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Calibration of High Frequency MEMS Microphones

Understanding and controlling aircraft noise is one of the major research topics of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program. One of the measurement technologies used to acquire noise data is the microphone directional array (DA). Traditional direction array hardware, consisting of commercially available condenser microphones and preamplifiers can be too expensive and their installation in hard-walled wind tunnel test sections too complicated. An emerging micro-machining technology coupled with the latest cutting edge technologies for smaller and faster systems have opened the way for development of MEMS microphones. The MEMS microphone devices are available in the market but suffer from certain important shortcomings. Based on early experiments with array prototypes, it has been found that both the bandwidth and the sound pressure level dynamic range of the microphones should be increased significantly to improve the performance and flexibility of the overall array. Thus, in collaboration with an outside MEMS design vendor, NASA Langley modified commercially available MEMS microphone as shown in Figure 1 to meet the new requirements. Coupled with the design of the enhanced MEMS microphones was the development of a new calibration method for simultaneously obtaining the sensitivity and phase response of the devices over their entire broadband frequency range. Over the years, several methods have been used for microphone calibration. Some of the common methods of microphone calibration are Coupler (Reciprocity, Substitution, and Simultaneous), Pistonphone, Electrostatic actuator, and Free-field calibration (Reciprocity, Substitution, and Simultaneous). Traditionally, electrostatic actuators (EA) have been used to characterize air-condenser microphones for wideband frequency ranges; however, MEMS microphones are not adaptable to the EA method due to their construction and very small diaphragm size. Hence a substitution-based, free-field method was developed to calibrate these microphones at frequencies up to 80 kHz. The technique relied on the use of a random, ultrasonic broadband centrifugal sound source located in a small anechoic chamber. Phase calibrations of the MEMS microphones were derived from cross spectral phase comparisons between the reference and test substitution microphones and an adjacent and invariant grazing-incidence 1/8-inch standard microphone.

Shams, Qamar A.

Foreword: Special Section on Multiphysics Aspects of Power Electronics Packaging - Power Die, Power Module, and Converter Level - Part 1

Power electronics are increasingly being used to condition electricity for a wide array of applications, such as transportation (on land, air, and water), data centers, radio frequency, directed energy, wind, solar, and grid-tied applications. To increase power density, performance, efficiency, and reliability and reduce cost, innovations and developments are needed in the multiphysics packaging of power electronics at a die, module, and converter level. This includes fundamental research and development related to emerging high-voltage, high-temperature, and high-switching-frequency power electronics; packaging materials; thermal materials and interfaces; fluid-based thermal management technologies; reliability; condition monitoring; and prognostics. To address these important aspects, this Special Section on Multiphysics Aspects of Power Electronics Packaging includes several articles to be published in two parts. More details are given below on the articles included in the first part.

condition monitoring

The Origins of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Are They Everywhere?

During the past 15 years considerable progress in observational techniques has been achieved in the middle-infrared region (5000-500 per centimeter, 2-20 micron), the region where most diagnostic molecular vibrations occur. Spectra of many different astronomical infrared sources, some deeply embedded in dark molecular clouds and others at their edges, are now available. These spectra provide a powerful probe, not only for the identification of interstellar molecules in both the gas and solid phases, but also of the physical and chemical conditions which prevail in these two very different domains. The two lectures will focus on the evidence that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important, ubiquitous and abundant interstellar species. PAHs are. extremely stable species which can range in size from a few angstroms across to several hundred angstroms (PAHs are also the building blocks of amorphous carbon particles). This identification rests on the suggestive agreement between the laboratory spectra of PAHs with a set of IR emission bands which emanate from many different sources where ultraviolet starlight impinges on a "dusty" region. The picture is that individual PAHs are first pumped into highly vibrationally excited states and relax by fluorescence at their fundamental vibrational frequencies. That PAHs are a ubiquitous interstellar component has serious ramifications in other spectral regions as well, including the strong extinction in the ultraviolet, and the classic visible diffuse interstellar bands discovered more than 50 years ago (but unexplained to this day) The first part of the course will focus on the interpretation of astronomical spectra. The second lecture will start by showing how recent laboratory data on PAHs taken under realistic interstellar conditions has con borated the PAH hypothesis and led to great insight into the conditions in the PAH containing regions. This lecture will end by reviewing the ever-increasing evidence for interstellar PAHs in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles. This in conjunction with the recent suggestion that PAHs are abundant in Jupiter's atmosphere will make the point that "PAHs are Everywhere".

