Electrical and Electronics Commons^™

High Pressure Radio-Frequency Microhollow Cathode Discharges, Anja Annett Muller

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A new field of microhollow cathode discharges is represented by the RF microhollow cathode discharge. So far, the behavior and related physical processes of the RF microhollow cathode discharge are not well investigated.

RF microhollow discharges in air at high pressures were investigated under different experimental conditions. The geometry was changed by reducing the cathode hole diameter and the dielectric spacer thickness. By adding a noble gas to air, the influence of additive gases was explored. Additionally, the parallel operation of RF microhollow discharges was investigated.

It was shown that stable RF microhollow cathode discharges could only be sustained up …

Emission Of Excimer Radiation From Direct Current, High-Pressure Hollow Cathode Discharge, Ahmed El-Habachi, Karl H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

A novel, nonequilibrium, high-pressure, direct current discharge, the microhollow cathode discharge, has been found to be an intense source of xenon and argon excimer radiation peaking at wavelengths of 170 and 130 nm, respectively. In argon discharges with a 100 μm diam hollow cathode, the intensity of the excimer radiation increased by a factor of 5 over the pressure range from 100 to 800 mbar. In xenon discharges, the intensity at 170 nm increased by two orders of magnitude when the pressure was raised from 250 mbar to 1 bar. Sustaining voltages were 200 V for argon and 400 V …

A Piezoresistive Metal Thin Film Tilt Sensor, Todd Allan Lindley

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Thin film strain gauges have many applications as transducers for monitoring pressure, vibration, and acceleration. In this thesis, a simple system, consisting of a Nichrome thin film strain gauge deposited on a glass substrate, is investigated in detail. Finite element analysis is used to model the expected sensor behavior. The substrate is shaped to exhibit a constant strain distribution, and is set up in a cantilever beam configuration. R. F. sputtering is used to deposit the Nichrome film, and the resistor pattern is transferred via photolithography. The gravitational force on a mass attached to the free end of the sensor …

Electron Beam Emission From A Ferroelectric Cathode, Crystal Briana Garland

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The electron beam emission from a LTZ-2 (lead titanate-zirconate) ferroelectric cathode was characterized. The purpose was to determine the operation range for this type of electron emitter. The experimental apparatus consisted of a high voltage driving circuit with a charging voltage up to 30kV. A solid-state SCR switch is used to generate the high voltage pulse which induces a polarization change. Current densities on the order of 80A/cm² 30kV were achieved. The electron beam profile is Guassian. At long anode-cathode distances the measured current densities were found to be above Child-Langmuir space charge limits. The large current densities and …

Frequency Response Enhancement Of A Flow Sensor Using Diamond Thin Films Synthesized By Plasma Cvd, John Curren Hagwood

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Theoretical modeling conducted previously in our Microelectronics Laboratory has shown that a layer of diamond film inserted between a metal film and a substrate will enhance the frequency response of a conventional thin film flow sensor. This thesis involved fabricating and testing a conventional thin film sensor of nickel on quartz (Ni/Q) and a diamond enhanced sensor (Ni/D/Q) for comparative frequency response analysis to validate the theory. Diamond films were grown onto quartz substrates using a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. Conditions were established to synthesize continuous diamond films on quartz substrates. These films were characterized by scanning …

Fetal Heart Rate Detection With A Passive Acoustic Sensor System, Zongyao Zhou

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Research and development is presented of real time signal processing methodologies for the detection of fetal heart tones from noise contaminated signals obtained from passive acoustic sensors. A nonlinear Teager energy operator is utilized for detection of the fetal heart tone event. Autocorrelation and a parallel redundancy correction algorithm derives fetal heart rates. A real time monitoring system is described which records and plots the time history of both the fetal heart rate and the acoustic fetal heart signal. The system is validated in the context of the fetal nonstress test. Comparisons are made with ultrasonic nonstress tests on a …

