Optimal design of robust piezoelectric microgrippers undergoing large displacements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruiz, D.; Sigmund, Ole

2018-01-01

Topology optimization combined with optimal design of electrodes is used to design piezoelectric microgrippers. Fabrication at micro-scale presents an important challenge: due to non-symmetrical lamination of the structures, out-of-plane bending spoils the behaviour of the grippers. Suppression...

Electrothermally-Actuated Micromirrors with Bimorph Actuators—Bending-Type and Torsion-Type

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Hua Tsai

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Three different electrothermally-actuated MEMS micromirrors with Cr/Au-Si bimorph actuators are proposed. The devices are fabricated with the SOIMUMPs process developed by MEMSCAP, Inc. (Durham, NC, USA. A silicon-on-insulator MEMS process has been employed for the fabrication of these micromirrors. Electrothermal actuation has achieved a large angular movement in the micromirrors. Application of an external electric current 0.04 A to the bending-type, restricted-torsion-type, and free-torsion-type mirrors achieved rotation angles of 1.69°, 3.28°, and 3.64°, respectively.

Finite element modelling and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated silicon-polymer micro gripper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krecinic, F; Duc, T Chu; Sarro, P M; Lau, G K

2008-01-01

This paper presents simulation and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated micro gripper. This micro actuator can conceptually be seen as a bi-morph structure of SU-8 and silicon, actuated by thermal expansion of the polymer. The polymer micro gripper with an embedded comb-like silicon skeleton is designed to reduce unwanted out-of-plane bending of the actuator, while offering a large gripper stroke. The temperature and displacement field of the micro gripper structure is determined using a two-dimensional finite element analysis. This analysis is compared to experimental data from steady-state and transient measurements of the integrated heater resistance, which depends on the average temperature of the actuator. The stability of the polymer actuator is evaluated by recording the transient behaviour of the actual jaw displacements. The maximum single jaw displacement of this micro gripper design is 34 µm at a driving voltage of 4 V and an average actuator temperature of 170 °C. The transient thermal response is modelled by a first-order system with a characteristic time constant of 11.1 ms. The simulated force capability of the device is 0.57 mN per µm jaw displacement

Dynamic response modelling and characterization of a vertical electrothermal actuator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Lijie; Uttamchandani, Deepak

2009-01-01

Mathematical modelling and characterization of the dynamic response of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) electrothermal actuator are presented in this paper. The mathematical model is based on a second-order partial differential equation (one-dimensional heat transfer) and a second-order ordinary differential equation (mechanical dynamic equation). The simulations are implemented using the piecewise finite difference method and the Runge–Kutta algorithm. The electrothermal modelling includes thermal conduction, convective thermal loss and radiation effects. The temperature dependence of resistivity and thermal conductivity of single crystal silicon have also been taken into consideration in the electrothermal modelling. It is calculated from the simulation results that the 'cold' beam of the electrothermal actuator is not only a mechanical constraint but also a thermal response compensation structure. The 0–90% electrothermal rise times for the individual 'hot' and 'cold' beams are calculated to be 32.9 ms and 42.8 ms, respectively, while the 0–90% electrothermal rise time for the whole actuator is calculated to be 17.3 ms. Nonlinear cubic stiffness has been considered in the thermal-mechanical modelling. Dynamic performances of the device have been characterized using a laser vibrometer, and the 0–90% thermal response time of the whole structure has been measured to be 16.8 ms, which matches well with the modelling results. The displacements of the device under different driving conditions and at resonant frequency have been modelled and measured, and the results from both modelling and experiment agree reasonably well. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic behaviour of the electrothermal actuation mechanism. The model will be useful for designing control systems for microelectrothermal actuated devices

An IPMC microgripper with integrated actuator and sensing for constant finger-tip displacement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, Carlos; Lumia, Ron

2015-01-01

Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is a type of smart material that has gained the interest of many researchers due to its ability to achieve large displacements under small input voltages, usually less than 2.5 V. This has motivated the use of these materials in microsystems and systems in the millimeter scale, such as microgrippers. However, few of the control techniques developed thus far have considered the feasibility of using IPMCs in closed loop systems without the need of oversized external sensors. This paper presents a control scheme for a two-finger IPMC microgripper that accomplishes constant finger-tip displacements without external sensors. This scheme generates a displacement-dependent, time varying reference signal to obtain constant finger-tip displacements applied by a separate actuated IPMC. This actuator uses a PID controller tuned with a model-free approach, and is gain scheduled to span up to 1 mm finger-tip displacements. The microgripper achieves zero steady state error for finger-tip displacements on the tuned values of the PID controller. The gain scheduled PID controller is tested and results show zero steady state error to 0.25 mm displacements, and 15 and 20% steady state error when referenced to deflection of 0.45 and 0.75 mm, respectively. This shows that there is great confidence and validity of the control scheme, especially when tracking small reference deflections. (paper)

Electrothermal frequency references in standard CMOS

CERN Document Server

Kashmiri, S Mahdi

2013-01-01

This book describes an alternative method of accurate on-chip frequency generation in standard CMOS IC processes. This method exploits the thermal-diffusivity of silicon, the rate at which heat diffuses through a silicon substrate.  This is the first book describing thermal-diffusivity-based frequency references, including the complete theoretical methodology supported by practical realizations that prove the feasibility of the method.  Coverage also includes several circuit and system-level solutions for the analog electronic circuit design challenges faced.   ·         Surveys the state-of-the-art in all-silicon frequency references; ·         Examines the thermal properties of silicon as a solution for the challenge of on-chip accurate frequency generation; ·         Uses simplified modeling approaches that allow an electronics engineer easily to simulate the electrothermal elements; ·         Follows a top-down methodology in circuit design, in which system-level des...

Electrothermal frequency reference

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Makinwa, K.A.A.; Kashmiri, S.M.

2011-01-01

An electrothermal frequency-locked loop (EFLL) circuit is described. This EFLL circuit includes an oscillator in a feedback loop. A drive circuit in the EFLL circuit generates a first signal having a fundamental frequency, and an electrothermal filter (ETF) in the EFLL circuit provides a second

Mechanical design, analysis and testing of a large-range compliant microgripper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Liu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the mechanical design, analysis, fabrication, and testing procedures of a new large-range microgripper which is based on a flexible hinge structure. The uniqueness of the gripper is that the gripper arms not only provide large gripping range but also deliver approximately rectilinear movement as the displacement in nonworking direction is extremely small. The large gripping range is enabled by a mechanism design based on dual-stage flexure amplifier to magnify the stroke of piezoelectric actuator. The first-stage amplifier is a modified version of the Scott Russell (SR mechanism and the second-stage amplifier contains a parallel mechanism. The displacement amplification ratio of the modified SR mechanism in the gripper has been enlarged to 3.56 times of the conventional design. Analytical static models of the gripper mechanism are developed and validated through finite-element analysis (FEA simulation. Results show that the gripping range is over 720 µm with a resonant frequency of 70.7 Hz and negligible displacement in nonworking direction. The total amplification ratio of the input displacement is 16.13. Moreover, a prototype of the gripper is developed by using aluminium 7075 for experimental testing. Experimental results validate the analytical model and FEA simulation results. The proposed microgripper can be employed in various microassembly applications such as pick-and-place of optical fibre.

Stronger multilayer acrylic dielectric elastomer actuators with silicone gel coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Gih-Keong; La, Thanh-Giang; Sheng-Wei Foong, Ervin; Shrestha, Milan

2016-12-01

Multilayer dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) perform worst off than single-layer DEAs due to higher susceptibility to electro-thermal breakdown. This paper presents a hot-spot model to predict the electro-thermal breakdown field of DEAs and its dependence on thermal insulation. To inhibit the electrothermal breakdown, silicone gel coating was applied as barrier coating to multilayer acrylic DEA. The gel coating helps suppress the electro-thermally induced puncturing of DEA membrane at the hot spot. As a result, the gel-coated DEAs, in either a single layer or a multilayer stack, can produce 30% more isometric stress change as compared to those none-coated. These gel-coated acrylic DEAs show great potential to make stronger artificial muscles.

3C-Silicon Carbide Microresonators for Timing and Frequency Reference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graham S. Wood

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In the drive to miniaturise and integrate reference oscillator components, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS resonators are excellent candidates to replace quartz crystals. Silicon is the most utilised resonator structural material due to its associated well-established fabrication processes. However, when operation in harsh environments is required, cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC is an excellent candidate for use as a structural material, due to its robustness, chemical inertness and high temperature stability. In order to actuate 3C-SiC resonators, electrostatic, electrothermal and piezoelectric methods have been explored. Both electrothermal and piezoelectric actuation can be accomplished with simpler fabrication and lower driving voltages, down to 0.5 V, compared to electrostatic actuation. The vibration amplitude at resonance can be maximised by optimising the design and location of the electrodes. Electrical read out of the resonator can be performed with electrostatic or piezoelectric transduction. Finally, a great deal of research has focused on tuning the resonant frequency of a 3C-SiC resonator by adjusting the DC bias applied to the electrodes, with a higher (up to 160-times tuning range for electrothermal tuning compared to piezoelectric tuning. Electrothermal tuning lowers the frequency, while piezoelectric tuning can be used to raise the frequency.

A 3D-printed polymer micro-gripper with self-defined electrical tracks and thermal actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Alblalaihid, Khalid; Overton, James; Lawes, Simon; Kinnell, Peter

2017-04-01

This paper presents a simple fabrication process that allows for isolated metal tracks to be easily defined on the surface of 3D printed micro-scale polymer components. The process makes use of a standard low cost conformal sputter coating system to quickly deposit thin film metal layers on to the surface of 3D printed polymer micro parts. The key novelty lies in the inclusion of inbuilt masking features, on the surface of the polymer parts, to ensure that the conformal metal layer can be effectively broken to create electrically isolated metal features. The presented process is extremely flexible, and it is envisaged that it may be applied to a wide range of sensor and actuator applications. To demonstrate the process a polymer micro-scale gripper with an inbuilt thermal actuator is designed and fabricated. In this work the design methodology for creating the micro-gripper is presented, illustrating how the rapid and flexible manufacturing process allows for fast cycle time design iterations to be performed. In addition the compatibility of this approach with traditional design and analysis techniques such as basic finite element simulation is also demonstrated with simulation results in reasonable agreement with experimental performance data for the micro-gripper.

A 3D-printed polymer micro-gripper with self-defined electrical tracks and thermal actuator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alblalaihid, Khalid; Overton, James; Lawes, Simon; Kinnell, Peter

2017-01-01

This paper presents a simple fabrication process that allows for isolated metal tracks to be easily defined on the surface of 3D printed micro-scale polymer components. The process makes use of a standard low cost conformal sputter coating system to quickly deposit thin film metal layers on to the surface of 3D printed polymer micro parts. The key novelty lies in the inclusion of inbuilt masking features, on the surface of the polymer parts, to ensure that the conformal metal layer can be effectively broken to create electrically isolated metal features. The presented process is extremely flexible, and it is envisaged that it may be applied to a wide range of sensor and actuator applications. To demonstrate the process a polymer micro-scale gripper with an inbuilt thermal actuator is designed and fabricated. In this work the design methodology for creating the micro-gripper is presented, illustrating how the rapid and flexible manufacturing process allows for fast cycle time design iterations to be performed. In addition the compatibility of this approach with traditional design and analysis techniques such as basic finite element simulation is also demonstrated with simulation results in reasonable agreement with experimental performance data for the micro-gripper. (paper)

Electrothermally Tunable Bridge Resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Alcheikh, Nouha; Ramini, Abdallah; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Younis, Mohammad I.

2016-01-01

This paper demonstrates experimentally, theoretically, and numerically a wide-range tunability of an in-plane clamped-clamped microbeam, bridge, and resonator compressed by a force due to electrothermal actuation. We demonstrate that a single resonator can be operated at a wide range of frequencies. The microbeam is actuated electrothermally, by passing a DC current through it. We show that when increasing the electrothermal voltage, the compressive stress inside the microbeam increases, which leads eventually to its buckling. Before buckling, the fundamental frequency decreases until it drops to very low values, almost to zero. After buckling, the fundamental frequency increases, which is shown to be as high as twice the original resonance frequency. Analytical results based on the Galerkin discretization of the Euler Bernoulli beam theory are generated and compared to the experimental data and to simulation results of a multi-physics finite-element model. A good agreement is found among all the results.

Electrothermally Tunable Bridge Resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.

2016-12-05

This paper demonstrates experimentally, theoretically, and numerically a wide-range tunability of an in-plane clamped-clamped microbeam, bridge, and resonator compressed by a force due to electrothermal actuation. We demonstrate that a single resonator can be operated at a wide range of frequencies. The microbeam is actuated electrothermally, by passing a DC current through it. We show that when increasing the electrothermal voltage, the compressive stress inside the microbeam increases, which leads eventually to its buckling. Before buckling, the fundamental frequency decreases until it drops to very low values, almost to zero. After buckling, the fundamental frequency increases, which is shown to be as high as twice the original resonance frequency. Analytical results based on the Galerkin discretization of the Euler Bernoulli beam theory are generated and compared to the experimental data and to simulation results of a multi-physics finite-element model. A good agreement is found among all the results.

Numerical simulation of travelling wave induced electrothermal fluid flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perch-Nielsen, Ivan R; Green, Nicolas G; Wolff, Anders

2004-01-01

Many microdevices for manipulating particles and cells use electric fields to produce a motive force on the particles. The movement of particles in non-uniform electric fields is called dielectrophoresis, and the usual method of applying this effect is to pass the particle suspension over a microelectrode structure. If the suspension has a noticeable conductivity, one important side effect is that the electric field drives a substantial conduction current through the fluid, causing localized Joule-heating. The resulting thermal gradient produces local conductivity and permittivity changes in the fluid. Dielectrophoretic forces acting upon these pockets of fluid will then produce motion of both the fluid and the particles. This paper presents a numerical solution of the electrical force and the resulting electrothermal driven fluid flow on a travelling wave structure. This common electrode geometry consists of interdigitated electrodes laid down in a long array, with the phase of the applied potential shifted by 90 0 on each subsequent electrode. The resulting travelling electric field was simulated and the thermal field and electrical body force on the fluid calculated, for devices constructed from two typical materials: silicon and glass. The electrothermal fluid flow in the electrolyte over the electrode array was then numerically simulated. The model predicts that the thermal field depends on the conductivity and applied voltage, but more importantly on the geometry of the system and the material used in the construction of the device. The velocity of the fluid flow depends critically on the same parameters, with slight differences in the thermal field for glass and silicon leading to diametrically opposite flow direction with respect to the travelling field for the two materials. In addition, the imposition of slight external temperature gradients is shown to have a large effect on the fluid flow in the device, under certain conditions leading to a reversal of

Application of methane as a gaseous modifier for the determination of silicon using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinrich, Hans-Joachim, E-mail: hans-joachim.heinrich@bam.de; Kipphardt, Heinrich

2012-04-15

For determination of silicon in aqueous solutions by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry methane/argon mixtures as a gaseous modifier were applied during the pyrolysis step to improve the analytical performance. The beneficial effects observed on thermal stabilization, signal enhancement and shape of absorbance signals were attributed to the thermal decomposition products of methane, which were hydrogen and carbon black (soot). Using a 5% CH{sub 4} mixture with argon, the optimized pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 1350 Degree-Sign C and 2450 Degree-Sign C, respectively. A flushing step following the pyrolysis was mandatory to avoid background absorption and accelerated deposition of pyrolytic graphite. Characteristic masses of 50 and 30 pg were obtained for standard transversely heated graphite atomizer (THGA) tubes and end-capped THGA tubes, respectively, which were lower than with other previously applied modifiers. A limit of detection of 0.2 {mu}g L{sup -1} (3 s, n = 10) has been obtained. In addition, this gaseous modifier did not contribute to contamination which often was significant when a liquid modifier solution was co-injected. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of silicon in ultrapure water, nitric and hydrochloric acids. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CH{sub 4}/Ar gas mixtures act as new modifier in the determination of Si using ET AAS. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CH{sub 4} improved thermal stabilization, atomization efficiency and signal shape of Si. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optimum performance by addition of 5% CH{sub 4} during pyrolysis at 1350 Degree-Sign C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Gaseous modifier does not contribute to blank values. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optimized method suitable for determination of Si in ultrapure reagents.

Electrothermal Frequency Modulated Resonator for Mechanical Memory

KAUST Repository

Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al

2016-08-18

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a mechanical memory device based on the nonlinear dynamics of an electrostatically actuated microelectromechanical resonator utilizing an electrothermal frequency modulation scheme. The microstructure is deliberately fabricated as an in-plane shallow arch to achieve geometric quadratic nonlinearity. We exploit this inherent nonlinearity of the arch and drive it at resonance with minimal actuation voltage into the nonlinear regime, thereby creating softening behavior, hysteresis, and coexistence of states. The hysteretic frequency band is controlled by the electrothermal actuation voltage. Binary values are assigned to the two allowed dynamical states on the hysteretic response curve of the arch resonator with respect to the electrothermal actuation voltage. Set-and-reset operations of the memory states are performed by applying controlled dc pulses provided through the electrothermal actuation scheme, while the read-out operation is performed simultaneously by measuring the motional current through a capacitive detection technique. This novel memory device has the advantages of operating at low voltages and under room temperature. [2016-0043

Electrothermal instability growth in magnetically driven pulsed power liners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, Kyle J.; Sinars, Daniel B.; Yu, Edmund P.; Herrmann, Mark C.; Cuneo, Michael E.; Slutz, Stephen A.; Smith, Ian C.; Atherton, Briggs W.; Knudson, Marcus D.; Nakhleh, Charles

2012-01-01

This paper explores the role of electro-thermal instabilities on the dynamics of magnetically accelerated implosion systems. Electro-thermal instabilities result from non-uniform heating due to temperature dependence in the conductivity of a material. Comparatively little is known about these types of instabilities compared to the well known Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability. We present simulations that show electrothermal instabilities form immediately after the surface material of a conductor melts and can act as a significant seed to subsequent MRT instability growth. We also present the results of several experiments performed on Sandia National Laboratories Z accelerator to investigate signatures of electrothermal instability growth on well characterized initially solid aluminum and copper rods driven with a 20 MA, 100 ns risetime current pulse. These experiments show excellent agreement with electrothermal instability simulations and exhibit larger instability growth than can be explained by MRT theory alone.

Design and characterization of a microelectromechanical system electro-thermal linear motor with interlock mechanism for micro manipulators.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Tengjiang; Zhao, Yulong; Li, Xiuyuan; Zhao, You; Bai, Yingwei

2016-03-01

The design, fabrication, and testing of a novel electro-thermal linear motor for micro manipulators is presented in this paper. The V-shape electro-thermal actuator arrays, micro lever, micro spring, and slider are introduced. In moving operation, the linear motor can move nearly 1 mm displacement with 100 μm each step while keeping the applied voltage as low as 17 V. In holding operation, the motor can stay in one particular position without consuming energy and no creep deformation is found. Actuation force of 12.7 mN indicates the high force generation capability of the device. Experiments of lifetime show that the device can wear over two million cycles of operation. A silicon-on-insulator wafer is introduced to fabricate a high aspect ratio structure and the chip size is 8.5 mm × 8.5 mm × 0.5 mm.

Scalable Pressure Sensor Based on Electrothermally Operated Resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Alcheikh, Nouha; Younis, Mohammad I.

2017-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate a new pressure sensor that offers the flexibility of being scalable to small sizes up to the nano regime. Unlike conventional pressure sensors that rely on large diaphragms and big-surface structures, the principle of operation here relies on convective cooling of the air surrounding an electrothermally heated resonant structure, which can be a beam or a bridge. This concept is demonstrated using an electrothermally tuned and electrostatically driven MEMS resonator, which is designed to be deliberately curved. We show that the variation of pressure can be tracked accurately by monitoring the change in the resonance frequency of the resonator at a constant electrothermal voltage. We show that the range of the sensed pressure and the sensitivity of detection are controllable by the amount of the applied electrothermal voltage. Theoretically, we verify the device concept using a multi-physics nonlinear finite element model. The proposed pressure sensor is simple in principle and design and offers the possibility of further miniaturization to the nanoscale.

Scalable Pressure Sensor Based on Electrothermally Operated Resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.

2017-11-03

We experimentally demonstrate a new pressure sensor that offers the flexibility of being scalable to small sizes up to the nano regime. Unlike conventional pressure sensors that rely on large diaphragms and big-surface structures, the principle of operation here relies on convective cooling of the air surrounding an electrothermally heated resonant structure, which can be a beam or a bridge. This concept is demonstrated using an electrothermally tuned and electrostatically driven MEMS resonator, which is designed to be deliberately curved. We show that the variation of pressure can be tracked accurately by monitoring the change in the resonance frequency of the resonator at a constant electrothermal voltage. We show that the range of the sensed pressure and the sensitivity of detection are controllable by the amount of the applied electrothermal voltage. Theoretically, we verify the device concept using a multi-physics nonlinear finite element model. The proposed pressure sensor is simple in principle and design and offers the possibility of further miniaturization to the nanoscale.

Compact electro-thermal modeling of a SiC MOSFET power module under short-circuit conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ceccarelli, Lorenzo; Reigosa, Paula Diaz; Bahman, Amir Sajjad

2017-01-01

A novel physics-based, electro-thermal model which is capable of estimating accurately the short-circuit behavior and thermal instabilities of silicon carbide MOSFET multi-chip power modules is proposed in this paper. The model has been implemented in PSpice and describes the internal structure.......2 kV breakdown voltage and about 300 A rated current. The short-circuit behavior of the module is investigated experimentally through a non-destructive test setup and the model is validated. The estimation of overcurrent and temperature distribution among the chips can provide useful information...

Compliant electro-thermal microactuators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jonsmann, Jacques; Sigmund, Ole; Bouwstra, Siebe

1999-01-01

This paper describes design, microfabrication and characterisation of topology optimised compliant electro-thermal microactuators. The actuators are fabricated by a fast prototyping process using laser micromachining and electroplating. Actuators are characterised with respect to displacement...

Electrothermal plasma gun as a pellet injector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kincaid, R.W.; Bourham, M.A.

1994-01-01

The NCSU electrothermal plasma gun SIRENS has been used to accelerate plastic (Lexan polycarbonate) pellets, to determine the feasibility of the use of electrothermal guns as pellet injectors. The use of an electrothermal gun to inject frozen hydrogenic pellets requires a mechanism to provide protective shells (sabots) for shielding the pellet from ablation during acceleration into and through the barrel of the gun. The gun has been modified to accommodate acceleration of the plastic pellets using special acceleration barrels equipped with diagnostics for velocity and position of the pellet, and targets to absorb the pellet's energy on impact. The length of the acceleration path could be varied between 15 and 45 cm. The discharge energy of the electrothermal gun ranged from 2 to 6 kJ. The pellet velocities have been measured via a set of break wires. Pellet masses were varied between 0.5 and 1.0 grams. Preliminary results on 0.5 and 1.0 g pellets show that the exit velocity reaches 0.9 km/s at 6 kJ input energy to the source. Higher velocities of 1.5 and 2.7 km/s have been achieved using 0.5 and 1.0 gm pellets in 30 cm long barrel, without cleaning the barrel between the shots

Electrothermal piezoresistive cantilever resonators for personal measurements of nanoparticles in workplace exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Wasisto, Hutomo Suryo; Wu, Wenze; Uhde, Erik; Waag, Andreas; Peiner, Erwin

2015-05-01

Low-cost and low-power piezoresistive cantilever resonators with integrated electrothermal heaters are developed to support the sensing module enhancement of the second generation of handheld cantilever-based airborne nanoparticle (NP) detector (CANTOR-2). These sensors are used for direct-reading of exposure to carbon engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) at indoor workplaces. The cantilever structures having various shapes of free ends are created using silicon bulk micromachining technologies (i.e, rectangular, hammer-head, triangular, and U-shaped cantilevers). For a complete wearable CANTOR-2, all components of the proposed detector can be grouped into two main units depending on their packaging placements (i.e., the NP sampler head and the electronics mounted in a handy-format housing). In the NP sampler head, a miniaturized electrophoretic aerosol sampler and a resonant silicon cantilever mass sensor are employed to collect the ENPs from the air stream to the cantilever surfaces and measuring their mass concentration, respectively. After calibration, the detected ENP mass concentrations of CANTOR-2 show a standard deviation from fast mobility particle sizer (FMPS, TSI 3091) of 8-14%.

Electrothermally actuated tunable clamped-guided resonant microbeams

Science.gov (United States)

Alcheikh, N.; Hajjaj, A. Z.; Jaber, N.; Younis, M. I.

2018-01-01

We present simulation and experimental investigation demonstrating active alteration of the resonant and frequency response behavior of resonators by controlling the electrothermal actuation method on their anchors. In-plane clamped-guided arch and straight microbeams resonators are designed and fabricated with V-shaped electrothermal actuators on their anchors. These anchors not only offer various electrothermal actuation options, but also serve as various mechanical stiffness elements that affect the operating resonance frequency of the structures. We have shown that for an arch, the first mode resonance frequency can be increased up to 50% of its initial value. For a straight beam, we have shown that before buckling, the resonance frequency decreases to very low values and after buckling, it increases up to twice of its initial value. These results can be promising for the realization of different wide-range tunable microresonator. The experimental results have been compared to multi-physics finite-element simulations showing good agreement among them.

Electrothermally actuated tunable clamped-guided resonant microbeams

KAUST Repository

Alcheikh, Nouha

2017-06-11

We present simulation and experimental investigation demonstrating active alteration of the resonant and frequency response behavior of resonators by controlling the electrothermal actuation method on their anchors. In-plane clamped-guided arch and straight microbeams resonators are designed and fabricated with V-shaped electrothermal actuators on their anchors. These anchors not only offer various electrothermal actuation options, but also serve as various mechanical stiffness elements that affect the operating resonance frequency of the structures. We have shown that for an arch, the first mode resonance frequency can be increased up to 50% of its initial value. For a straight beam, we have shown that before buckling, the resonance frequency decreases to very low values and after buckling, it increases up to twice of its initial value. These results can be promising for the realization of different wide–range tunable microresonator. The experimental results have been compared to multi-physics finite-element simulations showing good agreement among them.

Nanobits, Nembranes and Micro Four-Point Probes: Customizable Tools for insitu Manipulation and Characterisation of Nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøggild, Peter; Petersen, Dirch Hjorth; Sardan Sukas, Özlem

2010-01-01

We present a range of highly adaptable microtools for direct interaction with nanoscale structures; (i) semiautomatic pick-and-place assembly of multiwalled carbon nanotubes onto cantilevers for high-aspect ratio scanning probe microscopy, using electrothermal microgrippers inside a SEM. Topology...... on a cantilever; (ii) scanning micro four point probes allow fast, non- destructive mapping of local electrical properties (sheet resistance and Hall mobility) and hysteresis effects of graphene sheets; (iii) sub 100 nm freestanding devices with wires, heaters, actuators, sensors, resonators and probes were...

Nanorobotic Manipulation Setup for Pick-and-Place Handling and non-destructive Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eicchorn, V.; Carlson, Kenneth; Andersen, Karin Nordström

2007-01-01

. The pick-and-place task is carried out by using an electrothermal actuated microgripper, designed for controlled manipulation of nanotubes. The nanotube is picked up from an array of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and transferred to the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe in order...... to assemble a high-aspect ratio AFM supertip. Another application of the nanorobotic setup considered in this paper is the nondestructive mechanical characterization of CNTs. A piezoresistive AFM probe is used to bend MWCNTs, while the bending force is measured, in order to estimate the Young's modulus...

A low-power-consumption out-of-Plane electrothermal actuator

OpenAIRE

Girbau Sala, David; Llamas Morote, Marco Antonio; Casals Terré, Jasmina; Simó Selvas, Francisco Javier; Pradell i Cara, Lluís; Lázaro Guillén, Antoni

2007-01-01

This paper proposes a new vertical electrothermal actuator. It can be considered as a hybrid between the traditional in-plane buckle-beam actuator and the vertical hot-cold actuator. It is here referred to as vertical buckle beam. At identical dimensional and bias conditions, it features a displacement larger than that of other vertical electrothermal actuators proposed so far in the literature. The actuator performance is demonstrated by means of an analytical model along with finite-element...

Development of electrothermal actuation based planar variable optical attenuators (VOAs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chengkuo; Yeh, J Andrew

2006-01-01

Several sorts of MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) based have been demonstrated by using electrostatic actuation scheme up to date. The comb drive and parallel plate are the two most common electrostatic actuators that have been well studied in variable optical attenuator (VOA) applications. In addition to the known retro-reflection type of optical attenuation being realized by our new devices driven by electrothermal actuators in present study, a novel planar tilted mirror with rotational and translation moving capability is proposed by using electrothermal actuators as well. Using electrothermal actuators to provide said planar tilted mirror with rotational and translational displacement has granted us a more efficient way to perform the light attenuation for in-plane structure. The static and transient characteristics of devices operated at ambient room temperature environment show good repeatability and stability

Highly Tunable Electrothermally Actuated Arch Resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Ramini, Abdallah; Alcheikh, Nouha; Younis, Mohammad I.

2016-01-01

that after some electro-thermal voltage load, the third resonance frequency starts to become more sensitive to the axial thermal stress, while the first resonance frequency becomes less sensitive. These results can be used as guidelines to utilize arches

Electrothermal Frequency Modulated Resonator for Mechanical Memory

KAUST Repository

Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Kosuru, Lakshmoji; Younis, Mohammad I.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a mechanical memory device based on the nonlinear dynamics of an electrostatically actuated microelectromechanical resonator utilizing an electrothermal frequency modulation scheme. The microstructure

A Novel Electro-Thermal Laminated Ceramic with Carbon-Based Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Ji

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A novel electro-thermal laminated ceramic composed of ceramic tile, carbon-based layer, dielectric layer, and foaming ceramic layer was designed and prepared by tape casting. The surface temperature achieved at an applied voltage of 10 V by the laminated ceramics was 40.3 °C when the thickness of carbon-based suspension was 1.0 mm and the adhesive strength between ceramic tile and carbon-based layer was 1.02 ± 0.06 MPa. In addition, the thermal aging results at 100 °C up to 192 h confirmed the high thermal stability and reliability of the electro-thermal laminated ceramics. The development of this laminated ceramic with excellent electro-thermal properties and safety provides a new individual heating device which is highly expected to be widely applied in the field of indoor heat supply.

Highly Tunable Electrothermally and Electrostatically Actuated Resonators

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.

2016-03-30

This paper demonstrates experimentally, theoretically, and numerically for the first time, a wide-range tunability of an in-plane clamped-clamped microbeam, bridge, and resonator actuated electrothermally and electrostatically. Using both actuation methods, we demonstrate that a single resonator can be operated at a wide range of frequencies. The microbeam is actuated electrothermally by passing a dc current through it, and electrostatically by applying a dc polarization voltage between the microbeam and the stationary electrode. We show that when increasing the electrothermal voltage, the compressive stress inside the microbeam increases, which leads eventually to its buckling. Before buckling, the fundamental frequency decreases until it drops to very low values, almost to zero. After buckling, the fundamental frequency increases, which is shown to be as high as twice the original resonance frequency. Adding a dc bias changes the qualitative nature of the tunability both before and after buckling, which adds another independent way of tuning. This reduces the dip before buckling, and can eliminate it if desired, and further increases the fundamental frequency after buckling. Analytical results based on the Galerkin discretization of the Euler Bernoulli beam theory are generated and compared with the experimental data and simulation results of a multi-physics finite-element model. A good agreement is found among all the results. [2015-0341

Magnetic-field dependence of electrothermal conductivity in YBCO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marino, A.; Uribe, R. [Universidad del Tolima, Ibague (Colombia); Grupo de Superconductividad y Nuevos Materiales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota (Colombia)

2008-11-15

Experimental measurements of the electrothermal conductivity (P) near T{sub c}, as a function of external magnetic field were carried out in undoped YBCO (123) superconducting samples. The electrothermal conductivity which relates electrical and thermal currents, depends on the applied magnetic field in high T{sub c} materials, contrary to conventional low T{sub c} superconductors where P is nearly independent of the magnetic field. The experimental P(B,T) data determined from resistivity and thermopower measurements were analyzed in terms of theoretical models and showed a behavior consistent with an order-parameter symmetry (OPS) of d{sub x{sup 2}-y{sup 2}}-wave type. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Highly Tunable Electrothermally and Electrostatically Actuated Resonators

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Alcheikh, Nouha; Ramini, Abdallah; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Younis, Mohammad I.

2016-01-01

methods, we demonstrate that a single resonator can be operated at a wide range of frequencies. The microbeam is actuated electrothermally by passing a dc current through it, and electrostatically by applying a dc polarization voltage between the microbeam

An electro-thermal model and its application on a spiral-wound lithium ion battery with porous current collectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye, Yonghuang; Shi, Yixiang; Saw, Lip Huat; Tay, Andrew A.O.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A local electro-thermal model is developed to verify the validity of a lump electro-thermal model. • Comparisons on edge effect of batteries with porous current collectors and batteries normal current collector foil. • Investigation on thermal performance of novel battery with porous current collector sheets. - Abstract: A local electro-thermal model for a spiral-wound lithium ion battery is developed to provide detailed and local insights of electrochemistry, transport phenomenon and heat transfer processes in spiral-wound geometries. The discharging potential, bulk heat generation rate, battery surface temperature and the temperature distribution within battery predicted by the model are used to verify a lumped electro-thermal model. The results show good agreement between the lumped electro-thermal model and the local electro-thermal model. The edge effect is investigated using the local electro-thermal model. And the results indicate that a novel battery with porous current collector sheets has a higher utilization rate of porous electrode materials than a commercial battery with normal current collector foils. The novel battery with porous current collector sheets is also investigated using the local electro-thermal model, simulation results show smaller liquid phase potential gradient and smaller liquid concentration gradient in the novel battery. The increased electrical resistance has minor effect on the overall heat generation within the battery when the porous current collector is employed, while it reduces the discharging potential of the battery

An electrothermal chemical technology for thermal spray coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wald, S.; Appelbaum, G.; Alimi, R.; Rabani, L.; Zoler, D.; Zhitomirsky, V.; Factor, M.; Roman, I.

1998-01-01

A new spray technology for producing hard-coatings, has been developed at the SOREQ Nuclear Research Center. The concept is based on the extensive experience accumulated at SOREQ in the course of the development of Electrothermal (ET), Electrothermal-Chemical (ETC) and Solid-Propellant Electrothermal-Chemical (SPETC) guns(r). High quality coatings may be obtained by thermal spraying powder particles onto a variety of substrates. Mature state-of-the-art technologies such as plasma spray, high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) and detonation gun (D-Gun) are widely used for many applications. As each method has its own drawbacks there is a need for a combination of several parameters which cannot be achieved by any existing individual commercial technology. The method presented is oriented toward a high-quality, multi-step, high-throughput, easily programmable continuous coating process and relatively inexpensive technology. The combustion products of a solid or liquid propellant accelerate the powder particles of the coating material. A pulsed-plasma jet, provided by a confined capillary discharge, ignites the propellant and controls the combustion process. The powder particles are accelerated to velocities over 1000 m/s. Due to the very high carrier gas density, high velocity, high throughput and high powder consumption efficiency are obtained. The plasma jet enables control of the gas temperature and consequently influences the powder temperature

In-situ water vaporization improves bitumen production during electrothermal processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, J. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada); McGee, B. [E-T Energy, Calgary, AB (Canada); Kantzas, A. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media Laboratory

2008-10-15

Electro-thermal processes are now being considered as an alternative or complementary process to steam injection processes. This study used an in situ vaporized water process to optimize electrothermal processes for steam injection enhanced oil recovery (EOR). A simulation tool was used to model electro-thermal processes in an Athabasca oil sands reservoir. Incremental oil recovery was estimated based on a 3-block conceptual model. A field scale model was then used to investigate the effects of electrode spacing, water injection rates, and electrical heating rates on bitumen recovery. Results of the simulation studies were then analyzed using a statistical tool in order to determine optimal conditions for maximizing bitumen production. Results of the study showed that incremental recovery using the water vaporization technique resulted in oil recovery rates of 25 per cent original oil in place (OOIP). Sensitivity analyses showed that medium electrical heating rates, low water injection rates, and small spacings between electrodes maximized bitumen production rates. It was concluded that the technique can be used alone or combined with other methods to economically produce bitumens. 2 refs., 7 tabs., 9 figs.

Impurity effects in the electrothermal instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomimura, A.; Azevedo, M.T. de

1982-01-01

A 'impure' plasma model is proposed based on the homogeneous hydrogen plasma used in the theory formulated by Tomimura and Haines to explain the electrothermal instable mode growth with the wave vector perpendicular to the applied magnetic field. The impurities are introduced implicitly in the transport coefficients of the two-fluid model through a effective charge number Z sub(eff). (Author) [pt

A Combined Electro-Thermal Breakdown Model for Oil-Impregnated Paper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Huang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The breakdown property of oil-impregnated paper is a key factor for converter transformer design and operation, but it is not well understood. In this paper, breakdown voltages of oil-impregnated paper were measured at different temperatures. The results showed that with the increase of temperature, electrical, electro-thermal and thermal breakdown occurred successively. An electro-thermal breakdown model was proposed based on the heat equilibrium and space charge transport, and negative differential mobility was introduced to the model. It was shown that carrier mobility determined whether it was electrical or thermal breakdown, and the model can effectively explain the temperature-dependent breakdown.

Experimental Studies of Electrothermal Plasma Gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diab, F.B.A.

2013-01-01

The aim of the present work is to study the capillary plasma discharge dynamics and characteristics. The capillary plasma device is a new technology for producing high density plasma after ablating the capillary wall using a pulsed electric power. An Electrothermal Plasma Gun (ETG) is composed of a capillary discharge tube made of Teflon operated with simple RLC circuit. The device called Electrothermal Gun (ETG) which is composed of 4 capacitors (70 μF, 10 kV, 1.28 μH) connected in parallel to a plasma source by means of one high power supply. The gun was operated in open air at discharge energies between 35 J - 3.5 kJ according to charging voltage. The work presented in this thesis covers the following items, 1- Measurements of the basic parameters and characterizations of the pretest results of the electrical circuits and capillary plasma discharge using Rogowski coil, voltage probe and Photomultiplier. 2- Material processing including (physics of the surface modifications, the morphology of the surface by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at different conditions, compositions of the materials by using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Micro hardness test and material particle deposition.

Electrothermal Desorption of CWA Simulants from Activated Carbon Cloth

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Sullivan, Patrick D; Wander, Joseph D; Newsome, Kolin C

2006-01-01

The use of activated carbon fabrics (ACFs) that are desorbed electrothermally, also known as the Joule effect, is explored as a potential method to create a regenerating chemical warfare agent (CWA) filter...

Experimental electro-thermal method for nondestructively testing welds in stainless steel pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.R.

1979-01-01

Welds in austenitic stainless steel pipes are notoriously difficult to nondestructively examine using conventional ultrasonic and eddy current methods. Survace irregularities and microscopic variations in magnetic permeability cause false eddy current signal variations. Ultrasonic methods have been developed which use computer processing of the data to overcome some of the problems. Electro-thermal nondestructive testing shows promise for detecting flaws that are difficult to detect using other NDT methods. Results of a project completed to develop and demonstrate the potential of an electro-thermal method for nondestructively testing stainless steel pipe welds are presented. Electro-thermal NDT uses a brief pulse of electrical current injected into the pipe. Defects at any depth within the weld cause small differences in surface electrical current distribution. These cause short-lived transient temperature differences on the pipe's surface that are mapped using an infrared scanning camera. Localized microstructural differences and normal surface roughness in the welds have little effect on the surface temperatures

A Fast, Large-Stroke Electrothermal MEMS Mirror Based on Cu/W Bimorph

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyang Zhang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports a large-range electrothermal bimorph microelectromechanical systems (MEMS mirror with fast thermal response. The actuator of the MEMS mirror is made of three segments of Cu/W bimorphs for lateral shift cancelation and two segments of multimorph beams for obtaining large vertical displacement from the angular motion of the bimorphs. The W layer is also used as the embedded heater. The silicon underneath the entire actuator is completely removed using a unique backside deep-reactive-ion-etching DRIE release process, leading to improved thermal response speed and front-side mirror surface protection. This MEMS mirror can perform both piston and tip-tilt motion. The mirror generates large pure vertical displacement up to 320 μm at only 3 V with a power consumption of 56 mW for each actuator. The maximum optical scan angle achieved is ±18° at 3 V. The measured thermal response time is 15.4 ms and the mechanical resonances of piston and tip-tilt modes are 550 Hz and 832 Hz, respectively.

Parallel-beams/lever electrothermal out-of-plane actuator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deladi, S.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

2004-01-01

We report on the design, modeling, fabrication and testing of a powerful electrothermal actuator allowing for various modes of movement and exhibiting forces large enough to be usable in a micro-tribotester. The performance of the actuator has been simulated combining numerical and analytical

Electrothermal efficiency, temperature and thermal conductivity

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A study was made to evaluate the electrothermal efficiency of a DC arc plasma torch and temperature and thermal conductivity of plasma jet in the torch. The torch was operated at power levels from 4 to 20 kW in non-transferred arc mode. The effect of nitrogen in combination with argon as plasma gas on the above ...

The electrical Discharge Characteristics of the 3.5 KJ Electrothermal Plasma Gun Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diab, F.; El-Aragi, G.M.; El-Kashef, G.M.; Saudy, A.H.

2013-01-01

In order to better understand the operating characteristics of an electrothermal plasma gun and its design, a variety of operation characteristics including ( the length of the capillary, applied voltage, diameter of the capillary tube, circuit inductance) were investigated to determine performance effects and viability in a real system. An Electrothermal Plasma Gun (ETG) is composed of a capillary discharge tube made of Teflon operated with simple RLC circuit. The device called Electrothermal Gun (ETG) which is composed of 4 capacitors (70 μF, 10 kV, 1.3 μH) connected in parallel to a plasma source by means of one high power plane transmission line by mean of a switch triggered by negative pulse 360/385 V. For the present studies a simple RLC was chosen, which allowed the circuit parameters to be easily measure d. The electrothermal discharge characteristics of the plasma gun operated in open air, So that at atmospheric pressure the main parameters were measured. The gun voltage and discharge current are measured with voltage divider and Rogowiski coil respectively. From the results recorded we found that, the current lagged the voltage i-e the plasma source has an inductive reactivity. Moreover, the current value was changed by changing the circuit parameters, including the discharge voltage and circuit inductance, and the wire properties such as the length and diameter. The maximum gun current ranged between (5 - 50 KA) according to the charging voltage of capacitors between (1-7 KV), a typical discharge times are on the order r of 125 μS.

Nanostructured carbon materials based electrothermal air pump actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qing; Liu, Luqi; Kuang, Jun; Dai, Zhaohe; Han, Jinhua; Zhang, Zhong

2014-05-01

Actuator materials can directly convert different types of energy into mechanical energy. In this work, we designed and fabricated electrothermal air pump-type actuators by utilization of various nanostructured carbon materials, including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), and graphene oxide (GO)/SWCNT hybrid films as heating elements to transfer electrical stimulus into thermal energy, and finally convert it into mechanical energy. Both the actuation displacement and working temperature of the actuator films show the monotonically increasing trend with increasing driving voltage within the actuation process. Compared with common polymer nanocomposites based electrothermal actuators, our actuators exhibited better actuation performances with a low driving voltage (film actuator due to the intrinsic gas-impermeability nature of graphene platelets. In addition, the high modulus of the r-GO and GO/SWCNT films also guaranteed the large generated stress and high work density. Specifically, the generated stress and gravimetric work density of the GO/SWCNT hybrid film actuator could reach up to more than 50 MPa and 30 J kg-1, respectively, under a driving voltage of 10 V. The resulting stress value is at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of natural muscles (~0.4 MPa).Actuator materials can directly convert different types of energy into mechanical energy. In this work, we designed and fabricated electrothermal air pump-type actuators by utilization of various nanostructured carbon materials, including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), and graphene oxide (GO)/SWCNT hybrid films as heating elements to transfer electrical stimulus into thermal energy, and finally convert it into mechanical energy. Both the actuation displacement and working temperature of the actuator films show the monotonically increasing trend with increasing driving voltage within the actuation process. Compared with

FEM assisted design and simulation of novel electrothermal actuators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deladi, S.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

2003-01-01

In this work the authors present the design, simulation, and experimental results of novel electrothermal actuators, such as the trimorph actuator for out-of-plane motion, the coupled in-plane actuator for in-plane motion and an actuator providing combined in- and out-of-plane motion that have been

Dynamic behavior of ultra large graphene-based membranes using electrothermal transduction

Science.gov (United States)

Al-mashaal, A. K.; Wood, G. S.; Torin, A.; Mastropaolo, E.; Newton, M. J.; Cheung, R.

2017-12-01

This letter reports an experimental study of an electrothermal actuator made from an ultra-large graphene-based bilayer thin film with a diameter to thickness aspect ratio of ˜10 000. Suspended thin films consisting of multilayer graphene and 350-500 nm-thick Poly(methyl methacrylate) have been transferred over circular cavities with a diameter of 3.5 mm. The use of bilayer materials with different mechanical and thermal properties results in thin film structures that can be induced to vibrate mechanically under the electrothermal transduction mechanism. The dynamic response of the bilayer has been investigated electrothermally by driving the structures with a combination of alternating current and direct current actuation voltages ( Va c and Vd c) and characterizing their resonant frequencies. It has been found that the bilayer thin film structure behaves as a membrane. In addition, the actuation configurations affect not only the amplitude of vibration but also the tuning of the resonant frequency of the vibrating membranes. The existence of Joule heating-induced tension lowers the mechanical stiffness of the membrane and hence shifts the resonant frequency downwards by -108187 ppm. A resonant frequency of 3.26 kHz with a vibration amplitude of 4.34 nm has been achieved for 350 nm-thick membranes under actuation voltages of 1 V of Va c and 8 V of Vd c.

Electrothermal model of choking-coils for the analysis of dc-dc converters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gorecki, Krzysztof, E-mail: gorecki@am.gdynia.pl [Gdynia Maritime University, Department of Marine Electronics, Morska 83, Gdynia (Poland); Detka, Kalina [Pomeranian Higher School in Gdynia, Opata Hackiego 8-10, Gdynia (Poland)

2012-09-01

The paper concerns modelling the choking-coil for the needs of the electrothermal analysis of dc-dc converters. A new electrothermal model of the choking-coil is proposed. This model is dedicated for SPICE software and it takes into account nonlinearity of the dependences of the inductance on the current, selfheating and mutual thermal interactions between the core and the winding. The structure of this model is described in detail and its correctness is experimentally verified for the choking-coils with the ferrite and powder cores. Both the characteristics of the choking-coils and the buck converter with these choking-coils were considered. The satisfying agreement between the results of calculations and measurements is obtained.

Electrothermal model of choking-coils for the analysis of dc–dc converters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Górecki, Krzysztof; Detka, Kalina

2012-01-01

The paper concerns modelling the choking-coil for the needs of the electrothermal analysis of dc–dc converters. A new electrothermal model of the choking-coil is proposed. This model is dedicated for SPICE software and it takes into account nonlinearity of the dependences of the inductance on the current, selfheating and mutual thermal interactions between the core and the winding. The structure of this model is described in detail and its correctness is experimentally verified for the choking-coils with the ferrite and powder cores. Both the characteristics of the choking-coils and the buck converter with these choking-coils were considered. The satisfying agreement between the results of calculations and measurements is obtained.

Determination of iron in seawater by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry: A comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabon, J.Y.; Giamarchi, P.; Le Bihan, A.

2010-01-01

Two methods available for direct determination of total Fe in seawater at low concentration level have been examined: electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and electrothermal atomization laser excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS). In a first part, we have optimized experimental conditions of ETAAS (electrothermal program, matrix chemical modification) for the determination of Fe in seawater by minimizing the chemical interference effects and the magnitude of the simultaneous background absorption signal. By using the best experimental conditions, a detection limit of 80 ng L -1 (20 μL, 3σ) for total Fe concentration was obtained by ETAAS. Using similar experimental conditions (electrothermal program, chemical modification), we have optimized experimental conditions for the determination of Fe by LEAFS. The selected experimental conditions for ETA-LEAFS: excitation wavelength (296.69 nm), noise attenuation and adequate background correction led to a detection limit (3σ) of 3 ng L -1 (i.e. 54 pM) for total Fe concentration with the use a 20 μL seawater sample. For the two methods, concentration values obtained for the analysis of Fe in a NASS-5 (0.2 μg L -1 ) seawater sample were in good agreement with the certified values.

A Fast Electro-Thermal Co-Simulation Modeling Approach for SiC Power MOSFETs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ceccarelli, Lorenzo; Bahman, Amir Sajjad; Iannuzzo, Francesco

2017-01-01

The purpose of this work is to propose a novel electro-thermal co-simulation approach for the new generation of SiC MOSFETs, by development of a PSpice-based compact and physical SiC MOSFET model including temperature dependency of several parameters and a Simulink-based thermal network. The PSpice...... the FEM simulation of the DUT’s structure, performed in ANSYS Icepack. A MATLAB script is used to process the simulation data and feed the needed settings and parameters back into the simulation. The parameters for a CREE 1.2 kV/30 A SiC MOSFET have been identified and the electro-thermal model has been...

Lithium-ion Battery Electrothermal Model, Parameter Estimation, and Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Orcioni

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The market for lithium-ion batteries is growing exponentially. The performance of battery cells is growing due to improving production technology, but market request is growing even more rapidly. Modeling and characterization of single cells and an efficient simulation environment is fundamental for the development of an efficient battery management system. The present work is devoted to defining a novel lumped electrothermal circuit of a single battery cell, the extraction procedure of the parameters of the single cell from experiments, and a simulation environment in SystemC-WMS for the simulation of a battery pack. The electrothermal model of the cell was validated against experimental measurements obtained in a climatic chamber. The model is then used to simulate a 48-cell battery, allowing statistical variations among parameters. The different behaviors of the cells in terms of state of charge, current, voltage, or heat flow rate can be observed in the results of the simulation environment.

Determination of iron in seawater by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry: a comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabon, J Y; Giamarchi, P; Le Bihan, A

2010-04-07

Two methods available for direct determination of total Fe in seawater at low concentration level have been examined: electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and electrothermal atomization laser excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS). In a first part, we have optimized experimental conditions of ETAAS (electrothermal program, matrix chemical modification) for the determination of Fe in seawater by minimizing the chemical interference effects and the magnitude of the simultaneous background absorption signal. By using the best experimental conditions, a detection limit of 80 ng L(-1) (20 microL, 3sigma) for total Fe concentration was obtained by ETAAS. Using similar experimental conditions (electrothermal program, chemical modification), we have optimized experimental conditions for the determination of Fe by LEAFS. The selected experimental conditions for ETA-LEAFS: excitation wavelength (296.69 nm), noise attenuation and adequate background correction led to a detection limit (3sigma) of 3 ng L(-1) (i.e. 54 pM) for total Fe concentration with the use a 20 microL seawater sample. For the two methods, concentration values obtained for the analysis of Fe in a NASS-5 (0.2 microg L(-1)) seawater sample were in good agreement with the certified values. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design considerations regarding an atomizer for multi-element electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katskov, Dmitri A., E-mail: katskovda@tut.ac.za [Department of Chemistry, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0001 (South Africa); Sadagov, Yuri M. [All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Optical and Physical Measurements (VNIIOFI), Ozernaya St. 46, Moscow 119361 (Russian Federation)

2011-06-15

The methodology of simultaneous multi-element electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS-Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) stipulates rigid requirements to the design and operation of the atomizer. It must provide high degree of atomization for the group of analytes, invariant respective to the vaporization kinetics and heating ramp residence time of atoms in the absorption volume and absence of memory effects from major sample components. For the low resolution spectrometer with a continuum radiation source the reduced compared to traditional ETAAS (Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) sensitivity should be, at least partially, compensated by creating high density of atomic vapor in the absorption pulse. The sought-for characteristics were obtained for the 18 mm in length and 2.5 mm in internal diameter longitudinally heated graphite tube atomizer furnished with 2-4.5 mg of ring shaped carbon fiber yarn collector. The collector located next to the sampling port provides large substrate area that helps to keep the sample and its residue in the central part of the tube after drying. The collector also provides a 'platform' effect that delays the vaporization and stipulates vapor release into absorption volume having already stabilized gas temperature. Due to the shape of external surface of the tube, presence of collector and rapid (about 10 {sup o}C/ms) heating, an inverse temperature distribution along the tube is attained at the beginnings of the atomization and cleaning steps. The effect is employed for cleaning of the atomizer using the set of short maximum power heating pulses. Preparation, optimal maintenance of the atomizer and its compliance to the multi-element determination requirements are evaluated and discussed. The experimental setup provides direct simultaneous determination of large group of element within 3-4 order concentration range. Limits of detection are close to those for sequential single element

Electrode Cooling Effect on Out-Of-Phase Electrothermal Streaming in Rotating Electric Fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiyu Liu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In this work, we focus on investigating electrothermal flow in rotating electric fields (ROT-ETF, with primary attention paid to the horizontal traveling-wave electrothermal (TWET vortex induced at the center of the electric field. The frequency-dependent flow profiles in the microdevice are analyzed using different heat transfer models. Accordingly, we address in particular the importance of electrode cooling in ROT-ETF as metal electrodes of high thermal conductivity, while substrate material of low heat dissipation capability is employed to develop such microfluidic chips. Under this circumstance, cooling of electrode array due to external natural convection on millimeter-scale electrode pads for external wire connection occurs and makes the internal temperature maxima shift from the electrode plane to a bit of distance right above the cross-shaped interelectrode gaps, giving rise to reversal of flow rotation from a typical repulsion-type to attraction-type induction vortex, which is in good accordance with our experimental observations of co-field TWET streaming at frequencies in the order of reciprocal charge relaxation time of the bulk fluid. These results point out a way to make a correct interpretation of out-of-phase electrothermal streaming behavior, which holds great potential for handing high-conductivity analytes in modern microfluidic systems.

