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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Electroluminescence from GeSn heterostructure pin diodes at the indirect to direct transition

The emission properties of GeSn heterostructure pin diodes have been investigated. The devices contain thick (400–600 nm) Ge{sub 1−y}Sn{sub y} i-layers spanning a broad compositional range below and above the crossover Sn concentration y{sub c} where the Ge{sub 1−y}Sn{sub y} alloy becomes a direct-gap material. These results are made possible by an optimized device architecture containing a single defected interface thereby mitigating the deleterious effects of mismatch-induced defects. The observed emission intensities as a function of composition show the contributions from two separate trends: an increase in direct gap emission as the Sn concentration is increased, as expected from the reduction and eventual reversal of the separation between the direct and indirect edges, and a parallel increase in non-radiative recombination when the mismatch strains between the structure components is partially relaxed by the generation of misfit dislocations. An estimation of recombination times based on the observed electroluminescence intensities is found to be strongly correlated with the reverse-bias dark current measured in the same devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fermi level pinning in metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/InGaAs gate stack after post metallization annealing

The effect of post metal deposition annealing on the effective work function in metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/InGaAs gate stacks was investigated. The effective work functions of different metal gates (Al, Au, and Pt) were measured. Flat band voltage shifts for these and other metals studied suggest that their Fermi levels become pinned after the post-metallization vacuum annealing. Moreover, there is a difference between the measured effective work functions of Al and Pt, and the reported vacuum work function of these metals after annealing. We propose that this phenomenon is caused by charging of indium and gallium induced traps at the annealed metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Domain wall pinning on strain relaxation defects (stacking faults) in nanoscale FePd (001)/MgO thin films

FePd (001) films, prepared by an electron beam deposition system on MgO(100), exhibit a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (1.7 × 10{sup 7 }erg/cc) with a high order parameter (0.92). The relation between stacking faults induced by the strain relaxation, which act as strong domain wall pinning sites, and the perpendicular coercivity of (001) oriented L1{sub 0} FePd films prepared at different temperatures have been investigated. Perpendicular coercivity can be apparently enhanced by raising the stacking fault densities, which can be elevated by climbing dissociation of total dislocation. The increased stacking fault densities (1.22 nm{sup −2}) with large perpendicular coercivity (6000 Oe) are obtained for samples prepared at 650 °C. This present work shows through controlling stacking fault density in FePd film, the coercivity can be manipulated, which can be applied in future magnetic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fermi level pinning at the Ge(001) surface—A case for non-standard explanation

To explore the origin of the Fermi level pinning in germanium, we investigate the Ge(001) and Ge(001):H surfaces. The absence of relevant surface states in the case of Ge(001):H should unpin the surface Fermi level. This is not observed. For samples with donors as majority dopants, the surface Fermi level appears close to the top of the valence band regardless of the surface structure. Surprisingly, for the passivated surface, it is located below the top of the valence band allowing scanning tunneling microscopy imaging within the band gap. We argue that the well known electronic mechanism behind band bending does not apply and a more complicated scenario involving ionic degrees of freedom is therefore necessary. Experimental techniques involve four point probe electric current measurements, scanning tunneling microscopy, and spectroscopy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Detection of ferromagnetic domain wall pinning and depinning with a semiconductor device

We demonstrate the detection of a ferromagnetic domain wall using a nanoscale Hall cross. A narrow permalloy wire is defined lithographically on top of a Hall cross fabricated from an InAs quantum well. The width of the Hall cross (500 nm–1 μm) is similar to the width of the ferromagnetic wire (200–500 nm), and a geometric pinning site is fabricated in the ferromagnetic wire to trap a domain wall within the area of the Hall cross. The devices provide a signal that is often the same order of magnitude as the offset Hall voltage when a domain wall is located above the Hall cross, and may be useful for memory applications. Different geometries for the Hall cross and ferromagnetic wire are tested, and radiofrequency pulses are sent into the wire to demonstrate current driven domain wall motion. Further changes to the Hall bar geometry with respect to the wire geometry are investigated by numerical computation. A large gain in signal is seen for Hall bars only slightly wider than the ferromagnetic wires as compared to those twice as wide, as well as a larger sensitivity to the exact position of the domain wall with respect to the center of the Hall cross.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Characterization of total ionizing dose damage in COTS pinned photodiode CMOS image sensors

