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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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Silver improves luminescence and reduces contamination of zinc sulfide phosphors. The silver is added after the zinc sulfide phosphors are deposited in thin films by vapor evaporation, but before calcining, by immersion in a solution of silver salt.
Prebreakdown and breakdown electrical properties of thin film capacitors with certain oxides, fluorides and Teflon dielectrics
This paper will address several aspects of the design and construction of submodules based on thin film amorphous silicon (a-Si) p i n solar cells. Starting from presently attainable single cell characteristics, and a realistic set of specifications, practical module designs are discussed from the viewpoints of efficient designs, the fabrication requirements, and reliability concerns. The examples center mostly on series interconnected modules of the superstrate type with detailed discussions of each portion of the structure in relation to its influence on module efficiency. Emphasis is placed on engineering topics such as: area coverage, optimal geometries, and cost and reliability. Practical constraints on achieving optimal designs, along with some examples of potential pitfalls in the manufacture and subsequent performance of a-Si modules are discussed.
Si RFICs on standard, 2 Omega-cm. Si wafers require novel transmission lines to reduce the loss caused by the resistive substrate. One such transmission line is commonly called Thin Film Microstrip (TFMS), which is created by depositing a metallic ground plane, thin insulating layers, and the microstrip lines on the Si wafer. Thus, the electric fields are isolated from the Si wafer. In this paper, it is shown through experimental results that the ground plane of TFMS may be finite width and comparable to the strip width in size while still achieving low loss on 2 Omega-cm Si. Measured effective permittivity shows that the field interaction with the Si wafer is small.
Sodium niobate, formed by high vacuum, flash, and reactive evaporations, has a high dielectric constant and is used as a thin film dielectric in microelectronic capacitors. High purity films are formed from relatively inexpensive, pure starting materials. Crystalline sodium niobate films can be formed on amorphous or crystalline materials.
A series of environmental tests were completed on one type of triple junction a-Si and two types of CuInSe2 thin film solar cells. The environmental tests include electron irradiation at energies of 0.7, 1.0, and 2.0 MeV, proton irradiation at energies of 0.115, 0.24, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 MeV, post-irradiation annealing at temperatures between 20 C and 60 C, long term exposure to air mass zero (AM0) photons, measurement of the cells as a function of temperature and illumination intensity, and contact pull strength tests. As expected, the cells are very resistant to electron and proton irradiation. However, when a selected cell type is exposed to low energy protons designed to penetrate to the junction region, there is evidence of more significant damage. A significant amount of recovery was observed after annealing in several of the cells. However, it is not permanent and durable, but merely a temporary restoration, later nullified with additional irradiation. Contact pull strengths measured on the triple junction a-Si cells averaged 667 grams, and pull strengths measured on the Boeing CuInSe2 cells averaged 880 grams. Significant degradation of all cell types was observed after exposure to a 580 hour photon degradation test, regardless of whether the cells had been unirradiated or irradiated (electrons or protons). Although one cell from one manufacturer lost approximately 60 percent of its power after the photon test, several other cells from this manufacturer did not degrade at all.
We present measurements of prototype thin film Al microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) intended for application in the sub-mm astronomy balloon experiment EXCLAIM. The device we show is dark, or non-optically coupled, and contains 16 coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators etched into a 261 nm sputter deposited Al layer on a Si wafer. The resonators span the f0 = 3.5 - 4 GHz range, and include both lambda=2 and lambda=4 resonators. Each resonator is coupled to the feedline using one of three alternating coupling designs. We performed transmission line measurements of the device for a series of excitation powers ranging from -90 dBm to -30 dBm, and at a series of base temperatures ranging from 73 mK to 400 mK. We observed quality factors of up to Qi 107 at a base temperature of 73 mK. The lambda=2 and lambda=4 resonators performed similarly, achieving comparable Qi values. The results of these measurements are actively informing the fi nal design of the EXCLAIM instrument. EXCLAIM will incorporate six spectrometers, each containing an array of over 300 resonators in the 420-540 GHz range.
Epitaxial yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) films were deposited on (1 -1 0 2) sapphire by pulsed laser deposition. The films are formed in a cubic phase with the a axis normal to the substrate surface. Ion beam channeling measurements show that the YSZ films are highly crystalline with a channeling minimum yield of 8 percent. The epitaxial relationship between the film and substrate is further confirmed by a cross-section TEM study. Epitaxial YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) thin films deposited on YSZ/sapphire have Tc and Jc of up to 89 K and 10 to the 6th A/sq cm at 77 K, respectively.
Thin film technique for determination of electron mean free path and free electron density changes in bulk metals under applied strain
Oxygen K-shell X ray production cross section and stopping power of aluminum oxide thin films for 20-100 kev protons
An introduction to the study of ellipsometry is presented, with special attention given to the Gaertner model L119 ellipsometer and the techniques of measuring thin films with this instrument. Values obtained from the ellipsometer are analyzed by a computer program for a determination of optical constants and thickness of the film.
