Engineering Physics Commons^™

Performance Comparison Of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3-Only And Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3-On-Silicon Resonators, Hengky Chandrahalim, Sunil A. Bhave, Ronald G. Polcawich, Jeff Pulskamp, Dan Judy, Roger Kaul, Madan Dubey

Faculty Publications

This paper provides a quantitative comparison and explores the design space of lead zirconium titanate (PZT)–only and PZT-on-silicon length-extensional mode resonators for incorporation into radio frequency microelectromechanical system filters and oscillators. We experimentally measured the correlation of motional impedance (R_X) and quality factor (Q) with the resonators’ silicon layer thickness (t_Si). For identical lateral dimensions and PZT-layer thicknesses (t_PZT), the PZT-on-silicon resonator has higher resonant frequency (f_C), higher Q (5100 versus 140), lower R_X (51 Ω versus 205 Ω), and better linearity [third-order input intercept …

Parmela Based Simulations On Jefferson Lab Free Electron Laser Injector, Deepesh Kumar Koppunuru

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Free Electron Lasers (FELs) have many applications and are under continuing development to meet various needs and in areas from materials processing to life sciences research. This is because of its unique capability of generating high-average power, coherent, and wavelength tunable light by employing relativistic beam of un-bounded electrons. The main challenge in FEL development is the generation of a high intensity, high-quality electron beam in an injector. Further acceleration to relativistic energies is accomplished in a linear accelerator (LINAC) for producing laser light in a device known as wiggler. The Jefferson Lab FEL team intents to increase the injector …

Investigation Of Cdznte Crystal Defects Using Scanning Probe Microscopy, Goutam Koley, J. Liu, K. C. Mandal

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Erratum: “Terahertz Studies Of The Dielectric Response And Second-Order Phonons In A Gase Crystal” [Appl. Phys. Lett.87, 182104 (2005)], B. L. Yu, F. Zeng, V. Kartazayev, R. R. Alfano, K. C. Mandal

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Characterization And Quantum Efficiency Validation Of Ingaas Linear Focal Plane Array, Christopher Salenga Garcia

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A 1x1024 InGaAs linear hybrid focal plane array (FPA) with CMOS readout was characterized at room temperature to analyze its electrical and optical properties and to measure its performance parameters.

The most important parameter of an FPA is the gain constant K, which allows conversion of the FPA output measurement unit from digital counts into the number of generated signal electrons. For FPAs with CMOS readout, the commonly used meanvariance method for determining K often underestimates its value. A more reliable method for finding K is the photon transfer technique, which is developed for FPAs with CCD readout. This …

Dynamics Of An Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Plume Generated By Submicrosecond Voltage Pulses, Xinpei Lu, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Nonequilibrium plasmas driven by submicrosecond high voltage pulses have been proven to produce high-energy electrons, which in turn lead to enhanced ionization and excitations. Here, we describe a device capable of launching a cold plasma plume in the surrounding air. This device, "the plasma pencil," is driven by few hundred nanosecond wide pulses at repetition rates of a few kilohertz. Correlation between current-voltage characteristics and fast photography shows that the plasma plume is in fact a small bulletlike volume of plasma traveling at unusually high velocities. A model based on photoionization is used to explain the propagation kinetics of the …

Fourier Transform Analysis Of Terahertz Radiation, Chikaodira N. Okpo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Advances in terahertz radiation (T-rays) technology have great promise in various technological areas ranging from medical technology, imaging technology and accelerator technology. At Thomas Jefferson Laboratory, the Free Electron Laser division (FEL) produces very powerful beam of laser light by accelerating electrons in bunches along a beamline. This laser light absorbs and releases energy at various wavelengths. The new FEL upgrade led to the production of very bright terahertz (THz) radiation with an average power of 1 00watts which is about 100,000 times brighter than those produced elsewhere. These T-rays have very significant applications in the Laboratory. The most significant …

Ozone Concentration In An Atmospheric Pressure Air Plasma Jet, Srinivas Reddy Suddala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A stable micro-plasma jet in air was generated from a direct current discharge between two molybdenum electrodes (0.25 mm thick) that were separated by an alumina insulator of the same thickness. The after-glow plasma jet was generated by blowing air through the space between the electrodes. A change from laminar to turbulent flow was observed at a gas flow rate of 140 ml/min. The length of the plasma jet increased with flow rate in the laminar mode to approximately 15 mm and decreased in the turbulent mode.

