Condensed Matter Physics Commons^™

Variations In Cathodoluminescent Intensity Of Spacecraft Materials Exposed To Energetic Electron Bombardment, Justin Dekany, Justin Christensen, Jr Dennison, Amberly Evans Jensen, Gregory Wilson, Todd Schneider, Charles W. Bowers, Robert Meloy

Presentations

Various highly insulating materials used in spacecraft construction can exhibit glow (electron-induced luminescence or cathodoluminescence) when exposed to the space plasma environment. Measurements of the absolute and relative cathodoluminescent intensity per incident electron flux of spacecraft materials are essential to predict and mitigate consequences for optical detection and for stray light contamination in space-based observatories. They also provide important information about the defect structure and electron transport properties of these materials. Previous studies have focused on how the relative spectral radiance of cathodoluminescent materials varies with changes in environmental conditions, including electron energy, current density, absorbed power density, and temperature. …

Variations In Cathodoluminescent Intensity Of Spacecraft Materials Exposed To Energetic Electron Bombardment, Justin Dekany, Justin Christensen, Jr Dennison, Amberly Evans Jensen, Gregory Wilson, Todd Schneider, Charles W. Bowers, Robert Meloy

Conference Proceedings

Many contemporary spacecraft materials exhibit cathodoluminescence when exposed to electron flux from the space plasma environment. A quantitative, physics-based model has been developed to predict the intensity of the glow as a function of incident electron current density and energy, temperature, and intrinsic material properties. We present a comparative study of the absolute spectral radiance for several types of dielectric and composite materials based on this model which spans three orders of magnitude. Variations in intensity are contrasted for different electron environments, different sizes of samples and sample sets, different testing and analysis methods, and data acquired at different test …

The Dynamic Interplay Between Spacecraft Charging, Space Environment Interactions And Evolving Materials, Jr Dennison

Conference Proceedings

While the effects on spacecraft charging from varying environmental conditions and from the selection of different construction materials have been studied extensively, modification of materials properties by exposure to the space plasma environment can also have profound effects on spacecraft charging. Given the increasingly demanding nature of space missions, there is a clear need to extend our understanding of the dynamic nature of material properties that affect spacecraft charging and to expand our knowledge base of materials’ responses to specific environmental conditions so that we can more reliably predict the long term response of spacecraft to their environment. This paper …

Density Of State Models And Temperature Dependence Of Radiation Induced Conductivity, Jodie Corbridge Gillespie, Jr Dennison, Alec M. Sim

Presentations

Radiation induced conductivity (RIC) occurs when incident ionizing radiation deposits energy and excites electrons into the conduction band of insulators. The increased number of charge carriers, and hence the magnitude of the enhanced conductivity, is dependent on a number of factors including temperature and the spatial and energy dependence and occupation of the material’s distribution of localized trap states within the band gap—or density of states (DOS). Expressions for RIC in terms of the filling of the DOS up to an effective Fermi level were largely developed by Rose [RCA Review, 1951], and were extended by Fowler [ …

Electrostatic Discharge And Endurance Time Measurements Of Spacecraft Materials: A Defect-Driven Dynamic Model, Allen Andersen, Jr Dennison, Alec Sim, Charles Sim

Presentations

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the primary cause of space environment induced failures and malfunctions. As mission lifetimes and the sensitivity and complexity of instrumentation increase, so does the need for describing the influence of the electrical aging processes on ESD. This research studies the electrostatic field strength (F_ESD) of polymeric insulators as a function of applied field and the time-to-breakdown for F < F_ESD. A dynamic physics-based model for time-to-breakdown is much more valuable than an empirical static model, since it provides the ability to predict the statistical lifetime of dielectric materials subjected to prolonged stress from …

Defects Density Of States Model Of Cathodoluminescent Intensity And Spectra Of Disordered Sio2,, Amberly Evans Jensen, Jr Dennison

Presentations

Electron beam measurements have shown that disordered SiO2 exhibits luminescent behavior, which varies with incident beam energy and current density, sample temperature (T), exposure time, and wavelength. A simple model based on the electronic band structure and defect density of states—used to explain electron transport in highly disordered insulating materials—has been extended to predict the relative cathodoluminescent intensity and spectral radiance for disordered SiO 2 as a function of these variables. Insulating SiO2 has a band gap of ~8.9 eV. Hence thermal excitation from the valence to conduction band is highly improbable; excitation is through collisions of the incident high …

Electrostatic Discharge And Endurance Time Measurements Of Spacecraft Materials: A Defect-Driven Dynamic Model, Allen Andersen, Jr Dennison, Alec M. Sim, Charles Sim

