Automated Texturization of Silicon Wafers
Two-stage texturization of either single-crystal or polycrystalline wafers improves conversion efficiency of finished solar cells.
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Two-stage texturization of either single-crystal or polycrystalline wafers improves conversion efficiency of finished solar cells.
Experimentally determined values of true secondary electron emission and relative values of reflected primary electron yield for untreated and ion-textured pyrolytic graphite over a range of primary electron energy levels and electron beam impingement angles are presented. Information required to develop high efficiency multistage depressed collectors (MDC's) for microwave amplifier traveling-wave tubes for space communication and aircraft applications is provided. To attain the highest possible MDC efficiencies, the electrode surfaces must have low secondary electron emission characteristics. Pyrolytic graphite, a chemically vapor-deposited material, is a particularly promising candidate for this application. The pyrolytic graphite surfaces studied were tested over a range of primary electron beam energies and beam impingement angles from 200 to 2000 eV and direct (0 deg) to near-grazing angles (85 deg), respectively. Surfaces both parallel to and normal to the planes of material deposition were examined. The true secondary electron emission and reflected primary electron yield characteristics of the pyrolytic graphite surfaces are compared to those of sooted control surfaces.
Textured surfaces created on metals, ceramics, and polymers. Electron-bombardment ion thrustor used as neutralized-ion-beam source. Beam of directed, energetic ions alter surface chemistry and/or morphology of many materials. By adjusting ion energy and ion-beam current density impinging upon target, precise surface modifications obtained without risk of targetmaterial melting or bulk decomposition. Technique developed to generate precise, controllable, surface microstructures on metals, ceramics, and polymers.
The theory for the angular dependence of the ultrasonic wave velocity in a symmetry plane of an orthorhombic, stressed material is presented. The two waves having polarizations in this plane are shown to have velocities which can be estimated from measurements of the SH sub 0 and S sub 0 guided modes of a thin plate: the relationship being exact for the SH sub 0 mode and requiring a 10% correction for the S sub 0 mode at long wavelength. It is then shown how stress and texture can be independently inferred from various features of the angular dependence of these two velocities. From the SH sub 0 data, the ability to determine the directions and differences in magnitudes of principal stresses is described and supported by experimental data on several materials. From a combination of the SH sub 0 and S sub 0 data, a procedure is proposed for determining the coefficients W sub 400, W sub 420 and W sub 440 of an expansion of the crystallite orientation distribution function in terms of generalized Legendre functions. Possible applications in process control are indicated.
A very thin layer of highly textured carbon is applied to a copper surface by a triode sputtering process. A carbon target and a copper substrate are simultaneously exposed to an argon plasma in a vacuum chamber. The resulting carbon surface is characterized by a dense, random array of needle like spires or peaks which extend perpendicularly from the copper surface. The coated copper is especially useful for electrode plates in multistage depressed collectors.
The crack growth resistance of a textured, extruded alumina body was compared with that of an isotropic, isopressed body of similar grain size, density, and chemistry. R-curve levels reflected the preferred orientation; however, R-curve slopes (dK sub IR/d Delta a) were the same in all instances, implying a similar crack growth resistive mechanism. Three orthogonal orientations of crack growth in the two structures exhibited similar forms of K sub IR versus Delta-a curves, for which a schematic diagram for polycrystalline ceramics is proposed.
The file structure and coding of four soils data sets derived from the Zobler (1986) world soil file is described. The data were digitized on a one-degree square grid. They are suitable for large-area studies such as climate research with general circulation models, as well as in forestry, agriculture, soils, and hydrology. The first file is a data set of codes for soil unit, land-ice, or water, for all the one-degree square cells on Earth. The second file is a data set of codes for texture, land-ice, or water, for the same soil units. The third file is a data set of codes for slope, land-ice, or water for the same units. The fourth file is the SOILWRLD data set, containing information on soil properties of land cells of both Matthews' and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sources. The fourth file reconciles land-classification differences between the two and has missing data filled in.
With regard to its favorable properties, in particular those shown at high temperatures, silicon carbide is of great interest for applications related to the construction of engines and turbines. Thus, silicon carbide could replace heat-resisting alloys with the objective to achieve a further increase in operational temperature. The present investigation is concerned with approaches which can provide silicon carbide material with suitable properties for the intended applications, taking into account the relations between characteristics of the raw material, material composition, sinter conditions, and results of the sintering process. The effects of density and texture formation on the mechanical properties are studied. It is found that a dense material with a fine-grained microstructure provides optimal mechanical properties, while any deviation from this ideal condition can lead to a considerable deterioration with respect to the material properties.
