Liquid crystal holographic configurations for optically reconfigurable gate arrays

An optically reconfigurable gate array (ORGA) system, which consists of an ORGA very large scale integration (VLSI), an easily rewritable liquid crystal holographic memory recording four configuration contexts, and a laser array, is proposed. Circuits on a gate array of the ORGA-VLSI can be programmed rapidly by exploiting large parallel connections between a holographic memory and a gate array VLSI; that programming can be executed even as it is being programmed. Consequently, the gate array can be switched from a certain circuit to another circuit instantaneously. We present a demonstration of the ORGA system and experimental results.     

Parallel algorithms for generating combinatorial objects on linear processor arrays with reconfigurable bus systems

A bus system whose configuration can be dynamically changed is called reconfigurable bus system. In this paper, parallel algorithms for generating combinations, subsets, and binary trees on linear processor array with reconfigurable bus systems (PARBS) are presented. Preliminary version of this paper has been presented at the 6th National Seminar on Theoretical Computer Science, held at Bhanasthali Vidyapith, Aug. 8–12, 1996     

Propagation of coherently combined truncated laser beam arrays with beam distortions in non-Kolmogorov turbulence

The propagation properties of coherently combined truncated laser beam arrays with beam distortions through non-Kolmogorov turbulence are studied in detail both analytically and numerically. The analytical expressions for the average intensity and the beam width of coherently combined truncated laser beam arrays with beam distortions propagating through turbulence are derived based on the combination of statistical optics methods and the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. The effect of beam distortions, such as amplitude modulation and phase fluctuation, is studied by numerical examples. The numerical results reveal that phase fluctuations have significant influence on the spreading of coherently combined truncated laser beam arrays in non-Kolmogorov turbulence, and the effects of the phase fluctuations can be negligible as long as the phase fluctuations are controlled under a certain level, i.e., a>0.05 for the situation considered in the paper. Furthermore, large phase fluctuations can convert the beam distribution rapidly to a Gaussian form, vary the spreading, weaken the optimum truncation effects, and suppress the dependence of spreading on the parameters of the non-Kolmogorov turbulence.     

Focused ion beam production of nanoelectrode arrays

We present a method for the production of nanoelectrodes using focussed ion beam techniques (FIB). The electrodes utilise nanometric holes milled in a silicon nitride based pasivation layer, followed by wet etching of a silicon oxide based pasivation layer, to expose an underlying gold electrode. After functionalisation using a surface assembled monolayer and an electrochemically grown polypyrrole, these gold nanoelectrodes have been tested, via cyclic voltammetry, in the detection of [Fe(CN)₆]^4−/3− ions. The nanoelectrodes will be used to investigate the electrical properties of nanometric biological specimen.     

Generation of Bessel beam arrays through Dammann gratings

In this work we apply the Dammann grating concept to generate an equal-intensity square array of Bessel quasi-free diffraction beams that diverge from a common center. We generate a binary phase mask that combines the axicon phase with the phase of a Dammann grating. The procedure can be extended to include vortex spiral phases that generate an array of optical pipes. Experimental results are provided by means of a twisted nematic liquid crystal display operating as a binary π phase spatial light modulator.     

Mechanically coupled CMOS-MEMS free-free beam resonator arrays with enhanced power handling capability

Integrated CMOS-MEMS free-free beam resonator arrays operated in a standard two-port electrical configuration with low motional impedance and high power handling capability, centered at 10.5 MHz, have been demonstrated using the combination of pull-in gap reduction mechanism and mechanically coupled array design. The mechanical links (i.e., coupling elements) using short stubs connect each constituent resonator of an array to its adjacent ones at the high-velocity vibrating locations to accentuate the desired mode and reject all other spurious modes. A single second-mode free-free beam resonator with quality factor Q > 2200 and motional impedance R(m) < 150 kΩ has been used to achieve mechanically coupled resonator arrays in this work. In array design, a 9-resonator array has been experimentally characterized to have performance improvement of approximately 10× on motional impedance and power handling as compared with that of a single resonator. In addition, the two-port electrical configuration is much preferred over a one-port configuration because of its low-feedthrough and high design flexibility for future oscillator and filter implementation.     

The formation mechanism of periodic Zn nanocrystal arrays embedded in an amorphous layer by rapid electron beam irradiation

A periodic nano-island array of ～7?nm diameter Zn single crystals embedded in an amorphous Zn(2x)Si(1-x)O(2) layer was created by using rapid electron beam irradiation for 50?s. A sequential process of 900?°C thermal annealing followed by electron beam irradiation induces the formation of an amorphous Zn(2x)Si(1-x)O(2) layer containing periodic Zn nanocrystals. It is shown that the periodic Zn crystal array can be produced with good control of their size and spacing. Possible formation mechanisms for the Zn crystal nano-islands are described on the basis of the experimental results.     

