Generation of high-peak power, microwave ultra-short pulses (USPs) is desirable for ultra-wideband communications and remote sensing. A variety of microwave USP generators exist today, or are described in the literature, and have benefits and limitations depending on application. A new class of pulse compressors for generating USPs using electromagnetic time reversal (TR) techniques have been developed in the last decade, and are the topic of this dissertation. This dissertation presents a compact TR microwave pulse-compression cavity that has ultra-wide bandwidth (5 GHz – 18 GHz), and employs waveguide feeds for high-peak power output over the entire band. The system uses a time-reversal-based pulse compression scheme with one-bit processing (OBTR) to achieve high compression gain. Results from full-wave simulations are presented as well as measurements showing compression gain exceeding 21.2 dB, 22% efficiency, and measured instantaneous peak output powers reaching 39.2 kW. These are all record results for this type of pulse compressor. Additionally presented is new analysis of variation in compression gain due to impulse response recording time and bandwidth variation, new experimental work on the effect of mode stirrer position on compression gain, and a novel RF switch-based technique for reducing time-sidelobes while using OBTR. Finally, a new technique is presented that uses a reverberant cavity with only one feed connected to an ultra-wideband circulator (6.5 GHz to 17 GHz) to perform TRPC. Prior to this work, TRPC has only been demonstrated in electromagnetics using two or more feeds and a reverberant cavity acting as the time-reversal mirror. This new 1-port technique is demonstrated in both simulation and measurement. The proposed system achieves up to a measured 3 dB increase in compression gain and increased efficiency. Also, a novel application of the random coupling model (RCM) to calculate compression gain is presented. The cavity eigenfrequencies are modeled after eigenvalues of random matrices satisfying the Gaussian orthogonal ensembles (GOE) condition. Cavity transfer functions are generated using Monte Carlo simulations, and used to compute the compression gains for many different cavity realizations. / Doctor of Philosophy / Generation of high-peak power, microwave ultra-short pulses (USPs) is desirable for ultra-wideband communications and remote sensing. A variety of microwave USP generators exist today, or are described in the literature, and have benefits and limitations depending on application. A new class of pulse compressors for generating USPs using electromagnetic time reversal (TR) techniques have been developed in the last decade, and are the topic of this dissertation. This dissertation presents a compact TR-based microwave pulse-compression cavity that has unique features that make it optimal for high-power operations, with results from simulations as well as measurements showing improved performance over other similar cavities published in the literature with a record demonstrated peak output power of 39.2 kW. Additionally, new analysis on the operation and optimization of this cavity for increased performance is also presented. Finally, a new technique is presented that uses a cavity with only one feed that acts as both the input and output. This 1-port technique is demonstrated in both simulation and measurement. The proposed system achieves a two-times increase in compression gain over its 2-port counterpart. In conjunction with these measurements and simulations, a novel technique for predicting the performance of these cavities using Monte Carlo simulation is also presented.

