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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Poly-Si Passivating Contacts Hydrogenation by Microwave Annealing

Hydrogenation is a crucial step in the fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. In this study, we demonstrate the for the first time effectiveness of hydrogen activation via microwave annealing of hydrogen-rich dielectrics coated on poly-Si passivating contacts. This method is compared with conventional hydrogenation techniques, such as annealing in N2 in the presence of a hydrogen-rich source (such as hydrogenated aluminum oxide (AlOx:H), hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiNy:H), or a AlOx:H/SiNy:H stack). Key improvements observed include a reduction in J0 from 30 to <5 fA/cm2, an increase in iVoc from 690 to >730 mV, and an enhancement in effective lifetime (teff) from 0.6 to ~3.5 milliseconds on phosphorus-doped poly-Si/SiO2 passivating contact samples. With a very short annealing time of ~1-2 minutes, the samples passivated by AlOx:H, SiNy:H, or the stack show similar performance to samples subjected to 30 minutes of nitrogen annealing. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra corroborate our findings regarding the hydrogenation of the poly-Si layer and the c-Si substrate, with an increase in PL intensity after microwave annealing. Ultimately, our work suggests that microwave annealing could be a promising addition, offering flexibility to traditional firing hydrogenation processes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Parameterization of the Cloud Scattering Polarization Signal Derived From GPM Observations for Microwave Fast Radative Transfer Models

Microwave cloud polarized observations have shown the potential to improve precipitation retrievals since they are linked to the orientation and shape of ice habits. Stratiform clouds show larger brightness temperature (TB) polarization differences (PDs), defined as the vertically polarized TB (TBV) minus the horizontally polarized TB (TBH), with ~10 K PD values at 89 GHz due to the presence of horizontally aligned snowflakes, while convective regions show smaller PD signals, as graupel and/or hail in the updraft tend to become randomly oriented. The launch of the global precipitation measurement (GPM) microwave imager (GMI) has extended the availability of microwave polarized observations to higher frequencies (166 GHz) in the tropics and midlatitudes, previously only available up to 89 GHz. This study analyzes one year of GMI observations to explore further the previously reported stable relationship between the PD and the observed TBs at 89 and 166 GHz, respectively. The latitudinal and seasonal variability is analyzed to propose a cloud scattering polarization parameterization of the PD-TB relationship, capable of reconstructing the PD signal from simulated TBs. Given that operational radiative transfer (RT) models do not currently simulate the cloud polarized signals, this is an alternative and simple solution to exploit the large number of cloud polarized observations available. Finally, the atmospheric radiative transfer simulator (ARTS) is coupled with the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model, in order to apply the proposed parameterization to the RT simulated TBs and hence infer the corresponding PD values, which show to reproduce the observed GMI PDs well.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Examination of Humidity and Ice Supersaturation Profiles Over West Antarctica Using Ground-Based G-Band Radiometer Retrievals

Humidity profiles retrieved from a ground-based millimeter-wave radiometer located at McMurdo Station, Antarctica and the West Antarctica Ice Sheet Divide are presented and their suitability to study the humidity of the polar climate is assessed. The dry conditions of the Antarctic winter and spring are ideal for ground-based millimeter-wave measurements and the retrievals appear to realistically reproduce the spatial and temporal variability of humidity at both sites. Furthermore, the radiometer has the ability to capture daily variability of very low humidity (0.5 to 4 g/kg) in the low-to-mid troposphere with an uncertainty of 10-20% during the Antarctic winter, spring, and summer. Despite the coarse vertical resolution (200-600 m in the first 4 km), the retrievals provide additional information with respect to the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) profiles used as background information. The radiometer is also able to realistically identify the location and frequency of supersaturated layers with respect to ice in the mid troposphere. The occurrence of supersaturated layers is correlated with the occurrence of ice clouds identified by a cloud mask. Overall, results show that ground-based microwave and millimeter-wave radiometry is a viable complement to satellite observations to provide continuous information on the thermodynamic state of the low-to-mid troposphere at high latitudes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Improving Process Level Understanding of Boundary Layer Winds over the Northeast U.S. Shelf: The Third Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3)

