The study of multilayer anti-reflection coating in InSb focal plane detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Kelin; Wei, Peng; Wang, Liwen; Su, Xianjun; Wang, Haizhen

2016-10-01

In manufacturing of InSb focal plane detector, InSb chip have to be polished from backside to reduce its thickness and then be plated a layer of coating to decrease its reflection (enhance its transmittance) for infrared ray. Moreover, the anti-reflection coating has to be multilayer for more anti-reflection bandwidth. In this article, it is introduced that the optimal design of triple layer λ/4 anti-reflection coating——the anodic oxide, SiNx and MgF2. The best thickness range of each layer and its theoretical reflective index are calculated from simulation software, until the refractive index of each layer has been measured by ellipsometer. And then the transmissivity and reflectivity of the triple layer coating are measured for testing and verifying its performance on the transmittance and reflection. In the end, the anti-reflective effect of the triple layer coating and monolayer SiNx coating are respectively measured and compared by infrared focal plane array measurement system. And it is showed that this triple layer coating achieved more anti-reflection bandwidth and better anti reflective effect.

Advanced Antireflection Coatings for High-Performance Solar Energy Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pan, Noren

2015-01-01

Phase II objectives: Develop and refine antireflection coatings incorporating lanthanum titanate as an intermediate refractive index material; Investigate wet/dry thermal oxidation of aluminum containing semiconductor compounds as a means of forming a more transparent window layer with equal or better optical properties than its unoxidized form; Develop a fabrication process that allows integration of the oxidized window layer and maintains the necessary electrical properties for contacting the solar cell; Conduct an experimental demonstration of the best candidates for improved antireflection coatings.

Ellipsometry of single-layer antireflection coatings on transparent substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzam, R. M. A.

2017-11-01

The complex reflection coefficients of p- and s-polarized light and ellipsometric parameters of a transparent substrate of refractive index n2, which is coated by a transparent thin film whose refractive index n1 =√{n2 } satisfies the anti-reflection condition at normal incidence, are considered as functions of film thickness d and angle of incidence ϕ. A unique coated surface, with n1 =√{n2 } and film thickness d equal to half of the film-thickness period Dϕ at angle ϕ and wavelength λ, reflects light of the same wavelength without change of polarization for all incident polarization states. (The reflection Jones matrix of such coated surface is the 2 × 2 identity matrix pre-multiplied by a scalar, hence tanΨ = 1,Δ = 0.) To monitor the deposition of an antireflection coating, the normalized Stokes parameters of obliquely reflected light (e.g. at ϕ =70∘) are measured until predetermined target values of those parameters are detected. This provides a more accurate means of film thickness control than is possible using a micro-balance technique or an intensity reflectance method.

Yb:S-FAP Lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaffers, K I

It has recently been reported that several high power, diode-pumped laser systems have been developed based on crystals of Yb:S-FAP [Yb{sup 3+}:Sr{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F]. The Mercury Laser, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is the most prominent system using Yb:S-FAP and is currently producing 23J at 5 Hz in a 15 nsec pulse, based on partial activation of the system. In addition, a regenerative amplifier is being developed at Waseda University in Japan and has produced greater than 12 mJ with high beam quality at 50Hz repetition rate. Q-peak has demonstrated 16 mJ of maximum energy/output pulse in a multi-pass,more » diode side-pumped amplifier and ELSA in France is implementing Yb:S-FAP in a 985 nm pump for an EDFA, producing 250 mW. Growth of high optical quality crystals of Yb:S-FAP is a challenge due to multiple crystalline defects. However, at this time, a growth process has been developed to produce high quality 3.5 cm diameter Yb:S-FAP crystals and a process is under development for producing 6.5 cm diameter crystals.« less

High gain durable anti-reflective coating with oblate voids

DOEpatents

Maghsoodi, Sina; Brophy, Brenor L.; Colson, Thomas E.; Gonsalves, Peter R.; Abrams, Ze'ev

2016-06-28

Disclosed herein are single layer transparent coatings with an anti-reflective property, a hydrophobic property, and that are highly abrasion resistant. The single layer transparent coatings contain a plurality of oblate voids. At least 1% of the oblate voids are open to a surface of the single layer transparent coatings.

Fabrication of superhydrophilic and antireflective silica coatings on poly(methyl methacrylate) substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geng, Zhi; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; He, Junhui, E-mail: jhhe@mail.ipc.ac.cn

2012-06-15

Graphical abstract: Self-cleaning and antireflection properties were successfully achieved by assembling (PDDA/S-20){sub n} coatings on PMMA substrates followed by oxygen plasma treatment. Highlights: ► Porous silica coatings were created by layer-by-layer assembly on PMMA substrates. ► Silica coatings were treated by oxygen plasma. ► Porous silica coatings were highly antireflective and superhydrophilic on PMMA substrates. -- Abstract: Silica nanoparticles of ca. 20 nm in size were synthesized, from which hierarchically porous silica coatings were fabricated on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly followed by oxygen plasma treatment. These porous silica coatings were highly transparent and superhydrophilic. The maximummore » transmittance reached as high as 99%, whereas that of the PMMA substrate is only 92%. After oxygen plasma treatment, the time for a water droplet to spread to a contact angle of lower than 5° decreased to as short as 0.5 s. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the morphology and structure of nanoparticles and coating surfaces. Transmission and reflection spectra were recorded on UV–vis spectrophotometer. Surface wettability was studied by a contact angle/interface system. The influence of mesopores on the transmittance and wetting properties of coatings was discussed on the basis of experimental observations.« less

Antireflection coatings with SiOx-TiO2 multilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jong-Hong; Luo, Jen-Wei; Chuang, Shiou-Ruei; Chen, Bo-Ying

2014-11-01

In this study, we used SiOx-TiO2 multilayer antireflective coatings to achieve optical average transmittances of 94.93 and 98.07% for one-sided and double-sided coatings on a glass substrate, respectively. A SiOx film was employed as the material with a low refractive index and a TiO2 film as the material with a high refractive index. Results showed that when any layer thickness of the SiOx-TiO2 nano-multilayer (NML) structure is much less than the wavelength of visible light, the SiOx-TiO2 thickness ratio can be used to adjust the optical refractive index of the entire NML film. In this study, we produced dense antireflective coatings of three layers (SiOx, TiO2, and SiOx-TiO2 NML/glass substrate) and four layers (SiOx, TiO2, SiOx, and TiO2/glass substrate) with film thicknesses and refractive indices controlled by reactive magnetron sputtering. Thermal treatment at 600 °C in an air atmosphere was also shown to reduce the absorption of visible light, resolving the issue of degraded transparency caused by increasing sputtering speed. The microhardness of the antireflective film was 8.44 GPa, similar to that of the glass substrate. Process window analysis demonstrated the feasibility of the antireflective coating process window from an engineering standpoint. The thickness of the film deviated by less than 10% from the ideal thickness, corresponding to a 98% transmittance range, and the simulation and experimental results were relatively consistent.

Cicada-Wing-Inspired Self-Cleaning Antireflection Coatings on Polymer Substrates.

PubMed

Chen, Ying-Chu; Huang, Zhe-Sheng; Yang, Hongta

2015-11-18

The cicada has transparent wings with remarkable self-cleaning properties and high transmittance over the whole visible spectral range, which is derived from periodic conical structures covering the wing surface. Here we report a scalable self-assembly technique for fabricating multifunctional optical coatings that mimic cicada-wing structures. Spin-coated two-dimensional non-close-packed colloidal crystals are utilized as etching masks to pattern subwavelength-structured cone arrays directly on polymer substrates. The resulting gratings exhibit broadband antireflection performance and superhydrophobic properties after surface modification. The dependence of the cone shape and size on the antireflective and self-cleaning properties has also been investigated in this study.

Anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings with self-cleaning properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nair, Vinod; Brophy, Brenor L.

Disclosed herein is a coated glass element including a glass component and a coating adhered to the glass component through siloxane linkages, the coating having at least one of an anti-reflective property, a high abrasion resistance property and a hydrophobic property, wherein the coating comprises a dried gel formed from at least one hydrolyzed alkoxysilane-based sol and at least one hydrolyzed organosilane-based sol.

Scandium oxide antireflection coatings for superluminescent LEDs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ladany, I.; Zanzucchi, P. J.; Andrews, J. T.; Kane, J.; Depiano, E.

1986-01-01

For an employment of laser diodes as superluminescent LEDs (SLDs) or amplifiers, the facets of the diodes must be coated with antireflection films. In the work reported, scandium oxide was evaporated from an e-beam source onto Supersil II fused silica substrates. The obtained samples were used for measurements of absorption and reflectivity. Results of index measurements on e-beam evaporated films are presented. It is shown that excellent coatings with reflectivities of 0.00025 can be obtained using these films. Attention is given to the refractive indices for scandium oxide films as a function of wavelength, the power output vs current for laser before coating and after coating with Sc2O3.

Multilayer Anti-Reflective Coating Development for PMMA Fresnel Lenses

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-07

been sputter deposited on UV transparent polymethylmethacrylate (UVT-PMMA) windows. The amorphous coatings are deposited using reactive sputtering in a...SUBJECT TERMS Anti-reflective coatings, Fresnel lens, polymethylmethacrylate , PMMA 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18...high quality dielectric materials deposited on a variety of substrates including polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)  Highly amorphous films achieved

Terahertz antireflection coating enabled by a subwavelength metallic mesh capped with a thin dielectric film

DOE PAGES

Huang, Li; Chen, Hou -Tong; Zeng, Beibei; ...

2016-03-30

Metamaterials/metasurfaces have enabled unprecedented manipulation of electromagnetic waves. Here we present a new design of metasurface structure functioning as antireflection coatings. The structure consists of a subwavelength metallic mesh capped with a thin dielectric layer on top of a substrate. By tailoring the geometric parameters of the metallic mesh and the refractive index and thickness of the capping dielectric film, reflection from the substrate can be completely eliminated at a specific frequency. Compared to traditional methods such as coatings with single- or multi-layer dielectric films, the metasurface antireflection coatings are much thinner and the requirement of index matching is largelymore » lifted. Here, this approach is particularly suitable for antireflection coatings in the technically challenging terahertz frequency range and is also applicable in other frequency regimes.« less

Self-Assembled Double-Quarter Antireflective Coatings using Silica and Titania Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lal, Anitesh; Castedo Velasco, Raisa; Mazilu, Dan

2011-03-01

Antireflective coatings have a wide range of applications, from eyeglass and camera lenses, to solar panels and optoelectronic devices, to name just a few. Our study examines several factors that affect the quality of antireflective coatings created by the self-assembly of alternating layers of SiO2 and/or TiO2 nanoparticles and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) polycation on glass substrates. We use a factorial design to investigate the effects of the molarity of the nanoparticle solution, the size of the nanoparticles, the pH of the nanoparticle and polycation solutions, and the number of nanoparticle-polycation bilayers on the optical properties of the films. The first order effects of these factors, as well as their interactions, on the reflectance, transmittance, and uniformity of the coatings are reported.

Anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings for self-cleaning properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brophy, Brenor L.; Nair, Vinod; Dave, Bakul Champaklal

The disclosure discloses abrasion resistant, persistently hydrophobic and oleophobic, anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings for glass. The coatings described herein have wide application, including for example the front cover glass of solar modules. Methods of applying the coatings using various apparatus are disclosed. Methods for using the coatings in solar energy generation plants to achieve greater energy yield and reduced operations costs are disclosed. Coating materials are formed by combinations of hydrolyzed silane-base precursors through sol-gel processes. Several methods of synthesis and formulation of coating materials are disclosed.

Monolithic graded-refractive-index glass-based antireflective coatings. Broadband/omnidirectional light harvesting and self-cleaning characteristics

DOE PAGES

Aytug, Tolga; Lupini, Andrew R.; Jellison, Gerald E.; ...

2015-04-23

The design of multifunctional coatings impact impact the performance of many optical systems and components. Such coatings should be mechanically robust, and combine user-defined optical and wetting functions with scalable fabrication formulations. By taking cues from the properties of some natural biological structures, we report here the formation of low-refractive index antireflective glass films that embody omni-directional optical properties over a wide range of wavelengths, while also possessing specific wetting capabilities. The coatings comprise an interconnected network of nanoscale pores surrounded by a nanostructured silica framework. These structures result from a novel fabrication method that utilizes metastable spinodal phase separationmore » in glass-based materials. The approach not only enables design of surface microstructures with graded-index antireflection characteristics, where the surface reflection is suppressed through optical impedance matching between interfaces, but also facilitates self-cleaning ability through modification of the surface chemistry. Based on near complete elimination of Fresnel reflections (yielding >95% transmission through a single-side coated glass) and corresponding increase in broadband transmission, the fabricated nanostructured surfaces are found to promote a general and an invaluable ~3–7% relative increase in current output of multiple direct/indirect bandgap photovoltaic cells. Moreover, these antireflective surfaces also demonstrate superior resistance against mechanical wear and abrasion. Unlike conventional counterparts, the present antireflective coatings are essentially monolithic, enabling simultaneous realization of graded index anti-reflectivity, self-cleaning capability, and mechanical stability within the same surface. Moreover, the concept represents a fundamental basis for development of advanced coated optical quality products, especially where environmental exposure is required.« less

Anti-reflection coatings on large area glass sheets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pastirik, E.

1980-01-01

Antireflective coatings which may be suitable for use on the covers of photovoltaic solar modules can be easily produced by a dipping process. The coatings are applied to glass by drawing sheets of glass vertically out of dilute aqueous sodium silicate solutions at a constant speed, allowing the adherent liquid film to dry, then exposing the dried film to concentrated sulfuric acid, followed by a water rinse and dry. The process produces coatings of good optical performance (96.7 percent peak transmission at 0.540 mu M wavelength) combined with excellent stain and soil resistance, and good resistance to abrasion. The process is reproduceable and easily controlled.

Effects of positive ion implantation into antireflection coating of silicon solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Middleton, A. E.; Harpster, J. W.; Collis, W. J.; Kim, C. K.

1971-01-01

The state of technological development of Si solar cells for highest obtained efficiency and radiation resistance is summarized. The various theoretical analyses of Si solar cells are reviewed. It is shown that factors controlling blue response are carrier diffusion length, surface recombination, impurity concentration profile in surface region, high level of surface impurity concentration (degeneracy), reflection coefficient of oxide, and absorption coefficient of Si. The theory of ion implantation of charge into the oxide antireflection coating is developed and side effects are discussed. The experimental investigations were directed at determining whether the blue response of Si solar cells could be improved by phosphorus ion charges introduced into the oxide antireflection coating.

Hollow Rodlike MgF2 with an Ultralow Refractive Index for the Preparation of Multifunctional Antireflective Coatings.

PubMed

Bao, Lei; Ji, Zihan; Wang, Hongning; Chen, Ruoyu

2017-06-27

Antireflective coatings with superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, and wide-spectrum high-transmittance properties and good mechanical strength have important practical value. In this research, hollow nanorod-like MgF 2 sols with different void volumes were prepared by a template-free solvothermal method to further obtain hollow nanorod-like MgF 2 crystals with an ultralow refractive index of 1.14. Besides, a MgF 2 coating with an adjustable refractive index of 1.10-1.35 was also prepared by the template-free solvothermal method. Then through the combination of base/acid two-step-catalyzed TEOS and hydroxyl modification on the surface of nanosilica spheres, the SiO 2 coating with good mechanical strength, a flat surface, and a refractive index of 1.30-1.45 was obtained. Double-layer broadband antireflective coatings with an average transmittance of 99.6% at 400-1400 nm were designed using the relevant optical theory. After the coating thickness was optimized by the dip-coating method, the double-layer antireflective coatings, whose parameters were consistent with those designed by the theory, were obtained. The bottom layer was a SiO 2 coating with a refractive index of 1.34 and a thickness of 155 nm, and the top layer was a hollow rodlike MgF 2 coating with a refractive index of 1.10 and a thickness of 165 nm. The average transmittance of the obtained MgF 2 -SiO 2 antireflective coatings was 99.1% at 400-1400 nm, which was close to the theoretical value. The hydrophobic angle of the coating surface reached 119° at first, and the angle further reached 152° after conducting surface modification by PFOTES. In addition, because the porosity of the coating surface was only 10.7%, the pencil hardness of the coating surface was 5 H and the critical load Lc was 27.05 N. In summary, the obtained antireflective coatings possessed superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, and wide-spectrum high-transmittance properties and good mechanical strength.

Front surface passivation of silicon solar cells with antireflection coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crotty, G.; Daud, T.; Kachare, R.

1987-01-01

It is demonstrated that the deposition and postdeposition sintering of an antireflection (AR) coating in hydrogen acts to passivate silicon solar cells. Cells with and without an SiO2 passivating layer, coated with a TiO(x)/Al2O3 AR coating, showed comparable enhancements in short-wavelength spectral response and in open-circuit voltage Voc after sintering at 400 C for 5 min in a hydrogen ambient. The improvement in Voc of cells without SiO2 is attributed to front-surface passivation by the AR coating during processing.

Buried nanoantenna arrays: versatile antireflection coating.

PubMed

Kabiri, Ali; Girgis, Emad; Capasso, Federico

2013-01-01

Reflection is usually a detrimental phenomenon in many applications such as flat-panel-displays, solar cells, photodetectors, infrared sensors, and lenses. Thus far, to control and suppress the reflection from a substrate, numerous techniques including dielectric interference coatings, surface texturing, adiabatic index matching, and scattering from plasmonic nanoparticles have been investigated. A new technique is demonstrated to manage and suppress reflection from lossless and lossy substrates. It provides a wider flexibility in design versus previous methods. Reflection from a surface can be suppressed over a narrowband, wideband, or multiband frequency range. The antireflection can be dependent or independent of the incident wave polarization. Moreover, antireflection at a very wide incidence angle can be attained. The reflection from a substrate is controlled by a buried nanoantenna array, a structure composed of (1) a subwavelength metallic array and (2) a dielectric cover layer referred to as a superstrate. The material properties and thickness of the superstrate and nanoantennas' geometry and periodicity control the phase and intensity of the wave circulating inside the superstrate cavity. A minimum reflectance of 0.02% is achieved in various experiments in the mid-infrared from a silicon substrate. The design can be integrated in straightforward way in optical devices. The proposed structure is a versatile AR coating to optically impedance matches any substrate to free space in selected any narrow and broadband spectral response across the entire visible and infrared spectrum.

Antireflection Coatings for Silicon in the 2.5-50-microm Region.

PubMed

Sherman, G H; Coleman, P D

1971-12-01

It has been found that vacuum-deposited films of CsI, AgCl, TlBr, and TlCl are useful as antireflection coatings for silicon over a broad spectral range in the infrared. Measurements performed on a plane-parallel silicon plate coated with various thicknesses of the above materials yield transmittance values ranging from 99% at lambda = 2.9 microm to 88% at lambda = 27 microm. Experimental details of the coating process and properties of the coatings are discussed.

Epoxy-based broadband antireflection coating for millimeter-wave optics.

PubMed

Rosen, Darin; Suzuki, Aritoki; Keating, Brian; Krantz, William; Lee, Adrian T; Quealy, Erin; Richards, Paul L; Siritanasak, Praween; Walker, William

2013-11-20

We have developed epoxy-based, broadband antireflection coatings for millimeter-wave astrophysics experiments with cryogenic optics. By using multiple-layer coatings where each layer steps in dielectric constant, we achieved low reflection over a wide bandwidth. We suppressed the reflection from an alumina disk to 10% over fractional bandwidths of 92% and 104% using two-layer and three-layer coatings, respectively. The dielectric constants of epoxies were tuned between 2.06 and 7.44 by mixing three types of epoxy and doping with strontium titanate powder required for the high dielectric mixtures. At 140 K, the band-integrated absorption loss in the coatings was suppressed to less than 1% for the two-layer coating, and below 10% for the three-layer coating.

Antireflective Coatings: Conventional Stacking Layers and Ultrathin Plasmonic Metasurfaces, A Mini-Review

PubMed Central

Keshavarz Hedayati, Mehdi; Elbahri, Mady

2016-01-01

Reduction of unwanted light reflection from a surface of a substance is very essential for improvement of the performance of optical and photonic devices. Antireflective coatings (ARCs) made of single or stacking layers of dielectrics, nano/microstructures or a mixture of both are the conventional design geometry for suppression of reflection. Recent progress in theoretical nanophotonics and nanofabrication has enabled more flexibility in design and fabrication of miniaturized coatings which has in turn advanced the field of ARCs considerably. In particular, the emergence of plasmonic and metasurfaces allows for the realization of broadband and angular-insensitive ARC coatings at an order of magnitude thinner than the operational wavelengths. In this review, a short overview of the development of ARCs, with particular attention paid to the state-of-the-art plasmonic- and metasurface-based antireflective surfaces, is presented. PMID:28773620

Broadband optical antireflection enhancement by integrating antireflective nanoislands with silicon nanoconical-frustum arrays.

PubMed

Park, Haesung; Shin, Dongheok; Kang, Gumin; Baek, Seunghwa; Kim, Kyoungsik; Padilla, Willie J

2011-12-22

Based on conventional colloidal nanosphere lithography, we experimentally demonstrate novel graded-index nanostructures for broadband optical antireflection enhancement including the near-ultraviolet (NUV) region by integrating residual polystyrene antireflective (AR) nanoislands coating arrays with silicon nano-conical-frustum arrays. This is a feasible optimized integration method of two major approaches for antireflective surfaces: quarter-wavelength AR coating and biomimetic moth's eye structure. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Novel Passivating/Antireflective Coatings for Space Solar Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faur, Mircea; Faur, Maria; Bailey, S. G.; Flood, D. J.; Faur, H. M.; Mateescu, C. G.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Scheiman, D.; Jenkins, P. P.; Brinker, D. J.

2005-01-01

We are developing a novel process to grow passivating/antireflective (AR) coatings for terrestrial and space solar cells. Our approach involves a Room Temperature Wet Chemical Growth (RTWCG) process, which was pioneered, and is under development at SPECMAT, Inc., under a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA Glenn Research Center. The RTWCG passivating/AR coatings with graded index of refraction are applied in one easy step on finished (bare) cells. The RTWCG coatings grown on planar, textured and porous Si, as well as on poly-Si, CuInSe2, and III-V substrates, show excellent uniformity irrespective of surface topography, crystal orientation, size and shape. In this paper we present some preliminary results of the RTWCG coatings on Si and III-V substrates that show very good potential for use as a passivation/AR coating for space solar cell applications. Compared to coatings grown using conventional techniques, the RTWCG coatings have the potential to reduce reflection losses and improve current collection near the illuminated surface of space solar cells, while reducing the fabrication costs.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Chemical Passivation Layers and High Performance Anti-Reflection Coatings on Back-Illuminated Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoenk, Michael E. (Inventor); Greer, Frank (Inventor); Nikzad, Shouleh (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A back-illuminated silicon photodetector has a layer of Al2O3 deposited on a silicon oxide surface that receives electromagnetic radiation to be detected. The Al2O3 layer has an antireflection coating deposited thereon. The Al2O3 layer provides a chemically resistant separation layer between the silicon oxide surface and the antireflection coating. The Al2O3 layer is thin enough that it is optically innocuous. Under deep ultraviolet radiation, the silicon oxide layer and the antireflection coating do not interact chemically. In one embodiment, the silicon photodetector has a delta-doped layer near (within a few nanometers of) the silicon oxide surface. The Al2O3 layer is expected to provide similar protection for doped layers fabricated using other methods, such as MBE, ion implantation and CVD deposition.

Effect of sol aging time on the anti-reflective properties of silica coatings templated with phosphoric acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Wen; Li, Haibin; Chen, Xiaojing; Chang, Chengkang

Silica anti-reflective coatings have been prepared by a sol-gel dip-coating process using the sol containing phosphoric acid as a pore-forming template. The effect of the aging time of the sol on the anti-reflective properties has been investigated. The surface topography of the silica AR coatings has been characterized. With increasing sol aging time, more over-sized pores larger than 100 nm are formed in the silica coatings. These could act as scattering centers, scattering visible light and thereby lowering transmittance. The optimal aging time was identified as 1 day, and the corresponding silica coatings showed a maximum transmittance of 99.2%, representing an 8% increase compared to the bare glass substrate.

UV testing of solar cells: Effects of antireflective coating, prior irradiation, and UV source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meulenberg, A.

1993-01-01

Short-circuit current degradation of electron irradiated double-layer antireflective-coated cells after 3000 hours ultraviolet (UV) exposure exceeds 3 percent; extrapolation of the data to 10(exp 5) hours (11.4 yrs.) gives a degradation that exceeds 10 percent. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences in degradation were observed in cells with double- and single-layer antireflective coatings. The effects of UV-source age were observed and corrections were made to the data. An additional degradation mechanism was identified that occurs only in previously electron-irradiated solar cells since identical unirradiated cells degrade to only 6 +/- 3 percent when extrapolated 10(exp 5) hours of UV illumination.

Influence of double- and triple-layer antireflection coatings on the formation of photocurrents in multijunction III–V solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Musalinov, S. B.; Anzulevich, A. P.; Bychkov, I. V.

2017-01-15

The results of simulation by the transfer-matrix method of TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} double-layer and TiO{sub 2}/Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/SiO{sub 2} triple-layer antireflection coatings for multijunction InGaP/GaAs/Ge heterostructure solar cells are presented. The TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} double-layer antireflection coating is experimentally developed and optimized. The experimental spectral dependences of the external quantum yield of the InGaP/GaAs/Ge heterostructure solar cell and optical characteristics of antireflection coatings, obtained in the simulation, are used to determine the photogenerated current densities of each subcell in the InGaP/GaAs/Ge solar cell under AM1.5D irradiation conditions (1000 W/m{sup 2}) and for the case of zero reflection loss. It ismore » shown in the simulation that the optimized TiO{sub 2}/Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/SiO{sub 2} triple-layer antireflection coating provides a 2.3 mA/cm{sup 2} gain in the photocurrent density for the Ge subcell under AM1.5D conditions in comparison with the TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} double-layer antireflection coating under consideration. This thereby provides an increase in the fill factor of the current–voltage curve and in the output electric power of the multijunction solar cell.« less

Synthesis and Characterization of Antireflective ZnO Nanoparticles Coatings Used for Energy Improving Efficiency of Silicone Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pîslaru-Dănescu, Lucian; Chitanu, Elena; El-Leathey, Lucia-Andreea; Marinescu, Virgil; Marin, Dorian; Sbârcea, Beatrice-Gabriela

2018-05-01

The paper proposes a new and complex process for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for antireflective coating corresponding to silicone solar cells applications. The process consists of two major steps: preparation of seed layer and hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanoparticles. Due to the fact that the seed layer morphology influences the ZnO nanoparticles proprieties, the process optimization of the seed layer preparation is necessary. Following the hydrothermal growth of the ZnO nanoparticles, antireflective coating of silicone solar cells is achieved. After determining the functional parameters of the solar cells provided either with glass or with ZnO, it is concluded that all the parameters values are superior in the case of solar cells with ZnO antireflection coating and are increasing along with the solar irradiance.

Pushing the Limits of Broadband and High-Frequency Metamaterial Silicon Antireflection Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coughlin, K. P.; McMahon, J. J.; Crowley, K. T.; Koopman, B. J.; Miller, K. H.; Simon, S. M.; Wollack, E. J.

2018-05-01

Broadband refractive optics realized from high-index materials provide compelling design solutions for the next generation of observatories for the cosmic microwave background and for sub-millimeter astronomy. In this paper, work is presented which extends the state of the art in silicon lenses with metamaterial antireflection coatings toward larger-bandwidth and higher-frequency operation. Examples presented include octave bandwidth coatings with less than 0.5% reflection, a prototype 4:1 bandwidth coating, and a coating optimized for 1.4 THz. For these coatings, the detailed design, fabrication and testing processes are described as well as the inherent performance trade-offs.

A simple antireflection overcoat for opaque coatings in the submillimeter region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, S. M.

1986-01-01

An antireflection overcoat for opaque baffle coatings in the far infrared (FIR)/submillimeter region was made from a simple Teflon spray-on lubricant. The Teflon overcoat reduced the specular reflectance of four different opaque coatings by nearly a factor of two. Analysis, based on the interference term of a reflecting-layer model, indicates that in the submillimeter region the reduced reflectance depends primarily on the refractive index of the overcoat and very little on its thickness.

Impact of different cleaning processes on the laser damage threshold of antireflection coatings for Z-Backlighter optics at Sandia National Laboratories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Field, Ella; Bellum, John; Kletecka, Damon

We have examined how different cleaning processes affect the laser-induced damage threshold of antireflection coatings for large dimension, Z-Backlighter laser optics at Sandia National Laboratories. Laser damage thresholds were measured after the coatings were created, and again 4 months later to determine which cleaning processes were most effective. There is a nearly twofold increase in laser-induced damage threshold between the antireflection coatings that were cleaned and those that were not cleaned. Aging of the coatings after 4 months resulted in even higher laser-induced damage thresholds. Also, the laser-induced damage threshold results revealed that every antireflection coating had a high defectmore » density, despite the cleaning process used, which indicates that improvements to either the cleaning or deposition processes should provide even higher laser-induced damage thresholds.« less

Impact of different cleaning processes on the laser damage threshold of antireflection coatings for Z-Backlighter optics at Sandia National Laboratories

DOE PAGES

Field, Ella; Bellum, John; Kletecka, Damon

2014-11-06

We have examined how different cleaning processes affect the laser-induced damage threshold of antireflection coatings for large dimension, Z-Backlighter laser optics at Sandia National Laboratories. Laser damage thresholds were measured after the coatings were created, and again 4 months later to determine which cleaning processes were most effective. There is a nearly twofold increase in laser-induced damage threshold between the antireflection coatings that were cleaned and those that were not cleaned. Aging of the coatings after 4 months resulted in even higher laser-induced damage thresholds. Also, the laser-induced damage threshold results revealed that every antireflection coating had a high defectmore » density, despite the cleaning process used, which indicates that improvements to either the cleaning or deposition processes should provide even higher laser-induced damage thresholds.« less

Electrical and Optical Characterization of Sputtered Silicon Dioxide, Indium Tin Oxide, and Silicon Dioxide/Indium Tin Oxide Antireflection Coating on Single-Junction GaAs Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Ho, Wen-Jeng; Lin, Jian-Cheng; Liu, Jheng-Jie; Bai, Wen-Bin; Shiao, Hung-Pin

2017-01-01

This study characterized the electrical and optical properties of single-junction GaAs solar cells coated with antireflective layers of silicon dioxide (SiO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), and a hybrid layer of SiO2/ITO applied using Radio frequency (RF) sputtering. The conductivity and transparency of the ITO film were characterized prior to application on GaAs cells. Reverse saturation-current and ideality factor were used to evaluate the passivation performance of the various coatings on GaAs solar cells. Optical reflectance and external quantum efficiency response were used to evaluate the antireflective performance of the coatings. Photovoltaic current-voltage measurements were used to confirm the efficiency enhancement obtained by the presence of the anti-reflective coatings. The conversion efficiency of the GaAs cells with an ITO antireflective coating (23.52%) exceeded that of cells with a SiO2 antireflective coating (21.92%). Due to lower series resistance and higher short-circuit current-density, the carrier collection of the GaAs cell with ITO coating exceeded that of the cell with a SiO2/ITO coating. PMID:28773063

Sol-Gel Processing of MgF₂ Antireflective Coatings.

PubMed

Löbmann, Peer

2018-05-02

There are different approaches for the preparation of porous antireflective λ/4 MgF₂ films from liquid precursors. Among these, the non-aqueous fluorolytic synthesis of precursor solutions offers many advantages in terms of processing simplicity and scalability. In this paper, the structural features and optical performance of the resulting films are highlighted, and their specific interactions with different inorganic substrates are discussed. Due to their excellent abrasion resistance, coatings have a high potential for applications on glass. Using solvothermal treatment of precursor solutions, also the processing of thermally sensitive polymer substrates becomes feasible.

Organic antireflective coatings for 193-nm lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trefonas, Peter, III; Blacksmith, Robert F.; Szmanda, Charles R.; Kavanagh, Robert J.; Adams, Timothy G.; Taylor, Gary N.; Coley, Suzanne; Pohlers, Gerd

1999-06-01

Organic anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) continue to play an important role in semiconductor manufacturing. These materials provide a convenient means of greatly reducing the resist photospeed swing and reflective notching. In this paper, we describe a novel class of ARC materials optimized for lithographic applications using 193 nm exposure tools. These ARCs are based upon polymers containing hydroxyl-alkyl methacrylate monomers for crosslinkable sites, styrene for a chromophore at 193 nm, and additional alkyl-methacrylate monomers as property modifiers. A glycouril crosslinker and a thermally-activated acidic catalyst provide a route to forming an impervious crosslinked film activate data high bake temperatures. ARC compositions can be adjusted to optimize the film's real and imaginary refractive indices. Selection of optimal target indices for 193 nm lithographic processing through simulations is described. Potential chromophores for 193 nm were explored using ZNDO modeling. We show how these theoretical studies were combined with material selection criteria to yield a versatile organic anti-reflectant film, Shipley 193 G0 ARC. Lithographic process data indicates the materials is capable of supporting high resolution patterning, with the line features displaying a sharp resist/ARC interface with low line edge roughness. The resist Eo swing is successfully reduced from 43 percent to 6 percent.

Anti-reflection coating design for metallic terahertz meta-materials.

PubMed

Pancaldi, Matteo; Freeman, Ryan; Hudl, Matthias; Hoffmann, Matthias C; Urazhdin, Sergei; Vavassori, Paolo; Bonetti, Stefano

2018-02-05

We demonstrate a silicon-based, single-layer anti-reflection coating that suppresses the reflectivity of metals at near-infrared frequencies, enabling optical probing of nano-scale structures embedded in highly reflective surroundings. Our design does not affect the interaction of terahertz radiation with metallic structures that can be used to achieve terahertz near-field enhancement. We have verified the functionality of the design by calculating and measuring the reflectivity of both infrared and terahertz radiation from a silicon/gold double layer as a function of the silicon thickness. We have also fabricated the unit cell of a terahertz meta-material, a dipole antenna comprising two 20-nm thick extended gold plates separated by a 2 μm gap, where the terahertz field is locally enhanced. We used the time-domain finite element method to demonstrate that such near-field enhancement is preserved in the presence of the anti-reflection coating. Finally, we performed magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements on a single 3-nm thick, 1-μm wide magnetic wire placed in the gap of such a dipole antenna. The wire only occupies 2% of the area probed by the laser beam, but its magneto-optical response can be clearly detected. Our design paves the way for ultrafast time-resolved studies, using table-top femtosecond near-infrared lasers, of dynamics in nano-structures driven by strong terahertz radiation.

1059 and 1328nm LD pumped Nd:S-FAP solid state laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun Lianke; Zhang Shaojun; Zhao Shengzhi

In this paper the authors introduce a new laser crystal--Nd{sup 3+}:Sr{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F, Nd:S-FAP, and present its optical and physical characteristics. Based on the experiment lasing performance of CW LD pumped Nd:S-FAP crystal is reported here: the threshold and slope efficiency of 1059 nm Nd:S-FAP laser pumped by CW LD at 805nm are 7mW and 41%, and that of 1328nm Nd:S-FAP laser are 19mW and 35%. The comparison between experimental result and theoretical calculation is also discussed in this paper.

Improved HgCdTe detectors with novel antireflection coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, Sachi R.; Hu, Kelley; Manthripragada, Sridhar; Martineau, Robert J.; Kotecki, C. A.; Peters, F. A.; Burgess, A. S.; Krebs, Danny J.; Mott, David B.; Ewin, Audrey J.; Miles, A.; Nguyen, Trang L.; Shu, Peter K.

1996-10-01

The composite infrared spctrometer (CIRS) is an important instrument for the upcoming Cassini mission for sensing infrared (IR) radiation from the Saturanian planetary system. We have delivered a linear, ten element, mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) photoconductive detector array for use on focal plane 3 (FP3), which is responsible for detecting radiation from the 9.1 micrometer to 16.6 micrometer wavelength range. Reliable HgCdTe detectors require robust passivation, a low-stress zinc sulfide (ZnS) anti-reflection (AR) coating with good adhesion, and a proper optical cavity design to smooth out the resonance in the detector spectral response. During the development of CIRS flight array, we have demonstrated the potential of using an in-situ interfacial layer, such as SiN(subscript x), between ZnS and the anodic oxide. Such an interfacial layer drastically improves the adhesion between the ZnS and oxide, without degrading the minority carrier lifetime. We have also demonstrated the feasibility of applying a SiN(subscript x) 'rain coat' layer over the ZnS to prevent moisture and other chemicals from attacking the AR coating, thus improving the long term reliability. This also enables device operation in a hazardous environment. The alumina/epoxy/HgCdTe/oxide/ZnS structure is a complicated multi-cavity optical system. We have developed an extensive device simulation, which enables us to make the optimal choice of individual cavity thickness for minimizing the resonance and maximizing the quantum efficiency. We have also used 0.05 micrometer alumina powder loaded epoxy to minimize the reflections at the epoxy/HgCdTe interface, thus minimizing the resonance.

Antireflective graded index silica coating, method for making

DOEpatents

Yoldas, Bulent E.; Partlow, Deborah P.

1985-01-01

Antireflective silica coating for vitreous material is substantially non-reflecting over a wide band of radiations. This is achieved by providing the coating with a graded degree of porosity which grades the index of refraction between that of air and the vitreous material of the substrate. To prepare the coating, there is first prepared a silicon-alkoxide-based coating solution of particular polymer structure produced by a controlled proportion of water to alkoxide and a controlled concentration of alkoxide to solution, along with a small amount of catalyst. The primary solvent is alcohol and the solution is polymerized and hydrolized under controlled conditions prior to use. The prepared solution is applied as a film to the vitreous substrate and rapidly dried. It is thereafter heated under controlled conditions to volatilize the hydroxyl radicals and organics therefrom and then to produce a suitable pore morphology in the residual porous silica layer. The silica layer is then etched in order to enlarge the pores in a graded fashion, with the largest of the pores remaining being sufficiently small that radiations to be passed through the substrate are not significantly scattered. For use with quartz substrates, extremely durable coatings which display only 0.1% reflectivity have been prepared.

Laser pulse transmission and damage threshold of silica fibers with antireflective coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meister, Stefan; Wosniok, Alexander; Riesbeck, Thomas; Scharfenorth, Chris; Eichler, Hans J.

2005-03-01

Standard 200 μm multimode fibers with Ta2O5/SiO2 antireflective coatings reach a transmission of more than 99.5% below the threshold of stimulated Brillouin scattering. The laser-induced damage threshold measured at 1064 nm and 24 ns pulse duration was about half than the LIDT of uncoated fibers.

Broad-bandwidth Metamaterial Antireflection Coatings for Sub-Millimeter Astronomy and CMB Foreground Removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahon, Jeff

Sub-millimeter observations are crucial for answering questions about star and galaxy formation; understanding galactic dust foregrounds; and for removing these foregrounds to detect the faint signature of inflationary gravitational waves in the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Achieving these goals requires improved, broad-band antireflection coated lenses and half-wave plates (HWPs). These optical elements will significantly boost the sensitivity and capability of future sub-millimeter and CMB missions. We propose to develop wide-bandwidth metamaterial antireflection coatings for silicon lenses and sapphire HWPs with 3:1 ratio bandwidth that are scalable across the sub-millimeter band from 300 GHz to 3 THz. This is an extension of our successful work on saw cut metamaterial AR coatings for silicon optics at millimeter wave lengths. These, and the proposed coatings consist of arrays of sub-wavelength scale features cut into optical surfaces that behave like simple dielectrics. We have demonstrated saw cut 3:1 bandwidth coatings on silicon lenses, but these coatings are limited to the millimeter wave band by the limitations of dicing saw machining. The crucial advance needed to extend these broad band coatings throughout the sub-millimeter band is the development of laser cut graded index metamaterial coatings. The proposed work includes developing the capability to fabricate these coatings, optimizing the design of these metamaterials, fabricating and testing prototype lenses and HWPs, and working with the PIPER collaboration to achieve a sub-orbital demonstration of this technology. The proposed work will develop potentially revolutionary new high performance coatings for the sub-millimeter bands, and cary this technology to TRL 7 paving the way for its use in space. We anticipate that there will be a wide range of applications for these coatings on future NASA balloons and satellites.

Anti-reflection coating design for metallic terahertz meta-materials

DOE PAGES

Pancaldi, Matteo; Freeman, Ryan; Hudl, Matthias; ...

2018-01-26

We demonstrate a silicon-based, single-layer anti-reflection coating that suppresses the reflectivity of metals at near-infrared frequencies, enabling optical probing of nano-scale structures embedded in highly reflective surroundings. Our design does not affect the interaction of terahertz radiation with metallic structures that can be used to achieve terahertz near-field enhancement. We have verified the functionality of the design by calculating and measuring the reflectivity of both infrared and terahertz radiation from a silicon/gold double layer as a function of the silicon thickness. We have also fabricated the unit cell of a terahertz meta-material, a dipole antenna comprising two 20-nm thick extendedmore » gold plates separated by a 2 μm gap, where the terahertz field is locally enhanced. We used the time-domain finite element method to demonstrate that such near-field enhancement is preserved in the presence of the anti-reflection coating. Finally, we performed magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements on a single 3-nm thick, 1-μm wide magnetic wire placed in the gap of such a dipole antenna. The wire only occupies 2% of the area probed by the laser beam, but its magneto-optical response can be clearly detected. Our design paves the way for ultrafast time-resolved studies, using table-top femtosecond near-infrared lasers, of dynamics in nano-structures driven by strong terahertz radiation.« less

Anti-reflection coating design for metallic terahertz meta-materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pancaldi, Matteo; Freeman, Ryan; Hudl, Matthias

We demonstrate a silicon-based, single-layer anti-reflection coating that suppresses the reflectivity of metals at near-infrared frequencies, enabling optical probing of nano-scale structures embedded in highly reflective surroundings. Our design does not affect the interaction of terahertz radiation with metallic structures that can be used to achieve terahertz near-field enhancement. We have verified the functionality of the design by calculating and measuring the reflectivity of both infrared and terahertz radiation from a silicon/gold double layer as a function of the silicon thickness. We have also fabricated the unit cell of a terahertz meta-material, a dipole antenna comprising two 20-nm thick extendedmore » gold plates separated by a 2 μm gap, where the terahertz field is locally enhanced. We used the time-domain finite element method to demonstrate that such near-field enhancement is preserved in the presence of the anti-reflection coating. Finally, we performed magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements on a single 3-nm thick, 1-μm wide magnetic wire placed in the gap of such a dipole antenna. The wire only occupies 2% of the area probed by the laser beam, but its magneto-optical response can be clearly detected. Our design paves the way for ultrafast time-resolved studies, using table-top femtosecond near-infrared lasers, of dynamics in nano-structures driven by strong terahertz radiation.« less

Laser pulse power transmission limits of silica fibers with antireflective coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meister, St.; Wosniok, A.; Seewald, G.; Scharfenorth, Ch.; Eichler, H. J.

2005-04-01

Multimode optical fibers are used for the transmission of high power laser pulses and as phase conjugated mirrors by stimulated Brillouin scattering. Both applications are enhanced by antireflection coatings on the fiber end-faces. Fiber transmissions reach more than 99.5% for pulse energies below the threshold of stimulated Brillouin scattering. Laser-induced damage thresholds of the fibers coated with Ta2O5 / SiO2 were measured at 1064 nm and 24 ns pulse duration. A damage threshold of up to 101 J/cm2 could be achieved. The damage morphology was investigated using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Sol-gel preparation of hydrophobic silica antireflective coatings with low refractive index by base/acid two-step catalysis.

PubMed

Cai, Shuang; Zhang, Yulu; Zhang, Hongli; Yan, Hongwei; Lv, Haibing; Jiang, Bo

2014-07-23

Hydrophobic antireflective coatings with a low refractive index were prepared via a base/acid-catalyzed two-step sol-gel process using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) as precursors, respectively. The base-catalyzed hydrolysis of TEOS leads to the formation of a sol with spherical silica particles in the first step. In the second step, the acid-catalyzed MTES hydrolysis and condensation occur at the surface of the initial base-catalyzed spherical silica particles, which enlarge the silica particle size from 12.9 to 35.0 nm. By a dip-coating process, this hybrid sol gives an antireflective coating with a refractive index of about 1.15. Moreover, the water contact angles of the resulted coatings increase from 22.4 to 108.7° with the increases of MTES content, which affords the coatings an excellent hydrophobicity. A "core-shell" particle growth mechanism of the hybrid sol was proposed and the relationship between the microstructure of silica sols and the properties of AR coatings was investigated.

Broadband antireflective silicon nanostructures produced by spin-coated Ag nanoparticles

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We report the fabrication of broadband antireflective silicon (Si) nanostructures fabricated using spin-coated silver (Ag) nanoparticles as an etch mask followed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching process. This fabrication technique is a simple, fast, cost-effective, and high-throughput method, making it highly suitable for mass production. Prior to the fabrication of Si nanostructures, theoretical investigations were carried out using a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method in order to determine the effects of variations in the geometrical features of Si nanostructures to obtain antireflection over a broad wavelength range. The Ag ink ratio and ICP etching conditions, which can affect the distribution, distance between the adjacent nanostructures, and height of the resulting Si nanostructures, were carefully adjusted to determine the optimal experimental conditions for obtaining desirable Si nanostructures for practical applications. The Si nanostructures fabricated using the optimal experimental conditions showed a very low average reflectance of 8.3%, which is much lower than that of bulk Si (36.8%), as well as a very low reflectance for a wide range of incident angles and different polarizations over a broad wavelength range of 300 to 1,100 nm. These results indicate that the fabrication technique is highly beneficial to produce antireflective structures for Si-based device applications requiring low light reflection. PMID:24484636

Near zero reflection by nanostructured anti-reflection coating design for Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Fandi, Mohamed; Makableh, Yahia F.; Khasawneh, Mohammad; Rabady, Rabi

2018-05-01

The nanostructure design of near zero reflection coating for Si substrates by using ZnO Nanoneedles (ZnONN) is performed and optimized for the visible spectral range. The design investigates the ZnONN tip to body ratio effect on the anti-reflection coating properties. Different tip to body ratios are used on Si substrates. Around zero reflection is achieved by the Nanoneedles structure design presented in this work, leading to minimal reflection losses from the Si surface. The current design evolves a solution to optical losses and surface contamination effects associated with Si solar cells.

Novel conformal organic antireflective coatings for advanced I-line lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, Shreeram V.; Nowak, Kelly A.; Fowler, Shelly; Williams, Paul; Arjona, Mikko

2001-08-01

Flash memory chips are playing a critical role in semiconductor devices due to increased popularity of hand held electronic communication devices such as cell phones and PDAs (personal Digital Assistants). Flash memory offers two primary advantages in semiconductor devices. First, it offers flexibility of in-circuit programming capability to reduce the loss from programming errors and to significantly reduce commercialization time to market for new devices. Second, flash memory has a double density memory capability through stacked gate structures which increases the memory capability and thus saves significantly on chip real estate. However, due to stacked gate structures the requirements for manufacturing of flash memory devices are significantly different from traditional memory devices. Stacked gate structures also offer unique challenges to lithographic patterning materials such as Bottom Anti-Reflective Coating (BARC) compositions used to achieve CD control and to minimize standing wave effect in photolithography. To be applicable in flash memory manufacturing a BARC should form a conformal coating on high topography of stacked gate features as well as provide the normal anti-reflection properties for CD control. In this paper we report on a new highly conformal advanced i-line BARC for use in design and manufacture of flash memory devices. Conformal BARCs being significantly thinner in trenches than the planarizing BARCs offer the advantage of reducing BARC overetch and thus minimizing resist thickness loss.

Characterization of Silicon Moth-Eye Antireflection Coatings for Astronomical Applications in the Infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeram, Sarik; Ge, Jian; Jiang, Peng; Phillips, Blayne

2016-01-01

Silicon moth-eye antireflective structures have emerged to be an excellent approachfor reducing the amount of light that is lost upon incidence on a given surface of optics made of silicon. This property has been exploited for a wide variety of products ranging from eyeglasses and flat-panel displays to solar panels. These materials typically come in the form of coatings that are applied to an optical substrate such as glass. Moth-eye coatings, made of a periodic array of subwavelength pillars on silicon substrates or other substrates, can produce the desired antireflection (AR) performance for a broad wavelength range and over a wide range of incident angles. In the field of astronomy, every photon striking a detector is significant - and thus, losses from reflectivity at the various optical interfaces before a detector can have significant implications to the science at hand. Moth-eye AR coatings on these optical interfaces may minimize their reflection losses while maximizing light throughput for a multitude of different astronomical instruments. In addition, moth-eye AR coatings, which are patterned directly on silicon surfaces, can significantly enhance the coating durability. At the University of Florida, we tested two moth-eye filters designed for use in the near-infrared regime at 1-8 microns by examining their optical properties, such as transmission, the scattered light, and wavefront quality, and testing the coatings at cryogenic temperatures to characterize their viability for use in both ground- and space-based infrared instruments. This presentation will report our lab evaluation results.

Antireflective coatings with adjustable refractive index and porosity synthesized by micelle-templated deposition of MgF2 sol particles.

PubMed

Bernsmeier, Denis; Polte, Jörg; Ortel, Erik; Krahl, Thoralf; Kemnitz, Erhard; Kraehnert, Ralph

2014-11-26

Minimizing efficiency losses caused by unwanted light reflection at the interface between lenses, optical instruments and solar cells with the surrounding medium requires antireflective coatings with adequate refractive index and coating thickness. We describe a new type of antireflective coating material with easily and independently tailorable refractive index and coating thickness based on the deposition of colloidal MgF2 nanoparticles. The material synthesis employs micelles of amphiphilic block copolymers as structure directing agent to introduce controlled mesoporosity into MgF2 film. The coatings thickness can be easily adjusted by the applied coating conditions. The coatings refractive index is determined by the materials porosity, which is controlled by the amount of employed pore template. The refractive index can be precisely tuned between 1.23 and 1.11, i.e., in a range that is not accessible to nonporous inorganic materials. Hence, zero reflectance conditions can be established for a wide range of substrate materials.

Nanostructured Anti-Reflecting and Water-Repellent Surface Coatings

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-13

A nanotechnology-based surface-texturing method developed at Brookhaven Lab’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials imparts perfect anti-reflection and robust water-repellency to silicon, glass, and some plastics.

Fabrication of broadband antireflection coating at terahertz frequency using a hot emboss method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, YunZhou; Cai, Bin; Zhu, YiMing

2014-11-01

We fabricated a terahertz anti-reflective structure on a polystylene by using a hot-embossing method. Polystylene was spin-coated onto a silicon substrate and then transformed by using a metallic mould comprising a bunch of Chinese acupuncture needles. The transformation layer yielded gradient refractive index profiles on the substrate which can reduce the surface reflection effectively. The samples were evaluated by a terahertz time-domain spectroscope. Compared with a bare silicon substrate, we observed an increase of ~30% in the transmittance. We also observed broader bandwidth properties compared with a single-layer antireflective structure. The process imposes no substrate limiting; i.e., it has great potential to be applied onto various THz devices.

Conducting antireflection coatings with low polarization dependent loss for telecommunication applications.

PubMed

Dobrowolski, J; Ford, Joseph; Sullivan, Brian; Lu, Liping; Osborne, Norman

2004-12-13

Conducting optical coatings for the visible light range are commonly made of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), but ITO is unsuitable for near-infrared telecommunications wavelengths because it can become absorptive after extended illumination. In this paper we show an alternative approach which uses conventional coating materials to create either non-conducting or conducting antireflection (AR) coatings that are effective over a fairly broad spectral region ( lambdalong/lambdashort approximately 1.40) and also usable for a wide range of angles of incidence (0-38 masculine, or 0-55 masculine) in the telecom wavelength range. Not only is the transmittance of windows treated with such coatings quite high, but they can be made to have extreme polarization independence (low polarization dependent loss values). A number of such coating designs are presented in the paper. A prototype of one of the conducting AR coating designs was fabricated and the measurements were found to be in reasonable agreement with the calculated performance. Such AR coatings should be of interest for telecommunication applications and especially for anti-static hermetic packaging of MEMS devices such as optical switches.

The thickness correction of sol-gel coating using ion-beam etching in the preparation of antireflection coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Siyu; Xie, Lingyun; He, Tao; Jiao, Hongfei; Bao, Ganghua; Zhang, Jinlong; Wang, Zhanshan; Cheng, Xinbin

2017-09-01

For the sol-gel method, it is still challenging to achieve excellent spectral performance when preparing antireflection (AR) coating by this way. The difficulty lies in controlling the film thickness accurately. To correct the thickness error of sol-gel coating, a hybrid approach that combined conventional sol-gel process with ion-beam etching technology was proposed in this work. The etching rate was carefully adjusted and calibrated to a relatively low value for removing the redundant material. Using atomic force microscope (AFM), it has been demonstrated that film surface morphology will not be changed in this process. After correcting the thickness error, an AR coating working at 1064 nm was prepared with transmittance higher than 99.5%.

Sol-Gel Processing of MgF2 Antireflective Coatings

PubMed Central

Löbmann, Peer

2018-01-01

There are different approaches for the preparation of porous antireflective λ/4 MgF2 films from liquid precursors. Among these, the non-aqueous fluorolytic synthesis of precursor solutions offers many advantages in terms of processing simplicity and scalability. In this paper, the structural features and optical performance of the resulting films are highlighted, and their specific interactions with different inorganic substrates are discussed. Due to their excellent abrasion resistance, coatings have a high potential for applications on glass. Using solvothermal treatment of precursor solutions, also the processing of thermally sensitive polymer substrates becomes feasible. PMID:29724064

Multi-spectral antireflection coating on zinc sulphide simultaneously effective in visible, eye safe laser wave length and MWIR region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awasthi, Suman; Nautiyal, B. B.; Kumar, Rajiv; Bandyopadhyay, P. K.

2012-09-01

In recent years multi-spectral device is steadily growing popularity. Multi-spectral antireflection coating effective in visible region for sighting system, laser wavelength for ranging and MWIR region for thermal system can use common objective/receiver optics highly useful for state of art thermal instrumentation. In this paper, design and fabrication of antireflection coating simultaneously effective in visible region (450-650 nm), Eye safe laser wave length (1540 nm) and MWIR region (3.6-4.9 μm) has been reported. Comprehensive search method of design was used and the number of layers in the design was optimised with lowest evaluated merit function studied with respect to various layers. Finally eight-layer design stack was established using hafnium oxide as high index layer and silicon-di-oxide as low index coating material combination. The multilayer stack had been fabricated by using electron beam gun evaporation system in Symphony 9 vacuum coating unit. During layer deposition the substrate was irradiated with End-Hall ion gun. The evaporation was carried out in presence of oxygen and layer thicknesses were measured with crystal monitor. The result achieved for the antireflection coating was 85% average transmission from 450 to 650 nm in visible region, 95% transmission at 1540 nm and 96% average transmission from 3.6 to 4.9 μm in MWIR region.

Anti-reflective coating for visible light using a silver nanodisc metasurface with a refractive index of less than 1.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuda, Hideki; Matsuno, Ryo; Koito, Naoki; Hosoda, Hidemasa; Tani, Takeharu; Naya, Masayuki

2017-12-01

Suppression of visible-light reflection from material surfaces is an important technology for many applications such as flat-panel displays, camera lenses, and solar panels. In this study, we developed an anti-reflective coating design based on a silver nanodisc metasurface. The effective refractive index of a 10-nm-thick monolayer of silver nanodiscs was less than 1.0, which enabled strong suppression of reflection from the underlying substrate. The nanodisc structure was easy to fabricate using a conventional roll-to-roll wet-coating method. The anti-reflective structure was fabricated over a large area.

Conducting antireflection coatings with low polarization dependent loss for telecommunication applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrowolski, J. A.; Ford, Joseph E.; Sullivan, Brian T.; Lu, Liping; Osborne, Norman R.

2004-12-01

Conducting optical coatings for the visible light range are commonly made of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), but ITO is unsuitable for near-infrared telecommunications wavelengths because it can become absorptive after extended illumination. In this paper we show an alternative approach which uses conventional coating materials to create either non-conducting or conducting antireflection (AR) coatings that are effective over a fairly broad spectral region ( λlong/λshort ≈ 1.40) and also usable for a wide range of angles of incidence (0-38°, or 0-55°) in the telecom wavelength range. Not only is the transmittance of windows treated with such coatings quite high, but they can be made to have extreme polarization independence (low polarization dependent loss values). A number of such coating designs are presented in the paper. A prototype of one of the conducting AR coating designs was fabricated and the measurements were found to be in reasonable agreement with the calculated performance. Such AR coatings should be of interest for telecommunication applications and especially for anti-static hermetic packaging of MEMS devices such as optical switches.

Irradiance enhancement and increased laser damage threshold in As₂S₃ moth-eye antireflective structures.

PubMed

Weiblen, R Joseph; Florea, Catalin M; Busse, Lynda E; Shaw, L Brandon; Menyuk, Curtis R; Aggarwal, Ishwar D; Sanghera, Jasbinder S

2015-10-15

It has been experimentally observed that moth-eye antireflective microstructures at the end of As2S3 fibers have an increased laser damage threshold relative to thin-film antireflective coatings. In this work, we computationally study the irradiance enhancement in As2S3 moth-eye antireflective microstructures in order to explain the increased damage threshold. We show that the irradiance enhancement occurs mostly on the air side of the interfaces and is minimal in the As2S3 material. We give a physical explanation for this behavior.

Wide band antireflective coatings Al2O3 / HfO2 / MgF2 for UV region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkowski, P.; Marszałek, Konstanty W.

2013-07-01

Deposition technology of the three layers antireflective coatings consists of hafnium compound are presented in this paper. Oxide films were deposited by means of e-gun evaporation in vacuum of 5x10-5 mbar in presence of oxygen and fluoride films by thermal evaporation. Substrate temperature was 250°C. Coatings were deposited onto optical lenses made from quartz glass (Corning HPFS). Thickness and deposition rate were controlled by thickness measuring system Inficon XTC/2. Simulations leading to optimization of thickness and experimental results of optical measurements carried during and after deposition process were presented. Physical thickness measurements were made during deposition process and were equal to 43 nm/74 nm/51 nm for Al2O3 / HfO2 / MgF2 respectively. Optimization was carried out for ultraviolet region from 230nm to the beginning of visible region 400 nm. In this region the average reflectance of the antireflective coating was less than 0.5% in the whole range of application.

Development of nanostructured antireflection coatings for infrared technologies and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pethuraja, Gopal G.; Zeller, John W.; Welser, Roger E.; Efstathiadis, Harry; Haldar, Pradeep; Wijewarnasuriya, Priyalal S.; Dhar, Nibir K.; Sood, Ashok K.

