Characterisation of capacitively coupled HV/HR-CMOS sensor chips for the CLIC vertex detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kremastiotis, I.

2017-12-01

The capacitive coupling between an active sensor and a readout ASIC has been considered in the framework of the CLIC vertex detector study. The CLICpix Capacitively Coupled Pixel Detector (C3PD) is a High-Voltage CMOS sensor chip produced in a commercial 180 nm HV-CMOS process for this purpose. The sensor was designed to be connected to the CLICpix2 readout chip. It therefore matches the dimensions of the readout chip, featuring a matrix of 128×128 square pixels with 25μm pitch. The sensor chip has been produced with the standard value for the substrate resistivity (~20 Ωcm) and it has been characterised in standalone testing mode, before receiving and testing capacitively coupled assemblies. The standalone measurement results show a rise time of ~20 ns for a power consumption of 5μW/pixel. Production of the C3PD HV-CMOS sensor chip with higher substrate resistivity wafers (~20, 80, 200 and 1000 Ωcm) is foreseen. The expected benefits of the higher substrate resistivity will be studied using future assemblies with the readout chip.

Si and GaAs photocapacitive MIS infrared detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sher, A.; Tsuo, Y. H.; Moriarty, J. A.; Miller, W. E.; Crouch, R. K.

1980-01-01

Improvement of the previously reported photocapacitive MIS infrared detectors has led to the development of exceptional room-temperature devices. Unoptimized peak detectivities on the order of 10 to the 13th cm sq rt Hz/W, a value which exceeds the best obtainable from existing solid-state detectors, have now been consistently obtained in Si and GaAs devices using high-capacitance LaF3 or composite LaF3/native-oxide insulating layers. The measured spectral response of representative samples is presented and discussed in detail together with a simple theory which accounts for the observed behavior. The response of an ideal MIS photocapacitor is also contrasted with that of both a conventional photoconductor and a p-i-n photodiode, and reasons for the superior performance of the MIS detectors are given. Finally, fundamental studies on the electrical, optical, and noise characteristics of the MIS structures are analyzed and discussed in the context of infrared-detector applications.

Anomalous effects on radiation detectors and capacitance measurements inside a modified Faraday cage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milián-Sánchez, V.; Mocholí-Salcedo, A.; Milián, C.; Kolombet, V. A.; Verdú, G.

2016-08-01

We present experimental results showing certain anomalies in the measurements performed inside a modified Faraday cage of decay rates of Ra-226, Tl-204 and Sr-90/I-90, of the gamma spectrum of a Cs-137 preparation, and of the capacitance of both a class-I multilayer ceramic capacitor and of the interconnection cable between the radiation detector and the scaler. Decay rates fluctuate significantly up to 5% around the initial value and differently depending on the type of nuclide, and the spectrum photopeak increases in 4.4%. In the case of the capacitor, direct capacitance measurements at 100 Hz, 10 kHz and 100 kHz show variations up to 0.7%, the most significant taking place at 100 Hz. In the case of the interconnection cable, the capacitance varies up to 1%. Dispersion also tends to increase inside the enclosure. However, the measured capacitance variations do not explain the variations observed in decay rates.

A Simple 2-Transistor Touch or Lick Detector Circuit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slotnick, Burton

2009-01-01

Contact or touch detectors in which a subject acts as a switch between two metal surfaces have proven more popular and arguably more useful for recording responses than capacitance switches, photocell detectors, and force detectors. Components for touch detectors circuits are inexpensive and, except for some special purpose designs, can be easily…

Resonance-induced sensitivity enhancement method for conductivity sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tai, Yu-Chong (Inventor); Shih, Chi-yuan (Inventor); Li, Wei (Inventor); Zheng, Siyang (Inventor)

2009-01-01

Methods and systems for improving the sensitivity of a variety of conductivity sensing devices, in particular capacitively-coupled contactless conductivity detectors. A parallel inductor is added to the conductivity sensor. The sensor with the parallel inductor is operated at a resonant frequency of the equivalent circuit model. At the resonant frequency, parasitic capacitances that are either in series or in parallel with the conductance (and possibly a series resistance) is substantially removed from the equivalent circuit, leaving a purely resistive impedance. An appreciably higher sensor sensitivity results. Experimental verification shows that sensitivity improvements of the order of 10,000-fold are possible. Examples of detecting particulates with high precision by application of the apparatus and methods of operation are described.

Application of the magnetic fluid as a detector for changing the magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zyatkov, D.; Yurchenko, A.; Yurchenko, V.; Balashov, V.

2018-05-01

In article the possibility of use of magnetic fluid as a sensitive element for fixing of change of induction of magnetic field in space is considered. Importance of solvable tasks is connected with search of the perspective magnetic substances susceptible to weak magnetic field. The results of a study of the capacitive method for fixing the change in the magnetic field on the basis of a ferromagnetic liquid are presented. The formation of chain structures in the ferrofluid from magnetic particles under the influence of the applied magnetic field leads to a change in the capacitance of the plate condenser. This task has important practical value for development of a magnetosensitive sensor of change of magnetic field.

Large resistive 2D Micromegas with genetic multiplexing and some imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouteille, S.; Attié, D.; Baron, P.; Calvet, D.; Magnier, P.; Mandjavidze, I.; Procureur, S.; Riallot, M.

2016-10-01

The performance of the first large resistive Micromegas detectors with 2D readout and genetic multiplexing is presented. These detectors have a 50 × 50cm2 active area and are equipped with 1024 strips both in X- and Y-directions. The same genetic multiplexing pattern is applied on both coordinates, resulting in the compression of signals on 2 × 61 readout channels. Four such detectors have been built at CERN, and extensively tested with cosmics. The resistive strip film allows for very high gain operation, compensating for the charge spread on the 2 dimensions as well as the S / N loss due to the huge, 1 nF input capacitance. This film also creates a significantly different signal shape in the X- and Y-coordinates due to the charge evacuation along the resistive strips. All in all a detection efficiency above 95% is achieved with a 1 cm drift gap. Though not yet optimal, the measured 300 μm spatial resolution allows for very precise imaging in the field of muon tomography, and some applications of these detectors are presented.

Label-free capacitive immunosensor based on quartz crystal Au electrode for rapid and sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

PubMed

Li, Dujuan; Feng, Yangyang; Zhou, Ling; Ye, Zunzhong; Wang, Jianping; Ying, Yibin; Ruan, Chuanmin; Wang, Ronghui; Li, Yanbin

2011-02-14

A label-free capacitive immunosensor based on quartz crystal Au electrode was developed for rapid and sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The immunosensor was fabricated by immobilizing affinity-purified anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibodies onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) on the surface of a quartz crystal Au electrode. Bacteria suspended in solution became attached to the immobilized antibodies when the immunosensor was tested in liquid samples. The change in capacitance caused by the bacteria was directly measured by an electrochemical detector. An equivalent circuit was introduced to simulate the capacitive immunosensor. The immunosensor was evaluated for E. coli O157:H7 detection in pure culture and inoculated food samples. The experimental results indicated that the capacitance change was linearly correlated with the cell concentration of E. coli O157:H7. The immunosensor was able to discriminate between cellular concentrations of 10(2)-10(5) cfu mL(-1) and has applications in detecting pathogens in food samples. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were also employed to characterize the stepwise assembly of the immunosensor. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Near-IR photon number resolving detector design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanski, Jan; Huntington, Elanor H.

2013-05-01

Photon-Number-Resolving-Detection (PNRD) capability is crucial for many Quantum-Information (QI) applications, e.g. for Coherent-State-Quantum-Computing, Linear-Optics-Quantum-Computing. In Quantum-Key-Distribution and Quantum-Secret-Sharing over 1310/1550 nm fiber, two other important, defense and information security related, QI applications, it's crucial for the information transmission security to guarantee that the information carriers (photons) are single. Thus a PNRD can provide an additional security level against eavesdropping. Currently, there are at least a couple of promising PNRD technologies in the Near-Infrared, but all of them require cryogenic cooling. Thus a compact, portable PNRD, based on commercial Avalanche-Photo-Diodes (APDs), could be a very useful instrument for many QI experiments. For an APD-based PNRD, it is crucial to measure the APD-current in the beginning of the avalanche. Thus an efficient cancellation of the APD capacitive spikes is a necessary condition for the very weak APD current measurement. The detector's principle is based on two commercial, pair-matched InGaAs/InP APDs, connected in series. It leads to a great cancelation of the capacitive spikes caused by the narrow (300 ps), differential gate-pulses of maximum 4V amplitude assuming that both pulses are perfectly matched in regards to their phases, amplitudes, and shapes. The cancellation scheme could be used for other APD-technologies, e.g. Silicon, extending the detection spectrum from visible to NIR. The design distinguishes itself from other, APD-based, schemes by its scalability feature and its computer controlled cancellation of the capacitive spikes. Furthermore, both APDs could be equally used for the detection purpose, which opens a possibility for the odd-even photon number parity detection.

Specification and Design of the SBRC-190: A Cryogenic Multiplexer for Far Infrared Photoconductor Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, E. F.; Young, E. T.; Wolf, J.; Asbrock, J. F.; Lum, N.; DeVincenzi, D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Arrays of far-infrared photoconductor detectors operate at a few degrees Kelvin and require electronic amplifiers in close proximity. For the electronics, a cryogenic multiplexer is ideal to avoid the large number of wires associated with individual amplifiers for each pixel, and to avoid adverse effects of thermal and radiative heat loads from the circuitry. For low background applications, the 32 channel CRC 696 CMOS device was previously developed for SIRTF, the cryogenic Space Infrared Telescope Facility. For higher background applications, we have developed a similar circuit, featuring several modifications: (a) an AC coupled, capacitive feedback transimpedence unit cell, to minimize input offset effects, thereby enabling low detector biases, (b) selectable feedback capacitors to enable operation over a wide range of backgrounds, and (c) clamp and sample & hold output circuits to improve sampling efficiency, which is a concern at the high readout rates required. We describe the requirements for and design of the new device.

BMDO Technology Applications in Biomedicine

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

capacitance and low- noise detectors. NOVA’s systems could also be used for bone densitometry and panoramic dental X-rays. Potential Use to Medicine Dr...receiver coils, increasing signal-to- noise ratio by a factor of two in some cases. This change is especially important in low-strength MRI fields...ongoing in this area. Receivers for this technology must be even more sensitive than for conventional MRI, because the " noise " level in these tissue

Ultralow-noise readout circuit with an avalanche photodiode: toward a photon-number-resolving detector.

PubMed

Tsujino, Kenji; Akiba, Makoto; Sasaki, Masahide

2007-03-01

The charge-integration readout circuit was fabricated to achieve an ultralow-noise preamplifier for photoelectrons generated in an avalanche photodiode with linear mode operation at 77 K. To reduce the various kinds of noise, the capacitive transimpedance amplifier was used and consisted of low-capacitance circuit elements that were cooled with liquid nitrogen. As a result, the readout noise is equal to 3.0 electrons averaged for a period of 40 ms. We discuss the requirements for avalanche photodiodes to achieve photon-number-resolving detectors below this noise level.

Development of a 32-channel ASIC for an X-ray APD detector onboard the ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arimoto, Makoto; Harita, Shohei; Sugita, Satoshi; Yatsu, Yoichi; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Ikeda, Hirokazu; Tomida, Hiroshi; Isobe, Naoki; Ueno, Shiro; Mihara, Tatehiro; Serino, Motoko; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Sakamoto, Takanori; Yoshida, Atsumasa; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Hatori, Satoshi; Kume, Kyo; Hasegawa, Takashi

2018-02-01

We report on the design and performance of a mixed-signal application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) dedicated to avalanche photodiodes (APDs) in order to detect hard X-ray emissions in a wide energy band onboard the International Space Station. To realize wide-band detection from 20 keV to 1 MeV, we use Ce:GAGG scintillators, each coupled to an APD, with low-noise front-end electronics capable of achieving a minimum energy detection threshold of 20 keV. The developed ASIC has the ability to read out 32-channel APD signals using 0.35 μm CMOS technology, and an analog amplifier at the input stage is designed to suppress the capacitive noise primarily arising from the large detector capacitance of the APDs. The ASIC achieves a performance of 2099 e- + 1.5 e-/pF at root mean square (RMS) with a wide 300 fC dynamic range. Coupling a reverse-type APD with a Ce:GAGG scintillator, we obtain an energy resolution of 6.7% (FWHM) at 662 keV and a minimum detectable energy of 20 keV at room temperature (20 °C). Furthermore, we examine the radiation tolerance for space applications by using a 90 MeV proton beam, confirming that the ASIC is free of single-event effects and can operate properly without serious degradation in analog and digital processing.

Characteristic Performance Evaluation of a new SAGe Well Detector for Small and Large Sample Geometries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adekola, A.S.; Colaresi, J.; Douwen, J.

2015-07-01

Environmental scientific research requires a detector that has sensitivity low enough to reveal the presence of any contaminant in the sample at a reasonable counting time. Canberra developed the germanium detector geometry called Small Anode Germanium (SAGe) Well detector, which is now available commercially. The SAGe Well detector is a new type of low capacitance germanium well detector manufactured using small anode technology capable of advancing many environmental scientific research applications. The performance of this detector has been evaluated for a range of sample sizes and geometries counted inside the well, and on the end cap of the detector. Themore » detector has energy resolution performance similar to semi-planar detectors, and offers significant improvement over the existing coaxial and Well detectors. Energy resolution performance of 750 eV Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) at 122 keV γ-ray energy and resolution of 2.0 - 2.3 keV FWHM at 1332 keV γ-ray energy are guaranteed for detector volumes up to 425 cm{sup 3}. The SAGe Well detector offers an optional 28 mm well diameter with the same energy resolution as the standard 16 mm well. Such outstanding resolution performance will benefit environmental applications in revealing the detailed radionuclide content of samples, particularly at low energy, and will enhance the detection sensitivity resulting in reduced counting time. The detector is compatible with electric coolers without any sacrifice in performance and supports the Canberra Mathematical efficiency calibration method (In situ Object Calibration Software or ISOCS, and Laboratory Source-less Calibration Software or LABSOCS). In addition, the SAGe Well detector supports true coincidence summing available in the ISOCS/LABSOCS framework. The improved resolution performance greatly enhances detection sensitivity of this new detector for a range of sample sizes and geometries counted inside the well. This results in lower minimum detectable concentrations compared to Traditional Well detectors. The SAGe Well detectors are compatible with Marinelli beakers and compete very well with semi-planar and coaxial detectors for large samples in many applications. (authors)« less

Low dose radiation damage effects in silicon strip detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiącek, P.; Dąbrowski, W.