The third Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3), a U.S. Department of Energy and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sponsored investigation, sought to improve understanding of the physical phenomena in the atmosphere and ocean that dictate the structure and variability of wind and thermodynamic fields within the marine atmospheric boundary layer. WFIP3 focused on mesoscale and submesoscale flows -- including sea breezes, low-level jets, low-level clouds, and coastal storms -- and the ability of advanced numerical model parameterizations to represent them within fully coupled oceanic and atmospheric modeling systems and foundational weather forecast models. WFIP3 conducted a comprehensive 18-month observational study over the Northeast U.S. outer continental shelf, a high-use coastal zone, using a 3D multiscale sensor array to highly resolve the temporal, vertical, and horizontal structure of the coupled atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers. Multiple land-based study sites adjacent to the coastal ocean observed surface meteorology and vertical profiles of atmospheric properties via passive infrared and microwave radiometers, active lidars and radars, and radiosondes. At sea, an array of surface flux buoys and two vertical profiling lidar buoys observed both atmospheric and oceanic properties, augmented by land-based oceanographic radar systems and routine ship-based surveys. Intensive observations of the marine atmospheric boundary layer over the ocean was done from an air-sea interaction flux tower and extended deployments of a large autonomous barge platform. Numerous critical forecasting phenomena were observed that are being evaluated within regional coupled and uncoupled modeling systems, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's foundational High-Resolution Rapid Refresh forecast model.

Kirincich, Anthony↗
DOE OSTI2026

Improving High Resolution Offshore Wind Resource Assessments and Forecasts using Observations in the MA/RI Lease Areas

The third Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3) sought to improve understanding of the physical phenomena in the atmosphere and ocean that dictate the structure and variability of wind and thermodynamic fields within the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL). WFIP3 conducted a comprehensive 18-month observational study over the Northeast U.S. outer continental shelf, a high use coastal zone, using a 3-D multiscale sensor array to highly resolve the temporal, vertical, and horizontal structure of the coupled atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers. Multiple land-based study sites adjacent to the coastal ocean observed surface meteorology and vertical profiles of atmospheric properties via passive infrared and microwave radiometers, active lidars and radars, and radiosondes. At sea, an array of surface flux buoys and two vertical profiling lidar buoys observed both atmospheric and oceanic properties, augmented by land-based oceanographic radar systems and routine ship-based surveys. Intensive observations of the MABL over the ocean was done from an air-sea interaction flux tower and extended deployments of a large barge platform. WFIP3 focused on mesoscale and sub-mesoscale flows -- including sea breezes, low-level jets, low-level clouds, and coastal storms -- and the ability of advanced numerical model parameterizations to represent them within fully coupled oceanic and atmospheric modeling systems and foundational weather forecast models. Numerous critical forecasting phenomena were observed, however the project was terminated prior to the completion of the field observational period and the analysis period.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluating seasonal and regional distribution of snowfall in regional climate model simulations in the Arctic

In this study, we investigate how the regional climate model HIRHAM5 reproduces the spatial and temporal distribution of Arctic snowfall when compared to CloudSat satellite observations during the examined period of 2007–2010. For this purpose, both approaches, i.e., the assessments of the surface snowfall rate (observation-to-model) and the radar reflectivity factor profiles (model-to-observation), are carried out considering spatial and temporal sampling differences. The HIRHAM5 model, which is constrained in its synoptic representation by nudging to ERA-Interim, represents the snowfall in the Arctic region well in comparison to CloudSat products. The spatial distribution of the snowfall patterns is similar in both identifying the southeastern coast of Greenland and the North Atlantic corridor as regions gaining more than twice as much snowfall as the Arctic average, defined here for latitudes between 66 and 81°N. Excellent agreement (difference less than 1%) in the Arctic-averaged annual snowfall rate between HIRHAM5 and CloudSat is found, whereas ERA-Interim reanalysis shows an underestimation of 45% and significant deficits in the representation of the snowfall rate distribution. From the spatial analysis, it can be seen that the largest differences in the mean annual snowfall rates are an overestimation near the coastlines of Greenland and other regions with large orographic variations as well as an underestimation in the northern North Atlantic Ocean. To a large extent, the differences can be explained by clutter contamination, blind zone or higher resolution of CloudSat measurements, but clearly HIRHAM5 overestimates the orographic-driven precipitation. The underestimation of HIRHAM5 within the North Atlantic corridor south of Svalbard is likely connected to a poor description of the marine cold air outbreaks which could be identified by separating snowfall into different circulation weather type regimes. By simulating the radar reflectivity factor profiles from HIRHAM5 utilizing the Passive and Active Microwave TRAnsfer (PAMTRA) forward-modeling operator, the contribution of individual hydrometeor types can be assessed. Looking at a latitude band at 72–73°N, snow can be identified as the hydrometeor type dominating radar reflectivity factor values across all seasons. The largest differences between the observed and simulated reflectivity factor values are related to the contribution of cloud ice particles, which is underestimated in the model, most likely due to the small sizes of the particles. The model-to-observation approach offers a promising diagnostic when improving cloud schemes, as illustrated by comparison of different schemes available for HIRHAM5.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microwave Annealing for Fast and Effective Hydrogen Activation in Polycrystalline Silicon Passivating Contacts

