Characterizing Plasma-exposed In0.52Al0.48As Surface Using Photoreflectance-, Raman-, and Photoluminescence Spectra Method

We have performed Photoreflectance (PR), Raman Scattering (RS), and Photoluminescence (PL) experiments to characterize the In_0.52Al_0.48As surface exposed to plasma by a gas mixture of CH₄/H₂/Ar, PR spectra indicate that RIE (plasma) causes defects such as nonradiative recombination centers, scattering centers, and defects leading to the decrease of signal intensity, broaden line width and red shift of the transitions by increasing the rf power. In the Raman scattering study, RIE causes defects against InAs-like and AlAs-like LO modes vibration. As the rf power increased, the maximum of two LO modes shifts towards lower frequency and the line shape becomes increasingly asymmetric. Also, the intensity degrades gradually by disorder and point defects with increasing rf power. The PL transition energies show a red-shift with increasing the rf power. In addition, the spectral feature broadens, and the intensity decreases with rf power higher than 200 w. The consistence of the PL, PR, and RS results indicate that these three methods can be used as sensitive probes to evaluate the near surface damage of the epilayer.     

Secondary Metabolites with Anti-Inflammatory from the Roots of Cimicifuga taiwanensis

The genus Cimicifuga is one of the smallest genera in the family Ranunculaceae. Cimicifugae Rhizoma originated from rhizomes of Cimicifuga simplex, and C. dahurica, C. racemosa, C. foetida, and C. heracleifolia have been used as anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic remedies in Chinese traditional medicine. Inflammation is related to many diseases. Cimicifuga taiwanensis was often used in folk therapy in Taiwan for inflammation. Phytochemical investigation and chromatographic separation of extracts from the roots of Cimicifuga taiwanensis has led to the isolation of six new compounds: cimicitaiwanins A–F (1–6, respectively). The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data analysis (1D- and 2D-NMR, MS, and UV) and comparison with the literature data. The effect of some isolates on the inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages was evaluated. Of the isolates, 3–6 exhibited potent anti-NO production activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 6.54 to 24.58 μM, respectively, compared with that of quercetin, an iNOS inhibitor with an IC₅₀ value of 34.58 μM. This is the first report on metabolite from the endemic Taiwanese plant-C. taiwanensis.     

Tens of GHz Tantalum pentoxide‐based micro‐ring all‐optical modulator for Si photonics

A tantalum pentoxide‐based (Ta₂O₅‐based) micro‐ring all‐optical modulator was fabricated. The refractive index inside the micro‐ring cavity was modified using the Kerr effect by injecting a pumped pulse. The transmittance of the ring resonator was controlled to achieve all‐optical modulation at the wavelength of the injected probe. When 12 GHz pulses with a peak power of 1.2 W were coupled in the ring cavity, the transmission spectrum of the Ta₂O₅ resonator was red‐shifted by 0.04 nm because of the Kerr effect. The relationship between the modulation depth and gap of the Ta₂O₅ directional coupler is discussed. An optimized gap of 1100 nm was obtained, and a maximum buildup factor of 11.7 with 84% modulation depth was achieved. The nonlinear refractive index of Ta₂O₅ at 1.55 μm was estimated as 3.4 × 10^?14 cm²/W based on the Kerr effect, which is almost an order of magnitude higher than that of Si₃N₄. All results indicate that Ta₂O₅ has potential for use in nonlinear waveguide applications with modulation speeds as high as tens of GHz.

     

Numerical study of InGaN tandem solar cells with intermediate bands

Theoretical investigations of InGaN tandem solar cells with intermediate bands (IBs) have been conducted through calculating the diode equation taking into account the radiative and nonradiative recombination currents. The calculated maximum ef?ciencies of the double‐junction cell with one IB in each subcell are 57.85% and 68.37% under AM1.5G one‐sun and 46000‐sun illuminations, respectively. It has also been observed that the combined device with the top‐cell bandgaps of 2.9–3.4 eV (2.6–3.4 eV for full concentration) may have an opportunity to realize the application of over 50% efficiency. We suggest that the optimized width of the IB layer be designed in the range of 1–6 μm if its absorption coefficient is 10⁴–10⁵ cm^–1 in the IB region.     

