Deep silicon grating as high-extinction-ratio polarizing beam splitter

A deep binary silicon grating as high-extinction-ratio reflective polarizing beam splitter (PBS) at the wavelength of 1550 nm is presented. The design is based on the phenomenon of total internal reflection (TIR) by using the rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA). The extinction ratio of the rectangular PBS grating can reach 2.5×105 with the optimum grating period of 397 nm and groove depth of 1.092 μm. The effciencies of TM-polarized wave in the 0th order and TE-polarized wave in the −1st order can both reach unity at the Littrow angle. Holographic recording technology and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching could be used to fabricate the silicon PBS grating.

Genetic diversity and divergence in Chinese yak (Bos grunniens) populations inferred from blood protein electrophoresis

In 6 Chinese yak (Bos. grunniens) populations including 177 yaks, 34 blood protein loci were studied by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis, four of these loci (AKP: ALB, LDH-1, TF) were found to be polymorphic. The percentage of polymorphic loci(P) is 0.118, the mean individual heterozygosity(H) is 0.015, which means a low level of genetic diversity in the whole Chinese yak population. The coefficient of gene differentiation (G(ST)) is 0.0625, which indicated an almost-indistinguishable divergence among different populations at the level of blood protein electrophoresis.

Chronic morphine selectively impairs cued fear extinction in rats: Implications for anxiety disorders associated with opiate use

Previous studies have shown that opioid transmission plays an important role in learning and memory. However, little is known about the course of opiate-associated learning and memory deficits after cessation of chronic opiate use in a behavioral animal m

The decline and impending extinction of the South China tiger

The South China tiger Panthera tigris amoyensis is the rarest of the five living tiger subspecies, the most critically threatened and the closest to extinction. No wild South China tigers have been seen by officials for 25 years and one was last brought into captivity 27 years ago. The 19 reserves listed by the Chinese Ministry of Forestry within the presumed range of the tiger are spatially fragmented and most are too small to support viable tiger populations. Over the last 40 years wild populations have declined from thousands to a scattered few. Despite its plight and occasional anecdotal reports of sightings by local people, no intensive field study has been conducted on this tiger subspecies and its habitat. The captive population of about 50 tigers, derived from six wild-caught founders, is genetically impoverished with low reproductive output. Given the size and fragmentation of potential tiger habitat, saving what remains of the captive population may be the only option left to prevent extinction of this tiger subspecies, and even this option is becoming increasingly less probable. This precarious dilemma demands that conservation priorities be re-evaluated and action taken immediately to decide if recovery of the wild population will be possible.

First human-caused extinction of a cetacean species?

The Yangtze River dolphin or baiji ( Lipotes vexillifer), an obligate freshwater odontocete known only from the middle-lower Yangtze River system and neighbouring Qiantang River in eastern China, has long been recognized as one of the world's rarest and most threatened mammal species. The status of the baiji has not been investigated since the late 1990s, when the surviving population was estimated to be as low as 13 individuals. An intensive six-week multivessel visual and acoustic survey carried out in November-December 2006, covering the entire historical range of the baiji in the main Yangtze channel, failed to find any evidence that the species survives. We are forced to conclude that the baiji is now likely to be extinct, probably due to unsustainable by-catch in local fisheries. This represents the first global extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years, only the fourth disappearance of an entire mammal family since AD 1500, and the first cetacean species to be driven to extinction by human activity. Immediate and extreme measures may be necessary to prevent the extinction of other endangered cetaceans, including the sympatric Yangtze finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis).

A novel butt-joint scheme for the preparation of electro-absorptive lasers

A 1.55 mu m InGaAsP/InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well electro-absorption modulator (EAM) monolithically integrated with a distributed feedback laser (DFB) diode has been realized based on a novel butt-joint scheme by ultra-low metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy for the first time. The threshold current of 25 mA and an extinction ratio of more than 30 dB are obtained by using the novel structure. The beam divergence angles at the horizontal and vertical directions are as small as 19.3 degrees x 13 degrees, respectively, without a spot-size converter by undercutting the InGaAsP active region. The capacitance of the ridge waveguide device with a deep mesa buried by polyimide was reduced down to 0.30 pF.

Effect of metal contact's reflection on the effective coupling coefficient of second-order DFB laser diodes

For a second-order DFB-LD, the presence of a metal contact layer can reduce I-st-order radiation. Part of the reflected power is redistributed into guided modes and results in a variation of the effective coupling coefficient kappa(eff). In this paper, we study the effect of the Au top contact's reflection on the kappa(eff) of 2(nd)-order DFB lasers. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Monolithically integrated laser diode and electroabsorption modulator with dual-waveguide spot-size converter input and output

We have demonstrated a 1.60 mu m ridge-structure laser diode and electroabsorption modulator monolithically integrated with buried-ridge-structure dual-waveguide spot-size converters at the input and output ports for low-loss coupling to a cleaved single-mode optical fibre by means of selective area growth and asymmetric twin waveguide technologies. The devices emit in single transverse and quasi-single longitudinal modes with a side mode suppression ratio of 25.6 dB. These devices exhibit 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 15.0 GHz and modulator extinction ratios of 14.0 dB dc. The output beam divergence angles of the spot-size converter in the horizontal and vertical directions are as small as 7.3 degrees x 10.6 degrees, respectively, resulting in 3.0 dB coupling loss with a cleaved single-mode optical fibre.