Hydrogenation is a crucial step in the fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. In this study, the effectiveness of hydrogen activation is demonstrated via microwave annealing of hydrogen-rich dielectrics coated on poly-Si passivating contacts. This method is compared with conventional hydrogenation techniques, such as annealing in N2 in the presence of a hydrogen-rich source (such as hydrogenated aluminum oxide (AlOx:H), hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiNy:H), or a AlOx:H/SiNy:H stack). Key improvements observed include a reduction in J0 from 30 to <5 fA cm-2, an increase in iVoc from 690 to >730 mV, and an enhancement in effective lifetime (teff) from 0.6 to ~3.5 milliseconds on phosphorus-doped poly-Si/SiO2 passivating contact samples. With a very short annealing time of ~1-2 min, the samples passivated by AlOx:H, SiNy:H, or the stack show similar performance to samples subjected to 30 min of nitrogen annealing. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra corroborate the findings regarding the hydrogenation of the poly-Si layer and the c-Si substrate, with an increase in PL intensity after microwave annealing. Ultimately, this work suggests that microwave annealing could be a promising addition, offering flexibility to traditional firing hydrogenation processes.

hydrogenation↗
DOE OSTI2023

The co-located arrangement of ECEI and MIR microwave imaging diagnostics on EAST tokamak

The co-located configuration of Passive Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) and active Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) diagnostics systems has been successfully implemented on the EAST fusion reactor. These advanced 2D microwave diagnostic tools offer 10–20 mm poloidal spatial resolution through large aperture quasi optics. This arrangement not only optimizes the utilization of limited observation windows but also facilitates concurrent measurements of plasma density and electron temperature at specific toroidal positions. Furthermore, this co-located setup holds great promise for enhancing research into electron heat transport and other pivotal plasma phenomena.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nitrogen plasma passivated niobium resonators for superconducting quantum circuits

Microwave loss in niobium metallic structures used for superconducting quantum circuits is limited by a native surface oxide layer formed over a timescale of minutes when exposed to an ambient environment. Here, in this work, we show that nitrogen plasma treatment forms a niobium nitride layer at the metal–air interface, which prevents such oxidation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the doping of nitrogen more than 5 nm into the surface and a suppressed oxygen presence. This passivation remains stable after aging for 15 days in an ambient environment. Cryogenic microwave characterization shows an average filling-factor-adjusted two-level-system loss tangent Fδ TLS of (2.9±0.5)·10 –7 for resonators with a 3 μm center strip and (1.0±0.3)·10 –7 for a 20 μm center strip, exceeding the performance of unpassivated samples by a factor of four.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Atmospheric temperature, water vapour and liquid water path from two microwave radiometers during MOSAiC