Experimental study of wave propagation through a rapidly createdplasma

Frequency upconversion and converting a CW source microwave into a frequency upshifted and chirped periodic pulse have been demonstrated by two experiments. In the first one, the CW source microwave propagates through a periodically microwave-discharged plasma. The CW source microwave is converted into a periodic pulse having upshifted carrier frequency. The second one uses a high-voltage (~100-kV) DC discharge to generate a dense plasma suddenly between two parallel plates. A frequency upshifted and chirped pulse (~2 ns) converting from the CW source microwave interacting with the suddenly created plasma is observed. The central frequency (~6.4 GHz) of the pulse is upshifted from the frequency (~4.7 GHz) of the source wave by about 40%. Moreover, frequency components which are upshifted as high as 80% are also observed     

High blue power influence on the visible emissions of Er-doped germanosilicate optical fibres

The fluorescence decay of the ⁴F_3/2 transition in neodymium-doped silica optical fibers is analyzed with respect to neodymium concentration and temperature. New experimental data are compared with theoretical calculations based on (i) Grant's supposition [W.J.C. Grant, Phys. Rev. B 4 (1971) 648] and (ii) the Förster [T. Förster, Ann. Phys. (Paris) 2 (1948) 55] and Dexter [D.L. Dexter, J. Chem. Phys. 21 (1953) 836] model. Grant's predictions are in reasonable agreement with the data. The nonexponential decay predicted by Förster and Dexter is insufficient to explain the experimental data.     

Interference patterns of zonal gratings: Application to rheology of polymers

Résumé Cet article présente la théorie des franges de moiré créées par des réseaux circulaires de pas égal ou légérement différent. Nous avons établi les équations différentielles reliant les lignes de reférence et les lignes du modèle avec les franges de moiré produites par la superposition de ces deux familles de lignes. Les franges de moiré fournissent les ellipses de déplacement dans un champ de déformation uniforme. Ces franges ont été utilisées pour mésurer simultanément la complaisance de fluage et le coefficient de contraction latérale d'une matière viscoelastique linéaire le long de son spectre viscoélastique entier.On est arrivé à demontrer que le coefficient de la contraction latérale est une fonction monotone croissante qui tend asymptotiquement vers la valuer limite de 0.5 valable pour toute matière incompressible. Les fonctions caractéristiques de la complaisance de fluage à la traction et le coefficient de contraction latérale sont suffisantes pour la définition viscoélastique complète de la matière.Les résultats obtenus ont été comparés avec succès à ceux qui ont été déduits d'une méthode indirecte qui utilise une seule fonction caractéristique le long du spectre viscoélastique entier de la matière et la valeur initiale d'une autre fonction.     

Transmission Characteristics of 90° Bent Photonic Crystal Waveguides

There are several key factors that affect the transmission characteristics of the 90° (L-shaped) bent photonic crystal waveguides. The first factor is the direct coupling efficiency from the incident lights into the waveguides. The second one is the bandgap deviations of the photonic crystals. And the third factor is the optical reflections in the bent corners. In this article, we compare three types of L-shaped bent photonic crystal waveguides. One is the original type, which has an abrupt right-angle bend. Another is an improved 90° bend with a 45°-mirror. The other is an L-shaped bent photonic crystal waveguide with a 45°-transitional section. We investigate their respective frequency responses and observe the improvements in the total transmission efficiencies provided by the latter types.     

Observation of a new DsJ meson in B+-->D0D0K+ decays

We report the observation of a new DsJ meson produced in B+-->D0DsJ-->D0D0K+. This state has a mass of M=2708+/-9(-10)(+11) MeV/c2, a width Gamma=108+/-23(-31)(+36) MeV/c2 and a 1- spin-parity. The statistical significance of this observation is 8.4 sigma. The results are based on an analysis of 449 x 10(6) BB events collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider.