Global Burden, Projection, and Inequalities Analysis of Cancer Attributable to Occupational Carcinogen Exposure in Individuals Aged Over 40 Years.

Background: In this study, we investigated the global burden, projection, and inequalities of cancer attributable to occupational carcinogen exposure in individuals aged over 40 years.

Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease 2021 dataset, we examined age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (ASR-DALYs) and deaths associated with cancer attributable to occupational carcinogen exposure. Statistical analyses included: the estimated Annual Percentage Change to assess trends (1990-2021); Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling for projections to 2030 and 2050; decomposition analysis to quantify contributions of aging, population growth, and epidemiological changes; and slope and concentration indices (SII, CI) to evaluate health inequalities by sociodemographic index (SDI).

Hybrid silicon-chalcogenide glass-integrated photonic platform for EDFA-free four-wave mixing.

Here, we demonstrate a nonlinear-integrated photonic platform that integrates GeSbSe chalcogenide waveguides with multi-project wafer (MPW) silicon waveguides, enabling an efficient four-wave mixing (FWM) nonlinear parametric process. The nondegenerate FWM nonlinear power threshold of the hybrid-integrated photonic platform is as low as 0.16 mW.

Distortion Evolution of Two-Dimensional Molecular Crystals for Branched Optical Waveguides.

Two-dimensional (2D) molecular crystals with irregular morphologies are promising candidates for constructing multifunctional optoelectronics. However, the impact of crystal distortion on morphological irregularities has been largely overlooked, despite its potential for engineering crystal structures with superior functionalities. Here, we report a competitive facet-selective growth strategy for synthesizing 2D molecular crystals with irregular morphologies, ranging from rhombus sheets to distorted compass shapes.

Photonic Interfaces: an Innovative Wearable Sensing Solution for Continuous Monitoring of Human Motion and Physiological Signals.

Flexible integrated photonic sensors are gaining prominence in intelligent wearable sensing due to their compact size, exceptional sensitivity, rapid response, robust immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the capability to enable parallel sensing through optical multiplexing. However, integrating these sensors for practical applications, such as monitoring human motions and physiological activities together, remains a significant challenge. Herein, it is presented an innovative fully packaged integrated photonic wearable sensor, which features a delicately designed flexible necklace-shaped microring resonator (MRR), along with a pair of grating couplers (GCs) coupled to a fiber array (FA).

Non-volatile optical switch based on SbSe-loaded three-mode interference.

In this Letter, we propose a non-volatile switch based on multimode interference in an SbSe-loaded waveguide. By implementing low-loss phase control within a multimode interference coupler, this design effectively manages the self-imaging phase shift length during a single phase change cycle. The fabricated multiplexed optical switch exhibits impressive performance characteristics, including a low insertion loss of ∼ 1.

Development of yellow-light TiO integrated photonics.

Visible-light photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are rapidly emerging as a crucial technology to overcome the scaling challenges in quantum information processing and biosensing. Titanium dioxide (TiO), with its high transparency in the visible range, is regarded as a promising material for facilitating the development of high-performance visible-light integrated systems. In this paper, we introduce a series of passive TiO integrated devices, which include waveguides, multimode interferometers (MMIs), and thermo-optic switches (TOSs), monolithically integrated for the first time to our knowledge at a working wavelength of 589 nm.

A Triband Metasurface Covering Visible, Midwave Infrared, and Long-Wave Infrared for Optical Security.

The independent manipulation of light across multiple wavelength bands provides new opportunities for optical security. Although dual-band optical encryption methods in the visible (VIS) and infrared bands have been developed, achieving synchronized and synergistic optical security across the VIS, midwave infrared (MWIR), and long-wave infrared (LWIR) bands remains a significant challenge. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a triband metasurface that covers the VIS, MWIR, and LWIR bands.

Inverse design of compact nonvolatile reconfigurable silicon photonic devices with phase-change materials.

