A. Ueda

Host‐dependent optical transitions of Er3+ ions in lead–germanate and lead‐tellurium‐germanate glasses

Differential scanning calorimetry, Raman scattering, optical absorption, and upconversion of infrared to green luminescence have been studied for Er3+‐doped lead‐germanate glass 55GeO2⋅20PbO⋅10BaO⋅10ZnO⋅5K2O (GPBZK) and lead‐tellurium‐germanate glass 30GeO2⋅30PbO⋅30TeO2⋅10CaO (GPTC). Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters of Er3+ in the two host glasses were determined and used to calculate radiative transition rates and lifetimes. Values of the radiative quantum yield of the 4S3/2→4I15/2 transition and the infrared (797 nm) to green (547 nm) upconversion efficiency of Er3+ were obtained. It has been found that the 4S3/2→4I15/2 radiative transition rate of Er3+ in GPTC glass is about twice that in the GPBZK glass and the upconversion efficiency in the GPTC glass is about four times larger than that in the GPBZK glass. These host‐dependent properties are mainly attributed to the enhanced local field and the reduced multiphonon rate in lead‐tellurium‐germanate glass compared to lead‐germanate glass.

Enhanced photoresponse in ZnO nanowires decorated with CdTe quantum dot

The photoresponse of ZnO nanowires irradiated with photons having energies below the band gap of ZnO (3.4eV) was studied before and after deposition of CdTe quantum dots via a pulsed electron-beam technique. The small amount of deposited CdTe did not increase the dark current of the samples. However, a substantial increase in the steady state photocurrent was observed after CdTe deposition suggesting a clear photosensitization effect. Results revealed that CdTe influences the photoconductivity transients of ZnO by minimizing its interaction with oxygen in air as well as providing additional traps that serve to increase the photocurrent time constant.

GaAs nanocrystals formed by sequential ion implantation

Sequential ion implantation of As and Ga into SiO2 and α‐Al2O3 followed by thermal annealing has been used to form zinc‐blende GaAs nanocrystals in these two matrices. In SiO2, the nanocrystals are nearly spherical and randomly oriented, with diameters less than 15 nm. In Al2O3, the nanocrystals are three dimensionally aligned with respect to the crystal lattice. Infrared reflectance measurements show evidence for surface phonon modes in the GaAs nanocrystals in these matrices.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Using Silver-Coated Porous Glass-Ceramic Substrates

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been studied using a silver-coated porous glass-ceramic material as a new type of substrate. The porous glass-ceramic is in the CaO–TiO2–P2O5 system prepared by controlled crystallization and subsequent chemical leaching of the dense glass-ceramic, leaving a solid skeleton with pores ranging in size from 50 nm to submicrometer. Silver was coated on the surface of the porous glass-ceramic by radio frequency (RF) sputtering or e-beam evaporation in vacuum. SERS spectra of excellent quality were obtained from several dyes and carboxylic acid molecules, including rhodamine 6G, crystal violet, isonicotinic acid, and benzoic acid, using this new substrate. This new substrate showed a good compatibility with these molecules. The porous glass-ceramic with a nanometer-structured surface accommodated both test molecules and silver film. The absorbed molecules were therefore better interfaced with silver for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Er-doped ZnO films grown by pulsed e-beam deposition

Erbium (Er)-doped ZnO thin films were grown on fused silica (SiO2) substrates by pulsed electron-beam deposition (PED) and analysed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), ultraviolet–visible absorption, and photoluminescence (PL). Subsequent annealing at 700 °C produces remarkable effects on the optical properties of Er-doped films. Under 325 nm excitation, a dramatic increase of deep-level emission from 450 to 680 nm was observed from annealed Er-doped ZnO films. Under 488 nm excitation, the PL spectrum of annealed Er-doped ZnO films revealed sharp and well-resolved Stark-splitting peaks in both the green emission of transition and the red emission of transition of Er3+ ions, which suggests that the Er ions have been incorporated inside the crystalline ZnO grains after thermal annealing.