Aujourd’hui, les énergies renouvelables comme l’énergie éolienne, l’énergie solaire, l’énergie hydroélectrique et la thermoélectricité jouent un rôle essentiel dans la couverture de nos besoins en énergie. Parmi ces différentes sources d’énergie, la thermoélectricité, qui permet de convertir la chaleur en électricité ou inversement, attire une grande attention grâce à son large champ d’application. Les actuelles avancées dans la recherche thermoélectrique visent l’amélioration du rendement de conversion des modules thermoélectriques, à travers l’optimisation des propriétés thermoélectriques intrinsèques des matériaux utilisés (coefficient de Seebeck, conductivité électrique et conductivité thermique). Pour cela, différentes approches ont été étudiées (dopage, nouveau alliages, nanostucturation …). Parmi ces approches, la nanostructration des matériaux a été largement étudiée pour mener à bien cet objectif. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à étudier l’effet de la nanostructuration de surface des matériaux (silicium mesoporeux et oxyde de titane déposé en couches minces) par faisceaux laser ultra-court (picoseconde et femtoseconde) sur l’évolution de leurs propriétés thermoélectriques. Dans un premier temps, nous nous sommes focalisés sur l’étude des différents phénomènes physiques impliqués durant l’interaction laser-matière ainsi que sur la formation des différentes nanostructures résultantes (en forme de ripples, spikes, dots et autres) en fonction de la dose laser appliquée (la fluence et le nombre de pulses). La formation de ces nanostructures a été étudiée suivant deux régimes (stationnaire et dynamique). Après l’optimisation des paramètres conduisant à la formation de ces nanostructures, la caractérisation du coefficient de Seebeck et la conductivité électrique avant et après la nanostructuration de ces matériaux a été réalisée grâce à un nouveau dispositif de mesure (ZT-meter) développé au laboratoire GREMI. Les résultats de mesures montrent une importante amélioration du coefficient de Seebeck et la conductivité électrique après la nanostrucutration. Un facteur d’augmentation de la puissance thermoélectrique a été observé pour les deux matériaux étudiés ; notamment dans le cas de couches minces d’oxyde de titane (jusqu’à 500 fois). / Today, renewable energies such as wind, solar, hydropower and thermoelectricity play an essential role to cover our energy needs. Among these different sources of energy, thermoelectricity, which offers the ability to convert a heat into electricity or vice versa, has attracted a great attention due to its wide field of potential applications. The current advances in thermoelectric research are focusing on the improvement of the conversion efficiency of thermoelectric devices through optimizing and improving the thermoelectric properties of the thermoelectric materials (Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity). For this, different approaches (doping, new materials, nanostucturing...) have been investigated in the literature. Among these approaches, nanostructuring of materials is the most studied in the literature in order to improve the thermoelectric properties of materials. In this thesis work, we aimed to study the effect of surface nanostructuring of materials (mesoporous silicon and titanium oxide deposited in thin film) by ultra-short laser beams (picosecond and femtosecond) on the evolution of their thermoelectric properties. First, we focused on the study of various physical phenomena involved during the laser-matter interaction that yield to the formation of very different nanostructures in form of ripples, spikes, dots and others as function of the applied laser dose (fluence and number of pulses). The formation of these nanostructures has been studied in two regimes (stationary and dynamic). After optimizing the laser parameters leading to the formation of such nanostructures, a characterization of Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity before and after the nanostructuring of these materials was carried out by using a new experimental setup (ZT-meter) designed and validated in GREMI laboratory. The results of measurements showed an important improvement of Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity after nanostructuring. This important improvement observed with the both materials leaded to a strong increase in the thermoelectric power factor (reaching roughly 50000%).

