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Research Highlight Archive
On the shock response of cubic metals
N. K. Bourne, G. T. Gray, III, and J. C. F. Millett
The response of four cubic metals to shock loading is reviewed in order to understand the effects of microstructure on continuum response. A comparison of the behavior of these four materials illustrates the role of defect generation, transport, storage, and interaction in determining the response of materials to shock prestraining.
Photonic guiding structures in lithium niobate crystals produced by energetic ion beams
Feng Chen
This paper reviews the up-to-date research progress of ion-beam-processed LiNbO3 photonic structures and reports on their fabrication and characterization. The application of these LiNbO3 photonic guiding structures in both micro- and nanophotonics is briefly summarized.
Defects in ZnO
M. D. McCluskey1,2 and S. J. Jokela1
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band gap semiconductor with potential applications in optoelectronics, transparent electronics, and spintronics. In this review, the properties of group-I (Cu, Li, and Na) and group-V (N, P, As, and Sb) acceptors, and their complexes with H, are discussed. In the future, doping of ZnO nanocrystals will rely on an understanding of these fundamental properties.
Gas hydrates: Unlocking the energy from icy cages
Carolyn A. Koh, Amadeu K. Sum, and E. Dendy Sloan
This review examines recent research progress in molecular structural kinetic studies of gas hydrates, and the development of new strategies for detecting and producing energy from arctic and oceanic hydrated deposits, and producing new materials for hydrogen storage.
Three-dimensional microfabrication of materials by femtosecond lasers for photonics applications
Saulius Juodkazis, Vygantas Mizeikis, and Hiroaki Misawa
Fabrication of photonic crystal structures by direct laser writing and holographic recording by multiple beam interference techniques are discussed. The physical mechanisms associated with structure formation and postfabrication are described.
The photon haystack and emerging radiation detection technology
Robert C. Runkle, L. Eric Smith, and Anthony J. Peurrung
It is a daunting technical challenge to identify special nuclear materials via gamma-ray detection, but a host of new detection technologies is now emerging. This challenge motivates our review of special nuclear material signatures, the physics of detection approaches, emerging technologies, and performance metrics.
Intracavity nonlinearities in quantum-cascade lasers
Jing Bai and D. S. Citrin
We discuss various intracavity optical nonlinearities up to the third order in quantum-cascade lasers. The review surveys the technology progression for the enhancement of nonlinear frequency generation as well as the investigation of the physics behind the multimode output of quantum-cascade lasers.
When group-III nitrides go infrared: New properties and perspectives
Junqiao Wu
Electronic structure, carrier dynamics, optical transitions, defect physics, doping disparity, surface effects, and phonon structure are discussed in the context of the InN bandgap re-evaluation, and the progress, perspectives, and challenges in the development of new electronic and optoelectronic devices based on InGaN alloys are described. Advances in characterization and understanding of InN and InGaN nanostructures are reviewed in comparison to their thin film counterparts.
Third-generation infrared photodetector arrays
A. Rogalski, J. Antoszewski, and L. Faraone
Third-generation infrared (IR) systems provide enhanced capabilities such as larger numbers of pixels, higher frame rates, better thermal resolution, multicolor functionality, and/or other on-chip signal-processing functions. Fundamental and technological issues associated with the development and exploitation of third-generation IR photon detectors are discussed along with detector technology challenges including complicated device structures, thicker and multilayer material growth, and more difficult device fabrication, especially for large array sizes and/or small pixel dimensions.
Stressed multidirectional solid-phase epitaxial growth of Si
N. G. Rudawski, K. S. Jones, S. Morarka, M. E. Law, and R. G. Elliman
The solid-phase epitaxial growth (SPEG) process of Si amorphized via ion implantation has been a topic of fundamental and technological importance for several decades. This work reviews the progress made in understanding stressed multidirectional SPEG processes. Attempts are made to correlate prior observations in single-directional stressed SPEG with observations from patterned stressed SPEG. However, it ultimately appears that much of the understanding of single-directional stressed-SPEG process cannot be reasonably extended to the multidirectional stressed-SPEG process.
Ultrafast optics: Imaging and manipulating biological systems
Kraig E. Sheetz and Jeff Squier
The rapid evolution of ultrafast optics technology over the past two decades has opened the window to a broad range of applications in biology and medicine. The ability for scientists to selectively discriminate structures of interest at the cellular and subcellular levels under relevant physiological conditions shows tremendous promise for accelerating the path to understanding biological functions at the most fundamental level.
