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NASA NTRS1999

Method for electrohydrodynamically assembling patterned colloidal structures

A method apparatus is provided for electrophoretically depositing particles onto an electrode, and electrohydrodynamically assembling the particles into crystalline structures. Specifically, the present method and apparatus creates a current flowing through a solution to cause identically charged electrophoretically deposited colloidal particles to attract each other over very large distances (<5 particle diameters) on the surface of electrodes to form two-dimensional colloidal crystals. The attractive force can be created with both DC and AC fields and can modulated by adjusting either the field strength or frequency of the current. Modulating this lateral attraction between the particles causes the reversible formation of two-dimensional fluid and crystalline colloidal states on the electrode surface. Further manipulation allows for the formation of two or three-dimensional colloidal crystals, as well as more complex designed structures. Once the required structures are formed, these three-dimension colloidal crystals can be permanently frozen or glued by controlled coagulation induced by to the applied field to form a stable crystalline structure.

Trau, Mathias↗

NASA NTRS2001

Multimodal Neuroelectric Interface Development

This project aims to improve performance of NASA missions by developing multimodal neuroelectric technologies for augmented human-system interaction. Neuroelectric technologies will add completely new modes of interaction that operate in parallel with keyboards, speech, or other manual controls, thereby increasing the bandwidth of human-system interaction. We recently demonstrated the feasibility of real-time electromyographic (EMG) pattern recognition for a direct neuroelectric human-computer interface. We recorded EMG signals from an elastic sleeve with dry electrodes, while a human subject performed a range of discrete gestures. A machine-teaming algorithm was trained to recognize the EMG patterns associated with the gestures and map them to control signals. Successful applications now include piloting two Class 4 aircraft simulations (F-15 and 757) and entering data with a "virtual" numeric keyboard. Current research focuses on on-line adaptation of EMG sensing and processing and recognition of continuous gestures. We are also extending this on-line pattern recognition methodology to electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. This will allow us to bypass muscle activity and draw control signals directly from the human brain. Our system can reliably detect P-rhythm (a periodic EEG signal from motor cortex in the 10 Hz range) with a lightweight headset containing saline-soaked sponge electrodes. The data show that EEG p-rhythm can be modulated by real and imaginary motions. Current research focuses on using biofeedback to train of human subjects to modulate EEG rhythms on demand, and to examine interactions of EEG-based control with EMG-based and manual control. Viewgraphs on these neuroelectric technologies are also included.

Trejo, Leonard J.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Calligraphic Poling of Ferroelectric Material

Calligraphic poling is a technique for generating an arbitrary, possibly complex pattern of localized reversal in the direction of permanent polarization in a wafer of LiNbO3 or other ferroelectric material. The technique is so named because it involves a writing process in which a sharp electrode tip is moved across a surface of the wafer to expose the wafer to a polarizing electric field in the desired pattern. The technique is implemented by use of an apparatus, denoted a calligraphic poling machine (CPM), that includes the electrode and other components as described in more detail below.

Mohageg, Makan↗

NASA NTRS1997

Saccule contribution to immediate early gene induction in the gerbil brainstem with posterior canal galvanic or hypergravity stimulation

Immunolabeling patterns of the immediate early gene-related protein Fos in the gerbil brainstem were studied following stimulation of the sacculus by both hypergravity and galvanic stimulation. Head-restrained, alert animals were exposed to a prolonged (1 h) inertial vector of 2 G (19.6 m/s2) head acceleration directed in a dorso-ventral head axis to maximally stimulate the sacculus. Fos-defined immunoreactivity was quantified, and the results compared to a control group. The hypergravity stimulus produced Fos immunolabeling in the dorsomedial cell column (dmcc) of the inferior olive independently of other subnuclei. Similar dmcc labeling was induced by a 30 min galvanic stimulus of up to -100 microA applied through a stimulating electrode placed unilaterally on the bony labyrinth overlying the posterior canal (PC). The pattern of vestibular afferent firing activity induced by this galvanic stimulus was quantified in anesthetized gerbils by simultaneously recording from Scarpa's ganglion. Only saccular and PC afferent neurons exhibited increases in average firing rates of 200-300%, suggesting a pattern of current spread involving only PC and saccular afferent neurons at this level of stimulation. These results suggest that alteration in saccular afferent firing rates are sufficient to induce Fos-defined genomic activation of the dmcc, and lend further evidence to the existence of a functional vestibulo-olivary-cerebellar pathway of adaptation to novel gravito-inertial environments.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