In this thesis the InSb(111), InAs(111) and GaSb(001) surfaces have been studied by means of time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy based upon the femtosecond laser system. The pump-and-probe technique allows to analyse both electron states in the valence band and normally unpopulated electron states above the valence band, which can be occupied by transiently excited carriers at the optically pumped surface. The life time of excited carriers is analysed by controlling over the time delay between pump and probe pulses. Experimental studies of the InSb(111) surface and comparison with a previously studied InSb(110) surface show electron excitations in the bulk region with a minor surface contribution. Time-resolved experiments of carrier dynamics at the polar InAs(111)A and InAs(111)B surfaces show about the same life time of excited carriers, while no populated states above the valence band maximum have been found at the InAs(111)A due to the charge removal. Surface intergap electron states have been found at the GaSb(001) surface located at ~250 meV above the valence band maximum. Angle-resolved experiments showed a strong confinement of this state at the centre of the surface Brillouin zone. A new two dimensional angle-resolved multi-anode analyser for the femtosecond laser photoemission setup has been constructed. The analyser can resolve a cone opening angle of ~1º at a drift distance of ~0.5 m with an energy resolution of ~125 meV. A continuous series of binary system SrTiO3–PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 has been grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on sapphire substrate with crystalline quality control by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The maximum tunability has been tailored to room temperature, where STO�PZT (71/29) composition shows superior performance. A PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin film pressure sensor has been fabricated by PLD and characterised by XRD and electrical measurements. The piezoelectric constant was found to be ~20 % higher compared to the bulk ceramics. A ferroelectric thin film electro-optical cell Na0.5K0.5NbO3/La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (NKN/LSCO) on sapphire has been fabricated by PLD. Refractive indices and electro-optical coefficient of the cell were characterised by prism coupling refractometry. The tunability of the PLD fabricated 2 μm slot NKN thin film interdigital capacitor has been found ~23 % at 40 V bias voltage and frequency 1 MHz. / QC 20101015

La structuration de matériaux transparents (verre, eau, ...) irradiés par des impulsions lasers intenses brèves (nanoseconde) et ultra-brèves (femtoseconde) trouve de nombreuses applications dans les domaines de la biomédecine, des nano-optiques ou encore de l'endommagement d'optiques par des lasers de puissance. Dans un premier temps, nous avons modélisé le processus d'éjection qui se produit lors du transfert d'un matériau liquide (eau, hydrogel) lorsque la cible est irradiée par un laser nanoseconde. Le matériau est ici chauffé par conduction thermique via un ablateur métallique, et l'éjection est réalisée via un processus purement hydrodynamique. Si l'on considère maintenant cette même technique réalisée avec un laser femtoseconde, on peut envisager de transférer des volumes de matière nanométriques, ce qui correspond à la taille typique d'une molécule. En régime femtoseconde, les processus d'absorption de l'énergie sont différents, de même que les échelles de temps sur lesquels ils se produisent. Si l'impulsion laser est suffisamment focalisée dans le matériau, un plasma se forme dans la zone d'absorption, où la densité d'énergie atteinte est supérieure à l'énergie de liaison des matériaux considérés (eau, silice, mica). Un modèle d'ionisation et de chauffage des électrons a été mis en place et a été couplé à un code de propagation instantanée des ondes électromagnétiques. Trois applications ont été étudiées, correspondant à trois configurations laser/cible différentes : (1) un processus de formation de jets liquides et solides prometteur pour la réalisation de nano-optiques, (2) la formation de nanocavités à l'intérieur d'un volume de silice pouvant servir comme stockage d'information, (3) l'étude des seuils d'endommagement et d'ablation de la silice en surface. Dans chaque cas, la densité d'énergie absorbée a été utilisé comme donné initiale pour le code d'hydrodynamique CHIC qui a permis de suivre l'évolution du matériau après l'irradiation : ondes de compression, changements de phase, etc... La résolution couplée de la propagation du laser et de son absorption dans la matière nous a permis de mener une étude à la fois qualitative et quantitative de l'interaction. La comparaison avec les données expérimentales a aboutit à l'amélioration du modèle d'absorption et de chauffage. / Abstract

