Image reconstruction enables high resolution imaging at large penetration depths in fluorescence microscopy

Imaging thick specimen at a large penetration depth is a challenge in biophysics and material science. Refractive index mismatch results in spherical aberration that is responsible for streaking artifacts, while Poissonian nature of photon emission and scattering introduces noise in the acquired three-dimensional image. To overcome these unwanted artifacts, we introduced a two-fold approach: first, point-spread function modeling with correction for spherical aberration and second, employing maximum-likelihood reconstruction technique to eliminate noise. Experimental results on fluorescent nano-beads and fluorescently coated yeast cells (encaged in Agarose gel) shows substantial minimization of artifacts. The noise is substantially suppressed, whereas the side-lobes (generated by streaking effect) drops by 48.6% as compared to raw data at a depth of 150 mu m. Proposed imaging technique can be integrated to sophisticated fluorescence imaging techniques for rendering high resolution beyond 150 mu m mark. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Monte Carlo simulation of light transport in tissue for optimizing light delivery in photoacoustic imaging of the sentinel lymph node

Noninvasive or minimally invasive identification of sentinel lymph node (SLN) is essential to reduce the surgical effects of SLN biopsy. Photoacoustic (PA) imaging of SLN in animal models has shown its promise for clinical use in the future. Here, we present a Monte Carlo simulation for light transport in the SLN for various light delivery configurations with a clinical ultrasound probe. Our simulation assumes a realistic tissue layer model and also can handle the transmission/reflectance at SLN-tissue boundary due to the mismatch of refractive index. Various light incidence angles show that for deeply situated SLNs the maximum absorption of light in the SLN is for normal incidence. We also show that if a part of the diffused reflected photons is reflected back into the skin using a reflector, the absorption of light in the SLN can be increased significantly to enhance the PA signal. (C) 2013 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Nanostructured CexZn1-xO thin films: Influence of Ce doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties

Thin films of CexZn1-xO thin films were deposited on glass substrates at 400 degrees C by nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. Ce doping concentration (x) was varied from 0 to 10%, in steps of 2.5%. X-ray diffraction reveals that all the films have polycrystalline nature with hexagonal crystal structure and high preferential orientation along (002) plane. Optical parameters such as; transmittance, band gap energy, refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), complex dielectric constants (epsilon(r), epsilon(i)) and optical conductivity (sigma(r), sigma(i)) have been determined and discussed with respect to Ce concentration. All the films exhibit transmittance above 80% in the wavelength range from 330 to 2500 nm. Optical transmission measurements indicate the decrease of direct band gap energy from 3.26 to 3.12 eV with the increase of Ce concentration. Photoluminescence spectra show strong near band edge emission centered similar to 398 nm and green emission centered similar to 528 nm with excitation wavelength similar to 350 nm. High resolution scanning electron micrographs indicate the formation of vertical nano-rod like structures on the film surface with average diameter similar to 41 nm. Electrical properties of the Ce doped ZnO film have been studied using ac impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 100 Hz-1 MHz at different temperatures. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laser- induced optical properties change in Sb10S40Se50 chalcogenide thin films: An investigation through FTIR and XPS measurements

Chalcogenide glasses are interesting materials for their infrared transmitting properties and photo-induced effects. This paper reports the influence of light on the optical properties of Sb10S40Se50 thin films. The amorphous nature and chemical composition of the deposited film was studied by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The optical constants, i.e., refractive index, extinction coefficient, and optical band gap as well as film thickness are determined from the measured transmission spectra using the Swanepoel method. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple-DiDomenico model. The dispersion energy parameter was found to be less for the laser-irradiated film, which indicates the laser-irradiated film is more microstructurally disordered as compared to the as-prepared film. It is observed that laser-irradiation of the films leads to decrease in optical band gap (photo-darkening) while increase in refractive index. The decrease in the optical band gap is explained on the basis of change in nature of films due to chemical disorderness and the increase in refractive index may be due to the densification of films with improved grain structure because of microstructural disorderness in the films. The optical changes are supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. (C) 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Diffraction tomography from intensity measurements: an evolutionary stochastic search to invert experimental data

We develop iterative diffraction tomography algorithms, which are similar to the distorted Born algorithms, for inverting scattered intensity data. Within the Born approximation, the unknown scattered field is expressed as a multiplicative perturbation to the incident field. With this, the forward equation becomes stable, which helps us compute nearly oscillation-free solutions that have immediate bearing on the accuracy of the Jacobian computed for use in a deterministic Gauss-Newton (GN) reconstruction. However, since the data are inherently noisy and the sensitivity of measurement to refractive index away from the detectors is poor, we report a derivative-free evolutionary stochastic scheme, providing strictly additive updates in order to bridge the measurement-prediction misfit, to arrive at the refractive index distribution from intensity transport data. The superiority of the stochastic algorithm over the GN scheme for similar settings is demonstrated by the reconstruction of the refractive index profile from simulated and experimentally acquired intensity data. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America

Influence of O-2 flow rate on HfO2 gate dielectrics for back-gated graphene transistors

