Effect of temperature on optical properties of PMMA/SiO2 composite thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Gyanesh; Srivastava, Subodh; Soni, Purushottam; Kalotra, Pankaj; Vijay, Y. K.

2018-05-01

Effect of temperature on PMMA/SiO2 composites thin films were investigated. Nanocomposite flexible thin films of 60 µm thicknesses with different loading of SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared using solution casting method. SEM images show that SiO2 nanoparticles are distributed uniformly in PMMA matrix without any lumps on the surface, and PMMA/SiO2 nano composite thin films had a smoother and regular morphology. UV-Vis and optical band gap measurements revealed that both the concentration of SiO2 nanoparticles and temperature affect the optical properties of the composite thin film in comparison to the pure PMMA film.

Ultra Uniform Pb0.865La0.09(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 Thin Films with Tunable Optical Properties Fabricated via Pulsed Laser Deposition

PubMed Central

Jiang, Shenglin; Huang, Chi; Gu, Honggang; Liu, Shiyuan; Zhu, Shuai; Li, Ming-Yu; Yao, Lingmin; Wu, Yunyi; Zhang, Guangzu

2018-01-01

Ferroelectric thin films have been utilized in a wide range of electronic and optical applications, in which their morphologies and properties can be inherently tuned by a qualitative control during growth. In this work, we demonstrate the evolution of the Pb0.865La0.09(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 (PLZT) thin films on MgO (200) with high uniformity and optimized optical property via the controls of the deposition temperatures and oxygen pressures. The perovskite phase can only be obtained at the deposition temperature above 700 °C and oxygen pressure over 50 Pa due to the improved crystallinity. Meanwhile, the surface morphologies gradually become smooth and compact owing to spontaneously increased nucleation sites with the elevated temperatures, and the crystallization of PLZT thin films also sensitively respond to the oxygen vacancies with the variation of oxygen pressures. Correspondingly, the refractive indices gradually develop with variations of the deposition temperatures and oxygen pressures resulted from the various slight loss, and the extinction coefficient for each sample is similarly near to zero due to the relatively smooth morphology. The resulting PLZT thin films exhibit the ferroelectricity, and the dielectric constant sensitively varies as a function of electric filed, which can be potentially applied in the electronic and optical applications. PMID:29596398

Uniform enhancement of optical micro-angiography images using Rayleigh contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization

PubMed Central

Yousefi, Siavash; Qin, Jia; Zhi, Zhongwei

2013-01-01

Optical microangiography is an imaging technology that is capable of providing detailed functional blood flow maps within microcirculatory tissue beds in vivo. Some practical issues however exist when displaying and quantifying the microcirculation that perfuses the scanned tissue volume. These issues include: (I) Probing light is subject to specular reflection when it shines onto sample. The unevenness of the tissue surface makes the light energy entering the tissue not uniform over the entire scanned tissue volume. (II) The biological tissue is heterogeneous in nature, meaning the scattering and absorption properties of tissue would attenuate the probe beam. These physical limitations can result in local contrast degradation and non-uniform micro-angiogram images. In this paper, we propose a post-processing method that uses Rayleigh contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization to increase the contrast and improve the overall appearance and uniformity of optical micro-angiograms without saturating the vessel intensity and changing the physical meaning of the micro-angiograms. The qualitative and quantitative performance of the proposed method is compared with those of common histogram equalization and contrast enhancement methods. We demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other existing approaches. The proposed method is not limited to optical microangiography and can be used in other image modalities such as photo-acoustic tomography and scanning laser confocal microscopy. PMID:23482880

3D homogeneity study in PMMA layers using a Fourier domain OCT system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briones-R., Manuel de J.; Torre-Ibarra, Manuel H. De La; Tavera, Cesar G.; Luna H., Juan M.; Mendoza-Santoyo, Fernando

2016-11-01

Micro-metallic particles embedded in polymers are now widely used in several industrial applications in order to modify the mechanical properties of the bulk. A uniform distribution of these particles inside the polymers is highly desired for instance, when a biological backscattering is simulated or a bio-framework is designed. A 3D Fourier domain optical coherence tomography system to detect the polymer's internal homogeneity is proposed. This optical system has a 2D camera sensor array that records a fringe pattern used to reconstruct with a single shot the tomographic image of the sample. The system gathers the full 3D tomographic and optical phase information during a controlled deformation by means of a motion linear stage. This stage avoids the use of expensive tilting stages, which in addition are commonly controlled by piezo drivers. As proof of principle, a series of different deformations were proposed to detect the uniform or non-uniform internal deposition of copper micro particles. The results are presented as images coming from the 3D tomographic micro reconstruction of the samples, and the 3D optical phase information that identifies the in-homogeneity regions within the Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) volume.

Flexible polymer waveguides for light-activated therapy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moonseok; Kwok, Sheldon J. J.; Lin, Harvey H.; Lee, Dong Hee; Yun, Seok Hyun

2017-02-01

Conventional light-activated therapies, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), photochemical tissue bonding (PTB), collagen crosslinking (CXL), low-level light therapy (LLLT), and antimicrobial therapy utilize external light sources and light propagation through free space, limiting treatment to accessible and superficial areas of the body. Recent progress has been made in developing biocompatible polymer waveguides to enhance light delivery to deep tissues. To further expand clinical utility, waveguides should be flexible and tough enough to enable use in anatomically difficult-to-reach regions, while having the requisite optical properties to achieve uniform and efficient illumination of the target area. Here, we present a new class of flexible polymer waveguides optimized for uniform light extraction into tissues. Our slab waveguides comprise two designs: first, a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based elastomer for CXL, and second, a tough polyacrylamide and alginate hydrogel for large-area phototherapies. Our waveguides are optically transparent in the visible wavelengths (400-750 nm) and a multimode fiber is used to couple light into the waveguide. We characterized the light propagation through the waveguides and light extraction into tissue, and validated our results with optical simulation. By changing the thickness and scattering properties, uniform light extraction through the length of the waveguide could be achieved. We demonstrate proof-of-concept scleral photo-crosslinking of an ex vivo porcine eyeball for prevention of myopia.

Enclosure for small animals during awake animal imaging

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

Goddard, Jr., James S

An enclosure or burrow restrains an awake animal during an imaging procedure. A tubular body, made from a radiolucent material that does not attenuate x-rays or gamma rays, accepts an awake animal. A proximal end of the body includes an attachment surface that corresponds to an attachment surface of an optically transparent and optically uniform window. An anti-reflective coating may be applied to an inner surface, an outer surface, or both surfaces of the window. Since the window is a separate element of the enclosure and it is not integrally formed as part of the body, it can be mademore » with optically uniform thickness properties for improved motion tracking of markers on the animal with a camera during the imaging procedure. The motion tracking information is then used to compensate for animal movement in the image.« less

The features of self-assembling organic bilayers important to the formation of anisotropic inorganic materials in microgravity conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Talham, Daniel R.; Adair, James H.

2005-01-01

Materials with directional properties are opening new horizons in a variety of applications including chemistry, electronics, and optics. Structural, optical, and electrical properties can be greatly augmented by the fabrication of composite materials with anisotropic microstructures or with anisotropic particles uniformly dispersed in an isotropic matrix. Examples include structural composites, magnetic and optical recording media, photographic film, certain metal and ceramic alloys, and display technologies including flat panel displays. The new applications and the need for model particles in scientific investigations are rapidly out-distancing the ability to synthesize anisotropic particles with specific chemistries and narrowly distributed physical characteristics (e.g. size distribution, shape, and aspect ratio).

3D printing of optical materials: an investigation of the microscopic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persano, Luana; Cardarelli, Francesco; Arinstein, Arkadii; Uttiya, Sureeporn; Zussman, Eyal; Pisignano, Dario; Camposeo, Andrea

2018-02-01

3D printing technologies are currently enabling the fabrication of objects with complex architectures and tailored properties. In such framework, the production of 3D optical structures, which are typically based on optical transparent matrices, optionally doped with active molecular compounds and nanoparticles, is still limited by the poor uniformity of the printed structures. Both bulk inhomogeneities and surface roughness of the printed structures can negatively affect the propagation of light in 3D printed optical components. Here we investigate photopolymerization-based printing processes by laser confocal microscopy. The experimental method we developed allows the printing process to be investigated in-situ, with microscale spatial resolution, and in real-time. The modelling of the photo-polymerization kinetics allows the different polymerization regimes to be investigated and the influence of process variables to be rationalized. In addition, the origin of the factors limiting light propagation in printed materials are rationalized, with the aim of envisaging effective experimental strategies to improve optical properties of printed materials.

Uniform refraction in negative refractive index materials.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Cristian E; Stachura, Eric

2015-11-01

We study the problem of constructing an optical surface separating two homogeneous, isotropic media, one of which has a negative refractive index. In doing so, we develop a vector form of Snell's law, which is used to study surfaces possessing a certain uniform refraction property, in both the near- and far-field cases. In the near-field problem, unlike the case when both materials have positive refractive indices, we show that the resulting surfaces can be neither convex nor concave.

Effect of Intraocular Pressure and Anisotropy on the Optical Properties of the Cornea: A Study Using Polarization Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography.

PubMed

Richhariya, Ashutosh; Verma, Yogesh; Rao, Divakar K; Roberts, Cynthia J; Mahmoud, Ashraf M; Sangwan, Virender S; Punjabi, Sunil; Gupta, Pradeep K

2014-01-01

We hypothesize that because of the anisotropic properties of the cornea, there should be a nonuniform change in birefringence with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP). In this in vitro study, anisotropic properties, stress distribution within the cornea, and the effect of IOP on changes in stress level were investigated. Button inflation tests for deformation with polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography were used to demonstrate optical and material anisotropy on ex vivo human corneas. Inflation tests were performed on human donor corneoscleral rims. Using a turntable and hydrostatic column, each corneoscleral rim was subjected to a hydrostatic pressure of 0, 10, 15, and 20 mm Hg. At each pressure step, 4 scans at 0, 45, 90, and 135 degrees were taken by a polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography system, and the birefringence images and normal intensity-based images were recorded; images were later compiled for analysis. The retardation changed with the axis of orientation (P [T ≤ t] 1-tailed = 0.025) and IOP (P [T ≤ t] 1-tailed = 0.019). Optical thickness of the cornea decreased with increasing IOP. The optical properties of the cornea are modified with change in IOP. This is not uniform because of distinct anisotropic properties. Anisotropic properties may unpredictably affect the optical quality of cornea during or after the surgeries. Changes in corneal birefringence can be also used as a tool for measuring the IOP of the eye.

Properties of oscillating refractive optical wings with one reflective surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artusio-Glimpse, Alexandra B.; Swartzlander, Grover A.

2013-09-01

A new modality for optical micromanipulation is under investigation. Optical wings are shaped refractive objects that experience a force and torque owing to the reflection and transmission of uniform light at the object surface. We present wing designs that provide a restoring torque that returns the wing to a source facing orientation while preserving efficient thrust from radiation pressure. The torsional stiffness and orbital period of a set of optical wing cross-sectional shapes are determined from numerical ray-tracing analyses. These results demonstrate the potential to develop an efficient optomechanical device for applications in microbiology and space flight systems.

NASA SBIR Subtopic S2.04 "Advanced Optical Components"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2009-01-01

The primary purpose of this subtopic is to develop and demonstrate technologies to manufacture ultra-low-cost precision optical systems for very large x-ray, UV/optical or infrared telescopes. Potential solutions include but are not limited to direct precision machining, rapid optical fabrication, slumping or replication technologies to manufacture 1 to 2 meter (or larger) precision quality mirror or lens segments (either normal incidence for uv/optical/infrared or grazing incidence for x-ray). An additional key enabling technology for UV/optical telescopes is a broadband (from 100 nm to 2500 nm) high-reflectivity mirror coating with extremely uniform amplitude and polarization properties which can be deposited on 1 to 3 meter class mirror.

Optical properties of anthocyanins in the gas phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Xiaochuan; Calzolari, Arrigo; Baroni, Stefano

2015-01-01

The gas-phase optical properties of the six most common anthocyanins are studied using time-dependent density-functional theory. Different anthocyanins are classified into three groups, according to the number of low-frequency peaks displayed in the UV-vis spectrum. This behavior is analyzed in terms of one-electron transitions and interaction effects, the latter being rationalized using a suitable double-pole model. Moving from PBE to hybrid exchange-correlation functionals results in a hypsochromic shift of the optical gap. While the colors thus predicted do not quite match those observed in solution, thus highlighting the importance of solvation effects, adoption of hybrid functionals remarkably determines a greater chromatic uniformity of different molecules, in qualitative agreement with experimental evidence in acidic solutions.

Three-dimensional multifunctional optical coherence tomography for skin imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, En; Makita, Shuichi; Hong, Young-Joo; Kasaragod, Deepa; Sasaoka, Tomoko; Yamanari, Masahiro; Sugiyama, Satoshi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2016-02-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) visualizes cross-sectional microstructures of biological tissues. Recent developments of multifunctional OCT (MF-OCT) provides multiple optical contrasts which can reveal currently unknown tissue properties. In this contribution we demonstrate multifunctional OCT specially designed for dermatological investigation. And by utilizing it to measure four different body parts of in vivo human skin, three-dimensional scattering OCT, OCT angiography, polarization uniformity tomography, and local birefringence tomography images were obtained by a single scan. They respectively contrast the structure and morphology, vasculature, melanin content and collagen traits of the tissue.

Drying temperature effects on electrical and optical properties of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azhar, N. E. A.; Affendi, I. H. H.; Shafura, A. K.; Shariffudin, S. S.; Alrokayan, Salman A. H.; Khan, Haseeb A.; Rusop, M.

2016-07-01

Temperature effects on electrical and optical properties of a representative semiconducting polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV), has recently attracted much attention. The MEH-PPV thin films were deposited at different drying temperature (anneal temperature) using spin-coating technique. The spin coating technique was used to produce uniform film onto large area. The MEH-PPV was dissolved in toluene solution to exhibits different optical and electrical properties. The absorption coefficient and bandgap was measured using UV-Visible-NIR (UV-VIS-NIR). The bandgap of MEH-PPV was effect by the thickness of thin films. For electrical properties, two-point probe was used to characterize the current-voltage measurement. The current-voltage measurement shows that the MEH-PPV thin films become more conductive at high temperature. This study will provide better performance and suitable for optoelectronic device especially OLEDs applications.

Drying temperature effects on electrical and optical properties of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2’-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) thin film

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

Azhar, N. E. A., E-mail: najwaezira@yahoo.com; Affendi, I. H. H., E-mail: irmahidayanti.halim@gmail.com; Shafura, A. K., E-mail: shafura@ymail.com

Temperature effects on electrical and optical properties of a representative semiconducting polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2’-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV), has recently attracted much attention. The MEH-PPV thin films were deposited at different drying temperature (anneal temperature) using spin-coating technique. The spin coating technique was used to produce uniform film onto large area. The MEH-PPV was dissolved in toluene solution to exhibits different optical and electrical properties. The absorption coefficient and bandgap was measured using UV-Visible-NIR (UV-VIS-NIR). The bandgap of MEH-PPV was effect by the thickness of thin films. For electrical properties, two-point probe was used to characterize the current-voltage measurement. The current-voltage measurement showsmore » that the MEH-PPV thin films become more conductive at high temperature. This study will provide better performance and suitable for optoelectronic device especially OLEDs applications.« less

Optical Imaging of Nonuniform Ferroelectricity and Strain at the Diffraction Limit

PubMed Central

Vlasin, Ondrej; Casals, Blai; Dix, Nico; Gutiérrez, Diego; Sánchez, Florencio; Herranz, Gervasi

2015-01-01

We have imaged optically the spatial distributions of ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity at the diffraction limit. Contributions to the birefringence from electro-optics –linked to ferroelectricity– as well as strain –arising from converse piezoelectric effects– have been recorded simultaneously in a BaTiO3 thin film. The concurrent recording of electro-optic and piezo-optic mappings revealed that, far from the ideal uniformity, the ferroelectric and piezoelectric responses were strikingly inhomogeneous, exhibiting significant fluctuations over the scale of the micrometer. The optical methods here described are appropriate to study the variations of these properties simultaneously, which are of great relevance when ferroelectrics are downscaled to small sizes for applications in data storage and processing. PMID:26522345

Optical design for uniform scanning in MEMS-based 3D imaging lidar.

PubMed

Lee, Xiaobao; Wang, Chunhui

2015-03-20

This paper proposes a method for the optical system design of uniform scanning in a larger scan field of view (FOV) in 3D imaging lidar. The theoretical formulas are derived for the design scheme. By employing the optical design software ZEMAX, a foldaway uniform scanning optical system based on MEMS has been designed, and the scanning uniformity and spot size of the system on the target plane, perpendicular to optical axis, are analyzed and discussed. Results show that the designed system can scan uniformly within the FOV of 40°×40° with small spot size for the target at distance of about 100 m.

Optical, mechanical and structural properties of PMMA/SiO2 nanocomposite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Gyanesh; Srivastava, Subodh; Soni, Purushottam; Kalotra, Pankaj; Vijay, Y. K.

2018-01-01

We have fabricated PMMA/SiO2 nanocomposite flexible thin films of 60 μm thicknesses by using solution casting method in the presence of transverse electric field. In this paper, we have investigated the effect of SiO2 nanoparticle (NP) loading on optical and mechanical properties of the composite thin film. The SEM images show that nanocomposite thin films have a smoother and uniform morphology. The transmittance peak near 1103 cm-1 in FT-IR spectrum confirms the presence of SiO2 NPs in the composite thin film. It is observed that optical bandgap decreases with an increase in the SiO2 NP concentration. Dynamic mechanical analysis shows that presence of SiO2 NP enhances the mechanical strength of the composite thin film.

Structural and optical properties of PbS thin films grown by chemical bath deposition

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

Seghaier, S.; Kamoun, N.; Guasch, C.

2007-09-19

Lead sulphide thin films are grown on glass substrates at various deposition times tD, in the range of 40-60 min per step of 2 min, using the chemical bath deposition technique. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy are used to characterize the film structure. The surface composition is analysed by Auger electron spectroscopy. It appears that the as-prepared thin films are polycrystalline with cubic structure. Nanometric scale crystallites are uniformly distributed on the surface. They exhibit almost a stoechiometric composition with a [Pb]/[S] ratio equal to 1.10. Optical properties are studied in the range of 300-3300 nm by spectrophotometric measurements.more » Analysis of the optical absorption data of lead sulphide thin layers reveals a narrow optical direct band gap equal to 0.46 eV for the layer corresponding to a deposition time equal to 60 min.« less

Investigation on optical absorption properties of ion irradiated single walled carbon nanotubes

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

Vishalli,, E-mail: vishalli-2008@yahoo.com; Dharamvir, Keya, E-mail: keya@pu.ac.in; Kaur, Ramneek

2015-08-28

In the present study change in the optical absorption properties of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) under nickel ion (60 MeV) irradiation at various fluences has been investigated. Langmuir Blodgett technique is used to deposit SWCNT thin film of uniform thickness. AFM analysis shows a network of interconnected bundles of nanotubes. UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra indicate that the sample mainly contain SWCNTs of semiconducting nature. It has been found in absorption spectra that there is decrease in the intensity of the characteristic SWCNT peaks with increase in fluence. At fluence value 1×10{sup 14} ions/cm{sup 2} there is almost complete suppression of themore » characteristic SWCNTs peaks.The decrease in the optical absorption with increase in fluence is due to the increase in the disorder in the system which leads to the decrease in optically active states.« less

Large-area graphene films by simple solution casting of edge-selectively functionalized graphite.

PubMed

Bae, Seo-Yoon; Jeon, In-Yup; Yang, Jieun; Park, Noejung; Shin, Hyeon Suk; Park, Sungjin; Ruoff, Rodney S; Dai, Liming; Baek, Jong-Beom

2011-06-28

We report edge-selective functionalization of graphite (EFG) for the production of large-area uniform graphene films by simply solution-casting EFG dispersions in dichloromethane on silicon oxide substrates, followed by annealing. The resultant graphene films show ambipolar transport properties with sheet resistances of 0.52-3.11 kΩ/sq at 63-90% optical transmittance. EFG allows solution processing methods for the scalable production of electrically conductive, optically transparent, and mechanically robust flexible graphene films for use in practice.

Indium sulfide microflowers: Fabrication and optical properties

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

Zhu Hui; Wang Xiaolei; Yang Wen

2009-10-15

With the assistance of urea, uniform 2D nanoflakes assembled 3D In{sub 2}S{sub 3} microflowers were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method at relative low temperature. The properties of the as-obtained In{sub 2}S{sub 3} flowers were characterized by various techniques. In this work, the utilization of urea and L-cysteine, as well as the amount of them played important roles in the formation of In{sub 2}S{sub 3} with different nanostructures. Inferred from their morphology evolution, a urea induced precursor-decomposition associated with the Ostwald-ripening mechanism was proposed to interpret these hierarchical structure formation. Furthermore, the optical properties of these In{sub 2}S{sub 3} microflowersmore » were investigated via UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies in detail.« less

The structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties of the half-metallic binary alloys ZCl3 (Z=Be, Mg, Ca, Sr): A first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jun-Tao; Zhang, Jian-Min

2018-06-01

The investigations of the electronic and magnetic properties show the binary Heusler alloys ZCl3 (Z = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr) are half-metallic (HM) ferromagnets with an integer magnetic moment (Mt) of 1 μB /f.u.. The alloy BeCl3 is thermodynamic meta-stable, while other alloys are thermodynamic stable according to their cohesive energies and formation energies. Moreover, wide HM regions for alloys ZCl3 (Z = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr) show their HM characters are robust when the lattices are expanded or compressed under uniform and tetragonal strains. Finally, some optical properties are analyzed in detail, such as the dielectric function, the absorption coefficient, the refractive index and the extinction coefficient.

Thickness dependent optical properties of PEMA and (PEMA){sub 0.85}/(ZnO){sub 0.15} nanocomposite films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique on ITO substrate

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

Thakur, Anjna, E-mail: anjna56@gmail.com; Thakur, Priya; Yadav, Kamlesh, E-mail: kamlesh.yadav001@gmail.com

2016-05-06

In this paper, poly (ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) and (PEMA){sub 0.85}/(ZnO){sub 0.15} nanocomposite films for 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes have been deposited by spray pyrolysis technique on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated substrate. The effect of thickness of the film on the morphological and optical properties of PEMA and (PEMA){sub 0.85}/(ZnO){sub 0.15} nanocomposite films are studied. The morphological and optical properties of pure PEMA and (PEMA){sub 0.85}/(ZnO){sub 0.15} nanocomposite films are compared. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) shows that as the thickness of film increases, uniformity of films increases. It is found from UV-Visible spectra that themore » energy band gap decreases with increasing the deposition time and refractive index increases with increasing the thickness of the film. The band gap of the nanocomposites is found less than the pure polymer film and opposite trend is observed for refractive index. The optical absorption of PEMA/ZnO nanocomposite films is higher than pure PEMA film. The thickness of the nanocomposite film plays a significant role in the tunability of the optical properties.« less

Passive optical limiting studies of nanostructured Cu doped ZnO-PVA composite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamgadge, Y. S.; Sunatkari, A. L.; Talwatkar, S. S.; Pahurkar, V. G.; Muley, G. G.

2016-01-01

We prepared undoped and Cu doped ZnO semiconducting nanoparticles (NPs) by chemical co-precipitation method and obtained Cu doped ZnO-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite thin films by spin coating to investigate third order nonlinear optical and optical limiting properties under cw laser excitation. Powder samples of NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. XRD pattern and FE-SEM micrograph revealed the presence of hexagonal wurtzite phase ZnO NPs having uniform morphology with average particle size of 20 nm. The presence of excitons and absorption peaks in the range 343-360 nm, revealed by UV-vis study, were attributed to excitons in n = 1 quantum state. Third order NLO properties of all composite thin films were investigated by He-Ne continuous wave (cw) laser of wavelength 632.8 nm using Z-scan technique. Thermally stimulated enhanced values of nonlinear refraction and absorption coefficients were obtained which may be attributed to self-defocusing effect, reverse saturable absorption, weak free carrier absorption and surface states properties originated from thermo optic effect. Optical limiting properties have been studied using cw diode laser of wavelength 808 nm and results are presented.

Optical Properties of the DIRC Fused Silica Radiator

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

Convery, Mark R

2003-04-15

The DIRC detector is successfully operating as the hadronic particle identification system for the BaBar experiment at SLAC. The production of its Cherenkov radiator required much effort in practice, both in manufacture and conception, which in turn required a large number of R&D measurements. One of the major outcomes of this R&D work was an understanding of methods to select radiation hard and optically uniform fused silica material. Others included measurement of the wavelength dependency of the internal reflection coefficient, and its sensitivity to the surface pollution, selection of the radiator support, selection of good optical glue, etc. This notemore » summarizes the optical R&D test results.« less

Thermoreversible networks for moldable photo-responsive elastomers (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kornfield, Julia A.; Kurji, Zuleikha

2015-10-01

Soft-solids that retain the responsive optical anisotropy of liquid crystals (LC) can be used as mechano-optical, electro-optical and electro-mechanical elements. We use self-assembly of block copolymers to create reversible LC gels and elastomers that flow at elevated temperatures and physically cross link upon cooling. In the melt, they can be spun, coated or molded. Segregation of the end-blocks forms uniform and uniformly spaced crosslinks. Matched sets of block copolymers are synthesized from a single "prepolymer." Specifically, we begin with polymers having polystyrene (PS) end blocks and a poly(1,2-butadiene) midblock. The pendant vinyl groups along the backbone of the midblock are used to graft mesogens, converting it to a side-group LC polymer (SGLCP). In the present case, cyanobiphenyl groups are used as the nonphotoresponsive mesogens and azobenzene groups are used as photoresponsive mesogens. Here we show that matched pairs of block copolymers, with and without photo-responsive mesogens, provide model systems in which the optical density can be adjusted while holding other properties fixed (cross-link density, modulus, birefringence, isotropic-nematic transition temperature). For example, a triblock in which the SGLCP block has 95% cyanobiphenyl and 5% azo side groups is miscible with one having 100% cyanobiphenyl side groups. Simply blending the two gives a series of LC elastomers that have from 0 to 5% azo, while having all other physical properties matched. Results will be presented that show the outcomesof this approach to systematic and largely independent control of optical density and photo-mechanical sensitivity.

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.

Modified rod-in-tube for high-NA tellurite glass fiber fabrication: materials and technologies.

PubMed

Chen, Qiuling; Wang, Hui; Wang, Qingwei; Chen, Qiuping; Hao, Yinlei

2015-02-01

In this paper, we report the whole fabrication process for high-numerical aperture (NA) tellurite glass fibers from material preparation to preform fabrication, and eventually, fiber drawing. A tellurite-based high-NA (0.9) magneto-optical glass fiber was drawn successfully and characterized. First, matchable core and cladding glasses were fabricated and matched in terms of physical properties. Second, a uniform bubble-free preform was fabricated by means of a modified rod-in-tube technique. Finally, the fiber drawing process was studied and optimized. The high-NA fibers (∅(core), 40-50 μm and ∅(cladding), 120-130 μm) so obtained were characterized for their geometrical and optical properties.

Electrochemical synthesis of mesoporous gold films toward mesospace-stimulated optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cuiling; Dag, Ömer; Dao, Thang Duy; Nagao, Tadaaki; Sakamoto, Yasuhiro; Kimura, Tatsuo; Terasaki, Osamu; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2015-03-01

Mesoporous gold (Au) films with tunable pores are expected to provide fascinating optical properties stimulated by the mesospaces, but they have not been realized yet because of the difficulty of controlling the Au crystal growth. Here, we report a reliable soft-templating method to fabricate mesoporous Au films using stable micelles of diblock copolymers, with electrochemical deposition advantageous for precise control of Au crystal growth. Strong field enhancement takes place around the center of the uniform mesopores as well as on the walls between the pores, leading to the enhanced light scattering as well as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which is understandable, for example, from Babinet principles applied for the reverse system of nanoparticle ensembles.

Tunable top-down fabrication and functional surface coating of single-crystal titanium dioxide nanostructures and nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Seungkyu; Janissen, Richard; Ussembayev, Yera Ye.; van Oene, Maarten M.; Solano, Belen; Dekker, Nynke H.

2016-05-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a key component of diverse optical and electronic applications that exploit its exceptional material properties. In particular, the use of TiO2 in its single-crystalline phase can offer substantial advantages over its amorphous and polycrystalline phases for existing and yet-to-be-developed applications. However, the implementation of single-crystal TiO2 has been hampered by challenges in its fabrication and subsequent surface functionalization. Here, we introduce a novel top-down approach that allows for batch fabrication of uniform high-aspect-ratio single-crystal TiO2 nanostructures with targeted sidewall profiles. We complement our fabrication approach with a functionalization strategy that achieves dense, uniform, and area-selective coating with a variety of biomolecules. This allows us to fabricate single-crystal rutile TiO2 nanocylinders tethered with individual DNA molecules for use as force- and torque-transducers in an optical torque wrench. These developments provide the means for increased exploitation of the superior material properties of single-crystal TiO2 at the nanoscale.Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a key component of diverse optical and electronic applications that exploit its exceptional material properties. In particular, the use of TiO2 in its single-crystalline phase can offer substantial advantages over its amorphous and polycrystalline phases for existing and yet-to-be-developed applications. However, the implementation of single-crystal TiO2 has been hampered by challenges in its fabrication and subsequent surface functionalization. Here, we introduce a novel top-down approach that allows for batch fabrication of uniform high-aspect-ratio single-crystal TiO2 nanostructures with targeted sidewall profiles. We complement our fabrication approach with a functionalization strategy that achieves dense, uniform, and area-selective coating with a variety of biomolecules. This allows us to fabricate single-crystal rutile TiO2 nanocylinders tethered with individual DNA molecules for use as force- and torque-transducers in an optical torque wrench. These developments provide the means for increased exploitation of the superior material properties of single-crystal TiO2 at the nanoscale. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details (ESI Methods) of the optic axis orientation of TiO2 nanocylinders, Cr etch mask fabrication, surface functionalization and its evaluation using fluorescence microscopy, preparation of DNA constructs, assembly of flow cells, bioconjugation of TiO2 nanocylinders, OTW instrumentation and measurements; TiO2 dry etching optimization and the etching parameters employed (Tables S1 and S2); dimensional analysis of TiO2 nanocylinders (Table S3); diverse applications of TiO2 at the nanoscale (Fig. S1); selection of etch mask material (Fig. S2); control of sidewall profiles in TiO2 etching (Fig. S3); size distributions of TiO2 nanocylinders (Fig. S4); quantitative comparisons of different surface linker molecules (Fig. S5); DLS measurements on TiO2 nanocylinders (Fig. S6); optical trap calibration (Fig. S7); and supplementary references. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00898d

Chemical spray pyrolyzed kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalate, S. A.; Kate, R. S.; Deokate, R. J.

2018-04-01

Pure kesterite phase thin films of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) were synthesized at different substrate temperatures using sulphate precursors by spray pyrolysis method. The significance of synthesis temperature on the structural, morphological and optical properties has been studied. The X-ray analysis assured that synthesized CZTS thin films showing pure kesterite phase. The value of crystallite size was found maximum at the substrate temperature 400 °C. At the same temperature, microstructural properties such as dislocation density, micro-strain and stacking fault probability were found minimum. The morphological examination designates the development of porous and uniform CZTS thin films. The synthesized CZTS thin films illustrate excellent optical absorption (105 cm-1) in the visible band and the optical band gap varies in the range of 1.489 eV to 1.499 eV.

On the optical properties of carbon nanotubes. Part I. A general formula for the dynamical optical conductivity

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

Rasmussen, Morten Grud, E-mail: morteng@math.aau.dk; Ricaud, Benjamin, E-mail: benjamin.ricaud@epfl.ch; Savoie, Baptiste, E-mail: baptiste.savoie@gmail.com

2016-02-15

This paper is the first one in a series of two articles in which we revisit the optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Produced by rolling up a graphene sheet, SWNTs owe their intriguing properties to their cylindrical quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) structure (the ratio length/radius is experimentally of order of 10{sup 3}). We model SWNT by circular cylinders of small diameters on the surface of which the conduction electron gas is confined by the electric field generated by the fixed carbon ions. The pair-interaction potential considered is the 3D Coulomb potential restricted to the cylinder. To reflect the quasi-1D structure,more » we introduce a 1D effective many-body Hamiltonian which is the starting-point of our analysis. To investigate the optical properties, we consider a perturbation by a uniform time-dependent electric field modeling an incident light beam along the longitudinal direction. By using Kubo’s method, we derive within the linear response theory an asymptotic expansion in the low-temperature regime for the dynamical optical conductivity at fixed density of particles. The leading term only involves the eigenvalues and associated eigenfunctions of the (unperturbed) 1D effective many-body Hamiltonian and allows us to account for the sharp peaks observed in the optical absorption spectrum of SWNT.« less

Controllable Fabrication and Optical Properties of Uniform Gadolinium Oxysulfate Hollow Spheres

PubMed Central

Chen, Fashen; Chen, Gen; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Ning; Liu, Xiaohe; Luo, Hongmei; Li, Junhui; Chen, Limiao; Ma, Renzhi; Qiu, Guanzhou

2015-01-01

Uniform gadolinium oxysulfate (Gd2O2SO4) hollow spheres were successfully fabricated by calcination of corresponding Gd-organic precursor obtained via a facile hydrothermal process. The Gd2O2SO4 hollow spheres have a mean diameter of approximately 550 nm and shell thickness in the range of 30–70 nm. The sizes and morphologies of as-prepared Gd2O2SO4 hollow spheres could be deliberately controlled by adjusting the experimental parameters. Eu-doped Gd2O2SO4 hollow spheres have also been prepared for the property modification and practical applications. The structure, morphology, and properties of as-prepared products were characterized by XRD, TEM, HRTEM, SEM and fluorescence spectrophotometer. Excited with ultraviolet (UV) pump laser, successful downconversion (DC) could be achieved for Eu-doped Gd2O2SO4 hollow spheres. PMID:26671661

Demonstration of UV LED versatility when paired with molded UV transmitting glass optics to produce unique irradiance patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasenak, Brian

2017-02-01

Ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV LED) adoption is accelerating; they are being used in new applications such as UV curing, germicidal irradiation, nondestructive testing, and forensic analysis. In many of these applications, it is critically important to produce a uniform light distribution and consistent surface irradiance. Flat panes of fused quartz, silica, or glass are commonly used to cover and protect UV LED arrays. However, they don't offer the advantages of an optical lens design. An investigation was conducted to determine the effect of a secondary glass optic on the uniformity of the light distribution and irradiance. Glass optics capable of transmitting UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C wavelengths can improve light distribution, uniformity, and intensity. In this work, two simulation studies were created to illustrate distinct irradiance patterns desirable for potential real world applications. The first study investigates the use of a multi-UV LED array and optic to create a uniform irradiance pattern on the flat two dimensional (2D) target surface. The uniformity was improved by designing both the LED array and molded optic to produce a homogenous pattern. The second study investigated the use of an LED light source and molded optic to improve the light uniformity on the inside of a canister. The case study illustrates the requirements for careful selection of LED based on light distribution and subsequent design of optics. The optic utilizes total internal reflection to create optimized light distribution. The combination of the LED and molded optic showed significant improvement in uniformity on the inner surface of the canister. The simulations illustrate how the application of optics can significantly improve UV light distribution which can be critical in applications such as UV curing and sterilization.

Osmotic-pressure-controlled concentration of colloidal particles in thin-shelled capsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Shin-Hyun; Park, Jin-Gyu; Choi, Tae Min; Manoharan, Vinothan N.; Weitz, David A.

2014-01-01

Colloidal crystals are promising structures for photonic applications requiring dynamic control over optical properties. However, for ease of processing and reconfigurability, the crystals should be encapsulated to form ‘ink’ capsules rather than confined in a thin film. Here we demonstrate a class of encapsulated colloidal photonic structures whose optical properties can be controlled through osmotic pressure. The ordering and separation of the particles within the microfluidically created capsules can be tuned by changing the colloidal concentration through osmotic pressure-induced control of the size of the individual capsules, modulating photonic stop band. The rubber capsules exhibit a reversible change in the diffracted colour, depending on osmotic pressure, a property we call osmochromaticity. The high encapsulation efficiency and capsule uniformity of this microfluidic approach, combined with the highly reconfigurable shapes and the broad control over photonic properties, make this class of structures particularly suitable for photonic applications such as electronic inks and reflective displays.

Ice Cloud Backscatter Study and Comparison with CALIPSO and MODIS Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Jiachen; Yang, Ping; Holz, Robert E.; Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; Vaughan, Mark A.; Hu, Yongxiang; King, Michael D.

2016-01-01

An invariant imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) method is used to calculate the single-scattering properties of 8-column aggregate ice crystals. The II-TM based backscatter values are compared with those calculated by the improved geometric-optics method (IGOM) to refine the backscattering properties of the ice cloud radiative model used in the MODIS Collection 6 cloud optical property product. The integrated attenuated backscatter-to-cloud optical depth (IAB-ICOD) relation is derived from simulations using a CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite) lidar simulator based on a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. By comparing the simulation results and co-located CALIPSO and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) observations, the non-uniform zonal distribution of ice clouds over ocean is characterized in terms of a mixture of smooth and rough ice particles. The percentage of the smooth particles is approximately 6 percent and 9 percent for tropical and mid-latitude ice clouds, respectively.

Investigation of microstructural and optical properties of La0.8Ca0.2FeO3 nanostructure synthesized via gel combustion method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naseem, Swaleha; Ali, S. Asad; Khan, Wasi; Khan, Shakeel

2018-05-01

Ca substituted LaFeO3 orthoferrite nanostructure perovskite has been synthesized by gel combustion method using citric acid as a fuel. The structural and optical properties were investigated by various tools. The structural analysis through Rietveld refinement of the XRD data revealed single phase of orthorhombic structure in R-3c space group of the sample without presence of any other impurity phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image exhibits non-uniform distribution of the nanoparticles in agglomerated form. The purity of the sample and stoichiometric ratio of the elements were established through energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). FTIR spectroscopy measurement predicts the presence of various band relation of the chemical species of Ca with LaFeO3. Optical properties were explored through UV-visible absorption spectroscopy that showed absorption edge at 347 nm and energy band gap was estimated as 3.47eV using Tauc's relation.

Optical properties and surface topography of CdCl2 activated CdTe thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, S. L.; Purohit, A.; Chander, S.; Dhaka, M. S.

2018-05-01

The effect of post-CdCl2 heat treatment on optical properties and surface topography of evaporated CdTe thin films is investigated. The pristine and thermally annealed films were subjected to UV-Vis spectrophotometer and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the optical properties and surface topography, respectively. The absorbance is found to be maximum (˜90%) at 320°C temperature and transmittance found to be minimum and almost constant in ultraviolet and visible regions. The direct band gap is increased from 1.42 eV to 2.12 eV with post-CdCl2 annealing temperature. The surface topography revealed that the uniformity is improved with annealing temperature and average surface roughness is found in the range of 83.3-144.3 nm as well as grains have cylindrical hill-like shapes. The investigated results indicate that the post-CdCl2 treated films annealed at 320°C may be well-suitable for thin film solar cells as an absorber layer.

Comparison analysis on the properties of the phosphor film according to the various composition ratio of phosphor slurry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jeong Yeon; Lee, Jeong Won; Heo, Young Moo; Won, Si Tae; Yoon, Gil Sang

2016-03-01

The conventional method of making a phosphor layer on the LED package by using a dispensing method is difficult to implement the specific color coordinate, color temperature and optical efficiency because the thickness of the phosphor layer is non-uniform due to precipitation of the phosphor. Besides, the dispensing method consume a large amount of phosphor and silicone to fill the LED package. Thus, studies that manufacture phosphor layer with a uniform thickness such as spray coating, screen printing, electrophoresis are active recently. The purpose of this study is to perform the basic research about the change of the characteristics of phosphor film that is molded with uniform thickness using the phosphor slurry according to various silicone resin and phosphor composition ratio. It is expected to be used as useful information for the fabricating properties when production environment of phosphor layer is changed dispensing method into phosphor film fabrication. In the experiment, it was selected three kinds of methyl-phenyl silicone based resin as the phosphor slurry constituents, and mixed with phosphor various amount of 20 ˜ 60wt% content per one silicone resin. Using this mixed phosphor slurry, it was molded the phosphor film with 300 μm thickness and analyzed the mechanical properties and optical properties of the phosphor film. Finally, the results of this study are presented below: (a) As the phenyl group content is increased, the total heat of reaction need to cure the silicone resin is decrease, and also lower the durometer hardness of the phosphor sheet. On the other hand, it was confirmed that there is no relationship between the phenyl group content in the phosphor film and optical characteristics of the phosphor film. (b) If the amount of the phosphor within the film are increased, then the values of shore hardness and CIE color coordinates are increased gradually but the value of CIE color temperature is decreased gradually in case of being applied same silicone resin to the phosphor film.

Periodic nanostructural materials for nanoplasmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Dukhyun

2017-02-01

Nanoscale periodic material design and fabrication are essentially fundamental requirement for basic scientific researches and industrial applications of nanoscience and engineering. Innovative, effective, reproducible, large-area uniform, tunable and robust nanostructure/material syntheses are still challenging. Here, I would like to introduce the novel periodic nanostructural materials particularly with uniformly ordered nanoporous or nanoflower structures, which are fabricated by simple, cost-effective, and high-throughput wet chemical methods. I also report large-area periodic plasmonic nanostructures based on template-based nanolithography. The surface morphology and optical properties are characterized by SEM and UV-vis. spectroscopy. Furthermore, their enhancement factor is evaluated by using SERS signals.

Effects of in-situ UV irradiation on the uniformity and optical properties of GaAsBi epi-layers grown by MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaton, Daniel A.; Steger, M.; Christian, T.; Mascarenhas, A.

2018-02-01

In-situ UV illumination influences the incorporation dynamics of bismuth adatom in GaAs. Here we use the inherent variation of the fluence across the sample to explore the role of the incident irradiation. With illumination it is found that steady state growth processes are achieved more quickly resulting in more abrupt interfaces, as well as uniform GaAs1-xBix epi-layers. Comparisons of low temperature photoluminescence spectra show an increasing density of clusters of incorporated bismuth atoms with decreasing incident fluence.

Effects of in-situ UV irradiation on the uniformity and optical properties of GaAsBi epi-layers grown by MBE

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

Beaton, Daniel A.; Steger, M.; Christian, T.

In-situ UV illumination influences the incorporation dynamics of bismuth adatom in GaAs. Here we use the inherent variation of the fluence across the sample to explore the role of the incident irradiation. With illumination it is found that steady state growth processes are achieved more quickly resulting in more abrupt interfaces, as well as uniform GaAs 1-xBi x epi-layers. Comparisons of low temperature photoluminescence spectra show an increasing density of clusters of incorporated bismuth atoms with decreasing incident fluence.

Effects of in-situ UV irradiation on the uniformity and optical properties of GaAsBi epi-layers grown by MBE

DOE PAGES

Beaton, Daniel A.; Steger, M.; Christian, T.; ...

2017-12-14

In-situ UV illumination influences the incorporation dynamics of bismuth adatom in GaAs. Here we use the inherent variation of the fluence across the sample to explore the role of the incident irradiation. With illumination it is found that steady state growth processes are achieved more quickly resulting in more abrupt interfaces, as well as uniform GaAs 1-xBi x epi-layers. Comparisons of low temperature photoluminescence spectra show an increasing density of clusters of incorporated bismuth atoms with decreasing incident fluence.

Optical design of soft multifocal contact lens with uniform optical power in center-distance zone with optimized NURBS.

PubMed

Vu, Lien T; Chen, Chao-Chang A; Yu, Chia-Wei

2018-02-05

This study aims to develop a new optical design method of soft multifocal contact lens (CLs) to obtain uniform optical power in large center-distance zone with optimized Non-Uniform Rational B-spline (NURBS). For the anterior surface profiles of CLs, the NURBS design curves are optimized to match given optical power distributions. Then, the NURBS in the center-distance zones are fitted in the corresponding spherical/aspheric curves for both data points and their centers of curvature to achieve the uniform power. Four cases of soft CLs have been manufactured by casting in shell molds by injection molding and then measured to verify the design specifications. Results of power profiles of these CLs are concord with the given clinical requirements of uniform powers in larger center-distance zone. The developed optical design method has been verified for multifocal CLs design and can be further applied for production of soft multifocal CLs.

Scale Control and Quality Management of Printed Image Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novoselskaya, O. A.; Kolesnikov, V. L.; Solov'eva, T. V.; Nagornova, I. V.; Babluyk, E. B.; Trapeznikova, O. V.

2017-06-01

The article provides a comparison of the main valuation techniques for a regulated parameter of printability of the offset paper by current standards GOST 24356 and ISO 3783: 2006. The results of development and implementation of a complex test scale for management and control the quality of printed production are represented. The estimation scale is introduced. It includes normalized parameters of print optical density, print uniformity, picking out speed, the value of dot gain, print contrast with the added criteria of minimizing microtexts, a paper slip, resolution threshold and effusing ability of paper surface. The results of analysis allow directionally form surface properties of the substrate to facilitate achieving the required quality of the printed image parameters, i. e. optical density of a print at a predetermined level not less than 1.3, the print uniformity with minimal deviation of dot gain about the order of 10 per cents.

Optics of Water Cloud Droplets Mixed with Black-Carbon Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Liu, Li; Cairns, Brian; Mackowski, Daniel W.

2014-01-01

We use the recently extended superposition T-matrix method to calculate scattering and absorption properties of micrometer-sized water droplets contaminated by black carbon. Our numerically exact results reveal that, depending on the mode of soot-water mixing, the soot specific absorption can vary by a factor exceeding 6.5. The specific absorption is maximized when the soot material is quasi-uniformly distributed throughout the droplet interior in the form of numerous small monomers. The range of mixing scenarios captured by our computations implies a wide range of remote sensing and radiation budget implications of the presence of black carbon in liquid-water clouds. We show that the popular Maxwell-Garnett effective-medium approximation can be used to calculate the optical cross sections, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry parameter for the quasi-uniform mixing scenario, but is likely to fail in application to other mixing scenarios and in computations of the elements of the scattering matrix.

New waveguide shape for low loss and high uniformity y-branch optical splitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burtscher, Catalina; Seyringer, Dana; Lucki, Michal; Kohler, Linda

2017-02-01

The most common application of optical Y-splitters is their use in FTTx networks. It allows several customers to share the same physical medium, bringing high-speed networking, digital television and telephone services to residences using fiber-optic cables. The task of the optical splitters in such FTTH networks is to split one optical signal in many identical signals bringing for example the same TV signal in different households. Of course, the more buildings can be served by one optical splitter the lower are the installation costs. Therefore, the special attention is paid mainly to the design of high channel optical splitters presenting the serious challenge for the professional designers. In this paper a new Y-branch shape is proposed for 1×32 Y-branch splitter ensuring better splitting properties compared to the one recommended by ITU, in terms of their performance in transmission systems using wavelength division multiplexing.

Visual air quality simulation techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molenar, John V.; Malm, William C.; Johnson, Christopher E.

Visual air quality is primarily a human perceptual phenomenon beginning with the transfer of image-forming information through an illuminated, scattering and absorbing atmosphere. Visibility, especially the visual appearance of industrial emissions or the degradation of a scenic view, is the principal atmospheric characteristic through which humans perceive air pollution, and is more sensitive to changing pollution levels than any other air pollution effect. Every attempt to quantify economic costs and benefits of air pollution has indicated that good visibility is a highly valued and desired environmental condition. Measurement programs can at best approximate the state of the ambient atmosphere at a few points in a scenic vista viewed by an observer. To fully understand the visual effect of various changes in the concentration and distribution of optically important atmospheric pollutants requires the use of aerosol and radiative transfer models. Communication of the output of these models to scientists, decision makers and the public is best done by applying modern image-processing systems to generate synthetic images representing the modeled air quality conditions. This combination of modeling techniques has been under development for the past 15 yr. Initially, visual air quality simulations were limited by a lack of computational power to simplified models depicting Gaussian plumes or uniform haze conditions. Recent explosive growth in low cost, high powered computer technology has allowed the development of sophisticated aerosol and radiative transfer models that incorporate realistic terrain, multiple scattering, non-uniform illumination, varying spatial distribution, concentration and optical properties of atmospheric constituents, and relative humidity effects on aerosol scattering properties. This paper discusses these improved models and image-processing techniques in detail. Results addressing uniform and non-uniform layered haze conditions in both urban and remote pristine areas will be presented.

The APOGEE-2 Survey of the Orion Star-forming Complex. I. Target Selection and Validation with Early Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottle, J.’Neil; Covey, Kevin R.; Suárez, Genaro; Román-Zúñiga, Carlos; Schlafly, Edward; Downes, Juan Jose; Ybarra, Jason E.; Hernandez, Jesus; Stassun, Keivan; Stringfellow, Guy S.; Getman, Konstantin; Feigelson, Eric; Borissova, Jura; Kim, J. Serena; Roman-Lopes, A.; Da Rio, Nicola; De Lee, Nathan; Frinchaboy, Peter M.; Kounkel, Marina; Majewski, Steven R.; Mennickent, Ronald E.; Nidever, David L.; Nitschelm, Christian; Pan, Kaike; Shetrone, Matthew; Zasowski, Gail; Chambers, Ken; Magnier, Eugene; Valenti, Jeff

2018-06-01

The Orion Star-forming Complex (OSFC) is a central target for the APOGEE-2 Young Cluster Survey. Existing membership catalogs span limited portions of the OSFC, reflecting the difficulty of selecting targets homogeneously across this extended, highly structured region. We have used data from wide-field photometric surveys to produce a less biased parent sample of young stellar objects (YSOs) with infrared (IR) excesses indicative of warm circumstellar material or photometric variability at optical wavelengths across the full 420 square degree extent of the OSFC. When restricted to YSO candidates with H < 12.4, to ensure S/N ∼ 100 for a six-visit source, this uniformly selected sample includes 1307 IR excess sources selected using criteria vetted by Koenig & Liesawitz (2014) and 990 optical variables identified in the Pan-STARRS1 3π survey: 319 sources exhibit both optical variability and evidence of circumstellar disks through IR excess. Objects from this uniformly selected sample received the highest priority for targeting, but required fewer than half of the fibers on each APOGEE-2 plate. We filled the remaining fibers with previously confirmed and new color–magnitude selected candidate OSFC members. Radial velocity measurements from APOGEE-1 and new APOGEE-2 observations taken in the survey’s first year indicate that ∼90% of the uniformly selected targets have radial velocities consistent with Orion membership. The APOGEE-2 Orion survey will include >1100 bona fide YSOs whose uniform selection function will provide a robust sample for comparative analyses of the stellar populations and properties across all sub-regions of Orion.

Optical characterization of nanoporous AAO sensor substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kassu, Aschalew; Farley, Carlton W.; Sharma, Anup

2014-05-01

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) has been investigated as an ideal and cost-effective chemical and biosensing platform. In this paper, we report the optical properties of periodic 100 micron thick nanoporous anodic alumina membranes with uniform and high density cylindrical pores penetrating the entire thickness of the substrate, ranging in size from 18 nm to 150 nm in diameter and pore periods from 44 nm to 243 nm. The surface geometry of the top and bottom surface of each membrane is studied using atomic force microscopy. The optical properties including transmittance, reflectance, and absorbance spectra on both sides of each substrate are studied and found to be symmetrical. It is observed that, as the pore size increases, the peak resonance intensity in transmittance decreases and in absorbance increases. The effects of the pore sizes on the optical properties of the bare nanoporous membranes and the benefit of using arrays of nanohole arrays with varying hole size and periodicity as a chemical sensing platform is also discussed. To characterize the optical sensing technique, transmittance and reflectance measurements of various concentrations of a standard chemical adsorbed on the bare nanoporous substrates are investigated. The preliminary results presented here show variation in transmittance and reflectance spectra with the concentration of the chemical used or the amount of the material adsorbed on the surface of the substrate.

Optical decoherence studies of Tm3 +:Y3Ga5O12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiel, C. W.; Sinclair, N.; Tittel, W.; Cone, R. L.

2014-12-01

Decoherence of the 795 nm 3H6 to 3H4 transition in 1 %Tm3 +:Y3Ga5O12 (Tm:YGG) is studied at temperatures as low as 1.2 K. The temperature, magnetic field, frequency, and time scale (spectral diffusion) dependence of the optical coherence lifetime is measured. Our results show that the coherence lifetime is impacted less by spectral diffusion than other known thulium-doped materials. Photon echo excitation and spectral hole burning methods reveal uniform decoherence properties and the possibility to produce full transparency for persistent spectral holes across the entire 56 GHz inhomogeneous bandwidth of the optical transition. Temperature-dependent decoherence is well described by elastic Raman scattering of phonons with an additional weaker component that may arise from a low density of glass-like dynamic disorder modes (two-level systems). Analysis of the observed behavior suggests that an optical coherence lifetime approaching 1 ms may be possible in this system at temperatures below 1 K for crystals grown with optimized properties. Overall, we find that Tm:YGG has superior decoherence properties compared to other Tm-doped crystals and is a promising candidate for applications that rely on long coherence lifetimes, such as optical quantum memories and photonic signal processing.

Synthesis of Ag-Cu-Pd alloy thin films by DC-magnetron sputtering: Case study on microstructures and optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaee, Sahar; Ghobadi, Nader

2018-06-01

The present study aims to investigate optical properties of Ag-Cu-Pd alloy thin films synthesized by DC-magnetron sputtering method. The thin films are deposited on the glass and silicon substrates using Argon gas and Ag-Cu-Pd target. XRD analysis confirms the successful growth of Ag, Cu, and Pd NPs with FCC crystalline structure. Moreover, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy is applied to determine optical properties of the prepared samples which are affected by changes in surface morphology. The existence of single surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak near 350 nm proves the formation of silver nanoparticles with a slight red shift through increasing deposition time. Ineffective thickness method (ITM) and Derivation of ineffective thickness method (DITM) are applied to extract optical band gap and transition type via absorption spectrum. SEM and AFM analyses show the distribution of near-spherical nanoparticles covering the surface of thin films. Furthermore, thickness variation affects the grain size. In addition, TEM image reveals the uniform size distribution of nanoparticles with an average particle size of about 15 nm. The findings show that increasing grain size and crystallite order along with the decrease of structural defect and disorders decrease optical band gap from 3.86 eV to 2.58 eV.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-02-01

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

Nonlinear optical thin films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leslie, Thomas M.

1993-01-01

A focused approach to development and evaluation of organic polymer films for use in optoelectronics is presented. The issues and challenges that are addressed include: (1) material synthesis, purification, and the tailoring of the material properties; (2) deposition of uniform thin films by a variety of methods; (3) characterization of material physical properties (thermal, electrical, optical, and electro-optical); and (4) device fabrication and testing. Photonic materials, devices, and systems were identified as critical technology areas by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense. This approach offers strong integration of basic material issues through engineering applications by the development of materials that can be exploited as the active unit in a variety of polymeric thin film devices. Improved materials were developed with unprecedented purity and stability. The absorptive properties can be tailored and controlled to provide significant improvement in propagation losses and nonlinear performance. Furthermore, the materials were incorporated into polymers that are highly compatible with fabrication and patterning processes for integrated optical devices and circuits. By simultaneously addressing the issues of materials development and characterization, keeping device design and fabrication in mind, many obstacles were overcome for implementation of these polymeric materials and devices into systems. We intend to considerably improve the upper use temperature, poling stability, and compatibility with silicon based devices. The principal device application that was targeted is a linear electro-optic modulation etalon. Organic polymers need to be properly designed and coupled with existing integrated circuit technology to create new photonic devices for optical communication, image processing, other laser applications such as harmonic generation, and eventually optical computing. The progression from microscopic sample to a suitable film-forming material in a working device is a complex, multifaceted endeavor. It requires close attention to maintaining the optical properties of the electro-optic active portion of the polymer while manipulating the polymer structure to obtain the desired secondary polymer properties.

Characterization of Newly Developed Semisolid Stir Joining Method for Cast Cu Base Alloy (Cu-Al-Si-Fe) and Effect of Stirrer Type on Uniformity of Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferasat, Keyvan; Aashuri, Hossein; Kokabi, Amir Hossein; Nikzad, Siamak; Shafizadeh, Mahdi

2015-02-01

In this research, the semisolid stir joining method was used to overcome the problem of hot cracking in welding aluminum and silicon bronzes. Moreover, the effects of grooved and cylindrical tools on the microstructure and mechanical properties of samples were examined. After welding specimens, mechanical tests were carried out to find differences between the cast and welded samples. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to study microstructure. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate compounds formed during casting and welding. The solidus and liquidus temperatures of the alloy were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. In this study, the temperature of the work pieces was raised to 1203 K (930 °C) that is in the semisolid region, and the weld seams were stirred by two different types of tools at the speed of 1600 rpm. Macro and micro-structural analyses show uniformity in the phase distribution for specimens welded by cylindrical tool. Desirable and uniform mechanical properties obtained when the cylindrical tool was used.

Microstress, strain, band gap tuning and photocatalytic properties of thermally annealed and Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, Neena; V. M. M, Saipavitra; Swaminathan, Hariharan; Thangaraj, Pandiyarajan; Ramalinga Viswanathan, Mangalaraja; Balasubramanian, Karthikeyan

2016-06-01

ZnO nanoparticles and Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method. Also, a part of the pure ZnO nanoparticles were annealed at 750 °C for 3, 6, and 9 h. X-ray diffraction studies were carried out and the lattice parameters, unit cell volume, interplanar spacing, and Young's modulus were calculated for all the samples, and also the crystallite size was found using the Scherrer method. X-ray peak broadening analysis was used to estimate the crystallite sizes and the strain using the Williamson-Hall (W-H) method and the size-strain plot (SSP) method. Stress and the energy density were calculated using the W-H method assuming different models such as uniform deformation model, uniform strain deformation model, uniform deformation energy density model, and the SSP method. Optical absorption properties of the samples were understood from their UV-visible spectra. Photocatalytic activities of ZnO and 5 % Cu-doped ZnO were observed by the degradation of methylene blue dye in aqueous medium under the irradiation of 20-W compact fluorescent lamp for an hour.

Fabrication of ultrafast laser written low-loss waveguides in flexible As₂S₃ chalcogenide glass tape.

PubMed

Lapointe, Jerome; Ledemi, Yannick; Loranger, Sébastien; Iezzi, Victor Lambin; Soares de Lima Filho, Elton; Parent, Francois; Morency, Steeve; Messaddeq, Younes; Kashyap, Raman

2016-01-15

As2S3 glass has a unique combination of optical properties, such as wide transparency in the infrared region and a high nonlinear coefficient. Recently, intense research has been conducted to improve photonic devices using thin materials. In this Letter, highly uniform rectangular single-index and 2 dB/m loss step-index optical tapes have been drawn by the crucible technique. Low-loss (<0.15  dB/cm) single-mode waveguides in chalcogenide glass tapes have been fabricated using femtosecond laser writing. Optical backscatter reflectometry has been used to study the origin of the optical losses. A detailed study of the laser writing process in thin glass is also presented to facilitate a repeatable waveguide inscription recipe.

Additive assisted hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and optical properties of one dimensional DyPO4:Ce3+ nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khajuria, H.; Kumar, M.; Singh, R.; Ladol, J.; Nawaz Sheikh, H.

2018-05-01

One dimensional nanostructures of cerium doped dysprosium phosphate (DyPO4:Ce3+) were synthesized via hydrothermal route in the presence of different surfactants [sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyl sulfosuccinate (DSS), polyvinyl pyrollidone (PVP)] and solvent [ethylene glycol and water]. The prepared nanostructures were characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectrophotometer and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The PXRD and FTIR results indicate purity, good crystallinity and effective doping of Ce3+ in nanostructures. SEM and TEM micrographs display nanorods, nanowires and nanobundles like morphology of DyPO4:Ce3+. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS) of DyPO4:Ce3+nanostructures confirm the presence of dopant. UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectra of prepared compounds are used to calculate band gap and explore their optical properties. Luminescent properties of DyPO4:Ce3+ was studied by using PL emission spectra. The effect of additives and solvents on the uniformity, morphology and optical properties of the nanostructures were studied in detail.

Tuning of optical properties of CdS nanoparticles synthesized in a glass matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Ivan D.; Kuznetsova, Yulia V.; Rempel, Svetlana V.; Rempel, Andrey A.

2018-03-01

Attempts were made to provide the data concerning directed synthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles in a dielectric silica-based glass matrix. These attempts involve finding out the connections between the structure, size of CdS nanoparticles, and optical properties of the nanocomposites produced. High-resolution focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy images of CdS nanoparticles incorporated in glass and SAXS results confirm the formation of uniformly distributed spherical CdS nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 6.2 nm. UV-Vis measurements show that CdS composites possess a direct bandgap wider than 2.45 eV depending on the heat treatment conditions; thus, heat treatment can be used to control nanoparticle size in each selected composite. The emission spectra showed a maximum at about 603 nm and a red shift of about 100 nm with increasing annealing temperature that is associated with the presence of defect states in the nanoparticles. In addition, semiconductor phase concentration in the glass matrix was found by using optical absorption data for the first time, which allows understanding the effect of nanocomposite structure on luminescence properties.

Impact of neutron irradiation on the structural and optical properties of PVP/gelatin blends doped with dysprosium (III) chloride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basha, Ahmad Fouad; Basha, Mohammad Ahmad-Fouad

2017-12-01

Polymer composites of a system of Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/gelatin/DyCl3.6H2O were prepared in three groups that have different concentrations of PVP/gelatin contents to study the effect of neutron irradiation on their structural and optical properties. Results showed that the interaction of neutrons led to various complex phenomena, mainly bond breaking, main chain scission and intermolecular cross-linking. These processes introduced defects inside the material that were responsible for the changes in their optical and structural properties. All the calculated parameters were found to be dependent on the irradiation fluence in a uniform manner that makes these materials excellent candidates in the applications of dosimetry and radiology. Moreover, the sensitivity of the three groups of composites to the irradiation doses was found to be different. The variation in the structure of the composite group that contains the least PVP content was found to be less significant; hence, these materials were more stable against high doses that make them suitable for high radiation dose applications.

Annealing temperature effect on electrical properties of MEH-PPV thin film via spin coating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azhar, N. E. A.; Shariffudin, S. S.; Alrokayan, Salman A. H.; Khan, Haseeb A.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

Organic semiconductor has been discovered in different application devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Poly [2-methoxy-5(2' -ethylhexyloxy)-1, 4-phenylenevinylene), MEH-PPV widely used in this device because its ability to produce a good optical quality films. The MEH-PPV was prepared on glass substrate by spin coating method. The thin film was investigated at different annealing temperatures. The scanning electron micrographs (SEM) revealed that sample annealed at 50°C showed uniformity and less aggregation on morphology polymer thin film. Optical properties showed the intensities of visible emission increased as temperatures increased. The current-voltage (I-V) measurement revealed that the temperature of 50°C showed high conductive and it is suitable for optoelectronic device.

Structural, optical and photoelectric properties of sprayed CdS thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandel, Tarun; Dwivedi, Shailendra Kumar; Zaman, M. Burhanuz; Rajaram, P.

2018-05-01

In this study, CdS thin films were grown via a facile spray pyrolysis technique. The crystalline phase, morphological, compositional and optical properties of the CdS thin films have been studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, respectively. XRD patterns show that the grown CdS films crystallized in the hexagonal structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study shows that the surfaces of the films are smooth and are uniformly covered with nanoparticles. EDAX results reveal that the grown films have good stochiometry. UV-vis spectroscopy shows that the grown films have transparency above 80% over the entire visible region. The photo-electric response of the CdS films grown on glass substrates has been observed.

Optics of two-stage photovoltaic concentrators with dielectric second stages.

PubMed

Ning, X; O'Gallagher, J; Winston, R

1987-04-01

Two-stage photovoltaic concentrators with Fresnel lenses as primaries and dielectric totally internally reflecting nonimaging concentrators as secondaries are discussed. The general design principles of such two-stage systems are given. Their optical properties are studied and analyzed in detail using computer ray trace procedures. It is found that the two-stage concentrator offers not only a higher concentration or increased acceptance angle, but also a more uniform flux distribution on the photovoltaic cell than the point focusing Fresnel lens alone. Experimental measurements with a two-stage prototype module are presented and compared to the analytical predictions.

Optics of two-stage photovoltaic concentrators with dielectric second stages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Xiaohui; O'Gallagher, Joseph; Winston, Roland

1987-04-01

Two-stage photovoltaic concentrators with Fresnel lenses as primaries and dielectric totally internally reflecting nonimaging concentrators as secondaries are discussed. The general design principles of such two-stage systems are given. Their optical properties are studied and analyzed in detail using computer ray trace procedures. It is found that the two-stage concentrator offers not only a higher concentration or increased acceptance angle, but also a more uniform flux distribution on the photovoltaic cell than the point focusing Fresnel lens alone. Experimental measurements with a two-stage prototype module are presented and compared to the analytical predictions.

