Image quality analysis for dual energy subtraction imaging with afemtosecond laser-based hard X-ray source

We present a study of image quality for dual energy subtraction imaging using an iodinated contrast agent and a femtosecond laser-based hard X-ray source. The INRS CPA laser (400 fs pulse focused on solid targets in a 3 μm spot at 4 × 10¹⁸ W cm^-2) was used to create a bright hard X-ray source (conversion efficiency of 10^-5 in the characteristic K_∝ line emission, 12 μm X-ray source diameter). A model of image quality has been developed and been benchmarked with specific experiments using specially made angiography phantoms     

InGaAs-GaAs quantum-dot lasers

Quantum-dot (QD) lasers provide superior lasing characteristics compared to quantum-well (QW) and QW wire lasers due to their delta like density of states. Record threshold current densities of 40 A·cm ^-2 at 77 K and of 62 A·cm^-2 at 300 K are obtained while a characteristic temperature of 385 K is maintained up to 300 K. The internal quantum efficiency approaches values of ~80 %. Currently, operating QD lasers show broad-gain spectra with full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) up to ~50 meV, ultrahigh material gain of ~10⁵ cm^-1, differential gain of ~10^-13 cm² and strong nonlinear gain effects with a gain compression coefficient of ~10^-16 cm³. The modulation bandwidth is limited by nonlinear gain effects but can be increased by careful choice of the energy difference between QD and barrier states. The linewidth enhancement factor is ~0.5. The InGaAs-GaAs QD emission can be tuned between 0.95 μm and 1.37 μm at 300 K     

InGaN-based blue laser diodes

The continuous-wave (CW) operation of InGaN multiquantum-well (MQW) structure laser diodes (LDs) was demonstrated at room temperature (RT) with a lifetime of 100 h. The threshold current and the voltage of the LDs were 50 mA and 5 V, respectively. The threshold current density was 8.8 kA/cm². The carrier lifetime and the threshold carrier density were estimated to be 3.5 ns and 1.8×10²⁰/cm³, respectively. The Stokes shift of the energy difference between the absorption and the emission energy of the InGaN MQW LD's were 140 meV. Both spontaneous and stimulated emission of the LD's originated from this deep localized energy state which is equivalent to a quantum dot-like state. From the measurements of gain spectra and an external differential quantum efficiency dependence on the cavity length, the differential gain coefficient, the transparent carrier density, threshold gain and internal loss were estimated to be 5.8×10^-17 cm², 9.3×10 ¹⁹ cm^-3, 5200 cm^-1, and 43 cm^-1 respectively     

非平衡等离子体特征量对NO脱除效率的影响

采用数值模拟的方法开展了非平衡等离子体脱除烟气中NO的研究,考察了非平衡等离子体放电中的2个主要特征量（电子数密度n_e和电子平均能量 ）对NO脱除效率的影响。计算结果表明,NO脱除效率随电子数密度n_e和电子平均能量 的变化而有不同程度的变化,相比较而言,电子数密度量级变化对NO脱除效率的影响更大。在NO初始分子浓度（粒子数密度）为10¹⁶ cm^-3情况下,电子数密度较高（10¹⁷ cm^-3）时,即使电子平均能量 低至4 eV,也可获得高达99%的NO脱除效率。当电子数密度和电子平均能量保持不变时,NO脱除效率随着NO初始分子浓度的增加而降低。     

InGaN multiquantum-well-structure laser diodes with GaN-AlGaNmodulation-doped strained-layer superlattices

InGaN multiquantum-well-structure (MQW) laser diodes with Al_0.14Ga_0.86N-GaN modulation doped strained-layer superlattice (MD-SLS) cladding layers grown on an epitaxially laterally overgrown GaN substrate was demonstrated to have a lifetime of more than 2300 h under the condition of room-temperature continuous-wave operation. The self-pulsation was observed with a frequency of 3.5 GHz. The relative intensity noise less than -145 dB/Hz was obtained even at the 6% optical feedback using the high-frequency modulation of 600 MHz. The threshold carrier density of the InGaN MQW-structure laser diodes was estimated to be 3×10¹⁹/cm³ using a carrier lifetime of 1.8 ns     