2016-11-01

The radiation damage effects in silicon segmented detectors caused by X-rays have become recently an important research topic driven mainly by development of new detectors for applications at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (E-XFEL). However, radiation damage in silicon strip is observed not only after extreme doses up to 1 GGy expected at E-XFEL, but also at doses in the range of tens of Gy, to which the detectors in laboratory instruments like X-ray diffractometers or X-ray spectrometers can be exposed. In this paper we report on investigation of radiation damage effects in a custom developed silicon strip detector used in laboratory diffractometers equipped with X-ray tubes. Our results show that significant degradation of detector performance occurs at low doses, well below 200 Gy, which can be reached during normal operation of laboratory instruments. Degradation of the detector energy resolution can be explained by increasing leakage current and increasing interstrip capacitance of the sensor. Another observed effect caused by accumulation of charge trapped in the surface oxide layer is change of charge division between adjacent strips. In addition, we have observed unexpected anomalies in the annealing process.

Sensor readout detector circuit

DOEpatents

Chu, Dahlon D.; Thelen, Jr., Donald C.

1998-01-01

A sensor readout detector circuit is disclosed that is capable of detecting sensor signals down to a few nanoamperes or less in a high (microampere) background noise level. The circuit operates at a very low standby power level and is triggerable by a sensor event signal that is above a predetermined threshold level. A plurality of sensor readout detector circuits can be formed on a substrate as an integrated circuit (IC). These circuits can operate to process data from an array of sensors in parallel, with only data from active sensors being processed for digitization and analysis. This allows the IC to operate at a low power level with a high data throughput for the active sensors. The circuit may be used with many different types of sensors, including photodetectors, capacitance sensors, chemically-sensitive sensors or combinations thereof to provide a capability for recording transient events or for recording data for a predetermined period of time following an event trigger. The sensor readout detector circuit has applications for portable or satellite-based sensor systems.

Sensor readout detector circuit

DOEpatents

Chu, D.D.; Thelen, D.C. Jr.

1998-08-11

A sensor readout detector circuit is disclosed that is capable of detecting sensor signals down to a few nanoamperes or less in a high (microampere) background noise level. The circuit operates at a very low standby power level and is triggerable by a sensor event signal that is above a predetermined threshold level. A plurality of sensor readout detector circuits can be formed on a substrate as an integrated circuit (IC). These circuits can operate to process data from an array of sensors in parallel, with only data from active sensors being processed for digitization and analysis. This allows the IC to operate at a low power level with a high data throughput for the active sensors. The circuit may be used with many different types of sensors, including photodetectors, capacitance sensors, chemically-sensitive sensors or combinations thereof to provide a capability for recording transient events or for recording data for a predetermined period of time following an event trigger. The sensor readout detector circuit has applications for portable or satellite-based sensor systems. 6 figs.

Development of slew-rate-limited time-over-threshold (ToT) ASIC for a multi-channel silicon-based ion detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uenomachi, M.; Orita, T.; Shimazoe, K.; Takahashi, H.; Ikeda, H.; Tsujita, K.; Sekiba, D.

2018-01-01

High-resolution Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (HERDA), which consists of a 90o sector magnetic spectrometer and a position-sensitive detector (PSD), is a method of quantitative hydrogen analysis. In order to increase sensitivity, a HERDA system using a multi-channel silicon-based ion detector has been developed. Here, as a parallel and fast readout circuit from a multi-channel silicon-based ion detector, a slew-rate-limited time-over-threshold (ToT) application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) was designed, and a new slew-rate-limited ToT method is proposed. The designed ASIC has 48 channels and each channel consists of a preamplifier, a slew-rate-limited shaping amplifier, which makes ToT response linear, and a comparator. The measured equivalent noise charges (ENCs) of the preamplifier, the shaper, and the ToT on no detector capacitance were 253±21, 343±46, and 560±56 electrons RMS, respectively. The spectra from a 241Am source measured using a slew-rate-limited ToT ASIC are also reported.

Photocapacitive MIS infrared detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sher, A.; Lu, S. S.-M.; Moriarty, J. A.; Crouch, R. K.; Miller, W. E.

1978-01-01

A new class of room-temperature infrared detectors has been developed through use of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) or metal-insulator-semiconductor-insulator-metal (MISIM) slabs. The detectors, which have been fabricated from Si, Ge and GaAs, rely for operation on the electrical capacitance variations induced by modulated incident radiation. The peak detectivity for a 1000-A Si MISIM detector is comparable to that of a conventional Si detector functioning in the photovoltaic mode. Optimization of the photocapacitive-mode detection sensitivity is discussed.

Ion Monitoring

DOEpatents

Orr, Christopher Henry; Luff, Craig Janson; Dockray, Thomas; Macarthur, Duncan Whittemore

2003-11-18

The apparatus and method provide a technique for significantly reducing capacitance effects in detector electrodes arising due to movement of the instrument relative to the item/location being monitored in ion detection based techniques. The capacitance variations are rendered less significant by placing an electrically conducting element between the detector electrodes and the monitored location/item. Improved sensitivity and reduced noise signals arise as a result. The technique also provides apparatus and method suitable for monitoring elongate items which are unsuited to complete enclosure in one go within a chamber. The items are monitored part by part as the pass through the instrument, so increasing the range of items or locations which can be successfully monitored.

Detection of proteins and bacteria using an array of feedback capacitance sensors.

PubMed

Mehta, Manav; Hanumanthaiah, Chandra Sekar; Betala, Pravin Ajitkumar; Zhang, Hong; Roh, SaeWeon; Buttner, William; Penrose, William R; Stetter, Joseph R; Pérez-Luna, Victor H

2007-12-15

An integrated array of micron-dimension capacitors, originally developed for biometric applications (fingerprint identification), was engineered for detection of biological agents such as proteins and bacteria. This device consists of an array of 93,184 (256 x 364) individual capacitor-based sensing elements located underneath a thin (0.8 microm) layer of glass. This glass layer can be functionalized with organosilane-based monolayers to provide groups amenable for the immobilization of bioreceptors such as antibodies, enzymes, peptides, aptamers, and nucleotides. Upon functionalization with antibodies and in conjunction with signal amplification schemes that result in perturbation of the dielectric constant around the captured antigens, this system can be used as a detector of biological agents. Two signal amplification schemes were tested in this work: one consisted of 4 microm diameter latex immunobeads and a second one was based on colloidal gold catalyzed reduction of silver. These signal amplification approaches were demonstrated and show that this system is capable of specific detection of bacteria (Escherichia coli) and proteins (ovalbumin). The present work shows proof-of-principle demonstration that a simple fingerprint detector based on feedback capacitance measurements can be implemented as a biosensor. The approach presented could be easily expanded to simultaneously test for a large number of analytes and multiple samples given that this device has a large number of detectors. The device and required instrumentation is highly portable and does not require expensive and bulky instrumentation because it relies purely on electronic detection.

Pulse-height loss in the signal readout circuit of compound semiconductor detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakhostin, M.; Hitomi, K.

2018-06-01

Compound semiconductor detectors such as CdTe, CdZnTe, HgI2 and TlBr are known to exhibit large variations in their charge collection times. This paper considers the effect of such variations on the measurement of induced charge pulses by using resistive feedback charge-sensitive preamplifiers. It is shown that, due to the finite decay-time constant of the preamplifiers, the capacitive decay during the signal readout leads to a variable deficit in the measurement of ballistic signals and a digital pulse processing method is employed to correct for it. The method is experimentally examined by using sampled pulses from a TlBr detector coupled to a charge-sensitive preamplifier with 150 μs of decay-time constant and 20 % improvement in the energy resolution of the detector at 662 keV is achieved. The implications of the capacitive decay on the correction of charge-trapping effect by using depth-sensing technique are also considered.

LaF3 insulators for MIS structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sher, A.; Tsuo, Y. H.; Moriarty, J. A.; Miller, W. E.; Crouch, R. K.; Seiber, B. A.

1979-01-01

Thin films of LaF3 deposited on Si or GaAs substrates have been observed to form blocking contacts with very high capacitances. This results in comparatively hysteresis-free and sharp C-V (capacitance-voltage) characteristics for MIS structures. Such structures have been used to study the interface states of GaAs with increased resolution and to construct improved photocapacitive infrared detectors.

Carrier transport and collection in fully depleted semiconductors by a combined action of the space charge field and the field due to electrode voltages

DOEpatents

Rehak, P.; Gatti, E.

1984-02-24

A semiconductor charge transport device and method for making same, characterized by providing a thin semiconductor wafer having rectifying functions on its opposing major surfaces and including a small capacitance ohmic contact, in combination with bias voltage means and associated circuit means for applying a predetermined voltage to effectively deplete the wafer in regions thereof between the rectifying junctions and the ohmic contact. A charge transport device of the invention is usable as a drift chamber, a low capacitance detector, or a charge coupled device each constructed according to the methods of the invention for making such devices. Detectors constructed according to the principles of the invention are characterized by having significantly higher particle position indicating resolution than is attainable with prior art detectors, while at the same time requiring substantially fewer readout channels to realize such high resolution.

Carrier transport and collection in fully depleted semiconductors by a combined action of the space charge field and the field due to electrode voltages

DOEpatents

Rehak, Pavel; Gatti, Emilio

1987-01-01

A semiconductor charge transport device and method for making same, characterized by providing a thin semiconductor wafer having rectifying junctions on its opposing major surfaces and including a small capacitance ohmic contact, in combination with bias voltage means and associated circuit means for applying a predetermined voltage to effectively deplete the wafer in regions thereof between the rectifying junctions and the ohmic contact. A charge transport device of the invention is usable as a drift chamber, a low capacitance detector, or a charge coupled device each constructed according to the methods of the invention for making such devices. Detectors constructed according to the principles of the invention are characterized by having significantly higher particle position indicating resolution than is attainable with prior art detectors, while at the same time requiring substantially fewer readout channels to realize such high resolution.

Carrier transport and collection in fully depleted semiconductors by a combined action of the space charge field and the field due to electrode voltages

DOEpatents

Rehak, P.; Gatti, E.

1987-08-18

A semiconductor charge transport device and method for making same are disclosed, characterized by providing a thin semiconductor wafer having rectifying junctions on its opposing major surfaces and including a small capacitance ohmic contact, in combination with bias voltage means and associated circuit means for applying a predetermined voltage to effectively deplete the wafer in regions thereof between the rectifying junctions and the ohmic contact. A charge transport device of the invention is usable as a drift chamber, a low capacitance detector, or a charge coupled device each constructed according to the methods of the invention for making such devices. Detectors constructed according to the principles of the invention are characterized by having significantly higher particle position indicating resolution than is attainable with prior art detectors, while at the same time requiring substantially fewer readout channels to realize such high resolution. 16 figs.

Study of n- γ discrimination by zero-crossing method with SiPM based scintillation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grodzicka-Kobylka, M.; Szczesniak, T.; Moszyński, M.; Swiderski, L.; Wolski, D.; Baszak, J.; Korolczuk, S.; Schotanus, P.

2018-03-01

The paper presents a study of n / γ discrimination with 4x4 ch and 8x8 ch Multi Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) arrays in neutron detectors based on Stilbene and EJ299-33 plastic scintillators. The n / γ discrimination showed an excellent capability of the MPPC arrays, comparable to that observed earlier with the classical PMTs. Particularly, an application of a zero-crossing method of n - γ discrimination prevented deterioration of the discrimination by the slow response of the Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM, or MPPC interchangeably) array related to its large capacitance. It was confirmed by a good agreement of the Figure of Merit normalized to the number of photoelectrons determined for the MPPC arrays and XP5500 PMT.

Continued development of room temperature semiconductor nuclear detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hadong; Cirignano, Leonard; Churilov, Alexei; Ciampi, Guido; Kargar, Alireza; Higgins, William; O'Dougherty, Patrick; Kim, Suyoung; Squillante, Michael R.; Shah, Kanai

2010-08-01

Thallium bromide (TlBr) and related ternary compounds, TlBrI and TlBrCl, have been under development for room temperature gamma ray spectroscopy due to several promising properties. Due to recent advances in material processing, electron mobility-lifetime product of TlBr is close to Cd(Zn)Te's value which allowed us to fabricate large working detectors. We were also able to fabricate and obtain spectroscopic results from TlBr Capacitive Frisch Grid detector and orthogonal strip detectors. In this paper we report on our recent TlBr and related ternary detector results and preliminary results from Cinnabar (HgS) detectors.

Investigation of low leakage current radiation detectors on n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Khai V.; Chaudhuri, Sandeep K.; Mandal, Krishna C.

2014-09-01

The surface leakage current of high-resolution 4H-SiC epitaxial layer Schottky barrier detectors has been improved significantly after surface passivations of 4H-SiC epitaxial layers. Thin (nanometer range) layers of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) were deposited on 4H-SiC epitaxial layers using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on 20 μm thick n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers followed by the fabrication of large area (~12 mm2) Schottky barrier radiation detectors. The fabricated detectors have been characterized through current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and alpha pulse height spectroscopy measurements; the results were compared with that of detectors fabricated without surface passivations. Improved energy resolution of ~ 0.4% for 5486 keV alpha particles was observed after passivation, and it was found that the performance of these detectors were limited by the presence of macroscopic and microscopic crystal defects affecting the charge transport properties adversely. Capacitance mode deep level transient studies (DLTS) revealed the presence of a titanium impurity related shallow level defects (Ec-0.19 eV), and two deep level defects identified as Z1/2 and Ci1 located at Ec-0.62 and ~ Ec-1.40 eV respectively.

A layered microchip conductance detector with through-layer access to detection fields and high sensitivity to dielectric constant.

PubMed

Suganuma, Y; Dhirani, A-A

2011-04-01

The present study explores a novel apertured microchip conductance detector (AMCD) that is sensitive to dielectric constant. Fashioned on silicon oxide/silicon using optical microlithography, the detector has novel parallel-plate geometry with a top mesh electrode, a middle apertured insulator, and a bottom conducting electrode. This monolithic apertured architecture is planar and may be provided with a thin insulator layer enabling large capacitances, while the top mesh electrode and middle apertured-insulator enable access to regions of the capacitor where electric fields are strong. Hence, the detector is sensitive yet mechanically robust. To test its response, the AMCD was immersed in various solvents, namely water, methanol, acetonitrile, and hexanes. Its response was found to vary in proportion to the solvents' respective dielectric constants. The AMCD was also able to distinguish quantitatively the presence of various molecules in solution, including molecules with chromophores [such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)] in methanol and those without chrompohores [such as polyethylene glycol 200 Daltons (PEG200)] in methanol or water. The universal nature of dielectric constant and the microchip detector's sensitivity point to a wide range of potential applications. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Negative feedback avalanche diode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Itzler, Mark Allen (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A single-photon avalanche detector is disclosed that is operable at wavelengths greater than 1000 nm and at operating speeds greater than 10 MHz. The single-photon avalanche detector comprises a thin-film resistor and avalanche photodiode that are monolithically integrated such that little or no additional capacitance is associated with the addition of the resistor.