The molten glass sewing machine

PubMed Central

Inamura, Chikara; Lizardo, Daniel; Franchin, Giorgia; Stern, Michael; Houk, Peter; Oxman, Neri

2017-01-01

We present a fluid-instability-based approach for digitally fabricating geometrically complex uniformly sized structures in molten glass. Formed by mathematically defined and physically characterized instability patterns, such structures are produced via the additive manufacturing of optically transparent glass, and result from the coiling of an extruded glass thread. We propose a minimal geometrical model—and a methodology—to reliably control the morphology of patterns, so that these building blocks can be assembled into larger structures with tailored functionally and optically tunable properties. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Patterning through instabilities in complex media: theory and applications’. PMID:28373379

In-Situ Cure Monitoring of the Immidization Reaction of PMR-15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cossins, Sheryl; Kellar, Jon J.; Winter, Robb M.

1997-01-01

Glass fiber reinforced polymer composites are becoming widely used in industry. With this increase in production, an in-situ method of quality control for the curing of the polymer is desirable. This would allow for the production of high-quality parts having more uniform properties.' Recently, in-situ fiber optic monitoring of polymer curing has primarily focused on epoxy resins and has been performed by Raman or fluorescence methods. In addition, some infrared (IR) investigations have been performed using transmission or ATR cells. An alternate IR approach involves using optical fibers as a sensor by utilizing evanescent wave spectroscopy.

Zn doped CdO thin films with enhanced linear and third order nonlinear optical properties for optoelectronic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bairy, Raghavendra; Jayarama, A.; Shivakumar, G. K.; Patil, P. S.; Bhat, K. Udaya

2018-04-01

Thin films of undoped and zinc doped CdO have been deposited on glass substrate using spray pyrolysis technique with various dopant concentrations of Zn such as 1, 5 and 10%. Influence of Zn doping on CdO thin films for the structural, morphological, optical and nonlinear optical properties are reported. XRD analysis reveals that as prepared pure and Zn doped CdO films show polycrystalline nature with face centered cubic structure. Also, Zn doping does not significantly modify the crystallinity and not much increase in the crystallite size of the film. SEM images shows grains which are uniform and grain size with increase in dopant concentration. The transmittance of the prepared CdO films recorded in the UV visible spectra and it shows 50 to 60% in the visible region. The estimated optical band gap increases from 2.60 to 2.70 eV for various dopant concentrations. The nonlinear optical absorption of Zn-doped CdO films have been measured used the Z-scan technique at a wavelength 532 nm. The nonlinear optical absorption coefficient (β), nonlinear refractive index (n2) and the third order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ(3)) of the pure and Zn doped films were determined.

Optical design of an in vivo laparoscopic lighting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaolong; Abdolmalaki, Reza Yazdanpanah; Mancini, Gregory J.; Tan, Jindong

2017-12-01

This paper proposes an in vivo laparoscopic lighting system design to address the illumination issues, namely poor lighting uniformity and low optical efficiency, existing in the state-of-the-art in vivo laparoscopic cameras. The transformable design of the laparoscopic lighting system is capable of carrying purposefully designed freeform optical lenses for achieving lighting performance with high illuminance uniformity and high optical efficiency in a desired target region. To design freeform optical lenses for extended light sources such as LEDs with Lambertian light intensity distributions, we present an effective and complete freeform optical design method. The procedures include (1) ray map computation by numerically solving a standard Monge-Ampere equation; (2) initial freeform optical surface construction by using Snell's law and a lens volume restriction; (3) correction of surface normal vectors due to accumulated errors from the initially constructed surfaces; and (4) feedback modification of the solution to deal with degraded illuminance uniformity caused by the extended sizes of the LEDs. We employed an optical design software package to evaluate the performance of our laparoscopic lighting system design. The simulation results show that our design achieves greater than 95% illuminance uniformity and greater than 89% optical efficiency (considering Fresnel losses) for illuminating the target surgical region.

Initial Results from the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment (MDPX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Edward; Konopka, Uwe; Lynch, Brian; Adams, Stephen; Leblanc, Spencer; Artis, Darrick; Dubois, Ami; Merlino, Robert; Rosenberg, Marlene

2014-10-01

The MDPX device is envisioned as a flexible, multi-user, research instrument that can perform a wide range of studies in fundamental and applied plasma physics. The MDPX device consists of two main components. The first is a four-coil, open bore, superconducting magnet system that is designed to produce uniform magnetic fields of up to 4 Tesla and non-uniform magnetic fields with gradients up to up to 2 T/m configurations. Within the warm bore of the magnet is placed an octagonal vacuum chamber that has a 46 cm outer diameter and is 22 cm tall. The primary missions of the MDPX device are to: (1) investigate the structural, thermal, charging, and collective properties of a plasma as the electrons, ions, and finally charged microparticles become magnetized; (2) study the evolution of a dusty plasma containing magnetic particles (paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic particles) in the presence of uniform and non-uniform magnetic fields; and, (3) explore the fundamental properties of strongly magnetized plasmas (``i.e., dust-free'' plasmas). This presentation will summarize the initial characterization of the magnetic field structure, initial plasma parameter measurements, and the development of in-situ and optical diagnostics. This work is supported by funding from the NSF and the DOE.

Effects of fixture rotation on coating uniformity for high-performance optical filter fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, Binyamin; George, Jason; Singhal, Riju

2018-04-01

Coating uniformity is critical in fabricating high-performance optical filters by various vacuum deposition methods. Simple and planetary rotation systems with shadow masks are used to achieve the required uniformity [J. B. Oliver and D. Talbot, Appl. Optics 45, 13, 3097 (2006); O. Lyngnes, K. Kraus, A. Ode and T. Erguder, in `Method for Designing Coating Thickness Uniformity Shadow Masks for Deposition Systems with a Planetary Fixture', 2014 Technical Conference Proceedings, Optical Coatings, August 13, 2014, DOI: 10.14332/svc14.proc.1817.]. In this work, we discuss the effect of rotation pattern and speed on thickness uniformity in an ion beam sputter deposition system. Numerical modeling is used to determine statistical distribution of random thickness errors in coating layers. The relationship between thickness tolerance and production yield are simulated theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. Production yields for different optical filters produced in an ion beam deposition system with planetary rotation are presented. Single-wavelength and broadband optical monitoring systems were used for endpoint monitoring during filter deposition. Limitations of thickness tolerances that can be achieved in systems with planetary rotation are shown. Paths for improving production yield in an ion beam deposition system are described.

Precise Control of Quantum Confinement in Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots via Thermodynamic Equilibrium.

PubMed

Dong, Yitong; Qiao, Tian; Kim, Doyun; Parobek, David; Rossi, Daniel; Son, Dong Hee

2018-05-09

Cesium lead halide (CsPbX 3 ) nanocrystals have emerged as a new family of materials that can outperform the existing semiconductor nanocrystals due to their superb optical and charge-transport properties. However, the lack of a robust method for producing quantum dots with controlled size and high ensemble uniformity has been one of the major obstacles in exploring the useful properties of excitons in zero-dimensional nanostructures of CsPbX 3 . Here, we report a new synthesis approach that enables the precise control of the size based on the equilibrium rather than kinetics, producing CsPbX 3 quantum dots nearly free of heterogeneous broadening in their exciton luminescence. The high level of size control and ensemble uniformity achieved here will open the door to harnessing the benefits of excitons in CsPbX 3 quantum dots for photonic and energy-harvesting applications.

Large-size, high-uniformity, random silver nanowire networks as transparent electrodes for crystalline silicon wafer solar cells.

PubMed

Xie, Shouyi; Ouyang, Zi; Jia, Baohua; Gu, Min

2013-05-06

Metal nanowire networks are emerging as next generation transparent electrodes for photovoltaic devices. We demonstrate the application of random silver nanowire networks as the top electrode on crystalline silicon wafer solar cells. The dependence of transmittance and sheet resistance on the surface coverage is measured. Superior optical and electrical properties are observed due to the large-size, highly-uniform nature of these networks. When applying the nanowire networks on the solar cells with an optimized two-step annealing process, we achieved as large as 19% enhancement on the energy conversion efficiency. The detailed analysis reveals that the enhancement is mainly caused by the improved electrical properties of the solar cells due to the silver nanowire networks. Our result reveals that this technology is a promising alternative transparent electrode technology for crystalline silicon wafer solar cells.

Application of CaCO3, CaF2, SiO2, and TiO2 particles to silicone lens for enhancing angular color uniformity of white LED lamp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Anh Q. D.; Nguyen, Vinh H.

2017-08-01

In this study, we present an insightful investigation on optimal selection of scattering enhancement particles (SEP) to satisfy each specific optical property of white LEDs (WLEDs). The interested contenders include CaCO3, CaF2, SiO2, and TiO2, each of them is added with YAG:Ce phosphor compounding. The quality improvement on each considered property is demonstrated convincingly by applying Mie-scattering theory together with Monte Carlo simulation on a particular WLEDs which has the color temperature of 8500K. It is observed by simulation results that TiO2 particles provide the highest color uniformity among the SEP, as increasing TiO2 concentration. These results of this work can serve as a practical guideline for manufacturing high-quality WLEDs.

Optically active single-walled carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Xiaobin; Komatsu, Naoki; Bhattacharya, Sumanta; Shimawaki, Takanori; Aonuma, Shuji; Kimura, Takahide; Osuka, Atsuhiro

2007-06-01

The optical, electrical and mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are largely determined by their structures, and bulk availability of uniform materials is vital for extending their technological applications. Since they were first prepared, much effort has been directed toward selective synthesis and separation of SWNTs with specific structures. As-prepared samples of chiral SWNTs contain equal amounts of left- and right-handed helical structures, but little attention has been paid to the separation of these non-superimposable mirror image forms, known as optical isomers. Here, we show that optically active SWNT samples can be obtained by preferentially extracting either right- or left-handed SWNTs from a commercial sample. Chiral `gable-type' diporphyrin molecules bind with different affinities to the left- and right-handed helical nanotube isomers to form complexes with unequal stabilities that can be readily separated. Significantly, the diporphyrins can be liberated from the complexes afterwards, to provide optically enriched SWNTs.

Method and apparatus for implementing material thermal property measurement by flash thermal imaging

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

Sun, Jiangang

A method and apparatus are provided for implementing measurement of material thermal properties including measurement of thermal effusivity of a coating and/or film or a bulk material of uniform property. The test apparatus includes an infrared camera, a data acquisition and processing computer coupled to the infrared camera for acquiring and processing thermal image data, a flash lamp providing an input of heat onto the surface of a two-layer sample with an enhanced optical filter covering the flash lamp attenuating an entire infrared wavelength range with a series of thermal images is taken of the surface of the two-layer sample.

Optical design of an in vivo laparoscopic lighting system.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaolong; Abdolmalaki, Reza Yazdanpanah; Mancini, Gregory J; Tan, Jindong

2017-12-01

This paper proposes an in vivo laparoscopic lighting system design to address the illumination issues, namely poor lighting uniformity and low optical efficiency, existing in the state-of-the-art in vivo laparoscopic cameras. The transformable design of the laparoscopic lighting system is capable of carrying purposefully designed freeform optical lenses for achieving lighting performance with high illuminance uniformity and high optical efficiency in a desired target region. To design freeform optical lenses for extended light sources such as LEDs with Lambertian light intensity distributions, we present an effective and complete freeform optical design method. The procedures include (1) ray map computation by numerically solving a standard Monge-Ampere equation; (2) initial freeform optical surface construction by using Snell's law and a lens volume restriction; (3) correction of surface normal vectors due to accumulated errors from the initially constructed surfaces; and (4) feedback modification of the solution to deal with degraded illuminance uniformity caused by the extended sizes of the LEDs. We employed an optical design software package to evaluate the performance of our laparoscopic lighting system design. The simulation results show that our design achieves greater than 95% illuminance uniformity and greater than 89% optical efficiency (considering Fresnel losses) for illuminating the target surgical region. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Morphologically and size uniform monodisperse particles and their shape-directed self-assembly

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

Collins, Joshua E.; Bell, Howard Y.; Ye, Xingchen

2017-09-12

Monodisperse particles having: a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology are disclosed. Due to their uniform size and shape, the monodisperse particles self assemble into superlattices. The particles may be luminescent particles such as down-converting phosphor particles and up-converting phosphors. The monodisperse particles of the invention have a rare earth-containing lattice which in one embodiment may be an yttrium-containing lattice or in another may be a lanthanide-containing lattice. The monodisperse particles may have different optical properties based on their composition, their size, and/or their morphology (or shape). Alsomore » disclosed is a combination of at least two types of monodisperse particles, where each type is a plurality of monodisperse particles having a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology; and where the types of monodisperse particles differ from one another by composition, by size, or by morphology. In a preferred embodiment, the types of monodisperse particles have the same composition but different morphologies. Methods of making and methods of using the monodisperse particles are disclosed.« less

Morphologically and size uniform monodisperse particles and their shape-directed self-assembly

DOEpatents

Collins, Joshua E.; Bell, Howard Y.; Ye, Xingchen; Murray, Christopher Bruce

2015-11-17

Monodisperse particles having: a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology are disclosed. Due to their uniform size and shape, the monodisperse particles self assemble into superlattices. The particles may be luminescent particles such as down-converting phosphor particles and up-converting phosphors. The monodisperse particles of the invention have a rare earth-containing lattice which in one embodiment may be an yttrium-containing lattice or in another may be a lanthanide-containing lattice. The monodisperse particles may have different optical properties based on their composition, their size, and/or their morphology (or shape). Also disclosed is a combination of at least two types of monodisperse particles, where each type is a plurality of monodisperse particles having a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology; and where the types of monodisperse particles differ from one another by composition, by size, or by morphology. In a preferred embodiment, the types of monodisperse particles have the same composition but different morphologies. Methods of making and methods of using the monodisperse particles are disclosed.

Uniformly thinned optical fibers produced via HF etching with spectral and microscopic verification.

PubMed

Bal, Harpreet K; Brodzeli, Zourab; Dragomir, Nicoleta M; Collins, Stephen F; Sidiroglou, Fotios

2012-05-01

A method for producing uniformly thinned (etched) optical fibers is described, which can also be employed to etch optical fibers containing a Bragg grating (FBG) uniformly for evanescent-field-based sensing and other applications. Through a simple modification of this method, the fabrication of phase-shifted FBGs based on uneven etching is also shown. The critical role of how a fiber is secured is shown, and the success of the method is illustrated, by differential interference contrast microscopy images of uniformly etched FBGs. An etched FBG sensor for the monitoring of the refractive index of different glycerin solutions is demonstrated.

Enhanced structural and optical properties of the polyaniline-calcium tungstate (PANI-CaWO4 nanocomposite for electronics applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabu, N. Aloysius; Francis, Xavier; Anjaly, Jose; Sankararaman, S.; Varghese, Thomas

2017-06-01

In this article, we report the synthesis and characterization of polyaniline-calcium tungstate nanocomposite, a novel material for potential applications. The PANI-CaWO4 nanocomposite was prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of CaWO4 nanoparticles dispersed in ethanol. Investigations using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the nanocomposite of PANI with CaWO4 nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy revealed almost uniform distribution of CaWO4 nanoparticles in the polyaniline matrix. These studies also confirmed electronic structure modification as a result of incorporating CaWO4 nanoparticles in PANI. Composite formation resulted in large decrease in the optical band gap and enhanced photoluminescence. The augmented structural, optical and photoluminescence properties of the PANI-CaWO4 nanocomposite can be used to explore potential applications in micro- and optoelectronics. This is the first report presenting synthesis and characterization of the PANI-CaWO4 nanocomposite.

Ferroelectric and optical properties of `Ba-doped' new double perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parida, B. N.; Panda, Niranjan; Padhee, R.; Parida, R. K.

2018-06-01

Solid solution of Pb1.5Ba0.5BiNbO6 ceramic is explored here to obtain its ferroelectric and optical properties. The polycrystalline sample was prepared by a standard solid state reaction route. Room temperature XRD and FTIR spectra of the compound exhibit an appreciable change in its crystal structure of Pb2BiNbO6 on addition of 'Ba' in A site. The surface morphology of the gold-plated sintered pellet sample recorded by SEM exhibits a uniform distribution of small grains with well-defined grain boundaries. Detailed studies on the nature of polarization and variation of dielectric constant, tangent loss with temperature as well as frequency indicate the existence of Ferro-electricity in the sample. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy, the optical band gap of the studied sample has been estimated as 2.1 eV, which is useful for photo catalytic devices. Photoluminescence analysis of the powder sample shows a strong red photoluminescence with blue excitation, which is basically useful for LED.

Transmission Measurement of the Third-Order Susceptibility of Gold

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David D.; Yoon, Youngkwon; Boyd, Robert W.; Crooks, Richard M.; George, Michael

1999-01-01

Gold nanoparticle composites are known to display large optical nonlinearities. In order to assess the validity of generalized effective medium theories (EMT's) for describing the linear and nonlinear optical properties of metal nanoparticle composites, knowledge of the linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of the constituent materials is a prerequisite. In this study the inherent nonlinearity of the metal is measured directly (rather than deduced from a suitable EMT) using a very thin gold film. Specifically, we have used the z-scan technique at a wavelength near the transmission window of bulk gold to measure the third-order susceptibility of a continuous thin gold film deposited on a quartz substrate surface-modified with a self-assembled monolayer to promote adhesion and uniformity without affecting the optical properties. We compare our results with predictions which ascribe the nonlinear response to a Fermi-smearing mechanism. Further, we note that the sign of the nonlinear susceptibility is reversed from that of gold nanoparticle composites.

Effects of multiple organic ligands on size uniformity and optical properties of ZnSe quantum dots

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

Archana, J., E-mail: archana.jayaram@yahoo.com; Navaneethan, M.; Hayakawa, Y.

2012-08-15

Highlights: ► Highly monodispersed ZnSe quantum dots have been synthesized by wet chemical route. ► Strong quantum confinement effect have been observed in ∼ 4 nm ZnSe quantum dots. ► Enhanced ultraviolet near band emission have been obtained using long chain polymer. -- Abstract: The effects of multi-ligands on the formation and optical transitions of ZnSe quantum dots have been investigated. The dots are synthesized using 3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol and polyvinylpyrrolidone ligands, and have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. TEM reveals high monodispersion with an average size ofmore » 4 nm. Polymer-stabilized, organic ligand-passivated ZnSe quantum dots exhibit strong UV emission at 326 nm and strong quantum confinement in the UV–visible absorption spectrum. Uniform size and suppressed surface trap emission are observed when the polymer ligand is used. The possible growth mechanism is discussed.« less

Wafer-scale production of highly uniform two-dimensional MoS2 by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, TaeWan; Mun, Jihun; Park, Hyeji; Joung, DaeHwa; Diware, Mangesh; Won, Chegal; Park, Jonghoo; Jeong, Soo-Hwan; Kang, Sang-Woo

2017-05-01

Semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) materials, particularly extremely thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films, are attracting considerable attention from academia and industry owing to their distinctive optical and electrical properties. Here, we present the direct growth of a MoS2 monolayer with unprecedented spatial and structural uniformity across an entire 8 inch SiO2/Si wafer. The influences of growth pressure, ambient gases (Ar, H2), and S/Mo molar flow ratio on the MoS2 layered growth were explored by considering the domain size, nucleation sites, morphology, and impurity incorporation. Monolayer MoS2-based field effect transistors achieve an electron mobility of 0.47 cm2 V-1 s-1 and on/off current ratio of 5.4 × 104. This work demonstrates the potential for reliable wafer-scale production of 2D MoS2 for practical applications in next-generation electronic and optical devices.

Optical isotropy and iridescence in a smectic 'blue phase'.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Jun; Nishiyama, Isa; Inoue, Miyoshi; Yokoyama, Hiroshi

2005-09-22

When liquid crystal molecules are chiral, the twisted structure competes with spatially uniform liquid crystalline orders, resulting in a variety of modulated liquid crystal phases, such as the cholesteric blue phase, twist grain boundary and smectic blue phases. Here we report a liquid crystal smectic blue phase (SmBP(iso)), formed from a two-component mixture containing a chiral monomer and a 'twin' containing two repeat units of the first molecule connected by a linear hydrocarbon spacer. The phase exhibits the simultaneous presence of finite local-order parameters of helices and smectic layers, without any discontinuity on a mesoscopic length scale. The anomalous softening of elasticity due to a strong reduction in entropy caused by mixing the monomer and the twin permits the seamless coexistence of these two competing liquid crystal orders. The new phase spontaneously exhibits an optically isotropic but uniformly iridescent colour and automatically acquires spherical symmetry, so that the associated photonic band gap maintains the same symmetry despite the local liquid crystalline order. We expect a range of unusual optical transmission properties based on this three-dimensional isotropic structure, and complete tunability due to the intrinsic softness and responsiveness of the liquid crystalline order against external fields.

Comparative quantitative study of astrocytes and capillary distribution in optic nerve laminar regions.

PubMed

Balaratnasingam, Chandrakumar; Kang, Min H; Yu, Paula; Chan, Geoffrey; Morgan, William H; Cringle, Stephen J; Yu, Dao-Yi

2014-04-01

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axonal structure and function in the optic nerve head (ONH) is predominantly supported by astrocytes and capillaries. There is good experimental evidence to demonstrate that RGC axons are perturbed in a non-uniform manner following ONH injury and it is likely that the pattern of RGC axonal modification bears some correlation with the quantitative properties of astrocytes and capillaries within laminar compartments. Although there have been some excellent topographic studies concerning glial and microvascular networks in the ONH our knowledge regarding the quantitative properties of these structures are limited. This report is an in-depth quantitative, structural analysis of astrocytes and capillaries in the pre laminar, lamina cribrosa and post laminar compartments of the ONH. 49 optic nerves from human (n = 10), pig (n = 12), horse (n = 6), rat (n = 11) and rabbit (n = 10) eyes are studied. Immunohistochemical and high-magnification confocal microscopy techniques are used to co-localise astrocytes, capillaries and nuclei in the mid-portion of the optic nerve. Quantitative methodology is used to determine the area occupied by astrocyte processes, microglia processes, nuclei density and the area occupied by capillaries in each laminar compartment. Comparisons are made within and between species. Relationships between ONH histomorphometry and astrocyte-capillary constitution are also explored. This study demonstrates that there are significant differences in the quantitative properties of capillaries and astrocytes between the laminar compartments of the human ONH. Astrocyte processes occupied the greatest area in the lamina cribrosa compartment of the human ONH implicating it as an area of great metabolic demands. Microglia were found to occupy only a small proportion of tissue in the rat, rabbit and pig optic nerve suggesting that the astrocyte is the predominant glia cell type in the optic nerve. This study also demonstrates that there is significant uniformity, with respect to astrocyte and capillary constitution, in the post laminar region of species with an unmyelinated anterior optic nerve. This implicates an important role served by oligodendrocytes and myelin in governing the structural characteristics of the post laminar optic nerve. Finally, this study demonstrates that eyes with similar lamina cribrosa structure do not necessarily share an identical cellular constitution with respect to astrocytes. The quantitative properties of astrocytes in the pre laminar and lamina cribrosa regions of the rat, which has a rudimentary lamina cribrosa with only a few collagenous beams, shared more similarities to the human eye than the pig or horse. The quantitative properties of astrocytes and capillaries in the laminar compartments of the ONH provide a basis for understanding the pathogenic mechanisms that are involved in diseases such as glaucoma and ischemic optic neuropathy. The findings in this study also provide valuable information about the distinct advantages of different animal models for studying human optic nerve diseases. Utilisation of structural data provided in this report together with emerging in vivo technology may potentially permit the early identification of RGC axonal injury by quantifying changes in ONH capillaries and astrocytes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear chiro-optical amplification by plasmonic nanolens arrays formed via directed assembly of gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Biswas, Sushmita; Liu, Xiaoying; Jarrett, Jeremy W; Brown, Dean; Pustovit, Vitaliy; Urbas, Augustine; Knappenberger, Kenneth L; Nealey, Paul F; Vaia, Richard A

2015-03-11

Metal nanoparticle assemblies are promising materials for nanophotonic applications due to novel linear and nonlinear optical properties arising from their plasmon modes. However, scalable fabrication approaches that provide both precision nano- and macroarchitectures, and performance commensurate with design and model predictions, have been limiting. Herein, we demonstrate controlled and efficient nanofocusing of the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies of incident linearly and circularly polarized light using reduced symmetry gold nanoparticle dimers formed by surface-directed assembly of colloidal nanoparticles. Large ordered arrays (>100) of these C∞v heterodimers (ratio of radii R1/R2 = 150 nm/50 nm = 3; gap distance l = 1 ± 0.5 nm) exhibit second harmonic generation and structure-dependent chiro-optic activity with the circular dichroism ratio of individual heterodimers varying less than 20% across the array, demonstrating precision and uniformity at a large scale. These nonlinear optical properties were mediated by interparticle plasmon coupling. Additionally, the versatility of the fabrication is demonstrated on a variety of substrates including flexible polymers. Numerical simulations guide architecture design as well as validating the experimental results, thus confirming the ability to optimize second harmonic yield and induce chiro-optical responses for compact sensors, optical modulators, and tunable light sources by rational design and fabrication of the nanostructures.

Highly Enhanced Electromechanical Stability of Large-Area Graphene with Increased Interfacial Adhesion Energy by Electrothermal-Direct Transfer for Transparent Electrodes.

PubMed

Kim, Jangheon; Kim, Gi Gyu; Kim, Soohyun; Jung, Wonsuk

2016-09-07

Graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice structure, has been extensively investigated for research and industrial applications as a promising material with outstanding electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. To fabricate graphene-based devices, graphene transfer to the target substrate with a clean and minimally defective surface is the first step. However, graphene transfer technologies require improvement in terms of uniform transfer with a clean, nonfolded and nontorn area, amount of defects, and electromechanical reliability of the transferred graphene. More specifically, uniform transfer of a large area is a key challenge when graphene is repetitively transferred onto pretransferred layers because the adhesion energy between graphene layers is too low to ensure uniform transfer, although uniform multilayers of graphene have exhibited enhanced electrical and optical properties. In this work, we developed a newly suggested electrothermal-direct (ETD) transfer method for large-area high quality monolayer graphene with less defects and an absence of folding or tearing of the area at the surface. This method delivers uniform multilayer transfer of graphene by repetitive monolayer transfer steps based on high adhesion energy between graphene layers and the target substrate. To investigate the highly enhanced electromechanical stability, we conducted mechanical elastic bending experiments and reliability tests in a highly humid environment. This ETD-transferred graphene is expected to replace commercial transparent electrodes with ETD graphene-based transparent electrodes and devices such as a touch panels with outstanding electromechanical stability.

Brillouin zone grid refinement for highly resolved ab initio THz optical properties of graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warmbier, Robert; Quandt, Alexander

2018-07-01

Optical spectra of materials can in principle be calculated within numerical frameworks based on Density Functional Theory. The huge numerical effort involved in these methods severely constraints the accuracy achievable in practice. In the case of the THz spectrum of graphene the primary limitation lays in the density of the reciprocal space sampling. In this letter we have developed a non-uniform sampling using grid refinement to achieve a high local sampling density with only moderate numerical effort. The resulting THz electron energy loss spectrum shows a plasmon signal below 50 meV with a ω(q) ∝√{ q } dispersion relation.

Highly Sensitive and Fast Response Colorimetric Humidity Sensors Based on Graphene Oxides Film.

PubMed

Chi, Hong; Liu, Yan Jun; Wang, FuKe; He, Chaobin

2015-09-16

Uniform graphene oxide (GO) film for optical humidity sensing was fabricated by dip-coating technique. The resulting GO thin film shows linear optical shifts in the visible range with increase of humidity in the whole relative humidity range (from dry state to 98%). Moreover, GO films exhibit ultrafast sensing to moisture within 250 ms because of the unique atomic thinness and superpermeability of GO sheets. The humidity sensing mechanism was investigated using XRD and computer simulation. The ultrasensitive humidity colorimetric properties of GOs film may enable many potential applications such as disposable humidity sensors for packaging, health, and environmental monitoring.

Measurement of 3D refractive index distribution by optical diffraction tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Weining; Wang, Dayong; Wang, Yunxin; Zhao, Jie; Rong, Lu; Yuan, Yuanyuan

2018-01-01

Optical Diffraction Tomography (ODT), as a novel 3D imaging technique, can obtain a 3D refractive index (RI) distribution to reveal the important optical properties of transparent samples. According to the theory of ODT, an optical diffraction tomography setup is built based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The propagation direction of object beam is controlled by a 2D translation stage, and 121 holograms based on different illumination angles are recorded by a Charge-coupled Device (CCD). In order to prove the validity and accuracy of the ODT, the 3D RI profile of microsphere with a known RI is firstly measured. An iterative constraint algorithm is employed to improve the imaging accuracy effectively. The 3D morphology and average RI of the microsphere are consistent with that of the actual situation, and the RI error is less than 0.0033. Then, an optical element fabricated by laser with a non-uniform RI is taken as the sample. Its 3D RI profile is obtained by the optical diffraction tomography system.

Electrical and optical properties of sub-10 nm nickel silicide films for silicon solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brahmi, Hatem; Ravipati, Srikanth; Yarali, Milad; Shervin, Shahab; Wang, Weijie; Ryou, Jae-Hyun; Mavrokefalos, Anastassios

2017-01-01

Highly conductive and transparent films of ultra-thin p-type nickel silicide films have been prepared by RF magnetron sputtering of nickel on silicon substrates followed by rapid thermal annealing in an inert environment in the temperature range 400-600 °C. The films are uniform throughout the wafer with thicknesses in the range of 3-6 nm. The electrical and optical properties are presented for nickel silicide films with varying thickness. The Drude-Lorentz model and Fresnel equations were used to calculate the dielectric properties, sheet resistance, absorption and transmission of the films. These ultrathin nickel silicide films have excellent optoelectronic properties for p-type contacts with optical transparencies up to 80% and sheet resistance as low as ~0.15 µΩ cm. Furthermore, it was shown that the use of a simple anti-reflection (AR) coating can recover most of the reflected light approaching the values of a standard Si solar cell with the same AR coating. Overall, the combination of ultra-low thickness, high transmittance, low sheet resistance and ability to recover the reflected light by utilizing standard AR coating makes them ideal for utilization in silicon based photovoltaic technologies as a p-type transparent conductor.

Determination of optical properties in heterogeneous turbid media using a cylindrical diffusing fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimofte, Andreea; Finlay, Jarod C.; Liang, Xing; Zhu, Timothy C.

2012-10-01

For interstitial photodynamic therapy (PDT), cylindrical diffusing fibers (CDFs) are often used to deliver light. This study examines the feasibility and accuracy of using CDFs to characterize the absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μ‧s) coefficients of heterogeneous turbid media. Measurements were performed in tissue-simulating phantoms with μa between 0.1 and 1 cm-1 and μ‧s between 3 and 10 cm-1 with CDFs 2 to 4 cm in length. Optical properties were determined by fitting the measured light fluence rate profiles at a fixed distance from the CDF axis using a heterogeneous kernel model in which the cylindrical diffusing fiber is treated as a series of point sources. The resulting optical properties were compared with independent measurement using a point source method. In a homogenous medium, we are able to determine the absorption coefficient μa using a value of μ‧s determined a priori (uniform fit) or μ‧s obtained by fitting (variable fit) with standard (maximum) deviations of 6% (18%) and 18% (44%), respectively. However, the CDF method is found to be insensitive to variations in μ‧s, thus requiring a complementary method such as using a point source for determination of μ‧s. The error for determining μa decreases in very heterogeneous turbid media because of the local absorption extremes. The data acquisition time for obtaining the one-dimensional optical properties distribution is less than 8 s. This method can result in dramatically improved accuracy of light fluence rate calculation for CDFs for prostate PDT in vivo when the same model and geometry is used for forward calculations using the extrapolated tissue optical properties.

A Confined Fabrication of Perovskite Quantum Dots in Oriented MOF Thin Film.

PubMed

Chen, Zheng; Gu, Zhi-Gang; Fu, Wen-Qiang; Wang, Fei; Zhang, Jian

2016-10-26

Organic-inorganic hybrid lead organohalide perovskites are inexpensive materials for high-efficiency photovoltaic solar cells, optical properties, and superior electrical conductivity. However, the fabrication of their quantum dots (QDs) with uniform ultrasmall particles is still a challenge. Here we use oriented microporous metal-organic framework (MOF) thin film prepared by liquid phase epitaxy approach as a template for CH 3 NH 3 PbI 2 X (X = Cl, Br, and I) perovskite QDs fabrication. By introducing the PbI 2 and CH 3 NH 3 X (MAX) precursors into MOF HKUST-1 (Cu 3 (BTC) 2 , BTC = 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate) thin film in a stepwise approach, the resulting perovskite MAPbI 2 X (X = Cl, Br, and I) QDs with uniform diameters of 1.5-2 nm match the pore size of HKUST-1. Furthermore, the photoluminescent properties and stability in the moist air of the perovskite QDs loaded HKUST-1 thin film were studied. This confined fabrication strategy demonstrates that the perovskite QDs loaded MOF thin film will be insensitive to air exposure and offers a novel means of confining the uniform size of the similar perovskite QDs according to the oriented porous MOF materials.

Polyethyleneglycol diacrylate hydrogels with plasmonic gold nanospheres incorporated via functional group optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponnuvelu, Dinesh Veeran; Kim, Seokbeom; Lee, Jungchul

2017-12-01

We present a facile method for the preparation of polyethyleneglycol diacrylate (PEG-DA) hydrogels with plasmonic gold (Au) nanospheres incorporated for various biological and chemical sensing applications. Plasmonic Au nanospheres were prepared ex situ using the standard citrate reduction method with an average diameter of 3.5 nm and a standard deviation of 0.5 nm, and evaluated for their surface functionalization process intended for uniform dispersion in polymer matrices. UV-Visible spectroscopy reveals the existence of plasmonic properties for pristine Au nanospheres, functionalized Au nanospheres, and PEG-DA with uniformly dispersed functionalized Au nanospheres (hybrid Au/PEG-DA hydrogels). Hybrid Au/PEG-DA hydrogels examined by using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) exhibit the characteristic bands at 1635, 1732 and 2882 cm-1 corresponding to reaction products of OH- originating from oxidized product of citrate, -C=O stretching from ester bond, and C-H stretching of PEG-DA, respectively. Thermal studies of hybrid Au/PEG-DA hydrogels show three-stage decomposition with their stabilities up to 500 °C. Optical properties and thermal stabilities associated with the uniform dispersion of Au nanospheres within hydrogels reported herein will facilitate various biological and chemical sensing applications.

Reflection type metasurface designed for high efficiency vectorial field generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shiyi; Zhan, Qiwen

2016-07-01

We propose a reflection type metal-insulator-metal (MIM) metasurface composed of hybrid nano-antennas for comprehensive spatial engineering of the properties of optical fields. The capability of such structure is illustrated in the design of a device that can be used to produce a radially polarized vectorial beam for optical needle field generation. This device consists of uniformly segmented sectors of high efficiency MIM metasurface. With each of the segment sector functioning as a local quarter-wave-plate (QWP), the device is designed to convert circularly polarized incidence into local linear polarization to create an overall radial polarization with corresponding binary phases and extremely high dynamic range amplitude modulation. The capability of such devices enables the generation of nearly arbitrarily complex optical fields that may find broad applications that transcend disciplinary boundaries.

Enabling High Performance Instruments for Astronomy and Space Exploration and ALD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greer, Frank; Lee, M. C.; Hoenk, M. E.; Jones, T. J.; Jacquot, B. C.; Dickie, M.; Monacos, S.; Nikzad, S.; Day, P.; Leduc, R.;

Synthesis and optical properties of silver nanoparticles

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

Singh, Jaiveer; Kaurav, Netram, E-mail: netramkaurav@yahoo.co.uk; Choudhary, K. K.

The preparation of stable, uniform silver nanoparticles by reduction of silver acetate by ethylene glycol (EG) is reported in the present paper. It is a simple process of recent interest for obtaining silver nanoparticles. The samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), which reveals an average particle size (D) of 38 nm. The UV/Vis spectra show that an absorption peak, occurring due to surface plasmon resonance (SPR), exists at 319 nm.

Local electronic and optical behaviors of a-plane GaN grown via epitaxial lateral overgrowth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, J. C.; Kasliwal, V.; Baski, A. A.; Ni, X.; Özgür, Ü.; Morkoç, H.

2007-01-01

Conductive atomic force microscopy and near-field optical microscopy (NSOM) were used to study the morphology, conduction, and optical properties of a-plane GaN films grown via epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The AFM images for the coalesced ELO films show undulations, where the window regions appear as depressions with a high density of surface pits. At reverse bias below 12V, very low uniform conduction (2pA) is seen in the window regions. Above 20V, a lower-quality sample shows localized sites inside the window regions with significant leakage, indicating a correlation between the presence of surface pits and leakage sites. Room temperature NSOM studies explicitly showed enhanced optical quality in the wing regions of the overgrown GaN due to a reduced density of dislocations, with the wings and the windows clearly discernible from near-field photoluminescence mapping.

Optical response in a laser-driven quantum pseudodot system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, D. Gul; Sakiroglu, S.; Ungan, F.; Yesilgul, U.; Kasapoglu, E.; Sari, H.; Sokmen, I.

2017-03-01

We investigate theoretically the intense laser-induced optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in a two-dimensional quantum pseudodot system under an uniform magnetic field. The effects of non-resonant, monochromatic intense laser field upon the system are treated within the framework of high-frequency Floquet approach in which the system is supposed to be governed by a laser-dressed potential. Linear and nonlinear absorption coefficients and relative changes in the refractive index are obtained by means of the compact-density matrix approach and iterative method. The results of numerical calculations for a typical GaAs quantum dot reveal that the optical response depends strongly on the magnitude of external magnetic field and characteristic parameters of the confinement potential. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the intense laser field modifies the confinement and thereby causes remarkable changes in the linear and nonlinear optical properties of the system.

Confined energy distribution for charged particle beams

DOEpatents

Jason, Andrew J.; Blind, Barbara

1990-01-01

A charged particle beam is formed to a relatively larger area beam which is well-contained and has a beam area which relatively uniformly deposits energy over a beam target. Linear optics receive an accelerator beam and output a first beam with a first waist defined by a relatively small size in a first dimension normal to a second dimension. Nonlinear optics, such as an octupole magnet, are located about the first waist and output a second beam having a phase-space distribution which folds the beam edges along the second dimension toward the beam core to develop a well-contained beam and a relatively uniform particle intensity across the beam core. The beam may then be expanded along the second dimension to form the uniform ribbon beam at a selected distance from the nonlinear optics. Alternately, the beam may be passed through a second set of nonlinear optics to fold the beam edges in the first dimension. The beam may then be uniformly expanded along the first and second dimensions to form a well-contained, two-dimensional beam for illuminating a two-dimensional target with a relatively uniform energy deposition.

Open-air direct current plasma jet: Scaling up, uniformity, and cellular control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, S.; Wang, Z.; Huang, Q.; Lu, X.; Ostrikov, K.

2012-10-01

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets are commonly used in many fields from medicine to nanotechnology, yet the issue of scaling the discharges up to larger areas without compromising the plasma uniformity remains a major challenge. In this paper, we demonstrate a homogenous cold air plasma glow with a large cross-section generated by a direct current power supply. There is no risk of glow-to-arc transitions, and the plasma glow appears uniform regardless of the gap between the nozzle and the surface being processed. Detailed studies show that both the position of the quartz tube and the gas flow rate can be used to control the plasma properties. Further investigation indicates that the residual charges trapped on the inner surface of the quartz tube may be responsible for the generation of the air plasma plume with a large cross-section. The spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy reveals that the air plasma plume is uniform as it propagates out of the nozzle. The remarkable improvement of the plasma uniformity is used to improve the bio-compatibility of a glass coverslip over a reasonably large area. This improvement is demonstrated by a much more uniform and effective attachment and proliferation of human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells on the plasma-treated surface.

Structural and morphological study of chemically synthesized CdSe thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, P.; Singh, Randhir; Sharma, Jeewan; Sachdeva, M.; Singh, Anupinder; Bhargava, A.

2018-05-01

Nanocrystalline CdSe thin films were prepared by Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) method using potassium nitrilo-triacetic acid cadmium complex and sodium selenosulphite. The as deposited films were red in color, uniform and well adherent to the glass substrate. These films were strongly dependent on the deposition parameters such as bath composition, deposition temperature and time. Films were annealed at 350 °C for four hours. The morphological, structural and optical properties were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS spectrophotometer measurements, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The XRD analysis confirmed that films are predominantly in hexagonal phase. Scanning electron micrograph shows that the grains are uniformly spread all over the film and each grain contains many nanocrystals with spherical shapes.

Structural characterization and compositional dependence of the optical properties of Ge-Ga-La-S chalcohalide glass system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lini; Jiao, Qing; Lin, Changgui; Dai, Shixun; Nie, Qiuhua

2018-04-01

In this paper, chalcogenide glasses of 80GeS2sbnd (20sbnd x)Ga2S3sbnd xLa2S3 (x = 0, 1, 3, 5 mol%) were synthesized through the traditional melt-quenching technique. The effects of La2S3 addition on the thermal, optical, and structural properties of Gesbnd Gasbnd S glasses were investigated. Results showed that the synthesized glasses possessed considerably high glass transition temperature, improved glass forming ability, high refractive index, and excellent infrared transmittance. A redshift at the visible absorbing cut-off edge lower than 500 nm was observed with increasing of La2S3 content. Direct and indirect optical band gap values were calculated. SEM result suggested that this glass system owned better glass forming ability and uniformity. Raman spectral analysis indicated that the introduction of La2S3 induced the dissociation of Gesbnd Ge metal bonds and transformed the [S3Gesbnd GeS3] structure to GeS4 tetrahedrons. Consequently, the connectivity between tetrahedrons of the vitreous network was enhanced. This work suggests that La2S3 modified Ge-Gasbnd Lasbnd S glass is a promising material for infrared optical research.

Effect of deposition temperature on the structural and optical properties of CdSe QDs thin films deposited by CBD method

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

Laatar, F., E-mail: fakher8laatar@gmail.com; Harizi, A.; Smida, A.

2016-06-15

Highlights: • Synthesis of CdSe QDs with L-Cysteine capping agent for applications in nanodevices. • The films of CdSe QDs present uniform and good dispersive particles at the surface. • Effect of bath temperature on the structural and optical properties of CdSe QDs thin films. • Investigation of the optical constants and dispersion parameters of CdSe QDs thin films. - Abstract: Cadmium selenide quantum dots (CdSe QDs) thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at different temperatures from an aqueous solution containing L-Cysteine (L-Cys) as capping agent. The evolution of the surface morphologymore » and elemental composition of the CdSe films were studied by AFM, SEM, and EDX analyses. Structural and optical properties of CdSe thin films were investigated by XRD, UV–vis and PL spectroscopy. The dispersion behavior of the refractive index is described using the single oscillator Wemple-DiDomenico (W-D) model, and the physical dispersion parameters are calculated as a function of deposition temperature. The dispersive optical parameters such as average oscillator energy (E{sub o}), dispersion energy (E{sub d}), and static refractive index (n{sub o}) were found to vary with the deposition temperature. Besides, the electrical free carrier susceptibility (χ{sub e}) and the carrier concentration of the effective mass ratio (N/m*) were evaluated according to the Spitzer-Fan model.« less

Discussion on optical response of liquid-crystal BPIII driven by an inclined electric field.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hui-Yu; Wang, Yen-Wen

Three blue phases exist between the chiral nematic and the liquid phase. Compared with the electro-optical properties of BPI and BPII, BPIII is a fast response photonic device with no residual birefringence, and less hysteresis effect when an in-plane electric field is applied. However, the in-the-plane field is not uniform and then the electro-optical properties is more complicate than that we can image. This is a key point for further application of BP. In this paper, a grating-like vertical electric field is used to induce the two different optical phenomena of BPIII. As the electric field is turned on, the light transmittance rapidly increases to a stable value (<0.5 ms, Kerr effect). If the applied voltage is a dc, the transmittance will remind in this stable value. However, when the applied voltage is ac, the transmittance will oscillate with the frequency. The change in transmittance will be obvious in a low frequency. From our observation, we have known that the oscillation of the transmittance is not caused by the ion effect. It is induced by reorientation of the induced optical axis (flexoeletric effect). Thus, we can control the applied frequency and the amplitude to modulate the contribution of Kerr effect and flexoelectric effect. MOST 105-2112-M-005-010.

Electro-optical properties of zigzag and armchair boron nitride nanotubes under a transverse electric field: Tight binding calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chegel, Raad; Behzad, Somayeh

2012-02-01

The electro-optical properties of zigzag and armchair BNNTs in a uniform transverse electric field are investigated within tight binding approximation. It is found that the electric field modifies the band structure and splits band degeneracy where these effects reflect in the DOS and JDOS spectra. A decrease in the band gap, as a function of the electric field, is observed. This gap reduction increases with the diameter and it is independent of chirality. An analytic function to estimate the electric field needed for band gap closing is proposed which is in good agreement with DFT results. In additional, we show that the larger diameter tubes are more sensitive than small ones. Number and position of peaks in DOS and JDOS spectra for armchair and zigzag tubes with similar radius are dependent on electric field strength.

Enhancement in ferroelectric, pyroelectric and photoluminescence properties in dye doped TGS crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinha, Nidhi; Goel, Neeti; Singh, B. K.; Gupta, M. K.; Kumar, Binay

2012-06-01

Pure and dye doped (0.1 and 0.2 mol%) Triglycine Sulfate (TGS) single crystals were grown by slow evaporation technique. A pyramidal coloring pattern, along with XRD and FT-IR studies confirmed the dye doping. Decrease in dielectric constant and increase in Curie temperature (Tc) were observed with increasing doping concentration. Low absorption cut off (231 nm) and high optical transparency (>90%) resulting in large band gap was observed in UV-VIS studies. In addition, strong hyper-luminescent emission bands at 350 and 375 nm were observed in which the relative intensity were found to be reversed as a result of doping. In P-E hysteresis loop studies, a higher curie temperature and an improved and more uniform figure of merit over a large region of the ferroelectric phase were observed. The improved dielectric, optical and ferroelectric/pyroelectric properties make the dye doped TGS crystals better candidate for various opto- and piezo-electronics applications.

A study on the radiation resistance of CdWO4 thin-film scintillators deposited by using an electron-beam physical vapor deposition method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Seyong; Yoon, Young Soo

2016-09-01

In this paper, we report the first successful fabrication of CdWO4 thin film scintillators deposited on quartz glass substrates by using an electron-beam physical vapor deposition method. The films were dense, uniform, and crack-free. CdWO4 thin-film samples of varying thicknesses were investigated by using structural and optical characterization techniques. An optimized thickness for the CdWO4 thin-film scintillators was discovered. The scintillation and the optical properties were found to depend strongly on the annealing process. The annealing process resulted in thin films with a distinct crystal structure and with improved transparency and scintillation properties. For potential applications in gamma-ray energy storage systems, photoluminescence measurements were performed using gamma rays at a dose rate of 10 kGy h-1.

Growth mechanism, surface and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures deposited on various Au-seeded thickness obtained by mist-atomization

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

Afaah, A. N., E-mail: afaahabdullah@yahoo.com; Aadila, A., E-mail: aadilaazizali@gmail.com; Asib, N. A. M., E-mail: amierahasib@yahoo.com

2016-07-06

In this paper, growth mechanisms of ZnO nanostructures on non-seeded glass, 6 nm and 12 nm Au seed layer obtained by mist-atomization was proposed. ZnO films were successfully deposited on glass substrate with different thickness of Au seed layer i.e. 6 nm and 12 nm. The surface and optical properties of the prepared samples were investigated using Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and photoluminescence (PL). FESEM micrograph show that ZnO nanostructure deposited on 6 nm Au seed layer has uniform formation and well distributed. From PL spectroscopy, the UV emission shows that ZnO deposited on 6 nm Au seedmore » layer has the more intense UV intensity which proved that high crystal quality of nanostructured ZnO deposited on 6 nm Au seed layer.« less

Optoelectronic properties and interfacial durability of CNT and ITO on boro-silicate glass and PET substrates with nano- and heterostructural aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Joung-Man; Wang, Zuo-Jia; Kwon, Dong-Jun; DeVries, Lawrence

2011-02-01

Nano- and hetero-structures of carbon nanotube (CNT) and indium tin oxide (ITO) can control significantly piezoelectric and optoelectronic properties in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) as sensing and actuator under cyclic loading. Optimized preparing conditions were obtained for multi-functional purpose of the specimen by obtaining the best dispersion and turbidity in the solution. Optical transmittance and electrical properties were investigated for CNT and ITO dipping and spraying coating on boro-silicate glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by electrical resistance measurement under cyclic loading and wettability test. Uniform dip-coating was performed using Wilhelmy plate method due to its simple and convenience. Spraying coating was applied to the specimen additionally. The change in the electrical resistance and optical properties of coated layer were mainly dependent upon the number of dip-coating, the concentration of CNT and ITO solutions, and the surface treatment condition. Electric properties of coating layers were measured using four-point probe method, and surface resistance was calculated using a dual configuration method. Optical transmittance of CNT and ITO coated PET film was also evaluated using UV spectrum. Surface energy and their hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of CNT and ITO coated substrates were investigated by wettability test via static and dynamic contact angle measurements. As the elapsing time of cyclic loading passed, the stability of surface resistance and thus comparative interfacial adhesion between coated layer and substrates was evaluated to compare the thermodynamic work of adhesion, Wa. As dip-coating number increased, surface resistance of coated CNT decreased, whereas the transmittance decreased step-by-step due to the thicker CNT and ITO networked layer. Nano- and heterostructural effects of CNT and ITO solution on the optical and electrical effects have been studied continuously.

Large-area synthesis of high-quality and uniform monolayer WS2 on reusable Au foils

PubMed Central

Gao, Yang; Liu, Zhibo; Sun, Dong-Ming; Huang, Le; Ma, Lai-Peng; Yin, Li-Chang; Ma, Teng; Zhang, Zhiyong; Ma, Xiu-Liang; Peng, Lian-Mao; Cheng, Hui-Ming; Ren, Wencai

2015-01-01

Large-area monolayer WS2 is a desirable material for applications in next-generation electronics and optoelectronics. However, the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) with rigid and inert substrates for large-area sample growth suffers from a non-uniform number of layers, small domain size and many defects, and is not compatible with the fabrication process of flexible devices. Here we report the self-limited catalytic surface growth of uniform monolayer WS2 single crystals of millimetre size and large-area films by ambient-pressure CVD on Au. The weak interaction between the WS2 and Au enables the intact transfer of the monolayers to arbitrary substrates using the electrochemical bubbling method without sacrificing Au. The WS2 shows high crystal quality and optical and electrical properties comparable or superior to mechanically exfoliated samples. We also demonstrate the roll-to-roll/bubbling production of large-area flexible films of uniform monolayer, double-layer WS2 and WS2/graphene heterostructures, and batch fabrication of large-area flexible monolayer WS2 film transistor arrays. PMID:26450174

Laser recrystallization and inscription of compositional microstructures in crystalline SiGe-core fibres

PubMed Central

Coucheron, David A.; Fokine, Michael; Patil, Nilesh; Breiby, Dag Werner; Buset, Ole Tore; Healy, Noel; Peacock, Anna C.; Hawkins, Thomas; Jones, Max; Ballato, John; Gibson, Ursula J.

2016-01-01

Glass fibres with silicon cores have emerged as a versatile platform for all-optical processing, sensing and microscale optoelectronic devices. Using SiGe in the core extends the accessible wavelength range and potential optical functionality because the bandgap and optical properties can be tuned by changing the composition. However, silicon and germanium segregate unevenly during non-equilibrium solidification, presenting new fabrication challenges, and requiring detailed studies of the alloy crystallization dynamics in the fibre geometry. We report the fabrication of SiGe-core optical fibres, and the use of CO2 laser irradiation to heat the glass cladding and recrystallize the core, improving optical transmission. We observe the ramifications of the classic models of solidification at the microscale, and demonstrate suppression of constitutional undercooling at high solidification velocities. Tailoring the recrystallization conditions allows formation of long single crystals with uniform composition, as well as fabrication of compositional microstructures, such as gratings, within the fibre core. PMID:27775066

Contact Electrification of Individual Dielectric Microparticles Measured by Optical Tweezers in Air.

PubMed

Park, Haesung; LeBrun, Thomas W

2016-12-21

We measure charging of single dielectric microparticles after interaction with a glass substrate using optical tweezers to control the particle, measure its charge with a sensitivity of a few electrons, and precisely contact the particle with the substrate. Polystyrene (PS) microparticles adhered to the substrate can be selected based on size, shape, or optical properties and repeatedly loaded into the optical trap using a piezoelectric (PZT) transducer. Separation from the substrate leads to charge transfer through contact electrification. The charge on the trapped microparticles is measured from the response of the particle motion to a step excitation of a uniform electric field. The particle is then placed onto a target location of the substrate in a controlled manner. Thus, the triboelectric charging profile of the selected PS microparticle can be measured and controlled through repeated cycles of trap loading followed by charge measurement. Reversible optical trap loading and manipulation of the selected particle leads to new capabilities to study and control successive and small changes in surface interactions.

Laser recrystallization and inscription of compositional microstructures in crystalline SiGe-core fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coucheron, David A.; Fokine, Michael; Patil, Nilesh; Breiby, Dag Werner; Buset, Ole Tore; Healy, Noel; Peacock, Anna C.; Hawkins, Thomas; Jones, Max; Ballato, John; Gibson, Ursula J.

2016-10-01

Glass fibres with silicon cores have emerged as a versatile platform for all-optical processing, sensing and microscale optoelectronic devices. Using SiGe in the core extends the accessible wavelength range and potential optical functionality because the bandgap and optical properties can be tuned by changing the composition. However, silicon and germanium segregate unevenly during non-equilibrium solidification, presenting new fabrication challenges, and requiring detailed studies of the alloy crystallization dynamics in the fibre geometry. We report the fabrication of SiGe-core optical fibres, and the use of CO2 laser irradiation to heat the glass cladding and recrystallize the core, improving optical transmission. We observe the ramifications of the classic models of solidification at the microscale, and demonstrate suppression of constitutional undercooling at high solidification velocities. Tailoring the recrystallization conditions allows formation of long single crystals with uniform composition, as well as fabrication of compositional microstructures, such as gratings, within the fibre core.

Non linear optical investigations of silver nanoparticles synthesised by curcumin reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhanya, N. P.

2017-11-01

Metal nanoparticles have considerable applications in assorted fields like medicine, biology, photonics, metallurgy etc. Optical applications of Silver nanoparticles are of significant interest among researchers nowadays. In this paper, we report a single step chemical reduction of silver nanoparticles with Curcumin both as a reducing and stabilising agent at room temperature. Structural, plasmonic and non linear optical properties of the prepared nanoparticles are explored using Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, UV absorption spectrometry, Spectroflurometry and Z scan. UV-Vis absorption studies affirm the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) absorption and spectroflurometric studies announce the emission spectrum of the prepared silvernanoparticles at 520 nm. SEM and TEM images uphold the existence of uniform sized, spherical silvernanoparticles. Nonlinear optical studies are accomplished with the open aperture z scan technique in the nanosecond regime. The nonlinearity is in virtue of saturable absorption, two-photon absorption and excited state absorption. The marked nonlinearity and optical limiting of the Curcumin reduced silvernanoparticles enhances its photonic applications.

Highly luminescent, high-indium-content InGaN film with uniform composition and full misfit-strain relaxation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, A. M.; Wei, Y. O.; Ponce, F. A.; Moseley, M.; Gunning, B.; Doolittle, W. A.

2013-09-01

We have studied the properties of thick InxGa1-xN films, with indium content ranging from x ˜ 0.22 to 0.67, grown by metal-modulated epitaxy. While the low indium-content films exhibit high density of stacking faults and dislocations, a significant improvement in the crystalline quality and optical properties has been observed starting at x ˜ 0.6. Surprisingly, the InxGa1-xN film with x ˜ 0.67 exhibits high luminescence intensity, low defect density, and uniform full lattice-mismatch strain relaxation. The efficient strain relaxation is shown to be due to a critical thickness close to the monolayer range. These films were grown at low temperatures (˜400 °C) to facilitate indium incorporation and with precursor modulation to enhance surface morphology and metal adlayer diffusion. These findings should contribute to the development of growth techniques for nitride semiconductors under high lattice misfit conditions.

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in stratified media with nonlinearity in both dielectric and magnetic responses.

PubMed

Kim, Kihong; Phung, D K; Rotermund, F; Lim, H

2008-01-21

We develop a generalized version of the invariant imbedding method, which allows us to solve the electromagnetic wave equations in arbitrarily inhomogeneous stratified media where both the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability depend on the strengths of the electric and magnetic fields, in a numerically accurate and efficient manner. We apply our method to a uniform nonlinear slab and find that in the presence of strong external radiation, an initially uniform medium of positive refractive index can spontaneously change into a highly inhomogeneous medium where regions of positive or negative refractive index as well as metallic regions appear. We also study the wave transmission properties of periodic nonlinear media and the influence of nonlinearity on the mode conversion phenomena in inhomogeneous plasmas. We argue that our theory is very useful in the study of the optical properties of a variety of nonlinear media including nonlinear negative index media fabricated using wires and split-ring resonators.

Apparatus and method for characterizing thin film and interfaces using an optical heat generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, H.J.; Stoner, R.J.

1998-05-05

An optical heat generation and detection system generates a first non-destructive pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation that is directed upon a sample containing at least one interface between similar or dissimilar materials. The first pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation, a pump beam, produces a non-uniform temperature change within the sample. A second non-destructive pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation, a probe beam, is also directed upon the sample. Physical and chemical properties of the materials, and of the interface, are measured by observing changes in a transient optical response of the sample to the probe beam, as revealed by a time dependence of changes in, by example, beam intensity, direction, or state of polarization. The system has increased sensitivity to interfacial properties including defects, contaminants, chemical reactions and delaminations, as compared to conventional non-destructive, non-contact techniques. One feature of this invention is a determination of a Kapitza resistance at the interface, and the correlation of the determined Kapitza resistance with a characteristic of the interface, such as roughness, delamination, the presence of contaminants, etc. 31 figs.

Apparatus and method for characterizing thin film and interfaces using an optical heat generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J; Stoner, Robert J

1998-01-01

An optical heat generation and detection system generates a first non-destructive pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation that is directed upon a sample containing at least one interface between similar or dissimilar materials. The first pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation, a pump beam (21a), produces a non-uniform temperature change within the sample. A second non-destructive pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation, a probe beam (21b), is also directed upon the sample. Physical and chemical properties of the materials, and of the interface, are measured by observing changes in a transient optical response of the sample to the probe beam, as revealed by a time dependence of changes in, by example, beam intensity, direction, or state of polarization. The system has increased sensitivity to interfacial properties including defects, contaminants, chemical reactions and delaminations, as compared to conventional non-destructive, non-contact techniques. One feature of this invention is a determination of a Kapitza resistance at the interface, and the correlation of the determined Kapitza resistance with a characteristic of the interface, such as roughness, delamination, the presence of contaminants, etc.

Synthesis and characterization of cadmium sulphide thin films prepared by spin coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chodavadiya, Nisarg; Chapanari, Amisha; Zinzala, Jignesh; Ray, Jaymin; Pandya, Samir

2018-05-01

An II-VI group semiconductor is Wide band gap materials and has been widely studied due to their fundamental optical, structural, and electrical properties. Cadmium sulphide (CdS) is one of the most emerged materials in II-VI group. It has many applications such as buffer later in photovoltaic cell, multilayer light emitting diodes, optical filters, thin film field effect transistors, gas sensors, light detectors etc. It is fundamentally an n-type material with an optical band gap of 2.4 eV. Owing to these properties we had studied CdS thin films synthesis and characterized by Raman, Ultraviolet - Visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and Hot probe method. CdS thin films were prepared by spin coating of the Cadmium-thiourea precursor solution. Visual inspection after 20 minute thermolysis time the films were looks uniform and shiny pale yellow in color. Raman confirms the A1 vibration of pure CdS. UV-VIS gives the band gap about 2.52 eV, which confirms the formation of nanocrystalline form of CdS. Finally, hot probe signifies the n-type conductivity of the CdS film.

Structural, chemical and optical properties of SnO2 NPs obtained by three different synthesis routes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drzymała, Elżbieta; Gruzeł, Grzegorz; Depciuch, Joanna; Budziak, Andrzej; Kowal, Andrzej; Parlinska-Wojtan, Magdalena

2017-08-01

Polyol (P), chemical precipitation (C) and microwave-assisted (M) syntheses were chosen to produce SnO2 nanoparticles with uniform size and minimum agglomeration. Their structural, chemical and optical properties were investigated using dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), Raman, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) using the Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) technique and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies. STEM observations showed that the SnO2(P) and SnO2(C) nanoparticles (NPs) are combined into larger agglomerates with heterogeneous thickness, while the microwave-assisted NPs form a uniform thin layer across the TEM grid. The strongest agglomeration of the SnO2(C) NPs, observed by DLS, STEM and UV-Vis is explained by the very moderate amount of water present on the surface of the NPs identified by FTIR spectroscopy. High resolution STEM combined with SAED and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the crystalline character of the NPs. In the nanoparticles from polyol synthesis, chlorine from the remains of metal precursors during reduction was detected by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), contrary to the NPs obtained by the chemical precipitation and microwave-assisted methods. All three syntheses routes lead to small, 2-10 nm SnO2 NPs, which were the result of the low concentration of Cl ions in the solutions.

Opal photonic crystals infiltrated with chalcogenide glasses

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

Astratov, V. N.; Adawi, A. M.; Skolnick, M. S.

Composite opal structures for nonlinear applications are obtained by infiltration with chalcogenide glasses As{sub 2}S{sub 3} and AsSe by precipitation from solution. Analysis of spatially resolved optical spectra reveals that the glass aggregates into submillimeter areas inside the opal. These areas exhibit large shifts in the optical stop bands by up to 80 nm, and by comparison with modelling are shown to have uniform glass filling factors of opal pores up to 40%. Characterization of the domain structure of the opals prior to infiltration by large area angle-resolved spectroscopy is an important step in the analysis of the properties ofmore » the infiltrated regions. {copyright} 2001 American Institute of Physics.« less

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.

Vapor-solid growth of one-dimensional layer-structured gallium sulfide nanostructures.

PubMed

Shen, Guozhen; Chen, Di; Chen, Po-Chiang; Zhou, Chongwu

2009-05-26

Gallium sulfide (GaS) is a wide direct bandgap semiconductor with uniform layered structure used in photoelectric devices, electrical sensors, and nonlinear optical applications. We report here the controlled synthesis of various high-quality one-dimensional GaS nanostructures (thin nanowires, nanobelts, and zigzag nanobelts) as well as other kinds of GaS products (microbelts, hexagonal microplates, and GaS/Ga(2)O(3) heterostructured nanobelts) via a simple vapor-solid method. The morphology and structures of the products can be easily controlled by substrate temperature and evaporation source. Optical properties of GaS thin nanowires and nanobelts were investigated and both show an emission band centered at 580 nm.

Electro-optical properties of Cu2O for P excitons in the regime of Franz-Keldysh oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zielińska-Raczyńska, Sylwia; Ziemkiewicz, David; Czajkowski, Gerard

2018-04-01

We present the analytical method which enables one to compute the optical functions i.e., reflectivity, transmission, and absorption, including the excitonic effects, for a semiconductor crystal exposed to a uniform electric field for the energy region above the gap and for the external field suitable for the appearance of Franz-Keldysh (FK) oscillations. Our approach intrinsically takes into account the coherence between the carriers and the electromagnetic field. We quantitatively describe the amplitudes and periodicity of FK modulations as well as the influence of Rydberg excitons on the FK effect. Our analytical findings are illustrated numerically for P excitons in Cu2O crystal.

Surface Morphology of Undoped and Doped ZnSe Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, T.; Hayes, M.; Chen, H.; Chattopadhyay, K.; Thomas E.; Morgan, S.; Burger, A.

1998-01-01

Rare-earth doped ions in polar II-VI semiconductors have recently played an important role in the optical properties of materials and devices. In this study, undoped ZnSe and erbium doped ZnSe films were grown by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used together with optical microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy to characterize the films. Doped samples were found to have higher surface roughness and quite different surface morphology compared to that of undoped samples. The grown films generally show a relatively smooth and uniform surface indicating that they are of overall good quality. The impact of plasma etching on ZnSe:Er film examined under AFM is also discussed.

Search for Gamma-Ray Emission from Galactic Novae using Fermi-LAT Pass 8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buson, Sara; Franckowiak, Anna; Cheung, Teddy; Jean, Pierre; Fermi-LAT Collaboration

2016-01-01

Recently Galactic novae have been identified as a new class of GeV gamma-ray emitters, with 6 detected so far with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) data. Based on optical observations we have compiled a catalog of ~70 Galactic novae, which peak (in optical) during the operations of the Fermi mission. Based on the properties of known gamma-ray novae we developed a search procedure that we apply to all novae in the catalog to detect these slow transient sources or set flux upper limits using the Fermi-LAT Pass 8 data set. This is the first time a large sample of Galactic novae has been uniformly studied.

