Strain compensated InGaAs-GaAsP-InGaP laser

The performance characteristics of InGaAs-GaAsP-InGaP strain compensated laser emitting near 1 /spl mu/m are reported. The ridge waveguide lasers have room temperature threshold current of 18 mA and differential quantum efficiency of 0.45 W/A/facet. The linewidth enhancement factor is smaller and gain coefficient is larger for these strain compensated lasers compared to that for conventional strained layer laser. This may be due to higher effective compressive strain in the light emitting layer of these devices which reduces the effective mass. The observed larger gain coefficient is consistent with the measured larger relaxation oscillation frequency of these lasers compared to that for a conventional strained layer laser.     

Differential hysteresis modeling of a shape memory alloy wire actuator

In this paper, we develop a complete mathematical model of a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuated by an electric current and a bias spring. The operation of the SMA actuator involves different physical phenomena, such as heat transfer, phase transformation with temperature hysteresis, stress-strain variations and electrical resistance variation accompanying the phase transformation. We model each of these phenomena in a modular fashion. A key feature of the proposed model is that one or more of its modules can be extended to fit other SMA applications. At the heart of the proposed model is a differential hysteresis model capable of representing minor hysteresis loops. We generate the temperature profile for the hysteresis model using lumped parameter analysis. We extend the variable sublayer model to represent actuator strain and electrical resistance. This model can be used to develop a position control system for the actuator. Simulation results from the model are found to be in good agreement with experimental data.     

Design of a wideband microstrip antenna and the use of artificial neural networks in parameter calculation

This paper deals with the design of a multi-slot hole-coupled microstrip antenna on a substrate of 2 mm thickness that gives multi-frequency (wideband) characteristics. The Method of Moments (MoM)-based IE3D software was used to simulate the results for return loss, VSWR, the Smith chart, and the radiation patterns. A tunnel-based artificial neural network (ANN) was also developed to calculate the radiation patterns of the antenna. The radiation patterns were measured experimentally at 10.5 GHz and 12 GHz. The experimental results were in good agreement with the simulated results from IE3D and those of the artificial neural network. A new method of using a genetic algorithm (GA) in an artificial neural network is also discussed. This new method was used to calculate the resonant frequency of a single-shorting-post microstrip antenna. The resonant frequency calculated using the genetic-algorithm-coupled artificial neural network was compared with the analytical and experimental results. The results obtained were in very good agreement with the experimental results.     

A 20 K GaAs array with 10 K of embedded SRAM

A 20000-gate GaAs array with 10 K of embedded RAM is presented. The array contains eight scannable fully registered 256×256 RAM macros which have a minimum cycle time of 3.5 ns. The RAM features a scan mode, which can be used to configure the registers into a serial shifter. There is also a RAM test mode which allows independent functional and speed testing of all eight RAMs, easing the task of RAM verification for a given user personalization. The RAM array was fabricated using an advanced high-performance GaAs semiconductor E /D MESFET process featuring self-aligned gates and requiring only 12 masks. Introductory discussion of the Vitesse GaAs process, basic GaAs MESFET characteristics, and GaAs circuit design are provided. The gate array portion contains 20736 user-configurable cells with 10-ps gate delays which are tailored for direct-coupled FET logic (DCFL). The I/O can be personalized for ECL, TTL, or GaAs levels. There are 392 pads on the 13.8-mm×7.7-mm die with a maximum of 256 used for signal I/O. The RAM array is packaged in a multilayer ceramic 344-pin leaded chip carrier (LDCC). Typical power dissipation at 80% utilization is 14 W     

Characterization of erbium-doped fibers and application to modeling 980-nm and 1480-nm pumped amplifiers

Erbium-doped fibers are characterized using loss and gain coefficients, and one amplifier saturation parameter. With a large-signal amplifier model that resolves the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum, these easily measured parameters allow the fiber performance in 980-nm or 1480-nm pumped optical amplifiers to be assessed rapidly. In tests at 980-nm pump wavelength, good agreement between the theoretical and experimentally measured gains was obtained with amplifiers having either germano-silicate or germano-alumino-silicate core fibers.<>     

