Structural and optical properties of silicon nanoparticles prepared by pulsed laser ablation in hydrogen background gas

We studied the structural and optical properties of silicon (Si) nanoparticles (np-Si) prepared by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) in hydrogen (H₂) background gas. The mean diameter of the np-Si was estimated to be approximately 5 nm. The infrared absorption corresponding to Si-H_n (n=1,2,3) bonds was observed at around 2100 cm^-1, and a Raman scattering peak corresponding to crystalline Si was observed at around 520 cm^-1. These results indicate that nanoparticles are not an alloy of Si and hydrogen but Si nanocrystal covered by hydrogen or hydrogenated silicon. This means that surface passivated Si nanoparticles can be prepared by PLA in H₂ gas. The band-gap energy of np-Si prepared in H₂ gas (1.9 eV) was larger than that of np-Si prepared in He gas (1.6 eV) even though they are almost the same diameter. After decreasing the hydrogen content in np-Si by thermal annealing, the band-gap energy decreased, and reached the same energy level as np-Si prepared in He gas. Thus, the optical properties of np-Si were affected by the hydrogenation of the surface of np-Si. PACS 81.15.Fg; 61.46.+W; 78.67.Bf     

Building a Simple Model of a Pulse-Frequency-Modulation Photosensor and Demonstration of a 128 x 128-pixel Pulse-Frequency-Modulation Image Sensor Fabricated in a Standard 0.35-$mUm Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Technology

We present a simple model of the pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) photosensor that provides explicit relationships between circuit parameters and output characteristics. The model treats the PFM photosensor with a feedback loop as an open loop circuit. Several characteristics such as output pulse frequency for light intensity and photosensitivity are expressed by device parameters of a photodiode, reset transistor, and chain of inverters. The relationships derived from the proposed model help us to comprehend the results by simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE) or experiments. We design and fabricate a 128 x 128-pixel PFM image sensor with photosensitivity of 0.15 Hz/lux. As a demonstration, a figure of a dinosaur is captured using the fabricated image sensor to discuss its operation. Characteristics of a normal pixel and white and black defect pixels are measured and discussed based on the results of formulations.     

QCD perturbation theory in the temporal gauge

In this paper we present a non-trivial check of the consistency of the quantization of a gauge theory with fermions (QCD) in the temporal gauge. We use the approach based on the finite time Feynman propagation kernel, in which the Gauss law is imposed as a constraint on the states by means of a functional integration over all the time independent gauge transformations acting on the boundary values of the fields. We spell out in detail the “Feynman rules” when fermions are present and we compute, as an example, the gauge invariant correlation function $$\begin{gathered} G(t) = \left\langle {\bar \psi (0,t)(\gamma _5 \gamma _0 )\frac{{1 - \gamma _0 }}{2}P} \right. \hfill \\ \left. { \cdot \exp \left( {ig\int\limits_0^t {A_0 (0,t')dt'} } \right)(\gamma _5 \gamma _0 )^ + (0,0)} \right\rangle \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ up to orderg ², obtaining the expected result.     

Transition between internal transport barriers with different temperature-profile curvatures in JT-60U Tokamak plasmas

A spontaneous transition phenomena between two states of a plasma with an internal transport barrier (ITB) is observed in the steady-state phase of the magnetic shear in the negative magnetic shear plasma in the JT-60U tokamak. These two ITB states are characterized by different profiles of the second radial derivative of the ion temperature inside the ITB region (one has a weak concave shape and the other has a strong convex shape) and by different degrees of sharpness of the interfaces between the L mode and the ITB region, which is determined by the turbulence penetration into the ITB region.     

Numerical simulation of 2D granular particles and its analyses by means of the micropolar fluid model

Numerical simulations of two-dimensional granular flows under uniform mean shear and external body torque were performed following the setting of the authors’ previous study [10]. Convergence of the stresses with the increase of coarse-graining length is investigated. Difference R between vorticity field and spin field is controlled by the external torque and the stresses for the region R > 0 is obtained as well as those for R < 0. The symmetry of the stresses under the change of the sign of R is discussed.     

Enhanced electron–ion recombination in ion storage rings

We review recent advances in the understanding of the enhanced electron–ion recombination observed in storage ring experiments. The measured recombination rates show a strong enhancement relative to what the standard radiative recombination rates predict. A transient motional electric field is induced in the merging region of an electron and an ion beam in the electron cooler. This induced field opens an additional pathway for free-bound transitions of electrons. The formed Rydberg states can be radiatively stabilized and contribute to the measured rate. We show that this “field induced recombination” (FIR) explains the gap previously observed between measurements and the standard radiative recombination rate.     