Micro/Nanofibre Optical Sensors: Challenges and Prospects

PubMed Central

Tong, Limin

2018-01-01

Micro/nanofibres (MNFs) are optical fibres with diameters close to or below the vacuum wavelength of visible or near-infrared light. Due to its wavelength- or sub-wavelength scale diameter and relatively large index contrast between the core and cladding, an MNF can offer engineerable waveguiding properties including optical confinement, fractional evanescent fields and surface intensity, which is very attractive to optical sensing on the micro and nanometer scale. In particular, the waveguided low-loss tightly confined large fractional evanescent fields, enabled by atomic level surface roughness and extraordinary geometric and material uniformity in a glass MNF, is one of its most prominent merits in realizing optical sensing with high sensitivity and great versatility. Meanwhile, the mesoporous matrix and small diameter of a polymer MNF, make it an excellent host fibre for functional materials for fast-response optical sensing. In this tutorial, we first introduce the basics of MNF optics and MNF optical sensors, and review the progress and current status of this field. Then, we discuss challenges and prospects of MNF sensors to some extent, with several clues for future studies. Finally, we conclude with a brief outlook for MNF optical sensors.

Determination of the microbolometric FPA's responsivity with imaging system's radiometric considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogler, Slawomir; Bieszczad, Grzegorz; Krupinski, Michal

2013-10-01

Thermal imagers and used therein infrared array sensors are subject to calibration procedure and evaluation of their voltage sensitivity on incident radiation during manufacturing process. The calibration procedure is especially important in so-called radiometric cameras, where accurate radiometric quantities, given in physical units, are of concern. Even though non-radiometric cameras are not expected to stand up to such elevated standards, it is still important, that the image faithfully represents temperature variations across the scene. Detectors used in thermal camera are illuminated by infrared radiation transmitted through an infrared transmitting optical system. Often an optical system, when exposed to uniform Lambertian source forms a non-uniform irradiation distribution in its image plane. In order to be able to carry out an accurate non-uniformity correction it is essential to correctly predict irradiation distribution from a uniform source. In the article a non-uniformity correction method has been presented, that takes into account optical system's radiometry. Predictions of the irradiation distribution have been confronted with measured irradiance values. Presented radiometric model allows fast and accurate non-uniformity correction to be carried out.

Quantum-dot-tagged microbeads for multiplexed optical coding of biomolecules.

PubMed

Han, M; Gao, X; Su, J Z; Nie, S

2001-07-01

Multicolor optical coding for biological assays has been achieved by embedding different-sized quantum dots (zinc sulfide-capped cadmium selenide nanocrystals) into polymeric microbeads at precisely controlled ratios. Their novel optical properties (e.g., size-tunable emission and simultaneous excitation) render these highly luminescent quantum dots (QDs) ideal fluorophores for wavelength-and-intensity multiplexing. The use of 10 intensity levels and 6 colors could theoretically code one million nucleic acid or protein sequences. Imaging and spectroscopic measurements indicate that the QD-tagged beads are highly uniform and reproducible, yielding bead identification accuracies as high as 99.99% under favorable conditions. DNA hybridization studies demonstrate that the coding and target signals can be simultaneously read at the single-bead level. This spectral coding technology is expected to open new opportunities in gene expression studies, high-throughput screening, and medical diagnostics.

Induced changes in refractive index, optical band gap, and absorption edge of polycarbonate-SiO2 thin films by Vis-IR lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehsani, Hassan; Akhoondi, Somaieh

2016-09-01

In this experimental work, we have studied induced changes in refractive index, extinction coefficient, and optical band-gap of Bisphenol-A-polycarbonate (BPA-PC) coated with a uniform and thin, anti-scratch SiO2 film irradiated by visible to near-infrared lasers at 532 nm (green),650 nm(red), and 980 nm (IR)wavelength lasers with different energy densities. Our lasers sources are indium-gallium-aluminum-phosphide, second harmonic of neodymium-YAG-solid state lasers and gallium-aluminum-arsenide-semiconductor laser. The energy densities of our sources have been changed by changing the spot size of incident laser. samples transmission spectra were monitored by carry500 spectrophotometer and induced changes in optical properties are evaluated by using, extrapolation of the transmission spectrum through Swanepoel method and computer application

Electrode with transparent series resistance for uniform switching of optical modulation devices

DOEpatents

Tench, D Morgan [Camarillo, CA; Cunningham, Michael A [Thousand Oaks, CA; Kobrin, Paul H [Newbury Park, CA

2008-01-08

Switching uniformity of an optical modulation device for controlling the propagation of electromagnetic radiation is improved by use of an electrode comprising an electrically resistive layer that is transparent to the radiation. The resistive layer is preferably an innerlayer of a wide-bandgap oxide sandwiched between layers of indium tin oxide or another transparent conductor, and may be of uniform thickness, or may be graded so as to provide further improvement in the switching uniformity. The electrode may be used with electrochromic and reversible electrochemical mirror (REM) smart window devices, as well as display devices based on various technologies.

Real-time detection of dielectric anisotropy or isotropy in unconventional oil-gas reservoir rocks supported by the oblique-incidence reflectivity difference technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Honglei; Wang, Jin; Zhao, Kun; Lű, Huibin; Jin, Kuijuan; He, Liping; Yang, Guozhen; Xiao, Lizhi

2016-12-01

Current geological extraction theory and techniques are very limited to adequately characterize the unconventional oil-gas reservoirs because of the considerable complexity of the geological structures. Optical measurement has the advantages of non-interference with the earth magnetic fields, and is often useful in detecting various physical properties. One key parameter that can be detected using optical methods is the dielectric permittivity, which reflects the mineral and organic properties. Here we reported an oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OIRD) technique that is sensitive to the dielectric and surface properties and can be applied to characterization of reservoir rocks, such as shale and sandstone core samples extracted from subsurface. The layered distribution of the dielectric properties in shales and the uniform distribution in sandstones are clearly identified using the OIRD signals. In shales, the micro-cracks and particle orientation result in directional changes of the dielectric and surface properties, and thus, the isotropy and anisotropy of the rock can be characterized by OIRD. As the dielectric and surface properties are closely related to the hydrocarbon-bearing features in oil-gas reservoirs, we believe that the precise measurement carried with OIRD can help in improving the recovery efficiency in well-drilling process.

Real-time detection of dielectric anisotropy or isotropy in unconventional oil-gas reservoir rocks supported by the oblique-incidence reflectivity difference technique

PubMed Central

Zhan, Honglei; Wang, Jin; Zhao, Kun; Lű, Huibin; Jin, Kuijuan; He, Liping; Yang, Guozhen; Xiao, Lizhi

2016-01-01

Current geological extraction theory and techniques are very limited to adequately characterize the unconventional oil-gas reservoirs because of the considerable complexity of the geological structures. Optical measurement has the advantages of non-interference with the earth magnetic fields, and is often useful in detecting various physical properties. One key parameter that can be detected using optical methods is the dielectric permittivity, which reflects the mineral and organic properties. Here we reported an oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OIRD) technique that is sensitive to the dielectric and surface properties and can be applied to characterization of reservoir rocks, such as shale and sandstone core samples extracted from subsurface. The layered distribution of the dielectric properties in shales and the uniform distribution in sandstones are clearly identified using the OIRD signals. In shales, the micro-cracks and particle orientation result in directional changes of the dielectric and surface properties, and thus, the isotropy and anisotropy of the rock can be characterized by OIRD. As the dielectric and surface properties are closely related to the hydrocarbon-bearing features in oil-gas reservoirs, we believe that the precise measurement carried with OIRD can help in improving the recovery efficiency in well-drilling process. PMID:27976746

Structural Characterization of Sputtered Silicon Thin Films after Rapid Thermal Annealing for Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Dieu Mugiraneza, Jean; Miyahira, Tomoyuki; Sakamoto, Akinori; Chen, Yi; Okada, Tatsuya; Noguchi, Takashi; Itoh, Taketsugu

2010-12-01

The microcrystalline phase obtained by adopting a two-step rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process for rf-sputtered silicon films deposited on thermally durable glass was characterized. The optical properties, surface morphology, and internal stress of the annealed Si films are investigated. As the thermally durable glass substrate allows heating of the deposited films at high temperatures, micro-polycrystalline silicon (micro-poly-Si) films of uniform grain size with a smooth surface and a low internal stress could be obtained after annealing at 750 °C. The thermal stress in the Si films was 100 times lower than that found in the films deposited on conventional glass. Uniform grains with an average grain size of 30 nm were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the films annealed at 800 °C. These micro-poly-Si films have potential application for fabrication of uniform and reliable thin film transistors (TFTs) for large scale active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays.

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

Lee, Jae-Min; Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Fletcher, Leigh N.

A number of observations have shown that Rayleigh scattering by aerosols dominates the transmission spectrum of HD 189733b at wavelengths shortward of 1 μm. In this study, we retrieve a range of aerosol distributions consistent with transmission spectroscopy between 0.3-24 μm that were recently re-analyzed by Pont et al. To constrain the particle size and the optical depth of the aerosol layer, we investigate the degeneracies between aerosol composition, temperature, planetary radius, and molecular abundances that prevent unique solutions for transit spectroscopy. Assuming that the aerosol is composed of MgSiO{sub 3}, we suggest that a vertically uniform aerosol layer overmore » all pressures with a monodisperse particle size smaller than about 0.1 μm and an optical depth in the range 0.002-0.02 at 1 μm provides statistically meaningful solutions for the day/night terminator regions of HD 189733b. Generally, we find that a uniform aerosol layer provide adequate fits to the data if the optical depth is less than 0.1 and the particle size is smaller than 0.1 μm, irrespective of the atmospheric temperature, planetary radius, aerosol composition, and gaseous molecules. Strong constraints on the aerosol properties are provided by spectra at wavelengths shortward of 1 μm as well as longward of 8 μm, if the aerosol material has absorption features in this region. We show that these are the optimal wavelengths for quantifying the effects of aerosols, which may guide the design of future space observations. The present investigation indicates that the current data offer sufficient information to constrain some of the aerosol properties of HD189733b, but the chemistry in the terminator regions remains uncertain.« less

Comparison of Spectral and Scintillation Properties of LuAP:Ce and LuAP:Ce,Sc Single Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrosyan, Ashot G.; Derdzyan, Marina; Ovanesyan, Karine; Shirinyan, Grigori; Lecoq, Paul; Auffray, Etiennette; Kronberger, Matthias; Frisch, Benjamin; Pedrini, Christian; Dujardin, Christophe

2009-10-01

Scintillation properties of LuAP:Ce and LuAP:Ce,Sc crystal series were studied under excitation by gamma-rays from a 137Cs source. Both series demonstrated comparable optical quality in terms of underlying absorption at 260 nm, slope of the optical edge and transmission in the range of emission. The light yield of LuAP:Ce crystals measured in 0.2 cm times 0.2 cm times 0.8 cm pixels increases linearly with the Ce concentration reaching at 0.58 at. % 6448 plusmn 322 ph/MeV and 9911 plusmn 496 ph/MeV in the long and in the short directions respectively (the light yield ratio is 65%) and shows no sign of light saturation. The energy resolution is found to depend, among other factors, on the uniformity of Ce concentration within the pixels and is improved to 7.1 plusmn 0.4% (I = 0.2 cm), 9.5 plusmn 0.5% (I = 0.8 cm). Intentional co-doping with Sc + ions was tested and resulted in increase of the Ce distribution coefficient to about 0.3. This enabled to increase the concentration of Ce in LuAP:Ce,Sc crystals up to 0.7 at. %, while conserving high optical quality. In contrast to LuAP:Ce, the light yield in LuAP:Ce,Sc crystals does not increase with Ce concentration, the photo peak being gradually suppressed. The involved mechanisms are discussed basing on measurements of the unit cell volumes, Ce concentration uniformity, x-ray rocking spectra, absorption spectra of pure and variously doped LuAP crystals, and emission spectra under different excitations.

An improved analytic function for predicting light fluence rate in circular fields on a semi-infinite geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Timothy C.; Lu, Amy; Ong, Yi-Hong

2016-03-01

Accurate determination of in-vivo light fluence rate is critical for preclinical and clinical studies involving photodynamic therapy (PDT). This study compares the longitudinal light fluence distribution inside biological tissue in the central axis of a 1 cm diameter circular uniform light field for a range of in-vivo tissue optical properties (absorption coefficients (μa) between 0.01 and 1 cm-1 and reduced scattering coefficients (μs') between 2 and 40 cm-1). This was done using Monte-Carlo simulations for a semi-infinite turbid medium in an air-tissue interface. The end goal is to develop an analytical expression that would fit the results from the Monte Carlo simulation for both the 1 cm diameter circular beam and the broad beam. Each of these parameters is expressed as a function of tissue optical properties. These results can then be compared against the existing expressions in the literature for broad beam for analysis in both accuracy and applicable range. Using the 6-parameter model, the range and accuracy for light transport through biological tissue is improved and may be used in the future as a guide in PDT for light fluence distribution for known tissue optical properties.

Enabling High Performance Instruments for UV Astronomy and Space Exploration with ALD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greer, F.; Hoenk, M. E.; Jones, T. J.; Jacquot, B. C.; Monacos, S.; Nikzad, S.; Hamden, E.; Schiminovich, D.

2011-01-01

Benefits of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) for UV instruments and application are: (1) Ultrathin, highly conformal, and uniform films over arbitrarily large surface area (2) High quality films (density, roughness, conductivity, etc.) (3) Angstrom level control of stoichiometry, interfaces, and surface properties (3a) Multilayer nanolaminates/nanocomposites (3b) Low temperature surface engineering UV flight applications enabled by ALD. (1) Anti -reflective coatings/Mirrors/Filters/Optics for UV/Vis/NIR Detectors (2) Surface Passivation for III -N detectors

The Atmospheric Effects of Soot Resulting From a Nuclear Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-20

winl break up Into long vertical f-la1ents. This process may significantly change the mean optical properties of the cloud layer .and thus alter the... changes predicted by ICA CC4 foliowing injection of a unifomt soot layer in a 30 . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .t. . . . . 12 4 T~rtu changes predicted...by the EB, followdzx a sprintime (22 Ma•rch) injection of a uniform soot Iin a 300 to 700,i band ....... ............... 14 5 Tmq.r’ature changes

Dispersion of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes by in situ Polymerization Under Sonication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Cheol; Ounaies, Zoubeida; Watson, Kent A.; Crooks, Roy E.; Smith, Joseph, Jr.; Lowther, Sharon E.; Connell, John W.; Siochi, Emilie J.; Harrison, Joycelyn S.; St.Clair, Terry L.

2002-01-01

Single wall nanotube reinforced polyimide nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization of monomers of interest in the presence of sonication. This process enabled uniform dispersion of single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles in the polymer matrix. The resultant SWNT-polyimide nanocomposite films were electrically conductive (antistatic) and optically transparent with significant conductivity enhancement (10 orders of magnitude) at a very low loading (0.1 vol%). Mechanical properties as well as thermal stability were also improved with the incorporation of the SWNT.

Develop Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing Process of ZrO 2 Nanocrystals/Acrylic Nanocomposites for High Refractive Index Applications

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

Joshi, Pooran C.; Compton, Brett G.; Li, Jianlin

2015-04-01

The purpose of this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was to develop and evaluate ZrO 2/acrylic nanocomposite coatings for integrated optoelectronic applications. The formulations engineered to be compatible with roll-to-roll process were evaluated in terms of optical and dielectric properties. The uniform distribution of the ZrO 2 nanocrystals in the polymer matrix resulted in highly tunable refractive index and dielectric response suitable for advanced photonic and electronic device applications.

Use of cylindrical diffusing fibers as detectors for interstitial tissue spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baran, Timothy M.; Foster, Thomas H.

2015-03-01

Interstitial photodynamic therapy (iPDT) describes the use of implanted optical fibers for delivery of treatment light to activate photosensitizer in regions that can be located deep within the body. Since sensitive healthy structures are often located nearby, this requires careful treatment planning that is dependent on tissue optical properties. Determination of these values usually involves the insertion of additional fibers into the volume, or the use of flat-cleaved optical fibers as both treatment sources and detectors. The insertion of additional fibers is undesirable, and cylindrical diffusers have been shown to offer superior treatment characteristics compared to flat-cleaved fibers. Using cylindrical diffusers as detectors for spectroscopic measurement is therefore attractive. We describe the determination of the detection profile for a particular cylindrical diffuser design and derive the scatterer concentration gradient within the diffuser core. This detection profile is compared to previously characterized diffusers, and is shown to be dependent on the diffuser design. For diffusers with a constant scatterer concentration and distal mirror, the detection profile is localized to the proximal end of the diffusing region. For diffusers with variable scattering concentration along their length and no distal mirror, the detection profile is shown to be more uniform along the diffusing region. We also present preliminary results showing the recovery of optical properties using arrays of cylindrical diffusing fibers as sources and detectors, with a mean error of 4.4% in the determination of μeff. The accuracy of these results is comparable to those obtained with other methods of optical property recovery.

Synthesis and Characterization of Pure Copper Nanostructures Using Wood Inherent Architecture as a Natural Template

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Youming; Wang, Kaili; Tan, Yi; Wang, Qingchun; Li, Jianzhang; Mark, Hughes; Zhang, Shifeng

2018-04-01

The inherent sophisticated structure of wood inspires researchers to use it as a natural template for synthesizing functional nanoparticles. In this study, pure copper nanoparticles were synthesized using poplar wood as a natural inexpensive and renewable template. The crystal structure and morphologies of the copper nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The optical properties, antibacterial properties, and stability of the hybrid wood materials were also tested. Due to the hierarchical and anisotropic structure and electron-rich components of wood, pure copper nanoparticles with high stability were synthesized with fcc structure and uniform sizes and then assembled into corncob-like copper deposits along the wood cell lumina. The products of nanoparticles depended strongly on the initial OH- concentration. With an increase in OH- concentration, Cu2O gradually decreased and Cu remained. Due to the restrictions inherent in wood structure, the derived Cu nanoparticles showed similar grain size in spite of increased Cu2+ concentration. This combination of Cu nanostructures and wood exhibited remarkable optical and antibacterial properties.

Variation of microstructural and optical properties in SILAR grown ZnO thin films by thermal treatment.

PubMed

Valanarasu, S; Dhanasekaran, V; Chandramohan, R; Kulandaisamy, I; Sakthivelu, A; Mahalingam, T

2013-08-01

The influence of thermal treatment on the structural and morphological properties of the ZnO films deposited by double dip Successive ionic layer by adsorption reaction is presented. The effect of annealing temperature and time in air ambient is presented in detail. The deposited films were annealed from 200 to 400 degrees C in air and the structural properties were determined as a function of annealing temperature by XRD. The studies revealed that films were exhibiting preferential orientation along (002) plane. The other structural parameters like the crystallite size (D), micro strain (epsilon), dislocation density (delta) and stacking fault (alpha) of as-deposited and annealed ZnO films were evaluated and reported. The optical properties were also studied and the band gap of the ZnO thins films varied from 3.27 to 3.04 eV with the annealing temperature. SEM studies revealed that the hexagonal shaped grains with uniformly distributed morphology in annealed ZnO thin films. It has been envisaged using EDX analysis that the near stoichiometric composition of the film can be attained by thermal treatment during which microstructural changes do occur.

Polycarbonate-Based Blends for Optical Non-linear Applications.

PubMed

Stanculescu, F; Stanculescu, A

2016-12-01

This paper presents some investigations on the optical and morphological properties of the polymer (matrix):monomer (inclusion) composite materials obtained from blends of bisphenol A polycarbonate and amidic monomers. For the preparation of the composite films, we have selected monomers characterised by a maleamic acid structure and synthesised them starting from maleic anhydride and aniline derivatives with -COOH, -NO2, -N(C2H5)2 functional groups attached to the benzene ring. The composite films have been deposited by spin coating using a mixture of two solutions, one containing the matrix and the other the inclusion, both components of the composite system being dissolved in the same solvent. The optical transmission and photoluminescence properties of the composite films have been investigated in correlation with the morphology of the films. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy have revealed a non-uniform morphology characterised by the development of two distinct phases. We have also investigated the generation of some optical non-linear (ONL) phenomena in these composite systems. The composite films containing as inclusions monomers characterised by the presence of one -COOH or two -NO2 substituent groups to the aromatic nucleus have shown the most intense second-harmonic generation (SHG). The second-order optical non-linear coefficients have been evaluated for these films, and the effect of the laser power on the ONL behaviour of these materials has also been emphasised.

Polycarbonate-Based Blends for Optical Non-linear Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanculescu, F.; Stanculescu, A.

2016-02-01

This paper presents some investigations on the optical and morphological properties of the polymer (matrix):monomer (inclusion) composite materials obtained from blends of bisphenol A polycarbonate and amidic monomers. For the preparation of the composite films, we have selected monomers characterised by a maleamic acid structure and synthesised them starting from maleic anhydride and aniline derivatives with -COOH, -NO2, -N(C2H5)2 functional groups attached to the benzene ring. The composite films have been deposited by spin coating using a mixture of two solutions, one containing the matrix and the other the inclusion, both components of the composite system being dissolved in the same solvent. The optical transmission and photoluminescence properties of the composite films have been investigated in correlation with the morphology of the films. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy have revealed a non-uniform morphology characterised by the development of two distinct phases. We have also investigated the generation of some optical non-linear (ONL) phenomena in these composite systems. The composite films containing as inclusions monomers characterised by the presence of one -COOH or two -NO2 substituent groups to the aromatic nucleus have shown the most intense second-harmonic generation (SHG). The second-order optical non-linear coefficients have been evaluated for these films, and the effect of the laser power on the ONL behaviour of these materials has also been emphasised.

Bicubic uniform B-spline wavefront fitting technology applied in computer-generated holograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Hui; Sun, Jun-qiang; Chen, Guo-jie

2006-02-01

This paper presented a bicubic uniform B-spline wavefront fitting technology to figure out the analytical expression for object wavefront used in Computer-Generated Holograms (CGHs). In many cases, to decrease the difficulty of optical processing, off-axis CGHs rather than complex aspherical surface elements are used in modern advanced military optical systems. In order to design and fabricate off-axis CGH, we have to fit out the analytical expression for object wavefront. Zernike Polynomial is competent for fitting wavefront of centrosymmetric optical systems, but not for axisymmetrical optical systems. Although adopting high-degree polynomials fitting method would achieve higher fitting precision in all fitting nodes, the greatest shortcoming of this method is that any departure from the fitting nodes would result in great fitting error, which is so-called pulsation phenomenon. Furthermore, high-degree polynomials fitting method would increase the calculation time in coding computer-generated hologram and solving basic equation. Basing on the basis function of cubic uniform B-spline and the character mesh of bicubic uniform B-spline wavefront, bicubic uniform B-spline wavefront are described as the product of a series of matrices. Employing standard MATLAB routines, four kinds of different analytical expressions for object wavefront are fitted out by bicubic uniform B-spline as well as high-degree polynomials. Calculation results indicate that, compared with high-degree polynomials, bicubic uniform B-spline is a more competitive method to fit out the analytical expression for object wavefront used in off-axis CGH, for its higher fitting precision and C2 continuity.

Picosecond and sub-picosecond flat-top pulse generation using uniform long-period fiber gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Y.; Kulishov, M.; Slavík, R.; Azaña, J.

2006-12-01

We propose a novel linear filtering scheme based on ultrafast all-optical differentiation for re-shaping of ultrashort pulses generated from a mode-locked laser into flat-top pulses. The technique is demonstrated using simple all-fiber optical filters, more specifically uniform long period fiber gratings (LPGs) operated in transmission. The large bandwidth typical for these fiber filters allows scaling the technique to the sub-picosecond regime. In the experiments reported here, 600-fs and 1.8-ps Gaussian-like optical pulses (@ 1535 nm) have been re-shaped into 1-ps and 3.2-ps flat-top pulses, respectively, using a single 9-cm long uniform LPG.

Effects of fiber manipulation methods on optical fiber properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynolds, Robert O.; Bechter, Andrew; Crass, Jonathan

2016-07-01

Optical fibers are routinely used to couple high-resolution spectrographs to modern telescopes, enabling important advantages in areas such as the search for extrasolar planets using spectroscopic radial velocity measurements of candidate stars. Optical fibers partially scramble the input illumination, and this feature enables a fiber feed to provide more uniform illumination to the spectrograph optics, thereby reducing systematic errors in radial velocity measurements. However fibers suffer from focal ratio degradation (FRD), a spreading of the beam at the output of the fiber with respect to that at the fiber input, which results in losses in throughput and resolution. Modal noise, a measurement uncertainty caused by inherent fiber properties and evident as a varying spatial intensity at the fiber exit plane, reduces the signal to noise ratio in the data. Devices such as double scramblers are often used to improve scrambling, and better fiber end preparation can mitigate FRD. Many instruments agitate the fiber during an observation to reduce modal noise, and stretching the fiber during use has been shown to offer a greater reduction in that noise. But effects of agitation and stretching on fiber parameters such as total transmission and focal ratio degradation have not been adequately studied. In this paper we present measurements of transmission loss and focal ratio degradation for both agitated and stretched fibers.

Solar concentrator with diffuser segments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esparza, Diego; Moreno, Ivan

2011-08-01

Solar energy systems use concentrating optics with photovoltaic cells for optimizing the performance. Advanced concentrators are designed to maximize both the light collection and the spatial uniformity of radiation. This is important because irradiance uniformity is critical for all types of photovoltaic cells. This is difficult to achieve with traditional concentrators, which are built with polished optical surfaces. In this work we propose a new concept of solar concentrator which uses small diffuser segments in key points to increase the irradiation uniformity. We experimentally demonstrate this new concept by analyzing the effects on both efficiency and irradiance uniformity due to the incorporation of scattering ribbons in a compound parabolic concentrator.

Potentials of radial partially coherent beams in free-space optical communication: a numerical investigation.

PubMed

Wang, Minghao; Yuan, Xiuhua; Ma, Donglin

2017-04-01

Nonuniformly correlated partially coherent beams (PCBs) have extraordinary propagation properties, making it possible to further improve the performance of free-space optical communications. In this paper, a series of PCBs with varying degrees of coherence in the radial direction, academically called radial partially coherent beams (RPCBs), are considered. RPCBs with arbitrary coherence distributions can be created by adjusting the amplitude profile of a spatial modulation function imposed on a uniformly correlated phase screen. Since RPCBs cannot be well characterized by the coherence length, a modulation depth factor is introduced as an indicator of the overall distribution of coherence. By wave optics simulation, free-space and atmospheric propagation properties of RPCBs with (inverse) Gaussian and super-Gaussian coherence distributions are examined in comparison with conventional Gaussian Schell-model beams. Furthermore, the impacts of varying central coherent areas are studied. Simulation results reveal that under comparable overall coherence, beams with a highly coherent core and a less coherent margin exhibit a smaller beam spread and greater on-axis intensity, which is mainly due to the self-focusing phenomenon right after the beam exits the transmitter. Particularly, those RPCBs with super-Gaussian coherence distributions will repeatedly focus during propagation, resulting in even greater intensities. Additionally, RPCBs also have a considerable ability to reduce scintillation. And it is demonstrated that those properties have made RPCBs very effective in improving the mean signal-to-noise ratio of small optical receivers, especially in relatively short, weakly fluctuating links.

Structure and properties of composite films formed by cellulose nanocrystals and charged latex nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thérien-Aubin, Héloïse; Lukach, Ariella; Pitch, Natalie; Kumacheva, Eugenia

2015-04-01

We report the structural and optical properties of composite films formed from mixed suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and fluorescent latex nanoparticles (NPs). We explored the effect of NP concentration, size, surface charge, glass transition temperature and film processing conditions on film structure and properties. The chiral nematic order, typical of CNC films, was preserved in films with up to 50 wt% of negatively-charged latex NPs. Composite films were characterized by macroscopically close-to-uniform fluorescence, birefringence, and circular dichroism properties. In contrast, addition of positively charged latex NPs led to gelation of CNC-latex suspensions and disruption of the chiral nematic order in the composite films. Large latex NPs disrupted the chiral nematic order to a larger extend than small NPs. Furthermore, the glass transition of latex NPs had a dramatic effect on the structure of CNC-latex films. Latex particles in the rubbery state were easily incorporated in the ordered CNC matrix and improved the structural integrity of its chiral nematic phase.We report the structural and optical properties of composite films formed from mixed suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and fluorescent latex nanoparticles (NPs). We explored the effect of NP concentration, size, surface charge, glass transition temperature and film processing conditions on film structure and properties. The chiral nematic order, typical of CNC films, was preserved in films with up to 50 wt% of negatively-charged latex NPs. Composite films were characterized by macroscopically close-to-uniform fluorescence, birefringence, and circular dichroism properties. In contrast, addition of positively charged latex NPs led to gelation of CNC-latex suspensions and disruption of the chiral nematic order in the composite films. Large latex NPs disrupted the chiral nematic order to a larger extend than small NPs. Furthermore, the glass transition of latex NPs had a dramatic effect on the structure of CNC-latex films. Latex particles in the rubbery state were easily incorporated in the ordered CNC matrix and improved the structural integrity of its chiral nematic phase. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed latex synthesis. Additional characterization of the nanoparticles and films. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00660k

Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Grown by Home Made Spray Pyrolysis Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusuf, Gbadebo; Babatola, Babatunde Keji; Ishola, Abdulahi Dimeji; Awodugba, Ayodeji O.; Solar cell Collaboration

2016-03-01

Transparent conducting antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) films have been deposited on glass substrates by home made spray pyrolysis technique. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the ATO films have been investigated as a function of Sb-doping level and annealing temperature. The optimum target composition for high conductivity and low resistivity was found to be 20 wt. % SnSb2 + 90 wt. ATO. Under optimized deposition conditions of 450oC annealing temperature, electrical resistivity of 5.2×10-4 Ω -cm, sheet resistance of 16.4 Ω/sq, average optical transmittance of 86% in the visible range, and average optical band-gap of 3.34eV were obtained. The film deposited at lower annealing temperature shows a relatively rough, loosely bound slightly porous surface morphology while the film deposited at higher annealing temperature shows uniformly distributed grains of greater size. Keywords: Annealing, Doping, Homemade spray pyrolysis, Tin oxide, Resistivity

Structure and Properties of Amorphous Transparent Conducting Oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medvedeva, Julia

Driven by technological appeal, the research area of amorphous oxide semiconductors has grown tremendously since the first demonstration of the unique properties of amorphous indium oxide more than a decade ago. Today, amorphous oxides, such as a-ITO, a-IZO, a-IGZO, or a-ZITO, exhibit the optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties that are comparable or even superior to those possessed by their crystalline counterparts, pushing the latter out of the market. Large-area uniformity, low-cost low-temperature deposition, high carrier mobility, optical transparency, and mechanical flexibility make these materials appealing for next-generation thin-film electronics. Yet, the structural variations associated with crystalline-to-amorphous transition as well as their role in carrier generation and transport properties of these oxides are far from being understood. Although amorphous oxides lack grain boundaries, factors like (i) size and distribution of nanocrystalline inclusions; (ii) spatial distribution and clustering of incorporated cations in multicomponent oxides; (iii) formation of trap defects; and (iv) piezoelectric effects associated with internal strains, will contribute to electron scattering. In this work, ab-initio molecular dynamics (MD) and accurate density-functional approaches are employed to understand how the properties of amorphous ternary and quaternary oxides depend on quench rates, cation compositions, and oxygen stoichiometries. The MD results, combined with thorough experimental characterization, reveal that interplay between the local and long-range structural preferences of the constituent oxides gives rise to a complex composition-dependent structural behavior in the amorphous oxides. The proposed network models of metal-oxygen polyhedra help explain the observed intriguing electrical and optical properties in In-based oxides and suggest ways to broaden the phase space of amorphous oxide semiconductors with tunable properties. The work is supported by NSF-MRSEC program.

18 CFR 1306.2 - Uniform real property acquisition policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Uniform real property... RELOCATION ASSISTANCE AND REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION POLICIES Regulations and Procedures § 1306.2 Uniform real property acquisition policy. (a) Before negotiations are initiated for acquisition of real property, the...

18 CFR 1306.2 - Uniform real property acquisition policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Uniform real property... RELOCATION ASSISTANCE AND REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION POLICIES Regulations and Procedures § 1306.2 Uniform real property acquisition policy. (a) Before negotiations are initiated for acquisition of real property, the...

36 CFR 904.1 - Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. 904.1 Section 904.1 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA... AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS § 904.1 Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition...

36 CFR 904.1 - Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. 904.1 Section 904.1 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA... AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS § 904.1 Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition...

36 CFR 904.1 - Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. 904.1 Section 904.1 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA... AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS § 904.1 Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition...

36 CFR 904.1 - Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. 904.1 Section 904.1 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA... AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS § 904.1 Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition...

Ultrathin Organic Solar Cells with a Power Conversion Efficiency of Over ≈13.0%, Based on the Spatial Corrugation of the Metal Electrode-Cathode Fabry-Perot Cavity.

PubMed

In, Sungjun; Park, Namkyoo

2018-04-01

The application of nanophotonic structures for organic solar cells (OSCs) is quite popular and successful, and has led to increased optical absorption, better spectral overlap with solar irradiances, and improved charge collection. Significant improvements in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) have also been reported, exceeding 11%. Nonetheless, with the given material properties of OSCs with low optical absorption, narrow spectrum, short transport length of carriers, and nonuniform photocarrier generations resulting from the nanophotonic structure, the PCE of single-junction OSCs has been stagnant over the past few years, at a barrier of 12%. Here, an ultrathin inverted OSC structure with the highest efficiency of ≈13.0%, while being made from widely used organic materials, is demonstrated. By introducing a smooth spatial corrugation to the vertical plasmonic cavity enclosing the active layer, in-plane propagation modes and hybridized Fabry-Perot cavity modes inside the corrugated cavity are derived to achieve an ultralow Q , uniform coverage of optical absorption, in addition to uniform photocarrier generation and transport. As the first demonstration of ultra-broadband absorption with the introduction of spatial corrugation to the ultrathin metal film electrode-cathode Fabry-Perot cavity, future applications of the same concept in other light-harvesting devices utilizing different materials and structures are expected.

Multifunctional organic thin films and their electronic/optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Yan

The concept of multifunctional organic thin films and their electronic/optical properties has been applied to organic functional device design, fabrication, and characterization. The organic devices involve organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic photovoltaic devices (OPV) in this dissertation. In the research of graded junction structure of OLEDs, two kinds of naturally-formed graded junction (NFGJ) structures, sharp and shallow graded junctions, can be formed using single thermal evaporation boat loaded with uniformly mixed charge transport and light-emitting materials. OLEDs with NFGJ have been demonstrated in Chapter 3; the performance is comparable to the heterojunction OLEDs, but with better device lifetime. A novel method to prepare highly uniform mixed organic solid solutions through a high temperature and high-pressure fusion process has been demonstrated in Chapter 4. A series of fused organic solid solution (FOSS) compounds with NPD doped with different organic emitting dopants were prepared and DSC technique was utilized to determine the thermal characteristics. For the first time, the schematic phase diagram for this binary system has been obtained. High performance OLEDs of single color and white emission were fabricated and the device properties were characterized. In Chapter 5, an efficient photovoltaic heterojunction of tetracene and fullerene has been investigated and high performance organic solar cells have been demonstrated by thermal deposition and successive heat treatment. The preliminary conclusion for this enhancement is discussed and supported by atomic force microscopy images, absorption spectra and x-ray diffraction analysis. Additionally, an effective organic photovoltaic heterojunction based on the typical triplet material PtOEP was demonstrated. It is believed that introducing appropriate organic materials with long exciton lifetime is a very promising way to improve photovoltaic performance.

The Effect of Temperature and Rotational Speed on Structure and Mechanical Properties of Cast Cu Base Alloy (Cu-Al-Si-Fe) Welded by Semisolid Stir Joining Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferasat, Keyvan; Aashuri, Hossein; Kokabi, Amir Hossein; Shafizadeh, Mahdi; Nikzad, Siamak

2015-12-01

Semisolid stir joining has been under deliberation as a possible method for joining of copper alloys. In this study, the effect of temperature and rotational speed of stirrer on macrostructure evaluation and mechanical properties of samples were investigated. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction were performed for macro and microstructural analysis. A uniform micro-hardness profile was attained by semisolid stir joining method. The ultimate shear strength and bending strength of welded samples were improved in comparison with the cast sample. There is also lower area porosity in welded samples than the cast metal. The mechanical properties were improved by increasing temperature and rotational speed of the joining process.

Moisture barrier properties of single-layer graphene deposited on Cu films for Cu metallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomasang, Ploybussara; Abe, Takumi; Kawahara, Kenji; Wasai, Yoko; Nabatova-Gabain, Nataliya; Thanh Cuong, Nguyen; Ago, Hiroki; Okada, Susumu; Ueno, Kazuyoshi

2018-04-01

The moisture barrier properties of large-grain single-layer graphene (SLG) deposited on a Cu(111)/sapphire substrate are demonstrated by comparing with the bare Cu(111) surface under an accelerated degradation test (ADT) at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity (RH) for various durations. The change in surface color and the formation of Cu oxide are investigated by optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. First-principle simulation is performed to understand the mechanisms underlying the barrier properties of SLG against O diffusion. The correlation between Cu oxide thickness and SLG quality are also analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measured on a non-uniform SLG film. SLG with large grains shows high performance in preventing the Cu oxidation due to moisture during ADT.

Plasmonic nanostructures for bioanalytical applications of SERS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahraman, Mehmet; Wachsmann-Hogiu, Sebastian

2016-03-01

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a potential analytical technique for the detection and identification of chemicals and biological molecules and structures in the close vicinity of metallic nanostructures. We present a novel method to fabricate tunable plasmonic nanostructures and perform a comprehensive structural and optical characterization of the structures. Spherical latex particles are uniformly deposited on glass slides and used as templates to obtain nanovoid structures on polydimethylsiloxane surfaces. The diameter and depth of the nanovoids are controlled by the size of the latex particles. The nanovoids are coated with a thin Ag layer for fabrication of uniform plasmonic nanostructures. Structural characterization of the surfaces is performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Optical properties of these plasmonic nanostructures are evaluated via UV/Vis spectroscopy, and SERS. The sample preparation step is the key point to obtain strong and reproducible SERS spectra from the biological structures. When the colloidal suspension is used as a SERS substrate for the protein detection, the electrostatic interaction of the proteins with the nanoparticles is described by the nature of their charge status, which influences the aggregation properties such as the size and shape of the aggregates, which is critical for the SERS experiment. However, when the solid SERS substrates are fabricated, SERS signal of the proteins that are background free and independent of the protein charge. Pros and cons of using plasmonic nano colloids and nanostructures as SERS substrate will be discussed for label-free detection of proteins using SERS.

Preparation of starch stabilized silver nanoparticles with spatial self-phase modulation properties by laser ablation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamiri, Reza; Azmi, B. Z.; Darroudi, Majid; Sadrolhosseini, Amir R.; Husin, M. S.; Zaidan, A. W.; Mahdi, M. A.

2011-01-01

Silver nanoparticles inside the starch solution have been successfully fabricated by laser ablation of a silver plate immersed in starch solution. The ablation has been done using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 10 Hz repetition rate. The starch solution allows for the formation of silver nanoparticles with uniform particle diameters and well dispersed. The ablation was performed at different time durations to study the influence of the laser ablation time on efficiency of particle formation and sizes. The Spatial Self-phase modulation phenomena which can determine the nonlinear optical property of the samples were also investigated for starch solutions containing silver nanoparticles.

Low-cost fused taper polymer optical fiber (LFT-POF) splitters for environmental and home-networking solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supian, L. S.; Ab-Rahman, Mohammad Syuhaimi; Harun, Mohd Hazwan; Gunab, Hadi; Sulaiman, Malik; Naim, Nani Fadzlina

2017-08-01

In visible optical communication over the multimode PMMA fibers, the overall cost of optical network can be reduced by deploying economical splitters for distributing the optical data signals from a point to multipoint in transmission network. The low-cost splitters shall have two main characteristics; good uniformity and high power efficiency. The most cost-effective and environmental friendly optical splitter having those characteristics have been developed. The device material is 100% purely based on the multimode step-index PMMA Polymer Optical Fiber (POF). The region which all fibers merged as single fiber is called as fused-taper POF. This ensures that all fibers are melted and fused properly. The results for uniformity and power efficiency of all splitters have been revealed by injecting red LED transmitter with 650 nm wavelength into input port while each end of output fibers measured by optical power meter. Final analysis shows our fused-taper splitter has low excess loss 0.53 dB and each of the output port has low insertion loss, which the average value is below 7 dB. In addition, the splitter has good uniformity that is 32:37:31% in which it is suitably used for demultiplexer fabrication.

Effect of cobalt doping on structural and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles

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

Singh, J.; Chanda, A., E-mail: anupamamatsc@gmail.com; Gupta, S.

Cobalt doped ZnO nanoparticles of uniform sizes were prepared by a chemical method using ZnCl{sub 2} and NaOH as the source materials. The formation of Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) studies. The optical properties of obtained products were examined using room temperature UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopy. SAED of cobalt doped ZnO nanoparticles shows homogeneous distribution of nanoparticles with hexagonal structure. The HRTEM image of the Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles reveals a clear lattice spacing of 0.52 nm corresponding to the interplanar spacing of wurtzite ZnO (002) plane.more » The absorption band at 857 cm{sup −1} in FTIR spectra confirmed the tetrahedral coordination of Zn and a shift of absorption peak to shorter wavelength region and decrease in absorbance with Co doping.is observed in UV-Visible spectra.« less

Recent progress of obliquely deposited thin films for industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Motofumi; Itoh, Tadayoshi; Taga, Yasunori

1999-06-01

More than 10 years ago, birefringent films of metal oxides were formed by oblique vapor deposition and investigated with a view of their application to optical retardation plates. The retardation function of the films was explained in terms of the birefringence caused by the characteristic anisotropic nanostructure inside the films. These films are now classified in the genre of the so-called sculptured thin films. However, the birefringent films thus prepared are not yet industrialized even now due to the crucial lack of the durability and the yield of products. In this review paper, we describe the present status of application process of the retardation films to the information systems such as compact disc and digital versatile disc devices with a special emphasis on the uniformity of retardation properties in a large area and the stability of the optical properties of the obliquely deposited thin films. Finally, further challenges for wide application of the obliquely deposited thin films are also discussed.

Yb- and Er-doped fiber laser Q-switched with an optically uniform, broadband WS2 saturable absorber

PubMed Central

Zhang, M.; Hu, Guohua; Hu, Guoqing; Howe, R. C. T.; Chen, L.; Zheng, Z.; Hasan, T.

2015-01-01

We demonstrate a ytterbium (Yb) and an erbium (Er)-doped fiber laser Q-switched by a solution processed, optically uniform, few-layer tungsten disulfide saturable absorber (WS2-SA). Nonlinear optical absorption of the WS2-SA in the sub-bandgap region, attributed to the edge-induced states, is characterized by 3.1% and 4.9% modulation depths with 1.38 and 3.83 MW/cm2 saturation intensities at 1030 and 1558 nm, respectively. By integrating the optically uniform WS2-SA in the Yb- and Er-doped laser cavities, we obtain self-starting Q-switched pulses with microsecond duration and kilohertz repetition rates at 1030 and 1558 nm. Our work demonstrates broadband sub-bandgap saturable absorption of a single, solution processed WS2-SA, providing new potential efficacy for WS2 in ultrafast photonic applications. PMID:26657601

Fermat's Principle of Least Time in the Presence of Uniformly Moving Boundaries and Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gjurchinovski, Aleksandar; Skeparovski, Aleksandar

2007-01-01

The refraction of a light ray by a homogeneous, isotropic and non-dispersive transparent material half-space in uniform rectilinear motion is investigated theoretically. The approach is an amalgamation of the original Fermat's principle and the fact that an isotropic optical medium at rest becomes optically anisotropic in a frame where the medium…

Thin film assembly of nanosized cobalt(II) bis(5-phenyl-azo-8-hydroxyquinolate) using static step-by-step soft surface reaction technique: Structural characterization and optical properties.

PubMed

Seleim, S M; Hamdalla, Taymour A; Mahmoud, Mohamed E

2017-09-05

Nanosized (NS) cobalt (II) bis(5-phenyl-azo-8-hydroxyquinolate) (NS Co(II)-(5PA-8HQ) 2 ) thin films have been synthesized using static step-by-step soft surface reaction (SS-b-SSR) technique. Structural and optical characterizations of these thin films have been carried out using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The HR-TEM results revealed that the assembled Co(II)-complex exhibited a uniformly NS structure particles in the form of nanorods with width and length up to 16.90nm and 506.38nm, respectively. The linear and nonlinear optical properties have been investigated. The identified energy gap of the designed thin film materials was found 4.01eV. The refractive index of deposited Co(II)-complex thin film was identified by thickness-dependence and found as 1.9 at wavelength 1100nm. In addition, the refractive index was varied by about 0.15 due to an increase in the thickness by 19nm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystallite Size-Lattice Strain Estimation and Optical Properties of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indrayana, I. P. T.; Suharyadi, E.

2018-04-01

In the present work, we performed William-Hall plot using uniform deformation model (UDM) to estimate the crystallite size and lattice strain of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 with various calcination temperature. The calculated crystallite sizes are 25.86 nm, 29.55 nm and 24.97 nm for nanoparticles which were calcined at a temperature of 600°C, 800°C and 1000°C, consecutively. The strain of nanoparticles has value in the order of 10-3. Controlling the calcination temperature will facilitate a change in crystallinity of nanoparticles and influence their crystallite size and strain of the crystal lattice. The optical band gap energy of samples nanoparticles is in a range of 1.09 eV – 3.30 eV. Increasing calcination temperature increased the direct and indirect band gap energy. The Urbach energy was found to increase with increased of gap energy. These results demonstrated that higher structural and optical properties of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 can be obtained from a higher calcination temperature.

36 CFR § 904.1 - Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. § 904.1 Section § 904.1 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... FEDERAL AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS § 904.1 Uniform relocation assistance and real property...

Effect of thickness on physical properties of electron beam vacuum evaporated CdZnTe thin films for tandem solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chander, Subhash; Dhaka, M. S.

2016-10-01

The thickness and physical properties of electron beam vacuum evaporated CdZnTe thin films have been optimized in the present work. The films of thickness 300 nm and 400 nm were deposited on ITO coated glass substrates and subjected to different characterization tools like X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectrophotometer, source meter and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the structural, optical, electrical and surface morphological properties respectively. The XRD results show that the as-deposited CdZnTe thin films have zinc blende cubic structure and polycrystalline in nature with preferred orientation (111). Different structural parameters are also evaluated and discussed. The optical study reveals that the optical transition is found to be direct and energy band gap is decreased for higher thickness. The transmittance is found to increase with thickness and red shift observed which is suitable for CdZnTe films as an absorber layer in tandem solar cells. The current-voltage characteristics of deposited films show linear behavior in both forward and reverse directions as well as the conductivity is increased for higher film thickness. The SEM studies show that the as-deposited CdZnTe thin films are found to be homogeneous, uniform, small circle-shaped grains and free from crystal defects. The experimental results confirm that the film thickness plays an important role to optimize the physical properties of CdZnTe thin films for tandem solar cell applications as an absorber layer.

The design of optical module of LED street lamp with non-axial symmetrical reflector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Ming-Jun; Chen, Chi-An; Chen, Yi-Yung; Whang, Allen Jong-Woei

2010-05-01

In recently, many research focus on the LED applications for environmental protection so a number of LED street lamps are presented. Although LED has many advantages for environmental protection, its special optical characteristics, such as intensity distribution, always limit the advantages in many applications. Therefore, we always need to do the secondary optical design for LED street lamp to replace the traditional optical designs that are designed for high-pressure sodium lamps and mercury lamps. According to the situation, we design an optical module of LED street lamp with LEDs and secondary optical design. First, the LEDs are placed on freeform reflector for the specific illuminated conditions. We design the optical module of street lamp with the two conditions that include the uniformity and the ratio of length to width in the illuminated area and without any light pollution. According to the simulation with the designed optical module, the uniformity in the illuminated area is about 0.6 that is better than the general condition, 0.3, and the ratio of length to width in the illuminated area is 3:1 in which the length is 30 meters and the width is 10 meters. Therefore, the design could let LED street lamp fits the two conditions, uniformity and ratio in the illuminated area.

Spatial height directed microfluidic synthesis of transparent inorganic upconversion nano film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaoxia; Zhu, Cheng; Liao, Wei; Jin, Junyang; Ni, Yaru; Lu, Chunhua; Xu, Zhongzi

2017-11-01

A microfluidic-based synthesis of an inorganic upconversion nano film has been developed with a large area of dense-distributed NaYF4 crystal grains in a silica glass micro-reactor and the film exhibits high transparence, strong upconversion luminescence and robust adhesion with the substrate. The spatial heights of micro-reactors are tuned between 31 and 227 mm, which can regulate flow regimes. The synergistic effect of spatial height and fluid regime is put forward, which influences diffusion paths and assembly ways of different precursor molecules and consequently directs final distributions and morphologies of crystal grains, as well as optical properties due to diversity of surface and thickness of films. The spatial height of 110 mm is advantageous for high transmittance of upconversion film due to the flat surface and appropriate film thickness of 67 nm. The height of 150 mm is in favor of uniform distribution of upconversion fluorescence and achieving the strongest fluorescence due to minimized optical loss. Such a transparent upconversion film with a large area of uniform distribution is promising to promote the application of upconversion materials and spatial height directed microfluidic regime have a certain significance on many microfluidic synthesis.

A novel hybrid algorithm for the design of the phase diffractive optical elements for beam shaping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Wenbo; Wang, Jun; Dong, Xiucheng

2013-02-01

In this paper, a novel hybrid algorithm for the design of a phase diffractive optical elements (PDOE) is proposed. It combines the genetic algorithm (GA) with the transformable scale BFGS (Broyden, Fletcher, Goldfarb, Shanno) algorithm, the penalty function was used in the cost function definition. The novel hybrid algorithm has the global merits of the genetic algorithm as well as the local improvement capabilities of the transformable scale BFGS algorithm. We designed the PDOE using the conventional simulated annealing algorithm and the novel hybrid algorithm. To compare the performance of two algorithms, three indexes of the diffractive efficiency, uniformity error and the signal-to-noise ratio are considered in numerical simulation. The results show that the novel hybrid algorithm has good convergence property and good stability. As an application example, the PDOE was used for the Gaussian beam shaping; high diffractive efficiency, low uniformity error and high signal-to-noise were obtained. The PDOE can be used for high quality beam shaping such as inertial confinement fusion (ICF), excimer laser lithography, fiber coupling laser diode array, laser welding, etc. It shows wide application value.

Solid state temperature-dependent NUC (non-uniformity correction) in uncooled LWIR (long-wave infrared) imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Yanpeng; Tisse, Christel-Loic

2013-06-01

In uncooled LWIR microbolometer imaging systems, temperature fluctuations of FPA (Focal Plane Array) as well as lens and mechanical components placed along the optical path result in thermal drift and spatial non-uniformity. These non-idealities generate undesirable FPN (Fixed-Pattern-Noise) that is difficult to remove using traditional, individual shutterless and TEC-less (Thermo-Electric Cooling) techniques. In this paper we introduce a novel single-image based processing approach that marries the benefits of both statistical scene-based and calibration-based NUC algorithms, without relying neither on extra temperature reference nor accurate motion estimation, to compensate the resulting temperature-dependent non-uniformities. Our method includes two subsequent image processing steps. Firstly, an empirical behavioral model is derived by calibrations to characterize the spatio-temporal response of the microbolometric FPA to environmental and scene temperature fluctuations. Secondly, we experimentally establish that the FPN component caused by the optics creates a spatio-temporally continuous, low frequency, low-magnitude variation of the image intensity. We propose to make use of this property and learn a prior on the spatial distribution of natural image gradients to infer the correction function for the entire image. The performance and robustness of the proposed temperature-adaptive NUC method are demonstrated by showing results obtained from a 640×512 pixels uncooled LWIR microbolometer imaging system operating over a broad range of temperature and with rapid environmental temperature changes (i.e. from -5°C to 65°C within 10 minutes).

The Effect of Roughness Model on Scattering Properties of Ice Crystals.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geogdzhayev, Igor V.; Van Diedenhoven, Bastiaan

2016-01-01

We compare stochastic models of microscale surface roughness assuming uniform and Weibull distributions of crystal facet tilt angles to calculate scattering by roughened hexagonal ice crystals using the geometric optics (GO) approximation. Both distributions are determined by similar roughness parameters, while the Weibull model depends on the additional shape parameter. Calculations were performed for two visible wavelengths (864 nm and 410 nm) for roughness values between 0.2 and 0.7 and Weibull shape parameters between 0 and 1.0 for crystals with aspect ratios of 0.21, 1 and 4.8. For this range of parameters we find that, for a given roughness level, varying the Weibull shape parameter can change the asymmetry parameter by up to about 0.05. The largest effect of the shape parameter variation on the phase function is found in the backscattering region, while the degree of linear polarization is most affected at the side-scattering angles. For high roughness, scattering properties calculated using the uniform and Weibull models are in relatively close agreement for a given roughness parameter, especially when a Weibull shape parameter of 0.75 is used. For smaller roughness values, a shape parameter close to unity provides a better agreement. Notable differences are observed in the phase function over the scattering angle range from 5deg to 20deg, where the uniform roughness model produces a plateau while the Weibull model does not.

Effect of thickness on surface morphology, optical and humidity sensing properties of RF magnetron sputtered CCTO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadipour, Mohsen; Ain, Mohd Fadzil; Ahmad, Zainal Arifin

2016-11-01

In this study, calcium copper titanate (CCTO) thin films were deposited on ITO substrates successfully by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method in argon atmosphere. The CCTO thin films present a polycrystalline, uniform and porous structure. The surface morphology, optical and humidity sensing properties of the synthesized CCTO thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV-vis spectrophotometer and current-voltage (I-V) analysis. XRD and AFM confirmed that the intensity of peaks and pore size of CCTO thin films were enhanced by increasing the thin films. Tauc plot method was adopted to estimate the optical band gaps. The surface structure and energy band gaps of the deposited films were affected by film thickness. Energy band gap of the layers were 3.76 eV, 3.68 eV and 3.5 eV for 200 nm, 400 nm, and 600 nm CCTO thin films layer, respectively. The humidity sensing properties were measured by using direct current (DC) analysis method. The response times were 12 s, 22 s, and 35 s while the recovery times were 500 s, 600 s, and 650 s for 200 nm, 400 nm, and 600 nm CCTO thin films, respectively at humidity range of 30-90% relative humidity (RH).

Tungsten disulfide nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide for dye sensitized solar cell applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjeev; Prakash, Om; Mahajan, Aman; Saxena, Vibha

2018-04-01

We herein describe hydrothermal method to prepare a hybrid material consisting of tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanoparticles anchored onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. Synthesized materials have been characterized for structural, compositional and optical properties by different techniques. Results show that WS2 nanoparticles are uniformly anchored ontoas well as in between the surface of rGO which helps to inflate the exfoliation of rGO stacked layers. Thus, the rGO/WS2 hybridcan be used as counter electrode (CE) in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

Circular, confined distribution for charged particle beams

DOEpatents

Garnett, Robert W.; Dobelbower, M. Christian

1995-01-01

A charged particle beam line is formed with magnetic optics that manipulate the charged particle beam to form the beam having a generally rectangular configuration to a circular beam cross-section having a uniform particle distribution at a predetermined location. First magnetic optics form a charged particle beam to a generally uniform particle distribution over a square planar area at a known first location. Second magnetic optics receive the charged particle beam with the generally square configuration and affect the charged particle beam to output the charged particle beam with a phase-space distribution effective to fold corner portions of the beam toward the core region of the beam. The beam forms a circular configuration having a generally uniform spatial particle distribution over a target area at a predetermined second location.

Circular, confined distribution for charged particle beams

DOEpatents

Garnett, R.W.; Dobelbower, M.C.

1995-11-21

A charged particle beam line is formed with magnetic optics that manipulate the charged particle beam to form the beam having a generally rectangular configuration to a circular beam cross-section having a uniform particle distribution at a predetermined location. First magnetic optics form a charged particle beam to a generally uniform particle distribution over a square planar area at a known first location. Second magnetic optics receive the charged particle beam with the generally square configuration and affect the charged particle beam to output the charged particle beam with a phase-space distribution effective to fold corner portions of the beam toward the core region of the beam. The beam forms a circular configuration having a generally uniform spatial particle distribution over a target area at a predetermined second location. 26 figs.

Modeling of efficient light extraction in light-pipes through specular surfaces with elliptical and lineal front shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Guerrero, Guillermo E.; Viera-González, Perla M.; Ceballos-Herrera, Daniel E.; Martínez-Guerra, Edgar

2016-09-01

Extraction light in light-pipes with different specular surfaces was analyzed. In the analysis, the impact of the surface shape in all properties of the extracted light in order to obtain an efficient extraction and a uniform illumination using a LED as light source. Also, several parameters of the specular surface to obtain spatial uniformity inside the light-pipe are considered. In this case, the simulation was made for a rectangular light­pipe. One objective of this work is to compare how the front face shape of the specular surface can affect the extraction of light in the lateral face of the light-pipe, only straight and elliptical front faces were used in this work and the comparison between them at different tilts and lengths were made. The main purpose of the front face was extract the light uniformly at the lateral face and this was done by studying simulations on OpticStudio Zemax. The results show how the extraction length is lower in the elliptical front but its total power performs better than the line front.

Optical properties of spin-on deposited low temperature titanium oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rantala, J. T.; Kärkkäinen, A. H. O.

2003-06-01

This letter presents a method to fabricate high quality, high refractive index titanium oxide thin films by applying liquid phase spin-on deposition combined with low temperature annealing. The synthesis of the liquid form titanium oxide material is carried out using a sol-gel synthesis technique. The material can be annealed at low temperature (150 C°) to achieve relatively high refractive index of 1.94 at 632.8 nm wavelength, whereas annealing at 350 C° results in index of 2.03 at 632.8 nm. Film depositions are demonstrated on silicon substrates with 0.5% uniformity in thickness. Refractive indices and extinction coefficients are characterized over a broad wavelength range to demonstrate the optical performance of this novel aqueous phase spin-on deposited hybrid titanium oxide material.

Terahertz lens made out of natural stone.

PubMed

Han, Daehoon; Lee, Kanghee; Lim, Jongseok; Hong, Sei Sun; Kim, Young Kie; Ahn, Jaewook

2013-12-20

Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy probes the optical properties of naturally occurring solid aggregates of minerals, or stones, in the THz frequency range. Refractive index and extinction coefficient measurement reveals that most natural stones, including mudstone, sandstone, granite, tuff, gneiss, diorite, slate, marble, and dolomite, are fairly transparent for THz frequency waves. Dolomite in particular exhibits a nearly uniform refractive index of 2.7 over the broad frequency range from 0.1 to 1 THz. The high index of refraction allows flexibility in lens designing with a shorter accessible focal length or a thinner lens with a given focal length. Good agreement between the experiment and calculation for the THz beam profile confirms that dolomite has high homogeneity as a lens material, suggesting the possibility of using natural stones for THz optical elements.

Analytic algorithms for determining radiative transfer optical properties of ocean waters.

PubMed

Kaskas, Ayse; Güleçyüz, Mustafa C; Tezcan, Cevdet; McCormick, Norman J

2006-10-10

A synthetic model for the scattering phase function is used to develop simple algebraic equations, valid for any water type, for evaluating the ratio of the backscattering to absorption coefficients of spatially uniform, very deep waters with data from upward and downward planar irradiances and the remotely sensed reflectance. The phase function is a variable combination of a forward-directed Dirac delta function plus isotropic scattering, which is an elementary model for strongly forward scattering such as that encountered in oceanic optics applications. The incident illumination at the surface is taken to be diffuse plus a collimated beam. The algorithms are compared with other analytic correlations that were previously derived from extensive numerical simulations, and they are also numerically tested with forward problem results computed with a modified FN method.

Template assisted synthesis and optical properties of gold nanoparticles.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fodor, Petru; Lasalvia, Vincenzo

2009-03-01

A hybrid nanofabrication method (interference lithography + self assembly) was explored for the fabrication of arrays of gold nanoparticles. To ensure the uniformity of the nanoparticles, a template assisted synthesis was used in which the gold is electrodeposited in the pores of anodized aluminum membranes. The spacing between the pores and their ordering is controlled in the first fabrication step of the template in which laser lithography and metal deposition are used to produce aluminum films with controlled strain profiles. The diameter of the pores produced after anodizing the aluminum film in acidic solution determines the diameter of the gold particles, while their aspect ratio is controlled through the deposition time. Optical absorbance spectroscopy is used to evaluate the ability to tune the nanoparticles plasmon resonance spectra through control over their size and aspect ratio.

Simulation of multicomponent light source for optical-electronic system of color analysis objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peretiagin, Vladimir S.; Alekhin, Artem A.; Korotaev, Valery V.

2016-04-01

Development of lighting technology has led to possibility of using LEDs in the specialized devices for outdoor, industrial (decorative and accent) and domestic lighting. In addition, LEDs and devices based on them are widely used for solving particular problems. For example, the LED devices are widely used for lighting of vegetables and fruit (for their sorting or growing), textile products (for the control of its quality), minerals (for their sorting), etc. Causes of active introduction LED technology in different systems, including optical-electronic devices and systems, are a large choice of emission color and LED structure, that defines the spatial, power, thermal and other parameters. Furthermore, multi-element and color devices of lighting with adjustable illumination properties can be designed and implemented by using LEDs. However, devices based on LEDs require more attention if you want to provide a certain nature of the energy or color distribution at all the work area (area of analysis or observation) or surface of the object. This paper is proposed a method of theoretical modeling of the lighting devices. The authors present the models of RGB multicomponent light source applied to optical-electronic system for the color analysis of mineral objects. The possibility of formation the uniform and homogeneous on energy and color illumination of the work area for this system is presented. Also authors showed how parameters and characteristics of optical radiation receiver (by optical-electronic system) affect on the energy, spatial, spectral and colorimetric properties of a multicomponent light source.

Coupling Single-Mode Fiber to Uniform and Symmetrically Tapered Thin-Film Waveguide Structures Using Gadolinium Gallium Garnet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gadi, Jagannath; Yalamanchili, Raj; Shahid, Mohammad

1995-01-01

The need for high efficiency components has grown significantly due to the expanding role of fiber optic communications for various applications. Integrated optics is in a state of metamorphosis and there are many problems awaiting solutions. One of the main problems being the lack of a simple and efficient method of coupling single-mode fibers to thin-film devices for integrated optics. In this paper, optical coupling between a single-mode fiber and a uniform and tapered thin-film waveguide is theoretically modeled and analyzed. A novel tapered structure presented in this paper is shown to produce perfect match for power transfer.

Modifying the electronic and optical properties of carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinder, Jesse M.

The intrinsic electronic and optical properties of carbon nanotubes make them promising candidates for circuit elements and LEDs in nanoscale devices. However, applied fields and interactions with the environment can modify these intrinsic properties. This dissertation is a theoretical study of perturbations to an ideal carbon nanotube. It illustrates how transport and optical properties of carbon nanotubes can be adversely affected or intentionally modified by the local environment. The dissertation is divided into three parts. Part I analyzes the effect of a transverse electric field on the single-electron energy spectrum of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Part II analyzes the effect of the local environment on selection rules and decay pathways relevant to dark excitons. Part III is a series of 26 appendices. Two different models for a transverse electric field are introduced in Part I. The first is a uniform field perpendicular to the nanotube axis. This model suggests the field has little effect on the band gap until it exceeds a critical value that can be tuned with strain or a magnetic field. The second model is a transverse field localized to a small region along the nanotube axis. The field creates a pair of exponentially localized bound states but has no effect on the band gap for particle transport. Part II explores the physics of dark excitons in carbon nanotubes. Two model calculations illustrate the effect of the local environment on allowed optical transitions and nonradiative recombination pathways. The first model illustrates the role of inversion symmetry in the optical spectrum. Broken inversion symmetry may explain low-lying peaks in the exciton spectrum of boron nitride nanotubes and localized photoemission around impurities and interfaces in carbon nanotubes. The second model in Part II suggests that free charge carriers can mediate an efficient nonradiative decay process for dark excitons in carbon nanotubes. The appendices in Part III provide background material and details of calculations relevant to the main text. These appendices may be useful to researchers new to the study of carbon nanotubes.

Modeling laser speckle imaging of perfusion in the skin (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regan, Caitlin; Hayakawa, Carole K.; Choi, Bernard

2016-02-01

Laser speckle imaging (LSI) enables visualization of relative blood flow and perfusion in the skin. It is frequently applied to monitor treatment of vascular malformations such as port wine stain birthmarks, and measure changes in perfusion due to peripheral vascular disease. We developed a computational Monte Carlo simulation of laser speckle contrast imaging to quantify how tissue optical properties, blood vessel depths and speeds, and tissue perfusion affect speckle contrast values originating from coherent excitation. The simulated tissue geometry consisted of multiple layers to simulate the skin, or incorporated an inclusion such as a vessel or tumor at different depths. Our simulation used a 30x30mm uniform flat light source to optically excite the region of interest in our sample to better mimic wide-field imaging. We used our model to simulate how dynamically scattered photons from a buried blood vessel affect speckle contrast at different lateral distances (0-1mm) away from the vessel, and how these speckle contrast changes vary with depth (0-1mm) and flow speed (0-10mm/s). We applied the model to simulate perfusion in the skin, and observed how different optical properties, such as epidermal melanin concentration (1%-50%) affected speckle contrast. We simulated perfusion during a systolic forearm occlusion and found that contrast decreased by 35% (exposure time = 10ms). Monte Carlo simulations of laser speckle contrast give us a tool to quantify what regions of the skin are probed with laser speckle imaging, and measure how the tissue optical properties and blood flow affect the resulting images.