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Physics / Brian R. Washburn / This thesis reports our attempt towards achieving a phase stabilized free-space nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) mode locked erbium doped fiber laser frequency comb system. Optical frequency combs generated by mode-locked femtosecond fiber lasers are vital tools for ultra-precision frequency metrology and molecular spectroscopy. However, the comb bandwidth and average output power become the two main limiting elements in the application of femtosecond optical frequency combs. We have specifically investigated the free-space mode locking dynamics of erbium-doped fiber (EDF) mode-locked ultrafast lasers via nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) in the normal dispersion regime. To do so, we built a passively mode-locked fiber laser based on NPR with a repetition rate of 89 MHz producing an octave-spanning spectrum due to supercontinuum (SC) generation in highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). Most significantly, we have achieved highly stable self-starting NPR mode-locked femtosecond fiber laser based frequency comb which has been running mode locked for the past one year without any need to redo the mode locking. By using the free-space NPR comb scheme, we have not only shortened the cavity length, but also have obtained 5 to 10 times higher output power (more than 30 mW at central wavelength of 1570 nm) and much broader spectral comb bandwidth (about 54 nm) compared to conventional all-fiber cavity structure with less than 1 mW average output power and only 10 nm spectral bandwidth. The pulse output from the NPR comb is amplified through a 1 m long EDF, then compressed by a length of anomalous dispersion fiber to a near transform limited pulse duration. The amplified transform limited pulse, with an average power of 180 mW and pulse duration of 70 fs, is used to generate a supercontinuum of 140 mW. SC generation via propagation in HNLF is optimized for specific polling period and heating temperature of PPLN crystal for SHG around 1030 nm. At last, we will also discuss the attempt of second harmonic generation (SHG) by quasi phase matching in the periodically polled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal due to nonlinear effect corresponding to different polling period and heating temperature.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an imaging modality that acquires an image with little to no damage to the tissue. MRI does not introduce foreign particles or high energy radiation into the body, making it one of the least invasive medical imaging modalities. MRI can achieve excellent soft tissue contrast and is therefore useful for diagnosis of a wide variety of diseases. While there are a wide variety of available techniques for generating contrast in MRI, there are still many open areas for research. For example, many tissues in the human body exhibit such rapid signal decay that they are difficult to image with MRI: they are "MRI invisible". Furthermore, some of the newer MRI imaging techniques have not been fully validated to ensure that they are truly revealing accurate information about the underlying anatomical microstructure that they purport to image. This dissertation focuses on the development of new techniques in two distinct areas. First, a novel method for accurately assessing the MRI signal decay properties of tissues that are normally MRI invisible, such as tendons, ligaments, and certain pathological chemical deposits in the brain, is presented. This is termed "ultrashort MRI relaxometry". Second, two new image processing algorithms that operate on high resolution images of stained histological slices of the ex vivo brain are presented. The first of these image processing algorithms allows the semi-automated extraction of nerve fiber directionality from the histological slice images, a process that is normally done manually, is incredibly time consuming, and is prone to human error. This new technique represents one significant step in the complicated problem of attempting to validate a popular MRI technique, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), by ensuring that DTI results correlate with the true underlying physiology revealed by histological slicing and staining. The second of these image processing algorithms attempts to extract and segment regions of different "cytoarchitectonic characteristics" from stained histological slices of ex vivo brain. Again, traditional cytoarchitectonic segmentation relies on manual segmentation by an expert neuroanatomist, which is slow and sometimes inconsistent. The new technique is a first step towards automated this process, potentially providing greater accuracy and repeatability of the segmentations in a much shorter time. Together, these contributions represent a significant contribution to the body of MR imaging techniques, and associated image processing techniques for validation of newer MR neuroimaging techniques against the gold standard of stained histological slices of ex vivo brain.

