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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Design optimization of MAPS-based detectors using a data-driven fast simulation approach

A parametric simulation tool for pixel sensors is presented. A realistic pixel response is simulated purely based on measurement input, without requiring detailed knowledge of the underlying manufacturing process. As such, it provides an efficient alternative to the use of Technology Computer-Aided Design simulations, which typically depend on proprietary process information. Due to its parametric approach, the package is fast and thus particularly useful for larger detector systems and high hit rate environments. This work presents measurements, simulation and its validation for the MALTA2 sensor. It is a small collection electrode monolithic active pixel sensor produced in the Tower 180 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor imaging process. Modifications to the sensor’s periphery, mainly in the hit merger, are studied in order to optimize the performance for tracking and calorimetry. This optimization is of special interest as part of the MALTA3 sensor redesign in the 65 nm Tower Partners Semiconductor Co. process.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Coupling between plasmonic and photonic crystal modes in suspended three-dimensional meta-films

A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible fabrication method for creating three-dimensional (3D) meta-films is presented. In contrast to metasurfaces, meta-films possess structural variation throughout the thickness of the film and can possess a sub-wavelength scale structure in all three dimensions. Here we use this approach to create 2D arrays of cubic silicon nitride unit cells with plasmonic inclusions of elliptical metallic disks in horizontal and vertical orientations with lateral array-dimensions on the order of millimeters. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is used to measure the infrared transmission of meta-films with either horizontally or vertically oriented ellipses with varying eccentricity. Shape effects due to the ellipse eccentricity, as well as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects due to the effective plasmonic wavelength are observed in the scattering response. The structures were modeled using rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), finite difference time domain (Lumerical), and frequency domain finite element (COMSOL). The silicon nitride support structure possesses a complex in-plane photonic crystal slab band structure due to the periodicity of the unit cells. We show that adjustments to the physical dimensions of the ellipses can be used to control the coupling to this band structure. The horizontally oriented ellipses show narrow, distinct plasmonic resonances while the vertically oriented ellipses possess broader resonances, with lower overall transmission amplitude for a given ellipse geometry. We attribute this difference in resonance behavior to retardation effects. The ability to couple photonic slab modes with plasmonic inclusions enables a richer space of optical functionality for design of metamaterial-inspired optical components.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Compact single-shot soft X-ray photon spectrometer for free-electron laser diagnostics

The photon spectrum from free-electron laser (FEL) light sources offers valuable information in time-resolved experiments and machine optimization in the spectral and temporal domains. We have developed a compact single-shot photon spectrometer to diagnose soft X-ray spectra. The spectrometer consists of an array of off-axis Fresnel zone plates (FZP) that act as transmission-imaging gratings, a Ce:YAG scintillator, and a microscope objective to image the scintillation target onto a two-dimensional imaging detector. This spectrometer operates in segmented energy ranges which covers tens of electronvolts for each absorption edge associated with several atomic constituents: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon. The spectrometer’s performance is demonstrated at a repetition rate of 120 Hz, but our detection scheme can be easily extended to 200 kHz spectral collection by employing a fast complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) line-scan camera to detect the light from the scintillator. This compact photon spectrometer provides an opportunity for monitoring the spectrum downstream of an endstation in a limited space environment with sub-electronvolt energy resolution.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Exceptional coupling in photonic anisotropic metamaterials for extremely low waveguide crosstalk

Electromagnetic coupling is ubiquitous in photonic systems and transfers optical signals from one device to the other, creating crosstalk between devices. While this allows the functionality of some photonic components such as couplers, it limits the integration density of photonic chips, and many approaches have been proposed to reduce the crosstalk. However, due to the wave nature of light, complete elimination of crosstalk between closely spaced, identical waveguides is believed to be impossible and has not been observed experimentally. Here we show an exceptional coupling that can completely suppresses the crosstalk utilizing highly anisotropic photonic metamaterials. The anisotropic dielectric perturbations in the metamaterial mutually cancel the couplings from different field components, resulting in an infinitely long coupling length. We demonstrate the extreme suppression of crosstalk via exceptional coupling on a silicon-on-insulator platform, which is compatible with a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process. The idea of exceptional coupling with anisotropic metamaterials can be applied to many other electromagnetic devices, and it could drastically increase the integration density of photonic chips.

