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At least 1,423 records · Page 79
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Aluminum Boron Nitride Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors With ZnO Semiconductor Channel

The discovery of ferroelectricity in hafnium zirconium oxide (HfxZr 1−x O2) and related fluorite materials has spurred interest in ferroelectric devices suitable for integration with silicon integrated circuits (ICs), especially those that can be embedded in the back-end-of-line (BEOL) process. More recently, ferroelectricity has been found in wurtzite aluminum nitride-based materials, such as scandium and boron-doped aluminum nitride (Al 1−x ScxN and Al 1−x BxN). Although these materials currently have undesirably large coercive electric fields, and small breakdown electric field-to-coercive electric field ratio, their low processing temperatures and large remanent polarization offer intriguing possibilities for device applications. Furthermore, we report ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) with a 15 nm thick Al0.88B0.12N layer and an 11 nm ZnO semiconductor channel, achieving a memory window >1 V and switching voltages ( V switch ) <±10 V.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

An FPGA-Based Voltage Balancing Control for Multi-HV-IGBTs in Series Connection

The series connection of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) allows operation at voltage levels higher than the rated voltage of one IGBT and has less power semiconductor costs compared to multilevel topologies. However, voltage unbalance during the switching transient is a challenge for series-connected device application. This paper presents an field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based voltage balancing strategy for multiseries-connected high-voltage (HV)-IGBTs including an FPGA-based active voltage balancing control (AVBC) circuit integrated into the gate driver and the control for multiseries-connected IGBTs. As a result, the effectiveness of the control has been experimentally validated in a prototype using four 4.5 kV HV-IGBTs in series connection.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

A Wide Temperature, Radiation Tolerant, CMOS-compatible Precision Voltage Reference for Extreme Environment Instrumentation Systems

Many design techniques have been incorporated into modern CMOS design practices to improve radiation tolerance of integrated circuits. Annular-gate NMOS structures have been proven to be significantly more radiation tolerant than the standard straight-gate variety. Many circuits can be designed using the annular-gate NMOS and the inherently radiation tolerant PMOS. Band-gap reference circuits, however, typically require p-n junction diodes. These p-n junction diodes are the dominating factor in radiation degradation in band-gap reference circuits. This paper proposes a different approach to band-gap reference design to alleviate the radiation susceptibility presented by the p-n junction diodes.

radiation hardened by design↗
DOE OSTI2013

A Compact, Flexible, High Channel Count DAQ Built From Off-the-Shelf Components

Medium to large channel count detectors are usually faced with a few unattractive options for data acquisition (DAQ). Small to medium sized TPC experiments, for example, can be too small to justify the high expense and long development time of application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) development. In some cases an experiment can piggy-back on a larger experiment and the associated ASIC development, but this puts the time line of development out of the hands of the smaller experiment. Another option is to run perhaps thousands of cables to rack mounted equipment, which is clearly undesirable. The development of commercial high-speed high-density FPGAs and ADCs combined with the small discrete components and robotic assembly open a new option that scales to tens of thousands of channels and is only slightly larger than ASICs using off-the-shelf components.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Compact modeling of total ionizing dose and aging effects in MOS technologies

This paper presents a physics-based compact modeling approach that incorporates the impact of total ionizing dose (TID) and stress-induced defects into simulations of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices and integrated circuits (ICs). This approach utilizes calculations of surface potential (ψs) to capture the charge contribution from oxide trapped charge and interface traps and to describe their impact on MOS electrostatics and device operating characteristics as a function of ionizing radiation exposure and aging effects. The modeling approach is demonstrated for bulk and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOS device. The formulation is verified using TCAD simulations and through the comparison of model calculations and experimental I-V characteristics from irradiated devices. The presented approach is suitable for modeling TID and aging effects in advanced MOS devices and ICs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modeling of single event transients with dual double-exponential current sources: Implications for logic cell characterization

