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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Programmable, four-channel, 128-sample, 40-Ms/s analog-ternary correlator

A four-channel analog-ternary CCD correlator that extends the state of the art in several important areas is discussed. Surface acoustic wave, acoustic charge transport, and CCD implementation technologies are compared, and the architecture of the CCD device is described. It is shown that, in addition to a sampling rate up to 40 Ms (megasamples) per second, a dynamic range of 66 dB, and nonlinearity below -50 dB, the device exhibits a level of integration and user-friendliness not previously available. The correlator is intended for use in communications and radar systems where pseudonoise codes are employed.

Munroe, Scott C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Discourse for slide presentation: An overview of chemical detection systems

A brief overview of some of the analytical techniques currently used in monitoring and analyzing permanent gases and selected volatile organic compound in air are presented. Some of the analytical considerations in developing a specific method are discussed. Four broad groups of hardware are discussed: compound class specific personal monitors, gas chromatographic systems, infrared spectroscopic systems, and mass spectrometric residual gas analyzer systems. Three types of detectors are also discussed: catalytic sensor based systems, photoionization detectors, and wet or dry chemical reagent systems. Under gas chromatograph based systems five detector systems used in combination with a GC are covered: thermal conductivity detectors, photoionization detectors, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometric systems, quadrapole mass spectrometric systems, and a relatively recent development, a surface acoustic wave vapor detector.

Peters, Randy Alan↗
NASA NTRS1991

Application of convolve-multiply-convolve SAW processor for satellite communications

There is a need for a satellite communications receiver than can perform simultaneous multi-channel processing of single channel per carrier (SCPC) signals originating from various small (mobile or fixed) earth stations. The number of ground users can be as many as 1000. Conventional techniques of simultaneously processing these signals is by employing as many RF-bandpass filters as the number of channels. Consequently, such an approach would result in a bulky receiver, which becomes impractical for satellite applications. A unique approach utilizing a realtime surface acoustic wave (SAW) chirp transform processor is presented. The application of a Convolve-Multiply-Convolve (CMC) chirp transform processor is described. The CMC processor transforms each input channel into a unique timeslot, while preserving its modulation content (in this case QPSK). Subsequently, each channel is individually demodulated without the need of input channel filters. Circuit complexity is significantly reduced, because the output frequency of the CMC processor is common for all input channel frequencies. The results of theoretical analysis and experimental results are in good agreement.

Lie, Y. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Multi-user satellite communications system using an innovative compressive receiver

There is a need for an onboard simultaneous multi-channel demodulation system for a satellite communications system. Studies indicate that Convolve Multiply Convolve (CMC) filtering with surface acoustic wave (SAW) dispersive delay lines will eliminate the necessity of onboard satellite channelized filters of complex fourier transform processors. The reason for choosing the CMC technique is its ability to perform Fourier transformations in a shorter time with less space and power consumption than digital Fourier transform processors. Each ground terminal in this multi-users communications system is remotely located and operates independently; hence, a method of synchronizing the transmission of these users is presented which utilizes the existing Global Positioning System (GPS) system. Each ground user is equipped with a low cost ground terminal that has a synchronization subsystem attached to it. The system design of an onboard Multi-channel Receiver and Demodulator utilizes Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) as the modulation technique. This technique provides the best figure of merit, i.e., the lowest transmitter power requirement per communication channel.

Staples, Edward J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Enhanced spectral efficiency using bandwidth switchable SAW filtering for mobile satellite communications systems

Currently proposed mobile satellite communications systems require a high degree of flexibility in assignment of spectral capacity to different geographic locations. Conventionally this results in poor spectral efficiency which may be overcome by the use of bandwidth switchable filtering. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology makes it possible to provide banks of filters whose responses may be contiguously combined to form variable bandwidth filters with constant amplitude and phase responses across the entire band. The high selectivity possible with SAW filters, combined with the variable bandwidth capability, makes it possible to achieve spectral efficiencies over the allocated bandwidths of greater than 90 percent, while retaining full system flexibility. Bandwidth switchable SAW filtering (BSSF) achieves these gains with a negligible increase in hardware complexity.