Šioje disertacijoje tiriami nuolatinai kaupinami regeneraciniai stiprintuvai su ilgos relaksacijos trukmės lazerine terpe. Tikslas buvo išanalizuoti bendrus tokių sistemų sudėtingos dinamikos dėsningumus pasireiškiančios aukštų dažnių diapazone ir surasti būdą pasiekti maksimalias išėjimo impulsų energijas išlaikant jų stabilumą. Analitiškai aprašomos pagrindinės optimizuotų ir stabiliame režime veikiančių stiprintuvų charakteristikos, tokios kaip optimalūs pradinis ir galutinis stiprinimo koeficientai, maksimali išėjimo impulso energija, rezonatoriuje išsklaidytoji galia, daugelio praėjimų B-integralas ir rezonatoriaus apėjimų skaičius, su kuriuo gaunama maksimali išėjimo impulso energija. Nustatytos egzistuojančių dinaminių režimų (stabilaus, kvaziperiodinio ir chaotinio) sritys valdančiųjų parametrų erdvėje. Išsiaiškinta, kad nestabilaus veikimo sritis mažėja, kai užkrato impulso energija didėja. Sukurtas ir išplėtotas stabilumo diagramų metodas, kuris ne tik suformuoja sisteminį požiūrį į regeneracinio stiprinimo dinamikos optimizavimą, bet ir leidžia nustatyti užkrato energijos dydį, pakankamą stabiliam veikimui palaikyti. Nustatytos darbinės charakteristikos kritiniame impulsų pasikartojimo dažnių diapazone, kur neegzistuoja analitiniai sprendiniai ir nestabilumai yra labiausiai tikėtini. Teoriniai rezultatai patvirtinti eksperimentiškai diodais kaupinamoje pikosekundinėje Nd:YVO4 lazerinėje sistemoje. Pademonstruota, kad užkrato impulso energijos padidinimas susiaurina... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This thesis presents a detailed study of continuously pumped regenerative amplifiers based on long-relaxation-time laser media. The goal of the research was to develop a general pattern of complex dynamics peculiar to such systems at high repetition rates and to find a way to improve performance characteristics affected by instabilities. Basic parameters of the optimally coupled regenerative amplifier operating in stable regime were derived in analytical form. They include optimum initial and final gains, the maximum output pulse energy, the power dissipation, the multi-pass B-integral and the roundtrip number providing the maximum output energy. A comprehensive pattern of existing dynamic regimes (stable, quasi-periodic and chaotic) was represented in space of controlling parameters. It has been found that the space of unstable operation decreases as the seed pulse energy increases. A method of stability diagrams, which forms a systematic approach to the optimization of regenerative amplification dynamics and in particular allows one to determine the seed pulse level sufficient to maintain the operation stable, has been developed. Performance characteristics were determined in the critical range of repetition rates, where instabilities are pronounced at the most and analytical solutions are unavailable. The experiments, carried out using the diode pumped picosecond Nd:YVO4 laser system, exhibited a good agreement with theoretical inferences. It has been demonstrated that... [to full text]

This thesis presents a detailed study of continuously pumped regenerative amplifiers based on long-relaxation-time laser media. The goal of the research was to develop a general pattern of complex dynamics peculiar to such systems at high repetition rates and to find a way to improve performance characteristics affected by instabilities. Basic parameters of the optimally coupled regenerative amplifier operating in stable regime were derived in analytical form. They include optimum initial and final gains, the maximum output pulse energy, the power dissipation, the multi-pass B-integral and the roundtrip number providing the maximum output energy. A comprehensive pattern of existing dynamic regimes (stable, quasi-periodic and chaotic) was represented in space of controlling parameters. It has been found that the space of unstable operation decreases as the seed pulse energy increases. A method of stability diagrams, which forms a systematic approach to the optimization of regenerative amplification dynamics and in particular allows one to determine the seed pulse level sufficient to maintain the operation stable, has been developed. Performance characteristics were determined in the critical range of repetition rates, where instabilities are pronounced at the most and analytical solutions are unavailable. The experiments, carried out using the diode pumped picosecond Nd:YVO4 laser system, exhibited a good agreement with theoretical inferences. It has been demonstrated that... [to full text] / Šioje disertacijoje tiriami nuolatinai kaupinami regeneraciniai stiprintuvai su ilgos relaksacijos trukmės lazerine terpe. Tikslas buvo išanalizuoti bendrus tokių sistemų sudėtingos dinamikos dėsningumus pasireiškiančios aukštų dažnių diapazone ir surasti būdą pasiekti maksimalias išėjimo impulsų energijas išlaikant jų stabilumą. Analitiškai aprašomos pagrindinės optimizuotų ir stabiliame režime veikiančių stiprintuvų charakteristikos, tokios kaip optimalūs pradinis ir galutinis stiprinimo koeficientai, maksimali išėjimo impulso energija, rezonatoriuje