No description available.

abstract: Nanowires are one-dimensional (1D) structures with diameter on the nanometer scales with a high length-to-diameter aspect ratio. Nanowires of various materials including semiconductors, dielectrics and metals have been intensively researched in the past two decades for applications to electrical and optical devices. Typically, nanowires are synthesized using the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) approach, which allows defect-free 1D growth despite the lattice mismatch between nanowires and substrates. Lattice mismatch issue is a serious problem in high-quality thin film growth of many semiconductors and non-semiconductors. Therefore, nanowires provide promising platforms for the applications requiring high crystal quality materials. With the 1D geometry, nanowires are natural optical waveguides for light guiding and propagation. By introducing feedback mechanisms to nanowire waveguides, such as the cleaved end facets, the nanowires can work as ultra-small size lasers. Since the first demonstration of the room-temperature ultraviolet nanowire lasers in 2001, the nanowire lasers covering from ultraviolet to mid infrared wavelength ranges have been intensively studied. This dissertation focuses on the optical characterization and laser fabrication of two nanowire materials: erbium chloride silicate nanowires and composition-graded CdSSe semiconductor alloy nanowires. Chapter 1 – 5 of this dissertation presents a comprehensive characterization of a newly developed erbium compound material, erbium chloride silicate (ECS) in a nanowire form. Extensive experiments demonstrated the high crystal quality and excellent optical properties of ECS nanowires. Optical gain higher than 30 dB/cm at 1.53 μm wavelength is demonstrated on single ECS nanowires, which is higher than the gain of any reported erbium materials. An ultra-high Q photonic crystal micro-cavity is designed on a single ECS nanowire towards the ultra-compact lasers at communication wavelengths. Such ECS nanowire lasers show the potential applications of on-chip photonics integration. Chapter 6 – 7 presents the design and demonstration of dynamical color-controllable lasers on a single CdSSe alloy nanowire. Through the defect-free VLS growth, engineering of the alloy composition in a single nanowire is achieved. The alloy composition of CdSxSe1-x uniformly varies along the nanowire axis from x=1 to x=0, giving the opportunity of multi-color lasing in a monolithic structure. By looping the wide-bandgap end of the alloy nanowire through nanoscale manipulation, the simultaneous two-color lasing at green and red colors are demonstrated. The 107 nm wavelength separation of the two lasing colors is much larger than the gain bandwidth of typical semiconductors. Since the two-color lasing shares the output port, the color of the total lasing output can be controlled dynamically between the two fundamental colors by changing the relative output power of two lasing colors. Such multi-color lasing and continuous color tuning in a wide spectral range would eventually enable color-by-design lasers to be used for lighting, display and many other applications. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2015

abstract: This work demonstrates novel nBn photodetectors including mid-wave infrared (MWIR) nBn photodetectors based on InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattices (T2SLs) with charge as the output signal, and visible nBn photodetectors based on CdTe with current output. Furthermore, visible/MWIR two-color photodetectors (2CPDs) are fabricated through monolithic integration of the CdTe nBn photodetector and an InSb photodiode. The MWIR nBn photodetectors have a potential well for holes present in the barrier layer. At low voltages of < −0.2 V, which ensure low dark current <10-5 A/cm2 at 77 K, photogenerated holes are collected in this well with a storage lifetime of 40 s. This charge collection process is an in-device signal integration process that reduces the random noise significantly. Since the stored holes can be readout laterally as in charge-coupled devices, it is therefore possible to make charge-output nBn with much lower noise than conventional current-output nBn photodetectors. The visible nBn photodetectors have a CdTe absorber layer and a ZnTe barrier layer with an aligned valence band edge. By using a novel ITO/undoped-CdTe top contact design, it has achieved a high specific detectivity of 3×1013 cm-Hz1/2/W at room temperature. Particularly, this CdTe nBn photodetector grown on InSb substrates enables the monolithic integration of CdTe and InSb photodetectors, and provides a platform to study in-depth device physics of nBn photodetectors at room temperature. Furthermore, the visible/MWIR 2CPD has been developed by the monolithic integration of the CdTe nBn and an InSb photodiode through an n-CdTe/p-InSb tunnel junction. At 77 K, the photoresponse of the 2CPD can be switched between a 1-5.5 μm MWIR band and a 350-780 nm visible band by illuminating the device with an external light source or not, and applying with proper voltages. Under optimum conditions, the 2CPD has achieved a MWIR peak responsivity of 0.75 A/W with a band rejection ratio (BRR) of 52 dB, and a visible peak responsivity of 0.3 A/W with a BRR of 18 dB. This 2CPD has enabled future compact image sensors with high fill-factor and responsivity switchable between visible and MWIR colors. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2016

