Sheathless focusing of microbeads and blood cells based on hydrophoresis

This paper presents a microfluidic device for sheathless focusing of microbeads and blood cells based on a hydrophoretic platform comprising a V-shaped obstacle array (VOA). The VOA generates lateral pressure gradients that induce helical recirculations. Following the focusing flow particles passing through the VOA are focused in the center of the channel. In the device, the focusing pattern can be modulated by varying the gap height of the VOA. To achieve complete focusing within 4.4% coefficient of variation, the relative size differences between the gap and the particle were 3 and 4 microm for 10 and 15 microm beads, respectively. Red blood cells were used to study the hydrophoretic focusing pattern of biconcave, disk-shaped particles.     

Liquid-crystal-deflector based variable fiber-optic attenuator

A compact, low-component-count, no-moving-parts variable optical attenuator (VOA) is demonstrated for the first time by means of beam spoiling that is implemented via an electrically reconfigurable nonpixelated nematic liquid-crystal deflector. The VOA design features an in-line alignment polarization-insensitive design that does not use bulky polarization splitting and combining optics. The proof-of-concept VOA at 1550 nm demonstrates a 30-dB attenuation range, a 2.5-dB insertion loss, a < or = 0.8-dB polarization-dependent loss, and a 1-s maximum attenuation reset time. The VOA design can counter performance-reducing environmental effects such as excess-loss increases due to temperature variations.     

A novel metaheuristic for continuous optimization problems: Virus optimization algorithm

A novel metaheuristic for continuous optimization problems, named the virus optimization algorithm (VOA), is introduced and investigated. VOA is an iteratively population-based method that imitates the behaviour of viruses attacking a living cell. The number of viruses grows at each replication and is controlled by an immune system (a so-called ‘antivirus’) to prevent the explosive growth of the virus population. The viruses are divided into two classes (strong and common) to balance the exploitation and exploration effects. The performance of the VOA is validated through a set of eight benchmark functions, which are also subject to rotation and shifting effects to test its robustness. Extensive comparisons were conducted with over 40 well-known metaheuristic algorithms and their variations, such as artificial bee colony, artificial immune system, differential evolution, evolutionary programming, evolutionary strategy, genetic algorithm, harmony search, invasive weed optimization, memetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing. The results showed that the VOA is a viable solution for continuous optimization.     

Electrically tunable lens based on a dual-frequency nematic liquid crystal

We report on an electrically controlled liquid-crystal-based variable optical lens filled with a dual-frequency nematic material. The lens design employs a hole-patterned electrode structure in a flat nematic cell. In order to decrease the lens switching time we maximize the dielectric torque by using a dual-frequency nematic material that is aligned at an angle approximately 45 degrees with respect to the bounding plates by obliquely deposited SiO(x), and by using an overdrive scheme of electrical switching. Depending on the frequency of the applied field, the director realigns either toward the homeotropic state (perpendicular to the substrates) or toward the planar state (parallel to the substrates), which allows one to control not only the absolute value of the focal length but also its sign. Optical performance of the liquid-crystal lens is close to that of an ideal thin lens.     

一种基于SOI材料的直波导可调谐光衰减器

设计并制造了一种基于SOI材料的直波导可调谐光衰减器,其调制区采用了独特的双脊型PIN结构,增强了注入电流场与光场的重叠,提高电注入效率。该VOA可实现20dB的光功率衰减量,所需要的最大功率为650mW,器件的片内插入损耗约为3．6dB。     

Optical characteristics of a refractive optical attenuator with respect to the wedge angles of a silicon optical leaker

We design, fabricate, and characterize the micromachined refractive variable optical attenuator (VOA) with a wedge-shaped silicon optical leaker (SOL). The vertical structures of the VOA device can be simply fabricated by deep reactive ion etching with no sidewall metallization, and the 8 degrees angled fibers are employed for a high return loss even in air-ambient conditions. The SOL successively transmits and refracts part of the incident light far outside the acceptance angle of the output fiber, showing an effective optical attenuation. The fabricated VOA gives high optical performances, such as a response time of 6 ms, a return loss of 39 dB, an insertion loss of 0.6 dB, an attenuation range of 43 dB, and a polarization-dependent loss (PDL) of a 10% attenuation level, including a wavelength-dependent loss. The optical characteristics of the VOA are also theoretically investigated with respect to the wedge angles of the SOL. The experimental characteristics are in good agreement with the theoretical values calculated, considering light scattered from the endface of an optical fiber and sidewall of the SOL. The PDL estimation was confirmed especially to sufficiently explain the fundamental characteristic of the PDL for the refractive VOA.     

