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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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NASA NTRS2004

Fabrication of a novel gigabit/second free-space optical interconnect - photodetector characterization and testing and system development

The time when computing power is limited by the copper wire inherent in the computer system and not the speed of the microprocessor is rapidly approaching. With constant advances in computer technology, many researchers believe that in only a few years, optical interconnects will begin to replace copper wires in your Central Processing Unit (CPU). On a more macroscopic scale, the telecommunications industry has already made the switch to optical data transmission as, to date, fiber optic technology is the only reasonable method of reliable, long range data transmission. Within the span of a decade, we will see optical technologies move from the macroscopic world of the telecommunications industry to the microscopic world of the computer chip. Already, the communications industry is marketing commercially available optical links to connect two personal computers, thereby eliminating the need for standard and comparatively slow wired and wireless Ethernet transfers and greatly increasing the distance the computers can be separated. As processing demands continue to increase, the realm of optical communications will continue to move closer to the microprocessor and quite possibly onto the microprocessor itself. A day may come when copper connections are used only to supply power, not transfer data. This summer s work marks some of the beginning stages of a 5 to 10 year, long-term research project to create and study a free-space, 1 Gigabit/sec optical interconnect. The research will result in a novel fabricated, chip-to-chip interconnect consisting of a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) Diode linked through free space to a Metal- Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) Photodetector with the possible integration of microlenses for signal focusing and Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) devices for optical signal steering. The advantages, disadvantages, and practicality of incorporating flip-chip mounting technologies will also be addressed. My work began with the design and construction of a test setup for the experiment and then appropriate characterization of the test system. Specifically, I am involved in the characterization of a commercially available 1550nm wavelength, 5mW diode laser and a study of its modulation bandwidth. Commercially produced photodetectors as well as the incorporation of microwave technology, in the form of RF input and output, are used in the characterization procedure. The next stage involves the use of a probe station and network analyzer to characterize and test a series of photodetectors fabricated on a 2 inch, Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) wafer in the Branch s microlithography lab. Other project responsibilities include, but are not limited to the incorporation of a transimpedance amplifier to the photodetector circuit; a study of VCSEL technology; bit error rate analysis of an optical interconnect system; and analysis of free space divergence of the VCSEL, optical path length of the interconnect; and any other pertinent optical properties of the one gigabit per second interconnect for fabrication and testing.

Savich, Gregory R.↗

NASA NTRS2004

2.45 GHz Rectenna Designed for Wireless Sensors Operating at 500 C

High temperature wireless sensors that operate at 500 C are required for aircraft engine monitoring and performance improvement These sensors would replace currently used hard-wired sensors and lead to a substantial reduction in mass. However, even if the sensor output data is transmitted wirelessly to a receiver in the cooler part of the engine, and the associated cables are eliminated, DC power cables are still required to operate the sensors and power the wireless circuits. To solve this problem, NASA is developing a rectenna, a circuit that receives RF power and converts it to DC power. The rectenna would be integrated with the wireless sensor, and the RF transmitter that powers the rectenna would be located in the cooler part of the engine. In this way, no cables to or from the sensors are required. Rectennas haw been demonstrated at ambient room temperature, but to date, no high temperature rectennas haw been reported. In this paper, we report the first rectenna designed for 2.45 GHz operation at 500 C. The circuit consists of a microstrip dipole antenna, a stripline impedance matching circuit, and a stripline low pass filter to prevent transmission of higher harmonics created by the rectifying diode fabricated on an Alumina substrate. The rectifying diode is the gate to source junction of a 6H Sic MESFET and the capacitor and load resistor are chip elements that are each bonded to the Alumina substrate. Each element and the hybrid, rectenna circuit haw been characterized through 500 C.

Ponchak, George E.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Tunable Dielectric Materials and Devices for Broadband Wireless Communications

Wireless and satellite communications are a rapidly growing industries which are slated for explosive growth into emerging countries as well as countries with advanced economies. The dominant trend in wireless communication systems is towards broadband applications such as multimedia file transfer, video transmission and Internet access. These applications require much higher data transmission rates than those currently used for voice transmission applications. To achieve these higher data rates, substantially larger bandwidths and higher carrier frequencies are required. A key roadblock to implementing these systems at K-band (18-26.5 GHz) and Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz) is the need to develop hardware which meets the requirements for high data rate transmission in a cost effective manner. In this chapter, we report on the status of tunable dielectric thin films for devices, such as resonators, filters, phased array antennas, and tunable oscillators, which utilize nonlinear tuning in the control elements. Paraelectric materials such as Barium Strontium Titanate ((Ba, Sr)TiO3) have dielectric constants which can be tuned by varying the magnitude of the electric field across the material. Therefore, these materials can be used to control the frequency and/or phase response of various devices such as electronically steerable phased array antennas, oscillators, and filters. Currently, tunable dielectric devices are being developed for applications which require high tunability, low loss, and good RF power-handling capabilities at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. These properties are strongly impacted by film microstructure and device design, and considerable developmental work is still required. However, in the last several years enormous progress has occurred in this field, validating the potential of tunable dielectric technology for broadband wireless communication applications. In this chapter we summarize how film processing techniques, microwave test configurations, and prototype devices have combined to drive the field to its current stage of development.