Laser spectroscopy of trapped 7Be and 10Be at a prototype slow RI-beam facility of RIKEN

A next-generation slow radioactive nuclear ion beam facility (SLOWRI) which provides slow, high-purity and small emittance ion beams of all elements is being build as one of the principal facilities at the RIKEN RI-beam factory (RIBF). High energy radioactive ion beams from the projectile fragment separator BigRIPS are thermalized in a large gas catcher cell. The thermalized ions in the gas cell are guided and extracted to a vacuum environment by a combination of dc electric fields and inhomogeneous rf fields (rf carpet ion guide). From there the slow ion beam is delivered via a mass separator and a switchyard to various devices: such as an ion trap, a collinear fast beam apparatus, and a multi-reflection time of flight mass spectrometer. In the R&D works at the present RIKEN facility, an overall efficiency of 5% for a 100A MeV ⁸Li ion beam from the present projectile fragment separator RIPS was achieved and the dependence of the efficiency on the ion beam intensity was investigated. Recently our first spectroscopy experiment at the prototype SLOWI was performed on Be isotopes. Energetic ions of ¹⁰Be and ⁷Be from the RIPS were trapped and laser cooled in a linear rf trap and the specific mass shifts of these isotopes were measured for the first time.     

Pulsed laser deposition of ZnO grown on glass substrates for realizing high-performance thin-film transistors

We report characterization of ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) on glass substrates fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy and Hall effect measurements. The XRD results showed high c-axis-oriented ZnO(0002) diffraction corresponding to the wurtzite phase. Moreover, the crystallization and the electrical properties of ZnO thin films grown at room temperature are controllable by PLD growth conditions such as oxygen gas pressure. The ZnO films are very smooth, with a root-mean-square roughness of 1 nm. From the Hall effect measurements, we have succeeded in fabricating ZnO films on glass substrates with an electron mobility of 21.7 cm²/V s. By using the ZnO thin film grown by two-step PLD and a HfO₂ high-k gate insulator, a transconductance of 24.1 mS/mm, a drain current on/off ratio of 4.4×10⁶ and a subthreshold gate swing of 0.26 V/decade were obtained for the ZnO TFT.     

Highly efficient cryogenically-cooled Yb:YAG laser

A MOPA laser system for high pulse energy and high average power has been developed by using a cryogenic Yb:YAG. In the regenerative amplifier with our original TRAM architecture, the high pulse energies of 6.5 and 1.5 mJ were obtained at the repetition rate of 200 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively. An optical efficiency was as high as η_o-o = 9.3% with an excellent beam quality of M ² < 1.1, which ensured that a cryogenic Yb:YAG TRAM had a high thermal strength. The following four pass power amplifier with a cryogenic Yb:YAG rod showed 140 mJ at 100 Hz. Both a high optical efficiency of η_o-o = 30% and a high slope efficiency of η_s = 44% showed that an efficient laser operation could be realized for a power amplification with both a high pulse energy and a high average power by using a cryogenic Yb:YAG.     

Performance improvement of rubrene-based organic light emitting devices with a mixed single layer

We have investigated the performance of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with a rubrene-doped mixed single layer by using 4,4′-bis[N-(1-napthyl)-N-phenyl- amion] biphenyl (α-NPD) as hole transport layer. Comparing to a conventional heterostructure OLED, equal luminance vs. current density characteristics were obtained. In addition, maximum power efficiency was threefold improved, and the achieved value was 5.90 lm/W by optimizing a mixing ratio of hole and electron transport materials. By evaluating the temperature dependence of the J – V characteristics for electron-injection dominated device, the electron injection from Al/LiF to mixed organic layer is attributed to Schottky thermal emission model. And the barrier height of the electron injection from Al/LiF into mixed single layer was obtained to be 0.62 eV, which is lower than Al/Alq₃ interface. Meanwhile, the mixed single-layer device exhibited superior operational durability at a half-luminance of 2,250 h under a constant current operation mode. The reliability was improved with a factor of two compared to the heterostructure device due to the improvement of stability in mixed organic molecules and removal of the heterojunction interface in the mixed single-layer device.