Fluorescence microscopy is an indispensable tool in the areas of cell biology, histology and material science as it enables non-invasive observation of specimen in their natural environment. The main advantage of fluorescence microscopy is that, it is non-invasive and capable of imaging with very high contrast and visibility. It is dynamic, sensitive and allows high selectivity. The specificity and sensitivity of antibody-conjugated probes and genetically-engineered fluorescent protein constructs allows the user to label multiple targets and the precise location of intracellular components. However, its spatial reso- lution is limited to one-quarter of the excitation wavelength (Abbe’s diffraction limit). The advent of new and sophisticated optics and availability of fluorophores has made fluorescence imaging a flourishing field. Several advanced techniques like TIRF, 4PI, STED, SIM, SPIM, PALM, fPALM, GSDIM and STORM, have enabled high resolution imaging by breaking the diffraction barrier and are a boon to medical and biological research. Invention of confocal and multi-photon microscopes have enabled observation of the specimen embedded at depth. All these advances in fluorescence microscopy have made it a much sought-after technique. The first chapter provides an overview of the fundamental concepts in fluorescence imag- ing. A brief history of emergence of the field is provided in this chapter along with the evolution of different super-resolution microscopes. An introduction to the concept of fluorophores, their broad classification and their characteristics is discussed in this chap- ter. A brief explanation of different fluorescence imaging techniques and some trending techniques are introduced. This chapter provides a thorough foundation for the research work presented in the thesis. Second chapter deals with different microscopy techniques that have changed the face of biophotonics and nanoscale imaging. The resolution of optical imaging systems are dictated by the inherent property of the system, known as impulse response or more popularly “point spread function”. A basic fluorescence imaging system is presented in this chapter and introduces the concept of point spread function and resolution. The introduction of confocal microscope and multi-photon microscope brought about improved optical sectioning. 4PI microscopy technique was invented to improve the axial resolution of the optical imaging system. Using this microscopy modality, an axial resolution of upto ≈ 100nm was made possible. The basic concepts of these techniques is provided in this chapter. The chapter concludes with a discussion on some of the optical engineering techniques that aid in improved lateral and axial resolution improvements and then we proceed to take on these engineering techniques in detail in the next chapter. Introduction of spatial masks at the back aperture of the objective lens results in gen- eration of a Bessel-like beam, which enhances our ability to see deeper inside a spec- imen with reduced aberrations and improved lateral resolution. Bessel beams have non-diffracting and self-reconstructing properties which reduces the scattering while ob- serving cells embedded deep in a thick tissue. By coupling this with the 4PI super- resolution microscopy technique, multiple excitation spots can be generated along the optical axis of the two opposing high-NA objective lenses. This technique is known as multiple excitation spot optical (MESO) microscopy technique. It provides a lateral resolution improvement upto 150nm. A detailed description of the technique and a thorough analysis of the polarization properties is discussed in chapter 3. Chapters 4 and 5 bring the focus of the thesis to the main topic of research - multi- dimensional image reconstruction for fluorescence microscopy by employing the statis- tical techniques. We begin with an introduction to filtering techniques in Chapter 4 and concentrate on an edge-preserving denoising filter: Bilateral Filter for fluorescence microscopy images. Bilateral filter is a non-linear combination of two Gaussian filters, one based on proximity of two pixels and the other based on the intensity similarity of the two. These two sub-filters result in the edge-preserving capability of the filter. This technique is very popular in the field of image processing and we demonstrate the application of the technique for fluorescence microscopy images. The chapter presents a through description of the technique along with comparisons with Poisson noise mod- eling. Chapters 4 and 5 provide a detailed introduction to statistical iterative recon- struction algorithms like expectation maximization-maximum likelihood (EM-ML) and maximum a-posteriori (MAP) techniques. The main objective of an image reconstruc- tion algorithm is to recover an object from its noisy degraded images. Deconvolution methods are generally used to denoise and recover the true object. The choice of an appropriate prior function is the crux of the MAP algorithm. The remaining of chapter 5 provides an introduction to different potential functions. We show some results of the MAP algorithm in comparison with that of ML algorithm. In chapter 6, we continue the discussion on MAP reconstruction where two new potential functions are introduced and demonstrated. The first one is based on the application of Taylor series expansion on the image. The image field is considered to be analytic and hence Taylor series produces an accurate estimation of the field being reconstructed. The second half of the chapter introduces an interpolation function to approximate the value of a pixel in its neighborhood. Cubic B-splines are widely used as a basis function during interpolation and they are popular technique in computer vision and medical imaging techniques. These novel algorithms are tested on di_erent microscopy data like, confocal and 4PI. The results are shown at the _nal part of the chapter. Tagging cell organelles with uorescent probes enable their visualization and analysis non-invasively. In recent times, it is common to tag more than one organelle of interest and simultaneously observe their structures