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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Low-Noise Submillimeter-Wave NbTiN Superconducting Tunnel Junction Mixers

We have developed a low-noise 850 GHz superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) quasi-particle mixer with NbTiN thin-film microstrip tuning circuits and hybrid Nb/AlN/NbTiN tunnel junctions. The mixer uses a quasioptical configuration with a planar twin-slot antenna feeding a two-junction tuning circuit. At 798 GHz, we measured an uncorrected double-sideband receiver noise temperature of T(sub RX) = 260 K at 4.2 K bath temperature. This mixer outperforms current Nb SIS mixers by a factor of nearly 2 near 800 GHz. The high gap frequency and low loss at 800 GHz make NbTiN an attractive material with which to fabricate tuning circuits for SIS mixers. NbTiN mixers can potentially operate up to the gap frequency, 2(delta)/h is approximately 1.2THz.

Kawamura, J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Thermophysical Properties of GRCop-84

The thermophysical properties and electrical resistivity of GRCop-84 (Cu - 8 at.% Cr-4 at.% Nb) were measured from cryogenic temperatures to near its melting point. The data were analyzed using weighted regression to determine the properties as a function of temperature and assign appropriate confidence intervals. The results showed that the thermal expansion of GRCop-84 was significantly lower than NARloy-Z (Cu-3 wt. % Ag-0.5 wt. % Zr), the currently used thrust cell liner material. The lower thermal expansion is expected to translate into lower thermally induced stresses and increases in thrust cell liner lives between 2X and 41X over NARloy-Z. The somewhat lower thermal conductivity of GRCop-84 can be offset by redesigning the liners to utilize its much greater mechanical properties. Optimized designs are not expected to suffer from the lower thermal conductivity. Electrical resistivity data, while not central to the primary application, show that GRCop-84 has potential for applications where a combination of good electrical conductivity and strength is required.

Ellis, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fabrication of an Aluminum Based Hot Electron Mixer for Terahertz Applications

Aluminum based diffusion cooled hot electron bolometers (HEB) mixers, predicted to have better noise, bandwidth and to require less LO power than Nb based diffusion cooled HEBs, have been fabricated. Preliminary DC tests were performed. The bolometer elements consisted of short (0.1 to 0.3 micron), narrow (0.08 to 0. 15 micron) and thin (11 nm) aluminum wires connected to large contact pads consisting of a novel trilayer Al/Ti/Au. The patterns were defined by electron beam lithography and the metal deposition involved a double angle process, the Aluminum wires being deposited straight on and the pads being deposited at a 45 degree angle without breaking vacuum. The Al/Ti/Au trilayer was developed to provide a way of making contact between the aluminum wire and the gold antenna. The Titanium layer acts as a diffusion barrier to avoid damage of the Aluminum contact and bolometer wire and to lower the transition temperature of the pads to below that of the bolometer wire. The Au layer avoids the formation of an oxide on the Ti layer and provides good electrical contact to the IF/antenna structure. The resistance of the bolometers as a function of temperature was measured. It is clear that below the transition temperature of the wire (1.8K) but above the transition temperature of the contact pads (0.6K), the proximity effect drives most of the bolometer wire normal, causing a very broad transition. This effect should not affect the performance of the bolometers since they will be operated at a temperature below the TC of the pads. This is evident from the IV characteristics measured at 0.3K. RF characterization tests will begin shortly.

Echternach, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Hot-Electron Far-Infrared Direct Detector

A new approach is proposed to improve the sensitivity of direct-detection bolometers at millimeter, submillimeter and far-infrared wavelengths. The idea is to adjust a speed of the thermal relaxation of hot-electrons in a nanometer size normal metal or super-conductive transition edge bolometer by controlling the elastic electron mean free path. If the bolometer contacts are made of a superconductor with high critical temperature (Nb, Pb etc.) then the thermal diffusion into the contacts is absent because of the Andreev's reflection and the electron-phonon relaxation is the only mechanism for heat removal. The relaxation rate should behave as T(sup 4)l at subkelvin temperatures (l is the electron elastic mean free path) and can be reduced by factor of 10-100 by decreasing l. Then an antenna- or waveguide-coupled bolometer with a time constant about 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -5) s at T approximately equals 0.1-0.3 K will exhibit photon-noise limited performance in millimeter and submillimeter range. The choice of the bolometer material is a tradeoff between a low electron heat capacity and fabrication. A state-of-the-art bolometer currently offers NEP = 10(exp -17) W(Square root of (Hz)) at 100 mK along with a approximately equals 2 msec time constant. The bolometer we propose will have a figure-of-merit, NEP(square root (r)), which is 10(exp 3) times smaller. This will allow for a tremendous increase in speed which will have a significant impact for observational mapping applications. Alternatively, the bolometer could operate at higher temperature with still superior sensitivity. This device can significantly increase a science return and reduce the cost for future observational missions. This research was performed by the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and was sponsored by NASA, Office of Space Science.

