Fabrication of 4-Inch Nano Patterned Wafer with High Uniformity by Laser Interference Lithography

We report the fabrication of 4-inch nano patterned wafer by two-beam laser interference lithography and analyze the uniformity in detail. The profile of the dots array with a period of 800 nm divided into five regions is characterized by a scanning electron microscope. The average size in each region ranges from 270 nm to 320 nm,and the deviation is almost 4%, which is approaching the applicable value of 3% in the industrial process. We simulate the two-beam laser interference lithography system with MATLAB software and then calculate the distribution of light intensity around the 4 inch area. The experimental data fit very well with the calculated results. Analysis of the experimental data and calculated data indicates that laser beam quality and space filter play important roles in achieving a periodical nanoscale pattern with high uniformity and large area. There is the potential to obtain more practical applications.

Comparison of phase unwrapping algorithms for living cell's interference pattern

A multiphase microscopic interference system is designed to measure the height of cell which is important to the research of collective cell migration in physiology and medicine. This sys- tem can quantitatively measure cell height across a living monolayer without knowing the refractive index of cells. For the interference pattern, because the phases are all wrapped between - π to π, it is necessary to get the real phase through phase unwrapping,a method to restore the wrapped phase data of the object by using numerical calculations. Three representative algorithms are selected to unwrap the interference pattern of ceils： branch-cut method, quality-guided method and network method. Although each of them can restore the phase, their performances are obviously different. We compare these methods and find that branch-cut method needs the smallest execution time and can obtain good unwrapped patterns when noises are not serious.

Generating periodic interference in Bose–Einstein condensates

The interference between two condensates with repulsive interaction is investigated numerically by solving the onedimensional time-dependent Gross–Pitaevskii equation.The periodic interference pattern forms in two condensates,which are prepared in a double-well potential consisting of two truncated harmonic wells centered at different positions.Dark solitons are observed when two condensates overlap.Due to the existence of atom–atom interactions,atoms are transferred among the ground state and the excited states,which coincides with the condensate energy change.

Photodetachment microscopy of H^- in the magnetic field near different dielectric surfaces

We study the photo-detachment interference patterns of a hydrogen negative ion in the magnetic field near different dielectric surfaces with a semi-classical open orbit theory. We give a clear physical picture describing the photo-detachment of H- in this case. The electron flux distributions are calculated at various dielectric surfaces with unchanged magnetic field strength. It is found that the electron flux distributions of H- are very different in a magnetic field near different dielectric surfaces, namely the dielectric surface has a great influence on the photo-detachment interference pattern of the negative ion. Therefore, the interference pattern in the detached-electron flux distribution can be controlled by changing the dielectric constant. We hope that our studies may guide the future experimental research in photo-detachment microscopy.

Ultrashort pulsed laser induced complex surface structures generated by tailoring the melt hydrodynamics

We present a novel approach for tailoring the laser induced surface topography upon femtosecond(fs)pulsed laser irradiation.The method employs spatially controlled double fs laser pulses to actively regulate the hydrodynamic microfluidic motion of the melted layer that gives rise to the structures formation.The pulse train used,in particular,consists of a previously unexplored spatiotemporal intensity combination including one pulse with Gaussian and another with periodically modulated intensity distribution created by Direct Laser Interference Patterning(DLIP).The interpulse delay is appropriately chosen to reveal the contribution of the microfluidic melt flow,while it is found that the sequence of the Gaussian and DLIP pulses remarkably influences the surface profile attained.Results also demonstrate that both the spatial intensity of the double pulse and the effective number of pulses per irradiation spot can further be modulated to control the formation of complex surface morphologies.The underlying physical processes behind the complex patterns’generation were interpreted in terms of a multiscale model combining electron excitation with melt hydrodynamics.We believe that this work can constitute a significant step forward towards producing laser induced surface structures on demand by tailoring the melt microfluidic phenomena.

