ELLIPSOMETRY OF ELECTROCHEMICAL SURFACE LAYERS

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

Muller, R.H.

1977-06-01

Ellipsometry is concerned with the analysis and interpretation of changes in the state of polarization caused by reflection. The technique has found increasing interest in recent years for the measurement of thin films because it is unusually sensitive, disturbs the object minimally and can be applied to surfaces contained in any optically transparent medium. Film thicknesses amenable to measurement range from fractional monoatomic coverage to microscopic thicknesses. The measurement of changes in the state of polarization of light due to reflection provides an unusually sensitive tool for observing surface layers in any optically transparent environment. A fast, self-compensating ellipsometer hasmore » been used to observe the electrochemical formation of reacted surface layers. The optical effect of mass-transport boundary layers and component imperfections have been taken into account in the interpretation of results.« less

Jet Fuel Thermal Stability Investigations Using Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nash, Leigh; Vasu, Subith S.; Klettlinger, Jennifer Lindsey

2017-01-01

Jet fuels are typically used for endothermic cooling in practical engines where their thermal stability is very important. In this work the thermal stability of Sasol IPK (a synthetic jet fuel) with varying levels of naphthalene has been studied on stainless steel substrates using spectroscopic ellipsometry in the temperature range 385-400 K. Ellipsometry is an optical technique that measures the changes in a light beam’s polarization and intensity after it reflects off of a thin film to determine the film’s thickness and optical properties. All of the tubes used were rated as thermally unstable by the color standard portion of the Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation Test, and this was confirmed by the deposit thicknesses observed using ellipsometry. A new amorphous model on a stainless steel substrate was used to model the data and obtain the results. It was observed that, as would be expected, increasing the temperature of the tube increased the overall deposit amount for a constant concentration of naphthalene. The repeatability of these measurements was assessed using multiple trials of the same fuel at 385 K. Lastly, the effect of increasing the naphthalene concentration in the fuel at a constant temperature was found to increase the deposit thickness.In conclusion, ellipsometry was used to investigate the thermal stability of jet fuels on stainless steel substrate. The effects of increasing temperature and addition of naphthalene on stainless steel tubes with Sasol IPK fuel were investigated. It was found, as expected, that increasing temperature lead to an increase in deposit thickness. It wasAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics6also found that increasing amounts of naphthalene increased the maximum deposit thickness. The repeatability of these measurements was investigated using multiple tests at the same conditions. The present work provides as a better quantitative tool compared to the widely used JFTOT technique. Future work will expand on the fuel types, temperature, and substrate materials.

Titanate nanotube thin films with enhanced thermal stability and high-transparency prepared from additive-free sols

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

Koroesi, Laszlo, E-mail: korosi@enviroinvest.hu; Department of Biotechnology, Nanophage Therapy Center, Enviroinvest Corporation, Kertvaros utca 2, H-7632 Pecs; Papp, Szilvia

2012-08-15

Titanate nanotubes were synthesized from TiO{sub 2} in alkaline medium by a conventional hydrothermal method (150 Degree-Sign C, 4.7 bar). To obtain hydrogen titanates, the as-prepared sodium titanates were treated with either HCl or H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} aqueous solutions. A simple synthesis procedure was devised for stable titanate nanotube sols without using any additives. These highly stable ethanolic sols can readily be used to prepare transparent titanate nanotube thin films of high quality. The resulting samples were studied by X-ray diffraction, N{sub 2}-sorption measurements, Raman spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The comparative resultsmore » of using two kinds of acids shed light on the superior thermal stability of the H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}-treated titanate nanotubes (P-TNTs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that P-TNTs contains P in the near-surface region and the thermal stability was enhanced even at a low ({approx}0.5 at%) concentration of P. After calcination at 500 Degree-Sign C, the specific surface areas of the HCl- and H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}-treated samples were 153 and 244 m{sup 2} g{sup -1}, respectively. The effects of H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} treatment on the structure, morphology and porosity of titanate nanotubes are discussed. - Graphical Abstract: TEM picture (left) shows P-TNTs with diameters about 5-6 nm. Inset shows a stable titanate nanotube sol illuminated by a 532 nm laser beam. Due to the presence of the nanoparticles the way of the light is visible in the sol. Cross sectional SEM picture (right) as well as ellipsometry revealed the formation of optical quality P-TNT films with thicknesses below 50 nm. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} treatment led to TNTs with high surface area even after calcination at 500 Degree-Sign C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}-treated TNTs preserved their nanotube morphology up to 500 Degree-Sign C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stable TNT sols can be prepared by the peptization of TNT gels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High-transparency TNT thin films of high quality were fabricated.« less

Mechanisms involved in HBr and Ar cure plasma treatments applied to 193 nm photoresists

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

Pargon, E.; Menguelti, K.; Martin, M.

2009-05-01

In this article, we have performed detailed investigations of the 193 nm photoresist transformations after exposure to the so-called HBr and Ar plasma cure treatments using various characterization techniques (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared, Raman analyses, and ellipsometry). By using windows with different cutoff wavelengths patched on the photoresist film, the role of the plasma vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light on the resist modifications is clearly outlined and distinguished from the role of radicals and ions from the plasma. The analyses reveal that both plasma cure treatments induce severe surface and bulk chemical modifications of the resist films. The synergisticmore » effects of low energetic ion bombardment and VUV plasma light lead to surface graphitization or cross-linking (on the order of 10 nm), while the plasma VUV light (110-210 nm) is clearly identified as being responsible for ester and lactone group removal from the resist bulk. As the resist modification depth depends strongly on the wavelength penetration into the material, it is found that HBr plasma cure that emits near 160-170 nm can chemically modify the photoresist through its entire thickness (240 nm), while the impact of Ar plasmas emitting near 100 nm is more limited. In the case of HBr cure treatment, Raman and ellipsometry analyses reveal the formation of sp{sup 2} carbon atoms in the resist bulk, certainly thanks to hydrogen diffusion through the resist film assisted by the VUV plasma light.« less

Ellipsometry-like analysis of polarization state for micro cracks using stress-induced light scattering method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakata, Yoshitaro; Terasaki, Nao; Sakai, Kazufumi; Nonaka, Kazuhiro

2016-03-01

Fine polishing techniques, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), are important to glass substrate manufacturing. When these techniques involve mechanical interaction in the form of friction between the abrasive and the substrate surface during polishing, latent flaws may form on the product. Fine polishing induced latent flaws in glass substrates may become obvious during a subsequent cleaning process if the glass surface is eroded away by chemical interaction with a cleaning liquid. Thus, latent flaws reduce product yield. A novel technique (the stress-induced light scattering method; SILSM) which was combined with light scattering method and stress effects was proposed for inspecting surface to detect polishing induced latent flaws. This method is able to distinguish between latent flaws and tiny particles on the surface. In this method, an actuator deforms a sample inducing stress effects around the tip of a latent flaw caused by the deformation, which in turn changes the refractive index of the material around the tip of the latent flaw because of the photoelastic effect. A CCD camera detects this changed refractive index as variations in light-scattering intensity. In this study, the changes in reflection coefficients and polarization states after application of stress to a glass substrate were calculated and evaluated qualitatively using Jones matrix-like ellipsometry. As the results, it was shown that change in the polarization states around the tip of latent flaw were evaluated between before and after applied stress, qualitatively.

Light distribution in diffractive multifocal optics and its optimization.

PubMed

Portney, Valdemar

2011-11-01

To expand a geometrical model of diffraction efficiency and its interpretation to the multifocal optic and to introduce formulas for analysis of far and near light distribution and their application to multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) and to diffraction efficiency optimization. Medical device consulting firm, Newport Coast, California, USA. Experimental study. Application of a geometrical model to the kinoform (single focus diffractive optical element) was expanded to a multifocal optic to produce analytical definitions of light split between far and near images and light loss to other diffraction orders. The geometrical model gave a simple interpretation of light split in a diffractive multifocal IOL. An analytical definition of light split between far, near, and light loss was introduced as curve fitting formulas. Several examples of application to common multifocal diffractive IOLs were developed; for example, to light-split change with wavelength. The analytical definition of diffraction efficiency may assist in optimization of multifocal diffractive optics that minimize light loss. Formulas for analysis of light split between different foci of multifocal diffractive IOLs are useful in interpreting diffraction efficiency dependence on physical characteristics, such as blaze heights of the diffractive grooves and wavelength of light, as well as for optimizing multifocal diffractive optics. Disclosure is found in the footnotes. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low temperature laser molecular beam epitaxy and characterization of AlGaN epitaxial layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyagi, Prashant; Ch., Ramesh; Kushvaha, S. S.; Kumar, M. Senthil

2017-05-01

We have grown AlGaN (0001) epitaxial layers on sapphire (0001) by using laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) technique. The growth was carried out using laser ablation of AlxGa1-x liquid metal alloy under r.f. nitrogen plasma ambient. Before epilayer growth, the sapphire nitradation was performed at 700 °C using r.f nitrogen plasma followed by AlGaN layer growth. The in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was employed to monitor the substrate nitridation and AlGaN epitaxial growth. High resolution x-ray diffraction showed wurtzite hexagonal growth of AlGaN layer along c-axis. An absorption bandgap of 3.97 eV is obtained for the grown AlGaN layer indicating an Al composition of more than 20 %. Using ellipsometry, a refractive index (n) value of about 2.19 is obtained in the visible region.

The optical characterization of organometallic complex thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry and photovoltaic diode application

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

Özaydın, C.; Güllü, Ö., E-mail: omergullu@gmail.com; Pakma, O.

2016-05-15

Highlights: • Optical properties and thickness of the A novel organometallic complex (OMC) film were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). • Au/OMC/n-Si metal/interlayer/semiconductor (MIS) diode has been fabricated • This paper presents the I–V analysis of Au/OMC/n-Si MIS diode. • Current–voltage and photovoltaic properties of the diode were investigated. - Abstract: In this work, organometallic complex (OMC) films have been deposited onto glass or silicon substrates by spin coating technique and their photovoltaic application potential has been investigated. Optical properties and thickness of the film have been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). Also, transmittance spectrum has been taken by UV/vismore » spectrophotometer. The optical method has been used to determine the band gap value of the films. Also, Au/OMC/n-Si metal/interlayer/semiconductor (MIS) diode has been fabricated. Current–voltage and photovoltaic properties of the structure were investigated. The ideality factor (n) and barrier height (Φ{sub b}) values of the diode were found to be 2.89 and 0.79 eV, respectively. The device shows photovoltaic behavior with a maximum open-circuit voltage of 396 mV and a short circuit current of 33.8 μA under 300 W light.« less

Paramagnetic dysprosium-doped zinc oxide thin films grown by pulsed-laser deposition

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

Lo, Fang-Yuh, E-mail: fangyuhlo@ntnu.edu.tw; Ting, Yi-Chieh; Chou, Kai-Chieh

2015-06-07

Dysprosium(Dy)-doped zinc oxide (Dy:ZnO) thin films were fabricated on c-oriented sapphire substrate by pulsed-laser deposition with doping concentration ranging from 1 to 10 at. %. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman-scattering, optical transmission spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed incorporation of Dy into ZnO host matrix without secondary phase. Solubility limit of Dy in ZnO under our deposition condition was between 5 and 10 at. % according to XRD and Raman-scattering characteristics. Optical transmission spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry also showed increase in both transmittance in ultraviolet regime and band gap of Dy:ZnO with increasing Dy density. Zinc vacancies and zinc interstitials were identified by photoluminescencemore » spectroscopy as the defects accompanied with Dy incorporation. Magnetic investigations with a superconducting quantum interference device showed paramagnetism without long-range order for all Dy:ZnO thin films, and a hint of antiferromagnetic alignment of Dy impurities was observed at highest doping concentration—indicating the overall contribution of zinc vacancies and zinc interstitials to magnetic interaction was either neutral or toward antiferromagnetic. From our investigations, Dy:ZnO thin films could be useful for spin alignment and magneto-optical applications.« less

Characterization of SiGe/Ge heterostructures and graded layers using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Croke, E. T.; Wang, K. L.; Heyd, A. R.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Lee, C. H.

1996-01-01

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) has been used to characterize Si(x)Ge(1-x)/Ge superlattices (SLs) grown on Ge substrates and thick Si(x)Ge(1-x)/Ge heterostructures grown on Si substrates. Our VASE analysis yielded the thicknesses and alloy compositions of all layers within the optical penetration depth of the surface. In addition, strain effects were observed in the VASE results for layers under both compressive and tensile strain. Results for the SL structures were found to be in close agreement with high resolution x-ray diffraction measurements made on the same samples. The VASE analysis has been upgraded to characterize linearly graded Si(x)Ge(1-x) buffer layers. The algorithm has been used to determine the total thickness of the buffer layer along with the start and end alloy composition by breaking the total thickness into many (typically more than 20) equal layers. Our ellipsometric results for 1 (mu)m buffer layers graded in the ranges 0.7 less than or = x less than or = 1.0, and 0.5 less than or = x less than or = 1.0 are presented, and compare favorably with the nominal values.

Diffraction-Based Optical Switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sperno, Stevan M. (Inventor); Fuhr, Peter L. (Inventor); Schipper, John F. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Method and system for controllably redirecting a light beam, having a central wavelength lambda, from a first light-receiving site to a second light-receiving site. A diffraction grating is attached to or part of a piezoelectric substrate, which is connected to one or two controllable voltage difference sources. When a substrate voltage difference is changed and the diffraction grating length in each of one or two directions is thereby changed, at least one of the diffraction angle, the diffraction order and the central wavelength is controllably changed. A diffracted light beam component, having a given wavelength, diffraction angle and diffraction order, that is initially received at a first light receiving site (e.g., a detector or optical fiber) is thereby controllably shifted or altered and can be received at a second light receiving site. A polynomially stepped, chirped grating is used in one embodiment. In another embodiment, an incident light beam, having at least one of first and second wavelengths, lambda1 and lambda2, is received and diffracted at a first diffraction grating to provide a first diffracted beam. The first diffracted beam is received and diffracted at a second diffraction grating to produce a second diffracted beam. The second diffracted beam is received at a light-sensitive transducer, having at least first and second spaced apart light detector elements that are positioned so that, when the incident light beam has wavelength lambda1 or lambda2 (lambda1 not equal to lambda2), the second diffracted beam is received at the first element or at the second element, respectively; change in a selected physical parameter at the second grating can also be sensed or measured. A sequence of spaced apart light detector elements can be positioned along a linear or curvilinear segment with equal or unequal spacing.

Spectroscopic imaging ellipsometry for automated search of flakes of mono- and n-layers of 2D-materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funke, S.; Wurstbauer, U.; Miller, B.; Matković, A.; Green, A.; Diebold, A.; Röling, C.; Thiesen, P. H.

2017-11-01

Spectroscopic imaging ellipsometry (SIE) is used to localize and characterize flakes of conducting, semi-conducting and insulating 2D-materials. Although the research in the field of monolayers of 2D-materials increased the last years, it is still challenging to look for small flakes and distinguish between different layer numbers. Special substrates are used to enhance optical contrast for the conventional light microscopy (LM). In case when other functional support from the substrate is essential, an additional transfer step needs to be employed, bringing the drawbacks as contamination, cracking and wrinkling of the 2D materials. Furthermore it is time-consuming and not yet fully automatically to search for monolayers by contrast with the LM. Here we present a method, that is able to automatically localize regions with desired thicknesses, e.g. monolayers, of the different materials on arbitrary substrates.

Light diffraction studies of single muscle fibers as a function of fiber rotation.

PubMed Central

Gilliar, W G; Bickel, W S; Bailey, W F

1984-01-01

Light diffraction patterns from single glycerinated frog semitendinosus muscle fibers were examined photographically and photoelectrically as a function of diffraction angle and fiber rotation. The total intensity diffraction pattern indicates that the order maxima change both position and intensity periodically as a function of rotation angle. The total diffracted light, light diffracted above and below the zero-order plane, and light diffracted into individual orders gives information about the fiber's longitudinal and rotational structure and its noncylindrical symmetry. Images FIGURE 2 PMID:6611174

General technique for discrete retardation-modulation polarimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saxena, Indu

1993-01-01

The general theory and rigorous solutions of the Stokes parameters of light of a new technique in time-resolved ellipsometry are outlined. In this technique the phase of the linear retarder is stepped over three discrete values over a time interval for which the Stokes vector is determined. The technique has an advantage over synchronous detection techniques, as it can be implemented as a digitizable system.

Investigation of ferroelectric domains in thin films of vinylidene fluoride oligomers

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

Sharma, Pankaj, E-mail: psharma@huskers.unl.edu; Poddar, Shashi; Ducharme, Stephen

2014-07-14

High-resolution vector piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) has been used to investigate ferroelectric domains in thin vinylidene fluoride oligomer films fabricated by the Langmuir-Blodgett deposition technique. Molecular chains are found to be preferentially oriented normal to the substrate, and PFM imaging shows that the films are in ferroelectric β-phase with a predominantly in-plane polarization, in agreement with infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray diffraction measurements. The fractal analysis of domain structure has yielded the Hausdorff dimension (D) in the range of ∼1.3–1.5 indicating a random-bond nature of the disorder potential, with domain size exhibiting Landau-Lifshitz-Kittel scaling.

Diffraction-based optical correlator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spremo, Stevan M. (Inventor); Fuhr, Peter L. (Inventor); Schipper, John F. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Method and system for wavelength-based processing of a light beam. A light beam, produced at a chemical or physical reaction site and having at least first and second wavelengths, ?1 and ?2, is received and diffracted at a first diffraction grating to provide first and second diffracted beams, which are received and analyzed in terms of wavelength and/or time at two spaced apart light detectors. In a second embodiment, light from first and second sources is diffracted and compared in terms of wavelength and/or time to determine if the two beams arise from the same source. In a third embodiment, a light beam is split and diffracted and passed through first and second environments to study differential effects. In a fourth embodiment, diffracted light beam components, having first and second wavelengths, are received sequentially at a reaction site to determine whether a specified reaction is promoted, based on order of receipt of the beams. In a fifth embodiment, a cylindrically shaped diffraction grating (uniform or chirped) is rotated and translated to provide a sequence of diffracted beams with different wavelengths. In a sixth embodiment, incident light, representing one or more symbols, is successively diffracted from first and second diffraction gratings and is received at different light detectors, depending upon the wavelengths present in the incident light.

Adsorption of polyelectrolyte-like proteins to silica surfaces and the impact of pH on the response to ionic strength. A Monte Carlo simulation and ellipsometry study.

PubMed

Hyltegren, Kristin; Skepö, Marie

2017-05-15

The adsorbed amount of the polyelectrolyte-like protein histatin 5 on a silica surface depends on the pH and the ionic strength of the solution. Interestingly, an increase in ionic strength affects the adsorbed amount differently depending on the pH of the solution, as shown by ellipsometry measurements (Hyltegren, 2016). We have tested the hypothesis that the same (qualitative) trends can be found also from a coarse-grained model that takes all charge-charge interactions into account within the frameworks of Gouy-Chapman and Debye-Hückel theories. Using the same coarse-grained model as in our previous Monte Carlo study of single protein adsorption (Hyltegren, 2016), simulations of systems with many histatin 5 molecules were performed and then compared with ellipsometry measurements. The strength of the short-ranged attractive interaction between the protein and the surface was varied. The coarse-grained model does not qualitatively reproduce the pH-dependence of the experimentally observed trends in adsorbed amount as a function of ionic strength. However, the simulations cast light on the balance between electrostatic attraction between protein and surface and electrostatic repulsion between adsorbed proteins, the deficiencies of the Langmuir isotherm, and the implications of protein charge regulation in concentrated systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Polyelectrolyte and Fatty Acid Soap on the Formation of CaCO3 in the Bulk and the Deposit on Hard Surfaces.

PubMed

Wang, Hao; Alfredsson, Viveka; Tropsch, Juergen; Ettl, Roland; Nylander, Tommy

2015-09-30

The effects of sodium polyacrylate (NaPAA) as well as potassium oleate on the nucleation and calcium carbonate crystal growth on hard surfaces, i.e., stainless steel and silica, have been investigated at different temperatures. The relation between the surface deposition and the corresponding bulk processes has been revealed by combining dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ellipsometry. The aim was to further our understanding of the crystal deposition/growth mechanism and how it can be controlled by the presence of polyelectrolytes (NaPAA) or soap (potassium oleate). The addition of polyelectrolytes (NaPAA) or soap (potassium oleate) decreases the size of CaCO3 particles in bulk solution and affects both crystal structure and morphology in the bulk as well as on hard surfaces. The amount of particles on hard surfaces decreases significantly in the presence of both potassium oleate and NaPAA. This was found to be a consequence of potassium oleate or NaPAA adsorption on the hard surface as well as on the CaCO3 crystal surfaces. Here, the polymer NaPAA exhibited a stronger inhibition effect on the formation and growth of CaCO3 particles than potassium oleate.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry in vacuum ultraviolet spectral area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Detlef

An ellipsometer is developed and built, which allows the direct spectroscopic evaluation of dielectric function of solid bodies in the energy area 5 to 35 eV. A linear polarized synchrotron radiation was used as light source. The Stokes parameters and the Mueller matrices were used for the mathematical modeling, which take into account the properties of the synchrotron light and the analyzer, which depend on the wavelength. The crystals of the semiconductor bindings GaAs, GaP, InP and ZnS were examined. Ellipsometric measurements and reflection spectra show a displacement of spectral structures towards lower photon energies after the storage.

Atomic layer epitaxy of Ruddlesden-Popper SrO(SrTiO{sub 3}){sub n} films by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition

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

Jungbauer, M.; Hühn, S.; Moshnyaga, V.

2014-12-22

We report an atomic layer epitaxial growth of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) thin films of SrO(SrTiO{sub 3}){sub n} (n = ∞, 2, 3, 4) by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition (MAD). The films are grown on SrTiO{sub 3}(001) substrates by means of a sequential deposition of Sr-O/Ti-O{sub 2} atomic monolayers, monitored in-situ by optical ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the RP structure with n = 2–4 in accordance with the growth recipe. RP defects, observed by TEM in a good correlation with the in-situ ellipsometry, mainly result from the excess of SrO. Being maximal at the film/substrate interface, the SrO excess rapidlymore » decreases and saturates after 5–6 repetitions of the SrO(SrTiO{sub 3}){sub 4} block at the level of 2.4%. This identifies the SrTiO{sub 3} substrate surface as a source of RP defects under oxidizing conditions within MAD. Advantages and limitations of MAD as a solution-based and vacuum-free chemical deposition route were discussed in comparison with molecular beam epitaxy.« less

Characterization of plasmonic effects in thin films and metamaterials using spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oates, T. W. H.; Wormeester, H.; Arwin, H.

2011-12-01

In this article, spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of plasmon resonances at metal-dielectric interfaces of thin films are reviewed. We show how ellipsometry provides valuable non-invasive amplitude and phase information from which one can determine the effective dielectric functions, and how these relate to the material nanostructure and define exactly the plasmonic characteristics of the system. There are three related plasmons that are observable using spectroscopic ellipsometry; volume plasmon resonances, surface plasmon polaritons and particle plasmon resonances. We demonstrate that the established method of exploiting surface plasmon polaritons for chemical and biological sensing may be enhanced using the ellipsometric phase information and provide a comprehensive theoretical basis for the technique. We show how the particle and volume plasmon resonances in the ellipsometric spectra of nanoparticle films are directly related to size, surface coverage and constituent dielectric functions of the nanoparticles. The regularly observed splitting of the particle plasmon resonance is theoretically described using modified effective medium theories within the framework of ellipsometry. We demonstrate the wealth of information available from real-time in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements of metal film deposition, including the evolution of the plasmon resonances and percolation events. Finally, we discuss how generalized and Mueller matrix ellipsometry hold great potential for characterizing plasmonic metamaterials and sub-wavelength hole arrays.

Optical characterizations of silver nanoprisms embedded in polymer thin film layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlberg, Miriam; Pourcin, Florent; Margeat, Olivier; Le Rouzo, Judikael; Berginc, Gerard; Sauvage, Rose-Marie; Ackermann, Jorg; Escoubas, Ludovic

2017-10-01

The precise control of light-matter interaction has a wide range of applications and is currently driven by the use of nanoparticles (NPs) by the recent advances in nanotechnology. Taking advantage of the material, size, shape, and surrounding media dependence of the optical properties of plasmonic NPs, thin film layers with tunable optical properties are achieved. The NPs are synthesized by wet chemistry and embedded in a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer thin film layer. Spectrophotometer and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements are coupled to finite-difference time domain numerical modeling to optically characterize the heterogeneous thin film layers. Silver nanoprisms of 10 to 50 nm edge size exhibit high absorption through the visible wavelength range. A simple optical model composed of a Cauchy law and a Lorentz law, accounting for the optical properties of the nonabsorbing polymer and the absorbing property of the nanoprisms, fits the spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. Knowing the complex optical indices of heterogeneous thin film layers let us design layers of any optical properties.

Effect of Ta concentration on the refractive index of TiO{sub 2}:Ta studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry

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

Nurfani, Eka, E-mail: ekanurfani@gmail.com; Kurniawan, Robi; Muhammady, Shibghatullah

2016-04-19

We have investigated optical properties of Ta-doped TiO{sub 2} thin film on LaAlO{sub 3} (LAO) substrate using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) at room temperature. Amplitude ratio Ψ and phase difference L1 between p- and s- polarized light waves are obtained by multiple incident angles measurement (60°, 70°, and 80°) at energy range of 0.5 – 6.5 eV. In order to obtain optical properties for every Ta concentrations (0.01, 0.4, and 5 at. %), multilayer modelling was performed simultaneously by using Drude-Lorentz model. Refractive index and optical dispersion parameters were determined by Wemple-DiDomenico relation. In general, refractive index at zero photon energymore » n(0) increases by increasing Ta concentration. Furthermore, optical band gap shows a significant increasing due to presence of Ta dopant. In addition, other optical constants are discussed as well.« less

Stray light characteristics of the diffractive telescope system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dun; Wang, Lihua; Yang, Wei; Wu, Shibin; Fan, Bin; Wu, Fan

2018-02-01

Diffractive telescope technology is an innovation solution in construction of large light-weight space telescope. However, the nondesign orders of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) may affect the imaging performance as stray light. To study the stray light characteristics of a diffractive telescope, a prototype was developed and its stray light analysis model was established. The stray light characteristics including ghost, point source transmittance, and veiling glare index (VGI) were analyzed. During the star imaging test of the prototype, the ghost images appeared around the star image as the exposure time of the charge-coupled device improving, consistent with the simulation results. The test result of VGI was 67.11%, slightly higher than the calculated value 57.88%. The study shows that the same order diffraction of the diffractive primary lens and correcting DOE is the main factor that causes ghost images. The stray light sources outside the field of view can illuminate the image plane through nondesign orders diffraction of the primary lens and contributes to more than 90% of the stray light flux on the image plane. In summary, it is expected that these works will provide some guidance for optimizing the imaging performance of diffractive telescopes.

Discrete wavelength-locked external cavity laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilgrim, Jeffrey S. (Inventor); Silver, Joel A. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An external cavity laser (and method of generating laser light) comprising: a laser light source; means for collimating light output by the laser light source; a diffraction grating receiving collimated light; a cavity feedback mirror reflecting light received from the diffraction grating back to the diffraction grating; and means for reliably tuning the external cavity laser to discrete wavelengths.

Generalized Ellipsometry on Complex Nanostructures and Low-Symmetry Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mock, Alyssa Lynn

In this thesis, complex anisotropic materials are investigated and characterized by generalized ellipsometry. In recent years, anisotropic materials have gained considerable interest for novel applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices, mostly due to unique properties that originate from reduced crystal symmetry. Examples include white solid-state lighting devices which have become ubiquitous just recently, and the emergence of high-power, high-voltage electronic transistors and switches in all-electric vehicles. The incorporation of single crystalline material with low crystal symmetry into novel device structures requires reconsideration of existing optical characterization approaches. Here, the generalized ellipsometry concept is extended to include applications for materials with monoclinic and triclinic symmetries. A model eigendielectric displacement vector approach is developed, described and utilized to characterize monoclinic materials. Materials are investigated in spectral regions spanning from the far-infrared to the vacuum ultraviolet. Examples are demonstrated for phonon mode determination in cadmium tungstate and yttrium silicate and for band-to-band transitions in gallia (beta-Ga2O3) single crystals. Furthermore, the anisotropic optical properties of an emerging class of spatially coherent heterostructure materials with nanostructure dimensions are investigated. The so-called anisotropic effective medium approximation for slanted columnar thin films is extended to the concept of slanted columnar heterostructure thin films as well as core-shell heterostructure thin films. Examples include the determination of band-to-band transitions, phonon modes and oxidation properties of cobalt-oxide core shell structures and gas-liquid-solid distribution during controlled adsorption of organic solvents in silicon slanted columnar thin films.

User oriented end-station on VUV pump-probe magneto-optical ellipsometry at ELI beamlines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinoza, Shirly; Neuber, Gerd; Brooks, Christopher D.; Besner, Bastian; Hashemi, Maryam; Rübhausen, Michael; Andreasson, Jakob

2017-11-01

A state of the art ellipsometer for user operations is being implemented at ELI Beamlines in Prague, Czech Republic. It combines three of the most promising and exotic forms of ellipsometry: VUV, pump-probe and magneto-optical ellipsometry. This new ellipsometer covers a spectral operational range from the NIR up to the VUV, with high through-put between 1 and 40 eV. The ellipsometer also allows measurements of magneto-optical spectra with a 1 kHz switchable magnetic field of up to 1.5 T across the sample combining ellipsometry and Kerr spectroscopy measurements in an unprecedented spectral range. This form of generalized ellipsometry enables users to address diagonal and off-diagonal components of the dielectric tensor within one measurement. Pump-probe measurements enable users to study the dynamic behaviour of the dielectric tensor in order to resolve the time-domain phenomena in the femto to 100 ns range.

Growth studies of CVD-MBE by in-situ diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maracas, George N.; Steimle, Timothy C.

1992-10-01

This is the final technical report for the three year DARPA-URI program 'Growth Studies of CVD-MBE by in-situ Diagnostics'. The goals of the program were to develop non-invasive, real time epitaxial growth monitoring techniques and combine them to gain an understanding of processes that occur during MBE growth from gas sources. We have adapted these techniques to a commercially designed gas source MBE system (Vacuum Generators Inc.) to facilitate technology transfer out of the laboratory into industrial environments. The in-situ measurement techniques of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) have been successfully implemented to monitor the optical and chemical properties of the growing epitaxial film and the gas phase reactants. The ellipsometer was jointly developed with the J. Woolam Co. and has become a commercial product. The temperature dependence of group 3 and 5 desorption from GaAs and InP has been measured as well as the incident effusion cell fluxes. The temporal evolution of the growth has also been measured both by SE and LIF to show the smoothing of heterojunction surfaces during growth interruption. Complicated microcavity optical device structures have been monitored by ellipsometry in real time to improve device quality. This data has been coupled with the structural information obtained from reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) to understand the growth processes in binary and ternary bulk 3-5 semiconductors and heterojunctions.

Characterization of High Ge Content SiGe Heterostructures and Graded Alloy Layers Using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyd, A. R.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Croke, E. T.

1995-01-01

Si(x)Ge(1-x)heterostructures on Si substrates have been widely studied due to the maturity of Si technology. However, work on Si(x)Ge)1-x) heterostructures on Ge substrates has not received much attention. A Si(x)Ge(1-x) layer on a Si substrate is under compressive strain while Si(x)Ge(1-x) on Ge is under tensile strain; thus the critical points will behave differently. In order to accurately characterize high Ge content Si(x)Ge(1-x) layers the energy shift algorithm used to calculate alloy compositions, has been modified. These results have been used along with variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) measurements to characterize Si(x)Ge(1-x)/Ge superlattices grown on Ge substrates. The results agree closely with high resolution x-ray diffraction measurements made on the same samples. The modified energy shift algorithm also allows the VASE analysis to be upgraded in order to characterize linearly graded layers. In this work VASE has been used to characterize graded Si(x)Ge(1-x) layers in terms of the total thickness, and the start and end alloy composition. Results are presented for a 1 micrometer Si(x)Ge(1-x) layer linearly graded in the range 0.5 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 1.0.

Correlation Between Microstructure and Optical Properties of Cu (In0.7, Ga0.3) Se2 Grown by Electrodeposition Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chihi, Adel; Bessais, Brahim

2017-01-01

Polycrystalline thin films Cu (In0.7, Ga0.3) Se2 (CIGSe) were grown on copper foils at various cathodic potentials by using an electrodeposition technique. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the average diameter of CIGSe grains increase from 0.1 μm to 1 μm when the cathodic potential decreases. The structure and surface morphology were investigated by x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. This structure study shows that the thin films were well crystallized in a chalcopyrite structure without unwanted secondary phases with a preferred orientation along (112) plane. Energy-dispersive x-ray analyses confirms the existence of CIGSe single phase on a copper substrate. AFM analysis indicated that the root mean square roughness decreases from 64.28 to 27.42 when the potential deposition increases from -0.95 V to -0.77 V. Using Raman scattering spectroscopy, the A1 optical phonon mode was observed in 173 cm-1 and two other weak peaks were detected at 214 cm-1 and 225 cm-1 associated with the B2 and E modes of the CIGSe phase. Through spectroscopy ellipsometry analysis, a three-layer optical model was exploited to derive the optical properties and layer thickness of the CIGSe film by least-squares fitting the measured variation in polarization light versus the obtained microstructure.

Comparison of trimethylgallium and triethylgallium as “Ga” source materials for the growth of ultrathin GaN films on Si (100) substrates via hollow-cathode plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition

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

Alevli, Mustafa, E-mail: mustafaalevli@marmara.edu.tr; Haider, Ali; Kizir, Seda

2016-01-15

GaN films grown by hollow cathode plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition using trimethylgallium (TMG) and triethylgallium (TEG) as gallium precursors are compared. Optimized and saturated TMG/TEG pulse widths were used in order to study the effect of group-III precursors. The films were characterized by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Refractive index follows the same trend of crystalline quality, mean grain, and crystallite sizes. GaN layers grown using TMG precursor exhibited improved structural and optical properties when compared to GaN films grown with TEG precursor.

Development of acousto-optic spatial light modulator unit for effective control of light beam intensity and diffraction angle in 3D holographic display applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondalkar, Vijay V.; Ryu, Geonhee; Lee, Yongbeom; Lee, Keekeun

2018-07-01

An acousto-optic (AO) based holographic display unit was developed using surface acoustic wave (SAW) with different wavelength to modulate the diffraction angles, intensities, and phases of light. The new configurations were employed to control two beams simultaneously by using a single chirp inter-digital transducer (IDT), and a micro-lens array was integrated at the end of the waveguide layer to focus the diffracted light on to the screen. Two incident light beams were simultaneously modulated by using different refractive grating periods generated from chirp IDT. A diffraction angle of about 5° was obtained by using a SAW with a frequency of 430 MHz. The increase in the SAW input power enhances the diffraction efficiency of the light beam at the exit. The obtained maximum diffraction efficiency is ~70% at a frequency of 430 MHz. The sloped shape of the waveguide entrance and a tall rounded Ni poles help in coupling the incident light to the waveguide layer. The diffracted beam was collected through the lens, which increased the intensity of light in the viewing plane. COMSOL multi-physics and coupling of mode (COM) modeling were performed to predict the device performance and compared with the experimental results.

Interaction of atomic oxygen with thin film and bulk copper: An XPS, AES, XRD, and profilometer study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raikar, Genesh N.; Gregory, John C.; Christl, Ligia C.; Peters, Palmer N.

1992-01-01

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) experiment A-0114 was designed primarily to study degradation of material surfaces due to low earth orbital (LEO) atmospheric oxygen. The experiment contained 128 one inch circular samples: metals, polymers, carbons, and semiconductors. Among metal samples, copper has shown some interesting new results. Two types of copper samples, a film sputter coated on fused silica and a bulk piece of OFHC copper, were characterized employing a variety of techniques such as X-ray and Auger electron spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, and high resolution profilometry. Cu 2p core level spectra were used to characterize the presence of Cu2O and CuO in addition to Cu Auger LMM lines. These results are supported by our recent X-ray diffraction studies which clearly establish the presence of Cu oxides which we were unable to prove in our earlier work. Profilometry showed an increase in thickness of the film sample where exposed to 106.7 +/- 0.5 nm from an initial thickness of 74.2 +/- 1.1 nm. Further studies with SEM and ellipsometry are underway.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis of a thin film composite membrane consisting of polysulfone on a porous α-alumina support.

PubMed

Ogieglo, Wojciech; Wormeester, Herbert; Wessling, Matthias; Benes, Nieck E

2012-02-01

Exposure of a thin polymer film to a fluid can affect properties of the film such as the density and thickness. In particular in membrane technology, these changes can have important implications for membrane performance. Spectroscopic ellipsometry is a convenient technique for in situ studies of thin films, because of its noninvasive character and very high precision. The applicability of spectroscopic ellipsometry is usually limited to samples with well-defined interfacial regions, whereas in typical composite membranes, often substantial and irregular intrusion of the thin film into the pores of a support exists. In this work, we provide a detailed characterization of a polished porous alumina membrane support, using variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in combination with atomic force microscopy and mercury porosimetry. Two Spectroscopic ellipsometry optical models are presented that can adequately describe the surface roughness of the support. These models consider the surface roughness as a distinct layer in which the porosity gradually increases toward the outer ambient interface. The first model considers the porosity profile to be linear; the second model assumes an exponential profile. It is shown that the models can be extended to account for a composite membrane geometry, by deposition of a thin polysulfone film onto the support. The developed method facilitates practicability for in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of nonequilibrium systems, i.e., membranes under actual permeation conditions.

Teaching Diffraction of Light and Electrons: Classroom Analogies to Classic Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velentzas, Athanasios

2014-01-01

Diffraction and interference are phenomena that demonstrate the wave nature of light and of particles. Experiments relating to the diffraction/interference of light can easily be carried out in an educational lab, but it may be impossible to perform experiments involving electrons because of the lack of specialized equipment needed for such…

FIBER AND INTEGRATED OPTICS: Influence of diffraction-induced emission of light on resonant conversion of surface waves in diffraction-coupled optical waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiselev, V. A.; Shaposhnikov, S. N.

1989-09-01

An investigation is reported of diffraction-induced emission of surface waves under conditions of resonant transfer of light between different regular and corrugated waveguides. It is shown that the part of the emitted light flux carried by surface waves along diffraction-coupled waveguides depends strongly on the ratio of the effective refractive indices of the guides. The dependences of the optical coupling length and of the corresponding emitted light flux on the distance between the waveguides and on the difference between their refractive indices are given.

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

Chen, Xiuguo; Ma, Zhichao; Xu, Zhimou

Mueller matrix ellipsometry (MME) is applied to detect foot-like asymmetry encountered in nanoimprint lithography (NIL) processes. We present both theoretical and experimental results which show that MME has good sensitivity to both the magnitude and direction of asymmetric profiles. The physics behind the use of MME for asymmetry detection is the breaking of electromagnetic reciprocity theorem for the zeroth-order diffraction of asymmetric gratings. We demonstrate that accurate characterization of asymmetric nanoimprinted gratings can be achieved by performing MME measurements in a conical mounting with the plane of incidence parallel to grating lines and meanwhile incorporating depolarization effects into the opticalmore » model. The comparison of MME-extracted asymmetric profile with the measurement by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy also reveals the strong potential of this technique for in-line monitoring NIL processes, where symmetric structures are desired.« less

Compact imaging spectrometer utilizing immersed gratings

DOEpatents

Lerner, Scott A.

2005-12-20

A compact imaging spectrometer comprising an entrance slit for directing light, lens means for receiving the light, refracting the light, and focusing the light; an immersed diffraction grating that receives the light from the lens means and defracts the light, the immersed diffraction grating directing the detracted light back to the lens means; and a detector that receives the light from the lens means.

Stokes-vector and Mueller-matrix polarimetry [Invited].

PubMed

Azzam, R M A

2016-07-01

This paper reviews the current status of instruments for measuring the full 4×1 Stokes vector S, which describes the state of polarization (SOP) of totally or partially polarized light, and the 4×4 Mueller matrix M, which determines how the SOP is transformed as light interacts with a material sample or an optical element or system. The principle of operation of each instrument is briefly explained by using the Stokes-Mueller calculus. The development of fast, automated, imaging, and spectroscopic instruments over the last 50 years has greatly expanded the range of applications of optical polarimetry and ellipsometry in almost every branch of science and technology. Current challenges and future directions of this important branch of optics are also discussed.

Two-Dimensional Light Diffraction from an EPROM Chip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekkens, Tom

2018-01-01

In introductory physics classes, a laser pointer and a compact disc are all the items required to illustrate diffraction of light in a single dimension. If a two-dimensional diffraction pattern is desired, double axis diffraction grating material is available or a CCD sensor can be extracted from an unused electronics device. This article presents…

Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry of micrometer-sized SiO2 line gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walder, Cordula; Zellmeier, Matthias; Rappich, Jörg; Ketelsen, Helge; Hinrichs, Karsten

2017-09-01

For the design and process control of periodic nano-structured surfaces spectroscopic ellipsometry is already established in the UV-VIS spectral regime. The objective of this work is to show the feasibility of spectroscopic ellipsometry in the infrared, exemplarily, on micrometer-sized SiO2 line gratings grown on silicon wafers. The grating period ranges from 10 to about 34 μm. The IR-ellipsometric spectra of the gratings exhibit complex changes with structure variations. Especially in the spectral range of the oxide stretching modes, the presence of a Rayleigh singularity can lead to pronounced changes of the spectrum with the sample geometry. The IR-ellipsometric spectra of the gratings are well reproducible by calculations with the RCWA method (Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis). Therefore, infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry allows the quantitative characterization and process control of micrometer-sized structures.

Research of the relationships between light dispersion and contrast of the registered image at different background brightness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoyanov, Stiliyan; Mardirossian, Garo

2012-10-01

The light diffraction is for telescope apparatuses an especially important characteristic which has an influence on the record image contrast from the eye observer. The task of the investigation is to determine to what degree the coefficient of light diffraction influences the record image brightness. The object of the theoretical research are experimental results provided from a telescope system experiment in the process of observation of remote objects with different brightness of the background in the fixed light diffraction coefficients and permanent contrast of the background in respect to the object. The received values and the ratio of the image contrast to the light diffraction coefficient is shown in a graphic view. It's settled that with increasing of the value of background brightness in permanent background contrast in respect to the object, the image contrast sharply decrease. The relationship between the increase of the light diffraction coefficient and the decrease of the brightness of the project image from telescope apparatuses can be observed.

Effect of Annealing Temperature on Structural and Optical Properties of Sol-Gel-Derived ZnO Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arif, Mohd.; Sanger, Amit; Vilarinho, Paula M.; Singh, Arun

2018-04-01

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrate via sol-gel dip-coating technique then annealed at 300°C, 400°C, and 500°C for 1 h. Their optical, structural, and morphological properties were studied using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD diffraction revealed that the crystalline nature of the thin films increased with increasing annealing temperature. The c-axis orientation improved, and the grain size increased, as indicated by increased intensity of the (002) plane peak at 2θ = 34.42° corresponding to hexagonal ZnO crystal. The average crystallite size of the thin films ranged from 13 nm to 23 nm. Increasing the annealing temperature resulted in larger crystallite size and higher crystallinity with increased surface roughness. The grain size according to SEM analysis was in good agreement with the x-ray diffraction data. The optical bandgap of the thin films narrowed with increasing annealing temperature, lying in the range of 3.14 eV to 3.02 eV. The transmission of the thin films was as high as 94% within the visible region. The thickness of the thin films was 400 nm, as measured by ellipsometry, after annealing at the different temperatures of 300°C, 400°C, and 500°C.

Compact Refractive Imaging Spectrometer Designs Utilizing Immersed Gratings

DOEpatents

Lerner, Scott A.; Bennett, Charles L.; Bixler, Jay V.; Kuzmenko, Paul J.; Lewis, Isabella T.

2005-07-26

A compact imaging spectrometer comprising an entrance slit for directing light, a first means for receiving the light and focusing the light, an immersed diffraction grating that receives the light from the first means and defracts the light, a second means for receiving the light from the immersed diffraction grating and focusing the light, and an image plane that receives the light from the second means

Ellipsometric studies of synthetic albumin-binding chitosan-derivatives and selected blood plasma proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Sabyasachi

This dissertation summarizes work on the synthesis of chitosan-derivatives and the development of ellipsometric methods to characterize materials of biological origin. Albumin-binding chitosan-derivatives were synthesized via addition reactions that involve amine groups naturally present in chitosan. These surfaces were shown to have an affinity towards human serum albumin via ELISA, UV spectroscopy and SDS PAGE. Modified surfaces were characterized with IR ellipsometry at various stages of their synthesis using appropriate optical models. It was found that spin cast chitosan films were anisotropic in nature. All optical models used for characterizing chitosan-derivatives were thus anisotropic. Chemical signal dependence on molecular structure and composition was illustrated via IR spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE). An anisotropic optical model of an ensemble of Lorentz oscillators were used to approximate material behavior. The presence of acetic acid in spin-cast non-neutralized chitosan samples was thus shown. IRSE application to biomaterials was also demonstrated by performing a step-wise chemical characterizations during synthesis stages. Protein adsorbed from single protein solutions on these modified surfaces was monitored by visible in-situ variable wavelength ellipsometry. Based on adsorption profiles obtained from single protein adsorption onto silicon surfaces, lumped parameter kinetic models were developed. These models were used to fit experimental data of immunoglobulin-G of different concentrations and approximate conformational changes in fibrinogen adsorption. Biomaterial characterization by ellipsometry was further extended to include characterization of individual protein solutions in the IR range. Proteins in an aqueous environment were characterized by attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) IR ellipsometry using a ZnSe prism. Parameterized dielectric functions were created for individual proteins using Lorentz oscillators. These parameterized dielectric functions were then used to describe the growth and eventual enzymatic degradation of a multilayered IgG structure by dynamic ATR-IR ellipsometry measurements. ATR-IR ellipsometry was also used to observe the specificity of anti-bodies to antigens.

Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry in semiconductor manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guittet, Pierre-Yves; Mantz, Ulrich; Weidner, Peter; Stehle, Jean-Louis; Bucchia, Marc; Bourtault, Sophie; Zahorski, Dorian

2004-05-01

Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE) metrology is an emerging technology in semiconductor production environment. Infineon Technologies SC300 implemented the first worldwide automated IRSE in a class 1 clean room in 2002. Combining properties of IR light -- large wavelength, low absorption in silicon -- with a short focus optics -- no backside reflection -- which allow model-based analysis, a large number of production applications were developed. Part of Infineon IRSE development roadmap is now focused on depth monitoring for arrays of 3D dry-etched structures. In trench DRAM manufacturing, the areal density is high, and critical dimensions are much lower than mid-IR wavelength. Therefore, extensive use of effective medium theory is made to model 3D structures. IR-SE metrology is not limited by shrinking critical dimensions, as long as the areal density is above a specific cut-off value determined by trenches dimensions, trench-filling and surrounding materials. Two applications for depth monitoring are presented. 1D models were developed and successfully applied to the DRAM trench capacitor structures. Modeling and correlation to reference methods are shown as well as dynamic repeatability and gauge capability results. Limitations of the current tool configuration are reviewed for shallow structures.

Circularly polarized light to study linear magneto-optics for ferrofluids: θ-scan technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xiangshen; Huang, Yan; He, Zhenghong; Lin, Yueqiang; Liu, Xiaodong; Li, Decai; Li, Jian; Qiu, Xiaoyan

2018-06-01

Circularly polarized light can be divided into two vertically linearly polarized light beams with  ±π/2 phase differences. In the presence of an external magnetic field, when circularly polarized light travels through a ferrofluid film, whose thickness is no more than that of λ/4 plate, magneto-optical, magnetic birefringence and dichroism effects cause the transmitted light to behave as elliptically polarized light. Using angular scan by a continuously rotating polarizer as analyzer, the angular (θ) distribution curve of relative intensity (T) corresponding to elliptically polarized light can be measured. From the T  ‑  θ curve having ellipsometry, the parameters such as the ratio of short to long axis, and angular orientation of the long axis to the vertical field direction can be obtained. Thus, magnetic birefringence and dichroism can be probed simultaneously by measuring magneto-optical, positive or negative birefringence and dichroism features from the transmission mode. The proposed method is called θ-scan technique, and can accurately determine sample stability, magnetic field direction, and cancel intrinsic light source ellipticity. This study may be helpful to further research done to ferrofluids and other similar colloidal samples with anisotropic optics.

Diffractive optics in industry and research: novel components for optical security systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laakkonen, Pasi; Turunen, Jari; Pietarinen, Juha; Siitonen, Samuli; Laukkanen, Janne; Jefimovs, Konstantins; Orava, Joni; Ritala, Mikko; Pilvi, Tero; Tuovinen, Hemmo; Ventola, Kalle; Vallius, Tuomas; Kaipiainen, Matti; Kuittinen, Markku

2005-09-01

Design and manufacturing of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are presented. Mass replication methods for DOEs are explained including UV-replication, micro-injection moulding and reel-to-reel production. Novel applications of diffractive optics including spectroscopic surface relief gratings, antireflection surfaces, infrared light rejection gratings, light incoupling into thin waveguides, and additive diffractive colour mixing are presented.

Nature, diffraction-free propagation via space-time correlations, and nonlinear generation of time-diffracting light beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porras, Miguel A.

2018-06-01

We investigate the properties of the recently introduced time-diffracting (TD) beams in free space. They are shown to be paraxial and quasimonochromatic realizations of spatiotemporal localized waves traveling undistorted at arbitrary speeds. The paraxial and quasimonochromatic regime is shown to be necessary to observe what can properly be named diffraction in time. In this regime, the spatiotemporal frequency correlations for diffraction-free propagation are approximated by parabolic correlations. Time-diffracting beams of finite energy traveling at quasiluminal velocities are seen to form substantially longer foci or needles of light than the so-called abruptly focusing and defocusing needle of light or limiting TD beam of infinite speed. Exploring the properties of TD beams under Lorentz transformations and their transformation by paraxial optical systems, we realize that the nonlinear polarization of material media induced by a strongly localized fundamental pump wave generates a TD beam at its second harmonic, whose diffraction-free behavior as a needle of light in free space can be optimized with a standard 4 f -imager system.

Refractive index of erbium doped GaN thin films

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

Alajlouni, S.; Sun, Z. Y.; Li, J.

2014-08-25

GaN is an excellent host for erbium (Er) to provide optical emission in the technologically important as well as eye-safe 1540 nm wavelength window. Er doped GaN (GaN:Er) epilayers were synthesized on c-plane sapphire substrates using metal organic chemical vapor deposition. By employing a pulsed growth scheme, the crystalline quality of GaN:Er epilayers was significantly improved over those obtained by conventional growth method of continuous flow of reaction precursors. X-ray diffraction rocking curve linewidths of less than 300 arc sec were achieved for the GaN (0002) diffraction peak, which is comparable to the typical results of undoped high quality GaN epilayers andmore » represents a major improvement over previously reported results for GaN:Er. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to determine the refractive index of the GaN:Er epilayers in the 1540 nm wavelength window and a linear dependence on Er concentration was found. The observed refractive index increase with Er incorporation and the improved crystalline quality of the GaN:Er epilayers indicate that low loss GaN:Er optical waveguiding structures are feasible.« less

Time-domain Brillouin scattering assisted by diffraction gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuda, Osamu; Pezeril, Thomas; Chaban, Ievgeniia; Fujita, Kentaro; Gusev, Vitalyi

2018-02-01

Absorption of ultrashort laser pulses in a metallic grating deposited on a transparent sample launches coherent compression/dilatation acoustic pulses in directions of different orders of acoustic diffraction. Their propagation is detected by delayed laser pulses, which are also diffracted by the metallic grating, through the measurement of the transient intensity change of the first-order diffracted light. The obtained data contain multiple frequency components, which are interpreted by considering all possible angles for the Brillouin scattering of light achieved through multiplexing of the propagation directions of light and coherent sound by the metallic grating. The emitted acoustic field can be equivalently presented as a superposition of plane inhomogeneous acoustic waves, which constitute an acoustic diffraction grating for the probe light. Thus the obtained results can also be interpreted as a consequence of probe light diffraction by both metallic and acoustic gratings. The realized scheme of time-domain Brillouin scattering with metallic gratings operating in reflection mode provides access to wide range of acoustic frequencies from minimal to maximal possible values in a single experimental optical configuration for the directions of probe light incidence and scattered light detection. This is achieved by monitoring the backward and forward Brillouin scattering processes in parallel. Potential applications include measurements of the acoustic dispersion, simultaneous determination of sound velocity and optical refractive index, and evaluation of samples with a single direction of possible optical access.

Diffractive optical devices produced by light-assisted trapping of nanoparticles.

PubMed

Muñoz-Martínez, J F; Jubera, M; Matarrubia, J; García-Cabañes, A; Agulló-López, F; Carrascosa, M

2016-01-15

One- and two-dimensional diffractive optical devices have been fabricated by light-assisted trapping and patterning of nanoparticles. The method is based on the dielectrophoretic forces appearing in the vicinity of a photovoltaic crystal, such as Fe:LiNbO3, during or after illumination. By illumination with the appropriate light distribution, the nanoparticles are organized along patterns designed at will. One- and two-dimensional diffractive components have been achieved on X- and Z-cut Fe:LiNbO3 crystals, with their polar axes parallel and perpendicular to the crystal surface, respectively. Diffraction gratings with periods down to around a few micrometers have been produced using metal (Al, Ag) nanoparticles with radii in the range of 70-100 nm. Moreover, several 2D devices, such as Fresnel zone plates, have been also produced showing the potential of the method. The diffractive particle patterns remain stable when light is removed. A method to transfer the diffractive patterns to other nonphotovoltaic substrates, such as silica glass, has been also reported.

Hair treatment device for providing dispersed colors by light diffraction

DOEpatents

Lamartine, Bruce Carvell; Orler, Bruce E.; Sutton, Richard Matthew Charles; Song, Shuangqi

2016-01-26

Hair was coated with polymer-containing fluid and then hot pressed to form a composite of hair and a polymer film imprinted with a nanopattern. Polychromatic light incident on the nanopattern is diffracted into dispersed colored light.

Hair treatment process providing dispersed colors by light diffraction

DOEpatents

Lamartine, Bruce Carvell; Orler, E. Bruce; Sutton, Richard Matthew Charles; Song, Shuangqi

2014-11-11

Hair was coated with polymer-containing fluid and then hot pressed to form a composite of hair and a polymer film imprinted with a nanopattern. Polychromatic light incident on the nanopattern is diffracted into dispersed colored light.

Hair treatment process providing dispersed colors by light diffraction

DOEpatents

Lamartine, Bruce Carvell; Orler, E. Bruce; Sutton, Richard Matthew Charles; Song, Shuangqi

2013-12-17

Hair was coated with polymer-containing fluid and then hot pressed to form a composite of hair and a polymer film imprinted with a nanopattern. Polychromatic light incident on the nanopattern is diffracted into dispersed colored light.

Investigation on bandgap, diffraction, interference, and refraction effects of photonic crystal structure in GaN/InGaN LEDs for light extraction.

PubMed

Patra, Saroj Kanta; Adhikari, Sonachand; Pal, Suchandan

2014-06-20

In this paper, we have made a clear differentiation among bandgap, diffraction, interference, and refraction effects in photonic crystal structures (PhCs). For observing bandgap, diffraction, and refraction effects, PhCs are considered on the top p-GaN surface of light emitting diodes (LEDs), whereas for interference effect, hole type PhCs are considered to be embedded within n-GaN layer of LED. From analysis, it is observed that at a particular lattice periodicity, for which bandgap lies within the wavelength of interest shows a significant light extraction due to inhibition of guided mode. Beyond a certain periodicity, diffraction effect starts dominating and light extraction improves further. The interference effect is observed in embedded photonic crystal LEDs, where depth of etching supports constructive interference of outward light waves. We have also shed light on refraction effects exhibited by the PhCs and whether negative refraction properties of PhCs may be useful in case of LED light extraction.

Compact reflective imaging spectrometer utilizing immersed gratings

DOEpatents

Chrisp, Michael P [Danville, CA

2006-05-09

A compact imaging spectrometer comprising an entrance slit for directing light, a first mirror that receives said light and reflects said light, an immersive diffraction grating that diffracts said light, a second mirror that focuses said light, and a detector array that receives said focused light. The compact imaging spectrometer can be utilized for remote sensing imaging spectrometers where size and weight are of primary importance.

Formation of a Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Film by Using Blue Laser Diode Annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young-Hwan; Ryu, Han-Youl

2018-04-01

We report the crystallization of an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on a SiO2/Si wafer using an annealing process with a high-power blue laser diode (LD). The laser annealing process was performed using a continuous-wave blue LD of 450 nm in wavelength with varying laser output power in a nitrogen atmosphere. The crystallinity of the annealed poly-silicon films was investigated using ellipsometry, electron microscope observation, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Polysilicon grains with > 100-nm diameter were observed to be formed after the blue LD annealing. The crystal quality was found to be improved as the laser power was increased up to 4 W. The demonstrated blue LD annealing is expected to provide a low-cost and versatile solution for lowtemperature poly-silicon processes.

Theoretical model of a polarization diffractive elements for the light beams conversion holographic formation in PDLCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharangovich, Sergey N.; Semkin, Artem O.

2017-12-01

In this work a theoretical model of the holographic formation of the polarization diffractive optical elements for the transformation of Gaussian light beams into Bessel-like ones in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) is developed. The model is based on solving the equations of photo-induced Fredericks transition processes for polarization diffractive elements formation by orthogonally polarized light beams with inhomogeneous amplitude and phase profiles. The results of numerical simulation of the material's dielectric tensor changing due to the structure's formation process are presented for various recording beams' polarization states. Based on the results of numerical simulation, the ability to form the diffractive optical elements for light beams transformation by the polarization holography methods is shown.

Effects of pitch and shape for diffraction grating in LED fog lamp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hsi-Chao; Lin, Jun-Yu; Wu, Jih-Huah; Ma, Shih-Hsin; Yang, Chi-Hao

2011-10-01

The characteristics of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that make them energy-efficient and long-lasting light source for general illumination have attracted a great attention from the lighting industry and commercial market. As everyone know LEDs have the advantages of environmental protection, long lifetime, fast response time (μs), low voltage and good mechanical properties. Their high luminance and the wide region of the dominant wavelengths within the entire visible spectrum mean that people have high anticipations for the applications of LEDs. The output lighting from reflector in the traditional fog lamp was required to fit the standard of the ECE R19 F3 regulation. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of pitch and angle for a diffraction grating in LED fog lamp. The light pattern of fog lamp must be satisfied ECE regulations, so a design of diffraction grating to shift down the lighting was required. There are three LEDs (Cree XLamp XPE LEDs) as the light source in the fog lamp for the illumination efficiency. Then, an optimal simulation of diffraction grating was done for the pitch and angle of the diffraction grating at the test distance of 25 meters. The best pitch and angle was 2mm and 60 degree for the grating shape of wedge type.