Spectral analysis of the light emitted by streamers in hydrocarbonliquids

This paper presents the results of a spectroscopic study from 200 to 850 nm of the light emitted by streamers initiated in cyclohexane and n-pentane under step voltage in point-plane geometry. Experimental spectra of the light emitted by bush-like and filamentary streamers are composed of the H_α-Balmer line, the C₂ Swan band system and a background continuum. The diagnostic method we used for evaluating rotational and vibrational temperatures of excited C₂ in streamers was first tested on high-pressure corona discharges in nitrogen. For streamers in cyclohexane and n-pentane, it was impossible to determine the rotational temperature of C₂ and consequently the effective temperature of molecules in the streamer. Moreover, we found that vibrational populations of excited C₂ do not follow Boltzmann statistics. This indicates that excitation processes are due to chemical reactions. Electron densities deduced of the Stark broadening of H_α are in the range 4×10 ¹⁶ to 7×10¹⁶ cm^-3 for filamentary streamers and 2 to 6×10¹⁷ cm^-3 during the breakdown phase. For slow bush-like streamers, the electron density is not measurable     

High-performance solar-blind photodetectors based on Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N heterostructures

Design, fabrication, and characterization of high-performance Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N-based photodetectors for solar-blind applications are reported. Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N heterostructures were designed for Schottky, p-i-n, and metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiodes. The solar-blind photodiode samples were fabricated using a microwave compatible fabrication process. The resulting devices exhibited extremely low dark currents. Below 3fA, leakage currents at 6-V reverse bias were measured on p-i-n samples. The excellent current-voltage (I--V) characteristics led to a detectivity performance of 4.9/spl times/10/sup 14/ cmHz/sup 1/2/W/sup -1/. The MSM devices exhibited photoconductive gain, while Schottky and p-i-n samples displayed 0.09 and 0.11 A/W peak responsivity values at 267 and 261 nm, respectively. A visible rejection of 2/spl times/10/sup 4/ was achieved with Schottky samples. High-speed measurements at 267 nm resulted in fast pulse responses with greater than gigahertz bandwidths. The fastest devices were MSM photodiodes with a maximum 3-dB bandwidth of 5.4 GHz.     

Progress in color center lasers

We report here on two areas of color center laser (CCL) development. The first involves an optimization of the commercial room temperature (RT) operable CCL, “MALSAN”, in which the active medium provides high generation efficiencies up to 40% for LiF:F₂ ^- (1.08-1.27 μm) and 25% for LiF:(F₂⇒F₂⁺) (0.82-1.1 μm), and line widths less than 0.3 cm^-1. The second area is a demonstration of two unique CCL optical configurations. One entails lasing across the entire emission region of the active medium (1.1-1.24 μm for the F₂^- CC and 0.85-1.09 μm for the F ₂⁺ CC with efficiencies of 15% and 10%, respectively), with simultaneous frequency doubling in the blue-red spectral region (0.43-0.62 μm). The other involves multifrequency lasing, using a special mask or image controller placed in the pump beam     

Calculation of calorimetric effect of thermo-field electronemission

The aim of the calculation presented in this report is to get more data about the specific calorimetric effect, e.g. the cathode cooling or heating per electron, of thermo-field electron emission from metals over wide ranges of work functions, eφ=2.0 to 4.5 eV, electron temperatures T_c=2000 to 4500 K, and electric field strengths F=10⁶ to 10⁸ Vcm^-1. For metals such as Cu, Nb, Mo, and W, most commonly used in vacuum electron discharge devices, the temperature range has been further expanded up to 500 to 10000 K     

Analysis of 6-nm AlGaAs SQW low-confinement laser structures forvery high-power operation