Lossless electroabsorption modulator monolithically rntegrated with a semiconductor optical amplifier and dual-wavegulde spot-size converters

Semiconductor optical amplifier and electroabsorption modulator monolithically integrated with dual-waveguide spot-size converters at the input and output ports is demonstrated by means of selective area growth, quantum-well intermixing, and asymmetric twin waveguide technologies. At the wavelength range of 1550 similar to 1600 nm, lossless operation with extinction ratios of 25-dB dc and 11.8-dB radio frequency and more than 10-GHz 3-dB modulation bandwidth is successfully achieved. The output beam divergence angles of the device in the horizontal and vertical directions are as small as 7.3 degrees x 10.6 degrees, respectively, resulting in 3.0-dB coupling loss with cleaved single-mode optical fiber.

Electroabsorption-Modulated DFB laser Integrated.With dual-core spot-size converters

A 1.55-mu m single shallow ridge electroabsorptionmodulated distributed feedback laser that is monolithically integrated with a buried-ridge-stripe dual-core spot-size converter (SSC) at the input and output ports was fabricated by combining selective area growth, quantum-well intermixing, and dual-core integration techniques simultaneously. These devices exhibit a threshold current of 34 mA, a side mode suppression ratio of 38.0 dB, a 3-dB modulation bandwidth of 11.0 GHz, and a modulator extinction ratio of 25.0 dB dc. The output beam divergence angles of the SSC in the horizontal and vertical directions are as small as 7.3 degrees x 18 degrees, respectively, resulting in 3.2-dB coupling loss with a cleaved single-mode optical fiber.

Influence of N doping on the Rashba coefficient, semiconductor-metal transition, and electron effective mass in InSb1-xNx nanowires: Ten-band k center dot p model

The electronic structures of InSb1-xNx nanowires are investigated using the ten-band k center dot p method. It is found that nitrogen increases the Rashba coefficient of the nanowires dramatically. For thick nanowires, the Rashba coefficient may increase by more than 20 times. The semiconductor-metal transition occurs more easily in InSb1-xNx nanowires than in InSb nanowires. The electronic structure of InSb1-xNx nanowires is very different from that of the bulk material. For fixed x the bulk material is a semimetal, while the nanowires are metal-like. In InSb1-xNx bulk material and thick nanowires, an interesting decrease of electron effective mass is observed near k=0 which is induced by the nitrogen, but this phenomenon disappears in thin nanowires.

1.55-mu m Ridge DFB laser and electroabsorption modulator integrated with buried-ridge-stripe dual-waveguide spot-size converter output

A 1.55-mu m ridge distributed feedback laser and electroabsorption modulator monolithically integrated with a buried-ridge-stripe dual-waveguide spot-size converter (SSC) at the output port for low-loss coupling to a cleaved single-mode optical fiber was fabricated by means of selective area growth, quantum-well intermixing, and dual-core technologies. These devices exhibit threshold current of 28 mA, 3-dB modulation bandwidth of 12.0 GHz, modulator extinction ratios of 25.0-dB dc. The output beam divergence angles of the SSC in the horizontal and vertical directions are as small as 8.0 degrees x 12.6 degrees, respectively, resulting in 3.2-dB coupling loss with a cleaved single-mode optical fiber.

Surface acoustic wave velocity and electromechanical coupling coefficient of GaN grown on (0001) sapphire by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy

High-quality and high-resistivity GaN films were grown on (0001) sapphire face by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy. To measure the surface acoustic wave properties accurately, we deposited metallized interdigital transducers on the GaN surface. The acoustic surface wave velocity and electromechanical coupling coefficient were measured, respectively, to be 5667 m/s and 1.9% by the pulse method.

Simple reflection technique for measuring the linear electro-optic coefficient of the polymer thin films

The simple reflection technique is usually used to measure the linear electro-optic (EO) coefficient (Pockels coefficient) in the development of EO polymer thin films. But there are some problems in some articles in the determination of the phase shift between the s and p light modes of a laser beam waveguided into the polymer film while a modulating voltage is applied across the electrodes, and different expressions for the linear EO coefficient measured have been given in these articles. In our research, more accurate expression of the linear EO coefficient was deduced by suitable considering the phase shift between the s and p light modes. The linear EO coefficients of several polymer thin films were measured by reflection technique, and the results of the Linear EO coefficient calculated by different expressions were compared. The limit of the simple reflection technique for measuring the linear EO coefficient of the polymer thin films was discussed.