On-Chip Micro Temperature Controllers Based on Freestanding Thermoelectric Nano Films for Low-Power Electronics

Multidimensional integration and multifunctional com-ponent assembly have been greatly explored in recent years to extend Moore’s Law of modern microelectronics.However,this inevitably exac-erbates the inhomogeneity of temperature distribution in microsystems,making precise temperature control for electronic components extremely challenging.Herein,we report an on-chip micro temperature controller including a pair of thermoelectric legs with a total area of 50×50μm^(2),which are fabricated from dense and flat freestanding Bi2Te3-based ther-moelectric nano films deposited on a newly developed nano graphene oxide membrane substrate.Its tunable equivalent thermal resistance is controlled by electrical currents to achieve energy-efficient temperature control for low-power electronics.A large cooling temperature difference of 44.5 K at 380 K is achieved with a power consumption of only 445μW,resulting in an ultrahigh temperature control capability over 100 K mW^(-1).Moreover,an ultra-fast cooling rate exceeding 2000 K s^(-1) and excellent reliability of up to 1 million cycles are observed.Our proposed on-chip temperature controller is expected to enable further miniaturization and multifunctional integration on a single chip for microelectronics.

High-intensity spatial-mode steerable frequency up-converter toward on-chip integration

Integrated photonic devices are essential for on-chip optical communication,optical-electronic systems,and quantum information sciences.To develop a high-fidelity interface between photonics in various frequency domains without disturbing their quantum properties,nonlinear frequency conversion,typically steered with the quadratic(χ2)process,should be considered.Furthermore,another degree of freedom in steering the spatial modes during theχ2 process,with unprecedent mode intensity is proposed here by modulating the lithium niobate(LN)waveguide-based inter-mode quasi-phasematching conditions with both temperature and wavelength parameters.Under high incident light intensities(25 and 27.8 dBm for the pump and the signal lights,respectively),mode conversion at the sum-frequency wavelength with sufficient high output power(−7–8 dBm)among the TM01,TM10,and TM00 modes is realized automatically with characterized broad temperature(ΔT≥8°C)and wavelength windows(Δλ≥1 nm),avoiding the previous efforts in carefully preparing the signal or pump modes.The results prove that high-intensity spatial modes can be prepared at arbitrary transparent wavelength of theχ2 media toward on-chip integration,which facilitates the development of chip-based communication and quantum information systems because spatial correlations can be applied to generate hyperentangled states and provide additional robustness in quantum error correction with the extended Hilbert space.

Robust optical mode converter based on topological waveguide arrays

Optical mode converters are essential for enhancing the capacity of optical communication systems. However, fabrication errors restrict the further improvement of conventional mode converters. To address this challenge, we have designed an on-chip TE0–TE1mode converter based on topologically protected waveguide arrays. The simulation results demonstrate that the converter exhibits a mode coupling efficiency of 93.5% near 1550 nm and can tolerate a relative fabrication error of 30%. Our design approach can be extended to enhance the robustness for other integrated photonic devices, beneficial for future development of optical network systems.

On-chip readout plasmonic mid-IR gas sensor

Gas identification and concentration measurements are important for both understanding and monitoring a variety of phenomena from industrial processes to environmental change.Here a novel mid-IR plasmonic gas sensor with on-chip direct readout is proposed based on unity integration of narrowband spectral response,localized field enhancement and thermal detection.A systematic investigation consisting of both optical and thermal simulations for gas sensing is presented for the first time in three sensing modes including refractive index sensing,absorption sensing and spectroscopy,respectively.It is found that a detection limit less than 100 ppm for CO2 could be realized by a combination of surface plasmon resonance enhancement and metal-organic framework gas enrichment with an enhancement factor over 8000 in an ultracompact optical interaction length of only several microns.Moreover,on-chip spectroscopy is demonstrated with the compressive sensing algorithm via a narrowband plasmonic sensor array.An array of 80 such sensors with an average resonance linewidth of 10 nm reconstructs the CO2 molecular absorption spectrum with the estimated resolution of approximately 0.01 nm far beyond the state-of-the-art spectrometer.The novel device design and analytical method are expected to provide a promising technique for extensive applications of distributed or portable mid-IR gas sensor.

