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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Design of an Auto-zeroed, Differential, Organic Thin-film Field-effect Transistor Amplifier for Sensor Applications

Organic strain gauge and other sensors require high-gain, precision dc amplification to process their low-level output signals. Ideally, amplifiers would be fabricated using organic thin-film field-effect transistors (OTFT's) adjacent to the sensors. However, OTFT amplifiers exhibit low gain and high input-referred dc offsets that must be effectively managed. This paper presents a four-stage, cascaded differential OTFT amplifier utilizing switched capacitor auto-zeroing. Each stage provides a nominal voltage gain of four through a differential pair driving low-impedance active loads, which provide common-mode output voltage control. p-type pentacence OTFT's are used for the amplifier devices and auto-zero switches. Simulations indicate the amplifier provides a nominal voltage gain of 280 V/V and effectively amplifies a 1-mV dc signal in the presence of 500-mV amplifier input-referred dc offset voltages. Future work could include the addition of digital gain calibration and offset correction of residual offsets associated with charge injection imbalance in the differential circuits.

large-area electronics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dimming LED circuit augmenting DC/DC controller integrated circuit

Embodiments include systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing a dimming function in a single stage AC input light emitting diode (LED) driver with a controller that contains an on-chip error amplifier and an on-chip fixed reference voltage source coupled to a first input of the error amplifier. The controller controls a duty cycle of a switching transistor to cause a feedback voltage, applied to a first package input terminal, to match the reference voltage. To achieve a dimming function, a voltage across a current sense resistor in series with the LEDs is applied to a first input of a high gain differential amplifier, and a variable dimming control voltage is applied to a second input of the differential amplifier. The output of the differential amplifier is coupled to the first package input terminal. The differential amplifier input signals will be matched at the target LED current level.

Song, Zhengrong↗
NASA NTRS1981

Direct current ballast circuit for metal halide lamp

A direct current ballast circuit for a two electrode metal halide lamp is described. Said direct current ballast circuit includes a low voltage DC input and a high frequency power amplifier and power transformer for developing a high voltage output. The output voltage is rectified by diodes and filtered by inductor and capacitor to provide a regulated DC output through commutating diodes to one terminal of the lamp at the output terminal. A feedback path from the output of the filter capacitor through the bias resistor to power the high frequency circuit which includes the power amplifier and the power transformer for sustaining circuit operations during low voltage transients on the input DC supply is described. A current sensor connected to the output of the lamp through terminal for stabilizing lamp current following breakdown of the lamp is described.

Lutus, P.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Performance studies of Hamamatsu R9800 photomultiplier tube with a new active base designed for use in the Hall D Broadband tagger Hodoscope

This paper presents the results of a study of a high rate photomultiplier and active base assembly designed for use in scintillator counters of the Hall D Jefferson Lab Broadband fixed-array Tagging Hodoscope. In its standard configuration the fixed-array hodoscope consists of 218 plastic scintillator counters made with Hamamatsu R9800 one inch in diameter photomultiplier tube. All tubes are equipped with designed at JLab new active base. The base comprised of a high voltage divider integrated with amplifiers powered by current flowing through the divider (U.S. Patent No. 6,791,269). This original design allows limiting the PMT anode current to 15-20 uA at a 4 MHz count rate, and allows tube operation at lower high voltage bias voltage while retaining a desired overall gain and dynamic range of output signals. The performance of the PMT assemblies were studied at Jeffeson Lab using a picosecond laser (PLP-10). Subsequently, two hundred fifty PMT and base assemblies were manufactured and tested. The results of testing the R9800 photomultiplier in a new active base are presented and discussed.

Popov, Vladimir↗
NASA NTRS2004

Some Improvements in Signal-Conditioning Circuits

Two documents present wide-ranging discussions of some issues in the design and operation of signal-conditioning circuits. The first document focuses on active low-pass filter circuits that contain resistors, capacitors, and operational amplifiers. It describes design and operational problems encountered previously, deficiencies of prior designs, and four design improvements to overcome the deficiencies. These improvements are as follows: 1. An offset-calibration feature in which an electronic switch isolates a filter capacitor in order to preserve its voltage during a calibration performed to measure the offset voltage of the operational amplifier; 2. Configuring a pair of complementary operational amplifiers to prevent latchup and decrease the degree of nonlinearity in overall response; 3. Minimizing distortion by taking the filter output from the operational-amplifier output nodes instead of from one of the other nodes as in prior designs; and 4. Providing for switching different feedback resistors to change filter break frequencies. The second document addresses topics in the architecture of signal-conditioning and multiplexing circuitry. Improvements are described as being made with respect to greater compactness, increased flexibility in accommodating a variety of inputs, improvements in filter performance, simplification of wiring, and reconfigurability of designs.

