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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 OSTI2023

Ferroelectric switching pathways and domain structure of SrBi 2 ⁢(Ta,Nb) 2 ⁢O 9 from first principles

Several families of layered perovskite oxide ferroelectrics exhibit a coupling between polarization and structural order parameters, such as octahedral rotation distortions. This coupling provides opportunities for novel electric field-based manipulation of material properties, and it also stabilizes complex domain patterns and domain-wall vortices. Among layered perovskites with such coupled orders, the Aurivillius-phase oxides SrBi 2 ⁢B 2 ⁢O 9 (B = Ta,Nb) are well-known for their excellent room-temperature ferroelectric performance. This work combines group theoretic analysis with density functional theory calculations to examine the ferroelectric switching processes of SrBi2⁢B2⁢O9. Low-energy two-step ferroelectric switching paths are identified, with polarization reversal facilitated by structural order-parameter rotations. Analysis of the domain structure reveals how the relative energetics of the coupled order parameters translates into a network of several distinct domain-wall types linked by domain-wall vortex structures. Comparisons are made between the ferroelectric switching and domain structure of SrBi 2 ⁢B 2 ⁢O 9 and those of the layered n = 2 Ruddlesden-Popper hybrid improper ferroelectrics. The results provide insight into how ferroelectric properties may be optimized by engineering the complex crystal structures of Aurivillius-phase oxides.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Ferroelectric Switching by the Grounded Scanning Probe Microscopy Tip

The process of polarization reversal by the tip of scanning probe microscope was intensively studied for last two decades. Number of the abnormal switching phenomena was reported by the scientific groups worldwide. In particularly it was experimentally and theoretically shown that slow dynamics of the surface screening controls kinetics of the ferroelectric switching, backswitching and relaxation and presence of the charges carriers on the sample surface and in the sample bulk significantly change polarization reversal dynamics. Here we experimentally demonstrated practical possibility of the history dependent polarization reversal by the grounded SPM tip. This phenomenon was attributed to induction of the slowly dissipating charges into the surface of the grounded tip that enables polarization reversal under the action of the produced electric field. Analytical and numerical electrostatic calculations allow additional insight into nontrivial abnormal switching phenomena reported earlier.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Oxygen-modulated quantum conductance for ultrathin HfO 2 -based memristive switching devices

Memristive switching devices, candidates for resistive random access memory technology, have been shown to switch off through a progression of states with quantized conductance and subsequent noninteger conductance (in terms of conductance quantum G 0 ). We have performed calculations based on density functional theory to model the switching process for a Pt-HfO 2 -Pt structure, involving the movement of one or two oxygen atoms. Oxygen atoms moving within a conductive oxygen vacancy filament act as tunneling barriers, and partition the filament into weakly coupled quantum wells. We show that the low-bias conductance decreases exponentially when one oxygen atom moves away from interface. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the high sensitivity of the device conductance to the position of oxygen atoms.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Facilitation of Ferroelectric Switching via Mechanical Manipulation of Hierarchical Nanoscale Domain Structures

Heterogeneous ferroelastic transition that produces hierarchical 90° tetragonal nanodomains via mechanical loading and its effect on facilitating ferroelectric domain switching in relaxor-based ferroelectrics were explored. Combining in situ electron microscopy characterization and phase-field modeling, we reveal the nature of the transition process and discover that the transition lowers by 40% the electrical loading threshold needed for ferroelectric domain switching. Our results advance the fundamental understanding of ferroelectric domain switching behavior.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Synergy between phase transformation and domain switching in two morphotropic phase boundary ferroelectrics

We present that many applications of ferroic materials take advantage of the microstructural redistribution under an external stimulus. Despite extensive studies on the microstructural evolution during both domain switching and phase transformations of high-performance ferroelectrics near morphotropic phase boundaries (MPBs), the synergetic interactions between both leading factors remain unclear. Herein, we have illustrated and discerned the correlative response of phase transformation and domain switching in an archetypical piezoceramic of PbTiO 3 -BiScO 3 using a combination of in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction and phase-field simulations. The direct structural evidence and domain development from simulations reveal a significant reversible orientation-dependent emerging phase transformation and enhanced domain switching. Increasingly populated polarization variants aligned with the applied electric field owing to this strong synergistic interaction play an important role in enhancing the piezoelectric performances of MPB ferroelectrics. Lastly, in addition to providing further insight into the microstructures of ferroelectrics, the present results have the potential to guide the design of high-performance materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Chirality switching of an antiferromagnetic spiral wall and its effect on magnetic anisotropy

