Leland Stanford Junior University

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Varian Associates, Inc.

Seoul National University

Matsushita Electronics Corporation

James S Harris, Jr

Toru Takayama

David A B Miller

Takaaki Baba

Yu-Hsuan Kuo

Evan P Thrush

Sonny Vo

Yi-Ching Pao

Ofer Levi

Bardia Pezeshki

Wonill Ha

Vincent Gambin

John A Trezza

Byung-Gook Park

Martin M Fejer

Robert J Chen

Seongjae Cho

Krishna V Shenoy

Vijit Sabnis

Suyog Gupta

Michael David McGehee

Stephen J Smith

Fred Sugihwo

Jelena Levi

Yijie Huo

Dong Liang

Jonathan Ziebarth

James L Zehnder

Helen L Kung

Christopher B Ebert

Loren A Eyres

Martin Morf

Stepehn J Smith

Meredith M Lee

Rafael I Aldaz

David Ab Miller

Gordon A Keeler

Yangsen Kang

Improved monitoring of one or more blood coagulation factors is provided. Factor-specific molecular probes having a dye-quencher arrangement are employed. In preferred embodiments, a compact integrated optical source and detector device is used for fluorescence measurements. Continuous and real-time monitoring of the activity of one or multiple blood factors is provided. Such real-time information can be used to automatically control delivery of drugs such as coagulants and/or blood thinners.

Methods and apparatus for rapid monitoring of hemostatic state

Improved solar cells are provided by nano-structuring the solar cell active region to provide high optical absorption in a thin structure, thereby simultaneously providing high optical absorption and high carrier collection efficiency. Double-sided nano-structuring is considered, where both surfaces of the active region are nano-structured. In cases where the active region is disposed on a substrate, nano-voids are present between the substrate and the active region, as opposed to the active region being conformally disposed on the substrate. The presence of such nano-voids advantageously increases both optical and electrical confinement in the active region.

Ultra thin film nanostructured solar cell

Suspended structures are provided using selective etch technology. Such structures can be protected on all sides when the selective undercut etch is performed, thereby providing excellent control of feature geometry combined with superior material quality.

Material quality, suspended material structures on lattice-mismatched substrates

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) nanoscope is provided. The VCSEL nanoscope combines a VCSEL with a nano-scale aperture using a support member to separate the aperture from the VCSEL emission face. The resulting device is a useful near-field probe with a wide variety of applications.

Vertical cavity surface emitting laser nanoscope for near-field applications

This invention provides a germanium electroluminescence device and a fabricating method of the same for using germanium of an indirect bandgap semiconductor without modifying a bandgap as a light-emitting layer which emits a 1550 nm-wavelength light and enabling to use not only as infrared LEDs itself but also as light sources for optical communication systems.

Germanium electroluminescence device and fabrication method of the same

Low loss optical apertures are provided. A silicon intermediate layer sandwiched between a metal aperture layer and a dielectric layer has been found to offer a good combination of low optical loss combined with superior mechanical properties.

Low loss nano-aperture

Characteristics of biological substances, such as cerebral cortex matter, are sensed. According to an example embodiment, the present invention is directed to a negligibly-intrusive, multi-layer integrated circuit arrangement for monitoring activity of an area of a cerebral cortex that would normally be covered by an anatomical layer. The multi-layer integrated circuit arrangement includes an optics layer located outside the cerebral cortex area that includes an emitter and a detector. The optics layer is adapted for implantation in the anatomical layer and for sensing at least one brain-activity parameter. The multi-layered integrated circuit arrangement also includes a data-processing layer that includes a digital-processing circuit that is adapted for assimilating neural data in response to the optics layer sensing at least one brain-activity parameter.

Implantable sensing arrangement and approach

Growth of SiGe on a significantly lattice mismatched substrate (e.g., Si) is provided by depositing a SiGe buffer layer at a growth temperature, then annealing the resulting structure at a temperature higher than the growth temperature. Additional buffer layers can be included following the same steps. The SiGe buffer is significantly lattice mismatched with respect to the substrate, and is preferably substantially lattice matched with a SiGe device to be grown on top of the buffer. The resulting buffer structure is relatively thin and provides low defect density, and low surface roughness. Disadvantages of thick graded buffer layers, such as high cost, high surface roughness, mechanical fragility, and CTE mismatch, are thereby avoided.