Electric Field Mapping System With Nanosecond Temporal Rosolution, F. E. Peterkin, R. Block, K. H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

The electric field dependence of the absorption coefficient in semi‐insulating GaAs at the absorption edge was measured in a high‐voltage pulsed experiment. Pulse duration was kept below 50 ns in order to avoid thermal effects. A GaAs laser diode was used as a probe light source with wavelength varied from 902 to 911 nm. For fields up to 40 kV/cm the absorption coefficient increased from 3 to 17 cm⁻¹ at 902 nm, with smaller absolute increases evident at the longer wavelengths. Calculation from theory was consistent with this behavior. The spatial variation of the electric field was also recorded …

Supralinear Photoconductivity Of Copper Doped Semi-Insulating Gallium Arsenide, K. H. Schoenbach, R. P. Joshi, F. Peterkin, R. L. Druce

Bioelectrics Publications

We report on the intensity dependent supralinear photoconductivity in GaAs:Si:Cu material. The results of our measurements show that the effective carrier lifetime can change over two orders of magnitude with variations in the intensity of the optical excitation. A threshold intensity level has been observed and can be related to the occupancy of the deep copper level. Numerical simulations have also been carried out to analyze the trapping dynamics. The intensity dependent lifetimes obtained from the simulations match the experimental data very well. Finally, based on the nonlinear intensity dependence of the effective lifetimes, a possible low‐energy phototransistor application for …

Transient Simulations And Modelling Of Semi-Insulating Gaas Photoconductive Switches, Prasun Kumar Raha

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The primary objective of this thesis is to develop a one-dimensional transient simulator for Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches (PCSS) taking into consideration the material characteristics, the internal physical effects, and the external circuit. Simulations have been performed to study the device behavior at different voltage levels for copper-doped silicon-compensated GaAs material, though other materials could easily be simulated by changing the parameters. The model includes hole transport, and the results demonstrate the effect of hole injection, with and without recombination centers. In addition to developing a one-dimensional transient simulator, the role of various physical effects, such as the field-dependence of trapping …

Impact Of Field-Dependent Electronic Trapping Across Coulomb Repulsive Potentials On Low Frequency Charge Oscillations, R. P. Joshi, K. H. Schoenbach, P. K. Raha

Bioelectrics Publications

We have performed Monte Carlo simulations to obtain the field dependence of electronic trapping across repulsive potentials in GaAs. Such repulsive centers are associated with deep level impurities having multiply charged states. Our results reveal a field‐dependent maxima in the electronic capture coefficient, and the overall shape is seen to depend on the background electron density due to the effects of screening. Based on the Monte Carlo calculations, we have examined the stability of compensated semiconductors containing such repulsive centers. Our analysis indicates a potential for low frequency charge oscillations which is in keeping with available experimental data.

Absorption Imaging Studies On Intrinsic Gaas, John Samuel Kenney

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A diagnostic technique has been developed which allows recording of the temporal and spatial development of electric field structures in GaAs photoconductive switches. The optical method is based on the Franz-Keldysh effect. Measurements were performed with a Nd:YAG activation laser and a GaAs laser diode as the probe laser. At low applied voltages a 100 atm wide region of high electric field is seen at the cathode only. With increasing voltage strong domain like structures emerge at the anode also. A calibration measurement shows that the electric fields in these domains are well above 50 kV/cm. At a threshold voltage, …

Study Of Single-Fiber Fiber Optic Lever Microphone, Trung Duc Nguyen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Fiber optic sensors are widely used in today's technological applications, providing many advantages that conventional sensors lack. In particular, there is a demand in hypersonic applications to develop microphones to measure acoustic pressure that performs in high temperature and noisy surroundings. This thesis analyzes fiber optic lever microphones (FOLM), since they perform at high temperatures. An FOLM system is an intensity modulated sensor, which is simple to implement and is small in size. Two models of the FOLM have been fabricated and calibrated. The first model uses a seven-element fiber array while the second uses a single-fiber to transmit and …