išsklaidytoji galia, daugelio praėjimų B-integralas ir rezonatoriaus apėjimų skaičius, su kuriuo gaunama maksimali išėjimo impulso energija. Nustatytos egzistuojančių dinaminių režimų (stabilaus, kvaziperiodinio ir chaotinio) sritys valdančiųjų parametrų erdvėje. Išsiaiškinta, kad nestabilaus veikimo sritis mažėja, kai užkrato impulso energija didėja. Sukurtas ir išplėtotas stabilumo diagramų metodas, kuris ne tik suformuoja sisteminį požiūrį į regeneracinio stiprinimo dinamikos optimizavimą, bet ir leidžia nustatyti užkrato energijos dydį, pakankamą stabiliam veikimui palaikyti. Nustatytos darbinės charakteristikos kritiniame impulsų pasikartojimo dažnių diapazone, kur neegzistuoja analitiniai sprendiniai ir nestabilumai yra labiausiai tikėtini. Teoriniai rezultatai patvirtinti eksperimentiškai diodais kaupinamoje pikosekundinėje Nd:YVO4 lazerinėje sistemoje. Pademonstruota, kad užkrato impulso energijos padidinimas susiaurina... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Multi-chip integration with emerging technologies such as a 3D IC stack or 2.5D interposer is primarily enabled by the off-chip interconnections. The I/O density, speed and bandwidth requirements for emerging mobile and high-performance systems are projected to drive the interconnection pitch to less than 20 microns by 2015. A new class of low-temperature, low-pressure, high-throughput, cost-effective and maufacturable technologies are needed to enable such fine-pitch interconnections. A range of interconnection technologies are being pursued to achieve these fine-pitch interconnections, most notably direct Cu-Cu interconnections and copper pillars with solder caps. Direct Cu-Cu bonding has been a target in the semiconductor industry due to the high electrical and thermal conductivity of copper, its high current-carrying capability and compatibility with CMOS BEOL processes. However, stringent coplanarity requirements and high temperature and high pressure bonding needed for assembly have been the major barriers for this technology. Copper-solder interconnection technology has therefore become the main workhouse for off-chip interconnections, and has recently been demonstrated at pitches as low as 40 microns. However, the current interconnection approaches using copper-solder structures are not scalable to finer feature sizes due to electromigration, and reliability issues arising with decreased solder content. Solid Liquid Inter-Diffusion (SLID) bonding is a promising solution to achieve ultra-fine-pitch and ultra-short interconnections with a copper-solder system, as it relies on the conversion of the entire solder volume into thermally-stable and highly electromigration-resistant intermetallics with no residual solder. Such a complete conversion of solders to stable intermetallics, however, relies on a long assembly time or a subsequent post-annealing process. To achieve pitches lower than 30 micron pitch, this research aims to study two ultra-short copper-solder interconnection approaches: (i) copper pillar and solder cap technology, and (ii) a novel technology which will enable interconnections with improved electrical performance by fast and complete conversion of solders to stable intermetallics (IMCs) using Solid Liquid Diffusion (SLID) bonding approach. SLID bonding, being a liquid state diffusion process, combined with a novel, alternate layered copper-solder bump structure, leads to higher diffusion rates and a much faster conversion of solder to IMCs. Moreover this assembly bonding is done at a much lower temperature and pressure as compared to that used for Cu-Cu interconnections. FEM was used to study the effect of various assembly and bump-design characteristics on the post-assembly stress distribution in the ultra-short copper-solder joints, and design guidelines were evolved based on these results. Test vehicles, based on these guidelines, were designed and fabricated at 50 and 100 micron pitch for experimental analysis. The bumping process was optimized, and the effect of current density on the solder composition, bump-height non-uniformity and surface morphology of the deposited solder were studied. Ultra-short interconnections formed using the copper pillar and solder cap technology were characterized. A novel multi-layered copper-solder stack was designed based on diffusion modeling to optimize the bump stack configuration for high-throughput conversion to stable Cu3Sn intermetallic. Following this modeling, a novel bumping process with alternating copper and tin plating layers to predesigned thicknesses was then developed to fabricate the interconnection structure. Alternate layers of copper and tin were electroplated on a blanket wafer, as a first demonstration of this stack-technology. Dies with copper-solder test structures were bonded using SLID bonding to validate the formation of stable intermetallics.