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At least 55 records · Page 3

Fluence Uniformity Measurements in an Electron Accelerator Used for Irradiation of Extended Area Solar Cells and Electronic Circuits for Space Applications

It is common to have liquid crystal displays and electronic circuit boards with area sizes of the order of 20x20 sq cm on board of satellites and space vehicles. Usually irradiating them at different fluence values assesses the radiation damage in these types of devices. As a result, there is a need for a radiation source with large spatial fluence uniformity for the study of the damage by radiation from space in those devices. Kent State University s Program on Electron Beam Technology has access to an electron accelerator used for both research and industrial applications. The electron accelerator produces electrons with energies in the interval from 1 to 5 MeV and a maximum beam power of 150 kW. At such high power levels, the electron beam is continuously scanned back and forth in one dimension in order to provide uniform irradiation and to prevent damage to the sample. This allows for the uniform irradiation of samples with an area of up to 1.32 sq m. This accelerator has been used in the past for the study of radiation damage in solar cells (1). However in order to irradiate extended area solar cells there was a need to measure the uniformity of the irradiation zone in terms of fluence. In this paper the methodology to measure the fluence uniformity on a sample handling system (linear motion system), used for the irradiation of research samples, along the irradiation zone of the above-mentioned facility is described and the results presented. We also illustrate the use of the electron accelerator for the irradiation of large area solar cells (of the order of 156 sq cm) and include in this paper the electrical characterization of these types of solar cells irradiated with 5 MeV electrons to a total fluence of 2.6 x 10(exp 15) e/sq cm.

Uribe, Roberto M.

Interfacial and gravitational convection in immiscible liquid layers

Liquid encapsulation of electronic melts is currently being investigated by several materials science research groups. Pertinent fluid dynamics of immiscible liquid layers is the objective of this investigation. First results on convective flow in double liquid layers, in preparation for a spaceflight experiment aboard the International Microgravity Laboratory, IML-2, are discussed.

Prakash, A.

Reduction of electron density in a plasma by injection of liquids

In this paper, the authors have investigated the physics of various processes relevant to the reduction of electron density in a plasma by addition of water droplets; two processes have in particular been analyzed in some detail, viz, the electron attachment to charged dielectric droplets and the emission of negative ions by vaporization from these droplets. The results of these analyses have been applied to a study of the kinetics of reduction of electron density and charging of droplets in an initially overionized plasma, after addition of water droplets. A number of simplifying assumptions including uniform size and charge on droplets and negligible change in the radius of the droplet due to evaporation have been made.

Sodha, M. S.

FNAS computational modeling

Numerical calculations of the electronic properties of liquid II-VI semiconductors, particularly CdTe and ZnTe were performed. The measured conductivity of these liquid alloys were modeled by assuming that the dominant temperature effect is the increase in the number of dangling bonds with increasing temperature. For low to moderate values of electron correlation, the calculated conductivity as a function of dangling bond concentration closely follows the measured conductivity as a function of temperature. Both the temperature dependence of the chemical potential and the thermal smearing in region of the Fermi surface have a large effect on calculated values of conductivity.

Franz, J. R.

Prediction of electron concentration reductions in re-entry flow fields due to electrophilic liquid and water injection.

Discussion of an analytical model which leads to predictions of reductions in electron concentrations in reentry flow fields due to the injection of electrophilic liquids and water. The processes incorporated into the model are: penetration and breakup of the liquid jet, droplet acceleration and vaporization, expansion of the liquid spray due to droplet vaporization, electrophilic vapor diffusion, heterogeneous and homogeneous charged species recombination kinetics and homogeneous electron attachment kinetics. Spray boundary calculations are shown to be in good agreement with photographic observations of water and Freon E-3 sprays in wind tunnel tests of a scale model RAM C-III flight vehicle. Fixed-bias electrostatic probe data taken during the RAM C-III flight are interpreted in terms of effective jet penetration distances - which are shown to be consistent with calculations using the present model.

Pergament, H. S.

Electron paramagnetic resonance study of two smectic A liquid crystals.

Study of the molecular ordering in two smectic A liquid crystals using vanadyl acetylacetonate as a paramagnetic probe. The average hyperfine splitting of the spectrum in the smectic A mesophase is measured as a function of the orientation relative to the dc magnetic field of the spectrometer after alignment of the molecules of the liquid crystal.

Fryburg, G. C.

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of a viscous nematic liquid crystal: Evidence counter to a second-order phase change

The ordering in a viscous, nematic, liquid crystal was studied using vanadyl acetyl acetonate and several nitroxides as paramagnetic probes. The ordering curve for VAAC at both K-band and X-band shows a slope discontinuity at a reduced temperature of 0.85. This discontinuity is caused by the tumbling time of the VAAC becoming comparable with the hyperfine splitting. The slope discontinuity is not present in the ordering curves of the nitroxides. The results are taken as evidence counter to the presence of a second-order phase transition.

Shutt, W. E.