The characterization of total ionizing dose (TID) damage in COTS pinned photodiode (PPD) CMOS image sensors (CISs) is investigated. The radiation experiments are carried out at a {sup 60}Co γ-ray source. The CISs are produced by 0.18-μm CMOS technology and the pixel architecture is 8T global shutter pixel with correlated double sampling (CDS) based on a 4T PPD front end. The parameters of CISs such as temporal domain, spatial domain, and spectral domain are measured at the CIS test system as the EMVA 1288 standard before and after irradiation. The dark current, random noise, dark signal non-uniformity (DSNU), photo response non-uniformity (PRNU), overall system gain, saturation output, dynamic range (DR), signal to noise ratio (SNR), quantum efficiency (QE), and responsivity versus the TID are reported. The behaviors of the tested CISs show remarkable degradations after radiation. The degradation mechanisms of CISs induced by TID damage are also analyzed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

The effect of frequency on atmospheric pressure glow discharge in a pin-to-plate gap sustained by a resonant power supply

More and more researchers have been attracted to the research of atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) because of its great prospect in numerous industrial applications. Nevertheless, almost all of the industrial applications are based on achievement of stable, large-volume, and uniform APGD. In a previous study, stable filamentary APGD was obtained by applying a resonant power supply between pin-to-plate electrodes which could limit the peak value of discharge current to supress the glow-to-arc transition through a series-wound resonance principle. The filamentary APGD is centimeter-level in the length but only several millimeters in diameter. Therefore, in order to obtain large-volume and uniform APGD, it is significant to study how to diffuse filamentary APGD in radial direction. With the increasing resonant frequency of alternating current discharge, excited particles (mainly including energetic electrons and trapped ions left from the previous half-cycle discharge) in the electrodes gap increase, which benefits obtaining stable self-sustaining APGD. In this paper, mechanism and law of the influence of resonant frequency on the diffusion of filamentary APGD in ambient air were studied. By comparing the photos of discharge plasma and waveforms of the discharge voltage and current, it is found that the volume of the glow discharge plasma enlarges as the resonant frequency of the power supply increases. It is very significant and anticipating to study how to obtain stable, large-volume, and uniform APGD in ambient air by the resonant power supply.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Time-delayed transition of normal-to-abnormal glow in pin-to-water discharge

Time-delayed transition of normal-to-abnormal glow was investigated in discharge between spoke-like pins and ultrapure water by applying AC-driven power at a frequency of 14.3 kHz at atmospheric pressure. The normal-to-abnormal transition can be recognized from the slope changes of current density, gas temperature, electrode temperature, and OH density. The slope changes took place in tens of minutes rather than just after discharge, in other words, the transition was delayed. The time-delay of the transition was caused by the interaction between the plasma and water. The plasma affected water properties, and then the water affected plasma properties.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Analysis of the reverse I-V characteristics of diamond-based PIN diodes

Diamond is one of the most promising candidates for high power and high temperature applications, due to its large bandgap and high thermal conductivity. As a result of the growth and fabrication process of diamond-based devices, structural defects such as threading dislocations (TDs) may degrade the electrical properties of such devices. Understanding and control of such defects are important for improving device technology, particularly the reverse breakdown characteristics. Here, we show that the reverse bias current-voltage characteristics in diamond PIN diodes can be described by hopping conduction and Poole-Frenkel emission through TDs over the temperature (T) range of 323 K < T < 423 K, for typical values of the TD density found in epitaxially grown materials.

