Beam Recombination Characteristics in Array Laser Amplification Using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Phase Conjugation

Beam recombination characteristics were numerically investigated in array laser amplification using stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugation. To clarify the effect of piston errors due to imperfect phase locking, spatial intensity profiles of the beam recombination output were calculated in both the near and the far field on the basis of Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction theory. The analyses indicate that piston errors are seriously detrimental to the quality of a beam recombination output and should be eliminated by a proper phase locking. It is also found that the gap between the beam splitting-combining wedges has a negligible effect.Presented at 1996 International Workshop on Interferometry (IWI ‘96), August 27-29, Saitama, Japan.     

Effects of Si-doped GaAs layer on optical properties of InAs quantum dots

We have investigated the optical properties of InAs self-assembled quantum dots (SAQDs) with the Si-doped GaAs barrier layer. Two types of samples are fabricated according to the position of the Si-doped GaAs layer. For type A samples the Si-doped GaAs layer is grown below the QDs, whereas for type B samples the Si-doped GaAs layer is grown above the QDs. For both types of samples the excited-state emissions caused by state filling are observed in photoluminescence (PL) spectra at high excitation power densities. The bandgap renormalization of QDs can be found from the shift of the PL peak energy. Particularly, for type A samples the Si atoms act as nucleation centers during the growth of InAs QDs on the Si-doped GaAs layer and affect the density and the size of the QDs. The Si-doped GaAs layer in type A samples has more effects on the properties of QDs, such as state filling and bandgap renormalization than those of type B samples.     

A fast automatic calibration system for a sound level meter in an anechoic room

A fast automatic calibration system for a sound level meter in an anechoic environment has been developed. The precise and fast generation of the constant frequency-independent acoustic pressure field and reduction of digital voltmeter readout to sound pressure level were achieved by a newly designed software algorithm, assuming the system linearity. The performance test justified the assumed linearity, and showed that the searching speed was sufficiently fast within the small error limit.     

Determination of the debris produced from poly(ethylene terephthalate) during KrF excimer laser ablation

Pulsed UV laser beams, which are widely used in the processing of polymers, have many advantages because their photon energy is higher than the binding energy of polymers. Fabricating polymers with a UV laser process is faster, cleaner, and more convenient than with other processes. Nevertheless, some problems occur in the precision microprocessing of polymers. For example, the formation and deposition of surface debris, which is produced from the breakdown of either polymer chains or radical bonds.To determine the formation and origin of surface debris, a KrF excimer laser beam (248 nm) was used in the processing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The investigation of the debris formation was facilitated by UV-vis spectroscopy, ATR FT-IR spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy. The UV-vis absorption peak indicates that the primary chromophore in the PET is benzoate. Furthermore, because benzoate causes the primary absorption, the absorbed energy is transferred by heat generation to an unsaturated ester. The ATR FT-IR spectrometer measurements show that the phenyl systems in the benzoate are demolished by ablation. This phenomenon indicates that the photochemical reaction causes the benzoate bonds to break down, and this breakdown in turn causes the carbonization to leave debris on the PET.     

Transflective liquid-crystal display using low-twisted vertically aligned mode

We present the design of a transflective and low-power LCD using a low-twist vertically aligned liquid crystal (LC) cell, achieved by blending a chiral additive with a patterned reflector in a single-domain configuration. Unlike the conventional single-domain transflective LCD, in which it is possible to optimize only one of the transmissive and reflective regions, the device suggests that it is possible to optimize both the transmission and reflection design to obtain favorable results in both reflective and transmissive light conditions by optimizing the chiral pitch and twist angle. From the parameter space diagram (PSD) method, which does not include the information on chiral pitch and the nonuniform LC director tilt angle, optimization focused on the transmissive region is performed. By analyzing the relation between the transmittance and the chiral pitch under the applied voltage, the optimized twist angle and chiral pitch are proposed. It is described that the optimized twist angle is also available for the reflective region by the dynamic PSD method by considering the average tilt angle under applied voltage.     