HfO2 thin films deposited on Si substrate using electron beam evaporation, are evaluated for back-gated graphene transistors. The amount of O-2 flow rate, during vaporation is optimized for 35 nm thick HfO2 films, to achieve the best optical, chemical and electrical properties. It has been observed that with increasing oxygen flow rate, thickness of the films increased and refractive index decreased due to increase in porosity resulting from the scattering of the evaporant. The films deposited at low O-2 flow rates (1 and 3 SCCM) show better optical and compositional properties. The effects of post-deposition annealing and post-metallization annealing in forming gas ambience (FGA) on the optical and electrical properties of the films have been analyzed. The film deposited at 3 SCCM O-2 flow rate shows the best properties as measured on MOS capacitors. To evaluate the performance of device properties, back-gated bilayer graphene transistors on HfO2 films deposited at two O-2 flow rates of 3 and 20 SCCM have been fabricated and characterized. The transistor with HfO2 film deposited at 3 SCCM O-2 flow rate shows better electrical properties consistent with the observations on MOS capacitor structures. This suggests that an optimum oxygen pressure is necessary to get good quality films for high performance devices.

Monte Carlo simulation of light transport in turbid medium with embedded object-spherical, cylindrical, ellipsoidal, or cuboidal objects embedded within multilayered tissues

Monte Carlo modeling of light transport in multilayered tissue (MCML) is modified to incorporate objects of various shapes (sphere, ellipsoid, cylinder, or cuboid) with a refractive-index mismatched boundary. These geometries would be useful for modeling lymph nodes, tumors, blood vessels, capillaries, bones, the head, and other body parts. Mesh-based Monte Carlo (MMC) has also been used to compare the results from the MCML with embedded objects (MCML-EO). Our simulation assumes a realistic tissue model and can also handle the transmission/reflection at the object-tissue boundary due to the mismatch of the refractive index. Simulation of MCML-EO takes a few seconds, whereas MMC takes nearly an hour for the same geometry and optical properties. Contour plots of fluence distribution from MCML-EO and MMC correlate well. This study assists one to decide on the tool to use for modeling light propagation in biological tissue with objects of regular shapes embedded in it. For irregular inhomogeneity in the model (tissue), MMC has to be used. If the embedded objects (inhomogeneity) are of regular geometry (shapes), then MCML-EO is a better option, as simulations like Raman scattering, fluorescent imaging, and optical coherence tomography are currently possible only with MCML. (C) 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Super-Resolution Reconstruction in Frequency-Domain Optical-Coherence Tomography Using the Finite-Rate-of-Innovation Principle

The standard approach to signal reconstruction in frequency-domain optical-coherence tomography (FDOCT) is to apply the inverse Fourier transform to the measurements. This technique offers limited resolution (due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). We propose a new super-resolution reconstruction method based on a parametric representation. We consider multilayer specimens, wherein each layer has a constant refractive index and show that the backscattered signal from such a specimen fits accurately in to the framework of finite-rate-of-innovation (FRI) signal model and is represented by a finite number of free parameters. We deploy the high-resolution Prony method and show that high-quality, super-resolved reconstruction is possible with fewer measurements (about one-fourth of the number required for the standard Fourier technique). To further improve robustness to noise in practical scenarios, we take advantage of an iterated singular-value decomposition algorithm (Cadzow denoiser). We present results of Monte Carlo analyses, and assess statistical efficiency of the reconstruction techniques by comparing their performance against the Cramer-Rao bound. Reconstruction results on experimental data obtained from technical as well as biological specimens show a distinct improvement in resolution and signal-to-reconstruction noise offered by the proposed method in comparison with the standard approach.

MEMS Tunable Optical Filter Based on Multi-Ring Resonator

We propose a novel MEMS tunable optical filter with a flat-top pass band based on multi-ring resonator in an electrostatically actuated microcantilever for communication application. The filter is basically structured on a microcantilever beam and built in optical integrated ring resonator which is placed in one end of the beam to gain maximum stress on the resonator. Thus, when a DC voltage is applied, the beam will bend, that induces a stress and strain in the ring, which brings a change in refractive index and perimeter of the rings leading to change in the output spectrum shift, providing the tenability as high as 0.68nm/mu N. and it is capable of tuning up to 1.7nm.

Highly Sensitive Carbon Nanotubes Coated Etched Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor for Humidity Sensing

The sensing of relative humidity (RH) at room temperature has potential applications in several areas ranging from biomedical to horticulture, paper, and textile industries. In this paper, a highly sensitive humidity sensor based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated on the surface of an etched fiber Bragg grating (EFBG) sensor has been demonstrated, for detecting RH over a wide range of 20%-90% at room temperature. When water molecules interact with the CNT coated EFBG, the effective refractive index of the fiber core changes, resulting in a shift in the Bragg wavelength. It has been possible to achieve a high sensitivity of similar to 31 pm/% RH, which is the highest compared with many of the existing FBG-based humidity sensors. The limit of detection in the CNT coated EFBG has been found to be similar to 0.03 RH. The experimental data shows a linear response of Bragg wavelength shift with increase in humidity. This novel method of incorporating CNTs on to the FBG sensor for humidity sensing has not been reported before.

