Theoretical Model of Yb $^{3 + }$-Er $^{3 + }$-Tm $^{3 + }$-Codoped System for White Light Generation

We present a theoretical model of Yb$^{3 + }$-Er $^{3 + }$-Tm $^{3 + }$-co-doped system for white light generation. The energy level, electron transition process and numerical model are proposed to calculate fluorescence intensity of the system pumped by 980 nm laser. The numerical results reveal that our theoretical model is in good agreement with experimental results in literature. Optimal active ion concentrations are proposed to enable the system to emit red, blue and green lights which are mixed to generate white light in telluride matrix for display and lighting system.      

Compact Variable ${rm TE}$-${rm TM}$ Polarization Splitter Based on Simplified Coherent Coupling in Lithium Niobate

A compact-sized electrically tunable ${rm TE}$- ${rm TM}$ mode splitter composed of a mode converter and an asymmetric Y-branch structure is presented. The asymmetric Y-branch consists of a straight and a bent waveguides to split two polarization modes based on the mode-sorting effect. To shorten the device length, a simplified coherently coupled-bending structure is utilized for the bent waveguide. Experimental results show that the device length is reduced about 52%, extinction ratios of both ${rm TE}$ and ${rm TM}$ modes are higher than 25 dB, yet the applied voltage is not significantly increased.      

Cooperative Quantum Cutting in Yb $^{3+}$–Tb $^{3+}$ Codoped Borosilicate Glasses

Quantum cutting down-conversion (DC) with the emission of two near-infrared photons for each blue photon absorbed is realized in $hbox{Yb}^{3+}hbox{–}hbox{Tb}^{3+}$ codoped borosilicate glasses. With the excitation of $hbox{Tb}^{3+}$ ion by a 484-nm monochromatic light, emission from the $^{2} hbox{F} _{5/2}rightarrow ^{2} hbox{F} _{7/2}$ transition of $hbox{Yb}^{3+}$ ions is observed and this emission is proved to originate from the DC between $hbox{Tb}^{3+}$ ions and $hbox{Yb}^{3+}$ ions. Results shows that maximum quantum efficiency reach as high as 153%, which is comparable with that in oxyfluoride glass ceramics in this system. With the advantages of excellent transparence, easy shaping, good stability, and low cost, $hbox{Yb}^{3+}hbox{–}hbox{Tb}^{3+}$ codoped borosilicate glasses are potentially used as down-converter layer in silicon-based solar cells.      

Asymmetric ${rm TEM}_{00}$-Mode Cavity for Birefringence-Compensated Two-Rod Solid-State Lasers

An asymmetrical two-rod Nd:YAG laser system was investigated theoretically and experimentally in a cw-operated ${rm TEM}_{00}$-mode cavity. A revised birefringence compensation condition is presented considering the thickness of the 90 $^{circ}$ polarization rotator. By means of equivalent thermal lens of the two rods, the roles of the two arms of the cavity are discussed. The asymmetrical cavity results in twice larger output power and lower misalignment sensitivity of the mirrors than the symmetrical cavity. 61 W linearly polarized output with $M^{2} =1.6$ was obtained experimentally, which is the state of the art for a lamp pumped laser. Cavity mirrors misalignments and thermal induced spherical aberration have great influence on the performance of the resonator such as diffraction loss and beam quality. Beam filling factor turns out to play an important role in reducing their influence. The design of an asymmetrical resonator for birefringence compensation is useful also for high power diode pumped solid state lasers.      

Scattering Analysis for Layered Cylindrical Object Perpendicularly Piercing the Wider Walls of a Rectangular Waveguide and Its Application to ${varepsilon _{r}}$ and ${mu _{r}}$ Measurement

This paper describes a novel analysis for the scattering problem of a layered cylindrical object that pierces a rectangular waveguide through a pair of holes made at the center of the wider walls. In this analysis, the $S$-parameters are rigorously formulated in terms of the modal scattering coefficients of the cylindrical object. Here, the modal scattering coefficients are expressed as solutions to a set of linear equations of infinite extent. The layered object is represented by the admittance function, which can readily be calculated for an arbitrary number of layers, using a recurrence formula. To show the applicability of the presented formulas, two types of dielectric samples (polytetrafluoroethylene and polyacetar) and a ferrite sample were measured, and reasonable values were obtained. In addition, the complex permittivity of water was determined by using a glass capillary tube as a liquid container, and an excellent agreement was shown with the value predicted by Debye's formula.      

