Chalcogenide holey fibres

The fabrication of the first non-silica holey or microstructured optical fibre is reported. The chalcogenide glass gallium lanthanum sulphide was used. Applications of such fibres include optical switching, high power-delivery, acousto-optic devices, air-guiding fibres, fibre sensors, mid-IR devices, amongst others. In addition, holey fibre technology provides an improved route towards fabricating singlemode compound glass fibres     

Modelocked laser based on ytterbium doped holey fibre

The authors report the fabrication of a polarisation-maintaining, high-nonlinearity, anomalously dispersive, Yb³⁺ doped holey fibre and describe what they believe to be the first demonstration of a modelocked holey fibre laser     

Experimental characterisation of Raman gain efficiency of holey fibre

The Raman gain efficiency of a 2.3 /spl mu/m-core-diameter holey fibre was measured using three different techniques. A /spl sim/4.65/spl times/10/sup -3/ W/sup -1/ m/sup -1/ efficiency is obtained by all techniques with mismatches lying within the estimated errors. It is shown that the high efficiency is due to small mode-field diameter of the holey fibre, as expected. The use of the fibre as a continuous-wave-pumped Raman amplifier is discussed.     

Extruded singlemode, high-nonlinearity, tellurite glass holey fibre

The fabrication of the first singlemode tellurite glass holey fibre produced from an extruded preform is reported. Robust singlemode guidance was observed at 1047 nm in the fabricated small core holey fibre. An effective mode area of 2.6 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ and high effective nonlinearity of 580 W/sup -1/ km/sup -1/ at 1047 nm were predicted. The fibre loss was measured to be 3.5 dB/m at 1050 nm, and 5.8 dB/m at 1550 nm.     

Fibre probe far-field technique for mode-field diameter measurementof single-mode fibres

A far-field pattern (FFP) technique using an optical fibre probe to measure the mode-field diameters of single-mode fibres is described. The endface separation between the test fibre and the probe fibre can be reduced to a tenth of the fibre/detector separation in the conventional scanning detector method     

Towards high-index glass based monomode holey fibre with large mode area

A high-index (n=1.80) glass based holey fibre was fabricated. The conventional capillary-stacking technique was used to make this fibre characterised by a complicated microstructured cladding. Monomode guidance was observed at 800 nm in this fibre and the effective mode area A/sub eff/ was measured as /spl sim/40 /spl mu/m/sup 2/.     

Compact fully fibre integrated source of 100 fs pulses at 1.1 /spl mu/m based on compression in holey fibre

A simple, compact, fully fibre integrated source of /spl sim/100 fs pulses at a wavelength of 1.1 /spl mu/m is reported. 4 ps pulses at 1063 nm from a modelocked fibre laser were amplified to 23 mW in a ytterbium-doped fibre amplifier and subsequently propagated through 62 m of holey fibre with a zero dispersion wavelength at 1040 nm. Soliton formation, breakup and self frequency shift resulted in the formation of /spl sim/100 fs pulses at 1.1 /spl mu/m. Wavelength tunability from 1113 to 1220 nm is demonstrated.     

Polarisation properties of long-period grating inscribed in pure-fused-silica photonic crystal fibre

The first measurements of polarisation properties of a long-period grating inscribed in an endlessly singlemode photonic crystal fibre are reported. Strong modulation in the spectra of polarisation-dependent loss and differential group delay with periods of 2.6 and 1.3 nm, respectively, were found. As such an effect has not been observed in standard optical fibres, it is believed that this is due to the specific mode structure of the holey fibre used for grating fabrication     

Demonstration of thermal poling in holey fibres

A second-order nonlinearity is induced for the first time in a holey fibre by thermal poling. Non-phase matched second harmonic generation with a ~10^-8/W conversion efficiency is observed and the electro-optic coefficient is measured to be ~0.02 pm/V     

Mechanical properties and applications of custom-built gold AFM cantilevers

Silicon and silicon nitride metal-coated cantilevers have been in use for a long time in several scanning probe microscopy applications that require electrically conductive probes. However, conventional metalized cantilevers present several drawbacks such as limited life-time of the metal layer due to wear, and increased tip radius. This work focuses on monolithic metallic cantilevers developed in order to overcome the limitations of conventional metalized atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes. These custom-made cantilevers are designed for several applications such as in current-sensing AFM (CSAFM), Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). Determination of the dynamic and static mechanical properties of these cantilevers in a non-destructive way is reported here. Key parameters under investigation are the cantilever spring constant and the frequency response using finite element method (FEM). Gold cantilevers are selected for this study, which allow optimizing the design and the process of developing these metallic cantilevers with parameters engineered for the applications mentioned above. This work contributes to the establishment and applicability of custom-made probes in advanced scanning probe microscopy methods and their performance understanding using computer simulations.     

Blue light generation in holey fibre using frequency doubled fibre pump source

A report is presented on the efficient generation of 18 mW of 428 nm light by propagating frequency doubled 780 nm pulses from an all-fibre integrated picosecond pulse source with kW level peak power through a length of highly nonlinear holey fibre. The wavelength conversion process is attributed to resonant coupling between solitons and dispersive radiation.     

High spatial resolution optical fibre mode profiling

Near-field scanning optical microscopy is used in emission mode to measure the mode profile of singlemode fibre. Excellent agreement is obtained between the mode profile of a singlemode fibre measured using emission and collection modes and qualitative agreement obtained between measurements made on a multimoded fibre and a simple theoretical model.     

