Optical and mechanical properties of thermally evaporated fluoride thin films

As a result of health and safety issues surrounding the use of radioactive materials on coated optical components, there has been renewed interest in coating materials whose optical and mechanical properties approach those offered by their radioactive counterparts. Due to the radioactive nature of ThF{sub 4} and its widespread use in optical coatings, the coating industry is examining other low index and non-radioactive fluorides as possible alternatives. In this paper, the authors present the results of an experimental study on the optical and mechanical properties of thermally evaporated ThF{sub 4}, DyF{sub 3}, CeF{sub 3}, LiF, HfF{sub 4}, IRX, and IRB thin films, where the materials were deposited at different substrate temperatures. The objective is to examine this series of fluorides under comparable deposition conditions and with respect to such material properties as: n and k, film stress, and environmental stability. The optical constants of these fluorides were evaluated over the wavelength region from 1.0 {micro}m to 12.5 {micro}m

Electron beam and optical depth profiling of quasibulk GaN

Electron beam and optical depth profiling of thick (5.5-64 mu m) quasibulk n-type GaN samples, grown by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy, were carried out using electron beam induced current (EBIC), microphotoluminescence (PL), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The minority carrier diffusion length, L, was found to increase linearly from 0.25 mu m, at a distance of about 5 mu m from the GaN/sapphire interface, to 0.63 mu m at the GaN surface, for a 36-mu m-thick sample. The increase in L was accompanied by a corresponding increase in PL band-to-band radiative transition intensity as a function of distance from the GaN/sapphire interface. We attribute the latter changes in PL intensity and minority carrier diffusion length to a reduced carrier mobility and lifetime at the interface, due to scattering at threading dislocations. The results of EBIC and PL measurements are in good agreement with the values for dislocation density obtained using TEM

Six-minute walk distance after coronary artery bypass grafting compared with medical therapy in ischaemic cardiomyopathy

Background: In patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction, coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) may decrease mortality, but it is not known whether CABG improves functional capacity. Objective: To determine whether CABG compared with medical therapy alone (MED) increases 6 min walk distance in patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction and coronary artery disease amenable to revascularisation. Methods: The Surgical Treatment in Ischemic Heart disease trial randomised 1212 patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction to CABG or MED. A 6 min walk distance test was performed both at baseline and at least one follow-up assessment at 4, 12, 24 and/or 36 months in 409 patients randomised to CABG and 466 to MED. Change in 6 min walk distance between baseline and follow-up were compared by treatment allocation. Results: 6 min walk distance at baseline for CABG was mean 340±117 m and for MED 339±118 m. Change in walk distance from baseline was similar for CABG and MED groups at 4 months (mean +38 vs +28 m), 12 months (+47 vs +36 m), 24 months (+31 vs +34 m) and 36 months (−7 vs +7 m), P>0.10 for all. Change in walk distance between CABG and MED groups over all assessments was also similar after adjusting for covariates and imputation for missing values (+8 m, 95% CI −7 to 23 m, P=0.29). Results were consistent for subgroups defined by angina, New York Heart Association class ≥3, left ventricular ejection fraction, baseline walk distance and geographic region. Conclusion: In patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction CABG compared with MED alone is known to reduce mortality but is unlikely to result in a clinically significant improvement in functional capacity

Unusual luminescence lines in GaN

none11A series of sharp intense peaks was observed in the low-temperature photoluminescence spectrum of unintentionally doped GaN in the photon energy range between 3.0 and 3.46 eV. We attributed the majority of these peaks to excitons bound to unidentified structural and surface defects. Most of the structural- and surface-related peaks ~at 3.21, 3.32, 3.34, 3.35, 3.38, and 3.42 eV! were observed in Ga polar films. In N polar GaN, we often observed the 3.45 eV peak attributed to excitons bound to the inversion domain interfaces.SCOPUS 2-s2.0-0242496327 DOI: 10.1063/1.1609632M.A. RESHCHIKOV; D. HUANG; F. YUN; P. VISCONTI; L. HE; H. MORKOC; J. JASINSKI; Z. LILIENTAL-WEBER; R.J.MOLNAR; S. S. PARK; K.Y.LEEM. A., Reshchikov; D., Huang; F., Yun; Visconti, Paolo; L., He; H., Morkoc; J., Jasinski; Z., LILIENTAL WEBER; R. J., Molnar; S. S., Park; K. Y., Le

Low Background Signal Readout Electronics for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is a planned 40 kg array of Germanium detectors intended to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a tonne-scale experiment that will seek neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) in $^{76}\mathrm{Ge}$. Such an experiment would require backgrounds of less than 1 count/tonne-year in the 4 keV region of interest around the 2039 keV Q-value of the $\beta\beta$ decay. Designing low-noise electronics, which must be placed in close proximity to the detectors, presents a challenge to reaching this background target. This paper will discuss the MAJORANA collaboration's solutions to some of these challenges