Enhanced blue photoluminescence realized by copper diffusion doping of ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films with blue photoluminescence (PL) have been fabricated through Cu diffusion doping. A CuOx-ZnO mixture, and Cu/ZnO double layer, films were prepared on amorphous SiOx/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and electron beam (e-beam) deposition, respectively. After sequential oxygen annealing, CuOx-ZnO mixture films exhibited green emission centered at 523 nm. However, Cu/ZnO double layer films differed in producing a blue emission centered at 480 nm. Detailed analysis identified that this blue shift in the emission center resulted from increased blue emissions attributed to Cu dopants in the film by e-beam deposition. Luminescence intensity was increased to 6 cd/m2 for a sample annealed at 700 deg;C. Color points were close to the locus of points following the line of a black-body-radiator on the CIE 1931 XY chromaticity diagram. The present results show that Cu-doped ZnO has strong potential as a cost effective phosphor for use in down converting LEDs. © 2013 Optical Society of America.1

Electrically tunable birefringence of a polymer composite with long-range orientational ordering of liquid crystals

We report an optical film with electrically tunable birefringence in which the liquid crystals (LCs), mixed with the host polymer, form longrange ordering. The film was prepared through polymerization without phase separation between the LCs and polymers. Driving voltage below 30 V for full switching of birefringence is achieved in a 6 μm-thick film. Electro-optical investigations for the film suggest that the long-range ordering of the LCs mixed in the film caused by polymerization lead to rotations of the LCs as well as optical anisotropy in the film. These films with electrically tunable birefringence could have applications as flexible light modulators and phase retardation films for 2D-3D image switching. © 2014 Optical Society of America.1

Electrogenic transport and K(+) ion channel expression by the human endolymphatic sac epithelium.

The endolymphatic sac (ES) is a cystic organ that is a part of the inner ear and is connected to the cochlea and vestibule. The ES is thought to be involved in inner ear ion homeostasis and fluid volume regulation for the maintenance of hearing and balance function. Many ion channels, transporters, and exchangers have been identified in the ES luminal epithelium, mainly in animal studies, but there has been no functional study investigating ion transport using human ES tissue. We designed the first functional experiments on electrogenic transport in human ES and investigated the contribution of K(+) channels in the electrogenic transport, which has been rarely identified, even in animal studies, using electrophysiological/pharmacological and molecular biological methods. As a result, we identified functional and molecular evidence for the essential participation of K(+) channels in the electrogenic transport of human ES epithelium. The identified K(+) channels involved in the electrogenic transport were KCNN2, KCNJ14, KCNK2, and KCNK6, and the K(+) transports via those channels are thought to play an important role in the maintenance of the unique ionic milieu of the inner ear fluid

Electroluminescent devices with function of electro-optic shutter

The polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) was used as a dielectric layer of electroluminescent (EL) device to provide multi-function of electroluminescence and electro-optic shutter. A 50 μm-thick PDLC layer was formed between a transparent electrode and a ZnS:Cu phosphor layer. The electro-optic properties of the EL device were not distorted by the introduction of the PDLC layer. The extraction efficiency of luminescence was improved by more than 14% by PDLC layer. The transmittance of the PDLC was also founded not to be degraded significantly by excitation frequency. Therefore, the electroluminescence of the device was ignited by excitation frequency at a given voltage for full transparency of the PDLC. This device has great potential for applications in transparent displays with the function of a privacy window. © 2012 Optical Society of America.1

Optical spectroscopic investigation on the coupling of electronic and magnetic structure in multiferroic hexagonal RMnO3 (R = Gd, Tb, Dy, and Ho) thin films

We investigated the effects of temperature and magnetic field on the electronic structure of hexagonal RMnO3 (R = Gd, Tb, Dy, and Ho) thin films using optical spectroscopy. As the magnetic ordering of the system was disturbed, a systematic change in the electronic structure was commonly identified in this series. The optical absorption peak near 1.7 eV showed an unexpectedly large shift of more than 150 meV from 300 K to 15 K, accompanied by an anomaly of the shift at the Neel temperature. The magnetic field dependent measurement clearly revealed a sizable shift of the corresponding peak when a high magnetic field was applied. Our findings indicated strong coupling between the magnetic ordering and the electronic structure in the multiferroic hexagonal RMnO3 compounds.Comment: 16 pages including 4 figure

Luminance enhancement of electroluminescent devices using highly dielectric UV-curable polymer and oxide nanoparticle composite

A flexible hybrid structure electroluminescent (HSEL) device was fabricated from ZnS:Cu phosphor microparticles dispersed in a UVcurable polymer matrix. We observed a maximum luminance of 111 cd/m2 at 10 kHz and 170 V from a device wherein the mixing ratio between the phosphor particles and highly dielectric polymer binder was 70:30 wt%. Furthermore, by uniformly dispersing highly dielectric BaTiO3 nanoparticles within the polymer matrix, we were able to obtain a luminance of up to 211 cd/m2 in the HSEL device. Compared to the conventional thermal curing process, this UV process greatly simplifies the fabrication steps by combining phosphors and dielectric materials at room temperature. This process also demonstrates a promising pathway toward creating flexible and printed EL devices in the future. © 2014 Optical Society of America.1

Mesenteric Pseudocyst of the Small Bowel in Gastric Cancer Patient: A Case Report

Mesenteric pseudocyst is rare. This term is used to describe the abdominal cystic mass, without the origin of abdominal organ. We presented a case of mesenteric pseudocyst of the small bowel in a 70-year-old man. Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy showed a 3.5 cm sized excavated lesion on the posterior wall of angle. Endocopic biopsy confirmed a histologic diagnosis of the poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, which includes the signet ring cell component. Abdominal computed tomography scan showed a focal mucosal enhancement in the posterior wall of angle of the stomach, a 2.4 cm sized enhancing mass on the distal small bowel loop, without distant metastases or ascites in rectal shelf, and multiple gallbladder stones. The patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy, segmental resection of the small bowel, and cholecystectomy. The final pathological diagnosis was mesenteric pseudocyst. This is the first case report describing incidentally detected mesenteric pseudocyst of the small bowel in gastric cancer patients