基于矢量水听器阵的恒定束宽波束形成器的原理与设计

摘要：在对水下目标进行探测识别的应用中，一般要求声纳系统具备在较宽频带内形成恒定束宽波束的能力：过去对声纳恒定束宽波束形成器的研究一直针对声压水听器阵，近来随着对矢量水听器认识的深入，开展基于矢量水听器阵的恒定束宽波束形成器研究越发变得必要。本文正是体现了作者在这一方面的阶段性研究成果。文中首先介绍了单个矢量水听器的指向特性，接着提出了矢量水听器阵宽带恒定束宽波束形成器的实现原理和设汁方法，并以均匀等间距线阵为例，给出了获得实现恒定束宽算法所需频域加权矩阵的步骤，之后又进一步给出了恒定束宽算法的频域实现流程，并通过计算机仿真验证了其有效性：     

基于可控波束响应的球形传声器阵列定位方法研究

球形传声器阵列因其完全对称的结构,可在三维空间内实现有效的声源定位。文章重点关注基于球谐函数展开的可控波束响应算法,推导了算法的实现流程,并通过仿真验证了可控波束响应算法的性能。建立了包含8个传声器单元的实验系统,其中球形结构在8个单元的条件下可以视为立方结构,通过低阶球谐展开实验验证了可控波束算法的性能。在视听室的实验结果充分验证了定位算法的有效性,定位误差小于10°。     

Fast ultrasound beam prediction for linear and regular two-dimensional arrays

Real-time beam predictions are highly desirable for the patient-specific computations required in ultrasound therapy guidance and treatment planning. To address the longstanding issue of the computational burden associated with calculating the acoustic field in large volumes, we use graphics processing unit (GPU) computing to accelerate the computation of monochromatic pressure fields for therapeutic ultrasound arrays. In our strategy, we start with acceleration of field computations for single rectangular pistons, and then we explore fast calculations for arrays of rectangular pistons. For single-piston calculations, we employ the fast near-field method (FNM) to accurately and efficiently estimate the complex near-field wave patterns for rectangular pistons in homogeneous media. The FNM is compared with the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld method (RSM) for the number of abscissas required in the respective numerical integrations to achieve 1%, 0.1%, and 0.01% accuracy in the field calculations. Next, algorithms are described for accelerated computation of beam patterns for two different ultrasound transducer arrays: regular 1-D linear arrays and regular 2-D linear arrays. For the array types considered, the algorithm is split into two parts: 1) the computation of the field from one piston, and 2) the computation of a piston-array beam pattern based on a pre-computed field from one piston. It is shown that the process of calculating an array beam pattern is equivalent to the convolution of the single-piston field with the complex weights associated with an array of pistons. Our results show that the algorithms for computing monochromatic fields from linear and regularly spaced arrays can benefit greatly from GPU computing hardware, exceeding the performance of an expensive CPU by more than 100 times using an inexpensive GPU board. For a single rectangular piston, the FNM method facilitates volumetric computations with 0.01% accuracy at rates better than 30 ns per field point. Furthermore, we demonstrate array calculation speeds of up to 11.5 X 10(9) field-points per piston per second (0.087 ns per field point per piston) for a 512-piston linear array. Beam volumes containing 256(3) field points are calculated within 1 s for 1-D and 2-D arrays containing 512 and 20(2) pistons, respectively, thus facilitating future real-time thermal dose predictions.     

Recording beam modulation during grating formation

Holography has been of increasing interest in recent years, with developments in many areas such as data storage and metrology. Photopolymer materials provide potentially good materials for holographic recording, as they are inexpensive and self-processing. Many experiments have been reported in the literature that describe the diffraction efficiency and angular selectivity of such materials. The majority of these reports discuss the performance of the holographic optical element after the recording stage. It has been observed, however, that sometimes, during exposure, the transmitted recording beam intensities vary with time. A simple phenomenological model is proposed to explain the beam modulation, which incorporates the growth of the phase grating, time-varying absorption effects, the mechanical motion of the plate, the growth of a lossy absorption grating during the recording process, and the effects of nonideal beam ratios.     

Structures and field emission properties of silicon nanowire arrays implanted with energetic carbon ion beam

Structures and field emission properties of silicon nanowire arrays (SiNWAs), which were fabricated by using of electroless-chemical etching method and post-implanted by the energetic carbon ion beam with an average energy of 20 keV at various doses, have been investigated. Structural analysis of SEM and XPS shows that SiC compound had been formed at the top of SiNWAs, and Si-C/Si composite nanostructure had been obtained. Compared to as-grown SiNWAs, the C ion implanted SiNWAs have better field emission characteristics. The turn-on field and the applied field at 100 microA/cm2 are reduced from 5.01 V/microm and 5.93 V/microm for as-grown SiNWAs to 4.45 V/microm and 5.40 V/microm for SiNWAs implanted at the dose of 1 x 10(16) cm(-2), respectively. However, large implanting amounts made serious structural damages at the top of nanowires, and impaired the field emission characteristics. The influence of energetic C ion implantation on the structures and field emission properties of SiNWAs has been discussed.     

