Transmission-mode GaN photocathode based on graded Al_xGa_(1-x)N buffer layer

We create a GaN photocathode based on graded Alx Ga1-x N buffer layers to overcome the influence of buffer-emission layer interface on the photoemission of transmission-mode GaN photocathodes.A gateshaped spectral response with a 260-nm starting wavelength and a 375-nm cut-off wavelength is obtained.Average quantum efficiency is 15% and short wavelength responses are almost equivalent to long wavelength ones.The fitted interface recombination velocity is 5×104 cm/s,with negligible magnitude,proving that the design of the graded buffer layers is efficient in obtaining good interface quality between the buffer and the emission layer.     

Coupled plasmon modes in an ordered hexagonal monolayer of metal nanoparticles: a direct observation

We report on the experimental observation of STM-induced photon emission in ultrahigh vacuum on a network of 4-nm silver spheres. The spheres are covered by a dielectric, electrically insulating, organic layer and deposited on Au(111). The bias-dependent spatial distribution of the photon emission rates reveals the electric-field distribution of the different coupled plasmon modes in this model.     

Broadband light emitting from multilayer-stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dots

We report the effect of the GaAs spacer layer thickness on the photoluminescence(PL) spectral bandwidth of InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots(QDs).A PL spectral bandwidth of 158 nm is achieved with a five-layer stack of InAs QDs which has a 11-nm thick GaAs spacer layer.We investigate the optical and the structural properties of the multilayer-stacked InAs/GaAs QDs with different GaAs spacer layer thicknesses.The results show that the spacer thickness is a key parameter affecting the multi-stacked InAs/GaAs QDs for wide-spectrum emission.     

Fabrication and characterization of a Cu seed layer on a 60-nm trench-patterned SiO2 substrate by a self-assembled-monolayer (SAM) process

Continuous electroless deposition of a 10-nm thick layer of Cu was successfully performed on a SiO₂/Si substrate coated with a 3-nm Au catalytic layer. The Au catalytic layer was formed by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) process terminated with NH₂ headgroups, upon which negatively charged Au particles were deposited via electrostatic interaction with the positively charged NH₂-SAM. The Au and NH₂-SAM layers were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle analysis. Atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and XPS revealed that the Cu layer formed by this electroless processes had good step-coverage, small grain size, and excellent adhesion to the substrate. The proposed process is a very promising method for fabrication of a conductive Cu seed layer in a 60-nm trench-pattern.     

PbS quantum dot fiber amplifier based on a tapered SMF fiber

A PbS quantum dot coated (QD-coated) tapered fiber amplifier with a broad bandwidth is theoretically demonstrated. The QD layer is coated on the surface of a tapered fiber and is excited by the evanescent wave of a pump. An optical gain of 10.5 dB, with a 160-nm broad bandwidth of at 1530-nm center wavelength, is achieved. The gain efficiency is over 4 dB/cm. This QD-tapered fiber amplifier has a concentration control of the QDs, a lower insertion loss, and shows good suppression of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), while its structure is also quite simple. Therefore, the proposed fiber amplifier has great potential in fiber-optic communication systems.     

Efficient Electroluminescence from a Quinacridone sub-monolayer inserted in a narrow exciton formation zone confined by a blocking layer

Efficient electroluminescence (EL) was obtained from quinacridone (QA) sub-monolayer inserted in a tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminum (ALQ) layer which was confined by a blocking layer 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP). The thickness of the confined ALQ layer was optimized and the highest EL current efficiency of 7.2 cd/A was obtained by inserting a 0.02 nm-thick QA layer in the 10-nm thick ALQ layer, we attribute it to the narrow exciton formation zone, in which both electron and hole carriers were confined and resulted in efficient collision capture in the exciton formation process. In addition, exciton confinement led to improved energy transfer from ALQ to QA and weaken the emission from the ALQ itself. The two factors are simultaneously operating in efficiency enhancement.     

Diode-pumped nonresonant continuous-wave Raman laser in H2 with resonant optical feedback stabilization

We demonstrate a nonresonant cw Raman laser pumped by an optically locked diode laser at 790 nm that produces cw Stokes (1178-nm) and coherent anti-Stokes (595-nm) emission. Considering the modest pump powers, relative low cost, and predicted spectral purity, we expect that frequency downconversion of tunable diode lasers through stimulated Raman scattering will provide an attractive source for remote sensing, spectroscopic, and atomic physics applications. The Stokes laser threshold is 240+/-19muW pump power, and emission is observed over a roughly 10-nm range by adjustment of the optical locking feedback phase. Photon-conversion efficiency rises throughout the pump-power region, with a peak value of 15+/-2% .     