Mueller, Carl H.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Global Mobile Satellite Service Interference Analysis for the AeroMACS

The AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based on the IEEE 802.16-2009 mobile wireless standard, is envisioned as the wireless network which will cover all areas of airport surfaces for next generation air transportation. It is expected to be implemented in the 5091-5150 MHz frequency band which is also occupied by mobile satellite service uplinks. Thus the AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. Simulations using Visualyse software were performed utilizing a global database of 6207 airports. Variations in base station and subscriber antenna distribution and gain pattern were examined. Based on these simulations, recommendations for global airport base station and subscriber antenna power transmission limitations are provided.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Global Mobile Satellite Service Interference Analysis for the AeroMACS

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Studies of acoustic-electric feed-throughs for power transmission through structures

There are numerous engineering design problems where the use of wires to transfer power and communicate data thru the walls of a structure is prohibitive or significantly difficult that it may require a complex design. Using physical feedthroughs in such systems may make them susceptible to leakage of chemicals or gasses, loss of pressure or vacuum, as well as difficulties in providing adequate thermal or electrical insulation. Moreover, feeding wires thru a wall of a structure reduces the strength of the structure and makes the structure prone to cracking due to fatigue that can result from cyclic loading and stress concentrations. One area that has already been identified to require a wireless alternative to electrical feedthroughs is the container of the Mars Sample Return Mission, which will need wireless sensors to sense a pressure leak and to avoid potential contamination. The idea of using elastic or acoustic waves to transfer power was suggested recently by [Y. Hu, et al., July 2003]. This system allows for the avoidance of cabling or wiring. The technology is applicable to the transfer of power for actuation, sensing and other tasks inside any sealed container or vacuum/pressure vessel. An alternative approach to the modeling presented previously [Sherrit et a., 2005] used network analysis to solve the same problem in a clear and expandable manner. Experimental tests on three different designs of these devices were performed. The three designs used different methods of coupling the piezoelectric element to the wall. In the first test the piezoelectric material was bolted using a backing structure. In the second test the piezoelectric was clamped after the application of grease and finally the piezoelectric element was attached using a conductive epoxy. The mechanical clamp with grease produced the highest measured efficiency of 53% however this design was the least practical from a fabrication viewpoint. The power transfer efficiency of conductive epoxy joint was 40% and the stress bolts (12%).

ultrasonics↗

NASA NTRS2006

Wireless Channel Characterization: Modeling the 5 GHz Microwave Landing System Extension Band for Future Airport Surface Communications

We describe a recently completed wideband wireless channel characterization project for the 5 GHz Microwave Landing System (MLS) extension band, for airport surface areas. This work included mobile measurements at large and small airports, and fixed point-to-point measurements. Mobile measurements were made via transmission from the air traffic control tower (ATCT), or from an airport field site (AFS), to a receiving ground vehicle on the airport surface. The point-to-point measurements were between ATCT and AFSs. Detailed statistical channel models were developed from all these measurements. Measured quantities include propagation path loss and power delay profiles, from which we obtain delay spreads, frequency domain correlation (coherence bandwidths), fading amplitude statistics, and channel parameter correlations. In this paper we review the project motivation, measurement coordination, and illustrate measurement results. Example channel modeling results for several propagation conditions are also provided, highlighting new findings.

Matolak, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS2002

622-Mbps Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Digital Modem Implemented

Future generation space communications systems feature significantly higher data rates and relatively smaller frequency spectrum allocations than systems currently deployed. This requires the application of bandwidth- and power-efficient signal transmission techniques. There are a number of approaches to implementing such techniques, including analog, digital, mixed-signal, single-channel, or multichannel systems. In general, the digital implementations offer more advantages; however, a fully digital implementation is very difficult because of the very high clock speeds required. Multichannel techniques are used to reduce the sampling rate. One such technique, multicarrier modulation, divides the data into a number of low-rate channels that are stacked in frequency. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), a form of multicarrier modulation, is being proposed for numerous systems, including mobile wireless and digital subscriber link communication systems. In response to this challenge, NASA Glenn Research Center's Communication Technology Division has developed an OFDM digital modem (modulator and demodulator) with an aggregate information throughput of 622 Mbps. The basic OFDM waveform is constructed by dividing an incoming data stream into four channels, each using either 16- ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) or 8-phase shift keying (8-PSK). An efficient implementation for an OFDM architecture is being achieved using the combination of a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) at the transmitter to digitally stack the individual carriers, inverse DFT at the receiver to perform the frequency translations, and a polyphase filter to facilitate the pulse shaping.