White-Light Diffraction with a CD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivanov, Dragia Trifonov; Nikolaev, Stefan

2010-01-01

Various wave optics experiments can be carried out using an ordinary compact disc. The CD is suitable for use as a diffraction grating. For instance, a standard CD (700 MB) has 625 lines/mm. In this article, the authors describe two white-light diffraction demonstrations for a large audience, realizable using a CD (as reflection or transmission…

Dual light field and polarization imaging using CMOS diffractive image sensors.

PubMed

Jayasuriya, Suren; Sivaramakrishnan, Sriram; Chuang, Ellen; Guruaribam, Debashree; Wang, Albert; Molnar, Alyosha

2015-05-15

In this Letter we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first integrated CMOS image sensor that can simultaneously perform light field and polarization imaging without the use of external filters or additional optical elements. Previous work has shown how photodetectors with two stacks of integrated metal gratings above them (called angle sensitive pixels) diffract light in a Talbot pattern to capture four-dimensional light fields. We show, in addition to diffractive imaging, that these gratings polarize incoming light and characterize the response of these sensors to polarization and incidence angle. Finally, we show two applications of polarization imaging: imaging stress-induced birefringence and identifying specular reflections in scenes to improve light field algorithms for these scenes.

Recent and emerging applications of holographic photopolymers and nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naydenova, Izabela; Kotakonda, Pavani; Jallapuram, Raghavendra; Babeva, Tsvetanka; Mintova, S.; Bade, Denis; Martin, Suzanne; Toal, Vincent

2010-11-01

Sensing applications of holograms may be based on effects such as change in the spacing of the recorded fringes in a holographic diffraction grating in the presence of an analyte so that the direction of the diffracted laser light changes, or, in the case of a white light reflection grating, the wavelength of the diffracted light changes. An example is a reflection grating which swells in the presence of atmospheric moisture to indicate relative humidity by a change is the colour of the diffracted light. These devices make use of the photopolymer's ability to absorb moisture. In a more versatile approach one can add inorganic nanoparticles to the photopolymer composition. These nanoparticles have refractive indices that are different from that of the bulk photopolymer. During the holographic recording of diffraction gratings, the polymerisation and accompanying diffusion processes cause redistribution of the nanoparticles enhancing the holographic diffraction efficiency. Zeolite nanoparticles have the form of hollow cages enabling them to trap analyte molecules of appropriate sizes. The refractive index of the nanoparticle-analyte combination is normally different from that of the nanoparticles alone and this alters the refractive index modulation of the recorded grating, leading to a change in diffraction efficiency and hence of the strength of the diffracted light signal. Yet another approach makes use of a principle which we call dye deposition holography. The analyte is labelled using a dye which acts as a photosensitiser for the polymerisation process. When the analyte labeled is deposited on a layer containing the other photopolymer components photopolymerisation can take place. If the illumination is in the form of an interference pattern, a diffraction grating is formed, in the region where dye has been deposited. In this way the formation of a holographic diffraction grating itself becomes a sensing action with the potential for extremely high signal to noise ratio. The method also allows fabrication of photonic devices by direct writing, using photosensitising dye, of structures such as Fresnel zone plate lenses and waveguides onto the photopolymer layer followed by exposure to spatially uniform light. Our work on HDS is concerned with enhancing the diffraction efficiency of user selected very weak diffraction gratings by illumination with a single beam at the Bragg angle. Light in the illuminating beam is coupled into the diffracted beam and the two interfere to enhance the grating strength. In this way grating diffraction efficiency can be raised above a threshold so that a binary zero can be changed to binary one. A large number of identical weak holographic gratings may be multiplexed into the recording medium at the manufacturing stage, for user selection at the data recording stage. In this way consumer HDS systems could be made much more simply and cheaply than at present.

Spin-to-orbit conversion at acousto-optic diffraction of light: conservation of optical angular momentum.

PubMed

Skab, Ihor; Vlokh, Rostyslav

2012-04-01

Acousto-optic diffraction of light in optically active cubic crystals is analyzed from the viewpoint of conservation of optical angular momentum. It is shown that the availability of angular momentum in the diffracted optical beam can be necessarily inferred from the requirements of angular momentum conservation law. As follows from our analysis, a circularly polarized diffracted wave should bear an orbital angular momentum. The efficiency of the spin-to-orbit momentum conversion is governed by the efficiency of acousto-optic diffraction.

Ellipsometry with polarisation analysis at cryogenic temperatures inside a vacuum chamber

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

Bauer, S.; Grees, B.; Spitzer, D.

2013-12-15

In this paper we describe a new variant of null ellipsometry to determine thicknesses and optical properties of thin films on a substrate at cryogenic temperatures. In the PCSA arrangement of ellipsometry the polarizer and the compensator are placed before the substrate and the analyzer after it. Usually, in the null ellipsometry the polarizer and the analyzer are rotated to find the searched minimum in intensity. In our variant we rotate the polarizer and the compensator instead, both being placed in the incoming beam before the substrate. Therefore the polarisation analysis of the reflected beam can be realized by anmore » analyzer at fixed orientation. We developed this method for investigations of thin cryogenic films inside a vacuum chamber where the analyzer and detector had to be placed inside the cold shield at a temperature of T≈ 90 K close to the substrate. All other optical components were installed at the incoming beam line outside the vacuum chamber, including all components which need to be rotated during the measurements. Our null ellipsometry variant has been tested with condensed krypton films on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite substrate (HOPG) at a temperature of T≈ 25 K. We show that it is possible to determine the indices of refraction of condensed krypton and of the HOPG substrate as well as thickness of krypton films with reasonable accuracy.« less

Optical-diffraction method for determining crystal orientation

DOEpatents

Sopori, B.L.

1982-05-07

Disclosed is an optical diffraction technique for characterizing the three-dimensional orientation of a crystal sample. An arbitrary surface of the crystal sample is texture etched so as to generate a pseudo-periodic diffraction grating on the surface. A laser light beam is then directed onto the etched surface, and the reflected light forms a farfield diffraction pattern in reflection. Parameters of the diffraction pattern, such as the geometry and angular dispersion of the diffracted beam are then related to grating shape of the etched surface which is in turn related to crystal orientation. This technique may be used for examining polycrystalline silicon for use in solar cells.

Effect of doping (C or N) and co-doping (C+N) on the photoactive properties of magnetron sputtered titania coatings for the application of solar water-splitting.

PubMed

Rahman, M; Dang, B H Q; McDonnell, K; MacElroy, J M D; Dowling, D P

2012-06-01

The photocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanode is a potentially renewable source of chemical fuels. However, the size of the band gap (-3.2 eV) of the TiO2 photocatalyst leads to its relatively low photoactivity toward visible light in a PEC cell. The development of materials with smaller band gaps of approximately 2.4 eV is therefore necessary to operate PEC cells efficiently. This study investigates the effect of dopant (C or N) and co-dopant (C+N) on the physical, structural and photoactivity of TiO2 nano thick coating. TiO2 nano-thick coatings were deposited using a closed field DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique, from titanium target in argon plasma with trace addition of oxygen. In order to study the influence of doping such as C, N and C+N inclusions in the TiO2 coatings, trace levels of CO2 or N2 or CO2+N2 gas were introduced into the deposition chamber respectively. The properties of the deposited nano-coatings were determined using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, SEM, AFM, Optical profilometry, XPS, Raman, X-ray diffraction UV-Vis spectroscopy and tri-electrode potentiostat measurements. Coating growth rate, structure, surface morphology and roughness were found to be significantly influenced by the types and amount of doping. Substitutional type of doping in all doped sample were confirmed by XPS. UV-vis measurement confirmed that doping (especially for C doped sample) facilitate photoactivity of sputtered deposited titania coating toward visible light by reducing bandgap. The photocurrent density (indirect indication of water splitting performance) of the C-doped photoanode was approximately 26% higher in comparison with un-doped photoanode. However, coating doped with nitrogen (N or N+C) does not exhibit good performance in the photoelectrochemical cell due to their higher charge recombination properties.

Verification of the Uncertainty Principle by Using Diffraction of Light Waves

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolic, D.; Nesic, Lj

2011-01-01

We described a simple idea for experimental verification of the uncertainty principle for light waves. We used a single-slit diffraction of a laser beam for measuring the angular width of zero-order diffraction maximum and obtained the corresponding wave number uncertainty. We will assume that the uncertainty in position is the slit width. For the…

Sound Velocity and Diffraction Intensity Measurements Based on Raman-Nath Theory of the Interaction of Light and Ultrasound

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neeson, John F.; Austin, Stephen

1975-01-01

Describes a method for the measurement of the velocity of sound in various liquids based on the Raman-Nath theory of light-sound interaction. Utilizes an analog computer program to calculate the intensity of light scattered into various diffraction orders. (CP)

Exploring the feasibility of focusing CW light through a scattering medium into closely spaced twin peaks via numerical solutions of Maxwell’s equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, Snow H.; Chang, Shih-Hui

2018-04-01

Here we present a numerical simulation to analyze the effect of scattering on focusing light into closely-spaced twin peaks. The pseudospectral time-domain (PSTD) is implemented to model continuous-wave (CW) light propagation through a scattering medium. Simulations show that CW light can propagate through a scattering medium and focus into closely-spaced twin peaks. CW light of various wavelengths focusing into twin peaks with sub-diffraction spacing is simulated. In advance, light propagation through scattering media of various number densities is simulated to decipher the dependence of CW light focusing phenomenon on the scattering medium. The reported simulations demonstrate the feasibility of focusing CW light into twin peaks with sub-diffraction dimensions. More importantly, based upon numerical solutions of Maxwell’s equations, research findings show that the sub-diffraction focusing phenomenon can be achieved with scarce or densely-packed scattering media.

Magneto-ellipsometry as a powerful technique for investigating magneto-optical structures properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maximova, Olga; Kosyrev, Nikolay; Yakovlev, Ivan; Shevtsov, Dmitriy; Lyaschenko, Sergey; Varnakov, Sergey; Ovchinnikov, Sergey

2017-10-01

In this work we report on new magneto-ellipsometry set-up that allows to grow thin films and nanostructures by ultrahigh vacuum thermal evaporation as well as to conduct in situ measurements during the growth in order to analyze and control nanostructures properties. Ellipsometry and transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements can be performed in situ inside this set-up. A uniform magnetic field of high intensity (more than 1 kOe) can be applied to samples inside the vacuum chamber. Also, we report on the developed method of data interpretation that is the base of the set-up software. Thus, we present a powerful tool for nanostructures synthesis and characterization.

Breaking the diffraction limit of light-sheet fluorescence microscopy by RESOLFT

PubMed Central

Hoyer, Patrick; de Medeiros, Gustavo; Balázs, Bálint; Norlin, Nils; Besir, Christina; Hanne, Janina; Kräusslich, Hans-Georg; Engelhardt, Johann; Sahl, Steffen J.; Hell, Stefan W.; Hufnagel, Lars

2016-01-01

We present a plane-scanning RESOLFT [reversible saturable/switchable optical (fluorescence) transitions] light-sheet (LS) nanoscope, which fundamentally overcomes the diffraction barrier in the axial direction via confinement of the fluorescent molecular state to a sheet of subdiffraction thickness around the focal plane. To this end, reversibly switchable fluorophores located right above and below the focal plane are transferred to a nonfluorescent state at each scanning step. LS-RESOLFT nanoscopy offers wide-field 3D imaging of living biological specimens with low light dose and axial resolution far beyond the diffraction barrier. We demonstrate optical sections that are thinner by 5–12-fold compared with their conventional diffraction-limited LS analogs. PMID:26984498

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiOx layers for application in solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klingsporn, M.; Kirner, S.; Villringer, C.; Abou-Ras, D.; Costina, I.; Lehmann, M.; Stannowski, B.

2016-06-01

Nanocrystalline silicon suboxides (nc-SiOx) have attracted attention during the past years for the use in thin-film silicon solar cells. We investigated the relationships between the nanostructure as well as the chemical, electrical, and optical properties of phosphorous, doped, nc-SiO0.8:H fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The nanostructure was varied through the sample series by changing the deposition pressure from 533 to 1067 Pa. The samples were then characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, and a specialized plasmon imaging method. We found that the material changed with increasing pressure from predominantly amorphous silicon monoxide to silicon dioxide containing nanocrystalline silicon. The nanostructure changed from amorphous silicon filaments to nanocrystalline silicon filaments, which were found to cause anisotropic electron transport.

Structural Properties Characterized by the Film Thickness and Annealing Temperature for La2O3 Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Wang, Xing; Liu, Hongxia; Zhao, Lu; Fei, Chenxi; Feng, Xingyao; Chen, Shupeng; Wang, Yongte

2017-12-01

La 2 O 3 films were grown on Si substrates by atomic layer deposition technique with different thickness. Crystallization characteristics of the La 2 O 3 films were analyzed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction after post-deposition rapid thermal annealing treatments at several annealing temperatures. It was found that the crystallization behaviors of the La 2 O 3 films are affected by the film thickness and annealing temperatures as a relationship with the diffusion of Si substrate. Compared with the amorphous La 2 O 3 films, the crystallized films were observed to be more unstable due to the hygroscopicity of La 2 O 3 . Besides, the impacts of crystallization characteristics on the bandgap and refractive index of the La 2 O 3 films were also investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, respectively.

Study of the amorphization of surface silicon layers implanted by low-energy helium ions

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

Lomov, A. A., E-mail: lomov@ftian.ru; Myakon’kikh, A. V.; Oreshko, A. P.

2016-03-15

The structural changes in surface layers of Si(001) substrates subjected to plasma-immersion implantation by (2–5)-keV helium ions to a dose of D = 6 × 10{sup 15}–5 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup –2} have been studied by highresolution X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering, and spectral ellipsometry. It is found that the joint application of these methods makes it possible to determine the density depth distribution ρ(z) in an implanted layer, its phase state, and elemental composition. Treatment of silicon substrates in helium plasma to doses of 6 × 10{sup 16} cm{sup –2} leads to the formation of a 20- to 30-nm-thick amorphizedmore » surface layer with a density close to the silicon density. An increase in the helium dose causes the formation of an internal porous layer.« less

Optical, compositional and structural properties of pulsed laser deposited nitrogen-doped Titanium-dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farkas, B.; Heszler, P.; Budai, J.; Oszkó, A.; Ottosson, M.; Geretovszky, Zs.

2018-03-01

N-doped TiO2 thin films were prepared using pulsed laser deposition by ablating metallic Ti target with pulses of 248 nm wavelength, at 330 °C substrate temperature in reactive atmospheres of N2/O2 gas mixtures. These films were characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Optical properties are presented as a function of the N2 content in the processing gas mixture and correlated to nitrogen incorporation into the deposited layers. The optical band gap values decreased with increasing N concentration in the films, while a monotonically increasing tendency and a maximum can be observed in case of extinction coefficient and refractive index, respectively. It is also shown that the amount of substitutional N can be increased up to 7.7 at.%, but the higher dopant concentration inhibits the crystallization of the samples.

Electrically-programmable diffraction grating

DOEpatents

Ricco, Antonio J.; Butler, Michael A.; Sinclair, Michael B.; Senturia, Stephen D.

1998-01-01

An electrically-programmable diffraction grating. The programmable grating includes a substrate having a plurality of electrodes formed thereon and a moveable grating element above each of the electrodes. The grating elements are electrostatically programmable to form a diffraction grating for diffracting an incident beam of light as it is reflected from the upper surfaces of the grating elements. The programmable diffraction grating, formed by a micromachining process, has applications for optical information processing (e.g. optical correlators and computers), for multiplexing and demultiplexing a plurality of light beams of different wavelengths (e.g. for optical fiber communications), and for forming spectrometers (e.g. correlation and scanning spectrometers).

Physics issues in diffraction limited storage ring design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Wei; Bai, ZhengHe; Gao, WeiWei; Feng, GuangYao; Li, WeiMin; Wang, Lin; He, DuoHui

2012-05-01

Diffraction limited electron storage ring is considered a promising candidate for future light sources, whose main characteristics are higher brilliance, better transverse coherence and better stability. The challenge of diffraction limited storage ring design is how to achieve the ultra low beam emittance with acceptable nonlinear performance. Effective linear and nonlinear parameter optimization methods based on Artificial Intelligence were developed for the storage ring physical design. As an example of application, partial physical design of HALS (Hefei Advanced Light Source), which is a diffraction limited VUV and soft X-ray light source, was introduced. Severe emittance growth due to the Intra Beam Scattering effect, which is the main obstacle to achieve ultra low emittance, was estimated quantitatively and possible cures were discussed. It is inspiring that better performance of diffraction limited storage ring can be achieved in principle with careful parameter optimization.

Stress induced modulation of magnetic domain diffraction of single crystalline yttrium iron garnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mito, Shinichiro; Yoshihara, Yuki; Takagi, Hiroyuki; Inoue, Mitsuteru

2018-05-01

Stress induced modulation of the diffraction angle and efficiency of the light reflected from a stripe-domain magnetic garnet was demonstrated. The spacing of the magnetic domain was changed using the inverse magnetostriction effect. The sample structure was a piezo actuator/Al reflection layer/magnetic garnet substrate. A diffraction angle between the 0th and 1st ordered light was changed from 9.12 deg. to 10.20 deg. This result indicates that the domain spacing was changed from 3.3 μm to 3.0 μm. The change of the diffraction angle was irreversible for the voltage. However, reversible, linear and continuous change of the diffraction efficiency was observed. These results could be applicable for a voltage-driven optical solid state light deflector with low power consumption and high switching speed.

Linear Fresnel Spectrometer Chip with Gradient Line Grating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang Hyouk (Inventor); Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A spectrometer that includes a grating that disperses light via Fresnel diffraction according to wavelength onto a sensing area that coincides with an optical axis plane of the grating. The sensing area detects the dispersed light and measures the light intensity associated with each wavelength of the light. Because the spectrometer utilizes Fresnel diffraction, it can be miniaturized and packaged as an integrated circuit.

Plasmon resonance and perfect light absorption in subwavelength trench arrays etched in gallium-doped zinc oxide film

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

Hendrickson, Joshua R., E-mail: joshua.hendrickson.4@us.af.mil; Leedy, Kevin; Cleary, Justin W.

Near-perfect light absorption in subwavelength trench arrays etched in highly conductive gallium-doped zinc oxide films was experimentally observed in the mid infrared regime. At wavelengths corresponding to the resonant excitation of surface plasmons, up to 99% of impinging light is efficiently trapped and absorbed in the periodic trenches. Scattering cross sectional calculations reveal that each individual trench acts like a vertical split ring resonator with a broad plasmon resonance spectrum. The coupling of these individual plasmon resonators in the grating structure leads to enhanced photon absorption and significant resonant spectral linewidth narrowing. Ellipsometry measurements taken before and after device fabricationmore » result in different permittivity values for the doped zinc oxide material, indicating that localized annealing occurred during the plasma etching process due to surface heating. Simulations, which incorporate a 50 nm annealed region at the zinc oxide surface, are in a good agreement with the experimental results.« less

Single-shot Ellipsometry of Shocked Iron to 275 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, Sean; Ao, Tommy; Bernstein, Aaron; Davis, Jean-Paul; Ditmire, Todd; Dolan, Daniel; Lin, Jung-Fu; Porwitzky, Andrew; Seagle, Christopher

2017-06-01

We have studied the properties of iron under shock conditions using time-resolved ellipsometry, a technique that probes the dielectric value of materials under dynamic conditions, on the STAR gas gun facility at Sandia National Laboratories. We performed experiments on a two-stage gas gun ranging from the α - ɛ transition (75 GPa) to the solid-liquid transition (275 GPa). For the first time, we report the dielectric results of shocked iron at those conditions. In addition, the time-resolved ellipsometry diagnostic is being implemented on the Sandia pulsed power Z-machine. The goal of upcoming Z experiments will be to employ the ``shock-ramp'' technique to reach pressure and temperature conditions relevant to the Earth core, and to use ellipsometry to obtain the iron electric conductivities needed for benchmarking material models. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. SAND2017-1952 A.

Effective electron mass and phonon modes in n-type hexagonal InN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasic, A.; Schubert, M.; Saito, Y.; Nanishi, Y.; Wagner, G.

2002-03-01

Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and micro-Raman scattering are used to study vibrational and electronic properties of high-quality hexagonal InN. The 0.22-μm-thick highly n-conductive InN film was grown on c-plane sapphire by radio-frequency molecular-beam epitaxy. Combining our results from the ellipsometry data analysis with Hall-effect measurements, the isotropically averaged effective electron mass in InN is determined as 0.14m0. The resonantly excited zone center E1 (TO) phonon mode is observed at 477 cm-1 in the ellipsometry spectra. Despite the high electron concentration in the film, a strong Raman mode occurs in the spectral range of the unscreened A1(LO) phonon. Because an extended carrier-depleted region at the sample surface can be excluded from the ellipsometry-model analysis, we assign this mode to the lower branch of the large-wave-vector LO-phonon-plasmon coupled modes arising from nonconserving wave-vector scattering processes. The spectral position of this mode at 590 cm-1 constitutes a lower limit for the unscreened A1(LO) phonon frequency.

Deep Blue Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with CIEy Value of 0.11 and External Quantum Efficiency up to 22.5.

PubMed

Li, Xiaoyue; Zhang, Juanye; Zhao, Zifeng; Wang, Liding; Yang, Hannan; Chang, Qiaowen; Jiang, Nan; Liu, Zhiwei; Bian, Zuqiang; Liu, Weiping; Lu, Zhenghong; Huang, Chunhui

2018-03-01

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on red and green phosphorescent iridium complexes are successfully commercialized in displays and solid-state lighting. However, blue ones still remain a challenge on account of their relatively dissatisfactory Commission International de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates and low efficiency. After analyzing the reported blue iridium complexes in the literature, a new deep-blue-emitting iridium complex with improved photoluminescence quantum yield is designed and synthesized. By rational screening host materials showing high triplet energy level in neat film as well as the OLED architecture to balance electron and hole recombination, highly efficient deep-blue-emission OLEDs with a CIE at (0.15, 0.11) and maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) up to 22.5% are demonstrated. Based on the transition dipole moment vector measurement with a variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry method, the ultrahigh EQE is assigned to a preferred horizontal dipole orientation of the iridium complex in doped film, which is beneficial for light extraction from the OLEDs. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Growth and characterization of β-Ga2O3 thin films by molecular beam epitaxy for deep-UV photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghose, Susmita; Rahman, Shafiqur; Hong, Liang; Rojas-Ramirez, Juan Salvador; Jin, Hanbyul; Park, Kibog; Klie, Robert; Droopad, Ravi

2017-09-01

The growth of high quality epitaxial beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) using a compound source by molecular beam epitaxy has been demonstrated on c-plane sapphire (Al2O3) substrates. The compound source provides oxidized gallium molecules in addition to oxygen when heated from an iridium crucible in a high temperature effusion cell enabling a lower heat of formation for the growth of Ga2O3, resulting in a more efficient growth process. This source also enabled the growth of crystalline β-Ga2O3 without the need for additional oxygen. The influence of the substrate temperatures on the crystal structure and quality, chemical bonding, surface morphology, and optical properties has been systematically evaluated by x-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Under optimized growth conditions, all films exhibited pure (" separators="|2 ¯01 ) oriented β-Ga2O3 thin films with six-fold rotational symmetry when grown on a sapphire substrate. The thin films demonstrated significant absorption in the deep-ultraviolet (UV) region with an optical bandgap around 5.0 eV and a refractive index of 1.9. A deep-UV photodetector fabricated on the high quality β-Ga2O3 thin film exhibits high resistance and small dark current (4.25 nA) with expected photoresponse for 254 nm UV light irradiation suggesting that the material grown using the compound source is a potential candidate for deep-ultraviolet photodetectors.

Sub-diffraction limit resolution in microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Ming (Inventor); Chen, Weinong (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A method and apparatus for visualizing sub-micron size particles employs a polarizing microscope wherein a focused beam of polarized light is projected onto a target, and a portion of the illuminating light is blocked from reaching the specimen, whereby to produce a shadow region, and projecting diffracted light from the target onto the shadow region.

Diffraction effect of the injected beam in axisymmetrical structural CO2 laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yonggen; Wang, Shijian; Fan, Qunchao

2012-07-01

Diffraction effect of the injected beam in axisymmetrical structural CO2 laser is studied based on the injection-locking principle. The light intensity of the injected beam at the plane where the holophotes lie is derived according to the Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral equation. And then the main parameters which influence the diffraction light intensity are given. The calculated results indicate that the first-order diffraction signal will play an important role in the phase-locking when the zero-order diffraction cannot reach the folded cavities. The numerical examples are given to confirm the correctness of the results, and the comparisons between the theoretical and the experimental results are illustrated.

High Angular Sensitivity, Absolute Rotary Encoding Device with Polygonal Mirror and Stand-Alone Diffraction Gratings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

A device for position encoding of a rotating shaft in which a polygonal mirror having a number of facets is mounted to the shaft and a monochromatic light beam is directed towards the facets. The facets of the polygonal mirror direct the light beam to a stand-alone low line density diffraction grating to diffract the monochromatic light beam into a number of diffracted light beams such that a number of light spots are created on a linear array detector. An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the linear array detector for reading the position of the spots on the linear array detector means. A microprocessor with memory is connected to the analog-to-digital converter to hold and manipulate the data provided by the analog-to-digital converter on the position of the spots and to compute the position of the shaft based upon the data from the analog-lo-digital converter.

Confinement effects on glass transition temperature, transition breadth, and expansivity: comparison of ellipsometry and fluorescence measurements on polystyrene films.

PubMed

Kim, S; Hewlett, S A; Roth, C B; Torkelson, J M

2009-09-01

Using ellipsometry, we characterized the nanoconfinement effect on the glass transition temperature (T (g)of supported polystyrene (PS) films employing two methods: the intersection of fits to the temperature (Tdependences of rubbery- and glassy-state thicknesses, and the transition mid-point between rubbery- and glassy-state expansivities. The results demonstrate a strong effect of thickness: T(g) (bulk) - T(g)(23 nm) = 10 degrees C. The T -range needed for accurate measurement increases significantly with decreasing thickness, an effect that arises from the broadening of the transition with confinement and a region below T (g) where expansivity slowly decreases with decreasing T . As determined from expansivities, the T (g) breadth triples in going from bulk films to a 21-nm-thick film; this broadening of the transition may be a more dramatic effect of confinement than the T (g) reduction itself. In contrast, there is little effect of confinement on the rubbery- and glassy-state expansivities. Compared with ellipsometry, T (g) 's from fluorescence agree well in bulk films but yield lower values in nanoconfined films: T (g)(bulk) - T (g)(23 nm) = 15( degrees ) C via fluorescence. This small difference in the T (g) confinement effect reflects differences in how fluorescence and ellipsometry report "average T (g) " with confinement. With decreasing nanoscale thickness, fluorescence may slightly overweight the contribution of the free-surface layer while ellipsometry may evenly weight or underweight its contribution.

Confinement effects on glass transition temperature, transition breadth, and expansivity: Comparison of ellipsometry and fluorescence measurements on polystyrene films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S.; Hewlett, S. A.; Roth, C. B.; Torkelson, J. M.

2009-09-01

Using ellipsometry, we characterized the nanoconfinement effect on the glass transition temperature (T gof supported polystyrene (PS) films employing two methods: the intersection of fits to the temperature (Tdependences of rubbery- and glassy-state thicknesses, and the transition mid-point between rubbery- and glassy-state expansivities. The results demonstrate a strong effect of thickness: ensuremath Tg(bulk)-Tg(23{ nm})= 10 circ C. The T -range needed for accurate measurement increases significantly with decreasing thickness, an effect that arises from the broadening of the transition with confinement and a region below T g where expansivity slowly decreases with decreasing T . As determined from expansivities, the T g breadth triples in going from bulk films to a 21-nm-thick film; this broadening of the transition may be a more dramatic effect of confinement than the T g reduction itself. In contrast, there is little effect of confinement on the rubbery- and glassy-state expansivities. Compared with ellipsometry, T g ’s from fluorescence agree well in bulk films but yield lower values in nanoconfined films: T g(bulk) - T g(23 nm) = 15° C via fluorescence. This small difference in the T g confinement effect reflects differences in how fluorescence and ellipsometry report “average T g ” with confinement. With decreasing nanoscale thickness, fluorescence may slightly overweight the contribution of the free-surface layer while ellipsometry may evenly weight or underweight its contribution. in here

Rotary encoding device using polygonal mirror with diffraction gratings on each facet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A device for position encoding of a rotating shaft in which a polygonal mirror having a number of facets is mounted to the shaft and a monochromatic light beam is directed towards the facets. The facets of the polygonal mirror each have a low line density diffraction grating to diffract the monochromatic light beam into a number of diffracted light beams such that a number of light spots are created on a linear array detector. An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the linear array detector for reading the position of the spots on the linear array detector means. A microprocessor with memory is connected to the analog-to-digital converter to hold and manipulate the data provided by the analog-to-digital converter on the position of the spots and to compute the position of the shaft based upon the data from the analog-to-digital converter.

Diffractive flat panel solar concentrators of a novel design.

PubMed

de Jong, Ties M; de Boer, Dick K G; Bastiaansen, Cees W M

2016-07-11

A novel design for a flat panel solar concentrator is presented which is based on a light guide with a grating applied on top that diffracts light into total internal reflection. By combining geometrical and diffractive optics the geometrical concentration ratio is optimized according to the principles of nonimaging optics, while the thickness of the device is minimized due to the use of total internal reflection.

Reflective diffraction grating

DOEpatents

Lamartine, Bruce C.

2003-06-24

Reflective diffraction grating. A focused ion beam (FIB) micromilling apparatus is used to store color images in a durable medium by milling away portions of the surface of the medium to produce a reflective diffraction grating with blazed pits. The images are retrieved by exposing the surface of the grating to polychromatic light from a particular incident bearing and observing the light reflected by the surface from specified reception bearing.

Understanding Light Harvesting in Radial Junction Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Yu, Linwei; Misra, Soumyadeep; Wang, Junzhuan; Qian, Shengyi; Foldyna, Martin; Xu, Jun; Shi, Yi; Johnson, Erik; Cabarrocas, Pere Roca i

2014-01-01

The radial junction (RJ) architecture has proven beneficial for the design of a new generation of high performance thin film photovoltaics. We herein carry out a comprehensive modeling of the light in-coupling, propagation and absorption profile within RJ thin film cells based on an accurate set of material properties extracted from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. This has enabled us to understand and evaluate the impact of varying several key parameters on the light harvesting in radially formed thin film solar cells. We found that the resonance mode absorption and antenna-like light in-coupling behavior in the RJ cell cavity can lead to a unique absorption distribution in the absorber that is very different from the situation expected in a planar thin film cell, and that has to be taken into account in the design of high performance RJ thin film solar cells. When compared to the experimental EQE response of real RJ solar cells, this modeling also provides an insightful and powerful tool to resolve the wavelength-dependent contributions arising from individual RJ units and/or from strong light trapping due to the presence of the RJ cell array. PMID:24619197

Immersion transmission ellipsometry (ITE): a new method for the precise determination of the 3D indicatrix of thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, C. C.; Stumpe, J.

2005-02-01

The new method of immersion transmission ellipsometry (ITE) [1] has been developed. It allows the highly accurate determination of the absolute three-dimensional (3D) refractive indices of anisotropic thin films. The method is combined with conventional ellipsometry in transmission and reflection, and the thickness determination of anisotropic films solely by optical methods also becomes more accurate. The method is applied to the determination of the 3D refractive indices of thin spin-coated films of an azobenzene-containing liquid-crystalline copolymer. The development of the anisotropy in these films by photo-orientation and subsequent annealing is demonstrated. Depending on the annealing temperature, oblate or prolate orders are generated.

Formation of pentacene wetting layer on the SiO2 surface and charge trap in the wetting layer.

PubMed

Kim, Chaeho; Jeon, D

2008-09-01

We studied the early-stage growth of vacuum-evaporated pentacene film on a native SiO(2) surface using atomic force microscopy and in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. Pentacene deposition prompted an immediate change in the ellipsometry spectra, but atomic force microscopy images of the early stage films did not show a pentacene-related morphology other than the decrease in the surface roughness. This suggested that a thin pentacene wetting layer was formed by pentacene molecules lying on the surface before the crystalline islands nucleated. Growth simulation based on the in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry spectra supported this conclusion. Scanning capacitance microscopy measurement indicated the existence of trapped charges in the SiO(2) and pentacene wetting layer.

Electrically-programmable diffraction grating

DOEpatents

Ricco, A.J.; Butler, M.A.; Sinclair, M.B.; Senturia, S.D.

1998-05-26

An electrically-programmable diffraction grating is disclosed. The programmable grating includes a substrate having a plurality of electrodes formed thereon and a moveable grating element above each of the electrodes. The grating elements are electrostatically programmable to form a diffraction grating for diffracting an incident beam of light as it is reflected from the upper surfaces of the grating elements. The programmable diffraction grating, formed by a micromachining process, has applications for optical information processing (e.g. optical correlators and computers), for multiplexing and demultiplexing a plurality of light beams of different wavelengths (e.g. for optical fiber communications), and for forming spectrometers (e.g. correlation and scanning spectrometers). 14 figs.

Development of a diffraction imaging flow cytometer

PubMed Central

Jacobs, Kenneth M.; Lu, Jun Q.

2013-01-01

Diffraction images record angle-resolved distribution of scattered light from a particle excited by coherent light and can correlate highly with the 3D morphology of a particle. We present a jet-in-fluid design of flow chamber for acquisition of clear diffraction images in a laminar flow. Diffraction images of polystyrene spheres of different diameters were acquired and found to correlate highly with the calculated ones based on the Mie theory. Fast Fourier transform analysis indicated that the measured images can be used to extract sphere diameter values. These results demonstrate the significant potentials of high-throughput diffraction imaging flow cytometry for extracting 3D morphological features of cells. PMID:19794790

Enhanced photoluminescence from ring resonators in hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films at telecommunications wavelengths.

PubMed

Patton, Ryan J; Wood, Michael G; Reano, Ronald M

2017-11-01

We report enhanced photoluminescence in the telecommunications wavelength range in ring resonators patterned in hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films deposited via low-temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The thin films exhibit broadband photoluminescence that is enhanced by up to 5 dB by the resonant modes of the ring resonators due to the Purcell effect. Ellipsometry measurements of the thin films show a refractive index comparable to crystalline silicon and an extinction coefficient on the order of 0.001 from 1300 nm to 1600 nm wavelengths. The results are promising for chip-scale integrated optical light sources.

Polarization-dependent diffraction in all-dielectric, twisted-band structures

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

Kardaś, Tomasz M.; Jagodnicka, Anna; Wasylczyk, Piotr, E-mail: pwasylcz@fuw.edu.pl

2015-11-23

We propose a concept for light polarization management: polarization-dependent diffraction in all-dielectric microstructures. Numerical simulations of light propagation show that with an appropriately configured array of twisted bands, such structures may exhibit zero birefringence and at the same time diffract two circular polarizations with different efficiencies. Non-birefringent structures as thin as 3 μm have a significant difference in diffraction efficiency for left- and right-hand circular polarizations. We identify the structural parameters of such twisted-band matrices for optimum performance as circular polarizers.

Diffraction and Transmission Synchrotron Imaging at the German Light Source ANKA--Potential Industrial Applications

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

Rack, Alexander; Weitkamp, Timm; European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex

2009-03-10

Diffraction and transmission synchrotron imaging methods have proven to be highly suitable for investigations in materials research and non-destructive evaluation. The high flux and spatial coherence of X-rays from modern synchrotron light sources allows one to work using high resolution and different contrast modalities. This article gives a short overview of different transmission and diffraction imaging methods with high potential for industrial applications, now available for commercial access via the German light source ANKA (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe) and its new department ANKA Commercial Service (ANKA COS, http://www.anka-cos.de)

Quantitative locomotion study of freely swimming micro-organisms using laser diffraction.

PubMed

Magnes, Jenny; Susman, Kathleen; Eells, Rebecca

2012-10-25

Soil and aquatic microscopic organisms live and behave in a complex three-dimensional environment. Most studies of microscopic organism behavior, in contrast, have been conducted using microscope-based approaches, which limit the movement and behavior to a narrow, nearly two-dimensional focal field.(1) We present a novel analytical approach that provides real-time analysis of freely swimming C. elegans in a cuvette without dependence on microscope-based equipment. This approach consists of tracking the temporal periodicity of diffraction patterns generated by directing laser light through the cuvette. We measure oscillation frequencies for freely swimming nematodes. Analysis of the far-field diffraction patterns reveals clues about the waveforms of the nematodes. Diffraction is the process of light bending around an object. In this case light is diffracted by the organisms. The light waves interfere and can form a diffraction pattern. A far-field, or Fraunhofer, diffraction pattern is formed if the screen-to-object distance is much larger than the diffracting object. In this case, the diffraction pattern can be calculated (modeled) using a Fourier transform.(2) C. elegans are free-living soil-dwelling nematodes that navigate in three dimensions. They move both on a solid matrix like soil or agar in a sinusoidal locomotory pattern called crawling and in liquid in a different pattern called swimming.(3) The roles played by sensory information provided by mechanosensory, chemosensory, and thermosensory cells that govern plastic changes in locomotory patterns and switches in patterns are only beginning to be elucidated.(4) We describe an optical approach to measuring nematode locomotion in three dimensions that does not require a microscope and will enable us to begin to explore the complexities of nematode locomotion under different conditions.

Using a fast dual-wavelength imaging ellipsometric system to measure the flow thickness profile of an oil thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Chih-Wei; Han, Chien-Yuan; Jhou, Jhe-Yi; Peng, Zeng-Yi

2017-11-01

Dual-wavelength light sources with stroboscopic illumination technique were applied in a process of photoelastic modulated ellipsometry to retrieve two-dimensional ellipsometric parameters of thin films on a silicon substrate. Two laser diodes were alternately switched on and modulated by a programmable pulse generator to generate four short pulses at specific temporal phase angles in a modulation cycle, and short pulses were used to freeze the intensity variation of the PEM modulated signal that allows ellipsometric images to be captured by a charge-coupled device. Although the phase retardation of a photoelastic modulator is related to the light wavelength, we employed an equivalent phase retardation technique to avoid any setting from the photoelastic modulator. As a result, the ellipsometric parameters of different wavelengths may be rapidly obtained using this dual-wavelength ellipsometric system every 4 s. Both static and dynamic experiments are demonstrated in this work.

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

Jiang, J.; Walters, D. M.; Zhou, D.

Vapor-deposited glasses can be anisotropic and molecular orientation is important for organic electronics applications. In organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), for example, the orientation of dye molecules in two-component emitting layers significantly influences emission efficiency. Here we investigate how substrate temperature during vapor deposition influences the orientation of dye molecules in a model two-component system. We determine the average orientation of a linear blue light emitter 1,4-di-[4-( N,N-diphenyl)amino]styrylbenzene (DSA-Ph) in mixtures with aluminum-tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq 3) by spectroscopic ellipsometry and IR dichroism. We find that molecular orientation is controlled by the ratio of the substrate temperature during deposition and the glassmore » transition temperature of the mixture. Furthermore, these findings extend recent results for single component vapor-deposited glasses and suggest that, during vapor deposition, surface mobility allows partial equilibration towards orientations preferred at the free surface of the equilibrium liquid.« less

Optical apparatus for forming correlation spectrometers and optical processors

DOEpatents

Butler, Michael A.; Ricco, Antonio J.; Sinclair, Michael B.; Senturia, Stephen D.

1999-01-01

Optical apparatus for forming correlation spectrometers and optical processors. The optical apparatus comprises one or more diffractive optical elements formed on a substrate for receiving light from a source and processing the incident light. The optical apparatus includes an addressing element for alternately addressing each diffractive optical element thereof to produce for one unit of time a first correlation with the incident light, and to produce for a different unit of time a second correlation with the incident light that is different from the first correlation. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the optical apparatus is in the form of a correlation spectrometer; and in other embodiments, the apparatus is in the form of an optical processor. In some embodiments, the optical apparatus comprises a plurality of diffractive optical elements on a common substrate for forming first and second gratings that alternately intercept the incident light for different units of time. In other embodiments, the optical apparatus includes an electrically-programmable diffraction grating that may be alternately switched between a plurality of grating states thereof for processing the incident light. The optical apparatus may be formed, at least in part, by a micromachining process.

Optical apparatus for forming correlation spectrometers and optical processors

DOEpatents

Butler, M.A.; Ricco, A.J.; Sinclair, M.B.; Senturia, S.D.

1999-05-18

Optical apparatus is disclosed for forming correlation spectrometers and optical processors. The optical apparatus comprises one or more diffractive optical elements formed on a substrate for receiving light from a source and processing the incident light. The optical apparatus includes an addressing element for alternately addressing each diffractive optical element thereof to produce for one unit of time a first correlation with the incident light, and to produce for a different unit of time a second correlation with the incident light that is different from the first correlation. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the optical apparatus is in the form of a correlation spectrometer; and in other embodiments, the apparatus is in the form of an optical processor. In some embodiments, the optical apparatus comprises a plurality of diffractive optical elements on a common substrate for forming first and second gratings that alternately intercept the incident light for different units of time. In other embodiments, the optical apparatus includes an electrically-programmable diffraction grating that may be alternately switched between a plurality of grating states thereof for processing the incident light. The optical apparatus may be formed, at least in part, by a micromachining process. 24 figs.

Integrated Photonics Research Topical Meeting (1993)

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

81 DMD Time Domain Methods .................................. 107 IME Photonic Circuits and Lightwave Reception...index change near the band edge using a small interference -ellipsometry bridge and presented several results of nt of refractive index change An[51. In... interference -ellipsometry bridge at the photon energies near Eg, especially E>Eg, and compared to previous theories. [11. Manning, R Olshans]y, and C. B. Su

A novel automotive headlight system based on digital micro-mirror devices and diffractive optical elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Ping; Song, Yuming; Ma, Jianshe

2018-01-01

The DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device) has the advantages of high refresh rate and high diffraction efficiency, and these make it become an ideal loader of multiple modes illumination. DOEs (Diffractive Optical Element) have the advantages of high degree of freedom, light weight, easy to copy, low cost etc., and can be used to reduce the weight, complexity, cost of optical system. A novel automotive headlamp system using DMD as the light distribution element and a DOE as the light field modulation device is proposed in this paper. The pure phase DOE is obtained by the GS algorithm using Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction integral model. Based on the standard automotive headlamp light intensity distribution in the target plane, the amplitude distribution of DMD is obtained by numerical simulation, and the grayscale diagram loaded on the DMD can be obtained accordingly. Finally, according to simulation result, the light intensity distribution in the target plane is proportional to the national standard, hence verifies the validity of the novel system. The novel illumination system proposed in this paper provides a reliable hardware platform for the intelligent headlamps.

White-light diffraction phase microscopy at doubled space-bandwidth product.

PubMed

Shan, Mingguang; Kandel, Mikhail E; Majeed, Hassaan; Nastasa, Viorel; Popescu, Gabriel

2016-12-12

White light diffraction microscopy (wDPM) is a quantitative phase imaging method that benefits from both temporal and spatial phase sensitivity, granted, respectively, by the common-path geometry and white light illumination. However, like all off-axis quantitative phase imaging methods, wDPM is characterized by a reduced space-bandwidth product compared to phase shifting approaches. This happens essentially because the ultimate resolution of the image is governed by the period of the interferogram and not just the diffraction limit. As a result, off-axis techniques generates single-shot, i.e., high time-bandwidth, phase measurements, at the expense of either spatial resolution or field of view. Here, we show that combining phase-shifting and off-axis, the original space-bandwidth is preserved. Specifically, we developed phase-shifting diffraction phase microscopy with white light, in which we measure and combine two phase shifted interferograms. Due to the white light illumination, the phase images are characterized by low spatial noise, i.e., <1nm pathlength. We illustrate the operation of the instrument with test samples, blood cells, and unlabeled prostate tissue biopsy.

Optical imaging using spatial grating effects in ferrofluids

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

Dave, Vishakha; Virpura, Hiral; Patel, Rajesh, E-mail: rjp@mkbhavuni.edu.in

2015-06-24

Under the effect of magnetic field the magnetic nanoparticles of the ferrofluid tend to align in the direction of the magnetic field. This alignment of the magnetic nanoparticles behaves as a spatial grating and diffract light, when light is propagating perpendicular to the direction of the applied magnetic field. The chains of the magnetic nanoparticles represents a linear series of fringes like those observed in a grating/wire. Under applied magnetic field the circular beam of light transforms into a prominent diffraction line in the direction perpendicular to the applied magnetic field. This diffracted light illuminates larger area on the screen.more » This behavior can be used as magneto controlled illumination of the object and image analysis.« less

Space grating optical structure of the retina and RGB-color vision.

PubMed

Lauinger, Norbert

2017-02-01

Diffraction of light at the spatial cellular phase grating outer nuclear layer of the retina could produce Fresnel near-field interferences in three RGB diffraction orders accessible to photoreceptors (cones/rods). At perpendicular light incidence the wavelengths of the RGB diffraction orders in photopic vision-a fundamental R-wave with two G+B-harmonics-correspond to the peak wavelengths of the spectral brightness sensitivity curves of the cones at 559 nmR, 537 nmG, and 447 nmB. In scotopic vision the R+G diffraction orders optically fuse at 512 nm, the peak value of the rod's spectral brightness sensitivity curve. The diffractive-optical transmission system with sender (resonator), space waves, and receiver antennae converts the spectral light components involved in imaging into RGB space. The colors seen at objects are diffractive-optical products in the eye, as the German philosopher A. Schopenhauer predicted. They are second related to the overall illumination in object space. The RGB transmission system is the missing link optically managing the spectral tuning of the RGB photopigments.

Single shot ultrafast dynamic ellipsometry (UDE) of laser-driven shocks in single crystal explosives

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

Whitley, Von H; Mcgrane, Shawn D; Moore, David S

2009-01-01

We report on the first experiments to measure states in shocked energetic single crystals with dynamic ellipsometry. We demonstrate that these ellipsometric techniques can produce reasonable Hugoniot values using small amounts of crystalline RDX and PETN. Pressures, particle velocities and shock velocities obtained using shocked ellipsometry are comparable to those found using gas-gun flyer plates and molecular dynamics calculations. The adaptation of the technique from uniform thin films of polymers to thick non-perfect crystalline materials was a significant achievement. Correct sample preparation proved to be a crucial component. Through trial and error, we were able to resolve polishing issues, samplemore » quality problems, birefringence effects and mounting difficulties that were not encountered using thin polymer films.« less

Teaching the concept of dispersion by diffraction of light to elementary school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resnick, J.; Monroy-Ramírez, F. A.

2017-08-01

This paper discusses the development and implementation of a practice based on Active Learning Methodology (ALM) with the aim of encouraging students from an early age to be interested in the world of science. The practical proposal is registered in the area of physics, especially in the field of wave optics, since it turns out to be very attractive to all ages especially for children. This didactic sequence was developed with students from elementary school. The experimental sequence developed is composed by several experimental activities allowing to observe and describe the phenomenon of diffraction scattering, from the entering of light through a piece of compact disc (CD) which acts as a diffraction grating. The distance between the diffraction grating and the screen on which the maximum intensity markers are projected remains constant throughout the practice. Children light up the CD with a red pointer, mark on the screen the position of the different maximum intensity markers, then repeat with the green pointer and finally with blue; from observation and the answer of guiding questions proposed by the teacher, they begin to draw conclusions to diffraction for each wavelength. In this way, the child observes that the maximum intensity markers (diffraction orders) associated with each color are located in different positions. Later, children are enquired about the result of the process when it is repeated with white light. Immediately afterwards, the experiment is tried with white light to check it. Finally, comparing the results observed with pointers in different colors with the result out of the practice with white light, a relevant discussion starts, bringing students to the concept of diffraction scattering. An important aspect is that the materials used in this experiment represents an important advantage in their application, since they are easily accessible (except for laser pointers in colors that are not very common in some places), so it is a practice affordable to any socioeconomic population besides being very striking to students.

Impedance Matched to Vacuum, Invisible Edge, Diffraction Suppressed Mirror

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagopian, John G. (Inventor); Roman, Patrick A. (Inventor); Shiri, Sharham (Inventor); Wollack, Edward J. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Diffraction suppressed mirrors having an invisible edge are disclosed for incident light at both targeted wavelengths and broadband incident light. The mirrors have a first having at least one discontiguous portion having a plurality of nanostructured apertures. The discontiguous mirror portion impedance matches a relatively high impedance portion of the mirror to a relatively low impedance portion of the mirror, thereby reducing the diffraction edge effect otherwise present in a conventional mirror.

Diffraction spectral filter for use in extreme-UV lithography condenser

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C.; Tichenor, Daniel A.; Bernardez, Luis J.

2002-01-01

A condenser system for generating a beam of radiation includes a source of radiation light that generates a continuous spectrum of radiation light; a condenser comprising one or more first optical elements for collecting radiation from the source of radiation light and for generating a beam of radiation; and a diffractive spectral filter for separating first radiation light having a particular wavelength from the continuous spectrum of radiation light. Cooling devices can be employed to remove heat generated. The condenser system can be used with a ringfield camera in projection lithography.

Coherent Soft X-ray Diffraction Imaging of Coliphage PR772 at the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE Data Explorer

Reddy, Hemanth, K.N.

2017-01-05

A dataset of coherent soft X-ray diffraction images of Coliphage PR772 virus, collected at the Atomic Molecular Optics (AMO) beamline with pnCCD detectors in the LAMP instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source.

Study on High Resolution Membrane-Based Diffractive Optical Imaging on Geostationary Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, J.; Wang, B.; Wang, C.; Zhang, Y.; Jin, J.; Liu, Z.; Su, Y.; Ruan, N.

2017-05-01

Diffractive optical imaging technology provides a new way to realize high resolution earth observation on geostationary orbit. There are a lot of benefits to use the membrane-based diffractive optical element in ultra-large aperture optical imaging system, including loose tolerance, light weight, easy folding and unfolding, which make it easy to realize high resolution earth observation on geostationary orbit. The implementation of this technology also faces some challenges, including the configuration of the diffractive primary lens, the development of high diffraction efficiency membrane-based diffractive optical elements, and the correction of the chromatic aberration of the diffractive optical elements. Aiming at the configuration of the diffractive primary lens, the "6+1" petal-type unfold scheme is proposed, which consider the compression ratio, the blocking rate and the development complexity. For high diffraction efficiency membrane-based diffractive optical element, a self-collimating method is proposed. The diffraction efficiency is more than 90 % of the theoretical value. For the chromatic aberration correction problem, an optimization method based on schupmann is proposed to make the imaging spectral bandwidth in visible light band reach 100 nm. The above conclusions have reference significance for the development of ultra-large aperture diffractive optical imaging system.

Creation of vector beams from a polarization diffraction grating using a programmable liquid crystal spatial light modulator and a q-plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badham, Katherine Emily

This thesis presents the ability of complete polarization control of light to create a polarization diffraction grating (PDG). This system has the ability to create diffracted light with each order having a separate high-order polarization state in one location on the optical axis. First, an external Excel program is used to create a grating phase profile from userspecified target diffraction orders. High-order vector beams in this PDG are created using a combination of two devices---a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) manufactured by Seiko Epson, and a tunable q -plate from Citizen Holdings Co. The transmissive SLM is positioned in an optical setup with a reflective architecture allowing control over both the horizontal and vertical components of the laser beam. The SLM has its LC director oriented vertically only affecting the vertically polarized state, however, the optical setup allows modulation of both vertical and horizontal components by the use of a quarter-wave plate (QWP) and a mirror to rotate the polarizations 90 degrees. Each half of the SLM is encoded with an anisotropic phase-only diffraction grating which are superimposed to create a select number of orders with the desired polarization states and equally distributed intensity. The technique of polarimetry is used to confirm the polarization state of each diffraction order. The q-plate is an inhomogeneous birefringent waveplate which has the ability to convert zero-order vector beams into first-order vector beams. The physical placement of this device into the system converts the orders with zero-order polarization states to first-order polarization states. The light vector patterns of each diffraction order confirm which first-order polarization state of is produced. A specially made PDG sextuplicator is encoded onto the SLM to generate six diffraction orders with separate states of polarization.

Light Diffraction by Large Amplitude Ultrasonic Waves in Liquids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adler, Laszlo; Cantrell, John H.; Yost, William T.

2016-01-01

Light diffraction from ultrasound, which can be used to investigate nonlinear acoustic phenomena in liquids, is reported for wave amplitudes larger than that typically reported in the literature. Large amplitude waves result in waveform distortion due to the nonlinearity of the medium that generates harmonics and produces asymmetries in the light diffraction pattern. For standing waves with amplitudes above a threshold value, subharmonics are generated in addition to the harmonics and produce additional diffraction orders of the incident light. With increasing drive amplitude above the threshold a cascade of period-doubling subharmonics are generated, terminating in a region characterized by a random, incoherent (chaotic) diffraction pattern. To explain the experimental results a toy model is introduced, which is derived from traveling wave solutions of the nonlinear wave equation corresponding to the fundamental and second harmonic standing waves. The toy model reduces the nonlinear partial differential equation to a mathematically more tractable nonlinear ordinary differential equation. The model predicts the experimentally observed cascade of period-doubling subharmonics terminating in chaos that occurs with increasing drive amplitudes above the threshold value. The calculated threshold amplitude is consistent with the value estimated from the experimental data.

High-Throughput Characterization of Vapor-Deposited Organic Glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalal, Shakeel S.

Glasses are non-equilibrium materials which on short timescales behave like solids, and on long timescales betray their liquid-like structure. The most common way of preparing a glass is to cool the liquid faster than it can structurally rearrange. Until recently, most preparation schemes for a glass were considered to result in materials with undifferentiable structure and properties. This thesis utilizes a particular preparation method, physical vapor deposition, in order to prepare glasses of organic molecules with properties otherwise considered to be unobtainable. The glasses are characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry, both as a dilatometric technique and as a reporter of molecular packing. The results reported here develop ellipsometry as a dilatometric technique on a pair of model glass formers, alpha,alpha,beta-trisnaphthylbenzene and indomethacin. It is found that the molecular orientation, as measured by birefringence, can be tuned by changing the substrate temperature during the deposition. In order to efficiently characterize the properties of vapor-deposited indomethacin as a function of substrate temperature, a high-throughput method is developed to capture the entire interesting range of substrate temperatures in just a few experiments. This high-throughput method is then leveraged to describe molecular mobility in vapor-deposited indomethacin. It is also used to demonstrate that the behavior of organic semiconducting molecules agrees with indomethacin quantitatively, and this agreement has implications for emerging technologies such as light-emitting diodes, photovoltaics and thin-film transistors made from organic molecules.

Jet Fuel Thermal Stability Investigations using Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nash, Leigh; Klettlinger, Jennifer; Vasu, Subith

2017-01-01

Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to measure the thickness of thin films. This technique was used to measure the thickness of deposits created by heated jet fuel, specifically Sasol IPK on stainless steel tubes. A new amorphous model was used to iteratively determine the film thickness. This method was found to be repeatable, and the thickness of deposit increased with increasing temperature and increasing concentration of naphthalene.

Exact solution for four-order acousto-optic Bragg diffraction with arbitrary initial conditions.

PubMed

Pieper, Ron; Koslover, Deborah; Poon, Ting-Chung

2009-03-01

An exact solution to the four-order acousto-optic (AO) Bragg diffraction problem with arbitrary initial conditions compatible with exact Bragg angle incident light is developed. The solution, obtained by solving a 4th-order differential equation, is formalized into a transition matrix operator predicting diffracted light orders at the exit of the AO cell in terms of the same diffracted light orders at the entrance. It is shown that the transition matrix is unitary and that this unitary matrix condition is sufficient to guarantee energy conservation. A comparison of analytical solutions with numerical predictions validates the formalism. Although not directly related to the approach used to obtain the solution, it was discovered that all four generated eigenvalues from the four-order AO differential matrix operator are expressed simply in terms of Euclid's Divine Proportion.

Generation of a sub-diffraction hollow ring by shaping an azimuthally polarized wave

PubMed Central

Chen, Gang; Wu, Zhi-xiang; Yu, An-ping; Zhang, Zhi-hai; Wen, Zhong-quan; Zhang, Kun; Dai, Lu-ru; Jiang, Sen-lin; Li, Yu-yan; Chen, Li; Wang, Chang-tao; Luo, Xian-gang

2016-01-01

The generation of a sub-diffraction optical hollow ring is of great interest in various applications, such as optical microscopy, optical tweezers, and nanolithography. Azimuthally polarized light is a good candidate for creating an optical hollow ring structure. Various of methods have been proposed theoretically for generation of sub-wavelength hollow ring by focusing azimuthally polarized light, but without experimental demonstrations, especially for sub-diffraction focusing. Super-oscillation is a promising approach for shaping sub-diffraction optical focusing. In this paper, a planar sub-diffraction diffractive lens is proposed, which has an ultra-long focal length of 600 λ and small numerical aperture of 0.64. A sub-diffraction hollow ring is experimentally created by shaping an azimuthally polarized wave. The full-width-at-half-maximum of the hollow ring is 0.61 λ, which is smaller than the lens diffraction limit 0.78 λ, and the observed largest sidelobe intensity is only 10% of the peak intensity. PMID:27876885

Electro-Optic Modulator.

DTIC Science & Technology

An electro - optic modulator is used to modulate coherent light beams by the application of an electric potential. It combines a Fabry-Perot etalon and...a diffraction grating in a single unit. An etalon is constructed with an electro - optic material between reflecting surfaces. A voltage applied...between alternate, spaced-apart electrodes of a metal grid attached to one reflecting surface induces a diffraction grating in the electro optic material. Light entering the etalon is diffracted, reflected and efficiently coupled out.

Diffraction of digital micromirror device gratings and its effect on properties of tunable fiber lasers.

PubMed

Chen, Xiao; Yan, Bin-bin; Song, Fei-jun; Wang, Yi-quan; Xiao, Feng; Alameh, Kamal

2012-10-20

A digital micromirror device (DMD) is a kind of widely used spatial light modulator. We apply DMD as wavelength selector in tunable fiber lasers. Based on the two-dimensional diffraction theory, the diffraction of DMD and its effect on properties of fiber laser parameters are analyzed in detail. The theoretical results show that the diffraction efficiency is strongly dependent upon the angle of incident light and the pixel spacing of DMD. Compared with the other models of DMDs, the 0.55 in. DMD grating is an approximate blazed state in our configuration, which makes most of the diffracted radiation concentrated into one order. It is therefore a better choice to improve the stability and reliability of tunable fiber laser systems.

[Influence of different multifocal intraocular lens concepts on retinal stray light parameters].

