Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Floating”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,729 records · Page 96
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of the q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution on a magnetized plasma sheath

In this work, a sheath model has been developed to investigate the effect of the q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution on the different characteristics of a magnetized plasma. By using Segdeev potential method, a modified Bohm criterion for a magnetized plasma with the nonextensive electron velocity distribution is derived. The sheath model is then used to analyze numerically the sheath structure under different q, the parameter quantifying the nonextensivity degree of the system. The results show that as the q-parameter decreases, the floating potential becomes more negative. The sheath length increases at the lower values of the q-parameter due to the increase in the electron population at the high-energy tail of the distribution function. As q-parameter decreases, the effective temperature of the electrons increases which results in a more extended plasma sheath. The ion velocity and density profiles for the different nonextensivity degrees of the system reflect the gyro-motion of the ions in the presence of the magnetic field. Furthermore, the results coincide with those given by the Maxwellian electron distribution function, when q tends to 1.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Proximity-induced superconductivity in crystalline Cu and Co nanowires and nanogranular Co structures

We report an experimental study of proximity effect-induced superconductivity in crystalline Cu and Co nanowires and a nanogranular Co nanowire structure in contact with a superconducting W-based floating electrode (inducer). For electrical resistance measurements up to three pairs of Pt-based voltage leads were attached at different distances beside the inner inducer electrode, thus allowing us to probe the proximity effect over a length of 2–12 μm. Up to 30% resistance drops with respect to the normal-state value have been observed for the crystalline Co and Cu nanowires when sweeping the temperature below T{sub c} of the inducer (5.2 K). By contrast, relative R(T) drops were found to be an order of magnitude smaller for the nanogranular Co nanowire structure. Our analysis of the resistance data shows that the superconducting proximity length in crystalline Cu and Co is about 1 μm at 2.4 K, attesting to a long-range proximity effect in the Co nanowire. Moreover, this long-range proximity effect is insusceptible to magnetic fields up to 11 T, which is indicative of spin-triplet pairing. At the same time, proximity-induced superconductivity in the nanogranular Co nanowire is strongly suppressed due to the dominating Cooper pair scattering caused by its intrinsic microstructure.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Field programmable gate array-assigned complex-valued computation and its limits

We discuss how leveraging Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology as part of a high performance computing platform reduces latency to meet the demanding real time constraints of a quantum optics simulation. Implementations of complex-valued operations using fixed point numeric on a Virtex-5 FPGA compare favorably to more conventional solutions on a central processing unit. Our investigation explores the performance of multiple fixed point options along with a traditional 64 bits floating point version. With this information, the lowest execution times can be estimated. Relative error is examined to ensure simulation accuracy is maintained.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Vertical vibration and shape oscillation of acoustically levitated water drops

We present the vertical harmonic vibration of levitated water drops within ultrasound field. The restoring force to maintain such a vibration mode is provided by the resultant force of acoustic radiation force and drop gravity. Experiments reveal that the vibration frequency increases with the aspect ratio for drops with the same volume, which agrees with the theoretical prediction for those cases of nearly equiaxed drops. During the vertical vibration, the floating drops undergo the second order shape oscillation. The shape oscillation frequency is determined to be twice the vibration frequency.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study of surface morphology and alignment of MWCNTs grown by chemical vapor deposition

In this research work, Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been synthesized successfully by using floating catalytic chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) method. Different ferrocene amounts (0.1, 0.125 and 0.15 g) were used as catalyst and ethylene was used as a carbon precursor at reaction temperature of 800°C. Characterization of the grown MWCNTs was carried out by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained data showed that the catalyst weight affects the nanotubes diameter, alignment, crystallinity and growth significantly, whereas negligible influence was noticed on CNTs forest length. The dense, uniform and meadow like patterns of grown CNTs were observed for 0.15 g ferrocene. The average diameter of the grown CNTs was found in the range of 32 to 75 nm. Close inspection of the TEM images also confirmed the defects in some of the grown CNTs, where few black spots were evident in CNTs structure.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structure, electronic properties, and aggregation behavior of hydroxylated carbon nanotubes