Kifle, Muli↗

NASA NTRS2009

A Comparison of Surface Acoustic Wave Modeling Methods

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology is low cost, rugged, lightweight, extremely low power and can be used to develop passive wireless sensors. For these reasons, NASA is investigating the use of SAW technology for Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM) of aerospace structures. To facilitate rapid prototyping of passive SAW sensors for aerospace applications, SAW models have been developed. This paper reports on the comparison of three methods of modeling SAWs. The three models are the Impulse Response Method a first order model, and two second order matrix methods; the conventional matrix approach, and a modified matrix approach that is extended to include internal finger reflections. The second order models are based upon matrices that were originally developed for analyzing microwave circuits using transmission line theory. Results from the models are presented with measured data from devices.

Wilson, W. c.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Using Mesh Networking for A Dynamic Lunar Internet of Things (Liot)

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of an IEEE 802.11 mesh protocol for lunar surface computing. This standard for wireless networking boosts speed, dependability and range of wireless transmissions. The concept is to integrate sensors (such as deployed science instruments) or Astronaut tools (such as a handheld spectrometer) that communicate with a node on a common cell. The nodes can extend the range of the cell and can dynamically reconfigure the data routing in case of another node failure. All of the data in a cell pass through a modem that communicates with a distant base station across a 4G link. The application of mesh networking to a potential lunar surface network increases robustness and fault tolerance over a traditional single-point modem system. By demonstrating the basic capability of a mesh network, the student team has learned about issues with power, distance, thermal, dust, radiation, data processing, and communication problems applicable to the lunar surface. This knowledge can feed into future NASA requirements to improve the capability of a LunaNET implementation for the Artemis program. This project follows 10 years of successful collaboration between NASA ARES, Texas Space, Technology, Applications and Research (T STAR) and Texas A&M University in a Public, Private, Academic (PPA) Partnership. NASA funds T STAR to mentor undergraduate Capstone teams in the College of Engineering Department to design, built, and test prototypes meeting NASA requirements. TAMU faculty lead the student teams in their academic class, and NASA Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) provide T STAR and students insight on requirements evolution, prior design projects, and future development goals.

Lunar Mesh Networking↗

NASA NTRS2011

Interface Supports Multiple Broadcast Transceivers for Flight Applications

A wireless avionics interface provides a mechanism for managing multiple broadcast transceivers. This interface isolates the control logic required to support multiple transceivers so that the flight application does not have to manage wireless transceivers. All of the logic to select transceivers, detect transmitter and receiver faults, and take autonomous recovery action is contained in the interface, which is not restricted to using wireless transceivers. Wired, wireless, and mixed transceiver technologies are supported. This design s use of broadcast data technology provides inherent cross strapping of data links. This greatly simplifies the design of redundant flight subsystems. The interface fully exploits the broadcast data link to determine the health of other transceivers used to detect and isolate faults for fault recovery. The interface uses simplified control logic, which can be implemented as an intellectual-property (IP) core in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The interface arbitrates the reception of inbound data traffic appearing on multiple receivers. It arbitrates the transmission of outbound traffic. This system also monitors broadcast data traffic to determine the health of transmitters in the network, and then uses this health information to make autonomous decisions for routing traffic through transceivers. Multiple selection strategies are supported, like having an active transceiver with the secondary transceiver powered off except to send periodic health status reports. Transceivers can operate in round-robin for load-sharing and graceful degradation.

Block, Gary L.↗

NASA NTRS2002

High-Power, High-Frequency Si-Based (SiGe) Transistors Developed

Future NASA, DOD, and commercial products will require electronic circuits that have greater functionality and versatility but occupy less space and cost less money to build and integrate than current products. System on a Chip (SOAC), a single semiconductor substrate containing circuits that perform many functions or containing an entire system, is widely recognized as the best technology for achieving low-cost, small-sized systems. Thus, a circuit technology is required that can gather, process, store, and transmit data or communications. Since silicon-integrated circuits are already used for data processing and storage and the infrastructure that supports silicon circuit fabrication is very large, it is sensible to develop communication circuits on silicon so that all the system functions can be integrated onto a single wafer. Until recently, silicon integrated circuits did not function well at the frequencies required for wireless or microwave communications, but with the introduction of small amounts of germanium into the silicon to make silicon-germanium (SiGe) transistors, silicon-based communication circuits are possible. Although microwavefrequency SiGe circuits have been demonstrated, there has been difficulty in obtaining the high power from their transistors that is required for the amplifiers of a transmitter, and many researchers have thought that this could not be done. The NASA Glenn Research Center and collaborators at the University of Michigan have developed SiGe transistors and amplifiers with state-of-the-art output power at microwave frequencies from 8 to 20 GHz. These transistors are fabricated using standard silicon processing and may be integrated with CMOS integrated circuits on a single chip. A scanning electron microscope image of a typical SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor is shown in the preceding photomicrograph. This transistor achieved a record output power of 550 mW and an associated power-added efficiency of 33 percent at 8.4 GHz, as shown. Record performance was also demonstrated at 12.6 and 18 GHz. Developers have combined these state-of-the-art transistors with transmission lines and micromachined passive circuit components, such as inductors and capacitors, to build multistage amplifiers. Currently, a 1-W, 8.4-GHz power amplifier is being built for NASA deep space communication architectures.

