMMA. The results also showed that the frequency shift of 100 MHz sensor system matched with PMMA was linearly related to the logarithm of fluorescence dye concentration from 3.3 pmol/L to 33.3 μmol/L.     

Low capacitance ESD protection circuits for GaAs RF ICs

We present a novel electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit for GaAs radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits (ICs), which are targeted for 10 Gb/s fiber-optic communication applications. The robustness, parasitic impedance, and loading effect of the new ESD protection circuit are studied and compared with the conventional diode-based ESD protection technique. Two versions of this type of ESD protection circuit were fabricated with a 60-GHz InGaP heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology. These two circuits can withstand, respectively, 2700 and 5000 V human body model (HBM) ESD stress and provide a similar level of ESD protection to RF ICs. The corresponding impedances of the off state are represented by an equivalent shunt capacitance and shunt resistance of 0.22 pF and 500 Ω, and 0.5 pF and 250 Ω, at 10 GHz. This ESD protection circuit can protect the 10 Gb/s RF ICs against much higher level ESD stress than conventional diode-based ESD protection circuits even with smaller size.     

Simultaneous all-optical digital comparator and dual-directional half-subtractor for two-input 40 Gbit/s DPSK signals employing SOAs

A module of simultaneous implementation of all-optical digital comparator and dual-directional half-subtractor is proposed. Proof-of-concept experiment is performed at 40 Gbit/s employing the four-wave mixing and cross gain modulation in three parallel semiconductor optical amplifiers. All output results with over 10 dB extinction ratios, clear and wide open eye diagrams, are obtained without using assistant/holding light beam. All-optical half-adder can also be obtained by adjusting the phase shifter of delay interferometer in the proposed module because of its inherent reconfigurability and flexibility. The module would be a promising digital logic elementary circuit in all-optical networks and computing systems.     

CMOS monolithic optoelectronic integrated circuit for on-chip optical interconnection

A monolithic silicon CMOS optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) is designed and fabricated using standard 0.35-μm CMOS technology. This OEIC monolithically integrates light emitting diode (LED), silicon dioxide waveguide, photodetector and receiver circuit on a single silicon chip. The silicon LED operates in reverse breakdown mode and can emit light at 8.5 V. The output optical power is 31.2 nW under 9.8 V reverse bias. The measured spectrum of LED showed two peaks at 760 nm and 810 nm, respectively. The waveguide is composed of silicon dioxide/metal multiple layers. The responsivity of the n-well/p-substrate diode photodetector is 0.42 A/W and the dark current is 7.8 pA. The LED-emitted light transmits through the waveguide and can be detected by the photodetector. Experimental results show that on-chip optical interconnects are achieved by standard CMOS technology successfully.     

一种简单的快恢复14N NQR探头

利用一与射频脉冲同步的门控信号使探头在发射和接收时呈现不同的Q值,从而能够在不降低接收¹⁴N NQR信号的情噪比条件下极大地缩小探头的恢复时间.初步的实验结果表明:通过适当选择衰减电阻的阻值,提出的探头设计能够将常规探头的"死时间"限制在20μs以内.     

Phase stepping methods based on PTDC for Fiber-Optic Projected-Fringe Digital Interferometry

Active homodyne control can be used to stabilize; π/2-rad phase steps in a Fiber-Optic Projected-Fringe Digital Interferometry. Two beams emitted from a fiber-optic coupler are combined to form an interference fringe pattern on a diffusely reflecting object. Fresnel reflections from the distal fiber ends undergo a double pass in the fibers and interference at the fourth port of the coupler which formed a Michelson interferometer. We suggested a method of PTDC (DC phase tracking) to maintain the interference intensity at quadrature by feedback control. Stepping between quadrature positions force a π/2-rad phase step. A method based on the ratio of harmonic of the interference signal is proposed to estimate phase step accuracy .A root-mean-square phase stability of 2 mrad and phase step accuracy of 13.8 mrad were measured with PTDC for the Fiber-Optic Projected-Fringe Digital Interferometry. It worked well in 2 h without resetting the integrator.     