PubMed

Ehmer, A; Rabsilber, T M; Mannsfeld, A; Sanchez, M J; Holzer, M P; Auffarth, G U

2011-10-01

Multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOL) are known to induce various photic phenomena depending on the optical principle. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between stray light measurements performed with the C-Quant (Oculus, Germany) and the results of a subjective patient questionnaire. In this study three different MIOLs were compared: AMO ReZoom (refractive design, n=10), AMO ZM900 (diffractive design, n=10) and Oculentis Mplus (near segment design, n=10). Cataract and refractive patients were enrolled in the study. Functional results were evaluated at least 3 months postoperatively followed by stray light measurements and a subjective questionnaire. Surgery was performed for all patients without complications. The three groups were matched for age, IOL power and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). Significantly different stray light (median) values log(s) were found (Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05): 1.12 log (refractive), 1.13 log (segment) and 1.28 log (diffractive). The subjective questionnaire did not show differences in glare perception but refractive MIOL patients noticed more halos surrounding light sources than the diffractive and segment MIOL patients. Stray light and subjective photopic phenomena do not show any basic correlation. Measurements in patients with refractive MIOLs showed less stray light than near segment or diffractive MIOLs. However, refractive MIOLs induced more halos compared to the other groups analyzed.

Determining thickness and refractive index from free-standing ultra-thin polymer films with spectroscopic ellipsometry

DOE PAGES

Hilfiker, James N.; Stadermann, Michael; Sun, Jianing; ...

2016-08-27

It is a well-known challenge to determine refractive index (n) from ultra-thin films where the thickness is less than about 10 nm. In this paper, we discovered an interesting exception to this issue while characterizing spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) data from isotropic, free-standing polymer films. Ellipsometry analysis shows that both thickness and refractive index can be independently determined for free-standing films as thin as 5 nm. Simulations further confirm an orthogonal separation between thickness and index effects on the experimental SE data. Effects of angle of incidence and wavelength on the data and sensitivity are discussed. Finally, while others have demonstratedmore » methods to determine refractive index from ultra-thin films, our analysis provides the first results to demonstrate high-sensitivity to the refractive index from ultra-thin layers.« less

Designing optical metamaterial with hyperbolic dispersion based on Al:ZnO/ZnO nano-layered structure using Atomic Layer Deposition technique

DOE PAGES

Kelly, Priscilla; Liu, Mingzhao; Kuznetsova, Lyuba

2016-04-07

In this study, nano-layered Al:ZnO/ZnO hyperbolic dispersion metamaterial with a large number of layers was fabricated using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Experimental dielectric functions for Al:ZnO/ZnO structures are obtained by an ellipsometry technique in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges. The theoretical modeling of the Al:ZnO/ZnO dielectric permittivity is done using effective medium approximation. A method for analysis of spectroscopic ellipsometry data is demonstrated to extract the optical permittivity for this highly anisotropic nano-layered metamaterial. The results of the ellipsometry analysis show that Al:ZnO/ZnO structures with a 1:9 ALD cycle ratio exhibit hyperbolic dispersion transition change near 1.8more » μm wavelength.« less

Mueller matrix characterization of flexible plastic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Nina; Synowicki, Ron A.; Hilfiker, James N.

2017-11-01

This work reports on Mueller matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry characterization of various flexible plastic substrates that are optically anisotropic with varying degrees of birefringence. The samples are divided into three groups according to the suggested characterization strategy: low birefringence, high birefringence, and twisted birefringence. The first group includes poly(methyl methacrylate) and cyclic olefin copolymer substrates. These are modeled with biaxial anisotropy for the real part of the refractive index while the imaginary part is approximated as isotropic due to small light absorption. The second group includes polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate substrates, which are modeled with biaxial anisotropy for both real and imaginary refractive indices. Lastly, a polyimide substrate is described as two birefringent layers with twisted in-plane orientation.

Thin-film hermeticity - A quantitative analysis of diamondlike carbon using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orzeszko, S.; De, Bhola N.; Woollam, John A.; Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.

1988-01-01

This paper reports on the successful application of variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry to quantitative thin-film hermeticity evaluation. It is shown that, under a variety of film preparations and moisture introduction conditions, water penetrates only a very thin diamondlike carbon (DLC) top surface-roughness region. Thus, DLC is an excellent candidate for use as protective coatings in adverse chemical and aqueous environments.

PMMA and polystyrene films modification under ion implantation studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leontyev, A. V.; Kovalev, V. I.; Khomich, A. V.; Komarov, Fadei F.; Grigoryev, V. V.; Kamishan, A. S.

2004-05-01

We have applied spectroscopic ellipsometry with binary polarization modulation to study the refractive index n(λ) and extinction coefficient k(λ) spectra of as-deposited and irradiated with nitrogen ions polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) films in 300-1030 nm range. The results of performed investigation confirmed the possibility and estimate restrictions of the ion implantation for local change the refractive index of polymeric materials.

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.

Rhodium-Coordinated Poly(arylene-ethynylene)-alt-Poly(arylene-vinylene) Copolymer Acting as Photocatalyst for Visible-Light-Powered NAD+/NADH Reduction

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

A 2,2′-bipyridyl-containing poly(arylene-ethynylene)-alt-poly(arylene-vinylene) polymer, acting as a light-harvesting ligand system, was synthesized and coupled to an organometallic rhodium complex designed for photocatalytic NAD+/NADH reduction. The material, which absorbs over a wide spectral range, was characterized by using various analytical techniques, confirming its chemical structure and properties. The dielectric function of the material was determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. Photocatalytic reduction of nucleotide redox cofactors under visible light irradiation (390–650 nm) was performed and is discussed in detail. The new metal-containing polymer can be used to cover large surface areas (e.g. glass beads) and, due to this immobilization step, can be easily separated from the reaction solution after photolysis. Because of its high stability, the polymer-based catalyst system can be repeatedly used under different reaction conditions for (photo)chemical reduction of NAD+. With this concept, enzymatic, photo-biocatalytic systems for solar energy conversion can be facilitated, and the precious metal catalyst can be recycled. PMID:25130570

In-situ ellipsometry: applications to thin film research, development, and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kief, Mark T.

1999-07-01

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of the film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today's industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable-- insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

In-situ ellipsometry: applications to thin film research, development, and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kief, M. T.

1999-07-01

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of thin film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today's industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable - insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

Optical Anisotropy of Photonic Crystals of Cubic Symmetry Induced by Multiple Diffraction of Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ukleev, T. A.; Shevchenko, N. N.; Iurasova, D. I.; Sel'kin, A. V.

2018-05-01

The optical spectra of Bragg reflection from opal-like photonic crystals under conditions of the resonant enhancement of the multiple diffraction of light have been studied experimentally and theoretically using the photonic crystal structures prepared of monodisperse polystyrene globules. It is shown that the reflection signal registered in mutually orthogonal configurations of the polarizer and analyzer is related to the intrinsic optical anisotropy of the crystals and is a specific manifestation of the multiple Bragg diffraction in three-dimensional photonic crystals.

High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction of Macromolecules with Synchrotron Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stojanoff, Vivian; Boggon, Titus; Helliwell, John R.; Judge, Russell; Olczak, Alex; Snell, Edward H.; Siddons, D. Peter; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

We recently combined synchrotron-based monochromatic X-ray diffraction topography methods with triple axis diffractometry and rocking curve measurements: high resolution X-ray diffraction imaging techniques, to better understand the quality of protein crystals. We discuss these methods in the light of results obtained on crystals grown under different conditions. These non destructive techniques are powerful tools in the characterization of the protein crystals and ultimately will allow to improve, develop, and understand protein crystal growth. High resolution X-ray diffraction imaging methods will be discussed in detail in light of recent results obtained on Hen Egg White Lysozyme crystals and other proteins.

Image quality affected by diffraction of aperture structure arrangement in transparent active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays.

PubMed

Tsai, Yu-Hsiang; Huang, Mao-Hsiu; Jeng, Wei-de; Huang, Ting-Wei; Lo, Kuo-Lung; Ou-Yang, Mang

2015-10-01

Transparent display is one of the main technologies in next-generation displays, especially for augmented reality applications. An aperture structure is attached on each display pixel to partition them into transparent and black regions. However, diffraction blurs caused by the aperture structure typically degrade the transparent image when the light from a background object passes through finite aperture window. In this paper, the diffraction effect of an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display (AMOLED) is studied. Several aperture structures have been proposed and implemented. Based on theoretical analysis and simulation, the appropriate aperture structure will effectively reduce the blur. The analysis data are also consistent with the experimental results. Compared with the various transparent aperture structure on AMOLED, diffraction width (zero energy position of diffraction pattern) of the optimize aperture structure can be reduced 63% and 31% in the x and y directions in CASE 3. Associated with a lenticular lens on the aperture structure, the improvement could reach to 77% and 54% of diffraction width in the x and y directions. Modulation transfer function and practical images are provided to evaluate the improvement of image blurs.

Method and apparatus for wavefront sensing

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

Bahk, Seung-Whan

A method for performing optical wavefront sensing includes providing an amplitude transmission mask having a light input side, a light output side, and an optical transmission axis passing from the light input side to the light output side. The amplitude transmission mask is characterized by a checkerboard pattern having a square unit cell of size .LAMBDA.. The method also includes directing an incident light field having a wavelengthmore » $$ \\lamda $$ to be incident on the light input side and propagating the incident light field through the amplitude transmission mask. The method further includes producing a plurality of diffracted light fields on the light output side and detecting, at a detector disposed a distance L from the amplitude transmission mask, an interferogram associated with the plurality of diffracted light fields.« less

Some studies on TiO2 films deposited by sol-gel technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narasimha Rao, K.; Vishwas, M.; Kumar Sharma, Sudhir; Arjuna Gowda, K. V.

2008-08-01

TiO2 films are extensively used in various applications including optical multi-layers, sensors, photo catalysis, environmental purification, and solar cells etc. These are prepared by both vacuum and non-vacuum methods. In this paper, we present the results on TiO2 thin films prepared by a sol-gel spin coating process in non-aqueous solvent. Titanium isopropoxide is used as TiO2 precursor. The films were annealed at different temperatures up to 3000 C for 5 hours in air. The influence of the various deposition parameters like spinning speed, spinning time and annealing temperature on the thickness of the TiO2 films has been studied. The variation of film thickness with time in ambient atmosphere was also studied. The optical, structural and morphological characteristics were investigated by optical transmittance-reflectance measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the films were determined by envelope technique and spectroscopic ellipsometry. TiO2 films exhibited high transparency (92%) in the visible region with a refractive index of 2.04 at 650 nm. The extinction coefficient was found to be negligibly small. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the TiO2 film deposited on glass substrate changes from amorphous to crystalline (anatase) phase with annealing temperature above 2500 C. SEM results show that the deposited films are uniform and crack free.

Spatial Phase Coding for Incoherent Optical Processors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tigin, D. V.; Lavrentev, A. A.; Gary, C. K.

1994-01-01

In this paper we introduce spatial phase coding of incoherent optical signals for representing signed numbers in optical processors and present an experimental demonstration of this coding technique. If a diffraction grating, such as an acousto-optic cell, modulates a stream of light, the image of the grating can be recovered from the diffracted beam. The position of the grating image, or more precisely its phase, can be used to denote the sign of the number represented by the diffracted light. The intensity of the light represents the magnitude of the number. This technique is more economical than current methods in terms of the number of information channels required to represent a number and the amount of post processing required.

Diffraction-controlled backscattering threshold and application to Raman gap

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

Rose, Harvey A.; Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544; Mounaix, Philippe

2011-04-15

In most classic analytical models of linear stimulated scatter, light diffraction is omitted, a priori. However, modern laser optic typically includes a variant of the random phase plate [Y. Kato et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 1057 (1984)], resulting in diffraction limited laser intensity fluctuations - or localized speckles - which may result in explosive reflectivity growth as the average laser intensity approaches a critical value [H. A. Rose and D. F. DuBois, Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 2883 (1994)]. Among the differences between stimulated Raman scatter (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scatter is that the SRS scattered light diffracts more stronglymore » than the laser light with increase of electron density. This weakens the tendency of the SRS light to closely follow the most amplified paths, diminishing gain. Let G{sub 0} be the one-dimensional power gain exponent of the stimulated scatter. In this paper we show that differential diffraction gives rise to an increase of G{sub 0} at the SRS physical threshold with increase of electron density up to a drastic disruption of SRS as electron density approaches one fourth of its critical value from below. For three wave interaction lengths not small compared to a speckle length, this is a physically robust Raman gap mechanism.« less

Nanostructure Diffraction Gratings for Integrated Spectroscopy and Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Junpeng (Inventor)

2015-01-01

The present disclosure pertains to metal or dielectric nanostructures of the subwavelength scale within the grating lines of optical diffraction gratings. The nanostructures have surface plasmon resonances or non-plasmon optical resonances. A linear photodetector array is used to capture the resonance spectra from one of the diffraction orders. The combined nanostructure super-grating and photodetector array eliminates the use of external optical spectrometers for measuring surface plasmon or optical resonance frequency shift caused by the presence of chemical and biological agents. The nanostructure super-gratings can be used for building integrated surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrometers. The nanostructures within the diffraction grating lines enhance Raman scattering signal light while the diffraction grating pattern of the nanostructures diffracts Raman scattering light to different directions of propagation according to their wavelengths. Therefore, the nanostructure super-gratings allows for the use of a photodetector array to capture the surface enhanced Raman scattering spectra.

Nanostructure Diffraction Gratings for Integrated Spectroscopy and Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Junpeng (Inventor)

2016-01-01

The present disclosure pertains to metal or dielectric nanostructures of the subwavelength scale within the grating lines of optical diffraction gratings. The nanostructures have surface plasmon resonances or non-plasmon optical resonances. A linear photodetector array is used to capture the resonance spectra from one of the diffraction orders. The combined nanostructure super-grating and photodetector array eliminates the use of external optical spectrometers for measuring surface plasmon or optical resonance frequency shift caused by the presence of chemical and biological agents. The nanostructure super-gratings can be used for building integrated surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrometers. The nanostructures within the diffraction grating lines enhance Raman scattering signal light while the diffraction grating pattern of the nanostructures diffracts Raman scattering light to different directions of propagation according to their wavelengths. Therefore, the nanostructure super-gratings allows for the use of a photodetector array to capture the surface enhanced Raman scattering spectra.

Beam steering for virtual/augmented reality displays with a cycloidal diffractive waveplate.

PubMed

Chen, Haiwei; Weng, Yishi; Xu, Daming; Tabiryan, Nelson V; Wu, Shin-Tson

2016-04-04

We proposed a switchable beam steering device with cycloidal diffractive waveplate (CDW) for eye tracking in a virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) display system. Such a CDW diffracts the incident circularly polarized light to the first order with over 95% efficiency. To convert the input linearly polarized light to right-handed or left-handed circular polarization, we developed a broadband polarization switch consisting of a twisted nematic liquid crystal cell and an achromatic quarter-wave retardation film. By cascading 2-3 CDWs together, multiple diffraction angles can be achieved. To suppress the color dispersion, we proposed two approaches to obtain the same diffraction angle for red, green, and blue LEDs-based full color displays. Our device exhibits several advantages, such as high diffraction efficiency, fast response time, low power consumption, and low cost. It holds promise for the emerging VR/AR displays.

Holographic Formation of Diffraction Elements for Transformation of Light Beams in Liquid Crystal - Photopolymer Compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semkin, A. O.; Sharangovich, S. N.

2018-03-01

A theoretical model of holographic formation of diffractive optical elements for transformation of light beam field into Bessel-like fields in liquid crystal - photopolymer (LC-PPM) composite materials with a dyesensitizer is developed. Results of numerical modeling of kinetics ofvariation of the refractive index of a material in the process of formation with different relationships between the photopolymerization rates and diffusion processes are presented. Based on the results of numerical simulation, it is demonstrated that when the photopolarization process dominates, the diffractive element being formed is distorted. This leads to a change in the light field distribution at its output and consequently, to ineffective transformation of the reading beam. Thus, the necessity of optimizing of the recording conditions and of the prepolymeric composition to increase the transformation efficiency of light beam fields is demonstrated.

Amorphous TiO 2 Compact Layers via ALD for Planar Halide Perovskite Photovoltaics

DOE PAGES

Kim, In Soo; Haasch, Richard T.; Cao, Duyen H.; ...

2016-09-06

A low temperature (< 120 °C) route to pinhole-free amorphous TiO 2 compact layers may pave the way to more efficient, flexible, and stable inverted perovskite halide device designs. Toward this end, we utilize low-temperature thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) to synthesize ultra-thin (12 nm) compact TiO 2 underlayers for planar halide perovskite PV. While device performance with as-deposited TiO 2 films is poor, we identify room temperature UV-O 3 treatment as a route to device efficiency comparable to crystalline TiO 2 thin films synthesized by higher temperature methods. Here, we further explore the chemical, physical, and interfacial properties 2more » that might explain the improved performance through x-ray diffraction, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These findings challenge our intuition about effective electron selective layers as well as point the way to a greater selection of flexible substrates and more stable inverted device designs.« less

Size-selective breaking of the core-shell structure of gallium nanoparticles.

PubMed

Catalán Gómez, Sergio; Redondo-Cubero, Andres; Palomares Simon, Francisco Javier; Vazquez Burgos, Luis; Nogales, Emilio; Nucciarelli, Flavio; Mendez, Bianchi; Gordillo, Nuria; Pau, Jose Luis

2018-06-11

Core-shell gallium nanoparticles (Ga NPs) have recently been proposed as an ultraviolet plasmonic material for different applications but only at room temperature. Here, the thermal stability as a function of the size of the NPs is reported over a wide range of temperatures. We analyse the chemical and structural properties of the oxide shell by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. We demonstrate the inverse dependence of the shell breaking temperature with the size of the NPs. Spectroscopic ellipsometry is used for tracking the rupture and its mechanism is systematically investigated by scanning electron microscopy, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and cathodoluminescence. Taking advantage of the thermal stability of the NPs, we perform complete oxidations that lead to homogenous gallium oxide NPs. Thus, this study set the physical limits of Ga NPs to last at high temperatures, and opens up the possibility to achieve totally oxidized NPs while keeping their sphericity. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Titanium dioxide thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition and integration in radio frequency devices: Study of structure, optical and dielectric properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlianges, Jean-Christophe; Crunteanu, Aurelian; Pothier, Arnaud; Merle-Mejean, Therese; Blondy, Pierre; Champeaux, Corinne

2012-12-01

Titanium dioxide presents a wide range of technological application possibilities due to its dielectric, electrochemical, photocatalytic and optical properties. The three TiO2 allotropic forms: anatase, rutile and brookite are also interesting, since they exhibit different properties, stabilities and growth modes. For instance, rutile has a high dielectric permittivity, of particular interest for the integration as dielectric in components such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for radio frequency (RF) devices. In this study, titanium dioxide thin films are deposited by pulsed laser deposition. Characterizations by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction show the evolution of the structural properties. Thin films optical properties are investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry and transmission measurements from UV to IR range. Co-planar waveguide (CPW) devices are fabricated based on these films. Their performances are measured in the RF domain and compared to simulation, leading to relative permittivity values in the range 30-120, showing the potentialities of the deposited material for capacitive switches applications.

Mixing-Induced Anisotropic Correlations in Molecular Crystalline Systems: Rationalizing the Behavior of Organic Semiconductor Blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broch, Katharina; Aufderheide, Antje; Novak, Jiri; Hinderhofer, Alexander; Gerlach, Alexander; Banerjee, Rupak; Schreiber, Frank

2013-03-01

Binary mixtures of organic semiconductors (OSCs) have recently become an important field of research, as they find applications in opto-electronic devices. In these systems, the mixing (intermixing vs. phase separation) and ordering behavior is crucial, since it affects the optical and electronic properties. We present a comprehensive study of binary mixtures of the three prototypical OSCs pentacene (PEN), perfluoropentacene (PFP) and diindenoperlyene (DIP) in all possible combinations. Using X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction we investigate the stuctural properties of the mixed films as well as their impact on the optical spectra obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry. For PEN:DIP we find an anisotropic ordering behavior, comparable to that observed in some liquid crystals, which is fundamentally new for OSCs. The influence of sterical compatibility and the strength of the intermolecular interactions on the mixing and ordering behavior in the different blends will be discussed by extending a conventional mean-field model. Finally, we discuss general rules for the targeted preparation of blends of OSCs.

Calcium copper-titanate thin film growth: tailoring of the operational conditions through nanocharacterization and substrate nature effects.

PubMed

Lo Nigro, Raffaella; Toro, Roberta G; Malandrino, Graziella; Fragalà, Ignazio L; Losurdo, Maria; Giangregorio, Michelaria M; Bruno, Giovanni; Raineri, Vito; Fiorenza, Patrick

2006-09-07

A novel approach based on a molten multicomponent precursor source has been applied for the MOCVD fabrication of high-quality CaCu(3)Ti(4)O(12) (CCTO) thin films on various substrates. The adopted in situ strategy involves a molten mixture consisting of Ca(hfa)(2).tetraglyme, Ti(tmhd)(2)(O-iPr)(2), and Cu(tmhd)(2) [Hhfa = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione; tetraglyme = 2,5,8,11,14-pentaoxapentadecane; Htmhd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptandione; O-iPr = isopropoxide] precursors. Film structural and morphological characterizations have been carried out by several techniques [X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM)], and in particular the energy filtered TEM mapping and X-ray energy dispersive (EDX) analysis in TEM mode provided a suitable correlation between nanostructural properties of CCTO films and deposition conditions and/or the substrate nature. Correlation between the nanostructure and optical/dielectric properties has been investigated exploiting spectroscopic ellipsometry.

Effect of argon ion activity on the properties of Y 2O 3 thin films deposited by low pressure PACVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barve, S. A.; Jagannath; Deo, M. N.; Kishore, R.; Biswas, A.; Gantayet, L. M.; Patil, D. S.

2010-10-01

Yttrium oxide thin films are deposited by microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma assisted metal organic chemical vapour deposition process using an indegeneously developed Y(thd) 3 {(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate)yttrium} precursor. Depositions were carried out at two different argon gas flow rates keeping precursor and oxygen gas flow rate constant. The deposited coatings are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and infrared spectroscopy. Optical properties of the films are studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Hardness and elastic modulus of the films are measured by load depth sensing nanoindentation technique. Stability of the film and its adhesion with the substrate is inferred from the nanoscratch test. It is shown here that, the change in the argon gas flow rates changes the ionization of the gas in the microwave ECR plasma and imposes a drastic change in the characteristics like composition, structure as well as mechanical properties of the deposited film.

Ag-Cu mixed phase plasmonic nanostructures fabricated by shadow nanosphere lithography and glancing angle co-deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingram, Whitney; Larson, Steven; Carlson, Daniel; Zhao, Yiping

2017-01-01

By combining shadow nanosphere lithography with a glancing angle co-deposition technique, mixed-phase Ag-Cu triangular nanopatterns and films were fabricated. They were prepared at different compositions with respect to Ag from 100% to 0% by changing the relative deposition ratio of each metal. Characterizations by ellipsometry, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction revealed that the thin films and nanopatterns were composed of small, well-mixed Ag and Cu nano-grains with a diameter less than 20 nm, and their optical properties could be described by an effective medium theory. All compositions of the nanopattern had the same shape, but showed tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties. In general, the LSPR of the nanopatterns redshifted with decreasing composition. Such a relation could be fitted by an empirical model based on the bulk theory of alloy plasmonics. By changing the colloidal template and the material deposited, this fabrication technique can be used to produce other alloy plasmonic nanostructures with predicted LSPR wavelengths.

Ag-Cu mixed phase plasmonic nanostructures fabricated by shadow nanosphere lithography and glancing angle co-deposition.

PubMed

Ingram, Whitney; Larson, Steven; Carlson, Daniel; Zhao, Yiping

2017-01-06

By combining shadow nanosphere lithography with a glancing angle co-deposition technique, mixed-phase Ag-Cu triangular nanopatterns and films were fabricated. They were prepared at different compositions with respect to Ag from 100% to 0% by changing the relative deposition ratio of each metal. Characterizations by ellipsometry, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction revealed that the thin films and nanopatterns were composed of small, well-mixed Ag and Cu nano-grains with a diameter less than 20 nm, and their optical properties could be described by an effective medium theory. All compositions of the nanopattern had the same shape, but showed tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties. In general, the LSPR of the nanopatterns redshifted with decreasing composition. Such a relation could be fitted by an empirical model based on the bulk theory of alloy plasmonics. By changing the colloidal template and the material deposited, this fabrication technique can be used to produce other alloy plasmonic nanostructures with predicted LSPR wavelengths.

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiO{sub x} layers for application in solar cells

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

Klingsporn, M.; Costina, I.; Kirner, S.

2016-06-14

Nanocrystalline silicon suboxides (nc-SiO{sub x}) have attracted attention during the past years for the use in thin-film silicon solar cells. We investigated the relationships between the nanostructure as well as the chemical, electrical, and optical properties of phosphorous, doped, nc-SiO{sub 0.8}:H fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The nanostructure was varied through the sample series by changing the deposition pressure from 533 to 1067 Pa. The samples were then characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, and a specialized plasmon imaging method. We found that the material changed with increasing pressuremore » from predominantly amorphous silicon monoxide to silicon dioxide containing nanocrystalline silicon. The nanostructure changed from amorphous silicon filaments to nanocrystalline silicon filaments, which were found to cause anisotropic electron transport.« less

Structure, Morphology and Optical Properties of TiO2 Films Formed by Anodizing in a Mixed Solution of Citric Acid and Sulfamic Acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhary, R. K.; Sarkar, P.; Biswas, A.; Mishra, P.; Abraham, G. J.; Sastry, P. U.; Kain, V.

2017-08-01

TiO2 films of 50-180 nm thickness were formed at room temperature by anodization of titanium metal in a mixture of citric acid and sulfamic acid in the potential range of 5-30 V. The films so obtained were characterized for their crystal structure, surface morphology, chemical composition and optical properties. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and micro-laser Raman spectroscopy measurements of the anodic films confirmed the formation of brookite phase of TiO2 at anodizing potentials of 15, 20, 25 and 30 V and amorphous structure at 5 and 10 V. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed non-porous microstructure of the films. Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements evaluated the band gap of TiO2 at around 3.3 eV, whereas the refractive index of the films was found to be in the range of 2-2.35, in the visible range of spectrum.

Silicon oxynitride films deposited by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering using nitrous oxide as a single-source precursor

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

Hänninen, Tuomas, E-mail: tuoha@ifm.liu.se; Schmidt, Susann; Jensen, Jens

2015-09-15

Silicon oxynitride thin films were synthesized by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering of silicon in argon/nitrous oxide plasmas. Nitrous oxide was employed as a single-source precursor supplying oxygen and nitrogen for the film growth. The films were characterized by elastic recoil detection analysis, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflectivity, scanning electron microscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Results show that the films are silicon rich, amorphous, and exhibit a random chemical bonding structure. The optical properties with the refractive index and the extinction coefficient correlate with the film elemental composition, showing decreasing values with increasing film oxygen and nitrogen content.more » The total percentage of oxygen and nitrogen in the films is controlled by adjusting the gas flow ratio in the deposition processes. Furthermore, it is shown that the film oxygen-to-nitrogen ratio can be tailored by the high power impulse magnetron sputtering-specific parameters pulse frequency and energy per pulse.« less

Ellipsometric analysis and optical absorption characterization of gallium phosphide nanoparticulate thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qi-Xian; Wei, Wen-Sheng; Ruan, Fang-Ping

2011-04-01

Gallium phosphide (GaP) nanoparticulate thin films were easily fabricated by colloidal suspension deposition via GaP nanoparticles dispersed in N,N-dimethylformamide. The microstructure of the film was performed by x-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The film was further investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry. After the model GaP+void|SiO2 was built and an effective medium approximation was adopted, the values of the refractive index n and the extinction coefficient k were calculated for the energy range of 0.75 eV-4.0 eV using the dispersion formula in DeltaPsi2 software. The absorption coefficient of the film was calculated from its k and its energy gaps were further estimated according to the Tauc equation, which were further verified by its fluorescence spectrum measurement. The structure and optical absorption properties of the nanoparticulate films are promising for their potential applications in hybrid solar cells.

Direct observation of anisotropic small-hole polarons in an orthorhombic structure of BiV O4 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhuri, A.; Mandal, L.; Chi, X.; Yang, M.; Scott, M. C.; Motapothula, M.; Yu, X. J.; Yang, P.; Shao-Horn, Y.; Venkatesan, T.; Wee, A. T. S.; Rusydi, A.

2018-05-01

Here, we report an anisotropic small-hole polaron in an orthorhombic structure of BiV O4 films grown by pulsed-laser deposition on yttrium-doped zirconium oxide substrate. The polaronic state and electronic structure of BiV O4 films are revealed using a combination of polarization-dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy at V L3 ,2 edges, spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray photoemission spectroscopies, and high-resolution x-ray diffraction with the support of first-principles calculations. We find that in the orthorhombic phase, which is slightly different from the conventional pucherite structure, the unoccupied V 3d orbitals and charge inhomogeneities lead to an anisotropic small-hole polaron state. Our result shows the importance of the interplay of charge and lattice for the formation of a hole polaronic state, which has a significant impact in the electrical conductivity of BiV O4 , hence its potential use as a photoanode for water splitting.

Influence of reactive oxygen species during deposition of iron oxide films by high power impulse magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stranak, V.; Hubicka, Z.; Cada, M.; Bogdanowicz, R.; Wulff, H.; Helm, C. A.; Hippler, R.

2018-03-01

Iron oxide films were deposited using high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of an iron cathode in an argon/oxygen gas mixture at different gas pressures (0.5 Pa, 1.5 Pa, and 5.0 Pa). The HiPIMS system was operated at a repetition frequency f  =  100 Hz with a duty cycle of 1%. A main goal is a comparison of film growth during conventional and electron cyclotron wave resonance-assisted HiPIMS. The deposition plasma was investigated by means of optical emission spectroscopy and energy-resolved mass spectrometry. Active oxygen species were detected and their kinetic energy was found to depend on the gas pressure. Deposited films were characterized by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. Optical properties and crystallinity of as-deposited films were found to depend on the deposition conditions. Deposition of hematite iron oxide films with the HiPIMS-ECWR discharge is attributed to the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species.

B-spline parameterization of the dielectric function and information criteria: the craft of non-overfitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Likhachev, Dmitriy V.

2017-06-01

Johs and Hale developed the Kramers-Kronig consistent B-spline formulation for the dielectric function modeling in spectroscopic ellipsometry data analysis. In this article we use popular Akaike, corrected Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria (AIC, AICc and BIC, respectively) to determine an optimal number of knots for B-spline model. These criteria allow finding a compromise between under- and overfitting of experimental data since they penalize for increasing number of knots and select representation which achieves the best fit with minimal number of knots. Proposed approach provides objective and practical guidance, as opposite to empirically driven or "gut feeling" decisions, for selecting the right number of knots for B-spline models in spectroscopic ellipsometry. AIC, AICc and BIC selection criteria work remarkably well as we demonstrated in several real-data applications. This approach formalizes selection of the optimal knot number and may be useful in practical perspective of spectroscopic ellipsometry data analysis.

The optical properties of transferred graphene and the dielectrics grown on it obtained by ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasikov, Aarne; Kahro, Tauno; Matisen, Leonard; Kodu, Margus; Tarre, Aivar; Seemen, Helina; Alles, Harry

2018-04-01

Graphene layers grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method and transferred from Cu-foils to the oxidized Si-substrates were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), Raman and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) methods. The optical properties of transferred CVD graphene layers do not always correspond to the ones of the exfoliated graphene due to the contamination from the chemicals used in the transfer process. However, the real thickness and the mean properties of the transferred CVD graphene layers can be found using ellipsometry if a real thickness of the SiO2 layer is taken into account. The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods were used to grow dielectric layers on the transferred graphene and the obtained structures were characterized using optical methods. The approach demonstrated in this work could be useful for the characterization of various materials grown on graphene.

Determining Concentration of Nanoparticles from Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatasubbarao, Srivatsa; Kempen, Lothar U.; Chipman, Russell

2008-01-01

A method of using ellipsometry or polarization analysis of light in total internal reflection of a surface to determine the number density of gold nanoparticles on a smooth substrate has been developed. The method can be modified to enable determination of densities of sparse distributions of nanoparticles in general, and is expected to be especially useful for measuring gold-nanoparticle-labeled biomolecules on microarrays. The method is based on theoretical calculations of the ellipsometric responses of gold nanoparticles. Elements of the calculations include the following: For simplicity, the gold nanoparticles are assumed to be spherical and to have the same radius. The distribution of gold nanoparticles is assumed to be a sub-monolayer (that is, sparser than a monolayer). The optical response of the sub-monolayer is modeled by use of a thin-island-film theory, according to which the polarizabilities parallel and perpendicular to the substrate are functions of the wavelength of light, the dielectric functions (permittivities expressed as complex functions of frequency or wavelength) of the gold and the suspending medium (in this case, the suspending medium is air), the fraction of the substrate area covered by the nanoparticles, and the radius of the nanoparticles. For the purpose of the thin-island-film theory, the dielectric function of the gold nanoparticles is modeled as the known dielectric function of bulk gold plus a correction term that is necessitated by the fact that the mean free path length for electrons in gold decreases with decreasing radius, in such a manner as to cause the imaginary part of the dielectric function to increase with decreasing radius (see figure). The correction term is a function of the nanoparticle radius, the wavelength of light, the mean free path and the Fermi speed of electrons in bulk gold, the plasma frequency of gold, and the speed of light in a vacuum. These models are used to calculate ellipsometric responses for various concentrations of gold nanoparticles having an assumed radius. The modeled data indicates distinct spectral features for both the real and the imaginary part of the dielectric function. An ellipsometric measurement would determine this distinct feature and thus can be used to measure nanoparticle concentration. By "ellipsometric responses" is meant the intensities of light measured in various polarization states as functions of the angle of incidence and the polarization states of the incident light. These calculated ellipsometric responses are used as calibration curves: Data from subsequent ellipsometric measurements on real specimens are compared with the calibration curves. The concentration of the nanoparticles on a specimen is assumed to be that of the calibration curve that most closely matches the data pertaining to that specimen.

Crystalline Colloidal Arrays in Polymer Matrices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sunkara, Hari B.; Penn, B. G.; Frazier, D. O.; Ramachandran, N.

1997-01-01

Crystalline Colloidal Arrays (CCA, also known as colloidal crystals), composed of aqueous or nonaqueous dispersions of self-assembled nanosized polymer colloidal spheres, are emerging toward the development of advanced optical devices for technological applications. The spontaneous self assembly of polymer spheres in a dielectric medium results from the electrostatic repulsive interaction between particles of uniform size and charge distribution. In a way similar to atomic crystals that diffract X-rays, CCA dispersions in thin quartz cells selectively and efficiently Bragg diffract the incident visible light. The reason for this diffraction is because the lattice (body or face centered cubic) spacing is on the order of the wavelength of visible light. Unlike the atomic crystals that diffract a fixed wavelength, colloidal crystals in principle, depending on the particle size, particle number and charge density, can diffract W, Vis or IR light. Therefore, the CCA dispersions can be used as laser filters. Besides, the diffraction intensity depends on the refractive index mismatch between polymer spheres and dielectric medium; therefore, it is possible to modulate incident light intensities by manipulating the index of either the spheres or the medium. Our interest in CCA is in the fabrication of all-optical devices such as optical switches, limiters, and spatial light modulators for optical signal processing. The two major requirements from a materials standpoint are the incorporation of suitable nonlinear optical materials (NLO) into polymer spheres which will allow us to alter the refractive index of the spheres by intense laser radiation, and preparation of solid CCA filters which can resist laser damage. The fabrication of solid composite filters not only has the advantage that the films are easier to handle, but also the arrays in solid films are more robust than in liquid media. In this paper, we report the photopolymerization process used to trap CCA in polymer matrices, the factors which affect the optical diffraction qualities of resulting polymer films, and methods to improve the efficiencies of solid optical filters. Before this, we also present the experimental demonstration, of controlling the optical diffraction intensities from aqueous CCA dispersions by varying the temperature, which establishes the feasibility of fabricating all-optical switching devices with nonlinear periodic array structures.

Shaping non-diffracting beams with a digital micromirror device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yu-Xuan; Fang, Zhao-Xiang; Lu, Rong-De

2016-02-01

The micromechanical digital micromirror device (DMD) performs as a spatial light modulator to shape the light wavefront. Different from the liquid crystal devices, which use the birefringence to modulate the light wave, the DMD regulates the wavefront through an amplitude modulation with the digitally controlled mirrors switched on and off. The advantages of such device are the fast speed, polarization insensitivity, and the broadband modulation ability. The fast switching ability for the DMD not only enables the shaping of static light mode, but also could dynamically compensate for the wavefront distortion due to scattering medium. We have employed such device to create the higher order modes, including the Laguerre-Gaussian, Hermite-Gaussian, as well as Mathieu modes. There exists another kind of beam with shape-preservation against propagation, and self-healing against obstacles. Representative modes are the Bessel modes, Airy modes, and the Pearcey modes. Since the DMD modulates the light intensity, a series of algorithms are developed to calculate proper amplitude hologram for shaping the light. The quasi-continuous gray scale images could imitate the continuous amplitude hologram, while the binary amplitude modulation is another means to create the modulation pattern for a steady light field. We demonstrate the generation of the non-diffracting beams with the binary amplitude modulation via the DMD, and successfully created the non-diffracting Bessel beam, Airy beam, and the Pearcey beam. We have characterized the non-diffracting modes through propagation measurements as well as the self-healing measurements.

New infrared-assisted method for sol-gel derived ZnO:Ag thin films: Structural and bacterial inhibition properties.

PubMed

González-Penguelly, Brenely; Morales-Ramírez, Ángel de Jesús; Rodríguez-Rosales, Miriam Guadalupe; Rodríguez-Nava, Celestino Odín; Carrera-Jota, María Luz

2017-09-01

A new sol-gel method, based on crystallization with Infrared heating, was developed to obtain ZnO:Ag thin films. The common sol, with zinc acetate as precursor and silver nitrate as doping source (1, 3 and 5 % molar), isopropanol and distilled water as solvents and monoethanolamine as stabilizer agent; was modified with Pluronic F127 and diethylene glycol as rheological agents, and with urea as fuel to produce enough energy to the combustion and to promote the crystallization process. Later, Corning glass-substrates were dipped into the sol at a constant speed of 3mms -1 . To provide the necessary energy for obtaining the hexagonal ZnO structure of the coatings during the drying and consolidation process, instead of using the common furnace heat-treatment, the films were heated by means of an infrared (IR) ceramic lamp (800W) for 15, 30, 45, 60 and 180 minutes, and the effect of this annealing method was analyzed. The structural properties were examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), whereas morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The examination revealed a homogeneous distribution of particles with the characteristic pores of pluronic F127, and the coating roughness had an average value of 100nm by AFM. To evaluate the effect on the number of dipping cycles and the IR-treatment on the thickness, ellipsometry results for 1, 3 and 5 deposits were analyzed and showed increments of 780, 945 and 1082nm, respectively. Finally, to test of the antibacterial activity, instead of the common one-microorganism approach, environmental microorganisms that grow with expose of the broth to the ambient conditions were employed (microbial consortium), which is a real environmental condition. The biological test was carried out by kinetic growth inhibition (optical density) of heterotrophic bacteria in culture liquid media under conditions of light, light-dark and darkness, to analyze the effect of light. A significance reduction in growth was obtained for doped coatings with silver in comparison with the control ZnO substrate. Furthermore, the analysis bacteria growth inhibition on a solid surface showed that the films effectively present antibacterial activity. The best result was obtained with ZnO:Ag 1% in light conditions, about 67%, but all the coatings inhibited the bacterial activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Elimination of coherent noise in a coherent light imaging system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grebowsky, G. J.; Hermann, R. L.; Paull, H. B.; Shulman, A. R.

1970-01-01

Optical imaging systems using coherent light introduce objectionable noise into the output image plane. Dust and bubbles on and in lenses cause most of the noise in the output image. This noise usually appears as bull's-eye diffraction patterns in the image. By rotating the lens about the optical axis these diffraction patterns can be essentially eliminated. The technique does not destroy the spatial coherence of the light and permits spatial filtering of the input plane.

All-optical diffractive/transmissive switch based on coupled cycloidal diffractive waveplates.

PubMed

Serak, Svetlana V; Hakobyan, Rafael S; Nersisyan, Sarik R; Tabiryan, Nelson V; White, Timothy J; Bunning, Timothy J; Steeves, Diane M; Kimball, Brian R

2012-02-27

Pairs of cycloidal diffractive waveplates can be used to doubly diffract or collinearly propagate laser radiation of the appropriate wavelength. The use of a dynamic phase retarder placed in between the pair can be utilized to switch between the two optical states. We present results from the implementation of an azo-based retarder whose optical properties can be modulated using light itself. We show fast and efficient switching between the two states for both CW and single nanosecond laser pulses of green radiation. Contrasts greater than 100:1 were achieved. The temporal response as a function of light intensity is presented and the optical switching is shown to be polarization independent.

Diffraction of a Gaussian laser beam by a straight edge leading to the formation of optical vortices and elliptical diffraction fringes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeylikovich, Iosif; Nikitin, Aleksandr

2018-04-01

The diffraction of a Gaussian laser beam by a straight edge has been studied theoretically and experimentally for many years. In this paper, we have experimentally observed for the first time the formation of the cusped caustic (for the Fresnel number F ≈ 100) in the shadow region of the straight edge, with the cusp placed near the center of the circular laser beam(λ = 0 . 65 μm) overlapped with the elliptical diffraction fringes. These fringes are originated at the region near the cusp of the caustic where light intensity is zero and the wave phase is singular (the optical vortex). We interpret observed diffraction fringes as a result of interference between the helical wave created by the optical vortex and cylindrical wave diffracted at the straight edge. We have theoretically revealed that the number of high contrast diffraction fringes observable in a shadow region is determined by the square of the diffracted angles in the range of spatial frequencies of the scattered light field in excellent agreement with experiments. The extra phase singularities with opposite charges are also observed along the shadow boundary as the fork-like diffraction fringes.

Diffraction effects in mechanically chopped laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambhir, Samridhi; Singh, Mandip

2018-06-01

A mechanical beam chopper consists of a rotating disc of regularly spaced wide slits which allow light to pass through them. A continuous light beam, after passing through the rotating disc, is switched-on and switched-off periodically, and a series of optical pulses are produced. The intensity of each pulse is expected to rise and fall smoothly with time. However, a careful study has revealed that the edges of mechanically chopped laser light pulses consist of periodic intensity undulations which can be detected with a photo detector. In this paper, it is shown that the intensity undulations in mechanically chopped laser pulses are produced by diffraction of light from the rotating disc, and a detailed explanation is given of the intensity undulations in mechanically chopped laser pulses. An experiment presented in this paper provides an efficient method to capture a one dimensional diffraction profile of light from a straight sharp-edge in the time domain. In addition, the experiment accurately measures wavelengths of three different laser beams from the undulations in mechanically chopped laser light pulses.

Six Classes of Diffraction-Based Optoelectronic Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spremo, Stevan; Fuhr, Peter; Schipper, John

2003-01-01

Six classes of diffraction-based optoelectronic instruments have been invented as means for wavelength-based processing of light. One family of anticipated applications lies in scientific instrumentation for studying chemical and physical reactions that affect and/or are affected differently by light of different wavelengths or different combinations of wavelengths. Another family of anticipated applications lies in optoelectronic communication systems.

Diffraction Gratings for High-Intensity Laser Applications

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

Britten, J

The scattering of light into wavelength-dependent discrete directions (orders) by a device exhibiting a periodic modulation of a physical attribute on a spatial scale similar to the wavelength of light has been the subject of study for over 200 years. Such a device is called a diffraction grating. Practical applications of diffraction gratings, mainly for spectroscopy, have been around for over 100 years. The importance of diffraction gratings in spectroscopy for the measurement of myriad properties of matter can hardly be overestimated. Since the advent of coherent light sources (lasers) in the 1960's, applications of diffraction gratings in spectroscopy havemore » further exploded. Lasers have opened a vast application space for gratings, and apace, gratings have enabled entirely new classes of laser systems. Excellent reviews of the history, fundamental properties, applications and manufacturing techniques of diffraction gratings up to the time of their publication can be found in the books by Hutley (1) and more recently Loewen and Popov (2). The limited scope of this chapter can hardly do justice to such a comprehensive subject, so the focus here will be narrowly limited to characteristics required for gratings suitable for high-power laser applications, and methods to fabricate them. A particular area of emphasis will be on maximally-efficient large-aperture gratings for short-pulse laser generation.« less

Discrete retardance second harmonic generation ellipsometry.

PubMed

Dehen, Christopher J; Everly, R Michael; Plocinik, Ryan M; Hedderich, Hartmut G; Simpson, Garth J

2007-01-01

A new instrument was constructed to perform discrete retardance nonlinear optical ellipsometry (DR-NOE). The focus of the design was to perform second harmonic generation NOE while maximizing sample and application flexibility and minimizing data acquisition time. The discrete retardance configuration results in relatively simple computational algorithms for performing nonlinear optical ellipsometric analysis. NOE analysis of a disperse red 19 monolayer yielded results that were consistent with previously reported values for the same surface system, but with significantly reduced acquisition times.

Surface engineering on mesoporous silica chips for enriching low molecular weight phosphorylated proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Ye; Peng, Yang; Lin, Kevin; Shen, Haifa; Brousseau, Louis C., III; Sakamoto, Jason; Sun, Tong; Ferrari, Mauro

2011-02-01

Phosphorylated peptides and proteins play an important role in normal cellular activities, e.g., gene expression, mitosis, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. However, technical hurdles hinder the use of common fractionation methods to capture phosphopeptides from complex biological fluids such as human sera. Herein, we present the development of a dual strategy material that offers enhanced capture of low molecular weight phosphoproteins: mesoporous silica thin films with precisely engineered pore sizes that sterically select for molecular size combined with chemically selective surface modifications (i.e. Ga3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+) that target phosphoroproteins. These materials provide high reproducibility (CV = 18%) and increase the stability of the captured proteins by excluding degrading enzymes, such as trypsin. The chemical and physical properties of the composite mesoporous thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and ellipsometry. Using mass spectroscopy and biostatistics analysis, the enrichment efficiency of different metal ions immobilized on mesoporous silica chips was investigated. The novel technology reported provides a platform capable of efficiently profiling the serum proteome for biomarker discovery, forensic sampling, and routine diagnostic applications.Phosphorylated peptides and proteins play an important role in normal cellular activities, e.g., gene expression, mitosis, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. However, technical hurdles hinder the use of common fractionation methods to capture phosphopeptides from complex biological fluids such as human sera. Herein, we present the development of a dual strategy material that offers enhanced capture of low molecular weight phosphoproteins: mesoporous silica thin films with precisely engineered pore sizes that sterically select for molecular size combined with chemically selective surface modifications (i.e. Ga3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+) that target phosphoroproteins. These materials provide high reproducibility (CV = 18%) and increase the stability of the captured proteins by excluding degrading enzymes, such as trypsin. The chemical and physical properties of the composite mesoporous thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and ellipsometry. Using mass spectroscopy and biostatistics analysis, the enrichment efficiency of different metal ions immobilized on mesoporous silica chips was investigated. The novel technology reported provides a platform capable of efficiently profiling the serum proteome for biomarker discovery, forensic sampling, and routine diagnostic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c0nr00720j

Micron-scale lens array having diffracting structures

DOEpatents

Goldberg, Kenneth A

2013-10-29

A novel micron-scale lens, a microlens, is engineered to concentrate light efficiently onto an area of interest, such as a small, light-sensitive detector element in an integrated electronic device. Existing microlens designs imitate the form of large-scale lenses and are less effective at small sizes. The microlenses described herein have been designed to accommodate diffraction effects, which dominate the behavior of light at small length scales. Thus a new class of light-concentrating optical elements with much higher relative performance has been created. Furthermore, the new designs are much easier to fabricate than previous designs.

Diode pumped alkali vapor fiber laser

DOEpatents

Payne, Stephen A.; Beach, Raymond J.; Dawson, Jay W.; Krupke, William F.

2007-10-23

A method and apparatus is provided for producing near-diffraction-limited laser light, or amplifying near-diffraction-limited light, in diode pumped alkali vapor photonic-band-gap fiber lasers or amplifiers. Laser light is both substantially generated and propagated in an alkali gas instead of a solid, allowing the nonlinear and damage limitations of conventional solid core fibers to be circumvented. Alkali vapor is introduced into the center hole of a photonic-band-gap fiber, which can then be pumped with light from a pump laser and operated as an oscillator with a seed beam, or can be configured as an amplifier.

Diode pumped alkali vapor fiber laser

DOEpatents

Payne, Stephen A [Castro Valley, CA; Beach, Raymond J [Livermore, CA; Dawson, Jay W [Livermore, CA; Krupke, William F [Pleasanton, CA

2006-07-26

A method and apparatus is provided for producing near-diffraction-limited laser light, or amplifying near-diffraction-limited light, in diode pumped alkali vapor photonic-band-gap fiber lasers or amplifiers. Laser light is both substantially generated and propagated in an alkali gas instead of a solid, allowing the nonlinear and damage limitations of conventional solid core fibers to be circumvented. Alkali vapor is introduced into the center hole of a photonic-band-gap fiber, which can then be pumped with light from a pump laser and operated as an oscillator with a seed beam, or can be configured as an amplifier.

Diffraction Revisited: Position of Diffraction Spots upon Rotation of a Transmission Grating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vollmer, Michael

2005-01-01

Diffraction gratings are often used in the laboratory to determine the wavelength of laser light. What happens to the spots on the screen if the grating is rotated in this set-up? The answer is nontrivial and instructive.

Substrate temperature controls molecular orientation in two-component vapor-deposited glasses

DOE PAGES

Jiang, J.; Walters, D. M.; Zhou, D.; ...

2016-02-22

Vapor-deposited glasses can be anisotropic and molecular orientation is important for organic electronics applications. In organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), for example, the orientation of dye molecules in two-component emitting layers significantly influences emission efficiency. Here we investigate how substrate temperature during vapor deposition influences the orientation of dye molecules in a model two-component system. We determine the average orientation of a linear blue light emitter 1,4-di-[4-( N,N-diphenyl)amino]styrylbenzene (DSA-Ph) in mixtures with aluminum-tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq 3) by spectroscopic ellipsometry and IR dichroism. We find that molecular orientation is controlled by the ratio of the substrate temperature during deposition and the glassmore » transition temperature of the mixture. Furthermore, these findings extend recent results for single component vapor-deposited glasses and suggest that, during vapor deposition, surface mobility allows partial equilibration towards orientations preferred at the free surface of the equilibrium liquid.« less

Chirality-induced polarization effects in the cuticle of scarab beetles: 100 years after Michelson

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arwin, Hans; Magnusson, Roger; Landin, Jan; Järrendahl, Kenneth

2012-04-01

One hundred years ago Michelson discovered circular polarization in reflection from beetles. Today a novel Mueller-matrix ellipsometry setup allows unprecedented detailed characterization of the beetles' polarization properties. A formalism based on elliptical polarization for description of reflection from scarab beetles is here proposed and examples are given on four beetles of different character: Coptomia laevis - a simple dielectric mirror; Cetonia aurata - a left-hand narrow-band elliptical polarizer; Anoplognathus aureus - a broad-band elliptical polarizer; and Chrysina argenteola - a left-hand polarizer for visible light at small angles, whereas for larger angles, red reflected light is right-handed polarized. We confirm the conclusion of previous studies which showed that a detailed quantification of ellipticity and degree of polarization of cuticle reflection can be performed instead of only determining whether reflections are circularly polarized or not. We additionally investigate reflection as a function of incidence angle. This provides much richer information for understanding the behaviour of beetles and for structural analysis.

Electrical tuning of the polarization state of light using graphene-integrated anisotropic metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta-Gupta, Shourya; Dabidian, Nima; Kholmanov, Iskandar; Belkin, Mikhail A.; Shvets, Gennady

2017-03-01

Plasmonic metasurfaces have been employed for moulding the flow of transmitted and reflected light, thereby enabling numerous applications that benefit from their ultra-thin sub-wavelength format. Their appeal is further enhanced by the incorporation of active electro-optic elements, paving the way for dynamic control of light's properties. In this paper, we realize a dynamic polarization state generator using a graphene-integrated anisotropic metasurface (GIAM) that converts the linear polarization of the incident light into an elliptical one. This is accomplished by using an anisotropic metasurface with two principal polarization axes, one of which possesses a Fano-type resonance. A gate-controlled single-layer graphene integrated with the metasurface was employed as an electro-optic element controlling the phase and intensity of light polarized along the resonant axis of the GIAM. When the incident light is polarized at an angle to the resonant axis of the metasurface, the ellipticity of the reflected light can be dynamically controlled by the application of a gate voltage. Thus accomplished dynamic polarization control is experimentally demonstrated and characterized by measuring the Stokes polarization parameters. Large changes of the ellipticity and the tilt angle of the polarization ellipse are observed. Our measurements show that the tilt angle can be changed from positive values through zero to negative values while keeping the ellipticity constant, potentially paving the way to rapid ellipsometry and other characterization techniques requiring fast polarization shifting. This article is part of the themed issue 'New horizons for nanophotonics'.

Broadband polarization gratings for efficient liquid crystal display, beam steering, spectropolarimetry, and Fresnel zone plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Chulwoo

Efficient control of light polarization is essential in any optical systems where polarized light is used or polarization information is of interest. In addition to intensity and wavelength, polarization of light gives a very useful/powerful tool to control light itself and observe many interesting optical phenomena in nature and applications. Most available light sources, however, produce unpolarized or weakly polarized light except some of fancy lasers. Therefore, efficient polarization control/generation is important to improve/advance existing or emerging technologies utilizing polarized light. It is also true that polarization can be used to control another properties of light (i.e., intensity, direction). We have introduced and demonstrated achromatic polarization gratings (PGs) as broadband polarizing beam splitters performing ˜100% theoretical efficiency over a wide spectral range. The novel design of achromatic PGs and their effective fabrication method will be presented. Experimental demonstration will show that practically 100% efficient diffraction is achieved by achromatic PGs embodied as thin liquid crystal (LC) layers patterned by holographic photoalignment techniques. Non-ideal diffraction behaviors of the PGs also have been investigated beyond the paraxial limitations via numerical analysis based on the finite-difference time-domain method. We, first, study the effect of the grating regime for this special type of anisotropic diffraction gratings with the minimum assumptions. Optical properties of the PGs at oblique incidence angles and in a finite pixel are numerically predicted and confirmed by experiments. Design and fabrication of small-period PGs are discussed to show how to achieve high diffraction efficiency and large diffraction angles at the same time. Three key innovative technologies utilizing the unique diffraction properties of the PGs have been introduced and experimentally demonstrated. The first application for light-efficient LC displays is the polymer-PG display, which allows an immediate brightness improvement (up to a factor of two) of conventional LC displays by replacing absorbing polarizers with achromatic PGs as thin, transmissive polymer films. We demonstrate the first proof-of-concept prototype projector based on the polymer-PG display and we also discuss optical design considerations and challenges toward a viable solution for our ultrabright pico-projector applications of the polymer-PG display. Second, two novel beam steering concepts based on the PG diffraction have been proposed. The polarization-sensitive diffraction of the PGs provides very attractive beam steering operations with ultra-high efficiency over wide steering angles by all-thin-plate electro-optical systems. We developed a non-mechanical, wide-angle beam steering system using stacked PGs and LC waveplates, and we also demonstrated a continuous beam steering using two rotating PGs, named the Risley grating as a thin-plate version of the Risley prism. The third PG application is in imaging and non-imaging spectropolarimetry. We have shown a snapshot, hyperspectral, full-Stokes polarimeter using inline PGs and quarter-waveplates. The use of PGs as a new polarimetric element for astronomical instruments in the mid-wave IR wavelengths also has been proposed to overcome current limitations of existing IR polarimeters. In the last part of this Dissertation, we introduce a polarization-type Fresnel zone plates (P-FZPs), comprising of spatially distributed linear birefringence or concentric PG (CPG) patterns. Effective fabrication methods of P-FZPs have been developed using polarization holography based on the Michelson interferometer and photoalignment of LC materials. We demonstrated high-quality P-FZPs, which exhibit ideal Fresnel-type lens effects, formed as both LC polymer films and electro-optical LC devices. We also discuss the polarization-selective lens properties of the P-FZPs as well as their electro-optical switching. In summary, we have explored the fundamental diffraction behavior of the polarization gratings and their applications in advanced optics and photonics. The achromatic designs of the PGs allow their broadband diffraction operation over a wide range of spectrum, which increases the applicability of the PGs with a great extent. Three novel technologies that directly benefit from the distinct diffraction properties of the PGs have been developed. In addition, a new diffractive lens element operating solely on light polarization has been introduced and experimentally demonstrated. We conclude this Dissertation with our suggestions of a number of potential innovations and advances in technologies that can be enabled by polarization gratings and related technologies.

The tunable optical magneto-electric effect in patterned manganese oxide superlattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, H. Y.; Zhang, Y. J.; Guo, S. J.; Ren, L. X.; Yan, H.; Chen, C. L.; Jin, K. X.; Luo, B. C.

2018-05-01

The optical magneto-electric (OME) effect has been widely investigated in magnetic materials, but obtaining the large and tunable OME effect is an ongoing challenge. We here design a tri-color superlattice composed of manganese oxides, Pr0.9Ca0.1MnO3, La0.9Sr0.1MnO3, and La0.9Sb0.1MnO3, where the space-inversion and time-reversal symmetries are broken. With the aid of the grating structure, the OME effect for near-infrared light in tri-color superlattices is investigated systematically through the Bragg diffraction method. The relative change of diffracted light intensity of the order n = ±1 has a strong dependence on the magnetization and polarization of the tri-color superlattice, whether the superlattice is irradiated in reflection or transmission geometries. Otherwise, the relative change of diffracted light intensity increases with the increase in the superlattice period and with the decrease in the grating period. The maximum relative change of diffracted light intensity in tri-color superlattices with the grating structure patterned is as large as 8.27%. These results pave the way for designing next-generation OME devices based on manganese oxides.

Holographic Reconstruction of Photoelectron Diffraction and Its Circular Dichroism for Local Structure Probing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, Fumihiko; Matsushita, Tomohiro; Daimon, Hiroshi

2018-06-01

The local atomic structure around a specific element atom can be recorded as a photoelectron diffraction pattern. Forward focusing peaks and diffraction rings around them indicate the directions and distances from the photoelectron emitting atom to the surrounding atoms. The state-of-the-art holography reconstruction algorithm enables us to image the local atomic arrangement around the excited atom in a real space. By using circularly polarized light as an excitation source, the angular momentum transfer from the light to the photoelectron induces parallax shifts in these diffraction patterns. As a result, stereographic images of atomic arrangements are obtained. These diffraction patterns can be used as atomic-site-resolved probes for local electronic structure investigation in combination with spectroscopy techniques. Direct three-dimensional atomic structure visualization and site-specific electronic property analysis methods are reviewed. Furthermore, circular dichroism was also found in valence photoelectron and Auger electron diffraction patterns. The investigation of these new phenomena provides hints for the development of new techniques for local structure probing.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry study on E2 peak splitting of Si-Ge short period superlattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y. D.; Klein, M. V.; Baribeau, J.-M.; Hwang, S. H.; Whang, K. W.; Yoon, E.

