Infection and propagation of lymphocystis virus isolated from the cultured flounder Paralichthys olivaceus in grass carp cell lines

The causative agent of lymphocystis disease that frequently occurs in cultured flounder Paralichthys olivaceus in China is lymphocystis virus (LV). In this study, 13 fish cell lines were tested for their susceptibility to LV. Of these, 2 cell lines derived from the freshwater grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus proved susceptible to the LV, and 1 cell line, GCO (grass carp ovary), was therefore used to replicate and propagate the virus. An obvious cytopathic effect (CPE) was first observed in cell monolayers at 1 d post-inoculation, and at 3 d this had extended to about 75% of the cell monolayer. However, no further CPE extension was observed after 4 d. Cytopathic characteristics induced by the LV were detected by Giemsa staining and fluorescence microscopic observation with Hoechst 33258 staining. The propagated virus particles were also observed by electron microscopy. Ultrastructure analysis revealed several distinct cellular changes, such as chromatin compaction and margination, vesicle formation, cell-surface convolution, nuclear fragmentation and the occurrence of characteristic 'blebs' and cell fusion. This study provides a detailed report of LV infection and propagation in a freshwater fish cell line, and presents direct electron microscopy evidence for propagation of the virus in infected cells. A possible process by which the CPEs are controlled is suggested.

Flexible Control of Light Propagation Using a Novel Photonic Crystal Hetero-Waveguide Based on Silicon-on-Insulator Slab

We demonstrate a photonic crystal hetero-waveguide based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) slab, consisting of two serially connected width-reduced photonic crystal waveguides with different radii of the air holes adjacent to the waveguide. We show theoretically that the transmission window of the structure corresponds to the transmission range common to both waveguides and it is in inverse proportion to the discrepancy between the two waveguides. Also the group velocity of guided mode can be changed from low to high or high to low, depending on which port of the structure the signal is input from just in the same device, and the variation is proportional to the discrepancy between the two waveguides. Using this novel structure, we realize flexible control of transmission window and group velocity of guided mode simultaneously.

High-temperature AlN interlayer for crack-free AlGaN growth on GaN

This paper presents a study of the transformation of high-temperature AlN (HT-AlN) interlayer (IL) and its effect on the strain relaxation of Al0.25Ga0.75N/HT-AlN/GaN. The HT-AlN IL capped with Al0.25Ga0.75N transforms into AlGaN IL in which the Al composition increases with the HT-AlN IL thickness while the total Ga content keeps nearly constant. During the HT-AlN IL growth on GaN, the tensile stress is relieved through the formation of V trenches. The filling up of the V trenches by the subsequent Al0.25Ga0.75N growth is identified as the Ga source for the IL transformation, whose effect is very different from a direct growth of HT-AlGaN IL. The a-type dislocations generated during the advancement of V trenches and their filling up propagate into the Al0.25Ga0.75N overlayer. The a-type dislocation density increases dramatically with the IL thickness, which greatly enhances the strain relaxation of Al0.25Ga0.75N. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Finite element beam propagation method for analysis of plasmonic waveguide

The basic idea of the finite element beam propagation method (FE-BPM) is described. It is applied to calculate the fundamental mode of a channel plasmonic polariton (CPP) waveguide to confirm its validity. Both the field distribution and the effective index of the, fundamental mode are given by the method. The convergence speed shows the advantage and stability of this method. Then a plasmonic waveguide with a dielectric strip deposited on a metal substrate is investigated, and the group velocity is negative for the fundamental mode of this kind of waveguide. The numerical result shows that the power flow direction is reverse to that of phase velocity.

Tuning of plasmon propagation in two-dimensional electrons

It is shown theoretically that the propagation of plasmons can be tuned by an external electric field via spin-orbit interactions in a two-dimensional electron gas formed in a semiconductor heterostructure. This may provide a manageable way of transmitting quantum information in a quantum device. A possible plasmon field effect transistor is proposed.