Saremi, Mehdi (ORCID:0000000150415886)↗
DOE OSTI2018

Assessing the role of hydrogen in Fermi-level pinning in chalcopyrite and kesterite solar absorbers from first-principles calculations

Understanding the impact of impurities in solar absorbers is critical to engineering high-performance in devices, particularly over extended periods of time. Here we use hybrid functional calculations to explore the role of hydrogen interstitial (H i ) defects on the electronic properties of a number of attractive solar absorbers within the chalcopyrite and kesterite families to identify how this common impurity may influence device performance. Our results identify that H i can inhibit the highly p-type conditions desirable for several higher-band gap absorbers and that H incorporation could detrimentally affect the open-circuit voltage (V oc ) and limit device efficiencies. Moreover, we discover that H i can drive the Fermi level away from the valence band edge enough to lead to n-type conductivity in a number of chalcopyrite and kesterite absorbers, particularly those containing Ag rather than Cu. We find these results can lead to interfacial Fermi-level pinning that can qualitatively explain observed performance in high-Ga content CIGSe solar cells that exhibit saturation in the V oc with increasing band gap. Our results suggest that compositional grading rather than bulk alloying, such as by creating In-rich surfaces, may be a better strategy to favorably engineering improved thin-film photovoltaics with larger-band gap absorbers.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Turbulent flow characteristics in an 84-pin rod bundle for typical and damaged spacer grids

Hexagonal rod bundles arranged in a tightly packed triangular lattice are extensively used for heat transfer and energy generation applications. Staggered spacer grids are used to maintain the structural integrity of gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) fuel assemblies, while inducing localized turbulence in flow. Damage to these spacer grids results in a disruption of flow fields within these hexagonal fuel bundles. Experimental flow visualizations are critical to identify the differences in local flow properties that the structural damage may cause. This experimental research investigates the flow-field characteristics at a near-wall and center plane in a prototypical 84-pin GFR fuel assembly. Newly installed typical spacers and spacers subject to naturally occurring damage due to material degradation over prolonged experimentation were investigated. Velocity fields were acquired by utilizing the matched-index-of-refraction method to obtain time-resolved particle image velocimetry measurements for a Reynolds number of 12 000. Reynolds decomposition statistical results divulged differences in the time-averaged velocity, velocity fluctuations, flow anisotropy, and Reynolds stress distributions. Galilean decomposition demarcated the influence of spacer grid damage on the velocity fields. To extract turbulent structures and elucidate mechanisms of flow instabilities, proper orthogonal decomposition analysis was employed. Reduced order flow reconstructions enabled the application of vortex identification algorithms to determine the spatial and statistical characteristics of vortices generated. This research work provides unique experimental data on the spacer grid condition-dependent flow. The results offer a deeper understanding of fluid dynamics behavior to support GFR rod bundle design efforts and computational fluid dynamics model validation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Imaging suprathermal x-rays from a laboratory plasma jet using PIN-diode-based and scintillator-based 1D pinhole/coded aperture cameras

A PIN-diode-based 1D x-ray camera and a scintillator-based 1D x-ray camera, both with a microsecond to submicrosecond time resolution, have been developed to perform time-resolved imaging of transient, low-intensity, suprathermal x-rays associated with magnetohydrodynamic instabilities disrupting a plasma jet. These cameras have a high detection efficiency over a broad x-ray band, a wide field of view, and the capability to produce >50 time-resolved frames with a ≤1 μs time resolution. The x-ray images are formed by a pinhole or by a coded aperture placed outside a vacuum chamber in which the plasma jet is launched. The 1D imaging shows that the location of the x-ray source is either a few centimeters away from an inner disk electrode or near a spatially translatable metal frame that is 30–40 cm away from the electrode. Compared to a pinhole, a coded aperture increases the signal collection efficiency but also introduces unwanted artifacts.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flow field characteristics of a 127-pin rod bundle with hexagonal spacer grids