Optical and Acoustic Device Applications of Ferroelastic Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meeks, Steven Wayne

This dissertation presents the discovery of a means of creating uniformly periodic domain gratings in a ferroelastic crystal of neodymium pentaphosphate (NPP). The uniform and non-uniform domain structures which can be created in NPP have the potential applications as tunable active gratings for lasers, tunable diffraction gratings, tunable Bragg reflection gratings, tunable acoustic filters, optical modulators, and optical domain wall memories. The interaction of optical and acoustic waves with ferroelastic domain walls in NPP is presented in detail. Acoustic amplitude reflection coefficients from a single domain wall in NPP are much larger than other ferroelastic-ferroelectrics such as gadolinium molybdate (GMO). Domain walls of NPP are used to make two demonstration acoustic devices: a tunable comb filter and a tunable delay line. The tuning process is accomplished by moving the position of the reflecting surface (the domain wall). A theory of the reflection of optical waves from NPP domain walls is discussed. The optical reflection is due to a change in the polarization of the wave, and not a change in the index, as the wave crosses the domain wall. Theoretical optical power reflection coefficients show good agreement with the experimentally measured values. The largest optical reflection coefficient of a single domain wall is at a critical angle and is 2.2% per domain wall. Techniques of injecting periodic and aperiodic domain walls into NPP are presented. The nucleation process of the uniformly periodic domain gratings in NPP is described in terms of a newly-discovered domain structure, namely the ferroelastic bubble. A ferroelastic bubble is the elastic analogue to the well-known magnetic bubble. The period of the uniformly periodic domain grating is tunable from 100 to 0.5 microns and the grating period may be tuned relatively rapidly. The Bragg efficiency of these tunable gratings is 77% for an uncoated crystal. Several demonstration devices which use these periodic structures are discussed. These devices are a tunable active grating laser (TAG laser), a tunable active grating (TAG), and a tunable acoustic bulk wave filter.

Harnessing Intracellular Biochemical Pathways for In Vitro Synthesis of Designer Tellurium Nanorods.

PubMed

Xiong, Ling-Hong; Cui, Ran; Zhang, Zhi-Ling; Tu, Jia-Wei; Shi, Yun-Bo; Pang, Dai-Wen

2015-10-28

Synthesizing nanomaterials of desired properties is a big challenge, which requires extremely harsh conditions and/or use of toxic materials. More recently developed in vivo methods have brought a different set of problems such as separation and purification of nanomaterials made in vivo. Here, a novel approach that harnesses cellular pathways for in vitro synthesis of high-quality tellurium nanorods with tunable lengths and optical properties is reported. It is first demonstrated that in vivo biochemical pathways could be used to synthesize Te nanorods via the intracellular reduction of TeO3(2-) in living Staphylococcus aureus cells. The pathways to set up a quasi-biological system for Te precursor formation are then utilized, which could further synthesize Te nanorods in vitro. This allows to successfully synthesize in vitro, under routine laboratory conditions, Te nanorods with uniform and tunable lengths, ranging from about 10 to 200 nm, and controllable optical properties with high molar extinction coefficients. The approach here should open new avenues for controllable, facile, and efficient synthesis of designer nanomaterials for diverse industrial and biomedical applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

New reversing design method for LED uniform illumination.

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Wu, Dan; Qin, Zong; Chen, Fei; Luo, Xiaobing; Liu, Sheng

2011-07-04

In light-emitting diode (LED) applications, it is becoming a big issue that how to optimize light intensity distribution curve (LIDC) and design corresponding optical component to achieve uniform illumination when distance-height ratio (DHR) is given. A new reversing design method is proposed to solve this problem, including design and optimization of LIDC to achieve high uniform illumination and a new algorithm of freeform lens to generate the required LIDC by LED light source. According to this method, two new LED modules integrated with freeform lenses are successfully designed for slim direct-lit LED backlighting with thickness of 10mm, and uniformities of illuminance increase from 0.446 to 0.915 and from 0.155 to 0.887 when DHRs are 2 and 3 respectively. Moreover, the number of new LED modules dramatically decreases to 1/9 of the traditional LED modules while achieving similar uniform illumination in backlighting. Therefore, this new method provides a practical and simple way for optical design of LED uniform illumination when DHR is much larger than 1.

Physical optics in a uniform gravitational field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hacyan, Shahen

2012-01-01

The motion of a (quasi-)plane wave in a uniform gravitational field is studied. It is shown that the energy of an elliptically polarized wave does not propagate along a geodesic, but in a direction that is rotated with respect to the gravitational force. The similarity with the walk-off effect in anisotropic crystals or the optical Magnus effect in inhomogeneous media is pointed out.

Large-scale fabrication of linear low density polyethylene/layered double hydroxides composite films with enhanced heat retention, thermal, mechanical, optical and water vapor barrier properties

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

Xie, Jiazhuo; Zhang, Kun; Zhao, Qinghua

Novel LDH intercalated with organic aliphatic long-chain anion was large-scale synthesized innovatively by high-energy ball milling in one pot. The linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)/layered double hydroxides (LDH) composite films with enhanced heat retention, thermal, mechanical, optical and water vapor barrier properties were fabricated by melt blending and blowing process. FT IR, XRD, SEM results show that LDH particles were dispersed uniformly in the LLDPE composite films. Particularly, LLDPE composite film with 1% LDH exhibited the optimal performance among all the composite films with a 60.36% enhancement in the water vapor barrier property and a 45.73 °C increase in themore » temperature of maximum mass loss rate compared with pure LLDPE film. Furthermore, the improved infrared absorbance (1180–914 cm{sup −1}) of LLDPE/LDH films revealed the significant enhancement of heat retention. Therefore, this study prompts the application of LLDPE/LDH films as agricultural films with superior heat retention. - Graphical abstract: The fabrication process of LLDPE/LDH composite films. - Highlights: • LDH with basal spacing of 4.07 nm was synthesized by high-energy ball milling. • LLDPE composite films with homogeneous LDH dispersion were fabricated. • The properties of LLDPE/LDH composite films were improved. • LLDPE/LDH composite films show superior heat retention property.« less

New possibility on InZnO nano thin film for green emissive optoelectronic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugumaran, Sathish; Noor Bin Ahmad, Mohd; Faizal Jamlos, Mohd; Bellan, Chandar Shekar; Chandran, Sharmila; Sivaraj, Manoj

2016-04-01

Indium zinc oxide (InZnO) nano thin film was prepared from InZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by thermal evaporation technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of metal-oxide bond. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the mixed phase structure. The presence of elements In, Zn and O were identified from energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Size of the NPs was found to be 171 and 263 nm by transmission electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy image showed the spherical shape uniform morphology with uniform distribution grains. Photoluminescence spectrum exhibited a broad green emission for InZnO nano thin film. The acquired results of structure, smooth morphology and photoluminescence property suggested that the InZnO nano thin film to be a promising material for room temperature green emissive optoelectronic, laser diodes, solar cells and other optical devices.

The electrical, elemental, optical, and surface properties of Si-doped ZnO thin films prepared by thermionic vacuum arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadigharehbagh, Reza; Özen, Soner; Yudar, Hafizittin Hakan; Pat, Suat; Korkmaz, Şadan

2017-09-01

The purpose of this work is to study the properties of Si-doped ZnO (SZO) thin films, which were prepared using the non-reactive thermionic vacuum arc technique. The analysis of the elemental, optical, and surface properties of ZnO:Si thin films was carried out using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, UV-VIS spectrophotometry, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The current-voltage measurement was employed in order to study the electrical properties of the films. The effect of Si doping on the physical properties of ZnO films was investigated. The film thicknesses were measured as 55 and 35 nm for glass and PET substrates, respectively. It was clearly observed from the x-ray diffraction results that the Si and ZnO peaks were present in the coated SZO films for all samples. The morphological studies showed that the deposited surfaces are homogenous, dense, and have a uniform surface, with the existence of some cracks only on the glass substrate. The elemental composition has confirmed the existence of Zn, Si, and O elements within the prepared films. Using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer, the optical parameters such as transmittance, absorbance, refractive index, and reflectance were calculated. It should be noted that the transparency and refractive indices obtained from the measurements decrease with increasing Si concentration. The obtained optical bandgap values using transmittance spectra were determined to be 3.74 and 3.84 eV for the glass and PET substrates, respectively. An increase in the bandgap results demonstrates that the Si doping concentration is comparable to the pure ZnO thin films. The current versus voltage curves revealed the ohmic nature of the films. Subsequently, the development and fabrication of excellent transparent conducting electrodes enabled the appropriate use of Si-doped ZnO thin films.

Optically transparent and durable Al2O3 coatings for harsh environments by ultra short pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korhonen, Hannu; Syväluoto, Aki; Leskinen, Jari T. T.; Lappalainen, Reijo

2018-01-01

Nowadays, an environmental protection is needed for a number of optical applications in conditions quickly impairing the clarity of optical surfaces. Abrasion resistant optical coatings applied onto plastics are usually based on alumina or polysiloxane technology. In many applications transparent glasses and ceramics need a combination of abrasive and chemically resistant shielding or other protective solutions like coatings. In this study, we intended to test our hypothesis that clear and pore free alumina coating can be uniformly distributed on glass prisms by ultra short pulsed laser deposition (USPLD) technique to protect the sensitive surfaces against abrasives. Abrasive wear tests were carried out by the use of SiC emery paper using specified standard procedures. After the wear tests the measured transparencies of coated prisms turned out to be close those of the prisms before coating. The coating on sensitive surfaces consistently displayed enhanced wear resistance exhibiting still high quality, even after severe wear testing. Furthermore, the coating modified the surface properties towards hydrophobic nature in contrast to untreated prisms, which became very hydrophilic especially due to wear.

Characterization of AlMn TES Impedance, Noise, and Optical Efficiency in the First 150 mm Multichroic Array for Advanced ACTPol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crowley, Kevin T.; Choi, Steve K.; Kuan, Jeffrey; Austermann, Jason E.; Beall, James A.; Datta, Rahul; Duff, Shannon M.; Gallardo, Patricia A.; Hasselfield, Matthew; Henderson, Shawn W.;

Transparent thin films of indium tin oxide: Morphology-optical investigations, inter dependence analyzes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prepelita, P.; Filipescu, M.; Stavarache, I.; Garoi, F.; Craciun, D.

2017-12-01

Using a fast and eco-friendly deposition method, ITO thin films with different thicknesses (0.5 μm-0.7 μm) were deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. A comparative analysis of these oxide films was then carried out. AFM investigations showed that the deposited films were smooth, uniform and having a surface roughness smaller than 10 nm. X-ray diffraction investigations showed that all samples were polycrystalline and the grain sizes of the films, corresponding to (222) cubic reflection, were found to increase with the increasing film thickness. The optical properties, evaluated by UV-VIS-NIR (190-3000 nm) spectrophotometer, evidenced that the obtained thin films were highly transparent, with a transmission coefficient between 90 and 96%, depending on the film thickness. Various methods (Swanepoel and Drude) were employed to appreciate the optimal behaviour of transparent oxide films, in determining the dielectric optical parameters and refractive index dispersion for ITO films exhibiting interference patterns in the optical transmission spectra. The electrical conductivity also increased as the film thickness increased.

The effect of sonication method on the mechanical properties of nanosilicon/epoxy composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Nur Zarifah; Abidin, Mohd Hanafiah; Romli, Ahmad Zafir

2017-09-01

An experimental work had been conducted to deeply understand the science of dispersion uniformity and mechanical properties exerted with the addition of nano-powder in composite system. The epoxy with nano-silicon contained between 1-5 wt% were utilized to investigate the mechanical behavior and identify the morphology changes and fracture by using optical micrograph images (in which will be discussed in the fractography section). Sonication method was utilized in distributing nano-silicon homogenously in the matrix and two type of devices opted were horn and bath sonicator. In this study, an in-direct sonication (bath) method which having a frequency of 42 kHz was introduced to the samples by using water as a medium and a comparison had been made between bath and horn sonicator efficiency. Non-destructive testing such as density and morphology testing like Optical micrograph was done as to identify the morphology changes in micro-level as well as to confirm the uniformity of nano-silicon distribution in the viscous epoxy. Whilst the destructive testing (i.e izod impact) was used to measure toughness and strength of composite sample. Result shows that Izod impact at velocity 2.0 ms-1 are 2.1kJ/m2 (for bath sonication) and 1.5kJ/m2 (for horn sonication) at velocity of 3.5 ms-1 are 2.8 kJ/m2 (for bath sonication) and 2.0kJ/m2 (for horn sonication). It can be concluded that bath sonication method give significant increment compared to horn sonication.

Atmospheric deposition process for enhanced hybrid organic-inorganic multilayer barrier thin films for surface protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rehman, Mohammad Mutee ur; Kim, Kwang Tae; Na, Kyoung Hoan; Choi, Kyung Hyun

2017-11-01

In this study, organic polymer poly-vinyl acetate (PVA) and inorganic aluminum oxide (Al2O3) have been used together to fabricate a hybrid barrier thin film for the protection of PET substrate. The organic thin films of PVA were developed through roll to roll electrohydrodynamic atomization (R2R-EHDA) whereas the inorganic thin films of Al2O3 were grown by roll to roll spatial atmospheric atomic layer deposition (R2R-SAALD) for mass production. The use of these two technologies together to develop a multilayer hybrid organic-inorganic barrier thin films under atmospheric conditions is reported for the first time. These multilayer hybrid barrier thin films are fabricated on flexible PET substrate. Each layer of Al2O3 and PVA in barrier thin film exhibited excellent morphological, chemical and optical properties. Extremely uniform and atomically thin films of Al2O3 with average arithmetic roughness (Ra) of 1.64 nm and 1.94 nm respectively concealed the non-uniformity and irregularities in PVA thin films with Ra of 2.9 nm and 3.6 nm respectively. The optical transmittance of each layer was ∼ 80-90% while the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of hybrid barrier was in the range of ∼ 2.3 × 10-2 g m-2 day-1 with a total film thickness of ∼ 200 nm. Development of such hybrid barrier thin films with mass production and low cost will allow various flexible electronic devices to operate in atmospheric conditions without degradation of their properties.

Laser beam shaping for biomedical microscopy techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskin, Alexander; Kaiser, Peter; Laskin, Vadim; Ostrun, Aleksei

2016-04-01

Uniform illumination of a working field is very important in optical systems of confocal microscopy and various implementations of fluorescence microscopy like TIR, SSIM, STORM, PALM to enhance performance of these laser-based research techniques. Widely used TEM00 laser sources are characterized by essentially non-uniform Gaussian intensity profile which leads usually to non-uniform intensity distribution in a microscope working field or in a field of microlenses array of a confocal microscope optical system, this non-uniform illumination results in instability of measuring procedure and reducing precision of quantitative measurements. Therefore transformation of typical Gaussian distribution of a TEM00 laser to flat-top (top hat) profile is an actual technical task, it is solved by applying beam shaping optics. Due to high demands to optical image quality the mentioned techniques have specific requirements to a uniform laser beam: flatness of phase front and extended depth of field, - from this point of view the microscopy techniques are similar to holography and interferometry. There are different refractive and diffractive beam shaping approaches used in laser industrial and scientific applications, but only few of them are capable to fulfil the optimum conditions for beam quality required in discussed microscopy techniques. We suggest applying refractive field mapping beam shapers πShaper, which operational principle presumes almost lossless transformation of Gaussian to flat-top beam with flatness of output wavefront, conserving of beam consistency, providing collimated low divergent output beam, high transmittance, extended depth of field, negligible wave aberration, and achromatic design provides capability to work with several lasers with different wavelengths simultaneously. The main function of a beam shaper is transformation of laser intensity profile, further beam transformation to provide optimum for a particular technique spot size and shape has to be realized by an imaging optical system which can include microscope objectives and tube lenses. This paper will describe design basics of refractive beam shapers and optical layouts of their applying in microscopy systems. Examples of real implementations and experimental results will be presented as well.

Physical and absorption properties of titanium nanoparticles incorporated into zinc magnesium phosphate glass

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

Ismail, S.F.; Sahar, M.R., E-mail: mrahim057@gmail.com; Ghoshal, S.K.

We report the influences of Titania (TiO{sub 2}) nanoparticles (NPs) on the physical and optical properties of melt quench synthesized zinc magnesium phosphate glasses. Five glass samples with composition (42 − x)P{sub 2}O{sub 5}–50ZnO–8MgO–xTiO{sub 2}, where x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 mol% are prepared and characterized. XRD pattern verified the amorphous nature of all samples. TEM images manifested the growth of Ti NPs of average size ≈ 5.78 nm. TiO{sub 2} NP concentration dependent variation in the physical properties including glass density, molar volume, molar refractivity, electronic polarizability and ionic packing density are determined. The values of glassmore » refractive indices, density and ionic packing density are increased with the increase of TiO{sub 2} NP contents. Conversely, the Urbach energy, direct and indirect optical band gap are found to decrease with the increase of TiO{sub 2} NP concentration. These glass compositions may be potential for various solid state devices including laser. - Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} NP embedded self-cleaning phosphate glass are synthesized for the first time. • Well dispersed and uniform sized TiO{sub 2} NPs are grown. • Absorption spectra revealed prominent peak in the UV region. • TiO{sub 2} NPs strongly influenced the physical and absorption features of synthesized glasses. • The effects of TiO{sub 2} NPs on the physical and optical properties of these glasses are determined.« less

40 CFR 4.1 - Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. 4.1 Section 4.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL... § 4.1 Uniform relocation assistance and real property acquisition. Effective April 2, 1989...

Atomically precise arrays of fluorescent silver clusters: a modular approach for metal cluster photonics on DNA nanostructures.

PubMed

Copp, Stacy M; Schultz, Danielle E; Swasey, Steven; Gwinn, Elisabeth G

2015-03-24

The remarkable precision that DNA scaffolds provide for arraying nanoscale optical elements enables optical phenomena that arise from interactions of metal nanoparticles, dye molecules, and quantum dots placed at nanoscale separations. However, control of ensemble optical properties has been limited by the difficulty of achieving uniform particle sizes and shapes. Ligand-stabilized metal clusters offer a route to atomically precise arrays that combine desirable attributes of both metals and molecules. Exploiting the unique advantages of the cluster regime requires techniques to realize controlled nanoscale placement of select cluster structures. Here we show that atomically monodisperse arrays of fluorescent, DNA-stabilized silver clusters can be realized on a prototypical scaffold, a DNA nanotube, with attachment sites separated by <10 nm. Cluster attachment is mediated by designed DNA linkers that enable isolation of specific clusters prior to assembly on nanotubes and preserve cluster structure and spectral purity after assembly. The modularity of this approach generalizes to silver clusters of diverse sizes and DNA scaffolds of many types. Thus, these silver cluster nano-optical elements, which themselves have colors selected by their particular DNA templating oligomer, bring unique dimensions of control and flexibility to the rapidly expanding field of nano-optics.

Scalable Top-Down Approach Tailored by Interferometric Lithography to Achieve Large-Area Single-Mode GaN Nanowire Laser Arrays on Sapphire Substrate.

PubMed

Behzadirad, Mahmoud; Nami, Mohsen; Wostbrock, Neal; Zamani Kouhpanji, Mohammad Reza; Feezell, Daniel F; Brueck, Steven R J; Busani, Tito

2018-03-27

GaN nanowires are promising for optical and optoelectronic applications because of their waveguiding properties and large optical band gap. However, developing a precise, scalable, and cost-effective fabrication method with a high degree of controllability to obtain high-aspect-ratio nanowires with high optical properties and minimum crystal defects remains a challenge. Here, we present a scalable two-step top-down approach using interferometric lithography, for which parameters can be controlled precisely to achieve highly ordered arrays of nanowires with excellent quality and desired aspect ratios. The wet-etch mechanism is investigated, and the etch rates of m-planes {11̅00} (sidewalls) were measured to be 2.5 to 70 nm/h depending on the Si doping concentration. Using this method, uniform nanowire arrays were achieved over a large area (>10 5 μm 2 ) with an spect ratio as large as 50, a radius as small as 17 nm, and atomic-scale sidewall roughness (<1 nm). FDTD modeling demonstrated HE 11 is the dominant transverse mode in the nanowires with a radius of sub-100 nm, and single-mode lasing from vertical cavity nanowire arrays with different doping concentrations on a sapphire substrate was interestingly observed in photoluminescence measurements. High Q-factors of ∼1139-2443 were obtained in nanowire array lasers with a radius and length of 65 nm and 2 μm, respectively, corresponding to a line width of 0.32-0.15 nm (minimum threshold of 3.31 MW/cm 2 ). Our results show that fabrication of high-quality GaN nanowire arrays with adaptable aspect ratio and large-area uniformity is feasible through a top-down approach using interferometric lithography and is promising for fabrication of III-nitride-based nanophotonic devices (radial/axial) on the original substrate.

Novel cylindrical illuminator tip for ultraviolet light delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shangguan, HanQun; Haw, Thomas E.; Gregory, Kenton W.; Casperson, Lee W.

1993-06-01

The design, processing, and sequential testing of a novel cylindrical diffusing optical fiber tip for ultraviolet light delivery is described. This device has been shown to uniformly (+/- 15%) illuminate angioplasty balloons, 20 mm in length, that are used in an experimental photochemotherapeutic treatment of swine intimal hyperplasia. Our experiments show that uniform diffusing tips of < 400 micron diameter can be reliably constructed for this and other interstitial applications. Modeling results indicate that this design is scalable to smaller diameters. The diffusing tips are made by stripping the protective buffer and etching away the cladding over a length of 20 mm from the fiber tip and replacing it with a thin layer of optical epoxy mixed with Al2O3 powder. To improve the uniformity and ease of fabrication, we have evaluated a new device configuration where the tip is etched into a modified conical shape, and the distal end face is polished and then coated with an optically opaque epoxy. This is shown to uniformly scatter approximately 70% of the light launched into the fiber without forward transmission.

Combined Thermochromic And Plasmonic: Optical Responses In Novel Nanocomposite Au-VO2 Films Prepared By RF Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kana, J. B. Kana; Ndjaka, J. M.; Manyala, N.; Nemraoui, O.; Beye, A. C.; Maaza, M.

2008-09-01

We prepared gold/Vanadium dioxide nanocomposites thin films by the rf reactive inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering (ICMS) for the first time and report their enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) tunable shift reversibility. ICMS has been attracting much attention for its ability for uniform coating of three-dimensional objects and high-rate deposition of dielectric materials. To investigate the optical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in an active matrix (VO2) composite film was synthesized on corning glass substrates for several substrate temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 600 °C. The X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that the Au and VO2 were well crystallized. The optical transmission properties were measured from 300nm to 1100nm and the absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au nanoparticles were observed. Under external temperature stimuli, the tunable reversibility of the SPR shift was observed when the nanocomposites temperature varies from 20 °C to 100 °C. The enhancement of this shift of SPR was observed as the substrate temperature increases and it was found that the shift of SPR increased rapidly with increasing substrate temperature but then remained constant at ˜57 nm for substrate temperature higher than 500 °C.

An optical system to transform the output beam of a quantum cascade laser to be uniform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Jordan M.

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are a candidate for calibration sources in space-based remote sensing applications. However, the output beam from a QCL has some characteris- tics that are undesirable in a calibration source. The output beam from a QCL is polarized, both temporally and spatially coherent, and has a non-uniform bivariate Gaussian prole. These characteristics need to be mitigated before QCLs can be used as calibration sources. This study presents the design and implementation of an optical system that manipulates the output beam from a QCL so that it is spatially and angularly uniform with reduced coherence and polarization. (85 pages).

Optically sectioned fluorescence endomicroscopy with hybrid-illumination imaging through a flexible fiber bundle.

PubMed

Santos, Silvia; Chu, Kengyeh K; Lim, Daryl; Bozinovic, Nenad; Ford, Tim N; Hourtoule, Claire; Bartoo, Aaron C; Singh, Satish K; Mertz, Jerome

2009-01-01

We present an endomicroscope apparatus that exhibits out-of-focus background rejection based on wide-field illumination through a flexible imaging fiber bundle. Our technique, called HiLo microscopy, involves acquiring two images, one with grid-pattern illumination and another with standard uniform illumination. An evaluation of the image contrast with grid-pattern illumination provides an optically sectioned image with low resolution. This is complemented with high-resolution information from the uniform illumination image, leading to a full-resolution image that is optically sectioned. HiLo endomicroscope movies are presented of fluorescently labeled rat colonic mucosa.

Optically sectioned fluorescence endomicroscopy with hybrid-illumination imaging through a flexible fiber bundle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Silvia; Chu, Kengyeh K.; Lim, Daryl; Bozinovic, Nenad; Ford, Tim N.; Hourtoule, Claire; Bartoo, Aaron C.; Singh, Satish K.; Mertz, Jerome

2009-05-01

We present an endomicroscope apparatus that exhibits out-of-focus background rejection based on wide-field illumination through a flexible imaging fiber bundle. Our technique, called HiLo microscopy, involves acquiring two images, one with grid-pattern illumination and another with standard uniform illumination. An evaluation of the image contrast with grid-pattern illumination provides an optically sectioned image with low resolution. This is complemented with high-resolution information from the uniform illumination image, leading to a full-resolution image that is optically sectioned. HiLo endomicroscope movies are presented of fluorescently labeled rat colonic mucosa.

Demonstration of a simplified optical mouse lighting module by integrating the non-Lambertian LED chip and the free-form surface.

PubMed

Pan, Jui-Wen; Tu, Sheng-Han

2012-05-20

A cost-effective, high-throughput, and high-yield method for the efficiency enhancement of an optical mouse lighting module is proposed. We integrated imprinting technology and free-form surface design to obtain a lighting module with high illumination efficiency and uniform intensity distribution. The imprinting technique can increase the light extraction efficiency and modulate the intensity distribution of light-emitting diodes. A modulated light source was utilized to add a compact free-form surface element to create a lighting module with 95% uniformity and 80% optical efficiency.

Preparation of electrospun pyrochlore-structure KGdTa2O7:Eu3+ phosphor: the optical and structural properties for white light emitting diode applications.

PubMed

Yim, Chul Jin; Unithrattil, Sanjith; Chung, Woon Jin; Im, Won Bin

2013-12-01

Red emitting nanofibers, KGdTa2O7:Eu3+ were synthesized by electrospinning technique followed by heat treatment. As-prepared uniform fiber precursor with diameter ranging from about 700 nm to about 900 nm were calcined after removing organic species by calcination. The fiber surface become rough and diameter decreased to about 250-340 nm range due to decomposition of organic species and formation of inorganic phase. Morphology, structural and photoluminescent properties of fibers were analyzed using thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and photoluminescence (PL). TG-DTA analysis indicates that KGdTa2O7:Eu3+ began to crystalize at 520 degrees C. Fibers annealed at 900 degrees C formed well crystallized uniform fibers. Under ultraviolet excitation KGdTa2O7:Eu3+ exhibits red emission due to transitions in 4f states of Eu3+. The excitation band is dominated by the Eu(3+)--O2-charge transfer band peaked at 289 nm. The emission peak is in the region that is ideal for red light emission.

Synthesis and photosensor study of as-grown CuZnO thin film by facile chemical bath deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gubari, Ghamdan M. M.; Ibrahim Mohammed S., M.; Huse, Nanasaheb P.; Dive, Avinash S.; Sharma, Ramphal

2018-05-01

We have successfully deposited CuZnO thin film on a glass substrate by facile chemical bath deposition method at 85 °C for 1 hr. Structural, topographical, Optical and Electrical properties of the prepared Thin Films were investigated by XRD, Raman spectrum, AFM, UV-Visible Spectrophotometer and I-V Measurement System respectively. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed the formation of the CuZnO composition when compared with standard JCPDS card (JCPDF # 75-0576 & # 36-1451). The Raman analysis shows a major peak at 458 cm-1 with E2 (High) vibrational mode. AFM images revealed uniform deposition over an entire glass substrate with 66.2 nm average roughness of the film. From the optical absorption spectrum, clear band edge around ˜407 nm was observed which results in a wide energy band gap of ˜3.04 eV. The electrical properties were measured at room temperature in the voltage range ±5 V, showed a drastic enhancement in current under light illumination with the highest photosensitivity of ˜99.9 % for 260 W.

Protective coatings for composite tubes in space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dursch, Harry W.; Hendricks, Carl L.

1987-01-01

Protective coatings for graphite/epoxy (Gr/Ep) tubular structures for a manned Space Station truss structure were evaluated. The success of the composite tube truss structure depends on its stability to long-term exposure to the low earth orbit (LEO) environment, with particular emphasis placed on atomic oxygen. Concepts for protectively coating Gr/Ep tubes include use of inorganic coated metal foils and electroplating. These coatings were applied to Gr/Ep tubes and then subjected to simulated LEO environment to evaluate survivability of coatings and coated tubes. Evaluation included: atomic oxygen resistance, changes in optical properties and adhesion, abrasion resistance, surface preparation required, coating uniformity, and formation of microcracks in the Gr/Ep tubes caused by thermal cycling. Program results demonstrated that both phosphoric and chromic acid anodized Al foil provided excellent adhesion to Gr/Ep tubes and exhibited stable optical properties when subjected to simulated LEO environment. The SiO2/Al coatings sputtered onto Al foils also resulted in an excellent protective coating. Electroplated Ni exhibited unacceptable adhesion loss to Gr/Ep tubes during atomic oxygen exposure.

Protective coatings for composite tubes in space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dursch, Harry W.; Hendricks, Carl L.

1987-01-01

Protective coatings for graphite/epoxy (Gr/Ep) tubular structures for a Manned Space Station truss structure were evaluated. The success of the composite tube truss structure depends on its stability to long-term exposure to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment with particular emphasis placed on atomic oxygen. Concepts for protectively coating Gr/Ep tubes include use of inorganic coated metal foils and electroplating. These coatings were applied to Gr/Ep tubes and then subjected to simulated LEO environmnet to evaluate survivability of coatings and coated tubes. Evaluation included: atomic oxygen resistance, changes in optical properties and adhesion, abrasion resistancem surface preparation required, coating uniformity, and formation of microcracks in the Gr/Ep tubes caused by thermal cycling. Program results demonstrated that both phosphoric and chromic acid anodized Al foil provided excellent adhesion to Gr/Ep tubes and exhibited stable optical properties when subjected to simulated LEO environment. The SiO2/Al coatings speuttered onto Al foils also resulted in an excellent protective coating. Electroplated Ni exhibited unaccepatble adhesion loss to Gr/Ep tubes during atomic oxygen exposure.

Modifying Mechanical, Optical Properties and Thermal Processability of Iridescent Cellulose Nanocrystal Films Using Ionic Liquid.

PubMed

Liu, Ping; Guo, Xin; Nan, Fuchun; Duan, Yongxin; Zhang, Jianming

2017-01-25

Iridescent films formed from the self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are brittle and difficult to handle or integrate within an industrial process. Here we present a simple approach to prepare iridescent CNC films with tunable pliability and coloration through the addition of ionic liquids (ILs) of 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) as plasticizers. By using the undried CNC film as a filter membrane and ILs solution as a leaching liquid, it was found that the filtration process made ILs uniformly interpenetrate into CNC film due to the strong ionic interaction between CNC and AmimCl. Unexpectedly, the filtration process also gave rise to partial desulfurization of CNC film, which is conducive to the improvement of thermal stability. Benefiting from the improved thermal stability and the dissolving capacity of AmimCl for cellulose at high temperature, the incorporated ILs enable the cholesteric CNC film to be further toughened via a hot-pressing treatment. This study demonstrates that ionic liquids have great potential to modify the mechanical, optical properties as well as the thermal stability of iridescent CNC films.

Study on the Structural, Morphological and Optical Properties of RF-Sputtered Dysprosium-Doped Barium Tungstate Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hridya, S.; Kavitha, V. S.; Chalana, S. R.; Reshmi Krishnan, R.; Sreeja Sreedharan, R.; Suresh, S.; Nampoori, V. P. N.; Sankararaman, S.; Prabhu, Radhakrishna; Mahadevan Pillai, V. P.

2017-11-01

Barium tungstate films with different Dy3+ doping concentrations, namely 0 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 3 wt.% and 5 wt.%, are deposited on cleaned quartz substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique and the prepared films are annealed at a temperature of 700°C. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the annealed films are studied using techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. XRD analysis shows that all the films are well-crystallized in nature with a monoclinic barium tungstate phase. The presence of characteristic modes of the tungstate group in the Raman spectra supports the formation of the barium tungstate phase in the films. Scanning electron microscopic images of the films present a uniform dense distribution of well-defined grains with different sizes. All the doped films present a broad emission in the 390-500 nm region and its intensity increases up to 3 wt.% and thereafter decreases due to usual concentration quenching.

Exciton Rydberg series in mono- and few-layer WS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernikov, Alexey; Berkelbach, Timothy C.; Hill, Heather M.; Rigosi, Albert; Li, Yilei; Aslan, Özgur B.; Hybertsen, Mark S.; Reichman, David R.; Heinz, Tony F.

2014-03-01

Considered a long-awaited semiconducting analogue to graphene, the family of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) attracted intense interest in the scientific community due to their remarkable physical properties resulting from the reduced dimensionality. A fundamental manifestation of the two-dimensional nature is a strong increase in the Coulomb interaction. The resulting formation of tightly bound excitons plays a crucial role for a majority of optical and transport phenomena. In our work, we investigate the excitons in atomically thin TMDs by optical micro-spectroscopy and apply a microscopic, ab-initio theoretical approach. We observe a full sequence of excited exciton states, i.e., the Rydberg series, in the monolayer WS2, identifying tightly bound excitons with energies exceeding 0.3 eV - almost an order of magnitude higher than in the corresponding, three-dimensional crystal. We also find significant deviations of the excitonic properties from the conventional hydrogenic physics - a direct evidence of a non-uniform dielectric environment. Finally, an excellent quantitative agreement is obtained between the experimental findings and the developed theoretical approach.

Fe doped TiO2 nanofibers on the surface of graphene sheets for photovoltaics applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farhangi, Nasrin; Medina-Gonzalez, Yaocihuatl; Charpentier, Paul A.

2011-08-01

Highly ordered, visible light driven TiO2 nanowire arrays doped with Fe photocatalysts were grown on the surface of functionalized graphene sheets (FGSs) using a sol-gel method with titanium isopropoxide (TIP) monomer, acetic acid (HAc) as the polycondensation agent and iron chloride in the green solvent, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The morphology of the synthesized materials was studied by SEM and TEM, which showed uniform formation of Fe doped TiO2 nanofibers on the surface of graphene sheets, which acted as a template for nanowire growth through surface -COOH functionalities. Increasing Fe content in the nanowires did not change the morphology significantly. Optical properties of the synthesized composites were examined by UV spectroscopy which showed a significant reduction in band gap with increasing Fe content, i.e. 2.25 eV at 0.6% Fe. The enhancement of the optical properties of synthesized materials was confirmed by photocurrent measurement. The optimum sample containing 0.6% Fe doped TiO2 on the graphene sheets increased the power conversation efficiency by 6-fold in comparison to TiO2 alone.

Integrating spheres for improved skin photodynamic therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glennie, Diana L.; Farrell, Thomas J.; Hayward, Joseph E.; Patterson, Michael S.

2010-09-01

The prescribed radiant exposures for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of superficial skin cancers are chosen empirically to maximize the success of the treatment while minimizing adverse reactions for the majority of patients. They do not take into account the wide range of tissue optical properties for human skin, contributing to relatively low treatment success rates. Additionally, treatment times can be unnecessarily long for large treatment areas if the laser power is not sufficient. Both of these concerns can be addressed by the incorporation of an integrating sphere into the irradiation apparatus. The light fluence rate can be increased by as much as 100%, depending on the tissue optical properties. This improvement can be determined in advance of treatment by measuring the reflectance from the tissue through a side port on the integrating sphere, allowing for patient-specific treatment times. The sphere is also effective at improving beam flatness, and reducing the penumbra, creating a more uniform light field. The side port reflectance measurements are also related to the tissue transport albedo, enabling an approximation of the penetration depth, which is useful for real-time light dosimetry.

Switching from visibility to invisibility via Fano resonances: theory and experiment.

PubMed

Rybin, Mikhail V; Filonov, Dmitry S; Belov, Pavel A; Kivshar, Yuri S; Limonov, Mikhail F

2015-03-05

Subwavelength structures demonstrate many unusual optical properties which can be employed for engineering of a new generation of functional metadevices, as well as controlled scattering of light and invisibility cloaking. Here we demonstrate that the suppression of light scattering for any direction of observation can be achieved for a uniform dielectric object with high refractive index, in a sharp contrast to the cloaking with multilayered plasmonic structures suggested previously. Our finding is based on the novel physics of cascades of Fano resonances observed in the Mie scattering from a homogeneous dielectric rod. We observe this effect experimentally at microwaves by employing high temperature-dependent dielectric permittivity of a glass cylinder with heated water. Our results open a new avenue in analyzing the optical response of high-index dielectric nanoparticles and the physics of cloaking.

Switching from Visibility to Invisibility via Fano Resonances: Theory and Experiment

PubMed Central

Rybin, Mikhail V.; Filonov, Dmitry S.; Belov, Pavel A.; Kivshar, Yuri S.; Limonov, Mikhail F.

2015-01-01

Subwavelength structures demonstrate many unusual optical properties which can be employed for engineering of a new generation of functional metadevices, as well as controlled scattering of light and invisibility cloaking. Here we demonstrate that the suppression of light scattering for any direction of observation can be achieved for a uniform dielectric object with high refractive index, in a sharp contrast to the cloaking with multilayered plasmonic structures suggested previously. Our finding is based on the novel physics of cascades of Fano resonances observed in the Mie scattering from a homogeneous dielectric rod. We observe this effect experimentally at microwaves by employing high temperature-dependent dielectric permittivity of a glass cylinder with heated water. Our results open a new avenue in analyzing the optical response of high-index dielectric nanoparticles and the physics of cloaking. PMID:25739324

Electrowetting Lens Employing Hemispherical Cavity Formed by Hydrofluoric Acid, Nitric Acid, and Acetic Acid Etching of Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, June Kyoo; Choi, Ju Chan; Jang, Won Ick; Kim, Hak-Rin; Kong, Seong Ho

2012-06-01

We demonstrate the design of an electrowetting lens employing a high-aspect-ratio hemispherical lens cavity and its micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) fabrication process in this study. Our preliminary simulation results showed that the physical and electrical durability of the lens can be improved by the mitigation of stresses on the insulator at the hemispherical cavity. High-aspect-ratio hemispherical cavities with various diameters and very smooth sidewall surfaces were uniformly fabricated on a silicon wafer by a sophisticated isotropic wet etching technique. Moreover, we experimentally investigated the optical properties of the MEMS-based electrowetting lens with the proposed cavity. Two immiscible liquids in the proposed lens cavity were electrostatically controlled with negligible optical distortion and low focal-length hysteresis due to the fully axis-symmetrical geometry and smooth sidewall of the cavity.

Effect of Injector Geometry on Atomization of a Liquid-Liquid Double Swirl Coaxial Injector Using Non-invasive Laser, Optical and X-ray Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radke, C. R.; Meyer, T. R.

2014-01-01

The spray characteristics of a liquid-liquid double swirl coaxial injector were studied using non-invasive optical, laser, and X-ray diagnostics. A parametric study of injector exit geometry demonstrated that spray breakup time, breakup type and sheet stability could be controlled with exit geometry. Phase Doppler interferometry was used to characterize droplet statistics and non-dimensional droplet parameters over a range of inlet conditions and for various fluids allowing for a study on the role of specific fluid properties in atomization. Further, X-ray radiography allowed for investigation of sheet thickness and breakup length to be quantified for different recess exit diameters and inlet pressures. Finally, computed tomography scans revealed that the spray cone was distinctively non-uniform and comprised of several pockets of increased mass flux.

Effect of Injector Geometry on Atomization of a Liquid-Liquid Double Swirl Coaxial Injector using Non-Invasive Laser, Optical and X-ray Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radke, C. R.; Meyer, T. R.

2014-01-01

The spray characteristics of a Liquid-Liquid Double Swirl Coaxial Injector were studied using noninvasive Optical, Laser, and X-ray diagnostics. A parametric study of injector exit geometry demonstrated that spray breakup time, breakup type and sheet stability could be controlled with exit geometry. Phase Doppler Particle Analysis characterized droplet statistics and non-dimensional droplet parameters over a range of inlet conditions and for various fluids allowing for a study on the role of specific fluid properties in atomization. Further, x-ray radiographs allowed for investigations of sheet thickness and breakup length to be quantified for different recess exits and inlet pressures. Finally Computed Tomography scans revealed that the spray cone was distinctively non-uniform and comprised of several pockets of increased mass flux.

Thin and long silver nanowires self-assembled in ionic liquids as a soft template: electrical and optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Min-Hwa; Cho, Hyun-Ah; Kim, Youn-Soo; Lee, Eun-Jong; Kim, Jin-Yeol

2014-07-01

Thin and long silver nanowires were successfully synthesized using the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted polyol method in the presence of ionic liquids, tetrapropylammonium chloride and tetrapropylammonium bromide, which served as soft template salts. The first step involved the formation of Ag nanoparticles with a diameter of 40 to 50 nm through the reduction of silver nitrate. At the growing stage, the Ag nanoparticles were converted into thin and long one-dimensional wires, with uniform diameters of 30 ± 3 nm and lengths of up to 50 μm. These Ag nanowires showed an electrical conductivity of 0.3 × 105 S/cm, while the sheet resistance of a two-dimensional percolating Ag nanowire network exhibited a value of 20 Ω/sq with an optical transmittance of 93% and a low haze value.

Optimal threshold of error decision related to non-uniform phase distribution QAM signals generated from MZM based on OCS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Xifeng; Zhou, Wen

2018-03-01

Optical vector radio-frequency (RF) signal generation based on optical carrier suppression (OCS) in one Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) can realize frequency-doubling. In order to match the phase or amplitude of the recovered quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal, phase or amplitude pre-coding is necessary in the transmitter side. The detected QAM signals usually have one non-uniform phase distribution after square-law detection at the photodiode because of the imperfect characteristics of the optical and electrical devices. We propose to use optimal threshold of error decision for non-uniform phase contribution to reduce the bit error rate (BER). By employing this scheme, the BER of 16 Gbaud (32 Gbit/s) quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) millimeter wave signal at 36 GHz is improved from 1 × 10-3 to 1 × 10-4 at - 4 . 6 dBm input power into the photodiode.

In Situ Nanoreactors: Controllable Photoluminescent Carbon-Rich Polymer Nanodots Derived from Fatty Acid under Photoirradiation.

PubMed

Dai, Qin; Zhao, He; Fan, Zhuangjun; Zhao, Wentao; Wang, Guangwei; Zhang, Jimei; Hou, Rong; Du, Penghui; Cao, Hongbin

2018-05-17

Amphiphilic nanoreactors have been recently used to fabricate photoluminescent carbon-rich polymer nanodots (PCPNs). However, the applications of PCPNs have been limited by their requirements for high temperature and toxic organic solvents or catalysts and the difficult control of their luminescent properties. Herein, a novel and facile strategy is reported for the synthesis of controllable PCPNs. This strategy involves the use of in situ vesicular nanoreactors under mild photoirradiation with fatty acid as the precursor. The conjugation degree of the uniformly sized PCPNs can be increased by extending photoreaction time, thus enabling the tuning of the optical properties of PCPNs. The PCPNs, which feature controllable and outstanding luminescent properties, low cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility, are successfully applied in bioimaging and as fluorescent ink. The present strategy is an attractive and facile platform for the preparation of carbon-rich nanomaterials with controllable photoluminescence. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanoimprint-Assisted Shear Exfoliation (NASE) for Producing Multilayer MoS2 Structures as Field-Effect Transistor Channel Arrays.

PubMed

Chen, Mikai; Nam, Hongsuk; Rokni, Hossein; Wi, Sungjin; Yoon, Jeong Seop; Chen, Pengyu; Kurabayashi, Katsuo; Lu, Wei; Liang, Xiaogan

2015-09-22

MoS2 and other semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are of great interest due to their excellent physical properties and versatile chemistry. Although many recent research efforts have been directed to explore attractive properties associated with MoS2 monolayers, multilayer/few-layer MoS2 structures are indeed demanded by many practical scale-up device applications, because multilayer structures can provide sizable electronic/photonic state densities for driving upscalable electrical/optical signals. Currently there is a lack of processes capable of producing ordered, pristine multilayer structures of MoS2 (or other relevant TMDCs) with manufacturing-grade uniformity of thicknesses and electronic/photonic properties. In this article, we present a nanoimprint-based approach toward addressing this challenge. In this approach, termed as nanoimprint-assisted shear exfoliation (NASE), a prepatterned bulk MoS2 stamp is pressed into a polymeric fixing layer, and the imprinted MoS2 features are exfoliated along a shear direction. This shear exfoliation can significantly enhance the exfoliation efficiency and thickness uniformity of exfoliated flakes in comparison with previously reported exfoliation processes. Furthermore, we have preliminarily demonstrated the fabrication of multiple transistors and biosensors exhibiting excellent device-to-device performance consistency. Finally, we present a molecular dynamics modeling analysis of the scaling behavior of NASE. This work holds significant potential to leverage the superior properties of MoS2 and other emerging TMDCs for practical scale-up device applications.

The influence of random indium alloy fluctuations in indium gallium nitride quantum wells on the device behavior

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

Yang, Tsung-Jui; Wu, Yuh-Renn, E-mail: yrwu@ntu.edu.tw; Shivaraman, Ravi

2014-09-21

In this paper, we describe the influence of the intrinsic indium fluctuation in the InGaN quantum wells on the carrier transport, efficiency droop, and emission spectrum in GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs). Both real and randomly generated indium fluctuations were used in 3D simulations and compared to quantum wells with a uniform indium distribution. We found that without further hypothesis the simulations of electrical and optical properties in LEDs such as carrier transport, radiative and Auger recombination, and efficiency droop are greatly improved by considering natural nanoscale indium fluctuations.

Different atmospheric effects in remote sensing of uniform and nonuniform surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, Y. J.; Fraser, R. S.

1982-01-01

The atmospheric effect on the radiance of sunlight scattered from the earth-atmosphere system is greatly dependent on the surface reflectance pattern, the contrast between adjacent fields, and the optical properties of the atmosphere. In addition, the atmospheric effect is described by the range and magnitude of the adjacency effects, the atmospheric modulation transfer function, and the apparent spatial resolution of remotely sensed imagery. This paper discusses the atmospheric effect on classification of surface features and shows that surface nonuniformity can be used for developing procedures to remove the atmospheric effect from the satellite imagery.

Characterization of aquatic dissolved organic matter by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation coupled to UV-Visible diode array and excitation emission matrix fluorescence.

PubMed

Guéguen, Céline; Cuss, Chad W

2011-07-08

Flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) with on-line UV/Visible diode array detector (DAD) and excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence detector has been developed for the characterization of optical properties of aquatic dissolved organic matter (DOM) collected in the Otonabee River (Ontario, Canada) and Athabasca River (Alberta, Canada). The molecular weight (MW) distribution of DOM was estimated using a series of organic macromolecules ranging from 479 to 66,000 Da. Both the number-average (M(n)) and weight-average (M(w)) molecular weights of Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) and Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) determined using these macromolecular standards were comparable to those obtained using polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) standards, suggesting that organic macromolecules can be used to estimate MW of natural organic colloids. The MW of eight river DOM samples determined by this method was found to have an M(n) range of 0.8-1.1 kDa, which agrees with available literature estimates. The FlFFF-DAD-EEM system provided insight into the MW components of river DOM including the optical properties by on-line absorbance and fluorescence measurement. A red-shift in emission and excitation wavelength maxima associated with lower spectral slope ratios (S(R)=S₂₇₅₋₂₉₅:S₃₅₀₋₄₀₀) was related to higher MW DOM. However, DOM of different origins at similar MW also showed significant difference in optical properties. A difference of 47 and 40 nm in excitation and emission peak C maxima was found. This supports the hypothesis that river DOM is not uniform in size and optical composition. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-Wavelength Measurement of Soot Optical Properties: Influence of Non-Absorbing Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freedman, Andrew; Renbaum-Wollf, Lindsay; Forestieri, Sara; Lambe, Andrew; Cappa, Christopher; Davidovits, Paul; Onasch, Timothy

2015-04-01

Soot, a product of incomplete combustion, plays an important role in the earth's climate system through the absorption and scattering of solar radiation. Important in quantifying the direct radiative impacts of soot in climate models, and specifically of black carbon (BC), is the assumed BC refractive index and shape-dependent interaction of light with BC particles. The latter assumption carries significant uncertainty because BC particles are fractal-like, being agglomerates of smaller (20-40 nm) spherules, yet many optical models such as Mie theory in particular, typically assume a spherical particle morphology. It remains unclear under what conditions this is an acceptable assumption. To investigate the ability of various optical models to reproduce observed BC optical properties, we obtained measurements of light absorption, scattering and extinction coefficients and thus single scattering albedo (SSA) of size-resolved soot particles. Measurements were made on denuded soot particles produced using both methane and ethylene as fuels. In addition, these soot particles were coated with dioctyl sebacate or sulfuric acid and the enhancement in the apparent mass absorption coefficient determined. Extinction and absorption were measured using a dual cavity ringdown photoacoustic spectrometer (CRD-PAS) at 405 nm and 532 nm. Scattering and extinction were measured using a CAPS PMssa single scattering albedo monitor (Aerodyne) at 630 nm. Soot particle mass was quantified using a centrifugal particle mass analyzer (CPMA, Cambustion), mobility size with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS, TSI) and soot concentration with a CPC (Brechtel). The results will be interpreted in light of both Mie theory which assumes spherical and uniform particles and Rayleigh-Debye-Gans (RDG) theory, which assumes that the absorption properties of soot are dictated by the individual spherules. For denuded soot, effective refractive indices will be determined.

Spectroscopic, thermal, and electrical properties of MgO/ polyvinyl pyrrolidone/ polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, Gh.; El Sayed, Adel M.; Morsi, W. M.

2018-04-01

In this study, we aimed to control the optical and electrical properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in order to broaden its industrial and technological applications, which we achieved by blending PVA with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and adding sol-gel prepared MgO nanopowder. The blended film and nanocomposite films were prepared using the solution casting technique. X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the crystallite size was ∼18.4 nm for MgO and the highest degree of crystallinity (XC) in the films was about 24.34% at 1.0 wt% MgO. High resolution transmission electron microscopy determined the nanoribbon morphology of MgO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the uniform distribution of the MgO nanoribbons on the surfaces of the PVA/PVP films. SEM and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy also confirmed the interaction between the blend and MgO fillers. The effects of the additives on the glass transition (Tg) and melting (Tm) temperatures were evaluated by differential thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The appearance of one melting point confirmed the miscibility of the two polymers. According to ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectroscopy measurements, the optical properties and optical constants of PVA could be adjusted by the addition of PVP and MgO, where the optical band gap (Eg) determined for PVA increased with the PVP content, whereas it decreased to 4.8 eV as the MgO content increased. The DC conductivity (σdc) of the films increased whereas the activation energy (Ea) decreased after the addition of MgO, possibly because the nanoribbon shape fixed the preferred conducting pathways. In addition, MgO could break the H-bond in sbnd OH groups of the blends to allow the free movement of the molecular chains.

Tolerancing a lens for LED uniform illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Jieun; Sasian, Jose

2017-08-01

A method to evaluate tolerance sensitivities for lenses used to produce uniform illumination is presented. Closed form surfaces are used to define optical surfaces and relative illumination is calculated from light etendue considerations.

Pattern optimization of compound optical film for uniformity improvement in liquid-crystal displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Bing-Le; Lin, Jin-tang; Ye, Yun; Xu, Sheng; Chen, En-guo; Guo, Tai-Liang

2017-12-01

The density dynamic adjustment algorithm (DDAA) is designed to efficiently promote the uniformity of the integrated backlight module (IBLM) by adjusting the microstructures' distribution on the compound optical film (COF), in which the COF is constructed in the SolidWorks and simulated in the TracePro. In order to demonstrate the universality of the proposed algorithm, the initial distribution is allocated by the Bezier curve instead of an empirical value. Simulation results maintains that the uniformity of the IBLM reaches over 90% only after four rounds. Moreover, the vertical and horizontal full width at half maximum of angular intensity are collimated to 24 deg and 14 deg, respectively. Compared with the current industry requirement, the IBLM has an 85% higher luminance uniformity of the emerging light, which demonstrate the feasibility and universality of the proposed algorithm.

Dichromated-gelatin hologram process for improved optical quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, W. C.

1975-01-01

Optical distortions are eliminated by use of wetting agency followed by sequential immersion in several alcohol-water baths of increasing alcohol concentration. Dehydration proceeds uniformly over surface of gelatin. Dried plate is free of optically-distorting thickness variations.

Characterization of the Structural and Optical Properties of III-V Semiconductor Materials for Solar Cell Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Hongen

The work contained in this dissertation is focused on the structural and optical properties of III-V semiconductor structures for solar cell applications. By using transmission electron microscopy, many of their structural properties have been investigated, including morphology, defects, and strain relaxation. The optical properties of the semiconductor structures have been studied by photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence. Part of this work is focused on InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in AlGaAs matrices. This QD system is important for the realization of intermediate-band solar cells, which has three light absorption paths for high efficiency photovoltaics. The suppression of plastic strain relaxation in the QDs shows a significant improvement of the optoelectronic properties. A partial capping followed by a thermal annealing step is used to achieve spool-shaped QDs with a uniform height following the thickness of the capping layer. This step keeps the height of the QDs below a critical value that is required for plastic relaxation. The spool-shaped QDs exhibit two photoluminescence peaks that are attributed to ground and excited state transitions. The luminescence peak width is associated with the QD diameter distribution. An InAs cover layer formed during annealing is found responsible for the loss of the confinement of the excited states in smaller QDs. The second part of this work is focused on the investigation of the In xGa1-xN thin films having different bandgaps for double-junction solar cells. InxGa1-xN films with x ≤ 0.15 were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The defects in films with different indium contents have been studied. Their effect on the optical properties of the film have been investigated by cathodoluminescence. InxGa 1-xN films with indium contents higher than 20% were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The strain relaxation in the films has been measured from electron diffraction patterns taken in cross-sectional TEM specimens. Moire fringes in some of the films reveal interfacial strain relaxation that is explained by a critical thickness model.

Nano-sized particles, processes of making, compositions and uses thereof

DOEpatents

O'Brien, Stephen [New York, NY; Yin, Ming [Los Alamos, NM

2012-05-22

The present invention describes methods for preparing high quality nanoparticles, i.e., metal oxide based nanoparticles of uniform size and monodispersity. The nanoparticles advantageously comprise organic alkyl chain capping groups and are stable in air and in nonpolar solvents. The methods of the invention provide a simple and reproducible procedure for forming transition metal oxide nanocrystals, with yields over 80%. The highly crystalline and monodisperse nanocrystals are obtained directly without further size selection; particle size can be easily and fractionally increased by the methods. The resulting nanoparticles can exhibit magnetic and/or optical properties. These properties result from the methods used to prepare them. Also advantageously, the nanoparticles of this invention are well suited for use in a variety of industrial applications, including cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations and compositions.

Design and fabrication of optical homogenizer with micro structure by injection molding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C.-C. A.; Chang, S.-W.; Weng, C.-J.

2008-08-01

This paper is to design and fabricate an optical homogenizer with hybrid design of collimator, toroidal lens array, and projection lens for beam shaping of Gaussian beam into uniform cylindrical beam. TracePro software was used to design the geometry of homogenizer and simulation of injection molding was preceded by Moldflow MPI to evaluate the mold design for injection molding process. The optical homogenizer is a cylindrical part with thickness 8.03 mm and diameter 5 mm. The micro structure of toroidal array has groove height designed from 12 μm to 99 μm. An electrical injection molding machine and PMMA (n= 1.4747) were selected to perform the experiment. Experimental results show that the optics homogenizer has achieved the transfer ratio of grooves (TRG) as 88.98% and also the optical uniformity as 68% with optical efficiency as 91.88%. Future study focuses on development of an optical homogenizer for LED light source.

Optical computed tomography utilizing a rotating mirror and Fresnel lenses: operating principles and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y.; Wuu, Cheng-Shie

2013-02-01

The performance of a fast optical computed tomography (CT) scanner based on a point laser source, a small area photodiode detector, and two optical-grade Fresnel lenses is evaluated. The OCTOPUS™-10× optical CT scanner (MGS Research Inc., Madison, CT) is an upgrade of the OCTOPUS™ research scanner with improved design for faster motion of the laser beam and faster data acquisition process. The motion of the laser beam in the new configuration is driven by the rotational motion of a scanning mirror. The center of the scanning mirror and the center of the photodiode detector are adjusted to be on the focal points of two coaxial Fresnel lenses. A glass water tank is placed between the two Fresnel lenses to house gel phantoms and matching liquids. The laser beam scans over the water tank in parallel beam geometry for projection data as the scanning mirror rotates at a frequency faster than 0.1 s per circle. Signal sampling is performed independently of the motion of the scanning mirror, to reduce the processing time for the synchronization of the stepper motors and the data acquisition board. An in-house developed reference image normalization mechanism is added to the image reconstruction program to correct the non-uniform light transmitting property of the Fresnel lenses. Technical issues with regard to the new design of the scanner are addressed, including projection data extraction from raw data samples, non-uniform pixel averaging and reference image normalization. To evaluate the dosimetric accuracy of the scanner, the reconstructed images from a 16 MeV, 6 cm × 6 cm electron field irradiation were compared with those from the Eclipse treatment planning system (Varian Corporation, Palo Alto, CA). The spatial resolution of the scanner is demonstrated to be of sub-millimeter accuracy. The effectiveness of the reference normalization method for correcting the non-uniform light transmitting property of the Fresnel lenses is analyzed. A sub-millimeter accuracy of the phantom positioning between the reference scan and the actual scan is demonstrated to be essential. The fast scanner is shown to be able to scan gel phantoms with a wider field of view (5 mm from the edge of the scanned dosimeters) and at a speed 10 to 20 times faster than the OCTOPUS™ scanner. A large uncertainty of 5% (defined as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean) is typically observed in the reconstructed images, owing to the inaccuracy in the phantom positioning process. Methods for further improvement of the accuracy of the in-house modified OCTOPUS™-10× scanner are discussed.

Sensitivity of Multiangle Imaging to the Optical and Microphysical Properties of Biomass Burning Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Wei-Ting; Kahn, Ralph A.; Nelson, David; Yau, Kevin; Seinfeld, John H.

2008-01-01

The treatment of biomass burning (BB) carbonaceous particles in the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Standard Aerosol Retrieval Algorithm is assessed, and algorithm refinements are suggested, based on a theoretical sensitivity analysis and comparisons with near-coincident AERONET measurements at representative BB sites. Over the natural ranges of BB aerosol microphysical and optical properties observed in past field campaigns, patterns of retrieved Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), particle size, and single scattering albedo (SSA) are evaluated. On the basis of the theoretical analysis, assuming total column AOD of 0.2, over a dark, uniform surface, MISR can distinguish two to three groups in each of size and SSA, except when the assumed atmospheric particles are significantly absorbing (mid-visible SSA approx.0.84), or of medium sizes (mean radius approx.0.13 pin); sensitivity to absorbing, medium-large size particles increases considerably when the assumed column AOD is raised to 0.5. MISR Research Aerosol Retrievals confirm the theoretical results, based on coincident AERONET inversions under BB-dominated conditions. When BB is externally mixed with dust in the atmosphere, dust optical model and surface reflection uncertainties, along with spatial variability, contribute to differences between the Research Retrievals and AERONET. These results suggest specific refinements to the MISR Standard Aerosol Algorithm complement of component particles and mixtures. They also highlight the importance for satellite aerosol retrievals of surface reflectance characterization, with accuracies that can be difficult to achieve with coupled surface-aerosol algorithms in some higher AOD situations.

Quantum dot-polymer conjugates for stable luminescent displays.

PubMed

Ghimire, Sushant; Sivadas, Anjaly; Yuyama, Ken-Ichi; Takano, Yuta; Francis, Raju; Biju, Vasudevanpillai

2018-05-23

The broad absorption of light in the UV-Vis-NIR region and the size-based tunable photoluminescence color of semiconductor quantum dots make these tiny crystals one of the most attractive antennae in solar cells and phosphors in electrooptical devices. One of the primary requirements for such real-world applications of quantum dots is their stable and uniform distribution in optically transparent matrices. In this work, we prepare transparent thin films of polymer-quantum dot conjugates, where CdSe/ZnS quantum dots are uniformly distributed at high densities in a chitosan-polystyrene copolymer (CS-g-PS) matrix. Here, quantum dots in an aqueous solution are conjugated to the copolymer by a phase transfer reaction. With the stable conjugation of quantum dots to the copolymer, we prevent undesired phase separation between the two and aggregation of quantum dots. Furthermore, the conjugate allows us to prepare transparent thin films in which quantum dots are uniformly distributed at high densities. The CS-g-PS copolymer helps us in not only preserving the photoluminescence properties of quantum dots in the film but also rendering excellent photostability to quantum dots at the ensemble and single particle levels, making the conjugate a promising material for photoluminescence-based devices.

Image enhancement of optical images for binary system of melanocytes and keratinocytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takanezawa, S.; Baba, A.; Sako, Y.; Ozaki, Y.; Date, A.; Toyama, K.; Morita, S.

2013-05-01

Automatic determination of the cell shapes of large numbers of melanocytes based on optical images of human skin models have been largely unsuccessful (the complexities introduced by dendrites and the melanin pigmentation over the keratinocytes to give unclear outlines). Here, we present an image enhancement procedure for enhancing the contrast of images with removing the non-uniformity of background. The brightness is normalized also for the non-uniform population density of melanocytes.

Nonimaging solar concentrator with near-uniform irradiance for photovoltaic arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Gallagher, Joseph J.; Winston, Roland; Gee, Randy

2001-11-01

We report results of a study our group has undertaken to design a solar concentrator with uniform irradiance on a planar target. This attribute is especially important for photovoltaic concentrators. We find that a variety of optical mixers, some incorporating a moderate level of concentration, can be quite effective in achieving near uniform irradiance.

Spatial distribution of mineral dust single scattering albedo based on DREAM model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmanoski, Maja; Ničković, Slobodan; Ilić, Luka

2016-04-01

Mineral dust comprises a significant part of global aerosol burden. There is a large uncertainty in estimating role of dust in Earth's climate system, partly due to poor characterization of its optical properties. Single scattering albedo is one of key optical properties determining radiative effects of dust particles. While it depends on dust particle sizes, it is also strongly influenced by dust mineral composition, particularly the content of light-absorbing iron oxides and the mixing state (external or internal). However, an assumption of uniform dust composition is typically used in models. To better represent single scattering albedo in dust atmospheric models, required to increase accuracy of dust radiative effect estimates, it is necessary to include information on particle mineral content. In this study, we present the spatial distribution of dust single scattering albedo based on the Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM) with incorporated particle mineral composition. The domain of the model covers Northern Africa, Middle East and the European continent, with horizontal resolution set to 1/5°. It uses eight particle size bins within the 0.1-10 μm radius range. Focusing on dust episode of June 2010, we analyze dust single scattering albedo spatial distribution over the model domain, based on particle sizes and mineral composition from model output; we discuss changes in this optical property after long-range transport. Furthermore, we examine how the AERONET-derived aerosol properties respond to dust mineralogy. Finally we use AERONET data to evaluate model-based single scattering albedo. Acknowledgement We would like to thank the AERONET network and the principal investigators, as well as their staff, for establishing and maintaining the AERONET sites used in this work.

Improved bioluminescence and fluorescence reconstruction algorithms using diffuse optical tomography, normalized data, and optimized selection of the permissible source region

PubMed Central

Naser, Mohamed A.; Patterson, Michael S.

2011-01-01

Reconstruction algorithms are presented for two-step solutions of the bioluminescence tomography (BLT) and the fluorescence tomography (FT) problems. In the first step, a continuous wave (cw) diffuse optical tomography (DOT) algorithm is used to reconstruct the tissue optical properties assuming known anatomical information provided by x-ray computed tomography or other methods. Minimization problems are formed based on L1 norm objective functions, where normalized values for the light fluence rates and the corresponding Green’s functions are used. Then an iterative minimization solution shrinks the permissible regions where the sources are allowed by selecting points with higher probability to contribute to the source distribution. Throughout this process the permissible region shrinks from the entire object to just a few points. The optimum reconstructed bioluminescence and fluorescence distributions are chosen to be the results of the iteration corresponding to the permissible region where the objective function has its global minimum This provides efficient BLT and FT reconstruction algorithms without the need for a priori information about the bioluminescence sources or the fluorophore concentration. Multiple small sources and large distributed sources can be reconstructed with good accuracy for the location and the total source power for BLT and the total number of fluorophore molecules for the FT. For non-uniform distributed sources, the size and magnitude become degenerate due to the degrees of freedom available for possible solutions. However, increasing the number of data points by increasing the number of excitation sources can improve the accuracy of reconstruction for non-uniform fluorophore distributions. PMID:21326647

Elastic and optical properties of Cu2ZnSn(SexS1 - x)4 alloys: density functional calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camps, I.; Coutinho, J.; Mir, M.; da Cunha, A. F.; Rayson, M. J.; Briddon, P. R.