Karasik, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Oxidation Behavior of GRCop-84 (Cu-8Cr-4Nb) at Intermediate and High Temperatures

The oxidation behavior of GRCop-84 (Cu-8 at %Cr-4 at %Nb) has been investigated in air and in oxygen, for durations of 0.5 to 50 hours and temperatures ranging from 500 to 900 C. For comparison, data was also obtained for the oxidation of Cu and NARloy-Z (Cu-3 wt% Ag-0.5 wt% Zr) under the same conditions. Arrhenius plots of those data showed that all three materials had similar oxidation rates at high temperatures (> 750 C). However, at intermediate temperatures (500 to 750 C) GRCop exhibited significantly higher oxidation resistance than Cu and NARloy-Z. The oxidation kinetics of GRCop-84 exhibited a sharp and discontinuous jump between the two regimes. Also, in the high temperature regime GRCop-84 oxidation rate was found to change from a high initial value to a significantly smaller terminal value at each temperature, with progress of oxidation; the two different oxidation rates were found to correlate with a porous intial oxide and a dense final oxide, respectively.

Thomas-Ogbuji, Linus U.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Modeling of Ternary Element Site Substitution in NiAl

It is well recognized that ternary alloying additions can have a dramatic impact on the behavior of ordered intermetallic alloys such as nickel aluminides. Properties as diverse as yield strength, fracture strength, fracture mode, cyclic oxidation resistance, creep strength, and thermal and electrical diffusivity can change by orders of magnitude when a few percent or less of a ternary element is added. Yet our understanding of the resulting point defect structures and the simple site preferences of ternary alloying additions is poor because these are extremely difficult characteristics to determine. This disconnection between the understanding of the structure and properties in ordered alloys is at least in part responsible for the limited development and commercialization of these materials. Theoretical methods have provided useful but limited insight in this area, since most techniques suffer from constraints in the type of elements and the crystallographic structures that can be modeled. In an effort to overcome these limitations, the Bozzolo-Ferrante-Smith (BFS) method for alloys was designed. After a brief description of this approximate quantum mechanical approach, we use BFS to investigate the energetics of Si, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Cu, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Hf, Ta and W additions to B2-ordered, stoichiometric NiAl. In addition to determining the site preference for these alloying additions over a range of compositions, we include results for the concentration dependence of the lattice parameter. In this introductory paper, we performed our analyses in the absence of constitutional and thermal vacancies for alloys of the form Ni50(Al,X)50. Where data exist, a comparison between experimental, theoretical, and BFS results is also included.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS2001

Thermodynamic Data for Fifty Reference Elements

This report is a compilation of thermodynamic functions of 50 elements in their reference state. The functions are: C(sup 0, sub p), {H(T)-H(sup 0)(0)}, S(sup 0)(T), and - {G(sup 0)(T) - H(sup 0)(0)} for the elements Ag, Al, Ar, B, Ba, Be, Br2, C, Ca, Cd, Cl2, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, F2, Fe, Ge, H2, He, Hg, I2, K, Kr, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, N2, Na, Nb, Ne, Ni, O2, P, Pb, Rb, S, Si, Sn, Sr, Th, Th, Ti, U, V, W, Xe, Zn, and Zr. Deuterium D, and electron gas e(sup -) are also included. The data are tabulated as functions of temperature as well as given in the form of least-squares coefficients for two functional forms for C(sup 0, sub p) with integration constants for enthalpy and entropy. One functional form for C(sup 0, sub p) is a fourth-order polynomial and the other has two additional terms, one with T(sup -1) and the other with T(sup -2). The gases Ar, D2, e(sup -), H2, He, Kr, N2, Ne, O2, and Xe are tabulated for temperatures from 100 to 20 000 K. The remaining gases Cl2 and F2 are tabulated from 100 to 6000 K. The polynomial functional form for C(sup 0, sub p) for all these gases is split into two temperature intervals of 200 to 1000 K and 1000 to 6000 K. The second functional form for (sup 0, sub p) has an additional interval from 6000 to 20 000 K for the gases tabulated to 20 000 K. The fits are constrained so that the properties match at the common temperature endpoints. The temperature ranges for the condensed species vary with range of the data, phase changes, and shapes of the C(sup 0, sub p) curves.

