The control of channeling phenomenon

The dependence of depth profile on a tilt and twist angle was investigated with a resolution of 0.05/spl deg/ using a stencil mask ion implanter that has less than 0.1/spl deg/ parallelism of ion beam. Angular dependence of depth profiles obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) shows the channeling phenomenon can be controlled using a highly controlled parallel ion beam. This means that if tilt angle is controlled with a resolution of less than 0.1/spl deg/, the variation caused by channeling phenomenon can be neglected. The threshold voltage data of n-type MOSFETs fabricated using a controlled parallel ion beam with resolution of less than 0.1/spl deg/ indicates that the variation is the same as that in the case of one fabricated using 7/spl deg/ implantation.     

Hybrid electrooptic and piezoelectric laser beam steering in two dimensions

With modern optical technology, there is a great demand for devices capable of steering a laser beam at high speed. A hybrid electrooptical scanner and an electromechanical scanner capable of two-dimensional (2-D) laser beam scanning are demonstrated. This device can scan a laser beam in 2-D. A 1/spl deg/ scanning angle in the horizontal axis at 50 Hz using electrooptic scanning and a 5.23/spl deg/ scanning angle in vertical axis at 25.6 kHz using piezoelectric scanning are shown.     

Fabrication and characterization of polymer optical waveguides with integrated micromirrors for three-dimensional board-level optical interconnects

This paper describes the fabrication and characterization of optical/electrical printed circuit boards (O/E-PCB) with embedded multimodal step index (MM-SI) waveguides and integrated out-of-plane micromirrors (IMMs) for three-dimensional (3-D) optical interconnects. Optical circuitry is built up on PCBs using UV lithography; 45/spl deg/ input/output (I/O) couplers are fabricated by inclined exposure. Commercial polymers are used as optical core and cladding materials. Critical mirror properties of angle, surface quality, reflectivity, and coupling efficiency are characterized experimentally and theoretically. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, white light interferometry, and fiber scanning method are used in the investigations. Sloping profiles measured as a function of the incident light showed the attainment of mirror angles of /spl alpha/=36/spl deg/-45/spl deg/ with /spl plusmn/2/spl deg/ consistency. Near-field optical imaging with a white light source showed that out-of-plane beam turning was achieved. Topography investigations revealed a rectilinear negative tapering shape regardless of the incoming beam angle or type of substrate. However, higher substrate reflectancy was observed to lower the mirror angle. The average propagation loss measured for 10-cm-long waveguides at /spl lambda/=850 nm by the cut-back method was 0.60 dB/cm; the excess loss calculated for the mirror coupling was 1.8-2.3 dB. The results showed that the IMMs can be incorporated in O/E-PCBs to couple light in and out of planar waveguides. Furthermore, the presented results indicate that optical waveguides with integrated micromirrors for optical 3-D wiring can be produced compatible with volume manufacturing techniques.     

Plasma-based lens for microwave beam steering

Lenses based on plasma could offer an alternative to electronic beam steering at high frequencies (/spl sim/100 GHz) and high powers. Presented are beam deflection measurements for a lens which exhibits wide angle deflections (25/spl deg/), good collimation and rapid beam steering (/spl sim/100 /spl mu/s). A practical prototype is described.     

Flexible optical waveguide film fabrications and optoelectronic devices integration for fully embedded board-level optical interconnects

This paper demonstrates a flexible optical waveguide film with integrated optoelectronic devices (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and p-i-n photodiode arrays) for fully embedded board-level optical interconnects. The optical waveguide circuit with 45/spl deg/ micromirror couplers was fabricated on a thin flexible polymeric substrate by soft molding. The 45/spl deg/ couplers were fabricated by cutting the waveguide with a microtome blade. The waveguide core material was SU-8 photoresist, and the cladding was cycloolefin copolymer. A thin VCSEL and p-i-n photodiode array were directly integrated on the waveguide film. Measured propagation loss of a waveguide was 0.6 dB/cm at 850 nm.     