This paper reports experimental results on single quantum-well separate confinement heterostructures (SQW SCH) with low-confinement factor, designed for very high-power operation. The maximum power output for AR/HR coated 3-mm-long devices, measured in very short pulsed conditions (100 ns/1 kHz), from 10-μm-wide stripes was as high as 6.4 W before catastrophic optical degradation. If scaled to continuous-wave (CW) conditions, this value would be 800-1100 MW, which would mean a factor of 22.7 times more than reported for the best devices with normal design for threshold minimization. The absorption coefficient for the symmetrical structure is as low as 1.1 cm^-1, in spite of the low trapping efficiency of carriers in the quantum well (QW). The maximum differential efficiency is 40% (both faces, uncoated devices) for symmetrical structure and 33% for the asymmetrical one (all measurements in pulsed conditions). Threshold current densities were 800 A/cm² for 5-mm-long devices in the symmetrical case and 2200 A/cm² in the asymmetrical one. The effects of inefficient carrier trapping in the QW on the threshold current densities and differential efficiency are discussed     

Nonequilibrium electron distributions and high-field electrontransport in an AlxGa1-xAs-based p-i-nnanostructure semiconductor-a picosecond Raman probe

Electron transport in an Al_xGa_1-xAs (x=0.3) based p-i-n nanostructure semiconductor under the application of an electric field has been studied at T=80 K by picosecond transient Raman spectroscopy. Single-particle excitations associated with spin-density fluctuations were used to directly measure electron distribution functions and drift velocities under various electric field intensities. Extremely nonequilibrium electron distributions were observed. Specifically, for an injected carrier density of n≅1×10¹⁸ cm^-3, a drift velocity V_d as high as 2.5×10⁷ cm/s was measured for an electric field intensity E=18 kV/cm. These experimental results are in good agreement with Ensemble Monte Carlo calculations     

VUV laser in the Lyman band of molecular hydrogen pumped by fstitanium-sapphire laser pulses

We report lasing at 160 nm in the Lyman band of molecular hydrogen. The laser is pumped by 200 mJ/150 fs pulses from the ATLAS titanium-sapphire laser at our institute. The pump pulses are focused at an angle of incidence of 60° onto a 9-cm-long gold target to a line focus, generating traveling-wave excitation. With 80 mbar of hydrogen in the target chamber we measure an average gain of 1.1 cm^-1 and achieve a total gain-length product of 10. The evaluation of the far-field pattern shows that the beam originates from a region with an electron density of 5×10¹⁵ cm^-3. A simple model of the H₂ laser is presented which explains the main part of our observations and supports a pump mechanism of photoelectron pumping     

Microdischarge arrays: a new family of photonic devices

The optical and electrical characteristics of microdischarge devices and arrays fabricated in semiconductors and metal/polymer structures are described. Devices as small as (10 μm)² in emitting area (nanoliters in volume) and arrays as large as 30 × 30 have been demonstrated and operated at gas pressures up to and exceeding one atmosphere. This new generation of microoptical sources is capable of producing photons from the infrared to the vacuum ultraviolet and beyond and is well suited for integration with microoptoelectronic, fluidic, and mechanical systems     

Electrical conduction in double-layer P-SiO2/polymerdielectric structures

The dc electrical conduction in MI₁M and MI₁I₂M composite specimens has been studied, where I₁ is polyimide (PI) or polyester (PET), and I₂ is a thin plasma deposited silicon compound film (oxide, P-SiO₂, or nitride, P-SiN). The current-electric field (j(E,T)) characteristics have been measured over a wide range of E values (O⩽E⩽2×10 ⁵ V cm^-1) and temperatures (20⩽T⩽170°C). The observed transport characteristics are in broad agreement with data reported in the literature, except for PI based MI₁I₂M specimens, for which polarity dependent transport behavior occurs for T>60°C and E>2×10³ V cm^-1. The observed behavior of all specimen types can be explained in terms of protonic hopping conduction; the charge carriers are created by thermal dissociation and ionization of carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups, present in PI as several percent of unimidized polyamic acid, and in PET at chain ends. When the polarity is +MI₁I₂M-, the relatively abundant free protons in PI flow to the I₁/I₂ interface, where they can accumulate and give rise to a space charge-induced potential barrier of ~0.2 eV. By modifying Lewis' molecular dipole model so as to include this potential barrier, we derive expressions for j(E,T) which describe the experimentally observed polarity dependence in PI rather well. The effect is not observed in PET based MI₁I₂M specimens on account of the much lower concentration of free protons in this polymer     

