Pulse laser deposited La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 ultrathin films on SrTiO3 substrates were characterized by polar and longitudinal Kerr magneto-optical spectroscopy. Experimental data were confronted with theoretical simulations based on the transfer matrix formalism. An excellent agreement was achieved for a 10.7 nm thick film, while a distinction in the Kerr effect amplitudes was obtained for a 5 nm thic...

A 10-mm cavity length magnetooptically Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser was demonstrated using a single-crystalline ferrimagnetic rare-earth iron garnet film. To design the Q-switching system, the magnetic, optical, and magnetooptical properties of the garnet film were measured. The diode pumped solid-state laser cavity was constructed using a 190-μm-thick garnet film with 58% transmittance. The garne...

A discontinuously reinforced MMC containing 12 vol % Sic particles in an Al-Cu-Mg alloy (AA 2124) matrix has been diffusion bonded. Thick interlayers of different superplastic aluminium alloys (Al-Li 8090 and A1-Cu SUPRAL) were used to reduce the bonding pressure and ensure complete surface contact. Microstructural studies shown higher continuity in joints bonded with 8090 interlayer than with ...

We fabricated and measured the optical loss of polysilicon waveguides deposited using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition at a temperature of 240°C. A polysilicon film 220 nm thick was deposited on top of a 2000 nm thick plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition silicon dioxide layer. The crystalline volume fraction of the polysilicon film was measured by Raman spectroscopy to be 91%. The optica...

We report a rapid, self-catalyzed, solid precursor-based thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition process for depositing a conformal, nonporous, and optically transparent nanocrystalline ZnO thin film at 130 Torr (0.17 atm). Pure solid zinc is inductively heated and melted, followed by ionization by thermal induction argon/oxygen plasma to produce conformal, nonporous nanocrystalline ZnO films ...

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has recently been in the spotlight due to its numerous applications including its being an ideal substrate for two-dimensional electronics, a tunneling material for vertical tunneling devices, and a growth template for heterostructures. However, to obtain a large area of h-BN film while maintaining uniform thickness is still challenging and has not been realized. ...

We present magneto optical studies of the critical state in YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) thick films prepared using BaF2 ex-situ post reaction process. A fractal-like propagation was observed as the magnetic flux entering the superconducting films, in striking contrast to the behavior expected of a uniform type II superconducting film in the critical state. However, by averaging the flux density over a c...

Although optical absorption is an intrinsic materials property, it can be manipulated through structural modification. Coherent perfect absorption increases absorption to 100% interferometrically but is typically realized only over narrow bandwidths using two laser beams with fixed phase relationship. We show that engineering a thin film's photonic environment severs the link between the effect...

Efficient light absorption in thin-film photovoltaic (PV) devices is crucial for improving their efficiency and reducing cost. Here we have not only developed a low-cost and scalable method to fabricate a unique type of integrated-nanopillar-nanowell (i-NPW) structure by integrating nanopillar and nanowell arrays together vertically, but also demonstrated the attractive optical property of the ...