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study to analyze the structure, electronic properties, and aggregation behavior of hydroxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (OH–MWCNT). Our MWCNTs have average diameters of ∼2 nm, lengths of approximately 100–300 nm, and a hydroxyl surface coverage θ∼0.1. When deposited on the air/water interface the OH–MWCNTs are partially soluble and the floating units interact and link with each other forming extended foam-like carbon networks. Surface pressure-area isotherms of the nanotube films are performed using the Langmuir balance method at different equilibration times. The films are transferred into a mica substrate and atomic force microscopy images show that the foam like structure is preserved and reveals fine details of their microstructure. Density functional theory calculations performed on model hydroxylated carbon nanotubes show that low energy atomic configurations are found when the OH groups form molecular islands on the nanotube's surface. This patchy behavior for the OH species is expected to produce nanotubes having reduced wettabilities, in line with experimental observations. OH doping yields nanotubes having small HOMO–LUMO energy gaps and generates a nanotube → OH direction for the charge transfer leading to the existence of more hole carriers in the structures. Our synthesized OH–MWCNTs might have promising applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Hysteresis in amplitudes of self-excited oscillations for co-axial electrode-geometry DC glow discharge plasma

Hysteresis in amplitudes of the self-excited oscillations of the floating potential and discharge current is observed in an unmagnetized co-axial electrode-geometry DC glow discharge plasma system. The nonlinearities of these oscillations are studied using standard dynamical analysis tools. The characterization revealed the transition of low-amplitude high-frequency period-n oscillations to a large amplitude low frequency period-1 oscillations through a chaotic intermediate route. The transition of the low amplitude, high frequency period-n oscillations to chaotic type is observed to be linked to the dynamical change in the plasma system, i.e., after a negative differential resistance (NDR) region, whereas the transition from chaotic to period-1 is observed to be linked to a discharge current threshold.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Integration of acoustical sensors into the KM3NeT optical modules

The next generation multi-cubic-kilometre water Cherenkov neutrino telescope will be build in the Mediterranean Sea. This telescope, called KM3NeT, is currently entering a first construction phase. The KM3NeT research infrastructure will comprise 690 so-called Detection Units in its final design which will be anchored to the sea bed and held upright by submerged floats. The positions of these Detection Units, several hundred metres in length, and their attached Optical Modules for the detection of Cherenkov light have to be monitored continously to provide the telescope with its desired pointing precision. A standard way to do this is the utilisation of an acoustic positioning system using emitters at fixed positions and receivers distributed along the Detection Units. The KM3NeT neutrino telescope comprises a custom-made acoustic positioning system with newly designed emitters attached to the anchors of the Detection Units and custom-designed receivers attached to the Detection Units. This article describes an approach for a receiver and its performance. The proposed Opto-Acoustical Modules combine the optical sensors for the telescope with the acoustical sensors necessary for the positioning of the module itself. This combination leads to a compact design suited for an easy deployment of the numerous Detection Units. Furthermore, the instrumented volume can be used for scientific analyses such as marine science and acoustic particle detection.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Stopping potential and ion beamlet control for micro-resistive patterning through sub-Debye length plasma apertures

Focused multiple ion beamlets from a microwave plasma source is investigated for localized micron-scale modification of substrates in a patterned manner. Plasma electrodes (PE) with an array of through apertures having aperture diameters of the order of plasma Debye length are investigated for generating the beamlets. Extraction through sub-Debye length apertures becomes possible when the PE is kept at floating potential. It is found that the current – voltage characteristics of the extracted beamlets exhibits interesting features such as a space-charge-limited region that has a different behaviour than the conventional Child-Langmuir’s law and an extraction-voltage-limited region that does not undergo saturation but exhibits a Schottky-like behaviour similar to that of a vacuum diode. A switching technique to control the motion of individual beamlets is developed and the stopping potential determined. The beamlets are thereafter used to create localized micro-resistive patterns. The experimental results are compared with simulations and reasonably good agreement is obtained.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Investigation of negative bias temperature instability dependence on fin width of silicon-on-insulator-fin-based field effect transistors

