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The integration of gallium nitride (GaN) nanowire light-emitting diodes (nanoLEDs) on flexible substrates offers opportunities for applications beyond rigid solid-state lighting (e.g., for wearable optoelectronics and bendable inorganic displays). Here, we report on a fast physical transfer route based on femtosecond laser lift-off (fs-LLO) to realize wafer-scale top–down GaN nanoLED arrays on unconventional platforms. Combined with photolithography and hybrid etching processes, we successfully transferred GaN blue nanoLEDs from a full two-inch sapphire substrate onto a flexible copper (Cu) foil with a high nanowire density (~107 wires/cm2), transfer yield (~99.5%), and reproducibility. Various nanoanalytical measurements were conducted to evaluate the performance and limitations of the fs-LLO technique as well as to gain insights into physical material properties such as strain relaxation and assess the maturity of the transfer process. This work could enable the easy recycling of native growth substrates and inspire the development of large-scale hybrid GaN nanowire optoelectronic devices by solely employing standard epitaxial LED wafers (i.e., customized LED wafers with additional embedded sacrificial materials and a complicated growth process are not required).

Compact and low-cost opto-biomedical sensing systems today are ubiquitously available for measuring the oxygen saturation in blood. The oxygen saturation is derived by a complex, usually not well defined analytical process from the optical absorption of tissue at different wavelengths. The amount of information, which is originally contained in absorption measurements, is drastically reduced by this circumstance. However, the reliability of the analytical process as well as the influence of external parameters like blood pressures on the experimental uncertainty of such systems are widely unknown. Thus, to explore the experimental uncertainty quantitatively, original experimental data have to be used. In commercial systems, however, these data are usually not accessible. Therefore, test systems with full access to original absorption data are necessary. In this work, we develop and describe a test system consisting of color filters and a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor, which has substantial advantages in comparison to usually used systems based on multi-color light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Color filters with well-defined filter functions allow for a higher spectral resolution, and will finally guide the way to multi-spectral analysis of blood absorption measurements with reduced uncertainty.

For various lighting and monolithic sensor systems application, vertically aligned three-dimensional (3D) gallium nitride (GaN)- and indium gallium nitride (InGaN)/GaN-based LED nanowire arrays with sub-200 nm feature sizes (down to 35 nm) were fabricated using a nanosphere lift-off lithography (NSLL) technique combined with hybrid top-down etching (i.e., inductively coupled plasma dry reactive ion etching (ICP-DRIE) and wet chemical etching). Owing to the lithographic opening and well-controlled surface functionalization prior to the polystyrene nanosphere (PN) deposition, vertical GaN nanowire arrays with an area density of 9.74 × 108 cm–2 and an aspect ratio of >10 could be realized in a specified large area of 1.5 × 1.5 mm2. Optoelectrical characteristics of the nanoLEDs were further investigated in cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements, in which multiquantum well (MQW) shows a clear CL-emission at a wavelength of 465 nm. Thus, using NSLL to manufacture low-cost but highly ordered 3D GaN-based nanowir...

We studied the evolution of the incubation effect during fs-laser micromachining of gallium nitride films with the number of laser pulses applied per sample surface area. The damage threshold fluence was measured using the zero-damage method and reduced from (0.61 ± 0.01) J/cm2 to (0.05 ± 0.03) J/cm2 when increasing the number of applied laser pulses from single-shot excitation to 105 pulses per spot, respectively. By applying the exponential defect accumulation model to the experimental incubation data, we determined a small value for the incubation parameter of (0.011 ± 0.001), indicating that gallium nitride has slow incubation dynamics. This information is important to achieve the desired control and high efficiency of fs-laser processing of gallium-nitride-based samples.

Even if ultrashort laser pulses are used during the laser synthesis of colloids, a significant amount of laser energy is converted into thermal energy, which results in heating the ablation target and the colloid. To date, little attention has been paid to these heating effects in the literature. This study was focused on measurements of the process temperature during the high-power, ultrashort-pulsed laser ablation of a nickel target in a continuous water flow setup. Time-resolved monitoring of the temperature of the ablation target and of the colloid indicated that there was an initial rapid uptake of thermal energy followed by a thermally-stable state in which there was very little additional heating. Shifting the focal plane from behind the target onto its surface and further into the fluid provided insight concerning the different mechanisms of heat generation, dissipation, and transfer in the laser synthesis of colloids. It even was possible to distinguish the fluence effects and the colloid re-irradiation effects. New possibilities of process control were identified by correlating the productivity of laser ablation at different focal plane shifts with the measured thermal data. Counterintuitively, the temperature of the target was minimized via ablation cooling when the productivity of the process was maximized.