Electrothermally Driven Fluorescence Switching by Liquid Crystal Elastomers Based On Dimensional Photonic Crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Changxu; Jiang, Yin; Tao, Cheng-An; Yin, Xianpeng; Lan, Yue; Wang, Chen; Wang, Shiqiang; Liu, Xiangyang; Li, Guangtao

2017-04-05

In this article, the fabrication of an active organic-inorganic one-dimensional photonic crystal structure to offer electrothermal fluorescence switching is described. The film is obtained by spin-coating of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and TiO 2 nanoparticles alternatively. By utilizing the property of LCEs that can change their size and shape reversibly under external thermal stimulations, the λ max of the photonic band gap of these films is tuned by voltage through electrothermal conversion. The shifted photonic band gap further changes the matching degree between the photonic band gap of the film and the emission spectrum of organic dye mounting on the film. With rhodamine B as an example, the enhancement factor of its fluorescence emission is controlled by varying the matching degree. Thus, the fluorescence intensity is actively switched by voltage applied on the system, in a fast, adjustable, and reversible manner. The control chain of using the electrothermal stimulus to adjust fluorescence intensity via controlling the photonic band gap is proved by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-vis reflectance. This mechanism also corresponded to the results from the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. The comprehensive usage of photonic crystals and liquid crystal elastomers opened a new possibility for active optical devices.

A scalable pressure sensor based on an electrothermally and electrostatically operated resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Alcheikh, Nouha; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Ilyas, Saad; Younis, Mohammad I.

2017-01-01

We present a pressure sensor based on the convective cooling of the air surrounding an electrothermally heated resonant bridge. Unlike conventional pressure sensors that rely on diaphragm deformation in response to pressure, the sensor does

A multi-axis electrothermal micromirror for a miniaturized OCT system

KAUST Repository

Izhar, U.

2011-06-01

We report on the development of a low power thermally actuated bi-axis SOI micromirror that is capable of performing angular and vertical scans for optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications. The device consists of a mirror with an aluminum coating over a 3 μm thick single crystal silicon base, aluminum/polysilicon electrothermal actuators with embedded heaters and polysilicon flexural connectors. In scanning mode, this mirror can satisfy our target specification of 5° angle at the low power of 1.7 mW with a temperature increase of 16.5 °C ± 7 °C from ambient in the actuator. Furthermore, a maximum angle of 32° has been achieved at 12 mW. In piston mode, it can reach vertical displacements of up to 131 μm at 12 mW with the temperature increase of 16.5 °C ± 7 °C from ambient in the actuator. The scanning speed for the mirror has been measured and the time response of the mirror is found to be 100 ms. The curvature of the mirror is found to be 2.4 mm ± 0.26 mm with a roughness of 100 nm ± 20 nm. Due to low driving power and moderate temperatures developed during its operation, this device can potentially be integrated with broadband light source, photodetector and interferometery system, to form a fully integrated OCT system on GaAs substrate. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Asymmetric resonance frequency analysis of in-plane electrothermal silicon cantilevers for nanoparticle sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Bertke, Maik; Hamdana, Gerry; Wu, Wenze; Marks, Markus; Suryo Wasisto, Hutomo; Peiner, Erwin

2016-10-01

The asymmetric resonance frequency analysis of silicon cantilevers for a low-cost wearable airborne nanoparticle detector (Cantor) is described in this paper. The cantilevers, which are operated in the fundamental in-plane resonance mode, are used as a mass-sensitive microbalance. They are manufactured out of bulk silicon, containing a full piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge and an integrated thermal heater for reading the measurement output signal and stimulating the in-plane excitation, respectively. To optimize the sensor performance, cantilevers with different cantilever geometries are designed, fabricated and characterized. Besides the resonance frequency, the quality factor (Q) of the resonance curve has a high influence concerning the sensor sensitivity. Because of an asymmetric resonance behaviour, a novel fitting function and method to extract the Q is created, different from that of the simple harmonic oscillator (SHO). For testing the sensor in a long-term frequency analysis, a phase- locked loop (PLL) circuit is employed, yielding a frequency stability of up to 0.753 Hz at an Allan variance of 3.77 × 10-6. This proposed asymmetric resonance frequency analysis method is expected to be further used in the process development of the next-generation Cantor.

Asymmetric resonance frequency analysis of in-plane electrothermal silicon cantilevers for nanoparticle sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertke, Maik; Hamdana, Gerry; Wu, Wenze; Marks, Markus; Wasisto, Hutomo Suryo; Peiner, Erwin

2016-01-01

The asymmetric resonance frequency analysis of silicon cantilevers for a low-cost wearable airborne nanoparticle detector (Cantor) is described in this paper. The cantilevers, which are operated in the fundamental in-plane resonance mode, are used as a mass-sensitive microbalance. They are manufactured out of bulk silicon, containing a full piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge and an integrated thermal heater for reading the measurement output signal and stimulating the in-plane excitation, respectively. To optimize the sensor performance, cantilevers with different cantilever geometries are designed, fabricated and characterized. Besides the resonance frequency, the quality factor ( Q ) of the resonance curve has a high influence concerning the sensor sensitivity. Because of an asymmetric resonance behaviour, a novel fitting function and method to extract the Q is created, different from that of the simple harmonic oscillator (SHO). For testing the sensor in a long-term frequency analysis, a phase- locked loop (PLL) circuit is employed, yielding a frequency stability of up to 0.753 Hz at an Allan variance of 3.77 × 10 -6 . This proposed asymmetric resonance frequency analysis method is expected to be further used in the process development of the next-generation Cantor. (paper)

A Temperature-to-Digital Converter Based on an Optimized Electrothermal Filter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kashmiri, S.M.; Xia, S.; Makinwa, K.A.A.

2009-01-01

This paper describes the design of a CMOS temperature-to-digital converter (TDC). It operates by measuring the temperature-dependent phase shift of an electrothermal filter (ETF). Compared to previous work, this TDC employs an ETF whose layout has been optimized to minimize the thermal phase spread

Study on an alternating current electrothermal micropump for microneedle-based fluid delivery systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rumi; Jullien, Graham A.; Dalton, Colin

2013-07-01

In this paper, we report on a modeling study of an AC electrothermal (ACET) micropump with high operating pressures as well as fast flow rates. One specific application area is for fluid delivery using microneedle arrays which require higher pressures and faster flow rates than have been previously reported with ACET devices. ACET is very suitable for accurate actuation and control of fluid flow, since the technique has been shown to be very effective in high conductivity fluids and has the ability to create a pulsation free flow. However, AC electrokinetic pumps usually can only generate low operating pressures of 1 to 100 Pa, where flow reversal is likely to occur with an external load. In order to realize a high performance ACET micropump for continuous fluid delivery, applying relatively high AC operating voltages (20 to 36 Vrms) to silicon substrate ACET actuators and using long serpentine channel allows the boosting of operating pressure as well as increasing the flow rates. Fast pumping flow rates (102-103 nl/s) and high operating pressures (1-12 kPa) can be achieved by applying both methods, making them of significant importance for continuous fluid delivery applications using microneedle arrays and other such biomedical devices.

A zero-dimensional model for electrothermal-chemical launchers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Shengyi; Chen Li; Sun Chengwei

2002-01-01

In this paper a zero-dimensional (0-D) model for the electrothermal-chemical (ETC) launchers has been established, where the propellant is an energetic work liquid. The model consists of three parts to correspond to three steps of the process in ETC launching. The results calculated with the model are well compared to the measured ones. Additionally, the dependence of chamber pressure, mass fraction of burnt propellant and muzzle velocity of projectile on capillary current has been investigated

Electrothermal adsorption and desorption of volatile organic compounds on activated carbon fiber cloth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, H.K. [Department of Health and Environment, Kosin University, Dong Sam Dong, Young Do Gu, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Sivakumar, S., E-mail: ssivaphd@yahoo.com [Department of Bioenvironmental Energy, College of Natural Resource and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do 627-706 (Korea, Republic of); Rood, M.J. [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States); Kim, B.J. [Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC-CERL), Champaign, IL (United States)

2016-01-15

Highlights: • We study the adsorption and desorption of VOCs by an activated carbon fiber cloth. • Desorption concentration was controlled via electrothermal heating. • The desorption rate was successfully equalized and controlled by this system. - Abstract: Adsorption is an effective means to selectively remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from industrial gas streams and is particularly of use for gas streams that exhibit highly variable daily concentrations of VOCs. Adsorption of such gas streams by activated carbon fiber cloths (ACFCs) and subsequent controlled desorption can provide gas streams of well-defined concentration that can then be more efficiently treated by biofiltration than streams exhibiting large variability in concentration. In this study, we passed VOC-containing gas through an ACFC vessel for adsorption and then desorption in a concentration-controlled manner via electrothermal heating. Set-point concentrations (40–900 ppm{sub v}) and superficial gas velocity (6.3–9.9 m/s) were controlled by a data acquisition and control system. The results of the average VOC desorption, desorption factor and VOC in-and-out ratio were calculated and compared for various gas set-point concentrations and superficial gas velocities. Our results reveal that desorption is strongly dependent on the set-point concentration and that the VOC desorption rate can be successfully equalized and controlled via an electrothermal adsorption system.

A variance-reduced electrothermal Monte Carlo method for semiconductor device simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muscato, Orazio; Di Stefano, Vincenza [Univ. degli Studi di Catania (Italy). Dipt. di Matematica e Informatica; Wagner, Wolfgang [Weierstrass-Institut fuer Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik (WIAS) Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin (Germany)

2012-11-01

This paper is concerned with electron transport and heat generation in semiconductor devices. An improved version of the electrothermal Monte Carlo method is presented. This modification has better approximation properties due to reduced statistical fluctuations. The corresponding transport equations are provided and results of numerical experiments are presented.

Rigorous Mathematical Modeling of an Adsorption System With Electrothermal Regeneration of the Used Adsorbent

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Petkovska, Menka; Antov-Bozalo, Danijela; Nikacevic, Nikola

2006-01-01

The general objective of the project is fundamental mathematical modeling of a complex TSA system with electrothermal desorption step, with absorbers assembled of one or more cartridge-type, radial...

A reduced low-temperature electro-thermal coupled model for lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Jiuchun; Ruan, Haijun; Sun, Bingxiang; Zhang, Weige; Gao, Wenzhong; Wang, Le Yi; Zhang, Linjing

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A reduced low-temperature electro-thermal coupled model is proposed. • A novel frequency-dependent equation for polarization parameters is presented. • The model is validated under different frequency and low-temperature conditions. • The reduced model exhibits a high accuracy with a low computational effort. • The adaptability of the proposed methodology for model reduction is verified. - Abstract: A low-temperature electro-thermal coupled model, which is based on the electrochemical mechanism, is developed to accurately capture both electrical and thermal behaviors of batteries. Activation energies reveal that temperature dependence of resistances is greater than that of capacitances. The influence of frequency on polarization voltage and irreversible heat is discussed, and frequency dependence of polarization resistance and capacitance is obtained. Based on the frequency-dependent equation, a reduced low-temperature electro-thermal coupled model is proposed and experimentally validated under different temperature, frequency and amplitude conditions. Simulation results exhibit good agreement with experimental data, where the maximum relative voltage error and temperature error are below 2.65% and 1.79 °C, respectively. The reduced model is demonstrated to have almost the same accuracy as the original model and require a lower computational effort. The effectiveness and adaptability of the proposed methodology for model reduction is verified using batteries with three different cathode materials from different manufacturers. The reduced model, thanks to its high accuracy and simplicity, provides a promising candidate for development of rapid internal heating and optimal charging strategies at low temperature, and for evaluation of the state of battery health in on-board battery management system.

Rigorous Mathematical Modeling of an Adsorption System With Electrothermal Regeneration of the Used Adsorbent

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Petkovska, Menka; Antov-Bozalo, Danijela; Markovic, Ana

2005-01-01

The general objective of the project is fundamental mathematical modeling of a complex TSA system with electrothermal desorption step, with adsorbers assembled of one or more activated carbon fiber clot (ACFC...

Effect of electrothermal annealing on the transformation behavior of TiNi shape memory alloy and two-way shape memory spring actuated by direct electrical current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Z.G.; Zu, X.T.; Feng, X.D.; Zhu, S.; Deng, J.; Wang, L.M.

2004-01-01

In this work, the effect of electrothermal annealing on the transformation characterization of TiNi shape memory alloy and the electrothermal actuating characteristics of a two-way shape memory effect (TWSME) extension spring were investigated with direct electrical current. The results showed that with increasing direct electrical current density, the B2→R-phase transformation shifts to a lower temperature and R-phase→B19' shifts to a higher temperature in the cooling process. When annealing electrical current density reached 12.2 A/mm 2 , the R-phase disappeared and austenite transformed into martensite directly. The electrothermal annealing was an effective method of heat treatment in a selected part of shape memory alloy device. The electrothermal actuating characteristics of a TWSME spring showed that the time response and the maximum elongation greatly depended on the magnitude of the electrical current

Note: A silicon-on-insulator microelectromechanical systems probe scanner for on-chip atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fowler, Anthony G.; Maroufi, Mohammad; Moheimani, S. O. Reza, E-mail: Reza.Moheimani@newcastle.edu.au [School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308 (Australia)

2015-04-15

A new microelectromechanical systems-based 2-degree-of-freedom (DoF) scanner with an integrated cantilever for on-chip atomic force microscopy (AFM) is presented. The silicon cantilever features a layer of piezoelectric material to facilitate its use for tapping mode AFM and enable simultaneous deflection sensing. Electrostatic actuators and electrothermal sensors are used to accurately position the cantilever within the x-y plane. Experimental testing shows that the cantilever is able to be scanned over a 10 μm × 10 μm window and that the cantilever achieves a peak-to-peak deflection greater than 400 nm when excited at its resonance frequency of approximately 62 kHz.

Infrared electro-thermal NDE of stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.R.; Hassberger, J.A.

1975-01-01

Electro-thermal examination, a branch of thermal testing, is a promising method being developed for nondestructive examination of stainless steel welds. This paper describes the first phase of development; i.e., preliminary demonstration and laboratory evaluation of the method's sensitivity to notches in Type 304 stainless steel plate specimens. It also includes a description of the basic principles, together with a description of the hardware and experimental results showing that electrical discharge machined notches down to 0.16 cm long x 0.08 cm deep were detected. A qualitative technique for interpreting the test results to determine whether defects are at the surface or deeper within the material is demonstrated

Experimental investigation and characterization of micro resistance welding with an electro-thermal actuator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Chun-Wei; Yeh, Cheng-Chi; Hsu Wensyang

2009-01-01

Resistance welding is a common scheme of assembly on the macro scale by pressing together two workpieces with current passing through them to generate joule heating at the contact region due to high contact resistance. However, micro assembly by resistance welding is seldom reported. Here, resistance welding with an electro-thermal microactuator to assemble micro Ni structures is experimentally investigated and characterized. The bent-beam electro-thermal microactuator is designed to provide the necessary displacements and pressing forces. The two-mask metal-based surface micromachining process is adopted to fabricate the micro Ni structures. The calibrated initial contact resistance is shown to decrease with increasing contact pressure. Furthermore, stronger welding strength is achieved at a smaller initial contact resistance, which indicates that a larger clamping force would enhance the welding strength as large as 3.09 MPa (74.4 µN) at a contact resistance of 2.7 Ω here. The input welding energy is also found to be a critical factor. In our tests, when welding energy is below the threshold limit of 0.05 J, the welding trials all fail. For the energy between 0.05 J and 1 J, there is a transition from a lower yield of 33.3% to a higher yield of 58.3%. At high welding energy, between 1 and 10 J, 100% yield is achieved. With the demonstration and characterization of micro resistance welding by the electro-thermal microactuator, the scheme proposed here would be helpful in the automation of micro assembly

Dynamic electro-thermal modeling of all-vanadium redox flow battery with forced cooling strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Zhongbao; Zhao, Jiyun; Xiong, Binyu

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A dynamic electro-thermal model is proposed for VRB with forced cooling. • The Foster network is adopted to model the battery cooling process. • Both the electrolyte temperature and terminal voltage can be accurately predicted. • The flow rate of electrolyte and coolant significantly impact battery performance. - Abstract: The present study focuses on the dynamic electro-thermal modeling for the all-vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) with forced cooling strategies. The Foster network is adopted to dynamically model the heat dissipation of VRB with heat exchangers. The parameters of Foster network are extracted by fitting the step response of it to the results of linearized CFD model. Then a complete electro-thermal model is proposed by coupling the heat generation model, Foster network and electrical model. Results show that the established model has nearly the same accuracy with the nonlinear CFD model in electrolyte temperature prediction but drastically improves the computational efficiency. The modeled terminal voltage is also benchmarked with the experimental data under different current densities. The electrolyte temperature is found to be significantly influenced by the flow rate of coolant. As compared, although the electrolyte flow rate has unremarkable impact on electrolyte temperature, its effect on system pressure drop and battery efficiency is significant. Increasing the electrolyte flow rate improves the coulombic efficiency, voltage efficiency and energy efficiency simultaneously but at the expense of higher pump power demanded. An optimal flow rate exists for each operating condition to maximize the system efficiency

Use of electrothermal atomization for determining metallic impurities in nuclearly pure uranium compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco, M.B.

1986-01-01

Atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization was used for the determination of Al, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo and Ni as impurities in uranium oxide samples. The determinations were performed in solubilized samples both with and without uranium separation as well as in solid samples. (Author) [pt

Use of electrothermal atomization for determining metallic impurities in nuclearly pure uranium compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco, M.B.

1985-01-01

Atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization was used for the determination of Al, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo and Ni as impurities in uranium oxide samples. The determinations were performed in solubilized samples both with and without uranium separation as well as in solid samples. (Author) [pt

Three-dimensional time-dependent computer modeling of the electrothermal atomizers for analytical spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Tsivilskiy, I. V.; Nagulin, K. Yu.; Gilmutdinov, A. Kh.

2016-02-01

A full three-dimensional nonstationary numerical model of graphite electrothermal atomizers of various types is developed. The model is based on solution of a heat equation within solid walls of the atomizer with a radiative heat transfer and numerical solution of a full set of Navier-Stokes equations with an energy equation for a gas. Governing equations for the behavior of a discrete phase, i.e., atomic particles suspended in a gas (including gas-phase processes of evaporation and condensation), are derived from the formal equations molecular kinetics by numerical solution of the Hertz-Langmuir equation. The following atomizers test the model: a Varian standard heated electrothermal vaporizer (ETV), a Perkin Elmer standard THGA transversely heated graphite tube with integrated platform (THGA), and the original double-stage tube-helix atomizer (DSTHA). The experimental verification of computer calculations is carried out by a method of shadow spectral visualization of the spatial distributions of atomic and molecular vapors in an analytical space of an atomizer.

Determination of metallic impurities in nuclearly pure uranium compounds by electrothermal spectrophotometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco, M.B.

1986-01-01

Atomic absorption spectrometry, with electrothermal atomization, has been used for the determination of Al, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Ni in uranium oxide standards. The analysis were performed without sample dissolution and without uranium chemical separation. This technique is adequate for the qualification of nuclearly pure uranium, according to the standard specifications. (Author) [pt

A scalable pressure sensor based on an electrothermally and electrostatically operated resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.

2017-11-29

We present a pressure sensor based on the convective cooling of the air surrounding an electrothermally heated resonant bridge. Unlike conventional pressure sensors that rely on diaphragm deformation in response to pressure, the sensor does not require diaphragms of the large surface area, and hence is scalable and can be realized even at the nanoscale. The concept is demonstrated using both straight and arch microbeam resonators driven and sensed electrostatically. The change in the surrounding pressure is shown to be accurately tracked by monitoring the change in the resonance frequency of the structure. The sensitivity of the sensor, which is controllable by the applied electrothermal load, is shown near 57 811 ppm/mbar for a pressure range from 1 to 10 Torr. We show that a straight beam operated near the buckling threshold leads to the maximum sensitivity of the device. The experimental data and simulation results, based on a multi-physics finite element model, demonstrate the feasibility and simplicity of the pressure sensor. Published by AIP Publishing.

Transient electro-thermal modeling of bipolar power semiconductor devices

CERN Document Server

Gachovska, Tanya Kirilova; Du, Bin

2013-01-01

This book presents physics-based electro-thermal models of bipolar power semiconductor devices including their packages, and describes their implementation in MATLAB and Simulink. It is a continuation of our first book Modeling of Bipolar Power Semiconductor Devices. The device electrical models are developed by subdividing the devices into different regions and the operations in each region, along with the interactions at the interfaces, are analyzed using the basic semiconductor physics equations that govern device behavior. The Fourier series solution is used to solve the ambipolar diffusio

Electrothermally Actuated Microbeams With Varying Stiffness

KAUST Repository

Tella, Sherif Adekunle

2017-11-03

We present axially loaded clamped-guided microbeams that can be used as resonators and actuators of variable stiffness, actuation, and anchor conditions. The applied axial load is implemented by U-shaped electrothermal actuators stacked at one of the beams edges. These can be configured and wired in various ways, which serve as mechanical stiffness elements that control the operating resonance frequency of the structures and their static displacement. The experimental results have shown considerable increase in the resonance frequency and mid-point deflection of the microbeam upon changing the end conditions of the beam. These results can be promising for applications requiring large deflection and high frequency tunability, such as filters, memory devices, and switches. The experimental results are compared to multi-physics finite-element simulations showing good agreement among them.

Electro-thermal modeling of high power IGBT module short-circuits with experimental validation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Rui; Iannuzzo, Francesco; Wang, Huai

2015-01-01

A novel Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) electro-thermal modeling approach involving PSpice and ANSYS/Icepak with both high accuracy and simulation speed has been presented to study short-circuit of a 1.7 kV/1 kA commercial IGBT module. The approach successfully predicts the current...

Determination of microquantities of cesium in leaching tests by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crubellati, R.O.; Di Santo, N.R.

1988-01-01

An original method for cesium determinations by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization is described. The effect of foreign ions (alkali and earth alkaline metals) present in leaching test of glasses with incorporated radioactive wastes was studied. The effect of different mineral acids was also investigated. A comparison between the flame excitation method and the electrothermal atomization one was made. Under optimum conditions, cesium in quantities down to 700 ng in 1000 ml of sample could be determined. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.7 - 15 ng/mL. The fact that the proposed determinations can be performed in a short time and that a small sample volume is required are fundamental advantages of this method, compared with the flame excitation procedure. Besides, it is adaptable to be applied in hot cells and glove boxes. (Author) [es

Statics and dynamics of electrothermal micromirrors

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Jessica A.

Adaptive and smart systems are growing in popularity as we shift toward personalization as a culture. With progressive demands on energy efficiency, it is increasingly important to focus on the utilization of energy in a novel way. This thesis investigates a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirror with the express intent to provide flexibility in solid state lighting (SSL). By coupling the micromirror to an optical source, the reflected light may be reshaped and directed so as to optimize the overall illumination profile. In addition, the light may be redirected in order to provide improved signal strength in visible light communications (VLC) with negligible impact on energy demands. With flexibility and full analog control in mind, the design of a fully integrated tip-tilt-piston micromirror with an additional variable focus degree of freedom is outlined. Electrothermal actuators are used to both steer the light and tune the focal length. A detailed discussion of the underlying physics behind composite beams and thermal actuators is addressed. This leads directly into an overview of the two main mirror components, namely the segmented mirror and the deflection actuators. An in-depth characterization of the dynamics of the mirror is discussed including the linearity of the thermal response. Frequency domain analysis of such a system provides insight into tunable mechanical properties such as the resonant frequency and quality factor. The degenerate resonant modes can be separated significantly. It is shown that the frequency response may be tuned by straining specific actuators and that it follows a predictable pattern. As a result, the system can be scanned at increasingly large angles. In other words, coupled mechanical modes allow variable damping and amplification. A means to determine the level of coupling is examined and the mode shape variations are tracked as a function of the tuning parameters. Finally, the applications of such a device are explored

An electro-thermally activated rotary micro-positioner for slider-level dual-stage positioning in hard disk drives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lau, Gih Keong; Chong, Nyok Boon; Yang, Jiaping; Tan, Cheng Peng

2016-01-01

Slider-level micro-positioners are useful to assist a voice coil motor to perform fine head positioning over a Tb/in 2 magnetic disk. Recently, a new kind of slider-level micro-positioner was developed using the thermal unimorph of the Si/SU8 composite. It has the advantages of a very small footprint and high mechanical resonant frequency, but its stroke generation is inadequate, with a 50 nm dynamic stroke at 1 kHz. There is a need for a larger thermally induced stroke. This paper presents a rotary design of an electrothermal micro-positioner to address the stroke requirements without consuming more power or decreasing the mechanical resonant frequency. Experimental studies show the present rotary design can produce a six-fold larger displacement, as compared to the previous lateral design, while possessing a 35 kHz resonant frequency. In addition, simple analytical models were developed to estimate: (i) the rotational stiffness and system’s natural frequency, (ii) thermal unimorph bending and stage rotation, and (iii) the system’s thermal time constant for this rotary electro-thermal micro-positioner. This study found that this rotary electro-thermal micro-positioner can meet the basic stroke requirement and high mechanical resonant frequency for a moving slider, but its thermal cut-off frequency needs to be increased further. (paper)

Characterising thermal resistances and capacitances of GaN high-electron-mobility transistors through dynamic electrothermal measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Wei; Mikkelsen, Jan H.; Jensen, Ole Kiel

2014-01-01

This study presents a method to characterise thermal resistances and capacitances of GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) through dynamic electrothermal measurements. A measured relation between RF gain and the channel temperature (Tc) is formed and used for indirect measurements...

A low aspect ratio electrothermal gun for metal plasma vapor discharge and ceramic nanopowder production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyoung Jin; Peterson, Dennis R.

2008-01-01

Traditionally, the electrothermal gun design has the bore of a large aspect ratio: however, a low aspect ratio design with a shorter bore length has been employed for efficient production of metal plasma vapors and synthesis of nanomaterials. In a comparison of the arc resistance-current relationship, a low aspect ratio design is found to exhibit distinctively different characteristics compared to a high aspect ratio design, and this trend is explained by the scaling law of plasma properties including theory of plasma electrical conductivity. A one-dimensional isothermal model has been applied to the present experiments to confirm the scaling laws, and it was found that the present modification of the electrothermal gun is able to produce fully ionized metal plasma vapor, while the plasma vapor produced in a conventional design is partially ionized. Also, by reacting metal plasma vapors with the controlled gases in the reaction chamber, nanoscale materials such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and titanium oxide were synthesized successfully

Fabrication of 3D electro-thermal micro actuators in silica glass by femtosecond laser wet etch and microsolidics

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qichao; Shan, Chao; Yang, Qing; Chen, Feng; Bian, Hao; Hou, Xun

2017-02-01

This paper demonstrates a novel electro-thermal micro actuator's design, fabrication and device tests which combine microfluidic technology and microsolidics process. A three-dimensional solenoid microchannel with high aspect ratio is fabricated inside the silica glass by an improved femtosecond laser wet etch (FLWE) technology, and the diameter of the spiral coil is only 200 μm. Molten alloy (Bi/In/Sn/Pb) with high melting point is injected into the three-dimensional solenoid microchannel inside the silica glass , then it solidifys and forms an electro-thermal micro actuator. The device is capable of achieving precise temperature control and quick response, and can also be easily integrated into MEMS, sensors and `lab on a chip' (LOC) platform inside the fused silica substrate.

Material impacts and heat flux characterization of an electrothermal plasma source with an applied magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Gebhart, T. E.; Martinez-Rodriguez, R. A.; Baylor, L. R.; Rapp, J.; Winfrey, A. L.

2017-08-01

To produce a realistic tokamak-like plasma environment in linear plasma device, a transient source is needed to deliver heat and particle fluxes similar to those seen in an edge localized mode (ELM). ELMs in future large tokamaks will deliver heat fluxes of ˜1 GW/m2 to the divertor plasma facing components at a few Hz. An electrothermal plasma source can deliver heat fluxes of this magnitude. These sources operate in an ablative arc regime which is driven by a DC capacitive discharge. An electrothermal source was configured with two pulse lengths and tested under a solenoidal magnetic field to determine the resulting impact on liner ablation, plasma parameters, and delivered heat flux. The arc travels through and ablates a boron nitride liner and strikes a tungsten plate. The tungsten target plate is analyzed for surface damage using a scanning electron microscope.

Laser-excited atomic-fluorescence spectrometry with electrothermal tube atomization.

Science.gov (United States)

Vera, J A; Leong, M B; Stevenson, C L; Petrucci, G; Winefordner, J D

1989-12-01

The performance of graphite-tube electrothermal atomizers is evaluated for laser-excited atomic-fluorescence spectrometry for several elements. Three pulsed laser systems are used to pump tunable dye lasers which subsequently are used to excite Pb, Ga, In, Fe, Ir, and Tl atoms in the hot graphite tube. The dye laser systems used are pumped by nitrogen, copper vapour and Nd:YAG lasers. Detection limits in the femtogram and subfemtogram range are typically obtained for all elements. A commercial graphite-tube furnace is important for the successful utilization of the laser-based method when the determination of trace elements is intended, especially when complicated matrices may be present.

Experimental evidences of electro-thermal ablation acceleration of water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikuta, Kazunari.

1987-07-01

We report the first demonstrations of driving water of about 1000 grams by electro-thermally ablated gas pressure in a cavity with a single exhauster. A blob of water was shot into the air with a shooting angle of about 45 deg, and the flight velocity observed was about 13 meters per second with the capacitor (28μF) charged up to 10 KV. The discharge sound was almost suppressed by the water blob loaded in the chamber possilbly because the energy of sound was dissipated into the water blob. The application of this ablation water driver to ship propulsion is also discussed. (author)

Determination of boron in natural waters using atomic-absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usenko, S.I.; Prorok, M.M.

1992-01-01

A method of direct determination of boron in natural waters using atomic-absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization was developed. Concomitant elements Si, K, Mg, Na, present in natural waters in the concentration of 0.05-100 mg/cv 3 , do not produce effect on the value of boron atomic absorption. Boron determination limit constituted 0.02 mg/cm 3 for 25 ml of solution introduced

Lumped-Element Dynamic Electro-Thermal model of a superconducting magnet

Science.gov (United States)

Ravaioli, E.; Auchmann, B.; Maciejewski, M.; ten Kate, H. H. J.; Verweij, A. P.

2016-12-01

Modeling accurately electro-thermal transients occurring in a superconducting magnet is challenging. The behavior of the magnet is the result of complex phenomena occurring in distinct physical domains (electrical, magnetic and thermal) at very different spatial and time scales. Combined multi-domain effects significantly affect the dynamic behavior of the system and are to be taken into account in a coherent and consistent model. A new methodology for developing a Lumped-Element Dynamic Electro-Thermal (LEDET) model of a superconducting magnet is presented. This model includes non-linear dynamic effects such as the dependence of the magnet's differential self-inductance on the presence of inter-filament and inter-strand coupling currents in the conductor. These effects are usually not taken into account because superconducting magnets are primarily operated in stationary conditions. However, they often have significant impact on magnet performance, particularly when the magnet is subject to high ramp rates. Following the LEDET method, the complex interdependence between the electro-magnetic and thermal domains can be modeled with three sub-networks of lumped-elements, reproducing the electrical transient in the main magnet circuit, the thermal transient in the coil cross-section, and the electro-magnetic transient of the inter-filament and inter-strand coupling currents in the superconductor. The same simulation environment can simultaneously model macroscopic electrical transients and phenomena at the level of superconducting strands. The model developed is a very useful tool for reproducing and predicting the performance of conventional quench protection systems based on energy extraction and quench heaters, and of the innovative CLIQ protection system as well.

Manipulation of Microobjects Based on Dynamic Adhesion Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Chen

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Due to scale effects, microoperation, especially the releasing of microobjects, has been a long-standing challenge in micromanipulation applications. In this paper a micromanipulation method is presented based on dynamic adhesion control with compound vibration. This adhesion control technique employs inertia force to overcome adhesion force achieving 100% repeatability with releasing accuracy of 4± 0.5μm, which was experimentally quantified through the manipulation of 20–100μm polystyrene spheres under an optical microscope. The micromanipulation system consists of a microgripper and a piezoelectric ceramics module. The compound vibration comes from the electrostatic actuator and the piezoelectrically driven actuator. Surface and bulk micromachining technology is employed to fabricate the microgripper used in the system from a single crystal silicon wafer. Experimental results confirmed that this adhesion control technique is independent of substrate. Theoretical analyses were conducted to understand the picking up and releasing mechanism. Based on this preliminary study, the micromanipulation system proved to be an effective solution for active picking up and releasing of micromanipulation.

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry: contribution to the establishment of a rational method for the determination of trace elements in natural media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoenig, Michel

1990-01-01

This research thesis aimed at extending, rationalising, simplifying and accelerating opportunities initially offered by electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy (ETAAS), more particularly in the marine, estuarine, rural or urban environment. Thus, this work mainly focused on the various aspects of this technique. The author first addresses the electrothermal atomisation process by presenting the atomiser, the platform, the sample insertion, ETAAS properties and use, the electrothermal program, and a comparison of ETAAS with other spectroscopic methods. She reports the study of spectral, ionisation and chemical perturbations, and of their correction. She introduces matrix and analyte modifiers, and presents refractory elements (effect of carbon surface, problems faced with molybdenum, barium, chromium and vanadium). She presents and discusses aspects related to sample preparation: problems related to trace dosing, methods of preparation of solutions, analyte concentration or separation, examples of applications to plants, to animal tissues, to geological materials, to soils and sediments, to atmospheric particles and matters in suspension in natural waters, and to blood and urine. She finally addresses the analysis of solid samples with a description of the apparatus and of the adopted methodology in the case of slurries [fr

Electrothermal Equivalent Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Model of a Single Neuron.

Science.gov (United States)

Cinelli, Ilaria; Destrade, Michel; Duffy, Maeve; McHugh, Peter

2018-06-01

We propose a novel approach for modelling the interdependence of electrical and mechanical phenomena in nervous cells, by using electrothermal equivalences in finite element (FE) analysis so that existing thermomechanical tools can be applied. First, the equivalence between electrical and thermal properties of the nerve materials is established, and results of a pure heat conduction analysis performed in Abaqus CAE Software 6.13-3 are validated with analytical solutions for a range of steady and transient conditions. This validation includes the definition of equivalent active membrane properties that enable prediction of the action potential. Then, as a step toward fully coupled models, electromechanical coupling is implemented through the definition of equivalent piezoelectric properties of the nerve membrane using the thermal expansion coefficient, enabling prediction of the mechanical response of the nerve to the action potential. Results of the coupled electromechanical model are validated with previously published experimental results of deformation for squid giant axon, crab nerve fibre, and garfish olfactory nerve fibre. A simplified coupled electromechanical modelling approach is established through an electrothermal equivalent FE model of a nervous cell for biomedical applications. One of the key findings is the mechanical characterization of the neural activity in a coupled electromechanical domain, which provides insights into the electromechanical behaviour of nervous cells, such as thinning of the membrane. This is a first step toward modelling three-dimensional electromechanical alteration induced by trauma at nerve bundle, tissue, and organ levels.

Design and Modeling of Polysilicon Electrothermal Actuators for a MEMS Mirror with Low Power Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Lara-Castro

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Endoscopic optical-coherence tomography (OCT systems require low cost mirrors with small footprint size, out-of-plane deflections and low bias voltage. These requirements can be achieved with electrothermal actuators based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS. We present the design and modeling of polysilicon electrothermal actuators for a MEMS mirror (100 μm × 100 μm × 2.25 μm. These actuators are composed by two beam types (2.25 μm thickness with different cross-section area, which are separated by 2 μm gap. The mirror and actuators are designed through the Sandia Ultra-planar Multi-level MEMS Technology V (SUMMiT V® process, obtaining a small footprint size (1028 μm × 1028 µm for actuators of 550 µm length. The actuators have out-of-plane displacements caused by low dc voltages and without use material layers with distinct thermal expansion coefficients. The temperature behavior along the actuators is calculated through analytical models that include terms of heat energy generation, heat conduction and heat energy loss. The force method is used to predict the maximum out-of-plane displacements in the actuator tip as function of supplied voltage. Both analytical models, under steady-state conditions, employ the polysilicon resistivity as function of the temperature. The electrothermal-and structural behavior of the actuators is studied considering different beams dimensions (length and width and dc bias voltages from 0.5 to 2.5 V. For 2.5 V, the actuator of 550 µm length reaches a maximum temperature, displacement and electrical power of 115 °C, 10.3 µm and 6.3 mW, respectively. The designed actuation mechanism can be useful for MEMS mirrors of different sizes with potential application in endoscopic OCT systems that require low power consumption.

Determination of trace impurities in titanium dioxide by direct solid sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vojtková, Blanka; Dočekal, Bohumil

2005-01-01

Roč. 99, S (2005), s489-s491 ISSN 0009-2770. [Meeting on Chemistry and Life /3./. Brno, 20.09.2005-22.09.2005] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40310501 Keywords : solid sampling * electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry * trace analysis Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 0.445, year: 2005

A multilayer electro-thermal model of pouch battery during normal discharge and internal short circuit process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Mingbiao; Bai, Fanfei; Song, Wenji; Lv, Jie; Lin, Shili

2017-01-01

Highlights: • 2D network equivalent circuit considers the interplay of cell units. • The temperature non-uniformity Φ of multilayer model is bigger than that of lumped model. • The temperature non-uniformity is quantified and the reason of non-uniformity is analyzed. • Increasing the thermal conductivity of the separator can effectively relieve the heat spot effect of ISC. - Abstract: As the electrical and thermal characteristic will affect the batteries’ safety, performance, calendar life and capacity fading, an electro-thermal coupled model for pouch battery LiFePO_4/C is developed in normal discharge and internal short circuit process. The battery is discretized into many cell elements which are united as a 2D network equivalent circuit. The electro-thermal model is solved with finite difference method. Non-uniformity of current distribution and temperature distribution is simulated and the result is validated with experiment data at various discharge rates. Comparison of the lumped model and the multilayer structure model shows that the temperature non-uniformity Φ of multilayer model is bigger than that of lumped model and shows more precise. The temperature non-uniformity is quantified and the reason of non-uniformity is analyzed. The electro-thermal model can also be used to guide the safety design of battery. The temperature of the ISC element near tabs is the highest because the equivalent resistance of the external circuit (not including the ISC element) is the smallest when the resistance of cell units is small. It is found that increasing the thermal conductivity of integrated layer can effectively relieve the heat spot effect of ISC.

Wear-out Failure Analysis of an Impedance-Source PV Microinverter Based on System-Level Electro-Thermal Modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, Yanfeng; Chub, Andrii; Wang, Huai

2018-01-01

and system-level finite element method (FEM) simulations, the electro-thermal models are built for the most reliability-critical components, i.e., power semi-conductor devices and capacitors. The dependence of the power loss on the junction/hotspot temperature is considered, the enclosure temperature...

Electrothermal Simulation of Large-Area Semiconductor Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C Kirsch

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The lateral charge transport in thin-film semiconductor devices is affected by the sheet resistance of the various layers. This may lead to a non-uniform current distribution across a large-area device resulting in inhomogeneous luminance, for example, as observed in organic light-emitting diodes (Neyts et al., 2006. The resistive loss in electrical energy is converted into thermal energy via Joule heating, which results in a temperature increase inside the device. On the other hand, the charge transport properties of the device materials are also temperature-dependent, such that we are facing a two-way coupled electrothermal problem. It has been demonstrated that adding thermal effects to an electrical model significantly changes the results (Slawinski et al., 2011. We present a mathematical model for the steady-state distribution of the electric potential and of the temperature across one electrode of a large-area semiconductor device, as well as numerical solutions obtained using the finite element method.

Electric and electrothermal conductivity of planetary ionospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlov, A.V.

1984-01-01

In the first, second and third approximations of expansion of the Chapman-Enskog method in Sonin polynomials, an explicit form is found of coefficients of electrical and electrothermal electron condituctjvity in a magnetic field in a multicomponent ionosphere with allowance for the electron temperature difference from the heavy component temperature. The generic expressions for the electron transport coefficients are reduced to the form suitable for practical applications. In the first approximation of expansion in Sonin polynomials, the equations are derived for determining the ion diffusion velocities in a magnetic field in a multicomponent gas mixtures. +he approximating expressions for frequencies of electron collisions with main neutral components of planet upper atmospheres are refined. In the first, second and third approximations the equations are derived for determining velocities of ambipolar ion diffusion in a multicomponent ionosphere without a magnetic field (or parallel to it). The explicit form of the electron thermodiffusion factor, being a part of these equations, has been found

Chemical modifiers in electrothermal atomic absorption determination of Platinum and Palladium containing preparations in blood serum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Аntonina Alemasova

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The biological liquids matrixes influence on the characteristic masses and repeatability of Pt and Pd electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy (ETAAS determination was studied. The chemical modifiers dimethylglyoxime and ascorbic acid for matrix interferences elimination and ETAAS results repeatability improvement were proposed while bioliquids ETAAS analysis, and their action mechanism was discussed.

Determination of lead and cadmium in urine by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasil'eva, L.A.; Grinshtejn, I.L.; Gucher, Sh.; Izgi, B.

2008-01-01

The applicability of a DETATA sorbent to the preconcentration of lead and cadmium followed by the determination of these elements in urine using atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization was demonstrated. After preconcentration by a factor of 10, the limits of detection were 0.01 and 0.2 μg/l for cadmium and lead, respectively. The accuracy of the results was supported by the analysis of Seronorm TM Trace Elements Urine Batch no.101021 [ru

Determination of chromium in treated crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, by electrothermal ASS: study of chromium accumulation in different tissues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernandez, F.; Diaz, J.; Medina, J.; Del Ramo, J.; Pastor, A.

1986-06-01

In the present study, the authors investigated the accumulation of chromium in muscle, hepatopancreas, antennal glands, and gills of Procambarus clarkii (Girard) from Lake Albufera following Cr(VI)-exposure. Determinations of chromium were made by using Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy and the standard additions method.

Electro-thermal Modeling of Modern Power Devices for Studying Abnormal Operating Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Rui

in industrial power electronic systems in the range above 10 kW. The failure of IGBTs can be generally classified as catastrophic failures and wear out failures. A wear out failure is mainly induced by accumulated degradation with time, while a catastrophic failure is triggered by a single-event abnormal....... The objective of this project has been to model and predict the electro-thermal behavior of IGBT power modules under abnormal conditions, especially short circuits. A thorough investigation on catastrophic failure modes and mechanisms of modern power semiconductor devices, including IGBTs and power diodes, has...

Estimation of the thermal characteristics of a bridgewire environment by an electrothermal response test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donaldson, A.B.; Strasburg, A.C.

1976-01-01

The electrothermal response of an electroexplosive device is determined by applying a subcritical square wave current pulse to the bridgewire and monitoring the resultant temperature excursion. The temperature profile, thus obtained, can be utilized with a mathematical model called the ''Probe Method'' for approximating thermal properties. It is possible to estimate the thermal conductivity and specific heat of the pyrotechnic and the thermal contact conductance at the bridgewire/pyrotechnic interface by this technique

Feasibility study on infrared electro-thermal NDE of stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.R.; Hassberger, J.A.

1975-11-01

Electro-thermal examination, a branch of thermal testing (TT), is a promising method being developed for NDE of stainless steel welds. This report describes the first phase of development; i.e., preliminary demonstration and laboratory evaluation of the method's sensitivity to notches in Type 304 stainless steel plate specimens. It also includes a description of the basic principles, together with a description of the hardware and experimental results showing that electrical discharge machined notches down to 0.16 cm (0.06 in.) long x 0.08 cm (0.03 in.) deep were detected. A qualitative technique for interpreting the test results to determine whether defects are at the surface or deeper within the material is demonstrated

Discussion of parameters associated with the determination of arsenic by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry in slurried environmental samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Vassileva, E; Baeten, H; Hoenig, M

2001-01-02

A slurry sampling-fast program procedure has been developed for the determination of arsenic in plants, soils and sediments by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Efficiencies of various single and mixed modifiers for thermal stabilization of arsenic and for a better removal of the matrix during pyrolysis step were compared. The influence of the slurry concentration, amounts of modifier and parameters of the pyrolysis step on the As integrated absorbance signals have been studied and a comparison between fast and conventional furnace programs was also made. The ultrasonic agitation of the slurry followed by a fast electrothermal program using an Ir/Mg modifier provides the most consistent performance in terms of precision and accuracy. The reliability of the whole procedure has been compared with results obtained after application of a wet digestion method with an HF step and validated by analyzing eleven certified reference materials. Arsenic detection and quantitation limits expressed on dry sample matter were about 30 and 100 micrograms kg-1, respectively.

Direct determination of selenoproteins in polyvinylidene difluoride membranes by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sidenius, U; Gammelgaard, Bente

2000-01-01

A method for the direct determination of selenoproteins in plastic membranes after protein separation by gel electrophoresis was developed. Quantification was based on the determination of the selenium content of the proteins by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) after manual...... were excised and chemical modifier was added on top of the excised membrane prior to atomic absorption measurement. Acceptable linearity was achieved in the range 2-10 ng Se, corresponding to selenium concentrations close to 1 mg/L, when aqueous solutions of selenomethionine standard as well...

Reversible and Precisely Controllable p/n-Type Doping of MoTe2 Transistors through Electrothermal Doping.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yuan-Ming; Yang, Shih-Hsien; Lin, Che-Yi; Chen, Chang-Hung; Lien, Chen-Hsin; Jian, Wen-Bin; Ueno, Keiji; Suen, Yuen-Wuu; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito; Lin, Yen-Fu

2018-03-01

Precisely controllable and reversible p/n-type electronic doping of molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe 2 ) transistors is achieved by electrothermal doping (E-doping) processes. E-doping includes electrothermal annealing induced by an electric field in a vacuum chamber, which results in electron (n-type) doping and exposure to air, which induces hole (p-type) doping. The doping arises from the interaction between oxygen molecules or water vapor and defects of tellurium at the MoTe 2 surface, and allows the accurate manipulation of p/n-type electrical doping of MoTe 2 transistors. Because no dopant or special gas is used in the E-doping processes of MoTe 2 , E-doping is a simple and efficient method. Moreover, through exact manipulation of p/n-type doping of MoTe 2 transistors, quasi-complementary metal oxide semiconductor adaptive logic circuits, such as an inverter, not or gate, and not and gate, are successfully fabricated. The simple method, E-doping, adopted in obtaining p/n-type doping of MoTe 2 transistors undoubtedly has provided an approach to create the electronic devices with desired performance. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Adjustable static and dynamic actuation of clamped-guided beams using electrothermal axial loads

KAUST Repository

Alcheikh, Nouha

2018-02-14

The paper presents adjustable static and dynamic actuations of in-plane clamped-guided beams. The structures, of variable stiffness, can be used as highly tunable resonators and actuators. Axial loads are applied through electrothermal U-shaped and flexure beams actuators stacked near the edges of curved (arch) beams. The electrothermal actuators can be configurred in various ways to adjust as desired the mechanical stiffness of the structures; thereby controlling their deformation stroke as actuators and their operating resonance frequency as resonators. The experimental and finite element results demonstrate the flexibility of the designs in terms of static displacements and resonance frequencies of the first and second symmetric modes of the arches. The results show considerable increase in the resonance frequency and deflection of the microbeam upon changing end actuation conditions, which can be promising for low voltage actuation and tunable resonators applications, such as filters and memory devices. As case studies of potential device configurations of the proposed design, we demonstrate eight possibilities of achieving new static and dynamic behaviors, which produce various resonance frequencies and static displacement curves. The ability to actively shift the entire frequency response curve of a device is desirable for several applications to compensate for in-use anchor degradations and deformations. As an example, we experimentally demonstrate using the device as a resonant logic gate, with active resonance tuning, showing fundamental 2-bit logic functions, such as AND,XOR, and NOR.

Adjustable static and dynamic actuation of clamped-guided beams using electrothermal axial loads

KAUST Repository

Alcheikh, Nouha; Tella, Sherif Adekunle; Younis, Mohammad I.

2018-01-01

The paper presents adjustable static and dynamic actuations of in-plane clamped-guided beams. The structures, of variable stiffness, can be used as highly tunable resonators and actuators. Axial loads are applied through electrothermal U-shaped and flexure beams actuators stacked near the edges of curved (arch) beams. The electrothermal actuators can be configurred in various ways to adjust as desired the mechanical stiffness of the structures; thereby controlling their deformation stroke as actuators and their operating resonance frequency as resonators. The experimental and finite element results demonstrate the flexibility of the designs in terms of static displacements and resonance frequencies of the first and second symmetric modes of the arches. The results show considerable increase in the resonance frequency and deflection of the microbeam upon changing end actuation conditions, which can be promising for low voltage actuation and tunable resonators applications, such as filters and memory devices. As case studies of potential device configurations of the proposed design, we demonstrate eight possibilities of achieving new static and dynamic behaviors, which produce various resonance frequencies and static displacement curves. The ability to actively shift the entire frequency response curve of a device is desirable for several applications to compensate for in-use anchor degradations and deformations. As an example, we experimentally demonstrate using the device as a resonant logic gate, with active resonance tuning, showing fundamental 2-bit logic functions, such as AND,XOR, and NOR.

Integration of Solid-phase Extraction with Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry for Determination of Trace Elements

OpenAIRE

NUKATSUKA, Isoshi; OHZEKI, Kunio

2006-01-01

An enrichment step in a sample treatment is essential for trace analysis to improve the sensitivity and to eliminate the matrix of the sample. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is one of the widely used enrichment technique. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is a well-established determination technique for trace elements. The integration of SPE with ETAAS leads to further improvement of sensitivity, an automation of the measurement and the economy in the sample size, amounts o...

Imaging time-resolved electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry for determination of mercury in seawater.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Bihan, Alain; Cabon, Jean-Yves; Deschamps, Laure; Giamarchi, Philippe

2011-06-15

In this study, direct determination of mercury at the nanogram per liter level in the complex seawater matrix by imaging time-resolved electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ITR-ETA-LEAFS) is described. In the case of mercury, the use of a nonresonant line for fluorescence detection with only one laser excitation is not possible. For measurements at the 253.652 nm resonant line, scattering phenomena have been minimized by eliminating the simultaneous vaporization of salts and by using temporal resolution and the imaging mode of the camera. Electrothermal conditions (0.1 M oxalic acid as matrix modifier, low atomization temperature) have been optimized in order to suppress chemical interferences and to obtain a good separation of specific signal and seawater background signal. For ETA-LEAFS, a specific response has been obtained for Hg with the use of time resolution. Moreover, an important improvement of the detection limit has been obtained by selecting, from the furnace image, pixels collecting the lowest number of scattered photons. Using optimal experimental conditions, a detection limit of 10 ng L(-1) for 10 μL of sample, close to the lowest concentration level of total Hg in the open ocean, has been obtained.

Determination of As, Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb in biological samples by modern electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sardans, Jordi; Montes, Fernando; Penuelas, Josep

2010-01-01

Pollution from heavy metals has increased in recent decades and has become an important concern for environmental agencies. Arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury and lead are among the trace elements that have the greatest impact and carry the highest risk to human health. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) has long been used for trace element analyses and over the past few years, the main constraints of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) methods, namely matrix interferences that provoked high background absorption and interferences, have been reduced. The use of new, more efficient modifiers and in situ trapping methods for stabilization and pre-concentration of these analytes, progress in control of atomization temperatures, new designs of atomizers and advances in methods to correct background spectral interferences have permitted an improvement in sensitivity, an increase in detection power, reduction in sample manipulation, and increase in the reproducibility of the results. These advances have enhanced the utility of Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) for trace element determination at μg L -1 levels, especially in difficult matrices, giving rise to greater reproducibility, lower economic cost and ease of sample pre-treatment compared to other methods. Moreover, the recent introduction of high resolution continuum source Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-ETAAS) has facilitated direct solid sampling, reducing background noise and opening the possibility of achieving even more rapid quantitation of some elements. The incorporation of flow injection analysis (FIA) systems for automation of sample pre-treatment, as well as chemical vapor generation renders (ETAAS) into a feasible option for detection of As and Hg in environmental and food control studies wherein large numbers of samples can be rapidly analyzed. A relatively inexpensive approach with low sample consumption provide additional advantages of

Determination of As, Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb in biological samples by modern electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sardans, Jordi, E-mail: j.sardans@creaf.uab.ca [Ecophysiological and Global Change Unit CSIC-CREAF, Edifici C, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona (Spain); Montes, Fernando [Departamento de Ciencias Analiticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED), C/ Senda del Rey 9. 28040 Madrid (Spain); Penuelas, Josep [Ecophysiological and Global Change Unit CSIC-CREAF, Edifici C, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona (Spain)

2010-02-15

Pollution from heavy metals has increased in recent decades and has become an important concern for environmental agencies. Arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury and lead are among the trace elements that have the greatest impact and carry the highest risk to human health. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) has long been used for trace element analyses and over the past few years, the main constraints of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) methods, namely matrix interferences that provoked high background absorption and interferences, have been reduced. The use of new, more efficient modifiers and in situ trapping methods for stabilization and pre-concentration of these analytes, progress in control of atomization temperatures, new designs of atomizers and advances in methods to correct background spectral interferences have permitted an improvement in sensitivity, an increase in detection power, reduction in sample manipulation, and increase in the reproducibility of the results. These advances have enhanced the utility of Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) for trace element determination at mug L{sup -1} levels, especially in difficult matrices, giving rise to greater reproducibility, lower economic cost and ease of sample pre-treatment compared to other methods. Moreover, the recent introduction of high resolution continuum source Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-ETAAS) has facilitated direct solid sampling, reducing background noise and opening the possibility of achieving even more rapid quantitation of some elements. The incorporation of flow injection analysis (FIA) systems for automation of sample pre-treatment, as well as chemical vapor generation renders (ETAAS) into a feasible option for detection of As and Hg in environmental and food control studies wherein large numbers of samples can be rapidly analyzed. A relatively inexpensive approach with low sample consumption provide additional advantages

Nanoelectromechanical resonator for logic operations

KAUST Repository

Kazmi, Syed N. R.; Hafiz, Md A. Al; Chappanda, Karumbaiah N.; Ilyas, Saad; Holguin, Jorge; Da Costa, Pedro M. F. J.; Younis, Mohammad I.

2017-01-01

We report an electro-thermally tunable in-plane doubly-clamped nanoelectromechanical resonator capable of dynamically performing NOR, NOT, XNOR, XOR, and AND logic operations. Toward this, a silicon based resonator is fabricated using standard e

Photovoltaic optimizer boost converters: Temperature influence and electro-thermal design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graditi, G.; Adinolfi, G.; Tina, G.M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The influence of temperature on DC–DC converter devices properties is considered. • An electro-thermal design method for PV power optimizer converters is proposed. • The electro-thermal design method proposed is applied to DR boost and SR boost. • Efficiency results of the designed SR converter and DR converters are presented. - Abstract: Objective: Photovoltaic (PV) systems can operate in presence of not uniform working conditions caused by continuously changing temperature and irradiance values and mismatching and shadowing phenomena. The more the PV system works in these conditions, the more its energy performances are negatively affected. Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking (DMPPT) converters are now increasingly used to overcome this problem and to improve PV applications efficiency. A DMPPT system consists in a DC–DC converters equipped with a suitable controller dedicated to the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of a single PV module. It is arranged either inside the junction-box or in a separate box close to the PV generator. Many power optimizers are now commercially available. In spite of different adopted DC–DC converter topologies, the shared interests of DMPPT systems designers are the high efficiency and reliability values. It is worth noting that to obtain so high performances converters, electronic components have to be carefully selected between the whole commercial availability and appropriately matched together. In this scenario, an electro-thermal design methodology is proposed and a reliability study by means of the Military Handbook 217F is carried out. Method: The developed DMPPT converters design method is constituted by many steps. In fact, beginning from installation site, PV generators and load data, this process selects power optimizers commercially available devices and it verifies their electro-thermal behavior to the aim to identify a set of suitable components for DMPPT applications. Repeating this

Determination of cobalt in human liver by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldas, E.D.; Gine-Rosias, M.F.; Dorea, J.G.