2017-09-01

Infrared (IR) sensing technologies and systems operating from the near-infrared (NIR) to long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectra are being developed for a variety of defense and commercial systems applications. Reflection losses affecting a significant portion of the incident signal limits the performance of IR sensing systems. One of the critical technologies that will overcome this limitation and enhance the performance of IR sensing systems is the development of advanced antireflection (AR) coatings. Magnolia is actively involved in the development and advancement of ultrahigh performance AR coatings for a wide variety of defense and commercial applications. Ultrahigh performance nanostructured AR coatings have been demonstrated for UV to LWIR spectral bands using various substrates. The AR coatings enhance the optical transmission through optical components and devices by significantly minimizing reflection losses, a substantial improvement over conventional thin-film AR coating technologies. Nanostructured AR coatings are fabricated using a tunable self-assembly process on substrates that are transparent for a given spectrum of interest ranging from UV to LWIR. The nanostructured multilayer structures have been designed, developed and optimized for various optoelectronic applications. The optical properties of the AR-coated optical components and sensor substrates have been measured and fine-tuned to achieve a predicted high level of performance of the coatings. In this paper, we review our latest work on high quality nanostructure-based AR coatings, including recent efforts towards the development of nanostructured AR coatings on IR-transparent substrates.

Structured Antireflective Coating for Silicon at Submillimeter Frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padilla, Estefania

2018-01-01

Observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths are useful for many astronomical studies, such as the polarization of the cosmic microwave background or the formation and evolution of galaxy clusters. In order to allow observations over a broad spectral bandwidth (approximatively from 70 to 420 GHz), innovative broadband anti-reflective (AR) optics must be utilized in submillimeter telescopes. Due to its low loss and high refractive index, silicon is a fine optical material at these frequencies, but an AR coating with multiple layers is required to maximize its transmission over a wide bandwidth. Structured multilayer AR coatings for silicon are currently being developed at Caltech and JPL. The development process includes the design of the structured layers with commercial electromagnetic simulation software, the fabrication by using deep reactive ion etching, and the test of the transmission and reflection of the patterned wafers. Geometrical 3D patterns have successfully been etched at the surface of the silicon wafers creating up to 2 layers with different effective refractive indices. The transmission and reflection of single AR layer wafers, measured between 75 and 330 GHz, are close to the simulation predictions. These results allow the development of new designs with 5 or 6 AR layers in order to improve the bandwidth and transmission of the silicon AR coatings.

High-damage-threshold antireflection coatings on diamond for CW and pulsed CO2 lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komlenok, M. S.; Pivovarov, P. A.; Volodkin, B. O.; Pavelyev, V. S.; Anisimov, V. I.; Butuzov, V. V.; Sorochenko, V. R.; Nefedov, S. M.; Mineev, A. P.; Soifer, V. A.; Konov, V. I.

2018-03-01

A multilayer antireflection coating for diamond optics that allows work in the infrared spectral range of 8 -12 µm with minimal optical losses is developed. The optical transmittance of a chemical vapour deposition diamond plate coated with this film on both sides exceeds 94% over the whole specified wavelength range. The coatings deposited on the diamond plate were damage-tested by coherent-wave and pulsed (τ  =  90 ns) CO2 lasers. Results of the tests demonstrated that the coating can withstand prolonged radiation loads with intensity above 3 MW cm-2 in a continuous-mode laser exposure. In the case of a nanosecond pulsed action, destruction of the coating begins at intensities greater than 50 MW cm-2.

High-Quality Hollow Closed-Pore Silica Antireflection Coatings Based on Styrene-Acrylate Emulsion @ Organic-Inorganic Silica Precursor.

PubMed

Guo, Zhaolong; Zhao, Haixin; Zhao, Wei; Wang, Tao; Kong, Depeng; Chen, Taojing; Zhang, Xiaoyan

2016-05-11

Making use of a facile and low-cost way for the preparation of a hierarchically organized novel hollow closed-pore silica antireflective coating (CHAR) with tailored optical properties and a mechanical reliability is of great interest in the field of solar photovoltaic technology. The process mainly contains two aspects: (1) a styrene-acrylate emulsion @ organic-inorganic silica precursor (SA@OISP) core/shell hierarchical nanostructure, consisting of a sacrificial styrene-acrylate (SA) primary template, was fabricated using a sol-gel method; (2) the self-assembly of the nanostructures leads to SA@OISP nanospheres forming the high-quality hollow closed-pore silica antireflection coating (CHAR) by a dip-coating process and a subsequent calcination treatment. The resulting SA@OISP nanospheres have a mean diameter of 65.2 nm and contained a SA soft core with a mean diameter of approximately 54.8 nm and an organic-inorganic silica precursor (OISP) shell with a thickness of approximately 6-10 nm. Furthermore, the prepared CHAR film exhibited a high transmittance and good ruggedness. An average transmittance (TAV) of 97.64% was obtained, and the value is close to the ideal single-layered antireflection coating (98.09%) over a broad range of wavelengths (from 380 to 1100 nm). The CHAR film showed a stable TAV, with attenuation values of less than 0.8% and 0.43% after the abrasion test and the damp heat test, respectively. The conversion efficiency of the CHAR coating cover solar modules tends to be increased by 3.75%. The promising results obtained in this study suggest that the CHAR film was considered as an essential component of the solar module and were expected to provide additional solar energy harvest under extreme outdoor climates.

Improved opto-electronic properties of silicon heterojunction solar cells with SiO x /Tungsten-doped indium oxide double anti-reflective coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jian; Zhou, Jie; Bian, Jiantao; Zhang, Liping; Liu, Yucheng; Shi, Jianhua; Meng, Fanying; Liu, Jinning; Liu, Zhengxin

2017-08-01

Amorphous SiO x was prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) to form SiO x /tungsten-doped indium oxide (IWO) double anti-reflective coatings for silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell. The sheet resistance of SiO x /IWO stacks decreases due to plasma treatment during deposition process, which means thinner IWO film would be deposited for better optical response. However, the comparisons of three anti-reflective coating (ARC) structures reveal that SiO x film limits carier transport and the path of IWO-SiO x -Ag structure is non-conductive. The decrease of sheet resistance is defined as pseudo conductivity. IWO film capping with SiO x allows observably reduced reflectance and better response in 300-400 and 600-1200 nm wavelength ranges. Compared with IWO single ARC, the average reflection is reduced by 1.65% with 70 nm SiO x /80 nm IWO double anti-reflective coatings (DARCs) in 500-1200 nm wavelength range, leading to growing external quantum efficiency response, short circuit current density (J sc), and efficiency. After well optimization of SiO x /IWO stacks, an impressive efficiency of 23.08% is obtained with high J sc and without compromising open circuit voltage (V oc) and fill factor. SiO x /IWO DARCs provide better anti-reflective properties over a broad range of wavelength, showing promising application for SHJ solar cells.

Design and development of multilayer wideband antireflection coating and its annealing study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jena, S.; Tokas, R. B.; Udupa, D. V.; Thakur, S.; Sahoo, N. K.

2018-04-01

Reflection loss occurs at the glass-air interface, limits performance of many optical devices such as eyeglass, camera lenses, and photovoltaic solar cells. Antireflection (AR) coating on the glass reduces the reflection loss and improves efficiency of such devices. In this paper, wideband AR coating in the visible region has been designed and developed using ZrO2-MgO/SiO2 multilayer. The thicknesses of individual thin layers are numerically optimized to get maximum transmission of the visible light. The optimized four thin layers have been deposited on BK7 glass substrate using electron beam evaporation technique. The measured transmission spectrum of the 4-layer AR coating is compared with that of simulated spectrum. The transmission of the single side AR coating increases by more than 3% as compared to that of bare glass substrate in the wavelength region of 470 nm - 810 nm. The wideband AR coating has been annealed at 200°C for 4 hours in ambient condition. The transmission of the AR coating decreases after the annealing, resulting degradation in its wideband AR characteristics.

Moisture resistant and anti-reflection optical coatings produced by plasma polymerization of organic compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollahan, J. R.; Wydeven, T.

1975-01-01

The need for protective coatings on critical optical surfaces, such as halide crystal windows or lenses used in spectroscopy, has long been recognized. It has been demonstrated that thin, one micron, organic coatings produced by polymerization of flourinated monomers in low temperature gas discharge (plasma) exhibit very high degrees of moisture resistence, e.g., hundreds of hours protection for cesium iodide vs. minutes before degradation sets in for untreated surfaces. The index of refraction of these coatings is intermediate between that of the halide substrate and air, a condition for anti-reflection, another desirable property of optical coatings. Thus, the organic coatings not only offer protection, but improved transmittance as well. The polymer coating is non-absorbing over the range 0.4 to 40 microns with an exception at 8.0 microns, the expected absorption for C-F bonds.

Titanium dioxide antireflection coating for silicon solar cells by spray deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kern, W.; Tracy, E.

1980-01-01

A high-speed production process is described for depositing a single-layer, quarter-wavelength thick antireflection coating of titanium dioxide on metal-patterned single-crystal silicon solar cells for terrestrial applications. Controlled atomization spraying of an organotitanium solution was selected as the most cost-effective method of film deposition using commercial automated equipment. The optimal composition consists of titanium isopropoxide as the titanium source, n-butyl acetate as the diluent solvent, sec-butanol as the leveling agent, and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol to render the material uniformly depositable. Application of the process to the coating of circular, large-diameter solar cells with either screen-printed silver metallization or with vacuum-evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag metallization showed increases of over 40% in the electrical conversion efficiency. Optical characteristics, corrosion resistance, and several other important properties of the spray-deposited film are reported. Experimental evidence indicates a wide tolerance in the coating thickness upon the overall efficiency of the cell. Considerations pertaining to the optimization of AR coatings in general are discussed, and a comprehensive critical survey of the literature is presented.

Antireflective coatings for multijunction solar cells under wide-angle ray bundles.

PubMed

Victoria, Marta; Domínguez, César; Antón, Ignacio; Sala, Gabriel

2012-03-26

Two important aspects must be considered when optimizing antireflection coatings (ARCs) for multijunction solar cells to be used in concentrators: the angular light distribution over the cell created by the particular concentration system and the wide spectral bandwidth the solar cell is sensitive to. In this article, a numerical optimization procedure and its results are presented. The potential efficiency enhancement by means of ARC optimization is calculated for several concentrating PV systems. In addition, two methods for ARCs direct characterization are presented. The results of these show that real ARCs slightly underperform theoretical predictions.

Adhesion of Antireflective Coatings in Multijunction Photovoltaics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brock, Ryan; Miller, David C.; Dauskardt, Reinhold H.

2016-11-21

The development of a new composite dual cantilever beam (cDCB) thin-film adhesion testing method is reported, which allows the measurement of adhesion on the fragile thin substrates used in multijunction photovoltaics. We address the adhesion of several antireflective coating systems on multijunction cells. By varying interface chemistry and morphology, we demonstrate the ensuing effects on adhesion and help to develop an understanding of how high adhesion can be achieved, as adhesion values ranging from 0.5 J/m2 to 10 J/m2 were measured. Damp Heat (85 degrees C/85% RH) was used to invoke degradation of interfacial adhesion. We show that even withmore » germanium substrates that fracture easily, quantitative measurements of adhesion can still be made at high test yield. The cDCB test is discussed as an important new methodology, which can be broadly applied to any system that makes use of thin, brittle, or otherwise fragile substrates.« less

Large-aperture Wide-bandwidth Antireflection-coated Silicon Lenses for Millimeter Wavelengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Datta, R.; Munson, C. D.; Niemack, M. D.; McMahon, J. J.; Britton, J.; Wollack, Edward J.; Beall, J.; Devlin, M. J.; Fowler, J.; Gallardo, P.;

Expression and role of the cell surface protease seprase/fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP-α) in astroglial tumors.

PubMed

Mentlein, Rolf; Hattermann, Kirsten; Hemion, Charles; Jungbluth, Achim A; Held-Feindt, Janka

2011-03-01

Seprase or fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP-α) is a cell-surface serine protease that was previously described nearly exclusively on reactive and tumor stromal fibroblasts and thought to be involved in tissue remodeling. We investigated the expression and significance of FAP-α in astrocytomas/glioblastomas. As shown by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry, FAP-α was elevated in whole glioblastoma tissues and in particular in most glioma cells in situ and in vitro. In glioma stem-like cells (gliospheres), FAP-α was detected at low levels; however, FAP-α was considerably induced upon differentiation with 10% fetal calf serum. To explore its functional role, FAP-α was silenced by siRNA transfection. In Boyden chamber assays, FAP-α silenced cells migrated similar as control cells through non-coated or Matrigel (basal lamina)-coated porous membranes, but significantly slower through membranes coated with gelatin or brevican, a major component of brain extracellular matrix. Furthermore, FAP-α-silenced glioma cells migrated through murine brain slices much slower under the conditions tested than differentially fluorescent-labeled control cells. Thus, FAP-α is highly expressed on the surface of glioma cells and contributes to diffuse glioma invasion through extracellular matrix components.

Diamondlike carbon as a moisture barrier and antireflecting coating on optical materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woollam, John A.; De, Bhola N.; Chen, L. Y.; Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.

1990-01-01

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) is amorphous, hard, semitransparent, and is under consideration for use as a coating material for infrared optics. DLC is also designated as a-C:H to indicate its amorphous nature as well as to indicate the presence of large (20 to 55 percent) amounts of hydrogen in the film. Two important questions arise with respect to use of DLC in infrared optics. Will the lack of grain boundaries help to keep moisture from penetrating the film. Secondly, application as an antireflection coating places restrictions on the allowed values of the index of refraction of the film relative to the particular substrate material being used. Will DLC have the correct index range. These two questions are addressed in this paper.

[Study on the preparation and properties of novel silica microporous antireflective coating by sol-gel process].

PubMed

Shang, Meng-Ying; Cao, Lin-Hong; Liu, Miao; Luo, Xuan; Ren, Hong-Bo; Ye, Xin; Tang, Yong-Jian; Jiang, Xiao-Dong

2013-04-01

Silica sol was prepared by acid catalyzed sol-gel process using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor and dimethyldietoxysilane (DDS) as pore-forming agent. A novel kind of monolayer microporous silica anti-reflective (AR) coating was obtained on K9 glass substrate by dip-coating technique and then heat treated at 500 degrees C. The effects of different DDS/TEOS molar ratios on refractive index, transmittance and hardness were investigated. A positive correlation was found between the transmittance and the DDS/TEOS molar ratio due to the increasing porosity. The maximum transmittance can reach 99.7% with the molar ratio of DDS/TEOS rising to 1 : 1. Meanwhile, the refractive index was found quite close to the ideal value 1.22. Nevertheless, higher molar ratio will lead to a bad film-forming property. On the other hand, the hardness of the coatings decreased with the DDS increasing but still remained more than 2 h when the transmittance reached highest. Besides, these coatings exhibit a well abrasion-resistance and excellent adhesivity. The maximum transmittance was only dropped by 0.071% and 0.112% after abrasion for 500 and 1 000 times respectively. Accelerated corrosion tests indicated that the transmittance of traditional coatings rapidly fell down to the substrate level (-92%) after immersion for 5 min, while the transmittance of our novel coating almost linearly decreased and was kept 93.2% after 56 min. In other words, the environment-resistance of our novel silica AR coating is ten times higher than that of traditional ones. The promotions of the coating performances benefit from its micropore structure (-0. 4 nm) with which water molecule can be effectively prevented. With its high transmittance, good mechanical properties and high environment-resistance, this kind of novel coating has a potential application in the field of solar glass modification to improve its anti-reflective properties.

Multi-layer coatings

DOEpatents

Maghsoodi, Sina; Brophy, Brenor L.; Abrams, Ze'ev R.; Gonsalves, Peter R.

2016-06-28

Disclosed herein are coating materials and methods for applying a top-layer coating that is durable, abrasion resistant, highly transparent, hydrophobic, low-friction, moisture-sealing, anti-soiling, and self-cleaning to an existing conventional high temperature anti-reflective coating. The top coat imparts superior durability performance and new properties to the under-laying conventional high temperature anti-reflective coating without reducing the anti-reflectiveness of the coating. Methods and data for optimizing the relative thickness of the under-layer high temperature anti-reflective coating and the top-layer thickness for optimizing optical performance are also disclosed.

Scalable process for mitigation of laser-damaged potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal optic surfaces with removal of damaged antireflective coating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elhadj, S.; Steele, W. A.; VanBlarcom, D. S.

Here, we investigate an approach for the recycling of laser-damaged large-aperture deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate (DKDP) crystals used for optical switching (KDP) and for frequency conversion (DKDP) in megajoule-class high-power laser systems. The approach consists of micromachining the surface laser damage sites (mitigation), combined with multiple soaks and ultrasonication steps in a coating solvent to remove, synergistically, both the highly adherent machining debris and the laser-damage-affected antireflection coating. We then identify features of the laser-damage-affected coating, such as the “solvent-persistent” coating and the “burned-in” coating, that are difficult to remove by conventional approaches without damaging the surface. We also providemore » a solution to the erosion problem identified in this work when colloidal coatings are processed during ultrasonication. Finally, we provide a proof of principle of the approach by testing the full process that includes laser damage mitigation of DKDP test parts, coat stripping, reapplication of a new antireflective coat, and a laser damage test demonstrating performance up to at least 12 J/cm 2 at UV wavelengths, which is well above current requirements. Our approach ultimately provides a potential path to a scalable recycling loop for the management of optics in large, high-power laser systems that can reduce cost and extend lifetime of highly valuable and difficult to grow large DKDP crystals.« less

Scalable process for mitigation of laser-damaged potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal optic surfaces with removal of damaged antireflective coating

DOE PAGES

Elhadj, S.; Steele, W. A.; VanBlarcom, D. S.; ...

2017-03-07

Here, we investigate an approach for the recycling of laser-damaged large-aperture deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate (DKDP) crystals used for optical switching (KDP) and for frequency conversion (DKDP) in megajoule-class high-power laser systems. The approach consists of micromachining the surface laser damage sites (mitigation), combined with multiple soaks and ultrasonication steps in a coating solvent to remove, synergistically, both the highly adherent machining debris and the laser-damage-affected antireflection coating. We then identify features of the laser-damage-affected coating, such as the “solvent-persistent” coating and the “burned-in” coating, that are difficult to remove by conventional approaches without damaging the surface. We also providemore » a solution to the erosion problem identified in this work when colloidal coatings are processed during ultrasonication. Finally, we provide a proof of principle of the approach by testing the full process that includes laser damage mitigation of DKDP test parts, coat stripping, reapplication of a new antireflective coat, and a laser damage test demonstrating performance up to at least 12 J/cm 2 at UV wavelengths, which is well above current requirements. Our approach ultimately provides a potential path to a scalable recycling loop for the management of optics in large, high-power laser systems that can reduce cost and extend lifetime of highly valuable and difficult to grow large DKDP crystals.« less

ALD anti-reflection coatings at 1ω, 2ω, 3ω, and 4ω for high-power ns-laser application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hao; Jensen, Lars; Ma, Ping; Ristau, Detlev

2018-04-01

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) facilitates the deposition of coatings with precise thickness, high surface conformity, structural uniformity, and nodular-free structure, which are properties desired in high-power laser coatings. ALD was studied to produce uniform and stable Al2O3 and HfO2 single layers and was employed to produce anti-reflection coatings for the harmonics (1ω, 2ω, 3ω, and 4ω) of the Nd:YAG laser. In order to qualify the ALD films for high-power laser applications, the band gap energy, absorption, and element content of single layers were characterized. The damage tests of anti-reflection coatings were carried out with a laser system operated at 1ω, 2ω, 3ω, and 4ω, respectively. The damage mechanism was discussed by analyzing the damage morphology and electric field intensity difference. ALD coatings exhibit stable growth rates, low absorption, and rather high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). The LIDT is limited by HfO2 as the employed high-index material. These properties indicate the high versatility of ALD films for applications in high-power coatings.

Substrate-Versatile Approach to Robust Antireflective and Superhydrophobic Coatings with Excellent Self-Cleaning Property in Varied Environments.

PubMed

Ren, Tingting; He, Junhui

2017-10-04

Robust antireflective and superhydrophobic coatings are highly desired in wide applications, such as optical devices, solar cell panels, architectural and automotive glasses, lab-on chip systems, and windows for electronic devices. Meanwhile, simple, low-cost, and substrate-versatile fabrication is also essential toward real applications of such coatings. Herein, we developed a substrate-versatile strategy to fabricate robust antireflective and superhydrophobic coatings with excellent self-cleaning property in varied environments, including air and oil and after oil contamination. A mixed ethanol suspension, which consists of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane modified dual-sized silica nanoparticles and acid-catalyzed silica precursor, was first synthesized. The acid-catalyzed silica precursor could help to form a highly cross-linked silica network by connecting the silica nanoparticles, thus significantly enhancing the robustness of coatings. The as-prepared coatings were able to withstand a water drop impact test, sand abrasion test, tape adhesion test, and knife and pencil scratching tests. More importantly, it was also found that the wettability and self-cleaning property of coatings after oil contamination were surprisingly different from those in air and oil. These observations are explainable by the alteration of interface; i.e., the alteration of interface has significant effects on the functional properties of coatings. Additionally, the mixed suspension could be sprayed onto various hard and soft substrates including glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), opening up a feasible route toward varied practical applications in solar cell panels, optical devices, architectural and automotive glasses, droplet manipulators, and fluid control.

Dual functional porous anti-reflective coatings with a photocatalytic effect based on a single layer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jilavi, M. H.; Mousavi, S. H.; Müller, T. S.; de Oliveira, P. W.

2018-05-01

Anti-reflection and photocatalytic properties are desirable for improving the optical properties of electronic devices. We describe a method of fabrication a single-layer, anti-reflective (AR) thin film with an additional photocatalytic property. The layer is deposited on glass substrates by means of a low-cost dip-coating method using a SiO2-TiO2 solution. A comparative study was undertaken to investigate the effects of TiO2 concentrations on the photocatalytic properties of the film and to determine the optimal balance between transmittance and photocatalysis. The average transmittance increases from T = 90.51% to T = 95.46 ± 0.07% for the wavelengths between 380 and 1200 nm. The structural characterization indicated the formation of thin, porous SiO2-TiO2 films with a roughness of less than 7.5 nm. The quality of the samples was evaluated by a complete test program of the mechanical, chemical and accelerated weathering stability. This results open up new possibilities for cost-effective AR coatings for the glass and solar cell industries.

Optimization of the cooling profile to achieve crack-free Yb:S-FAP crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, H. S.; Qiu, S. R.; Zheng, L. L.; Schaffers, K. I.; Tassano, J. B.; Caird, J. A.; Zhang, H.

2008-08-01

Yb:S-FAP [Yb 3+:Sr 5(PO 4) 3F] crystals are an important gain medium for diode-pumped laser applications. Growth of 7.0 cm diameter Yb:S-FAP crystals utilizing the Czochralski (CZ) method from SrF 2-rich melts often encounters cracks during the post-growth cool-down stage. To suppress cracking during cool-down, a numerical simulation of the growth system was used to understand the correlation between the furnace power during cool-down and the radial temperature differences within the crystal. The critical radial temperature difference, above which the crystal cracks, has been determined by benchmarking the simulation results against experimental observations. Based on this comparison, an optimal three-stage ramp-down profile was implemented, which produced high-quality, crack-free Yb:S-FAP crystals.

Fluorine-containing composition for forming anti-reflection film on resist surface and pattern formation method

DOEpatents

Nishi, Mineo; Makishima, Hideo

1996-01-01

A composition for forming anti-reflection film on resist surface which comprises an aqueous solution of a water soluble fluorine compound, and a pattern formation method which comprises the steps of coating a photoresist composition on a substrate; coating the above-mentioned composition for forming anti-reflection film; exposing the coated film to form a specific pattern; and developing the photoresist, are provided. Since the composition for forming anti-reflection film can be coated on the photoresist in the form of an aqueous solution, not only the anti-reflection film can be formed easily, but also, the film can be removed easily by rinsing with water or alkali development. Therefore, by the pattern formation method according to the present invention, it is possible to form a pattern easily with a high dimensional accuracy.

Ta2O5/ Al2O3/ SiO2 - antireflective coating for non-planar optical surfaces by atomic layer deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfeiffer, K.; Schulz, U.; Tünnermann, A.; Szeghalmi, A.

2017-02-01

Antireflective coatings are essential to improve transmittance of optical elements. Most research and development of AR coatings has been reported on a wide variety of plane optical surfaces; however, antireflection is also necessary on nonplanar optical surfaces. Physical vapor deposition (PVD), a common method for optical coatings, often results in thickness gradients on strongly curved surfaces, leading to a failure of the desired optical function. In this work, optical thin films of tantalum pentoxide, aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is based on self-limiting surface reactions. The results demonstrate that ALD optical layers can be deposited on both vertical and horizontal substrate surfaces with uniform thicknesses and the same optical properties. A Ta2O5/Al2O3/ SiO2 multilayer AR coating (400-700 nm) was successfully applied to a curved aspheric glass lens with a diameter of 50 mm and a center thickness of 25 mm.

Adhesion of Antireflective Coatings in Multijunction Photovoltaics: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brock, Ryan; Dauskardt, Reinhold H.; Miller, David C.

2016-06-16

The development of a new composite dual cantilever beam (cDCB) thin-film adhesion testing method is reported, which allows the measurement of adhesion on the fragile thin substrates used in multijunction photovoltaics. We address the adhesion of several antireflective coating systems on multijunction cells. By varying interface chemistry and morphology, we demonstrate the ensuing effects on adhesion and help to develop an understanding of how high adhesion can be achieved, as adhesion values ranging from 0.5 J/m2 to 10 J/m2 were measured. Damp Heat (85 degrees C/85% RH) was used to invoke degradation of interfacial adhesion. We show that even withmore » germanium substrates that fracture easily, quantitative measurements of adhesion can still be made at high test yield. The cDCB test is discussed as an important new methodology, which can be broadly applied to any system that makes use of thin, brittle, or otherwise fragile substrates.« less

Optimization of the cooling profile to achieve crack-free Yb:S-FAP crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, H; Qiu, S; Kheng, L

Yb:S-FAP [Yb{sup 3+}:Sr{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F] crystals are an important gain medium for diode-pumped laser applications. Growth of 7.0 cm diameter Yb:S-FAP crystals utilizing the Czochralski (CZ) method from SrF{sub 2}-rich melts often encounter cracks during the post growth cool down stage. To suppress cracking during cool down, a numerical simulation of the growth system was used to understand the correlation between the furnace power during cool down and the radial temperature differences within the crystal. The critical radial temperature difference, above which the crystal cracks, has been determined by benchmarking the simulation results against experimental observations. Based on thismore » comparison, an optimal three-stage ramp-down profile was implemented and produced high quality, crack-free Yb:S-FAP crystals.« less

Development of a Multi-layer Anti-reflective Coating for Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

optical loss mechanism, which limits the efficiency of the PV device.1 Photon absorption needs to occur inside the solar cell active region (near the...Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells by Kimberley A Olver Approved for public release; distribution unlimited...Development of a Multi-layer Anti-reflective Coating for Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells by Kimberley A Olver

Development of a new low cost antireflective coating technique for solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wohlgemuth, J. H.; Warfield, D. B.; Johnson, G. A.

1982-01-01

The goal of this study was the development of an antireflective (AR) coating technique that has the potential for high throughput and low cost yet is capable of producing films of good optical quality. Previous efforts to develop sprayed AR coatings had utilized titanium isopropoxide mixed with volatile solvents. These films worked well on smooth surfaces but when applied to etched semi-crystalline silicon surfaces yielded inconsistent results with more than 20 percent of the AM1 incident light being reflected. In this program titanium isopropoxide was sprayed directly onto heater wafers (410 C) to produce a uniform AR coating even on highly textured surfaces. Tests on various types of solar cells yielded performance improvements for the hot sprayed AR cells that are equivalent to that observed for evaporated TiOx AR coated cells. As an extension of this effort a new double layer AR consisting of a bottom layer of hot sprayed titanium isopropoxide and a top layer of hot sprayed aluminum isopropoxide in methylene chloride has resulted in more than 10 percent improvement in cell output as compared to a single layer AR cell.

Graphene oxide as a p-dopant and an anti-reflection coating layer, in graphene/silicon solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yavuz, S.; Kuru, C.; Choi, D.; Kargar, A.; Jin, S.; Bandaru, P. R.

2016-03-01

It is shown that coating graphene-silicon (Gr/Si) Schottky junction based solar cells with graphene oxide (GO) improves the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the cells, while demonstrating unprecedented device stability. The PCE has been shown to be increased to 10.6% (at incident radiation of 100 mW cm-2) for the Gr/Si solar cell with an optimal GO coating thickness compared to 3.6% for a bare/uncoated Gr/Si solar cell. The p-doping of graphene by the GO, which also serves as an antireflection coating (ARC) has been shown to be a main contributing factor to the enhanced PCE. A simple spin coating process has been used to apply GO with thickness commensurate with an anti-refection coating (ARC) and indicates the suitability of the developed methodology for large-scale solar cell assembly.It is shown that coating graphene-silicon (Gr/Si) Schottky junction based solar cells with graphene oxide (GO) improves the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the cells, while demonstrating unprecedented device stability. The PCE has been shown to be increased to 10.6% (at incident radiation of 100 mW cm-2) for the Gr/Si solar cell with an optimal GO coating thickness compared to 3.6% for a bare/uncoated Gr/Si solar cell. The p-doping of graphene by the GO, which also serves as an antireflection coating (ARC) has been shown to be a main contributing factor to the enhanced PCE. A simple spin coating process has been used to apply GO with thickness commensurate with an anti-refection coating (ARC) and indicates the suitability of the developed methodology for large-scale solar cell assembly. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: (i) Experimental methods, (ii) optical images of devices with and without graphene oxide (GO), (iii) comparison of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) due to the GO coating and nitric acid doping, (iv) specular and diffuse reflectance measurements, (v) stability data of pristine graphene/silicon (Gr/Si) solar cells. See DOI: 10.1039/c5

Thin film type 248-nm bottom antireflective coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enomoto, Tomoyuki; Nakayama, Keisuke; Mizusawa, Kenichi; Nakajima, Yasuyuki; Yoon, Sangwoong; Kim, Yong-Hoon; Kim, Young-Ho; Chung, Hoesik; Chon, Sang Mun

2003-06-01

A frequent problem encountered by photoresists during the manufacturing of semiconductor device is that activating radiation is reflected back into the photoresist by the substrate. So, it is necessary that the light reflection is reduced from the substrate. One approach to reduce the light reflection is the use of bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) applied to the substrate beneath the photoresist layer. The BARC technology has been utilized for a few years to minimize the reflectivity. As the chip size is reduced to sub 0.13-micron, the photoresist thickness has to decrease with the aspect ratio being less than 3.0. Therefore, new Organic BARC is strongly required which has the minimum reflectivity with thinner BARC thickness and higher etch selectivity towards resist. SAMSUNG Electronics has developed the advanced Organic BARC with Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. and Brewer Science, Inc. for achieving the above purpose. As a result, the suitable high performance SNAC2002 series KrF Organic BARCs were developed. Using CF4 gas as etchant, the plasma etch rate of SNAC2002 series is about 1.4 times higher than that of conventional KrF resists and 1.25 times higher than the existing product. The SNAC2002 series can minimize the substrate reflectivity at below 40nm BARC thickness, shows excellent litho performance and coating properties.

The effects of the bottom anti-reflective coating with different baked temperatures and thicknesses on nanoscale patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jie; Li, Ling; Chen, Weidong

2015-12-01

The bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) material can enhance the resolution of the nanopatterns structures in laser interference lithography process. In this study, WIDE-B ARC material was investigated to confirm the reduction of the vertical standing wave which leads to defect of nanopatterns. And the critical dimension (CD) of 100 nm L/S patterns with and without the application of BARC material was fabricated by laser interference lithography technology. The compared results showed that BARC can effectively reduce CD swing and obtain more uniform nanopatterns. Meanwhile, we also verified the influence of cured temperature and film thickness of BARC on the uniformity of nanopatterns.

Synthesis of antireflective silica coatings through the synergy of polypeptide layer-by-layer assemblies and biomineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yung-Lun; Lin, Ting-Xuan; Hsu, Feng-Ming; Jan, Jeng-Shiung

2016-01-01

We report a versatile approach to synthesize silica coatings with antireflective (AR) characteristics through the combination of a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique and biomineralization. LbL assembled decanoyl-modified poly(l-lysine)/poly(l-glutamic acid) (PLL-g-Dec/PLGA) multilayer films were used as templates for silica mineralization, followed by calcination. The specific deposition of silica onto the LbL polypeptide assemblies through amine-catalyzed polycondensation resulted in silica coatings that exhibited the transcription of the nano-/microstructured polypeptide films and their film thickness and porosity can be tuned by varying the number of bilayers, degree of substitution, and PLL molecular weight. AR silica coatings exhibiting more than 6% increase in transmittance in the near UV/visible spectral range can be obtained at an optimized refractive index, thickness, and surface roughness. The abrasion test showed that the silica coatings exhibited sufficient structural durability due to continuous silica nanostructures and low surface roughness. This study demonstrated that nanostructured thin films can be synthesized for AR coatings using the synergy between the LbL assembly technique and biomineralization.We report a versatile approach to synthesize silica coatings with antireflective (AR) characteristics through the combination of a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique and biomineralization. LbL assembled decanoyl-modified poly(l-lysine)/poly(l-glutamic acid) (PLL-g-Dec/PLGA) multilayer films were used as templates for silica mineralization, followed by calcination. The specific deposition of silica onto the LbL polypeptide assemblies through amine-catalyzed polycondensation resulted in silica coatings that exhibited the transcription of the nano-/microstructured polypeptide films and their film thickness and porosity can be tuned by varying the number of bilayers, degree of substitution, and PLL molecular weight. AR silica coatings exhibiting

Sub-50-nm self-assembled nanotextures for enhanced broadband antireflection in silicon solar cells.

PubMed

Rahman, Atikur; Ashraf, Ahsan; Xin, Huolin; Tong, Xiao; Sutter, Peter; Eisaman, Matthew D; Black, Charles T

2015-01-21

Materials providing broadband light antireflection have applications as highly transparent window coatings, military camouflage, and coatings for efficiently coupling light into solar cells and out of light-emitting diodes. In this work, densely packed silicon nanotextures with feature sizes smaller than 50 nm enhance the broadband antireflection compared with that predicted by their geometry alone. A significant fraction of the nanotexture volume comprises a surface layer whose optical properties differ substantially from those of the bulk, providing the key to improved performance. The nanotexture reflectivity is quantitatively well-modelled after accounting for both its profile and changes in refractive index at the surface. We employ block copolymer self-assembly for precise and tunable nanotexture design in the range of ~10-70 nm across macroscopic solar cell areas. Implementing this efficient antireflection approach in crystalline silicon solar cells significantly betters the performance gain compared with an optimized, planar antireflection coating.

Design of a three-layer antireflection coating for high efficiency indium phosphide solar cells using a chemical oxide as first layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moulot, J.; Faur, M.; Faur, M.

1995-10-01

It is well known that the behavior of III-V compound based solar cells is largely controlled by their surface, since the majority of light generated carriers (63% for GaAs and 79% for InP) are created within 0.2 mu m of the surface of the illuminated cell. Consequently, the always observed high surface recombination velocity (SRV) on these cells is a serious limiting factor for their high efficiency performance, especially for those with p-n junction made by either thermal diffusion or ion implantation. A good surface passivation layer, ideally a grown oxide as opposed to a deposited one, will cause amore » significant reduction in the SRV without adding interface problems, thus improving the performance of III-V compound based solar cells. Another significant benefit to the overall performance of the solar cells can be achieved by a substantial reduction of their large surface optical reflection by the use of a well designed antireflection (AR) coating. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of using a chemically grown thermally and chemically stable oxide, not only for surface passivation but also as an integral part of a 3-layer AR coating for thermally diffused p+n InP solar cells. A phosphorus-rich interfacial oxide, In(PO3)3, is grown at the surface of the p+ emitter using an etchant based on HNO3, o-H3PO4 and H2O2. This oxide has the unique properties of passivating the surface as well as serving as an efficient antireflective layer yielding a measured record high AMO open-circuit voltage of 890.3 mV on a thermally diffused InP(Cd,S) solar cell. Unlike conventional single layer AR coatings such as ZnS, Sb2O3, SiO or double layer AR coatings such as ZnS/MgF2 deposited by e-beam or resistive evaporation, this oxide preserves the stoichiometry of the InP surface.« less

Chitin Nanofibers Extracted from Crab Shells in Broadband Visible Antireflection Coatings with Controlling Layer-by-Layer Deposition and the Application for Durable Antifog Surfaces.

PubMed

Manabe, Kengo; Tanaka, Chie; Moriyama, Yukari; Tenjimbayashi, Mizuki; Nakamura, Chiaki; Tokura, Yuki; Matsubayashi, Takeshi; Kyung, Kyu-Hong; Shiratori, Seimei

2016-11-23

Reflection from various surfaces of many optical systems, such as photovoltaics and displays, is a critical issue for their performance, and antireflection coatings play a pivotal role in a wide variety of optical technologies, reducing light reflectance loss and hence maximizing light transmission. With the current movement toward optically transparent polymeric media and coatings for antireflection technology, the need for economical and environmentally friendly materials and methods without dependence on shape or size has clearly been apparent. Herein, we demonstrate novel antireflection coatings composed of chitin nanofibers (CHINFs), extracted from crab shell as a biomass material through an aqueous-based layer-by-layer self-assembly process to control the porosity. Increasing the number of air spaces inside the membrane led low refractive index, and precise control of refractive index derived from the stacking of the CHINFs achieved the highest transmittance with investigating the surface structure and the refractive index depending on the solution pH. At a wavelength of 550 nm, the transmittance of the coatings was 96.4%, which was 4.8% higher than that of a glass substrate, and their refractive index was 1.30. Further critical properties of the films were the durability and the antifogging performance derived from the mechanical stability and hydrophilicity of CHINFs, respectively. The present study may contribute to a development of systematically designed nanofibrous films which are suitable for optical applications operating at a broadband visible wavelength with durability and antifog surfaces.

Preparation and stress evolution of sol–gel SiO{sub 2} antireflective coatings for small-size anisotropic lithium triborate crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Bingtao; Wang, Xiaodong, E-mail: xiaodong-wang@tongji.edu.cn; Niu, Yanyan

2016-04-15

Lithium triborate (LiB{sub 3}O{sub 5}, LBO) crystal is now one of the most useful nonlinear optical materials for frequency conversion of high power lasers. The use of the crystal, however, has been hampered by the unavailability of antireflective (AR) coatings with high laser damage resistance. In this work, a “point contact” dip-coating method is developed to prepare sol–gel SiO{sub 2} AR coatings on small-size LBO crystals. Using this approach, we obtain a homogenous coating surface on an 8 mm×8 mm×3 mm LBO crystal. The stress measurements show that the stresses in sol–gel SiO{sub 2} coatings vary with the time ofmore » natural drying, which is beyond our expectation. The anisotropic Young’s modulus of the LBO crystal and the different evolution tendency of the stress in the different SiO{sub 2} coating layers are found to be responsible for the crack of the double-layer AR coatings on anisotropic LBO crystal. Meanwhile, the resulting coatings on LBO crystal achieve a LIDT of over 15 J/cm{sup 2} (532 nm, 3ns) and the coated LBO is expected to have a transmittance of over 99% at 800 nm.« less

Nanostructured antistatic and antireflective thin films made of indium tin oxide and silica over-coat layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Young-Sang; Hong, Jeong-Jin; Yang, Seung-Man; Choi, Chul-Jin

2010-08-01

Stable dispersion of colloidal indium tin oxide nanoparticles was prepared by using indium tin oxide nanopowder, organic solvent, and suitable dispersants through attrition process. Various comminution parameters during the attrition step were studied to optimize the process for the stable dispersion of indium tin oxide sol. The transparent and conductive films were fabricated on glass substrate using the indium tin oxide sol by spin coating process. To obtain antireflective function, partially hydrolyzed alkyl silicate was deposited as over-coat layer on the pre-fabricated indium tin oxide film by spin coating technique. This double-layered structure of the nanostructured film was characterized by measuring the surface resistance and reflectance spectrum in the visible wavelength region. The final film structure was enough to satisfy the TCO regulations for EMI shielding purposes.

Porous Silicon as Antireflecting Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosoglu, Gulsen; Yumak, Mehmet; Okmen, Selim; Ozatay, Ozhan; Skarlatos, Yani; Garcia, Carlos

2013-03-01

The main aim in photovoltaic industry is to produce efficient and energy competitive solar cell modules at low cost. Efficient AntiReflection Coatings (ARC) improve light collection and thereby increase the current output of solar cells. Broadband ARCs are desirable for efficient application over the entire solar spectrum and porous silicon layers as antireflective coating layers provide successful light collection. In the study the most critical physical parameters of porous silicon are examined, homogeneous and uniform porous layers are produced. The photoluminescence spectrum and optical parameters of porous layers have been investigated, and we are now in the process of improving the efficiency of the device by modulating the structure of the porous silicon layers and studying its photovoltaic characteristics. We would like to thank to Mr. Aziz U. Caliskan and his group for their valuable support from TUBITAK YITAL. This Project is supported by Bogazici University Research Funding: 5782, TUBITAK Grant : 209T099, and Bogazici University Infrared Funding: 6121.

Development of new maskless manufacturing method for anti-reflection structure and application to large-area lens with curved surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazuya; Takaoka, Toshimitsu; Fukui, Hidetoshi; Haruta, Yasuyuki; Yamashita, Tomoya; Kitagawa, Seiichiro

2016-03-01

In general, thin-film coating process is widely applied on optical lens surface as anti-reflection function. In normal production process, at first lens is manufactured by molding, then anti-reflection is added by thin-film coating. In recent years, instead of thin-film coating, sub-wavelength structures adding on surface of molding die are widely studied and development to keep anti-reflection performance. As merits, applying sub-wavelength structure, coating process becomes unnecessary and it is possible to reduce man-hour costs. In addition to cost merit, these are some technical advantages on this study. Adhesion of coating depends on material of plastic, and it is impossible to apply anti-reflection function on arbitrary surface. Sub-wavelength structure can solve both problems. Manufacturing method of anti-reflection structure can be divided into two types mainly. One method is with the resist patterning, and the other is mask-less method that does not require patterning. What we have developed is new mask-less method which is no need for resist patterning and possible to impart an anti-reflection structure to large area and curved lens surface, and can be expected to apply to various market segments. We report developed technique and characteristics of production lens.

A simplified method for generating periodic nanostructures by interference lithography without the use of an anti-reflection coating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kapon, Omree; Muallem, Merav; Palatnik, Alex

Interference lithography has proven to be a useful technique for generating periodic sub-diffraction limited nanostructures. Interference lithography can be implemented by exposing a photoresist polymer to laser light using a two-beam arrangement or more simply a one beam configuration based on a Lloyd's Mirror Interferometer. For typical photoresist layers, an anti-reflection coating must be deposited on the substrate to prevent adverse reflections from cancelling the holographic pattern of the interfering beams. For silicon substrates, such coatings are typically multilayered and complex in composition. By thinning the photoresist layer to a thickness well below the quarter wavelength of the exposing beam,more » we demonstrate that interference gratings can be generated without an anti-reflection coating on the substrate. We used ammonium dichromate doped polyvinyl alcohol as the positive photoresist because it provides excellent pinhole free layers down to thicknesses of 40 nm, and can be cross-linked by a low-cost single mode 457 nm laser, and can be etched in water. Gratings with a period of 320 nm and depth of 4 nm were realized, as well as a variety of morphologies depending on the photoresist thickness. This simplified interference lithography technique promises to be useful for generating periodic nanostructures with high fidelity and minimal substrate treatments.« less

Large integrated absorption enhancement in plasmonic solar cells by combining metallic gratings and antireflection coatings.

PubMed

Munday, Jeremy N; Atwater, Harry A

2011-06-08

We describe an ultrathin solar cell architecture that combines the benefits of both plasmonic photovoltaics and traditional antireflection coatings. Spatially resolved electron generation rates are used to determine the total integrated current improvement under AM1.5G solar illumination, which can reach a factor of 1.8. The frequency-dependent absorption is found to strongly correlate with the occupation of optical modes within the structure, and the improved absorption is mainly attributed to improved coupling to guided modes rather than localized resonant modes.

The effect of multiple antireflective coatings and center thickness on resistance of polycarbonate spectacle lenses to penetration by pointed missiles.

PubMed

Chou, B Ralph; Gupta, Alina; Hovis, Jeffery K

2005-11-01

Previous work has shown that the impact resistance to blunt missiles is affected by coatings applied to either CR-39 or polycarbonate lenses. We investigated the effects of multiple antireflection (minimum angle of resolution [MAR]) coatings on the resistance of polycarbonate lenses to puncture on impact by sharp, high-speed missiles. Four groups of surfaced plano polycarbonate lenses were investigated. Two groups had a scratch-resistant (SR) coating applied to both surfaces. One of these groups had a 2-mm center thickness and the other had a 3-mm center thickness. The other two groups of 2-mm and 3-mm thick lenses had a MAR coating applied over the SR coating. The lenses were impacted by a missile consisting of an industrial sewing machine needle mounted in a cylindrical aluminum carrier. The sharp missiles were able to pierce the lenses at speeds between 29.6 m/s and 46.2 m/s. Impact resistance was lowest for the thinner lenses and lenses with a MAR coating. The effect of the MAR and lens thickness was subadditive. We have confirmed previous observations that polycarbonate lenses are more susceptible to penetration by sharp, high-speed missiles than blunt missiles. We have also found that reducing lens center thickness and applying a MAR coating further reduces the penetration resistance. Therefore, the use of 2-mm center thickness and MAR-coated polycarbonate lenses should be discouraged for industrial eye protectors where sharp missile hazards are possible.

Broadband omnidirectional antireflection coating based on subwavelength surface Mie resonators

PubMed Central

Spinelli, P.; Verschuuren, M.A.; Polman, A.

2012-01-01

Reflection is a natural phenomenon that occurs when light passes the interface between materials with different refractive index. In many applications, such as solar cells or photodetectors, reflection is an unwanted loss process. Many ways to reduce reflection from a substrate have been investigated so far, including dielectric interference coatings, surface texturing, adiabatic index matching and scattering from plasmonic nanoparticles. Here we present an entirely new concept that suppresses the reflection of light from a silicon surface over a broad spectral range. A two-dimensional periodic array of subwavelength silicon nanocylinders designed to possess strongly substrate-coupled Mie resonances yields almost zero total reflectance over the entire spectral range from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared. This new antireflection concept relies on the strong forward scattering that occurs when a scattering structure is placed in close proximity to a high-index substrate with a high optical density of states. PMID:22353722

A comparative study on omnidirectional anti-reflection SiO2 nanostructure films coating by glancing angle deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prachachet, R.; Samransuksamer, B.; Horprathum, M.; Eiamchai, P.; Limwichean, S.; Chananonnawathorn, C.; Lertvanithphol, T.; Muthitamongkol, P.; Boonruang, S.; Buranasiri, P.

2018-02-01

Fabricated omnidirectional anti-reflection nanostructure films as a one of the promising alternative solar cell applications have attracted enormous scientific and industrial research benefits to their broadband, effective over a wide range of incident angles, lithography-free and high-throughput process. Recently, the nanostructure SiO2 film was the most inclusive study on anti-reflection with omnidirectional and broadband characteristics. In this work, the three-dimensional silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanostructured thin film with different morphologies including vertical align, slant, spiral and thin films were fabricated by electron beam evaporation with glancing angle deposition (GLAD) on the glass slide and silicon wafer substrate. The morphological of the prepared samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The transmission, omnidirectional and birefringence property of the nanostructure SiO2 films were investigated by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer (VASE). The spectrophotometer measurement was performed at normal incident angle and a full spectral range of 200 - 2000 nm. The angle dependent transmission measurements were investigated by rotating the specimen, with incidence angle defined relative to the surface normal of the prepared samples. This study demonstrates that the obtained SiO2 nanostructure film coated on glass slide substrate exhibits a higher transmission was 93% at normal incident angle. In addition, transmission measurement in visible wavelength and wide incident angles -80 to 80 were increased in comparison with the SiO2 thin film and glass slide substrate due to the transition in the refractive index profile from air to the nanostructure layer that improve the antireflection characteristics. The results clearly showed the enhanced omnidirectional and broadband characteristic of the three dimensional Si

RNA Mimicry by the Fap7 Adenylate Kinase in Ribosome Biogenesis

PubMed Central

Réty, Stéphane; Lebaron, Simon; Deschamps, Patrick; Bareille, Joseph; Jombart, Julie; Robert-Paganin, Julien; Delbos, Lila; Chardon, Florian; Zhang, Elodie; Charenton, Clément; Tollervey, David; Leulliot, Nicolas

2014-01-01

During biogenesis of the 40S and 60S ribosomal subunits, the pre-40S particles are exported to the cytoplasm prior to final cleavage of the 20S pre-rRNA to mature 18S rRNA. Amongst the factors involved in this maturation step, Fap7 is unusual, as it both interacts with ribosomal protein Rps14 and harbors adenylate kinase activity, a function not usually associated with ribonucleoprotein assembly. Human hFap7 also regulates Cajal body assembly and cell cycle progression via the p53–MDM2 pathway. This work presents the functional and structural characterization of the Fap7–Rps14 complex. We report that Fap7 association blocks the RNA binding surface of Rps14 and, conversely, Rps14 binding inhibits adenylate kinase activity of Fap7. In addition, the affinity of Fap7 for Rps14 is higher with bound ADP, whereas ATP hydrolysis dissociates the complex. These results suggest that Fap7 chaperones Rps14 assembly into pre-40S particles via RNA mimicry in an ATP-dependent manner. Incorporation of Rps14 by Fap7 leads to a structural rearrangement of the platform domain necessary for the pre-rRNA to acquire a cleavage competent conformation. PMID:24823650

An abrasion-resistant and broadband antireflective silica coating by block copolymer assisted sol-gel method.

PubMed

Zou, Liping; Li, Xiaoguang; Zhang, Qinghua; Shen, Jun

2014-09-02

A double-layer broadband antireflective (AR) coating was prepared on glass substrate via sol-gel process using two kinds of acid-catalyzed TEOS-derived silica sols. The relative dense layer with a porosity of ∼10% was obtained from an as-prepared sol, while the porous layer with a porosity of ∼55% was from a modified one with block copolymer (BCP) Pluronic F127 as template which results in abundant ordered mesopores. The two layers give rise to a reasonable refractive index gradient from air to the substrate and thus high transmittance in a wide wavelength range, and both of them have the same tough skeleton despite different porosity, for which each single-layer and the double-layer coatings all behaved well in the mechanical property tests. The high transmittance and the strong ability of resisting abrasion make this coating promising for applications in some harsh conditions. In addition, the preparation is simple, low-cost, time-saving, and flexible for realizing the optical property.

Quantitative adhesion characterization of antireflective coatings in multijunction photovoltaics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brock, Ryan; Rewari, Raunaq; Novoa, Fernando D.

We discuss the development of a new composite dual cantilever beam (cDCB) thin-film adhesion testing method, which enables the quantitative measurement of adhesion on the thin and fragile substrates used in multijunction photovoltaics. In particular, we address the adhesion of several 2- and 3-layer antireflective coating systems on multijunction cells. By varying interface chemistry and morphology through processing, we demonstrate the marked effects on adhesion and help to develop an understanding of how high adhesion can be achieved, as adhesion values ranging from 0.5 J/m2 to 10 J/m2 were measured. Damp heat (85 degrees C/85% RH) was used to invokemore » degradation of interfacial adhesion. We demonstrate that even with germanium substrates that fracture relatively easily, quantitative measurements of adhesion can be made at high test yield. The cDCB test is discussed as an important new methodology, which can be broadly applied to any system that makes use of thin, brittle, or otherwise fragile substrates.« less

Anti-reflective coating with a conductive indium tin oxide layer on flexible glass substrates.

PubMed

Sung, Yilin; Malay, Robert E; Wen, Xin; Bezama, Christian N; Soman, Varun V; Huang, Ming-Huang; Garner, Sean M; Poliks, Mark D; Klotzkin, David

2018-03-20

Flexible glass has many applications including photovoltaics, organic light-emitting device (OLED) lighting, and displays. Its ability to be processed in a roll-to-roll facility enables high-throughput continuous manufacturing compared to conventional glass processing. For photovoltaic, OLED lighting, and display applications, transparent conductors are required with minimal optical reflection losses. Here, we demonstrate an anti-reflective coating (ARC) that incorporates a useful transparent conductor that is realizable on flexible substrates. This reduces the average reflectivity to less than 6% over the visible band from normal incidence to incident angles up to 60°. This ARC is designed by the average uniform algorithm method. The coating materials consist of a multilayer stack of an electrically functional conductive indium tin oxide with conductivity 2.95×10 5   Siemens/m (31 Ω/□), and AlSiO 2 . The coatings showed modest changes in reflectivity and no delamination after 10,000 bending cycles. This demonstrates that effective conductive layers can be integrated into ARCs and can be realized on flexible glass substrates with proper design and process control.

Metasurface-based anti-reflection coatings at optical frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monti, Alessio; Alù, Andrea; Toscano, Alessandro; Bilotti, Filiberto

2018-05-01

In this manuscript, we propose a metasurface approach for the reduction of electromagnetic reflection from an arbitrary air‑dielectric interface. The proposed technique exploits the exotic optical response of plasmonic nanoparticles to achieve complete cancellation of the field reflected by a dielectric substrate by means of destructive interference. Differently from other, earlier anti-reflection approaches based on nanoparticles, our design scheme is supported by a simple transmission-line formulation that allows a closed-form characterization of the anti-reflection performance of a nanoparticle array. Furthermore, since the working principle of the proposed devices relies on an average effect that does not critically depend on the array geometry, our approach enables low-cost production and easy scalability to large sizes. Our theoretical considerations are supported by full-wave simulations confirming the effectiveness of this design principle.

How reduced vacuum pumping capability in a coating chamber affects the laser damage resistance of HfO 2/SiO 2 antireflection and high-reflection coatings

DOE PAGES

Field, Ella S.; Bellum, John C.; Kletecka, Damon E.

2016-07-15

Here, optical coatings with the highest laser damage thresholds rely on clean conditions in the vacuum chamber during the coating deposition process. A low-base pressure in the coating chamber, as well as the ability of the vacuum system to maintain the required pressure during deposition, are important aspects of limiting the amount of defects in an optical coating that could induce laser damage. Our large optics coating chamber at Sandia National Laboratories normally relies on three cryo pumps to maintain low pressures for e-beam coating processes. However, on occasion, one or more of the cryo pumps have been out ofmore » commission. In light of this circumstance, we explored how deposition under compromised vacuum conditions resulting from the use of only one or two cryo pumps affects the laser-induced damage thresholds of optical coatings. The coatings of this study consist of HfO 2 and SiO 2 layer materials and include antireflection coatings for 527 nm at normal incidence and high-reflection coatings for 527 nm at 45-deg angle of incidence in P-polarization.« less

The Broadband Anti-reflection Coated Extended Hemispherical Silicon Lenses for Polarbear-2 Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siritanasak, P.; Aleman, C.; Arnold, K.; Cukierman, A.; Hazumi, M.; Kazemzadeh, K.; Keating, B.; Matsumura, T.; Lee, A. T.; Lee, C.; Quealy, E.; Rosen, D.; Stebor, N.; Suzuki, A.

2016-08-01

Polarbear-2 (PB-2) is a next-generation receiver that is part of the Simons Array cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment which is located in the Atacama desert in Northern Chile. The primary scientific goals of the Simons Array are a deep search for the CMB B-mode signature of gravitational waves from inflation and the characterization of large-scale structure using its effect on CMB polarization. The PB-2 receiver will deploy with 1897 dual-polarization sinuous antenna-coupled pixels, each with a directly contacting extended hemispherical silicon lens. Every pixel has dual polarization sensitivity in two spectral bands centered at 95 and 150 GHz, for a total of 7588 transition edge sensor bolometers operating at 270 mK. To achieve the PB-2 detector requirements, we developed a broadband anti-reflection (AR) coating for the extended hemispherical lenses that uses two molds to apply two layers of epoxy, Stycast 1090 and Stycast 2850FT. Our measurements of the absorption loss from the AR coating on a flat surface at cryogenic temperatures show less than 1 % absorption, and the coating has survived multiple thermal cycles. We can control the diameter of the coating within 25 {\\upmu }m and translation errors are within 25 {\\upmu }m in all directions, which results in less than 1 % decrease in transmittance. We also find the performance of the AR-coated lens matches very well with simulations.

An experimental study of antireflective coatings in Ge light detectors for scintillating bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancuso, M.; Beeman, J. W.; Giuliani, A.; Dumoulin, L.; Olivieri, E.; Pessina, G.; Plantevin, O.; Rusconi, C.; Tenconi, M.

2014-01-01

Luminescent bolometers are double-readout devices able to measure simultaneously the phonon and the light yields after a particle interaction in the detector. This operation allows in some cases to tag the type of the interacting quantum, crucial issue for background control in rare event experiments such as the search for neutrinoless double beta decay and for interactions of particle dark matter candidates. The light detectors used in the LUCIFER and LUMINEU searches (projects aiming at the study of the double beta interesting candidates 82Se and 100Mo using ZnSe and ZnMoO4 scintillating bolometers) consist of hyper-pure Ge thin slabs equipped with NTD thermistors. A substantial sensitivity improvement of the Ge light detectors can be obtained applying a proper anti-reflective coatings on the Ge side exposed to the luminescent bolometer. The present paper deals with the investigation of this aspect, proving and quantifying the positive effect of a SiO2 and a SiO coating and setting the experimental bases for future tests of other coating materials. The results confirm that an appropriate coating procedure helps in improving the sensitivity of bolometric light detectors by an important factor (in the range 20% - 35%) and needs to be included in the recipe for the development of an optimized radio-pure scintillating bolometer.

Development of processing procedures for advanced silicon solar cells. [antireflection coatings and short circuit currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott-Monck, J. A.; Stella, P. M.; Avery, J. E.

1975-01-01

Ten ohm-cm silicon solar cells, 0.2 mm thick, were produced with short circuit current efficiencies up to thirteen percent and using a combination of recent technical advances. The cells were fabricated in conventional and wraparound contact configurations. Improvement in cell collection efficiency from both the short and long wavelengths region of the solar spectrum was obtained by coupling a shallow junction and an optically transparent antireflection coating with back surface field technology. Both boron diffusion and aluminum alloying techniques were evaluated for forming back surface field cells. The latter method is less complicated and is compatible with wraparound cell processing.

Antireflection coating on metallic substrates for solar energy and display applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsiao, Wei-Yuan; Tang, Chien-Jen; Lee, Kun-Hsien; Jaing, Cheng-Chung; Kuo, Chien-Cheng; Chen, Hsi-Chao; Chang, Hsing-Hua; Lee, Cheng-Chung

2010-08-01

Normally metallic films are required for solar energy and display related coatings. To increase the absorbing efficiency or contrast, it is necessary to apply an antireflection coating (ARC) on the metal substrate. However, the design of a metal substrate is very different from the design of a dielectric substrate, since the optical constant of metallic thin film is very dependent on its thickness and microstructure. In this study, we design and fabricate ARCs on Al substrates using SiO2 and Nb2O5 as the dielectric materials and Nb for the metal films. The ARC successfully deposited on the Al substrate had the following structure: air/SiO2/Nb2O5/Metal/Nb2O5/Al. The measured average reflectance of the ARC is less than 1% in the visible region. We found that it is better to use a highly refractive material than a low refractive material. The thickness of the metallic film can be thicker with the result that it is easier to control and has a lesser total thickness. The total thickness of the ARC is less than 200 nm. We successfully fabricated a solar absorber and OLED device with the ARC structure were successfully fabricated.