Studies Of Electron-Beam Penetration And Free-Carrier Generation In Diamond Films, R. P. Joshi, K. H. Schoenbach, C. Molina, W. W. Hofer

Bioelectrics Publications

Experimental observations of the energy‐dependent electron‐beam penetration in type II‐A natural diamond are reported. The experimental data are compared with results obtained from numerical Monte Carlo simulations, and the results are in very good agreement. The results also reveal that a threshold energy of about 125 keV is necessary for complete penetration for a 35 μm sample. It is found that over the 30–180 keV range, the energy dependence of the penetration depth and total path length exhibits a power‐law relation. Monte Carlo simulations have also been performed to investigate the excess carrier‐generation profiles within diamond for a set of …

Temporal Development Of Electric Field Structures In Photoconductive Gaas Switches, K. H. Schoenbach, J. S. Kenney, F.E. Peterkin, R. J. Allen

Bioelectrics Publications

The temporal development of the electric field distribution in semi‐insulating GaAs photoconductive switches operated in the linear and lock‐on mode has been studied. The field structure was obtained by recording a change in the absorption pattern of the switch due to the Franz–Keldysh effect at a wavelength near the band edge of GaAs. In the linear mode, a high field layer develops at the cathode contact after laser activation. With increasing applied voltage, domainlike structures become visible in the anode region and the switch transits into the lock‐on state, a permanent filamentary electrical discharge. Calibration measurements show the field intensity …

The Effect Of Contacts On The Performance Of Electron-Beam Controlled Gaas And Diamond Switches, Michael Kevin Kennedy

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The performance of GaAs and diamond as electron-beam controlled closing and opening switches has been studied. An emphasis has been placed on the effect of contacts on the current-voltage characteristics. The two materials studied were GaAs and diamond. Using the same semi-insulating GaAs wafer as a source of material, a bulk device and a p-i-n device have been fabricated and compared. The asymmetry of the pin diode allows operation at higher voltage because of the ability to suppress the lock-on effect. Whereas GaAs was ionized through cathodoluminescence; diamond, in the form of thin films, has been directly ionized by the …

Studies Of High Field Conduction In Diamond For Electron Beam Controlled Switching, R. P. Joshi, M. K. Kennedy, K. H. Schoenbach, W. W. Hofer

Bioelectrics Publications

Experimental studies on a vertical metal‐diamond‐silicon switch structure have been conducted for potential pulsed power applications. Both the dc current‐voltage characteristics and the transient switching response have been measured for a range of voltages. With a 1 μm diamond film, the switch has been seen to withstand electric fields up to 1.8 MV/cm. Our results show a polarity dependence which can be associated with current injection at the asymmetric contacts. Polarity effects were also observed in the presence of e‐beam excitation, and arise due to nonuniform carrier generation near the diamond‐silicon interface. Our switching transients were seen to follow …

Bistable Behavior Of The Dark Current In Copper-Doped Semi-Insulating Gallium Arsenide, R. A. Roush, K. H. Schoenbach, R. P. Brinkmann

Bioelectrics Publications

The dark current characteristics of gallium arsenide doped with silicon and compensated with diffused copper were found to have a pronounced region of current controlled negative differential conductivity (ndc) similar to the characteristics of a thyristor. The resistivity of the semi‐insulating semiconductor was measured to be 10⁵ Ω cm for applied voltages up to 2.2 kV, which corresponds to an average electric field of 38 kV/cm. At higher voltages, a transition to a stable high current state was observed with a current rate of rise exceeding 10¹¹ A/s. There is evidence of the formation of at least one …

The Breakdown Mechanism Of Hollow Cathode Discharge, Mai Tuyet Ngo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In a low pressure discharge, if the cathode incorporates a cylindrical or slit shaped hole, the discharge current can be several orders of magnitude higher than in one with plane parallel electrodes under the same pressure and voltage conditions. In this work hollow cathode discharges in Helium under the influence of variable parameters such as gas pressure, applied voltage, electrode gap spacing, external magnetic field, etc., are investigated by means of electrical and optical diagnostic techniques.