Background: Households studies reflect the natural spread of SARS-CoV-2 in immunologically naive populations with limited preventive measures to control transmission.We hypothesise that seropositivity provides more accurate household attack rates than RT-PCR. Here, we investigated the importance of age in household transmission dynamics. Methods: We enroled 112 households (291 participants) in a case-ascertained study in Bergen, Norway from 28th February to 4th April 2020, collecting demographic and clinical data from index patients and household members. SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were measured in sera collected 6–8 weeks after index patient nasopharyngeal testing to define household attack rates. Findings: The overall attack rate was 45% (95% CI 38–53) assessed by serology, and 47% when also including seronegative RT-PCR positives. Serology identified a higher number of infected household members than RT-PCR. Attack rates were equally high in children (48%) and young adults (42%). The attack rate was 16% in asymptomatic household members and 42% in RT-PCR negative contacts. Older adults had higher antibody titres than younger adults. The risk of household transmission was higher when the index patient had fever (aOR 3.31 [95% CI 1.52–7.24]; p = 0.003) or dyspnoea (aOR 2.25 [95% CI 1.80–4.62]; p = 0.027) during acute illness. Interpretation: Serological assays provide more sensitive and robust estimates of household attack rates than RT-PCR. Children are equally susceptible to infection as young adults. Negative RT-PCR or lack of symptoms are not sufficient to rule out infection in household members. Funding: Helse Vest (F-11628), Trond Mohn Foundation (TMS2020TMT05). Abstrakt: Bakgrunn: Studier av husstander gjenspeiler den naturlige spredningen av SARS-CoV-2 blant ikke-immune populasjoner med begrensede tiltak for å forebygge smittespredning. Vår hypotese er at antistoff-påvisning gir mer nøyaktige angrepsrater i husstander sammenliknet med RT-PCR. Her undersøker vi betydnignenngen betydningen av alder i smittespredningen. Metoder: Vi rekrutterte 112 husstander (291 studiedeltakere) i en indeks kasus-bekreftet studie i Bergen, Norge fra 28.02.2020 til 04.04.2020, og samlet inn demografiske og kliniske data fra indekspasienter og deres husstandsmedlemmer. Angrepsrate i husstander ble beregnet ved å måle SARS-CoV-2-spesifikke antistoffer i sera samlet 6–8 uker etter nasofarynksprøve av indekspasienten. Funn: Den totale angrepsraten var 45% (95% KI 38–53) vurdert ved serologi, og 47% ved å inkludere antistoff negative, RT-PCR positive husstandsmedlemmer. Spesifikke antistoffer identifiserer en høyere andel infiserte husstandsmedlemmer sammenliknet med RT-PCR. Angrepsraten var like høy hos barn (48%) og unge voksne (42%). Angrepsraten var 16% hos personer uten symptomer og 42% hos RT-PCR negative husstandsmedlemmer. Eldre voksne hadde høyere antistoff titre enn yngre voksne. Risiko for smitte i husstander var høyere når indekspasienten hadde feber (aOR 3.31 [95% KI 1.52–7.24]; p = 0.003) eller dyspne (aOR 2.25 [95% KI 1.80–4.62]; p = 0.027) under akuttfasen. Tolkning: Serologiske analyser gir mer sensitive og robuste estimater av angrepsrate i husstander sammenliknet med RT-PCR. Barn er like utsatt for infeksjon som voksne. Negativ RT-PCR eller fravær av symptomer er ikke tilstrekkelige for å utelukke infeksjon blant husstandsmedlemmer. Finansiering: Helse Vest (F-11628), Trond Mohn Stiftelse (TMS2020TMT05).

Besides high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with dimensions in the range of mm, micro-LEDs (μLEDs) are increasingly gaining interest today, motivated by the future applications of μLEDs in augmented reality displays or for nanometrology and sensor technology. A key aspect of this miniaturization is the influence of the structure size on the electrical and optical properties of μLEDs. Thus, in this article, investigations of the size dependence of the electro-optical properties of μLEDs, with diameters in the range of 20 to 0.65 μm, by current–voltage and electroluminescence measurements are described. The measurements indicated that with decreasing size leakage currents in the forward direction decrease. To take advantage of these benefits, the surface has to be treated properly, as otherwise sidewall damages induced by dry etching will impair the optical properties. A possible countermeasure is surface treatment with a potassium hydroxide based solution that can reduce such defects.

In this study we present the novel approach of GaN-based high-contrast grating (HCG) mirrors as highly reflective top mirrors in GaN vertical-(external)-cavity surface-emitting lasers [V(E)CSELs]. These mirrors can well be integrated into a conventional process flow for GaN-based VECSEL devices – in contrast to conventional Bragg mirrors. Results of thorough growth experiments performed to reliably fabricate high quality cavity structures with well-defined and fine-tuned optical properties will be reported. The properties of HCG mirrors have been calculated by extensive optical device simulations. Properties of HCG structures have been analyzed experimentally by reflection measurements and results will be discussed with a focus on HCG design, potential material combinations, compatibility with existing process steps in GaN technology and the various ways of integration into VECSEL structures.

In this work we present a new microscope based on Nano-illumination microscopy (NIM), i.e., an innovative technique based on a 2D array of nano-Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) used to illuminate a sample. The key point of this method is that the pitch of the LED array fixes the spatial resolution. So, potentially, with LED pitches lower than the diffraction limit, super resolution could be achieved. While nanometer sized LEDs are not available yet, we present a prototype based on optical downscaling of a single 5µm lateral size LED. Extended Field-of-View (FOV) is obtained by mechanical movement with nanopositioners. Aspects of NIM microscopy such as its size, its flexibility in the sensing hardware or its potential for fluorescence, make it a perfect candidate to enhance emerging sensing applications in different fields, but especially life science (medical imaging, genomics, ...). We demonstrate the possibilities of the NIM technique with patterns as well as with biological samples.

