Surface enhanced infrared absorption of chemisorbed carbon monoxide using plasmonic nanoantennas.

We report the enhancement of infrared absorption of chemisorbed carbon monoxide on platinum in the gap of plasmonic nanoantennas. Our method is based on the self-assembled formation of platinum nanoislands on nanoscopic dipole antenna arrays manufactured via electron beam lithography. We employ systematic variations of the plasmonic antenna resonance to precisely couple to the molecular stretch vibration of carbon monoxide adsorbed on the platinum nanoislands. Ultimately, we reach more than 1500-fold infrared absorption enhancements, allowing for an ultrasensitive detection of a monolayer of chemisorbed carbon monoxide. The developed procedure can be adapted to other metal adsorbents and molecular species and could be utilized for coverage sensing in surface catalytic reactions.

Power-dependent Raman analysis of highly strained Si nanobridges.

Strain analysis of complex three-dimensional nanobridges conducted via Raman spectroscopy requires careful experimentation and data analysis supported by simulations. A method combining micro-Raman spectroscopy with finite element analysis is presented, enabling a detailed understanding of strain-sensitive Raman data measured on Si nanobridges. Power-dependent measurements are required to account for the a priori unknown scattering efficiency related to size and geometry. The experimental data is used to assess the validity of previously published phonon deformation potentials.

Direct formation of ZnO nanostructures by chemical solution deposition and EUV exposure.

The development of effective methods for the fabrication of ZnO nanostructures is important for the use of this semiconductor material with interesting optical and electronic properties. Chemical solution deposition methods have been demonstrated for creating ZnO films and electron beam exposure of a precursor film, zinc naphthenate, has been shown to yield ZnO nanostructures. Here, we report on the fabrication of ZnO nanostructures with photon beam exposure of a precursor film in the extreme ultraviolet range followed by a high temperature anneal in air. Interference lithography at this wavelength (13.5 nm) led to the production of extremely smooth line/space and dot array type periodic nanostructures with sizes as small as 10 nm. ZnO films obtained through EUV exposure exhibit markedly improved PL spectra with a sharp emission line in the UV range and much suppressed green emission. Electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction measurements also show strong effects of the EUV exposure step in ZnO formation as a function of precursor film thickness, EUV exposure dose and anneal temperature. The use of energetic photons for direct formation of ZnO nanostructures is found to be a method that warrants more investigation for the fabrication of patterned ZnO films with controlled properties.

Intersubband electroluminescence from silicon-based quantum cascade structures.

The quantum cascade laser, which uses electronic transitions within a single band of a semiconductor, constitutes a possible way to integrate active optical components into silicon-based technology. This concept necessitates a transition with a narrow linewidth and an upper state with a sufficiently long lifetime. We report the observation of intersubband electroluminescence from a p-type silicon/silicon-germanium quantum cascade structure, centered at 130 millielectron volts with a width of 22 millielectron volts, with the expected polarization, and discernible up to 180 kelvin. The nonradiative lifetime is found to depend strongly on the design of the quantum well structure, and is shown to reach values comparable to that of an equivalent GaInAs/AlInAs laser structure.

Lasing in strained germanium microbridges.

Germanium has long been regarded as a promising laser material for silicon based opto-electronics. It is CMOS-compatible and has a favourable band structure, which can be tuned by strain or alloying with Sn to become direct, as it was found to be required for interband semiconductor lasers. Here, we report lasing in the mid-infrared region (from λ = 3.20 µm up to λ = 3.66 µm) in tensile strained Ge microbridges uniaxially loaded above 5.4% up to 5.9% upon optical pumping, with a differential quantum efficiency close to 100% with a lower bound of 50% and a maximal operating temperature of 100 K. We also demonstrate the effect of a non-equilibrium electron distribution in k-space which reveals the importance of directness for lasing. With these achievements the strained Ge approach is shown to compare well to GeSn, in particular in terms of efficiency.

Giant electric field enhancement in split ring resonators featuring nanometer-sized gaps.

Today's pulsed THz sources enable us to excite, probe, and coherently control the vibrational or rotational dynamics of organic and inorganic materials on ultrafast time scales. Driven by standard laser sources THz electric field strengths of up to several MVm(-1) have been reported and in order to reach even higher electric field strengths the use of dedicated electric field enhancement structures has been proposed. Here, we demonstrate resonant electric field enhancement structures, which concentrate the incident electric field in sub-diffraction size volumes and show an electric field enhancement as high as ~14,000 at 50 GHz. These values have been confirmed through a combination of near-field imaging experiments and electromagnetic simulations.