Shuler, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

High stability amplifier

An electrical RF signal amplifier for providing high temperature stability and RF isolation and comprised of an integrated circuit voltage regulator, a single transistor, and an integrated circuit operational amplifier mounted on a circuit board such that passive circuit elements are located on side of the circuit board while the active circuit elements are located on the other side is described. The active circuit elements are embedded in a common heat sink so that a common temperature reference is provided for changes in ambient temperature. The single transistor and operational amplifier are connected together to form a feedback amplifier powered from the voltage regulator with transistor implementing primarily the desired signal gain while the operational amplifier implements signal isolation. Further RF isolation is provided by the voltage regulator which inhibits cross-talk from other like amplifiers powered from a common power supply. Input and output terminals consisting of coaxial connectors are located on the sides of a housing in which all the circuit components and heat sink are located.

Adams, W. A.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Low-mass dark matter search with CDMSlite

The SuperCDMS experiment is designed to directly detect WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) that may constitute the dark matter in our galaxy. During its operation at the Soudan Underground Laboratory, germanium detectors were run in the CDMSlite (Cryogenic Dark Matter Search low ionization threshold experiment) mode to gather data sets with sensitivity specifically for WIMPs with masses ${<}10$ GeV/$c^2$. In this mode, a large detector-bias voltage is applied to amplify the phonon signals produced by drifting charges. This paper presents studies of the experimental noise and its effect on the achievable energy threshold, which is demonstrated to be as low as 56 eV$_{\text{ee}}$ (electron equivalent energy). The detector biasing configuration is described in detail, with analysis corrections for voltage variations to the level of a few percent. Detailed studies of the electric-field geometry, and the resulting successful development of a fiducial parameter, eliminate poorly measured events, yielding an energy resolution ranging from ${\sim}$9 eV$_{\text{ee}}$ at 0 keV to 101 eV$_{\text{ee}}$ at ${\sim}$10 keV$_{\text{ee}}$. New results are derived for astrophysical uncertainties relevant to the WIMP-search limits, specifically examining how they are affected by variations in the most probable WIMP velocity and the galactic escape velocity. These variations become more important for WIMP masses below 10 GeV/$c^2$. Finally, new limits on spin-dependent low-mass WIMP-nucleon interactions are derived, with new parameter space excluded for WIMP masses ${\lesssim}$3 GeV/$c^2$.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2013

Compact Radar Transceiver with Included Calibration

The Digital Beamforming Synthetic Aperture Radar (DBSAR) is an eight-channel phased array radar system that employs solid-state radar transceivers, a microstrip patch antenna, and a reconfigurable waveform generator and processor unit. The original DBSAR transceiver design utilizes connectorized electronic components that tend to be physically large and heavy. To achieve increased functionality in a smaller volume, PCB (printed circuit board) transceivers were designed to replace the large connectorized transceivers. One of the most challenging problems designing the transceivers in a PCB format was achieving proper performance in the calibration path. For a radar loop-back calibration path, a portion of the transmit signal is coupled out of the antenna feed and fed back into the receiver. This is achieved using passive components for stability and repeatability. Some signal also leaks through the receive path. As these two signal paths are correlated via an unpredictable phase, the leakage through the receive path during transmit must be 30 dB below the calibration path. For DBSAR s design, this requirement called for a 100-dB isolation in the receiver path during transmit. A total of 16 solid-state L-band transceivers on a PCB format were designed. The transceivers include frequency conversion stages, T/R switching, and a calibration path capable of measuring the transmit power-receiver gain product during transmit for pulse-by-pulse calibration or matched filtering. In particular, this calibration path achieves 100-dB isolation between the transmitted signal and the low-noise amplifier through the use of a switching network and a section of physical walls achieving attenuation of radiated leakage. The transceivers were designed in microstrip PCBs with lumped elements and individually packaged components for compactness. Each transceiver was designed on a single PCB with a custom enclosure providing interior walls and compartments to isolate transceiver subsystems from radiated interference. The enclosure also acts as a heat sink for the voltage regulators and power amplifiers inside the system. The PCB transceiver design produces transmit pulses of 2 W with an arbitrary duty cycle. Each transceiver is fed by an external 120-MHz signal transmit and two 1,140-MHz local oscillator signals. The received signal is amplified and down-converted to 120 MHz and is fed to the data processor. The transceiver dimensions are approximately 3.5 11.5 0.6 in. (9 29 1.5 cm). The PCB transceiver design reduces the volume and weight of the DBSAR instrument while maintaining the functionality found in the original design. Both volume and weight are critical for airborne and flight remote sensing instrumentation.