McBride, Bonnie J.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Effectiveness of Diffusion Barrier Coatings for Mo-Re Embedded in C/SiC and C/C

Advanced high-temperature cooling applications may often require the elevated-temperature capability of carbon/silicon carbide or carbon/carbon composites in combination with the hermetic capability of metallic tubes. In this paper, the effects of C/SiC and C/C on tubes fabricated from several different refractory metals were evaluated. Though Mo, Nb, and Re were evaluated in the present study, the primary effort was directed toward two alloys of Mo-Re, namely, arc cast Mo-41Re and powder metallurgy Mo-47.5Re. Samples of these refractory metals were subjected to either the PyC/SiC deposition or embedding in C/C. MoSi2(Ge), R512E, and TiB2 coatings were included on several of the samples as potential diffusion barriers. The effects of the processing and thermal exposure on the samples were evaluated by conducting burst tests, microhardness surveys, and scanning electron microscopic examination (using either secondary electron or back scattered electron imaging and energy dispersive spectroscopy). The results showed that a layer of brittle Mo-carbide formed on the substrates of both the uncoated Mo-41Re and the uncoated Mo-47.5Re, subsequent to the C/C or the PyC/SiC processing. Both the R512E and the MoSi2(Ge) coatings were effective in preventing not only the diffusion of C into the Mo-Re substrate, but also the formation of the Mo-carbides. However, none of the coatings were effective at preventing both C and Si diffusion without some degradation of the substrate.

Glass, David E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Kinetic Inductance Photodetectors Based on Nonequilibrium Response in Superconducting Thin-Film Structures

While experimental studies of kinetic-inductance sensors have been limited so far by the temperature range near the superconducting transition, these detectors can be very sensitivity at temperatures well below the transition, where the number of equilibrium quasiparticles is exponentially small. In this regime, a shift of the quasiparticle chemical potential under radiation results in the change of the kinetic inductance, which can be measured by a sensitive SQUID readout. We modeled the kinetic inductance response of detectors made from disordered superconducting Nb, NbC, and MoRe films. Low phonon transparency of the interface between the superconductor and the substrate causes substantial re-trapping of phonons providing high quantum efficiency and the operating time of approximately 1 ms at 1 K. Due to the small number of quasiparticles, the noise equivalent power of the detector determined by the quasiparticle generation-recombination noise can be as small as approximately 10(exp -19) W/Hz(exp 1/2) at He4 temperatures.

Sergeev, A. V.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Type NASA-23

NASA-23 alloy has been designed to fulfil NASA's unique need for a high strength, oxidation-and corrosion resistant alloy that is compatible with a high-pressure hydrogen environment. This alloy is a precipitation hardened iron-nickel base alloy with excellent strength and ductility art gaseous hydrogen (GH2), comparable to those of other alloys in its class, Inconel 718 and IN-903. NASA-23 has been designed with a sufficient amount of chromium to provide good corrosion/oxidation resistance. For hydrogen resistance, the alloy maintains a (Ni + Co)/Fe ratio close to 1.26, the same as that of Incoloy 903. Hardening constituents, Nb, Ti, and Al, are optimized for strength and ductility both in air and GH2 atmospheres.

Binayak, Panda↗
NASA NTRS2002

Designing Gamma TiAl Alloys (K5 Based) for Use at 840 C and Above

The objective of this program was to investigate how carbon additions and Al content variation affects RT tensile properties and creep performance in gamma TiAl alloys. On the basis of the results from the work four alloys were selected within the composition range of Ti-(44.7-47.0) Al-(1.0-1.7)Cr-3.0Nb-0.2W-0.2B-(0.23-0.43)C-(0, 0.2)Si. Through extensive annealing/aging experiments, detailed observations of microstructure evolution, property measurements and analyses, comprehensive understanding was made in the carbide formation process. It was found that creep properties depend on the distribution of carbide particles, which is controlled not only by the aging process but also the amount ratio fo Al and carbon. From the results and analysis, new creep-resistant alloy compositions are suggested for further development.