Analysis of surface roughness and morphology of first-year sea ice melt ponds: implications for microwave scattering

Variations in wind forcing over summer first-year sea ice (FYI) melt ponds occur at hourly to weekly scales and are a significant contributor to microwave backscatter (/spl sigma//spl deg/) variability observed from spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) platforms (e.g., ENVISAT-ASAR and RADARSAT-1). This variability impairs our ability to use SAR to derive information on summer sea ice thermodynamic state and energy balance parameters such as albedo and melt pond fraction. The surface roughness contribution of FYI melt ponds in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to like-polarized, C-band /spl sigma//spl deg/ estimates is analyzed through a spectral and statistical analysis of surface wave height profiles for varying wind speeds, upwind fetch lengths, and melt pond depths. A unique derivation of melt pond surface wave height spectra is presented based on digital video of melt pond surface wave trains. Significant scale surface roughness was observed even at wind speeds of 3 m/spl middot/s/sup -1/, resulting in small perturbation model estimates of /spl sigma//spl deg/ (HH) ranging from -5 dB at 20/spl deg/ incidence to -22 dB at 50/spl deg/ incidence. Results from a multivariate linear regression analysis show that 53.5% of observed variance in /spl sigma//spl deg/ (HH or VV) can be explained by wind speed, upwind fetch from melt pond edges, and melt pond depth, with no appreciable difference in the relative contribution of explanatory variables. Modeled omnidirectional /spl sigma//spl deg/ as a function of wind speed and incidence angle for 100-m transects collected throughout the melt pond season act to elaborate the role of fetch and depth, as well as the modulating effect of hummocks, on /spl sigma//spl deg/.     

A surface micromachined optical scanner array using photoresist lenses fabricated by a thermal reflow process

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and operation of a newly developed micromechanical optical scanner array using a translating microlens. We have used photoresist reflow technique to form a microlens on a surface micromachined XY-stage of the scratch-drive actuation mechanism. The lens scanner is placed at the focal length from an incident optical fiber to collimate the transmitting light. The collimated beam is steered two-dimensionally by the XY-motion of the microlens with respect to the incident fiber. We also have developed a theoretical model to predict appropriate initial resist thickness and diameter for the scanning lens. An optical scanning angle of /spl plusmn/7/spl deg/ has been demonstrated by sliding a microlens of 670-/spl mu/m focal length at a physical stroke of /spl plusmn/67 /spl mu/m. Typical angular positioning resolution has been estimated to be 0.018/spl deg/.     

A half-moon antenna

This work presents a half-moon antenna (HMA), which is composed of two semi-circular top and bottom conducting plates joined by a rectangular conducting plate. The HMA has a wide radiation beam. Radiation in the y-z plane (in the E plane) is hemispherical with a half-power beam width (HPBW) of more than 200/spl deg/. Radiation in the x-y plane (in the H plane) forms a sector beam with an HPBW of more than 100/spl deg/. To reduce the backward radiation and improve the gain, chokes are added to the HMA. An increase in the gain of approximately 1 dB is obtained. In order to obtain a tilted beam, the radius of the bottom plate is reduced. The maximum beam direction of the tilted beam /spl theta//sub max/ is not sensitive to frequency. Within a frequency range of 11 to 14 GHz (24%), /spl theta//sub max/=167/spl deg//spl plusmn/2/spl deg/. The gain is found to be G=9.5/spl plusmn/0.5 dBi within this same frequency range.     

Piezoelectric transducer controlled multiple beam phased array using microstrip Rotman lens

A simple and low-cost multiple beam phased array is designed using a microstrip Rotman lens and multi-line phase shifter controlled by a piezoelectric transducer (PET) at Ka-band. A microstrip Rotman lens with five beam ports and nine array ports is used as a feed for a multiple beam antenna array to generate five beams centered at the angles of 0/spl deg/, /spl plusmn/15/spl deg/, and /spl plusmn/30/spl deg/. The lens fed nine-element patch array shows the antenna gain of 10 dBi and sidelobe suppression of 10 dB. Each beam is steered over /spl plusmn/8/spl deg/ using two PET-controlled phase shifters, and the five beams cover /spl plusmn/38/spl deg/ from the broadside.     