1991-01-01

A detailed study of the use of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of cobalt in human liver is described. Comparisons of sample digestion using nitric acid or nitric acid plus perchloric acid, atomization procedures and the application of palladium and magnesium nitrate chemical modifiers were studied using NBS SRM 1577a Bovine Liver. The best results were achieved with sample decomposition in nitric acid, atomization from the tube wall and no chemical modifier. Cobalt was determined in 90 samples of livers from foetuses and deceased newborns using the standard addition method with an average recovery of 99.8%. (author). 30 refs.; 4 figs.; 2 tabs

Matrix modifiers application during microimpurities determination in complex samples by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bejzel', N.F.; Daaman, F.I.; Fuks-Pol', G.R.; Yudelevich, I.G.

1993-01-01

The review covers publications of primarily last 5 years and is devoted to the use of matrix modifiers (MM) for the determinations of trace impurities in complex samples by electrothermal atomic-absorption analysis. The role of MM in analytical process has been discussed as well as MM influence on all the elements of analytical system; factors, determining the effectiveness of MM action, the basis types of MM have been described. A great body of information is tabulated on the use of different MM for the determination of particular analysis in geological, medicobiological, technological, ecological samples and in pure materials and chemicals

Matrix modification for determination of microimpurities in complex samples by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bejzel', N.F.; Daaman, F.I.; Fuks-Pol', G.R.; Yudelevich, I.G.

1993-01-01

The review covers publications of primarily last 5 years and is devoted to the use of matrix modifiers (MM) for the determinations of trace impurities in complex samples by electrothermal atomic-absorption analysis. The role of MM in analytical process has been discussed as well as MM influence on all the elements of analytical system; factors, determining the effectiveness of MM action, the basis types of MM have been described. A great body of information is tabulated on the use of different MM for the determination of particular analysis in geological, medicobiological, technological, ecological samples and in pure materials and chemicals

Mode Coupling and Nonlinear Resonances of MEMS Arch Resonators for Bandpass Filters

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Younis, Mohammad I.

2017-01-01

the passband to the stopband. The concept is demonstrated based on an electrothermally tuned and electrostatically driven MEMS arch resonator operated in air. The in-plane resonator is fabricated from a silicon-on-insulator wafer with a deliberate curvature

Electrothermal impedance spectroscopy measurement on high power LiMO2/Li4Ti5O12 battery cell with low bandwidth test setup

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Swierczynski, Maciej Jozef; Stroe, Daniel Loan; Stanciu, Tiberiu

2015-01-01

be executed on-line (e.g. in the electric vehicle Battery Management System). The Electrothermal Impedance Spectroscopy (ETIS) can be used as a relatively simple and fast method for non-destructive parametrization of the battery thermal models. However, the ETIS requires expensive galvanostat with high...

A novel electro-thermal model for wide bandgap semiconductor based devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sintamarean, Nicolae Christian; Blaabjerg, Frede; Wang, Huai

2013-01-01

This paper propose a novel Electro-Thermal Model for the new generation of power electronics WBG-devices (by considering the SiC MOSFET-CMF20120D from CREE), which is able to estimate the device junction and case temperature. The Device-Model estimates the voltage drop and the switching energies...... by considering the device current, the off-state blocking voltage and junction temperature variation. Moreover, the proposed Thermal-Model is able to consider the thermal coupling within the MOSFET and its freewheeling diode, integrated into the same package, and the influence of the ambient temperature...... variation. The importance of temperature loop feedback in the estimation accuracy of device junction and case temperature is studied. Furthermore, the Safe Operating Area (SOA) of the SiC MOSFET is determined for 2L-VSI applications which are using sinusoidal PWM. Thus, by considering the heatsink thermal...

Exploiting flow Injection and sequential injection schemes for trace metal determinations by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Elo Harald

Determination of low or trace-level amounts of metals by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) often requires the use of suitable preconcentration and/or separation procedures in order to attain the necessary sensitivity and selectivity. Such schemes are advantageously executed...... by superior performance and versatility. In fact, two approaches are conceivable: The analyte-loaded ion-exchange beads might either be transported directly into the graphite tube where they are pyrolized and the measurand is atomized and quantified; or the loaded beads can be eluted and the eluate forwarded...

Effect of impurities in the electrothermic instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azevedo, M.T. de.

1982-04-01

It is proposed a model for a ''impure'' plasma based on the homogenous hydrogen plasma used in the theory formulated by Tomimura and Haines to explain the increasing of instable electrothermal modes with wave vector perpendicular to the applyed magnetic field. The impurities are implicity introduced in the transport coeficients of the model of two fluids through the effective charge number Z eff as suggested by Duechs et al., Furth etc... The results obtained are: (i) the greatest increasing ratio for the absolute mode (non-convective) decreases with the increasing of Z eff going to zero for a given value of these parameter which is denominated Z crit ; (ii) the wavelenght associated with that greatest ratio of increasing decreases with the increasing of Z eff ; (iii) Z crit x T eo /T io curves, where T eo and T io are the electronic and ionic temperatures of equilibri um show that, for each value of T eo (used as a parameter) there is a limiting value Z crit from which the plasma is stable, independently of the temperature ratio. The correlation of these results with that of a difuse pinch model, which shows the tendency in assume in the stationary state a filamental current structure is inconclusive with respect to the Z eff dependence. (M.W.O.) [pt

Computer model for the recombination zone of a microwave-plasma electrothermal rocket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filpus, J.W.; Hawley, M.C.

1987-01-01

As part of a study of the microwave-plasma electrothermal rocket, a computer model of the flow regime below the plasma has been developed. A second-order model, including axial dispersion of energy and material and boundary conditions at infinite length, was developed to partially reproduce the absence of mass-flow rate dependence that was seen in experimental temperature profiles. To solve the equations of the model, a search technique was developed to find the initial derivatives. On integrating with a trial set of initial derivatives, the values and their derivatives were checked to judge whether the values were likely to attain values outside the practical regime, and hence, the boundary conditions at infinity were likely to be violated. Results are presented and directions for further development are suggested. 17 references.

Determination of vanadium in mussels by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry without chemical modifiers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saavedra, Y.; Fernandez, P. [Centro de Control do Medio Marino, Peirao de Vilaxoan s/n, Vilagarcia de Arousa, 36611 Pontevedra (Spain); Gonzalez, A. [Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Quimica, 15706, Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

2004-05-01

A method was developed for the quantitative determination of total vanadium concentration in mussels via electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). After the microwave digestion of the samples, a program using temperatures of 1600 C and 2600 C for ashing and atomization respectively, without any matrix modifiers, allowed us to obtain results that were satisfactory since they agreed closely with certified reference material values. The detection limit was 0.03 mg kg{sup -1} (dry weight), indicating that the method is suitable for the analysis of mussel samples. This determination was compared with matrix modifiers that have been reported previously. The method was applied to various cultivated and wild mussels from the Galician coast, yielding levels below 1 mg kg{sup -1} (wet weight). (orig.)

Analysis of nuclear grade uranium oxides by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batistoni, D.A.; Erlijman, L.H.; Pazos, A.L.

1986-01-01

The application of atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of five trace impurities in nuclear grade uranium oxides is described. The elements were separated from the uranium matrix by extraction chromatography and determined in 5.5 M nitric acid by electrothermal atomization using pyrolytic graphite coated tubes. Two elements, cadmium and chromium, with different volatility characteristics were employed to investigate the operating conditions. Drying and ashing conditions were studied for both elements. Ramp and constant potential (step) heating modes have also been studied and compared. Good reproducibility and a longer life of graphite tubes were obtained with ramp atomization. Detection limits (in micrograms per gram of uranium) were: Cd 0.01; Cr 0.1; Cu 0.4; Mn 0.04 and Ni 0.2. (author) [es

Direct determination of beryllium, cadmium, lithium, lead and silver in thorium nitrate solution by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thulasidas, S.K.; Kulkarni, M.J.; Porwal, N.K.; Page, A.G.; Sastry, M.D.

1988-01-01

An electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometric (ET-AAS) method is developed for the direct determination of Ag, Be, Cd, Li and Pb in thorium nitrate solution. The method offers detection of sub-nanogram amounts of these analytes in 100-microgram thorium samples with a precision of around 10%. A number of spiked samples and pre-analyzed ThO 2 samples have been analyzed to evaluate the performance of the analytical methods developed here

Implementation of suitable flow injection/sequential-sample separation/preconcentration schemes for determination of trace metal concentrations using detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Elo Harald; Wang, Jianhua

2002-01-01

Various preconditioning procedures encomprising appropriate separation/preconcentration schemes in order to obtain optimal sensitivity and selectivity characteristics when using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS...

Development of an automated sequential injection on-line solvent extraction-back extraction procedure as demonstrated for the determination of cadmium with detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Jianhua; Hansen, Elo Harald

2002-01-01

An automated sequential injection (SI) on-line solvent extraction-back extraction separation/preconcentration procedure is described. Demonstrated for the assay of cadmium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), the analyte is initially complexed with ammonium pyrrolidinedithioc......An automated sequential injection (SI) on-line solvent extraction-back extraction separation/preconcentration procedure is described. Demonstrated for the assay of cadmium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), the analyte is initially complexed with ammonium....../preconcentration process of the ensuing sample. An enrichment factor of 21.4, a detection limit of 2.7 ng/l, along with a sampling frequency of 13s/h were obtained at a sample flow rate of 6.0mlmin/sup -1/. The precision (R.S.D.) at the 0.4 mug/l level was 1.8% as compared to 3.2% when quantifying the organic extractant...

Experimental observation of the stratified electrothermal instability on aluminum with thickness greater than a skin depth

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchinson, T. M.; Awe, T. J.; Bauer, B. S.; Yates, K. C.; Yu, E. P.; Yelton, W. G.; Fuelling, S.

2018-05-01

A direct observation of the stratified electrothermal instability on the surface of thick metal is reported. Aluminum rods coated with 70 μ m Parylene-N were driven to 1 MA in 100 ns , with the metal thicker than the skin depth. The dielectric coating suppressed plasma formation, enabling persistent observation of discrete azimuthally correlated stratified thermal perturbations perpendicular to the current whose wave numbers, k , grew exponentially with rate γ (k ) =0.06 n s-1-(0.4 n s-1μ m2ra d-2 ) k2 in ˜1 g /c m3 , ˜7000 K aluminum.

Experimental Observation of the Stratified Electrothermal Instability on Aluminum with Thickness Greater than a Skin Depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutchinson, Trevor M. [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States); Hutchinson, Trevor M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Awe, Thomas James [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bauer, Bruno S. [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States); Yates, Kevin [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Yu, Edmund p. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Yelton, William G. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Fuelling, Stephan [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)

2017-07-01

The first direct observation of the stratified electrothermal instability on the surface of thick metal is reported. Aluminum rods coated with 70 μm Parylene-N were driven to 1 MA in approximately 100 ns, with the metal thicker than the skin depth. The dielectric coating suppressed plasma formation, enabling persistent observation of discrete azimuthally-correlated stratified structures perpendicular to the current. Strata amplitudes grow rapidly, while their Fourier spectrum shifts toward longer wavelength. Assuming blackbody emission, radiometric calculations indicate strata are temperature perturbations that grow exponentially with rate γ = 0.04 ns -1 in 3000- 10,000 K aluminum.

An analytical model for pulse shape and electrothermal stability in two-body transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, D. A.; Horansky, R. D.; Schmidt, D. R.; Swetz, D. S.; Vale, L. R.; Ullom, J. N.; Hoover, A. S.; Hoteling, N. J.; Rabin, M. W.

2010-01-01

High-resolution superconducting gamma-ray sensors show potential for the more accurate analysis of nuclear material. These devices are part of a larger class of microcalorimeters and bolometers based on transition edge sensors (TESs) that have two distinct thermal bodies. We derive the time domain behavior of the current and temperature for compound TES devices in the small signal limit and demonstrate the utility of these equations for device design and characterization. In particular, we use the model to fit pulses from our gamma-ray microcalorimeters and demonstrate how critical damping and electrothermal stability can be predicted.

Modeling the capillary discharge of an electrothermal (ET) launcher

Science.gov (United States)

Least, Travis

Over the past few decades, different branches of the US Department of Defense (DoD) have invested at improving the field ability of electromagnetic launchers. One such focus has been on achieving hypervelocity launch velocities in excess of 7 km/s for direct launch to space applications [1]. It has been shown that pre-injection is required for this to be achieved. One method of pre-injection which has promise involves using an electro-thermal (ET) due to its ability to achieve the desired velocities with a minimal amount of hot plasma injected into the launcher behind the projectile. Despite the demonstration of pre-injection using this method, polymer ablation is not very well known and this makes it challenging to predict how the system will behave for a given input of electrical power. In this work, the rate of ablation has been studied and predicted using different models to generate the best possible characteristic curve. [1] - Wetz, David A., Francis Stefani, Jerald V. Parker, and Ian R. McNab. "Advancements in the Development of a Plasma-Driven Electromagnetic Launcher." IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS 45.1 (2009): 495--500. IEEE Xplore. Web. 18 Aug. 2012.

Photoluminescence and electrical properties of silicon oxide and silicon nitride superlattices containing silicon nanocrystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuleiko, D V; Ilin, A S

2016-01-01

Photoluminescence and electrical properties of superlattices with thin (1 to 5 nm) alternating silicon-rich silicon oxide or silicon-rich silicon nitride, and silicon oxide or silicon nitride layers containing silicon nanocrystals prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition with subsequent annealing were investigated. The entirely silicon oxide based superlattices demonstrated photoluminescence peak shift due to quantum confinement effect. Electrical measurements showed the hysteresis effect in the vicinity of zero voltage due to structural features of the superlattices from SiOa 93 /Si 3 N 4 and SiN 0 . 8 /Si 3 N 4 layers. The entirely silicon nitride based samples demonstrated resistive switching effect, comprising an abrupt conductivity change at about 5 to 6 V with current-voltage characteristic hysteresis. The samples also demonstrated efficient photoluminescence with maximum at ∼1.4 eV, due to exiton recombination in silicon nanocrystals. (paper)

Electro-thermal modelling of anode and cathode in micro-EDM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeo, S H; Kurnia, W; Tan, P C

2007-01-01

Micro-electrical discharge machining is an evolution of conventional EDM used for fabricating three-dimensional complex micro-components and microstructure with high precision capabilities. However, due to the stochastic nature of the process, it has not been fully understood. This paper proposes an analytical model based on electro-thermal theory to estimate the geometrical dimensions of micro-crater. The model incorporates voltage, current and pulse-on-time during material removal to predict the temperature distribution on the workpiece as a result of single discharges in micro-EDM. It is assumed that the entire superheated area is ejected from the workpiece surface while only a small fraction of the molten area is expelled. For verification purposes, single discharge experiments using RC pulse generator are performed with pure tungsten as the electrode and AISI 4140 alloy steel as the workpiece. For the pulse-on-time range up to 1000 ns, the experimental and theoretical results are found to be in close agreement with average volume approximation errors of 2.7% and 6.6% for the anode and cathode, respectively

Electro-thermal modelling of anode and cathode in micro-EDM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yeo, S H; Kurnia, W; Tan, P C [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2007-04-21

Micro-electrical discharge machining is an evolution of conventional EDM used for fabricating three-dimensional complex micro-components and microstructure with high precision capabilities. However, due to the stochastic nature of the process, it has not been fully understood. This paper proposes an analytical model based on electro-thermal theory to estimate the geometrical dimensions of micro-crater. The model incorporates voltage, current and pulse-on-time during material removal to predict the temperature distribution on the workpiece as a result of single discharges in micro-EDM. It is assumed that the entire superheated area is ejected from the workpiece surface while only a small fraction of the molten area is expelled. For verification purposes, single discharge experiments using RC pulse generator are performed with pure tungsten as the electrode and AISI 4140 alloy steel as the workpiece. For the pulse-on-time range up to 1000 ns, the experimental and theoretical results are found to be in close agreement with average volume approximation errors of 2.7% and 6.6% for the anode and cathode, respectively.

Electro-thermal modelling of anode and cathode in micro-EDM

Science.gov (United States)

Yeo, S. H.; Kurnia, W.; Tan, P. C.

2007-04-01

Micro-electrical discharge machining is an evolution of conventional EDM used for fabricating three-dimensional complex micro-components and microstructure with high precision capabilities. However, due to the stochastic nature of the process, it has not been fully understood. This paper proposes an analytical model based on electro-thermal theory to estimate the geometrical dimensions of micro-crater. The model incorporates voltage, current and pulse-on-time during material removal to predict the temperature distribution on the workpiece as a result of single discharges in micro-EDM. It is assumed that the entire superheated area is ejected from the workpiece surface while only a small fraction of the molten area is expelled. For verification purposes, single discharge experiments using RC pulse generator are performed with pure tungsten as the electrode and AISI 4140 alloy steel as the workpiece. For the pulse-on-time range up to 1000 ns, the experimental and theoretical results are found to be in close agreement with average volume approximation errors of 2.7% and 6.6% for the anode and cathode, respectively.

Design and Simulation of an Electrothermal Actuator Based Rotational Drive

Science.gov (United States)

Beeson, Sterling; Dallas, Tim

2008-10-01

As a participant in the Micro and Nano Device Engineering (MANDE) Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Texas Tech University, I learned how MEMS devices operate and the limits of their operation. Using specialized AutoCAD-based design software and the ANSYS simulation program, I learned the MEMS fabrication process used at Sandia National Labs, the design limitations of this process, the abilities and drawbacks of micro devices, and finally, I redesigned a MEMS device called the Chevron Torsional Ratcheting Actuator (CTRA). Motion is achieved through electrothermal actuation. The chevron (bent-beam) actuators cause a ratcheting motion on top of a hub-less gear so that as voltage is applied the CTRA spins. The voltage applied needs to be pulsed and the frequency of the pulses determine the angular frequency of the device. The main objective was to design electromechanical structures capable of transforming the electrical signals into mechanical motion without overheating. The design was optimized using finite element analysis in ANSYS allowing multi-physics simulations of our model system.

Contribution to the electrothermal simulation in power electronics. Development of a simulation methodology applied to switching circuits under variable operating conditions; Contribution a la simulation electrothermique en electronique de puissance. Developpement d`une methode de simulation pour circuits de commutation soumis a des commandes variables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vales, P.

1997-03-19

In modern hybrid or monolithic integrated power circuits, electrothermal effects can no longer be ignored. A methodology is proposed in order to simulate electrothermal effects in power circuits, with a significant reduction of the computation time while taking into account electrical and thermal time constants which are usually widely different. A supervising program, written in Fortran, uses system call sequences and manages an interactive dialog between a fast thermal simulator and a general electrical simulator. This explicit coupling process between two specific simulators requires a multi-task operating system. The developed software allows for the prediction of the electrothermal power dissipation drift in the active areas of components, and the prediction of thermally-induced coupling effects between adjacent components. An application to the study of hard switching circuits working under variable operating conditions is presented

Sequential injection on-line matrix removal and trace metal preconcentration using a PTFE beads packed column as demonstrated for the determination of cadmium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Jianhua; Hansen, Elo Harald

2002-01-01

A sequential injection (SI) on-line matrix removal and trace metal preconcentration procedure by using a novel microcolumn packed with PTFE beads is described, and demonstrated for trace cadmium analysis with detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The analyte...

Nursing care for patients receiving percutaneous lumbar discectomy and intradiscal electrothermal treatment for lumbar disc herniation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mou Ling

2009-01-01

Objective: To summarize the nursing experience in caring patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation who received percutaneous lumbar discectomy (PLD) together with intradiscal electrothermal treatment (IDET) under DSA guidance. Methods: The perioperative nursing care measures carried out in 126 patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation who underwent PLD and IDET were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Successful treatment of PLD and IDET was accomplished in 112 cases. Under comprehensive and scientific nursing care and observation, no serious complications occurred. Conclusion: Scientific and proper nursing care is a strong guarantee for a successful surgery and a better recovery in treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation with PLD and IDET under DSA guidance. (authors)

Direct measurement of axial momentum imparted by an electrothermal radiofrequency plasma micro-thruster

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, Christine; Boswell, Roderick; Bish, Andrew; Khayms, Vadim; Scholz, Edwin

2016-05-01

Gas flow heating using radio frequency plasmas offers the possibility of depositing power in the centre of the flow rather than on the outside, as is the case with electro-thermal systems where thermal wall losses lower efficiency. Improved systems for space propulsion are one possible application and we have tested a prototype micro-thruster on a thrust balance in vacuum. For these initial tests, a fixed component radio frequency matching network weighing 90 grams was closely attached to the thruster in vacuum with the frequency agile radio frequency generator power being delivered via a 50 Ohm cable. Without accounting for system losses (estimated at around 50%), for a few 10s of Watts from the radio frequency generator the specific impulse was tripled to ˜48 seconds and the thrust tripled from 0.8 to 2.4 milli-Newtons.

Direct measurement of axial momentum imparted by an electrothermal radiofrequency plasma micro-thruster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine eCharles

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Gas flow heating using radio frequency plasmas offers the possibility of depositing power in the centre of the flow rather than on the outside, as is the case with electro-thermal systems where thermal wall losses lower efficiency. Improved systems for space propulsion are one possible application and we have tested a prototype micro-thruster on a thrust balance in vacuum. For these initial tests, a fixed component radio frequency matching network weighing 90 grams was closely attached to the thruster in vacuum with the frequency agile radio frequency generator power being delivered via a 50 Ohm cable. Without accounting for system losses (estimated at around 50~$%$, for a few 10s of Watts from the radio frequency generator the specific impulse was tripled to $sim$48 seconds and the thrust tripled from 0.8 to 2.4 milli-Newtons.

Electro-thermal modelling of polymer lithium batteries for starting period and pulse power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baudry, P. [Electricite de France DER, Site des Renardieres, Moret-sur-Loing (France); Neri, M. [Electricite de France DER, Site des Renardieres, Moret-sur-Loing (France); Gueguen, M. [Bollore Technologies, Odet, 29 Quimper (France); Lonchampt, G. [CEA/CEREM, CENG-85X, 38 Grenoble (France)

1995-04-01

Since power capabilities of solid polymer lithium batteries can only be delivered above 60 C, the thermal management in electric-vehicle applications has to be carefully considered. Electro-thermal modelling of a thermally insulated 200 kg battery was performed, and electrochemical data were obtained from laboratory cell impedance measurements at 20 and 80 C. Starting at 20 C as initial working temperature, the battery reaches 40 C after 150 s of discharge in a 0.5 {Omega} resistance. At 40 C, the useful peak power is 20 kW. The energy expense for heating the battery from 20 to 40 C is 1.4 kWh, corresponding to 6% of the energy available in the battery. After a stand-by period of 24 h, the temperature decreases from 80 to 50 C, allowing efficient starting conditions. (orig.)

Silicone metalization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maghribi, Mariam N. (Livermore, CA); Krulevitch, Peter (Pleasanton, CA); Hamilton, Julie (Tracy, CA)

2008-12-09

A system for providing metal features on silicone comprising providing a silicone layer on a matrix and providing a metal layer on the silicone layer. An electronic apparatus can be produced by the system. The electronic apparatus comprises a silicone body and metal features on the silicone body that provide an electronic device.

Formation of porous silicon oxide from substrate-bound silicon rich silicon oxide layers by continuous-wave laser irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Nan; Fricke-Begemann, Th.; Peretzki, P.; Ihlemann, J.; Seibt, M.

2018-03-01

Silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon oxide that show room temperature photoluminescence (PL) have great potential in silicon light emission applications. Nanocrystalline silicon particle formation by laser irradiation has the unique advantage of spatially controlled heating, which is compatible with modern silicon micro-fabrication technology. In this paper, we employ continuous wave laser irradiation to decompose substrate-bound silicon-rich silicon oxide films into crystalline silicon particles and silicon dioxide. The resulting microstructure is studied using transmission electron microscopy techniques with considerable emphasis on the formation and properties of laser damaged regions which typically quench room temperature PL from the nanoparticles. It is shown that such regions consist of an amorphous matrix with a composition similar to silicon dioxide which contains some nanometric silicon particles in addition to pores. A mechanism referred to as "selective silicon ablation" is proposed which consistently explains the experimental observations. Implications for the damage-free laser decomposition of silicon-rich silicon oxides and also for controlled production of porous silicon dioxide films are discussed.

Electrothermal Feedback and Absorption-Induced Open-Circuit-Voltage Turnover in Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ullbrich, Sascha; Fischer, Axel; Tang, Zheng; Ávila, Jorge; Bolink, Henk J.; Reineke, Sebastian; Vandewal, Koen

2018-05-01

Solar panels easily heat up upon intense solar radiation due to excess energy dissipation of the absorbed photons or by nonradiative recombination of charge carriers. Still, photoinduced self-heating is often ignored when characterizing lab-sized samples. For light-intensity-dependent measurements of the open-circuit voltage (Suns-VO C ), allowing us to characterize the recombination mechanism, sample heating is often not considered, although almost 100% of the absorbed energy is converted into heat. Here, we show that the frequently observed stagnation or even decrease in VOC at increasingly high light intensities can be explained by considering an effective electrothermal feedback between the recombination current and the open-circuit voltage. Our analytical model fully explains the experimental data for various solar-cell technologies, comprising conventional inorganic semiconductors as well as organic and perovskite materials. Furthermore, the model can be exploited to determine the ideality factor, the effective gap, and the temperature rise from a single Suns-VOC measurement at ambient conditions.

Theoretical Analysis for Heat Transfer Optimization in Subcritical Electrothermal Energy Storage Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Hu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Electrothermal energy storage (ETES provides bulk electricity storage based on heat pump and heat engine technologies. A subcritical ETES is described in this paper. Based on the extremum principle of entransy dissipation, a geometry model is developed for heat transfer optimization for subcritical ETES. The exergy during the heat transfer process is deduced in terms of entropy production. The geometry model is validated by the extremum principle of entropy production. The theoretical analysis results show that the extremum principle of entransy dissipation is an effective criterion for the optimization, and the optimum heat transfer for different cases with the same mass flux or pressure has been discussed. The optimum heat transfer can be achieved by adjusting the mass flux and pressure of the working fluid. It also reveals that with the increase of mass flux, there is a minimum exergy in the range under consideration, and the exergy decreases with the increase of the pressure.

Determination of cobalt in human biological liquids from electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dragan, Felicia [University of Oradea, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, 29 N Jiga, 410028 Oradea (Romania); HIncu, Lucian [University of Medicine and Pharmacy ' Carol Davila' , Faculty of Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia, 020956 Bucuresti (Romania); Bratu, Ioan, E-mail: fdragan@uoradea.r [National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath, 400293 Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

2009-08-01

Problems and possibilities of the determination of Co in serum and urine samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) are described. Optimal instrumental parameters as well as a suitable atomizer, calibration procedure and hydrogen peroxide as modifier are proposed for direct ETAAS measurement of Co in serum and urine. The detection limit achieved was 0.1 {mu}g L{sup -1} for both matrices and relative standard deviations varied in the range 5-20% depending on the Co concentration in the sample. The validity of the method was verified by the analyses of standard reference materials. For serum samples with Co content lower than the detection limit, a separation and preconcentration procedure based on liquid/liquid extraction is suggested prior to determination of Co in the organic phase by ETAAS. This procedure permits determination of 0.02 {mu}g L{sup -1} Co in serum samples with a relative standard deviation of 10-18%.

Electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectroscopy for the determination of indium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aucelio, R.Q.; Smith, B.W.; Winefordner, J.D.

1998-01-01

A dye laser pumped by a high-repetition-rate copper vapor laser was used as the excitation source to determine indium at parts-per-trillion level by electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS). A comparison was made between wall atomization, in pyrolytic and nonpyrolytic graphite tubes, and platform atomization. The influence of several chemical modifiers either in solution or precoated in the graphite tube was evaluated. The influence of several acids and NaOH in the analyte solution was also studied. Optimization of the analytical conditions was carried out to achieve the best signal-to-background ratio and consequently an absolute limit of detection of 1 fg. Some possible interferents of the method were evaluated. The method was evaluated by determining indium in blood, urine, soil, and urban dust samples. Recoveries between 99.17 and 109.17% are reported. A precision of 4.1% at the 10 ng g -1 level in water standards was achieved. copyright 1998 Society for Applied Spectroscopy

New Electro-Thermal Battery Pack Model of an Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammed Alhanouti

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Since the evolution of the electric and hybrid vehicle, the analysis of batteries’ characteristics and influence on driving range has become essential. This fact advocates the necessity of accurate simulation modeling for batteries. Different models for the Li-ion battery cell are reviewed in this paper and a group of the highly dynamic models is selected for comparison. A new open circuit voltage (OCV model is proposed. The new model can simulate the OCV curves of lithium iron magnesium phosphate (LiFeMgPO4 battery type at different temperatures. It also considers both charging and discharging cases. The most remarkable features from different models, in addition to the proposed OCV model, are integrated in a single hybrid electrical model. A lumped thermal model is implemented to simulate the temperature development in the battery cell. The synthesized electro-thermal battery cell model is extended to model a battery pack of an actual electric vehicle. Experimental tests on the battery, as well as drive tests on the vehicle are performed. The proposed model demonstrates a higher modeling accuracy, for the battery pack voltage, than the constituent models under extreme maneuver drive tests.

Oxygen defect processes in silicon and silicon germanium

KAUST Repository

Chroneos, A.

2015-06-18

Silicon and silicon germanium are the archetypical elemental and alloy semiconductor materials for nanoelectronic, sensor, and photovoltaic applications. The investigation of radiation induced defects involving oxygen, carbon, and intrinsic defects is important for the improvement of devices as these defects can have a deleterious impact on the properties of silicon and silicon germanium. In the present review, we mainly focus on oxygen-related defects and the impact of isovalent doping on their properties in silicon and silicon germanium. The efficacy of the isovalent doping strategies to constrain the oxygen-related defects is discussed in view of recent infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory studies.

Oxygen defect processes in silicon and silicon germanium

KAUST Repository

Chroneos, A.; Sgourou, E. N.; Londos, C. A.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2015-01-01

Silicon and silicon germanium are the archetypical elemental and alloy semiconductor materials for nanoelectronic, sensor, and photovoltaic applications. The investigation of radiation induced defects involving oxygen, carbon, and intrinsic defects is important for the improvement of devices as these defects can have a deleterious impact on the properties of silicon and silicon germanium. In the present review, we mainly focus on oxygen-related defects and the impact of isovalent doping on their properties in silicon and silicon germanium. The efficacy of the isovalent doping strategies to constrain the oxygen-related defects is discussed in view of recent infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory studies.

Practical aspects of the uncertainty and traceability of spectrochemical measurement results by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duta, S.; Robouch, P.; Barbu, L.; Taylor, P.

2007-01-01

The determination of trace elements concentration in water by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is a common and well established technique in many chemical testing laboratories. However, the evaluation of measurement uncertainty results is not systematically implemented. The paper presents an easy step-by-step example leading to the evaluation of the combined standard uncertainty of copper determination in water using ETAAS. The major contributors to the overall measurement uncertainty are identified due to amount of copper in water sample that mainly depends on the absorbance measurements, due to certified reference material and due to auto-sampler volume measurements. The practical aspects how the traceability of copper concentration in water can be established and demonstrated are also pointed out

Practical aspects of the uncertainty and traceability of spectrochemical measurement results by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duta, S. [Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel (Belgium); National Institute of Metrology, 042122 Vitan Barzesti 11, sector 4 Bucharest (Romania)], E-mail: steluta.duta@inm.ro; Robouch, P. [Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel (Belgium)], E-mail: Piotr.Robouch@ec.europa.eu; Barbu, L. [Coca-Cola Entreprise, Analytical Department, Bucharest (Romania); Taylor, P. [Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel (Belgium)], E-mail: Philip.Taylor@ec.europa.eu

2007-04-15

The determination of trace elements concentration in water by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is a common and well established technique in many chemical testing laboratories. However, the evaluation of measurement uncertainty results is not systematically implemented. The paper presents an easy step-by-step example leading to the evaluation of the combined standard uncertainty of copper determination in water using ETAAS. The major contributors to the overall measurement uncertainty are identified due to amount of copper in water sample that mainly depends on the absorbance measurements, due to certified reference material and due to auto-sampler volume measurements. The practical aspects how the traceability of copper concentration in water can be established and demonstrated are also pointed out.

An evaluation of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry using electrothermal atomisation sample introduction and photographic plate detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khathing, D.T.; Pickford, C.J.

1984-05-01

A photographic radiation measurement approach has been used with an inductively coupled plasma source to evaluate and tabulate the more prominent optical emission lines of 66 elements. Compared with the more common sample introduction technique using nebulisation, increased sensitivity for multielement analysis of small samples was achieved by using a simple graphite electrothermal atomisation system. This was constructed to serve as a dual purpose atomiser ie both for Atomic Absorption and for Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission spectroscopy. The system offers the advantage of a wide multi-elemental coverage, but sensitivities achieved with photographic detection are poorer than those obtained photoelectrically. (author)

Silicon epitaxy on textured double layer porous silicon by LPCVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Hong; Shen Honglie; Zhang Lei; Huang Haibin; Lu Linfeng; Tang Zhengxia; Shen Jiancang

2010-01-01

Epitaxial silicon thin film on textured double layer porous silicon (DLPS) was demonstrated. The textured DLPS was formed by electrochemical etching using two different current densities on the silicon wafer that are randomly textured with upright pyramids. Silicon thin films were then grown on the annealed DLPS, using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). The reflectance of the DLPS and the grown silicon thin films were studied by a spectrophotometer. The crystallinity and topography of the grown silicon thin films were studied by Raman spectroscopy and SEM. The reflectance results show that the reflectance of the silicon wafer decreases from 24.7% to 11.7% after texturing, and after the deposition of silicon thin film the surface reflectance is about 13.8%. SEM images show that the epitaxial silicon film on textured DLPS exhibits random pyramids. The Raman spectrum peaks near 521 cm -1 have a width of 7.8 cm -1 , which reveals the high crystalline quality of the silicon epitaxy.

Fringe-tunable electrothermal Fresnel mirror for use in compact and high-speed diffusion sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiuchi, Yuki; Taguchi, Yoshihiro; Nagasaka, Yuji

2017-01-23

This paper reports the development of an electrothermal microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror with serpentine shape actuators. A micro Fresnel mirror with fringe-spacing tunability is required to realize a compact and high-speed diffusion sensor for biological samples whose diffusion coefficient changes significantly because of a conformational change. In this case, the measurement time-constant is dependent on the fringe-spacing and diffusion coefficient of the sample. In this study, a fringe-tunable MEMS mirror with an actuation voltage less than 10 V was developed. The characteristics of the fabricated mirror were investigated experimentally. A high-visibility optical interference fringe was successfully demonstrated using both an ultranarrow-linewidth solid-state laser and a low-cost compact laser diode. The experimental results demonstrated a distinct possibility of developing a measurement device using only simple and low-voltage optical components.

Electro-thermal analysis and optimisation of edge termination of power diode supported by 2-D/3-D numerical modelling and simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Príbytný, P; Donoval, D; Chvála, A; Marek, J; Molnár, M

2014-01-01

Numerical modelling and simulation provide an efficient tool for analysis and optimization of device structure design. In this paper we present the analysis and the geometry optimization of the power module with high power pin diode structure supported by the advanced 2-D/3-D mixed-mode electro-thermal device simulation. The structure under investigation is P + NN + power diode device designed for high reverse voltages and very high forward currents, with a maximum forward surge current up to 2.7 kA.

Production of electronic grade lunar silicon by disproportionation of silicon difluoride

Science.gov (United States)

Agosto, William N.

1993-01-01

Waldron has proposed to extract lunar silicon by sodium reduction of sodium fluorosilicate derived from reacting sodium fluoride with lunar silicon tetrafluoride. Silicon tetrafluoride is obtained by the action of hydrofluoric acid on lunar silicates. While these reactions are well understood, the resulting lunar silicon is not likely to meet electronic specifications of 5 nines purity. Dale and Margrave have shown that silicon difluoride can be obtained by the action of silicon tetrafluoride on elemental silicon at elevated temperatures (1100-1200 C) and low pressures (1-2 torr). The resulting silicon difluoride will then spontaneously disproportionate into hyperpure silicon and silicon tetrafluoride in vacuum at approximately 400 C. On its own merits, silicon difluoride polymerizes into a tough waxy solid in the temperature range from liquid nitrogen to about 100 C. It is the silicon analog of teflon. Silicon difluoride ignites in moist air but is stable under lunar surface conditions and may prove to be a valuable industrial material that is largely lunar derived for lunar surface applications. The most effective driver for lunar industrialization may be the prospects for industrial space solar power systems in orbit or on the moon that are built with lunar materials. Such systems would require large quantities of electronic grade silicon or compound semiconductors for photovoltaics and electronic controls. Since silicon is the most abundant semimetal in the silicate portion of any solar system rock (approximately 20 wt percent), lunar silicon production is bound to be an important process in such a solar power project. The lunar silicon extraction process is discussed.

Nanoelectromechanical resonator for logic operations

KAUST Repository

Kazmi, Syed N. R.

2017-08-29

We report an electro-thermally tunable in-plane doubly-clamped nanoelectromechanical resonator capable of dynamically performing NOR, NOT, XNOR, XOR, and AND logic operations. Toward this, a silicon based resonator is fabricated using standard e-beam lithography and surface nanomachining of a highly conductive device layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The performance of this logic device is examined at elevated temperatures, ranging from 25 °C to 85 °C, demonstrating its resilience for most of the logic operations; thereby paving the way towards nano-elements-based mechanical computing.

Ultratrace determination of lead in whole blood using electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, E P; Smith, B W; Winefordner, J D

1996-09-15

Laser-excited atomic fluorescence has been used to detect lead that was electrothermally atomized from whole blood in a graphite furnace. A 9 kHz repetition rate copper vapor laser pumped dye laser was used to excite the lead at 283.3 nm, and the resulting atomic fluorescence was detected at 405.8 nm. No matrix modification was used other than a 1:21 dilution of the whole blood with high-purity water. Using the atomic fluorescence peak area as the analytical measure and a background correction technique based upon a simultaneous measurement of the transmitted laser intensity, excellent agreement for NIST and CDC certified whole blood reference samples was obtained with aqueous standards. A limit of detection in blood of 10 fg/mL (100 ag absolute) was achieved.

Creating large out-of-plane displacement electrothermal motion stage by incorporating beams with step features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yong-Sik; Dagalakis, Nicholas G; Gupta, Satyandra K

2013-01-01

Realizing out-of-plane actuation in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) is still a challenging task. In this paper, the design, fabrication methods and experimental results for a MEMS-based out-of-plane motion stage are presented based on bulk micromachining technologies. This stage is electrothermally actuated for out-of-plane motion by incorporating beams with step features. The fabricated motion stage has demonstrated displacements of 85 µm with 0.4 µm (mA) −1 rates and generated up to 11.8 mN forces with stiffness of 138.8 N m −1 . These properties obtained from the presented stage are comparable to those for in-plane motion stages, therefore making this out-of-plane stage useful when used in combination with in-plane motion stages. (paper)

Electrothermal debracketing: patient acceptance and effects on the dental pulp.

Science.gov (United States)

Dovgan, J S; Walton, R E; Bishara, S E

1995-09-01

Adhesives bond ceramic brackets so effectively that their removal by mechanical forces can fracture the brackets and may damage the tooth surface. Electrothermal debracketers have been developed to facilitate removal; whether the heat generated will damage the underlying pulp is unclear. In our experiment, a prototype device with a high heat tip was used to remove brackets from premolars in patients. The following parameters were evaluated: (1) time required for removal, (2) patient acceptance, and (3) histologic effect on the pulp. Forty-eight experimental teeth planned for orthodontic extraction were bonded by a filled Bis-GMA composite resin and a monocrystalline sapphire bracket. After the chemically cured composite set, debracketing was performed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Seventeen premolars were not etched or bracketed and served as controls. The interval between heat application and removal of the bracket was timed. Patients were questioned as to sensations during debracketing. Teeth were extracted at 5 to 7 or 28 to 32 days and histologically prepared. Pulps were evaluated for alterations. Brackets were removed in an average of 2.1 seconds, usually at the bracket/composite interface. Patient acceptance was generally positive. Pulpal necrosis was not observed but, in a number of specimens, slight inflammation and odontoblastic disruption occurred at both observation periods.

Electro-thermal dynamic stripping process : integrating environmentalism with bitumen production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGee, B.C.W.; McDonald, C.W. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Canadian Section, Calgary, AB (Canada)]|[E-T Energy, Calgary, AB (Canada); Little, L. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Canadian Section, Calgary, AB (Canada)]|[Alberta Energy Research Inst., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2008-10-15

This paper presented a new method of in situ oil sands extraction developed by Calgary-based E-T Energy. The Electro-Thermal Dynamic Stripping Process (ET-DSP) uses electricity to melt oil sands deposits that are too deep for open pit mining. The energy intensity of production compares favourably with alternative thermal bitumen extraction techniques and water consumption for the process is comparatively low, with all produced water being re-injected into the producing formation without any treatment. With ET-DSP, electrodes are drilled and completed next to the oil sands formation which ensures that the electrical currents are forced to flow to the oil sands formation. The viscosity of the bitumen is lowered by the heat from the current, thereby making the fluid flow more readily into vertical extraction wells. ET-DSP uses electricity directly from the power grid, and does not produce any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of its own. The process has the potential to allow operators to focus on areas of oil sands reservoirs that have remained inaccessible. Field studies confirmed that the production of bitumen using this method was achieved with reduced greenhouse gas emissions as compared to other thermal recovery process. The bitumen had trace amount of sand and no emulsions. 5 refs., 5 figs.

Low-voltage, large-strain soft electrothermal actuators based on laser-reduced graphene oxide/Ag particle composites

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Li, Yu-Tao; Zhang, Tian-Yu; Wang, Dan-Yang; Tian, Ye; Yan, Jun-Chao; Tian, He; Yang, Yi; Yang, Fan; Ren, Tian-Ling

2018-03-01

In this paper, low-voltage, large-strain flexible electrothermal actuators (ETAs) based on laser-reduced graphene oxide (LRGO)/Ag particle composites were fabricated in a simple and cost-efficient process. By adding Ag particles to the LRGO, the sheet resistance decreased effectively. Under a driving voltage of 28 V, the actuator obtained a bending angle of 192° within 6 s. Besides, the bending deformation could be precisely controlled by the driving voltage ranging from 10° to 192°. Finally, a gripper composed of two actuators was demonstrated to manipulate a piece of polydimethylsiloxane block. With the advantages of low-voltage, fast-response, and easy-to-manufacture, the graphene based ETAs have a promising application in soft robotics and soft machines.

Colloidal characterization of ultrafine silicon carbide and silicon nitride powders

Science.gov (United States)

Whitman, Pamela K.; Feke, Donald L.

1986-01-01

The effects of various powder treatment strategies on the colloid chemistry of aqueous dispersions of silicon carbide and silicon nitride are examined using a surface titration methodology. Pretreatments are used to differentiate between the true surface chemistry of the powders and artifacts resulting from exposure history. Silicon nitride powders require more extensive pretreatment to reveal consistent surface chemistry than do silicon carbide powders. As measured by titration, the degree of proton adsorption from the suspending fluid by pretreated silicon nitride and silicon carbide powders can both be made similar to that of silica.

Evaluation of pyrolysis curves for volatile elements in aqueous standards and carbon-containing matrices in electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, A.F. [Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, DelftChemTech, Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft (Netherlands); Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Quimica, 88040-900 Florianopolis, SC (Brazil); Welz, B. [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Quimica, 88040-900 Florianopolis, SC (Brazil); Loos-Vollebregt, M.T.C. de [Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, DelftChemTech, Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft (Netherlands)], E-mail: m.t.c.deloos-vollebregt@tudelft.nl

2008-07-15

Pyrolysis curves in electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) and electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ETV-ICP-MS) have been compared for As, Se and Pb in lobster hepatopancreas certified reference material using Pd/Mg as the modifier. The ET AAS pyrolysis curves confirm that the analytes are not lost from the graphite furnace up to a pyrolysis temperature of 800 deg. C. Nevertheless, a downward slope of the pyrolysis curve was observed for these elements in the biological material using ETV-ICP-MS. This could be related to a gain of sensitivity at low pyrolysis temperatures due to the matrix, which can act as carrier and/or promote changes in the plasma ionization equilibrium. Experiments with the addition of ascorbic acid to the aqueous standards confirmed that the higher intensities obtained in ETV-ICP-MS are related to the presence of organic compounds in the slurry. Pyrolysis curves for As, Se and Pb in coal and coal fly ash were also investigated using the same Pd/Mg modifier. Carbon intensities were measured in all samples using different pyrolysis temperatures. It was observed that pyrolysis curves for the three analytes in all slurry samples were similar to the corresponding graphs that show the carbon intensity for the same slurries for pyrolysis temperatures from 200 deg. C up to 1000 deg. C.

Determination of molybdenum in human urine by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pita Calvo, C.; Bermejo Barrera, P.; Bermejo Barrera, A.

1995-01-01

Various matrix modifiers were investigated for the determination of molybdenum in human urine samples by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry. Methods with nitric acid, barium difluoride, magnesium nitrate, palladium-magnesium nitrate and palladium-hydroxylamine hydrochloride were studied by introducing the urine samples directly into the graphite furnace with 0.3% Triton X-100. The charring and atomization curves, the amount of modifier and the calibration and addition graphs were studied in all instances. The precision, accuracy and chemical interferences of the methods were also investigated. The matrix interferences have been removed with the modifiers barium difluoride, palladium-magnesium nitrate and palladium-hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.2 and 0.7 μg l -1 , respectively, for these modifiers. The characteristic masses were 14.1, 18.0 and 14.9 pg of Mo for palladium-magnesium nitrate, palladium-hydroxylamine hydrochloride and barium difluoride, respectively. The method with palladium-magnesium nitrate has been applied to the study of the amount of molybdenum in human urine samples. The molybdenum levels found lie between 4.8-205.6 μg l -1

Arsenic implantation into polycrystalline silicon and diffusion to silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsukamoto, K.; Akasaka, Y.; Horie, K.

1977-01-01

Arsenic implantation into polycrystalline silicon and drive-in diffusion to silicon substrate have been investigated by MeV He + backscattering analysis and also by electrical measurements. The range distributions of arsenic implanted into polycrystalline silicon are well fitted to Gaussian distributions over the energy range 60--350 keV. The measured values of R/sub P/ and ΔR/sub P/ are about 10 and 20% larger than the theoretical predictions, respectively. The effective diffusion coefficient of arsenic implanted into polycrystalline silicon is expressed as D=0.63 exp[(-3.22 eV/kT)] and is independent of the arsenic concentration. The drive-in diffusion of arsenic from the implanted polycrystalline silicon layer into the silicon substrate is significantly affected by the diffusion atmosphere. In the N 2 atmosphere, a considerable amount of arsenic atoms diffuses outward to the ambient. The outdiffusion can be suppressed by encapsulation with Si 3 N 4 . In the oxidizing atmosphere, arsenic atoms are driven inward by growing SiO 2 due to the segregation between SiO 2 and polycrystalline silicon, and consequently the drive-in diffusion of arsenic is enhanced. At the interface between the polycrystalline silicon layer and the silicon substrate, arsenic atoms are likely to segregate at the polycrystalline silicon side

Analysis of soil reference materials for vanadium(+5) species by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandiwana, Khakhathi L.; Panichev, Nikolay

2010-01-01

Solid Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) with known vanadium(+5) content are currently not commercially available. Because of this, vanadium species have been determined in solid CRMs of soil, viz. CRM023-50, CRM024-50, CRM049-50, SQC001 and SQC0012. These CRMs are certified with only total vanadium content. Vanadium(+5) was extracted from soil reference materials with 0.1 M Na 2 CO 3 . The quantification of V(+5) was carried out by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS). The concentration of V(+5) in the analyzed CRMs was found to be ranging between 3.60 and 86.0 μg g -1 . It was also found that SQC001 contains approximately 88% of vanadium as V(+5) species. Statistical evaluation of the results of the two methods by paired t-test was in good agreement at 95% level of confidence.

Programmable and functional electrothermal bimorph actuators based on large-area anisotropic carbon nanotube paper

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qingwei; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

2018-04-01

Electro-active polymer (EAP) actuators, such as electronic, ionic and electrothermal (ET) actuators, have become an important branch of next-generation soft actuators in bionic robotics. However, most reported EAP actuators could realize only simple movements, being restricted by the small area of flexible electrodes and simple designs. We prepared large-area flexible electrodes of high anisotropy, made of oriented carbon nanotube (CNT) paper, and carried out artful graphic designs and processing on the electrodes to make functional ET bimorph actuators which can realize large bending deformations (over 220°, curvature > 1.5 cm-1) and bionic movements driven by electricity. The anisotropy of CNT paper benefits electrode designs and multiform actuations for complex actuators. Based on the large-area CNT paper, more interesting and functional actuators can be designed and prepared which will have practical applications in the fields of artificial muscles, complicated actuations, and soft and bionic robotics.

Porous silicon: silicon quantum dots for photonic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavesi, L.; Guardini, R.

1996-01-01

Porous silicon formation and structure characterization are briefly illustrated. Its luminescence properties rae presented and interpreted on the basis of exciton recombination in quantum dot structures: the trap-controlled hopping mechanism is used to describe the recombination dynamics. Porous silicon application to photonic devices is considered: porous silicon multilayer in general, and micro cavities in particular are described. The present situation in the realization of porous silicon LEDs is considered, and future developments in this field of research are suggested. (author). 30 refs., 30 figs., 13 tabs

Direct determination of trace rare earth elements in ancient porcelain samples with slurry sampling electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang Guoqiang; Jiang Zucheng; He Man; Hu Bin

2005-01-01

A method for the direct determination of trace rare earth elements in ancient porcelain samples by slurry sampling fluorinating electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was developed with the use of polytetrafluoroethylene as fluorinating reagent. It was found that Si, as a main matrix element in ancient porcelain sample, could be mostly removed at the ashing temperature of 1200 deg. C without considerable losses of the analytes. However, the chemical composition of ancient porcelain sample is very complicated, which makes the influences resulting from other matrix elements not be ignored. Therefore, the matrix effect of ancient porcelain sample was also investigated, and it was found that the matrix effect is obvious when the matrix concentration was larger than 0.8 g l -1 . The study results of particle size effect indicated that when the sample particle size was less than 0.057 mm, the particle size effect is negligible. Under the optimized operation conditions, the detection limits for rare earth elements by fluorinating electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were 0.7 ng g -1 (Eu)-33.3 ng g -1 (Nd) with the precisions of 4.1% (Yb)-10% (La) (c = 1 μg l -1 , n = 9). The proposed method was used to directly determine the trace rare earth elements in ancient porcelain samples produced in different dynasty (Sui, Ming and Qing), and the analytical results are satisfactory

Silicon-Rich Silicon Carbide Hole-Selective Rear Contacts for Crystalline-Silicon-Based Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Nogay, Gizem; Stuckelberger, Josua; Wyss, Philippe; Jeangros, Quentin; Allebé, Christophe; Niquille, Xavier; Debrot, Fabien; Despeisse, Matthieu; Haug, Franz-Josef; Löper, Philipp; Ballif, Christophe

2016-12-28

The use of passivating contacts compatible with typical homojunction thermal processes is one of the most promising approaches to realizing high-efficiency silicon solar cells. In this work, we investigate an alternative rear-passivating contact targeting facile implementation to industrial p-type solar cells. The contact structure consists of a chemically grown thin silicon oxide layer, which is capped with a boron-doped silicon-rich silicon carbide [SiC x (p)] layer and then annealed at 800-900 °C. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the thin chemical oxide layer disappears upon thermal annealing up to 900 °C, leading to degraded surface passivation. We interpret this in terms of a chemical reaction between carbon atoms in the SiC x (p) layer and the adjacent chemical oxide layer. To prevent this reaction, an intrinsic silicon interlayer was introduced between the chemical oxide and the SiC x (p) layer. We show that this intrinsic silicon interlayer is beneficial for surface passivation. Optimized passivation is obtained with a 10-nm-thick intrinsic silicon interlayer, yielding an emitter saturation current density of 17 fA cm -2 on p-type wafers, which translates into an implied open-circuit voltage of 708 mV. The potential of the developed contact at the rear side is further investigated by realizing a proof-of-concept hybrid solar cell, featuring a heterojunction front-side contact made of intrinsic amorphous silicon and phosphorus-doped amorphous silicon. Even though the presented cells are limited by front-side reflection and front-side parasitic absorption, the obtained cell with a V oc of 694.7 mV, a FF of 79.1%, and an efficiency of 20.44% demonstrates the potential of the p + /p-wafer full-side-passivated rear-side scheme shown here.

Design and simulation of resistive SOI CMOS micro-heaters for high temperature gas sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwaki, T; Covington, J A; Udrea, F; Ali, S Z; Guha, P K; Gardner, J W

2005-01-01

This paper describes the design of doped single crystal silicon (SCS) microhotplates for gas sensors. Resistive heaters are formed by an n+/p+ implantation into a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer with a post-CMOS deep reactive ion etch to remove the silicon substrate. Hence they are fully compatible with CMOS technologies and allows for the integration of associated drive/detection circuitry. 2D electro-thermal models have been constructed and the results of numerical simulations using FEMLAB[reg] are given. Simulations show these micro-hotplates can operate at temperatures of 500 deg. C with a drive voltage of only 5 V and a power consumption of less than 100 mW

An Electro-thermal MEMS Gripper with Large Tip Opening and Holding Force: Design and Characterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay J. KHAZAAI

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel MEMS gripper that is driven electro-thermally by a new V-shape actuator (VSA and a set of modified Guckel U-shape actuators (mUSA. The modification of the angle between the hot and cold arms in the mUSA facilitates unidirectional in-plane displacement causing the opening of the gripper. This configuration distinguishes the MEMS gripper from others in its ability to generate larger tip displacement and greater holding force. The metallic structures allow for a low operating voltage and low overall power consumption. A tip opening of 173.4 μm has been measured at the operating voltage of 1 V with consuming power of 0.85 W. MetalMUMPs is employed to fabricate the device, in which electroplated nickel is used as the structural material.