Conference Proceedings

Electrostatic breakdown leads to the majority of anomalies and failures attributed to spacecraft interactions with the plasma space environment. It is therefore critical to understand how electrostatic field strength (FESD) of spacecraft materials varies due to environmental conditions such as duration of applied electric field, rate of field change, history of exposure to high fields, and temperature. We have developed a dual-defect, thermodynamic, mean-field trapping model in terms of recoverable and irrecoverable defect modes to predict probabilities of breakdown. Fits to a variety of measurements of the dependence of FESD of insulating polymers on endurance time, voltage ramp rate, and …

Small Satellite Space Environments Effects Test Facility, Jr Dennison, Kent Hartley, Lisa Montierth Phillipps, Robert Johnson, Justin Dekany, James Dyer

Presentations

A versatile space environments test facility has been designed and built to study the effects on small satellites and system components. Testing for potentially environmental-induced modifications of small satellites is critical to avoid possible deleterious or catastrophic effects over the duration of space missions. This is increasingly more important as small satellite programs have longer mission lifetimes, expand to more hash environments (such as polar or geosynchronous orbits), make more diverse and sensitive measurements, minimize shielding to reduce mass, and utilize more compact and sensitive electronics (often including untested off-the-shelf components). Our vacuum chamber is particularly well suited for cost-effective, …

Synergistic Models Of Electron Emission And Transport Measurements Of Disordered Sio2, Jr Dennison, Justin Dekany, Jodie Corbridge Gillespie, Phil Lundgreen, Allen Andersen, Amberly Evans Jensen, Gregory Wilson, Alec Sim, Ryan Hoffmann

Presentations

A critical component in the prediction and mitigation of spacecraft charging issues is an accurate model of the charging, transport and electron emission properties of a broad array of materials used in the construction of spacecraft. The increased sensitivity, longer-duration missions, and ventures into more demanding environments only serve to heighten this need. One important way for the spacecraft charging community to address this issue is to expand the role of more fundamental materials physics. This includes the development of unifying theoretical models of the charge transport equations based on the creation, distribution, and occupancy of defect densities of states. …

Density Of State Models And Temperature Dependence Of Radiation Induced Conductivity, Jodie Corbridge Gillespie, Jr Dennison, Alec M. Sim

Conference Proceedings

Expressions are developed for radiation induce conductivity (RIC) over an extended temperature range, based on density of states models for highly disordered insulating materials. A general discussion of the DOS of can be given using two simple types of DOS distributions of defect states within the bandgap for disordered materials are considered, one that monotonically decreases within the bandgap and one with a distribution peak within the band gap. Three monotonically decreasing models (exponential, power law, and linear), and two peaked models (Gaussian and delta function) are considered, plus limiting cases with a uniform DOS for each type. Variations using …

Defects Density Of States Model Of Cathodoluminescent Intensity And Spectra Of Disordered Sio2, Amberly Evans Jensen, Jr Dennison

Conference Proceedings

Electron beam measurements have been made that show disordered SiO 2 exhibits luminescent behavior, and that it varies with incident beam energy and current density, sample temperature and wavelength. A simple model based on the electronic band structure and defect density of states—initially used to explain electron transport in highly disordered insulating materials—has been extended to predict the relative cathodoluminescent intensity and spectral radiance for disordered SiO 2 as a function of these variables. Insulating SiO 2 has a band gap of ~8.9 eV. Hence thermal excitation from the valence to conduction band is highly improbable; excitation is through collisions …

Long-Range Electronic Reconstruction To A Dxz,Yz-Dominated Fermi Surface Below The Laalo3/Srtio3 Interface, Alexander Paul Petrović, A. Pare, Tula R. Paudel, K. Lee, S. Holmes, Crispin H. W. Barnes, A. David, T. Wu, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, C. Panagopoulos

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Low dimensionality, broken symmetry and easily-modulated carrier concentrations provoke novel electronic phase emergence at oxide interfaces. However, the spatial extent of such reconstructions - i.e. the interfacial ‘‘depth’’ - remains unclear. Examining LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ heterostructures at previously unexplored carrier densities n_2D 14 cm^-2 , we observe a Shubnikov-de Haas effect for small in-plane fields, characteristic of an anisotropic 3D Fermi surface with preferential d_xz,yz orbital occupancy extending over at least 100 nm perpendicular to the interface. Quantum oscillations from the 3D Fermi surface of bulk doped SrTiO₃ emerge simultaneously at higher n_2D. …

Dynamics And Manipulation Of Nanomagnets, Liufei Cai

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis presents my work on the spin dynamics of nanomagnets and investigates the possibility of manipulating nanomagnets by various means. Most of the work has been published\cite{LC-PRB2010, LC-PRB2012, LC-PRB2013, LC-EPL2014}. Some has been submitted for publication\cite{LC-arxiv2014}. The structure of this thesis is as follows.