Allamandola, L. J.

Global Analysis of Nonlinear Second-Mode Development in a Mach-6 Boundary Layer From High-Speed Schlieren Data

The second-mode instability on a 7◦ half-angle sharp cone at Mach 6 is analyzed using high-speed calibrated schlieren imagery at a frame rate near the expected fundamental frequency. Experiments were conducted in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 facility at unit Reynolds number between 6.56×106 and 9.71×106 m−1. Time-resolved pixel intensity signals throughout the boundary layer are reconstructed using spatially available data in the schlieren images to recover an effective sampling rate of over 10 MHz; these are then converted to quantitative density gradients using a thin-lens-based calibration technique. A global analysis is performed on the schlieren data to investigate the nonlinear growth of the second-mode fundamental and harmonic content. Point-wise measures of the auto-bicoherence are used to identify specific triadic interactions and the locations of their highest levels of quadratic phase coupling. Significant resonance interactions between the second-mode fundamental and harmonic instabilities were found along with interactions between these and the mean flow. Bispectral mode decomposition is employed to educe the flow structures associated with these interactions. A similar analysis is performed for the power spectrum, with power spectral densities computed for each pixel’s time-series and spectral proper orthogonal decomposition employed to derive the modal structure and energy of the flow at specific frequencies. Comparisons between the bispectral quantities and second-mode power show that nonlinear interactions, particularly resonance interactions, are closely correlated with space-time modulation of disturbances during the nonlinear stage of transition.

boundary layer transition

Resonant triad in boundary-layer stability. Part 1: Fully nonlinear interaction

A first principles theory is developed to study the nonlinear spatial evolution of a near-resonance triad of instability waves in boundary layer transition. This triad consists of a plane wave at fundamental frequency and a pair of symmetrical, oblique waves at the subharmonic frequency. A low frequency, high Reynolds number asymptotic scaling leads to a distinct critical layer where nonlinearity first becomes important; the development of the triad's waves is determined by the critical layer's nonlinear, viscous dynamics. The resulting theory is fully nonlinear in that all nonlinearly generated oscillatory and nonoscillatory components are accounted for. The presence of the plane wave initially causes exponential of exponential growth of the oblique waves. However, the plane wave continues to follow the linear theory, even when the oblique waves' amplitude attains the same order of magnitude as that of the plane wave. A fully interactive stage then comes into effect when the oblique waves exceed a certain level compared to that of the plane wave. The oblique waves react back on the fundamental, slowing its growth rate. The oblique waves' saturation results from their self-interaction - a mechanism that does not require the presence of the plane wave. The oblique waves' saturation level is independent of their initial level, but decreases as the obliqueness angle increases.

Mankbadi, Reda R.

