Stable single longitudinal mode erbium-doped silica fiber laser based on an asymmetric linear three-cavity structure

We present a stable linear-cavity single longitudinal mode (SLM) erbium-doped silica fiber laser. It consists of four fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) directly written in a section of photosensitive erbium-doped fiber (EDF) to form an asymmetric three-cavity structure. The stable SLM operation at a wavelength of 1545.112 nm with a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.012 nm and an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of about 60 dB is verified experimentally. Under laboratory conditions, the performance of a power fluctuation of less than 0.05 dB observed from the power meter for 6 h and a wavelength variation of less than 0.01 nm obtained from the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) for about 1.5 h are demonstrated. The gain fiber length is no longer limited to only several centimeters for SLM operation because of the excellent mode-selecting ability of the asymmetric three-cavity structure. The proposed scheme provides a simple and cost-effective approach to realizing a stable SLM fiber laser.     

Improvement of characteristics of an InGaN light-emitting diode by using a staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer

The optical and physical properties of an InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) with a specific design of a staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer (EBL) are investigated numerically in detail. The electrostatic field distribution, energy band, carrier concentration, electroluminescence (EL) intensity, internal quantum efficiency (IQE), and the output power are simulated. The results reveal that this specific design has a remarkable improvement in optical performance compared with the design of a conventional LED. The lower electron leakage current, higher hole injection efficiency, and consequently mitigated efficiency droop are achieved. The significant decrease of electrostatic field at the interface between the last barrier and the EBL of the LED could be one of the main reasons for these improvements.     

The supply voltage scaled dependency of the recovery of single event upset in advanced complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor static random-access memory cells

Using computer-aided design three-dimensional simulation technology,the supply voltage scaled dependency of the recovery of single event upset and charge collection in static random-access memory cells are investigated.It reveals that the recovery linear energy transfer threshold decreases with the supply voltage reducing,which is quite attractive for dynamic voltage scaling and subthreshold circuit radiation-hardened design.Additionally,the effect of supply voltage on charge collection is also investigated.It is concluded that the supply voltage mainly affects the bipolar gain of the parasitical bipolar junction transistor(BJT) and the existence of the source plays an important role in supply voltage variation.     

Preliminary results for the design,fabrication,and performance of a backside-illuminated avalanche drift detector

The detection of low-level light is a key technology in various experimental scientific studies. As a photon detector, the silicon photomultiplier （SiPM） has gradually become an alternative to the photomultiplier tube （PMT） in many applications in high-energy physics, astroparticle physics, and medical imaging because of its high photon detection efficiency （PDE）, good resolution for single-photon detection, insensitivity to magnetic field, low operating voltage, compactness, and low cost. However, primarily because of the geometric fill factor, the PDE of most SiPMs is not very high; in particular, for those SiPMs with a high density of micro cells, the effective area is small, and the bandwidth of the light response is narrow. As a building block of the SiPM, the concept of the backside-illuminated avalanche drift detector （ADD） was first proposed by the Max Planck Institute of Germany eight years ago; the ADD is promising to have high PDE over the full energy range of optical photons, even ultraviolet light and X-ray light, and because the avalanche multiplication region is very small, the ADD is beneficial for the fabrication of large-area SiPMs. However, because of difficulties in design and fabrication, no significant progress had been made, and the concept had not yet been verified. In this paper, preliminary results in the design, fabrication, and performance of a backside-illuminated ADD are reported; the difficulties in and limitations to the backside-illuminated ADD are analyzed.     

Efficiency and droop improvement in a blue InGaN-based light emitting diode with a p-InGaN layer inserted in the GaN barriers

The advantages of a blue InGaN-based light-emitting diode with a p-InGaN layer inserted in the GaN barriers is studied. The carrier concentration in the quantum well, radiative recombination rate in the active region, output power, and internal quantum efficiency are investigated. The simulation results show that the InGaN-based light-emitting diode with a p-InGaN layer inserted in the barriers has better performance over its conventional counterpart and the light emitting diode with p-GaN inserted in the barriers. The improvement is due to enhanced Mg acceptor activation and enhanced hole injection into the quantum wells.     