1997-06-01

We report spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) studies on (Si)2(Ge)12, (Si)6(Ge)2, and (Si)12(Ge)2 short period superlattices (SLs) whose optical response has not been reported yet. Multilayer calculations enabled us to determine the dielectric response of the superlattice layers. We report the clear observation of splitting of the E2 peak in (Si)m(Ge)n superlattices contrary to the previous SE report that the separation was observed only in larger period SLs.

Hair treatment process providing dispersed colors by light diffraction

DOEpatents

Sutton, Richard Matthew Charles; Lamartine, Bruce Carvell; Orler, E. Bruce; Song, Shuangqi

2015-12-22

A hair treatment process for providing dispersed colors by light diffraction including (a) coating the hair with a material comprising a polymer, (b) pressing the hair with a pressing device including one or more surfaces, and (c) forming a secondary nanostructured surface pattern on the hair that is complementary to the primary nanostructured surface pattern on the one or more surfaces of the pressing device. The secondary nanostructured surface pattern diffracts light into dispersed colors that are visible on the hair. The section of the hair is pressed with the pressing device for from about 1 to 55 seconds. The polymer has a glass transition temperature from about 55.degree. C. to about 90.degree. C. The one or more surfaces include a primary nanostructured surface pattern.

Apparatus and method for creating a photonic densely-accumulated ray-point

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An optical apparatus includes an optical diffraction device configured for diffracting a predetermined wavelength of incident light onto adjacent optical focal points, and a photon detector for detecting a spectral characteristic of the predetermined wavelength. One of the optical focal points is a constructive interference point and the other optical focal point is a destructive interference point. The diffraction device, which may be a micro-zone plate (MZP) of micro-ring gratings or an optical lens, generates a constructive ray point using phase-contrasting of the destructive interference point. The ray point is located between adjacent optical focal points. A method of generating a densely-accumulated ray point includes directing incident light onto the optical diffraction device, diffracting the selected wavelength onto the constructive interference focal point and the destructive interference focal point, and generating the densely-accumulated ray point in a narrow region.

Three-dimensional electron diffraction of plant light-harvesting complex

PubMed Central

Wang, Da Neng; Kühlbrandt, Werner

1992-01-01

Electron diffraction patterns of two-dimensional crystals of light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex (LHC-II) from photosynthetic membranes of pea chloroplasts, tilted at different angles up to 60°, were collected to 3.2 Å resolution at -125°C. The reflection intensities were merged into a three-dimensional data set. The Friedel R-factor and the merging R-factor were 21.8 and 27.6%, respectively. Specimen flatness and crystal size were critical for recording electron diffraction patterns from crystals at high tilts. The principal sources of experimental error were attributed to limitations of the number of unit cells contributing to an electron diffraction pattern, and to the critical electron dose. The distribution of strong diffraction spots indicated that the three-dimensional structure of LHC-II is less regular than that of other known membrane proteins and is not dominated by a particular feature of secondary structure. ImagesFIGURE 1FIGURE 2 PMID:19431817

Rayleigh and Wood anomalies in the diffraction of light from a perfectly conducting reflection grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maradudin, A. A.; Simonsen, I.; Polanco, J.; Fitzgerald, R. M.

2016-02-01

By means of a modal method we have calculated the angular dependence of the reflectivity and the efficiencies of several other diffracted orders of a perfectly conducting lamellar reflection grating illuminated by p-polarized light. These dependencies display the signatures of Rayleigh and Wood anomalies, usually associated with diffraction from a metallic grating. The Wood anomalies here are caused by the excitation of the surface electromagnetic waves supported by a periodically corrugated perfectly conducting surface, whose dispersion curves in both the nonradiative and radiative regions of the frequency-wavenumber plane are calculated.

Anisotropic light diffraction in crystals with a large acoustic-energy walk-off

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakshy, V. I.; Voloshin, A. S.; Molchanov, V. Ya.

2014-11-01

The influence of energy walk-off in an acoustic beam on the characteristic of anisotropic Bragg diffraction of light has been investigated by the example of paratellurite crystal. The angular and frequency characteristics of acousto-optic diffraction have been calculated in wide ranges of ultrasound frequencies and Bragg angles using the modified Raman-Nath equations. It is shown that the walk-off of an acoustic beam may change (either widen or narrow) significantly the frequency and angular ranges. The calculation results have been experimentally checked on an acousto-optic cell made of 10.5°-cut paratellurite crystal.

Reflectometry-Ellipsometry Reveals Thickness, Growth Rate, and Phase Composition in Oxidation of Copper.

PubMed

Diaz Leon, Juan J; Fryauf, David M; Cormia, Robert D; Zhang, Min-Xian Max; Samuels, Kathryn; Williams, R Stanley; Kobayashi, Nobuhiko P

2016-08-31

The oxidation of copper is a complicated process. Copper oxide develops two stable phases at room temperature and standard pressure (RTSP): cuprous oxide (Cu2O) and cupric oxide (CuO). Both phases have different optical and electrical characteristics that make them interesting for applications such as solar cells or resistive switching devices. For a given application, it is necessary to selectively control oxide thickness and cupric/cuprous oxide phase volume fraction. The thickness and composition of a copper oxide film growing on the surface of copper widely depend on the characteristics of as-deposited copper. In this Research Article, two samples, copper films prepared by two different deposition techniques, electron-beam evaporation and sputtering, were studied. As the core part of the study, the formation of the oxidized copper was analyzed routinely over a period of 253 days using spectroscopic polarized reflectometry-spectroscopic ellipsometry (RE). An effective medium approximation (EMA) model was used to fit the RE data. The RE measurements were complemented and validated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our results show that the two samples oxidized under identical laboratory ambient conditions (RTSP, 87% average relative humidity) developed unique oxide films following an inverse-logarithmic growth rate with thickness and composition different from each other over time. Discussion is focused on the ability of RE to simultaneously extract thickness (i.e., growth rate) and composition of copper oxide films and on plausible physical mechanisms responsible for unique oxidation habits observed in the two copper samples. It appears that extended surface characteristics (i.e., surface roughness and grain boundaries) and preferential crystalline orientation of as-deposited polycrystalline copper films control the growth kinetics of the copper oxide film. Analysis based on a noncontact and nondestructive measurement, such as RE, to extract key material parameters is beneficial for conveniently understanding the oxidation process that would ultimately enable copper oxide-based devices at manufacturing scales.

RF plasma MOCVD of Y2O3 thin films: Effect of RF self-bias on the substrates during deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chopade, S. S.; Barve, S. A.; Thulasi Raman, K. H.; Chand, N.; Deo, M. N.; Biswas, A.; Rai, Sanjay; Lodha, G. S.; Rao, G. M.; Patil, D. S.

2013-11-01

Yttrium oxide (Y2O3) thin films have been deposited by radio frequency plasma assisted metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process using (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) yttrium (commonly known as Y(thd)3) precursor in a plasma of argon and oxygen gases at a substrate temperature of 350 °C. The films have been deposited under influence of varying RF self-bias (-50 V to -175 V) on silicon, quartz, stainless steel and tantalum substrates. The deposited coatings are characterized by glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). GIXRD and FTIR results indicate deposition of Y2O3 (BCC structure) in all cases. However, XPS results indicate nonstoichiometric cubic phase deposition on the surface of deposited films. The degree of nonstoichiometry varies with bias during deposition. Ellipsometry results indicate that the refractive index for the deposited films is varying from 1.70 to 1.83 that is typical for Y2O3. All films are transparent in the investigated wavelength range 300-1200 nm. SEM results indicate that the microstructure of the films is changing with applied bias. Results indicate that it is possible to deposit single phase cubic Y2O3 thin films at low substrate temperature by RF plasma MOCVD process. RF self-bias that decides about the energy of impinging ions on the substrates plays an important role in controlling the texture of deposited Y2O3 films on the substrates. Results indicate that to control the structure of films and its texture, it is important to control the bias on the substrate during deposition. The films deposited at high bias level show degradation in the crystallinity and reduction of thickness.

Fabrication and testing of a newly designed slit system for depth-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements

DOE PAGES

Sinsheimer, John; Bouet, Nathalie; Ghose, Sanjit; ...

2016-10-06

A new system of slits called `spiderweb slits' have been developed for depth-resolved powder or polycrystalline X-ray diffraction measurements. The slits act on diffracted X-rays to select a particular gauge volume of sample, while absorbing diffracted X-rays from outside of this volume. Although the slit geometry is to some extent similar to that of previously developed conical slits or spiral slits, this new design has advantages over the previous ones in use for complex heterogeneous materials and in situ and operando diffraction measurements. For example, the slits can measure a majority of any diffraction cone for any polycrystalline material, overmore » a continuous range of diffraction angles, and work for X-ray energies of tens to hundreds of kiloelectronvolts. In addition, the design is generated and optimized using ray-tracing simulations, and fabricated through laser micromachining. The first prototype was successfully tested at the X17A beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source, and shows similar performance to simulations, demonstrating gauge volume selection for standard powders, for all diffraction peaks over angles of 2–10°. A similar, but improved, design will be implemented at the X-ray Powder Diffraction beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II.« less

Self-assembly based plasmonic arrays tuned by atomic layer deposition for extreme visible light absorption.

PubMed

Hägglund, Carl; Zeltzer, Gabriel; Ruiz, Ricardo; Thomann, Isabell; Lee, Han-Bo-Ram; Brongersma, Mark L; Bent, Stacey F

2013-07-10

Achieving complete absorption of visible light with a minimal amount of material is highly desirable for many applications, including solar energy conversion to fuel and electricity, where benefits in conversion efficiency and economy can be obtained. On a fundamental level, it is of great interest to explore whether the ultimate limits in light absorption per unit volume can be achieved by capitalizing on the advances in metamaterial science and nanosynthesis. Here, we combine block copolymer lithography and atomic layer deposition to tune the effective optical properties of a plasmonic array at the atomic scale. Critical coupling to the resulting nanocomposite layer is accomplished through guidance by a simple analytical model and measurements by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Thereby, a maximized absorption of light exceeding 99% is accomplished, of which up to about 93% occurs in a volume-equivalent thickness of gold of only 1.6 nm. This corresponds to a record effective absorption coefficient of 1.7 × 10(7) cm(-1) in the visible region, far exceeding those of solid metals, graphene, dye monolayers, and thin film solar cell materials. It is more than a factor of 2 higher than that previously obtained using a critically coupled dye J-aggregate, with a peak width exceeding the latter by 1 order of magnitude. These results thereby substantially push the limits for light harvesting in ultrathin, nanoengineered systems.

Influence of misalignments on the performance of externally occulted solar coronagraphs. Application to PROBA-3/ASPIICS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestov, S. V.; Zhukov, A. N.

2018-05-01

Context. The ASPIICS instrument is a novel externally occulted coronagraph that will be launched on board the PROBA-3 mission of the European Space Agency. The external occulter will be placed on one satellite 150 m ahead of the second satellite that will carry an optical instrument. During 6 h out of 19.38 h of orbit, the satellites will fly in a precise (accuracy around a few millimeters) formation, constituting a giant externally occulted coronagraph. The large distance between the external occulter and the primary objective will allow observations of the white-light solar corona starting from extremely low heights 1.1R⊙. Aims: We intend to analyze influence of shifts of the satellites and misalignments of optical elements on the ASPIICS performance in terms of diffracted light. Based on the quantitative influence of misalignments on diffracted light, we provide a recipe for choosing the size of the internal occulter (IO) to achieve a trade-off between the minimal height of observations and sustainability to possible misalignments. Methods: We considered different types of misalignments and analyzed their influence from optical and computational points of view. We implemented a numerical model of the diffracted light and its propagation through the optical system and computed intensities of diffracted light throughout the instrument. Our numerical approach is based on a model from the literature that considered the axisymmetrical case. Here we extend the model to include nonsymmetrical cases and possible misalignments. Results: The numerical computations fully confirm the main properties of the diffracted light that we obtained from semi-analytical consideration. We obtain that relative influences of various misalignments are significantly different. We show that the internal occulter with RIO = 1.694 mm = 1.1R⊙ is large enough to compensate possible misalignments expected to occur in PROBA-3/ASPIICS. Besides that we show that apodizing the edge of the internal occulter leads to additional suppression of the diffracted light. Conclusions: We conclude that the most important misalignment is the tilt of the telescope with respect to the line connecting the center of the external occulter and the entrance aperture. Special care should be taken to co-align the external occulter and the coronagraph, which means co-aligning the diffraction fringe from the external occulter and the internal occulter. We suggest that the best orientation strategy is to point the coronagraph to the center of the external occulter.

Parametrization of optical properties of indium-tin-oxide thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry: Substrate interfacial reactivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losurdo, M.; Giangregorio, M.; Capezzuto, P.; Bruno, G.; de Rosa, R.; Roca, F.; Summonte, C.; Plá, J.; Rizzoli, R.

2002-01-01

Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films deposited by sputtering and e-gun evaporation on both transparent (Corning glass) and opaque (c-Si, c-Si/SiO2) substrates and in c-Si/a-Si:H/ITO heterostructures have been analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the range 1.5-5.0 eV. Taking the SE advantage of being applicable to absorbent substrate, ellipsometry is used to determine the spectra of the refractive index and extinction coefficient of the ITO films. The effect of the substrate surface on the ITO optical properties is focused and discussed. To this aim, a parametrized equation combining the Drude model, which considers the free-carrier response at the infrared end, and a double Lorentzian oscillator, which takes into account the interband transition contribution at the UV end, is used to model the ITO optical properties in the useful UV-visible range, whatever the substrate and deposition technique. Ellipsometric analysis is corroborated by sheet resistance measurements.

Immersion transmission ellipsometry (ITE) for the determination of orientation gradients in photoalignment layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, C. C.; Stumpe, J.

2014-09-01

The capability of the method of immersion transmission ellipsometry (ITE) (Jung et al. Int Patent WO, 2004/109260) to not only determine three-dimensional refractive indices in anisotropic thin films (which was already possible in the past), but even their gradients along the z-direction (perpendicular to the film plane) is investigated in this paper. It is shown that the determination of orientation gradients in deep-sub-μm films becomes possible by applying ITE in combination with reflection ellipsometry. The technique is supplemented by atomic force microscopy for measuring the film thickness. For a photo-oriented thin film, no gradient was found, as expected. For a photo-oriented film, which was subsequently annealed in a nematic liquid crystalline phase, an order was found similar to the one applied in vertically aligned nematic displays, with a tilt angle varying along the z-direction. For fresh films, gradients were only detected for the refractive index perpendicular to the film plane, as expected.

Spectral ellipsometry studying of iron's optical and electronic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernukha, Yevheniia; Stashchuk, Vasyl S.; Polianska, Olena; Oshtuk, Olexsandr

2014-05-01

Fe's optical and electronic properties were investigated at room temperature in different structural states. The sample's surface was explored in wide spectral range λ = 0,23-17,0 μm (E = 4,96 - 0,07 еV ) by the Beatty's spectral ellipsometry method. While an experiment was carried out ellipsometry parameters Δ and ψ were measure near the principal angle of incidence. The refraction index R , permittivity Ɛ and optical conductivity σ( hν ) , that is proportional to the interband density of electronic states, were calculated using these parameters. Fe's optical conductivities in liquid, amorphous and crystalline states were compared in this work. The optical conductivity was calculated using the published data of the iron's density of electronic states in crystalline, amorphous and liquid states for the comparison of the experimental and theoretical results. It is shown that, at structural transformations "amorphous, liquid state- crystalline state", the optical properties of metallic iron are determined, in the first turn, by the nearest neighborhood, and the electronic structure is not subjected to significant modifications.

Dielectric constant extraction of graphene nanostructured on SiC substrates from spectroscopy ellipsometry measurement using Gauss–Newton inversion method

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

Maulina, Hervin; Santoso, Iman, E-mail: iman.santoso@ugm.ac.id; Subama, Emmistasega

2016-04-19

The extraction of the dielectric constant of nanostructured graphene on SiC substrates from spectroscopy ellipsometry measurement using the Gauss-Newton inversion (GNI) method has been done. This study aims to calculate the dielectric constant and refractive index of graphene by extracting the value of ψ and Δ from the spectroscopy ellipsometry measurement using GNI method and comparing them with previous result which was extracted using Drude-Lorentz (DL) model. The results show that GNI method can be used to calculate the dielectric constant and refractive index of nanostructured graphene on SiC substratesmore faster as compared to DL model. Moreover, the imaginary partmore » of the dielectric constant values and coefficient of extinction drastically increases at 4.5 eV similar to that of extracted using known DL fitting. The increase is known due to the process of interband transition and the interaction between the electrons and electron-hole at M-points in the Brillouin zone of graphene.« less

Toward a Next Generation Solar Coronagraph: Diffracted Light Simulation and Test Results for a Cone Occulter with Tapered Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Heesu; Bong, Su-Chan; Cho, Kyung-Suk; Choi, Seonghwan; Park, Jongyeob; Kim, Jihun; Baek, Ji-Hye; Nah, Jakyoung; Sun, Mingzhe; Gong, Qian

2018-04-01

In a solar coronagraph, the most important component is an occulter to block the direct light from the disk of the sun Because the intensity of the solar outer corona is 10-6 to 10-10 times of that of the solar disk (\\ir), it is necessary to minimize scattering at the optical elements and diffraction at the occulter. Using a Fourier optic simulation and a stray light test, we investigated the performance of a compact coronagraph that uses an external truncated-cone occulter without an internal occulter and Lyot stop. In the simulation, the diffracted light was minimized to the order of 7.6×10-10 \\ir when the cone angle θc was about 0.39°. The performance of the cone occulter was then tested by experiment. The level of the diffracted light reached the order of 6×10-9 \\ir at θc=0.40°. This is sufficient to observe the outer corona without additional optical elements such as a Lyot stop or inner occulter. We also found the manufacturing tolerance of the cone angle to be 0.05°, the lateral alignment tolerance was 45 \\um, and the angular alignment tolerance was 0.043°. Our results suggest that the physical size of coronagraphs can be shortened significantly by using a cone occulter.

Diffractive ρ and ϕ production at HERA using a holographic AdS/QCD light-front meson wave function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmady, Mohammad; Sandapen, Ruben; Sharma, Neetika

2016-10-01

We use an anti-de Sitter/quantum chromodynamics holographic light-front wave function for the ρ and ϕ mesons, in conjunction with the color glass condensate dipole cross section whose parameters are fitted to the most recent 2015 high precision HERA data on inclusive deep inelastic scattering, in order to predict the cross sections for diffractive ρ and ϕ electroproduction. Our results suggest that the holographic meson light-front wave function is able to give a simultaneous description of ρ and ϕ production data provided we use a set of light quark masses with mu ,d

Microelectromechanical mirrors and electrically-programmable diffraction gratings based on two-stage actuation

DOEpatents

Allen, James J.; Sinclair, Michael B.; Dohner, Jeffrey L.

2005-11-22

A microelectromechanical (MEM) device for redirecting incident light is disclosed. The MEM device utilizes a pair of electrostatic actuators formed one above the other from different stacked and interconnected layers of polysilicon to move or tilt an overlying light-reflective plate (i.e. a mirror) to provide a reflected component of the incident light which can be shifted in phase or propagation angle. The MEM device, which utilizes leveraged bending to provide a relatively-large vertical displacement up to several microns for the light-reflective plate, has applications for forming an electrically-programmable diffraction grating (i.e. a polychromator) or a micromirror array.

Geometrical Reasoning in Wave Situations: The Case of Light Diffraction and Coherent Illumination Optical Imaging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurines, Laurence

2010-01-01

This particular study is part of a research programme on the difficulties encountered by students when learning about wave phenomena in a three-dimensional medium in the absence or presence of obstacles. It focuses on how students reason in situations in which wave optics need to be used: diffraction of light by an aperture, imaging in the…

Determination of Particle Size by Diffraction of Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinard, Phillip M.

1974-01-01

Describes a simplified diffraction experiment offered in a workshop with the purpose of illustrating to high school students the relation of science to society. The radii determined for cigarette smoke particles range from 0.2 to 0.5 micrometer in this experiment. Included is a description of the diffraction theory. (CC)

Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Studies of n-i-p Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Based Photovoltaic Devices

PubMed Central

Karki Gautam, Laxmi; Junda, Maxwell M.; Haneef, Hamna F.; Collins, Robert W.; Podraza, Nikolas J.

2016-01-01

Optimization of thin film photovoltaics (PV) relies on characterizing the optoelectronic and structural properties of each layer and correlating these properties with device performance. Growth evolution diagrams have been used to guide production of materials with good optoelectronic properties in the full hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) PV device configuration. The nucleation and evolution of crystallites forming from the amorphous phase were studied using in situ near-infrared to ultraviolet spectroscopic ellipsometry during growth of films prepared as a function of hydrogen to reactive gas flow ratio R = [H2]/[SiH4]. In conjunction with higher photon energy measurements, the presence and relative absorption strength of silicon-hydrogen infrared modes were measured by infrared extended ellipsometry measurements to gain insight into chemical bonding. Structural and optical models have been developed for the back reflector (BR) structure consisting of sputtered undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) on top of silver (Ag) coated glass substrates. Characterization of the free-carrier absorption properties in Ag and the ZnO + Ag interface as well as phonon modes in ZnO were also studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Measurements ranging from 0.04 to 5 eV were used to extract layer thicknesses, composition, and optical response in the form of complex dielectric function spectra (ε = ε1 + iε2) for Ag, ZnO, the ZnO + Ag interface, and undoped a-Si:H layer in a substrate n-i-p a-Si:H based PV device structure. PMID:28773255

Influence of deposition substrate temperature on the morphology and molecular orientation of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine films as well the performance of organic photovoltaic cells.

PubMed

Zheng, Yan-Qiong; Zhang, Jing; Yang, Fang; Komino, Takeshi; Wei, Bin; Zhang, Jianhua; Wang, Zixing; Pu, Wenhong; Yang, Changzhu; Adachi, Chihaya

2015-10-09

The dependence of the morphology of neat chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) films on substrate temperature (Tsub) during deposition is investigated by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to obtain detailed information about the molecular orientation, phase separation, and crystallinity. AFM images indicate that both grain size and root mean square (RMS) roughness noticeably increase with Tsub both in neat and blend films. Increasing Tsub from room temperature to 420 K increases the horizontal orientation of the ClAlPc molecules with an increase of the mean molecular tilt angle from 60.13° (300 K) to 65.86° (420 K). The UV-vis absorption band of the corresponding films increases and the peak wavelength slightly red shifts with the Tsub increase. XRD patterns show a clear diffraction peak at Tsub over 390 K, implying the π-stacking of interconnected ClAlPc molecules at high Tsub. Planar and bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photovoltaic cells containing pristine ClAlPc films and ClAlPc:C60 blend films fabricated at Tsub of 390 K show increases in the power conversion efficiency (ηPCE) of 28% (ηPCE = 3.12%) and 36% (ηPCE = 3.58%), respectively, relative to devices as-deposited at room temperature. The maximum short circuit current in BHJs is obtained at 390 K in the Tsub range from 300 K to 450 K.

A high throughput liquid crystal light shutter for unpolarized light using polymer polarization gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komanduri, Ravi K.; Lawler, Kris F.; Escuti, Michael J.

2011-05-01

We report on a broadband, diffractive, light shutter with the ability to modulate unpolarized light. This polarizer-free approach employs a conventional liquid crystal (LC) switch, combined with broadband Polarization Gratings (PGs) formed with polymer LC materials. The thin-film PGs act as diffractive polarizing beam-splitters, while the LC switch operates on both orthogonal polarization states simultaneously. As an initial experimental proof-of- concept for unpolarized light with +/-7° aperture, we utilize a commercial twisted-nematic LC switch and our own polymer PGs to achieve a peak transmittance of 80% and peak contrast ratio of 230:1. We characterize the optoelectronic performance, discuss the limitations, and evaluate its use in potential nonmechanical shutter applications (imaging and non-imaging).

Optical study of a spectrum splitting solar concentrator based on a combination of a diffraction grating and a Fresnel lens

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

Michel, Céline, E-mail: cmichel@ulg.ac.be; Habraken, Serge; Hololab, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août, 17

2015-09-28

This paper presents recent improvements of our new solar concentrator design for space application. The concentrator is based on a combination of a diffraction grating (blazed or lamellar) coupled with a Fresnel lens. Thanks to this diffractive/refractive combination, this optical element splits spatially and spectrally the light and focus approximately respectively visible light and IR light onto electrically independent specific cells. It avoid the use of MJs cells and then also their limitations like current matching and lattice matching conditions, leading theoretically to a more tolerant system. The concept is reminded, with recent optimizations, ideal and more realistic results, andmore » the description of an experimental realization highlighting the feasibility of the concept and the closeness of theoretical and experimental results.« less

Uric Acid Spherulites in the Reflector Layer of Firefly Light Organ

PubMed Central

Goh, King-Siang; Sheu, Hwo-Shuenn; Hua, Tzu-En; Kang, Mei-Hua; Li, Chia-Wei

2013-01-01

Background In firefly light organs, reflector layer is a specialized tissue which is believed to play a key role for increasing the bioluminescence intensity through reflection. However, the nature of this unique tissue remains elusive. In this report, we investigated the role, fine structure and nature of the reflector layer in the light organ of adult Luciola cerata. Principal Findings Our results indicated that the reflector layer is capable of reflecting bioluminescence, and contains abundant uric acid. Electron microscopy (EM) demonstrated that the cytosol of the reflector layer's cells is filled with densely packed spherical granules, which should be the uric acid granules. These granules are highly regular in size (∼700 nm in diameter), and exhibit a radial internal structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed that an intense single peak pattern with a d-spacing value of 0.320 nm is specifically detected in the light organ, and is highly similar to the diffraction peak pattern and d-spacing value of needle-formed crystals of monosodium urate monohydrate. However, the molar ratio evaluation of uric acid to various cations (K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) in the light organ deduced that only a few uric acid molecules were in the form of urate salts. Thus, non-salt uric acid should be the source of the diffraction signal detected in the light organ. Conclusions In the light organ, the intense single peak diffraction signal might come from a unique needle-like uric acid form, which is different from other known structures of non-salt uric acid form. The finding of a radial structure in the granules of reflector layer implies that the spherical uric acid granules might be formed by the radial arrangement of needle-formed packing matter. PMID:23441187

X-Ray Structure determination of the Glycine Cleavage System Protein H of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using An Inverse Compton Synchrotron X-Ray Source

PubMed Central

Abendroth, Jan; McCormick, Michael S.; Edwards, Thomas E.; Staker, Bart; Loewen, Roderick; Gifford, Martin; Rifkin, Jeff; Mayer, Chad; Guo, Wenjin; Zhang, Yang; Myler, Peter; Kelley, Angela; Analau, Erwin; Hewitt, Stephen Nakazawa; Napuli, Alberto J.; Kuhn, Peter; Ruth, Ronald D.; Stewart, Lance J.

2010-01-01

Structural genomics discovery projects require ready access to both X-ray and NMR instrumentation which support the collection of experimental data needed to solve large numbers of novel protein structures. The most productive X-ray crystal structure determination laboratories make extensive frequent use of tunable synchrotron X-ray light to solve novel structures by anomalous diffraction methods. This requires that frozen cryo-protected crystals be shipped to large government-run synchrotron facilities for data collection. In an effort to eliminate the need to ship crystals for data collection, we have developed the first laboratory-scale synchrotron light source capable of performing many of the state-of-the-art synchrotron applications in X-ray science. This Compact Light Source is a first-in-class device that uses inverse Compton scattering to generate X-rays of sufficient flux, tunable wavelength and beam size to allow high-resolution X-ray diffraction data collection from protein crystals. We report on benchmarking tests of X-ray diffraction data collection with hen egg white lysozyme, and the successful high-resolution X-ray structure determination of the Glycine cleavage system protein H from Mycobacterium tuberculosis using diffraction data collected with the Compact Light Source X-ray beam. PMID:20364333

Total internal reflection ellipsometry and SPR detection of low molecular weight environmental toxins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabok, A. V.; Tsargorodskaya, A.; Hassan, A. K.; Starodub, N. F.

2005-06-01

The environmental toxins, such as herbicides simazine and atrazine, and T2 mycotoxin were registered with the optical methods of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and recently developed total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE). The immune assay approach was exploited for in situ registration of the above low molecular weight toxins with specific antibodies immobilised onto the gold surface via (poly)allylamine hydrochloride layer using electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) technique. The comparison of two methods of SPR and TIRE shows a higher sensitivity of the latter.

Comparison null imaging ellipsometry using polarization rotator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sungmo; Kim, Eunsung; Kim, Jiwon; An, Ilsin

2018-05-01

In this study, two-reflection imaging ellipsometry is carried out to compare the changes in polarization states between two samples. By using a polarization rotator, the parallel and perpendicular components of polarization are easily switched between the two samples being compared. This leads to an intensity image consisting of null and off-null points depending on the difference in optical characteristics between the two samples. This technique does not require any movement of optical elements for nulling and can be used to detect defects or surface contamination for quality control of samples.

Measurement of the optical properties of a transparent, conductive carbon nanotube film using spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwahara, Masashi; Kim, Yeji; Azumi, Reiko

2015-07-01

We have measured the complex refractive indices of a transparent, conductive carbon nanotube film by spectroscopic ellipsometry at wavelengths of 300-1700 nm (this includes the visible range). The film was produced on a quartz substrate by the doctor-blade method using single-walled carbon nanotube-polymer ink. The imaginary part of the complex refractive index of the film was found to be lower than 0.09 over the entire wavelength range. This film has a large advantage as a transparent, flexible, and conductive material.

An original method to determine complex refractive index of liquids by spectroscopic ellipsometry and illustrated applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stchakovsky, M.; Battie, Y.; Naciri, A. En

2017-11-01

We present a method to characterize optical properties of liquids by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The experiments use a specific liquid cell that avoids disturbance of waves at air-liquid interface and allows the determination of the real and the imaginary part of the refractive index, with a sensitivity of the latter below 10-4. The method is illustrated by results obtained with a spectroscopic phase modulation ellipsometer on several liquids such as deionised water, microscope oil and protein solution. Comparisons of the method with standard techniques are given.

Fabrication and testing of a newly designed slit system for depth-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements

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

Sinsheimer, John; Bouet, Nathalie; Ghose, Sanjit

2016-10-06

A new system of slits called `spiderweb slits' have been developed for depth-resolved powder or polycrystalline X-ray diffraction measurements. The slits act on diffracted X-rays to select a particular gauge volume of sample, while absorbing diffracted X-rays from outside of this volume. Although the slit geometry is to some extent similar to that of previously developed conical slits or spiral slits, this new design has advantages over the previous ones in use for complex heterogeneous materials andin situandoperandodiffraction measurements. For example, the slits can measure a majority of any diffraction cone for any polycrystalline material, over a continuous range ofmore » diffraction angles, and work for X-ray energies of tens to hundreds of kiloelectronvolts. The design is generated and optimized using ray-tracing simulations, and fabricated through laser micromachining. The first prototype was successfully tested at the X17A beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source, and shows similar performance to simulations, demonstrating gauge volume selection for standard powders, for all diffraction peaks over angles of 2–10°. A similar, but improved, design will be implemented at the X-ray Powder Diffraction beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II.« less

Multilayer diffraction at 104 keV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krieger, Allen S.; Blake, Richard L.; Siddons, D. P.

1993-01-01

We have measured the diffraction peak of a W:Si synthetic multilayer reflector at 104 keV using the High Energy Bonse-Hart Camera at the X-17B hard X-ray wiggler beam line of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The characteristics of the diffraction peak are described and compared to theory.

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle Demonstrated with An Electron Diffraction Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matteucci, Giorgio; Ferrari, Loris; Migliori, Andrea

2010-01-01

An experiment analogous to the classical diffraction of light from a circular aperture has been realized with electrons. The results are used to introduce undergraduate students to the wave behaviour of electrons. The diffraction fringes produced by the circular aperture are compared to those predicted by quantum mechanics and are exploited to…

Measuring Slit Width and Separation in a Diffraction Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, K. K.; Law, A. T.

2009-01-01

We present a procedure for measuring slit width and separation in single- and double-slit diffraction experiments. Intensity spectra of diffracted laser light are measured with an optical sensor (PIN diode). Slit widths and separations are extracted by fitting to the measured spectra. We present a simple fitting procedure to account for the…

Diffraction-Based Optical Switching with MEMS

DOE PAGES

Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; LaComb, Lloyd; Wang, Youmin; ...

2017-04-19

In this article, we are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports.more » We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate« less

Diffraction-Based Optical Switching with MEMS

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

Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; LaComb, Lloyd; Wang, Youmin

In this article, we are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports.more » We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate« less

Diffractive optics for particle velocimetry and sizing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, D. W.; Gogna, P. K.; Chacon, R. J.; Muller, R. E.; Fourguette, D.; Modarress, D.; Taugwalder, F.; Svitek, P.; Gharib, M.

2002-01-01

Beam-shaping diffractive optical elements are used to create structured light patterns in fluid flows. Particle scattering results in detected signals that can be used to determine the particle size and velocity.

Illusion optics in chaotic light

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

Zhang Suheng; Gan Shu; Xiong Jun

2010-08-15

The time-reversal process provides the possibility to counteract the time evolution of a physical system. Recent research has shown that such a process can occur in the first-order field correlation of chaotic light and result in the spatial interference and phase-reversal diffraction in an unbalanced interferometer. Here we report experimental investigations on the invisibility cloak and illusion phenomena in chaotic light. In an unbalanced interferometer illuminated by thermal light, we have observed the cloak effect and the optical transformation of one object into another object. The experimental results can be understood by the phase-reversal diffraction, and they demonstrate the theoreticalmore » proposal of similar effects in complementary media.« less

Structure and Thermotropic phase Behavior of Fluorinated Phospholipid Bilayers: A combined Attenuated Total Reflection FTIR Spectroscopy and Imaging Ellipsometry Study

PubMed Central

Schuy, Steffen; Faiss, Simon; Yoder, Nicholas C.; Kalsani, Venkateshwarlu; Kumar, Krishna; Janshoff, Andreas; Vogel, Reiner

2008-01-01

Lipid bilayers consisting of lipids with terminally perfluoroalkylated chains have remarkable properties. They exhibit increased stability and phase-separated nanoscale patterns in mixtures with nonfluorinated lipids. In order to understand the bilayer properties that are responsible for this behavior, we have analyzed the structure of solid-supported bilayers composed of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and of a DPPC analogue with 6 terminal perfluorinated methylene units (F6-DPPC). Polarized attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that for F6-DPPC, the tilt of the lipid acyl chains to the bilayer normal is increased to 39° as compared to 21° for native DPPC, for both lipids in the gel phase. This substantial increase of the tilt angle is responsible for a decrease of the bilayer thickness from 5.4 nm for DPPC to 4.5 nm for F6-DPPC, as revealed by temperature-controlled imaging ellipsometry on microstructured lipid bilayers and solution atomic force microscopy. During the main phase transition from the gel to the fluid phase, both the relative bilayer thickness change and the relative area change are substantially smaller for F6-DPPC than for DPPC. In light of these structural and thermotropic data, we propose a model in which the higher acyl-chain tilt angle in F6-DPPC is the result of a conformational rearrangement to minimize unfavorable fluorocarbon–hydrocarbon interactions in the center of the bilayer due to chain staggering. PMID:18563929

Adsorption of Amelogenin onto Self-Assembled and Fluoroapatite Surfaces

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

Tarasevich, Barbara J.; Lea, Alan S.; Bernt, William

Abstract. The interactions of proteins at surfaces are of great importance to biomineralizaton processes and to the development and function of biomaterials. Amelogenin is a unique biomineralization protein because it self-assembles to form supramolecular structures called “nanospheres,” spherical aggregates of monomers that are 20-60 nm in diameter. Although the nanosphere quaternary structure has been observed in solution, the quaternary structure of amelogenin adsorbed onto surfaces is also of great interest because the surface structure is critical to its function. We report studies of the adsorption of the amelogenin onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with COOH and CH3 end group functionality andmore » single crystal fluoroapatite (FAP). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments showed that the solutions contained nanospheres and aggregates of nanospheres. Protein adsorption onto the various substrates was evidenced by null ellipsometry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and external reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ERFTIR). Although only nanospheres were observed in solution, ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated that the protein adsorbates were much smaller structures than the original nanospheres, from monomers to small oligomers in size. Monomer adsorption was promoted onto the CH3 surfaces and small oligomer adsorption was promoted onto the COOH and FAP substrates. In some cases, remnants of the original nanospheres adsorbed as multilayers on top of the underlying subnanosphere layers. This work suggests that amelogenin can adsorb by the “shedding” or disassembling of substructures from the nanospheres onto substrates and indicates that amelogenin may have a range of possible quaternary structures depending on whether it is in solution or interacting with surfaces.« less

Large-Scale Diffraction Patterns from Circular Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinard, Phillip M.

1976-01-01

Investigates quantitatively the diffractions of light by a U.S. penny and an aperture of the same size. Differences noted between the theory and measurements are discussed, with probable causes indicated. (Author/CP)

Coherent diffraction of single Rice Dwarf virus particles using hard X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source

PubMed Central

Munke, Anna; Andreasson, Jakob; Aquila, Andrew; Awel, Salah; Ayyer, Kartik; Barty, Anton; Bean, Richard J.; Berntsen, Peter; Bielecki, Johan; Boutet, Sébastien; Bucher, Maximilian; Chapman, Henry N.; Daurer, Benedikt J.; DeMirci, Hasan; Elser, Veit; Fromme, Petra; Hajdu, Janos; Hantke, Max F.; Higashiura, Akifumi; Hogue, Brenda G.; Hosseinizadeh, Ahmad; Kim, Yoonhee; Kirian, Richard A.; Reddy, Hemanth K.N.; Lan, Ti-Yen; Larsson, Daniel S.D.; Liu, Haiguang; Loh, N. Duane; Maia, Filipe R.N.C.; Mancuso, Adrian P.; Mühlig, Kerstin; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Nam, Daewoong; Nelson, Garrett; Nettelblad, Carl; Okamoto, Kenta; Ourmazd, Abbas; Rose, Max; van der Schot, Gijs; Schwander, Peter; Seibert, M. Marvin; Sellberg, Jonas A.; Sierra, Raymond G.; Song, Changyong; Svenda, Martin; Timneanu, Nicusor; Vartanyants, Ivan A.; Westphal, Daniel; Wiedorn, Max O.; Williams, Garth J.; Xavier, Paulraj Lourdu; Yoon, Chun Hong; Zook, James

2016-01-01

Single particle diffractive imaging data from Rice Dwarf Virus (RDV) were recorded using the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). RDV was chosen as it is a well-characterized model system, useful for proof-of-principle experiments, system optimization and algorithm development. RDV, an icosahedral virus of about 70 nm in diameter, was aerosolized and injected into the approximately 0.1 μm diameter focused hard X-ray beam at the CXI instrument of LCLS. Diffraction patterns from RDV with signal to 5.9 Ångström were recorded. The diffraction data are available through the Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (CXIDB) as a resource for algorithm development, the contents of which are described here. PMID:27478984

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the peripheral light-harvesting complex LH2 from Marichromatium purpuratum.

PubMed

Cranston, Laura J; Roszak, Aleksander W; Cogdell, Richard J

2014-06-01

LH2 from the purple photosynthetic bacterium Marichromatium (formerly known as Chromatium) purpuratum is an integral membrane pigment-protein complex that is involved in harvesting light energy and transferring it to the LH1-RC `core' complex. The purified LH2 complex was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method at 294 K. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 6 Å using synchrotron radiation and belonged to the tetragonal space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a=b=109.36, c=80.45 Å. The data appeared to be twinned, producing apparent diffraction symmetry I422. The tetragonal symmetry of the unit cell and diffraction for the crystals of the LH2 complex from this species reveal that this complex is an octamer.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the peripheral light-harvesting complex LH2 from Marichromatium purpuratum

PubMed Central

Cranston, Laura J.; Roszak, Aleksander W.; Cogdell, Richard J.

2014-01-01

LH2 from the purple photosynthetic bacterium Marichromatium (formerly known as Chromatium) purpuratum is an integral membrane pigment–protein complex that is involved in harvesting light energy and transferring it to the LH1–RC ‘core’ complex. The purified LH2 complex was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method at 294 K. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 6 Å using synchrotron radiation and belonged to the tetragonal space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 109.36, c = 80.45 Å. The data appeared to be twinned, producing apparent diffraction symmetry I422. The tetragonal symmetry of the unit cell and diffraction for the crystals of the LH2 complex from this species reveal that this complex is an octamer. PMID:24915099

Coherent diffraction of single Rice Dwarf virus particles using hard X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE PAGES

Munke, Anna; Andreasson, Jakob; Aquila, Andrew; ...

2016-08-01

Single particle diffractive imaging data from Rice Dwarf Virus (RDV) were recorded using the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). RDV was chosen as it is a well-characterized model system, useful for proof-of-principle experiments, system optimization and algorithm development. RDV, an icosahedral virus of about 70 nm in diameter, was aerosolized and injected into the approximately 0.1 μm diameter focused hard X-ray beam at the CXI instrument of LCLS. Diffraction patterns from RDV with signal to 5.9 Ångström were recorded. Here, the diffraction data are available through the Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (CXIDB)more » as a resource for algorithm development, the contents of which are described here.« less

Coherent diffraction of single Rice Dwarf virus particles using hard X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source.

PubMed

Munke, Anna; Andreasson, Jakob; Aquila, Andrew; Awel, Salah; Ayyer, Kartik; Barty, Anton; Bean, Richard J; Berntsen, Peter; Bielecki, Johan; Boutet, Sébastien; Bucher, Maximilian; Chapman, Henry N; Daurer, Benedikt J; DeMirci, Hasan; Elser, Veit; Fromme, Petra; Hajdu, Janos; Hantke, Max F; Higashiura, Akifumi; Hogue, Brenda G; Hosseinizadeh, Ahmad; Kim, Yoonhee; Kirian, Richard A; Reddy, Hemanth K N; Lan, Ti-Yen; Larsson, Daniel S D; Liu, Haiguang; Loh, N Duane; Maia, Filipe R N C; Mancuso, Adrian P; Mühlig, Kerstin; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Nam, Daewoong; Nelson, Garrett; Nettelblad, Carl; Okamoto, Kenta; Ourmazd, Abbas; Rose, Max; van der Schot, Gijs; Schwander, Peter; Seibert, M Marvin; Sellberg, Jonas A; Sierra, Raymond G; Song, Changyong; Svenda, Martin; Timneanu, Nicusor; Vartanyants, Ivan A; Westphal, Daniel; Wiedorn, Max O; Williams, Garth J; Xavier, Paulraj Lourdu; Yoon, Chun Hong; Zook, James

2016-08-01

Single particle diffractive imaging data from Rice Dwarf Virus (RDV) were recorded using the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). RDV was chosen as it is a well-characterized model system, useful for proof-of-principle experiments, system optimization and algorithm development. RDV, an icosahedral virus of about 70 nm in diameter, was aerosolized and injected into the approximately 0.1 μm diameter focused hard X-ray beam at the CXI instrument of LCLS. Diffraction patterns from RDV with signal to 5.9 Ångström were recorded. The diffraction data are available through the Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (CXIDB) as a resource for algorithm development, the contents of which are described here.

Programmable diffractive lens for ophthalmic application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millán, María S.; Pérez-Cabré, Elisabet; Romero, Lenny A.; Ramírez, Natalia

2014-06-01

Pixelated liquid crystal displays have been widely used as spatial light modulators to implement programmable diffractive optical elements, particularly diffractive lenses. Many different applications of such components have been developed in information optics and optical processors that take advantage of their properties of great flexibility, easy and fast refreshment, and multiplexing capability in comparison with equivalent conventional refractive lenses. We explore the application of programmable diffractive lenses displayed on the pixelated screen of a liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulator to ophthalmic optics. In particular, we consider the use of programmable diffractive lenses for the visual compensation of refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism) and presbyopia. The principles of compensation are described and sketched using geometrical optics and paraxial ray tracing. For the proof of concept, a series of experiments with artificial eye in optical bench are conducted. We analyze the compensation precision in terms of optical power and compare the results with those obtained by means of conventional ophthalmic lenses. Practical considerations oriented to feasible applications are provided.

Collimation testing using slit Fresnel diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xiaohe; Hui, Mei; Wang, Shanshan; Hou, Yinlong; Zhou, Siyu; Zhu, Qiudong

2018-03-01

A simple collimation testing method based on slit Fresnel diffraction is proposed. The method needs only a CMOS and a slit with no requirement in dimensional accuracy. The light beam to be tested diffracts across the slit and forms a Fresnel diffraction pattern received by CMOS. After analysis, the defocusing amount and the distance between the primary peak point and secondary peak point of diffraction pattern fulfill an expression relationship and then the defocusing amount can be deduced from the expression. The method is applied to both the coherent beam and partially coherent beam, and these two beams are emitted from a laser and light-emitting diode (LED) with a spectrum width of about 50 nm in this paper. Simulations show that the wide spectrum of LED has the effect of smooth filtering to provide higher accuracy. Experiments show that the LED with a spectrum width of about 50 nm has a lower limitation error than the laser and can achieve up to 58.1601 μm with focal length 200 mm and slit width 15 mm.

Ophthalmic compensation of visual ametropia based on a programmable diffractive lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millán, Maria S.; Pérez-Cabré, Elisabet; Romero, Lenny A.; Ramírez, Natalia

2013-11-01

Pixelated liquid crystal displays have been widely used as spatial light modulators to implement programmable diffractive optical elements (DOEs), particularly diffractive lenses. Many different applications of such components have been developed in information optics and optical processors that take advantage of their properties of great flexibility, easy and fast refreshment, and multiplexing capability in comparison with equivalent conventional refractive lenses. In this paper, we explore the application of programmable diffractive lenses displayed on the pixelated screen of a liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulator (LCoS-SLM) to ophthalmic optics. In particular, we consider the use of programmable diffractive lenses for the visual compensation of some refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia). The theoretical principles of compensation are described and sketched using geometrical optics and paraxial ray tracing. A series of experiments with artificial eye in optical bench are conducted to analyze the compensation accuracy in terms of optical power and to compare the results with those obtained by means of conventional ophthalmic lenses. Practical considerations oriented to feasible applications are provided.

Single Hit Energy-resolved Laue Diffraction

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

Patel, Shamim; Suggit, Matthew J.; Stubley, Paul G.

2015-05-15

In situ white light Laue diffraction has been successfully used to interrogate the structure of single crystal materials undergoing rapid (nanosecond) dynamic compression up to megabar pressures. However, information on strain state accessible via this technique is limited, reducing its applicability for a range of applications. We present an extension to the existing Laue diffraction platform in which we record the photon energy of a subset of diffraction peaks. This allows for a measurement of the longitudinal and transverse strains in situ during compression. Consequently, we demonstrate measurement of volumetric compression of the unit cell, in addition to the limitedmore » aspect ratio information accessible in conventional white light Laue. We present preliminary results for silicon, where only an elastic strain is observed. VISAR measurements show the presence of a two wave structure and measurements show that material downstream of the second wave does not contribute to the observed diffraction peaks, supporting the idea that this material may be highly disordered, or has undergone large scale rotation.« less

Label-free detection of real-time DNA amplification using a nanofluidic diffraction grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasui, Takao; Ogawa, Kensuke; Kaji, Noritada; Nilsson, Mats; Ajiri, Taiga; Tokeshi, Manabu; Horiike, Yasuhiro; Baba, Yoshinobu

2016-08-01

Quantitative DNA amplification using fluorescence labeling has played an important role in the recent, rapid progress of basic medical and molecular biological research. Here we report a label-free detection of real-time DNA amplification using a nanofluidic diffraction grating. Our detection system observed intensity changes during DNA amplification of diffracted light derived from the passage of a laser beam through nanochannels embedded in a microchannel. Numerical simulations revealed that the diffracted light intensity change in the nanofluidic diffraction grating was attributed to the change of refractive index. We showed the first case reported to date for label-free detection of real-time DNA amplification, such as specific DNA sequences from tubercle bacilli (TB) and human papillomavirus (HPV). Since our developed system allows quantification of the initial concentration of amplified DNA molecules ranging from 1 fM to 1 pM, we expect that it will offer a new strategy for developing fundamental techniques of medical applications.

Filamentation of ultrashort light pulses in a liquid scattering medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jukna, V.; Tamošauskas, G.; Valiulis, G.; Aputis, M.; Puida, M.; Ivanauskas, F.; Dubietis, A.

2009-01-01

We have studied filamentation of 1-ps laser pulses in a scattering medium (aqueous suspension of 2-μm polystyrene microspheres) and compared filamentation dynamics to that in pure water. Our results indicate that light scattering does not alter filamentation dynamics in general, but rather results in farther position of the nonlinear focus, shorter filament length, and the development of speckle structure in the peripheral part of the beam. The experimental observations are qualitatively reproduced by the numerical model which accounts for diffraction, self-focusing, multiphoton absorption, and light scattering introduced through a stochastic diffusion and diffraction term.

Absorption and scattering of light by nonspherical particles. [in atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohren, C. F.

1986-01-01

Using the example of the polarization of scattered light, it is shown that the scattering matrices for identical, randomly ordered particles and for spherical particles are unequal. The spherical assumptions of Mie theory are therefore inconsistent with the random shapes and sizes of atmospheric particulates. The implications for corrections made to extinction measurements of forward scattering light are discussed. Several analytical methods are examined as potential bases for developing more accurate models, including Rayleigh theory, Fraunhoffer Diffraction theory, anomalous diffraction theory, Rayleigh-Gans theory, the separation of variables technique, the Purcell-Pennypacker method, the T-matrix method, and finite difference calculations.

Diffractive intermediate layer enables broadband light trapping for high efficiency ultrathin c-Si tandem cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guijun; Ho, Jacob Y. L.; Li, He; Kwok, Hoi-Sing

2014-06-01

Light management through the intermediate reflector in the tandem cell configuration is of great practical importance for achieving high stable efficiency and also low cost production. So far, however, the intermediate reflectors employed currently are mainly focused on the light absorption enhancement of the top cell. Here, we present a diffractive intermediate layer that allows for light trapping over a broadband wavelength for the ultrathin c-Si tandem solar cell. Compared with the standard intermediate reflector, this nanoscale architectural intermediate layer results in a 35% and 21% remarkable enhancement of the light absorption in the top (400-800 nm) and bottom (800-1100 nm) cells simultaneously, and ultrathin c-Si tandem cells with impressive conversion efficiency of 13.3% are made on the glass substrate.

Mesoscopic monodisperse ferromagnetic colloids enable magnetically controlled photonic crystals.

PubMed

Xu, Xiangling; Majetich, Sara A; Asher, Sanford A

2002-11-20

We report here the first synthesis of mesoscopic, monodisperse particles which contain nanoscopic inclusions of ferromagnetic cobalt ferrites. These monodisperse ferromagnetic composite particles readily self-assemble into magnetically responsive photonic crystals that efficiently Bragg diffract incident light. Magnetic fields can be used to control the photonic crystal orientation and, thus, the diffracted wavelength. We demonstrate the use of these ferromagnetic particles to fabricate magneto-optical diffracting fluids and magnetically switchable diffracting mirrors.

Iridescent clouds and distorted coronas.

PubMed

Laven, Philip

2017-07-01

Near-forward scattering of sunlight generates coronas and iridescence on clouds. Coronas are caused by diffraction, whereas iridescence is less easily explained. Iridescence often appears as bands of color aligned with the edges of clouds or as apparently random patches of color on clouds. This paper suggests that iridescence is due to interference between light that has been diffracted by a spherical droplet of water and light that has been transmitted through the same droplet.

Rectangular Relief Diffraction Gratings for Coherent Lidar Beam Deflection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, H. J.; Dixit, S. N.; Shore, B. W.; Chambers, D. M.; Britten, J. A.; Kavaya, M. J.

1999-01-01

LIDAR systems require a light transmitting system for sending a laser light pulse into space and a receiving system for collecting the retro-scattered light, separating it from the outgoing beam and analyzing the received signal for calculating wind velocities. Currently, a shuttle manifested coherent LIDAR experiment called SPARCLE (SPAce Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment) includes a silicon wedge (or prism) in its design in order to deflect the outgoing beam 30 degrees relative to the incident direction. The intent of this paper is to present two optical design approaches that may enable the replacement of the optical wedge component (in future, larger aperture, post-SPARCLE missions) with a surface relief transmission diffraction grating. Such a grating could be etched into a lightweight, flat, fused quartz substrate. The potential advantages of a diffractive beam deflector include reduced weight, reduced power requirements for the driving scanning motor, reduced optical sensitivity to thermal gradients, and increased dynamic stability.

Highly Reversible Water Oxidation at Ordered Nanoporous Iridium Electrodes Based on an Original Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Schlicht, Stefanie; Haschke, Sandra; Mikhailovskii, Vladimir; Manshina, Alina; Bachmann, Julien

2018-05-01

Nanoporous iridium electrodes are prepared and electrochemically investigated towards the water oxidation (oxygen evolution) reaction. The preparation is based on 'anodic' aluminum oxide templates, which provide straight, cylindrical nanopores. Their walls are coated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) with a newly developed reaction which results in a metallic iridium layer. The ALD film growth is quantified by spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray reflectometry. The morphology and composition of the electrodes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Their catalytic activity is quantified for various pore geometries by cyclic voltammetry, steady-state electrolysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. With an optimal pore length of L ≈17-20 μm, we achieve current densities of J =0.28 mA cm -2 at pH 5 and J =2.4 mA cm -2 at pH 1. This platform is particularly competitive for achieving moderate current densities at very low overpotentials, that is, for a high degree of reversibility in energy storage.

Intrinsic and extrinsic dielectric responses of CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubinger, C. P. L.; Moreira, R. L.; Ribeiro, G. M.; Matinaga, F. M.; Autier Laurent, S.; Mercey, B.; Lobo, R. P. S. M.

2011-10-01

CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films were epitaxially grown on (001) LaAlO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition under optimized growth conditions. The crystal structure and sample morphology were characterized by x-ray diffraction, AFM, TEM, ellipsometry, and Raman spectroscopy. The dielectric responses of the films were investigated in a large temperature range (5 to 375 K) by infrared reflectivity and impedance spectroscopies. The films exhibited a colossal dielectric response, with the dielectric permittivity reaching 104 at 100 Hz. The results obtained in a broad frequency range allowed us to investigate the behavior of intrinsic and extrinsic dielectric responses of this material. The room temperature centrosymmetrical cubic structure remains stable down to 5 K, though softening of the lower frequency infrared phonon modes indicates an incipient ferroelectric character. The radio frequency dielectric response reveals two relaxations of extrinsic origin, a primary higher frequency relaxation responsible for the colossal dielectric behavior and a secondary one of lower frequency. The activation energies of these processes are compatible with the presence of shallow defect levels created by oxygen vacancies.

Strain-induced optical band gap variation of SnO 2 films

DOE PAGES

Rus, Stefania Florina; Ward, Thomas Zac; Herklotz, Andreas

2016-06-29

In this paper, thickness dependent strain relaxation effects are utilized to study the impact of crystal anisotropy on the optical band gap of epitaxial SnO 2 films grown by pulsed laser deposition on (0001)-oriented sapphire substrates. An X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that all films are under tensile biaxial in-plane strain and that strain relaxation occurs with increasing thickness. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry shows that the optical band gap of the SnO 2 films continuously increases with increasing film thickness. This increase in the band gap is linearly related to the strain state of the films, which indicates that the mainmore » origin of the band gap change is strain relaxation. The experimental observation is in excellent agreement with results from density functional theory for biaxial in-plane strain. Our research demonstrates that strain is an effective way to tune the band gap of SnO 2 films and suggests that strain engineering is an appealing route to tailor the optical properties of oxide semiconductors.« less

Generation of conductivity through transfer charge properties, for polyesters and polyamides with characteristic functional groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Carmen; Tagle, Luis Hernan; Terraza, Claudio A.; Barriga, Andres; Cabrera, A. L.; Volkmann, Ulrich G.

2011-03-01

Electro-optic properties of σ -conjugated polymers, as polysilylene; are associated with electron conjugation in the silicon atom, which allows a significant delocalization of electrons along of the chain. Thus, the conductivity is intimately connected to the mobility of charge carriers, which in turn depends on the structure and morphology of the system. We report the characterization of polyesters (PEFs) and polyamides (PAFs). Film thicknesses were obtained by ellipsometry. The vibration frequencies of the groups were determined by FT-IR and corroborated by Raman spectroscopy. Structural information was obtained from X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The structural and surface morphology were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Electrical conductivity of the polymers was measured before and after exposure to iodine vapor, for films of different thicknesses. Morphological differentiation was studied by energy dispersive microscopy (EDX), showing a regular distribution of iodine within the polymer. Preliminary conductivity measurements showed adverse effects when oxidation of the polymer films is induced These effects are related to a certain grade of disorder within the system

Temperature dependence of the interband critical points of bulk Ge and strained Ge on Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernando, Nalin S.; Nunley, T. Nathan; Ghosh, Ayana; Nelson, Cayla M.; Cooke, Jacqueline A.; Medina, Amber A.; Zollner, Stefan; Xu, Chi; Menendez, Jose; Kouvetakis, John

2017-11-01

Epitaxial Ge layers on a Si substrate experience a tensile biaxial stress due to the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of the Ge epilayer and the Si substrate, which can be measured using asymmetric X-ray diffraction reciprocal space maps. This stress depends on temperature and affects the band structure, interband critical points, and optical spectra. This manuscripts reports careful measurements of the temperature dependence of the dielectric function and the interband critical point parameters of bulk Ge and Ge epilayers on Si using spectroscopic ellipsometry from 80 to 780 K and from 0.8 to 6.5 eV. The authors find a temperature-dependent redshift of the E1 and E1 + Δ1 critical points in Ge on Si (relative to bulk Ge). This redshift can be described well with a model based on thermal expansion coefficients, continuum elasticity theory, and the deformation potential theory for interband transitions. The interband transitions leading to E0‧ and E2 critical points have lower symmetry and therefore are not affected by the stress.

Growth and optical property characterization of textured barium titanate thin films for photonic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dicken, Matthew J.; Diest, Kenneth; Park, Young-Bae; Atwater, Harry A.

2007-03-01

We have investigated the growth of barium titanate thin films on bulk crystalline and amorphous substrates utilizing biaxially oriented template layers. Ion beam-assisted deposition was used to grow thin, biaxially textured, magnesium oxide template layers on amorphous and silicon substrates. Growth of highly oriented barium titanate films on these template layers was achieved by molecular beam epitaxy using a layer-by-layer growth process. Barium titanate thin films were grown in molecular oxygen and in the presence of oxygen radicals produced by a 300 W radio frequency plasma. We used X-ray and in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) to analyze the structural properties and show the predominantly c-oriented grains in the films. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to analyze and compare the optical properties of the thin films grown with and without oxygen plasma. We have shown that optical quality barium titanate thin films, which show bulk crystal-like properties, can be grown on any substrate through the use of biaxially oriented magnesium oxide template layers.