Increasing the gas flow rate up to 200 ml/min at a constant discharge …

Tb3+-Doped K Pb2Br5: Low-Energy Phonon Mid-Infrared Laser Crystal, U. N. Roy, R. H. Hawrami, Y. Cui, S. Morgan, A. Burger, K. C. Mandal, C. C. Noblitt, S. A. Speakman, K. Rademaker, S. A. Payne

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Daytime Detection Of Space Objects, Alistair D. Funge

Theses and Dissertations

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) requires repeated object updates for orbit accuracy. Detection of unknown objects is critical. A daytime model was developed that evaluated sun flares and assessed thermal emissions from space objects. Iridium satellites generate predictable sun glints. These were used as a model baseline for daytime detections. Flares and space object thermal emissions were examined for daytime detection. A variety of geometric, material and atmospheric characteristics affected this daytime detection capability. In a photon noise limited mode, simulated Iridium flares were detected. The peak Signal-to- Noise Ratios (SNR) were 6.05e18, 9.63e5, and 1.65e7 for the nighttime, daytime and …

Optimization Of Ultraviolet Emission And Chemical Species Generation From A Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge At Atmospheric Pressure, Xinpei Lu, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the attractive features of nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasmas is the ability to achieve enhanced gas phase chemistry without the need for elevated gas temperatures. This attractive characteristic recently led to their extensive use in applications that require low temperatures, such as material processing and biomedical applications. The agents responsible for the efficient plasma reactivity are the ultraviolet (UV) photons and the chemically reactive species. In this paper, in order to optimize the UV radiation and reactive species generation efficiency, the plasma was generated by a dielectric barrier discharge driven by unipolar submicrosecond square pulses. To keep the discharge …

Modeling And Simulation Of Photonic Crystal Fibers Using Finite Difference Frequency Domain Method, Md. Khalid Ikram

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) allow guiding light in low-index core. These fibers exhibit properties such as single-mode operation in broad wavelength region. The mode shape and group velocity dispersion can be controlled by designing the microstructures of the cladding. In order to study these properties, a fast, efficient, and highly accurate numerical modeling method is required.

A full-vectorial finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method is implemented. The modal properties of conventional step index fiber and index-guiding PCF are analyzed using this modeling technique. Compared to plane wave expansion and biorthogonal basis methods, FDFD is found to be simple, reliable, and efficient. PCFs …

Microscopic Analysis For Water Stressed By High Electric Fields In The Prebreakdown Regime, R. P. Joshi, J. Qian, K. H. Schoenbach, E. Schamiloglu

Bioelectrics Publications

Analysis of the electrical double layer at the electrode-water interface for voltages close to the breakdown point has been carried out based on a static, Monte Carlo approach. It is shown that strong dipole realignment, ion-ion correlation, and finite-size effects can greatly modify the electric fields and local permittivity (hence, leading to optical structure) at the electrode interface. Dramatic enhancements of Schottky injection, providing a source for electronic controlled breakdown, are possible. It is also shown that large pressures associated with the Maxwell stress tensor would be created at the electrode boundaries. Our results depend on the ionic density, and …

Analysis Of Ingaassb/Aigaassb Photodetectors For Applications At The 2.0 Micron Wavelengths, Phani Pendyala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The study of an InGaAsSb-based heterojunction avalanche photo detector has been carried out for 2-μm applications. A separate absorption and multiplication structure was used because it minimizes the tunneling component of the dark current in the absorption region, and also provides single-carrier injection into the multiplication region. This is a well-known requirement for reducing the multiplication noise. The primary goal was to evaluate the potential of InGaAsSb-AlGaAsSb photo-detectors for photodetection at the two-micron wavelength.

InGaAsSb is a relatively new material, and, therefore, characterization and photodetector response analysis based on this material are not available in the literature. In this thesis …

Reflection-High Energy Electron Diffraction Study Of Si(100) Homoepitaxy By Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition, Mohammed S. Hegazy

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The dynamics of femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (fsPLD) of Si(!00)-1 x I and Si(!00)-2x I homoepitaxy are studied by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effects of substrate temperature, laser fluence and the pressure of a passive gas on the Si(!00)-1 x I growth mode are discussed. It is shown that films grow following the Volmer-Weber (3D) growth mode. The substrate temperature largely affects the morphology of the grown film. Below ~ 400 °C (at laser fluence of~ 1.9 J/cm²), randomly oriented 3D clusters are grown. This is shown …

Cuin1-Xalxse2 Thin Films And Solar Cells, P. D. Paulson, M. W. Haimbodi, S. Marsillac, R. W. Birkmire, W. N. Shafarman

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

CuIn[sub 1-x]Al[sub x]Se[sub 2] thin films are investigated for their application as the absorber layer material for high efficiency solar cells. Single-phase CuIn[sub 1-x]Al[sub x]Se[sub 2] films were deposited by four source elemental evaporation with a composition range of 0≤x≤0.6. All these films demonstrate a normalized subband gap transmission >85% with 2 µm film thickness. Band gaps obtained from spectroscopic ellipsometry show an increase with the Al content in the CuIn[sub 1-x]Al[sub x]Se[sub 2] film with a bowing parameter of 0.62. The structural properties investigated using x-ray diffraction measurements show a decrease in lattice spacing as the Al content increases. …

Improvements In Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy Using Ratios Of Higher Harmonics, James Michael Barrington

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Experiments in Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy have been conducted at Old Dominion University since 1996. The method provides a highly sensitive, nonintrusive method of probing gases. Research has concentrated on effectively modeling the higher harmonic shapes that are measured experimentally. Accurately modeling these signals will result in the ability to reliably extract the information contained in transition line shapes.

