The three-dimensional imaging of mesoscopic samples with Optical Projection Tomography (OPT) has become a powerful tool for biomedical phenotyping studies. OPT uses visible light to visualize the 3D morphology of large transparent samples. To enable a wider application of OPT, we present OptiJ, a low-cost, fully open-source OPT system capable of imaging large transparent specimens up to 13 mm tall and 8 mm deep with 50 µm resolution. OptiJ is based on off-the-shelf, easy-to-assemble optical components and an ImageJ plugin library for OPT data reconstruction. The software includes novel correction routines for uneven illumination and sample jitter in addition to CPU/GPU accelerated reconstruction for large datasets. We demonstrate the use of OptiJ to image and reconstruct cleared lung lobes from adult mice. We provide a detailed set of instructions to set up and use the OptiJ framework. Our hardware and software design are modular and easy to implement, allowing for further open microscopy developments for imaging large organ samples.

The performance of transistors designed specifically for high-frequency applications is critically reliant upon the semiinsulating electrical properties of the substrate. The suspected formation of a conductive path for radio frequency (RF) signals in the highly resistive (HR) silicon substrate itself has been long held responsible for the suboptimal efficiency of as-grown GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) at higher operating frequencies. Here, we reveal that not one but two discrete channels distinguishable by their carrier type, spatial extent, and origin within the metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth process participate in such parasitic substrate conduction. An ntype layer that forms first is uniformly distributed in the substrate, and it has a purely thermal origin. Alongside this, a p-type layer is localized on the substrate side of the AlN/Si interface and is induced by diffusion of group-III element of the metal-organic precursor. Fortunately, maintaining the sheet resistance of this p-type layer to high values (∼2000 Ω/□) seems feasible with particular durations of either organometallic precursor or ammonia gas predose of the Si surface, i.e., the intentional introduction of one chemical precursor just before nucleation. It is proposed that the mechanism behind the control actually relies on the formation of disordered AlSiN between the crystalline AlN nucleation layer and the crystalline silicon substrate.

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This study focuses on the thermal characterization of porous gallium nitride (GaN) usingan extended 3ω method. Porous semiconductor materials provide a solution to the need for on-chipthermal insulation, a fundamental requirement for low-power, high-speed and high-accuracythermal sensors. Thermal insulation is especially important in GaN devices, due to the intrinsicallyhigh thermal conductivity of the material. The results show one order of magnitude reduction inthermal conductivity, from 130 W/mK to 10 W/mK, in line with theoretical predictions for porousmaterials. This achievement is encouraging in the quest for integrating sensors with opto-, powerandRF-electronics on a single GaN chip.

GaN-on-Si has become a useful fabrication route for many GaN devices and applications, but the mechanical stress incorporated throughout the material stack can impact the viability of this approach. The transfer printing of GaN membrane devices, a promising emerging technology, is most effective with flat membranes, but in practice many GaN structures released from their Si substrate are highly bowed due to the strain in the epitaxial nitride stack. Our approach uses the optical profiles of epitaxial wafers and membranes as inputs for inferring the mechanical strain state of the material by multi-variable numerical model fitting using COMSOL Multiphysics. This versatile, adaptable and scalable method was tested on samples from two GaN-on-Si wafers, revealing the relationship between built-in strain and material bow in principal-component fashion, returning 3–4×10−4 strain estimates for the AlGaN (compressive) and GaN (tensile) layers, and suggesting the occurrence of plastic deformation during transfer printing.