2012-11-01

Cu2ZnSn(S1 - xSex)4 (CZT(S, Se)) is emerging as a very credible alternative to CuIn1 - xGaxSe2 (CIGS) as the absorber layer for thin film solar cells. The former compound has the important advantage of using abundant Zn and Sn instead of the expensive In and Ga. A better understanding of the properties of CZT(S, Se) is being sought through experimental and theoretical means. Thus far, however, very little is known about the fundamental properties of the CZT(S, Se) alloys. In this work, theoretical studies on the structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of CZT(S, Se) alloys through first-principles calculations are reported. We use a density functional code (aimpro), along with the Padé parametrization for the local density approximation to the exchange correlation potential. For the alloying calculations we employed 64 atom supercells (approximately cubic) with a 2 × 2 × 2 k-point sampling set. These supercells possess a total of 32 chalcogen species and the CZTSexS1 - x alloys are described by using the ordered alloy approximation. Accordingly, to create a perfectly diluted alloying host, the species type of the 32 chalcogen sites is selected randomly with uniform probability x and 1 - x for Se and S, respectively. Properties of alloys (structural, elastic, electronic and optical) are obtained by averaging the results of ten supercell configurations generated for each composition. For each configuration, lattice vectors and atomic positions were allowed to relax (although enforcing the tetragonal lattice type) and the Murnaghan equation of state was fitted to the total energy data. The results presented here permit a better understanding of the properties of the CZT(S, Se) alloys which in turn result in the design of more efficient solar cells.

Highly efficient periodically poled KTP-isomorphs with large apertures and extreme domain aspect-ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canalias, Carlota; Zukauskas, Andrius; Tjörnhamman, Staffan; Viotti, Anne-Lise; Pasiskevicius, Valdas; Laurell, Fredrik

2018-02-01

Since the early 1990's, a substantial effort has been devoted to the development of quasi-phased-matched (QPM) nonlinear devices, not only in ferroelectric oxides like LiNbO3, LiTaO3 and KTiOPO4 (KTP), but also in semiconductors as GaAs, and GaP. The technology to implement QPM structures in ferroelectric oxides has by now matured enough to satisfy the most basic frequency-conversion schemes without substantial modification of the poling procedures. Here, we present a qualitative leap in periodic poling techniques that allows us to demonstrate devices and frequency conversion schemes that were deemed unfeasible just a few years ago. Thanks to our short-pulse poling and coercive-field engineering techniques, we are able to demonstrate large aperture (5 mm) periodically poled Rb-doped KTP devices with a highly-uniform conversion efficiency over the whole aperture. These devices allow parametric conversion with energies larger than 60 mJ. Moreover, by employing our coercive-field engineering technique we fabricate highlyefficient sub-µm periodically poled devices, with periodicities as short as 500 nm, uniform over 1 mm-thick crystals, which allow us to realize mirrorless optical parametric oscillators with counter-propagating signal and idler waves. These novel devices present unique spectral and tuning properties, superior to those of conventional OPOs. Furthermore, our techniques are compatible with KTA, a KTP isomorph with extended transparency in the mid-IR range. We demonstrate that our highly-efficient PPKTA is superior both for mid-IR and for green light generation - as a result of improved transmission properties in the visible range. Our KTP-isomorph poling techniques leading to highly-efficient QPM devices will be presented. Their optical performance and attractive damage thresholds will be discussed.

Development of Selective Excitation Methods in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: Investigation of Hemoglobin Oxygenation in Erythrocytes Using Proton and Phosphorus -31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fetler, Bayard Keith

1993-01-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) offers a potential method for making measurements of the percent oxygenation of hemoglobin (Hb) in living tissue non-invasively. As a demonstration of the feasibility of such measurements, we measured the percent oxygenation of Hb in red blood cells (erythrocytes) using resonances in the proton-NMR (^1H-NMR) spectrum which are characteristic of oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (deoxy-Hb), and are due to the unique magnetic properties of these molecules. To perform these measurements, we developed a new NMR method of selectively exciting signals in a region of interest with uniform phase and amplitude, while suppressing the signal of the water resonance. With this method, we are able to make exact calculations distinguishing between uniform phase excitation produced at large flip-angles using the non-linear properties of the Bloch equations, and uniform phase excitation produced at small flip-angles using asymmetric pulse excitation functions. We measured the percent oxygenation of three characteristic ^1H-NMR resonances of Hb: two from deoxy-Hb, originating from the N_delta H protons of histidine residue F8, which occur at different frequencies for the alpha and beta chains of Hb; and one from oxy-Hb, originating from the gamma_2 -CH_3 protons of valine residue E11. We performed experiments both on fresh erythrocytes and on erythrocytes depleted of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), and found that oxygen is more tightly bound to Hb in the former case. In both fresh and 2,3-DPG-depleted samples, we found that: (i) from the deoxy-Hb marker resonances, there is a small but significant difference in the oxygen saturation between the alpha and beta chains; (ii) the decrease in the areas of the deoxy-Hb marker resonances correlates well with the increase in the percent oxygenation of Hb as measured optically; (iii) the area of the oxy-Hb marker resonance may be up to ~15% less than the optically measured Hb saturation. We are thus able to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of using this method to measure the oxygen saturation of Hb using ^1H-NMR.

Investigation of phase distribution using Phame® in-die phase measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttgereit, Ute; Perlitz, Sascha

2009-03-01

As lithography mask processes move toward 45nm and 32nm node, mask complexity increases steadily, mask specifications tighten and process control becomes extremely important. Driven by this fact the requirements for metrology tools increase as well. Efforts in metrology have been focused on accurately measuring CD linearity and uniformity across the mask, and accurately measuring phase variation on Alternating/Attenuated PSM and transmission for Attenuated PSM. CD control on photo masks is usually done through the following processes: exposure dose/focus change, resist develop and dry etch. The key requirement is to maintain correct CD linearity and uniformity across the mask. For PSM specifically, the effect of CD uniformity for both Alternating PSM and Attenuated PSM and etch depth for Alternating PSM becomes also important. So far phase measurement has been limited to either measuring large-feature phase using interferometer-based metrology tools or measuring etch depth using AFM and converting etch depth into phase under the assumption that trench profile and optical properties of the layers remain constant. However recent investigations show that the trench profile and optical property of layers impact the phase. This effect is getting larger for smaller CD's. The currently used phase measurement methods run into limitations because they are not able to capture 3D mask effects, diffraction limitations or polarization effects. The new phase metrology system - Phame(R) developed by Carl Zeiss SMS overcomes those limitations and enables laterally resolved phase measurement in any kind of production feature on the mask. The resolution of the system goes down to 120nm half pitch at mask level. We will report on tool performance data with respect to static and dynamic phase repeatability focusing on Alternating PSM. Furthermore the phase metrology system was used to investigate mask process signatures on Alternating PSM in order to further improve the overall PSM process performance. Especially global loading effects caused by the pattern density and micro loading effects caused by the feature size itself have been evaluated using the capability of measuring phase in the small production features. The results of this study will be reported in this paper.

76 FR 47223 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Relocation and Real Property...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-04

... Proposed Information Collection to OMB Relocation and Real Property Acquisition, Recordkeeping Requirements Under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as Amended... acquisition of property are subject to the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition...

Ultra-low-loss optical fiber nanotapers.

PubMed

Brambilla, Gilberto; Finazzi, Vittoria; Richardson, David

2004-05-17

Optical fiber tapers with a waist size larger than 1microm are commonplace in telecommunications and sensor applications. However the fabrication of low-loss optical fiber tapers with subwavelength diameters was previously thought to be impractical due to difficulties associated with control of the surface roughness and diameter uniformity. In this paper we show that very-long ultra-low-loss tapers can in fact be produced using a conventional fiber taper rig incorporating a simple burner configuration. For single-mode operation, the optical losses we achieve at 1.55microm are one order of magnitude lower than losses previously reported in the literature for tapers of a similar size. SEM images confirm excellent taper uniformity. We believe that these low-loss structures should pave the way to a whole range of fiber nanodevices.

X-ray lasers and methods utilizing two component driving illumination provided by optical laser means of relatively low energy and small physical size

DOEpatents

Rosen, Mordecai D.; Matthews, Dennis L.

1991-01-01

An X-ray laser (10), and related methodology, are disclosed wherein an X-ray laser target (12) is illuminated with a first pulse of optical laser radiation (14) of relatively long duration having scarcely enough energy to produce a narrow and linear cool plasma of uniform composition (38). A second, relatively short pulse of optical laser radiation (18) is uniformly swept across the length, from end to end, of the plasma (38), at about the speed of light, to consecutively illuminate continuously succeeding portions of the plasma (38) with optical laser radiation having scarcely enough energy to heat, ionize, and invert them into the continuously succeeding portions of an X-ray gain medium. This inventive double pulse technique results in a saving of more than two orders of magnitude in driving optical laser energy, when compared to the conventional single pulse approach.

Radiation pressure on a biconcave human Red Blood Cell and the resulting deformation in a pair of parallel optical traps.

PubMed

Liao, Guan-Bo; Chen, Yin-Quan; Bareil, Paul B; Sheng, Yunlong; Chiou, Arthur; Chang, Ming-Shien

2014-10-01

We calculated the three-dimensional optical stress distribution and the resulting deformation on a biconcave human red blood cell (RBC) in a pair of parallel optical trap. We assumed a Gaussian intensity distribution with a spherical wavefront for each trapping beam and calculated the optical stress from the momentum transfer associated with the reflection and refraction of the incident photons at each interface. The RBC was modelled as a biconcave thin elastic membrane with uniform elasticity and a uniform thickness of 0.25 μm. The resulting cell deformation was determined from the optical stress distribution by finite element software, Comsol Structure Mechanics Module, with Young's modulus (E) as a fitting parameter in order to fit the theoretical results for cell elongation to our experimental data. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Spin and Optical Characterization of Defects in Group IV Semiconductors for Quantum Memory Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Brendon Charles

This thesis is focused on the characterization of highly coherent defects in both silicon and diamond, particularly in the context of quantum memory applications. The results are organized into three parts based on the spin system: phosphorus donor electron spins in silicon, negatively charged nitrogen vacancy color centers in diamond (NV-), and neutrally charged silicon vacancy color centers in diamond (SiV0). The first part on phosphorus donor electron spins presents the first realization of strong coupling with spins in silicon. To achieve this, the silicon crystal was made highly pure and highly isotopically enriched so that the ensemble dephasing time, T2*, was long (10 micros). Additionally, the use of a 3D resonator aided in realizing uniform coupling, allowing for high fidelity spin ensemble manipulation. These two properties have eluded past implementations of strongly coupled spin ensembles and have been the limiting factor in storing and retrieving quantum information. Second, we characterize the spin properties of the NV- color center in diamond in a large magnetic field. We observe that the electron spin echo envelope modulation originating from the central 14N nuclear spin is much stronger at large fields and that the optically induced spin polarization exhibits a strong orientation dependence that cannot be explained by the existing model for the NV- optical cycle, we develop a modification of the existing model that reproduces the data in a large magnetic field. In the third part we perform characterization and stabilization of a new color center in diamond, SiV0, and find that it has attractive, highly sought-after properties for use as a quantum memory in a quantum repeater scheme. We demonstrate a new approach to the rational design of new color centers by engineering the Fermi level of the host material. The spin properties were characterized in electron spin resonance, revealing long spin relaxation and spin coherence times at cryogenic temperature. Additionally, we observe that the optical emission is highly coherent, predominately into a narrow zero phonon line that is stable in frequency. The combination of coherent optical and spin degrees of freedom has eluded all previous solid state defects.

Attenuated phase-shift mask (PSM) blanks for flat panel display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kageyama, Kagehiro; Mochizuki, Satoru; Yamakawa, Hiroyuki; Uchida, Shigeru

2015-10-01

The fine pattern exposure techniques are required for Flat Panel display applications as smart phone, tablet PC recently. The attenuated phase shift masks (PSM) are being used for ArF and KrF photomask lithography technique for high end pattern Semiconductor applications. We developed CrOx based large size PSM blanks that has good uniformity on optical characteristics for FPD applications. We report the basic optical characteristics and uniformity, stability data of large sized CrOx PSM blanks.

The Einstein database of IPC x-ray observations of optically selected and radio-selected quasars, 1.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, Belinda J.; Tananbaum, Harvey; Worrall, D. M.; Avni, Yoram; Oey, M. S.; Flanagan, Joan

1994-01-01

We present the first volume of the Einstein quasar database. The database includes estimates of the X-ray count rates, fluxes, and luminosities for 514 quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies observed with the Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) aboard the Einstein Observatory. All were previously known optically selected or radio-selected objects, and most were the targets of the X-ray observations. The X-ray properties of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) have been derived by reanalyzing the IPC data in a systematic manner to provide a uniform database for general use by the astronomical community. We use the database to extend earlier quasar luminosity studies which were made using only a subset of the currently available data. The database can be accessed on internet via the SAO Einstein on-line system ('Einline') and is available in ASCII format on magnetic tape and DOS diskette.

Structural and optical properties of self-assembled chains of plasmonic nanocubes

DOE PAGES

Klinkova, Anna; Gang, Oleg; Therien-Aubin, Heloise; ...

2014-10-10

Solution-based linear self-assembly of metal nanoparticles offers a powerful strategy for creating plasmonic polymers, which, so far, have been formed from spherical nanoparticles and nanorods. Here, we report linear solution-based self-assembly of metal nanocubes (NCs), examine the structural characteristics of the NC chains and demonstrate their advanced optical characteristics. Predominant face-to-face assembly of large NCs coated with short polymer ligands led to a larger volume of hot spots in the chains, a nearly uniform E-field enhancement in the gaps between co-linear NCs and a new coupling mode for NC chains, in comparison with chains of nanospheres with similar dimensions, compositionmore » and surface chemistry. The NC chains exhibited a stronger surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal, in comparison with linear assemblies of nanospheres. The experimental results were in agreement with finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations.« less

The Features of Self-Assembling Organic Bilayers Important to the Formation of Anisotropic Inorganic Materials in Microgravity Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Talham, Daniel R.; Adair, James H.

1999-01-01

There is a growing need for inorganic anisotropic particles in a variety of materials science applications. Structural, optical, and electrical properties can be greatly augmented by the fabrication of composite materials with anisotropic microstructures or with anisotropic particles uniformly dispersed in an isotropic matrix. Examples include structural composites, magnetic and optical recording media, photographic film, certain metal and ceramic alloys, and display technologies including flat panel displays. While considerable progress has been made toward developing an understanding of the synthesis of powders composed of monodispersed, spherical particles, these efforts have not been transferred to the synthesis of anisotropic nanoparticles. The major objective of the program is to develop a fundamental understanding of the growth of anisotropic particles at organic templates, with emphasis on the chemical and structural aspects of layered organic assemblies that contribute to the formation of anisotropic inorganic particles.

Optical sensing properties of Au nanoparticle/hydrogel composite microbeads using droplet microfluidics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huilin; Men, Dandan; Sun, Yiqiang; Zhang, Tao; Hang, Lifeng; Liu, Dilong; Li, Cuncheng; Cai, Weiping; Li, Yue

2017-10-01

Uniform Au nanoparticle (NP)/poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(AAm-co-AA)] hydrogel microbeads were successfully prepared using droplet microfluidics technology. The microbeads exhibited a good stimuli-responsive behavior to pH value. Particularly in the pH value ranging from pH 2-pH 9, the composite microbead sizes gradually increased along with the increase of pH value. The homogeneous Au NPs, which were encapsulated in the P(AAm-co-AA) hydrogel microbeads, could transform the volume changes of hydrogel into optical signals by a tested single microbead with a microspectrometre system. The glucose was translated into gluconic acid by glucose oxidase. Thus, the Au NP/P(AAm-co-AA) hydrogel microbeads were used for detecting glucose based on pH effects on the composite microbeads. For this, the single Au NP/P(AAm-co-AA) hydrogel microbead could act as a good pH- or glucose-visualizing sensor.

Thin and long silver nanowires self-assembled in ionic liquids as a soft template: electrical and optical properties

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Thin and long silver nanowires were successfully synthesized using the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted polyol method in the presence of ionic liquids, tetrapropylammonium chloride and tetrapropylammonium bromide, which served as soft template salts. The first step involved the formation of Ag nanoparticles with a diameter of 40 to 50 nm through the reduction of silver nitrate. At the growing stage, the Ag nanoparticles were converted into thin and long one-dimensional wires, with uniform diameters of 30 ± 3 nm and lengths of up to 50 μm. These Ag nanowires showed an electrical conductivity of 0.3 × 105 S/cm, while the sheet resistance of a two-dimensional percolating Ag nanowire network exhibited a value of 20 Ω/sq with an optical transmittance of 93% and a low haze value. PMID:25024690

Thin and long silver nanowires self-assembled in ionic liquids as a soft template: electrical and optical properties.

PubMed

Chang, Min-Hwa; Cho, Hyun-Ah; Kim, Youn-Soo; Lee, Eun-Jong; Kim, Jin-Yeol

2014-01-01

Thin and long silver nanowires were successfully synthesized using the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted polyol method in the presence of ionic liquids, tetrapropylammonium chloride and tetrapropylammonium bromide, which served as soft template salts. The first step involved the formation of Ag nanoparticles with a diameter of 40 to 50 nm through the reduction of silver nitrate. At the growing stage, the Ag nanoparticles were converted into thin and long one-dimensional wires, with uniform diameters of 30 ± 3 nm and lengths of up to 50 μm. These Ag nanowires showed an electrical conductivity of 0.3 × 10(5) S/cm, while the sheet resistance of a two-dimensional percolating Ag nanowire network exhibited a value of 20 Ω/sq with an optical transmittance of 93% and a low haze value.

Platinum Assisted Vapor–Liquid–Solid Growth of Er–Si Nanowires and Their Optical Properties

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

We report the optical activation of erbium coated silicon nanowires (Er–SiNWs) grown with the assist of platinum (Pt) and gold (Au), respectively. The NWs were grown on Si substrates by using a chemical vapor transport process using SiCl4 and ErCl4 as precursors. Pt as well as Au worked successfully as vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) catalysts for growing SiNWs with diameters of ~100 nm and length of several micrometers, respectively. The SiNWs have core–shell structures where the Er-crystalline layer is sandwiched between silica layers. Photoluminescence spectra analyses showed the optical activity of SiNWs from both Pt and Au. A stronger Er3+ luminescence of 1,534 nm was observed from the SiNWs with Pt at room- and low-temperature (25 K) using the 488- and/or 477-nm line of an Ar laser that may be due to the uniform incorporation of more Er ions into NWs with the exclusion of the formation of catalyst-induced deep levels in the band-gap. Pt would be used as a VLS catalyst for high performance optically active Er–SiNWs. PMID:20672113

Platinum assisted vapor-liquid-solid growth of er-si nanowires and their optical properties.

PubMed

Kim, Myoung-Ha; Kim, Il-Soo; Park, Yong-Hee; Park, Tae-Eon; Shin, Jung H; Choi, Heon-Jin

2009-11-14

We report the optical activation of erbium coated silicon nanowires (Er-SiNWs) grown with the assist of platinum (Pt) and gold (Au), respectively. The NWs were grown on Si substrates by using a chemical vapor transport process using SiCl4 and ErCl4 as precursors. Pt as well as Au worked successfully as vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) catalysts for growing SiNWs with diameters of ~100 nm and length of several micrometers, respectively. The SiNWs have core-shell structures where the Er-crystalline layer is sandwiched between silica layers. Photoluminescence spectra analyses showed the optical activity of SiNWs from both Pt and Au. A stronger Er3+ luminescence of 1,534 nm was observed from the SiNWs with Pt at room- and low-temperature (25 K) using the 488- and/or 477-nm line of an Ar laser that may be due to the uniform incorporation of more Er ions into NWs with the exclusion of the formation of catalyst-induced deep levels in the band-gap. Pt would be used as a VLS catalyst for high performance optically active Er-SiNWs.

Platinum Assisted Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth of Er-Si Nanowires and Their Optical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Myoung-Ha; Kim, Il-Soo; Park, Yong-Hee; Park, Tae-Eon; Shin, Jung H.; Choi, Heon-Jin

2010-02-01

We report the optical activation of erbium coated silicon nanowires (Er-SiNWs) grown with the assist of platinum (Pt) and gold (Au), respectively. The NWs were grown on Si substrates by using a chemical vapor transport process using SiCl4 and ErCl4 as precursors. Pt as well as Au worked successfully as vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) catalysts for growing SiNWs with diameters of ~100 nm and length of several micrometers, respectively. The SiNWs have core-shell structures where the Er-crystalline layer is sandwiched between silica layers. Photoluminescence spectra analyses showed the optical activity of SiNWs from both Pt and Au. A stronger Er3+ luminescence of 1,534 nm was observed from the SiNWs with Pt at room- and low-temperature (25 K) using the 488- and/or 477-nm line of an Ar laser that may be due to the uniform incorporation of more Er ions into NWs with the exclusion of the formation of catalyst-induced deep levels in the band-gap. Pt would be used as a VLS catalyst for high performance optically active Er-SiNWs.

Single crystal fibers for high power lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, W.; Florea, C.; Baker, C.; Gibson, D.; Shaw, L. B.; Bowman, S.; O'Connor, S.; Villalobos, G.; Bayya, S.; Aggarwal, I. D.; Sanghera, J. S.

2012-11-01

In this paper, we present our recent results in developing cladded-single crystal fibers for high power single frequency fiber lasers significantly exceeding the capabilities of existing silica fiber based lasers. This fiber laser would not only exploit the advantages of crystals, namely their high temperature stability, high thermal conductivity, superior environmental ruggedness, high propensity for rare earth ion doping and low nonlinearity, but will also provide the benefits from an optical fiber geometry to enable better thermal management thereby enabling the potential for high laser power output in short lengths. Single crystal fiber cores with diameters as small as 35μm have been drawn using high purity rare earth doped ceramic or single crystal feed rods by Laser Heated Pedestal Growth (LHPG) process. The mechanical, optical and morphological properties of these fibers have been characterized. The fibers are very flexible and show good overall uniformity. We also measured the optical loss as well as the non-radiative loss of the doped crystal fibers and the results show that the fibers have excellent optical and morphological quality. The gain coefficient of the crystal fiber matches the low quantum defect laser model and it is a good indication of the high quality of the fibers.

Highly Tunable Hollow Gold Nanospheres: Gaining Size Control and Uniform Galvanic Exchange of Sacrificial Cobalt Boride Scaffolds.

PubMed

Lindley, Sarah A; Cooper, Jason K; Rojas-Andrade, Mauricio D; Fung, Victoria; Leahy, Conor J; Chen, Shaowei; Zhang, Jin Z

2018-04-18

In principle, the diameter and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) frequency of hollow metal nanostructures can be independently adjusted, allowing the formation of targeted photoactivated structures of specific size and optical functionality. Although tunable SPRs have been reported for various systems, the shift in SPR is usually concomitant with a change in particle size. As such, more advanced tunability, including constant diameter with varying SPR or constant SPR with varying diameter, has not been properly achieved experimentally. Herein, we demonstrate this advanced tunability with hollow gold nanospheres (HGNs). HGNs were synthesized through galvanic exchange using cobalt-based nanoparticles (NPs) as sacrificial scaffolds. Co 2 B NP scaffolds were prepared by sodium borohydride nucleation of aqueous cobalt chloride and characterized using UV-vis, dynamic light scattering, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Careful control over the size of the Co 2 B scaffold and its galvanic conversion is essential to realize fine control of the resultant HGN diameter and shell thickness. In pursuit of size control, we introduce B(OH) 4 - (the final product of NaBH 4 hydrolysis) as a growth agent to obtain hydrodynamic diameters ranging from ∼17-85 nm with relative standard deviation <3%. The highly monodisperse Co 2 B NPs were then used as scaffolds for the formation of HGNs. In controlling HGN shell thickness and uniformity, environmental oxygen was shown to affect both the structural and optical properties of the resultant gold shells. With careful control of these key factors, we demonstrate an HGN synthesis that enables independent variation of diameter and shell thickness, and thereby SPR, with unprecedented uniformity. The new synthesis method creates a truly tunable plasmonic nanostructure platform highly desirable for a wide range of applications, including sensing, catalysis, and photothermal therapy.

Swept-source optical coherence tomography of lower limb wound healing with histopathological correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barui, Ananya; Banerjee, Provas; Patra, Rusha; Das, Raunak Kumar; Dhara, Santanu; Dutta, Pranab K.; Chatterjee, Jyotirmoy

2011-02-01

Direct noninvasive visualization of wound bed with depth information is important to understand the tissue repair. We correlate skin swept-source-optical coherence tomography (OCT) with histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation on traumatic lower limb wounds under honey dressing to compare and assess the tissue repair features acquired noninvasively and invasively. Analysis of optical biopsy identifies an uppermost brighter band for stratum corneum with region specific thickness (p < 0.0001) and gray-level intensity (p < 0.0001) variation. Below the stratum corneum, variation in optical intensities is remarkable in different regions of the wound bed. Correlation between OCT and microscopic observations are explored especially in respect to progressive growth and maturation of the epithelial and subepithelial components. Characteristic transition of uniform hypolucid band in OCT image for depigmented zone to wavy highly lucid band in the pigmented zone could be directly correlated with the microscopic findings. The transformation of prematured epithelium of depigmented area, with low expression of E-cadherin, to matured epithelium with higher E-cadherin expression in pigmented zone, implicated plausible change in their optical properties as depicted in OCT. This correlated evaluation of multimodal images demonstrates applicability of swept-source-OCT in wound research and importance of integrated approach in validation of new technology.

A direct temporal domain approach for ultrafast optical signal processing and its implementation using planar lightwave circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Bing

Ultrafast optical signal processing, which shares the same fundamental principles of electrical signal processing, can realize numerous important functionalities required in both academic research and industry. Due to the extremely fast processing speed, all-optical signal processing and pulse shaping have been widely used in ultrafast telecommunication networks, photonically-assisted RFlmicro-meter waveform generation, microscopy, biophotonics, and studies on transient and nonlinear properties of atoms and molecules. In this thesis, we investigate two types of optical spectrally-periodic (SP) filters that can be fabricated on planar lightwave circuits (PLC) to perform pulse repetition rate multiplication (PRRM) and arbitrary optical waveform generation (AOWG). First, we present a direct temporal domain approach for PRRM using SP filters. We show that the repetition rate of an input pulse train can be multiplied by a factor N using an optical filter with a free spectral range that does not need to be constrained to an integer multiple of N. Furthermore, the amplitude of each individual output pulse can be manipulated separately to form an arbitrary envelope at the output by optimizing the impulse response of the filter. Next, we use lattice-form Mach-Zehnder interferometers (LF-MZI) to implement the temporal domain approach for PRRM. The simulation results show that PRRM with uniform profiles, binary-code profiles and triangular profiles can be achieved. Three silica based LF-MZIs are designed and fabricated, which incorporate multi-mode interference (MMI) couplers and phase shifters. The experimental results show that 40 GHz pulse trains with a uniform envelope pattern, a binary code pattern "1011" and a binary code pattern "1101" are generated from a 10 GHz input pulse train. Finally, we investigate 2D ring resonator arrays (RRA) for ultraf ast optical signal processing. We design 2D RRAs to generate a pair of pulse trains with different binary-code patterns simultaneously from a single pulse train at a low repetition rate. We also design 2D RRAs for AOWG using the modified direct temporal domain approach. To demonstrate the approach, we provide numerical examples to illustrate the generation of two very different waveforms (square waveform and triangular waveform) from the same hyperbolic secant input pulse train. This powerful technique based on SP filters can be very useful for ultrafast optical signal processing and pulse shaping.

Automated optimization of an aspheric light-emitting diode lens for uniform illumination.

PubMed

Luo, Xiaoxia; Liu, Hua; Lu, Zhenwu; Wang, Yao

2011-07-10

In this paper, an automated optimization method in the sequential mode of ZEMAX is proposed in the design of an aspheric lens with uniform illuminance for an LED source. A feedback modification is introduced in the design for the LED extended source. The user-defined merit function is written out by using ZEMAX programming language macros language and, as an example, optimum parameters of an aspheric lens are obtained via running an optimization. The optical simulation results show that the illumination efficiency and uniformity can reach 83% and 90%, respectively, on a target surface of 40 mm diameter and at 60 mm away for a 1×1 mm LED source. © 2011 Optical Society of America

A method for improving the light intensity distribution in dental light-curing units.

PubMed

Arikawa, Hiroyuki; Takahashi, Hideo; Minesaki, Yoshito; Muraguchi, Kouichi; Matsuyama, Takashi; Kanie, Takahito; Ban, Seiji

2011-01-01

A method for improving the uniformity of the radiation light from dental light-curing units (LCUs), and the effect on the polymerization of light-activated composite resin are investigated. Quartz-tungsten halogen, plasma-arc, and light-emitting diode LCUs were used, and additional optical elements such as a mixing tube and diffusing screen were employed to reduce the inhomogeneity of the radiation light. The distribution of the light intensity from the light guide tip was measured across the guide tip, as well as the distribution of the surface hardness of the light-activated resin emitted with the LCUs. Although the additional optical elements caused 13.2-25.9% attenuation of the light intensity, the uniformity of the light intensity of the LCUs was significantly improved in the modified LCUs, and the uniformity of the surface hardness of the resin was also improved. Our results indicate that the addition of optical elements to the LCU may be a simple and effective method for reducing inhomogeneity in radiation light from the LCUs.

Optimal imaging and analysis of human vaginal coating by drug delivery gels

PubMed Central

Henderson, Marcus H; Couchman, Grace M; Walmer, David K; Peters, Jennifer J; Owen, Derek H; Brown, Matthew A; Lavine, Michael L; Katz, David F

2007-01-01

Objective We used a new optical imaging technique to compare human intravaginal coating distributions of Conceptrol® and Advantage™. These gels are surrogates for future microbicidal gels, differing in molecular structures and biophysical properties. Methods For each protocol, a 3-mL gel bolus was inserted to the posterior fornix while the woman was in the supine position. She then either: (1) remained supine (10 min); or (2) sat up (1 min), stood up (1 min), sat down (1 min), and returned to supine for a net elapsed time of 10 min. The imaging device is sized/shaped like a phallus, and measurements while the device was inserted provide data that simulate peri-intromission coating. Results Coating by Advantage™ was more extensive and uniform than coating by Conceptrol®, with smaller bare spots of uncoated epithelium. Change in posture tended to increase extent and uniformity of coating, details differing between gels. Conclusions Results are consistent with predictions of mechanistic coating theory, using gel rheological data as inputs. PMID:17241845

Revealing the velocity structure of the filamentary nebula in NGC 1275 in its entirety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gendron-Marsolais, M.; Hlavacek-Larrondo, J.; Martin, T. B.; Drissen, L.; McDonald, M.; Fabian, A. C.; Edge, A. C.; Hamer, S. L.; McNamara, B.; Morrison, G.

2018-05-01

We have produced for the first time a detailed velocity map of the giant filamentary nebula surrounding NGC 1275, the Perseus cluster's brightest galaxy, and revealed a previously unknown rich velocity structure across the entire nebula. These new observations were obtained with the optical imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE at CFHT. With its wide field of view (˜11'×11'), SITELLE is the only integral field unit spectroscopy instrument able to cover the 80 kpc×55 kpc (3.8'×2.6') large nebula in NGC 1275. Our analysis of these observations shows a smooth radial gradient of the [N II]λ6583/Hα line ratio, suggesting a change in the ionization mechanism and source across the nebula. The velocity map shows no visible general trend or rotation, indicating that filaments are not falling uniformly onto the galaxy, nor being uniformly pulled out from it. Comparison between the physical properties of the filaments and Hitomi measurements of the X-ray gas dynamics in Perseus are also explored.

Research of beam smoothing technologies using CPP, SSD, and PS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Rui; Su, Jingqin; Hu, Dongxia; Li, Ping; Yuan, Haoyu; Zhou, Wei; Yuan, Qiang; Wang, Yuancheng; Tian, Xiaocheng; Xu, Dangpeng; Dong, Jun; Zhu, Qihua

2015-02-01

Precise physical experiments place strict requirements on target illumination uniformity in Inertial Confinement Fusion. To obtain a smoother focal spot and suppress transverse SBS in large aperture optics, Multi-FM smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) was studied combined with continuous phase plate (CPP) and polarization smoothing (PS). New ways of PS are being developed to improve the laser irradiation uniformity and solve LPI problems in indirect-drive laser fusion. The near field and far field properties of beams using polarization smoothing were studied and compared, including birefringent wedge and polarization control array. As more parameters can be manipulated in a combined beam smoothing scheme, quad beam smoothing was also studies. Simulation results indicate through adjusting dispersion directions of one-dimensional (1-D) SSD beams in a quad, two-dimensional SSD can be obtained. Experiments have been done on SG-III laser facility using CPP and Multi-FM SSD. The research provides some theoretical and experimental basis for the application of CPP, SSD and PS on high-power laser facilities.

Combined Thermochromic And Plasmonic: Optical Responses In Novel Nanocomposite Au-VO{sub 2} Films Prepared By RF Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering

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

Kana, J. B. Kana; Department of physics, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812 Yaounde; Ndjaka, J. M.

2008-09-23

We prepared gold/Vanadium dioxide nanocomposites thin films by the rf reactive inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering (ICMS) for the first time and report their enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) tunable shift reversibility. ICMS has been attracting much attention for its ability for uniform coating of three-dimensional objects and high-rate deposition of dielectric materials. To investigate the optical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in an active matrix (VO{sub 2}) composite film was synthesized on corning glass substrates for several substrate temperatures ranging from 400 deg. C to 600 deg. C. The X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that the Au and VO{sub 2} weremore » well crystallized. The optical transmission properties were measured from 300nm to 1100nm and the absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au nanoparticles were observed. Under external temperature stimuli, the tunable reversibility of the SPR shift was observed when the nanocomposites temperature varies from 20 deg. C to 100 deg. C. The enhancement of this shift of SPR was observed as the substrate temperature increases and it was found that the shift of SPR increased rapidly with increasing substrate temperature but then remained constant at {approx}57 nm for substrate temperature higher than 500 deg. C.« less

Physico-chemical properties of PMMA/ZnO nanocomposite capped with 1-chloro-9,10-bis (phenyl ethynyl) anthracene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anandalli, Mallikarjun; Kanakaraj, T. M.; Hebbar, Vidyashree; Naik, Jagadish; Bhajantri, R. F.

2018-05-01

The nanocomposite films of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/zinc oxide (ZnO) capped with different weight (0.25wt%,1wt%) percentage of fluorescence dye 1-chlor-9,10-bis (phenyl ethynyl anthracene (C30H17Cl) were prepared using solution casting method. ZnO powder dispersed in the polymer matrix uniformly, enhance the optical and physical properties of nanocomposite. Interaction of fluorescence dye and ZnO with polymer matrix gives the emerging applications, due to the fact that the dye C30H17Cl emits yellow light and it has wide band gap, hole transporting material. The prepared samples have been studied using the experimental techniques such as FTIR, UV-Visible (indirect energy gap plots), XRD, AFM. The FTIR used to confirm the peaks of ZnO nanoparticles dispersed in polymer matrix and interaction of the dye. From the UV-Visible technique, the optical band gap of the nanocomposites has been investigated, and the obtained optical band gap reduces with increase in weight % of dye in PMMA/ZnO. The AFM results show the surface morphology and smoothness of the nanocomposite films. The crystallinity of the PMMA/ZnO:C30H17Cl nanocomposite has been estimated using powder XRD patterns. The prepared nanocomposites films useful for the wide range of applications.

Evaluation of the structural, optical and electrical properties of AZO thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition for optoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, K. Deva Arun; Valanarasu, S.; Rosario, S. Rex; Ganesh, V.; Shkir, Mohd.; Sreelatha, C. J.; AlFaify, S.

2018-04-01

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films for electrode applications were deposited on glass substrates using chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The influence of deposition time on the structural, morphological, and opto-electrical properties of AZO films were investigated. Structural studies confirmed that all the deposited films were hexagonal wurtzite structure with polycrystalline nature and exhibited (002) preferential orientation. There is no other impurity phases were detected for different deposition time. Surface morphological images shows the spherically shaped grains are uniformly arranged on to the entire film surface. The EDS spectrum confirms the presence of Zn, O and Al elements in deposited AZO film. The observed optical transmittance is high (87%) in the visible region, and the calculated band gap value is 3.27 eV. In this study, the transmittance value is decreased with increasing deposition time. The room temperature PL spectrum exposed that AZO thin film deposited at (60 min) has good optical quality with less defect density. The minimum electrical resistivity and maximum carrier concentration values were observed as 8.53 × 10-3(Ω cm) and 3.53 × 1018 cm-3 for 60 min deposited film, respectively. The obtained figure of merit (ϕ) value 3.05 × 10-3(Ω/sq)- 1 is suggested for an optoelectronic device.

Effects of different annealing atmospheres on the properties of cadmium sulfide thin films

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

Yücel, E., E-mail: dr.ersinyucel@gmail.com; Kahraman, S.; Güder, H.S.

2015-08-15

Graphical abstract: The effects of different annealing atmospheres (air and sulfur) on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CdS thin films were studied at three different pH values. - Highlights: • Compactness and smoothness of the films were enhanced after sulfur annealing. • Micro-strain values of some films were improved after sulfur annealing. • Dislocation density values of some films were improved after sulfur annealing. • Band gap values of the films were improved after sulfur annealing. - Abstract: Cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by using chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The effects ofmore » different annealing atmospheres (air and sulfur) on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CdS thin films were studied at three different pH values. Compactness and smoothness of the films (especially for pH 10.5 and 11) enhanced after sulfur annealing. pH value of the precursor solution remarkably affected the roughness, uniformity and particle sizes of the films. Based on the analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the films, micro-strain and dislocation density values of the sulfur-annealed films (pH 10.5 and 11) were found to be lower than those of air-annealed films. Air-annealed films (pH 10.5, 11 and 11.5) exhibited higher transmittance than sulfur-annealed films in the wavelength region of 550–800 nm. Optical band gap values of the films were found between 2.31 eV and 2.36 eV.« less

Spatial patterns of DOC concentration and DOM optical properties in a Brazilian tropical river-wetland system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalmagro, Higo J.; Johnson, Mark S.; de Musis, Carlo R.; Lathuillière, Michael J.; Graesser, Jordan; Pinto-Júnior, Osvaldo B.; Couto, Eduardo G.

2017-08-01

The Cerrado (savanna) and Pantanal (wetland) biomes of Central Western Brazil have experienced significant development activity in recent decades, including extensive land cover conversion from natural ecosystems to agriculture and urban expansion. The Cuiabá River transects the Cerrado biome prior to inundating large areas of the Pantanal, creating one of the largest biodiversity hot spots in the world. We measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the optical absorbance and fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from 40 sampling locations spanning Cerrado and Pantanal biomes during wet and dry seasons. In the upper, more agricultural region of the basin, DOC concentrations were highest in the rainy season with more aromatic and humified DOM. In contrast, DOC concentrations and DOM optical properties were more uniform for the more urbanized middle region of the basin between wet and dry seasons, as well as across sample locations. In the lower region of the basin, wet season connectivity between the river and the Pantanal floodplain led to high DOC concentrations, a fourfold increase in humification index (HIX) (an indicator of DOM humification), and a 50% reduction in the spectral slope (SR). Basin-wide, wet season values for SR, HIX, and FI (fluorescence index) indicated an increasing representation of terrestrially derived DOM that was more humified. Parallel factor analysis identified two terrestrially derived components (C1 and C2) representing 77% of total fluorescing DOM (fDOM). A third, protein-like fDOM component increased markedly during the wet season within the more urban-impacted region.

In-line optical fiber sensors based on cladded multimode tapered fibers.

PubMed

Villatoro, Joel; Monzón-Hernández, David; Luna-Moreno, Donato

2004-11-10

The use of uniform-waist cladded multimode tapered optical fibers is demonstrated for evanescent wave spectroscopy and sensors. The tapering is a simple, low-loss process and consists of stretching the fiber while it is being heated with an oscillating flame torch. As examples, a refractive-index sensor and a hydrogen sensor are demonstrated by use of a conventional graded-index multimode optical fiber. Also, absorbance spectra are measured while the tapers are immersed in an absorbing liquid. It is found experimentally that the uniform waist is the part of the taper that contributes most to the sensor sensitivity. The taper waist diameter may also be used to adjust the sensor dynamic range.

Effect of electron-beam deposition process variables on the film characteristics of the CrOx films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Po-kai; Liao, Yi-Ting; Tsai, Hung-Yin; Chiang, Donyau

2018-02-01

The film characteristics and optical properties of the chromium oxide films on the glass substrates prepared by electron-beam deposition with different process variables were investigated. The process variables included are the various oxygen flow rates, the different applied substrate temperatures, and the preparation process in Ar or O2 surrounding environment with and without ion-assisted deposition. The optical constants of the deposited films are determined from the reflectance and transmittance measurements obtained using a spectrophotometer with wavelengths ranging from 350 nm to 2000 nm. The microstructures of the films were examined by the XRD, SEM, and XPS. The electrical conductivity was measured by a four-point probe instrument. The resulting microstructures of all the prepared films are amorphous and the features of the films are dense, uniform and no pillar structure is observed. The refractive index of deposited films decrease with oxygen flow rate increase within studied wavelengths and the extinction coefficients have the same trend in wavelengths of UV/Vis ranges. Increasing substrate temperature to 200 oC results in increase of both refractive index and extinction coefficient, but substrate temperatures below 150 oC show negligible effect on optical constants. The optical and electrical properties in the prepared CrOx films are illustrated by the analyzed XPS results, which decompose the enveloped curve of chromium electron energy status into the constituents of metal Cr, oxides CrO2 and Cr2O3. The relative occupied area contributed from metal Cr and area contributed from the other oxides can express the concentration ratio of free electron to covalent bonds in deposited films and the ratio is applied to explain the film characteristics, including the optical constants and sheet resistance.

English/Russian terminology on radiometric calibration of space-borne optoelectronic sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Privalsky, V.; Zakharenkov, V.; Humpherys, T.; Sapritsky, V.; Datla, R.

The efficient use of data acquired through exo-atmospheric observations of the Earth within the framework of existing and newly planned programs requires a unique understanding of respective terms and definitions. Yet, the last large-scale document on the subject - The International Electrotechnical Vocabulary - had been published 18 years ago. This lack of a proper document, which would reflect the changes that had occurred in the area since that time, is especially detrimental to the developing international efforts aimed at global observations of the Earth from space such as the Global Earth Observations Program proposed by the U.S.A. at the 2003 WMO Congress. To cover this gap at least partially, a bi-lingual explanatory dictionary of terms and definitions in the area of radiometric calibration of space-borne IR sensors is developed. The objectives are to produce a uniform terminology for the global space-borne observations of the Earth, establish a unique understanding of terms and definitions by the radiometric communities, including a correspondence between the Russian and American terms and definitions, and to develop a formal English/Russian reference dictionary for use by scientists and engineers involved in radiometric observations of the Earth from space. The dictionary includes close to 400 items covering basic concepts of geometric, wave and corpuscular optics, remote sensing technologies, and ground-based calibration as well as more detailed treatment of terms and definitions in the areas of radiometric quantities, symbols and units, optical phenomena and optical properties of objects and media, and radiometric systems and their properties. The dictionary contains six chapters: Basic Concepts, Quantities, Symbols, and Units, Optical phenomena, Optical characteristics of surfaces and media, Components of Radiometric Systems, Characteristics of radiometric system components, plus English/Russian and Russian/Inglish indices.

Lateral migration of a microdroplet under optical forces in a uniform flow

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

Cho, Hyunjun; Chang, Cheong Bong; Jung, Jin Ho

2014-12-15

The behavior of a microdroplet in a uniform flow and subjected to a vertical optical force applied by a loosely focused Gaussian laser beam was studied numerically. The lattice Boltzmann method was applied to obtain the two-phase flow field, and the dynamic ray tracing method was adopted to calculate the optical force. The optical forces acting on the spherical droplets agreed well with the analytical values. The numerically predicted droplet migration distances agreed well with the experimentally obtained values. Simulations of the various flow and optical parameters showed that the droplet migration distance nondimensionalized by the droplet radius is proportionalmore » to the S number (z{sub d}/r{sub p} = 0.377S), which is the ratio of the optical force to the viscous drag. The effect of the surface tension was also examined. These results indicated that the surface tension influenced the droplet migration distance to a lesser degree than the flow and optical parameters. The results of the present work hold for the refractive indices of the mean fluid and the droplet being 1.33 and 1.59, respectively.« less

Transparent and Flexible Large-scale Graphene-based Heater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Junmo; Lee, Changgu; Kim, Young-Jin; Choi, Jae-Boong; Hong, Byung Hee

2011-03-01

We report the application of transparent and flexible heater with high optical transmittance and low sheet resistance using graphene films, showing outstanding thermal and electrical properties. The large-scale graphene films were grown on Cu foil by chemical vapor deposition methods, and transferred to transparent substrates by multiple stacking. The wet chemical doping process enhanced the electrical properties, showing a sheet resistance as low as 35 ohm/sq with 88.5 % transmittance. The temperature response usually depends on the dimension and the sheet resistance of the graphene-based heater. We show that a 4x4 cm2 heater can reach 80& circ; C within 40 seconds and large-scale (9x9 cm2) heater shows uniformly heating performance, which was measured using thermocouple and infra-red camera. These heaters would be very useful for defogging systems and smart windows.

Adhesion of Mineral and Soot Aerosols can Strongly Affect their Scattering and Absorption Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Dlugach, Jana M.

2012-01-01

We use the numerically exact superposition T-matrix method to compute the optical cross sections and the Stokes scattering matrix for polydisperse mineral aerosols (modeled as homogeneous spheres) covered with a large number of much smaller soot particles. These results are compared with the Lorenz-Mie results for a uniform external mixture of mineral and soot aerosols. We show that the effect of soot particles adhering to large mineral particles can be to change the extinction and scattering cross sections and the asymmetry parameter quite substantially. The effect on the phase function and degree of linear polarization can be equally significant.

The characteristics of grating structure in magnetic field measurements based on polarization properties of fiber gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yang; Peng, Hui; Feng, Kui; Li, Yu-quan

2009-11-01

In this paper the characteristics of grating structure in magnetic field measurements based on differential group delay of fiber gratings are analyzed. Theoretical simulations are realized using the coupled-mode theory and transfer matrix method. The effects of grating parameters of uniform Bragg grating on measurement range and sensitivity are analyzed. The impacts of chirped, phase-shifted and apodized gratings on DGD peak values are also monitored. FBG transmitted spectrums and DGD spectrums are recorded by means of an optical vector analyzer (OVA). Both the simulations and experiments demonstrate that the phase-shifted gratings can obviously improve the sensitivity.

Label-free hyperspectral dark-field microscopy for quantitative scatter imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheney, Philip; McClatchy, David; Kanick, Stephen; Lemaillet, Paul; Allen, David; Samarov, Daniel; Pogue, Brian; Hwang, Jeeseong

2017-03-01

A hyperspectral dark-field microscope has been developed for imaging spatially distributed diffuse reflectance spectra from light-scattering samples. In this report, quantitative scatter spectroscopy is demonstrated with a uniform scattering phantom, namely a solution of polystyrene microspheres. A Monte Carlo-based inverse model was used to calculate the reduced scattering coefficients of samples of different microsphere concentrations from wavelength-dependent backscattered signal measured by the dark-field microscope. The results are compared to the measurement results from a NIST double-integrating sphere system for validation. Ongoing efforts involve quantitative mapping of scattering and absorption coefficients in samples with spatially heterogeneous optical properties.

Enhanced Optical and Electrical Properties of Polymer-Assisted All-Inorganic Perovskites for Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Ling, Yichuan; Tian, Yu; Wang, Xi; Wang, Jamie C; Knox, Javon M; Perez-Orive, Fernando; Du, Yijun; Tan, Lei; Hanson, Kenneth; Ma, Biwu; Gao, Hanwei

2016-10-01

Highly bright light-emitting diodes based on solution-processed all-inorganic perovskite thin film are demonstrated. The cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr 3 ) created using a new poly(ethylene oxide)-additive spin-coating method exhibits photoluminescence quantum yield up to 60% and excellent uniformity of electrical current distribution. Using the smooth CsPbBr 3 films as emitting layers, green perovskite-based light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) exhibit electroluminescent brightness and efficiency above 53 000 cd m -2 and 4%: a new benchmark of device performance for all-inorganic PeLEDs. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Micelle-assisted fabrication of necklace-shaped assembly of inorganic fullerene-like molybdenum disulfide nanospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Yujie; Xie, Yi; Li, Zhengquan; Li, Xiaoxu; Zhang, Rong

2003-11-01

The fabrication of necklace-shaped assembly of inorganic fullerene-like molybdenum disulfide nanospheres via a micelle-assisted route is reported, in which necklace-shaped assembly of amorphous MoS 3 nanospheres is driven by the aggregation transformation of surfactants at low temperatures and then is transformed to the assembly of target fullerene-like MoS 2 by annealing. This nanostructure is a type of oriented assembly of inorganic fullerene-like structures, which is confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. The optical absorption property is investigated to show their inorganic fullerene-like structure and uniform shape.

Structural, thermal, spectroscopic, and spectral dispersion studies of nanocrystalline methyl red thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makhlouf, Mohamed M.; El-Denglawey, Adel

2018-04-01

Methyl red (MR) powder is polycrystalline structure as-purchased. The uniform, homogeneous and no cracks nano MR thin films are successfully prepared using thermal evaporation technique. The structural investigation for the pristine, annealed and UV irradiated MR films shows nanorods spread in amorphous medium. The part of as-prepared films exposed to UV light irradiation of wavelength 254 nm and intensity of 2000 µW/cm2 for 1 h, while the other part of films was treated by the annealing temperature at 178 °C for 1 h. The optical properties of MR thin films were investigated using spectrophotometric measurements of the transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence in the spectral range 200-2000 nm. The optical constants, dispersion parameters, and energy loss and dielectric functions of MR thin films were calculated and showed remarkable dependence on UV irradiation and annealing temperature upon the films of MR. The dependence of absorption coefficient on the photon energy were analyzed and the results showed that MR films undergo direct allowed optical transition for pristine, annealed and irradiated MR films.

Design, analysis, and test verification of advanced encapsulation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, A.; Minning, C.

1981-01-01

Thermal, optical, structural, and electrical isolation analyses are decribed. Major factors in the design of terrestrial photovoltaic modules are discussed. Mechanical defects in the different layers of an encapsulation system, it was found, would strongly influence the minimum pottant thickness required for electrical isolation. Structural, optical, and electrical properties, a literature survey indicated, are hevily influenced by the presence of moisture. These items, identified as technology voids, are discussed. Analyses were based upon a 1.2 meter square module using 10.2 cm (4-inch) square cells placed 1.3 mm apart as shown in Figure 2-2. Sizing of the structural support member of a module was determined for a uniform, normal pressure load of 50 psf, corresponding to the pressure difference generated between the front and back surface of a module by a 100 mph wind. Thermal and optical calculations were performed for a wind velocity of 1 meter/sec parallel to the ground and for module tilt (relative to the local horizontal) of 37 deg. Placement of a module in a typical array field is illustrated.

Design, analysis, and test verification of advanced encapsulation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, A.; Minning, C.

1981-11-01

Thermal, optical, structural, and electrical isolation analyses are decribed. Major factors in the design of terrestrial photovoltaic modules are discussed. Mechanical defects in the different layers of an encapsulation system, it was found, would strongly influence the minimum pottant thickness required for electrical isolation. Structural, optical, and electrical properties, a literature survey indicated, are hevily influenced by the presence of moisture. These items, identified as technology voids, are discussed. Analyses were based upon a 1.2 meter square module using 10.2 cm (4-inch) square cells placed 1.3 mm apart as shown in Figure 2-2. Sizing of the structural support member of a module was determined for a uniform, normal pressure load of 50 psf, corresponding to the pressure difference generated between the front and back surface of a module by a 100 mph wind. Thermal and optical calculations were performed for a wind velocity of 1 meter/sec parallel to the ground and for module tilt (relative to the local horizontal) of 37 deg. Placement of a module in a typical array field is illustrated.

Modeling Conformal Growth in Photonic Crystals and Comparing to Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brzezinski, Andrew; Chen, Ying-Chieh; Wiltzius, Pierre; Braun, Paul

2008-03-01

Conformal growth, e.g. atomic layer deposition (ALD), of materials such as silicon and TiO2 on three dimensional (3D) templates is important for making photonic crystals. However, reliable calculations of optical properties as a function of the conformal growth, such as the optical band structure, are hampered by difficultly in accurately assessing a deposited material's spatial distribution. A widely used approximation ignores ``pinch off'' of precursor gas and assumes complete template infilling. Another approximation results in non-uniform growth velocity by employing iso-intensity surfaces of the 3D interference pattern used to create the template. We have developed an accurate model of conformal growth in arbitrary 3D periodic structures, allowing for arbitrary surface orientation. Results are compared with the above approximations and with experimentally fabricated photonic crystals. We use an SU8 polymer template created by 4-beam interference lithography, onto which various amounts of TiO2 are grown by ALD. Characterization is performed by analysis of cross-sectional scanning electron micrographs and by solid angle resolved optical spectroscopy.

Indium-tin-oxide nanowhiskers crystalline silicon photovoltaics combining micro- and nano-scale surface textures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C. H.; Hsu, M. H.; Chang, W. L.; Sun, W. C.; Yu, Peichen

2011-02-01

In this work, we present a solution that employs combined micro- and nano-scale surface textures to increase light harvesting in the near infrared for crystalline silicon photovoltaics, and discuss the associated antireflection and scattering mechanisms. The combined surface textures are achieved by uniformly depositing a layer of indium-tin-oxide nanowhiskers on passivated, micro-grooved silicon solar cells using electron-beam evaporation. The nanowhiskers facilitate optical transmission in the near-infrared, which is optically equivalent to a stack of two dielectric thin-films with step- and graded- refractive index profiles. The ITO nanowhiskers provide broadband anti-reflective properties (R<5%) in the wavelength range of 350-1100nm. In comparison with conventional Si solar cell, the combined surface texture solar cell shows higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) in the range of 700-1100nm. Moreover, the ITO nano-whisker coating Si solar cell shows a high total efficiency increase of 1.1% (from 16.08% to17.18%). Furthermore, the nano-whiskers also provide strong forward scattering for ultraviolet and visible light, favorable in thin-wafer silicon photovoltaics to increase the optical absorption path.

Ferric plasmonic nanoparticles, aptamers, and magnetofluidic chips: toward the development of diagnostic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy assays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marks, Haley; Huang, Po-Jung; Mabbott, Samuel; Graham, Duncan; Kameoka, Jun; Coté, Gerard

2016-12-01

Conjugation of aptamers and their corresponding analytes onto plasmonic nanoparticles mediates the formation of nanoparticle assemblies: molecularly bound nanoclusters that cause a measurable change in the colloid's optical properties. The optimization of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) competitive binding assay utilizing plasmonic "target" and magnetic "probe" nanoparticles for the detection of the toxin bisphenol-A (BPA) is presented. These assay nanoclusters were housed inside three types of optofluidic chips patterned with magnetically activated nickel pads, in either a straight or array pattern. Both Fe2O3 and Fe2CoO4 were compared as potential magnetic cores for the silver-coated probe nanoparticles. We found that the Ag@Fe2O3 particles were, on average, more uniform in size and more stable than Ag@Fe2CoO4, whereas the addition of cobalt significantly improved the collection time of particles. Using Raman mapping of the assay housed within the magnetofluidic chips, it was determined that a 1×5 array of 50 μm square nickel pads provided the most uniform SERS enhancement of the assay (coefficient of variation ˜25%) within the magnetofluidic chip. Additionally, the packaged assay demonstrated the desired response to BPA, verifying the technology's potential to translate magnetic nanoparticle assays into a user-free optical analysis platform.

Electrostatic Functionalization and Passivation of Water-Exfoliated Few-Layer Black Phosphorus by Poly Dimethyldiallyl Ammonium Chloride and Its Ultrafast Laser Application.

PubMed

Feng, Qingliang; Liu, Hongyan; Zhu, Meijie; Shang, Jing; Liu, Dan; Cui, Xiaoqi; Shen, Diqin; Kou, Liangzhi; Mao, Dong; Zheng, Jianbang; Li, Chun; Zhang, Jin; Xu, Hua; Zhao, Jianlin

2018-03-21

Few-layer black phosphorus (BP) which exhibits excellent optical and electronic properties, has great potential applications in nanodevices. However, BP inevitably suffers from the rapid degradation in ambient air because of the high reactivity of P atoms with oxygen and water, which greatly hinders its wide applications. Herein, we demonstrate the electrostatic functionalization as an effective way to simultaneously enhance the stability and dispersity of aqueous phase exfoliated few-layer BP. The poly dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride (PDDA) is selected to spontaneously and uniformly adsorb on the surface of few-layer BP via electrostatic interaction. The positive charge-center of the N atom of PDDA, which passivates the lone-pair electrons of P, plays a critical role in stabilizing the BP. Meanwhile, the PDDA could serve as hydrophilic ligands to improve the dispersity of exfoliated BP in water. The thinner PDDA-BP nanosheets can stabilize in both air and water even after 15 days of exposure. Finally, the uniform PDDA-BP-polymer film was used as a saturable absorber to realize passive mode-locking operations in a fiber laser, delivering a train of ultrafast pulses with the duration of 1.2 ps at 1557.8 nm. This work provides a new way to obtain highly stable few-layer BP, which shows great promise in ultrafast optics application.

Ferric plasmonic nanoparticles, aptamers, and magnetofluidic chips: toward the development of diagnostic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy assays

PubMed Central

Marks, Haley; Huang, Po-Jung; Mabbott, Samuel; Graham, Duncan; Kameoka, Jun; Coté, Gerard

2016-01-01

Abstract. Conjugation of aptamers and their corresponding analytes onto plasmonic nanoparticles mediates the formation of nanoparticle assemblies: molecularly bound nanoclusters that cause a measurable change in the colloid’s optical properties. The optimization of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) competitive binding assay utilizing plasmonic “target” and magnetic “probe” nanoparticles for the detection of the toxin bisphenol-A (BPA) is presented. These assay nanoclusters were housed inside three types of optofluidic chips patterned with magnetically activated nickel pads, in either a straight or array pattern. Both Fe2O3 and Fe2CoO4 were compared as potential magnetic cores for the silver-coated probe nanoparticles. We found that the Ag@Fe2O3 particles were, on average, more uniform in size and more stable than Ag@Fe2CoO4, whereas the addition of cobalt significantly improved the collection time of particles. Using Raman mapping of the assay housed within the magnetofluidic chips, it was determined that a 1×5 array of 50  μm square nickel pads provided the most uniform SERS enhancement of the assay (coefficient of variation ∼25%) within the magnetofluidic chip. Additionally, the packaged assay demonstrated the desired response to BPA, verifying the technology’s potential to translate magnetic nanoparticle assays into a user-free optical analysis platform. PMID:27997017

Magnetic properties of Magneto-Rheological fluids with uniformly dispersed Fe nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poddar, P.; Wilson, J. L.; Srikanth, H.; Wereley, N. M.; Radhakrishnan, R.

2003-03-01

A systematic study of the magnetic properties of MR fluids containing micron-size and nano-size iron particles is presented. Nano-particles with a size range of 15-20 nm were prepared using microwave plasma technique. The MR-fluids were prepared with hydraulic oil as the carrier liquid and lecithin as an effective surfactant medium that promotes uniform particle dispersion. Static and dynamic magnetic measurements clearly indicate that the replacement of the micron-size particles by nano-particles results in a much better suspension. The magnetization in the nanoparticulate MR fluid is dominated by superparamagnetic particle response. In addition, collective behavior due to strong dipolar interactions associated with chaining of the particles in the field direction was also observed. A sharp drop in susceptibility at 250K was noted and this is ascribed to the carrier fluid freezing transition. We also present optical micrographs of showing chain formation and rheological performance as measured by field-dependent yield stress experiments. Sharper magnetic response to applied fields and lower field requirement for saturation make nano-particles attractive candidates for improved MR-fluid based sensors, actuators and microfluidics for clinical diagnostics. HS acknowledges support from NSF through grants ECS-0140047 and ECS-0102622. NMW and RR acknowledge support from NSF grant DMI-0110447.

Hydroxide ion-mediated synthesis of monodisperse dopamine-melanin nanospheres.

PubMed

Cho, Soojeong; Kim, Shin-Hyun

2015-11-15

Dopamine-melanin nanospheres are promising materials for photoprotection, structural coloration, and thermoregulation due to their unusual optical and chemical properties. Here, we report the experimental parameters which influence size of dopamine-melanin nanospheres and uniformity. Dopamine precursors are oxidatively polymerized in basic aqueous medium. Therefore, concentration of hydroxide ions significantly influences reaction rate and size of nanospheres. To investigate the effect of hydroxide ions, we adjust three different parameters which affect pH of medium: concentration of sodium hydroxide and dopamine hydrochloride, and reaction temperature. At constant temperature, concentration of hydroxide ions is linearly proportional to initial reaction rates which determine the number of nuclei for nanosphere growth. Temperature alters not only initial reaction rate but also diffusivity of molecules, leading to deviation from the relation between the reaction rate and the number of nuclei. The diameter of dopamine-melanin nanospheres can be readily controlled in a range of 80-490nm through adjusting concentration of dopamine precursor, while maintaining uniform-size distribution and dispersion stability. The synthesized nanospheres are analyzed to confirm the chemical structure, which is composed of approximately 6 indole units. Moreover, surface and chemical properties of the nanospheres are characterized to provide valuable information for surface modification and application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lead free CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnI{sub 3} perovskite thin-film with p-type semiconducting nature and metal-like conductivity

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

Iefanova, Anastasiia; Adhikari, Nirmal; Dubey, Ashish

Lead free CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnI{sub 3} perovskite thin film was prepared by low temperature solution processing and characterized using current sensing atomic force microscopy (CS-AFM). Analysis of electrical, optical, and optoelectrical properties reveals unique p-type semiconducting nature and metal like conductivity of this material. CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnI{sub 3} film also showed a strong absorption in visible and near infrared spectrum with absorption onset of 1.3 eV. X-ray Diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed a structure of this compound and uniform film formation. The morphology, film uniformity, light harvesting and electrical properties strongly depend on preparation method and precursormore » solution. CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnI{sub 3} films prepared based on dimethylformamide (DMF) showed higher crystallinity and light harvesting capability compared to the film based on combination of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with gamma-butyrolactone (GBL). Local photocurrent mapping analysis showed that CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnI{sub 3} can be used as an active layer and have a potential to fabricate lead free photovoltaic devices.« less

Characterisation of optical filters for broadband UVA radiometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Luciana C.; Coelho, Carla T.; Corrêa, Jaqueline S. P. M.; Menegotto, Thiago; Ferreira da Silva, Thiago; Aparecida de Souza, Muriel; Melo da Silva, Elisama; Simões de Lima, Maurício; Dornelles de Alvarenga, Ana Paula

2016-07-01

Optical filters were characterized in order to know its suitability for use in broadband UVA radiometer head for spectral irradiance measurements. The spectral transmittance, the angular dependence and the spatial uniformity of the spectral transmittance of the UVA optical filters were investigated. The temperature dependence of the transmittance was also studied.

Biotin-decorated silica coated PbS nanocrystals emitting in the second biological near infrared window for bioimaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corricelli, M.; Depalo, N.; di Carlo, E.; Fanizza, E.; Laquintana, V.; Denora, N.; Agostiano, A.; Striccoli, M.; Curri, M. L.

