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Abstract: We report the effects of thermal annealing on structure, morphology and electrical properties of fluorinated copper phthalocyanine (F16CuPc)/α-sexithiophene (α6T) heterojunction thin films. The morphology and structure of the thin films were examined by atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The thermal annealing significantly improved α6T molecular ordering although F16CuPc molecular was slightly disordered in the thermal annealing process. The smallest full width of half maximum of the 200 diffraction lines was gained at the thermal annealing temperature of 150°C. Similarly, ambipolar performance of the F16CuPc/α6T heterojunction transistor could be improved by the thermal annealing. At the thermal annealed temperature of 150°C, the ambipolar device achieved high-performance with field-effect hole and electron mobilities of 8.84×10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 1.00×10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have investigated the effect of film thickness of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) on improving fluorinated copper phthalocyanine (F16CuPc) thin film transistor (TFT) performance with an organic pn junction. Electron field-effect mobility is exponentially enhanced up to 2.0×10− 2 cm2 V−1 s−1 with increasing of CuPc film thickness, and then unchanged when the CuPc thickness is over the saturation thickness (3 monolayers). The charge carrier density at the interface of F16CuPc/CuPc decreases the total TFT resistance, which leads to the increase of mobility. Threshold voltage is suppressed with increasing CuPc films. On the other hand, larger current on/off ratio is obtained when islanded CuPc films are formed on the surface of F16CuPc films. Therefore, employing an organic pn junction is an effective and simple method to fabricate high performance of n-channel transistors for practical applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article reports structure and morphology of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and fluorinated copper phthalocyanine (F16CuPc) pn heterojunction. Highly ordered CuPc and F16CuPc polycrystalline thin films with the 200 plane spacing s of 1.30 and 1.56nm, respectively, could be continuously grown via an intermediate-phase layer. Compared with CuPc, the intermediate-phase layer is much thinner when F16CuPc is used as the first layer. The rougher the first layer is, the thicker the intermediate-phase layer is. Similarly, the 200 plane spacings of the intermediate-phase layer are dependent on morphology of the first layer. Furthermore, morphology of the heterostructure is mainly dominated by that of CuPc films. Due to the thicker intermediate-phase layer in the CuPc/F16CuPc heterostructure, the thin film transistors (TFT) performance is obviously inferior to that of the F16CuPc/CuPc device. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By employing iso-C4H10 gas, we have studied the effective parameters in the first Townsend coefficient measurement using parallel plate avalanche chamber (PPAC). Obtained results are free from space charge and gap deformation effects, which have seriously affected previous PPAC-based measurements. The required conditions for a reliable Townsend coefficient measurement are presented as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report on the correlation between morphology and electronic properties of fluorinated copper phthalocyanine (F 16 CuPc) thin films deposited on SiO 2 /Si substrates at different substrate temperatures. Highly ordered films with the 200 plane spacing of d 200 = 14.3 Å is observed. Increasing the substrate temperature significantly improves the molecular ordering of F 16 CuPc, and the smallest FWHM was gained at a substrate temperature of 120°C. The mobility is strongly dependent on the substrate temperature. Increasing in grain size at higher substrate temperatures improves the mobility of F 16 CuPc TFTs, but gaps generated between grains degrade the performance of F 16 CuPc TFTs at a substrate temperature higher than 110°C. When deposition of F 16 CuPc is done at a substrate temperature of 100°C, the maximum mobility of 4.25 × 10 -3 cm 2 /Vs. can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of O2 and H2O on the electrical characteristics of pentacene thin film transistors have been investigated using in situ and ex situ I–V measurements. We found that O2 enhances the saturation current by about 10%, and the mobility is only slightly increased. The effect of H2O on the device performance is considerably complicated. The physically absorbed water degrades the device performance, and the chemically absorbed water interacts with pentacene to form pentacene/(H2O)n clusters, which enhance the saturation current. On the other hand, the effect of H2O is found to be partly reversible after repumping to vacuum due to the undissociated clusters, which attribute to the variations of the saturation current and field effect mobility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A position-sensitive proton recoil telescope (PSPRT) has been developed as a new-type neutron spectrometer to achieve high sensitivity and high energy resolution concurrently. The PSPRT consists of a radiator-detector and a proton detector, which employs a set of a position-sensitive photomultiplier (PS-PMT) and a scintillator. Neutron energy spectrum is derived by using only “good events” which are events for forward angles around 0°, and correcting for the proton energy loss in the radiator detector. The expected performance of PSPRT was proved experimentally. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper considers the electromagnetic propulsion of a body radiating directed electromagnetic waves. As the source of electromagnetic waves, a system consisting of two electric dipoles is chosen. The electromagnetic propulsion this system receives from the surrounding space is theoretically analyzed and discussed. This propulsion is related to the near field formed by the dipoles and exhibits the maximum propulsion at a characteristic dipole spacing. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 83(4): 31–39, 2000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ambipolar organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) was fabricated with heterostructure of thin films of fluorinated copper phthalocyanine (F16CuPc) and α,α′-dihexylsexithiophene (DH-α6T). The heterostructure TFT showed highly air-stable ambipolar characteristics with their hole and electron field-effect mobilities of 1.77×10−3 cm2/Vs and 8.18×10−3 cm2/Vs, respectively. Finally, complementary CMOS-like inverters comprising two ambipolar OTFTs were constructed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ambipolar organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on a fluorinated copper phthalocyanine (F16CuPc)/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) homostructure layer were fabricated and characterized. The homostructure TFTs showed typical air-stable ambipolar characteristics, with hole and electron mobilities of 1.44×10-3 and 9.97×10-4 cm2/V s, respectively, which are comparable to unipolar mobilities in these single-layer devices. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests highly ordered F16CuPc and CuPc polycrystalline thin films could be continuously grown via an intermediate-phase layer in the homostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depth resolution and probing depth for Li in lithium thin film batteries achievable using different ion beam analytical techniques were investigated. Experiments using protons for nuclear reaction analysis, He ions for time-of-flight (TOF) energy elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) in transmission geometry, as well as He and Li ions for coincidence ERDA in transmission geometry are performed. Experimental results are compared in terms of the obtained Li concentration in the separator layer. In coincidence ERDA experiments, significant loss of Li–Li and He–Li coincidence counts was observed due to multiple scattering of recoiled/scattered particles in the battery sample. The ideal achievable Li depth resolution was calculated for the ion beam techniques. A depth resolution of 750, 1030, 310, and 510 × 1015 atoms/cm2 could be achieved in the Nb2O5 cathode by nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) using 2 MeV H, TOF-ERDA using 8 MeV He, and coincidence ERDA using 8 MeV He and 8 MeV Li ions, respectively, upon optimization of the experimental setup. While a depth resolution of 120 × 1015 ions/cm2 could be achieved for Li by conventional TOF-ERDA using an solid-state detector energy detector and light primary ions such as O under gracing incidence, TOF-ERDA experiments are found to produce significantly higher beam damage in batteries than other techniques. The beam damage in NRA and coincidence ERDA as performed in this study is estimated to be of the order of 10−4 dpa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentacene thin films were prepared by vacuum evaporation on SiO 2 /Si (100) and glass substrates with various growth conditions. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements were employed to characterize the various properties of the films. Two distinct crystalline phases were observed with the 001 spacing of 15.0 Å (thin film phase) and 14.0 Å (single crystal phase), respectively. The single crystal phase appeared over a critical thickness of the thin film phase, and the critical thickness was strongly dependent on growth conditions: increasing the substrate temperature decreased the critical thickness. The substrate temperature enhanced the electrical conductivity of the films parallel to the substrate surface, although the substrate temperature induces the single crystal phase. On the other hand, gaps generated between grains degraded conductivity at a too high substrate temperature. The maximum conductivity of 2.0×10 -7 S/cm was gained at a substrate temperature of 40°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have investigated the density of pn-heterojunction interface states by evaluating the threshold voltage shift with in-situ measurement of electrical characteristics of a sandwich fluorinated copper phthalocyanine/pentacene thin film transistor with various thicknesses of pentacene thin films. A threshold voltage (VT ) undergoes a significant shift from +20.6 to +0.53V with increasing the thickness of pentacene. When the thickness of pentacene is more than a critical thickness of 15nm, VT undergoes hardly any shift. On the other hand, the value of mobility is lightly decreased with increasing the thickness of pentacene due to the effect of the bulk current. Thus the VT shift is attributed to the increase of drain current in the sandwich device. In order to explain the VT shift, a model was assumed in the linear region of thin film transistor operation and the VT shift agrees with a tan−1 function of film thickness. The total charge density (Q 0) of 1.53×10−7 C/cm2 (9.56×1011 electrons or holes/cm2) was obtained. Furthermore, the VT shift and Q 0 could be adjusted by selecting a p-type semiconductor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to improve the quality of deuteron-induced activation data required for the safety design of the IFMIF (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility), we have measured (1) the activation cross-section of natLi(d,x)7Be in the deuteron-energy range from 7 to 39MeV and (2) the production rates of radioactive nuclides in thick targets for natLi(d,x)7Be, natC(d,x)7Be, and 27Al(d,x)7Be, 22Na, 24Na reactions at 40MeV using the AVF cyclotron of Tohoku University. We have also estimated the production rates of these nuclides in the thick targets below 40MeV using the cross-sections obtained in this study. The present data compared favorably with other experimental data, IAEA-recommended data, and the data obtained using the recent nuclear reaction code TALYS and the activation code IRACM, which is based on the ALICE-F code. Some calculation results showed marked disagreement with the experimental data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have developed a high performance lithium-ion conducting glass-ceramics. This glass-ceramics has the crystalline form of Li1+x+y Al x Ti2−x Si y P3−y O12 with a NASICON-type structure, and it exhibits a high lithium-ion conductivity of 10−3 Scm−1 or above at room temperature. Moreover, since this material is stable in the open atmosphere and even to exposure to moist air, it is expected to be applied for various uses. One of applications of this material is as a solid electrolyte for a lithium-ion battery. Batteries were developed by combining a LiCoO2 positive electrode, a Li4Ti5O12 negative electrode, and a composite electrolyte. The battery using the composite electrolyte with a higher conductivity exhibited a good charge–discharge characteristic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pentacene thin film transistors were fabricated and characterized with PVA thin films as a gate dielectric. The maximum process temperature was 70°C, which corresponds to a baking temperature of the spin-coated polymeric dielectric. Glass and flexible PET foils were used as substrates. Theses devices showed high performance electrical characteristics and worked at a low operating voltage of - 5 V. The highest field effect mobility of 2.6 cm2/Vs and the lowest threshold voltage of - 1.7 V were obtained on a flexible substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Large-sized and thin-filmed lithium ion rechargeable batteries composed of a Li2−x Mn2O4 positive electrode, a V2O5 negative electrode and a Li3PO4−x N x electrolyte have been developed on glass substrates by using a sputtering method, and their electrochemical characteristics were investigated. A typical cell size of the batteries was 100mm×100mm in area and about 3.1μm in thickness as a whole. The battery with a maximum cell size of 200mm×200mm was also successfully fabricated. These pinhole-free batteries showed a good rechargeable performance between 3.5 and 0.3V with a typical charge–discharge capacity of about 0.9mAh for the battery with a 100mm×100mm size and of about 5.5mAh for the battery with a 200mm×200mm size. These batteries having almost the same characteristics have stably been fabricated with a good yield rate, and they could drive a digital watch as one of realistic portable devices more than 1 month with only one time charge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Electronic band structures of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are studied using first principles ultrasoft pseudopotential with plane wave basis. We find that band gap values of relaxed SWNTs in the generalized gradient