Photo-induced optical bleaching in Ge12Sb25S63 amorphous chalcogenide thin films: effect of 532 nm laser illumination

The photo-induced effects of Ge12Sb25S63 films illuminated with 532 nm laser light are investigated from transmission spectra measured by FTIR spectroscopy. The material exhibits photo-bleaching (PB) when exposed to band gap light for a prolonged time in a vacuum. The PB is ascribed to structural changes inside the film as well as surface photooxidation. The amorphous nature of thin films was detected by x-ray diffraction. The chemical composition of the deposited thin films was examined by energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX). The refractive indices of the films were obtained from the transmission spectra based on an inverse synthesis method and the optical band gaps were derived from optical absorption spectra using the Tauc plot. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple-DiDomenico model. It was found that the mechanism of the optical absorption follows the rule of the allowed non-direct transition. Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) were measured and decomposed into several peaks that correspond to the different structural units which support the optical changes.

Thermal and spectroscopic investigations of glasses in the system PbO-PbCl2-PbBr2

Glass formation has been examined in the system 15PbO.xPbCl(2).(85-x)PbBr2 (where 0 <= x <= 25)where the PbO concentration is kept constant while PbCl2 and PbBr2 concentrations are varied. The glasses have been examined using thermal and spectroscopic techniques. T-8, Delta C-p, refractive index, optical basicity have been found to remain unaffected by the composition which is a curious feature of these glasses. It is found that there is a wide infrared window available for use in the investigated glasses. The IR window extends from 1000 to 1500 cm(-1) and in glasses where PbCl2 is less than 20 mol%, the window extends up to 2260 cm(-1). X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) revealed that the 4f(5/2) and 4f(7/2) peaks due to f-level transitions have a constant difference in energies, but with energy and FWHM values that varying sensitively and systematically with composition. The observations are discussed and suitable explanations are provided.

Optimum Parameter Selection in Sparse Reconstruction of Frequency-Domain Optical-Coherence Tomography Signals

For a multilayered specimen, the back-scattered signal in frequency-domain optical-coherence tomography (FDOCT) is expressible as a sum of cosines, each corresponding to a change of refractive index in the specimen. Each of the cosines represent a peak in the reconstructed tomogram. We consider a truncated cosine series representation of the signal, with the constraint that the coefficients in the basis expansion be sparse. An l(2) (sum of squared errors) data error is considered with an l(1) (summation of absolute values) constraint on the coefficients. The optimization problem is solved using Weiszfeld's iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS) algorithm. On real FDOCT data, improved results are obtained over the standard reconstruction technique with lower levels of background measurement noise and artifacts due to a strong l(1) penalty. The previous sparse tomogram reconstruction techniques in the literature proposed collecting sparse samples, necessitating a change in the data capturing process conventionally used in FDOCT. The IRLS-based method proposed in this paper does not suffer from this drawback.

High performance sol-gel spin-coated titanium dioxide dielectric based MOS structures

High-kappa TiO2 thin films have been fabricated using cost effective sol-gel and spin-coating technique on p-Si (100) wafer. Plasma activation process was used for better adhesion between TiO2 films and Si. The influence of annealing temperature on the structure-electrical properties of titania films were investigated in detail. Both XRD and Raman studies indicate that the anatase phase crystallizes at 400 degrees C, retaining its structural integrity up to 1000 degrees C. The thickness of the deposited films did not vary significantly with the annealing temperature, although the refractive index and the RMS roughness enhanced considerably, accompanied by a decrease in porosity. For electrical measurements, the films were integrated in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure. The electrical measurements evoke a temperature dependent dielectric constant with low leakage current density. The Capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of the films annealed at 400 degrees C exhibited a high value of dielectric constant (similar to 34). Further, frequency dependent C-V measurements showed a huge dispersion in accumulation capacitance due to the presence of TiO2/Si interface states and dielectric polarization, was found to follow power law dependence on frequency (with exponent `s'=0.85). A low leakage current density of 3.6 x 10(-7) A/cm(2) at 1 V was observed for the films annealed at 600 degrees C. The results of structure-electrical properties suggest that the deposition of titania by wet chemical method is more attractive and cost-effective for production of high-kappa materials compared to other advanced deposition techniques such as sputtering, MBE, MOCVD and AID. The results also suggest that the high value of dielectric constant kappa obtained at low processing temperature expands its scope as a potential dielectric layer in MOS device technology. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of laser irradiation on optical properties of Ge12Sb25Se63 amorphous chalcogenide thin films

The change in photo-induced optical properties in thermally evaporated Ge12Sb25Se63 chalcogenide thin film under 532-nm laser illumination has been reported in this paper. The structure and composition of the film have been examined by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, respectively. The optical properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and thickness of the films have been determined from the transmission spectra based on inverse synthesis method and the optical band gap has been derived from optical absorption spectra using the Tauc plot. It has been found that the mechanism of the optical absorption is due to allowed indirect transition. The optical band gap increases by 0.05 eV causing photo-bleaching mechanism, while refractive index decreases because of reduction in structural disordering. Deconvolution of Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra into several peaks provides different structural units, which supports the optical photo-bleaching.