The results indicate that a hollow cathode discharge develops in two stages. The initial breakdown occurs along the longest straight path of the system, …

Monte Carlo Simulation Of Millimeter-Wave Gunn Effect Oscillators, Ramani Vaidyanathan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out to investigate the performance of microwave Gunn oscillators. Three separate aspects of the simulation problem have been comprehensively addressed in this work. First, the presence of an external circuit has been self-consistently incorporated into the calculations. The inclusion of the external circuit facilitates a study of the circuit controlled regime, and correctly models effects arising from the time dependent boundary conditions. Secondly, microscopic details of the electronic relaxation mechanisms which ultimately control the frequency response limits, have been taken into account through an iterative Monte Carlo-Poisson scheme. This procedure overcomes a potential shortcoming …

Electric Field Induced Emission As A Diagnostic Tool For Measurement Of Local Electric Field Strengths, A. N. Dharamsi, K. H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

The phenomenon of electric field induced (EFI) emission is examined in several diatomic and polyatomic molecules. The possibility of using this phenomenon as a diagnostic tool to measure, nonintrusively, the strength and direction of local electric fields in plasmas is discussed. An estimate of the EFI signal emitted in a typical application plasma is given. This yields a lower bound on the detector sensitivity necessary to exploit EFI emission in practical applications. It is concluded that, at present, the EFI signal could be measured by some very sensitive infrared detection schemes available. Current progress in infrared detector technology, if maintained, …

Measurement Of Thermal Noise In Condenser Microphones In A Vacuum-Isolation Vessel, Kim Chi Thi Ngo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The electrical noise generated by thermal agitation of the air molecules impinging upon the membrane of a condenser microphone and from its associated preamplifier has been studied analytically and experimentally over a wide bandwidth. These background noise levels constitute one of the most important specifications of a microphone for they determine the lowest sound pressure that can be detected. Therefore, a new method for measuring the thermal agitation noise within a bandwidth of 1-25600 Hz has been developed. The theoretical and experimental measurements of thermal agitation noise in a condenser microphone by enclosing the microphone in a vessel which is …

Deep Level Characterization Studies In Gaas, Gordhan R. Barevadia

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this research was to investigate deep levels in different types of GaAs, a material for high power optically controlled bulk semiconductor switches. For low resistivity semiconductors, such as silicon doped GaAs material (p =0.054 Ω cm), deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) was used to characterize deep levels. Three deep levels (EL6, EL3, and EL2) have been detected in this material. For high resistivity semiconductors (p > 10⁴ Ω cm), difficulty of electrical carrier injection and of making a junction does not permit the use of DLTS technique. Therefore, an experimental set-up of the photo-induced current transient spectroscopy …

Integrated Control Of Thermally Distorted Large Space Antennas, Robert H. Tolson

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Studies on controlling the thermal distortion of large space antennae have generally investigated a single orbital position and have optimized actuator locations based on minimizing the RMS surface deviation from the original parabolic shape. One study showed the benefits of directly using far zone electric field characteristics as the performance measure; but, this approach resulted in a nonlinear programming problem. The objective of the current study is to develop an approach to designing a control system that (1) recognizes the time dependence of the distortion and (2) controls variables that are directly related to far field performance in a quadratic …

Analysis And Development Of A Switched Capacitor Power Supply, John Richard Hackworth

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The combination of a switched capacitor network and switching power supply techniques can result in a transformer less regulated DC power supply that is small, relatively simple, and efficient. In addition, the output of such a system could be operated over a wide range of common mode voltages. Multiple switched capacitor supplies could be stacked to achieve voltage multiplication.

Although the output of a system of this type is a continuous function, the internal operation must be analyzed in finite time elements. This numerical analysis will be shown in both a mathematical approach and a computer model.