Ultrasonic imaging using air-coupled P(VDF/TrFE) transducers at 2 MHz

A reflection non-contact ultrasonic microscope system working both in amplitude and phase difference modes at 2 MHz has been developed using an air-coupled concave transducer made of piezoelectric polymer films of poly(vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF/TrFE)]. The transducer is composed of three 95 μm-thick P(VDF/TrFE) films stacked together, each of which is activated electrically in parallel by a driving source. The transducer has a wide aperture angle of 140° and a focal length of 10 mm. The measured two-way transducer insertion loss is 80 dB at 1.83 MHz. Despite 20 dB higher insertion loss than that estimated from Mason’s equivalent circuit, we have obtained clear amplitude acoustic images of a coin with transverse resolution of 150 μm, and clear phase difference acoustic images of the rough surface of a paper currency bill with depth resolution of sub-micrometer. Using two planar transducers of P(VDF/TrFE), we have also successfully measured in through-transmission mode the sound velocity and absorption of a 3 mm-thick silicone-rubber plate. The present study proves that, owing to its low acoustic impedance and flexibility, P(VDF/TrFE) piezoelectric film is very useful for high frequency acoustic imaging in air in the MHz range.     

All‐Dielectric Meta‐Reflectarray for Efficient Control of Visible Light

Wide‐bandgap material based all‐dielectric metasurfaces have been ideal platforms for the realization of arbitrary phase control in visible spectrum. While TiO₂ metasurfaces are very promising in broadband and high‐efficiency anomalous transmission, meta‐hologram, and meta‐lenses et al., the current realizations are strongly dependent on the sophisticated fabrication technique to fabricate TiO₂ nano‐pillars with aspect ratio > 10. Herein we experimentally demonstrate a much simpler approach to realize efficient phase control of visible light. By exploiting TiO₂ nano‐blocks as meta‐atoms on a ground metal plane, we find that TiO₂ metasurface with aspect ratio around 1‐1.5 is good enough to produce phase changes covering ‐π to π and high reflection efficiency simultaneously. Based on the phase control of the meta‐reflectarray, anomalous reflection with a ratio between anomalous reflection and normal reflection ～ 74/26 have been experimentally realized using a combination of typical electron‐beam lithography, electron‐beam evaporation, and a simple lift‐off process. Similarly, high performance TiO₂ metasurface in form of hologram has also been demonstrated for red (633 nm), green (520 nm), and blue (445 nm) wavelengths. We believe this research shall route a new way to cost‐effective all‐dielectric metasurfaces and advance their applications in encryption, anti‐counterfeiting, and wearable displays.     

基于LabVIEW的连续变量相位检测系统

构造了一种连续变量相位检测平台.发射端采用相位调制器产生连续的相移,接收端使用零差探测器测量光场的正则相位,选用NI的高性能数据采集卡PCI6111E控制整个系统.使用LabVIEW虚拟仪器模块化编程技术,包括PID控制、DAQmx数据采集和三角拟合,缩短系统开发时间,提高编程效率.通过琼斯矩阵理论推导和实验验证了连续变量相位检测系统的可行性,结果表明零差探测器输出电压与相位调制器输入电压成余弦关系,为连续变量量子密钥分配研究提供了一种新方法.     

Radio-frequency measurements of UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in high magnetic fields

We performed radio-frequency (RF) skin-depth measurements of antiferromagnetic UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in magnetic fields up to 60 T and at temperatures between 1.4 to ~60 K. Magnetic fields are applied along different crystallographic directions and RF penetration-depth was measured using a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) circuit. The sample is coupled to the inductive element of a TDO resonant tank circuit, and the shift in the resonant frequency Δf of the circuit is measured. The UNiX compounds exhibit field-induced magnetic transitions at low temperatures, and those transitions are accompanied by a drastic change in Δf. The results of our skin-depth measurements were compared with previously published B–T phase diagrams for these three compounds.     