An antiferromagnetic NiO spiral wall in Fe / NiO / C o 0.5 N i 0.5 O / vicinal Ag(001) was created by rotating Fe magnetization and investigated using x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD). Different from the Mauri's 180° spiral wall, we find that the NiO spiral wall always switches its chirality at ~ 90 ° rotation of the Fe magnetization, and unwinds the spiral wall back to a single domain with a further rotation of the Fe magnetization from 90° to 180°. The effect of this chirality switching on the magnetic anisotropy was studied using rotational magneto-optic Kerr effect (ROTMOKE) on Py / NiO / C o 0.5 N i 0.5 O / vicinal Ag(001). We find that the original Mauri's model has to be corrected by an energy folding due to the chirality switching, which consequently converts the exchange bias from the Mauri's 180° spiral wall into a uniaxial anisotropy and a negative fourfold anisotropy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Simple Control to Reduce Device Over-Voltage Caused by Non-Active Switch Loop in Three-Level ANPC Converters

With the development of wide band-gap (WBG) technology, the switching speed of power semiconductor devices increases, which makes circuits more sensitive to parasitics. For three-level active neutral point clamped (3L-ANPC) converters, the over-voltage caused by additional non-active switch loop can be an issue. This paper analyzes the multiple commutation loops in 3L-ANPC converter and summarizes the impact factors of the device over-voltage. The nonlinearity of the output capacitance of the device can significantly influence the over-voltage. A simple control without introducing additional hardware circuit or complex software algorithm is proposed to attenuate the effect of the nonlinear output capacitance. Multi-pulse test is conducted for a 3L-ANPC converter built with silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. With the proposed control, the testing results show that the peak drain-source voltage of both active and non-active switches is reduced by more than 20% compared to the conventional control.

Gui, Handong↗
DOE OSTI2025

Heat Pipe Enhanced Thermal Management System for GaN Switches in an Integrated Modular Motor Drive for Aircraft Propulsion

This paper presents the process of sizing a heat pipe enhanced thermal management system (TMS) for GaN switches in an integrated modular motor drive (IMMD) powering a 250 kW aircraft propulsion electric motor. A test setup mimicking the TMS and GaN switches assembly is constructed. The condenser chamber of the TMS is modeled in ANSYS Fluent while the GaN switches assembly is modeled in ANSYS Thermal allowing us to verify heat spreader temperature under test conditions and estimate GaN temperatures under test and actual application operating conditions.

DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Performance of High Voltage Bipolar Pulse Generator with Fast Push-Pull Solid-State Switch Modules

Four identical pulse generators (pulsers) provide fast beam deflection in the Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) beam chopping system at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Linac. The existing pulsers have become obsolete and need to be replaced to improve overall performance of the chopper system. A new bipolar pulse generator has been designed, and a prototype has been built and tested at the SNS. The generator uses fast push-pull transistor BEHLKE switch modules. It can produce a 1MHz burst of alternate 2.5kV with adjustable pulse widths during the 1-ms macro-pulse at a burst repetition frequency of 60Hz with rise/fall times of less than 40ns into a 100pF capacitive load. The performance enhancements of this new pulser in comparison with existing and previous versions of the pulse generator are discussed in the paper. The pulser can be used in applications requiring a series of bipolar ±3.5kV pulses, or unipolar pulses of positive or negative polarity with amplitude up to 4.5kV and various pulse widths with a minimum of 150ns. The maximum switching frequency, number of pulses, or burst repetition frequency in burst mode is limited by maximum power dissipation in the switches and other components. The features of this new pulser along with the results of timing control adjustments, timing and temperature measurements, and HV full power testing on the test stand are presented.