Application of Plackett-Burman and Doehlert designs for optimization of selenium analysis in plasma with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

El Ati-Hellal, Myriam; Hellal, Fayçal; Hedhili, Abderrazek

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was the optimization of selenium determination in plasma samples with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using experimental design methodology. 11 variables being able to influence selenium analysis in human blood plasma by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) were evaluated with Plackett-Burman experimental design. These factors were selected from sample preparation, furnace program and chemical modification steps. Both absorbance and background signals were chosen as responses in the screening approach. Doehlert design was used for method optimization. Results showed that only ashing temperature has a statistically significant effect on the selected responses. Optimization with Doehlert design allowed the development of a reliable method for selenium analysis with ETAAS. Samples were diluted 1/10 with 0.05% (v/v) TritonX-100+2.5% (v/v) HNO3 solution. Optimized ashing and atomization temperatures for nickel modifier were 1070°C and 2270°C, respectively. A detection limit of 2.1μgL(-1) Se was obtained. Accuracy of the method was checked by the analysis of selenium in Seronorm™ Trace element quality control serum level 1. The developed procedure was applied for the analysis of total selenium in fifteen plasma samples with standard addition method. Concentrations ranged between 24.4 and 64.6μgL(-1), with a mean of 42.6±4.9μgL(-1). The use of experimental designs allowed the development of a cheap and accurate method for selenium analysis in plasma that could be applied routinely in clinical laboratories. Copyright © 2014 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultratrace determination of Pb, Se and As in wine samples by electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grindlay, Guillermo, E-mail: guillermo.grindlay@ua.es [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, 03080 - Alicante (Spain); Mora, Juan; Gras, Luis [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, 03080 - Alicante (Spain); de Loos-Vollebregt, M.T.C. [Delft University of Technology, Fac. Applied Sciences, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC - Delft (Netherlands)

2009-10-12

The determination of Pb, Se and As in wine has a great interest due to health risks and legal requirements. To perform the analysis of wine, two considerations must be taken into account: (i) the low concentration level of the analytes; and (ii) the risk of interferences due to wine matrix components. The goal of this work is to evaluate electrothermal vaporization (ETV) sample introduction for ultratrace determination of Pb, Se and As in wine samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results obtained with ETV-ICP-MS were compared to those obtained with conventional liquid sample introduction in ICP-MS and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Analytical figures of merit of ETV sample introduction strongly depend on the amount of wine sample, on the modifier nature (i.e. Pd, ascorbic acid or citric acid) and concentration and on the temperature program. Wine matrix components exert a great influence on analyte transport efficiency. Due to this fact, the analysis of wine cannot be performed by means of external calibration but the standard addition methodology should be used. The determination of Pb and Se in wine by ETV-ICP-MS provides similar results as conventional liquid sample introduction ICP-MS. For As, the concentration values obtained with ETV sample introduction were between two and four times lower than with the conventional system. These differences are related to the lower intensity of polyatomic interferences (i.e. {sup 40}Ar{sup 35}Cl{sup +} vs. {sup 75}As{sup +}) obtained for ETV sample introduction when compared to the conventional system. Finally, no differences for Pb determination were observed between ETV sample introduction and ETAAS. Unfortunately, the limits of detection for As and Se in ETAAS were not low enough to quantify these elements in the wine samples tested.

Ultratrace determination of Pb, Se and As in wine samples by electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grindlay, Guillermo; Mora, Juan; Gras, Luis; de Loos-Vollebregt, M.T.C.

2009-01-01

The determination of Pb, Se and As in wine has a great interest due to health risks and legal requirements. To perform the analysis of wine, two considerations must be taken into account: (i) the low concentration level of the analytes; and (ii) the risk of interferences due to wine matrix components. The goal of this work is to evaluate electrothermal vaporization (ETV) sample introduction for ultratrace determination of Pb, Se and As in wine samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results obtained with ETV-ICP-MS were compared to those obtained with conventional liquid sample introduction in ICP-MS and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Analytical figures of merit of ETV sample introduction strongly depend on the amount of wine sample, on the modifier nature (i.e. Pd, ascorbic acid or citric acid) and concentration and on the temperature program. Wine matrix components exert a great influence on analyte transport efficiency. Due to this fact, the analysis of wine cannot be performed by means of external calibration but the standard addition methodology should be used. The determination of Pb and Se in wine by ETV-ICP-MS provides similar results as conventional liquid sample introduction ICP-MS. For As, the concentration values obtained with ETV sample introduction were between two and four times lower than with the conventional system. These differences are related to the lower intensity of polyatomic interferences (i.e. 40 Ar 35 Cl + vs. 75 As + ) obtained for ETV sample introduction when compared to the conventional system. Finally, no differences for Pb determination were observed between ETV sample introduction and ETAAS. Unfortunately, the limits of detection for As and Se in ETAAS were not low enough to quantify these elements in the wine samples tested.

Geochemistry of silicon isotopes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Tiping; Li, Yanhe; Gao, Jianfei; Hu, Bin [Chinese Academy of Geological Science, Beijing (China). Inst. of Mineral Resources; Jiang, Shaoyong [China Univ. of Geosciences, Wuhan (China).

2018-04-01

Silicon is one of the most abundant elements in the Earth and silicon isotope geochemistry is important in identifying the silicon source for various geological bodies and in studying the behavior of silicon in different geological processes. This book starts with an introduction on the development of silicon isotope geochemistry. Various analytical methods are described and compared with each other in detail. The mechanisms of silicon isotope fractionation are discussed, and silicon isotope distributions in various extraterrestrial and terrestrial reservoirs are updated. Besides, the applications of silicon isotopes in several important fields are presented.

Spatiotemporal study of gas heating mechanisms in a radio-frequency electrothermal plasma micro-thruster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia eGreig

2015-10-01

Full Text Available A spatiotemporal study of neutral gas temperature during the first 100 s of operation for a radio-frequency electrothermal plasma micro-thruster operating on nitrogen at 60 W and 1.5 Torr is performed to identify the heating mechanisms involved. Neutral gas temperature is estimated from rovibrational band fitting of the nitrogen second positive system. A set of baffles are used to restrict the optical image and separate the heating mechanisms occurring in the central bulk discharge region and near the thruster walls.For each spatial region there are three distinct gas heating mechanisms being fast heating from ion-neutral collisions with timescales of tens of milliseconds, intermediate heating with timescales of 10 s from ion bombardment on the inner thruster tube surface creating wall heating, and slow heating with timescales of 100 s from gradual warming of the entire thruster housing. The results are discussed in relation to optimising the thermal properties of future thruster designs.

Silicon heterojunction transistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushita, T.; Oh-uchi, N.; Hayashi, H.; Yamoto, H.

1979-01-01

SIPOS (Semi-insulating polycrystalline silicon) which is used as a surface passivation layer for highly reliable silicon devices constitutes a good heterojunction for silicon. P- or B-doped SIPOS has been used as the emitter material of a heterojunction transistor with the base and collector of silicon. An npn SIPOS-Si heterojunction transistor showing 50 times the current gain of an npn silicon homojunction transistor has been realized by high-temperature treatments in nitrogen and low-temperature annealing in hydrogen or forming gas

Rare earth analysis in human biological samples by atomic absorption using electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Citron, I.M.; Holtzman, R.B.; Leiman, J.

1982-01-01

The determination of Sc and seven rare earth elements, Nd, Sm, Dy, Ho, Eu, Tm, and Yb, in biological samplesby atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis (AAS) using electrothermal atomization in a pyrolytic graphite tube is shown to be rapid, precise and accurate. The technique utilizes the method of standard additions and linear regression analysis to determine results from peak area data. Inter-elemental interferences are negligible. The elements found sensitive enough for this type of analysis are, in order of decreasing sensitivity, Yb, Eu, Tm, Dy, Sc, Ho, Sm and Nd. The determination in these types of materials of Gd and elements less sensitive to AAS detection than Gd does not appear to be feasible. Results are presented on the concentrations of these elements in 41 samples from human subjects, cows and vegetables with normal environmental exposure to the rare earth elements. The composite percent mean deviation in peak-area readings for all samples and all elements examined was 4%. The mean standard error in the results among samples was about 6.5%

Investigation of phosphorus atomization using high-resolution continuum source electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dessuy, Morgana B.; Vale, Maria Goreti R.; Lepri, Fabio G.; Welz, Bernhard; Heitmann, Uwe

2007-01-01

The atomization of phosphorus in electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry has been investigated using a high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometer and atomization from a graphite platform as well as from a tantalum boat inserted in a graphite tube. A two-step atomization mechanism is proposed for phosphorus, where the first step is a thermal dissociation, resulting in a fast atomization signal early in the atomization stage, and the second step is a slow release of phosphorus atoms from the graphite tube surface following the adsorption of molecular phosphorus at active sites of the graphite surface. Depending on experimental conditions only one of the mechanisms or both might be active. In the absence of a modifier and with atomization from a graphite or tantalum platform the second mechanism appears to be dominant, whereas in the presence of sodium fluoride as a modifier both mechanisms are observed. Intercalation of phosphorus into the graphite platform in the condensed phase has also been observed; this phosphorus, however, appears to be permanently trapped in the structure of the graphite and does not contribute to the absorption signal

Utilization of electrodeposition for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry determination of gold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konecna, Marie; Komarek, Josef

2007-01-01

Gold was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after electrochemical preconcentration on the graphite ridge probe used as a working electrode and sample support. The probe surface was electrochemically modified with Pd, Re and the mixture of both. The electrolysis of gold was performed under galvanostatic control at 0.5 mA. Maximum pyrolysis temperature for the probe surface modified with Pd was 1200 deg. C, with Re 1300 deg. C. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 2 μg l -1 Au was not higher than 5.6% (n = 8) for 2 min electrodeposition. The sensitivity of gold determination was reproducible for 300 electrodeposition and atomization cycles. When the probe surface was modified with a mixture of Pd and Re the detection limit was 31 ng l -1 for 2 min electrodeposition, 3.7 ng l -1 for 30 min, 1.5 ng l -1 for 1 h and 0.4 ng l -1 for 4 h electrodeposition, respectively. The procedure was applied to the determination of gold in river water samples. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 2.5 ng l -1 Au at 4 h electrodeposition time at 0.5 mA was 7.5%

Development of the striation and filament form of the electrothermal instability

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Edmund; Awe, T. J.; Yelton, W. G.; McKenzie, B. B.; Peterson, K. J.; Bauer, B. S.; Hutchinson, T. M.; Fuelling, S.; Yates, K. C.; Shipley, G.

2017-10-01

Magnetically imploded liners have broad application to ICF, dynamic material property studies, and flux compression. An important consideration in liner performance is the electrothermal instability (ETI), an Ohmic heating instability that manifests in 2 ways: assuming vertical current flow, ETI forms hot, horizontal bands (striations) in metals, and vertical filaments in plasmas. Striations are especially relevant in that they can develop into density perturbations, which then couple to the dangerous magneto Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability during liner acceleration. Recent visible emission images of Ohmically heated rods show evidence of both the striation and filament form of ETI, suggesting several questions: (1) can simulation qualitatively reproduce the data? (2) If so, what seeds the striation ETI, and how does it transition to filaments? (3) Does the striation develop into a strong density perturbation, important for MRT? In this work, we use analytic theory and 3D MHD simulation to study how isolated resistive inclusions, embedded in a perfectly smooth rod and communicating through current redistribution, can be used to address the above questions. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. DOE NNSA under contract DE-NA0003525.

Control of electrothermal heating during regeneration of activated carbon fiber cloth.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnsen, David L; Mallouk, Kaitlin E; Rood, Mark J

2011-01-15

Electrothermal swing adsorption (ESA) of organic gases generated by industrial processes can reduce atmospheric emissions and allow for reuse of recovered product. Desorption energy efficiency can be improved through control of adsorbent heating, allowing for cost-effective separation and concentration of these gases for reuse. ESA experiments with an air stream containing 2000 ppm(v) isobutane and activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC) were performed to evaluate regeneration energy consumption. Control logic based on temperature feedback achieved select temperature and power profiles during regeneration cycles while maintaining the ACFC's mean regeneration temperature (200 °C). Energy requirements for regeneration were independent of differences in temperature/power oscillations (1186-1237 kJ/mol of isobutane). ACFC was also heated to a ramped set-point, and the average absolute error between the actual and set-point temperatures was small (0.73%), demonstrating stable control as set-point temperatures vary, which is necessary for practical applications (e.g., higher temperatures for higher boiling point gases). Additional logic that increased the maximum power application at lower ACFC temperatures resulted in a 36% decrease in energy consumption. Implementing such control logic improves energy efficiency for separating and concentrating organic gases for post-desorption liquefaction of the organic gas for reuse.

Monte Carlo simulation of electrothermal atomization on a desktop personal computer

Science.gov (United States)

Histen, Timothy E.; Güell, Oscar A.; Chavez, Iris A.; Holcombea, James A.

1996-07-01

Monte Carlo simulations have been applied to electrothermal atomization (ETA) using a tubular atomizer (e.g. graphite furnace) because of the complexity in the geometry, heating, molecular interactions, etc. The intense computational time needed to accurately model ETA often limited its effective implementation to the use of supercomputers. However, with the advent of more powerful desktop processors, this is no longer the case. A C-based program has been developed and can be used under Windows TM or DOS. With this program, basic parameters such as furnace dimensions, sample placement, furnace heating and kinetic parameters such as activation energies for desorption and adsorption can be varied to show the absorbance profile dependence on these parameters. Even data such as time-dependent spatial distribution of analyte inside the furnace can be collected. The DOS version also permits input of external temperaturetime data to permit comparison of simulated profiles with experimentally obtained absorbance data. The run-time versions are provided along with the source code. This article is an electronic publication in Spectrochimica Acta Electronica (SAE), the electronic section of Spectrochimica Acta Part B (SAB). The hardcopy text is accompanied by a diskette with a program (PC format), data files and text files.

Review of research and development on the microwave-plasma electrothermal rocket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hawley, M.C.; Asmussen, J.; Filpus, J.W.; Frasch, L.L.; Whitehair, S.

1987-01-01

The microwave-plasma electrothermal rocket (MWPETR) shows promise for spacecraft propulsion and maneuvering, without some of the drawbacks of competitive electric propulsion systems. In the MWPETR, the electric power is first converted to microwave-frequency radiation. In a specially-designed microwave cavity system, the electromagnetic energy of the radiation is transferred to the electrons in a plasma sustained in the working fluid. The resulting high-energy electrons transfer their energy to the atoms and molecules of the working fluid by collisions. The working fluid, thus heated, expands through a nozzle to generate thrust. In the MWPETR, no electrodes are in contact with the working fluid, the energy is transferred into the working fluid by nonthermal mechanisms, and the main requirement for the materials of construction is that the walls of the plasma chamber be insulating and transparent to microwave radiation at operating conditions. In this survey of work on the MWPETR, several experimental configurations are described and compared. Diagnostic methods used in the study are described and compared, including titration, spectroscopy, calorimetry, electric field measurements, gas-dynamic methods, and thrust measurements. Measured and estimated performance efficiencies are reported. Results of computer modeling of the plasma and of the gas flowing from the plasma are summarized. 32 references.

Vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into silicon-on-insulator platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qing; Eftekhar, Ali A; Sodagar, Majid; Xia, Zhixuan; Atabaki, Amir H; Adibi, Ali

2013-07-29

We demonstrate a vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into the silicon-on-insulator platform for applications at the telecommunication wavelengths. Low-loss silicon nitride films with a thickness of 400 nm are successfully grown, enabling compact silicon nitride microresonators with ultra-high intrinsic Qs (~ 6 × 10(6) for 60 μm radius and ~ 2 × 10(7) for 240 μm radius). The coupling between the silicon nitride microresonator and the underneath silicon waveguide is based on evanescent coupling with silicon dioxide as buffer. Selective coupling to a desired radial mode of the silicon nitride microresonator is also achievable using a pulley coupling scheme. In this work, a 60-μm-radius silicon nitride microresonator has been successfully integrated into the silicon-on-insulator platform, showing a single-mode operation with an intrinsic Q of 2 × 10(6).

Analytical and Experimental Evaluation of Joining Silicon Carbide to Silicon Carbide and Silicon Nitride to Silicon Nitride for Advanced Heat Engine Applications Phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundberg, G.J.

1994-01-01

Techniques were developed to produce reliable silicon nitride to silicon nitride (NCX-5101) curved joins which were used to manufacture spin test specimens as a proof of concept to simulate parts such as a simple rotor. Specimens were machined from the curved joins to measure the following properties of the join interlayer: tensile strength, shear strength, 22 C flexure strength and 1370 C flexure strength. In parallel, extensive silicon nitride tensile creep evaluation of planar butt joins provided a sufficient data base to develop models with accurate predictive capability for different geometries. Analytical models applied satisfactorily to the silicon nitride joins were Norton's Law for creep strain, a modified Norton's Law internal variable model and the Monkman-Grant relationship for failure modeling. The Theta Projection method was less successful. Attempts were also made to develop planar butt joins of siliconized silicon carbide (NT230).

Multistable Microactuators Functioning on the Basis of Electromagnetic Lorentz Force: Nonlinear Structural and Electrothermal Analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jeong Sam

2010-01-01

In this paper, the design and nonlinear simulation of a multistable electromagnetic microactuator, which provides four stable equilibrium positions within its operating range, have been discussed. Quadstable actuator motion has been made possible by using both X- and Y-directional bistable structures with snapping curved beams. Two pairs of the curved beams are attached to an inner frame in both X- and Y-directions to realize independent bistable behavior in each direction. For the actuation of the actuator at the micrometer scale, an electromagnetic actuation method in which Lorentz force is taken into consideration was used. By using this method, micrometer-stroke quadstability in a plane parallel to a substrate was possible. The feasibility of designing an actuator that can realize quadstable motion by using the electromagnetic actuation method has been thoroughly clarified by performing nonlinear static and dynamic analyses and electrothermal coupled-field analysis of the multistable microactuator

Electrical leakage phenomenon in heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Pradeepkumar, Aiswarya; Zielinski, Marcin; Bosi, Matteo; Verzellesi, Giovanni; Gaskill, D. Kurt; Iacopi, Francesca

2018-06-01

Heteroepitaxial 3C-SiC films on silicon substrates are of technological interest as enablers to integrate the excellent electrical, electronic, mechanical, thermal, and epitaxial properties of bulk silicon carbide into well-established silicon technologies. One critical bottleneck of this integration is the establishment of a stable and reliable electronic junction at the heteroepitaxial interface of the n-type SiC with the silicon substrate. We have thus investigated in detail the electrical and transport properties of heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide films grown via different methods on low-doped and high-resistivity silicon substrates by using van der Pauw Hall and transfer length measurements as test vehicles. We have found that Si and C intermixing upon or after growth, particularly by the diffusion of carbon into the silicon matrix, creates extensive interstitial carbon traps and hampers the formation of a stable rectifying or insulating junction at the SiC/Si interface. Although a reliable p-n junction may not be realistic in the SiC/Si system, we can achieve, from a point of view of the electrical isolation of in-plane SiC structures, leakage suppression through the substrate by using a high-resistivity silicon substrate coupled with deep recess etching in between the SiC structures.

Fluorescence and thermoluminescence in silicon oxide films rich in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berman M, D.; Piters, T. M.; Aceves M, M.; Berriel V, L. R.; Luna L, J. A.

2009-10-01

In this work we determined the fluorescence and thermoluminescence (TL) creation spectra of silicon rich oxide films (SRO) with three different silicon excesses. To study the TL of SRO, 550 nm of SRO film were deposited by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition technique on N-type silicon substrates with resistivity in the order of 3 to 5 Ω-cm with silicon excess controlled by the ratio of the gases used in the process, SRO films with Ro= 10, 20 and 30 (12-6% silicon excess) were obtained. Then, they were thermally treated in N 2 at high temperatures to diffuse and homogenize the silicon excess. In the fluorescence spectra two main emission regions are observed, one around 400 nm and one around 800 nm. TL creation spectra were determined by plotting the integrated TL intensity as function of the excitation wavelength. (Author)

Buried oxide layer in silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Sadana, Devendra Kumar; Holland, Orin Wayne

2001-01-01

A process for forming Silicon-On-Insulator is described incorporating the steps of ion implantation of oxygen into a silicon substrate at elevated temperature, ion implanting oxygen at a temperature below 200.degree. C. at a lower dose to form an amorphous silicon layer, and annealing steps to form a mixture of defective single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon alone and then silicon oxide from the amorphous silicon layer to form a continuous silicon oxide layer below the surface of the silicon substrate to provide an isolated superficial layer of silicon. The invention overcomes the problem of buried isolated islands of silicon oxide forming a discontinuous buried oxide layer.

Ion beam studied of silicon oxynitride and silicon nitroxide thin layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oude Elferink, J.B.

1989-01-01

In this the processes occurring during high temperature treatments of silicon oxynitride and silicon oxide layers are described. Oxynitride layers with various atomic oxygen to nitrogen concentration ration (O/N) are considered. The high energy ion beam techniques Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection and nuclear reaction analysis have been used to study the layer structures. A detailed discussion of these ion beam techniques is given. Numerical methods used to obtain quantitative data on elemental compositions and depth profiles are described. The electrical compositions and depth profiles are described. The electrical properties of silicon nitride films are known to be influenced by the behaviour of hydrogen in the film during high temperature anneling. Investigations of the behaviour of hydrogen are presented. Oxidation of silicon (oxy)nitride films in O 2 /H 2 0/HCl and nitridation of silicon dioxide films in NH 3 are considered since oxynitrides are applied as an oxidation mask in the LOCOS (Local oxidation of silicon) process. The nitridation of silicon oxide layers in an ammonia ambient is considered. The initial stage and the dependence on the oxide thickness of nitrogen and hydrogen incorporation are discussed. Finally, oxidation of silicon oxynitride layers and of silicon oxide layers are compared. (author). 76 refs.; 48 figs.; 1 tab

Large-area self-assembled reduced graphene oxide/electrochemically exfoliated graphene hybrid films for transparent electrothermal heaters

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hongyan; Chen, Ding; Ye, Chen; Li, Xinming; Dai, Dan; Yuan, Qilong; Chee, Kuan W. A.; Zhao, Pei; Jiang, Nan; Lin, Cheng-Te

2018-03-01

Graphene shows great promise as a high-efficiency electrothermal film for flexible transparent defoggers/defrosters. However, it remains a great challenge to achieve a good balance between the production cost and the properties of graphene films. Here, we proposed a cost-effective self-assembly method to fabricate high-performance, large-area graphene oxide/electrochemically exfoliated graphene hybrid films for heater applications. The self-assembled graphene hybrid films with the area of 20 × 20 cm2 could be transferred onto arbitrary substrates with nonplanar surfaces and simply patterned with the hard mask. After reduction by hydrogen iodide vapor followed by 800 °C thermal treatment, the hybrid films with the transmittance of 76.2% exhibit good heating characteristics and defogging performance, which reach a saturation temperature of up to 127.5 °C when 40 V was applied for 60 s.

Nonlinear silicon photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Tsia, Kevin K.; Jalali, Bahram

2010-05-01

An intriguing optical property of silicon is that it exhibits a large third-order optical nonlinearity, with orders-ofmagnitude larger than that of silica glass in the telecommunication band. This allows efficient nonlinear optical interaction at relatively low power levels in a small footprint. Indeed, we have witnessed a stunning progress in harnessing the Raman and Kerr effects in silicon as the mechanisms for enabling chip-scale optical amplification, lasing, and wavelength conversion - functions that until recently were perceived to be beyond the reach of silicon. With all the continuous efforts developing novel techniques, nonlinear silicon photonics is expected to be able to reach even beyond the prior achievements. Instead of providing a comprehensive overview of this field, this manuscript highlights a number of new branches of nonlinear silicon photonics, which have not been fully recognized in the past. In particular, they are two-photon photovoltaic effect, mid-wave infrared (MWIR) silicon photonics, broadband Raman effects, inverse Raman scattering, and periodically-poled silicon (PePSi). These novel effects and techniques could create a new paradigm for silicon photonics and extend its utility beyond the traditionally anticipated applications.

Liquid phase epitaxial growth of silicon on porous silicon for photovoltaic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, S.; Quoizola, S.; Fave, A.; Kaminski, A.; Perichon, S.; Barbier, D.; Laugier, A.

2001-01-01

The aim of this experiment is to grow a thin silicon layer ( 2 atmosphere, and finally LPE silicon growth with different temperature profiles in order to obtain a silicon layer on the sacrificial porous silicon (p-Si). We observed a pyramidal growth on the surface of the (100) porous silicon but the coalescence was difficult to obtain. However, on a p-Si (111) oriented wafer, homogeneous layers were obtained. (orig.)

A radiotracer study on the volatilization and transport effects of thermochemical reagents used in the analysis of alumina powders by slurry electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peschel, Birgit U.; Herdering, Wilhelm; Broekaert, Jose A.C.

2007-01-01

A neutron-activated Al 2 O 3 powder SRM 699 (NIST) containing the γ-radiation emitting radionuclides 51 Cr, 59 Fe, 60 Co and 65 Zn has been used to study the influence of thermochemical reagents on the volatilization and transport efficiency for these trace elements in electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ETV-ICP-MS) of Al 2 O 3 powders. From the signals in the γ-spectra for the radiotracers it has been found that less than 2% of the elements Cr, Fe, Co and Zn is left back in a graphite furnace from Al 2 O 3 powders at 2200 deg. C even without addition of a thermochemical reagent and the latter even was found to decrease the volatilization efficiencies. The recovery for the radiotracers on filters at the end of the transport tube as measured from the signals in the γ-spectra, however, was found to increase in most cases (i.e. from about 10% to more than 20%) when Pd(NO 3 ) 2 , Pd(NO 3 ) 2 + Mg(NO 3 ) 2 , PdCl 2 , IrCl 3 , SnCl 2 , AgCl, NaF, NH 4 Cl and NH 4 F were added at amounts generally used in electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. However, when adding higher amounts as stoichiometrically required for a complete halogenation of the sample matrix in the case of AgCl, C 8 F 15 O 2 Na, IrCl 3 or PdCl 2 the transport efficiencies considerably decrease again. As shown in the case of NH 4 Cl the amount of thermochemical reagent used has to be optimized so as to obtain maximum analyte transport efficiencies. A comparison of the influence of NH 4 Cl on the transport efficiencies with its influence on the ETV-ICP-MS signals for Fe demonstrates the importance of transport efficiency changes for the effects of thermochemical reagents in electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Nonlinear silicon photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Borghi, M.; Castellan, C.; Signorini, S.; Trenti, A.; Pavesi, L.

2017-09-01

Silicon photonics is a technology based on fabricating integrated optical circuits by using the same paradigms as the dominant electronics industry. After twenty years of fervid development, silicon photonics is entering the market with low cost, high performance and mass-manufacturable optical devices. Until now, most silicon photonic devices have been based on linear optical effects, despite the many phenomenologies associated with nonlinear optics in both bulk materials and integrated waveguides. Silicon and silicon-based materials have strong optical nonlinearities which are enhanced in integrated devices by the small cross-section of the high-index contrast silicon waveguides or photonic crystals. Here the photons are made to strongly interact with the medium where they propagate. This is the central argument of nonlinear silicon photonics. It is the aim of this review to describe the state-of-the-art in the field. Starting from the basic nonlinearities in a silicon waveguide or in optical resonator geometries, many phenomena and applications are described—including frequency generation, frequency conversion, frequency-comb generation, supercontinuum generation, soliton formation, temporal imaging and time lensing, Raman lasing, and comb spectroscopy. Emerging quantum photonics applications, such as entangled photon sources, heralded single-photon sources and integrated quantum photonic circuits are also addressed at the end of this review.

Working towards accreditation by the International Standards Organization 15189 Standard: how to validate an in-house developed method an example of lead determination in whole blood by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia Hejl, Carine; Ramirez, Jose Manuel; Vest, Philippe; Chianea, Denis; Renard, Christophe

2014-09-01

Laboratories working towards accreditation by the International Standards Organization (ISO) 15189 standard are required to demonstrate the validity of their analytical methods. The different guidelines set by various accreditation organizations make it difficult to provide objective evidence that an in-house method is fit for the intended purpose. Besides, the required performance characteristics tests and acceptance criteria are not always detailed. The laboratory must choose the most suitable validation protocol and set the acceptance criteria. Therefore, we propose a validation protocol to evaluate the performance of an in-house method. As an example, we validated the process for the detection and quantification of lead in whole blood by electrothermal absorption spectrometry. The fundamental parameters tested were, selectivity, calibration model, precision, accuracy (and uncertainty of measurement), contamination, stability of the sample, reference interval, and analytical interference. We have developed a protocol that has been applied successfully to quantify lead in whole blood by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). In particular, our method is selective, linear, accurate, and precise, making it suitable for use in routine diagnostics.

Transformational silicon electronics

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2014-02-25

In today\\'s traditional electronics such as in computers or in mobile phones, billions of high-performance, ultra-low-power devices are neatly integrated in extremely compact areas on rigid and brittle but low-cost bulk monocrystalline silicon (100) wafers. Ninety percent of global electronics are made up of silicon. Therefore, we have developed a generic low-cost regenerative batch fabrication process to transform such wafers full of devices into thin (5 μm), mechanically flexible, optically semitransparent silicon fabric with devices, then recycling the remaining wafer to generate multiple silicon fabric with chips and devices, ensuring low-cost and optimal utilization of the whole substrate. We show monocrystalline, amorphous, and polycrystalline silicon and silicon dioxide fabric, all from low-cost bulk silicon (100) wafers with the semiconductor industry\\'s most advanced high-κ/metal gate stack based high-performance, ultra-low-power capacitors, field effect transistors, energy harvesters, and storage to emphasize the effectiveness and versatility of this process to transform traditional electronics into flexible and semitransparent ones for multipurpose applications. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Silicon Microspheres Photonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serpenguzel, A.

2008-01-01

Electrophotonic integrated circuits (EPICs), or alternatively, optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEICs) are the natural evolution of the microelectronic integrated circuit (IC) with the addition of photonic capabilities. Traditionally, the IC industry has been based on group IV silicon, whereas the photonics industry on group III-V semiconductors. However, silicon based photonic microdevices have been making strands in siliconizing photonics. Silicon microspheres with their high quality factor whispering gallery modes (WGMs), are ideal candidates for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) applications in the standard near-infrared communication bands. In this work, we will discuss the possibility of using silicon microspheres for photonics applications in the near-infrared

Determination of trace metal ions via on-line separation and preconcentration by means of chelating Sepharose beads in a sequential injection lab-on-valve (SI-LOV) system coupled to electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric detection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Long, Xiangbao; Hansen, Elo Harald; Miró, Manuel

2005-01-01

The analytical performance of an on-line sequential injection lab-on-valve (SI-LOV) system using chelating Sepharose beads as sorbent material for the determination of ultra trace levels of Cd(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is described and discussed...

A Fourier Transform Spectrometer Based on an Electrothermal MEMS Mirror with Improved Linear Scan Range

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Wang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS that incorporates a closed-loop controlled, electrothermally actuated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS micromirror is proposed and experimentally verified. The scan range and the tilting angle of the mirror plate are the two critical parameters for MEMS-based FTS. In this work, the MEMS mirror with a footprint of 4.3 mm × 3.1 mm is based on a modified lateral-shift-free (LSF bimorph actuator design with large piston and reduced tilting. Combined with a position-sensitive device (PSD for tilt angle sensing, the feedback controlled MEMS mirror generates a 430 µm stable linear piston scan with the mirror plate tilting angle less than ±0.002°. The usable piston scan range is increased to 78% of the MEMS mirror’s full scan capability, and a spectral resolution of 0.55 nm at 531.9 nm wavelength, has been achieved. It is a significant improvement compared to the prior work.

Micro-chip initiator realized by integrating Al/CuO multilayer nanothermite on polymeric membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taton, G; Lagrange, D; Conedera, V; Rossi, C; Renaud, L

2013-01-01

We have developed a new nanothermite based polymeric electro-thermal initiator for non-contact ignition of a propellant. A reactive Al/CuO multilayer nanothermite resides on a 100 µm thick SU-8/PET (polyethyleneterephtalate) membrane to insulate the reactive layer from the silicon bulk substrate. When current is supplied to the initiator, the chemical reaction Al+CuO occurs and sparkles are spread to a distance of several millimeters. A micro-manufacturing process for fabricating the initiator is presented and the electrical behaviors of the ignition elements are also investigated. The characteristics of the initiator made on a 100 µm thick SU-8/PET membrane were compared to two bulk electro-thermal initiators: one on a silicon and one on a Pyrex substrate. The PET devices give 100% of Al/CuO ignition success for an electrical current >250 mA. Glass based reactive initiators give 100% of Al/CuO ignition success for an electrical current >500 mA. Reactive initiators directly on silicon cannot initiate even with a 4 A current. At low currents (<1 A), the initiation time is two orders of magnitude longer for Pyrex initiator compared to those obtained for PET initiator technology. We also observed that, the Al/CuO thermite film on PET membrane reacts within 1 ms (sparkles duration) whereas it reacts within 4 ms on Pyrex. The thermite reaction is 40 times greater in intensity using the PET substrate in comparison to Pyrex. (paper)

Production of technical silicon and silicon carbide from rice-husk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Z. Issagulov

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In the article there are studied physical and chemical properties of silicon-carbonic raw material – rice-husk, thermophysical characteristics of the process of rice-husk pyrolysis in nonreactive and oxidizing environment; structure and phase composition of products of the rice-husk pyrolysis in interval of temperatures 150 – 850 °С and high temperature pyrolysis in interval of temperatures 900 – 1 500 °С. There are defined the silicon-carbon production conditions, which meet the requirements applicable to charging materials at production of technical silicon and silicon carbide.

Photovoltaic characteristics of porous silicon /(n+ - p) silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhafarov, T.D.; Aslanov, S.S.; Ragimov, S.H.; Sadigov, M.S.; Nabiyeva, A.F.; Yuksel, Aydin S.

2012-01-01

Full text : The purpose of this work is to improve the photovoltaic parameters of the screen-printed silicon solar cells by formation the nano-porous silicon film on the frontal surface of the cell. The photovoltaic characteristics of two type silicon solar cells with and without porous silicon layer were measured and compared. A remarkable increment of short-circuit current density and the efficiency by 48 percent and 20 percent, respectively, have been achieved for PS/(n + - pSi) solar cell comparing to (n + - p)Si solar cell without PS layer

Performance improvement of silicon solar cells by nanoporous silicon coating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dzhafarov T. D.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In the present paper the method is shown to improve the photovoltaic parameters of screen-printed silicon solar cells by nanoporous silicon film formation on the frontal surface of the cell using the electrochemical etching. The possible mechanisms responsible for observed improvement of silicon solar cell performance are discussed.

Reprogramming hMSCs morphology with silicon/porous silicon geometric micro-patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Ynsa, M D; Dang, Z Y; Manso-Silvan, M; Song, J; Azimi, S; Wu, J F; Liang, H D; Torres-Costa, V; Punzon-Quijorna, E; Breese, M B H; Garcia-Ruiz, J P

2014-04-01

Geometric micro-patterned surfaces of silicon combined with porous silicon (Si/PSi) have been manufactured to study the behaviour of human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs). These micro-patterns consist of regular silicon hexagons surrounded by spaced columns of silicon equilateral triangles separated by PSi. The results show that, at an early culture stage, the hMSCs resemble quiescent cells on the central hexagons with centered nuclei and actin/β-catenin and a microtubules network denoting cell adhesion. After 2 days, hMSCs adapted their morphology and cytoskeleton proteins from cell-cell dominant interactions at the center of the hexagonal surface. This was followed by an intermediate zone with some external actin fibres/β-catenin interactions and an outer zone where the dominant interactions are cell-silicon. Cells move into silicon columns to divide, migrate and communicate. Furthermore, results show that Runx2 and vitamin D receptors, both specific transcription factors for skeleton-derived cells, are expressed in cells grown on micropatterned silicon under all observed circumstances. On the other hand, non-phenotypic alterations are under cell growth and migration on Si/PSi substrates. The former consideration strongly supports the use of micro-patterned silicon surfaces to address pending questions about the mechanisms of human bone biogenesis/pathogenesis and the study of bone scaffolds.

Study on structural properties of epitaxial silicon films on annealed double layer porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue Zhihao; Shen Honglie; Cai Hong; Lv Hongjie; Liu Bin

2012-01-01

In this paper, epitaxial silicon films were grown on annealed double layer porous silicon by LPCVD. The evolvement of the double layer porous silicon before and after thermal annealing was investigated by scanning electron microscope. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the structural properties of the epitaxial silicon thin films grown at different temperature and different pressure. The results show that the surface of the low-porosity layer becomes smooth and there are just few silicon-bridges connecting the porous layer and the substrate wafer. The qualities of the epitaxial silicon thin films become better along with increasing deposition temperature. All of the Raman peaks of silicon films with different deposition pressure are situated at 521 cm -1 under the deposition temperature of 1100 °C, and the Raman intensity of the silicon film deposited at 100 Pa is much closer to that of the monocrystalline silicon wafer. The epitaxial silicon films are all (4 0 0)-oriented and (4 0 0) peak of silicon film deposited at 100 Pa is more symmetric.

Release of low molecular weight silicones and platinum from silicone breast implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lykissa, E D; Kala, S V; Hurley, J B; Lebovitz, R M

1997-12-01

We have conducted a series of studies addressing the chemical composition of silicone gels from breast implants as well as the diffusion of low molecular weight silicones (LM-silicones) and heavy metals from intact implants into various surrounding media, namely, lipid-rich medium (soy oil), aqueous tissue culture medium (modified Dulbecco's medium, DMEM), or an emulsion consisting of DMEM plus 10% soy oil. LM-silicones in both implants and surrounding media were detected and quantitated using gas chromatography (GC) coupled with atomic emission (GC-AED) as well as mass spectrometric (GC/MS) detectors, which can detect silicones in the nanogram range. Platinum, a catalyst used in the preparation of silicone gels, was detected and quantitated using inductive argon-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), which can detect platinum in the parts per trillion range. Our results indicate that GC-detectable low molecular weight silicones contribute approximately 1-2% to the total gel mass and consist predominantly of cyclic and linear poly-(dimethylsiloxanes) ranging from 3 to 20 siloxane [(CH3)2-Si-O] units (molecular weight 200-1500). Platinum can be detected in implant gels at levels of approximately 700 micrograms/kg by ICP-MS. The major component of implant gels appears to be high molecular weight silicone polymers (HM-silicones) too large to be detected by GC. However, these HM-silicones can be converted almost quantitatively (80% by mass) to LM-silicones by heating implant gels at 150-180 degrees C for several hours. We also studied the rates at which LM-silicones and platinum leak through the intact implant outer shell into the surrounding media under a variety of conditions. Leakage of silicones was greatest when the surrounding medium was lipid-rich, and up to 10 mg/day LM-silicones was observed to diffuse into a lipid-rich medium per 250 g of implant at 37 degrees C. This rate of leakage was maintained over a 7-day experimental period. Similarly, platinum was

Light emitting structures porous silicon-silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monastyrskii, L.S.; Olenych, I.B.; Panasjuk, M.R.; Savchyn, V.P.

1999-01-01

The research of spectroscopic properties of porous silicon has been done. Complex of photoluminescence, electroluminescence, cathodoluminescence, thermostimulated depolarisation current analyte methods have been applied to study of geterostructures and free layers of porous silicon. Light emitting processes had tendency to decrease. The character of decay for all kinds of luminescence were different

Gelcasting of SiC/Si for preparation of silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Z.P.; Tsinghua University, Beijing,; Cheng, Y.B.; Lu, J.W.; Huang, Y.

2000-01-01

In the present paper, gelcasting of aqueous slurry with coarse silicon carbide(1mm) and fine silicon particles was investigated to fabricate silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide materials. Through the examination of influence of different polyelectrolytes on the Zeta potential and viscosity of silicon and silicon carbide suspensions, a stable SiC/Si suspension with 60 vol% solid loading could be prepared by using polyelectrolyte of D3005 and sodium alginate. Gelation of this suspension can complete in 10-30 min at 60-80 deg C after cast into mold. After demolded, the wet green body can be dried directly in furnace and the green strength will develop during drying. Complex shape parts with near net size were prepared by the process. Effects of the debindering process on nitridation and density of silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide were also examined. Copyright (2000) The Australian Ceramic Society

Prototyping of a highly performant and integrated piezoresistive force sensor for microscale applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komati, Bilal; Agnus, Joël; Clévy, Cédric; Lutz, Philippe

2014-01-01

In this paper, the prototyping of a new piezoresistive microforce sensor is presented. An original design taking advantage of both the mechanical and bulk piezoresistive properties of silicon is presented, which enables the easy fabrication of a very small, large-range, high-sensitivity with high integration potential sensor. The sensor is made of two silicon strain gauges for which widespread and known microfabrication processes are used. The strain gauges present a high gauge factor which allows a good sensitivity of this force sensor. The dimensions of this sensor are 700 μm in length, 100 μm in width and 12 μm in thickness. These dimensions make its use convenient with many microscale applications, notably its integration in a microgripper. The fabricated sensor is calibrated using an industrial force sensor. The design, microfabrication process and performances of the fabricated piezoresistive force sensor are innovative thanks to its resolution of 100 nN and its measurement range of 2 mN. This force sensor also presents a high signal-to-noise ratio, typically 50 dB when a 2 mN force is applied at the tip of the force sensor. (paper)

Electrothermal modeling, fabrication and analysis of low-power consumption thermal actuator with buckling arm

KAUST Repository

So, Hongyun

2013-10-31

© 2013, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. This paper reports on a novel thermal actuator with sub-micron metallic structures and a buckling arm to operate with low voltages and to generate very large deflections, respectively. A lumped electrothermal model and analysis were also developed to validate the mechanical design and easily predict the temperature distribution along arms of the sub-micron actuator. The actuator was fabricated via the combination of electron beam lithography to form actuator arms with a minimum feature size of 200 nm and lift-off process to deposit a high aspect ratio nickel structure. Reproducible displacements of up to 1.9 μm at the tip were observed up to 250 mV under confocal microscope. The experimentally measured deflection values and theoretically calculated temperature distribution by the developed model were compared with finite element analysis results and they were in good agreement. This study shows a promising approach to develop more sophisticated nano actuators required larger deflections for manipulation of sub-micron scale objects with low-power consumption.

Silicon detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klanner, R.

1984-08-01

The status and recent progress of silicon detectors for high energy physics is reviewed. Emphasis is put on detectors with high spatial resolution and the use of silicon detectors in calorimeters. (orig.)

FTIR studies of swift silicon and oxygen ion irradiated porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhave, Tejashree M.; Hullavarad, S.S.; Bhoraskar, S.V.; Hegde, S.G.; Kanjilal, D.

1999-01-01

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy has been used to study the bond restructuring in silicon and oxygen irradiated porous silicon. Boron doped p-type (1 1 1) porous silicon was irradiated with 10 MeV silicon and a 14 MeV oxygen ions at different doses ranging between 10 12 and 10 14 ions cm -2 . The yield of PL in porous silicon irradiated samples was observed to increase considerably while in oxygen irradiated samples it was seen to improve only by a small extent for lower doses whereas it decreased for higher doses. The results were interpreted in view of the relative intensities of the absorption peaks associated with O-Si-H and Si-H stretch bonds

Annealing temperature dependence of photoluminescent characteristics of silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon-rich silicon nitride films grown by PECVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, D.S.; Liang, J.H.

2013-01-01

Recently, light emission from silicon nanostructures has gained great interest due to its promising potential of realizing silicon-based optoelectronic applications. In this study, luminescent silicon nanocrystals (Si–NCs) were in situ synthesized in silicon-rich silicon nitride (SRSN) films grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). SRSN films with various excess silicon contents were deposited by adjusting SiH 4 flow rate to 100 and 200 sccm and keeping NH 3 one at 40 sccm, and followed by furnace annealing (FA) treatments at 600, 850 and 1100 °C for 1 h. The effects of excess silicon content and post-annealing temperature on optical properties of Si–NCs were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The origins of two groups of PL peaks found in this study can be attributed to defect-related interface states and quantum confinement effects (QCE). Defect-related interface states lead to the photon energy levels almost kept constant at about 3.4 eV, while QCE results in visible and tunable PL emission in the spectral range of yellow and blue light which depends on excess silicon content and post-annealing temperature. In addition, PL intensity was also demonstrated to be highly correlative to the excess silicon content and post-annealing temperature due to its corresponding effects on size, density, crystallinity, and surface passivation of Si–NCs. Considering the trade-off between surface passivation and structural properties of Si–NCs, an optimal post-annealing temperature of 600 °C was suggested to maximize the PL intensity of the SRSN films

Laser-induced fluorescence of se, as, and sb in an electrothermal atomizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Swart, D J; Ezer, M; Pacquette, H L; Simeonsson, J B

1998-04-01

Trace detection of Se, As, and Sb atoms has been performed by electrothermal atomization laser-induced fluorescence (ETA-LIF) approaches. Production of far-UV radiation necessary for excitation of As atoms at 193.696 nm and Se atoms at 196.026 nm was accomplished by stimulated Raman shifting (SRS) of the output of a frequency-doubled dye laser operating near 230 nm. Both wavelengths were obtained as second-order anti-Stokes shifts of the dye laser radiation and provided up to 10 μJ/pulse, which was shown through power dependence studies to be sufficient for saturation in the ETA. An excited-state direct line fluorescence approach using excitation at 206.279 nm was also investigated for the LIF detection of Se. High-sensitivity LIF of Sb atoms was accomplished using 206.833-nm excitation and detection at 259.805 nm. The accuracy of the ETA-LIF approaches was demonstrated by determining the As and Se content of aqueous reference samples. The limits of detection (absolute mass) were 200 fg by ground-state LIF and 150 fg by excited-state direct line fluorescence for Se, 200 fg for As, and 10 fg for Sb; these LODs compare favorably with results reported previously in the literature for ETA-LIF, GFAAS, and ICP-MS methods.

Strategies for doped nanocrystalline silicon integration in silicon heterojunction solar cells

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Seif, J.; Descoeudres, A.; Nogay, G.; Hänni, S.; de Nicolas, S.M.; Holm, N.; Geissbühler, J.; Hessler-Wyser, A.; Duchamp, M.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.E.; Ledinský, Martin; De Wolf, S.; Ballif, C.

2016-01-01

Roč. 6, č. 5 (2016), s. 1132-1140 ISSN 2156-3381 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LM2015087 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : microcrystalline silicon * nanocrystalline silicon * silicon heterojunctions (SHJs) * solar cells Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.712, year: 2016

Periodically poled silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Hon, Nick K.; Tsia, Kevin K.; Solli, Daniel R.; Khurgin, Jacob B.; Jalali, Bahram

2010-02-01

Bulk centrosymmetric silicon lacks second-order optical nonlinearity χ(2) - a foundational component of nonlinear optics. Here, we propose a new class of photonic device which enables χ(2) as well as quasi-phase matching based on periodic stress fields in silicon - periodically-poled silicon (PePSi). This concept adds the periodic poling capability to silicon photonics, and allows the excellent crystal quality and advanced manufacturing capabilities of silicon to be harnessed for devices based on χ(2)) effects. The concept can also be simply achieved by having periodic arrangement of stressed thin films along a silicon waveguide. As an example of the utility, we present simulations showing that mid-wave infrared radiation can be efficiently generated through difference frequency generation from near-infrared with a conversion efficiency of 50% based on χ(2) values measurements for strained silicon reported in the literature [Jacobson et al. Nature 441, 199 (2006)]. The use of PePSi for frequency conversion can also be extended to terahertz generation. With integrated piezoelectric material, dynamically control of χ(2)nonlinearity in PePSi waveguide may also be achieved. The successful realization of PePSi based devices depends on the strength of the stress induced χ(2) in silicon. Presently, there exists a significant discrepancy in the literature between the theoretical and experimentally measured values. We present a simple theoretical model that produces result consistent with prior theoretical works and use this model to identify possible reasons for this discrepancy.

Efficiency Enhancement of Silicon Solar Cells by Porous Silicon Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenijus SHATKOVSKIS

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Silicon solar cells produced by a usual technology in p-type, crystalline silicon wafer were investigated. The manufactured solar cells were of total thickness 450 mm, the junction depth was of 0.5 mm – 0.7 mm. Porous silicon technologies were adapted to enhance cell efficiency. The production of porous silicon layer was carried out in HF: ethanol = 1 : 2 volume ratio electrolytes, illuminating by 50 W halogen lamps at the time of processing. The etching current was computer-controlled in the limits of (6 ÷ 14 mA/cm2, etching time was set in the interval of (10 ÷ 20 s. The characteristics and performance of the solar cells samples was carried out illuminating by Xenon 5000 K lamp light. Current-voltage characteristic studies have shown that porous silicon structures produced affect the extent of dark and lighting parameters of the samples. Exactly it affects current-voltage characteristic and serial resistance of the cells. It has shown, the formation of porous silicon structure causes an increase in the electric power created of solar cell. Conversion efficiency increases also respectively to the initial efficiency of cell. Increase of solar cell maximum power in 15 or even more percent is found. The highest increase in power have been observed in the spectral range of Dl @ (450 ÷ 850 nm, where ~ 60 % of the A1.5 spectra solar energy is located. It has been demonstrated that porous silicon technology is effective tool to improve the silicon solar cells performance.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.18.3.2428

Chiral silicon nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schubert, E.; Fahlteich, J.; Hoeche, Th.; Wagner, G.; Rauschenbach, B.

2006-01-01

Glancing angle ion beam assisted deposition is used for the growth of amorphous silicon nanospirals onto [0 0 1] silicon substrates in a temperature range from room temperature to 475 deg. C. The nanostructures are post-growth annealed in an argon atmosphere at various temperatures ranging from 400 deg. C to 800 deg. C. Recrystallization of silicon within the persisting nanospiral configuration is demonstrated for annealing temperatures above 800 deg. C. Transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize the silicon samples prior and after temperature treatment

The chemistry of silicon

CERN Document Server

Rochow, E G; Emeléus, H J; Nyholm, Ronald

1975-01-01

Pergamon Texts in Organic Chemistry, Volume 9: The Chemistry of Silicon presents information essential in understanding the chemical properties of silicon. The book first covers the fundamental aspects of silicon, such as its nuclear, physical, and chemical properties. The text also details the history of silicon, its occurrence and distribution, and applications. Next, the selection enumerates the compounds and complexes of silicon, along with organosilicon compounds. The text will be of great interest to chemists and chemical engineers. Other researchers working on research study involving s

Study on the graphene/silicon Schottky diodes by transferring graphene transparent electrodes on silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xiaojuan; Li, Dong; Zhang, Qichong; Zou, Liping; Wang, Fengli; Zhou, Jun; Zhang, Zengxing

2015-01-01

Graphene/silicon heterostructures present a Schottky characteristic and have potential applications for solar cells and photodetectors. Here, we fabricated graphene/silicon heterostructures by using chemical vapor deposition derived graphene and n-type silicon, and studied the electronic and optoelectronic properties through varying their interface and silicon resistivity. The results exhibit that the properties of the fabricated configurations can be effectively modulated. The graphene/silicon heterostructures with a Si (111) interface and high resistivity show a better photovoltaic behavior and should be applied for high-performance photodetectors. With the combined atomic force microscopy and theoretical analysis, the possible origination is discussed. The work here should be helpful on exploring high-performance graphene/silicon photoelectronics. - Highlights: • Different graphene/silicon heterostructures were fabricated. • Electronic and optoelectronic properties of the heterostructures were studied. • Graphene/silicon heterostructures were further explored for photodetectors.

Study on the graphene/silicon Schottky diodes by transferring graphene transparent electrodes on silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaojuan [MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-structured Materials & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); School of Physics and Electronics, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004 (China); Li, Dong; Zhang, Qichong; Zou, Liping; Wang, Fengli [MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-structured Materials & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Zhou, Jun, E-mail: zhoujunzhou@tongji.edu.cn [Center for Phononics and Thermal Energy Science, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Zhang, Zengxing, E-mail: zhangzx@tongji.edu.cn [MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-structured Materials & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China)

2015-10-01

Graphene/silicon heterostructures present a Schottky characteristic and have potential applications for solar cells and photodetectors. Here, we fabricated graphene/silicon heterostructures by using chemical vapor deposition derived graphene and n-type silicon, and studied the electronic and optoelectronic properties through varying their interface and silicon resistivity. The results exhibit that the properties of the fabricated configurations can be effectively modulated. The graphene/silicon heterostructures with a Si (111) interface and high resistivity show a better photovoltaic behavior and should be applied for high-performance photodetectors. With the combined atomic force microscopy and theoretical analysis, the possible origination is discussed. The work here should be helpful on exploring high-performance graphene/silicon photoelectronics. - Highlights: • Different graphene/silicon heterostructures were fabricated. • Electronic and optoelectronic properties of the heterostructures were studied. • Graphene/silicon heterostructures were further explored for photodetectors.

Irradiation effects of swift heavy ions on gallium arsenide, silicon and silicon diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhoraskar, V.N.

2001-01-01

The irradiation effects of high energy lithium, boron, oxygen and silicon ions on crystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, porous silicon and silicon diodes were investigated. The ion energy and fluence were varied over the ranges 30 to 100 MeV and 10 11 to 10 14 ions/cm 2 respectively. Semiconductor samples were characterized with the x-ray fluorescence, photoluminescence, thermally stimulated exo-electron emission and optical reflectivity techniques. The life-time of minority carriers in crystalline silicon was measured with a pulsed electron beam and the lithium depth distribution in GaAs was measured with the neutron depth profiling technique. The diodes were characterized through electrical measurements. The results of optical reflectivity, life-time of minority carriers and photoluminescence show that swift heavy ions induce defects in the surface region of crystalline silicon. In the ion-irradiated GaAs, migration of silicon, oxygen and lithium atoms from the buried region towards the surface was observed, with orders of magnitude enhancement in the diffusion coefficients. Enhancement in the photoluminescence intensity was observed in the GaAs and porous silicon samples that, were irradiated with silicon ions. The trade-off between the turn-off time and the voltage, drop in diodes irradiated with different swift heavy ions was also studied. (author)

Analytical and experimental evaluation of joining silicon carbide to silicon carbide and silicon nitride to silicon nitride for advanced heat engine applications Phase 2. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundberg, G.J.; Vartabedian, A.M.; Wade, J.A.; White, C.S. [Norton Co., Northboro, MA (United States). Advanced Ceramics Div.