Kim, Young-Won↗
NASA NTRS2001

Aerospace Structural Materials Handbook Supplement GRCop-84

GRCop-84 is a high strength-high conductivity copper-based alloy developed at NASA Glenn Research Center for combustion chamber liners of regeneratively cooled rocket engines. It also has promise for other high heat flux applications operating at temperatures up to 700 C (1292 F) and potentially higher. The alloy must be made by powder metallurgy techniques such as gas atomization. Slower cooling rates such as those experienced during casting do not develop a proper microstructure. Once made into powder, the alloy exhibits excellent processability using conventional consolidation and forming techniques, e.g., extrusion and rolling. GRCop-84 is strengthened by a combination of dispersion and precipitation strengthening by fine (50-500 nanometer (2-20 microinch)) Cr2Nb particles and Hall-Petch strengthening from a fine copper grain size. The presence of a high volume fraction of particles prevents grain boundary sliding at high temperatures and contributes to the alloy's overall good high temperature mechanical properties. Maximum thermal conductivity is obtained by using two alloying elements (Cr, Nb) with limited solubility in solid Cu that form a high temperature intermetallic compound with an even lower solid solubility. The resulting matrix of the alloy is nearly pure copper. The limited solubility also minimizes Cr2Nb particle coarsening at elevated temperatures and enhances microstructural and mechanical property stability. Further enhancement of the microstructural stability is obtained by using a high volume fraction (approx. 14 vol.%) of Cr2Nb particles that effectively pin grain growth.

Ellis, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The General Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of Cu-8Cr-4Nb

Oxidation kinetics of Cu-8Cr-4Nb was investigated by TGA (thermogravimetric) exposures between 500 and 900-C (at 25-50 C intervals) and the oxide scale morphologies examined by microscopy and micro-analysis. Because Cu-8Cr-4Nb is comprised of fine Cr2Nb precipitates in a Cu matrix, the results were interpreted by comparison with the behavior of copper (OFHC) and 'NARloy-Z' (a rival candidate material for thrust cell liner applications in advanced rocket engines) under the same conditions. While NARloy-Z and Cu exhibited identical oxidation behavior, Cu-8Cr-4Nb differed markedly in several respects: below approx. 700 C its oxidation rates were significantly lower than those of Cu; At higher temperatures its oxidation rates fell into two categories: an initial rate exceeding that of Cu, and a terminal rate comparable to that of Cu. Differences in oxide morphologies paralleled the kinetic differences at higher temperature: While NARloy-Z and Cu produced a uniform oxide scale of Cu2O inner layer and CuO outer layer, the inner (Cu2O) layer on Cu-8Cr-4Nb was stratified, with a highly porous/spongy inner stratum (responsible for the fast initial kinetics) and a dense/blocky outer stratum (corresponding to the slow terminal kinetics). Single and spinel oxides of Nb and Cr were found at the interface between the oxide scale and Cu-8Cr-4Nb substrate and it appears that these oxides were responsible for its suppressed oxidation rates at the intermediate temperatures. No difference was found between Cu-8Cr-4Nb oxidation in air and in oxygen at 1.0 atm.

Thomas-Ogbuji, L. U.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Residual Stresses in Thermal Barrier Coatings for a Cu-8Cr-4Nb Substrate System

Analytical calculations were conducted to determine the thermal stresses developed in a coated copper-based alloy, Cu-8%(at.%)Cr-4%Nb (designated as GRCop-84), after plasma spraying and during heat-up in a simulated rocket engine environment. Finite element analyses were conducted for two coating systems consisting of a metallic top coat, a pure copper bond coat and the GRCop-84. The through thickness temperature variations were determined as a function of coating thickness for two metallic coatings, a Ni-17%(wt%)Cr-6%Al-0.5%Y alloy and a Ni-50%(at.%)Al alloy. The residual stresses after low-pressure plasma spraying of the NiCrAlY and NiAl coatings on GRCop-84 substrate were also evaluated. These analyses took into consideration a 50.8 mm copper bond coat and the effects of an interface coating roughness. The through the thickness thermal stresses developed in coated liners were also calculated after 15 minutes of exposure in a rocket environment with and without an interfacial roughness.

Ghosn, Louis J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Design Considerations for Lightweight Space Radiators Based on Fabrication and Test Experience With a Carbon-Carbon Composite Prototype Heat Pipe

This report discusses the design implications for spacecraft radiators made possible by the successful fabrication and proof-of-concept testing of a graphite-fiber-carbon-matrix composite (i.e., carbon-carbon (C-C)) heat pipe. The prototype heat pipe, or space radiator element, consists of a C-C composite shell with integrally woven fins. It has a thin-walled furnace-brazed metallic (Nb-1%Zr) liner with end caps for containment of the potassium working fluid. A short extension of this liner, at increased wall thickness beyond the C-C shell, forms the heat pipe evaporator section which is in thermal contact with the radiator fluid that needs to be cooled. From geometric and thermal transport properties of the C-C composite heat pipe tested, a specific radiator mass of 1.45 kg/sq m can be derived. This is less than one-fourth the specific mass of present day satellite radiators. The report also discusses the advantage of segmented space radiator designs utilizing heat pipe elements, or segments, in their survivability to micrometeoroid damage. This survivability is further raised by the use of condenser sections with attached fins, which also improve the radiation heat transfer rate. Since the problem of heat radiation from a fin does not lend itself to a closed analytical solution, a derivation of the governing differential equation and boundary conditions is given in appendix A, along with solutions for rectangular and parabolic fin profile geometries obtained by use of a finite difference computer code written by the author.