and functions. Multicolor uorescence imaging has become a key technique to study speci_c processes like pH sensing and cell metabolism with a nanoscale precision. However, this process is hindered by various problems like optical artifacts, noise, autouorescence, photobleaching and leakage of uorescence from one channel to the other. Chapter 7 deals with an image reconstruction technique to obtain noise-free and distortion-less data from multiple channels when imaging a multicolor sample. This technique is easily adaptable with the existing imaging systems and has potential application in biological imaging and biophysics where multiple probes are used to tag the features of interest. The fact that the lateral resolution of an optical system is better than the axial resolution is well known. Conventional microscopes focus on cells that are very close to the cover-slip or a few microns into the specimen. However, for cells that are embedded deep in a thick sample (ex: tissues), it is di_cult to visualize them using a conventional microscope. A number of factors like, scattering, optical aberrations, mismatch of refractive index between the objective lens and the mounting medium and noise, cause distortion of the images of samples at large depths. The system PSF gets distorted due to di_raction and its shape changes rapidly at large depths. The aim of chapter 8 is to introduce a technique to reduce distortion of images acquired at depth by employing image reconstruction techniques. The key to this methodology is the modeling of PSF at large depths. Maximum likelihood technique is then employed to reduce the streaking e_ects of the PSF and removes noise from raw images. This technique enables the visualization of cells embedded at a depth of 150_m. Several biological processes within the cell occur at a rate faster than the rate of acquisition and hence vital information is missed during imaging. The recorded images of these dynamic events are corrupted by motion blur, noise and other optical aberrations. Chapter 9 deals with two techniques that address temporal resolution improvement of the uorescence imaging system. The _rst technique focuses on accelerating the data acquisition process. This includes employing the concept of time-multiplexing to acquire sequential images from a dynamic sample using two cameras and generating multiple sheets of light using a di_raction grating, resulting in multi-plane illumination. The second technique involves the use of parallel processing units to enable real-time image reconstruction of the acquired data. A multi-node GPU and CUDA architecture effciently reduce the computation time of the reconstruction algorithms. Faster implementation of iterative image reconstruction techniques can aid in low-light imaging and dynamic monitoring of rapidly moving samples in real time. Employing rapid acquisition and rapid image reconstruction aids in real-time visualization of cells and have immense potential in the _eld of microbiology and bio-mechanics. Finally, we conclude the thesis with a brief section on the contribution of the thesis and the future scope the work presented. Thank you for using www.freepdfconvert.com service! Only two pages are converted. Please Sign Up to convert all pages. https://www.freepdfconvert.com/membership

La microscopie optique stochastique de reconstruction (STORM) contourne la limite de diffraction en enregistrant des signaux monomoléculaires spatialement et temporellement séparés, atteignant une résolution de ~10-40 nm. Dans mon étude, j'ai développé une stratégie d'imagerie et d'analyse de données dSTORM bicolore afin d'étudier l'ultrastructure des synapses inhibitrices mixtes. Mes résultats ont montré que les GlyRs, les GABAARs, la géphyrine et RIM1/2 présentent une organisation intra-synaptique hétérogène et forment des domaines sous-synaptiques (SSDs). Les GlyR et les GABAAR ne sont pas complètement mélangés, mais peuvent occuper des espaces différents à la densité post-synaptique (PSD). De plus, les SSD de géphyrine postsynaptique sont alignées avec les SSD de RIM1/2 pré-synaptiques, formant des nanocolonnes trans-synaptiques. Au cours d'une activité neuronale élevée par traitement 4-AP, la corrélation spatiale entre les GlyRs, les GABAARs et la géphyrine a augmentée au PSD. De plus, la corrélation spatiale des GlyRs et RIM1/2 a également augmenté, tandis que celle des GABAARs et RIM1/2 n'a pas changé. Le nombre de SSD par synapse pour ces protéines synaptiques n'est pas modifié par 4-AP. Cette étude fourni un nouvel angle de compréhension des mécanismes sous-jacents à la co-transmission GABAergique/glycinergique. / Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) bypasses the diffraction limit by recording spatially and temporally separated single molecule signals, achieving a resolution of ~10-40 nm. In my study, I have developed a two-color dSTORM imaging and data analysis strategy, in order to investigate the ultrastructure of mixed inhibitory synapses. My results show that GlyRs, GABAARs, gephyrin and RIM1/2 exhibit a heterogeneous intra-synaptic organization and form sub-synaptic domains (SSDs). GlyRs and GABAARs were not fully intermingled, but sometimes occupied different spaces at the post-synaptic density (PSD). In addition, post-synaptic gephyrin SSDs were aligned with pre-synaptic RIM1/2 SSDs, forming trans-synaptic nanocolumns. During elevated neuronal activity by 4-AP treatment, the spatial correlation between GlyRs, GABAARs and gephyrin was increased at the PSD. Moreover, the spatial correlation of GlyRs and RIM1/2 was also increased, while that of GABAARs and RIM1/2 did not change. The number of SSDs per synapse for these synaptic proteins was not changed by 4-AP. My study thus provides a new angle for understanding the mechanisms underlying GABAergic/glycinergic co-transmission.