On-Chip Inductor Technique for Improving LNA Performance Operating at 15 GHz

This paper presents a technique for low noise figure reduction of low-noise amplifier (LNA). The proposed LNA is designed in a source degeneration technique that offers lower noise figure. The resistance of the on-chip inductor is reduced by using multilayer that significantly reduces the thermal noise due to spiral inductor. Also, using spiral inductor as a gate inductor reduces the effect of the input parasitic capacitance on the noise figure and provides a good matching at the input and output of the LNA. The results of the LNA using multilayer on-chip inductor compared will off-chip inductor have been illustrated. It shows that the proposed technique reduces significantly the noise figure and improves the matching. The proposed LNA is designed in 0.13 μm process with 1.3 V supply voltage and simulated using Advanced Design System (ADS) software. The simulation results show that the LNA is unconditionally stable and provides a forward gain of 11.087 dB at operating frequency of 15 GHz with 1.784 dB noise figure and input and output impedance matching of –17.93 dB, and –10.04 dB.

Development of series SQUID array with on-chip filter for TES detector

A cold preamplifier based on superconducting quantum interference devices(SQUIDs)is currently the preferred readout technology for the low-noise transition edge sensor(TES).In this work,we have designed and fabricated a series SQUID array(SSA)amplifier for the TES detector readout circuit.In this SSA amplifier,each SQUID cell is composed of a first-order gradiometer formed using two equally large square washers,and an on-chip low pass filter(LPF)as a radiofrequency(RF)choke has been developed to reduce the Josephson oscillation interference between individual SQUID cells.In addition,a highly symmetric layout has been designed carefully to provide a fully consistent embedded electromagnetic environment and achieve coherent flux operation.The measured results show smooth V-Φcharacteristics and a swing voltage that increases linearly with increasing SQUID cell number N.A white flux noise level as low as 0.28μφ;/Hz;is achieved at 0.1 K,corresponding to a low current noise level of 7 pA/Hz;.We analyze the measured noise contribution at mK-scale temperatures and find that the dominant noise derives from a combination of the SSA intrinsic noise and the equivalent current noise of the room temperature electronics.

On-Chip Capillary Electrophoresis (Chip-CE) with Optical On-Chip Leaky-Waveguide-Based Detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) suffers from a relatively small sensitivity—at least in case of optical detection transversely to the capillary axis due to the small capillary inner diameters in the range of 50 - 100 μm. Different concepts like bubble, U-, or Z-cells have been used to tackle that problem already in the nineties of the last century. But the U- and Z-cells have typically been extra cells with larger inner channel diameters and no optimization for optical waveguiding and the bubble cell per se did not allow for optical waveguiding. In the case of on-chip capillary electrophoresis (chip-CE) a U-cell can be implemented quite easily on the chip. Here we show how leaky optical waveguiding can be employed to improve optical detection. Proper U-channel design and preparation by wet-chemical etching of the fused silica sub- and superstrate, making the U-channel bend a part of the optical input lens system, can help to achieve high coupling efficiency with loss coefficients around 2 dB and low waveguiding loss.

A Single Mode Hybrid Ⅲ-Ⅴ/Silicon On-Chip Laser Based on Flip-Chip Bonding Technology for Optical Interconnection

A single mode hybrid Ⅲ-Ⅴ/silicon on-chip laser based on the flip-chip bonding technology for on-chip optical interconnection is demonstrated. A single mode Fabry-Perot laser structure with micro-structures on an InP ridge waveguide is designed and fabricated on an InP/AIGaInAs multiple quantum well epitaxial layer structure wafer by using i-line lithography. Then, a silicon waveguide platform including a laser mounting stage is designed and fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The single mode laser is flip-chip bonded on the laser mounting stage. The lasing light is butt-coupling to the silicon waveguide. The laser power output from a silicon waveguide is 1.3roW, and the threshold is 37mA at room temperature and continuous wave operation.