VMM - An ASIC for Micropattern Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iakovidis, George

2018-02-01

The VMM is a custom Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that can be used in a variety of charge interpolating tracking detectors. It is designed to be used with the resistive strip micromegas and sTGC detectors in the New Small Wheel upgrade of the ATLAS Muon spectrometer. The ASIC is designed at Brookhaven National Laboratory and fabricated in the 130 nm Global Foundries 8RF-DM process. It is packaged in a Ball Grid Array with outline dimensions of 21×21 mm2. It integrates 64 channels, each providing charge amplification, discrimination, neighbour logic, amplitude and timing measurements, analog-to-digital conversions, and either direct output for trigger or multiplexed readout. The front-end amplifier can operate with a wide range of input capacitances, has adjustable polarity, gain and peaking time. The VMM1 and VMM2 are the first two versions of the VMM ASIC family fabricated in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The design, tests and qualification of the VMM1, VMM2 and roadmap to VMM3 are described.

Ultra-low-noise, high-impedance preamp for cryogenic detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, E. R.

1985-01-01

A relatively simple room-temperature preamp design that satisfies both the low-noise and wideband requirements for the InSb Putley-mode detector and which is based on a common-drain JFET input, is presented. The design has an input capacitance of 28 pf which is much less than comparably noisy common-source amplifiers. It can be used for preamplification of 0.1 to 10 MHz signals from liquid-helium-cooled radiation detectors.

Performance of the SBRC 190, a cryogenic multiplexer for photoconductor arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dotson, Jessie L.; Koerber, C. T.; Mason, C. G.; Simpson, J. P.; Moore, E. M.; Witteborn, F. C.; Farhoomand, J.; Erickson, E. F.; DeVincenzi, D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The SBRC 190 cryogenic readouts were developed for use with far-infrared arrays of Ge:Sb and Ge:Ga photoconductor detectors. The SBRC 190 provides an AC-coupled CTIA (capacitance transimpedance amplifier) unit cell for each detector and multiplexes up to 32 detectors. This paper presents our test results characterizing and optimizing the performance of these novel devices. We will discuss their basic behavior in addition to describing the trade-offs inherent in different sampling strategies.

Parametric Phase-Sensitive Detector Using Two-cell SQUID

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-01

an attenuator of -20 dB. The microwave was fed into the coplanar resonator by a coplanar capacitance of 9 fF, and corresponding response was coupled...transmission line between the two coupled coplanar capacitances . With a network analyzer, the resonant frequency was confirmed to be 8.985 GHz and the...microwave directional sensors based on two-cell SQUIDs. Two SQUID circuits with different values of McCumber parameter βc have been tested. Observed

Humidity and illumination organic semiconductor copper phthalocyanine sensor for environmental monitoring.

PubMed

Karimov, K S; Qazi, I; Khan, T A; Draper, P H; Khalid, F A; Mahroof-Tahir, M

2008-06-01

In this investigation properties of organic semiconductor copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) capacitive humidity and illumination sensors were studied. Organic thin film was deposited by vacuum evaporation on a glass substrate with silver surface-type electrodes to form the Ag/CuPc/Ag sensor. The capacitance of the samples was evaluated at room temperature in the relative humidity range of 35-92%. It was observed that capacitance of the Ag/CuPc/Ag sensor increases with increase in humidity. The ratio of the relative capacitance to relative humidity was about 200. It is assumed that in general the capacitive response of the sensor is associated with polarization due to absorption of water molecules and transfer of charges (electrons and holes). It was observed that under filament lamp illumination of up to 1,000 lx the capacitance of the Ag/CuPc/Ag photo capacitive detectors increased continuously by 20% as compared to dark condition. It is assumed that photo capacitive response of the sensor is associated with polarization due to transfer of photo-generated electrons and holes. An equivalent circuit of the Ag/CuPc/Ag capacitive humidity and illumination sensor was developed. Humidity and illumination dependent capacitance properties of this sensor make it attractive for use in humidity and illumination multi-meters. The sensor may be used in instruments for environmental monitoring of humidity and illumination.

A low-power CMOS readout IC design for bolometer applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galioglu, Arman; Abbasi, Shahbaz; Shafique, Atia; Ceylan, Ömer; Yazici, Melik; Kaynak, Mehmet; Durmaz, Emre C.; Arsoy, Elif Gul; Gurbuz, Yasar

2017-02-01

A prototype of a readout IC (ROIC) designed for use in high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) SiGe microbolometers is presented. The prototype ROIC architecture implemented is based on a bridge with active and blind bolometer pixels with a capacitive transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) input stage and column parallel integration with serial readout. The ROIC is designed for use in high (>= 4 %/K) TCR and high detector resistance Si/SiGe microbolometers with 17x17 μm2 pixel sizes in development. The prototype has been designed and fabricated in 0.25- μm SiGe:C BiCMOS process.

The Speedster-EXD- A New Event-Driven Hybrid CMOS X-ray Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, Christopher V.; Falcone, Abraham D.; Prieskorn, Zachary R.; Burrows, David N.

2016-01-01

The Speedster-EXD is a new 64×64 pixel, 40-μm pixel pitch, 100-μm depletion depth hybrid CMOS x-ray detector with the capability of reading out only those pixels containing event charge, thus enabling fast effective frame rates. A global charge threshold can be specified, and pixels containing charge above this threshold are flagged and read out. The Speedster detector has also been designed with other advanced in-pixel features to improve performance, including a low-noise, high-gain capacitive transimpedance amplifier that eliminates interpixel capacitance crosstalk (IPC), and in-pixel correlated double sampling subtraction to reduce reset noise. We measure the best energy resolution on the Speedster-EXD detector to be 206 eV (3.5%) at 5.89 keV and 172 eV (10.0%) at 1.49 keV. The average IPC to the four adjacent pixels is measured to be 0.25%±0.2% (i.e., consistent with zero). The pixel-to-pixel gain variation is measured to be 0.80%±0.03%, and a Monte Carlo simulation is applied to better characterize the contributions to the energy resolution.

High resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy at high count rates with a prototype High Purity Germanium detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, R. J.; Amman, M.; Vetter, K.

2018-04-01

High-resolution gamma-ray spectrometers are required for applications in nuclear safeguards, emergency response, and fundamental nuclear physics. To overcome one of the shortcomings of conventional High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors, we have developed a prototype device capable of achieving high event throughput and high energy resolution at very high count rates. This device, the design of which we have previously reported on, features a planar HPGe crystal with a reduced-capacitance strip electrode geometry. This design is intended to provide good energy resolution at the short shaping or digital filter times that are required for high rate operation and which are enabled by the fast charge collection afforded by the planar geometry crystal. In this work, we report on the initial performance of the system at count rates up to and including two million counts per second.

125 GHz sine wave gating InGaAs/InP single-photon detector with a monolithically integrated readout circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Wen-Hao; Liu, Jian-Hong; Liu, Yin; Jin, Ge; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Jian-Wei

2017-12-01

InGaAs/InP single-photon detectors (SPDs) are the key devices for applications requiring near-infrared single-photon detection. Gating mode is an effective approach to synchronous single-photon detection. Increasing gating frequency and reducing module size are important challenges for the design of such detector system. Here we present for the first time an InGaAs/InP SPD with 1.25 GHz sine wave gating using a monolithically integrated readout circuit (MIRC). The MIRC has a size of 15 mm * 15 mm and implements the miniaturization of avalanche extraction for high-frequency sine wave gating. In the MIRC, low-pass filters and a low-noise radio frequency amplifier are integrated based on the technique of low temperature co-fired ceramic, which can effectively reduce the parasitic capacitance and extract weak avalanche signals. We then characterize the InGaAs/InP SPD to verify the functionality and reliability of MIRC, and the SPD exhibits excellent performance with 27.5 % photon detection efficiency, 1.2 kcps dark count rate, and 9.1 % afterpulse probability at 223 K and 100 ns hold-off time. With this MIRC, one can further design miniaturized high-frequency SPD modules that are highly required for practical applications.

Quantum DOT IR Photodetectors

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

transimpedance amplifier (CTIA), an output sample and hold, and a switched output buffer. Polaris Sensor Technology designed the unit cell that has this...hold, a dual gain, capacitive transimpedance amplifier (CTIA), an output sample and hold, and a switched output buffer. 6 The detector bias... transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) is used to integrate the detector’s photocurrent. It is built around a differential amplifier , X3, shown in Figure 3. The

A 0.18 μm CMOS fluorescent detector system for bio-sensing application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nan, Liu; Guoping, Chen; Zhiliang, Hong

2009-01-01

A CMOS fluorescent detector system for biological experiment is presented. This system integrates a CMOS compatible photodiode, a capacitive trans-impedance amplifier (CTIA), and a 12 bit pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and is implemented in a 0.18 μm standard CMOS process. Some special techniques, such as a 'contact imaging' detecting method, pseudo-differential architecture, dummy photodiodes, and a T-type reset switch, are adopted to achieve low-level sensing application. Experiment results show that the Nwell/Psub photodiode with CTIA pixel achieves a sensitivity of 0.1 A/W at 515 nm and a dark current of 300 fA with 300 mV reverse biased voltage. The maximum differential and integral nonlinearity of the designed ADC are 0.8 LSB and 3 LSB, respectively. With an integrating time of 50 ms, this system is sensitive to the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescein solution with concentration as low as 20 ng/mL and can generate 7 fA photocurrent. This chip occupies 3 mm2 and consumes 37 mW.

Graphene bolometer with thermoelectric readout and capacitive coupling to an antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skoblin, Grigory; Sun, Jie; Yurgens, August

2018-02-01

We report on a prototype graphene radiation detector based on the thermoelectric effect. We used a split top gate to create a p-n junction in the graphene, thereby making an effective thermocouple to read out the electronic temperature in the graphene. The electronic temperature is increased due to the AC currents induced in the graphene from the incoming radiation, which is first received by an antenna and then directed to the graphene via the top-gate capacitance. With the exception of the constant DC voltages applied to the gate, the detector does not need any bias and is therefore very simple to use. The measurements showed a clear response to microwaves at 94 GHz with the signal being almost temperature independent in the 4-100 K temperature range. The optical responsivity reached ˜700 V/W.

Front End Spectroscopy ASIC for Germanium Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulf, Eric

Large-area, tracking, semiconductor detectors with excellent spatial and spectral resolution enable exciting new access to soft (0.2-5 MeV) gamma-ray astrophysics. The improvements from semiconductor tracking detectors come with the burden of high density of strips and/or pixels that require high-density, low-power, spectroscopy quality readout electronics. CMOS ASIC technologies are a natural fit to this requirement and have led to high-quality readout systems for all current semiconducting tracking detectors except for germanium detectors. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI), formerly NCT, at University of California Berkeley and the Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar flares (GRIPS) at Goddard Space Flight Center utilize germanium cross-strip detectors and are on the forefront of NASA's Compton telescope research with funded missions of long duration balloon flights. The development of a readout ASIC for germanium detectors would allow COSI to replace their discrete electronics readout and would enable the proposed Gamma-Ray Explorer (GRX) mission utilizing germanium strip-detectors. We propose a 3-year program to develop and test a germanium readout ASIC to TRL 5 and to integrate the ASIC readout onto a COSI detector allowing a TRL 6 demonstration for the following COSI balloon flight. Our group at NRL led a program, sponsored by another government agency, to produce and integrate a cross-strip silicon detector ASIC, designed and fabricated by Dr. De Geronimo at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The ASIC was designed to handle the large (>30 pF) capacitance of three 10 cm^2 detectors daisy-chained together. The front-end preamplifier, selectable inverter, shaping times, and gains make this ASIC compatible with a germanium cross-strip detector as well. We therefore have the opportunity and expertise to leverage the previous investment in the silicon ASIC for a new mission. A germanium strip detector ASIC will also require precise timing of the signals at the anode and cathode of the device to allow the depth of the interaction within the crystal to be determined. Dr. De Geronimo has developed similar timing circuits for CZT detector ASICs. Furthermore, the timing circuitry of the ASIC is at the very end of the analog section, simplifying and mitigating risks in the redesign. In the first year, we propose to tweak the gain settings and to add timing to the silicon ASIC to match the requirements of a germanium detector. The design specifications of the ASIC will include advice from our collaborators Dr. Boggs from COSI and Dr. Shih from GRIPS. By using a master ASIC designer to integrate his proven front-end and back-end with only minor modifications, we are maximizing the probability of success. NRL has a commercial cross-strip germanium detector with 30 pF of capacitance per strip, including the flex circuit from the detector to the outside of the cryostat. The COSI and GRIPS detectors have a similar capacitance per strip on the outside of their mechanically cooled cryostat. The second year of the program will be devoted to testing the newly fabricated germanium cross-strip ASIC with the NRL germanium detector. At the end of the second year, NASA will have a TRL 5 ASIC for germanium detectors, allowing future missions, including COSI, GRX, and GRIPS, to operate within their thermal and electrical envelopes. At the end of the third year, a detector on COSI will be instrumented with the new ASIC allowing for a TRL 6 demonstration during the following COSI balloon flight.

Asic developments for radiation imaging applications: The medipix and timepix family

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballabriga, Rafael; Campbell, Michael; Llopart, Xavier

2018-01-01

Hybrid pixel detectors were developed to meet the requirements for tracking in the inner layers at the LHC experiments. With low input capacitance per channel (10-100 fF) it is relatively straightforward to design pulse processing readout electronics with input referred noise of ∼ 100 e-rms and pulse shaping times consistent with tagging of events to a single LHC bunch crossing providing clean 'images' of the ionising tracks generated. In the Medipix Collaborations the same concept has been adapted to provide practically noise hit free imaging in a wide range of applications. This paper reports on the development of three generations of readout ASICs. Two distinctive streams of development can be identified: the Medipix ASICs which integrate data from multiple hits on a pixel and provide the images in the form of frames and the Timepix ASICs who aim to send as much information about individual interactions as possible off-chip for further processing. One outstanding circumstance in the use of these devices has been their numerous successful applications, thanks to a large and active community of developers and users. That process has even permitted new developments for detectors for High Energy Physics. This paper reviews the ASICs themselves and details some of the many applications.

Switched integration amplifier-based photocurrent meter for accurate spectral responsivity measurement of photometers.

