We present the optical and mechanical designs of an optically-pluggable package for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Using off-the-shelf micro-optical components, low-loss (∼2 dB) expanded-beam connection between an edge-coupled SiN-based PIC and standard optical fiber is demonstrated. High reproducibility of coupling efficiency is demonstrated over up to 80 mating/de-mating cycles.

We have demonstrated an optical sensing device based on back scattering signal changes in the transfer functions of an integrated silicon-based optical resonator, which are induced by the presence of one or more nanoparticles in the resonator's evanescent field. The nanoparticles may be used as taggants to label other species to be detected. Our work offers several potential advantages to optical sensing, including improved detection limits, relaxed resonator fabrication requirements, CMOS compatibility and the use of simpler, lower cost optical sources and detectors.

Anecdotal data are currently the best data available to describe baseline conditions of beached oil tar balls on Florida’s First Coast beaches. This study combines field methods and numerical modeling to define a data-driven knowledge base of oil tar ball baseline conditions. Outcomes from the field study include an established methodology for field data collection and laboratory testing of beached oil tar balls, spatial maps of collected samples and analysis of the data as to transport/wash-up trends. Archives of the electronic data, including GPS locations and other informational tags, and collected samples are presented, as are the physical and chemical analyses of the collected samples. The thrust of the physical and chemical analyses is to differentiate the collected samples into highly suspect oil tar balls versus false/non-oil tar ball samples. The numerical modeling involves two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of astronomic tides. Results from the numerical modeling include velocity residuals that show ebb-dominated residual currents exiting the inlet via an offshore, counter-rotating dual-eddy system. The tidally derived residual currents are used as one explanation for the observed transport trends. The study concludes that the port activity in the St. Johns River is not majorly contributing to the baseline conditions of oil tar ball wash-up on Florida’s First Coast beaches.

State-of-the-art green emission efficiency is achieved with CdMgZnSe color-converting heterostructures. A unique dark-line defect formation mechanism is revealed in CdMgZnSe green converters. Stacking faults extend horizontally inside the Mg-rich window layers, and partial dislocations associated with stacking faults give rise to dark lines. Such a mechanism indicates the low stacking-fault energy of the MgSe-containing alloys and suggests that, in addition to misfit strain, Mg content also plays an important role in defect formation in II-VI semiconductors. (C) 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.