In order to accurately depict the signals, the theory must be thoroughly understood. This thesis develops the theory of Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy from two aspects: a direct Fourier series expansion of a time varying intensity profile and through communication theory. In addition, …

High-Efficiency Solar Cells Based On Cu(Inal)Se[Sub 2] Thin Films, S. Marsillac, P. D. Paulson, M. W. Haimbodi, R. W. Birkmire, W. N. Shafarman

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A Cu(InAl)Se₂solar cell with 16.9% efficiency is demonstrated using a Cu(InAl)Se₂thin film deposited by four-source elemental evaporation and a device structure of glass/Mo/Cu(InAl)Se₂/CdS/ZnO/indium tin oxide/(Ni/Algrid)/MgF₂. A key to high efficiency is improved adhesion between the Cu(InAl)Se₂ and the Mo back contact layer, provided by a 5-nm-thick Ga interlayer, which enabled the Cu(InAl)Se₂ to be deposited at a 530 °C substrate temperature. Film and device properties are compared to Cu(InGa)Se₂ with the same band gap of 1.16 eV. The solar cells have similar behavior, with performance limited by recombination through …

Pulsed Electron Heating Of Atmospheric Pressure Air Glow Discharges, Hisham Merhi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

By applying electric field pulses of short duration (compared to the time constant for glow-to-arc transitions) to a weakly ionized gas, the electron energy distribution can be temporarily shifted to higher energies. This effect causes a nonlinear increase in the ionization rate and consequently a larger electron decay time. This effect has been demonstrated using single pulse operation.³ In order to generate plasma with semi-continuous electron density, repetitive operation is required. As a first step towards repetitive pulsed electric field operation, the temporal development of the voltage across the plasma for two subsequent pulses was measured. The dual pulse …

Mitigation Of Water Vapor Interference For Infrared Polarization-Modulated Gas Filter Correlation Radiometry, David K. Lockwood

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Gas filter correlation radiometry (GFCR) is a high-resolution, high-specificity technique for sensing gaseous species. A variation of absorption spectroscopy, GFCR has a long-proven record on orbital platforms for quantitative measurements of atmospheric constituents, as well as common usage in ground-based sensing applications. PMGFCR (Polarization-modulated GFCR) is a recent refinement of the technique with several advantages over the traditional method, including reducing the number of photodetectors required, increased sensitivity, and elimination of moving parts.

To date, no infrared remote sensors have successfully measured nitric oxide (NO) in vehicle exhaust due to spectral overlap by strong water vapor (H₂O_{v …}

Erbium-Ytterbium Codoped Fiber Amplifiers, Wai Yee Chan

Student Works (2000-2009)

The amplification characteristics of an Erbium/Ytterbium codoped fiber amplifier(EYDFA) pumped in both the 800nm and 980nm pump bands is reported. With -3m long Er-Yb fiber, the 813nm pumped-EYDFA shows small-signal gain exceeding 20dB over a 20nm bandwidth in the l.Sµm region where the peak gain of 38.4dB is achieved at 1535nm. A low noise figure of ~3.6d8 is also achieved at 1550nm. However, it is found that 980nm pumped­EYDF A suffers lower gain due to the effect of nonsaturable absorption by Yb³⁺ ions which causes high pump poWer loss, thus degrades the signal amplification in Er³⁺ system. Compared to the …

Development And Testing Of An Ac Micro Hollow Cathode Simulator, Thomas E. Caldwell

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The use of AC source plasma discharge devices in applications such as material processing and film deposition has increased in recent years due to improvements in discharge efficiency made possible by devices such as the micro hollow cathode. Designing hollow cathodes for specific applications requires an understanding of the processes that govern the discharge. Simulation is an inexpensive tool for understanding hollow cathode operation and optimizing the device for specific applications. This thesis describes the development of an AC micro hollow cathode simulator. It details the theoretical models used in the simulation and presents the results of test cases intended …

Space Charge Structure Of A Glow Discharge In The Presence Of A Longitudinal Inhomogeneity, Frank A. Tersigni