Peplov, Vladimir↗
DOE OSTI2019

A 4×4 electrooptic silicon photonic switch fabric with net neutral insertion loss

We present a strictly nonblocking 4×4 electrooptic silicon photonic switch fabric with on-chip gain. The switch integrates 12 Mach-Zehnder cells in a 3-stage topology equipped with fast electrooptic phase shifters, and thermooptic phase trimmers. To compensate for the losses of the fabric, a 4-channel GaInAsP/InP semiconductor optical amplifier array is flip-chip attached into an etched cavity in the silicon photonic chip with butt-coupled waveguide interfaces. The chip is wirebonded to a CMOS driver that provides push-pull drive to each elementary Mach-Zehnder cell. We demonstrate an optical switch assembly with net neutral insertion loss in the C-band together with nanosecond-scale reconfiguration time.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Deep Reinforcement Learning for Distribution System Restoration Using Distributed Energy Resources and Tie-Switches

Distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar PVs and energy storage, can be used to restore distribution system critical loads after the extreme weather events to increase grid resilience. However, coordinating multiple DERs together with tie-switches for multi-step restoration process under renewable uncertainty is challenging. This paper proposes a deep reinforcement learning to control discrete actions of switching on/off tie switches and DERs for critical load restoration. The restoration problem is first cast into the Markov decision process suitable for DRL. Then, the original soft actor critic (SAC) method for continuous actions has been extended to handle discrete and continuous actions. Numerical comparison results with other stochastic optimization-based approaches on the modified IEEE 33-bus system show that the proposed method can achieve fast critical load restoration in the presence of substation power outage while maintaining system voltage limit throughout the restoration process.

active distribution systems↗
DOE OSTI2025

A High-Voltage High-Current Benchtop Test Stand for Solid-State Switch Testing at the SNS

Solid-state switches already replaced thyratrons in the SNS extraction kicker power supplies, offering improved efficiency and reliability. However, recent supply chain disruptions, combined with a self-firing issue, led us to explore alternative solutions. A vendor-developed MOS-Gated Thyristor switch was introduced but ultimately failed during testing. To investigate the failure and assess possible improvements, a benchtop test stand was constructed to evaluate the performance of a single stage board. This test stand features a Pulse Forming Network (PFN) that operates at 6 kV and 6 kA, with a repetition rate exceeding 60 Hz, simulating real operational conditions. By utilizing this setup, we seek to gain a better understanding of the failure mechanisms, refine the switch designs, and ultimately develop a more reliable alternative for the extraction kicker power supplies.

Bullman, Austin [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2019

Two-Level Switches for Advanced Time-Division Multiplexing

Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)-based time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a mature and widely implemented technology used to read out transition-edge sensor arrays. As the number of pixels in modern arrays continues to increase, a higher multiplexing factor is required to reduce the number of wires and amplifier channels. Yet, as the multiplexing factor is increased, the number of row-select wires (used to turn on a row of TDM SQUIDs in a two-dimensional configuration) also increases, limiting the reduction in array wires. We introduce a more advanced TDM architecture that enforces multi-level switching between subgroups of pixels. We show that this technique can dramatically reduce the number of required row-select lines. We also present the design, fabrication, and testing of a TDM multiplexer incorporating a two-level switch, which implements a second switch for each group of ten TDM pixels. In this application, a multiplexing factor of 100 can be addressed using ten group-select wiring pairs and ten row-select wiring pairs. We demonstrate multiplexer functionality and present measured operating margins of this new TDM multiplexer.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Atomic-Scale Imaging of Polarization Switching in an (Anti-)Ferroelectric Memory Material: Zirconia (ZrO2)

Direct, atomic-scale visualization of polarization switching in a functional, polycrystalline, binary oxide via in-situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) biasing is reported for the first time. Antiferroelectric (AFE) ZrO2 was used as the model system, which is important for commercial DRAMs and as emerging NVMs (through work-function engineering). We observed (1) clear shifting and coalescing of domains within a single grain, and (2) dramatic changes of the atomic arrangements and crystalline phases—both at voltages above the critical voltage measured for AFE switching. Similar synergistic in-situ structural-electrical characterization can pave the way to understand and engineer microscopic mechanisms for retention, fatigue, variability, sub-coercive switching and analog states in ferroelectric and AFE-based memory devices.