Area Analysis for On-chip Routers with Different Data-link Widths

Compared with the traditional and inter-chip networks, on-chip networks （NoCs） have enormous wire resources which can be traded for improving other performance requirements. This means that much wider data links can be used for NoCs. This paper focuses on the area costs for on-chip routers under four different data-link widths： 8 bits, 16 bits, 128 bits, and 256bits. Firstly, a virtual-channel based on-chip router is introduced. Secondly, the components of the router are implemented by Verilog HDL models and synthesized by Quartus II 4.0 in a FPGA device. Finally, the area costs are analyzed. It can be seen from the results that data-link width has great influence on area costs of buffers and crossbar while has no influence on area costs of arbiter.

Waveguide-integrated optical modulators with two-dimensional materials

Waveguide-integrated optical modulators are indispensable for on-chip optical interconnects and optical computing.To cope with the ever-increasing amount of data being generated and consumed,ultrafast waveguide-integrated optical modulators with low energy consumption are highly demanded.In recent years,two-dimensional(2D)materials have attracted a lot of attention and have provided tremendous opportunities for the development of high-performance waveguide-integrated optical modulators because of their extraordinary optoelectronic properties and versatile compatibility.This paper reviews the state-of-the-art waveguide-integrated optical modulators with 2D materials,providing researchers with the developing trends in the field and allowing them to identify existing challenges and promising potential solutions.First,the concept and fundamental mechanisms of optical modulation with 2D materials are summarized.Second,a review of waveguide-integrated optical modulators employing electro-optic,all-optic,and thermo-optic effects is provided.Finally,the challenges and perspectives of waveguide-integrated modulators with 2D materials are discussed.

High-resolution portable lens-free on-chip microscopy with RGB LED via pinhole array

Lens-free on-chip microscopy with RGB LEDs(LFOCM-RGB)provides a portable,cost-effective,and high-throughput imaging tool for resource-limited environments.However,the weak coherence of LEDs limits the high-resolution imaging,and the luminous surfaces of the LED chips on the RGB LED do not overlap,making the coherence-enhanced executions tend to undermine the portable and cost-effective implementation.Here,we propose a specially designed pinhole array to enhance coherence in a portable and cost-effective implementation.It modulates the three-color beams from the RGB LED separately so that the three-color beams effectively overlap on the sample plane while reducing the effective light-emitting area for better spatial coherence.The separate modulation of the spatial coherence allows the temporal coherence to be modulated separately by single spectral filters rather than by expensive triple spectral filters.Based on the pinhole array,the LFOCM-RGB simply and effectively realizes the high-resolution imaging in a portable and cost-effective implementation,offering much flexibility for various applications in resource-limited environments.

On-Chip Sub-Picometer Continuous Wavelength Fiber-Bragg-Grating Interrogator

Miniaturized fiber-Bragg-grating(FBG)interrogators are of interest for applications in the areas where weight and size controlling is important,e.g.,airplanes and aerospace or in-situ monitoring.An ultra-compact high-precision on-chip interrogator is proposed based on a tailored arrayed waveguide grating(AWG)on a silicon-on-insulator(SOI)platform.The on-chip interrogator enables continuous wavelength interrogation from 1544 nm to 1568 nm with the wavelength accuracy of less than 1 pm[the root-mean-square error(RMSE)is 0.73 pm]over the whole wavelength range.The chip loss is less than 5 dB.The 1×16 AWG is optimized to achieve a large bandwidth and a low noise level at each channel,and the FBG reflection peaks can be detected by multiple output channels of the AWG.The fabricated AWG is utilized to interrogate FBG sensors through the center of gravity(CoG)algorithm.The validation of an on-chip FBG interrogator that works with sub-picometer wavelength accuracy in a broad wavelength range shows large potential for applications in miniaturized fiber optic sensing systems.

