Simultaneous mapping of cathodoluminescence spectra and backscatter diffraction patterns in a scanning electron microscope.

Electron backscatter diffraction and cathodoluminescence are complementary scanning electron microscopy modes widely used in the characterisation of semiconductor films, respectively revealing the strain state of a crystalline material and the effect of this strain on the light emission from the sample. Conflicting beam, sample and detector geometries have meant it is not generally possible to acquire the two signals together during the same scan. Here, we present a method of achieving this simultaneous acquisition, by collecting the light emission through a transparent sample substrate.

Spectral characterization of a blue light-emitting micro-LED platform on skin-associated microbial chromophores.

The therapeutic application of blue light (380 - 500nm) has garnered considerable attention in recent years as it offers a non-invasive approach for the management of prevalent skin conditions including acne vulgaris and atopic dermatitis. These conditions are often characterised by an imbalance in the microbial communities that colonise our skin, termed the skin microbiome. In conditions including acne vulgaris, blue light is thought to address this imbalance through the selective photoexcitation of microbial species expressing wavelength-specific chromophores, differentially affecting skin commensals and thus altering the relative species composition.

MicroLED biosensor with colloidal quantum dots and smartphone detection.

A fluorescence sensor with the capability for spatially multiplexed measurements utilizing smartphone detection is presented. Bioconjugated quantum dots are used as the fluorescent tag and are excited using a blue-emitting microLED (µLED). The 1-dimensional GaN µLED array is butt-coupled to one edge of the glass slide to take advantage of total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) principles.

Hundred-meter Gb/s deep ultraviolet wireless communications using AlGaN micro-LEDs.

We demonstrate the use of deep ultraviolet (DUV) micro-light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for long-distance line-of-sight optical wireless communications. With a single 285 nm-emitting micro-LED, we have respectively achieved data rates greater than 6.5 Gb/s at a distance of 10 m and 4 Gb/s at 60 m.

A wearable phototherapy device utilizing micro-LEDs.

A conformable device for wearable phototherapy applications is presented. The device consists of a 1 mm thick elastomeric membrane edge-lit by specially fabricated micro-sized LEDs. Nanoparticle based scattering films are utilized to extract light and a uniform emission of 15 μW/cm is reported over an area of 2 cm.

Multisite microLED optrode array for neural interfacing.

We present an electrically addressable optrode array capable of delivering light to 181 sites in the brain, each providing sufficient light to optogenetically excite thousands of neurons , developed with the aim to allow behavioral studies in large mammals. The device is a glass microneedle array directly integrated with a custom fabricated microLED device, which delivers light to 100 needle tips and 81 interstitial surface sites, giving two-level optogenetic excitation of neurons . Light delivery and thermal properties are evaluated, with the device capable of peak irradiances per needle site.

Amphipathic dextran-doxorubicin prodrug micelles for solid tumor therapy.

A group of micelles self-assembled from deoxycholic acid-doxorubicin-conjugated dextran (denoted as Dex-DCA-DOX) prodrugs were designed and prepared for pH-triggered drug release and cancer chemotherapy. These prodrugs could be successfully produced by chemically coupling hydrophobic deoxycholic acid (DCA) to dextran hydrazine (denoted as Dex-NHNH) and hydrazone linker formation between doxorubicin (DOX) and Dex-NHNH. These Dex-DCA-DOX prodrugs self-assembled to form micelles under physiological conditions with varied particle sizes depending on molecular weight of dextran, degree of substitution (DS) of DCA and DOX.