Spectroscopic ellipsometric characterization of Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) strained-layer superlattices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yao, H.; Woollam, J. A.; Wang, P. J.; Tejwani, M. J.; Alterovitz, S. A.

1993-01-01

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was employed to characterize Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) strained-layer superlattices. An algorithm was developed, using the available optical constants measured at a number of fixed x values of Ge composition, to compute the dielectric function spectrum of Si(1-x)Ge(x) at an arbitrary x value in the spectral range 17 to 5.6 eV. The ellipsometrically determined superlattice thicknesses and alloy compositional fractions were in excellent agreement with results from high-resolution x ray diffraction studies. The silicon surfaces of the superlattices were subjected to a 9:1 HF cleaning prior to the SE measurements. The HF solution removed silicon oxides on the semiconductor surface, and terminated the Si surface with hydrogen-silicon bonds, which were monitored over a period of several weeks, after the HF cleaning, by SE measurements. An equivalent dielectric layer model was established to describe the hydrogen-terminated Si surface layer. The passivated Si surface remained unchanged for greater than 2 h, and very little surface oxidation took place even over 3 to 4 days.

Combined ellipsometry and refractometry technique for characterisation of liquid crystal based nanocomposites.

PubMed

Warenghem, Marc; Henninot, Jean François; Blach, Jean François; Buchnev, Oleksandr; Kaczmarek, Malgosia; Stchakovsky, Michel

2012-03-01

Spectroscopic ellipsometry is a technique especially well suited to measure the effective optical properties of a composite material. However, as the sample is optically thick and anisotropic, this technique loses its accuracy for two reasons: anisotropy means that two parameters have to be determined (ordinary and extraordinary indices) and optically thick means a large order of interference. In that case, several dielectric functions can emerge out of the fitting procedure with a similar mean square error and no criterion to discriminate the right solution. In this paper, we develop a methodology to overcome that drawback. It combines ellipsometry with refractometry. The same sample is used in a total internal reflection (TIR) setup and in a spectroscopic ellipsometer. The number of parameters to be determined by the fitting procedure is reduced in analysing two spectra, the correct final solution is found by using the TIR results both as initial values for the parameters and as check for the final dielectric function. A prefitting routine is developed to enter the right initial values in the fitting procedure and so to approach the right solution. As an example, this methodology is used to analyse the optical properties of BaTiO(3) nanoparticles embedded in a nematic liquid crystal. Such a methodology can also be used to analyse experimentally the validity of the mixing laws, since ellipsometry gives the effective dielectric function and thus, can be compared to the dielectric function of the components of the mixture, as it is shown on the example of BaTiO(3)/nematic composite.

Protein adsorption on thin films of carbon and carbon nitride monitored with in situ ellipsometry.

PubMed

Berlind, T; Tengvall, P; Hultman, L; Arwin, H

2011-03-01

Thin films of amorphous carbon and amorphous, graphitic and fullerene-like carbon nitride were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering and optically characterized with spectroscopic ellipsometry. Complementary studies using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were performed. The films were exposed to human serum albumin (HSA) and the adsorption was monitored in situ using dynamic ellipsometry. From the ellipsometric data the adsorbed amount of proteins was quantified in terms of surface mass density using de Feijter's model. The results indicate larger adsorption of proteins onto the amorphous films compared to the films with a more textured structure. Complementary studies with 125I-labeled HSA showed an apparent protein adsorption up to six times larger compared to the ellipsometry measurement. In addition, the four types of films were incubated in blood plasma followed by exposure to anti-fibrinogen, anti-HMWK or anti-C3c, revealing the materials' response to complement and contact activation. The amorphous and graphitic carbon nitride exhibit rather high immune activity compared to a titanium reference, whereas the amorphous carbon and the fullerene-like CNx show less immune complement deposition. Compared to the reference, all films exhibit indications of a stronger ability to initiate the intrinsic pathway of coagulation. Finally, the surfaces' bone-bonding ability was investigated by examination of their ability to form calcium phosphate crystals in a simulated body fluid, with a-CNx depositing most calcium phosphate after 21 days of incubation. Copyright © 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of multiple circular holes Fraunhofer diffraction for the infrared optical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Chunlian; Lv, He; Cao, Yang; Cai, Zhisong; Tan, Xiaojun

2014-11-01

With the development of infrared optics, infrared optical imaging systems play an increasingly important role in modern optical imaging systems. Infrared optical imaging is used in industry, agriculture, medical, military and transportation. But in terms of infrared optical imaging systems which are exposed for a long time, some contaminations will affect the infrared optical imaging. When the contamination contaminate on the lens surface of the optical system, it would affect diffraction. The lens can be seen as complementary multiple circular holes screen happen Fraunhofer diffraction. According to Babinet principle, you can get the diffraction of the imaging system. Therefore, by studying the multiple circular holes Fraunhofer diffraction, conclusions can be drawn about the effect of infrared imaging. This paper mainly studies the effect of multiple circular holes Fraunhofer diffraction for the optical imaging. Firstly, we introduce the theory of Fraunhofer diffraction and Point Spread Function. Point Spread Function is a basic tool to evaluate the image quality of the optical system. Fraunhofer diffraction will affect Point Spread Function. Then, the results of multiple circular holes Fraunhofer diffraction are given for different hole size and hole spacing. We choose the hole size from 0.1mm to 1mm and hole spacing from 0.3mm to 0.8mm. The infrared wavebands of optical imaging are chosen from 1μm to 5μm. We use the MATLAB to simulate light intensity distribution of multiple circular holes Fraunhofer diffraction. Finally, three-dimensional diffraction maps of light intensity are given to contrast.

Dual-domain point diffraction interferometer

DOEpatents

Naulleau, Patrick P.; Goldberg, Kenneth Alan

2000-01-01

A hybrid spatial/temporal-domain point diffraction interferometer (referred to as the dual-domain PS/PDI) that is capable of suppressing the scattered-reference-light noise that hinders the conventional PS/PDI is provided. The dual-domain PS/PDI combines the separate noise-suppression capabilities of the widely-used phase-shifting and Fourier-transform fringe pattern analysis methods. The dual-domain PS/PDI relies on both a more restrictive implementation of the image plane PS/PDI mask and a new analysis method to be applied to the interferograms generated and recorded by the modified PS/PDI. The more restrictive PS/PDI mask guarantees the elimination of spatial-frequency crosstalk between the signal and the scattered-light noise arising from scattered-reference-light interfering with the test beam. The new dual-domain analysis method is then used to eliminate scattered-light noise arising from both the scattered-reference-light interfering with the test beam and the scattered-reference-light interfering with the "true" pinhole-diffracted reference light. The dual-domain analysis method has also been demonstrated to provide performance enhancement when using the non-optimized standard PS/PDI design. The dual-domain PS/PDI is essentially a three-tiered filtering system composed of lowpass spatial-filtering the test-beam electric field using the more restrictive PS/PDI mask, bandpass spatial-filtering the individual interferogram irradiance frames making up the phase-shifting series, and bandpass temporal-filtering the phase-shifting series as a whole.

FTIR and Vis-FUV real time spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of polymer surface modifications during ion beam bombardment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskarakis, A.; Gravalidis, C.; Logothetidis, S.

2004-02-01

The continuously increasing application of polymeric materials in many scientific and technological fields has motivated an extensive use of polymer surface treatments, which modify the physical and chemical properties of polymer surfaces leading to surface activation and promotion of the surface adhesion. Fourier transform IR spectroscopic ellipsometry (FTIRSE) and phase modulated ellipsometry (PME) in the IR and Vis-FUV spectral regions respectively have been employed for in situ and real time monitoring of the structural changes on the polymer surface obtained by Ar + ion bombardment. The polymers were industrially supplied polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) membranes. The Ar + ion bombardment has found to change the chemical bonding of the films and especially the amount of the CO, C-C and CC groups. The detailed study of the FTIRSE spectra reveals important information about the effect of the Ar + ion bombardment on each of the above bonding groups. Also, the modification of the characteristic features, attributed to electronic transitions in specific bonds of PET and PEN macromolecules, has been studied using PME.

Study on electrical defects level in single layer two-dimensional Ta2O5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahai, Li; Xiongfei, Song; Linfeng, Hu; Ziyi, Wang; Rongjun, Zhang; Liangyao, Chen; David, Wei Zhang; Peng, Zhou

2016-04-01

Two-dimensional atomic-layered material is a recent research focus, and single layer Ta2O5 used as gate dielectric in field-effect transistors is obtained via assemblies of Ta2O5 nanosheets. However, the electrical performance is seriously affected by electronic defects existing in Ta2O5. Therefore, spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to calculate the transition energies and corresponding probabilities for two different charged oxygen vacancies, whose existence is revealed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Spectroscopic ellipsometry fitting also calculates the thickness of single layer Ta2O5, exhibiting good agreement with atomic force microscopy measurement. Nondestructive and noncontact spectroscopic ellipsometry is appropriate for detecting the electrical defects level of single layer Ta2O5. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11174058 and 61376093), the Fund from Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Grant No. 13QA1400400), the National Science and Technology Major Project, China (Grant No. 2011ZX02707), and the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (Grant No. 12ZZ010).

The study of genomic DNA adsorption and subsequent interactions using total internal reflection ellipsometry.

PubMed

Nabok, Alexei; Tsargorodskaya, Anna; Davis, Frank; Higson, Séamus P J

2007-10-31

The adsorption of genomic DNA and subsequent interactions between adsorbed and solvated DNA was studied using a novel sensitive optical method of total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE), which combines spectroscopic ellipsometry with surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Single strands of DNA of two species of fish (herring and salmon) were electrostatically adsorbed on top of polyethylenimine films deposited upon gold coated glass slides. The ellipsometric spectra were recorded and data fitting utilized to extract optical parameters (thickness and refractive index) of adsorbed DNA layers. The further adsorption of single stranded DNA from an identical source, i.e. herring ss-DNA on herring ss-DNA or salmon ss-DNA on salmon ss-DNA, on the surface was observed to give rise to substantial film thickness increases at the surface of about 20-21 nm. Conversely adsorption of DNA from alternate species, i.e. salmon ss-DNA on herring ss-DNA or herring ss-DNA on salmon ss-DNA, yielded much smaller changes in thickness of 3-5 nm. AFM studies of the surface roughness of adsorbed layers were in line with the TIRE data.

Case study on the dynamics of ultrafast laser heating and ablation of gold thin films by ultrafast pump-probe reflectometry and ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pflug, T.; Wang, J.; Olbrich, M.; Frank, M.; Horn, A.

2018-02-01

To increase the comprehension of ultrafast laser ablation, the ablation process has to be portrayed with sufficient temporal resolution. For example, the temporal modification of the complex refractive index {\\tilde{n}} and the relative reflectance of a sample material after irradiation with ultrafast single-pulsed laser radiation can be measured with a pump-probe setup. This work describes the construction and validation of a pump-probe setup enabling spatially, temporally, and spectroscopically resolved Brewster angle microscopy, reflectometry, ellipsometry, and shadow photography. First pump-probe reflectometry and ellipsometry measurements are performed on gold at λ _{probe}= 440 nm and three fluences of the single-pulsed pump radiation at λ _{pump}= 800 nm generating no, gentle, and strong ablation. The relative reflectance overall increases at no and gentle ablation. At strong ablation, the relative reflectance locally decreases, presumable caused by emitted thermal electrons, ballistic electrons, and ablating material. The refractive index n is slightly decreasing after excitation, while the extinction coefficient k is increasing.

Diffractive Optic Fluid Shear Stress Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, D.; Scalf, J.; Forouhar, S.; Muller, R.; Taugwalder, F.; Gharib, M.; Fourguette, D.; Modarress, D.

2000-01-01

Light scattering off particles flowing through a two-slit interference pattern can be used to measure the shear stress of the fluid. We have designed and fabricated a miniature diffractive optic sensor based on this principle.

Beam propagation modeling of modified volume Fresnel zone plates fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing.

PubMed

Srisungsitthisunti, Pornsak; Ersoy, Okan K; Xu, Xianfan

2009-01-01

Light diffraction by volume Fresnel zone plates (VFZPs) is simulated by the Hankel transform beam propagation method (Hankel BPM). The method utilizes circularly symmetric geometry and small step propagation to calculate the diffracted wave fields by VFZP layers. It is shown that fast and accurate diffraction results can be obtained with the Hankel BPM. The results show an excellent agreement with the scalar diffraction theory and the experimental results. The numerical method allows more comprehensive studies of the VFZP parameters to achieve higher diffraction efficiency.

Pattern formation without diffraction matching in optical parametric oscillators with a metamaterial.

PubMed

Tassin, Philippe; Van der Sande, Guy; Veretennicoff, Irina; Kockaert, Pascal; Tlidi, Mustapha

2009-05-25

We consider a degenerate optical parametric oscillator containing a left-handed material. We show that the inclusion of a left-handed material layer allows for controlling the strength and sign of the diffraction coefficient at either the pump or the signal frequency. Subsequently, we demonstrate the existence of stable dissipative structures without diffraction matching, i.e., without the usual relationship between the diffraction coefficients of the signal and pump fields. Finally, we investigate the size scaling of these light structures with decreasing diffraction strength.

Novel Perspectives on the Characterization of Species-Dependent Optical Signatures of Bacterial Colonies by Digital Holography.

PubMed

Buzalewicz, Igor; Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Krauze, Wojciech; Podbielska, Halina

2016-01-01

The use of light diffraction for the microbiological diagnosis of bacterial colonies was a significant breakthrough with widespread implications for the food industry and clinical practice. We previously confirmed that optical sensors for bacterial colony light diffraction can be used for bacterial identification. This paper is focused on the novel perspectives of this method based on digital in-line holography (DIH), which is able to reconstruct the amplitude and phase properties of examined objects, as well as the amplitude and phase patterns of the optical field scattered/diffracted by the bacterial colony in any chosen observation plane behind the object from single digital hologram. Analysis of the amplitude and phase patterns inside a colony revealed its unique optical properties, which are associated with the internal structure and geometry of the bacterial colony. Moreover, on a computational level, it is possible to select the desired scattered/diffracted pattern within the entire observation volume that exhibits the largest amount of unique, differentiating bacterial features. These properties distinguish this method from the already proposed sensing techniques based on light diffraction/scattering of bacterial colonies. The reconstructed diffraction patterns have a similar spatial distribution as the recorded Fresnel patterns, previously applied for bacterial identification with over 98% accuracy, but they are characterized by both intensity and phase distributions. Our results using digital holography provide new optical discriminators of bacterial species revealed in one single step in form of new optical signatures of bacterial colonies: digital holograms, reconstructed amplitude and phase patterns, as well as diffraction patterns from all observation space, which exhibit species-dependent features. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on bacterial colony analysis via digital holography and our study represents an innovative approach to the subject.

Novel Perspectives on the Characterization of Species-Dependent Optical Signatures of Bacterial Colonies by Digital Holography

PubMed Central

Buzalewicz, Igor; Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Krauze, Wojciech; Podbielska, Halina

2016-01-01

The use of light diffraction for the microbiological diagnosis of bacterial colonies was a significant breakthrough with widespread implications for the food industry and clinical practice. We previously confirmed that optical sensors for bacterial colony light diffraction can be used for bacterial identification. This paper is focused on the novel perspectives of this method based on digital in-line holography (DIH), which is able to reconstruct the amplitude and phase properties of examined objects, as well as the amplitude and phase patterns of the optical field scattered/diffracted by the bacterial colony in any chosen observation plane behind the object from single digital hologram. Analysis of the amplitude and phase patterns inside a colony revealed its unique optical properties, which are associated with the internal structure and geometry of the bacterial colony. Moreover, on a computational level, it is possible to select the desired scattered/diffracted pattern within the entire observation volume that exhibits the largest amount of unique, differentiating bacterial features. These properties distinguish this method from the already proposed sensing techniques based on light diffraction/scattering of bacterial colonies. The reconstructed diffraction patterns have a similar spatial distribution as the recorded Fresnel patterns, previously applied for bacterial identification with over 98% accuracy, but they are characterized by both intensity and phase distributions. Our results using digital holography provide new optical discriminators of bacterial species revealed in one single step in form of new optical signatures of bacterial colonies: digital holograms, reconstructed amplitude and phase patterns, as well as diffraction patterns from all observation space, which exhibit species-dependent features. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on bacterial colony analysis via digital holography and our study represents an innovative approach to the subject. PMID:26943121

Fast wavelength tuning techniques for external cavity lasers

DOEpatents

Wysocki, Gerard [Princeton, NJ; Tittel, Frank K [Houston, TX

2011-01-11

An apparatus comprising a laser source configured to emit a light beam along a first path, an optical beam steering component configured to steer the light beam from the first path to a second path at an angle to the first path, and a diffraction grating configured to reflect back at least a portion of the light beam along the second path, wherein the angle determines an external cavity length. Included is an apparatus comprising a laser source configured to emit a light beam along a first path, a beam steering component configured to redirect the light beam to a second path at an angle to the first path, wherein the optical beam steering component is configured to change the angle at a rate of at least about one Kilohertz, and a diffraction grating configured to reflect back at least a portion of the light beam along the second path.

An integrated single- and two-photon non-diffracting light-sheet microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Sze Cheung; Chiu, Hoi Chun; Zhao, Luwei; Zhao, Teng; Loy, M. M. T.; Du, Shengwang

2018-04-01

We describe a fluorescence optical microscope with both single-photon and two-photon non-diffracting light-sheet excitations for large volume imaging. With a special design to accommodate two different wavelength ranges (visible: 400-700 nm and near infrared: 800-1200 nm), we combine the line-Bessel sheet (LBS, for single-photon excitation) and the scanning Bessel beam (SBB, for two-photon excitation) light sheet together in a single microscope setup. For a transparent thin sample where the scattering can be ignored, the LBS single-photon excitation is the optimal imaging solution. When the light scattering becomes significant for a deep-cell or deep-tissue imaging, we use SBB light-sheet two-photon excitation with a longer wavelength. We achieved nearly identical lateral/axial resolution of about 350/270 nm for both imagings. This integrated light-sheet microscope may have a wide application for live-cell and live-tissue three-dimensional high-speed imaging.

FIBER OPTICS. ACOUSTOOPTICS: Amplitude and phase nonreciprocities of acoustooptic modulators for counterpropagating light waves under the Bragg diffraction conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veselovskaya, T. V.; Klochan, E. L.; Lariontsev, E. G.; Parfenov, S. V.; Shelaev, A. N.

1990-07-01

Theoretical and experimental investigations demonstrated that in real acoustooptic modulators the diffraction of light by a standing ultrasonic wave may give rise to both phase and amplitude nonreciprocities of counterpropagating light waves. Analytic expressions are derived for the dependences of these nonreciprocities on the parameters of the traveling component of an ultrasonic wave in a modulator. It is shown that when the angle of incidence of light on a modulator deviates from the Bragg angle, the phase nonreciprocity may be suppressed, but the amplitude nonreciprocity becomes maximal and its sign is governed by the law of deviation of the angle of incidence from the Bragg angle. A diffraction acoustooptic feedback makes it possible not only to achieve mode locking with an acoustooptic modulator utilizing a traveling ultrasonic wave, but also to control the magnitude and sign of amplitude-frequency nonreciprocities. It is reported that an acoustooptic feedback can be used to generate self-pumping waves in a solid-state mode-locked ring laser and thus stabilize bidirectional lasing in a wide range of the frequency offset between the counterpropagating waves.

Pound--Drever--Hall error signals for the length control of three-port grating coupled cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Britzger, Michael; Friedrich, Daniel; Kroker, Stefanie; Brückner, Frank; Burmeister, Oliver; Kley, Ernst-Bernhard; Tünnermann, Andreas; Danzmann, Karsten; Schnabel, Roman

2011-08-01

Gratings enable light coupling into an optical cavity without transmission through any substrate. This concept reduces light absorption and substrate heating and was suggested for light coupling into the arm cavities of future gravitational wave detectors. One particularly interesting approach is based on all-reflective gratings with low diffraction efficiencies and three diffraction orders (three ports). However, it was discovered that, generally, three-port grating coupled cavities show an asymmetric resonance profile that results in asymmetric and low quality Pound--Drever--Hall error signals for cavity length control. We experimentally demonstrate that this problem is solved by the detection of light at both reflection ports of the cavity and the postprocessing of the two demodulated electronic signals.

Synthetic light-needle photoacoustic microscopy for extended depth of field (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jiamiao; Gong, Lei; Xu, Xiao; Hai, Pengfei; Suzuki, Yuta; Wang, Lihong V.

2017-03-01

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has been extensively applied in biomedical study because of its ability to visualize tissue morphology and physiology in vivo in three dimensions (3D). However, conventional PAM suffers from a rapidly decreasing resolution away from the focal plane because of the limited depth of focus of an objective lens, which deteriorates the volumetric imaging quality inevitably. Here, we propose a novel method to synthesize an ultra-long light needle to extend a microscope's depth of focus beyond its physical limitations with wavefront engineering method. Furthermore, it enables an improved lateral resolution that exceeds the diffraction limit of the objective lens. The virtual light needle can be flexibly synthesized anywhere throughout the imaging volume without mechanical scanning. Benefiting from these advantages, we developed a synthetic light needle photoacoustic microscopy (SLN-PAM) to achieve an extended depth of field (DOF), sub-diffraction and motionless volumetric imaging. The DOF of our SLN-PAM system is up to 1800 µm, more than 30-fold improvement over that gained by conventional PAM. Our system also achieves the lateral resolution of 1.8 µm (characterized at 532 nm and 0.1 NA objective), about 50% higher than the Rayleigh diffraction limit. Its superior imaging performance was demonstrated by 3D imaging of both non-biological and biological samples. This extended DOF, sub-diffraction and motionless 3D PAM will open up new opportunities for potential biomedical applications.

The Structure of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Alkylsiloxanes on Silicon: A Comparison of Results from Ellipsometry and Low-Angle X-Ray Reflectivity

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-01

Thicknesses measured by the two methods differ by 2.2 (rlms) for alkyl chains of 10 - 18 carbon atoms and have a maximum difference of 4.2 e Ellipsometry...the approximate area projected by each alkyl group in the plane of the monolayer is 0,, 1’ ) # . Preliminary studies indicate that the use of this...projected by each alkyl group in the plane of the monolayer is - 21 ± 3 A2 . Preliminary studies indicate that this technique can be used to follow the

Competitive adsorption from mixed hen egg-white lysozyme/surfactant solutions at the air-water interface studied by tensiometry, ellipsometry, and surface dilational rheology.

PubMed

Alahverdjieva, V S; Grigoriev, D O; Fainerman, V B; Aksenenko, E V; Miller, R; Möhwald, H

2008-02-21

The competitive adsorption at the air-water interface from mixed adsorption layers of hen egg-white lysozyme with a non-ionic surfactant (C10DMPO) was studied and compared to the mixture with an ionic surfactant (SDS) using bubble and drop shape analysis tensiometry, ellipsometry, and surface dilational rheology. The set of equilibrium and kinetic data of the mixed solutions is described by a thermodynamic model developed recently. The theoretical description of the mixed system is based on the model parameters for the individual components.

Molecular Orientation in Two Component Vapor-Deposited Glasses: Effect of Substrate Temperature and Molecular Shape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Charles; Jiang, Jing; Walters, Diane; Ediger, Mark

Vapor-deposited glasses are widely investigated for use in organic electronics including the emitting layers of OLED devices. These materials, while macroscopically homogenous, have anisotropic packing and molecular orientation. By controlling this orientation, outcoupling efficiency can be increased by aligning the transition dipole moment of the light-emitting molecules parallel to the substrate. Light-emitting molecules are typically dispersed in a host matrix, as such, it is imperative to understand molecular orientation in two-component systems. In this study we examine two-component vapor-deposited films and the orientations of the constituent molecules using spectroscopic ellipsometry, UV-vis and IR spectroscopy. The role of temperature, composition and molecular shape as it effects molecular orientation is examined for mixtures of DSA-Ph in Alq3 and in TPD. Deposition temperature relative to the glass transition temperature of the two-component mixture is the primary controlling factor for molecular orientation. In mixtures of DSA-Ph in Alq3, the linear DSA-Ph has a horizontal orientation at low temperatures and slight vertical orientation maximized at 0.96Tg,mixture, analogous to one-component films.

Polarizing properties and structure of the cuticle of scarab beetles from the Chrysina genus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández del Río, Lía; Arwin, Hans; Järrendahl, Kenneth

2016-07-01

The optical properties of several scarab beetles have been previously studied but few attempts have been made to compare beetles in the same genus. To determine whether there is any relation between specimens of the same genus, we have studied and classified seven species from the Chrysina genus. The polarization properties were analyzed with Mueller-matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry and the structural characteristics with optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Most of the Chrysina beetles are green colored or have a metallic look (gold or silver). The results show that the green-colored beetles polarize reflected light mainly at off-specular angles. The gold-colored beetles polarize light left-handed near circular at specular reflection. The structure of the exoskeleton is a stack of layers that form a cusplike structure in the green beetles whereas the layers are parallel to the surface in the case of the gold-colored beetles. The beetle C. gloriosa is green with gold-colored stripes along the elytras and exhibits both types of effects. The results indicate that Chrysina beetles can be classified according to these two major polarization properties.

Strongly bound excitons in anatase TiO 2 single crystals and nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Baldini, E.; Chiodo, L.; Dominguez, A.; ...

2017-04-13

Anatase TiO 2 is among the most studied materials for light-energy conversion applications, but the nature of its fundamental charge excitations is still unknown. Yet it is crucial to establish whether light absorption creates uncorrelated electron-hole pairs or bound excitons and, in the latter case, to determine their character. Here, by combining steady-state angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry with state-of-the-art ab initio calculations, we demonstrate that the direct optical gap of single crystals is dominated by a strongly bound exciton rising over the continuum of indirect interband transitions. This exciton possesses an intermediate character between the Wannier-Mott and Frenkelmore » regimes and displays a peculiar two-dimensional wavefunction in the three-dimensional lattice. The nature of the higher-energy excitations is also identified. Furthermore, the universal validity of our results is confirmed up to room temperature by observing the same elementary excitations in defect-rich samples (doped single crystals and nanoparticles) via ultrafast two-dimensional deep-ultraviolet spectroscopy.« less

Large angle solid state position sensitive x-ray detector system

DOEpatents

Kurtz, David S.; Ruud, Clay O.

1998-01-01

A method and apparatus for x-ray measurement of certain properties of a solid material. In distinction to known methods and apparatus, this invention employs a specific fiber-optic bundle configuration, termed a reorganizer, itself known for other uses, for coherently transmitting visible light originating from the scintillation of diffracted x-radiation from the solid material gathered along a substantially one dimensional linear arc, to a two-dimensional photo-sensor array. The two-dimensional photodetector array, with its many closely packed light sensitive pixels, is employed to process the information contained in the diffracted radiation and present the information in the form of a conventional x-ray diffraction spectrum. By this arrangement, the angular range of the combined detector faces may be increased without loss of angular resolution. Further, the prohibitively expensive coupling together of a large number of individual linear diode photodetectors, which would be required to process signals generated by the diffracted radiation, is avoided.

Optical pendulum effect in one-dimensional diffraction-thick porous silicon based photonic crystals

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

Novikov, V. B., E-mail: vb.novikov@physics.msu.ru; Svyakhovskiy, S. E.; Maydykovskiy, A. I.

We present the realization of the multiperiodic optical pendulum effect in 1D porous silicon photonic crystals (PhCs) under dynamical Bragg diffraction in the Laue scheme. The diffraction-thick PhC contained 360 spatial periods with a large variation of the refractive index of adjacent layers of 0.4. The experiments reveal switching of the light leaving the PhC between the two spatial directions, which correspond to Laue diffraction maxima, as the fundamental wavelength or polarization of the incident light is varied. A similar effect can be achieved when the temperature of the sample or the intensity of the additional laser beam illuminating themore » crystal are changed. We show that in our PhC structures, the spectral period of the pendulum effect is down to 5 nm, while the thermal period is about 10 °C.« less

Transparent Electrochemical Gratings from a Patterned Bistable Silver Mirror.

PubMed

Park, Chihyun; Na, Jongbeom; Han, Minsu; Kim, Eunkyoung

2017-07-25

Silver mirror patterns were formed reversibly on a polystyrene (PS)-patterned electrode to produce gratings through the electrochemical reduction of silver ions. The electrochemical gratings exhibited high transparency (T > 95%), similar to a see-through window, by matching the refractive index of the grating pattern with the surrounding medium. The gratings switch to a diffractive state upon the formation of a mirror pattern (T < 5%) with a high diffraction efficiency up to 40%, providing reversible diffractive gratings. The diffraction state was maintained in the voltage-off state (V-off) for 40 min, which demonstrated bistable reversible electrochemical grating (BREG) behavior. By carefully combining the BREGs through period matching, dual-color switching was achieved within the full color region, which exhibited three distinct optical switching states between -2.5, 0, and +2.5 V. The wide range of light tenability using the metallic BREGs developed herein enabled IR modulation, NIR light reflection, and on-demand heat transfer.

Use of CdS quantum dot-functionalized cellulose nanocrystal films for anti-counterfeiting applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, L.; Lai, C.; Marchewka, R.; Berry, R. M.; Tam, K. C.

2016-07-01

Structural colors and photoluminescence have been widely used for anti-counterfeiting and security applications. We report for the first time the use of CdS quantum dot (QD)-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as building blocks to fabricate nanothin films via layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly for anti-counterfeiting applications. Both negatively- and positively-charged CNC/QD nanohybrids with a high colloidal stability and a narrow particle size distribution were prepared. The controllable LBL coating process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and ellipsometry. The rigid structure of CNCs leads to nanoporous structured films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates with high transmittance (above 70%) over the entire range of visible light and also resulted in increased hydrophilicity (contact angles of ~40 degrees). Nanothin films on PET substrates showed good flexibility and enhanced stability in both water and ethanol. The modified PET films with structural colors from thin-film interference and photoluminescence from QDs can be used in anti-counterfeiting applications.Structural colors and photoluminescence have been widely used for anti-counterfeiting and security applications. We report for the first time the use of CdS quantum dot (QD)-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as building blocks to fabricate nanothin films via layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly for anti-counterfeiting applications. Both negatively- and positively-charged CNC/QD nanohybrids with a high colloidal stability and a narrow particle size distribution were prepared. The controllable LBL coating process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and ellipsometry. The rigid structure of CNCs leads to nanoporous structured films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates with high transmittance (above 70%) over the entire range of visible light and also resulted in increased hydrophilicity (contact angles of ~40 degrees). Nanothin films on PET substrates showed good flexibility and enhanced stability in both water and ethanol. The modified PET films with structural colors from thin-film interference and photoluminescence from QDs can be used in anti-counterfeiting applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr03039d

Diffractive element in extreme-UV lithography condenser

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C.; Ray-Chaudhuri, Avijit

2001-01-01

Condensers having a mirror with a diffraction grating in projection lithography using extreme ultra-violet significantly enhances critical dimension control. The diffraction grating has the effect of smoothing the illumination at the camera's entrance pupil with minimum light loss. Modeling suggests that critical dimension control for 100 nm features can be improved from 3 nm to less than about 0.5 nm.

Diffractive element in extreme-UV lithography condenser

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C.; Ray-Chaudhurl, Avijit K.

2000-01-01

Condensers having a mirror with a diffraction grating in projection lithography using extreme ultra-violet significantly enhances critical dimension control. The diffraction grating has the effect of smoothing the illumination at the camera's entrance pupil with minimum light loss. Modeling suggests that critical dimension control for 100 nm features can be improved from 3 nm to less than about 0.5 nm.

Blazed vector gratings fabricated using photosensitive polymer liquid crystals and control of polarization diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Hiroshi; Kuzuwata, Mitsuru; Sasaki, Tomoyuki; Noda, Kohei; Kawatsuki, Nobuhiro

2014-03-01

The blazed vector grating possessing antisymmetric distributions of the birefringence were fabricated by exposing the line-focused linearly polarized ultraviolet light on the photosensitive polymer liquid crystals. The polarization states of the diffraction beams can be highly and widely controlled by designing the blazed structures, and the diffraction properties were well-explained by Jones calculus.

Continuous wavelength tunable laser source with optimum positioning of pivot axis for grating

DOEpatents

Pushkarsky, Michael; Amone, David F.

2010-06-08

A laser source (10) for generating a continuously wavelength tunable light (12) includes a gain media (16), an optical output coupler (36F), a cavity collimator (38A), a diffraction grating (30), a grating beam (54), and a beam attacher (56). The diffraction grating (30) is spaced apart from the cavity collimator (38A) and the grating (30) cooperates with the optical output coupler (36F) to define an external cavity (32). The grating (30) includes a grating face surface (42A) that is in a grating plane (42B). The beam attacher (56) retains the grating beam (54) and allows the grating beam (54) and the grating (30) to effectively pivot about a pivot axis (33) that is located approximately at an intersection of a pivot plane (50) and the grating plane (42B). As provided herein, the diffraction grating (30) can be pivoted about the unique pivot axis (33) to move the diffraction grating (30) relative to the gain media (16) to continuously tune the lasing frequency of the external cavity (32) and the wavelength of the output light (12) so that the output light (12) is mode hop free.

Visible diffraction from quasi-crystalline arrays of carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, Timothy P.; Butt, Haider; Wilkinson, Timothy D.; Amaratunga, Gehan A. J.

2015-08-01

Large area arrays of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are patterned in a quasi-crystalline Penrose tile arrangement through electron beam lithography definition of Ni catalyst dots and subsequent nanotube growth by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. When illuminated with a 532 nm laser beam high-quality and remarkable diffraction patterns are seen. The diffraction is well matched to theoretical calculations which assume apertures to be present at the location of the VACNTs for transmitted light. The results show that VACNTs act as diffractive elements in reflection and can be used as spatially phased arrays for producing tailored diffraction patterns.

Diffraction of three-colour radiation on an acoustic wave

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

Kotov, V M

We study acousto-optic Bragg diffraction of three-colour radiation having wavelengths of 488, 514 and 633 nm on a single acoustic wave propagating in a TeO{sub 2} crystal. A technique is developed that allows one to find diffraction regimes with a proportional change in the intensity of all radiations by varying the acoustic power. According to the technique, radiation with a maximum wavelength has to be in strict Bragg synchronism with the acoustic wave, while other radiations diffract during the synchronism detuning. The results obtained using this technique are experimentally confirmed. (diffraction of light)

Advanced diffraction-based overlay for double patterning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jie; Liu, Yongdong; Dasari, Prasad; Hu, Jiangtao; Smith, Nigel; Kritsun, Oleg; Volkman, Catherine

2010-03-01

Diffraction based overlay (DBO) technologies have been developed to address the tighter overlay control challenges as the dimensions of integrated circuit continue to shrink. Several studies published recently have demonstrated that the performance of DBO technologies has the potential to meet the overlay metrology budget for 22nm technology node. However, several hurdles must be cleared before DBO can be used in production. One of the major hurdles is that most DBO technologies require specially designed targets that consist of multiple measurement pads, which consume too much space and increase measurement time. A more advanced spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) technology-Mueller Matrix SE (MM-SE) is developed to address the challenge. We use a double patterning sample to demonstrate the potential of MM-SE as a DBO candidate. Sample matrix (the matrix that describes the effects of the sample on the incident optical beam) obtained from MM-SE contains up to 16 elements. We show that the Mueller elements from the off-diagonal 2x2 blocks respond to overlay linearly and are zero when overlay errors are absent. This superior property enables empirical DBO (eDBO) using two pads per direction. Furthermore, the rich information in Mueller matrix and its direct response to overlay make it feasible to extract overlay errors from only one pad per direction using modeling approach (mDBO). We here present the Mueller overlay results using both eDBO and mDBO and compare the results with image-based overlay (IBO) and CD-SEM results. We also report the tool induced shifts (TIS) and dynamic repeatability.

Application of the polychromatic defocus transfer function to multifocal lenses.

PubMed

Schwiegerling, Jim; Choi, Junoh

2008-11-01

To model the performance of multifocal lenses in polychromatic lighting. The defocus transfer function (DTF) is a mathematical technique for illustrating the optical transfer function for all levels of defocus at a given wavelength. A polychromatic version of the DTF is developed that accounts for changes in cutoff frequency, reduction in diffraction efficiency, ocular chromatic aberration, and photoreceptor spectral sensitivity. The differences between the monochromatic and polychromatic DTF are illustrated with a diffractive multifocal intraocular lens. Polychromatic analysis shows an increase in depth of field of diffractive lenses relative to assessment at a single wavelength. The polychromatic DTF is a useful tool for analyzing presbyopia treatments under "white-light" viewing conditions and provides feedback to lens designers on anticipated performance.

A Metalens with a Near-Unity Numerical Aperture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paniagua-Domínguez, Ramón; Yu, Ye Feng; Khaidarov, Egor; Choi, Sumin; Leong, Victor; Bakker, Reuben M.; Liang, Xinan; Fu, Yuan Hsing; Valuckas, Vytautas; Krivitsky, Leonid A.; Kuznetsov, Arseniy I.

2018-03-01

The numerical aperture (NA) of a lens determines its ability to focus light and its resolving capability. Having a large NA is a very desirable quality for applications requiring small light-matter interaction volumes or large angular collections. Traditionally, a large NA lens based on light refraction requires precision bulk optics that ends up being expensive and is thus also a specialty item. In contrast, metasurfaces allow the lens designer to circumvent those issues producing high NA lenses in an ultra-flat fashion. However, so far, these have been limited to numerical apertures on the same order of traditional optical components, with experimentally reported values of NA <0.9. Here we demonstrate, both numerically and experimentally, a new approach that results in a diffraction limited flat lens with a near-unity numerical aperture (NA>0.99) and sub-wavelength thickness (~{\\lambda}/3), operating with unpolarized light at 715 nm. To demonstrate its imaging capability, the designed lens is applied in a confocal configuration to map color centers in sub-diffractive diamond nanocrystals. This work, based on diffractive elements able to efficiently bend light at angles as large as 82{\\deg}, represents a step beyond traditional optical elements and existing flat optics, circumventing the efficiency drop associated to the standard, phase mapping approach.

Diffractive optical elements with radial four-level microrelief fabricated by two-photon polymerization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavelyev, V.; Osipov, V.; Kachalov, D.; Chichkov, B.

2013-01-01

The two-photon polymerization technique is applied for the fabrication of diffractive optical elements (DOE) with a four-level microrelief. These DOEs form longitudinal intensity distribution (axial light segment) with dimensions required for ophthalmological applications.

Controlling plasmonic properties of epitaxial thin films of indium tin oxide in the near-infrared region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamakura, R.; Fujita, K.; Murai, S.; Tanaka, K.

2015-06-01

Epitaxial thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO) were grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia single-crystal substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition to examine their plasmonic properties. The dielectric function of ITO was characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Through the concentration of SnO2 in the target, the carrier concentration in the films was modified, which directly leads to the tuning of the dielectric function in the near-infrared region. Variable-angle reflectance spectroscopy in the Kretschmann geometry shows the dip in the reflection spectrum of p-polarized light corresponding to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritions (SPPs) in the near-infrared region. The excitation wavelength of the SPPs was shifted with changing the dielectric functions of ITO, which is reproduced by the calculation using transfer matrix method.

Analysis of frequency mixing error on heterodyne interferometric ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Yuan-long; Li, Xue-jin; Wu, Yu-bin; Hu, Ju-guang; Yao, Jian-quan

2007-11-01

A heterodyne interferometric ellipsometer, with no moving parts and a transverse Zeeman laser, is demonstrated. The modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer characterized as a separate frequency and common-path configuration is designed and theoretically analyzed. The experimental data show a fluctuation mainly resulting from the frequency mixing error which is caused by the imperfection of polarizing beam splitters (PBS), the elliptical polarization and non-orthogonality of light beams. The producing mechanism of the frequency mixing error and its influence on measurement are analyzed with the Jones matrix method; the calculation indicates that it results in an error up to several nanometres in the thickness measurement of thin films. The non-orthogonality has no contribution to the phase difference error when it is relatively small; the elliptical polarization and the imperfection of PBS have a major effect on the error.

Micro Ring Grating Spectrometer with Adjustable Aperture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A spectrometer includes a micro-ring grating device having coaxially-aligned ring gratings for diffracting incident light onto a target focal point, a detection device for detecting light intensity, one or more actuators, and an adjustable aperture device defining a circular aperture. The aperture circumscribes a target focal point, and directs a light to the detection device. The aperture device is selectively adjustable using the actuators to select a portion of a frequency band for transmission to the detection device. A method of detecting intensity of a selected band of incident light includes directing incident light onto coaxially-aligned ring gratings of a micro-ring grating device, and diffracting the selected band onto a target focal point using the ring gratings. The method includes using an actuator to adjust an aperture device and pass a selected portion of the frequency band to a detection device for measuring the intensity of the selected portion.

Diffractive charmonium spectrum in high energy collisions in the basis light-front quantization approach

DOE PAGES

Chen, Guangyao; Li, Yang; Maris, Pieter; ...

2017-04-14

Using the charmonium light-front wavefunctions obtained by diagonalizing an effective Hamiltonian with the one-gluon exchange interaction and a confining potential inspired by light-front holography in the basis light-front quantization formalism, we compute production of charmonium states in diffractive deep inelastic scattering and ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions within the dipole picture. Our method allows us to predict yields of all vector charmonium states below the open flavor thresholds in high-energy deep inelastic scattering, proton-nucleus and ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions, without introducing any new parameters in the light-front wavefunctions. The obtained charmonium cross section is in reasonable agreement with experimental data atmore » HERA, RHIC and LHC. We observe that the cross-section ratio σΨ(2s)/σJ/Ψ reveals significant independence of model parameters« less

Birefringence Bragg Binary (3B) grating, quasi-Bragg grating and immersion gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebizuka, Noboru; Morita, Shin-ya; Yamagata, Yutaka; Sasaki, Minoru; Bianco, Andorea; Tanabe, Ayano; Hashimoto, Nobuyuki; Hirahara, Yasuhiro; Aoki, Wako

2014-07-01

A volume phase holographic (VPH) grating achieves high angular dispersion and very high diffraction efficiency for the first diffraction order and for S or P polarization. However the VPH grating could not achieve high diffraction efficiency for non-polarized light at a large diffraction angle because properties of diffraction efficiencies for S and P polarizations are different. Furthermore diffraction efficiency of the VPH grating extinguishes toward a higher diffraction order. A birefringence binary Bragg (3B) grating is a thick transmission grating with optically anisotropic material such as lithium niobate or liquid crystal. The 3B grating achieves diffraction efficiency up to 100% for non-polarized light by tuning of refractive indices for S and P polarizations, even in higher diffraction orders. We fabricated 3B grating with liquid crystal and evaluated the performance of the liquid crystal grating. A quasi-Bragg (QB) grating, which consists long rectangle mirrors aligned in parallel precisely such as a window shade, also achieves high diffraction efficiency toward higher orders. We fabricated QB grating by laminating of silica glass substrates and glued by pressure fusion of gold films. A quasi-Bragg immersion (QBI) grating has smooth mirror hypotenuse and reflector array inside the hypotenuse, instead of step-like grooves of a conventional immersion grating. An incident beam of the QBI grating reflects obliquely at a reflector, then reflects vertically at the mirror surface and reflects again at the same reflector. We are going to fabricate QBI gratings by laminating of mirror plates as similar to fabrication of the QB grating. We will also fabricate silicon and germanium immersion gratings with conventional step-like grooves by means of the latest diamond machining methods. We introduce characteristics and performance of these gratings.

Evaluation of the SEI using a multilayer spectroscopic ellipsometry model

DOE PAGES

Dufek, Eric J.

2014-08-28

A multilayer spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) model has been developed to characterize SEI formation. The model, which consists of two Cauchy layers, is constructed with an inner layer meant to model primarily inorganic compounds adjacent to an electrode and an outer layer which mirrors polymeric, organic constituents on the exterior of the SEI. Comparison of 1:1 EC:EMC and 1:4 EC:EMC with 1.0 M LiPF₆ shows distinct differences in the two modeled layers. The data suggest that the thickness of both layers change over a wide potential range. These changes have been linked with other reports on the growth of the SEI.

Solid-state dewetting of thin Au films studied with real-time, in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnozzi, M.; Bisio, F.; Canepa, M.

2017-11-01

We report the design and testing of a small, high vacuum chamber that allows real-time, in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements; the chamber was designed to be easily inserted within the arms of a commercial ellipsometer. As a test application, we investigated the temperature-induced solid-state dewetting of thin (20 to 8 nm) Au layers on Si wafers. In situ SE measurements acquired in real time during the heating of the samples reveal features that can be related to the birth of a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and demonstrate the presence of a temperature threshold for the solid-state dewetting.

Observation of Frenkel and charge transfer excitons in pentacene single crystals using spectroscopic generalized ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Dongchen; Su, Haibin; Bastjan, M.; Jurchescu, O. D.; Palstra, T. M.; Wee, Andrew T. S.; Rübhausen, M.; Rusydi, A.

2013-09-01

We report on the emerging and admixture of Frenkel and charge transfer (CT) excitons near the absorption onset in pentacene single crystals. Using high energy-resolution spectroscopic generalized ellipsometry with in-plane polarization dependence, the excitonic nature of three lowest lying excitations is discussed. Their distinct polarization dependence strongly indicates the presence of both Frenkel and CT types of excitons near the excitation onset. In particular, the peculiar polarization behavior of the second excitation can only be rationalized by taking into account the inherent CT transition dipole moment. This observation has important implications for the pentacene-based optoelectronic devices.

Calculation of optical band gaps of a-Si:H thin films by ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Yijiao; Li, Wei; Wu, Maoyang; Fu, Junwei; Jiang, Yadong

2010-10-01

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films doped with Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N) were deposited by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD). The optical band gaps of the thin films obtained through either changing the gas pressure (P-doped only) or adulterating nitrogen concentration (with fixed P content) were investigated by means of Ellipsometric and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, respectively. Tauc formula was used in calculating the optical band gaps of the thin films in both methods. The results show that Ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry can be applied in the research of the optical properties of a-Si:H thin films experimentally. Both methods reflect the variation law of the optical band gaps caused by CVD process parameters, i.e., the optical band gap of the a-Si:H thin films is increased with the rise of the gas pressure or the nitrogen concentration respectively. The difference in optical band gaps of the doped a-Si:H thin films calculated by Ellipsometry or UV-Vis spectrophotometry are not so great that they both can be used to measure the optical band gaps of the thin films in practical applications.

Quantification of Ligand Binding to G-Protein Coupled Receptors on Cell Membranes by Ellipsometry

PubMed Central

Kriechbaumer, Verena; Nabok, Alexei; Widdowson, Robert; Smith, David P.; Abell, Ben M.

2012-01-01

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are prime drug targets and targeted by approximately 60% of current therapeutic drugs such as β-blockers, antipsychotics and analgesics. However, no biophysical methods are available to quantify their interactions with ligand binding in a native environment. Here, we use ellipsometry to quantify specific interactions of receptors within native cell membranes. As a model system, the GPCR-ligand CXCL12α and its receptor CXCR4 are used. Human-derived Ishikawa cells were deposited onto gold coated slides via Langmuir-Schaefer film deposition and interactions between the receptor CXCR4 on these cells and its ligand CXCL12α were detected via total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE). This interaction could be inhibited by application of the CXCR4-binding drug AMD3100. Advantages of this approach are that it allows measurement of interactions in a lipid environment without the need for labelling, protein purification or reconstitution of membrane proteins. This technique is potentially applicable to a wide variety of cell types and their membrane receptors, providing a novel method to determine ligand or drug interactions targeting GPCRs and other membrane proteins. PMID:23049983

Characterizing dielectric tensors of anisotropic materials from a single measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Paula Kay

Ellipsometry techniques look at changes in polarization states to measure optical properties of thin film materials. A beam reflected from a substrate measures the real and imaginary parts of the index of the material represented as n and k, respectively. Measuring the substrate at several angles gives additional information that can be used to measure multilayer thin film stacks. However, the outstanding problem in standard ellipsometry is that it uses a limited number of incident polarization states (s and p). This limits the technique to isotropic materials. The technique discussed in this paper extends the standard process to measure anisotropic materials by using a larger set of incident polarization states. By using a polarimeter to generate several incident polarization states and measure the polarization properties of the sample, ellipsometry can be performed on biaxial materials. Use of an optimization algorithm in conjunction with biaxial ellipsometry can more accurately determine the dielectric tensor of individual layers in multilayer structures. Biaxial ellipsometry is a technique that measures the dielectric tensors of a biaxial substrate, single-layer thin film, or multi-layer structure. The dielectric tensor of a biaxial material consists of the real and imaginary parts of the three orthogonal principal indices (n x + ikx, ny +iky and nz + i kz) as well as three Euler angles (alpha, beta and gamma) to describe its orientation. The method utilized in this work measures an angle-of-incidence Mueller matrix from a Mueller matrix imaging polarimeter equipped with a pair of microscope objectives that have low polarization properties. To accurately determine the dielectric tensors for multilayer samples, the angle-of-incidence Mueller matrix images are collected for multiple wavelengths. This is done in either a transmission mode or a reflection mode, each incorporates an appropriate dispersion model. Given approximate a priori knowledge of the dielectric tensor and film thickness, a Jones reflectivity matrix is calculated by solving Maxwell's equations at each surface. Converting the Jones matrix into a Mueller matrix provides a starting point for optimization. An optimization algorithm then finds the best fit dielectric tensor based on the measured angle-of-incidence Mueller matrix image. This process can be applied to polarizing materials, birefringent crystals and the multilayer structures of liquid crystal displays. In particular, the need for such accuracy in liquid crystal displays is growing as their applications in industry evolve.

Interplay of hydrogen and deposition temperature in optical properties of hot-wire deposited a-Si:H Films: Ex situ spectroscopic ellipsometry studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S.; Weiner, B. R.; Morell, G.

2005-11-01

High-quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films were grown by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition on glass (Corning 7059) using silane with relatively high hydrogen albeit avoiding the formation of microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon. They were grown as a function of substrate temperature (TS) ranging from 50 to 515 °C resulting in the corresponding hydrogen concentration [CH] variation from 20.0 to 0.2 at. %. They are optically examined ex situ using spectroscopic phase modulated ellipsometry from near IR to near UV (i.e., 1.5-5.0 eV) obtaining pseudo-dielectric function (<ɛr(E)>,<ɛi(E)>) for investigating the role of hydrogen in network disorder. The raw ellipsometry data were modeled using Bruggeman effective medium theory and the dispersion relations for the amorphous semiconductors. A two-layer model consisting of a top surface roughness layer (dS) containing an effective medium mix of 50% a-Si:H and 50% voids and a single ``bulk'' layer (dB) of 100% a-Si:H was used to simulate the data reasonably well. We performed these simulations by nonlinear least-square regression analysis and it was possible to estimate the true dielectric function, energy band gap (Eg), film thickness (dSE), bulk void fraction, surface roughness layer (dS), and confidence limits (χ2). Moreover, it is shown that the Tauc-Lorentz model fits the ellipsometry data reasonably well and helps elucidating the layered structure of a-Si:H thin films. We also compared the optical band gap determined using ellipsometry modeling and the Tauc gap. We discuss the variation of the deduced parameters in terms of role of TS (T role) or of hydrogen (H role) yielding possible physical meaning and found an agreement with the excitation dependent Raman spectroscopy results reported earlier [S. Gupta, R. S. Katiyar, G. Morell, S. Z. Weisz, and J. Balberg, Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 2803 (1999)]. Atomic force microscopy was also used to validate the simulations. These analyses led to a correlation between the films' microstructure (or network disorder) and their electronic properties for electronic device applications, in general and for photovoltaic applications, in particular.

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

Grujić-Brojčin, M., E-mail: myramyra@ipb.ac.rs; Armaković, S.; Tomić, N.

The influence of La-doping in the range of 0.5–6.0 mol% on structural and morphological properties of TiO{sub 2} nanopowders synthesized by sol–gel routine has been investigated by XRPD, AFM, EDS and BET measurements, as well as Raman spectroscopy. The XRPD and Raman measurements have revealed the anatase phase as dominant in all nanopowders, with crystallite size decreasing from ∼ 15 nm in pure TiO{sub 2} to ∼ 12 nm in La-doped samples. The BET data suggest that all samples are fully mesoporous, with mean pore diameters in the range of ∼ 6–8 nm. The specific surface area and the complexitymore » of pore structure are greater in doped samples than in pure TiO{sub 2} sample. The spectroscopic ellipsometry has apparently shown that the band gap has been gradually increased with the increase of La content. The STM and STS techniques have been used successfully to evaluate the surface morphology and electronic properties of La-doped nanopowders. All investigated properties have been related to photocatalytic activity, tested in degradation of a metoprolol tartrate salt (0.05 mM), and induced by UV-radiation. All doped samples showed increased photocatalytic activity compared to pure TiO{sub 2}, among which the 0.65 mol% La-doped sample appeared to be the most efficient. - Highlights: • Effects of La-doping on structural, morphological and electronic properties of TiO{sub 2} nanopowders. • Surface morphology and electronic properties of La-doped nanopowders evaluated by STM/STS. • Spectroscopic ellipsometry shown gradual increase of bandgap with the increase of La content. • Photocatalytic activity of samples was tested in degradation of MET under UV light.« less

Design, simulation, and optimization of an RGB polarization independent transmission volume hologram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahamat, Adoum Hassan

Volume phase holographic (VPH) gratings have been designed for use in many areas of science and technology such as optical communication, medical imaging, spectroscopy and astronomy. The goal of this dissertation is to design a volume phase holographic grating that provides diffraction efficiencies of at least 70% for the entire visible wavelengths and higher than 90% for red, green, and blue light when the incident light is unpolarized. First, the complete design, simulation and optimization of the volume hologram are presented. The optimization is done using a Monte Carlo analysis to solve for the index modulation needed to provide higher diffraction efficiencies. The solutions are determined by solving the diffraction efficiency equations determined by Kogelnik's two wave coupled-wave theory. The hologram is further optimized using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis to correct for effects of absorption omitted by Kogelnik's method. Second, the fabrication or recording process of the volume hologram is described in detail. The active region of the volume hologram is created by interference of two coherent beams within the thin film. Third, the experimental set up and measurement of some properties including the diffraction efficiencies of the volume hologram, and the thickness of the active region are conducted. Fourth, the polarimetric response of the volume hologram is investigated. The polarization study is developed to provide insight into the effect of the refractive index modulation onto the polarization state and diffraction efficiency of incident light.

Cost-effective large-scale fabrication of diffractive optical elements by using conventional semiconducting processes.

PubMed

Yoo, Seunghwan; Song, Ho Young; Lee, Junghoon; Jang, Cheol-Yong; Jeong, Hakgeun

2012-11-20

In this article, we introduce a simple fabrication method for SiO(2)-based thin diffractive optical elements (DOEs) that uses the conventional processes widely used in the semiconductor industry. Photolithography and an inductively coupled plasma etching technique are easy and cost-effective methods for fabricating subnanometer-scale and thin DOEs with a refractive index of 1.45, based on SiO(2). After fabricating DOEs, we confirmed the shape of the output light emitted from the laser diode light source and applied to a light-emitting diode (LED) module. The results represent a new approach to mass-produce DOEs and realize a high-brightness LED module.

Wafer-scale micro-optics fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelkel, Reinhard

2012-07-01

Micro-optics is an indispensable key enabling technology for many products and applications today. Probably the most prestigious examples are the diffractive light shaping elements used in high-end DUV lithography steppers. Highly-efficient refractive and diffractive micro-optical elements are used for precise beam and pupil shaping. Micro-optics had a major impact on the reduction of aberrations and diffraction effects in projection lithography, allowing a resolution enhancement from 250 nm to 45 nm within the past decade. Micro-optics also plays a decisive role in medical devices (endoscopes, ophthalmology), in all laser-based devices and fiber communication networks, bringing high-speed internet to our homes. Even our modern smart phones contain a variety of micro-optical elements. For example, LED flash light shaping elements, the secondary camera, ambient light and proximity sensors. Wherever light is involved, micro-optics offers the chance to further miniaturize a device, to improve its performance, or to reduce manufacturing and packaging costs. Wafer-scale micro-optics fabrication is based on technology established by the semiconductor industry. Thousands of components are fabricated in parallel on a wafer. This review paper recapitulates major steps and inventions in wafer-scale micro-optics technology. The state-of-the-art of fabrication, testing and packaging technology is summarized.

The mechanism of color change in the neon tetra fish: a light-induced tunable photonic crystal array.

PubMed

Gur, Dvir; Palmer, Benjamin A; Leshem, Ben; Oron, Dan; Fratzl, Peter; Weiner, Steve; Addadi, Lia

2015-10-12

The fresh water fish neon tetra has the ability to change the structural color of its lateral stripe in response to a change in the light conditions, from blue-green in the light-adapted state to indigo in the dark-adapted state. The colors are produced by constructive interference of light reflected from stacks of intracellular guanine crystals, forming tunable photonic crystal arrays. We have used micro X-ray diffraction to track in time distinct diffraction spots corresponding to individual crystal arrays within a single cell during the color change. We demonstrate that reversible variations in crystal tilt within individual arrays are responsible for the light-induced color variations. These results settle a long-standing debate between the two proposed models, the "Venetian blinds" model and the "accordion" model. The insight gained from this biogenic light-induced photonic tunable system may provide inspiration for the design of artificial optical tunable systems. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Facile fabrication of BiVO4 nanofilms with controlled pore size and their photoelectrochemical performances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Chenchen; Jiao, Zhengbo; Li, Shaopeng; Zhang, Yan; Bi, Yingpu

2015-12-01

We demonstrate a facile method for the rational fabrication of pore-size controlled nanoporous BiVO4 photoanodes, and confirmed that the optimum pore-size distributions could effectively absorb visible light through light diffraction and confinement functions. Furthermore, in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals more efficient photoexcited electron-hole separation than conventional particle films, induced by light confinement and rapid charge transfer in the inter-crossed worm-like structures.We demonstrate a facile method for the rational fabrication of pore-size controlled nanoporous BiVO4 photoanodes, and confirmed that the optimum pore-size distributions could effectively absorb visible light through light diffraction and confinement functions. Furthermore, in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals more efficient photoexcited electron-hole separation than conventional particle films, induced by light confinement and rapid charge transfer in the inter-crossed worm-like structures. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06584d

Tailoring the Optical Properties of Silicon with Ion Beam Created Nanostructures for Advanced Photonics Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhter, Perveen

In today's fast life, energy consumption has increased more than ever and with that the demand for a renewable and cleaner energy source as a substitute for the fossil fuels has also increased. Solar radiations are the ultimate source of energy but harvesting this energy in a cost effective way is a challenging task. Si is the dominating material for microelectronics and photovoltaics. But owing to its indirect band gap, Si is an inefficient light absorber, thus requiring a thickness of solar cells beyond tens of microns which increases the cost of solar energy. Therefore, techniques to increase light absorption in thin film Si solar cells are of great importance and have been the focus of research for a few decades now. Another big issue of technology in this fast-paced world is the computing rate or data transfer rate between components of a chip in ultra-fast processors. Existing electronic interconnects suffering from the signal delays and heat generation issues are unable to handle high data rates. A possible solution to this problem is in replacing the electronic interconnects with optical interconnects which have large data carrying capacity. However, optical components are limited in size by the fundamental laws of diffraction to about half a wavelength of light and cannot be combined with nanoscale electronic components. Tremendous research efforts have been directed in search of an advanced technology which can bridge the size gap between electronic and photonic worlds. An emerging technology of "plasmonics'' which exploits the extraordinary optical properties of metal nanostructures to tailor the light at nanoscale has been considered a potential solution to both of the above-mentioned problems. Research conducted for this dissertation has an overall goal to investigate the optical properties of silicon with metal nanostructures for photovoltaics and advanced silicon photonics applications. The first part of the research focuses on achieving enhanced light trapping in poly-Si thin films using ion implantation induced surface texturing. In addition to surface texturing produced by H and Ar ion implantations, metal nanostructures are also added to the surface to further suppress light reflection at the plasmonic resonance of metal nanostructures. Remarkable suppression has been achieved resulting in reflection from the air/Si interface to below ˜5%. In the second part, optical properties of embedded metal nanostructures in silicon matrix gettered into the ion implantation created nanocavities are studied. Embedded nanostructures can have a huge impact in future photonics applications by replacing the existing electronic and photonic components such as interconnects, waveguides, modulators and amplifiers with their plasmonic counterparts. This new method of encapsulating metal nanostructures in silicon is cost-effective and compatible with silicon fabrication technology. Spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to study the dielectric properties of silicon with embedded silver nanostructures. High absorption regions around 900 nm, corresponding to plasmonic absorption of Ag nanoparticles in Si, have been observed and compared to theoretical calculations and simulation results. The possibility of modifying the dielectric function of Si with metal nanostructures can lay the foundation for functional base structures for advanced applications in silicon photonics, photovoltaics and plasmonics.