Direct observation of depolarization shift of the intersubband resonance

We have studied the intersubband resonance of GaAs/AlGaAs multi-quantum-well systems by comparing photon drag and absorption spectra obtained by in-plane photocurrent and photoconduction measurements. The peak absorption at room temperature is found to be blueshifted from the photon drag resonance by as much as 33 cm(-1). We argue that this difference gives directly the depolarization shift, since the resonant photon drag current is driven by the Doppler effect, which is a k-vector dependent single particle process.

Top-down fabricated silicon nanowires under tensile elastic strain up to 4.5%.

Strained Si nanowires are among the most promising transistor structures for implementation in very large-scale integration due to of their superior electrostatic control and enhanced transport properties. Realizing even higher strain levels within such nanowires are thus one of the current challenges in microelectronics. Here we achieve 4.5% of elastic strain (7.6 GPa uniaxial tensile stress) in 30 nm wide Si nanowires, which considerably exceeds the limit that can be obtained using SiGe-based virtual substrates. Our approach is based on strain accumulation mechanisms in suspended dumbbell-shaped bridges patterned on strained Si-on-insulator, and is compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor fabrication. Potentially, this method can be applied to any tensile prestrained layer, provided the layer can be released from the substrate, enabling the fabrication of a variety of strained semiconductors with unique properties for applications in nanoelectronics, photonics and photovoltaics. This method also opens up opportunities for research on strained materials.

FELASA recommendations for the education and training of laboratory animal technicians: category A: report of the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations Working Group on Education of Animal Technicians (Category A) accepted by the FELASA Board of Management.

The future laboratory animal technician in Europe will be provided with three different levels of education. All candidates have to start with an introductory course to reach level A0. At this level (A0) they will be able to assist in the laboratory animal facility by undertaking limited specific duties under supervision. Most A0 assistants will continue their education and training for at least one year while in full-time employment. This process will include continual assessment with the option of a final examination to become qualified at level A1. A1 represents a comprehensively educated laboratory animal technician with theoretical background knowledge and practical skills. Some of the A1 laboratory animal technicians may continue specific education for at least another year of full-time employment. They will develop knowledge and expertise as well as supervisory and basic managerial skills in order to obtain level A2.

Long-term motor activity recording of dogs and the effect of sleep deprivation.

Motor activity of laboratory dogs was recorded for several weeks with an ambulatory monitoring device. The effect of 24 h sleep deprivation (SD) on motor activity during recovery was investigated. A clear rest-activity rhythm was established. The dogs exhibited a similar mean daily rest-activity pattern: rest occurred mainly in the dark; the animals were most active after light onset; activity increased during the last two dark hours; a rest period was found at noon and reduced activity during afternoon hours. There was a marked difference in total activity between individual dogs. Activity patterns varied as a function of the day of the week; this may have been a reflection of variations in the level of human activities in the laboratory. There was a significant reduction of motor activity during the 24-h period following SD. This was particularly evident in the first 6 h of the light period immediately following the deprivation. In addition, there was a significant increase in the number of episodes with activity less than or equal to 5 counts during recovery. The study confirms the possibility of measuring motor activity to assess compensatory mechanisms during recovery after SD. Sleep regulation, therefore, does not necessarily need to be exclusively examined by the invasive technique of EEG registration.

Acute toxicity testing in the nonlethal dose range: a new approach.

A new modification of acute toxicity testing of chemicals in rats is presented. Instead of using death as the principal criterion of toxicity, it is based on a careful, standardized clinical assessment of toxic signs measured in the nonlethal dose range. Test compounds are administered to groups of rats at four dose levels, selected on the basis of pilot experiments. General indices of toxicity, i.e., body weight gain, food and water consumption, and body temperature, are recorded at regular intervals; activity in the home cage is monitored continuously with a newly developed passive infrared device; neurobehavioral dysfunctions are assessed repeatedly with a checklist; and routine hematology is done on the 4th day after administration of the test compounds. All measured signs of toxicity are scored in relation to the control groups so that the absolute magnitude of the score increases as a function of the deviation from the normal conditions of the animals. In order to take into consideration the course of intoxication and the rate of recovery, toxicity scores are added over the duration of the whole experiment. For each variable measured, the resulting total scores are converted into a relative point system, scaling from 0 to 10 points. These points are added to a single "total ToxScore" value for each dose group. A regression line is calculated for these total ToxScore points, and the dose giving 15 total ToxScore points is determined. Based on the results obtained with nine reference substances, a classification system is proposed that is comparable to that based on LD50 values. It is concluded that the proposed test procedure provides much more information on the signs of acute toxicity, the course of the intoxication, the slope of the dose-effect curve, and the rate of recovery than does the standard LD50 test. In addition, the degree of distress and suffering of the animals is reduced.