In the development of silicon photonics, the continued downsizing of photonic integrated circuits will further increase the integration density, which augments the functionality of photonic chips. Compared with the traditional design method, inverse design presents a novel approach for achieving compact photonic devices. However, achieving compact, reconfigurable photonic devices with the inverse design that employs the traditional modulation method exemplified by the thermo-optic effect poses a significant challenge due to the weak modulation capability.

Nonvolatile Electro-optic Response of Graphene Driven by Ferroelectric Polarization.

Two-dimensional materials (2DMs) have exhibited remarkably tunable optical characteristics, which have been applied for significant applications in communications, sensing, and computing. However, the reported tunable optical properties of 2DMs are almost volatile, impeding them in the applications of multifarious emerging frameworks such as programmable operation and neuromorphic computing. In this work, nonvolatile electro-optic response is developed by the graphene-AlO-InSe heterostructure integrating with microring resonators (MRRs).

Programmable In-Situ Co-Assembly of Organic Multi-Block Nanowires for Cascade Optical Waveguides.

Organic heterostructures (OHs) with multi-segments exhibit special optoelectronic properties compared with monomeric structures. Nevertheless, the synthesis of multi-block heterostructures remains challenging due to compatibility issues between segment parts, which restricts their application in optical waveguides and integrated optics. Herein, we demonstrate programmable in-situ co-assembly engineering, combining multi-step spontaneous self-assembly processes to promote the synthesis of multi-block heterostructures with a rational arrangement of three or more segments.

Electrostatic Force-Assisted Transfer of Flexible Silicon Photodetector Focal Plane Arrays for Image Sensors.

Flexible photodetectors are pivotal in contemporary optoelectronic technology applications, such as data reception and image sensing, yet their performance and yield are often hindered by the challenge of heterogeneous integration between photoactive materials and flexible substrates. Here, we showcase the potential of an electrostatic force-assisted transfer printing technique for integrating Si PIN photodiodes onto flexible substrates. This clean and dry process eliminates the need for chemical etchants, making it a highly desirable method for manufacturing high-performance flexible photodetector arrays, expanding their widespread applications in electronic eyes, robotics, and human-machine interaction.

Monolithic back-end-of-line integration of phase change materials into foundry-manufactured silicon photonics.

Monolithic integration of novel materials without modifying the existing photonic component library is crucial to advancing heterogeneous silicon photonic integrated circuits. Here we show the introduction of a silicon nitride etch stop layer at select areas, coupled with low-loss oxide trench, enabling incorporation of functional materials without compromising foundry-verified device reliability. As an illustration, two distinct chalcogenide phase change materials (PCMs) with remarkable nonvolatile modulation capabilities, namely SbSe and GeSbSeTe, were monolithic back-end-of-line integrated, offering compact phase and intensity tuning units with zero-static power consumption.

Regulable high-contrast mechanofluorochromic enhancement behaviour based on substituent effects.

Herein, a facile strategy was established to build mechanoresponsive luminogens with high sensitivity to substituents and positional effects. Even in slightly different structures, distinct optical phenomena, including fluorescence efficiency and mechano-responsive properties, were clearly present. Outstanding mechanical-induced emission enhancement (5-100 times) properties and reversibility makes for promising applications in pressure sensors and OLEDs.

Precise Synthesis of Organic Cocrystal Alloys with Full-Spectrum Emission Characteristics for the Stepless Color Changing Display.

Organic luminescent materials are indispensable in optoelectronic displays and solid-state luminescence applications. Compared with single-component, multi-component crystalline materials can improve optoelectronic characteristics. This work forms a series of full-spectrum tunable luminescent charge-transfer (CT) cocrystals ranging from 400 to 800 nm through intermolecular collaborative self-assembly.

Ultra-compact scalable spectrometer with low power consumption.

