Ultra-long ordered nanowires from the concerted self-assembly of discotic liquid crystal and solvent molecules.

in Langmuir (2015), 31(34), 9432-9440

The realization of long and aligned molecular wires is a great challenge and different approaches have been proposed. Interestingly, hexapentyloxytriphenylene (HAT5) discotic liquid crystal molecules ... [more ▼]

The realization of long and aligned molecular wires is a great challenge and different approaches have been proposed. Interestingly, hexapentyloxytriphenylene (HAT5) discotic liquid crystal molecules, model system of molecules with flat and aromatic cores, can spontaneously form well aligned, micrometer long yet only tens of nanometers thick nanowires on solid surfaces. We have investigated the formation mechanism of these wires by using different solvents with selected characteristics like chemical structure, boiling point, vapor pressure and surface tension. When casting from toluene and benzene solutions, atomic force microscopy reveals that the discotics spontaneously form very long and thin wires, self-aligning along a common orientation. If instead dodecane or heptane are used, different and in general thicker structures are obtained. The chemical structure of the solvent appears to have a key role, coupling to the liquid crystal self-assembly by allowing solvent molecules to enter in the ordered structure if their design matches the core of HAT5 molecules, thereby guiding the assembly. However, also other aspects are relevant in the assembly, like the nature of the substrate or the rate of solvent evaporation, and these can favor or interfere with the self-assembly into long structures. The use of solvents with aromatic structure is advantageous not only because it affects the geometry of the assembly, promoting long wire formation, but it is also compatible with good quality of the intermolecular order, as suggested by a high anisotropy of the Raman spectra of the nanowires formed from these solvents. Finally, the electrical properties of ordered systems show a clearly higher electrical conductivity compared to the disorganized aggregates. [less ▲]

Ultra-Rare Genetic Variation in the Epilepsies: A Whole-Exome Sequencing Study of 17,606 Individuals

in American Journal of Human Genetics (2019)

Sequencing-based studies have identified novel risk genes associated with severe epilepsies and revealed an excess of rare deleterious variation in less-severe forms of epilepsy. To identify the shared ... [more ▼]

Sequencing-based studies have identified novel risk genes associated with severe epilepsies and revealed an excess of rare deleterious variation in less-severe forms of epilepsy. To identify the shared and distinct ultra-rare genetic risk factors for different types of epilepsies, we performed a whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis of 9,170 epilepsy-affected individuals and 8,436 controls of European ancestry. We focused on three phenotypic groups: severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE), and non-acquired focal epilepsy (NAFE). We observed that compared to controls, individuals with any type of epilepsy carried an excess of ultra-rare, deleterious variants in constrained genes and in genes previously associated with epilepsy; we saw the strongest enrichment in individuals with DEEs and the least strong in individuals with NAFE. Moreover, we found that inhibitory GABAA receptor genes were enriched for missense variants across all three classes of epilepsy, whereas no enrichment was seen in excitatory receptor genes. The larger gene groups for the GABAergic pathway or cation channels also showed a significant mutational burden in DEEs and GGE. Although no single gene surpassed exome-wide significance among individuals with GGE or NAFE, highly constrained genes and genes encoding ion channels were among the lead associations; such genes included CACNA1G, EEF1A2, and GABRG2 for GGE and LGI1, TRIM3, and GABRG2 for NAFE. Our study, the largest epilepsy WES study to date, confirms a convergence in the genetics of severe and less-severe epilepsies associated with ultra-rare coding variation, and it highlights a ubiquitous role for GABAergic inhibition in epilepsy etiology. [less ▲]

Ultrafast acousto-optic mode conversion in optically birefringent ferroelectrics

in Nature Communications (2016), 7

The ability to generate efficient giga-terahertz coherent acoustic phonons with femtosecond laser makes acousto-optics a promising candidate for ultrafast light processing, which faces electronic device ... [more ▼]

