Growth of highly strained GaInAs-GaAs quantum wells on patterned substrate and its application for multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser array

We carried out the growth of highly strained GaInAs-GaAs quantum wells (QWs) on a patterned substrate for extending emission wavelength on a GaAs substrate. We examined the shift of photoluminescence wavelength of the QWs and showed a large wavelength shift due to the spatial modulation in well thickness and indium composition. We demonstrated a single-mode multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array on a patterned GaAs substrate covering a new wavelength window of 1.1-1.2 /spl mu/m. By optimizing pattern shape, we achieved multiple-wavelength operation with widely and precisely controlled lasing wavelengths. The maximum lasing span is as large as 77 nm. We carried out a data transmission experiment through 5-km of single-mode fiber with a 2.5 Gb/s/channel. The total throughput reaches 10 Gb/s. The VCSEL-based wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) source would be a good candidate for WDM-LAN beyond 10 Gb/s.     

Determination of potent odorants in apple by headspace gas dilution analysis

Gas chromatography-olfactometry with headspace gas dilution analysis was used to evaluate the odor potencies of volatile compounds in Fuji apple. To improve the resolution of volatile compounds, the dilution analysis was conducted on two types of capillary columns with different polarities. Thirty three and 20 compounds were identified on DB-WAX and DB-5 columns, respectively. Methyl 2-methylbutanoate, isobutyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, isopentyl formate, butyl acetate and hexyl acetate as well as hexanal were important odor contributors in the headspace gas of apple on the basis of high Flavor Dilution (FD) factors. Threshold values-in-air of these compounds were also estimated from the relationships between their FD factors and concentrations. Methyl 2-methylbutanoate and ethyl 2-methylbutanote were considered as the most potent odorants because of their lowest threshold values. In addition, the threshold values-in-air of isopentyl formate, isopentyl acetate and butyl isobutanoate, which have never been reported, were estimated at 0.149, 1.95 and 0.00607 μl/l, respectively.     

Reconstruction of a high-resolution image on a compound-eye image-capturing system

The authors have proposed an architecture for a compact image-capturing system called TOMBO (thin observation module by bound optics), which uses compound-eye imaging for a compact hardware configuration [Appl. Opt. 40, 1806 (2001)]. The captured compound image is decomposed into a set of unit images, then the pixels in the unit images are processed with digital processing to retrieve the target image. A new method for high-resolution image reconstruction, called a pixel rearrange method, is proposed. The relation between the target object and the captured signals is estimated and utilized to rearrange the original pixel information. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. In the experimental TOMBO system, the resolution obtained is four times higher than that of the unit image that did not undergo reconstruction processing.     

Performance evaluation system for probabilistic neural network hardware

The probabilistic neural network (PNN) is one of the most promising neural networks, and is now applied to some real-world applications. In order to speed up the PNN calculation considerably, we have developed a PNN hardware system for video image recognition. The performance of the PNN hardware cannot be evaluated precisely until the evaluation system is completed. In this study, we developed a performance evaluation system for the PNN hardware and demonstrated it using the developed evaluation system.This work was presented, in part, at the 8th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 24–26, 2003     

Stress intensity factor analysis of a three-dimensional interface crack between dissimilar anisotropic materials

A new numerical method to calculate the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of a three-dimensional interface crack between dissimilar anisotropic materials was developed. In this study, the M-integral method was employed for mode separation of the SIFs. The moving least-square method was utilized to calculate the M-integral. Using the M-integral with the moving least-square method, SIFs can be automatically calculated with only the nodal displacements from the finite element method (FEM). Here, SIFs analyses of some typical three-dimensional problems are demonstrated. Excellent agreement was achieved between the numerical results obtained by the present method and the corresponding results proposed by other researchers. In addition, the SIFs of a single-edge crack, a through crack, and a semi-circular crack between two anisotropic solids in three-dimensional structures were analyzed.     

Chemical vapour deposition of Si3N4 from a gas mixture of Si2Cl6, NH3 and H2

Si₃N₄ layers were obtained on a quartz substrate from a gas mixture of Si₂Cl₆, NH₃ and H₂ under a reduced pressure in a temperature range of 800 to 1300‡ C. Amorphous Si₃N₄ layers that were dense and adherent to the substrate were obtained in a temperature range of 800 to 1100‡ C. On the other hand,α-Si₃N₄ layers were obtained at 1200‡ C and a source-gas ratio (N/Si) of 1.33 to 1.77. The lowest deposition temperature of amorphous Si₃N₄ was considered to be about 700‡ C. The microhardness of amorphous Si₃N₄ obtained in a temperature range of 800 to 1100‡ C was 2400 to 2600 kg mm⁻² (load: 50 g), and that ofα-Si₃N₄ obtained at 1200‡ C was 3400 kg mm⁻². Chlorine contents in the Si₃N₄ layer decreased with increasing deposition temperature and source-gas ratio (N/Si), and with decreasing total pressure.     

Two-tone metal pattern transfer technique using a single mold surface

There is growing demand for a fine metal-patterning technique to fabricate devices of the next generation, such as patterned media, plasmon photonics, and nanoscale electrodes. Nanotransfer printing (nTP) using a nanoscale patterned stamp has recently received considerable attention because of its high throughput and high resolution. To increase the throughput of the process further, it will be necessary to be able to use the stamp repeatedly, because fabrication of the stamp is a comparatively lengthy process. However, after the first transfer process, residual metal in the concave areas of the stamp obstructs the continuation of the transfer process. We examined a two-tone metal pattern transfer technique using a single mold after the first transfer process. The obstructive gold pattern in the mold could be removed and obtained as a negative tone by using a layer of polymer as a transfer substrate.