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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 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Ultra-compact low loss electro-optical nanobeam cavity modulator embedded photonic crystal

In this paper, a hybrid electro-optical modulator based on a one-dimensional photonic crystal nanobeam cavity is proposed. The main component of the cavity builder is the indium–tin–oxide that is a transparent conductive oxide. The proposed structure is used to minimize optical losses and also to have a high-quality factor with a tunability from the distributed feedback system. The proposed modulator has a wide range of resonant tunable in a footprint of 1.892 μm{sup 2}. This structure has the ability to shift the wavelength of 1.55 μm using a very small voltage 0.1 V. Simulation results show that the proposed structure has an insertion loss of 0.027 dB, extension ratio 3.484 dB, 119.89 GHz modulation speed, and 0.59 aJ/bit modulation energy. By comparing the proposed method parameters and other modulators based on the one-dimensional photonic crystal nanobeam cavity, a significant improvement in modulation voltage, insertion losses, energy consumption, and footprint have been observed.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing the impact of design factors on solar module thermomechanical durability using interpretable machine learning techniques

Solar modules in utility-scale systems are expected to maintain decades of lifetime to rival conventional energy sources. However, cyclic thermomechanical loading often degrades their long-term performance, highlighting the importance of effective design to mitigate thermal expansion mismatches between module materials. Given the complex composition of solar modules, isolating the impact of individual components on overall durability remains a challenging task. In this work, we analyze a comprehensive data set that comprises bill-of-materials (BOM) and thermal cycling power loss from 251 distinct module designs to identify the predominant design factors and their impacts on the thermomechanical durability of modules. The methodology of our analysis combines machine learning modeling (random forest) and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) to correlate design factors with power loss and interpret the model’s decision-making. The interpretation reveals that silicon type (monocrystalline or polycrystalline), encapsulant thickness, busbar numbers, and wafer thickness predominantly influence the degradation. With lower power loss of around 0.6% on average in the SHAP analysis, monocrystalline cells present better durability than polycrystalline cells. This finding is further substantiated by statistical testing on our raw data set. The SHAP analysis also demonstrates that while thicker encapsulants lead to reduced power loss, further increasing their thickness over around 0.6 to 0.7 mm does not yield additional benefits, particularly for the front side one. In addition, other important BOM features such as the number of busbars are analyzed. This study provides a blueprint for utilizing explainable machine learning techniques in a complex material system and can potentially guide future research on optimizing the design of solar modules.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dosimetric quality, accuracy, and deliverability of modulated radiotherapy treatments for spinal metastases

Cancer often metastasizes to the vertebra, and such metastases can be treated successfully using simple, static posterior or opposed-pair radiation fields. However, in some cases, including when re-irradiation is required, spinal cord avoidance becomes necessary and more complex treatment plans must be used. This study evaluated 16 sample intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans designed to treat 6 typical vertebral and paraspinal volumes using a standard prescription, with the aim of investigating the advantages and limitations of these treatment techniques and providing recommendations for their optimal use in vertebral treatments. Treatment plan quality and beam complexity metrics were evaluated using the Treatment And Dose Assessor (TADA) code. A portal-imaging–based quality assurance (QA) system was used to evaluate treatment delivery accuracy, and radiochromic film measurements were used to provide high-resolution verification of treatment plan dose accuracy, especially in the steep dose gradient regions between each vertebral target and spinal cord. All treatment modalities delivered approximately the same doses and the same levels of dose heterogeneity to each planning target volume (PTV), although the minimum PTV doses in the vertebral plans were substantially lower than the prescription, because of the requirement that the plans meet a strict constraint on the dose to the spinal cord and cord planning risk volume (PRV). All plans met required dose constraints on all organs at risk, and all measured PTV-cord dose gradients were steeper than planned. Beam complexity analysis suggested that the IMRT treatment plans were more deliverable (less complex, leading to greater QA success) than the VMAT treatment plans, although the IMRT plans also took more time to deliver. The accuracy and deliverability of VMAT treatment plans were found to be substantially increased by limiting the number of monitor units (MU) per beam at the optimization stage, and thereby limiting beam modulation complexity. The VMAT arcs that were optimized with MU limitation had higher QA pass rates as well as higher modulation complexity scores (less complexity), lower modulation indices (less modulation), lower MU per beam, larger beam segments, and fewer small apertures than the VMAT arcs that were optimized without MU limitation. It is recommended that VMAT treatments for vertebral volumes, where the PTV abuts or surrounds the spinal cord, should be optimized with MU limitation. IMRT treatments may be preferable to the VMAT treatments, for dosimetry and deliverability reasons, but may be inappropriate for some patients because of their increased treatment delivery time.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of electrically conductive adhesives in shingled solar modules by X-ray imaging techniques

