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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2007

High Temperature Wireless Communication And Electronics For Harsh Environment Applications

In order for future aerospace propulsion systems to meet the increasing requirements for decreased maintenance, improved capability, and increased safety, the inclusion of intelligence into the propulsion system design and operation becomes necessary. These propulsion systems will have to incorporate technology that will monitor propulsion component conditions, analyze the incoming data, and modify operating parameters to optimize propulsion system operations. This implies the development of sensors, actuators, and electronics, with associated packaging, that will be able to operate under the harsh environments present in an engine. However, given the harsh environments inherent in propulsion systems, the development of engine-compatible electronics and sensors is not straightforward. The ability of a sensor system to operate in a given environment often depends as much on the technologies supporting the sensor element as the element itself. If the supporting technology cannot handle the application, then no matter how good the sensor is itself, the sensor system will fail. An example is high temperature environments where supporting technologies are often not capable of operation in engine conditions. Further, for every sensor going into an engine environment, i.e., for every new piece of hardware that improves the in-situ intelligence of the components, communication wires almost always must follow. The communication wires may be within or between parts, or from the engine to the controller. As more hardware is added, more wires, weight, complexity, and potential for unreliability is also introduced. Thus, wireless communication combined with in-situ processing of data would significantly improve the ability to include sensors into high temperature systems and thus lead toward more intelligent engine systems. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is presently leading the development of electronics, communication systems, and sensors capable of prolonged stable operation in harsh 500C environments. This has included world record operation of SiC-based transistor technology (including packaging) that has demonstrated continuous electrical operation at 500C for over 2000 hours. Based on SiC electronics, development of high temperature wireless communication has been on-going. This work has concentrated on maturing the SiC electronic devices for communication purposes as well as the passive components such as resistors and capacitors needed to enable a high temperature wireless system. The objective is to eliminate wires associated with high temperature sensors which add weight to a vehicle and can be a cause of sensor unreliability. This paper discusses the development of SiC based electronics and wireless communications technology for harsh environment applications such as propulsion health management systems and in Venus missions. A brief overview of the future directions in sensor technology is given including maturing of near-room temperature "Lick and Stick" leak sensor technology for possible implementation in the Crew Launch Vehicle program. Then an overview of high temperature electronics and the development of high temperature communication systems is presented. The maturity of related technologies such as sensor and packaging will also be discussed. It is concluded that a significant component of efforts to improve the intelligence of harsh environment operating systems is the development and implementation of high temperature wireless technology

Hunter, G. W.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Investigation of Dynamic Temperature-Sensitive Electrical Parameters for Medium-Voltage Low-Current Silicon Carbide and Silicon Devices

This paper presents five dynamic temperature-sensitive electrical parameters (TSEPs) for the medium-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) devices. The theoretical temperature dependence of these parameters is analyzed. A test platform that enables to implement the temperature relevant dynamic characterization is developed. The tested TSEPs are summarized in terms of their relationship with junction temperature, drain/collector current, DC voltage, and external gate resistance. The comparison between the 3 kV 12 A Si IGBT and 3.3 kV 5 A SiC MOSFET with the identical TO-263 package is conducted. The results verify that the turn-off drain-source voltage switching rate achieves better thermal sensitivity for medium-voltage low-current SiC MOSFETs compared with Si IGBTs. Both the turn-on and turn-off delay time exhibit better thermal linearity for the two devices. The turn-off delay time further achieves five times better thermal sensitivity than the turn-on delay time for investigated medium-voltage SiC MOSFETs.

Ni, Ze↗

NASA NTRS1992

New inertial actuator provides isolation and stabilization in microgravity conditions

Experiments in materials and fluids processing have been conducted, or are planned, that take advantage of the low-g environment offered by space-based platforms. While the specific goals of the experiments vary, a common objective is to see improved results from the processes over those that would be obtained from similar ground-based experiments. While the space-based processing environment does offer a low-g environment, it is not disturbance free. Results of experiments already conducted, particularly those in manned vehicles, show that spacecraft induced disturbances still limit what can be achieved in materials processing. The duration of actual micro-g level environments is shorter than desired and periods of milli-g activity levels are not uncommon. While small scale experiments can be configured to overcome some of the vehicle disturbance sources, larger scale processing devices and commercial activities will require alternative methods to reduce the influences of spacecraft vibrations. Applied Technology Associates, Inc., (ATA), in cooperation with NASA Lewis Research Center, is developing hardware to provide a sustained micro-g experiment environment. This work is being sponsored under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is currently in the Phase 2 development stage. ATA's approach is based on an inertial actuator, which when used as part of a closed-loop stabilization system, rejects unwanted disturbances to the experiment package. A prototype of the actuator has been fabricated and used in a laboratory demonstration to prove the principle of operation. ATA's presentation emphasized the development and testing of the Digital Materials Processing Experiment (DAMPER) inertial actuator. Physical and performance characteristics of the device are presented. Technical issues, including further optimization of the actuator's performance and plans for additional laboratory experiments, are also covered.