Ponchak, George E.↗

NASA NTRS2021

An Approach to Reasoning Service Migration in Data and Reasoning Fabric (DRF) Implementation

In this paper we consider service migration problem for Data and Reasoning Fabric (DRF) enabled airspace operations assuming a fixed cloud/edge infrastructure with allocated computing, storage and power resources, where cloud/edge servers, and communication stations are in a wired connected network, while vehicles use a wireless network for communication. The objective is to automatically select the best location for the requested service execution, which achieves minimum cost while satisfying the user quality of service (QoS) and available resources constraints. To this end, estimates of the response time, consumed energy and total cost are defined for each potential compute location. A mixed-integer linear program is then formulated and solved to identify optimal compute locations given QoS constraints, network infrastructure limitations, with worst-case vehicle positioning. The approach is applied to trajectory re-planning use case to avoid a collision with an emergency vehicle in real time.

Air mobility↗

NASA NTRS2013

Wireless Integrated Microelectronic Vacuum Sensor System

NASA Stennis Space Center's (SSC's) large rocket engine test facility requires the use of liquid propellants, including the use of cryogenic fluids like liquid hydrogen as fuel, and liquid oxygen as an oxidizer (gases which have been liquefied at very low temperatures). These fluids require special handling, storage, and transfer technology. The biggest problem associated with transferring cryogenic liquids is product loss due to heat transfer. Vacuum jacketed piping is specifically designed to maintain high thermal efficiency so that cryogenic liquids can be transferred with minimal heat transfer. A vacuum jacketed pipe is essentially two pipes in one. There is an inner carrier pipe, in which the cryogenic liquid is actually transferred, and an outer jacket pipe that supports and seals the vacuum insulation, forming the "vacuum jacket." The integrity of the vacuum jacketed transmission lines that transfer the cryogenic fluid from delivery barges to the test stand must be maintained prior to and during engine testing. To monitor the vacuum in these vacuum jacketed transmission lines, vacuum gauge readings are used. At SSC, vacuum gauge measurements are done on a manual rotation basis with two technicians, each using a handheld instrument. Manual collection of vacuum data is labor intensive and uses valuable personnel time. Additionally, there are times when personnel cannot collect the data in a timely fashion (i.e., when a leak is detected, measurements must be taken more often). Additionally, distribution of this data to all interested parties can be cumbersome. To simplify the vacuum-gauge data collection process, automate the data collection, and decrease the labor costs associated with acquiring these measurements, an automated system that monitors the existing gauges was developed by Invocon, Inc. For this project, Invocon developed a Wireless Integrated Microelectronic Vacuum Sensor System (WIMVSS) that provides the ability to gather vacuum-gauge measurements automatically and wirelessly, in near-real time - using a low-maintenance, lowpower sensor mesh network. The WIMVSS operates by using a self-configuring mesh network of wireless sensor units. Mesh networking is a type of networking where each sensor or node can capture and disseminate its own data, but also serve as a relay to receive and transmit data from other sensors. Each sensor node can synchronize with adjacent sensors, and propagate data from one sensor to the next, until the destination is reached. In this case, the destination is a Network Interface Unit (NIU). The WIMVSS sensors are mounted on the existing vacuum gauges. Information gathered by the sensors is sent to the NIU. Because of the mesh networking, if a sensor cannot directly send the data to the NIU, it can be propagated through the network of sensors. The NIU requires antenna access to the sensor units, AC power, and an Ethernet connection. The NIU bridges the sensor network to a WIMVSS server via an Ethernet connection. The server is configured with a database, a Web server, and proprietary interface software that makes it possible for the vacuum measurements from vacuum jacketed fluid lines to be saved, retrieved, and then displayed from any Web-enabled PC that has access to the Internet. Authorized users can then simply access the data from any PC with Internet connection. Commands can also be sent directly from the Web interface for control and maintenance of the sensor network. The technology enabled by the WIMVSS decreases labor required for gathering vacuum measurements, increases access to vacuum data by making it available on any computer with access to the Internet, increases the frequency with which data points can be acquired for evaluating the system, and decreases the recurring cost of the sensors by using off-the-shelf components and integrating these with heritage vacuum gauges.

Krug, Eric↗