Generation of Optical Vortex Using a Spiral Phase Plate Fabricated in Quartz by Direct Laser Writing and Inductively Coupled Plasma Etching

A simple, economical and reliable technique is proposed for fabricating a spiral phase plate （SPP） in a quartz substrate to generate optical vortex with a unit topological charge at the wavelengths of 632.8nm. The spiral phase plate is first formed in the photoresist by direct laser writing lithography and then transferred into the quartz substrate by inductively coupled plasma etching. The performance of the fabricated SPP is verified by using beam intensity distribution, which is in agreement with the theoretical calculation result. The interference measurement suggests that we have succeeded to generate optical vortex with a unit topological charge with the fabricated SPP.

The study of a new n/p tunnel recombination junction and its application in a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells

This paper reports that a double N layer （a-Si：H/μc-Si：H） is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer （n-μc-Si：H） in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells. The electrical transport and optical properties of these tunnel recombination junctions are investigated by current voltage measurement and transmission measurement. The new n/p tunnel recombination junction shows a better ohmic contact. In addition, the n/p interface is exposed to the air to examine the effect of oxidation on the tunnel recombination junction performance. The open circuit voltage and FF of a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cell are all improved and the current leakage of the subcells can be effectively prevented efficiently when the new n/p junction is implemented as tunnel recombination junction.

Properties of Fraunhofer Diffraction by an Annular Spiral Phase Plate for Sidelobe Suppression

A simple and accurate method for calculating the optimal width of an annular spiral phase plate （SPP） to generate optical vortices with sidelobe suppression is proposed. The sideloSes can he sharply suppressed when the ratio of inner and outer radii of an annular SPP is equal to that of the principal ring and the first sidelobe diffracted by a circular SPP with the same topological charge n. Moreover, the ratio of the inner and outer radii of the optimal annular SPP depends only on the topological charge n and is not affected by the incident wavelength or the size of the SPP.

Location algorithm for seal imprints on Chinese bank-checks based on region growing

The paper focuses on location of seal imprints on Chinese bank-checks based on region growing.Region growing method can be applied to searching and locating connection region in an image.A seal imprint,however,is generally composed of various connection regions which are unconnected to each other.In order to locate the seal imprint,these connection regions must be fused together.In the paper,an algorithm for locating seal imprints on Chinese bankchecks based on region growing is proposed, of which a fusion criterion for connection regions in a seal imprint is put forth based on the image feature of Chinese bankcheck,and a center-rays model is proposed to find the topological relationship between connection regions,for which externally-tangent rectangle of region is used as the mark of location of region.The location experiment is achieved with a false-acceptance rate of 7.1% and a false-rejection rate of 0% on Chinese bankcheck.

A study of ultrafast electron diffusion kinetics in ultrashort-pulse laser ablation of metals

Temperature dependence of the electron diffusion in metallic targets, where the electron-lectron collision is the dominant process, is investigated with the help of an extended two-temperature model. In sharp contrast to the low electron temperature case, where only the electron-phonon collisions are commonly considered, the electron diffusion process underlying the high electron temperatures evolves dramatically different in both temporal and spatial domains. Calculated results of the ablation yield at different pulse durations are presented for a copper plate impinged by ultrashort laser pulses with energy fluences ranging from 0.1 J/cm^2 to 10 J/cm^2. The excellent agreement between the simulation results and the experimental data indicates the significant role of electron-electron collisions in material ablations using intense ultrashort laser pulses.

Time-resolved shadowgraphs and morphology analyses of aluminum ablation with multiple femtosecond laser pulses

Aluminum ablation by multiple femtosecond laser pulses is investigated via time-resolved shadowgraphs and scanning electron microscope （SEM） images of the ablation spot. The spatial distribution of the ejected material and the radius of the shock wave generated during the ablation are found to vary with the increase in the number of pulses. In the initial two pulses, nearly concentric and semicircular stripes within the shock wave front are observed, unlike in subsequent pulses. Ablation by multiple femtosecond pulses exhibits different characteristics compared with the case induced by single femtosecond pulse because of the changes to the aluminum target surface induced by the preceding pulses.

OLED-on-silicon chip with new pixel circuit

A low power 640×480 OLED-on-silicon chip design that used in microdisplay was presented. A novel pixel circuit was proposed to meet the special requirement of OLED-on-silicon. The novel pixel consists of three transistors and one capacitor （3T 1C）. It has simple structure and can effectively reduce the current glitch generated during the AC driving from 55 pA to 7.5 pA, so that it can improve the precision of grayscale of display as well as extend the lifetime of （]）LED material. Except for the pixel array, low power row driver, column driver and other functional modules were also integrated on the chip. Several techniques were adopted to reduce the power consumption and frequency requirement of the chip. Finally, a 16×3×12 resolution chip was fabricated with standard 0.35 μm CMOS process of CSM and the chip can operate correctly.

