Michael B. Sinclair

Electron and hole mobility in tris(8‐hydroxyquinolinolato‐N1,O8) aluminum

We have measured the drift mobility of electrons and holes in thin, vapor‐deposited films of tris(8‐hydroxyquinolinolato‐N1,O8) aluminum using a time of flight photoconductivity technique. The drift of mobility of both carriers is dispersive and strongly electric field and temperature dependent. At ambient temperature and an electric field of 4×105 V cm−1, the effective mobility of electrons and holes is 1.4×10−6 and 2×10−8 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively, in a 400 nm thick sample.

Photoinduced hysteresis changes and optical storage in (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films and ceramics

Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 and (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films and bulk ceramics are shown to exhibit two distinct, but related types of photoinduced changes in their hysteresis behavior: (1) a photoinduced suppression of the switchable polarization and (2) a photoinduced voltage shift. Both effects give rise to stable and reproducible hysteresis changes and, thus, either could be the basis of an optical memory. Both phenomena can be explained by trapping of photogenerated charge at domain boundaries to minimize internal depolarizing fields. The space‐charge field that causes the voltage‐shift effect is primarily due to the migration and subsequent trapping of electrons. However, the thickness dependence of the voltage shift implies that the trapped charge is not confined to the interface. The voltage‐shift kinetics exhibit a stretched‐exponential dependence, whereas the polarization‐suppression effect follows an exponential time dependence. However, both effects exhibit similar relaxation times. In addition, the relaxation...

Realizing optical magnetism from dielectric metamaterials.

We demonstrate, for the first time, an all-dielectric metamaterial resonator in the mid-wave infrared based on high-index tellurium cubic inclusions. Dielectric resonators are desirable compared to conventional metallo-dielectric metamaterials at optical frequencies as they are largely angular invariant, free of ohmic loss, and easily integrated into three-dimensional volumes. With these low-loss, isotropic elements, disruptive optical metamaterial designs, such as wide-angle lenses and cloaks, can be more easily realized.

In vivo hyperspectral confocal fluorescence imaging to determine pigment localization and distribution in cyanobacterial cells

Hyperspectral confocal fluorescence imaging provides the opportunity to obtain individual fluorescence emission spectra in small (≈0.03-μm3) volumes. Using multivariate curve resolution, individual fluorescence components can be resolved, and their intensities can be calculated. Here we localize, in vivo, photosynthesis-related pigments (chlorophylls, phycobilins, and carotenoids) in wild-type and mutant cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Cells were excited at 488 nm, exciting primarily phycobilins and carotenoids. Fluorescence from phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, allophycocyanin-B/terminal emitter, and chlorophyll a was resolved. Moreover, resonance-enhanced Raman signals and very weak fluorescence from carotenoids were observed. Phycobilin emission was most intense along the periphery of the cell whereas chlorophyll fluorescence was distributed more evenly throughout the cell, suggesting that fluorescing phycobilisomes are more prevalent along the outer thylakoids. Carotenoids were prevalent in the cell wall and also were present in thylakoids. Two chlorophyll fluorescence components were resolved: the short-wavelength component originates primarily from photosystem II and is most intense near the periphery of the cell; and the long-wavelength component that is attributed to photosystem I because it disappears in mutants lacking this photosystem is of higher relative intensity toward the inner rings of the thylakoids. Together, the results suggest compositional heterogeneity between thylakoid rings, with the inner thylakoids enriched in photosystem I. In cells depleted in chlorophyll, the amount of both chlorophyll emission components was decreased, confirming the accuracy of the spectral assignments. These results show that hyperspectral fluorescence imaging can provide unique information regarding pigment organization and localization in the cell.

Hyperspectral confocal microscope.

We have developed a new, high performance, hyperspectral microscope for biological and other applications. For each voxel within a three-dimensional specimen, the microscope simultaneously records the emission spectrum from 500 nm to 800 nm, with better than 3 nm spectral resolution. The microscope features a fully confocal design to ensure high spatial resolution and high quality optical sectioning. Optical throughput and detection efficiency are maximized through the use of a custom prism spectrometer and a backside thinned electron multiplying charge coupled device (EMCCD) array. A custom readout mode and synchronization scheme enable 512-point spectra to be recorded at a rate of 8300 spectra per second. In addition, the EMCCD readout mode eliminates curvature and keystone artifacts that often plague spectral imaging systems. The architecture of the new microscope is described in detail, and hyperspectral images from several specimens are presented.