Design of a three-layer antireflection coating for high efficiency indium phosphide solar cells using a chemical oxide as first layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moulot, Jacques; Faur, M.; Faur, M.; Goradia, C.; Goradia, M.; Bailey, S.

1995-01-01

It is well known that the behavior of III-V compound based solar cells is largely controlled by their surface, since the majority of light generated carriers (63% for GaAs and 79% for InP) are created within 0.2 mu m of the surface of the illuminated cell. Consequently, the always observed high surface recombination velocity (SRV) on these cells is a serious limiting factor for their high efficiency performance, especially for those with p-n junction made by either thermal diffusion or ion implantation. A good surface passivation layer, ideally a grown oxide as opposed to a deposited one, will cause a significant reduction in the SRV without adding interface problems, thus improving the performance of III-V compound based solar cells. Another significant benefit to the overall performance of the solar cells can be achieved by a substantial reduction of their large surface optical reflection by the use of a well designed antireflection (AR) coating. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using a chemically grown thermally and chemically stable oxide, not only for surface passivation but also as an integral part of a 3-layer AR coating for thermally diffused p+n InP solar cells. A phosphorus-rich interfacial oxide, In(PO3)3, is grown at the surface of the p+ emitter using an etchant based on HNO3, o-H3PO4 and H2O2. This oxide has the unique properties of passivating the surface as well as serving as an efficient antireflective layer yielding a measured record high AMO open-circuit voltage of 890.3 mV on a thermally diffused InP(Cd,S) solar cell. Unlike conventional single layer AR coatings such as ZnS, Sb2O3, SiO or double layer AR coatings such as ZnS/MgF2 deposited by e-beam or resistive evaporation, this oxide preserves the stoichiometry of the InP surface. We show that it is possible to design a three-layer AR coating for a thermally diffused InP solar cell using the In(PO3)3 grown oxide as the first layer and Al2O3 and MgF2 as the second and third

How reduced vacuum pumping capability in a coating chamber affects the laser damage resistance of HfO 2/SiO 2 antireflection and high reflection coatings.

DOE PAGES

Field, Ella Suzanne; Bellum, John Curtis; Kletecka, Damon E.

2016-06-01

Optical coatings with the highest laser damage thresholds rely on clean conditions in the vacuum chamber during the coating deposition process. A low base pressure in the coating chamber, as well as the ability of the vacuum system to maintain the required pressure during deposition, are important aspects of limiting the amount of defects in an optical coating that could induce laser damage. Our large optics coating chamber at Sandia National Laboratories normally relies on three cryo pumps to maintain low pressures for e-beam coating processes. However, on occasion, one or more of the cryo pumps have been out ofmore » commission. In light of this circumstance, we explored how deposition under compromised vacuum conditions resulting from the use of only one or two cryo pumps affects the laser-induced damage thresholds of optical coatings. Finally, the coatings of this study consist of HfO 2 and SiO 2 layer materials and include antireflection coatings for 527 nm at normal incidence, and high reflection coatings for 527 nm, 45⁰ angle of incidence (AOI), in P-polarization (P-pol).« less

Link between mechanical strength and laser damage threshold for antireflective coating made by sol-gel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avice, J.; Piombini, H.; Boscher, C.; Belleville, P.; Vaudel, G.; Brotons, G.; Ruello, P.; Gusev, V.

2017-11-01

The MegaJoule Laser (LMJ) for inertial confinement fusion experiments is currently in operation at CEA-CESTA in France. All the lenses are coated by an antireflective (AR) layer to optimize the light power transmission. This AR layer is manufactured by sol-gel process, a soft chemical process, associated with a liquid phase coating technique to realize thin film of metal oxide. These optical components are hardened into ammoniac vapors in order to mechanically reinforce the AR coating and to make them more handling. This hardening induces a thickness reduction of the layer so an increase of the stiffness and sometimes a crazing of the layer. As these optical components undergo a high-power laser beam, so, it is important to verify if the AR properties (optical and mechanical) influence the value of the threshold laser damage. A series of coated samples have been manufactured having variable elastic moduli to discuss this point. In that purpose, a homemade Laser Induced Damage Threshold (LIDT) setup has been developed to test the layers under laser flux. We describe the used methods and different results are given. Preliminary results obtained on several coated samples with variable elastic moduli are presented. We show that whatever are the elastic stiffness of the AR coating, an overall decrease of the threshold appears with no noticeable effect of the mechanical properties of the AR coatings. Some possible explanations are given.

Design of a Three-Layer Antireflection Coating for High Efficiency Indium Phosphide Solar Cells Using a Chemical Oxide as First Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moulot, Jacques; Faur, Mircea; Faur, Maria; Goradia, Chandra; Goradia, Manju; Bailey, Sheila

1995-01-01

It is well known that the behavior of III-V compound based solar cells is largely controlled by their surface, since the majority of light generated carriers (63% for GaAs and 79% for InP) are created within 0.2 microns of the illuminated surface of the cell. Consequently, the always observed high surface recombination velocity (SRV) on these cells is a serious limiting factor for their high efficiency performance, especially for those with the p-n junction made by either thermal diffusion or ion implantation. A good surface passivation layer, ideally, a grown oxide as opposed to a deposited one, will cause a significant reduction in the SRV without adding interface problems, thus improving the performance of III-V compound based solar cells. Another significant benefit to the overall performance of the solar cells can be achieved by a substantial reduction of their large surface optical reflection by the use of a well designed antireflection (AR) coating. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using a chemically grown, thermally and chemically stable oxide, not only for surface passivation but also as an integral part of a 3- layer AR coating for thermally diffused p(+)n InP solar cells. A phosphorus-rich interfacial oxide, In(PO3)3, is grown at the surface of the p(+) emitter using an etchant based on HNO3, o-H3PO4 and H2O2. This oxide has the unique properties of passivating the surface as well as serving as a fairly efficient antireflective layer yielding a measured record high AM0, 25 C, open-circuit voltage of 890.3 mV on a thermally diffused InP(Cd,S) solar cell. Unlike conventional single layer AR coatings such as ZnS, Sb2O3, SiO or double layer AR coatings such as ZnS/MgF2 deposited by e-beam or resistive evaporation, this oxide preserves the stoichiometry of the InP surface. We show that it is possible to design a three-layer AR coating for a thermally diffused InP solar cell using the In(PO3)3 grown oxide as the first layer and Al2O3, MgF2 or

Optical design of ZnO-based antireflective layers for enhanced GaAs solar cell performance.

PubMed

Lee, Hye Jin; Lee, Jae Won; Kim, Hee Jun; Jung, Dae-Han; Lee, Ki-Suk; Kim, Sang Hyeon; Geum, Dae-myeong; Kim, Chang Zoo; Choi, Won Jun; Baik, Jeong Min

2016-01-28

A series of hierarchical ZnO-based antireflection coatings with different nanostructures (nanowires and nanosheets) is prepared hydrothermally, followed by means of RF sputtering of MgF2 layers for coaxial nanostructures. Structural analysis showed that both ZnO had a highly preferred orientation along the 〈0001〉 direction with a highly crystalline MgF2 shell coated uniformly. However, a small amount of Al was present in nanosheets, originating from Al diffusion from the Al seed layer, resulting in an increase of the optical bandgap. Compared with the nanosheet-based antireflection coatings, the nanowire-based ones exhibited a significantly lower reflectance (∼2%) in ultraviolet and visible light wavelength regions. In particular, they showed perfect light absorption at wavelength less than approximately 400 nm. However, a GaAs single junction solar cell with nanosheet-based antireflection coatings showed the largest enhancement (43.9%) in power conversion efficiency. These results show that the increase of the optical bandgap of the nanosheets by the incorporation of Al atoms allows more photons enter the active region of the solar cell, improving the performance.

Studies and testing of antireflective (AR) coatings for soda-lime glass

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pastirik, E. M.; Sparks, T. G.; Coleman, M. G.

1978-01-01

Processes for producing antireflection films on glass are concentrated in three areas: acid etching of glass, plasma etching of glass, and acid development of sodium silicate films on glass. The best transmission was achieved through the acid etching technique, while the most durable films were produced from development of sodium silicate films. Control of the acid etching technique is presently inadequate for production implementation. While films having excellent antireflective properties were fabricated by plasma etching techniques, all were water soluble.

In vivo near-infrared fluorescence imaging of FAP-expressing tumors with activatable FAP-targeted, single-chain Fv-immunoliposomes.

PubMed

Rüger, Ronny; Tansi, Felista L; Rabenhold, Markus; Steiniger, Frank; Kontermann, Roland E; Fahr, Alfred; Hilger, Ingrid

2014-07-28

Molecular and cellular changes that precede the invasive growth of solid tumors include the release of proteolytic enzymes and peptides in the tumor stroma, the recruitment of phagocytic and lymphoid infiltrates and alteration of the extracellular matrix. The reactive tumor stroma consists of a large number of myofibroblasts, characterized by high expression of fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP). FAP, a type-II transmembrane sialoglycoprotein is an attractive target in diagnosis and therapy of several pathologic disorders especially cancer. In the underlying work, a fluorescence-activatable liposome (fluorescence-quenched during circulation and fluorescence activation upon cellular uptake), bearing specific single-chain Fv fragments directed against FAP (scFv'FAP) was developed, and its potential for use in fluorescence diagnostic imaging of FAP-expressing tumor cells was evaluated by whole body fluorescence imaging. The liposomes termed anti-FAP-IL were prepared via post-insertion of ligand-phospholipid-conjugates into preformed DY-676-COOH-containing liposomes. The anti-FAP-IL revealed a homogeneous size distribution and showed specific interaction and binding with FAP-expressing cells in vitro. The high level of fluorescence quenching of the near-infrared fluorescent dye sequestered in the aqueous interior of the liposomes enables fluorescence imaging exclusively upon uptake and degradation by cells, which results in fluorescence activation. Only FAP-expressing cells were able to take up and activate fluorescence of anti-FAP-IL in vitro. Furthermore, anti-FAP-IL accumulated selectively in FAP-expressing xenograft models in vivo, as demonstrated by blocking experiments using free scFv'FAP. The local tumor fluorescence intensities were in agreement with the intrinsic degree of FAP-expression in different xenograft models. Thus, anti-FAP-IL can serve as a suitable in vivo diagnostic tool for pathological disorders accompanied by high FAP

Templated biomimetic multifunctional coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Chih-Hung; Gonzalez, Adriel; Linn, Nicholas C.; Jiang, Peng; Jiang, Bin

2008-02-01

We report a bioinspired templating technique for fabricating multifunctional optical coatings that mimic both unique functionalities of antireflective moth eyes and superhydrophobic cicada wings. Subwavelength-structured fluoropolymer nipple arrays are created by a soft-lithography-like process. The utilization of fluoropolymers simultaneously enhances the antireflective performance and the hydrophobicity of the replicated films. The specular reflectivity matches the optical simulation using a thin-film multilayer model. The dependence of the size and the crystalline ordering of the replicated nipples on the resulting antireflective properties have also been investigated by experiment and modeling. These biomimetic materials may find important technological application in self-cleaning antireflection coatings.

Nanonewton optical force trap employing anti-reflection coated, high-refractive-index titania microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannasch, Anita; Demirörs, Ahmet F.; van Oostrum, Peter D. J.; van Blaaderen, Alfons; Schäffer, Erik

2012-07-01

Optical tweezers are exquisite position and force transducers and are widely used for high-resolution measurements in fields as varied as physics, biology and materials science. Typically, small dielectric particles are trapped in a tightly focused laser and are often used as handles for sensitive force measurements. Improvement to the technique has largely focused on improving the instrument and shaping the light beam, and there has been little work exploring the benefit of customizing the trapped object. Here, we describe how anti-reflection coated, high-refractive-index core-shell particles composed of titania enable single-beam optical trapping with an optical force greater than a nanonewton. The increased force range broadens the scope of feasible optical trapping experiments and will pave the way towards more efficient light-powered miniature machines, tools and applications.

Selective dry etching of silicon containing anti-reflective coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sridhar, Shyam; Nolan, Andrew; Wang, Li; Karakas, Erdinc; Voronin, Sergey; Biolsi, Peter; Ranjan, Alok

2018-03-01

Multi-layer patterning schemes involve the use of Silicon containing Anti-Reflective Coating (SiARC) films for their anti-reflective properties. Patterning transfer completion requires complete and selective removal of SiARC which is very difficult due to its high silicon content (>40%). Typically, SiARC removal is accomplished through a non-selective etch during the pattern transfer process using fluorine containing plasmas, or an ex-situ wet etch process using hydrofluoric acid is employed to remove the residual SiARC, post pattern transfer. Using a non-selective etch may result in profile distortion or wiggling, due to distortion of the underlying organic layer. The drawbacks of using wet etch process for SiARC removal are increased overall processing time and the need for additional equipment. Many applications may involve patterning of active structures in a poly-Si layer with an underlying oxide stopping layer. In such applications, SiARC removal selective to oxide using a wet process may prove futile. Removing SiARC selectively to SiO2 using a dry etch process is also challenging, due to similarity in the nature of chemical bonds (Si - O) in the two materials. In this work, we present highly selective etching of SiARC, in a plasma driven by a surface wave radial line slot antenna. The first step in the process involves an in-situ modification of the SiARC layer in O2 plasma followed by selective etching in a NF3/H2 plasma. Surface treatment in O2 plasma resulted in enhanced etching of the SiARC layer. For the right processing conditions, in-situ NF3/H2 dry etch process demonstrated selectivity values greater than 15:1 with respect to SiO2. The etching chemistry, however, was sensitive to NF3:H2 gas ratio. For dilute NF3 in H2, no SiARC etching was observed. Presumably, this is due to the deposition of ammonium fluorosilicate layer that occurs for dilute NF3/H2 plasmas. Additionally, challenges involved in selective SiARC removal (selective to SiO2, organic

Understanding deviations in lithographic patterns near interfaces: Characterization of bottom anti-reflective coatings (BARC) and the BARC resist interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenhart, Joseph L.; Fischer, Daniel; Sambasivan, Sharadha; Lin, Eric K.; Wu, Wen-Li; Guerrero, Douglas J.; Wang, Yubao; Puligadda, Rama

2007-02-01

Interactions between a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) and a photoresist can critically impact lithographic patterns. For example, a lithographic pattern can shrink or spread near a BARC interface, a process called undercutting or footing respectively, due to incompatibility between the two materials. Experiments were conducted on two industrial BARC coatings in an effort to determine the impact of BARC surface chemistry on the footing and undercutting phenomena. The BARC coatings were characterized by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), contact angle measurements, and neutron and X-ray reflectivity. Contact angle measurement using a variety of fluids showed that the fluid contact angles were independent of the type of BARC coating or the BARC processing temperature. NEXAFS measurements showed that the surface chemistry of each BARC was also independent of the processing temperature. These results suggest that acid-base interactions at the BARC-resist interface are not the cause of the footing-undercutting phenomena encountered in lithographic patterns.

Assessment of the antireflection property of moth wings by three-dimensional transfer-matrix optical simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deparis, Olivier; Khuzayim, Nadia; Parker, Andrew; Vigneron, Jean Pol

2009-04-01

The wings of the moth Cacostatia ossa (Ctenuchinae) are covered on both sides by non-close-packed nipple arrays which are known to act as broadband antireflection coatings. Experimental evaluation of the antireflection property of these biological structures is problematic because of the lack of a proper reference for reflectance measurements, i.e., a smooth surface made of the same material as the wing. Theoretical evaluation, on the other hand, is much more reliable provided that optical simulations are carried out on a realistic structural model of the wing. Based on detailed morphological characterizations, we established a three-dimensional (3D) model of the wing and used 3D transfer-matrix optical simulations in order to demonstrate the broadband antireflection property of the wings of Cacostatia ossa. Differences between hemispherical and specular reflectance spectra revealed that diffraction effects were not negligible for this structure although they did not jeopardize the antireflection efficiency. The influences of the backside corrugation and of the material’s absorption on the reflectance spectrum were also studied. In addition, simulations based on an effective-medium model of the wing were carried out using a multilayer thin-film code. In comparison with the latter simulations, the 3D transfer-matrix simulations were found to be more accurate for evaluating the antireflection property.

Optimized 2D array of thin silicon pillars for efficient antireflective coatings in the visible spectrum

PubMed Central

Proust, Julien; Fehrembach, Anne-Laure; Bedu, Frédéric; Ozerov, Igor; Bonod, Nicolas

2016-01-01

Light reflection occuring at the surface of silicon wafers is drastically diminished by etching square pillars of height 110 nm and width 140 nm separated by a 100 nm gap distance in a square lattice. The design of the nanostructure is optimized to widen the spectral tolerance of the antireflective coatings over the visible spectrum for both fundamental polarizations. Angle and polarized resolved optical measurements report a light reflection remaining under 5% when averaged in the visible spectrum for both polarizations in a wide angular range. Light reflection remains almost insensitive to the light polarization even in oblique incidence. PMID:27109643

Optical phenomena and antifrosting property on biomimetics slippery fluid-infused antireflective films via layer-by-layer comparison with superhydrophobic and antireflective films.

PubMed

Manabe, Kengo; Nishizawa, Shingo; Kyung, Kyu-Hong; Shiratori, Seimei

2014-08-27

Sophisticated material interfaces generated by natural life forms such as lotus leaves and Nepenthes pitcher plants have exceptional abilities to resolve challenges in wide areas of industry and medicine. The nano- and microstructures inspired by these natural materials can repel various liquids and form self-cleaning coatings. In particular, slippery liquid-infused surfaces are receiving remarkable interest as transparent, nonfouling, and antifrosting synthetic surfaces for solar cells and optical devices. Here we focus on the transparency of lubricant-infused texture on antireflective films fabricated by layer-by-layer self-assembly that decrease light scattering, which is important to maintain device properties. A slippery fluid-infused antireflective film composed of chitin nanofibers less than 50 nm in diameter prevented light scattering at the long-wavelength side by Rayleigh scattering to achieve 97.2% transmittance. Moreover, films composed of the same materials demonstrated three different morphologies: superhydrophilicity with antireflection, superhydrophobicity, and omniphobicity, mimicking the biological structures of moth eyes, lotus leaves, and pitcher plants, respectively. The effect of thermal changes on the ability of each film to prevent frost formation was investigated. The slippery fluid-infused antireflective film showed effective antifrosting behavior.

Nanotip Carpets as Antireflection Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bae, Youngsam; Mobasser, Sohrab; Manohara, Harish; Lee, Choonsup

2008-01-01

Carpet-like random arrays of metal-coated silicon nanotips have been shown to be effective as antireflection surfaces. Now undergoing development for incorporation into Sun sensors that would provide guidance for robotic exploratory vehicles on Mars, nanotip carpets of this type could also have many uses on Earth as antireflection surfaces in instruments that handle or detect ultraviolet, visible, or infrared light. In the original Sun-sensor application, what is required is an array of 50-micron-diameter apertures on what is otherwise an opaque, minimally reflective surface, as needed to implement a miniature multiple-pinhole camera. The process for fabrication of an antireflection nanotip carpet for this application (see Figure 1) includes, and goes somewhat beyond, the process described in A New Process for Fabricating Random Silicon Nanotips (NPO-40123), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 1 (November 2004), page 62. In the first step, which is not part of the previously reported process, photolithography is performed to deposit etch masks to define the 50-micron apertures on a silicon substrate. In the second step, which is part of the previously reported process, the non-masked silicon area between the apertures is subjected to reactive ion etching (RIE) under a special combination of conditions that results in the growth of fluorine-based compounds in randomly distributed formations, known in the art as "polymer RIE grass," that have dimensions of the order of microns. The polymer RIE grass formations serve as microscopic etch masks during the next step, in which deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) is performed. What remains after DRIE is the carpet of nano - tips, which are high-aspect-ratio peaks, the tips of which have radii of the order of nanometers. Next, the nanotip array is evaporatively coated with Cr/Au to enhance the absorption of light (more specifically, infrared light in the Sun-sensor application). The photoresist etch masks protecting the apertures

Operative risks of domino liver transplantation for the FAP liver donor and the FAP liver recipient.

PubMed

Azoulay, Daniel; Salloum, Chady; Samuel, Didier; Planté-Bordeneuve, Violaine

2012-06-01

This study aimed at evaluating the operative risks of domino liver transplantation (LT). Two retrospective analyses were conducted (comparison of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) liver donors [61 patients] versus FAP nondonors [39 patients] and FAP liver recipients [61 patients] versus cadaveric liver recipients [61 patients]). First analysis showed a 60-day mortality of 6.6% for FAP donors and 7.7% for FAP nondonors (p = 1.0). Both groups had similar vascular and biliary complication rates. Both groups had similar 1- and 5-year patient and graft survival rates (83.4 % versus 87.2%, and 79.8 % versus 71.8%, p = 0.7) and (83.3% versus 87.2%, and 79.1% versus 71.8%, p = 0.7). The second analysis showed a 1.6% mortality for FAP liver recipients versus 3.2% of the control group (p = 1). Both groups had similar morbidity and technical complication rates (18.0% versus 13.1%, p = 0.45) and (0.18 versus 0.15, p = 0.65). Domino procedure doesn't add any risk to FAP donor or recipient. It increases the organ pool allowing transplantation of marginal recipients who otherwise are denied cadaveric LT.

Thin film and high-etch-rate type 248-nm bottom antireflective coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enomoto, Tomoyuki; Takei, Satoshi; Kishioka, Takahiro; Hatanaka, Tadashi; Sakamoto, Rikimaru; Nakajima, Yasuyuki

2004-05-01

A frequent problem encountered by photoresists during the manufacturing of semiconductor device is that activating radiation is reflected back into the photoresist by the substrate. So, it is necessary that the light reflection is reduced from the substrate. One approach to reduce the light reflection is the use of bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) applied to the substrate beneath the photoresist layer. The BARC technology has been utilized for a few years to minimize the reflectivity. As the chip size is reduced to sub 0.13 micron, the photoresist thickness has to decrease with the aspect ratio being less than 3.0. Therefore, new Organic BARC is strongly required which has the minimum reflectivity with thinner BARC thickness and higher etch selectivity toward resists. Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. and Brewer Science, Inc. have developed the advanced Organic BARC for achieving the above purpose. As a result, the suitable high performance NCA3000 series 248nm Organic BARCs were developed. Using CF4 gas as etchant, the plasma etch rate of NCA3000 series is about 1.4-1.6 times higher than that of conventional 248nm resists and 1.1-1.2 times higher than that of the existing product. The NCA3000 series can minimize the substrate reflectivity at below 45nm BARC thickness, shows excellent litho performance and coating properties.

Antireflection-coated blue GaN laser diodes in an external cavity and Doppler-free indium absorption spectroscopy.

PubMed

Hildebrandt, Lars; Knispel, Richard; Stry, Sandra; Sacher, Joachim R; Schael, Frank

2003-04-20

Commercially available GaN-based laser diodes were antireflection coated in our laboratory and operated in an external cavity in a Littrow configuration. A total tuning range of typically 4 nm and an optical output power of up to 30 mW were observed after optimization of the external cavity. The linewidth was measured with a beterodyne technique, and 0.8 MHz at a sweep time of 50 ms was obtained. The mode-hop-free tuning range was more than 50 GHz. We demonstrated the performance of the laser by detecting the saturated absorption spectrum of atomic indium at 410 nm, allowing observation of well-resolved Lamb dips.

Highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator for harvesting water-related energy reinforced by antireflection coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Qijie; Yan, Xiaoqin; Gu, Yousong; Zhang, Kui; Liang, Mengyuan; Lu, Shengnan; Zheng, Xin; Zhang, Yue

2015-03-01

Water-related energy is an inexhaustible and renewable energy resource in our environment, which has huge amount of energy and is not largely dictated by daytime and sunlight. The transparent characteristic plays a key role in practical applications for some devices designed for harvesting water-related energy. In this paper, a highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator (T-TENG) was designed to harvest the electrostatic energy from flowing water. The instantaneous output power density of the T-TENG is 11.56 mW/m2. Moreover, with the PTFE film acting as an antireflection coating, the maximum transmittance of the fabricated T-TENG is 87.4%, which is larger than that of individual glass substrate. The T-TENG can be integrated with silicon-based solar cell, building glass and car glass, which demonstrates its potential applications for harvesting waste water energy in our living environment and on smart home system and smart car system.

Highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator for harvesting water-related energy reinforced by antireflection coating.

PubMed

Liang, Qijie; Yan, Xiaoqin; Gu, Yousong; Zhang, Kui; Liang, Mengyuan; Lu, Shengnan; Zheng, Xin; Zhang, Yue

2015-03-13

Water-related energy is an inexhaustible and renewable energy resource in our environment, which has huge amount of energy and is not largely dictated by daytime and sunlight. The transparent characteristic plays a key role in practical applications for some devices designed for harvesting water-related energy. In this paper, a highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator (T-TENG) was designed to harvest the electrostatic energy from flowing water. The instantaneous output power density of the T-TENG is 11.56 mW/m(2). Moreover, with the PTFE film acting as an antireflection coating, the maximum transmittance of the fabricated T-TENG is 87.4%, which is larger than that of individual glass substrate. The T-TENG can be integrated with silicon-based solar cell, building glass and car glass, which demonstrates its potential applications for harvesting waste water energy in our living environment and on smart home system and smart car system.

Self-assembled antireflection coatings for light trapping based on SiGe random metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouabdellaoui, Mohammed; Checcucci, Simona; Wood, Thomas; Naffouti, Meher; Sena, Robert Paria; Liu, Kailang; Ruiz, Carmen M.; Duche, David; le Rouzo, Judikael; Escoubas, Ludovic; Berginc, Gerard; Bonod, Nicolas; Zazoui, Mimoun; Favre, Luc; Metayer, Leo; Ronda, Antoine; Berbezier, Isabelle; Grosso, David; Gurioli, Massimo; Abbarchi, Marco

2018-03-01

We demonstrate a simple self-assembly method based on solid state dewetting of ultrathin silicon films and germanium deposition for the fabrication of efficient antireflection coatings on silicon for light trapping. We fabricate SiGe islands with a high surface density, randomly positioned and broadly varied in size. This allows one to reduce the reflectance to low values in a broad spectral range (from 500 nm to 2500 nm) and a broad angle (up to 55°) and to trap within the wafer a large portion of the impinging light (˜40 % ) also below the band gap, where the Si substrate is nonabsorbing. Theoretical simulations agree with the experimental results, showing that the efficient light coupling into the substrate is mediated by Mie resonances formed within the SiGe islands. This lithography-free method can be implemented on arbitrarily thick or thin SiO2 layers and its duration only depends on the sample thickness and on the annealing temperature.

The design of broad band anti-reflection coatings for solar cell applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siva Rama Krishna, Angirekula; Sabat, Samrat Lagnajeet; Ghanashyam Krishna, Mamidipudi

2017-01-01

The design of broadband anti-reflection coatings (ARCs) for solar cell applications using multiobjective differential evolutionary (MODE) algorithms is reported. The effect of thickness and refractive index contrast within the layers of the ARC on the bandwidth of reflectance is investigated in detail. In the case of the hybrid plasmonic ARC structures the effect of size, shape and filling fraction of silver (Ag) nanoparticles on the reflectance is studied. Bandwidth is defined as the spectral region of wavelengths over which the reflectance is below 2%. Single, two and three layers ARCs (consisting of MgF2, Al2O3, Si3N4, TiO2 and ZnS or combinations of these materials) were simulated for performance evaluation on an a-Si photovoltaic cell. It is observed that the three layer ARC consisting of MgF2/Si3N4/TiO2(ZnTe) of 81/42/36 nm thicknesses, respectively, exhibited a weighted reflectance of 1.9% with a bandwidth of 450 nm over the wavelength range of 300-900 nm. The ARC bandwidth could be further improved by embedding randomly distributed Ag nanoparticles of size between 100 and 120 nm on a two layer ARC consisting of Al2O3/TiO2 with thickness of 42 nm and 56 nm respectively. This plasmon-dielectric hybrid ARC design exhibited a weighted reflectance of 0.6% with a bandwidth of 560 nm over the wavelength range of 300-900 nm.

Biomimetic Moth-eye Nanofabrication: Enhanced Antireflection with Superior Self-cleaning Characteristic.

PubMed

Sun, Jingyao; Wang, Xiaobing; Wu, Jinghua; Jiang, Chong; Shen, Jingjing; Cooper, Merideth A; Zheng, Xiuting; Liu, Ying; Yang, Zhaogang; Wu, Daming

2018-04-03

Sub-wavelength antireflection moth-eye structures were fabricated with Nickel mold using Roll-to-Plate (R2P) ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) on transparent polycarbonate (PC) substrates. Samples with well replicated patterns established an average reflection of 1.21% in the visible light range, 380 to 760 nm, at normal incidence. An excellent antireflection property of a wide range of incidence angles was shown with the average reflection below 4% at 50°. Compared with the unpatterned ultraviolet-curable resin coating, the resulting sub-wavelength moth-eye structure also exhibited increased hydrophobicity in addition to antireflection. This R2P method is especially suitable for large-area product preparation and the biomimetic moth-eye structure with multiple performances can be applied to optical devices such as display screens, solar cells, or light emitting diodes.

[Therapeutic strategy for familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP)].

PubMed

Ikeda, Shu-ichi

2009-11-01

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) was long considered to be an incurable disease, but a new therapeutic approach was developed 15 years ago. As the liver produces most of the transthyretin (TTR) in serum, it was assumed that the replacement of a liver expressing an abnormal TTR gene should stop the production of the variant TTR, the serum amyloid precursor in FAP. Until now about 1,500 FAP patients underwent liver transplantation, and the 10-year-survival rate is about 77%. After operation the progression of FAP symptoms certainly stopped, and patients who were in an early stage of the disease and underwent successful operations showed considerable improvement in their quality of life. Electrophysiological study of peripheral nerve function has demonstrated that liver transplantation can halt the progression of peripheral neuropathy in FAP patients, and histopathological regression of amyloid deposits was seen on the patients with long post-transplatation courses. Pharmacological therapies have been considered for FAP patients and among them, diflunisal, one of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, is very promising. TTR tetramer dissociation is an initial step for the process of TTR-derived amyloid fibril formation associated with FAP and diflinisal can inhibit this process by stabilization of the TTR tetramer. Clinical trial of this drug for FAP patients is now going worldwide.

Note: Sensitive fluorescence detection through minimizing the scattering light by anti-reflective nanostructured materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Supeng; Yin, Yanning; Gu, Ruoxi; Xia, Meng; Xu, Liang; Chen, Li; Xia, Yong; Yin, Jianping

2018-04-01

We demonstrate a new approach with fabrication of anti-reflective coating to substantially reduce the scattering light in an ultra-high vacuum during laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. To do so, the surface of the vacuum chamber in the detection region was blackened and coated with the special solar heat absorbing nanomaterials. We demonstrate that more than 97.5% of the stray light in the chamber spanning from near infrared to ultraviolet can be absorbed which effectively improves the signal to noise (S/N) ratio. With this technique, the LIF signal from the cold magnesium monofluoride molecules has been observed with an S/N ratio of ˜4 times better than without that.

A specific, transmembrane interface regulates fibroblast activation protein (FAP) homodimerization, trafficking and exopeptidase activity.

PubMed

Wonganu, Benjamaporn; Berger, Bryan W

2016-08-01

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell-surface serine protease which promotes invasiveness of certain epithelial cancers and is therefore a potential target for cancer drug development and delivery. Unlike dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV), FAP exhibits prolyl endopeptidase activity and is active as a homodimer with specificity for type I collagen. The mechanism that regulates FAP homodimerization and its relation to prolyl endopeptidase activity is not completely understood. Here, we investigate key residues in the FAP TM domain that may be significant for FAP homodimerization. Mutations to predicted TM interfacial residues (G10L, S14L, and A18L) comprising a small-X3-small motif reduced FAP TM-CYTO dimerization relative to wild type as measured using the AraTM assay, whereas predicted off-interface residues showed no significant change from wild type. The results implied that the predicted small-X3-small dimer interface affect stabilization of FAP TM-CYTO homodimerization. Compared with FAPwild-type, the interfacial TM residue G10L significantly decreased FAP endopeptidase activity more than 25%, and also reduced cell-surface versus intracellular expression relative to other interfacial residues S14L and A18L. Thus, our results suggest FAP dimerization is important for both trafficking and protease activity, and is dependent on a specific TM interface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Rare Case of FAP in Kashmir Valley.

PubMed

Sameer, A Syed; Pandith, Arshad A; Syeed, Nidda; Siddiqi, Mushtaq A; Chowdri, Nissar A

2011-06-01

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is the commonest form of inherited form of CRC. It comprises of about 5% of all the colorectal cancers (CRCs). FAP patients have a family history of CRC that suggests a genetic contribution, common exposures among family members, or a combination of both. This case report gives a glimpse of the phenotypic manifestation of FAP and the underlying molecular mechanism which leads to FAP, in addition it also sheds a light on the management of FAP in early stages of life.

Sol-gel-Derived nano-sized double layer anti-reflection coatings (SiO2/TiO2) for low-cost solar cell fabrication.

PubMed

Lee, Seung Jun; Hur, Man Gyu; Yoon, Dae Ho

2013-11-01

We investigate nano-sized double layer anti-reflection coatings (ARCs) using a TiO2 and SiO2 sol-gel solution process for mono-crystalline silicon solar cells. The process can be easily adapted for spraying sol-gel coatings to reduce manufacturing cost. The spray-coated SiO2/TiO2 nano-sized double layer ARCs were deposited on mono-crystalline silicon solar cells, and they showed good optical properties. The spray coating process is a lower-cost fabrication process for large-scale coating than vacuum deposition processes such as PECVD. The measured average optical reflectance (300-1200 nm) was about approximately 8% for SiO2/TiO2 nano-sized double layer ARCs. The electrical parameters of a mono-crystalline silicon solar cell and reflection losses show that the SiO2/TiO2 stacks can improve cell efficiency by 0.2% compared to a non-coated mono-crystalline silicon solar cell. In the results, good correlation between theoretical and experimental data was obtained. We expect that the sol-gel spray-coated mono-crystalline silicon solar cells have high potential for low-cost solar cell fabrication.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) as a novel metabolic target.

PubMed

Sánchez-Garrido, Miguel Angel; Habegger, Kirk M; Clemmensen, Christoffer; Holleman, Cassie; Müller, Timo D; Perez-Tilve, Diego; Li, Pengyun; Agrawal, Archita S; Finan, Brian; Drucker, Daniel J; Tschöp, Matthias H; DiMarchi, Richard D; Kharitonenkov, Alexei

2016-10-01

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine protease belonging to a S9B prolyl oligopeptidase subfamily. This enzyme has been implicated in cancer development and recently reported to regulate degradation of FGF21, a potent metabolic hormone. Using a known FAP inhibitor, talabostat (TB), we explored the impact of FAP inhibition on metabolic regulation in mice. To address this question we evaluated the pharmacology of TB in various mouse models including those deficient in FGF21, GLP1 and GIP signaling. We also studied the ability of FAP to process FGF21 in vitro and TB to block FAP enzymatic activity. TB administration to diet-induced obese (DIO) animals led to profound decreases in body weight, reduced food consumption and adiposity, increased energy expenditure, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and lowered cholesterol levels. Total and intact plasma FGF21 were observed to be elevated in TB-treated DIO mice but not lean animals where the metabolic impact of TB was significantly attenuated. Furthermore, and in stark contrast to naïve DIO mice, the administration of TB to obese FGF21 knockout animals demonstrated no appreciable effect on body weight or any other measures of metabolism. In support of these results we observed no enzymatic degradation of human FGF21 at either end of the protein when FAP was inhibited in vitro by TB. We conclude that pharmacological inhibition of FAP enhances levels of FGF21 in obese mice to provide robust metabolic benefits not observed in lean animals, thus validating this enzyme as a novel drug target for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.

Structural insight into the role of Streptococcus parasanguinis Fap1 within oral biofilm formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garnett, James A.; Simpson, Peter J.; Taylor, Jonathan

2012-01-06

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Crystal structure of Streptococcus parasanguinis Fap1-NR{sub {alpha}} at pH 5.0. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer pH-dependent conformational changes mediated through electrostatic potential of Fap1-NR{sub {alpha}}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fap1 facilitates pH-dependent biofilms. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We model inter-Fap1 biofilm interactions. -- Abstract: The fimbriae-associated protein 1 (Fap1) is a major adhesin of Streptococcus parasanguinis, a primary colonizer of the oral cavity that plays an important role in the formation of dental plaque. Fap1 is an extracellular adhesive surface fibre belonging to the serine-rich repeat protein (SRRP) family, which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of streptococci and staphylococci. The N-terminal adhesive region of Fap1 (Fap1-NR)more » is composed of two domains (Fap1-NR{sub {alpha}} and Fap1-NR{sub {beta}}) and is projected away from the bacterial surface via the extensive serine-rich repeat region, for adhesion to the salivary pellicle. The adhesive properties of Fap1 are modulated through a pH switch in which a reduction in pH results in a rearrangement between the Fap1-NR{sub {alpha}} and Fap1-NR{sub {beta}} domains, which assists in the survival of S. parasanguinis in acidic environments. We have solved the structure of Fap1-NR{sub {alpha}} at pH 5.0 at 3.0 A resolution and reveal how subtle rearrangements of the 3-helix bundle combined with a change in electrostatic potential mediates 'opening' and activation of the adhesive region. Further, we show that pH-dependent changes are critical for biofilm formation and present an atomic model for the inter-Fap1-NR interactions which have been assigned an important role in the biofilm formation.« less

Composite Reflective Absorptive IR-Blocking Filters Embedded in Metamaterial Antireflection Coated Silicon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munson, C. D.; Choi, S. K.; Coughlin, K. P.; McMahon, J. J.; Miller, K. H.; Page, L. A.; Wollack, E. J.

2017-01-01

Infrared (IR)-blocking filters are crucial for controlling the radiative loading on cryogenic systems and for optimizing the sensitivity of bolometric detectors in the far-IR. We present a new IR filter approach based on a combination of patterned frequency-selective structures on silicon and a thin (2575 micron thick) absorptive composite based on powdered reststrahlen absorbing materials. For a 300 K blackbody, this combination reflects approximately 50% of the incoming light and blocks greater than.99.8% of the total power with negligible thermal gradients and excellent low-frequency transmission. This allows a reduction in the IR thermal loading to negligible levels in a single cold filter. These composite filters are fabricated on silicon substrates, which provide excellent thermal transport laterally through the filter and ensure that the entire area of the absorptive filter stays near the bath temperature. A metamaterial antireflection coating cut into these substrates reduces in-band reflections to below 1%, and the in-band absorption of the powder mix is below 1% for signal bands below 750 GHz. This type of filter can be directly incorporated into silicon refractive optical elements.

Design of a new bottom antireflective coating composition for KrF resist

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizutani, Kazuyoshi; Momota, Makoto; Aoai, Toshiaki; Yagihara, Morio

1999-06-01

A study for a new organic bottom antireflective coating (BARC) composition is described. A structural design of a light-absorbing dye was most important because dye structure not only plays a role in eliminating reflection from a substrate but also shows influence on dry etch rate of BARC material to a considerable extent. For example, an anthracene moiety with large absorption at 248 nm had undesirable dry etch resistance. 3-Hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid moiety was found to be one of suitable dyes for KrF BARC compositions, and the polymer bearing the dye showed enough absorbance and good erodability in dry etch. The BARC polymer was eroded as one and a half times faster than a novolak resin, and a little faster than an anthracene incorporated polymer. The result was discussed from the concepts of Ohnishi parameter and the ring parameter for dry etch durability of resist materials. BARC polymer should be thermoset by hard bake to eliminate intermixing with resist compositions. The BARC polymer bearing hydroxy group which is useful for a crosslinking reaction was thermoset in the presence of melamine-formaldehyde crosslinker and an acid catalyst after baking over 200 degrees C.

Simulation and Implementation of Moth-eye Structures as a Broadband Anti-Reflective Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, Ketan S.

Conventional single layer thin anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) are only suitable for narrowband applications. A multilayer film stack is often employed for broadband applications. A coating of multiple layers with alternating low and high refractive index materials increases the overall cost of the system. This makes multilayer ARCs unsuitable for low-cost broadband applications. Since the discovery of moth-eye corneal nipple patterns and their potential applicability in the field of broadband ARCs, many studies have been carried out to fabricate these bio-inspired nanostructures with available manufacturing processes. Plasma etching processes used in microelectronic manufacturing are applied for creating these nanostructures at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Semiconductor & Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory (SMFL). Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) scanned surfaces of the nanostructure layer are simulated and characterized for their optical properties using a Finite-Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulator from Lumerical Solutions, Inc. known as FDTD Solutions. Simulation results show that the layer is anti-reflective over 50 to 350 nm broadband of wavelengths at 0° angle of incidence. These simulation results were supported by ellipsometer reflection measurements off the actual samples at multiple angles of light incidence, which show a 10% to 15% decrease in reflection for 240 to 400 nm wavelengths. Further improvements in the optical efficiency of these structures can be achieved through simulation-fabrication-characterization cycles performed for this project. The optimized nanostructures can then serve the purpose of low-cost anti-reflective coatings for solar cells and similar applications.

Analysis of an anti-reflecting nanowire transparent electrode for solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhexin; Wang, Ken Xingze; Fan, Shanhui

2017-03-01

Transparent electrodes are an important component in many optoelectronic devices, especially solar cells. In this paper, we investigate a nanowire transparent electrode that also functions as an anti-reflection coating for silicon solar cells, taking into account the practical constraints that the electrode is typically encapsulated and needs to be in electric contact with the semiconductor. Numerical simulations show that the electrode can provide near-perfect broadband anti-reflection over much of the frequency range above the silicon band gap for both polarizations while keeping the sheet resistance sufficiently low. To provide insights into the physics mechanism of this broadband anti-reflection, we introduce a generalized Fabry-Perot model, which captures the effects of the higher order diffraction channels as well as the modification of the reflection coefficient of the interface introduced by the nanowires. This model is validated using frequency-domain electromagnetic simulations. Our work here provides design guidelines for nanowire transparent electrode in a device configuration that is relevant for solar cell applications.

Composite films prepared by plasma ion-assisted deposition (IAD) for design and fabrication of antireflection coatings in visible and near-infrared spectral regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Rung-Ywan; Ho, Fang C.

1994-11-01

Ion-assisted deposition (IAD) processes configured with a well-controlled plasma source at the center base of a vacuum chamber, which accommodates two independent e-gun sources, is used to deposition TiO2MgF2 and TiO2-SiO2 composite films of selected component ratios. Films prepared by this technology are found durable, uniform, and nonabsorbing in visible and near-IR regions. Single- and multilayer antireflection coatings with refractive index from 1.38 to 2.36 at (lambda) equals 550 nm are presented. Methods of enhancement in optical performance of these coatings are studied. The advantages of AR coatings formed by TiO2-MgF2 composite films over those similar systems consisting of TiO2-SiO2 composite films in both visible and near-IR regions are also presented.

Polarization sensitivity of ordered and random antireflective surface structures in silica and spinel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frantz, J. A.; Selby, J.; Busse, L. E.; Shaw, L. B.; Aggarwal, I. D.; Sanghera, J. S.

2018-02-01

Both ordered and random anti-reflective surface structures (ARSS) have been shown to increase the transmission of an optical surface to >99.9%. These structures are of great interest as an alternative to traditional thin film anti-reflection (AR) coatings for a variety of reasons. Unlike traditional AR coatings, they are patterned directly into the surface of an optic rather than deposited on its surface and are thus not prone to the delamination under thermal cycling that can occur with thin film coatings. Their laser-induced damage thresholds can also be considerably higher. In addition, they provide AR performance over a larger spectral and angular range. It has been previously demonstrated that random ARSSs in silica are remarkably insensitive to incident polarization, with nearly zero variation in transmittance with respect to polarization of the incident beam at fixed wavelength for angles of incidence up to at least 30°. In this work, we evaluate polarization sensitivity of ARSS as a function of wavelength for both random and ordered ARSS. We demonstrate that ordered ARSS is significantly more sensitive to polarization than random ARSS and explain the reason for this difference. In the case of ordered ARSS, we observe significant differences as a function of wavelength, with the transmittance of s- and p-polarized light diverging near the diffraction edge. We present results for both silica and spinel samples and discuss differences observed for these two sets of samples.

A case report of desmoid tumour-a forgotten aspect of FAP?

PubMed

Xuereb, Sarah; Xuereb, Rachel; Buhagiar, Chiara; Gauci, Jonathan; Magri, Claude

2017-01-01

Desmoid tumours are locally aggressive tumours which are common in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). A 20-year old Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) patient presented with abdominal pain and distention. Abdominal imaging showed small bowel obstruction and hydronephrosis due to a pelvic mass. This mass showed significant enlargement on repeat imaging, and a diagnostic biopsy confirmed desmoid tumour. The mass was deemed unresectable and he was initially started on sulindac and raloxifene. Repeat imaging however showed further enlargement of the tumour, and therefore vinblastine+methotrexate chemotherapy was commenced, with a good response. FAP is an autosomal dominant condition caused by a germline mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. Gardner's syndrome is also caused by a mutation in the APC gene, and is now considered a different phenotypic presentation of FAP. Desmoid tumours are initially kept under observation while their size remains stable. Treatment options for enlarging desmoids tumours include surgery (first-line), radiotherapy, and systemic therapy with non-cytotoxic and cytotoxic therapy. FAP patients should be examined regularly post-panprocotocolectomy, since desmoid tumours may arise. The presence of epidermal cysts in this FAP patient suggests a diagnosis of Gardner's syndrome. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP): Parameters for early diagnosis.

PubMed

Escolano-Lozano, Fabiola; Barreiros, Ana Paula; Birklein, Frank; Geber, Christian

2018-01-01

Familial transthyretin amyloidosis is a life-threatening disease presenting with sensorimotor and autonomic polyneuropathy. Delayed diagnosis has a detrimental effect on treatment and prognosis. To facilitate diagnosis, we analyzed data patterns of patients with transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) and compared them to polyneuropathies of different etiology for clinical and electrophysiological discriminators. Twenty-four patients with TTR-FAP and 48 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (dPNP) were investigated (neurological impairment score NIS; neurological disability score NDS) in a cross-sectional design. Both groups were matched for gender and presence of pain. Quantitative sensory testing (QST), sympathetic skin response (SSR), heart rate variability (HRV), and nerve conduction studies (NCV) were performed. Both groups were compared using univariate analysis. In a stepwise discriminant analysis, discriminators between both neuropathies were identified. These discriminators were validated comparing TTR-FAP patients with a cohort of patients with chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy (CIN) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (CIDP). TTR-FAP patients scored higher in NDS and NIS and had impaired cold detection (CDT, p  = .024), cold-warm discrimination (TSL, p  = .019) and mechanical hyperalgesia (MPT, p  = .029) at the hands, SSR (upper limb, p  = .022) HRV and ulnar and sural NCS (all p  < .05) were more affected in TTR-FAP. Ulnar nerve sensory NCV, CDT, and the MPT but not the other parameters discriminated TTR-FAP from dPNP (82% of cases), from CIN (86.7%) and from CIDP (68%; only ulnar sNCV). Low ulnar SNCV, impaired cold perception, and mechanical hyperalgesia at the hands seem to characterize TTR-FAP and might help to differentiate from other polyneuropathies.

Selective Homogeneous Assay for Circulating Endopeptidase Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP).

PubMed

Bainbridge, Travis W; Dunshee, Diana Ronai; Kljavin, Noelyn M; Skelton, Nicholas J; Sonoda, Junichiro; Ernst, James A

2017-10-02

Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) is a membrane-bound serine protease whose expression is often elevated in activated fibroblasts associated with tissue remodeling in various common diseases such as cancer, arthritis and fibrosis. Like the closely related dipeptidyl peptidase DPPIV, the extracellular domain of FAP can be released into circulation as a functional enzyme, and limited studies suggest that the circulating level of FAP correlates with the degree of tissue fibrosis. Here we describe a novel homogeneous fluorescence intensity assay for circulating FAP activity based on a recently identified natural substrate, FGF21. This assay is unique in that it can effectively distinguish endopeptidase activity of FAP from that of other related enzymes such as prolyl endopeptidase (PREP) and was validated using Fap-deficient mice. Structural modeling was used to elucidate the mechanistic basis for the observed specificity in substrate recognition by FAP, but not by DPPIV or PREP. Finally, the assay was used to detect elevated FAP activity in human patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and to determine the effectiveness of a chemical inhibitor for FAP in mice. We propose that the assay presented here could thus be utilized for diagnosis of FAP-related pathologies and for the therapeutic development of FAP inhibitors.

Two-layer anti-reflection strategies for implant applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, Douglas J.; Smith, Tamara; Kato, Masakazu; Kimura, Shigeo; Enomoto, Tomoyuki

2006-03-01

A two-layer bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) concept in which a layer that develops slowly is coated on top of a bottom layer that develops more rapidly was demonstrated. Development rate control was achieved by selection of crosslinker amount and BARC curing conditions. A single-layer BARC was compared with the two-layer BARC concept. The single-layer BARC does not clear out of 200-nm deep vias. When the slower developing single-layer BARC was coated on top of the faster developing layer, the vias were cleared. Lithographic evaluation of the two-layer BARC concept shows the same resolution advantages as the single-layer system. Planarization properties of a two-layer BARC system are better than for a single-layer system, when comparing the same total nominal thicknesses.

Dataset on FAP-induced emergence of spontaneous metastases and on the preparation of activatable FAP-targeting immunoliposomes to detect the metastases.

PubMed

Tansi, Felista L; Rüger, Ronny; Böhm, Claudia; Kontermann, Roland E; Teichgraeber, Ulf K; Fahr, Alfred; Hilger, Ingrid

2016-12-01

The underlying data demonstrates that fibroblast activation protein (FAP) paves the way for fibrosarcoma cells, which require the proteolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and basement membranes to intravasate from implanted subcutaneous primary tumors into blood vessels, be transported to distant organs where they extravasate from the blood vessels, reattach and proliferate to metastases. The data additionally shows that FAP, when overexpressed on fibrosarcoma cells induces their invasion and formation of spontaneous metastases in multiple organs, particularly after subcutaneous co-implantation of the FAP-expressing and wildtype fibrosarcoma. The raw and processed data presented herein is related to a research article entitled "Potential of activatable FAP-targeting immunoliposomes in intraoperative imaging of spontaneous metastases" (F.L. Tansi, R. Rüger, C. Böhm, R.E. Kontermann, U.K. Teichgraeber, A. Fahr, I. Hilger, 2016) [1]. Furthermore, evidence for the detection of FAP-expressing tumor cells and cells of the tumor stroma by activatable FAP-targeting liposomes is presented in this dataset.

The Mercury Laser System: An Average power, gas-cooled, Yb:S-FAP based system with frequency conversion and wavefront correction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bibeau, C; Bayramian, A; Armstrong, P

We report on the operation of the Mercury laser with fourteen 4 x 6 cm{sup 2} Yb:S-FAP amplifier slabs pumped by eight 100 kW peak power diode arrays. The system was continuously run at 55 J and 10 Hz for several hours, (2 x 10{sup 5} cumulative shots) with over 80% of the energy in a 6 times diffraction limited spot at 1.047 um. Improved optical quality was achieved in Yb:S-FAP amplifiers with magneto-rheological finishing, a deterministic polishing method. In addition, average power frequency conversion employing YCOB was demonstrated at 50% conversion efficiency or 22.6 J at 10 Hz.

Single Layer Broadband Anti-Reflective Coatings for Plastic Substrates Produced by Full Wafer and Roll-to-Roll Step-and-Flash Nano-Imprint Lithography

PubMed Central

Burghoorn, Marieke; Roosen-Melsen, Dorrit; de Riet, Joris; Sabik, Sami; Vroon, Zeger; Yakimets, Iryna; Buskens, Pascal

2013-01-01

Anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) are used to lower the reflection of light on the surface of a substrate. Here, we demonstrate that the two main drawbacks of moth eye-structured ARCs—i.e., the lack of suitable coating materials and a process for large area, high volume applications—can be largely eliminated, paving the way for cost-efficient and large-scale production of durable moth eye-structured ARCs on polymer substrates. We prepared moth eye coatings on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate using wafer-by-wafer step-and-flash nano-imprint lithography (NIL). The reduction in reflection in the visible field achieved with these coatings was 3.5% and 4.0%, respectively. The adhesion of the coating to both substrates was good. The moth eye coating on PMMA demonstrated good performance in three prototypical accelerated ageing tests. The pencil hardness of the moth eye coatings on both substrates was <4B, which is less than required for most applications and needs further optimization. Additionally, we developed a roll-to-roll UV NIL pilot scale process and produced moth eye coatings on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at line speeds up to two meters per minute. The resulting coatings showed a good replication of the moth eye structures and, consequently, a lowering in reflection of the coated PET of 3.0%. PMID:28788301

Optimization of the antireflection coating of thin epitaxial crystalline silicon solar cells

DOE PAGES

Selj, Josefine K.; Young, David; Grover, Sachit

2015-08-28

In this study we use an effective weighting function to include the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and the effective thickness, Te, of the active cell layer in the optical modeling of the antireflection coating (ARC) of very thin crystalline silicon solar cells. The spectrum transmitted through the ARC is hence optimized for efficient use in the given cell structure and the solar cell performance can be improved. For a 2-μm thick crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cell the optimal thickness of the Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) ARC is reduced by ~8 nm when IQE data and effective thickness are taken intomore » account compared to the standard ARC optimization, using the AM1.5 spectrum only. The reduced ARC thickness will shift the reflectance minima towards shorter wavelengths and hence better match the absorption of very thin cells, where the short wavelength range of the spectrum is relatively more important than the long, weakly absorbed wavelengths. For this cell, we find that the optimal thickness of the ITO starts at 63 nm for very thin (1 μm) active Si layer and then increase with increasing T e until it saturates at 71 nm for T e > 30 μm.« less

Comparison of sporadic and FAP-associated desmoid-type fibromatoses.

PubMed

Koskenvuo, Laura; Ristimäki, Ari; Lepistö, Anna

2017-11-01

Desmoid-type fibromatosis is a rare disease of which 7.5-16% have been reported to be related to familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). We sought to compare the characteristics and treatment of sporadic and FAP-related desmoid-type fibromatoses. Altogether 220 patients were included in the study after receiving a diagnosis of desmoid-type fibromatosis by the Pathology Department of Helsinki University Hospital, with adequate follow-up. Patients were included from January 1, 1980 until April 30, 2015. FAP-related tumors were found in 22 (10%) patients. FAP-related desmoid-type fibromatoses were larger, more commonly multiple, and more often intra-abdominally situated. Surgery was the treatment of choice for 179 (90%) of the sporadic patients and for 18 (82%) of FAP-related patients. Resections with non-involved margins (R0) were more common in sporadic desmoid-type fibromatoses (55% vs. 23%, P = 0.048). The risk of recurrence was 25% in sporadic- and 44% in the FAP-related group. Three (14%) patients with FAP-related desmoid-type fibromatoses died from the disease. The predictors for FAP occurrence among desmoid tumor patients are large tumor size, intra-abdominal location, multiple tumors, and patient's young age. Desmoid-type fibromatosis patients suffer a high recurrence rate, also among those experiencing sporadic tumors, but the risk of death due to the tumor is low. Conversely, desmoid disease represents a substantial cause of death among FAP patients. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stability of anti-reflection coatings via the self-assembly encapsulation of silica nanoparticles by diazo-resins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzman, Jonathan S.; Ridley, Jason I.; Khalifa, Moataz B.; Heflin, James R.

2015-12-01

A modified silica nanoparticle (MSNP) solution was formed by the encapsulation of negatively charged silica nanoparticles by the UV-crosslinkable polycation oligomer diazo-resin (DAR). Appropriate DAR encapsulation concentrations were determined by use of zeta-potential and dynamic light scattering measurements. The MSNPs were used in conjunction with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) to grow homogenous ionic self-assembled multilayer anti-reflection coatings. Stability was induced within the films by the exposure of UV-irradiation that allowed for crosslinking of the DAR and PSS. The films were characterized by UV/vis/IR spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The transmission and reflection levels were >98.5% and <0.05%, respectively. The refractive indices resided in the 1.25-1.26 range. The solvent stability was tested by sonication of the films in a ternary solvent (H2O/DMF/ZnCl2 3:5:2 w/w/w).

Progress in the Growth of Yb:S-FAP Laser Crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaffers, K I; Tassano, J B; Waide, P A

The crystal growth of Yb:S-FAP [Yb{sup 3+}:Sr{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F] is being studied for 1.047-{micro}m laser operation. These crystals are not yet routinely available and the growth of high optical quality, low loss crystals poses a challenge due to a number of crystal growth issues, including, cloudiness, bubble core defects, anomalous absorption, low-angle grain boundaries, and cracking. At this time, a growth process has been formulated to simultaneously eliminate or greatly diminish each of the defects yielding high quality material. Laser slabs of dimension 4.0 x 6.0 x 0.75 cm are being fabricated from sub-scale pieces using the diffusion bondingmore » technique.« less

Gastric tumours in FAP.

PubMed

Walton, Sarah-Jane; Frayling, Ian M; Clark, Susan K; Latchford, Andrew

2017-07-01

Gastric cancer is not a recognised extra-colonic manifestation of FAP, except in countries with a high prevalence of gastric cancer. Data regarding gastric adenomas in FAP are sparse. The aim of this study was to review the clinical characteristics of gastric tumours occurring within an FAP population from the largest European polyposis registry. All patients that developed a gastric adenoma or carcinoma were identified from a prospectively maintained registry database. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of gastric adenoma or adenocarcinoma. Secondary outcomes included APC mutation, tumour stage, management and survival. Eight patients developed gastric cancer and 21 an adenoma (median age 52 and 44 years, respectively). Regular oesophagogastroduodenoscopy surveillance was performed in 6/8 patients who developed cancer. Half were advanced T3/4 tumours and 6/8 had nodal or metastatic spread at diagnosis. All cancer cases died within a median of 13.5 months from diagnosis. Gastric adenomas were evenly distributed: 11/21 (52%) in the distal and 10/21 (48%) proximal stomach, whereas 5/8 (63%) cancers were located proximally. An association between gastric tumour and desmoid development was observed; 7/8 (88%) cancer and 11/21 (52%) adenoma cases had a personal or family history of desmoid. It would appear from this small, retrospective study that gastric cancer is not a prominent extra-colonic feature of FAP in the Western world. It seems to present at an advanced stage with a poor prognosis. There may be an association between gastric tumour and desmoid occurrence but a large multicentre cohort is necessary to investigate this further.

RG7386, a Novel Tetravalent FAP-DR5 Antibody, Effectively Triggers FAP-Dependent, Avidity-Driven DR5 Hyperclustering and Tumor Cell Apoptosis.