High-power 660-nm GaInP-AlGaInP laser diodes with low vertical beam divergence angles

We present 660-nm GaInP-AlGaInP ridge multiple-quantum-well laser diodes (LDs) reliably operating at high output power over 200 mW at 70/spl deg/C not showing unstable higher order lateral modes owing to an adoption of a dry etching method instead of a conventional chemical wet etching for realizing steep ridge sidewalls. Employing an optimized two-step n-cladding layer LDs produced very narrow horizontal and vertical beam divergence angles of 8.6/spl deg/ and 15.3/spl deg/, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this vertical beam divergence angle is the lowest value ever reported in high-power 660-nm LDs operating over 200 mW and is expected to play an important role in minimizing the coupling loss between LD and passive optical components in digital versatile disc system.     

200-mm wafer-scale transfer of 0.18-/spl mu/m dual-damascene Cu/SiO/sub 2/ interconnection system to plastic substrates

We report a low-temperature (<200/spl deg/C) 200-mm wafer-scale transfer of a 0.18-/spl mu/m dual-damascene Cu/SiO/sub 2/ interconnection system to FR-4 plastic substrates using adhesive bonding. We demonstrate removal of the silicon bulk layer to leave behind a flexible 3-/spl mu/m-thick Si back-end-of-line (BEOL) circuit on a 0.1-mm-thick FR-4 wafer. The mechanical and electrical integrity of the thin Si BEOL circuit on FR-4 are confirmed by focused ion beam scanning electron microscope microscopy and current-voltage characterization on a variety of test structures, which include serpentine, via chain and Kelvin test structures on different locations on the wafer. This process will pave the path to allow integration of high-performance submicrometer Si electronics on plastic substrates.     

Bow-tie retrodirective rectenna

A novel bow-tie retrodirective rectenna designed at 5.8 GHz is proposed. The new retrodirective rectenna combines a traditional rectenna with a retrodirective array. The new retrodirective rectenna array can automatically steer its main beam towards the power source and hence is not sensitive to the power incident angle changes. It can provide a constant DC output voltage within /spl plusmn/10/spl deg/ and 90% DC output voltage within /spl plusmn/30/spl deg/. The conversion efficiency of the arrays is 84% when the power density is 10 mW/cm/sup 2/.     

Delay spread reduction effect of beam antenna and adaptively controlled beam facing access system in urban line-of-sight street microcells

The paper presents theoretical and experimental investigation results of the delay spread reduction effect of beam antennas in urban line-of-sight (LOS) street microcells. The 95% delay spread cumulative probability in a 600 m LOS cell length is reduced to 70% when the 3 dB beamwidth of the base station (BS) antenna is in the range from 80/spl deg/ to 140/spl deg/, compared with that (420 ns) in omnidirectional antennas. An adaptively controlled beam facing access (ABFA) system in which the beam antennas are used in both the base and mobile stations is further proposed. The beam direction of the BS antenna is fixed along the street, but that of the mobile station (MS) antenna is adaptively controlled as the maximum received power is obtained. Using ABFA, the 95% delay spread cumulative probability in the 300 m LOS microcell is reduced to less than 70 ns, when the antenna beam-width lies in the range from 20/spl deg/ to 140/spl deg/ in the BS and about 80/spl deg/ in the MS.     

Dual-band circularly polarized equilateral triangular-patch array antenna for mobile satellite communications

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch the Engineering Test Satellite VIII (ETS-VIII) in 2006 to support the next generation of mobile satellite communications covering the area of Japan (beam coverage El=38/spl deg/ to 58/spl deg/). In this paper, a satellite-tracking left-handed circularly polarized triangular-patch array antenna is developed for ground applications. The targeted minimum gain of the antenna is set to 5 dBic at the central elevation angle (El=48/spl deg/), in the Tokyo area, for applications using data transfer of around a hundred kbps. The antenna is composed of three equilateral triangular patches for both reception and transmission units operating at 2.50 and 2.65 GHz frequency bands, respectively. The antenna was simulated by method of moments (MoM) analysis, and measurement of the fabricated antenna was performed to confirm the simulation results. The measurement results show that the frequency characteristics and the 5-dBic gain coverage in the conical-cut plane of the fabricated antenna satisfy the specifications for ETS-VIII. A prototype of the proposed antenna system is employed in outdoor experiments using a pseudosatellite and shows good performance from El=38/spl deg/ to 58/spl deg/.     

