Applications of in-situ and ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry （SE） are presented for the development of parametric expressions that define the real and imaginary parts （ε1, ε2） of the complex dielectric functio...Applications of in-situ and ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry （SE） are presented for the development of parametric expressions that define the real and imaginary parts （ε1, ε2） of the complex dielectric function spectra of thin film solar cell components. These spectra can then be utilized to analyze the structure of complete thin film solar cells. Optical and structural/compositional models of complete solar cells developed through least squares regression analysis of the SE data acquired for the complete cells enable simulations of external quantum efficiency （EQE） without the need for variable parameters. Such simulations can be compared directly with EQE measurements. From these comparisons, it becomes possible to understand in detail the origins of optical and electronic gains and losses in thin film photovoltaics （PC） technologies and, as a result, the underlying performance limitations. In fact, optical losses that occur when above-bandgap photons are not absorbed in the active layers can be distinguished from electronic losses when electron-hole pairs generated in the active layers are not collected. This overall methodology has been applied to copper indium-gallium diselenide （Culn1-xGaxSe2; CIGS） solar cells, a key commercialized thin film PV technology. CIGS solar cells with both standard thickness （〉2 μm） and thin （〈1 μm） absorber layers are studied by applying SE to obtain inputs for EQE simulations and enabling comparisons of simulated and measured EQE spectra. SE data analysis is challenging for CIGS material components and solar cells because of the need to develop an appropriate （ε1, ε2） database for the CIGS alloys and to extract absorber layer Ga profiles for accurate structural/compositional models. For cells with standard thickness absorbers, excellent agreement is found between the simulated and measured EQE, the latter under the assumption of 100% collection from the active layers, which include the CIGS bulk and CIGS/CdS heterojunction interface layers. For cells with thin absorbers, however, an observed difference between the simulated and measured EQE can be attributed to losses via carrier recombination within a- 0.15 μm thickness of CIGS adjacent to the Mo back contact. By introducing a carrier collection probability profile into the simulation, much closer agreement is obtained between the simulated and measured EQE. In addition to the single spot capability demonstrated in this study, ex-situ SE can be applied as well to generate high resolution maps of thin film multilayer structure, component layer properties and their profiles, as well as short-circuit current density predictions. Such mapping is possible due to the high measurement speed of 〈1 s per （ , 4） spectra achievable by the multichannel ellipsometer.展开更多
Optical brain imaging using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a portable and noninvasive tool for monitoring of blood oxygenation. In this paper we have introduced a new miniaturized photodetector ...Optical brain imaging using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a portable and noninvasive tool for monitoring of blood oxygenation. In this paper we have introduced a new miniaturized photodetector front-end on achip to be applied in a portable fNIRS system. It includes silicon avalanche photodiodes (SiAPD), Transimpedance amplifier (TIA) front-end and Quench-Reset circuitry to operate in both linear and Geiger modes. So it can be applied for both continuous-wave fNIRS (CW-fNIRS) and also single-photon counting. Proposed SiAPD exhibits high-avalanche gain (>100), low-breakdown voltage ( V) and high photon detection efficiency accompanying with low dark count rates. The proposed TIA front-end offer a low power consumption ( mW), high-transimpedance gain (up to 250 MV/A), tunable bandwidth (1 kHz - 1 GHz) and very low input and output noise (~few fA/√Hz and few μV/√Hz). The Geiger-mode photon counting front-end also exhibits a controllable hold-off and rest time with an ultra fast quench-reset time (few ns). This integrated system has been implemented using submicron (0.35 μm) standard CMOS technology.展开更多
Soliton microcombs,which require the hosting cavity to operate in an anomalous dispersion regime,are essential to integrate photonic systems.In the past,soliton microcombs were generated on cavity whispering gallery m...Soliton microcombs,which require the hosting cavity to operate in an anomalous dispersion regime,are essential to integrate photonic systems.In the past,soliton microcombs were generated on cavity whispering gallery modes(WGMs),and the anomalous dispersion requirement of the cavity made by normal dispersion material was achieved through structural dispersion engineering.This inevitably degrades the cavity optical quality factor(Q)and increases pump threshold power for soliton comb generation.To overcome the challenges,here,we report a soliton microcomb excited by cavity polygon modes.These modes display anomalous dispersion at near-infrared while optical Q factors exceeding 4×10^(6) are maintained.Consequently,a soliton comb spanning from 1450 nm to 1620 nm with a record low pump power of 11 m W is demonstrated,a three-fold improvement compared to the state of the art on the same material platform.展开更多
