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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 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Development program on a cold cathode electron gun

A prototype electron gun with a field emitter cathode capable of producing 95 mA in a 1/4 mm diameter beam at 12 kV was produced. Achievement of this goal required supporting studies in cathode fabrication, cathode performance, gun design, cathode mounting and gun fabrication. A series of empirical investigations advanced fabrication technology: More stable emitters were produced and multiple cone failure caused by chain reaction discharges were reduced. The cathode is capable of producing well over 95 mA, but a substantial collector development effort was required to demonstrate emission levels in the 100 mA region. Space charge problems made these levels difficult to achieve. Recommendations are made for future process and materials investigation. Electron gun designs were modeled and tested. A pair of two-electrode gun structures were fabricated and tested; one gun was delivered to NASA. Cathodes were pretested up to 100 mA at SRI and delivered to NASA for test in the gun structure.

Spindt, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

High-current, fast-switching transistor development

The design, wafer-processing techniques, and various measurements which include forward safe operating area, dc characteristics, and switching times are described for a larger-diameter (33) transistor. An improved base contact for equalizing the base-emitter voltage at high currents was developed along with an improved emitter contact preform which increases the silicon area available for current conduction. The electrical performance achieved is consistent with the proposed optimum design.

Hower, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Determination of lifetimes and recombination currents in p-n junction solar cells, diodes, and transistors

New methods are presented and illustrated that enable the accurate determination of the diffusion length of minority carriers in the narrow regions of a solar cell or a diode. Other methods now available are inaccurate for the desired case in which the width of the region is less than the diffusion length. Once the diffusion length is determined by the new methods, this result can be combined with measured dark I-V characteristics and with small-signal admittance characteristics to enable determination of the recombination currents in each quasi-neutral region of the cell - for example, in the emitter, low-doped base, and high-doped base regions of the BSF (back-surface-field) cell. This approach leads to values for the effective surface recombination velocity of the high-low junction forming the back-surface field of BSF cells or the high-low emitter junction of HLE cells. These methods are also applicable for measuring the minority-carrier lifetime in thin epitaxial layers grown on substrates with opposite conductivity type.

Neugroschel, A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Radiatively coupled thermionic power system concept

It is shown that thermionic converters at moderate emitter temperatures of about 1600 K can be designed for a radiatively coupled 100 kWe device. A nuclear reactor is a primary heat source, with heat pipes extracting heat from the reactor and distributing it over a large surface opposite an array of thermionic energy converters. The radiative heat transfer across the vacuum gap heats up the thermionic emitters, and excess heat from the converters is radiated from the collector electrodes to the vacuum of space; the heat transfer is controlled by the energy density to be transferred, and by the temperature differential between the heat source and the heat receiver. It is concluded that this system achieves isolation of power converter modules from the heat source, elimination of additional radiators, and reduction of converter dimensions.

Shimada, K.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Status of thermoelectronic laser energy conversion, TELEC

A concept known as a thermo-electronic laser energy converter (TELEC), was studied as a method of converting a 10.6 micron CO2 laser beam into electric power. The calculated characteristics of a TELEC seem to be well matched to the requirements of a spacecraft laser energy conversion system. The TELEC is a high power density plasma device which absorbs an intense laser beam by inverse bremsstrahlung with the plasma electrons. In the TELEC process, electromagnetic radiation is absorbed directly in the plasma electrons producing a high electron temperature. The energetic electrons diffuse out of the plasma striking two electrodes which are in contact with the plasma at the boundaries. These two electrodes have different areas: the larger one is designated as the collector, the smaller one is designated as the emitter. The smaller electrode functions as an electron emitter provide continuity of the current. Waste heat is rejected from the collector electrode. An experiment was carried out with a high power laser using a cesium vapor TELEC cell with 30 cm active length. Laser supported plasma were produced in the TELEC device during a number of laser runs over a period of several days. Electric power from the TELEC was observed with currents in the range of several amperes and output potentials of less than 1 volt.