Twin LC Resonator System for EPR Measurements Operating at Radio-Frequency

Two LC resonant circuits resonating at the same frequency (245 MHz) faced each other with reverse polarity (twin electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) resonator). For the inductor of the LC circuit, a square single-turn one-loop coil (width, 38 mm) was fabricated. Each LC circuit was independently tuned using mechanical variable capacitors. A cylindrical phantom (diameter, 25 mm) including a 1 mM nitroxide radical physiological saline solution was located at the center of two coils (distance between these coils, 50 mm). Two resonant frequencies (the lower and the higher ones) were observed at each LC circuit of the twin EPR resonator with termination of the other LC circuit. The lower resonant frequency alone was observed when the powers from two LC circuits of the twin EPR resonator were combined by a 180° combiner. On the other hand, the higher frequency alone was observed when they were combined by a 0° combiner. EPR signals could be obtained using the 180° combiner (lower frequency) but not the 0° combiner (higher frequency).     

Readout circuit with dual switching mode design for infrared focal plane arrays

The paper proposes a readout circuit architecture with adjustable integration time for dual-band infrared detectors. The readout circuit uses direct injection to be combined with a capacitive trans-impedance amplifier. The amplifier is sharing between two pixels to reduce the complexity of the readout circuit. The proposed device reduces power consumption and area overhead compared to traditional structures. An experimental chip was fabricated using the TSMC 0.35 μm 2P4 M 5 V process. The resulting unit pixel layout area is 40 μm × 40 μm with input photocurrent ranging from 0.11 pA to 50 nA. CTIA mode is applicable from 0.11 pA to 10 nA, while DI mode is applicable from 3.3 pA to 50 nA. The maximum operating frequency of the chip are 4 MHz. The CTIA output swing is 1.2 V, the DI output swing is 2 V. The signal to noise ratio of the readout circuit is 65 dB and power consumption is less than 9.6 mW.     

Application of ultrasound treatment for improving the quality of infant meat puree

Infant meat puree has an indispensable effect on the oral development and nutritional intake of infants. However, commercially available products have poor texture and relatively low digestibility. In this study, ultrasound (20 kHz and 200 W, 400 W, or 600 W) was applied to the pretreatment of raw meat for preparing infant meat puree for 15 min, 30 min, and 45 min. To assess the impact of ultrasound on infant meat puree, the viscosity, texture, water distribution, particle size and in vitro digestibility were determined. The results showed that, compared with control, viscosity and hardness of meat puree decreased and the texture was better in 400 W and 600 W groups. The content of immobilized water increased in comparison with the control. Ultrasound had no obvious effect on the digestibility of meat puree in gastric phase, but it increased the digestibility in intestinal phase with the highest digestibility (80.85%±3.33) in 600 W, 15 min group. Overall, the ultrasound parameters of 600 W for 15 min can be selected as the best condition to process infant meat puree. The findings provide a new perspective for the improvement of infant meat puree.     

Photovoltaic effect in BiFeO3/BaTiO3 multilayer structure fabricated by chemical solution deposition technique

Photovoltaic (PV) properties of bismuth ferrite (BFO) and barium titanate (BTO) multilayered ferroelectric BFO/BTO/BFO/BTO thin film structure deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using chemical solution deposition technique are presented. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms pure phase polycrystalline nature of deposited perovskite multilayered structures. Simultaneously both distorted rhombohedral (R3c) and tetragonal phases (P4mm) of the respective BFO and BTO components are also well retained. The ferroelectric sandwiched structures grown on fused quartz substrates exhibit high optical transmittance (~70%) with an energy band gap 2.62 eV. Current–voltage characteristics and PV response of multilayered structures is determined in metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) capacitor configuration. Considerably low magnitude of dark current density 1.53×10⁻⁷ A at applied bias of 5 V establish the resistive nature of semi-transparent multilayered structure. Enhanced PV response with 40 nm thin semitransparent Au as top electrode is observed under solid-state violet laser illumination (λ – 405 nm, 160 mW/cm²). The short circuit current density and open circuit voltage are measured to be 12.65 µA/cm² and 1.43 V respectively with a high retentivity. The results obtained are highly encouraging for employing artificial multilayered engineering to improve PV characteristics.     