A Dark Knight for Public Education: Using Batman as an Apparatus of Diffraction with Neoliberal Education Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huddleston, Gabriel

2016-01-01

Diffraction is defined as the process by which a beam of light or other system of waves is spread out as a result of passing through a narrow aperture or across an edge. In this article, the author employs his favorite comic book character, Batman, and positions him as a tool of diffraction for education reforms. Huddleston argues that it is…

Toward in situ x-ray diffraction imaging at the nanometer scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zatsepin, Nadia A.; Dilanian, Ruben A.; Nikulin, Andrei Y.; Gable, Brian M.; Muddle, Barry C.; Sakata, Osami

2008-08-01

We present the results of preliminary investigations determining the sensitivity and applicability of a novel x-ray diffraction based nanoscale imaging technique, including simulations and experiments. The ultimate aim of this nascent technique is non-destructive, bulk-material characterization on the nanometer scale, involving three dimensional image reconstructions of embedded nanoparticles and in situ sample characterization. The approach is insensitive to x-ray coherence, making it applicable to synchrotron and laboratory hard x-ray sources, opening the possibility of unprecedented nanometer resolution with the latter. The technique is being developed with a focus on analyzing a technologically important light metal alloy, Al-xCu (where x is 2.0-5.0 %wt). The mono- and polycrystalline samples contain crystallographically oriented, weakly diffracting Al2Cu nanoprecipitates in a sparse, spatially random dispersion within the Al matrix. By employing a triple-axis diffractometer in the non-dispersive setup we collected two-dimensional reciprocal space maps of synchrotron x-rays diffracted from the Al2Cu nanoparticles. The intensity profiles of the diffraction peaks confirmed the sensitivity of the technique to the presence and orientation of the nanoparticles. This is a fundamental step towards in situ observation of such extremely sparse, weakly diffracting nanoprecipitates embedded in light metal alloys at early stages of their growth.

Experimental method for testing diffraction properties of reflection waveguide holograms.

PubMed

Xie, Yi; Kang, Ming-Wu; Wang, Bao-Ping

2014-07-01

Waveguide holograms' diffraction properties include peak wavelength and diffraction efficiency, which play an important role in determining their display performance. Based on the record and reconstruction theory of reflection waveguide holograms, a novel experimental method for testing diffraction properties is introduced and analyzed in this paper, which uses a plano-convex lens optically contacted to the surface of the substrate plate of the waveguide hologram, so that the diffracted light beam can be easily detected. Then an experiment is implemented. The designed reconstruction wavelength of the test sample is 530 nm, and its diffraction efficiency is 100%. The experimental results are a peak wavelength of 527.7 nm and a diffraction efficiency of 94.1%. It is shown that the tested value corresponds well with the designed value.

Applications of the diffraction and interference of light and electronic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahrim, Cristian; Lanning, Robert

2010-10-01

As part of a NSF sponsored program, called STAIRSTEP, at Lamar University we work on improving the basic knowledge of our physics majors in topics with broader impact in various areas of science and engineering [1]. The purpose is to facilitate a deeper understanding of some fundamental concepts in the field of optics through hands-on experience [2]. We choose to study the interference/diffraction of light and matter waves, because of its fundamental importance in physics with many applications. We target multiple goals in our field of study such as to understand the formation of electronic waves (wave packets) and their interaction with atoms in crystals (electron diffraction); the Fourier analysis of light with applications in spectroscopy, etc. We can show that a crystal lattice Fourier transforms the sinusoidal waves associated to free electrons fired toward the crystal. Our studies led to a simple and instructive recipe for discovering the arrangement of atoms in crystals from the analysis of the diffraction patterns produced by radiation or by electrons transmitted through crystals. [1] Doerschuk P. et al., 39th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, San Antonio 2009, M3F-1. [2] Bahrim C, Innovation 2006 -- World Innovations in Engineering Education and Research, Chapter 17, iNEER Innovation Series, ISBN 0-9741252-5-3.

Optical Crystals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergsten, Ronald

1974-01-01

Discusses the production and structure of a sequence of optical crystals which can serve as one-, two-, and three-dimensional diffraction plates to illustrate diffraction patterns by using light rather than x-rays or particles. Applications to qualitative presentations of Laue theory at the secondary and college levels are recommended. (CC)

Large angle solid state position sensitive x-ray detector system

DOEpatents

Kurtz, D.S.; Ruud, C.O.

1998-03-03

A method and apparatus for x-ray measurement of certain properties of a solid material are disclosed. In distinction to known methods and apparatus, this invention employs a specific fiber-optic bundle configuration, termed a reorganizer, itself known for other uses, for coherently transmitting visible light originating from the scintillation of diffracted x-radiation from the solid material gathered along a substantially one dimensional linear arc, to a two-dimensional photo-sensor array. The two-dimensional photodetector array, with its many closely packed light sensitive pixels, is employed to process the information contained in the diffracted radiation and present the information in the form of a conventional x-ray diffraction spectrum. By this arrangement, the angular range of the combined detector faces may be increased without loss of angular resolution. Further, the prohibitively expensive coupling together of a large number of individual linear diode photodetectors, which would be required to process signals generated by the diffracted radiation, is avoided. 7 figs.

Large angle solid state position sensitive x-ray detector system

DOEpatents

Kurtz, D.S.; Ruud, C.O.

1998-07-21

A method and apparatus are disclosed for x-ray measurement of certain properties of a solid material. In distinction to known methods and apparatus, this invention employs a specific fiber-optic bundle configuration, termed a reorganizer, itself known for other uses, for coherently transmitting visible light originating from the scintillation of diffracted x-radiation from the solid material gathered along a substantially one dimensional linear arc, to a two-dimensional photo-sensor array. The two-dimensional photodetector array, with its many closely packed light sensitive pixels, is employed to process the information contained in the diffracted radiation and present the information in the form of a conventional x-ray diffraction spectrum. By this arrangement, the angular range of the combined detector faces may be increased without loss of angular resolution. Further, the prohibitively expensive coupling together of a large number of individual linear diode photodetectors, which would be required to process signals generated by the diffracted radiation, is avoided. 7 figs.

Readout signals calculated for near-field optical pickups with land and groove recording.

PubMed

Saito, K; Kishima, K; Ichimura, I

2000-08-10

Optical disk readout signals with a solid immersion lens (SIL) and the land-groove recording technique are calculated by use of a simplified vector-diffraction theory. In this method the full vector-diffraction theory is applied to calculate the diffracted light from the initial state of the disk, and the light scattered from the recorded marks is regarded as a perturbation. Using this method, we confirmed that the land-groove recording technique is effective as a means of cross-talk reduction even when the numerical aperture is more than 1. However, the top surface of the disk under the SIL must be flat, or the readout signal from marks recorded on a groove decays when the optical depth of the groove is greater than lambda/8.

The STIS CCD Spectroscopic Line Spread Functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gull, T.; Lindler, D.; Tennant, D.; Bowers, C.; Grady, C.; Hill, R. S.; Malumuth, E.

2002-01-01

We characterize the spectroscopic line spread functions of the spectroscopic CCD modes for high contrast objects. Our long range goal is to develop tools that accurately extract spectroscopic information of faint, point or extended sources in the vicinity of bright, point sources at separations approaching the realizable angular limits of HST with STIS. Diffracted and scattered light due to the HST optics, and scattered light effects within the STIS are addressed. Filter fringing, CCD fringing, window reflections, and scattering within the detector and other effects are noted. We have obtained spectra of several reference stars, used for flux calibration or for coronagraphic standards, that have spectral distributions ranging from very red to very blue. Spectra of each star were recorded with the star in the aperture and with the star blocked by either the F1 or F2 fiducial. Plots of the detected starlight along the spatial axis of the aperture are provided for four stars. With the star in the aperture, the line spread function is quite noticeable. Placing the star behind one of the fiducials cuts the scattered light and the diffracted light, is detectable even out to 1OOOOA. When the star is placed behind either fiducial, the scattered and diffracted light components, at three arcseconds displacement from the star, are below lop6 the peak of the star at wavelengths below 6000A; at the same angular distance, scattered light does contaminate the background longward of 6000A up to a level of 10(exp -5).

Ghost analysis visualization techniques for complex systems: examples from the NIF Final Optics Assembly

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

Beer, G K; Hendrix, J L; Rowe, J

1998-06-26

The stray light or "ghost" analysis of the National Ignition Facility's (NIP) Final Optics Assembly (FOA) has proved to be one of the most complex ghost analyses ever attempted. The NIF FOA consists of a bundle of four beam lines that: 1) provides the vacuum seal to the target chamber, 2) converts 1ω to 3ω light, 3) focuses the light on the target, 4) separates a fraction of the 3ω beam for energy diagnostics, 5) separates the three wavelengths to diffract unwanted 1ω & 2ω light away from the target, 6) provides spatial beam smoothing, and 7) provides a debrismore » barrier between the target chamber and the switchyard mirrors. The three wavelengths of light and seven optical elements with three diffractive optic surfaces generate three million ghosts through 4 th order. Approximately 24,000 of these ghosts have peak fluence exceeding 1 J/cm 2. The shear number of ghost paths requires a visualization method that allows overlapping ghosts on optics and mechanical components to be summed and then mapped to the optical and mechanical component surfaces in 3D space. This paper addresses the following aspects of the NIF Final Optics Ghost analysis: 1) materials issues for stray light mitigation, 2) limitations of current software tools (especially in modeling diffractive optics), 3) computer resource limitations affecting automated coherent raytracing, 4) folding the stray light analysis into the opto-mechanical design process, 5) analysis and visualization tools from simple hand calculations to specialized stray light analysis computer codes, and 6) attempts at visualizing these ghosts using a CAD model and another using a high end data visualization software approach.« less

Imaging System and Method for Biomedical Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-11

biological particles and items of interest. Broadly, Padmanabhan et al. utilize the diffraction of a laser light source in flow cytometry to count...spread of light from multiple LED devices over the entire sample surface. Preferably, light source 308 projects a full spectrum white light. Light...for example, red blood cells, white blood cells (which may include lymphocytes which are relatively large and easily detectable), T-helper cells

Gravitational Grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahvar, Sohrab

2018-05-01

In this work, we study the interaction of the electromagnetic wave (EW) from a distant quasar with the gravitational wave (GW) sourced by the binary stars. While in the regime of geometric optics, the light bending due to this interaction is negligible, we show that the phase shifting on the wavefront of an EW can produce the diffraction pattern on the observer plane. The diffraction of the light (with the wavelength of λe) by the gravitational wave playing the role of gravitational grating (with the wavelength of λg) has the diffraction angle of Δβ ˜ λe/λg. The relative motion of the observer, the source of gravitational wave and the quasar results in a relative motion of the observer through the interference pattern on the observer plane. The consequence of this fringe crossing is the modulation in the light curve of a quasar with the period of few hours in the microwave wavelength. The optical depth for the observation of this phenomenon for a Quasar with the multiple images strongly lensed by a galaxy where the light trajectory of some of the images crosses the lensing galaxy is τ ≃ 0.2. By shifting the time-delay of the light curves of the multiple images in a strong lensed quasar and removing the intrinsic variations of a quasar, our desired signals, as a new method for detection of GWs can be detected.

Teaching Optics Topics in College Physics Laboratory*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kezerashvili, Roman Y.

2006-12-01

We propose a list of designed experiments that could be presented at the laboratory class in the second semester of College and University Physics courses to study properties of light. The study of light can be organized into three domains: geometric optics, wave optics and quantum optics. These domains are not strictly disjoint. In the sets of experiments for the first domain students study the laws of reflection and refraction of light by measuring the dependence of the angles of reflection and refraction on the angle of incident, spherical mirrors and lenses, geometric optics of human eye. In the sets of experiments for the second domain students study the wave properties of light: dispersion, interference, diffraction and polarization. Experiments designed to verify the Malus's law and measure the Brewster's angle, determine the wavelength of laser light and study the interference on a transmission and reflection diffraction grating, diffraction on the different size slits and wires. The purposes of experiments for the third domain are to study the spectral lines of different gases, determine the Rydberg's constant from the spectrum of hydrogen atom, and verify the laws of the photoelectric effect and Einstein's quantum idea. The objectives of all experiments are to show the real action of physics laws, help students better understand and visualize the subject of the lecture. *Supported by US Department of Education grant P120A060052

Wavelength-division multiplexed optical integrated circuit with vertical diffraction grating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, Robert J. (Inventor); Forouhar, Siamak (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A semiconductor optical integrated circuit for wave division multiplexing has a semiconductor waveguide layer, a succession of diffraction grating points in the waveguide layer along a predetermined diffraction grating contour, a semiconductor diode array in the waveguide layer having plural optical ports facing the succession of diffraction grating points along a first direction, respective semiconductor diodes in the array corresponding to respective ones of a predetermined succession of wavelengths, an optical fiber having one end thereof terminated at the waveguide layer, the one end of the optical fiber facing the succession of diffraction grating points along a second direction, wherein the diffraction grating points are spatially distributed along the predetermined contour in such a manner that the succession of diffraction grating points diffracts light of respective ones of the succession of wavelengths between the one end of the optical fiber and corresponding ones of the optical ports.

Experiencing Light's Properties within Your Own Eye

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauser, Michael

2011-01-01

Seeing the reflection, refraction, dispersion, absorption, polarization, and scattering or diffraction of light within your own eye makes these properties of light truly personal. There are practical aspects of these within the eye phenomena, such as eye tracking for computer interfaces. They also offer some intriguing diversions, for example,…

An Inexpensive LED Light Sensor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutzner, Mickey; Wright, Richard; Kutzner, Emily

2010-01-01

Light irradiance measurements are important for students grappling with abstract optical phenomena such as the inverse square law, polarization, diffraction, interference, and spectroscopy. A variety of commercial light sensors are available from scientific vendors such as the CI-6504A from PASCO scientific and the LS-BTA from Vernier Software and…

Monitoring the layer-by-layer self-assembly of graphene and graphene oxide by spectroscopic ellipsometry.

PubMed

Zhou, Kai-Ge; Chang, Meng-Jie; Wang, Hang-Xing; Xie, Yu-Long; Zhang, Hao-Li

2012-01-01

Thin films of graphene oxide, graphene and copper (II) phthalocyanine dye have been successfully fabricated by electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly approach. We present the first variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) investigation on these graphene-dye hybrid thin films. The thickness evaluation suggested that our LbL assembly process produces highly uniform and reproducible thin films. We demonstrate that the refractive indices of the graphene-dye thin films undergo dramatic variation in the range close to the absorption of the dyes. This investigation provides new insight to the optical properties of graphene containing thin films and shall help to establish an appropriate optical model for graphene-based hybrid materials.

Study of InGaAs-based modulation doped field effect transistor structures using variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alterovitz, S. A.; Sieg, R. M.; Yao, H. D.; Snyder, P. G.; Woollam, J. A.; Pamulapati, J.; Bhattacharya, P. K.; Sekula-Moise, P. A.

1991-01-01

Variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to estimate the thicknesses of all layers within the optical penetration depth of InGaAs-based modulation doped field effect transistor structures. Strained and unstrained InGaAs channels were made by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on InP substrates and by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on GaAs substrates. In most cases, ellipsometrically determined thicknesses were within 10% of the growth-calibration results. The MBE-made InGaAs strained layers showed large strain effects, indicating a probable shift in the critical points of their dielectric function toward the InP lattice-matched concentration.

In situ assessment of the contact angles of nanoparticles adsorbed at fluid interfaces by multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry.

PubMed

Stocco, Antonio; Su, Ge; Nobili, Maurizio; In, Martin; Wang, Dayang

2014-09-28

Here multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry was successfully applied to in situ assess the contact angle and surface coverage of gold nanoparticles as small as 18 nm, coated with stimuli-responsive polymers, at water-oil and water-air interfaces in the presence of NaCl and NaOH, respectively. The interfacial adsorption of the nanoparticles was found to be very slow and took days to reach a fairly low surface coverage. For water-oil interfaces, in situ nanoparticle contact angles agree with the macroscopic equilibrium contact angles of planar gold surfaces with the same polymer coatings, whilst for water-air interfaces, significant differences have been observed.

Modeling the transport properties of epitaxially grown thermoelectric oxide thin films using spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarath Kumar, S. R.; Abutaha, Anas I.; Hedhili, M. N.; Alshareef, H. N.

2012-01-01

The influence of oxygen vacancies on the transport properties of epitaxial thermoelectric (Sr,La)TiO3 thin films is determined using electrical and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements. Oxygen vacancy concentration was varied by ex-situ annealing in Ar and Ar/H2. All films exhibited degenerate semiconducting behavior, and electrical conductivity decreased (258-133 S cm-1) with increasing oxygen content. Similar decrease in the Seebeck coefficient is observed and attributed to a decrease in effective mass (7.8-3.2 me), as determined by SE. Excellent agreement between transport properties deduced from SE and direct electrical measurements suggests that SE is an effective tool for studying oxide thin film thermoelectrics.

Common path point diffraction interferometer using liquid crystal phase shifting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercer, Carolyn R. (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A common path point diffraction interferometer uses dyed, parallel nematic liquid crystals which surround an optically transparent microsphere. Coherent, collimated and polarized light is focused on the microsphere at a diameter larger than that of the microsphere. A portion of the focused light passes through the microsphere to form a spherical wavefront reference beam and the rest of the light is attenuated by the dyed liquid crystals to form an object beam. The two beams form an interferogram which is imaged by a lens onto an electronic array sensor and into a computer which determines the wavefront of the object beam. The computer phase shifts the interferogram by stepping up an AC voltage applied across the liquid crystals without affecting the reference beam.

Light field measurement based on the single-lens coherent diffraction imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Cheng; Tan, Jiubin; Liu, Zhengjun

2018-01-01

Plenoptic camera and holography are popular light field measurement techniques. However, the low resolution or the complex apparatus hinders their widespread application. In this paper, we put forward a new light field measurement scheme. The lens is introduced into coherent diffraction imaging to operate an optical transform, extended fractional Fourier transform. Combined with the multi-image phase retrieval algorithm, the scheme is proved to hold several advantages. It gets rid of the support requirement and is much easier to implement while keeping a high resolution by making full use of the detector plane. Also, it is verified that our scheme has a superiority over the direct lens focusing imaging in amplitude measurement accuracy and phase retrieval ability.

Thin film solar cell design based on photonic crystal and diffractive grating structures.

PubMed

Mutitu, James G; Shi, Shouyuan; Chen, Caihua; Creazzo, Timothy; Barnett, Allen; Honsberg, Christiana; Prather, Dennis W

2008-09-15

In this paper we present novel light trapping designs applied to multiple junction thin film solar cells. The new designs incorporate one dimensional photonic crystals as band pass filters that reflect short light wavelengths (400 - 867 nm) and transmit longer wavelengths(867 -1800 nm) at the interface between two adjacent cells. In addition, nano structured diffractive gratings that cut into the photonic crystal layers are incorporated to redirect incoming waves and hence increase the optical path length of light within the solar cells. Two designs based on the nano structured gratings that have been realized using the scattering matrix and particle swarm optimization methods are presented. We also show preliminary fabrication results of the proposed devices.

Deep ultraviolet laser direct write for patterning sol-gel InGaZnO semiconducting micro/nanowires and improving field-effect mobility

PubMed Central

Lin, Hung-Cheng; Stehlin, Fabrice; Soppera, Olivier; Zan, Hsiao-Wen; Li, Chang-Hung; Wieder, Fernand; Ponche, Arnaud; Berling, Dominique; Yeh, Bo-Hung; Wang, Kuan-Hsun

2015-01-01

Deep-UV (DUV) laser was used to directly write indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) precursor solution and form micro and nanoscale patterns. The directional DUV laser beam avoids the substrate heating and suppresses the diffraction effect. A IGZO precursor solution was also developed to fulfill the requirements for direct photopatterning and for achieving semi-conducting properties with thermal annealing at moderate temperature. The DUV-induced crosslinking of the starting material allows direct write of semi-conducting channels in thin-film transistors but also it improves the field-effect mobility and surface roughness. Material analysis has been carried out by XPS, FTIR, spectroscopic ellipsometry and AFM and the effect of DUV on the final material structure is discussed. The DUV irradiation step results in photolysis and a partial condensation of the inorganic network that freezes the sol-gel layer in a homogeneous distribution, lowering possibilities of thermally induced reorganization at the atomic scale. Laser irradiation allows high-resolution photopatterning and high-enough field-effect mobility, which enables the easy fabrication of oxide nanowires for applications in solar cell, display, flexible electronics, and biomedical sensors. PMID:26014902

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured Pt/TiO2 thin films treated using electron beam.

PubMed

Shin, Joong-Hyeok; Woo, Hee-Gweon; Kim, Bo-Hye; Lee, Byung Cheol; Jun, Jin

2010-05-01

Pt nanoparticle-doped titanium dioxide (Pt/TiO2) thin films were prepared on a silicon wafer substrate by sol-gel spin coating process. The prepared thin films were treated with electron beam (EB at 1.1 MeV, 100, 200, 300 kGy) at air atmosphere. The effect of EB-irradiation on the composition of the treated thin films, optical properties and morphology of thin films were investigated by various analytical techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystal structure of the TiO2 layer was found to be an anatase phase and the size of TiO2 particles was determined to be about 13 nm. Pt nanoparticles with diameter of 5 nm were observed on surface of the films. A new layer (presumed to be Pt-Ti complex and/or PtO2 compound) was created in the Pt/TiO2 thin film treated with EB (300 kGy). The transmittance of thin film decreased with EB treatment whereas the refractive index increased.

Microstructural and Optical Properties of Porous Alumina Elaborated on Glass Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaghdoudi, W.; Gaidi, M.; Chtourou, R.

2013-03-01

A transparent porous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) nanostructure was formed on a glass substrate using the anodization of a highly pure evaporated aluminum layer. A parametric study was carried out in order to achieve a fine control of the microstructural and optical properties of the elaborated films. The microstructural and surface morphologies of the porous alumina films were characterized by x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Pore diameter, inter-pore separation, and the porous structure as a function of anodization conditions were investigated. It was then found that the pores density decreases with increasing the anodization time. Regular cylindrical porous AAO films with a flat bottom structure were formed by chemical etching and anodization. A high transmittance in the 300-900 nm range is reported, indicating a fulfilled growth of the transparent sample (alumina) from the aluminum metal. The data showed typical interference oscillations as a result of the transparent characteristics of the film throughout the visible spectral range. The thickness and the optical constants ( n and k) of the porous anodic alumina films, as a function of anodizing time, were obtained using spectroscopic ellipsometry in the ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-vis-NIR) regions.

Pulsed laser deposited GeTe-rich GeTe-Sb2Te3 thin films

PubMed Central

Bouška, M.; Pechev, S.; Simon, Q.; Boidin, R.; Nazabal, V.; Gutwirth, J.; Baudet, E.; Němec, P.

2016-01-01

Pulsed laser deposition technique was used for the fabrication of Ge-Te rich GeTe-Sb2Te3 (Ge6Sb2Te9, Ge8Sb2Te11, Ge10Sb2Te13, and Ge12Sb2Te15) amorphous thin films. To evaluate the influence of GeTe content in the deposited films on physico-chemical properties of the GST materials, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction and reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering spectroscopy, optical reflectivity, and sheet resistance temperature dependences as well as variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements were used to characterize as-deposited (amorphous) and annealed (crystalline) layers. Upon crystallization, optical functions and electrical resistance of the films change drastically, leading to large optical and electrical contrast between amorphous and crystalline phases. Large changes of optical/electrical properties are accompanied by the variations of thickness, density, and roughness of the films due to crystallization. Reflectivity contrast as high as ~0.21 at 405 nm was calculated for Ge8Sb2Te11, Ge10Sb2Te13, and Ge12Sb2Te15 layers. PMID:27199107

Structural, morphological, and optical properties of TiO2 thin films synthesized by the electro phoretic deposition technique.

PubMed

Ghrairi, Najla; Bouaicha, Mongi

2012-07-01

In this work, we report the structural, morphological, and optical properties of TiO2 thin films synthesized by the electro phoretic deposition technique. The TiO2 film was formed on a doped fluorine tin oxide (SnO2:F, i.e., FTO) layer and used as a photo electrode in a dye solar cell (DSC). Using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements in the 200 to 800 nm wavelengths domain, we obtain a thickness of the TiO2 film in the range of 70 to 80 nm. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy (AFM) show a polycrystalline film. In addition, AFM investigation shows no cracks in the formed layer. Using an ultraviolet-visible near-infrared spectrophotometer, we found that the transmittance of the TiO2 film in the visible domain reaches 75%. From the measured current-voltage or I-V characteristic under AM1.5 illumination of the formed DSC, we obtain an open circuit voltage Voc = 628 mV and a short circuit current Isc = 22.6 μA, where the surface of the formed cell is 3.14 cm2.

Structural, morphological, and optical properties of TiO2 thin films synthesized by the electro phoretic deposition technique

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

In this work, we report the structural, morphological, and optical properties of TiO2 thin films synthesized by the electro phoretic deposition technique. The TiO2 film was formed on a doped fluorine tin oxide (SnO2:F, i.e., FTO) layer and used as a photo electrode in a dye solar cell (DSC). Using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements in the 200 to 800 nm wavelengths domain, we obtain a thickness of the TiO2 film in the range of 70 to 80 nm. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy (AFM) show a polycrystalline film. In addition, AFM investigation shows no cracks in the formed layer. Using an ultraviolet–visible near-infrared spectrophotometer, we found that the transmittance of the TiO2 film in the visible domain reaches 75%. From the measured current–voltage or I-V characteristic under AM1.5 illumination of the formed DSC, we obtain an open circuit voltage Voc = 628 mV and a short circuit current Isc = 22.6 μA, where the surface of the formed cell is 3.14 cm2. PMID:22747886

Phase diagram of the CF{sub 4} monolayer and bilayer on graphite

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

Thomas, Petros; Hess, George B., E-mail: gbh@virginia.edu

2014-05-21

We report an experimental study of physisorbed monolayers and bilayers of CF{sub 4} on graphite using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy supplemented by ellipsometry. The symmetric C–F stretch mode ν{sub 3} near 1283 cm{sup −1} in the gas is strongly blue shifted in the film by dynamic dipole coupling. This blue shift provides a very sensitive measure of the inter-molecular spacing in the monolayer and, less directly, in the bilayer. We find that important corrections are necessary to the volumetric coverage scales used in previous heat capacity and x-ray diffraction studies of this system. This requires quantitative and some qualitative changesmore » to the previously proposed phase diagram. We find evidence for a new phase transition in the middle of the hexagonal incommensurate region and construct new phase diagrams in both the variables coverage-temperature and chemical potential-temperature. We determine the compressibility and thermal expansion in the low-pressure hexagonal incommensurate phase and values for the entropy change in several phase transitions. Below about 55 K there is evidence of solution of up to 7% of an impurity, most likely CO, in our monolayer but not the bilayer film.« less

Improvement of spectral and axial resolutions in modified coded aperture correlation holography (COACH) imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayakumar, A.; Rosen, Joseph

2017-05-01

Coded aperture correlation holography (COACH) is a recently developed incoherent digital holographic technique. In COACH, two holograms are recorded: the object hologram for the object under study and another hologram for a point object called PSF hologram. The holograms are recorded by interfering two beams, both diffracted from the same object point, but only one of them passes through a random-like coded phase mask (CPM). The same CPM is used for recording the object as well as the PSF holograms. The image is reconstructed by correlating the object hologram with a processed version of the PSF hologram. The COACH holographic technique exhibits the same transverse and axial resolution of the regular imaging, but with the unique capability of storing 3D information. The basic COACH configuration consists of a single spatial light modulator (SLM) used for displaying the CPM. In this study, the basic COACH configuration has been advanced by employing two spatial light modulators (SLMs) in the setup. The refractive lens used in the basic COACH setup for collecting and collimating the light diffracted by the object is replaced by an SLM on which an equivalent diffractive lens is displayed. Unlike a refractive lens, the diffractive lens displayed on the first SLM focuses light with different wavelengths to different axial planes, which are separated by distances larger than the axial correlation lengths of the CPM for any visible wavelength. This characteristic extends the boundaries of COACH from three-dimensional to four-dimensional imaging with the wavelength as its fourth dimension.

Detection of a Novel Mechanism of Acousto-Optic Modulation of Incoherent Light

PubMed Central

Jarrett, Christopher W.; Caskey, Charles F.; Gore, John C.

2014-01-01

A novel form of acoustic modulation of light from an incoherent source has been detected in water as well as in turbid media. We demonstrate that patterns of modulated light intensity appear to propagate as the optical shadow of the density variations caused by ultrasound within an illuminated ultrasonic focal zone. This pattern differs from previous reports of acousto-optical interactions that produce diffraction effects that rely on phase shifts and changes in light directions caused by the acoustic modulation. Moreover, previous studies of acousto-optic interactions have mainly reported the effects of sound on coherent light sources via photon tagging, and/or the production of diffraction phenomena from phase effects that give rise to discrete sidebands. We aimed to assess whether the effects of ultrasound modulation of the intensity of light from an incoherent light source could be detected directly, and how the acoustically modulated (AOM) light signal depended on experimental parameters. Our observations suggest that ultrasound at moderate intensities can induce sufficiently large density variations within a uniform medium to cause measurable modulation of the intensity of an incoherent light source by absorption. Light passing through a region of high intensity ultrasound then produces a pattern that is the projection of the density variations within the region of their interaction. The patterns exhibit distinct maxima and minima that are observed at locations much different from those predicted by Raman-Nath, Bragg, or other diffraction theory. The observed patterns scaled appropriately with the geometrical magnification and sound wavelength. We conclude that these observed patterns are simple projections of the ultrasound induced density changes which cause spatial and temporal variations of the optical absorption within the illuminated sound field. These effects potentially provide a novel method for visualizing sound fields and may assist the interpretation of other hybrid imaging methods. PMID:25105880

Rapid thermal annealing of Amorphous Hydrogenated Carbon (a-C:H) films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Pouch, John J.; Warner, Joseph D.

1987-01-01

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films were deposited on silicon and quartz substrates by a 30 kHz plasma discharge technique using methane. Rapid thermal processing of the films was accomplished in nitrogen gas using tungsten halogen light. The rapid thermal processing was done at several fixed temperatures (up to 600 C), as a function of time (up to 1800 sec). The films were characterized by optical absorption and by ellipsometry in the near UV and the visible. The bandgap, estimated from extrapolation of the linear part of a Tauc plot, decreases both with the annealing temperature and the annealing time, with the temperature dependence being the dominating factor. The density of states parameter increases up to 25 percent and the refractive index changes up to 20 percent with temperature increase. Possible explanations of the mechanisms involved in these processes are discussed.

Parallel Polarization State Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

She, Alan; Capasso, Federico

2016-05-01

The control of polarization, an essential property of light, is of wide scientific and technological interest. The general problem of generating arbitrary time-varying states of polarization (SOP) has always been mathematically formulated by a series of linear transformations, i.e. a product of matrices, imposing a serial architecture. Here we show a parallel architecture described by a sum of matrices. The theory is experimentally demonstrated by modulating spatially-separated polarization components of a laser using a digital micromirror device that are subsequently beam combined. This method greatly expands the parameter space for engineering devices that control polarization. Consequently, performance characteristics, such as speed, stability, and spectral range, are entirely dictated by the technologies of optical intensity modulation, including absorption, reflection, emission, and scattering. This opens up important prospects for polarization state generation (PSG) with unique performance characteristics with applications in spectroscopic ellipsometry, spectropolarimetry, communications, imaging, and security.

Scanning digital lithography providing high speed large area patterning with diffraction limited sub-micron resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Sy-Bor; Bhaskar, Arun; Zhang, Hongjie

2018-07-01

A scanning digital lithography system using computer controlled digital spatial light modulator, spatial filter, infinity correct optical microscope and high precision translation stage is proposed and examined. Through utilizing the spatial filter to limit orders of diffraction modes for light delivered from the spatial light modulator, we are able to achieve diffraction limited deep submicron spatial resolution with the scanning digital lithography system by using standard one inch level optical components with reasonable prices. Raster scanning of this scanning digital lithography system using a high speed high precision x-y translation stage and piezo mount to real time adjust the focal position of objective lens allows us to achieve large area sub-micron resolved patterning with high speed (compared with e-beam lithography). It is determined in this study that to achieve high quality stitching of lithography patterns with raster scanning, a high-resolution rotation stage will be required to ensure the x and y directions of the projected pattern are in the same x and y translation directions of the nanometer precision x-y translation stage.

Accurately modeling Gaussian beam propagation in the context of Monte Carlo techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hokr, Brett H.; Winblad, Aidan; Bixler, Joel N.; Elpers, Gabriel; Zollars, Byron; Scully, Marlan O.; Yakovlev, Vladislav V.; Thomas, Robert J.

2016-03-01

Monte Carlo simulations are widely considered to be the gold standard for studying the propagation of light in turbid media. However, traditional Monte Carlo methods fail to account for diffraction because they treat light as a particle. This results in converging beams focusing to a point instead of a diffraction limited spot, greatly effecting the accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations near the focal plane. Here, we present a technique capable of simulating a focusing beam in accordance to the rules of Gaussian optics, resulting in a diffraction limited focal spot. This technique can be easily implemented into any traditional Monte Carlo simulation allowing existing models to be converted to include accurate focusing geometries with minimal effort. We will present results for a focusing beam in a layered tissue model, demonstrating that for different scenarios the region of highest intensity, thus the greatest heating, can change from the surface to the focus. The ability to simulate accurate focusing geometries will greatly enhance the usefulness of Monte Carlo for countless applications, including studying laser tissue interactions in medical applications and light propagation through turbid media.

Wave propagation in metamaterials mimicking the topology of a cosmic string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Núñez, Isabel; Bulashenko, Oleg

2018-04-01

We study the interference and diffraction of light when it propagates through a metamaterial medium mimicking the spacetime of a cosmic string—a topological defect with curvature singularity. The phenomenon may look like a gravitational analogue of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, since the light propagates in a region where the Riemann tensor vanishes, being nonetheless affected by the non-zero curvature confined to the string core. We carry out the full-wave numerical simulation of the metamaterial medium and give the analytical interpretation of the results by use of the asymptotic theory of diffraction, which turns out to be in excellent agreement. In particular, we show that the main features of wave propagation in a medium with conical singularity can be explained by four-wave interference involving two geometrical optics and two diffracted waves.

Holographic diffractive structures for daylighting, phase 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1985-10-01

Advanced Environmental Research Group (AERG) has researched and developed a proprietary device which will passively track the Sun throughout a wide range of latitudes, hours of the day and seasons of the year. The Holographic Diffractive Structure (HDS), consists of novel holographic diffraction grating designs applied to a substrate suitable for mounting or incorporated into window glazings. The HDS installations will be a low cost system for the controlled management of sunlight in buildings for energy savings and an enhanced lighting environment. The HDSs act to intercept sunlight and redirect it away from the immediate window area towards the darker regions at the rear of the room, or (via light guides) to interior spaces without windows, or (used on the facade of a building) to redirect sunlight into dark urban canyons or onto the facades of other nearby buildings.

Tuning charge carrier transport and optical birefringence in liquid-crystalline thin films: A new design space for organic light-emitting diodes.

PubMed

Keum, Chang-Min; Liu, Shiyi; Al-Shadeedi, Akram; Kaphle, Vikash; Callens, Michiel Koen; Han, Lu; Neyts, Kristiaan; Zhao, Hongping; Gather, Malte C; Bunge, Scott D; Twieg, Robert J; Jakli, Antal; Lüssem, Björn

2018-01-15

Liquid-crystalline organic semiconductors exhibit unique properties that make them highly interesting for organic optoelectronic applications. Their optical and electrical anisotropies and the possibility to control the alignment of the liquid-crystalline semiconductor allow not only to optimize charge carrier transport, but to tune the optical property of organic thin-film devices as well. In this study, the molecular orientation in a liquid-crystalline semiconductor film is tuned by a novel blading process as well as by different annealing protocols. The altered alignment is verified by cross-polarized optical microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. It is shown that a change in alignment of the liquid-crystalline semiconductor improves charge transport in single charge carrier devices profoundly. Comparing the current-voltage characteristics of single charge carrier devices with simulations shows an excellent agreement and from this an in-depth understanding of single charge carrier transport in two-terminal devices is obtained. Finally, p-i-n type organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) compatible with vacuum processing techniques used in state-of-the-art OLEDs are demonstrated employing liquid-crystalline host matrix in the emission layer.

Scattering and polarization properties of the scarab beetle Cyphochilus insulanus cuticle.

PubMed

Åkerlind, Christina; Arwin, Hans; Hallberg, Tomas; Landin, Jan; Gustafsson, Johan; Kariis, Hans; Järrendahl, Kenneth

2015-07-01

Optical properties of natural photonic structures can inspire material developments in diversified areas, such as the spectral design of surfaces for camouflage. Here, reflectance, scattering, and polarization properties of the cuticle of the scarab beetle Cyphochilus insulanus are studied with spectral directional hemispherical reflectance, bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) measurements, and Mueller-matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry (MMSE). At normal incidence, a reflectance (0.6-0.75) is found in the spectral range of 400-1600 nm and a weaker reflectance <0.2 in the UV range as well as for wavelengths >1600  nm. A whiteness of W=42 is observed for mainly the elytra of the beetle. Chitin is a major constituent of the insect cuticle which is verified by the close similarity of the measured IR spectrum to that of α-chitin. The BRDF signal shows close-to-Lambertian properties of the beetle for visible light at small angles of incidence. From the MMSE measurement it is found that the beetles appear as dielectric reflectors reflecting linearly polarized light at oblique incidence with low gloss and a low degree of polarization. The measured beetle properties are properties that can be beneficial in a camouflage material.

Reverse color sequence in the diffraction of white light by the wing of the male butterfly Pierella luna (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vigneron, Jean Pol; Simonis, Priscilla; Aiello, Annette; Bay, Annick; Windsor, Donald M.; Colomer, Jean-François; Rassart, Marie

2010-08-01

The butterfly Pierella luna (Nymphalidae) shows an intriguing rainbow iridescence effect: the forewings of the male, when illuminated along the axis from the body to the wing tip, decompose a white light beam as a diffraction grating would do. Violet light, however, emerges along a grazing angle, near the wing surface, while the other colors, from blue to red, exit respectively at angles progressively closer to the direction perpendicular to the wing plane. This sequence is the reverse of the usual decomposition of light by a grating with a periodicity parallel to the wing surface. It is shown that this effect is produced by a macroscopic deformation of the entire scale, which curls in such a way that it forms a “vertical” grating, perpendicular to the wing surface, and functions in transmission instead of reflection.

Materials, structures, and devices for high-speed electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woollam, John A.; Snyder, Paul G.

1992-01-01

Advances in materials, devices, and instrumentation made under this grant began with ex-situ null ellipsometric measurements of simple dielectric films on bulk substrates. Today highly automated and rapid spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for ex-situ characterization of very complex multilayer epitaxial structures. Even more impressive is the in-situ capability, not only for characterization but also for the actual control of the growth and etching of epitaxial layers. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has expanded from the research lab to become an integral part of the production of materials and structures for state of the art high speed devices. Along the way, it has contributed much to our understanding of the growth characteristics and material properties. The following areas of research are summarized: Si3N4 on GaAs, null ellipsometry; diamondlike carbon films; variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) development; GaAs-AlGaAs heterostructures; Ta-Cu diffusion barrier films on GaAs; GaAs-AlGaAs superlattices and multiple quantum wells; superconductivity; in situ elevated temperature measurements of III-V's; optical constants of thermodynamically stable InGaAs; doping dependence of optical constants of GaAs; in situ ellipsometric studies of III-V epitaxial growth; photothermal spectroscopy; microellipsometry; and Si passivation and Si/SiGe strained-layer superlattices.

Role of an Oxidant Mixture as Surface Modifier of Porous Silicon Microstructures Evaluated by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

PubMed Central

Montiel-González, Zeuz; Escobar, Salvador; Nava, Rocío; del Río, J. Antonio; Tagüeña-Martínez, Julia

2016-01-01

Current research on porous silicon includes the construction of complex structures with luminescent and/or photonic properties. However, their preparation with both characteristics is still challenging. Recently, our group reported a possible method to achieve that by adding an oxidant mixture to the electrolyte used to produce porous silicon. This mixture can chemically modify their microstructure by changing the thickness and surface passivation of the pore walls. In this work, we prepared a series of samples (with and without oxidant mixture) and we evaluated the structural differences through their scanning electron micrographs and their optical properties determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results showed that ellipsometry is sensitive to slight variations in the porous silicon structure, caused by changes in their preparation. The fitting process, based on models constructed from the features observed in the micrographs, allowed us to see that the mayor effect of the oxidant mixture is on samples of high porosity, where the surface oxidation strongly contributes to the skeleton thinning during the electrochemical etching. This suggests the existence of a porosity threshold for the action of the oxidant mixture. These results could have a significant impact on the design of complex porous silicon structures for different optoelectronic applications. PMID:27097767

Role of an Oxidant Mixture as Surface Modifier of Porous Silicon Microstructures Evaluated by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry.

PubMed

Montiel-González, Zeuz; Escobar, Salvador; Nava, Rocío; del Río, J Antonio; Tagüeña-Martínez, Julia

2016-04-21

Current research on porous silicon includes the construction of complex structures with luminescent and/or photonic properties. However, their preparation with both characteristics is still challenging. Recently, our group reported a possible method to achieve that by adding an oxidant mixture to the electrolyte used to produce porous silicon. This mixture can chemically modify their microstructure by changing the thickness and surface passivation of the pore walls. In this work, we prepared a series of samples (with and without oxidant mixture) and we evaluated the structural differences through their scanning electron micrographs and their optical properties determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results showed that ellipsometry is sensitive to slight variations in the porous silicon structure, caused by changes in their preparation. The fitting process, based on models constructed from the features observed in the micrographs, allowed us to see that the mayor effect of the oxidant mixture is on samples of high porosity, where the surface oxidation strongly contributes to the skeleton thinning during the electrochemical etching. This suggests the existence of a porosity threshold for the action of the oxidant mixture. These results could have a significant impact on the design of complex porous silicon structures for different optoelectronic applications.

Quartz crystal microbalance with coupled spectroscopic ellipsometry-study of temperature-responsive polymer brush systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Stefan; Koenig, Meike; Rodenhausen, Keith Brian; Eichhorn, Klaus-Jochen; Oertel, Ulrich; Schubert, Mathias; Stamm, Manfred; Uhlmann, Petra

2017-11-01

Using a combined setup of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring together with spectroscopic ellipsometry, the thermo-responsive behavior of two different brush systems (poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) and poly(2-oxazoline)s) was investigated and compared to the behavior of the free polymer in solution. Poly(2-oxazoline)s with three different hydrophilicities were prepared by changing the content of a hydrophilic comonomer. While both polymer types exhibit a sharp, discontinuous thermal transition in solution, in the brush state the transition gets broader in the case of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) and is transformed into a continuous transition for poly(2-oxazoline)s. The position of the transition in solution is influenced by the degree of hydrophilicity of the poly(2-oxazoline). The difference in areal mass detected by quartz crystal microbalance and by spectroscopic ellipsometry, has been attributed to the chain segment density profile of the polymer brushes. Applying this density profile information, for poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) two different swelling stages could be identified, while for poly(2-oxazoline) the transition between a parabolic and more step-wise profile is found continuous. The different swelling characteristics were attributed to the different miscibility behavior types, with the brush state acting similar to a crosslinked system.

Nanophotonics of biomaterials and inorganic nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrik, P.; Agocs, E.; Kalas, B.; Fodor, B.; Lohner, T.; Nador, J.; Saftics, A.; Kurunczi, S.; Novotny, T.; Perez-Feró, E.; Nagy, R.; Hamori, A.; Horvath, R.; Hózer, Z.; Fried, M.

2017-01-01

Optical methods have been used for the sensitive characterization of surfaces and thin films for more than a century. The first ellipsometric measurement was conducted on metal surfaces by Paul Drude in 1889. The word ‘ellipsometer’ was first used by Rothen in a study of antigen-antibody interactions on polished metal surfaces in 1945. The ‘bible’ of ellipsometry has been published in the second half of the ‘70s. The publications in the topic of ellipsometry started to increase rapidly by the end of the ‘80s, together with concepts like surface plasmon resonance, later new topics like photonic crystals emerged. These techniques find applications in many fields, including sensorics or photovoltaics. In optical sensorics, the highest sensitivities were achieved by waveguide interferometry and plasmon resonance configurations. The instrumentation of ellipsometry is also being developed intensively towards higher sensitivity and performance by combinations with plasmonics, scatterometry, imaging or waveguide methods, utilizing the high sensitivity, high speed, non-destructive nature and mapping capabilities. Not only the instrumentation but also the methods of evaluation show a significant development, which leads to the characterization of structures with increasing complexity, including photonic, porous or metal surfaces. This article discusses a selection of interesting applications of photonics in the Centre for Energy Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Determination of dynamic variations in the optical properties of graphene oxide in response to gas exposure based on thin-film interference.

PubMed

Tabassum, Shawana; Dong, Liang; Kumar, Ratnesh

2018-03-05

We present an effective yet simple approach to study the dynamic variations in optical properties (such as the refractive index (RI)) of graphene oxide (GO) when exposed to gases in the visible spectral region, using the thin-film interference method. The dynamic variations in the complex refractive index of GO in response to exposure to a gas is an important factor affecting the performance of GO-based gas sensors. In contrast to the conventional ellipsometry, this method alleviates the need of selecting a dispersion model from among a list of model choices, which is limiting if an applicable model is not known a priori. In addition, the method used is computationally simpler, and does not need to employ any functional approximations. Further advantage over ellipsometry is that no bulky optics is required, and as a result it can be easily integrated into the sensing system, thereby allowing the reliable, simple, and dynamic evaluation of the optical performance of any GO-based gas sensor. In addition, the derived values of the dynamically changing RI values of the GO layer obtained from the method we have employed are corroborated by comparing with the values obtained from ellipsometry.

Atomic-scale diffractive imaging of sub-cycle electron dynamics in condensed matter

PubMed Central

Yakovlev, Vladislav S.; Stockman, Mark I.; Krausz, Ferenc; Baum, Peter

2015-01-01

For interaction of light with condensed-matter systems, we show with simulations that ultrafast electron and X-ray diffraction can provide a time-dependent record of charge-density maps with sub-cycle and atomic-scale resolutions. Using graphene as an example material, we predict that diffraction can reveal localised atomic-scale origins of optical and electronic phenomena. In particular, we point out nontrivial relations between microscopic electric current and density in undoped graphene. PMID:26412407

Photonic crystal borax competitive binding carbohydrate sensing motif†

PubMed Central

Cui, Qingzhou; Muscatello, Michelle M. Ward; Asher, Sanford A.

2009-01-01

We developed a photonic crystal sensing method for diol containing species such as carbohydrates based on a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel containing an embedded crystalline colloidal array (CCA). The polymerized CCA (PCCA) diffracts visible light. We show that in the presence of borax the diffraction wavelength shifts as the concentration of glucose changes. The diffraction shifts result from the competitive binding of glucose to borate, which reduces the concentration of borate bound to the PVA diols. PMID:19381378

Atomic-scale diffractive imaging of sub-cycle electron dynamics in condensed matter

DOE PAGES

Yakovlev, Vladislav S.; Stockman, Mark I.; Krausz, Ferenc; ...

2015-09-28

For interaction of light with condensed-matter systems, we show with simulations that ultrafast electron and X-ray diffraction can provide a time-dependent record of charge-density maps with sub-cycle and atomic-scale resolutions. Using graphene as an example material, we predict that diffraction can reveal localised atomic-scale origins of optical and electronic phenomena. Here, we point out nontrivial relations between microscopic electric current and density in undoped graphene.

An engineered design of a diffractive mask for high precision astrometry [Modeling a diffractive mask that calibrates optical distortions

DOE PAGES

Dennison, Kaitlin; Ammons, S. Mark; Garrel, Vincent; ...

2016-06-26

AutoCAD, Zemax Optic Studio 15, and Interactive Data Language (IDL) with the Proper Library are used to computationally model and test a diffractive mask (DiM) suitable for use in the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) on the Gemini South Telescope. Systematic errors in telescope imagery are produced when the light travels through the adaptive optics system of the telescope. DiM is a transparent, flat optic with a pattern of miniscule dots lithographically applied to it. It is added ahead of the adaptive optics system in the telescope in order to produce diffraction spots that will encode systematic errors inmore » the optics after it. Once these errors are encoded, they can be corrected for. DiM will allow for more accurate measurements in astrometry and thus improve exoplanet detection. Furthermore, the mechanics and physical attributes of the DiM are modeled in AutoCAD. Zemax models the ray propagation of point sources of light through the telescope. IDL and Proper simulate the wavefront and image results of the telescope. Aberrations are added to the Zemax and IDL models to test how the diffraction spots from the DiM change in the final images. Based on the Zemax and IDL results, the diffraction spots are able to encode the systematic aberrations.« less

Engineered disorder and light propagation in a planar photonic glass

PubMed Central

Romanov, Sergei G.; Orlov, Sergej; Ploss, Daniel; Weiss, Clemens K.; Vogel, Nicolas; Peschel, Ulf

2016-01-01

The interaction of light with matter strongly depends on the structure of the latter at wavelength scale. Ordered systems interact with light via collective modes, giving rise to diffraction. In contrast, completely disordered systems are dominated by Mie resonances of individual particles and random scattering. However, less clear is the transition regime in between these two extremes, where diffraction, Mie resonances and near-field interaction between individual scatterers interplay. Here, we probe this transitional regime by creating colloidal crystals with controlled disorder from two-dimensional self-assembly of bidisperse spheres. Choosing the particle size in a way that the small particles are transparent in the spectral region of interest enables us to probe in detail the effect of increasing positional disorder on the optical properties of the large spheres. With increasing disorder a transition from a collective optical response characterized by diffractive resonances to single particles scattering represented by Mie resonances occurs. In between these extremes, we identify an intermediate, hopping-like light transport regime mediated by resonant interactions between individual spheres. These results suggest that different levels of disorder, characterized not only by absence of long range order but also by differences in short-range correlation and interparticle distance, exist in colloidal glasses. PMID:27277521

Modification of Light Emission in Si-Rich Silicon Nitride Films Versus Stoichiometry and Excitation Light Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torchynska, T.; Khomenkova, L.; Slaoui, A.

2018-04-01

Si-rich SiN x films with different stoichiometry were grown on Si substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The Si content was varied by changing the NH3/SiH4 gas flow ratio from 0.45 up to 1.0. Conventional furnace annealing at 1100°C for 30 min was applied to produce the Si quantum dots (QDs) in the SiN x films. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to determine the refractive index of the SiN x films that allowed estimating the film's stoichiometry. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been also used to confirm the stoichiometry and microstructure. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Si-rich SiN x films are complex. A non-monotonous variation of the different PL peaks versus Si excess contents testifies to the competition of different radiative channels. The analysis of PL spectra, measured at the different excitation light energies and variable temperatures, has revealed that the PL bands with the peaks within the range 2.1-3.0 eV are related to the carrier recombination via radiative native defects in the SiN x host. Simultaneously, the PL bands with the peaks at 1.5-2.0 eV are caused by the exciton recombination in the Si QDs of different sizes. The way to control the SiN x emission is discussed.

Modification of Light Emission in Si-Rich Silicon Nitride Films Versus Stoichiometry and Excitation Light Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torchynska, T.; Khomenkova, L.; Slaoui, A.

2018-07-01

Si-rich SiN x films with different stoichiometry were grown on Si substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The Si content was varied by changing the NH3/SiH4 gas flow ratio from 0.45 up to 1.0. Conventional furnace annealing at 1100°C for 30 min was applied to produce the Si quantum dots (QDs) in the SiN x films. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to determine the refractive index of the SiN x films that allowed estimating the film's stoichiometry. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been also used to confirm the stoichiometry and microstructure. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Si-rich SiN x films are complex. A non-monotonous variation of the different PL peaks versus Si excess contents testifies to the competition of different radiative channels. The analysis of PL spectra, measured at the different excitation light energies and variable temperatures, has revealed that the PL bands with the peaks within the range 2.1-3.0 eV are related to the carrier recombination via radiative native defects in the SiN x host. Simultaneously, the PL bands with the peaks at 1.5-2.0 eV are caused by the exciton recombination in the Si QDs of different sizes. The way to control the SiN x emission is discussed.

Influence of annealing temperature on structural and optical properties of Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu{sup 3+}, Tb{sup 3+} transparent films

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

Morales-Ramírez, Ángel de Jesús; García-Murillo, Antonieta, E-mail: angarciam@ipn.mx; Carrillo-Romo, Felipe de Jesús

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu{sup 3+}, Tb{sup 3+} films were synthesized by sol–gel and by dip-coating technique. • Effects of annealing treatment on structural and optical properties were studied. • Optogeometrical characteristics of synthesized films were analyzed. • X-ray diffraction results showed that Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu{sup 3+}, Tb{sup 3+} crystallizes at 700 °C. • High reddish emission on transparent films with at least 1 μm thick was observed. - Abstract: High-optical quality Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu{sup 3+} 5 mol%, X Tb{sup 3+} (X = 0–0.04 mol%) thin films were prepared by the sol–gel process and dip-coating technique. The procedure was asmore » follows: lutetium, europium and terbium nitrates were used as precursors, and ethanol as a solvent. Etylenglycol (EG) was added as a sol stabilizer, and the pH was adjusted by acetic acid. After 10 dipping-cycles, followed by an annealing process (600–900 °C) for 1 h, transparent, smooth and crack-free films (ra = 8–9 nm) were formed. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed crystallized films into the cubic structure at 800 °C. The ellipsometry results showed that the thickness of the films varied from 1 to 1.4 μm at 1000 and 600 °C, respectively. Finally, the films presented a typical Eu{sup 3+} red emission at 611 nm ({sup 5}D{sub 0} → {sup 7}F{sub 2}); furthermore, the effect of the Tb{sup 3+} content showed that the highest emission intensity corresponded to the lower Tb{sup 3+} content.« less

Experiments on the Interaction of Light and Sound for the Advanced Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, D. T.; Byer, R. L.

1973-01-01

An experiment in which both Raman-Nath and Bragg diffraction of light by acoustic waves in water are observed in the sound frequency range from 5 to 45 MHz. The apparatus consists of a laser, light detector, rf power source, quartz transducer, and homemade water cell. (Author/DF)

A Novel Effect of Scattered-Light Interference in Misted Mirrors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridge, N. James

2005-01-01

Interference rings can be observed in mirrors clouded by condensation, even in diffuse lighting. The effect depends on individual droplets acting as point sources by refracting light into the mirror, so producing coherent wave-trains which are reflected and then scattered again by diffraction round the same source droplet. The secondary wave-train…

Nanostructure Secondary-Mirror Apodizing Mask for Transmitter Signal Suppression in a Duplex Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagopian, John; Livas, Jeffrey; Shiri, Shahram; Getty, Stephanie; Tveekrem, June; Butler, James

2012-01-01

A document discusses a nanostructure apodizing mask, made of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, that is applied to the centers (or in and around the holes) of the secondary mirrors of telescopes that are used to interferometrically measure the strain of space-time in response to gravitational waves. The shape of this ultra-black mask can be adjusted to provide a smooth transition to the clear aperture of the secondary mirror to minimize diffracted light. Carbon nanotubes grown on silicon are a viable telescope mirror substrate, and can absorb significantly more light than other black treatments. The hemispherical reflectance of multi-walled carbon nanotubes grown at GSFC is approximately 3 to 10 times better than a standard aerospace paint used for stray light control. At the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) wavelength of 1 micron, the advantage over paint is a factor of 10. Primarily, in the center of the secondary mirror (in the region of central obscuration, where no received light is lost) a black mask is applied to absorb transmitted light that could be reflected back into the receiver. In the LISA telescope, this is in the center couple of millimeters. The shape of this absorber is critical to suppress diffraction at the edge. By using the correct shape, the stray light can be reduced by approximately 10 to the 9 orders of magnitude versus no center mask. The effect of the nanotubes has been simulated in a stray-light model. The effect of the apodizing mask has been simulated in a near-field diffraction model. Specifications are geometry-dependent, but the baseline design for the LISA telescope has been modeled as well. The coatings are somewhat fragile, but work is continuing to enhance adhesion.

Development and calibration of mirrors and gratings for the Soft X-ray materials science beamline at the Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron laser

DOE PAGES

Soufli, Regina; Fernandez-Perea, Monica; Baker, Sherry L.; ...

