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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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This paper focuses mostly on satellite microwave observations from UARS MLS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Microwave Limb Sounder) at 186.5 and 203.2 GHz.
Micromachining-and-electroforming process makes rigid metal meshes with cells ranging in size from 0.002 in. to 0.05 in. square. Series of steps involving cutting, grinding, vapor deposition, and electroforming creates self-supporting, electrically thick mesh. Width of holes typically 1.2 times cutoff wavelength of dominant waveguide mode in hole. To obtain sharp frequency-cutoff characteristic, thickness of mesh made greater than one-half of guide wavelength of mode in hole. Meshes used as high-pass filters (dichroic plates) for submillimeter electromagnetic waves. Process not limited to square silicon wafers. Round wafers also used, with slightly more complication in grinding periphery. Grid in any pattern produced in electroforming mandrel. Any platable metal or alloy used for mesh.
Cloud ice properties and processes play fundamental roles in atmospheric radiation and precipitation. Limited knowledge and poor representation of clouds in global climate models have led to large uncertainties about cloud feedback processes under climate change. Ice clouds have been used as a tuning parameter in the models to force agreement with observations of the radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, and precipitation at the bottom. The lack of ice cloud measurements has left the cloud processes at intermediate altitudes unconstrained. Millimeter (mm) and submillimeter (submm)-wave radiometry is widely recognized for its potential to fill the cloud measurement gap in the middle and upper troposphere. Analyses have shown that channels from 183900 GHz offer good sensitivity to ice cloud scattering and can provide ice water path (IWP) products to an accuracy of 25 by simultaneously retrieving ice particle size (Dme) and IWP. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a cost-effective, compact mm/submm-wave instrument for cloud observations that can be deployed on future small satellites.This paper presents a conceptual study for a mm/submm-wave instrument for multispectral measurements of ice clouds. It discusses previous work at these frequencies by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the current instrument study, as well as receiver architectures and their anticipated performance. And finally, it describes a microsatellite prototype intended for use with this mm/submm-wave instrument.
This talk will focus on the technology that is being developed to enhance and extend planar integrated Schottky devices and circuits to meet mission local oscillator requirements.
Mass and power for the next generation of NASA's heterodyne spectrometers must be greatly reduced to satisfy the constraints of future small-spacecraft missions. Here we present a new receiver concept for remote sensing in the Solar System, with greatly reduced mass, power, and size compared to instruments implemented in current missions.
The mass and power of a heterodyne spectrometer must be greatly reduced to satisfy small space mission constraints. We report on a 220 GHz receiver, requiring less than 4.8 W, with a mass of 1.25 kg. The mass and power savings are achieved through reducing components to a minimum, while providing performance for a Martian atmospheric sounder.
Pulsed operation of submillimeter gas lasers was achieved with the laser gas inside the resonator of the CO2 pump laser acting as a saturable absorber for passive Q switching the CO2 laser. With a metal-oxyde-metal whisker detector 1-5-microsec-wide pulses could be detected at 118, 373, and 496 micron wavelength.
The following accomplishments were made towards the goal of an optimized whiskerless diode chip for submillimeter wavelength applications. (1) Surface channel whiskerless diode structure was developed which offers excellent DC and RF characteristics, reduced shunt capacitance and simplified fabrication compared to mesa and proton isolated structures. (2) Reliable fabrication technology was developed for the surface channel structure. The new anode plating technology is a major improvement. (3) DC and RF characterization of the surface channel diode was compared with whisker contacted diodes. This data indicates electrical performance as good as the best reported for similar whisker contacted devices. (4) Additional batches of surface channel diodes were fabricated with excellent I-V and reduced shunt capacitance. (5) Large scale capacitance modelinng was done for the planar diode structure. This work revealed the importance of removing the substrate gallium arsenide for absolute minimum pad capacitance. (6) A surface channel diode was developed on quartz substrate and this substrate was completely removed after diode mounting for minimum parasitic capacitance. This work continues with the goal of producing excellent quality submillimeter wavelength planar diodes which satisfy the requirements of easy handling and robustness. These devices will allow the routine implementation of Schottky receivers into space-based applications at frequencies as high as 1 THz, and, in the future, beyond.