In Chapter 1, I present the theory of manipulation of a nanomagnet by rotating ac fields whose frequency is time dependent. Theory has been developed that maps the problem onto Landau-Zener problem. For the linear frequency sweep the switching phase diagrams are obtained on the amplitude of the ac field and the frequency sweep rate. …

Optical Properties Of De Vries Liquid Crystals And A Look At Ultra Thin Freely Suspended Smectic Films, Joshua P. Fankhauser

Physics

Liquid crystals exist as a fourth state of matter. They are anisotropic and due to this order, they affect light that passes through them, making them ideal candidates for optical study. By employing a basic technique for measuring a liquid crystal's birefringence and tilt angle, one is able to study a number of other properties such as the electroclinic effect. In addition, smectic liquid crystals have been studied intently because of their ability to create stable ultra-thin films of quantized layer thickness. These thin films have been studied due to the fact that they are an ideal system for investigating …

The Soft Mode Driven Dynamics Of Ferroelectric Perovskites At The Nanoscale: An Atomistic Study, Kevin Mccash

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The discovery of ferroelectricity at the nanoscale has incited a lot of interest in perovskite ferroelectrics not only for their potential in device application but also for their potential to expand fundamental understanding of complex phenomena at very small size scales. Unfortunately, not much is known about the dynamics of ferroelectrics at this scale. Many of the widely held theories for ferroelectric materials are based on bulk dynamics which break down when applied to smaller scales. In an effort to increase understanding of nanoscale ferroelectric materials we use atomistic resolution computational simulations to investigate the dynamics of polar perovskites. Within …

Kinetics Of Solid Phase Crystallization Of A-Ge Thin Films, John D. Graham

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

A method was developed to investigate the solid-phase crystallization (SPC) reaction undergone by germanium thin films. Amorphous films were grown by the radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and then annealed for a maximum of 6 hours at two temperatures: 446°C and 460°C. Crystallinity was measured by resistivity measurements, as well as crystal peak height and area taken from X-ray diffractometer (XRD) data. Initial data shows qualitative agreement with a nucleation-growth model for the observed kinetic process. However, observed peak narrowing phenomena suggests a comprehensive model of XRD measurements of polycrystalline thin films is needed for a rigorous interpretation of the results.

Subwavelength Visualization Of Light In Thin Film Waveguides With Photoelectrons, Joseph P. Fitzgerald, Robert Campbell Word, Rolf Könenkamp

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report the visualization and quantitative analysis of electromagnetic surface fields at solid surfaces with the potential for λ/50 resolution. To illustrate this capability, we investigate patterns in two-photon photoemission images of light-diffracting structures in waveguiding, transparent thin films. The obtained micrographs show interference patterns between incident and guided light with a remarkable sensitivity to subwavelength features. We demonstrate that photoemission rates are directly related to the surface field strengths and develop a subwavelength method to calculate the surface fields from optical properties and surface topology based on the two-dimensional Kirchhoff diffraction integral. Calculated images based on this theoretical approach …

Improved Measurements In Conductivity For Highly Disorganized Resistive Materials, Phil Lundgreen

Senior Theses and Projects

Determining the electrical properties of highly insulating materials can be a challenging task. These materials are designed to greatly resist the flow of electrical current. This makes them useful for various applications including terrestrial transmission lines, spacecraft charging, and capacitor-driven charge storage devices. Every year over 370 billion kWhr are lost during transportation along power lines in the US. That is roughly $36B which is thrown away each year due to inefficiency in our power transmission network (1). Due to the fact that satellites are isolated from ground, charging caused by the plasma environment found at typical orbital radii (2) …

Polarization Imaging In Ferroelectric Polymer Thin Film Capacitors By Pyroelectric Scanning Microscopy, Jingfeng Song, Haidong Lu, Alexei Gruverman, Stephen Ducharme

Stephen Ducharme Publications

A Pyroelectric Scanning Microscopy system, which uses laser-induced thermal modulation for mapping the pyroelectric response, has been used to image a bipolar domain pattern in a ferroelectric polymer thin film capacitor. This system has achieved a resolution of 660±28 nm by using a violet laser and high f-number microscope objective to reduce the optical spot size, and by operating at high modulation frequencies to reduce the thermal diffusion length. The results agree well with a thermal model implemented numerically using finite element analysis.

Discrete Strain Engineering In Graphene, Cedric Marcus Horvath

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graphene has a number of fascinating mechanical and electrical properties. Strain engineering in graphene is the attempt to control its properties with mechanical strain. Previous research in this area has come up with an approach using a continuum theory to describe the strain induced gauge fields in graphene; however, this approach is only valid for small strains (5% at most). A discrete framework is being developed in Arkansas that can more accurately calculate the deformation (electrical) and (pseudo-)magnetic gauge fields created by large strains. Computational simulations were carried out and used to get discrete atomic positions for strained, suspended graphene …