A 5-GHz CMOS Type-II PLL With Low $K_{rm VCO}$ and Extended Fine-Tuning Range

A 5-GHz dual-path integer-$N$ Type-II phase-locked loop (PLL) uses an LC voltage-controlled oscillator and softly switched varactors in an overlapped digitally controlled integral path to allow a large fine-tuning range of approximately 160 MHz while realizing a low susceptibility to noise and spurs by using a low $K_{rm VCO}$ of 3.2 MHz/V. The reference spur level is less than $-$70 dBc with a 1-MHz reference frequency and a total loop-filter capacitance of 26 pF. The measured phase noise is $-$75 and $-$115 dBc/Hz at 10-kHz and 1-MHz offsets, respectively, using a loop bandwidth of approximately 30 kHz. This 0.25-${hbox{mm}}^{2}$ PLL is fabricated in a 90-nm digital CMOS process and consumes 11 mW from a 1.2-V supply.      

Impact of Design on High-Frequency Performance of Advanced MIM Capacitors Using Si $_{3}$N $_{4}$ Dielectric Layers

High-frequency characterizations of ultra thin 32 nm PECVD Si$_{3}$N $_{4}$ dielectric in an advanced metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitors are presented, with focus on the impact of design on the performance of MIM capacitors. Frequency dependent capacitance has been extracted over a wide range of frequency bandwidth. An equivalent model circuit of capacitors including four parameters was developed to explain this behavior. The results have been compared with the values obtained from a 3-D electromagnetic modeling. A specific chart has been introduced to predict the electrical performance of new MIM capacitor designs.      

A Comparative NBTI Study of $hbox{HfO}_{2}$, $hbox{HfSiO}_{x}$, and SiON p-MOSFETs Using UF-OTF $I_{rm DLIN}$ Technique

The time, temperature, and oxide-field dependence of negative-bias temperature instability is studied in $hbox{HfO}_{2}/hbox{TiN}$, $ hbox{HfSiO}_{x}/hbox{TiN}$, and SiON/poly-Si p-MOSFETs using ultrafast on-the-fly $I_{rm DLIN}$ technique capable of providing measured degradation from very short (approximately microseconds) to long stress time. Similar to rapid thermal nitrided oxide (RTNO) SiON, $hbox{HfO}_{2}$ devices show very high temperature-independent degradation at short (submilliseconds) stress time, not observed for plasma nitrided oxide (PNO) SiON and $hbox{HfSiO}_{x}$ devices. $hbox{HfSiO}_{x}$ shows lower overall degradation, higher long-time power-law exponent, field acceleration, and temperature activation as compared to $hbox{HfO}_{2}$, which are similar to the differences between PNO and RTNO SiON devices, respectively. The difference between $ hbox{HfSiO}_{x}$ and $hbox{HfO}_{2}$ can be attributed to differences in N density in the $hbox{SiO}_{2}$ IL of these devices.      

Fabrication and Characterization of Coplanar Waveguides on Silicon Using a Combination of SiO $_{2}$ and SRO $_{20}$

In this work, the use of silicon rich oxide (SRO) and chemical vapor deposition SiO$_{2}$ double layers as passivation films of coplanar waveguides (CPW) on high resistivity silicon (HR-Si) with an ${hbox{N}}^{+}$ backside is studied. The microwave performance of the fabricated CPWs is evaluated by computing the attenuation loss of the devices in the 0.045–50 GHz frequency range. Experimental results show that the ${hbox{N}}^{+}$ layer can be used without affecting CPW performance. Also, using a combined dielectric layer (SRO$_{20}$ /SiO$_{2}$ ), the attenuation losses are reduced compared to single dielectric layers.      