Analytic study on acoustic interference pattern in shallow water

Analytic formulas for acoustic interference patterns in shallow water are derived by ray method. Which can be used to guide acoustic measurements with limited horizontal distances. Some necessary approximations are taken for a concise expression. The analytic for- mulas represent the quantitative relationships between the interference-pattern and the signal frequency, bandwidth, depth of source and horizontal distance. Monofrequent signals, com- plicated signals and frequency-modulated signals are all studied. Several inferences are also deduced from the formulas. Both numerical simulations and experiment data are presented to prove that these formulas and their inferences can describe the critical characters of the acoustic interference pattern in the waveguide with a satisfying precision.

Influence of structural depth of laser-patterned steel surfaces on the solid lubricity of carbon nanoparticle coatings

Carbon nanoparticle coatings on laser-patterned stainless-steel surfaces present a solid lubrication system where the pattern's recessions act as lubricant-retaining reservoirs.This study investigates the influence of the structural depth of line patterns coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and carbon onions(COs)on their respective potential to reduce friction and wear.Direct laser interference patterning(DLIP)with a pulse duration of 12 ps is used to create line patterns with three different structural depths at a periodicity of 3.5μm on AISI 304 steel platelets.Subsequently,electrophoretic deposition(EPD)is applied to form homogeneous carbon nanoparticle coatings on the patterned platelets.Tribological ball-on-disc experiments are conducted on the as-described surfaces with an alumina counter body at a load of 100 mN.The results show that the shallower the coated structure,the lower its coefficient of friction(COF),regardless of the particle type.Thereby,with a minimum of just below 0.20,CNTs reach lower COF values than COs over most of the testing period.The resulting wear tracks are characterized by scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.During friction testing,the CNTs remain in contact,and the immediate proximity,whereas the CO coating is largely removed.Regardless of structural depth,no oxidation occurs on CNT-coated surfaces,whereas minor oxidation is detected on CO-coated wear tracks.

Does laser surface texturing really have a negative impact on the fatigue lifetime of mechanical components?

Laser surface texturing(LST)has been proven to improve the tribological performance of machine elements.The micro-scale patterns manufactured by LST may act as lubricant reservoirs,thus supplying oil when encountering insufficient lubrication.However,not many studies have investigated the use of LST in the boundary lubrication regime,likely due to concerns of higher contact stresses that can occur with the increasing surface roughness.This study aims to examine the influence of LST on the fatigue lifetime of thrust rolling bearings under boundary lubrication.A series of periodic patterns were produced on the thrust rolling bearings,using two geometrically different designs,namely cross and dimple patterns.Base oil ISO VG 100 mixed with 0.05 wt%P of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate(ZDDP)was supplied.The bearings with cross patterns reduce the wear loss by two orders of magnitude.The patterns not only retain lubricant in the textured pockets but also enhance the formation of an anti-wear tribofilm.The tribofilm generation may be improved by the higher contact stresses that occur when using the textured surface.Therefore,in contrast to the negative concerns,the ball bearings with cross patterns were instead found to increase the fatigue life by a factor of three.

Heightened condition dependent expression of structural coloration in the faces,but not wings,of male and female flies

Structurally colored sexual signals are a conspicuous and widespread class of ornament used in mate choice,though the extent to which they encode information on the quality of their bearers is not fully resolved.Theory predicts that signaling traits under strong sexual selection as honest indicators should evolve to be more developmentally integrated and exaggerated than nonsexual traits,thereby leading to heightened condition dependence.Here,we test this prediction through examination of the sexually dimorphic faces and wings of the cursorial fly Lispe cana.Males and females possess structural UV-white and golden faces,respectively,and males present their faces and wings to females during close-range,ground-based courtship displays,thereby creating the opportunity for mutual inspection.Across a field-collected sample of individuals,we found that the appearance of the faces of both sexes scaled positively with individual condition,though along separate axes.Males in better condition expressed brighter faces as modeled according to conspecific flies,whereas condition scaled with facial saturation in females.We found no such relationships for their wing interference pattern nor abdomens,with the latter included as a nonsexual control.Our results suggest that the structurally colored faces,but not the iridescent wings,of male and female L.cana are reliable guides to individual quality and support the broader potential for structural colors as honest signals.They also highlight the potential for mutual mate choice in this system,while arguing for 1 of several alternate signaling roles for wing interferences patterns among the myriad taxa which bear them.