A Model Of Dc Glow Discharges With Abnormal Cathode Fall, Karl H. Schoenbach, Hao Chen, G. Schaefer

Bioelectrics Publications

A model for an abnormal glow discharge, including a self‐consistent analysis of the cathode fall, was developed. It combines microscopic particle simulation by means of Monte Carlo methods with a fluid model of the gas discharge. The model allows calculations of the steady‐state electrical field distribution, the charged‐particle densities, and the current densities along the axis of the discharge. The model was used to simulate a glow discharge in 80% He and 20% SF₆ at a pressure of 8 Torr with a current density of 1 A/cm². The computed discharge voltage agrees well with measured values. The …

Electrical Properties Of Hydrogenated Diamond, Sacharia Albin, Linwood Watkins

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Hydrogen passivation of deep traps in diamond is demonstrated. Current‐voltage (I‐V) characteristics of polycrystalline thin film and bulk diamond were studied before and after hydrogenation. On hydrogenation, all the samples showed several orders of magnitude increase in conductivity. Hydrogenation was carried out under controlled conditions to study the changes in the I‐V characteristics of the samples. The concentration of uncompensated traps was varied systematically by hydrogenation. The concentration of electrically active hydrogen was determined from the I‐V data. It is shown that hydrogenation is an alternative to deep‐level transient spectroscopy, suitable for …

The Electrical Characteristics Of Semi-Insulating Gallium Arsenide A Material For High Power Switches, David Clifton Stoudt

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An experimental study of the electrical characteristics of semi-insulating gallium arsenide has been performed. The goal of this research was to aid in the development of an electron-beam controlled high-power semiconductor switch. The electrical characteristics were found to be heavily dependent on the deep level configuration of the material being investigated. Two methods of deep level characterization are discussed and their results are compared to the information given by the material manufacturer. Studies were conducted to determine both the steady-state and transient dark current characteristics of the switch. Along with being a function of the applied voltage and the deep …

A Bulk Optically Controlled Semiconductor Switch, Rudolf K.F. Germer, Karl H. Schoenbach, Stephen G.E. Pronko

Bioelectrics Publications

Turn‐on and turn‐off of bulk semiconductor switches, based on excitation and quenching of photoconductivity, respectively, have been demonstrated with copper‐doped II‐VI semiconductor crystals. The increase of the conductivity (turn‐on) was realized with a xenon flash‐lamp pulse of 15‐μs duration. A reduction of the conductivity (turn‐off) was obtained by irradiating the samples with IR light using an 8‐ns Nd:YAG laser pulse (YAG denotes yttrium aluminum garnet). For turn‐on in CdS:Cu the conductivity follows the xenon flash excitation. The turn‐off time constant was 250 ns. ZnS and ZnSe crystals showed a slower response. A memory effect for the IR light was observed.

Model Of Hot-Film Sensor With Substrate Effects, David Mcalpine Judge

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A detailed mathematical model is constructed to investigate the frequency response of a hot-film anemometer system. Since several diverse factors affect the frequency response, the analysis is broken down into three main parts. Each part is a detailed mathematical model. The first model consists of the ordinary differential equations which govern the electronics of the feedback system and heat transfer of the sensor. An important simplification in this model is that the rate of heat conduction from the sensor to its substrate is constant.

In the second model the unsteady state heat transfer properties of the substrate are examined by …

The Influence Of Transverse Magnetic Fields On The Current-Voltage Characteristics Of Glow Discharges, Thomas J. Powers

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In low pressure discharges, operated in electronegative gas mixtures to the right of the Paschen curve minimum, the discharge resistance can be increased by application of transverse magnetic fields. In this range of operation, both the mean free path and the larmor radius are small compared to the discharge dimensions. The relationship between the electric field and the magnetic field is therefore controlled by electron- molecule collisional processes. Specifically, the magnetically induced increase in the discharge resistance is caused by a downward shift of the electron energy distribution which leads to an increase in attachment and a reduction in ionization. …