Dual-wavelength laser-induced damage threshold of a HfO2/SiO2 dichroic coating developed for high transmission at 527 nm and high reflection at 1054 nm.
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A high energy ion implantation system has been recently developed at the Tandem Van de Graaff facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory with tunable energy to 150 MeV capable of multi-step, deep implantation in 4H-SiC wafers with dopant atoms, such as B, P, Al, and N. Medium and high voltage devices with deep junctions can be fabricated using this system. Lattice strain introduced by the implantation process needs to be recovered and dopant atoms activated by appropriate annealing process as the device performance is strongly associated with the extent of recovery of the lattice. Using Synchrotron X-ray Rocking Curve Topography (SXRCT) and Reciprocal Space Mapping (RSM), the strain induced by high energy implantation of Al and N in 4H-SiC in different patterns are measured and mapped. It is observed that the strain levels correlate with the total fluence levels. PiN diodes fabricated on these implanted wafers were then annealed at temperatures ranging from 1700 °C to 2000 °C for 60 min. The SXRCT and RSM analysis of the annealed samples suggests that for the same annealing duration, higher temperature leads to better lattice recovery.
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Experimental studies on semiconductor surface recombination velocity, metal oxide semiconductor capacitors, and deep lying centers in germanium
The procedures and results of a study of a conceptual system for measuring the debris environment on the space station is discussed. The study was conducted in two phases: the first consisted of experiments aimed at evaluating location of impact through panel response data collected from acoustic emission sensors; the second analyzed the available statistical description of the environment to determine the probability of the measurement system producing useful data, and analyzed the results of the previous tests to evaluate the accuracy of location and the feasibility of extracting impactor characteristics from the panel response. The conclusions were that for one panel the system would not be exposed to any event, but that the entire Logistics Module would provide a modest amount of data. The use of sensors with higher sensitivity than those used in the tests could be advantageous. The impact location could be found with sufficient accuracy from panel response data. The waveforms of the response were shown to contain information on the impact characteristics, but the data set did not span a sufficient range of the variables necessary to evaluate the feasibility of extracting the information.
The objective is to develop an improved space solar cell radiation response analysis capability and to produce a computer modeling tool which implements the analysis. This was accomplished through analysis of solar cell flight data taken on the Microelectronics and Photonics Test Bed experiment. This effort specifically addresses issues related to rapid technological change in the area of solar cells for space applications in order to enhance system performance, decrease risk, and reduce cost for future missions.
Current designs for inflatable or semi-rigidized structures for habitats and space applications use a multiple-layer construction, alternating thin layers with thicker, stronger layers, which produces a layered composite structure that is much better at resisting damage. Even though such composite structures or layered systems are robust, they can still be susceptible to penetration damage. The ability to detect damage to surfaces of inflatable or semi-rigid habitat structures is of great interest to NASA. Damage caused by impacts of foreign objects such as micrometeorites can rupture the shell of these structures, causing loss of critical hardware and/or the life of the crew. While not all impacts will have a catastrophic result, it will be very important to identify and locate areas of the exterior shell that have been damaged by impacts so that repairs (or other provisions) can be made to reduce the probability of shell wall rupture. This disclosure describes a system that will provide real-time data regarding the health of the inflatable shell or rigidized structures, and information related to the location and depth of impact damage. The innovation described here is a method of determining the size, location, and direction of damage in a multilayered structure. In the multi-dimensional damage detection system, layers of two-dimensional thin film detection layers are used to form a layered composite, with non-detection layers separating the detection layers. The non-detection layers may be either thicker or thinner than the detection layers. The thin-film damage detection layers are thin films of materials with a conductive grid or striped pattern. The conductive pattern may be applied by several methods, including printing, plating, sputtering, photolithography, and etching, and can include as many detection layers that are necessary for the structure construction or to afford the detection detail level required. The damage is detected using a detector or sensory system, which may include a time domain reflectometer, resistivity monitoring hardware, or other resistance-based systems. To begin, a layered composite consisting of thin-film damage detection layers separated by non-damage detection layers is fabricated. The damage detection layers are attached to a detector that provides details regarding the physical health of each detection layer individually. If damage occurs to any of the detection layers, a change in the electrical properties of the detection layers damaged occurs, and a response is generated. Real-time analysis of these responses will provide details regarding the depth, location, and size estimation of the damage. Multiple damages can be detected, and the extent (depth) of the damage can be used to generate prognostic information related to the expected lifetime of the layered composite system. The detection system can be fabricated very easily using off-the-shelf equipment, and the detection algorithms can be written and updated (as needed) to provide the level of detail needed based on the system being monitored. Connecting to the thin film detection layers is very easy as well. The truly unique feature of the system is its flexibility; the system can be designed to gather as much (or as little) information as the end user feels necessary. Individual detection layers can be turned on or off as necessary, and algorithms can be used to optimize performance. The system can be used to generate both diagnostic and prognostic information related to the health of layer composite structures, which will be essential if such systems are utilized for space exploration. The technology is also applicable to other in-situ health monitoring systems for structure integrity.