The ability to generate efficient giga-terahertz coherent acoustic phonons with femtosecond laser makes acousto-optics a promising candidate for ultrafast light processing, which faces electronic device limits intrinsic to complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. Modern acousto-optic devices, including optical mode conversion process between ordinary and extraordinary light waves (and vice versa), remain limited to the megahertz range. Here, using coherent acoustic waves generated at tens of gigahertz frequency by a femtosecond laser pulse we reveal the mode conversion process and show its efficiency in ferroelectric materials such as BiFeO3 and LiNbO3. Further to the experimental evidence, we provide a complete theoretical support to this all-optical ultrafast mechanism mediated by acousto-optic interaction. By allowing the manipulation of light polarization with gigahertz coherent acoustic phonons, our results provide a novel route for the development of next-generation photonic-based devices and highlight new capabilities in using ferroelectrics in modern photonics. [less ▲]

Ultrafast and highly sensitive photodetectors fabricated on high-energy nitrogen-implanted GaAs,

in Applied Physics Letters (2003), 83

We have fabricated and tested metal–semiconductor–metal ~MSM! photodetectors based on nitrogen-ion-implanted GaAs. Nitrogen ions with energy of 700 and 880 keV, respectively, were implanted into epitaxial ... [more ▼]

We have fabricated and tested metal–semiconductor–metal ~MSM! photodetectors based on nitrogen-ion-implanted GaAs. Nitrogen ions with energy of 700 and 880 keV, respectively, were implanted into epitaxial GaAs films at an ion concentration of 331012 cm22. Ti/Au MSM photodetectors with 1-um-wide fingers were fabricated on top of the implanted GaAs. In comparison to low-temperature-grown GaAs photodetectors, produced in parallel in identical MSM geometry, the 880 keV N1-implanted photodetectors exhibited almost two orders of magnitude lower dark current ~10 nA at 1 V bias! and the responsivity more than doubled ~.20 mA/W at 20 V bias!. Illumination with 100-fs-wide, 810 nm wavelength laser pulses, generated ;2.5-ps-wide photoresponse signals with amplitudes as high as 2 V. The 2.5 ps relaxation time was the same for both the ion-implanted and low-temperature-grown devices and was limited by the MSM capacitance time constant. [less ▲]

Ultrafast carrier recombination in highly n-doped Ge-on-Si films

in APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS (2019), 114(24),

We study the femtosecond carrier dynamics of n-type doped and biaxially strained Ge-on-Si films which occurs upon impulsive photoexcitation by means of broadband near-IR transient absorption spectroscopy ... [more ▼]

We study the femtosecond carrier dynamics of n-type doped and biaxially strained Ge-on-Si films which occurs upon impulsive photoexcitation by means of broadband near-IR transient absorption spectroscopy. The modeling of the experimental data takes into account the static donor density in a modified rate equation for the description of the temporal recombination dynamics. The measurements confirm the negligible contribution at a high n-type doping concentration, in the 10(19)cm(-3) range, of Auger processes as compared to defect-related Shockley-Read-Hall recombination. Energy resolved dynamics reveal further insights into the doping-related band structure changes and suggest a reshaping of direct and indirect conduction band valleys to a single effective valley along with a significant spectral broadening of the optical transitions. [less ▲]

Ultrafast Low-Temperature-Grown Epitaxial GaAs Photodetectors Transferred on Flexible Plastic Substrates

in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters (2005), 17(8), 1725-1727

We demonstrate low-temperature (LT)-grown GaAs photodetectors transferred on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic substrates. The LT-GaAs layer was patterned into 20 20 m2 chips, which after ... [more ▼]

We demonstrate low-temperature (LT)-grown GaAs photodetectors transferred on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic substrates. The LT-GaAs layer was patterned into 20 20 m2 chips, which after placing on the PET substrates were integrated with coplanar strip transmission lines. The devices exhibit low dark currents ( 2 10 8 A), subpicosecond photoresponse time, and signal amplitudes up to 0.9 V at the bias voltage of 80 V and under laser beam excitation power of 8 mW at 810-nm wavelength. At the highest bias ( 80 V) level, an increase of the response time (up to 1.3 ps) was observed and attributed to the influence of heating effects due to low thermal conductivity of PET. Our LT-GaAs-on-PET photodetectors withstand hundredfold mechanical bending of the substrate and are intended for applications in hybrid optoelectronic circuits fabricated on noncrystalline substrates, in terahertz imaging, and in biology-related current-excitation tests. [less ▲]

Ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopy with field resolution and noncollinear geometry at mid-infrared frequencies

in New Journal of Physics (2022)

Energetic correlations and their dynamics govern the fundamental properties of condensed matter materials. Ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopy in the mid infrared is an advanced technique to study ... [more ▼]

Energetic correlations and their dynamics govern the fundamental properties of condensed matter materials. Ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopy in the mid infrared is an advanced technique to study such coherent low-energy dynamics. The intrinsic many-body phenomena in functional solid-state materials, in particular few-layer samples, remain widely unexplored to this date, because complex and weak sample responses demand versatile and sensitive detection. Here, we present a novel setup for ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopy with noncollinear geometry and complete field resolution in the 15–40 THz range. Electric fields up to few-100 kV cm−1 drive coherent dynamics in a perturbative regime, and an advanced modulation scheme allows to detect nonlinear signals down to a few tens of V cm−1 entirely background-free with high sensitivity and full control over the geometric phase-matching conditions. Our system aims at the investigation of correlations and many-body interactions in condensed matter systems at low energy. Benchmark measurements on bulk indium antimonide reveal a strong six-wave mixing signal and map ultra- fast changes of the band structure with access to amplitude and phase information. Our results pave the way towards the investigation of functional thin film materials and few-layer samples. [less ▲]

Ultrafast Phenomena in Freestanding LT-GaAs Devices

in Acta Physica Polonica A (2005), VOL 107; PART 1

We report on the fabrication and high-frequency performance of our photodetectors and photomixers based on freestanding low-temperature-grown GaAs. The MBE-grown low-temperature GaAs layers are lifted ... [more ▼]

We report on the fabrication and high-frequency performance of our photodetectors and photomixers based on freestanding low-temperature-grown GaAs. The MBE-grown low-temperature GaAs layers are lifted from the native GaAs substrate and transferred on top of variety of host substrates. The freestanding devices exhibit breakdown electrical ¯elds above 200 kV/cm and dark currents below 3 £ 10¡7 A at 100 V bias. Device photoresponse shows 0.55 ps wide electrical transients with voltage amplitudes up to 1.3 V, measured using an electro-optical sampling technique with 100 fs wide laser pulses. Photomixing experiments at 460 GHz yield a 9 times higher output power for the freestanding device on Si/SiO2 host substrate compared to the native substrate. [less ▲]

Ultralow Voltage Manipulation of Ferromagnetism

in Advanced Science (2020)

Ultrasensitive and label-free molecular-level detection enabled by light phase control in magnetoplasmonic nanoantennas

in Nature Communications (2015), 6

Systems allowing label-free molecular detection are expected to have enormous impact on biochemical sciences. Research focuses on materials and technologies based on exploiting localized surface plasmon ... [more ▼]

Systems allowing label-free molecular detection are expected to have enormous impact on biochemical sciences. Research focuses on materials and technologies based on exploiting localized surface plasmon resonances in metallic nanostructures. The reason for this focused attention is their suitability for single-molecule sensing, arising from intrinsically nanoscopic sensing volume and the high sensitivity to the local environment. Here we propose an alternative route, which enables radically improved sensitivity compared with recently reported plasmon-based sensors. Such high sensitivity is achieved by exploiting the control of the phase of light in magnetoplasmonic nanoantennas. We demonstrate a manifold improvement of refractometric sensing figure-of-merit. Most remarkably, we show a raw surface sensitivity (that is, without applying fitting procedures) of two orders of magnitude higher than the current values reported for nanoplasmonic sensors. Such sensitivity corresponds to a mass of ~ 0.8 ag per nanoantenna of polyamide-6.6 (n=1.51), which is representative for a large variety of polymers, peptides and proteins. [less ▲]