Contrasting friction and diffusion in molecularly thin confined films

We study, using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, translational diffusion in molecularly thin liquids confined within a surface forces apparatus. The diffusion coefficient decreases exponentially from the edges towards the center of the Hertzian contact and further suggests the presence of a small number of distinct diffusion processes. This holds alike a crystallizable fluid (OMCTS) and a glass-former (1,2-propane diol), both of which displayed static friction. We conclude that friction, the average of an ensemble of molecules, masked massively heterogeneous molecular mobility.     

Effect of absorbed pump power on the quality of output beam from monolithic microchip lasers

The dependence of the beam propagation factor (M ² parameter) with the absorbed pump power in the case of monolithic microchip laser under face-cooled configuration is extensively studied. Our investigations show that the M ₂ parameter is related to the absorbed pump power through two parameters (α and β) whose values depend on the laser material properties and laser configuration. We have shown that one parameter arises due to the oscillation of higher order modes in the microchip cavity and the other parameter accounts for the spherical aberration associated with the thermal lens induced by the pump beam. Such dependency of M ² parameter with the absorbed pump power is experimentally verified for a face-cooled monolithic microchip laser based on Nd³⁺ -doped GdVO₄ crystal and the values of α and β parameters were estimated from the experimentally measured data points.     

Modification of magnetic anisotropy in metallic glasses using high-energy ion beam irradiation

Heavy ion irradiation in the electronic stopping power region induces macroscopic dimensional change in metallic glasses and introduces magnetic anisotropy in some magnetic materials. The present work is on the irradiation study of ferromagnetic metallic glasses, where both dimensional change and modification of magnetic anisotropy are expected. Magnetic anisotropy was measured using Mössbauer spectroscopy of virgin and irradiated Fe₄₀Ni₄₀B₂₀ and Fe₄₀Ni₃₈Mo₄B₁₈ metallic glass ribbons. 90 MeV ¹²⁷I beam was used for the irradiations. Irradiation doses were 5×10¹³ and 7.5×10¹³ ions/cm². The relative intensity ratios D ₂₃ of the second and third lines of the Mössbauer spectra were measured to determine the magnetic anisotropy. The virgin samples of both the materials display in-plane magnetic anisotropy, i.e., the spins are oriented parallel to the ribbon plane. Irradiation is found to cause reduction in magnetic anisotropy. Near-complete randomization of magnetic moments is observed at high irradiation doses. Correlation is found between the residual stresses introduced by ion irradiation and the change in magnetic anisotropy.     

Low-threshold singly-resonant continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator based on MgO-doped PPLN

We present a 532 nm-pumped singly-resonant cw optical parametric oscillator based on MgO-doped PPLN with a minimum threshold pump power of 0.3 W. The OPO with a two-mirror standing-wave cavity is optimized by using a tunable diode laser on the path of the resonant signal beam. The maximum output power is 200 mW at an idler wavelength near 1330 nm at a pump power of 2 W. We report the degradation of the output power and beam characteristics at high pump power indicating a strong thermal lensing in the crystal. The continuous tuning range of the OPO is measured to be 800 MHz which is close to 90% of the free spectral range of the OPO cavity.     

Enhanced luminescence in ZnGa<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4-x</Subscript>S<Subscript>x</Subscript>:Mn<Superscript>2+</Superscript> thin-film phosphors grown on MgO(100) substrate

Mn-doped ZnGa₂O_4-xS_x thin-film phosphors have been grown using a pulsed laser deposition technique at varying growth conditions. Structural characterization was carried out on a series of ZnGa₂O_4-xS_x:Mn²⁺ films grown on MgO(100) substrates using Zn-rich ceramic targets. Oxygen pressure was fixed at 100 mTorr and substrate temperatures were varied from 500 to 700 °C. The results of X-ray-diffraction patterns showed that the lattice constants of the ZnGa₂O_3.95S_0.05:Mn²⁺ thin films decrease with the substitution of sulfur for the oxygen in ZnGa₂O₄. Measurements of photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnGa₂O_4-xS_x:Mn²⁺ thin films have indicated that MgO(100) is one of the most promising substrates for the growth of high-quality ZnGa₂O_4-xS_x:Mn²⁺ thin films. In particular, the incorporation of sulfur into the ZnGa₂O₄ lattice could induce a remarkable increase of PL. The highest green-emission intensity was observed with ZnGa₂O_3.95S_0.05:Mn²⁺ films, whose brightness was increased by a factor of 3.5 in comparison with that of ZnGa₂O₄:Mn²⁺ films. This phosphor may be promising for application to flat-panel displays. PACS 78.20.-e; 78.55.-m; 78.66.-w     