High temperature Fabry-Perot probe interrogated with tunable fibre ring laser

A high temperature fibre-optic based probe is described based on a miniature Fabry-Perot with a maximum operating temperature of ~700degC limited by the gold coated fibre transceiver link connecting the optical source to the probe. It was interrogated by a tunable fibre laser which could be linearly or sinusoidally tuned at scanning rates of 2 and 20 kHz, respectively. The transfer function of the system is in the form of channelled spectra rather than the usual interference fringes observed for interferometric sensors. The periodicity of the channelled spectra fringes is governed by the Fabry-Perot free spectral range which is related to the inverse of the probe temperature.     

Emerging Scanning Probe–Based Setups for Advanced Nanoelectronic Research

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) refers to a family of techniques that have become essential to study many different properties of materials and devices at the nanoscale. All of them have in common that they use an ultrasharp probe tip to scan the surface of a sample. However, although many of these techniques are interrelated, some of them have become very sophisticated and require specific and deep study. While there are plenty of review articles available for most of these techniques, newer developments need to be carefully analyzed in a critical manner in order to promote their development. In this progress report, some of the newest SPM‐based developments that are expected to generate a larger impact in the field of nanoelectronics are discussed, and critical advice on how to improve each of them is provided. In particular, the combination of wear and electrical tests; scanning gate microscopy; the integration of conductive atomic force microscopy into scanning electron microscopy; and the integration of a scanning probe into transmission electron microscopy, multiprobe scanning tunneling microscopy, multiprobe atomic force microscopy, and fountain‐pen nanolithography are focused on.     

Backside probing of flip–chip circuits using electrostatic force sampling

A non-contact scanning probe microscopy technique for measuring high-frequency voltage waveforms from the backside of a flip-chip mounted integrated circuit is presented. The signals on interconnects on the frontside of the die are accessed by mechanical thinning and focused ion beam milling through the backside of the die. A scanning force microscopy micromachined probe is placed inside the focused ion beam hole so that it is in close proximity to the circuit measurement point. Internal circuit voltage waveforms are measured by using the scanning probe in a non-contact mode and sensing the local electrostatic force on the tip of the probe. The instrument currently has a 3 GHz bandwidth and a capacitive loading on the test point of less than 1 fF. The output waveforms from ring oscillator flip-chip test circuits are measured.     

Modulation of Mechanical Interactions by Local Piezoelectric Effects

Piezoelectricity is a well‐established property of biological materials, yet its functional role has remained unclear. Here, a mechanical effect of piezoelectric domains resulting from collagen fibril organisation is demonstrated, and its role in tissue function and application to material design is described. Using a combination of scanning probe and nonlinear optical microscopy, a hierarchical structuring of piezoelectric domains in collagen‐rich tissues is observed, and their mechanical effects are explored in silico. Local electrostatic attraction and repulsion due to shear piezoelectricity in these domains modulate fibril interactions from the tens of nanometre (single fibril interactions) to the tens of micron (fibre interactions) level, analogous to modulated friction effects. The manipulation of domain size and organisation thus provides a capacity to tune energy storage, dissipation, stiffness, and damage resistance.     

Influence of Field Effects on the Performance of InGaAs-Based Terahertz Radiation Detectors

A detailed electrical characterization of high-performance bow-tie InGaAs-based terahertz detectors is presented along with simulation results. The local surface potential and tunnelling current were scanned over the surfaces of the detectors by means of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), which also enabled the determination of the Fermi level. Current-voltage curves were measured and modelled using the Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD package to gain deeper insight into the processes involved in detector operation. In addition, we performed finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations to reveal features related to changes in the electric field due to the metal detector contacts. The investigation revealed that field-effect-induced conductivity modulation is a possible mechanism contributing to the high sensitivity of the studied detectors.     

互补的微分析方法-扫描电子显微术和扫描探针显微术

本文介绍扫描电子显微术（SEM）和扫描探针显微术（SPM）这两种最常用的微分析方法的新进展，简述了它们各自的构成，工作原理，豚在研究工作中的互补性。     

Enhancing Ion Migration in Grain Boundaries of Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Perovskites by Chlorine

Ionicity plays an important role in determining material properties, as well as optoelectronic performance of organometallic trihalide perovskites (OTPs). Ion migration in OTP films has recently been under intensive investigation by various scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. However, controversial findings regarding the role of grain boundaries (GBs) associated with ion migration are often encountered, likely as a result of feedback errors and topographic effects common in to SPM. In this work, electron microscopy and spectroscopy (scanning transmission electron microscopy/electron energy loss spectroscopy) are combined with a novel, open‐loop, band‐excitation, (contact) Kelvin probe force microscopy (BE‐KPFM and BE‐cKPFM), in conjunction with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to examine the ion behavior in the GBs of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite films. This combination of diverse techniques provides a deeper understanding of the differences between ion migration within GBs and interior grains in OTP films. This work demonstrates that ion migration can be significantly enhanced by introducing additional mobile Cl^? ions into GBs. The enhancement of ion migration may serve as the first step toward the development of high‐performance electrically and optically tunable memristors and synaptic devices.     

扫描探针声显微镜原理及其应用

将声学检测技术与扫描探针显微术相结合,构成的扫描探针声显微镜,不仅可以检测材料表面、亚表面和内部的微小缺陷,还可以分析样品的弹性特性、电特性等物理性能,同时还具有分辨率高的特点,在材料科学和生命科学等领域具有很高的应用价值.目前,得到实际应用的扫描探针声显微镜主要有扫描隧道声显微镜和原子力声显微镜.本文介绍了这两类显微镜的基本工作原理,并对扫描探针声显微镜今后的发展方向进行了探讨.