Mia, Md Borhan (ORCID:0000000320851331)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Scalable photonic integrated circuits for high-fidelity light control

Advances in laser technology have driven discoveries in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics and emerging applications, from quantum computers with cold atoms or ions, to quantum networks with solid-state color centers. This progress is motivating the development of a new generation of optical control systems that can manipulate the light field with high fidelity at wavelengths relevant for AMO applications. These systems are characterized by criteria: (C1) operation at a design wavelength of choice in the visible (VIS) or near-infrared (IR) spectrum, (C2) a scalable platform that can support large channel counts, (C3) high-intensity modulation extinction and (C4) repeatability compatible with low gate errors, and (C5) fast switching times. Here, we provide a pathway to address these challenges by introducing an atom control architecture based on VIS-IR photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology. Based on a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor fabrication process, this atom-control PIC (APIC) technology can meet system requirements (C1)–(C5). As a proof of concept, we demonstrate a 16-channel silicon-nitride-based APIC with (5.8±0.4)ns response times and >30dB extinction ratio at a wavelength of 780 nm.

Menssen, Adrian J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Scaling comb-driven resonator-based DWDM silicon photonic links to multi-Tb/s in the multi-FSR regime

The use of chip-based micro-resonator Kerr frequency combs in conjunction with dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) enables massively parallel intensity-modulated direct-detection data transmission with low energy consumption. Resonator-based modulators and filters used in such systems can limit the number of usable wavelength channels due to practical constraints on the maximum achievable free spectral range (FSR). In this work, we introduce the design of multi-Tb/s comb-driven resonator-based silicon photonic links by leveraging the multi-FSR regime. We demonstrate the viability of the link architecture with yield estimates that are supported by extensive wafer-scale measurements of 704 micro-resonators fabricated in a commercial complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor foundry. We show that a 2.80 Tb/s link is realizable with a ≥6 σ yield (∼99.999%), and that aggregate bandwidths of 3.76 Tb/s and 4.72 Tb/s are possible if yield targets are relaxed (3 σ and 1 σ , respectively). All designs represent a 1.94−3.28× boost to aggregate link bandwidth while maintaining BER≤10 −10 performance, with a theoretical bandwidth of 10.51 Tb/s being possible for sufficiently robust resonators. We use high-speed BER measurements to inform co-optimization of data rate and aggressor spacing ( λ ag ), limiting any additional loss-based power penalties to off-resonance insertion loss (IL) and routing loss. This work demonstrates that, through the multi-FSR regime, there is a clear path toward Kerr comb-driven ultra-broadband, high bandwidth silicon photonic links that can support next-generation data centers and high-performance computers.

James, Aneek (ORCID:0000000262527807)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Telecom-to-visible quantum frequency converter on a silicon nitride chip

Quantum frequency conversion serves a key role in the realization of hybrid quantum networks by interfacing between wavelength-incompatible platforms. Here we present what is believed to be the first quantum frequency converter connecting visible and telecom domains on a silicon nitride (SiN) chip, using Bragg-scattering four-wave mixing to upconvert heralded single photons from 1260 to 698 nm, which covers a 192 THz span. We examine the noise sources in SiN and devise approaches to suppress noise photons at the source and target frequencies to enable measurements at the single-photon level. We demonstrate an on-chip conversion efficiency of 5% in photon flux and describe design modifications that can be implemented to significantly improve it. Our results pave the way for the implementation of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible devices in quantum networks.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ultra-power-efficient heterogeneous III–V/Si MOSCAP (de-)interleavers for DWDM optical links

We discuss the design and demonstration of various III–V/Si asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer (AMZI) and ring-assisted AMZI (de-)interleavers operating at O-band wavelengths with 65 GHz channel spacing. The wafer-bonded III–V/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor (MOSCAP) structure facilitates ultra-low-power phase tuning on a heterogeneous platform that allows for complete monolithic transceiver photonic integration. The second- and third-order MOSCAP AMZI (de-)interleavers exhibit cross-talk (XT) levels down to − 22 dB and − 32 dB with tuning powers of 83.0 nW and 53.0 nW, respectively. The one-, two-, and three-ring-assisted MOSCAP AMZI (de-)interleavers have XT levels down to − 27 dB, − 22 dB, and − 20 dB for tuning powers of 10.0 nW, 7220.0 nW, and 33.6 nW, respectively. The leakage current density is measured to be in the range of 1.6 – 27 μA / cm 2 . To the best of our knowledge, we have demonstrated for the first time, athermal III–V/Si MOSCAP (de-)interleavers with the lowest XT and reconfiguration power consumption on a silicon platform.

Cheung, Stanley (ORCID:0000000248860013)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Synthesis and optical properties of phosphorus doped ZnO: X-ray absorption, X-ray emission, and X-ray excited optical luminescence studies

Abstract Over the past decades, zinc oxide semiconductor and its derivatives have been extensively developed because of its optoelectronic properties. Since ZnO is an intrinsic n-type semiconductor, how to synthesize high-quality p-type ZnO semiconductors and investigate their optoelectronic properties and local chemical structures are important and necessary. In this article, two studies of synthesizing both undoped and phosphorus-doped ZnO nanostructures by hydrothermal method and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique are presented. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laboratory X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to track the surface morphology and the crystalline structure of both undoped and phosphorus doped ZnO nanostructures, respectively. X-ray absorption near edge structures (XANES), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) are also used to determine the local chemical information of both undoped and phosphorus-doped ZnO nano/microstructures such as local symmetry and optical properties. It is found that the phosphorus is successfully doped into the surface of ZnO and substituted the Zn. The phosphorus-doped ZnO products have better crystallinity and less oxygen vacancies on the surface. These two are correlated as one leads to the other. The XEOL results suggest that the average bandgap for undoped and phosphorus doped ZnO is the same, 3.24 eV. The second derivative of the absorption-emission spectra yields the fundamental bandgap for undoped ZnO and phosphorus-doped ZnO is 3.25 eV. The implication of this observation is discussed.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2021

Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and Radiation Tolerant Microelectronics

Sandia National Laboratories was asked to provide a technical feasibility assessment on whether programmability is a viable means to address the radiation levels in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Most (if not all) modern Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technologies will exceed at least one of the EAR radiation criteria inherently, there is no longer anything “special” about domestic parts or technologies that exceed EAR radiation criteria. A modern part today is not “designed” to exceed EAR criteria and in fact a part would need to be “specially designed” to fail to meet all of these criteria. And although it is possible to design a part to fail to meet the EAR radiation criteria in an unprogrammed state, such a part would be difficult to design in some technologies, may not achieve the ultimate radiation levels desired, would fail to meet core reliability principles, and may be unsuitable for high consequence applications.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electrically Detected Magnetic Resonance Study of High-Field Stress Induced Si/SiO 2 Interface Defects.

It is widely accepted that the breakdown of Si0 2 gate dielectrics is caused by the buildup of stress-induced defects over time. Although several physical mechanisms have been proposed for the generation of these defects, very little direct experimental evidence as to the chemical and physical identity of these defects has been generated in the literature thus far. Here, we present electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) measurements obtained via spin-dependent recombination currents at the interface of high-field stressed Si/Si0 2 metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of selenium imaging detectors toward a definitive search for neutrinoless ββ decay

Imaging sensors made from an ionization target layer of amorphous selenium (aSe) coupled to a silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel array for charge readout are a promising technology for neutrino physics. The high spatial resolution in a solid-state target provides unparalleled rejection of backgrounds from natural radioactivity in the search for the neutrinoless ββ decay of 82 Se. With this grant, we experimentally determined two crucial factors necessary for the realization of this novel technology: i) the intrinsic energy response of aSe to ionizing electrons, and ii) the feasibility to couple a target layer of aSe to a CMOS active pixel sensor to image electron tracks.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Wireless System Development for GaN-Based Transmitters for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Environments