approximation significantly differ from those obtained in the local density approximation for the exchange-correlation functional. In addition, it is shown that electronic band structures and total energies of SWNTs are strongly correlated with axial strain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A quantitative assessment of Li transport is decisive for Li ion battery research. Here, we demonstrate in situ and in-operando depth profiling of the Li-inventory in lithium thin film batteries. We employ non-destructive coincidence elastic recoil detection analysis using different projectile ions in the MeV range to simultaneously quantify the lithium depth distribution in the whole stack with resolution better than 50 nm by simulations of experimental data. Experiments were performed while charging and discharging the stack. 5 MeV 7Li primary ions were employed to extract the Li depth distribution in an ∼3.6 μm thick Ti/LMO/LIPON/NbO/Ti thin film battery. To show the versatility of the approach, a coincidence experiment was also performed using 4 MeV He ions for an ∼3.4 μm thick Ti/LMO/LIPON/NbO/Ti battery. Our results illustrate, for example, lithium accumulation in the 90 nm thick NbO layer upon charging with +3 V. We could also show the transport of large amounts of Li from the LMO/LIPON interface to the LIPON/NbO interface upon overcharging with +5 V. Altogether, these experiments demonstrate the potential of the employed technique, enabling in-operando high resolution composition depth profiling of Li and other light elements (e.g., H, He, C, N, and O) in ultrathin all-solid state batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which excited mixed-dye-doped solid microspheres by a transversely excited-atmospheric ultraviolet nitrogen[sub2] laser to obtain a multiple oscillation of a whispering-gallery-mode dye laser. Schematic representation of an experimental setup; Analysis of the mode structure of the emission spectra from a mixed-dye-doped polystyrene sphere.

Abstract: The characteristics of moderator assembly dimension was investigated for the usage of 7Li(p,n) neutrons by 2.3–2.8MeV protons and W(p,n) neutrons by 50MeV protons. The indexes were the treatable protocol depth (TPD) and advantage depth (AD). Consequently, a configuration for W target with the Fe filter, Fluental moderator, Pb reflector showed the TPD of 5.8cm and AD of 9.3cm. Comparable indexes were found for the Li target in a geometry with the MgF2 moderator and Teflon reflector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High-quality ZnO film has been successfully grown on 2 inch c-plane sapphire substrate using Zn(DPM)2 and O2 as zinc and oxygen sources by a solution-vaporizing MOCVD technique. All films deposited at the substrate temperatures of 680 ∼ 760 °C were preferentially oriented along the (0001) direction and increasing the substrate temperature the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the (0002) peak was decreased, as the crystallinity is improved. At the optimized substrate temperature of 740 °C the film showed the smallest FWHM was about 240 arcsec with the smoothest surface. In photoluminescence analysis of the film deposited at 740 °C, exciton emissions bound to the neutral donor (D0X) and two-electron satellites (TES) emission dominated the edge emission region while phonon replicas of D0X and TES dominated the lower energy region with a weakly donor-acceptor-pair emission. Further, a comparatively negligible defect luminescence was observed, which indicated high-quality ZnO film obtained. With increased temperature, the PL intensity of D0X and TES emissions decreased, which peaks shifts to the lower energy side, while the intensity of the free exciton emission increases and finally dominates the spectrum at room temperature. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have reported on improved titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) thin film transistor (TFT) performance utilizing an α,α′-dihexylsexithiophene (DH-α6T) submonolayer. By the detailed XRD and AFM analysis, highly ordering α-TiOPc thin films could be deposited on SiO2/Si substrates modified by a DH-α6T submonolayer. Organic TFT with a TiOPc/ DH-α6T bilayer as active layers realized high mobility of 2.45 × 10−1cm2/V s, which is about 100 times greater than that of TiOPc single layer device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we fabricated and characterized α, α′-dihexylsexithiophene (DH-α6T) monolayer film on silicon dioxide. The first layer is the mode of layer growth and from the second layer, the film mainly shows the mode of layer growth accompanying growth of little local island. On the other hand, the growth behavior of DH-α6T submonolayer as function of substrate temperature was investigated. DH-α6T submonolayer could be grown at low substrate temperatures although it has the high island density, and the high substrate temperatures of 100–120°C are optimal to