NASA NTRS2005

CdZnTe Image Detectors for Hard-X-Ray Telescopes

Arrays of CdZnTe photodetectors and associated electronic circuitry have been built and tested in a continuing effort to develop focal-plane image sensor systems for hard-x-ray telescopes. Each array contains 24 by 44 pixels at a pitch of 498 m. The detector designs are optimized to obtain low power demand with high spectral resolution in the photon- energy range of 5 to 100 keV. More precisely, each detector array is a hybrid of a CdZnTe photodetector array and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) containing an array of amplifiers in the same pixel pattern as that of the detectors. The array is fabricated on a single crystal of CdZnTe having dimensions of 23.6 by 12.9 by 2 mm. The detector-array cathode is a monolithic platinum contact. On the anode plane, the contact metal is patterned into the aforementioned pixel array, surrounded by a guard ring that is 1 mm wide on three sides and is 0.1 mm wide on the fourth side so that two such detector arrays can be placed side-by-side to form a roughly square sensor area with minimal dead area between them. Figure 1 shows two anode patterns. One pattern features larger pixel anode contacts, with a 30-m gap between them. The other pattern features smaller pixel anode contacts plus a contact for a shaping electrode in the form of a grid that separates all the pixels. In operation, the grid is held at a potential intermediate between the cathode and anode potentials to steer electric charges toward the anode in order to reduce the loss of charges in the inter-anode gaps. The CdZnTe photodetector array is mechanically and electrically connected to the ASIC (see Figure 2), either by use of indium bump bonds or by use of conductive epoxy bumps on the CdZnTe array joined to gold bumps on the ASIC. Hence, the output of each pixel detector is fed to its own amplifier chain.

Chen, C. M. Hubert↗

NASA NTRS2011

Programmable Aperture with MEMS Microshutter Arrays

A microshutter array (MSA) has been developed for use as an aperture array for multi-object selections in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) technology. Light shields, molybdenum nitride (MoN) coating on shutters, and aluminum/aluminum oxide coatings on interior walls are put on each shutter for light leak prevention, and to enhance optical contrast. Individual shutters are patterned with a torsion flexure that permits shutters to open 90 deg. with a minimized mechanical stress concentration. The shutters are actuated magnetically, latched, and addressed electrostatically. Also, micromechanical features are tailored onto individual shutters to prevent stiction. An individual shutter consists of a torsion hinge, a shutter blade, a front electrode that is coated on the shutter blade, a backside electrode that is coated on the interior walls, and a magnetic cobalt-iron coating. The magnetic coating is patterned into stripes on microshutters so that shutters can respond to an external magnetic field for the magnetic actuation. A set of column electrodes is placed on top of shutters, and a set of row electrodes on sidewalls is underneath the shutters so that they can be electrostatically latched open. A linear permanent magnet is aligned with the shutter rows and is positioned above a flipped upside-down array, and sweeps across the array in a direction parallel to shutter columns. As the magnet sweeps across the array, sequential rows of shutters are rotated from their natural horizontal orientation to a vertical open position, where they approach vertical electrodes on the sidewalls. When the electrodes are biased with a sufficient electrostatic force to overcome the mechanical restoring force of torsion bars, shutters remain latched to vertical electrodes in their open state. When the bias is removed, or is insufficient, the shutters return to their horizontal, closed positions. To release a shutter, both the electrode on the shutter and the one on the back wall where the shutter sits are grounded. The shutters with one or both ungrounded electrodes are held open. Sub-micron bumps underneath light shields and silicon ribs on back walls are the two features to prevent stiction. These features ensure that the microshutter array functions properly in mechanical motions. The MSA technology can be used primarily in multi-object imaging and spectroscopy, photomask generation, light switches, and in the stepper equipment used to make integrated circuits and MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) devices.