Theses and Dissertations

A survey of space charge structures arising due to inhomogeneities in glow discharges was conducted. Space charge structures associated with tube geometries, the cathode sheath, striations, and shockwaves were examined. Space charge effects on the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) were explored for a geometric inhomogeneity using an approximate nonlocal solution to the one dimensional Boltzmann equation after Godyak. The approximate solution partially captured qualitative aspects of space charge effects on the EEDF. Simplification of collisional effects and adaptation of an approximate electric field restricted quantitative comparisons with experimental data. It is recommended that any future analysis of space charge …

Surface Resistance Measurements Of Superconducting Niobium Samples With A Triaxial Cavity, Paul Martin Boccard

Physics Theses & Dissertations

This experimental study has revealed and investigated many of the physical issues that affect accurate measurement of the surface resistance for small samples consisting of superconducting niobium films on copper substrates. It is believed that this work provides the groundwork for future research directed towards solving this important problem. Accurate measurement of surface resistance for such samples is needed to allow the rapid evaluation and optimization of the deposition parameters necessary for manufacturing low-loss superconducting niobium films.

A superconducting niobium triaxial cavity was investigated to determine its suitability for measuring the residual surface resistance of copper samples that were sputter-coated …

Computer Simulations Of Electromigration Based On A Molecular Dynamics Approach, John Stephen Peake

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Most research on electromigration has centered around macroscopic simulations of electromigration where a value for the diffusion coefficient was assumed to be spatially uniform throughout the material. The research in this thesis goes a step further and, through microscopic molecular dynamics computer simulations, calculates and updates the atomic drift velocity and atomic position as a function of time to analyze how various defects within the conductor affect these quantities. The simulations are carried out with defects in the form of dislocation half-planes placed in different locations within the simulation space. The atomic drift velocity and position changes derived from these …

An Injection Modelocked Titanium-Sapphire Laser, James C. Hovater

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

I have investigated the possibility of using an injection modelocked Ti-sapphire laser as a illumination source for GaAs photocathodes. A commercial Ti-sapphire laser was modified to accept a seed pulse from a gain-switched diode laser. Modelocked operation was obtained through gain modulation within the Ti-sapphire crystal as a result of injection seeding with a modelocked pulse train from a gain-switched diode laser. The Ti-sapphire laser essentially becomes a pulse amplifier for the diode laser. Unlike conventional modelocked lasers, the pulse repetition rate of this laser can be discretely varied by setting the seed laser repetition rate equal to multiples of …

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 …

Electrical Characteristics And Parallel Operation Of Microhollow Cathode Discharges, Wenhui Shi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis describes the electrical properties of microhollow cathode discharges with argon as filling gas. The appearance and current-voltage characteristics of microhollow cathode discharges have been recorded. Three kinds of discharge modes (predischarge, hollow cathode discharge and abnormal discharge) have been observed. The range of operation of the hollow cathode discharge has been found to be 0.5 < pD & 5 Torr cm in argon. By reducing the hole diameter to 100 pm, we were able to operate the discharge to atmospheric pressure in a dc mode. The possibility of dc parallel operation of microhollow cathode discharges was explored. Parallel operation could be obtained without individual ballast for discharges with a positive I-V slope greater than 10 V/mA over a voltage range of more than 5 % of the sustaining voltage. For parallel operation outside the range the ballasting is required. This model was explored by using a segmented anode model. The result of the simple calculation coincides well with the experiment result, where a semi-insulator silicon was used as distributed ballast.

Reactions Of Oxygen And Nitric Oxide In A Microhollow Electrode Discharge, Joseph L. Desormeaux Jr.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Microhollow electrode discharges have been developed and researched in the Physical Electronics Research Institute Laboratories. This discharge typically operates in direct current mode. Microhollow electrode discharges are non-thermal discharges that produce electrons with energies greater than 10 electron volts. Passing gas mixtures through non-equilibrium discharges invokes excitation or dissociation of gas molecules.

The scope of my research was to study the effect of the discharge on the chemistry of two gases, oxygen and nitric oxide in nitrogen mixture. Initial experiments were performed in an effort to produce ozone near atmospheric pressure. This seemed possible since the discharge has a high-energy …

Coupled Electrodynamic-Monte Carlo Simulations Of Nanoscale Gaas Terahertz Optical Mixers, Jiang Li

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of mixing or heterodyning has traditionally been used for microwaves and for radio frequency communications. However, the concept can easily be extended into the optical frequency regime. By doing so, the photomixing process can serve as a very versatile tool for both the generation of ultrahigh frequency (terahertz) and the detection of weak optical signals.

The aim of this thesis is to perform a theoretical study of the photomixing process inside GaAs devices as the non-linear elements. A coupled approach which combines the Monte Carlo simulation scheme for the carrier transport, with Maxwell's equation for the electrodynamics, has …