PubMed

Park, Seongchong; Hong, Kee-Suk; Kim, Wan-Seop

2016-03-20

This work introduces a switched integration amplifier (SIA)-based photocurrent meter for femtoampere (fA)-level current measurement, which enables us to measure a 10⁷ dynamic range of spectral responsivity of photometers even with a common lamp-based monochromatic light source. We described design considerations and practices about operational amplifiers (op-amps), switches, readout methods, etc., to compose a stable SIA of low offset current in terms of leakage current and gain peaking in detail. According to the design, we made six SIAs of different integration capacitance and different op-amps and evaluated their offset currents. They showed an offset current of (1.5-85) fA with a slow variation of (0.5-10) fA for an hour under opened input. Applying a detector to the SIA input, the offset current and its variation were increased and the SIA readout became noisier due to finite shunt resistance and nonzero shunt capacitance of the detector. One of the SIAs with 10 pF nominal capacitance was calibrated using a calibrated current source at the current level of 10 nA to 1 fA and at the integration time of 2 to 65,536 ms. As a result, we obtained a calibration formula for integration capacitance as a function of integration time rather than a single capacitance value because the SIA readout showed a distinct dependence on integration time at a given current level. Finally, we applied it to spectral responsivity measurement of a photometer. It is demonstrated that the home-made SIA of 10 pF was capable of measuring a 10⁷ dynamic range of spectral responsivity of a photometer.

Capacitance variation measurement method with a continuously variable measuring range for a micro-capacitance sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lü, Xiaozhou; Xie, Kai; Xue, Dongfeng; Zhang, Feng; Qi, Liang; Tao, Yebo; Li, Teng; Bao, Weimin; Wang, Songlin; Li, Xiaoping; Chen, Renjie

2017-10-01

Micro-capacitance sensors are widely applied in industrial applications for the measurement of mechanical variations. The measurement accuracy of micro-capacitance sensors is highly dependent on the capacitance measurement circuit. To overcome the inability of commonly used methods to directly measure capacitance variation and deal with the conflict between the measurement range and accuracy, this paper presents a capacitance variation measurement method which is able to measure the output capacitance variation (relative value) of the micro-capacitance sensor with a continuously variable measuring range. We present the principles and analyze the non-ideal factors affecting this method. To implement the method, we developed a capacitance variation measurement circuit and carried out experiments to test the circuit. The result shows that the circuit is able to measure a capacitance variation range of 0-700 pF linearly with a maximum relative accuracy of 0.05% and a capacitance range of 0-2 nF (with a baseline capacitance of 1 nF) with a constant resolution of 0.03%. The circuit is proposed as a new method to measure capacitance and is expected to have applications in micro-capacitance sensors for measuring capacitance variation with a continuously variable measuring range.

The MPGD-based photon detectors for the upgrade of COMPASS RICH-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexeev, M.; Azevedo, C. D. R.; Birsa, R.; Bradamante, F.; Bressan, A.; Büchele, M.; Chiosso, M.; Ciliberti, P.; Dalla Torre, S.; Dasgupta, S.; Denisov, O.; Finger, M.; Finger, M.; Fischer, H.; Gobbo, B.; Gregori, M.; Hamar, G.; Herrmann, F.; Levorato, S.; Maggiora, A.; Makke, A.; Martin, A.; Menon, G.; Steiger, K.; Novy, J.; Panzieri, D.; Pereira, F. A. B.; Santos, C. A.; Sbrizzai, G.; Schopferer, S.; Slunecka, M.; Steiger, L.; Sulc, M.; Tessarotto, F.; Veloso, J. F. C. A.

2017-12-01

The RICH-1 Detector of the COMPASS experiment at CERN SPS has undergone an important upgrade for the 2016 physics run. Four new photon detectors, based on Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector technology and covering a total active area larger than 1.2 m2 have replaced the previously used MWPC-based photon detectors. The upgrade answers the challenging efficiency and stability quest for the new phase of the COMPASS spectrometer physics programme. The new detector architecture consists in a hybrid MPGD combination of two Thick Gas Electron Multipliers and a MicroMegas stage. Signals, extracted from the anode pad by capacitive coupling, are read-out by analog F-E based on the APV25 chip. The main aspects of the COMPASS RICH-1 photon detectors upgrade are presented focussing on detector design, engineering aspects, mass production, the quality assessment and assembly challenges of the MPGD components. The status of the detector commissioning is also presented.

Smart skin technology development for measuring ice accretion, stall, and high AOA aircraft performance. Part 1: Capacitive ice detector development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pruzan, Daniel A.; Khatkhate, Ateen A.; Gerardi, Joseph J.; Hickman, Gail A.

1993-01-01

A reliable way to detect and measure ice accretion during flight is required to reduce the hazards of icing currently threatening present day aircraft. Many of the sensors used for this purpose are invasive (probe) sensors which must be placed in areas of the airframe where ice does not naturally form. Due to the difference in capture efficiency of the exposed surface, difficulties result in correlating the ice accretion on the probe to what is happening on a number of vastly different airfoil sections. Most flush mounted sensors in use must be integrated into the aircraft surface by cutting or drilling the aircraft surface. An alternate type of ice detector which is based on a NASA patent is currently being investigated at Innovative Dynamics, Inc. (IDI). Results of the investigation into the performance of different capacitive type sensor designs, both rigid as well as elastic, are presented.

Development of cryogenic CMOS Readout ASICs for the Point-Contact HPGe Detectors for Dark Matter Search and Neutrino Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Zhi; He, Li; Liu, Feng; Liu, Yinong; Xue, Tao; Li, Yulan; Yue, Qian

2017-05-01

The paper presents the developments of two cryogenic readout ASICs for the point-contact HPGe detectors for dark matter search and neutrino experiments. Extremely low noise readout electronics were demanded and the capability of working at cryogenic temperatures may bring great advantages. The first ASIC was a monolithic CMOS charge sensitive preamplifier with its noise optimized for ∼1 pF input capacitance. The second ASIC was a waveform recorder based on switched capacitor array. These two ASICs were fabricated in CMOS 350 nm and 180 nm processes respectively. The prototype chips were tested and showed promising results. Both ASICs worked well at low temperature. The preamplifier had achieved ENC of 10.3 electrons with 0.7 pF input capacitance and the SCA chip could run at 9 bit effective resolution and 25 MSPS sampling rate.

Radiation damage effects by electrons, protons, and neutrons in Si/Li/ detectors.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Y. M.; Coleman, J. A.

1972-01-01

The degradation in performance of lithium-compensated silicon nuclear particle detectors induced by irradiation at room temperature with 0.6-MeV and 1.5-MeV electrons, 1.9-MeV protons, and fast neutrons from a plutonium-beryllium source has been investigated. With increasing fluence, the irradiations produced an increase of detector leakage current, noise, capacitance, and a degradation in the performance of the detector as a charged-particle energy spectrometer. Following the irradiations, annealing effects were observed when the detectors were reverse-biased at their recommended operating voltages. Upon removal of bias, a continuous degradation of detector performance characteristics occurred. Detectors which had been damaged by electrons and protons exhibited a stabilization in their characteristics within two weeks after irradiation, whereas detectors damaged by neutrons had a continuous degradation of performance over a period of several months.

A Wide Dynamic Range Tapped Linear Array Image Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washkurak, William D.; Chamberlain, Savvas G.; Prince, N. Daryl

1988-08-01

Detectors for acousto-optic signal processing applications require fast transient response as well as wide dynamic range. There are two major choices of detectors: conductive or integration mode. Conductive mode detectors have an initial transient period before they reach then' i equilibrium state. The duration of 1 his period is dependent on light level as well as detector capacitance. At low light levels a conductive mode detector is very slow; response time is typically on the order of milliseconds. Generally. to obtain fast transient response an integrating mode detector is preferred. With integrating mode detectors. the dynamic range is determined by the charge storage capability of the tran-sport shift registers and the noise level of the image sensor. The conventional net hod used to improve dynamic range is to increase the shift register charge storage capability. To achieve a dynamic range of fifty thousand assuming two hundred noise equivalent electrons, a charge storage capability of ten million electrons would be required. In order to accommodate this amount of charge. unrealistic shift registers widths would be required. Therefore, with an integrating mode detector it is difficult to achieve a dynamic range of over four orders of magnitude of input light intensity. Another alternative is to solve the problem at the photodetector aml not the shift, register. DALSA's wide dynamic range detector utilizes an optimized, ion implant doped, profiled MOSFET photodetector specifically designed for wide dynamic range. When this new detector operates at high speed and at low light levels the photons are collected and stored in an integrating fashion. However. at bright light levels where transient periods are short, the detector switches into a conductive mode. The light intensity is logarithmically compressed into small charge packets, easily carried by the CCD shift register. As a result of the logarithmic conversion, dynamic ranges of over six orders of magnitide are obtained. To achieve the short integration times necessary in acousto-optic applications. t he wide dynamic range detector has been implemented into a tapped array architecture with eight outputs and 256 photoelements. Operation of each 01)1,1)111 at 16 MHz yields detector integration times of 2 micro-seconds. Buried channel two phase CCD shift register technology is utilized to minimize image sensor noise improve video output rates and increase ease of operation.

1.25  GHz sine wave gating InGaAs/InP single-photon detector with a monolithically integrated readout circuit.

PubMed

Jiang, Wen-Hao; Liu, Jian-Hong; Liu, Yin; Jin, Ge; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Jian-Wei

2017-12-15

InGaAs/InP single-photon detectors (SPDs) are the key devices for applications requiring near-infrared single-photon detection. The gating mode is an effective approach to synchronous single-photon detection. Increasing gating frequency and reducing the module size are important challenges for the design of such a detector system. Here we present for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an InGaAs/InP SPD with 1.25 GHz sine wave gating (SWG) using a monolithically integrated readout circuit (MIRC). The MIRC has a size of 15  mm×15  mm and implements the miniaturization of avalanche extraction for high-frequency SWG. In the MIRC, low-pass filters and a low-noise radio frequency amplifier are integrated based on the technique of low temperature co-fired ceramic, which can effectively reduce the parasitic capacitance and extract weak avalanche signals. We then characterize the InGaAs/InP SPD to verify the functionality and reliability of the MIRC, and the SPD exhibits excellent performance with 27.5% photon detection efficiency, a 1.2 kcps dark count rate, and 9.1% afterpulse probability at 223 K and 100 ns hold-off time. With this MIRC, one can further design miniaturized high-frequency SPD modules that are highly required for practical applications.

Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography: Design and Applications

PubMed Central

Wang, Fei; Marashdeh, Qussai; Fan, Liang-Shih; Warsito, Warsito

2010-01-01

This article reports recent advances and progress in the field of electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT). ECVT, developed from the two-dimensional electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), is a promising non-intrusive imaging technology that can provide real-time three-dimensional images of the sensing domain. Images are reconstructed from capacitance measurements acquired by electrodes placed on the outside boundary of the testing vessel. In this article, a review of progress on capacitance sensor design and applications to multi-phase flows is presented. The sensor shape, electrode configuration, and the number of electrodes that comprise three key elements of three-dimensional capacitance sensors are illustrated. The article also highlights applications of ECVT sensors on vessels of various sizes from 1 to 60 inches with complex geometries. Case studies are used to show the capability and validity of ECVT. The studies provide qualitative and quantitative real-time three-dimensional information of the measuring domain under study. Advantages of ECVT render it a favorable tool to be utilized for industrial applications and fundamental multi-phase flow research. PMID:22294905

A Self-Adaptive Capacitive Compensation Technique for Body Channel Communication.

PubMed

Mao, Jingna; Yang, Huazhong; Lian, Yong; Zhao, Bo

2017-10-01

In wireless body area network, capacitive-coupling body channel communication (CC-BCC) has the potential to attain better energy efficiency over conventional wireless communication schemes. The CC-BCC scheme utilizes the human body as the forward signal transmission medium, reducing the path loss in wireless body-centric communications. However, the backward path is formed by the coupling capacitance between the ground electrodes (GEs) of transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx), which increases the path loss and results in a body posture dependent backward impedance. Conventional methods use a fixed inductor to resonate with the backward capacitor to compensate the path loss, while it's not effective in compensating the variable backward impedance induced by the body movements. In this paper, we propose a self-adaptive capacitive compensation (SACC) technique to address such a problem. A backward distance detector is introduced to estimate the distance between two GEs of Tx and Rx, and a backward capacitance model is built to calculate the backward capacitance. The calculated backward capacitance at varying body posture is compensated by a digitally controlled tunable inductor (DCTI). The proposed SACC technique is validated by a prototype CC-BCC system, and measurements are taken on human subjects. The measurement results show that 9dB-16 dB channel enhancement can be achieved at a backward path distance of 1 cm-10 cm.

IR detection and energy harvesting using antenna coupled MIM tunnel diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yesilkoy, Filiz

The infrared (IR) spectrum lies between the microwave and optical frequency ranges, which are well suited for communication and energy harvesting purposes, respectively. The long wavelength IR (LWIR) spectrum, corresponding to wavelengths from 8microm to 15microm, includes the thermal radiation emitted by objects at room temperature and the Earth's terrestrial radiation. Therefore, LWIR detectors are very appealing for thermal imaging purposes. Thermal detectors developed so far either demand cryogenic operation for fast detection, or they rely on the accumulation of thermal energy in their mass and subsequent measurable changes in material properties. Therefore, they are relatively slow. Quantum detectors allow for tunable and instantaneous detection but are expensive and require complex processes for fabrication. Bolometer detectors are simple and cheap but do not allow for tunability or for rapid detection. Harvesting the LWIR radiation energy sourced by the Earth's heating/cooling cycle is very important for the development of mobile energy resources. While speed is not as significant an issue here, conversion efficiency is an eminent problem for cheap, large area energy transduction. This dissertation addresses the development of tunable, fast, and low cost wave detectors that can operate at room temperature and, when produced in large array format, can harvest Earth's terrestrial radiation energy. This dissertation demonstrates the design, fabrication and testing of Antenna Coupled Metal-Insulator-Metal (ACMIM) tunnel diodes optimized for 10microm wavelength radiation detection. ACMIM tunnel diodes operate as electromagnetic wave detectors: the incident radiation is coupled by an antenna and converted into a 30 terahertz signal that is rectified by a fast tunneling MIM diode. For efficient IR radiation coupling, the antenna geometry and its critical dimensions are studied using a commercial finite-element based multi-physics simulation tool, and the half-wave dipole-like bow-tie antennas are fabricated using simulation-optimized geometries. The major challenge of this work is designing and fabricating MIM diodes and coupled antennas with internal capacitances and resistances small enough to allow response in the desired frequency range (˜30 THz) and yet capable of efficiently coupling to the incident radiation. It is crucial to keep the RC time constant of the tunnel junction small to achieve the requisite cut-off frequency and adequate rectification efficiency. Moreover, a low junction resistance is necessary to load the coupled AC power across the MIM junction. For energy harvesting applications, the device has to operate without an external bias, which requires asymmetry at the zero bias operation point. To address these requirements, the MIM tunnel junction is established so that one electrode has a field enhancing sharp tip (cathode) and the other is a rectangular patch. This asymmetric geometry not only offers asymmetric current-voltage behavior at the zero bias point, but also it decouples the junction resistance and capacitance by concentrating the charge transport in a small volume around the tip. Various fabrication methods are developed in order to create small junction area (= low parasitic capacitance), low junction resistance (= effective power coupling through antenna), asymmetry (= zero bias operation), high fabrication yield and low cost ACMIM tunnel diodes. High resolution fabrication needs are accomplished by electron beam lithography and nano-accuracy in the junction area is achieved by employing dose modifying proximity effect correction and critical alignment methods. Our Ni/NiOx/Ni ACMIM diodes with an optimized insulation layer created with O2 plasma oxidation are the most successful devices presented to date. A novel fabrication technique called "strain assisted self lift-off process" is used to achieve small junction area devices without relying on lithographic resolution. This technique eliminates the rival parasitic capacitance issue of today's ACMIM tunnel diodes and does not rely on extreme-high resolution lithography technologies.