A new micromechanism for transformation of small displacements to large rotations for a VOA

New movement translation micromechanism (MTM) is proposed to transfer and amplify small in-plane displacement or movement into large out-of-plane vertical displacement or rotation. Based on this MTM, we may just apply 3-V dc load to generate 3.1-/spl mu/m in-plane movement, then 26.4/spl deg/ rotation angle of pop-up micromirror can be subsequently derived. An axial aligned fiber-to-fiber variable optical attenuator (VOA) device using the MTM, a U-shaped electrothermal actuator array, and the pop-up micromirror to reflect the attenuated light toward out-of-plane direction is designed and characterized. The proposed new VOA device achieves 37-dB attenuation range under 3-V dc load, while return loss, polarization-dependent loss, and wavelength-dependent loss at attenuation of 3 dB are measured as -45B, 0.05, and 0.28 dB. This new concept of steering a portion of input light toward out-of-plane direction is proven to be feasible for VOA applications.     

Step-height measurement by means of a dual-frequency interferometric confocal microscope

A novel instrument, the dual-frequency interferometric confocal microscope (DICM), which facilitates the measurement of step features, is investigated. It combines the advantages of the high resolution (subnanometer) of heterodyne interferometry and the relatively large measurement range (approximately 5 microm) of confocal microscopy. The axial response curves of the confocal microscopy system are compared in experiments in which microscopic objects with various numerical apertures and magnifications are used. The results prove that the variation in light intensity is enough to permit discrimination of different orders of interference fringes. The DICM has been successfully utilized to measure the step height of a standard mask, and the experimental results agree well with those measured by scanning probe microscopes. The results also show that the system has good repeatability, with a maximum deviation of 5 nm.     

Unequal dual-frequency Wilkinson power divider including series resistor?inductor?capacitor isolation structure

A novel Wilkinson power divider operating at arbitrary dual-frequency (namely dual band) with unequal power dividing ratio is proposed here. The asymmetric structure that consists of seven sections transmission lines with different characteristics impedances is given to satisfy the unequal and matching characteristic. To obtain the ideal isolation, a series resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) structure is applied. Furthermore, the closed-form design equations of the proposed dual-frequency power divider are derived based on circuit theory and ideal transmission line theory. Finally, calculation, simulation and measurement results of an example indicate that all the theoretical features of the unequal power divider can be fulfilled at the desired dual-frequency simultaneously.     

Phase-dependent dual-frequency contrast imaging at sub-harmonic frequency

Sub-harmonic imaging techniques have been shown to provide a higher contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) at the cost of relatively low signal intensity from ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs). In this study, we propose a method of dual-frequency excitation to further enhance the CTR of subharmonic imaging. A dual-frequency excitation pulse is an amplitude-modulated waveform which consists of two sinusoids with frequencies of f? (e.g., 9 MHz) and f? (e.g., 6 MHz) and the resulting envelope component at (f? - f?) (e.g., 3 MHz) can serve as a driving force to excite the nonlinear response of UCAs. In this study, the f?, at twice of the resonance frequency of UCAs, is adopted to efficiently generate a sub-harmonic component at half of the f? frequency, and f? is included to enhance the high-order nonlinear response of UCAs at the sub-harmonic frequency. The second- and third-order nonlinear components resulting from the envelope component would spectrally overlap at the sub-harmonic frequency when f? and f? are properly selected. We further optimize the generation of the sub-harmonic component by tuning the phase terms between second- and third-order nonlinear components. The results show that, with dual-frequency excitation, the CTR at sub-harmonic frequency improves compared with the conventional tone-burst method. Moreover, the CTR changes periodically with the relative phase of the separate frequency component in the dual-frequency excitation, leading to a difference of as much as 9.1 dB between the maximal and minimal CTR at 300 kPa acoustic pressure. The echo produced from the envelope component appears to be specific for UCAs, and thus the proposed method has the potential to improve both SNR and CTR in sub-harmonic imaging. Nevertheless, the dual-frequency waveform may suffer from frequency-dependent attenuation that degrades the generation of the envelope component. The deviation of the microbubble's resonance characteristics from the selection of dual-frequency transmission may also decrease the CTR improvement.     

