Integrated PINFET optical receiver with high-frequency InP-MISFET

Monolithic integration of an InGaAsP PIN photodiode with an n-channel enhancement InP-MISFET is reported. Photo-current amplification characteristics at 1000 Mbit/s have been achieved.     

Equally spaced monopole-notch array antenna for circularly polarized wave

Experimental results of a circularly polarized antenna composed of two pairs of monopole-notch arrays arranged orthogonally on a conical conducting plate are described. This antenna can be designed by a simple design procedure, and it provides excellent performance characteristics as a broad-band circularly polarized antenna.     

Adaptive computer-based spatial-filtering method for more accurate estimation of the surface velocity of debris flow

An adaptive computer-based spatial-filtering velocimeter to measure the surface velocity of a natural debris flow with high accuracy is described that can adjust the filter parameters, specifically, the slit width of the filter, based on the surface-pattern characteristics of the flow. A computer simulation confirms the effectiveness of this technique. The surface velocity of a natural debris flow at the Mt. Yakedake Volcano, Japan, was estimated by this adaptive method, and the results were compared with those obtained by two other methods: hardware-based spatial filtering and normal computer-based spatial filtering.     

Simultaneous determination of aconitine analogues in Aconitum plants and foods that caused food poisoning by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method for the simultaneous determination of four aconitine analogues (AC; aconitine, HA; hypaconitine, MA; mesaconitine, JA; jesaconitine) in Aconitum plants (Aconitum subcuneatum NAKAI) and a food that caused food poisoning was developed, using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Aconitine analogues were extracted with 1 mmol/L HCl and then cleaned up with an Oasis HLB cartridge. The LC separation was performed with an octadecylated silica column (Develosil ODS-HG-5, 2.0 mm i.d. x 50 mm) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, using A solution (5 mmol/L ammonium acetate dissolved in 0.1% acetic acid) and B solution (acetonitrile-THF=1 : 3), 90%A (0 min)-->60%A (15 min)-->const. (2 min). Mass spectral acquisition was performed in the positive mode and the analogues were targeted using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with electrospray ionization (ESI). The recoveries of aconitine analogues were 93-99% from Aconitum plants. The detection limits of AC, HA, MA and JA were 0.4, 0.4, 0.3 and 0.5 ng/g, respectively. The aconitine analogues, except JA, were detected in food that caused food poisoning at the level of 2.6-29.7 microg/g. These results indicate that the developed method is suitable for the determination of aconitine analogues in Aconitum plants and foods that cause food poisoning.     

Characterization of current-induced degradation in Be-doped HBTsbased in GaAs and InP

The changes in the device characteristics under high-bias conditions are investigated for InAlAs/InGaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with heavily Be-doped base lasers, focusing on the base current and 1/f noise characteristics. It is shown that the ideality factor of the surface recombination base current provides information on the Be movement accompanying the degradation. For stress current densities up to 1.5×10⁵ A/cm², the Be movement in the InAlAs/InGaAs HBTs is estimated to be no more than a small fraction of the 5 nm setback layer. The 1/f noise measurement highlight the effect of current stressing on the surface recombination in the HBTs. A characteristic spectral shape is found in the noise spectra for the current-stressed AlGaAs/GaAs HBT, possibly originating from the degradation-induced carrier traps. Although both HBTs have similar electronic properties, these results illustrate the striking difference in their stress current behaviors     

Pixels consisting of a single vertical-cavity laser thyristor and adouble vertical-cavity phototransistor

Bidirectionally cascadable optical pixels that consist of a single-vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) thyristor and a double-vertical-cavity phototransistor are proposed. Despite almost identical layer structures, each device characteristic can be independently optimized by introducing a λ/2-spacer layer into the phototransistor section. A lasing threshold of 0.8 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.25 W/A are obtained for the laser thyristor, and a flat-topped photocurrent spectrum over 30 A and a photocurrent gain of 70 A/W are obtained for the phototransistor at the resonant wavelength. This work demonstrates the possibility of monolithic integration using thermal desorption and a regrowth technique and the suitability of these devices for massively parallel optical interconnections     

Experimental evaluation of impact ionization coefficients in GaN

The impact ionization coefficient of electrons (α_n) in GaN is determined as a function of the electric field strength from gate-current analysis in the prebreakdown regime of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HJFETs). The experimentally obtained α_n, where the assumed effective length of the high electric field is precisely defined since its upper bound is closely limited due to the small gate-drain separation, agrees with that extrapolated from Monte Carlo simulation. It is experimentally confirmed that the breakdown field of GaN is higher than that of GaAs by a factor of about eight     

In situ observations of domain structures and magnetic flux distributions in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites by Lorentz microscopy and electron holography

Domain structures and magnetic flux distributions in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites are investigated by in situ observations with Lorentz microscopy and electron holography. In situ Lorentz microscopic observation with the magnetic field applied reveals that the domain walls in Mn-Zn ferrite move easily across the grain boundary. On the other hand, each grain of Ni-Zn ferrite is magnetized by domain wall motion inside the grain. By taking a series of holograms with adjustment of the optical axis and astigmatism while the magnetic field is applied, we succeeded in observing the change in magnetic flux distribution quantitatively. Eventually, it is clarified that magnetization rotation does not take place in the magnetization process of Ni-Zn ferrite. The domain wall widths delta in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites are evaluated to be 73 and 58 nm, respectively. Furthermore, through direct observation of the domain structure in Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite with Lorentz microscopy, it is found that the grains with size below 1.5 microm diameter are single domain.