Analytical expressions for noise and crosstalk voltages of the High Energy Silicon Particle Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, I.; Shrimali, H.; Liberali, V.; Andreazza, A.

2018-01-01

The paper presents design and implementation of a silicon particle detector array with the derived closed form equations of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and crosstalk voltages. The noise analysis demonstrates the effect of interpixel capacitances (IPC) between center pixel (where particle hits) and its neighbouring pixels, resulting as a capacitive crosstalk. The pixel array has been designed and simulated in a 180 nm BCD technology of STMicroelectronics. The technology uses the supply voltage (VDD) of 1.8 V and the substrate potential of -50 V. The area of unit pixel is 250×50 μm2 with the substrate resistivity of 125 Ωcm and the depletion depth of 30 μm. The mathematical model includes the effects of various types of noise viz. the shot noise, flicker noise, thermal noise and the capacitive crosstalk. This work compares the results of noise and crosstalk analysis from the proposed mathematical model with the circuit simulation results for a given simulation environment. The results show excellent agreement with the circuit simulations and the mathematical model. The average relative error (AVR) generated for the noise spectral densities with respect to the simulations and the model is 12% whereas the comparison gives the errors of 3% and 11.5% for the crosstalk voltages and the SNR results respectively.

A system for characterization of DEPFET silicon pixel matrices and test beam results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furletov, Sergey; DEPFET Collaboration

2011-02-01

The DEPFET pixel detector offers first stage in-pixel amplification by incorporating a field effect transistor in the high resistivity silicon substrate. In this concept, a very small input capacitance can be realized thus allowing for low noise measurements. This makes DEPFET sensors a favorable technology for tracking in particle physics. Therefore a system with a DEPFET pixel matrix was developed to test DEPFET performance for an application as a vertex detector for the Belle II experiment. The system features a current based, row-wise readout of a DEPFET pixel matrix with a designated readout chip, steering chips for matrix control, a FPGA based data acquisition board, and a dedicated software package. The system was successfully operated in both test beam and lab environment. In 2009 new DEPFET matrices have been characterized in a 120 GeV pion beam at the CERN SPS. The current status of the DEPFET system and test beam results are presented.

Resonant capacitive MEMS acoustic emission transducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozevin, D.; Greve, D. W.; Oppenheim, I. J.; Pessiki, S. P.

2006-12-01

We describe resonant capacitive MEMS transducers developed for use as acoustic emission (AE) detectors, fabricated in the commercial three-layer polysilicon surface micromachining process (MUMPs). The 1 cm square device contains six independent transducers in the frequency range between 100 and 500 kHz, and a seventh transducer at 1 MHz. Each transducer is a parallel plate capacitor with one plate free to vibrate, thereby causing a capacitance change which creates an output signal in the form of a current under a dc bias voltage. With the geometric proportions we employed, each transducer responds with two distinct resonant frequencies. In our design the etch hole spacing was chosen to limit squeeze film damping and thereby produce an underdamped vibration when operated at atmospheric pressure. Characterization experiments obtained by capacitance and admittance measurements are presented, and transducer responses to physically simulated AE source are discussed. Finally, we report our use of the device to detect acoustic emissions associated with crack initiation and growth in weld metal.

Electrical capacitance clearanceometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hester, Norbert J. (Inventor); Hornbeck, Charles E. (Inventor); Young, Joseph C. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A hot gas turbine engine capacitive probe clearanceometer is employed to measure the clearance gap or distance between blade tips on a rotor wheel and its confining casing under operating conditions. A braze sealed tip of the probe carries a capacitor electrode which is electrically connected to an electrical inductor within the probe which is inserted into a turbine casing to position its electrode at the inner surface of the casing. Electrical power is supplied through a voltage controlled variable frequency oscillator having a tuned circuit in which the probe is a component. The oscillator signal is modulated by a change in electrical capacitance between the probe electrode and a passing blade tip surface while an automatic feedback correction circuit corrects oscillator signal drift. A change in distance between a blade tip and the probe electrode is a change in capacitance therebetween which frequency modulates the oscillator signal. The modulated oscillator signal which is then processed through a phase detector and related circuitry to provide an electrical signal is proportional to the clearance gap.

Solid-state Image Sensor with Focal-plane Digital Photon-counting Pixel Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossum, Eric R.; Pain, Bedabrata

1997-01-01

A solid-state focal-plane imaging system comprises an NxN array of high gain. low-noise unit cells. each unit cell being connected to a different one of photovoltaic detector diodes, one for each unit cell, interspersed in the array for ultra low level image detection and a plurality of digital counters coupled to the outputs of the unit cell by a multiplexer(either a separate counter for each unit cell or a row of N of counters time shared with N rows of digital counters). Each unit cell includes two self-biasing cascode amplifiers in cascade for a high charge-to-voltage conversion gain (greater than 1mV/e(-)) and an electronic switch to reset input capacitance to a reference potential in order to be able to discriminate detection of an incident photon by the photoelectron (e(-))generated in the detector diode at the input of the first cascode amplifier in order to count incident photons individually in a digital counter connected to the output of the second cascade amplifier. Reseting the input capacitance and initiating self-biasing of the amplifiers occurs every clock cycle of an integratng period to enable ultralow light level image detection by the may of photovoltaic detector diodes under such ultralow light level conditions that the photon flux will statistically provide only a single photon at a time incident on anyone detector diode during any clock cycle.

Capacitive Biosensors and Molecularly Imprinted Electrodes.

PubMed

Ertürk, Gizem; Mattiasson, Bo

2017-02-17

Capacitive biosensors belong to the group of affinity biosensors that operate by registering direct binding between the sensor surface and the target molecule. This type of biosensors measures the changes in dielectric properties and/or thickness of the dielectric layer at the electrolyte/electrode interface. Capacitive biosensors have so far been successfully used for detection of proteins, nucleotides, heavy metals, saccharides, small organic molecules and microbial cells. In recent years, the microcontact imprinting method has been used to create very sensitive and selective biorecognition cavities on surfaces of capacitive electrodes. This chapter summarizes the principle and different applications of capacitive biosensors with an emphasis on microcontact imprinting method with its recent capacitive biosensor applications.

Best-Practice Criteria for Practical Security of Self-Differencing Avalanche Photodiode Detectors in Quantum Key Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehler-Sidki, A.; Dynes, J. F.; Lucamarini, M.; Roberts, G. L.; Sharpe, A. W.; Yuan, Z. L.; Shields, A. J.

2018-04-01

Fast-gated avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are the most commonly used single photon detectors for high-bit-rate quantum key distribution (QKD). Their robustness against external attacks is crucial to the overall security of a QKD system, or even an entire QKD network. We investigate the behavior of a gigahertz-gated, self-differencing (In,Ga)As APD under strong illumination, a tactic Eve often uses to bring detectors under her control. Our experiment and modeling reveal that the negative feedback by the photocurrent safeguards the detector from being blinded through reducing its avalanche probability and/or strengthening the capacitive response. Based on this finding, we propose a set of best-practice criteria for designing and operating fast-gated APD detectors to ensure their practical security in QKD.

Note: Expanding the bandwidth of the ultra-low current amplifier using an artificial negative capacitor.

PubMed

Xie, Kai; Liu, Yan; Li, XiaoPing; Guo, Lixin; Zhang, Hanlu

2016-04-01

The bandwidth and low noise characteristics are often contradictory in ultra-low current amplifier, because an inevitable parasitic capacitance is paralleled with the high value feedback resistor. In order to expand the amplifier's bandwidth, a novel approach was proposed by introducing an artificial negative capacitor to cancel the parasitic capacitance. The theory of the negative capacitance and the performance of the improved amplifier circuit with the negative capacitor are presented in this manuscript. The test was conducted by modifying an ultra-low current amplifier with a trans-impedance gain of 50 GΩ. The results show that the maximum bandwidth was expanded from 18.7 Hz to 3.3 kHz with more than 150 times of increase when the parasitic capacitance (∼0.17 pF) was cancelled. Meanwhile, the rise time decreased from 18.7 ms to 0.26 ms with no overshot. Any desired bandwidth or rise time within these ranges can be obtained by adjusting the ratio of cancellation of the parasitic and negative capacitance. This approach is especially suitable for the demand of rapid response to weak current, such as transient ion-beam detector, mass spectrometry analysis, and fast scanning microscope.

Capacitively coupled hybrid pixel assemblies for the CLIC vertex detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tehrani, N. Alipour; Arfaoui, S.; Benoit, M.; Dannheim, D.; Dette, K.; Hynds, D.; Kulis, S.; Perić, I.; Petrič, M.; Redford, S.; Sicking, E.; Valerio, P.

2016-07-01

The vertex detector at the proposed CLIC multi-TeV linear e+e- collider must have minimal material content and high spatial resolution, combined with accurate time-stamping to cope with the expected high rate of beam-induced backgrounds. One of the options being considered is the use of active sensors implemented in a commercial high-voltage CMOS process, capacitively coupled to hybrid pixel ASICs. A prototype of such an assembly, using two custom designed chips (CCPDv3 as active sensor glued to a CLICpix readout chip), has been characterised both in the lab and in beam tests at the CERN SPS using 120 GeV/c positively charged hadrons. Results of these characterisation studies are presented both for single and dual amplification stages in the active sensor, where efficiencies of greater than 99% have been achieved at -60 V substrate bias, with a single hit resolution of 6.1 μm . Pixel cross-coupling results are also presented, showing the sensitivity to placement precision and planarity of the glue layer.

Equilibrium charge fluctuations of a charge detector and its effect on a nearby quantum dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Tijerina, David; Vernek, Edson; Ulloa, Sergio

2014-03-01

We study the Kondo state of a spin-1/2 quantum dot (QD), in close proximity to a quantum point contact (QPC) charge detector near the conductance regime of the 0.7 anomaly. The electrostatic coupling between the QD and QPC introduces a remote gate on the QD level, which varies with the QPC gate voltage. Furthermore, models for the 0.7 anomaly [Y. Meir et al., PRL 89,196802(2002)] suggest that the QPC lodges a Kondo-screened level with charge-correlated hybridization, which may be also affected by capacitive coupling to the QD, giving rise to a competition between the two Kondo ground states. We model the QD-QPC system as two capacitively-coupled Kondo impurities, and explore the zero-bias transport of both the QD and the QPC for different local gate voltages and coupling strengths, using the numerical renormalization group and variational methods. We find that the capacitive coupling produces a remote gating effect, non-monotonic in the gate voltages, which reduces the gate voltage window for Kondo screening in either impurity, and which can also drive a quantum phase transition out of the Kondo regime. Our study is carried out for intermediate coupling strengths, and as such is highly relevant to experiments; particularly, to recent studies of decoherence effects on QDs. Supported by MWN/CIAM and NSF PIRE.

Low-power low-noise mixed-mode VLSI ASIC for infinite dynamic range imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turchetta, Renato; Hu, Y.; Zinzius, Y.; Colledani, C.; Loge, A.

1998-11-01

Solid state solutions for imaging are mainly represented by CCDs and, more recently, by CMOS imagers. Both devices are based on the integration of the total charge generated by the impinging radiation, with no processing of the single photon information. The dynamic range of these devices is intrinsically limited by the finite value of noise. Here we present the design of an architecture which allows efficient, in-pixel, noise reduction to a practically zero level, thus allowing infinite dynamic range imaging. A detailed calculation of the dynamic range is worked out, showing that noise is efficiently suppressed. This architecture is based on the concept of single-photon counting. In each pixel, we integrate both the front-end, low-noise, low-power analog part and the digital part. The former consists of a charge preamplifier, an active filter for optimal noise bandwidth reduction, a buffer and a threshold comparator, and the latter is simply a counter, which can be programmed to act as a normal shift register for the readout of the counters' contents. Two different ASIC's based on this concept have been designed for different applications. The first one has been optimized for silicon edge-on microstrips detectors, used in a digital mammography R and D project. It is a 32-channel circuit, with a 16-bit binary static counter.It has been optimized for a relatively large detector capacitance of 5 pF. Noise has been measured to be equal to 100 + 7*Cd (pF) electron rms with the digital part, showing no degradation of the noise performances with respect to the design values. The power consumption is 3.8mW/channel for a peaking time of about 1 microsecond(s) . The second circuit is a prototype for pixel imaging. The total active area is about (250 micrometers )**2. The main differences of the electronic architecture with respect to the first prototype are: i) different optimization of the analog front-end part for low-capacitance detectors, ii) in- pixel 4-bit comparator-offset compensation, iii) 15-bit pseudo-random counter. The power consumption is 255 (mu) W/channel for a peaking time of 300 ns and an equivalent noise charge of 185 + 97*Cd electrons rms. Simulation and experimental result as well as imaging results will be presented.

Development of multi-layer crystal detector and related front end electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardarelli, R.; Di Ciaccio, A.; Paolozzi, L.

2014-05-01

A crystal (diamond) particle detector has been developed and tested, whose constitute elements are a multi-layer polycrystalline diamond and a pick-up system capable of collecting in parallel the charge produced in the layers. The charge is read with a charge-to-voltage amplifier (5-6 mV/fC) realized with bipolar junction transistors in order to minimize the effect of the detector capacitance. The tests performed with cosmic rays and at the beam test facility of Frascati with 500 MeV electrons in single electron mode operation have shown that a detector with 4-5 layers of 250 μm thickness each and 9 mm2 active area exhibits an upper limit of 150 ps time resolution for minimum ionizing particles at an operating voltage of about 350 V.