Blackburn, John↗

DOE OSTI2022

Experimental measurements and mathematical modeling of cold plate for aviation thermal management

Herein, this study, which has been motivated by the recent applications of the cold plate device in aviation thermal management, reports on physics-based mathematical models derived from the conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy, and empiricism-based models. One of the objectives of the present work is to report on an elaborate and successful experimental work carried out on an additively manufactured device for the purpose of rigorously validating the numerical predictions. The excellent agreement between the numerical predictions and measured performance provides much needed confidence in the implementation, in the software package, of the offset-strip fin passage correlations, as well as in the software implementation of user-defined wavy fin correlations for aerospace heat exchangers and cold plates operating with ram air at Reynolds numbers below 8000. The contributions of this work can also be found in the development of a new and accurate thermal-hydraulic analysis procedure, referred to in this paper as plate-fin analogy. Results from this procedure are compared with those from thermal resistance network. The comparative study in this paper of the bulk and discrete enthalpy flux method is also new, as is the relative assessment of four off-set strip fin thermal-hydraulic models.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2023

Long operating lifetime mid-infrared LEDs based on black phosphorus

Abstract Black phosphorus (BP) is a narrow bandgap layered semiconductor promising for mid-infrared optoelectronic applications. BP-based devices have been shown to surpass state-of-the-art mid-infrared detectors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in terms of performance. Despite their device advantages, the material’s inherent instability in the air could hinder its use in practical optoelectronic applications. Here, we investigated the impact of passivation on the device lifetime of BP LEDs, which deteriorate in a matter of seconds without using passivation. The lifetime is significantly extended with an Al 2 O 3 passivation layer and nitrogen packaging via atomic layer deposition and ultra-violet curable resin sealing. The operational lifetime (half-life) at room temperature is extrapolated to be ~15,000 h with an initial power density of 340 mW/cm 2 based on accelerated life testing. The present results indicate that efficient BP optoelectronics can be highly robust through simple and scalable packaging technologies, with important practical implications for mid-infrared applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1977

Electrostatic analysis of charge-coupled structures

Package of three computer programs performs two-dimensional electrostatic analysis to determine efficiency of charge transfer. One program can be used to analyze three-electrode charge-coupled device input/output gates, and other two programs can be used to analyze two-phase structures containing two or four electrodes with periodic boundary conditions.

Gassaway, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Technical and economic study of Stirling and Rankine cycle bottoming systems for heavy truck diesel engines

Bottoming cycle concepts for heavy duty transport engine applications were studied. In particular, the following tasks were performed: (1) conceptual design and cost data development for Stirling systems; (2) life-cycle cost evaluation of three bottoming systems - organic Rankine, steam Rankine, and Stirling cycles; and (3) assessment of future directions in waste heat utilization research. Variables considered for the second task were initial capital investments, fuel savings, depreciation tax benefits, salvage values, and service/maintenance costs. The study shows that none of the three bottoming systems studied are even marginally attractive. Manufacturing costs have to be reduced by at least 65%. As a new approach, an integrated Rankine/Diesel system was proposed. It utilizes one of the diesel cylinders as an expander and capitalizes on the in-cylinder heat energy. The concept eliminates the need for the power transmission device and a sophisticated control system, and reduces the size of the exhaust evaporator. Results of an economic evaluation indicate that the system has the potential to become an attractive package for end users.