Britt, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Developments toward an 18% efficient silicon solar cell

Limitations to increased open-circuit voltage were identified and experimentally verified for 0.1 ohm-cm solar cells with heavily doped emitters. After major reduction in the dark current contribution from the metal-silicon interface of the grid contacts, the surface recombination velocity of the oxide-silicon interface of shallow junction solar cells is the limiting factor. In deep junction solar cells, where the junction field does not aid surface collection, the emitter bulk is the limiting factor. Singly-diffused, shallow junction cells have been fabricated with open circuit voltages in excess of 645 mV. Double-diffusion shallow and deep junctions cells have displayed voltages above 650 mV. MIS solar cells formed on 0.1 ohm-cm substrates have exibited the lowest dark currents produced in the course of the contract work.

Meulenberg, A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Thermionic technology infrastructure for space power

An assessment is made of the potential effectiveness, designs, and technological difficulties involved in the construction of space nuclear reactors coupled to thermionic energy converters (TEC). The TECs can be positioned either inside or outside of the reactor core. The out-of-core design lowers the reactor shielding requirements, as well as removing the need for mechanically pumped coolant for the reactor. R&D is still needed for the heat pipes for the reactor and the collectors, electrical insulation, and to reduce the potential losses in the interelectrode space. A cylindrical converter for the out-of-core configuration consists of a tungsten emitter heated by a tungsten-lithium heat pipe. The collector is a layer of tungsten oxide deposited on a Nb-1%Zr alloy, and has been tested at emitter temperatures of 1300-1850 K and a collector temperature range of 700-850 K. A design of a superheated thermionic converter is described, noting that a prototype has been operated at 1730 K for 12,000 hr.

Huffman, F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Variable anodic thermal control coating on aluminum

A variable thermal control coating (modified chromic acid anodizing) has been developed to meet the needs for the thermal control of spacecraft. This coating, with controlled variable ranges of 0.10 to 0.72 thermal emittance and 0.2 to 0.4 solar absorptance, allows the user to select any value of thermal emittance and solar absorptance within the range specified and obtain both values within + or - 0.02. Preliminary solar stability has shown less than 15 percent degradation over 2000 hours of vacuum solar exposure. The technique has been determined to be sensitive to the parameters of voltage, rate of voltage application, time, temperature, acid concentration, and material pretreatment.

Duckett, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Limitations on solar cell open-circuit voltage and efficiency

Techniques used to determine the open-circuit voltage of solar cells are analyzed. It is noted that the computational procedures for determining the output characteristics of a solar cell depend on a thorough understanding of the behavior of individual components. However, amorphous materials and combination solar cells exhibit increasingly complex behaviors and theoretical analyses therefore are continually more dependent on experimental data for verification. Formulations are defined for the base region and for diffusion length measurement. Experimental results are cited to show that, for low resistivity, planar surface cells, the dark current from the emitter is the dominant factor limiting increases in the Voc, which can be enhanced by improving the efficiency of the doping levels and profile to minimize the effects of bandgap narrowing, junction recombination current, and diffusion length of the emitter region.

Meulenberg, A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Observations of continuum X-ray and gamma-ray emission from the galactic center

A review of observations of the galactic nucleus to date in the X ray and gamma ray regions is presented. Attention is given to data in the 1-10 keV, 10-100 keV, 100 keV to 10 MeV, and 10 MeV to 1 GeV ranges. It is shown that the galactic nucleus is as yet unresolvable from the other galactic center at energies above 4.5 keV, while large variations in the observed flux in the 100 keV-1 MeV range indicate a single source as the dominant emitter. An X ray source is concluded to be contained in the nucleus, which features a constant luminosity of 1.5 x 10 to the 35th erg/sec in the 0.5-4.5 keV band. A hard and bright source is located near the nucleus, whose emitter source exists at a temperature of about 10 billion K with a luminosity 30 times that of the Crab Nebula.

Matteson, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Observations of Nonthermal Radio Emission from Early-type Stars

As a part of a wider survey of radio emission from O, B, and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, five new stars whose radio emission is dominated by a nonthermal mechanism of unknown origin were discovered. From statistics of distance-limited samples of stars, it is estimated that the minimum fraction of stars which are nonthermal emitters is 25% for the OB stars and 10% for the WR stars. The characteristics of this new class of nonthermal radio emitter are investigated.