The failure mechanisms of electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) in solar modules are difficult to study since the ECA layer is not easily accessible within the module package. In this work, we present two complementary imaging modalities—X-ray radiography and X-ray microcomputed tomography (XCT)—that reveal important morphological features of the ECA within a shingled module. X-ray radiography uses single X-ray projections to provide fast and non-destructive imaging of the shingled interconnection, illuminating the alignment of the ECA relative to the busbars, the size and shape of the ECA, and the presence of voids within it. Through X-ray radiography, we observed, for example, that the average void coverage area of ECA segments reduced from 36.7% to 4.4% when an ECA was cured for 60 s prior to module lamination. XCT is a three-dimensional imaging technique that can identify regions in which the ECA makes electrical contact to busbars on cells and regions in which the ECA has cracked, among other features. XCT can also be used to image the individual metal particles within ECA, from which the metal volume fraction of an ECA was found here to be 70.4%. This is a quantity that is not often reported by ECA manufacturers but is important to ensure isotropic conduction. As X-ray projections can be performed non-destructively on full modules, the technique may be used to pinpoint ECA failures in accelerated degradation testing. XCT is complementary and is suited to forensic analysis of failing modules.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Automated defect identification in electroluminescence images of solar modules

Solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are susceptible to manufacturing defects, mishandling problems or extreme weather events that can limit energy production or cause early device failure. Trained professionals use electroluminescence (EL) images to identify defects in modules, however, field surveys or inline image acquisition can generate millions of EL images, which are infeasible to analyze by rote inspection. Here, we develop a rapid automatic computer vision pipeline (~0.5 seconds/module) to analyze EL images and identify defects including cracks, intra-cell defects, oxygen-induced defects, and solder disconnections. Defect identification is achieved with a machine learning model (Random Forest, ResNet models and YOLO) trained on 762 manually-labeled EL images of PV modules. We compare model performance on an imbalanced real-world validation set containing 134 EL images and determine that ResNet18 and YOLO are the optimal models; we next evaluated these models on a dedicated testing set (129 module images) with resulting macro F1 scores of 0.83 (ResNet18) and 0.78 (YOLO). Using a field EL survey of a PV power plant damaged in a vegetation fire, we analyze 18,954 EL images (2.4 million cells) and inspect the spatial distribution of defects on the solar modules. The results find increased frequency of ‘crack’, ‘solder’ and ‘intra-cell’ defects on the edges of the solar module closest to the ground after fire. We also find an abnormal increase of striation rings on cells which were assumed to be caused mainly in fabrication process. Our methods are published as open-source software. It can also be used to identify other kinds of defects or process different types of solar cells with minor modification on models by transfer learning.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Biomechanical strain-induced modulation of proliferation coincides with an ERK1/2-independent nuclear YAP localization

Highlights: • Strain-induced modulation of nuclear YAP amount coincides with proliferation. • YAP-inhibiting drug Verteporfin yields distinct reduction of KI-67-positive cells. • This demonstrates regulatory involvement of nuclear YAP in proliferation. • Strain-induced YAP modulation is mechanistically independent from ERK1/2 activity. • ERK1/2 activity influences total YAP amount, exclusively in strained cells. Biomechanical strain induces activation of the transcriptional co-activator yes-associated protein (YAP) by nuclear re-distribution. Recent findings indicate that the mechanically responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 is involved in the amount of nuclear YAP, reflecting its activation. In this context, we conducted experiments to detect how biomechanical strain acts on the subcellular localization of YAP in periodontal cells. To this end, cells were subjected to 2.5% static equiaxial strain for different time periods. Western blot and fluorescence imaging-based analyses revealed a clear modulation of nuclear YAP localization. This modulation fairly coincided with the altered course of the KI-67 protein amount in conjunction with the percentage of KI-67-positive and thus proliferating cells. The inhibition of the ERK1/2 activity via U0126 yielded an unchanged strain-related modulation of nuclear YAP localization, while YAP amount in whole cell extracts of strained cells was decreased. Administration of the YAP-inhibiting drug Verteporfin evoked a clear reduction of KI-67-positive and thus proliferating cells by approximately 65%, irrespective of strain. Our data reveal YAP as a regulator of strain-modulated proliferation which occurs in a MAPK-independent fashion.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Highly Efficient Perovskite Solar Modules by Scalable Fabrication and Interconnection Optimization

