Admittance analysis of broadband omnidirectional near-perfect absorber in epsilon-near-zero mode.

In this paper, we propose a broadband omnidirectional near-perfect absorber that transforms light energy into heat. In contrast to previous research on structural metamaterials, this study focuses on light absorption in the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) layers without any structural patterns. Chromium (Cr) thin films were applied as ENZ layers. Using the admittance method, we found the proper thicknesses of SiO2 layers to match the incident medium and achieve perfect absorption. Also, the absorber is angular insensitive up to 60°. The temperature of the absorber increases from room temperature to 42°C, which is 4°C higher than the uncoated substrate at 38°C, after exposure to sunlight for 20 min.

Preparation of Aluminum Oxide-Coated Glass Slides for Glycan Microarrays.

In this study, we report the fabrication of aluminum oxide-coated glass (ACG) slides for the preparation of glycan microarrays. Pure aluminum (Al, 300 nm) was coated on glass slides via electron-beam vapor deposition polymerization (VDP), followed by anodization to form a thin layer (50-65 nm) of aluminum oxide (Al-oxide) on the surface. The ACG slides prepared this way provide a smooth surface for arraying sugars covalently via phosphonate formation with controlled density and spatial distance. To evaluate this array system, a mannose derivative of α-5-pentylphosphonic acid was used as a model for the optimization of covalent arraying based on the fluorescence response of the surface mannose interacting with concanavalin A (ConA) tagged with the fluorescence probe A488. The ACG slide was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ellipsometry, and the sugar loading capacity, uniformity, and structural conformation were also characterized using AFM, a GenePix scanner, and a confocal microscope. This study has demonstrated that the glycan array prepared from the ACG slide is more homogeneous with better spatial control compared with the commonly used glycan array prepared from the N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated glass slide.

Head-up display using an inclined Al2O3 column array.

An orderly inclined Al2O3 column array was fabricated by atomic layer deposition and sequential electron beam evaporation using a hollow nanosphere template. The transmittance spectra at various angles of incidence were obtained through the use of a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 900 UV/VIS/NIR spectrometer. The inclined column array could display the image information through a scattering mechanism and was transparent at high viewing angles along the deposition plane. This characteristic of the inclined column array gives it potential for applications in head-up displays in the automotive industry.

Low-refractive-index oxide thin films originated from the Kirkendall effect.

The refractive index and extinction coefficient are the most important optical characteristics of optical thin-film materials. Optical coating devices with excellent performance are achieved more easily when the selected materials have relatively high refractive index contrast. Here, we used an annealing method to fabricate low-refractive-index material in a multilayer structure originated from the Kirkendall effect. An optical thin film with a low-refractive-index of 1.37 measured at 550 nm was successfully demonstrated and produced by the Kirkendall effect.

Controllable photonic mirror fabricated by the atomic layer deposition on the nanosphere template.

In this study, a controllable photonic mirror was fabricated using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating technique on a polystyrene (PS) nanosphere template. PS nanospheres were self-assembled on an Al/glass substrate to form the bottom electrode. A 20 nm ALD Al2O3 film was then coated onto the surface of the reduced PS nanosphere structure. The PS nanospheres were removed in air at 350°C to form hollow Al2O3 nanospheres. Then a 30 nm indium tin oxide film was sputtered on the hollow nanosphere structure to form the top electrode. The results show that the incorporation of the photonic mirror could control the reflectance to a value of 0.3% per 0.1 V of bias voltage.

Conductive and transparent multilayer films for low-temperature TiO2/Ag/SiO2 electrodes by E-beam evaporation with IAD.

Conductive and transparent multilayer thin films consisting of three alternating layers (TiO2/Ag/SiO2, TAS) have been fabricated for applications as transparent conducting oxides. Metal oxide and metal layers were prepared by electron-beam evaporation with ion-assisted deposition, and the optical and electrical properties of the resulting films as well as their energy bounding characteristics and microstructures were carefully investigated. The optical properties of the obtained TAS material were compared with those of well-known transparent metal oxide glasses such as ZnO/Ag/ZnO, TiO2/Ag/TiO2, ZnO/Cu/ZnO, and ZnO/Al/ZnO. The weathering resistance of the TAS film was improved by using a protective SiO2 film as the uppermost layer. The transmittance spectra and sheet resistance of the material were carefully measured and analyzed as a function of the layer thickness. By properly adjusting the thickness of the metal and dielectric films, a low sheet resistance of 6.5 ohm/sq and a high average transmittance of over 89% in the 400 to 700 nm wavelength regions were achieved. We found that the Ag layer played a significant role in determining the optical and electrical properties of this film.

Study of a sandwich structure of transparent conducting oxide films prepared by electron beam evaporation at room temperature.

Transparent conducting ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer electrodes having electrical resistance much lower than that of widely used transparent electrodes were prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition (IAD) under oxygen atmosphere. The optical parameters were optimized by admittance loci analysis to show that the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) film can achieve an average transmittance of 93%. The optimum thickness for high optical transmittance and good electrical conductivity was found to be 11 nm for Ag thin films and 40 nm for ZnO films, based on the admittance diagram. By designing the optical thickness of each ZnO layer and controlling process parameters such as IAD power when fabricating dielectric-metal-dielectric films at room temperature, we can obtain an average transmittance of 90% in the visible region and a bulk resistivity of 5 × 10-5 Ω-cm. These values suggest that the transparent ZnO/Ag/ZnO electrodes are suitable for use in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Microstructure and optical properties of Al2O3 prepared by oblique deposition using microsphere shell templates.

We fabricated an orderly inclined Al2O3 column array using a hollow microsphere template. The microstructure and optical properties were investigated with scanning electron micrography and a UV/VIS spectrometer, respectively. Microsphere shell templates were formed using atomic layer deposition to prevent the melting of polystyrene microspheres during the following high-temperature deposition process. An inclined Al2O3 column array with a 30° tilt angle was grown by oblique deposition on a substrate with a 75.5° tilt angle with respect to the substrate normal. Birefringence and photonic crystalline behavior can be observed in the orderly inclined column array. The difference in the refractive indices between the p and s polarizations of the orderly inclined Al2O3 column array was about 0.1. The photonic properties of the crystal were enhanced compared to those of substrates without patterns.

Residual stress in obliquely deposited MgF2 thin films.

MgF(2) films with a columnar microstructure are obliquely deposited on glass substrates by resistive heating evaporation. The columnar angles of the films increases with the deposition angle. Anisotropic stress does not develop in the films with tilted columns. The residual stresses in the films depend on the deposition and columnar angles in a columnar microstructure.