Effects of controllable process factors on Al rear surface bumps in Si solar cells

High efficiency solar cells require good back surface field passivation and high back reflectance in the rear Al region. In module processes, wafer-based solar cell can break through stress during soldering uneven rear aluminum surfaces - a serious problem that affects throughput. This work examined rear surfaces with respect to controllable process factors such as ramping and cooling rates during rapid thermal processing, and the fineness of aluminum powder used in the screen-printed paste. A faster ramp up rate resulted in a uniform temperature gradient between the aluminum and silicon surfaces. As a results, the bumps on the aluminum surface were small and of high density. Fine aluminum metal powder in the paste for screen-printing contact points resulted in large distribution, high density bumps. Bumps formed during cooling in metallization, their sizes and densities were dependent the on uniformity of the aluminum and silicon liquid wetting of the silicon surface.     

Particle size dependence of relaxivity for silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles

We investigate the particle size dependence of the relaxivity of hydrogen protons in an aqueous solution of iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles coated in silica for biocompatibility. The T₁ and T₂ relaxation times for various concentrations of silica-coated nanoparticles were determined by a magnetic resonance scanner. We find that the relaxivity increased linearly with increasing particle size. The T₂ relaxivity (R₂) is more than 50 times larger than the T₁ relaxivity (R₁) for the nanoparticle contrast agent, which reflects the fact that the T₂ relaxation is mainly influenced by outer sphere processes. The high R₂/R₁ ratio demonstrates that silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles may serve as a T₂ contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging with high efficacy.     

Crystallinity and morphology dependent luminescence of Li-doped Y2−xGdxO3:Eu thin film phosphors

The influence of lithium doping on the crystallization, the surface morphology, and the luminescent properties of pulsed laser deposited Y_2−xGd_xO₃:Eu³⁺ thin film phosphors was investigated. The crystallinity, the surface morphology, and the photoluminescence (PL) of films depended highly on the Li-doping and the Gd content. The relationship between the crystalline and morphological structures and the luminescent properties was studied, and Li⁺ doping was found to effectively enhance not only the crystallinity but also the luminescent brightness of Y_2−xGd_xO₃:Eu³⁺ thin films. In particular, the incorporation of Li and Gd into the Y₂O₃ lattice could induce remarkable increase in the PL. The highest emission intensity was observed Li-doped Y_1.35Gd_0.6O₃:Eu³⁺ thin films whose brightness was increased by a factor of 4.6 in comparison with that of Li-doped Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ thin films.     

Uniform Drug Loading into Prefabricated Microparticles by Freeze‐Drying

Microparticle‐based drug delivery is a promising technology for small volume bioassay platforms. The general utilization of the drug‐loaded microparticles in the in vitro bioassay platforms requires the drug loading method, which should impregnate the general drug types (e.g., water insoluble) with high payload into the variously designed microparticles. Loading the drug into the prefabricated microparticles using solvent evaporation satisfies the requirement. However, similar to the “coffee‐ring effect,” drugs are loaded in a seriously nonuniform manner, caused by the capillary flow during the evaporation process. Here, it is presented that the freeze‐drying is an efficient way to load uniform and high amount of the drug into the prefabricated microparticles. It is demonstrated that freezing solvent can block the capillary flow during the solvent removal process, improving the loading uniformity. The delivered amount of drugs is linearly proportional to the initial loading amount of drugs. Also, this drug loading method is shown to be applied to the various drug types and the prefabricated microparticles with different properties. Considering many challenges to suppress the “coffee‐ring effect” that induces nonuniform impregnation/deposition, the proposed concept can be applied not only for microparticle‐based drug delivery but also for uniform coating applications (e.g., thin‐film coating, DNA/protein microarray).