Plasmonically enhanced hot electron based photovoltaic device

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Hot electron photovoltaics is emerging as a candidate for low cost and ultra thin solar cells. Plasmonic means can be utilized to significantly boost device efficiency. We separately form the tunneling metal-insulator-metal (MIM) junction for electron collection and the plasmon exciting MIM structure on top of each other, which provides high flexibility in plasmonic design and tunneling MIM design separately. We demonstrate close to one order of magnitude enhancement in the short circuit current at the resonance wavelengths. (C) 2013 Optical Society of Americ

Metastasis of breast carcinoma to the external auditory canal: Report of an unusual case and literature review

We present a case of metastasis of the external auditory canal (EAC) from a primary breast carcinoma in a 53-year-old female with a review of the literature. The patient had been diagnosed with a primary carcinoma 4 years previously. The metastasis had developed recently in her left EAC and presented as a bulky, fleshy, bleeding mass. The mass was causing hearing loss on the left due to complete obstruction in the left EAC. The mass was incompletely removed with a surgical operation and histopathologically metastasis was proven. Although there are few case reports in the literature of various cancers metastasizing to the EAC, metastasis in the EAC from the breast carcinoma is exceedingly rare and only one case has been reported in the literature so far

Broadband absorption enhancement in an uncooled microbolometer infrared detector

This paper introduces a method for a broadband absorption enhancement in the LWIR range (8-12 μm), in single layer microbolometer pixels with 35 μm pitch. For the first time in the literature, this study introduces a very simple and low cost approach to enhance the absorption by embedding plasmonic structures at the same level as the already existing metallic layer of a microbolometer pixel. The metal layer comprises the electrode and the arm structures on the body. Even though the periodicity of the plasmonic structures is slightly disturbed by the placement of the electrodes and the connecting metal, the metal arms and the electrodes compensate for the lack of the periodicity contributing to the resonance by their coupling with the individual plasmonic resonators. Various plasmonic structures are designed with FDTD simulations. Individual, plasmonically modified microbolometer pixels are fabricated, and an increase in the average absorption due to surface plasmon excitation at Au/Si3N4 interfaces is observed. Plasmonic structures increase the average absorption from 78% to 82% and result in an overall enhancement of 5.1%. A good agreement between the simulation and the FTIR measurement results are obtained within the LWIR range. This work paves the way for integration of the plasmonic structures within conventional microbolometer devices for performance enhancement without introducing additional costs. © 2014 SPIE

Plasmonically enhanced hot electron based photovoltaic device

Hot electron photovoltaics is emerging as a candidate for low cost and ultra thin solar cells. Plasmonic means can be utilized to significantly boost device efficiency. We separately form the tunneling metal-insulator-metal (MIM) junction for electron collection and the plasmon exciting MIM structure on top of each other, which provides high flexibility in plasmonic design and tunneling MIM design separately. We demonstrate close to one order of magnitude enhancement in the short circuit current at the resonance wavelengths. © 2013 Optical Society of America

Semiconductor-less photovoltaic device

We demonstrate a novel semiconductor-less photovoltaic device and investigate the plasmonic effects on this device structure. The device is made of metal and dielectric layers and the operation is based on hot carrier collection. We present the use of surface plasmons to improve energy conversion efficiency. The field localization provided by surface plasmons confine the incident light in the metal layer, increasing the optical absorption and hot electron generation rate inside the metal layer. The device consists of two tandem MIM (metal-insulator-metal) junctions. Bottom MIM junction acts as a rectifying diode and top MIM junction is used to excite surface plasmons. The device operation principle as well as the topology will be discussed in detail. © 2013 IEEE

The genetic basis of composite spike form in barley and "Miracle-Wheat"

Inflorescences of the tribe Triticeae, which includes wheat (Triticum sp. L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) are characterized by sessile spikelets directly borne on the main axis, thus forming a branchless spike. "Compositum-Barley" and tetraploid "Miracle-Wheat" (T. turgidum convar. compositum (L.f.) Filat.) display non-canonical spike-branching in which spikelets are replaced by lateral branch-like structures resembling small-sized secondary spikes. As a result of this branch formation "Miracle-Wheat" produces significantly more grains per spike, leading to higher spike yield. In this study, we first isolated the gene underlying spike-branching in "Compositum-Barley", i.e. compositum 2 (com2). Moreover, we found that COM2 is orthologous to the branched head(t) (bh(t)) locus regulating spike-branching in tetraploid "Miracle-Wheat". Both genes possess orthologs with similar functions in maize BRANCHED SILKLESS 1 (BD1) and rice FRIZZY PANICLE/BRANCHED FLORETLESS 1 (FZP/BFL1) encoding AP2/ERF transcription factors. Sequence analysis of the bh(t) locus in a collection of mutant and wild type tetraploid wheat accessions revealed that a single amino acid substitution in the DNA-binding domain gave rise to the domestication of "Miracle-Wheat". mRNA in situ hybridization, microarray experiments, and independent qRT-PCR validation analyses revealed that the branch repression pathway in barley is governed through the spike architecture gene Six-rowed spike 4 regulating COM2 expression, while HvIDS1 (barley ortholog of maize INDETERMINATE SPIKELET 1) is a putative down-stream target of COM2. These findings presented here provide new insights into the genetic basis of spike architecture in Triticeae, and have disclosed new targets for genetic manipulations aiming at boosting wheat's yield potential

The giant seminal vesicle cyst: MRI findings.

A 73-year-old man suffering from supra-pubic pain, dysuria and urinary retention for 3 months was slightly hypertensive, normoglycaemic, with normal renal biochemical parameters. In digital rectal examination prostate was slightly enlarged, but a cystic mass was palpable arising from the upper boarder of the prostate. He was examined by pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a preliminary diagnosis of pelvic mass or abscess. MRI examination revealed a homogeneous, well demarcated giant cystic mass (arrows) 12 x 8 x 6 cm in size at the posterior of the urinary bladder and superior of the prostate and seminal vesicles (A). The cyst was displacing the rectum, prostate and the urinary bladder. The cystic mass content was slightly hyperintense on T1-weighted images (C) and significantly hyperintense on T2-weighted images when compared to muscle tissue (B). The cyst was associated with seminal vesicles and MR signal features of the cyst content were similar with right seminal vesicle (C). The left seminal vesicle content was hypointense on T1- and hyperintense on T2-weighted images (Fig. B, C)

Comparison effect of spin speeds and substrate layers on properties of doubly doped tin oxide thin films prepared by SOL-GEL spin coating method

Tin oxide thin films doubly doped with antimony and fluorine (Sb, F) were deposited by sol-gel spin coating method at different spin speeds and substrate layers on glass substrate. Effect of spin speeds and substrate layers on the characterizations of the films was investigated. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that antimony and fluorine have been successfully doped into the SnO2 thin films and all the prepared films were single crystalline in nature and exhibited orthorhombic structure with preferential orientation {021} family of planes. As the tin oxide thin films have quite often structure of tetragonal polycrystalline, this obtained orthorhombic structure is rarely in terms of literature. Although intensity of preferential orientation changed, its orientation did not change with increasing spin speeds and substrate layers. Also, peak intensity of the films prepared with 6 substrate layers was bigger than 5 substrate layers, but crystallinity in 5 substrate layers was better than 6 substrate layers. Transmittance (90-95%.) values found in this study were to be much better than previously reported values (50-80%). Together with these studies, PLQY value of an inorganic material such as tin oxide which weakly emit was measured. Eventually, the obtained results revealed that properties of the thin films were greatly affected by spin speeds and substrate layers