Moseley, Samuel↗

NASA NTRS2001

Metallic Electrode: Semiconducting Nanotube Junction Model

A model is proposed for two observed current-voltage (I-V) patterns in an experiment with a scanning tunneling microscope tip and a carbon nanotube [Collins et al., Science 278, 100 ('97)]. We claim that there are two contact modes for a tip (metal) -nanotube semi conductor) junction depending whether the alignment of the metal and semiconductor band structure is (1) variable (vacuum-gap) or (2) fixed (touching) with V. With the tip grounded, the tunneling case in (1) would produce large dI/dV with V > 0, small dI/dV with V < 0, and I = 0 near V = 0 for an either n- or p-nanotube. However, the Schottky mechanism in (2) would result in forward current with V < 0 for an n-nanotube, while with V > 0 for an p-nanotube. The two observed I-V patterns are thus entirely explained by a tip-nanotube contact of the two types, where the nanotube must be n-type. We apply this picture to the source-drain I-V characteristics in a long nanotube-channel field-effect-transistor (Zhou et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 1597 ('00)], and show that two independent metal-semiconductor junctions connected in series are responsible for the observed behavior.

Yamada, Toshishige↗

NASA NTRS1982

Effect of Fluid Flow on Zinc Electrodeposits from Acid Chloride Electrolytes

Zinc was deposited potentiostatically from acid chloride baths. Once bath chemistry and electrochemistry were controlled, the study was focused on convective mass transfer at horizontal electrodes and its effect on cell performance. A laser schlieren imaging technique allowed in situ observations of flow patterns and their correlation with current transients. Convection was turbulent and mass transfer as a function of Rayleigh number was well correlated by: Sh = 0.14 R to the 1/3 power. Similarly, convection initiation time was correlated by DT/d squared = 38 Ra to the -2/3 power. Time scale of fluctuations was about half the initiation time. Taking the boundary layer thickness as a characteristic length, a critical Rayleigh number for the onset of convection was deduced: Ra sub CR = 5000. Placing the anode on the top of the cathode completely changed the flow pattern but kept the I-t curves identical whereas the use of a cathode grid doubled the limiting current. A well defined plateau in the current voltage curves suggested that hydrogen evolution has been successfully inhibited. Finally, long time deposition showed that convection at horizontal electrodes increased the induction time for dentrite growth by at least a factor of 2 with respect to a vertical wire.

Abdelmassir, A. A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A new animal model for modulating myosin isoform expression by altered mechanical activity

The purpose of this study was to develop a new rodent model that is capable of delineating the importance of mechanical loading on myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform expression of the plantar and dorsi flexor muscles of the ankle. The essential components of this system include 1) stimulating electrodes that are chronically implanted into a muscle, allowing for the control of the activation pattern of the target muscle(s); 2) a training apparatus that translates the moment of the ankle into a linear force; and 3) a computer-controlled Cambridge 310 ergometer. The isovelocity profile of the ergometer ensured that the medial gastrocnemius (MG) produced forces that were > 90% of maximal isometric force (Po), and the eccentric contractions of the tibialis anterior (TA) were typically 120% of Po. Both the concentric and eccentric training programs produced statistically significant increases in the muscle mass of the MG (approximately 15%) and TA (approximately 7%) as well as a decrease in myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase activity. Both the white and red regions of the MG and TA exhibited significant increases in the relative content of the type IIa MHC and concomitant decreases in type IIb MHC expression. Although the red regions of the MG and red TA contained approximately 10% type I MHC, the training programs did not affect this isoform. It appears that when a fast-twitch muscle is stimulated at a high frequency (100 Hz) and required to contract either concentrically or eccentrically under high loading conditions, the expression of the type IIa MHC isoform will be upregulated, whereas that of the type IIb MHC will be concomitantly downregulated.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗

NASA NTRS1995

Method of Making Large Area Nanostructures

A method which enables the high speed formation of nanostructures on large area surfaces is described. The method uses a super sub-micron beam writer (Supersebter). The Supersebter uses a large area multi-electrode (Spindt type emitter source) to produce multiple electron beams simultaneously scanned to form a pattern on a surface in an electron beam writer. A 100,000 x 100,000 array of electron point sources, demagnified in a long electron beam writer to simultaneously produce 10 billion nano-patterns on a 1 meter squared surface by multi-electron beam impact on a 1 cm squared surface of an insulating material is proposed.

Marks, Alvin M.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Electrophoretic Deposition for Fabricating Microbatteries

An improved method of fabrication of cathodes of microbatteries is based on electrophoretic deposition. Heretofore, sputtering (for deposition) and the use of photoresist and liftoff (for patterning) have been the primary methods of fabricating components of microbatteries. The volume of active electrode material that can be deposited by sputtering is limited, and the discharge capacities of prior microbatteries have been limited accordingly. In addition, sputter deposition is slow. In contrast, electrophoretic deposition is much faster and has shown promise for increasing discharge capacities by a factor of 10, relative to those of microbatteries fabricated by prior methods.

West, William↗

NASA NTRS2005

In Situ Electrochemical Deposition of Microscopic Wires

A method of fabrication of wires having micron and submicron dimensions is built around electrochemical deposition of the wires in their final positions between electrodes in integrated circuits or other devices in which the wires are to be used. Heretofore, nanowires have been fabricated by a variety of techniques characterized by low degrees of controllability and low throughput rates, and it has been necessary to align and electrically connect the wires in their final positions by use of sophisticated equipment in expensive and tedious post-growth assembly processes. The present method is more economical, offers higher yields, enables control of wire widths, and eliminates the need for post-growth assembly. The wires fabricated by this method could be used as simple electrical conductors or as transducers in sensors. Depending upon electrodeposition conditions and the compositions of the electroplating solutions in specific applications, the wires could be made of metals, alloys, metal oxides, semiconductors, or electrically conductive polymers. In this method, one uses fabrication processes that are standard in the semiconductor industry. These include cleaning, dry etching, low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, lithography, dielectric deposition, electron-beam lithography, and metallization processes as well as the electrochemical deposition process used to form the wires. In a typical case of fabrication of a circuit that includes electrodes between which microscopic wires are to be formed on a silicon substrate, the fabrication processes follow a standard sequence until just before the fabrication of the microscopic wires. Then, by use of a thermal SiO-deposition technique, the electrodes and the substrate surface areas in the gaps between them are covered with SiO. Next, the SiO is electron-beam patterned, then reactive-ion etched to form channels having specified widths (typically about 1 m or less) that define the widths of the wires to be formed. Drops of an electroplating solution are placed on the substrate in the regions containing the channels thus formed, then the wires are electrodeposited from the solution onto the exposed portions of the electrodes and into the channels. The electrodeposition is a room-temperature, atmospheric-pressure process. The figure shows an example of palladium wires that were electrodeposited into 1-mm-wide channels between gold electrodes.

Yun, Minhee↗

NASA NTRS1975

EMGAN: A computer program for time and frequency domain reduction of electromyographic data

An experiment in electromyography utilizing surface electrode techniques was developed for the Apollo-Soyuz test project. This report describes the computer program, EMGAN, which was written to provide first order data reduction for the experiment. EMG signals are produced by the membrane depolarization of muscle fibers during a muscle contraction. Surface electrodes detect a spatially summated signal from a large number of muscle fibers commonly called an interference pattern. An interference pattern is usually so complex that analysis through signal morphology is extremely difficult if not impossible. It has become common to process EMG interference patterns in the frequency domain. Muscle fatigue and certain myopathic conditions are recognized through changes in muscle frequency spectra.

