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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 37 records · Page 2

SU-F-T-44: A Comparison of the Pre-Plan, Intra-Operative Plan, and Post-Implant Dosimetry for a Prostate Implant Case Using Prefabricated Linear Polymer-Encapsulated Pd-103

Purpose: To investigate the reproducibility and limitations of Pd-103 prostate brachytherapy using fixed length linear sources (CivaString). Methods: An LDR prostate brachytherapy case which was preplanned on MR images with prefabricated linear polymer-encapsulated Pd-103 sources (CivaString) was studied and compared with ultrasound based intra-operative planning and CT based post-implant dosimetry. We evaluated the following parameters among the three studies: prostate geometry (volume and cross sectional area), needle position and alignment deviations, and dosimetry parameters (D90). Results: The prostate volumes and axial cross sectional areas at center of prostate were measured as 41.8, 39.3 and 36.8 cc, and 14.9, 14.3, and 11.3 respectively on pre-plan MR, inter-op US, and post-implant CT studies. The deviation of prostate volumes and axial cross sectional areas measured on pre-planning MR and intra-operative US were within 5%. 17 out of 19 pre-planned needles were positioned within 5mm (the template grid size). One needle location was adjusted intra-operatively and another needle was removed due to proximity to urethra. The needle pathways were not always parallel to the trans-rectal probe due to the flexibility of CivaString. The angle of deviation was up to 10 degrees. Two pairs of needles were exchanged to better fit the length of prostate at the time of implant. This resulted in a prostate D90 of 153.8 Gy (124%) and 131.4 Gy (106.7%) for intra-op and PID respectively. Conclusion: Preplanning is a necessary part of implants performed with prefabricated linear polymer sources. However, as is often the case, there were real-time deviations from the pre-plan. Intra-op planning provides the ability conform to anatomy at the time of implant. Therefore, we propose to develop a systematic way to order extra strings of different length to provide the flexibility to perform intra-operative planning with fixed length strands.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Effect of Annealing Conditions on Recovery of Lattice Damage in a High-Energy-Implanted 4H-SiC Superjunction PIN Diode

A high energy ion implantation system has been recently developed at the Tandem Van de Graaff facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory with tunable energy to 150 MeV capable of multi-step, deep implantation in 4H-SiC wafers with dopant atoms, such as B, P, Al, and N. Medium and high voltage devices with deep junctions can be fabricated using this system. Lattice strain introduced by the implantation process needs to be recovered and dopant atoms activated by appropriate annealing process as the device performance is strongly associated with the extent of recovery of the lattice. Using Synchrotron X-ray Rocking Curve Topography (SXRCT) and Reciprocal Space Mapping (RSM), the strain induced by high energy implantation of Al and N in 4H-SiC in different patterns are measured and mapped. It is observed that the strain levels correlate with the total fluence levels. PiN diodes fabricated on these implanted wafers were then annealed at temperatures ranging from 1700 °C to 2000 °C for 60 min. The SXRCT and RSM analysis of the annealed samples suggests that for the same annealing duration, higher temperature leads to better lattice recovery.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Xenon diffusion following ion implantation into feldspar - Dependence on implantation dose

The diffusion properties of xenon implanted into feldspar, a major mineral in meteorites and lunar samples, are investigated in light of the importance of xenon diffusion in the interpretation of early solar system chronologies and the retention time of solar-wind-implanted Xe. Known doses of Xe ions were implanted at an energy of 200 keV into single-crystal plagioclase targets, and depth profiles were measured by alpha particle backscattering before and after annealing for one hour at 900 or 1000 C. The fraction of Xe retained following annealing is found to be strongly dependent on implantation dose, being greatest at a dose of 3 x 10 to the 15th ions/sq cm and decreasing at higher and lower doses. Xe retention is also observed to be unaffected by two-step anneals, or by implantation with He or Ar. Three models of the dose-dependent diffusion properties are considered, including epitaxial crystal regrowth during annealing controlled by the extent of radiation damage, the creation of trapping sites by radiation damage, and the inhibition of recrystallization by Xe during annealing

Melcher, C. L.↗

Application of nitrogen plasma immersion ion implantation to titanium nasal implants with nanonetwork surface structure

