Effective Mg Incorporation in CdMgO Alloy on Quartz Substrate Grown by Plasma-assisted MBE

The development of CdMgO ternary alloy with a single cubic phase is challenging but meaningful work for technological advancement. In this work, we have grown a series of Cd1-xMgxO ternary random alloys with various Mg concentrations (x = 0, 30, 32, 45, and 55%) on quartz substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) technique. The structural investigations of alloys were performed using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The decreases in average crystallite size and lattice parameters were observed with an increase in Mg content in the alloys. XRD analysis confirms a single cubic phase is obtained for alloy compositions. The elemental and morphological studies were carried out using energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM) technique, respectively. The optical investigation was carried out using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The optical bandgaps were estimated using the Tauc relation and it was varied from 2.34 eV to 3.47 eV by varying the Mg content from zero to 55% in the alloys. The Urbach energy increases from 112 meV to 350 meV which suggests a more disordered localized state with an increase in Mg incorporation in the alloys.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, 2 table

MBE grown preferentially oriented CdMgO alloy on m- and c-plane sapphire substrates

Unlike other II-VI semiconductors, CdO-based transparent oxide has great potential application for the fabrication of many optoelectronic devices. In this work, we study the growth of CdxMg1-xO alloys on m- and on c-plane sapphire substrates in Cd-rich to Mg-rich conditions using the plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy method. A structural and morphological study of CdMgO random alloys was carried out using X-ray diffraction and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) techniques whereas composition analysis was done by Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy method. The optical properties of thin films were investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy at room temperature. X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of cubic rock salt structure with CdMgO crystallographic orientation on c-plane sapphire and CdMgO preferential orientation on m-plane sapphire. The surface roughness was measured by the AFM. From the absorption curve, the optical bandgaps were determined using Tauc relation and it was found that the bandgap of films is influenced by the incorporation of Mg2+ ions into the CdO lattice. Bowing parameter was calculated both for samples on m- and c- sapphires.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figure

Ocular inflammatory events following COVID-19 vaccination: a multinational case series

Background: Inflammatory adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination are being reported amidst the growing concerns regarding vaccine’s immunogenicity and safety, especially in patients with pre-existing inflammatory conditions. Methods: Multinational case series of patients diagnosed with an ocular inflammatory event within 14 days following COVID-19 vaccination collected from 40 centres over a 3 month period in 2021. Results: Seventy patients presented with ocular inflammatory events within 14 days following COVID-19 vaccination. The mean age was 51 years (range, 19–84 years). The most common events were anterior uveitis (n = 41, 58.6%), followed by posterior uveitis (n = 9, 12.9%) and scleritis (n = 7, 10.0%). The mean time to event was 5 days and 6 days (range, 1–14 days) after the first and second dose of vaccine, respectively. Among all patients, 36 (54.1%) had a previous history of ocular inflammatory event. Most patients (n = 48, 68.6%) were managed with topical corticosteroids. Final vision was not affected in 65 (92.9%), whereas 2 (2.9%) and 3 (4.3%) had reduction in visual acuity reduced by ≤3 lines and > 3 lines, respectively. Reported complications included nummular corneal lesions (n = 1, 1.4%), cystoid macular oedema (n = 2, 2.9%) and macular scarring (n = 2, 2.9%). Conclusion: Ocular inflammatory events may occur after COVID-19 vaccination. The findings are based on a temporal association that does not prove causality. Even in the possibility of a causal association, most of the events were mild and had a good visual outcome