100 GHz resonant cavity enhanced Schottky photodiodes

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) photodiodes are promising candidates for applications in optical communications and interconnects where ultrafast high-efficiency detection is desirable. We have designed and fabricated RCE Schottky photodiodes in the (Al, In) GaAs material system for 900-nm wavelength. The observed temporal response with 10-ps pulsewidth was limited by the measurement setup and a conservative estimation of the bandwidth corresponds to more than 100 GHz. A direct comparison of RCE versus conventional detector performance was performed by high speed measurements under optical excitation at resonant wavelength (895 nm) and at 840 nm where the device functions as a single-pass conventional photodiode. A more than two-fold bandwidth enhancement with the RCE detection scheme was demonstrated

Design and Optimization of High-Speed Resonant Cavity Enhanced Schottky Photodiodes

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) photodiodes (PD’s) are promising candidates for applications in optical communications and interconnects where high-speed high-efficiency photodetection is desirable. In RCE structures, the electrical properties of the photodetector remain mostly unchanged; however, the presence of the microcavity causes wavelength selectivity accompanied by a drastic increase of the optical field at the resonant wavelengths. The enhanced optical field allows to maintain a high efficiency for faster transit-time limited PD’s with thinner absorption regions. The combination of an RCE detection scheme with Schottky PD’s allows for the fabrication of high-performance photodetectors with relatively simple material structures and fabrication processes. In top-illuminated RCE Schottky PD’s, a semitransparent Schottky contact can also serve as the top reflector of the resonant cavity. We present theoretical and experimental results on spectral and high-speed properties of GaAs–AlAs–InGaAs RCE Schottky PD’s designed for 900-nm wavelength

Independent effects of HIV infection and cocaine dependence on neurocognitive impairment in a community sample living in the southern United States

Prior studies have established that methamphetamine and HIV can have additive deleterious effects on neurocognitive functioning, but there has been relatively little research on other stimulants like cocaine. This study investigated the effects of cocaine and HIV on neurocognitive impairment in a large, well-characterized sample

Fabrication of high-speed resonant cavity enhanced schottky photodiodes

We report the fabrication and testing of a GaAs-based high-speed resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) Schottky photodiode. The top-illuminated RCE detector is constructed by integrating a Schottky contact, a thin absorption region (In0.8Ga0.92As) and a distributed AlAs-GaAs Bragg mirror. The Schottky contact metal serves as a high-reflectivity top mirror in the RCE detector structure. The devices were fabricated by using a microwave-compatible fabrication process. The resulting spectral photo response had a resonance around 895 nm, in good agreement with our simulations. The full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) was 15 nm, and the enhancement factor was in excess of 6. The photodiode had an experimental setup limited temporal response of 18 ps FWHM, corresponding to a 3-dB bandwidth of 20 GHz

Covalent immobilisation of antibodies in Teflon-FEP microfluidic devices for sensitive quantification of clinically relevant protein biomarkers

This study reports for the first time sensitive colorimetric and fluorescence detection of clinically relevant protein biomarkers by sandwich immunoassays using covalent immobilisation of antibodies onto the fluoropolymer surface inside Teflon®-FEP microfluidic devices. Teflon®-FEP has outstanding optical transparency ideal for high-sensitivity colorimetric and fluorescence bioassays, however this thermoplastic is regarded as chemically inert and very hydrophobic. Covalent immobilisation can offer benefits over passive adsorption to plastic surfaces by allowing better control over antibody density, orientation and analyte binding capacity, and so we tested a range of different and novel covalent immobilisation strategies. We first functionalised the inner surface of a 10-bore, 200 µm internal diameter FEP microcapillary film with high-molecular weight polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) without changing the outstanding optical transparency of the device delivered by the matched refractive index of FEP and water. Glutaraldehyde immobilisation was compared with use of photoactivated linkers and NHS-ester crosslinkers for covalently immobilising capture antibodies onto PVOH. Three clinically relevant sandwich ELISAs were tested, against the cytokine IL-1ß, the myocardial infarct marker cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and the chronic heart failure marker brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Overall, glutaraldehyde immobilisation was effective for BNP assays, but yielded unacceptable background for IL-1ß and cTnI assays caused by direct binding of biotinylated detection antibody to the modified PVOH surface. We found NHS-ester groups reacted with APTES-treated PVOH coated fluoropolymer. This facilitated a novel method for capture antibody immobilisation onto fluoropolymer devices using a bifunctional NHS-maleimide crosslinker. The density of covalently immobilised capture antibodies achieved using PVOH/APTES/NHS/Maleimide approached levels seen with passive adsorption, and sensitive and quantitative assay performance was achieved using this method. Overall, PVOH coating provided an excellent surface for controlled covalent antibody immobilisation onto Teflon®-FEP for performing high-sensitivity immunoassays

The position of graptolites within Lower Palaeozoic planktic ecosystems.

An integrated approach has been used to assess the palaeoecology of graptolites both as a discrete group and also as a part of the biota present within Ordovician and Silurian planktic realms. Study of the functional morphology of graptolites and comparisons with recent ecological analogues demonstrates that graptolites most probably filled a variety of niches as primary consumers, with modes of life related to the colony morphotype. Graptolite coloniality was extremely ordered, lacking any close morphological analogues in Recent faunas. To obtain maximum functional efficiency, graptolites would have needed varying degrees of coordinated automobility. A change in lifestyle related to ontogenetic changes was prevalent within many graptolite groups. Differing lifestyle was reflected by differing reproductive strategies, with synrhabdosomes most likely being a method for rapid asexual reproduction. Direct evidence in the form of graptolithophage 'coprolitic' bodies, as well as indirect evidence in the form of probable defensive adaptations, indicate that graptolites comprised a food item for a variety of predators. Graptolites were also hosts to a variety of parasitic organisms and provided an important nutrient source for scavenging organisms

Superlattice Growth via MBE and Green’s Function Techniques

A model has been developed to simulate the growth of arrays consisting of a substrate on which alternating layers of quantum dots (QDs) and spacer layers are epitaxially grown. The substrate and spacer layers are modeled as an anisotropic elastic half-space, and the QDs are modeled as point inclusions buried within the half-space. In this model, the strain at the free surface of this half-space due to the buried point QDs is calculated, and a scalar measure of the strain at the surface is subsequently determined. New point QDs are placed on the surface where the previously calculated scalar strain measure is a minimum. Following available DFT results, this scalar strain measure is a weighted average of the in-plane strains. This model is constructed under the assumption that diffusional anisotropy can be neglected, and thus, the results are more in agreement with results from experiments of growth of SiGe QDs than experiments involving QDs of (In,Ga)As

One Sided Radiographic Inspection Using Backscatter Imaging

Radiographic inspection, where access is limited to one side of the part, can be performed by the use of backscatter imaging techniques. Compton scattering is the primary source of the backscattered signal strength with some contribution from x-ray fluorescence. A variety of approaches have been used in both medicine and industry to create the images [1–25]. The flying spot technique which uses a collimated beam of x-rays, and a large area detector has been used in the work reported here. The backscatter imaging is particular useful in the inspection of low-density, composite materials.</p