Gallium nitride GaN film delamination is an important process during the fabrication of GaN light emitting diodes LEDs and laser diodes. Here, we utilize 520 nm femtosecond laser pulses, exploiting nonlinear absorption rather than single photon absorption such as in conventional laser lift off LLO employing excimer or Q switched laser sources. The focus of this study is to investigate the influence of laser scanning speed and integrated fluence corresponding to laser energy per area during the LLO processing of GaN LED chips and their resulting structural properties. Because both the sapphire substrate and InGaN GaN heterostructures are fully transparent to the emission of the laser system, a key question is related to the impact of laser pulses on the quality of a thin film structure. Therefore, several characterization methods i.e., scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electroluminescence spectroscopy were employed to understand the material modifications made by femtosecond LLO fs LLO . We demonstrated that by adjusting the laser scanning speed, smooth GaN surfaces and good crystal quality could be obtained regardless of the existing delamination of metal contact, which then slightly downgraded the LED performance. Here, the integrated fluence level was set in the range of 2.6 4.4 J cm2 to enable the fs LLO process. Moreover, two mitigation strategies were developed and proven to improve the optoelectrical characteristics of the lifted off LEDs i.e., modification of the processing step related to the metal creation and reduction of laser energy

Nanoparticles of noble metals and their alloys are of particular interest for biomedicine and catalysis applications. The method of laser ablation of bulk metals in liquids gives facile access to such particles as high-purity colloids and is already used in industrial research. However, the method still lacks sufficient productivity for industrial implementation into series production. The use of innovative laser technology may help to further disseminate this colloid synthesis method in the near future. Ultrashort-pulsed lasers with high powers and megahertz-repetition-rates became available recently, but place high demands on the accurate optical laser pulse delivery on the target. Full lateral pulse separation is necessary to avoid a reduction of nanoparticle productivity due to pulse shielding. In this study, we compare flexible but rather slow galvanometer scanning with much faster but more expensive polygon-wheel scanning in their performance in the production of colloidal nanoparticles by laser ablation in liquid. Both beam guidance technologies are applied in the laser ablation of gold, platinum, and a gold-rich platinum alloy in micromolar saline water. We found that the dimensions of the scan pattern are crucial. A threshold pattern length exists, at which one scan technology becomes more productive than the other one. In addition, a much lower productivity was found for the ablation of gold compared to that of platinum. Alloying gold with only 10 at.% of platinum improved the productivity nearly to the level of platinum, reaching 8.3 g/h.

The recent advances in chip-size microscopy based on optical scanning with spatially resolved nano-illumination light sources are presented. This new straightforward technique takes advantage of the currently achieved miniaturization of LEDs in fully addressable arrays. These nano-LEDs are used to scan the sample with a resolution comparable to the LED sizes, giving rise to chip-sized scanning optical microscopes without mechanical parts or optical accessories. The operation principle and the potential of this new kind of microscope are analyzed through three different implementations of decreasing LED dimensions from 20 µm down to 200 nm.

MicroLED arrays with the capability of switching each pixel separately with high frequency can serve as structured micro-illumination light engines for applications in sensing, optogenetics, microscopy and many others. We describe a scalable chip process chain for the fabrication of passive-matrix microLED arrays, which were integrated with PCB-based driving electronics. The arrays were produced by deep-etching of conventional planar LED structures on sapphire, followed by filling and planarization steps. The pixel resolution lies in the range of 254 to 2540 pixels-per-inch (ppi), the arrays consist of 32 x 32 pixels. Optical output powers up to 50 µW per pixel were measured. In comparison to CMOS-based approaches, the presented technology is a simplified strategy to produce microLED arrays with high pixel counts.

GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been shown to effectively operate down to nanoscale dimensions, which allows further downscaling the chip-based LED display technology from micro- to nanoscale. This brings up the question of what resolution limit of the illumination pattern can be obtained. We show two different approaches to achieve individually switchable nano-LED arrays. We evaluated both designs in terms of near-field spot size and optical crosstalk between neighboring pixels by using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. The numerical results were compared with the performance data from a fabricated nano-LED array. The outcome underlines the influence of geometry of the LED array and materials used in contact lines on the final illumination spot size and shape.

Large, slow turning bearings remain difficult to analyze for diagnostics and prognostics. This poses a critical problem for high value assets, such as drilling equipment top drives, mining equipment, wind turbine main rotors, and helicopter swash plates. An undetected bearing fault can disrupt service, and cause delays, lost productivity, or accidents. This paper examines a strategy for analysis of large slow bearings to improve the fault detection of condition monitoring systems. This helps reduce operations and maintenance cost associated with these bearing faults. This analysis is primarily concerned with vibration, and is compared to temperature and grease analysis. Data was available from three wind turbines, where one of the turbine was suspected of having a faulted main bearing.

Drilling is a costly operation, especially offshore, and disturbances caused by drilling fluid influxes (kicks or loss) pose persistent challenges and operational costs during drilling process. To minimize non-productive time induced by kick/loss of circulation, drilling systems incorporate methods monitor and measure inflow and outflow of drilling fluid for early detection of kicks/losses. Coriolis flowmeters are proven to be very accurate even under difficult mud properties. However, installation and maintenance and cost of these instruments are complex and high. Thus, new exploits of technological advances such as high-performance computations (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), low-cost sensor technologies could enable real-time data acquisition and analysis for early kick/loss detection to improve the safety and performance of oil and gas drilling process. In this study, we focus on the outflow measurement using a combination of sensors (i.e. radar and ultrasonic sensors) to remotely obtain the flowrate in an open channel with Venturi constriction.

