This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9737, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

Periodic nanowires are observed from (001) orientation of Si and GaAs when the surfaces are irradiated interferentially by high power laser pulses. These nanowires are self-assembled and can be strain-free while their period is consistent with interference period. The nanowire morphologies are studied by atomic force microscopy. The observed period between nanowires depends on the wavelengths used and interference angle. The nanowire width increases with laser intensity. The narrowest nanowires observed have the width smaller than 20 nm, which is more than 10 times smaller than the interference period.

Nanoparticles have found numerous applications in such areas as photonics, electronics, medicine, etc. Further development of these fields requires reliable and versatile methods of nanoparticle synthesis with well-controlled properties. Among promising synthesis techniques, both laser ablation and plasma discharges are considered. These methods provide numerous advantages that are unique in several cases. On one hand, the main advantage of the laser ablation method is in the possibilities of changing laser parameters and background conditions and in its capacity to preserve stoichiometry. Laser-based methods also yield bio-compatible nanoparticles and nano-colloids with unique chemical properties. Laser-induced fragmentation provides additional control ways over nanoparticle sizes. To better understand and to optimize these processes, detailed numerical modeling is performed. The involved stages are considered and analyzed. The resulting nanoparticle parameters are investigated as a function of the experimental conditions. Nanoparticle properties, such as mean size and mean concentration are analyzed. Differences and similarities between the considered synthesis methods are discussed.

We examine absorption of electromagnetic radio-frequency (RF) radiation in aqueous suspensions of semiconductor (silicon) and metal (gold) nanoparticles (NPs) and theoretically investigate the heat release in these systems. The absorption of RF radiation is considered in both bulk electrolyte and the region around the NPs. Simulations show a strong dependence of the heating rate on electrical conductivity of the electrolyte rather than on that of NPs properties. The obtained results indicate that NPs can act as sensitizers of the RF induced hyperthermia for biomedical applications.

Several applications of glass nanofibers have been proposed for the past years. We found a new method for production of nanofibers with a diameter of 100 nm order from thin glass plates by irradiation with nanoseconds pulsed UV laser (wavelength is 355 nm). Although the generation of nanofibers from the back surface of a glass plate is convenient for continuous laser irradiation and collection of fibers, the details of the mechanism have not been elucidated yet. In this paper, we focused on the dynamics of ejection of glass melts that results in the formation of nanofibers, and investigated the mechanism of nanofiber generation. Based on the observation by a high-speed camera, we found that voids inside of the glass plate propagated in the laser propagation direction shot by shot, then, the void pushed the molten glass near the back surface. We also confirmed that the molten glass was ejected from the back surface of plates at a speed of 10-100 m/s. We assumed that the driving force is "recoil pressure", and compared the estimated pressure value from this experiment with that shown in the references. The value estimated by the relationship between pressure and momentum was 1.3 MPa, which was close to that reported in the past.

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) attract particular attention because of their unique size-dependent chemical, physicochemical and optical properties and, hence, their potential applications in catalysis, nanoelectronics, photovoltaics and medicine. In particular, laser-produced colloidal nanoparticles are not only biocompatible, but also reveal unique chemical properties. Different laser systems can be used for synthesis of these colloids, varying from continuous wave (CW) to ultra-short femtosecond lasers. The choice of an optimum laser system is still a challenge in application development. To bring more light at this issue, we investigate an influence of laser parameters on nanoparticle formation from a gold target immersed in deionized water. First, an optical diagnostics of laser-induced hydrodynamic processes taking place near the gold surface is performed. Then, gold nanoparticle colloids with average particle sizes smaller than 10 nm and a very narrow dispersion are shown to be formed by CW laser ablation. The obtained results are compared with the ones obtained by using the second harmonics and with previous results obtained by using femtosecond laser systems.