Kubo, I.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Research and development of high thermal stability fuels

Increases in aircraft performance are leading to increases in the thermal stress on the primary aircraft coolant--the fuel. Fuel thermal stability limitations may offset future aircraft performance gains. The Air Force's Wright Laboratory is sponsoring several research programs to address this problem. The development of an additive package for JP-8 to improve its thermal stability is the primary focus of this paper. This program involves extensive testing of fuels and additives in a variety of test devices, culminating in tests in a fuel system simulator and engine tests. These tests involve Air Force personnel, on-site contractors (University of Dayton Research Institute, Systems Research Laboratories), Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Co., additive manufacturers, and Sandia National Laboratory. The test devices include several flowing and static tests, where the behavior of a fuel is investigated in a wide variety of environments. The study of several baseline fuels in these devices has led to some new insights into the mechanisms of fuel thermal (in)stability. It is becoming clear that a fuel's tendency to oxidize (to form peroxides, for example) is often inversely proportional to its tendency to form insoluble deposits.

T Edwards↗

NASA NTRS2012

Automated Lab-on-a-Chip Electrophoresis System

Capillary electrophoresis is an analytical technique that can be used to detect and quantify extremely small amounts of various biological molecules. In the search for biochemical traces of life on other planets, part of this search involves an examination of amino acids, which are the building blocks of life on Earth. The most sensitive method for detecting amino acids is the use of laser induced fluorescence. However, since amino acids do not, in general, fluoresce, they first must be reacted with a fluorescent dye label prior to analysis. After this process is completed, the liquid sample then must be transported into the electrophoresis system. If the system is to be reused multiple times, samples must be added and removed each time. In typical laboratories, this process is performed manually by skilled human operators using standard laboratory equipment. This level of human intervention is not possible if this technology is to be implemented on extraterrestrial targets. Microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) combined with laser induced fluorescence detection (LIF) was selected as an extremely sensitive method to detect amino acids and other compounds that can be tagged with a fluorescent dye. It is highly desirable to package this technology into an integrated, autonomous, in situ instrument capable of performing CE-LIF on the surface of an extraterrestrial body. However, to be fully autonomous, the CE device must be able to perform a large number of sample preparation and analysis operations without the direct intervention of a human.

Willis, Peter A.↗

DOE OSTI2022

HPC Molecular Simulation Tries Out a New GPU: Experiences on Early AMD Test Systems for the Frontier Supercomputer

Molecular simulation is an important tool for nu- merous efforts in physics, chemistry, and the biological sciences. Simulating molecular dynamics requires extremely rapid cal- culations to enable sufficient sampling of simulated temporal molecular processes. The Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Cray EX Frontier supercomputer installed at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) will provide an exascale resource for open science, and will feature graphics processing units (GPUs) from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The future LUMI supercomputer in Finland will be based on an HPE Cray EX platform as well. Here we test the ports of several widely used molecular dynamics packages that have each made substantial use of acceleration with NVIDIA GPUs, on Spock, the early Cray pre-Frontier testbed system at the OLCF which employs AMD GPUs. These programs are used extensively in industry for pharmaceutical and materials research, as well as academia, and are also frequently deployed on high-performance computing (HPC) systems, including national leadership HPC resources. We find that in general, performance is competitive and installation is straightforward, even at these early stages in a new GPU ecosystem. Our experiences point to an expanding arena for GPU vendors in HPC for molecular simulation.

Sedova, Ada↗

NASA NTRS1998

Long-Term file activity patterns in a UNIX workstation environment

As mass storage technology becomes more affordable for sites smaller than supercomputer centers, understanding their file access patterns becomes crucial for developing systems to store rarely used data on tertiary storage devices such as tapes and optical disks. This paper presents a new way to collect and analyze file system statistics for UNIX-based file systems. The collection system runs in user-space and requires no modification of the operating system kernel. The statistics package provides details about file system operations at the file level: creations, deletions, modifications, etc. The paper analyzes four months of file system activity on a university file system. The results confirm previously published results gathered from supercomputer file systems, but differ in several important areas. Files in this study were considerably smaller than those at supercomputer centers, and they were accessed less frequently. Additionally, the long-term creation rate on workstation file systems is sufficiently low so that all data more than a day old could be cheaply saved on a mass storage device, allowing the integration of time travel into every file system.

Gibson, Timothy J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Single-Event Effect (SEE) Survey of Advanced Reconfigurable Field Programmable Gate Arrays: NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program Office of Safety and Mission Assurance

The NEPP Reconfigurable Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) task has been charged to evaluate reconfigurable FPGA technologies for use in space. Under this task, the Xilinx single-event-immune, reconfigurable FPGA (SIRF) XQR5VFX130 device was evaluated for SEE. Additionally, the Altera Stratix-IV and SiliconBlue iCE65 were screened for single-event latchup (SEL).