The technological innovation of thin-film lithium niobate(TFLN)is supplanting the traditional lithium niobate industry and generating a vast array of ultra-compact and low-loss optical waveguide devices,providing an u...The technological innovation of thin-film lithium niobate(TFLN)is supplanting the traditional lithium niobate industry and generating a vast array of ultra-compact and low-loss optical waveguide devices,providing an unprecedented prospect for chip-scale integrated optics.Because of its unique strong quadratic nonlinearity,TFLN is widely used to create new coherent light,which significantly promotes all-optical signal processes,especially in terms of speed.Herein,we review recent advances in TFLN,review the thorough optimization strategies of all-optical devices with unique characteristics based on TFLN,and discuss the challenges and perspectives of the developed nonlinear devices.展开更多
To increase the absorption in a thin layer of absorbing material （amorphous silicon, a-Si）, a light trapping design is presented. The designed structure incorporates periodic metal-insulator-metal waveguides to enha...To increase the absorption in a thin layer of absorbing material （amorphous silicon, a-Si）, a light trapping design is presented. The designed structure incorporates periodic metal-insulator-metal waveguides to enhance the optical path length of light within the solar cells. The new design can result in broadband optical absorption enhancement not only for transverse magnetic （TM）-polarized light, but also for transverse electric （TE）-polarized light. No plasmonic modes can be excited in TE-polarization, but because of the coupling into the a-Si planar waveguide guiding modes and the diffraction of light by the bottom periodic structures into higher diffraction orders, the total absorption in the active region is also increased. The results from rigorous coupled wave analysis show that the overall optical absorption in the active layer can be greatly enhanced by up to 40%. The designed structures presented in this paper can be integrated with back contact technology to potentially produce high-efficiency thin-film solar cell devices.展开更多
Composite thin films of PbTiO3 nano-crystals and high transparency polymer polyetherketone （PEK-c） for application of non-linear optical devices were prepared by spin coating. The size of PbTiO3 nano-crystals was es...Composite thin films of PbTiO3 nano-crystals and high transparency polymer polyetherketone （PEK-c） for application of non-linear optical devices were prepared by spin coating. The size of PbTiO3 nano-crystals was estimated to be 30-40 nm using a transmission electron microscope. The refractive index and the mode propagation losses at 633 nm were measured using the prism coupling technique and improved photographic technique respectively. They were found to be 1.6545 and 2.00 dB cm^-1 （fundamental mode）,respectively. Moreover, it is observed that this loss is increased at higher mode indices.展开更多
A 1550-nm linearly tunable continuous wave （CW） single-mode external cavity diode laser （ECDL） based on a singlecavity all-dielectric thin-film Fabry-Pérot filter （s-AFPF） is proposed and realized in this p...A 1550-nm linearly tunable continuous wave （CW） single-mode external cavity diode laser （ECDL） based on a singlecavity all-dielectric thin-film Fabry-Pérot filter （s-AFPF） is proposed and realized in this paper. Its internal optical components as well as their operation mechanisms are introduced first, and then its longitudinal mode output characteristic is theoretically analyzed. Afterwards, we set up the experimental platform for the output characteristic measurement of this tunable ECDL; under different experimental conditions, we execute accurate and real-time measurements for the output central wavelength, output optical power, output longitudinal mode distribution, and the line-width of the tunable ECDL in its tuning process. By summing up the optimal experimental condition from the measured data, we obtain the optimal tunable ECDL relevant parameters： the tunable ECDL has a linear mode-hop-free wavelength tuning region of 1547.203 nm-1552.426 nm, a stable output optical power in the range of 40 μW-50 μW, and a stable output longitudinal mode distribution of a single longitudinal mode with a line-width in the range of 100 MHz-150 MHz. This tunable ECDL can be used in environmental gas monitoring, atomic and molecular laser spectroscopy research, precise measurements, and so on.展开更多
mRNA quantification is very important in molecular biological researches. Traditional spectrophotometric method cannot distinguish DNA, rRNA and tRNA species from mRNA. Northern blot can be used for mRNA quantificatio...mRNA quantification is very important in molecular biological researches. Traditional spectrophotometric method cannot distinguish DNA, rRNA and tRNA species from mRNA. Northern blot can be used for mRNA quantification but is known to be time consuming. To rapidly detect mRNA levels, we developed an optical thin-film biosensor chip based method, to quantify mRNA in samples. After total RNA was extracted, the mRNA with poly（A） tails was reverse transcribed with oligo（dT）20 primers and dNTPs mixed with digoxigenin（DIG）-11-dUTE The transcribed first strand cDNA was hybridized with oligo（dA）20 nucleotide probes spotted on optical thin-film biosensor chips. Excess first strand cDNA, single-strand RNA, and mis-matched DNA/DNA hybrids were removed by washing. The perfect-matched DNA/DNA hybrid was detected with anti-DIG-AP （alkaline phosphatase） conjugate and then incubated with NBT/BCIP substrate for color development. The range of the color is from purplish red to blue, according to the cDNA mass deposited on chip sur- face. Detection of mRNA levels from Arabidopsis samples proved that this method is feasible for mRNA quantification, and has great potential for application in mRNA quantification in various organisms.展开更多
基金supported by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation(NSF)under the F-PACE Program,Award Number DE-EE0005400supported by NSF Award EECS-1665172