Over the years of commercial nuclear power plant operations in the United States (U.S.), many fuel assemblies have lost the capability to perform all of their desired functions. These assemblies have lost the capability to be handled, stored, or transported to meet regulations resulting in them being classified as damaged fuel. The causes of these failed assemblies are diverse and plant-specific. The majority of these failed assemblies are contained in a damaged fuel can that will be used in conjunction with a storage and/or transportation system. The storage and transportation systems have a limit on how many slots can be filled with damaged fuel cans. A damaged fuel can is generally a stainless steel container that confines damaged SNF and is closed on its end by screened openings. These screened openings allow gaseous and liquid media to escape but minimize the dispersal of gross particulate material. Out of an abundance of caution a few reactors have loaded high burnup fuel into damaged fuel cans. Damaged fuel is not licensed for storage or transport in the U.S., because the regulations for storage and transport do not specify exactly how to classify damaged fuel. Instead the regulations license/certify packages that specify approved contents. Damaged fuel must be included in the approved contents to be a viable option. In many cases damaged SNF is encapsulated in a damaged fuel can to ensure it can confine gross fuel particles, debris, and or damaged assemblies to a known volume within a loaded cask. This damaged fuel can may then be utilized in the same way as an assembly in a storage and transportation design system. Some storage cask systems utilize top and bottom plugs to confine debris in damaged fuel. The most recent domestic documentation on damaged SNF was performed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and used data from U.S. reactors concluding in June 30th 2013 to produce Form GC-859, “Nuclear Fuel Data Survey”. Based on this form there were 136,821 boiling water reactor (BWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies and 104,647 pressurized water reactor (PWR) SNF assemblies for a total of 241,468 SNF assemblies in the U.S. Out of these 241,468 SNF assemblies, 4,521 assemblies were classified as failed. Some assemblies were also disassembled and the fuel rods or pieces of fuel rods were combined together to make a consolidated assembly. A consolidated assembly may include damaged fuel, or it could have been consolidated as part of a demonstration project. The GC-859 data includes 2,550 consolidated assemblies containing between 0 and 264 whole fuel rods. These consolidated assemblies could be placed in single assembly canisters and stored in the spent fuel pool. For dry storage and transportation, a single assembly canister is generally placed in a damaged fuel can. In addition to the consolidated assemblies, 2,391 uncanistered fuel rod pieces exist, which were removed from 494 assemblies.
Throughout the history of commercial nuclear power plant operations in the U.S., many fuel assemblies have lost the capability to perform all of their desired functions. Since they can no longer be handled, stored, or transported in accordance with established regulations, they are classified as damaged fuel. The causes of these failed assemblies are diverse and plant-specific. The majority of these failed assemblies are contained in damaged fuel cans to be used in conjunction with storage and/or transportation systems. These systems have a limited number of slots that can be filled with damaged fuel cans. A damaged fuel can is generally a stainless-steel container that confines damaged spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and is closed at one end by mesh endpoints that allow gaseous and liquid media to escape but minimize the dispersal of gross particulate material. Out of extreme caution, a few reactors have loaded high burnup fuel into damaged fuel cans. Damaged fuel is not licensed for storage or transport in the U.S. because relevant regulations do not specify exactly how to classify damaged fuel. Instead, these regulations license/certify packages that specify approved contents. Damaged fuel must be included among the approved contents to be considered acceptable. In many cases, damaged SNF is encapsulated in damaged fuel cans to ensure it can confine gross fuel particles, debris, and/or damaged assemblies to known volumes within loaded casks. A damaged fuel can may then be utilized in the same way as an assembly in a storage and transportation system. Some storage cask systems utilize top and bottom plugs to confine debris in damaged fuel. The most recent domestic documentation on damaged SNF was published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which used data from U.S. reactors compiled from 1968 to June 30, 