Integrated front-end electronics in a detector compatible process: source-follower and charge-sensitive preamplifier configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratti, Lodovico; Manghisoni, Massimo; Re, Valerio; Speziali, Valeria

2001-12-01

This study is concerned with the simulation and design of low-noise front-end electronics monolithically integrated on the same high-resistivity substrate as multielectrode silicon detectors, in a process made available by the Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (ITC-IRST) of Trento, Italy. The integrated front-end solutions described in this paper use N-channel JFETs as basic elements. The first one is based upon an all-NJFET charge preamplifier designed to match detector capacitances of a few picofarads and available in both a resistive and a non resistive feedback configuration. In the second solution, a single NJFET in the source-follower configuration is connected to the detector, while its source is wired to an external readout channel through an integrated capacitor.

The plastic scintillator detector calibration circuit for DAMPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Haibo; Kong, Jie; Zhao, Hongyun; Su, Hong

2016-07-01

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is being constructed as a scientific satellite to observe high energy cosmic rays in space. Plastic scintillator detector array (PSD), developed by Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMPCAS), is one of the most important parts in the payload of DAMPE which is mainly used for the study of dark matter. As an anti-coincidence detector, and a charged-particle identification detector, the PSD has a total of 360 electronic readout channels, which are distributed at four sides of PSD using four identical front end electronics (FEE). Each FEE reads out 90 charge signals output by the detector. A special calibration circuit is designed in FEE. FPGA is used for on-line control, enabling the calibration circuit to generate the pulse signal with known charge. The generated signal is then sent to the FEE for calibration and self-test. This circuit mainly consists of DAC, operation amplifier, analog switch, capacitance and resistance. By using controllable step pulse, the charge can be coupled to the charge measuring chip using the small capacitance. In order to fulfill the system's objective of large dynamic range, the FEE is required to have good linearity. Thus, the charge-controllable signal is needed to do sweep test on all channels in order to obtain the non-linear parameters for off-line correction. On the other hand, the FEE will run on the satellite for three years. The changes of the operational environment and the aging of devices will lead to parameter variation of the FEE, highlighting the need for regular calibration. The calibration signal generation circuit also has a compact structure and the ability to work normally, with the PSD system's voltage resolution being higher than 0.6%.

Capacitive acoustic wave detector and method of using same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yost, William T. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A capacitor having two substantially parallel conductive faces is acoustically coupled to a conductive sample end such that the sample face is one end of the capacitor. A non-contacting dielectric may serve as a spacer between the two conductive plates. The formed capacitor is connected to an LC oscillator circuit such as a Hartley oscillator circuit producing an output frequency which is a function of the capacitor spacing. This capacitance oscillates as the sample end coating is oscillated by an acoustic wave generated in the sample by a transmitting transducer. The electrical output can serve as an absolute indicator of acoustic wave displacement.

SFERA: An Integrated Circuit for the Readout of X and gamma -Ray Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schembari, Filippo; Quaglia, Riccardo; Bellotti, Giovanni; Fiorini, Carlo

2016-06-01

In this work we present SFERA, a low-noise fully-programmable 16 channel readout ASIC designed for both Xand y-ray spectroscopy and imaging applications. The chip is designed to process signals coming from solid-state detectors and CMOS preamplifiers. The design has been guided by the use of Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) and CUBE charge sensitive amplifiers (CSAs), although we consider the ASIC sufficiently versatile to be used with other types of detectors. Five different gains are implemented, namely 2800 e-, 4400 e-, 10000 e-, 14000 e- and 20000 e-, considering the input connected to a 25 fF feedback capacitance CMOS preamplifier. Filter peaking times (tP) are also programmable among 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 μs. Each readout channel is the cascade of a 9th order semi-Gaussian shaping-amplifier (SA) and a peak detector (PKS), followed by a dedicated pile-up rejection (PUR) digital logic. Three data multiplexing strategies are implemented: the so-called polling X, intended for high-rate X-ray applications, the polling y, for scintillation light detection and the sparse, for signals derandomization. The spectroscopic characterization has shown an energy resolution of 122.1 eV FWHM on the Mn-Ku line of an 55Fe X-ray source using a 10 mm2 SDD cooled at -35 °C at 4 μs filter peaking time. The measured resolution is 130 eV at the peaking time of 500 ns. At 1 Mcps input count rate and 500 ns peaking time, we have measured 42% of processed events at the output of the ASIC after the PUR selection. Output data can be digitized on-chip by means of an embedded 12-bit successive-approximation ADC. The effective resolution of the data converter is 10.75-bit when operated at 4.5 MS/s. The chosen technology is the AMS 0.35 μm CMOS and the chip area occupancy is 5 × 5 mm2.

Limitations on energy resolution of segmented silicon detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiącek, P.; Chudyba, M.; Fiutowski, T.; Dąbrowski, W.

2018-04-01

In the paper experimental study of charge division effects and energy resolution of X-ray silicon pad detectors are presented. The measurements of electrical parameters, capacitances and leakage currents, for six different layouts of pad arrays are reported. The X-ray spectra have been measured using a custom developed dedicated low noise front-end electronics. The spectra measured for six different detector layouts have been analysed in detail with particular emphasis on quantitative evaluation of charge division effects. Main components of the energy resolution due to Fano fluctuations, electronic noise, and charge division, have been estimated for six different sensor layouts. General recommendations regarding optimisation of pad sensor layout for achieving best possible energy resolution have been formulated.

Note: Expanding the bandwidth of the ultra-low current amplifier using an artificial negative capacitor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, Kai, E-mail: kaixie@mail.xidian.edu.cn; Liu, Yan; Li, XiaoPing

2016-04-15

The bandwidth and low noise characteristics are often contradictory in ultra-low current amplifier, because an inevitable parasitic capacitance is paralleled with the high value feedback resistor. In order to expand the amplifier’s bandwidth, a novel approach was proposed by introducing an artificial negative capacitor to cancel the parasitic capacitance. The theory of the negative capacitance and the performance of the improved amplifier circuit with the negative capacitor are presented in this manuscript. The test was conducted by modifying an ultra-low current amplifier with a trans-impedance gain of 50 GΩ. The results show that the maximum bandwidth was expanded from 18.7more » Hz to 3.3 kHz with more than 150 times of increase when the parasitic capacitance (∼0.17 pF) was cancelled. Meanwhile, the rise time decreased from 18.7 ms to 0.26 ms with no overshot. Any desired bandwidth or rise time within these ranges can be obtained by adjusting the ratio of cancellation of the parasitic and negative capacitance. This approach is especially suitable for the demand of rapid response to weak current, such as transient ion-beam detector, mass spectrometry analysis, and fast scanning microscope.« less

Semiconductor radiation detector with internal gain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iwanczyk, Jan; Patt, Bradley E.; Vilkelis, Gintas

An avalanche drift photodetector (ADP) incorporates extremely low capacitance of a silicon drift photodetector (SDP) and internal gain that mitigates the surface leakage current noise of an avalanche photodetector (APD). The ADP can be coupled with scintillators such as CsI(Tl), NaI(Tl), LSO or others to form large volume scintillation type gamma ray detectors for gamma ray spectroscopy, photon counting, gamma ray counting, etc. Arrays of the ADPs can be used to replace the photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) used in conjunction with scintillation crystals in conventional gamma cameras for nuclear medical imaging.

RADIATION DETECTOR SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Gundlach, J.C.; Kelley, G.G.

1958-02-25

This patent relates to radiation detection devices and presents a unique detection system especialiy desirable for portable type instruments using a Geiger-Mueller for a high voltage battery, thereby reducing the size and weight of the instrument, by arranging a one-shot multivibrator to recharge a capacitance applying operating potential to tho Geiger-Mueller tube each time a nuclear particle is detected. When detection occurs, the multivibrator further delivers a pulse to an appropriate indicator doing away with the necessity for the pulse amplifier conventionally intermediate between the detector and indicator in pulse detection systems.

Proof of Concept Coded Aperture Miniature Mass Spectrometer Using a Cycloidal Sector Mass Analyzer, a Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Field Emission Electron Ionization Source, and an Array Detector.

PubMed

Amsden, Jason J; Herr, Philip J; Landry, David M W; Kim, William; Vyas, Raul; Parker, Charles B; Kirley, Matthew P; Keil, Adam D; Gilchrist, Kristin H; Radauscher, Erich J; Hall, Stephen D; Carlson, James B; Baldasaro, Nicholas; Stokes, David; Di Dona, Shane T; Russell, Zachary E; Grego, Sonia; Edwards, Steven J; Sperline, Roger P; Denton, M Bonner; Stoner, Brian R; Gehm, Michael E; Glass, Jeffrey T

2018-02-01

Despite many potential applications, miniature mass spectrometers have had limited adoption in the field due to the tradeoff between throughput and resolution that limits their performance relative to laboratory instruments. Recently, a solution to this tradeoff has been demonstrated by using spatially coded apertures in magnetic sector mass spectrometers, enabling throughput and signal-to-background improvements of greater than an order of magnitude with no loss of resolution. This paper describes a proof of concept demonstration of a cycloidal coded aperture miniature mass spectrometer (C-CAMMS) demonstrating use of spatially coded apertures in a cycloidal sector mass analyzer for the first time. C-CAMMS also incorporates a miniature carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission electron ionization source and a capacitive transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) ion array detector. Results confirm the cycloidal mass analyzer's compatibility with aperture coding. A >10× increase in throughput was achieved without loss of resolution compared with a single slit instrument. Several areas where additional improvement can be realized are identified. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Proof of Concept Coded Aperture Miniature Mass Spectrometer Using a Cycloidal Sector Mass Analyzer, a Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Field Emission Electron Ionization Source, and an Array Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amsden, Jason J.; Herr, Philip J.; Landry, David M. W.; Kim, William; Vyas, Raul; Parker, Charles B.; Kirley, Matthew P.; Keil, Adam D.; Gilchrist, Kristin H.; Radauscher, Erich J.; Hall, Stephen D.; Carlson, James B.; Baldasaro, Nicholas; Stokes, David; Di Dona, Shane T.; Russell, Zachary E.; Grego, Sonia; Edwards, Steven J.; Sperline, Roger P.; Denton, M. Bonner; Stoner, Brian R.; Gehm, Michael E.; Glass, Jeffrey T.

2018-02-01

Despite many potential applications, miniature mass spectrometers have had limited adoption in the field due to the tradeoff between throughput and resolution that limits their performance relative to laboratory instruments. Recently, a solution to this tradeoff has been demonstrated by using spatially coded apertures in magnetic sector mass spectrometers, enabling throughput and signal-to-background improvements of greater than an order of magnitude with no loss of resolution. This paper describes a proof of concept demonstration of a cycloidal coded aperture miniature mass spectrometer (C-CAMMS) demonstrating use of spatially coded apertures in a cycloidal sector mass analyzer for the first time. C-CAMMS also incorporates a miniature carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission electron ionization source and a capacitive transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) ion array detector. Results confirm the cycloidal mass analyzer's compatibility with aperture coding. A >10× increase in throughput was achieved without loss of resolution compared with a single slit instrument. Several areas where additional improvement can be realized are identified.

Simulations of radiation-damaged 3D detectors for the Super-LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pennicard, D.; Pellegrini, G.; Fleta, C.; Bates, R.; O'Shea, V.; Parkes, C.; Tartoni, N.

2008-07-01

Future high-luminosity colliders, such as the Super-LHC at CERN, will require pixel detectors capable of withstanding extremely high radiation damage. In this article, the performances of various 3D detector structures are simulated with up to 1×1016 1 MeV- neq/cm2 radiation damage. The simulations show that 3D detectors have higher collection efficiency and lower depletion voltages than planar detectors due to their small electrode spacing. When designing a 3D detector with a large pixel size, such as an ATLAS sensor, different electrode column layouts are possible. Using a small number of n+ readout electrodes per pixel leads to higher depletion voltages and lower collection efficiency, due to the larger electrode spacing. Conversely, using more electrodes increases both the insensitive volume occupied by the electrode columns and the capacitive noise. Overall, the best performance after 1×1016 1 MeV- neq/cm2 damage is achieved by using 4-6 n+ electrodes per pixel.

HYMOSS signal processing for pushbroom spectral imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ludwig, David E.

1991-01-01

The objective of the Pushbroom Spectral Imaging Program was to develop on-focal plane electronics which compensate for detector array non-uniformities. The approach taken was to implement a simple two point calibration algorithm on focal plane which allows for offset and linear gain correction. The key on focal plane features which made this technique feasible was the use of a high quality transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and an analog-to-digital converter for each detector channel. Gain compensation is accomplished by varying the feedback capacitance of the integrate and dump TIA. Offset correction is performed by storing offsets in a special on focal plane offset register and digitally subtracting the offsets from the readout data during the multiplexing operation. A custom integrated circuit was designed, fabricated, and tested on this program which proved that nonuniformity compensated, analog-to-digital converting circuits may be used to read out infrared detectors. Irvine Sensors Corporation (ISC) successfully demonstrated the following innovative on-focal-plane functions that allow for correction of detector non-uniformities. Most of the circuit functions demonstrated on this program are finding their way onto future IC's because of their impact on reduced downstream processing, increased focal plane performance, simplified focal plane control, reduced number of dewar connections, as well as the noise immunity of a digital interface dewar. The potential commercial applications for this integrated circuit are primarily in imaging systems. These imaging systems may be used for: security monitoring systems, manufacturing process monitoring, robotics, and for spectral imaging when used in analytical instrumentation.

HYMOSS signal processing for pushbroom spectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludwig, David E.

1991-06-01

The objective of the Pushbroom Spectral Imaging Program was to develop on-focal plane electronics which compensate for detector array non-uniformities. The approach taken was to implement a simple two point calibration algorithm on focal plane which allows for offset and linear gain correction. The key on focal plane features which made this technique feasible was the use of a high quality transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and an analog-to-digital converter for each detector channel. Gain compensation is accomplished by varying the feedback capacitance of the integrate and dump TIA. Offset correction is performed by storing offsets in a special on focal plane offset register and digitally subtracting the offsets from the readout data during the multiplexing operation. A custom integrated circuit was designed, fabricated, and tested on this program which proved that nonuniformity compensated, analog-to-digital converting circuits may be used to read out infrared detectors. Irvine Sensors Corporation (ISC) successfully demonstrated the following innovative on-focal-plane functions that allow for correction of detector non-uniformities. Most of the circuit functions demonstrated on this program are finding their way onto future IC's because of their impact on reduced downstream processing, increased focal plane performance, simplified focal plane control, reduced number of dewar connections, as well as the noise immunity of a digital interface dewar. The potential commercial applications for this integrated circuit are primarily in imaging systems. These imaging systems may be used for: security monitoring systems, manufacturing process monitoring, robotics, and for spectral imaging when used in analytical instrumentation.

An Introduced Hybrid Graphene/Polyaniline Composites for Improvement of Supercapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tayel, Mazhar B.; Soliman, Moataz M.; Ebrahim, Shaker; Harb, Mohamed E.