The microwave radiometers HATPRO (Humidity and Temperature Profiler) and MiRAC-P (Microwave Radiometer for Arctic Clouds - Passive) continuously measured radiation emitted from the atmosphere throughout the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of the Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition on board the research vessel Polarstern. From the measured brightness temperatures, we have retrieved atmospheric variables using statistical methods in a temporal resolution of 1 s covering October 2019 to October 2020. The integrated water vapour (IWV) is derived individually from both radiometers. In addition, we present the liquid water path (LWP), temperature and absolute humidity profiles from HATPRO. To prove the quality and to estimate uncertainty, the data sets are compared to radiosonde measurements from Polarstern. The comparison shows an extremely good agreement for IWV, with standard deviations of 0.08–0.19 kg m -2 (0.39–1.47 kg m -2 ) in dry (moist) situations. The derived profiles of temperature and humidity denote uncertainties of 0.7–1.8 K and 0.6–0.45 gm -3 in 0–2 km altitude.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ground-based temperature and humidity profiling: combining active and passive remote sensors

Abstract. Thermodynamic profiles in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) are important observations for a range of atmospheric research and operational needs. These profiles can be retrieved from passively sensed spectral infrared (IR) or microwave (MW) radiance observations or can be more directly measured by active remote sensors such as water vapor differential absorption lidars (DIALs). This paper explores the synergy of combining ground-based IR, MW, and DIAL observations using an optimal-estimation retrieval framework, quantifying the reduction in the uncertainty in the retrieved profiles and the increase in information content as additional observations are added to IR-only and MW-only retrievals. This study uses ground-based observations collected during the Perdigão field campaign in central Portugal in 2017 and during the DIAL demonstration campaign at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site in 2017. The results show that the information content in both temperature and water vapor is higher for the IR instrument relative to the MW instrument (thereby resulting in smaller uncertainties) and that the combined IR + MW retrieval is very similar to the IR-only retrieval below 1.5 km. However, including the partial profile of water vapor observed by the DIAL increases the information content in the combined IR + DIAL and MW + DIAL water vapor retrievals substantially, with the exact impact vertically depending on the characteristics of the DIAL instrument itself. Furthermore, there is a slight increase in the information content in the retrieved temperature profile using the IR + DIAL relative to the IR-only; this was not observed in the MW + DIAL retrieval.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Carrier Recombination Dynamics of Surface-Passivated Epitaxial (100)Ge, (110)Ge, and (111)Ge Layers by Atomic Layer Deposited Al2O3

Germanium (Ge) and its heterostructures with compound semiconductors offer a unique optoelectronic functionality due to its pseudo-bandgap nature, that can be transformed to a direct bandgap material by providing strain and/or mixing with tin. Moreover, two crystal surfaces, (100)Ge and (110)Ge, that are technologically important for ultralow power fin or nanosheet transistors, could offer unprecedented properties with reduced surface defects after passivating these surfaces by atomic layer deposited (ALD) dielectrics. In this work, the crystallographically oriented epitaxial Ge/AlAs heterostructures were grown and passivated with ALD Al2O3 dielectrics, and the microwave photoconductive decay (u-PCD) technique was employed to evaluate carrier lifetimes at room temperature. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveals no role of orientation effect in the quality of the ALD Al2O3 dielectric on oriented Ge layers. The carrier lifetimes measured using the u-PCD technique were benchmarked against unpassivated Ge/AlAs heterostructures. Excitation wavelengths of 1500 and 1800 nm with an estimated injection level of ~10^13 cm-3 were selected to measure the orientation-specific carrier lifetimes. The carrier lifetime was increased from 390 ns to 565 ns for (100)Ge and from 260 ns to 440 ns for (110)Ge orientations with passivation, whereas the carrier lifetime is almost unchanged for (111)Ge after passivation. This behavior indicates a strong dependence of the measured lifetime on surface orientation and surface passivation. The observed increase (>1.5x) in lifetime with Al2O3-passivated (100)Ge and (110)Ge surfaces is due to the lower surface recombination velocity compared to unpassivated Ge/AlAs heterostructures. The enhancement of carrier lifetime from passivated Ge/AlAs heterostructures with (100)Ge and (110)Ge surface orientations offers a path for the development of nanoscale transistors due to the reduced interface state density.

