The diphasic nc-Si/a-Si : H thin film with improved medium-range order

A series of silicon film samples were prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) near the threshold from amorphous to nanocrystalline state by adjusting the plasma parameters and properly increasing the reactions between the hydrogen plasma and the growing surface. The microstucture of the films was studied by micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The influences of the hydrogen dilution ratio of silane (R-H = [H-2]/[SiH4]) and the substrate temperature (T-s) on the microstructural and photoelectronic properties of silicon films were investigated in detail. With the increase of RH from 10 to 100, a notable improvement in the medium-range order (MRO) of the films was observed, and then the phase transition from amorphous to nanocrystalline phase occurred, which lead to the formation of diatomic hydrogen complex, H-2* and their congeries. With the increase of T-s from 150 to 275 degreesC, both the short-range order and the medium range order of the silicon films are obviously improved. The photoconductivity spectra and the light induced changes of the films show that the diphasic nc-Si/a-Si:H films with fine medium-range order present a broader light spectral response range in the longer wavelength and a lower degradation upon illumination than conventional a-Si:H films. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth and characterization of GaInNAs/GaAs by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We have studied the growth of GaInNAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) by molecular beam epitaxy using a DC plasma as the N sourer. The N concentration was independent of the As pressure and the In concentration, but inversely proportional to the growth rate. It was almost independent of T, over the range of 400-500 degreesC, but dropped rapidly when T-g exceeded 500 degreesC. Thermally-activated N surface segregation is considered to account for the strong falloff of the N concentration. As increasing N concentration, the steep absorption edge of the photovoltage spectra of GaInNAs/GaAs QW became gentle, the full-width at half-maximum of the photoluminescence (PL) peal; increased rapidly, and a so-called S-shaped temperature dependence of PL peak energy showed up. All these were attributed to the increasing localized state as N concentration. Ion-induced damage was one of the origins of the localized state. A rapid thermal annealing procedure could effectively remote the localized state. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science D.V. All rights reserved.

Broadband short-range surface plasmon structures for absorption enhancement in organic photovoltaics

We theoretically demonstrate a polarization-independent nanopatterned ultra-thin metallic structure supporting short-range surface plasmon polariton (SRSPP) modes to improve the performance of organic solar cells. The physical mechanism and the mode distribution of the SRSPP excited in the cell device were analyzed, and reveal that the SRSPP-assisted broadband absorption enhancement peak could be tuned by tailoring the parameters of the nanopatterned metallic structure. Three-dimensional finite-difference time domain calculations show that this plasmonic structure can enhance the optical absorption of polymer-based photovoltaics by 39% to 112%, depending on the nature of the active layer (corresponding to an enhancement in short-circuit current density by 47% to 130%). These results are promising for the design of organic photovoltaics with enhanced performance.

Tunable and switchable multiwavelength fiber lasers with broadband range based on nonlinear polarization rotation technique

Switchable multiwavelength fiber laser outputs with a wide tuning range are experimentally observed in an ultralong cavity. Because of the long spooled single-mode fiber and filter effect of the cavity, multiwavelength lasers with the spacing of similar to 14.5 nm are obtained. The proposed fiber laser has the capacity of simultaneously emitting the three wavelengths. By means of adjusting the polarization controllers, the arbitrary single- and dual-wavelength operations are achieved in our laser. (C) 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.3485754]

Range change in Metasequoia: relationship to palaeoclimate

IEECAS SKLLQG

Range-based attacks on links in random scale-free networks

Range and load play key roles in the problem of attacks on links in random scale-free (RSF) networks. In this paper we obtain the approximate relation between range and load in RSF networks by the generating function theory, and then give an estimation about the impact of attacks on the efficiency of the network. The results show that short-range attacks are more destructive for RSF networks, and are confirmed numerically.