McLinden, Matthew↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electrostatic Regolith Interaction Experiment (ERIE) Electrometer Instrument Development

The Electrostatic Regolith Interaction Experiment (ERIE) is a joint venture between the University of Central Florida (UCF) Center for Microgravity Research (CMR) and the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) seeking to examine charged dust grain behavior in a microgravity environment. Two separate systems have been combined for this suborbital flight experiment: the COLLisions Into Dust Experiment (COLLIDE) developed by the UCF CMR and the Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer (WES) developed by the NASA KSC ESPL. This combination will advance the understanding of the natural and induced charged grain behavior on the Moon, asteroids, and other low gravity bodies comprised of charged dust particles. COLLIDE retains granular material under vacuum in a shallow tray behind a metal door, which then opens and releases the particles into a larger open volume when microgravity is achieved. The experiment is observed with a high-speed camera, such that the motions of these particles can then be tracked so the kinematics of each grain may be analyzed. The original application for this apparatus was to study cratering events into granular beds, but electrostatic repulsion was detected in the early frames of the video data returned from completed experiments, so a re-flight with a focus on these events was proposed. Agitation of the grains during launch combined with the frictional charge transfer between the grains and the door as it slides open provides an opportunity to use this setup to observe material tribocharging and charged particle behaviors in microgravity. In this updated version, the charged particles released into the chamber will traverse through an electric field produced by high voltage parallel plates and their resulting trajectories will be determined by their net charges. WES was originally developed to characterize the triboelectric properties of the Martian regolith through the contact of a rover wheel with the surface as it rotates. Improvements were made upon this legacy system to develop a sensor suite that will be installed within the COLLIDE door to measure charge transferred between the granular material and insulating disks protruding through the door. These insulator disks span the triboelectric series so, as they slide across the particulate matter when the door opens, each will accumulate a charge consistent with its relative position to the grains within the series. This charge on each insulator is distributed between two capacitances in series with an electrometer amplifier returning an analog voltage proportional to the charge accumulated. Calibration of this system has been performed using applications of known charge to the inputs and characterization of the frictional charge transfer between various regolith simulants and the sensor insulators is currently being examined in the lab.

Electrostatics↗
DOE OSTI2025

A new active base of photomultiplier R4125 designed for the PbWO4 calorimeter

This paper presents the design, performance, and results of the radiation tests of an active base for Hamamatsu R4125 photomultiplier tube. The active base was designed at Jefferson Lab and comprises of a high voltage divider and an on-board amplifier. The photomultiplier with the active base is used to detect light from lead tungstate scintillating crystals of the forward electromagnetic calorimeter of the GlueX detector. The active base amplifier allows to operate the tube at lower high voltage and thus to limit the photomultiplier anode current to a few micro ampereres at the maximum counter rate of 1 MHz counter, while retaining the dynamic range of output signals. The performance of calorimeter modules instrumented with the active base was studied using detector prototypes positioned into the beam of photons. The key performance parameters such as the linearity, high-rate capability, and the energy resolution verified that the active base design meets the detector specifications

Somov, Alexander [Thomas Jefferson National Accele↗
DOE OSTI2010

Avalanche photodiode based detector for beam emission spectroscopy

An avalanche photodiode based (APD) detector for the visible wavelength range was developed for low light level, high frequency beam emission spectroscopy (BES) experiments in fusion plasmas. This solid state detector has higher quantum efficiency than photomultiplier tubes, and unlike normal photodiodes, it has internal gain. This paper describes the developed detector as well as the noise model of the electronic circuit. By understanding the noise sources and the amplification process, the optimal amplifier and APD reverse voltage setting can be determined, where the signal-to-noise ratio is the highest for a given photon flux. The calculations are compared to the absolute calibration results of the implemented circuit. It was found that for a certain photon flux range, relevant for BES measurements ({approx_equal}10{sup 8}-10{sup 10} photons/s), the new detector is superior to both photomultipliers and photodiodes, although it does not require cryogenic cooling of any component. The position of this photon flux window sensitively depends on the parameters of the actual experimental implementation (desired bandwidth, detector size, etc.) Several detector units based on these developments have been built and installed in various tokamaks. Some illustrative results are presented from the 8-channel trial BES system installed at Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) and the 16-channel BES system installed at the Torus Experiment for Technology Oriented Research (TEXTOR).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