Nonlinear Acoustics Used To Reduce Leakage Flow

Leakage and wear are two fundamental problems in all traditional turbine seals that contribute to an engine's inefficiency. The solutions to seal leakage and wear conflict in the conventional design space. Reducing the clearance between the seal and rotating shaft reduces leakage but increases wear because of increased contact incidents. Increasing the clearance to reduce the contact between parts reduces wear but increases parasitic leakage. The goal of this effort is to develop a seal that restricts leakage flow using acoustic pressure while operating in a noncontacting manner, thereby increasing life. In 1996, Dr. Timothy Lucas announced his discovery of a method to produce shock-free high-amplitude pressure waves. For the first time, the formation of large acoustic pressures was possible using dissonant resonators. A pre-prototype acoustic seal developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center exploits this fundamental acoustic discovery: a specially shaped cavity oscillated at the contained fluid's resonant frequency produces high-amplitude acoustic pressure waves of a magnitude approaching those required of today's seals. While the original researchers are continuing their development of acoustic pumps, refrigeration compressors, and electronic thermal management systems using this technology, the goal of researchers at Glenn is to apply these acoustic principles to a revolutionary sealing device. When the acoustic resonator shape is optimized for the sealing device, the flow from a high-pressure cavity to a low-pressure cavity will be restricted by a series of high-amplitude standing pressure waves of higher pressure than the pressure to be sealed. Since the sealing resonator cavity will not touch the adjacent sealing structures, seal wear will be eliminated, improving system life. Under a cooperative agreement between Glenn and the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), an acoustic-based pre-prototype seal was demonstrated for the first time. A pressurized cavity was attached to one end of the resonator while the other end remained open to ambient pressure. Measurements were taken at several values of applied pressure with the assembly stationary, oscillated at an off-resonance frequency, and then oscillated on-resonance. The three cases show that the flow through the conical resonator can be reduced by oscillating the resonator at the resonance frequency of the air contained within the cavity. The results are currently being compared with results obtained from a commercial computational fluid dynamics code. The objective is to improve the design through numerical simulation before fabricating a next-generation prototype sealing device. Future work is aimed at implementing acoustic seal design improvements to further reduce the leakage flow rate through the device and at reducing the device's overall size.

Daniels, Christopher C.

Extended range harmonic filter

Two types of filters, leaky-wall and open-guide, are combined into single component. Combination gives 10 db or greater additional attenuation to fourth and higher harmonics, at expense of increasing loss of fundamental frequency by perhaps 0.05 to 0.08 db. Filter is applicable to all high power microwave transmitters, but is especially desirable for satellite transmitters.

Jankowski, H.

Mars - Near-infrared spectral reflectance and compositional implication

Several distinct absorption features, some recognized for the first time, are evident in a newly obtained reflectance spectrum (wavelengths = 0.62-2.6 microns, reciprocal dispersion = 83) of the integral disk of Mars. The effects of Martian atmospheric CO2 have been removed from the spectrum to arrive at a reflectance spectrum that is believed to be due mostly to surface material. Absorptions, at 1.22, 1.55, and 2.05 microns are interpreted to indicate the presence of H2O ice plus high desiccated mineral hydrate, although an H2O ice phase with strongly shifted fundamental frequencies cannot be ruled out. Ferrosilicate and ferric oxide bands near and shortward of 1.0 micron are confirmed. The new observations were made on April 21-23, 1976, universal time, at the 2.24-m telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, using a newly developed infrared spectrometer.

Mccord, T. B.

Modern Space Craft - Antique Specifications

Spacecraft now and of the future are being controlled by EMC requirements of the past. Little has been done by the launch vehicle/spacecraft manufacturers to abandon MIL-STD-461C which was released in 1986 because most of the electronics equipment being used aboard current launch vehicles is approved by similarity and heritage to MIL-STD-46 1 C and its predecessors. Twenty years later these electronic equipment items are still not tested to today's MIL-STD-461E requirements because there is a risk that the items will fail to meet the requirements and thus the cost will increase if it becomes necessary to redesign the equipment. That cost is insignificant compared with the cost of losing an entire mission! In the 20 years that have elapsed since MIL-STD-461C was released, the EMC environment has undergone major changes. High speed digital devices have been created that have fundamental clock and bus frequencies that span the entire LV/SC frequency range from the Flight Termination Systems through C and S-Band telemetry. Personnel involved in ground operations routinely carry and use hand held transceivers and cellular telephones close by sensitive electronics equipment. There are now many more orbiting receivers and emitters, plus range assets have increased dramatically since 2001. It's way past time to bring requirements up-to-date!