Incidence angle dependence of the statistical properties of C-band HH-polarization backscattering signatures of the Baltic Sea ice

Incidence angle dependence of three statistical parameters-the mean of the backscattering coefficient (/spl sigma//spl deg/), standard deviation, and autocorrelation coefficient of texture (/spl sigma//sub T/ and /spl rho//sub T/)-of the C-band horizontal-horizontal (HH) polarization backscattering signatures of the Baltic Sea ice are investigated using RADARSAT ScanSAR Narrow images and helicopter-borne Helsinki University of Technology Scatterometer (HUTSCAT) data. The analysis of the large amount of data shows that the relationship between the mean /spl sigma//spl deg/ in decibel scale and the incidence angle in the range from 19/spl deg/ to 46/spl deg/ is usually well described by a linear model. In general, the RADARSAT and HUTSCAT results agree with each other, and they are also supported by theoretical backscattering model calculations; the more deformed the ice, the smaller the slope between /spl sigma//spl deg/ and the incidence angle, and the higher the moisture content of snow or ice, the larger the slope. The derived /spl sigma//spl deg/ incidence angle dependencies can be used to roughly compensate the /spl sigma//spl deg/ incidence angle variation in the SAR images to help their visual and automated classification. The variability of /spl sigma//sub T/ and /spl rho//sub T/ with the increasing incidence angle is insignificant compared to the variability within each ice type. Their average changes with the incidence angle are so small that, in practice, their trends do not need to be compensated. The results of this study can be utilized when developing classification algorithms for the RADARSAT ScanSAR and ENVISAT HH-polarization Wide Swath images of the Baltic Sea ice.     

650-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers: laser properties and reliability investigations

650-nm AlGaInP-AlGaAs-based oxide-confined VCSELs are investigated in dependence on the current aperture size. VCSELs with small aperture (a=5 /spl mu/m) have a maximum continuous-wave (CW) output power of about 1 mW at room temperature. They reach higher operating temperatures (T/sub max/=55/spl deg/C), have narrower beam profiles, less transverse modes, and a higher side mode suppression compared to large aperture VCSELs (a>13 /spl mu/m). The latter devices emit a CW-output power P=3 mW at 20/spl deg/C. Reliability tests of 655-nm devices show at 20/spl deg/C an output power of P/spl ap/0.4 mW over more than 1000 h and at 40/spl deg/C P/spl ap/0.1 mW over 500 h.     

Design and fabrication of a p-i-n photodiode with high responsivity and large alignment tolerances for 40-gb/s applications

This letter demonstrates an evanescently coupled p-i-n photodiode combined with a multimode diluted waveguide using a simple all 2-in InP processing that includes on-wafer mirrors etching and antireflection coating. A high responsivity of 0.81 A/W at 1.55 /spl mu/m with less than 0.4-dB polarization dependence and a large -1-dB vertical alignment tolerance of 2.70 /spl mu/m were achieved simultaneously with a bandwidth of 47 GHz. Stable operation for over 1000 h was obtained under bias stress and temperature at 200/spl deg/C.     

A Fast Low-Loss Microstrip p-i-n Phase Shifter

A 4-bit p-i-n phase shifter with low RF attentuation, fast switching time, and low switching power requirements is described. The circuit, made in microstripline, consists of four cells giving phase shifts of 180, 90, 45, and 22.5/sup deg/, respectively. Each cell consists of a 3-dB coupler loaded by two p-i-n diodes. The transmission loss is 1.6 dB /spl plusmn/ 0.2 dB over the operating bandwidth of 11.7-12.2 GHz for a biasing current of only 5 mA/cell. Switching time between phase states is 1 ns.     

Extremely small vertical far-field angle of InGaAs-AlGaAs quantum-well lasers with specially designed cladding structure

We report on a very small vertical far-field angle achieved by lasers with a specially designed structure. For an InGaAs-AlGaAs quantum-well laser with a 2.5-/spl mu/m-wide ridge waveguide, the far-field pattern has a vertical far-field angle of 13/spl deg/ and a lateral far-field angle of 8/spl deg/. Meanwhile, the threshold current remains acceptably low (/spl ap/36 mA for a 500-/spl mu/m-long cavity). The slope efficiency of the L-I characteristic is high (>0.9 W/A) compared to that of the conventional laser.