To push perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology toward practical applications, large-area perovskite solar modules with multiple subcells need to be developed by fully scalable deposition approaches. Here, we demonstrate a deposition scheme for perovskite module fabrication with spray coating of a TiO2 electron transport layer (ETL) and blade coating of both a perovskite absorber layer and a spiro-OMeTAD-based hole transport layer (HTL). The TiO2 ETL remaining in the interconnection between subcells significantly affects the module performance. Reducing the TiO2 thickness changes the interconnection contact from a Schottky diode to ohmic behavior. Owing to interconnection resistance reduction, the perovskite modules with a 10 nm TiO2 layer show enhanced performance mainly associated with an improved fill factor. Finally, we demonstrate a four-cell MA0.7FA0.3PbI3 perovskite module with a stabilized power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.6% measured from an aperture area of ~10.36 cm2, corresponding to an active-area module PCE of 17.9% with a geometric fill factor of ~87.3%.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

High-Speed Electro-Optic Modulator Integrated with Graphene-Boron Nitride Heterostructure and Photonic Crystal Nanocavity

Nanoscale and power-efficient electro-optic (EO) modulators are essential components for optical interconnects that are beginning to replace electrical wiring for intra- and interchip communications. Silicon-based EO modulators show sufficient figures of merits regarding device footprint, speed, power consumption, and modulation depth. However, the weak electro-optic effect of silicon still sets a technical bottleneck for these devices, motivating the development of modulators based on new materials. Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon allotrope, has emerged as an alternative active material for optoelectronic applications owing to its exceptional optical and electronic properties. We demonstrate a high-speed graphene electro-optic modulator based on a graphene-boron nitride (BN) heterostructure integrated with a silicon photonic crystal nanocavity. Strongly enhanced light-matter interaction of graphene in a submicron cavity enables efficient electrical tuning of the cavity reflection. We observe a modulation depth of 3.2 dB and a cutoff frequency of 1.2 GHz.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Optical and electrical characterization of pulse-modulated argon atmospheric-pressure inductively coupled microplasma jets

The critical parameters determining the generation of the pulse-modulated argon atmospheric-pressure inductively coupled plasma (AP-ICP) microjet were studied by varying the power, P, pulse-modulation frequency, f, and duty ratio, DR. The temporal changes in the net output power, P{sub net}, monitored between the very high frequency power supply and matching network by an rf sampler, and ArI 4s{sup '}[1/2]{sub 1}{sup O}-4p{sup '}[1/2]{sub 0} emission from the antenna were measured to elucidate the behavior of this plasma. The AP-ICP microjet, which produces high-density (0.9-1.1x10{sup 15} cm{sup -3}) nonequilibrium plasma, consists of an alumina discharge tube with the inner diameter of 0.8 mm. The generation diagram of the pulse-modulated plasma was created by having f as the horizontal axis and DR as the vertical axis while varying P up to 50 W. At f{<=}10 kHz, the plasma was generated at above the linear lines of f and DR, which indicated the existence of the critical power-off period of approximately 80 {mu}s. At f>10 kHz, the pulse-modulated plasma was produced above constant DR and almost independent of f. The time-averaged power, P, which is the product of P and DR, had to be more than 8-10 W to sustain the pulse-modulated plasma. From the measurement of the temporal changes in the net power and ArI emission, the dynamic behavior of the pulse-modulated plasma was revealed as follows. The prebreakdown period was present for {approx}5 {mu}s after the power was turned on. Once the plasma was generated, the impedance was changed and the reflected power gradually decreased. A strong emission peak was observed immediately after the breakdown, followed by the gradual increase up to the steady state. Finally, the intense afterpeak was observed at 0.8 {mu}s after the power was turned off.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy using a directly modulated quantum cascade laser

Chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy (CLaDS) utilizing direct modulation of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) is presented. By controlling the laser bias nearly single- and dual-sideband CLaDS operation can be realized in an extremely simplified optical setup with no external optical modulators. Capability of direct single-sideband modulation is a unique feature of QCLs that exhibit a low linewidth enhancement factor. The developed analytical model shows excellent agreement with the experimental, directly modulated CLaDS spectra. This method overcomes major technical limitations of mid-infrared CLaDS systems by allowing significantly higher modulation frequencies and eliminating optical fringes introduced by external modulators.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of collisional heat transfer in ICRF power modulation experiment on ASDEX Upgrade

ICRF (ion cyclotron range of frequencies) heating experiments were performed in D-H plasmas at various H concentrations on ASDEX Upgrade. The rf power was modulated to measure the electron power deposition profile from electron temperature modulation. To minimize the contribution from indirect collisional heating and the effect of radial transport, the rf power was modulated at 50 Hz. However, peaking of electron temperature modulation was still observed around the hydrogen cyclotron resonance indicating collisional heating contribution. Time dependent simulation of the hydrogen distribution function was performed for the discharges, using the full-wave code AORSA (E.F. Jaeger, et al., Phys. Plasmas, Vol. 8, page 1573 (2001)) coupled to the Fokker-Planck code CQL3D (R.W. Harvey, et al., Proc. IAEA (1992)). In the present experimental conditions, it was found that modulation of the collisional heating was comparable to that of direct wave damping. Impact of radial transport was also analyzed and found to appreciably smear out the modulation profile and reduce the phase delay.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Graphene based plasmonic terahertz amplitude modulator operating above 100 MHz

The terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum holds great potential in many fields of study, from spectroscopy to biomedical imaging, remote gas sensing, and high speed communication. To fully exploit this potential, fast optoelectronic devices such as amplitude and phase modulators must be developed. In this work, we present a room temperature external THz amplitude modulator based on plasmonic bow-tie antenna arrays with graphene. By applying a modulating bias to a back gate electrode, the conductivity of graphene is changed, which modifies the reflection characteristics of the incoming THz radiation. The broadband response of the device was characterized by using THz time-domain spectroscopy, and the modulation characteristics such as the modulation depth and cut-off frequency were investigated with a 2.0 THz single frequency emission quantum cascade laser. An optical modulation cut-off frequency of 105 ± 15 MHz is reported. The results agree well with a lumped element circuit model developed to describe the device.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Coherent population trapping with polarization modulation

Coherent population trapping (CPT) is extensively studied for future vapor cell clocks of high frequency stability. In the constructive polarization modulation CPT scheme, a bichromatic laser field with polarization and phase synchronously modulated is applied on an atomic medium. A high contrast CPT signal is observed in this so-called double-modulation configuration, due to the fact that the atomic population does not leak to the extreme Zeeman states, and that the two CPT dark states, which are produced successively by the alternate polarizations, add constructively. Here, we experimentally investigate CPT signal dynamics first in the usual configuration, a single circular polarization. The double-modulation scheme is then addressed in both cases: one pulse Rabi interaction and two pulses Ramsey interaction. The impact and the optimization of the experimental parameters involved in the time sequence are reviewed. We show that a simple seven-level model explains the experimental observations. The double-modulation scheme yields a high contrast similar to the one of other high contrast configurations like push-pull optical pumping or crossed linear polarization scheme, with a setup allowing a higher compactness. The constructive polarization modulation is attractive for atomic clock, atomic magnetometer, and high precision spectroscopy applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Active region of a functionally integrated laser – modulator

A method for the functional integration of injection lasers and modulators of generated light in a single heterostructure with spatially displaced quantum wells in the conduction and valence bands, formed by the second-type heterojunctions, is proposed. The structures and energy band diagrams of the active regions of functionally integrated lasers – modulators with amplitude and frequency modulation are considered. A physical – topological model and a technique for numerical simulation of lasers – modulators is proposed. It is shown that the maximum modulation frequencies for the proposed heterostructures, in contrast to the same frequencies implemented under pump current modulation, are not limited by the duration of transients in the laser power supply circuit and the carrier lifetime in the laser active region but are determined by the photon lifetime in the cavity. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Compensation of residual amplitude modulation fluctuations in an optoelectronic system for laser radiation frequency stabilisation

