50 mm diameter Sn-doped (001) beta-Ga2O3 crystal growth using the vertical Bridgeman technique in ambient air

Available online 3 July 202050 mm-diameter Sn-doped beta-Ga2O3 crystals with growth orientation perpendicular to (001) plane were grown with the newly-developed resistance heating vertical Bridgeman furnace using platinum-rhodium alloy crucibles in ambient air. Weak low angle grain boundaries and several small grains were detected on the both-side mirror polished 50 mm-diameter (001) wafer, using high resolution refraction x-ray topography. However, no imperfections were observed over the whole wafer area when using crossed polarizer analysis. Measured values of both the full width at half maximum and the dislocation densities were widely distributed in the wafer, ranging from 10 to 50 arcsec and 100 to 2000/cm(2) respectively with no distinctive correlations among them. The Sndoped crystals with concentrations ranging from 5 x 10(17) to 5 x 10(18) atom/cm(3) could be grown by Sn-doping in a range from 0.05 to 0.1 mol%, and (001) oriented, 50 mm-diameter n-type oxide semiconductor wafers with a carrier density of 3.6 x 10(18)/cm(3), a mobility of 60 cm(2)/Vsec and a resistivity of 0.03 Omega.cm, were obtained from a 0.1 mol% Sn-doped crystal.ArticleJOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH.546:125778(2020)journal articl

2-inch diameter (100) β-Ga2O3 crystal growth by the vertical Bridgman technique in a resistance heating furnace in ambient air

Available online 20 May 2020ArticleJOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH.545:125724(2020)journal articl

Growth of β-Ga2O3 single crystals using vertical Bridgman method in ambient air

A new approach to beta-Ga2O3 single crystal growth was studied, using the vertical Bridgman (VB) method in ambient air, while measuring the beta-Ga2O3 melting temperature and investigating the effects of crucible composition and shape. beta-Ga2O3 single crystals 25 mm in diameter were grown in platinum rhodium alloy crucibles in ambient air, with no adhesion of the crystals to the crucible wall. Single crystal growth without a crystal seed was realized by (100) faceted growth with a growth direction perpendicular to the (100) faceted plane. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.ArticleJOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH.447:36-41(2016)journal articl

Morphology and formation mechanism of metallic inclusions in VB-grown sapphire crystals

Morphologies of metallic inclusions observed in sapphire crystals grown by the vertical Bridgman (VB) technique using a tungsten (W) crucible were investigated. Square- or hexagonal-shaped inclusions 2-5 mu m in size were observed in sapphire crystals around the interface between the seed and the grown crystal. It was found that such inclusions consisted of W metal used for the crucible. The morphology of some of the inclusions reflects a rhombic dodecahedron which is based on the cubic structure of W and is surrounded by {110} faces. It is probable that inclusions form in the sapphire melt during the crystal growth process, and then sink in the melt to the growth interface due to the high density of W. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.JOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH. 401:388-391 (2014)journal articl

Possible Magnetic Chirality in Optically Chiral Magnet [Cr(CN)6_6][Mn(SS)-pnH(H2_2O)](H2_2O) Probed by Muon Spin Rotation and Relaxation

Local magnetic fields in a molecule-based optically chiral magnet [Cr(CN)$_6$][Mn($S$)-pnH(H$_2$O)](H$_2$O) (GN-S) and its enantiomer (GN-R) are studied by means of muon spin rotation and relaxation (muSR). Detailed analysis of muon precession signals under zero field observed below T_c supports the average magnetic structure suggested by neutron powder diffraction. Moreover, comparison of muSR spectra between GN-S and GN-R suggests that they are a pair of complete optical isomers in terms of both crystallographic and magnetic structure. Possibility of magnetic chirality in such a pair is discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Vertical Bridgman growth of sapphire crystals, with thin-neck formation process

A new technique is proposed in the traditional vertical Bridgman growth of sapphire crystals, in which thin-neck formation follows the initial seeding. Low-angle grain boundaries generated at the periphery of the seeding interface were eliminated at the thin neck, and the c-axis sapphire crystals with main bodies free from low-angle grain boundaries were grown.ArticleJOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH. 401:146-149 (2014)journal articl

The role of body rotation in bacterial flagellar bundling

In bacterial chemotaxis, E. coli cells drift up chemical gradients by a series of runs and tumbles. Runs are periods of directed swimming, and tumbles are abrupt changes in swimming direction. Near the beginning of each run, the rotating helical flagellar filaments which propel the cell form a bundle. Using resistive-force theory, we show that the counter-rotation of the cell body necessary for torque balance is sufficient to wrap the filaments into a bundle, even in the absence of the swirling flows produced by each individual filament

Genomic approaches to research in pulmonary hypertension

Genomics, or the study of genes and their function, is a burgeoning field with many new technologies. In the present review, we explore the application of genomic approaches to the study of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Candidate genes, important to the pathobiology of the disease, have been investigated. Rodent models enable the manipulation of selected genes, either by transgenesis or targeted disruption. Mutational analysis of genes in the transforming growth factor-β family have proven pivotal in both familial and sporadic forms of primary PH. Finally, microarray gene expression analysis is a robust molecular tool to aid in delineating the pathobiology of this disease

Vertical Bridgman growth of sapphire-Seed crystal shapes and seeding characteristics

The growth of sapphire by the traditional vertical Bridgman (VB) method was studied by using various shapes of seed crystals and tungsten (W) crucibles shaped to match the seeds. Approximately 2-in. diameter, c-axis sapphire single crystals were reproducibly grown from three kinds of seed: thin, tapered and full diameter. Factors relating seed type to single-crystal growth are discussed, including the reproducibility of seeding processes, and the generation and elimination of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs). What was learned facilitated the subsequent growth of large-diameter, 3-, 4- and 6-in., c-axis single-crystal sapphires from full-diameter seeds.ArticleJOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH. 395:80-89 (2014)journal articl

Rumination syndrome: Assessment of vagal tone during and after meals and during diaphragmatic breathing

Background: Pathophysiology of rumination syndrome (RS) is not well understood. Treatment with diaphragmatic breathing improves rumination syndrome. The aim of the study was to characterize vagal tone in patients with rumination syndrome during and after meals and during diaphragmatic breathing. Methods: We prospectively recruited 10 healthy volunteers (HV) and 10 patients with RS. Subjects underwent measurement of vagal tone using heart rate variability. Vagal tone was measured during baseline, test meal and intervention (diaphragmatic (DiaB), slow deep (SlowDB), and normal breathing). Vagal tone was assessed using mean values of root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and area under curves (AUC) were calculated for each period. We compared baseline RMSSD, the AUC and meal‐induced discomfort scores between HV and RS. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of respiratory exercises on symptom scores, and number of rumination episodes. Key Results: There was no significant difference in baseline vagal tone between HV and RS. During the postprandial period, there was a trend to higher vagal tone in RS, but not significantly (P > .2 for all). RS had the higher total symptom scores than HV (P < .011). In RS, only DiaB decreased the number of rumination episodes during the intervention period (P = .028), while both DiaB and SlowDB increased vagal tone (P < .05 for both). The symptom scores with the 3 breathing exercises showed very similar trends. Conclusions and inferences: Patients with RS do not have decreased vagal tone related to meals. DiaB reduced number of rumination events by a mechanism not related to changes in vagal tone