Experimental demonstration and stochastic modeling of autonomous formation of nanophotonic droplets

We have previously demonstrated a novel technique for autonomously forming a nanophotonic droplet, which is micro-scale spherical polymer structure that contains paired heterogeneous nanometric components. The sort-selectivity and alignment accuracy of the nanometric components in each nanophotonic droplet, and the related homogeneity of the optical function, are due to a characteristic pairing process based on a phonon-assisted photo-curing method. The proposed method requires irradiating a mixture of components with light to induce optical near-field interactions between each component, and subsequent processes based on these interactions. The pairing yield of components via the interactions is considered to mainly depend on the frequency of their encounters and the size-resonance effect between encountered components. In this paper, we model these two factors by individual stochastic procedures and construct a numerical model to describe the pairing process. Agreement between the results of numerical and experimental demonstrations shows the validity of our stochastic modeling.     

Origin of ion beam mixing effects on morphological features in solid-phase titanium silicide formation

The origin of the ion beam mixing effect, which causes the formation of smooth silicide films, is investigated for the Ti/Si solid-phase silicidation reaction. Ge ion beam mixing of a conventional Ti/c-Si structure with an oxide-contaminated interface shows an obvious effect when the implant conditions are such that the Ti/Si interface is amorphized. On the other hand, silicidation without ion mixing for Ti/a-Si and Ti/c-Si structures with oxide-free interfaces, prepared by sequential deposition in UHV, results in smooth and rough film surfaces, respectively. This strongly suggests that the ion beam mixing effect primarily comes from the amorphization of the Si substrate surface rather than the destruction of the interfacial oxide film.     

Influence of Zn Diffusion on Bandwidth and Extinction in MQW Electroabsorption Modulators Buried with Semi-Insulating InP

A comprehensive analysis of multi-quantum-well electroabsorption modulators buried with semi-insulating (SI)-InP is presented. We quantitatively demonstrate that suppression of Zn diffusion into the burying and optical core layers plays a key role in high-speed and high-extinction operation.     

Dynamical study of femtosecond-laser-ablated liquid-aluminum nanoparticles using spatiotemporally resolved x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy

We study the temperature evolution of aluminum nanoparticles generated by femtosecond laser ablation with spatiotemporally resolved x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy. We successfully identify the nanoparticles based on the L-edge absorption fine structure of the ablation plume in combination with the dependence of the edge structure on the irradiation intensity and the expansion velocity of the plume. In particular, we show that the lattice temperature of the nanoparticles is estimated from the L-edge slope, and that its spatial dependence reflects the cooling of the nanoparticles during plume expansion. The results reveal that the emitted nanoparticles travel in a vacuum as a condensed liquid phase with a lattice temperature of about 2500 to 4200 K in the early stage of plume expansion.     

Surface-sensitive NMR in optically pumped semiconductors

We present a scheme of surface-sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance in optically pumped semiconductors, where an NMR signal from a part of the surface of a bulk compound semiconductor is detected apart from the bulk signal. It utilizes optically oriented nuclei with a long spin-lattice relaxation time as a polarization reservoir for the second (target) nuclei to be detected. It provides a basis for the nuclear spin polarizer [IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 14:1635, 2004], which is a polarization reservoir at the surface of the optically pumped semiconductor that polarizes nuclear spins in a target material in contact through the nanostructured interfaces.     

Pressure loading of detonation waves through 90-degree bend in high pressure H2–O2–N2 mixtures

Detonation experiments are conducted to investigate the detonation wave behavior in steam pipelines of boiling water reactors. Accumulated gases in BWRs are stoichiometric hydrogen/oxygen mixtures diluted with steam at 7 MPa. In the experiment, flammable gas mixture diluted with nitrogen at room temperature and up to 5 MPa is used to achieve equivalent detonation condition. Two test pieces are used, one is straight tube and the other is 90-degree bend. No initial pressure dependency in detonation wave behavior is observed in the experiments. However, in the straight tube tests, detonation velocities higher than theoretical values are measured when the initial pressures are greater than 2.3 MPa. This result is considered as attribution of real gas effect. In the 90-degree bend experiments, pressure time histories reveal pressure loads greater than the straight tube portion at two locations. One is a high pressure peak at the extrados of the bend and the other is a double pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet. Second pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet is due to transverse wave propagation. Additionally, the largest impulse is observed not at the extrados of the bend but at the intrados of bend outlet. These results show the importance of more investigations on transverse wave behaviors in failure potential evaluation.     

Signals for scalar top quark atep collider HERA

In the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and theR-parity breaking model (RBM), we investigate production processes of the scalar top (stop) at HERA energies. These models are characterized by the possible existence of the light stop whose mass is lighter than those of the top quark and the other squarks. It is shown that in the MSSM the stop pair production via boson-gluon fusion gives a sizeable cross section and the most serious background $ep \to ec\bar cX$ could be suppressed by appropriate kinematical cuts. We also show that in the RBM the stop is singly produced in the neutral current processes and we have a clear signal as a sharp peak in the Bjorken parameterx distribution of the scattered electron.     

Interpretation of initial stage of 3C-SiC growth on Si(1 0 0) using dimethylsilane

The initial stage of cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) growth on a Si(0 0 1) surface using dimethylsilane (DMS) as a source gas was observed using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). It was found that the dimer vacancies initially existing on the Si(0 0 1)-(2 × 1) surface were repaired by the Si atoms in DMS molecules, during the formation of the c(4 × 4) surface. From the STM measurement, nucleation of SiC was found to start when the Si surface was covered with the c(4 × 4) structure but before the appearance of SiC spots in the RHEED pattern. The growth mechanism of SiC islands was also discussed based on the results of RHEED, STM and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD).     

Nanophotonic droplet: a nanometric optical device consisting of size- and number-selective coupled quantum dots

Although recent advances in fabrication technologies have allowed the realization of highly accurate nanometric devices and systems, most approaches still lack uniformity and mass-production capability sufficient for practical use. We have previously demonstrated a novel technique for autonomously coupling heterogeneous quantum dots to induce particular optical responses based on a simple phonon-assisted photocuring method in which a mixture of quantum dots and photocurable polymer is irradiated with light. The cured polymer sequentially encapsulates coupled quantum dots, forming what we call a nanophotonic droplet. Recently, we found that each quantum dot in the mixture is preferably coupled with other quantum dots of similar size due to a size resonance effect of the optical near-field interactions between them. Moreover, every nanophotonic droplet is likely to contain the same number of coupled quantum dots. In this paper, we describe the basic mechanisms of autonomously fabricating nanophotonic droplets, and we examine the size- and number-selectivity of the quantum dots during their coupling process. The results from experiments show the uniformity of the optical properties of mass-produced nanophotonic droplets, revealed by emission from the contained coupled quantum dots, due to the fundamental characteristics of our method.