Design of Photonic Bandgap Fibre with Novel Air-Hole Structure

We introduce PBGFs with the cladding made of our newly designed quasi-hexagonal air holes and demonstrate how it actually operates. This cladding structure is introduced for the first time to the best of our knowledge, and is realized by making use of the hydrofluoric acid＇s corrosive properties. The fibre corrosion can be accurately controlled, thus opening us the gate for the design and fabrication of new PB. GFs with more complex and more efficient cladding structures. Numerical results and actual simulations indicate that PBGFs built with this cladding structure have improved b^dgap properties and guiding bands as wide as 500 nm have been theoretically reached. Using the same method, we have also been able to design two other types of PBGFs with improved cladding structure.

Bragg Gratings Written in Photonic Crystal Fibres with a High-Index Germanosilicate Core

Bragg gratings are straightforwardly written into a l O-ring photonic crystal fibre （PCF） with a highly Ge^3＋-doped core by means of a 193nm ArF excimer laser. The grating inscription efficiency is improved, due to enhanced photosensitivity and the large overlap between the fundamental mode and the photosensitive core. The exposure duration only lasts less than 180s. In addition, the high-index core changes the modai properties of the PCF and two groups of higher order mode resonance dips are therefore obtained. A strong cladding mode resonance is observed, because the LP02-1ike mode has a large overlap integral with the fundamental mode.

Examination of Validity of Paraxial Approximation in Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy under Low Numerical Aperture

By using a vectorial approach, the validity of paraxial approximation in second harmonic generation （SHG） microscopy under low numerical aperture （NA） is examined when the sample is a collagen fibril. Due to the larger value of dzzz and tensorial nature of SHG, the component Ez of the focused fieM may have strong effect on the radiation pattern of SHG. Numerical results indicate that when the value of NA exceeds 0.3, the effect of Ez can not be neglected, which results in the invalidation of paraxial approximation in SHG microscopy despite the fact that SHG microscopy is still under low NA focusing.

Highly Stable CdSe/CdS/ZnS Fluorophores in Acidic Environment:Acile Preparation and Modification of Core/shell/shell Nanocrystals

We described a facile method for preparing CdSe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals from air-stable single source precursors.The single source precursors of cadmium ethylxanthate and zinc ethylxanthate were used to form CdS and ZnS shell layers in octadecene.An efficient modification of CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals was subsequently performed to obtain hydrophilic nanocrystal fluorophores with good stability in a pH range of 1.6—10.

Fibre Bragg Gratings Inscribed in Homemade Microstructured Fibres

Fibre Bragg gratings （FBGs） are inscribed in homemade microstructured fibres by the standard phase mask method. Enhanced couplings between the forward fundamental mode and backward cladding modes are obtained. The mode coupling and spectral characteristics are investigated experimentally. The cladding mode resonances can be affected by filling active materials into the air holes, which will be useful for the implementation of tunable photonic devices in optical fibre communication and sensing systems.

Fluorescence Spectra and Luminescent Mechanism of Vitamin b Fmily Based on Solid Powder Direct Illumination

The simple approach to acquire the fltaxescenee spectra of vitamin bl, b2 and t6 is proposed by direct ilhanination on solid powder sample. The experimentally acquired fluorescence spectra are in accordance with the previous measurements on soluble samples. The fluorescence spectra for a mixture of vitamins bl, b2 and b6 with different concentrations have been investigated, and the fluorescence mechanism is explained on the basis of moleoalar struchture Possible reasons of the blue-shift of the fluorescence peak and enhancement of the peak power are explained as well. The advantages of solid powder method is analyzed and discussed.

Terahertz Metamaterial Sensor Based on Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Effect

A terahertz metamaterial sensor adopting the metamaterial-based electromagnetically induced transparency（EIT） effect is presented for determining the 1,4-dioxane concentration in its aqueous solution. The metamaterial sensor, which consists of an EIT element unit with a cut-wire metallic resonator and two split-ring metallic resonators fabricated on a 490-μm thick silicon substrate, operates in a transmission geometry. The EIT peak was red-shifted and decreased with the increase of the water volume. A maximum redshift about 54 GHz of the EIT peak was detected between the 1,4-dioxane and water. The presented linear behavior and high sensitivity of the EIT peak depending on the water concentration pave a novel avenue for sensor applications.