grow large-size and high-quality DH-α6T films. These results imply that DH-α6T thin films are much longer range ordering than α6T, which originates from the self-assembly properties brought by alkyl groups in the α, α′ position. Thus DH-α6T is a more attractive material for fabricating both a high-quality DH-α6T monolayer film and a high-quality multimonolayer film. Furthermore, organic thin film transistor with a crystal-like DH-α6T 2.52 monolayer film as active layers realized high mobility of 0.239cm2/Vs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To improve the accuracy of the neutron emission data in the natLi(d,xn) reaction, which will be used as the neutron source in the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF), we measured the double-differential neutron emission cross-sections (DDXs) of the d-Li reaction at 25MeV at the cyclotron facility of Tohoku University. The DDXs were measured at ten laboratory angles between 0° and 110° by the time-of-flight method, using a beam-swinger system and a well-collimated neutron flight channel. We used a two-gain method to obtain over most of the energy range of secondary neutrons and reveal the shape of the overall emission spectra including the breakup peak of incident deuterons near half the incidence energy, and several peaks in the high-energy tail due to stripping reactions. The experimental results compared favorably with those obtained using the extended Serber model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Lithium/water batteries have attracted considerable attention as high power supply devices because they use high energy density lithium metal as an anode and water as a cathode. In this study, we investigate the use of lithium/water batteries that use a glass–ceramics plate as an electrolyte. A lithium ion conducting glass–ceramics plate has no through-holes and does not exhibit moisture permeation. Such a plate has stable ionic conductivity in water. Lithium/water batteries that used a glass–ceramics plate as an electrolyte had a long and stable discharge for 50 days at room temperature when the lithium metal was prevented from coming into contact with water. Lithium/seawater batteries using a glass–ceramics plate as an electrolyte also operated well in the 10–70°C temperature range. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In Japan, several monoenergetic and quasi-monoenergetic neutron reference fields are currently operating at several research institutes over a wide energy range 8 keV–390 MeV. These neutron fields are utilized for characterizing and developing neutron detectors as well as for neutron-induced cross section studies, shielding benchmark experiments and irradiation testing of micro-electronic devices. This paper reports the current status of these monoenergetic and quasi-monoenergetic neutron reference fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The breast cancer is one of the most frequent cause of death among female cancer patients. However, when discovered at the early stage, the probability of recovery is very high. Therefore, the development of positron emission mammography (PEM) to detect the breast cancer at the early stage with high efficiency is demanding. As the diameter of the scanner part is small, a scintillator with faster response is required. As the recently developed Pr:LuAG has almost twice as short scintillation decay time than that of Ce:LSO, the Pr:LuAG scintillator was employed in our recently developed PEM system. One camera unit consisted of 20×64 scintillator pixels optically coupled with three H8500-03 multi anode photomultipliers. The Pr:LuAG pixel size is 2.1×2.1×15mm3 and the BaSO4 was used as a reflector. Four planar cameras are placed at both sides. Therefore, eight cameras were installed at both sides of the instrument. The spatial resolution was evaluated to be 1.1mm using the 22Na point source. Fluorodeoxyglucose with 18F hotspot image was also detected using the breast phantom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to detect the breast cancer at the early stage with high efficiency, we intend to develop positron emission mammography (PEM), using Pr:LuAG single crystal as a scintillator of this scanner. PEM has the same mechanism of PET, where two 511 keV annihilation gamma-rays are detected by two gamma cameras at opposite side, and reconstruction of the data shows the position of the cancer with malignancy grades. After cutting and polishing processes for each crystal to a physical dimensions of 2.1 x 2.1 x 15 mm³, Pr:LuAG array covered with BaSO4 reflector was used as a sensor head. The one camera unit consisted of 20 x 64 pixels optically coupled with three H8500-03 multi anode PMTs. Our PEM required four cameras at each side. Finally, eight cameras were installed in both sides of the prototype instrument and the spatial resolution was evaluated using the 18F in the breast phantom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ce2% : 