Simultaneous three-dimensional step-height measurement and high-resolution tomographic imaging with a spectral interferometric microscope

A noncontact, nonmechanical scanning, wide-field spectral interference microscope is developed for simultaneous measurement of three-dimensional step-height of discontinuous objects and tomographic imaging. A superluminescent diode (SLD) is used as a broadband light source and a liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometer (LC-FPI) as a frequency-scanning device. By means of changing the injection current to the SLD, the spectral profile of the SLD is equalized, and a constant light input to the interferometer is achieved over the entire frequency-scan range. The Fourier-transform technique is used to determine both the amplitude and the phase of spectral fringe signals. Three-dimensional height distribution of a discontinuous object is obtained from the phase information, whereas optically sectioned images of the object are obtained either from the amplitude information alone or from the combination of both the amplitude and phase information. Experimental results with submicrometer resolution are presented for both step-height measurement and tomographic sectioning.     

Synthesis and characterization of K2NiF4-type CaLnCoO4 (Ln = Sm and Gd)

K₂NiF₄-type CaLnCoO₄ (Ln = Sm and Gd) has been synthesized at 1173 or 1223 K in air using citric acid (CA) and ethylene glycol (EG). CaLnCoO₄ (Ln = Sm and Gd) has an orthorhombic structure with the space group Bmab. The average particle sizes are approximately 300 nm for CaSmCoO₄ and approximately 170 nm for CaGdCoO₄, respectively. The global instability index (GII) indicates that the crystal structure of CaGdCoO₄ is more stable than that of CaSmCoO₄. CaLnCoO₄ (Ln = Sm and Gd) is a p-type semiconductor and shows paramagnetic behavior above 5 K. The 1/χ-T curve of CaSmCoO₄ deviates from the Curie-Weiss law, whereas the 1/χ-T curve of CaGdCoO₄ follows the Curie-Weiss law in the temperature range of 5 ≤ T ≤ 300 K. From the values of the observed effective magnetic moment (μ_eff) of CaLnCoO₄ (Ln = Sm and Gd), it is considered that the spin state of the Co³⁺ ion is low.     

Effect of chitosan-gluconic acid conjugate/poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogels as wound dressing on partial-thickness wounds in diabetic rats

We previously developed chitosan cryogels from chitosan-gluconic acid conjugate without using toxic additives for wound care. In this study, we improved physiological characteristics of the previous cryogels by incorporating poly(vinyl alcohol) that also form cryogels. Mechanical strength of the cryogels was more than two times higher than that of the previous cryogels. Furthermore, the incorporation of poly(vinyl alcohol) enhanced water retention and resistance to degradation of the gels by lysozyme. The cryogels retained the favorable biological properties of the previous cryogels that they accelerate infiltration of inflammatory cells into wound sites. Time period for repairing 50 % of initial area of partial-thickness skin wound treated with the cryogels (4.0 ± 1.1 days) was shorter than those with gauze (6.5 ± 0.3 days) or a commercial hydrogel dressing (5.7 ± 0.3 days). Finally, we confirmed that incorporation of basic fibroblast growth factor into the cryogels was effective to further accelerate wound healing (2.7 ± 1.0 days). These results demonstrate that the cryogels in this study are promising for wound care.     

High-precision transfer-printing and integration of vertically oriented semiconductor arrays for flexible device fabrication

Flexible electronics utilizing single crystalline semiconductors typically require post-growth processes to assemble and incorporate the crystalline materials onto flexible substrates. Here we present a high-precision transfer-printing method for vertical arrays of single crystalline semiconductor materials with widely varying aspect ratios and densities enabling the assembly of arrays on flexible substrates in a vertical fashion. Complementary fabrication processes for integrating transferred arrays into flexible devices are also presented and characterized. Robust contacts to transferred silicon wire arrays are demonstrated and shown to be stable under flexing stress down to bending radii of 20 mm. The fabricated devices exhibit a reversible tactile response enabling silicon based, nonpiezoelectric, and flexible tactile sensors. The presented system leads the way towards high-throughput, manufacturable, and scalable fabrication of flexible devices.     

Formation of low-resistivity poly-Si and SiNx films by Cat-CVD for ULSI application

In this paper, bulk-Si metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) are fabricated using the catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD) method as an alternative technology to the conventional high-temperature thermal chemical vapor deposition. Particularly, formation of low-resistivity phosphorus (P)-doped poly-Si films is attempted by using Cat-CVD-deposited amorphous silicon (a-Si) films and successive rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of them. Even after RTA processes, neither peeling nor bubbling are observed, since hydrogen contents in Cat-CVD a-Si films can be as low as 1.1%. Both the crystallization and low resistivity of 0.004 Ω·cm are realized by RTA at 1000 °C for only 5 s. It is also revealed that Cat-CVD SiN_x films prepared at 250 °C show excellent oxidation resistance, when the thickness of films is larger than approximately 10 nm for wet O₂ oxidation at 1100 °C. It is found that the thickness required to stop oxygen penetration is equivalent to that for thermal CVD SiN_x prepared at 750 °C. Finally, complementary MOSFETs (CMOSs) of single-crystalline Si were fabricated by using Cat-CVD poly-Si for gate electrodes and SiN_x films for masks of local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS). At 3.3 V operation, less than 1.0 pA μm⁻¹ of OFF leakage current and ON/OFF ratio of 10⁷–10⁸ are realized, i.e. the devices can operate similarly to conventional thermal CVD process.     

