Shifting atomic patterns: on the origin of the different atomic-scale patterns of graphite as observed using scanning tunnelling microscopy.

We present an in-depth study of the myriad atomically resolved patterns observed on graphite using the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) over the past three decades. Through the use of highly resolved atomic resolution images, we demonstrate how the interactions between the different graphene layers comprising graphite affect the local surface atomic charge density and its resulting symmetry orientation, with particular emphasis on interactions that are thermodynamically unstable. Moreover, the interlayer graphene coupling is controlled experimentally by varying the tip-surface interaction, leading to associated changes in the atomic patterns. The images are corroborated by first-principles calculations, further validating our claim that surface graphene displacement, coming both from lateral and vertical displacement of the top graphene layer, forms the basis of the rich variety of atomic patterns observed in STM experiments on graphite.

Morphological decomposition in Arabic ASR systems

In recent years, the use of morphological decomposition strategies for Arabic Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has become increasingly popular. Systems trained on morphologically decomposed data are often used in combination with standard word-based approaches, and they have been found to yield consistent performance improvements. The present article contributes to this ongoing research endeavour by exploring the use of the 'Morphological Analysis and Disambiguation for Arabic' (MADA) tools for this purpose. System integration issues concerning language modelling and dictionary construction, as well as the estimation of pronunciation probabilities, are discussed. In particular, a novel solution for morpheme-to-word conversion is presented which makes use of an N-gram Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) approach. System performance is investigated within a multi-pass adaptation/combination framework. All the systems described in this paper are evaluated on an Arabic large vocabulary speech recognition task which includes both Broadcast News and Broadcast Conversation test data. It is shown that the use of MADA-based systems, in combination with word-based systems, can reduce the Word Error Rates by up to 8.1 relative. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Substrate-assisted nucleation of ultra-thin dielectric layers on graphene by atomic layer deposition

We report on a large improvement in the wetting of Al 2O 3 thin films grown by un-seeded atomic layer deposition on monolayer graphene, without creating point defects. This enhanced wetting is achieved by greatly increasing the nucleation density through the use of polar traps induced on the graphene surface by an underlying metallic substrate. The resulting Al 2O 3/graphene stack is then transferred to SiO 2 by standard methods. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Calibration of the spring constant of cantilevers of arbitrary shape using the phase signal in an atomic force microscope.

The measurement of cantilever parameters is an essential part of performing a calibrated measurement with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The thermal motion method is a widely used technique for calibrating the spring constant of an AFM cantilever, which can be applied to non-rectangular cantilevers. Given the trend towards high frequency scanning, calibration of non-rectangular cantilevers is of increasing importance. This paper presents two results relevant to cantilever calibration via the thermal motion method. We demonstrate the possibility of using the AFM's phase signal to acquire the thermal motion. This avoids the challenges associated with connecting the raw photodiode signal to a separate spectrum analyser. We also describe how numerical calculations may be used to calculate the parameters needed in a thermal motion calibration of a non-rectangular cantilever. Only accurate knowledge of the relative size of the in-plane dimensions of the cantilever is needed in this computation. We use this pair of results in the calibration of a variety of rectangular and non-rectangular cantilevers. We observe an average difference between the Sader and thermal motion values of cantilever stiffness of 10%.

Nanoscale light-matter interactions in atomic cladding waveguides.

Alkali vapours, such as rubidium, are being used extensively in several important fields of research such as slow and stored light nonlinear optics quantum computation, atomic clocks and magnetometers. Recently, there is a growing effort towards miniaturizing traditional centimetre-size vapour cells. Owing to the significant reduction in device dimensions, light-matter interactions are greatly enhanced, enabling new functionalities due to the low power threshold needed for nonlinear interactions. Here, taking advantage of the mature platform of silicon photonics, we construct an efficient and flexible platform for tailored light-vapour interactions on a chip. Specifically, we demonstrate light-matter interactions in an atomic cladding waveguide, consisting of a silicon nitride nano-waveguide core with a rubidium vapour cladding. We observe the efficient interaction of the electromagnetic guided mode with the rubidium cladding and show that due to the high confinement of the optical mode, the rubidium absorption saturates at powers in the nanowatt regime.

Two-photon absorption in an atomic cladding wave guide

We experimentally demonstrate two-photon Doppler free interactions on a chip-scale platform consisting of a silicon nitride waveguide integrated with rubidium vapor cladding. We obtain absorption lines having widths of 300 MHz, using low power levels. © OSA 2013.

Two-photon absorption in an atomic cladding wave guide

We experimentally demonstrate two-photon Doppler free interactions on a chip-scale platform consisting of a silicon nitride waveguide integrated with rubidium vapor cladding. We obtain absorption lines having widths of 300 MHz, using low power levels. © OSA 2013.

Light-matter interactions in atomic cladding wave guides

We experimentally demonstrate light-matter interactions on a chip, consisting of a silicon nitride wave-guide integrated with rubidium vapor cladding. The measured absorption spectra provide indications for low light nonlinear interactions. © 2012 OSA.

Light-matter interactions in atomic cladding wave guides

We experimentally demonstrate light-matter interactions on a chip, consisting of a silicon nitride wave-guide integrated with rubidium vapor cladding. The measured absorption spectra provide indications for low light nonlinear interactions. © OSA 2012.

Development of a nanoporous and multilayer drug-delivery platform for medical implants.

Biodegradable polymers can be applied to a variety of implants for controlled and local drug delivery. The aim of this study is to develop a biodegradable and nanoporous polymeric platform for a wide spectrum of drug-eluting implants with special focus on stent-coating applications. It was synthesized by poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA 65:35, PLGA 75:25) and polycaprolactone (PCL) in a multilayer configuration by means of a spin-coating technique. The antiplatelet drug dipyridamole was loaded into the surface nanopores of the platform. Surface characterization was made by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). Platelet adhesion and drug-release kinetic studies were then carried out. The study revealed that the multilayer films are highly nanoporous, whereas the single layers of PLGA are atomically smooth and spherulites are formed in PCL. Their nanoporosity (pore diameter, depth, density, surface roughness) can be tailored by tuning the growth parameters (eg, spinning speed, polymer concentration), essential for drug-delivery performance. The origin of pore formation may be attributed to the phase separation of polymer blends via the spinodal decomposition mechanism. SE studies revealed the structural characteristics, film thickness, and optical properties even of the single layers in the triple-layer construct, providing substantial information for drug loading and complement AFM findings. Platelet adhesion studies showed that the dipyridamole-loaded coatings inhibit platelet aggregation that is a prerequisite for clotting. Finally, the films exhibited sustained release profiles of dipyridamole over 70 days. These results indicate that the current multilayer phase therapeutic approach constitutes an effective drug-delivery platform for drug-eluting implants and especially for cardiovascular stent applications.

Oxygen vacancy defects in Ta2O5 showing long-range atomic re-arrangements

The structure, formation energy, and energy levels of the various oxygen vacancies in Ta2O5 have been calculated using the λ phase model. The intra-layer vacancies give rise to unusual, long-range bonding rearrangements, which are different for each defect charge state. The 2-fold coordinated intra-layer vacancy is the lowest cost vacancy and forms a deep level 1.5 eV below the conduction band edge. The 3-fold intra-layer vacancy and the 2-fold inter-layer vacancy are higher cost defects, and form shallower levels. The unusual bonding rearrangements lead to low oxygen migration barriers, which are useful for resistive random access memory applications. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.