Mu2e Calorimeter Readout System

The Mu2e electromagnetic calorimeter is made of two disks of un-doped parallelepiped CsI crystals readout by SiPM. There are 674 crystals in one disk and each crystal is readout by an array of two SiPM. The readout electronics is composed of two types of modules: (1) the front-end module hosts the shaping amplifier and the high voltage linear regulator; since one front-end module is interfaced to one SiPM, a total of 2696 modules are needed for the entire calorimeter; (2) a waveform digitizer provides a further level of amplification and digitizes the SiPM signal at the sampling frequency of 200MHz with 12-bits ADC resolution; since one board digitizes the data received from 20 SiPMs, a total of 136 boards are needed. The readout system operational conditions are hostile: ionization dose of 20krads , neutron flux of 10 12 n(1MeVeq)/cm 2 , magnetic field of 1T and in vacuum level of 10 -4 Torr . A description of the readout system and qualification tests is reported.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Piezoelectric transformers for low-voltage generation of gas discharges and ionic winds in atmospheric air

To generate a gas discharge (plasma) in atmospheric air requires an electric field that exceeds the breakdown threshold of ∼30 kV/cm. Because of safety, size, or cost constraints, the large applied voltages required to generate such fields are often prohibitive for portable applications. In this work, piezoelectric transformers are used to amplify a low input applied voltage (<30 V) to generate breakdown in air without the need for conventional high-voltage electrical equipment. Piezoelectric transformers (PTs) use their inherent electromechanical resonance to produce a voltage amplification, such that the surface of the piezoelectric exhibits a large surface voltage that can generate corona-like discharges on its corners or on adjacent electrodes. In the proper configuration, these discharges can be used to generate a bulk air flow called an ionic wind. In this work, PT-driven discharges are characterized by measuring the discharge current and the velocity of the induced ionic wind with ionic winds generated using input voltages as low as 7 V. The characteristics of the discharge change as the input voltage increases; this modifies the resonance of the system and subsequent required operating parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

MO-AB-BRA-07: Prompt Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy for Range Verification of Clinical Proton Beams

Purpose: We developed a pre-clinical prototype system for range verification of proton pencil-beam scanning fields. The system was evaluated using phantom treatment plans delivered with a clinical dose rate. Methods: The absolute range of proton pencil-beams was verified through an optimization procedure, which matches energy- and time-resolved prompt gamma-ray measurements with models, based on cross sections for discrete prompt gamma-ray line excitations. Phantom experiments were performed with a pre-clinical prototype detector, using treatment plans delivered with a clinical pencil-beam scanning system. The detector consisted of an actively shielded lanthanum(III) bromide scintillator. Tungsten was used to collimate the gamma-rays. To support high event rates, the detector readout featured custom amplifiers and an active voltage divider for the photomultiplier. The detector signals were acquired by fast analog-to-digital converters and processed using digital algorithms. The data acquisition was also synchronized with the pencil-beam scanning and dosimetry systems. Results: We successfully acquired prompt gamma-ray spectra during the delivery of proton pencil-beams with a clinical beam current of 2 nA at the exit of the treatment head. The number of events in the primary detector ranged from 1 x 10{sup 6} to 2 x 10{sup 6} per second. In phantom experiments, non-uniform range errors were introduced by placing strips of plastic in the beam path. The magnitudes and positions of these range errors were correctly detected in two-dimensional range maps that were generated from the measurements. With our small scale prototype, a 1.0 mm standard deviation on the absolute range required about 5 x 10{sup 8} protons per delivered pencil-beam. Conclusions: Prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy to verify the absolute range of proton beams was demonstrated under clinical pencil-beam delivery conditions. A 1 mm to 2 mm range verification accuracy for a field delivering 1 Gy, appears feasible with a full scale system. This work was supported by the Federal Share of program income earned on C06-CA059267, Proton Therapy Research and Treatment Center.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1970

Signal conditioner circuit for photomultiplier tube

Miniaturized circuit improves measurement of radiation dose absorbed in a scintillation crystal. The temperature coefficient of the field-effect transistor gate-source voltage in the isolation amplifier can be readily controlled.

Cellier, A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A range expanding signal conditioner

Telemetry system modifications to improve signal resolution are described. Process uses zero suppression technique which consists of subtracting known voltage from input and amplifying remainder. Schematic diagram of circuit is provided and details of operation are presented.

Russell, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Meter circuit for tuning RF amplifiers

Circuit computes and indicates efficiency of RF amplifier as inputs and other parameters are varied. Voltage drop across internal resistance of ammeter is amplified by operational amplifier and applied to one multiplier input. Other input is obtained through two resistors from positive terminal of power supply.

Longthorne, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Programable Driver for Voltage-Controlled Oscillators

Electronically programable read-only memory (EPROM) and digital-to-analog converter provide customized time-varying voltage for frequency modulation. Voltage used to modulate IMPATT oscillator that serves as microwave pump for solid-state maser in low-noise amplifier. EPROM simple to tailor voltage waveform to suit characteristics of given maser. Digital information for waveform programed into EPROM chip; digital-to-analog converter reads information and produces corresponding analog wave. Principle readily adapted to other applications.

Fowler, L. E.↗