PubMed

Brünker, Peter; Wartha, Katharina; Friess, Thomas; Grau-Richards, Sandra; Waldhauer, Inja; Koller, Claudia Ferrara; Weiser, Barbara; Majety, Meher; Runza, Valeria; Niu, Huifeng; Packman, Kathryn; Feng, Ningping; Daouti, Sherif; Hosse, Ralf J; Mössner, Ekkehard; Weber, Thomas G; Herting, Frank; Scheuer, Werner; Sade, Hadassah; Shao, Cuiying; Liu, Bin; Wang, Peng; Xu, Gary; Vega-Harring, Suzana; Klein, Christian; Bosslet, Klaus; Umaña, Pablo

2016-05-01

Dysregulated cellular apoptosis and resistance to cell death are hallmarks of neoplastic initiation and disease progression. Therefore, the development of agents that overcome apoptosis dysregulation in tumor cells is an attractive therapeutic approach. Activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway is strongly dependent on death receptor (DR) hyperclustering on the cell surface. However, strategies to activate DR5 or DR4 through agonistic antibodies have had only limited clinical success. To pursue an alternative approach for tumor-targeted induction of apoptosis, we engineered a bispecific antibody (BsAb), which simultaneously targets fibroblast-activation protein (FAP) on cancer-associated fibroblasts in tumor stroma and DR5 on tumor cells. We hypothesized that bivalent binding to both FAP and DR5 leads to avidity-driven hyperclustering of DR5 and subsequently strong induction of apoptosis in tumor cells but not in normal cells. Here, we show that RG7386, an optimized FAP-DR5 BsAb, triggers potent tumor cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo in preclinical tumor models with FAP-positive stroma. RG7386 antitumor efficacy was strictly FAP dependent, was independent of FcR cross-linking, and was superior to conventional DR5 antibodies. In combination with irinotecan or doxorubicin, FAP-DR5 treatment resulted in substantial tumor regression in patient-derived xenograft models. FAP-DR5 also demonstrated single-agent activity against FAP-expressing malignant cells, due to cross-binding of FAP and DR5 across tumor cells. Taken together, these data demonstrate that RG7386, a novel and potent antitumor agent in both mono- and combination therapies, overcomes limitations of previous DR5 antibodies and represents a promising approach to conquer tumor-associated resistance to apoptosis. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(5); 946-57. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

One-Pot Fabrication of Antireflective/Antibacterial Dual-Function Ag NP-Containing Mesoporous Silica Thin Films.

PubMed

Wang, Kaikai; He, Junhui

2018-04-04

Thin films that integrate antireflective and antibacterial dual functions are not only scientifically interesting but also highly desired in many practical applications. Unfortunately, very few studies have been devoted to the preparation of thin films with both antireflective and antibacterial properties. In this study, mesoporous silica (MSiO 2 ) thin films with uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were prepared through a one-pot process, which simultaneously shows high transmittance, excellent antibacterial activity, and mechanical robustness. The optimal thin-film-coated glass substrate demonstrates a maximum transmittance of 98.8% and an average transmittance of 97.1%, respectively, in the spectral range of 400-800 nm. The growth and multiplication of typical bacteria, Escherichia coli ( E. coli), were effectively inhibited on the coated glass. Pencil hardness test, tape adhesion test, and sponge washing test showed favorable mechanical robustness with 5H pencil hardness, 5A grade adhesion, and functional durability of the coating, which promises great potential for applications in various touch screens, windows for hygiene environments, and optical apparatuses for medical uses such as endoscope, and so on.

Focus on autonomic dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP).

PubMed

Obayashi, Konen; Ando, Yukio

2012-06-01

It is well known that autonomic dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is the most serious problem, because it restricts the daily life of these patients. The detail mechanisms of the onset are not well understood in FAP and domino liver transplantation-induced amyloid neuropathy. As autonomic disturbances play an important role in the symptomatology of FAP, further studies of autonomic dysfunction in these patients may lead the pathogenesis of FAP. Autonomic dysfunction is often observed before sensory and motor nerve dysfunction in FAP. This can be attributed to the morphological characteristics of the nerves. Unmyelinated, small myelinated, and large myelinated fibers tend to become impaired in that order. Although the reasons of susceptibility to amyloid infiltration and injury are not known, studies of autopsied FAP patients have revealed heavy infiltration of amyloid in autonomic ganglions. Moreover, spinal ganglion and posterior loot of the spine had severe amyloid deposits than did the anterior root of the spine or the motor nerves. It is well known that autonomic dysfunction is the most serious problem, because it restricts the daily life of FAP patients. However, we have four major questions about autonomic dysfunction in clinical. In this manuscript, we discuss about the answers of these questions.

Fibro/Adipogenic Progenitors (FAPs): Isolation by FACS and Culture.

PubMed

Low, Marcela; Eisner, Christine; Rossi, Fabio

2017-01-01

Fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs ) are tissue-resident mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Current literature supports a role for these cells in the homeostasis and repair of multiple tissues suggesting that FAPs may have extensive therapeutic potential in the treatment of numerous diseases. In this context, it is crucial to establish efficient and reproducible procedures to purify FAP populations from various tissues. Here, we describe a protocol for the isolation and cell culture of FAPs from murine skeletal muscle using fluorescence -activated cell sorting (FACS), which is particularly useful for experiments where high cell purity is an essential requirement. Identification, isolation, and cell culture of FAPs represent powerful tools that will help us to understand the role of these cells in different conditions and facilitate the development of safe and effective new treatments for diseases.

FAP finds FGF21 easy to digest.

PubMed

Gillum, Matthew P; Potthoff, Matthew J

2016-05-01

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine hormone that regulates carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. In humans, circulating FGF21 is inactivated by proteolytic cleavage of its C-terminus, thereby preventing signalling through a receptor complex. The mechanism for this cleavage event and the factors contributing to the post-translational regulation of FGF21 activity has previously been unknown. In a recent issue of the Biochemical Journal, Zhen et al. have identified fibroblast activation protein (FAP) as the endopeptidase responsible for this site-specific cleavage of human FGF21 (hFGF21), and propose that inhibition of FAP may be a therapeutic strategy to increase endogenous levels of active FGF21. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Robust antireflection coatings By UV cross-linking of silica nanoparticles and diazo-resin polycation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridley, Jason I.; Heflin, James R.; Ritter, Alfred L.

2007-09-01

Antireflection coatings have been fabricated by self-assembly using silica nanoparticles. The ionic self-assembled multilayer (ISAM) films are tightly packed and homogeneous. While the geometric properties of a matrix of spherical particles with corresponding void interstices are highly suitable to meet the conditions for minimal reflectivity, it is also a cause for the lack of cohesion within the constituent body, as well as to the substrate surface. This study investigates methods for improving the interconnectivity of the nanoparticle structure. One such method involves UV curing of diazo-resin (DAR)/silica nanoparticle films, thereby converting the ionic interaction into a stronger covalent bond. Factorial analysis and response surface methods are incorporated to determine factors that affect film properties, and to optimize their optical and adhesive capabilities. The second study looks at the adhesive strength of composite multilayer films. Films are fabricated with silica nanoparticles and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), and dipped into aqueous solutions of PAH and poly(methacrylic acid, sodium salt) (PMA) to improve cohesion of silica nanoparticles in the matrix, as well as binding strength to the substrate surface. The results of the two studies are discussed.

Mutation analysis of the APC gene in Taiwanese FAP families: low incidence of APC germline mutation in a distinct subgroup of FAP families.

PubMed

Chiang, J M; Chen, H W; Tang, R P; Chen, J S; Changchien, C R; Hsieh, P S; Wang, J Y

2010-06-01

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal-dominant disease caused by germline mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. The affected individuals develop colorectal polyposis and show various extra-colonic manifestations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genetic and clinical characteristics of FAP in Taiwanese families and analyze the genotype-phenotype correlations. Blood samples were obtained from 66 FAP patients registered in the hereditary colorectal cancer database. Then, germline mutations in the APC genes of these 66 polyposis patients from 47 unrelated FAP families were analyzed. The germline-mutation-negative cases were analyzed by performing multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of the MUTYH gene. Among the analyzed families, 79% (37/47) of the families showed 28 APC mutations, including 19 frameshift mutations, 4 nonsense mutations, 3 genomic deletion mutations, 1 missense mutation, and 1 splice-site mutation. In addition, we identified 15 novel mutations in 32% (15/47) of the families. The cases in which APC mutations were not identified showed significantly lower incidence of profuse polyposis (P = 0.034) and gastroduodenal polyps (P = 0.027). Furthermore, FAP families in which some affected individuals had less than 100 polyps showed significant association with low incidence of APC germline mutations (P = 0.002). We have added the APC germline-mutation data for Taiwanese FAP patients and indicated the presence of an FAP subgroup comprising affected individuals with nonadenomatous polyps or less than 100 adenomatous polyps; this form of FAP is less frequently caused by germline mutations of the APC gene.

Family Violence Measurement: A Sourcebook for FAP.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-02-26

child abuse ? (6) What information can FAP gain from the source of referral? This document will serve several purposes: (1) to teach some basic research methods; (2) to help FAP managers gather and analyze information from subordinates, and (3) to help people in the field analyze their own unique

Acylated Gly-(2-cyano)pyrrolidines as inhibitors of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and the issue of FAP/prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP)-selectivity.

PubMed

Ryabtsova, Oxana; Jansen, Koen; Van Goethem, Sebastiaan; Joossens, Jurgen; Cheng, Jonathan D; Lambeir, Anne-Marie; De Meester, Ingrid; Augustyns, Koen; Van der Veken, Pieter

2012-05-15

A series of N-acylated glycyl-(2-cyano)pyrrolidines were synthesized with the aim of generating structure-activity relationship (SAR) data for this class of compounds as inhibitors of fibroblast activation protein (FAP). Specifically, the influence of (1) the choice of the N-acyl group and (2) structural modification of the 2-cyanopyrrolidine residue were investigated. The inhibitors displayed inhibitory potency in the micromolar to nanomolar range and showed good to excellent selectivity with respect to the proline selective dipeptidyl peptidases (DPPs) DPP IV, DPP9 and DPP II. Additionally, selectivity for FAP with respect to prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) is reported. Not unexpectedly, the latter data suggest significant overlap in the pharmacophoric features that define FAP or PREP-inhibitory activity and underscore the importance of systematically evaluating the FAP/PREP-selectivity index for inhibitors of either of these two enzymes. Finally, this study forwards several compounds that can serve as leads or prototypic structures for future FAP-selective-inhibitor discovery. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tumor-promoting desmoplasia is disrupted by depleting FAP-expressing stromal cells

PubMed Central

Scholler, John; Monslow, James; Avery, Diana; Newick, Kheng; O'Brien, Shaun; Evans, Rebecca A.; Bajor, David J.; Clendenin, Cynthia; Durham, Amy C; Buza, Elizabeth L; Vonderheide, Robert H; June, Carl H

2015-01-01

Malignant cells drive the generation of a desmoplastic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Cancer-associated stromal cells (CASCs) are a heterogeneous population that provides both negative and positive signals for tumor cell growth and metastasis. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a marker of a major subset of CASCs in virtually all carcinomas. Clinically, FAP expression serves as an independent negative prognostic factor for multiple types of human malignancies. Prior studies established that depletion of FAP+ cells inhibits tumor growth by augmenting anti-tumor immunity. However, the potential for immune-independent effects on tumor growth have not been defined. Herein, we demonstrate that FAP+ CASCs are required for maintenance of the provisional tumor stroma since depletion of these cells, by adoptive transfer of FAP-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, reduced extracellular matrix proteins and glycosaminoglycans. Adoptive transfer of FAP-CAR T cells also decreased tumor vascular density and restrained growth of desmoplastic human lung cancer xenografts and syngeneic murine pancreatic cancers in an immune-independent fashion. Adoptive transfer of FAP-CAR T cells also restrained autochthonous pancreatic cancer growth. These data distinguish the function of FAP+ CASCs from other CASC subsets and provide support for further development of FAP+ stromal cell-targeted therapies for the treatment of solid tumors. PMID:25979873

Tumor-Promoting Desmoplasia Is Disrupted by Depleting FAP-Expressing Stromal Cells.

PubMed

Lo, Albert; Wang, Liang-Chuan S; Scholler, John; Monslow, James; Avery, Diana; Newick, Kheng; O'Brien, Shaun; Evans, Rebecca A; Bajor, David J; Clendenin, Cynthia; Durham, Amy C; Buza, Elizabeth L; Vonderheide, Robert H; June, Carl H; Albelda, Steven M; Puré, Ellen

2015-07-15

Malignant cells drive the generation of a desmoplastic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Cancer-associated stromal cells (CASC) are a heterogeneous population that provides both negative and positive signals for tumor cell growth and metastasis. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a marker of a major subset of CASCs in virtually all carcinomas. Clinically, FAP expression serves as an independent negative prognostic factor for multiple types of human malignancies. Prior studies established that depletion of FAP(+) cells inhibits tumor growth by augmenting antitumor immunity. However, the potential for immune-independent effects on tumor growth have not been defined. Herein, we demonstrate that FAP(+) CASCs are required for maintenance of the provisional tumor stroma because depletion of these cells, by adoptive transfer of FAP-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, reduced extracellular matrix proteins and glycosaminoglycans. Adoptive transfer of FAP-CAR T cells also decreased tumor vascular density and restrained growth of desmoplastic human lung cancer xenografts and syngeneic murine pancreatic cancers in an immune-independent fashion. Adoptive transfer of FAP-CAR T cells also restrained autochthonous pancreatic cancer growth. These data distinguish the function of FAP(+) CASCs from other CASC subsets and provide support for further development of FAP(+) stromal cell-targeted therapies for the treatment of solid tumors. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

[FAP Expression and Its Association with the Prognosis of Gastric Stromal Tumors].

PubMed

Tang, Su-Min; Shen, Chao-Yong; Yin, Yuan; Yin, Xiao-Nan; Cai, Zhao-Lun; Chen, Zhi-Xin; Zhang, Bo

2017-03-01

To determine the association of FAP expression with the prognosis of gastric stromal tumors (GSTs). Paraffin-embedded GSTs samples were collected from January 2010 to December 2013 in the department of pathology of our hospital. FAP expression was examined by immunohistochemistry staining. Its correlations with clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis of GSTs were analyzed. A total of 98 cases were included in this study. FAP was expressed in the cytoplasm of GSTs cells, with a positive rate of 42.9%. No FAP expression was found in normal gastric tissues. No differences of FAP expression were found in patients with different gender, age and tumor mitotic counts ( P >0.05). Tumor diameter and risk classification were associated with FAP expression ( P <0.05). Higher levels of FAP expression were found in larger and higher risk tumors. No significant correlations between FAP expression and routine immunohistochemical markers were found. Log-rank univariate survival analysis showed that mitotic counts, tumor size, postoperative IM and FAP expression were associated with recurrence free survival of GSTs patients with intermediate-high risks ( P <0.05). Cox multivariate survival analysis showed that mitotic counts, tumor size, postoperative IM and FAP were independent predictors for the prognosis of GSTs patients with intermediate-high risks ( P <0.05). FAP is expressed in the cytoplasm of gastric GIST cells, but not in normal gastric tissues. FAP is a predictor for the prognosis of GSTs patients with intermediate-high risks.

Intracavity doubling of cw LD pumped Nd:S-FAP laser with KTP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Shaojun; Sun Lianke; Wang Qingpu

In this paper the lasing performance of a intracavity doubling of CW diode-laser end-pumped Nd{sup 3+}:Sr{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F, Nd:S-FAP, laser with KTP crystal was reported. The authors measured the single output performance of the green laser: the pumping threshold was 8mW; when the pumping light of 210mW was absorbed, the maximum single output at 529.7nm was 4.4mW (TEM{sub 00} mode), corresponding to a total conversion efficiency 2.1%. The comparison between experimental results and theoretical calculation was also discussed in this paper.

Antireflective surface structures in glass by self-assembly of SiO2 nanoparticles and wet etching.

PubMed

Maier, Thomas; Bach, David; Müllner, Paul; Hainberger, Rainer; Brückl, Hubert

2013-08-26

We describe the fabrication of an antireflective surface structure with sub-wavelength dimensions on a glass surface using scalable low-cost techniques involving sol-gel coating, thermal annealing, and wet chemical etching. The glass surface structure consists of sand dune like protrusions with 250 nm periodicity and a maximum peak-to-valley height of 120 nm. The antireflective structure increases the transmission of the glass up to 0.9% at 700 nm, and the transmission remains enhanced over a wide spectral range and for a wide range of incident angles. Our measurements reveal a strong polarization dependence of the transmission change.

The role of random nanostructures for the omnidirectional anti-reflection properties of the glasswing butterfly.

PubMed

Siddique, Radwanul Hasan; Gomard, Guillaume; Hölscher, Hendrik

2015-04-22

The glasswing butterfly (Greta oto) has, as its name suggests, transparent wings with remarkable low haze and reflectance over the whole visible spectral range even for large view angles of 80°. This omnidirectional anti-reflection behaviour is caused by small nanopillars covering the transparent regions of its wings. In difference to other anti-reflection coatings found in nature, these pillars are irregularly arranged and feature a random height and width distribution. Here we simulate the optical properties with the effective medium theory and transfer matrix method and show that the random height distribution of pillars significantly reduces the reflection not only for normal incidence but also for high view angles.

The role of random nanostructures for the omnidirectional anti-reflection properties of the glasswing butterfly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siddique, Radwanul Hasan; Gomard, Guillaume; Hölscher, Hendrik

2015-04-01

The glasswing butterfly (Greta oto) has, as its name suggests, transparent wings with remarkable low haze and reflectance over the whole visible spectral range even for large view angles of 80°. This omnidirectional anti-reflection behaviour is caused by small nanopillars covering the transparent regions of its wings. In difference to other anti-reflection coatings found in nature, these pillars are irregularly arranged and feature a random height and width distribution. Here we simulate the optical properties with the effective medium theory and transfer matrix method and show that the random height distribution of pillars significantly reduces the reflection not only for normal incidence but also for high view angles.

Infrared wire-grid polarizer with sol-gel antireflection films on both sides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Itsunari; Ishihara, Yoshiro

2017-12-01

We fabricated an infrared wire-grid polarizer with the high transverse magnetic (TM) polarization transmittance and high extinction ratio by soft imprint lithography, sol-gel method, and Al shadow coating processes. A zilconia film was coated on Si substrate by using sol-gel method and spin coating method. Then, sol-gel zirconia grating was formed on the back side using imprinting using a silicone mold. The polarizer was produced by depositing Al obliquely on the grating. The TM transmittance of the fabricated element was greater than 80% at a wavelength of 4.8 μm. The sol-gel zilconia films acted as antireflection films. The extinction ratio exceeded 26 dB at its wavelength.

Optimization of 248nm bottom anti-reflective coatings with thin film and high etch rate on real device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, MyoungSoo; Kim, HakJoon; Shim, KewChan; Jeon, JeHa; Gil, MyungGoon; Song, YongWook; Enomoto, Tomoyuki; Sakaguchi, Takahiro; Nakajima, Yasuyuki

2005-05-01

A frequent problem encountered by photoresists during the manufacturing of semiconductor device is that activating radiation is reflected back into the photoresist by the substrate. So, it is necessary that the light reflection is reduced from the substrate. One approach to reduce the light reflection is the use of bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) applied to the substrate beneath the photoresist layer. The BARC technology has been utilized for a few years to minimize the reflectivity. As the chip size is reduced to sub 100nm, the photoresist thickness has to decrease with the aspect ratio being less than 3.0. Therefore, new Organic BARC is strongly required which has the minimum reflectivity with thinner BARC thickness and higher etch selectivity toward resists. Hynix Semiconductor Inc., Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd., and Brewer Science, Inc. have developed the advanced Organic BARC for achieving the above purpose. As a result, the suitable high performance 248nm Organic BARCs, NCA series, were achieved. Using CF4 gas as etchant, the plasma etch rate of NCA series is about 1.4 times higher than that of conventional 248nm resists. NCA series can be minimizing the substrate reflectivity at below 45nm BARC thickness. NCA series show the excellent litho performance and coating property on real device.

Coatings Boost Solar-Cell Outputs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohatgi, Ajeet; Campbell, Robert B.; O'Keefe, T. W.; Rai-Choudbury, Posenjit; Hoffman, Richard A.

1988-01-01

Efficiencies increased by more-complete utilization of incident light. Electrical outputs of thin solar photovoltaic cells made of dendritic-web silicon increased by combination of front-surface, antireflective coatings and back-surface, reflective coatings. Improvements achieved recently through theoretical and experimental studies of ways to optimize coatings for particular wavelengths of incident light, cell thicknesses, and cell materials.

The genetics of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and MutYH-associated polyposis (MAP).

PubMed

Claes, Kathleen; Dahan, Karin; Tejpar, S; De Paepe, Anne; Bonduelle, Maryse; Abramowicz, Marc; Verellen, Christine; Franchimont, Denis; Van Cutsem, Eric; Kartheuser, Alex

2011-09-01

FAP is characterized by 100-1000s of adenomatous polyps in colon and rectum, and is in 70% of the patients associated with extracolonic manifestations. Attenuated FAP (AFAP) is a less severe form of FAP, marked by the presence of < 100 polyps and a later onset of colorectal cancer (CRC). (A)FAP is caused by autosomal dominantly inherited mutations in the APC (Adenomatous polyposis coli) gene, a tumour suppressor gene that controls beta-catenin turnover in the Wnt pathway. De novo occurrence is reported in 30-40% of the patients. Mutations are detected in 85% of classical FAP families, while only 20%-30% of AFAP cases will exhibit a germline APC mutation. MUTYH is the second (A)FAP-related gene and is involved with base-excision repair of DNA damaged by oxidative stress. MUTYH mutations are inherited in an autosomal recessive way and account for 10%-20% of classical FAP cases without an APC mutation and for 30% of AFAP cases. Genotype-phenotype correlations exist for mutations in the APC gene, however, contradictions in the literature caution against the sole use of the genotype for decisions regarding clinical management. Once the family's specific APC mutation is identified in the proband, predictive testing for first degree relatives is possible from the age of 10 to 12 years on. For AFAP, relatives are tested at age 18 and older. Opinions about the appropriate ages at which to initiate genetic testing may vary. Physicians must have a discussion about prenatal testing with patients in childbearing age. They may either opt for conventional prenatal diagnosis (amniocentesis or chorionic villous sampling) or for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

Effects of long term space environment exposure on optical substrates and coatings (S0050-2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Keith; Mustico, Arthur; Vallimont, John

1993-01-01

Eastman Kodak Company included twelve substrate and coating samples on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) structure. There were three Fused Silica and three Ultra Low Expansion (ULE) uncoated glass samples, two ULE samples with a high reflectance silver coating, two Fused Silica samples with an antireflectance coating, and two Fused silica samples with a solar rejection coating. A set of duplicate control samples was also manufactured and stored in a controlled environment for comparison purposes. Kodak's samples were included as a subset of the Georgia Institute of Technology tray, which was located on row 5-E, tray S0050-2. This placed the samples on the trailing edge of the structure, which protected them from the effects of atomic oxygen bombardment. An evaluation of the flight samples for effects from the 5 year mission showed that a contaminant was deposited on the samples, a micrometeoroid impact occurred on one of the samples, and the radiation darkening which was expected for the glass did not occur. The results are listed in more detail.

Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Accelerates Collagen Degradation and Clearance from Lungs in Mice*

PubMed Central

Fan, Ming-Hui; Zhu, Qiang; Li, Hui-Hua; Ra, Hyun-Jeong; Majumdar, Sonali; Gulick, Dexter L.; Jerome, Jacob A.; Madsen, Daniel H.; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo; Speicher, David W.; Bachovchin, William W.; Feghali-Bostwick, Carol; Puré, Ellen

2016-01-01

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease characterized by progressive, unrelenting lung scarring, with death from respiratory failure within 2–4 years unless lung transplantation is performed. New effective therapies are clearly needed. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell surface-associated serine protease up-regulated in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as well as in wound healing and cancer. We postulate that FAP is not only a marker of disease but influences the development of pulmonary fibrosis after lung injury. In two different models of pulmonary fibrosis, intratracheal bleomycin instillation and thoracic irradiation, we find increased mortality and increased lung fibrosis in FAP-deficient mice compared with wild-type mice. Lung extracellular matrix analysis reveals accumulation of intermediate-sized collagen fragments in FAP-deficient mouse lungs, consistent with in vitro studies showing that FAP mediates ordered proteolytic processing of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-derived collagen cleavage products. FAP-mediated collagen processing leads to increased collagen internalization without altering expression of the endocytic collagen receptor, Endo180. Pharmacologic FAP inhibition decreases collagen internalization as expected. Conversely, restoration of FAP expression in the lungs of FAP-deficient mice decreases lung hydroxyproline content after intratracheal bleomycin to levels comparable with that of wild-type controls. Our findings indicate that FAP participates directly, in concert with MMPs, in collagen catabolism and clearance and is an important factor in resolving scar after injury and restoring lung homeostasis. Our study identifies FAP as a novel endogenous regulator of fibrosis and is the first to show FAP's protective effects in the lung. PMID:26663085

Thermal radiative properties: Coatings.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Touloukian, Y. S.; Dewitt, D. P.; Hernicz, R. S.

1972-01-01

This volume consists, for the most part, of a presentation of numerical data compiled over the years in a most comprehensive manner on coatings for all applications, in particular, thermal control. After a moderately detailed discussion of the theoretical nature of the thermal radiative properties of coatings, together with an overview of predictive procedures and recognized experimental techniques, extensive numerical data on the thermal radiative properties of pigmented, contact, and conversion coatings are presented. These data cover metallic and nonmetallic pigmented coatings, enamels, metallic and nonmetallic contact coatings, antireflection coatings, resin coatings, metallic black coatings, and anodized and oxidized conversion coatings.

Gastric cancer in FAP: a concerning rise in incidence.

PubMed

Mankaney, Gautam; Leone, Pamela; Cruise, Michael; LaGuardia, Lisa; O'Malley, Margaret; Bhatt, Amit; Church, James; Burke, Carol A

2017-07-01

The highest cancer risks in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) include colorectal, duodenal, and thyroid for which surveillance is recommended. Nearly all patients with FAP have gastric fundic gland polyposis (FGP), but gastric cancers are rarely reported with a similar incidence as the general population. We describe a recent, sudden increase in the incidence of gastric cancer in FAP. Seven of the ten cases were diagnosed in the last 20 months. Comparing our population to the SEER database for gastric cancer, the standardized incidence ratio is 140. All cases arose in patients with a carpeting of FGP and associated with large mounds of proximal gastric polyps. Nearly all patients were under upper endoscopic surveillance. This is a concerning observation and reflects a change in the phenotypic presentation of FAP in Western patients.

One-step Maskless Fabrication and Optical Characterization of Silicon Surfaces with Antireflective Properties and a White Color Appearance

PubMed Central

Schneider, Ling; Feidenhans’l, Nikolaj A.; Telecka, Agnieszka; Taboryski, Rafael J.

2016-01-01

We report a simple one-step maskless fabrication of inverted pyramids on silicon wafers by reactive ion etching. The fabricated surface structures exhibit excellent anti-reflective properties: The total reflectance of the nano inverted pyramids fabricated by our method can be as low as 12% without any anti-reflective layers, and down to only 0.33% with a silicon nitride coating. The results from angle resolved scattering measurements indicate that the existence of triple reflections is responsible for the reduced reflectance. The surfaces with the nano inverted pyramids also exhibit a distinct milky white color. PMID:27725703

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a FAP Protocol: Brief Relationship Enhancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holman, Gareth; Kohlenberg, Robert J.; Tsai, Mavis

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a brief Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) protocol that will facilitate reliable implementation of FAP interventions, thus supporting research on FAP process and outcome. The treatment was a four-session individual therapy for clients who were interested in improving their relationship with their…

Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Accelerates Collagen Degradation and Clearance from Lungs in Mice.

PubMed

Fan, Ming-Hui; Zhu, Qiang; Li, Hui-Hua; Ra, Hyun-Jeong; Majumdar, Sonali; Gulick, Dexter L; Jerome, Jacob A; Madsen, Daniel H; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo; Speicher, David W; Bachovchin, William W; Feghali-Bostwick, Carol; Puré, Ellen

2016-04-08

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease characterized by progressive, unrelenting lung scarring, with death from respiratory failure within 2-4 years unless lung transplantation is performed. New effective therapies are clearly needed. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell surface-associated serine protease up-regulated in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as well as in wound healing and cancer. We postulate that FAP is not only a marker of disease but influences the development of pulmonary fibrosis after lung injury. In two different models of pulmonary fibrosis, intratracheal bleomycin instillation and thoracic irradiation, we find increased mortality and increased lung fibrosis in FAP-deficient mice compared with wild-type mice. Lung extracellular matrix analysis reveals accumulation of intermediate-sized collagen fragments in FAP-deficient mouse lungs, consistent within vitrostudies showing that FAP mediates ordered proteolytic processing of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-derived collagen cleavage products. FAP-mediated collagen processing leads to increased collagen internalization without altering expression of the endocytic collagen receptor, Endo180. Pharmacologic FAP inhibition decreases collagen internalization as expected. Conversely, restoration of FAP expression in the lungs of FAP-deficient mice decreases lung hydroxyproline content after intratracheal bleomycin to levels comparable with that of wild-type controls. Our findings indicate that FAP participates directly, in concert with MMPs, in collagen catabolism and clearance and is an important factor in resolving scar after injury and restoring lung homeostasis. Our study identifies FAP as a novel endogenous regulator of fibrosis and is the first to show FAP's protective effects in the lung. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Optimization of contaminated oxide inversion layer solar cell. [considering silicon oxide coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Call, R. L.

1976-01-01

Contaminated oxide cells have been fabricated with efficiencies of 8.6% with values of I sub sc = 120 ma, V sub oc = .54 volts, and curve factor of .73. Attempts to optimize the fabrication step to yield a higher output have not been successful. The fundamental limitation is the inadequate antireflection coating afforded by the silicon dioxide coating used to hold the contaminating ions. Coatings of SiO, therefore, were used to obtain a good antireflection coating, but the thinness of the coatings prevented a large concentration of the contaminating ions, and the cells was weak. Data of the best cell were .52 volts V sub oc, 110 ma I sub sc, .66 CFF and 6.7% efficiency.

Toward an Evaluation Strategy for FAP-Day Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datta, Lois-ellin, Ed.

This report presents the findings of an invitational conference sponsored by the Office of Child Development to assess the implications of Family Assistance Plan (FAP) day care provisions from the viewpoint of program evaluation. The first section outlines the features of FAP day care, and the second section identifies accountability issues for…

Sol-gel derived antireflective structures for applications in silicon solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasiński, Paweł; Skolik, Marcin

2016-12-01

This work presents theoretical and experimental results of antireflective coatings (ARCs) obtained for applications in silicon solar cells. ARCs were derived from sol-gel process and dip-coated using silica (SiO2) and titania (TiO2). Theoretical results were obtained using 2×2 transfer matrix calculation method. Technological process of SiO2 and TiO2 thin film fabrication as well as measurement techniques are described in this paper. Strong correlation between theoretical and experimental data is demonstrated. It is shown, that weighted average reflection from a substrate can be reduced ten times with the use of SiO2/TiO2/Si double layer ARCs, when compared to a bare silica substrate.

Specific inhibition of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-alpha prevents tumor progression in vitro.

PubMed

Teichgräber, Volker; Monasterio, Carmen; Chaitanya, Krishna; Boger, Regina; Gordon, Katrin; Dieterle, Thomas; Jäger, Dirk; Bauer, Stefan

2015-09-01

Solid tumors modulate their environment to keep non-malignant stromal cells in a tumor-promoting state. The main cells in the stroma of epithelial derived tumors are cancer associated fibroblasts (CAF) that are critical to tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. CAFs also supply the tumor cells with growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading enzymes. They are thus essential for tumor initiation as well as tumor progression and metastasis, suggesting that they represent an ideal cellular target of an integrative tumor therapy. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a well-defined marker, expressed at high levels on the cell surface of CAFs. FAP, a constitutively active serine peptidase with both dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) and collagenase/gelatinase activity, promotes malignant and invasive behavior of epithelial cancers. High stromal expression levels of FAP correlate with poor prognosis. FAP is difficult to detect in non-diseased adult tissue, but it is generally expressed at sites of tissue remodeling. In our experiments, we aimed for a reduction of the pro-tumorigenic activities of CAFs by depleting FAP from fibroblasts growing in a composite environment with epithelial tumor cells. FAP depletion was achieved by two therapeutically relevant approaches: a novel internalizing anti-FAP IgG1 antibody and FAP gene knock-down by siRNA delivery. The antibody effectively removed FAP from the cell surface and was capable of reversing the FAP mediated migratory and invasive capacity. FAP RNA interference was equally effective when compared to the antibody. Thus, targeting FAP on CAF suppresses pro-tumorigenic activities and may result in a clinically effective reduction of tumor progression and dissemination. Copyright © 2015 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Omnidirectional anti-reflection properties of vertically align SiO2 nanorod films prepared by electron beam evaporation with glancing angle deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prachachet, R.; Samransuksamer, B.; Horprathum, M.; Eiamchai, P.; Limwichean, S.; Chananonnawathorn, C.; Lertvanithphol, T.; Muthitamongkol, P.; Boonruang, S.; Buranasiri, P.

2018-03-01

Omnidirectional anti-reflection coating nanostructure film have attracted enormous attention for the developments of the optical coating, lenses, light emitting diode, display and photovoltaic. However, fabricated of the omnidirectional antireflection nanostructure film on glass substrate in large area was a challenge topic. In the past two decades, the invention of glancing angle deposition technique as a growth of well-controlled two and three-dimensional morphologies has gained significant attention because of it is simple, fast, cost-effective and high mass production capability. In this present work, the omnidirectional anti-reflection nanostructure coating namely silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanorods has been investigated for optimized high transparent layer at all light incident angle. The SiO2 nanorod films of an optimally low refractive index have been fabricated by electron beam evaporation with the glancing angle deposition technique. The morphological of the prepared sampled were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The optical transmission and omnidirectional property of the SiO2 nanorod films were investigated by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. The measurement were performed at normal incident angle and a full spectral range of 200 - 2000 nm. The angle dependent transmission measure were investigated by rotating the specimen, with incidence angle defined relative to the surface normal of the prepared samples. The morphological characterization results showed that when the glancing angle deposition technique was applied, the vertically align SiO2 nanorods with partially isolated columnar structure can be constructed due to the enhanced shadowing and limited addtom diffusion effect. The average transmission of the vertically align SiO2 nanorods were higher than the glass substrate reference sample over the visible wavelength range at all incident angle due to the

The Val30Met familial amyloid polyneuropathy specific Rasch-built overall disability scale (FAP-RODS(©) ).

PubMed

Pruppers, Mariëlle H J; Merkies, Ingemar S J; Faber, Catharina G; Da Silva, Ana M; Costa, Vanessa; Coelho, Teresa

2015-09-01

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a chronic debilitating multi-organic disorder, mainly assessed using ordinal-based impairment measures. To date, no outcome measure at the activity and participation level has been constructed in FAP. The current study aimed to design an interval activity/participation scale for FAP through Rasch methodology. A preliminary FAP Rasch-built overall disability scale (pre-FAP-RODS) containing 146 activity/participation items was assessed twice (interval: 2-4 week; test-retest reliability) in 248 patients with Val30Met FAP examined in Porto, Portugal, of which 65.7% have received liver transplantation. An ordinal-based 24-item FAP-symptoms inventory questionnaire (FAP-SIQ) was also assessed (validity purposes). The pre-FAP-RODS and FAP-SIQ data were subjected to Rasch analyses. The pre-FAP-RODS did not meet model's expectations. On the basis of requirements such as misfit statistics, differential item functioning, and local dependency, items were systematically removed until a final 34-item FAP-RODS(©) was constructed fulfilling all Rasch requirements. Acceptable reliability/validity scores were demonstrated. In conclusion, the 34-item FAP-RODS(©) is a disease-specific interval measure suitable for detecting activity and participation restrictions in patients with FAP. The use of the FAP-RODS(©) is recommended for future international clinical trials in patients with Val30Met FAP determining its responsiveness and its cross-cultural validation. Its expansion to other forms of FAP should also be focus of future clinical studies. © 2015 Peripheral Nerve Society.

[A Case of Metachronous Multiple Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma with FAP].

PubMed

Tajima, Yusuke; Kumamoto, Kensuke; Yamamoto, Azusa; Chika, Noriyasu; Watanabe, Yuichiro; Matsuzawa, Takeaki; Ishibashi, Keiichiro; Mochiki, Erito; Iwama, Takeo; Akagi, Kiwamu; Ishida, Hideyuki

2015-11-01

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder, the result of a germ line mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. FAP can be associated with various extracolonic lesions, including thyroid cancer, which frequently occurs in women. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman diagnosed as having FAP with multiple metachronous thyroid papillary carcinomas. She underwent left thyroidectomy at the age of 19 years without a diagnosis of FAP. Multiple polyps in her stomach were detected by medical examination and more than 100 polyps in the colon were found by colonoscopy. She was referred to our hospital after a diagnosis of non-profuse FAP. Multiple tumors with a maximum diameter of 10mm were detected in the right lobe of the thyroid gland during the preoperative examination. Papillary carcinoma was suspected based on fine-needle aspiration cytology. We performed a right thyroidectomy after prophylactic colectomy. Pathological findings revealed a cribriform-morula variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient remains well after 2 year 6 months with no recurrence.

Efficient Colorful Perovskite Solar Cells Using a Top Polymer Electrode Simultaneously as Spectrally Selective Antireflection Coating.

PubMed

Jiang, Youyu; Luo, Bangwu; Jiang, Fangyuan; Jiang, Fuben; Fuentes-Hernandez, Canek; Liu, Tiefeng; Mao, Lin; Xiong, Sixing; Li, Zaifang; Wang, Tao; Kippelen, Bernard; Zhou, Yinhua

2016-12-14

Organometal halide perovskites have shown excellent optoelectronic properties and have been used to demonstrate a variety of semiconductor devices. Colorful solar cells are desirable for photovoltaic integration in buildings and other aesthetically appealing applications. However, the realization of colorful perovskite solar cells is challenging because of their broad and large absorption coefficient that commonly leads to cells with dark-brown colors. Herein, for the first time, we report a simple and efficient strategy to achieve colorful perovskite solar cells by using the transparent conducting polymer (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), PEDOT:PSS) as a top electrode and simultaneously as an spectrally selective antireflection coating. Vivid colors across the visible spectrum are attained by engineering optical interference effects among the transparent PEDOT:PSS polymer electrode, the hole-transporting layer and the perovskite layer. The colored perovskite solar cells display power conversion efficiency values from 12.8 to 15.1% (from red to blue) when illuminated from the FTO glass side and from 11.6 to 13.8% (from red to blue) when illuminated from the PEDOT:PSS side. The new approach provides an advanced solution for fabricating colorful perovskite solar cells with easy processing and high efficiency.

Targeting CXCL12 from FAP-expressing carcinoma-associated fibroblasts synergizes with anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer.

PubMed

Feig, Christine; Jones, James O; Kraman, Matthew; Wells, Richard J B; Deonarine, Andrew; Chan, Derek S; Connell, Claire M; Roberts, Edward W; Zhao, Qi; Caballero, Otavia L; Teichmann, Sarah A; Janowitz, Tobias; Jodrell, Duncan I; Tuveson, David A; Fearon, Douglas T

2013-12-10

An autochthonous model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) permitted the analysis of why immunotherapy is ineffective in this human disease. Despite finding that PDA-bearing mice had cancer cell-specific CD8(+) T cells, the mice, like human patients with PDA, did not respond to two immunological checkpoint antagonists that promote the function of T cells: anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (α-CTLA-4) and α-programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (α-PD-L1). Immune control of PDA growth was achieved, however, by depleting carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that express fibroblast activation protein (FAP). The depletion of the FAP(+) stromal cell also uncovered the antitumor effects of α-CTLA-4 and α-PD-L1, indicating that its immune suppressive activity accounts for the failure of these T-cell checkpoint antagonists. Three findings suggested that chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12) explained the overriding immunosuppression by the FAP(+) cell: T cells were absent from regions of the tumor containing cancer cells, cancer cells were coated with the chemokine, CXCL12, and the FAP(+) CAF was the principal source of CXCL12 in the tumor. Administering AMD3100, a CXCL12 receptor chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 inhibitor, induced rapid T-cell accumulation among cancer cells and acted synergistically with α-PD-L1 to greatly diminish cancer cells, which were identified by their loss of heterozygosity of Trp53 gene. The residual tumor was composed only of premalignant epithelial cells and inflammatory cells. Thus, a single protein, CXCL12, from a single stromal cell type, the FAP(+) CAF, may direct tumor immune evasion in a model of human PDA.

MgF2 monolayer as an anti-reflecting material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahida, H. R.; Singh, Deobrat; Sonvane, Yogesh; Gupta, Sanjeev K.; Thakor, P. B.

2017-02-01

The single-layer atomic sheet of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) having 1H and 1T phase structure (hexagonal and tetragonal phase) has been calculated by density functional theory (DFT). Further, we have investigated the structural, electronic and optical properties such as frequency dependent dielectric function, absorption spectra, energy loss spectra, reflectivity, refractive index and optical conductivity of monolayer MgF2 for the direction of parallel and perpendicular electric field polarizations. Our results suggest that monolayer MgF2 provides promising applications in anti-reflection coatings, high-reflective systems and in opto-electronic materials.

APC+/− alters colonic fibroblast proteome in FAP

PubMed Central

Dixon, Maketa P.; Blagoi, Elena L.; Nicolas, Emmanuelle; Seeholzer, Steven H.; Cheng, David; He, Yin A.; Coudry, Renata A.; Howard, Sharon D.; Riddle, Dawn M.; Cooper, Harry S.; Boman, Bruce M.; Conrad, Peggy; Crowell, James A.; Bellacosa, Alfonso; Knudson, Alfred; Yeung, Anthony T.; Kopelovich, Levy

2011-01-01

Here we compared the proteomes of primary fibroblast cultures derived from morphologically normal colonic mucosa of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients with those obtained from unaffected controls. The expression signature of about 19% of total fibroblast proteins separates FAP mutation carriers from unaffected controls (P < 0.01). More than 4,000 protein spots were quantified by 2D PAGE analysis, identifying 368 non-redundant proteins and 400 of their isoforms. Specifically, all three classes of cytoskeletal filaments and their regulatory proteins were altered as were oxidative stress response proteins. Given that FAP fibroblasts showed heightened sensitivity to transformation by KiMSV and SV40 including elevated levels of the p53 protein, events controlled in large measure by the Ras suppressor protein-1 (RSU-1) and oncogenic DJ-1, here we show decreased RSU1 and augmented DJ-1 expression in both fibroblasts and crypt-derived epithelial cells from morphologically normal colonic mucosa of FAP gene-carriers. The results indicate that heterozygosity for a mutant APC tumor suppressor gene alters the proteomes of both colon-derived normal fibroblasts in a gene-specific manner, consistent with a “one-hit” effect. PMID:21411865

Manufacturing and coating of optical components for the EnMAP hyperspectral imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schürmann, M.; Gäbler, D.; Schlegel, R.; Schwinde, S.; Peschel, T.; Damm, C.; Jende, R.; Kinast, J.; Müller, S.; Beier, M.; Risse, S.; Sang, B.; Glier, M.; Bittner, H.; Erhard, M.

2016-07-01

The optical system of the hyperspectral imager of the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) consists of a three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) and two independent spectrometers working in the VNIR and SWIR spectral range, respectively. The VNIR spectrometer includes a spherical NiP coated Al6061 mirror that has been ultra-precisely diamond turned and finally coated with protected silver as well as four curved fused silica (FS) and flint glass (SF6) prisms, respectively, each with broadband antireflection (AR) coating, while the backs of the two outer prisms are coated with a high-reflective coating. For AR coating, plasma ion assisted deposition (PIAD) has been used; the high-reflective enhanced Ag-coating on the backside has been deposited by magnetron sputtering. The SWIR spectrometer contains four plane and spherical gold-coated mirrors, respectively, and two curved FS prisms with a broadband antireflection coating. Details about the ultra-precise manufacturing of metal mirrors and prisms as well as their coating are presented in this work.

Antireflective glass nanoholes on optical lenses.

PubMed

Lee, Youngseop; Bae, Sang-In; Eom, Jaehyeon; Suh, Ho-Cheol; Jeong, Ki-Hun

2018-05-28

Antireflective structures, inspired from moth eyes, are still reserved for practical use due to their large-area nanofabrication and mechanical stability. Here we report an antireflective optical lens with large-area glass nanoholes. The nanoholes increase light transmission due to the antireflective effect, depending on geometric parameters such as fill factor and height. The glass nanoholes of low effective refractive index are achieved by using solid-state dewetting of ultrathin silver film, reactive ion etching, and wet etching. An ultrathin silver film is transformed into nanoholes for an etch mask in reactive ion etching after thermal annealing at a low temperature. Unlike conventional nanopillars, nanoholes exhibit high light transmittance with enhancement of ~4% over the full visible range as well as high mechanical hardness. Also, an antireflective glass lens is achieved by directly employing nanoholes on the lens surface. Glass nanoholes of highly enhanced optical and mechanical performance can be directly utilized for commercial glass lenses in various imaging and lighting applications.

Optical coatings on polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Thomas

2005-09-01

Optical transparent polymers are used for technical optics for more than 50 years and currently replace glass as optical material in several application fields. Optical functional coatings like mirrors, filters, beam splitters and anti-reflection coatings gain increasingly in importance. New light sources and head mounted systems need light and effective reflector designs. The paper gives an overview about vacuum coating technologies for metal and dielectric layers on polymers for technical optics. Especially for polymers controlling the complete process chain from injection moulding to storing, coating and shipping decides on the technological and commercial success.

IBS and FAPS in children: a comparison of psychological and clinical characteristics.

PubMed

Rutten, Juliette M T M; Benninga, Marc A; Vlieger, Arine M

2014-10-01

It has been suggested that different subcategories of childhood abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders (AP-FGIDs) are not separate clinical entities, but represent variable expressions of the same FGID. The aim of the present study was to compare clinical and psychological characteristics of children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional abdominal pain (FAP), and functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS). A total of 259 children, ages 8 to 18 years, fulfilling Rome III criteria for IBS or FAPS were included in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of hypnotherapy. At inclusion, questionnaires assessed demographics, clinical features, abdominal pain frequency and intensity, depression and anxiety, somatization, health-related quality of life, pain beliefs, and coping strategies. No differences were found between children with IBS and those with FAPS with respect to the main outcomes: frequency and intensity of abdominal pain, symptoms of depression and anxiety, somatization, health-related quality of life, pain beliefs, and coping strategies. A significantly higher percentage of patients with IBS had a positive family history for AP-FGIDs (56.8% vs 37.8%; P = 0.00). Characteristics of patients with IBS subtypes did not differ. Patients with FAP or FAPS differed only with respect to problem-focused coping strategy (2.21 ± 0.61 vs 2.52 ± 0.49; P = 0.00). Pediatric patients with IBS and those with FAPS have similar psychosocial profiles. These results may explain why treatment response of psychological therapies in these AP-FGIDs is similar. These results may indicate that pediatric IBS and FAPS are different expressions of 1 underlying functional disorder, but similarities in psychosocial characteristics do not exclude the possibility that these disorders are different entities, because these similarities can exist between disorders of various causes. Therefore, future research is required on the role of other

[Expression of FAP and alpha-SMA during the incised wound healing in mice skin].

PubMed

Gao, Yang; Peng, Xue; Jin, Zhan-Fen; Fu, Zhi-Jun

2009-12-01

OBJECTIVE To investigate the time-dependent expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and alpha-smooth muscle actin(alpha-SMA) during the incised wound healing of the skin in mice. The expression of FAP and alpha-SMA in incised wound of mice skin was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. By immunohistochemistry, the expression of FAP and alpha-SMA in the normal skin and the skin 1 h after injury maintained at a very low level, but the positive cells expressing FAP and alpha-SMA started to elevate 6 h after injury and reached its peak on 5 d for FAP and on 3 d for alpha-SMA, then gradually decreased to the normal level on 14 d. The expression of FAP and alpha-SMA was observed throughout the wound healing stages 1 d after injuries by Western blot as well with a peak expression occurring on 5 d for FAP and on 3 d for alpha-SMA after injury. FAP may be a potentially useful marker for wound age determination and alpha-SMA may be used as an effective indicator for the mid- and late stage incised wound of mice skin. The combination use of FAP and alpha-SMA may be potentially effective indicators for wound age determination.

Cribriform-morular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: an indication to screen for occult FAP.

PubMed

Levy, Rachel A; Hui, Vanessa W; Sood, Rupa; Fish, Stephanie; Markowitz, Arnold J; Wong, Richard J; Guillem, José G

2014-12-01

Cribriform-morular variant (CMV) is a rare subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) that is associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Given the high likelihood for multi-organ malignancies in FAP patients, this study explores the yield of diagnosing occult FAP among CMV-PTC patients. Institutional database was searched in order to identify patients with pathologically-confirmed CMV-PTC from 2000 to 2012. Medical records were reviewed, and clinical and pathological features were analyzed. Eleven cases of CMV were identified from 6,901 patients with PTC, for a prevalence of 0.16 %. All 11 patients were female. The median age at CMV-PTC diagnosis was 36 years (range 18-46). Two patients had pre-existing FAP at the time of PTC diagnosis. The other nine patients were referred for colonoscopy and/or genetic testing. Six patients underwent colonoscopy and one (17 %) was diagnosed with FAP based on polyposis phenotype and genetic testing. The mean age of patients at the time of CMV-PTC diagnosis was younger in the FAP group (23 years, range 18-34) than in the sporadic group (37 years, range 25-46). All three patients with FAP-associated CMV-PTC had multicentric tumors, while all five sporadic patients did not. Our study found that approximately one-sixth of patients with CMV-PTC may have occult FAP. Patients with FAP-associated CMV-PTC appear to be younger and more likely to have multicentric tumors than those with sporadic CMV-PTC. Due to the increased risk of malignancy in patients with FAP, patients with CMV-PTC should be referred for colonoscopy and/or genetic evaluation for FAP.

Quantitation of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-specific protease activity in mouse, baboon and human fluids and organs.

PubMed

Keane, Fiona M; Yao, Tsun-Wen; Seelk, Stefanie; Gall, Margaret G; Chowdhury, Sumaiya; Poplawski, Sarah E; Lai, Jack H; Li, Youhua; Wu, Wengen; Farrell, Penny; Vieira de Ribeiro, Ana Julia; Osborne, Brenna; Yu, Denise M T; Seth, Devanshi; Rahman, Khairunnessa; Haber, Paul; Topaloglu, A Kemal; Wang, Chuanmin; Thomson, Sally; Hennessy, Annemarie; Prins, John; Twigg, Stephen M; McLennan, Susan V; McCaughan, Geoffrey W; Bachovchin, William W; Gorrell, Mark D

2013-01-01

The protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a specific marker of activated mesenchymal cells in tumour stroma and fibrotic liver. A specific, reliable FAP enzyme assay has been lacking. FAP's unique and restricted cleavage of the post proline bond was exploited to generate a new specific substrate to quantify FAP enzyme activity. This sensitive assay detected no FAP activity in any tissue or fluid of FAP gene knockout mice, thus confirming assay specificity. Circulating FAP activity was ∼20- and 1.3-fold less in baboon than in mouse and human plasma, respectively. Serum and plasma contained comparable FAP activity. In mice, the highest levels of FAP activity were in uterus, pancreas, submaxillary gland and skin, whereas the lowest levels were in brain, prostate, leukocytes and testis. Baboon organs high in FAP activity included skin, epididymis, bladder, colon, adipose tissue, nerve and tongue. FAP activity was greatly elevated in tumours and associated lymph nodes and in fungal-infected skin of unhealthy baboons. FAP activity was 14- to 18-fold greater in cirrhotic than in non-diseased human liver, and circulating FAP activity was almost doubled in alcoholic cirrhosis. Parallel DPP4 measurements concorded with the literature, except for the novel finding of high DPP4 activity in bile. The new FAP enzyme assay is the first to be thoroughly characterised and shows that FAP activity is measurable in most organs and at high levels in some. This new assay is a robust tool for specific quantitation of FAP enzyme activity in both preclinical and clinical samples, particularly liver fibrosis.

Quantitation of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-specific protease activity in mouse, baboon and human fluids and organs☆

PubMed Central

Keane, Fiona M.; Yao, Tsun-Wen; Seelk, Stefanie; Gall, Margaret G.; Chowdhury, Sumaiya; Poplawski, Sarah E.; Lai, Jack H.; Li, Youhua; Wu, Wengen; Farrell, Penny; Vieira de Ribeiro, Ana Julia; Osborne, Brenna; Yu, Denise M.T.; Seth, Devanshi; Rahman, Khairunnessa; Haber, Paul; Topaloglu, A. Kemal; Wang, Chuanmin; Thomson, Sally; Hennessy, Annemarie; Prins, John; Twigg, Stephen M.; McLennan, Susan V.; McCaughan, Geoffrey W.; Bachovchin, William W.; Gorrell, Mark D.

2013-01-01

The protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a specific marker of activated mesenchymal cells in tumour stroma and fibrotic liver. A specific, reliable FAP enzyme assay has been lacking. FAP's unique and restricted cleavage of the post proline bond was exploited to generate a new specific substrate to quantify FAP enzyme activity. This sensitive assay detected no FAP activity in any tissue or fluid of FAP gene knockout mice, thus confirming assay specificity. Circulating FAP activity was ∼20- and 1.3-fold less in baboon than in mouse and human plasma, respectively. Serum and plasma contained comparable FAP activity. In mice, the highest levels of FAP activity were in uterus, pancreas, submaxillary gland and skin, whereas the lowest levels were in brain, prostate, leukocytes and testis. Baboon organs high in FAP activity included skin, epididymis, bladder, colon, adipose tissue, nerve and tongue. FAP activity was greatly elevated in tumours and associated lymph nodes and in fungal-infected skin of unhealthy baboons. FAP activity was 14- to 18-fold greater in cirrhotic than in non-diseased human liver, and circulating FAP activity was almost doubled in alcoholic cirrhosis. Parallel DPP4 measurements concorded with the literature, except for the novel finding of high DPP4 activity in bile. The new FAP enzyme assay is the first to be thoroughly characterised and shows that FAP activity is measurable in most organs and at high levels in some. This new assay is a robust tool for specific quantitation of FAP enzyme activity in both preclinical and clinical samples, particularly liver fibrosis. PMID:24371721

Surgical considerations in FAP-related pouch surgery: Could we do better?

PubMed

Möslein, Gabriela

2016-07-01

The ileoanal pouch has become the standard restorative procedure of choice for patients with the classical phenotype in FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis) and also for ulcerative colitis (UC). Whilst we tend to encounter descriptive analyses comparing functional outcome, fertility and quality of life (QOL) between series in literature, there may be an urgent need to discuss the subtle technical modifications that may be pivotal for improving long-term QOL in FAP patients. Our aim is to review the current literature and discuss the aspects of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis that may require specific reevaluation for FAP. Surgical strategies aimed at minimizing post-interventional desmoid growth is one of the most important aspects. For this study, the following topics of interest were selected: Timing of surgery, IRA or ileoanal pouch for classical FAP, laparoscopic or conventional surgery, TME or mesenteric dissection, preservation of the ileocolic vessels, handsewn or double-staple anastomosis, shape and size of pouch, protective ileostomy, Last and definitely not least: how to manage desmoid plaques or desmoids at the time of prophylactic surgery. For the depicted technicalities of the procedure, a review of recent literature was performed and evaluated. For the topics selected, only sparse reference in literature was identified that was focused on the specific condition situation of FAP. Almost all pouch literature focusses on the procedural aspects, and FAP patients are always a very minor number. Therefore it becomes obvious that the specific entity is not adequately taken into account. This is a serious bias for identification of important steps in the procedure that may be beneficial for patients with either of the diseases. The results of this study demonstrate that several technical differences for construction of ileoanal pouches in FAP patients deserve more attention and prospective evaluation-perhaps even randomized trials. The role, importance and

FAP positive fibroblasts induce immune checkpoint blockade resistance in colorectal cancer via promoting immunosuppression.

PubMed

Chen, Lingling; Qiu, Xiangting; Wang, Xinhua; He, Jian

2017-05-20

Immune checkpoint blockades that significantly prolonged survival of melanoma patients have been less effective on colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Growing evidence suggested that fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP) on cancer associate fibroblasts (CAFs) has critical roles in regulating antitumor immune response by inducing tumor-promoting inflammation. In this study, we explored the roles of FAP in regulating the tumor immunity and immune checkpoint blockades resistance in CRC experimental systems. We found that CAFs with high FAP expression could induce immune checkpoint blockade resistance in CRC mouse model. Mechanistically, CAFs with high FAP expression promoted immunosuppression in the CRC tumor immune microenvironment by up-regulating CCL2 secretion, recruiting myeloid cells, and decreasing T-cell activity. In human CRC samples, FAP expression was proportional to myeloid cells number, but inversely related to T-cell number. High FAP expression also predicted poor survival of CRC patients. Taken together, our study suggested that high FAP expression in CAFs is one reason leading to immune checkpoint blockades resistance in CRC patients and FAP is an optional target for reversing immune checkpoint blockades resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nanostructured Antireflective and Thermoisolative Cicada Wings.

PubMed

Morikawa, Junko; Ryu, Meguya; Seniutinas, Gediminas; Balčytis, Armandas; Maximova, Ksenia; Wang, Xuewen; Zamengo, Massimiliano; Ivanova, Elena P; Juodkazis, Saulius

2016-05-10

Inter-related mechanical, thermal, and optical macroscopic properties of biomaterials are defined at the nanoscale by their constituent structures and patterns, which underpin complex functions of an entire bio-object. Here, the temperature diffusivity of a cicada (Cyclochila australasiae) wing with nanotextured surfaces was measured using two complementary techniques: a direct contact method and IR imaging. The 4-6-μm-thick wing section was shown to have a thermal diffusivity of α⊥ = (0.71 ± 0.15) × 10(-7) m(2)/s, as measured by the contact temperature wave method along the thickness of the wing; it corresponds to the inherent thermal property of the cuticle. The in-plane thermal diffusivity value of the wing was determined by IR imaging and was considerably larger at α∥ = (3.6 ± 0.2) × 10(-7) m(2)/s as a result of heat transport via air. Optical properties of wings covered with nanospikes were numerically simulated using an accurate 3D model of the wing pattern and showed that light is concentrated between spikes where intensity is enhanced by up to 3- to 4-fold. The closely packed pattern of nanospikes reduces the reflectivity of the wing throughout the visible light spectrum and over a wide range of incident angles, hence acting as an antireflection coating.

Fracture behavior of the Fe-8Al alloy FAP-Y

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexander, D.J.