Carbon arc electrical discharges struck across the surfaces of metals such as Nb-1 percent Zr, alter the morphology to produce a high thermal emittance surface. Metal from the surface and carbon from the arc electrode vaporize during arcing, and then condense on the metal surface to produce a microscopically rough surface having a high thermal emittance. Quantitative spectral reflectance measurements from 0.33 to 15 microns were made on metal surfaces which were carbon arc treated in an inert gas environment. The resulting spectral reflectance data were then used to calculate thermal emittance as a function of temperature for various methods of arc treatment. The results of arc treatment on various metals are presented for both ac and dc arcs. Surface characterization data, including thermal emittance as a function of temperature, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic oxygen durability, are also presented. The ac arc texturing was found to increase the thermal emittance at 800 K from 0.05 to 0.70.
Ultrasonic images representing the bulk attenuation and velocity of a set of alumina samples were obtained by a pulse-echo contact scanning technique. The samples were taken from larger bodies that were chemically similar but were processed by extrusion or isostatic processing. The crack growth resistance and fracture toughness of the larger bodies were found to vary with processing method and test orientation. The results presented here demonstrate that differences in texture that contribute to variations in structural performance can be revealed by analytic ultrasonic techniques.
The present study reexamines the applicability of texture-based features for automatic cloud classification using very high spatial resolution (57 m) Landsat multispectral scanner digital data. It is concluded that cloud classification can be accomplished using only a single visible channel.
Stratocumulus, cumulus, and cirrus clouds were identified on the basis of cloud textural features which were derived from a single high-resolution Landsat MSS NIR channel using a stepwise linear discriminant analysis. It is shown that, using this method, it is possible to distinguish high cirrus clouds from low clouds with high accuracy on the basis of spatial brightness patterns. The largest probability of misclassification is associated with confusion between the stratocumulus breakup regions and the fair-weather cumulus.
The crack growth resistance of a textured, extruded alumina body was compared with that of anisotropic, isopressed body of similar grain size, density, and chemistry. R-curve levels reflected the preferred orientation; however, R-curve slopes were the same in all instances, implying a similar crack growth-resistive mechanism. Three orthogonal orientations of crack growth in the two structures exhibited similar forms of K(IR) versus Delta-a curves, for which a schematic diagram for polycrystalline ceramics is proposed.
The objectives and instrumental requirements of a petrographic analysis of porous comet nucleus material are reviewed. Assumptions about its composition and texture, and the available techniques for the microscopic analysis of comet analogue material are investigated. New techniques required for the petrographic investigation of natural and artificial comet nucleus samples are also considered.
A generalization is presented for the second derivative of a Gaussian D(sup 2)G operator to apply to problems of perceptual organization involving textures. Extensions to other problems of perceptual organization are evident and a new research direction can be established. The technique presented is theoretically pleasing since it has the potential of unifying the entire area of image segmentation under the mathematical notion of continuity and presents a single algorithm to form perceptual groupings where many algorithms existed previously. The eventual impact on both the approach and technique of image processing segmentation operations could be significant.
High emittance radiator surfaces are produced by arc-texturing. This process produces such a surface on a metal by scanning it with a low voltage electric arc from a carbon electrode in an inert environment.
Using the gray-level difference vector approach, classification accuracies with 1/8-km spatial-resolution data are similar to those obtained using the full spatial-resolution features. Hence no advantage is to be gained in cloud classification accuracies by using even higher spatial resolutions obtained from Landsat TM or SPOT imagery. The optimum spatial resolution is 1/4 km. However, significant improvement in cloud-classification accuracy compared to that available from the 1-km resolution of AVHRR and GOES imagery is obtained using 1/2-km-resolution data. Cirrus-classification accuracy is especially compromised as spatial resolution is degraded. However, texture measures defined at the combination of pixel separations d = 1,4 improve classification accuracies by several percent, even for 1-km spatial-resolution data. Cirrus-classification accuracy is significantly improved by the use of multiple distance features.
Ultrasonic images representing the bulk attenuation and velocity of a set of alumina samples were obtained by a pulse-echo contact scanning technique. The samples were taken from larger bodies that were chemically similar but were processed by extrusion or isostatic processing. The crack growth resistance and fracture toughness of the larger bodies were found to vary with processing method and test orientation. The results presented here demonstrate that differences in texture that contribute to variations in structural performance can be revealed by analytic ultrasonic techniques.