An ultra-compact on-chip spectrometer was demonstrated based on an array of add-drop micro-donut resonators (MDRs). The filter array was thermally tuned by a single TiN microheater, enabling simultaneous spectral scanning across all physical channels. The MDR was designed to achieve large free spectral ranges with multimode waveguide bends and asymmetric coupling waveguides, covering a spectral range of 40 nm at the telecom waveband with five physical channels (which could be further expanded).

Ultra-thin, zoom capable, flexible metalenses with high focusing efficiency and large numerical aperture.

The ever-growing demand for miniaturized optical systems presents a significant challenge in revolutionizing their core element - the varifocal lens. Recent advancements in ultra-thin, tunable metasurface optics have introduced new approaches to achieving zoom imaging. However, current varifocal metalens have faced challenges such as low focusing efficiency, limited tunability, and complicated designs.

On-chip silicon electro-optical modulator with ultra-high extinction ratio for fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing.

Ultra-high extinction ratio (ER) optical modulation is crucial for achieving high-performance fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for various applications. Bulky acousto-optical modulators (AOM) as one of the key devices in DAS have been used for many years, but their relatively large volume and high power consumption are becoming the bottlenecks to hinder the development of ultra-compact and energy-efficient DAS systems that are highly demanded in practice. Here, an on-chip silicon electro-optical modulator (EOM) based on multiple coupled microrings is demonstrated with ultra-high ER of up to 68 dB while the device size and power consumption are only 260 × 185 μm and 3.

Graphene/silicon heterojunction for reconfigurable phase-relevant activation function in coherent optical neural networks.

Optical neural networks (ONNs) herald a new era in information and communication technologies and have implemented various intelligent applications. In an ONN, the activation function (AF) is a crucial component determining the network performances and on-chip AF devices are still in development. Here, we first demonstrate on-chip reconfigurable AF devices with phase activation fulfilled by dual-functional graphene/silicon (Gra/Si) heterojunctions.

Integrated Bragg grating filters based on silicon-SbSe with non-volatile bandgap engineering capability.

Integrated optical filters show outstanding capability in integrated reconfigurable photonic applications, including wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), programmable photonic processors, and on-chip quantum photonic networks. Present schemes for reconfigurable filters either have a large footprint or suffer from high static power consumption, hindering the development of reconfigurable photonic integrated systems. Here, a reconfigurable hybrid Bragg grating filter is elaborately designed through a precise, modified coupling mode theory.

Polycrystalline silicon 2 × 2 Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch.

In this paper, we demonstrate a broadband Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch based on polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), which enables the development of multilayer photonics integrated circuits. The poly-Si is deposited under a low temperature of 620 °C to avoid unexpected thermal stress and influence on optoelectronic performance. By introducing a π/2 phase shifter and a push-pull configuration, the switch achieved low power consumption and loss caused by carrier plasma absorption (CPA).

Integrated Flexible Microscale Mechanical Sensors Based on Cascaded Free Spectral Range-Free Cavities.

Photonic mechanical sensors offer several advantages over their electronic counterparts, including immunity to electromagnetic interference, increased sensitivity, and measurement accuracy. Exploring flexible mechanical sensors on deformable substrates provides new opportunities for strain-optical coupling operations. Nevertheless, existing flexible photonics strategies often require cumbersome signal collection and analysis with bulky setups, limiting their portability and affordability.

Self-Driven Photo-Polarized Water Molecule-Triggered Graphene-Based Photodetector.

Flowing water can be used as an energy source for generators, providing a major part of the energy for daily life. However, water is rarely used for information or electronic devices. Herein, we present the feasibility of a polarized liquid-triggered photodetector in which polarized water is sandwiched between graphene and a semiconductor.

High-Speed Carbon Nanotube Photodetectors for 2 μm Communications.

In the era of big data, the growing demand for data transmission capacity requires the communication band to expand from the traditional optical communication windows (∼1.3-1.6 μm) to the 2 μm band (1.