文摘Applications of in-situ and ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry （SE） are presented for the development of parametric expressions that define the real and imaginary parts （ε1, ε2） of the complex dielectric function spectra of thin film solar cell components. These spectra can then be utilized to analyze the structure of complete thin film solar cells. Optical and structural/compositional models of complete solar cells developed through least squares regression analysis of the SE data acquired for the complete cells enable simulations of external quantum efficiency （EQE） without the need for variable parameters. Such simulations can be compared directly with EQE measurements. From these comparisons, it becomes possible to understand in detail the origins of optical and electronic gains and losses in thin film photovoltaics （PC） technologies and, as a result, the underlying performance limitations. In fact, optical losses that occur when above-bandgap photons are not absorbed in the active layers can be distinguished from electronic losses when electron-hole pairs generated in the active layers are not collected. This overall methodology has been applied to copper indium-gallium diselenide （Culn1-xGaxSe2; CIGS） solar cells, a key commercialized thin film PV technology. CIGS solar cells with both standard thickness （〉2 μm） and thin （〈1 μm） absorber layers are studied by applying SE to obtain inputs for EQE simulations and enabling comparisons of simulated and measured EQE spectra. SE data analysis is challenging for CIGS material components and solar cells because of the need to develop an appropriate （ε1, ε2） database for the CIGS alloys and to extract absorber layer Ga profiles for accurate structural/compositional models. For cells with standard thickness absorbers, excellent agreement is found between the simulated and measured EQE, the latter under the assumption of 100% collection from the active layers, which include the CIGS bulk and CIGS/CdS heterojunction interface layers. For cells with thin absorbers, however, an observed difference between the simulated and measured EQE can be attributed to losses via carrier recombination within a- 0.15 μm thickness of CIGS adjacent to the Mo back contact. By introducing a carrier collection probability profile into the simulation, much closer agreement is obtained between the simulated and measured EQE. In addition to the single spot capability demonstrated in this study, ex-situ SE can be applied as well to generate high resolution maps of thin film multilayer structure, component layer properties and their profiles, as well as short-circuit current density predictions. Such mapping is possible due to the high measurement speed of 〈1 s per （ , 4） spectra achievable by the multichannel ellipsometer.
文摘Optical brain imaging using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a portable and noninvasive tool for monitoring of blood oxygenation. In this paper we have introduced a new miniaturized photodetector front-end on achip to be applied in a portable fNIRS system. It includes silicon avalanche photodiodes (SiAPD), Transimpedance amplifier (TIA) front-end and Quench-Reset circuitry to operate in both linear and Geiger modes. So it can be applied for both continuous-wave fNIRS (CW-fNIRS) and also single-photon counting. Proposed SiAPD exhibits high-avalanche gain (>100), low-breakdown voltage ( V) and high photon detection efficiency accompanying with low dark count rates. The proposed TIA front-end offer a low power consumption ( mW), high-transimpedance gain (up to 250 MV/A), tunable bandwidth (1 kHz - 1 GHz) and very low input and output noise (~few fA/√Hz and few μV/√Hz). The Geiger-mode photon counting front-end also exhibits a controllable hold-off and rest time with an ultra fast quench-reset time (few ns). This integrated system has been implemented using submicron (0.35 μm) standard CMOS technology.
基金supports from National Key R&D Program of China(Grants No.2019YFA0705000,2022YFA1404600,2022YFA1205100)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.62122079,12192251,62235019,12334014,12134001,12104159,11933005)+4 种基金Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology(No.2021ZD0301403)Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project(2019SHZDZX01)Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(No.23ZR1481800)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.2020249)Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics&Advanced Instrument,Ministry of Education,East China Normal University(No.2023nmc005)
文摘Soliton microcombs,which require the hosting cavity to operate in an anomalous dispersion regime,are essential to integrate photonic systems.In the past,soliton microcombs were generated on cavity whispering gallery modes(WGMs),and the anomalous dispersion requirement of the cavity made by normal dispersion material was achieved through structural dispersion engineering.This inevitably degrades the cavity optical quality factor(Q)and increases pump threshold power for soliton comb generation.To overcome the challenges,here,we report a soliton microcomb excited by cavity polygon modes.These modes display anomalous dispersion at near-infrared while optical Q factors exceeding 4×10^(6) are maintained.Consequently,a soliton comb spanning from 1450 nm to 1620 nm with a record low pump power of 11 m W is demonstrated,a three-fold improvement compared to the state of the art on the same material platform.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2021YFB2800700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.62275047,61875241,and 22102023)+1 种基金the Fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Nos.2021M700768 and 2022M710672)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK20220816).