Single event effects (SEE) are a reliability concern for modern microelectronics. Bit corruptions can be caused by single event upsets (SEUs) in the storage cells or by sampling single event transients (SETs) from a logic path. Likewise, an accurate prediction of soft error susceptibility from SETs requires good models to convert collected charge into compact descriptions of the current injection process. This paper describes a simple, yet effective, method to model the current waveform resulting from a charge collection event for SET circuit simulations. The model uses two double-exponential current sources in parallel, and the results illustrate why a conventional model based on one double-exponential source can be incomplete. Furthermore, a small set of logic cells with varying input conditions, drive strength, and output loading are simulated to extract the parameters for the dual double-exponential current sources. As a result, the parameters are based upon both the node capacitance and the restoring current (i.e., drive strength) of the logic cell.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

Arrays of Position-Sensitive Virtual Frisch-Grid CdZnTe Detectors: Results From a $4\times 4$ Array Prototype

Position-sensitive virtual Frisch-grid (VFG) CdZnTe (CZT) detectors offer a unique capability for correcting the response nonuniformities caused by crystal defects. This allowed us to achieve high energy resolution, while using typical-grade commercial CZT crystals with relaxed requirements to their quality, thus reducing the overall cost of detectors. Another advantage of the VFG detectors is that they can be integrated into arrays and used in small compact hand-held instruments or large-area gamma cameras that will enhance detection capability for many practical applications, including nonproliferation, medical imaging, and gamma-ray astronomy. Here in this paper, we present the results from testing small array prototypes coupled with front-end application-specified integrated circuit. Each detector in the array is furnished with 5-mm-wide charge-sensing pads placed near the anode. The pads signals are converted into XY coordinates, which combined with the cathode signals (for Z coordinates) provide 3-D position information of all interaction points. The basic array consists of a number of detectors grouped into 2×2 subarrays, each having a common cathode made by connecting together the cathodes of the individual detectors. Lastly, these features can significantly improve the performance of detectors while using typical-grade low-cost CZT crystals to reduce the overall cost of the proposed instrument.

3-D position-sensitive virtual Frisch-grid (VFG) d↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Custom Low-Noise Silicon Photodiode Detector Designed for Use With X-Ray Capillary Optics

We present the first results of a custom low-noise silicon photodiode detector designed for use with X-ray capillary optics. This system is intended to perform as a smaller, lighter, and low-powered alternative to currently existing X-ray telescope technologies. The detector has an active area with a diameter of 100 μm, and its small size leads to a low capacitance of well under 1 pF and a leakage current of 1 pA or less at the depletion voltage. We tested the detector with both a discrete preamp and an ultralow-noise front-end application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The front-end ASIC, developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, was designed for low-capacitance detectors but had not been previously tested with a detector. Here, we discuss the detector design, the experimental setup, and the resulting detector performance. Using radioactive laboratory sources, we measure a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 211 ± 8 eV at 5.9 keV with the ASIC and are able to set the threshold as low as 0.6 keV.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

X-Ray and Particle Detection With the Si(Li) Tracker Module of the GAPS Experiment

Here, this work describes the architecture and the experimental results from the characterization of the lithium-drifted silicon (Si(Li)) detector module, which constitutes the building block of the tracker in the general antiparticle spectrometer (GAPS) experiment to search for dark matter. The instrument is designed for the identification of low-energy cosmic anti-nuclei (antiprotons, antideuterons, and antihelium) to be performed during an Antarctic long-duration balloon flight scheduled for late 2025. The GAPS Si(Li) tracker, that is the core of the instrument, is the assembly of 252 modules, each comprised of four Si(Li) detectors and a full custom-integrated circuit designed for detector readout and produced in a commercial 180-nm planar CMOS technology. A general overview of the detector module architecture and its components is provided, together with a description of the test setup and the experimental results obtained from the characterization of the low-noise analog readout channel. In order to verify the effective operation of the entire module, results concerning the detection of X-rays from a 241Am source and cosmic muons are also provided.