Peach, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1991

Miniaturized fiber-optic Michelson-type interferometric sensors

A novel, miniaturized Michelson-type fiber-optic interferometric sensor that is relatively insensitive to temperature drifts is presented. A fused-biconical tapered coupler is cleaved immediately after the coupled length and polished down to the region of the fused cladding, but short of the interaction region. The end of one core is selectively coated with a reflective surface and is used as the reference arm; the other core serves as the sensing arm. The detection of surface acoustic waves, microdisplacements, and magnetic fields is reported. The sensor is shown to be highly stable in comparison to a classic homodyne, uncompensated Michelson interferometer, and signal-to-noise ratios of 65 dB have been obtained.

Murphy, Kent A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

One GHz leaky SAW velocity of metal layers and bilayers evaporated onto fused quartz

An acoustic microscope operating at 1 GHz was used to determine the surface acoustic wave velocities v of thin film metal layers and metal bilayers deposited onto fused quartz. V(0)'s influence was reduced by gating. This produced a calibrated accuracy of 3 percent. A program was constructed from the explicitly solved 6 x 6 theoretical determinant. Single film thicknesses were decided upon by using this theory to produce a v equal to a standard. Since the single film v's were linear with respect to their thickness, half the single film thicknesses were used for the bilayered films. The velocities for these bilayered films agreed with theory. This experimentally confirms the theoretical technique used here to examine bilayered systems, or a prototype composite interphase. No discrepancy was seen for gold films as others have reported. V(z) seemed insensitive to the formation of intermetallics or CuO. Some annealed and unannealed platinum films did not change the v from that of fused quartz. Two platinum films whose v's were in agreement with theory peeled off with the tape test.

Walikainen, Dale↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sapphire fiber interferometer for microdisplacement measurements at high temperature

Attention is given to the use of a short-length multimode sapphire rod as an extension to a conventional Michelson interferometric configuration, but with operation of Fabry-Perot cavity-based sensor element type. The performance of such a device as an interferometric sensor is demonstrated for a case where the interference between the reflections from the sapphire-air interface and an air-metallic surface is inspected for microdisplacements of the metallic surface. A detailed account is given of the sensor's fabrication procedure; results are presented for the detection of surface-acoustic waves.

Murphy, Kent A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Sapphire fiber interferometer for microdisplacement measurements at high temperatures

We report the use of a short-length, multimode sapphire rod as an extension to a Michelson configuration, but operated as a low-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity. We demonstrate the performance of such a device as an interferometric sensor, where the interference between the reflections from the sapphire-air interface and an air-metallic surface is observed for microdisplacement of the metallic surface which is placed close to the sapphire endface. We describe in detail the fabrication procedure and present results obtained from the detection of temperature changes, applied strain, and surface acoustic waves.

Murphy, Kent A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

SAW based systems for mobile communications satellites

Modern mobile communications satellites, such as INMARSAT 3, EMS, and ARTEMIS, use advanced onboard processing to make efficient use of the available L-band spectrum. In all of these cases, high performance surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are used. SAW filters can provide high selectivity (100-200 kHz transition widths), combined with flat amplitude and linear phase characteristics; their simple construction and radiation hardness also makes them especially suitable for space applications. An overview of the architectures used in the above systems, describing the technologies employed, and the use of bandwidth switchable SAW filtering (BSSF) is given. The tradeoffs to be considered when specifying a SAW based system are analyzed, using both theoretical and experimental data. Empirical rules for estimating SAW filter performance are given. Achievable performance is illustrated using data from the INMARSAT 3 engineering model (EM) processors.

Peach, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Advanced satellite communication system