Tiny lights enable molecular-scale imaging Arrays of nanoscale light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer an energy-efficient means for achieving microscopic imaging with resolution below the diffraction limit. Microscale LEDs are already poised to have a transformative impact on display technology, but it remains challenging to construct arrays of individually controllable LEDs at the nanometer scale. Daria Bezshlyakh of the Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany and colleagues have developed a fabrication approach that enabled them to manufacture a compact super-resolution imaging system based on such arrays. Their device employs gallium nitride nano-LEDs that generate precisely structured patterns of illumination, which make it possible to image specimens at spatial resolutions smaller than the wavelength of light. Based on the performance and stability of this initial prototype, the authors conclude that similar devices could offer a promising platform for future molecular imaging applications.

Optical harmonic generation on excitons is found in ZnSe/BeTe quantum wells with type-II band alignment. Two experimental approaches with spectrally-broad femtosecond laser pulses and spectrally-narrow picosecond pulses are used for spectroscopic studies by means of second and third harmonic generation (SHG and THG). The SHG signal is symmetry-forbidden for light propagation along the structure's growth axis, which is the [001] crystal axis, but can be induced by an external magnetic field. The THG signal is detected at zero magnetic field and its intensity is field independent. A group theory analysis of SHG and THG rotational anisotropy diagrams allows us to identify the involved excitation mechanisms., 11 pages, 17 figures

Performing long-term cell observations is a non-trivial task for conventional optical microscopy, since it is usually not compatible with environments of an incubator and its temperature and humidity requirements. Lensless holographic microscopy, being entirely based on semiconductor chips without lenses and without any moving parts, has proven to be a very interesting alternative to conventional microscopy. Here, we report on the integration of a computational parfocal feature, which operates based on wave propagation distribution analysis, to perform a fast autofocusing process. This unique non-mechanical focusing approach was implemented to keep the imaged object staying in-focus during continuous long-term and real-time recordings. A light-emitting diode (LED) combined with pinhole setup was used to realize a point light source, leading to a resolution down to 2.76 μm. Our approach delivers not only in-focus sharp images of dynamic cells, but also three-dimensional (3D) information on their (x, y, z)-positions. System reliability tests were conducted inside a sealed incubator to monitor cultures of three different biological living cells (i.e., MIN6, neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y), and Prorocentrum minimum). Altogether, this autofocusing framework enables new opportunities for highly integrated microscopic imaging and dynamic tracking of moving objects in harsh environments with large sample areas.

In lensless microscopy, spatial resolution is usually provided by the pixel density of current digital cameras, which are reaching a hard-to-surpass pixel size / resolution limit over 1 µm. As an alternative, the dependence of the resolving power can be moved from the detector to the light sources, offering a new kind of lensless microscopy setups. The use of continuously scaled-down Light-Emitting Diode (LED) arrays to scan the sample allows resolutions on order of the LED size, giving rise to compact and low-cost microscopes without mechanical scanners or optical accessories. In this paper, we present the operation principle of this new approach to lensless microscopy, with simulations that demonstrate the possibility to use it for super-resolution, as well as a first prototype. This proof-of-concept setup integrates an 8 × 8 array of LEDs, each 5 × 5 μm2pixel size and 10 μmpitch, and an optical detector. We characterize the system using Electron-Beam Lithography (EBL) pattern. Our prototype validates the imaging principle and opens the way to improve resolution by further miniaturizing the light sources. © 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of theOSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Rolling Element Bearings (REBs) are present in virtually all machines with moving or rotating parts, and are vital for proper performance and safe operation. Condition Monitoring (CM) of bearings often receive particular interest, as this component group rarely reach design lifetime and hence is responsible for unplanned machine downtime. Unplanned maintenance can represent a large cost which motivates development of improved CM methods for implementation of advanced maintenance regimes. Based on observations of a used bearing from an offshore drilling machine, wear on roller ends in the rib-roller contact area was identified as an area of interest for future research. A test rig for creating and observing accelerated roller end damage is developed, intended for use with vibration and Acoustic Emission (AE) sensors. In addition to normal continuous rotation of the bearing, the test rig is also designed with performing oscillation motion tests in mind. This mode of operation is of interest to manufacturers and end users of cranes and winches with heave compensation. Plans and challenges for future work are also discussed, in conjunction with the experimental setup.

Laboratory experiments have been performed on medium sized roller bearings with two levels of artificial damage. Recordings of long time series from accelerometers at a wide range of different radial loads and rotation speeds has been performed. Probably due to non-perfect performance of the control systems for the rotational speed or frequency, significant fluctuations were observed at all rotation speeds. The highest relative variation was observed at the lowest rotational speeds. These variations were recorded using a rotary encoder, which allows order tracking of the vibration signal. In real life condition monitoring, tachometers or rotary encoders are not always present, this can be due to the cost of installation or space limitations for introducing additional sensors. The present work describes a method for instantaneous frequency estimation, making it possible to perform order tracking without relying on a rotary encoder. These results are then verified by comparison to the rotary encoder data.

We present self-consistent electrothermal simulations of the GaN nanowire-based field-effect transistor (NWFET) and vertical fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) by taking into account all major heat flux paths. Simulation results of a NWFET validated by experimental data are compared to the results of a vertical FinFET designed with same sizes that ensures a fair comparison of their thermal performance. It is found that the peak temperature in the NWFET is close to the uppermost contact, which facilitates heat removal from top. As a result, NWFETs have the potential to achieve a higher power density at a temperature limit compared with the FinFETs, especially when the heat removal from the top contact is eased. The impact of the thermal surface resistance of the top contact and substrate thinning on the thermal performance of these two vertical structures is also investigated.

