| PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
| 20120039560 | ALL-OPTICAL LOGIC GATES AND METHODS FOR THEIR FABRICATION - The present invention provides optical devices that employ nonlinear optical effects for processing optical signals. For example, such an optical device can include a nano-sized interferometric component that provides an optical output signal via interference of two input signals subsequent to their asymmetric nonlinear phase accumulation. The interferometric element can have a variety of configurations, such as Sagnac, Mach-Zehnder or Michelson configurations. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20110155649 | NANOPARTICLE SEPARATION USING COHERENT ANTI-STOKES RAMAN SCATTERING - The invention provides methods and systems for separating particles that exhibit different Raman characteristics. The method can include introducing nanoparticles, on which Raman-active molecules are adsorbed, into a photopolymerizable resin and exposing to excite Raman active vibrational modes of the molecules to generate Raman-shifted radiation suitable for polymerizing the resin such that the Raman-shifted radiation causes selective polymerization of a resin surrounding nanoparticles if the nanoparticles provide a Raman enhancement factor greater than a threshold. In addition, methods for electrically isolating nanoparticles, or selectively removing one type of nanoparticles from collections, are disclosed. These methods rely on generation of blue-shifted anti-Stokes photons to selectively expose portions of a photoresist covering the nanoparticles to those photons. Such exposure can cause a change in the exposed portions (e.g., polymerize or increase solubility to a developing agent), which can be employed to achieve isolation of the nanoparticles or their selective removal. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110121206 | FEMTOSECOND LASER-INDUCED FORMATION OF SUBMICROMETER SPIKES ON A SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE - The present invention generally provides semiconductor substrates having submicron-sized surface features generated by irradiating the surface with ultra short laser pulses. In one aspect, a method of processing a semiconductor substrate is disclosed that includes placing at least a portion of a surface of the substrate in contact with a fluid, and exposing that surface portion to one or more femtosecond pulses so as to modify the topography of that portion. The modification can include, e.g., generating a plurality of submicron-sized spikes in an upper layer of the surface. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110100441 | MULTIJUNCTION PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - Photovoltaic devices (e.g., solar cells) are disclosed that include at least three radiation absorbing layers, each capable of absorbing radiation over a different wavelength range of the solar radiation spectrum. Any two of these three wavelength ranges can be partially overlapping, or alternatively they can be distinct. The layers are disposed relative to one another so as to form two junctions, each of which includes a depletion region. In some cases, the radiation absorbing layers can collectively absorb radiation over a wavelength range that spans at least about 60%, or 70%, or 80%, and preferably 90% of the solar radiation wavelength spectrum. By way of example, in some embodiments, one layer can exhibit significant absorption of solar radiation (e.g., it can absorb at least one radiation wavelength at an absorptance greater than about 90%) at wavelengths less than about 0.7 microns while another layer can exhibit significant absorption of the solar radiation at wavelengths in a range of about 0.7 microns to about 1 micron. The third layer can in turn exhibit a significant absorption of solar radiation at wavelengths greater than about 1 micron. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110033522 | REAGENTS FOR INDUCING AN IMMUNE RESPONSE - The present disclosure relates to reagents (antigenic and/or immunogenic reagents) and kits that are useful in a variety of in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo methods including, e.g., methods for inducing an immune response, or for generating an antibody, in a subject. The reagents described herein can be used in the treatment or prevention of HIV-1 infections. In addition, the disclosure provides methods and compositions useful for designing (or identifying) an agent that binds to an membrane proximal external region (MPER) of an HIV-1 gp160 polypeptide or an agent that inhibits the fusion of an HIV-1 particle to a cell. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110031471 | Laser-Induced Structuring of Substrate Surfaces - In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of processing a substrate, e.g., a semiconductor substrate, by irradiating a surface of the substrate (or at least a portion of the surface) with a first set of polarized short laser pulses while exposing the surface to a fluid to generate a plurality of structures on the surface, e.g., within a top layer of the surface. Subsequently, the structured surface can be irradiated with another set of polarized short laser pulses having a different polarization than that of the initial set while exposing the structured surface to a fluid, e.g., the same fluid initially utilized to form the structured surface or a different fluid. In many embodiments, the second set of polarized laser pulses cause the surface structures formed by the first set to break up into smaller-sized structures, e.g., nano-sized features such as nano-sized rods. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20100208237 | POLYMERIC SUBSTRATES FOR RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY - The present invention generally provides substrates for use in a variety of analytical and/or diagnostic applications as well as optical systems that employ them, in particular systems based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In one aspect, the invention provides polymeric substrates having conductive surfaces that exhibit micron-sized, and preferably submicron-sized, structures. In other aspects, methods for fabricating such substrates are disclosed, including a step of irradiating a mold surface with a plurality of short laser pulses to form micron-sized or submicron-sized structures and the mold surface and generating the polymeric substrate by replication from the mold surface. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20090213883 | LASER-INDUCED STRUCTURING OF SUBSTRATE SURFACES - In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of processing a substrate, e.g., a semiconductor substrate, by irradiating a surface of the substrate (or at least a portion of the surface) with a first set of polarized short laser pulses while exposing the surface to a fluid to generate a plurality of structures on the surface, e.g., within a top layer of the surface. Subsequently, the structured surface can be irradiated with another set of polarized short laser pulses having a different polarization than that of the initial set while exposing the structured surface to a fluid, e.g., the same fluid initially utilized to form the structured surface or a different fluid. In many embodiments, the second set of polarized laser pulses cause the surface structures formed by the first set to break up into smaller-sized structures, e.g., nano-sized features such as nano-sized rods. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090014842 | FEMTOSECOND LASER-INDUCED FORMATION OF SUBMICROMETER SPIKES ON A SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE - The present invention generally provides semiconductor substrates having submicron-sized surface features generated by irradiating the surface with ultra short laser pulses. In one aspect, a method of processing a semiconductor substrate is disclosed that includes placing at least a portion of a surface of the substrate in contact with a fluid, and exposing that surface portion to one or more femtosecond pulses so as to modify the topography of that portion. The modification can include, e.g., generating a plurality of submicron-sized spikes in an upper layer of the surface. | 01-15-2009 |