2012-04-18

This article discusses the development and calibration of the x-ray reflective and diffractive elements for the Soft X-ray Materials Science (SXR) beamline of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) free-electron laser (FEL), designed for operation in the 500 – 2000 eV region. The surface topography of three Si mirror substrates and two Si diffraction grating substrates was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical profilometry. The figure of the mirror substrates was also verified via surface slope measurements with a long trace profiler. A boron carbide (B 4C) coating especially optimized for the LCLS FEL conditions was deposited onmore » all SXR mirrors and gratings. Coating thickness uniformity of 0.14 nm root mean square (rms) across clear apertures extending to 205 mm length was demonstrated for all elements, as required to preserve the coherent wavefront of the LCLS source. The reflective performance of the mirrors and the diffraction efficiency of the gratings were calibrated at beamline 6.3.2 at the Advanced Light Source synchrotron. To verify the integrity of the nanometer-scale grating structure, the grating topography was examined by AFM before and after coating. This is to our knowledge the first time B 4C-coated diffraction gratings are demonstrated for operation in the soft x-ray region.« less

Photocatalytic Degradation of Isopropanol Over PbSnO3Nanostructures Under Visible Light Irradiation

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Nanostructured PbSnO3photocatalysts with particulate and tubular morphologies have been synthesized from a simple hydrothermal process. As-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller surface area, transmission electron microscopy, and diffraction spectroscopy. The photoactivities of the PbSnO3nanostructures for isopropanol (IPA) degradation under visible light irradiation were investigated systematically, and the results revealed that these nanostructures show much higher photocatalytic properties than bulk PbSnO3material. The possible growth mechanism of tubular PbSnO3catalyst was also investigated briefly. PMID:20596379

Holographic daylighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludman, Jacques E.; Riccobono, Juanita R.; Savant, Gajendra D.; Jannson, Joanna L.; Campbell, Eugene W.; Hall, Robyn

1995-09-01

Daylighting techniques are an effective means of reducing both lighting and cooling costs; however, many of the standard techniques have flaws which reduce their effectiveness. Daylighting holograms are an efficient and effective method for diffracting sunlight up onto the ceiling, deep in a room, without diffracting the light at eye-level. They need only cover the top half of a window to produce significant energy savings. They may be used as part of a new glazing system or as a retrofit to existing windows. These holograms are broadband and are able to passively track the movement of the sun across the sky, throughout the day and year.

Deep shadow occulter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cash, Webster (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for occulting light. The occulter shape suppresses diffraction at any given size or angle and is practical to build because it can be made binary to avoid scatter. Binary structures may be fully opaque or fully transmitting at specific points. The diffraction suppression is spectrally broad so that it may be used with incoherent white light. An occulter may also include substantially opaque inner portion and an at least partially transparent outer portion. Such occulters may be used on the ground to create a deep shadow in a short distance, or may be used in space to suppress starlight and reveal exoplanets.

LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF QUANTUM ELECTRONICS Measurement of angular parameters of divergent optical radiation by light diffraction on sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotov, V. M.; Averin, S. V.; Shkerdin, G. N.

2010-12-01

A method is proposed to measure the scattering angle of optical radiation, the method employing two Bragg diffraction processes in which divergent optical radiation propagates close to the optical axis of a uniaxial crystal, while the acoustic wave — orthogonally to this axis. The method does not require additional angular tuning of the acousto-optic cell. We suggest using a mask to measure the light divergence that is larger than the angle of Bragg scattering. The method can be used to measure the size of the polished glass plate inhomogeneities.

Optical devices combining an organic semiconductor crystal with a two-dimensional inorganic diffraction grating

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

Kitazawa, Takenori; Yamao, Takeshi, E-mail: yamao@kit.ac.jp; Hotta, Shu

2016-02-01

We have fabricated optical devices using an organic semiconductor crystal as an emission layer in combination with a two-dimensional (2D) inorganic diffraction grating used as an optical cavity. We formed the inorganic diffraction grating by wet etching of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) under a 2D cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) diffraction grating used as a mask. The COC diffraction grating was fabricated by nanoimprint lithography. The AZO diffraction grating was composed of convex prominences arranged in a triangular lattice. The organic crystal placed on the AZO diffraction grating indicated narrowed peaks in its emission spectrum under ultraviolet light excitation. These aremore » detected parallel to the crystal plane. The peaks were shifted by rotating the optical devices around the normal to the crystal plane, which reflected the rotational symmetries of the triangular lattice through 60°.« less

Atomic Ferris wheel beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lembessis, Vasileios E.

2017-07-01

We study the generation of atom vortex beams in the case where a Bose-Einstein condensate, released from a trap and moving in free space, is diffracted from a properly tailored light mask with a spiral transverse profile. We show how such a diffraction scheme could lead to the production of an atomic Ferris wheel beam.

Diffraction and microscopy with attosecond electron pulse trains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morimoto, Yuya; Baum, Peter

2018-03-01

Attosecond spectroscopy1-7 can resolve electronic processes directly in time, but a movie-like space-time recording is impeded by the too long wavelength ( 100 times larger than atomic distances) or the source-sample entanglement in re-collision techniques8-11. Here we advance attosecond metrology to picometre wavelength and sub-atomic resolution by using free-space electrons instead of higher-harmonic photons1-7 or re-colliding wavepackets8-11. A beam of 70-keV electrons at 4.5-pm de Broglie wavelength is modulated by the electric field of laser cycles into a sequence of electron pulses with sub-optical-cycle duration. Time-resolved diffraction from crystalline silicon reveals a < 10-as delay of Bragg emission and demonstrates the possibility of analytic attosecond-ångström diffraction. Real-space electron microscopy visualizes with sub-light-cycle resolution how an optical wave propagates in space and time. This unification of attosecond science with electron microscopy and diffraction enables space-time imaging of light-driven processes in the entire range of sample morphologies that electron microscopy can access.

Comparison between ray-tracing and physical optics for the computation of light absorption in capillaries--the influence of diffraction and interference.

PubMed

Qin, Yuan; Michalowski, Andreas; Weber, Rudolf; Yang, Sen; Graf, Thomas; Ni, Xiaowu

2012-11-19

Ray-tracing is the commonly used technique to calculate the absorption of light in laser deep-penetration welding or drilling. Since new lasers with high brilliance enable small capillaries with high aspect ratios, diffraction might become important. To examine the applicability of the ray-tracing method, we studied the total absorptance and the absorbed intensity of polarized beams in several capillary geometries. The ray-tracing results are compared with more sophisticated simulations based on physical optics. The comparison shows that the simple ray-tracing is applicable to calculate the total absorptance in triangular grooves and in conical capillaries but not in rectangular grooves. To calculate the distribution of the absorbed intensity ray-tracing fails due to the neglected interference, diffraction, and the effects of beam propagation in the capillaries with sub-wavelength diameter. If diffraction is avoided e.g. with beams smaller than the entrance pupil of the capillary or with very shallow capillaries, the distribution of the absorbed intensity calculated by ray-tracing corresponds to the local average of the interference pattern found by physical optics.

Fourier optics analysis of grating sensors with tilt errors.

PubMed

Ferhanoglu, Onur; Toy, M Fatih; Urey, Hakan

2011-06-15

Dynamic diffraction gratings can be microfabricated with precision and offer extremely sensitive displacement measurements and light intensity modulation. The effect of pure translation of the moving part of the grating on diffracted order intensities is well known. This study focuses on the parameters that limit the intensity and the contrast of the interference. The effects of grating duty cycle, mirror reflectivities, sensor tilt and detector size are investigated using Fourier optics theory and Gaussian beam optics. Analytical findings reveal that fringe visibility becomes <0.3 when the optical path variation exceeds half the wavelength within the grating interferometer. The fringe visibility can be compensated by monitoring the interfering portion of the diffracted order light only through detector size reduction in the expense of optical power. Experiments were conducted with a grating interferometer that resulted in an eightfold increase in fringe visibility with reduced detector size, which is in agreement with theory. Findings show that diffraction grating readout principle is not limited to translating sensors but also can be used for sensors with tilt or other deflection modes.

Multifocus microscopy with precise color multi-phase diffractive optics applied in functional neuronal imaging.

PubMed

Abrahamsson, Sara; Ilic, Rob; Wisniewski, Jan; Mehl, Brian; Yu, Liya; Chen, Lei; Davanco, Marcelo; Oudjedi, Laura; Fiche, Jean-Bernard; Hajj, Bassam; Jin, Xin; Pulupa, Joan; Cho, Christine; Mir, Mustafa; El Beheiry, Mohamed; Darzacq, Xavier; Nollmann, Marcelo; Dahan, Maxime; Wu, Carl; Lionnet, Timothée; Liddle, J Alexander; Bargmann, Cornelia I

2016-03-01

Multifocus microscopy (MFM) allows high-resolution instantaneous three-dimensional (3D) imaging and has been applied to study biological specimens ranging from single molecules inside cells nuclei to entire embryos. We here describe pattern designs and nanofabrication methods for diffractive optics that optimize the light-efficiency of the central optical component of MFM: the diffractive multifocus grating (MFG). We also implement a "precise color" MFM layout with MFGs tailored to individual fluorophores in separate optical arms. The reported advancements enable faster and brighter volumetric time-lapse imaging of biological samples. In live microscopy applications, photon budget is a critical parameter and light-efficiency must be optimized to obtain the fastest possible frame rate while minimizing photodamage. We provide comprehensive descriptions and code for designing diffractive optical devices, and a detailed methods description for nanofabrication of devices. Theoretical efficiencies of reported designs is ≈90% and we have obtained efficiencies of > 80% in MFGs of our own manufacture. We demonstrate the performance of a multi-phase MFG in 3D functional neuronal imaging in living C. elegans.

Radiometric assessment method for diffraction effects in hyperspectral imagers applied to the earth explorer #8 mission candidate flex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berlich, R.; Harnisch, B.

2017-11-01

An accurate stray light analysis represents a crucial part in the early design phase of hyperspectral imaging systems, since scattering effects can severely limit the radiometric accuracy performance. In addition to conventional contributors including ghost images and surface scattering, i.e. caused by a residual surface micro-roughness and particle contamination, diffraction effects can result in significant radiometric errors in the spatial and spectral domain of pushbroom scanners. In this paper, we present a mathematical approach that efficiently evaluates these diffraction effects based on a Fourier analysis. It is shown that considering the conventional diffraction at the systems entrance pupil only, significantly overestimates the stray light contribution. In fact, a correct assessment necessitates taking into account the joint influence of the entrance pupil, the spectrometer slit as well as the dispersion element. We quantitatively investigate the corresponding impact on the Instrument Spectral Response Function (ISRF) of the Earth Explorer #8 Mission Candidate FLEX and analyse the expected radiometric error distribution for a typical earth observation scenario requirement.

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

Imazono, Takashi, E-mail: imazono.takashi@jaea.go.jp; Koike, Masato; Nagano, Tetsuya

Efficiently detecting the B-K emission band around 6.76 nm from a trace concentration of boron in steel compounds has motivated a theoretical exploration of means of increasing the diffraction efficiency of a laminar grating with carbon overcoating. To experimentally evaluate this enhancement, a Ni grating was coated with a high-density carbon film, i.e., diamond-like carbon (DLC). The first order diffraction efficiencies of the Ni gratings coated with and without DLC were measured to be 25.8 % and 16.9 %, respectively, at a wavelength of 6.76 nm and an angle of incidence of 87.07°. The ratio of diffraction efficiency obtained experimentallymore » vs. that calculated by numerical simulation is 0.87 for the DLC-coated Ni grating. The diffraction efficiency of a Ni grating coated with a low-density carbon film, amorphous carbon (a-C), was also slightly improved to be 19.6 %. Furthermore, a distinct minimum of the zeroth order lights of the two carbon-coated Ni gratings were observed at around 6.76 nm, which is coincident with the maximum of the first order light.« less

Gold nanoparticle-polydimethylsiloxane films reflect light internally by optical diffraction and Mie scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunklin, Jeremy R.; Forcherio, Gregory T.; Roper, D. Keith

2015-08-01

Optical properties of polymer films embedded with plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) are important in many implementations. In this work, optical extinction by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films containing gold (Au) NPs was enhanced at resonance compared to AuNPs in suspensions, Beer-Lambert law, or Mie theory by internal reflection due to optical diffraction in 16 nm AuNP-PDMS films and Mie scattering in 76 nm AuNP-PDMS films. Resonant extinction per AuNP for 16 nm AuNPs with negligible resonant Mie scattering was enhanced up to 1.5-fold at interparticle separation (i.e., Wigner-Seitz radii) comparable to incident wavelength. It was attributable to diffraction through apertures formed by overlapping electric fields of adjacent, resonantly excited AuNPs at Wigner-Seitz radii equal to or less than incident wavelengths. Resonant extinction per AuNP for strongly Mie scattering 76 nm AuNPs was enhanced up to 1.3-fold at Wigner-Seitz radii four or more times greater than incident wavelength. Enhanced light trapping from diffraction and/or scattering is relevant to optoelectronic, biomedical, and catalytic activity of substrates embedded with NPs.

Formation of 2D bright spatial solitons in lithium niobate with photovoltaic response and incoherent background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pustozerov, A.; Shandarov, V.

2017-12-01

The influence of incoherent background illumination produced by light-emitting diodes (LED's) of different average wavelengths and laser diode emitting in blue region of visible on diffraction characteristics of narrow coherent light beams of He-Ne laser due to refractive index changes of Fe-doped lithium niobate sample are studied. It has been experimentally demonstrated that nonlinear diffraction of red beams with wavelength 633 nm and diameters on full width of half maximum (FWHM) near to 15 μm may be totally compensated using background light with average wavelengths 450 - 465 nm. To provide the necessary intensity of incoherent background, the combinations of spherical and cylindrical concave lenses with blue LED and laser diode module without focusing its beam have been used.

Fabrication of three-focal diffractive lenses by two-photon polymerization technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osipov, Vladimir; Doskolovich, Leonid L.; Bezus, Evgeni A.; Cheng, Wei; Gaidukeviciute, Arune; Chichkov, Boris

2012-06-01

Fabrication of submicron-height relief of three-focal diffractive lenses using two-photon polymerization is studied. Optical properties of the designed lenses are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The proposed design of the combined diffractive-refractive lenses is promising for the realization of three-focal optical ophthalmological implants with predetermined light intensity distribution between the foci. The realized three-focal optical element has a diameter size of 2.7 mm with the focal distances in the range of 27-34 mm.

Thermal x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zheng; Classen, Anton; Peng, Tao; Medvedev, Nikita; Wang, Fenglin; Chapman, Henry N.; Shih, Yanhua

2017-10-01

Using higher-order coherence of thermal light sources, the resolution power of standard x-ray imaging techniques can be enhanced. In this work, we applied the higher-order measurement to far-field x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging (PCI), in order to achieve superresolution in x-ray diffraction and obtain enhanced intensity contrast in PCI. The cost of implementing such schemes is minimal compared to the methods that achieve similar effects by using entangled x-ray photon pairs.

Thermal x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging

DOE PAGES

Li, Zheng; Classen, Anton; Peng, Tao; ...

2017-12-27

Using higher-order coherence of thermal light sources, the resolution power of standard x-ray imaging techniques can be enhanced. Here in this work, we applied the higher-order measurement to far-field x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging (PCI), in order to achieve superresolution in x-ray diffraction and obtain enhanced intensity contrast in PCI. The cost of implementing such schemes is minimal compared to the methods that achieve similar effects by using entangled x-ray photon pairs.

Even Illumination from Fiber-Optic-Coupled Laser Diodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, Richard T.

2006-01-01

A method of equipping fiber-optic-coupled laser diodes to evenly illuminate specified fields of view has been proposed. The essence of the method is to shape the tips of the optical fibers into suitably designed diffractive optical elements. One of the main benefits afforded by the method would be more nearly complete utilization of the available light. Diffractive optics is a relatively new field of optics in which laser beams are shaped by use of diffraction instead of refraction.

Image contrast of diffraction-limited telescopes for circular incoherent sources of uniform radiance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shackleford, W. L.

1980-01-01

A simple approximate formula is derived for the background intensity beyond the edge of the image of uniform incoherent circular light source relative to the irradiance near the center of the image. The analysis applies to diffraction-limited telescopes with or without central beam obscuration due to a secondary mirror. Scattering off optical surfaces is neglected. The analysis is expected to be most applicable to spaceborne IR telescopes, for which diffraction can be the major source of off-axis response.

Optical correlator method and apparatus for particle image velocimetry processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, Patrick V. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

Young's fringes are produced from a double exposure image of particles in a flowing fluid by passing laser light through the film and projecting the light onto a screen. A video camera receives the image from the screen and controls a spatial light modulator. The spatial modulator has a two dimensional array of cells the transmissiveness of which are controlled in relation to the brightness of the corresponding pixel of the video camera image of the screen. A collimated beam of laser light is passed through the spatial light modulator to produce a diffraction pattern which is focused onto another video camera, with the output of the camera being digitized and provided to a microcomputer. The diffraction pattern formed when the laser light is passed through the spatial light modulator and is focused to a point corresponds to the two dimensional Fourier transform of the Young's fringe pattern projected onto the screen. The data obtained fro This invention was made with U.S. Government support awarded by the Department of the Army (DOD) and NASA grand number(s): DOD #DAAL03-86-K0174 and NASA #NAG3-718. The U.S. Government has certain rights in this invention.

Optical properties of LiGaS2: an ab initio study and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atuchin, V. V.; Lin, Z. S.; Isaenko, L. I.; Kesler, V. G.; Kruchinin, V. N.; Lobanov, S. I.

2009-11-01

Electronic and optical properties of lithium thiogallate crystal, LiGaS2, have been investigated by both experimental and theoretical methods. The plane-wave pseudopotential method based on DFT theory has been used for band structure calculations. The electronic parameters of Ga 3d orbitals have been corrected by the DFT+U methods to be consistent with those measured with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Evolution of optical constants of LiGaS2 over a wide spectral range was determined by developed first-principles theory and dispersion curves were compared with optical parameters defined by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the photon energy range 1.2-5.0 eV. Good agreement has been achieved between theoretical and experimental results.

Characterization on Smart Optics Using Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Kyo D.

2002-01-01

Recently, NASA Langley Research Center developed a smart active optical concept to filter narrow band pass or to control optical intensity. To characterize developed smart optics materials, we have measured thickness and reflection properties of the materials using a WVASE32 ellipsometry. This project allowed us to: (1) prepare the smart optical materials for measurement of thickness and optical properties at NASA Langley Research Center; (2) measure thickness and optical properties of the smart optical materials; (3) evaluate the measured properties in terms of applications for narrow band-pass filters. The outcomes of this research provide optical properties and physical properties of the smart optics on a selected spectral range. The applications of this development were used for field-controlled spectral smart filters.

Surface analysis of space telescope material specimens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fromhold, A. T.; Daneshvar, K.

1985-01-01

Qualitative and quantitative data on Space Telescope materials which were exposed to low Earth orbital atomic oxygen in a controlled experiment during the 41-G (STS-17) mission were obtained utilizing the experimental techniques of Rutherford backscattering (RBS), particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and ellipsometry (ELL). The techniques employed were chosen with a view towards appropriateness for the sample in question, after consultation with NASA scientific personnel who provided the material specimens. A group of eight samples and their controls selected by NASA scientists were measured before and after flight. Information reported herein include specimen surface characterization by ellipsometry techniques, a determination of the thickness of the evaporated metal specimens by RBS, and a determination of trace impurity species present on and within the surface by PIXE.

Ellipsometry analysis of the in vitro adsorption of tea polyphenols onto salivary pellicles.

PubMed

Joiner, Andrew; Muller, Dries; Elofsson, Ulla M; Arnebrant, Thomas

2004-12-01

The adsorption of components from black tea and of purified tea polyphenols onto a whole unstimulated salivary pellicle-like protein layer, formed in vitro on hydroxyapatite discs, was studied by in situ ellipsometry. It was found that components from black tea and the purified polyphenols epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and theaflavin readily adsorbed onto the pellicle. Further investigations showed that under the experimental conditions of this study, no black tea- or purified polyphenol-modified pellicles were eluted by either phosphate buffer or sodium dodecyl sulphate rinses. Therefore, black tea and its polyphenol components are indicated to have a profound effect on in vitro pellicle modification. Similar effects were observed for tannic acid. Copyright Eur J Oral Sci, 2004.

Direct observation of double exchange in ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 by broadband ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friš, P.; Munzar, D.; Caha, O.; Dubroka, A.

2018-01-01

We present results of our broadband ellipsometry measurements of the optical response of ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 . Our data show that the ferromagnetic transition is accompanied by a transfer of optical spectral weight from an absorption band centered at 1.5 eV to a narrow component of the Drude-like peak. The associated reduction of the intraband kinetic energy is significantly larger than kBTc , confirming that the double exchange plays a major role in the ferromagnetism of doped cobaltites. In conjunction with results of recent theoretical studies, the temperature dependence of the Drude-like peak suggests that the double exchange is mediated by t2 g orbitals.

Analyzing optical properties of thin vanadium oxide films through semiconductor-to-metal phase transition using spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jianing; Pribil, Greg K.

2017-11-01

We investigated the optical behaviors of vanadium dioxide (VO2) films through the semiconductor-to-metal (STM) phase transition using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Correlations between film thickness and refractive index were observed resulting from the absorbing nature of these films. Simultaneously analyzing data at multiple temperatures using Kramers-Kronig consistent oscillator models help identify film thickness. Nontrivial variations in resulting optical constants were observed through STM transition. As temperature increases, a clear increase is observed in near infrared absorption due to Drude losses that accompany the transition from semiconducting to metallic phases. Thin films grown on silicon and sapphire substrate present different optical properties and thermal hysteresis due to lattice stress and compositional differences.

Detecting Negative Obstacles by Use of Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittskus, Anthony; Lux, James

2006-01-01

Robotic land vehicles would be equipped with small radar systems to detect negative obstacles, according to a proposal. The term "negative obstacles" denotes holes, ditches, and any other terrain features characterized by abrupt steep downslopes that could be hazardous for vehicles. Video cameras and other optically based obstacle-avoidance sensors now installed on some robotic vehicles cannot detect obstacles under adverse lighting conditions. Even under favorable lighting conditions, they cannot detect negative obstacles. A radar system according to the proposal would be of the frequency-modulation/ continuous-wave (FM/CW) type. It would be installed on a vehicle, facing forward, possibly with a downward slant of the main lobe(s) of the radar beam(s) (see figure). It would utilize one or more wavelength(s) of the order of centimeters. Because such wavelengths are comparable to the characteristic dimensions of terrain features associated with negative hazards, a significant amount of diffraction would occur at such features. In effect, the diffraction would afford a limited ability to see corners and to see around corners. Hence, the system might utilize diffraction to detect corners associated with negative obstacles. At the time of reporting the information for this article, preliminary analyses of diffraction at simple negative obstacles had been performed, but an explicit description of how the system would utilize diffraction was not available.

Planar Diffractive Lenses: Fundamentals, Functionalities, and Applications.

PubMed

Huang, Kun; Qin, Fei; Liu, Hong; Ye, Huapeng; Qiu, Cheng-Wei; Hong, Minghui; Luk'yanchuk, Boris; Teng, Jinghua

2018-06-01

Traditional objective lenses in modern microscopy, based on the refraction of light, are restricted by the Rayleigh diffraction limit. The existing methods to overcome this limit can be categorized into near-field (e.g., scanning near-field optical microscopy, superlens, microsphere lens) and far-field (e.g., stimulated emission depletion microscopy, photoactivated localization microscopy, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy) approaches. However, they either operate in the challenging near-field mode or there is the need to label samples in biology. Recently, through manipulation of the diffraction of light with binary masks or gradient metasurfaces, some miniaturized and planar lenses have been reported with intriguing functionalities such as ultrahigh numerical aperture, large depth of focus, and subdiffraction-limit focusing in far-field, which provides a viable solution for the label-free superresolution imaging. Here, the recent advances in planar diffractive lenses (PDLs) are reviewed from a united theoretical account on diffraction-based focusing optics, and the underlying physics of nanofocusing via constructive or destructive interference is revealed. Various approaches of realizing PDLs are introduced in terms of their unique performances and interpreted by using optical aberration theory. Furthermore, a detailed tutorial about applying these planar lenses in nanoimaging is provided, followed by an outlook regarding future development toward practical applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An engineered design of a diffractive mask for high precision astrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennison, Kaitlin; Ammons, S. Mark; Garrel, Vincent; Marin, Eduardo; Sivo, Gaetano; Bendek, Eduardo; Guyon, Oliver

2016-07-01

AutoCAD, Zemax Optic Studio 15, and Interactive Data Language (IDL) with the Proper Library are used to computationally model and test a diffractive mask (DiM) suitable for use in the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) on the Gemini South Telescope. Systematic errors in telescope imagery are produced when the light travels through the adaptive optics system of the telescope. DiM is a transparent, flat optic with a pattern of miniscule dots lithographically applied to it. It is added ahead of the adaptive optics system in the telescope in order to produce diffraction spots that will encode systematic errors in the optics after it. Once these errors are encoded, they can be corrected for. DiM will allow for more accurate measurements in astrometry and thus improve exoplanet detection. The mechanics and physical attributes of the DiM are modeled in AutoCAD. Zemax models the ray propagation of point sources of light through the telescope. IDL and Proper simulate the wavefront and image results of the telescope. Aberrations are added to the Zemax and IDL models to test how the diffraction spots from the DiM change in the final images. Based on the Zemax and IDL results, the diffraction spots are able to encode the systematic aberrations.

Rectangular Relief Diffraction Gratings for Coherent Lidar Beam Scanning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, H. J.; Chambers, D. M.; Dixit, S. N.; Britten, J. A.; Shore, B. W.; Kavaya, M. J.

1999-01-01

The application of specialized rectangular relief transmission gratings to coherent lidar beam scanning is presented. Two types of surface relief transmission grating approaches are studied with an eye toward potential insertion of a constant thickness, diffractive scanner where refractive wedges now exist. The first diffractive approach uses vertically oriented relief structure in the surface of an optical flat; illumination of the diffractive scanner is off-normal in nature. The second grating design case describes rectangular relief structure slanted at a prescribed angle with respect to the surface. In this case, illumination is normal to the diffractive scanner. In both cases, performance predictions for 2.0 micron, circularly polarized light at beam deflection angles of 30 or 45 degrees are presented.

High-resolution three-dimensional partially coherent diffraction imaging.

PubMed

Clark, J N; Huang, X; Harder, R; Robinson, I K

2012-01-01

The wave properties of light, particularly its coherence, are responsible for interference effects, which can be exploited in powerful imaging applications. Coherent diffractive imaging relies heavily on coherence and has recently experienced rapid growth. Coherent diffractive imaging recovers an object from its diffraction pattern by computational phasing with the potential of wavelength-limited resolution. Diminished coherence results in reconstructions that suffer from artefacts or fail completely. Here we demonstrate ab initio phasing of partially coherent diffraction patterns in three dimensions, while simultaneously determining the coherence properties of the illuminating wavefield. Both the dramatic improvements in image interpretability and the three-dimensional evaluation of the coherence will have broad implications for quantitative imaging of nanostructures and wavefield characterization with X-rays and electrons.

Coherent soft X-ray diffraction imaging of coliphage PR772 at the Linac coherent light source

PubMed Central

Reddy, Hemanth K.N.; Yoon, Chun Hong; Aquila, Andrew; Awel, Salah; Ayyer, Kartik; Barty, Anton; Berntsen, Peter; Bielecki, Johan; Bobkov, Sergey; Bucher, Maximilian; Carini, Gabriella A.; Carron, Sebastian; Chapman, Henry; Daurer, Benedikt; DeMirci, Hasan; Ekeberg, Tomas; Fromme, Petra; Hajdu, Janos; Hanke, Max Felix; Hart, Philip; Hogue, Brenda G.; Hosseinizadeh, Ahmad; Kim, Yoonhee; Kirian, Richard A.; Kurta, Ruslan P.; Larsson, Daniel S.D.; Duane Loh, N.; Maia, Filipe R.N.C.; Mancuso, Adrian P.; Mühlig, Kerstin; Munke, Anna; Nam, Daewoong; Nettelblad, Carl; Ourmazd, Abbas; Rose, Max; Schwander, Peter; Seibert, Marvin; Sellberg, Jonas A.; Song, Changyong; Spence, John C.H.; Svenda, Martin; Van der Schot, Gijs; Vartanyants, Ivan A.; Williams, Garth J.; Xavier, P. Lourdu

2017-01-01

Single-particle diffraction from X-ray Free Electron Lasers offers the potential for molecular structure determination without the need for crystallization. In an effort to further develop the technique, we present a dataset of coherent soft X-ray diffraction images of Coliphage PR772 virus, collected at the Atomic Molecular Optics (AMO) beamline with pnCCD detectors in the LAMP instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source. The diameter of PR772 ranges from 65–70 nm, which is considerably smaller than the previously reported ~600 nm diameter Mimivirus. This reflects continued progress in XFEL-based single-particle imaging towards the single molecular imaging regime. The data set contains significantly more single particle hits than collected in previous experiments, enabling the development of improved statistical analysis, reconstruction algorithms, and quantitative metrics to determine resolution and self-consistency. PMID:28654088

Enhanced light absorption of solar cells and photodetectors by diffraction

DOEpatents

Zaidi, Saleem H.; Gee, James M.

2005-02-22

Enhanced light absorption of solar cells and photodetectors by diffraction is described. Triangular, rectangular, and blazed subwavelength periodic structures are shown to improve performance of solar cells. Surface reflection can be tailored for either broadband, or narrow-band spectral absorption. Enhanced absorption is achieved by efficient optical coupling into obliquely propagating transmitted diffraction orders. Subwavelength one-dimensional structures are designed for polarization-dependent, wavelength-selective absorption in solar cells and photodetectors, while two-dimensional structures are designed for polarization-independent, wavelength-selective absorption therein. Suitable one and two-dimensional subwavelength periodic structures can also be designed for broadband spectral absorption in solar cells and photodetectors. If reactive ion etching (RIE) processes are used to form the grating, RIE-induced surface damage in subwavelength structures can be repaired by forming junctions using ion implantation methods. RIE-induced surface damage can also be removed by post RIE wet-chemical etching treatments.

Anomalous refraction of light through slanted-nanoaperture arrays on metal surface

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

Kim, Myungji; Jung, Yun Suk; Xi, Yonggang

2015-09-07

We report a nanoapertured metal surface that demonstrates anomalous refraction of light for a wide range of incident angles. A nanoslit aperture is designed to serve as a tilted vertical-dipole whose radiation pattern orients to a glancing angle direction to substrate. An array of such slanted nanoslits formed in a metal film redirects an incident beam into the direction of negative refraction angle: the aperture-transmitted wave makes a far-field propagation to the tilt-oriented direction of radiation pattern. The thus-designed nanoaperture array demonstrates the −1st order diffraction (i.e., to the negative refraction-angle direction) with well-suppressed background transmission (the zero-order direct transmissionmore » and other higher-order diffractions). Engineering the radiation pattern of nanoaperture offers an approach to overcoming the limits of conventional diffractive/refractive optics and complementing metasurface-based nano-optics.« less

Diffractive micro-optical element with nonpoint response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soifer, Victor A.; Golub, Michael A.

1993-01-01

Common-use diffractive lenses have microrelief zones in the form of simple rings that provide only an optical power but do not contain any image information. They have a point-image response under point-source illumination. We must use a more complicated non-point response to focus a light beam into different light marks, letter-type images as well as for optical pattern recognition. The current presentation describes computer generation of diffractive micro- optical elements with complicated curvilinear zones of a regular piecewise-smooth structure and grey-level or staircase phase microrelief. The manufacture of non-point response elements uses the steps of phase-transfer calculation and orthogonal-scan masks generation or lithographic glass etching. Ray-tracing method is shown to be applicable in this task. Several working samples of focusing optical elements generated by computer and photolithography are presented. Using the experimental results we discuss here such applications as laser branding.

Coherent soft X-ray diffraction imaging of coliphage PR772 at the Linac coherent light source

DOE PAGES

Reddy, Hemanth K. N.; Yoon, Chun Hong; Aquila, Andrew; ...

2017-06-27

Single-particle diffraction from X-ray Free Electron Lasers offers the potential for molecular structure determination without the need for crystallization. In an effort to further develop the technique, we present a dataset of coherent soft X-ray diffraction images of Coliphage PR772 virus, collected at the Atomic Molecular Optics (AMO) beamline with pnCCD detectors in the LAMP instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source. The diameter of PR772 ranges from 65–70 nm, which is considerably smaller than the previously reported ~600 nm diameter Mimivirus. This reflects continued progress in XFEL-based single-particle imaging towards the single molecular imaging regime. As a result, themore » data set contains significantly more single particle hits than collected in previous experiments, enabling the development of improved statistical analysis, reconstruction algorithms, and quantitative metrics to determine resolution and self-consistency.« less

Coherent soft X-ray diffraction imaging of coliphage PR772 at the Linac coherent light source.

PubMed

Reddy, Hemanth K N; Yoon, Chun Hong; Aquila, Andrew; Awel, Salah; Ayyer, Kartik; Barty, Anton; Berntsen, Peter; Bielecki, Johan; Bobkov, Sergey; Bucher, Maximilian; Carini, Gabriella A; Carron, Sebastian; Chapman, Henry; Daurer, Benedikt; DeMirci, Hasan; Ekeberg, Tomas; Fromme, Petra; Hajdu, Janos; Hanke, Max Felix; Hart, Philip; Hogue, Brenda G; Hosseinizadeh, Ahmad; Kim, Yoonhee; Kirian, Richard A; Kurta, Ruslan P; Larsson, Daniel S D; Duane Loh, N; Maia, Filipe R N C; Mancuso, Adrian P; Mühlig, Kerstin; Munke, Anna; Nam, Daewoong; Nettelblad, Carl; Ourmazd, Abbas; Rose, Max; Schwander, Peter; Seibert, Marvin; Sellberg, Jonas A; Song, Changyong; Spence, John C H; Svenda, Martin; Van der Schot, Gijs; Vartanyants, Ivan A; Williams, Garth J; Xavier, P Lourdu

2017-06-27

Single-particle diffraction from X-ray Free Electron Lasers offers the potential for molecular structure determination without the need for crystallization. In an effort to further develop the technique, we present a dataset of coherent soft X-ray diffraction images of Coliphage PR772 virus, collected at the Atomic Molecular Optics (AMO) beamline with pnCCD detectors in the LAMP instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source. The diameter of PR772 ranges from 65-70 nm, which is considerably smaller than the previously reported ~600 nm diameter Mimivirus. This reflects continued progress in XFEL-based single-particle imaging towards the single molecular imaging regime. The data set contains significantly more single particle hits than collected in previous experiments, enabling the development of improved statistical analysis, reconstruction algorithms, and quantitative metrics to determine resolution and self-consistency.

Energy Efficiency of a New Trifocal Intraocular Lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vega, F.; Alba-Bueno, F.; Millán, M. S.

2014-01-01

The light distribution among the far, intermediate and near foci of a new trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) is experimentally determined, as a function of the pupil size, from image analysis. The concept of focus energy efficiency is introduced because, in addition to the theoretical diffraction efficiency of the focus, it accounts for other factors that are naturally presented in the human eye such as the level of spherical aberration (SA) upon the IOL, light scattering at the diffractive steps or the depth of focus. The trifocal IOL is tested in-vitro in two eye models: the aberration-free ISO model, and a so called modified-ISO one that uses an artificial cornea with positive spherical SA in instead. The SA upon the IOL is measured with a Hartmann-Shack sensor and compared to the values of theoretical eye models. The results show, for large pupils, a notorious reduction of the energy efficiency of the far and near foci of the trifocal IOL due to two facts: the level of SA upon the IOL is larger than the value the lens is able to compensate for and there is significant light scattering at the diffractive steps. On the other hand, the energy efficiency of the intermediate focus for small pupils is enhanced by the contribution of the extended depth of focus of the near and far foci. Thus, while IOLs manufacturers tend to provide just the theoretical diffraction efficiency of the foci to show which would be the performance of the lens in terms of light distribution among the foci, our results put into evidence that this is better described by using the energy efficiency of the foci.

Femtosecond X-ray Diffraction From Two-Dimensional Protein Crystals

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

Frank, Matthias; Carlson, David B.; Hunter, Mark

2014-02-28

Here we present femtosecond x-ray diffraction patterns from two-dimensional (2-D) protein crystals using an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). To date it has not been possible to acquire x-ray diffraction from individual 2-D protein crystals due to radiation damage. However, the intense and ultrafast pulses generated by an XFEL permits a new method of collecting diffraction data before the sample is destroyed. Utilizing a diffract-before-destroy methodology at the Linac Coherent Light Source, we observed Bragg diffraction to better than 8.5 Å resolution for two different 2-D protein crystal samples that were maintained at room temperature. These proof-of-principle results show promisemore » for structural analysis of both soluble and membrane proteins arranged as 2-D crystals without requiring cryogenic conditions or the formation of three-dimensional crystals.« less

When holography meets coherent diffraction imaging.

PubMed

Latychevskaia, Tatiana; Longchamp, Jean-Nicolas; Fink, Hans-Werner

2012-12-17

The phase problem is inherent to crystallographic, astronomical and optical imaging where only the intensity of the scattered signal is detected and the phase information is lost and must somehow be recovered to reconstruct the object's structure. Modern imaging techniques at the molecular scale rely on utilizing novel coherent light sources like X-ray free electron lasers for the ultimate goal of visualizing such objects as individual biomolecules rather than crystals. Here, unlike in the case of crystals where structures can be solved by model building and phase refinement, the phase distribution of the wave scattered by an individual molecule must directly be recovered. There are two well-known solutions to the phase problem: holography and coherent diffraction imaging (CDI). Both techniques have their pros and cons. In holography, the reconstruction of the scattered complex-valued object wave is directly provided by a well-defined reference wave that must cover the entire detector area which often is an experimental challenge. CDI provides the highest possible, only wavelength limited, resolution, but the phase recovery is an iterative process which requires some pre-defined information about the object and whose outcome is not always uniquely-defined. Moreover, the diffraction patterns must be recorded under oversampling conditions, a pre-requisite to be able to solve the phase problem. Here, we report how holography and CDI can be merged into one superior technique: holographic coherent diffraction imaging (HCDI). An inline hologram can be recorded by employing a modified CDI experimental scheme. We demonstrate that the amplitude of the Fourier transform of an inline hologram is related to the complex-valued visibility, thus providing information on both, the amplitude and the phase of the scattered wave in the plane of the diffraction pattern. With the phase information available, the condition of oversampling the diffraction patterns can be relaxed, and the phase problem can be solved in a fast and unambiguous manner. We demonstrate the reconstruction of various diffraction patterns of objects recorded with visible light as well as with low-energy electrons. Although we have demonstrated our HCDI method using laser light and low-energy electrons, it can also be applied to any other coherent radiation such as X-rays or high-energy electrons.

Shift-bonded resonance-domain diffraction gratings.

PubMed

Axelrod, Ramon; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Golub, Michael

2016-10-20

Resonance-domain-transmission diffractive optics with grating periods comparable to those of the illumination wavelength offers large angles of light deflection and nearly 100% Bragg diffraction efficiency. Optical design preferences for nearly normal incidence can be met by proper choice for the slant of the diffraction grooves relative to the substrate. However, straightforward fabrication of the slanted submicron high-aspect-ratio grooves is challenging. In this paper, optical performance comparable to that of the slanted grooves was achieved by an alternative solution of bonding two half-height symmetrical gratings with a lateral shift and an optional small longitudinal spacing. Results of design, nanofabrication, and optical testing are presented.

Projecting non-diffracting waves with intermediate-plane holography.

PubMed

Mondal, Argha; Yevick, Aaron; Blackburn, Lauren C; Kanellakopoulos, Nikitas; Grier, David G

2018-02-19

We introduce intermediate-plane holography, which substantially improves the ability of holographic trapping systems to project propagation-invariant modes of light using phase-only diffractive optical elements. Translating the mode-forming hologram to an intermediate plane in the optical train can reduce the need to encode amplitude variations in the field, and therefore complements well-established techniques for encoding complex-valued transfer functions into phase-only holograms. Compared to standard holographic trapping implementations, intermediate-plane holograms greatly improve diffraction efficiency and mode purity of propagation-invariant modes, and so increase their useful non-diffracting range. We demonstrate this technique through experimental realizations of accelerating modes and long-range tractor beams.

Apparatus and method for generating partially coherent illumination for photolithography

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C.

2001-01-01

The present invention introduces a novel scatter plate into the optical path of source light used for illuminating a replicated object. The scatter plate has been designed to interrupt a focused, incoming light beam by introducing between about 8 to 24 diffraction zones blazed onto the surface of the scatter plate which intercept the light and redirect it to a like number of different positions in the condenser entrance pupil each of which is determined by the relative orientation and the spatial frequency of the diffraction grating in each of the several zones. Light falling onto the scatter plate, therefore, generates a plurality of unphased sources of illumination as seen by the back half of the optical system. The system comprises a high brightness source, such as a laser, creating light which is taken up by a beam forming optic which focuses the incoming light into a condenser which in turn, focuses light into a field lens creating Kohler illumination image of the source in a camera entrance pupil. The light passing through the field lens illuminates a mask which interrupts the source light as either a positive or negative image of the object to be replicated. Light passing by the mask is focused into the entrance pupil of the lithographic camera creating an image of the mask onto a receptive media.

Cassini UVIS solar occultations by Saturn's F ring and the detection of collision-produced micron-sized dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Tracy M.; Colwell, Joshua E.; Esposito, Larry W.; Attree, Nicholas O.; Murray, Carl D.

2018-05-01

We present an analysis of eleven solar occultations by Saturn's F ring observed by the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on the Cassini spacecraft. In four of the solar occultations we detect an unambiguous signal from diffracted sunlight that adds to the direct solar signal just before or after the occultations occur. The strongest detection was a 10% increase over the direct signal that was enabled by the accidental misalignment of the instrument's pointing. We compare the UVIS data with images of the F ring obtained by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and find that in each instance of an unambiguous diffraction signature in the UVIS data, the ISS data shows that there was a recent disturbance in that region of the F ring. Similarly, the ISS images show a quiescent region of the F ring for all solar occultations in which no diffraction signature was detected. We therefore conclude that collisions in the F ring produce a population of small ring particles that can produce a detectable diffraction signal immediately interior or exterior to the F ring. The clearest example of this connection comes from the strong detection of diffracted light in the 2007 solar occultation, when the portion of the F ring that occulted the Sun had suffered a large collisional event, likely with S/2004 S 6, several months prior. This collision was observed in a series of ISS images (Murray et al., 2008). Our spectral analysis of the data shows no significant spectral features in the F ring, indicating that the particles must be at least 0.2 μm in radius. We apply a forward model of the solar occultations, accounting for the effects of diffracted light and the attenuated direct solar signal, to model the observed solar occultation light curves. These models constrain the optical depth, radial width, and particle size distribution of the F ring. We find that when the diffraction signature is present, we can best reproduce the occultation data using a particle population with an average effective particle size of less than 300 μm, while occultations without clear diffraction signals are best modeled using a population with an effective particle size larger than 400 μm.

Radiation sensitive area detection device and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Daniel C. (Inventor); Hecht, Diana L. (Inventor); Witherow, William K. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A radiation sensitive area detection device for use in conjunction with an X ray, ultraviolet or other radiation source is provided which comprises a phosphor containing film which releases a stored diffraction pattern image in response to incoming light or other electromagnetic wave. A light source such as a helium-neon laser, an optical fiber capable of directing light from the laser source onto the phosphor film and also capable of channelling the fluoresced light from the phosphor film to an integrating sphere which directs the light to a signal processing means including a light receiving means such as a photomultiplier tube. The signal processing means allows translation of the fluoresced light in order to detect the original pattern caused by the diffraction of the radiation by the original sample. The optical fiber is retained directly in front of the phosphor screen by a thin metal holder which moves up and down across the phosphor screen and which features a replaceable pinhole which allows easy adjustment of the resolution of the light projected onto the phosphor film. The device produces near real time images with high spatial resolution and without the distortion that accompanies prior art devices employing photomultiplier tubes. A method is also provided for carrying out radiation area detection using the device of the invention.

Two-Diffraction-Order, Beam-Splitting, Imaging Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Labaw, Clayton C.; Burns, Ronald N.

1995-01-01

Two-octave imaging spectrometer utilizes light of two harmonically related wavelengths diffracted to harmonically related orders at same angles, followed by separation via dichroic beam splitter before final imaging. Conceptual design of spectrometer calls for minimum number of optical elements to achieve coverage of required visible and near-infrared wavelengths in instrument of reduced size, weight, and cost.

Three-Dimensional Model of Holographic Formation of Inhomogeneous PPLC Diffraction Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semkin, A. O.; Sharangovich, S. N.

2018-05-01

A three-dimensional theoretical model of holographic formation of inhomogeneous diffraction structures in composite photopolymer - liquid crystal materials is presented considering both the nonlinearity of recording and the amplitude-phase inhomogeneity of the recording light field. Based on the results of numerical simulation, the kinematics of formations of such structures and their spatial profile are investigated.

Sensitive singular-phase optical detection without phase measurements with Tamm plasmons.

PubMed

Boriskina, Svetlana V; Tsurimaki, Yoichiro

2018-06-06

Spectrally-tailored interactions of light with material interfaces offer many exciting applications in sensing, photo-detection, and optical energy conversion. In particular, complete suppression of light reflectance at select frequencies accompanied by sharp phase variations in the reflected signal forms the basis for the development of ultra-sensitive singular-phase optical detection schemes such as Brewster and surface plasmon interferometry. However, both the Brewster effect and surface-plasmon-mediated absorption on planar interfaces are limited to one polarization of the incident light and oblique excitation angles, and may have limited bandwidth dictated by the material dielectric index and plasma frequency. To alleviate these limitations, we design narrow-band super-absorbers composed of plasmonic materials embedded into dielectric photonic nanostructures with topologically-protected interfacial Tamm plasmon states. These structures have planar geometry and do not require nanopatterning to achieve perfect absorption of both polarizations of the incident light in a wide range of incident angles, including the normal incidence. Their absorption lines are tunable across a very broad spectral range via engineering of the photon bandstructure of the dielectric photonic nanostructures to achieve reversal of the geometrical phase across the interface with the plasmonic absorber. We outline the design strategy to achieve perfect absorptance in Tamm structures with dissipative losses via conjugate impedance matching. We further demonstrate via modeling how these structures can be engineered to support sharp asymmetric amplitude resonances, which can be used to improve the sensitivity of optical sensors in the amplitude-only detection scheme that does not require use of bulky and expensive ellipsometry equipment.

Sensitive singular-phase optical detection without phase measurements with Tamm plasmons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boriskina, Svetlana V.; Tsurimaki, Yoichiro

2018-06-01

Spectrally-tailored interactions of light with material interfaces offer many exciting applications in sensing, photo-detection, and optical energy conversion. In particular, complete suppression of light reflectance at select frequencies accompanied by sharp phase variations in the reflected signal forms the basis for the development of ultra-sensitive singular-phase optical detection schemes such as Brewster and surface plasmon interferometry. However, both the Brewster effect and surface-plasmon-mediated absorption on planar interfaces are limited to one polarization of the incident light and oblique excitation angles, and may have limited bandwidth dictated by the material dielectric index and plasma frequency. To alleviate these limitations, we design narrow-band super-absorbers composed of plasmonic materials embedded into dielectric photonic nanostructures with topologically-protected interfacial Tamm plasmon states. These structures have planar geometry and do not require nanopatterning to achieve perfect absorption of both polarizations of the incident light in a wide range of incident angles, including the normal incidence. Their absorption lines are tunable across a very broad spectral range via engineering of the photon bandstructure of the dielectric photonic nanostructures to achieve reversal of the geometrical phase across the interface with the plasmonic absorber. We outline the design strategy to achieve perfect absorptance in Tamm structures with dissipative losses via conjugate impedance matching. We further demonstrate via modeling how these structures can be engineered to support sharp asymmetric amplitude resonances, which can be used to improve the sensitivity of optical sensors in the amplitude-only detection scheme that does not require use of bulky and expensive ellipsometry equipment.

Fresnel zone plate light field spectral imaging simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallada, Francis D.; Franz, Anthony L.; Hawks, Michael R.

2017-05-01

Through numerical simulation, we have demonstrated a novel snapshot spectral imaging concept using binary diffractive optics. Binary diffractive optics, such as Fresnel zone plates (FZP) or photon sieves, can be used as the single optical element in a spectral imager that conducts both imaging and dispersion. In previous demonstrations of spectral imaging with diffractive optics, the detector array was physically translated along the optic axis to measure different image formation planes. In this new concept the wavelength-dependent images are constructed synthetically, by using integral photography concepts commonly applied to light field (plenoptic) cameras. Light field cameras use computational digital refocusing methods after exposure to make images at different object distances. Our concept refocuses to make images at different wavelengths instead of different object distances. The simulations in this study demonstrate this concept for an imager designed with a FZP. Monochromatic light from planar sources is propagated through the system to a measurement plane using wave optics in the Fresnel approximation. Simple images, placed at optical infinity, are illuminated by monochromatic sources and then digitally refocused to show different spectral bins. We show the formation of distinct images from different objects, illuminated by monochromatic sources in the VIS/NIR spectrum. Additionally, this concept could easily be applied to imaging in the MWIR and LWIR ranges. In conclusion, this new type of imager offers a rugged and simple optical design for snapshot spectral imaging and warrants further development.

An Experimental Study of Ultra-Wide-Band and Ultra-Wide-Aperture Non-Collinear Acousto-Optic Diffraction in an Optically Biaxial Potassium Arsenate Titanyl Crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milkov, M. G.; Voloshinov, V. B.; Isaenko, L. I.; Vedenyapin, V. N.

2018-01-01

Acousto-optic interaction in an optically biaxial crystalline medium under propagation of light close to one of the optical axes of a potassium arsenate titanyl KTiOAsO4 crystal has been studied. The experimental dependences of the intensity of a diffracted optical beam on the angle of light incidence on an ultrasonic wave have been obtained. It has been shown that a flat cut of a wave-vector surface provides development of an ultra-wide-aperture and ultra-wide-band acousto-optic deflector to control radiation in the visible and infrared electromagnetic spectral ranges.

Generation of phase singularity through diffracting a plane or Gaussian beam by a spiral phase plate.

PubMed

Kotlyar, Victor V; Almazov, Anton A; Khonina, Svetlana N; Soifer, Victor A; Elfstrom, Henna; Turunen, Jari

2005-05-01

We deduce and study an analytical expression for Fresnel diffraction of a plane wave by a spiral phase plate (SPP) that imparts an arbitrary-order phase singularity on the light field. Estimates for the optical vortex radius that depends on the singularity's integer order n (also termed topological charge, or order of the dislocation) have been derived. The near-zero vortex intensity is shown to be proportional to rho2n, where p is the radial coordinate. Also, an analytical expression for Fresnel diffraction of the Gaussian beam by a SPP with nth-order singularity is analyzed. The far-field intensity distribution is derived. The radius of maximal intensity is shown to depend on the singularity number. The behavior of the Gaussian beam intensity after a SPP with second-order singularity (n = 2) is studied in more detail. The parameters of the light beams generated numerically with the Fresnel transform and via analytical formulas are in good agreement. In addition, the light fields with first- and second-order singularities were generated by a 32-level SPP fabricated on the resist by use of the electron-beam lithography technique.

Optical Simulation and Fabrication of Pancharatnam (Geometric) Phase Devices from Liquid Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Kun

Pancharatnam made clear the concept of a phase-only device based on changes in the polarization state of light. A device of this type is sometimes called a circular polarization grating because of the polarization states of interfering light beams used to fabricate it by polarization holography. Here, we will call it a Pancharatnam (geometric) phase device to emphasize the fact that the phase of diffracted light does not have a discontinuous periodic profile but changes continuously. In this dissertation, using simulations and experiments, we have successfully demonstrated a 90% diffraction efficiency based on the Pancharatnam phase deflector (PPD) with the dual-twist structure. Unlike the conventional Pancharatnam phase deflector (c-PPD) limited to small diffraction angles, our work demonstrates that a device with a structural periodicity near the wavelength of light is highly efficient at deflecting light to large angles. Also, from a similar fabrication procedure, we have made an ultra-compact non-mechanical zoom lens system based on the Pancharatnam phase lens (PPL) with a low f-number and high efficiency. The wavelength dependence on the image quality is evaluated and shown to be satisfactory from red light to near-infrared machine vision systems. A demonstration device is shown with a 4x zoom ratio at a 633 nm wavelength. The unique characteristic of these devices is made possible through the use of azo-dye photoalignment materials to align a liquid crystal polymer (reactive mesogens). Furthermore, the proposed dual-twist design and fabrication opens the possibility for making a high-efficiency beam-steering device, a lens with an f-number less than 1.0, as well as a wide range of other potential applications in the optical and display industry. The details of simulation, fabrication, and characterization of these devices are shown in this dissertation.

Preliminary evaluation of the diffraction behind the PROBA 3/ASPIICS optimized occulter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baccani, Cristian; Landini, Federico; Romoli, Marco; Taccola, Matteo; Schweitzer, Hagen; Fineschi, Silvano; Bemporad, Alessandro; Loreggia, Davide; Capobianco, Gerardo; Pancrazzi, Maurizio; Focardi, Mauro; Noce, Vladimiro; Thizy, Cédric; Servaye, Jean-Sébastien; Renotte, Etienne

2016-07-01

PROBA-3 is a technological mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), devoted to the in-orbit demon- stration of formation flying (FF) techniques and technologies. ASPIICS is an externally occulted coronagraph approved by ESA as payload in the framework of the PROBA-3 mission and is currently in its C/D phase. FF offers a solution to investigate the solar corona close the solar limb using a two-component space system: the external occulter on one spacecraft and the optical instrument on the other, separated by a large distance and kept in strict alignment. ASPIICS is characterized by an inter-satellite distance of ˜144 m and an external occulter diameter of 1.42 m. The stray light due to the diffraction by the external occulter edge is always the most critical offender to a coronagraph performance: the designer work is focused on reducing the stray light and carefully evaluating the residuals. In order to match this goal, external occulters are usually characterized by an optimized shape along the optical axis. Part of the stray light evaluation process is based on the diffraction calculation with the optimized occulter and with the whole solar disk as a source. We used the field tracing software VirtualLabTM Fusion by Wyrowski Photonics [1] to simulate the diffraction. As a first approach and in order to evaluate the software, we simulated linear occulters, through as portions of the flight occulter, in order to make a direct comparison with the Phase-A measurements [2].

Can the Hypothesis 'Photon Interferes only with Itself' be Reconciled with Superposition of Light from Multiple Beams or Sources?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roychoudhuri, Chandrasekhar; Prasad, Narasimha S.; Peng, Qing

2007-01-01

Any superposition effect as measured (SEM) by us is the summation of simultaneous stimulations experienced by a detector due to the presence of multiple copies of a detectee each carrying different values of the same parameter. We discus the cases with light beams carrying same frequency for both diffraction and multiple beam Fabry-Perot interferometer and also a case where the two superposed light beams carry different frequencies. Our key argument is that if light really consists of indivisible elementary particle, photon, then it cannot by itself create superposition effect since the state vector of an elementary particle cannot carry more than one values of any parameter at the same time. Fortunately, semiclassical model explains all light induced interactions using quantized atoms and classical EM wave packet. Classical physics, with its deeper commitment to Reality Ontology, was better prepared to nurture the emergence of Quantum Mechanics and still can provide guidance to explore nature deeper if we pay careful attention to successful classical formulations like Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral.

Fast spatial beam shaping by acousto-optic diffraction for 3D non-linear microscopy.

PubMed

Akemann, Walther; Léger, Jean-François; Ventalon, Cathie; Mathieu, Benjamin; Dieudonné, Stéphane; Bourdieu, Laurent

2015-11-02

Acousto-optic deflection (AOD) devices offer unprecedented fast control of the entire spatial structure of light beams, most notably their phase. AOD light modulation of ultra-short laser pulses, however, is not straightforward to implement because of intrinsic chromatic dispersion and non-stationarity of acousto-optic diffraction. While schemes exist to compensate chromatic dispersion, non-stationarity remains an obstacle. In this work we demonstrate an efficient AOD light modulator for stable phase modulation using time-locked generation of frequency-modulated acoustic waves at the full repetition rate of a high power laser pulse amplifier of 80 kHz. We establish the non-local relationship between the optical phase and the generating acoustic frequency function and verify the system for temporal stability, phase accuracy and generation of non-linear two-dimensional phase functions.

Visualizing light with electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzgerald, J. P. S.; Word, R. C.; Koenenkamp, R.

2014-03-01

In multiphoton photoemission electron microscopy (nP-PEEM) electrons are emitted from surfaces at a rate proportional to the surface electromagnetic field amplitude. We use 2P-PEEM to give nanometer scale visualizations of light of diffracted and waveguide fields around various microstructures. We use Fourier analysis to determine the phase and amplitude of surface fields in relation to incident light from the interference patterns. To provide quick and intuitive simulations of surface fields, we employ two dimensional Fresnel-Kirchhoff integration, a technique based on freely propagating waves and Huygens' principle. We find generally good agreement between simulations and experiment. Additionally diffracted wave simulations exhibit greater phase accuracy, indicating that these waves are well represented by a two dimensional approximation. The authors gratefully acknowledge funding of this research by the US-DOE Basic Science Office under Contract DE-FG02-10ER46406.

Diffractive optics technology and the NASA Geostationary Earth Observatory (GEO)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, G. Michael; Michaels, Robert L.; Faklis, Dean

1992-01-01

Diffractive (or binary) optics offers unique capabilities for the development of large-aperture, high-performance, light-weight optical systems. The Geostationary Earth Observatory (GEO) will consist of a variety of instruments to monitor the environmental conditions of the earth and its atmosphere. The aim of this investigation is to analyze the design of the GEO instrument that is being proposed and to identify the areas in which diffractive (or binary) optics technology can make a significant impact in GEO sensor design. Several potential applications where diffractive optics may indeed serve as a key technology for improving the performance and reducing the weight and cost of the GEO sensors have been identified. Applications include the use of diffractive/refractive hybrid lenses for aft-optic imagers, diffractive telescopes for narrowband imaging, subwavelength structured surfaces for anti-reflection and polarization control, and aberration compensation for reflective imaging systems and grating spectrometers.

Measurement of the curvature of a surface using parallel light beams

DOEpatents

Chason, Eric H.; Floro, Jerrold A.; Seager, Carleton H.; Sinclair, Michael B.

1999-01-01

Apparatus for measuring curvature of a surface wherein a beam of collimated light is passed through means for producing a plurality of parallel light beams each separated by a common distance which then reflect off the surface to fall upon a detector that measures the separation of the reflected beams of light. This means can be an etalon and the combination of a diffractive element and a converging lens. The curvature of the surface along the line onto which the multiple beams fall can be calculated from this information. A two-dimensional map of the curvature can be obtained by adding a second etalon (or a second combination of a diffractive element and a converging lens) which is rotated 90.degree. about the optical axis relative to the first etalon and inclined at the same angle. The second etalon creates an individual set of parallel light beams from each of the individual beams created by the first etalon with the sets of parallel light beams from the second etalon rotated 90.degree. relative to the line onto which the single set of parallel beams from the first etalon would have fallen.

Measurement of the curvature of a surface using parallel light beams

DOEpatents

Chason, E.H.; Floro, J.A.; Seager, C.H.; Sinclair, M.B.