Microscopic time-resolved two-dimensional imaging with a femtosecond amplifying optical Kerr gate

We demonstrate microscopic time-resolved two-dimensional (2D) imaging that is based on a femtosecond amplifying optical Kerr gate (fs-amp OKG). The contribution of the optical nonlinear effects to the transverse imaging performance and the limit of the transverse resolving power are investigated. The optical Kerr effect in the excited state with amplification, used in the fs-amp OKG, does not deteriorate the quality of the time-resolved image at transverse resolutions up to at least 5.5 microm. We obtain a femtosecond-time-resolved 2D image of a microscopic object with a transverse resolution of 1.7 microm.     

Identification of melting snow using data from dual-frequency microwave links

Using data from a dual-frequency microwave link it is possible to identify periods of transmission affected by melting snow. This is because, in melting snow, the relation between attenuation and the amount of precipitation is nonlinear and depends on the frequency in a way that differs from the dependence in rain. This implies that the ratio of the single-frequency estimates of apparent rainfall rates will be different in melting snow from those obtained in rain. This forms the basis of an algorithm that is shown to work well for a 23-km dual-frequency (12.8 GHz/17.6 GHz) link near Bolton in north west England and for a 29-km dual-frequency (10.5 GHz/17.5 GHz) link near Essen in Germany. The effectiveness of the algorithm is judged by noting the recorded temperatures in those minutes identified by the algorithm as being affected by melting snow     

熔锥型光纤声光可变衰减器

利用耦合模理论对光纤熔锥声光器件进行了数值模拟,得到了全光纤声光衰减器传输谱和可调谐性。分析了带宽与声波长、耦合长度的关系。数值分析结果表明,声波在光纤熔锥中引起的轴向电介质微扰、耦合长度和工作波长都会对器件的传输谱产生影响,选择合适的设计参数可以制作较为理想的声光衰减器。实验上获得了损耗小于0．2dB,带宽大于200nm,动态范围为20dB的单模光纤熔锥可变衰减器,所得结果与理论分析相符合。这种器件可用于光纤通信及光纤传感。     

Radial modulation of single microbubbles

Radial modulation imaging is a new promising technique to improve contrast-enhanced ultrasound images. The method is based on dual-frequency insonation of contrast agent microbubbles. A low-frequency (LF) pulse is used to modulate the responses of the microbubbles to a high-frequency (HF) imaging pulse. Inverting the LF pulse induces amplitude and phase differences in the HF response of contrast agent microbubbles, which can be detected using Doppler techniques. Although the technique has been successfully implemented, no consensus persists on parameter choice and resulting effects. In a separate study, "compression-only" behavior of coated microbubbles was observed. Compression-only behavior could be beneficial for radial modulation imaging. This was investigated using high-speed camera recordings and simulations. We recorded the vibrations of 78 single microbubbles in a dual-frequency ultrasound field. The results showed that the LF pulse induced significant compression-only behavior, which for microbubble sizes below and at HF resonance resulted in high radial amplitude modulation. It, however, also appeared that, for radial modulation imaging, microbubble size is more important than resonance and compression-only effects.     