High color rendering index white organic light-emitting diode using levofloxacin as blue emitter

Levofloxacin(LOFX), which is well-known as an antibiotic medicament, was shown to be useful as a 452-nm blue emitter for white organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs). In this paper, the fabricated white OLED contains a 452-nm blue emitting layer(thickness of 30 nm) with 1 wt% LOFX doped in CBP(4,4'-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl) host and a584-nm orange emitting layer(thickness of 10 nm) with 0.8 wt% DCJTB(4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-tert-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidin-4-yl-vinyl)-4H-pyran) doped in CBP, which are separated by a 20-nm-thick buffer layer of TPBi(2,2',2"-(benzene-1,3,5-triyl)-tri(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole). A high color rendering index(CRI) of 84.5 and CIE chromaticity coordinates of(0.33, 0.32), which is close to ideal white emission CIE(0.333, 0.333), are obtained at a bias voltage of 14 V. Taking into account that LOFX is less expensive and the synthesis and purification technologies of LOFX are mature, these results indicate that blue fluorescence emitting LOFX is useful for applications to white OLEDs although the maximum current efficiency and luminance are not high. The present paper is expected to become a milestone to using medical drug materials for OLEDs.     

Low-Threshold-Current and High-out-Power 660 nm Laser Diodes with a p-GaAs Current Blocking Layer for DVD-RAM/R

We investigate a new structure of high-power 660-nm AlGaInP laser diodes. In the structure, a p-GaAs layer is grown on the ridge waveguide serving as the current-blocking layer, and nonabsorbing windows are only fabricated near the cavity facets to increase the catastrophic-optical-damage level. Stable fundamental mode operation was achieved at up to 80roW without kinks, and the maximum output power was 184roW at 22~C. The threshold current was 40 mA.     

Magnetic properties of a Pt/Co₂ FeAl/MgO structure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Microstructures and magnetic properties of Ta/Pt/Co 2 FeAl(CFA)/MgO multilayers are studied to understand perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA) of half-metallic full-Heusler alloy films.PMA is realized in a 2.5-nm CFA film with B2-ordered structure observed by a high resolution transmission electron microscope.It is demonstrated that a high quality interface between the ferromagnetic layer and oxide layer is not essential for PMA.The conversions between in-plane anisotropy and PMA are investigated to study the dependence of magnetic moment on temperature.At the intersection points,the decreasing slope of the saturation magnetization(M s) changes because of the conversions.The dependence of M s on the annealing temperature and MgO thickness is also studied.     

784-nm amplified spontaneous emission from Tm3+-doped fluoride glass fiber pumped by an 1120-nm fiber laser

We report 784-nm (1G4 --> 3H5 transition) amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from Tm3+-doped fluoride (ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF) glass fiber pumped by an 1120-nm fiber laser. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of 784-nm (1G4 --> 3H5 transition) ASE in a Tm3+-doped fluoride fiber laser. Its effects on a 480-nm (1G4 --> 3H6 transition) blue laser were also discussed.     

Excited-state absorption in the range of pumping and laser efficiency of Cr4+:forsterite

The absorption saturation and the laser efficiency of Cr(4+): forsterite were measured with 1064-nm (E || b), 980-nm (E || c), and 780-nm (E || b) pulsed laser pumping. A slope efficiency of 32% was obtained for the 980-nm (E || c) pump wavelength, where the excited-state absorption losses were shown to be negligible.     

Er-Al-codoped silicate planar light waveguide-type amplifier fabricated by radio-frequency sputtering

A planar light waveguide-type optical amplifier was designed and fabricated. A core layer of Er-Al-codoped SiO>(2) glass was deposited onto a silica cladding layer by rf sputtering. In the Er-doped core layer the average Er and Al concentrations were 0.77 and 11.37 wt.%, respectively. We achieved 5 dB of gain with 20 mW of 980-nm pump power by using -20 dBm of 1546-nm input signal power.     

Fluorescence lifetime characterization of bacteria using total lifetime distribution analysis with the maximum entropy method

Total lifetime distribution analysis was employed to obtain fluorescence lifetime profiles of the intrinsic fluorescence ofPseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, andStaphylococcus epidermidis. The lifetimes were measured using a multiharmonic Fourier transform phase-modulation fluorometer which can simultaneously measure the phase shift and demodulation at many modulation frequencies. The 364-nm line from an argon-ion laser and the 325- and 442-nm lines from a helium-cadmium laser were used for sample excitation. Broad emission windows were used to capture as much of the bacterial emission as possible for the lifetime measurements. The maximum entropy method was used to recover lifetime profiles from the multifrequency phasemodulation data. At all three excitation wavelengths, the bacteria exhibited three lifetime components, in the ranges of 0.5-1, 2–3, and 4–8 ns. Using 325-nm excitation, a fourth component, in the range of 9–14 ns, was recovered in all of the bacteria; using 364-nm excitation, the fourth component was resolved only in the two Gram-negative bacteria (P. fluorescens andE. coli). Excitation at 364 nm provided the most reproducible lifetime profiles and showed some differences among the four bacteria.     