Controlled Deposition of ${rm SiO}_{2}$ Nanoparticles of NIST-Traceable Particle Sizes for Mask Surface Inspection System Characterization

Particulate contamination of masks is a serious challenge in extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) technology due to the unavailability of conventional pellicles. EUVL mask surface inspection tools, operated at low pressure, are used not only for mask contamination control/monitoring but also for mask surface cleaning studies. In EUVL, contaminant particles can be generated during low-pressure stages of integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing and may contaminate the mask critical surface without protective pellicles. It is therefore needed to characterize the EUVL mask surface inspection tools with contaminants commonly seen in vacuum processes. We have developed a method to deposit particles of known material and NIST-traceable sizes on the mask surface for the purpose of calibrating the EUVL mask surface inspection tools. Our method can produce particles with 98% size-uniformity. SiO₂ particles with NIST-traceable sizes of 50 nm, 60 nm, and 70 nm were separately deposited on quartz mask blanks with a controlled deposition spot size and number density, and detected by a Lasertec M1350 mask surface scanner. The results demonstrate high capture efficiencies for 60 and 70 nm SiO₂ particles, and significantly lower capture efficiency for 50 nm SiO₂ particles. The sizing accuracy of Lasertec M1350 deteriorates with decreasing particle size.     

Improvement of On–Off-Current Ratio in $ hbox{TiO}_{rm x}$ Active-Channel TFTs Using $hbox{N}_{2} hbox{O}$ Plasma Treatment

Without sacrificing the on-current in the transfer characteristics, we have successfully reduced the off-current part by the optimal $hbox{N}_{2}hbox{O}$ plasma treatment to improve the on–off-current ratio in n-type titanium oxide $( hbox{TiO}_{rm x})$ active-channel thin-film transistors. While the high-power (275 W) $hbox{N}_{2}hbox{O}$ plasma treatment oxidizes the whole $hbox{TiO}_{rm x}$ channel and results in the reduction of both on- and off-current, the optimized low-power (150 W) process makes the selective oxidation of the top portion in the channel and reduces only the off-current significantly. Increase in on–off ratio by almost five orders of magnitude is achieved without change in on-current by using the presented method.      

Improved Electrical Properties of Ge p-MOSFET With $ hbox{HfO}_{2}$ Gate Dielectric by Using $hbox{TaO}_{x} hbox{N}_{y}$ Interlayer

The electrical characteristics of germanium p-metal-oxide-semiconductor (p-MOS) capacitor and p-MOS field-effect transistor (FET) with a stack gate dielectric of HfO₂/TaOxNy are investigated. Experimental results show that MOS devices exhibit much lower gate leakage current than MOS devices with only HfO₂ as gate dielectric, good interface properties, good transistor characteristics, and about 1.7-fold hole-mobility enhancement as compared with conventional Si p-MOSFETs. These demonstrate that forming an ultrathin passivation layer of TaOxNy on germanium surface prior to deposition of high-k dielectrics can effectively suppress the growth of unstable GeOx, thus reducing interface states and increasing carrier mobility in the inversion channel of Ge-based transistors.     

Sharp $p$ -Divisibility of Weights in Abelian Codes Over ${BBZ}/p^d{BBZ}$

A theorem of McEliece on the $p$-divisibility of Hamming weights in cyclic codes over ${BBF}_p$ is generalized to Abelian codes over ${{{BBZ}/p^d{BBZ}}}$. This work improves upon results of Helleseth–Kumar–Moreno–Shanbhag, Calderbank–Li–Poonen, Wilson, and Katz. These previous attempts are not sharp in general, i.e., do not report the full extent of the $p$ -divisibility except in special cases, nor do they give accounts of the precise circumstances under which they do provide best possible results. This paper provides sharp results on $p$-divisibilities of Hamming weights and counts of any particular symbol for an arbitrary Abelian code over ${{{BBZ}/p^d{BBZ}}}$. It also presents sharp results on $2$-divisibilities of Lee and Euclidean weights for Abelian codes over ${{{BBZ}/4{BBZ}}}$.      

2 MHz AO $Q$ -switched ${rm TEM}_{00}$ Grazing Incidence Laser With 3 at.% Neodymium Doped Nd:YVO$_{4}$

We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the ultrahigh repetition rate AO $Q$ -switched ${rm TEM}_{00}$ grazing incidence laser. Up to 2.1 MHz $Q$-switching with ${rm TEM}_{00}$ output of 8.6 W and 2.2 MHz $Q$ -switching with multimode output of 10 W were achieved by using an acousto-optics $Q$ -switched grazing-incidence laser with optimum grazing-incidence angle and cavity configuration. The crystal was 3 at.% neodymium doped Nd:YVO$_{4}$ slab. The pulse duration at 2 MHz repetition rate was about 31 ns. The instabilities of pulse energy at 2 MHz repetition rate were less than ${pm}6.7hbox{%}$ with ${rm TEM}_{00}$ operation and ${pm}3.3hbox{%}$ with multimode operation respectively. The modeling of high repetition rate $Q$-switched operation is presented based on the rate equation, and with the solution of the modeling, higher pump power, smaller section area of laser mode, and larger stimulated emission cross section of the gain medium are beneficial to the $Q$-switched operation with ultrahigh repetition rate, which is in consistent with the experimental results.      