We review our recently obtained data on the employment of Si nanoparticles as sensitizers of radiofrequency (RF) - induced hyperthermia for mild cancer therapy tasks. Such an approach makes possible the heating of aqueous suspensions of Si nanoparticles by tens of degrees Celsius under relatively low intensities (1–5 W/cm²) of 27 MHz RF radiation. The heating effect is demonstrated for nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation in water and mechanical grinding of porous silicon, while laser-ablated nanoparticles demonstrate a remarkably higher heating rate than porous silicon-based ones for the whole range of the used concentrations. The observed RF heating effect can be explained in the frame of a model considering the polarization of Si NPs and electrolyte in the external oscillating electromagnetic field and the corresponding release of heat by electric currents around the nanoparticles. Our tests evidence relative safety of Si nanostructures and their efficient dissolution in physiological solutions, suggesting potential clearance of nanoparticles from a living organism without any side effects. Profiting from Si nanoparticle-based heating, we finally demonstrate an efficient treatment of Lewis Lung carcinoma in vivo. The obtained data promise a breakthrough in the development of mild, non-invasive methods for cancer therapy.

The unique optical and electronic properties of graphene allow one to realize active optical devices. While several types of graphene-based photonic modulators have already been demonstrated, the potential of combining the versatility of graphene with sub-wavelength field confinement of plasmonic/metallic structures is not fully realized. Here we report fabrication and study of hybrid graphene-plasmonic modulators. We consider several types of modulators and identify the most promising one for light modulation at telecom and near-infrared. Our proof-of-concept results pave the way towards on-chip realization of efficient graphene-based active plasmonic waveguide devices for optical communications.

Here we overview our work on quantum dot based THz photoconductive antennae, capable of being pumped at very high optical intensities of higher than 1W optical mean power, i.e. about 50 times higher than the conventional LT-GaAs based antennae. Apart from high thermal tolerance, defect-free GaAs crystal layers in an InAs:GaAs quantum dot structure allow high carrier mobility and ultra-short photo carrier lifetimes simultaneously. Thus, they combine the advantages and lacking the disadvantages of GaAs and LT-GaAs, which are the most popular materials so far, and thus can be used for both CW and pulsed THz generation. By changing quantum dot size, composition, density of dots and number of quantum dot layers, the optoelectronic properties of the overall structure can be set over a reasonable range-compact semiconductor pump lasers that operate at wavelengths in the region of 1.0 μm to 1.3 μm can be used. InAs:GaAs quantum dot-based antennae samples show no saturation in pulsed THz generation for all average pump powers up to 1W focused into 30 μm spot. Generated THz power is super-linearly proportional to laser pump power. The generated THz spectrum depends on antenna design and can cover from 150 GHz up to 1.5 THz.

We overview our on-going activities on the improvement of physical sensitivity of plasmonic biosensors. Our approach is based on the employment of phase properties of light reflected from plasmonic transducer instead of amplitude ones in order to improve its detection limit in studies of bio-molecular interactions between a target analyte and its corresponding receptor. Originally, phase-sensitive bio-sensing concept was demonstrated in conventional Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) geometry using a thin Au film in Kretschmann-Raether arrangement, but the resulting sensitivity had some limitations because of a rough relief of the gold film surface. We then demonstrate the possibility for the extension of this concept to novel nanoscale architectures of designed plasmonic meta-materials in order to further improve the sensitivity of plasmonic bio-sensing technology. The latter approach also profits from much enhanced electric field in coupled nanostructures exposed to illumination, therefore enabling spectroscopy analysis (Raman, Fluorescence, IR etc) methods to increase sensitivity level (potentially down to single molecule).

We have examined the influence of electrical bias on immobilization of bacteria on the surface of GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures, functionalized with an alkanethiol based architecture. A mixture of biotinylated polyethylene glycol (PEG) thiol and hexadecanethiol was applied to attach neutravidin and antibodies targeting specific immobilization of Legionella pneumophila. An electrochemical setup was designed to bias biofunctionalized samples with the potential measured versus silver/silver chloride reference electrode in a three electrode configuration system. The immobilization efficiency has been examined with fluorescence microscopy after tagging captured bacteria with fluorescein labeled antibodies. We demonstrate more than 2 times enhanced capture of Legionella pneumophila, suggesting the potential of electrically biased biochips to deliver enhanced sensitivity in detecting these bacteria.