A determination of nominal flow phenomena in liquid metal fast reactor (LMFR) fuel assemblies is critical toward generation-IV reactor development. Axially positioned spacer grids are used to maintain the geometry of hexagonal rod bundles and simultaneously introduce perturbations in the flow. Three-dimensional (3D) printed asymmetric honeycomb spacer grids were installed in a prototypical 127-pin LMFR fuel assembly model to study complex fluid dynamics interactions induced by the spacer grid and rods. To characterize flow dynamics in this intricate geometry, time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) using the matched-index-of-refraction method was employed to obtain non-intrusive velocity measurements for three axial planes (one near-wall and two interior planes) at a Reynolds number of 6000. The statistical TR-PIV results compared sub-channel-dependent normalized time-averaged velocity, velocity fluctuations, Reynolds stress, vorticity, and turbulence kinetic energy distributions. TR-PIV line profiles characterized downstream spacer grid flow dynamics. Two-point spatial and spatial–temporal cross-correlation fields revealed local coherent structures and quantified convection velocities of traveling vortices. Spatial–temporal decomposition using dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) applied to the near-wall vorticity fields extracted turbulent structures and flow instabilities in the wake region of the spacer grid, along with their decay and frequency rates. Reduced-order velocity fields from DMD reconstructions identified the most energy-containing coherent structures persistent in the near-wall region. This research provides experimental data sets and analyses of flow behavior in rod bundles with hexagonal spacer grids. In conclusion, the results are critical toward LMFR design and geometry optimization, crucial for the validation of computational fluid dynamics and reduced-order flow models.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pressure Drop in Seven-Pin Wire-Wrapped Rod Bundle for the Sodium Cartridge Loop in Versatile Test Reactor

This work studies the hydrodynamics of the seven pin wire-wrapped rod bundle in the sodium cartridge loop for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) through scaled water experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Here, the scaling analysis is first performed to demonstrate the hydrodynamic similarity between water and sodium flows at the same Reynolds number Re. A separate-effects test facility is designed and constructed based on the scaling analysis. Detailed experimental data on the pressure drop covering a wide range of Re values (1165 to 27 689) are obtained, which are used to evaluate existing correlations for friction factor and to benchmark CFD simulations. The experimentally determined friction factors f Exp agree well with the Upgraded Cheng and Todreas Detailed Correlation and Pacio-Chen-Todreas Detailed Model within ±7% but are significantly underpredicted by Rehme's correlation by 25%. Various CFD near-wall treatment methods are tested using ANSYS Fluent and evaluated by experimental data. It is found that when the recommended wall y + values are met, most of the near-wall treatment methods can give accurate friction factor predictions. The resolved near-wall method (y + ~ 1) with the Shear Stress Transport k - ω turbulence model and the scalable wall functions (y + > 12) with the realizable k - ε turbulence model can predict f Exp within ±5% The standard wall functions (y + > 30) and nonequilibrium wall functions (y + > 30) with the realizable k - ε model can predict f Exp within ±10%.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

On the role of precursor powder composition in controlling microstructure, flux pinning, and the critical current density of Ag/Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_x$ conductors

Precursor powder composition is known to strongly affect the critical current density (J c ) of Ag/Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_x$ (Bi-2212) wires. However, reasons for such J c dependence have not yet been fully understood, compromising our ability to achieve further optimization. In this paper, we systematically examined superconducting properties, microstructural evolution and phase transformation, and grain boundaries of Bi-2212 conductors fabricated from precursor powders with a range of compositions using a combination of transport-current measurements, a quench technique to freeze microstructures at high temperatures during heat treatment, and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Samples include both dip-coated tapes and round wires, among which a commercial round wire carries a high J c of 7600 A mm -2 at 4.2 K, self-field and 2600 A mm -2 at 4.2 K, 20 T, respectively. In the melt, this high-J c conductor, made using a composition of Bi 2.17 Sr 1.94 Ca 0.89 Cu 2 O x , contains a uniform dispersion of fine alkaline-earth cuprate (AEC) and copper-free solid phases, whereas several low-J c conductors contain large AEC particles. Such significant differences in the phase morphologies in the melt are accompanied by a drastic difference in the formation kinetics of Bi-2212 during recrystallization cooling. STEM studies show that Bi-2212 grain colonies in the high-J c conductors have a high density of Bi 2 Sr 2 CuO y (Bi-2201) intergrowths, whereas a low-J c conductor, made using Bi 2.14 Sr 1.66 Ca 1.24 Cu 1.96 O x , is nearly free of them. STEM investigation shows grain boundaries in low-J c conductors are often insulated with a Bi-rich amorphous phase. Finally, high-J c conductors also show higher flux-pinning strength, which we ascribe to their higher Bi-2201 intergrowth density.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Beneficial influence of Hf and Zr additions to Nb4at%Ta on the vortex pinning of Nb 3 Sn with and without an O source