High Density and Low Leakage Current in $ hbox{TiO}_{2}$ MIM Capacitors Processed at 300 $^{circ} hbox{C}$

We report Ir/TiO₂/TaN metal-insulator-metal capacitors processed at only 300degC, which show a capacitance density of 28 fF/mum² and a leakage current of 3 times 10^-8 (25degC) or 6 times 10^-7 (125degC) A/cm² at -1 V. This performance is due to the combined effects of 300degC nanocrystallized high-kappa TiO₂, a high conduction band offset, and high work-function upper electrode. These devices show potential for integration in future very-large-scale-integration technologies.     

Optimal $ Sigma Delta$ Modulator Architectures for Fractional-$ {N}$ Frequency Synthesis

This paper presents a comparative study of $Sigma Delta$ modulators for use in fractional-$ {N}$ phase-locked loops. It proposes favorable modulator architectures while taking into consideration not only the quantization noise of the modulator but also other loop nonidealities such as the charge pump current mismatch that contributes to the degradation in the synthesized tone's phase noise. The proper choice of the modulator architecture is found to be dependent upon the extent of the nonideality, reference frequency, and loop bandwidth. Three modulator architectures are then proposed for low, medium, and high levels of nonidealities.      

${K}_{a}$ –Band All-Resonant Photonic Microwave Receiver

We demonstrate a microwave photonic receiver operating at 35-GHz carrier frequency with a sensitivity exceeding ${-}$70 dBm in a 3-MHz frequency band and possessing more than 40-dB dynamic range when operated in the direct detection mode. The receiver is based on a lithium niobate optical whispering gallery mode resonator coupled to a microwave strip line resonator. We theoretically analyze the performance of the receiver and estimate its optimal achievable sensitivity and dynamic range.      

The Performance of Acoustic-Optical $Q$-switched Mode-Locking 1.34 $mu$m Nd:GdVO$_{4}$ Laser

A diode-end-pumped $Q$ -switched mode-locking $hbox{Nd:GdVO}_{4}$ laser operating at 1.34 $mu{hbox {m}}$ with an acousto-optical (AO) Q-switch in a compact V-type cavity was realized in our experiment for the first time. When the AO Q-switch repetition rate was 10 kHz, the maximum average output power of 750 mW and the pulse energy of 75 $muhbox{J}$ were obtained at the maximum incident pump power of 9 W. The mode-locking modulation depth of about 100% was obtained at certain pump power over the threshold. The mode-locked pulse inside in the $Q$-switched pulse had a repetition rate of 341 MHz, and its average pulsewidth was estimated to be about 350 ps. A developed rate equation model for the $Q$ -switched and mode-locked lasers with an AO Q-switch were proposed by using the hyperbolic secant functional methods. The results of numerical calculations of the rate equations were in good agreement with the experimental results.      

InP DHBT Process in Transferred-Substrate Technology With $f_{t}$ and $f_{max}$ Over 400 GHz

In this paper, a double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) process has been developed in transferred-substrate (TS) technology to optimize high-frequency performance. It provides an aligned lithographic access to frontside and backside of the device to eliminate dominant transistor parasitics. The transistors of $hbox{0.8} times hbox{5}hbox{-}muhbox{m}^{2}$ emitter mesa feature $f_{t} = hbox{410} hbox{GHz}$ and $f_{max} = hbox{480} hbox{GHz}$ at a $hbox{BV}_{rm ceo} = hbox{5.5} hbox{V}$. Parallel to the device setup, a multilevel metallization scheme is established. It serves as construction kit for 3-D configurations of active and passive elements. High yield of the TS DHBTs, consistent large-signal modeling, and accurate simulation of complex passive elements have been demonstrated and have proved the availability of the technology for advanced millimeter-wave circuit design.