Optical properties of copper helical nanostructures: the effect of thickness on the SPR peak position.

In this study, we have investigated the effect of thickness on the structural and optical properties of copper (Cu) helical nanostructures. Thin films with thicknesses of 160 nm, 280 nm, 450 nm, and 780 nm were obtained by e-beam glancing angle deposition. The morphology and the microstructure were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, while for the optical analysis measurements spectroscopic ellipsometry was used. The results show that the deposited structures are porous with nanometer-sized crystallites preferentially oriented along (111) planes, as well as that the diameter of the helices increases with thickness. Detailed analyses of optical properties have demonstrated that the dielectric function of Cu structures is greatly influenced by the films thicknesses. With increasing thickness from 160 nm to 780 nm, the surface plasmon resonance peak was shifted from 1.31 eV to 1.05 eV, which was correlated with the growth mechanism and the size of deposited nanostructures.

A Low-Power Injection-Locked VCO for an Implantable MICS Band Transmitter with Wireless Frequency Reference and Tune-while-Lock Channel Calibration.

This paper presents the design of an 800 MHz VCO for both free-running and injection locked operation in a novel low power transmitter with wireless frequency reference, operating in the MICS band (402-405 MHz). The transmitter employs simultaneous tuning and locking, to set the desired channel with a minimal injected power. The VCO is designed and fabricated in a 0.13 $\mu \mathrm{m}$ SiGe BiCMOS process and has a core area of 0.5 $\mathrm{m}\mathrm{m}^{2}$. The measurement of the free-running VCO shows -107 dBc/Hz phase noise at 300 kHz frequency offset. If locked to an external frequency reference the VCO shows 118 dBc/Hz phase noise at 300 KHz offset, while consuming 3 mA from a 1.2 V supply (3.6 mW). When the VCO is tuned during the locking, 20 dBm of reference power is required to enable operation in the whole MICS band. The measured phase noise of the free-running VCO ensures reliable calibration of the proposed transmitter and the locked VCO satisfies all requirements of an implantable device using MICS band data transmission. Therefore, this VCO presents a key building block of an injection locked, frequency agile, implantable transmitter for the MICS band.

[A patient with chronic pulmonary disease and histologically proven alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency]. / Bolesnik od hronicne plucne bolesti s histoloski dokazanim deficitom alfa-1-antitripsina.

The author depicted a patient with chronic pulmonary disease associated with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. The patient had suffered for a long time from chronic pulmonary disease, clinically diagnosed as bronchial asthma and he suddenly died with signs of chronic respiratory insufficiency. The basic pathological change in the lungs was chronic panacinar emphysema, with chronic inflammation, bronchiectasis and fibrosis. Numerous eosinophilic periodic acid Schiff stain-positive globules resistant to diastase digestion, most probably alpha-1-antitrypsin, were found in his liver, which was otherwise without special changes. The author concluded that among patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency should be taken into account. This can quite easily be demonstrated in liver biopsy specimens by the characteristics globules in the hepatocytes.