Al2O3↗
DOE OSTI2025

WHYMSIE-SGP Field Campaign Report

Through a partnership between the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this field campaign demonstrated first-of-its-kind hyperspectral microwave airborne measurements (Conical Scanning Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer [CoSMIR-H]). It was complemented by other passive (infrared, visible) and active (lidar) sensors onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft. Serving as a future NASA planetary boundary-layer (PBL) mission prototype, the Westcoast and Heartland Hyperspectral Microwave Intensive Experiment (WH 2 yMSIE, formerly WHyMSIE) aimed to capture a wide variety of thermodynamic, moisture, and PBL regimes across a variety of surface types. The intensive operating period of the campaign spanned from October 22, 2024, through November 15, 2024, and included a large network of collaborators.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Frontier system-on-chip (SoC) technology for microwave diagnostics (invited)

The next generation of fusion reactors, exemplified by projects such as the Demonstration Power Plant following the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, faces the monumental challenge of proving the viability of generating electricity through thermonuclear fusion. This pursuit introduces heightened complexities in diagnostic methodologies, particularly in microwave-based diagnostics. The increased neutron fluence necessitates significant reductions in vessel penetrations and the elimination of internal diagnostics, posing substantial challenges. SoC technology offers a promising solution by enabling the miniaturization, modularization, integration, and enhancing the reliability of microwave systems. After seven years of research, our team successfully pioneered the V- and W-band system-on-chip approach, leading to the development of active transmitters and passive receiver modules applied in practical settings, notably within the DIII-D tokamak project. Arrays of these modules have supported microwave imaging diagnostics. New physics measurement results from the Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging system on DIII-D provide compelling evidence of improved diagnostics following the adoption of SoC technology. Furthermore, we achieved a breakthrough in developing an F-band SoC, advancing higher frequency capabilities for fusion devices. These achievements represent a significant leap forward in fusion diagnostic technology, marking substantial progress toward establishing reliable and efficient plasma diagnostics for future fusion reactors.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sensitivity of thermodynamic profiles retrieved from ground-based microwave and infrared observations to additional input data from active remote sensing instruments and numerical weather prediction models

Accurate and continuous estimates of the thermodynamic structure of the lower atmosphere are highly beneficial to meteorological process understanding and its applications, such as weather forecasting. In this study, the Tropospheric Remotely Observed Profiling via Optimal Estimation (TROPoe) physical retrieval is used to retrieve temperature and humidity profiles from various combinations of input data collected by passive and active remote sensing instruments, in situ surface platforms, and numerical weather prediction models. Among the employed instruments are microwave radiometers (MWRs), infrared spectrometers (IRSs), radio acoustic sounding systems (RASSs), ceilometers, and surface sensors. TROPoe uses brightness temperatures and/or radiances from MWRs and IRSs, as well as other observational inputs (virtual temperature from the RASS, cloud-base height from the ceilometer, pressure, temperature, and humidity from the surface sensors) in a physical iterative retrieval approach. This starts from a climatologically reasonable profile of temperature and water vapor, with the radiative transfer model iteratively adjusting the assumed temperature and humidity profiles until the derived brightness temperatures and radiances match those observed by the MWR and/or IRS instruments within a specified uncertainty, as well as within the uncertainties of the other observations, if used as input. In this study, due to the uniqueness of the dataset that includes all the above-mentioned sensors, TROPoe is tested with different observational input combinations, some of which also include information higher than 4 km above ground level (a.g.l.) from the operational Rapid Refresh numerical weather prediction model. These temperature and humidity retrievals are assessed against independent collocated radiosonde profiles under non-cloudy conditions to assess the sensitivity of the TROPoe retrievals to different input combinations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dark Energy Survey Year 3: Blue Shear

Modeling the intrinsic alignment (IA) of galaxies poses a challenge to weak lensing analyses. The Dark Energy Survey is expected to be less impacted by IA when limited to blue, star-forming galaxies. The cosmological parameter constraints from this blue cosmic shear sample are stable to IA model choice, unlike passive galaxies in the full DES Y3 sample, the goodness-of-fit is improved and the $\Omega_{m}$ and $S_8$ better agree with the cosmic microwave background. Mitigating IA with sample selection, instead of flexible model choices, can reduce uncertainty in $S_8$ by a factor of 1.5.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