2013, to produce Form GC-859, 'Nuclear Fuel Data Survey.' According to this form, there were 136,821 boiling water reactor (BWR) SNF assemblies and 104,647 pressurized water reactor (PWR) SNF assemblies, for a combined total of 241,468. Of these, 4,521 were classified as failed. Some were also disassembled and the fuel rods or pieces of fuel rods combined to make consolidated assemblies. These consolidated assemblies may include damaged fuel or were perhaps consolidated as part of a demonstration project. The GC-859 data includes 2,550 consolidated assemblies containing 0 - 264 entire fuel rods. These consolidated assemblies could be placed in single assembly canisters and stored in the spent fuel pool. For dry storage and transportation, a single assembly canister is generally placed in each damaged fuel can. In addition to the consolidated assemblies, 2,391 un-canistered fuel rod pieces exist, which were removed from 494 assemblies. (authors)
This is a poster for an INL poster session. Accurate models for radiation damage are crucial for predicting material performance in radiation environments. The uncertainty of state-of-the-art radiation damage models is large, contributing to excessive safety margins. A major source of this uncertainty is neglecting the effect that transmutation products have on radiation damage. Transmutation products are new nuclides formed by neutron activation during irradiation; they can contribute to radiation damage by additional neutron capture or decay events. Ignoring the contribution of transmutation products leads to a significant underprediction of the radiation damage (e.g., >10% error in 316 stainless steel). This underprediction is accounted for in part by adding larger safety margins to designs. Currently, the state of the art explicitly accounts for only a single transmutation product, namely nickel-59, during the radiation damage calculation. All other transmutation products are assumed to not contribute to the radiation damage, because there is currently no established method to systematically track all or a selection of radiation damage contributions of transmutation products during activation. In the case of nickel-59, the current method is to apply a precalculated correlation that cannot be used for any other nuclide and is largely dependent on all nuclear engineers being experts in this niche topic. This project proposed to methodically find other transmutation products that cause significant radiation damage, and then to develop a general framework for systematically tracking the radiation damage from these nuclides. This was accomplished by combining the radiation damage calculation into the transmutation calculation already performed for irradiated structural materials. The key idea of our framework is to introduce radiation-damage "pseudo-nuclides" to the list of nuclides used in the transmutation analysis. This allows radiation damage to be tracked alongside the creation and destruction of transmutation products. The main deliverable of this project is a general framework for computing radiation damage while the damaged material undergoes transmutation; this capability allows a significantly more accurate estimation of radiation damage, and in turn reduce required safety margins thereby reducing the cost to construct reactors.
Lamb wave damage detection in a composite stiffened panel is simulated by performing explicit transient dynamic finite element analyses and using signal imaging techniques. This virtual test process does not need to use real structures, actuators/sensors, or laboratory equipment. Quasi-isotropic laminates are used for the stiffened panels. Two types of damage are studied. One type is a damage in the skin bay and the other type is a debond between the stiffener flange and the skin. Innovative approaches for identifying the damage location and imaging the damage were developed. The damage location is identified by finding the intersection of the damage locus and the path of the time reversal wave packet re-emitted from the sensor nodes. The damage locus is a circle that envelops the potential damage locations. Its center is at the actuator location and its radius is computed by multiplying the group velocity by the time of flight to damage. To create a damage image for estimating the size of damage, a group of nodes in the neighborhood of the damage location is identified for applying an image condition. The image condition, computed at a finite element node, is the zero-lag cross-correlation (ZLCC) of the time-reversed incident wave signal and the time reversal wave signal from the sensor nodes. This damage imaging process is computationally efficient since only the ZLCC values of a small amount of nodes in the neighborhood of the identified damage location are computed instead of those of the full model.