A gold target was ablated by femtosecond laser radiation in aqueous solutions of preliminarily prepared Si nanoparticles. The ablation process led to the formation of Au-based spherical colloids with the mean size around 5–10 nm and a weak abundance of larger species. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis revealed the presence of Au and Si in colloid composition, while the stoichiometry of colloids did not depend on laser fluence during the fabrication experiments. The formation of Au-Si nanohybrid structure was explained by an effect of the interaction of laser-ablated Au nanoclusters with water-dispersed Si nanoparticles. The fabricated structures can be of importance for biomedical, catalysis, and photovoltaics applications.

Developing new biomaterials is essential for the next-generation of materials for bioenergy, bioelectronics, basic biology, medical diagnostics, cancer research, and regenerative medicine. Specifically, recent progress in nanotechnology has stimulated the development of multifunctional biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. The physical properties of nanocomposite biomaterials, including elasticity and viscosity, play key roles in controlling cell fate, which underlines therapeutic success. Conventional mechanical tests, including uniaxial compression and tension, dynamic mechanical analysis and shear rheology, require mechanical forces to be directly exerted onto the sample and therefore may not be suitable for in situ measurements or continuous monitoring of mechanical stiffness. In this study, we employ spontaneous Brillouin spectroscopy as a viscoelasticity-specific probing technique. We utilized a Brillouin spectrometer to characterize biomaterial’s microscopic elasticity and correlated those with conventional mechanical tests (e.g., rheology).

Conventional scintillation detectors are typically single crystals of heavy-metal oxides or halides doped with rare-earth ions that record the recombination of electron-hole pairs by photon emission in the visible to ultraviolet. However, the light yields are typically low enough to require photomultiplier detection with the attendant instrumental complications. Here we report initial studies of gamma ray detection by zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires, grown by vapor-solid deposition. The nanowires grow along the c-axis in a wurtzite structure; they are typically 80 nm in diameter and have lengths of 1- 2 μm. The nanowires are single crystals of high quality, with a photoluminescence (PL) yield from band-edge exciton emission in the ultraviolet that is typically one hundred times larger than the PL yield from defect centers in the visible. Nanowire ensembles were irradiated by 662 keV gamma rays from a Cs-137 source for periods of up to ten hours; gamma rays in this energy range interact by Compton scattering, which in ZnO creates F⁺ centers that relax to form singly-charged positive oxygen vacancies. Following irradiation, we fit the PL spectra of the visible emission with a sum of Gaussians at the energies of the known defects. We find highly efficient PL from the irradiated area, with a figure of merit approaching 10⁶ photons/s/MeV of deposited energy. Over a period of days, the singly charged O⁺ vacancies relax to the more stable doubly charged O⁺⁺ vacancies. However, the overall defect PL returns to pre-irradiation values after about a week, as the vacancies diffuse to the surface of these very thin nanowires, indicating that a self-healing process restores the nanowires to their original state.

We report a direct method of fabricating high density nanodots on the GaAs(001) surfaces using laser irradiations on the surface. Surface images indicate that the large clumps are not accompanied with the formation of nanodots even though its density is higher than the critical density above which detrimental large clumps begin to show up in the conventional Stranski-Krastanov growth technique. Atomic force microscopy is used to image the GaAs(001) surfaces that are irradiated by high power laser pulses interferentially. The analysis suggests that high density quantum dots be fabricated directly on semiconductor surfaces.

We investigate femtosecond laser irradiation of dielectric materials containing randomly-arranged nanoparticles. For this, numerical modeling is performed based on three different methods: Mie theory, static solution of linear Maxwell's equations and a solution of nonlinear Maxwell's equations together with kinetic equations for free electron excitation/relaxation processes. First two approaches are used to define the static intensity distribution and to analyze the electromagnetic interaction between the nanoparticles. The third method allows us to investigate the complex dynamics of the laser-matter interaction. Multiphoton absorption is shown to be responsible for electron plasma generation in the regions of strong intensity enhancements in the vicinity of nanoparticles. The irradiation of the dielectric material leads to the elongation of nanoplasmas by the near-field enhancement perpendicular to the laser polarization and to their strong interaction resulting in periodic arrangement. Numerical results shed light on such effects as femtosecond laser-induced nanograting formation