Luminescence of Er3+ in Oxyfluoride Transparent Glass-Ceramics

Abstract Erbium doped silicate, germanate, and tellurium-germanate oxyfluoride glasses were prepared in a bulk form. Through appropriate heat treatment of the as-prepared glasses, transparent glass-ceramics (TGCs) were obtained with the formation of β-PbF 2 : Er 3+ nanocrystals in the glass matrix were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Well-defined diffraction peaks were observed in the samples after heat-treatment. The average crystal diameter of these precipitated crystals from full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction peak was estimated to be between 8 and 13 nm. Optical absorption, photoluminescence, and upconversion luminescence were measured on as-prepared glass and glass-ceramics. Luminescence spectra in the TGC samples revealed well-resolved, sharp stark-splitting peaks, which indicates that a majority of Er 3+ ions has been incorporated into the crystalline phase of the nanocrystals. The intensity of the visible and near infrared luminescence mostly increases in TSG compared to that in the as-prepared glass. In 1.53 μm absorption and emission bands, the maximum absorption peak is blue-shifted from 1531 to 1507 nm, whereas the maximum emission peak is red-shifted from 1535 to 1543 nm in TGC, as compared with that in glass. The bandwidth at half-maximum (BWHM) of the emission band is significantly broader in TGC than in glass, which is beneficial to the erbium-doped fiber amplifier (ED-FA). Upconversion luminescence was measured using 800 nm near-infrared light excitation. Drastically increased upconversion luminescence was observed from the TGC as compared to that from their corresponding as-prepared glasses. In addition to a strong green emission centered at 545 nm because of 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 transition and a weaker red emission centered at 662 nm because of 4 F 9/2 → 4 I 15/2 transition, generally seen from the Er 3+ doped glasses, two violet emissions centered at 410 nm because of b H 9/2 → 4 I 15/2 transition and centered at 379 nm because of 4 G 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 transition were also observed from the TGC. The increased luminescence was attributed to the decreased effective phonon energy and the increased energy transfer between the excited ions when Er 3+ ions were incorporated into the precipitated β-PbF 2 nanocrystals. The results indicated two attractive spectroscopic properties of the Er 3+ doped TGC samples, compared to glass samples, namely a reduced multiphonon decay rate and a reduced inhomogeneous broadening. In addition, these oxyfluoride TGC materials were robust, easy and flexibile to process, and possible to be fabricated in the fiber form for device applications.

Optical and structural characterization of copper indium disulfide thin films

Thin films of copper indium disulfide (CuInS2) were synthesized by spray chemical vapor deposition. Rutherford backscattering measurements were used to determine the composition and thickness of the films. The elemental ratios were found to be within 2% of stoichiometrically correct CuInS2. The thickness of the films was found to be approximately 1.0 μm. An optical band-gap of approximately 1.44 eV for this material was determined by optical transmission spectroscopy. Reflectance spectroscopy identified phonon bands centered at 225, 291 and 317 cm−1.

Increased short circuit current in organic photovoltaic using high-surface area electrode based on ZnO nanowires decorated with CdTe quantum dots

A photosensitized high-surface area transparent electrode has been employed to increase the short circuit current of a photovoltaic device with a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the active layer. This is achieved by directly growing ZnO nanowires on indium tin oxide (ITO) film via a physical vapor method. The nanowire surface is then decorated with CdTe quantum dots by pulsed electron-beam deposition (PED). The nanowires alone provided a 20-fold increase in the short circuit current under visible light illumination. This was further increased by a factor of approximately 1.5 by the photosensitization effect of CdTe, which has an optical absorption of up to 820 nm.

Effects of interfacial interaction potential on the sublimation rates of TNT films on a silica surface examined by QCM and AFM techniques

The study of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) sublimation rates from the bulk surface and a substrate surface have been evaluated quantitatively with both atomic force microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) techniques. A first principle theoretical model is proposed, which allows obtaining three critical parameters, bulk sublimation rate, surface interaction potential, and the effective decay length, with no arbitrary parameters. The bulk sublimation rate predicted by the model is quantitatively confirmed by QCM experiments. The isothermal measurements with QCM showed that the sublimation activation energy of bulk TNT is 131 kJ/mol. More importantly, all results were obtained at one atmosphere and near room temperature. Thus, it should have direct impacts on explosive trace detection device applications.

Photoluminescence of Er-doped ZnO nanoparticle films via direct and indirect excitation

Photoluminescence (PL) of Er-doped ZnO nanoparticle films was studied. The films were grown on silicon (100) or fused silica substrates using e -beam evaporation and subsequently annealed at 700 °C in air for an hour. PL was measured at two excitation wavelengths, 325 and 514.5 nm. The 325 nm was used for exciting the host semiconductor ZnO while 514.5 nm was used for directly exciting Er 3+ ions in the ZnO host. Er 3+ luminescence was observed from annealed films using either indirect (325 nm) or direct (514.5 nm) excitations. It has been found that the indirect excitation is significantly more efficient than the direct excitation in producing 1.54 μm photoluminescence. With indirect excitation, the Er 3+ luminescence observed is attributed to energy transfer from ZnO host to the Er 3+ ions doped. Energy transfer from e-h pairs resulting from ZnO host excitation may provide efficient routes for exciting Er 3+ ions inside nano-crystalline particles of the films.