Temporal extension of stable glow discharges in fluorine-based excimer laser gas mixtures by the addition of xenon

The effect of addition of xenon on the long term homogeneity of discharges in F₂and ArF excimer laser gas mixtures was investigated in a small-volume discharge chamber. The gas mixture in the discharge chamber was preionized by X-rays. A special electrical excitation circuit containing a pulse forming line provided a long, square-shaped current pumping pulse of a predetermined duration to the discharge electrodes. The initiation and the development of the discharge was monitored via its fluorescence signal with an intensified CCD camera. We found that adding Xe up to partial pressures of 0.53 mbar extended the homogeneous phase of the discharge from 80 ns to approximately 200 ns in He/F₂as well as in He/Ar/F₂and Ne/Ar/F₂excimer laser gas mixtures. Monitoring of the ArF and XeF spontaneous emission signals showed that the formation of ArF excimers remained unaffected by the addition of xenon (up to 1.3 mbar) to the laser gas mixture.     

AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Ag films were deposited on Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films and coated with AZO to fabricate AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films by DC magnetron sputtering on glass substrates without heating of glass substrates. The best multilayer films have low sheet resistance of 19.8 Ω/Sq and average transmittance values of 61% in visible region. It was found that the highest figure of merit (F_TC) is 6.9 × 10⁻⁴ Ω⁻¹. For the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) application, the multilayer films were used as transparent conductive electrode (multilayer films/ZnO + Eosin-Y/LiI + I₂/Pt/FTO). The best DSSC based on the multilayer films showed that open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.47 V, short circuit current density (J_sc) of 2.24 mA/cm², fill factor (FF) of 0.58 and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (η) of 0.61%. It was shown that the AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films have potential for application in DSSC.     

Third-order nonlinearity of Er3+-doped lead phosphate glass

In a laser coherent combination, the phase detection and control is the most critical. Using the beat frequency method, consistence of the phase in output beams can be ensured through real-time detection and correction for the phase change. Phase noises are controlled by a liquid crystal phase modulator. At the same time, the liquid crystal polarization controller is used to make the polarization state stable, which is good for the improvement of the combining efficiency. The wave length of the main oscillation laser is 532 nm. The output power of laser can be adjusted continuously from 0 to 6 W. The shifted frequency of the system is 40 MHz. The accuracy for phase control is superior to λ/70 RMS. In the process of closed-loop control, using the liquid crystal phase and polarization controller, a better signal phase correction of optical path has been achieved for the coherent combination of high power laser arrays.     

A Six-Pulse PASS MAS-NMR Technique Solved by a Phasor Method

The PASS MAS-NMR technique is capable of recovering full intensities of the central resonances of a spectrum by phase adjusting the spinning sidebands. This variant of the original PASS sequence by Dixon uses six π pulses instead of four. The addition of two π pulses provides more flexibility in choosing the spacing between pulses and therefore eliminates pulse overlap and receiver dead-time problems. The nonlinear, underdetermined PASS equations were solved using a graphical phasor method. All PASS sequences were successfully tested. A table of the six pulse delay times for different pitches is presented.     

Simulation and experiment of a YBCO SMES prototype in voltage sag compensation

This paper gives a introduction of a SMES unit using 2G HTS wires. A complete SMES system including both superconducting coils and control circuit has been designed to operate at 77 K. Three single-phase H-bridge converters have been used in the control circuit. A loop control signal is sent out by using 32 fixed point Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The complete circuit has been both modelled in simulation and built experimentally. The results validate that this SMES successfully compensates a voltage sag in a power system.