文摘The technological innovation of thin-film lithium niobate(TFLN)is supplanting the traditional lithium niobate industry and generating a vast array of ultra-compact and low-loss optical waveguide devices,providing an unprecedented prospect for chip-scale integrated optics.Because of its unique strong quadratic nonlinearity,TFLN is widely used to create new coherent light,which significantly promotes all-optical signal processes,especially in terms of speed.Herein,we review recent advances in TFLN,review the thorough optimization strategies of all-optical devices with unique characteristics based on TFLN,and discuss the challenges and perspectives of the developed nonlinear devices.
基金Project supported by the Postgraduate Innovation Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China (Grant No.CX09B 090Z)the Key Postgraduate Plan of Nanjing University of Science and Technology,China
文摘To increase the absorption in a thin layer of absorbing material （amorphous silicon, a-Si）, a light trapping design is presented. The designed structure incorporates periodic metal-insulator-metal waveguides to enhance the optical path length of light within the solar cells. The new design can result in broadband optical absorption enhancement not only for transverse magnetic （TM）-polarized light, but also for transverse electric （TE）-polarized light. No plasmonic modes can be excited in TE-polarization, but because of the coupling into the a-Si planar waveguide guiding modes and the diffraction of light by the bottom periodic structures into higher diffraction orders, the total absorption in the active region is also increased. The results from rigorous coupled wave analysis show that the overall optical absorption in the active layer can be greatly enhanced by up to 40%. The designed structures presented in this paper can be integrated with back contact technology to potentially produce high-efficiency thin-film solar cell devices.
基金Founded by the National Natural Science Foundation (Nos. 60377016 and 60476020) the "863" National Plan (No. 2002AA313070) of China.
文摘Composite thin films of PbTiO3 nano-crystals and high transparency polymer polyetherketone （PEK-c） for application of non-linear optical devices were prepared by spin coating. The size of PbTiO3 nano-crystals was estimated to be 30-40 nm using a transmission electron microscope. The refractive index and the mode propagation losses at 633 nm were measured using the prism coupling technique and improved photographic technique respectively. They were found to be 1.6545 and 2.00 dB cm^-1 （fundamental mode）,respectively. Moreover, it is observed that this loss is increased at higher mode indices.
基金the Key Laboratory of Functional Crystals and Laser Technology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.JTJG201109)the Guangdong Province&Chinese Academy of Sciences Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Project(Grant No.2010A090100014)the 2009 Technology Research and Development Fund of Shenzhen,China(Grant No.O702011001)
文摘A 1550-nm linearly tunable continuous wave （CW） single-mode external cavity diode laser （ECDL） based on a singlecavity all-dielectric thin-film Fabry-Pérot filter （s-AFPF） is proposed and realized in this paper. Its internal optical components as well as their operation mechanisms are introduced first, and then its longitudinal mode output characteristic is theoretically analyzed. Afterwards, we set up the experimental platform for the output characteristic measurement of this tunable ECDL; under different experimental conditions, we execute accurate and real-time measurements for the output central wavelength, output optical power, output longitudinal mode distribution, and the line-width of the tunable ECDL in its tuning process. By summing up the optimal experimental condition from the measured data, we obtain the optimal tunable ECDL relevant parameters： the tunable ECDL has a linear mode-hop-free wavelength tuning region of 1547.203 nm-1552.426 nm, a stable output optical power in the range of 40 μW-50 μW, and a stable output longitudinal mode distribution of a single longitudinal mode with a line-width in the range of 100 MHz-150 MHz. This tunable ECDL can be used in environmental gas monitoring, atomic and molecular laser spectroscopy research, precise measurements, and so on.
文摘mRNA quantification is very important in molecular biological researches. Traditional spectrophotometric method cannot distinguish DNA, rRNA and tRNA species from mRNA. Northern blot can be used for mRNA quantification but is known to be time consuming. To rapidly detect mRNA levels, we developed an optical thin-film biosensor chip based method, to quantify mRNA in samples. After total RNA was extracted, the mRNA with poly（A） tails was reverse transcribed with oligo（dT）20 primers and dNTPs mixed with digoxigenin（DIG）-11-dUTE The transcribed first strand cDNA was hybridized with oligo（dA）20 nucleotide probes spotted on optical thin-film biosensor chips. Excess first strand cDNA, single-strand RNA, and mis-matched DNA/DNA hybrids were removed by washing. The perfect-matched DNA/DNA hybrid was detected with anti-DIG-AP （alkaline phosphatase） conjugate and then incubated with NBT/BCIP substrate for color development. The range of the color is from purplish red to blue, according to the cDNA mass deposited on chip sur- face. Detection of mRNA levels from Arabidopsis samples proved that this method is feasible for mRNA quantification, and has great potential for application in mRNA quantification in various organisms.