Hursta, W. N.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Making AlN(x) Tunnel Barriers Using a Low-Energy Nitrogen-Ion Beam

A technique based on accelerating positive nitrogen ions onto an aluminum layer has been demonstrated to be effective in forming thin (<2 nm thick) layers of aluminum nitride (AlN(x)) for use as tunnel barriers in Nb/Al-AlN(x)/Nb superconductor/insulator/ superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions. AlN(x) is the present material of choice for tunnel barriers because, to a degree greater than that of any other suitable material, it offers the required combination of low leakage current at high current density and greater thermal stability. While ultra-thin AlN films with good thickness and stoichiometry control are easily formed using techniques such as reactive molecular beam epitaxy and chemical vapor deposition, growth temperatures of 900 C are necessary for the dissociative adsorption of nitrogen from either nitrogen (N2) or ammonia (NH3). These growth temperatures are prohibitively high for the formation of tunnel barriers on Nb films because interfacial reactions at temperatures as low as 200 to 300 C degrade device properties. Heretofore, deposition by reactive sputtering and nitridation of thin Al layers with DC and RF nitrogen plasmas have been successfully used to form AlN barriers in SIS junctions. However, precise control over critical current density Jc has proven to be a challenge, as is attaining adequate process reproducibility from system to system. The present ion-beam technique is an alternative to the plasma or reactive sputtering techniques as it provides a highly controlled arrival of reactive species, independent of the electrical conditions of the substrate or vacuum chamber. Independent and accurate control of parameters such as ion energy, flux, species, and direction promises more precise control of film characteristics such as stoichiometry and thickness than is the case with typical plasma processes. In particular, the background pressure during ion-beam nitride growth is 2 or 3 orders of magnitude lower, minimizing the formation of compounds with contaminants, which is critical in devices the performance of which is dictated by interfacial characteristics. In addition, the flux of incoming species can be measured in situ using ion probes so that the dose can be controlled accurately. The apparatus used in the present ion-beam technique includes a vacuum chamber containing a commercial collimated- ion-beam source, a supply of nitrogen and argon, and an ion probe for measuring the ion dose. Either argon or nitrogen can be used as the feed gases for the ion source, depending on whether cleaning of the substrate or growth of the nitride, respectively, is desired. Once the Nb base electrode and Al proximity layer have been deposited, the N2 gas line to the ion beam is vented and purged, and the ion-source is turned on until a stable discharge is obtained. The substrate is moved over the ion-beam source to expose the Al surface layer to the ion beam (see figure) for a specified duration for the formation of the nitride tunnel barrier. Next, the Nb counter-electrode layer is deposited on the nitride surface layer. The Nb/Al- AlN(x)/Nb-trilayer-covered substrate is then patterned into individual devices by use of conventional integrated-circuit processing techniques.

Kaul, Anupama↗

NASA NTRS1979

Bioinstrumentation for evaluation of workload in payload specialists - Results of ASSESS II

Results of the medical experiment on payload specialist workloads conducted as part of the ASSESS II airborne simulation of Spacelab conditions are reported. Subjects were fitted with temperature probes and ECG, EEG and EOG electrodes, and hormone and electrolyte excretion was monitored in order to evaluate the changes in circadian rhythms, sleep patterns and stress responses brought about by mission schedules over the ten days of the experiment. Internal dissociations of circadian rhythms, sleep disturbances and increased stress levels were observed, especially during the first three days of the experiment, indicating a considerable workload to be imposed upon the payload specialists. An intensive premission simulation is suggested as a means of estimating overall workloads and allowing payload specialist adaptation to mission conditions. The bioinstrumentation which was developed and applied to the airborne laboratory is concluded to be a practical and reliable tool in the assessment of payload specialist workloads.