Fluctuations of residual amplitude modulation in a scheme of laser frequency stabilisation by a Fabry – Perot cavity reduce the frequency stability of the laser systems intended for interrogating clock transitions of atoms and ions. The dependences of the residual amplitude modulation on a temperature of the waveguide-based electro-optical modulator used for modulating the radiation phase and on polarisation of the radiation are measured. The parameters are found, at which the influence of the residual amplitude modulation on the frequency stability is minimal. A system for active compensation is created, which reduces the contribution of fluctuations of residual amplitude modulation to the instability down to 2.1 × 10{sup −16}, which makes it possible to reach the thermal noise limit of a silicon cryogenic cavity. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Monthly modulation in dark matter direct-detection experiments

The signals in dark matter direct-detection experiments should exhibit modulation signatures due to the Earth's motion with respect to the Galactic dark matter halo. The annual and daily modulations, due to the Earth's revolution about the Sun and rotation about its own axis, have been explored previously. Monthly modulation is another such feature present in direct detection signals, and provides a nearly model-independent method of distinguishing dark matter signal events from background. We study here monthly modulations in detail for both WIMP and WISP dark matter searches, examining both the effect of the motion of the Earth about the Earth-Moon barycenter and the gravitational focusing due to the Moon. For WIMP searches, we calculate the monthly modulation of the count rate and show the effects are too small to be observed in the foreseeable future. For WISP dark matter experiments, we show that the photons generated by WISP to photon conversion have frequencies which undergo a monthly modulating shift which is detectable with current technology and which cannot in general be neglected in high resolution WISP searches.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Packaging of an 8-kV Silicon Carbide Diode Module with Double-Side Cooling and Sintered-Silver Joints

Packaging innovations are needed for medium-voltage wide bandgap power semiconductor modules to enable their adaptation in grid applications. A unique challenge for packaging medium-voltage power modules is managing the trade-off between insulation demand and heat dissipation. The focus of this work was on developing a packaging innovation that improves the module heat dissipation and offers more flexibility to its insulation design. Two strategies were explored for the packaging of an 8-kV SiC diode rectifier module:(1) double-side cooling and (2) sintered-silver bonding. Double-side cooling was realized by using short metal posts rather than long and thin wire bonds for device interconnection, forming a low-profile package with devices sandwiched between two insulated metal substrates. Sintered-silver bonding enabled the devices to function reliably at over 250 °C. Simulations of the packaged module showed a low interconnect inductance of 2.67 nH and a 50% less heat transfer coefficient required to cool the chips. Prototypes of the module were fabricated, and preliminary electrical testing results validated the package design.

27 ARPA - Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy↗
DOE OSTI2010

Test-to-Failure of Crystalline Silicon Modules: Preprint

Accelerated lifetime testing of five crystalline silicon module designs was carried out according to the Terrestrial Photovoltaic Module Accelerated Test-to-Failure Protocol. This protocol compares the reliability of various module constructions on a quantitative basis. The modules under test are subdivided into three accelerated lifetime testing paths: 85..deg..C/85% relative humidity withsystem bias, thermal cycling between 40..deg..C and 85..deg..C, and a path that alternates between damp heat and thermal cycling. The most severe stressor is damp heat with system bias applied to simulate the voltages that modules experience when connected in an array. Positive 600 V applied to the active layer with respect to the grounded module frame accelerates corrosion of the silver gridfingers and degrades the silicon nitride antireflective coating on the cells. Dark I-V curve fitting indicates increased series resistance and saturation current around the maximum power point; however, an improvement in junction recombination characteristics is obtained. Shunt paths and cell-metallization interface failures are seen developing in the silicon cells as determined byelectroluminescence, thermal imaging, and I-V curves in the case of negative 600 V bias applied to the active layer. Ability to withstand electrolytic corrosion, moisture ingress, and ion drift under system voltage bias are differentiated.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