Dielectric spectroscopy studies of ZnO single crystal

Dielectric relaxation and charge transport induced by electron hopping in ZnO single crystal are measured by using a novocontrol broadband dielectric spectrometer. Typical Debye-like dielectric relaxation originating from electronic hopping between electronic traps and conductive band in surface Schottky barrier region is observed for ZnO single crystal-Au electrode system. However, after insulation of ZnO single crystal by heat treatment in rich oxygen atmosphere, dielectric relaxation and alternating current conductance are observed simultaneously in the dielectric spectra, implying that dielectric relaxation and charge transport can be induced simultaneously by electronic hopping at high temperature in an ordered system. The intrinsic correlation between local dielectric relaxation and long range charge transport offers us a new method to explore complicated dielectrics.     

Performance enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode with an AIGaN/InGaN superlattice electron-blocking layer

The efficiency enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode （LED） with an A1GaN/InGaN superlattice （SL） electron-blocking layer （EBL） is studied numerically, which involves the light-current performance curve, internal quan- tum efficiency electrostatic field band wavefunction, energy band diagram carrier concentration, electron current density, and radiative recombination rate. The simulation results indicate that the LED with an A1GaN/InGaN SL EBL has better optical performance than the LED with a conventional rectangular A1GaN EBL or a normal A1GaN/GaN SL EBL because of the appropriately modified energy band diagram, which is favorable ibr the injection of holes and confinement of elec- trons. Additionally, the efficiency droop of the LED with an AIGaN/InGaN SL EBL is markedly improved by reducing the polarization field in the active region.     

Conducting polymer based hybrid structure as transparent and flexible field electron emitter

An efficient cathode material with high transparency (93%) based on conducting polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been developed for the fabrication of highly transparent and flexible field electron emitters (FEE). This kind of material showed superior field emission (FE) performance with very high current density (10^–3A/cm²) at very low electric field. The FE performance of the hybrid materials was dramatically improved compared to either SWCNTs and PEDOT:PSS. Thus the hybrid structures of conducting polymer and SWCNTs might be a good choice for use as a cathode material to enhance the FE performance and for potential application in future portable displays. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison between blue lasers and light‐emitting diodes for future solid‐state lighting

Solid‐state lighting (SSL) is now the most efficient source of high color quality white light ever created. Nevertheless, the blue InGaN light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) that are the light engine of SSL still have significant performance limitations. Foremost among these is the decrease in efficiency at high input current densities widely known as “efficiency droop.” Efficiency droop limits input power densities, contrary to the desire to produce more photons per unit LED chip area and to make SSL more affordable. Pending a solution to efficiency droop, an alternative device could be a blue laser diode (LD). LDs, operated in stimulated emission, can have high efficiencies at much higher input power densities than LEDs can. In this article, LEDs and LDs for future SSL are explored by comparing: their current state‐of‐the‐art input‐power‐density‐dependent power‐conversion efficiencies; potential improvements both in their peak power‐conversion efficiencies and in the input power densities at which those efficiencies peak; and their economics for practical SSL.     

Crack growth on the basal plane in single crystal zinc: experiments and computations

Crack propagation on the basal planes in zinc was examined by means of in situ fracture testing of pre-cracked single crystals, with specific attention paid to the fracture mechanism. During quasistatic loading, crack propagation occurred in short bursts of dynamic crack extension followed by periods of arrests, the latter accompanied by plastic deformation and blunting of the crack-tip. In situ observations confirmed nucleation and propagation of microcracks on parallel basal planes and plastic deformation and failure of the linking ligaments. Pre-existing twins in the crack path serve as potent crack arrestors. The crystallographic orientation of the crack growth direction on the basal plane was found to influence both the fracture load as well as the deformation at the crack-tip, producing fracture surfaces of noticeably different appearances. Finite element analysis incorporating crystal plasticity was used to identify dominant slip systems and the stress distribution around the crack-tip in plane stress and plane strain. The computational results are helpful in rationalizing the experimental observations including the mechanism of crack propagation, the orientation dependence of crack-tip plasticity and the fracture surface morphology.