Wegmann, H. M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effects of various cavity designs on the performance of a CO2 TEA laser with an unstable resonator

Unstable resonator modeling has been carried out for an injection-seeded CO2 transversely excited atmosphere (TEA) laser in the NOAA/ERL/Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) Doppler lidar to examine the effects of various cavity designs on the quality of the output beam. The results show the effects of an injection pinhole, electrode spacing, mirror tilt, and radial reflectivity function of the output coupler. The electrode spacing in this laser has negligible effect. The injection pinhole, however, produces complicated structures in the output patterns. If the pinhole is removed, the output pattern is much smoother, and the frequency jitter is smaller. Misalignment sensitivity is very closely related to the radial reflectivity function. The superparabolic function provides the highest coupling efficiency, largest beam size, and good collimation, but produces a slightly higher misalignment sensitivity compared with a parabolic function. The Gaussian function provides the lowest misalignment sensitivity, but it produces the smallest beam size and the largest beam divergence. Also, the coupling coefficient is 50 percent lower than the optimum value. Methods for using a flat diffraction grating in unstable resonators are also investigated. The best way is to use a flat grating/positive lens combination to replace the back concave mirror.

Zhao, Yanzeng↗

NASA NTRS2006

Generating Control Commands From Gestures Sensed by EMG

An effort is under way to develop noninvasive neuro-electric interfaces through which human operators could control systems as diverse as simple mechanical devices, computers, aircraft, and even spacecraft. The basic idea is to use electrodes on the surface of the skin to acquire electromyographic (EMG) signals associated with gestures, digitize and process the EMG signals to recognize the gestures, and generate digital commands to perform the actions signified by the gestures. In an experimental prototype of such an interface, the EMG signals associated with hand gestures are acquired by use of several pairs of electrodes mounted in sleeves on a subject s forearm (see figure). The EMG signals are sampled and digitized. The resulting time-series data are fed as input to pattern-recognition software that has been trained to distinguish gestures from a given gesture set. The software implements, among other things, hidden Markov models, which are used to recognize the gestures as they are being performed in real time. Thus far, two experiments have been performed on the prototype interface to demonstrate feasibility: an experiment in synthesizing the output of a joystick and an experiment in synthesizing the output of a computer or typewriter keyboard. In the joystick experiment, the EMG signals were processed into joystick commands for a realistic flight simulator for an airplane. The acting pilot reached out into the air, grabbed an imaginary joystick, and pretended to manipulate the joystick to achieve left and right banks and up and down pitches of the simulated airplane. In the keyboard experiment, the subject pretended to type on a numerical keypad, and the EMG signals were processed into keystrokes. The results of the experiments demonstrate the basic feasibility of this method while indicating the need for further research to reduce the incidence of errors (including confusion among gestures). Topics that must be addressed include the numbers and arrangements of electrodes needed to acquire sufficient data; refinements in the acquisition, filtering, and digitization of EMG signals; and methods of training the pattern- recognition software. The joystick and keyboard simulations were chosen for the initial experiments because they are familiar to many computer users. It is anticipated that, ultimately, interfaces would utilize EMG signals associated with movements more nearly natural than those associated with joysticks or keyboards. Future versions of the pattern-recognition software are planned to be capable of adapting to the preferences and day-today variations in EMG outputs of individual users; this capability for adaptation would also make it possible to select gestures that, to a given user, feel the most nearly natural for generating control signals for a given task (provided that there are enough properly positioned electrodes to acquire the EMG signals from the muscles involved in the gestures).

Wheeler, Kevin R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Investigation of field induced trapping on floating gates

The development of a technology for building electrically alterable read only memories (EAROMs) or reprogrammable read only memories (RPROMs) using a single level metal gate p channel MOS process with all conventional processing steps is outlined. Nonvolatile storage of data is achieved by the use of charged floating gate electrodes. The floating gates are charged by avalanche injection of hot electrodes through gate oxide, and discharged by avalanche injection of hot holes through gate oxide. Three extra diffusion and patterning steps are all that is required to convert a standard p channel MOS process into a nonvolatile memory process. For identification, this nonvolatile memory technology was given the descriptive acronym DIFMOS which stands for Dual Injector, Floating gate MOS.

Gosney, W. M.↗