The fin width dependence of negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) of double-gate, fin-based p-type Field Effect Transistors (FinFETs) fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers was investigated. The NBTI degradation increased as the fin width narrowed. To investigate this phenomenon, simulations of pre-stress conditions were employed to determine any differences in gate oxide field, fin band bending, and electric field profile as a function of the fin width. The simulation results were similar at a given gate stress bias, regardless of the fin width, although the threshold voltage was found to increase with decreasing fin width. Thus, the NBTI fin width dependence could not be explained from the pre-stress conditions. Different physics-based degradation models were evaluated using specific fin-based device structures with different biasing schemes to ascertain an appropriate model that best explains the measured NBTI dependence. A plausible cause is an accumulation of electrons that tunnel from the gate during stress into the floating SOI fin body. As the fin narrows, the sidewall device channel moves in closer proximity to the stored electrons, thereby inducing more band bending at the fin/dielectric interface, resulting in a higher electric field and hole concentration in this region during stress, which leads to more degradation. The data obtained in this work provide direct experimental proof of the effect of electron accumulation on the threshold voltage stability in FinFETs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of the electron energy distribution on total energy loss with argon in inductively coupled plasmas

The total energy lost per electron-ion pair lost ε{sub T} is investigated with the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). The EEDFs are measured at various argon powers in RF inductively coupled plasma, and the EEDFs show a depleted distribution (a discontinuity occurring at the minimum argon excitation threshold energy level) with the bulk temperature and the tail temperature. The total energy loss per electron-ion pair lost ε{sub T} is calculated from a power balance model with the Maxwellian EEDFs and the depleted EEDFs and then compared with the measured ε{sub T} from the floating probe. It is concluded that the small population of the depleted high energy electrons dramatically increases the collisional energy loss, and the calculated ε{sub T} from the depleted EEDFs has a value that is similar to the measured ε{sub T}.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Residual stress in spin-cast polyurethane thin films

Residual stress is inevitable during spin-casting. Herein, we report a straightforward method to evaluate the residual stress in as-cast polyurethane thin films using area shrinkage measurement of films in floating state, which shows that the residual stress is independent of radial location on the substrate and decreased with decreasing film thickness below a critical value. We demonstrate that the residual stress is developed due to the solvent evaporation after vitrification during spin-casting and the polymer chains in thin films may undergo vitrification at an increased concentration. The buildup of residual stress in spin-cast polymer films provides an insight into the size effects on the nature of polymer thin films.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Experimental verification of the Boltzmann relation at the wall in inductively coupled plasmas

The radial profiles of the electron density at the bottom wall were measured from the center to the edge at argon 3 mTorr with an RF power of 200 W. Since the Boltzmann relation in terms of the fluid picture only describes the behavior of the confined particles, the escaping electrons, which are not confined in plasmas, were not expected to follow the Boltzmann relation. However, unexpected results were observed. The spatial profiles of the density of escaping electrons and the floating potential were well described by the Boltzmann relation with the electron temperature. Moreover, it was concluded that the behavior of the escaping electrons is also described by the generalized Boltzmann relation in terms of the kinetic model.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Tracing the 4000 year history of organic thin films: From monolayers on liquids to multilayers on solids

The recorded history of organic monolayer and multilayer thin films spans approximately 4000 years. Fatty-acid-based monolayers were deposited on water by the ancients for applications ranging from fortune telling in King Hammurabi's time (∼1800 BC, Mesopotamia) to stilling choppy waters for sailors and divers as reported by the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder in ∼78 AD, and then much later (1774) by the peripatetic American statesman and natural philosopher Benjamin Franklin, to Japanese “floating-ink” art (suminagashi) developed ∼1000 years ago. The modern science of organic monolayers began in the late-1800s/early-1900s with experiments by Lord Rayleigh and the important development by Agnes Pockels, followed two decades later by Irving Langmuir, of the tools and technology to measure the surface tension of liquids, the surface pressure of organic monolayers deposited on water, interfacial properties, molecular conformation of the organic layers, and phase transitions which occur upon compressing the monolayers. In 1935, Katherine Blodgett published a landmark paper showing that multilayers can be synthesized on solid substrates, with controlled thickness and composition, using an apparatus now known as the Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) trough. A disadvantage of LB films for some applications is that they form weak physisorbed bonds to the substrate. In 1946, Bigelow, Pickett, and Zisman demonstrated, in another seminal paper, the growth of organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) via spontaneous adsorption from solution, rather than from the water/air interface, onto SiO{sub 2} and metal substrates. SAMs are close-packed two-dimensional organic crystals which exhibit strong covalent bonding to the substrate. The first multicomponent adsorbed monolayers and multilayer SAMs were produced in the early 1980s. Langmuir monolayers, L-B multilayers, and self-assembled mono- and multilayers have found an extraordinarily broad range of applications including controlled wetting, adhesion, electrochemistry, biocompatibility, molecular recognition, biosensing, cell biology, non-linear optics, molecular electronics, solar cells, read/write/erase memory, and magnetism.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Observations of imposed ordered structures in a dusty plasma at high magnetic field