In this work, multi-band (multi-color) detector structures considering different semiconductor device concepts and architectures are presented. Results on detectors operating in ultraviolet-to-infrared regions (UV-to-IR) are discussed. Multi-band detectors are based on quantum dot (QD) structures; which include quantum-dots-in-a-well (DWELL), tunneling quantum dot infrared photodetectors (T-QDIPs), and bi-layer quantum dot infrared photodetectors (Bi-QDIPs); and homo-/heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP/HEIWIP) structures. QD-based detectors show multi-color characteristics in mid- and far-infrared (MIR/FIR) regions, where as HIWIP/HEIWIP detectors show responses in UV or near-infrared (NIR) regions, and MIR-to-FIR regions. In DWELL structures, InAs QDs are placed in an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) to introduce photon induced electronic transitions from energy states in the QD to that in QW, leading to multi-color response peaks. One of the DWELL detectors shows response peaks at ∼ 6.25, ∼ 10.5 and ∼ 23.3 µm. In T-QDIP structures, photoexcited carriers are selectively collected from InGaAs QDs through resonant tunneling, while the dark current is blocked using AlGaAs/InGaAsAlGaAs/ blocking barriers placed in the structure. A two-color T-QDIP with photoresponse peaks at 6 and 17 µm operating at room temperature and a 6 THz detector operating at 150 K are presented. Bi-QDIPs consist of two layers of InAs QDs with different QD sizes. The detector exhibits three distinct peaks at 5.6, 8.0, and 23.0 µm. A typical HIWIP/HEIWIP detector structure consists of a single (or series of) doped emitter(s) and undoped barrier(s), which are placed between two highly doped contact layers. The dual-band response arises from interband transitions of carriers in the undoped barrier and intraband transitions in the doped emitter. Two HIWIP detectors, p-GaAs/GaAs and p-Si/Si, showing interband responses with wavelength thresholds at 0.82 and 1.05 µm, and intraband responses with zero response thresholds at 70 and 32 µm, respectively, are presented. HEIWIP detectors based on n-GaN/AlGaN show an interband response in the UV region and intraband response in the 2-14 µm region. A GaN/AlGaN detector structure consisting of three electrical contacts for separate UV and IR active regions is proposed for simultaneous measurements of the two components of the photocurrent generated by UV and IR radiation.

Fluorescence microscopy is an essential tool in biomedical sciences that allows specific molecules to be visualized in the complex and crowded environment of cells. The continuous introduction of new imaging techniques makes microscopes more powerful and versatile, but there is more than meets the eye. In addition to develop- ing new methods, we can work towards getting the most out of existing data and technologies. By harnessing unused potential, this work aims to increase the richness, reliability, and power of fluorescence microscopy data in three key ways: through standardization, evaluation and innovation. A universal standard makes it easier to assess, compare and analyze imaging data – from the level of a single laboratory to the broader life sciences community. We propose a data-standard for fluorescence microscopy that can increase the confidence in experimental results, facilitate the exchange of data, and maximize compatibility with current and future data analysis techniques. Cutting-edge imaging technologies often rely on sophisticated hardware and multi-layered algorithms for reconstruction and analysis. Consequently, the trustworthiness of new methods can be difficult to assess. To evaluate the reliability and limitations of complex methods, quantitative analyses – such as the one present here for the 3D SPEED method – are paramount. The limited resolution of optical microscopes prevents direct observation of macro- molecules like DNA and RNA. We present a multi-color, achromatic, cryogenic fluorescence microscope that has the potential to produce multi-color images with sub-nanometer precision. This innovation would move fluorescence imaging beyond the limitations of optics and into the world of molecular resolution.