Enhanced dual-frequency pattern scheme based on spatial-temporal fringes method

One of the major challenges of employing a dual-frequency phase-shifting algorithm for phase retrieval is its sensitivity to noise. Yun et al proposed a dual-frequency method based on the Fourier transform profilometry, yet the low-frequency lobes are close to each other for accurate band-pass filtering. In the light of this problem, a novel dual-frequency pattern based on the spatial-temporal fringes (STF) method is developed in this paper. Three fringe patterns with two different frequencies are required. The low-frequency phase is obtained from two low-frequency fringe patterns by the STF method, so the signal lobes can be extracted accurately as they are far away from each other. The high-frequency phase is retrieved from another fringe pattern without the impact of the DC component. Simulations and experiments are conducted to demonstrate the excellent precision of the proposed method.     

Dynamic characteristics of dual-frequency nematic liquid crystal with quasi-homeotropic twist structure

Dynamic characteristics of a liquid crystal (LC) cell with a quasi-homeotropic twist structure formed in a dual-frequency nematic liquid crystal (DFNLC) layer with the director pretilt angle increased to 60° have been experimentally studied. The cell was switched from the off to on state using a 30-kHz electric field, while the reverse (off/on) switching was effected by a 1-kHz field. An increase in the director pretilt angle allowed the switch-on time of a 6.4-μm-thick DFNLC cell to be reduced to 1 ms and the relaxation (switch-off) time, to 0.5 ms.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of a tissue/implanted device biointerface using in vivo microdialysis sampling

Real-time in vivo images of magnetic resonance contrast agent diffusion from implanted microdialysis probes were obtained by magnetic resonance (MR) microscopy. A gadolinium-containing contrast agent (Gd-DTPA) was infused through microdialysis probes implanted into the subcutaneous space of male Sprague-Dawley rats. The infusion of Gd-DTPA alters the T1 relaxation time for water protons near the microdialysis probe, thus causing an increase in brightness around the probe. Steady state concentration profiles of Gd-DTPA around the microdialysis probe were attained within 10 min. The distance for the diffusion of Gd-DTPA away from the probe was calculated to be approximately 1400 microm on the basis of an image intensity analysis. A 5-cm field of view was used with a 256 x 256 matrix, giving a voxel volume of 0.190 mm3 (195 microm x 195 microm x 5,000 microm). These experiments demonstrate the ability of magnetic resonance microscopy to obtain real-time images of Gd-DTPA diffusion around implanted microdialysis probes. This noninvasive technique may be useful for determining how fibrous encapsulation during long-term implantation may affect localized mass transport at a biointerface.     

Electroplating characteristics of eutectic Sn-Cu ions for micro-solder bump on a Si chip

The fabrication of fine bumps on a Si chip is an important issue due to the trend of smaller sized and multi-functioning electronics. In this study, a Sn-Cu near eutectic solder bump was fabricated by electroplating. A Si wafer was used as a substrate, while layers of the Under Bump Metallization (UBM) of Al/Cu/Ni/Au (400/300/400/20 nm in each) were coated onto the Si wafer by electron beam evaporation. The bumps on the UBM were plated by a direct current, and the bump size was 20 x 20 x 10 microm with a 50 microm pitch. Characteristics of the electroplated bumps were examined by XRD, EDS and EPMA. A polarization curve was established to find a potential range of electrodeposition of Sn-Cu. By plating with a reduction current density of 1 A/dm2 for 23 min, a near eutectic Sn-Cu bump was obtained. The bump height increased in current density, namely from 2.25 microm at 0.5 A/dm2 to 6.58 microm at 2 A/dm2 from 10 min of plating. In the electroplated state, a beta-Sn and Sn-Cu intermetallic compound (IMC) coexisted in the bumps. Cu3Sn and Ni3Sn4 IMCs were discovered by XRD analysis along the interface between the bump and the UBM.     

双频超声破解污泥实验方法

使用20kHz和25kHz双频超声破解污泥装置,根据污泥滤液COD、NH3-N、TP的增量研究复频超声破解污泥的效果,并且详细探讨了影响复频超声破解污泥的影响因素（不同频率组合、不同作用方式、不同功率组合、不同时间组合）。实验结果表明双频超声更有利于污泥破解,为污泥破解方法的应用和今后进一步扩大其研究提供一定的基础。