Novel variation of split-waveguide mount for millimeter-and submillimeter-wavelength frequency multipliers and harmonic mixers developed. Designed to offer wide range of available matching impedances, while maintaining relatively simple fabrication sequence. Wide tuning range achieved with separate series and parallel elements, consisting of two pairs of noncontacting sliding backshorts, at fundamental and harmonic frequencies. Advantages include ease of fabrication, reliability, and tunability.
A new Schottky diode is investigated for use as a multiplier element in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength regions. The new diode is based on the Schottky contact at the edge of a 2-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG). As a negative voltage is applied to the Schottky contact, the depletion layer between the Schottky contact and the 2-DEG expands and the junction capacitance decreases, resulting in a nonlinear capacitance-voltage characteristic. In this paper, we outline the theory, design, fabrication, and evaluation of the new device. Recent results include devices having cutoff frequencies of 1 THz and above. Preliminary multiplier results are also presented.
Receiver techniques and detectors for use at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, and excitation cross sections for argon II, krypton II, and neon II gas lasers
The 25 meter aperture Cornell Caltech Atacama Telescope (CCAT) will provide an enormous increase in sensitivity in the submillimeter bands compared to existing observatories, provided it can establish and maintain excellent image quality. To accomplish this at a very low cost, it is necessary to conduct accurate engineering trades, including the most effective segment and wavefront sensing and control approach, to determine the best method for continuously maintaining wavefront quality in the operational environment. We describe an integrated structural/optical/controls model that provides accurate performance prediction. We also detail the analysis methods used to quantify critical design trades.
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A superconducting hot-electron bolometer has been built and tested as a prototype of high-sensitivity, rapid-response detectors of submillimeter-wavelength radiation. There are diverse potential applications for such detectors, a few examples being submillimeter spectroscopy for scientific research; detection of leaking gases; detection of explosive, chemical, and biological weapons; and medical imaging. This detector is a superconducting-transition- edge device. Like other such devices, it includes a superconducting bridge that has a low heat capacity and is maintained at a critical temperature (T(sub c)) at the lower end of its superconducting-transition temperature range. Incident photons cause transient increases in electron temperature through the superconducting-transition range, thereby yielding measurable increases in electrical resistance. In this case, T(sub c) = 6 K, which is approximately the upper limit of the operating-temperature range of silicon-based bolometers heretofore used routinely in many laboratories. However, whereas the response speed of a typical silicon- based laboratory bolometer is characterized by a frequency of the order of a kilohertz, the response speed of the present device is much higher characterized by a frequency of the order of 100 MHz. For this or any bolometer, a useful figure of merit that one seeks to minimize is (NEP)(tau exp 1/2), where NEP denotes the noise-equivalent power (NEP) and the response time. This figure of merit depends primarily on the heat capacity and, for a given heat capacity, is approximately invariant. As a consequence of this approximate invariance, in designing a device having a given heat capacity to be more sensitive (to have lower NEP), one must accept longer response time (slower response) or, conversely, in designing it to respond faster, one must accept lower sensitivity. Hence, further, in order to increase both the speed of response and the sensitivity, one must make the device very small in order to make its heat capacity very small; this is the approach followed in developing the present device.
A balloon-borne, 1.2 meter Cassegrain telescope designed for diffraction-limited imagery at 100 microns is being developed for a survey of the Galactic plane at submillimeter wavelengths. The telescope pointing system is servocontrolled using a gyroscope for the primary stabilization reference. Extensive use is made of microprocessors for flight sequencing, pointing control and stabilization, and telemetry formatting. A description of the telescope, helium-cooled detectors, and the orientation subsystems are presented together with a brief discussion of the proposed astronomical observations.
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Proposed Quartz substrate Upside-down Integrated Device (QUID) relies on UV-curable adhesive to bond semiconductor with quartz. Integrated circuits including planar GaAs Schottky diodes and passive circuit elements (such as bandpass filters) fabricated on quartz substrates. Circuits designed to operate as mixers in waveguide circuit at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. Integrated circuits mechanically more robust, larger, and easier to handle than planar Schottky diode chips. Quartz substrate more suitable for waveguide circuits than GaAs substrate.