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In this study, the sonodynamically induced antitumor effect of pyrrolidine tris-acid fullerene (PTF) was investigated. Sonodynamically induced antitumor effects of PTF by focused ultrasound were investigated using isolated sarcoma-180 cells and mice bearing ectopically-implanted colon 26 carcinoma. Cell damage induced by ultrasonic exposure was enhanced by 5-fold in the presence of 80 µM PTF. The combined treatment of ultrasound and PTF suppressed the growth of the implanted colon 26 carcinoma. Ultrasonically induced 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone-1-oxyl (4oxoTEMPO) production in the presence and absence of PTF was assessed, and it was shown that 80 µM PTF enhanced 4oxoTEMPO production as measured by ESR spectroscopy. Histidine, a reactive oxygen scavenger, significantly reduced cell damage and 4oxoTEMPO generation caused by ultrasonic exposure in the presence of PTF. These results suggest that singlet oxygen is likely to be involved in the ultrasonically induced cell damage enhanced by PTF.

The present study aims to investigate sonodynamically-induced apoptosis using the phthalocyanine, chloroaluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (AlPcTS). HL-60 cells were exposed to ultrasound for up to 3 min in the absence and presence of AlPcTS. Apoptosis was analyzed by cell morphology, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activity. Electron spin resonance was used to measure reactive oxygen species. The number of apoptotic cells showing membrane blebbing and cell shrinkage after combined treatment (ultrasound and AlPcTS) was significantly higher than following other treatments, including ultrasound alone and AlPcTS alone. Furthermore, DNA ladder formation, caspase-3 activation and enhanced nitroxide generation were observed in cells treated with ultrasound and AlPcTS. Sonodynamically induced apoptosis, caspase-3 activation, and nitroxide generation were significantly suppressed by histidine. The significant reduction by histidine indicated that ultrasonically generated reactive oxygen species, such as singlet oxygen, is an important mediator of sonodynamically-induced apoptosis.

We have found that aluminum doping into 4H-SiC is performed by irradiating excimer laser light to 4H-SiC immersed in aluminum chloride solution. Aluminum is introduced in SiC at the concentration of over 1 ? 1020 cm?3 near the surface while, chlorine hardly diffuses into 4H-SiC. After the laser irradiation in aluminum chloride solution, the resistance of the laser-irradiated region decreases with increasing laser fluence. Hall effect measurement shows that the laser irradiation produces a p-type layer and that its sheet carrier concentration is 2.14 ? 1011 cm?2. In addition, we produce a pn junction by doping the surface of n-type 4H-SiC and by aluminum doping. The pn junction shows rectifying characteristics whose on/off ratio is about 7 decades and ideality factor is 1.15. This technique is one of the strong candidate local doping techniques for SiC.

We developed a method to dope phosphorus into 4H-SiC by irradiating excimer laser light to 4H-SiC immersed in phosphoric acid solution. A KrF excimer laser was used. The surface is slightly ablated by the laser irradiation. However, no amorphous layer is generated near the surface. Phosphorous is introduced at a concentration of over 1020 cm-3 near the crystal surface. The laser irradiation in phosphoric acid solution significantly improves the ohmic contact characteristic between metal and 4H-SiC. Hall effect measurement shows that the irradiation produces an n-type layer at the surface whose sheet carrier concentration is 2.25×1012 cm-2. In addition, we produce a pn junction by irradiating p-type 4H-SiC. The pn junction shows a rectifying characteristic whose on/off ratio is over 8 decades and ideality factor is 1.06.