Growth of crack-free GaN films on Si(111) substrate by using Al-rich AlN buffer layer

GaN epilayers were grown on Si(111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. By using the Al-rich AlN buffer which contains Al beyond stoichiometry, crack-free GaN epilayers with 1 mum thickness were obtained. Through x-ray diffraction (XRD) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy analyses, it was found that a lot of Al atoms have diffused into the under part of the GaN epilayer from the Al-rich AlN buffer, which results in the formation of an AlxGa1-xN layer at least with 300 nm thickness in the 1 mum thick GaN epilayer. The Al fraction x was estimated by XRD to be about 2.5%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth analysis was also applied to investigate the stoichiometry in the Al-rich buffer before GaN growth. It is suggested that the underlayer AlxGa1-xN originated from Al diffusion probably provides a compressive stress to the upper part of the GaN epilayer, which counterbalances a part of tensile stress in the GaN epilayer during cooling down and consequently reduces the cracks of the film effectively. The method using the Al diffusion effect to form a thick AlGaN layer is really feasible to achieve the crack-free GaN films and obtain a high crystal quality simultaneously. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Growth of crack-free AlGaN film on thin AlN interlayer by MOCVD

We have studied the effect of low-temperature-deposited (LT) and high-temperature-deposited (FIT) AlN interlayer with various thickness on AlGaN film grown on GaN using c-plane sapphire as substrate. All the Al0.25Ga0.75N films thicker than 1 mum with LT-AlN interlayer or with HT-AlN interlayer were free of cracks, however, their surfaces were different: the Al0.25Ga0.75N films with LT-AlN interlayer showed smooth surface, while those with HT-AlN interlayer exhibit rough surface morphology. The results of X-ray double crystal diffraction and Rutherford backscattering showed that all of the AlGaN films were under compressive strain in the parallel direction. The compressive strain resulted from the effect of interlayer-induced stress relieving and the thermal mismatch for the samples with LT-AlN interlayer, and it was due to the thermal mismatch between AlGaN and the underlying layers for those with HT-AlN interlayer. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Single-mode behaviour judgment of optical waveguides by imaginary-distance beam propagation method under perfectly matched layer boundary condition

Imaginary-distance beam propagation method under the perfectly matched layer boundary condition is applied to judge single-mode behaviour of optical waveguides, for the first time to our knowledge. A new kind of silicon-on-insulator-based rib structures with half-circle cross-section is presented. The single-mode behaviour of this kind of waveguide with radius 2mum is investigated by this method. It is single-mode when the slab height is not smaller than the radius.

Optical waveguide propagation loss measurement using multiple reflections method

Optical waveguide propagation loss measurement method based on optical multiple reflections detection is presented in this paper. By using a precision reflectometer, uncertain influence on waveguide propagation loss measurement caused by fiber-waveguide coupling can be eliminated effectively and the waveguide net propagation loss can be measured accurately. To demonstrate this, the propagation loss of a Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) rib waveguide fabricated by RIE is measured with the obtained value being 4.3 dB/cm. This method provides a non-destructive means for evaluating waveguide propagation loss. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crack-free GaN/Si(111) epitaxial layers grown with InAlGaN alloy as compliant interlayer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

A new method is demonstrated to be effective in reducing mismatch-induced tensile stress and suppressing the formation of cracks by inserting InAlGaN interlayers during the growth of GaN upon Si (1 1 1) substrate. Compared with GaN film without quaternary interlayer, GaN layer grown on InAlGaN compliant layers shows a five times brighter integrated PL intensity and a (0 0 0 2) High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) curve width of 18 arcmin. Its chi(min), derived from Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), is about 2.0%, which means that the crystalline quality of this layer is very good. Quaternary InAlGaN layers, which are used as buffer layers firstly, can play a compliant role to endure the large mismatch-induced stress and reduce cracks during the growth of GaN epitaxy. The mechanisms leading to crack density reduction are investigated and results show that the phase immiscibility and the weak In-N bond make interlayer to offer tenability in the lattice parameters and release the thermal stress. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Calculation of propagation loss in photonic crystal waveguides by FDTD technique and Pade approximation