2014-06-01

Nanoparticles (NPs) emitting in the second biological near infrared (NIR) window of the electromagnetic spectrum have been successfully synthesized by growing a silica shell on the hydrophobic surface of OLEA/TOP PbS nanocrystals (NCs), by means of a reverse microemulsion approach, and subsequently decorated with biotin molecules. The fabrication of very uniform and monodisperse NPs, formed of SiO2 shell coated single core PbS NCs, has been demonstrated by means of a set of complementary optical and structural techniques (Vis-NIR absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy) that have highlighted how experimental parameters, such as PbS NC and silica precursor concentration, are crucial to direct the morphology and optical properties of silica coated PbS NPs. Subsequently, the silica surface of the core-shell NPs has been grafted with amino groups, in order to achieve covalent binding of biotin to NIR emitting silica coated NPs. Finally the successful reaction with a green-fluorescent labelled streptavidin has verified the molecular recognition response of the biotin molecules decorating the PbS@SiO2 NP surface. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and ζ-potential techniques have been used to monitor the hydrodynamic diameter and colloidal stability of both PbS@SiO2 and biotin decorated NPs, showing their high colloidal stability in physiological media, as needed for biomedical applications. Remarkably the obtained biotinylated PbS@SiO2 NPs have been found to retain emission properties in the `second optical window' of the NIR region of the electromagnetic spectrum, thus representing attractive receptor-targeted NIR fluorescent probes for in vivo tumour imaging.Nanoparticles (NPs) emitting in the second biological near infrared (NIR) window of the electromagnetic spectrum have been successfully synthesized by growing a silica shell on the hydrophobic surface of OLEA/TOP PbS nanocrystals (NCs), by means of a reverse microemulsion approach, and subsequently decorated with biotin molecules. The fabrication of very uniform and monodisperse NPs, formed of SiO2 shell coated single core PbS NCs, has been demonstrated by means of a set of complementary optical and structural techniques (Vis-NIR absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy) that have highlighted how experimental parameters, such as PbS NC and silica precursor concentration, are crucial to direct the morphology and optical properties of silica coated PbS NPs. Subsequently, the silica surface of the core-shell NPs has been grafted with amino groups, in order to achieve covalent binding of biotin to NIR emitting silica coated NPs. Finally the successful reaction with a green-fluorescent labelled streptavidin has verified the molecular recognition response of the biotin molecules decorating the PbS@SiO2 NP surface. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and ζ-potential techniques have been used to monitor the hydrodynamic diameter and colloidal stability of both PbS@SiO2 and biotin decorated NPs, showing their high colloidal stability in physiological media, as needed for biomedical applications. Remarkably the obtained biotinylated PbS@SiO2 NPs have been found to retain emission properties in the `second optical window' of the NIR region of the electromagnetic spectrum, thus representing attractive receptor-targeted NIR fluorescent probes for in vivo tumour imaging. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Size statistical analysis of silanized PbS NPs, TLC plate showing the ninhydrin test results and a table summarizing the DH and ζ-potential values for the investigated samples. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr01025f

Electrodeposition and characterization of ZnO thin films using sodium thiosulfate as an additive for photovoltaic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahal, Hassiba; Kihal, Rafiaa; Affoune, Abed Mohamed; Ghers, Mokhtar; Djazi, Faycal

2017-06-01

Zinc oxide thin films have been grown by electrodeposition technique onto Cu and ITO-coated glass substrates from an aqueous zinc nitrate solution with addition of sodium thiosulfate at 90 °C. The effects of sodium thiosulfate on the electrochemical deposition of ZnO were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. Deposited films were obtained at -0.60 V vs. SCE and characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, optical, photoelectrochemical and electrical measurements. Thickness of the deposited film was measured to be 357 nm. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the synthesized ZnO has a pure hexagonal wurtzite structure with a marked preferential orientation along (002) plane. FTIR results confirmed the presence of ZnO films at peak 558 cm-1. SEM images showed uniform, compact morphology without any cracks and films composed of large flower-like ZnO agglomerates with star-shape. Optical properties of ZnO reveal a high optical transmission (> 80 % ) and high absorption coefficient (α > {10}5 {{cm}}-1) in visible region. The optical energy band gap was found to be 3.28 eV. Photoelectrochemical measurements indicated that the ZnO films had n-type semiconductor conduction. Electrical properties of ZnO films showed a low electrical resistivity of 6.54 {{Ω }}\\cdot {cm}, carrier concentration of -1.3× {10}17 {{cm}}-3 and mobility of 7.35 cm2 V-1 s-1. Project supported by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Algeria (No. J0101520090018).

Crystal Growth of ZnSe and Related Ternary Compound Semiconductors by Vapor Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ching-Hua; Burger, Arnold; Dudley, Michael; Matyi, Richard J.; Ramachandran, Narayanan; Sha, Yi-Gao; Volz, Martin; Shih, Hung-Dah

1998-01-01

Interest in optical devices which can operate in the visible spectrum has motivated research interest in the II-VI wide band gap semiconductor materials. The recent challenge for semiconductor opto-electronics is the development of a laser which can operate at short visible wavelengths, In the past several years, major advances in thin film technology such as molecular beam epitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition have demonstrated the applicability of II-VI materials to important devices such as light-emitting diodes, lasers, and ultraviolet detectors.The demonstration of its optical bistable properties in bulk and thin film forms also make ZnSe a possible candidate material for the building blocks of a digital optical computer. Despite this, developments in the crystal growth of bulk II-VI semiconductor materials has not advanced far enough to provide the low price, high quality substrates needed for the thin film growth technology. The electrical and optical properties of semiconductor materials depend on the native point defects, (the deviation from stoichiometry), and the impurity or dopant distribution. To date, the bulk growth of ZnSe substrates has been plagued with problems related to defects such as non-uniform distributions of native defects, impurities and dopants, lattice strain, dislocations, grain boundaries, and second phase inclusions which greatly effect the device performance. In the bulk crystal growth of some technologically important semiconductors, such as ZnTe, CdS, ZnSe and ZnS, vapor growth techniques have significant advantages over melt growth techniques due to the high melting points of these materials.

Process development for waveguide chemical sensors with integrated polymeric sensitive layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amberkar, Raghu; Gao, Zhan; Park, Jongwon; Henthorn, David B.; Kim, Chang-Soo

2008-02-01

Due to the proper optical property and flexibility in the process development, an epoxy-based, high-aspect ratio photoresist SU-8 is now attracting attention in optical sensing applications. Manipulation of the surface properties of SU-8 waveguides is critical to attach functional films such as chemically-sensitive layers. We describe a new integration process to immobilize fluorescence molecules on SU-8 waveguide surface for application to intensity-based optical chemical sensors. We use two polymers for this application. Spin-on, hydrophobic, photopatternable silicone is a convenient material to contain fluorophore molecules and to pattern a photolithographically defined thin layer on the surface of SU-8. We use fumed silica powders as an additive to uniformly disperse the fluorophores in the silicone precursor. In general, additional processes are not critically required to promote the adhesion between the SU-8 and silicone. The other material is polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA). Recently we demonstrated a novel photografting method to modify the surface of SU-8 using a surface bound initiator to control its wettability. The activated surface is then coated with a monomer precursor solution. Polymerization follows when the sample is exposed to UV irradiation, resulting in a grafted PEGDA layer incorporating fluorophores within the hydrogel matrix. Since this method is based the UV-based photografting reaction, it is possible to grow off photolithographically defined hydrogel patterns on the waveguide structures. The resulting films will be viable integrated components in optical bioanalytical sensors. This is a promising technique for integrated chemical sensors both for planar type waveguide and vertical type waveguide chemical sensors.

Multiple LEDs luminous system in capsule endoscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mang, Ou-Yang; Huang, Shih-Wei; Lee, Hsin-Hung; Chen, Yung-Lin; Huang, Ko-Chih; Kuo, Yi-Ting

2007-02-01

Developing the luminous system in a capsule endoscope, it is difficult to obtain an uniform illumination[1] on the observed object because of several reasons: the light pattern of LED is sensitively depend on the driving current, location and projective angles; the optical path of LED light source is not parallel to the optical axis of the nearby imaging lenses; the strong reflection from the inner surface of the dome may saturate the CMOS sensors; the object plane of the observed intestine is not flat. Those reasons induce the over-blooming and deep-dark contrast in a picture and distort the original image strongly. The purpose of the article is to construct a photometric model to analyze the LED projection light pattern, and, furthermore, design a novel multiple LEDs luminous system for obtaining an uniform-brightness image. Several key parameters resulting as illumination uniformity has been taken under the model consideration and proven by experimental results. Those parameters include LED light pattern accuracy, choosing LED position relative to the imaging optical axis, LED numbers, arrangement, and the inner curvature of the dome. The novel structure improves the uniformity from 41% to 71% and reduces the light energy loss under 2%. The progress will help medical professionals to diagnose diseases and give treatment precisely based on the vivid image.

OPTICAL FIBRES AND FIBREOPTIC SENSORS: Polarisation reflectometry of anisotropic optical fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konstantinov, Yurii A.; Kryukov, Igor'I.; Pervadchuk, Vladimir P.; Toroshin, Andrei Yu

2009-11-01

Anisotropic, polarisation-maintaining fibres have been studied using a reflectometer and integrated optic polariser. Linearly polarised pulses were launched into the fibre under test at different angles between their plane of polarisation and the main optical axis of the fibre. A special procedure for the correlation analysis of these reflectograms is developed to enhance the reliability of the information about the longitudinal optical uniformity ofanisotropic fibres.

Evolutionary algorithm for optimization of nonimaging Fresnel lens geometry.

PubMed

Yamada, N; Nishikawa, T

2010-06-21

In this study, an evolutionary algorithm (EA), which consists of genetic and immune algorithms, is introduced to design the optical geometry of a nonimaging Fresnel lens; this lens generates the uniform flux concentration required for a photovoltaic cell. Herein, a design procedure that incorporates a ray-tracing technique in the EA is described, and the validity of the design is demonstrated. The results show that the EA automatically generated a unique geometry of the Fresnel lens; the use of this geometry resulted in better uniform flux concentration with high optical efficiency.

Effect of cold rolling on the microstructural, magnetic, mechanical, and corrosion properties of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanhaei, S.; Gheisari, Kh.; Alavi Zaree, S. R.

2018-06-01

This study has evaluated the effect of different levels of cold rolling (from 0 to 50%) on the microstructural, magnetic, and mechanical properties and the corrosion behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel in NaCl (1 mol/L) + H2SO4 (0.5 mol/L) solution. Microstructural examinations using optical microscopy revealed the development of a morphological texture from coaxial to elongated grains during the cold-rolling process. Phase analysis carried out on the basis of X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of the ferromagnetic α'-martensite phase under the stresses applied during cold rolling. This finding is in agreement with magnetic measurements using a vibrating sample magnetometer. Mechanical properties determined by tensile and Vickers microhardness tests demonstrated an upward trend in the hardness-to-yield strength ratio with increasing cold-rolling percentage, representing a reduction in the material's work-hardening ability. Uniform and localized corrosion parameters were estimated via potentiodynamic polarization corrosion tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In contrast to the uniform corrosion, wherein the corrosion current density increased with increasing cold-working degree because of the high density of microstructural defects, the passive potential range and breakdown potential increased by cold working, showing greater resistance to pit nucleation. Although pits were formed, the cold-rolled material repassivation tendency decreased because of the broader hysteresis anodic loop, as confirmed experimentally by observation of the microscopic features after electrochemical cyclic polarization evaluations.

Mixing weight determination for retrieving optical properties of polluted dust with MODIS and AERONET data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Kuo-En; Hsiao, Ta-Chih; Hsu, N. Christina; Lin, Neng-Huei; Wang, Sheng-Hsiang; Liu, Gin-Rong; Liu, Chian-Yi; Lin, Tang-Huang

2016-08-01

In this study, an approach in determining effective mixing weight of soot aggregates from dust-soot aerosols is proposed to improve the accuracy of retrieving properties of polluted dusts by means of satellite remote sensing. Based on a pre-computed database containing several variables (such as wavelength, refractive index, soot mixing weight, surface reflectivity, observation geometries and aerosol optical depth (AOD)), the fan-shaped look-up tables can be drawn out accordingly for determining the mixing weights, AOD and single scattering albedo (SSA) of polluted dusts simultaneously with auxiliary regional dust properties and surface reflectivity. To validate the performance of the approach in this study, 6 cases study of polluted dusts (dust-soot aerosols) in Lower Egypt and Israel were examined with the ground-based measurements through AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET). The results show that the mean absolute differences could be reduced from 32.95% to 6.56% in AOD and from 2.67% to 0.83% in SSA retrievals for MODIS aerosol products when referenced to AERONET measurements, demonstrating the soundness of the proposed approach under different levels of dust loading, mixing weight and surface reflectivity. Furthermore, the developed algorithm is capable of providing the spatial distribution of the mixing weights and removing the requirement to assume that the dust plume properties are uniform. The case study further shows the spatially variant dust-soot mixing weight would improve the retrieval accuracy in AODmixture and SSAmixture about 10.0% and 1.4% respectively.

Black Versus Gray T-Shirts: Comparison of Spectrophotometric and Other Biophysical Properties of Physical Fitness Uniforms and Modeled Heat Strain and Thermal Comfort

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

test method for measuring the thermal insulation of clothing using a heated manikin. 2010. 2. ASTM International. F2370-10 Standard test method for...PROPERTIES OF PHYSICAL FITNESS UNIFORMS AND MODELED HEAT STRAIN AND THERMAL COMFORT DISCLAIMER The opinions or assertions contained herein are the...SHIRTS: COMPARISON OF SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC AND OTHER BIOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PHYSICAL FITNESS UNIFORMS AND MODELED HEAT STRAIN AND THERMAL COMFORT

Generation of uniformly oriented in-plane magnetization with near-unity purity in 4π microscopy.

PubMed

Wang, Sicong; Cao, Yaoyu; Li, Xiangping

2017-12-01

In this Letter, we numerically demonstrate the all-optical generation of uniformly oriented in-plane magnetization with near-unity purity (more than 99%) under a 4π microscopic configuration. This is achieved through focusing two counter-propagating vector beams consisting of coherently configured linear and radial components. Based on the Debye diffraction theory, constructive and destructive interferences of the focal field components can be tailored under the 4π configuration to generate high-purity uniformly polarized transverse and longitudinal electric-field components in the center of the focal region. Consequently, near-unity purity in-plane magnetization with a uniform orientation within the focal volume defined by the full width at half-maximum can be created through the inverse Faraday effect. In addition, it reveals that the purity of the in-plane magnetization is robust against the numerical aperture of the focal lens. This result expands the flexibility of magnetization manipulations through light and holds great potential in all-optical magnetic recording and spintronics.

Deposition of Nanostructured Thin Film from Size-Classified Nanoparticles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Camata, Renato P.; Cunningham, Nicholas C.; Seol, Kwang Soo; Okada, Yoshiki; Takeuchi, Kazuo

2003-01-01

Materials comprising nanometer-sized grains (approximately 1_50 nm) exhibit properties dramatically different from those of their homogeneous and uniform counterparts. These properties vary with size, shape, and composition of nanoscale grains. Thus, nanoparticles may be used as building blocks to engineer tailor-made artificial materials with desired properties, such as non-linear optical absorption, tunable light emission, charge-storage behavior, selective catalytic activity, and countless other characteristics. This bottom-up engineering approach requires exquisite control over nanoparticle size, shape, and composition. We describe the design and characterization of an aerosol system conceived for the deposition of size classified nanoparticles whose performance is consistent with these strict demands. A nanoparticle aerosol is generated by laser ablation and sorted according to size using a differential mobility analyzer. Nanoparticles within a chosen window of sizes (e.g., (8.0 plus or minus 0.6) nm) are deposited electrostatically on a surface forming a film of the desired material. The system allows the assembly and engineering of thin films using size-classified nanoparticles as building blocks.

Dependence of the surface roughness of MAPLE-deposited films on the solvent parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caricato, A. P.; Leggieri, G.; Martino, M.; Vantaggiato, A.; Valerini, D.; Cretì, A.; Lomascolo, M.; Manera, M. G.; Rella, R.; Anni, M.

2010-12-01

Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) was used to deposit layers of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) to study the relation between the solvent properties (laser light absorption, boiling temperature and solubility parameters) and the morphology of the deposited films. To this end, the polymer was diluted (0.5 wt%) in tetrahydrofuran—THF, toluene and toluene/hexane mixtures. The thickness of the films was equal to 70±20 nm. The morphology and uniformity of the films was investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy and by the photoluminescence emission properties of the polymer films, respectively. It is shown that, although the solubility parameters of the solvents are important in controlling the film roughness and morphology, the optical absorption properties and boiling temperature play a very important role, too. In fact, for matrices characterized by the same total solubility parameter, lower roughness values are obtained for films prepared using solvents with lower penetration depth of the laser radiation and higher boiling temperatures.

Jingle-bell-shaped ferrite hollow sphere with a noble metal core: Simple synthesis and their magnetic and antibacterial properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Siheng; Wang, Enbo; Tian, Chungui; Mao, Baodong; Kang, Zhenhui; Li, Qiuyu; Sun, Guoying

2008-07-01

In this paper, a simple strategy is developed for rational fabrication of a class of jingle-bell-shaped hollow structured nanomaterials marked as Ag@ MFe 2O 4 ( M=Ni, Co, Mg, Zn), consisting of ferrite hollow shells and metal nanoparticle cores, using highly uniform colloidal Ag@C microspheres as template. The final composites were obtained by direct adsorption of metal cations Fe 3+ and M 2+ on the surface of the Ag@C spheres followed by calcination process to remove the middle carbon shell and transform the metal ions into pure phase ferrites. The as-prepared composites were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometer. The results showed that the composites possess the magnetic property of the ferrite shell and the optical together with antibacterial property of the Ag core.

Visualization of expanding warm dense gold and diamond heated rapidly by laser-generated ion beams

DOE PAGES

Bang, W.; Albright, B. J.; Bradley, P. A.; ...

2015-09-22

With the development of several novel heating sources, scientists can now heat a small sample isochorically above 10,000 K. Although matter at such an extreme state, known as warm dense matter, is commonly found in astrophysics (e.g., in planetary cores) as well as in high energy density physics experiments, its properties are not well understood and are difficult to predict theoretically. This is because the approximations made to describe condensed matter or high-temperature plasmas are invalid in this intermediate regime. A sufficiently large warm dense matter sample that is uniformly heated would be ideal for these studies, but has beenmore » unavailable to date. We have used a beam of quasi-monoenergetic aluminum ions to heat gold and diamond foils uniformly and isochorically. For the first time, we visualized directly the expanding warm dense gold and diamond with an optical streak camera. Furthermore, we present a new technique to determine the initial temperature of these heated samples from the measured expansion speeds of gold and diamond into vacuum. We anticipate the uniformly heated solid density target will allow for direct quantitative measurements of equation-of-state, conductivity, opacity, and stopping power of warm dense matter, benefiting plasma physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.« less

Visualization of expanding warm dense gold and diamond heated rapidly by laser-generated ion beams.

PubMed

Bang, W; Albright, B J; Bradley, P A; Gautier, D C; Palaniyappan, S; Vold, E L; Santiago Cordoba, M A; Hamilton, C E; Fernández, J C

2015-09-22

With the development of several novel heating sources, scientists can now heat a small sample isochorically above 10,000 K. Although matter at such an extreme state, known as warm dense matter, is commonly found in astrophysics (e.g., in planetary cores) as well as in high energy density physics experiments, its properties are not well understood and are difficult to predict theoretically. This is because the approximations made to describe condensed matter or high-temperature plasmas are invalid in this intermediate regime. A sufficiently large warm dense matter sample that is uniformly heated would be ideal for these studies, but has been unavailable to date. Here we have used a beam of quasi-monoenergetic aluminum ions to heat gold and diamond foils uniformly and isochorically. For the first time, we visualized directly the expanding warm dense gold and diamond with an optical streak camera. Furthermore, we present a new technique to determine the initial temperature of these heated samples from the measured expansion speeds of gold and diamond into vacuum. We anticipate the uniformly heated solid density target will allow for direct quantitative measurements of equation-of-state, conductivity, opacity, and stopping power of warm dense matter, benefiting plasma physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.

Visualization of expanding warm dense gold and diamond heated rapidly by laser-generated ion beams

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

Bang, W.; Albright, B. J.; Bradley, P. A.

With the development of several novel heating sources, scientists can now heat a small sample isochorically above 10,000 K. Although matter at such an extreme state, known as warm dense matter, is commonly found in astrophysics (e.g., in planetary cores) as well as in high energy density physics experiments, its properties are not well understood and are difficult to predict theoretically. This is because the approximations made to describe condensed matter or high-temperature plasmas are invalid in this intermediate regime. A sufficiently large warm dense matter sample that is uniformly heated would be ideal for these studies, but has beenmore » unavailable to date. We have used a beam of quasi-monoenergetic aluminum ions to heat gold and diamond foils uniformly and isochorically. For the first time, we visualized directly the expanding warm dense gold and diamond with an optical streak camera. Furthermore, we present a new technique to determine the initial temperature of these heated samples from the measured expansion speeds of gold and diamond into vacuum. We anticipate the uniformly heated solid density target will allow for direct quantitative measurements of equation-of-state, conductivity, opacity, and stopping power of warm dense matter, benefiting plasma physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.« less

Visualization of expanding warm dense gold and diamond heated rapidly by laser-generated ion beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bang, W.; Albright, B. J.; Bradley, P. A.; Gautier, D. C.; Palaniyappan, S.; Vold, E. L.; Cordoba, M. A. Santiago; Hamilton, C. E.; Fernández, J. C.

2015-09-01

With the development of several novel heating sources, scientists can now heat a small sample isochorically above 10,000 K. Although matter at such an extreme state, known as warm dense matter, is commonly found in astrophysics (e.g., in planetary cores) as well as in high energy density physics experiments, its properties are not well understood and are difficult to predict theoretically. This is because the approximations made to describe condensed matter or high-temperature plasmas are invalid in this intermediate regime. A sufficiently large warm dense matter sample that is uniformly heated would be ideal for these studies, but has been unavailable to date. Here we have used a beam of quasi-monoenergetic aluminum ions to heat gold and diamond foils uniformly and isochorically. For the first time, we visualized directly the expanding warm dense gold and diamond with an optical streak camera. Furthermore, we present a new technique to determine the initial temperature of these heated samples from the measured expansion speeds of gold and diamond into vacuum. We anticipate the uniformly heated solid density target will allow for direct quantitative measurements of equation-of-state, conductivity, opacity, and stopping power of warm dense matter, benefiting plasma physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.

26 CFR 1.1014-4 - Uniformity of basis; adjustment to basis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Basis Rules of General Application § 1.1014-4 Uniformity of basis... to property acquired by bequest, devise, or inheritance relate back to the death of the decedent... prescribing a general uniform basis rule for property acquired from a decedent is, on the one hand, to tax the...

Surface morphological, structural, electrical and optical properties of GaN-based light-emitting diodes using submicron-scaled Ag islands and ITO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Young-Woong; Reddy, M. Siva Pratap; Kim, Bo-Myung; Park, Chinho

2018-07-01

An ITO-Ag islands complex as a new transparent conducting electrode (TCE) structure (on the 5 nm-thick p-InGaN/90 nm-thick p-GaN) for achieving high-performance and more reliable GaN-based LEDs were fabricated. A normal LED with a conventional ITO TCE was also compared. The surface morphological, structural, electrical and optical properties of fabricated GaN-based light-emitting diodes using a complex electrode of submicron-scaled Ag islands and ITO thin films are explored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), current-voltage (I-V) and output power-current (L-I) techniques. Surface morphology investigations revealed Ag islands formed uniformly on the p-InGaN/p-GaN surface during rapid thermal annealing at 400 °C for 1 min in N2 ambient. The ohmic properties and overall device-performance of the suggested contact and device structures were superior to those in the conventional ITO contact and normal ITO LED structures. Based on the results of XRD and XPS measurements, the formation of the intermetallic gallide phases (AgGa) is responsible for better performance characteristics of the ITO-Ag islands device. The significant improvements are described in terms of the conducting bridge influence, highly effective micro-mirror effect, and wider photon window via the roughened structure.

Effect of sintering temperature on physical, structural and optical properties of wollastonite based glass-ceramic derived from waste soda lime silica glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almasri, Karima Amer; Sidek, Hj. Ab Aziz; Matori, Khamirul Amin; Zaid, Mohd Hafiz Mohd

The impact of different sintering temperatures on physical, optical and structural properties of wollastonite (CaSiO3) based glass-ceramics were investigated for its potential application as a building material. Wollastonite based glass-ceramics was provided by a conventional melt-quenching method and followed by a controlled sintering process. In this work, soda lime silica glass waste was utilized as a source of silicon. The chemical composition and physical properties of glass were characterized by using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Archimedes principle. The Archimedes measurement results show that the density increased with the increasing of sintering temperature. The generation of CaSiO3, morphology, size and crystal phase with increasing the heat-treatment temperature were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transforms infrared reflection spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The average calculated crystal size gained from XRD was found to be in the range 60 nm. The FESEM results show a uniform distribution of particles and the morphology of the wollastonite crystal is in relict shapes. The appearance of CaO, SiO2, and Ca-O-Si bands disclosed from FTIR which showed the formation of CaSiO3 crystal phase. In addition to the calculation of the energy band gap which found to be increased with increasing sintering temperature.

Quantification of black carbon mixing state from traffic: Implications for aerosol optical properties

DOE PAGES

Willis, Megan D.; Healy, Robert M.; Riemer, Nicole; ...

2016-04-14

The climatic impacts of black carbon (BC) aerosol, an important absorber of solar radiation in the atmosphere, remain poorly constrained and are intimately related to its particle-scale physical and chemical properties. Using particle-resolved modelling informed by quantitative measurements from a soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer, we confirm that the mixing state (the distribution of co-emitted aerosol amongst fresh BC-containing particles) at the time of emission significantly affects BC-aerosol optical properties even after a day of atmospheric processing. Both single particle and ensemble aerosol mass spectrometry observations indicate that BC near the point of emission co-exists with hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) inmore » two distinct particle types: HOA-rich and BC-rich particles. The average mass fraction of black carbon in HOA-rich and BC-rich particle classes was < 0.1 and 0.8, respectively. Notably, approximately 90 % of BC mass resides in BC-rich particles. This new measurement capability provides quantitative insight into the physical and chemical nature of BC-containing particles and is used to drive a particle-resolved aerosol box model. Lastly, significant differences in calculated single scattering albedo (an increase of 0.1) arise from accurate treatment of initial particle mixing state as compared to the assumption of uniform aerosol composition at the point of BC injection into the atmosphere.« less

Unidirectional waveguide grating antennas with uniform emission for optical phased arrays.

PubMed

Raval, Manan; Poulton, Christopher V; Watts, Michael R

2017-07-01

We demonstrate millimeter-scale optical waveguide grating antennas with unidirectional emission for integrated optical phased arrays. Unidirectional emission eliminates the fundamental problem of blind spots in the element factor of a phased array caused by reflections of antenna radiation within the substrate. Over 90% directionality is demonstrated using a design consisting of two silicon nitride layers. Furthermore, the perturbation strength along the antenna is apodized to achieve uniform emission for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, on a millimeter scale. This allows for a high effective aperture and receiving efficiency. The emission profile of the measured 3 mm long antenna has a standard deviation of 8.65% of the mean. These antennas are state of the art and will allow for integrated optical phased arrays with blind-spot-free high transmission output power and high receiving efficiency for LIDAR and free-space communication systems.

Miniature all-silica optical fiber pressure sensor with an ultrathin uniform diaphragm.

PubMed

Wang, Wenhui; Wu, Nan; Tian, Ye; Niezrecki, Christopher; Wang, Xingwei

2010-04-26

This paper presents an all-silica miniature optical fiber pressure/acoustic sensor based on the Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometric principle. The endface of the etched optical fiber tip and silica thin diaphragm on it form the FP structure. The uniform and thin silica diaphragm was fabricated by etching away the silicon substrate from a commercial silicon wafer that has a thermal oxide layer. The thin film was directly thermally bonded to the endface of the optical fiber thus creating the Fabry-Perot cavity. Thin films with a thickness from 1microm to 3microm have been bonded successfully. The sensor shows good linearity and hysteresis during measurement. A sensor with 0.75 microm-thick diaphragm thinned by post silica etching was demonstrated to have a sensitivity of 11 nm/kPa. The new sensor has great potential to be used as a non-intrusive pressure sensor in a variety of sensing applications.

Characterization of Nonlinear Effects in Optically Pumped Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers ( VCSELs ) are an exciting...lines A-3 X AFIT/GEOiENP/93 D-01 Abstract The nonlinear characteristics of optically pumped Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers ( VCSELs ) are...uniformity of the VCSEL fabrication. xi Characterization of Nonlinear Effects in Optically Pumped Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

Generation of Olympic logo with freeform lens array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chengkun; Huang, Qilu; Qiu, Yishen; Chen, Weijuan; Liao, Tingdi

2017-10-01

In this paper, the Olympic rings pattern is generated by using freeform lens array and illumination light source array. Based on nonimaging optics, the freeform lens array is designed for point light source, which can generate the focused pattern of annular light spot. In order to obtain the Olympic logo pattern of five rings, the array with five freeform lenses is used. By adjusting the emission angle of each light source, the annular spot is obtained at different positions of the target plane and the Olympic rings logo is formed. We used the shading plate on the surface of the freeform lens to reduce the local light intensity so that the light spot overall irradiance distribution is more uniform. We designed a freeform lens with aperture of 26.2mm, focal length of 2000mm and the diameter of a single annual spot is 400mm. We modeled freeform lens and simulated by optical software TracePro. The ray tracing results show that the Olympic rings with uniform illumination can be obtained on the target plane with the optical efficiency up to 85.7%. At the same time, this paper also studies the effects of the target plane defocusing on the spot pattern. Simulations show that when the distance of the receiving surface to the focal plane varies within 300mm, a reasonable uniform and small distorted light spot pattern can be obtained. Compared with the traditional projection method, our method of design has the advantages of high optical efficiency, low cost and the pattern is clear and uniform.

Development of ionic gels using thiol-based monomers in ionic liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Kumkum; Naga, Naofumi; Kawakami, Masaru; Furukawa, Hidemitsu

2016-04-01

Ionic gels (IGs) using ionic liquids (ILs) can propose diverse applications in the field of optics, sensors and separation have opened wide prospects in materials science. ILs have attracted remarkable interest for gel polymer electrolytes and batteries based on their useful properties such as non-volatility, non-flammability, a wide electrochemical window, high thermal stability and a high ionic conductivity. The formation of gel in IL media makes it possible to immobilize ILs within organic or inorganic matrices and to take advantage of their unique properties in the solid state, thus eliminating some shortcomings related to shaping and risk of leakage. In this work for the first time we used multifunctional thiol monomers having uniform structure and good compatibility with the IL of our interest. Therefore we focused on developing thiol monomer-based IGs using multifunctional thiol monomers and acrylate crosslinkers utilizing thiol-ene reaction between monomer and crosslinking molecules in an IL medium and characterize their physico-chemical properties like thermal, conductive, mechanical properties etc.. This work has been focused mainly to improve the mechanical strength of IGs and make prospects of IGs in tribology and lubricants.

Spin-coating: A new approach for improving dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals and mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) composites.

PubMed

Shojaeiarani, Jamileh; Bajwa, Dilpreet S; Stark, Nicole M

2018-06-15

This study systematically evaluated the influence of masterbatch preparation techniques, solvent casting and spin-coating methods, on composite properties. Composites were manufactured by combining CNCs masterbatches and PLA resin using twin screw extruder followed by injection molding. Different microscopy techniques were used to investigate the dispersion of CNCs in masterbatches and composites. Thermal, thermomechanical, and mechanical properties of composites were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed superior dispersion of CNCs in spin-coated masterbatches compared to solvent cast masterbatches. At lower CNCs concentrations, both SEM and optical microscope images confirmed more uniform CNCs dispersion in spin-coated composites than solvent cast samples. Degree of crystallinity of PLA exhibited a major enhancement by 147% and 380% in solvent cast and spin-coated composites, respectively. Spin-coated composites with lower CNCs concentration exhibited a noticeable improvement in mechanical properties. However, lower thermal characteristics in spin-coated composites were observed, which could be attributed to the residual solvents in masterbatches. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of optical emission endpoint in photomask dry etch processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faure, Thomas B.; Huynh, Cuc; Lercel, Michael J.; Smith, Adam; Wagner, Thomas

2002-03-01

Use of accurate and repeatable endpoint detection during dry etch processing of photomask is very important for obtaining good mask mean-to-target and CD uniformity performance. It was found that the typical laser reflectivity endpoint detecting system used on photomask dry etch systems had several key limitations that caused unnecessary scrap and non-optimum image size performance. Consequently, work to develop and implement use of a more robust optical emission endpoint detection system for chrome dry etch processing of photomask was performed. Initial feasibility studies showed that the emission technique was sensitive enough to monitor pattern loadings on contact and via level masks down to 3 percent pattern coverage. Additional work was performed to further improve this to 1 percent pattern coverage by optimizing the endpoint detection parameters. Comparison studies of mask mean-to-target performance and CD uniformity were performed with the use of optical emission endpoint versus laser endpoint for masks built using TOK IP3600 and ZEP 7000 resist systems. It was found that an improvement in mean-to-target performance and CD uniformity was realized on several types of production masks. In addition, part-to-part endpoint time repeatability was found to be significantly improved with the use of optical emission endpoint.

Fabrication of dense wavelength division multiplexing filters with large useful area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Cheng-Chung; Chen, Sheng-Hui; Hsu, Jin-Cherng; Kuo, Chien-Cheng

2006-08-01

Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexers (DWDM), a kind of narrow band-pass filter, are extremely sensitive to the optical thickness error in each composite layer. Therefore to have a large useful coating area is extreme difficult because of the uniformity problem. To enlarge the useful coating area it is necessary to improve their design and their fabrication. In this study, we discuss how the tooling factors at different positions and for different materials are related to the optical performance of the design. 100GHz DWDM filters were fabricated by E-gun evaporation with ion-assisted deposition (IAD). To improve the coating uniformity, an analysis technique called shaping tooling factor (STF) was used to analyze the deviation of the optical thickness in different materials so as to enlarge the useful coating area. Also a technique of etching the deposited layers with oxygen ions was introduced. When the above techniques were applied in the fabrication of 100 GHz DWDM filters, the uniformity was better than +/-0.002% over an area of 72 mm in diameter and better than +/-0.0006% over 20mm in diameter.

Micromachined edge illuminated optically transparent automotive light guide panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ronny, Rahima Afrose; Knopf, George K.; Bordatchev, Evgueni; Tauhiduzzaman, Mohammed; Nikumb, Suwas

2012-03-01

Edge-lit backlighting has been used extensively for a variety of small and medium-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The shape, density and spatial distribution pattern of the micro-optical elements imprinted on the surface of the flat light-guide panel (LGP) are often "optimized" to improve the overall brightness and luminance uniformity. A similar concept can be used to develop interior convenience lighting panels and exterior tail lamps for automotive applications. However, costly diffusive sheeting and brightness enhancement films are not be considered for these applications because absolute luminance uniformity and the minimization of Moiré fringe effects are not significant factors in assessing quality of automotive lighting. A new design concept that involves micromilling cylindrical micro-optical elements on optically transparent plastic substrates is described in this paper. The variable parameter that controls illumination over the active regions of the panel is the depth of the individual cylindrical micro-optical elements. LightTools™ is the optical simulation tool used to explore how changing the micro-optical element depth can alter the local and global luminance. Numerical simulation and microfabrication experiments are performed on several (100mmx100mmx6mm) polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) test samples in order to verify the illumination behavior.

Optical Time Reversal from Time-Dependent Epsilon-Near-Zero Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vezzoli, Stefano; Bruno, Vincenzo; DeVault, Clayton; Roger, Thomas; Shalaev, Vladimir M.; Boltasseva, Alexandra; Ferrera, Marcello; Clerici, Matteo; Dubietis, Audrius; Faccio, Daniele

2018-01-01

Materials with a spatially uniform but temporally varying optical response have applications ranging from magnetic field-free optical isolators to fundamental studies of quantum field theories. However, these effects typically become relevant only for time variations oscillating at optical frequencies, thus presenting a significant hurdle that severely limits the realization of such conditions. Here we present a thin-film material with a permittivity that pulsates (uniformly in space) at optical frequencies and realizes a time-reversing medium of the form originally proposed by Pendry [Science 322, 71 (2008), 10.1126/science.1162087]. We use an optically pumped, 500 nm thick film of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material based on Al-doped zinc oxide. An incident probe beam is both negatively refracted and time reversed through a reflected phase-conjugated beam. As a result of the high nonlinearity and the refractive index that is close to zero, the ENZ film leads to time reversed beams (simultaneous negative refraction and phase conjugation) with near-unit efficiency and greater-than-unit internal conversion efficiency. The ENZ platform therefore presents the time-reversal features required, e.g., for efficient subwavelength imaging, all-optical isolators and fundamental quantum field theory studies.

Optical properties of mineral dust aerosol including analysis of particle size, composition, and shape effects, and the impact of physical and chemical processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, Jennifer Mary

Atmospheric mineral dust has a large impact on the earth's radiation balance and climate. The radiative effects of mineral dust depend on factors including, particle size, shape, and composition which can all be extremely complex. Mineral dust particles are typically irregular in shape and can include sharp edges, voids, and fine scale surface roughness. Particle shape can also depend on the type of mineral and can vary as a function of particle size. In addition, atmospheric mineral dust is a complex mixture of different minerals as well as other, possibly organic, components that have been mixed in while these particles are suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosol optical properties are investigated in this work, including studies of the effect of particle size, shape, and composition on the infrared (IR) extinction and visible scattering properties in order to achieve more accurate modeling methods. Studies of particle shape effects on dust optical properties for single component mineral samples of silicate clay and diatomaceous earth are carried out here first. Experimental measurements are modeled using T-matrix theory in a uniform spheroid approximation. Previous efforts to simulate the measured optical properties of silicate clay, using models that assumed particle shape was independent of particle size, have achieved only limited success. However, a model which accounts for a correlation between particle size and shape for the silicate clays offers a large improvement over earlier modeling approaches. Diatomaceous earth is also studied as an example of a single component mineral dust aerosol with extreme particle shapes. A particle shape distribution, determined by fitting the experimental IR extinction data, used as a basis for modeling the visible light scattering properties. While the visible simulations show only modestly good agreement with the scattering data, the fits are generally better than those obtained using more commonly invoked particle shape distributions. The next goal of this work is to investigate if modeling methods developed in the studies of single mineral components can be generalized to predict the optical properties of more authentic aerosol samples which are complex mixtures of different minerals. Samples of Saharan sand, Iowa loess, and Arizona road dust are used here as test cases. T-matrix based simulations of the authentic samples, using measured particle size distributions, empirical mineralogies, and a priori particle shape models for each mineral component are directly compared with the measured IR extinction spectra and visible scattering profiles. This modeling approach offers a significant improvement over more commonly applied models that ignore variations in particle shape with size or mineralogy and include only a moderate range of shape parameters. Mineral dust samples processed with organic acids and humic material are also studied in order to explore how the optical properties of dust can change after being aged in the atmosphere. Processed samples include quartz mixed with humic material, and calcite reacted with acetic and oxalic acid. Clear differences in the light scattering properties are observed for all three processed mineral dust samples when compared to the unprocessed mineral dust or organic salt products. These interactions result in both internal and external mixtures depending on the sample. In addition, the presence of these organic materials can alter the mineral dust particle shape. Overall, however, these results demonstrate the need to account for the effects of atmospheric aging of mineral dust on aerosol optical properties. Particle shape can also affect the aerodynamic properties of mineral dust aerosol. In order to account for these effects, the dynamic shape factor is used to give a measure of particle asphericity. Dynamic shape factors of quartz are measured by mass and mobility selecting particles and measuring their vacuum aerodynamic diameter. From this, dynamic shape factors in both the transition and vacuum regime can be derived. The measured dynamic shape factors of quartz agree quite well with the spheroidal shape distributions derived through studies of the optical properties.

Zno Micro/Nanostructures Grown on Sapphire Substrates Using Low-Temperature Vapor-Trapped Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition: Structural and Optical Properties.

PubMed

Hu, Po-Sheng; Wu, Cheng-En; Chen, Guan-Lin

2017-12-21

In this research, the Zn(C₅H₇O₂)₂·xH₂O-based growth of ZnO micro/nanostructures in a low temperature, vapor-trapped chemical vapor deposition system was attempted to optimize structural and optical properties for potential biomedical applications. By trapping in-flow gas molecules and Zinc vapor inside a chamber tube by partially obstructing a chamber outlet, a high pressure condition can be achieved, and this experimental setup has the advantages of ease of synthesis, being a low temperature process, and cost effectiveness. Empirically, the growth process proceeded under a chamber condition of an atmospheric pressure of 730 torr, a controlled volume flow rate of input gas, N₂/O₂, of 500/500 Standard Cubic Centimeters per Minute (SCCM), and a designated oven temperature of 500 °C. Specifically, the dependence of structural and optical properties of the structures on growth duration and spatially dependent temperature were investigated utilizing scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), and ultraviolet-visible transmission spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate that the grown thin film observed with hexagonal structures and higher structural uniformity enables more prominent structural and optical signatures. XRD spectra present the dominant peaks along crystal planes of (002) and (101) as the main direction of crystallization. In addition, while the structures excited with laser wavelength of 325 nm emit a signature radiation around 380 nm, an ultraviolet lamp with a wavelength of 254 nm revealed distinctive photoluminescence peaks at 363.96 nm and 403.52 nm, elucidating different degrees of structural correlation as functions of growth duration and the spatial gradient of temperature. Transmittance spectra of the structures illustrate typical variation in the wavelength range of 200 nm to 400 nm, and its structural correlation is less significant when compared with PL.

Zno Micro/Nanostructures Grown on Sapphire Substrates Using Low-Temperature Vapor-Trapped Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition: Structural and Optical Properties

PubMed Central

Hu, Po-Sheng; Wu, Cheng-En; Chen, Guan-Lin

2017-01-01

In this research, the Zn(C5H7O2)2·xH2O-based growth of ZnO micro/nanostructures in a low temperature, vapor-trapped chemical vapor deposition system was attempted to optimize structural and optical properties for potential biomedical applications. By trapping in-flow gas molecules and Zinc vapor inside a chamber tube by partially obstructing a chamber outlet, a high pressure condition can be achieved, and this experimental setup has the advantages of ease of synthesis, being a low temperature process, and cost effectiveness. Empirically, the growth process proceeded under a chamber condition of an atmospheric pressure of 730 torr, a controlled volume flow rate of input gas, N2/O2, of 500/500 Standard Cubic Centimeters per Minute (SCCM), and a designated oven temperature of 500 °C. Specifically, the dependence of structural and optical properties of the structures on growth duration and spatially dependent temperature were investigated utilizing scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), and ultraviolet-visible transmission spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate that the grown thin film observed with hexagonal structures and higher structural uniformity enables more prominent structural and optical signatures. XRD spectra present the dominant peaks along crystal planes of (002) and (101) as the main direction of crystallization. In addition, while the structures excited with laser wavelength of 325 nm emit a signature radiation around 380 nm, an ultraviolet lamp with a wavelength of 254 nm revealed distinctive photoluminescence peaks at 363.96 nm and 403.52 nm, elucidating different degrees of structural correlation as functions of growth duration and the spatial gradient of temperature. Transmittance spectra of the structures illustrate typical variation in the wavelength range of 200 nm to 400 nm, and its structural correlation is less significant when compared with PL. PMID:29267196

Interface morphology and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Al laminated composites fabricated by explosive welding and subsequent rolling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoseini-Athar, M. M.; Tolaminejad, B.

2016-07-01

Explosive welding is a well-known solid state method for joining similar and dissimilar materials. In the present study, tri-layered Al-Cu-Al laminated composites with different interface morphologies were fabricated by explosive welding and subsequent rolling. Effects of explosive ratio and rolling thickness reduction on the morphology of interface and mechanical properties were evaluated through optical/scanning electron microscopy, micro-hardness, tensile and tensile-shear tests. Results showed that by increasing the thickness reduction, bonding strength of specimens including straight and wavy interfaces increases. However, bonding strength of the specimens with melted layer interface decreases up to a threshold thickness reduction, then rapidly increases by raising the reduction. Hardness Values of welded specimens were higher than those of original material especially near the interface and a more uniform hardness profile was obtained after rolling process.

Wafer-scale epitaxial graphene on SiC for sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlsson, Mikael; Wang, Qin; Zhao, Yichen; Zhao, Wei; Toprak, Muhammet S.; Iakimov, Tihomir; Ali, Amer; Yakimova, Rositza; Syväjärvi, Mikael; Ivanov, Ivan G.

2015-12-01

The epitaxial graphene-on-silicon carbide (SiC-G) has advantages of high quality and large area coverage owing to a natural interface between graphene and SiC substrate with dimension up to 100 mm. It enables cost effective and reliable solutions for bridging the graphene-based sensors/devices from lab to industrial applications and commercialization. In this work, the structural, optical and electrical properties of wafer-scale graphene grown on 2'' 4H semi-insulating (SI) SiC utilizing sublimation process were systemically investigated with focus on evaluation of the graphene's uniformity across the wafer. As proof of concept, two types of glucose sensors based on SiC-G/Nafion/Glucose-oxidase (GOx) and SiC-G/Nafion/Chitosan/GOx were fabricated and their electrochemical properties were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. In addition, a few similar glucose sensors based on graphene by chemical synthesis using modified Hummer's method were also fabricated for comparison.

Advanced powder metallurgy aluminum alloys via rapid solidification technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, R.

1984-01-01

Aluminum alloys containing 10 to 11.5 wt. pct. of iron and 1.5 to 3 wt. pct. of chromium using the technique of rapid solidification powder metallurgy were studied. Alloys were prepared as thin ribbons (.002 inch thick) rapidly solidified at uniform rate of 10(6) C/second by the melt spinning process. The melt spun ribbons were pulverized into powders (-60 to 400 mesh) by a rotating hammer mill. The powders were consolidated by hot extrusion at a high reduction ratio of 50:1. The powder extrusion temperature was varied to determine the range of desirable processing conditions necessary to yield useful properties. Powders and consolidated alloys were characterized by SEM and optical metallography. The consolidated alloys were evaluated for (1) thermal stability, (2) tensile properties in the range, room temperature to 450 F, and (3) notch toughness in the range, room temperature to 450 F.

Luminescence of Eu(3+) doped SiO2 Thin Films and Glass Prepared by Sol-gel Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castro, Lymari; Jia, Weiyi; Wang, Yanyun; Santiago, Miguel; Liu, Huimin

1998-01-01

Trivalent europium ions are an important luminophore for lighting and display. The emission of (5)D0 to (7)F2 transition exhibits a red color at about 610 nm, which is very attractive and fulfills the requirement for most red-emitting phosphors including lamp and cathode ray phosphorescence materials. Various EU(3+) doped phosphors have been developed, and luminescence properties have been extensively studied. On the other hand, sol-gel technology has been well developed by chemists. In recent years, applications of this technology to optical materials have drawn a great attention. Sol-gel technology provides a unique way to obtain homogeneous composition distribution and uniform doping, and the processing temperature can be very low. In this work, EU(3+) doped SiO2 thin films and glasses were prepared by sol-gel technology and their spectroscopic properties were investigated.

Color-tunable properties of Eu3+- and Dy3+-codoped Y2O3 phosphor particles

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Rare-earth phosphors are commonly used in display panels, security printing, and fluorescent lamps, and have potential applications in lasers and bioimaging. In the present study, Eu3+- and Dy3+-codoped uniform-shaped Y2O3 submicron particles were prepared using the urea homogeneous precipitation method. The structure and morphology of the resulting particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, and field emission transmission electron microscope, whereas their optical properties were monitored by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The room-temperature luminescence color emission of the synthesized particles can be tuned from red to yellow by switching the excitation wavelength from 254 to 350 nm. The luminescence intensities of red and yellow emissions could be altered by varying the dopant concentration. Strong quenching was observed at high Eu3+ and Dy3+ concentrations in the Y2O3 host lattice. PMID:23043645

Two-dimensional single crystal diamond refractive x-ray lens

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

Antipov, S., E-mail: s.antipov@euclidtechlabs.com; Baryshev, S. V.; Butler, J. E.

2016-07-27

The next generation light sources such as diffraction-limited storage rings and high repetition rate x-ray free-electron lasers will generate x-ray beams with significantly increased brilliance. These future machines will require X-ray optical components that are capable of handling higher instantaneous and average power densities while tailoring the properties of the x-ray beams for a variety of scientific experiments. Single crystal diamond is one of the best bulk materials for this application, because it is radiation hard, has a suitable uniform index of refraction and the best available thermal properties. In this paper we report on fabrication and experimental testing ofmore » a two-dimensional (2D) single crystal diamond compound refractive X-ray lenses (CRL). These lenses were manufactured using femto-second laser cutting and tested at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory.« less

Method and apparatus for making diamond-like carbon films

DOEpatents

Pern, Fu-Jann [Golden, CO; Touryan, Kenell J [Indian Hills, CO; Panosyan, Zhozef Retevos [Yerevan, AM; Gippius, Aleksey Alekseyevich [Moscow, RU

2008-12-02

Ion-assisted plasma enhanced deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on the surface of photovoltaic solar cells is accomplished with a method and apparatus for controlling ion energy. The quality of DLC layers is fine-tuned by a properly biased system of special electrodes and by exact control of the feed gas mixture compositions. Uniform (with degree of non-uniformity of optical parameters less than 5%) large area (more than 110 cm.sup.2) DLC films with optical parameters varied within the given range and with stability against harmful effects of the environment are achieved.

Nonimaging achromatic shaped Fresnel lenses for ultrahigh solar concentration.

PubMed

Languy, Fabian; Habraken, Serge

2013-05-15

The maximum concentration ratio achievable with a solar concentrator made of a single refractive primary optics is much more limited by the chromatic aberration than by any other aberration. Therefore achromatic doublets made with poly(methyl methacrylate) and polycarbonate are of great interest to enhance the concentration ratio and to achieve a spectrally uniform flux on the receiver. In this Letter, shaped achromatic Fresnel lenses are investigated. One lossless design is of high interest since it provides spectrally and spatially uniform flux without being affected by soiling problems. With this design an optical concentration ratio of about 8500× can be achieved.

The California-Kepler Survey. I. High-resolution Spectroscopy of 1305 Stars Hosting Kepler Transiting Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petigura, Erik A.; Howard, Andrew W.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Johnson, John Asher; Isaacson, Howard; Cargile, Phillip A.; Hebb, Leslie; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Weiss, Lauren M.; Morton, Timothy D.; Winn, Joshua N.; Rogers, Leslie A.; Sinukoff, Evan; Hirsch, Lea A.; Crossfield, Ian J. M.

2017-09-01

The California-Kepler Survey (CKS) is an observational program developed to improve our knowledge of the properties of stars found to host transiting planets by NASA’s Kepler Mission. The improvement stems from new high-resolution optical spectra obtained using HIRES at the W. M. Keck Observatory. The CKS stellar sample comprises 1305 stars classified as Kepler objects of interest, hosting a total of 2075 transiting planets. The primary sample is magnitude-limited ({Kp}< 14.2) and contains 960 stars with 1385 planets. The sample was extended to include some fainter stars that host multiple planets, ultra-short period planets, or habitable zone planets. The spectroscopic parameters were determined with two different codes, one based on template matching and the other on direct spectral synthesis using radiative transfer. We demonstrate a precision of 60 K in {T}{eff}, 0.10 dex in {log}g, 0.04 dex in [{Fe}/{{H}}], and 1.0 {km} {{{s}}}-1 in V\\sin I. In this paper, we describe the CKS project and present a uniform catalog of spectroscopic parameters. Subsequent papers in this series present catalogs of derived stellar properties such as mass, radius, and age; revised planet properties; and statistical explorations of the ensemble. CKS is the largest survey to determine the properties of Kepler stars using a uniform set of high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra. The HIRES spectra are available to the community for independent analyses. Based on observations obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated jointly by the University of California and the California Institute of Technology. Keck time was granted for this project by the University of California, and California Institute of Technology, the University of Hawaii, and NASA.

Polarization Properties of A Broadband Multi-Moded Concentrator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kogut, Alan; Fixsen, Dale J.; Hill, Robert S.

2015-01-01

We present the design and performance of a non-imaging concentrator for use in broad-band polarimetry at millimeter through submillimeter wavelengths. A rectangular geometry preserves the input polarization state as the concentrator couples f/2 incident optics to a 2pi sr detector. Measurements of the co-polar and cross-polar beams in both the few-mode and highly over-moded limits agree with a simple model based on mode truncation. The measured co-polar beam pattern is nearly independent of frequency in both linear polarizations. The cross-polar beam pattern is dominated by a uniform term corresponding to polarization efficiency 94%. After correcting for efficiency, the remaining cross-polar response is -18 dB.

Cold resistant nickel-alloy steel

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

Legostaev, Yu.L.; Karchevskaya, N.I.; Karchevnikov, V.P.

1988-05-01

Low-alloy cold-resistant steel 10GNB was developed for the construction of ships and floating drill rigs. The optimal heat-treatment regime for the steel was refinement. Reducing the carbon content improved its weldability and toughness properties. Optical metallography and electron microscopy established that the optimal structure was a tempered martensitic-bainitic mixture with uniformly distributed particles of disperse special niobium carbides NbC. The substructure and the processes of carbide and carbonitride phase segregation were studied by transmission and extraction electron microscopy. In mechanical tests the steel exhibited high resistance to brittle failure. In terms of corrosion resistance the steel corresponds to the requirementsmore » set forth for shipbuilding steels.« less

Shrink film patterning by craft cutter: complete plastic chips with high resolution/high-aspect ratio channel.

PubMed

Taylor, Douglas; Dyer, David; Lew, Valerie; Khine, Michelle

2010-09-21

This paper presents a rapid, ultra-low-cost approach to fabricate microfluidic devices using a polyolefin shrink film and a digital craft cutter. The shrinking process (with a 95% reduction in area) results in relatively uniform and consistent microfluidic channels with smooth surfaces, vertical sidewalls, and high aspect ratio channels with lateral resolutions well beyond the tool used to cut them. The thermal bonding of the layers results in strongly bonded devices. Complex microfluidic designs are easily designed on the fly and protein assays are also readily integrated into the device. Full device characterization including channel consistency, optical properties, and bonding strength are assessed in this technical note.

Material and Optical Properties of Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots Fabricated from Lemon Juice via Hydrothermal Reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Meiqin; Zhang, Jin; Wang, Hai; Kong, Yanrong; Xiao, Yiming; Xu, Wen

2018-06-01

The water-soluble fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are synthesized by utilizing lemon juice as carbon resource via a simple hydrothermal reaction. The obtained CQDs are with an average size of 3.1 nm. They reveal uniform morphology and well-crystalline and can generate bright blue-green light emission under UV or blue light irradiation. We find that the fluorescence from these CQDs is mainly induced by the presence of oxygen-containing groups on the surface and edge of the CQDs. Moreover, we demonstrate that the as-prepared CQDs can be applied to imaging plant cells. This study is related to the fabrication, investigation, and application of newly developed carbon nanostructures.

Cylindrically distributing optical fiber tip for uniform laser illumination of hollow organs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buonaccorsi, Giovanni A.; Burke, T.; MacRobert, Alexander J.; Hill, P. D.; Essenpreis, Matthias; Mills, Timothy N.

1993-05-01

To predict the outcome of laser therapy it is important to possess, among other things, an accurate knowledge of the intensity and distribution of the laser light incident on the tissue. For irradiation of the internal surfaces of hollow organs, modified fiber tips can be used to shape the light distribution to best suit the treatment geometry. There exist bulb-tipped optical fibers emitting a uniform isotropic distribution of light suitable for the treatment of organs which approximate a spherical geometry--the bladder, for example. For the treatment of organs approximating a cylindrical geometry--e.g. the oesophagus--an optical fiber tip which emits a uniform cylindrical distribution of light is required. We report on the design, development and testing of such a device, the CLD fiber tip. The device was made from a solid polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) rod, 27 mm in length and 4 mm in diameter. One end was shaped and 'silvered' to form a mirror which reflected the light emitted from the delivery fiber positioned at the other end of the rod. The shape of the mirror was such that the light fell with uniform intensity on the circumferential surface of the rod. This surface was coated with BaSO4 reflectance paint to couple the light out of the rod and onto the surface of the tissue.

Towards a comprehensive model of Earth's disk-integrated Stokes vector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García Muñoz, A.

2015-07-01

A significant body of work on simulating the remote appearance of Earth-like exoplanets has been done over the last decade. The research is driven by the prospect of characterizing habitable planets beyond the Solar System in the near future. In this work, I present a method to produce the disk-integrated signature of planets that are described in their three-dimensional complexity, i.e. with both horizontal and vertical variations in the optical properties of their envelopes. The approach is based on Pre-conditioned Backward Monte Carlo integration of the vector Radiative Transport Equation and yields the full Stokes vector for outgoing reflected radiation. The method is demonstrated through selected examples inspired by published work at wavelengths from the visible to the near infrared and terrestrial prescriptions of both cloud and surface albedo maps. I explore the performance of the method in terms of computational time and accuracy. A clear strength of this approach is that its computational cost does not appear to be significantly affected by non-uniformities in the planet optical properties. Earth's simulated appearance is strongly dependent on wavelength; both brightness and polarization undergo diurnal variations arising from changes in the planet cover, but polarization yields a better insight into variations with phase angle. There is partial cancellation of the polarized signal from the northern and southern hemispheres so that the outgoing polarization vector lies preferentially either in the plane parallel or perpendicular to the planet scattering plane, also for non-uniform cloud and albedo properties and various levels of absorption within the atmosphere. The evaluation of circular polarization is challenging; a number of one-photon experiments of 109 or more is needed to resolve hemispherically integrated degrees of circular polarization of a few times 10-5. Last, I introduce brightness curves of Earth obtained with one of the Messenger cameras at three wavelengths (0.48, 0.56 and 0.63 μm) during a flyby in 2005. The light curves show distinct structure associated with the varying aspect of the Earth's visible disk (phases of 98-107°) as the planet undergoes a full 24 h rotation; the structure is reasonably well reproduced with model simulations.

Discrepancies between Ideal Characteristics of a Property Tax System and Current Practice in New York.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Netzer, Dick; Berne, Robert

1995-01-01

Ideally, voters' and state legislatures' policy choices should underlie a property tax system that is straightforward, comprehensible, systematic, and reasonably related to policy objectives. Administration should be uniform and fair. New York State's property tax system lacks a uniform valuation standard and "circuit breaker" and has…

Electrical and mechanical behavior of polymethyl methacrylate/cadmium sulphide composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Rajdeep; Samra, Kawaljeet Singh

2018-06-01

In the present investigation, electrical and mechanical behavior of cadmium sulphide (CdS) doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) have been studied using different techniques. Dip casting technique was used for preparing free standing films of pristine and CdS doped PMMA at different compositions (i.e. 1 and 5 wt%). Optical absorbance as a function of wavelength was studied, by UV-visible spectroscopy, to find the impact of CdS doping on the optical band gap of synthesized PMMA/CdS composite. DC and AC conductivities were measured as a function of dopant concentration and temperature. Considerable increase in electrical conductivity was observed with the increase of CdS contents in polymer matrix. Overall electrical conduction mechanism in PMMA/CdS composites was attributed to movement of electrons through the uniformly distributed CdS aggregates within the matrix of PMMA. Mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus, tensile strength, elongation and ductility, of PMMA/CdS composites were determined and relevant responsible phenomena were discussed.

Rotation of an optically trapped vaterite microsphere measured using rotational Doppler effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xinlin; Xiao, Guangzong; Xiong, Wei; Yang, Kaiyong; Luo, Hui; Yao, Baoli

2018-03-01

The angular velocity of a vaterite microsphere spinning in the optical trap is measured using rotational Doppler effect. The perfectly spherical vaterite microspheres are synthesized via coprecipitation in the presence of silk fibroin nanospheres. When trapped by a circularly polarized beam, the vaterite microsphere is uniformly rotated in the trap center. The probe beams containing two Laguerre-Gaussian beams of opposite topological charge l = ± 7, l = ± 8, and l = ± 9 are illuminated on the spinning vaterite. By analyzing the backscattered light, a frequency shift is observed scaling with the rotation rate of the vaterite microsphere. The multiplicative enhancement of the frequency shift proportion to the topological charge has greatly improved the measurement precision. The reliability and practicability of this approach are verified through varying the topological charge of the probe beam and the trapping laser power. In consideration of the excellent measurement precision of the rotation frequency, this technique might be generally applicable in studying the torsional properties of micro-objects.

The optical and structural properties of graphene nanosheets and tin oxide nanocrystals composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farheen, Parveen, Azra; Azam, Ameer

2018-05-01

A nanocomposite material consisting of metal oxide and reduced graphene oxide was prepared via simple, economic, and effective chemical reduction method. The synthesis strategy was based on the reduction of GO with Sn2+ ion that combines tin oxidation and GO reduction in one step, which provides a simple, low-cost and effective way to prepare graphene nanosheets/SnO2 nanocrystals composites because no additional chemicals were needed. SEM and TEM images shows the uniform distribution of the SnO2 nanocrystals on the Graphene nanosheets (GNs) surface and transmission electron microscope shows an average particle size of 2-4 nm. The mean crystallite size was calculated by Debye Scherrer formula and was found to be about 4.0 nm. Optical analysis was done by using UV-Visible spectroscopy technique and the band gap energy of the GNs/SnO2 nanocomposite was calculated by Tauc relation and came out to be 3.43eV.

Periodically structured Si pillars for high-performing heterojunction photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melvin David Kumar, M.; Yun, Ju-Hyung; Kim, Joondong

2015-03-01

A periodical array of silicon (Si) micro pillar structures was fabricated on Si substrates using PR etching process. Indium tin oxide (ITO) layer of 80 nm thickness was deposited over patterned Si substrates so as to make ITO/n-Si heterojunction devices. The influences of width and period of pillars on the optical and electrical properties of prepared devices were investigated. The surface morphology of the Si substrates revealed the uniform array of pillar structures. The 5/10 (width/period) Si pillar pattern reduced the optical reflectance to 6.5% from 17% which is of 5/7 pillar pattern. The current rectifying ratio was found higher for the device in which the pillars are situated in optimum periods. At both visible (600 nm) and near infrared (900 nm) range of wavelengths, the 5/7 and 5/10 pillar patterned device exhibited the better photoresponses which are suitable for making advanced photodetectors. This highly transmittance and photoresponsive pillar patterned Si substrates with an ITO layer would be a promising device for various photoelectric applications.

Superior electro-optical properties of electrically controlled birefringence mode using solution-derived La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films

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

Jeong, Hae-Chang; Park, Hong-Gyu; Lee, Ju Hwan

2015-11-15

The authors demonstrate a high performance electrically controlled birefringence (ECB) mode with solution-derived La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films at various molar concentrations. Uniform and homogeneous liquid crystal (LC) alignment was spontaneously achieved on the La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films for lanthanum concentrations at ratios greater than and equal to 0.2. A preferred orientation of LC molecules appeared along the filling direction, and the LC alignment was maintained via van der Waals force by nanocrystals of the La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films. The LC alignment mechanism was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. Superior electro-optical characteristics of the ECBmore » cells constructed with solution-derived La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films were observed, which suggests that the proposed solution-derived La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films have strong potential for use in the production of advanced LC displays.« less

Optics of Water Microdroplets with Soot Inclusions: Exact Versus Approximate Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Li; Mishchenko, Michael I.

2016-01-01

We use the recently generalized version of the multi-sphere superposition T-matrix method (STMM) to compute the scattering and absorption properties of microscopic water droplets contaminated by black carbon. The soot material is assumed to be randomly distributed throughout the droplet interior in the form of numerous small spherical inclusions. Our numerically-exact STMM results are compared with approximate ones obtained using the Maxwell-Garnett effective-medium approximation (MGA) and the Monte Carlo ray-tracing approximation (MCRTA). We show that the popular MGA can be used to calculate the droplet optical cross sections, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry parameter provided that the soot inclusions are quasi-uniformly distributed throughout the droplet interior, but can fail in computations of the elements of the scattering matrix depending on the volume fraction of soot inclusions. The integral radiative characteristics computed with the MCRTA can deviate more significantly from their exact STMM counterparts, while accurate MCRTA computations of the phase function require droplet size parameters substantially exceeding 60.

Characterization of konjac glucomannan-ethyl cellulose film formation via microscopy.

PubMed

Xiao, Man; Wan, Li; Corke, Harold; Yan, Wenli; Ni, Xuewen; Fang, Yapeng; Jiang, Fatang

2016-04-01

Konjac glucomannan-ethyl cellulose (KGM-EC, 7:3, w/w) blended film shows good mechanical and moisture resistance properties. To better understand the basis for the KGM-EC film formation, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to observe the formation of the film from emulsion. Optical microscopy images showed that EC oil droplets were homogeneously dispersed in KGM water phase without obviously coalescence throughout the entire drying process. SEM images showed the surface and cross-sectional structures of samples maintained continuous and homogeneous appearance from the emulsion to dried film. AFM images indicated that KGM molecules entangled EC molecules in the emulsion. Interactions between KGM and EC improved the stability of KGM-EC emulsion, and contributed to uniformed structures of film formation. Based on these output information, a schematic model was built to elucidate KGM-EC film-forming process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of 8×8 MMI optical coupler in BK7 by ion-exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xia; Li, Xi-Hua; Zhou, Qiang; Jiang, Xiao-Qing; Yang, Jian-Yi; Wang, Ming-Hua

2005-01-01

The planar waveguide optical couplers are of prime importance in optical communication and optical signal processing system. Comparing with the optical fiber coupler (OFC) which fabricated by fused biconical taper technology, the planar waveguide couplers are more compact size, lower loss, better uniformity, easier manufacture and integration. Multimode interference (MMI) couplers have many advantages, such as compact size, wavelength and polarization insensitivity, fabrication tolerances and low loss, etc., which concentrate more and more attention. Conventional MMI devices are based on the uniform index waveguides. When the number of input/output waveguides becomes larger, the intrinsic propagation constant error, which will cause bad uniformity of output power, can"t be neglected. In fact, most waveguide devices are graded-index. With the enhanced compatibility of MMI coupler, the performance can be improved at the same time. Prior study shows that graded-index MMI couplers reach the best performance under certain index contrast. Among many available materials, glass is chosen to be the substrate of the coupler, because of its good features, such as low loss, ease fabrication, cheap cost, and so on. In this paper, an 8×8 MMI optical coupler is designed based on the principle of graded-index MMI. The coupler is composed of a waveguide, which is designed to support a large number of modes, and several access (usually single-mode) waveguides, which are used to launch light into and recover light from that multimode waveguide. The total length of the device is less than 3.5 centimeter, including S-bends which lead the multiple images to the output of the device with the spacing D=250μm to make the device fiber compatible. In this paper, we describe an experimental realization of the 8×8 graded-index MMI optical coupler and the measurement of its performance with the testing laser of the wavelength of 1.55μm. The device is fabricated by ion-exchange on BK7 glass substrate. During the ion-exchange process, a melting mixture of AgNO3 : (KNO3 : NaNO3) (molar ratio, 0.001:1) is used at 350~380°C for different times (range from 8 to 18 hours) to fabricate the coupler. The experimental results show that the performance of the optical coupler is quite promising. For instance, while launching light from No.5 waveguide, the uniformity of the device is approximately 0.72dB. Optimization of design and fabrication is going on to improve the total performance of the optical coupler.