1994-10-01

The purpose of joining, Phase 2 was to develop joining technologies for HIP`ed Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} with 4wt% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (NCX-5101) and for a siliconized SiC (NT230) for various geometries including: butt joins, curved joins and shaft to disk joins. In addition, more extensive mechanical characterization of silicon nitride joins to enhance the predictive capabilities of the analytical/numerical models for structural components in advanced heat engines was provided. Mechanical evaluation were performed by: flexure strength at 22 C and 1,370 C, stress rupture at 1,370 C, high temperature creep, 22 C tensile testing and spin tests. While the silicon nitride joins were produced with sufficient integrity for many applications, the lower join strength would limit its use in the more severe structural applications. Thus, the silicon carbide join quality was deemed unsatisfactory to advance to more complex, curved geometries. The silicon carbide joining methods covered within this contract, although not entirely successful, have emphasized the need to focus future efforts upon ways to obtain a homogeneous, well sintered parent/join interface prior to siliconization. In conclusion, the improved definition of the silicon carbide joining problem obtained by efforts during this contract have provided avenues for future work that could successfully obtain heat engine quality joins.

Hydrogen in amorphous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peercy, P.S.

1980-01-01

The structural aspects of amorphous silicon and the role of hydrogen in this structure are reviewed with emphasis on ion implantation studies. In amorphous silicon produced by Si ion implantation of crystalline silicon, the material reconstructs into a metastable amorphous structure which has optical and electrical properties qualitatively similar to the corresponding properties in high-purity evaporated amorphous silicon. Hydrogen studies further indicate that these structures will accomodate less than or equal to 5 at.% hydrogen and this hydrogen is bonded predominantly in a monohydride (SiH 1 ) site. Larger hydrogen concentrations than this can be achieved under certain conditions, but the excess hydrogen may be attributed to defects and voids in the material. Similarly, glow discharge or sputter deposited amorphous silicon has more desirable electrical and optical properties when the material is prepared with low hydrogen concentration and monohydride bonding. Results of structural studies and hydrogen incorporation in amorphous silicon were discussed relative to the different models proposed for amorphous silicon

A convenient way of manufacturing silicon nanotubes on a silicon substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Changchang; Cheng, Heming; Liu, Xiang, E-mail: liuxiang@ahut.edu.cn

2016-07-01

A convenient approach of preparing silicon nanotubes (SiNTs) on a silicon substrate is described in this work in detail. Firstly, a porous silicon (PSi) slice is prepared by a galvanic displacement reaction. Then it is put into aqueous solutions of 20% (w%) ammonium fluoride and 2.5 mM cobalt nitrate for a predetermined time. The cobalt ions are reduced and the resulted cobalt particles are deposited on the PSi slice. After the cobalt particles are removed with 5 M nitric acid a plenty of SiNTs come out and exhibit disorderly on the silicon substrate, which are illustrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The compositions of the SiNTs are examined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Based on the SEM images, a suggested mechanism is put forward to explain the generation of the SiNTs on the PSi substrate. - Highlights: • A facile approach of preparing silicon nano tubes was invented. • The experimental results demonstrated the strong reducibility of Si-H{sub x} species. • It provided a new way of manufacturing silicon-contained hybrids.

Design and Characterization of a Sensorized Microfluidic Cell-Culture System with Electro-Thermal Micro-Pumps and Sensors for Cell Adhesion, Oxygen, and pH on a Glass Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian M. Bonk

2015-07-01

Full Text Available We combined a multi-sensor glass-chip with a microfluidic channel grid for the characterization of cellular behavior. The grid was imprinted in poly-dimethyl-siloxane. Mouse-embryonal/fetal calvaria fibroblasts (MC3T3-E1 were used as a model system. Thin-film platinum (Pt sensors for respiration (amperometric oxygen electrode, acidification (potentiometric pH electrodes and cell adhesion (interdigitated-electrodes structures, IDES allowed us to monitor cell-physiological parameters as well as the cell-spreading behavior. Two on-chip electro-thermal micro-pumps (ETμPs permitted the induction of medium flow in the system, e.g., for medium mixing and drug delivery. The glass-wafer technology ensured the microscopic observability of the on-chip cell culture. Connecting Pt structures were passivated by a 1.2 μm layer of silicon nitride (Si3N4. Thin Si3N4 layers (20 nm or 60 nm were used as the sensitive material of the pH electrodes. These electrodes showed a linear behavior in the pH range from 4 to 9, with a sensitivity of up to 39 mV per pH step. The oxygen sensors were circular Pt electrodes with a sensor area of 78.5 μm2. Their sensitivity was 100 pA per 1% oxygen increase in the range from 0% to 21% oxygen (air saturated. Two different IDES geometries with 30- and 50-μm finger spacings showed comparable sensitivities in detecting the proliferation rate of MC3T3 cells. These cells were cultured for 11 days in vitro to test the biocompatibility, microfluidics and electric sensors of our system under standard laboratory conditions.

Development of Radiation Hard Radiation Detectors, Differences between Czochralski Silicon and Float Zone Silicon

CERN Document Server

Tuominen, Eija

2012-01-01

The purpose of this work was to develop radiation hard silicon detectors. Radiation detectors made ofsilicon are cost effective and have excellent position resolution. Therefore, they are widely used fortrack finding and particle analysis in large high-energy physics experiments. Silicon detectors willalso be used in the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment that is being built at the LHC (LargeHadron Collider) accelerator at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research). This work wasdone in the CMS programme of Helsinki Institute of Physics (HIP).Exposure of the silicon material to particle radiation causes irreversible defects that deteriorate theperformance of the silicon detectors. In HIP CMS Programme, our approach was to improve theradiation hardness of the silicon material with increased oxygen concentration in silicon material. Westudied two different methods: diffusion oxygenation of Float Zone silicon and use of high resistivityCzochralski silicon.We processed, characterised, tested in a parti...

Characterization of an electrothermal plasma source for fusion transient simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Gebhart, T. E.; Baylor, L. R.; Rapp, J.; Winfrey, A. L.

2018-01-01

The realization of fusion energy requires materials that can withstand high heat and particle fluxes at the plasma material interface. In this work, an electrothermal (ET) plasma source has been designed as a transient heat flux source for a linear plasma material interaction device. An ET plasma source operates in the ablative arc regime driven by a DC capacitive discharge. The current channel width is defined by the 4 mm bore of a boron nitride liner. At large plasma currents, the arc impacts the liner wall, leading to high particle and heat fluxes to the liner material, which subsequently ablates and ionizes. This results in a high density plasma with a large unidirectional bulk flow out of the source exit. The pulse length for the ET source has been optimized using a pulse forming network to have durations of 1 and 2 ms. The peak currents and maximum source energies seen in this system are 1.9 kA and 1.2 kJ for the 2 ms pulse and 3.2 kA and 2.1 kJ for the 1 ms pulse, respectively. This work is a proof of the principal project to show that an ET source produces electron densities and heat fluxes comparable to those anticipated in transient events in large future magnetic confinement fusion devices. Heat flux, plasma temperature, and plasma density were determined for each shot using infrared imaging and optical spectroscopy techniques. This paper will discuss the assumptions, methods, and results of the experiments.

Methods To Determine the Silicone Oil Layer Thickness in Sprayed-On Siliconized Syringes.

Science.gov (United States)

Loosli, Viviane; Germershaus, Oliver; Steinberg, Henrik; Dreher, Sascha; Grauschopf, Ulla; Funke, Stefanie

2018-01-01

The silicone lubricant layer in prefilled syringes has been investigated with regards to siliconization process performance, prefilled syringe functionality, and drug product attributes, such as subvisible particle levels, in several studies in the past. However, adequate methods to characterize the silicone oil layer thickness and distribution are limited, and systematic evaluation is missing. In this study, white light interferometry was evaluated to close this gap in method understanding. White light interferometry demonstrated a good accuracy of 93-99% for MgF 2 coated, curved standards covering a thickness range of 115-473 nm. Thickness measurements for sprayed-on siliconized prefilled syringes with different representative silicone oil distribution patterns (homogeneous, pronounced siliconization at flange or needle side, respectively) showed high instrument (0.5%) and analyst precision (4.1%). Different white light interferometry instrument parameters (autofocus, protective shield, syringe barrel dimensions input, type of non-siliconized syringe used as base reference) had no significant impact on the measured average layer thickness. The obtained values from white light interferometry applying a fully developed method (12 radial lines, 50 mm measurement distance, 50 measurements points) were in agreement with orthogonal results from combined white and laser interferometry and 3D-laser scanning microscopy. The investigated syringe batches (lot A and B) exhibited comparable longitudinal silicone oil layer thicknesses ranging from 170-190 nm to 90-100 nm from flange to tip and homogeneously distributed silicone layers over the syringe barrel circumference (110- 135 nm). Empty break-loose (4-4.5 N) and gliding forces (2-2.5 N) were comparably low for both analyzed syringe lots. A silicone oil layer thickness of 100-200 nm was thus sufficient for adequate functionality in this particular study. Filling the syringe with a surrogate solution including short

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ELECTROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SILICON-SILICON DIOXIDE INTERFACE USING PROBE ELECTROMETRY METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. А. Pilipenko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction of submicron design standards into microelectronic industry and a decrease of the gate dielectric thickness raise the importance of the analysis of microinhomogeneities in the silicon-silicon dioxide system. However, there is very little to no information on practical implementation of probe electrometry methods, and particularly scanning Kelvin probe method, in the interoperational control of real semiconductor manufacturing process. The purpose of the study was the development of methods for nondestructive testing of semiconductor wafers based on the determination of electrophysical properties of the silicon-silicon dioxide interface and their spatial distribution over wafer’s surface using non-contact probe electrometry methods.Traditional C-V curve analysis and scanning Kelvin probe method were used to characterize silicon- silicon dioxide interface. The samples under testing were silicon wafers of KEF 4.5 and KDB 12 type (orientation <100>, diameter 100 mm.Probe electrometry results revealed uniform spatial distribution of wafer’s surface potential after its preliminary rapid thermal treatment. Silicon-silicon dioxide electric potential values were also higher after treatment than before it. This potential growth correlates with the drop in interface charge density. At the same time local changes in surface potential indicate changes in surface layer structure.Probe electrometry results qualitatively reflect changes of interface charge density in silicon-silicon dioxide structure during its technological treatment. Inhomogeneities of surface potential distribution reflect inhomogeneity of damaged layer thickness and can be used as a means for localization of interface treatment defects.

Silicon microphotonic waveguides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ta'eed, V.; Steel, M.J.; Grillet, C.; Eggleton, B.; Du, J.; Glasscock, J.; Savvides, N.

2004-01-01

Full text: Silicon microphotonic devices have been drawing increasing attention in the past few years. The high index-difference between silicon and its oxide (Δn = 2) suggests a potential for high-density integration of optical functions on to a photonic chip. Additionally, it has been shown that silicon exhibits strong Raman nonlinearity, a necessary property as light interaction can occur only by means of nonlinearities in the propagation medium. The small dimensions of silicon waveguides require the design of efficient tapers to couple light to them. We have used the beam propagation method (RSoft BeamPROP) to understand the principles and design of an inverse-taper mode-converter as implemented in several recent papers. We report on progress in the design and fabrication of silicon-based waveguides. Preliminary work has been conducted by patterning silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers using optical lithography and reactive ion etching. Thus far, only rib waveguides have been designed, as single-mode ridge-waveguides are beyond the capabilities of conventional optical lithography. We have recently moved to electron beam lithography as the higher resolutions permitted will provide the flexibility to begin fabricating sub-micron waveguides

A large-strain, fast-response, and easy-to-manufacture electrothermal actuator based on laser-reduced graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tian-Yu; Wang, Qian; Deng, Ning-Qin; Zhao, Hai-Ming; Wang, Dan-Yang; Yang, Zhen; Liu, Ying; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling

2017-09-01

In this paper, we have developed a high-performance graphene electrothermal actuator (ETA). The fabrication method is easy, fast, environmentally friendly, and suitable for preparing both large-size and miniature graphene ETAs. When applied with the driving voltage of 65 V, the graphene ETA achieves a large bending angle of 270° with a fast response of 8 s and the recovery process costs 19 s. The large bending deformation is reversible and can be precisely controlled by the driving voltage. A simple robotic hand prepared by using a single graphene ETA can hold the object, which is more than ten times the weight of itself. By virtue of its large-strain, fast response, and easy-to-manufacture, we believe that the graphene ETA has tremendous potential in extensive applications involving biomimetic robotics, artificial muscles, switches, and microsensors in both macroscopic and microscopic fields.

Laser-induced fluorescence with an OPO system. Part II: direct determination of lead content in seawater by electrothermal atomization-laser-excited atomic fluorescence (ETA-LEAF).

Science.gov (United States)

Le Bihan, A; Lijour, Y; Giamarchi, P; Burel-Deschamps, L; Stephan, L

2003-03-01

Fluorescence was induced by coupling a laser with an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to develop an analytical method for the direct determination of lead content, at ultra-trace level, in seawater by electrothermal atomization-laser-excited atomic fluorescence (ETA-LEAF). The optimization of atomization conditions, laser pulse energy, and mainly temporal parameters allowed us to reach a 3 fg detection limit (0.3 ng L(-1)) despite the low repetition rate of the device. The expected error on predicted concentrations of lead, at trace levels, in seawater was below 15%.

Ceramic silicon-boron-carbon fibers from organic silicon-boron-polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Riccitiello, Salvatore R. (Inventor); Hsu, Ming-Ta S. (Inventor); Chen, Timothy S. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Novel high strength ceramic fibers derived from boron, silicon, and carbon organic precursor polymers are discussed. The ceramic fibers are thermally stable up to and beyond 1200 C in air. The method of preparation of the boron-silicon-carbon fibers from a low oxygen content organosilicon boron precursor polymer of the general formula Si(R2)BR(sup 1) includes melt-spinning, crosslinking, and pyrolysis. Specifically, the crosslinked (or cured) precursor organic polymer fibers do not melt or deform during pyrolysis to form the silicon-boron-carbon ceramic fiber. These novel silicon-boron-carbon ceramic fibers are useful in high temperature applications because they retain tensile and other properties up to 1200 C, from 1200 to 1300 C, and in some cases higher than 1300 C.

Catastrophic degradation of the interface of epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon at high temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradeepkumar, Aiswarya; Mishra, Neeraj; Kermany, Atieh Ranjbar; Iacopi, Francesca [Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre and Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111 (Australia); Boeckl, John J. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433 (United States); Hellerstedt, Jack; Fuhrer, Michael S. [Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800 (Australia)

2016-07-04

Epitaxial cubic silicon carbide on silicon is of high potential technological relevance for the integration of a wide range of applications and materials with silicon technologies, such as micro electro mechanical systems, wide-bandgap electronics, and graphene. The hetero-epitaxial system engenders mechanical stresses at least up to a GPa, pressures making it extremely challenging to maintain the integrity of the silicon carbide/silicon interface. In this work, we investigate the stability of said interface and we find that high temperature annealing leads to a loss of integrity. High–resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis shows a morphologically degraded SiC/Si interface, while mechanical stress measurements indicate considerable relaxation of the interfacial stress. From an electrical point of view, the diode behaviour of the initial p-Si/n-SiC junction is catastrophically lost due to considerable inter-diffusion of atoms and charges across the interface upon annealing. Temperature dependent transport measurements confirm a severe electrical shorting of the epitaxial silicon carbide to the underlying substrate, indicating vast predominance of the silicon carriers in lateral transport above 25 K. This finding has crucial consequences on the integration of epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon and its potential applications.

Memory characteristics of silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals as a charge trapping layer of nonvolatile memory devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sangmoo; Yang, Hyundeok; Chang, Man; Baek, Sungkweon; Hwang, Hyunsang; Jeon, Sanghun; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Chungwoo

2005-01-01

Silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals formed by low-energy silicon plasma immersion ion implantation has been investigated as a charge trapping layer of a polycrystalline silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon-type nonvolatile memory device. Compared with the control sample without silicon nanocrystals, silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals provides excellent memory characteristics, such as larger width of capacitance-voltage hysteresis, higher program/erase speed, and lower charge loss rate at elevated temperature. These improved memory characteristics are derived by incorporation of silicon nanocrystals into the charge trapping layer as additional accessible charge traps with a deeper effective trap energy level

Investigation of ceramic materials using ICP-AES with external electrothermal vaporization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reisch, M.; Gartz, R.; Mazurkiewicz, M.; Nickel, H.

1989-01-01

The evaporation and excitation processes for several trace elements in ceramic powders are studied. The advantages of an electrothermal vaporization are the easier preparation, no dilution and a shorter experiment duration. The investigated ceramic powders consist of synthetic mixtures including the systems Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 -MgO. The trace elements are bound as oxides. The evaporation is monitored by 59 Fe and 115 Cd. Since the evaporation rates are measured in addition to line intensities, the influence of various parameters on evaporation as well as on excitation processes can be individually examined. The influence of matrix composition is determined. It is found that melting and sintering processes of the matrix are of great importance for the evaporation of trace elements. Thus the best results are obtained when trace elements evaporate below the melting temperature of the matrix. Therefore the addition of thermochemical substances is necessary for several elements of low volatility. In the case of highly volatile elements, for example Cd, additives seemed to have only a small influence on the volatilization rate. Accordingly, only the excitation is affected. For example, the evaporation rate of Cd is constant through the whole Al 2 O 3 -MgO system. The measured line intensity of Cd is also constant within a large range of MgO content. The evaporation rate and line intensity of Fe decrease linearly with MgO concentration. (author)

Use of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2% for removing adherent silicone oil from silicone intraocular lenses

OpenAIRE

Wong , S Chien; Ramkissoon , Yashin D; Lopez , Mauricio; Page , Kristopher; Parkin , Ivan P; Sullivan , Paul M

2009-01-01

Abstract Background / aims: To investigate the effect of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) on the physical interaction (contact angle) between silicone oil and a silicone intraocular lens (IOL). Methods: In vitro experiments were performed, to determine the effect of HPMC (0.5%, 1% or 2%), with or without an additional simple mechanical manoeuvre, on the contact angle of silicone oil at the surface of both silicone and acrylic (control) IOLs. A balanced salt solu...

Single-Event Effects in Silicon and Silicon Carbide Power Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Casey, Megan C.; LaBel, Kenneth A.; Topper, Alyson D.; Wilcox, Edward P.; Kim, Hak; Phan, Anthony M.

2014-01-01

NASA Electronics Parts and Packaging program-funded activities over the past year on single-event effects in silicon and silicon carbide power devices are presented, with focus on SiC device failure signatures.

Porous Silicon Nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Yongquan; Zhou, Hailong; Duan, Xiangfeng

2011-01-01

In this minreview, we summarize recent progress in the synthesis, properties and applications of a new type of one-dimensional nanostructures — single crystalline porous silicon nanowires. The growth of porous silicon nanowires starting from both p- and n-type Si wafers with a variety of dopant concentrations can be achieved through either one-step or two-step reactions. The mechanistic studies indicate the dopant concentration of Si wafers, oxidizer concentration, etching time and temperature can affect the morphology of the as-etched silicon nanowires. The porous silicon nanowires are both optically and electronically active and have been explored for potential applications in diverse areas including photocatalysis, lithium ion battery, gas sensor and drug delivery. PMID:21869999

Formation of multiple levels of porous silicon for buried insulators and conductors in silicon device technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Blewer, Robert S.; Gullinger, Terry R.; Kelly, Michael J.; Tsao, Sylvia S.

1991-01-01

A method of forming a multiple level porous silicon substrate for semiconductor integrated circuits including anodizing non-porous silicon layers of a multi-layer silicon substrate to form multiple levels of porous silicon. At least one porous silicon layer is then oxidized to form an insulating layer and at least one other layer of porous silicon beneath the insulating layer is metallized to form a buried conductive layer. Preferably the insulating layer and conductive layer are separated by an anodization barrier formed of non-porous silicon. By etching through the anodization barrier and subsequently forming a metallized conductive layer, a fully or partially insulated buried conductor may be fabricated under single crystal silicon.

Silicon: electrochemistry and luminescence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kooij, Ernst Stefan

1997-01-01

The electrochemistry of crystalline and porous silicon and the luminescence from porous silicon has been studied. One chapter deals with a model for the anodic dissolution of silicon in HF solution. In following chapters both the electrochemistry and various ways of generating visible

Polycrystalline Silicon Gettered by Porous Silicon and Heavy Phosphorous Diffusion

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Zuming(刘祖明); Souleymane K Traore; ZHANG Zhongwen(张忠文); LUO Yi(罗毅)

2004-01-01

The biggest barrier for photovoltaic (PV) utilization is its high cost, so the key for scale PV utilization is to further decrease the cost of solar cells. One way to improve the efficiency, and therefore lower the cost, is to increase the minority carrier lifetime by controlling the material defects. The main defects in grain boundaries of polycrystalline silicon gettered by porous silicon and heavy phosphorous diffusion have been studied. The porous silicon was formed on the two surfaces of wafers by chemical etching. Phosphorous was then diffused into the wafers at high temperature (900℃). After the porous silicon and diffusion layers were removed, the minority carrier lifetime was measured by photo-conductor decay. The results show that the lifetime's minority carriers are increased greatly after such treatment.

Application of transient burning rate model of solid propellant in electrothermal-chemical launch simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-jie Ni

2016-04-01

Full Text Available A 30 mm electrothermal-chemical (ETC gun experimental system is employed to research the burning rate characteristics of 4/7 high-nitrogen solid propellant. Enhanced gas generation rates (EGGR of propellants during and after electrical discharges are verified in the experiments. A modified 0D internal ballistic model is established to simulate the ETC launch. According to the measured pressure and electrical parameters, a transient burning rate law including the influence of EGGR coefficient by electric power and pressure gradient (dp/dt is added into the model. The EGGR coefficient of 4/7 high-nitrogen solid propellant is equal to 0.005 MW−1. Both simulated breech pressure and projectile muzzle velocity accord with the experimental results well. Compared with Woodley's modified burning rate law, the breech pressure curves acquired by the transient burning rate law are more consistent with test results. Based on the parameters calculated in the model, the relationship among propellant burning rate, pressure gradient (dp/dt and electric power is analyzed. Depending on the transient burning rate law and experimental data, the burning of solid propellant under the condition of plasma is described more accurately.

Thermoelectric characteristics of Pt-silicide/silicon multi-layer structured p-type silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Wonchul; Jun, Dongseok; Kim, Soojung; Shin, Mincheol; Jang, Moongyu

2015-01-01

Electric and thermoelectric properties of silicide/silicon multi-layer structured devices were investigated with the variation of silicide/silicon heterojunction numbers from 3 to 12 layers. For the fabrication of silicide/silicon multi-layered structure, platinum and silicon layers are repeatedly sputtered on the (100) silicon bulk substrate and rapid thermal annealing is carried out for the silicidation. The manufactured devices show ohmic current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. The Seebeck coefficient of bulk Si is evaluated as 195.8 ± 15.3 μV/K at 300 K, whereas the 12 layered silicide/silicon multi-layer structured device is evaluated as 201.8 ± 9.1 μV/K. As the temperature increases to 400 K, the Seebeck coefficient increases to 237.2 ± 4.7 μV/K and 277.0 ± 1.1 μV/K for bulk and 12 layered devices, respectively. The increase of Seebeck coefficient in multi-layered structure is mainly attributed to the electron filtering effect due to the Schottky barrier at Pt-silicide/silicon interface. At 400 K, the thermal conductivity is reduced by about half of magnitude compared to bulk in multi-layered device which shows the efficient suppression of phonon propagation by using Pt-silicide/silicon hetero-junctions. - Highlights: • Silicide/silicon multi-layer structured is proposed for thermoelectric devices. • Electric and thermoelectric properties with the number of layer are investigated. • An increase of Seebeck coefficient is mainly attributed the Schottky barrier. • Phonon propagation is suppressed with the existence of Schottky barrier. • Thermal conductivity is reduced due to the suppression of phonon propagation

Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, Methods Of Making Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, And Methods Of Using Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon

KAUST Repository

Chaieb, Sahraoui

2015-04-09

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of making a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of using a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, and the like.

Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, Methods Of Making Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, And Methods Of Using Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon

KAUST Repository

Chaieb, Saharoui; Mughal, Asad Jahangir

2015-01-01

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of making a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of using a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, and the like.

The effect of silicon crystallographic orientation on the formation of silicon nanoclusters during anodic electrochemical etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timokhov, D. F.; Timokhov, F. P.

2009-01-01

Possible ways for increasing the photoluminescence quantum yield of porous silicon layers have been investigated. The effect of the anodization parameters on the photoluminescence properties for porous silicon layers formed on silicon substrates with different crystallographic orientations was studied. The average diameters for silicon nanoclusters are calculated from the photoluminescence spectra of porous silicon. The influence of the substrate crystallographic orientation on the photoluminescence quantum yield of porous silicon is revealed. A model explaining the effect of the substrate orientation on the photoluminescence properties for the porous silicon layers formed by anode electrochemical etching is proposed.

Joining elements of silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, B.A.

1979-01-01

A method of joining together at least two silicon carbide elements (e.g.in forming a heat exchanger) is described, comprising subjecting to sufficiently non-oxidizing atmosphere and sufficiently high temperature, material placed in space between the elements. The material consists of silicon carbide particles, carbon and/or a precursor of carbon, and silicon, such that it forms a joint joining together at least two silicon carbide elements. At least one of the elements may contain silicon. (author)

Graphitized silicon carbide microbeams: wafer-level, self-aligned graphene on silicon wafers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunning, Benjamin V; Ahmed, Mohsin; Mishra, Neeraj; Kermany, Atieh Ranjbar; Iacopi, Francesca; Wood, Barry

2014-01-01

Currently proven methods that are used to obtain devices with high-quality graphene on silicon wafers involve the transfer of graphene flakes from a growth substrate, resulting in fundamental limitations for large-scale device fabrication. Moreover, the complex three-dimensional structures of interest for microelectromechanical and nanoelectromechanical systems are hardly compatible with such transfer processes. Here, we introduce a methodology for obtaining thousands of microbeams, made of graphitized silicon carbide on silicon, through a site-selective and wafer-scale approach. A Ni-Cu alloy catalyst mediates a self-aligned graphitization on prepatterned SiC microstructures at a temperature that is compatible with silicon technologies. The graphene nanocoating leads to a dramatically enhanced electrical conductivity, which elevates this approach to an ideal method for the replacement of conductive metal films in silicon carbide-based MEMS and NEMS devices. (paper)

Chemonucleolysis and intradiscal electrothermal therapy: What is the current evidence?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Relder-Puig, Rosemarie; Gyimesi, M.; Mittermayr, T.; Geiger-Gritsch, S.

2009-01-01

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of chemonucleolysis and intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) on the basis of the data presented in recently published papers with respect to pain relief, function, and complication rates. Detailed searches for English and German articles published between 2003 and 2008 were performed in a number of electronic databases. Further publications were identified by manual search. For summarizing the evidence, we considered only systematic reviews and controlled studies. The internal validity of reviews and studies was judged by two authors independently. Data extraction was performed by one author, and the extracted data was checked for completeness and correctness by a second author. The evidence of the efficacy of chemonucleolysis using chymopapain or collagenase is summarized in two recent, high-quality systematic reviews. We found 5 controlled studies evaluating nucleolysis using an oxygen-ozone mixture (O 2 O 3 -nucleolysis). Some of those studies were of limited methodological quality, but all showed the efficacy of O 2 O 3 -nucleolysis in comparison to microdiscectomy or the use of alternative substances. There is hardly any data regarding O 2 O 3 -nucleolysis complications. Regarding IDET, the authors of the 6 identified systematic reviews come to different conclusions about the efficacy of the procedure. The results of the 3 included controlled IDET studies, of which 2 are of high methodological quality, are also conflicting. The complication rates range from 0 to 15%. In summary, the evidence of efficacy is presently more compelling for chemonucleolysis than for IDET. This may also be because indications for chemonucleolysis are more firmly established. However, safety aspects should be better evaluated and presented in the literature. (orig.)

Use of porous silicon to minimize oxidation induced stacking fault defects in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shieh, S.Y.; Evans, J.W.

1992-01-01

This paper presents methods for minimizing stacking fault defects, generated during oxidation of silicon, include damaging the back of the wafer or depositing poly-silicon on the back. In either case a highly defective structure is created and this is capable of gettering either self-interstitials or impurities which promote nucleation of stacking fault defects. A novel method of minimizing these defects is to form a patch of porous silicon on the back of the wafer by electrochemical etching. Annealing under inert gas prior to oxidation may then result in the necessary gettering. Experiments were carried out in which wafers were subjected to this treatment. Subsequent to oxidation, the wafers were etched to remove oxide and reveal defects. The regions of the wafer adjacent to the porous silicon patch were defect-free, whereas remote regions had defects. Deep level transient spectroscopy has been used to examine the gettering capability of porous silicon, and the paper discusses the mechanism by which the porous silicon getters

Comparison of electrothermal atomization diode laser Zeeman- and wavelength-modulated atomic absorption and coherent forward scattering spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blecker, Carlo R.; Hermann, Gerd M.

2009-01-01

Atomic absorption and coherent forward scattering spectrometry by using a near-infrared diode laser with and without Zeeman and wavelength modulation were carried out with graphite furnace electrothermal atomization. Analytical curves and limits of detection were compared. The magnetic field was modulated with 50 Hz, and the wavelength of the diode laser with 10 kHz. Coherent forward scattering was measured with crossed and slightly uncrossed polarizers. The results show that the detection limits of atomic absorption spectrometry are roughly the same as those of coherent forward scattering spectrometry with crossed polarizers. According to the theory with bright flicker noise limited laser sources the detection limits and linear ranges obtained with coherent forward scattering spectrometry with slightly uncrossed polarizers are significantly better than those obtained with crossed polarizers and with atomic absorption spectrometry. This is due to the fact that employing approaches of polarization spectroscopy reduce laser intensity fluctuations to their signal carried fractions

Indentation fatigue in silicon nitride, alumina and silicon carbide ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Repeated indentation fatigue (RIF) experiments conducted on the same spot of different structural ceramics viz. a hot pressed silicon nitride (HPSN), sintered alumina of two different grain sizes viz. 1 m and 25 m, and a sintered silicon carbide (SSiC) are reported. The RIF experiments were conducted using a Vicker's ...

Silicon web process development

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.; Mchugh, J. P.; Skutch, M. E.; Driggers, J. M.; Hopkins, R. H.

1981-01-01

The silicon web process takes advantage of natural crystallographic stabilizing forces to grow long, thin single crystal ribbons directly from liquid silicon. The ribbon, or web, is formed by the solidification of a liquid film supported by surface tension between two silicon filaments, called dendrites, which border the edges of the growing strip. The ribbon can be propagated indefinitely by replenishing the liquid silicon as it is transformed to crystal. The dendritic web process has several advantages for achieving low cost, high efficiency solar cells. These advantages are discussed.

Characterization of silicon oxynitride films prepared by the simultaneous implantation of oxygen and nitrogen ions into silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hezel, R.; Streb, W.

1985-01-01

Silicon oxynitride films about 5 nm in thickness were prepared by simultaneously implanting 5 keV oxygen and nitrogen ions into silicon at room temperature up to saturation. These films with concentrations ranging from pure silicon oxide to silicon nitride were characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and depth-concentration profiling. The different behaviour of the silicon oxynitride films compared with those of silicon oxide and silicon nitride with regard to thermal stability and hardness against electron and argon ion irradiation is pointed out. (Auth.)

Silicon germanium mask for deep silicon etching

KAUST Repository

Serry, Mohamed

2014-07-29

Polycrystalline silicon germanium (SiGe) can offer excellent etch selectivity to silicon during cryogenic deep reactive ion etching in an SF.sub.6/O.sub.2 plasma. Etch selectivity of over 800:1 (Si:SiGe) may be achieved at etch temperatures from -80 degrees Celsius to -140 degrees Celsius. High aspect ratio structures with high resolution may be patterned into Si substrates using SiGe as a hard mask layer for construction of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices and semiconductor devices.

Silicon germanium mask for deep silicon etching

KAUST Repository

Serry, Mohamed; Rubin, Andrew; Refaat, Mohamed; Sedky, Sherif; Abdo, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Polycrystalline silicon germanium (SiGe) can offer excellent etch selectivity to silicon during cryogenic deep reactive ion etching in an SF.sub.6/O.sub.2 plasma. Etch selectivity of over 800:1 (Si:SiGe) may be achieved at etch temperatures from -80 degrees Celsius to -140 degrees Celsius. High aspect ratio structures with high resolution may be patterned into Si substrates using SiGe as a hard mask layer for construction of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices and semiconductor devices.

Evanescent field phase shifting in a silicon nitride waveguide using a coupled silicon slab

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Asger Sellerup; Oxenløwe, Leif Katsuo; Green, William M. J.

2015-01-01

An approach for electrical modulation of low-loss silicon nitride waveguides is proposed, using a silicon nitride waveguide evanescently loaded with a thin silicon slab. The thermooptic phase-shift characteristics are investigated in a racetrack resonator configuration....

Selective formation of porous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Fathauer, Robert W. (Inventor); Jones, Eric W. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A pattern of porous silicon is produced in the surface of a silicon substrate by forming a pattern of crystal defects in said surface, preferably by applying an ion milling beam through openings in a photoresist layer to the surface, and then exposing said surface to a stain etchant, such as HF:HNO3:H2O. The defected crystal will preferentially etch to form a pattern of porous silicon. When the amorphous content of the porous silicon exceeds 70 percent, the porous silicon pattern emits visible light at room temperature.

Modulation Doping of Silicon using Aluminium-induced Acceptor States in Silicon Dioxide

OpenAIRE

K?nig, Dirk; Hiller, Daniel; Gutsch, Sebastian; Zacharias, Margit; Smith, Sean

2017-01-01

All electronic, optoelectronic or photovoltaic applications of silicon depend on controlling majority charge carriers via doping with impurity atoms. Nanoscale silicon is omnipresent in fundamental research (quantum dots, nanowires) but also approached in future technology nodes of the microelectronics industry. In general, silicon nanovolumes, irrespective of their intended purpose, suffer from effects that impede conventional doping due to fundamental physical principles such as out-diffusi...

Determination of lead and cadmium in hen eggs by graphite france electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and estimation of the daily intake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqui, I.; Nizami, S.S.

2012-01-01

A total of 54 hen eggs were procured from nine poultry farms of Sindh, Pakistan in different batches to determine lead and cadmium toxicity. The quantitative analysis of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in egg samples were performed on electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (ETAAS), with Zeeman effects background correction. Lead concentrations in hen egg samples ranged from 0.027 to 1.056 micro g/g with a mean value of 0.283 micro g/g +- 0.86, whereas cadmium concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 0.012 micro g/g with a mean value of 0.003 micro g/g +-0.002. Lead concentrations exceeded the normal levels of 0.020 but cadmium was found lower than the normal levels of 0.005 micro g/g. (author)

Optical property of silicon quantum dots embedded in silicon nitride by thermal annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Baek Hyun, E-mail: bhkim@andrew.cmu.ed [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United Sates (United States); Davis, Robert F. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United Sates (United States); Park, Seong-Ju [Nanophotonic Semiconductors Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 500-712 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-01-01

We present the effects on the thermal annealing of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) embedded in silicon nitride. The improved photoluminescence (PL) intensities and the red-shifted PL spectra were obtained with annealing treatment in the range of 700 to 1000 {sup o}C. The shifts of PL spectra were attributed to the increase in the size of Si QDs. The improvement of the PL intensities was also attributed to the reduction of point defects at Si QD/silicon nitride interface and in the silicon nitride due to hydrogen passivation effects.

Silicon photonics fundamentals and devices

CERN Document Server

Deen, M Jamal

2012-01-01

The creation of affordable high speed optical communications using standard semiconductor manufacturing technology is a principal aim of silicon photonics research. This would involve replacing copper connections with optical fibres or waveguides, and electrons with photons. With applications such as telecommunications and information processing, light detection, spectroscopy, holography and robotics, silicon photonics has the potential to revolutionise electronic-only systems. Providing an overview of the physics, technology and device operation of photonic devices using exclusively silicon and related alloys, the book includes: * Basic Properties of Silicon * Quantum Wells, Wires, Dots and Superlattices * Absorption Processes in Semiconductors * Light Emitters in Silicon * Photodetectors , Photodiodes and Phototransistors * Raman Lasers including Raman Scattering * Guided Lightwaves * Planar Waveguide Devices * Fabrication Techniques and Material Systems Silicon Photonics: Fundamentals and Devices outlines ...

Ultra-Precise Assembly of Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) Components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feddema, J.T.; Simon, R.; Polosky, M.; Christenson, T.

1999-04-01

This report summarizes a three year effort to develop an automated microassembly workcell for the assembly of LIGA (Lithography Galvonoforming Abforming) parts. Over the last several years, Sandia has developed processes for producing surface machined silicon and LIGA parts for use in weapons surety devices. Some of these parts have outside dimensions as small as 100 micron, and most all have submicron tolerances. Parts this small and precise are extremely difficult to assembly by hand. Therefore, in this project, we investigated the technologies required to develop a robotic workcell to assembly these parts. In particular, we concentrated on micro-grippers, visual servoing, micro-assembly planning, and parallel assembly. Three different micro-grippers were tested: a pneumatic probe, a thermally actuated polysilicon tweezer, and a LIGA fabricated tweezer. Visual servoing was used to accuracy position two parts relative to one another. Fourier optics methods were used to generate synthetic microscope images from CAD drawings. These synthetic images are used off-line to test image processing routines under varying magnifications and depths of field. They also provide reference image features which are used to visually servo the part to the desired position. We also investigated a new aspect of fine motion planning for the micro-domain. As parts approach 1-10 {micro}m or less in outside dimensions, interactive forces such as van der Waals and electrostatic forces become major factors which greatly change the assembly sequence and path plans. We developed the mathematics required to determine the goal regions for pick up, holding, and release of a micro-sphere being handled by a rectangular tool. Finally, we implemented and tested the ability to assemble an array of LIGA parts attached to two 3 inch diameter wafers. In this way, hundreds of parts can be assembled in parallel rather than assembling each part individually.

Twenty-fold plasmon-induced enhancement of radiative emission rate in silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardelis, S; Gianneta, V.; Nassiopoulou, A.G

2016-01-01

We report on a 20-fold enhancement of the integrated photoluminescence (PL) emission of silicon nanocrystals, embedded in a matrix of silicon dioxide, induced by excited surface plasmons from silver nanoparticles, which are located in the vicinity of the silicon nanocrystals and separated from them by a silicon dioxide layer of a few nanometers. The electric field enhancement provided by the excited surface plasmons increases the absorption cross section and the emission rate of the nearby silicon nanocrystals, resulting in the observed enhancement of the photoluminescence, mainly attributed to a 20-fold enhancement in the emission rate of the silicon nanocrystals. The observed remarkable improvement of the PL emission makes silicon nanocrystals very useful material for photonic, sensor and solar cell applications.

Separation and preconcentration of ultratrace levels of cadmium(II) in a sequential injection (SI) system with a PTFE packed column as a mimic sequential injection lab-on-valve (SI-LOV) system with renewable column employing detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Long, Xiangbao; Chomchoei, Roongrat; Gała, Piotr

of cadmium(II) by detection with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The non-charged complex formed between the analyste and the chelating reagent diethyldithiophosphate (DDPA) was selectively adsorbed on the surface of the PTFE beads and eluted by ethanol before being directed...

Pocket rocket: An electrothermal plasma micro-thruster

Science.gov (United States)

Greig, Amelia Diane

Recently, an increase in use of micro-satellites constructed from commercial off the shelf (COTS) components has developed, to address the large costs associated with designing, testing and launching satellites. One particular type of micro-satellite of interest are CubeSats, which are modular 10 cm cubic satellites with total weight less than 1.33 kg. To assist with orbit boosting and attitude control of CubeSats, micro-propulsion systems are required, but are currently limited. A potential electrothermal plasma micro-thruster for use with CubeSats or other micro-satellites is under development at The Australian National University and forms the basis for this work. The thruster, known as ‘Pocket Rocket’, utilises neutral gas heating from ion-neutral collisions within a weakly ionised asymmetric plasma discharge, increasing the exhaust thermal velocity of the propellant gas, thereby producing higher thrust than if the propellant was emitted cold. In this work, neutral gas temperature of the Pocket Rocket discharge is studied in depth using rovibrational spectroscopy of the nitrogen (N2) second positive system (C3Πu → B3Πg), using both pure N2 and argon/N2 mixtures as the operating gas. Volume averaged steady state gas temperatures are measured for a range of operating conditions, with an analytical collisional model developed to verify experimental results. Results show that neutral gas heating is occurring with volume averaged steady state temperatures reaching 430 K in N2 and 1060 K for argon with 1% N2 at standard operating conditions of 1.5 Torr pressure and 10 W power input, demonstrating proof of concept for the Pocket Rocket thruster. Spatiotemporal profiles of gas temperature identify that the dominant heating mechanisms are ion-neutral collisions within the discharge and wall heating from ion bombardment of the thruster walls. To complement the experimental results, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the commercial CFD

Direct Production of Silicones From Sand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larry N. Lewis; F.J. Schattenmann: J.P. Lemmon

2001-09-30

Silicon, in the form of silica and silicates, is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust. However the synthesis of silicones (scheme 1) and almost all organosilicon chemistry is only accessible through elemental silicon. Silicon dioxide (sand or quartz) is converted to chemical-grade elemental silicon in an energy intensive reduction process, a result of the exceptional thermodynamic stability of silica. Then, the silicon is reacted with methyl chloride to give a mixture of methylchlorosilanes catalyzed by cooper containing a variety of tract metals such as tin, zinc etc. The so-called direct process was first discovered at GE in 1940. The methylchlorosilanes are distilled to purify and separate the major reaction components, the most important of which is dimethyldichlorosilane. Polymerization of dimethyldichlorosilane by controlled hydrolysis results in the formation of silicone polymers. Worldwide, the silicones industry produces about 1.3 billion pounds of the basic silicon polymer, polydimethylsiloxane.

Flexible Thermoelectric Generators on Silicon Fabric

KAUST Repository

Sevilla, Galo T.

2012-11-01

In this work, the development of a Thermoelectric Generator on Flexible Silicon Fabric is explored to extend silicon electronics for flexible platforms. Low cost, easily deployable plastic based flexible electronics are of great interest for smart textile, wearable electronics and many other exciting applications. However, low thermal budget processing and fundamentally limited electron mobility hinders its potential to be competitive with well established and highly developed silicon technology. The use of silicon in flexible electronics involve expensive and abrasive materials and processes. In this work, high performance flexible thermoelectric energy harvesters are demonstrated from low cost bulk silicon (100) wafers. The fabrication of the micro- harvesters was done using existing silicon processes on silicon (100) and then peeled them off from the original substrate leaving it for reuse. Peeled off silicon has 3.6% thickness of bulk silicon reducing the thermal loss significantly and generating nearly 30% more output power than unpeeled harvesters. The demonstrated generic batch processing shows a pragmatic way of peeling off a whole silicon circuitry after conventional fabrication on bulk silicon wafers for extremely deformable high performance integrated electronics. In summary, by using a novel, low cost process, this work has successfully integrated existing and highly developed fabrication techniques to introduce a flexible energy harvester for sustainable applications.

Subwavelength silicon photonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheben, P.; Bock, P.J.; Schmid, J.H.; Lapointe, J.; Janz, S.; Xu, D.-X.; Densmore, A.; Delage, A.; Lamontagne, B.; Florjanczyk, M.; Ma, R.

2011-01-01

With the goal of developing photonic components that are compatible with silicon microelectronic integrated circuits, silicon photonics has been the subject of intense research activity. Silicon is an excellent material for confining and manipulating light at the submicrometer scale. Silicon optoelectronic integrated devices have the potential to be miniaturized and mass-produced at affordable cost for many applications, including telecommunications, optical interconnects, medical screening, and biological and chemical sensing. We review recent advances in silicon photonics research at the National Research Council Canada. A new type of optical waveguide is presented, exploiting subwavelength grating (SWG) effect. We demonstrate subwavelength grating waveguides made of silicon, including practical components operating at telecom wavelengths: input couplers, waveguide crossings and spectrometer chips. SWG technique avoids loss and wavelength resonances due to diffraction effects and allows for single-mode operation with direct control of the mode confinement by changing the refractive index of a waveguide core over a range as broad as 1.6 - 3.5 simply by lithographic patterning. The light can be launched to these waveguides with a coupling loss as small as 0.5 dB and with minimal wavelength dependence, using coupling structures similar to that shown in Fig. 1. The subwavelength grating waveguides can cross each other with minimal loss and negligible crosstalk which allows massive photonic circuit connectivity to overcome the limits of electrical interconnects. These results suggest that the SWG waveguides could become key elements for future integrated photonic circuits. (authors)

Silicon photonic integration in telecommunications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Richard Doerr

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Silicon photonics is the guiding of light in a planar arrangement of silicon-based materials to perform various functions. We focus here on the use of silicon photonics to create transmitters and receivers for fiber-optic telecommunications. As the need to squeeze more transmission into a given bandwidth, a given footprint, and a given cost increases, silicon photonics makes more and more economic sense.

Silicon microphones - a Danish perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bouwstra, Siebe; Storgaard-Larsen, Torben; Scheeper, Patrick

1998-01-01

Two application areas of microphones are discussed, those for precision measurement and those for hearing instruments. Silicon microphones are under investigation for both areas, and Danish industry plays a key role in both. The opportunities of silicon, as well as the challenges and expectations......, are discussed. For precision measurement the challenge for silicon is large, while for hearing instruments silicon seems to be very promising....

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper in nickel-base alloys with various chemical modifiers*1

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Suh-Jen Jane; Shiue, Chia-Chann; Chang, Shiow-Ing

1997-07-01

The analytical characteristics of copper in nickel-base alloys have been investigated with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Deuterium background correction was employed. The effects of various chemical modifiers on the analysis of copper were investigated. Organic modifiers which included 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino-phenol) (Br-PADAP), ammonium citrate, 1-(2-pyridylazo)-naphthol, 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and Triton X-100 were studied. Inorganic modifiers palladium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, aluminum chloride, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, hydrogen peroxide and potassium nitrate were also applied in this work. In addition, zirconium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide precipitation methods have also been studied. Interference effects were effectively reduced with Br-PADAP modifier. Aqueous standards were used to construct the calibration curves. The detection limit was 1.9 pg. Standard reference materials of nickel-base alloys were used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. The copper contents determined with the proposed method agreed closely with the certified values of the reference materials. The recoveries were within the range 90-100% with relative standard deviation of less than 10%. Good precision was obtained.

Column preconcentration and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of rhodium in some food and standard samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Taher, Mohammad Ali; Pourmohammad, Fatemeh; Fazelirad, Hamid

2015-12-01

In the present work, an electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric method has been developed for the determination of ultra-trace amounts of rhodium after adsorption of its 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol/tetraphenylborate ion associated complex at the surface of alumina. Several factors affecting the extraction efficiency such as the pH, type of eluent, sample and eluent flow rates, sorption capacity of alumina and sample volume were investigated and optimized. The relative standard deviation for eight measurements of 0.1 ng/mL of rhodium was ±6.3%. In this method, the detection limit was 0.003 ng/mL in the original solution. The sorption capacity of alumina and the linear range for Rh(III) were evaluated as 0.8 mg/g and 0.015-0.45 ng/mL in the original solution, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the extraction and determination of rhodium content in some food and standard samples with high recovery values. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integrated silicon optoelectronics

CERN Document Server

Zimmermann, Horst

2000-01-01

'Integrated Silicon Optoelectronics'assembles optoelectronics and microelectronics The book concentrates on silicon as the major basis of modern semiconductor devices and circuits Starting from the basics of optical emission and absorption and from the device physics of photodetectors, the aspects of the integration of photodetectors in modern bipolar, CMOS, and BiCMOS technologies are discussed Detailed descriptions of fabrication technologies and applications of optoelectronic integrated circuits are included The book, furthermore, contains a review of the state of research on eagerly expected silicon light emitters In order to cover the topic of the book comprehensively, integrated waveguides, gratings, and optoelectronic power devices are included in addition Numerous elaborate illustrations promote an easy comprehension 'Integrated Silicon Optoelectronics'will be of value to engineers, physicists, and scientists in industry and at universities The book is also recommendable for graduate students speciali...

Process for making silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Harry (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A reactor apparatus (10) adapted for continuously producing molten, solar grade purity elemental silicon by thermal reaction of a suitable precursor gas, such as silane (SiH.sub.4), is disclosed. The reactor apparatus (10) includes an elongated reactor body (32) having graphite or carbon walls which are heated to a temperature exceeding the melting temperature of silicon. The precursor gas enters the reactor body (32) through an efficiently cooled inlet tube assembly (22) and a relatively thin carbon or graphite septum (44). The septum (44), being in contact on one side with the cooled inlet (22) and the heated interior of the reactor (32) on the other side, provides a sharp temperature gradient for the precursor gas entering the reactor (32) and renders the operation of the inlet tube assembly (22) substantially free of clogging. The precursor gas flows in the reactor (32) in a substantially smooth, substantially axial manner. Liquid silicon formed in the initial stages of the thermal reaction reacts with the graphite or carbon walls to provide a silicon carbide coating on the walls. The silicon carbide coated reactor is highly adapted for prolonged use for production of highly pure solar grade silicon. Liquid silicon (20) produced in the reactor apparatus (10) may be used directly in a Czochralski or other crystal shaping equipment.

Silicon etch process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, D.J.; White, J.C.

1984-01-01

A silicon etch process wherein an area of silicon crystal surface is passivated by radiation damage and non-planar structure produced by subsequent anisotropic etching. The surface may be passivated by exposure to an energetic particle flux - for example an ion beam from an arsenic, boron, phosphorus, silicon or hydrogen source, or an electron beam. Radiation damage may be used for pattern definition and/or as an etch stop. Ethylenediamine pyrocatechol or aqueous potassium hydroxide anisotropic etchants may be used. The radiation damage may be removed after etching by thermal annealing. (author)

Porous silicon gettering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuo, Y.S.; Menna, P.; Pitts, J.R. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)] [and others

1996-05-01

The authors have studied a novel extrinsic gettering method that uses the large surface areas produced by a porous-silicon etch as gettering sites. The annealing step of the gettering used a high-flux solar furnace. They found that a high density of photons during annealing enhanced the impurity diffusion to the gettering sites. The authors used metallurgical-grade Si (MG-Si) prepared by directional solidification casing as the starting material. They propose to use porous-silicon-gettered MG-Si as a low-cost epitaxial substrate for polycrystalline silicon thin-film growth.

Investigation of the interface region between a porous silicon layer and a silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ki-Won; Park, Dae-Kyu; Kim, Young-You; Shin, Hyun-Joon

2005-01-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed to investigate the physical and structural characteristics of the interface region between a porous silicon layer and a silicon substrate. We discovered that, when anodization time was increased under a constant current density, the Si crystallites in the interface region became larger and formed different lattice parameters than observed in the porous silicon layer. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis also revealed that the Si was more concentrated in the interface region than in the porous silicon layer. These results were interpreted by the deficiency of the HF solution in reaching to the interface through the pores during the porous silicon formation

Vapor Pressure and Evaporation Coefficient of Silicon Monoxide over a Mixture of Silicon and Silica

Science.gov (United States)

Ferguson, Frank T.; Nuth, Joseph A., III

2012-01-01

The evaporation coefficient and equilibrium vapor pressure of silicon monoxide over a mixture of silicon and vitreous silica have been studied over the temperature range (1433 to 1608) K. The evaporation coefficient for this temperature range was (0.007 plus or minus 0.002) and is approximately an order of magnitude lower than the evaporation coefficient over amorphous silicon monoxide powder and in general agreement with previous measurements of this quantity. The enthalpy of reaction at 298.15 K for this reaction was calculated via second and third law analyses as (355 plus or minus 25) kJ per mol and (363.6 plus or minus 4.1) kJ per mol respectively. In comparison with previous work with the evaporation of amorphous silicon monoxide powder as well as other experimental measurements of the vapor pressure of silicon monoxide gas over mixtures of silicon and silica, these systems all tend to give similar equilibrium vapor pressures when the evaporation coefficient is correctly taken into account. This provides further evidence that amorphous silicon monoxide is an intimate mixture of small domains of silicon and silica and not strictly a true compound.

High temperature corrosion of silicon carbide and silicon nitride in the presence of chloride compound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNallan, M.

1993-01-01

Silicon carbide and silicon nitride are resistant to oxidation because a protective silicon dioxide films on their surfaces in most oxidizing environments. Chloride compounds can attack the surface in two ways: 1) chlorine can attack the silicon directly to form a volatile silicon chloride compound or 2) alkali compounds combined with the chlorine can be transported to the surface where they flux the silica layer by forming stable alkali silicates. Alkali halides have enough vapor pressure that a sufficient quantity of alkali species to cause accelerated corrosion can be transported to the ceramic surface without the formation of a chloride deposit. When silicon carbide is attacked simultaneously by chlorine and oxygen, the corrosion products include both volatile and condensed spices. Silicon nitride is much more resistance to this type of attack than silicon carbide. Silicon based ceramics are exposed to oxidizing gases in the presence of alkali chloride vapors, the rate of corrosion is controlled primarily by the driving force for the formation of alkali silicate, which can be quantified as the activity of the alkali oxide in equilibrium with the corrosive gas mixture. In a gas mixture containing a fixed partial pressure of KCl, the rate of corrosion is accelerated by increasing the concentration of water vapor and inhibited by increasing the concentration of HCl. Similar results have been obtained for mixtures containing other alkalis and halogens. (Orig./A.B.)

RBS/channeling analysis of hydrogen-implanted single crystals of FZ silicon and 6H silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irwin, R.B.