The propagation losses in single-line defect waveguides in a two-dimensional (2D) square-lattice photonic crystal (PC) consisted of infinite dielectric rods and a triangular-lattice photonic crystal slab with air holes are studied by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique and a Pade approximation. The decaying constant beta of the fundamental guided mode is calculated from the mode frequency, the quality factor (Q-factor) and the group velocity v(g) as beta = omega/(2Qv(g)). In the 2D square-lattice photonic crystal waveguide (PCW), the decaying rate ranged from 10(3) to 10(-4) cm(-1) can be reliably obtained from 8 x 10(3)-item FDTD output with the FDTD computing time of 0.386 ps. And at most 1 ps is required for the mode with the Q-factor of 4 x 10(11) and the decaying rate of 10(-7) cm(-1). In the triangular-lattice photonic crystal slab, a 10(4)-item FDTD output is required to obtain a reliable spectrum with the Q-factor of 2.5 x 10(8) and the decaying rate of 0.05 cm(-1). (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crack-free InAlGaN quaternary alloy films grown on Si(111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Crack-free In0.08Al0.25Ga0.67N quaternary films, with and without thick (> 1.5 mum) high-temperature-GaN (HTGaN) interlayer, have been grown on Si(1 1 1) substrates by a low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. Mole fractions of In and Al in quaternary alloy layers are determined by Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), which are recorded as similar to8% and similar to25-27%, respectively. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and room temperature photoluminescence (RT-PL) results evidence the film's single crystal structure and the existence of local In- and/or Al-rich regions. Compared with GaN film grwon on Si(1 1 1) substrate, no crack is observed in the quaternary ones. Two explanations are proposed. First, mismatch-induced strain is relaxed significantly due to gradual changes of In concentration. Second, the weak In-N bond is likely to break when the sample is cooled down to the room temperature, which is expected to favor the releasing of thermal stress. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial distribution of deep level defects in crack-free AlGaN grown on GaN with a high-temperature AlN interlayer

The deep level luminescence of crack-free Al0.25Ga0.75N layers grown on a GaN template with a high-temperature grown AlN interlayer has been studied using spatially resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy. The CL spectra of Al0.25Ga0.75N grown on a thin AlN interlayer present a deep level aquamarine luminescence (DLAL) band at about 2.6 eV and a deep level violet luminescence (DLVL) band at about 3.17 eV. Cross-section line scan CL measurements on a cleaved sample edge clearly reveal different distributions of DLAL-related and DLVL-related defects in AlGaN along the growth direction. The DLAL band of AlGaN is attributed to evolve from the yellow luminescence band of GaN, and therefore has an analogous origin of a radiative transition between a shallow donor and a deep acceptor. The DLVL band is correlated with defects distributed near the GaN/AlN/AlGaN interfaces. Additionally, the lateral distribution of the intensity of the DLAL band shows a domainlike feature which is accompanied by a lateral phase separation of Al composition. Such a distribution of deep level defects is probably caused by the strain field within the domains. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Light-propagation characteristics of photonic crystal waveguide based on SOI materials at different polarized states

Straight single-line defect optical waveguides in photonic crystal slabs are designed by the plane wave expansion method and fabricated into silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer by 248-nm deep UV lithography. We present an efficient way to measure the light transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal waveguide (PhC WG) at given polarization states. By employing the Mueller/Stokes method, we measure and analyse the light propagation properties of the PhC WG at different polarized states. It is shown that experimental results are in agreement with the simulation results of the three-dimensional finite-difference-time-domain method.

Crack control in GaN grown on silicon (111) using In doped low-temperature AlGaN interlayer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The effects of In doped low-temperature (LT) AlGaN interlayer on the properties of GaN/Si(111) by MOCVD have been investigated. Using In doping LT-interlayer can decrease the stress sufficiently for avoiding crack formation in a thick (2.0 mu m) GaN layer. Significant improvement in the crystal and optical properties of GaN layer is also achieved. In doping is observed to reduce the stress in AlGaN interlayer measured by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). It can provide more compressive stress to counteract tensile stress and reduce crack density in subsequent GaN layer. Moreover, as a surfactant, indium is observed to cause an enhanced PL intensity and the narrowed linewidths of PL and XRD spectra for the LT-interlayer. Additionally, the crystal quality of GaN layer is found to be dependent on the growth parameters of underneath In-doped LT-AlGaN interlayer. The optimal parameters, such as TMIn flow rate, TMAl flow rates and thickness, are achieved to obtain nearly 2.0 mu m thick crack free GaN film with advanced optical and crystal properties. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.