Optical and structural properties of individual Co-doped ZnO microwires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolomys, O. F.; Strelchuk, V. V.; Rarata, S. V.; Hayn, R.; Savoyant, A.; Giovannelli, F.; Delorme, F.; Tkach, V.

2018-06-01

The Co-doped ZnO microwires (MWs) were grown using the optical furnace method. We used Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized micro-Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and optical absorption spectroscopy to systematic investigation of the optical and structural properties of Co-doped ZnO MWs. The SEM analysis reveals that Co-doped ZnO MWs has hexagonal facets and cavity inside. The EDS results confirmed the presence and non-uniform distribution of Co impurities in the samples. Co doping of ZnO MWs leads to the decreased intensity, drastically broadening and high-energy shift of the NBE PL band. The red emission band at 1.85 eV originates from 2E(2G) → 4A2 (4F) intra-3d-transition of Co2+ in the ZnO lattice has been observed. The intense structured absorption bands within the near infrared ranges 3800-4800 and 5500-9000 cm-1 are caused by electronic spin-allowed transitions 4T2(F) ← 4A2(F) and 4T1(F) ← 4A2(F) of the tetrahedrally coordinated Co2+ (3 d7) ions substituting Zn2+ ions in Co-doped ZnO MWs. Micro-Raman studies of Co doped ZnO MWs show doping/disorder induced additional modes as compared to the undoped sample. The resonant enhancement of the additional local Co-related A1-symmetry Raman mode is observed in the parallel polarization geometry y(z , z) ybar . For the Co doped ZnO MWs, the enhancement of the additional Co-related local vibration mode with an increase in the excitation photon energy is also observed in the Raman spectra.

Colloidal chemical synthesis and formation kinetics of uniformly sized nanocrystals of metals, oxides, and chalcogenides.

PubMed

Kwon, Soon Gu; Hyeon, Taeghwan

2008-12-01

Nanocrystals exhibit interesting electrical, optical, magnetic, and chemical properties not achieved by their bulk counterparts. Consequently, to fully exploit the potential of nanocrystals, the synthesis of nanocrystals must focus on producing materials with uniform size and shape. Top-down physical processes can produce large quantities of nanocrystals, but controlling the size is difficult with these methods. On the other hand, colloidal chemical synthetic methods can produce uniform nanocrystals with a controlled particle size. In this Account, we present our synthesis of uniform nanocrystals of various shapes and materials, and we discuss the kinetics of nanocrystal formation. We employed four different synthetic approaches including thermal decomposition, nonhydrolytic sol-gel reactions, thermal reduction, and use of reactive chalcogen reagents. We synthesized uniform oxide nanocrystals via heat-up methods. This method involved slowly heat-up reaction mixtures composed of metal precursors, surfactants, and solvents from room temperature to high temperature. We then held reaction mixtures at an aging temperature for a few minutes to a few hours. Kinetics studies revealed a three-step mechanism for the synthesis of nanocrystals through the heat-up method with size distribution control. First, as metal precursors thermally decompose, monomers accumulate. At the aging temperature, burst nucleation occurs rapidly; at the end of this second phase, nucleation stops, but continued diffusion-controlled growth leads to size focusing to produce uniform nanocrystals. We used nonhydrolytic sol-gel reactions to synthesize various transition metal oxide nanocrystals. We employed ester elimination reactions for the synthesis of ZnO and TiO(2) nanocrystals. Uniform Pd nanoparticles were synthesized via a thermal reduction reaction induced by heating up a mixture of Pd(acac)(2), tri-n-octylphosphine, and oleylamine to the aging temperature. Similarly, we synthesized nanoparticles of copper and nickel using metal(II) acetylacetonates. Ni/Pd core/shell nanoparticles were synthesized by simply heating the reaction mixture composed of acetylacetonates of nickel and palladium. Using alternative chalcogen reagents, we synthesized uniform nanocrystals of various metal chalcogenides. Uniform nanocrystals of PbS, ZnS, CdS, and MnS were obtained by heating reaction mixtures composed of metal chlorides and sulfur dissolved in oleylamine. In the future, a detailed understanding of nanocrystal formation kinetics and synthetic chemistry will lead to the synthesis of uniform nanocrystals with controlled size, shape, and composition. In particular, the synthesis of uniform nanocrystals of doped materials, core/shell materials, and multicomponent materials is still a challenge. We expect that these uniformly sized nanocrystals will find important applications in areas including information technology, biomedicine, and energy/environmental technology.

Tuning surface properties of amino-functionalized silica for metal nanoparticle loading: The vital role of an annealing process

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

Pei, Yuchen; Xiao, Chaoxian; Goh, Tian -Wei

2015-10-20

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) loaded on oxides have been widely used as multifunctional nanomaterials in various fields such as optical imaging, sensors, and heterogeneous catalysis. However, the deposition of metal NPs on oxide supports with high efficiency and homogeneous dispersion still remains elusive, especially when silica is used as the support. Amino-functionalization of silica can improve loading efficiency, but metal NPs often aggregate on the surface. Herein, we report that a facial annealing of amino-functionalized silica can significantly improve the dispersion and enhance the loading efficiency of various metal NPs, such as Pt, Rh, and Ru, on the silica surface. Amore » series of characterization techniques, such as diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), Zeta potential analysis, UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with infrared analysis (TGA–IR), and nitrogen physisorption, were employed to study the changes of surface properties of the amino-functionalized silica before and after annealing. We found that the annealed amino-functionalized silica surface has more cross-linked silanol groups and relatively lesser amount of amino groups, and less positively charges, which could be the key to the uniform deposition of metal NPs during the loading process. Lastly, these results could contribute to the preparation of metal/oxide hybrid NPs for the applications that require uniform dispersion.« less

Structural and electrical properties of Ag grid/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) coatings for diode application through advanced printing technology.

PubMed

Duraisamy, Navaneethan; Ponniah, Ganeshthangaraj; Jo, Jeongdai; Choi, Kyung-Hyun

2013-08-01

This paper is focused on printed techniques for the fabrication of hybrid structure of silver (Ag) grid/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) on polyethylene terepthalate (PET) as a flexible substrate. Ag grid has been printed on PET substrate by using gravure offset printing process, followed by PEDOT:PSS thin film deposition on Ag grid through electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technique. The important parameters for achieving uniform hybrid structure of Ag grid/PEDOT:PSS through printed techniques have been clearly discussed. Field emission scanning electron microscope studies revealed the uniformity of printed Ag grid with homogeneous deposition of PEDOT:PSS on Ag grid. The optical properties of Ag grid/PEDOT:PSS were measured by UV-visible spectroscopy, which showed nearly 80-82% of transparency in the visible region and it was nearly same as PEDOT:PSS thin film on PET substrate. Current-voltage (I-V) analysis of fabricated hybrid device by using printed Ag grid/PEDOT:PSS as a bottom electrode showed good rectifying behavior with possible interfacial mechanisms. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) analysis was carried over different frequencies. These results suggest that fabrication of hybrid structure through printed techniques will play a significant role in mass production of printed electronic devices for commercial application by using flexible substrate.

High Power ECR Ion Thruster Discharge Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, John E.; Kamhawi, Hani; Haag, Thomas; Carpenter, Christian; Williams, George W.

2006-01-01

Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) based ion thrusters with carbon based ion optics can potentially satisfy lifetime requirements for long duration missions (approximately 10 years) because grid erosion and cathode insert depletion issues are virtually eliminated. Though the ECR plasma discharge has been found to typically operate at slightly higher discharge losses than conventional DC ion thrusters (for high total thruster power applications), the discharge power fraction is small (less than 1 percent at 25 kW). In this regard, the benefits of increased life, low discharge plasma potentials, and reduced complexity are welcome tradeoffs for the associated discharge efficiency decrease. Presented here are results from discharge characterization of a large area ECR plasma source for gridded ion thruster applications. These measurements included load matching efficacy, bulk plasma properties via Langmuir probe, and plasma uniformity as measured using current probes distributed at the exit plane. A high degree of plasma uniformity was observed (flatness greater than 0.9). Additionally, charge state composition was qualitatively evaluated using emission spectroscopy. Plasma induced emission was dominated by xenon ion lines. No doubly charged xenon ions were detected.

Formation of Enhanced Uniform Chiral Fields in Symmetric Dimer Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Tian, Xiaorui; Fang, Yurui; Sun, Mengtao

2015-01-01

Chiral fields with large optical chirality are very important in chiral molecules analysis, sensing and other measurements. Plasmonic nanostructures have been proposed to realize such super chiral fields for enhancing weak chiral signals. However, most of them cannot provide uniform chiral near-fields close to the structures, which makes these nanostructures not so efficient for applications. Plasmonic helical nanostructures and blocked squares have been proved to provide uniform chiral near-fields, but structure fabrication is a challenge. In this paper, we show that very simple plasmonic dimer structures can provide uniform chiral fields in the gaps with large enhancement of both near electric fields and chiral fields under linearly polarized light illumination with polarization off the dimer axis at dipole resonance. An analytical dipole model is utilized to explain this behavior theoretically. 30 times of volume averaged chiral field enhancement is gotten in the whole gap. Chiral fields with opposite handedness can be obtained simply by changing the polarization to the other side of the dimer axis. It is especially useful in Raman optical activity measurement and chiral sensing of small quantity of chiral molecule. PMID:26621558

Quantitative polarized light microscopy of unstained mammalian cochlear sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalwani, Neil M.; Ong, Cheng Ai; Lysaght, Andrew C.; Haward, Simon J.; McKinley, Gareth H.; Stankovic, Konstantina M.

2013-02-01

Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in the world, and most frequently it originates in the inner ear. Yet, the inner ear has been difficult to access for diagnosis because of its small size, delicate nature, complex three-dimensional anatomy, and encasement in the densest bone in the body. Evolving optical methods are promising to afford cellular diagnosis of pathologic changes in the inner ear. To appropriately interpret results from these emerging technologies, it is important to characterize optical properties of cochlear tissues. Here, we focus on that characterization using quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) applied to unstained cochlear sections of the mouse, a common animal model of human hearing loss. We find that the most birefringent cochlear materials are collagen fibrils and myelin. Retardance of the otic capsule, the spiral ligament, and the basilar membrane are substantially higher than that of other cochlear structures. Retardance of the spiral ligament and the basilar membrane decrease from the cochlear base to the apex, compared with the more uniform retardance of other structures. The intricate structural details revealed by qPLM of unstained cochlear sections ex vivo strongly motivate future application of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography to human cochlea in vivo.

Broadband optical absorption by tunable Mie resonances in silicon nanocone arrays

DOE PAGES

Wang, Z. Y.; Zhang, R. J.; Wang, S. Y.; ...

2015-01-15

Nanostructure arrays such as nanowire, nanopillar, and nanocone arrays have been proposed to be promising antireflection structures for photovoltaic applications due to their great light trapping ability. In this paper, the optical properties of Si nanopillar and nanocone arrays in visible and infrared region were studied by both theoretical calculations and experiments. The results show that the Mie resonance can be continuously tuned across a wide range of wavelength by varying the diameter of the nanopillars. However, Si nanopillar array with uniform diameter exhibits only discrete resonance mode, thus can't achieve a high broadband absorption. On the other hand, themore » Mie resonance wavelength in a Si nanocone array can vary continuously as the diameters of the cross sections increase from the apex to the base. Therefore Si nanocone arrays can strongly interact with the incident light in the broadband spectrum and the absorbance by Si nanocone arrays is higher than 95% over the wavelength from 300 to 2000 nm. In addition to the Mie resonance, the broadband optical absorption of Si nanocone arrays is also affected by Wood-Rayleigh anomaly effect and metal impurities introduced in the fabrication process.« less

Quantitative polarized light microscopy of unstained mammalian cochlear sections

PubMed Central

Kalwani, Neil M.; Ong, Cheng Ai; Lysaght, Andrew C.; Haward, Simon J.; McKinley, Gareth H.

2013-01-01

Abstract. Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in the world, and most frequently it originates in the inner ear. Yet, the inner ear has been difficult to access for diagnosis because of its small size, delicate nature, complex three-dimensional anatomy, and encasement in the densest bone in the body. Evolving optical methods are promising to afford cellular diagnosis of pathologic changes in the inner ear. To appropriately interpret results from these emerging technologies, it is important to characterize optical properties of cochlear tissues. Here, we focus on that characterization using quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) applied to unstained cochlear sections of the mouse, a common animal model of human hearing loss. We find that the most birefringent cochlear materials are collagen fibrils and myelin. Retardance of the otic capsule, the spiral ligament, and the basilar membrane are substantially higher than that of other cochlear structures. Retardance of the spiral ligament and the basilar membrane decrease from the cochlear base to the apex, compared with the more uniform retardance of other structures. The intricate structural details revealed by qPLM of unstained cochlear sections ex vivo strongly motivate future application of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography to human cochlea in vivo. PMID:23407909

Research on FBG-based longitudinal-acousto-optic modulator with Fourier mode coupling method.

PubMed

Li, Zhuoxuan; Pei, Li; Liu, Chao; Ning, Tigang; Yu, Shaowei

2012-10-20

Fourier mode coupling model was first applied to achieve the spectra property of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based longitudinal-acousto-optic modulator. Compared with traditional analysis algorithms, such as the transfer matrix method, the Fourier mode coupling model could improve the computing efficiency up to 100 times with a guarantee of accuracy. In this paper, based on the theoretical analysis of this model, the spectra characteristics of the modulator in different frequencies and acoustically induced strains were numerically simulated. In the experiment, a uniform FBG was modulated by acoustic wave (AW) at 12 different frequencies. In particular, the modulator responses at 563 and 885.5 KHz with three different lead zirconate titanate (PZT) loads applied were plotted for illustration, and the linear fitting of experimental data demonstrated a good match with the simulation result. The acoustic excitation of the longitudinal wave is obtained using a conic silica horn attached to the surface of a shear-mode PZT plate paralleled to the fiber axis. This way of generating longitudinal AW with a transversal PZT may shed light on the optimal structural design for the FBG-based longitudinal-acousto-optic modulator.

Highly sensitive nano-porous lattice biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance and interference.

PubMed

Yeom, Se-Hyuk; Kim, Ok-Geun; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Kim, Kyu-Jin; Yuan, Heng; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kim, Hak-Rin; Kang, Shin-Won

2011-11-07

We propose a design for a highly sensitive biosensor based on nanostructured anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) substrates. A gold-deposited AAO substrate exhibits both optical interference and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). In our sensor, application of these disparate optical properties overcomes problems of limited sensitivity, selectivity, and dynamic range seen in similar biosensors. We fabricated uniform periodic nanopore lattice AAO templates by two-step anodizing and assessed their suitability for application in biosensors by characterizing the change in optical response on addition of biomolecules to the AAO template. To determine the suitability of such structures for biosensing applications, we immobilized a layer of C-reactive protein (CRP) antibody on a gold coating atop an AAO template. We then applied a CRP antigen (Ag) atop the immobilized antibody (Ab) layer. The shift in reflectance is interpreted as being caused by the change in refractive index with membrane thickness. Our results confirm that our proposed AAO-based biosensor is highly selective toward detection of CRP antigen, and can measure a change in CRP antigen concentration of 1 fg/ml. This method can provide a simple, fast, and sensitive analysis for protein detection in real-time.

Broadband optical absorption by tunable Mie resonances in silicon nanocone arrays

PubMed Central

Wang, Z. Y.; Zhang, R. J.; Wang, S. Y.; Lu, M.; Chen, X.; Zheng, Y. X.; Chen, L. Y.; Ye, Z.; Wang, C. Z.; Ho, K. M.

2015-01-01

Nanostructure arrays such as nanowire, nanopillar, and nanocone arrays have been proposed to be promising antireflection structures for photovoltaic applications due to their great light trapping ability. In this paper, the optical properties of Si nanopillar and nanocone arrays in visible and infrared region were studied by both theoretical calculations and experiments. The results show that the Mie resonance can be continuously tuned across a wide range of wavelength by varying the diameter of the nanopillars. However, Si nanopillar array with uniform diameter exhibits only discrete resonance mode, thus can't achieve a high broadband absorption. On the other hand, the Mie resonance wavelength in a Si nanocone array can vary continuously as the diameters of the cross sections increase from the apex to the base. Therefore Si nanocone arrays can strongly interact with the incident light in the broadband spectrum and the absorbance by Si nanocone arrays is higher than 95% over the wavelength from 300 to 2000 nm. In addition to the Mie resonance, the broadband optical absorption of Si nanocone arrays is also affected by Wood-Rayleigh anomaly effect and metal impurities introduced in the fabrication process. PMID:25589290

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2013-02-21

... and dispose of real property in compliance with the legal requirements of State and Federal laws and... Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act (Uniform Act) will be met. The...

Using the combination refraction-reflection solid to design omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Jionghui; Yao, Wenming; Wen, Linqiang

2015-10-01

Underwater wireless optical communication is a communication technology which uses laser as an information carrier and transmits data through water. Underwater wireless optical communication has some good features such as broader bandwidth, high transmission rate, better security, anti—interference performance. Therefore, it is promising to be widely used in the civil and military communication domains. It is also suitable for high-speed, short-range communication between underwater mobile vehicles. This paper presents a design approach of omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication, using TRACEPRO simulation tool to help design a combination solid composed of the lens, conical reflector and parabolic reflector, and using the modulated DPSS green laser in the transmitter module to output the laser beam in small divergence angles, after expanded by the combination refraction-reflection solid, the angle turns into a space divergence angle of 2π, achieving the omni-directional light source of hemisphere space, and test in the air and underwater, the result shows that the effect is fine. This paper analyzes the experimental test in the air and water, in order to make further improvement of the uniformity of light distribution, we optimize the reflector surface parameters of combination refraction-reflection solid and test in the air and water. The result shows that omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication optimized could achieve the uniformity of light distribution of underwater space divergence angle of 2π. Omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication designed in this paper has the characteristics of small size and uniformity of light distribution, it is suitable for application between UUVs, AUVs, Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) and other underwater vehicle fleet, it realizes point-to-multipoint communications.

A technique for detecting and locating polarisation nonuniformities in an anisotropic optical fibre

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

Burdin, V V; Konstantinov, Yurii A; Pervadchuk, Vladimir P

2013-06-30

One of the most important requirements for optical fibres as waveguiding media is uniformity. Polarisation-maintaining anisotropic fibres contain a special type of nonuniformity, which leads to polarisation cross-talk: optical power is transferred from one polarisation mode to the orthogonal mode. In this paper, we report a technique for detecting and locating such nonuniformities in a PANDA anisotropic single-mode fibre using polarised reflectometry. (fiber optics)

Optical design of a high-power LED-based solar simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toro-Betancur, Veronica; Velásquez-López, Alejandro; Velásquez, David; Acevedo-Gómez, David

2016-04-01

The optical design of a High-Power LED based Solar Simulator was made in order to reach the AM1.5G spectrum standards. An optical model of the light emitted by the LEDs was made and used for spectral intensities calculations and the light intensity uniformity was optimized. A class AAA solar simulator was designed using a hexagonal LED distribution.

Capacity achieving nonbinary LDPC coded non-uniform shaping modulation for adaptive optical communications.

PubMed

Lin, Changyu; Zou, Ding; Liu, Tao; Djordjevic, Ivan B

2016-08-08

A mutual information inspired nonbinary coded modulation design with non-uniform shaping is proposed. Instead of traditional power of two signal constellation sizes, we design 5-QAM, 7-QAM and 9-QAM constellations, which can be used in adaptive optical networks. The non-uniform shaping and LDPC code rate are jointly considered in the design, which results in a better performance scheme for the same SNR values. The matched nonbinary (NB) LDPC code is used for this scheme, which further improves the coding gain and the overall performance. We analyze both coding performance and system SNR performance. We show that the proposed NB LDPC-coded 9-QAM has more than 2dB gain in symbol SNR compared to traditional LDPC-coded star-8-QAM. On the other hand, the proposed NB LDPC-coded 5-QAM and 7-QAM have even better performance than LDPC-coded QPSK.

Growth parameter dependent structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures on Si substrate by a two-zone thermal CVD.

PubMed

Lee, Hee Kwan; Yu, Jae Su

2012-04-01

We investigated the effect of growth parameters on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures (NSs) grown on Au-coated Si substrate by a two-zone thermal chemical vapor deposition. The morphologies of ZnO NSs were controlled by various growth parameters, such as growth temperature, O2 flow rate, and working pressure, for different thicknesses of Au layer. The nanorod-like ZnO NSs were formed at 915 degrees C and the growth of two-dimensional structures, i.e., nanosheets, was enhanced with the increase of growth temperature up to 965 degrees C. It was found that the low working pressure contributed to improvement in vertical alignment and uniformity of ZnO NSs. The Zn/O atomic % ratio, which plays a key role in the growth mechanism of ZnO NSs, was changed by the growth parameters. The Zn/O atomic % ratio was increased with increasing the growth temperature, while it was decreased with increasing the working pressure. Under proper O2 flow rate, the ZnO nanorods with good crystallinity were fabricated with a Zn/O atomic % ratio of -0.9. For various growth parameters, the photoluminescence emission was slightly shifted with the ultraviolet emission related to the near band edge transition.

The effect of annealing on structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnS/porous silicon composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Cai-Feng; Li, Qing-Shan; Hu, Bo; Li, Wei-Bing

2009-06-01

ZnS films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on porous silicon (PS) substrates. This paper investigates the effect of annealing temperature on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of ZnS/PS composites by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and I-V characteristics. It is found that the ZnS films deposited on PS substrates were grown in preferred orientation along β-ZnS (111) direction, and the intensity of diffraction peak increases with increasing annealing temperature, which is attributed to the grain growth and the enhancement of crystallinity of ZnS films. The smooth and uniform surface of the as-prepared ZnS/PS composite becomes rougher through annealing treatment, which is related to grain growth at the higher annealing temperature. With the increase of annealing temperature, the intensity of self-activated luminescence of ZnS increases, while the luminescence intensity of PS decreases, and a new green emission located around 550 nm appeared in the PL spectra of ZnS/PS composites which is ascribed to the defect-center luminescence of ZnS. The I-V characteristics of ZnS/PS heterojunctions exhibited rectifying behavior, and the forward current increases with increasing annealing temperature.

Elastic scattering spectroscopy of coagulated brain tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ateş, Filiz; Tabakoğlu, Haşim Özgür; Bozkulak, Özgüncem; Canpolat, Murat; Gülsoy, Murat

2006-02-01

The goal of this study was to differentiate the parts of lamb brain according to elastic scattering spectroscopy and detect the optical alterations due to coagulation. Cells and tissues are not uniform and have complex structures and shapes. They can be referred to as scattering particles. The process of scattering depends on the light wavelength and on the scattering medium properties; especially on the size and the density of the medium. When elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) is employed, the morphological alterations of tissues can be detected using spectral measurements of the elastic scattered light over a wide range of wavelengths. In this study firstly, the slopes of ESS spectra were used to differentiate the parts of lamb brains (brainstem, cerebellum, gray matter, white matter) in vitro in the range of 450 - 750 nm. Secondly, tissues were coagulated at different temperatures (45, 60, and 80 °C) and ESS spectra were taken from native and coagulated tissues. It was observed that as the coagulation temperature increased, the slope of the elastic scattering spectra decreased. Thus, optical properties of tissues were changed with respect to the change in nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio due to the water loss. Results showed that the slopes of ESS spectra in the visible range revealed valuable information about the morphological changes caused by coagulation.

Optical and geometrical properties of cirrus clouds in Amazonia derived from 1 year of ground-based lidar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouveia, Diego A.; Barja, Boris; Barbosa, Henrique M. J.; Seifert, Patric; Baars, Holger; Pauliquevis, Theotonio; Artaxo, Paulo

2017-03-01

Cirrus clouds cover a large fraction of tropical latitudes and play an important role in Earth's radiation budget. Their optical properties, altitude, vertical and horizontal coverage control their radiative forcing, and hence detailed cirrus measurements at different geographical locations are of utmost importance. Studies reporting cirrus properties over tropical rain forests like the Amazon, however, are scarce. Studies with satellite profilers do not give information on the diurnal cycle, and the satellite imagers do not report on the cloud vertical structure. At the same time, ground-based lidar studies are restricted to a few case studies. In this paper, we derive the first comprehensive statistics of optical and geometrical properties of upper-tropospheric cirrus clouds in Amazonia. We used 1 year (July 2011 to June 2012) of ground-based lidar atmospheric observations north of Manaus, Brazil. This dataset was processed by an automatic cloud detection and optical properties retrieval algorithm. Upper-tropospheric cirrus clouds were observed more frequently than reported previously for tropical regions. The frequency of occurrence was found to be as high as 88 % during the wet season and not lower than 50 % during the dry season. The diurnal cycle shows a minimum around local noon and maximum during late afternoon, associated with the diurnal cycle of precipitation. The mean values of cirrus cloud top and base heights, cloud thickness, and cloud optical depth were 14.3 ± 1.9 (SD) km, 12.9 ± 2.2 km, 1.4 ± 1.1 km, and 0.25 ± 0.46, respectively. Cirrus clouds were found at temperatures down to -90 °C. Frequently cirrus were observed within the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), which are likely associated to slow mesoscale uplifting or to the remnants of overshooting convection. The vertical distribution was not uniform, and thin and subvisible cirrus occurred more frequently closer to the tropopause. The mean lidar ratio was 23.3 ± 8.0 sr. However, for subvisible cirrus clouds a bimodal distribution with a secondary peak at about 44 sr was found suggesting a mixed composition. A dependence of the lidar ratio with cloud temperature (altitude) was not found, indicating that the clouds are vertically well mixed. The frequency of occurrence of cirrus clouds classified as subvisible (τ < 0. 03) were 41.6 %, whilst 37.8 % were thin cirrus (0. 03 < τ < 0. 3) and 20.5 % opaque cirrus (τ > 0. 3). Hence, in central Amazonia not only a high frequency of cirrus clouds occurs, but also a large fraction of subvisible cirrus clouds. This high frequency of subvisible cirrus clouds may contaminate aerosol optical depth measured by sun photometers and satellite sensors to an unknown extent.

TRUST. I. A 3D externally illuminated slab benchmark for dust radiative transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, K. D.; Baes, M.; Bianchi, S.; Camps, P.; Juvela, M.; Kuiper, R.; Lunttila, T.; Misselt, K. A.; Natale, G.; Robitaille, T.; Steinacker, J.

2017-07-01

Context. The radiative transport of photons through arbitrary three-dimensional (3D) structures of dust is a challenging problem due to the anisotropic scattering of dust grains and strong coupling between different spatial regions. The radiative transfer problem in 3D is solved using Monte Carlo or Ray Tracing techniques as no full analytic solution exists for the true 3D structures. Aims: We provide the first 3D dust radiative transfer benchmark composed of a slab of dust with uniform density externally illuminated by a star. This simple 3D benchmark is explicitly formulated to provide tests of the different components of the radiative transfer problem including dust absorption, scattering, and emission. Methods: The details of the external star, the slab itself, and the dust properties are provided. This benchmark includes models with a range of dust optical depths fully probing cases that are optically thin at all wavelengths to optically thick at most wavelengths. The dust properties adopted are characteristic of the diffuse Milky Way interstellar medium. This benchmark includes solutions for the full dust emission including single photon (stochastic) heating as well as two simplifying approximations: One where all grains are considered in equilibrium with the radiation field and one where the emission is from a single effective grain with size-distribution-averaged properties. A total of six Monte Carlo codes and one Ray Tracing code provide solutions to this benchmark. Results: The solution to this benchmark is given as global spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and images at select diagnostic wavelengths from the ultraviolet through the infrared. Comparison of the results revealed that the global SEDs are consistent on average to a few percent for all but the scattered stellar flux at very high optical depths. The image results are consistent within 10%, again except for the stellar scattered flux at very high optical depths. The lack of agreement between different codes of the scattered flux at high optical depths is quantified for the first time. Convergence tests using one of the Monte Carlo codes illustrate the sensitivity of the solutions to various model parameters. Conclusions: We provide the first 3D dust radiative transfer benchmark and validate the accuracy of this benchmark through comparisons between multiple independent codes and detailed convergence tests.

Peano-like paths for subaperture polishing of optical aspherical surfaces.

PubMed

Tam, Hon-Yuen; Cheng, Haobo; Dong, Zhichao

2013-05-20

Polishing can be more uniform if the polishing path provides uniform coverage of the surface. It is known that Peano paths can provide uniform coverage of planar surfaces. Peano paths also contain short path segments and turns: (1) all path segments have the same length, (2) path segments are mutually orthogonal at the turns, and (3) path segments and turns are uniformity distributed over the domain surface. These make Peano paths an attractive candidate among polishing tool paths because they enhance multidirectional approaches of the tool to each surface location. A method for constructing Peano paths for uniform coverage of aspherical surfaces is proposed in this paper. When mapped to the aspherical surface, the path also contains short path segments and turns, and the above attributes are approximately preserved. Attention is paid so that the path segments are still well distributed near the vertex of the surface. The proposed tool path was used in the polishing of a number of parabolic BK7 specimens using magnetorheological finishing (MRF) and pitch with cerium oxide. The results were rather good for optical lenses and confirm that a Peano-like path was useful for polishing, for MRF, and for pitch polishing. In the latter case, the surface roughness achieved was 0.91 nm according to WYKO measurement.

Study on characteristics of the aperture-averaging factor of atmospheric scintillation in terrestrial optical wireless communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Hong; Liu, Wen-xing; Zhou, Xue-yun; Zhou, Li-ling; Yu, Long-Kun

2018-02-01

In order to thoroughly understand the characteristics of the aperture-averaging effect of atmospheric scintillation in terrestrial optical wireless communication and provide references for engineering design and performance evaluation of the optics system employed in the atmosphere, we have theoretically deduced the generally analytic expression of the aperture-averaging factor of atmospheric scintillation, and numerically investigated characteristics of the apertureaveraging factor under different propagation conditions. The limitations of the current commonly used approximate calculation formula of aperture-averaging factor have been discussed, and the results showed that the current calculation formula is not applicable for the small receiving aperture under non-uniform turbulence link. Numerical calculation has showed that aperture-averaging factor of atmospheric scintillation presented an exponential decline model for the small receiving aperture under non-uniform turbulent link, and the general expression of the model was given. This model has certain guiding significance for evaluating the aperture-averaging effect in the terrestrial optical wireless communication.

Fiber optic interferometry for industrial process monitoring and control applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcus, Michael A.

2002-02-01

Over the past few years we have been developing applications for a high-resolution (sub-micron accuracy) fiber optic coupled dual Michelson interferometer-based instrument. It is being utilized in a variety of applications including monitoring liquid layer thickness uniformity on coating hoppers, film base thickness uniformity measurement, digital camera focus assessment, optical cell path length assessment and imager and wafer surface profile mapping. The instrument includes both coherent and non-coherent light sources, custom application dependent optical probes and sample interfaces, a Michelson interferometer, custom electronics, a Pentium-based PC with data acquisition cards and LabWindows CVI or LabView based application specific software. This paper describes the development evolution of this instrument platform and applications highlighting robust instrument design, hardware, software, and user interfaces development. The talk concludes with a discussion of a new high-speed instrument configuration, which can be utilized for high speed surface profiling and as an on-line web thickness gauge.

Linear time-to-space mapping system using double electrooptic beam deflectors.

PubMed

Hisatake, Shintaro; Tada, Keiji; Nagatsuma, Tadao

2008-12-22

We propose and demonstrate a linear time-to-space mapping system, which is based on two times electrooptic sinusoidal beam deflection. The direction of each deflection is set to be mutually orthogonal with the relative deflection phase of pi/2 rad so that the circular optical beam trajectory can be achieved. The beam spot at the observation plane moves with an uniform velocity and as a result linear time-to-space mapping (an uniform temporal resolution through the mapping) can be realized. The proof-of-concept experiment are carried out and the temporal resolution of 5 ps has been demonstrated using traveling-wave type quasi-velosity-matched electrooptic beam deflectors. The developed system is expected to be applied to characterization of ultrafast optical signal or optical arbitrary waveform shaping for modulated microwave/millimeter-wave generation.

Integration of non-Lambertian LED and reflective optical element as efficient street lamp.

PubMed

Pan, Jui-Wen; Tu, Sheng-Han; Sun, Wen-Shing; Wang, Chih-Ming; Chang, Jenq-Yang

2010-06-21

A cost effective, high throughput, and high yield method for the increase of street lamp potency was proposed in this paper. We integrated the imprinting technology and the reflective optical element to obtain a street lamp with high illumination efficiency and without glare effect. The imprinting technique can increase the light extraction efficiency and modulate the intensity distribution in the chip level. The non-Lambertian light source was achieved by using imprinting technique. The compact reflective optical element was added to efficiently suppress the emitting light intensity with small emitting angle for the uniform of illumination intensity and excluded the light with high emitting angle for the prevention of glare. Compared to the conventional street lamp, the novel design has 40% enhancement in illumination intensity, the uniform illumination and the glare effect elimination.

Theory and Simulation of Gain-Guided Noncollinear Modes in Chirped Quasi-Phase-Matched Optical Parametric Amplifiers

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

Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros; Fejer, Martin

Chirped quasi-phase-matched (QPM) gratings offer essentially constant gain over wide bandwidths, making them promising candidates for short-pulse optical parametric amplifiers. However, experiments have shown that high-gain non-collinear processes exist in spite of the dephasing caused by the non-uniformity of the QPM grating and compete with the desired collinear broadband gain of the amplifier. In this paper, these non-collinear gain-guided modes are investigated numerically and analytically in a model that includes longitudinal non-uniformity of the phase-matching profile, lateral localization of the pump beam and non-collinear propagation of the interacting waves.

Optical design of a street lamp based on dual-module chip-on-board LED arrays.

PubMed

Ge, Aiming; Cai, Jinlin; Chen, Dehua; Shu, Hongyun; Qiu, Peng; Wang, Junwei; Zhu, Ling

2014-09-01

We design and propose a compact street lamp based on dual-module chip-on-board LED. The street lamp is composed of six faceted reflectors. It can direct the luminous flux and form uniform illumination on the target area, and it effectively reduces power consumption. We have conducted both simulations and prototype measurements. The test results show good optical performance in that the uniformity of luminance reaches 0.58 for LED lamp zigzag arrangements and 0.60 for LED lamp double-side arrangements. The average luminance can fulfill the requirements in Chinese road lighting Standard CJJ45-2006.

Investigation of MgF2 optical thin films with ultralow refractive indices prepared from autoclaved sols.

PubMed

Murata, Tsuyoshi; Ishizawa, Hitoshi; Tanaka, Akira

2008-05-01

We have successfully developed a process to form high quality MgF(2) thin films with ultralow refractive indices from autoclaved sols prepared from magnesium acetate and hydrofluoric acid. And we have confirmed that our porous MgF(2) coatings have not only high transmittance in the UV region but also high uniformity of film thickness. They can be uniformly formed on phiv 300 mm substrates as a single coating and as a hybrid coating with sublayers formed by physical vapor deposition. They are expected to be applied to various optics that need high transmittance in the UV region.

Dependence of optical phase modulation on anchoring strength of dielectric shield wall surfaces in small liquid crystal pixels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isomae, Yoshitomo; Shibata, Yosei; Ishinabe, Takahiro; Fujikake, Hideo

2018-03-01

We demonstrated that the uniform phase modulation in a pixel can be realized by optimizing the anchoring strength on the walls and the wall width in the dielectric shield wall structure, which is the needed pixel structure for realizing a 1-µm-pitch optical phase modulator. The anchoring force degrades the uniformity of the phase modulation in ON-state pixels, but it also keeps liquid crystals from rotating against the leakage of an electric field. We clarified that the optimal wall width and anchoring strength are 250 nm and less than 10-4 J/m2, respectively.

Hot-Volumes as Uniform and Reproducible SERS-Detection Enhancers in Weakly-Coupled Metallic Nanohelices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caridad, José M.; Winters, Sinéad; McCloskey, David; Duesberg, Georg S.; Donegan, John F.; Krstić, Vojislav

2017-03-01

Reproducible and enhanced optical detection of molecules in low concentrations demands simultaneously intense and homogeneous electric fields acting as robust signal amplifiers. To generate such sophisticated optical near-fields, different plasmonic nanostructures were investigated in recent years. These, however, exhibit either high enhancement factor (EF) or spatial homogeneity but not both. Small interparticle gaps or sharp nanostructures show enormous EFs but no near-field homogeneity. Meanwhile, approaches using rounded and separated monomers create uniform near-fields with moderate EFs. Here, guided by numerical simulations, we show how arrays of weakly-coupled Ag nanohelices achieve both homogeneous and strong near-field enhancements, reaching even the limit forreproducible detection of individual molecules. The unique near-field distribution of a single nanohelix consists of broad hot-spots, merging with those from neighbouring nanohelices in specific array configurations and generating a wide and uniform detection zone (“hot-volume”). We experimentally assessed these nanostructures via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, obtaining a corresponding EF of ~107 and a relative standard deviation <10%. These values demonstrate arrays of nanohelices as state-of-the-art substrates for reproducible optical detection as well as compelling nanostructures for related fields such as near-field imaging.

Experimental study of a very high frequency, 162 MHz, segmented electrode, capacitively coupled plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirse, Nishant; Harvey, Cleo; Gaman, Cezar; Ellingboe, Bert

2016-09-01

Radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharge operating at a very high frequency, 30-300 MHz, offers many advantages over standard 13.56 MHz CCP. However, there is a limited flexibility on the choice of driving frequency and substrate size due to plasma non-uniformity caused by the standing wave effect and edge effect. To overcome this issue segmented electrode CCP's are proposed and researched. Despite its numerous advantages the power coupling mechanism and plasma chemistry in this type of discharge are not fully understood due to lack of experimental data. In this paper, we present the experimental study of a segmented electrode, 3x4 tile array (10x10 cm square tile with 1 cm tile-to-tile separation), CCP discharge driven at 162 MHz. We measured plasma uniformity and gas temperature using hairpin probe and optical emission spectroscopy respectively. A homemade RF compensated Langmuir probe is employed to measure the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) by second harmonic technique. Energy resolved quadrupole mass spectrometer is utilized to measure the ion energy distribution. Discharge/plasma properties are investigated for several operating conditions and for power coupling mode in both washer board and checker board configuration. The experimental results show that the uniform plasma density can be maintained over a large area along with highly non-equilibrium condition to produce unique gas phase plasma chemistry.

Spatial effect of conical angle on optical-thermal distribution for circumferential photocoagulation

PubMed Central

Truong, Van Gia; Park, Suhyun; Tran, Van Nam; Kang, Hyun Wook

2017-01-01

A uniformly diffusing applicator can be advantageous for laser treatment of tubular tissue. The current study investigated various conical angles for diffuser tips as a critical factor for achieving radially uniform light emission. A customized goniometer was employed to characterize the spatial uniformity of the light propagation. An ex vivo model was developed to quantitatively compare the temperature development and irreversible tissue coagulation. The 10-mm diffuser tip with angle at 25° achieved a uniform longitudinal intensity profile (i.e., 0.90 ± 0.07) as well as a consistent thermal denaturation on the tissue. The proposed conical angle can be instrumental in determining the uniformity of light distribution for the photothermal treatment of tubular tissue. PMID:29296495

Appropriate time scales for nonlinear analyses of deterministic jump systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Tomoya

2011-06-01

In the real world, there are many phenomena that are derived from deterministic systems but which fluctuate with nonuniform time intervals. This paper discusses the appropriate time scales that can be applied to such systems to analyze their properties. The financial markets are an example of such systems wherein price movements fluctuate with nonuniform time intervals. However, it is common to apply uniform time scales such as 1-min data and 1-h data to study price movements. This paper examines the validity of such time scales by using surrogate data tests to ascertain whether the deterministic properties of the original system can be identified from uniform sampled data. The results show that uniform time samplings are often inappropriate for nonlinear analyses. However, for other systems such as neural spikes and Internet traffic packets, which produce similar outputs, uniform time samplings are quite effective in extracting the system properties. Nevertheless, uniform samplings often generate overlapping data, which can cause false rejections of surrogate data tests.

Multi-contrast imaging of human posterior eye by Jones matrix optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2017-04-01

A multi-contrast imaging of pathologic posterior eyes is demonstrated by Jones matrix optical coherence tomography (Jones matrix OCT). The Jones matrix OCT provides five tomographies, which includes scattering, local attenuation, birefringence, polarization uniformity, and optical coherence angiography, by a single scan. The hardware configuration, algorithms of the Jones matrix OCT as well as its application to ophthalmology is discussed.

Signal processing in an acousto-optical spectral colorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emeljanov, Sergey P.; Kludzin, Victor V.; Kochin, Leonid B.; Medvedev, Sergey V.; Polosin, Lev L.; Sokolov, Vladimir K.

2002-02-01

The algorithms of spectrometer signals processing in the acousto-optical spectral colorimeter, proposed earlier are discussed. This processing is directional on distortion elimination of an optical system spectral characteristics and photoelectric transformations, and also for calculation of tristimulus coefficients X,Y,Z in an international colorimetric system of a CIE - 31 and transformation them in coordinates of recommended CIE uniform contrast systems LUV and LAB.

Cloud Radiative Forcing at the ARM Climate Research Facility. Part 1; Technique, Validation, and Comparison to Satellite-derived Diagnostic Quantities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mace, Gerald G.; Benson, Sally; Sonntag, Karen L.; Kato, Seiji; Min, Qilong; Minnis, Patrick; Twohy, Cynthia H.; Poellot, Michael; Dong, Xiquan; Long, Charles;

Uniformly Dispersed and Re-Agglomerated Graphene Oxide-Based Cement Pastes: A Comparison of Rheological Properties, Mechanical Properties and Microstructure.

PubMed

Long, Wu-Jian; Li, Hao-Dao; Fang, Chang-Le; Xing, Feng

2018-01-09

The properties of graphene oxide (GO)-based cement paste can be significantly affected by the state of GO dispersion. In this study, the effects of uniformly dispersed and re-agglomerated GO on the rheological, mechanical properties and microstructure of cement paste were systematically investigated. Two distinct dispersion states can be achieved by altering the mixing sequence: Polycarboxylate-ether (PCE) mixed with GO-cement or cement mixed with GO-PCE. The experimental results showed that the yield stress and plastic viscosity increased with the uniformly dispersed GO when compared to those of re-agglomerated GO cement paste. Moreover, the 3-day compressive and flexural strengths of uniformly dispersed GO paste were 8% and 27%, respectively, higher than those of re-agglomerated GO pastes. The results of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses demonstrated that uniformly dispersed GO more effectively promotes the formation of hydration products in hardened cement paste. Furthermore, a porosity analysis using mercury intrusion porosimetry revealed that the homogeneous dispersion of GO can better inhibit the formation of large-size pores and optimize the pore size distribution at 3 and 7 days than the re-agglomerated GO.

Fabrication of spherical microlens array by combining lapping on silicon wafer and rapid surface molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaohua; Zhou, Tianfeng; Zhang, Lin; Zhou, Wenchen; Yu, Jianfeng; Lee, L. James; Yi, Allen Y.

2018-07-01

Silicon is a promising mold material for compression molding because of its properties of hardness and abrasion resistance. Silicon wafers with carbide-bonded graphene coating and micro-patterns were evaluated as molds for the fabrication of microlens arrays. This study presents an efficient but flexible manufacturing method for microlens arrays that combines a lapping method and a rapid molding procedure. Unlike conventional processes for microstructures on silicon wafers, such as diamond machining and photolithography, this research demonstrates a unique approach by employing precision steel balls and diamond slurries to create microlenses with accurate geometry. The feasibility of this method was demonstrated by the fabrication of several microlens arrays with different aperture sizes and pitches on silicon molds. The geometrical accuracy and surface roughness of the microlens arrays were measured using an optical profiler. The measurement results indicated good agreement with the optical profile of the design. The silicon molds were then used to copy the microstructures onto polymer substrates. The uniformity and quality of the samples molded through rapid surface molding were also assessed and statistically quantified. To further evaluate the optical functionality of the molded microlens arrays, the focal lengths of the microlens arrays were measured using a simple optical setup. The measurements showed that the microlens arrays molded in this research were compatible with conventional manufacturing methods. This research demonstrated an alternative low-cost and efficient method for microstructure fabrication on silicon wafers, together with the follow-up optical molding processes.

Influence of pH on optoelectronic properties of zinc sulphide thin films prepared using hydrothermal and spin coating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudapur, V. H.; Bennal, A. S.; Raju, A. B.

2018-04-01

The ZnS nanomaterial is synthesized by hydrothermal method under optimized conditions using Zinc acetate and sodium sulphide as precursors. The Zinc Sulphide thin films are obtained by simple spin coating method with high optical transmittance. The prepared thin films are adhesive and uniform. The x-ray diffraction analysis showed that the films are polycrystalline in cubic phase with the preferred orientation along (111) direction. Current-voltage curves were recorded at room temperature using Keithley 617 programmable electrometer and conductivity is calculated for the film coated on ITO by two probe method. The pH of the solution is varied by using ammonia and hydrochloric acid. The comparative studies of effect of pH on the morphology, crystallanity and optoelectronic properties of the films are studied. It is observed that the pH of the solution has large influence on optoelectronic properties. The thin film prepared with neutral pH has higher crystallanity, bandgap and conductivity as compared to the samples prepared in acidic or basic solutions.

Development of 2024 AA-Yttrium composites by Spark Plasma Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidyasagar, CH S.; Karunakar, D. B.

2018-04-01

The method of fabrication of MMNCs is quite a challenge, which includes advanced processing techniques like Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), etc. The objective of the present work is to fabricate aluminium based MMNCs with the addition of small amounts of yttrium using Spark Plasma Sintering and to evaluate their mechanical and microstructure properties. Samples of 2024 AA with yttrium ranging from 0.1% to 0.5 wt% are fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). Hardness of the samples is determined using Vickers hardness testing machine. The metallurgical characterization of the samples is evaluated by Optical Microscopy (OM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). Unreinforced 2024 AA sample is also fabricated as a benchmark to compare its properties with those of the composite developed. It is found that the yttrium addition increases the above mentioned properties by altering the precipitation kinetics and intermetallic formation to some extent and then decreases gradually when yttrium wt% increases beyond 0.3 wt%. High density (˂ 99.75) is achieved in the samples and highest hardness achieved is 114 Hv, fabricated by spark plasma sintering and uniform distribution of yttrium is observed.

Synthesis and characterization of Eu{sup 3+}:Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} hollow spheres for biomedical applications

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

Kumari, Manisha, E-mail: guptamanisha69@yahoo.co.in; Sharma, Prashant K., E-mail: prashantnac@gmail.com

Multifunctional magnetic Nanoparticles (MFMNPs) are potentially applicable in both drug delivery systems (DDS) and hyperthermia treatment. Structural, surface morphology and optical property were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurement. Uniform Eu{sup 3+}:Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} hollow microspheres of 1.8-2.0 μm diameters were synthesized by template based approach. We found that synthesized Hollow spheres are 100 nm in thickness. FE-SEM images revealed that the synthesized material are hollow in structure with good porous structure and these pores work as pathway for releasing drugs from the hollow particle inside. Luminescent properties of material were studiedmore » by room temperature photoluminescence emission spectra under the excitation of 275 nm. Material exhibit bright red emission corresponding to the {sup 5}D{sub 0}-{sup 7}F{sub 2} transition of the activator ions under ultraviolet light excitation, which might find potential applications in fields such as drug delivery or biological labeling because of their excellent luminescence properties.« less

Structural modification of polysaccharides: A biochemical-genetic approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kern, Roger G.; Petersen, Gene R.

1991-01-01

Polysaccharides have a wide range of industrial and biomedical applications. An industry trend is underway towards the increased use of bacteria to produce polysaccharides. Long term goals of this work are the adaptation and enhancement of saccharide properties for electronic and optic applications. In this report we illustrate the application of enzyme-bearing bacteriophage on strains of the enteric bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, which produces a polysaccharide with the relatively rare rheological property of drag-reduction. This has resulted in the production of new polysaccharides with enhanced rheological properties. Our laboratory is developing techniques for processing and structurally modifying bacterial polysaccharides and oligosaccharides which comprise their basic polymeric repeat units. Our research has focused on bacteriophage which produce specific polysaccharide degrading enzymes. This has lead to the development of enzymes generated by bacteriophage as tools for polysaccharide modification and purification. These enzymes were used to efficiently convert the native material to uniform-sized high molecular weight polymers, or alternatively into high-purity oligosaccharides. Enzyme-bearing bacteriophage also serve as genetic selection tools for bacteria that produce new families of polysaccharides with modified structures.

41 CFR 101-30.103-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... System FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS SUPPLY AND PROCUREMENT 30-FEDERAL CATALOG SYSTEM 30.1... and maintain a uniform Federal Catalog System to identify and classify personal property under the control of Federal agencies. Under this law each Federal agency is required to utilize the uniform Federal...

41 CFR 101-30.103-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... System FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS SUPPLY AND PROCUREMENT 30-FEDERAL CATALOG SYSTEM 30.1... and maintain a uniform Federal Catalog System to identify and classify personal property under the control of Federal agencies. Under this law each Federal agency is required to utilize the uniform Federal...

41 CFR 101-30.103-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... System FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS SUPPLY AND PROCUREMENT 30-FEDERAL CATALOG SYSTEM 30.1... and maintain a uniform Federal Catalog System to identify and classify personal property under the control of Federal agencies. Under this law each Federal agency is required to utilize the uniform Federal...

41 CFR 101-30.103-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... System FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS SUPPLY AND PROCUREMENT 30-FEDERAL CATALOG SYSTEM 30.1... and maintain a uniform Federal Catalog System to identify and classify personal property under the control of Federal agencies. Under this law each Federal agency is required to utilize the uniform Federal...

Particle detection, number estimation, and feature measurement in gene transfer studies: optical fractionator stereology integrated with digital image processing and analysis.

PubMed

King, Michael A; Scotty, Nicole; Klein, Ronald L; Meyer, Edwin M

2002-10-01

Assessing the efficacy of in vivo gene transfer often requires a quantitative determination of the number, size, shape, or histological visualization characteristics of biological objects. The optical fractionator has become a choice stereological method for estimating the number of objects, such as neurons, in a structure, such as a brain subregion. Digital image processing and analytic methods can increase detection sensitivity and quantify structural and/or spectral features located in histological specimens. We describe a hardware and software system that we have developed for conducting the optical fractionator process. A microscope equipped with a video camera and motorized stage and focus controls is interfaced with a desktop computer. The computer contains a combination live video/computer graphics adapter with a video frame grabber and controls the stage, focus, and video via a commercial imaging software package. Specialized macro programs have been constructed with this software to execute command sequences requisite to the optical fractionator method: defining regions of interest, positioning specimens in a systematic uniform random manner, and stepping through known volumes of tissue for interactive object identification (optical dissectors). The system affords the flexibility to work with count regions that exceed the microscope image field size at low magnifications and to adjust the parameters of the fractionator sampling to best match the demands of particular specimens and object types. Digital image processing can be used to facilitate object detection and identification, and objects that meet criteria for counting can be analyzed for a variety of morphometric and optical properties. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science (USA)

Optical Property Requirements for Glasses, Ceramics and Plastics in Spacecraft Window Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, Lynda

2011-01-01

This is a preliminary draft of a standard published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) that is intended to provide uniform window optical design requirements in support of the development of human-rated spaceflight hardware. The material covered in this standard is based on data from extensive testing by the Advanced Sensing and Optical Measurement Branch at NASA Langley Research Center, and compiled into requirements format by the NASA JSC Structural Engineering Division. At the time of this initial document release, a broader technical community has not reviewed this standard. The technical content of this standard is primarily based on the Constellation Program Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Window Optical Properties Requirements, CxP 72407, Baseline. Unlike other optical requirements documents available for human rated spacecraft, this document includes requirements that ensure functionality for windows that contain glass/ceramic and/or plastic window substrate materials. These requirements were derived by measuring the optical properties of fused silica and aluminosilicate glass window assemblies and ensuring that the performance of any window assembly that includes a plastic pane or panes will meet the performance level of the all-glass assemblies. The resulting requirements are based upon the performance and parameter metrology testing of a variety of materials, including glass, transparent ceramics, acrylics, and polycarbonates. In general, these requirements are minimum specifications for each optical parameter in order to achieve the function specified for each functional category, A through D. Because acrylic materials perform at a higher level than polycarbonates in the optics regime, and CxP/Orion is planning to use acrylic in the Orion spacecraft, these requirements are based heavily on metrology from that material. As a result, two of the current Category D requirements for plastics are cited in such a way that will result in the screening out of polycarbonates. It is acknowledged that many polycarbonates can perform the functions of Category D, such as piloting and imagery with lens with apertures up to 25mm, without performance issues. Therefore, this forward warns users that certain requirements, such as birefringence and wavefront, for Category D plastics need to be revised to allow those polycarbonates that perform adequately in Category D to be accepted, while at the same time, screen out those materials that do not perform up to par. At the time of document release, the requirements in question have been identified by a TBD beside the proposed requirement criteria (which is based upon acrylic performance). Vehicles that are designed with acrylic materials for windowpanes are encouraged to use the values presented in this document for all requirements, in order to ensure adequate optical performance.

Metal Nanoparticles Embedded in Cellulose Nanocrystal Based Films: Material Properties and Post-use Analysis.

PubMed

Lizundia, Erlantz; Goikuria, Uribarri; Vilas, José Luis; Cristofaro, Francesco; Bruni, Giovanna; Fortunati, Elena; Armentano, Ilaria; Visai, Livia; Torre, Luigi

2018-04-25

The dispersion of nanoparticles having different size-, shape-, and composition-dependent properties is an exciting approach to design and synthesize multifunctional materials and devices. This work shows a detailed investigation of the preparation and properties of free-standing nanocomposite films based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) loaded with three different types of metal nanoparticles. CNC-based nanocomposites having zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), and silver oxide (Ag 2 O) have been obtained through evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) in acqueous solution. Morphological and optical characteristics, chemical properties, wettability, and antimicrobial assays of the produced films were conducted. Furthermore, disintegrability in composting condition of CNC based nanocomposites was here investigated for the first time. The morphological observations revealed the formation of a chiral nematic structure with uniformly distributed nanoparticles. The bionanocomposite films based on the metal nanoparticles had effective antimicrobial activity, killing both Escherichia coli RB ( E. coli RB) and Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4 ( S. aureus 8325-4). The simplicity method of film preparation, the large quantity of cellulose in the world, and the free-standing nature of the nanocomposite films offer highly advantageous characteristics that can for the new development of multifunctional materials.

Investigation of trapping levels in p-type Zn3P2 nanowires using transport and optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardi, G. A.; de Oliveira, F. M.; Teodoro, M. D.; Chiquito, A. J.

2018-05-01

Here, we report the synthesis and structural characterization of high-quality Zn3P2 nanowires via chemical vapour deposition. Structural and morphological characterization studies revealed a reliable growth process of long, uniform, and single-crystalline nanowires. From temperature dependent transport and photoluminescence measurements, we have observed the contribution of different acceptor levels (15, 50, 70, 90, and 197 meV) to the conduction mechanisms. These levels were associated with zinc vacancies and phosphorous interstitial atoms which assigned a p-type character to this semiconductor. From time resolved photoluminescence experiments, a 91 ps lifetime decay was found. Such a fast lifetime decay is in agreement with the exciton transition along the bulk emission from high quality crystalline nanowires.

Morphology-controllable of Sn doped ZnO nanorods prepared by spray pyrolysis for transparent electrode application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hameed, M. Shahul; Princice, J. Joseph; Babu, N. Ramesh; Zahirullah, S. Syed; Deshmukh, Sampat G.; Arunachalam, A.

2018-05-01

Transparent conductive Sn doped ZnO nanorods have been deposited at various doping level by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrate. The structural, surface morphological and optical properties of these films have been investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer respectively. XRD patterns revealed a successful high quality growth of single crystal ZnO nanorods with hexagonal wurtzite structure having (002) preferred orientation. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the prepared films exposed the uniform distribution of Sn doped ZnO nanorod shaped grains. All these films were highly transparent in the visible region with average transmittance of 90%.

Study of the morphology of ZnS thin films deposited on different substrates via chemical bath deposition.

PubMed

Gómez-Gutiérrez, Claudia M; Luque, P A; Castro-Beltran, A; Vilchis-Nestor, A R; Lugo-Medina, Eder; Carrillo-Castillo, A; Quevedo-Lopez, M A; Olivas, A

2015-01-01

In this work, the influence of substrate on the morphology of ZnS thin films by chemical bath deposition is studied. The materials used were zinc acetate, tri-sodium citrate, thiourea, and ammonium hydroxide/ammonium chloride solution. The growth of ZnS thin films on different substrates showed a large variation on the surface, presenting a poor growth on SiO2 and HfO2 substrates. The thin films on ITO substrate presented a uniform and compact growth without pinholes. The optical properties showed a transmittance of about 85% in the visible range of 300-800 nm with band gap of 3.7 eV. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synthesis of Nanocrystalline SnOx (x = 1–2) Thin Film Using a Chemical Bath Deposition Method with Improved Deposition Time, Temperature and pH

PubMed Central

Ebrahimiasl, Saeideh; Yunus, Wan Md. Zin Wan; Kassim, Anuar; Zainal, Zulkarnain

2011-01-01

Nanocrystalline SnOx (x = 1–2) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by a simple chemical bath deposition method. Triethanolamine was used as complexing agent to decrease time and temperature of deposition and shift the pH of the solution to the noncorrosive region. The films were characterized for composition, surface morphology, structure and optical properties. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms that SnOx thin films consist of a polycrystalline structure with an average grain size of 36 nm. Atomic force microscopy studies show a uniform grain distribution without pinholes. The elemental composition was evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The average O/Sn atomic percentage ratio is 1.72. Band gap energy and optical transition were determined from optical absorbance data. The film was found to exhibit direct and indirect transitions in the visible spectrum with band gap values of about 3.9 and 3.7 eV, respectively. The optical transmittance in the visible region is 82%. The SnOx nanocrystals exhibit an ultraviolet emission band centered at 392 nm in the vicinity of the band edge, which is attributed to the well-known exciton transition in SnOx. Photosensitivity was detected in the positive region under illumination with white light. PMID:22163690

Multi-Sensor Fusion of Infrared and Electro-Optic Signals for High Resolution Night Images

PubMed Central

Huang, Xiaopeng; Netravali, Ravi; Man, Hong; Lawrence, Victor

2012-01-01

Electro-optic (EO) image sensors exhibit the properties of high resolution and low noise level at daytime, but they do not work in dark environments. Infrared (IR) image sensors exhibit poor resolution and cannot separate objects with similar temperature. Therefore, we propose a novel framework of IR image enhancement based on the information (e.g., edge) from EO images, which improves the resolution of IR images and helps us distinguish objects at night. Our framework superimposing/blending the edges of the EO image onto the corresponding transformed IR image improves their resolution. In this framework, we adopt the theoretical point spread function (PSF) proposed by Hardie et al. for the IR image, which has the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a uniform detector array and the incoherent optical transfer function (OTF) of diffraction-limited optics. In addition, we design an inverse filter for the proposed PSF and use it for the IR image transformation. The framework requires four main steps: (1) inverse filter-based IR image transformation; (2) EO image edge detection; (3) registration; and (4) blending/superimposing of the obtained image pair. Simulation results show both blended and superimposed IR images, and demonstrate that blended IR images have better quality over the superimposed images. Additionally, based on the same steps, simulation result shows a blended IR image of better quality when only the original IR image is available. PMID:23112602

Plant-derived cis-β-ocimene as a precursor for biocompatible, transparent, thermally-stable dielectric and encapsulating layers for organic electronics.

PubMed

Bazaka, Kateryna; Destefani, Ryan; Jacob, Mohan V

2016-12-09

This article presents low-temperature, one-step dry synthesis of optically transparent thermally-stable, biocompatible cis-β-ocimene-based thin films for applications as interlayer dielectric and encapsulating layer for flexible electronic devices, e.g. OLEDs. Morphological analysis of thin films shows uniform, very smooth (R q  < 1 nm) and defect-free moderately hydrophilic surfaces. The films are optically transparent, with a refractive index of ~1.58 at 600 nm, an optical band gap of ~2.85 eV, and dielectric constant of 3.5-3.6 at 1 kHz. Upon heating, thin films are chemically and optically stable up to at least 200 °C, where thermal stability increases for films manufactured at higher RF power as well as for films deposited away from the plasma glow. Heating of the sample increases the dielectric constant, from 3.7 (25 °C) to 4.7 (120 °C) at 1 kHz for polymer fabricated at 25 W. Polymers are biocompatible with non-adherent THP-1 cells and adherent mouse macrophage cells, including LPS-stimulated macrophages, and maintain their material properties after 48 h of immersion into simulated body fluid. The versatile nature of the films fabricated in this study may be exploited in next-generation consumer electronics and energy technologies.

Plant-derived cis-β-ocimene as a precursor for biocompatible, transparent, thermally-stable dielectric and encapsulating layers for organic electronics

PubMed Central

Bazaka, Kateryna; Destefani, Ryan; Jacob, Mohan V.

2016-01-01

This article presents low-temperature, one-step dry synthesis of optically transparent thermally-stable, biocompatible cis−β−ocimene-based thin films for applications as interlayer dielectric and encapsulating layer for flexible electronic devices, e.g. OLEDs. Morphological analysis of thin films shows uniform, very smooth (Rq < 1 nm) and defect-free moderately hydrophilic surfaces. The films are optically transparent, with a refractive index of ~1.58 at 600 nm, an optical band gap of ~2.85 eV, and dielectric constant of 3.5−3.6 at 1 kHz. Upon heating, thin films are chemically and optically stable up to at least 200 °C, where thermal stability increases for films manufactured at higher RF power as well as for films deposited away from the plasma glow. Heating of the sample increases the dielectric constant, from 3.7 (25 °C) to 4.7 (120 °C) at 1 kHz for polymer fabricated at 25 W. Polymers are biocompatible with non-adherent THP–1 cells and adherent mouse macrophage cells, including LPS-stimulated macrophages, and maintain their material properties after 48 h of immersion into simulated body fluid. The versatile nature of the films fabricated in this study may be exploited in next-generation consumer electronics and energy technologies. PMID:27934916

Multi-sensor fusion of infrared and electro-optic signals for high resolution night images.

PubMed

Huang, Xiaopeng; Netravali, Ravi; Man, Hong; Lawrence, Victor

2012-01-01

Electro-optic (EO) image sensors exhibit the properties of high resolution and low noise level at daytime, but they do not work in dark environments. Infrared (IR) image sensors exhibit poor resolution and cannot separate objects with similar temperature. Therefore, we propose a novel framework of IR image enhancement based on the information (e.g., edge) from EO images, which improves the resolution of IR images and helps us distinguish objects at night. Our framework superimposing/blending the edges of the EO image onto the corresponding transformed IR image improves their resolution. In this framework, we adopt the theoretical point spread function (PSF) proposed by Hardie et al. for the IR image, which has the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a uniform detector array and the incoherent optical transfer function (OTF) of diffraction-limited optics. In addition, we design an inverse filter for the proposed PSF and use it for the IR image transformation. The framework requires four main steps: (1) inverse filter-based IR image transformation; (2) EO image edge detection; (3) registration; and (4) blending/superimposing of the obtained image pair. Simulation results show both blended and superimposed IR images, and demonstrate that blended IR images have better quality over the superimposed images. Additionally, based on the same steps, simulation result shows a blended IR image of better quality when only the original IR image is available.

Plant-derived cis-β-ocimene as a precursor for biocompatible, transparent, thermally-stable dielectric and encapsulating layers for organic electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazaka, Kateryna; Destefani, Ryan; Jacob, Mohan V.

2016-12-01

This article presents low-temperature, one-step dry synthesis of optically transparent thermally-stable, biocompatible cis-β-ocimene-based thin films for applications as interlayer dielectric and encapsulating layer for flexible electronic devices, e.g. OLEDs. Morphological analysis of thin films shows uniform, very smooth (Rq < 1 nm) and defect-free moderately hydrophilic surfaces. The films are optically transparent, with a refractive index of ~1.58 at 600 nm, an optical band gap of ~2.85 eV, and dielectric constant of 3.5-3.6 at 1 kHz. Upon heating, thin films are chemically and optically stable up to at least 200 °C, where thermal stability increases for films manufactured at higher RF power as well as for films deposited away from the plasma glow. Heating of the sample increases the dielectric constant, from 3.7 (25 °C) to 4.7 (120 °C) at 1 kHz for polymer fabricated at 25 W. Polymers are biocompatible with non-adherent THP-1 cells and adherent mouse macrophage cells, including LPS-stimulated macrophages, and maintain their material properties after 48 h of immersion into simulated body fluid. The versatile nature of the films fabricated in this study may be exploited in next-generation consumer electronics and energy technologies.

The 1991 Eruption of Mt. Pinatubo: Changes in Climate and Atmospheric Chemistry- Lesson Learned and Questions Left Unanswered

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toon, O. B.

