Effects of Yb concentration on the fluorescence spectra of Yb-doped YAlO3 single crystals

0.5 at.% Yb:YAlO3(YAP), 5 at.% Yb:YAP and 15 at.% Yb:YAP were grown using the Czochralski method. Their absorption and fluorescence spectra were measured at room temperature and their emission line shape was calculated using the method of reciprocity. It was observed that the fluorescence spectra changed appreciably with the increasing of Yb concentration. For 0.5 at.% Yb:YAP, the line shape of fluorescence is very similar with the calculated emission line shape; with the increasing of Yb doping concentration, the line shape of fluorescence is very different from the calculated emission line shape. These phenomena are caused by the strong self-absorption at 979 and 999 nm for Yb:YAP. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of air annealing on the spectral properties of Ce : Y3Al5O12 single crystals grown by the temperature gradient technique

Five absorption hands, at 227, 300 340, 370 and 457nm, were observed in the optical absorption spectrum of Ce:Y3Al5O12 (Ce:YAG) crystals grown by the temperature gradient technique (TGT). The absorption bands at 227, 340, and 457 nm were identified Lis belonging to the Ce3+ -ion in the YAG crystal. A near UV optical emission band at 398nm was observed. with an excitation spectrum containing two bands, at 235 and 370nm. No fluorescence was detected under 300 nm excitation. The pair of absorption bands at 235 and 370 nm and the absorption band at 300 nm were attributed to the F- and F+-type color centers, respectively. The color centers model was also applied to explain the spectral changes in the Ce:YAG (TGT) crystal, including the reduction in the Ce 31 -ion absorption intensity, after annealing in an oxidizing atmosphere (air). (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Infrared to visible upconversion fluorescence in Yb,Tm : YAG single crystal

Absorption spectrum from 400 to 2000 run and upconversion fluorescence spectra under 940 nm pumping of YAG single crystal codoped with 5 at.% Yb3+ and 4 at.% Tm3+ were studied at room temperature. The blue upconversion emission centered at 483 nm corresponds to the transition (1)G(4) -> H-3(6), the emission band around 646 nm corresponds to the transition (1)G(4) -> F-3(4) of Tm3+. Energy transfer from Yb3+ to Tm3+ is mainly nonradiative and the transfer efficiency was experimentally assessed. The line strengths, transition probabilities and radiative lifetimes of (1)G(4) level were calculated by using Judd-Ofelt theory. Gain coefficient calculated from spectra shows that the upconversion corresponding with transitions (1)G(4) -> H-3(6) in YAG doped with Yb3+ and Tm3+ is potentially useful for blue light Output. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High quantum fluorescence yield of Er3+ at 1.5 mu m in an Yb3+, Ce3+-codoped CaF2 crystal

For the first time, a quaternary doping system of Er3+, Yb3+, Ce3+, Na+:CaF2 single crystal was demonstrated to have high fluorescence yield in the eye-safe 1.5 mu m region under 980 nm laser diode pumping, with relatively broad and flat gain curves. A simplified model was established to illustrate the effect of Ce3+ on the branching ratio for the Er3+4I11/2 -> I-4(13/2) transition. With 0.2-at.% Er3+ and 2.0-at.% Ce3+ in the quaternary-doped CaF2 crystal, the branching ratio was estimated to be improved more than 40 times by the deactivating effect of Ce3+ on the Er3+ 4I11/2 level. The quaternary-doped CaF2, system shows great potential to achieve high laser performance in the 1.5 mu m region. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of fluorescence spectra of Yb : Y3Al5O12 and Yb : YALO(3) single crystals

Yb:Y3Al5O12 (Yb:YAG) single crystals with Yb doping concentration 0.5 at.%, 5 at.%, 15 at.%, 25 at.%, 50 at.%, 100 at.% and Yb:YAlO3 (Yb:YAP) single crystals with Yb doping concentration 0.5 at.%, 5 at.%, 15 at.%, 30 at.% were grown by the Czochralski process. The fluorescence spectra of these crystals and the effects of self-absorption on the shape of the fluorescence spectra were studied. Through comparing the fluorescence spectra of Yb:YAG and Yb:YAP, all results indicate that the effects of self-absorption on the fluorescence spectra of Yb:YAP are remarkably stronger than that of Yb:YAG at the same Yb concentration. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure and UV emission of nanocrystal ZnO films by thermal oxidation of ZnS films

