Composition and annealing effects on the linear electro-optic response of solution-deposited barium strontium titanate

Chemical solution deposition was used to deposit epitaxial Ba_xSr_(1−x)TiO₃ thin films on SrTiO₃ template layers on Si(001) for x = 1.0, 0.7, 0.5, 0.3, and 0.0. Effective Pockels coefficients were determined as a function of film composition both for as-deposited films (crystallized at 600°C) and for the films after annealing at 750°C for 10 hours. Pockels response decreased monotonically with decreasing Ba content and coefficients were higher for annealed films, reaching 89 ± 3 pm/V for annealed BaTiO₃. These results are contextualized with the aid of X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission microscopy, which illuminated the crystallinity and defect nature of the films.     

Grazing-angle fiber-optic fourier transform infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy for the in situ detection and quantification of two active pharmaceutical ingredients on glass

Fourier transform infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy has been used with a fiber-optic grazing-angle reflectance probe as a rapid, in situ method for trace surface analysis of acetaminophen and aspirin at loadings of approximately 0-2 microg cm(-2) on glass. Partial least-squares multivariate regression permits the loadings to be quantified, simultaneously, with root-mean-squared errors of prediction of RMSEP approximately 0.1 microg cm(-2) for both compounds. The detection limits are estimated to be LD approximately 0.2 microg cm(-2).     

Modeling and optimization of add-drop dynamics in gain-clamped fiber amplifiers

A new dynamic model for gain-clamped fiber amplifiers is presented. The model can simulate the transient behavior of a gain-clamped erbium-doped fiber amplifier as a function of its controlling parameters. Results show the detailed dependence of the amplifier gain dynamics on launched pump power and reveal the pump-power penalty incurred in implementing gain control with minimal transients to power disturbances. The effect on the transients of varying the laser cavity feedback coupling is also presented. Model accuracy is verified by the excellent quantitative agreement with dynamic measurements over a range of operating conditions. Results show how an increase in pump power can effectively suppress both the dynamic and the steady-state signal power transients in wavelength-division multiplexing channel add-drop operations.     

Fiber-optic infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy for trace analysis on surfaces of varying roughness. Part II: Acetaminophen on stainless steel

Investigations of the effects of surface roughness on the utility of grazing-angle Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) as a method for quantifying trace contamination of metal surfaces have been extended to acetaminophen, a model active pharmaceutical agent, on 316 stainless steel. The effects are more complicated than for the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on stainless steel; they include a strong surface-finish dependence of sensitivity and nonlinear behavior at surface loadings above approximately 1-2 microg cm(-2). Using data from samples in the loading range 0-0.5 microg cm(-2), unbiased partial least squared calibrations can be readily achieved for individual surface finishes with detection limits of L(D) approximately 0.15 microg cm(-2). However, as found for SDS on stainless steel, models built using data from samples of mixed surface roughness are more problematic.     

Do treatment manuals undermine youth–therapist alliance in community clinical practice?

Objective: Some critics of treatment manuals have argued that their use may undermine the quality of the client–therapist alliance. This notion was tested in the context of youth psychotherapy delivered by therapists in community clinics. Method: Seventy-six clinically referred youths (57% female, age 8–15 years, 34% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to receive nonmanualized usual care or manual-guided treatment to address anxiety or depressive disorders. Treatment was provided in community clinics by clinic therapists randomly assigned to treatment condition. Youth–therapist alliance was measured with the Therapy Process Observational Coding System—Alliance (TPOCS–A) scale at 4 points throughout treatment and with the youth report Therapeutic Alliance Scale for Children (TASC) at the end of treatment. Results: Youths who received manual-guided treatment had significantly higher observer-rated alliance than usual care youths early in treatment; the 2 groups converged over time, and mean observer-rated alliance did not differ by condition. Similarly, the manual-guided and usual care groups did not differ on youth report of alliance. Conclusions: Our findings did not support the contention that using manuals to guide treatment harms the youth–therapist alliance. In fact, use of manuals was related to a stronger alliance in the early phase of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monolithic integration via a universal damage enhanced quantum-wellintermixing technique