2016-01-01

Supercapacitors represent an attractive alternative for portable electronics and automotive applications due to their high capacitance, specific power and extended life. In fact, the growing demand of portable systems and hybrid electric vehicles, memory protection in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), logic circuit, videocassette recorders (VCRs), compact disc (CD) players, personal computers (PCs), uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in security alarm systems, remote sensing, smoke detectors, etc. require high power in short-term pulses. Therefore, in the last 20 years, supercapacitors have been required for the development of large and small devices driven by electrical power. In this paper, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by improved Hummers method. Two polyaniline (PANI)/graphene oxide nanocomposites electrode materials were prepared from aniline, GO and ammoniumpersulfate (APS) by in situ chemical polymerization with the mass ratios (mGO:mAniline) 10:90 and 30: 70 in ice bath. The crystal structure and the surface topography of all materials were characterized by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical properties of the composites were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), charge-discharge measurements and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. The results show that the composites have similar and enhanced cyclic voltammetry performance compared with pure PANI based electrode material. The graphene/PANI composite synthesized with the mass ratio (mANI:mGO) 90:10 possessed good capacitive behavior with a specific capacitance as high as 1509.35 F/g at scan rate of 1 mV/s in scanning potential window from -0.8 V to 0.8 V.

Sensitivity Enhancement of an Inductively Coupled Local Detector Using a HEMT-based Current Amplifier

PubMed Central

Qian, Chunqi; Duan, Qi; Dodd, Steve; Koretsky, Alan; Murphy-Boesch, Joe

2015-01-01

Purpose To improve the signal transmission efficiency and sensitivity of a local detection coil that is weakly inductively coupled to a larger receive coil. Methods The resonant detection coil is connected in parallel with the gate of a HEMT transistor without impedance matching. When the drain of the transistor is capacitively shunted to ground, current amplification occurs in the resonator by feedback that transforms a capacitive impedance on the transistor’s source to a negative resistance on its gate. Results High resolution images were obtained from a mouse brain using a small, 11 mm diameter surface coil that was inductively coupled to a commercial, phased array chest coil. Although the power consumption of the amplifier was only 88 µW, 14 dB gain was obtained with excellent noise performance. Conclusion An integrated current amplifier based on a High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) can enhance the sensitivity of inductively coupled local detectors when weakly coupled. This amplifier enables efficient signal transmission between customized user coils and commercial clinical coils, without the need for a specialized signal interface. PMID:26192998

Ultra-Low Noise Germanium Neutrino Detection system (ULGeN).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cabrera-Palmer, Belkis; Barton, Paul

Monitoring nuclear power plant operation by measuring the antineutrino flux has become an active research field for safeguards and non-proliferation. We describe various efforts to demonstrate the feasibility of reactor monitoring based on the detection of the Coherent Neutrino Nucleus Scattering (CNNS) process with High Purity Germanium (HPGe) technology. CNNS detection for reactor antineutrino energies requires lowering the electronic noise in low-capacitance kg-scale HPGe detectors below 100 eV as well as stringent reduction in other particle backgrounds. Existing state- of-the-art detectors are limited to an electronic noise of 95 eV-FWHM. In this work, we employed an ultra-low capacitance point-contact detectormore » with a commercial integrated circuit preamplifier- on-a-chip in an ultra-low vibration mechanically cooled cryostat to achieve an electronic noise of 39 eV-FWHM at 43 K. We also present the results of a background measurement campaign at the Spallation Neutron Source to select the area with sufficient low background to allow a successful first-time measurement of the CNNS process.« less

Noise effect on performance of IR PVDF pyroelectric detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, K. Al; Batal, M. Anwar; Hamdan, Rawad; Khalil, Toni; Salame, Chafic

2018-05-01

The spin-casting and casting technology were used to make IR pyroelectric PVDF detectors, where the operational amplifier, TC75S63TU, is used to amplify pyroelectrical signal. The pyroelectric coefficient is measured by charge integration method, which is 23 µC/m2K. The voltage responsivity and noise equivalent power depending on the dielectric constant, specific conductivity and loss tangent, which are measured at various frequencies, is estimated where changing of detector capacitance and resistor with frequency is taken into account. Maximum voltage responsivity was for detector thickness d=116.05 µm at chopping frequency (f=0.8Hz). Influence of thermal, Johnson and amplifier noises on output voltage are studied. At frequencies (<1kHz), Johnson noise dominates whereas at frequencies (>1kHz), amplifier voltage noise dominates. The thinner detector, the lower noise affects on output voltage. The optimal signal to noise ratio (SNR) of pyroelectrical detector is for thickness d=30.1 µm at frequency f=20Hz. The reducing electrode area decreases slightly total noise at low frequency and enhances slightly SNR of pyroelectrical detector.

Biomedical applications of a commercial capacitance transducer.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1968-03-01

A capacitive displacement transducer with a linear response and constant sensitivity for a frequency range of 0-1,000 Hz is described. Its application to measurement of chest wall motions was verified using static displacements from flat and curved s...

A Low-Noise X-ray Astronomical Silicon-On-Insulator Pixel Detector Using a Pinned Depleted Diode Structure

PubMed Central

Kamehama, Hiroki; Kawahito, Shoji; Shrestha, Sumeet; Nakanishi, Syunta; Yasutomi, Keita; Takeda, Ayaki; Tsuru, Takeshi Go

2017-01-01

This paper presents a novel full-depletion Si X-ray detector based on silicon-on-insulator pixel (SOIPIX) technology using a pinned depleted diode structure, named the SOIPIX-PDD. The SOIPIX-PDD greatly reduces stray capacitance at the charge sensing node, the dark current of the detector, and capacitive coupling between the sensing node and SOI circuits. These features of the SOIPIX-PDD lead to low read noise, resulting high X-ray energy resolution and stable operation of the pixel. The back-gate surface pinning structure using neutralized p-well at the back-gate surface and depleted n-well underneath the p-well for all the pixel area other than the charge sensing node is also essential for preventing hole injection from the p-well by making the potential barrier to hole, reducing dark current from the Si-SiO2 interface and creating lateral drift field to gather signal electrons in the pixel area into the small charge sensing node. A prototype chip using 0.2 μm SOI technology shows very low readout noise of 11.0 e−rms, low dark current density of 56 pA/cm2 at −35 °C and the energy resolution of 200 eV(FWHM) at 5.9 keV and 280 eV (FWHM) at 13.95 keV. PMID:29295523

A Low-Noise X-ray Astronomical Silicon-On-Insulator Pixel Detector Using a Pinned Depleted Diode Structure.

PubMed

Kamehama, Hiroki; Kawahito, Shoji; Shrestha, Sumeet; Nakanishi, Syunta; Yasutomi, Keita; Takeda, Ayaki; Tsuru, Takeshi Go; Arai, Yasuo

2017-12-23

This paper presents a novel full-depletion Si X-ray detector based on silicon-on-insulator pixel (SOIPIX) technology using a pinned depleted diode structure, named the SOIPIX-PDD. The SOIPIX-PDD greatly reduces stray capacitance at the charge sensing node, the dark current of the detector, and capacitive coupling between the sensing node and SOI circuits. These features of the SOIPIX-PDD lead to low read noise, resulting high X-ray energy resolution and stable operation of the pixel. The back-gate surface pinning structure using neutralized p-well at the back-gate surface and depleted n-well underneath the p-well for all the pixel area other than the charge sensing node is also essential for preventing hole injection from the p-well by making the potential barrier to hole, reducing dark current from the Si-SiO₂ interface and creating lateral drift field to gather signal electrons in the pixel area into the small charge sensing node. A prototype chip using 0.2 μm SOI technology shows very low readout noise of 11.0 e - rms , low dark current density of 56 pA/cm² at -35 °C and the energy resolution of 200 eV(FWHM) at 5.9 keV and 280 eV (FWHM) at 13.95 keV.

Testing the Ge Detectors for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, W.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Boswell, M.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Byram, D.; Caldwell, A. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Christofferson, C. D.; Combs, D. C.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Doe, P. J.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Fast, J. E.; Finnerty, P.; Fraenkle, F. M.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gusev, K.; Hallin, A. L.; Hazama, R.; Hegai, A.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Leon, J.; Leviner, L. E.; Loach, J. C.; MacMullin, J.; MacMullin, S.; Martin, R. D.; Meijer, S.; Mertens, S.; Nomachi, M.; Orrell, J. L.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Overman, N. R.; Phillips, D. G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Pushkin, K.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Romero-Romero, E.; Ronquest, M. C.; Schubert, A. G.; Shanks, B.; Shima, T.; Shirchenko, M.; Snavely, K. J.; Snyder, N.; Suriano, A. M.; Thompson, J.; Timkin, V.; Tornow, W.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Yakushev, E.; Young, A. R.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.

High purity germanium (HPGe) crystals will be used for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, where they serve as both the source and the detector for neutrinoless double beta decay. It is crucial for the experiment to understand the performance of the HPGe crystals. A variety of crystal properties are being investigated, including basic properties such as energy resolution, efficiency, uniformity, capacitance, leakage current and crystal axis orientation, as well as more sophisticated properties, e.g. pulse shapes and dead layer and transition layer distributions. In this talk, we will present our measurements that characterize the HPGe crystals. We will also discuss the our simulation package for the detector characterization setup, and show that additional information can be extracted from data-simulation comparisons.

An active drop counting device using condenser microphone for superheated emulsion detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, Mala; Marick, C.; Kanjilal, D.

2008-11-15

An active device for superheated emulsion detector is described. A capacitive diaphragm sensor or condenser microphone is used to convert the acoustic pulse of drop nucleation to electrical signal. An active peak detector is included in the circuit to avoid multiple triggering of the counter. The counts are finally recorded by a microprocessor based data acquisition system. Genuine triggers, missed by the sensor, were studied using a simulated clock pulse. The neutron energy spectrum of {sup 252}Cf fission neutron source was measured using the device with R114 as the sensitive liquid and compared with the calculated fission neutron energy spectrummore » of {sup 252}Cf. Frequency analysis of the detected signals was also carried out.« less

Testing the Ge detectors for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

DOE PAGES

Xu, W.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; ...

2015-03-24

High purity germanium (HPGe) crystals will be used for the Majorana Demonstrator, where they serve as both the source and the detector for neutrinoless double beta decay. It is crucial for the experiment to understand the performances of the HPGe crystals. A variety of crystal properties are being investigated, including both basic properties such as energy resolution, efficiency, uniformity, capacitance, leakage current and crystal axis orientation, as well as more sophisticated properties, e.g. pulse shapes and dead layer and transition layer distribution. In this talk, we will present our measurements that characterize the HPGe crystals. In addition, we will discussmore » the experiment’s simulation package for the detector characterization setup, where additional information is learned from data simulation comparisons.« less

Method and apparatus for detection of chemical vapors

DOEpatents

Mahurin, Shannon Mark [Knoxville, TN; Dai, Sheng [Knoxville, TN; Caja, Josip [Knoxville, TN

2007-05-15

The present invention is a gas detector and method for using the gas detector for detecting and identifying volatile organic and/or volatile inorganic substances present in unknown vapors in an environment. The gas detector comprises a sensing means and a detecting means for detecting electrical capacitance variance of the sensing means and for further identifying the volatile organic and volatile inorganic substances. The sensing means comprises at least one sensing unit and a sensing material allocated therein the sensing unit. The sensing material is an ionic liquid which is exposed to the environment and is capable of dissolving a quantity of said volatile substance upon exposure thereto. The sensing means constitutes an electrochemical capacitor and the detecting means is in electrical communication with the sensing means.

An active drop counting device using condenser microphone for superheated emulsion detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Mala; Arya, A. S.; Marick, C.; Kanjilal, D.; Saha, S.

2008-11-01

An active device for superheated emulsion detector is described. A capacitive diaphragm sensor or condenser microphone is used to convert the acoustic pulse of drop nucleation to electrical signal. An active peak detector is included in the circuit to avoid multiple triggering of the counter. The counts are finally recorded by a microprocessor based data acquisition system. Genuine triggers, missed by the sensor, were studied using a simulated clock pulse. The neutron energy spectrum of C252f fission neutron source was measured using the device with R114 as the sensitive liquid and compared with the calculated fission neutron energy spectrum of C252f. Frequency analysis of the detected signals was also carried out.

On the introduction of a measurement standard for high-purity germanium crystals to be used in radiation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darken, L.

1994-02-01

The IEEE and ANSI have recently approved "Standard Test Procedures for High-Purity Germanium Crystals for Radiation Detectors" proposed by the IEEE/NPSS/Nuclear Instruments and Detectors Committee. The standard addresses three aspects of the characterisation of high-purity germanium: (i) the determination by the van der Pauw method of the net carrier concentration and type; (ii) the measurement by capacitance transient techniques of the concentration of trapping levels; (iii) the description of the crystallographic properties revealed by preferential etching. In addition to describing the contents of this standard, the purpose of this work is also to place the issues faced in the context of professional consensus: points of agreement, points of disagreement, and subjects poorly understood.

Analog bus driver and multiplexer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor); Hancock, Bruce (Inventor); Cunningham, Thomas J. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

For a source-follower signal chain, the ohmic drop in the selection switch causes unacceptable voltage offset, non-linearity, and reduced small signal gain. For an op amp signal chain, the required bias current and the output noise rises rapidly with increasing the array format due to a rapid increase in the effective capacitance caused by the Miller effect boosting up the contribution of the bus capacitance. A new switched source-follower signal chain circuit overcomes limitations of existing op-amp based or source follower based circuits used in column multiplexers and data readout. This will improve performance of CMOS imagers, and focal plane read-out integrated circuits for detectors of infrared or ultraviolet light.

Aspheric surface measurement using capacitive probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Xin; Yuan, Daocheng; Li, Shaobo

2017-02-01

With the application of aspheres in optical fields, high precision and high efficiency aspheric surface metrology becomes a hot research topic. We describe a novel method of non-contact measurement of aspheric surface with capacitive probe. Taking an eccentric spherical surface as the object of study, the averaging effect of capacitive probe measurement and the influence of tilting the capacitive probe on the measurement results are investigated. By comparing measurement results from simultaneous measurement of the capacitive probe and contact probe of roundness instrument, this paper indicates the feasibility of using capacitive probes to test aspheric surface and proposes the compensation method of measurement error caused by averaging effect and the tilting of the capacitive probe.