Proper In deposition amount for on-demand epitaxy of InAs/GaAs single quantum dots

The test-QD in-situ annealing method could surmount the critical nucleation condition of InAs/GaAs single quantum dots（SQDs） to raise the growth repeatability.Here,through many growth tests on rotating substrates,we develop a proper In deposition amount（θ） for SQD growth,according to the measured critical θ for test QD nucleation（θ;）.The proper ratio θ/θ;,with a large tolerance of the variation of the real substrate temperature(T;),is 0.964-0.971 at the edge and> 0.989 but < 0.996 in the center of a 1/4-piece semi-insulating wafer,and around 0.9709 but < 0.9714 in the center of a 1/4-piece N;wafer as shown in the evolution of QD size and density as θ/θ;varies.Bright SQDs with spectral lines at 905 nm-935 nm nucleate at the edge and correlate with individual 7 nm-8 nm-height QDs in atomic force microscopy,among dense 1 nm-5 nm-height small QDs with a strong spectral profile around 860 nm-880 nm.The higher T;in the center forms diluter,taller and uniform QDs,and very dilute SQDs for a proper θ/θ;:only one 7-nm-height SQD in25 μm;.On a 2-inch（1 inch = 2.54 cm） semi-insulating wafer,by using θ/θ;= 0.961,SQDs nucleate in a circle in 22%of the whole area.More SQDs will form in the broad high-T;region in the center by using a proper θ/θ;.

A Review on Applications of Integrated Terahertz Systems

A review on Terahertz end-to-end systems with an emphasis on integrated approaches is presented.Four major catalogs of THz integrated systems,including THz communication systems,THz imaging systems,THz radars,and THz spectroscopy systems,are reviewed in this article.The performance of integrated systems is compared with non-integrated solutions,followed by a discussion on the trend in future research avenues and applications.

Strain tunable quantum dot based non-classical photon sources

Semiconductor quantum dots are leading candidates for the on-demand generation of single photons and entangled photon pairs.High photon quality and indistinguishability of photons from different sources are critical for quantum information applications.The inability to grow perfectly identical quantum dots with ideal optical properties necessitates the application of post-growth tuning techniques via e.g.temperature,electric,magnetic or strain fields.In this review,we summarize the state-of-the-art and highlight the advantages of strain tunable non-classical photon sources based on epitaxial quantum dots.Using piezoelectric crystals like PMN-PT,the wavelength of single photons and entangled photon pairs emitted by InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots can be tuned reversibly.Combining with quantum light-emitting diodes simultaneously allows for electrical triggering and the tuning of wavelength or exciton fine structure.Emission from light hole exciton can be tuned,and quantum dot containing nanostructure such as nanowires have been piezo-integrated.To ensure the indistinguishability of photons from distant emitters,the wavelength drift caused by piezo creep can be compensated by frequency feedback,which is verified by two-photon interference with photons from two stabilized sources.Therefore,strain tuning proves to be a flexible and reliable tool for the development of scalable quantum dots-based non-classical photon sources.

Bone/cartilage organoid on-chip:Construction strategy and application

The necessity of disease models for bone/cartilage related disorders is well-recognized,but the barrier between ex-vivo cell culture,animal models and the real human body has been pending for decades.The organoid-on-a-chip technique showed opportunity to revolutionize basic research and drug screening for diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis.The bone/cartilage organoid on-chip(BCoC)system is a novel platform of multi-tissue which faithfully emulate the essential elements,biologic functions and pathophysiological response under real circumstances.In this review,we propose the concept of BCoC platform,summarize the basic modules and current efforts to orchestrate them on a single microfluidic system.Current disease models,unsolved problems and future challenging are also discussed,the aim should be a deeper understanding of diseases,and ultimate realization of generic ex-vivo tools for further therapeutic strategies of pathological conditions.

Super-Resolution Displacement Spectroscopic Sensing over a Surface“Rainbow”

Subwavelength manipulation of light waves with high precision can enable new and exciting applications in spectroscopy,sensing,and medical imaging.For these applications,miniaturized spectrometers are desirable to enable the on-chip analysis of spectral information.In particular,for imaging-based spectroscopic sensing mechanisms,the key challenge is to determine the spatial-shift information accurately(i.e.,the spatial displacement introduced by wavelength shift or biological or chemical surface binding),which is similar to the challenge presented by super-resolution imaging.Here,we report a unique"rainbow"trapping metasurface for on-chip spectrometers and sensors.Combined with super-resolution image processing,the low-setting 4×optical microscope system resolves a displacement of the resonant position within 35 nm on the plasmonic rainbow trapping metasurface with a tiny area as small as0.002 mm2.This unique feature of the spatial manipulation of efficiently coupled rainbow plasmonic resonances reveals a new platform for miniaturized on-chip spectroscopic analysis with a spectral resolution of 0.032 nm in wavelength shift.Using this low-setting 4×microscope imaging system,we demonstrate a biosensing resolution of 1.92×109exosomes per milliliter for A549-derived exosomes and distinguish between patient samples and healthy controls using exosomal epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)expression values,thereby demonstrating a new on-chip sensing system for personalized accurate bio/chemical sensing applications.