A novel technique for quantum-well intermixing is demonstrated, which has proven a reliable means for obtaining postgrowth shifts in the band edge of a wide range of III-V material systems. The technique relies upon the generation of point defects via plasma induced damage during the deposition of sputtered SiO₂, and provides a simple and reliable process for the fabrication of both wavelength tuned lasers and monolithically integrated devices. Wavelength tuned broad area oxide stripe lasers are demonstrated in InGaAs-InAlGaAs, InGaAs-InGaAsP, and GaInP-AlGaInP quantum well systems, and it is shown that low absorption losses are obtained after intermixing. Oxide stripe lasers with integrated slab waveguides have also enabled the production of a narrow single lobed far field (3°) pattern in both InGaAs-InAlGaAs, and GaInP-AlGaInP devices. Extended cavity ridge waveguide lasers operating at 1.5 μm are demonstrated with low loss (α=4.1 cm^-1) waveguides, and it is shown that this loss is limited only by free carrier absorption in waveguide cladding layers. In addition, the operation of intermixed multimode interference couplers is demonstrated, where four GaAs-AlGaAs laser amplifiers are monolithically integrated to produce high output powers of 180 mW in a single fundamental mode. The results illustrate that the technique can routinely be used to fabricate low-loss optical interconnects and offers a very promising route toward photonic integration     

Laminated Perovskite Photovoltaics: Enabling Novel Layer Combinations and Device Architectures

High‐efficiency perovskite‐based solar cells can be fabricated via either solution‐processing or vacuum‐based thin‐film deposition. However, both approaches limit the choice of materials and the accessible device architectures, due to solvent incompatibilities or possible layer damage by vacuum techniques. To overcome these limitations, the lamination of two independently processed half‐stacks of the perovskite solar cell is presented in this work. By laminating the two half‐stacks at an elevated temperature (≈90 °C) and pressure (≈50 MPa), the polycrystalline perovskite thin‐film recrystallizes and the perovskite/charge transport layer (CTL) interface forms an intimate electrical contact. The laminated perovskite solar cells with tin oxide and nickel oxide as CTLs exhibit power conversion efficiencies of up to 14.6%. Moreover, they demonstrate long‐term and high‐temperature stability at temperatures of up to 80 °C. This freedom of design is expected to access both novel device architectures and pairs of CTLs that remain usually inaccessible.     

Very High Efficiency Orange‐Red Light‐Emitting Devices with Low Roll‐Off at High Luminance Based on an Ideal Host–Guest System Consisting of Two Novel Phosphorescent Iridium Complexes with Bipolar Transport

Two phosphorescent iridium complexes with bipolar transporting ability, namely FPPCA (500 nm) and BZQPG (600 nm), are synthesized and employed as an ideal host‐guest system for phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs).The devices give very high‐efficiency orange‐red emission from BZQPG with maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE or η_ext) of >27% and maximum power efficiency (PE or η_p) of >75 lm/W, and maintain high levels of 26% and 55 lm/W, 25% and 40 lm/W at high luminance of 1000 and 5000 cd m^?2, respectively, within a range of 8–15 wt% of BZQPG. The realization of such high and stable EL performance results from the coexistence of two parallel paths: i) effective energy transfer from host (FPPCA) to guest (BZQPG) and ii) direct exciton formation on the BZQPG emitter, which can alternately dominate the electrophosphorescent emission. This all‐phosphor doping system removes the charge‐injection barrier from the charge‐transport process to the emissive layer (EML) due to the inherent narrow E_g of both phosphors. Therefore, this ideal host–guest system represents a new design to produce PHOLEDs with high efficiency and low efficiency roll‐off using a simple device configuration.