Xilinx Single-Event Effects (SEE) Test Consortium↗

NASA NTRS2010

Effects of Temperature on the Performance and Stability of Recent COTS Silicon Oscillators

Silicon oscillators have lately emerged to serve as potential replacement for crystal and ceramic resonators to provide timing and clock signals in electronic systems. These semiconductor-based devices, including those that are based on MEMS technology, are reported to be resistant to vibration and shock (an important criteria for systems to be deployed in space), immune to EMI, consume very low current, require few or no external components, and cover a wide range of frequency for analog and digital circuits. In this work, the performance of five recently-developed COTS silicon oscillator chips from different manufacturers was determined within a temperature range that extended beyond the individual specified range of operation. In addition, restart capability at extreme temperatures, i.e. power switched on while the device was soaking at extreme (hot or cold) temperature, and the effects of thermal cycling under a wide temperature range on the operation of these silicon oscillators were also investigated. Performance characterization of each oscillator was obtained in terms of its output frequency, duty cycle, rise and fall times, and supply current at specific test temperatures. The five different oscillators tested operated beyond their specified temperature region, with some displaying excellent stability throughout the whole test temperature range. Others experienced some instability at certain temperature test points as evidenced by fluctuation in the output frequency. Recovery from temperature-induced changes took place when excessive temperatures were removed. It should also be pointed out that all oscillators were able to restart at the extreme test temperatures and to withstand the limited thermal cycling without undergoing any significant changes in their characteristics. In addition, no physical damage was observed in the packaging material of any of these silicon oscillators due to extreme temperature exposure and thermal cycling. It is recommended that additional and more comprehensive testing under long term cycling be carried out to fully establish the reliability of these devices and to determine their suitability for use in space exploration missions under extreme temperature conditions.

Patterson, Richard L.↗

DOE OSTI2023

20 kV Gallium Nitride pn Diode Electro-Magnetic Pulse Arrestor for Grid Reliability (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

This project developed vertical Gallium Nitride (GaN) pn diodes under two main thrusts: (1) A focus on relatively higher-voltage devices for use as fast EMP arrestors to protect the electric grid; and (2) A focus on a Foundry effort to establish the manufacturability of relatively lower voltage devices. For the first thrust, the aim was to develop devices that go into avalanche breakdown to clamp the voltage across sensitive grid equipment subject to voltage transients induced by electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Devices with breakdown voltages exceeding 6.5 kV were achieved, and breakdown times shorter than 1 ns were demonstrated, which is sufficiently fast to protect against the fast component of an EMP-induced signal. Key challenges included the epitaxial growth of thick (50 µm or more), low-doped (low 10 15 cm -3 range) GaN layers comprising the drift regions of the diodes, as well as the design and fabrication of edge termination structures (step-etched junction termination extensions) to prevent premature breakdown. Midway through the project, an additional emphasis was put on large-area, high-current devices, and forward currents of approximately 400 A were achieved in composite devices towards the end of the project. Experimental and theoretical studies of impact ionization and avalanche ruggedness were also conducted. For the second thrust (the Foundry), the focus was primarily on 1.2-kV-class devices, although towards the end of the project outstanding results on 3.3-kV class devices were also achieved. The aim of the Foundry was to develop a high-yield, reliable, and economic vertical GaN pn diode process. The Foundry conducted characterization of incoming epitaxial material and correlated this information with the yield and performance of fully processed devices. Wafer maps of diode characteristics such as forward and reverse current as well as capacitance-voltage curves were measured using auto-probing. Several mask sets comprising different-area devices as well as multiple edge termination designs (implanted junction termination extensions, guard rings, and combinations thereof) were studied, and machine-learning-based approaches were utilized to analyze the data. Packaging and reliability efforts were also undertaken for the Foundry diodes, which are necessary for a viable commercial process.