1999-06-15

Apparatus is disclosed for measuring curvature of a surface wherein a beam of collimated light is passed through a means for producing a plurality of parallel light beams each separated by a common distance which then reflect off the surface to fall upon a detector that measures the separation of the reflected beams of light. This means can be an etalon and the combination of a diffractive element and a converging lens. The curvature of the surface along the line onto which the multiple beams fall can be calculated from this information. A two-dimensional map of the curvature can be obtained by adding a second etalon (or a second combination of a diffractive element and a converging lens) which is rotated 90[degree] about the optical axis relative to the first etalon and inclined at the same angle. The second etalon creates an individual set of parallel light beams from each of the individual beams created by the first etalon with the sets of parallel light beams from the second etalon rotated 90[degree] relative to the line onto which the single set of parallel beams from the first etalon would have fallen. 5 figs.

Preparation and characterization of ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite for photocatalytic disinfection of bacteria and detoxification of cyanide under visible light

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

Karunakaran, C., E-mail: karunakaranc@rediffmail.com; Abiramasundari, G.; Gomathisankar, P.

2011-10-15

Highlights: {yields} ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite, obtained by modified ammonia-evaporation-induced synthetic method, absorbs visible light. {yields} ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles catalyze bacteria disinfection and cyanide detoxification under sunlight. {yields} ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite is selective in photocatalysis. -- Abstract: ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite was prepared by modified ammonia-evaporation-induced synthetic method. It was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray, UV-visible diffuse reflectance, photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies. Incorporation of ZnO leads to visible light absorption, larger charge transfer resistance and lower capacitance. The nanocomposite effectively catalyzes the inactivation of E. coli under visible light. Further,more » the prepared nanocomposite displays selective photocatalysis. While its photocatalytic efficiency to detoxify cyanide with visible light is higher than that of TiO{sub 2} P25, its efficiency to degrade methylene blue, sunset yellow and rhodamine B dyes under UV-A light is less than that of TiO{sub 2} P25.« less

A Low-Cost Quantitative Absorption Spectrophotometer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albert, Daniel R.; Todt, Michael A.; Davis, H. Floyd

2012-01-01

In an effort to make absorption spectrophotometry available to high school chemistry and physics classes, we have designed an inexpensive visible light absorption spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer was constructed using LEGO blocks, a light emitting diode, optical elements (including a lens), a slide-mounted diffraction grating, and a…

Imaging Spectrometer Designs Utilizing Immersed Gratings With Accessible Entrance Slit

DOEpatents

Chrisp, Michael P.; Lerner, Scott A.

2006-03-21

A compact imaging spectrometer comprises an entrance slit, a catadioptric lens with a mirrored surface, a grating, and a detector array. The entrance slit directs light to the mirrored surface of the catadioptric lens; the mirrored surface reflects the light back through the lens to the grating. The grating receives the light from the catadioptric lens and diffracts the light to the lens away from the mirrored surface. The lens transmits the light and focuses it onto the detector array.

Catalytic Graphitization of Coal-Based Carbon Materials with Light Rare Earth Elements.

PubMed

Wang, Rongyan; Lu, Guimin; Qiao, Wenming; Yu, Jianguo

2016-08-30

The catalytic graphitization mechanism of coal-based carbon materials with light rare earth elements was investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The interface between light rare earth elements and carbon materials was carefully observed, and two routes of rare earth elements catalyzing the carbon materials were found: dissolution-precipitation and carbide formation-decomposition. These two simultaneous processes certainly accelerate the catalytic graphitization of carbon materials, and light rare earth elements exert significant influence on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of graphite. Moreover, by virtue of praseodymium (Pr), it was found that a highly crystallographic orientation of graphite was induced and formed, which was reasonably attributed to the similar arrangements of the planes perpendicular to (001) in both graphite and Pr crystals. The interface between Pr and carbon was found to be an important factor for the orientation of graphite structure.

Scaled-model guidelines for formation-flying solar coronagraph missions.

PubMed

Landini, Federico; Romoli, Marco; Baccani, Cristian; Focardi, Mauro; Pancrazzi, Maurizio; Galano, Damien; Kirschner, Volker

2016-02-15

Stray light suppression is the main concern in designing a solar coronagraph. The main contribution to the stray light for an externally occulted space-borne solar coronagraph is the light diffracted by the occulter and scattered by the optics. It is mandatory to carefully evaluate the diffraction generated by an external occulter and the impact that it has on the stray light signal on the focal plane. The scientific need for observations to cover a large portion of the heliosphere with an inner field of view as close as possible to the photospheric limb supports the ambition of launching formation-flying giant solar coronagraphs. Their dimension prevents the possibility of replicating the flight geometry in a clean laboratory environment, and the strong need for a scaled model is thus envisaged. The problem of scaling a coronagraph has already been faced for exoplanets, for a single point source on axis at infinity. We face the problem here by adopting an original approach and by introducing the scaling of the solar disk as an extended source.

Literature survey for suppression of scattered light in large space telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tifft, W. G.; Fannin, B. B.

1973-01-01

A literature survey is presented of articles dealing with all aspects of predicting, measuring, and controlling unwanted scattered (stray) light. The survey is divided into four broad classifications: (1) existing baffle/telescope designs; (2) computer programs for the analysis/design of light suppression systems; (3) the mechanism, measurement, and control of light scattering; and (4) the advantages and problems introduced by the space environment for the operation of diffraction-limited optical systems.

Characterization of anisotropically shaped silver nanoparticle arrays via spectroscopic ellipsometry supported by numerical optical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gkogkou, Dimitra; Shaykhutdinov, Timur; Oates, Thomas W. H.; Gernert, Ulrich; Schreiber, Benjamin; Facsko, Stefan; Hildebrandt, Peter; Weidinger, Inez M.; Esser, Norbert; Hinrichs, Karsten

2017-11-01

The present investigation aims to study the optical response of anisotropic Ag nanoparticle arrays deposited on rippled silicon substrates by performing a qualitative comparison between experimental and theoretical results. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used along with numerical calculations using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) to reveal trends in the optical and geometrical properties of the nanoparticle array. Ellipsometric data show two resonances, in the orthogonal x and y directions, that originate from localized plasmon resonances as demonstrated by the calculated near-fields from FDTD calculations. The far-field calculations by RCWA point to decoupled resonances in x direction and possible coupling effects in y direction, corresponding to the short and long axis of the anisotropic nanoparticles, respectively.

Multiple-layered effective medium approximation approach to modeling environmental effects on alumina passivated highly porous silicon nanostructured thin films measured by in-situ Mueller matrix ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mock, Alyssa; Carlson, Timothy; VanDerslice, Jeremy; Mohrmann, Joel; Woollam, John A.; Schubert, Eva; Schubert, Mathias

2017-11-01

Optical changes in alumina passivated highly porous silicon slanted columnar thin films during controlled exposure to toluene vapor are reported. Electron-beam evaporation glancing angle deposition and subsequent atomic layer deposition are utilized to deposit alumina passivated nanostructured porous silicon thin films. In-situ Mueller matrix generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry in an environmental cell is then used to determine changes in optical properties of the nanostructured thin films by inspection of individual Mueller matrix elements, each of which exhibit sensitivity to adsorption. The use of a multiple-layered effective medium approximation model allows for accurate description of the inhomogeneous nature of toluene adsorption onto alumina passivated highly porous silicon slanted columnar thin films.

Optical constants of wurtzite ZnS thin films determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, H. C.; Chang, R. P. H.

2001-11-01

The complex dielectric functions of wurtzite ZnS thin films grown on (0001) Al2O3 have been determined by using spectroscopic ellipsometry over the spectral range of 1.33-4.7 eV. Below the band gap, the refractive index n is found to follow the first-order Sellmeir dispersion relationship n2(λ)=1+2.22λ2/(λ2-0.0382). Strong and well-defined free excitonic features located above the band edge are clearly observed at room temperature. The intrinsic optical parameters of wurtzite ZnS such as band gaps and excitonic binding energies have been determined by fitting the absorption spectrum using a modified Elliott expression together with Lorentizan broadening. Both parameters are found to be larger than their zinc blende counterparts.

Registration of T-2 mycotoxin with total internal reflection ellipsometry and QCM impedance methods.

PubMed

Nabok, A V; Tsargorodskaya, A; Holloway, A; Starodub, N F; Gojster, O

2007-01-15

A sensitive optical method of total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE) in conjunction with immune assay approach was exploited for the registration of T-2 mycotoxin in a wide range of concentrations from 100 microg/ml down to 0.15 ng/ml. Association constants of 1.4x10(6) and 1.9x10(7)mol(-1)s for poly- and monoclonal T-2 antibodies, respectively, were evaluated from TIRE kinetic measurements. According to TIRE data fitting, binding of T-2 molecules to antibodies (at saturation) has resulted in the increase in adsorbed layer thickness of 4-5 nm. The QCM impedance measurements data showed anomalously large mass increase and film softening, most likely, due to the binding of large T-2 aggregates to antibodies.

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

Hilfiker, James N.; Stadermann, Michael; Sun, Jianing

It is a well-known challenge to determine refractive index (n) from ultra-thin films where the thickness is less than about 10 nm. In this paper, we discovered an interesting exception to this issue while characterizing spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) data from isotropic, free-standing polymer films. Ellipsometry analysis shows that both thickness and refractive index can be independently determined for free-standing films as thin as 5 nm. Simulations further confirm an orthogonal separation between thickness and index effects on the experimental SE data. Effects of angle of incidence and wavelength on the data and sensitivity are discussed. Finally, while others have demonstratedmore » methods to determine refractive index from ultra-thin films, our analysis provides the first results to demonstrate high-sensitivity to the refractive index from ultra-thin layers.« less

Efficient photonic reformatting of celestial light for diffraction-limited spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacLachlan, D. G.; Harris, R. J.; Gris-Sánchez, I.; Morris, T. J.; Choudhury, D.; Gendron, E.; Basden, A. G.; Spaleniak, I.; Arriola, A.; Birks, T. A.; Allington-Smith, J. R.; Thomson, R. R.

2017-02-01

The spectral resolution of a dispersive astronomical spectrograph is limited by the trade-off between throughput and the width of the entrance slit. Photonic guided wave transitions have been proposed as a route to bypass this trade-off, by enabling the efficient reformatting of incoherent seeing-limited light collected by the telescope into a linear array of single modes: a pseudo-slit which is highly multimode in one axis but diffraction-limited in the dispersion axis of the spectrograph. It is anticipated that the size of a single-object spectrograph fed with light in this manner would be essentially independent of the telescope aperture size. A further anticipated benefit is that such spectrographs would be free of `modal noise', a phenomenon that occurs in high-resolution multimode fibre-fed spectrographs due to the coherent nature of the telescope point spread function (PSF). We seek to address these aspects by integrating a multicore fibre photonic lantern with an ultrafast laser inscribed three-dimensional waveguide interconnect to spatially reformat the modes within the PSF into a diffraction-limited pseudo-slit. Using the CANARY adaptive optics (AO) demonstrator on the William Herschel Telescope, and 1530 ± 80 nm stellar light, the device exhibits a transmission of 47-53 per cent depending upon the mode of AO correction applied. We also show the advantage of using AO to couple light into such a device by sampling only the core of the CANARY PSF. This result underscores the possibility that a fully optimized guided-wave device can be used with AO to provide efficient spectroscopy at high spectral resolution.

Adaptable Diffraction Gratings With Wavefront Transformation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iazikov, Dmitri; Mossberg, Thomas W.; Greiner, Christoph M.

2010-01-01

Diffraction gratings are optical components with regular patterns of grooves, which angularly disperse incoming light by wavelength. Traditional diffraction gratings have static planar, concave, or convex surfaces. However, if they could be made so that they can change the surface curvature at will, then they would be able to focus on particular segments, self-calibrate, or perform fine adjustments. This innovation creates a diffraction grating on a deformable surface. This surface could be bent at will, resulting in a dynamic wavefront transformation. This allows for self-calibration, compensation for aberrations, enhancing image resolution in a particular area, or performing multiple scans using different wavelengths. A dynamic grating gives scientists a new ability to explore wavefronts from a variety of viewpoints.

Fast computation algorithms for speckle pattern simulation

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

Nascov, Victor; Samoilă, Cornel; Ursuţiu, Doru

2013-11-13

We present our development of a series of efficient computation algorithms, generally usable to calculate light diffraction and particularly for speckle pattern simulation. We use mainly the scalar diffraction theory in the form of Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction formula and its Fresnel approximation. Our algorithms are based on a special form of the convolution theorem and the Fast Fourier Transform. They are able to evaluate the diffraction formula much faster than by direct computation and we have circumvented the restrictions regarding the relative sizes of the input and output domains, met on commonly used procedures. Moreover, the input and output planes canmore » be tilted each to other and the output domain can be off-axis shifted.« less

Rosalind Franklin's X-ray photo of DNA as an undergraduate optical diffraction experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, J.; Braun, G.; Tierney, D.; Wessels, L.; Schmitzer, H.; Rossa, B.; Wagner, H. P.; Dultz, W.

2018-02-01

Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction patterns of DNA molecules rendered the important clue that DNA has the structure of a double helix. The most famous X-ray photograph, Photo 51, is still printed in most Biology textbooks. We suggest two optical experiments for undergraduates that make this historic achievement comprehensible for students by using macromodels of DNA and visible light to recreate a diffraction pattern similar to Photo 51. In these macromodels, we replace the double helix both mathematically and experimentally with its two-dimensional (flat) projection and explain why this is permissible. Basic optical concepts are used to infer certain well-known characteristics of DNA from the diffraction pattern.

Analysis of XFEL serial diffraction data from individual crystalline fibrils

PubMed Central

Wojtas, David H.; Ayyer, Kartik; Liang, Mengning; Mossou, Estelle; Romoli, Filippo; Seuring, Carolin; Beyerlein, Kenneth R.; Bean, Richard J.; Morgan, Andrew J.; Oberthuer, Dominik; Fleckenstein, Holger; Heymann, Michael; Gati, Cornelius; Yefanov, Oleksandr; Barthelmess, Miriam; Ornithopoulou, Eirini; Galli, Lorenzo; Xavier, P. Lourdu; Ling, Wai Li; Frank, Matthias; Yoon, Chun Hong; White, Thomas A.; Bajt, Saša; Mitraki, Anna; Boutet, Sebastien; Aquila, Andrew; Barty, Anton; Forsyth, V. Trevor; Chapman, Henry N.; Millane, Rick P.

2017-01-01

Serial diffraction data collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source from crystalline amyloid fibrils delivered in a liquid jet show that the fibrils are well oriented in the jet. At low fibril concentrations, diffraction patterns are recorded from single fibrils; these patterns are weak and contain only a few reflections. Methods are developed for determining the orientation of patterns in reciprocal space and merging them in three dimensions. This allows the individual structure amplitudes to be calculated, thus overcoming the limitations of orientation and cylindrical averaging in conventional fibre diffraction analysis. The advantages of this technique should allow structural studies of fibrous systems in biology that are inaccessible using existing techniques. PMID:29123682

Coherent diffraction surface imaging in reflection geometry.

PubMed

Marathe, Shashidhara; Kim, S S; Kim, S N; Kim, Chan; Kang, H C; Nickles, P V; Noh, D Y

2010-03-29

We present a reflection based coherent diffraction imaging method which can be used to reconstruct a non periodic surface image from a diffraction amplitude measured in reflection geometry. Using a He-Ne laser, we demonstrated that a surface image can be reconstructed solely from the reflected intensity from a surface without relying on any prior knowledge of the sample object or the object support. The reconstructed phase image of the exit wave is particularly interesting since it can be used to obtain quantitative information of the surface depth profile or the phase change during the reflection process. We believe that this work will broaden the application areas of coherent diffraction imaging techniques using light sources with limited penetration depth.

Diffraction scattering computed tomography: a window into the structures of complex nanomaterials

PubMed Central

Birkbak, M. E.; Leemreize, H.; Frølich, S.; Stock, S. R.

2015-01-01

Modern functional nanomaterials and devices are increasingly composed of multiple phases arranged in three dimensions over several length scales. Therefore there is a pressing demand for improved methods for structural characterization of such complex materials. An excellent emerging technique that addresses this problem is diffraction/scattering computed tomography (DSCT). DSCT combines the merits of diffraction and/or small angle scattering with computed tomography to allow imaging the interior of materials based on the diffraction or small angle scattering signals. This allows, e.g., one to distinguish the distributions of polymorphs in complex mixtures. Here we review this technique and give examples of how it can shed light on modern nanoscale materials. PMID:26505175

Measuring the Shock Stage of Asteroid Regolith Grains by Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zolensky, Michael; Martinez, James; Sitzman, Scott; Mikouchi, Takashi; Hagiya, Kenji; Ohsumi, Kazumasa; Terada, Yasuko; Yagi, Naoto; Komatsu, Mutsumi; Ozawa, Hikaru;

Symposium N: Materials and Devices for Thermal-to-Electric Energy Conversion

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-24

X - ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Thermal conductivity measurements...SEM), X - ray diffraction (XRD) measurements as well as Raman spectroscopy. The results from these techniques indicate a clear modification...was examined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM; HITACHI S-4500 model) attached with an energy dispersive x - ray spectroscopy. The electrical

7 Å resolution in protein two-dimensional-crystal X-ray diffraction at Linac Coherent Light Source

PubMed Central

Pedrini, Bill; Tsai, Ching-Ju; Capitani, Guido; Padeste, Celestino; Hunter, Mark S.; Zatsepin, Nadia A.; Barty, Anton; Benner, W. Henry; Boutet, Sébastien; Feld, Geoffrey K.; Hau-Riege, Stefan P.; Kirian, Richard A.; Kupitz, Christopher; Messerschmitt, Marc; Ogren, John I.; Pardini, Tommaso; Segelke, Brent; Williams, Garth J.; Spence, John C. H.; Abela, Rafael; Coleman, Matthew; Evans, James E.; Schertler, Gebhard F. X.; Frank, Matthias; Li, Xiao-Dan

2014-01-01

Membrane proteins arranged as two-dimensional crystals in the lipid environment provide close-to-physiological structural information, which is essential for understanding the molecular mechanisms of protein function. Previously, X-ray diffraction from individual two-dimensional crystals did not represent a suitable investigational tool because of radiation damage. The recent availability of ultrashort pulses from X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has now provided a means to outrun the damage. Here, we report on measurements performed at the Linac Coherent Light Source XFEL on bacteriorhodopsin two-dimensional crystals mounted on a solid support and kept at room temperature. By merging data from about a dozen single crystal diffraction images, we unambiguously identified the diffraction peaks to a resolution of 7 Å, thus improving the observable resolution with respect to that achievable from a single pattern alone. This indicates that a larger dataset will allow for reliable quantification of peak intensities, and in turn a corresponding increase in the resolution. The presented results pave the way for further XFEL studies on two-dimensional crystals, which may include pump–probe experiments at subpicosecond time resolution. PMID:24914166

Sensitive Small Area Photometer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levenson, M. D.

1970-01-01

Describes a simple photometer capable of measuring small light intensities over small areas. The inexpensive, easy-to- construct instrument is intended for use in a student laboratory to measure the light intensities in a diffraction experiment from single or multiple slits. Typical experimental results are presented along with the theoretical…

Apparatus and method for a light direction sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

The present invention provides a light direction sensor for determining the direction of a light source. The system includes an image sensor; a spacer attached to the image sensor, and a pattern mask attached to said spacer. The pattern mask has a slit pattern that as light passes through the slit pattern it casts a diffraction pattern onto the image sensor. The method operates by receiving a beam of light onto a patterned mask, wherein the patterned mask as a plurality of a slit segments. Then, diffusing the beam of light onto an image sensor and determining the direction of the light source.

Development of graphene process control by industrial optical spectroscopy setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fursenko, O.; Lukosius, M.; Lupina, G.; Bauer, J.; Villringer, C.; Mai, A.

2017-06-01

The successful integration of graphene into microelectronic devices depends strongly on the availability of fast and nondestructive characterization methods of graphene grown by CVD on large diameter production wafers [1-3] which are in the interest of the semiconductor industry. Here, a high-throughput optical metrology method for measuring the thickness and uniformity of large-area graphene sheets is demonstrated. The method is based on the combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and normal incidence reflectometry in UV-Vis wavelength range (200-800 nm) with small light spots ( 30 μm2) realized in wafer optical metrology tool. In the first step graphene layers were transferred on a SiO2/Si substrate in order to determine the optical constants of graphene by the combination of multi-angle ellipsometry and reflectometry. Then these data were used for the development of a process control recipe of CVD graphene on 200 mm Ge(100)/Si(100) wafers. The graphene layer quality was additionally monitored by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy measurements were performed for micro topography evaluation. In consequence, a robust recipe for unambiguous thickness monitoring of all components of a multilayer film stack, including graphene, surface residuals or interface layer underneath graphene and surface roughness is developed. Optical monitoring of graphene thickness uniformity over a wafer has shown an excellent long term stability (s=0.004 nm) regardless of the growth of interfacial GeO2 and surface roughness. The sensitivity of the optical identification of graphene during microelectronic processing was evaluated. This optical metrology technique with combined data collection exhibit a fast and highly precise method allowing one an unambiguous detection of graphene after transferring as well as after the CVD deposition process on a Ge(100)/Si(100) wafer. This approach is well suited for industrial applications due to its repeatability and flexibility.

Biosensing via light scattering from plasmonic core-shell nanospheres coated with DNA molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Huai-Yi; Chen, Minfeng; Chang, Yia-Chung; Moirangthem, Rakesh Singh

2017-05-01

We present both experimental and theoretical studies for investigating DNA molecules attached on metallic nanospheres. We have developed an efficient and accurate numerical method to investigate light scattering from plasmonic nanospheres on a substrate covered by a shell, based on the Green's function approach with suitable spherical harmonic basis. Next, we use this method to study optical scattering from DNA molecules attached to metallic nanoparticles placed on a substrate and compare with experimental results. We obtain fairly good agreement between theoretical predictions and the measured ellipsometric spectra. The metallic nanoparticles were used to detect the binding with DNA molecules in a microfluidic setup via spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and a detectable change in ellipsometric spectra was found when DNA molecules are captured on Au nanoparticles. Our theoretical simulation indicates that the coverage of Au nanosphere by a submonolayer of DNA molecules, which is modeled by a thin layer of dielectric material (which may absorb light), can lead to a small but detectable spectroscopic shift in both the Ψ and Δ spectra with more significant change in Δ spectra in agreement with experimental results. Our studies demonstrated the ultrasensitive capability of SE for sensing submonolayer coverage of DNA molecules on Au nanospheres. Hence the spectroscopic ellipsometric measurements coupled with theoretical analysis via an efficient computation method can be an effective tool for detecting DNA molecules attached on Au nanoparticles, thus achieving label-free, non-destructive, and high-sensitivity biosensing with nanoscale resolution.

On the influence of lipid-induced optical anisotropy for the bioimaging of exo- or endocytosis with interference microscopic imaging.

PubMed

Marques, D; Miranda, A; Silva, A G; Munro, P R T; DE Beule, P A A

2018-05-01

Some implementations of interference microscopy imaging use digital holographic measurements of complex scattered fields to reconstruct three-dimensional refractive index maps of weakly scattering, semi-transparent objects, frequently encountered in biological investigations. Reconstruction occurs through application of the object scattering potential which assumes an isotropic refractive index throughout the object. Here, we demonstrate that this assumption can in some circumstances be invalid for biological imaging due to the presence of lipid-induced optical anisotropy. We show that the nanoscale organization of lipids in the observation of cellular endocytosis with polarized light induces a significant change in far-field scattering. We obtain this result by presenting a general solution to Maxwell's equations describing light scattering of core-shell particles near an isotropic substrate covered with an anisotropic thin film. This solution is based on an extension of the Bobbert-Vlieger solution for particle scattering near a substrate delivering an exact solution to the scattering problem in the near field as well as far field. By applying this solution to study light scattering by a lipid vesicle near a lipid bilayer, whereby the lipids are represented through a biaxial optical model, we conclude through ellipsometry concepts that effective amounts of lipid-induced optical anisotropy significantly alter far-field optical scattering in respect to an equivalent optical model that neglects the presence of optical anisotropy. © 2018 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2018 Royal Microscopical Society.

The use of holographic and diffractive optics for optimized machine vision illumination for critical dimension inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lizotte, Todd E.; Ohar, Orest

2004-02-01

Illuminators used in machine vision applications typically produce non-uniform illumination onto the targeted surface being observed, causing a variety of problems with machine vision alignment or measurement. In most circumstances the light source is broad spectrum, leading to further problems with image quality when viewed through a CCD camera. Configured with a simple light bulb and a mirrored reflector and/or frosted glass plates, these general illuminators are appropriate for only macro applications. Over the last 5 years newer illuminators have hit the market including circular or rectangular arrays of high intensity light emitting diodes. These diode arrays are used to create monochromatic flood illumination of a surface that is to be inspected. The problem with these illumination techniques is that most of the light does not illuminate the desired areas, but broadly spreads across the surface, or when integrated with diffuser elements, tend to create similar shadowing effects to the broad spectrum light sources. In many cases a user will try to increase the performance of these illuminators by adding several of these assemblies together, increasing the intensity or by moving the illumination source closer or farther from the surface being inspected. In this case these non-uniform techniques can lead to machine vision errors, where the computer machine vision may read false information, such as interpreting non-uniform lighting or shadowing effects as defects. This paper will cover a technique involving the use of holographic / diffractive hybrid optical elements that are integrated into standard and customized light sources used in the machine vision industry. The bulk of the paper will describe the function and fabrication of the holographic/diffractive optics and how they can be tailored to improve illuminator design. Further information will be provided a specific design and examples of it in operation will be disclosed.

Resonance surface plasmon spectroscopy by tunable enhanced light transmission through nanostructured gratings and thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Wei-Hsun

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a powerful tool in probing interfacial events in that any changes of effective refractive index in the interface directly impact the behavior of surface plasmons, an electromagnetic wave, travelling along the interface. Surface plasmons (SPs) are generated only if the momemtum of incident light matches that of SPs in the interface. This thesis focuses on tuning the behavior of SPs by changing the topology of diffraction gratings, monitoring the thickness of thin films by diffraction gratings, and use of dispersion images to analyze complex optical responses of SPs through diffraction gratings. Chapter 1 covers the background/principle of SPR, comprehensive literature review, sensor applications, control of SPR spectral responses, and sensitivity of SPR. In Chapter 2, we illustrate a chirped grating with varying surface topology along its spatial position. We demonstrated that the features of nanostructure such as pitch and amplitude significantly impact the behavior of enhanced transmission. In addition, we also illustrate the sensing application of chirped grating and the results indicate that the chirped grating is a sensitive and information rich SPR platform. In chapter 3, we used a commercial DVD diffraction grating as a SPR coupler. A camera-mounted microscope with Bertrend lens attachment is used to observe the enhanced transmission. We demonstrate that this system can monitor the SPR responses and track the thickness of a silicon monoxide film without using a spectrophotometer. Surface plasmons are a result of collective oscillation of free electrons in the metal/dielectric interface. Thus, the interaction of SPs with delocalized electrons from molecular resonance is complex. In chapter 4, we perform both experimental and simulation works to address this complex interaction. Detailed examination and analysis show nontypical SPR responses. For p-polarized light, a branch of dispersion curve and quenching of SPs in the Q band of zinc phthalocyanine are observed. For both p- and s-polarized light, additional waveguided modes are observed and the wavelength from different guided modes are dispersed. Diffraction gratings can provide complicated optical information about SPs. Both front side (air/metal) and back side (metal/substrate) provide SPR signals simultaneously. In chapter 5, we use dispersion images to analyze the complicated optical responses of SPR from an asymmetrical diffraction grating consisting of three layers (air/gold/polycarbonate). We illustrate that clear identification of SPR responses from several diffraction orders at front side and back side can be achieved by the use of dispersion images. Theoretical prediction and experimental results show consistency. We also show that only the behavior of SPs from the front side is impacted by the deposition of Langmuir-Blodgett dielectric films. In chapter 6, we construct a diffraction grating that has a fixed pitch and several amplitudes on its surface by using interference lithography. The purpose of this work is to examine how the amplitude impacts the behavior of transmission peaks. Different amplitudes are successfully fabricated by varying development time in the lithography process. We observed that largest (optimized) enhanced transmission peak shows as the amplitude approach a critical value. Transmission is not maximized below or beyond a critical amplitude. We also found that transmission enhancements are strongly affected by the diffraction efficiencies. A maximum enhancement is observed as diffraction efficiency is largest where amplitude reaches the critical value. The experimental results are then compared to the simulation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Thue-Morse nanostructures for tunable light extraction in the visible region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rippa, M.; Castagna, R.; Marino, A.; Tkachenko, V.; Palermo, G.; Pane, A.; Umeton, C.; Tabiryan, N.; Petti, L.

2018-05-01

Controlling light propagation at the nanoscale is a fascinating opportunity offered by modern photonics, more than a challenge to face off. This study is aimed at investigating a particular kind of nanocomposite and reconfigurable optical metamaterials that can be exploited for the realization of a new class of switchable photonic devices, representing a breakthrough with respect to the state of the art. Existing photonic devices exhibit, in general, a drawback in the absence of tunability; this work aims to the design and characterization of metamaterials exploiting reconfigurable media, like LCs, which enable realization of a tunable, high quality, photonic quasi-crystal based switchable mode selector. It turned out that, starting from an unpolarized white light source, through a light extraction mechanism based on the diffraction of light, the high quality structure, combined with a uniformly aligned Photo-responsive Liquid Crystal (PLC), is able to give rise to an extremely narrow (FWHM ≈5 nm) and linearly polarized single mode peak of the extracted light intensity. Moreover, we have shown that the spectral properties (switching) of the samples can be finely controlled by using both an external applied voltage and a suitable pump light source with a maximum increase of 45% of the extracted light. Finally, both Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Far Field Diffraction (FFD) analysis have shown the high quality morphology of the realized structure.

Polycrystalline La1-xSrxMnO3 films on silicon: Influence of post-Deposition annealing on structural, (Magneto-)Optical, and (Magneto-)Electrical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoma, Patrick; Monecke, Manuel; Buja, Oana-Maria; Solonenko, Dmytro; Dudric, Roxana; Ciubotariu, Oana-Tereza; Albrecht, Manfred; Deac, Iosif G.; Tetean, Romulus; Zahn, Dietrich R. T.; Salvan, Georgeta

2018-01-01

The integration of La1-xSrxMnO3 (LSMO) thin film technology into established industrial silicon processes is regarded as challenging due to lattice mismatch, thermal expansion, and chemical reactions at the interface of LSMO and silicon. In this work, we investigated the physical properties of thin La0.73Sr0.27MnO3 films deposited by magnetron sputtering on silicon without a lattice matching buffer layer. The influence of a post-deposition annealing treatment on the structural, (magneto-)optical, and (magneto-)electrical properties was investigated by a variety of techniques. Using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction we could show that the thin films exhibit a polycrystalline, rhombohedral structure after a post-deposition annealing of at least 700 °C. The dielectric tensor in the spectral range from 1.7 eV to 5 eV determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry in combination with magneto-optical Kerr effect spectroscopy was found to be comparable to that of lattice matched films on single crystal substrates reported in literature [1]. The values of the metal-isolator transition temperature and temperature-dependent resistivities also reflect a high degree of crystalline quality of the thermally treated films.

Tailoring the structural and optical properties of TiN thin films by Ag ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popović, M.; Novaković, M.; Rakočević, Z.; Bibić, N.

2016-12-01

Titanium nitride (TiN) thin films thickness of ∼260 nm prepared by dc reactive sputtering were irradiated with 200 keV silver (Ag) ions to the fluences ranging from 5 × 1015 ions/cm2 to 20 × 1015 ions/cm2. After implantation TiN layers were annealed 2 h at 700 °C in a vacuum. Ion irradiation-induced microstructural changes were examined by using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, while the surface topography was observed using atomic force microscopy. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to get insights on the optical and electronic properties of TiN films with respect to their microstructure. The results showed that the irradiations lead to deformation of the lattice, increasing disorder and formation of new Ag phase. The optical results demonstrate the contribution of surface plasmon resonace (SPR) of Ag particles. SPR position shifted in the range of 354.3-476.9 nm when Ag ion fluence varied from 5 × 1015 ions/cm2 to 20 × 1015 ions/cm2. Shift in peak wavelength shows dependence on Ag particles concentration, suggesting that interaction between Ag particles dominate the surface plasmon resonance effect. Presence of Ag as second metal in the layer leads to overall decrease of optical resistivity of TiN.

Three-dimensional atomic mapping of hydrogenated polymorphous silicon solar cells

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

Chen, Wanghua, E-mail: wanghua.chen@polytechnique.edu; Roca i Cabarrocas, Pere; Pareige, Philippe

Hydrogenated polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) is a nanostructured material consisting of silicon nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous silicon matrix. Its use as the intrinsic layer in thin film p-i-n solar cells has led to good cell properties in terms of stability and efficiency. Here, we have been able to assess directly the concentration and distribution of nanocrystals and impurities (dopants) in p-i-n solar cells, by using femtosecond laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT). An effective sample preparation method for APT characterization is developed. Based on the difference in atomic density between hydrogenated amorphous and crystalline silicon, we are able to distinguish themore » nanocrystals from the amorphous matrix by using APT. Moreover, thanks to the three-dimensional reconstruction, we demonstrate that Si nanocrystals are homogeneously distributed in the entire intrinsic layer of the solar cell. The influence of the process pressure on the incorporation of nanocrystals and their distribution is also investigated. Thanks to APT we could determine crystalline fractions as low as 4.2% in the pm-Si:H films, which is very difficult to determine by standard techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Moreover, we also demonstrate a sharp p/i interface in our solar cells.« less

Synthesis, characterization and ellipsometric study of ultrasonically sprayed Co3O4 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gençyılmaz, O.; Taşköprü, T.; Atay, F.; Akyüz, İ.

2015-10-01

In the present study, cobalt oxide (Co3O4) films were produced using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique onto the glass substrate at different temperatures (200-250-300-350 °C). The effect of substrate temperature on the structural, optical, surface and electrical properties of Co3O4 films was reported. Thickness, refractive index and extinction coefficient of the films were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry, and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that Co3O4 films were polycrystalline fcc structure and the substrate temperature significantly improved the crystal structure of Co3O4 films. The films deposited at 350 °C substrate temperature showed the best structural quality. Transmittance, absorbance and reflectance spectra were taken by means of UV-Vis spectrophotometer, and optical band gap values were calculated using optical method. Surface images and roughness values of the films were taken by atomic force microscopy to see the effect of deposition temperature on surface properties. The resistivity of the films slightly decreases with increase in the substrate temperature from 1.08 × 104 to 1.46 × 102 Ω cm. Finally, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique allowed production of Co3O4 films, which are alternative metal oxide film for technological applications, at low substrate temperature.

Initial growth, refractive index, and crystallinity of thermal and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition AlN films

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

Van Bui, Hao, E-mail: H.VanBui@utwente.nl; Wiggers, Frank B.; Gupta, Anubha

2015-01-01

The authors have studied and compared the initial growth and properties of AlN films deposited on Si(111) by thermal and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) using trimethylaluminum and either ammonia or a N{sub 2}-H{sub 2} mixture as precursors. In-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to monitor the growth and measure the refractive index of the films during the deposition. The authors found that an incubation stage only occurred for thermal ALD. The linear growth for plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD) started instantly from the beginning due to the higher nuclei density provided by the presence of plasma. The authors observed the evolution ofmore » the refractive index of AlN during the growth, which showed a rapid increase up to a thickness of about 30 nm followed by a saturation. Below this thickness, higher refractive index values were obtained for AlN films grown by PEALD, whereas above that the refractive index was slightly higher for thermal ALD films. X-ray diffraction characterization showed a wurtzite crystalline structure with a (101{sup ¯}0) preferential orientation obtained for all the layers with a slightly better crystallinity for films grown by PEALD.« less

Multimode Surface Plasmon Excitations on Organic Thin Film/Metallic Diffraction Grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baba, Akira; Kanda, Kenji; Ohno, Tsutomu; Ohdaira, Yasuo; Shinbo, Kazunari; Kato, Keizo; Kaneko, Futao

2010-01-01

In this work, we demonstrate multimode surface plasmon (SP) excitations by white light irradiation on metallic diffraction grating/plastic substrates. Recordable compact discs were used as the diffraction grating substrates on which silver films were deposited by vacuum evaporation. Since the grating pitch (1.6 µm) was larger than that of diffraction gratings commonly used for the excitation of SPs, multimode SP excitations due to several diffraction orders were observed simultaneously in the wavelength region from 400 to 800 nm. The obtained SP excitations were then compared with the calculated SP dispersion on the grating. The multimode SP excitations were further studied on spin-coated poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) thin film/silver grating substrates. An increased photoluminescence intensity due to SP excitations was observed on MEH-PPV/silver grating surfaces.

Controllable vacuum-induced diffraction of matter-wave superradiance using an all-optical dispersive cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Shih-Wei; Lu, Zhen-Kai; Gou, Shih-Chuan; Liao, Wen-Te

2016-10-01

Cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED) has played a central role in demonstrating the fundamental principles of the quantum world, and in particular those of atom-light interactions. Developing fast, dynamical and non-mechanical control over a CQED system is particularly desirable for controlling atomic dynamics and building future quantum networks at high speed. However conventional mirrors do not allow for such flexible and fast controls over their coupling to intracavity atoms mediated by photons. Here we theoretically investigate a novel all-optical CQED system composed of a binary Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) sandwiched by two atomic ensembles. The highly tunable atomic dispersion of the CQED system enables the medium to act as a versatile, all-optically controlled atomic mirror that can be employed to manipulate the vacuum-induced diffraction of matter-wave superradiance. Our study illustrates a innovative all-optical element of atomtroics and sheds new light on controlling light-matter interactions.

Optical enhancement of a printed organic tandem solar cell using diffractive nanostructures.

PubMed

Mayer, Jan A; Offermans, Ton; Chrapa, Marek; Pfannmöller, Martin; Bals, Sara; Ferrini, Rolando; Nisato, Giovanni

2018-03-19

Solution processable organic tandem solar cells offer a promising approach to achieve cost-effective, lightweight and flexible photovoltaics. In order to further enhance the efficiency of optimized organic tandem cells, diffractive light-management nanostructures were designed for an optimal redistribution of the light as function of both wavelength and propagation angles in both sub-cells. As the fabrication of these optical structures is compatible with roll-to-roll production techniques such as hot-embossing or UV NIL imprinting, they present an optimal cost-effective solution for printed photovoltaics. Tandem cells with power conversion efficiencies of 8-10% were fabricated in the ambient atmosphere by doctor blade coating, selected to approximate the conditions during roll-to-roll manufacturing. Application of the light management structure onto an 8.7% efficient encapsulated tandem cell boosted the conversion efficiency of the cell to 9.5%.

The linac coherent light source single particle imaging road map

PubMed Central

Aquila, A.; Barty, A.; Bostedt, C.; Boutet, S.; Carini, G.; dePonte, D.; Drell, P.; Doniach, S.; Downing, K. H.; Earnest, T.; Elmlund, H.; Elser, V.; Gühr, M.; Hajdu, J.; Hastings, J.; Hau-Riege, S. P.; Huang, Z.; Lattman, E. E.; Maia, F. R. N. C.; Marchesini, S.; Ourmazd, A.; Pellegrini, C.; Santra, R.; Schlichting, I.; Schroer, C.; Spence, J. C. H.; Vartanyants, I. A.; Wakatsuki, S.; Weis, W. I.; Williams, G. J.

2015-01-01

Intense femtosecond x-ray pulses from free-electron laser sources allow the imaging of individual particles in a single shot. Early experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have led to rapid progress in the field and, so far, coherent diffractive images have been recorded from biological specimens, aerosols, and quantum systems with a few-tens-of-nanometers resolution. In March 2014, LCLS held a workshop to discuss the scientific and technical challenges for reaching the ultimate goal of atomic resolution with single-shot coherent diffractive imaging. This paper summarizes the workshop findings and presents the roadmap toward reaching atomic resolution, 3D imaging at free-electron laser sources. PMID:26798801

The linac coherent light source single particle imaging road map

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

Aquila, A.; Barty, A.; Bostedt, C.

Intense femtosecond x-ray pulses from free-electron laser sources allow the imaging of individual particles in a single shot. Early experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have led to rapid progress in the field and, so far, coherent diffractive images have been recorded from biological specimens, aerosols, and quantum systems with a few-tens-of-nanometers resolution. In March 2014, LCLS held a workshop to discuss the scientific and technical challenges for reaching the ultimate goal of atomic resolution with single-shot coherent diffractive imaging. This paper summarizes the workshop findings and presents the roadmap toward reaching atomic resolution, 3D imaging at free-electronmore » laser sources.« less

Effective increase in beam emittance by phase-space expansion using asymmetric Bragg diffraction.

PubMed

Chu, Chia-Hung; Tang, Mau-Tsu; Chang, Shih-Lin

2015-08-24

We propose an innovative method to extend the utilization of the phase space downstream of a synchrotron light source for X-ray transmission microscopy. Based on the dynamical theory of X-ray diffraction, asymmetrically cut perfect crystals are applied to reshape the position-angle-wavelength space of the light source, by which the usable phase space of the source can be magnified by over one hundred times, thereby "phase-space-matching" the source with the objective lens of the microscope. The method's validity is confirmed using SHADOW code simulations, and aberration through an optical lens such as a Fresnel zone plate is examined via matrix optics for nano-resolution X-ray images.

Spectral resolution control of acousto-optical cells operating with collimated and divergent beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voloshinov, Vitaly B.; Mishin, Dimitry D.

1994-01-01

The paper is devoted to theoretical and experimental investigations of acousto-optical interactions in crystals which may be used for spectral filtration of light in tunable acousto- optical filters. Attention is paid to spectral resolution control during operation with divergent or collimated noncoherent optical beams. In all examined cases spectral bands of anisotropic Bragg diffraction were regulated by means of novel electronical methods. Resolution control was achieved in paratellurite cells with non-collinear and quasi-collinear regimes of the diffraction. Filtration spectral bandwidths for visible light were electronically changed by a factor of 10 divided by 20 by drive electrical signals switching and drive electrical power regulations.

Anisotropic Light Diffraction by Ultrasound in Crystals with Strong Acoustic Anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voloshin, Andrey S.; Balakshy, Vladimir I.

In modern acousto-optics, crystalline materials are used predominantly for manufacturing acousto-optic instruments. Among these materials, such crystals as paratellurite, tellurium, calomel, TAS and some others occupy a prominent place, which are distinguished by exceptionally large anisotropy of acoustic properties. In this work, the influence of acoustic beam energy walk-off on characteristics of Bragg diffraction of light is studied by the example of tellurium crystal. It is shown that the walk-off can substantially change angular and frequency ranges, resulting in their narrowing or broadening subject to position of the operating point in the Bragg angle frequency characteristic. Coefficients of broadening are introduced for characterization of this effect.

The photoelectric effect and study of the diffraction of light: Two new experiments in UNILabs virtual and remote laboratories network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedro Sánchez, Juan; Sáenz, Jacobo; de la Torre, Luis; Carreras, Carmen; Yuste, Manuel; Heradio, Rubén; Dormido, Sebastián

2016-05-01

This work describes two experiments: "study of the diffraction of light: Fraunhofer approximation" and "the photoelectric effect". Both of them count with a virtual, simulated, version of the experiment as well as with a real one which can be operated remotely. The two previous virtual and remote labs (built using Easy Java(script) Simulations) are integrated in UNILabs, a network of online interactive laboratories based on the free Learning Management System Moodle. In this web environment, students can find not only the virtual and remote labs but also manuals with related theory, the user interface description for each application, and so on.

Energy exchange between a laser beam and charged particles using inverse transition radiation and method for its use

DOEpatents

Kimura, Wayne D.; Romea, Richard D.; Steinhauer, Loren C.

1998-01-01

A method and apparatus for exchanging energy between relativistic charged particles and laser radiation using inverse diffraction radiation or inverse transition radiation. The beam of laser light is directed onto a particle beam by means of two optical elements which have apertures or foils through which the particle beam passes. The two apertures or foils are spaced by a predetermined distance of separation and the angle of interaction between the laser beam and the particle beam is set at a specific angle. The separation and angle are a function of the wavelength of the laser light and the relativistic energy of the particle beam. In a diffraction embodiment, the interaction between the laser and particle beams is determined by the diffraction effect due to the apertures in the optical elements. In a transition embodiment, the interaction between the laser and particle beams is determined by the transition effect due to pieces of foil placed in the particle beam path.

High Quantum Efficiency Nanopillar Photodiodes Overcoming the Diffraction Limit of Light.

PubMed

Lee, Wook-Jae; Senanayake, Pradeep; Farrell, Alan C; Lin, Andrew; Hung, Chung-Hong; Huffaker, Diana L

2016-01-13

InAs1-xSbx nanowires have recently attracted interest for infrared sensing applications due to the small bandgap and high thermal conductivity. However, previous reports on nanowire-based infrared sensors required low operating temperatures in order to mitigate the high dark current and have shown poor sensitivities resulting from reduced light coupling efficiency beyond the diffraction limit. Here, InAsSb nanopillar photodiodes with high quantum efficiency are achieved by partially coating the nanopillar with metal that excites localized surface plasmon resonances, leading to quantum efficiencies of ∼29% at 2390 nm. These high quantum efficiency nanopillar photodiodes, with 180 nm diameters and 1000 nm heights, allow operation at temperatures as high as 220 K and exhibit a detection wavelength up to 3000 nm, well beyond the diffraction limit. The InAsSb nanopillars are grown on low cost GaAs (111)B substrates using an InAs buffer layer, making our device architecture a promising path toward low-cost infrared focal plane arrays with high operating temperature.

Concept of a photon-counting camera based on a diffraction-addressed Gray-code mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morel, Sébastien

2004-09-01

A new concept of photon counting camera for fast and low-light-level imaging applications is introduced. The possible spectrum covered by this camera ranges from visible light to gamma rays, depending on the device used to transform an incoming photon into a burst of visible photons (photo-event spot) localized in an (x,y) image plane. It is actually an evolution of the existing "PAPA" (Precision Analog Photon Address) Camera that was designed for visible photons. This improvement comes from a simplified optics. The new camera transforms, by diffraction, each photo-event spot from an image intensifier or a scintillator into a cross-shaped pattern, which is projected onto a specific Gray code mask. The photo-event position is then extracted from the signal given by an array of avalanche photodiodes (or photomultiplier tubes, alternatively) downstream of the mask. After a detailed explanation of this camera concept that we have called "DIAMICON" (DIffraction Addressed Mask ICONographer), we briefly discuss about technical solutions to build such a camera.

Diffraction-Limited Plenoptic Imaging with Correlated Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pepe, Francesco V.; Di Lena, Francesco; Mazzilli, Aldo; Edrei, Eitan; Garuccio, Augusto; Scarcelli, Giuliano; D'Angelo, Milena

2017-12-01

Traditional optical imaging faces an unavoidable trade-off between resolution and depth of field (DOF). To increase resolution, high numerical apertures (NAs) are needed, but the associated large angular uncertainty results in a limited range of depths that can be put in sharp focus. Plenoptic imaging was introduced a few years ago to remedy this trade-off. To this aim, plenoptic imaging reconstructs the path of light rays from the lens to the sensor. However, the improvement offered by standard plenoptic imaging is practical and not fundamental: The increased DOF leads to a proportional reduction of the resolution well above the diffraction limit imposed by the lens NA. In this Letter, we demonstrate that correlation measurements enable pushing plenoptic imaging to its fundamental limits of both resolution and DOF. Namely, we demonstrate maintaining the imaging resolution at the diffraction limit while increasing the depth of field by a factor of 7. Our results represent the theoretical and experimental basis for the effective development of promising applications of plenoptic imaging.

Diffraction-Limited Plenoptic Imaging with Correlated Light.

PubMed

Pepe, Francesco V; Di Lena, Francesco; Mazzilli, Aldo; Edrei, Eitan; Garuccio, Augusto; Scarcelli, Giuliano; D'Angelo, Milena

2017-12-15

Traditional optical imaging faces an unavoidable trade-off between resolution and depth of field (DOF). To increase resolution, high numerical apertures (NAs) are needed, but the associated large angular uncertainty results in a limited range of depths that can be put in sharp focus. Plenoptic imaging was introduced a few years ago to remedy this trade-off. To this aim, plenoptic imaging reconstructs the path of light rays from the lens to the sensor. However, the improvement offered by standard plenoptic imaging is practical and not fundamental: The increased DOF leads to a proportional reduction of the resolution well above the diffraction limit imposed by the lens NA. In this Letter, we demonstrate that correlation measurements enable pushing plenoptic imaging to its fundamental limits of both resolution and DOF. Namely, we demonstrate maintaining the imaging resolution at the diffraction limit while increasing the depth of field by a factor of 7. Our results represent the theoretical and experimental basis for the effective development of promising applications of plenoptic imaging.

Enhancement of light absorption in polyazomethines due to plasmon excitation on randomly distributed metal nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wróbel, P.; Antosiewicz, T. J.; Stefaniuk, T.; Ciesielski, A.; Iwan, A.; Wronkowska, A. A.; Wronkowski, A.; Szoplik, T.

2015-05-01

In photovoltaic devices, metal nanoparticles embedded in a semiconductor layer allow the enhancement of solar-toelectric energy conversion efficiency due to enhanced light absorption via a prolonged optical path, enhanced electric fields near the metallic inclusions, direct injection of hot electrons, or local heating. Here we pursue the first two avenues. In the first, light scattered at an angle beyond the critical angle for reflection is coupled into the semiconductor layer and confined within such planar waveguide up to possible exciton generation. In the second, light is trapped by the excitation of localized surface plasmons on metal nanoparticles leading to enhanced near-field plasmon-exciton coupling at the peak of the plasmon resonance. We report on results of a numerical experiment on light absorption in polymer- (fullerene derivative) blends, using the 3D FDTD method, where exact optical parameters of the materials involved are taken from our recent measurements. In simulations we investigate light absorption in randomly distributed metal nanoparticles dispersed in polyazomethine-(fullerene derivative) blends, which serve as active layers in bulkheterojunction polymer solar cells. In the study Ag and Al nanoparticles of different diameters and fill factors are diffused in two air-stable aromatic polyazomethines with different chemical structures (abbreviated S9POF and S15POF) mixed with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) or [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). The mixtures are spin coated on a 100 nm thick Al layer deposited on a fused silica substrate. Optical constants of the active layers are taken from spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectance measurements using a rotating analyzer type ellipsometer with auto-retarder performed in the wavelength range from 225 nm to 2200 nm. The permittivities of Ag and Al particles of diameters from 20 to 60 nm are assumed to be equal to those measured on 100 to 200 nm thick metal films.

IR sensitivity enhancement of CMOS Image Sensor with diffractive light trapping pixels.

PubMed

Yokogawa, Sozo; Oshiyama, Itaru; Ikeda, Harumi; Ebiko, Yoshiki; Hirano, Tomoyuki; Saito, Suguru; Oinoue, Takashi; Hagimoto, Yoshiya; Iwamoto, Hayato

2017-06-19

We report on the IR sensitivity enhancement of back-illuminated CMOS Image Sensor (BI-CIS) with 2-dimensional diffractive inverted pyramid array structure (IPA) on crystalline silicon (c-Si) and deep trench isolation (DTI). FDTD simulations of semi-infinite thick c-Si having 2D IPAs on its surface whose pitches over 400 nm shows more than 30% improvement of light absorption at λ = 850 nm and the maximum enhancement of 43% with the 540 nm pitch at the wavelength is confirmed. A prototype BI-CIS sample with pixel size of 1.2 μm square containing 400 nm pitch IPAs shows 80% sensitivity enhancement at λ = 850 nm compared to the reference sample with flat surface. This is due to diffraction with the IPA and total reflection at the pixel boundary. The NIR images taken by the demo camera equip with a C-mount lens show 75% sensitivity enhancement in the λ = 700-1200 nm wavelength range with negligible spatial resolution degradation. Light trapping CIS pixel technology promises to improve NIR sensitivity and appears to be applicable to many different image sensor applications including security camera, personal authentication, and range finding Time-of-Flight camera with IR illuminations.

Interferometric detection of nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayrapetyan, Karen

Interferometric surfaces enhance light scattering from nanoparticles through constructive interference of partial scattered waves. By placing the nanoparticles on interferometric surfaces tuned to a special surface phase interferometric condition, the particles are detectable in the dilute limit through interferometric image contrast in a heterodyne light scattering configuration, or through diffraction in a homodyne scattering configuration. The interferometric enhancement has applications for imaging and diffractive biosensors. We present a modified model based on Double Interaction (DI) to explore bead-based detection mechanisms using imaging, scanning and diffraction. The application goal of this work is to explore the trade-offs between the sensitivity and throughput among various detection methods. Experimentally we use thermal oxide on silicon to establish and control surface interferometric conditions. Surface-captured gold beads are detected using Molecular Interferometric Imaging (MI2) and Spinning-Disc Interferometry (SDI). Double-resonant enhancement of light scattering leads to high-contrast detection of 100 nm radius gold nanoparticles on an interferometric surface. The double-resonance condition is achieved when resonance (or anti-resonance) from an asymmetric Fabry-Perot substrate coincides with the Mie resonance of the gold nanoparticle. The double-resonance condition is observed experimentally using molecular interferometric imaging (MI2). An invisibility condition is identified for which the gold nanoparticles are optically cloaked by the interferometric surface.

Wafer-level micro-optics: trends in manufacturing, testing, packaging, and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelkel, Reinhard; Gong, Li; Rieck, Juergen; Zheng, Alan

2012-11-01

Micro-optics is an indispensable key enabling technology (KET) for many products and applications today. Probably the most prestigious examples are the diffractive light shaping elements used in high-end DUV lithography steppers. Highly efficient refractive and diffractive micro-optical elements are used for precise beam and pupil shaping. Micro-optics had a major impact on the reduction of aberrations and diffraction effects in projection lithography, allowing a resolution enhancement from 250 nm to 45 nm within the last decade. Micro-optics also plays a decisive role in medical devices (endoscopes, ophthalmology), in all laser-based devices and fiber communication networks (supercomputer, ROADM), bringing high-speed internet to our homes (FTTH). Even our modern smart phones contain a variety of micro-optical elements. For example, LED flashlight shaping elements, the secondary camera, and ambient light and proximity sensors. Wherever light is involved, micro-optics offers the chance to further miniaturize a device, to improve its performance, or to reduce manufacturing and packaging costs. Wafer-scale micro-optics fabrication is based on technology established by semiconductor industry. Thousands of components are fabricated in parallel on a wafer. We report on the state of the art in wafer-based manufacturing, testing, packaging and present examples and applications for micro-optical components and systems.

Optical constants of neat liquid-chemical warfare agents and related materials measured by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C. S.-C.; Williams, B. R.; Hulet, M. S.; Tiwald, T. E.; Miles, R. W., Jr.; Samuels, A. C.

2011-05-01

We studied various liquids using a vertical attenuated total reflection (ATR) liquid sampling assembly in conjunction with Infrared Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (IR-VASE), to determine the infrared optical constants of several bulk liquids related to chemical warfare. The index of refraction, n, and the extinction coefficient, k, of isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (Sarin or GB), isopropyl alcohol (IPA) (a precursor of GB), and dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP)-a commonly employed simulant for GB, measured by our vertical ATR IR-VASE setup are closely matched to those found in other studies. We also report the optical constants of cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate (GF), 2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methylphosphonothioate (VX), bis-(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (HD), and 2-chlorovinyl dichloroarsine (L, Lewisite). The ATR IR-VASE technique affords an accurate measurement of the optical constants of these hazardous compounds.

Optical and AFM study of electrostatically assembled films of CdS and ZnS colloid nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryajaya; Nabok, A.; Davis, F.; Hassan, A.; Higson, S. P. J.; Evans-Freeman, J.

2008-05-01

CdS and ZnS semiconducting colloid nanoparticles coated with the organic shell, containing either SO 3- or NH 2+ groups, were prepared using the aqueous phase synthesis. The multilayer films of CdS (or ZnS) were deposited onto glass, quartz and silicon substrates using the technique of electrostatic self-assembly. The films produced were characterized with UV-vis spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy. A substantial blue shift of the main absorption band with respect to the bulk materials was found for both CdS and ZnS films. The Efros equation in the effective mass approximation (EMA) theoretical model allowed the evaluation of the nanoparticle radius of 1.8 nm, which corresponds well to the ellipsometry results. AFM shows the formation of larger aggregates of nanoparticles on solid surfaces.

Characterization of multilayer GaAs/AlGaAs transistor structures by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merkel, Kenneth G.; Snyder, Paul G.; Woollam, John A.; Alterovitz, Samuel; Rai, A. K.

1989-01-01

Variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) has been implemented as a means of determining layer thickness, alloy composition, and growth quality of GaAs/AlGaAs samples composed of relatively thick layers as well as superlattices. The structures studied in this work contained GaAs/AlGaAs multilayers with a superlattice 'barrier' and were grown for later formation of modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs). Sample modeling was performed by treating the superlattice as a bulk AlGaAs layer of unknown composition. Extremely good data fits were realized when five layer thicknesses and two alloy ratios were allowed to vary in a regression analysis. Room temperature excitonic effects associated with the e-hh(1), e-lh(1) and e-hh(2) transitions were observed in the VASE data.

Study of Receptor-Chaperone Interactions Using the Optical Technique of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

PubMed Central

Kriechbaumer, Verena; Tsargorodskaya, Anna; Mustafa, Mohd K.; Vinogradova, Tatiana; Lacey, Joanne; Smith, David P.; Abell, Benjamin M.; Nabok, Alexei

2011-01-01

This work describes a detailed quantitative interaction study between the novel plastidial chaperone receptor OEP61 and isoforms of the chaperone types Hsp70 and Hsp90 using the optical method of total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE). The receptor OEP61 was electrostatically immobilized on a gold surface via an intermediate layer of polycations. The TIRE measurements allowed the evaluation of thickness changes in the adsorbed molecular layers as a result of chaperone binding to receptor proteins. Hsp70 chaperone isoforms but not Hsp90 were shown to be capable of binding OEP61. Dynamic TIRE measurements were carried out to evaluate the affinity constants of the above reactions and resulted in clear discrimination between specific and nonspecific binding of chaperones as well as differences in binding properties between the highly similar Hsp70 isoforms. PMID:21767504

Characterization of an active metasurface using terahertz ellipsometry

DOE PAGES

Karl, Nicholas; Heimbeck, Martin S.; Everitt, Henry O.; ...

2017-11-06

Switchable metasurfaces fabricated on a doped epi-layer have become an important platform for developing techniques to control terahertz (THz) radiation, as a DC bias can modulate the transmission characteristics of the metasurface. To model and understand this performance in new device configurations accurately, a quantitative understanding of the bias-dependent surface characteristics is required. In this work, we perform THz variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry on a switchable metasurface as a function of DC bias. By comparing these data with numerical simulations, we extract a model for the response of the metasurface at any bias value. Using this model, we predict amore » giant bias-induced phase modulation in a guided wave configuration. Lastly, these predictions are in qualitative agreement with our measurements, offering a route to efficient modulation of THz signals.« less