1984-01-01

Single crystals of FZ silicon and 6H silicon carbide were implanted with hydrogen ions (50 and 80 keV, respectively) to fluences from 2 x 10 16 H + /cm 2 to 2 x 10 18 H+/cm 2 . The implantations were carried out at three temperatures: approx.95K, 300 K, and approx.800 K. Swelling of the samples was measured by surface profilometry. RBS/channeling was used to obtain the damage profiles and to determine the amount of hydrogen retained in the lattice. The damage profiles are centered around X/sub m/ for the implants into silicon and around R/sub p/ for silicon carbide. For silicon carbide implanted at 95 K and 300 K and for silicon implanted at 95 K, the peak damage region is amorphous for fluences above 8 x 10 16 H + /cm 2 , 4 x 10 17 H + /cm 2 , and 2 x 10 17 H + /cm 2 , respectively. Silicon implanted at 300 and 800 K and silicon carbide implanted at 800 K remain crystalline up to fluences of 1 x 10 18 H + /cm 2 . The channeling damage results agree with previously reported TEM and electron diffraction data. The predictions of a simple disorder-accumulation model with a linear annealing term explains qualitatively the observed damage profiles in silicon carbide. Quantitatively, however, the model predicts faster development of the damage profiles than is observed at low fluences in both silicon and silicon carbide. For samples implanted at 300 and 800 K, the model also predicts substantially less peak disorder than is observed. The effect of the surface, the retained hydrogen, the shape of S/sub D/(X), and the need for a nonlinear annealing term may be responsible for the discrepancy

Quantum mechanical theory of epitaxial transformation of silicon to silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukushkin, S A; Osipov, A V

2017-01-01

The paper focuses on the study of transformation of silicon crystal into silicon carbide crystal via substitution reaction with carbon monoxide gas. As an example, the Si(1 0 0) surface is considered. The cross section of the potential energy surface of the first stage of transformation along the reaction pathway is calculated by the method of nudged elastic bands. It is found that in addition to intermediate states associated with adsorption of CO and SiO molecules on the surface, there is also an intermediate state in which all the atoms are strongly bonded to each other. This intermediate state significantly reduces the activation barrier of transformation down to 2.6 eV. The single imaginary frequencies corresponding to the two transition states of this transformation are calculated, one of which is reactant-like, whereas the other is product-like. By methods of quantum chemistry of solids, the second stage of this transformation is described, namely, the transformation of precarbide silicon into silicon carbide. Energy reduction per one cell is calculated for this ‘collapse’ process, and bond breaking energy is also found. Hence, it is concluded that the smallest size of the collapsing islet is 30 nm. It is shown that the chemical bonds of the initial silicon crystal are coordinately replaced by the bonds between Si and C in silicon carbide, which leads to a high quality of epitaxy and a low concentration of misfit dislocations. (paper)

Organic, inorganic and total mercury determination in fish by chemical vapor generation with collection on a gold gauze and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duarte, Fabio Andrei; Bizzi, Cezar Augusto; Goldschmidt Antes, Fabiane; Dressler, Valderi Luiz; Flores, Erico Marlon de Moraes

2009-01-01

A method for organic, inorganic and total mercury determination in fish tissue has been developed using chemical vapor generation and collection of mercury vapor on a gold gauze inside a graphite tube and further atomization by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. After drying and cryogenic grinding, potassium bromide and hydrochloric acid solution (1 mol L - 1 KBr in 6 mol L - 1 HCl) was added to the samples. After centrifugation, total mercury was determined in the supernatant. Organomercury compounds were selectively extracted from KBr solution using chloroform and the resultant solution was back extracted with 1% m/v L-cysteine. This solution was used for organic Hg determination. Inorganic Hg remaining in KBr solution was directly determined by chemical vapor generation electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Mercury vapor generation from extracts was performed using 1 mol L - 1 HCl and 2.5% m/v NaBH 4 solutions and a batch chemical vapor generation system. Mercury vapor was collected on the gold gauze heated resistively at 80 deg. C and the atomization temperature was set at 650 deg. C. The selectivity of extraction was evaluated using liquid chromatography coupled to chemical vapor generation and determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The proposed method was applied for mercury analysis in shark, croaker and tuna fish tissues. Certified reference materials were used to check accuracy and the agreement was better than 95%. The characteristic mass was 60 pg and method limits of detection were 5, 1 and 1 ng g - 1 for organic, inorganic and total mercury, respectively. With the proposed method it was possible to analyze up to 2, 2 and 6 samples per hour for organic, inorganic and total Hg determination, respectively.

Silicon Nanocrystal Synthesis in Microplasma Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Nozaki, Tomohiro; Sasaki, Kenji; Ogino, Tomohisa; Asahi, Daisuke; Okazaki, Ken

Nanocrystalline silicon particles with grains smaller than 5 nm are widely recognized as a key material in optoelectronic devices, lithium battery electrodes, and bio-medical labels. Another important characteristic is that silicon is an environmentally safe material that is used in numerous silicon technologies. To date, several synthesis methods such as sputtering, laser ablation, and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) based on low-pressure silane chemistry (SiH4) have been developed for precise control of size and density distributions of silicon nanocrystals. In this study, we explore the possibility of microplasma technologies for efficient production of mono-dispersed nanocrystalline silicon particles on a micrometer-scale, continuous-flow plasma reactor operated at atmospheric pressure. Mixtures of argon, hydrogen, and silicon tetrachloride were activated using a very-high-frequency (144 MHz) power source in a capillary glass tube with volume of less than 1 μl. Fundamental plasma parameters of the microplasma were characterized using optical emission spectroscopy, which respectively indicated electron density of 1015 cm-3, argon excitation temperature of 5000 K, and rotational temperature of 1500 K. Such high-density non-thermal reactive plasma can decompose silicon tetrachloride into atomic silicon to produce supersaturated silicon vapor, followed by gas-phase nucleation via three-body collision: particle synthesis in high-density plasma media is beneficial for promoting nucleation processes. In addition, further growth of silicon nuclei can be terminated in a short-residence-time reactor. Micro-Raman scattering spectra showed that as-deposited particles are mostly amorphous silicon with a small fraction of silicon nanocrystals. Transmission electron micrography confirmed individual 3-15 nm silicon nanocrystals. Although particles were not mono-dispersed, they were well separated and not coagulated.

Nanostructured silicon for thermoelectric

Science.gov (United States)

Stranz, A.; Kähler, J.; Waag, A.; Peiner, E.

2011-06-01

Thermoelectric modules convert thermal energy into electrical energy and vice versa. At present bismuth telluride is the most widely commercial used material for thermoelectric energy conversion. There are many applications where bismuth telluride modules are installed, mainly for refrigeration. However, bismuth telluride as material for energy generation in large scale has some disadvantages. Its availability is limited, it is hot stable at higher temperatures (>250°C) and manufacturing cost is relatively high. An alternative material for energy conversion in the future could be silicon. The technological processing of silicon is well advanced due to the rapid development of microelectronics in recent years. Silicon is largely available and environmentally friendly. The operating temperature of silicon thermoelectric generators can be much higher than of bismuth telluride. Today silicon is rarely used as a thermoelectric material because of its high thermal conductivity. In order to use silicon as an efficient thermoelectric material, it is necessary to reduce its thermal conductivity, while maintaining high electrical conductivity and high Seebeck coefficient. This can be done by nanostructuring into arrays of pillars. Fabrication of silicon pillars using ICP-cryogenic dry etching (Inductive Coupled Plasma) will be described. Their uniform height of the pillars allows simultaneous connecting of all pillars of an array. The pillars have diameters down to 180 nm and their height was selected between 1 micron and 10 microns. Measurement of electrical resistance of single silicon pillars will be presented which is done in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with nanomanipulators. Furthermore, measurement of thermal conductivity of single pillars with different diameters using the 3ω method will be shown.

Studies on the reactive melt infiltration of silicon and silicon-molybdenum alloys in porous carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, M.; Behrendt, D. R.

1992-01-01

Investigations on the reactive melt infiltration of silicon and silicon-1.7 and 3.2 at percent molybdenum alloys into porous carbon preforms have been carried out by process modeling, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and melt infiltration experiments. These results indicate that the initial pore volume fraction of the porous carbon preform is a critical parameter in determining the final composition of the raction-formed silicon carbide and other residual phases. The pore size of the carbon preform is very detrimental to the exotherm temperatures due to liquid silicon-carbon reactions encountered during the reactive melt infiltration process. A possible mechanism for the liquid silicon-porous (glassy) carbon reaction has been proposed. The composition and microstructure of the reaction-formed silicon carbide has been discussed in terms of carbon preform microstructures, infiltration materials, and temperatures.

1366 Project Silicon: Reclaiming US Silicon PV Leadership

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenz, Adam [1366 Technologies, Bedford, MA (United States)

2016-02-16

1366 Technologies’ Project Silicon addresses two of the major goals of the DOE’s PV Manufacturing Initiative Part 2 program: 1) How to reclaim a strong silicon PV manufacturing presence and; 2) How to lower the levelized cost of electricity (“LCOE”) for solar to $0.05-$0.07/kWh, enabling wide-scale U.S. market adoption. To achieve these two goals, US companies must commercialize disruptive, high-value technologies that are capable of rapid scaling, defensible from foreign competition, and suited for US manufacturing. These are the aims of 1366 Technologies Direct Wafer ™ process. The research conducted during Project Silicon led to the first industrial scaling of 1366’s Direct Wafer™ process – an innovative, US-friendly (efficient, low-labor content) manufacturing process that destroys the main cost barrier limiting silicon PV cost-reductions: the 35-year-old grand challenge of making quality wafers (40% of the cost of modules) without the cost and waste of sawing. The SunPath program made it possible for 1366 Technologies to build its demonstration factory, a key and critical step in the Company’s evolution. The demonstration factory allowed 1366 to build every step of the process flow at production size, eliminating potential risk and ensuring the success of the Company’s subsequent scaling for a 1 GW factory to be constructed in Western New York in 2016 and 2017. Moreover, the commercial viability of the Direct Wafer process and its resulting wafers were established as 1366 formed key strategic partnerships, gained entry into the $8B/year multi-Si wafer market, and installed modules featuring Direct Wafer products – the veritable proving grounds for the technology. The program also contributed to the development of three Generation 3 Direct Wafer furnaces. These furnaces are the platform for copying intelligently and preparing our supply chain – large-scale expansion will not require a bigger machine but more machines. SunPath filled the

Silicon-micromachined microchannel plates

CERN Document Server

Beetz, C P; Steinbeck, J; Lemieux, B; Winn, D R

2000-01-01

Microchannel plates (MCP) fabricated from standard silicon wafer substrates using a novel silicon micromachining process, together with standard silicon photolithographic process steps, are described. The resulting SiMCP microchannels have dimensions of approx 0.5 to approx 25 mu m, with aspect ratios up to 300, and have the dimensional precision and absence of interstitial defects characteristic of photolithographic processing, compatible with positional matching to silicon electronics readouts. The open channel areal fraction and detection efficiency may exceed 90% on plates up to 300 mm in diameter. The resulting silicon substrates can be converted entirely to amorphous quartz (qMCP). The strip resistance and secondary emission are developed by controlled depositions of thin films, at temperatures up to 1200 deg. C, also compatible with high-temperature brazing, and can be essentially hydrogen, water and radionuclide-free. Novel secondary emitters and cesiated photocathodes can be high-temperature deposite...

Porous silicon carbide (SIC) semiconductor device

Science.gov (United States)

Shor, Joseph S. (Inventor); Kurtz, Anthony D. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

Porous silicon carbide is fabricated according to techniques which result in a significant portion of nanocrystallites within the material in a sub 10 nanometer regime. There is described techniques for passivating porous silicon carbide which result in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices which exhibit brighter blue luminescence and exhibit improved qualities. Based on certain of the techniques described porous silicon carbide is used as a sacrificial layer for the patterning of silicon carbide. Porous silicon carbide is then removed from the bulk substrate by oxidation and other methods. The techniques described employ a two-step process which is used to pattern bulk silicon carbide where selected areas of the wafer are then made porous and then the porous layer is subsequently removed. The process to form porous silicon carbide exhibits dopant selectivity and a two-step etching procedure is implemented for silicon carbide multilayers.

A novel multi-actuation CMOS RF MEMS switch

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chiung-I.; Ko, Chih-Hsiang; Huang, Tsun-Che

2008-12-01

This paper demonstrates a capacitive shunt type RF MEMS switch, which is actuated by electro-thermal actuator and electrostatic actuator at the same time, and than latching the switching status by electrostatic force only. Since thermal actuators need relative low voltage compare to electrostatic actuators, and electrostatic force needs almost no power to maintain the switching status, the benefits of the mechanism are very low actuation voltage and low power consumption. Moreover, the RF MEMS switch has considered issues for integrated circuit compatible in design phase. So the switch is fabricated by a standard 0.35um 2P4M CMOS process and uses wet etching and dry etching technologies for postprocess. This compatible ability is important because the RF characteristics are not only related to the device itself. If a packaged RF switch and a packaged IC wired together, the parasitic capacitance will cause the problem for optimization. The structure of the switch consists of a set of CPW transmission lines and a suspended membrane. The CPW lines and the membrane are in metal layers of CMOS process. Besides, the electro-thermal actuators are designed by polysilicon layer of the CMOS process. So the RF switch is only CMOS process layers needed for both electro-thermal and electrostatic actuations in switch. The thermal actuator is composed of a three-dimensional membrane and two heaters. The membrane is a stacked step structure including two metal layers in CMOS process, and heat is generated by poly silicon resistors near the anchors of membrane. Measured results show that the actuation voltage of the switch is under 7V for electro-thermal added electrostatic actuation.

Silicon Photonics Cloud (SiCloud)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

DeVore, P. T. S.; Jiang, Y.; Lynch, M.

2015-01-01

Silicon Photonics Cloud (SiCloud.org) is the first silicon photonics interactive web tool. Here we report new features of this tool including mode propagation parameters and mode distribution galleries for user specified waveguide dimensions and wavelengths.......Silicon Photonics Cloud (SiCloud.org) is the first silicon photonics interactive web tool. Here we report new features of this tool including mode propagation parameters and mode distribution galleries for user specified waveguide dimensions and wavelengths....

Three types of planar structure microspring electro-thermal actuators with insulating beam constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, J. K.; Flewitt, A. J.; Spearing, S. M.; Fleck, N. A.; Milne, W. I.

2005-08-01

A new concept of using an electrically insulating beam as a constraint is proposed to construct planar spring-like electro-thermal actuators with large displacements. On the basis of this concept, three types of microspring actuators with multi-chevron structures and constraint beams are introduced. The constraint beams in one type (the spring) of these devices are horizontally positioned to restrict the expansion of the active arms in the x-direction, and to produce a displacement in the y-direction only. In the other two types of actuators (the deflector and the contractor), the constraint beams are positioned parallel to the active arms. When the constraint beams are on the inner side of the active arms, the actuator produces an outward deflection in the y-direction. When they are on the outside of the active arms, the actuator produces an inward contraction. Finite-element analysis was used to model the performances. The simulation shows that the displacements of these microspring actuators are all proportional to the number of the chevron sections in series, thus achieving superior displacements to alternative actuators. The displacement of a spring actuator strongly depends on the beam angle, and decreases with increasing the beam angle, the deflector is insensitive to the beam angle, while the displacement of a contractor actuator increases with the beam angle.

The silicon-silicon oxide multilayers utilization as intrinsic layer on pin solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colder, H.; Marie, P.; Gourbilleau, F.

2008-01-01

Silicon nanostructures are promising candidate for the intrinsic layer on pin solar cells. In this work we report on new material: silicon-rich silicon oxide (SRSO) deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering of a pure silica target and an interesting structure: multilayers consisting of a stack of SRSO and pure silicon oxide layers. Two thicknesses of the SRSO sublayer, t SRSO , are studied 3 nm and 5 nm whereas the thickness of silica sublayer is maintaining at 3 nm. The presence of nanocrystallites of silicon, evidenced by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), leads to photoluminescence (PL) emission at room temperature due to the quantum confinement of the carriers. The PL peak shifts from 1.3 eV to 1.5 eV is correlated to the decreasing of t SRSO from 5 nm down to 3 nm. In the purpose of their potential utilization for i-layer, the optical properties are studied by absorption spectroscopy. The achievement a such structures at promising absorption properties. Moreover by favouring the carriers injection by the tunnel effect between silicon nanograins and silica sublayers, the multilayers seem to be interesting for solar cells

Method of forming buried oxide layers in silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Sadana, Devendra Kumar; Holland, Orin Wayne

2000-01-01

A process for forming Silicon-On-Insulator is described incorporating the steps of ion implantation of oxygen into a silicon substrate at elevated temperature, ion implanting oxygen at a temperature below 200.degree. C. at a lower dose to form an amorphous silicon layer, and annealing steps to form a mixture of defective single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon alone and then silicon oxide from the amorphous silicon layer to form a continuous silicon oxide layer below the surface of the silicon substrate to provide an isolated superficial layer of silicon. The invention overcomes the problem of buried isolated islands of silicon oxide forming a discontinuous buried oxide layer.

Effects of ion implantation on charges in the silicon--silicon dioxide system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Learn, A.J.; Hess, D.W.

1977-01-01

Structures consisting of thermally grown oxide on silicon were implanted with boron, arsenic, or argon ions. For argon implantation through oxides, an increased fixed oxide charge (Q/sub ss/) was observed with the increase being greater for than for silicon. This effect is attributed to oxygen recoil which produces additional excess ionized silicon in the oxide of a type similar to that arising in thermal oxidation. Fast surface state (N/sub st/) generation was also noted which in most cases obscured the Q/sub ss/ increase. Of various heat treatments tested, only a 900 degreeC anneal in hydrogen annihilated N/sub st/ and allowed Q/sub ss/ measurement. Such N/sub st/ apparently arises as a consequence of implantation damage at the silicon--silicon dioxide interface. With the exception of boron implantations into thick oxides or through aluminum electrodes, reduction of the mobile ionic charge (Q/sub o/) was achieved by implantation. The reduction again is presumably damage related and is not negated by high-temperature annealing but may be counterbalanced by aluminum incorporation in the oxide

High Efficiency, Low Cost Solar Cells Manufactured Using 'Silicon Ink' on Thin Crystalline Silicon Wafers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antoniadis, H.

2011-03-01

Reported are the development and demonstration of a 17% efficient 25mm x 25mm crystalline Silicon solar cell and a 16% efficient 125mm x 125mm crystalline Silicon solar cell, both produced by Ink-jet printing Silicon Ink on a thin crystalline Silicon wafer. To achieve these objectives, processing approaches were developed to print the Silicon Ink in a predetermined pattern to form a high efficiency selective emitter, remove the solvents in the Silicon Ink and fuse the deposited particle Silicon films. Additionally, standard solar cell manufacturing equipment with slightly modified processes were used to complete the fabrication of the Silicon Ink high efficiency solar cells. Also reported are the development and demonstration of a 18.5% efficient 125mm x 125mm monocrystalline Silicon cell, and a 17% efficient 125mm x 125mm multicrystalline Silicon cell, by utilizing high throughput Ink-jet and screen printing technologies. To achieve these objectives, Innovalight developed new high throughput processing tools to print and fuse both p and n type particle Silicon Inks in a predetermined pat-tern applied either on the front or the back of the cell. Additionally, a customized Ink-jet and screen printing systems, coupled with customized substrate handling solution, customized printing algorithms, and a customized ink drying process, in combination with a purchased turn-key line, were used to complete the high efficiency solar cells. This development work delivered a process capable of high volume producing 18.5% efficient crystalline Silicon solar cells and enabled the Innovalight to commercialize its technology by the summer of 2010.

Silicon-micromachined microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beetz, Charles P.; Boerstler, Robert; Steinbeck, John; Lemieux, Bryan; Winn, David R.

2000-01-01

Microchannel plates (MCP) fabricated from standard silicon wafer substrates using a novel silicon micromachining process, together with standard silicon photolithographic process steps, are described. The resulting SiMCP microchannels have dimensions of ∼0.5 to ∼25 μm, with aspect ratios up to 300, and have the dimensional precision and absence of interstitial defects characteristic of photolithographic processing, compatible with positional matching to silicon electronics readouts. The open channel areal fraction and detection efficiency may exceed 90% on plates up to 300 mm in diameter. The resulting silicon substrates can be converted entirely to amorphous quartz (qMCP). The strip resistance and secondary emission are developed by controlled depositions of thin films, at temperatures up to 1200 deg. C, also compatible with high-temperature brazing, and can be essentially hydrogen, water and radionuclide-free. Novel secondary emitters and cesiated photocathodes can be high-temperature deposited or nucleated in the channels or the first strike surface. Results on resistivity, secondary emission and gain are presented

Removal of inclusions from silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Ciftja, Arjan; Engh, Thorvald Abel; Tangstad, Merete; Kvithyld, Anne; Øvrelid, Eivind Johannes

2009-11-01

The removal of inclusions from molten silicon is necessary to satisfy the purity requirements for solar grade silicon. This paper summarizes two methods that are investigated: (i) settling of the inclusions followed by subsequent directional solidification and (infiltration by ceramic foam filters. Settling of inclusions followed by directional solidification is of industrial importance for production of low-cost solar grade silicon. Filtration is reported as the most efficient method for removal of inclusions from the top-cut silicon scrap.

Silicon Tracking Upgrade at CDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruse, M.C.

1998-04-01

The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) is scheduled to begin recording data from Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron in early 2000. The silicon tracking upgrade constitutes both the upgrade to the CDF silicon vertex detector (SVX II) and the new Intermediate Silicon Layers (ISL) located at radii just beyond the SVX II. Here we review the design and prototyping of all aspects of these detectors including mechanical design, data acquisition, and a trigger based on silicon tracking

Radiation Hardening of Silicon Detectors

CERN Multimedia

Leroy, C; Glaser, M

2002-01-01

%RD48 %title\\\\ \\\\Silicon detectors will be widely used in experiments at the CERN Large Hadron Collider where high radiation levels will cause significant bulk damage. In addition to increased leakage current and charge collection losses worsening the signal to noise, the induced radiation damage changes the effective doping concentration and represents the limiting factor to long term operation of silicon detectors. The objectives are to develop radiation hard silicon detectors that can operate beyond the limits of the present devices and that ensure guaranteed operation for the whole lifetime of the LHC experimental programme. Radiation induced defect modelling and experimental results show that the silicon radiation hardness depends on the atomic impurities present in the initial monocrystalline material.\\\\ \\\\ Float zone (FZ) silicon materials with addition of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, germanium and tin were produced as well as epitaxial silicon materials with epilayers up to 200 $\\mu$m thickness. Their im...

Silicon Alloying On Aluminium Based Alloy Surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suryanto

2002-01-01

Silicon alloying on surface of aluminium based alloy was carried out using electron beam. This is performed in order to enhance tribological properties of the alloy. Silicon is considered most important alloying element in aluminium alloy, particularly for tribological components. Prior to silicon alloying. aluminium substrate were painted with binder and silicon powder and dried in a furnace. Silicon alloying were carried out in a vacuum chamber. The Silicon alloyed materials were assessed using some techniques. The results show that silicon alloying formed a composite metal-non metal system in which silicon particles are dispersed in the alloyed layer. Silicon content in the alloyed layer is about 40% while in other place is only 10.5 %. The hardness of layer changes significantly. The wear properties of the alloying alloys increase. Silicon surface alloying also reduced the coefficient of friction for sliding against a hardened steel counter face, which could otherwise be higher because of the strong adhesion of aluminium to steel. The hardness of the silicon surface alloyed material dropped when it underwent a heating cycle similar to the ion coating process. Hence, silicon alloying is not a suitable choice for use as an intermediate layer for duplex treatment

Silicon microfabricated beam expander

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, A.; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A.; Ain, M. F.

2015-03-01

The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed.

Silicon germanium as a novel mask for silicon deep reactive ion etching

KAUST Repository

Serry, Mohamed Y.

2013-10-01

This paper reports on the use of p-type polycrystalline silicon germanium (poly-Si1-xGex) thin films as a new masking material for the cryogenic deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon. We investigated the etching behavior of various poly-Si1-xGex:B (0silicon, silicon oxide, and photoresist was determined at different etching temperatures, ICP and RF powers, and SF6 to O2 ratios. The study demonstrates that the etching selectivity of the SiGe mask for silicon depends strongly on three factors: Ge content; boron concentration; and etching temperature. Compared to conventional SiO2 and SiN masks, the proposed SiGe masking material exhibited several advantages, including high etching selectivity to silicon (>1:800). Furthermore, the SiGe mask was etched in SF6/O2 plasma at temperatures ≥ - 80°C and at rates exceeding 8 μm/min (i.e., more than 37 times faster than SiO2 or SiN masks). Because of the chemical and thermodynamic stability of the SiGe film as well as the electronic properties of the mask, it was possible to deposit the proposed film at CMOS backend compatible temperatures. The paper also confirms that the mask can easily be dry-removed after the process with high etching-rate by controlling the ICP and RF power and the SF6 to O2 ratios, and without affecting the underlying silicon substrate. Using low ICP and RF power, elevated temperatures (i.e., > - 80°C), and an adjusted O2:SF6 ratio (i.e., ~6%), we were able to etch away the SiGe mask without adversely affecting the final profile. Ultimately, we were able to develop deep silicon- trenches with high aspect ratio etching straight profiles. © 1992-2012 IEEE.

Structural modification of silicon during the formation process of porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin-Palma, R.J.; Pascual, L.; Landa-Canovas, A.R.; Herrero, P.; Martinez-Duart, J.M.

2005-01-01

Direct examination of porous silicon (PS) by the use of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) allowed us to perform a deep insight into the formation mechanisms of this material. In particular, the structure of the PS/Si interface and that of the silicon nanocrystals that compose porous silicon were analyzed in detail. Furthermore, image processing was used to study in detail the structure of PS. The mechanism of PS formation and lattice matching between the PS layer and the Si substrate is analyzed and discussed. Finally, a formation mechanism for PS based on the experimental observations is proposed

Development of low cost silicon solar cells by reusing the silicon saw dust collected during wafering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaidi, Z.I.; Raza, B.; Ahmed, M.; Sheikh, H.; Qazi, I.A.

2002-01-01

Silicon material due to its abundance in nature and maximum conversion efficiency has been successfully being used for the fabrication of electronic and photovoltaic devices such as ICs, diodes, transistors and solar cells. The 80% of the semiconductor industry is ruled by silicon material. Single crystal silicon solar cells are in use for both space and terrestrial application, due to the well developed technology and better efficiency than polycrystalline and amorphous silicon solar cells. The current research work is an attempt to reduce the cost of single crystal silicon solar cells by reusing the silicon saw dust obtained during the watering process. During the watering process about 45% Si material is wasted in the form of Si powder dust. Various waste powder silicon samples were analyzed using inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) technique, for metallic impurities critical for solar grade silicon material. The results were evaluated from impurity and cost point of view. (author)

Thin film silicon on silicon nitride for radiation hardened dielectrically isolated MISFET's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neamen, D.; Shedd, W.; Buchanan, B.

1975-01-01

The permanent ionizing radiation effects resulting from charge trapping in a silicon nitride isolation dielectric have been determined for a total ionizing dose up to 10 7 rads (Si). Junction FET's, whose active channel region is directly adjacent to the silicon-silicon nitride interface, were used to measure the effects of the radiation induced charge trapping in the Si 3 N 4 isolation dielectric. The JFET saturation current and channel conductance versus junction gate voltage and substrate voltage were characterized as a function of the total ionizing radiation dose. The experimental results on the Si 3 N 4 are compared to results on similar devices with SiO 2 dielectric isolation. The ramifications of using the silicon nitride for fabricating radiation hardened dielectrically isolated MIS devices are discussed

The silicon vertex tracker for star and future applications of silicon drift detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellwied, Rene

2001-01-01

The Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT) for the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory has recently been completed and installed. First data were taken in July 2001. The SVT is based on a novel semi-conductor technology called Silicon Drift Detectors. 216 large area (6 by 6 cm) Silicon wafers were employed to build a three barrel device capable of vertexing and tracking in a high occupancy environment. Its intrinsic radiation hardness, its operation at room temperature and its excellent position resolution (better than 20 micron) in two dimensions with a one dimensional detector readout, make this technology very robust and inexpensive and thus a viable alternative to CCD, Silicon pixel and Silicon strip detectors in a variety of applications from fundamental research in high-energy and nuclear physics to astrophysics to medical imaging. I will describe the development that led to the STAR-SVT, its performance and possible applications for the near future

Optoelectronic enhancement of monocrystalline silicon solar cells by porous silicon-assisted mechanical grooving

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ben Rabha, Mohamed; Mohamed, Seifeddine Belhadj; Dimassi, Wissem; Gaidi, Mounir; Ezzaouia, Hatem; Bessais, Brahim [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cedria, BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

2011-03-15

One of the most important factors influencing silicon solar cells performances is the front side reflectivity. Consequently, new methods for efficient reduction of this reflectivity are searched. This has always been done by creating a rough surface that enables incident light of being absorbed within the solar cell. Combination of texturization-porous silicon surface treatment was found to be an attractive technical solution for lowering the reflectivity of monocrystalline silicon (c-Si). The texturization of the monocrystalline silicon wafer was carried out by means of mechanical grooving. A specific etching procedure was then applied to form a thin porous silicon layer enabling to remove mechanical damages. This simple and low cost method reduces the total reflectivity from 29% to 7% in the 300 - 950 nm wavelength range and enhances the diffusion length of the minority carriers from 100 {mu}m to 790 {mu}m (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

The dark side of silicon energy efficient computing in the dark silicon era

CERN Document Server

Liljeberg, Pasi; Hemani, Ahmed; Jantsch, Axel; Tenhunen, Hannu

2017-01-01

This book presents the state-of-the art of one of the main concerns with microprocessors today, a phenomenon known as "dark silicon". Readers will learn how power constraints (both leakage and dynamic power) limit the extent to which large portions of a chip can be powered up at a given time, i.e. how much actual performance and functionality the microprocessor can provide. The authors describe their research toward the future of microprocessor development in the dark silicon era, covering a variety of important aspects of dark silicon-aware architectures including design, management, reliability, and test. Readers will benefit from specific recommendations for mitigating the dark silicon phenomenon, including energy-efficient, dedicated solutions and technologies to maximize the utilization and reliability of microprocessors. Enables readers to understand the dark silicon phenomenon and why it has emerged, including detailed analysis of its impacts; Presents state-of-the-art research, as well as tools for mi...

Mechanically flexible optically transparent silicon fabric with high thermal budget devices from bulk silicon (100)

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2013-05-30

Today’s information age is driven by silicon based electronics. For nearly four decades semiconductor industry has perfected the fabrication process of continuingly scaled transistor – heart of modern day electronics. In future, silicon industry will be more pervasive, whose application will range from ultra-mobile computation to bio-integrated medical electronics. Emergence of flexible electronics opens up interesting opportunities to expand the horizon of electronics industry. However, silicon – industry’s darling material is rigid and brittle. Therefore, we report a generic batch fabrication process to convert nearly any silicon electronics into a flexible one without compromising its (i) performance; (ii) ultra-large-scale-integration complexity to integrate billions of transistors within small areas; (iii) state-of-the-art process compatibility, (iv) advanced materials used in modern semiconductor technology; (v) the most widely used and well-studied low-cost substrate mono-crystalline bulk silicon (100). In our process, we make trenches using anisotropic reactive ion etching (RIE) in the inactive areas (in between the devices) of a silicon substrate (after the devices have been fabricated following the regular CMOS process), followed by a dielectric based spacer formation to protect the sidewall of the trench and then performing an isotropic etch to create caves in silicon. When these caves meet with each other the top portion of the silicon with the devices is ready to be peeled off from the bottom silicon substrate. Release process does not need to use any external support. Released silicon fabric (25 μm thick) is mechanically flexible (5 mm bending radius) and the trenches make it semi-transparent (transparency of 7%). © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Mechanically flexible optically transparent silicon fabric with high thermal budget devices from bulk silicon (100)

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa; Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Sevilla, Galo T.

2013-01-01

Today’s information age is driven by silicon based electronics. For nearly four decades semiconductor industry has perfected the fabrication process of continuingly scaled transistor – heart of modern day electronics. In future, silicon industry will be more pervasive, whose application will range from ultra-mobile computation to bio-integrated medical electronics. Emergence of flexible electronics opens up interesting opportunities to expand the horizon of electronics industry. However, silicon – industry’s darling material is rigid and brittle. Therefore, we report a generic batch fabrication process to convert nearly any silicon electronics into a flexible one without compromising its (i) performance; (ii) ultra-large-scale-integration complexity to integrate billions of transistors within small areas; (iii) state-of-the-art process compatibility, (iv) advanced materials used in modern semiconductor technology; (v) the most widely used and well-studied low-cost substrate mono-crystalline bulk silicon (100). In our process, we make trenches using anisotropic reactive ion etching (RIE) in the inactive areas (in between the devices) of a silicon substrate (after the devices have been fabricated following the regular CMOS process), followed by a dielectric based spacer formation to protect the sidewall of the trench and then performing an isotropic etch to create caves in silicon. When these caves meet with each other the top portion of the silicon with the devices is ready to be peeled off from the bottom silicon substrate. Release process does not need to use any external support. Released silicon fabric (25 μm thick) is mechanically flexible (5 mm bending radius) and the trenches make it semi-transparent (transparency of 7%). © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Colloidal characterization of silicon nitride and silicon carbide

Science.gov (United States)

Feke, Donald L.

1986-01-01

The colloidal behavior of aqueous ceramic slips strongly affects the forming and sintering behavior and the ultimate mechanical strength of the final ceramic product. The colloidal behavior of these materials, which is dominated by electrical interactions between the particles, is complex due to the strong interaction of the solids with the processing fluids. A surface titration methodology, modified to account for this interaction, was developed and used to provide fundamental insights into the interfacial chemistry of these systems. Various powder pretreatment strategies were explored to differentiate between true surface chemistry and artifacts due to exposure history. The colloidal behavior of both silicon nitride and carbide is dominated by silanol groups on the powder surfaces. However, the colloid chemistry of silicon nitride is apparently influenced by an additional amine group. With the proper powder treatments, silicon nitride and carbide powder can be made to appear colloidally equivalent. The impact of these results on processing control will be discussed.

Silicon-to-silicon wafer bonding using evaporated glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weichel, Steen; Reus, Roger De; Lindahl, M.

1998-01-01

Anodic bending of silicon to silicon 4-in. wafers using an electron-beam evaporated glass (Schott 8329) was performed successfully in air at temperatures ranging from 200 degrees C to 450 degrees C. The composition of the deposited glass is enriched in sodium as compared to the target material....... The roughness of the as-deposited films was below 5 nm and was found to be unchanged by annealing at 500 degrees C for 1 h in air. No change in the macroscopic edge profiles of the glass film was found as a function of annealing; however, small extrusions appear when annealing above 450 degrees C. Annealing...... of silicon/glass structures in air around 340 degrees C for 15 min leads to stress-free structures. Bonded wafer pairs, however, show no reduction in stress and always exhibit compressive stress. The bond yield is larger than 95% for bonding temperatures around 350 degrees C and is above 80% for bonding...

Elite silicon and solar power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasamanov, N.A.

2000-01-01

The article is of popular character, the following issues being considered: conversion of solar energy into electric one, solar batteries in space and on the Earth, growing of silicon large-size crystals, source material problems relating to silicon monocrystals production, outlooks of solar silicon batteries production [ru

Porous silicon: X-rays sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerstenmayer, J.L.; Vibert, Patrick; Mercier, Patrick; Rayer, Claude; Hyvernage, Michel; Herino, Roland; Bsiesy, Ahmad

1994-01-01

We demonstrate that high porosity anodically porous silicon is radioluminescent. Interests of this study are double. Firstly: is the construction of porous silicon X-rays detectors (imagers) possible? Secondly: is it necessary to protect silicon porous based optoelectronic systems from ionising radiations effects (spatial environment)? ((orig.))

High-density oxidized porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gharbi, Ahmed; Souifi, Abdelkader; Remaki, Boudjemaa; Halimaoui, Aomar; Bensahel, Daniel

2012-01-01

We have studied oxidized porous silicon (OPS) properties using Fourier transform infraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy and capacitance–voltage C–V measurements. We report the first experimental determination of the optimum porosity allowing the elaboration of high-density OPS insulators. This is an important contribution to the research of thick integrated electrical insulators on porous silicon based on an optimized process ensuring dielectric quality (complete oxidation) and mechanical and chemical reliability (no residual pores or silicon crystallites). Through the measurement of the refractive indexes of the porous silicon (PS) layer before and after oxidation, one can determine the structural composition of the OPS material in silicon, air and silica. We have experimentally demonstrated that a porosity approaching 56% of the as-prepared PS layer is required to ensure a complete oxidation of PS without residual silicon crystallites and with minimum porosity. The effective dielectric constant values of OPS materials determined from capacitance–voltage C–V measurements are discussed and compared to FTIR results predictions. (paper)

Silicon spintronics with ferromagnetic tunnel devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jansen, R; Sharma, S; Dash, S P; Min, B C

2012-01-01

In silicon spintronics, the unique qualities of ferromagnetic materials are combined with those of silicon, aiming at creating an alternative, energy-efficient information technology in which digital data are represented by the orientation of the electron spin. Here we review the cornerstones of silicon spintronics, namely the creation, detection and manipulation of spin polarization in silicon. Ferromagnetic tunnel contacts are the key elements and provide a robust and viable approach to induce and probe spins in silicon, at room temperature. We describe the basic physics of spin tunneling into silicon, the spin-transport devices, the materials aspects and engineering of the magnetic tunnel contacts, and discuss important quantities such as the magnitude of the spin accumulation and the spin lifetime in the silicon. We highlight key experimental achievements and recent progress in the development of a spin-based information technology. (topical review)

Study of double porous silicon surfaces for enhancement of silicon solar cell performance

Science.gov (United States)

Razali, N. S. M.; Rahim, A. F. A.; Radzali, R.; Mahmood, A.

2017-09-01

In this work, design and simulation of double porous silicon surfaces for enhancement of silicon solar cell is carried out. Both single and double porous structures are constructed by using TCAD ATHENA and TCAD DEVEDIT tools of the SILVACO software respectively. After the structures were created, I-V characteristics and spectral response of the solar cell were extracted using ATLAS device simulator. Finally, the performance of the simulated double porous solar cell is compared with the performance of both single porous and bulk-Si solar cell. The results showed that double porous silicon solar cell exhibited 1.8% efficiency compared to 1.3% and 1.2% for single porous silicon and bulk-Si solar cell.

All-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon using graphene from silicon carbide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Bei; Ahmed, Mohsin; Iacopi, Francesca, E-mail: f.iacopi@griffith.edu.au [Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan 4111 (Australia); Wood, Barry [Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072 (Australia)

2016-05-02

Carbon-based supercapacitors are lightweight devices with high energy storage performance, allowing for faster charge-discharge rates than batteries. Here, we present an example of all-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon for on-chip applications, paving the way towards energy supply systems embedded in miniaturized electronics with fast access and high safety of operation. We present a nickel-assisted graphitization method from epitaxial silicon carbide on a silicon substrate to demonstrate graphene as a binder-free electrode material for all-solid-state supercapacitors. We obtain graphene electrodes with a strongly enhanced surface area, assisted by the irregular intrusion of nickel into the carbide layer, delivering a typical double-layer capacitance behavior with a specific area capacitance of up to 174 μF cm{sup −2} with about 88% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles. The fabrication technique illustrated in this work provides a strategic approach to fabricate micro-scale energy storage devices compatible with silicon electronics and offering ultimate miniaturization capabilities.

All-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon using graphene from silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Bei; Ahmed, Mohsin; Iacopi, Francesca; Wood, Barry

2016-01-01

Carbon-based supercapacitors are lightweight devices with high energy storage performance, allowing for faster charge-discharge rates than batteries. Here, we present an example of all-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon for on-chip applications, paving the way towards energy supply systems embedded in miniaturized electronics with fast access and high safety of operation. We present a nickel-assisted graphitization method from epitaxial silicon carbide on a silicon substrate to demonstrate graphene as a binder-free electrode material for all-solid-state supercapacitors. We obtain graphene electrodes with a strongly enhanced surface area, assisted by the irregular intrusion of nickel into the carbide layer, delivering a typical double-layer capacitance behavior with a specific area capacitance of up to 174 μF cm"−"2 with about 88% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles. The fabrication technique illustrated in this work provides a strategic approach to fabricate micro-scale energy storage devices compatible with silicon electronics and offering ultimate miniaturization capabilities.

Enhanced Raman scattering in porous silicon grating.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiajia; Jia, Zhenhong; Lv, Changwu

2018-03-19

The enhancement of Raman signal on monocrystalline silicon gratings with varying groove depths and on porous silicon grating were studied for a highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) response. In the experiment conducted, porous silicon gratings were fabricated. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were then deposited on the porous silicon grating to enhance the Raman signal of the detective objects. Results show that the enhancement of Raman signal on silicon grating improved when groove depth increased. The enhanced performance of Raman signal on porous silicon grating was also further improved. The Rhodamine SERS response based on Ag NPs/ porous silicon grating substrates was enhanced relative to the SERS response on Ag NPs/ porous silicon substrates. Ag NPs / porous silicon grating SERS substrate system achieved a highly sensitive SERS response due to the coupling of various Raman enhancement factors.

Photo-EMF Sensitivity of Porous Silicon Thin Layer–Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction to Ammonia Adsorption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kae Dal Kwack

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A new method of using photo-electromotive force in detecting gas and controlling sensitivity is proposed. Photo-electromotive force on the heterojunction between porous silicon thin layer and crystalline silicon wafer depends on the concentration of ammonia in the measurement chamber. A porous silicon thin layer was formed by electrochemical etching on p-type silicon wafer. A gas and light transparent electrical contact was manufactured to this porous layer. Photo-EMF sensitivity corresponding to ammonia concentration in the range from 10 ppm to 1,000 ppm can be maximized by controlling the intensity of illumination light.

Photo-EMF sensitivity of porous silicon thin layer-crystalline silicon heterojunction to ammonia adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Vashpanov, Yuriy; Jung, Jae Il; Kwack, Kae Dal

2011-01-01

A new method of using photo-electromotive force in detecting gas and controlling sensitivity is proposed. Photo-electromotive force on the heterojunction between porous silicon thin layer and crystalline silicon wafer depends on the concentration of ammonia in the measurement chamber. A porous silicon thin layer was formed by electrochemical etching on p-type silicon wafer. A gas and light transparent electrical contact was manufactured to this porous layer. Photo-EMF sensitivity corresponding to ammonia concentration in the range from 10 ppm to 1,000 ppm can be maximized by controlling the intensity of illumination light.

Photo-EMF Sensitivity of Porous Silicon Thin Layer–Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction to Ammonia Adsorption

Science.gov (United States)

Vashpanov, Yuriy; Jung, Jae Il; Kwack, Kae Dal

2011-01-01

A new method of using photo-electromotive force in detecting gas and controlling sensitivity is proposed. Photo-electromotive force on the heterojunction between porous silicon thin layer and crystalline silicon wafer depends on the concentration of ammonia in the measurement chamber. A porous silicon thin layer was formed by electrochemical etching on p-type silicon wafer. A gas and light transparent electrical contact was manufactured to this porous layer. Photo-EMF sensitivity corresponding to ammonia concentration in the range from 10 ppm to 1,000 ppm can be maximized by controlling the intensity of illumination light. PMID:22319353

Reduction of absorption loss in multicrystalline silicon via combination of mechanical grooving and porous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ben Rabha, Mohamed; Mohamed, Seifeddine Belhadj; Dimassi, Wissem; Gaidi, Mounir; Ezzaouia, Hatem; Bessais, Brahim [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cedria, BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

2011-03-15

Surface texturing of silicon wafer is a key step to enhance light absorption and to improve the solar cell performances. While alkaline-texturing of single crystalline silicon wafers was well established, no efficient chemical solution has been successfully developed for multicrystalline silicon wafers. Thus, the use of alternative new methods for effective texturization of multicrystalline silicon is worth to be investigated. One of the promising texturing techniques of multicrystalline silicon wafers is the use of mechanical grooves. However, most often, physical damages occur during mechanical grooves of the wafer surface, which in turn require an additional step of wet processing-removal damage. Electrochemical surface treatment seems to be an adequate solution for removing mechanical damage throughout porous silicon formation. The topography of untreated and porous silicon-treated mechanically textured surface was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As a result of the electrochemical surface treatment, the total reflectivity drops to about 5% in the 400-1000 nm wavelength range and the effective minority carrier diffusion length enhances from 190 {mu}m to about 230 {mu}m (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Laboratory course on silicon sensors

CERN Document Server

Crescio, E; Roe, S; Rudge, A

2003-01-01

The laboratory course consisted of four different mini sessions, in order to give the student some hands-on experience on various aspects of silicon sensors and related integrated electronics. The four experiments were. 1. Characterisation of silicon diodes for particle detection 2. Study of noise performance of the Viking readout circuit 3. Study of the position resolution of a silicon microstrip sensor 4. Study of charge transport in silicon with a fast amplifier The data in the following were obtained during the ICFA school by the students.

Application of hydrogen-plasma technology for property modification of silicon and producing the silicon-based structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedotov, A.K.; Mazanik, A.V.; Ul'yashin, A.G.; Dzhob, R; Farner, V.R.

2000-01-01

Effects of atomic hydrogen on the properties of Czochralski-grown single crystal silicon as well as polycrystalline shaped silicon have been investigated. It was established that the buried defect layers created by high-energy hydrogen or helium ion implantation act as a good getter centers for hydrogen atoms introduced in silicon in the process of hydrogen plasma hydrogenation. Atomic hydrogen was shown to be active as a catalyzer significantly enhancing the rate of thermal donors formation in p-type single crystal silicon. This effect can be used for n-p- and p-n-p-silicon based device structures producing [ru

WC-Co coatings deposited by the electro-thermal chemical spray method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhitomirsky, V.N. [Tel Aviv Univ. (Israel). Faculty of Engineering; Wald, S.; Rabani, L.; Zoler, D. [Propulsion Physics Division, SOREQ NRC, 81800, Yavne (Israel); Factor, M.; Roman, I. [School of Applied Sciences, The Hebrew University, 91904, Jerusalem (Israel); Cuperman, S.; Bruma, C. [School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, 69978, Tel-Aviv (Israel)

2000-10-02

A novel thermal spray technology - an electro-thermal chemical spray (ETCS) for producing hard coatings is presented. The experimental coating apparatus consists of a machine gun barrel, a cartridge containing the coating material in powder form, a solid propellant, and a plasma ignition system. The plasma ignition system produces plasma in pulsed mode to ignite the solid propellant. On ignition, the drag force exerted by the combustion gases accelerates the powder particles towards the substrate. Using the ETCS technique, the process of single-shot WC-Co coating deposition on stainless steel substrate was studied. The influence of process parameters (plasma energy, mass of the solid propellant and the coated powder, distance between the gun muzzle and the substrate) on the coating structure and some of its properties were investigated. It was shown that ECTS technique effectively deposited the WC-Co coating with deposition thicknesses of 100-200 {mu}m per shot, while deposition yield of {proportional_to}70% was attained. The WC-Co coatings consisted of carbide particles distributed in amorphous matrix. The powder particle velocity was found to depend on the solid propellant mass and was weakly dependent on the plasma energy, while the particle processing temperature was strongly dependent on the plasma energy and almost independent of the solid propellant mass. Whilst increasing the solid propellant mass from 5 to 7 g, the deposition rate and yield correspondingly increased. When increasing the plasma energy, the temperature of the powder particles increased, the average carbide particle size decreased and their shape became more rounded. The deposition yield and microhardness at first increased and then achieved saturation by increasing the plasma energy. (orig.)

Silicon microfabricated beam expander

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Othman, A.; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A.; Ain, M. F.

2015-01-01

The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed

Silicon microfabricated beam expander

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Othman, A., E-mail: aliman@ppinang.uitm.edu.my; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A. [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Ain, M. F. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan, 14300,Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia)

2015-03-30

The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed.

Evaluation of a novel PTFE material for use as a means for separation and preconcentration of trace levels of metal ions in sequential injection (SI) and sequential injection lab-on-valve (SI-LOV) systems. Determination of cadmium (II) with detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Long, Xiangbao; Chomchoei, Roongrat; Hansen, Elo Harald

2004-01-01

with an external packed column and in a sequential injection lab-on-valve (SI-LOV) system. Employed for the determination of cadmium(II), complexed with diethyldithiophosphate (DDPA), and detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), its performance was compared to that of a previously used...

Using silicon nanostructures for the improvement of silicon solar cells' efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torre, J. de la; Bremond, G.; Lemiti, M.; Guillot, G.; Mur, P.; Buffet, N.

2006-01-01

Silicon nanostructures (ns-Si) show interesting optical and electrical properties as a result of the band gap widening caused by quantum confinement effects. Along with their potential utilization for silicon-based light emitters' fabrication, they could also represent an appealing option for the improvement of energy conversion efficiency in silicon-based solar cells whether by using their luminescence properties (photon down-conversion) or the excess photocurrent produced by an improved high-energy photon's absorption. In this work, we report on the morphological and optical studies of non-stoichiometric silica (SiO x ) and silicon nitride (SiN x ) layers containing silicon nanostructures (ns-Si) in view of their application for solar cell's efficiency improvement. The morphological studies of the samples performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) unambiguously show the presence of ns-Si in a crystalline form for high temperature-annealed SiO x layers and for low temperature deposition of SiN x layers. The photoluminescence emission (PL) shows a rather high efficiency in both kind of layers with an intensity of only a factor ∼ 100 lower than that of porous silicon (pi-Si). The photocurrent spectroscopy (PC) shows a significant increase of absorption at high photon energy excitation most probably related to photon absorption within ns-Si quantized states. Moreover, the absorption characteristics obtained from PC spectra show a good agreement with the PL emission states unambiguously demonstrating a same origin, related to Q-confined excitons within ns-Si. Finally, the major asset of this material is the possibility to incorporate it to solar cells manufacturing processing for an insignificant cost

Silicon processing for photovoltaics II

CERN Document Server

Khattak, CP

2012-01-01

The processing of semiconductor silicon for manufacturing low cost photovoltaic products has been a field of increasing activity over the past decade and a number of papers have been published in the technical literature. This volume presents comprehensive, in-depth reviews on some of the key technologies developed for processing silicon for photovoltaic applications. It is complementary to Volume 5 in this series and together they provide the only collection of reviews in silicon photovoltaics available.The volume contains papers on: the effect of introducing grain boundaries in silicon; the

Nano-ridge fabrication by local oxidation of silicon edges with silicon nitride as a mask

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haneveld, J.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Maury, P.A.; Jansen, Henricus V.

2005-01-01

A method to fabricate nano-ridges over a full wafer is presented. The fabrication method uses local oxidation of silicon, with silicon nitride as a mask, and wet anisotropic etching of silicon. The realized structures are 7-20 nm wide, 40-100 nm high and centimeters long. All dimensions are easily

Silicon nanowire hybrid photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Garnett, Erik C.

2010-06-01

Silicon nanowire Schottky junction solar cells have been fabricated using n-type silicon nanowire arrays and a spin-coated conductive polymer (PEDOT). The polymer Schottky junction cells show superior surface passivation and open-circuit voltages compared to standard diffused junction cells with native oxide surfaces. External quantum efficiencies up to 88% were measured for these silicon nanowire/PEDOT solar cells further demonstrating excellent surface passivation. This process avoids high temperature processes which allows for low-cost substrates to be used. © 2010 IEEE.

Silicon nanowire hybrid photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Garnett, Erik C.; Peters, Craig; Brongersma, Mark; Cui, Yi; McGehee, Mike

2010-01-01

Silicon nanowire Schottky junction solar cells have been fabricated using n-type silicon nanowire arrays and a spin-coated conductive polymer (PEDOT). The polymer Schottky junction cells show superior surface passivation and open-circuit voltages compared to standard diffused junction cells with native oxide surfaces. External quantum efficiencies up to 88% were measured for these silicon nanowire/PEDOT solar cells further demonstrating excellent surface passivation. This process avoids high temperature processes which allows for low-cost substrates to be used. © 2010 IEEE.

Design and Fabrication of Silicon-on-Silicon-Carbide Substrates and Power Devices for Space Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gammon P.M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A new generation of power electronic semiconductor devices are being developed for the benefit of space and terrestrial harsh-environment applications. 200-600 V lateral transistors and diodes are being fabricated in a thin layer of silicon (Si wafer bonded to silicon carbide (SiC. This novel silicon-on-silicon-carbide (Si/SiC substrate solution promises to combine the benefits of silicon-on-insulator (SOI technology (i.e device confinement, radiation tolerance, high and low temperature performance with that of SiC (i.e. high thermal conductivity, radiation hardness, high temperature performance. Details of a process are given that produces thin films of silicon 1, 2 and 5 μm thick on semi-insulating 4H-SiC. Simulations of the hybrid Si/SiC substrate show that the high thermal conductivity of the SiC offers a junction-to-case temperature ca. 4× less that an equivalent SOI device; reducing the effects of self-heating, and allowing much greater power density. Extensive electrical simulations are used to optimise a 600 V laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOSFET implemented entirely within the silicon thin film, and highlight the differences between Si/SiC and SOI solutions.

Silicon oxide nanoimprint stamp fabrication by edge lithography reinforced with silicon nitride

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhao, Yiping; Berenschot, Johan W.; de Boer, Meint J.; Jansen, Henricus V.; Tas, Niels Roelof; Huskens, Jurriaan; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

2007-01-01

The fabrication of silicon oxide nanoimprint stamp employing edge lithography in combination with silicon nitride deposition is presented. The fabrication process is based on conventional photolithography an weg etching methods. Nanoridges with width dimension of sub-20 nm were fabricated by edge

Amorphous silicon rich silicon nitride optical waveguides for high density integrated optics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Philipp, Hugh T.; Andersen, Karin Nordström; Svendsen, Winnie Edith

2004-01-01

Amorphous silicon rich silicon nitride optical waveguides clad in silica are presented as a high-index contrast platform for high density integrated optics. Performance of different cross-sectional geometries have been measured and are presented with regards to bending loss and insertion loss...

Process for forming a porous silicon member in a crystalline silicon member

Science.gov (United States)

Northrup, M. Allen; Yu, Conrad M.; Raley, Norman F.

1999-01-01

Fabrication and use of porous silicon structures to increase surface area of heated reaction chambers, electrophoresis devices, and thermopneumatic sensor-actuators, chemical preconcentrates, and filtering or control flow devices. In particular, such high surface area or specific pore size porous silicon structures will be useful in significantly augmenting the adsorption, vaporization, desorption, condensation and flow of liquids and gasses in applications that use such processes on a miniature scale. Examples that will benefit from a high surface area, porous silicon structure include sample preconcentrators that are designed to adsorb and subsequently desorb specific chemical species from a sample background; chemical reaction chambers with enhanced surface reaction rates; and sensor-actuator chamber devices with increased pressure for thermopneumatic actuation of integrated membranes. Examples that benefit from specific pore sized porous silicon are chemical/biological filters and thermally-activated flow devices with active or adjacent surfaces such as electrodes or heaters.