Dusty plasmas have been studied in argon, rf glow discharge plasmas at magnetic fields up to 2 T, where the electrons and ions are strongly magnetized. In this experiment, plasmas are generated between two parallel plate electrodes where the lower, powered electrode is solid and the upper, electrically floating electrode supports a semi-transparent, titanium mesh. We report on the formation of an ordered dusty plasma, where the dust particles form a spatial structure that is aligned to the mesh. We discuss possible mechanisms that may lead to the formation of the “dust grid” and point out potential implications and applications of these observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of secondary electron emission on the plasma sheath

In this experiment, plasma sheath potential profiles are measured over boron nitride walls in argon plasma and the effect of secondary electron emission is observed. Results are compared to a kinetic model. Plasmas are generated with a number density of 3 × 10{sup 12} m{sup −3} at a pressure of 10{sup −4} Torr-Ar, with a 1%–16% fraction of energetic primary electrons. The sheath potential profile at the surface of each sample is measured with emissive probes. The electron number densities and temperatures are measured in the bulk plasma with a planar Langmuir probe. The plasma is non-Maxwellian, with isotropic and directed energetic electron populations from 50 to 200 eV and hot and cold Maxwellian populations from 3.6 to 6.4 eV and 0.3 to 1.3 eV, respectively. Plasma Debye lengths range from 4 to 7 mm and the ion-neutral mean free path is 0.8 m. Sheath thicknesses range from 20 to 50 mm, with the smaller thickness occurring near the critical secondary electron emission yield of the wall material. Measured floating potentials are within 16% of model predictions. Measured sheath potential profiles agree with model predictions within 5 V (∼1 T{sub e}), and in four out of six cases deviate less than the measurement uncertainty of 1 V.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Comparative measurements of plasma potential with ball-pen and Langmuir probe in low-temperature magnetized plasma

The ball-pen probe (BPP) is used for direct plasma potential measurements in magnetized plasma. The probe can adjust the ratio of the electron and ion saturation currents I{sub sat}{sup −}/I{sub sat}{sup +} to be close to one and therefore its I-V characteristic becomes nearly symmetric. If this is achieved, the floating potential of the BPP is close to the plasma potential. Because of its rather simple construction, it offers an attractive probe for measurements in magnetized plasma. Comparative measurements of plasma potential by BPPs of different dimensions as well as one Langmuir probe (LP) in an argon discharge plasma of a cylindrical magnetron were performed at various experimental conditions. An additional comparison by an emissive probe was also performed. All these types of probes provide similar values of plasma potential in a wide range of plasma parameters. Our results for three different BPP dimensions indicate that the BPP can be operated in a cylindrical magnetron DC argon discharge if the value of the ratio of the magnetic field and neutral gas pressure, B/p, is greater than approximately 10 mT/Pa.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Phosphorus out-diffusion in laser molten silicon

Laser doping via liquid phase diffusion enables the formation of defect free pn junctions and a tailoring of diffusion profiles by varying the laser pulse energy density and the overlap of laser pulses. We irradiate phosphorus diffused 100 oriented p-type float zone silicon wafers with a 5 μm wide line focused 6.5 ns pulsed frequency doubled Nd:YVO{sub 4} laser beam, using a pulse to pulse overlap of 40%. By varying the number of laser scans N{sub s} = 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 at constant pulse energy density H = 1.3 J/cm{sup 2} and H = 0.79 J/cm{sup 2} we examine the out-diffusion of phosphorus atoms performing secondary ion mass spectroscopy concentration measurements. Phosphorus doping profiles are calculated by using a numerical simulation tool. The tool models laser induced melting and re-solidification of silicon as well as the out-diffusion of phosphorus atoms in liquid silicon during laser irradiation. We investigate the observed out-diffusion process by comparing simulations with experimental concentration measurements. The result is a pulse energy density independent phosphorus out-diffusion velocity v{sub out} = 9 ± 1 cm/s in liquid silicon, a partition coefficient of phosphorus 1 < k{sub p} < 1.1 and a diffusion coefficient D = 1.4(±0.2)cm{sup 2}/s × 10{sup −3 }× exp[−183 meV/(k{sub B}T)].

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