Manghisoni, Massimo [Università di Bergamo (Italy)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hardware-Based Randomized Encoding for Sensor Authentication in Power Grid SCADA Systems

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are utilized extensively in critical power grid infrastructures. Modern SCADA systems have been proven to be susceptible to cyber-security attacks and require improved security primitives in order to prevent unwanted influence from an adversarial party. One section of weakness in the SCADA system is the integrity of field level sensors providing essential data for control decisions at a master station. In this paper we propose a lightweight hardware scheme providing inferred authentication for SCADA sensors by combining an analog to digital converter and a permutation generator as a single integrated circuit. Through this method we encode critical sensor data at the time of sensing, so that unencoded data is never stored in memory, increasing the difficulty of software attacks. We show through experimentation how our design stops both software and hardware false data injection attacks occurring at the field level of SCADA systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

10-Gb/s Distributed Amplifier-Based VCSEL Driver IC With ESD Protection in 130-nm CMOS

Here, this paper presents a low-power 10-Gb/s vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) driver integrated circuit (IC) with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection in the 130-nm CMOS technology. A distributed amplifier (DA)-based modulator is proposed to boost the driver bandwidth. It employs artificial transmission lines to cancel the device parasitic capacitances of the driver. A distributed ESD protection technique is applied to equalize the group delay of the DA to optimize the jitter performance. To minimize the silicon area, the optimal number of DA taps in the proposed modulator has been derived. To compensate for the capacitive load and the channel losses at the output of the driver, a frequency-domain preemphasis scheme is proposed. The proposed DA modulator occupies an area of 0.69 mm 2 , and the entire driver IC has a die size of 2 mm×2 mm, including the pads. Both electrical and optical tests have been carried out to characterize the performance of the proposed VCSEL driver IC. Measurements at a data rate of 10-Gb/s demonstrate a typical power consumption of 85 mW under a single 2.5 V supply voltage (49 mW, if separate 1.2 and 2.5 V supplies are used) and an rms jitter of 0.63 and 1.12 ps for the electrical test and optical test, respectively.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modeling and Analysis of Hybrid Pixel Detector Deficiencies for Scientific Applications

Semiconductor hybrid pixel detectors often consist of a pixellated sensor layer bump bonded to a matching pixelated readout integrated circuit (ROIC). The sensor can range from high resistivity Si to III-V materials, whereas a Si CMOS process is typically used to manufacture the ROIC. Independent, device physics and electronic design automation (EDA) tools are used to determine sensor characteristics and verify functional performance of ROICs respectively with significantly different solvers. Some physics solvers provide the capability of transferring data to the EDA tool. However, single pixel transient simulations are either not feasible due to convergence difficulties or are prohibitively long. A simplified sensor model, which includes a current pulse in parallel with detector equivalent capacitor, is often used; even then, spice type top-level (entire array) simulations range from days to weeks. In order to analyze detector deficiencies for a particular scientific application, accurately defined transient behavioral models of all the functional blocks are required. Furthermore, various simulations, such as transient, noise, Monte Carlo, inter-pixel effects, etc. of the entire array need to be performed within a reasonable time frame without trading off accuracy. The sensor and the analog front-end can be modeling using a real number modeling language, as complex mathematical functions or detailed data can be saved to text files, for further top-level digital simulations. Parasitically aware digital timing is extracted in a standard delay format (sdf) from the pixel digital back-end layout as well as the periphery of the ROIC. For any given input, detector level worst-case and best-case simulations are performed using a Verilog simulation environment to determine the output. Each top-level transient simulation takes no more than 10-15 minutes. The impact of changing key parameters such as sensor Poissonian shot noise, analog front-end bandwidth, jitter due to clock distribution etc. can be accurately analyzed to determine ROIC architectural viability and bottlenecks. Hence the impact of the detector parameters on the scientific application can be studied.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Performance of a 512 x 512 Gated CMOS Imager with a 250 ps Exposure Time