Hybrid Integrated Platforms for Silicon Photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Di; Roelkens, Gunther; Baets, Roel; Bowers, John E.

2010-01-01

A review of recent progress in hybrid integrated platforms for silicon photonics is presented. Integration of III-V semiconductors onto silicon-on-insulator substrates based on two different bonding techniques is compared, one comprising only inorganic materials, the other technique using an organic bonding agent. Issues such as bonding process and mechanism, bonding strength, uniformity, wafer surface requirement, and stress distribution are studied in detail. The application in silicon photonics to realize high-performance active and passive photonic devices on low-cost silicon wafers is discussed. Hybrid integration is believed to be a promising technology in a variety of applications of silicon photonics.

Ultrafast Terahertz Conductivity of Photoexcited Nanocrystalline Silicon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cooke, David; MacDonald, A. Nicole; Hryciw, Aaron

2007-01-01

The ultrafast transient ac conductivity of nanocrystalline silicon films is investigated using time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy. While epitaxial silicon on sapphire exhibits a free carrier Drude response, silicon nanocrystals embedded in glass show a response that is best described by a class...... in the silicon nanocrystal films is dominated by trapping at the Si/SiO2 interface states, occurring on a 1–100 ps time scale depending on particle size and hydrogen passivation......The ultrafast transient ac conductivity of nanocrystalline silicon films is investigated using time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy. While epitaxial silicon on sapphire exhibits a free carrier Drude response, silicon nanocrystals embedded in glass show a response that is best described...

Epitaxial growth of silicon for layer transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Teplin, Charles; Branz, Howard M

2015-03-24

Methods of preparing a thin crystalline silicon film for transfer and devices utilizing a transferred crystalline silicon film are disclosed. The methods include preparing a silicon growth substrate which has an interface defining substance associated with an exterior surface. The methods further include depositing an epitaxial layer of silicon on the silicon growth substrate at the surface and separating the epitaxial layer from the substrate substantially along the plane or other surface defined by the interface defining substance. The epitaxial layer may be utilized as a thin film of crystalline silicon in any type of semiconductor device which requires a crystalline silicon layer. In use, the epitaxial transfer layer may be associated with a secondary substrate.

Toxic metals distribution in different components of Pakistani and imported cigarettes by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazi, T.G.; Jalbani, N.; Arain, M.B.; Jamali, M.K.; Afridi, H.I.; Sarfraz, R.A.; Shah, A.Q.

2009-01-01

It was extensively investigated that a significant flux of toxic metals, along with other toxins, reaches the lungs through smoking. In present study toxic metals (TMs) (Al, Cd, Ni and Pb) were determined in different components of Pakistani local branded and imported cigarettes, including filler tobacco (FT), filter (before and after normal smoking by a single volunteer) and ash by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (ETAAS). Microwave-assisted digestion method was employed. The validity and accuracy of methodology were checked by using certified sample of Virginia tobacco leaves (ICHTJ-cta-VTL-2). The percentages (%) of TMs in different components of cigarette were calculated with respect to their total contents in FT of all branded cigarettes before smoking, while smoke concentration has been calculated by subtracting the filter and ash contents from the filler tobacco content of each branded cigarette. The highest percentage (%) of Al was observed in ash of all cigarettes, with range 97.3-99.0%, while in the case of Cd, a reverse behaviour was observed, as a range of 15.0-31.3% of total contents were left in the ash of all branded cigarettes understudy

Silicon nanowire-based solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stelzner, Th; Pietsch, M; Andrae, G; Falk, F; Ose, E; Christiansen, S [Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, D-07745 Jena (Germany)], E-mail: thomas.stelzner@ipht-jena.de

2008-07-23

The fabrication of silicon nanowire-based solar cells on silicon wafers and on multicrystalline silicon thin films on glass is described. The nanowires show a strong broadband optical absorption, which makes them an interesting candidate to serve as an absorber in solar cells. The operation of a solar cell is demonstrated with n-doped nanowires grown on a p-doped silicon wafer. From a partially illuminated area of 0.6 cm{sup 2} open-circuit voltages in the range of 230-280 mV and a short-circuit current density of 2 mA cm{sup -2} were obtained.

Silicon nanowire-based solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stelzner, Th; Pietsch, M; Andrae, G; Falk, F; Ose, E; Christiansen, S

2008-01-01

The fabrication of silicon nanowire-based solar cells on silicon wafers and on multicrystalline silicon thin films on glass is described. The nanowires show a strong broadband optical absorption, which makes them an interesting candidate to serve as an absorber in solar cells. The operation of a solar cell is demonstrated with n-doped nanowires grown on a p-doped silicon wafer. From a partially illuminated area of 0.6 cm 2 open-circuit voltages in the range of 230-280 mV and a short-circuit current density of 2 mA cm -2 were obtained

Silicon Qubits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ladd, Thaddeus D. [HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA (United States); Carroll, Malcolm S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-02-28

Silicon is a promising material candidate for qubits due to the combination of worldwide infrastructure in silicon microelectronics fabrication and the capability to drastically reduce decohering noise channels via chemical purification and isotopic enhancement. However, a variety of challenges in fabrication, control, and measurement leaves unclear the best strategy for fully realizing this material’s future potential. In this article, we survey three basic qubit types: those based on substitutional donors, on metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures, and on Si/SiGe heterostructures. We also discuss the multiple schema used to define and control Si qubits, which may exploit the manipulation and detection of a single electron charge, the state of a single electron spin, or the collective states of multiple spins. Far from being comprehensive, this article provides a brief orientation to the rapidly evolving field of silicon qubit technology and is intended as an approachable entry point for a researcher new to this field.

Study of Silicon Microstrip Detector Properties for the LHCb Silicon Tracker

CERN Document Server

Lois-Gómez, C; Vázquez-Regueiro, P

2006-01-01

The LHCb experiment, at present under construction at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, has been designed to perform high-precision measurements of CP violating phenomena and rare decays in the B meson systems. The need of a good tracking performance and the high density of particles close to the beam pipe lead to the use of silicon microstrip detectors in a significant part of the LHCb tracking system. The Silicon Tracker (ST) will be built using p-on-n silicon detectors with strip pitches of approximately 200 $\\mu$m and readout strips up to 38 cm in length. This thesis describes the tests carried out on silicon microstrip detectors for the ST, starting from the characterization of different prototypes up to the final tests on the detectors that are being installed at CERN. The results can be divided in three main blocks. The first part comprises an exhaustive characterization of several prototype sensors selected as suitable candidates for the detector and was performed in order to decide some design param...

A calorimetric particle detector using an iridium superconducting phase transition thermometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, M.; Dummer, D.; Cooper, S.; Igalson, J.; Proebst, F.; Seidel, W.

1994-01-01

We report on a calorimetric particles detector consisting of an 18.3 g silicon crystal and an iridium superconducting phase transition thermometer. The cryogenic calorimeter and the associated apparatus are described in detail. The pulses from irradiation with an α-particle source have a large unexpected overshoot in addition to the component expected from a naive thermal model. The pulse height spectrum displays an energy resolution of 1 percent FWHM at 6 MeV and good linearity. The noise, electrothermal feedback, and position dependence are discussed. (orig.)

Apparatus for making molten silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Harry (Inventor)

1988-01-01

A reactor apparatus (10) adapted for continuously producing molten, solar grade purity elemental silicon by thermal reaction of a suitable precursor gas, such as silane (SiH.sub.4), is disclosed. The reactor apparatus (10) includes an elongated reactor body (32) having graphite or carbon walls which are heated to a temperature exceeding the melting temperature of silicon. The precursor gas enters the reactor body (32) through an efficiently cooled inlet tube assembly (22) and a relatively thin carbon or graphite septum (44). The septum (44), being in contact on one side with the cooled inlet (22) and the heated interior of the reactor (32) on the other side, provides a sharp temperature gradient for the precursor gas entering the reactor (32) and renders the operation of the inlet tube assembly (22) substantially free of clogging. The precursor gas flows in the reactor (32) in a substantially smooth, substantially axial manner. Liquid silicon formed in the initial stages of the thermal reaction reacts with the graphite or carbon walls to provide a silicon carbide coating on the walls. The silicon carbide coated reactor is highly adapted for prolonged use for production of highly pure solar grade silicon. Liquid silicon (20) produced in the reactor apparatus (10) may be used directly in a Czochralski or other crystal shaping equipment.

Hole Injection at the Silicon/Aqueous Electrolyte Interface: A Possible Mechanism for Chemiluminescence from Porous Silicon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kooij, Ernst S.; Butter, K.; Kelly, J.J.

1998-01-01

The reduction mechanism of oxidizing agents at silicon and porous silicon electrodes has been investigated in relation to light emission from the porous semiconductor. Oxidizing agents with a positive redox potential are shown to inject holes into HF-pretreated silicon. However, as the degree of

Tailoring the optical constants in single-crystal silicon with embedded silver nanostructures for advanced silicon photonics applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhter, Perveen; Huang, Mengbing; Spratt, William; Kadakia, Nirag; Amir, Faisal

2015-01-01

Plasmonic effects associated with metal nanostructures are expected to hold the key to tailoring light emission/propagation and harvesting solar energy in materials including single crystal silicon which remains the backbone in the microelectronics and photovoltaics industries but unfortunately, lacks many functionalities needed for construction of advanced photonic and optoelectronics devices. Currently, silicon plasmonic structures are practically possible only in the configuration with metal nanoparticles or thin film arrays on a silicon surface. This does not enable one to exploit the full potential of plasmonics for optical engineering in silicon, because the plasmonic effects are dominant over a length of ∼50 nm, and the active device region typically lies below the surface much beyond this range. Here, we report on a novel method for the formation of silver nanoparticles embedded within a silicon crystal through metal gettering from a silver thin film deposited at the surface to nanocavities within the Si created by hydrogen ion implantation. The refractive index of the Ag-nanostructured layer is found to be 3–10% lower or higher than that of silicon for wavelengths below or beyond ∼815–900 nm, respectively. Around this wavelength range, the optical extinction values increase by a factor of 10–100 as opposed to the pure silicon case. Increasing the amount of gettered silver leads to an increased extinction as well as a redshift in wavelength position for the resonance. This resonance is attributed to the surface plasmon excitation of the resultant silver nanoparticles in silicon. Additionally, we show that the profiles for optical constants in silicon can be tailored by varying the position and number of nanocavity layers. Such silicon crystals with embedded metal nanostructures would offer novel functional base structures for applications in silicon photonics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and plasmonics

Power Capability Investigation Based on Electrothermal Models of Press-pack IGBT Three-Level NPC and ANPC VSCs for Multimegawatt Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Senturk, Osman Selcuk; Helle, Lars; Munk-Nielsen, Stig

2012-01-01

to provide reactive power support as an ancillary service. For multimegawatt full-scale wind turbines, power capability depends on converter topology and semiconductor switch technology. As power capability limiting factors, switch current, semiconductor junction temperature, and converter output voltage...... are addressed in this study for the three-level neutral-point-clamped voltage source converter (3L-NPC-VSC) and 3L Active NPC VSC (3L-ANPC-VSC) with press-pack insulated gate bipolar transistors employed as a grid-side converter. In order to investigate these VSCs' power capabilities under various operating...... conditions with respect to these limiting factors, a power capability generation algorithm based on the converter electrothermal model is developed. Built considering the VSCs' operation principles and physical structure, the model is validated by a 2 MV·A single-phase 3L-ANPC-VSC test setup. The power...

Advances in silicon nanophotonics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvam, Jørn Märcher; Pu, Minhao

Silicon has long been established as an ideal material for passive integrated optical circuitry due to its high refractive index, with corresponding strong optical confinement ability, and its low-cost CMOS-compatible manufacturability. However, the inversion symmetry of the silicon crystal lattice.......g. in high-bit-rate optical communication circuits and networks, it is vital that the nonlinear optical effects of silicon are being strongly enhanced. This can among others be achieved in photonic-crystal slow-light waveguides and in nano-engineered photonic-wires (Fig. 1). In this talk I shall present some...... recent advances in this direction. The efficient coupling of light between optical fibers and the planar silicon devices and circuits is of crucial importance. Both end-coupling (Fig. 1) and grating-coupling solutions will be discussed along with polarization issues. A new scheme for a hybrid III...

Experimental Studies of the Electrothermal and Magneto-Rayleigh Taylor Instabilities on Thin Metal Foil Ablations

Science.gov (United States)

Steiner, Adam; Yager-Elorriaga, David; Patel, Sonal; Jordan, Nicholas; Gilgenbach, Ronald; Lau, Y. Y.

2015-11-01

The electrothermal instability (ETI) and magneto-Rayleigh Taylor instability (MRT) are important in the implosion of metallic liners, such as magnetized liner implosion fusion (MagLIF). The MAIZE linear transformer driver (LTD) at the University of Michigan generates 200 ns risetime-current pulses of 500 to 600 kA into Al foil liners to study plasma instabilities and implosion dynamics, most recently MRT growth on imploding cylindrical liners. A full circuit model of MAIZE, along with I-V measurements, yields time-resolved load inductance. This has enabled measurements of an effective current-carrying radius to determine implosion velocity and plasma-vacuum interface acceleration. Measurements are also compared to implosion data from 4-time-frame laser shadowgraphy. Improved resolution measurements on the laser shadowgraph system have been used to examine the liner interface early in the shot to examine surface perturbations resulting from ETI for various seeding conditions. Fourier analysis examines the growth rates of wavelength bands of these structures to examine the transition from ETI to MRT. This work was supported by the U.S. DoE through award DE-SC0012328. S.G. Patel is supported by Sandia National Labs. D.A. Yager is supported by NSF fellowship grant DGE 1256260.

Phosphorus-doped Amorphous Silicon Nitride Films Applied to Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feinäugle, Matthias

2008-01-01

The Photovoltaics Group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya is investigating silicon carbide (SiC) for the electronic passivation of the surface of crystalline silicon solar cells. The doping of SiC passivation layers with phosphorus resulted in a clear improvement of the minority carrier

Synthesis of Novel Reactive Disperse Silicon-Containing Dyes and Their Coloring Properties on Silicone Rubbers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Novel red and purple reactive disperse silicon-containing dyes were designed and synthesized using p-nitroaniline and 6-bromo-2,4-dinitro-aniline as diazonium components, the first condensation product of cyanuric chloride and 3-(N,N-diethylamino-aniline as coupling component, and 3-aminopropylmethoxydimethylsilane, 3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane as silicone reactive agents. These dyes were characterized by UV-Vis, 1H-NMR, FT-IR, and MS. The obtained reactive disperse silicon-containing dyes were used to color silicone rubbers and the color fastness of the dyes were evaluated. The dry/wet rubbing and washing fastnesses of these dyes all reached 4–5 grade and the sublimation fastness was also above 4 grade, indicating outstanding performance in terms of color fastness. Such colored silicone rubbers showed bright and rich colors without affecting its static mechanical properties.

"Silicon millefeuille": From a silicon wafer to multiple thin crystalline films in a single step

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, David; Trifonov, Trifon; Garín, Moisés; Alcubilla, Ramon

2013-04-01

During the last years, many techniques have been developed to obtain thin crystalline films from commercial silicon ingots. Large market applications are foreseen in the photovoltaic field, where important cost reductions are predicted, and also in advanced microelectronics technologies as three-dimensional integration, system on foil, or silicon interposers [Dross et al., Prog. Photovoltaics 20, 770-784 (2012); R. Brendel, Thin Film Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells (Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany 2003); J. N. Burghartz, Ultra-Thin Chip Technology and Applications (Springer Science + Business Media, NY, USA, 2010)]. Existing methods produce "one at a time" silicon layers, once one thin film is obtained, the complete process is repeated to obtain the next layer. Here, we describe a technology that, from a single crystalline silicon wafer, produces a large number of crystalline films with controlled thickness in a single technological step.

Silicon integrated circuit process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong Duck

1985-12-01

This book introduces the process of silicon integrated circuit. It is composed of seven parts, which are oxidation process, diffusion process, ion implantation process such as ion implantation equipment, damage, annealing and influence on manufacture of integrated circuit and device, chemical vapor deposition process like silicon Epitaxy LPCVD and PECVD, photolithography process, including a sensitizer, spin, harden bake, reflection of light and problems related process, infrared light bake, wet-etch, dry etch, special etch and problems of etching, metal process like metal process like metal-silicon connection, aluminum process, credibility of aluminum and test process.

Silicon integrated circuit process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Duck

1985-12-15

This book introduces the process of silicon integrated circuit. It is composed of seven parts, which are oxidation process, diffusion process, ion implantation process such as ion implantation equipment, damage, annealing and influence on manufacture of integrated circuit and device, chemical vapor deposition process like silicon Epitaxy LPCVD and PECVD, photolithography process, including a sensitizer, spin, harden bake, reflection of light and problems related process, infrared light bake, wet-etch, dry etch, special etch and problems of etching, metal process like metal process like metal-silicon connection, aluminum process, credibility of aluminum and test process.

Silicon micromachined vibrating gyroscopes

Science.gov (United States)

Voss, Ralf

1997-09-01

This work gives an overview of silicon micromachined vibrating gyroscopes. Market perspectives and fields of application are pointed out. The advantage of using silicon micromachining is discussed and estimations of the desired performance, especially for automobiles are given. The general principle of vibrating gyroscopes is explained. Vibrating silicon gyroscopes can be divided into seven classes. for each class the characteristic principle is presented and examples are given. Finally a specific sensor, based on a tuning fork for automotive applications with a sensitivity of 250(mu) V/degrees is described in detail.

High sensitivity detection of selenium by laser excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry using electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heitmann, U.; Hese, A.; Schoknecht, G.; Gries, W.

1995-01-01

The high sensitivity detection of the trace element selenium is reported. The analytical method applied is Laser Excited Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry using Electrothermal Atomization within a graphite furnace atomizer. For the production of tunable laser radiation in the VUV spectral region a laser system was developed which consists of two dye lasers pumped by a Nd:YAG laser. The laser radiations are subsequently frequency doubled and sum frequency mixed by nonlinear optical KDP or BBO crystals, respectively. The system works with a repetition rate of 20 Hz and provides output energies of up to 100 μJ in the VUV at a pulse duration of 5 ns. The analytical investigations were focused on the detection of selenium in aqueous solutions and samples of human whole blood. From measurements on aqueous standards detection limits of 1.5 ng/l for selenium were obtained, with corresponding absolute detected masses of only 15 fg. The linear dynamic range spanned six orders of magnitude and good precision was achieved. In case of human whole blood samples the recovery was found to be within the range of 96% to 104%. The determination of the selenium content yielded medians of [119.5 ± 17.3] μg/l for 200 frozen blood samples taken in 1988 and [109.1 ± 15.6] μg/l for 103 fresh blood samples. (author)

Silicon containing copolymers

CERN Document Server

Amiri, Sahar; Amiri, Sanam

2014-01-01

Silicones have unique properties including thermal oxidative stability, low temperature flow, high compressibility, low surface tension, hydrophobicity and electric properties. These special properties have encouraged the exploration of alternative synthetic routes of well defined controlled microstructures of silicone copolymers, the subject of this Springer Brief. The authors explore the synthesis and characterization of notable block copolymers. Recent advances in controlled radical polymerization techniques leading to the facile synthesis of well-defined silicon based thermo reversible block copolymers?are described along with atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), a technique utilized to develop well-defined functional thermo reversible block copolymers. The brief also focuses on Polyrotaxanes and their great potential as stimulus-responsive materials which produce poly (dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) based thermo reversible block copolymers.

Diamond deposition on siliconized stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, F.; Reinoso, M.; Huck, H.; Rosenbusch, M.

2010-01-01

Silicon diffusion layers in AISI 304 and AISI 316 type stainless steels were investigated as an alternative to surface barrier coatings for diamond film growth. Uniform 2 μm thick silicon rich interlayers were obtained by coating the surface of the steels with silicon and performing diffusion treatments at 800 deg. C. Adherent diamond films with low sp 2 carbon content were deposited on the diffused silicon layers by a modified hot filament assisted chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. Characterization of as-siliconized layers and diamond coatings was performed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.

Transmutation doping of silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, R. F.; Westbrook, R. D.; Young, R. T.; Cleland, J. W.

1977-01-01

Normal isotopic silicon contains 3.05% of Si-30 which transmutes to P-31 after thermal neutron absorption, with a half-life of 2.6 hours. This reaction is used to introduce extremely uniform concentrations of phosphorus into silicon, thus eliminating the areal and spatial inhomogeneities characteristic of chemical doping. Annealing of the lattice damage in the irradiated silicon does not alter the uniformity of dopant distribution. Transmutation doping also makes it possible to introduce phosphorus into polycrystalline silicon without segregation of the dopant at the grain boundaries. The use of neutron transmutation doped (NTD) silicon in solar cell research and development is discussed.

Hybrid Integrated Platforms for Silicon Photonics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John E. Bowers

2010-03-01

Full Text Available A review of recent progress in hybrid integrated platforms for silicon photonics is presented. Integration of III-V semiconductors onto silicon-on-insulator substrates based on two different bonding techniques is compared, one comprising only inorganic materials, the other technique using an organic bonding agent. Issues such as bonding process and mechanism, bonding strength, uniformity, wafer surface requirement, and stress distribution are studied in detail. The application in silicon photonics to realize high-performance active and passive photonic devices on low-cost silicon wafers is discussed. Hybrid integration is believed to be a promising technology in a variety of applications of silicon photonics.

Silicon on insulator self-aligned transistors

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Anthony M.

2003-11-18

A method for fabricating thin-film single-crystal silicon-on-insulator (SOI) self-aligned transistors. Standard processing of silicon substrates is used to fabricate the transistors. Physical spaces, between the source and gate, and the drain and gate, introduced by etching the polysilicon gate material, are used to provide connecting implants (bridges) which allow the transistor to perform normally. After completion of the silicon substrate processing, the silicon wafer is bonded to an insulator (glass) substrate, and the silicon substrate is removed leaving the transistors on the insulator (glass) substrate. Transistors fabricated by this method may be utilized, for example, in flat panel displays, etc.

Creep analysis of silicone for podiatry applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Janeiro-Arocas, Julia; Tarrío-Saavedra, Javier; López-Beceiro, Jorge; Naya, Salvador; López-Canosa, Adrián; Heredia-García, Nicolás; Artiaga, Ramón

2016-10-01

This work shows an effective methodology to characterize the creep-recovery behavior of silicones before their application in podiatry. The aim is to characterize, model and compare the creep-recovery properties of different types of silicone used in podiatry orthotics. Creep-recovery phenomena of silicones used in podiatry orthotics is characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Silicones provided by Herbitas are compared by observing their viscoelastic properties by Functional Data Analysis (FDA) and nonlinear regression. The relationship between strain and time is modeled by fixed and mixed effects nonlinear regression to compare easily and intuitively podiatry silicones. Functional ANOVA and Kohlrausch-Willians-Watts (KWW) model with fixed and mixed effects allows us to compare different silicones observing the values of fitting parameters and their physical meaning. The differences between silicones are related to the variations of breadth of creep-recovery time distribution and instantaneous deformation-permanent strain. Nevertheless, the mean creep-relaxation time is the same for all the studied silicones. Silicones used in palliative orthoses have higher instantaneous deformation-permanent strain and narrower creep-recovery distribution. The proposed methodology based on DMA, FDA and nonlinear regression is an useful tool to characterize and choose the proper silicone for each podiatry application according to their viscoelastic properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semiconducting silicon nanowires for biomedical applications

CERN Document Server

Coffer, JL

2014-01-01

Biomedical applications have benefited greatly from the increasing interest and research into semiconducting silicon nanowires. Semiconducting Silicon Nanowires for Biomedical Applications reviews the fabrication, properties, and applications of this emerging material. The book begins by reviewing the basics, as well as the growth, characterization, biocompatibility, and surface modification, of semiconducting silicon nanowires. It goes on to focus on silicon nanowires for tissue engineering and delivery applications, including cellular binding and internalization, orthopedic tissue scaffol

Synthesis of Silicon Nanocrystals in Microplasma Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Nozaki, Tomohiro; Sasaki, Kenji; Ogino, Tomohisa; Asahi, Daisuke; Okazaki, Ken

Nanocrystalline silicon particles with a grain size of at least less than 10 nm are widely recognized as one of the key materials in optoelectronic devices, electrodes of lithium battery, bio-medical labels. There is also important character that silicon is safe material to the environment and easily gets involved in existing silicon technologies. To date, several synthesis methods such as sputtering, laser ablation, and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) based on low-pressure silane chemistry (SiH4) have been developed for precise control of size and density distributions of silicon nanocrystals. We explore the possibility of microplasma technologies for the efficient production of mono-dispersed nanocrystalline silicon particles in a micrometer-scale, continuous-flow plasma reactor operated at atmospheric pressure. Mixtures of argon, hydrogen, and silicon tetrachloride were activated using very high frequency (VHF = 144 MHz) power source in a capillary glass tube with a volume of less than 1 μ-liter. Fundamental plasma parameters of VHF capacitively coupled microplasma were characterized by optical emission spectroscopy, showing electron density of approximately 1015 cm-3 and rotational temperature of 1500 K, respectively. Such high-density non-thermal reactive plasma has a capability of decomposing silicon tetrachloride into atomic silicon to produce supersaturated atomic silicon vapor, followed by gas phase nucleation via three-body collision. The particle synthesis in high-density plasma media is beneficial for promoting nucleation process. In addition, further growth of silicon nuclei was able to be favorably terminated in a short-residence time reactor. Micro Raman scattering spectrum showed that as-deposited particles were mostly amorphous silicon with small fraction of silicon nanocrystals. Transmission electron micrograph confirmed individual silicon nanocrystals of 3-15 nm size. Although those particles were not mono-dispersed, they were

Amorphous silicon crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

CERN Document Server

Fahrner, Wolfgang Rainer

2013-01-01

Amorphous Silicon/Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells deals with some typical properties of heterojunction solar cells, such as their history, the properties and the challenges of the cells, some important measurement tools, some simulation programs and a brief survey of the state of the art, aiming to provide an initial framework in this field and serve as a ready reference for all those interested in the subject. This book helps to "fill in the blanks" on heterojunction solar cells. Readers will receive a comprehensive overview of the principles, structures, processing techniques and the current developmental states of the devices. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang R. Fahrner is a professor at the University of Hagen, Germany and Nanchang University, China.

Strained silicon as a new electro-optic material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Rune Shim; Andersen, Karin Nordström; Borel, Peter Ingo

2006-01-01

For decades, silicon has been the material of choice for mass fabrication of electronics. This is in contrast to photonics, where passive optical components in silicon have only recently been realized1, 2. The slow progress within silicon optoelectronics, where electronic and optical...... functionalities can be integrated into monolithic components based on the versatile silicon platform, is due to the limited active optical properties of silicon3. Recently, however, a continuous-wave Raman silicon laser was demonstrated4; if an effective modulator could also be realized in silicon, data...... processing and transmission could potentially be performed by all-silicon electronic and optical components. Here we have discovered that a significant linear electro-optic effect is induced in silicon by breaking the crystal symmetry. The symmetry is broken by depositing a straining layer on top...

Effect of Silicon Nanowire on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Characteristics

OpenAIRE

Zahra Ostadmahmoodi Do; Tahereh Fanaei Sheikholeslami; Hassan Azarkish

2016-01-01

Nanowires (NWs) are recently used in several sensor or actuator devices to improve their ordered characteristics. Silicon nanowire (Si NW) is one of the most attractive one-dimensional nanostructures semiconductors because of its unique electrical and optical properties. In this paper, silicon nanowire (Si NW), is synthesized and characterized for application in photovoltaic device. Si NWs are prepared using wet chemical etching method which is commonly used as a simple and low cost method fo...

Experimental and theoretical study of plasma-water interaction in electrothermal guns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arensburg, Alex.

1993-05-01

This thesis comprises an experimental and theoretical study of the plasma- jet-water interaction in electrothermal guns. In the present work the plasma jet was produced by high current pulsed discharge in a plasma injector consisting of polyethylene capillary, closed at one end by a metallic anode and supported at the other end with a hollow cathode. A thin aluminium fuse placed inside the capillary and connecting both electrodes, provided an initial conducting element. A pulse forming network delivering a high current pulse through the fuse, exploded it and produced an aluminium plasma. Subsequently, ablation of the capillary wall begun as a result of its exposure to radiation from the fuse plasma. The ablation products were heated by the pulse current until ionized, replacing the fuse plasma by a polyethylene plasma thus sustaining the ablation process. The experimental investigation reported here used x-ray shadowgraphy to observe the plasma-working fluid interaction process. The working fluid was an aqueous solution of 92% water and 8% lead acetate gelatinized with agar. The penetration of the plasma jet into the working fluid was exposed on films at successive time intervals by means of x-ray shadowgraphy. When the water interacts with the plasma it also ablated. This ablation rate was estimated from energy conservation considerations. Peak pressures up to 3.5*10 8 Pa were measured during the process. At such pressure water does not undergo phase transformation when heated. Thus the mass density at the plasma water interface should be regarded as a continuous function of temperature. The determination of the temperature profile at the interface between the capillary plasma and the water requires the solution of the heat transfer and radiative transfer equations under ablation conditions. This constituted the main theoretical part of the present work. 36 refs., 4 tabs., 29 figs

Surface Effects in Segmented Silicon Sensors

OpenAIRE

Kopsalis, Ioannis

2017-01-01

Silicon detectors in Photon Science and Particle Physics require silicon sensors with very demanding specifications. New accelerators like the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) and the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), pose new challenges for silicon sensors, especially with respect to radiation hardness. High radiation doses and fluences damage the silicon crystal and the SiO2 layers at the surface, thus changing the sensor properties and limiting their...

Silicon photonics for multicore fiber communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yunhong; Kamchevska, Valerija; Dalgaard, Kjeld

2016-01-01

We review our recent work on silicon photonics for multicore fiber communication, including multicore fiber fan-in/fan-out, multicore fiber switches towards reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers. We also present multicore fiber based quantum communication using silicon devices.......We review our recent work on silicon photonics for multicore fiber communication, including multicore fiber fan-in/fan-out, multicore fiber switches towards reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers. We also present multicore fiber based quantum communication using silicon devices....

Dephosphorization of Levitated Silicon-Iron Droplets for Production of Solar-Grade Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Katherine; Yang, Yindong; Barati, Mansoor; McLean, Alexander

2018-05-01

The treatment of relatively inexpensive silicon-iron alloys is a potential refining route in order to generate solar-grade silicon. Phosphorus is one of the more difficult impurity elements to remove by conventional processing. In this study, electromagnetic levitation was used to investigate phosphorus behavior in silicon-iron alloy droplets exposed to H2-Ar gas mixtures under various experimental conditions including, refining time, temperature (1723 K to 1993 K), gas flow rate, iron content, and initial phosphorus concentration in the alloy. Thermodynamic modeling of the dephosphorization reaction permitted prediction of the various gaseous products and indicated that diatomic phosphorus is the dominant species formed.

Signal development in irradiated silicon detectors

CERN Document Server

Kramberger, Gregor; Mikuz, Marko

2001-01-01

This work provides a detailed study of signal formation in silicon detectors, with the emphasis on detectors with high concentration of irradiation induced defects in the lattice. These defects give rise to deep energy levels in the band gap. As a consequence, the current induced by charge motion in silicon detectors is signifcantly altered. Within the framework of the study a new experimental method, Charge correction method, based on transient current technique (TCT) was proposed for determination of effective electron and hole trapping times in irradiated silicon detectors. Effective carrier trapping times were determined in numerous silicon pad detectors irradiated with neutrons, pions and protons. Studied detectors were fabricated on oxygenated and non-oxygenated silicon wafers with different bulk resistivities. Measured effective carrier trapping times were found to be inversely proportional to fuence and increase with temperature. No dependence on silicon resistivity and oxygen concentration was observ...

Ultra-fast silicon detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadrozinski, H. F.-W., E-mail: hartmut@scipp.ucsc.edu [Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Ely, S.; Fadeyev, V.; Galloway, Z.; Ngo, J.; Parker, C.; Petersen, B.; Seiden, A.; Zatserklyaniy, A. [Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Cartiglia, N.; Marchetto, F. [INFN Torino, Torino (Italy); Bruzzi, M.; Mori, R.; Scaringella, M.; Vinattieri, A. [University of Florence, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze (Italy)

2013-12-01

We propose to develop a fast, thin silicon sensor with gain capable to concurrently measure with high precision the space (∼10 μm) and time (∼10 ps) coordinates of a particle. This will open up new application of silicon detector systems in many fields. Our analysis of detector properties indicates that it is possible to improve the timing characteristics of silicon-based tracking sensors, which already have sufficient position resolution, to achieve four-dimensional high-precision measurements. The basic sensor characteristics and the expected performance are listed, the wide field of applications are mentioned and the required R and D topics are discussed. -- Highlights: •We are proposing thin pixel silicon sensors with 10's of picoseconds time resolution. •Fast charge collection is coupled with internal charge multiplication. •The truly 4-D sensors will revolutionize imaging and particle counting in many applications.

Relationship between silicon concentration and creatinine clearance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, Y.; Nakai, K.; Itoh, C.; Horikiri, J.; Sera, K.; Sato, M.

1998-01-01

Silicon levels in dialysis patients are markedly increasing. Using PIXE we determined the relationship between silicon concentration and creatinine clearance in 30 samples. Urine silicon concentration were significantly correlated to creatinine clearance (p<0.001). And also serum silicon concentration were significantly correlated to creatinine clearance (p<0.0001). (author)

Extraction and preconcentration of trace levels of cobalt using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles in a sequential injection lab-on-valve system with detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yang; Luo Xiaoyu; Tang Jie; Hu Xiaoya; Xu Qin; Yang Chun

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: An approach to performing extraction and preconcentration employing functionalized magnetic particles for the determination of cobalt in the sequential injection lab-on-valve system using detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Highlights: ► New SPE method for cobalt separation/preconcentration was reported. ► Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were used as adsorbent. ► Extraction, elution, and detection procedures were performed in the LOV system. ► This automatic extraction technique provided a good platform for metal analysis. - Abstract: A new approach to performing extraction and preconcentration employing functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for the determination of trace metals is presented. Alumina-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and used as the solid support. The nanoparticles were functionalized with sodium dodecyl sulfate and used as adsorbents for solid phase extraction of the analyte. Extraction, elution, and detection procedures were performed sequentially in the sequential injection lab-on-valve (SI-LOV) system followed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Mixtures of hydrophobic analytes were successfully extracted from solution using the synthesized magnetic adsorbents. The potential use of the established scheme was demonstrated by taking cobalt as a model analyte. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curve showed an excellent linearity in the concentration range of 0.01–5 μg L −1 , and the relative standard deviation was 2.8% at the 0.5 μg L −1 level (n = 11). The limit of detection was 6 ng L −1 with a sampling frequency of 18 h −1 . The present method has been successfully applied to cobalt determination in water samples and two certified reference materials.

Highly efficient silicon light emitting diode

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Le Minh, P.; Holleman, J.; Wallinga, Hans

2002-01-01

In this paper, we describe the fabrication, using standard silicon processing techniques, of silicon light-emitting diodes (LED) that efficiently emit photons with energy around the silicon bandgap. The improved efficiency had been explained by the spatial confinement of charge carriers due to a

Silicon-Based Nanoscale Composite Energetic Materials

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

1193-1211. 9. Krishnamohan, G., E.M. Kurian, and H.R. Rao, Thermal Analysis and Inverse Burning Rate Studies on Silicon-Potassium Nitrate System...reported in a journal paper and appears in the Appendix. Multiscale Nanoporous Silicon Combustion Introduction for nanoporous silicon effort While

Determination of total tin in geological materials by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometry using a tungsten-impregnated graphite furnace

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, L.; Chao, T.T.; Meier, A.L.

1984-01-01

An electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of total tin in geological materials, with use of a tungsten-impregnated graphite furnace. The sample is decomposed by fusion with lithium metaborate and the melt is dissolved in 10% hydrochloric acid. Tin is then extracted into trioctylphosphine oxide-methyl isobutyl ketone prior to atomization. Impregnation of the furnace with a sodium tungstate solution increases the sensitivity of the determination and improves the precision of the results. The limits of determination are 0.5-20 ppm of tin in the sample. Higher tin values can be determined by dilution of the extract. Replicate analyses of eighteen geological reference samples with diverse matrices gave relative standard deviations ranging from 2.0 to 10.8% with an average of 4.6%. Average tin values for reference samples were in general agreement with, but more precise than, those reported by others. Apparent recoveries of tin added to various samples ranged from 95 to 111% with an average of 102%. ?? 1984.

Determination of caesium in river and sea waters by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry. Interference of cobalt and iron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigieri, P.; Trucco, R.; Ciaccolini, I.; Pampurini, G.

1980-01-01

For the enrichment or the simple recovery of caesium from river and sea waters, selective inorganic exchangers were considered. Ammonium hexacyanocobalt ferrate (NCFC) was chosen because it can be used in strongly acidic solutions (with the exception of concentrated sulphuric acid). Caesium is fully retained by the NCFC chromatographic column and can then be recovered by dissolution in hot sulphuric acid. The solution is then diluted and analysed, either directly or following caesium separation, by atomic-absorption spectrometry. To check the reliability of the analytical procedure, a series of experiments were carried out in which the possible interfering species were added to the aqueous caesium solution prior to analysis. The well known ionic interference in flame atomisation processes caused by magnesium, calcium, strontium and metals was investigated by electrothermal atomisation measurements. The experimental data showed that this effect does not occur even when these elements are present in concentrations of the order of thousands of parts per million. However, strong interferences from iron and cobalt were observed. (author)

An FPGA-based silicon neuronal network with selectable excitability silicon neurons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing eLi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a digital silicon neuronal network which simulates the nerve system in creatures and has the ability to execute intelligent tasks, such as associative memory. Two essential elements, the mathematical-structure-based digital spiking silicon neuron (DSSN and the transmitter release based silicon synapse, allow the network to show rich dynamic behaviors and are computationally efficient for hardware implementation. We adopt mixed pipeline and parallel structure and shift operations to design a sufficient large and complex network without excessive hardware resource cost. The network with $256$ full-connected neurons is built on a Digilent Atlys board equipped with a Xilinx Spartan-6 LX45 FPGA. Besides, a memory control block and USB control block are designed to accomplish the task of data communication between the network and the host PC. This paper also describes the mechanism of associative memory performed in the silicon neuronal network. The network is capable of retrieving stored patterns if the inputs contain enough information of them. The retrieving probability increases with the similarity between the input and the stored pattern increasing. Synchronization of neurons is observed when the successful stored pattern retrieval occurs.

Charge trapping and carrier transport mechanism in silicon-rich silicon oxynitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Zhenrui; Aceves, Mariano; Carrillo, Jesus; Lopez-Estopier, Rosa

2006-01-01

The charge-trapping and carrier transport properties of silicon-rich silicon oxynitride (SRO:N) were studied. The SRO:N films were deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Infrared (IR) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) measurements were performed to characterize their structural properties. Capacitance versus voltage and current versus voltage measurements (I-V) were used to study the charge-trapping and carrier transport mechanism. IR and TEM measurements revealed the existence of Si nanodots in SRO:N films. I-V measurements revealed that there are two conduction regimes divided by a threshold voltage V T . When the applied voltage is smaller than V T , the current is dominated by the charge transfer between the SRO:N and substrate; and in this regime only dynamic charging/discharging of the SRO:N layer is observed. When the voltage is larger than V T , the current increases rapidly and is dominated by the Poole-Frenkel mechanism; and in this regime, large permanent trapped charge density is obtained. Nitrogen incorporation significantly reduced the silicon nanodots or defects near the SRO:N/Si interface. However, a significant increase of the density of silicon nanodot in the bulk of the SRO:N layer is obtained

Wet-Chemical Preparation of Silicon Tunnel Oxides for Transparent Passivated Contacts in Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Köhler, Malte; Pomaska, Manuel; Lentz, Florian; Finger, Friedhelm; Rau, Uwe; Ding, Kaining

2018-05-02

Transparent passivated contacts (TPCs) using a wide band gap microcrystalline silicon carbide (μc-SiC:H(n)), silicon tunnel oxide (SiO 2 ) stack are an alternative to amorphous silicon-based contacts for the front side of silicon heterojunction solar cells. In a systematic study of the μc-SiC:H(n)/SiO 2 /c-Si contact, we investigated selected wet-chemical oxidation methods for the formation of ultrathin SiO 2 , in order to passivate the silicon surface while ensuring a low contact resistivity. By tuning the SiO 2 properties, implied open-circuit voltages of 714 mV and contact resistivities of 32 mΩ cm 2 were achieved using μc-SiC:H(n)/SiO 2 /c-Si as transparent passivated contacts.

Radiation resistant passivation of silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanson, R.M.; Gan, J.Y.; Gruenbaum, P.E.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a silicon solar cell having improved stability when exposed to concentrated solar radiation. It comprises a body of silicon material having a major surface for receiving radiation, a plurality of p and n conductivity regions in the body for collecting electrons and holes created by impinging radiation, and a passivation layer on the major surface including a first layer of silicon oxide in contact with the body and a polycrystalline silicon layer on the first layer of silicon oxide

Floating Silicon Method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kellerman, Peter

2013-12-21

The Floating Silicon Method (FSM) project at Applied Materials (formerly Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates), has been funded, in part, by the DOE under a “Photovoltaic Supply Chain and Cross Cutting Technologies” grant (number DE-EE0000595) for the past four years. The original intent of the project was to develop the FSM process from concept to a commercially viable tool. This new manufacturing equipment would support the photovoltaic industry in following ways: eliminate kerf losses and the consumable costs associated with wafer sawing, allow optimal photovoltaic efficiency by producing high-quality silicon sheets, reduce the cost of assembling photovoltaic modules by creating large-area silicon cells which are free of micro-cracks, and would be a drop-in replacement in existing high efficiency cell production process thereby allowing rapid fan-out into the industry.

Silicon photonics for telecommunications and biomedicine

CERN Document Server

Fathpour, Sasan

2011-01-01

Given silicon's versatile material properties, use of low-cost silicon photonics continues to move beyond light-speed data transmission through fiber-optic cables and computer chips. Its application has also evolved from the device to the integrated-system level. A timely overview of this impressive growth, Silicon Photonics for Telecommunications and Biomedicine summarizes state-of-the-art developments in a wide range of areas, including optical communications, wireless technologies, and biomedical applications of silicon photonics. With contributions from world experts, this reference guides

Spiral silicon drift detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehak, P.; Gatti, E.; Longoni, A.; Sampietro, M.; Holl, P.; Lutz, G.; Kemmer, J.; Prechtel, U.; Ziemann, T.

1988-01-01

An advanced large area silicon photodiode (and x-ray detector), called Spiral Drift Detector, was designed, produced and tested. The Spiral Detector belongs to the family of silicon drift detectors and is an improvement of the well known Cylindrical Drift Detector. In both detectors, signal electrons created in silicon by fast charged particles or photons are drifting toward a practically point-like collection anode. The capacitance of the anode is therefore kept at the minimum (0.1pF). The concentric rings of the cylindrical detector are replaced by a continuous spiral in the new detector. The spiral geometry detector design leads to a decrease of the detector leakage current. In the spiral detector all electrons generated at the silicon-silicon oxide interface are collected on a guard sink rather than contributing to the detector leakage current. The decrease of the leakage current reduces the parallel noise of the detector. This decrease of the leakage current and the very small capacities of the detector anode with a capacitively matched preamplifier may improve the energy resolution of Spiral Drift Detectors operating at room temperature down to about 50 electrons rms. This resolution is in the range attainable at present only by cooled semiconductor detectors. 5 refs., 10 figs

Scattering characteristics from porous silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sabet-Dariani

2000-12-01

Full Text Available   Porous silicon (PS layers come into existance as a result of electrochemical anodization on silicon. Although a great deal of research has been done on the formation and optical properties of this material, the exact mechanism involved is not well-understood yet.   In this article, first, the optical properties of silicon and porous silicon are described. Then, previous research and the proposed models about reflection from PS and the origin of its photoluminescence are reveiwed. The reflecting and scattering, absorption and transmission of light from this material, are then investigated. These experiments include,different methods of PS sample preparation their photoluminescence, reflecting and scattering of light determining different characteristics with respect to Si bulk.

Engineering piezoresistivity using biaxially strained silicon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jesper Goor; Richter, Jacob; Brandbyge, Mads

2008-01-01

of the piezocoefficient on temperature and dopant density is altered qualitatively for strained silicon. In particular, we find that a vanishing temperature coefficient may result for silicon with grown-in biaxial tensile strain. These results suggest that strained silicon may be used to engineer the iezoresistivity...

ePIXfab - The silicon photonics platform

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Khanna, A.; Drissi, Y.; Dumon, P.; Baets, R.; Absil, P.; Pozo Torres, J.M.; Lo Cascio, D.M.R.; Fournier, M.; Fedeli, J.M.; Fulbert, L.; Zimmermann, L.; Tillack, B.; Aalto, T.; O'Brien, P.; Deptuck, D.; Xu, J.; Gale, D.

2013-01-01

ePIXfab-The European Silicon Photonics Support Center continues to provide state-of-the-art silicon photonics solutions to academia and industry for prototyping and research. ePIXfab is a consortium of EU research centers providing diverse expertise in the silicon photonics food chain, from training

Hybrid III-V/silicon lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Kaspar, P.; Jany, C.; Le Liepvre, A.; Accard, A.; Lamponi, M.; Make, D.; Levaufre, G.; Girard, N.; Lelarge, F.; Shen, A.; Charbonnier, P.; Mallecot, F.; Duan, G.-H.; Gentner, J.-.; Fedeli, J.-M.; Olivier, S.; Descos, A.; Ben Bakir, B.; Messaoudene, S.; Bordel, D.; Malhouitre, S.; Kopp, C.; Menezo, S.

2014-05-01

The lack of potent integrated light emitters is one of the bottlenecks that have so far hindered the silicon photonics platform from revolutionizing the communication market. Photonic circuits with integrated light sources have the potential to address a wide range of applications from short-distance data communication to long-haul optical transmission. Notably, the integration of lasers would allow saving large assembly costs and reduce the footprint of optoelectronic products by combining photonic and microelectronic functionalities on a single chip. Since silicon and germanium-based sources are still in their infancy, hybrid approaches using III-V semiconductor materials are currently pursued by several research laboratories in academia as well as in industry. In this paper we review recent developments of hybrid III-V/silicon lasers and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of several integration schemes. The integration approach followed in our laboratory makes use of wafer-bonded III-V material on structured silicon-on-insulator substrates and is based on adiabatic mode transfers between silicon and III-V waveguides. We will highlight some of the most interesting results from devices such as wavelength-tunable lasers and AWG lasers. The good performance demonstrates that an efficient mode transfer can be achieved between III-V and silicon waveguides and encourages further research efforts in this direction.

X-ray and scanning electron microscopic investigation of porous silicon and silicon epitaxial layers grown on porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wierzchowski, W.; Pawlowska, M.; Nossarzewska-Orlowska, E.; Brzozowski, A.; Wieteska, K.; Graeff, W.

1998-01-01

The 1 to 5 μm thick layers of porous silicon and epitaxial layers grown on porous silicon were studied by means of X-ray diffraction methods, realised with a wide use of synchrotron source and scanning microscopy. The results of x-ray investigation pointed the difference of lateral periodicity between the porous layer and the substrate. It was also found that the deposition of epitaxial layer considerably reduced the coherence of porous fragments. A number of interface phenomena was also observed in section and plane wave topographs. The scanning electron microscopic investigation of cleavage faces enabled direct evaluation of porous layer thickness and revealed some details of their morphology. The scanning observation of etched surfaces of epitaxial layers deposited on porous silicon revealed dislocations and other defects not reasonable in the X-ray topographs. (author)

Influence of Chemical Composition and Structure in Silicon Dielectric Materials on Passivation of Thin Crystalline Silicon on Glass.

Science.gov (United States)

Calnan, Sonya; Gabriel, Onno; Rothert, Inga; Werth, Matteo; Ring, Sven; Stannowski, Bernd; Schlatmann, Rutger

2015-09-02

In this study, various silicon dielectric films, namely, a-SiOx:H, a-SiNx:H, and a-SiOxNy:H, grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were evaluated for use as interlayers (ILs) between crystalline silicon and glass. Chemical bonding analysis using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that high values of oxidant gases (CO2 and/or N2), added to SiH4 during PECVD, reduced the Si-H and N-H bond density in the silicon dielectrics. Various three layer stacks combining the silicon dielectric materials were designed to minimize optical losses between silicon and glass in rear side contacted heterojunction pn test cells. The PECVD grown silicon dielectrics retained their functionality despite being subjected to harsh subsequent processing such as crystallization of the silicon at 1414 °C or above. High values of short circuit current density (Jsc; without additional hydrogen passivation) required a high density of Si-H bonds and for the nitrogen containing films, additionally, a high N-H bond density. Concurrently high values of both Jsc and open circuit voltage Voc were only observed when [Si-H] was equal to or exceeded [N-H]. Generally, Voc correlated with a high density of [Si-H] bonds in the silicon dielectric; otherwise, additional hydrogen passivation using an active plasma process was required. The highest Voc ∼ 560 mV, for a silicon acceptor concentration of about 10(16) cm(-3), was observed for stacks where an a-SiOxNy:H film was adjacent to the silicon. Regardless of the cell absorber thickness, field effect passivation of the buried silicon surface by the silicon dielectric was mandatory for efficient collection of carriers generated from short wavelength light (in the vicinity of the glass-Si interface). However, additional hydrogen passivation was obligatory for an increased diffusion length of the photogenerated carriers and thus Jsc in solar cells with thicker absorbers.

Method For Producing Mechanically Flexible Silicon Substrate

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2014-08-28

A method for making a mechanically flexible silicon substrate is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a silicon substrate. The method further includes forming a first etch stop layer in the silicon substrate and forming a second etch stop layer in the silicon substrate. The method also includes forming one or more trenches over the first etch stop layer and the second etch stop layer. The method further includes removing the silicon substrate between the first etch stop layer and the second etch stop layer.

Intermediate Bandgap Solar Cells From Nanostructured Silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Black, Marcie [Bandgap Engineering, Lincoln, MA (United States)

2014-10-30

This project aimed to demonstrate increased electronic coupling in silicon nanostructures relative to bulk silicon for the purpose of making high efficiency intermediate bandgap solar cells using silicon. To this end, we formed nanowires with controlled crystallographic orientation, small diameter, <111> sidewall faceting, and passivated surfaces to modify the electronic band structure in silicon by breaking down the symmetry of the crystal lattice. We grew and tested these silicon nanowires with <110>-growth axes, which is an orientation that should produce the coupling enhancement.

Method For Producing Mechanically Flexible Silicon Substrate

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa; Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2014-01-01

A method for making a mechanically flexible silicon substrate is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a silicon substrate. The method further includes forming a first etch stop layer in the silicon substrate and forming a second etch stop layer in the silicon substrate. The method also includes forming one or more trenches over the first etch stop layer and the second etch stop layer. The method further includes removing the silicon substrate between the first etch stop layer and the second etch stop layer.

Optical characterization of nanocrystals in silicon rich oxide superlattices and porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agocs, E.; Petrik, P.; Milita, S.; Vanzetti, L.; Gardelis, S.; Nassiopoulou, A.G.; Pucker, G.; Balboni, R.; Fried, M.

2011-01-01

We propose to analyze ellipsometry data by using effective medium approximation (EMA) models. Thanks to EMA, having nanocrystalline reference dielectric functions and generalized critical point (GCP) model the physical parameters of two series of samples containing silicon nanocrystals, i.e. silicon rich oxide (SRO) superlattices and porous silicon layers (PSL), have been determined. The superlattices, consisting of ten SRO/SiO 2 layer pairs, have been prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The porous silicon layers have been prepared using short monopulses of anodization current in the transition regime between porous silicon formation and electropolishing, in a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and ethanol. The optical modeling of both structures is similar. The effective dielectric function of the layer is calculated by EMA using nanocrystalline components (nc-Si and GCP) in a dielectric matrix (SRO) or voids (PSL). We discuss the two major problems occurring when modeling such structures: (1) the modeling of the vertically non-uniform layer structures (including the interface properties like nanoroughness at the layer boundaries) and (2) the parameterization of the dielectric function of nanocrystals. We used several techniques to reduce the large number of fit parameters of the GCP models. The obtained results are in good agreement with those obtained by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. We investigated the correlation of the broadening parameter and characteristic EMA components with the nanocrystal size and the sample preparation conditions, such as the annealing temperatures of the SRO superlattices and the anodization current density of the porous silicon samples. We found that the broadening parameter is a sensitive measure of the nanocrystallinity of the samples, even in cases, where the nanocrystals are too small to be visible for X-ray scattering. Major processes like sintering, phase separation, and intermixing have been

High performance multilayered nano-crystalline silicon/silicon-oxide light-emitting diodes on glass substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darbari, S; Shahmohammadi, M; Mortazavi, M; Mohajerzadeh, S [Thin Film and Nano-Electronic Laboratory, School of ECE, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Abdi, Y [Nano-Physics Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Robertson, M; Morrison, T, E-mail: mohajer@ut.ac.ir [Department of Physics, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS (Canada)

2011-09-16

A low-temperature hydrogenation-assisted sequential deposition and crystallization technique is reported for the preparation of nano-scale silicon quantum dots suitable for light-emitting applications. Radio-frequency plasma-enhanced deposition was used to realize multiple layers of nano-crystalline silicon while reactive ion etching was employed to create nano-scale features. The physical characteristics of the films prepared using different plasma conditions were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, room temperature photoluminescence and infrared spectroscopy. The formation of multilayered structures improved the photon-emission properties as observed by photoluminescence and a thin layer of silicon oxy-nitride was then used for electrical isolation between adjacent silicon layers. The preparation of light-emitting diodes directly on glass substrates has been demonstrated and the electroluminescence spectrum has been measured.

High-efficient solar cells with porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migunova, A.A.

2002-01-01

It has been shown that the porous silicon is multifunctional high-efficient coating on silicon solar cells, modifies its surface and combines in it self antireflection and passivation properties., The different optoelectronic effects in solar cells with porous silicon were considered. The comparative parameters of uncovered photodetectors also solar cells with porous silicon and other coatings were resulted. (author)

Luminescence of porous silicon doped by erbium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondarenko, V.P.; Vorozov, N.N.; Dolgij, L.N.; Dorofeev, A.M.; Kazyuchits, N.M.; Leshok, A.A.; Troyanova, G.N.

