Direct nanoscale imaging of evolving electric field domains in quantum structures.

The external performance of quantum optoelectronic devices is governed by the spatial profiles of electrons and potentials within the active regions of these devices. For example, in quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), the electric field domain (EFD) hypothesis posits that the potential distribution might be simultaneously spatially nonuniform and temporally unstable. Unfortunately, there exists no prior means of probing the inner potential profile directly. Here we report the nanoscale measured electric potential distribution inside operating QCLs by using scanning voltage microscopy at a cryogenic temperature. We prove that, per the EFD hypothesis, the multi-quantum-well active region is indeed divided into multiple sections having distinctly different electric fields. The electric field across these serially-stacked quantum cascade modules does not continuously increase in proportion to gradual increases in the applied device bias, but rather hops between discrete values that are related to tunneling resonances. We also report the evolution of EFDs, finding that an incremental change in device bias leads to a hopping-style shift in the EFD boundary--the higher electric field domain expands at least one module each step at the expense of the lower field domain within the active region.

Electronic temperatures of terahertz quantum cascade active regions with phonon scattering assisted injection and extraction scheme.

We measured the lattice and subband electronic temperatures of terahertz quantum cascade devices based on the optical phonon-scattering assisted active region scheme. While the electronic temperature of the injector state (j = 4) significantly increases by ΔT = T(e)(4) - T(L) ~40 K, in analogy with the reported values in resonant phonon scheme (ΔT ~70-110 K), both the laser levels (j = 2,3) remain much colder with respect to the latter (by a factor of 3-5) and share the same electronic temperature of the ground level (j = 1). The electronic population ratio n(2)/n(1) shows that the optical phonon scattering efficiently depopulates the lower laser level (j = 2) up to an electronic temperature T(e) ~180 K.

Near-room-temperature mid-infrared quantum well photodetector.

We demonstrate InGaAs mid-infrared quantum well infrared photodetectors (MIR PV-QWIPs) that enable cost-effective mature GaAs-based detection and imaging technologies, with exceptional material uniformity, reproducibility, and yield, over a large area, with high spectral selectivity, innate polarization sensitivity, radiation hardness, high detectivity, and high speed operation at TEC temperatures without bias.

A novel silicon patch-clamp chip permits high-fidelity recording of ion channel activity from functionally defined neurons.

We report on a simple and high-yield manufacturing process for silicon planar patch-clamp chips, which allow low capacitance and series resistance from individually identified cultured neurons. Apertures are etched in a high-quality silicon nitride film on a silicon wafer; wells are opened on the backside of the wafer by wet etching and passivated by a thick deposited silicon dioxide film to reduce the capacitance of the chip and to facilitate the formation of a high-impedance cell to aperture seal. The chip surface is suitable for culture of neurons over a small orifice in the substrate with minimal leak current. Collectively, these features enable high-fidelity electrophysiological recording of transmembrane currents resulting from ion channel activity in cultured neurons. Using cultured Lymnaea neurons we demonstrate whole-cell current recordings obtained from a voltage-clamp stimulation protocol, and in current-clamp mode we report action potentials stimulated by membrane depolarization steps. Despite the relatively large size of these neurons, good temporal and spatial control of cell membrane voltage was evident. To our knowledge this is the first report of recording of ion channel activity and action potentials from neurons cultured directly on a planar patch-clamp chip. This interrogation platform has enormous potential as a novel tool to readily provide high-information content during pharmaceutical assays to investigate in vitro models of disease, as well as neuronal physiology and synaptic plasticity.

Simultaneous detection of ultraviolet and infrared radiation in a single GaN/GaAlN heterojunction.

Results are presented for a dual-band detector that simultaneously detects UV radiation in the 250-360 nm and IR radiation in the 5-14 microm regions with near zero spectral cross talk. In this detector having separate UV- and IR-active regions with three contacts (one common contact for both regions) allows the separation of the UV and IR generated photocurrent components, identifying the relative strength of each component. This will be an important development in UV-IR dual-band applications such as fire-flame detection, solar astronomy, and military sensing, eliminating the difficulties of employing several individual detectors with separate electronics-cooling mechanisms.