Thin buffer layers for SiGe growth on mismatched substrates

In connection with an optical-electronic semiconductor device, improved photoluminescent output is provided at wavelengths approaching and beyond 1.3 &#x3bc;m. According to one aspect, a multiple quantum well strain compensated structure is formed using a GaInNAs-based quantum well laser diode with GaNAs-based barrier layers. By growing tensile-strained GaNAs barrier layers, a larger active region with multiple quantum wells can be formed increasing the optical gain of the device. In example implementations, both edge emitting laser devices and vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) devices can be grown with at least several quantum wells, for example, nine quantum wells, and with room temperature emission approaching and beyond 1.3 &#x3bc;m.

Multiple GaInNAs quantum wells for high power applications

A variety of types of molecules are detected and/or analyzed using an integrated micro-circuit arrangement. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a micro-circuit arrangement detects excitable target markers in response to an excitation source. The excitation source emits a first electromagnetic radiation to excite one or more target markers into emitting a second electromagnetic radiation. The excitation source and detector combination can be optimized to detect a specific characteristic of a biological specimen. In this manner, an excitation source can be combined with several optical-detectors or detection channels, where each optical-detector is measuring or sensing the same or different characteristic of the biological specimen.

Excitable target marker detection

Si&#x2014;Ge quantum wells where the well material has a lowest conduction band energy minimum at k=0 (the &#x393; point of the first Brillouin zone) are provided. Quantum well structures that satisfy this condition have 'Kane-like' bands at and near k=0 which can provide physical effects useful for various device applications, especially optical modulators. In the SiGematerial system, this condition on the band structure is satisfied for x greater than about 0.7. The quantum well barrier composition may or may not have Kane-like bands. A preferred method of providing such quantum well structures on a substrate (e.g., a silicon substrate) is to grow a first Ge-rich Si&#x2014;Ge buffer layer on the substrate, and then anneal the resulting layered structure. In many cases it is further preferred to grow a second Ge-rich Si&#x2014;Ge buffer layer on top of the first buffer layer and anneal the resulting layered structure.

Ge-Si quantum well structures

SiGe quantum wells where the well material has a lowest conduction band energy minimum at k=0 (the &#x393; point of the first Brillouin zone) are provided. Quantum well structures that satisfy this condition have 'Kane-like' bands at and near k=0 which can provide physical effects useful for various device applications, especially optical modulators. In the SiGematerial system, this condition on the band structure is satisfied for x greater than about 0.7. The quantum well barrier composition may or may not have Kane-like bands. Optical modulators and/or detectors according to the invention are suitable for inclusion in waveguide-based optical interconnects. Such interconnects can be on-chip interconnects or chip to chip interconnects.

Silicon-based Ge/SiGe optical interconnects

SiGe quantum wells where the well material has a lowest conduction band energy minimum at k=0 (the &#x393; point of the first Brillouin zone) are provided. Quantum well structures that satisfy this condition have 'Kane-like' bands at and near k=0 which can provide physical effects useful for various device applications, especially optical modulators. In the SiGematerial system, this condition on the band structure is satisfied for x greater than about 0.7. The quantum well barrier composition may or may not have Kane-like bands. Optical modulators including such SiGe quantum wells can be operated at temperatures other than room temperature. Such temperature control is preferred for providing optical modulators that operate in the telecommunication C band (&#x2dc;1530 nm to &#x2dc;1565 nm).

Temperature-controlled optical modulator

An optical imaging system having an optical source located between the object being imaged and the sensor is provided. Such positioning of the source enables provision of compact optical imaging systems. In particular, such systems can have image widths significantly larger than the object to sensor separation. The arrangement of source, imaging assembly and sensor is such that an image of the source is not formed at the sensor. Therefore, the effect of this source positioning on the image of the object at the sensor is a reduction of intensity, as opposed to more objectionable imaging artifacts, such as spurious shadows and/or bright spots. Thus compact optical imaging systems having good image quality are provided, which enables high-fidelity imaging of object to sensor for a wide variety of applications.

Optical imaging system having an illumination source between object and image

SiGe quantum wells where the well material has a lowest conduction band energy minimum at k=0 (the &#x393; point of the first Brillouin zone) are provided. Quantum well structures that satisfy this condition have 'Kane-like' bands at and near k=0 which can provide physical effects useful for various device applications, especially optical modulators. In the SiGematerial system, this condition on the band structure is satisfied for x greater than about 0.7. The quantum well barrier composition may or may not have Kane-like bands. Embodiments of the invention having a surface parallel configuration are especially suitable for use in fiber coupled devices. Such surface parallel devices have light propagating in the plane of the quantum wells, in a device geometry that is preferably not single-mode waveguided.

Growing community of inventors

Stanford, CA, United States of America

James S Harris, Jr