Electronic and Optical Properties of Aluminum Oxide Before and After Surface Reduction by Ar+ Bombardment

The electronic and optical properties of a-Al2O3 after induced by 3-keV Ar+ sputtering have been studied quantitatively by use of reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) spectra. The band gap values of a-Al2O3 was determined from the onset values of the energy loss spectrum to the background level of REELS spectra as a function of time Ar+ bombardment. The bandgap changes from 8.4 eV before sputtering to 6.2 eV after 4 minutes of sputtering.The optical properties of α-Al2O3 thin films have been determined by comparing the experimental cross section obtained from reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy with the theoretical inelastic scattering cross section, deduced from the simulated energy loss function (ELF) by using QUEELS-ε(k)-REELS software. The peak assignments are based on ELF and compared with reported data on the electronic structure of α-Al2O3 obtained using different techniques. The results demonstrate that the electronic and optical properties before and after surface reduction will provide further understanding in the fundamental properties of α-Al2O3 which will be useful in the design, modeling and analysis of devices applications performance.Received: 18 November 2013; Revised:12 June 2014; Accepted: 25 June 201

Optical properties of NaxV2O5

The optical properties of sodium-deficient NaxV2O5 (0.85 < x <1) single crystals are analyzed in the wide energy range, from 0.012 to 4.5 eV, using ellipsometry, infrared reflectivity, and Raman scattering techniques. The material remains insulating up to the maximal achieved hole concentration of about 15%. In sodium deficient samples the optical absorption peak associated to the fundamental electronic gap develops at about 0.44 eV. It corresponds to the transition between vanadium dxy and the impurity band, which forms in the middle of the pure NaV2O5 gap. Raman spectra measured with incident photon energy larger then 2 eV show strong resonant behavior, due to the presence of the hole-doping activated optical transitions, peaked at 2.8 eV.Comment: 7 pages, 4 fugures, to be published in PR

Performance of silicon solar cell assemblies

Solar cell assembly current-voltage characteristics, thermal-optical properties, and power performance were determined. Solar cell cover glass thermal radiation, optical properties, confidence limits, and temperature intensity effects on maximum power were discussed

Infrared optical properties of Pr2CuO4

The ab-plane reflectance of a Pr2CuO4 single crystal has been measured over a wide frequency range at a variety of temperatures, and the optical properties determined from a Kramers-Kronig analysis. Above ~ 250 K, the low frequency conductivity increases quickly with temperature; the resistivity follows the form e^(E_a/k_BT), where E_a ~ 0.17 eV is much less than the inferred optical gap of ~ 1.2 eV. Transport measurements show that at low temperature the resistivity deviates from activated behavior and follows the form e^[(T_0/T)^1/4], indicating that the dc transport in this material is due to variable-range hopping between localized states in the gap. The four infrared-active Eu modes dominate the infrared optical properties. Below ~ 200 K, a striking new feature appears near the low-frequency Eu mode, and there is additional new fine structure at high frequency. A normal coordinate analysis has been performed and the detailed nature of the zone-center vibrations determined. Only the low-frequency Eu mode has a significant Pr-Cu interaction. Several possible mechanisms related to the antiferromagnetism in this material are proposed to explain the sudden appearance of this and other new spectral features at low temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 7 embedded EPS figures, REVTeX

Optical Properties of Strained Graphene

The optical conductivity of graphene strained uniaxially is studied within the Kubo-Greenwood formalism. Focusing on inter-band absorption, we analyze and quantify the breakdown of universal transparency in the visible region of the spectrum, and analytically characterize the transparency as a function of strain and polarization. Measuring transmittance as a function of incident polarization directly reflects the magnitude and direction of strain. Moreover, direction-dependent selection rules permit identification of the lattice orientation by monitoring the van-Hove transitions. These photoelastic effects in graphene can be explored towards atomically thin, broadband optical elements

Optical properties of bialkali photocathodes

The optical properties of the `bialkali' KCsSb and RbCsSb photomultiplier cathodes have been experimentally investigated in the visible range. The measurements carried out include the absolute reflectance at near-normal incidence, the polarization-dependent relative reflectance at various angles and the change in polarization upon reflection from the photocathode. These experimental inputs have been combined with a theoretical model to determine the complex refractive index of the photocathodes in the wavelength range 380 to 680 nm and their thickness. As a result of this work, we derive a model which predicts the fraction of light impinging on a photomultiplier tube that is reflected, absorbed or transmitted, as a function of wavelength and angle, and dependent on the medium to which the photomultiplier is coupled.Comment: 51 pages (double spacing), 16 figures, submitted for publication in NIM