We have grown good-quality epitaxial LiNbO3 thin films on (0001) sapphire substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The growth conditions permitted us to deposit c-axis oriented films avoiding the problem of the LiNb3O8 Li-deficient phase. The chemical composition of thin films was investigated by secondary ion mass spectrometry and resulted to coincide with the target composition. Guided propagation was demonstrated at 632 and 488 nm with thin films (∼1200 Å).
This preclinical study proves that US performs well in the detection and characterization of simulated lesions of the tongue. These findings suggest that US could be effectively used in clinical applications. However, further research is mandatory to assess the reliability of in vivo US in the detection and characterization of tongue lesions as well as of other oral soft tissue alterations.
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