This paper reports on the normally off GaN vertical MOSFETs based on nanowires (NWs) with an inverted p-GaN channel and a wrap-around-gate structure for the first time. Both inductively coupled plasma dry reactive-ion etching and wet-chemical etching were employed to fabricate the vertically aligned GaN NWs from epitaxial thin films with a specified doping profile. During the wet etching, the influence of p-doping on the NW morphology was investigated, and the results could be explained by the proposed model. In comparison with other c-axis NW transistors, an enhancement-mode (E-mode) operation with a superior threshold voltage ( $V_{{\text {th}}}$ ) of 2.5 V has been reached in the fabricated GaN MOSFETs. Furthermore, a high driving-current density of 101 kA/cm2 as well as a high ON-/OFF-current ratio of 109 was obtained in the NWs, predicting a potential approach toward future GaN electronics with vertical and smart architecture.

Gallium nitride (GaN) nanowire transistors are analyzed using hydrodynamic simulation. Both p-body and n-body devices are compared in terms of threshold voltage, saturation behavior and transconductance. The calculations are calibrated using experimental data. The threshold voltage can be tuned from enhancement to depletion mode with wire doping. Surface states cause a shift of threshold voltage and saturation current. The saturation current depends on the gate design, with a composite gate acting as field plate in the p-body device.

GaN fins are 3D architectures elongated in one direction parallel to the substrate surface. They have the geometry of walls with a large height to width ratio as well as small footprints. When appropriate symmetry directions of the GaN buffer are used, the sidewalls are formed by non-polar {1 1 −2 0} planes, making the fins particularly suitable for many device applications like LEDs, FETs, lasers, sensors or waveguides. The influence of growth parameters like temperature, pressure, V/III ratio and total precursor flow on the fin structures is analyzed. Based on these results, a 2-temperature-step-growth was developed, leading to fins with smooth side and top facets, fast vertical growth rates and good homogeneity along their length as well as over different mask patterns. For the core–shell growth of fin LED heterostructures, the 2-temperature-step-growth shows much smoother sidewalls and less crystal defects in the InGaN QW and p-GaN shell compared to structures with cores grown in just one step. Electroluminescence spectra of the 2-temperature-step-grown fin LED are demonstrated.

The spectrally and temporally resolved luminescence of three-dimensional (3D) InGaN/GaN microrods and planar light emitting diode (LED) structures is studied for different energy densities of fs-laser excitation pulses and for different sample temperatures. We find an energy density threshold above which irreversible modifications of the structures take place, which leads to a decrease of the luminescence intensity and a change in the intensity ratio of the GaN to the InGaN luminescence. Due to the quantum confined Stark effect, a biexponential decay characteristic is found in the planar structure, while the 3D microrods with nonpolar InGaN quantum wells on their sidewalls show a monoexponential decay of the InGaN luminescence. For both structures, the decay of the luminescence becomes faster with increasing energy density per pulse. However, the luminescence of the planar LED decays faster with increasing temperature, while the opposite trend is found for the 3D sample.

This paper presents a new multi-wave imaging method for the condition-based maintenance of offshore hydraulic systems containing overlay welded components under multi-degradation. These components suffer from combined tribocorrosion interacting with static and cyclic loading, for which effective mathematical models have not yet been established. In this paper, we propose eddy current thermography imaging for real-time structural health monitoring to enable condition-based maintenance of these critical components. The main challenge for the structural health monitoring of these components is that defects are often embedded at the substrate-coating interfacial regions that have irregular shapes in anisotropic and heterogeneous material as a result of the welding process. The eddy current thermography imaging method utilizes coupled electromagnetic–thermal fields and diffusion waves for robust detection of these hidden defects. A mathematical algorithm and software based on the discrete Fourier transform of thermal videos registered by an infrared detector was developed to characterize and visualize defects. The detectability of this method was investigated using a real cobalt superalloy overlay welded onto a carbon steel piston rod, in which an artificial volumetric defect was made at the interfacial region. The probability of detection and condition-based maintenance using the detected defect data is discussed based on the P-F curve and the probability of failure graphs.

Laser lift‐off (LLO) is commonly applied to separate functional thin films from the underlying substrate, in particular light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) on a gallium nitride (GaN) basis from sapphire. By transferring the LED layer stack to foreign carriers with tailored characteristics, for example, highly reflective surfaces, the performance of optoelectronic devices can be drastically improved. Conventionally, LLO is conducted with UV laser pulses in the nanosecond regime. When directed to the sapphire side of the wafer, absorption of the pulses in the first GaN layers at the sapphire/GaN interface leads to detachment. In this work, a novel approach towards LLO based on femtosecond pulses at 520 nm wavelength is demonstrated for the first time. Despite relying on two‐photon absorption with sub‐bandgap excitation, the ultrashort pulse widths may reduce structural damage in comparison to conventional LLO. Based on a detailed study of the laser impact as a function of process parameters, a two‐step process scheme is developed to create freestanding InGaN/GaN LED chips with up to 1.2 mm edge length and ≈5 μm thickness. The detached chips are assessed by scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence, revealing similar emission properties before and after LLO.