Construction and imaging of a neurovascular unit model

In 2001,the concept of the neurovascular unit was introduced at the Stroke Progress Review Group meeting.The neurovascular unit is an important element of the health and disease status of blood vessels and nerves in the central nervous system.Since then,the neurovascular unit has attracted increasing interest from research teams,who have contributed greatly to the prevention,treatment,and prognosis of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.However,additional research is needed to establish an efficient,low-cost,and low-energy in vitro model of the neurovascular unit,as well as enable noninvasive observation of neurovascular units in vivo and in vitro.In this review,we first summarize the composition of neurovascular units,then investigate the efficacy of different types of stem cells and cell culture methods in the construction of neurovascular unit models,and finally assess the progress of imaging methods used to observe neurovascular units in recent years and their positive role in the monitoring and investigation of the mechanisms of a variety of central nervous system diseases.

Hierarchical polypyrrole@cobalt sulfide-based flexible on-chip microsupercapacitors with ultrahigh energy density for selfcharging system

Herein,we prepare the unique hierarchical polypyrrole@cobalt sulfide(PPy-hs@CoS)hollow sphere-based nanofilms as interdigitated electrodes for flexible on-chip micro-supercapacitors(MSC).Benefiting from the excellent flexibility and high electrical conductivity of PPy-hs combined with the great electrochemical activity of CoS,such PPy-hs@CoS composite material can not only inhibit the volume expansion of PPy but also promote the diffusion of the electrolyte ions.The PPy-hs@CoS filmbased electrode delivers a greatly improved specific capacitance and small resistance.Density functional theory calculations infer that OH−prefers to bind to PPy on CoS@PPy and confirms the synergistic effect of each component for enhanced reaction kinetics.A quasi-solid-state on-chip flexible asymmetric MSC based on PPy-hs@CoS and activated carbon(AC)microelectrodes exhibits large areal-specific capacitance(131.9 mF/cm2 at 0.3 mA/cm2),ultrahigh energy density(0.041 mWh/cm2@0.224 mW/cm2 and 25.6 mWh/cm3@140.6 mW/cm3),and long cycle lifespan.We demonstrate the possibility to scale up the PPy-hs@CoS nanofilm microelectrode by arranging two of our asymmetric MSC in series and parallel connections,which respectively increase the output voltage and current.A self-charging system by connecting our asymmetric MSCs with a piece of commercial solar cells is developed as a potential possible mode for future highly durable and high-voltage integrated electronics.

Direct mask-free fabrication of patterned hierarchical graphene electrode for on-chip micro-supercapacitors

Graphene-based electrodes with rational structural design have shown extraordinary prospect for en-hanced electrical double-layer capacitance of micro-supercapacitors(MSCs).Herein,a facile fabrication method for flexible planar MSCs based on hierarchical graphene was demonstrated by using a laser-treated membrane for electrode patterning,complemented with hierarchical electrode configuration tak-ing full advantages of size-determined functional graphene.The in-plane interdigital shape of MSCs was defined through vacuum filtration with the assistance of the functionalized polypropylene(PP)mem-brane.The hierarchical graphene films were built by macroscopic assembly based on size effect of differ-ent lateral sized graphene sheets(rGO-LSL).The sample of MSCs based on rGO-L SL(MSCs-LSL)exhibited excellent volumetric capacitance of 6.7 F cm^(−3) and high energy density of 0.37 mWh cm−3.The MSCs-LSL presented superb flexibility and cycling stability with no capacitance deteroriated after 2000 cycles.This newly developed fabrication strategy is of good scalability and designability to manufacture flexible elec-trode for MSCs with customized shapes,while the construction of hierarchical graphene can enlighten the structural design of analogous two-dimensional materials for potential advanced electronics.