We describe the performance of a 512x512 gated CMOS read out integrated circuit (ROIC) with a 250 ps exposure time. A low-skew, H-tree trigger distribution system is used to locally generate individual pixel gates in each 8x8 neighborhood of the ROIC. The temporal width of the gate is voltage controlled and user selectable via a precision potentiometer. The gating implementation was first validated in optical tests of a 64x64 pixel prototype ROIC developed as a proof-of-concept during the early phases of the development program. The layout of the H-Tree addresses each quadrant of the ROIC independently and admits operation of the ROIC in two modes. If “common mode” triggering is used, the camera provides a single 512x512 image. If independent triggers are used, the camera can provide up to four 256x256 images with a frame separation set by the trigger intervals. The ROIC design includes small (sub-pixel) optical photodiode structures to allow test and characterization of the ROIC using optical sources prior to bump bonding. Reported test results were obtained using short pulse, second harmonic Ti:Sapphire laser systems operating at λ~ 400 nm at sub-ps pulse widths.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-570: Management of Radiation Oncology Patients with Cochlear Implant and Other Bionic Devices in the Brain and Head and Neck Regions

Purpose: To investigate the current status of clinical usage of cochlear implant (CI) and other bionic devices (BD) in the brain and head and neck regions (BH and N) and their management in patients during radiotherapy to ensure patient health and safety as well as optimum radiation delivery. Methods: Literature review was performed with both CIs and radiotherapy and their variants as keywords in PubMed, INSPEC and other sources. The focus was on CIs during radiotherapy, but it also included other BDs in BHȦN, such as auditory brainstem implant, bionic retinal implant, and hearing aids, among others. Results: Interactions between CIs and radiation may cause CIs malfunction. The presence of CIs may also cause suboptimum dose distribution if a treatment plan was not well designed. A few studies were performed for the hearing functions of CIs under irradiations of 4 MV and 6 MV x-rays. However, x-rays with higher energies (10 to 18 MV) broadly used in radiotherapy have not been explored. These higher energetic beams are more damaging to electronics due to strong penetrating power and also due to neutrons generated in the treatment process. Modern CIs are designed with more and more complicated integrated circuits, which may be more susceptible to radiation damage and malfunction. Therefore, careful management is important for safety and treatment outcomes. Conclusion: Although AAPM TG-34, TG-63, and TG-203 (update of TG-34, not published yet) reports may be referenced for management of CIs and other BDs in the brain and H and N regions, a site- and device-specified guideline should be developed for CIs and other BDs. Additional evaluation of CI functions under clinically relevant set-ups should also be performed to provide clinicians with better knowledge in clinical decision making.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-D-213-01: Transparent Photon Detector For The Online Monitoring Of IMRT Beams

Purpose: An innovative Transparent Detector for Radiotherapy (TraDeRa) has been developed. The detector aims at real-time monitoring of modulated beam ahead of the patient during delivery sessions, with a field cover up to 40×40 cm {sup 2}. Methods: TraDeRa consists in a pixelated matrix of ionization chambers with a patented electrodes design. An in-house designed specific integrated circuit allows to extract the signal and provides a real-time map of beam intensity and shape, at the linac pulse-scale. The measurements under irradiation are made with a 6 MV clinical X-Ray beam. Dose calculations are performed with the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE, modeling the full accelerator head and the TraDeRa detector. Results: A 2 % attenuation of the beam was measured in the presence of TraDeRa and the PENELOPE dosimetric study showed no significant modification of the photon beam properties. TraDeRa detects error leaf position as small as 1 mm compared to a reference field, for both static and modulated fields. In addition, measurements are accurate over a large dynamic range from low intensity signals, as inter-leaves leaks, to very high intensities as obtained on the medical line of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The detector is fully operational for conventional and high dose rate beams as FFF modes (up to 2400 MU/min). Conclusion: The current version of TraDeRa shows promising results for IMRT quality assurance (QA), allowing pulse-scale monitoring of the beam and high sensitivity for errors detection. The attenuation is small enough not to hinder the irradiation while keeping the beam upstream of the patient under constant control. A final prototype under development will include 1600 independent electrodes, half of them with a high resolution centered on the beam axis. This compact detector provides an independent set of measurements for a better QA. Funding support : This work was supported by the LABEX PRIMES (ANR-11-LABX-0063) of Universite de Lyon, within the program “Investissements d’Avenir” (ANR-11-IDEX-0007) operated by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and within the project “INSPIRA” operated by the OSEO institution.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Dislocation-driven growth of two-dimensional lateral quantum-well superlattices