Enhancing Coherent Combining Efficiency via Choosing Appropriate Lasing Wavelength in a Michelson Compound Cavity Based on Two 3 dB Fibre Loop Mirrors and One Fibre Bragg Grating

Enhancing coherent combining efficiency via choosing appropriate lasing wavelength in a Michelson compound cavity based on two 3 dB fibre loop mirrors and one fibre Bragg grating （FBG） has been experimentally demonstrated. The FBG with 4.5% reflectivity is replaced at the cleaved facet with 4% Fresnel reflection. A high coherent combining efficiency of 93.5% is obtained when the FBG with central wavelength at 1559.845nm is introduced into the cavity, while it is only 90.1% combining efficiency with the FBG at central wavelength 1557.830 nm. In comparison with other reports, the proposed compound-cavity laser has the advantage of needless tuning FBG to obtain the coherent condition, and it is facile to ascertain the seemly wavelength lasing for a Michelson compound cavity.

All-fibre flat-top comb filter based on high-birefringence photonic crystal fibre loop mirror

A novel all-fibre flat-top comb filter based on a high birefringence photonic crystal fibre loop mirror is proposed and demonstrated. We simulate theoretically its output spectra and experimentally realize a flat-top output with a high extinction ratio. Compared to filters consisting of the conventional Panda polarization maintaining fibre, filters based on a high birefringence photonic crystal fibre loop mirror have better temperature stability. This kind of filter can be expected to be used widely in Wavelength-division-multiplexing(WDM) systems in the future.

Flexible Cu（In, Ga）Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells on Polyimide Substrate by Low-Temperature Deposition Process

The electrical and structural properties of polycrystalline Cu（In, Ga）Se2 films grown on polyimide （PI） substrates below 400℃ via one-stage and three-stage co-evaporation process have been investigated by x-ray diffraction spectra （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Hall effect measurement. As shown by XRD spectra, the stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by one-stage process exhibit the characteristic diffraction peaks of the （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3 and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. It is also found that the film structures indicate more columnar and compact than the three-stage process films from SEM images. The stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by three-stage process exhibit the coexistence of the secondary phase of （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3, Cu2-xSe and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. High net carrier concentration and sheet conductivity are also observed for this kind of film, related to the presence of Cu2-xSe phase. As a result, when the CIGS film growth temperature is below 400℃, the three-stage process is inefficient for solar cells. By using the one-stage co-evaporation process, the flexible CIGS solar cell on a PI substrate with the best conversion efficiency of 6.38% is demonstrated （active area 0.16cm^2）.

Fabrication of Long-Period Fibre Gratings Using 800 nm Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Long-period fibre gratings inside standard single-mode optical communication fibres are successfully fabricated with infrared femtosecond laser pulses. The refractive index perturbations are well confined within the fibre core by choosing the proper laser focusing parameters and translation speed of the fibre during the direct laser writing process. With the self-focusing effect considered and at a constant average irradiation dose of 1.62 × 10^3 J/（cm^2μm）, the threshold intensity for fabricating long-period gratings with infrared femtosecond laser pulses is determined to be 5.13 × 10^13 W/cm2.

Characteristics and New Measurement Method of NCSFs of Individual Color Mechanisms of Human Vision

We propose a new method for determining neural contrast sensitivity functions （NCSFs） of isolated color mechanisms based on the measurements of wave-front aberrations and isoluminant color contrast sensitivity functions （CSFs）. Compared with the traditional method, this technique avoids the coherent noise and speckle noise, which are brought by the interference of laser beams, and has great flexibility for the measurements of NCSF of different color mechanisms. Our experiments indicate that the mean NCSF and CSF of the red mechanism are higher than those of the green mechanism, respectively, while those of the blue mechanism are the lowest. However the relative heights of the peak of NCSF and CSF between red and green mechanisms vary in subjects. There are some individuals whose peak values of NCSF and/or CSF of green mechanism are higher than that of the red mechanism. The NCSFs and CSFs of isolated color mechanisms all exhibit the similar characteristics and variation tendency. With the statistical average, the NCSFs of the red, green and blue mechanisms are higher than the corresponding CSFs in the whole spatial frequency. Compared with the corresponding CSFs curves, the peaks of the NCSFs of isolated color mechanisms shift toward higher spatial frequencies, especially for that of blue mechanism which has a largest shift of 3.9 c/deg.

Characteristics of Photonic Bandgap Fibres with Hollow Core＇s Inner Surface Coated by a Layer Material

Hollow core＇s inner surface coating in a photonic bandgap fibre （PBCF） is investigated by means of finite element method. The coat material and thickness-dependence dispersion curve and group velocity dispersion are numerically studied. The coating with materials of low index or small thickness will rise up the dispersion curve but will not induce surface modes. However, coating with materials of high index or big coat thickness will induce surface modes and avoided-crossings. By varying coat material＇s refractive index and thickness, the appearances of surface modes and avoided-crossings can be changed. It is found that the avoided-crossing can enormously enlarge the negative dispersion which can find applications in dispersion compensation. We numerically achieve a negative dispersion as large as -21416.15ps/nm/km. The results give a physical insight into the propagation properties of PBGFs with the hollow core coated by a layer of material and are of crucial significance in the applications of PBGF coating.