In this paper we show that addition of Hf to Nb4Ta can significantly improve the high field performance of Nb 3 Sn, making it suitable for dipole magnets for a machine like the 100 TeV Future Circular Collider (FCC). A big challenge of the FCC is that the desired non-Cu critical current density (J c ) target of 1500 A mm –2 (16 T, 4.2 K) is substantially above the best present Nb 3 Sn conductors doped with Ti or Ta (~1300 A mm –2 in the very best sample of the very best commercial wire). Recent success with internal oxidation of Nb–Zr precursor has shown significant improvement in the layer J c of Nb 3 Sn wires, albeit with the complication of providing an internal oxygen diffusion pathway and avoiding degradation of the irreversibility field H Irr . We here extend the Nb1Zr oxidation approach by comparing Zr and Hf additions to the standard Nb4Ta alloy of maximum H c2 and H Irr . Nb4Ta rods with 1Zr or 1Hf were made into monofilament wires with and without SnO 2 and their properties measured over the entire superconducting range at fields up to 31 T. We found that Group IV alloying of Nb4Ta does raise H Irr , though O 2 addition still slightly degrades it. As noted in earlier Nb1Zr work with an O source, the pinning force density F p is strongly enhanced and its peak value shifted to higher field by internal oxidation. A surprising result of this work is that we found better properties in Nb4Ta1Hf without SnO 2 , F pMax achieving 2.35 times that of the standard Nb4Ta alloy, while the oxidized Nb4Ta1Zr alloy achieved 1.54 times that of the Nb4Ta alloy. The highest layer J c (16 T, 4.2 K) of 3700 A mm –2 was found in the SnO 2 -free wire made with Nb4Ta1Hf alloy. Using a standard A15 cross-section fraction of 60% for modern powder-in-tube and rod restack process wires, we estimated that a non-Cu J c of 2200 A mm –2 is obtainable in modern conductors, well above the 1500 A mm –2 FCC specification. Moreover, since the best properties were obtained without SnO 2 , the Nb4Ta1Hf alloy appears to open a straightforward route to enhanced properties in Nb 3 Sn wires manufactured by virtually all the presently used commercial routes employed today.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transport characterization and pinning analysis of BaFe 1.9 Ni 0.1 As 2.05 thin films

In this paper, we report on the vortex-glass transition and superconducting performance of BaFe 1.9 Ni 0.1 As 2.05 thin films with T c = 17.8 K on CaF 2 (00 l ) single crystals by pulsed laser deposition. Atomic force microscopy characterization indicates the volumes of droplets appearing on the film surface increase with thickness and Magneto-optical imaging proves slight inhomogeneities in the current flow within the ab -plane of thin film. The thin films show a transport current density J c of ~1.14 MA cm –2 in self-field, and 0.34 and 0.28 MA cm –2 for H // c and H // ab up to 9 T at 4.2 K. Pinning mechanism associated with the fluctuations in the mean free path of the charge carries is found to be dominant in the thin films. The vortex-glass (VG) to vortex-liquid phase transition is identified in terms of the plots of the logarithmic derivative of the resistivity curves under different fields, allowing us to deduce the values of the VG transition temperature T g , and the critical exponent s . The ρ – T curves are well scaled by VG theory. A phase diagram combining the VG transition temperature, irreversibility field and upper critical field is constructed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Microwave measurements of the high magnetic field vortex motion pinning parameters in Nb$_3$Sn

The high frequency vortex motion in Nb3Sn was analyzed in this work up to 12 T. We used a dielectric loaded resonator tuned at 15 GHz to evaluate the surface impedance Z of a Nb3Sn bulk sample (24.8 at.%Sn). From the field induced variation of Z, the high frequency vortex parameters (the pinning constant k p , the depinning frequency ν p and the flux flow resistivity ρ ff ) were obtained over a large temperature and field range; their field and temperature dependencies were analyzed. Comparison with other superconducting materials shows that high frequency applications in strong magnetic fields are also feasible with Nb3Sn. In the present work, we report the first measurements about the microwave response in Nb3Sn in strong magnetic fields.

Alimenti, Andrea↗