Spectral interference Mirau microscope with an acousto-optic tunable filter for three-dimensional surface profilometry

A nonmechanical scanning Mirau-type spectral interference microscope has been developed for the measurement of three-dimensional surface profiles of discontinuous objects. An acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) is used as a high-resolution spectral filter, which scans the optical frequency of the broadband light emitted from a superluminescent diode. To generate spectral fringes that make full use of the limited coherence length of the filtered light we unbalanced the Mirau interferometric system by positioning the reference mirror nearly halfway between the top and the bottom of the step height. When the frequency of the broadband light source is scanned by an AOTF, the interference fringes move in opposite directions on the top and the bottom of the object. To uniquely determine the sign of the fringe movement over the large area of the object, we developed a three-dimensional Fourier-transform technique, and from the detected sign of the fringe movement and phase information, we determined the three-dimensional step height. Experimental results of the measurement of 100-microm step height are presented. The main advantages of the proposed system are that it provides nonmechanical scanning and a large measurement range without ambiguity in the sign of the phase.     

Microassembly of semiconductor three-dimensional photonic crystals

Electronic devices and their highly integrated components formed from semiconductor crystals contain complex three-dimensional (3D) arrangements of elements and wiring. Photonic crystals, being analogous to semiconductor crystals, are expected to require a 3D structure to form successful optoelectronic devices. Here, we report a novel fabrication technology for a semiconductor 3D photonic crystal by uniting integrated circuit processing technology with micromanipulation. Four- to twenty-layered (five periods) crystals, including one with a controlled defect, for infrared wavelengths of 3-4.5 microm, were integrated at predetermined positions on a chip (structural error <50 nm). Numerical calculations revealed that a transmission peak observed at the upper frequency edge of the bandgap originated from the excitation of a resonant guided mode in the defective layers. Despite their importance, detailed discussions on the defective modes of 3D photonic crystals for such short wavelengths have not been reported before. This technology offers great potential for the production of optical wavelength photonic crystal devices.     

Spectral interferometric microscope with tandem liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometers for extension of the dynamic range in three-dimensional step-height measurement

The maximum measurable range of a spectral interference microscope depends on the coherence length of the light transmitted by its tunable spectral filter. To achieve a large range in step-height measurement we have developed a new tunable spectral filter that uses tandem liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometers (LC-FPIs), which can simultaneously attain both a high spectral resolution and a large tuning range. Fringe visibility measurements were carried out, and it was found that the coherence length of the light transmitted through tandem LC-FPIs is two times larger than that transmitted through a single LC-FPI. Using this novel tunable spectral filter, we developed a new spectral interference microscope for the measurement of three-dimensional shapes of discontinuous objects. Experimental results of step-height measurements both with a single LC-FPI and with tandem LC-FPIs are presented for a combination of standard steel gauge block sets with 1-, 99-, and 100-microm steps. A large range (1-100 microm) of measurement with submicrometer resolution was achieved with tandem LC-FPIs that was not possible with our previous system in which a single LC-FPI was used.     

Development of a Compact-Sized Falling Needle Rheometer for Measurement of Flow Properties of Fresh Human Blood

A compact-sized falling needle rheometer with rapid operation and automatic flow analysis has been developed for viscometry of fresh human blood without anticoagulant. The volume of a fresh blood sample only needs to be 3 mL, and the measuring time is within 2 min after taking a blood sample from the human body. Measured flow properties of human blood are evaluated as a flow curve, that is, the relationship between the shear stress (τ) and shear rate (γ). Observed flow curves of fresh human blood show three typical fluid regions, that is, the Casson fluid region for a low shear rate range of 0 < γ > 140 s^?1, the transition region for a shear rate near 140 s^?1 < γ < 160 s^?1, and the Newtonian fluid region for a high shear rate range of 160 s^?1 < γ > 400 s^?1. Flow properties of human blood such as the yield stress (τ _y) in the Casson fluid region and the apparent viscosity (μ) in the Newtonian fluid region are measured, and they are compared between male and female blood. It is found that the range of human blood viscosity for males is (5.5 to 6.4) mPa · s, and for females is (4.5 to 5.3) mPa · s. The viscosities of male blood without anticoagulant show higher values than those of female blood. Human blood viscosities with anticoagulant show a lower value than that without anticoagulant. A linear relationship between the hematocrit value, that is, the volume percentage of red corpuscles in the human blood, and the apparent viscosity are observed for both male and female blood. This article is concerned with the flow analysis of fresh human blood viscosity without anticoagulant using a newly developed compact-sized falling needle rheometer.     

Boiling heat transfer from a horizontal flat plate in a pool of liquid hydrogen

Heat transfer from a flat plate facing upward immersed in a liquid hydrogen pool was measured for the pressures from atmospheric to 1.1 MPa. The flat plate heater used was 10 mm in width, 100 mm in length and 0.1 mm in thickness. Critical heat fluxes (CHFs) in saturated boiling increased with the increase in pressure up to around 0.3 MPa and then decreased with further pressure increase. The CHFs under subcooled condition at each pressure increased with the increase in sub-cooling. Discussions were made on the experimental results by comparing with those of the other cryogenic liquids and also the Kutateladze’s equations under saturated and subcooled conditions. The experimental CHFs were much smaller than the Kutateladze’s equation for higher pressure up to critical. The heater surface temperature was found to reach the critical temperature before the occurrence of hydrodynamic instability and jump to the film boiling regime at the lower heat flux in the higher pressure range. It was suggested that the CHFs are determined not by the heat flux but by the temperature in the higher pressure range.