Radiochemical synthesis of pure anhydrous metal halides

Method uses radiation chemistry as practical tool for inorganic preparations and in particular deposition of metals by irradiation of their aqueous metal salt solutions with high energy electrons. Higher valence metal halide is dissolved in organic liquid and exposed to high energy electrons. This causes metal halide to be reduced to a lower valence metal halide.

Philipp, W. H.

Detecting Conductive Liquid Leaking from Nonconductive Pipe

A method that can be implemented with relatively simple electronic circuitry provides a capability for detecting leakage of an electrically conductive liquid from an electrically nonconductive underground pipe. Alternatively or in addition, the method can be applied to locate the pipe, whether or not there is a leak. Although the method is subject to limitations (some of which are described below), it is still attractive as an additional option for detecting leaks and locating pipes without need for extensive digging. The method is based on capacitive coupling of an alternating electrical signal from the liquid to a portable electronic unit that resembles a metal detector. A signal voltage is applied to the liquid at some convenient point along the pipe: for example, the signal could be coupled into the liquid via an aboveground metal pipe fitting, the interior surface of which is in contact with the liquid. The signal is conducted through the liquid in the pipe; in the case of diffusive leak of liquid into the surrounding ground, the signal is conducted through the leak, into the portion of the adjacent ground that has become soaked with the liquid. (A drip leak cannot be detected by this method because there is no conductive path between the liquid inside and the liquid outside the pipe.) The portable unit includes an electrically conductive plate connected to the input terminal of an amplifier. When the plate is brought near the pipe or the leaked liquid, a small portion of the signal power is coupled capacitively from the liquid to the plate. The user scans the plate near the ground surface to find the locus of maximum signal strength. The leak can be identified as a relatively wide area, contiguous with the location of the pipe, over which the signal is detectable.

Youngquist, Robert C.

The Use of Liquid Isopropyl Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide Gas Plasma to Biologically Decontaminate Spacecraft Electronics

Legitimate concern exists regarding sending spacecraft and their associated hardware to solar system bodies where they could possibly contaminate the body's surface with terrestrial microorganisms. The NASA approved guidelines for sterilization as set forth in NPG 8020.12C, which is consistent with the biological contamination control objectives of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), recommends subjecting the spacecraft and its associated hardware to dry heat-a dry heat regimen that could potentially employ a temperature of 110(deg)C for up to 200 hours. Such a temperature exposure could prove detrimental to the spacecraft electronics. The stimulated growth of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in metallic interconnects and/or thermal degradation of organic materials composing much of the hardware could take place over a prolonged temperature regimen. Such detrimental phenomena would almost certainly compromise the integrity and reliability of the electronics. Investigation of sterilization procedures in the medical field suggests that hydrogen peroxide (H202) gas plasma (HPGP) technology can effectively function as an alternative to heat sterilization, especially for heat-sensitive items. Treatment with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in liquid form prior to exposure of the hardware to HPGP should also prove beneficial. Although IPA is not a sterilant, it is frequently used as a disinfectant because of its bactericidal properties. The use of IPA in electronics cleaning is widely recognized and has been utilized for many years with no adverse affects reported. In addition, IPA is the principal ingredient of the test fluid used in ionic contamination testers to assess the amount of ionic contamination found on the surfaces of printed wiring assemblies. This paper will set forth experimental data confirming the feasibility of the IPA/H202 approach to reach acceptable microbial reduction (MR) levels of spacecraft electronic hardware. In addition, a proposed process flow in which both IPA liquid and HPGP are utilized will be presented in Section 7.0.

microbial reduction

Theoretical Studies of the Surface Tension of Liquid Metal System

A major goal of this project is to understand the surface tension and other thermophysical properties of liquid metals and alloys from a fundamental viewpoint. The approach is to calculate these quantities by a first principles technique which combines the statistical-mechanical theory of the liquid state with an electronic pseudopotential theory of electrons in metals. The inhomogeneity of the surface is treated using an ionic-density-functional formalism developed with the support of NASA. Of particular interest are the variation of surface tension with temperature and impurity concentration: such variations strongly influence the types of convection which make take place in a low-gravity environment. Some progress has already been achieved in computing the reduction of surface tension due to the presence of low-surface-tension impurities, and the corresponding surface segregation of such impurities. In the coming year, it is planned to concentrate on the surface properties of materials of particular interest to the MSA program: Si, Ga and GaSn alloys. An additional goal is to gain some theoretical understanding of the high temperature thermophysical properties of liquid metals, particularly high melting point materials which have not been studied extensively from a theoretical viewpoint.

Stroud, D. G.

Direct determination of lead-210 by liquid-scintillation counting

Soft betas, the internal conversion electrons, and unconverted gamma rays from lead-210 are efficiently detected in a liquid scintillation counting system with efficiency of 97 percent. The counter is interfaced with a multichannel pulse height analyzer. The spectra obtained is stored on paper tape and plotted on an x-y plotter.

Fairman, W. D.