The tensile and impact properties of two heats of the reduced aluminum alloy FAP-Y have been measured and compared to the Fe{sub 3}Al alloy FA-129. The FAP-Y material has similar yield strengths up to 400{degrees}C, and much better ductility and impact properties, as compared to the FA-129. Despite excellent room-temperature ductility, the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature is still quite high, around 150{degrees}C. The material is found to be strain-rate sensitive, with a significant increase in the yield strength at strain rates of about 10{sup 3} s{sup {minus}1}. It is believed that this strain-rate sensitivity is responsible, at least in part, formore » the high ductile-to-brittle transition temperature.« less

Optical properties of the Al2O3/SiO2 and Al2O3/HfO2/SiO2 antireflective coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marszałek, Konstanty; Winkowski, Paweł; Jaglarz, Janusz

2014-01-01

Investigations of bilayer and trilayer Al2O3/SiO2 and Al2O3/HfO2/SiO2 antireflective coatings are presented in this paper. The oxide films were deposited on a heated quartz glass by e-gun evaporation in a vacuum of 5 × 10-3 [Pa] in the presence of oxygen. Depositions were performed at three different temperatures of the substrates: 100 °C, 200 °C and 300 °C. The coatings were deposited onto optical quartz glass (Corning HPFS). The thickness and deposition rate were controlled with Inficon XTC/2 thickness measuring system. Deposition rate was equal to 0.6 nm/s for Al2O3, 0.6 nm - 0.8 nm/s for HfO2 and 0.6 nm/s for SiO2. Simulations leading to optimization of the thin film thickness and the experimental results of optical measurements, which were carried out during and after the deposition process, have been presented. The optical thickness values, obtained from the measurements performed during the deposition process were as follows: 78 nm/78 nm for Al2O3/SiO2 and 78 nm/156 nm/78 nm for Al2O3/HfO2/SiO2. The results were then checked by ellipsometric technique. Reflectance of the films depended on the substrate temperature during the deposition process. Starting from 240 nm to the beginning of visible region, the average reflectance of the trilayer system was below 1 % and for the bilayer, minima of the reflectance were equal to 1.6 %, 1.15 % and 0.8 % for deposition temperatures of 100 °C, 200 °C and 300 °C, respectively.

Pharmacokinetics and Toxicology of a Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP)-activated Prodrug in Murine Xenograft Models of Human Cancer

PubMed Central

Brennen, W. Nathaniel; Rosen, D. Marc; Chaux, Alcides; Netto, George J.; Isaacs, John T.; Denmeade, Samuel R.

2014-01-01

Background As carcinoma progresses, the stroma undergoes a variety of phenotypic changes, including the presence of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that express fibroblast activation protein (FAP). FAP is a post-prolyl endopeptidase whose expression in a healthy adult is largely restricted to the cancer-associated stroma. FAP-targeted prodrugs with a 100-fold greater therapeutic window over the parent compound were previously generated. Methods Prodrugs and non-cleavable controls were incubated in the presence of FAP. Plasma and tumor half-lives (t1/2) of the full-length and active forms of the prodrugs were determined using LCMS. Biodistribution studies of prodrug activation were performed. Histopathological analysis of tissues from treated animals were compared to vehicle-treated controls. Toxicity and efficacy studies were performed in human breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and prostate (LNCaP) cancer xenografts models. Results These FAP-activated prodrugs have a significantly slower clearance from tumor tissue than the circulation (~12 vs. ~4.5 hrs). Micromolar concentrations of active drug persist in the tumor. Active drug is detected in non-target tissues; however, histopathologic evaluation reveals no evidence of drug-induced toxicity. A FAP-activated prodrug (ERGETGP-S12ADT) inhibits tumor growth in multiple human breast and prostate cancer xenograft models. The anti-tumor effect is comparable to that observed with docetaxel, but results in significantly less toxicity. Conclusion FAP-activated prodrugs are a viable strategy for the management of prostate and other cancers. These prodrugs exhibit less toxicity than a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. Further refinement of the FAP cleavage site for greater specificity may reduce prodrug activation in non-target tissues and enhance clinical benefit. PMID:25053236

Pharmacokinetics and toxicology of a fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-activated prodrug in murine xenograft models of human cancer.

PubMed

Brennen, W Nathaniel; Rosen, D Marc; Chaux, Alcides; Netto, George J; Isaacs, John T; Denmeade, Samuel R

2014-09-01

As carcinoma progresses, the stroma undergoes a variety of phenotypic changes, including the presence of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that express fibroblast activation protein (FAP). FAP is a post-prolyl endopeptidase whose expression in a healthy adult is largely restricted to the cancer-associated stroma. FAP-targeted prodrugs with a 100-fold greater therapeutic window over the parent compound were previously generated. Prodrugs and non-cleavable controls were incubated in the presence of FAP. Plasma and tumor half-lives (t1/2) of the full-length and active forms of the prodrugs were determined using LCMS. Biodistribution studies of prodrug activation were performed. Histopathological analysis of tissues from treated animals were compared to vehicle-treated controls. Toxicity and efficacy studies were performed in human breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and prostate (LNCaP) cancer xenografts models. These FAP-activated prodrugs have a significantly slower clearance from tumor tissue than the circulation (∼12 vs. ∼4.5 hr). Micromolar concentrations of active drug persist in the tumor. Active drug is detected in non-target tissues; however, histopathologic evaluation reveals no evidence of drug-induced toxicity. A FAP-activated prodrug (ERGETGP-S12ADT) inhibits tumor growth in multiple human breast and prostate cancer xenograft models. The anti-tumor effect is comparable to that observed with docetaxel, but results in significantly less toxicity. FAP-activated prodrugs are a viable strategy for the management of prostate and other cancers. These prodrugs exhibit less toxicity than a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. Further refinement of the FAP cleavage site for greater specificity may reduce prodrug activation in non-target tissues and enhance clinical benefit. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optical Coatings With Graded Index Layers For High Power Laser Applications: Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zukic, Muamer; Guenther, Karl H.

1988-06-01

Graded index layers provide a greater flexibility for the design of optical coatings than "homogeneous" layers. A graded index layer can replace the whole or a part of a traditional multilayer stack of alternating thin films of high and low refractive index. This paper presents design examples for broadband antireflection coatings, narrowband high reflectors (also referred to as minus filters or rejection line filters), and non-polarizing beam splitters. Optimized refractive index profiles are derived for broadband antireflection coatings for various combinations of incident medium and substrate. The rejection line filter example uses a sinusoidal (rugate) index profile. The non-polarizing beamsplitter summarizes the topical contents of a paper presented in another conference at the same symposium.

Expression of Fap amyloids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, and P. putida results in aggregation and increased biofilm formation

PubMed Central

Dueholm, Morten S; Søndergaard, Mads T; Nilsson, Martin; Christiansen, Gunna; Stensballe, Allan; Overgaard, Michael T; Givskov, Michael; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Otzen, Daniel E; Nielsen, Per H

2013-01-01

The fap operon, encoding functional amyloids in Pseudomonas (Fap), is present in most pseudomonads, but so far the expression and importance for biofilm formation has only been investigated for P. fluorescens strain UK4. In this study, we demonstrate the capacity of P. aeruginosa PAO1, P. fluorescens Pf-5, and P. putida F1 to express Fap fibrils, and investigated the effect of Fap expression on aggregation and biofilm formation. The fap operon in all three Pseudomonas species conferred the ability to express Fap fibrils as shown using a recombinant approach. This Fap overexpression consistently resulted in highly aggregative phenotypes and in increased biofilm formation. Detailed biophysical investigations of purified fibrils confirmed FapC as the main fibril monomer and supported the role of FapB as a minor, nucleating constituent as also indicated by bioinformatic analysis. Bioinformatics analysis suggested FapF and FapD as a potential β-barrel membrane pore and protease, respectively. Manipulation of the fap operon showed that FapA affects monomer composition of the final amyloid fibril, and that FapB is an amyloid protein, probably a nucleator for FapC polymerization. Our study highlights the fap operon as a molecular machine for functional amyloid formation. PMID:23504942

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)-A Case Study and Review of Literature.

PubMed

Dalavi, Santosh Bhimrao; Vedpalsingh, Tanwar Harshwardhan; Bankar, Sanket Subhash; Ahmed, Mohd Hamid Shafique; Bhosale, Dattatray Nivrutti

2015-03-01

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a syndrome characteristically having numerous (hundreds to thousands) polyps in the epithelium of the large intestines with an autosomal dominant inheritance caused by germ line mutations in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene in chromosome 5q21. Most FAP patients have a family history of colorectal polyps and cancer but 25-30% of them are "de novo", without any clinical or genetic evidence of FAP in family members. Prophylactic proctocolectomy is required in almost all patients since all affected patients inevitably develop cancer. We report a case of a 32-year-old man who presented with vague abdominal complaints without any family history, which on evaluation as found to have multiple colorectal polyps and underwent a prophylactic proctocolectomy with end continent ileostomy. Two of his children were evaluated and found to have multiple colorectal polyps on colonoscopy and have been advised regular follow up annually. In conclusion, patients with FAP may present with vague abdominal complaints and without any family history, hence need to be carefully evaluated. Good patient compliance is of prime importance in deciding the treatment and surveillance modality subsequently determining the prognosis of patients with FAP.

Predictive values of FAP and HGF for tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Ma, T H; Gao, C C; Xie, R; Yang, X Z; Dai, W J; Zhang, J L; Yan, W; Wu, S N

2017-01-01

This study aims to explore the correlation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expressions with the angiogenesis and metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). The immunohistochemical SABC method was used to detect HGF and FAP expressions in 127 CRC tissues, 51 colorectal polyp tissues and 28 normal tissues. HGF and FAP expressions in liver metastasis were detected using western blot to analyze the correlation of their expressions with lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis. Micro-vessel density (MVD) and clinic-pathologic information of CRC patients were recorded and analyzed. In CRC group, HGF and FAP expressions were greatly higher than those in normal group and colorectal polyps group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the positive rates of HGF and FAP expressions in lymph node metastasis were evidently higher than those in non-lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). In liver metastasis group, HGF and FAP expressions were obviously higher than non-liver metastasis group (P < 0.05). CRC group had much more MVD in comparison with normal group and colorectal polyps group (P < 0.05).When compared with negative group, MVD was significantly higher than that in CRC tissue with positive HGF and FAP (P < 0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that HGF and FAP were in positive correlation with MVD (r = 0.542, P < 0.001; r = 0.753, P < 0.001). These results indicate that FAP and HGF play an important role in CRC angiogenesis, and their expression levels are valuable to predict CRC liver metastasis and lymph node metastasis.

Sixty years of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) in Europe: where are we now? A European network approach to defining the epidemiology and management patterns for TTR-FAP.

PubMed

Parman, Yesim; Adams, David; Obici, Laura; Galán, Lucía; Guergueltcheva, Velina; Suhr, Ole B; Coelho, Teresa

2016-02-01

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) is a highly disabling, life-threatening disease characterized by progressive sensorimotor and autonomic neuropathy. The profile of the disease across Europe is inadequately understood at present. The incidence and clinical presentation of TTR-FAP varies widely within Europe, with early and late-onset disease subtypes. In those regions in which the disease is endemic (Portugal, Sweden, Cyprus, and Majorca), a Val30Met substitution in the TTR gene is the predominant genetic cause, whereas in the rest of Europe, cases of TTR-FAP are mainly sporadic with genetic heterogeneity. Current management strategies lack cohesion and patients can experience years of misdiagnosis and suboptimal treatment. The article aims to disseminate the findings and recommendations from two recent meetings of the European Network for TTR-FAP (ATTReuNET), a panel comprising representatives from 10 European countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey) with expertise in the diagnosis and management of TTR-FAP. We explore the epidemiology and genetic mark of TTR-FAP across Europe and assess current management strategies, with a view to developing an alternative framework - a networked approach to disease management with an emphasis on collaboration and sharing of best practice.

Cleavage-site specificity of prolyl endopeptidase FAP investigated with a full-length protein substrate.

PubMed

Huang, Chih-Hsiang; Suen, Ching-Shu; Lin, Ching-Ting; Chien, Chia-Hui; Lee, Hsin-Ying; Chung, Kuei-Min; Tsai, Ting-Yueh; Jiaang, Weir-Tong; Hwang, Ming-Jing; Chen, Xin

2011-06-01

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a prolyl-cleaving endopeptidase proposed as an anti-cancer drug target. It is necessary to define its cleavage-site specificity to facilitate the identification of its in vivo substrates and to understand its biological functions. We found that the previously identified substrate of FAP, α(2)-anti-plasmin, is not a robust substrate in vitro. Instead, an intracellular protein, SPRY2, is cleavable by FAP and more suitable for investigation of its substrate specificity in the context of the full-length globular protein. FAP prefers uncharged residues, including small or bulky hydrophobic amino acids, but not charged amino acids, especially acidic residue at P1', P3 and P4 sites. Molecular modelling analysis shows that the substrate-binding site of FAP is surrounded by multiple tyrosine residues and some negatively charged residues, which may exert least preference for substrates with acidic residues. This provides an explanation why FAP cannot cleave interleukins, which have a glutamate at either P4 or P2', despite their P3-P2-P1 sites being identical to SPRY2 or α-AP. Our study provided new information on FAP cleavage-site specificity, which differs from the data obtained by profiling with a peptide library or with the denatured protein, gelatin, as the substrate. Furthermore, our study suggests that negatively charged residues should be avoided when designing FAP inhibitors.

Understanding fibroblast activation protein (FAP): substrates, activities, expression and targeting for cancer therapy.

PubMed

Hamson, Elizabeth J; Keane, Fiona M; Tholen, Stefan; Schilling, Oliver; Gorrell, Mark D

2014-06-01

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is best known for its heightened expression in tumour stroma. This atypical serine protease has both dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase activities, cleaving substrates at a post-proline bond. FAP expression is difficult to detect in non-diseased adult organs, but is greatly upregulated in sites of tissue remodelling, which include liver fibrosis, lung fibrosis, atherosclerosis, arthritis, tumours and embryonic tissues. Due to its restricted expression pattern and dual enzymatic activities, FAP is emerging as a unique therapeutic target. However, methods to exploit and target this protease are advancing more rapidly than knowledge of the fundamental biology of FAP. This review highlights this imbalance, emphasising the need to better define the substrate repertoire and expression patterns of FAP to elucidate its role in biological and pathological processes. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design and fabrication of sub-wavelength anti-reflection grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Wenlong; Li, Chaoming; Chen, Xinrong; Cai, Zhijian; Wu, Jianhong

2018-01-01

In the high power laser system, the reflection of optical surface has a strong impact on the efficiency for luminous energy utilization. Fresnel reflection can be effectively suppressed by antireflection film. For that, the anti-reflection film is one of the important optical elements in high power laser system. The common preparation methods of anti-reflection film include monolayer film, multilayer film and sub-wavelength grating. The effectiveness of monolayer is unsatisfactory, and its application spectrum bandwidth is very narrow. The preparation process of multilayer film is complex and it is very expensive. The emerging technology of fabrication anti-reflection film is sub-wavelength grating. The zero order transmission diffraction efficiency depends on the period, etching depth and duty cycle of the grating. The structure parameters of antireflection grating were designed and optimized under small angle incidence of 351nm based on rigorous coupled wave analysis method. The impaction of zero order reflection diffraction and zero order transmission diffraction efficiency on period, duty cycle and etching depth of grating was discussed in detail in this paper. The sub-wavelength anti-reflection grating was fabricated by holographic and ion etching method.

Quality of life and consequences for daily life of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) family members.

PubMed

Douma, K F L; Bleiker, E M A; Vasen, H F A; Gundy, C M; Aaronson, N K

2011-06-01

The study aimed to document the impact of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and several practical aspects of daily life, and to identify factors significantly associated with HRQOL. This study is the first to compare HRQOL between patients with FAP, at-risk individuals and noncarriers. A total of 525 individuals (response rate 64%) from 145 families at high risk for FAP completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing generic- and condition-specific HRQOL and the consequences of FAP for daily life. HRQOL was comparable to that of the general Dutch population. Surgically treated patients with FAP had significantly lower scores on several HRQOL domains compared with at-risk individuals, noncarriers and nonsurgically treated patients with FAP. Type of surgery was not significantly associated with HRQOL. Within the surgically treated group, postsurgical complications and comorbidity significantly affected HRQOL. Forty-one percent of patients reported that FAP had affected their working life. Surgically treated patients with FAP have significantly poorer HRQOL than other groups. The type of surgery and age at time of first surgery were not associated with HRQOL but surgical complications and comorbidity were. Patients should be informed of the consequences of FAP for work and other life domains. © 2011 The Authors. Colorectal Disease © 2011 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Multilayer coating of optical substrates by ion beam sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, M. V.; Demmler, M.

2017-10-01

Ion beam sputtering is well established in research and industry, despite its relatively low deposition rates compared to electron beam evaporation. Typical applications are coatings of precision optics, like filters, mirrors and beam splitter. Anti-reflective or high-reflective multilayer stacks benefit from the high mobility of the sputtered particles on the substrate surface and the good mechanical characteristics of the layers. This work gives the basic route from single layer optimization of reactive ion beam sputtered Ta2O5 and SiO2 thin films towards complex multilayer stacks for high-reflective mirrors and anti-reflective coatings. Therefore films were deposited using different oxygen flow into the deposition chamber Afterwards, mechanical (density, stress, surface morphology, crystalline phases) and optical properties (reflectivity, absorption and refractive index) were characterized. These knowledge was used to deposit a multilayer coating for a high reflective mirror.

Retrospective study of a TTR FAP cohort to modify NIS+7 for therapeutic trials.

PubMed

Suanprasert, N; Berk, J L; Benson, M D; Dyck, P J B; Klein, C J; Gollob, J A; Bettencourt, B R; Karsten, V; Dyck, P J

2014-09-15

Protein stabilization and oligonucleotide therapies are being tested in transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR FAP) trials. From retrospective analysis of 97 untreated TTR FAP patients, we test the adequacy of Neuropathy Impairment Score+7 tests (NIS+7) and modifications to comprehensively score impairments for use in such therapeutic trials. Our data confirms that TTR FAP usually is a sensorimotor polyneuropathy with autonomic features which usually is symmetric, length dependent, lower limb predominant and progressive. NIS+7 adequately assesses weakness and muscle stretch reflexes without ceiling effects but not sensation loss, autonomic dysfunction or nerve conduction abnormalities. Three modifications of NIS+7 are suggested: 1) use of Smart Somatotopic Quantitative Sensation Testing (S ST QSTing); 2) choice of new autonomic assessments, e.g., sudomotor testing of distributed anatomical sites; and 3) use of only compound muscle action potential amplitudes (of ulnar, peroneal and tibial nerves) and sensory nerve action potentials of ulnar and sural nerve - than the previously recommended attributes suggested for the sensitive detection of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy. These modifications of NIS+7 if used in therapeutic trials should improve characterization and quantification of sensation and autonomic impairment in TTR FAP and provide better nerve conduction tests. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antireflective nanostructures for CPV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buencuerpo, Jeronimo; Torne, Lorena; Alvaro, Raquel; Llorens, Jose Manuel; Dotor, María Luisa; Ripalda, Jose Maria

2017-09-01

We have optimized a periodic antireflective nanostructure. The optimal design has a theoretical broadband reflectivity of 0.54% on top of GaInP with an AlInP window layer. Preliminary fabrication attempts have been carried out on top of GaAs substrates. Due to the lack of a window layer, and the need to fine tune the fabrication process, the fabricated nanostructures have a reflectivity of 3.1%, but this is already significantly lower than the theoretical broadband reflectance of standard MgF2/ZnS bilayers (4.5%).

Vacuum deposited optical coatings experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charlier, Jean

1992-01-01

The 138-4 Frecopa experiment consisted of 20 sorts of optical components and coatings subjected to space exposure. They covered a large range of use from the UV to IR spectrum: filters, mirrors, dichroics, beam splitters, and antireflection coatings made of several different materials as layers and substrates. By comparing pre- and post-flight spectral performances, it was possible to put into evidence the alterations due to space exposure.

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) in Ibero-America: Review of Current Status and Some Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munoz-Martinez, Amanda; Novoa-Gomez, Monica; Gutierrez, Rochy Vargas

2012-01-01

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) has been making an important rise in Ibero-America in recent years. This paper presents a review of different contributions, problems and some proposals. Three principal topics are reviewed: (a) general characteristics and theoretical bases of FAP, (b) the uses of FAP and its relationship with other…

Optical coatings for laser fusion applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowdermilk, W. H.; Milam, D.; Rainer, F.

1980-04-01

Lasers for fusion experiments use thin-film dielectric coatings for reflecting antireflecting and polarizing surface elements. Coatings are most important to the Nd:glass laser application. The most important requirements of these coatings are accuracy of the average value of reflectance and transmission, uniformity of amplitude and phase front of the reflected or transmitted light, and laser damage threshold. Damage resistance strongly affects the laser's design and performance. The success of advanced lasers for future experiments and for reactor applications requires significant developments in damage resistant coatings for ultraviolet laser radiation.

Interactions in the ionic liquid [EMIM][FAP]: a coupled experimental and computational analysis.

PubMed

Voroshylova, Iuliia V; Teixeira, Filipe; Costa, Renata; Pereira, Carlos M; Cordeiro, M Natália D S

2016-01-28

Gas-phase electronic and structural properties of the room temperature ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tris(perfluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate ([EMIM][FAP]) were studied using density functional theory, and confirmed with results from infrared spectroscopy. A conformational analysis allowed the identification of several plausible conformers of the ion pairs. For the detected conformers, the infrared spectra were predicted and their thermodynamic properties were evaluated. The topology of the electronic density of the most stable conformers of [EMIM][FAP] ion pairs were characterised using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules. A number of possible hydrogen bonds between the cations and anions of the ionic liquid were identified. Excellent correspondence was found between the predicted spectra of gas-phase [EMIM][FAP] conformers and the experimental infrared spectrum, which in turn allowed a clear attribution of the vibration modes of [EMIM][FAP]. Finally, the contribution of the various conformers of both isomers of the [FAP](-) anion to the ionic liquid macro-properties is shown.

The Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 complex regulates IL-1RA secretion in mesenchymal stem cells to accelerate wound healing.

PubMed

Kou, Xiaoxing; Xu, Xingtian; Chen, Chider; Sanmillan, Maria Laura; Cai, Tao; Zhou, Yanheng; Giraudo, Claudio; Le, Anh; Shi, Songtao

2018-03-14

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of secreting exosomes, extracellular vesicles, and cytokines to regulate cell and tissue homeostasis. However, it is unknown whether MSCs use a specific exocytotic fusion mechanism to secrete exosomes and cytokines. We show that Fas binds with Fas-associated phosphatase-1 (Fap-1) and caveolin-1 (Cav-1) to activate a common soluble N -ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein receptor (SNARE)-mediated membrane fusion mechanism to release small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in MSCs. Moreover, we reveal that MSCs produce and secrete interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) associated with sEVs to maintain rapid wound healing in the gingiva via the Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 cascade. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) serves as an activator to up-regulate Fas and Fap-1 expression via the nuclear factor κB pathway to promote IL-1RA release. This study identifies a previously unknown Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 axis that regulates SNARE-mediated sEV and IL-1RA secretion in stem cells, which contributes to accelerated wound healing. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Fibronectin Attachment Protein (FAP) From Bacillus Calmette-Guerin As Targeting Agent For Bladder Tumor Cells

PubMed Central

Coon, Brian G.; Crist, Scott; González-Bonet, Andrés M.; Kim, Hee-Kwon; Sowa, Jennifer; Thompson, David H.; Ratliff, Timothy L.; Aguilar, R. Claudio

2011-01-01

The adjuvant therapy of choice for superficial bladder cancer is the intravesical instillation of live Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). In spite of the fact that this therapy is the most effective treatment for superficial bladder cancer, intravesical administration of BCG is associated with high local morbidity and the potential for systemic infection. Therefore, there is a need for the development of safer, less toxic approaches to fight this disease. Since fibronectin attachment protein (FAP) is a key element in BCG retention and targeting to cells, we hypothesize that this protein can be used as targeting agent to deliver cytotoxic cargo for the treatment of bladder tumors. Here we evaluated the ability of bladder tumor cells to bind and endocytose FAP via fibronectin-integrin complexes. We found that microaggregation induced by an anti-FAP polyclonal antibody accelerated FAP uptake by T24 bladder tumor cells. FAP was determined to be internalized via a clathrin-independent, caveolae-dependent mechanism. Further, once within the endosomal compartment, FAP was targeted to the lysosomal compartment with negligible recycling to the plasma membrane. Importantly, we demonstrated that FAP microaggregation and internalization could also be triggered by multivalent Ni2+NTA-bearing liposomes. Overall, our studies validate the use of FAP as a targeting vector and provide the foundation for the design of more effective, less toxic bladder cancer therapeutics. PMID:21901746

Low-toxic Mn-doped ZnSe@ZnS quantum dots conjugated with nano-hydroxyapatite for cell imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ronghui; Li, Mei; Wang, Shanling; Wu, Peng; Wu, Lan; Hou, Xiandeng

2014-11-01

Fluorescent bio-imaging has received significant attention in a myriad of research disciplines, and QDs are playing an increasingly important role in these areas. Doped QDs, an important alternative to conventional heavy metal-containing QDs are employed for biomedical applications. However, since QDs are exogenous substances to the biological environment, the biocompatibility of QDs is expected to be challenging in some cases. Herein, nano fluorine-doped hydroxyapatite (FAp, a well-known biocompatible material) was introduced to endow biocompatibility to Cd-free Mn-doped ZnSe@ZnS QDs. Thus, a nano-FAp-QD conjugate was developed and the biocompatibility, as well as potential cell imaging application, was investigated. To construct the proposed conjugate, Cd-free highly luminescent Mn-doped ZnSe@ZnS QDs and monodispersed nano-FAp were first prepared in high-temperature organic media. For facilitating the conjugation, hydrophobic nano-FAp was made water soluble via o-phosphoethanolamine (PEA) coating, which further provides conjugating sites for QDs to anchor. Cytotoxicity studies indicated the developed conjugate indeed possesses good compatibility and low toxicity to cells. The nano-FAp-QDs conjugate was successfully employed for cancer cell staining for at least 24 h, demonstrating the potential usefulness of this material in future biomedical research.Fluorescent bio-imaging has received significant attention in a myriad of research disciplines, and QDs are playing an increasingly important role in these areas. Doped QDs, an important alternative to conventional heavy metal-containing QDs are employed for biomedical applications. However, since QDs are exogenous substances to the biological environment, the biocompatibility of QDs is expected to be challenging in some cases. Herein, nano fluorine-doped hydroxyapatite (FAp, a well-known biocompatible material) was introduced to endow biocompatibility to Cd-free Mn-doped ZnSe@ZnS QDs. Thus, a nano-FAp-QD conjugate

Stromal Expression of Fibroblast Activation Protein Alpha (FAP) Predicts Platinum Resistance and Shorter Recurrence in patients with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

PubMed

Mhawech-Fauceglia, Paulette; Yan, Li; Sharifian, Maryam; Ren, Xing; Liu, Song; Kim, Grace; Gayther, Simon A; Pejovic, Tanja; Lawrenson, Kate

2015-04-01

The microenvironment plays an important role in tumorigenesis. Fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) is overexpressed by fibroblasts present in the microenvironment of many tumors. High FAP expression is a negative prognostic factor in several malignancies, but this has not been investigated in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The aim of this study is to define the value of FAP in EOC. Immunohistochemical staining using an anti-FAP antibody was performed on 338 EOC tissues. mRNA levels in cancer cell lines and FAP silencing using siRNA was also done. FAP immunoexpression by tumor stroma was a significant predictive factor for platinum resistance (p = 0.0154). In survival analysis of days to recurrence, FAP stoma (+) was associated with shorter recurrence than those with FAP (-) stroma (p = 0.0247). In 21.8 % of tumors, FAP protein was expressed by the tumor epithelium, and FAP mRNA was more highly expressed in tumors (n = 489) than in normal tissues (n = 8) (p = 3.88 × 10(-4)). In vitro, addition of FAP to EOC cells induced a 10-12 % increase in cell viability both in the presence and absence of cisplatin. Conversely, siRNA silencing of FAP resulted in ~10 % reduction in EOC cell proliferation. We have shown that FAP expression in EOC is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. FAP may have novel cell-autonomous effects suggesting that targeting FAP could have pleiotropic anti-tumor effects, and anti-FAP therapy could be a highly effective novel treatment for EOC, especially in cisplatinum-resistant cases.

Expression of Fap amyloids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, and P. putida results in aggregation and increased biofilm formation.

PubMed

Dueholm, Morten S; Søndergaard, Mads T; Nilsson, Martin; Christiansen, Gunna; Stensballe, Allan; Overgaard, Michael T; Givskov, Michael; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Otzen, Daniel E; Nielsen, Per H

2013-06-01

The fap operon, encoding functional amyloids in Pseudomonas (Fap), is present in most pseudomonads, but so far the expression and importance for biofilm formation has only been investigated for P. fluorescens strain UK4. In this study, we demonstrate the capacity of P. aeruginosa PAO1, P. fluorescens Pf-5, and P. putida F1 to express Fap fibrils, and investigated the effect of Fap expression on aggregation and biofilm formation. The fap operon in all three Pseudomonas species conferred the ability to express Fap fibrils as shown using a recombinant approach. This Fap overexpression consistently resulted in highly aggregative phenotypes and in increased biofilm formation. Detailed biophysical investigations of purified fibrils confirmed FapC as the main fibril monomer and supported the role of FapB as a minor, nucleating constituent as also indicated by bioinformatic analysis. Bioinformatics analysis suggested FapF and FapD as a potential β-barrel membrane pore and protease, respectively. Manipulation of the fap operon showed that FapA affects monomer composition of the final amyloid fibril, and that FapB is an amyloid protein, probably a nucleator for FapC polymerization. Our study highlights the fap operon as a molecular machine for functional amyloid formation. © 2013 The Authors. Microbiology Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diamond-like nanocomposite: a novel promising carbon based thin film as antireflection and passivation coating for silicon solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jana, Sukhendu; Das, Sayan; De, Debasish; Mondal, Anup; Gangopadhyay, Utpal

2018-02-01

Presently, silicon nitride (SiN x ) is widely used as antireflection coating (ARC) on p-type silicon solar cell. But, two highly toxic gasses ammonia and silane are used. In the present study, the ARC and passivation properties of diamond-like nanocomposite (DLN) thin film on silicon solar cell have been investigated. The DLN thin film has been deposited by rf-PACVD process using liquid precursor HMDSO in argon plasma. The film has been characterized by FESEM, HRTEM, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. The optical properties have been estimated by UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. The minimum reflection has been achieved to 0.75% at 630 nm. Both the short circuit current density and open circuit voltage has been increased significantly from 28.6 mA cm-2 to 35.5 mA cm-2 and 0.551 V to 0.613 V respectively. The field effect passivation has been confirmed by dark IV characterization of c-Si /DLN heterojunction structure. All these lead to enhancement of efficiency by almost 4% absolute, which is comparable to SiN x . The ammonia and silane free deposited DLN thin film has a great potential to use as ARC for silicon based solar cell.

Expression of the FAP gene in non-fibroblast human cell lines. Development of cancer-associated fibroblast models.

PubMed

Tyulkina, D V; Pleshkan, V V; Alekseenko, I V; Kopantseva, M R; Sverdlov, E D

2016-09-01

The fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is selectively expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and facilitates tumor progression, which makes this protein an attractive therapeutic target. There are difficulties in obtaining CAFs for studying the function and suppression of FAP. In this work, the expression level of FAP was determined by PCR assay in 25 human cell lines and 8 surgical samples of tumor stroma. The expression of FAP was observed in all tumor stroma samples and in four cell lines: NGP-127, SJCRH30, SJSA-1, and A375. The level of FAP expression in NGP-127, SJCRH30, and SJSA-1 lines as well as in CAFs of patients was comparable, which makes these cell lines a possible model for studying FAP.

Impedance spectroscopy of heterojunction solar cell a-SiC/c-Si with ITO antireflection film investigated at different temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šály, V.; Perný, M.; Janíček, F.; Huran, J.; Mikolášek, M.; Packa, J.

2017-04-01

Progressive smart photovoltaic technologies including heterostructures a-SiC/c-Si with ITO antireflection film are one of the prospective replacements of conventional photovoltaic silicon technology. Our paper is focused on the investigation of heterostructures a-SiC/c-Si provided with a layer of ITO (indium oxide/tin oxide 90/10 wt.%) which acts as a passivating and antireflection coating. Prepared photovoltaic cell structure was investigated at various temperatures and the influence of temperature on its operation was searched. The investigation of the dynamic properties of heterojunction PV cells was carried out using impedance spectroscopy. The equivalent AC circuit which approximates the measured impedance data was proposed. Assessment of the influence of the temperature on the operation of prepared heterostructure was carried out by analysis of the temperature dependence of AC equivalent circuit elements.

The role of illness perceptions in adherence to surveillance in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).

PubMed

Eriksson, Lars E; Fritzell, Kaisa; Rixon, Lorna; Björk, Jan; Wettergren, Lena

2016-06-01

The aim of the study was to examine patients' beliefs about having familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, and how these beliefs are associated with adherence to endoscopic surveillance. Adult patients diagnosed with FAP on the national Swedish polyposis register who had undergone prophylactic colorectal surgery (n 209, response rate 76%) completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationships between illness perceptions and adherence, when controlling for demographic and clinical factors. FAP was less distressing in men and those with fewer symptoms, reporting less serious consequences and more coherent understanding of FAP. Non-adherence (14%) to surveillance was associated with being older, having undergone surgery less recently and no history of malignancy. Patients' beliefs about their FAP were able to explain unique variance in non-adherence, in particular those who believed FAP was less distressing. Patients who were non-adherent to endoscopic surveillance had more positive perceptions about their FAP and, in particular, were less emotionally affected compared to those who adhered. As non-adherence implies a greater risk of future malignancies, special efforts are required to effectively prevent cancer in all patients with FAP. Those who have lived with the condition for a long time, and are not troubled by gastrointestinal symptoms or worried about their FAP, may be in need of specific information and support. Further prospective research is required to examine emotional predictors and consequences of non-adherence. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A versatile route to polymer-reinforced, broadband antireflective and superhydrophobic thin films without high-temperature treatment.

PubMed

Ren, Tingting; Geng, Zhi; He, Junhui; Zhang, Xiaojie; He, Jin

2017-01-15

Broadband high transmittance, good mechanical robustness as well as simple and low temperature fabrication are three important aspects that dictate the practical applications of superhydrophobic thin films, especially on organic substrates. However, it has proved difficult to meet these challenges. In the present work, superhydrophobic thin films were prepared by first dip-coating solid silica nanoparticles, then spray-coating hollow silica nanoparticles, followed by spray-coating mesoporous silica nanosheets & poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and eventually chemical vapor deposition of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perflurooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS) at 90°C. The optimized thin film has a maximum transmittance of 96.0% in the wavelength range of 300-2500nm and a WCA of 164° and a RA of 1°. The thin film also shows good mechanical robustness toward water droplet impact test, sand impact abrasion test and tape adhesion tests, which results from PVA as a binder, the formation of covalent bond between the hydroxyl group of PVA and the ethoxy group of POTS and the chemical inertness of CC, CF bonds of POTS molecules. To our best knowledge, it is the first example where antireflective and superhydrophobic thin films of excellent mechanical robustness were realized at low temperature on organic substrates (PMMA, PC). The current work would provide a promising route to meet the challenges in practical applications simultaneously posed by the requirements of broadband antireflection, good mechanical robustness as well as simple and low temperature fabrication of superhydrophobic thin films. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High intratumoral expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in colon cancer is associated with poorer patient prognosis.

PubMed

Wikberg, Maria L; Edin, Sofia; Lundberg, Ida V; Van Guelpen, Bethany; Dahlin, Anna M; Rutegård, Jörgen; Stenling, Roger; Oberg, Ake; Palmqvist, Richard

2013-04-01

An active stroma is important for cancer cell invasion and metastasis. We investigated the expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in relation to patient prognosis in colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer specimens from 449 patients were immunohistochemically stained with a FAP antibody and evaluated in the tumor center and tumor front using a semiquantitative four-level scale. FAP was expressed by fibroblasts in 85-90 % of the tumors examined. High versus no/low expression in the tumor center was associated with poor prognosis (multivariate hazard ratio, HR = 1.72; 95 % CI 1.07-2.77, p = 0.025). FAP expression in the tumor front, though more frequent than in the tumor center, was not associated with prognosis. FAP expression in the tumor center was more common in specimens with positive microsatellite instability (MSI) screening status and in patients with high CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) status. However, inclusion of MSI screening status and CIMP status in the multivariate analysis strengthened the risk estimates for high FAP expression in the tumor center (HR = 1.89; 95 % CI 1.13-3.14; p = 0.014), emphasizing the role of FAP as an independent prognostic factor. Stromal FAP expression is common in colorectal cancer, and we conclude that high FAP expression in the tumor center, but not the tumor front, is an independent negative prognostic factor.

FAP-overexpressing fibroblasts produce an extracellular matrix that enhances invasive velocity and directionality of pancreatic cancer cells

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Alterations towards a permissive stromal microenvironment provide important cues for tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. In this study, Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a serine protease selectively produced by tumor-associated fibroblasts in over 90% of epithelial tumors, was used as a platform for studying tumor-stromal interactions. We tested the hypothesis that FAP enzymatic activity locally modifies stromal ECM (extracellular matrix) components thus facilitating the formation of a permissive microenvironment promoting tumor invasion in human pancreatic cancer. Methods We generated a tetracycline-inducible FAP overexpressing fibroblastic cell line to synthesize an in vivo-like 3-dimensional (3D) matrix system which was utilized as a stromal landscape for studying matrix-induced cancer cell behaviors. A FAP-dependent topographical and compositional alteration of the ECM was characterized by measuring the relative orientation angles of fibronectin fibers and by Western blot analyses. The role of FAP in the matrix-induced permissive tumor behavior was assessed in Panc-1 cells in assorted matrices by time-lapse acquisition assays. Also, FAP+ matrix-induced regulatory molecules in cancer cells were determined by Western blot analyses. Results We observed that FAP remodels the ECM through modulating protein levels, as well as through increasing levels of fibronectin and collagen fiber organization. FAP-dependent architectural/compositional alterations of the ECM promote tumor invasion along characteristic parallel fiber orientations, as demonstrated by enhanced directionality and velocity of pancreatic cancer cells on FAP+ matrices. This phenotype can be reversed by inhibition of FAP enzymatic activity during matrix production resulting in the disorganization of the ECM and impeded tumor invasion. We also report that the FAP+ matrix-induced tumor invasion phenotype is β1-integrin/FAK mediated. Conclusion Cancer cell invasiveness can be affected by

WD60/FAP163 is a dynein intermediate chain required for retrograde intraflagellar transport in cilia

PubMed Central

Patel-King, Ramila S.; Gilberti, Renée M.; Hom, Erik F. Y.; King, Stephen M.

2013-01-01

Retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT) is required for assembly of cilia. We identify a Chlamydomonas flagellar protein (flagellar-associated protein 163 [FAP163]) as being closely related to the D1bIC(FAP133) intermediate chain (IC) of the dynein that powers this movement. Biochemical analysis revealed that FAP163 is present in the flagellar matrix and is actively trafficked by IFT. Furthermore, FAP163 copurified with D1bIC(FAP133) and the LC8 dynein light chain, indicating that it is an integral component of the retrograde IFT dynein. To assess the functional role of FAP163, we generated an RNA interference knockdown of the orthologous protein (WD60) in planaria. The Smed-wd60(RNAi) animals had a severe ciliary assembly defect that dramatically compromised whole-organism motility. Most cilia were present as short stubs that had accumulated large quantities of IFT particle–like material between the doublet microtubules and the membrane. The few remaining approximately full-length cilia had a chaotic beat with a frequency reduced from 24 to ∼10 Hz. Thus WD60/FAP163 is a dynein IC that is absolutely required for retrograde IFT and ciliary assembly. PMID:23864713

New temperable solar coatings: Tempsol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demiryont, Hulya

2001-11-01

This paper deals with the large area deposition and coating properties of the thermo-stable (temperable/bendable) solar coating material, CuO, and some new optical coating systems comprising CuO films for architectural and automotive/transportation applications. The CuO solar coating is combined with other coating layers, for example, an anti-reflection film, a reflection film, a coloration coating layer, etc., which are also thermo-stable. The film systems are developed at the research laboratory by D.C. Magnetron reactive sputtering process. The new developed technologies then transferred to the production line. Product performances are compared before and after heat treatment of the coating systems. Performance tables and other physical properties, including optical parameters, mechanical and environmental stability, storage properties, etc., are also presented for this new product series.

Recent advancements in anti-reflective surface structures (ARSS) for near- to mid-infrared optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florea, Catalin M.; Busse, Lynda E.; Bayya, Shyam S.; Shaw, Brandon; Aggarwal, Ish D.; Sanghera, Jas S.

2013-06-01

Fused silica, YAG crystals, and spinel ceramics substrates have been successfully patterned through reactive ion etching (RIE). Reflection losses as low as 0.1% have been demonstrated for fused silica at 1.06 microns. Laser damage thresholds have been measured for substrates with ARSS and compared with uncoated and/or thin-film anti-reflection (AR) coated substrates. Thresholds as high as 100 J/cm2 have been demonstrated in fused silica with ARSS at 1.06 microns, with ARSS substrates showing improved thresholds when compared with uncoated substrates.

FAP-related desmoid tumors: a series of 44 patients evaluated in a cancer referral center.

PubMed

Colombo, Chiara; Foo, Wai Chin; Whiting, David; Young, Eric D; Lusby, Kristelle; Pollock, Raphael E; Lazar, Alexander J; Lev, Dina

2012-05-01

Desmoid tumors (DTs), the commonest extra-intestinal manifestation of familial adenomatosis polyposis (FAP), are monoclonal neoplasms demonstrating fibroblastic - myofibroblastic differentiation; they are locally invasive without metastatic capacity. FAP-associated DT natural history knowledge is limited; we examined patient and tumor characteristics for a FAP-DT cohort and evaluated anti-DT therapy molecular target expression levels (immunohistochemical analyses, FAP-DT tissue microarray; TMA). Forty-four patients were classified as intra-abdominal (IA; n=26), abdominal wall (AW)/extra-abdominal (EA; n=12) or concomitant IA/AW (n=6) based on DT primary diagnosis location. Positive family histories were found in 62% of FAP versus 10% of DT patients. Surgery was the mainstay therapy for AW/EW patients, whereas IA DTs received surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, tamoxifen, NSAIDs, and/or imatinib. Eight of 20 completely resected DTs in the IA and AW/EA groups recurred; 12 of 38 patients in these groups (33%) developed secondary lesions elsewhere. Two intestinal mesenteric DT patients died of disease, three from other cancers, 27 are alive with disease and 12 are alive without disease. All evaluable FAP-DT exhibited nuclear β-catenin, 65% were positive for cyclin D1, and 66% expressed nuclear p53. No ERα expression was observed, but ERβ was expressed in 72%. COX2 was expressed in all evaluable FAP-DTs. KIT was rarely found in DTs but both PDGFRs and their ligands were expressed. Comparing biomarker expression (IA vs. EA DTs), only nuclear ER-ß staining was significantly higher in EA lesions (p=0.0070); no other markers were site informative. Enhanced knowledge of FAP-DT molecular underpinnings will facilitate development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Fabrication and performance of polymer-nanocomposite anti-reflective thin films deposited by RIR-MAPLE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singaravelu, S.; Mayo, D. C.; Park, H-. K.

2014-07-01

Design of polymer anti-reflective (AR) optical coatings for plastic substrates is challenging because polymers exhibit a relatively narrow range of refractive indices. Here, we report synthesis of a four-layer AR stack using hybrid polymer: nanoparticle materials deposited by resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation. An Er: YAG laser ablated frozen solutions of a high-index composite containing TiO2 nanoparticles and poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), alternating with a layer of PMMA. The optimized AR coatings, with thicknesses calculated using commercial software, yielded a coating for polycarbonate with transmission over 97 %, scattering <3 %, and a reflection coefficient below 0.5 % across the visiblemore » range, with a much smaller number of layers than would be predicted by a standard thin film calculation. The TiO2 nanoparticles contribute more to the enhanced refractive index of the high-index layers than can be accounted for by an effective medium model of the nanocomposite.« less

Self-assembled nanolaminate coatings (SV)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, H.

2012-03-01

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LM Aero) are collaborating to develop affordable, self-assembled, nanocomposite coatings and associated fabrication processes that will be tailored to Lockheed Martin product requirements. The purpose of this project is to develop a family of self-assembled coatings with properties tailored to specific performance requirements, such as antireflective (AR) optics, using Sandia-developed self-assembled techniques. The project met its objectives by development of a simple and economic self-assembly processes to fabricate multifunctional coatings. Specifically, materials, functionalization methods, and associated coating processes for single layer and multiple layers coatings have been developed to accomplish high reflectivemore » coatings, hydrophobic coatings, and anti-reflective coatings. Associated modeling and simulations have been developed to guide the coating designs for optimum optical performance. The accomplishments result in significant advantages of reduced costs, increased manufacturing freedom/producibility, improved logistics, and the incorporation of new technology solutions not possible with conventional technologies. These self-assembled coatings with tailored properties will significantly address LMC's needs and give LMC a significant competitive lead in new engineered materials. This work complements SNL's LDRD and BES programs aimed at developing multifunctional nanomaterials for microelectronics and optics as well as structure/property investigations of self-assembled nanomaterials. In addition, this project will provide SNL with new opportunities to develop and apply self-assembled nanocomposite optical coatings for use in the wavelength ranges of 3-5 and 8-12 micrometers, ranges of vital importance to military-based sensors and weapons. The SANC technologies will be applied to multiple programs within the LM Company including the F-35, F-22, ADP (Future Strike Bomber, UAV

Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Is Essential for the Migration of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells through RhoA Activation

PubMed Central

Chung, Kuei-Min; Hsu, Shu-Ching; Chu, Yue-Ru; Lin, Mei-Yao; Jiaang, Weir-Tong; Chen, Ruey-Hwa; Chen, Xin

2014-01-01

Background The ability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) to migrate and localize specifically to injured tissues is central in developing therapeutic strategies for tissue repair and regeneration. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell surface serine protease expressed at sites of tissue remodeling during embryonic development. It is also expressed in BM-MSCs, but not in normal tissues or cells. The function of FAP in BM-MSCs is not known. Principal Findings We found that depletion of FAP proteins significantly inhibited the migration of BM-MSCs in a transwell chemotaxis assay. Such impaired migration ability of BM-MSCs could be rescued by re-expressing FAP in these cells. We then demonstrated that depletion of FAP activated intracellular RhoA GTPase. Consistently, inhibition of RhoA activity using a RhoA inhibitor rescued its migration ability. Inhibition of FAP activity with an FAP-specific inhibitor did not affect the activation of RhoA or the migration of BM-MSCs. Furthermore, the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) upregulated FAP expression, which coincided with better BM-MSC migration. Conclusions Our results indicate FAP plays an important role in the migration of BM-MSCs through modulation of RhoA GTPase activity. The peptidase activity of FAP is not essential for such migration. Cytokines IL-1β and TGF-β upregulate the expression level of FAP and thus enhance BM-MSC migration. PMID:24551161

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is essential for the migration of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through RhoA activation.

PubMed

Chung, Kuei-Min; Hsu, Shu-Ching; Chu, Yue-Ru; Lin, Mei-Yao; Jiaang, Weir-Tong; Chen, Ruey-Hwa; Chen, Xin

2014-01-01

The ability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) to migrate and localize specifically to injured tissues is central in developing therapeutic strategies for tissue repair and regeneration. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell surface serine protease expressed at sites of tissue remodeling during embryonic development. It is also expressed in BM-MSCs, but not in normal tissues or cells. The function of FAP in BM-MSCs is not known. We found that depletion of FAP proteins significantly inhibited the migration of BM-MSCs in a transwell chemotaxis assay. Such impaired migration ability of BM-MSCs could be rescued by re-expressing FAP in these cells. We then demonstrated that depletion of FAP activated intracellular RhoA GTPase. Consistently, inhibition of RhoA activity using a RhoA inhibitor rescued its migration ability. Inhibition of FAP activity with an FAP-specific inhibitor did not affect the activation of RhoA or the migration of BM-MSCs. Furthermore, the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) upregulated FAP expression, which coincided with better BM-MSC migration. Our results indicate FAP plays an important role in the migration of BM-MSCs through modulation of RhoA GTPase activity. The peptidase activity of FAP is not essential for such migration. Cytokines IL-1β and TGF-β upregulate the expression level of FAP and thus enhance BM-MSC migration.

FAP-overexpressing fibroblasts produce an extracellular matrix that enhances invasive velocity and directionality of pancreatic cancer cells.

PubMed

Lee, Hyung-Ok; Mullins, Stefanie R; Franco-Barraza, Janusz; Valianou, Matthildi; Cukierman, Edna; Cheng, Jonathan D

2011-06-13

Alterations towards a permissive stromal microenvironment provide important cues for tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. In this study, Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a serine protease selectively produced by tumor-associated fibroblasts in over 90% of epithelial tumors, was used as a platform for studying tumor-stromal interactions. We tested the hypothesis that FAP enzymatic activity locally modifies stromal ECM (extracellular matrix) components thus facilitating the formation of a permissive microenvironment promoting tumor invasion in human pancreatic cancer. We generated a tetracycline-inducible FAP overexpressing fibroblastic cell line to synthesize an in vivo-like 3-dimensional (3D) matrix system which was utilized as a stromal landscape for studying matrix-induced cancer cell behaviors. A FAP-dependent topographical and compositional alteration of the ECM was characterized by measuring the relative orientation angles of fibronectin fibers and by Western blot analyses. The role of FAP in the matrix-induced permissive tumor behavior was assessed in Panc-1 cells in assorted matrices by time-lapse acquisition assays. Also, FAP+ matrix-induced regulatory molecules in cancer cells were determined by Western blot analyses. We observed that FAP remodels the ECM through modulating protein levels, as well as through increasing levels of fibronectin and collagen fiber organization. FAP-dependent architectural/compositional alterations of the ECM promote tumor invasion along characteristic parallel fiber orientations, as demonstrated by enhanced directionality and velocity of pancreatic cancer cells on FAP+ matrices. This phenotype can be reversed by inhibition of FAP enzymatic activity during matrix production resulting in the disorganization of the ECM and impeded tumor invasion. We also report that the FAP+ matrix-induced tumor invasion phenotype is β1-integrin/FAK mediated. Cancer cell invasiveness can be affected by alterations in the tumor

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): A Review of Publications from 1990 to 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangabeira, Victor; Kanter, Jonathan; Del Prette, Giovana

2012-01-01

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), a therapy based on radical behaviorism, establishes the priority of the therapeutic interaction as a mechanism of change in psychotherapy. Since the first book on FAP appeared in 1991, it has been the focus of many papers and has been incorporated by the community of behavior therapists. This paper is a…

FAP Promotes Immunosuppression by Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in the Tumor Microenvironment via STAT3-CCL2 Signaling.

PubMed

Yang, Xuguang; Lin, Yuli; Shi, Yinghong; Li, Bingji; Liu, Weiren; Yin, Wei; Dang, Yongjun; Chu, Yiwei; Fan, Jia; He, Rui

2016-07-15

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are components of the tumor microenvironment whose contributions to malignant progression are not fully understood. Here, we show that the fibroblast activation protein (FAP) triggers induction of a CAF subset with an inflammatory phenotype directed by STAT3 activation and inflammation-associated expression signature marked by CCL2 upregulation. Enforcing FAP expression in normal fibroblasts was sufficient to endow them with an inflammatory phenotype similar to FAP(+)CAFs. We identified FAP as a persistent activator of fibroblastic STAT3 through a uPAR-dependent FAK-Src-JAK2 signaling pathway. In a murine liver tumor model, we found that FAP(+)CAFs were a major source of CCL2 and that fibroblastic STAT3-CCL2 signaling in this setting promoted tumor growth by enhancing recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). The CCL2 receptor CCR2 was expressed on circulating MDSCs in tumor-bearing subjects and FAP(+)CAF-mediated tumor promotion and MDSC recruitment was abrogated in Ccr2-deficient mice. Clinically, we observed a positive correlation between stromal expression of FAP, p-STAT3, and CCL2 in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a highly aggressive liver cancer with dense desmoplastic stroma, where elevated levels of stromal FAP predicted a poor survival outcome. Taken together, our results showed how FAP-STAT3-CCL2 signaling in CAFs was sufficient to program an inflammatory component of the tumor microenvironment, which may have particular significance in desmoplasia-associated cancers. Cancer Res; 76(14); 4124-35. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Bispecific single-chain diabody-immunoliposomes targeting endoglin (CD105) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) simultaneously.

PubMed

Rabenhold, Markus; Steiniger, Frank; Fahr, Alfred; Kontermann, Roland E; Rüger, Ronny

2015-03-10

Liposomes are well-established drug delivery systems with cancer chemotherapy as main focus. To increase the cellular drug delivery, liposomes can be endowed with ligands, e.g. recombinant antibody fragments, which ensure specific cell interaction. Multispecific immunoliposomes can be prepared to improve the liposome to cell interaction by targeting multiple different targets at the same time, for instance by coupling two or more different ligands to the liposomal surface, resulting in a synergistic or additive increase in binding. An alternative approach is the use of bispecific ligands to address at least two different targets. For this purpose we cloned a single-chain diabody fragment (scDb`), a bispecific molecule targeting two antigens, endoglin (CD105) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP), expressed on cells of the tumor microenvironment. As model cell system, a human fibrosarcoma cell line was used expressing endoglin and FAP simultaneously. Monospecific immunoliposomes directed either against endoglin or FAP were compared in vitro for cell binding and cytotoxic activity with bispecific dual-targeted scFv`-IL (bispecific scFv`FAP/CD105-IL) and bispecific single-chain diabody`-IL (scDb`CD105/FAP-IL) targeting endoglin and FAP simultaneously. In the underlying study, bispecific scFv`FAP/CD105-IL interacted stronger with cells expressing FAP and endoglin (both targets simultaneously) compared to the monospecific immunoliposomes. Furthermore, bispecific scDb`-immunoliposomes increased the cell interaction massively and showed enhanced cytotoxicity against target cells using doxorubicin-loaded immunoliposomes. The use of recombinant bispecific ligands as scDb`-molecules facilitates the generation of bispecific immunoliposomes by using the established post-insertion technique, enabling an extension of the ligand specificity spectrum via genetic modification. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the radiolabeled boronic acid-based FAP inhibitor MIP-1232 for atherosclerotic plaque imaging.

PubMed

Meletta, Romana; Müller Herde, Adrienne; Chiotellis, Aristeidis; Isa, Malsor; Rancic, Zoran; Borel, Nicole; Ametamey, Simon M; Krämer, Stefanie D; Schibli, Roger

2015-01-27

Research towards the non-invasive imaging of atherosclerotic plaques is of high clinical priority as early recognition of vulnerable plaques may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events. The fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) was recently proposed as inflammation-induced protease involved in the process of plaque vulnerability. In this study, FAP mRNA and protein levels were investigated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively, in human endarterectomized carotid plaques. A published boronic-acid based FAP inhibitor, MIP-1232, was synthetized and radiolabeled with iodine-125. The potential of this radiotracer to image plaques was evaluated by in vitro autoradiography with human carotid plaques. Specificity was assessed with a xenograft with high and one with low FAP level, grown in mice. Target expression analyses revealed a moderately higher protein level in atherosclerotic plaques than normal arteries correlating with plaque vulnerability. No difference in expression was determined on mRNA level. The radiotracer was successfully produced and accumulated strongly in the FAP-positive SK-Mel-187 melanoma xenograft in vitro while accumulation was negligible in an NCI-H69 xenograft with low FAP levels. Binding of the tracer to endarterectomized tissue was similar in plaques and normal arteries, hampering its use for atherosclerosis imaging.

Female sexual and pelvic floor muscles dysfunctions in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP-Portuguese type).

PubMed

Gomes, Mario João; Martins da Silva, Antonio; Salinas, Jesus; Silva, Maria Carolina; Figueiredo, Arnaldo; Cavadas, Vitor; Coelho, Teresa

2012-05-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Sexual and Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions associated with familial type 1 Portuguese amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). We studied women with FAP in three stages of the disease: asymptomatic women (n=12), women in the early stage of the disease (n=8) and 3 women in the most progressive stage of the disease. We hypothesize that women with FAP suffer from pelvic floor hypotonicity, which may hinder orgasmic function and as such, lead to deteriorated sexual function. Twenty-three women with FAP were studied. Clinical examinations were performed using the following scales: Clinical Evaluation Scale (CES), Visual Analog Scale of Quality of Life (VAS), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Pelvic Floor Manometry (PFM). Of the women, 5 (21.7%) had a score of < 26 on the FSFI, suggesting sexual dysfunction, 3 of which had FAP at the most progressive stage. None of the asymptomatic women had low FSFI scores. The manometrical rates (PFM) of tonus and strength of the pelvic floor showed significant differences between groups. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) may occur in the initial stages of the disease but is more prevalent in women in the advanced stages of the disease. There is an increasing incidence of FSD as FAP disease progresses, namely in terms of HSDD and orgasmic sensation. In the asymptomatic group, the females revealed PFM alterations without stress urinary incontinence, which is regarded to be a discrete deterioration of pelvic floor muscle function.

Congenital Hypertrophy of Retinal Pigment Epithelium for Diagnosis of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis - the First FAP registry in Iran

PubMed

Mirinezhad, Seyed Kazem; Mousavi, Farideh; Baghri, Masood; Sepehri, Bita; Ghavidel, Ali; Ghojazadeh, Morteza; Somi, Mohammad Hossein

2018-01-27

Objective: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an autosomal dominant inherited disorder is characterized by the presence of multiple adenomatous colorectal polyps, which can develop into cancer during early adulthood. Therefore, early diagnosis is essential. Most FAP patients have several extracolonic manifestations, including congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE). Whereas genetic markers may provide the main route to detection of ‘‘at risk’’ subjects , at present this approach is clearly limited and searches for a noninvasive phenotypic marker continue to be high priority.The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of distribution of CHRPE lesions and evaluate their diagnostic value in FAP patients and their family members in a local population. Methods: A total of 23 FAP patients and 26 relatives belonging to 12 families at high risk of developing FAP were subjected to colonoscopic and ophthalmological examination. Result: Retinal examinations demonstrated prevalences of CHRPE in FAP patents and their siblings of 78% and 38%, respectively. We were able to illustrate a significant correlation between FAP disease and the presence of retinal lesions. Sensitivity and specificity of CHRPE as a screening test to detect the presence of FAP are 78.3% and 61.5%, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 64.3% and a negative predictive value of 76.2 %. A “lesion form” significant difference was found between FAP and normal participants.Spearman nonparametric analysis revealed no correlation between age and number or size of lesions. Conclusion: Multiple CHRPE lesions are a diagnostic feature of FAP patients They are specific and sensitive clinical markers of this disease (specificity 60% and sensitivity 77%). Creative Commons Attribution License

Sequential Infiltration Synthesis for the Design of Low Refractive Index Surface Coatings with Controllable Thickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berman, Diana; Guha, Supratik; Lee, Byeongdu

Control over refractive index and thickness of surface coatings is central to the design of low refraction films used in applications ranging from optical computing to antireflective coatings. Here, we introduce gas-phase sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) as a robust, powerful and efficient approach to deposit conformal coatings with very low refractive indices. We demonstrate that the refractive indices of inorganic coatings can be efficiently tuned by the number of cycles used in the SIS process, composition and selective swelling of the of the polymer template. We show that the refractive index of Al 2O 3 can be lowered from 1.76more » down to 1.1 using this method. The thickness of the Al 2O 3 coating can be efficiently controlled by the swelling of the block copolymer template in ethanol at elevated temperature, thereby enabling deposition of both single-layer and graded-index broadband anti-reflective coatings. Using this technique, Fresnel reflections of glass can be reduced to as low as 0.1% under normal illumination over a broad spectral range.« less

Sequential Infiltration Synthesis for the Design of Low Refractive Index Surface Coatings with Controllable Thickness

DOE PAGES

Berman, Diana; Guha, Supratik; Lee, Byeongdu; ...