ZnO films prepared by the thermal oxidation of the ZnS films through thermal evaporation are reported. The as-deposited ZnS films have transformed to ZnO films completely at 400 degrees C. The 400-700 degrees C annealed films with a preferential c-axis (002) orientation have a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The band gap of ZnO films shifts towards longer wavelength with the increase of the annealing temperature. The relationship between the band gap energy of ZnO films and the grain size is discussed. The shift of the band gap energy can be ascribed to the quantum confinement effect in nanocrystal ZnO films. The photoluminescence spectra of ZnO films show a dominant ultraviolet emission and no deep level or trap state defect emission in the green region. It confirms the absence of interstitial zinc or oxygen vacancies in ZnO films. These results indicate that ZnO film prepared by this simple thermal oxidation method is a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices and UV laser. (c) 2005 Elsevier BN. All rights reserved.

Al2O3/SiO2 films prepared by electron-beam evaporation as UV antireflection coatings on 4H-SiC

Al2O3/SiO2 films have been deposited as UV antireflection coatings on 4H-SiC by electron-beam evaporation and characterized by reflection spectrum, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The reflectance of the Al2O3/SiO2 films is 0.33% and 10 times lower than that of a thermally grown SiO2 single layer at 276 nm. The films are amorphous in microstructure and characterize good adhesion to 4H-SiC substrate. XPS results indicate an abrupt interface between evaporated SiO2 and 4H-SiC substrate free of Si-suboxides. These results make the possibility for 4H-SiC based high performance UV optoelectronic devices with Al2O3/SiO2 films as antireflection coatings. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Annealing effects on the optical and structural properties of Al2O3/SiO2 films as UV antireflection coatings on 4H-SiC substrates

Al2O3/SiO2 films have been prepared by electron-beam evaporation as ultraviolet (UV) antireflection coatings on 4H-SiC substrates and annealed at different temperatures. The films were characterized by reflection spectra, ellipsometer system, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. As the annealing temperature increased, the minimum reflectance of the films moved to the shorter wavelength for the variation of refractive indices and the reduction of film thicknesses. The surface grains appeared to get larger in size and the root mean square (RMS) roughness of the annealed films increased with the annealing temperature but was less than that of the as-deposited. The Al2O3/SiO2 films maintained amorphous in microstructure with the increase of the temperature. Meanwhile, the transition and diffusion in film component were found in XPS measurement. These results provided the important references for Al2O3/SiO2 films annealed at reasonable temperatures and prepared as fine anti-reflection coatings on 4H-SiC-based UV optoelectronic devices. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanism initiated by nanoabsorber for UV nanosecond-pulse-driven damage of dielectric coatings

A model of plasma formation induced by UV nanosecond pulselaser interaction with SiO2 thin film based on nanoabsorber is proposed. The model considers the temperature dependence of band gap. The numerical results show that during the process of nanosecond pulsed-laser interaction with SiO2 thin film, foreign inclusion which absorbs a fraction of incident radiation heats the surrounding host material through heat conduction causing the decrease of the band gap and consequently, the transformation of the initial transparent matrix into an absorptive medium around the inclusion, thus facilitates optical damage. Qualitative comparison with experiments is also provided. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Estudio de la interacción entre los canales Kv7.2 y la calmodulina utilizando la técnica Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC)

Empleo de la técnica BiFC para estudiar la interacción entre los canales Kv7.2 y la CaM. Para ello se realizan clonajes, se co-transfectan distintas combinaciones de éstos en células de mamífero y se analiza y cuantifica la intensidad de fluorescencia obtenida mediante microscopía confocal.