Abbott, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Silicon MINP solar cells

The MINP solar cell concept refers to a cell structure designed to be a base region dominated device. Thus, it is desirable that recombination losses are reduced to the point that they occur only in the base region. The most unique feature of the MINP cell design is that a tunneling contact is utilized for the metallic contact on the front surface. The areas under the collector grid and bus bar are passivated by a thin oxide of tunneling thickness. Efforts must also be taken to minimize recombination at the surface between grid lines, at the junction periphery and within the emitter. Results of both theoretical and experimental studies of silicon MINP cells are given. Performance calculations are described which give expected efficiencies as a function of base resistivity and junction depth. Fabrication and characterization of cells are discussed which are based on 0.2 ohm-cm substrates, diffused emitters on the order of 0.15 to 0.20 microns deep, and with Mg MIS collector grids. A total area AM 1 efficiency of 16.8% was achieved. Detailed analyses of photocurrent and current loss mechanisms are presented and utilized to discuss future directions of research. Finally, results reported by other workers are discussed.

Olsen, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Measurement of electrical parameters and current components in the bulk of silicon solar cells

A review and illustration of electrical measurements for determination of the bulk parameters in silicon solar cells is given. The presentation concentrates on transient and small signal admittance measurements. These measurements yield accurate and reliable values of the base lifetime and the surface recombination velocity at the back contract without inaccuracies that normally results from electrons and holes in the p/n junction space charge region. This then allows the determination of the recombination current in each region of the cell. As an example, current components in the emitter, low doped base, high doped base and junction space charge region of the back surface field cell are obtained. Such analysis is essential in determining the relative importance of the base and the emitter and, thus, the region that limits the cell efficiency.

Neugroschel, A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Use of low energy hydrogen ion implants in high efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells

This program is a study of the use of low energy hydrogen ion implantation for high efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. The first quarterly report focuses on two tasks of this program: (1) an examination of the effects of low energy hydrogen implants on surface recombination speed; and (2) an examination of the effects of hydrogen on silicon regrowth and diffusion in silicon. The first part of the project focussed on the measurement of surface properties of hydrogen implanted silicon. Low energy hydrogen ions when bombarded on the silicon surface will create structural damage at the surface, deactivate dopants and introduce recombination centers. At the same time the electrically active centers such as dangling bonds will be passivated by these hydrogen ions. Thus hydrogen is expected to alter properties such as the surface recombination velocity, dopant profiles on the emitter, etc. In this report the surface recombination velocity of a hydrogen emplanted emitter was measured.

Fonash, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Reflection and emission models for clouds derived from Nimbus 7 earth radiation budget scanner measurements

Statistical results from 2.8 million pairs of broadband shortwave and longwave radiance measurements were used to develop reflectance and emittance models for low, middle, and high water clouds and high ice clouds. The reflectance model was a function of the sum and product of the cosine of solar and viewing zenith angles, and the emittance model was related by a power law of the cosine of the viewing zenith angle.

Staylor, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Quiet Plasma Source

Synthesis of plasma from separate ion and electron emitters suppresses electromagnetic interference. Source employs separate emitters for electrons and ions. Plasma source used to simulate variety of astrophysical phenomena and space-plasma effects. For example, used in studies of propagation of electromagnetic waves in plasmas. Serves as interference-free charge neutralizer.

Leung, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Depletion layer recombination effects on the radiation damage hardness of gallium arsenide cells

The significant effect of junction depletion layer recombination on the efficiency of windowed GaAs cells was demonstrated. The effect becomes more pronounced as radiation damage occurs. The depletion is considered for 1 MeV electron fluences up to 10 to the 16th power e/sq m. The cell modeling separates damage in emitter and base or buffer layers using different damage coefficients is reported. The lower coefficient for the emitter predicts less loss of performance at fluences greater than 10 to the 15th power e/sq cm. A method for obtaining information on junction recombination effects as damage proceeds is described; this enables a more complete diagnosis of damage to be made.

Garlick, G. F. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Site selection and directional models of deserts used for ERBE validation targets

Broadband shortwave and longwave radiance measurements obtained from the Nimbus 7 Earth Radiation Budget scanner were used to develop reflectance and emittance models for the Sahara, Gibson, and Saudi Deserts. These deserts will serve as in-flight validation targets for the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment being flown on the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration polar satellites. The directional reflectance model derived for the deserts was a function of the sum and product of the cosines of the solar and viewing zenith angles, and thus reciprocity existed between these zenith angles. The emittance model was related by a power law of the cosine of the viewing zenith angle.

Staylor, W. F.↗