2017-01-31

Control over refractive index and thickness of surface coatings is central to the design of low refraction films used in applications ranging from optical computing to antireflective coatings. Here, we introduce gas-phase sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) as a robust, powerful and efficient approach to deposit conformal coatings with very low refractive indices. We demonstrate that the refractive indices of inorganic coatings can be efficiently tuned by the number of cycles used in the SIS process, composition and selective swelling of the of the polymer template. We show that the refractive index of Al 2O 3 can be lowered from 1.76more » down to 1.1 using this method. The thickness of the Al 2O 3 coating can be efficiently controlled by the swelling of the block copolymer template in ethanol at elevated temperature, thereby enabling deposition of both single-layer and graded-index broadband anti-reflective coatings. Using this technique, Fresnel reflections of glass can be reduced to as low as 0.1% under normal illumination over a broad spectral range.« less

Sequential Infiltration Synthesis for the Design of Low Refractive Index Surface Coatings with Controllable Thickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berman, Diana; Guha, Supratik; Lee, Byeongdu

Control over refractive index and thickness of surface coatings is central to the design of low refraction films used in applications ranging from optical computing to antireflective coatings. Here, we introduce gas-phase sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) as a robust, powerful, and efficient approach to deposit conformal coatings with very low refractive indices. We demonstrate that the refractive indices of inorganic coatings can be efficiently tuned by the number of cycles used in the SIS process, composition, and selective swelling of the of the polymer template. We show that the refractive index of Al2O3 can be lowered from 1.76 down tomore » 1.1 using this method. The thickness of the Al2O3 coating can be efficiently controlled by the swelling of the block copolymer template in ethanol at elevated temperature, thereby enabling deposition of both single-layer and graded-index broadband antireflective coatings. Using this technique, Fresnel reflections of glass can be reduced to as low as 0.1% under normal illumination over a broad spectral range.« less

Sequential Infiltration Synthesis for the Design of Low Refractive Index Surface Coatings with Controllable Thickness.

PubMed

Berman, Diana; Guha, Supratik; Lee, Byeongdu; Elam, Jeffrey W; Darling, Seth B; Shevchenko, Elena V

2017-03-28

Control over refractive index and thickness of surface coatings is central to the design of low refraction films used in applications ranging from optical computing to antireflective coatings. Here, we introduce gas-phase sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) as a robust, powerful, and efficient approach to deposit conformal coatings with very low refractive indices. We demonstrate that the refractive indices of inorganic coatings can be efficiently tuned by the number of cycles used in the SIS process, composition, and selective swelling of the of the polymer template. We show that the refractive index of Al 2 O 3 can be lowered from 1.76 down to 1.1 using this method. The thickness of the Al 2 O 3 coating can be efficiently controlled by the swelling of the block copolymer template in ethanol at elevated temperature, thereby enabling deposition of both single-layer and graded-index broadband antireflective coatings. Using this technique, Fresnel reflections of glass can be reduced to as low as 0.1% under normal illumination over a broad spectral range.

Design and development of next-generation bottom anti-reflective coatings for 45nm process with hyper NA lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Makoto; Sakaguchi, Takahiro; Hashimoto, Keisuke; Sakamoto, Rikimaru; Kishioka, Takahiro; Takei, Satoshi; Enomoto, Tomoyuki; Nakajima, Yasuyuki

2006-03-01

Integrated circuit manufacturers are consistently seeking to minimize device feature dimensions in order to reduce chip size and increase integration level. Feature sizes on chips are achieved sub 65nm with the advanced 193nm microlithography process. R&D activities of 45nm process have been started so far, and 193nm lithography is used for this technology. The key parameters for this lithography process are NA of exposure tool, resolution capability of resist, and reflectivity control with bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC). In the point of etching process, single-layer resist process can't be applied because resist thickness is too thin for getting suitable aspect ratio. Therefore, it is necessary to design novel BARC system and develop hard mask materials having high etching selectivity. This system and these materials can be used for 45nm generation lithography. Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. and Brewer Science, Inc. have been designed and developed the advanced BARCs for the above propose. In order to satisfy our target, we have developed novel BARC and hard mask materials. We investigated the multi-layer resist process stacked 4 layers (resist / thin BARC / silicon-contained BARC (Si-ARC) / spin on carbon hard mask (SOC)) (4 layers process). 4 layers process showed the excellent lithographic performance and pattern transfer performance. In this paper, we will discuss the detail of our approach and materials for 4 layers process.

Broad Band Antireflection Coating on Zinc Sulphide Window for Shortwave infrared cum Night Vision System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upadhyaya, A. S.; Bandyopadhyay, P. K.

2012-11-01

In state of art technology, integrated devices are widely used or their potential advantages. Common system reduces weight as well as total space covered by its various parts. In the state of art surveillance system integrated SWIR and night vision system used for more accurate identification of object. In this system a common optical window is used, which passes the radiation of both the regions, further both the spectral regions are separated in two channels. ZnS is a good choice for a common window, as it transmit both the region of interest, night vision (650 - 850 nm) as well as SWIR (0.9 - 1.7 μm). In this work a broad band anti reflection coating is developed on ZnS window to enhance the transmission. This seven layer coating is designed using flip flop design method. After getting the final design, some minor refinement is done, using simplex method. SiO2 and TiO2 coating material combination is used for this work. The coating is fabricated by physical vapour deposition process and the materials were evaporated by electron beam gun. Average transmission of both side coated substrate from 660 to 1700 nm is 95%. This coating also acts as contrast enhancement filter for night vision devices, as it reflect the region of 590 - 660 nm. Several trials have been conducted to check the coating repeatability, and it is observed that transmission variation in different trials is not very much and it is under the tolerance limit. The coating also passes environmental test for stability.

Mechanical comparison of a polymer nanocomposite to a ceramic thin-film anti-reflective filter.

PubMed

Druffel, Thad; Geng, Kebin; Grulke, Eric

2006-07-28

Thin-film filters on optical components have been in use for decades and, for those industries utilizing a polymer substrate, the mismatch in mechanical behaviour has caused problems. Surface damage including scratches and cracks induces haze on the optical filter, reducing the transmission of the optical article. An in-mold anti-reflective (AR) filter incorporating 1/4-wavelength thin films based on a polymer nanocomposite is outlined here and compared with a traditional vacuum deposition AR coating. Nanoindentation and nanoscratch techniques are used to evaluate the mechanical properties of the thin films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the resulting indentations and scratches are then compared to the force deflection curves to further explain the phenomena. The traditional coatings fractured by brittle mechanisms during testing, increasing the area of failure, whereas the polymer nanocomposite gave ductile failure with less surface damage.

Bilayer Metasurfaces for Dual- and Broadband Optical Antireflection

DOE PAGES

Huang, Li; Chang, Chun-Chieh; Zeng, Beibei; ...

2017-08-09

Optical antireflection has long been pursued for a wide range of applications, but existing approaches encounter issues in the performance, bandwidth, and structure complexity, particularly in the long-wavelength infrared regime. Here we present the demonstration of bilayer metasurfaces that accomplish dual- and broadband optical antireflection in the terahertz and mid-infrared spectral ranges. Furthermore, by simply tailoring the structural geometry and dimensions, here we show that subwavelength metal/dielectric structures enable dramatic reduction of Fresnel reflection and significant enhancement of transmission at a substrate surface, operating either at two discrete narrow bands or over a broad bandwidth up to 28%. We alsomore » use a semianalytical interference model to interpret the obtained results, in which we find that the dispersion of the constituent structures plays a critical role in achieving the observed broadband optical antireflection.« less

Laser-induced damage threshold measurements of optical dielectric coatings at lambda = 1.06 micron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milev, I. Ia.; Dimov, S. S.; Terziev, D. V.; Iordanova, J. I.; Todorova, L. B.; Gelkova, A. B.

1991-10-01

The laser-induced damage thresholds for lambda = 1.06 micron of commercially available dielectric optical coatings, both antireflective and high reflectance, have been determined. The dependence of the optical coatings stability on design and selection of materials has been investigated. An improvement of the coatings durability by using nonquarterwave layers in addition to the basic design of the mirrors has been obtained. The choice of the coating materials is also discussed.

Multi-layer coating of SiO2 nanoparticles to enhance light absorption by Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nam, Yoon-Ho; Um, Han-Don; Park, Kwang-Tae; Shin, Sun-Mi; Baek, Jong-Wook; Park, Min-Joon; Jung, Jin-Young; Zhou, Keya; Jee, Sang-Won; Guo, Zhongyi; Lee, Jung-Ho

2012-06-01

We found that multi-layer coating of a Si substrate with SiO2 dielectric nanoparticles (NPs) was an effective method to suppress light reflection by silicon solar cells. To suppress light reflection, two conditions are required for the coating: 1) The difference of refractive indexes between air and Si should be alleviated, and 2) the quarter-wavelength antireflection condition should be satisfied while avoiding intrinsic absorption loss. Light reflection was reduced due to destructive interference at certain wavelengths that depended on the layer thickness. For the same thickness dielectric layer, smaller NPs enhanced antireflectance more than larger NPs due to a decrease in scattering loss by the smaller NPs.

Improved broadband and quasi-omnidirectional anti-reflection properties with biomimetic silicon nanostructures.

PubMed

Huang, Yi-Fan; Chattopadhyay, Surojit; Jen, Yi-Jun; Peng, Cheng-Yu; Liu, Tze-An; Hsu, Yu-Kuei; Pan, Ci-Ling; Lo, Hung-Chun; Hsu, Chih-Hsun; Chang, Yuan-Huei; Lee, Chih-Shan; Chen, Kuei-Hsien; Chen, Li-Chyong

2007-12-01

Nature routinely produces nanostructured surfaces with useful properties, such as the self-cleaning lotus leaf, the colour of the butterfly wing, the photoreceptor in brittlestar and the anti-reflection observed in the moth eye. Scientists and engineers have been able to mimic some of these natural structures in the laboratory and in real-world applications. Here, we report a simple aperiodic array of silicon nanotips on a 6-inch wafer with a sub-wavelength structure that can suppress the reflection of light at a range of wavelengths from the ultraviolet, through the visible part of the spectrum, to the terahertz region. Reflection is suppressed for a wide range of angles of incidence and for both s- and p-polarized light. The antireflection properties of the silicon result from changes in the refractive index caused by variations in the height of the silicon nanotips, and can be simulated with models that have been used to explain the low reflection from moth eyes. The improved anti-reflection properties of the surfaces could have applications in renewable energy and electro-optical devices for the military.

Investigate the effects of EG doping PEDOT/PSS on transmission and anti-reflection properties using terahertz pulsed spectroscopy.

PubMed

Sun, Yiwen; Yang, Shengxin; Du, Pengju; Yan, Fei; Qu, Junle; Zhu, Zexuan; Zuo, Jian; Zhang, Cunlin

2017-02-06

The conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) is significantly enhanced on adding some organic solvent such as ethylene glycol (EG). In this paper, the optoelectronic properties of EG doped PEDOT/PSS on transmission and anti-reflection effects are investigated in detail by terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The transmission line circuit theory gives us an insight into the THz transmission mechanisms of the main and second pulses. In particular, we show that the conductivities of 10% EG doped PEDOT/PSS are nearly frequency independent from 0.3 to 1.5 THz. To demonstrate applications of this property, we design and fabricate broadband terahertz neutral density filters and anti-reflection coatings based on 10% EG doped PEDOT/PSS thin films with varying thickness. Our measurements highlight the capability of THz-TDS to characterize the conductivity of EG doped PEDOT/PSS, which is essential for broadband optoelectronic devices in THz region.

FAP-1 and NF-κB expressions in oral squamous cell carcinoma as potential markers for chemo-radio sensitivity and prognosis.

PubMed

Nariai, Y; Mishima, K; Yoshimura, Y; Sekine, J

2011-04-01

This study was designed to investigate the feasibility of using Fas-associated phosphatase-1 (FAP-1), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and p53 as markers for chemo-radio sensitivity in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). FAP-1 plays a role as an anti-apoptotic factor through Fas-dependent apoptosis after chemo-radiotherapy. NF-κB and p53 might be involved in modulation of FAP-1 expression. FAP-1, NF-κB and p53 expression were immunohistochemically examined using biopsy specimens in 50 OSCC patients treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. FAP-1 was expressed in 52%, NF-κB in 52% and p53 in 46% of patients. There was no significant difference in FAP-1, p53 or NF-κB expression according to the clinicopathological features. No correlation was found among FAP-1, p53 or NF-κB expression. FAP-1-positive cases showed a poorer survival rate than FAP-1-negative cases (P = 0.0409) and NF-κB-positive cases showed a poorer survival rate than NF-κB-negative cases (P = 0.0018). Multivariate analysis showed that FAP-1 expression, NF-κB expression, clinical stage and age were significant independent variables for survival (clinical stage: P = 0.0016; age: P = 0.0016; NF-κB: P = 0.0314; FAP-1: P = 0.0366). These results suggest that FAP-1 and NF-κB might play a role as chemo-radioresistant factor during chemo-radiotherapy, and FAP-1 and NF-κB expression in OSCC would be feasible markers for chemo-radio sensitivity and prognosis. Copyright © 2010 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tunable, flexible antireflection layer of ZnO nanowires embedded in PDMS.

PubMed

Kim, Min Kyu; Yi, Dong Kee; Paik, Ungyu

2010-05-18

In this article, we report the fabrication of ordered hybrid structures composed of ZnO nanowires and a polymeric matrix with a polymer precursor infiltrating the nanowire arrays. The antireflective properties of the resulting ZnO nanowire-embedded polydimethylsiloxane composite (ZPC) were investigated at various ZnO nanowire lengths and ZPC bending angles. Interestingly, we found that whereas the antireflective properties showed a strong dependence on the length of the embedded ZnO nanowires in PDMS, the bending of ZPC has little effect on the antireflective properties.

Development of optical coatings for 157-nm lithography. II. Reflectance, absorption, and scatter measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otani, Minoru; Biro, Ryuji; Ouchi, Chidane; Hasegawa, Masanobu; Suzuki, Yasuyuki; Sone, Kazuho; Niisaka, Shunsuke; Saito, Tadahiko; Saito, Jun; Tanaka, Akira

2002-06-01

The total loss that can be suffered by an antireflection (AR) coating consists of reflectance loss, absorption loss, and scatter loss. To separate these losses we developed a calorimetric absorption measurement apparatus and an ellipsoidal Coblentz hemisphere based scatterometer for 157-nm optics. Reflectance, absorption, and scatter of AR coatings were measured with these apparatuses. The AR coating samples were supplied by Japanese vendors. Each AR coating as supplied was coated with the vendor's coating design by that vendor's coating process. Our measurement apparatuses, methods, and results for these AR coatings are presented here.

Low expression of miR-30a-5p induced the proliferation and invasion of oral cancer via promoting the expression of FAP.

PubMed

Ruan, Peng; Tao, Zezhang; Tan, Aili

2018-02-28

The study aimed at investigating the effects of miR-30a-5p on the biological functions of oral cancer cells and figuring out the potential mechanism. We first verified the low expression of miR-30a-5p and high expression of FAP ( Homo sapiens fibroblast activation protein α) in oral cancerous tissues and their negative correlation. Then, the target relationship between miR-30a-5p and FAP was validated by dual luciferase reporter assay and biotin-coupled miRNA pulldown assay. After transfection in Tca-8113 cells and SCC-15 cells, MTT, colony formation, Transwell, and wound healing assays were performed to investigate how miR-30a-5p and FAP adjusted propagation, invasiveness, and migration, respectively. Mounting evidence supported that miR-30a-5p directly targetted FAP and suppressed its expression in oral cavity cancer cells (OSCCs). By suppressing FAP expression, miR-30a-5p significantly inhibited cell propagation, migration, and invasion. Therefore, miR-30a-5p might be a new therapeutic target for oral cancer treatment. © 2018 The Author(s).

Optical properties of chitin: surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates based on antireflection structures on cicada wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoddart, P. R.; Cadusch, P. J.; Boyce, T. M.; Erasmus, R. M.; Comins, J. D.

2006-02-01

The transparent wings of some cicada species present ordered arrays of papillary structures with a spacing of approximately 200 nm. These structures serve an antireflection function, with optical transmission peaking at a value of approximately 98% and rising above 90% over a broad band from 450 to 2500 nm. The dimensions of the papillae are comparable to the roughness scale of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. SERS measurements performed on silver- and gold-coated wings display enhancement factors of approximately 106 with no apparent background contribution from the wing.

Selective Inhibitors of Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) with a (4-Quinolinoyl)-glycyl-2-cyanopyrrolidine Scaffold.

PubMed

Jansen, Koen; Heirbaut, Leen; Cheng, Jonathan D; Joossens, Jurgen; Ryabtsova, Oxana; Cos, Paul; Maes, Louis; Lambeir, Anne-Marie; De Meester, Ingrid; Augustyns, Koen; Van der Veken, Pieter

2013-05-09

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine protease that is generally accepted to play an important role in tumor growth and other diseases involving tissue remodeling. Currently there are no FAP inhibitors with reported selectivity toward both the closely related dipeptidyl peptidases (DPPs) and prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP). We present the discovery of a new class of FAP inhibitors with a N-(4-quinolinoyl)-Gly-(2-cyanopyrrolidine) scaffold. We have explored the effects of substituting the quinoline ring and varying the position of its sp(2) hybridized nitrogen atom. The most promising inhibitors combined low nanomolar FAP inhibition and high selectivity indices (>10(3)) with respect to both the DPPs and PREP. Preliminary experiments on a representative inhibitor demonstrate that plasma stability, kinetic solubility, and log D of this class of compounds can be expected to be satisfactory.

Silicon Nitride Antireflection Coatings for Photovoltaic Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, C.; Wydeven, T.; Donohoe, K.

1984-01-01

Chemical-vapor deposition adapted to yield graded index of refraction. Silicon nitride deposited in layers, refractive index of which decreases with distance away from cell/coating interface. Changing index of refraction allows adjustment of spectral transmittance for wavelengths which cell is most effective at converting light to electric current. Average conversion efficiency of solar cells increased from 8.84 percent to 12.63 percent.

UV radiation promotes melanoma dissemination mediated by the sequential reaction axis of cathepsins-TGF-β1-FAP-α.

PubMed

Wäster, Petra; Orfanidis, Kyriakos; Eriksson, Ida; Rosdahl, Inger; Seifert, Oliver; Öllinger, Karin

2017-08-08

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the major risk factor for development of malignant melanoma. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-α is a serine protease expressed on the surface of activated fibroblasts, promoting tumour invasion through extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. The signalling mechanism behind the upregulation of FAP-α is not yet completely revealed. Expression of FAP-α was analysed after UVR exposure in in vitro co-culture systems, gene expression arrays and artificial skin constructs. Cell migration and invasion was studied in relation to cathepsin activity and secretion of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1. Fibroblast activation protein-α expression was induced by UVR in melanocytes of human skin. The FAP-α expression was regulated by UVR-induced release of TGF-β1 and cathepsin inhibitors prevented such secretion. In melanoma cell culture models and in a xenograft tumour model of zebrafish embryos, FAP-α mediated ECM degradation and facilitated tumour cell dissemination. Our results provide evidence for a sequential reaction axis from UVR via cathepsins, TGF-β1 and FAP-α expression, promoting cancer cell dissemination and melanoma metastatic spread.

Rapid replication and facile modulation of subwavelength antireflective polymer film using injection nanomolding and optical property of multilayer coatings

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

A rapid, cost-effective and high-throughput process for nanotexturing subwavelength structures with high uniformity using the polycarbonate (PC) is realized via injection nanomolding. The process enables the precise control of nanohole array (NHA) surface topography (nanohole depth, diameter, and periodicity) over large areas thereby presenting a highly versatile platform for fabricating substrates with user-defined, functional performance. Specifically, the optical property of the PC substrates were systematically characterized and tuned through the modulation of the depths of NHA. The aspect ratio submicron holes can be easily modulated and experimentally proven by simply adjusting the molding temperature. The nanotextured depths were reliably fabricated in the range of 200 to 400 nm with a period of approximately 700 nm. The fabricated PC films can reduce the reflectivity from an original bare film of 10.2% and 8.9% to 1.4% and 2.1% with 400-nm depth of nanoholes at the wavelength of 400 and 550 nm, respectively. Compared with conventional moth-like nanostructures with nanopillar arrays with heights adjustable only by an etching process, this paper proposes a facile route with submicron holes to achieve a similar antireflective function, with a significantly reduced time and facile height modulation capability. Furthermore, the effects of multilayer coatings of dielectric and metallic layers on the nanomolded NHA have been performed and potential sensing application is explored. PMID:24088185

Congenital hypertrophy of retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE) in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP); a polyposis registry experience.

PubMed

Nusliha, Anwer; Dalpatadu, Ushantha; Amarasinghe, Binara; Chandrasinghe, Pramodh Chitral; Deen, Kemal Ismail

2014-10-18

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant condition giving rise to multiple adenomatous polyps in the colon which invariably become malignant by the fourth decade. Congenital hypertrophy of retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE) is one of its extra intestinal manifestations early in childhood seen, present in 90% of FAP population and is easy to detect. Patients diagnosed with FAP and at risk first degree family members were screened for CHRPE using a slit lamp and indirect ophthalmoscopy. The retina of 17 diagnosed FAP patients and 13 individuals at risk were examined. The site and size of CHRPE lesions were documented. Thirteen (76%) of 17 FAP patients (male-10, female - 7, median age - 30 years; range 15-55 years) had CHRPE lesions; seven (54%) had bilateral CHRPE lesions and six (46%) had unilateral lesions. A single lesion was detected in 6 (46%) while 7 (54%) patients had multiple lesions. Of 13 at risk individuals (7- male, female-6 ; median age 34; range 16-52 years), one was positive for CHRPE and 12 were free of retinal lesions. The sensitivity of the presence of a CHRPE lesion in association with colonic polyps in FAP was 76%, specificity 92%, positive predictive value 93%, and negative predictive value 75%. This study found a high sensitivity and specificity for a CHRPE lesion to be associated with colonic polyps of FAP and hence a useful screening method in a burdened health-care system. The method is minimally invasive and simple and would be of particular value in screening children at risk for FAP.

Superior broadband antireflection from buried Mie resonator arrays for high-efficiency photovoltaics

PubMed Central

Zhong, Sihua; Zeng, Yang; Huang, Zengguang; Shen, Wenzhong

2015-01-01

Establishing reliable and efficient antireflection structures is of crucial importance for realizing high-performance optoelectronic devices such as solar cells. In this study, we provide a design guideline for buried Mie resonator arrays, which is composed of silicon nanostructures atop a silicon substrate and buried by a dielectric film, to attain a superior antireflection effect over a broadband spectral range by gaining entirely new discoveries of their antireflection behaviors. We find that the buried Mie resonator arrays mainly play a role as a transparent antireflection structure and their antireflection effect is insensitive to the nanostructure height when higher than 150 nm, which are of prominent significance for photovoltaic applications in the reduction of photoexcited carrier recombination. We further optimally combine the buried Mie resonator arrays with micron-scale textures to maximize the utilization of photons, and thus have successfully achieved an independently certified efficiency of 18.47% for the nanostructured silicon solar cells on a large-size wafer (156 mm × 156 mm). PMID:25746848

Drug Combo Decreases Colorectal Polyps in People with FAP

Cancer.gov

In people with familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP, a combination treatment of erlotinib (Tarceva) and sulindac (Aflodac) decreased the number of precancerous colorectal polyps, according to recently published clinical trial results.

Cancer in an unexpected site post pouch surgery for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).

PubMed

Alwahbi, Omar A; Abduljabbar, Alaa S; Anwer, Lucman A

2018-01-01

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is a hereditary condition characterized by multiple colorectal adenomatous polyps. FAP is the most common adenomatous polyposis syndrome. Restorative proctocolectomy is the most commonly performed surgical procedure performed for patients suffering from FAP with different options for anastomosis, namely ileorectal anastomosis (IRA) or ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA). The occurrence of adenomas is a common finding during follow up and surveillance post surgery for these patients. Although there are a few cases of carcinoma that were namely at the anal transitional zone (ATZ), there are only a few cases of ileal pouch related adenocarcinoma reported. This work has been reported in line with the SCARE criteria (Agha et al., 2016) [1]. We report a case of a 34-year-old man diagnosed with FAP who underwent proctocolectomy with IPAA, and subsequently referred to our center, who, despite appropriate measures and surveillance, developed adenocarcinoma in the ileal pouch. Restorative proctocolectomy for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is the mainstay of treatment. There are different surgical options, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The most favored option is proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) due to because it involves resection of the rectum. Despite these interventions, adenomas and/or carcinomas have been reported on follow up post surgery. Although the risk of developing adenomas or carcinomas in the ileal pouch post proctocolectomy with IPAA is low it should not be neglected as cancer occurrence or recurrence is unpredictable even with appropriate measures. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sol-gel preparation of self-cleaning SiO2-TiO2/SiO2-TiO2 double-layer antireflective coating for solar glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Wensheng; Zheng, Jiaxian; Yan, Lianghong; Zhang, Xinxiang

2018-03-01

Self-cleaning SiO2-TiO2/SiO2-TiO2 double-layer antireflective (AR) coating is prepared by sol-gel process. SiO2 sol is prepared by using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor and ammonia as catalyst, while TiO2 sol was prepared by using tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT) as precursor and hydrochloric acid as catalyst. The effect of TiO2 content on refractive index, abrasion-resistance and photo-catalytic activity of SiO2-TiO2 hybrid thin films or powders is systematically investigated. It is found that the refractive index of SiO2-TiO2 hybrid thin films increases gradually from 1.18 to 1.53 as the weight ratio of TiO2 to SiO2 increased from 0 to 1.0. The SiO2-TiO2 hybrid thin film and powder possesses good abrasion-resistance and photo-catalytic activity, respectively, as the weight ratio of TiO2 to SiO2 is 0.4. The degradation degree of Rhodamine B by SiO2-TiO2 hybrid powder is 88.3%. Finally, SiO2-TiO2/SiO2-TiO2 double-layer AR coating with high transmittance, abrasion-resistance and self-cleaning property is realized.

Measurements and simulations of the optical gain and anti-reflection coating modal reflectivity in quantum cascade lasers with multiple active region stacks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bidaux, Y., E-mail: yves.bidaux@alpeslasers.ch; Alpes Lasers SA, 1-3 Maximilien-de-Meuron, CH-2000 Neuchatel; Terazzi, R.

2015-09-07

We report spectrally resolved gain measurements and simulations for quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) composed of multiple heterogeneous stacks designed for broadband emission in the mid-infrared. The measurement method is first demonstrated on a reference single active region QCL based on a double-phonon resonance design emitting at 7.8 μm. It is then extended to a three-stack active region based on bound-to-continuum designs with a broadband emission range from 7.5 to 10.5 μm. A tight agreement is found with simulations based on a density matrix model. The latter implements exhaustive microscopic scattering and dephasing sources with virtually no fitting parameters. The quantitative agreement ismore » furthermore assessed by measuring gain coefficients obtained by studying the threshold current dependence with the cavity length. These results are particularly relevant to understand fundamental gain mechanisms in complex semiconductor heterostructure QCLs and to move towards efficient gain engineering. Finally, the method is extended to the measurement of the modal reflectivity of an anti-reflection coating deposited on the front facet of the broadband QCL.« less

Synthesis and characterization of fluorapatite-titania (FAp-TiO 2) nanocomposite via mechanochemical process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebrahimi-Kahrizsangi, Reza; Nasiri-Tabrizi, Bahman; Chami, Akbar

2010-09-01

In this paper, synthesis of bionanocomposite of fluorapatite-titania (FAp-TiO 2) was studied by using one step mechanochemical process. Characterization of the products was accomplished by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Based on XRD patterns and FT-IR spectroscopy, correlation between the structural features of the nanostructured FAp-TiO 2 and the process conditions was discussed. Variations in crystallite size, lattice strain, and volume fraction of grain boundary were investigated during milling and the following heat treatment. Crystallization of the nanocomposite occurred after thermal treatment at 650 °C. Morphological features of powders were influenced by the milling time. The resulting FAp-20 wt.%TiO 2 nanocomposite powder exhibited an average particle size of 15 nm after 20 h of milling. The results show that the one step mechanosynthesis technique is an effective route to prepare FAp-based nanocomposites with excellent morphological and structural features.

MDCT distinguishing features of focal aortic projections (FAP) in acute clinical settings.

PubMed

Valente, Tullio; Rossi, Giovanni; Lassandro, Francesco; Rea, Gaetano; Marino, Maurizio; Urciuolo, Salvatore; Tortora, Giovanni; Muto, Maurizio

2015-01-01

Focal aortic projections (FAP) are protrusion images of the contrast medium (focal contour irregularity, breaks in the intimal contour, outward lumen bulging or localized blood-filled outpouching) projecting beyond the aortic lumen in the aortic wall and are commonly seen on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of the chest and abdomen. FAP include several common and uncommon etiologies, which can be demonstrated both in the native aorta, mainly in acute aortic syndromes, and in the post-surgical aorta or after endovascular therapy. They are also found in some types of post-traumatic injuries and in impending rupture of the aneurysms. The expanding, routine use of millimetric or submillimetric collimation of current state-of-the-art MDCT scanners (16 rows and higher) all the time allows the identification and characterization of these small ulcer-like lesions or irregularities in the entire aorta, as either an incidental or expected finding, and provides detailed three-dimensional pictures of these pathologic findings. In this pictorial review, we illustrate the possible significance of FAP and the discriminating MDCT features that help to distinguish among different types of aortic protrusions and their possible evolution. Awareness of some related and distinctive radiologic features in FAP may improve our understanding of aortic diseases, provide further insight into the pathophysiology and natural history, and guide the appropriate management of these lesions.

Potential of activatable FAP-targeting immunoliposomes in intraoperative imaging of spontaneous metastases.

PubMed

Tansi, Felista L; Rüger, Ronny; Böhm, Claudia; Kontermann, Roland E; Teichgraeber, Ulf K; Fahr, Alfred; Hilger, Ingrid

2016-05-01

Despite intensive research and medical advances met, metastatic disease remains the most common cause of death in cancer patients. This results from late diagnosis, poor therapeutic response and undetected micrometastases and tumor margins during surgery. One approach to overcome these challenges involves fluorescence imaging, which exploits the properties of fluorescent probes for diagnostic detection of molecular structures at the onset of transformation and for intraoperative detection of metastases and tumor margins in real time. Considering these benefits, many contrast agents suitable for fluorescence imaging have been reported. However, most reports only demonstrate the detection of primary tumors and not the detection of metastases or their application in models of image-guided surgery. In this work, we demonstrate the influence of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) on the metastatic potential of fibrosarcoma cells and elucidate the efficacy of activatable FAP-targeting immunoliposomes (FAP-IL) for image-guided detection of the spontaneous metastases in mice models. Furthermore, we characterized the biodistribution and cellular localization of the liposomal fluorescent components in mice organs and traced their excretion over time in urine and feces. Taken together, activatable FAP-IL enhances intraoperative imaging of metastases. Their high accumulation in metastases, subsequent localization in the bile canaliculi and liver kupffer cells and suitable excretion in feces substantiates their potency as contrast agents for intraoperative imaging. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Anti-reflective device having an anti-reflective surface formed of silicon spikes with nano-tips

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bae, Youngsam (Inventor); Manohara, Harish (Inventor); Mobasser, Sohrab (Inventor); Lee, Choonsup (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Described is a device having an anti-reflection surface. The device comprises a silicon substrate with a plurality of silicon spikes formed on the substrate. A first metallic layer is formed on the silicon spikes to form the anti-reflection surface. The device further includes an aperture that extends through the substrate. A second metallic layer is formed on the substrate. The second metallic layer includes a hole that is aligned with the aperture. A spacer is attached with the silicon substrate to provide a gap between an attached sensor apparatus. Therefore, operating as a Micro-sun sensor, light entering the hole passes through the aperture to be sensed by the sensor apparatus. Additionally, light reflected by the sensor apparatus toward the first side of the silicon substrate is absorbed by the first metallic layer and silicon spikes and is thereby prevented from being reflected back toward the sensor apparatus.

[Research on the photoelectric conversion efficiency of grating antireflective layer solar cells].

PubMed

Zhong, Hui; Gao, Yong-Yi; Zhou, Ren-Long; Zhou, Bing-ju; Tang, Li-qiang; Wu, Ling-xi; Li, Hong-jian

2011-07-01

A numerical investigation of the effect of grating antireflective layer structure on the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar cells was carried out by the finite-difference time-domain method. The influence of grating shape, height and the metal film thickness coated on grating surface on energy storage was analyzed in detail. It was found that the comparison between unoptimized and optimized surface grating structure on solar cells shows that the optimization of surface by grating significantly increases the energy storage capability and greatly improves the efficiency, especially of the photoelectric conversion efficiency and energy storage of the triangle grating. As the film thickness increases, energy storage effect increases, while as the film thickness is too thick, energy storage effect becomes lower and lower.

Purification, crystallization and characterization of the Pseudomonas outer membrane protein FapF, a functional amyloid transporter.

PubMed

Rouse, Sarah L; Hawthorne, Wlliam J; Lambert, Sebastian; Morgan, Marc L; Hare, Stephen A; Matthews, Stephen

2016-12-01

Bacteria often produce extracellular amyloid fibres via a multi-component secretion system. Aggregation-prone, unstructured subunits cross the periplasm and are secreted through the outer membrane, after which they self-assemble. Here, significant progress is presented towards solving the high-resolution crystal structure of the novel amyloid transporter FapF from Pseudomonas, which facilitates the secretion of the amyloid-forming polypeptide FapC across the bacterial outer membrane. This represents the first step towards obtaining structural insight into the products of the Pseudomonas fap operon. Initial attempts at crystallizing full-length and N-terminally truncated constructs by refolding techniques were not successful; however, after preparing FapF 106-430 from the membrane fraction, reproducible crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop method of vapour diffusion. Diffraction data have been processed to 2.5 Å resolution. These crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C121, with unit-cell parameters a = 143.4, b = 124.6, c = 80.4 Å, α = γ = 90, β = 96.32° and three monomers in the asymmetric unit. It was found that the switch to complete detergent exchange into C8E4 was crucial for forming well diffracting crystals, and it is suggested that this combined with limited proteolysis is a potentially useful protocol for membrane β-barrel protein crystallography. The three-dimensional structure of FapF will provide invaluable information on the mechanistic differences of biogenesis between the curli and Fap functional amyloid systems.

Method and tool to reverse the charges in anti-reflection films used for solar cell applications

DOEpatents

Sharma, Vivek; Tracy, Clarence

2017-01-31

A method is provided for making a solar cell. The method includes providing a stack including a substrate, a barrier layer disposed on the substrate, and an anti-reflective layer disposed on the barrier layer, where the anti-reflective layer has charge centers. The method also includes generating a corona with a charging tool and contacting the anti-reflective layer with the corona thereby injecting charge into at least some of the charge centers in the anti-reflective layer. Ultra-violet illumination and temperature-based annealing may be used to modify the charge of the anti-reflective layer.

Downregulation of FAP suppresses cell proliferation and metastasis through PTEN/PI3K/AKT and Ras-ERK signaling in oral squamous cell carcinoma

PubMed Central

Wang, H; Wu, Q; Liu, Z; Luo, X; Fan, Y; Liu, Y; Zhang, Y; Hua, S; Fu, Q; Zhao, M; Chen, Y; Fang, W; Lv, X

2014-01-01

It is largely recognized that fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) of many human carcinomas. Furthermore, FAP was recently also reported to be expressed in carcinoma cells of the breast, stomach, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, colorectum, and uterine cervix. The carcinoma cell expression pattern of FAP has been described in several types of cancers, but the role of FAP in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown. The role of endogenous FAP in epithelium-derived tumors and molecular mechanisms has also not been reported. In this study, FAP was found to be expressed in carcinoma cells of OSCC and was upregulated in OSCC tissue samples compared with benign tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. In addition, its expression level was closely correlated with overall survival of patients with OSCC. Silencing FAP inhibited the growth and metastasis of OSCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, knockdown of FAP inactivated PTEN/PI3K/AKT and Ras-ERK and its downstream signaling regulating proliferation, migration, and invasion in OSCC cells, as the inhibitory effects of FAP on the proliferation and metastasis could be rescued by PTEN silencing. Our study suggests that FAP acts as an oncogene and may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with OSCC. PMID:24722280

Downregulation of FAP suppresses cell proliferation and metastasis through PTEN/PI3K/AKT and Ras-ERK signaling in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Wang, H; Wu, Q; Liu, Z; Luo, X; Fan, Y; Liu, Y; Zhang, Y; Hua, S; Fu, Q; Zhao, M; Chen, Y; Fang, W; Lv, X

2014-04-10

It is largely recognized that fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) of many human carcinomas. Furthermore, FAP was recently also reported to be expressed in carcinoma cells of the breast, stomach, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, colorectum, and uterine cervix. The carcinoma cell expression pattern of FAP has been described in several types of cancers, but the role of FAP in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown. The role of endogenous FAP in epithelium-derived tumors and molecular mechanisms has also not been reported. In this study, FAP was found to be expressed in carcinoma cells of OSCC and was upregulated in OSCC tissue samples compared with benign tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. In addition, its expression level was closely correlated with overall survival of patients with OSCC. Silencing FAP inhibited the growth and metastasis of OSCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, knockdown of FAP inactivated PTEN/PI3K/AKT and Ras-ERK and its downstream signaling regulating proliferation, migration, and invasion in OSCC cells, as the inhibitory effects of FAP on the proliferation and metastasis could be rescued by PTEN silencing. Our study suggests that FAP acts as an oncogene and may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with OSCC.

FAP Associated Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Peculiar Subtype of Familial Nonmedullary Thyroid Cancer.

PubMed

Cetta, Francesco

2015-01-01

Familial Nonmedullary Thyroid Carcinoma (FNMTC) makes up to 5-10% of all thyroid cancers, also including those FNMTC occurring as a minor component of familial cancer syndromes, such as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). We give evidence that this extracolonic manifestation of FAP is determined by the same germline mutation of the APC gene responsible for colonic polyps and cancer but also shows some unusual features (F : M ratio = 80 : 1, absence of LOH for APC in the thyroid tumoral tissue, and indolent biological behaviour, despite frequent multicentricity and lymph nodal involvement), suggesting that the APC gene confers only a generic susceptibility to thyroid cancer, but perhaps other factors, namely, modifier genes, sex-related factors, or environmental factors, are also required for its phenotypic expression. This great variability is against the possibility of classifying all FNMTC as a single entity, not only with a unique or prevalent causative genetic factor, but also with a unique or common biological behavior and a commonly dismal prognosis. A new paradigm is also suggested that could be useful (1) for a proper classification of FAP associated PTC within the larger group of FNMTC and (2) for making inferences to sporadic carcinogenesis, based on the lesson from FAP.

FAP-1-mediated activation of NF-kappaB induces resistance of head and neck cancer to Fas-induced apoptosis.

PubMed

Wieckowski, Eva; Atarashi, Yoshinari; Stanson, Joanna; Sato, Taka-Aki; Whiteside, Theresa L

2007-01-01

Molecular mechanisms responsible for tumor resistance to apoptosis often involve the Fas/FasL pathway. While squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) express both Fas and FasL, their resistance to self-induced apoptosis or apoptosis mediated by Fas agonistic antibody (CH-11Ab) was independent of the level of Fas surface expression or the presence of soluble Fas in supernatants of primary or metastatic SCCHN cell lines. By in vitro immunoselection, using PCI-15A cell line treated with successive cycles of CH-11 Ab, Fas-resistant sublines with the parental genotype were selected. Such sublines failed to cleave caspase-8 upon Fas engagement and were resistant to CH-11 Ab, although they remained sensitive to VP-16 or staurosporin. In the presence of cycloheximide, the selected SCCHN sublines become susceptible to CH-11 Ab, and showed cleavage of caspase-8, suggesting that apoptosis resistance was mediated by an inhibitory protein(s) acting upstream of caspase-8. Overexpression of Fas-associated phosphatase 1 (FAP-1), but not cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (cFLIP) in SCCHN sublines was documented by Western blots and RT-PCR analyses. The FAP-1+ selected sublines also downregulated cell surface Fas. A high phosphorylation level of IkappaB kappa, NFkappaB activation and upregulation of Bcl-2 expression were observed in the FAP-1+ sublines. Treatment with the phosphatase inhibitor, orthovanadate, or silencing of FAP-1 with siRNA abolished their resistance to apoptosis, suggesting that FAP-1 phosphatase activity could be responsible for NF-kappaB activation and resistance of SCCHN cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Antireflection/Passivation Step For Silicon Cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crotty, Gerald T.; Kachare, Akaram H.; Daud, Taher

1988-01-01

New process excludes usual silicon oxide passivation. Changes in principal electrical parameters during two kinds of processing suggest antireflection treatment almost as effective as oxide treatment in passivating cells. Does so without disadvantages of SiOx passivation.

High-etch-rate bottom-antireflective coating and gap-fill materials using dextrin derivatives in via first dual-Damascene lithography process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takei, Satoshi; Sakaida, Yasushi; Shinjo, Tetsuya; Hashimoto, Keisuke; Nakajima, Yasuyuki

2008-03-01

The present paper describes a novel class of bottom antireflective coating (BARC) and gap fill materials using dextrin derivatives. The general trend of interconnect fabrication for such a high performance LSI is to apply cupper (Cu)/ low-dielectric-constant (low-k) interconnect to reduce RC delay. A via-first dual damascene process is one of the most promising processes to fabricate Cu/ low-k interconnect due to its wide miss-alignment margin. The sacrificial materials containing dextrin derivatives under resist for lithography were developed in via-first dual damascene process. The dextrin derivatives in this study was obtained by the esterification of the hydroxyl groups of dextrin resulting in improved solubility in the resist solvents such as propylene glycol monomethylether, propylene glycol monomethylether acetate, and ethyl lactate due to avoid the issue of defects that were caused by incompatability. The etch rate of our developed BARC and gap fill materials using dextrin derivatives was more than two times faster than one of the ArF resists evaluated in a CF4 gas condition using reactive ion etching. The improved etch performance was also verified by comparison with poly(hydroxystyrene), acrylate-type materials and latest low-k materials as a reference. In addition to superior etch performance, these materials showed good resist profiles and via filling performance without voids in via holes.

Gastrointestinal permeability (GIPerm) is increased in family members of children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased GIPerm has been described in children with FAP/IBS and adults with IBS. We sought to determine if baseline GIPerm is increased and if ibuprofen induces a greater increase in GIPerm in parents and siblings of children with FAP/IBS vs. control families without children with FAP/IBS. Site spe...

Fabrication of highly uniform and porous MgF2 anti-reflective coatings by polymer-based sol-gel processing on large-area glass substrates.

PubMed

Raut, Hemant Kumar; Dinachali, Saman Safari; Ansah-Antwi, Kwadwo Konadu; Ganesh, V Anand; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2013-12-20

Despite recent progress in the fabrication of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) anti-reflective coatings (ARCs), simple, effective and scalable sol-gel fabrication of MgF2 ARCs for large-area glass substrates has prospective application in various optoelectronic devices. In this paper, a polymer-based sol-gel route was devised to fabricate highly uniform and porous MgF2 ARCs on large-area glass substrates. A sol-gel precursor made of polyvinyl acetate and magnesium trifluoroacetate assisted in the formation of uniformly mesoporous MgF2 ARCs on glass substrates, leading to the attainment of a refractive index of ~1.23. Systematic optimization of the thickness of the ARC in the sub-wavelength regime led to achieving ~99.4% transmittance in the case of the porous MgF2 ARC glass. Precise control of the thickness of porous MgF2 ARC glass also resulted in a mere ~0.1% reflection, virtually eliminating reflection off the glass surface at the target wavelength. Further manipulation of the thickness of the ARC on either side of the glass substrate led to the fabrication of relatively broadband, porous MgF2 ARC glass.

Improvement of silicon solar cell performance through the use of thin film coatings.

PubMed

Reynard, D L; Andrew, A

1966-01-01

Thin film coatings are used universally in solar cell power systems for spacecraft. Antireflective coatings are used to increase the amount of useful energy reaching the active surface of the cell. Multilayer interference filters are employed to reject unwanted portions of the solar spectrum in order to reduce equilibrium temperature and to prevent ultraviolet damage. Glass covers are used in conjunction with these coatings for the purpose of increasing the thermal emittance of the surface. Appreciable performance increases can be obtained through the uses of these filters and coatings.

FAP-α (Fibroblast activation protein-α) is involved in the control of human breast cancer cell line growth and motility via the FAK pathway

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Fibroblast Activation Protein alpha (FAP-α) or seprase is an integral membrane serine peptidase. Previous work has not satisfactorily explained both the suppression and promotion effects that have been observed in cancer. The purpose of this work was to investigate the role of FAP-α in human breast cancer. Expression of FAP-α was characterized in primary tumour samples and in cell lines, along with the effects of FAP-α expression on in vitro growth, invasion, attachment and migration. Furthermore the potential interaction of FAP-α with other signalling pathways was investigated. Results FAP-α was significantly increased in patients with poor outcome and survival. In vitro results showed that breast cancer cells over expressing FAP-α had increased growth ability and impaired migratory ability. The growth of MDA-MB-231 cells and the adhesion and invasion ability of both MCF-7 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells were not dramatically influenced by FAP-α expression. Over-expression of FAP-α resulted in a reduction of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) level in both cells cultured in normal media and serum-free media. An inhibitor to FAK restored the reduced motility ability of both MCF-7exp cells and MDA-MB-231exp cells and prevented the change in phosphorylated FAK levels. However, inhibitors to PI3K, ERK, PLCϒ, NWASP, ARP2/3, and ROCK had no influence this. Conclusions FAP-α in significantly associated with poor outcome in patients with breast cancer. In vitro, FAP-α promotes proliferation and inhibits migration of breast cancer cells, potentially by regulating the FAK pathway. These results suggest FAP-α could be a target for future therapies. PMID:24885257

FAP-α (Fibroblast activation protein-α) is involved in the control of human breast cancer cell line growth and motility via the FAK pathway.

PubMed

Jia, Jun; Martin, Tracey Amanda; Ye, Lin; Jiang, Wen Guo

2014-05-21

Fibroblast Activation Protein alpha (FAP-α) or seprase is an integral membrane serine peptidase. Previous work has not satisfactorily explained both the suppression and promotion effects that have been observed in cancer. The purpose of this work was to investigate the role of FAP-α in human breast cancer. Expression of FAP-α was characterized in primary tumour samples and in cell lines, along with the effects of FAP-α expression on in vitro growth, invasion, attachment and migration. Furthermore the potential interaction of FAP-α with other signalling pathways was investigated. FAP-α was significantly increased in patients with poor outcome and survival. In vitro results showed that breast cancer cells over expressing FAP-α had increased growth ability and impaired migratory ability. The growth of MDA-MB-231 cells and the adhesion and invasion ability of both MCF-7 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells were not dramatically influenced by FAP-α expression. Over-expression of FAP-α resulted in a reduction of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) level in both cells cultured in normal media and serum-free media. An inhibitor to FAK restored the reduced motility ability of both MCF-7exp cells and MDA-MB-231exp cells and prevented the change in phosphorylated FAK levels. However, inhibitors to PI3K, ERK, PLCΥ, NWASP, ARP2/3, and ROCK had no influence this. FAP-α in significantly associated with poor outcome in patients with breast cancer. In vitro, FAP-α promotes proliferation and inhibits migration of breast cancer cells, potentially by regulating the FAK pathway. These results suggest FAP-α could be a target for future therapies.

Evaluation of glass resin coatings for solar cell applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Field, M. B.

1978-01-01

Using a variety of non-vacuum deposition techniques coatings were implemented on silicon solar cells and arrays of cells interconnected on Kapton substrates. The coatings provide both antireflection optical matching and environmental protection. Reflectance minima near 2% was achieved at a single wavelength in the visible. Reflectance averaging below 5% across the useful collection range was demonstrated. The coatings and methods of deposition were: (1) Ta2O5 spun, dipped or sprayed; (2) Ta2O5.SiO2 spun, dipped or sprayed; (3) GR908 (SiO2) spun, dipped, or sprayed. Total coating thickness were in the range of 18 microns to 25 microns. The coatings and processes are compatible with single cells or cells mounted on Kapton substrates.

Alteration of the Tumor Stroma Using a Consensus DNA Vaccine Targeting Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Synergizes with Antitumor Vaccine Therapy in Mice.

PubMed

Duperret, Elizabeth K; Trautz, Aspen; Ammons, Dylan; Perales-Puchalt, Alfredo; Wise, Megan C; Yan, Jian; Reed, Charles; Weiner, David B

2018-03-01

Purpose: Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts and is an interesting target for cancer immune therapy, with prior studies indicating a potential to affect the tumor stroma. Our aim was to extend this earlier work through the development of a novel FAP immunogen with improved capacity to break tolerance for use in combination with tumor antigen vaccines. Experimental Design: We used a synthetic consensus (SynCon) sequence approach to provide MHC class II help to support breaking of tolerance. We evaluated immune responses and antitumor activity of this novel FAP vaccine in preclinical studies, and correlated these findings to patient data. Results: This SynCon FAP DNA vaccine was capable of breaking tolerance and inducing both CD8 + and CD4 + immune responses. In genetically diverse, outbred mice, the SynCon FAP DNA vaccine was superior at breaking tolerance compared with a native mouse FAP immunogen. In several tumor models, the SynCon FAP DNA vaccine synergized with other tumor antigen-specific DNA vaccines to enhance antitumor immunity. Evaluation of the tumor microenvironment showed increased CD8 + T-cell infiltration and a decreased macrophage infiltration driven by FAP immunization. We extended this to patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, where we find high FAP expression correlates with high macrophage and low CD8 + T-cell infiltration. Conclusions: These results suggest that immune therapy targeting tumor antigens in combination with a microconsensus FAP vaccine provides two-fisted punch-inducing responses that target both the tumor microenvironment and tumor cells directly. Clin Cancer Res; 24(5); 1190-201. ©2018 AACR . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

Intestinal flora of FAP patients containing APC-like sequences.

PubMed

Hainova, K; Adamcikova, Z; Ciernikova, S; Stevurkova, V; Tyciakova, S; Zajac, V

2014-01-01

Colorectal cancer mortality is one of the most common cause of cancer-related mortality. A multiple risk factors are associated with colorectal cancer, including hereditary, enviromental and inflammatory syndromes affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is characterized by the emergence of hundreds to thousands of colorectal adenomatous polyps and FAP syndrome is caused by mutations within the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor gene. We analyzed 21 rectal bacterial subclones isolated from FAP patient 41-1 with confirmed 5bp ACAAA deletion within codons 1060-1063 for the presence of APC-like sequences in longest exon 15. The studied section was defined by primers 15Efor-15Erev, what correlates with mutation cluster region (MCR) in which the 75% of all APC germline mutations were detected. More than 90% homology was showed by sequencing and subsequent software comparison. The expression of APC-like sequences was demostrated by Western blot analysis using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against APC protein. To study missing link between the DNA analysis (PCR, DNA sequencing) and protein expresion experiments (Western blotting) we analyzed bacterial transcripts containing the 15Efor-15Erev sequence of APC gene by reverse transcription-PCR, what indicated that an APC gene derived fragment may be produced. We observed 97-100 % homology after computer comparison of cDNA PCR products. Our results suggest that presence of APC-like sequences in intestinal/rectal bacteria is enrichment of bacterial genetic information in which horizontal gene transfer between humans and microflora play an important role.

Mapping the low palmitate fap1 mutation and validation of its effects in soybean oil and agronomic traits in three soybean populations.

PubMed

Cardinal, Andrea J; Whetten, Rebecca; Wang, Sanbao; Auclair, Jérôme; Hyten, David; Cregan, Perry; Bachlava, Eleni; Gillman, Jason; Ramirez, Martha; Dewey, Ralph; Upchurch, Greg; Miranda, Lilian; Burton, Joseph W

2014-01-01

fap 1 mutation is caused by a G174A change in GmKASIIIA that disrupts a donor splice site recognition and creates a GATCTG motif that enhanced its expression. Soybean oil with reduced palmitic acid content is desirable to reduce the health risks associated with consumption of this fatty acid. The objectives of this study were: to identify the genomic location of the reduced palmitate fap1 mutation, determine its molecular basis, estimate the amount of phenotypic variation in fatty acid composition explained by this locus, determine if there are epistatic interactions between the fap1 and fap nc loci and, determine if the fap1 mutation has pleiotropic effects on seed yield, oil and protein content in three soybean populations. This study detected two major QTL for 16:0 content located in chromosome 5 (GmFATB1a, fap nc) and chromosome 9 near BARCSOYSSR_09_1707 that explained, with their interaction, 66-94 % of the variation in 16:0 content in the three populations. Sequencing results of a putative candidate gene, GmKASIIIA, revealed a single unique polymorphism in the germplasm line C1726, which was predicted to disrupt the donor splice site recognition between exon one and intron one and produce a truncated KASIIIA protein. This G to A change also created the GATCTG motif that enhanced gene expression of the mutated GmKASIIIA gene. Lines homozygous for the GmKASIIIA mutation (fap1) had a significant reduction in 16:0, 18:0, and oil content; and an increase in unsaturated fatty acids content. There were significant epistatic interactions between GmKASIIIA (fap1) and fap nc for 16:0 and oil contents, and seed yield in two populations. In conclusion, the fap1 phenotype is caused by a single unique SNP in the GmKASIIIA gene.

Efficiency improvement of silicon solar cells enabled by ZnO nanowhisker array coating

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

An efficient antireflection coating is critical for the improvement of silicon solar cell performance via increased light coupling. Here, we have grown well-aligned ZnO nanowhisker (NW) arrays on Czochralski silicon solar cells by a seeding-growth two-step process. It is found that the ZnO NWs have a great effect on the macroscopic antireflection effect and, therefore, improves the solar cell performance. The ZnO NW array-coated solar cells display a broadband reflection suppression from 500 to 1,100 nm, and the minimum reflectance smaller than 3% can easily be achieved. By optimizing the time of ZnO NW growth, it has been confirmed that an increase of 3% relatively in the solar cell efficiency can be obtained. These results are quite interesting for the application of ZnO nanostructure in the fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. PMID:22704578

Our experience of treatment of cribriform morular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma; difference in clinicopathological features of FAP-associated and sporadic patients.

PubMed

Ito, Yasuhiro; Miyauchi, Akira; Ishikawa, Hideki; Hirokawa, Mitsuhiro; Kudo, Takumi; Tomoda, Chisato; Miya, Akihiro

2011-01-01

Cribriform-morular variant (CMV) is a comparably rare histological subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). This can be associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) due to APC gene mutations. In this study, we investigated the difference in the biological characteristics between FAP-associated and sporadic CMV. Between 1991 and 2010, 32 patients with CMV were treated in Kuma Hospital. Thirty-one of these underwent initial surgery for CMV in Kuma Hospital. Twelve patients were FAP-associated and the remaining 19 were sporadic CMV. All patients were female. Tumors of FAP-associated CMV were more frequently multiple than those of sporadic CMV. Patient age and tumor size did not differ between the two groups. Of 12 FAP-associated CMV, 5 were detected by thyroid nodule (thyroid precedent group) and 7 were detected by FAP (polyposis precedent group) as an initial manifestation. Patient age was younger and tumor size was smaller in the polyposis group than in the thyroid nodule group. All patients lacked extrathyroid extension on intraoperative finding and were node-negative on pathological examination. To date, two patients with FAP-associated CMV who initially underwent hemithyroidectomy (one in Kuma Hospital and one in another hospital) showed recurrence to the remnant thyroid during follow-up. None of the patients showed recurrence to other regions or died of carcinoma. Taken together, CMV is considered an indolent disease in our series. FAP-associated CMV showed multiple tumors more frequently than sporadic CMV. Total thyroidectomy is recommended for FAP-associated CMV, but extensive lymph node dissection is not necessary.

Interplay between Ret and Fap-1 regulates CD95-mediated apoptosis in medullary thyroid cancer cells.

PubMed

Nicolini, Valentina; Cassinelli, Giuliana; Cuccuru, Giuditta; Bongarzone, Italia; Petrangolini, Giovanna; Tortoreto, Monica; Mondellini, Piera; Casalini, Patrizia; Favini, Enrica; Zaffaroni, Nadia; Zunino, Franco; Lanzi, Cinzia

2011-10-01

Emerging evidence suggests that Ret oncoproteins expressed in medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) might evade the pro-apoptotic function of the dependence receptor proto-Ret by directly impacting the apoptosis machinery. Identification of the molecular determinants of the interplay between Ret signaling and apoptosis might provide a relevant contribution to the optimization of Ret-targeted therapies. Here, we describe the cross-talk between Ret-M918T oncogenic mutant responsible for type 2B multiple endocrine syndrome (MEN2B), and components of death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptosis pathway. In the human MEN2B-type MTC cell line MZ-CRC-1 expressing Ret-M918T, Ret was found associated with Fap-1, known as inhibitor of the CD95 death receptor trafficking to the cell membrane, and with procaspase-8, the initiator pro-form caspase in the extrinsic apoptosis pathway. Cell treatment with the anti-tumor Ret kinase inhibitor RPI-1 inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation of procaspase-8, likely inducing its local activation, followed by downregulation of both Ret and Fap-1, and translocation of CD95 into lipid rafts. According to the resulting increase of CD95 cell surface expression, the CD95 agonist antibody CH11 enhanced RPI-1-induced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis. RET RNA interference downregulated Fap-1 protein in MZ-CRC-1 cells, whereas exogenous RET-M918T upregulated Fap-1 in HEK293 cells. Overall, these data indicate that the Ret oncoprotein exerts opposing controls on Fap-1 and CD95, increasing Fap-1 expression and decreasing CD95 cell surface expression. The functional interplay of the Ret mutant with the extrinsic apoptosis pathway provides a mechanism possibly contributing to MTC malignant phenotype and a rational basis for novel therapeutic strategies combining Ret inhibitors and CD95 agonists. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of mutation analysis of the APC gene in the management of FAP patients. A controversial issue.

PubMed

Dodaro, Concetta; Grifasi, Carlo; Florio, Jole; Santangelo, Michele L; Duraturo, Francesca; De Rosa, Marina; Izzo, Paola; Renda, Andrea

A correlation between the location of mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene and clinical manifestations of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) has repeatedly been reported. Some Authors suggest the use of mutational analysis as a guide to select the best surgical option in FAP patients. However, data coming from studies on large series have raised questions on this issue. The aim of this study is to discuss the role of the genetic tests in the management of FAP. A literature review was performed considering only peer-reviewed articles published between 1991-2015. All the studies examined the role of genetic as a guide for surgical management of FAP. Of 363 articles identified, 21 were selected for full-text review. We found different positions with regard the use of genetic tests to determine surgical management of FAP. In particular, while consistent correlations between the APC mutation site and FAP phenotype were observed in large series, 8 studies reported a wide variation of genotypephenotype correlation in patients with the same mutation and they recommended that decisions regarding surgical strategy should be based not only on genotype but also on the clinical factors and the will of the patient who must be fully informed. The decision on the type and the timing of surgery should be based on the assessment of many factors and genotype assessment should be used in combination with clinical data. Disease severity, Familial adenomatous polyposis, Genetic tests, Genotype-phenotype correlations, Surgical management.