Gain measurements in 1.3 µm InGaAsP-InP double heterostructure lasers

The net gain per unit length (G) versus current (I) is measured at various temperatures for 1.3 μm InGaAsP-InP double heterostructure lasers.Gis found to vary linearly with the currentIat a given temperature. The gain bandwidth is found to decrease with decreasing temperature. The lasing photon energy decreases at 0.325 meV/K with increasing temperature. Also, the slopedG/dIat the lasing photon energies decreases with increasing temperature. This decrease is more rapid forT > sim210K. This faster decrease is consistent with the observed higher temperature dependence of threshold (low T0at high temperatures) of 1.3 μm InGaAsP lasers. A carrier loss mechanism, due to Auger recombination, also predicts thatdG/dIshould decrease much faster with increasing temperature at high temperatures. We also find that the slopedG/dIdecreases slowly with increasing temperature for a GaAs laser, which is consistent with the observed temperature dependence of threshold of these lasers.     

Thermally Stimulated Polarization and Depolarization in Halogen-Containing Lead Silicate Glasses

Thermally stimulated polarization and depolarization current (TSPC/TSDC) measurements were made on lead halide silicate glasses having compositions (65 − x )PbO· x PbX₂·35SiO₂ where x = 0, 0.1, 2, 10 and X = F, CI, Br, and I. The addition of halogen ions to lead silicate glasses gives rise to a new high-temperature TSDC peak in the vicinity of the peak previously observed in binary lead silicate glasses. The integrated area of the new peak is dependent on the amount and type of halogen ion present in the glass and does not saturate in the temperature range of our measurements. This new peak is attributed to space charge polarization of halogen ions.     

Thermoelectric Properties of NaCo<Subscript>2–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>

NaCo₂O₄ has one of the highest figures of merit among all ceramic thermoelectric materials. Because of its large thermopower and low resistivity, the ceramic oxide NaCo₂O₄ is a promising candidate for potential thermoelectric applications. NaCo₂O₄ is, moreover, a ceramic compound with high decomposition temperature and chemical stability in air and it does not contain any toxic elements. Like all 3-d transition ions, Co ions have multiple spin and oxidation states. In this investigation, thermopower and electrical conductivity of NaCo₂O₄ as a function of substitution of Co by Fe ions were measured. Fe substitution for Co causes resistivity to increase, whereas the Seebeck coefficient remained nearly invariant, especially above 330 K. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Exploring network-level performances of wireless nanonetworks utilizing gains of different types of nano-antennas with different materials

Wireless nanonetworks are not a simple extension of traditional communication networks at the nano-scale. Owing to being a completely new communication paradigm, existing research in this field is still at an embryonic stage. Furthermore, most of the existing studies focus on performance enhancement of nanonetworks via designing new channel models and routing protocols. However, the impacts of different types of nano-antennas on the network-level performances of the wireless nanonetworks remain still unexplored in the literature. Therefore, in this paper, we explore the impacts of different well-known types of antennas such as patch, dipole, and loop nano-antennas on the network-level performances of wireless nanonetworks. We also investigate the performances of nanonetworks for different types of traditional materials (e.g., copper) and for nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphene). We perform rigorous simulation using our customized ns-2 simulation to evaluate the network-level performances of nanonetworks exploiting different types of nano-antennas using different materials. Our evaluation reveals a number of novel findings pertinent to finding an efficient nano-antenna from its several alternatives for enhancing network-level performances of nanonetworks. Our evaluation demonstrates that a dipole nano-antenna using copper material exhibits around 51% better throughput and about 33% better end-to-end delay compared to other alternatives for large-size nanonetworks. Furthermore, our results are expected to exhibit high impacts on the future design of wireless nanonetworks through facilitating the process of finding the suitable type of nano-antenna and suitable material for the nano-antennas.