A non-invasive optical measurement system based on a broadband light source and color filters has been developed for determining pulse rate and arterial blood oxygen saturation (SaO2). In contrast to classical pulse oximetry using red and infrared LEDs to measure the peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2), we use color filters in our system. Spectral analysis of human tissue can be easily achieved by combining a tiny color filter matrix and a commercial CMOS/CCD image sensor. During system operation, white LED light illuminates our tissue (e.g., a finger), while a CCD sensor covered by filters detects the light transmitted through that tissue. The CCD sensor is controlled by a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and a microcontroller. The detected photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal is transferred to a host computer and analyzed with MATLAB. After sensor system calibration, pulse rate and SpO2 can be simply extracted from the PPG signal. The heart rate and SpO2 of different volunteers are then measured simultaneously by commercial pulse oximetry and the proposed sensor system, in which results from both devices show good agreement. To integrate more functions into system, nanostructured color filter matrix containing 15 filters for different wavelengths is designed and fabricated. This filter can be designed to provide transmission peaks over the visible and near-infrared range (i.e., the human tissue optical transparent window) and has a high potential to be fabricated directly on top of pixels of an image sensor.

The three-dimensionality of 3D GaN field-effect transistors (FETs) provides them with unique advantages compared to their planar counterparts, introducing a promising path towards future FETs beyond Moore's law. Similar to today's Si processor technology, 3D GaN FETs offer multi-gate structures that provide excellent electrostatic control over the channel and enable very low subthreshold swing values close to the theoretical limit. Various concepts have been demonstrated, including both lateral and vertical devices with GaN nanowire (NW) or nanofin (NF) geometries. Outstanding transport properties were achieved with laterally contacted NWs that were grown in a bottom-up approach and transferred onto an insulating substrate. For higher power application, vertical FETs based on regular arrays of GaN nanostructures are particularly promising due to their parallel integration capability and large sidewall surfaces, which can be utilized as channel area. In this paper, we review the current status of 3D GaN FETs and discuss their concepts, fabrication techniques, and performances. In addition to the potential benefits, reliability issues and difficulties that may arise in complex 3D processing are discussed, which need to be tackled to pave the way for future switching applications. Keywords: GaN, 3D architecture, Nanowire, Nanofin, Nanoelectronics, Field-effect transistor (FET), Vertical transistor, Lateral transistor

In this work, we study the optical emission from arrays of InGaN/GaN MQW nanofin and nanorod arrays with sizes ranging from a few micrometers down to sub-wavelength dimensions (i.e., nanometers). Such systems are of interest for developing arrays of single addressable nanoLEDs, which could be used to obtain a visible wavelength super-resolution microscope where the resolution is due to highly localized light spots with sub-wavelength LED-to-LED pitch. We have used commercial full-wave Maxwell solvers (COMSOL, CST) to calculate the optical field emitted from a single nanoLED in a periodic array for a wavelength of 450 nm. Simulations on 11×11 nanoLED arrays with pitches of 200 nm up to 800 nm and diameters of down to 50 nm have been conducted, in which the dependency of the emission pattern on different structural parameters is studied. In case of small nanoLED array with very narrow pitch, a large optical cross-talk between the activated LED and its neighboring pixels was found. Moreover, in presence of cross-talks, test objects smaller than the LED pitch placed on its surface with influence of near field could potentially be resolved by evaluating the varied emission patterns obtained by different pixel activations. Routes to achieve higher localized optical fields and reduce optical cross-talk have been also investigated by modifying the nanoLED array structures (e.g., by introducing filling material among the LED pixels).

We report a miniaturized device integrating a photoactive material with a highly efficient Light Emitting Diode light source. This so-called micro light plate configuration allows for maximizing the irradiance impinging on the photoactive material, with a minimum power consumption, excellent uniformity, and accurate control of the illumination. We demonstrate these advantages with an example application: photoactivated gas sensors with a power consumption as low as 30 μW (this is 1000 times lower than the best figures reported to date). The letter also presents a quantitative model and a set of design rules to implement it in further integrated applications.

A silicon photonic microresonator comprising two curved vertical grating couplers and a single suspended Si nanowaveguide (NWG) is developed to investigate the giant enhanced Brillouin scattering in subwavelength NWGs caused by photon-phonon interaction. Finite element modelling based on COMSOL Multiphysics is conducted to optimize the critical device parameters (e.g., waveguide width, height, and length). As the smallest structures that need to be resolved are down to ~15 nm in size, electron-beam nanolithography is employed. In this case, dosage tests are carried out to minimize proximity charging effects during the nanopatterning of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) surface, resulting in appropriate adaptive current area dosage distributions for the periodic gratings, couplers peripheral areas, and NWG, respectively. Furthermore, an enhanced inductively coupled plasma dry reactive ion etching (ICP-DRIE) process at a cryogenic temperature is used to realize smooth vertical sidewalls. Finally, buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF)-based wet chemical etching is carried out to remove the buried oxide resulting in a suspended Si waveguide.