A Patient With Desmoid Tumors and Familial FAP Having Frame Shift Mutation of the APC Gene.

PubMed

Sadighi, Sanambar; Ghaffari-Moghaddam, Mahsa; Saffari, Mojtaba; Mohagheghi, Mohammad Ali; Shirkoohi, Reza

2017-02-01

Desmoids tumors, characterized by monoclonal proliferation of myofibroblasts, could occur in 5-10% of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) as an extra-colonic manifestation of the disease. FAP can develop when there is a germ-line mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli gene. Although mild or attenuated FAP may follow mutations in 5΄ extreme of the gene, it is more likely that 3΄ extreme mutations haveamore severe manifestation of thedisease. A 28-year-old woman was admitted to the Cancer Institute of Iran with an abdominal painful mass. She had strong family history of FAP and underwent prophylactic total colectomy. Pre-operative CT scans revealed a large mass. Microscopic observation showed diffuse fibroblast cell infiltration of the adjacent tissue structures. Peripheral blood DNA extraction followed by adenomatous polyposis coli gene exon by exon sequencing was performed to investigate the mutation in adenomatous polyposis coli gene. Analysis of DNA sequencing demonstrated a mutation of 4 bpdeletions at codon 1309-1310 of the exon 16 of adenomatous polyposis coli gene sequence which was repeated in 3 members of the family. Some of them had desmoid tumor without classical FAP history. Even when there is no familial history of adenomatous polyposis, the adenomatous polyposis coli gene mutation should be investigated in cases of familial desmoids tumors for a suitable prevention. The 3΄ extreme of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene is still the best likely location in such families.

Hexagonal arrays of round-head silicon nanopillars for surface anti-reflection applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Wensheng; Dottermusch, Stephan; Reitz, Christian; Richards, Bryce S.

2016-10-01

We designed and fabricated an anti-reflection surface of hexagonal arrays of round-head silicon nanopillars. The measurements show a significant reduction in reflectivity across a broad spectral range. However, we then grew a conformal titanium dioxide coating via atomic layer deposition to achieve an extremely low weighted average reflection of 2.1% over the 460-1040 nm wavelength range. To understand the underlying reasons for the reduced reflectance, the simulations were conducted and showed that it is due to strong forward scattering of incident light into the silicon substrate. The calculated normalized scattering cross section demonstrates a broadband distribution feature, and the peak has a red-shift to longer wavelengths. Finally, we report two-dimensional weighted average reflectance as a function of both wavelength and angle of incidence and present the resulting analysis contour map.

The HMDS Coating Flaw Removal Tool

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Monticelli, M V; Nostrand, M C; Mehta, N

2008-10-24

In many high energy laser systems, optics with HMDS sol gel antireflective coatings are placed in close proximity to each other making them particularly susceptible to certain types of strong optical interactions. During the coating process, halo shaped coating flaws develop around surface digs and particles. Depending on the shape and size of the flaw, the extent of laser light intensity modulation and consequent probability of damaging downstream optics may increase significantly. To prevent these defects from causing damage, a coating flaw removal tool was developed that deploys a spot of decane with a syringe and dissolves away the coatingmore » flaw. The residual liquid is evacuated leaving an uncoated circular spot approximately 1mm in diameter. The resulting uncoated region causes little light intensity modulation and thus has a low probability of causing damage in optics downstream from the mitigated flaw site.« less

Fabrication of Antireflective Sub-Wavelength Structures on Silicon Nitride Using Nano Cluster Mask for Solar Cell Application

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

We have developed a simple and scalable approach for fabricating sub-wavelength structures (SWS) on silicon nitride by means of self-assembled nickel nanoparticle masks and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ion etching. Silicon nitride SWS surfaces with diameter of 160–200 nm and a height of 140–150 nm were obtained. A low reflectivity below 1% was observed over wavelength from 590 to 680 nm. Using the measured reflectivity data in PC1D, the solar cell characteristics has been compared for single layer anti-reflection (SLAR) coatings and SWS and a 0.8% improvement in efficiency has been seen. PMID:20596409

First Steps in FAP: Experiences of Beginning Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Therapist with an Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Client

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manduchi, Katia; Schoendorff, Benjamin

2012-01-01

Practicing Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) for the first time can seem daunting to therapists. Establishing a deep and intense therapeutic relationship, identifying FAP's therapeutic targets of clinically relevant behaviors, and using contingent reinforcement to help clients emit more functional behavior in the therapeutic relationship all…

miR-204 reverses temozolomide resistance and inhibits cancer initiating cells phenotypes by degrading FAP-α in glioblastoma.

PubMed

Yang, Yun-Na; Zhang, Xiang-Hua; Wang, Yan-Ming; Zhang, Xi; Gu, Zheng

2018-05-01

Malignant gliomas are treated with temozolomide (TMZ) at present, but often exhibit resistance to this agent. Cancer-initiating cells (CICs) have been suggested to lead to TMZ resistance. The mechanisms underlying CICs-based TMZ resistance are not fully understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to serve important roles in tumorigenesis and TMZ resistance. In the present study, a sphere forming assay and western blot analysis were performed to detect the formation of CICs and fibroblast activation protein α (FAP-α) protein expression. It was revealed that TMZ resistance promoted the formation of CICs and upregulated FAP-α expression in glioblastoma cells. Over-expressing FAP-α was also demonstrated to promote TMZ resistance and induce the formation of CICs in U251MG cells. In addition, using a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, it was observed that miR-204 was downregulated in U251MG-resistant (-R) cells. miR-204 expression negatively correlated with the FAP-α levels in human glioblastoma tissues, and it may inhibit the formation of CICs and reverse TMZ resistance in U251MG-R cells. Therefore, it was concluded that miR-204 reversed temozolomide resistance and inhibited CICs phenotypes by degrading FAP-α in glioblastoma.

miR-204 reverses temozolomide resistance and inhibits cancer initiating cells phenotypes by degrading FAP-α in glioblastoma

PubMed Central

Yang, Yun-Na; Zhang, Xiang-Hua; Wang, Yan-Ming; Zhang, Xi; Gu, Zheng

2018-01-01

Malignant gliomas are treated with temozolomide (TMZ) at present, but often exhibit resistance to this agent. Cancer-initiating cells (CICs) have been suggested to lead to TMZ resistance. The mechanisms underlying CICs-based TMZ resistance are not fully understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to serve important roles in tumorigenesis and TMZ resistance. In the present study, a sphere forming assay and western blot analysis were performed to detect the formation of CICs and fibroblast activation protein α (FAP-α) protein expression. It was revealed that TMZ resistance promoted the formation of CICs and upregulated FAP-α expression in glioblastoma cells. Over-expressing FAP-α was also demonstrated to promote TMZ resistance and induce the formation of CICs in U251MG cells. In addition, using a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, it was observed that miR-204 was downregulated in U251MG-resistant (-R) cells. miR-204 expression negatively correlated with the FAP-α levels in human glioblastoma tissues, and it may inhibit the formation of CICs and reverse TMZ resistance in U251MG-R cells. Therefore, it was concluded that miR-204 reversed temozolomide resistance and inhibited CICs phenotypes by degrading FAP-α in glioblastoma. PMID:29725461

Self-organized antireflection CuIn(S,Se)2 nano-protrusions on flexible substrates by ion erosion based on CuInS2 nanocrystal precursor inks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Yu-Ting; Wang, Yi-Chung; Chen, Chia-Wei; Tsai, Hung-Wei; Chen, Yu-Ze; Hu, Fan; Chueh, Yu-Lun

2015-11-01

In this work, an approach to achieve surface nano-protrusions on a chalcopyrite CuIn(S,Se)2 thin film was demonstrated. Home-made CuInS2 nanocrystals with average diameter of 20 nm were prepared and characterized. By applying ion erosion process on the CuIn(S,Se)2 film, large-area self-aligned nano-protrusions can be formed. Interestingly, the process can be applied on flexible substrate where the CuIn(S,Se)2 film remains intact with no visible cracking after several bending tests. In addition, reflectance spectra reveal the extraordinary anti-reflectance characteristics of nano-protrusions on the CuIn(S,Se)2 film with the incident light from 350 to 2000 nm. A 36-cm2 CuIn(S,Se)2 film with nano-protrusions on flexible molybdenum foil substrate has been demonstrated, which demonstrated the feasibility of developing low cost with a high optical absorption CuIn(S,Se)2 flexible thin film.

Iterative design of emetine-based prodrug targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and dipeptidyl peptidase IV DPPIV using a tandem enzymatic activation strategy.

PubMed

Akinboye, Emmanuel S; Brennen, W Nathaniel; Rosen, D Marc; Bakare, Oladapo; Denmeade, Samuel R

2016-06-01

There is an urgent need to develop new agents for treating metastatic prostate cancer to overcome multiple drug resistance to the current standard targeted cancer therapy. Emetine is a highly cytotoxic natural product protein synthesis inhibitor, which is toxic to all cell types. Its cytotoxicity can be blocked by derivatizing its N-2' position. Thus emetine can be selectively delivered to cancer cells in the region of metastatic cancer as a prodrug that will be activated by an enzyme selectively overexpressed within the metastatic tumor microenvironment. In this work, we convert emetine to a prodrug activatable by the fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a serine protease overexpressed by the carcinoma associated fibroblasts. By using an iterative structure-activity relationship strategy, several peptidyl emetine prodrug analogs (1-11) were synthesized by chemical derivatization of emetine at its N-2' position and tested for in-vitro activation by FAP. The lead prodrug 11 is made up of a DPPIV activatable prodrug precursor 10 (Ala-Pro-PABC-Emetine) coupled to FAP substrate (Ala-Ser-Gly-Pro-Ala-Gly-Pro). Activation assays of the prodrugs were performed in purified FAP, DPPIV, FBS, and human serum and were analyzed by LCMS. In vitro cytotoxicity assays of these prodrugs are carried out in prostate (LNCaP, PC3) and breast (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines. The prodrugs are also tested in normal immortalized human prostatic epithelial cell line (PrEC). The lead FAP activated emetine prodrug 11 is activated to emetine in tandem by FAP and DPPIV in about 70% conversion within 24 hr. In prostate and breast cancer cell lines treated with prodrug 11, it is found to be equipotent with emetine in the presence of FAP and DPPIV. However, in the PrEC cell line grown in serum free media, prodrug 11 is more than 200-fold less cytotoxic than emetine in the absence of FAP and DPPIV. This FAP activated prodrug of cytotoxic agent emetine further shows the crucial role of the

Upper GI tract lesions in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP): enrichment of pyloric gland adenomas and other gastric and duodenal neoplasms.

PubMed

Wood, Laura D; Salaria, Safia N; Cruise, Michael W; Giardiello, Francis M; Montgomery, Elizabeth A

2014-03-01

Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome caused by mutations in the APC gene, develop neoplasms in both the upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract. To clarify the upper GI tract lesions in FAP patients in a tertiary care setting, we reviewed specimens from 321 endoscopies in 66 patients with FAP. Tubular adenomas in the small bowel were the most common neoplasms (present in 89% of patients), although only 1 patient developed invasive carcinoma of the small bowel. Several types of gastric neoplasms were identified--65% of patients had at least 1 fundic gland polyp, and 23% of patients had at least 1 gastric foveolar-type gastric adenoma. Pyloric gland adenomas were also enriched, occurring in 6% of patients--this is a novel finding in FAP patients. Despite the high frequency of gastric neoplasms, only 1 patient developed carcinoma in the stomach. The very low frequency of carcinoma in these patients suggests that current screening procedures prevent the vast majority of upper GI tract carcinomas in patients with FAP, at least in the tertiary care setting.

Characterisation of serum transthyretin by electrospray ionisation-ion mobility mass spectrometry: Application to familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy type I (FAP-I).

PubMed

Pont, Laura; Benavente, Fernando; Vilaseca, Marta; Giménez, Estela; Sanz-Nebot, Victoria

2015-11-01

Transthyretin (TTR) is a homotetrameric protein which is known to misfold and aggregate causing different types of amyloidosis, such as familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy type I (FAP-I). FAP-I is associated with a specific TTR mutant variant (TTR (Met30)) that can be easily detected analysing the monomeric forms of the mutant protein. Meanwhile, the mechanism of protein aggregation onset, which could be triggered by structural changes on the native tetrameric protein complex, remains uncertain. We developed and described herein a new sample pretreatment based on immunoprecipitation (IP) to purify TTR from serum under non-denaturing conditions. Later, a nano-electrospray ionization-ion mobility mass spectrometry (nano-ESI-IM-MS or IM-MS) method was optimised to analyse the protein complexes in serum samples from healthy controls and FAP-I patients. IM-MS allowed separation and characterisation of tetrameric, trimeric and dimeric TTR gas ions due to their differential drift time, which is related to ion size and charge. The tetramer-to-dimer abundance ratio was differential between healthy controls and FAP-I patients (asymptomatic, symptomatic and an iatrogenic patient originally without the mutation who received a liver transplant from an FAP-I patient), and was also indicative of the effectiveness of liver transplantation as a treatment for FAP-I. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Saying good goodbyes to your clients: A functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) perspective.

PubMed

Tsai, Mavis; Gustafsson, Tore; Kanter, Jonathan; Plummer Loudon, Mary; Kohlenberg, Robert J

2017-03-01

Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) promotes client growth by shaping clients' daily life problems that also show up in session with their therapists. FAP therapists create evocative contexts within therapy that afford clients the opportunity to practice, refine, and be reinforced for new, more adaptive behaviors which then can be generalized into their outside lives. In FAP, the termination process will vary from client to client depending on the nature of the client's problems and targets. For many clients, the process can be a rich, multifaceted, final opportunity to evoke, reinforce, and promote generalization of clients' in-session improvements, particularly improvements related to vulnerable self-expression in the service of intimate and close relationships. By making explicit agreements at the outset of therapy to participate in an intentional termination process, and by later providing an evocative structure for ending therapy with vulnerable emotional expression, clients have the opportunity to develop more adaptive behaviors in the context of relationship endings which can be a painful part of the human experience. Equipped with the skills of open-hearted communication developed from an authentic relationship with their therapist, clients can leave therapy on a trajectory of further growth in interpersonal connection and living more boldly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Human microRNA expression in sporadic and FAP-associated desmoid tumors and correlation with beta-catenin mutations.

PubMed

Cavallini, Aldo; Rotelli, Maria Teresa; Lippolis, Catia; Piscitelli, Domenico; Digennaro, Rosa; Covelli, Claudia; Carella, Nicola; Accetturo, Matteo; Altomare, Donato Francesco

2017-06-27

Desmoid tumors (DT) are rare, benign, fibroblastic neoplasm with challenging histological diagnosis. DTs can occur sporadically or associated with the familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP). Most sporadic DTs are associated with β-catenin gene (CTNNB1) mutations, while mutated APC gene causes FAP disease. microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in many human carcinogenesis.The miRNA profile was analyzed by microarray in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens of 12 patients (8 sporadic, 4 FAP-associated) and 4 healthy controls. One hundred and one mRNAs resulted dysregulated, of which 98 in sporadic DTs and 8 in FAP-associated DTs, 5 were shared by both tumors. Twenty-six miRNAs were then validated by RT-qPCR in 23 sporadic and 7 FAP-associated DT samples matched with healthy controls. The qPCR method was also used to evaluate the CTNNB1 mutational status in sporadic DTs. The correlation between sporadic DTs and miRNA expression showed that miR-21-3p increased in mutated versus wild-type DTs, while miR-197-3p was decreased. The mRNA expression of Tetraspanin3 and Serpin family A member 3, as miR-21-3p targets, and L1 Cell Adhesion Molecule, as miR-197-3p target, was also evaluate. CTNNB1 mutations associated to miRNA dysregulation could affect the genesis and the progression of this disease and help histological diagnosis of sporadic DTs.

Angle dependent antireflection property of TiO2 inspired by cicada wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zada, Imran; Zhang, Wang; Li, Yao; Sun, Peng; Cai, Nianjin; Gu, Jiajun; Liu, Qinglei; Su, Huilan; Zhang, Di

2016-10-01

Inspired by cicada wings, biomorphic TiO2 with antireflective structures (ARSs) was precisely fabricated using a simple, inexpensive, and highly effective sol-gel process combined with subsequent calcination. It was confirmed that the fabricated biomorphic TiO2 not only effectively inherited the ARS but also exhibited high-performance angle dependent antireflective properties ranging from normal to 45°. Reflectance spectra demonstrated that the reflectivity of the biomorphic TiO2 with ARSs gradually changed from 1.4% to 7.8% with the increasing incidence angle over a large visible wavelength range. This angle dependent antireflective property is attributed to an optimized gradient refractive index between air and TiO2 via ARSs on the surface. Such surfaces with ARSs may have potential application in solar cells.

Characterisation of FAP-1 expression and CD95 mediated apoptosis in the A818-6 pancreatic adenocarcinoma differentiation system.

PubMed

Winterhoff, Boris J N; Arlt, Alexander; Duttmann, Angelika; Ungefroren, Hendrik; Schäfer, Heiner; Kalthoff, Holger; Kruse, Marie-Luise

2012-03-01

The present study investigated the expression and localisation of FAP-1 (Fas associated phosphatase-1) and CD95 in a 3D differentiation model in comparison to 2D monolayers of the pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line A818-6. Under non-adherent growth conditions, A818-6 cells differentiate into 3D highly organised polarised epithelial hollow spheres, resembling duct-like structures. A818-6 cells showed a differentiation-dependent FAP-1 localisation. Cells grown as 2D monolayers revealed FAP-1 staining in a juxtanuclear cisternal position, as well as localisation in the nucleus. After differentiation into hollow spheres, FAP-1 was relocated towards the actin cytoskeleton beneath the outer plasma membrane of polarised cells and no further nuclear localisation was observed. CD95 surface staining was found only in a subset of A818-6 monolayer cells, while differentiated hollow spheres appeared to express CD95 in all cells of a given sphere. We rarely observed co-localisation of CD95 and FAP-1 in A818-6 monolayer cells, but strong co-localisation beneath the outer plasma membrane in polarised cells. Analysis of surface expression by flow cytometry revealed that only a subset (36%) of monolayer cells showed CD95 surface expression, and after induction of hollow spheres, CD95 presentation at the outer plasma membrane was reduced to 13% of hollow spheres. Induction of apoptosis by stimulation with agonistic anti-CD95 antibodies, resulted in increased caspase activity in both, monolayer cells and hollow spheres. Knock down of FAP-1 mRNA in A818-6 monolayer cells did not alter resposiveness to CD95 agonistic antibodies. These data suggested that CD95 signal transduction was not affected by FAP-1 expression in A818-6 monolayer cells. In differentiated 3D hollow spheres, we found a polarisation-induced co-localisation of CD95 and FAP-1. A tight control of receptor surface representation and signalling induced apoptosis ensures controlled removal of individual cells instead of a

The importance of a large sample cohort for studies on modifier genes influencing disease severity in FAP patients.

PubMed

Talseth-Palmer, Bente A; Wijnen, Juul T; Andreassen, Eva K; Barker, Daniel; Jagmohan-Changur, Shantie; Tops, Carli M; Meldrum, Cliff; Spigelman, Allan; Hes, Frederik J; Van Wezel, Tom; Vasen, Hans Fa; Scott, Rodney J

2013-12-29

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is usually characterised by the appearance of hundreds-to-thousands of adenomas throughout the colon and rectum and if left untreated the condition will develop into CRC with close to 100% penetrance. Germline mutations in the APC gene, which plays an integral role in the Wnt-signalling pathway, have been found to be responsible for 70-90% of FAP cases. Several studies suggest that modifier genes may play an important role in the development of CRC and possible modifiers for FAP have been suggested. Interestingly, a study has found that SNPs within ATP5A1 is associated with raised levels of ATP5A1 expression and high expression levels may facilitate CRC development. We aimed to determine if SNPs in ATP5A1 modify the risk of developing CRC/adenomas in FAP patients. Genomic DNA from 139 Australian FAP patients with a germline APC mutation underwent genotyping at the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) utilising iPLEX GOLD chemistry with Sequenom MassArray on an Autoflex Spectrometer for 16 SNPs in the ATP5A1 gene. Association between ages of diagnosis/risk of CRC/adenomas was tested with Kaplan-Meier estimator analysis, logistic regression and cox proportional hazard regression. An association between age of diagnosis of CRC and genotypes was observed for SNP rs2578189 (p = 0.0014), with individuals harbouring the variant genotype developing CRC 29 years earlier than individuals harbouring the wildtype genotype. Individuals harbouring the variant genotype of SNP rs2578189 were also at increased risk of CRC (HR = 13.79, 95% CI = 2.36-80.64, p = 0.004). We used an independent Dutch FAP cohort (n = 427) to validate our results; no association between SNP rs2578189 and CRC was observed. These results highlight the difficulties in studying a disease that has a high degree of intervention and also emphasize the importance of large sample sizes when searching for modifier genes in patients with an inherited

A distinct variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma indicating familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP): a case report and brief review.

PubMed

Liyanapathirana, Nishantha; Seneviratne, Sanjeewa Anuruddha; Samarasekera, Dharmabandhu Nandadeva

2015-12-17

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominantly inherited intestinal polyposis syndrome with an incidence of about 1/8300 births and accounts for about 1% of all colorectal cancers. It has a spectrum of extra-intestinal manifestations including thyroid carcinoma which occur in 1-2% of affected. The cribriform morular variant (CMV) is a rare but distinct histological subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) associated with FAP. Most of the reported cases describe the above entity in the background of well-established FAP. We report a case where both entities presenting simultaneously in a previously undiagnosed patient with FAP without a family history of polyposis. A 24 year old Asian female presented to the surgical clinic with a goitre of eight months duration and recent onset of altered bowel habits with features of anaemia. She was previously healthy and there was no family history of adenomatous polyposis, colorectal carcinoma or thyroid neoplasms. Colonoscopy revealed large bowel polyposis and fine needle aspiration of thyroid revealed a smear suspicious for malignancy. She underwent total thyroidectomy which revealed CMV PTC. Histology was characterized by a prominent cribriform pattern of growth with interspersed cell clusters arranged as morules along with papillary structures which are the key features of this subtype. Diagnosis of CMV warrants ruling out of underlying FAP, irrespective of family history or gastrointestinal symptoms.

Novel anti-reflection technology for GaAs single-junction solar cells using surface patterning and Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Kim, Youngjo; Lam, Nguyen Dinh; Kim, Kangho; Kim, Sangin; Rotermund, Fabian; Lim, Hanjo; Lee, Jaejin

2012-07-01

Single-junction GaAs solar cell structures were grown by low-pressure MOCVD on GaAs (100) substrates. Micro-rod arrays with diameters of 2 microm, 5 microm, and 10 microm were fabricated on the surfaces of the GaAs solar cells via photolithography and wet chemical etching. The patterned surfaces were coated with Au nanoparticles using an Au colloidal solution. Characteristics of the GaAs solar cells with and without the micro-rod arrays and Au nanoparticles were investigated. The short-circuit current density of the GaAs solar cell with 2 microm rod arrays and Au nanoparticles increased up to 34.9% compared to that of the reference cell without micro-rod arrays and Au nanoparticles. The conversion efficiency of the GaAs solar cell that was coated with Au nanoparticles on the patterned surface with micro-rod arrays can be improved from 14.1% to 19.9% under 1 sun AM 1.5G illumination. These results show that micro-rod arrays and Au nanoparticle coating can be applied together in surface patterning to achieve a novel cost-effective anti-reflection technology.

Hollow carbon spheres in microwaves: Bio inspired absorbing coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bychanok, D.; Li, S.; Sanchez-Sanchez, A.; Gorokhov, G.; Kuzhir, P.; Ogrin, F. Y.; Pasc, A.; Ballweg, T.; Mandel, K.; Szczurek, A.; Fierro, V.; Celzard, A.

2016-01-01

The electromagnetic response of a heterostructure based on a monolayer of hollow glassy carbon spheres packed in 2D was experimentally surveyed with respect to its response to microwaves, namely, the Ka-band (26-37 GHz) frequency range. Such an ordered monolayer of spheres mimics the well-known "moth-eye"-like coating structures, which are widely used for designing anti-reflective surfaces, and was modelled with the long-wave approximation. Based on the experimental and modelling results, we demonstrate that carbon hollow spheres may be used for building an extremely lightweight, almost perfectly absorbing, coating for Ka-band applications.

Antireflection effect of femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures on silicon.

PubMed

Vorobyev, A Y; Guo, Chunlei

2011-09-12

Following direct femtosecond laser pulse irradiation, we produce a unique grating structure over a large area superimposed by finer nanostructures on a silicon wafer. We study, for the first time, the antireflection effect of this femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures (FLIPSSs) in the wavelength range of 250 - 2500 nm. Our study shows that the FLIPSSs suppress both the total hemispherical and specular polarized reflectance of silicon surface significantly over the entire studied wavelength range. The total polarized reflectance of the processed surface is reduced by a factor of about 3.5 in the visible and 7 in the UV compared to an untreated sample. The antireflection effect of the FLIPSS surface is broadband and the suppression stays to the longest wavelength (2500 nm) studied here although the antireflection effect in the infrared is weaker than in the visible. Our FLIPSS structures are free of chemical contamination, highly durable, and easily controllable in size.

Evidence of a reverse side-chain effect of tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate [FAP]-based ionic liquids against pathogenic bacteria.

PubMed

Weyhing-Zerrer, Nadine; Kalb, Roland; Oßmer, Rolf; Rossmanith, Peter; Mester, Patrick

2018-02-01

Increased interest in ionic liquids (ILs) is due to their designable and tunable unique physicochemical properties, which are utilized for a wide variety of chemical and biotechnological applications. ILs containing the tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate ([FAP]) anion have been shown to have excellent hydrolytic, electrochemical and thermal stability and have been successfully used in various applications. In the present study the influence of the cation on the toxicity of the [FAP] anion was investigated. Due to the properties of [FAP] ILs, the IL-toxicity of seven cations with [FAP] compared to [Cl] was examined by determination of minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) on six Gram-positive and six Gram-negative clinically-relevant bacteria. For the first time, to our knowledge, the results provide evidence for a decrease in toxicity with increasing alkyl side-chain length, indicating that the combination of both ions is responsible for this 'reverse side-chain effect'. These findings could portend development of new non-toxic ILs as green alternatives to conventional organic solvents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anti-reflective nanoporous silicon for efficient hydrogen production

DOEpatents

Oh, Jihun; Branz, Howard M

2014-05-20

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed of anti-reflective nanoporous silicon for efficient hydrogen production by photoelectrolysis of water. A nanoporous black Si is disclosed as an efficient photocathode for H.sub.2 production from water splitting half-reaction.

Self-organized, effective medium black silicon antireflection structures for silicon optics in the mid-infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steglich, Martin; Käsebier, Thomas; Kley, Ernst-Bernhard; Tünnermann, Andreas

2016-09-01

Thanks to its high quality and low cost, silicon is the material of choice for optical devices operating in the mid-infrared (MIR; 2 μm to 6 μm wavelength). Unfortunately in this spectral region, the refractive index is comparably high (about 3.5) and leads to severe reflection losses of about 30% per interface. In this work, we demonstrate that self-organized, statistical Black Silicon structures, fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-RIE), can be used to effectively suppress interface reflection. More importantly, it is shown that antireflection can be achieved in an image-preserving, non-scattering way. This enables Black Silicon antireflection structures (ARS) for imaging applications in the MIR. It is demonstrated that specular transmittances of 97% can be easily achieved on both flat and curved substrates, e.g. lenses. Moreover, by a combined optical and morphological analysis of a multitude of different Black Silicon ARS, an effective medium criterion for the examined structures is derived that can also be used as a design rule for maximizing sample transmittance in a desired wavelength range. In addition, we show that the mechanical durability of the structures can be greatly enhanced by coating with hard dielectric materials like diamond-like carbon (DLC), hence enabling practical applications. Finally, the distinct advantages of statistical Black Silicon ARS over conventional AR layer stacks are discussed: simple applicability to topological substrates, absence of thermal stress and cost-effectiveness.

Ophthalmic optical coatings: The real world can be more aggressive than you think

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mildebrath, Mark; Klemm, Karl

2007-01-01

Ophthalmic antireflection coatings are not normally considered to be in the same category as other traditional optical coatings with respect to environmental damage. However, as a group, eyeglass lens wearers tend to subject their optical-coated eyewear to a broader and more aggressive range of environmental aggressions than at first imagined. This paper presents the environmental aggressions and, in some detail, the resultant coating defects observed in coated ophthalmic optics. Further, development of test methods for defect replication, to enable product improvements will be discussed. Real-life environments combine thermal, chemical, and mechanical "aggressions" which spectacle lenses are subjected to. These aggressions generate optical coating defects and failure modes involving abrasion, corrosion, and loss of adhesion. In addition, market forces driven by retail customer perceptions lead to product liabilities not normally considered to be of any consequence in traditional optical coating applications.

LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS: Nanosize relief: from phase masks to antireflection coatings on quartz and silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verevkin, Yu K.; Klimov, A. Yu; Gribkov, B. A.; Petryakov, V. N.; Koposova, E. V.; Olaizola, Santiago M.

2008-11-01

By using the interference of pulsed radiation and a complete lithographic cycle, phase masks on quartz and antireflection structures on quartz and silicon are produced. The transmission of radiation through a corrugated vacuum—solid interface is calculated by solving rigorously an integral equation with the help of a computer program for parameters close to experimental parameters. The results of measurements are in good agreement with calculations. The methods developed in the paper can be used for manufacturing optical and semiconductor devices.

mir-200c Regulates Induction of Apoptosis through CD95 by Targeting FAP-1

PubMed Central

Schickel, Robert; Park, Sun-Mi; Murmann, Andrea E.; Peter, Marcus E.

2010-01-01

SUMMARY Tumor progression shares many characteristics with the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cells that have undergone an EMT are known to have an increased resistance to apoptosis. CD95/Fas is an apoptosis-inducing receptor expressed on many tissues and tumor cells. During tumor progression CD95 is frequently downregulated, and tumor cells lose apoptosis sensitivity. miR-200 microRNAs repress both the EMT-inducing ZEB1 and ZEB2 transcription factors. We now demonstrate that miR-200c sensitizes cells to apoptosis mediated by CD95. We have identified the apoptosis inhibitor FAP-1 as a target for miR-200c. FAP-1 was demonstrated to be responsible for the reduced sensitivity to CD95-mediated apoptosis in cells with inhibited miR-200. The identification of FAP-1 as a miR-200c target provides a molecular mechanism to explain both the downregulation of CD95 expression and the reduction in sensitivity of cells to CD95-mediated apoptosis that is observed in the context of reduced miR-200 expression during tumor progression. PMID:20620960

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate as a potential therapeutic drug for TTR-related amyloidosis: "in vivo" evidence from FAP mice models.

PubMed

Ferreira, Nelson; Saraiva, Maria João; Almeida, Maria Rosário

2012-01-01

Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the extracellular deposition of mutant transthyretin (TTR), with special involvement of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Currently, hepatic transplantation is considered the most efficient therapy to halt the progression of clinical symptoms in FAP since more than 95% of TTR is produced by the liver. However, less invasive and more reliable therapeutic approaches have been proposed for FAP therapy, namely based on drugs acting as inhibitors of amyloid formation or as amyloid disruptors. We have recently reported that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant catechin in green tea, is able to inhibit TTR aggregation and fibril formation, "in vitro" and in a cellular system, and is also able to disrupt pre-formed amyloid fibrils "in vitro". In the present study, we assessed the effect of EGCG subchronic administration on TTR amyloidogenesis "in vivo", using well characterized animal models for FAP. Semiquantitative immunohistochemistry (SQ-IHC) and Western blot analysis of mice tissues after treatment demonstrated that EGCG inhibits TTR toxic aggregates deposition in about 50% along the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). Moreover EGCG treatment considerably lowered levels of several biomarkers associated with non-fibrillar TTR deposition, namely endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress, protein oxidation and apoptosis markers. Treatment of old FAP mice with EGCG resulted not only in the decrease of non-fibrillar TTR deposition but also in disaggregation of amyloid deposits. Consistently, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and serum amyloid P component (SAP), both markers of amyloid deposition, were also found reduced in treated old FAP mice. The dual effect of EGCG both as TTR aggregation inhibitor and amyloid fibril disruptor together with the high tolerability and low toxicity of EGCG in humans, point towards the potential use of this compound, or

[A Case in Which a Patient Was Operated for Intra-Abdominal Desmoid Tumors after Total Colectomy in FAP].

PubMed

Hoshi, Minako; Ikeda, Kimimasa; Higashiguchi, Kimiya; Kobayashi, Teruyuki; Sakai, Kenji; Koyama, Taichi; Doi, Takasi; Taniguchi, Hirokazu; Murakami, Masakazu; Kurokawa, Eiji; Nakamichi, Itsuko

2015-11-01

The patient was a 22-year-old woman with FAP, who had undergone laparoscopic total colectomy 3 years previously. She presented to our hospital with a high fever and abdominal pain. Large hard tumors were palpated in the right lower abdomen and pelvis. Blood examination showed an inflammatory response. CT scan revealed 17 cm diameter solid tumors. At surgery, 2 tumors arising from the mesentery of the small intestine were found, neither of which invaded any organs. We performed tumor extirpation with partial resection of the duodenum, ileum, right fallopian tube and rectum. A jejunal stoma was formed, leaving a length of remnant intestine of about 120 cm. The histopathological diagnosis was given as desmoid tumor with infection. The patient was discharged from the hospital on the 9th postoperative day. Desmoid tumor is the second most common cause of death in FAP patients. Although desmoids can also occur in the extremities, most FAP patients develop intra-abdominal tumors. Despite being histologically benign, they are locally infiltrative and can cause death through invasion and destruction of adjacent vital structures and organs. Here, we report a case of desmoid tumors with FAP with reference to the literature.

Free volume dependence of an ionic molecular rotor in Fluoroalkylphosphate (FAP) based ionic liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Prabhat K.; Mora, Aruna K.; Nath, Sukhendu

2016-01-01

The emission properties of Thioflavin-T (ThT), a cationic molecular rotor, have been investigated in two fluoroalkylphosphate ([FAP]) anion based ionic liquids, namely, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, over a wide temperature range. The micro-viscosities of ionic liquids around ThT, measured from the emission quantum yield, are found to be quite different from their bulk viscosities. The temperature dependence of the viscosity and the emission quantum yield reveals that, despite the very low shear viscosity of these ILs, the non-radiative torsional relaxation has a strong dependence on the free volume of these [FAP] anion based ILs.

Optical coatings for high average power XeF lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milam, D.; Thomas, I.; Wilder, J.; George, D.

1988-03-01

Porous silica, calcium and magnesium fluorides were investigated for potential use as antireflective coatings for XeF lasers. Excellent optical properties were obtained for all types, and laser damage thresholds were in the range 18 to 25 J/sq cm at 350 nm for 25 ns pulses at 25 Hz pulse repetition frequency. Studies of the effects of the XeF laser environment on these coatings were incomplete. Three oxides, ZrO2, HfO2, and Ta2O5 were investigated as the high index components to be paired with low index porous SiO2 for highly reflective dielectric coatings. Single oxide layers had indices in the 1.7 to 1.8 range and HfO2 coatings had the highest damage threshold at about 5 J/sq cm. An unexpected problem arose on attempts to prepare multilayer coatings. Stress in the coating after 6 to 8 layers had been put down, gave rise to crazing and peeling. This could not be avoided even on extending the curing process between coats.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krupke, William F.; Payne, Stephen A.; Chase, Lloyd L.

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises Ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca.sub.5 (PO.sub.4).sub.3 F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krupke, W.F.; Payne, S.A.; Chase, L.L.

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode.

Impact of antibodies against amyloidogenic transthyretin (ATTR) on phenotypes of patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) ATTR Valine30Methionine.

PubMed

Obayashi, Konen; Tasaki, Masayoshi; Jono, Hirofumi; Ueda, Mitsuharu; Shinriki, Satoru; Misumi, Yohei; Yamashita, Taro; Oshima, Toshinori; Nakamura, Teruya; Ikemizu, Shinji; Anan, Intissar; Suhr, Ole; Ando, Yukio

2013-04-18

This study investigated whether a relationship exists between the presence of de novo antibodies and the clinical manifestations of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). Serum samples were collected from 25 Japanese and 6 Swedish FAP amyloidogenic transthyretin (ATTR) Valine30Methionine (V30M) patients, 4 asymptomatic Japanese ATTR V30M gene carriers, and 24 Japanese healthy volunteers. Study methods included enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and mass spectrometry. Three Japanese and 5 Swedish patients had significantly higher levels of antibodies against ATTR than did healthy volunteers and asymptomatic gene carriers (P<0.05). All 8 patients with higher antibody levels were late-onset cases. The ratio of wild-type TTR to ATTR V30M in serum from the high-antibody group was higher than that of the low-antibody group. ELISA results revealed two epitopes at positions 24-35 and 105-115 of ATTR V30M. We found a significant positive correlation between levels of the antibody at positions 24-35 and the age at FAP onset (r=0.751, P<0.05). An age-dependent increase in the occurrence of antibodies was observed in these patients with an epitope at positions 24-35. These findings may help explain the differences in early- and late-onset FAP and/or the progression of FAP. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low expression of miR-30a-5p induced the proliferation and invasion of oral cancer via promoting the expression of FAP

PubMed Central

Ruan, Peng; Tao, Zezhang

2017-01-01

The study aimed at investigating the effects of miR-30a-5p on the biological functions of oral cancer cells and figuring out the potential mechanism. We first verified the low expression of miR-30a-5p and high expression of FAP (Homo sapiens fibroblast activation protein α) in oral cancerous tissues and their negative correlation. Then, the target relationship between miR-30a-5p and FAP was validated by dual luciferase reporter assay and biotin-coupled miRNA pulldown assay. After transfection in Tca-8113 cells and SCC-15 cells, MTT, colony formation, Transwell, and wound healing assays were performed to investigate how miR-30a-5p and FAP adjusted propagation, invasiveness, and migration, respectively. Mounting evidence supported that miR-30a-5p directly targetted FAP and suppressed its expression in oral cavity cancer cells (OSCCs). By suppressing FAP expression, miR-30a-5p significantly inhibited cell propagation, migration, and invasion. Therefore, miR-30a-5p might be a new therapeutic target for oral cancer treatment. PMID:29026005

Laser-induced damage of coatings on Yb:YAG crystals at cryogenic condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, He; Zhang, Weili; Chen, Shunli; Zhu, Meiping; He, Hongbo; Fan, Zhengxiu

2011-12-01

As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, some diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL), especially Yb:YAG laser, operate at cryogenic condition. This work investigated the laser induced damage of coatings (high-reflective and anti-reflective coatings) on Yb:YAG crystals at cryogenic temperature and room temperature. The results show that the damage threshold of coatings at cryogenic temperature is lower than the one at room temperature. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), optical profiler, step profiler and Atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to obtain the damage morphology, size and depth. Taking alteration of physical parameters, microstructure of coatings and the environmental pollution into consideration, we analyzed the key factor of lowering the coating damage threshold at cryogenic conditions. The results are important to understand the mechanisms leading to damage at cryogenic condition.

Design principles for morphologies of antireflection patterns for solar absorbing applications.

PubMed

Moon, Yoon-Jong; Na, Jin-Young; Kim, Sun-Kyung

2015-07-01

Two-dimensional surface texturing is a widespread technology for imparting broadband antireflection, yet its design rules are not completely understood. The dependence of the reflectance spectrum of a periodically patterned glass film on various structural parameters (e.g., pitch, height, shape, and fill factor) has been investigated by means of full-vectorial numerical simulations. An average weighted reflectivity accounting for the AM1.5G solar spectrum (λ=300-1000  nm) was sinusoidally modulated by a rod pattern's height, and was minimized for pitches of 400-600 nm. When a rationally optimized cone pattern was used, the average weighted reflectivity was less than 0.5%, for incident angles of up to 40° off normal. The broadband antireflection of a cone pattern was reproduced well by a graded refractive index film model corresponding to its geometry, with the addition of a diffraction effect resulting from its periodicity. The broadband antireflection ability of optimized cone patterns is not limited to the glass material, but rather is generically applicable to other semiconductor materials, including Si and GaAs. The design rules developed herein represent a key step in the development of light-absorbing devices, such as solar cells.

PTT analysis of polyps from FAP patients reveals a great majority of APC truncating mutations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luijt, R.B. van der; Khan, P.M.; Tops, C.M.J.

The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Germline APC mutations are associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an autosomal dominantly inherited predisposition to colorectal cancer, characterized by the development of numerous adenomatous polyps in the large intestine. In order to investigate whether somatic inactivation of the remaining APC allele is necessary for adenoma formation, we collected multiple adenomatous polyps from individual FAP patients and investigated the presence of somatic mutations in the APC gene. The analysis of somatic APC mutations in these tumor samples was performed using a rapid and sensitive assay, called themore » protein truncation test (PTT). Chain-terminating somatic APC mutations were detected in the great majority of the tumor samples investigated. As expected, these mutations were mainly located in the mutation cluster region (MCR) in exon 15. Our results confirm that somatic mutation of the second APC allele is required for adenoma formation in FAP. Interestingly, in the polyps investigated in our study, the second APC allele is somatically inactivated through point mutation leading to a stop codon rather than by loss of heterozygosity. The observation that somatic second hits in APC are required for tumor development in FAP is in apparent accordance with the Knudson hypothesis for classical tumor suppressor genes. However, it is yet unknown whether chain-terminating APC mutations lead to a truncated protein exerting a dominant-negative effect or whether these mutations result in a null allele. Further investigation of this important issue will hopefully provide a better understanding of the mechanism of action of the mutated APC alleles in colorectal carcinogenesis.« less

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krupke, W.F.; Payne, S.A.; Chase, L.L.

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca[sub 5](PO[sub 4])[sub 3]F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode. 9 figures.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOEpatents

Krupke, W.F.; Payne, S.A.; Chase, L.L.; Smith, L.K.

1994-01-18

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca[sub 5](PO[sub 4])[sub 3]F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode. 9 figures.

Preparation and performance of broadband antireflective sub-wavelength structures on Ge substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Xiang-Wei; Liu, Zheng-Tang; Li, Yang-Ping; Lu, Hong-Cheng; Xu, Qi-Yuan; Liu, Wen-Ting

2009-01-01

Sub-wavelength structures (SWS) were prepared on Ge substrates through photolithography and reactive ion etching (RIE) technology for broadband antireflective purposes in the long wave infrared (LWIR) waveband of 8-12 μm. Topography of the etched patterns was observed using high resolution optical microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM). Infrared transmission performance of the SWS was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Results show that the etched patterns were of high uniformity and fidelity, the SWS exhibited a good broadband antireflective performance with the increment of the average transmittance which is over 8-12 μm up to 8%.

Diagnostic pitfalls in sporadic transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP).

PubMed

Planté-Bordeneuve, V; Ferreira, A; Lalu, T; Zaros, C; Lacroix, C; Adams, D; Said, G

2007-08-14

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathies (TTR-FAPs) are autosomal dominant neuropathies of fatal outcome within 10 years after inaugural symptoms. Late diagnosis in patients who present as nonfamilial cases delays adequate management and genetic counseling. Clinical data of the 90 patients who presented as nonfamilial cases of the 300 patients of our cohort of patients with TTR-FAP were reviewed. They were 21 women and 69 men with a mean age at onset of 61 (extremes: 38 to 78 years) and 17 different mutations of the TTR gene including Val30Met (38 cases), Ser77Tyr (16 cases), Ile107Val (15 cases), and Ser77Phe (5 cases). Initial manifestations included mainly limb paresthesias (49 patients) or pain (17 patients). Walking difficulty and weakness (five patients) and cardiac or gastrointestinal manifestations (five patients), were less common at onset. Mean interval to diagnosis was 4 years (range 1 to 10 years); 18 cases were mistaken for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, which was the most common diagnostic error. At referral a length-dependent sensory loss affected the lower limbs in 2, all four limbs in 20, and four limbs and anterior trunk in 77 patients. All sensations were affected in 60 patients (67%), while small fiber dysfunction predominated in the others. Severe dysautonomia affected 80 patients (90%), with postural hypotension in 52, gastrointestinal dysfunction in 50, impotence in 58 of 69 men, and sphincter disturbance in 31. Twelve patients required a cardiac pacemaker. Nerve biopsy was diagnostic in 54 of 65 patients and salivary gland biopsy in 20 of 30. Decreased nerve conduction velocity, increased CSF protein, negative biopsy findings, and false immunolabeling of amyloid deposits were the main causes of diagnostic errors. We conclude that DNA testing, which is the most reliable test for TTR-FAP, should be performed in patients with a progressive length-dependent small fiber polyneuropathy of unknown origin, especially when

Plasma-Induced, Self-Masking, One-Step Approach to an Ultrabroadband Antireflective and Superhydrophilic Subwavelength Nanostructured Fused Silica Surface.

PubMed

Ye, Xin; Shao, Ting; Sun, Laixi; Wu, Jingjun; Wang, Fengrui; He, Junhui; Jiang, Xiaodong; Wu, Wei-Dong; Zheng, Wanguo

2018-04-25

In this work, antireflective and superhydrophilic subwavelength nanostructured fused silica surfaces have been created by one-step, self-masking reactive ion etching (RIE). Bare fused silica substrates with no mask were placed in a RIE vacuum chamber, and then nanoscale fluorocarbon masks and subwavelength nanostructures (SWSs) automatically formed on these substrate after the appropriate RIE plasma process. The mechanism of plasma-induced self-masking SWS has been proposed in this paper. Plasma parameter effects on the morphology of SWS have been investigated to achieve perfect nanocone-like SWS for excellent antireflection, including process time, reactive gas, and pressure of the chamber. Optical properties, i.e., antireflection and optical scattering, were simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Calculated data agree well with the experiment results. The optimized SWS show ultrabroadband antireflective property (up to 99% from 500 to 1360 nm). An excellent improvement of transmission was achieved for the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) range. The proposed low-cost, highly efficient, and maskless method was applied to achieve ultrabroadband antireflective and superhydrophilic SWSs on a 100 mm optical window, which promises great potential for applications in the automotive industry, goggles, and optical devices.

Antireflection and SiO2 Surface Passivation by Liquid-Phase Chemistry for Efficient Black Silicon Solar Cells: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yuan, H. C.; Oh, J.; Zhang, Y.

2012-06-01

We report solar cells with both black Si antireflection and SiO2 surface passivation provided by inexpensive liquid-phase chemistry, rather than by conventional vacuum-based techniques. Preliminary cell efficiency has reached 16.4%. Nanoporous black Si antireflection on crystalline Si by aqueous etching promises low surface reflection for high photon utilization, together with lower manufacturing cost compared to vacuum-based antireflection coating. Ag-nanoparticle-assisted black Si etching and post-etching chemical treatment recently developed at NREL enables excellent control over the pore diameter and pore separation. Performance of black Si solar cells, including open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, and blue response, has benefited from these improvements.more » Prior to this study, our black Si solar cells were all passivated by thermal SiO2 produced in tube furnaces. Although this passivation is effective, it is not yet ideal for ultra-low-cost manufacturing. In this study, we report, for the first time, the integration of black Si with a proprietary liquid-phase deposition (LPD) passivation from Natcore Technology. The Natcore LPD forms a layer of <10-nm SiO2 on top of the black Si surface in a relatively mild chemical bath at room temperature. We demonstrate black Si solar cells with LPD SiO2 with a spectrum-weighted average reflection lower than 5%, similar to the more costly thermally grown SiO2 approach. However, LPD SiO2 provides somewhat better surface-passivation quality according to the lifetime analysis by the photo-conductivity decay measurement. Moreover, black Si solar cells with LPD SiO2 passivation exhibit higher spectral response at short wavelength compared to those passivated by thermally grown SiO2. With further optimization, the combination of aqueous black Si etching and LPD could provide a pathway for low-cost, high-efficiency crystalline Si solar cells.« less

Apparatus and method of manufacture for depositing a composite anti-reflection layer on a silicon surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An apparatus and associated method are provided. A first silicon layer having at least one of an associated passivation layer and barrier is included. Also included is a composite anti-reflection layer including a stack of layers each with a different thickness and refractive index. Such composite anti-reflection layer is disposed adjacent to the first silicon layer.

MiR-200c regulates ROS-induced apoptosis in murine BV-2 cells by targeting FAP-1.

PubMed

Yu, D S; Lv, G; Mei, X F; Cao, Y; Wang, Y F; Wang, Y S; Bi, Y L

2014-12-02

Objective:Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are significantly upregulated after spinal cord injury (SCI). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are reported to be widely involved in regulating gene expression. This paper aims to explore the correlation between ROS-induced cell apoptosis and abnormal miRNA expression after SCI.Methods:To profile the expression of miRNAs after SCI, miRNA microarray was applied and the result was verified by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). ROS production following H 2 O 2 stimulation was examined using dihydroethidium staining and flow cytometry. The levels of miR-200c after H 2 O 2 treatment were determined using RT-qPCR. Cell viability and apoptosis were examined in murine BV-2 cells transfected with miR-200c mimics, inhibitor or negative control. Immunofluorescence and western blot were used to further explore the effects of miR-200c on Fas-associated phosphatase-1 (FAP-1) expression.Results:MiR-200c was showed to be significantly increased after SCI by miRNA microassay and RT-qPCR. ROS production enhanced miR-200c expression in a dose-dependent manner and induced significant apoptosis in BV-2 cells. The upregulation of miR-200c reduced cell viability and induced BV-2 cell apoptosis. MiR-200c negatively regulated the expression of FAP-1, thereby inducing FAS signaling-induced apoptosis. RT-qPCR analysis showed that the FAP-1-targeting small interfering RNA (siRNA) did not affect the level of miR-200c in murine BV-2 cells. In addition, suppression of FAP-1 by siRNA promoted apoptosis, even in cells that were co-transfected with the miR-200c inhibitor.Conclusions:The current data suggested that miR-200c contributes to apoptosis in murine BV-2 cells by regulating the expression of FAP-1. This proposes a therapeutic target for enhancing neural cell functional recovery after SCI.Spinal Cord advance online publication, 2 December 2014; doi:10.1038/sc.2014.185.

Numerical Modeling of Sub-Wavelength Anti-Reflective Structures for Solar Module Applications

PubMed Central

Han, Katherine; Chang, Chih-Hung

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the current progress in mathematical modeling of anti-reflective subwavelength structures. Methods covered include effective medium theory (EMT), finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), transfer matrix method (TMM), the Fourier modal method (FMM)/rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and the finite element method (FEM). Time-based solutions to Maxwell’s equations, such as FDTD, have the benefits of calculating reflectance for multiple wavelengths of light per simulation, but are computationally intensive. Space-discretized methods such as FDTD and FEM output field strength results over the whole geometry and are capable of modeling arbitrary shapes. Frequency-based solutions such as RCWA/FMM and FEM model one wavelength per simulation and are thus able to handle dispersion for regular geometries. Analytical approaches such as TMM are appropriate for very simple thin films. Initial disadvantages such as neglect of dispersion (FDTD), inaccuracy in TM polarization (RCWA), inability to model aperiodic gratings (RCWA), and inaccuracy with metallic materials (FDTD) have been overcome by most modern software. All rigorous numerical methods have accurately predicted the broadband reflection of ideal, graded-index anti-reflective subwavelength structures; ideal structures are tapered nanostructures with periods smaller than the wavelengths of light of interest and lengths that are at least a large portion of the wavelengths considered. PMID:28348287

FAP Group Supervision: Reporting Educational Experiences at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wielenska, Regina Christina; Oshiro, Claudia Kami Bastos

2012-01-01

The present article describes and analyzes educational experiences related to the teaching of FAP for psychology graduate students and psychiatry residents at the University of Sao Paulo. The first experience involved psychology graduate students and includes an example of the shaping process occurring within the supervisor-supervisee…

Effect of AZO deposition on antireflective property of Si subwavelength grating structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leem, J. W.; Song, Y. M.; Lee, Y. T.; Yu, J. S.

2011-12-01

We investigate the effect of the aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) deposition on the fabricated Si SWG structure on its antireflection characteristics for solar cell applications. The Si SWGs with the two-dimensional periodic nanostructure are fabricated by using holographic lithography and subsequent ICP etching process in SiCl4 plasma. For the antireflection analysis of AZO thin-film on the Si SWG structure, the optical reflectivity is measured experimentally. The maxima reflectance and its oscillation of the structure are significantly decreased on average than those of AZO thin-film on Si substrate over a wide wavelength range of 300-1100 nm, indicating average reflectance less than 4.5% with the maxima of <10%.

Depletion of FAP+ cells reduces immunosuppressive cells and improves metabolism and functions CD8+T cells within tumors

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ying; Ertl, Hildegund C.J.

2016-01-01

The tumor stroma, which is essential to support growth and metastasis of malignant cells, provides targets for active immunotherapy of cancer. Previous studies have shown that depleting fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-expressing stromal cells reduces tumor progression and concomitantly increases tumor antigen (TA)-specific T cell responses. However the underlying pathways remain ill defined. Here we identify that immunosuppressive cells (ISCs) from tumor-bearing mice impose metabolic stress on CD8+T cells, which is associated with increased expression of the co-inhibitor PD-1. In two mouse melanoma models, depleting FAP+ stroma cells from the tumor microenvironment (TME) upon vaccination with an adenoviral-vector reduces frequencies and functions of ISCs. This is associated with changes in the cytokine/chemokine milieu in the TME and decreased activity of STAT6 signaling within ISCs. Decreases in ISCs upon FAP+stromal cell depletion is associated with reduced metabolic stress of vaccine-induced tumor infiltrating CD8+T cells and their delayed progression towards functional exhaustion, resulting in prolonged survival of tumor-bearing mice. PMID:26943036

Depletion of FAP+ cells reduces immunosuppressive cells and improves metabolism and functions CD8+T cells within tumors.

PubMed

Zhang, Ying; Ertl, Hildegund C J

2016-04-26

The tumor stroma, which is essential to support growth and metastasis of malignant cells, provides targets for active immunotherapy of cancer. Previous studies have shown that depleting fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-expressing stromal cells reduces tumor progression and concomitantly increases tumor antigen (TA)-specific T cell responses. However the underlying pathways remain ill defined. Here we identify that immunosuppressive cells (ISCs) from tumor-bearing mice impose metabolic stress on CD8+T cells, which is associated with increased expression of the co-inhibitor PD-1. In two mouse melanoma models, depleting FAP+ stroma cells from the tumor microenvironment (TME) upon vaccination with an adenoviral-vector reduces frequencies and functions of ISCs. This is associated with changes in the cytokine/chemokine milieu in the TME and decreased activity of STAT6 signaling within ISCs. Decreases in ISCs upon FAP+stromal cell depletion is associated with reduced metabolic stress of vaccine-induced tumor infiltrating CD8+T cells and their delayed progression towards functional exhaustion, resulting in prolonged survival of tumor-bearing mice.

Exclusion of the APC gene as the cause of a variant form of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stella, A.; Resta, N.; Susca, F.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a premalignant disease inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, characterized by hundreds to thousands of polyps in the colorectal tract. Recently, the syndrome has been shown to be caused by mutations in the APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) gene located on chromosome 5q21. The authors studied two families that both presented a phenotype different from that of the classical form of FAP. The most important findings observed in these two kindreds are (a) low and variable number of colonic polyps (from 5 to 100) and (b) a slower evolution of the disease, with colon cancer occurringmore » at a more advanced age than in FAP in spite of the early onset of intestinal manifestations. To determine whether mutations of the APC gene are also responsible for this variant syndrome, linkage studies were performed by using a series of markers both intragenic and tightly linked to the APC gene. The results provide evidence for exclusion of the APC gene as the cause of the variant form of polyposis present in the two families described. 30 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.« less

Color properties of transparent and heat-reflecting MgF2-coated indium-tin-oxide films.

PubMed

Hamberg, I; Granqvist, C G

1983-02-15

The visual appearance of antireflection-coated transparent and heat-reflecting indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films on glass was studied by a colorimetric analysis in which the chromaticity coordinates for transmitted and reflected daylight were evaluated for various film thicknesses. A color purity of <1% in normal transmission and <10% in normal reflection could be achieved with ITO thicknesses in the 220-260- or 335-365-nm ranges and MgF2 thicknesses in the 90-105-nm range. These design criteria yield very efficient window coatings with high visual transmittance, low thermal emittance, and little or no perceived color.

.beta.-silicon carbide protective coating and method for fabricating same

DOEpatents

Carey, Paul G.; Thompson, Jesse B.

1994-01-01

A polycrystalline beta-silicon carbide film or coating and method for forming same on components, such as the top of solar cells, to act as an extremely hard protective surface, and as an anti-reflective coating. This is achieved by DC magnetron co-sputtering of amorphous silicon and carbon to form a SiC thin film onto a surface, such as a solar cell. The thin film is then irradiated by a pulsed energy source, such as an excimer laser, to synthesize the poly- or .mu.c-SiC film on the surface and produce .beta.--SiC. While the method of this invention has primary application in solar cell manufacturing, it has application wherever there is a requirement for an extremely hard surface.

Diagnostic values of dual focus narrow band imaging and probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy in FAP-related duodenal adenoma.

PubMed

Pittayanon, Rapat; Rerknimitr, Rungsun; Imraporn, Boonlert; Wisedopas, Naruemon; Kullavanijaya, Pinit

2015-10-01

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is associated with an increased risk of development of periampullary and nonampullary adenoma. Either routine biopsy or endoscopic removal of the lesion is generally required to identify the presence of adenoma. Because the risk of tissue sampling from the ampulla is high and nonampullary polyps are sometimes numerous, resection of all the lesions is time-consuming. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic values of duodenal adenoma by dual focus NBI (dNBI) and probe-based confocal endomicroscopy (pCLE) in FAP patients. The authors conducted a diagnostic study in a single tertiary-care referral center. Surveillance esophagogastroduodenoscopy with dNBI and pCLE was performed on 26 patients with FAP for real-time adenoma diagnosis by two different endoscopists; one used dNBI and the other pCLE. Histology from the matched lesion was used as the gold standard. A total of 55 matched biopsies (25 ampullas, 30 nonampullas) were performed. The sensitivity, specificity, post predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of dNBI vs. pCLE from all duodenal lesions were 96.9 % vs. 93.8 %, 78.3 % vs. 81 %, 86.1 % vs. 88.2 %, 94.7 vs. 89.5 %, and 92.4 % vs. 88.6 %, respectively. For surveillance of periampullary and nonampullary adenoma in patients with FAP, the real-time readings provided a high degree of diagnostic value when histology was used as the gold standard. ( NCT02162173).