1996-01-01

The possibility of the 1.54 μm intensive luminescence in the silicon dense porous layers, doped by erbium, with various structures is shown. Low-porous materials of both porous type on the p-type silicon and porous silicon with wood-like structure on the n + type silicon may be used for formation of light-emitting structures

Process of preparing tritiated porous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, Shiu-Wing

1997-01-01

A process of preparing tritiated porous silicon in which porous silicon is equilibrated with a gaseous vapor containing HT/T.sub.2 gas in a diluent for a time sufficient for tritium in the gas phase to replace hydrogen present in the pore surfaces of the porous silicon.

Modification of silicon nitride and silicon carbide surfaces for food and biosensor applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosso, M.

2009-01-01

Silicon-rich silicon nitride (SixN4, x > 3) is a robust insulating material widely used for the coating of microdevices: its high chemical and mechanical inertness make it a material of choice for the reinforcement of fragile microstructures (e.g. suspended microcantilevers, micro-fabricated

Thin film silicon by a microwave plasma deposition technique: Growth and devices, and, interface effects in amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Jagannathan, Basanth

Thin film silicon (Si) was deposited by a microwave plasma CVD technique, employing double dilution of silane, for the growth of low hydrogen content Si films with a controllable microstructure on amorphous substrates at low temperatures (prepared by this technique. Such films showed a dark conductivity ˜10sp{-6} S/cm, with a conduction activation energy of 0.49 eV. Film growth and properties have been compared for deposition in Ar and He carrier systems and growth models have been proposed. Low temperature junction formation by undoped thin film silicon was examined through a thin film silicon/p-type crystalline silicon heterojunctions. The thin film silicon layers were deposited by rf glow discharge, dc magnetron sputtering and microwave plasma CVD. The hetero-interface was identified by current transport analysis and high frequency capacitance methods as the key parameter controlling the photovoltaic (PV) response. The effect of the interface on the device properties (PV, junction, and carrier transport) was examined with respect to modifications created by chemical treatment, type of plasma species, their energy and film microstructure interacting with the substrate. Thermally stimulated capacitance was used to determine the interfacial trap parameters. Plasma deposition of thin film silicon on chemically clean c-Si created electron trapping sites while hole traps were seen when a thin oxide was present at the interface. Under optimized conditions, a 10.6% efficient cell (11.5% with SiOsb2 A/R) with an open circuit voltage of 0.55 volts and a short circuit current density of 30 mA/cmsp2 was fabricated.

Amorphous silicon based particle detectors

OpenAIRE

Wyrsch, N.; Franco, A.; Riesen, Y.; Despeisse, M.; Dunand, S.; Powolny, F.; Jarron, P.; Ballif, C.

2012-01-01

Radiation hard monolithic particle sensors can be fabricated by a vertical integration of amorphous silicon particle sensors on top of CMOS readout chip. Two types of such particle sensors are presented here using either thick diodes or microchannel plates. The first type based on amorphous silicon diodes exhibits high spatial resolution due to the short lateral carrier collection. Combination of an amorphous silicon thick diode with microstrip detector geometries permits to achieve micromete...

Porous silicon: Synthesis and optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Awad, F.

2006-01-01

Formation of porous silicon by electrochemical etching method of both p and n-type single crystal silicon wafers in HF based solutions has been performed by using three different modes. In addition to DC and pulsed voltage, a novel etching mode is developed to prepare light-emitting porous silicon by applying and holding-up a voltage in gradient steps form periodically, between the silicon wafer and a graphite electrode. Under same equivalent etching conditions, periodic gradient steps voltage etching can yield a porous silicon layer with stronger photoluminescence intensity and blue shift than the porous silicon layer prepared by DC or pulsed voltage etching. It has been found that the holding-up of the applied voltage during the etching process for defined interval of time is another significant future of this method, which highly affects the blue shift. This can be used for tailoring a porous layer with novel properties. The actual mechanism behind the blue shift is not clear exactly, even the experimental observation of atomic force microscope and purist measurements in support with quantum confinement model. It has been seen also from Fourier Transform Infrared study that interplays between O-Si-H and Si-H bond intensities play key role in deciding the efficiency of photoluminescence emission. Study of relative humidity sensing and photonic crystal properties of pours silicon samples has confirmed the advantages of the new adopted etching mode. The sensitivity at room temperature of porous silicon prepared by periodic gradient steps voltage etching was found to be about 70% as compared to 51% and 45% for the porous silicon prepared by DC and pulsed voltage etching, respectively. (author)

Porous silicon: Synthesis and optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Awad, F.

2006-06-01

Formation of porous silicon by electrochemical etching method of both p and n-type single crystal silicon wafers in HF based solutions has been performed by using three different modes. In addition to DC and pulsed voltage, a novel etching mode is developed to prepare light-emitting porous silicon by applying and holding-up a voltage in gradient steps form periodically, between the silicon wafer and a graphite electrode. Under same equivalent etching conditions, periodic gradient steps voltage etching can yield a porous silicon layer with stronger photoluminescence intensity and blue shift than the porous silicon layer prepared by DC or pulsed voltage etching. It has been found that the holding-up of the applied voltage during the etching process for defined interval of time is another significant future of this method, which highly affects the blue shift. This can be used for tailoring a porous layer with novel properties. The actual mechanism behind the blue shift is not clear exactly, even the experimental observation of atomic force microscope and purist measurements in support with quantum confinement model. It has been seen also from Fourier Transform Infrared study that interplays between O-Si-H and Si-H bond intensities play key role in deciding the efficiency of photoluminescence emission. Study of relative humidity sensing and photonic crystal properties of pours silicon samples has confirmed the advantages of the new adopted etching mode. The sensitivity at room temperature of porous silicon prepared by periodic gradient steps voltage etching was found to be about 70% as compared to 51% and 45% for the porous silicon prepared by DC and pulsed voltage etching, respectively. (author)

Silicon Micromachined Microlens Array for THz Antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Choonsup; Chattopadhyay, Goutam; Mehdi, IImran; Gill, John J.; Jung-Kubiak, Cecile D.; Llombart, Nuria

2013-01-01

5 5 silicon microlens array was developed using a silicon micromachining technique for a silicon-based THz antenna array. The feature of the silicon micromachining technique enables one to microfabricate an unlimited number of microlens arrays at one time with good uniformity on a silicon wafer. This technique will resolve one of the key issues in building a THz camera, which is to integrate antennas in a detector array. The conventional approach of building single-pixel receivers and stacking them to form a multi-pixel receiver is not suited at THz because a single-pixel receiver already has difficulty fitting into mass, volume, and power budgets, especially in space applications. In this proposed technique, one has controllability on both diameter and curvature of a silicon microlens. First of all, the diameter of microlens depends on how thick photoresist one could coat and pattern. So far, the diameter of a 6- mm photoresist microlens with 400 m in height has been successfully microfabricated. Based on current researchers experiences, a diameter larger than 1-cm photoresist microlens array would be feasible. In order to control the curvature of the microlens, the following process variables could be used: 1. Amount of photoresist: It determines the curvature of the photoresist microlens. Since the photoresist lens is transferred onto the silicon substrate, it will directly control the curvature of the silicon microlens. 2. Etching selectivity between photoresist and silicon: The photoresist microlens is formed by thermal reflow. In order to transfer the exact photoresist curvature onto silicon, there needs to be etching selectivity of 1:1 between silicon and photoresist. However, by varying the etching selectivity, one could control the curvature of the silicon microlens. The figure shows the microfabricated silicon microlens 5 x5 array. The diameter of the microlens located in the center is about 2.5 mm. The measured 3-D profile of the microlens surface has a

EDITORIAL: Special issue on silicon photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Graham; Paniccia, Mario; Wada, Kazumi; Mashanovich, Goran

2008-06-01

The technology now known as silicon photonics can be traced back to the pioneering work of Soref in the mid-1980s (see, for example, Soref R A and Lorenzo J P 1985 Electron. Lett. 21 953). However, the nature of the research conducted today, whilst it builds upon that early work, is unrecognizable in terms of technology metrics such as device efficiency, device data rate and device dimensions, and even in targeted applications areas. Today silicon photonics is still evolving, and is enjoying a period of unprecedented attention in terms of research focus. This has resulted in orders-of-magnitude improvement in device performance over the last few years to levels many thought were impossible. However, despite the existence of the research field for more than two decades, silicon is still regarded as a 'new' optical material, one that is being manipulated and modified to satisfy the requirements of a range of applications. This is somewhat ironic since silicon is one of the best known and most thoroughly studied materials, thanks to the electronics industry that has made silicon its material of choice. The principal reasons for the lack of study of this 'late developer' are that (i) silicon is an indirect bandgap material and (ii) it does not exhibit a linear electro-optic (Pockels) effect. The former condition means that it is difficult to make a laser in silicon based on the intrinsic performance of the material, and consequently, in recent years, researchers have attempted to modify the material to artificially engineer the conditions for lasing to be viable (see, for example, the review text, Jalali B et al 2008 Silicon Lasers in Silicon Photonics: The State of the Art ed G T Reed (New York: Wiley)). The latter condition means that optical modulators are intrinsically less efficient in silicon than in some other materials, particularly when targeting the popular telecommunications wavelengths around 1.55 μm. Therefore researchers have sought alternative

Speciation analysis of thallium using electrothermal AAS following on-line pre-concentration in a microcolumn filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil, R.A.; Pacheco, P.H.; Olsina, R.A.; Martinez, L.D.; Smichowski, P.

2009-01-01

The enrichment ability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was investigated and a new method established for the determination of trace thallium species in environmental samples using electrothermal atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The CNTs were employed as sorbent substrate in a continuous flow system coupled to ETAAS. Parameters influencing the recoveries of thallium were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the detection limit and precision of the method were 0.009 μg L -1 and 3.9 %, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of thallium in real environmental samples and the recoveries were in the range from 96 to 100 %. This system was able to separate thallium (I) from the matrix, which allowed its selective determination. The total thallium content was then determined by reducing Tl(III) with hydroxylamine. All these experimental results indicated that this new procedure can be applied to the determination of trace thallium in drinking water samples. (author)

Porous silicon-based direct hydrogen sulphide fuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Dzhafarov, T D; Yuksel, S Aydin

2011-10-01

In this paper, the use of Au/porous silicon/Silicon Schottky type structure, as a direct hydrogen sulphide fuel cell is demonstrated. The porous silicon filled with hydrochlorid acid was developed as a proton conduction membrane. The Au/Porous Silicon/Silicon cells were fabricated by first creating the porous silicon layer in single-crystalline Si using the anodic etching under illumination and then deposition Au catalyst layer onto the porous silicon. Using 80 mM H2S solution as fuel the open circuit voltage of 0.4 V was obtained and maximum power density of 30 W/m2 at room temperature was achieved. These results demonstrate that the Au/Porous Silicon/Silicon direct hydrogen sulphide fuel cell which uses H2S:dH2O solution as fuel and operates at room temperature can be considered as the most promising type of low cost fuel cell for small power-supply units.

Silicon based light-emitting materials and devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Weide

1999-01-01

Silicon based light-emitting materials and devices are the key to optoelectronic integration. Recently, there has been significant progress in materials engineering methods. The author reviews the latest developments in this area including erbium doped silicon, porous silicon, nanocrystalline silicon and Si/SiO 2 superlattice structures. The incorporation of these different materials into devices is described and future device prospects are assessed

Vibrational Spectroscopy of Chemical Species in Silicon and Silicon-Rich Nitride Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirill O. Bugaev

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Vibrational properties of hydrogenated silicon-rich nitride (SiN:H of various stoichiometry (0.6≤≤1.3 and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H films were studied using Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furnace annealing during 5 hours in Ar ambient at 1130∘C and pulse laser annealing were applied to modify the structure of films. Surprisingly, after annealing with such high-thermal budget, according to the FTIR data, the nearly stoichiometric silicon nitride film contains hydrogen in the form of Si–H bonds. From analysis of the FTIR data of the Si–N bond vibrations, one can conclude that silicon nitride is partly crystallized. According to the Raman data a-Si:H films with hydrogen concentration 15% and lower contain mainly Si–H chemical species, and films with hydrogen concentration 30–35% contain mainly Si–H2 chemical species. Nanosecond pulse laser treatments lead to crystallization of the films and its dehydrogenization.

P-type silicon drift detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, J.T.; Krieger, B.; Krofcheck, D.; O'Donnell, R.; Odyniec, G.; Partlan, M.D.; Wang, N.W.

1995-06-01

Preliminary results on 16 CM 2 , position-sensitive silicon drift detectors, fabricated for the first time on p-type silicon substrates, are presented. The detectors were designed, fabricated, and tested recently at LBL and show interesting properties which make them attractive for use in future physics experiments. A pulse count rate of approximately 8 x l0 6 s -1 is demonstrated by the p-type silicon drift detectors. This count rate estimate is derived by measuring simultaneous tracks produced by a laser and photolithographic mask collimator that generates double tracks separated by 50 μm to 1200 μm. A new method of using ion-implanted polysilicon to produce precise valued bias resistors on the silicon drift detectors is also discussed

Porous silicon investigated by positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz, R.M. de la; Pareja, R.

1989-01-01

The effect of the anodic conversion in silicon single crystals is investigated by positron lifetime measurements. Anodization at constant current induces changes in the positron lifetime spectrum of monocrystalline silicon samples. It is found that theses changes are primarily dependent on the silicon resistivity. The annihilation parameter behaviour of anodized samples, treated at high temperature under reducing conditions, is also investigated. The results reveal that positron annihilation can be a useful technique to characterize porous silicon formed by anodizing as well as to investigate its thermal behaviour. (author)

Structural, optical and electrical properties of quasi-monocrystalline silicon thin films obtained by rapid thermal annealing of porous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajji, M.; Khardani, M.; Khedher, N.; Rahmouni, H.; Bessais, B.; Ezzaouia, H.; Bouchriha, H.

2006-01-01

Quasi-mono-crystalline silicon (QMS) layers have a top surface like crystalline silicon with small voids in the body. Such layers are reported to have a higher absorption coefficient than crystalline silicon at the interesting range of the solar spectrum for photovoltaic application. In this work we present a study of the structural, optical and electrical properties of quasimonocrystalline silicon thin films. Quasimonocrystalline silicon thin films were obtained from porous silicon, which has been annealed at a temperature ranging from 950 to 1050 deg. C under H 2 atmosphere for different annealing durations. The porous layers were prepared by conventional electrochemical anodization using a double tank cell and a HF / Ethanol electrolyte. Porous silicon is formed on highly doped p + -type silicon substrates that enable us to prevent back contacts for the anodization. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used to study the morphological quality of the prepared layers. Optical properties were extracted from transmission and reflectivity spectra. Dark I-V characteristics were used to determine the electrical conductivity of quasimonocrystalline silicon thin films. Results show an important improvement of the absorption coefficient of the material and electrical conductivity reaches a value of twenty orders higher than that of starting mesoporous silicon

Preconcentration of lead using solidification of floating organic drop and its determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmoud Chamsaz

2013-07-01

Full Text Available A simple microextraction method based on solidification of a floating organic drop (SFOD was developed for preconcentration of lead prior to its determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS. Ammonium pyrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC was used as complexing agent, and the formed complex was extracted into a 20 μL of 1-undecanol. The extracted complex was diluted with ethanol and injected into a graphite furnace. An orthogonal array design (OAD with OA16 (45 matrix was employed to study the effects of different parameters such as pH, APDC concentration, stirring rate, sample solution temperature and the exposure time on the extraction efficiency. Under the optimized experimental conditions the limit of detection (based on 3 s and the enhancement factor were 0.058 μg L−1 and 113, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD for 8 replicate determinations of 1 μg L−1 of Pb was 8.8%. The developed method was validated by the analysis of certified reference materials and was successfully applied to the determination of lead in water and infant formula base powder samples.

Magnetic ferrite particles combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the speciation of low concentrations of arsenic.

Science.gov (United States)

López-García, Ignacio; Marín-Hernández, Juan José; Hernández-Córdoba, Manuel

2018-05-01

Freshly in situ prepared ferrite particles were used for the micro-solid phase extraction of arsenic species. When the separation was carried out at pH 8, inorganic arsenic (As(III) + As(V)) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were retained in the magnetic material. A second aliquot was treated with 2,3 dimercapto propanol, leading to the retention of As(V)+MMA, while a third aliquot was first treated with sodium thiosulphate, in which case only inorganic arsenic passed to the solid phase. In all cases, the solid residue collected by a magnet was suspended in a dilute nitric acid solution containing Triton X-100 and introduced into the electrothermal atomizer to obtain the analytical signal of arsenic. The use of palladium as a chemical modifier allowed calibration to be carried out with aqueous standards. The detection limit was 0.02µgL -1 arsenic for a 10mL sample volume. The procedure was applied to waters and herbal infusions, and its reliability was evaluated by analyzing eleven certified reference materials for which speciation data are provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Czochralski Silicon Detectors

OpenAIRE

Luukka, Panja-Riina; Haerkoenen, Jaakko

2012-01-01

This thesis describes the characterization of irradiated and non-irradiated segmenteddetectors made of high-resistivity (>1 kΩcm) magnetic Czochralski (MCZ) silicon. It isshown that the radiation hardness (RH) of the protons of these detectors is higher thanthat of devices made of traditional materials such as Float Zone (FZ) silicon or DiffusionOxygenated Float Zone (DOFZ) silicon due to the presence of intrinsic oxygen (> 5 x1017 cm-3). The MCZ devices therefore present an interesting alter...

Structure and physical properties of silicon clusters and of vacancy clusters in bulk silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sieck, A.

2000-01-01

In this thesis the growth-pattern of free silicon clusters and vacancy clusters in bulk silicon is investigated. The aim is to describe and to better understand the cluster to bulk transition. Silicon structures in between clusters and solids feature new interesting physical properties. The structure and physical properties of silicon clusters can be revealed by a combination of theory and experiment, only. Low-energy clusters are determined with different optimization techniques and a density-functional based tight-binding method. Additionally, infrared and Raman spectra, and polarizabilities calculated within self-consistent field density-functional theory are provided for the smaller clusters. For clusters with 25 to 35 atoms an analysis of the shape of the clusters and the related mobilities in a buffer gas is given. Finally, the clusters observed in low-temperature experiments are identified via the best match between calculated properties and experimental data. Silicon clusters with 10 to 15 atoms have a tricapped trigonal prism as a common subunit. Clusters with up to about 25 atoms follow a prolate growth-path. In the range from 24 to 30 atoms the geometry of the clusters undergoes a transition towards compact spherical structures. Low-energy clusters with up to 240 atoms feature a bonding pattern strikingly different from the tetrahedral bonding in the solid. It follows that structures with dimensions of several Angstroem have electrical and optical properties different from the solid. The calculated stabilities and positron-lifetimes of vacancy clusters in bulk silicon indicate the positron-lifetimes of about 435 ps detected in irradiated silicon to be related to clusters of 9 or 10 vacancies. The vacancies in these clusters form neighboring hexa-rings and, therefore, minimize the number of dangling bonds. (orig.)

Solar cells with gallium phosphide/silicon heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Darnon, Maxime; Varache, Renaud; Descazeaux, Médéric; Quinci, Thomas; Martin, Mickaël; Baron, Thierry; Muñoz, Delfina

2015-09-01

One of the limitations of current amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells is electrical and optical losses in the front transparent conductive oxide and amorphous silicon layers that limit the short circuit current. We propose to grow a thin (5 to 20 nm) crystalline Gallium Phosphide (GaP) by epitaxy on silicon to form a more transparent and more conducting emitter in place of the front amorphous silicon layers. We show that a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) is still necessary to laterally collect the current with thin GaP emitter. Larger contact resistance of GaP/TCO increases the series resistance compared to amorphous silicon. With the current process, losses in the IR region associated with silicon degradation during the surface preparation preceding GaP deposition counterbalance the gain from the UV region. A first cell efficiency of 9% has been obtained on ˜5×5 cm2 polished samples.

Electrical properties of pressure quenched silicon by thermal spraying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, S.Y.; Gambino, R.J.; Sampath, S.; Herman, H.

2007-01-01

High velocity thermal spray deposition of polycrystalline silicon film onto single crystal substrates, yields metastable high pressure forms of silicon in nanocrystalline form within the deposit. The phases observed in the deposit include hexagonal diamond-Si, R-8, BC-8 and Si-IX. The peculiar attribute of this transformation is that it occurs only on orientation silicon substrate. The silicon deposits containing the high pressure phases display a substantially higher electrical conductivity. The resistivity profile of the silicon deposit containing shock induced metastable silicon phases identified by X-ray diffraction patterns. The density of the pressure induced polymorphic silicon is higher at deposit/substrate interface. A modified two-layer model is presented to explain the resistivity of the deposit impacted by the pressure induced polymorphic silicon generated by the thermal spraying process. The pressure quenched silicon deposits on the p - silicon substrate, with or without metastable phases, display the barrier potential of about 0.72 eV. The measured hall mobility value of pressure quenched silicon deposits is in the range of polycrystalline silicon. The significance of this work lies in the fact that the versatility of thermal spray may enable applications of these high pressure forms of silicon

Damage-free laser patterning of silicon nitride on textured crystalline silicon using an amorphous silicon etch mask for Ni/Cu plated silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bailly, Mark S., E-mail: mbailly@asu.edu; Karas, Joseph; Jain, Harsh; Dauksher, William J.; Bowden, Stuart

2016-08-01

We investigate the optimization of laser ablation with a femtosecond laser for direct and indirect removal of SiN{sub x} on alkaline textured c-Si. Our proposed resist-free indirect removal process uses an a-Si:H etch mask and is demonstrated to have a drastically improved surface quality of the laser processed areas when compared to our direct removal process. Scanning electron microscope images of ablated sites show the existence of substantial surface defects for the standard direct removal process, and the reduction of those defects with our proposed process. Opening of SiN{sub x} and SiO{sub x} passivating layers with laser ablation is a promising alternative to the standard screen print and fire process for making contact to Si solar cells. The potential for small contacts from laser openings of dielectrics coupled with the selective deposition of metal from light induced plating allows for high-aspect-ratio metal contacts for front grid metallization. The minimization of defects generated in this process would serve to enhance the performance of the device and provides the motivation for our work. - Highlights: • Direct laser removal of silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}) damages textured silicon. • Direct laser removal of amorphous silicon (a-Si) does not damage textured silicon. • a-Si can be used as a laser patterned etch mask for SiN{sub x}. • Chemically patterned SiN{sub x} sites allow for Ni/Cu plating.

Electrochemical properties of ion implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pham minh Tan.

1979-11-01

The electrochemical behaviour of ion implanted silicon in contact with hydrofluoric acid solution was investigated. It was shown that the implanted layer on silicon changes profoundly its electrochemical properties (photopotential, interface impedance, rest potential, corrosion, current-potential behaviour, anodic dissolution of silicon, redox reaction). These changes depend strongly on the implantation parameters such as ion dose, ion energy, thermal treatment and ion mass and are weakly dependent on the chemical nature of the implantation ion. The experimental results were evaluated and interpreted in terms of the semiconductor electrochemical concepts taking into account the interaction of energetic ions with the solid surface. The observed effects are thus attributed to the implantation induced damage of silicon lattice and can be used for profiling of the implanted layer and the electrochemical treatment of the silicon surface. (author)

Fabricating solar cells with silicon nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Loscutoff, Paul; Molesa, Steve; Kim, Taeseok

2014-09-02

A laser contact process is employed to form contact holes to emitters of a solar cell. Doped silicon nanoparticles are formed over a substrate of the solar cell. The surface of individual or clusters of silicon nanoparticles is coated with a nanoparticle passivation film. Contact holes to emitters of the solar cell are formed by impinging a laser beam on the passivated silicon nanoparticles. For example, the laser contact process may be a laser ablation process. In that case, the emitters may be formed by diffusing dopants from the silicon nanoparticles prior to forming the contact holes to the emitters. As another example, the laser contact process may be a laser melting process whereby portions of the silicon nanoparticles are melted to form the emitters and contact holes to the emitters.

Formation and properties of the buried isolating silicon-dioxide layer in double-layer “porous silicon-on-insulator” structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolotov, V. V.; Knyazev, E. V.; Ponomareva, I. V.; Kan, V. E., E-mail: kan@obisp.oscsbras.ru; Davletkildeev, N. A.; Ivlev, K. E.; Roslikov, V. E. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Omsk Scientific Center, Siberian Branch (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

The oxidation of mesoporous silicon in a double-layer “macroporous silicon–mesoporous silicon” structure is studied. The morphology and dielectric properties of the buried insulating layer are investigated using electron microscopy, ellipsometry, and electrical measurements. Specific defects (so-called spikes) are revealed between the oxidized macropore walls in macroporous silicon and the oxidation crossing fronts in mesoporous silicon. It is found that, at an initial porosity of mesoporous silicon of 60%, three-stage thermal oxidation leads to the formation of buried silicon-dioxide layers with an electric-field breakdown strength of E{sub br} ~ 10{sup 4}–10{sup 5} V/cm. Multilayered “porous silicon-on-insulator” structures are shown to be promising for integrated chemical micro- and nanosensors.

Emerging heterogeneous integrated photonic platforms on silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fathpour Sasan

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Silicon photonics has been established as a mature and promising technology for optoelectronic integrated circuits, mostly based on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI waveguide platform. However, not all optical functionalities can be satisfactorily achieved merely based on silicon, in general, and on the SOI platform, in particular. Long-known shortcomings of silicon-based integrated photonics are optical absorption (in the telecommunication wavelengths and feasibility of electrically-injected lasers (at least at room temperature. More recently, high two-photon and free-carrier absorptions required at high optical intensities for third-order optical nonlinear effects, inherent lack of second-order optical nonlinearity, low extinction ratio of modulators based on the free-carrier plasma effect, and the loss of the buried oxide layer of the SOI waveguides at mid-infrared wavelengths have been recognized as other shortcomings. Accordingly, several novel waveguide platforms have been developing to address these shortcomings of the SOI platform. Most of these emerging platforms are based on heterogeneous integration of other material systems on silicon substrates, and in some cases silicon is integrated on other substrates. Germanium and its binary alloys with silicon, III–V compound semiconductors, silicon nitride, tantalum pentoxide and other high-index dielectric or glass materials, as well as lithium niobate are some of the materials heterogeneously integrated on silicon substrates. The materials are typically integrated by a variety of epitaxial growth, bonding, ion implantation and slicing, etch back, spin-on-glass or other techniques. These wide range of efforts are reviewed here holistically to stress that there is no pure silicon or even group IV photonics per se. Rather, the future of the field of integrated photonics appears to be one of heterogenization, where a variety of different materials and waveguide platforms will be used for

Vapor phase epitaxy of silicon on meso porous silicon for deposition on economical substrate and low cost photovoltaic application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quoizola, S.

2003-01-01

The silicon is more and more used in the industry. Meanwhile the production cost is a problem to solve to develop the photovoltaic cells production. This thesis presents a new technology based on the use of a meso-porous silicon upper layer,to grow the active silicon layer of 50 μm width. The photovoltaic cell is then realized, the device is removed and placed on a low cost substrate. The silicon substrate of beginning can be used again after cleaning. The first chapter presents the operating and the characteristics of the silicon photovoltaic cell. The second chapter is devoted to the growth technique, the vapor phase epitaxy, and the third chapter to the epitaxy layer. The chapter four deals with the porous silicon and the structure chosen in this study. The chapter five is devoted to the characterization of the epitaxy layer on porous silicon. The photovoltaic cells realized on these layers are presented in the last chapter. (A.L.B.)

Intradiscal electrothermal treatment for discogenic back pain: experimental investigation and preliminary clinical application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Wen; Teng Gaojun; He Shicheng; Guo Jinhe; Deng Gang; Zhu Guangyu; Li Guozhao; Ding Huijuan; Shen Zhiping

2005-01-01

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and the safety of IDET for chronic discogenic low back pain. Methods: Standard intradiscal electrothermal treatment were performed in two adjacent disc levels (L3-4, L4-5) of two domestic pigs. MRI were available at pretreatment, posttreatment of 1,2 weeks, and then the two animals were killed respectively at 1,2 weeks after the procedure. The specimens were then undergone thin sectioned and subjected to humatoxylin and eosin staining for histological investigation. 23 patients (totally 29 discs, including L2-3 to L5-S1) with chronic symptoms underwent IDET for clinical study. VAS (Visual Analog Scale) pain scores were collected before the treatment, 1 week and 3 months after the procedure. One way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: 4 discs of standard IDET models have been set up in two pigs showing normal MRI T2W1 signal of nucleus pulposus immediately after the procedure, but the high signal extent of the central part of the nucleo pulposus shrinked with conspicuous peripheral low signal changes during the following 1-2 W. Degeneration and shrinkage of nucleo-pulposus with lecolized fibrous ring thickening were found pathologically but without damage to nurve roots and epidural sac. 29 discs in 23 patients were performed successfully, without complication. The follow-up evaluation of 1 week and 3 months after the treatment showing significant differences with those before the treatment on was scores 65.3% and 78.9% respectively (P<0.0001). Conclusions: IDET is safe and effective for chronic discogenic low back pain. (authors)

Next generation structural silicone glazing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles D. Clift

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an advanced engineering evaluation, using nonlinear analysis of hyper elastic material that provides significant improvement to structural silicone glazing (SSG design in high performance curtain wall systems. Very high cladding wind pressures required in hurricane zones often result in bulky SSG profile dimensions. Architectural desire for aesthetically slender curtain wall framing sight-lines in combination with a desire to reduce aluminium usage led to optimization of silicone material geometry for better stress distribution.To accomplish accurate simulation of predicted behaviour under structural load, robust stress-strain curves of the silicone material are essential. The silicone manufacturer provided physical property testing via a specialized laboratory protocol. A series of rigorous curve fit techniques were then made to closely model test data in the finite element computer analysis that accounts for nonlinear strain of hyper elastic silicone.Comparison of this advanced design technique to traditional SSG design highlights differences in stress distribution contours in the silicone material. Simplified structural engineering per the traditional SSG design method does not provide accurate forecasting of material and stress optimization as shown in the advanced design.Full-scale specimens subject to structural load testing were performed to verify the design capacity, not only for high wind pressure values, but also for debris impact per ASTM E1886 and ASTM E1996. Also, construction of the test specimens allowed development of SSG installation techniques necessitated by the unique geometry of the silicone profile. Finally, correlation of physical test results with theoretical simulations is made, so evaluation of design confidence is possible. This design technique will introduce significant engineering advancement to the curtain wall industry.

Stable configurations of graphene on silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Javvaji, Brahmanandam; Shenoy, Bhamy Maithry [Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Mahapatra, D. Roy, E-mail: droymahapatra@aero.iisc.ernet.in [Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Ravikumar, Abhilash [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal 575025 (India); Hegde, G.M. [Center for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Rizwan, M.R. [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal 575025 (India)

2017-08-31

Highlights: • Simulations of epitaxial growth process for silicon–graphene system is performed. • Identified the most favourable orientation of graphene sheet on silicon substrate. • Atomic local strain due to the silicon–carbon bond formation is analyzed. - Abstract: Integration of graphene on silicon-based nanostructures is crucial in advancing graphene based nanoelectronic device technologies. The present paper provides a new insight on the combined effect of graphene structure and silicon (001) substrate on their two-dimensional anisotropic interface. Molecular dynamics simulations involving the sub-nanoscale interface reveal a most favourable set of temperature independent orientations of the monolayer graphene sheet with an angle of ∽15° between its armchair direction and [010] axis of the silicon substrate. While computing the favorable stable orientations, both the translation and the rotational vibrations of graphene are included. The possible interactions between the graphene atoms and the silicon atoms are identified from their coordination. Graphene sheet shows maximum bonding density with bond length 0.195 nm and minimum bond energy when interfaced with silicon substrate at 15° orientation. Local deformation analysis reveals probability distribution with maximum strain levels of 0.134, 0.047 and 0.029 for 900 K, 300 K and 100 K, respectively in silicon surface for 15° oriented graphene whereas the maximum probable strain in graphene is about 0.041 irrespective of temperature. Silicon–silicon dimer formation is changed due to silicon–carbon bonding. These results may help further in band structure engineering of silicon–graphene lattice.

Improved Optics in Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells with a Nanocrystalline Silicon Recombination Junction

KAUST Repository

Sahli, Florent

2017-10-09

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are increasingly recognized as promi­sing candidates for next-generation photovoltaics with performance beyond the single-junction limit at potentially low production costs. Current designs for monolithic tandems rely on transparent conductive oxides as an intermediate recombination layer, which lead to optical losses and reduced shunt resistance. An improved recombination junction based on nanocrystalline silicon layers to mitigate these losses is demonstrated. When employed in monolithic perovskite/silicon heterojunction tandem cells with a planar front side, this junction is found to increase the bottom cell photocurrent by more than 1 mA cm−2. In combination with a cesium-based perovskite top cell, this leads to tandem cell power-conversion efficiencies of up to 22.7% obtained from J–V measurements and steady-state efficiencies of up to 22.0% during maximum power point tracking. Thanks to its low lateral conductivity, the nanocrystalline silicon recombination junction enables upscaling of monolithic perovskite/silicon heterojunction tandem cells, resulting in a 12.96 cm2 monolithic tandem cell with a steady-state efficiency of 18%.

Improved Optics in Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells with a Nanocrystalline Silicon Recombination Junction

KAUST Repository

Sahli, Florent; Kamino, Brett A.; Werner, Jé ré mie; Brä uninger, Matthias; Paviet-Salomon, Bertrand; Barraud, Loris; Monnard, Raphaë l; Seif, Johannes Peter; Tomasi, Andrea; Jeangros, Quentin; Hessler-Wyser, Aï cha; De Wolf, Stefaan; Despeisse, Matthieu; Nicolay, Sylvain; Niesen, Bjoern; Ballif, Christophe

2017-01-01

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are increasingly recognized as promi­sing candidates for next-generation photovoltaics with performance beyond the single-junction limit at potentially low production costs. Current designs for monolithic tandems rely on transparent conductive oxides as an intermediate recombination layer, which lead to optical losses and reduced shunt resistance. An improved recombination junction based on nanocrystalline silicon layers to mitigate these losses is demonstrated. When employed in monolithic perovskite/silicon heterojunction tandem cells with a planar front side, this junction is found to increase the bottom cell photocurrent by more than 1 mA cm−2. In combination with a cesium-based perovskite top cell, this leads to tandem cell power-conversion efficiencies of up to 22.7% obtained from J–V measurements and steady-state efficiencies of up to 22.0% during maximum power point tracking. Thanks to its low lateral conductivity, the nanocrystalline silicon recombination junction enables upscaling of monolithic perovskite/silicon heterojunction tandem cells, resulting in a 12.96 cm2 monolithic tandem cell with a steady-state efficiency of 18%.

Determination of mercury in microwave-digested soil by laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry with electrothermal atomization.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagano, S T; Smith, B W; Winefordner, J D

1994-12-01

A sample digestion procedure was developed which employs microwave heating of soil and sediment in concentrated nitric acid in a high-pressure closed vessel. Complete dissolution of mercury into the sample solution occurs within 5 min at 59 W/vessel without loss of analyte through overpressurization. Laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry with electrothermal atomization (LEAFS-ETA) was used as the detection method. The scheme uses a two-step excitation, with lambda(1) = 253.7 nm and lambda(2) = 435.8 nm. Direct line fluorescence was measured at 546.2 nm. The absolute instrumental limit of detection was 14 fg; 1.4 pg/ml with a 10 mul sample injection. The recoveries of mercury in two spiked samples were 94 and 98%. The SRM 8406 (Mercury in River Sediment) was digested and analyzed for mercury, and the results (58.4 +/- 1.8 ng/g) agreed well with the reference value of 60 ng/g. The results obtained by LEAFS-ETA with microwave sample digestion are in good agreement with those found by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry with EPA Series Method 245.5 sample digestion, which is one of the most commonly used methods for the determination of mercury in soil.

The determination, by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry using electrothermal atomization, of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and iridium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haines, J.; Robert, R.V.D.

1982-01-01

A method that involves measurement by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry using electrothermal atomization has been developed for the determination of trace quantities of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and iridium in mineralogical samples. The elements are separated and concentrated by fusion, nickel sulphide being used as the collector, and the analyte elements are measured in the resulting acid solution. An organic extraction procedure was found to offer no advantages over the proposed method. Mutual interferences between the five platinum-group metals examined, as well as interferences from gold, silver, and nickel were determined. The accuracy of the measurement was established by the analysis of a platinum-ore reference material. The lower limits of determination of each of the analyte elements in a sample material are as follows: platinum 1,6μg/l, palladium 0,2μg/1, rhodium 0,5μg/l, ruthenium 3μg/l, and iridium 2,5μg/l. The relative standard deviations range from 0,05 for rhodium to 0.08 for iridium. The method, which is described in detail in the Appendix, is applicable to the determination of these elements in ores, tailings, and geological materials in which the total concentration of the noble metals is less than 1g/t

Study of effects of radiation on silicone prostheses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shedbalkar, A.R.; Devata, A.; Padanilam, T.

1980-01-01

Radiation effects on silicone gel and dose distribution of radiation through mammary prostheses were studied. Silicone gel behaves like tissue. Half value thickness for silicone gel and water are almost the same. Linear absorption coefficient for silicone gel and water are comparable

Method of fabricating porous silicon carbide (SiC)

Science.gov (United States)

Shor, Joseph S. (Inventor); Kurtz, Anthony D. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

Porous silicon carbide is fabricated according to techniques which result in a significant portion of nanocrystallites within the material in a sub 10 nanometer regime. There is described techniques for passivating porous silicon carbide which result in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices which exhibit brighter blue luminescence and exhibit improved qualities. Based on certain of the techniques described porous silicon carbide is used as a sacrificial layer for the patterning of silicon carbide. Porous silicon carbide is then removed from the bulk substrate by oxidation and other methods. The techniques described employ a two-step process which is used to pattern bulk silicon carbide where selected areas of the wafer are then made porous and then the porous layer is subsequently removed. The process to form porous silicon carbide exhibits dopant selectivity and a two-step etching procedure is implemented for silicon carbide multilayers.

HRTEM analysis of the nanostructure of porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin-Palma, R.J.; Pascual, L.; Landa-Canovas, A.R.; Herrero, P.; Martinez-Duart, J.M.

2006-01-01

The nanometric structure of porous silicon makes this material to be very suitable for its use in many different fields, including optoelectronics and biological applications. In the present work, the structure of porous silicon was investigated in detail by means of cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and digital image processing, together with electron energy loss spectroscopy. The structure of the Si/porous silicon interface and that of the silicon nanocrystals that compose porous silicon have been analyzed in detail. A strong strain contrast in the Si/porous silicon interface caused by high stresses was observed. Accordingly, dislocation pairs are found to be a possible mechanism of lattice matching between porous silicon and the Si substrate. Finally, high relative concentration of oxygen in the porous silicon layer was observed, together with low relative electron concentration in the conduction band when compared to Si

Evaluation of selected chemical processes for production of low-cost silicon phase 2. silicon material task, low-cost silicon solar array project

Science.gov (United States)

Blocher, J. M., Jr.; Browning, M. F.; Rose, E. E.; Thompson, W. B.; Schmitt, W. A.; Fippin, J. S.; Kidd, R. W.; Liu, C. Y.; Kerbler, P. S.; Ackley, W. R.

1978-01-01

Progress from October 1, 1977, through December 31, 1977, is reported in the design of the 50 MT/year experimental facility for the preparation of high purity silicon by the zinc vapor reduction of silicon tetrachloride in a fluidized bed of seed particles to form a free flowing granular product.

Effect of additive gases and injection methods on chemical dry etching of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon oxide layers in F2 remote plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Y. B.; Park, S. M.; Kim, D. J.; Lee, N.-E.; Kim, K. S.; Bae, G. H.

2007-01-01

The authors investigated the effects of various additive gases and different injection methods on the chemical dry etching of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon oxide layers in F 2 remote plasmas. N 2 and N 2 +O 2 gases in the F 2 /Ar/N 2 and F 2 /Ar/N 2 /O 2 remote plasmas effectively increased the etch rate of the layers. The addition of direct-injected NO gas increased the etch rates most significantly. NO radicals generated by the addition of N 2 and N 2 +O 2 or direct-injected NO molecules contributed to the effective removal of nitrogen and oxygen in the silicon nitride and oxide layers, by forming N 2 O and NO 2 by-products, respectively, and thereby enhancing SiF 4 formation. As a result of the effective removal of the oxygen, nitrogen, and silicon atoms in the layers, the chemical dry etch rates were enhanced significantly. The process regime for the etch rate enhancement of the layers was extended at elevated temperature

Element depth profiles of porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobzev, A.P.; Nikonov, O.A.; Kulik, M.; Zuk, J.; Krzyzanowska, H.; Ochalski, T.J.

1997-01-01

Element depth profiles of porous silicon were measured on the Van-de-Graaff accelerator in the energy range of 4 He + ions from 2 to 3.2 MeV. Application of complementary RBS, ERD and 16 O(α,α) 16 O nuclear reaction methods permits us to obtain: 1) the exact silicon, oxygen and hydrogen distribution in the samples, 2) the distribution of partial pore concentrations. The oxygen concentration in porous silicon reaches 30%, which allows one to assume the presence of silicon oxide in the pores and to explain the spectrum shift of luminescence into the blue area

Thermophysical spectroscopy of defect states in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igamberdyev, Kh.T.; Mamadalimov, A.T.; Khabibullaev, P.K.

1989-01-01

The present work deals with analyzing the possibilities of using the non-traditional thermophysical methods to study a defect structure in silicon. For this purpose, the temperature dependences of thermophysical properties of defect silicon are investigated. A number of new, earlier unknown physical phenomena in silicon are obtained, and their interpretation has enabled one to establish the main physical mechanisms of formation of deep defect states in silicon

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop for simultaneous separation/preconcentration of nickel, cobalt and copper prior to determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mooud Amirkavei

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop for simultaneous extraction of trace amounts of nickel, cobalt and copper followed by their determination with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. 300 µL of acetone and 1-undecanol was injected into an aqueous sample containing diethyldithiocarbamate complexes of metal ions. For a sample volume of 10 mL, enrichment factors of 277, 270 and 300 and detection limits of 1.2, 1.1 and 1 ng L-1 for nickel, cobalt and copper were obtained, respectively. The method was applied to the extraction and determination of these metals in different water samples.

Use of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for size profiling of gold and silver nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Panyabut, Teerawat; Sirirat, Natnicha; Siripinyanond, Atitaya

2018-02-13

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) was applied to investigate the atomization behaviors of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in order to relate with particle size information. At various atomization temperatures from 1400 °C to 2200 °C, the time-dependent atomic absorption peak profiles of AuNPs and AgNPs with varying sizes from 5 nm to 100 nm were examined. With increasing particle size, the maximum absorbance was observed at the longer time. The time at maximum absorbance was found to linearly increase with increasing particle size, suggesting that ETAAS can be applied to provide the size information of nanoparticles. With the atomization temperature of 1600 °C, the mixtures of nanoparticles containing two particle sizes, i.e., 5 nm tannic stabilized AuNPs with 60, 80, 100 nm citrate stabilized AuNPs, were investigated and bimodal peaks were observed. The particle size dependent atomization behaviors of nanoparticles show potential application of ETAAS for providing size information of nanoparticles. The calibration plot between the time at maximum absorbance and the particle size was applied to estimate the particle size of in-house synthesized AuNPs and AgNPs and the results obtained were in good agreement with those from flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Furthermore, the linear relationship between the activation energy and the particle size was observed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence of localized amorphous silicon clustering from Raman depth-probing of silicon nanocrystals in fused silica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barba, D; Martin, F; Ross, G G

2008-01-01

Silicon nanocrystals (Si-nc) and amorphous silicon (α-Si) produced by silicon implantation in fused silica have been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Information regarding the Raman signature of the α-Si phonon excitation was extracted from Raman depth-probing measurements using the phenomenological phonon confinement model. The spectral deconvolution of the Raman measurements recorded at different laser focusing depths takes into account both the Si-nc size variation and the Si-nc spatial distribution within the sample. The phonon peak associated with α-Si around 470 cm -1 is greatest for in-sample laser focusing, indicating that the formation of amorphous silicon is more important in the region containing a high concentration of silicon excess, where large Si-nc are located. As also observed for Si-nc systems prepared by SiO x layer deposition, this result demonstrates the presence of α-Si in high excess Si implanted Si-nc systems

Characterization of Czochralski silicon detectors

OpenAIRE

Luukka, Panja-Riina

2006-01-01

This thesis describes the characterization of irradiated and non-irradiated segmented detectors made of high-resistivity (>1 kΩcm) magnetic Czochralski (MCZ) silicon. It is shown that the radiation hardness (RH) of the protons of these detectors is higher than that of devices made of traditional materials such as Float Zone (FZ) silicon or Diffusion Oxygenated Float Zone (DOFZ) silicon due to the presence of intrinsic oxygen (> 5 × 1017 cm−3). The MCZ devices therefore present an interesting ...

Iron solubility in highly boron-doped silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McHugo, S.A.; McDonald, R.J.; Smith, A.R.; Hurley, D.L.; Weber, E.R.

1998-01-01

We have directly measured the solubility of iron in high and low boron-doped silicon using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Iron solubilities were measured at 800, 900, 1000, and 1100thinsp degree C in silicon doped with either 1.5x10 19 or 6.5x10 14 thinspboronthinspatoms/cm 3 . We have measured a greater iron solubility in high boron-doped silicon as compared to low boron-doped silicon, however, the degree of enhancement is lower than anticipated at temperatures >800thinsp degree C. The decreased enhancement is explained by a shift in the iron donor energy level towards the valence band at elevated temperatures. Based on this data, we have calculated the position of the iron donor level in the silicon band gap at elevated temperatures. We incorporate the iron energy level shift in calculations of iron solubility in silicon over a wide range of temperatures and boron-doping levels, providing a means to accurately predict iron segregation between high and low boron-doped silicon. copyright 1998 American Institute of Physics

Laser-beam-induced current mapping evaluation of porous silicon-based passivation in polycrystalline silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabha, M. Ben; Bessais, B. [Laboratoire de Nanomateriaux et des Systemes pour l' Energie, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie - Technopole de Borj-Cedria BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia); Dimassi, W.; Bouaicha, M.; Ezzaouia, H. [Laboratoire de photovoltaique, des semiconducteurs et des nanostructures, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie - Technopole de Borj-Cedria BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

2009-05-15

In the present work, we report on the effect of introducing a superficial porous silicon (PS) layer on the performance of polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si) solar cells. Laser-beam-induced current (LBIC) mapping shows that the PS treatment on the emitter of pc-Si solar cells improves their quantum response and reduce the grain boundaries (GBs) activity. After the porous silicon treatment, mapping investigation shows an enhancement of the LBIC and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE), due to an improvement of the minority carrier diffusion length and the passivation of recombination centers at the GBs as compared to the reference substrate. It was quantitatively shown that porous silicon treatment can passivate both the grains and GBs. (author)

Comparison of four-probe thermal and thermoelectric transport measurements of thin films and nanostructures with microfabricated electro-thermal transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jaehyun; Fleming, Evan; Zhou, Yuanyuan; Shi, Li

2018-03-01

Two different four-probe thermal and thermoelectric measurement methods have been reported for measuring the thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and electrical conductivity of suspended thin films and nanostructures with microfabricated electro-thermal transducers. The thermal contact resistance was extracted from the measured thermoelectric voltage drop at the contacts in the earlier four-probe method based on the assumption of constant thermal and thermoelectric properties along the sample. In comparison, the latter four-probe method can directly obtain the contact thermal resistance together with the intrinsic sample thermal resistance without making this assumption. Here, the measurement theory and data reduction processes of the latter four-probe measurement method are re-examined and improved. The measured thermal conductivity result of this improved method on representative thin film samples are found to agree with those obtained from the earlier four-probe method, which has obtained similar Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity as those measured with a different method for a supported thin film. The agreement provides further validation of the latest four-probe thermal transport measurement method of thin films and nanostructures.

Optimization of trace elements determination (Arsenic and chromium) in blood and serum of human by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmadi Faghih, M. A.; Aflaki, F.

2003-01-01

Trace elements play an important role in the bio physiology of cells by affecting their growth and contributions to various biological processes such as wound healing. Determination of toxic trace elements in biological fluids is an important subject of interest for toxicological purposes. Increasing the concentration of these elements in the blood levels, cause serious diseases in patients. Recently instrumental analysis procedures such as atomic absorption spectrometry have been used in clinical measurements for determination of many toxic trace elements in the biological samples. In this paper we are reporting the study of various methods of blood and serum samples preparation for determining the toxic trace elements of Arsenic and Chromium. The measurement of this elements performed by using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The best and reliable results for Chromium analysis was achieved by injection of diluted serum samples, where the samples were diluted with H CI 0.1N. In Arsenic analysis, the best results obtained by extraction with aqueous solution of TCA. For determining all of these elements the RSD% was less than 5%

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cobalt, copper, lead and nickel traces in aragonite following flotation and extraction separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zendelovska, D; Pavlovska, G; Cundeva, K; Stafilov, T

2001-03-30

A method of determination of Co, Cu, Pb and Ni in nanogram quantities from aragonite is presented. Flotation and extraction of Co, Cu, Pb and Ni is suggested as methods for elimination matrix interferences of calcium. The method of flotation is performed by iron(III) hexamethylenedithiocarbamate, Fe(HMDTC)(3), as a colloid precipitate collector. The liquid-liquid extraction of Co, Cu, Pb and Ni is carried out by sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, NaDDTC, as complexing reagent into methylisobutyl ketone, MIBK. The electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is used for determination of analytes. The detection limits of ETAAS followed by flotation are: 7.8 ng.g(-1) for Co, 17.1 ng.g(-1) for Cu, 7.2 ng.g(-1) for Pb and 9.0 mug.g(-1) for Ni. The detection limits of ETAAS followed by extraction are found to be: 12.0 ng.g(-1) for Co, 51.0 ng.g(-1) for Cu, 24.0 ng.g(-1) for Pb and 21.0 ng.g(-1) for Ni.

Implantation damage in silicon devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholas, K.H.

1977-01-01

Ion implantation, is an attractive technique for producing doped layers in silicon devices but the implantation process involves disruption of the lattice and defects are formed, which can degrade device properties. Methods of minimizing such damage are discussed and direct comparisons made between implantation and diffusion techniques in terms of defects in the final devices and the electrical performance of the devices. Defects are produced in the silicon lattice during implantation but they are annealed to form secondary defects even at room temperature. The annealing can be at a low temperature ( 0 C) when migration of defects in silicon in generally small, or at high temperature when they can grow well beyond the implanted region. The defect structures can be complicated by impurity atoms knocked into the silicon from surface layers by the implantation. Defects can also be produced within layers on top of the silicon and these can be very important in device fabrication. In addition to affecting the electrical properties of the final device, defects produced during fabrication may influence the chemical properties of the materials. The use of these properties to improve devices are discussed as well as the degradation they can cause. (author)

Defects and impurities in silicon materials an introduction to atomic-level silicon engineering

CERN Document Server

Langouche, Guido

2015-01-01

This book emphasizes the importance of the fascinating atomistic insights into the defects and the impurities as well as the dynamic behaviors in silicon materials, which have become more directly accessible over the past 20 years. Such progress has been made possible by newly developed experimental methods, first principle theories, and computer simulation techniques. The book is aimed at young researchers, scientists, and technicians in related industries. The main purposes are to provide readers with 1) the basic physics behind defects in silicon materials, 2) the atomistic modeling as well as the characterization techniques related to defects and impurities in silicon materials, and 3) an overview of the wide range of the research fields involved.

Photonic integration and photonics-electronics convergence on silicon platform

CERN Document Server

Liu, Jifeng; Baba, Toshihiko; Vivien, Laurent; Xu, Dan-Xia

2015-01-01

Silicon photonics technology, which has the DNA of silicon electronics technology, promises to provide a compact photonic integration platform with high integration density, mass-producibility, and excellent cost performance. This technology has been used to develop and to integrate various photonic functions on silicon substrate. Moreover, photonics-electronics convergence based on silicon substrate is now being pursued. Thanks to these features, silicon photonics will have the potential to be a superior technology used in the construction of energy-efficient cost-effective apparatuses for various applications, such as communications, information processing, and sensing. Considering the material characteristics of silicon and difficulties in microfabrication technology, however, silicon by itself is not necessarily an ideal material. For example, silicon is not suitable for light emitting devices because it is an indirect transition material. The resolution and dynamic range of silicon-based interference de...

Combination of silicon nitride and porous silicon induced optoelectronic features enhancement of multicrystalline silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabha, Mohamed Ben; Dimassi, Wissem; Gaidi, Mounir; Ezzaouia, Hatem; Bessais, Brahim [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cedria, BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

2011-06-15

The effects of antireflection (ARC) and surface passivation films on optoelectronic features of multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) were investigated in order to perform high efficiency solar cells. A double layer consisting of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) of silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}) on porous silicon (PS) was achieved on mc-Si surfaces. It was found that this treatment decreases the total surface reflectivity from about 25% to around 6% in the 450-1100 nm wavelength range. As a result, the effective minority carrier diffusion length, estimated from the Laser-beam-induced current (LBIC) method, was found to increase from 312 {mu}m for PS-treated cells to about 798 {mu}m for SiN{sub x}/PS-treated ones. The deposition of SiN{sub x} was found to impressively enhance the minority carrier diffusion length probably due to hydrogen passivation of surface, grain boundaries and bulk defects. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) shows that the vibration modes of the highly suitable passivating Si-H bonds exhibit frequency shifts toward higher wavenumber, depending on the x ratio of the introduced N atoms neighbors. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

InP membrane on silicon integration technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, M.K.

2013-01-01

Integration of light sources in silicon photonics is usually done with an active InP-based layer stack on a silicon-based photonic circuit-layer. InP Membrane On Silicon (IMOS) technology integrates all functionality in a single InP-based layer.

Simulation of atomistic processes during silicon oxidation

OpenAIRE

Bongiorno, Angelo

2003-01-01

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) films grown on silicon monocrystal (Si) substrates form the gate oxides in current Si-based microelectronics devices. The understanding at the atomic scale of both the silicon oxidation process and the properties of the Si(100)-SiO2 interface is of significant importance in state-of-the-art silicon microelectronics manufacturing. These two topics are intimately coupled and are both addressed in this theoretical investigation mainly through first-principles calculations....

Silicon nitride-fabrication, forming and properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yehezkel, O.

1983-01-01

This article, which is a literature survey of the recent years, includes description of several methods for the formation of silicone nitride, and five methods of forming: Reaction-bonded silicon nitride, sintering, hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing and chemical vapour deposition. Herein are also included data about mechanical and physical properties of silicon nitride and the relationship between the forming method and the properties. (author)