The characteristics of a specific M-I-S structure are analyzed for various assumed roles of the thin-film insulating layer. It is shown that the behavior of an ideal Schottky barrier is obtained in the case where the insulating layer does not hinder transport and no localized states are present (or, if present, their population is dictated by the metal Fermi level). The cell is a majority carrier device; by using the insulating layer to control transport, it becomes a minority carrier cell.
A solid on solid (SOS) Monte Carlo computer simulation employing a potential energy scaling technique was used to model the initial stages of thin film growth. The model monitors variations in the vertical interaction potential that occur due to the arrival or departure of selected adatoms or impurities at all sites in the 400 sq. ft. array. Boltzmann ordered statistics are used to simulate fluctuations in vibrational energy at each site in the array, and the resulting site energy is compared with threshold levels of possible atomic events. In addition to adsorption, desorption, and surface migration, adatom incorporation and diffusion of a substrate atom to the surface are also included. The lateral interaction of nearest, second nearest, and third nearest neighbors is also considered. A series of computer experiments are conducted to illustrate the behavior of the model.
A simple, inexpensive circuit is described for switching the current through a resistively heated evaporation boat during thin-film deposition. The circuit uses a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) to switch the 0-15-A current in the primary of a 2-kV A step-down transformer that supplies the 0-200-A current to an evaporation boat. The circuit is controlled by a 0-10 V-dc signal similar to that furnished by an Inficon XTC deposition-rate controller. This circuit may be assembled from a handful of parts for a cost of about $400, nearly one-tenth the cost of similar commercial units. Minimum construction is required, since the circuit is built around an off-the-shelf, self-contained SCR unit.
The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is being developed as an advanced astronomical observatory. The NGST proposes to utilize several thin film membrane layers to create a shield for protection of the telescope from solar thermal energy and stray light, The shield will take the form of a polygon, approximately 15 x 30 m, with individual membrane layers positioned so that they do not come in contact with one another. The membrane shield will be deployed and supported by a series of booms, which will be packed into a small volume for launch. Finally, the shield will be deployed on orbit. Several film materials are being considered for the membrane shield, including CPI, Kapton E, Kapton RN, and Upilex. Each of these polyimide materials was tested to determine their durability over the 10-year mission. New facets of materials testing have been introduced in this study to develop performance data with greater realism to actual use, particularly that of degradation from packing, launch and deployment processing. Materials were exposed to handling that simulated the life of the materials from manufacture through deployment with standardized fixtures and then exposed to a simulated, L2, 10-year radiation environment. Mechanical and thermal radiative properties were measured before and after each phase of testing. This paper summarizes the program and test results.
In the present work we have deposited MgO and Ba(sub 0.5)Sr(sub 0.5)TiO(sub 3)(BST50) thin layers in different sequences to make MgO:BST50 hetero-structured thin films. These films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering technique and found to be highly (100) textured. The figure of merit {(C(sub0)-C(sub v)/(C(sub0-tandelta)} of the hetero-structured films was found to be higher as compared to pure BST50 films measured at 1 MHz frequency with electric field of 25.3 kV/cm. These films were used to make eight element coupled micro-strip phase shifter and characterized in a frequency range of 13-15 GHz. The high frequency figure of merit (kappa factor, defined as the ratio of degree of phase shift per dB loss) measured at around 14 GHz with electric field of 333 kV/cm has been markedly improved (around 64.28 deg/dB for hetero-structured film as compared to 24.65 deg /dB for pure film). Improvement in dielectric properties in a wide frequency range in the MgO:BST are believed to be due to the higher densification of the hetero-structured films.
This project represents Venezuela's first scientific experiment in space. The apparatus for the automatic casting of two polymer thin films will be contained in NASA's Payload No. G-559 of the Get Away Special program for a future orbital space flight in the U.S. Space Shuttle. Semi-permeable polymer membranes have important applications in a variety of fields, such as medicine, energy, and pharmaceuticals and in general fluid separation processes, such as reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and electrodialysis. The casting of semi-permeable membranes in space will help to identify the roles of convection in determining the structure of these membranes.
Protection for polymeric surfaces is needed to make them durable in the low earth orbital environment. Thin film coatings of oxides such as SiO2 are viable candidates to provide this protection, but concern has been voiced over the ability of these coatings to protect when defects are present in the coating due to surface anomalies. When a defected coating protecting a polymer substrate is exposed to atomic oxygen, the defect provides a pathway to the underlying polymer allowing oxidation and subsequent undercutting to occur. Defect undercutting was studied for sputter deposited coatings of SiO2 on polyimide Kapton. Preliminary results indicate that undercutting may be limited as long as the coating remains intact with the substrate. Therefore, coatings may not need to be defect free to give protection to the underlying surface.