Next-generation all-silica coatings for UV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melninkaitis, A.; Grinevičiūtė, L.; Abromavičius, G.; Mažulė, L.; Smalakys, L.; Pupka, E.; Š čiuka, M.; Buzelis, R.; Kičas, S.

2017-11-01

Band-gap and refractive index are known as fundamental properties determining intrinsic optical resistance of multilayer dielectric coatings. By considering this fact we propose novel approach to manufacturing of interference thin films, based on artificial nano-structures of modulated porosity embedded in high band-gap matrix. Next generation all-silica mirrors were prepared by GLancing Angle Deposition (GLAD) using electron beam evaporation. High reflectivity (HR) was achieved by tailoring the porosity of highly resistant silica material during the thin film deposition process. Furthermore, the proposed approach was also demonstrated to work well in case of anti-reflection (AR) coatings. Conventional HR HfO2 and SiO2 as well as AR Al2O3 and SiO2 multilayers produced by Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) were used as reference coatings. Damage performance of experimental coatings was also analyzed. All-silica based GLAD approach resulted in significant improvement of intrinsic laser damage resistance properties if compared to conventional coatings. Besides laser damage testing, other characteristics of experimental coatings are analyzed and discussed - reflectance, surface roughness and optical scattering. We believe that reported concept can be expanded to virtually any design of thin film coatings thus opening a new way of next generation highly resistant thin films well suited for high power and UV laser applications.

Spin-on bottom antireflective coating defect reduction by proper filter selection and process optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brakensiek, Nickolas L.; Kidd, Brian; Mesawich, Michael; Stevens, Don, Jr.; Gotlinsky, Barry

2003-06-01

A design of experiment (DOE) was implemented to show the effects of various point of use filters on the coat process. The DOE takes into account the filter media, pore size, and pumping means, such as dispense pressure, time, and spin speed. The coating was executed on a TEL Mark 8 coat track, with an IDI M450 pump, and PALL 16 stack Falcon filters. A KLA 2112 set at 0.69 μm pixel size was used to scan the wafers to detect and identify the defects. The process found for DUV42P to maintain a low defect coating irrespective of the filter or pore size is a high start pressure, low end pressure, low dispense time, and high dispense speed. The IDI M450 pump has the capability to compensate for bubble type defects by venting the defects out of the filter before the defects are in the dispense line and the variable dispense rate allows the material in the dispense line to slow down at the end of dispense and not create microbubbles in the dispense line or tip. Also the differential pressure sensor will alarm if the pressure differential across the filter increases over a user-determined setpoint. The pleat design allows more surface area in the same footprint to reduce the differential pressure across the filter and transport defects to the vent tube. The correct low defect coating process will maximize the advantage of reducing filter pore size or changing the filter media.

Surface Nanostructures Formed by Phase Separation of Metal Salt-Polymer Nanocomposite Film for Anti-reflection and Super-hydrophobic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Con, Celal; Cui, Bo

2017-12-01

This paper describes a simple and low-cost fabrication method for multi-functional nanostructures with outstanding anti-reflective and super-hydrophobic properties. Our method employed phase separation of a metal salt-polymer nanocomposite film that leads to nanoisland formation after etching away the polymer matrix, and the metal salt island can then be utilized as a hard mask for dry etching the substrate or sublayer. Compared to many other methods for patterning metallic hard mask structures, such as the popular lift-off method, our approach involves only spin coating and thermal annealing, thus is more cost-efficient. Metal salts including aluminum nitrate nonahydrate (ANN) and chromium nitrate nonahydrate (CNN) can both be used, and high aspect ratio (1:30) and high-resolution (sub-50 nm) pillars etched into silicon can be achieved readily. With further control of the etching profile by adjusting the dry etching parameters, cone-like silicon structure with reflectivity in the visible region down to a remarkably low value of 2% was achieved. Lastly, by coating a hydrophobic surfactant layer, the pillar array demonstrated a super-hydrophobic property with an exceptionally high water contact angle of up to 165.7°.

Surface Nanostructures Formed by Phase Separation of Metal Salt-Polymer Nanocomposite Film for Anti-reflection and Super-hydrophobic Applications.

PubMed

Con, Celal; Cui, Bo

2017-12-16

This paper describes a simple and low-cost fabrication method for multi-functional nanostructures with outstanding anti-reflective and super-hydrophobic properties. Our method employed phase separation of a metal salt-polymer nanocomposite film that leads to nanoisland formation after etching away the polymer matrix, and the metal salt island can then be utilized as a hard mask for dry etching the substrate or sublayer. Compared to many other methods for patterning metallic hard mask structures, such as the popular lift-off method, our approach involves only spin coating and thermal annealing, thus is more cost-efficient. Metal salts including aluminum nitrate nonahydrate (ANN) and chromium nitrate nonahydrate (CNN) can both be used, and high aspect ratio (1:30) and high-resolution (sub-50 nm) pillars etched into silicon can be achieved readily. With further control of the etching profile by adjusting the dry etching parameters, cone-like silicon structure with reflectivity in the visible region down to a remarkably low value of 2% was achieved. Lastly, by coating a hydrophobic surfactant layer, the pillar array demonstrated a super-hydrophobic property with an exceptionally high water contact angle of up to 165.7°.

AR coatings on laser crystals for HiPER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oulehla, Jindřich; Pokorný, Pavel

2010-08-01

In this contribution we present a technology for deposition of interference coatings for optical components designed to operate as active media in power pulsed lasers. The aim of the technology is to prepare crystals for lasers for the HiPER project (High Power laser Energy Research) which should demonstrate the feasibility of laser driven fusion as a future energy source. Diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL) are the most likely option for fusion ignition. The choice of material for the lasers active medium is critical. Some of the most important properties include the ability to be antireflection coated to reduce the energy losses and increase the overall efficiency. This contribution deals with some of the materials considered to be candidates for slabs serving as the active medium of the DPSSLs. We tested Yb:YAG, Yb:CaF2 samples. As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, cryogenic cooling is necessary. Appropriate coating materials and techniques need to be chosen. Therefore differences between available coating techniques are investigated in terms of adhesion, enduring of stress resulting from temperature shocks, etc. Coated samples were placed into cryogenic environment in order to simulate conditions similar to those in real life operation. Optical microscopy was used for coating investigation after the conducted experiments.

Optical coatings of variable refractive index and high laser-resistance from physical-vapor-deposited perfluorinated amorphous polymer

DOEpatents

Chow, Robert; Loomis, Gary E.; Thomas, Ian M.

1999-01-01

Variable index optical single-layers, optical multilayer, and laser-resistant coatings were made from a perfluorinated amorphous polymer material by physical vapor deposition. This was accomplished by physically vapor depositing a polymer material, such as bulk Teflon AF2400, for example, to form thin layers that have a very low refractive index (.about.1.10-1.31) and are highly transparent from the ultra-violet through the near infrared regime, and maintain the low refractive index of the bulk material. The refractive index can be varied by simply varying one process parameter, either the deposition rate or the substrate temperature. The thus forming coatings may be utilized in anti-reflectors and graded anti-reflection coatings, as well as in optical layers for laser-resistant coatings at optical wavelengths of less than about 2000 nm.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Xiaoyu; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049; He, Junhui, E-mail: jhhe@mail.ipc.ac.cn

Graphical abstract: High performance broadband antireflective and water-repellent coatings were fabricated on glass substrates, which can improve the short-circuit current of solar cells as much as 6.6% in comparison with glass substrates without the coatings. - Highlights: • Broadband anti-reflective and water-repellent coatings were fabricated. • Transmittance increased to 99.0%, significantly higher than that of commercial solar glasses. • The performance of standard solar cells with the AR coating was enhanced as much as 6.6%. - Abstract: High performance broadband antireflective (AR) and water-repellent coatings were fabricated on glass substrates by assembly of silica nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes via the layer-by-layermore » (LbL) assembly technique, followed by calcination and hydrophobic modification. A porous poly(diallyladimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)/20 nm SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (S-20) multilayer coating with AR property was prepared first. The maximum transmittance is as high as 99.0%, while that of the glass substrate is only 91.3%. After calcination and hydrophobic modification, the coating became water-repellent while maintaining the good AR property. Such water-repellent AR coatings can improve the short-circuit current of solar cells as much as 6.6% in comparison with glass substrates without the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology and thickness of coatings. Transmission spectra and reflection spectra were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer. The surface wettability was studied by a contact angle/interface system.« less

Reactive ion-beam-sputtering of fluoride coatings for the UV/VUV range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schink, Harald; Kolbe, Jurgen; Zimmermann, F.; Ristau, Detlev; Welling, Herbert

1991-06-01

Fluoride coatings produced by thermal evaporation suffer from high scatter losses ageing and cracking due to high tensile stress. These problems impose severe limitations to the production of low loss multilayer coatings for the VUV range. A key position for improved performance is the microstructure of the layers. The aim of our investigations is to improve the microstructure of A1F3- and LaF3-'' films by ionbeamsputtering. Scatter measurements of single layers revealed lower values for lBS than for boat evaporation. Unfortunately sputtered fluoride films nave high absorption losses caused by decomposition of the coating material. By sputtering in reactive atmospheres and annealing we were able to reduce the absorption losses significantly. Antireflective as well as high reflective coatings were produced. Reflection and transmission values were obtained with a VUV-spectrophotometer. Damage tests at the 193 mu ArF laser wavelength were performed at the Laser-Laboratorium Gttingen. Key words: ion-beamsputtering fluoride films UVcoatings VUV-coatings color-center laser damage A]. F3 MgF2 LaF3. 1.

The fabrication of subwavelength anti-reflective nanostructures using a bio-template

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Guoyong; Zhang, Guoming; Lin, Feng; Zhang, Jin; Liu, Zhongfan; Mu, Shichen

2008-03-01

This paper describes a paradigm, a simple, low-cost and conventional approach to the fabrication of large-area subwavelength anti-reflective nanostructures on films directly with a bio-template. Specifically, the nano-nipple arrays on the surface of cicada wings have been precisely replicated to a PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) film with high reproducibility by a technique of replica molding, which mainly involves two processes: one is that a negative Au mold is prepared directly from the bio-template of the cicada wing by thermal deposition; the other is that the Au mold is used to obtain the replica of the nanostructures on the original cicada wing by casting polymer. The reflectance spectra measurement shows that the replicated PMMA film can considerably reduce reflectivity at its surface over a large wavelength range from 250 to 800 nm, indicating that the anti-reflective property has also been inherited by the PMMA film.

The gene for fibroblast activation protein {alpha} (FAP), a putative cell surface-bound serine protease expressed in cancer stroma and wound healing, maps to chromosome band 2q23

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mathew, S.; Murty, V.V.V.S.; Chaganti, R.S.K.

The human fibroblast activation protein {alpha} (FAP{alpha}) is an inducible cell surface glycoprotein of M{sub r} 95,000 recognized by a number of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including the prototype mAb F19. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that FAP{alpha} expression in vivo is tightly regulated, with transient expression in some fetal mesenchymal tissues but absence of expression in most normal adult tissues. Reexpression of FAP{alpha} is observed in the reactive stromal fibroblasts of several common types of epithelial cancers, including >90% of breast, colorectal, and lung carcinomas and healing wounds. Cloning and sequence analysis of an FAP{alpha}-specific cDNA has revealed that the moleculemore » is encoded by a novel gene, FAP, which shows sequence similarity to members of the serine protease family of integral membrane proteins, namely dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV, also known as lymphocyte activation antigen, CD26, or adenosine dearoinase binding protein) and DPPX, a DPPIV-related molecule of unknown function. 15 refs., 1 fig.« less

[beta]-silicon carbide protective coating and method for fabricating same

DOEpatents

Carey, P.G.; Thompson, J.B.

1994-11-01

A polycrystalline beta-silicon carbide film or coating and method for forming same on components, such as the top of solar cells, to act as an extremely hard protective surface, and as an anti-reflective coating are disclosed. This is achieved by DC magnetron co-sputtering of amorphous silicon and carbon to form a SiC thin film onto a surface, such as a solar cell. The thin film is then irradiated by a pulsed energy source, such as an excimer laser, to synthesize the poly- or [mu]c-SiC film on the surface and produce [beta]-SiC. While the method of this invention has primary application in solar cell manufacturing, it has application wherever there is a requirement for an extremely hard surface. 3 figs.

Precise replication of antireflective nanostructures from biotemplates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Hongjun; Liu, Zhongfan; Zhang, Jin; Zhang, Guoming; Xie, Guoyong

2007-03-01

The authors report herein a new type of nanonipple structures on the cicada's eye and the direct structural replication of the complex micro- and nanostructures for potential functional emulation. A two-step direct molding process is developed to replicate these natural micro- and nanostructures using epoxy resin with high fidelity, which demonstrates a general way of fabricating functional nanostructures by direct replication of natural biotemplates via a suitable physicochemical process. Measurements of spectral reflectance showed that this kind of replicated nanostructure has remarkable antireflective property, suggestive of its potential applications to optical devices.

Novel Design of Tunable Microlens with Lowered Driving Voltage and Iris with Conformal Antireflective Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almoallem, Yousuf Dawood

iris is discussed. Reducing undesirable light stray reflections from surfaces is desired in many 3D optical elements, such as supporting optomechanical mounts, irises, optical filters, solar cells, and photolithography underlying layers. BSi (as antireflective nanostructures) provides a potential economic solution which is highly absorptive across the visible spectrum to replace many currently used yet expensive coating materials. Si nanowires (SiNW) were formed using a metal-assisted chemical (MAC) etching process to get a conformal antireflective property on the iris 3D structure including sharp tips and sidewalls. A significant reduction in undesirable light stray reflections was achieved as a result of successful implementation of the conformal antireflective surface on all facets of fabricated irises to eliminate undesirable light stray reflections.

Periodically Aligned Si Nanopillar Arrays as Efficient Antireflection Layers for Solar Cell Applications

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Periodically aligned Si nanopillar (PASiNP) arrays were fabricated on Si substrate via a silver-catalyzed chemical etching process using the diameter-reduced polystyrene spheres as mask. The typical sub-wavelength structure of PASiNP arrays had excellent antireflection property with a low reflection loss of 2.84% for incident light within the wavelength range of 200–1,000 nm. The solar cell incorporated with the PASiNP arrays exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~9.24% with a short circuit current density (JSC) of ~29.5 mA/cm2 without using any extra surface passivation technique. The high PCE of PASiNP array-based solar cell was attributed to the excellent antireflection property of the special periodical Si nanostructure. PMID:21124636

Large-Aperture Wide-Bandwidth Anti-Reflection-Coated Silicon Lenses for Millimeter Wavelengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Datta, R.; Munson, C. D.; Niemack, M. D.; McMahon, J. J.; Britton, J.; Wollack, E. J.; Beall, J.; Devlin, M. J.; Fowler, J.; Gallardo, P.;

Stable Single-Mode Operation of Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Laser by Optimized Reflectivity Facet Coatings.

PubMed

Wang, Dong-Bo; Zhang, Jin-Chuan; Cheng, Feng-Min; Zhao, Yue; Zhuo, Ning; Zhai, Shen-Qiang; Wang, Li-Jun; Liu, Jun-Qi; Liu, Shu-Man; Liu, Feng-Qi; Wang, Zhan-Guo

2018-02-02

In this work, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on strain compensation combined with two-phonon resonance design are presented. Distributed feedback (DFB) laser emitting at ~ 4.76 μm was fabricated through a standard buried first-order grating and buried heterostructure (BH) processing. Stable single-mode emission is achieved under all injection currents and temperature conditions without any mode hop by the optimized antireflection (AR) coating on the front facet. The AR coating consists of a double layer dielectric of Al 2 O 3 and Ge. For a 2-mm laser cavity, the maximum output power of the AR-coated DFB-QCL was more than 170 mW at 20 °C with a high wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of 4.7% in a continuous-wave (CW) mode.

Stable Single-Mode Operation of Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Laser by Optimized Reflectivity Facet Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dong-Bo; Zhang, Jin-Chuan; Cheng, Feng-Min; Zhao, Yue; Zhuo, Ning; Zhai, Shen-Qiang; Wang, Li-Jun; Liu, Jun-Qi; Liu, Shu-Man; Liu, Feng-Qi; Wang, Zhan-Guo

2018-02-01

In this work, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on strain compensation combined with two-phonon resonance design are presented. Distributed feedback (DFB) laser emitting at 4.76 μm was fabricated through a standard buried first-order grating and buried heterostructure (BH) processing. Stable single-mode emission is achieved under all injection currents and temperature conditions without any mode hop by the optimized antireflection (AR) coating on the front facet. The AR coating consists of a double layer dielectric of Al2O3 and Ge. For a 2-mm laser cavity, the maximum output power of the AR-coated DFB-QCL was more than 170 mW at 20 °C with a high wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of 4.7% in a continuous-wave (CW) mode.

Polarimetric and diffractive evaluation of 3.74 micron pixel-size LCoS in the telecommunications C-band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mi; Martínez, Francisco J.; Márquez, Andrés.; Ye, Yabin; Zong, Liangjia; Pascual, Inmaculada; Beléndez, Augusto

2017-08-01

Liquid-crystal on Silicon (LCoS) microdisplays are one of the competing technologies to implement wavelength selective switches (WSS) for optical telecommunications. Last generation LCoS, with more than 4 megapixels, have decreased pixel size to values smaller than 4 microns, what increases interpixel cross-talk effects such as fringing-field. We proceed with an experimental evaluation of a 3.74 micron pixel size parallel-aligned LCoS (PA-LCoS) device. At 1550 nm, for the first time we use time-average Stokes polarimetry to measure the retardance and its flicker magnitude as a function of voltage. We also verify the effect of the antireflection coating when we try to characterize the PA-LCoS out of the designed interval for the AR coating. Some preliminary results for the performance for binary gratings are also given, where the decrease of modulation range with the increase in spatial frequency is shown, together with some residual polarization effects.

Optical coatings of variable refractive index and high laser-resistance from physical-vapor-deposited perfluorinated amorphous polymer

DOEpatents

Chow, R.; Loomis, G.E.; Thomas, I.M.

1999-03-16

Variable index optical single-layers, optical multilayer, and laser-resistant coatings were made from a perfluorinated amorphous polymer material by physical vapor deposition. This was accomplished by physically vapor depositing a polymer material, such as bulk Teflon AF2400, for example, to form thin layers that have a very low refractive index (ca. 1.10--1.31) and are highly transparent from the ultra-violet through the near infrared regime, and maintain the low refractive index of the bulk material. The refractive index can be varied by simply varying one process parameter, either the deposition rate or the substrate temperature. The thus forming coatings may be utilized in anti-reflectors and graded anti-reflection coatings, as well as in optical layers for laser-resistant coatings at optical wavelengths of less than about 2000 nm. 2 figs.

Highly antireflective AlGaN/GaN ultraviolet photodetectors using ZnO nanorod arrays on inverted pyramidal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

So, Hongyun; Lim, Jongwoo; Suria, Ateeq J.; Senesky, Debbie G.

2017-07-01

Highly antireflective heterostructured aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN)/GaN ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors were demonstrated using a combination of inverted pyramidal surfaces and zinc oxide nanorod arrays (i.e., antireflective surface modification) to enhance the optical sensitivity. The microfabricated hierarchical surfaces significantly reduced the average surface reflectance to less than 0.3% in the UV region and less than 1% in the visible light region, allowing near-perfect absorption of incident light regardless of the angle of incidence (5-80°). As a result, the photodetectors fabricated on highly antireflective AlGaN/GaN surfaces showed higher sensitivity and responsivity over a broad range of incidence angles compared to photodetectors on planar AlGaN/GaN surfaces, supporting the use of a hierarchically modified sensing surface for omnidirectional UV monitoring with higher sensitivity.

Optical coatings on laser crystals for HiPER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oulehla, Jindrich; Pokorný, Pavel; Lazar, Josef

2011-12-01

In this contribution we present a technology for deposition of interference coatings for optical components designed to operate as active media in power pulsed lasers. The aim of the technology is to prepare crystals for lasers for the HiPER project (High Power laser Energy Research facility) which should demonstrate the feasibility of laser driven fusion as a future energy source. Diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL) are the most likely option for fusion ignition. The choice of the material for the lasers' active medium is critical. Some of the most important properties include the ability to be antireflection coated to reduce the energy losses and increase the overall efficiency. This contribution deals with some of the materials considered to be candidates for slabs serving as the active medium of the DPSSLs. We tested Yb:YAG and Yb:CaF2 samples. As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, cryogenic cooling is necessary. Appropriate coating materials and techniques need to be chosen. Therefore differences between available coating techniques are investigated in terms of adhesion, enduring of stress from temperature shocks, etc. Coated samples were placed into cryogenic environment in order to simulate conditions similar to those in real life operation. Optical microscopy was used for coating investigation after the conducted experiments.

Optical coatings on laser crystals for HiPER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oulehla, Jindrich; Pokorný, Pavel; Lazar, Josef

2011-06-01

In this contribution we present a technology for deposition of interference coatings for optical components designed to operate as active media in power pulsed lasers. The aim of the technology is to prepare crystals for lasers for the HiPER project (High Power laser Energy Research) which should demonstrate the feasibility of laser driven fusion as a future energy source. Diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL) are the most likely option for fusion ignition. The choice of material for the lasers active medium is critical. Some of the most important properties include the ability to be antireflection coated to reduce the energy losses and increase the overall efficiency. This contribution deals with some of the materials considered to be candidates for slabs serving as the active medium of the DPSSLs. We tested Yb:YAG, Yb:CaF2 and Yb:KGW samples. As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, cryogenic cooling is necessary. Appropriate coating materials and techniques need to be chosen. Therefore differences between available coating techniques are investigated in terms of adhesion, enduring of stress resulting from temperature shocks, etc. Coated samples were placed in a specially designed cryogenic apparatus in order to simulate conditions similar to those in real life operation. Optical microscopy and spectrophotometer measurements were used for coating investigation after the conducted experiments.

Fabrication of Refractive Index Tunable Coating with Moisture-Resistant Function for High-Power Laser Systems Based on Homogeneous Embedding of Surface-Modified Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Yang, Wei; Lei, Xiangyang; Hui, Haohao; Zhang, Qinghua; Deng, Xueran

2018-05-07

Moisture-resistant silicone coatings were prepared on the surface of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal by means of spin-coating, in which hydrophobic-modified SiO₂ nanoparticles were embedded in a certain proportion. The refractive index of such coating can be tuned arbitrarily in the range of 1.21⁻1.44, which endows the KDP optical component with excellent transmission capability as well as the moisture proof effect. A dual-layer anti-reflective coating system was obtained by covering this silicone coating with a porous SiO₂ coating which is specially treated to enhance the moisture resistance. Transmittance of such a dual-layer coating system could reach 99.60% and 99.62% at 1064 nm and 532 nm, respectively, by precisely matching the refractive index of both layers. Furthermore, the long-term stability of this coating system has been verified at high humidity ambient of 80% RH for 27 weeks.

Effect of etching parameters on antireflection properties of Si subwavelength grating structures for solar cell applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leem, J. W.; Song, Y. M.; Lee, Y. T.; Yu, J. S.

2010-09-01

Silicon (Si) subwavelength grating (SWG) structures were fabricated on Si substrates by holographic lithography and subsequent inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching process using SiCl4 with or without Ar addition for solar cell applications. To ensure a good nanosized pattern transfer into the underlying Si layer, the etch selectivity of Si over the photoresist mask is optimized by varying the etching parameters, thus improving antireflection characteristics. For antireflection analysis of Si SWG surfaces, the optical reflectivity is measured experimentally and it is also calculated theoretically by a rigorous coupled-wave analysis. The reflectance depends on the height, period, and shape of two-dimensional periodic Si subwavelength structures, correlated with ICP etching parameters. The optimized Si SWG structure exhibits a dramatic decrease in optical reflection of the Si surface over a wide angle of incident light ( θ i ), i.e. less than 5% at wavelengths of 300-1100 nm, leading to good wide-angle antireflection characteristics (i.e. solar-weighted reflection of 1.7-4.9% at θ i <50°) of Si solar cells.

Moth eye-inspired anti-reflective surfaces for improved IR optical systems & visible LEDs fabricated with colloidal lithography and etching.

PubMed

Chan, Lesley W; Morse, Daniel E; Gordon, Michael J

2018-05-08

Near- and sub-wavelength photonic structures are used by numerous organisms (e.g. insects, cephalopods, fish, birds) to create vivid and often dynamically-tunable colors, as well as create, manipulate, or capture light for vision, communication, crypsis, photosynthesis, and defense. This review introduces the physics of moth eye (ME)-like, biomimetic nanostructures and discusses their application to reduce optical losses and improve efficiency of various optoelectronic devices, including photodetectors, photovoltaics, imagers, and light emitting diodes. Light-matter interactions at structured and heterogeneous surfaces over different length scales are discussed, as are the various methods used to create ME-inspired surfaces. Special interest is placed on a simple, scalable, and tunable method, namely colloidal lithography with plasma dry etching, to fabricate ME-inspired nanostructures in a vast suite of materials. Anti-reflective surfaces and coatings for IR devices and enhancing light extraction from visible light emitting diodes are highlighted.

Self-decorated Au nanoparticles on antireflective Si pyramids with improved hydrophobicity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saini, C. P.; Barman, A.; Kanjilal, A., E-mail: aloke.kanjilal@snu.edu.in

2016-04-07

Post-deposition annealing mediated evolution of self-decorated Au nanoparticles (NPs) on chemically etched Si pyramids is presented. A distinct transformation of Si surfaces from hydrophilic to hydrophobic is initially found after chemical texturing, showing an increase in contact angle (CA) from 58° to 98° (±1°). Further improvement of hydrophobicity with CA up to ∼118° has been established after annealing a 10 nm thick Au-coated Si pyramids at 400 °C that led to the formation of Au NPs on Si facets along with self-ordering at the pyramid edges. Detailed x-ray diffraction studies suggest the evolution of crystalline Au NPs on strained Si facets. Microstructuralmore » studies, however, indicate no mixing of Au and Si atoms at the Au/Si interfaces, instead of forming Au nanocrystals at 400 °C. The improved hydrophobicity of Si pyramids, even with Au NPs can be explained in the light of a decrease in solid fractional surface area according to Wenzel's model. Moreover, a sharp drop in specular reflectance from Si pyramids in the range of 300–800 nm, especially in the ultraviolet region up to ∼0.4% is recorded in the presence of Au NPs by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, reflecting the possible use in photovoltaic devices with improved antireflection property.« less

"Wetting enhancer" pullulan coating for antifog packaging applications.

PubMed

Introzzi, Laura; Fuentes-Alventosa, José María; Cozzolino, Carlo A; Trabattoni, Silvia; Tavazzi, Silvia; Bianchi, Claudia L; Schiraldi, Alberto; Piergiovanni, Luciano; Farris, Stefano

2012-07-25

A new antifog coating made of pullulan is described in this work. The antifog properties are discussed in terms of wettability, surface chemistry/morphology, and by quantitative assessment of the optical properties (haze and transparency) before and after fog formation. The work also presents the results of antifog tests simulating the typical storage conditions of fresh foods. In these tests, the antifog efficiency of the pullulan coating was compared with that of two commercial antifog films, whereas an untreated low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film was used as a reference. The obtained results revealed that the pullulan coating behaved as a "wetting enhancer", mainly due to the low water contact angle (∼24°), which in turn can be ascribed to the inherent hydrophilic nature of this polysaccharide, as also suggested by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments. Unlike the case of untreated LDPE and commercial antifog samples, no discrete water formations (i.e., droplets or stains) were observed on the antifog pullulan coating on refrigeration during testing. Rather, an invisible, continuous and thin layer of water occurred on the biopolymer surface, which was the reason for the unaltered haze and increased transparency, with the layer of water possibly behaving as an antireflection layer. As confirmed by atomic force microscopy analysis, the even deposition of the coating on the plastic substrate compared to the patchy surfacing of the antifog additives in the commercial films is another important factor dictating the best performance of the antifog pullulan coating.

Common colorectal cancer risk alleles contribute to the multiple colorectal adenoma phenotype, but do not influence colonic polyposis in FAP.

PubMed

Cheng, Timothy H T; Gorman, Maggie; Martin, Lynn; Barclay, Ella; Casey, Graham; Saunders, Brian; Thomas, Huw; Clark, Sue; Tomlinson, Ian

2015-02-01

The presence of multiple (5-100) colorectal adenomas suggests an inherited predisposition, but the genetic aetiology of this phenotype is undetermined if patients test negative for Mendelian polyposis syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP). We investigated whether 18 common colorectal cancer (CRC) predisposition single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could help to explain some cases with multiple adenomas who phenocopied FAP or MAP, but had no pathogenic APC or MUTYH variant. No multiple adenoma case had an outlying number of CRC SNP risk alleles, but multiple adenoma patients did have a significantly higher number of risk alleles than population controls (P=5.7 × 10(-7)). The association was stronger in those with ≥10 adenomas. The CRC SNPs accounted for 4.3% of the variation in multiple adenoma risk, with three SNPs (rs6983267, rs10795668, rs3802842) explaining 3.0% of the variation. In FAP patients, the CRC risk score did not differ significantly from the controls, as we expected given the overwhelming effect of pathogenic germline APC variants on the phenotype of these cases. More unexpectedly, we found no evidence that the CRC SNPs act as modifier genes for the number of colorectal adenomas in FAP patients. In conclusion, common colorectal tumour risk alleles contribute to the development of multiple adenomas in patients without pathogenic germline APC or MUTYH variants. This phenotype may have 'polygenic' or monogenic origins. The risk of CRC in relatives of multiple adenoma cases is probably much lower for cases with polygenic disease, and this should be taken into account when counselling such patients.

ZnS thin films deposition by thermal evaporation for photovoltaic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benyahia, K.; Benhaya, A.; Aida, M. S.

2015-10-01

ZnS thin films were deposited on glass substrates by thermal evaporation from millimetric crystals of ZnS. The structural, compositional and optical properties of the films are studied by X-ray diffraction, SEM microscopy, and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The obtained results show that the films are pin hole free and have a cubic zinc blend structure with (111) preferential orientation. The estimated optical band gap is 3.5 eV and the refractive index in the visible wavelength ranges from 2.5 to 1.8. The good cubic structure obtained for thin layers enabled us to conclude that the prepared ZnS films may have application as buffer layer in replacement of the harmful CdS in CIGS thin film solar cells or as an antireflection coating in silicon-based solar cells.

Infrared Wire-Grid Polarizer with Antireflection Structure by Imprinting on Both Sides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Itsunari; Yamashita, Naoto; Tani, Kunihiko; Einishi, Toshihiko; Saito, Mitsunori; Fukumi, Kouhei; Nishii, Junji

2012-08-01

We fabricated infrared wire-grid polarizers with an antireflection (AR) grating structure by the simultaneous imprinting on both sides of a low-toxicity chalcogenide glass (Sb-Ge-Sn-S system). Silicon carbide and glassy carbon plates were used as molds for the direct glass imprinting. A wire-grid polarizer of 100-nm-thick was produced by depositing Al obliquely on the grating. Although the transmittance of the chalcogenide glass substrate was 62-66% in the 8.5-10.5 µm wavelength range, the transverse magnetic (TM) transmittance of the fabricated element became higher than 70% owing to the AR structure. The extinction ratio was larger than 20 dB at 11 µm wavelength.

Antireflective surface structures on optics for high energy lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busse, Lynda E.; Florea, Catalin M.; Shaw, L. Brandon; Frantz, Jesse; Bayya, Shyam; Poutous, Menelaos K.; Joshi, Rajendra; Aggarwal, Ishwar D.; Sanghera, Jas S.

2014-02-01

We report results for antireflective surface structures (ARSS) fabricated directly into the surface of optics and lenses which are important as high energy (multi-kW) laser components, including fused silica windows and lenses, YAG crystals and ceramics and spinel ceramics. Very low reflection losses as well as high laser damage thresholds have been measured for optics with ARSS. Progress to scale up the process for large size windows will also be presented..

Under-ascertainment from healthcare settings of child abuse events among children of soldiers by the U.S. Army Family Advocacy Program.

PubMed

Wood, Joanne N; Griffis, Heather M; Taylor, Christine M; Strane, Douglas; Harb, Gerlinde C; Mi, Lanyu; Song, Lihai; Lynch, Kevin G; Rubin, David M

2017-01-01

In cases of maltreatment involving children of U.S. Army service members, the U.S. Army Family Advocacy Program (FAP) is responsible for providing services to families and ensuring child safety. The percentage of cases of maltreatment that are known to FAP, however, is uncertain. Thus, the objective of this retrospective study was to estimate the percentage of U.S. Army dependent children with child maltreatment as diagnosed by a military or civilian medical provider who had a substantiated report with FAP from 2004 to 2007. Medical claims data were used to identify 0-17year old child dependents of soldiers who received a medical diagnosis of child maltreatment. Linkage rates of maltreatment medical diagnoses with corresponding substantiated FAP reports were calculated. Bivariate and multivariable analyses examined the association of child, maltreatment episode, and soldier characteristics with linkage to substantiated FAP reports. Across 5945 medically diagnosed maltreatment episodes, 20.3% had a substantiated FAP report. Adjusting for covariates, the predicted probability of linkage to a substantiated FAP report was higher for physical abuse than for sexual abuse, 25.8%, 95% CI (23.4, 28.3) versus 14.5%, 95% CI (11.2, 17.9). Episodes in which early care was provided at civilian treatment facilities were less likely to have a FAP report than those treated at military facilities, 9.8%, 95% CI (7.3, 12.2) versus 23.6%, 95% CI (20.8, 26.4). The observed low rates of linkage of medically diagnosed child maltreatment to substantiated FAP reports may signal the need for further regulation of FAP reporting requirements, particularly for children treated at civilian facilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multifunctional, angle dependent antireflection, and hydrophilic properties of SiO2 inspired by nano-scale structures of cicada wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zada, Imran; Zhang, Wang; Sun, Peng; Imtiaz, Muhammad; Abbas, Waseem; Zhang, Di

2017-10-01

Inspired by the multifunctional properties of cicada wings, we have precisely replicated biomorphic SiO2 with antireflective structures (ARSs) using a simple, inexpensive, and highly effective sol-gel ultrasonic method. The biomorphic replica of SiO2 was directly achieved from a cicada template at high calcination. The biomorphic SiO2 not only inherited the ARS effectively but also exhibited the excellent angle dependent antireflective properties over a wide range of incident angles (10°-60°). The change in reflectance spectra (visible wavelength) of biomorphic SiO2 was observed from 0.3% to 3.3% with the increasing incident angles. The smooth surface of the SiO2 crystal without nanostructures showed a high reflection of 9.2% compared to the biomorphic SiO2 with ARS. These excellent antireflective properties of biomorphic SiO2 can be attributed to the nanoscale structures which introduce a gradient in the refractive index between air and the material surface via ARS. In the meantime, biomorphic SiO2 demonstrates high hydrophilic properties due to the existence of nanostructures on its surface. These multifunctional properties of biomorphic SiO2, angle dependent antireflective properties, and hydrophilicity with high thermal stability may have potential applications in solar cells and antifogging optical materials.

Bioinspired periodic pinecone-shaped Si subwavelength nanostructures for broadband and omnidirectional antireflective surface.

PubMed

Leem, Jung Woo; Yu, Jae Su

2012-10-01

We reported the bioinspired periodic pinecone-shaped silicon (Si) subwavelength nanostructures, which were fabricated by laser interference lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching using thermally dewetted gold (Au) nanoparticles in SiCl4 plasma, on Si substrates for broadband and wide-angle antireflective surface. For the fabricated pinecone-like Si subwavelength nanostructures, antireflection characteristics and wetting behaviors were investigated. The pinecone-shaped Si subwavelength nanostructure with a period of 320 nm for 7 nm of Au film exhibited a relatively low solar weighted reflectance value of 3.5% over a wide wavelength range of 300-1030 nm, maintaining the reflectance values of < 9.9% at a wavelength of 550 nm up to a high incident angle of theta(i) = 70 degrees for non-polarized light. This structure also showed a hydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of theta(c) approximately 102 degrees.

Cr(VI) removal by FeS-coated alumina, silica, and natural sand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, M.; Lee, S.; Jeong, H. Y.

2014-12-01

Removal of Cr(VI) was investigated using mackinawite (FeS)-coated mineral sorbents under anoxic conditions. The sorbents included alumina (Al), silica (WS), and natural sand (NS). By analysis of both solution and solid phases, all FeS-coated sorbents were found to reduce Cr(VI) into Cr(III). The sorption extent and mechanism of Cr(VI) strongly depended on the pH conditions. Only at pH 4.5, significant amounts of the dissolved Cr remained in the solution. Titration of dissolved Cr(III) and Fe(III) by NaOH solutions indicated that no bulk-phase precipitation occurred at pH 4.5. Also, the removal of Cr(VI) at pH 4.5 was the greatest by FeS-coated NS. Consistent with these, Cr-K edge EXAFS revealed that Cr was removed by FeS-coated NS via surface precipitation, and that it was immobilized by FeS-coated WS and Al by forming surface clusters. Regardless of FeS-coated sorbents, at pH 7.0 and pH 9.5, the initially added Cr(VI) was quantitatively removed from the solution phase. By EXAFS analysis, the Cr sorption by FeS-coated Al was mainly due to the bulk-phase precipitation of Cr(OH)3(s) or [Cr, Fe](OH)3(s). In case of FeS-coated WS and NS, the short Cr-Cr distance (~2.6 Å) at pH 7.0 and pH 9.5 was not simply accounted for by the bulk precipitation as either hydroxide (rCr-Cr ~ 3.0 Å), and it would rather result from the surface precipitation. Such a difference in the coordination structure among FeS-coated sorbents was likely due to in the lower surface area of the former available for the surface precipitation.

Effect of the Ti/Si ratio of spin coating solutions on surface passivation of crystalline silicon by TiO x -SiO x composite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshiba, Shuhei; Tanitsu, Katsuya; Suda, Yoshiyuki; Kamisako, Koichi

2017-06-01

Passivation films or antireflection coatings are generally prepared using costly vacuum or high-temperature processes. Thus, we report the preparation of TiO x -SiO x composite films by novel spin coatable solutions for the synthesis of low-cost passivation coating materials. The desired films were formed by varying the mixing ratios of TiO x and SiO x , and the resulting films exhibited excellent surface passivation properties. For the p-type wafer, an optimal effective surface recombination velocity (S eff) of 93 cm/s was achieved at \\text{TiO}x:\\text{SiO}x = 6:4, while a surface recombination current density (J 0s) of 195 fA/cm2 was obtained. In contrast, for the n-type wafer, an S eff of 27 cm/s and a J 0s of 38 fA/cm2 were achieved at \\text{TiO}x:\\text{SiO}x = 8:2. This excellent surface passivation effect could be attributed to the low interface state density and high positive fixed charge density. Furthermore, the thickness of the interfacial SiO x layer was determined to be important for obtaining the desired surface passivation effect.

Overcoming artefact: anticipation in 284 Portuguese kindreds with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) ATTRV30M.

PubMed

Lemos, Carolina; Coelho, Teresa; Alves-Ferreira, Miguel; Martins-da-Silva, Ana; Sequeiros, Jorge; Mendonça, Denisa; Sousa, Alda

2014-03-01

Early-onset (≤40 years) and later-onset (≥50 years) cases of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) ATTRV30M are not different entities, often coexisting in the same family, and showing anticipation (earlier age-at-onset (AO) in younger generations, usually associated with more severe phenotype). Historically, anticipation has been ascribed to ascertainment biases. Our aim was to study anticipation in a very large number of FAP kindreds, removing possible biases, and gain further insight into parent-of-origin effects. We analysed 926 parent-offspring pairs (from the Unidade Clínica de Paramiloidose roster, collected in 70 years), both clinically observed and had well-established AO, correcting for intrafamilial correlations. Women had a significantly higher AO, either for daughters (mean: 33.70, SD: 6.84) vs sons (29.43, 6.08); or mothers (39.57, 11.75) vs. fathers (35.62, 11.62). Also, 291 pairs showed marked anticipation (≥10 years); the transmitting parent was the mother in 203 pairs. Mother-son pairs showed larger anticipation (10.43, 9.34), while father-daughter pairs showed only a residual anticipation (1.23, 9.77). Gender of offspring and parents was highly significant (with no interaction). To remove possible biases, we repeated analyses: (1) excluding the proband; (2) removing pairs with simultaneous onset; and (3) excluding offspring born after 1960. Anticipation was found in all subsamples, with the same trend for a parent-of-origin effect. Noteworthy, parents with AO ≤40 years never had offspring with AO ≥50. These findings confirm anticipation as a true biological phenomenon, also in FAP ATTRV30M. Acknowledgment of anticipation may have important clinical implications in genetic counselling of offspring and in follow-up of mutation carriers.

Single mode fibers with antireflective surface structures for high power laser applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busse, Lynda E.; Florea, Catalin M.; Shaw, L. Brandon; Aggarwal, Ishwar D.; Sanghera, Jasbinder S.

2014-03-01

We present results for increased transmission of ~99.5% in the near-IR through the end faces of silica single mode fibers by creating a random antireflective microstructure etched into the end face of the fiber. We demonstrate high laser damage thresholds for these fibers with AR structured surfaces.

Molecular mapping of the mutant fap4(A24) allele for elevated palmitate concentration in soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soybean [Glycine max L. Merr.] oil with an elevated palmitate concentration is useful for some food and industrial applications. The objective of this study was to map the genetic location of the fap4(A24) allele that controls an increase in palmitate concentration and to identify molecular marker...

Day Care in Vermont: An Evaluation of the Vermont Model FAP Child Care Service System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siedman, Eileen

This book presents an extensive examination of the organization and operation of the Vermont model day care delivery system which was designed in the context of the proposed Family Assistance Plan (FAP). The model tested the ability of Federal and State employees to work together and share resources in designing a new approach to welfare reform.…

Transparent conductive coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashok, S.

1983-01-01

Thin film transparent conductors are discussed. Materials with electrical conductivity and optical transparency are highly desirable in many optoelectronic applications including photovoltaics. Certain binary oxide semiconductors such as tin oxide (SnO2) and indium oxide (In2O3) offer much better performance tradeoff in optoelectronics as well as better mechanical and chemical stability than thin semitransparent films. These thin-film transparent conductors (TC) are essentially wide-bandgap degenerate semiconductors - invariably n-type - and hence are transparent to sub-bandgap (visible) radiation while affording high electrical conductivity due to the large free electron concentration. The principal performance characteristics of TC's are, of course, electrical conductivity and optical transmission. The TC's have a refractive index of around 2.0 and hence act as very efficient antireflection coatings. For using TC's in surface barrier solar cells, the photovoltaic barrier is of utmost importance and so the work function or electron affinity of the TC is also a very important material parameter. Fabrication processes are discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aytug, Tolga; Lupini, Andrew R.; Jellison, Gerald E.

The design of multifunctional coatings impact impact the performance of many optical systems and components. Such coatings should be mechanically robust, and combine user-defined optical and wetting functions with scalable fabrication formulations. By taking cues from the properties of some natural biological structures, we report here the formation of low-refractive index antireflective glass films that embody omni-directional optical properties over a wide range of wavelengths, while also possessing specific wetting capabilities. The coatings comprise an interconnected network of nanoscale pores surrounded by a nanostructured silica framework. These structures result from a novel fabrication method that utilizes metastable spinodal phase separationmore » in glass-based materials. The approach not only enables design of surface microstructures with graded-index antireflection characteristics, where the surface reflection is suppressed through optical impedance matching between interfaces, but also facilitates self-cleaning ability through modification of the surface chemistry. Based on near complete elimination of Fresnel reflections (yielding >95% transmission through a single-side coated glass) and corresponding increase in broadband transmission, the fabricated nanostructured surfaces are found to promote a general and an invaluable ~3–7% relative increase in current output of multiple direct/indirect bandgap photovoltaic cells. Moreover, these antireflective surfaces also demonstrate superior resistance against mechanical wear and abrasion. Unlike conventional counterparts, the present antireflective coatings are essentially monolithic, enabling simultaneous realization of graded index anti-reflectivity, self-cleaning capability, and mechanical stability within the same surface. Moreover, the concept represents a fundamental basis for development of advanced coated optical quality products, especially where environmental exposure is required.« less

Deep and tapered silicon photonic crystals for achieving anti-reflection and enhanced absorption.

PubMed

Hung, Yung-Jr; Lee, San-Liang; Coldren, Larry A

2010-03-29

Tapered silicon photonic crystals (PhCs) with smooth sidewalls are realized using a novel single-step deep reactive ion etching. The PhCs can significantly reduce the surface reflection over the wavelength range between the ultra-violet and near-infrared regions. From the measurements using a spectrophotometer and an angle-variable spectroscopic ellipsometer, the sub-wavelength periodic structure can provide a broad and angular-independent antireflective window in the visible region for the TE-polarized light. The PhCs with tapered rods can further reduce the reflection due to a gradually changed effective index. On the other hand, strong optical resonances for TM-mode can be found in this structure, which is mainly due to the existence of full photonic bandgaps inside the material. Such resonance can enhance the optical absorption inside the silicon PhCs due to its increased optical paths. With the help of both antireflective and absorption-enhanced characteristics in this structure, the PhCs can be used for various applications.

Genetic Counselor Practices Involving Pediatric Patients with FAP: an Investigation of their Self-Reported Strategies for Genetic Testing and Hepatoblastoma Screening.

PubMed

Lawson, Caitlin E; Attard, Thomas M; Dai, Hongying; Septer, Seth

2017-06-01

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a cancer predisposition syndrome that causes early-onset polyposis and is associated with an increased risk for hepatoblastoma. There is currently a lack of consensus on when to order APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) gene testing or implement surveillance for hepatoblastoma. An online questionnaire was completed by 62 genetic counselors to capture their current practices regarding these questions. Extracolonic findings associated with FAP that were most likely to prompt APC testing in an otherwise asymptomatic 10 year-old child with a negative family history were multiple desmoid tumors, congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE), jaw osteomas, and hepatoblastoma. For hepatoblastoma screening, the majority did recommend this in children less than age five years with known APC mutations. An interval of every 3-6 months was most commonly suggested; however, responses extended to screening on a less than annual basis. These results highlight the need for further investigation into why some genetic counselors do not recommend APC testing in young at-risk children and what factors influence views about the ideal age and indication for APC testing. Studies of these issues would help to define the best clinical practice model for genetic testing and hepatoblastoma screening in pediatric patients with FAP.

Transthyretin-Related Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP): A Single-Center Experience in Sicily, an Italian Endemic Area.

PubMed

Mazzeo, Anna; Russo, Massimo; Di Bella, Gianluca; Minutoli, Fabio; Stancanelli, Claudia; Gentile, Luca; Baldari, Sergio; Carerj, Scipione; Toscano, Antonio; Vita, Giuseppe

2015-07-22

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy related to transthyretin gene (TTR-FAP) is a life-threatening disease transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. Val30Met mutation accounts for the majority of the patients with large endemic foci especially in Portugal, Sweden and Japan. However, more than one hundred other mutations have been described worldwide. A great phenotypic variability among patients with late- and early-onset has been reported. To present a detailed report of TTR-FAP patients diagnosed in our tertiary neuromuscular center, in a 20-year period. Clinical informations were gathered through the database of our center. The study involved 76 individuals carrying a TTR-FAP mutation. Three phenotypes were identified, each corresponding to a different TTR variant, homogeneous within and heterogeneous between each other: i) Glu89Gln mutation, characterised by 5th - 6th decade onset, neuropathy as presenting symptoms, early heart dysfunction, cardiomyopathy as major cause of mortality followed by dysautonomia and cachexia; ii) Phe64Leu mutation, marked by familiarity reported in one-half of cases, late onset, severe peripheral neuropathy, moderate dysautonomia and mild cardiomyopathy, death for wasting syndrome; iii) Thr49Ala mutation, distinguished by onset in the 5th decade, autonomic disturbances as inaugural symptoms which may remain isolated for many years, moderate polyneuropathy, cachexia as major cause of mortality followed by cardiomyopathy. This survey highlighted a prevalence of 8.8/1,000,000 in Sicily Island. Good knowledge of the natural history of the disease according to different TTR mutations allow clinicians to optimise multiprofessional care for patients and to offer carriers a personalized follow-up to reveal first signs of the disease.

Comparative Sand and Rain Erosion Studies of Spinel, Aluminum Oxynitride (ALON), Magnesium Fluoride, and Germanate Glass

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-01

A speed of 206 m/s (406 knots) was chosen for small particles (ព gim) to simulate aircraft cruising conditions. Seven samples (Table 3) were exposed...Infrared Optical Materials and Their Antireflection Coatings, Bristol, Adam Hilger, 1985. 3. S. Musikant . Optical Materials, New York, Marcel Dekker, 1985

Antireflective surface with a step in the taper: Numerical optimization and large-area fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinotsuka, Kei; Hongo, Koki; Dai, Kotaro; Hirama, Satoru; Hatta, Yoshihisa

2017-02-01

In this study, we developed a practical method to improve the optical performance of subwavelength antireflective two-dimensional (2D) gratings. A numerical simulation of both convex and concave paraboloids suggested that surface reflectivity drastically decreases when a step is introduced in the taper. The optimum height and depth of a step provided average reflectances of 0.098% for convex protrusions and 0.040% for concave protrusions in the visible range. Furthermore, a stepped paraboloid was experimentally fabricated by dry etching of a Si substrate with SiO2 particle monolayer mask. A cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) reverse replica (concave) imprinted by the Si mold exhibited a measured reflectance of 0.077% on average in the visible range. It was also demonstrated that the antireflective structure was fabricated on the whole surface of a 6 in. Si wafer, which is a sufficient size for industrial utilization.

High temperature solar selective coatings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kennedy, Cheryl E

Improved solar collectors (40) comprising glass tubing (42) attached to bellows (44) by airtight seals (56) enclose solar absorber tubes (50) inside an annular evacuated space (54. The exterior surfaces of the solar absorber tubes (50) are coated with improved solar selective coatings {48} which provide higher absorbance, lower emittance and resistance to atmospheric oxidation at elevated temperatures. The coatings are multilayered structures comprising solar absorbent layers (26) applied to the meta surface of the absorber tubes (50), typically stainless steel, topped with antireflective Savers (28) comprising at least two layers 30, 32) of refractory metal or metalloid oxides (suchmore » as titania and silica) with substantially differing indices of refraction in adjacent layers. Optionally, at least one layer of a noble metal such as platinum can be included between some of the layers. The absorbent layers cars include cermet materials comprising particles of metal compounds is a matrix, which can contain oxides of refractory metals or metalloids such as silicon. Reflective layers within the coating layers can comprise refractory metal silicides and related compounds characterized by the formulas TiSi. Ti.sub.3SiC.sub.2, TiAlSi, TiAN and similar compounds for Zr and Hf. The titania can be characterized by the formulas TiO.sub.2, Ti.sub.3O.sub.5. TiOx or TiO.sub.xN.sub.1-x with x 0 to 1. The silica can be at least one of SiO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2x or SiO.sub.2xN.sub.1-x with x=0 to 1.« less

Laser damage of HR, AR-coatings, monolayers and bare surfaces at 1064 nm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garnov, S. V.; Klimentov, S. M.; Said, A. A.; Soileau, M. J.

1993-01-01

Laser induced damage thresholds and morphologies were investigated in a variety of uncoated and coated surfaces, including monolayers and multi-layers of different chemical compositions. Both antireflective (AR) and highly reflective (HR) were tested. Testing was done at 1064 nm with 25 picosecond and 8 nanosecond YAG/Nd laser single pulses. Spot diameter in the experiments varied from 0.09 to 0.22 mm. The laser damage measurement procedure consisted of 1-on-1 (single laser pulse in the selected site) and N-on-1 experiments including repeated irradiation by pulses of the same fluence and subsequently raised from pulse to pulse fluence until damage occurred. The highest picosecond damage thresholds of commercially available coatings averaged 12 - 14 J/sq cm, 50 percent less than thresholds obtained in bare fused silica. Some coatings and bare surfaces revealed a palpable preconditioning effect (an increase in threshold of 1.2 to 1.8 times). Picosecond and nanosecond data were compared to draw conclusions about pulse width dependence. An attempt was made to classify damage morphologies according to the type of coating, class of irradiating, and damage level.

Design Rules for Tailoring Antireflection Properties of Hierarchical Optical Structures

DOE PAGES

Leon, Juan J. Diaz; Hiszpanski, Anna M.; Bond, Tiziana C.; ...

2017-05-18

Hierarchical structures consisting of small sub-wavelength features stacked atop larger structures have been demonstrated as an effective means of reducing the reflectance of surfaces. However, optical devices require different antireflective properties depending on the application, and general unifying guidelines on hierarchical structures' design to attain a desired antireflection spectral response are still lacking. The type of reflectivity (diffuse, specular, or total/hemispherical) and its angular- and spectral-dependence are all dictated by the structural parameters. Through computational and experimental studies, guidelines have been devised to modify these various aspects of reflectivity across the solar spectrum by proper selection of the features ofmore » hierarchical structures. In this wavelength regime, micrometer-scale substructures dictate the long-wavelength spectral response and effectively reduce specular reflectance, whereas nanometer-scale substructures dictate primarily the visible wavelength spectral response and reduce diffuse reflectance. Coupling structures having these two length scales into hierarchical arrays impressively reduces surfaces' hemispherical reflectance across a broad spectrum of wavelengths and angles. Furthermore, such hierarchical structures in silicon are demonstrated having an average total reflectance across the solar spectrum of 1.1% (average weighted reflectance of 1% in the 280–2500 nm range of the AM 1.5 G spectrum) and specular reflectance <1% even at angles of incidence as high as 67°.« less

Formation of broadband antireflective and superhydrophilic subwavelength structures on fused silica using one-step self-masking reactive ion etching

PubMed Central

Ye, Xin; Jiang, Xiaodong; Huang, Jin; Geng, Feng; Sun, Laixi; Zu, Xiaotao; Wu, Weidong; Zheng, Wanguo

2015-01-01

Fused silica subwavelength structures (SWSs) with an average period of ~100 nm were fabricated using an efficient approach based on one-step self-masking reactive ion etching. The subwavelength structures exhibited excellent broadband antireflection properties from the ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelength range. These properties are attributable to the graded refractive index for the transition from air to the fused silica substrate that is produced by the ideal nanocone subwavelength structures. The transmittance in the 400–700 nm range increased from approximately 93% for the polished fused silica to greater than 99% for the subwavelength structure layer on fused silica. Achieving broadband antireflection in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range by appropriate matching of the SWS heights on the front and back sides of the fused silica is a novel strategy. The measured antireflection properties are consistent with the results of theoretical analysis using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. This method is also applicable to diffraction grating fabrication. Moreover, the surface of the subwavelength structures exhibits significant superhydrophilic properties. PMID:26268896

Coatings for high energy applications. The Nova laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirtenson, G. R.

The combined requirements of energy density, multiple wavelength, and aperture make the coatings for the Nova Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) laser unique. This ten beam neodymium glass laser system, built at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has over a thousand major optical components; some larger than one meter in diameter and weighing 380 Kg. The laser operates at 1054 nm and can be frequency doubled to 527 nm or tripled to 351 nm by means of full aperture potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal arrays. The 1.0 nsec fluence varies along the laser chain, sometimes reaching values as high as 16 J/cm(2) at the input lens to one of the spatial filters. The design specifications of this massive optical system were changed several times as the state-of-the-art advanced. Each change required redesign of the optical coatings even as vendors were preparing for production runs. Frequency conversion to include shorter wavelengths mandated the first major coating redesign and was followed almost immediately by a second redesign to reduce solarization effects in borosilicate crown glass. The conventional thermal evaporation process although successful for the deposition of mirror coatings, was not able to produce antireflection coatings able to survive the locally high chain fluences. As a consequence it became necessary to develop another technique. Solution produced coatings were developed having transmissions exceeding 99% per part and damage threshold values equal to the bare substrate. The unique requirement of the Nova laser necessitated special deposition and metrology equipment. These programmatic developments will be reviewed in the context of the cooperative working relationship developed between LLNL and its vendors. It was this excellent relationship which has enabled LLNL to obtain these highly specialized coatings for the Nova laser.

[The research of UV-responsive sensitivity enhancement of fluorescent coating films by MgF2 layer].

PubMed

Lu, Zhong-Rong; Ni, Zheng-Ji; Tao, Chun-Xian; Hong, Rui-Jin; Zhang, Da-Wei; Huang, Yuan-Shen

2014-03-01

A low cost and less complicated expansion approach of wavelength responses with a Lumogen phosphor coating was adopted, as they increased the quantum efficiency of CCD and CMOS detectors in ultra-violet by absorbing UV light and then re emitting visible light. In this paper, the sensitivity enhancement of fluorescence coatings was studied by adding an anti-reflection film or barrier film to reduce the loss of the scattering and reflection on the incident interface. The Lumogen and MgF2/Lumogen film were deposited on quartz glasses by physical vacuum deposition. The surface morphology, transmittance spectrum, reflectance spectrum and fluorescence emission spectrum were obtained by atomic force microscope (AFM), spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectrometer, respectively. The results indicated that MgF2 film had obvious positive effect on reducing scattering and reflection loss in 500-700 nm, and enhancing the absorption of Lumogen coating in ultraviolet spectrum. Meanwhile, the fluorescent emission intensity had a substantial increase by smoothing the film surface and thus reducing the light scattering. At the same time, the MgF2 layer could protect Lumogen coating from damaging and contamination, which give a prolong lifetime of the UV-responsive CCD sensors with fluorescent coatings.

Postoperative outcome and quality of life after surgery for FAP-associated duodenal adenomatosis.

PubMed

Ganschow, Petra; Hackert, Thilo; Biegler, Marcel; Contin, Pietro; Hinz, Ulf; Büchler, Markus W; Kadmon, Martina

2018-02-01

Prophylactic colon surgery has increased life expectancy of familial adenomatous polyposis patients. Extracolonic manifestations are life limiting, above all duodenal adenomas. Severe duodenal adenomatosis or cancer may necessitate pancreas-preserving total duodenectomy or partial pancreatico-duodenectomy, mostly after previous proctocolectomy and often after limited local resections of duodenal adenomas. Scarce information on long-term postoperative outcome and quality of life after surgery for duodenal adenomatosis is available. Aim of the present study was to analyze perioperative and long-term outcome after PD and PPTD for FAP-associated duodenal adenomatosis, including QoL and recurrence of adenomas in the neoduodenum after PPTD. Thirty-eight patients, 27 after pancreas-preserving duodenectomy and 11 after partial pancreaticoduodenectomy, were included. Pancreas-preserving total duodenectomy was associated with shorter operation time and less blood loss than partial pancreatico-duodenectomy. Clinically relevant pancreatic fistula occurred in 31.5%. In-hospital mortality was 5.3%. Long-term follow-up revealed recurrent pancreatitis after pancreas-preserving total duodenectomy in 22% of patients, two (7.4%) required re-operation. Recurrent adenomatosis was detected in 26% of patients. Quality of life was comparable to the German normal population after both surgical procedures. Patients with postoperative complications showed worse results than those without complications. Disease-specific 10-year survival rate with respect to duodenal adenomatosis was 100%. Surgery for FAP-associated duodenal adenomatosis and cancer can be carried out with reasonable morbidity rates despite previous proctocolectomy. Long-term outcome, quality of life, and survival rates are favorable.