The development of novel photonic devices which incorporate biological materials is strongly tied to the development of thin film forming processes. Solution-based ("wet") processes when used with biomaterials in device fabrication suffer from dissolution of underlying layers, incompatibility with clean environment, inconsistent film properties, etc. We have investigated ultra-high-vacuum molec...

Nano-structured TiO(2) thin film has been successfully fabricated at room temperature. Using a quarter wavelength characterization method, we have measured the acoustic impedance of this porous film, which can be adjusted from 5.3 to 7.19 Mrayl by curing it at different temperatures. The uniform microstructure and easy fabrication at room temperature make this material an excellent candidate fo...

Submitted for the MAR08 Meeting of The American Physical Society Nanomechanical Measurements on Ultra-thin Poly(n-butyl methacrylate) Films. SHANHONG XU, GREGORY MCKENNA, Texas Tech University, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY TEAM — The mechanical properties of ultra-thin poly (n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) films were investigated by the novel bubble inflation technique developed in our lab. Creep experim...

The properties of thermal radiation exchange between hot and cold objects can be strongly modified if they interact in the near field where electromagnetic coupling occurs across gaps narrower than the dominant wavelength of thermal radiation. Using a rigorous fluctuational electrodynamics approach, we predict that ultra-thin films of plasmonic materials can be used to dramatically enhance near...

We examine the photo-assisted polarization loop in a BiFeO3 thin film under UV light illumination. BiFeO3 thin film prepared by pulsed laser deposition method onto the BaTiO3 thin film and the polarization behavior has been measured under poling voltage. Our results show the engineered polarization due to controllable schottky barrier under inverse poling voltage. This control on schottky barri...