High power density beam from narrow diode-laser arrays in axial symmetry

A multiplexing method based on narrow diode-laser arrays (DLAs) in an axially symmetric configuration is described. The use of submillimeter narrow DLAs improves beam quality considerably in the slow-axis direction compared with typical 1-cm-wide DLAs. The axially symmetric geometry is advantageous for efficient spatial, wavelength, and polarization multiplexing. With narrow DLAs and an axially symmetric geometry, a small circular focus with more than 10-kW/mm2 average power density is possible. Theoretical calculations and preliminary experimental results are presented.     

Generation of midfield concentrated beam arrays using periodic metal annular apertures

Generation of minimally diffracting beam arrays in the midfield region using periodic metal annular apertures is investigated. The relations between the patterns of the diffraction fields and the structural parameters of the periodic metal annular aperture are numerically analyzed. Material dependent transmission characteristics are also studied with finite difference time-domain simulation. The results reveal that the beam concentration efficiency and axial intensity uniformity have a trade-off restriction due to strong inter-aperture interference and surface plasmon mediates the transmission efficiency of the periodic annular apertures. The design criteria of the metal annular aperture to achieve the strong and uniform beam arrays are addressed.     

Electron beam formation in an open discharge

The results of calculations reported for the first time indicate that the electron emission from a cathode, which is necessary to explain the main properties of an open discharge, is stimulated by the cathode bombardment by fast atoms rather than by photons (as was believed for a long time). The calculations are based on the results of measurements of the electric field strength in the discharge region and of the coefficient of electron emission from a cathode bombarded by helium atoms and ions. It is also demonstrated that the efficiency of the gas ionization by fast atom bombardment is significant at a voltage of several keV and becomes comparable with the electron-impact ionization in the anode plasma at a voltage equal to a few tens of keV.     

Spontaneous formation of arrays of three-dimensional islands in epitaxial layers

An analysis is made of a theoretical model of the formation of three-dimensional nanometer-size islands in molecular beam epitaxy. The kinetics of the self-organization processes are described using a lattice gas model of the adsorbate with self-consistent allowance for lateral interactions in the activation energies of the diffusion processes. It is shown that at below-critical temperatures in a certain range of thicknesses, decay of the spatially uniform state gives rise to arrays of three-dimensional nano-islands which do not participate in the coalescence process after growth has ceased. The average size of the islands, their geometric profile, and the spatial ordering depend strongly on the kinetic parameters of the model. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 24, 20–26 (July 12, 1998)     

Vertical transfer of uniform silicon nanowire arrays via crack formation

Vertical transfer of silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays with uniform length onto adhesive substrates was realized by the assistance of creating a horizontal crack throughout SiNWs. The crack is formed by adding a water soaking step between consecutive Ag-assisted electroless etching processes of Si. The crack formation is related to the delamination, redistribution, and reattachment of the Ag film during the water soaking and subsequent wet etching steps. Moreover, the crack facilitates embedding SiNWs inside polymers.     

Electron beam formation in helium at elevated pressures

The formation of a beam of runaway electrons in a diode filled with helium at a pressure from 0.1 to 760 Torr was studied under conditions of a pulsed ≈4 ns) high ≈200 kV) voltage applied to the discharge gap. Both theoretical results and experimental data indicate that the electron beam is generated both at a large strength of the electric field, when the fraction of runaway electrons is large, and in a field of low strength, where intensive electron multiplication takes place. In the latter case, a high current can be obtained despite a small fraction of runaway electrons relative to their total number. The electron beams obtained in the helium-filled diode had a current amplitude of up to 140 A (corresponding to a current density above 10 A/cm²) at an electron energy of ～150 keV.

     

Nanocrystalline SnO2 formation using energetic ion beam

Nanocrystalline tin oxide (SnO2) thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering technique were characterized by UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy and Photoluminescence spectroscopy. From atomic force microscopic (AFM) and Glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) measurements, the radius of grains was found to be approximately 6+/-2 nm. The thin films were bombarded with 250 keV Xe2+ ion beam to observe the stability of nanophases against radiation. For ion bombarded films, optical absorption band edge is shifted towards red region. Atomic force microscopy studies show that the radius of the grains was increased to approximately 8 +/- 1 nm and the grains were nearly uniform in size. The size of the grains has been reduced after ion bombardment in the case of films grown on Si. During this process, defects such as vacancies, voids were generated in the films as well as in the substrates. Ion bombardment induces local temperature increase of thin films causing melting of films. Ion beam induced defects enhances the diffusion of atoms leading to uniformity in size of grains. The role of matrix on ion beam induced grain growth is discussed.