Brewer, Ron

High-frequency measurements of multilayer ceramic capacitors

A resonant coaxial transmission line, short circuited at one end and open circuited at the other, whose fundamental resonant frequency and Q factor are known, is perturbed with a test capacitor connected either in series at the shorted end of the line, or in shunt at the open end. Measuring the Q factor of the system with the delta f technique yields the effective series resistance, capacitance, and the Q factor of the test specimen. This method of measurement has the advantage that there are no adjustable elements to alter circuit conditions in an unprescribed way, the only variable is the frequency which can be measured with an uncertainty of less than 1 ppm, the loss of the line as a function of frequency is quite predictable, and the Q factor of the line can be made sufficiently high to support accurate measurements of low loss capacitors.

Lafferty, R. E.

A Sub-THz CMOS Molecular Clock with 20 ppt Stability at 10,000 s Based on A Dual-Loop Spectroscopic Detection and Digital Frequency Error Integration

This paper presents a dual-loop chip-scale molecular clock (CSMC), which enhances the Allan Deviation performance by combining high signal-to-noise ratio of using fundamental mode and long-term stability of using higher order modes in derivative molecular absorption spectroscopy. In addition, digital frequency-error integration is adopted in the frequency-locked loop to provide an infinite open-loop DC gain, which fully suppresses any frequency drift caused by the temperature-sensitive crystal oscillator. This new generation CSMC is implemented in 65-nm CMOS, and achieves 20 ppt (part-per-trillion) Allan Deviation at 10,000 s averaging time with 71-mW power consumption.

Han, Ruonan

Ground-Based Investigations with the Cryogenic Hydrogen Maser

The room temperature hydrogen maser is an active atomic oscillator used as a high-frequency-stability local oscillator for radio astronomy, metrology, and spacecraft navigation, and in tests of fundamental physics. The cryogenic hydrogen maser (CHM) operates at 0.5 K, employing superfluid helium-coated walls to store the masing hydrogen atoms. We are investigating whether the CHM may provide better frequency stability than the room temperature hydrogen maser: one to three orders of magnitude improvement may be possible because of greatly reduced thermal noise and larger signal power. Exceptional frequency stability will be required for spacecraft tracking in future deep-space missions, for space-based tests of relativity and gravitation, and for local (i.e., flywheel) oscillators used with absolute frequency standards such as laser-cooled atomic fountains and linear ion traps. These new devices are passive high-resolution frequency discriminators. Alone, they cannot function as superior atomic clocks; their effective operation depends on being integrated with an active local oscillator with excellent short term stability - such as that possible with the CHM.

Walsworth, Ronald L.

Structural, chemical, and electronic control in Co–SiNx granular metals for high-pass filter applications

Granular metals, consisting of nanoscale conducting and insulating regions, have been studied for more than 50 years for fundamental and applied research. Granular metals exhibit non-linear conductivity vs frequency behavior, consistent with the universal power law response, and have recently been suggested for high-pass filter applications. Here, we report that cobalt–silicon nitride (Co–SiNx) granular metals with optimized sputter conditions and post-growth annealing exhibit an exceptional 109 increase in conductivity at 1 MHz compared to the DC conductivity. The improved frequency response is correlated with structural and chemical improvements examined via scanning transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. While we focus on improvements for high-pass filter applications, the structural, chemical, and electronic control demonstrated here will benefit a variety of granular metal and nanoparticle applications.

Annealing

On the control aspect of laser frequency stabilization

Realization of frequency stable lasers is viewed as key to progress in many areas of research; therefore, the search for more effective techniques of frequency stabilization has intensified significantly in recent years. Investigating and validating the fundamental linewidth and frequency stability limits of a Nd:YAG laser oscillator, locked to a high finesse reference cavity in the microgravity and vibration-free environment of space, is the objective of a NASA project called SUNLITE at LaRC. The objective of this paper is to further investigate the application of feedback control theory in active frequency control as a frequency stabilization technique and determine the most appropriate control strategy to be used in general and particularly in the SUNLITE Project.