In nasal reconstruction, the response of cells to titanium (Ti) implants is mainly determined by surface features of the implant. In a pilot study, the authors applied electrochemical anodization to Ti surfaces in an alkaline solution to create a network of nanoscale surface structures. This nanonetwork was intended to enhance the responses of primary human nasal epithelial cell (HNEpC) to the Ti surface. In this study, the authors then treated the anodized, nanonetwork-structured Ti surface using nitrogen plasma immersion ion implantation (NPIII) in order to further improve the HNEpC response to the Ti surface. Subsequently, surface characterization was performed to elucidate morphology, roughness, wettability, and chemistry of specimens. Cytotoxicity, blood, and HNEpC responses were also evaluated. Our results demonstrate that NPIII treatment led to the formation of a noncytotoxic TiN-containing thin film (thickness <100 nm) on the electrochemically anodized Ti surface with a nanonetwork-structure. NPIII treatment was shown to improve blood clotting and the adhesion of platelets to the anodized Ti surface as well as the adhesion and proliferation of hNEpC. This research spreads our understanding of the fact that a TiN-containing thin film, produced using NPIII treatment, could be used to improve blood and HNEpC responses to anodized, nanonetwork-structured Ti surfaces in nasal implant applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

SU-E-J-166: Sensitivity of Clinically Relevant Dosimetric Parameters to Contouring Uncertainty During Post Implant Dosimetry of Prostate Permanent Seed Implants

Purpose: There is a strong evidence relating post-implant dosimetry for permanent seed prostate brachytherpy to local control rates. The delineation of the prostate on CT images, however, represents a challenge as it is difficult to confidently identify the prostate borders from soft tissue surrounding it. This study aims at quantifying the sensitivity of clinically relevant dosimetric parameters to prostate contouring uncertainty. Methods: The post-implant CT images and plans for a cohort of 43 patients, who have received I–125 permanent prostate seed implant in our centre, were exported to MIM Symphony LDR brachytherapy treatment planning system (MIM Software Inc., Cleveland, OH). The prostate contours in post-implant CT images were expanded/contracted uniformly for margins of ±1.00mm, ±2.00mm, ±3.00mm, ±4.00mm and ±5.00mm (±0.01mm). The values for V100 and D90 were extracted from Dose Volume Histograms for each contour and compared. Results: The mean value of V100 and D90 was obtained as 92.3±8.4% and 108.4±12.3% respectively (Rx=145Gy). V100 was reduced by −3.2±1.5%, −7.2±3.0%, −12.8±4.0%, −19.0±4.8%, − 25.5±5.4% for expanded contours of prostate with margins of +1mm, +2mm, +3mm, +4mm, and +5mm, respectively, while it was increased by 1.6±1.2%, 2.4±2.4%, 2.7±3.2%, 2.9±4.2%, 2.9±5.1% for the contracted contours. D90 was reduced by −6.9±3.5%, −14.5±6.1%, −23.8±7.1%, − 33.6±8.5%, −40.6±8.7% and increased by 4.1±2.6%, 6.1±5.0%, 7.2±5.7%, 8.1±7.3% and 8.1±7.3% for the same set of contours. Conclusion: Systematic expansion errors of more than 1mm may likely render a plan sub-optimal. Conversely contraction errors may Result in labeling a plan likely as optimal. The use of MRI images to contour the prostate should results in better delineation of prostate organ which increases the predictive value of post-op plans. Since observers tend to overestimate the prostate volume on CT, compared with MRI, the impact of the contouring uncertainty on V100 and D90 fortunately, has a conservative effect of underestimating the prostate coverage.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Microstructural evolution of 3C-SiC exposed to simultaneous neutron irradiation and helium implantation

The synergism of transmutant helium and irradiation defects is critically important to understand the performance of SiC when in service in nuclear environments. In this study, we exposed 3C-SiC in contact with a 2 μm Ni foil to neutron irradiation at 500 °C to 29 dpa in the high flux isotope reactor to simulate the simultaneous introduction of helium and irradiation defects into SiC. The combination of TEM observations and thermal desorption measurements helps to elucidate the impact of helium on the microstructural evolution in 3C-SiC. Thermal helium desorption spectra from ion-implanted and neutron-irradiated SiC showed a completely different desorption behavior in terms of the peak position and helium desorption flux. The identification of possible helium trapping sites was attempted by applying the first order dissociation model to the measured thermal helium desorption spectra. TEM observations of the neutron-irradiated samples showed that the presence of helium facilitated the stabilization of the defect clusters and promoted the formation of visible helium bubbles in SiC subject to simultaneous neutron irradiation and in-situ He implantation. Following the subsequent heat treatment during the thermal desorption measurements, large faceted helium bubbles were found along grain boundaries in the neutron-irradiated SiC with in-situ He implantation, while the helium bubbles in the grain interior were relatively smaller than those found in the neutron-irradiated sample without in-situ He implantation due to the reduced mobility of He-defect clusters. In conclusion, the He contents contained in the neutron-irradiated samples were quantified based on the experimental data from TEM and thermal desorption measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Formation of Ge nanoparticles in SiO{sub x}N{sub y} by ion implantation and thermal annealing

Germanium nanoparticles embedded within dielectric matrices hold much promise for applications in optoelectronic and electronic devices. Here we investigate the formation of Ge nanoparticles in amorphous SiO{sub 1.67}N{sub 0.14} as a function of implanted atom concentration and thermal annealing temperature. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy and other complementary techniques, we show Ge nanoparticles exhibit significant finite-size effects such that the coordination number decreases and structural disorder increases as the nanoparticle size decreases. While the composition of SiO{sub 1.67}N{sub 0.14} is close to that of SiO{sub 2}, we demonstrate that the addition of this small fraction of N yields a much reduced nanoparticle size relative to those formed in SiO{sub 2} under comparable implantation and annealing conditions. We attribute this difference to an increase in an atomic density and a much reduced diffusivity of Ge in the oxynitride matrix. These results demonstrate the potential for tailoring Ge nanoparticle sizes and structural properties in the SiO{sub x}N{sub y} matrices by controlling the oxynitride stoichiometry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced electrical activation in In-implanted Ge by C co-doping

At high dopant concentrations in Ge, electrically activating all implanted dopants is a major obstacle in the fulfillment of high-performance Ge-channel complementary metal oxide semiconductor devices. In this letter, we demonstrate a significant increase in the electrically-active dopant fraction in In-implanted Ge by co-doping with the isovalent element C. Electrical measurements have been correlated with x-ray absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy results in addition to density functional theory simulations. With C + In co-doping, the electrically active fraction was doubled and tripled at In concentrations of 0.2 and 0.7 at. %, respectively. This marked improvement was the result of C-In pair formation such that In-induced strain in the Ge lattice was reduced while the precipitation of In and the formation of In-V clusters were both suppressed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Electrical and structural properties of In-implanted Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} alloys

We report on the effects of dopant concentration and substrate stoichiometry on the electrical and structural properties of In-implanted Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} alloys. Correlating the fraction of electrically active In atoms from Hall Effect measurements with the In atomic environment determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we observed the transition from electrically active, substitutional In at low In concentration to electrically inactive metallic In at high In concentration. The In solid-solubility limit has been quantified and was dependent on the Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} alloy stoichiometry; the solid-solubility limit increased as the Ge fraction increased. This result was consistent with density functional theory calculations of two In atoms in a Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} supercell that demonstrated that In–In pairing was energetically favorable for x ≲ 0.7 and energetically unfavorable for x ≳ 0.7. Transmission electron microscopy imaging further complemented the results described earlier with the In concentration and Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} alloy stoichiometry dependencies readily visible. We have demonstrated that low resistivity values can be achieved with In implantation in Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} alloys, and this combination of dopant and substrate represents an effective doping protocol.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Influence of the chemical nature of implanted ions on the structure of a silicon layer damaged by implantation