Lombardo, Sarah↗
DOE OSTI2014

Efficacy of fixed filtration for rapid kVp-switching dual energy x-ray systems

Purpose: Dose efficiency of dual kVp imaging can be improved if the two beams are filtered to remove photons in the common part of their spectra, thereby increasing spectral separation. While there are a number of advantages to rapid kVp-switching for dual energy, it may not be feasible to have two different filters for the two spectra. Therefore, the authors are interested in whether a fixed added filter can improve the dose efficiency of kVp-switching dual energy x-ray systems. Methods: The authors hypothesized that a K-edge filter would provide the energy selectivity needed to remove overlap of the spectra and hence increase the precision of material separation at constant dose. Preliminary simulations were done using calcium and water basis materials and 80 and 140 kVp x-ray spectra. Precision of the decomposition was evaluated based on the propagation of the Poisson noise through the decomposition function. Considering availability and cost, the authors chose a commercial Gd{sub 2}O{sub 2}S screen as the filter for their experimental validation. Experiments were conducted on a table-top system using a phantom with various thicknesses of acrylic and copper and 70 and 125 kVp x-ray spectra. The authors kept the phantom exposure roughly constant with and without filtration by adjusting the tube current. The filtered and unfiltered raw data of both low and high energy were decomposed into basis material and the variance of the decomposition for each thickness pair was calculated. To evaluate the filtration performance, the authors measured the ratio of material decomposition variance with and without filtration. Results: Simulation results show that the ideal filter material depends on the object composition and thickness, and ranges across the lanthanide series, with higher atomic number filters being preferred for more attenuating objects. Variance reduction increases with filter thickness, and substantial reductions (40%) can be achieved with a 2× loss in intensity. The authors’ experimental results validate the simulations, yet were overall slightly worse than expectation. For large objects, conventional (non-K-edge) beam hardening filters perform well. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of fixed K-edge filtration to improve the dose efficiency and material decomposition precision for rapid kVp-switching dual energy systems.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2017

A reversible single-molecule switch based on activated antiaromaticity

Single-molecule electronic devices provide researchers with an unprecedented ability to relate novel physical phenomena to molecular chemical structures. Typically, conjugated aromatic molecular backbones are relied upon to create electronic devices, where the aromaticity of the building blocks is used to enhance conductivity. We capitalize on the classical physical organic chemistry concept of Hückel antiaromaticity by demonstrating a single-molecule switch that exhibits low conductance in the neutral state and, upon electrochemical oxidation, reversibly switches to an antiaromatic high-conducting structure. We form single-molecule devices using the scanning tunneling microscope–based break-junction technique and observe an on/off ratio of ~70 for a thiophenylidene derivative that switches to an antiaromatic state with 6-4-6-p electrons. Through supporting nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, we show that the doubly oxidized core has antiaromatic character and we use density functional theory calculations to rationalize the origin of the high-conductance state for the oxidized single-molecule junction. Together, our work demonstrates how the concept of antiaromaticity can be exploited to create single-molecule devices that are highly conducting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Thin film design of amorphous hafnium oxide nanocomposites enabling strong interfacial resistive switching uniformity

A design concept of phase-separated amorphous nanocomposite thin films is presented that realizes interfacial resistive switching (RS) in hafnium-oxide-based devices. The films are formed by incorporating an average of 7% Ba into hafnium oxide during pulsed laser deposition at temperatures ≤400°C. The added Ba prevents the films from crystallizing and leads to ~20-nm-thin films consisting of an amorphous HfO x host matrix interspersed with ~2-nm-wide, ~5-to-10-nm-pitch Ba-rich amorphous nanocolumns penetrating approximately two-thirds through the films. This restricts the RS to an interfacial Schottky-like energy barrier whose magnitude is tuned by ionic migration under an applied electric field. Resulting devices achieve stable cycle-to-cycle, device-to-device, and sample-to-sample reproducibility with a measured switching endurance of ≥10 4 cycles for a memory window ≥10 at switching voltages of ±2 V. Each device can be set to multiple intermediate resistance states, which enables synaptic spike-timing–dependent plasticity. The presented concept unlocks additional design variables for RS devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ferroelectric FET-based context-switching FPGA enabling dynamic reconfiguration for adaptive deep learning machines

Field programmable gate array (FPGA) is widely used in the acceleration of deep learning applications because of its reconfigurability, flexibility, and fast time-to-market. However, conventional FPGA suffers from the trade-off between chip area and reconfiguration latency, making efficient FPGA accelerations that require switching between multiple configurations still elusive. Here, we propose a ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET)–based context-switching FPGA supporting dynamic reconfiguration to break this trade-off, enabling loading of arbitrary configuration without interrupting the active configuration execution. Leveraging the intrinsic structure and nonvolatility of FeFETs, compact FPGA primitives are proposed and experimentally verified. The evaluation results show our design shows a 63.0%/74.7% reduction in a look-up table (LUT)/connection block (CB) area and 82.7%/53.6% reduction in CB/switch box power consumption with a minimal penalty in the critical path delay (9.6%). Besides, our design yields significant time savings by 78.7 and 20.3% on average for context-switching and dynamic reconfiguration applications, respectively.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