2016-12-01

Mt. Pinatubo injected the largest amount of SO2 into the stratosphere of any 20th Century eruption. I will survey what we learned, and point out issues that require more data, or further analysis. Beautiful purple twilight glows, hazy gray skies, and sunsets so bright they caused traffic accidents made the volcanic cloud evident to even casual observers for more than a year. High altitude aircraft, balloons, satellites and ground-based instruments measured many properties of the cloud and its impact on the Earth. Scattering of sunlight to space created a temporary negative radiative forcing, larger than the positive forcing from greenhouse gases in the previous century. As a result the surface cooled, but the cloud faded before the cooling reached its full potential. Absorption of near infrared sunlight, and of upwelling mid-infrared radiation heated the stratosphere. The heating was unequal, which may have induced local dynamical changes that sped the movement of the cloud into the Southern Hemisphere. The ascending motion in the tropical branch of the Brewer-Dobson circulation sped up, leading to tropical ozone reductions. Mid-latitude declines in ozone were caused by heterogeneous chemical reactions on the volcanic cloud. Polar ozone loss was enhanced by increased heterogeneous reactions due to the increased surface area provided by the volcanic particles. A number of important microphysical insights were gained that are not always recognized. Stratospheric particle sizes increase with the addition of SO2, and even Pinatubo particles did not have a constant or uniform particle size distribution. The optical depth was not uniform over the globe, or even one hemisphere. In fact, the maximum optical depth moved from the tropics to high northern latitudes over the first year. Many questions have been left unanswered. Theory suggests the optical depth of volcanic clouds increases less than linearly with the mass of SO2 injected, is this correct? Observations did not show injections of water or halogens, will other eruptions have significant injections? Do large eruptions have an effect on El Nino or winter warming in the Northern Hemisphere, and if so what is the mechanism? Other large eruptions are inevitable, but rare. How can we prepare to measure the properties and effects of their clouds?

Enhanced electrochromic properties of TiO2 nanoporous film prepared based on an assistance of polyethylene glycol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Shunjian; Luo, Xiaorui; Xiao, Zonghu; Luo, Yongping; Zhong, Wei; Ou, Hui; Li, Yinshuai

2017-01-01

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was employed as pore-forming agent to prepare TiO2 nanoporous film based on spin-coating a TiO2 nanoparticle mixed paste on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. The electrochromic and optical properties of the obtained TiO2 film were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results show that the PEG in the mixed paste endows the TiO2 film with well-developed porous structure and improves the uniformity of the TiO2 film, which are helpful for the rapid intercalation and extraction of lithium ions within the TiO2 film and the strengthening of the diffuse reflection of visible light in the TiO2 film. As a result, the TiO2 film derived from the mixed paste with PEG displays higher electrochemical activity and more excellent electrochromic performances compared with the TiO2 film derived from the mixed paste without PEG. The switching times of coloration/bleaching are respectively 10.16/5.65 and 12.77/6.13 s for the TiO2 films with PEG and without PEG. The maximum value of the optical contrast of the TiO2 film with PEG is 21.2% while that of the optical contrast of the TiO2 film without PEG is 14.9%. Furthermore, the TiO2 film with PEG has better stability of the colored state than the TiO2 film without PEG.

Influence of Co doping on structural, optical and magnetic properties of BiFeO3 films deposited on quartz substrates by sol-gel method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Lin; Deng, Hongmei; Tian, Jianjun; Ren, Qing; Peng, Cheng; Huang, Zhipeng; Yang, Pingxiong; Chu, Junhao

2013-03-01

Multiferroic BiFe1-xCoxO3 (x = 0, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1) thin films have been prepared on quartz substrates using a sol-gel technique. X-ray diffraction data confirms that Co atoms have been successfully incorporated into the host lattice. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibits that the surface morphologies of BiFe0.97Co0.03O3 and BiFe0.95Co0.05O3 thin films become more compact and uniform. With increasing Co dopant, the position of A1-1 and E-4 modes shift towards the lower wavenumber indicates that Co doping induces structural distortion of BiFeO3. With increasing Co composition, the fundamental absorption edges of BiFe1-xCoxO3 films show red shift. Furthermore, transmittance spectra demonstrates that the optical band gap of BiFe1-xCoxO3 films decreases from 2.66 eV to 2.53 eV with the increase of Co from x = 0 to 0.1. At the wavelength of 720 nm, the refractive index decreases and the extinction coefficient increases with increasing the amount of Co. Optical properties reveal that Co doping in BiFeO3 provides preliminary research for optoelectronic devices and infrared detectors. Compared with BiFeO3 prepared under similar conditions, the remanent magnetization Mr of BiFe1-xCoxO3 (x = 0.03, 0.05, 0.1) thin films significantly enhanced, which provides potential applications in information storage.

Langmuir Films of Flexible Polymers Transferred to Aqueous/Liquid Crystal Interfaces Induce Uniform Azimuthal Alignment of the Liquid Crystal

PubMed Central

Kinsinger, Michael I.; Buck, Maren E.; Meli, Maria-Victoria; Abbott, Nicholas L.; Lynn, David M.

2009-01-01

We reported recently that amphiphilic polymers can be assembled at interfaces created between aqueous phases and thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs) in ways that (i) couple the organization of the polymer to the order of the LC and (ii) respond to changes in the properties of aqueous phases that can be characterized as changes in the optical appearance of the LC. This investigation sought to characterize the behavior of aqueous-LC interfaces decorated with uniaxially compressed thin films of polymers transferred by Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) transfer. Here, we report physicochemical characterization of interfaces created between aqueous phases and the thermotropic LC 4-cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) decorated with Langmuir films of a novel amphiphilic polymer (polymer 1), synthesized by the addition of hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains to poly(2-vinyl-4,4’-dimethylazlactone). Initial characterization of this system resulted in the unexpected observation of uniform azimuthal alignment of 5CB after LS transfer of the polymer films to aqueous-5CB interfaces. This paper describes characterization of Langmuir films of polymer 1 hosted at aqueous-5CB interfaces as well as the results of our investigations into the origins of the uniform ordering of the LC observed upon LS transfer. Our results, when combined, support the conclusion that uniform azimuthal alignment of 5CB is the result of long-range ordering of polymer chains in the Langmuir films (in a preferred direction orthogonal to the direction of compression) that is generated during uniaxial compression of the films prior to LS transfer. Although past studies of Langmuir films of polymers at aqueous-air interfaces have demonstrated that in-plane alignment of polymer backbones can be induced by uniaxial compression, these past reports have generally made use of polymers with rigid backbones. One important outcome of this current study is thus the observation of anisotropy and long-range order in Langmuir films of a novel flexible polymer. A second important outcome is the observation that the existence, extent, and dynamics of this order can be identified and characterized optically by transfer of the Langmuir film to a thin film of LC. Additional characterization of Langmuir films of two other flexible polymers [poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(vinyl stearate)] using this method also resulted in uniform azimuthal alignment of 5CB, suggesting that the generation of long-range order in uniaxially compressed Langmuir films of polymers may also occur more generally over a broader range of polymers with flexible backbones. PMID:19836025

Optimization of Pockels electric field in transverse modulated optical voltage sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yifan; Xu, Qifeng; Chen, Kun-Long; Zhou, Jie

2018-05-01

This paper investigates the possibilities of optimizing the Pockels electric field in a transverse modulated optical voltage sensor with a spherical electrode structure. The simulations show that due to the edge effect and the electric field concentrations and distortions, the electric field distributions in the crystal are non-uniform. In this case, a tiny variation in the light path leads to an integral error of more than 0.5%. Moreover, a 2D model cannot effectively represent the edge effect, so a 3D model is employed to optimize the electric field distributions. Furthermore, a new method to attach a quartz crystal to the electro-optic crystal along the electric field direction is proposed to improve the non-uniformity of the electric field. The integral error is reduced therefore from 0.5% to 0.015% and less. The proposed method is simple, practical and effective, and it has been validated by numerical simulations and experimental tests.

Infrared fiber optic temperature monitoring of biological tissues heated in a microwave oven

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belotserkovsky, Edward; Ashkenasy, Y.; Shenfeld, Ofer; Drizlikh, S.; Zur, Albert; Katzir, Abraham

1993-05-01

The heating of tissue by microwave radiation has attained a place of importance in various medical fields such as the treatment of malignancies, urinary retention and hypothermia. Accurate temperature measurements in these treated tissues is important for treatment planning and for the control of the heating process. It is also important to be able to measure spacial temperature distribution in the tissues because they are heated in a non uniform way by the microwave radiation. Fiber optic radiometry makes possible accurate temperature measurement in the presence of microwave radiation and does not require contact with the tissue. Using a IR silver halide fiber optic radiometric temperature sensor we obtained accurate temperature measurements of tissues heated by microwave, enabling us to control the heating process in all regions of the tissue. We also performed temperature mapping of the heated tissues and demonstrated the non-uniform temperature distributions in them.

Design of optical transmitting antenna with enhance performance in visible light communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Dang; Wang, Jianping; Lu, Huimin

2016-10-01

An optical transmitting antenna for visible light communication(VLC) is designed in this work, in which the antenna is positioned before the light-emitting diodes (LED) source to change the lighting distribution, in order to achieve uniform received power effect. The method to design antenna is introduced into physical optical lens principle. According to the energy conservation law and Snell law, the antenna is designed via establishing energy mapping between the luminous flux emitted by a LED source with Lambertian distribution and the target plane. The coordinates of the antenna model are obtained under matrix laboratory (MATLAB). The antenna model entity is generated through three dimensional (3D) composition software AutoCAD with the coordinates of antenna. Ray-tracing software Tracepro is used to trace the ray which through antenna, and validate the irradiance maps. The uniformity of illumination and received power of the designed VLC is improved from approximately 35% to over 83%.

Linear laser diode arrays for improvement in optical disk recording

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alphonse, G. A.; Carlin, D. B.; Connolly, J. C.

1990-01-01

The development of individually addressable laser diode arrays for multitrack magneto-optic recorders for space stations is discussed. Three multi-element channeled substrate planar (CSP) arrays with output power greater than 30 mW with linear light vs current characteristics and stable single mode spectra were delivered to NASA. These devices have been used to demonstrate for the first time the simultaneous recording of eight data tracks on a 14-inch magneto-optic erasable disk. The yield of these devices is low, mainly due to non-uniformities inherent to the LPE growth that was used to fabricate them. The authors have recently developed the inverted CSP, based on the much more uniform MOCVD growth techniques, and have made low threshold quantum well arrays requiring about three times less current than the CSP to deliver 30 mW CW in a single spatial mode. The inverted CSP is very promising for use in space flight recorder applications.

Quantum efficiency as a device-physics interpretation tool for thin-film solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagle, Timothy J.

2007-12-01

Thin-film solar cells made from CdTe and CIGS p-type absorbers are promising candidates for generating pollution-free electricity. The challenge faced by the thin-film photovoltaics (PV) community is to improve the electrical properties of devices, without straying from low-cost, industry-friendly techniques. This dissertation will focus on the use of quantum-efficiency (QE) measurements to deduce the device physics of thin-film devices, in the hope of improving electrical properties and efficiencies of PV materials. Photons which are absorbed, but not converted into electrical energy can modify the energy bands in the solar cell. Under illumination, photoconductivity in the CdS window layer can result in bands different from those in the dark. QE data presented here was taken under a variety of light-bias conditions. These results suggest that 0.10 sun of white-light bias incident on the CdS layer is usually sufficient to achieve accurate QE results. QE results are described by models based on carrier collection by drift and diffusion, and photon absorption. These models are sensitive to parameters such as carrier mobility and lifetime. Comparing calculated QE curves with experiments, it was determined that electron lifetimes in CdTe are less than 0.1 ns. Lifetime determinations also suggest that copper serves as a recombination center in CdTe. The spatial uniformity of QE results has been investigated with the LBIC apparatus, and several experiments are described which investigate cell uniformity. Electrical variations that occur in solar cells often occur in a nonuniform fashion, and can be detected with the LBIC apparatus. Studies discussed here include investigation of patterned deposition of Cu in back-contacts, the use of high-resistivity TCO layers to mitigate nonuniformity, optical effects, and local shunts. CdTe devices with transparent back contacts were also studied with LBIC, including those that received a strong bromine/dichrol/hydrazine (BDH) etch and those that received a weak bromine etch at the back contact. Back-side results showed improved uniformity in BDH-etched devices, attributed to better back contacts in these devices. In thin-absorber devices, the uniformity trend would likely extend to front-side measurements.

Blind deconvolution post-processing of images corrected by adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christou, Julian C.

1995-08-01

Experience with the adaptive optics system at the Starfire Optical Range has shown that the point spread function is non-uniform and varies both spatially and temporally as well as being object dependent. Because of this, the application of a standard linear and non-linear deconvolution algorithms make it difficult to deconvolve out the point spread function. In this paper we demonstrate the application of a blind deconvolution algorithm to adaptive optics compensated data where a separate point spread function is not needed.

The Tuning of Optical Properties of Nanoscale MOFs-Based Thin Film through Post-Modification.

PubMed

Yin, Wenchang; Tao, Cheng-An; Zou, Xiaorong; Wang, Fang; Qu, Tianlian; Wang, Jianfang

2017-08-29

Optical properties, which determine the application of optical devices in different fields, are the most significant properties of optical thin films. In recent years, Metal-organic framework (MOF)-based optical thin films have attracted increasing attention because of their novel optical properties and important potential applications in optical and photoelectric devices, especially optical thin films with tunable optical properties. This study reports the first example of tuning the optical properties of a MOF-based optical thin film via post-modification. The MOF-based optical thin film was composed of NH₂-MIL-53(Al) nanorods (NRs) (MIL: Materials from Institute Lavoisier), and was constructed via a spin-coating method. Three aldehydes with different lengths of carbon chains were chosen to modify the MOF optical thin film to tune their optical properties. After post-modification, the structural color of the NH₂-MIL-53(Al) thin film showed an obvious change from purple to bluish violet and cyan. The reflection spectrum and the reflectivity also altered in different degrees. The effective refractive index ( n eff ) of MOFs thin film can also be tuned from 1.292 to 1.424 at a wavelength of 750 nm. The success of tuning of the optical properties of MOFs thin films through post-modification will make MOFs optical thin films meet different needs of optical properties in various optical and optoelectronic devices.

The Tuning of Optical Properties of Nanoscale MOFs-Based Thin Film through Post-Modification

PubMed Central

Zou, Xiaorong; Wang, Fang; Qu, Tianlian; Wang, Jianfang

2017-01-01

Optical properties, which determine the application of optical devices in different fields, are the most significant properties of optical thin films. In recent years, Metal-organic framework (MOF)-based optical thin films have attracted increasing attention because of their novel optical properties and important potential applications in optical and photoelectric devices, especially optical thin films with tunable optical properties. This study reports the first example of tuning the optical properties of a MOF-based optical thin film via post-modification. The MOF-based optical thin film was composed of NH2-MIL-53(Al) nanorods (NRs) (MIL: Materials from Institute Lavoisier), and was constructed via a spin-coating method. Three aldehydes with different lengths of carbon chains were chosen to modify the MOF optical thin film to tune their optical properties. After post-modification, the structural color of the NH2-MIL-53(Al) thin film showed an obvious change from purple to bluish violet and cyan. The reflection spectrum and the reflectivity also altered in different degrees. The effective refractive index (neff) of MOFs thin film can also be tuned from 1.292 to 1.424 at a wavelength of 750 nm. The success of tuning of the optical properties of MOFs thin films through post-modification will make MOFs optical thin films meet different needs of optical properties in various optical and optoelectronic devices. PMID:28850057

GPU-accelerated non-uniform fast Fourier transform-based compressive sensing spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Xu, Daguang; Huang, Yong; Kang, Jin U

2014-06-16

We implemented the graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated compressive sensing (CS) non-uniform in k-space spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). Kaiser-Bessel (KB) function and Gaussian function are used independently as the convolution kernel in the gridding-based non-uniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) algorithm with different oversampling ratios and kernel widths. Our implementation is compared with the GPU-accelerated modified non-uniform discrete Fourier transform (MNUDFT) matrix-based CS SD OCT and the GPU-accelerated fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based CS SD OCT. It was found that our implementation has comparable performance to the GPU-accelerated MNUDFT-based CS SD OCT in terms of image quality while providing more than 5 times speed enhancement. When compared to the GPU-accelerated FFT based-CS SD OCT, it shows smaller background noise and less side lobes while eliminating the need for the cumbersome k-space grid filling and the k-linear calibration procedure. Finally, we demonstrated that by using a conventional desktop computer architecture having three GPUs, real-time B-mode imaging can be obtained in excess of 30 fps for the GPU-accelerated NUFFT based CS SD OCT with frame size 2048(axial) × 1,000(lateral).

Increased illumination uniformity and reduced photodamage offered by the Lissajous scanning in fiber-optic two-photon endomicroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Wenxuan; Murari, Kartikeya; Zhang, Yuying; Chen, Yongping; Li, Ming-Jun; Li, Xingde

2012-02-01

We compare the illumination uniformity and the associated effects of the spiral and Lissajous scanning patterns that are commonly used in an endomicroscope. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations were first performed to quantitatively investigate the area illumination density in the spiral scanning pattern. The results revealed the potential problem of manifest photodamage due to the very high illumination density in the center of the spiral scan. Similar analyses of the Lissajous scanning pattern, which can be conveniently implemented on the same endomicroscope with no hardware modifications, showed a more uniform illumination density with about an 80-fold reduction in the peak illumination density. To underscore the benefit offered by the improved illumination uniformity, we conducted in vitro two-photon fluorescence imaging of cultured cells stained with a LIVE/DEAD viability assay using our home-built, fiber-optic, two-channel endomicroscopy system. Both the spiral and the Lissajous scans were implemented. Our experimental results showed that cells near the spiral scan center experienced obvious photodamage, whereas cells remained alive over the entire region under the Lissajous beam scanning, confirming the predicted advantage offered by the Lissajous scan over this spiral scan in an endomicroscopy setting.

Pore size and concentration effect of mesoporous silica nanoparticles on the coefficient of thermal expansion and optical transparency of poly(ether sulfone) films.

PubMed

Vo, Nhat Tri; Patra, Astam K; Kim, Dukjoon

2017-01-18

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with uniform size (<50 nm) yet with different pore diameters were synthesized, and used as fillers in poly(ether sulfone) (PES) films in order to decrease their coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) without sacrificing optical transparency. Here, both CTE and optical transparency of the MSN/PES nanocomposite films gradually decreased with increasing MSN concentration. The PES films containing MSNs with larger pores showed the best performance in CTE and optical transparency. While the CTE decreased by 32.3% with increasing MSN content up to 0.5 wt%, the optical transparency decreased by only less than 6.9% because of the small and uniform particle size of less than 50 nm, which minimizes light scattering. This pore size effect is more clearly observed via an annealing process, which enables the polymer chains to slowly move and fill in the free volume in the pores of the MSN, and thus restricts the thermal motion. The effect of the silica nanoparticles was investigated not only on the thermal stability but also on the mechanical stability. We expect the MSNs synthesized in this study to be used as a promising filler to enhance the thermal and mechanical stability of the PES substrate without sacrificing its optical transparency.

Cost-effective method of manufacturing a 3D MEMS optical switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Emily; Zhang, Ping; Keebaugh, Doug; Chau, Kelvin

2009-02-01

growth of data and video transport networks. All-optical switching eliminates the need for optical-electrical conversion offering the ability to switch optical signals transparently: independent of data rates, formats and wavelength. It also provides network operators much needed automation capabilities to create, monitor and protect optical light paths. To further accelerate the market penetration, it is necessary to identify a path to reduce the manufacturing cost significantly as well as enhance the overall system performance, uniformity and reliability. Currently, most MEMS optical switches are assembled through die level flip-chip bonding with either epoxies or solder bumps. This is due to the alignment accuracy requirements of the switch assembly, defect matching of individual die, and cost of the individual components. In this paper, a wafer level assembly approach is reported based on silicon fusion bonding which aims to reduce the packaging time, defect count and cost through volume production. This approach is successfully demonstrated by the integration of two 6-inch wafers: a mirror array wafer and a "snap-guard" wafer, which provides a mechanical structure on top of the micromirror to prevent electrostatic snap-down. The direct silicon-to-silicon bond eliminates the CTEmismatch and stress issues caused by non-silicon bonding agents. Results from a completed integrated switch assembly will be presented, which demonstrates the reliability and uniformity of some key parameters of this MEMS optical switch.

Current Density Measurements of an Annular-Geometry Ion Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shastry, Rohit; Patterson, Michael J.; Herman, Daniel A.; Foster, John E.

2012-01-01

The concept of the annular-geometry ion engine, or AGI-Engine, has been shown to have many potential benefits when scaling electric propulsion technologies to higher power. However, the necessary asymmetric location of the discharge cathode away from thruster centerline could potentially lead to non-uniformities in the discharge not present in conventional geometry ion thrusters. In an effort to characterize the degree of this potential non-uniformity, a number of current density measurements were taken on a breadboard AGI-Engine. Fourteen button probes were used to measure the ion current density of the discharge along a perforated electrode that replaced the ion optics during conditions of simulated beam extraction. Three Faraday probes spaced apart in the vertical direction were also used in a separate test to interrogate the plume of the AGI-Engine during true beam extraction. It was determined that both the discharge and the plume of the AGI-Engine are highly uniform, with variations under most conditions limited to +/-10% of the average current density in the discharge and +/-5% of the average current density in the plume. Beam flatness parameter measured 30 mm from the ion optics ranged from 0.85 - 0.95, and overall uniformity was shown to generally increase with increasing discharge and beam currents. These measurements indicate that the plasma is highly uniform despite the asymmetric location of the discharge cathode.

Preparation and characterization of B4C coatings for advanced research light sources.

PubMed

Störmer, Michael; Siewert, Frank; Sinn, Harald

2016-01-01

X-ray optical elements are required for beam transport at the current and upcoming free-electron lasers and synchrotron sources. An X-ray mirror is a combination of a substrate and a coating. The demand for large mirrors with single layers consisting of light or heavy elements has increased during the last few decades; surface finishing technology is currently able to process mirror lengths up to 1 m with microroughness at the sub-nanometre level. Additionally, thin-film fabrication is able to deposit a suitable single-layer material, such as boron carbide (B4C), some tens of nanometres thick. After deposition, the mirror should provide excellent X-ray optical properties with respect to coating thickness errors, microroughness values and slope errors; thereby enabling the mirror to transport the X-ray beam with high reflectivity, high beam flux and an undistorted wavefront to an experimental station. At the European XFEL, the technical specifications of the future mirrors are extraordinarily challenging. The acceptable shape error of the mirrors is below 2 nm along the whole length of 1 m. At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), amorphous layers of boron carbide with thicknesses in the range 30-60 nm were fabricated using the HZG sputtering facility, which is able to cover areas up to 1500 mm long by 120 mm wide in one step using rectangular B4C sputtering targets. The available deposition area is suitable for the specified X-ray mirror dimensions of upcoming advanced research light sources such as the European XFEL. The coatings produced were investigated by means of X-ray reflectometry and interference microscopy. The experimental results for the B4C layers are discussed according to thickness uniformity, density, microroughness and thermal stability. The variation of layer thickness in the tangential and sagittal directions was investigated in order to estimate the achieved level of uniformity over the whole deposition area, which is considerably larger than the optical area of a mirror. A waisted mask was positioned during deposition between the sputtering source and substrate to improve the thickness uniformity; particularly to prevent the formation a convex film shape in the sagittal direction. Additionally the inclination of the substrate was varied to change the layer uniformity in order to optimize the position of the mirror quality deposited area during deposition. The level of mirror microroughness was investigated for different substrates before and after deposition of a single layer of B4C. The thermal stability of the B4C layers on the various substrate materials was investigated.

Preparation and characterization of B4C coatings for advanced research light sources

PubMed Central

Störmer, Michael; Siewert, Frank; Sinn, Harald

2016-01-01

X-ray optical elements are required for beam transport at the current and upcoming free-electron lasers and synchrotron sources. An X-ray mirror is a combination of a substrate and a coating. The demand for large mirrors with single layers consisting of light or heavy elements has increased during the last few decades; surface finishing technology is currently able to process mirror lengths up to 1 m with microroughness at the sub-nanometre level. Additionally, thin-film fabrication is able to deposit a suitable single-layer material, such as boron carbide (B4C), some tens of nanometres thick. After deposition, the mirror should provide excellent X-ray optical properties with respect to coating thickness errors, microroughness values and slope errors; thereby enabling the mirror to transport the X-ray beam with high reflectivity, high beam flux and an undistorted wavefront to an experimental station. At the European XFEL, the technical specifications of the future mirrors are extraordinarily challenging. The acceptable shape error of the mirrors is below 2 nm along the whole length of 1 m. At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), amorphous layers of boron carbide with thicknesses in the range 30–60 nm were fabricated using the HZG sputtering facility, which is able to cover areas up to 1500 mm long by 120 mm wide in one step using rectangular B4C sputtering targets. The available deposition area is suitable for the specified X-ray mirror dimensions of upcoming advanced research light sources such as the European XFEL. The coatings produced were investigated by means of X-ray reflectometry and interference microscopy. The experimental results for the B4C layers are discussed according to thickness uniformity, density, microroughness and thermal stability. The variation of layer thickness in the tangential and sagittal directions was investigated in order to estimate the achieved level of uniformity over the whole deposition area, which is considerably larger than the optical area of a mirror. A waisted mask was positioned during deposition between the sputtering source and substrate to improve the thickness uniformity; particularly to prevent the formation a convex film shape in the sagittal direction. Additionally the inclination of the substrate was varied to change the layer uniformity in order to optimize the position of the mirror quality deposited area during deposition. The level of mirror microroughness was investigated for different substrates before and after deposition of a single layer of B4C. The thermal stability of the B4C layers on the various substrate materials was investigated. PMID:26698045

Dopant-driven enhancements in the optoelectronic properties of laser ablated ZnO: Ga thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Ali; Jin, Yuhua; Chao, Feng; Irfan, Muhammad; Jiang, Yijian

2018-04-01

Theoretically and experimentally evaluated optoelectronic properties of GZO (Ga-doped zinc oxide) were correlated in the present article. Density functional theory and Hubbard U (DFT + Ud + Up) first-principle calculations were used for the theoretical study. The pulsed laser deposition technique was used to fabricate GZO thin films on p-GaN, Al2O3, and p-Si substrates. X-ray diffraction graphs show single crystal growth of GZO thin films with (002) preferred crystallographic orientation. The chemical composition was studied via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and no other unwanted impurity-related peaks were found, which indicated the impurity-free thin film growth of GZO. Field emission scanning electron microscopic micrographs revealed noodle-, seed-, and granular-like structures of GZO/GaN, GZO/Al2O3, and GZO/Si, respectively. Uniform growth of GZO/GaN was found due to fewer mismatches between ZnO and GaN (0.09%). Hall effect measurements in the van der Pauw configuration were used to check electrical properties. The highest mobility (53 cm2/Vs) with a high carrier concentration was found with low laser shots (1800). A 5-fold photoluminescence enhancement in the noodle-like structure of GZO/GaN compared with GZO/Al2O3 and GZO/Si was detected. This points toward shape-driven optical properties because the noodle-like structure is more favorable for optical enhancements in GZO thin films. Theoretical (3.539 eV) and experimental (3.54 eV) values of the band-gap were also found to be comparable. Moreover, the lowest resistivity (3.5 × 10-4 Ωcm) with 80% transmittance is evidence that GZO is a successful alternate of ITO.

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.

Shape-dependent dispersion and alignment of nonaggregating plasmonic gold nanoparticles in lyotropic and thermotropic liquid crystals.

PubMed

Liu, Qingkun; Tang, Jianwei; Zhang, Yuan; Martinez, Angel; Wang, Shaowei; He, Sailing; White, Timothy J; Smalyukh, Ivan I

2014-05-01

We use both lyotropic liquid crystals composed of prolate micelles and thermotropic liquid crystals made of rod-like molecules to uniformly disperse and unidirectionally align relatively large gold nanorods and other complex-shaped nanoparticles at high concentrations. We show that some of these ensuing self-assembled orientationally ordered soft matter systems exhibit polarization-dependent plasmonic properties with strongly pronounced molar extinction exceeding that previously achieved in self-assembled composites. The long-range unidirectional alignment of gold nanorods is mediated mainly by anisotropic surface anchoring interactions at the surfaces of gold nanoparticles. Polarization-sensitive absorption, scattering, and extinction are used to characterize orientations of nanorods and other nanoparticles. The experimentally measured unique optical properties of these composites, which stem from the collective plasmonic effect of the gold nanorods with long-range order in a liquid crystal matrix, are reproduced in computer simulations. A simple phenomenological model based on anisotropic surface interaction explains the alignment of gold nanorods dispersed in liquid crystals and the physical underpinnings behind our observations.

Designing an antibacterial acrylic resin using the cosolvent method -Effect of ethanol on the optical and mechanical properties of a cold-cure acrylic resin.

PubMed

Nezu, Takashi; Nagano-Takebe, Futami; Endo, Kazuhiko

2017-09-26

Antimicrobial cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) has low miscibility with acrylic resin monomer but can be homogeneously mixed using ethanol as a cosolvent. This study investigated the effects of ethanol addition on the properties of a cold-cure acrylic resin. Ethanol was an excellent cosolvent for CPC and methyl methacrylate monomer (MMA), but the cured resin exhibited a strong change in coloration to yellow (ΔE* ab >8) and a drastically reduced bending strength (from 97 to 25 MPa) and elastic modulus (from 2.7 to 0.6 GPa) when equal volumes of ethanol and monomer were used together, possibly due to the solvation and deactivation of radicals by ethanol. However, these unfavorable effects diminished when the ethanol/MMA ratio was reduced to 0.25, and became smaller when each specimen was depressurized and excess ethanol was removed. Thus, it may be possible to develop a molecularly uniform antibacterial acrylic resin with acceptable color and strength using this simple technique.

High-throughput growth temperature optimization of ferroelectric SrxBa1-xNb2O6 epitaxial thin films using a temperature gradient method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohkubo, I.; Christen, H. M.; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Jellison, G. E.; Rouleau, C. M.; Lowndes, D. H.

2004-02-01

We have developed a multisample film growth method on a temperature-gradient substrate holder to quickly optimize the film growth temperature in pulsed-laser deposition. A smooth temperature gradient is achieved, covering a range of temperatures from 200 to 830 °C. In a single growth run, the optimal growth temperature for SrxBa1-xNb2O6 thin films on MgO(001) substrates was determined to be 750 °C, based on results from ellipsometry and piezoresponse force microscopy. Variations in optical properties and ferroelectric domains structures were clearly observed as function of growth temperature, and these physical properties can be related to their different crystalline quality. Piezoresponse force microscopy indicated the formation of uniform ferroelectric film for deposition temperatures above 750 °C. At 660 °C, isolated micron-sized ferroelectric islands were observed, while samples deposited below 550 °C did not exhibit clear piezoelectric contrast.

Controlled replication of butterfly wings for achieving tunable photonic properties.

PubMed

Huang, Jingyun; Wang, Xudong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2006-10-01

The fine structure of the wing scale of a Morpho Peleides butterfly was examined carefully, and the entire configuration was completely replicated by a uniform Al(2)O(3) coating through a low-temperature ALD process. An inverted structure was achieved by removing the butterfly wing template at high temperature, forming a polycrystalline Al(2)O(3) shell structure with precisely controlled thickness. Other than the copy of the morphology of the structure, the optical property, such as the existence of PBG, was also inherited by the alumina replica. Reflection peaks at the violet/blue range were detected on both original wings and their replica, while a simple alumina coating shifted the reflection peak to longer wavelength because of the change of periodicity and refraction index. The alumina replicas also exhibited similar functional structures as waveguide and beam splitter, which may be used as the building blocks for photonic ICs with high reproducibility and lower fabrication cost compared to traditional lithography techniques.

The influence of annealing temperature on the interface and photovoltaic properties of CdS/CdSe quantum dots sensitized ZnO nanorods solar cells.

PubMed

Qiu, Xiaofeng; Chen, Ling; Gong, Haibo; Zhu, Min; Han, Jun; Zi, Min; Yang, Xiaopeng; Ji, Changjian; Cao, Bingqiang

2014-09-15

Arrays of ZnO/CdS/CdSe core/shell nanocables with different annealing temperatures have been investigated for CdS/CdSe quantum dots sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). CdS/CdSe quantum dots were synthesized on the surface of ZnO nanorods that serve as the scaffold via a simple ion-exchange approach. The uniform microstructure was verified by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. UV-Visible absorption spectrum and Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated noticeable influence of annealing temperature on the interface structural and optical properties of the CdS/CdSe layers. Particularly, the relationship between annealing temperatures and photovoltaic performance of the corresponding QDSSCs was investigated employing photovoltaic conversion, quantum efficiency and electrochemical impedance spectra. It is demonstrated that higher cell efficiency can be obtained by optimizing the annealing temperature through extending the photoresponse range and improving QD layer crystal quality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of conducting polyaniline-copper composites.

PubMed

Liu, Aijie; Bac, Luong Huu; Kim, Ji-Soon; Kim, Byoung-Kee; Kim, Jin-Chun

2013-11-01

Conducting polymer composites have many interesting physical properties and important application potentials. Suitable combinations of metal nanoparticles with conductive polymers can result in composite materials having unique physical and chemical properties that can have wide application potential in diverse areas. In this work, copper nanoparticles were fabricated by electrical explosion of wire (EEW) in solution of polyacrylic acid (PAA) and ethanol. Conductive polyaniline-copper (PANI-Cu) composites have been synthesized by in-situ polymerization of aniline in the fabricated copper suspension. Optical absorption in the UV-visible region of these suspensions was measured in the range of 200-900 nm. Morphology and structure of the composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR). Pure copper nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed into the polymer matrix. Thermal stability of the composites was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Electrical conductivity measurements indicated that the conductivity of the composites was higher than that of pure polyaniline and increased with increasing content of copper.

Corneal polarimetry after LASIK refractive surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bueno, Juan M.; Berrio, Esther; Artal, Pablo

2006-01-01

Imaging polarimetry provides spatially resolved information on the polarization properties of a system. In the case of the living human eye, polarization could be related to the corneal biomechanical properties, which vary from the normal state as a result of surgery or pathologies. We have used an aberro-polariscope, which we recently developed, to determine and to compare the spatially resolved maps of polarization parameters across the pupil between normal healthy and post-LASIK eyes. The depolarization distribution is not uniform across the pupil, with post-surgery eyes presenting larger levels of depolarization. While retardation increases along the radius in normal eyes, this pattern becomes irregular after LASIK refractive surgery. The maps of slow axis also differ in normal and post-surgery eyes, with a larger disorder in post-LASIK eyes. Since these changes in polarization indicate subtle structural modifications of the cornea, this approach can be useful in a clinical environment to follow the biomechanical and optical changes of the cornea after refractive surgery or for the early diagnosis of different corneal pathologies.

Fabrication and characterization of a CuO/ITO heterojunction with a graphene transparent electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mageshwari, K.; Han, Sanghoo; Park, Jinsub

2016-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the electrical properties of a CuO-ITO heterojunction diode with the use of a graphene transparent electrode by current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. CuO thin films were deposited onto an ITO substrate by a simple sol-gel spin coating method and annealed at 500 °C. The x-ray diffraction pattern of the CuO thin films revealed the polycrystalline nature of CuO and exhibited a monoclinic crystal structure. FESEM images showed a uniform and densely packed particulate morphology. The optical band gap of CuO thin films estimated using UV-vis absorption spectra was found to be 2.50 eV. The I-V characteristics of the fabricated CuO-ITO heterojunction showed a well-defined rectifying behavior with improved electrical properties after the insertion of graphene. The electronic parameters of the heterostructure such as barrier height, ideality factor and series resistance were determined from the I-V measurements, and the possible current transport mechanism was discussed.

Performance improvements of binary diffractive structures via optimization of the photolithography and dry etch processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welch, Kevin; Leonard, Jerry; Jones, Richard D.

2010-08-01

Increasingly stringent requirements on the performance of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) used in wafer scanner illumination systems are driving continuous improvements in their associated manufacturing processes. Specifically, these processes are designed to improve the output pattern uniformity of off-axis illumination systems to minimize degradation in the ultimate imaging performance of a lithographic tool. In this paper, we discuss performance improvements in both photolithographic patterning and RIE etching of fused silica diffractive optical structures. In summary, optimized photolithographic processes were developed to increase critical dimension uniformity and featuresize linearity across the substrate. The photoresist film thickness was also optimized for integration with an improved etch process. This etch process was itself optimized for pattern transfer fidelity, sidewall profile (wall angle, trench bottom flatness), and across-wafer etch depth uniformity. Improvements observed with these processes on idealized test structures (for ease of analysis) led to their implementation in product flows, with comparable increases in performance and yield on customer designs.

Non-uniform refractive index field measurement based on light field imaging technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xiaokun; Zhang, Yumin; Zhou, Mengjie; Xu, Dong

2018-02-01

In this paper, a method for measuring the non-uniform refractive index field based on the light field imaging technique is proposed. First, the light field camera is used to collect the four-dimensional light field data, and then the light field data is decoded according to the light field imaging principle to obtain image sequences with different acquisition angles of the refractive index field. Subsequently PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique is used to extract ray offset of each image. Finally, the distribution of non-uniform refractive index field can be calculated by inversing the deflection of light rays. Compared with traditional optical methods which require multiple optical detectors from multiple angles to synchronously collect data, the method proposed in this paper only needs a light field camera and shoot once. The effectiveness of the method has been verified by the experiment which quantitatively measures the distribution of the refractive index field above the flame of the alcohol lamp.

Mechanical and electro-optical properties of unconventional liquid crystal systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Guangxun

Four types of unconventional liquid crystal systems - amphotropic glycolipids; novel bent-core liquid crystals, bent-core liquid crystal and glycolipid mixtures, and colloidal crystal-liquid crystal systems - were studied and characterized by polarizing microscopy, electrical current, digital scanning calorimetry, and dielectric spectroscopy. Thermotropic properties of glycolipids show a number of unusual properties, most notably high (60-120) relative dielectric constants mainly proportional to the number of polar sugar heads. The relaxation of this dielectric mode is found to be governed by the hydrogen bonding between sugar heads. Studies on novel bent-core liquid crystals reveal a new optically isotropic ferroelectric phase, molecular chirality-induced polarity, and transitions between molecular chirality and polarity driven phases. Mixtures of several bent-core substances with nematic, polar SmA and SmC phases, and a simple amphiphilic sugar lipid with SmA mesophase found to obey the well known miscibility rules, i.e. the sugar lipid mixes best with the polar SmA bent-core material. In addition, the chiral sugar lipid was found to induce tilt to the non-tilted polar SmA phase, which represents a new direction among the chirality--polarity--tilt relations. The effects of the surface properties and electric fields were studied on various colloid particles--and liquid crystal systems. It is found that the surface properties (hydrophobicity, roughness, rubbing) of the substrates are important in determining the size and symmetry of colloidal crystals. The director field of the liquid crystal infiltrated in the colloid crystals can be rendered both random and uniform along one of the crystallographic axis. We present the first observations of DC electric-field-induced rotational and translational motion of finite particles in liquid crystals. The electrorotation is essentially identical to the well - known Quincke rotation, which in liquid crystals triggers an additional translational motion at higher fields. Analysis of the electro-rotation and translations provides new ways to probe local rheological properties of liquid crystals.

Compact LED based LCOS optical engine for mobile projection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenzi; Li, Xiaoyan; Liu, Qinxiao; Yu, Feihong

2009-11-01

With the development of high power LED (light emitting diode) technology and color filter LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology, the research on LED based micro optical engine for mobile projection has been a hot topic recently. In this paper one compact LED powered LCOS optical engine design is presented, which is intended to be embedded in cell phone, digital camera, and so on. Compared to DLP (digital light processor) and traditional color sequential LCOS technology, the color filter based LCOS panel is chosen for the compact optical engine, this is because only white LED is needed. To further decrease the size of the optical engine, only one specifically designed plastic free form lens is applied in the illumination part of the optical engine. This free form lens is designed so that it plays the roles of both condenser and integrator, by which the output light of LED is condensed and redistributed, and light illumination of high efficiency, high uniformity and small incident angle on LCOS is acquired. Besides PBS (polarization beam splitter), LCOS, and projection lens, the compact optical engine contains only this piece of free form plastic lens, which can be produced by plastic injection molding. Finally a white LED powered LCOS optical engine with a compact size of less than 6.6 cc can be acquired. With the ray tracing simulation result, the light efficiency analysis shows that the output flux is over 8.5 ANSI lumens and the ANSI uniformity of over 80%.

Monomer functionalized silica coated with Ag nanoparticles for enhanced SERS hotspots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newmai, M. Boazbou; Verma, Manoj; Kumar, P. Senthil

2018-05-01

Mesoporous silica (SiO2) spheres are well-known for their excellent chromatographic properties such as the relatively high specific surface, large pore volume, uniform particle size, narrow pore size distribution with favorable pore connectivity; whereas the noble metal Ag nanoparticles have unique size/shape dependant surface plasmon resonance with wide ranging applications. Thus, the desire to synchronize both their properties for specific applications has naturally prompted research in the design and synthesis of core-shell type novel nanoAg@mesoSiO2 nanocomposites, which display potential utility in applications such as photothermal therapy, photocatalysis, molecular sensing, and photovoltaics. In the present work, SiO2 spheres were carefully functionalized with the monomer, N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), which cohesively controls the uniform mass transfer of Ag+ metal ions, thereby enabling its sequential reduction to zerovalent Ag (in the presence of slightly excess NaOH) by electron transfer from nucleophilic attack of the NVP vinyl group by the water molecules even under ambient conditions. Complete metal nanoshell coverage of the silica surface was obtained after multiple Ag deposition cycles, as systematically confirmed from the BET, TEM, optical and FTIR characterization. Our present Ag-coated silica spheres were directly utilized as viable SERS substrates with high sensitivity in contrast with other long chain polymer/surfactant coated silica spheres, owing to the presence of significant number of nanogaps enhanced SERS 'hotspots', which were methodically analyzed utilizing two example analytes, such as crystal violet (CV) and calendula officinalis (CaF).

Tunable and reconfigurable microwave filter by use of a Bragg-grating-based acousto-optic superlattice modulator.

PubMed

Delgado-Pinar, M; Mora, J; Díez, A; Andrés, M V; Ortega, B; Capmany, J

2005-01-01

We present an all-optical novel configuration for implementing multitap transversal filters by use of a broadband source sliced by fiber Bragg grating arrays generated by propagating an acoustic wave along a strong uniform fiber Bragg grating. The tunability and reconfigurability of the microwave filter are demonstrated.

Towards a Uniform Metrological Assessment of Grating-Based Optical Fiber Sensors: From Refractometers to Biosensors

PubMed Central

Chiavaioli, Francesco; Gouveia, Carlos A. J.; Jorge, Pedro A. S.; Baldini, Francesco

2017-01-01

A metrological assessment of grating-based optical fiber sensors is proposed with the aim of providing an objective evaluation of the performance of this sensor category. Attention was focused on the most common parameters, used to describe the performance of both optical refractometers and biosensors, which encompassed sensitivity, with a distinction between volume or bulk sensitivity and surface sensitivity, resolution, response time, limit of detection, specificity (or selectivity), reusability (or regenerability) and some other parameters of generic interest, such as measurement uncertainty, accuracy, precision, stability, drift, repeatability and reproducibility. Clearly, the concepts discussed here can also be applied to any resonance-based sensor, thus providing the basis for an easier and direct performance comparison of a great number of sensors published in the literature up to now. In addition, common mistakes present in the literature made for the evaluation of sensor performance are highlighted, and lastly a uniform performance assessment is discussed and provided. Finally, some design strategies will be proposed to develop a grating-based optical fiber sensing scheme with improved performance. PMID:28635665

Modeling of thermal lensing in a [1 1 1]-cut Nd:YAG rod with temperature-dependent parameters and different pumping profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bričkus, D.; Dement'ev, A. S.

2017-05-01

Temperature dependences of the thermo-optical coefficients of YAG crystals are often neglected when thermal lensing in laser rods is investigated, though their influence is very significant. It is especially significant for transversally non-uniform thermal loading. An analytical solution of the heat transfer equation with only the radial heat flow is found in the integral form, which is very convenient for numerical simulations. Uniform, top-hat, parabolic, Gaussian, super-Gaussian and annular heat source distributions are used in the calculations. The generalization of the thermally-induced refractive index change for long enough [1 1 1]-cut YAG rods to the case of temperature-dependent YAG parameters is developed and applied to the calculation of the corresponding optical path differences. Different definitions of the optical power of the aberrated thermal lens (TL) are discussed in detail. It is shown that for each of the heat source distributions, the temperature dependences of the YAG parameters significantly increase (1.5-1.8 times) the paraxial optical power of the induced TL.

Towards a Uniform Metrological Assessment of Grating-Based Optical Fiber Sensors: From Refractometers to Biosensors.

PubMed

Chiavaioli, Francesco; Gouveia, Carlos A J; Jorge, Pedro A S; Baldini, Francesco

2017-06-21

A metrological assessment of grating-based optical fiber sensors is proposed with the aim of providing an objective evaluation of the performance of this sensor category. Attention was focused on the most common parameters, used to describe the performance of both optical refractometers and biosensors, which encompassed sensitivity, with a distinction between volume or bulk sensitivity and surface sensitivity, resolution, response time, limit of detection, specificity (or selectivity), reusability (or regenerability) and some other parameters of generic interest, such as measurement uncertainty, accuracy, precision, stability, drift, repeatability and reproducibility. Clearly, the concepts discussed here can also be applied to any resonance-based sensor, thus providing the basis for an easier and direct performance comparison of a great number of sensors published in the literature up to now. In addition, common mistakes present in the literature made for the evaluation of sensor performance are highlighted, and lastly a uniform performance assessment is discussed and provided. Finally, some design strategies will be proposed to develop a grating-based optical fiber sensing scheme with improved performance.

Propagating modes in gain-guided optical fibers.

PubMed

Siegman, A E

2003-08-01

Optical fibers in which gain-guiding effects are significant or even dominant compared with conventional index guiding may become of practical interest for future high-power single-mode fiber lasers. I derive the propagation characteristics of symmetrical slab waveguides and cylindrical optical fibers having arbitrary amounts of mixed gain and index guiding, assuming a single uniform transverse profile for both the gain and the refractive-index steps. Optical fibers of this type are best characterized by using a complex-valued v-squared parameter in place of the real-valued v parameter commonly used to describe conventional index-guided optical fibers.

Linking Precursor Alterations to Nanoscale Structure and Optical Transparency in Polymer Assisted Fast-Rate Dip-Coating of Vanadium Oxide Thin Films

PubMed Central

Glynn, Colm; Creedon, Donal; Geaney, Hugh; Armstrong, Eileen; Collins, Timothy; Morris, Michael A.; Dwyer, Colm O’

2015-01-01

Solution processed metal oxide thin films are important for modern optoelectronic devices ranging from thin film transistors to photovoltaics and for functional optical coatings. Solution processed techniques such as dip-coating, allow thin films to be rapidly deposited over a large range of surfaces including curved, flexible or plastic substrates without extensive processing of comparative vapour or physical deposition methods. To increase the effectiveness and versatility of dip-coated thin films, alterations to commonly used precursors can be made that facilitate controlled thin film deposition. The effects of polymer assisted deposition and changes in solvent-alkoxide dilution on the morphology, structure, optoelectronic properties and crystallinity of vanadium pentoxide thin films was studied using a dip-coating method using a substrate withdrawal speed within the fast-rate draining regime. The formation of sub-100 nm thin films could be achieved rapidly from dilute alkoxide based precursor solutions with high optical transmission in the visible, linked to the phase and film structure. The effects of the polymer addition was shown to change the crystallized vanadium pentoxide thin films from a granular surface structure to a polycrystalline structure composed of a high density of smaller in-plane grains, resulting in a uniform surface morphology with lower thickness and roughness. PMID:26123117

Pilot-scale electron cyclotron resonance-metal organic chemical vapor deposition system for the preparation of large-area fluorine-doped SnO{sub 2} thin films

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

Jeon, Bup Ju; Hudaya, Chairul; Center for Energy Convergence, Green City Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14 gil 5, Seoul 136-791

2016-05-15

The authors report the surface morphology, optical, electrical, thermal and humidity impacts, and electromagnetic interference properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}:F or “FTO”) thin films on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate fabricated by a pilot-scale electron cyclotron resonance–metal organic chemical vapor deposition (PS ECR-MOCVD). The characteristics of large area FTO thin films were compared with a commercially available transparent conductive electrode made of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), prepared with an identical film and PET thickness of 125 nm and 188 μm, respectively. The results revealed that the as-prepared FTO thin films exhibited comparable performances with the incumbent ITO films, includingmore » a high optical transmittance of 97% (substrate-subtracted), low electrical resistivity of about 5 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm, improved electrical and optical performances due to the external thermal and humidity impact, and an excellent shielding effectiveness of electromagnetic interference of nearly 2.3 dB. These excellent performances of the FTO thin films were strongly attributed to the design of the PS ECR-MOCVD, which enabled a uniform plasma environment resulting from a proper mixture of electromagnetic profiles and microwave power.« less

Effect of molarity on sol-gel routed nano TiO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lourduraj, Stephen; Williams, Rayar Victor

The nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films have been prepared for the molar concentrations of titanium tetra isopropoxide (TTIP) 0.05M, 0.1M, 0.15M and 0.2M by sol-gel routed spin coating technique with calcination at 450∘C. The processing parameters such as, pH value (8), catalyst HCl (0.1ml), spin speed (3000rpm) and calcination temperature (450∘C) are optimized. The crystalline nature and surface morphology were analyzed by XRD, SEM and AFM analysis. The XRD results confirm that the films are crystalline with anatase phase, and are nanostructured. The SEM micrographs of the TiO2 film reveal the spherical nature of the particle. AFM analysis establishes that the uniformity of the TiO2 thin film was optimized at 0.2M. The optical measurements show that the transmittance depends on the molarity, and the optical band gap energy of TiO2 films is found to be inversely proportional to molarity. The I-V characteristics exhibit that the molarity strongly influences the electrical conductivity of the film. The results indicate that the significant effect of molarity on structural, optical and electrical properties of the nanostructured TiO2 thin films will be useful to photovoltaic application.

Flexible Near-Field Nanopatterning with Ultrathin, Conformal Phase Masks on Nonplanar Substrates for Biomimetic Hierarchical Photonic Structures.

PubMed

Kwon, Young Woo; Park, Junyong; Kim, Taehoon; Kang, Seok Hee; Kim, Hyowook; Shin, Jonghwa; Jeon, Seokwoo; Hong, Suck Won

2016-04-26

Multilevel hierarchical platforms that combine nano- and microstructures have been intensively explored to mimic superior properties found in nature. However, unless directly replicated from biological samples, desirable multiscale structures have been challenging to efficiently produce to date. Departing from conventional wafer-based technology, new and efficient techniques suitable for fabricating bioinspired structures are highly desired to produce three-dimensional architectures even on nonplanar substrates. Here, we report a facile approach to realize functional nanostructures on uneven microstructured platforms via scalable optical fabrication techniques. The ultrathin form (∼3 μm) of a phase grating composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) makes the material physically flexible and enables full-conformal contact with rough surfaces. The near-field optical effect can be identically generated on highly curved surfaces as a result of superior conformality. Densely packed nanodots with submicron periodicity are uniformly formed on microlens arrays with a radius of curvature that is as low as ∼28 μm. Increasing the size of the gratings causes the production area to be successfully expanded by up to 16 in(2). The "nano-on-micro" structures mimicking real compound eyes are transferred to flexible and stretchable substrates by sequential imprinting, facilitating multifunctional optical films applicable to antireflective diffusers for large-area sheet-illumination displays.

Optical and structural characterization of InAs/GaAs quantum wells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ksendzov, A.; George, T.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Liu, J. K.; Rich, D. H.; Terhune, R. W.; Wilson, B. A.; Pollak, F. H.; Huang, Y.-S.

1991-01-01

Three InAs/GaAs single quantum wells of two-, three-, and four-monolayer thickness were characterized using optical and structural techniques. The results of high-resolution transmission electron (HRTEM) microscopy and optical studies which combine absorption, photoluminescence (PL), photoreflectance, and cathodoluminescence are presented. Using the polarization modulated absorptance technique, we observed two absorption features in our samples at 77 K. On the basis of their polarization properties and comparison with an envelope function calculation, these structures are assigned to transitions between the confined heavy-hole and confined and unconfined electron levels. Photoreflectance spectra of the three-monolayer sample in 77-300 K range show only the fundamental quantum well transition. The temperature dependence of this transition is approximately linear with a slope of 2.2 x 10 exp -4 eV/K, which is significantly lower than in both constituent materials. Comparison to the absorption data reveals that the PL spectra are affected by the carrier diffusion and therefore do not provide direct measure of the exciton density of states. The HRTEM images indicate that, while the interfaces of the two-monolayer sample are smooth and the well thickness is uniform, the four-monolayer sample has uneven interfaces and contains domains of two, three, and four monolayers.

H I, CO, and Planck/IRAS dust properties in the high latitude cloud complex, MBM 53, 54, 55 and HLCG 92 – 35. Possible evidence for an optically thick H I envelope around the CO clouds

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

Fukui, Yasuo; Okamoto, Ryuji; Kaji, Ryohei

We present an analysis of the H I and CO gas in conjunction with the Planck/IRAS submillimeter/far-infrared dust properties toward the most outstanding high latitude clouds MBM 53, 54, 55 and HLCG 92 – 35 at b = –30° to – 45°. The CO emission, dust opacity at 353 GHz (τ{sub 353}), and dust temperature (T {sub d}) show generally good spatial correspondence. On the other hand, the correspondence between the H I emission and the dust properties is less clear than in CO. The integrated H I intensity W{sub H} {sub I} and τ{sub 353} show a large scattermore » with a correlation coefficient of ∼0.6 for a T {sub d} range from 16 K to 22 K. We find, however, that W{sub H} {sub I} and τ{sub 353} show better correlation for smaller ranges of T {sub d} every 0.5 K, generally with a correlation coefficient of 0.7-0.9. We set up a hypothesis that the H I gas associated with the highest T {sub d} ≥ 21.5 K is optically thin, whereas the H I emission is generally optically thick for T {sub d} lower than 21.5 K. We have determined a relationship for the optically thin H I gas between atomic hydrogen column density and τ{sub 353}, N{sub H} {sub I} (cm{sup −2})=(1.5×10{sup 26})⋅τ{sub 353}, under the assumption that the dust properties are uniform and we have applied this to estimate N{sub H} {sub I} from τ{sub 353} for the whole cloud. N{sub H} {sub I} was then used to solve for T {sub s} and τ{sub H} {sub I} over the region. The result shows that the H I is dominated by optically thick gas having a low spin temperature of 20-40 K and a density of 40-160 cm{sup –3}. The H I envelope has a total mass of ∼1.2 × 10{sup 4} M {sub ☉}, an order of magnitude larger than that of the CO clouds. The H I envelope properties derived by this method do not rule out a mixture of H I and H{sub 2} in the dark gas, but we present indirect evidence that most of the gas mass is in the atomic state.« less

Intercomparison and closure calculations using measurements of aerosol species and optical properties during the Yosemite Aerosol Characterization Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malm, William C.; Day, Derek E.; Carrico, Christian; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.; Collett, Jeffrey L.; McMeeking, Gavin; Lee, Taehyoung; Carrillo, Jacqueline; Schichtel, Bret

2005-07-01

Physical and optical properties of inorganic aerosols have been extensively studied, but less is known about carbonaceous aerosols, especially as they relate to the non-urban settings such as our nation's national parks and wilderness areas. Therefore an aerosol characterization study was conceived and implemented at one national park that is highly impacted by carbonaceous aerosols, Yosemite. The primary objective of the study was to characterize the physical, chemical, and optical properties of a carbon-dominated aerosol, including the ratio of total organic matter weight to organic carbon, organic mass scattering efficiencies, and the hygroscopic characteristics of a carbon-laden ambient aerosol, while a secondary objective was to evaluate a variety of semi-continuous monitoring systems. Inorganic ions were characterized using 24-hour samples that were collected using the URG and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) monitoring systems, the micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) cascade impactor, as well as the semi-continuous particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS) technology. Likewise, carbonaceous material was collected over 24-hour periods using IMPROVE technology along with the thermal optical reflectance (TOR) analysis, while semi-continuous total carbon concentrations were measured using the Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P) instrument. Dry aerosol number size distributions were measured using a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and optical particle counter, scattering coefficients at near-ambient conditions were measured with nephelometers fitted with PM10 and PM2.5 inlets, and "dry" PM2.5 scattering was measured after passing ambient air through Perma Pure Nafion® dryers. In general, the 24-hour "bulk" measurements of various aerosol species compared more favorably with each other than with the semi-continuous data. Semi-continuous sulfate measurements correlated well with the 24-hour measurements, but were biased low by about 0.15 μg/m3. Semi-continuous carbon concentrations did not compare favorably with 24-hour measurements. Fine mass closure calculations suggested that the factor for estimating organic mass from measurements of carbon was approximately 1.8. Furthermore, fine scattering closure calculations showed that the use of 4.0 m2/g for the fine organic mass scattering coefficient was an underestimate by at least 30% for periods with high organic mass concentrations.

Dependence of O2 and Ar2 flow rates on the physical properties of ATO thin films deposited by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadavieslam, M. R.; Sadra, S.

2017-11-01

Antimony-doped tin oxide SnO2:Sb thin films were fabricated through atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition at T = 350 °C on soda lime glass substrates. After preparing the thin films, the effects of oxygen and argon flow rates on the structural, optical, and electrical properties were investigated. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical absorption (UV-Vis), and electrical resistance measurements using the two-point probe technique and the Hall effect. The results showed that the films contained uniform polycrystalline structures. Accordingly, the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the samples indicated the following effects: (a) Increasing the oxygen flow rate from 60 to 160 cc/min decreased the intensity of XRD peaks, the average roughness from 48.5 to 47.9 nm, the average transmission from 44 to 40 (in the visible region), the optical band gap from 3.74 to 3.66 eV, and the carrier mobility from 239.52 to 21.08 cm2/V.S; moreover, it increased the average grain size from 74 to 79 nm, the thickness from 320 to 560 nm, the specific resistance from 3.38 × 10-2 to 14.9 × 10-2 Ω cm, the carrier concentration from 7.72 × 1017 to 1.99 × 1018 cm-3, and the Seebeck coefficient from 47.2 to 57.85 μVk-1 (at 400 K). (b) Increasing the argon flow rate of 40 cc/min to 120 cc/min decreased the intensity of XRD peaks, the average size of grains from 88 nm to 61 nm, the optical band gap from 3.66 to 2.73 eV, the carrier concentration from 1.99 × 1018 to 1.73 × 1017 cm-3, and the Seebeck coefficient from 57.85 to 36.59 μVk-1 (at 400 k); moreover, this increased the average roughness from 47.9 to 50.8 nm, the average transmission from 40 to 64 (in the visible region), thickness from 560 to 620 nm, specific resistance from 14.9 × 10-2 to 39.87 × 10-2 Ω cm, and carrier mobility from 21.08 to 90.61 μv/vs. (c) All thin films had degenerate n-type conductivity.

Optimization of light source parameters in the photodynamic therapy of heterogeneous prostate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Altschuler, Martin D.; Hahn, Stephen M.; Zhu, Timothy C.

2008-08-01

The three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous distributions of optical properties in a patient prostate can now be measured in vivo. Such data can be used to obtain a more accurate light-fluence kernel. (For specified sources and points, the kernel gives the fluence delivered to a point by a source of unit strength.) In turn, the kernel can be used to solve the inverse problem that determines the source strengths needed to deliver a prescribed photodynamic therapy (PDT) dose (or light-fluence) distribution within the prostate (assuming uniform drug concentration). We have developed and tested computational procedures to use the new heterogeneous data to optimize delivered light-fluence. New problems arise, however, in quickly obtaining an accurate kernel following the insertion of interstitial light sources and data acquisition. (1) The light-fluence kernel must be calculated in 3D and separately for each light source, which increases kernel size. (2) An accurate kernel for light scattering in a heterogeneous medium requires ray tracing and volume partitioning, thus significant calculation time. To address these problems, two different kernels were examined and compared for speed of creation and accuracy of dose. Kernels derived more quickly involve simpler algorithms. Our goal is to achieve optimal dose planning with patient-specific heterogeneous optical data applied through accurate kernels, all within clinical times. The optimization process is restricted to accepting the given (interstitially inserted) sources, and determining the best source strengths with which to obtain a prescribed dose. The Cimmino feasibility algorithm is used for this purpose. The dose distribution and source weights obtained for each kernel are analyzed. In clinical use, optimization will also be performed prior to source insertion to obtain initial source positions, source lengths and source weights, but with the assumption of homogeneous optical properties. For this reason, we compare the results from heterogeneous optical data with those obtained from average homogeneous optical properties. The optimized treatment plans are also compared with the reference clinical plan, defined as the plan with sources of equal strength, distributed regularly in space, which delivers a mean value of prescribed fluence at detector locations within the treatment region. The study suggests that comprehensive optimization of source parameters (i.e. strengths, lengths and locations) is feasible, thus allowing acceptable dose coverage in a heterogeneous prostate PDT within the time constraints of the PDT procedure.

Epoxy and Silicone Optical Nanocomposites Filled with Grafted Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Peng

Polymer nanocomposites, as a technologically important class of materials, exhibit diverse functional properties, and are used for applications ranging from structural and biomedical to electronic and optical. The properties of polymer nanocomposites are determined, in part, by the chemical composition of the polymer matrix and the nanofillers. Their properties are also sensitive to the geometry and size of the nanofillers, and to spatial distribution of the fillers. Control of the nanoparticle size and dispersion within a given polymer provides opportunities to tailor and optimize the properties of nanocomposites for specific application. For optical applications such as encapsulation of light emitting diodes (LEDs), polymer nanocomposites filled with homogeneously dispersed nanoparticles would endow the polymer encapsulant with new functionality without sacrificing optical transparency. To this end, this thesis focuses on developing a simple and versatile approach towards the fabrication of epoxy and silicone transparent nanocomposites using matrix compatible chain-grafted nanoparticles as fillers, and studying the optical properties of the nanocomposites. The surface chemistry and grafted polymer chain design have been shown to play an important role in determining the dispersion state of the grafted nanoparticles and hence the final optical properties of the nanocomposites. To prepare transparent epoxy nanocomposites, poly (glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) chains were grafted onto the optical nanoparticle surfaces via a combined phosphate ligand exchange process and azide-alkyne "click" chemistry. The dispersion behavior of PGMA-grafted nanoparticles within the epoxy matrix was investigated by systematically varying the grafting density and grafted chain length. It was found that within the small molecular weight epoxy resins, the dispersion states are more sensitive to the grafting density than the molecular weight of grafted chains. With high grafting densities, the grafted PGMA brushes effectively screen the van der Waals attraction between the particles, and homogenous nanoparticle dispersions of grafted nanoparticles were obtained. Transparent high refractive index TiO2/epoxy thin film and bulk nancomposites were obtained by dispersing PGMA brushes-grafted TiO2 nanoparticles into a commercial epoxy matrix. The refractive index of the nanocomposites showed a linear dependence on the volume fraction of TiO2 nanoparticles and the optical transparency could be generally described by the Rayleigh scattering model. This powerful dispersing technique was further employed to make visibly transparent, UV/IR blocking ITO/epoxy nanocomposites which can be easily applied onto glass and plastic substrates as energy saving optical coating materials. To produce transparent silicone nanocomposites, we directly coupled phosphate-terminated PDMS chains onto the optical nanoparticle surface. It was observed that the mono-modal PDMS-grafted particles usually formed agglomerates within silicone matrices, whereas the bimodal PDMS-grafted particles were able to be individually dispersed even within high molecular weight matrices. Transparent high refractive index bulk TiO2/silicone nanocomposites were successfully prepared by filling with bimodal PDMS-grafted TiO2 nanoparticles. Furthermore, we used the PDMS-grafted TiO2/silicone nanocomposite as a model system to create a methodology to predict and control the dispersion behavior of grafted nanoparticles. The good agreement between experimental observation of dispersion of mono-modal and bimodal grafted particles and theoretical prediction would better guide future experiments and lead to predictability in polymer composite design. Finally, the bimodal grafted chain design was implemented in the preparation of transparent and luminescent CdSe/silicone nanocomposites with potential application as non-scattering light conversion materials for LEDs. The homogeneous dispersion of bimodal PDMS-grafted CdSe quantum dots not only minimizes the transparency loss due to scattering, but also benefits the uniformity and long-term stability of photoluminescence of the nanocomposites.

Holographic optics: Design and applications; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 13, 14, 1988

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cindrich, Ivan

1988-01-01

The present conference discusses topics in design and analysis methods for holographic optics, as well as their materials and fabrication techniques and their applications. Attention is given to novel holographic helmet display designs, holographic optics optimization by damped least-squares and wavefront matching, the optical performance of holographic kinoforms, a cascaded transmission hologram for HUDs, a multilayer thin film simulation of volume holograms, and the DMP-128 holographic-recording photopolymer. Also discussed are a uniform hologram construction layout, diffractive optics with incoherent optical systems, holographic laser-protective eyewear, novel applications for embossed holograms, and hologon deflectors with dispersive optical elements for scan line bow correction.