Fabrication of freestanding nanoscale gratings on silicon-on-insulator wafer

We report a bottom-up process for the fabrication of freestanding nanoscale gratings on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Freestanding membrane devices suffer deflection due to the residual stress of the buried oxide layer of SOI wafer. The deflection will affect the device shape and result in the fracture problem for devices fabricated on thin silicon membrane. The bottom-up process is developed to overcome the fabrication issue for thin silicon membrane gratings. The silicon handle layer is removed through back wafer etching of silicon, where the buried oxide layer acts as an etch stop layer. The grating structures are then defined on thin silicon device layer by electron beam lithography and generated by fast atom beam etching. The grating structures are finally released in vapor HF to form the freestanding nanoscale gratings. The freestanding linear/circular gratings, 1,500-nm period grating with the grating width of 200- and 850-nm period grating with the grating width of 100 nm, are successfully achieved on 260-nm silicon device layer.     

High efficiency broad bandwidth erbium-doped superfluorescent fiber source

A practical two-stage double-pass structure using high concentration erbium-doped fiber and 1480-nm pump laser diode is suggested for a high power and broad bandwidth erbium-doped superfluorcscent fiber source. A considerable increase in output power and bandwidth extension is achieved by adding an unpumped fiber and a broadband fiber mirror to make the most of wasted backward amplified spontaneous emission as both pump and input light source simultaneously. Superfluorcscent fiber source with nearly 80-nm bandwidth and 28.6-mW output power is obtained experimentally.     

Study for infrared spectroscopic ellipsometric properties of diamond films

Spectroscopic ellipsometric measurements in infrared region (2.5 - 12.5 μm) are carried out to characterize the structure and quality of diamond films grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) and hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD), respectively. It is found that the establishment of appropriate models has the strongest influence on the fit of ellipsometric spectra. The best fit is achieved for MPCVD film with a 77.5-nm middle layer of SiO2, and for HFCVD film with an 879-nm rough surface layer included by Bruggeman effective medium approtimation (EMA). Finally the refractive index and the extinction coefficient are calculated for both films, the results show that the film grown by MPCVD is optically much better than that grown by HFCVD at infrared wavelengths.     

Modification of the earth’s ionosphere by high-power HF radio emission: Artificial periodic inhomogeneities and the sporadic <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis> layer

We present the results of new studies of the sporadic E layer in the case of heating of the ionosphere by high-power HF radio emission. The measurements were performed at the “Sura” heating facility. Ionosphere was modified by high-power radio emission from the “Sura” facility and was sounded by the probing radio waves of the same frequency and mode. The heating of the ionosphere resulted in the formation of artificial periodic inhomogeneities, and an increase in the intensity of all signals scattered by the D, E, and F regions and the sporadic E layer by 5–20 dB was observed. The increase was observed during heating of the ionosphere by each magnetoionic component, but was smaller for heating by an ordinary-mode wave. This effect was resonant and disappeared as a result of the frequency detuning down to 85 kHz. During the ionospheric modification, the signal-intensity increased due to modulation of the natural profile of the electron number density by the artificial periodic structure. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 50, No. 8, pp. 695–708, August 2007.     

Highly efficient hybrid fiber taper coupled microsphere laser

A novel hybrid fiber taper is proposed and demonstrated as the coupler in a microsphere laser system. The pump wave and the laser emission, respectively, are more efficiently coupled to and from the sphere modes with this taper structure. A 980-nm pumped erbium-ytterbium codoped phosphate microsphere laser is demonstrated in the 1550-nm band. As much as 112microW of single-frequency laser output power was measured, with a differential quantum efficiency of 12%.     

Plastic Versus Glass Support for an Immunoassay on Metal-Coated Surfaces in Optically Dense Samples Utilizing Directional Surface Plasmon-Coupled Emission

We compared plastic (polycarbonate) and high-quality glass support materials for gold-coated slides, when performing a model immunoassay against rabbit IgG using fluorescently labeled (AlexaFluor-647) anti-rabbit IgG, and detecting surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) signals. Both, glass and plastic slides were simultaneously coated with a 48-nm layer of gold and protected with a 10-nm layer of silica. The maximum SPCE signal of AlexaFluor-647 was only two- to three-fold smaller on plastic slides than on glass slides. A small difference in the SPCE angles on glass (θ _F = 55°) and plastic (θ _F = 52.5°) slides was observed and can be explained with a slightly smaller refractive index of the plastic. We have not found any difference in the angle distribution (sharpness of the fluorescence signal at optimal SPCE angle) for the plastic slide compared to the glass slide. The kinetics of binding was monitored on the plastic slide as well as on the glass slide. Optically dense samples, a 4% red blood cell suspension and a 15% hemoglobin solution, are causing a reduction in the immunoassay SPCE signal by approximately 15% and three times, respectively, and the percentage of the reduction is the same for plastic and for glass slides. We believe that plastic substrates can be readily used in any SPCE assay, with only marginally lower total signal compared to high-quality glass slides.