Juhasz, Albert J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Assembly of Colloidal Materials Using Bioadhesive Interactions

We have pursued the use of biological crosslinking molecules of several types to make colloidal materials at relatively low volume fraction of colloidal particles. The objective is to make binary alloys of colloidal particles, made of two different colloidal particles coated with complementary biological lock-and-key binding molecules, which assemble due to the biological specificity. The long-term goal is to use low affinity lock-and-key biological interactions, so that the can anneal to form crystalline states. We have used a variety of different surface chemistries in order to make colloidal materials. Our first system involved using selectin-carbohydrate (sialyl-Lewis) interactions; this chemistry is derived from immune system. This chemical interaction is of relatively low affinity, with timescales for dissociation of several seconds. Furthermore, the adhesion mediated by these molecules can be reversed by the chelation of calcium atoms; thus assembled structures can be disassembled reversibly. Our second system employed avidin-biotin chemistry. This well-studied system is of high affinity, and is generally irreversible on a laboratory time-scale. Thus, we would expect selectin-carbohydrate interactions at high molecular density and avidin-biotin interactions to give kinetically-trapped structures; however, at low densities, we would expect significant differences in the structure and dynamics of the two materials, owing to their very different release rates. We have also begun to use a third chemistry - DNA hybridization. By attaching single stranded DNA oligonucleotide chains to beads, we can drive the assembly of colloidal materials by hybridization of complementary DNA chains. It is well known that DNA adenosine-thymine (A-T) and guanine-cytosine (G-C) bases hybridize pairwise with a Gibbs free energy change of 1.7 kcal/mol per base; thus, the energy of the assembly can be modulated by altering the number of complementary bases in the DNA chains. Using these different crosslinking molecules, we have assembled colloidal materials from different-sized colloidal particles, A and B. In the first sets of experiment, we used high densities of adhesion molecules, and 0.96 micron (A) and 5.5 micron (B) diameter particles. The high density of adhesion molecules means that the structures are kinetically trapped in nonequilibrium configurations. The structure of the suspension can be varied by changing the number ratio of the two types of colloidal particles, NA and NB, where A is the smaller particle. With carbohydrate-selectin or avidin-biotin interactions, large NA/NB leads to the formation of colloidal micelles, with the large center B particle surrounded by many smaller A particles. As the ratio NA/NB decreases, the structures become more extended, approaching the formation of macro-Rouse polymers - extended linear chains where A beads are connected with intervening small B linkers.

Hammer, Daniel A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Site Occupancy of Ternary Additions to B2 Alloys

In this broad-based survey study, the substitutional site preference of ternary alloying additions to B2 compounds (stable at room temperature and 50/50 composition) is determined using the Bozzolo-Ferrante-Smith (BFS) method for alloys. The method is applied to Ni, Al, Ti, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Ta, Hf, Mo, Nb, W, V and Ru additions to NiAl, FeAl, CoAl, CoFe, CoHf, CoTi, FeTi, RuAl, RuSi, RuHf, RuTi, and RuZr. The results are compared, when available, to experimental data and other theoretical results.

Bozzolo, Guillermo H.↗
NASA NTRS2002

An Assessment of the Residual Stresses in Low Pressure Plasma Sprayed Coatings on an Advanced Copper Alloy

Modeling studies were conducted on low pressure plasma sprayed (LPPS) NiAl top coat applied to an advanced Cu-8(at.%)Cr-4%Nb alloy (GRCop-84) substrate using Ni as a bond coat. A thermal analysis suggested that the NiAl and Ni top and bond coats, respectively, would provide adequate thermal protection to the GRCop-84 substrate in a rocket engine operating under high heat flux conditions. Residual stress measurements were conducted at different depths from the free surface on coated and uncoated GRCop-84 specimens by x-ray diffraction. These data are compared with theoretically estimated values assessed by a finite element analysis simulating the development of these stresses as the coated substrate cools down from the plasma spraying temperature to room temperature.

Raj, S. V.↗