This work presents a first prototype for a new approach to microscopy: a system basing its resolving power on the light emitters instead of the sensors, without using lenses. This new approach builds on the possibility of making LEDs smaller than current technology sensors, offering a new approach to microscopy we plan on developing towards superresolution. The microscope consists on a SPAD based camera, a 8x8 LED array with 5x5 μm LEDs distributed with a pitch of 10 μm, and discrete driving electronics to control them. We present simulations of the system, as well as the first microscope prototype implementing the method, and the results obtained through it.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) light-emitting-diode (LED) technology has been the revolution in modern lighting. In the last decade, a huge global market of efficient, long-lasting and ubiquitous white light sources has developed around the inception of the Nobel-price-winning blue GaN LEDs. Today GaN optoelectronics is developing beyond lighting, leading to new and innovative devices, e.g. for micro-displays, being the core technology for future augmented reality and visualization, as well as point light sources for optical excitation in communications, imaging, and sensing. This explosion of applications is driven by two main directions: the ability to produce very small GaN LEDs (microLEDs and nanoLEDs) with high efficiency and across large areas, in combination with the possibility to merge optoelectronic-grade GaN microLEDs with silicon microelectronics in a fully hybrid approach. GaN LED technology today is even spreading into the realm of display technology, which has been occupied by organic LED (OLED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) for decades. In this review, the technological transition towards GaN micro- and nanodevices beyond lighting is discussed including an up-to-date overview on the state of the art.

Recent research into miniaturized illumination sources has prompted the development of alternative microscopy techniques. Although they are still being explored, emerging nano-light-emitting-diode (nano-LED) technologies show promise in approaching the optical resolution limit in a more feasible manner. This work presents the exploration of their capabilities with two different prototypes. In the first version, a resolution of less than 1 µm was shown thanks to a prototype based on an optically downscaled LED using an LED scanning transmission optical microscopy (STOM) technique. This research demonstrates how this technique can be used to improve STOM images by oversampling the acquisition. The second STOM-based microscope was fabricated with a 200 nm GaN LED. This demonstrates the possibilities for the miniaturization of on-chip-based microscopes., This work was partially supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 737089—ChipScope.

A uniform array of gallium nitride core-shell microrod (MR) light-emitting diode (LED) structures was grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Defects and the quantum well (QW) luminescence in an individual rod were investigated by scanning tunneling electron microscopy (STEM) and STEM cathodoluminescence. Luminescence with different wavelength was detected from the quantum wells on the semipolar tip facets and the nonpolar sidewalls of the MRs. Furthermore, the MR array is processed into LED chips. The electro-optical characteristics of the devices are analyzed. Two separate emission bands are distinguished, which are attributed to the QWs on the semipolar tip facets and the nonpolar sidewalls, respectively. To obtain white LEDs, micrograin phosphors were developed which fit in between individual MRs. By using electrophoretic particle deposition, these phosphors are deposited onto the MR LED chips. Color coordinates, color temperature, and device efficiency are evaluated. Blue (top) and phosphor-converted white (bottom) microrod LEDs on 4″ wafer.

The low cost electrodeposition method was used to grow Cu2O thin films and experimentally determine the optimal absorber layer thickness. Raman scattering studies indicate the presence of solely crystalline Cu2O and SEM images show that the thin films consist of grains with a pyramidal shape. The influence of the thickness of the light absorbing Cu2O layer on the basic characteristic of the heterojunction and their properties have been investigated using reflectivity, current–voltage (J–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V) and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements. The depletion layer, the charge collection length of the minority carrier, and reflectivity are the main factors describing the device properties. The efficiency of 1.09% with an open circuit voltage of Voc=0.35 V, a short circuit current density Jsc=6.21 mA cm−2 and a filling factor of FF=50% was obtained as the highest value for our solar cells. A Gaussian fit shows that the film thickness of around 3 µm is an optimum with respect to a high efficiency of the solar cells. C–V measurements shows that the estimated value of the built-in potential is Vb=0.35 V and the acceptor concentration at the junction is NA=4.375×1016 cm−3 for solar cell with the highest efficiency.

We present an extensive investigation of the charge-trapping processes in vertical GaN nanowire FETs with a gate-all-around structure. Two sets of devices were investigated: Gen1 samples have unipolar (n-type) epitaxy, whereas Gen2 samples have a p-doped channel and an n-p-n gate stack. From experimental results, we demonstrate the superior performance of the transistor structure with a p-GaN channel/Al2O3 gate insulator in terms of dc performance. In addition, we demonstrate that Gen2 devices have highly stable threshold voltage, thus representing ideal devices for power electronic applications. Insight into the trapping processes in the two generations of devices was obtained by modeling the threshold voltage variations via differential rate equations.

Detecting bearing faults is very important in preventing non-scheduled shutdowns, catastrophic failures, and production losses. Localized faults on bearings are normally detected based on characteristic frequencies associated with faults in time and frequency spectra. However, missing such characteristic frequency harmonics in a spectrum does not guarantee that a bearing is healthy, or noise might produce harmonics at characteristic frequencies in the healthy case. Further, some defects on roller bearings could not produce characteristic frequencies. To avoid misclassification, bearing defects can be detected via machine learning algorithms, namely convolutional neural network (CNN), support vector machine (SVM), and sparse autoencoder-based SVM (SAE-SVM). Within this framework, three fault classifiers based on CNN, SVM, and SAE-SVM utilizing transfer learning are proposed. Transfer of knowledge is achieved by extracting features from a CNN pretrained on data from the imageNet database to classify faults in roller bearings. The effectiveness of the proposed method is investigated based on vibration and acoustic emission signal datasets from roller bearings with artificial damage. Finally, the accuracy and robustness of the fault classifiers are evaluated at different amounts of noise and training data.