Mechanisms of RF Current Collapse in AlGaN–GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors

The physical mechanisms underlying RF current- collapse effects in AlGaN-GaN high-electron-mobility transistors are investigated by means of measurements and numerical device simulations. This paper suggests the following conditions: 1) both surface and buffer traps can contribute to RF current collapse through a similar physical mechanism involving capture and emission of electrons tunneling from the gate; 2) surface passivation strongly mitigates RF current collapse by reducing the surface electric field and inhibiting electron injection into traps; 3) for surface-trap densities lower than 9 x 1012 cm^-2, surface-potential barriers in the 1-2-eV range can coexist with surface traps having much a shallower energy and, therefore, inducing RF current-collapse effects characterized by relatively short time constants.     

Liquid microvortex generated around a laser focal point in anintense high-frequency electric field

A microvortex was discovered in liquid films when subjected to the combined action of a focused laser beam and a high-frequency electric field. The laser beam was perpendicular to both the surface of the liquid film and the direction of the electric field. The size of this opto-electrostatic microvortex (OEMV) in various liquids (water, ethanol, acetone, nitrobenzene) varied with the experimental conditions, but stayed in the 10-μm range. The velocity of the liquid flow in the vortex could be controlled by the intensity and frequency of the electric field (5.0×10⁴ to 0.8×10⁶ V/m, 2×10⁴ to 1×10⁶ Hz), by the laser power (0.01 to 2 W) and by the laser power density in the focal point. No microvortex was observed in benzene and chloroform. As an application of this phenomenon, single DNA molecules could be transported along the OEMV     

AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor Structures: Self-Heating Effect and Performance Degradation

This paper reports on the results of the experimental and numerical investigation into the self-heating effect in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown on sapphire and SiC substrates. It shows that temperature increase has an opposite dependence on the buffer thickness for sapphire and SiC substrates. Noise spectroscopy is also used to monitor the self-heating effect. Moreover, it is shown that the room-temperature spectra can be used to determine the activation energy of the traps. An irreversible improvement in mobility and quantum scattering time is registered after the irradiation of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures at a total dose of 1 times10⁶ rad of ⁶⁰Co gamma rays.     

Infrared microscopy studies on high-power InGaAs-GaAs-InGaP laserswith Ga2O3 facet coatings

InGaAs-GaAs separate confinement, heterostructure single quantum-well (SCH-SQW) lasers (λ=0.98 μm) with lattice-matched InGaP cladding layers, using a new Ga₂O₃ low reflectivity (LR) front-facet coating, are reported. The CW peak power density (17 MW/cm²) of 6 μm×750 μm ridge-waveguide lasers is limited by thermal rollover, and repeated cycling beyond thermal rollover produced no change in operating characteristics. The high-power temperature distribution along the active stripe has been measured by high-resolution infrared (3-5 μm) imaging microscopy. The temperature profile acquired for a very high optical power density P_D=11 MW/cm³ was found to be uniform along the inner active laser stripe, and revealed a local temperature increase at the LR front facet ΔT_f of only 9 K above the average stripe temperature ΔT_s=24 K. An excellent front-facet interface recombination velocity <10⁵ cm/s has been inferred from the measured low local temperature rise in the front facet     

Average optical power monitoring in micromirrors

The thermal properties of tip-tilt micromirrors have been analyzed theoretically and measured experimentally for devices operated in air and in vacuum. Typical micromirror thermal conductances are shown to range from 10^-3 W/K for devices operated close to the substrate in air to 10^-5 W/K for devices operated in a vacuum. These results demonstrate that micromirror temperatures are extremely sensitive to the average optical signal incident upon them and can be used as probes of incident power in much the same way as thermal infrared detectors. This has been experimentally demonstrated using a λ = 661 nm diode laser with polysilicon micromirrors, and sensitivities reaching below 70 nW of absorbed optical power, limited by the Johnson and 1/f noise of the micromirrors and measurement system. Average optical power monitoring could be useful in large cross connects or other applications, where the additional integration of a tap/beamsplitter plus photodiode assembly is undesirable