20KV↗

DOE OSTI2023

20 kV Gallium Nitride pn Diode Electro-Magnetic Pulse Arrestor for Grid Reliability (Final Report)

This project developed vertical Gallium Nitride (GaN) pn diodes under two main thrusts: (1) A focus on relatively higher-voltage devices for use as fast EMP arrestors to protect the electric grid; and (2) A focus on a Foundry effort to establish the manufacturability of relatively lower-voltage devices. For the first thrust, the aim was to develop devices that go into avalanche breakdown to clamp the voltage across sensitive grid equipment subject to voltage transients induced by electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Devices with breakdown voltages exceeding 6.5 kV were achieved, and breakdown times shorter than 1 ns were demonstrated, which is sufficiently fast to protect against the fast component of an EMP-induced signal. Key challenges included the epitaxial growth of thick (50 um or more), low-doped (low 10 15 cm -3 range) GaN layers comprising the drift regions of the diodes, as well as the design and fabrication of edge termination structures (step-etched junction termination extensions) to prevent premature breakdown. Midway through the project, an additional emphasis was put on large-area, high-current devices, and forward currents of approximately 400 A were achieved in composite devices towards the end of the project. Experimental and theoretical studies of impact ionization and avalanche ruggedness were also conducted. For the second thrust (the Foundry), the focus was primarily on 1.2-kV-class devices, although towards the end of the project outstanding results on 3.3-kV-class devices were also achieved. The aim of the Foundry was to develop a high-yield, reliable, and economic vertical GaN pn diode process. The Foundry conducted characterization of incoming epitaxial material and correlated this information with the yield and performance of fully processed devices. Wafer maps of diode characteristics such as forward and reverse current as well as capacitance-voltage curves were measured using auto-probing. Several mask sets comprising different-area devices as well as multiple edge termination designs (implanted junction termination extensions, guard rings, and combinations thereof) were studied, and machine-learning-based approaches were utilized to analyze the data. Packaging and reliability efforts were also undertaken for the Foundry diodes, which are necessary for a viable commercial process.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS1984

Characterization of MMIC devices for active array antennas

Certain aspects of monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) interconnectivity were investigated. Considerations that lead to preserving the inherently reproducible characteristics of the MMIC are proposed. It is shown that at radio frequencies (RF) greater than 20 GHz, the transition from the MMIC device to other transmission media must be an accurate RF match. It is proposed that the RF match is sufficiently critical to include the transition as part of the delivered MMIC package. The model to analyze several transitions is presented. This model consists of a succession of abrupt discontinuities in printed circuit transmission lines. The analysis of these discontinuities is achieved by the Spectral Galerkin technique, to establish the modes and mode matching, to generate the generalized S parameters of the individual discontinuities. Preliminary results achieved with this method are presented. It is concluded that special effects should be coordinated by the active array antenna industry toward standardization of MMIC packaging and characterization.

Smetana, J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Characterization of MMIC devices for active array antennas

Certain aspects of monlithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) interconnectivity were investigated. Considerations that lead to preserving the inherently reproducible characteristics of the MMIC are proposed. It is shown that at radio frequencies (RF) greater than 20 GHz, the transition from the MMIC device to other transmission media must be an accurate RF match. It is proposed that the RF match is sufficiently critical to include the transition as part of the delivered MMIC package. The model to analyze several transitions is presented. This model consists of a succession of abrupt discontinuities in printed circuit transmission lines. The analysis of these discontinuities is achieved by the Spectral Galerkin technique, to establish the modes and mode that special effects should be coordinated by the active array antenna industry toward standardization of MMIC packaging and characterization.

Smetana, J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Fresh Veggies from Space

Professor Marc Anderson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed a technology for use in plant-growth experiments aboard the Space Shuttle. Anderson's research and WCSAR's technology were funded by NASA and resulted in a joint technology licensed to KES Science and Technology, Inc. This transfer of space-age technology resulted in the creation of a new plant-saving product, an ethylene scrubber for plant growth chambers. This innovation presents commercial benefits for the food industry in the form of a new device, named Bio-KES. Bio-KES removes ethylene and helps to prevent spoilage. Ethylene accounts for up to 10 percent of produce losses and 5 percent of flower losses. Using Bio-KES in storage rooms and displays will increase the shelf life of perishable foods by more than one week, drastically reducing the costs associated with discarded rotten foods and flowers. The savings could potentially be passed on to consumers. For NASA, the device means that astronauts can conduct commercial agricultural research in space. Eventually, it may also help to grow food in space and keep it fresh longer. This could lead to less packaged food being taken aboard missions since it could be cultivated in an ethylene-free environment.

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