The objective of this research program was to develop an innovative advanced satellite receiver/demodulator utilizing surface acoustic wave (SAW) chirp transform processor and coherent BPSK demodulation. The algorithm of this SAW chirp Fourier transformer is of the Convolve - Multiply - Convolve (CMC) type, utilizing off-the-shelf reflective array compressor (RAC) chirp filters. This satellite receiver, if fully developed, was intended to be used as an on-board multichannel communications repeater. The Advanced Communications Receiver consists of four units: (1) CMC processor, (2) single sideband modulator, (3) demodulator, and (4) chirp waveform generator and individual channel processors. The input signal is composed of multiple user transmission frequencies operating independently from remotely located ground terminals. This signal is Fourier transformed by the CMC Processor into a unique time slot for each user frequency. The CMC processor is driven by a waveform generator through a single sideband (SSB) modulator. The output of the coherent demodulator is composed of positive and negative pulses, which are the envelopes of the chirp transform processor output. These pulses correspond to the data symbols. Following the demodulator, a logic circuit reconstructs the pulses into data, which are subsequently differentially decoded to form the transmitted data. The coherent demodulation and detection of BPSK signals derived from a CMC chirp transform processor were experimentally demonstrated and bit error rate (BER) testing was performed. To assess the feasibility of such advanced receiver, the results were compared with the theoretical analysis and plotted for an average BER as a function of signal-to-noise ratio. Another goal of this SBIR program was the development of a commercial product. The commercial product developed was an arbitrary waveform generator. The successful sales have begun with the delivery of the first arbitrary waveform generator.

Staples, Edward J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Using a temperature-controlled quartz crystal microbalance in a space equipment cleanroom to monitor molecular contamination

There is a need for continuous monitoring for molecular contamination in clean rooms where spaceflight equipment is assembled, integrated, and tested to insure that contamination budgets are met. The TQCM (temperature-controlled quartz crystal microbalance) can be used to provide both a real time warning and a cumulative measurement of molecular contamination. It has advantages over the other measurement methods such as witness mirrors, NVR (non-volatile residue) plates, and gas analyzers. A comparison of the TQCM sensitivity and ease of operations is made with the other methods. The surface acoustic wave microbalance (SAW), a newly developed instrument similar to TQCM, is considered in the comparison. An example is provided of TQCM use at Goddard Space Flight Center when the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2(WFPC-2) and the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) were undergoing integrated testing prior to their installation in the Hubble Space Telescope on its first servicing mission. Areas for further investigation are presented.

Mitchell, William J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Reflection Properties of Metallic Gratings on ZnO Films over GaAs Substrates

A potential application for piezoelectric film deposited on GaAs substrates is the monolithic integration of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices with GaAs electronics. Metallic gratings are basic elements required for the construction of such devices, and analyzing the reflectivity and the velocity change due to metallic gratings is often a critical design parameter. In this article, Datta and Hunsinger technique is extended to the case of a multilayered structure, and the developed technique is applied to analyze shorted and open gratings on ZnO films sputtered over (001)-cut (110)-propagating GaAs substrates. The analysis shows that zero reflectivity of shorted gratings can be obtained by a combination of the ZnO film and the metal thickness and the metalization ratio of the grating. Experiments are performed on shorted and an open gratings (with the center frequency of about 180 MHz) for three different metal thicknesses over ZnO films which are 0.8 and 2.6 micrometers thick. From the experiments, zero reflectivity at the resonant frequency of the grating is observed for a reasonable thickness (h/Alpha = 0.5%) of aluminum metalization. The velocity shift between the shorted and the open grating is also measured to be 0.18 MHz and 0.25 MHz for 0.8 and 1.6 micrometers respectively. The measured data show relatively good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Hickernell, Fred S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Calibration of the QCM/SAW Cascade Impactor for Measurement of Ozone in the Stratosphere

The Quartz Crystal Microbalance Surface Acoustic Wave (QCM/SAW) cascade impactor collects size-fractionated distributions of aerosols on a series of 10 MHz quartz crystals and employs SAW devices coated with chemical sensors for gas detection. Presently, we are calibrating the ER-2 certified QCM/SAW cascade impactor in the laboratory for the detection of ozone. Experiments have been performed to characterize the QCM and SAW mass loading, saturation limits, mass frequency relationships, and sensitivity. We are also characterizing sampling efficiency by measuring the loss of ozone on different materials. There are parallel experiments underway to measure the variations in the sensitivity and response of the QCM/SAW crystals as a function of temperature and pressure. Results of the work to date will be shown.

Wright, Cassandra K.↗
NASA NTRS1997

New Polymer Coatings for Chemically Selective Mass Sensors

There is a current need to develop sensitive and chemically specific sensors for the detection of nitric acid for in-situ measurements in the atmosphere. Polymer coatings have been synthesized and tested for their sensitivity and selectivity to nitric acid. A primary requirement for these polymers is detectability down to the parts per trillion range. The results of studies using these polymers as coatings for quartz crystal microbalances (QCM) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices will be presented.