Zia, Omar

Some Measurements of Noise Transmission and Stress Response of a 0.020-Inch Duralumin Panel in the Presence of Air Flow

Noise transmission measurements were made for a 0.020-inch panel with and without air flow on its surface. Tests were conducted with both an absorbent and reverberant chamber behind the panel. Panel stresses for some of these tests were also determined. Noise spectra obtained inside the absorbent chamber with flow attached and flow not attached to the panel appeared to contain several peaks corresponding in frequency to panel vibration modes. These peaks were notably absent when the chamber was reverberant. The noise reduction through the test panel measured with the aid of an absorbent chamber for the flow-not-attached case is in general agreement with values predicted by the theoretical weight law, which assumes negligible panel stiffness. Corresponding data for the flow-attached case do not follow the weight law but rather indicate less noise reduction at the high frequencies. The main stress responses of the panel without air flow occurred at its fundamental vibration mode. In the presence of air flow the main response occurs in a vibration mode having a node line perpendicular to the direction of air flow.

Kantarges, George T.

Aeroelastic Computations of a Compressor Stage Using the Harmonic Balance Method

The aeroelastic characteristics of a compressor stage were analyzed using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) solver that uses the harmonic balance method to solve the governing equations. The three dimensional solver models the unsteady flow field due to blade vibration using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The formulation enables the study of the effect of blade row interaction through the inclusion of coupling modes between blade rows. It also enables the study of nonlinear effects of high amplitude blade vibration by the inclusion of higher harmonics of the fundamental blade vibration frequency. In the present work, the solver is applied to study in detail the aeroelastic characteristics of a transonic compressor stage. Various parameters were included in the study: number of coupling modes, blade row axial spacing, and operating speeds. Only the first vibration mode is considered with amplitude of oscillation in the linear range. Both aeroelastic stability (flutter) of rotor blade and unsteady loading on the stator are calculated. The study showed that for the stage considered, the rotor aerodynamic damping is not influenced by the presence of the stator even when the axial spacing is reduced by nearly 25 percent. However, the study showed that blade row interaction effects become important for the unsteady loading on the stator when the axial spacing is reduced by the same amount.

Reddy, T. S. R.

Stability of laser oscillator systems

One of the goals of the Stanford University-NASA Laser-In-space Technology Experiment (SUNLITE) program is to develop ultrastable optical frequency oscillators that can lead to high resolution time standards and ultimately standard clocks. During the past year or two there was remarkable progress towards achieving in the laboratory the fundamental quantum limits for the frequency stability of nonplanar ring oscillator (NPRO) lasers. The quantum theoretical limits for laser oscillator stability are reviewed, measured stability levels compared, and some applications of such ultrastable laser oscillator systems suggested.

Hafele, Joseph C.

The effect of gravity modulation on thermosolutal convection in an infinite layer of fluid

The effect of time-periodic vertical gravity modulation on the onset of thermosolutal convection in an infinite horizontal layer with stress-free boundaries is investigated using Floquet theory for the linear stability analysis. Situations for which the fluid layer is stably stratified in either the fingering or diffusive regimes of double-diffusive convection are considered. Results are presented both with and without steady background acceleration. Modulation may stabilize an unstable base solution or destabilize a stable base solution. In addition to synchronous and subharmonic response to the modulation frequency, instability in the double diffusive system can occur via a complex conjugate mode. In the diffusive regime, where oscillatory onset occurs in the unmodulated system, regions of resonant instability occur and exhibit strong coupling with the unmodulated oscillatory frequency. The response to modulation of the fundamental instability of the unmodulated system is described both analytically and numerically; in the double-diffusive system this mode persists under subcritical conditions as a high-frequency lobe.

Saunders, B. V.