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- Laser-scanned p-i-n photodiode (LSP) for image detectionPublication . Vieira, Manuela; Fernandes, Miguel; Martins, João; Louro, Paula; Maçarico, António Filipe Ruas Trindade; Schwarz, Reinhard; Schubert, Markus B.Amorphous and microcrystalline glass/ZnO:Al/p(a-Si:H)/i(a-Si:H)/n(a-Si1 C :H)/Al imagers with different n-layer resistivities were produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (PE-CVD). The transducer is a simple, large area p-i-n photodiode; an image projected onto the sensing element leads to spatially confined depletion regions that can be readout by scanning the photodiode with a low-power modulated laser beam. The essence of the scheme is the analog readout and the absence of semiconductor arrays or electrode potential manipulations to transfer the information coming from the transducer. The effect of the image intensity on the sensor output characteristics (sensitivity, linearity, blooming, resolution, and signal-tonoise ratio) are analyzed for different material composition. The results show that the responsivity and the spatial resolution are limited by the conductivity of the doped layers. An enhancement of one order of magnitude in the image intensity and on the spatial resolution is achieved with a responsivity of 0.2 mW/cm2 by decreasing the -layer conductivity by the same amount. In a 4 4 cm2 laser-scanned photodiode (LSP) sensor, the resolution was less than 100 m and the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio was about 32 dB. Aphysical model supported by electrical simulation gives insight into the methodology used for image representation.
- A 3-phase model for VIS/NIR mu C-Si : H p-i-n detectorsPublication . Vieira, Manuela; Fantoni, Alessandro; Fernandes, Miguel; Maçarico, António Filipe Ruas Trindade; Schwarz, R.The spectral response and the photocurrent delivered by entirely microcrystalline p-i-n-Si:H detectors an analysed under different applied bias and light illumination conditions. The spectral response and the internal collection depend not only on the energy range but also on the illumination side. Under [p]- and [n]-side irradiation, the internal collection characteristics have an atypical shape. It is high for applied bias and lower than the open circuit voltage, shows a steep decrease near the open circuit voltage (higher under [n]-side illumination) and levels off for higher voltages. Additionally, the numerical modeling of the VIS/NIR detector, based on the band discontinuities near the grain boundaries and interfaces, complements the study and gives insight into the internal physical process.
- Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their deposition on ITO surfacesPublication . Lapa, Hugo; Silva, Nelson; Fantoni, Alessandro; Maçarico, A. Filipe; Almeida, Gabriela; Alegria, ElisabeteThe use of plasmonic nanoparticles for biomedical applications has been widely explored, resulting in significant advances in the construction of optical biosensors. The shape and size of AuNPs determines the spectral signature of their Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) and, therefore, the features of their plasmonic band can be used to monitor surface changes such as those related to protein binding or nanoparticle aggregation. In this work, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were produced based on a green and sustainable methodology using tea leaves. The phytochemicals present in tea act as reducing and stabilizing agents. To optimize the AuNPs deposition (nanomaterial proximity, homogenization and substrate coverage), ITO surfaces were modified with different materials, namely sol-gel matrices (e.g. (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES)), cross-linking agents (e.g., glutaraldehyde) and biopolymers (e.g., Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)). The produced AuNPs were deposited directly onto ITO surfaces functionalized with APTES or in a mixture of BSA and glutaraldehyde; these matrices are transparent and thus suitable for optical applications. The functionalization procedure of ITO surfaces with the referred materials was performed by two methodologies: i) direct deposition of the matrix solution using a micropipette and ii) ultrasound irradiation. The resulting functionalized ITO surfaces were compared and characterized by light transmission spectroscopy. Accordingly, the tea-AuNPs deposited in the presence of BSA and glutaraldehyde provided the best plasmonic response, being the most promising ones for the development of an optical immunosensor.
- Arrayed graphene enhanced surface plasmon resonance for sensing applicationsPublication . Fantoni, Alessandro; Vygranenko, Yuri; Maçarico, António; Serafinelli, Caterina; Fernandes, Miguel; Mansour, Rima; Jesus, Rui; Vieira, ManuelaCombination of carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) with AuNPs has been demonstrated to enhance the LSPR response and facilitate the functionalization with specific and selective antibodies. Also, the introduction of CNMs in the plasmonic layer allows tuning of the LSPR central frequency. Joining the double dependence of the LSPR on the MNPs size and the presence of CNMs, it is possible to create a set of plasmonic layers whose LSPR wavelengths are distributed in a spectral range of few tenth of nanometers. This consideration paves the way to an LSPR sensor with an arrayed structure, where each element maximizes its specific LSPR at its own wavelength. Illumination with a broad light source produces a different response in each one of the elements. The working process underlying the sensing operation is that each element of the sensor array acts like a band-stop optical filter for a specific wavelength. The output can be extracted by the application of an image analysis approach to the spatially modulated light crossing the sensor area, based on a color recognition algorithm. A change in the refractive index over the sensor array will shift the rejection band of the sensing elements. An automatized method for color recognition can support the analysis of the refractive index variations yielding the final sensor output. A figure of merit, highlighting the LSPR central wavelength and spectral extension for different LSPR configurations, is also obtained for different sizes of the AuNPs and different flavors of CNMs.
- New p-i-n Si : H imager configuration for spatial resolution improvementPublication . Vieira, Manuela; Fernandes, Miguel; Martins, João; Louro, Paula; Maçarico, António Filipe Ruas da Trindade; Schwarz, Reinhard; Schubert, Markus B.Amorphous glass/ZnO-Al/p(a-Si:H)/i(a-Si:H)/n(a-Si1-xCx:H)/Al imagers with different n-layer resistivities were produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition technique (PE-CVD). An image is projected onto the sensing element and leads to spatially confined depletion regions that can be readout by scanning the photodiode with a low-power modulated laser beam. The essence of the scheme is the analog readout, and the absence of semiconductor arrays or electrode potential manipulations to transfer the information coming from the transducer. The influence of the intensity of the optical image projected onto the sensor surface is correlated with the sensor output characteristics (sensitivity, linearity blooming, resolution and signal-to-noise ratio) are analysed for different material compositions (0.5 < x < 1). The results show that the responsivity and the spatial resolution are limited by the conductivity of the doped layers. An enhancement of one order of magnitude in the image intensity signal and on the spatial resolution are achieved at 0.2 mW cm(-2) light flux by decreasing the n-layer conductivity by the same amount. A physical model supported by electrical simulation gives insight into the image-sensing technique used.