Sims, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

FTIR Spectroscopy of HNO3 and NO2 Relevant to Stratospheric Wake Analysis

The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) technique has been employed to measure absolute concentrations of nitric acid (HNO3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with 1/cm resolution and an absorption pathlength of 4 m under quasi-static and flow conditions at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Water features seen under quasi-static conditions diminished in intensity under flowing conditions. Nitric acid was observed in the 1660-1760/cm range, while nitrogen dioxide was detected both in the 1536-1660 and 1213-1400/cm ranges. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and nitric acid were determined to be 11.9 and 4.35 parts per million (ppm), respectively, with an uncertainty of 0.2 ppm. Experiments are underway with a 10 m cell to measure the absorption of nitric acid, water, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid and ammonia on various materials such as glass, teflon, stainless steel and aluminum used for implementation of the flow system. Such materials will be used for the measurements of stratospheric trace gases by the Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) and Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices.

Abina, Rafiu A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

An Acoustic Charge Transport Imager for High Definition Television Applications: Low-Voltage SAW Amplifiers on Multilayer GaAs/ZnO Substrates

This thesis addresses the acoustoelectric issues concerning the amplification of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and the reflection of SAWs from slanted reflector gratings on GaAs, with application to a novel acoustic charge transport (ACT) device architecture. First a simple model of the SAWAMP was developed, which was subsequently used to define the epitaxially grown material structure necessary to provide simultaneously high resistance and high electron mobility. In addition, a segmented SAWAMP structure was explored with line widths on the order of an acoustic wavelength. This resulted in the demonstration of SAWAMPS with an order of magnitude less voltage and power requirements than previously reported devices. A two-dimensional model was developed to explain the performance of devices with charge confinement layers less then 0.5 mm, which was experimentally verified. This model was extended to predict a greatly increased gain from the addition of a ZnO overlay. These overlays were experimentally attempted, but no working devices were reported due to process incompatibilities. In addition to the SAWAMP research, the reflection of SAWs from slanted gratings on GaAs was also studied and experimentally determined reflection coefficients for both 45 deg grooves and Al stripes on GaAs have been reported for the first time. The SAWAMp and reflector gratings were combined to investigate the integrated ring oscillator for application to the proposed ACT device and design parameters for this device have been provided.

Hunt, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

An Acoustic Charge Transport Imager for High Definition Television

This project, over its term, included funding to a variety of companies and organizations. In addition to Georgia Tech these included Florida Atlantic University with Dr. William E. Glenn as the P.I., Kodak with Mr. Mike Richardson as the P.I. and M.I.T./Polaroid with Dr. Richard Solomon as the P.I. The focus of the work conducted by these organizations was the development of camera hardware for High Definition Television (HDTV). The focus of the research at Georgia Tech was the development of new semiconductor technology to achieve a next generation solid state imager chip that would operate at a high frame rate (I 70 frames per second), operate at low light levels (via the use of avalanche photodiodes as the detector element) and contain 2 million pixels. The actual cost required to create this new semiconductor technology was probably at least 5 or 6 times the investment made under this program and hence we fell short of achieving this rather grand goal. We did, however, produce a number of spin-off technologies as a result of our efforts. These include, among others, improved avalanche photodiode structures, significant advancement of the state of understanding of ZnO/GaAs structures and significant contributions to the analysis of general GaAs semiconductor devices and the design of Surface Acoustic Wave resonator filters for wireless communication. More of these will be described in the report. The work conducted at the partner sites resulted in the development of 4 prototype HDTV cameras. The HDTV camera developed by Kodak uses the Kodak KAI-2091M high- definition monochrome image sensor. This progressively-scanned charge-coupled device (CCD) can operate at video frame rates and has 9 gm square pixels. The photosensitive area has a 16:9 aspect ratio and is consistent with the "Common Image Format" (CIF). It features an active image area of 1928 horizontal by 1084 vertical pixels and has a 55% fill factor. The camera is designed to operate in continuous mode with an output data rate of 5MHz, which gives a maximum frame rate of 4 frames per second. The MIT/Polaroid group developed two cameras under this program. The cameras have effectively four times the current video spatial resolution and at 60 frames per second are double the normal video frame rate.

Hunt, William D.↗