The influence of the implantation of silicon single crystals by fluorine, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon ions on the distribution of strain and the static Debye-Waller factor in the crystal lattice over the implanted-layer depth has been investigated by high-resolution X-ray diffraction. The density depth distribution in the surface layer of native oxide has been measured by X-ray reflectometry. Room-temperature implantation conditions have ensured the equality of the suggested ranges of ions of different masses and the energies transferred by them to the target. It is convincingly shown that the change in the structural parameters of the radiation-damaged silicon layer and the native oxide layer depend on the chemical activity of the implanted ions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Retention of ion-implanted-xenon in olivine: Dependence on implantation dose

The diffusion of Xe in olivine, a major mineral in both meteorites and lunar samples, was studied. Xe ions were implanted at 200 keV into single-crystal synthetic-forsterite targets and the depth profiles were measured by alpha particle backscattering before and after annealing for 1 hour at temperatures up to 1500 C. The fraction of implanted Xe retained following annealing was strongly dependent on the implantation dose. Maximum retention of 100% occurred for an implantion dose of 3 x 10 to the 15th power Xe ions/sq cm. Retention was less at lower doses, with (approximately more than or = 50% loss at one hundred trillion Xe ions/sq cm. Taking the diffusion coefficient at this dose as a lower limit, the minimum activation energy necessary for Xe retention in a 10 micrometer layer for ten million years was calculated as a function of metamorphic temperature.

Melcher, C. L.↗

Expandable implant and implant system

An embodiment of the invention includes an expandable implant to endovascularly embolize an anatomical void or malformation, such as an aneurysm. An embodiment is comprised of a chain or linked sequence of expandable polymer foam elements. Another embodiment includes an elongated length of expandable polymer foam coupled to a backbone. Another embodiment includes a system for endovascular delivery of an expandable implant (e.g., shape memory polymer) to embolize an aneurysm. The system may include a microcatheter, a lumen-reducing collar coupled to the distal tip of the microcatheter, a flexible pushing element detachably coupled to an expandable implant, and a flexible tubular sheath inside of which the compressed implant and pushing element are pre-loaded. Other embodiments are described herein.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Expandable implant and implant system

An embodiment of the invention includes an expandable implant to endovascularly embolize an anatomical void or malformation, such as an aneurysm. An embodiment is comprised of a chain or linked sequence of expandable polymer foam elements. Another embodiment includes an elongated length of expandable polymer foam coupled to a backbone. Another embodiment includes a system for endovascular delivery of an expandable implant (e.g., shape memory polymer) to embolize an aneurysm. The system may include a microcatheter, a lumen-reducing collar coupled to the distal tip of the microcatheter, a flexible pushing element detachably coupled to an expandable implant, and a flexible tubular sheath inside of which the compressed implant and pushing element are pre-loaded. Other embodiments are described herein.

Wilson, Thomas S.↗

Expandable implant and implant system

An embodiment of the invention includes an expandable implant to endovascularly embolize an anatomical void or malformation, such as an aneurysm. An embodiment is comprised of a chain or linked sequence of expandable polymer foam elements. Another embodiment includes an elongated length of expandable polymer foam coupled to a backbone. Another embodiment includes a system for endovascular delivery of an expandable implant (e.g., shape memory polymer) to embolize an aneurysm. The system may include a microcatheter, a lumen-reducing collar coupled to the distal tip of the microcatheter, a flexible pushing element detachably coupled to an expandable implant, and a flexible tubular sheath inside of which the compressed implant and pushing element are pre-loaded. Other embodiments are described herein.

Wilson, Thomas S.↗

Beam current improvement and source life performance of diboron tetrafluoride (B{sub 2}F{sub 4}) for boron implantation on applied materials VIISta high current implanters

High dose p-type boron doping is a significant productivity challenge for conventional beamline ion implant tools in semiconductor wafer fabrication. Currently, the primary feed gas for boron implantation is boron trifluoride, BF{sub 3}. This paper discusses the testing performed on Applied Materials VIISta high current implanters using diboron tetrafluoride, B{sub 2}F{sub 4}, as an alternative gaseous boron source material that can be a replacement for BF{sub 3}. Both the beam current and source life for B{sub 2}F{sub 4} were evaluated. B{sub 2}F{sub 4} enables a significant beam current improvement over BF{sub 3} while maintaining good source life, beam stability, and a high automatic beam setup success rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