Here, the advent of two-dimensional (2D) materials has led to extensive studies of heterostructures for novel applications. 2D lateral multiheterojunctions and superlattices have been recently demonstrated, but the available growth methods can only produce features with widths in the micrometer or, at best, 100-nm scale and usually result in rough and defective interfaces with extensive chemical intermixing. Widths smaller than 5 nm, which are needed for quantum confinement effects and quantum-well applications, have not been achieved. We demonstrate the growth of sub–2-nm quantum-well arrays in semiconductor monolayers, driven by the climb of misfit dislocations in a lattice-mismatched sulfide/selenide heterointerface. Density functional theory calculations provide an atom-by-atom description of the growth mechanism. The calculated energy bands reveal type II alignment suitable for quantum wells, suggesting that the structure could, in principle, be turned into a “conduit” of conductive nanoribbons for interconnects in future 2D integrated circuits via n-type modulation doping. This misfit dislocation–driven growth can be applied to different combinations of 2D monolayers with lattice mismatch, paving the way to a wide range of 2D quantum-well superlattices with controllable band alignment and nanoscale width.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-performance silicon photonic single-sideband modulators for cold-atom interferometry

The laser system is the most complex component of a light-pulse atom interferometer (LPAI), controlling frequencies and intensities of multiple laser beams to configure quantum gravity and inertial sensors. Its main functions include cold-atom generation, state preparation, state-selective detection, and generating a coherent two-photon process for the light-pulse sequence. To achieve substantial miniaturization and ruggedization, we integrate key laser system functions onto a photonic integrated circuit. Our study focuses on a high-performance silicon photonic suppressed-carrier single-sideband (SC-SSB) modulator at 1560 nanometers, capable of dynamic frequency shifting within the LPAI. By independently controlling radio frequency (RF) channels, we achieve 30-decibel carrier suppression and unprecedented 47.8-decibel sideband suppression at peak conversion efficiency of –6.846 decibels (20.7%). We investigate imbalances in both amplitudes and phases between the RF signals. Using this modulator, we demonstrate cold-atom generation, state-selective detection, and atom interferometer fringes to estimate gravitational acceleration, g ≈ 9.77 ± 0.01 meters per second squared, in a rubidium ( 87 Rb) atom system.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ferroelectric materials toward next-generation electromechanical technologies

Ferroelectric materials have been widely used in various electromechanical devices, from ultrasonic transducers and actuators to mechanical energy harvesters. The key performance metrics of these devices, such as sensitivity, efficiency, and bandwidth of ultrasonic transducers, are largely determined by the piezoelectric properties. This Review highlights recent research progress in improving the piezoelectricity of ferroelectric materials and offers potential strategies for further enhancement to meet the ever-increasing demands for high-performance piezoelectric devices and systems. Here, it provides insights into the future development of ferroelectrics to address the increasing demands of emerging applications, including photoacoustic imaging and piezoelectric fans and motors in integrated circuit–enabled electronic devices. Additionally, it emphasizes the need to consider environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of ferroelectrics, from sourcing and manufacturing to usage and disposal.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