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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

An Investigation of the Electrical Short Circuit Characteristics of Tin Whiskers

In this experiment, an empirical model to quantify the probability of occurrence of an electrical short circuit from tin whiskers as a function of voltage was developed. This model can be used to improve existing risk simulation models FIB and TEM images of a tin whisker confirm the rare polycrystalline structure on one of the three whiskers studied. FIB cross-section of the card guides verified that the tin finish was bright tin.

Courey, Karim J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Tin Whisker Electrical Short Circuit Characteristics

Existing risk simulations make the assumption that when a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors, the result is an electrical short circuit. This conservative assumption is made because shorting is a random event that has an unknown probability associated with it. Note however that due to contact resistance electrical shorts may not occur at lower voltage levels. In our first article we developed an empirical probability model for tin whisker shorting. In this paper, we develop a more comprehensive empirical model using a refined experiment with a larger sample size, in which we studied the effect of varying voltage on the breakdown of the contact resistance which leads to a short circuit. From the resulting data we estimated the probability distribution of an electrical short, as a function of voltage. In addition, the unexpected polycrystalline structure seen in the focused ion beam (FIB) cross section in the first experiment was confirmed in this experiment using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The FIB was also used to cross section two card guides to facilitate the measurement of the grain size of each card guide's tin plating to determine its finish.

Courey, Karim J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

An Investigation of the Electrical Short Circuit Characteristics of Tin Whiskers

Existing risk simulations make the assumption that when a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors, the result is an electrical short circuit. This conservative assumption is made because shorting is a random event that has a currently unknown probability associated with it. Due to contact resistance electrical shorts may not occur at lower voltage levels. In this experiment, we study the effect of varying voltage on the breakdown of the contact resistance which leads to a short circuit. From this data we can estimate the probability of an electrical short, as a function of voltage, given that a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors. Also, three tin whiskers grown from the same Space Shuttle Orbiter card guide used in the aforementioned experiment were cross-sectioned and studied using a focused ion beam (FIB). The rare polycrystalline structure seen in the FIB cross section was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The FIB was also used to cross section two card guides to facilitate the measurement of the grain size to determine that the tin plating on the card guides had a bright finish.

Courey, Karim J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

An Empirical Model for Estimating the Probability of Electrical Short Circuits from Tin Whiskers

In this experiment, an empirical model to quantify the probability of occurrence of an electrical short circuit from tin whiskers as a function of voltage was developed. This empirical model can be used to improve existing risk simulation models. FIB and TEM images of a tin whisker confirm the rare polycrystalline structure on one of the three whiskers studied. FIB cross-section of the card guides verified that the tin finish was bright tin.

Courey, Karim↗
NASA NTRS2009

Developing an Empirical Model for Estimating the Probability of Electrical Short Circuits from Tin Whiskers

To comply with lead-free legislation, many manufacturers have converted from tin-lead to pure tin finishes of electronic components. However, pure tin finishes have a greater propensity to grow tin whiskers than tin-lead finishes. Since tin whiskers present an electrical short circuit hazard in electronic components, simulations have been developed to quantify the risk of said short circuits occurring. Existing risk simulations make the assumption that when a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors, the result is an electrical short circuit. This conservative assumption is made because shorting is a random event that had an unknown probability associated with it. Note however that due to contact resistance electrical shorts may not occur at lower voltage levels. In our first article we developed an empirical probability model for tin whisker shorting. In this paper, we develop a more comprehensive empirical model using a refined experiment with a larger sample size, in which we studied the effect of varying voltage on the breakdown of the contact resistance which leads to a short circuit. From the resulting data we estimated the probability distribution of an electrical short, as a function of voltage. In addition, the unexpected polycrystalline structure seen in the focused ion beam (FIB) cross section in the first experiment was confirmed in this experiment using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The FIB was also used to cross section two card guides to facilitate the measurement of the grain size of each card guide's tin plating to determine its finish.

Courey, Karim J.↗
DOE OSTI2010

Photonic-band-gap effects in two-dimensional polycrystalline and amorphous structures

We study numerically the density of optical states (DOS) in two-dimensional photonic structures with short-range positional order and observe a transition from polycrystalline to amorphous photonic systems. In polycrystals, photonic band gaps (PBGs) are formed within individual domains, which leads to a depletion of the DOS similar to that in periodic structures. In amorphous photonic media, the domain sizes are too small to form PBGs, thus the depletion of the DOS is weakened significantly. The critical domain size that separates the polycrystalline and amorphous regimes is determined by the attenuation length of Bragg scattering, which depends not only on the degree of positional order but also the refractive-index contrast of the photonic material. Even with relatively low-refractive-index contrast, we find that modest short-range positional order in photonic structures enhances light confinement via collective scattering and interference.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Polyelectrolyte Complex Films Influence the Formation of Polycrystalline Micro-Structures

Silica-carbonate biomorphs are inorganic materials composed of thousands of crystalline nanorods that assemble complex morphologies such as helices, vessels, and sheets. We investigate the effect on biomorph crystallization of polyelectrolyte complex films that are prepared using the layer-by-layer deposition technique and post-processed to obtain three stable, chemically distinct films. Biomorph growth on poly(diallyldimethylammonium)-dominated substrates (cationic) shows polycrystalline helical and sheet structures bounded by large witherite prisms. Crystallization on poly(styrenesulfonate)-dominated (anionic) and stoichiometric substrates follows a qualitatively different pathway. We observe islands of radial mineral films that over several days extend at a remarkably constant velocity of 0.48 µm/h and eventually mineralize the whole substrate. Our work opens exciting avenues for the use of polyelectrolyte films as tunable substrates for biomimetic crystallization.