6LiCaAlF6 (6LiCAF) single crystal (nominal composition) with 2 mm in diameter and 50 mm in length was grown by the micro-pulling-down method. Emission from the perturbed Ce3+ centers was observed in an α-ray excited radioluminescence. The neutron response was compared with Li-glass (GS20, Saint-Gobain) using 252Cf. The scintillation decay time of Ce2% 6LiCAF is 38 nsec, which is twice as short as that of GS20. Using Hamamatsu photomultiplier H7416 the photoelectron yield about a half of that of GS20 has been measured for the Ce : 6LiCAF single crystal. Considering the light yield of GS20 (6000 phot/neutron) and the spectral correction due to the different emission peak position in both materials, the light yield of Ce : 6LiCAF single crystal is estimated about 4200 phot/neutron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An online monitor of heavy ion flux for semiconductor irradiation test was developed and tested. The monitor consists of four annular-shaped segmented secondary electron emission monitors (S-SEMs) arranged in a quadrature around the central area of a beam line. Each SEM detects heavy ions diffused to the outer side from the center of the beam by a scatterer to expand the beam size without interference with the central part of the beam. Each SEM is independent, then the count of each SEM reflects the beam position or profile. Therefore, the device can be used as an online monitor for beam intensity and position. The device is named S-SEM. S-SEM was installed in an ion irradiation apparatus for semiconductor devices at the Tohoku University K=110 AVF cyclotron. We tested its performance and demonstrated that the S-SEM enables us to monitor the heavy ion flux down to lower than 104 #/cm2 s, without any energy loss to the beam. Further, S-SEM provides information on the beam position in both vertical and horizontal directions as expected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: All-solid-state thin-filmed lithium-ion rechargeable batteries composed of amorphous Nb2O5 negative electrode with the thickness of 50–300nm and amorphous Li2Mn2O4 positive electrode with a constant thickness of 200nm, and amorphous Li3PO4−x N x electrolyte (100nm thickness), have been fabricated on glass substrates with a 50mm×50mm size by a sputtering method, and their electrochemical characteristics were investigated. The charge–discharge capacity based on the volume of positive electrode increased with increasing thickness of negative electrode, reaching about 600mAhcm−3 for the battery with the negative electrode thickness of 200nm. But the capacity based on the volume of both the positive and negative electrodes was the maximum value of about 310mAhcm−3 for the battery with the negative electrode thickness of 100nm. The shape of charge–discharge curve consisted of a two-step for the batteries with the negative electrode thickness more than 200nm, but that with the thickness of 100nm was a smooth S-shape curve during 500 cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Neutron energy spectra at 0-degree produced from stopping-length graphite, Al, Fe and Pb targets bombarded by 350MeV protons were measured at the neutron TOF course at RCNP of Osaka University. The experiments were performed by the time-of-flight technique with the flight path length of 11.4 and 95m, and neutron energy spectra were obtained in the energy range from 10MeV upto the maximum energy 350MeV. Monte Carlo calculations by MCNPX, PHITS and MARS15 were performed to compare the obtained experimental data, and these simulation results at 0-degree generally underestimated the experimental data for all targets in the energy range above 20MeV. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A simple and inexpensive system is reported for a whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) laser using a dye-doped solid small sphere. A WGM laser is pumped by a compact transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) UV N2 laser. Experiments using the inexpensive system and some features in the WGM laser are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents whispering-gallery-mode dye lasers in blue, green, and orange regions using dye-doped, solid, small spheres. Emergence of the laser emission in all radial direction; Examination of the mode structure of the emission spectra; Exhibition of a simple periodic structure.

To use carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as anode material for the solid-state thin-film Li-ion rechargeable battery, the tubes are preferred to be aligned perpendicular to a substrate and the CNT thin film to have a smooth surface. Using an Ar-ion sputtering technique, we carried out the surface modifications of the CNT thin film prepared by the SiC surface decomposition method. In order to evaluate the surface modification, the surface and cross section of the modified CNT film were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]