The market for consumer electronics is dominated by Si-based electronics. Many Si-based complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) devices are reaching their limitations in terms of switching frequencies, voltages, currents, and temperatures. Furthermore, these devices are widely known to be susceptible to ionizing radiation and neutrons. Advanced nuclear reactors, especially microreactors and small modular reactors, require wireless electronics that can survive larger neutron and gamma doses than Si CMOS. Because of their size, electronics will need to be placed closer to the reactor cores, and cabling capabilities may be limited. However, GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been shown to switch faster with higher gains, and they can achieve current and voltage limits beyond traditional Si CMOS. However, they have less market maturity and have undergone less testing. These GaN HEMTs have been shown to survive ionizing radiation with little effects, but the effects of neutron radiation remain widely unknown. In this report, a wireless electronic system capable of supporting multiple radiation-hardened (rad-hard) sensors is presented. The proposed transmission scheme was designed to be simple to increase the likelihood of success in the immature GaN HEMT process and in high-radiation environments. The transmission system was tested using software-defined radios to emulate the transmission scheme before the transmitter circuitry in the GaN process was developed.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low Cost High-Performance HRE-Free 3-in-1 Electric Drive Unit

The project team completed work to expand upon American Axle & Manufacturing’s (AAM) baseline technology and develop a high-speed, AC induction electric drive unit (EDU) with total direct-oil-cooling and integrated power electronics. The project accelerated advancements in EDU technology by allowing AAM to build upon the progress made in developing the underlying baseline technologies. The following seven improvements to AAM’s baseline technology were implemented in this research and development program: 1) Increased speed (30k RPM) AC induction motor, 2) Silver-sintering of discrete silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET) to heat sinks, 3) Electrically insulated rotor bars, 4) Optimized lamination steel, 5) EDU-integrated 650VDC inverter package, 6) Over-molded stator with molded liners, and 7) 650VDC power-dense stator design. The successful development of the technology resulted in a meaningful cost reduction for EDU systems in the market. Coupled with falling battery system costs, lower EDU costs will likely accelerate the market acceptance and related production scaling of battery electric vehicles. The objective of this project was to research, develop, and test a Heavy Rare Earth (HRE)-free 3-In-1 electric drive unit (EDU) that has class leading power density and cost. The key technologies to be developed were anticipated to meet or exceed the Department of Energy (DOE) targets of a cost ≤ $\$$7/kilowatt (kW), power density ≥ 12 kW/liter, and operating voltage ≥ 600 VDC.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

I-V curve analysis of single-nanoparticle Al-doped SrTiO 3

Strontium Titanate (SrTiO 3 or STO) is an oxide-semiconductor material which shows promise for photocatalytic water splitting, but remains poorly understood. To better understand its carrier dynamics, STO nanoparticles deposited onto an Au substrate were placed inside of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and then contacted with an Au probe. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements were taken with and without electron beam illumination. Fitting to the curves, we estimate the doping density ($N_D \approx 10^{22.1 \pm 1.2}$ cm$^{-3}$) and built-in potential ($\phi_{bi} \approx 0.84 \pm 0.45$ eV). We then used these I-V measurements to estimate the diffusion time ($\tau$) of our samples and observed an exponential dependence of $\tau$ on sample size in the range of 350-550 nm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

PID-Regulated Heating System for PIP-II Reference Line

The Proton Improvement Plan 2 (PIP-II) centers on building a new superconducting linear particle accelerator (Linac) at Fermilab. At the heart of the accelerator is the reference line. It is a critical system that defines the ideal path for the beam as it passes through magnets, RF cavities, and other beamline elements. Temperature stability is crucial for the reliable operation of RF components, such as mixers and filters. Fluctuations affect key performance parameters like conversion loss, isolation, and linearity. To mitigate any drift caused by ambient temperature changes, a heating plate assembly is utilized to maintain key components at a controlled temperature of 40 C. Utilizing an actively regulated heating system, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) based power control circuit which provides input to a controller; forming a closed-loop system that maintains the desired setpoints with high precision.

Mosher, Alexander [U. Illinois, Chicago]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ultrafast CMOS image sensors and data-enabled super-resolution for multimodal radiographic imaging and tomography

We summarize recent progress in ultrafast Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor development and the application of neural networks for post-processing of CMOS and charge-coupled device (CCD) image data to achieve sub-pixel resolution (thus ‘super-resolution’). The combination of novel CMOS pixel designs and data-enabled image post-processing provides a promising path towards ultrafast high-resolution multi-modal radiographic imaging and tomography applications.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