Paradoxical high signal intensity of hepatocellular carcinoma in the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI: initial experience

Purpose

To describe the paradoxical high signal intensity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the hepatobiliary phase on gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and Methods

A database search was performed to identify cases of HCC that showed unusual prolonged enhancement in the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI. All patients received 3.0-T liver MRI including precontrast T1-weighted images, T2-weighted images and a post Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced dynamic study. The signal intensity of HCC was measured at pre-enhanced, arterial, portal, delayed and hepatobiliary phase using regions of interest. Radiologic and pathologic correlation was performed for the paradoxically prolonged enhancing portion of HCC in the hepatobiliary phase.

Results

Four patients (all male, age range 44-70; mean 57.5 years) were included in this study. All patients showed HCC lesions that were low signal intensity (SI) on T1-WI, high SI on T2-WI, enhanced in arterial phase, and washed-out in delayed phase. All cases showed paradoxically high SI in hepatobiliary phase, which was unusual for HCC. Pathologically, they were all diagnosed as well-differentiated HCC with prominent cytoplasm and a bile secreting appearance.

Conclusion

HCC may demonstrate the prolonged high signal intensity at the hepatobiliary phase on Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI. These HCCs tended to be highly differentiated and to have prominent bile secretion.     

Influence of pretreatment methods on adsorption and catalytic characteristics of toluene over heterogeneous palladium based catalysts

The adsorption and catalytic characteristics of heterogeneous palladium based catalyst and its modified catalysts with gases (air and hydrogen) and acidic aqueous solution (HCl) were studied for evaluating the influence of pretreatment methods for toluene. The structural and energetic adsorption properties of the parent and pretreated catalysts were analyzed by means of nitrogen adsorption isotherms and gravimetric methods. The light-off curve and the XPS investigation were used for analyzing the catalytic activity and the surface state of palladium. It was clearly shown from the experimental results that hydrogen pretreated catalysts having metallic surface state exhibited the highest adsorption capacity and catalytic activity compared to that of parent and modified catalysts. The adsorption equilibrium data for toluene were obtained at three different temperatures and correlated successfully with the two-site Langmuir molecular isotherm model (L2m). It was also found that the palladium phase has more adsorption affinity for toluene molecules than the alumina support. The isosteric heat of adsorption calculated by using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation significantly changed with the coverage and the lateral interactions between the adsorbate-adsorbate molecules control the system. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the adsorption energy distribution revealed that the parent and its modified catalysts have different types of surface energetic heterogeneities.     

Electronic parameters and electronic structures in modulation-doped highly strained InxGa1−xAs/InyAl1−yAs coupled double quantum wells

Electronic parameters of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in modulation-doped highly strained In_xGa_1−xAs/In_yAl_1−yAs coupled double quantum wells were investigated by performing Shubnikov-de Haas (S-dH), Van der Pauw Hall-effect, and cyclotron resonance measurements. The S-dH measurements and the fast Fourier transformation results for the S-dH at 1.5 K indicated the electron occupation of two subbands in the quantum well. The electron effective masses of the 2DEG were determined from the cyclotron resonance measurements, and satisfied qualitatively the nonparabolicity effects in the quantum wells. The electronic subband structures were calculated by using a self-consistent method.     

Fabrication of nano-structured polythiophene nanoparticles in aqueous dispersion

The synthetic route of unsubstituted polythiophene (PT) nanoparticles was investigated in aqueous dispersion via Fe³⁺-catalyzed oxidative polymerization. With this new synthetic method, high conversion of thiophene monomers was obtained with only a trace of FeCl₃. The dispersion state showed that the PT nanoparticles were well dispersed in many polar solvents, compared to non-polar solvents, such as acetone, chloroform, hexane, and ethyl acetate. To compare the photoluminescence properties between PT nanoparticle dispersion and PT bulk polymers, the PL intensities were measured in the same measuring conditions. Further, core–shell poly(styrene/thiophene) (poly(St/Th)) latex particles were successfully prepared by Fe³⁺-catalyzed oxidative polymerization during emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization. The different polymerization rates of each monomer resulted in core–shell structure of the poly(St/Th) latex particles. The PL data of the only crumpled shells gave evidence that the shell component of core–shell poly(St/Th) latex particles is indeed PT, which was corroborated by SEM data. PL intensity of the core–shell poly(St/Th) nanoparticle dispersion was much higher than that of the PT nanoparticle dispersion, due to its thin shell layer morphology, which was explained by the self-absorption effect.