Optical magnetic mirrors without metals

The reflection of an optical wave from metal, arising from strong interactions between the optical electric field and the free carriers of the metal, is accompanied by a phase reversal of the reflected electric field. A far less common route to achieving high reflectivity exploits strong interactions between the material and the optical magnetic field to produce a “magnetic mirror” that does not reverse the phase of the reflected electric field. At optical frequencies, the magnetic properties required for strong interaction can be achieved only by using artificially tailored materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the magnetic mirror behavior of a low-loss all-dielectric metasurface at infrared optical frequencies through direct measurements of the phase and amplitude of the reflected optical wave. The enhanced absorption and emission of transverse-electric dipoles placed close to magnetic mirrors can lead to exciting new advances in sensors, photodetectors, and light sources.

Nonlinear amplitude evolution during spontaneous patterning of ion-bombarded Si(001)

The time evolution of the amplitude of periodic nanoscale ripple patterns formed on Ar+ sputtered Si(OOl ) surfaces was examined using a recently developed in situ spectroscopic technique. At sufficiently long times, we find that the amplitude does not continue to grow exponentially as predicted by the standard Bradley-Harper sputter rippling model. In accounting for this discrepancy, we rule out effects related to the concentration of mobile species, high surface curvature, surface energy anisotropy, and ion-surface interactions. We observe that for all wavelengths the amplitude ceases to grow when the width of the topmost terrace of the ripples is reduced to approximately 25 nm. This observation suggests that a short circuit relaxation mechanism limits amplitude . growth. A strategy for influencing the ultimate ripple amplitude is discussed.

Sol-gel processing of PZT thin films: A review of the state-of-the-art and process optimization strategies

Abstract Sol-gel processing has been widely employed for the fabrication of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. To successfully optimize thin film material properties for different applications, we must develop a fundamental understanding of the processing-property relationships inherent in the sol-gel fabrication process. In the asprepared state, sol-gel thin films are amorphous, have large organic contents, and can possess significant porosity. The preparation of thin films with acceptable properties requires that we effectively control densification and crystallization of the as-deposited film. We have determined that this “structural evolution” into the dense, crystalline ceramic phase may be affected by many aspects of the preparation process. In this paper we review the effects that tailored solution precursor characteristics and heat-treatment ramp rate can have on structural evolution. Specific examples are presented for process variation effects on the densification of thin films in the mod...

Design, construction, characterization, and application of a hyperspectral microarray scanner.

We describe the design, construction, and operation of a hyperspectral microarray scanner for functional genomic research. The hyperspectral instrument operates with spatial resolutions ranging from 3 to 30 microm and records the emission spectrum between 490 and 900 nm with a spectral resolution of 3 nm for each pixel of the microarray. This spectral information, when coupled with multivariate data analysis techniques, allows for identification and elimination of unwanted artifacts and greatly improves the accuracy of microarray experiments. Microarray results presented in this study clearly demonstrate the separation of fluorescent label emission from the spectrally overlapping emission due to the underlying glass substrate. We also demonstrate separation of the emission due to green fluorescent protein expressed by yeast cells from the spectrally overlapping autofluorescence of the yeast cells and the growth media.

Long working distance incoherent interference microscope

We describe the design and operation of a long-working-distance, incoherent light interference microscope that has been developed to address the growing demand for new microsystem characterization tools. The design of the new microscope is similar to that of a Linnik interference microscope and thus preserves the full working distance of the long-working-distance objectives utilized. However, in contrast to a traditional Linnik microscope, the new microscope does not rely on the use of matched objectives in the sample and the reference arms of the interferometer. An adjustable optical configuration has been devised that allows the total optical path length, wavefront curvature, and dispersion of the reference arm to be matched to the sample arm of the interferometer. The reference arm configuration can be adjusted to provide matching for 5x, 10x, and 20x long-working-distance objectives in the sample arm. In addition to retaining the full working distance of the sample arm objectives, the new design allows interference images to be acquired in situations in which intervening windows are necessary, such as occur with packaged microsystems, microfluidic devices, and cryogenic, vacuum, or environmental chamber studies of microsystem performance. The interference microscope is compatible with phase-shifting interferometry, vertical scanning interferometry, and stroboscopic measurement of dynamic processes.