Gas sensors based on CaFe2O4 nanopowders, which are p⁻type metal oxide semiconductor (MOX), have been fabricated and assessed for ethanol gas monitoring under visible light activation at room temperature. Regardless of their inferior sensitivity compared to thermally activated counterparts, the developed sensors have shown responsive sensing behavior towards ethanol vapors confirming the ability of using visible light for sensor activation. LEDs with different wavelengths (i.e., 465⁻590 nm) were employed. The highest sensitivity (3.7%) was reached using green LED activation that corresponds to the band gap of CaFe2O4.

Cell registration by artificial neural networks (ANNs) in combination with principal component analysis (PCA) has been demonstrated for cell images acquired by light emitting diode (LED)-based compact holographic microscopy. In this approach, principal component analysis was used to find the feature values from cells and background, which would be subsequently employed as neural inputs into the artificial neural networks. Image datasets were acquired from multiple cell cultures using a lensless microscope, where the reference data was generated by a manually analyzed recording. To evaluate the developed automatic cell counter, the trained system was assessed on different data sets to detect immortalized mouse astrocytes, exhibiting a detection accuracy of ~81% compared with manual analysis. The results show that the feature values from principal component analysis and feature learning by artificial neural networks are able to provide an automatic approach on the cell detection and registration in lensless holographic imaging.

Pinhole‐shaped light‐emitting diode (LED) arrays with dimension ranging from 100 μm down to 5 μm have been developed as point illumination sources. The proposed microLED arrays, which are based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology and emitting in the blue spectral region (λ = 465 nm), are integrated into a compact lensless holographic microscope for a non‐invasive, label‐free cell sensing and imaging. From the experimental results using single pinhole LEDs having a diameter of 90 μm, the reconstructed images display better resolution and enhanced image quality compared to those captured using a commercial surface‐mount device (SMD)‐based LED.

Transferable substrate-less InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode (LED) chips have successfully been fabricated in a laser lift-off (LLO) process employing high power ultrashort laser pulses with a wavelength of 520 nm. The irradiation of the sample was conducted in two sequential steps involving high and low pulse energies from the backside of the sapphire substrate, which led to self-detachment of the GaN stack layer without any additional tape release procedure. To guarantee their optoelectrical function and surface quality, the lifted LED chips were assessed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electroluminescence (EL) measurements. Moreover, surface characterizations were done using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES).

A compact lensless microscope comprising a custom-made LED engine and a CMOS imaging sensor has been developed for live-cell culture imaging inside a cell incubator environment. The imaging technique is based on digital inline-holographic microscopy, while the image reconstruction is carried out by angular spectrum approach with a custom written software. The system was tested with various biological samples including immortalized mouse astrocyte cells inside a petri dish. Besides the imaging possibility, the capability of automated cell counting and tracking could be demonstrated. By using image sensors capable of video frame rate, time series of cell movement can be captured.

A laser lift-off (LLO) process has been developed for detaching thin InGaN/GaN lightemitting diodes (LED) from their original sapphire substrates by applying an ultrafast laser. LLO is usually based on intense UV irradiation, which is transmitted through the sapphire substrate and subsequently absorbed at the interface to the epitaxially grown GaN stack. Here, we present a successful implementation of a two-step LLO process with 350 fs short pulses in the green spectral range (520 nm) based on a two-photon absorption mechanism. Cathodo- and electroluminescence experiments have proven the functionality of the LLO-based chips. The impact of radiation on the material quality was analysed with scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealing structural modifications inside the GaN layer in some cases.

We present here for the first time the fabracition of a p-Cu 2 O/ZnO/AZO flexible heterojunction solar cell by electrodeposition of Cu 2 O thin film on a plastic substrate and sputtering of ZnO:Al layer. The Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) has been employed to insert 5 nm ZnO as buffer layer. The heterojunction solar cell was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy that show pyramidal shape and phonon modes for Cu 2 O thin film. Current–voltage ( J – V ), capacitance–voltage ( C – V ) and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements were performed to understand the heterojunction properties. The solar cell device exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 0.897 ± 0.005% with an open circuit voltage of V oc = 300 mV, a short circuit current density of J sc = 6.819 ± 0.048 mA cm −2 and a fill factor of FF = 0.439 ± 0.006. The values of the built-in potential and the acceptor concentration at the junction were estimated from the reverse bias C – V measurement to be 0.37 V and 6.67 × 10 16 cm −3 , respectively.

In this paper, we present the structural, optical, and electrical characterization of InGaN/GaN core-shell micro-LED structures selectively grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) in arranged arrays. In particular we analyze the core-shell geometry of the pillars, consisting of a fivefold InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well and a p-type layer on all sidewall and top facets. Additionally we analyze the optical properties of the structure and the active region with high spatial resolution by cathodoluminescence. Electron beam induced current measurements (EBIC) are performed using an SEM based manipulator setup, giving proof of the presence of a depletion region as well as the intended doping polarity of the n-type core and a p-type shell wrapped around the whole structure. Using a p–n–p configuration also current crowding is discussed by EBIC and electroluminescence is demonstrated by measuring emission patterns from single core–shell structures. Color overlay of SE image (grey, FOV = 12.7 μm) and EBIC image (red) of a cleaved core–shell LED pillar contacted by two probe tips at a substrate tilt of 30°.