Nakouzi, Elias↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of Contact Resistivity In Symmetric Polycrystalline Si/SiO x /Monocrystalline Si Test Structures Using Variable Light Illumination

While different methods exist to determine the contact resistivity in semiconductor devices, these methods are limited to measurement of the majority carrier contacts. The measurement of p‐ or n‐type contacts on n‐ or p‐type crystalline silicon, respectively, is challenging due to the blocking diode formed by the p–n junction. In this article, we address this problem for tunneling oxide passivating contacts used in high‐efficiency Si solar cells. We propose a universal method to extract contact resistivity on symmetric test structures with polycrystalline silicon on SiO x (poly‐Si/SiO x ) passivating contacts under illumination, both for p–n and high–low‐junction passivated contacts. In this method, we demonstrate that the total contact resistance of each cell grid finger to the base wafer is governed by its effective contact area, defined by the transfer length extending from both sides of the finger. Therefore, the grid contact resistance of a poly‐Si contact depends on the ratio of the doped poly‐Si sheet resistance to the tunneling contact resistivity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Local Electronic Structure Changes in Polycrystalline CdTe with CdCl 2 Treatment and Air Exposure

Postdeposition CdCl 2 treatment of polycrystalline CdTe is known to increase the photovoltaic device efficiency. However, the precise chemical, structural, and electronic changes that underpin this improvement are still debated. In this work, spectroscopic photoemission electron microscopy was used to spatially map the vacuum level and ionization energy of CdTe films, enabling the identification of electronic structure variations between grains and grain boundaries (GBs). In vacuo preparation and inert transfer of oxide-free CdTe surfaces isolated the separate effects of CdCl 2 treatment and ambient oxygen exposure. Qualitatively, grain boundaries displayed lower work function and downward band bending relative to grain interiors, but only after air exposure of CdCl 2 -treated CdTe. Analysis of numerous space charge regions at grain boundaries showed an average depletion width of 290 nm and an average band bending magnitude of 70 meV, corresponding to a GB trap density of 10 11 cm –2 and a net carrier density of 10 15 cm –3 . Finally, these results suggest that both CdCl 2 treatment and oxygen exposure may be independently tuned to enhance the CdTe photovoltaic performance by engineering the interface and bulk electronic structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

A comparative study of electronic and structural properties of polycrystalline and epitaxial magnetron-sputtered ZnO:Al and Zn{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}O:Al Films—Origin of the grain barrier traps

Homoepitaxial and heteroepitaxial ZnO, ZnO:Al, and Zn{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}O:Al films have been grown by magnetron sputtering from ceramic targets at substrate temperatures between 200 °C and 500 °C. We studied the relation between the electronic transport and structural properties for the epitaxially grown films and compared it to the properties of polycrystalline films by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and optical reflectance and transmittance measurements. The results show that the epitaxial growth of ZnO:Al and Zn{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}O:Al thin films, which has been observed for nearly all films prepared on single crystalline substrates, will not significantly improve the electronic transport properties in comparison to polycrystalline films unless the grain boundaries are eliminated completely. The grain boundary defect densities of about 3 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} are nearly independent on the structural quality of the different polycrystalline, hetero- and homoepitaxial films. This clearly proves that the grain boundary defects are not caused by crystallographic defects, but, most probably, by the dopant aluminium.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Lasing modes in polycrystalline and amorphous photonic structures

We systematically studied the lasing characteristics in photonic polycrystalline and amorphous structures. 2D arrays of air holes were fabricated in a GaAs membrane. InAs quantum dots embedded in the membrane provide gain for lasing under optical pumping. The lasing modes are spatially localized, and blue shift as the structural order becomes short ranged. Our three-dimensional numerical simulations reveal that the out-of-plane leakage of the lasing mode dominates over the in-plane leakage. The lasing modes in a photonic polycrystalline move away from the center frequency of the photonic band gap to reduce the out-of-plane leakage. In a photonic amorphous structure, the short-range order improves optical confinement and enhances the quality factor of resonances. Understanding the behavior of photonic polycrystalline laser and amorphous laser opens the possibility of controlling lasing characteristic by varying the degree of structural order.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Observation of mechanical fracture and corresponding domain structure changes of polycrystalline PbTiO{sub 3} nanotubes.

PbTiO{sub 3} (PTO) nanotubes (NTs) were synthesized at various temperatures by gas phase reaction between PbO gas and anatase TiO{sub 2} NTs and characterized by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). PTO ferroelectric phase was synthesized at as low as 400 C as evidenced by PFM domain images and piezoresponse hysteresis loop measurement. Furthermore, the PTO NTs fabricated at above 500 C underwent mechanical fracture through development of nanocracks due to grain growth, leading to ferroelectric domains with larger size and lower aspect ratio.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