Laser-induced damage with ps pulse widths straddles the transition from intrinsic, multi-photon ionization and avalanche ionization-based ablation with fs pulses to defect-dominated, thermal-based damage with ns pulses. We investigated the morphology of damage for fused silica and silica coatings between 1 ps and 60 ps at 1053 nm. Using calibrated laser-induced damage experiments, in situ imaging, and high-resolution optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, we show that defects play an important role in laser-induced damage down to 1 ps. Three types of damage are observed: ablation craters, ultra-high density pits, and smooth, circular depressions with central pits. For 10 ps and longer, the smooth, circular depressions limit the damage performance of fused silica and silica coatings. The observed high-density pits and material removal down to 3 ps indicate that variations in surface properties limit the laser-induced damage onset to a greater extent than expected below 60 ps. Below 3 ps, damage craters are smoother although there is still evidence as seen by AFM of inhomogeneous laser-induced damage response very near the damage onset. These results show that modeling the damage onset only as a function of pulse width does not capture the convoluted processes leading to laser induced damage with ps pulses. It is necessary to account for the effects of defects on the processes leading to laser-induced damage. In conclusion, the effects of isolated defects or inhomogeneities are most pronounced above 3 ps but are still discernible and possibly important down to the shortest pulse width investigated here.
The damage response of resin-infused composites was investigated using quasi-static indentation (QSI) and instrumented drop-weight impact testing. The test specimens were composed of six layers of non-crimp fabrics where each layer contained +45°, 90°, −45°, and 0° plies. The goals of the testing were to identify damage responses that may differ from traditional thermoset materials and provide damage characterization data to evaluate current damage prediction analyses and aid improvements to current damage models. The damage was characterized using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonic testing (UT). Incremental QSI loading was used on a single specimen to investigate damage growth in nine steps at progressively higher loads. Realtime acoustic emission data were used to determine the unloading points. Unlike typical thermoset composites, the force-displacement was smooth and showed no obvious indications of damage. The primary damage consisted of large lines of fiber fracture on the plies near the impact surface and delaminations through the thickness. Nine specimens were impacted at nominal impact energies of 25 ft-lbs, 30 ft-lbs, and 35 ft-lbs. The force histories at each energy followed nearly identical paths. Again, no obvious signs of damage were observed in any of the force histories. The general damage response in the dynamic tests was similar to the QSI-loaded specimens. However, repeat specimens impacted with a given impact energy showed variations in the damage. Some characteristics of the damage response were different than those typically observed in thermoset composites and will need to be evaluated using current analysis methods.
The damage response of resin-infused composites was investigated using quasi-static indentation (QSI) and instrumented drop-weight impact testing. The test specimens were composed of six layers of non-crimp fabrics where each layer contained +45°, 90°, −45°, and 0° plies. The goals of the testing were to identify damage responses that may differ from traditional thermoset materials and provide damage characterization data to evaluate current damage prediction analyses and aid improvements to current damage models. The damage was characterized using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonic testing (UT). Incremental QSI loading was used on a single specimen to investigate damage growth in nine steps at progressively higher loads. Realtime acoustic emission data were used to determine the unloading points. Unlike typical thermoset composites, the force-displacement was smooth and showed no obvious indications of damage. The primary damage consisted of large lines of fiber fracture on the plies near the impact surface and delaminations through the thickness. Nine specimens were impacted at nominal impact energies of 25 ft-lbs, 30 ft-lbs, and 35 ft-lbs. The force histories at each energy followed nearly identical paths. Again, no obvious signs of damage were observed in any of the force histories. The general damage response in the dynamic tests was similar to the QSI-loaded specimens. However, repeat specimens impacted with a given impact energy showed variations in the damage. Some characteristics of the damage response were different than those typically observed in thermoset composites and will need to be evaluated using current analysis methods.
Depth–damage-functions, relating the monetary flood damage to the depth of the inundation, are commonly used in the case of fluvial floods (floods caused by a river overflowing). We construct four multivariate damage models for pluvial floods (caused by extreme rainfall) by differentiating on the one hand between ground floor floods and basement floods and on the other hand between damage to residential buildings and damage to housing contents. We do not only take into account the effect of flood-depth on damage, but also incorporate the effects of non-hazard indicators (building characteristics, behavioural indicators and socio-economic variables). By using a Tobit-estimation technique on identified victims of pluvial floods in Flanders (Belgium), we take into account the effect of cases of reported zero damage. Our results show that the flood depth is an important predictor of damage, but with a diverging impact between ground floor floods and basement floods. Also non-hazard indicators are important. For example being aware of the risk just before the water enters the building reduces content damage considerably, underlining the importance of warning systems and policy in this case of pluvial floods. - Highlights: • Prediction of damage of pluvial floods using also non-hazard information • We include ‘no damage cases’ using a Tobit model. • The damage of flood depth is stronger for ground floor than for basement floods. • Non-hazard indicators are especially important for content damage. • Potential gain of policies that increase awareness of flood risks.