A Novel Method for Proximity Detection of Moving Targets Using a Large-Scale Planar Capacitive Sensor System

PubMed Central

Ye, Yong; Deng, Jiahao; Shen, Sanmin; Hou, Zhuo; Liu, Yuting

2016-01-01

A novel method for proximity detection of moving targets (with high dielectric constants) using a large-scale (the size of each sensor is 31 cm × 19 cm) planar capacitive sensor system (PCSS) is proposed. The capacitive variation with distance is derived, and a pair of electrodes in a planar capacitive sensor unit (PCSU) with a spiral shape is found to have better performance on sensitivity distribution homogeneity and dynamic range than three other shapes (comb shape, rectangular shape, and circular shape). A driving excitation circuit with a Clapp oscillator is proposed, and a capacitance measuring circuit with sensitivity of 0.21 Vp−p/pF is designed. The results of static experiments and dynamic experiments demonstrate that the voltage curves of static experiments are similar to those of dynamic experiments; therefore, the static data can be used to simulate the dynamic curves. The dynamic range of proximity detection for three projectiles is up to 60 cm, and the results of the following static experiments show that the PCSU with four neighboring units has the highest sensitivity (the sensitivities of other units are at least 4% lower); when the attack angle decreases, the intensity of sensor signal increases. This proposed method leads to the design of a feasible moving target detector with simple structure and low cost, which can be applied in the interception system. PMID:27196905

Marked Object Recognition Multitouch Screen Printed Touchpad for Interactive Applications.

PubMed

Nunes, Jivago Serrado; Castro, Nelson; Gonçalves, Sergio; Pereira, Nélson; Correia, Vitor; Lanceros-Mendez, Senentxu

2017-12-01

The market for interactive platforms is rapidly growing, and touchscreens have been incorporated in an increasing number of devices. Thus, the area of smart objects and devices is strongly increasing by adding interactive touch and multimedia content, leading to new uses and capabilities. In this work, a flexible screen printed sensor matrix is fabricated based on silver ink in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Diamond shaped capacitive electrodes coupled with conventional capacitive reading electronics enables fabrication of a highly functional capacitive touchpad, and also allows for the identification of marked objects. For the latter, the capacitive signatures are identified by intersecting points and distances between them. Thus, this work demonstrates the applicability of a low cost method using royalty-free geometries and technologies for the development of flexible multitouch touchpads for the implementation of interactive and object recognition applications.

Marked Object Recognition Multitouch Screen Printed Touchpad for Interactive Applications

PubMed Central

Nunes, Jivago Serrado; Castro, Nelson; Pereira, Nélson; Correia, Vitor; Lanceros-Mendez, Senentxu

2017-01-01

The market for interactive platforms is rapidly growing, and touchscreens have been incorporated in an increasing number of devices. Thus, the area of smart objects and devices is strongly increasing by adding interactive touch and multimedia content, leading to new uses and capabilities. In this work, a flexible screen printed sensor matrix is fabricated based on silver ink in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Diamond shaped capacitive electrodes coupled with conventional capacitive reading electronics enables fabrication of a highly functional capacitive touchpad, and also allows for the identification of marked objects. For the latter, the capacitive signatures are identified by intersecting points and distances between them. Thus, this work demonstrates the applicability of a low cost method using royalty-free geometries and technologies for the development of flexible multitouch touchpads for the implementation of interactive and object recognition applications. PMID:29194414

Lunar Seismic Detector to Advance the Search for Strange Quark Matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galitzki, Nicholas B.

2005-01-01

Detection of small seismic signals on the Moon are needed to study lunar internal structure and to detect possible signals from Strange Quark m&er transit events. The immediate objective is to create a prototype seismic detector using a tunnel diode oscillator with a variable capacitor attached to a proof mass. The device is designed to operate effectively on the Moon, which requires a low power consumption to operate through lunar night, while preserving sensitivity. The goal is capacitance resolution of better than 1 part in 10' and power consumption of less than 1 watt.

Position sensitive and energy dispersive x-ray detector based on silicon strip detector technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiącek, P.; Dąbrowski, W.; Fink, J.; Fiutowski, T.; Krane, H.-G.; Loyer, F.; Schwamberger, A.; Świentek, K.; Venanzi, C.

2015-04-01

A new position sensitive detector with a global energy resolution for the entire detector of about 380 eV FWHM for 8.04 keV line at ambient temperature is presented. The measured global energy resolution is defined by the energy spectra summed over all strips of the detector, and thus it includes electronic noise of the front-end electronics, charge sharing effects, matching of parameters across the channels and other system noise sources. The target energy resolution has been achieved by segmentation of the strips to reduce their capacitance and by careful optimization of the front-end electronics. The key design aspects and parameters of the detector are discussed briefly in the paper. Excellent noise and matching performance of the readout ASIC and negligible system noise allow us to operate the detector with a discrimination threshold as low as 1 keV and to measure fluorescence radiation lines of light elements, down to Al Kα of 1.49 keV, simultaneously with measurements of the diffraction patterns. The measurement results that demonstrate the spectrometric and count rate performance of the developed detector are presented and discussed in the paper.

Novel x-ray silicon detector for 2D imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castoldi, Andrea; Gatti, Emilio; Guazzoni, Chiara; Longoni, Antonio; Rehak, Pavel; Strueder, Lothar

1999-10-01

A novel x-ray silicon detector for 2D imaging has been recently proposed. The detector, called Controlled-Drift Detector, is operated in integrate-readout mode. Its basic feature is the fast transport of the integrated charge to the output electrode by means of a uniform drift field. The drift time of the charge packet identifies the pixel of incidence. A new architecture to implement the Controlled- Drift Detector concept will be presented. The potential wells for the integration of the signal charge are obtained by means of a suitable pattern of deep n-implants and deep p-implants. During the readout mode the signal electrons are transferred in the drift channel that flanks each column of potential wells where they drift towards the collecting electrode at constant velocity. The first experimental measurements demonstrate the successful integration, transfer and drift of the signal electrons. The low output capacitance of the readout electrode together with the on- chip front-end electronics allows high resolution spectroscopy of the detected photons.

Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield

DOE PAGES

Oktyabrsky, Serge; Yakimov, Michael; Tokranov, Vadim; ...

2016-03-30

Here, a picosecond-range timing of charged particles and photons is a long-standing challenge for many high-energy physics, biophysics, medical and security applications. We present a design, technological pathway and challenges, and some properties important for realization of an ultrafast high-efficient room-temperature semiconductor scintillator based on self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QD) embedded in a GaAs matrix. Low QD density (<; 10 15 cm -3), fast (~5 ps) electron capture, luminescence peak redshifted by 0.2-0.3 eV from GaAs absorption edge with fast decay time (0.5-1 ns) along with the efficient energy transfer in the GaAs matrix (4.2 eV/pair) allows for fabrication ofmore » a semiconductor scintillator with the unsurpassed performance parameters. The major technological challenge is fabrication of a large volume (> 1 cm 3 ) of epitaxial QD medium. This requires multiple film separation and bonding, likely using separate epitaxial films as waveguides for improved light coupling. Compared to traditional inorganic scintillators, the semiconductor-QD based scintillators could have about 5x higher light yield and 20x faster decay time, opening a way to gamma detectors with the energy resolution better than 1% and sustaining counting rates MHz. Picosecond-scale timing requires segmented low-capacitance photodiodes integrated with the scintillator. For photons, the proposed detector inherently provides the depth-of-interaction information.« less

Novel Micromegas trackers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabatie, Franck

2017-09-01

The latest development in Micromegas trackers includes the Micromegas Vertex Tracker (MVT) soon to be installed in Jefferson Lab Hall B, in the CLAS12 central tracking system. The MVT is composed of 6 cylindrical layers and 6 flat disks of resistive bulk Micromegas detectors. They have been designed to withstand the high particle flux environment and the high magnetic field using a low material budget of less than 0.5% of a radiation length per detector. The MVT is read out using front-end electronics based on the ``Dream'' Asic developed at CEA Saclay/Irfu. The low material budget requirements and very stringent space restrictions of the central tracking system surrounded by a 5T solenoid prevent the use of on-detector frontend electronics. The ability of the Dream chip to work with high-capacitance detectors allows deploying the electronics some 2 m away using flat micro-coaxial cables. After a short introduction to Micromegas detectors and the state-of-the-art achievements in this technology, I will focus on the CLAS12 MVT detector system, from the fabrication techniques to the readout electronics. Possible future developments will briefly be presented as well.

Characterization of a SiC MIS Schottky diode as RBS particle detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufmann, I. R.; Pick, A. C.; Pereira, M. B.; Boudinov, H. I.

2018-02-01

A 4H-SiC Schottky diode was investigated as a particle detector for Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) experiment. The device was fabricated on a commercial 4H-SiC epitaxial n-type layer grown onto a 4H-SiC n+ type substrate wafer doped with nitrogen. Hafnium oxide with thickness of 1 nm was deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition and 10 nm of Ni were deposited by sputtering to form the Ni/HfO2/4H-SiC MIS Schottky structure. Current-Voltage curves with variable temperature were measured to extract the real Schottky Barrier Height (0.32 V) and ideality factor values (1.15). Reverse current and Capacitance-Voltage measurements were performed on the 4H-SiC detector and compared to a commercial Si barrier detector acquired from ORTEC. RBS data for four alpha energies (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 MeV) were collected from an Au/Si sample using the fabricated SiC and the commercial Si detectors simultaneously. The energy resolution for the fabricated detector was estimated to be between 75 and 80 keV.

Programmable differential capacitance-to-voltage converter for MEMS accelerometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royo, G.; Sánchez-Azqueta, C.; Gimeno, C.; Aldea, C.; Celma, S.

2017-05-01

Capacitive MEMS sensors exhibit an excellent noise performance, high sensitivity and low power consumption. They offer a huge range of applications, being the accelerometer one of its main uses. In this work, we present the design of a capacitance-to-voltage converter in CMOS technology to measure the acceleration from the capacitance variations. It is based on a low-power, fully-differential transimpedance amplifier with low input impedance and a very low input noise.

MEDUSA-32: A low noise, low power silicon strip detector front-end electronics, for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicuttin, Andres; Colavita, Alberto; Cerdeira, Alberto; Fratnik, Fabio; Vacchi, Andrea

1997-02-01

In this report we describe a mixed analog-digital integrated circuit (IC) designed as the front-end electronics for silicon strip-detectors for space applications. In space power consumption, compactness and robustness become critical constraints for a pre-amplifier design. The IC is a prototype with 32 complete channels, and it is intended for a large area particle tracker of a new generation of gamma ray telescopes. Each channel contains a charge sensitive amplifier, a pulse shaper, a discriminator and two digital buffers. The reference trip point of the discriminator is adjustable. This chip also has a custom PMOSFET transistor per channel, included in order to provide the high dynamic resistance needed to reverse-bias the strip diode. The digital part of the chip is used to store and serially shift out the state of the channels. There is also a storage buffer that allows the disabling of non-functioning channels if it is required by the data acquisition system. An input capacitance of 30 pF introduced at the input of the front-end produces less than 1000 electrons of RMS equivalent noise charge (ENC), for a total power dissipation of only 60 μW per channel. The chip was made using Orbit's 1.2 μm double poly, double metal n-well low noise CMOS process. The dimensions of the IC are 2400 μm × 8840 μm.

Prospects for charge sensitive amplifiers in scaled CMOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, Paul; De Geronimo, Gianluigi

2002-03-01

Due to its low cost and flexibility for custom design, monolithic CMOS technology is being increasingly employed in charge preamplifiers across a broad range of applications, including both scientific research and commercial products. The associated detectors have capacitances ranging from a few tens of fF to several hundred pF. Applications call for pulse shaping from tens of ns to tens of μs, and constrain the available power per channel from tens of μW to tens of mW. At the same time a new technology generation, with changed device parameters, appears every 2 years or so. The optimum design of the front-end circuitry is examined taking into account submicron device characteristics, weak inversion operation, the reset system, and power supply scaling. Experimental results from recent prototypes will be presented. We will also discuss the evolution of preamplifier topologies and anticipated performance limits as CMOS technology scales down to the 0.1 μm/1.0 V generation in 2006.

Large Capacitance Measurement by Multiple Uses of MBL Charge Sensor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jung Sook; Chae, Min; Kim, Jung Bog

2010-01-01

A recent article by Morse described interesting electrostatics experiments using an MBL charge sensor. In this application, the charge sensor has a large capacitance compared to the charged test object, so nearly all charges can be transferred to the sensor capacitor from the capacitor to be measured. However, the typical capacitance of commercial…

Graphene/Polyaniline Aerogel with Superelasticity and High Capacitance as Highly Compression-Tolerant Supercapacitor Electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Peng; Tang, Xun; Zheng, Ruilin; Ma, Xiaobo; Yu, Kehan; Wei, Wei

2017-12-01

Superelastic graphene aerogel with ultra-high compressibility shows promising potential for compression-tolerant supercapacitor electrode. However, its specific capacitance is too low to meet the practical application. Herein, we deposited polyaniline (PANI) into the superelastic graphene aerogel to improve the capacitance while maintaining the superelasticity. Graphene/PANI aerogel with optimized PANI mass content of 63 wt% shows the improved specific capacitance of 713 F g-1 in the three-electrode system. And the graphene/PANI aerogel presents a high recoverable compressive strain of 90% due to the strong interaction between PANI and graphene. The all-solid-state supercapacitors were assembled to demonstrate the compression-tolerant ability of graphene/PANI electrodes. The gravimetric capacitance of graphene/PANI electrodes reaches 424 F g-1 and retains 96% even at 90% compressive strain. And a volumetric capacitance of 65.5 F cm-3 is achieved, which is much higher than that of other compressible composite electrodes. Furthermore, several compressible supercapacitors can be integrated and connected in series to enhance the overall output voltage, suggesting the potential to meet the practical application.

Graphene/Polyaniline Aerogel with Superelasticity and High Capacitance as Highly Compression-Tolerant Supercapacitor Electrode.

PubMed

Lv, Peng; Tang, Xun; Zheng, Ruilin; Ma, Xiaobo; Yu, Kehan; Wei, Wei

2017-12-19

Superelastic graphene aerogel with ultra-high compressibility shows promising potential for compression-tolerant supercapacitor electrode. However, its specific capacitance is too low to meet the practical application. Herein, we deposited polyaniline (PANI) into the superelastic graphene aerogel to improve the capacitance while maintaining the superelasticity. Graphene/PANI aerogel with optimized PANI mass content of 63 wt% shows the improved specific capacitance of 713 F g -1 in the three-electrode system. And the graphene/PANI aerogel presents a high recoverable compressive strain of 90% due to the strong interaction between PANI and graphene. The all-solid-state supercapacitors were assembled to demonstrate the compression-tolerant ability of graphene/PANI electrodes. The gravimetric capacitance of graphene/PANI electrodes reaches 424 F g -1 and retains 96% even at 90% compressive strain. And a volumetric capacitance of 65.5 F cm -3 is achieved, which is much higher than that of other compressible composite electrodes. Furthermore, several compressible supercapacitors can be integrated and connected in series to enhance the overall output voltage, suggesting the potential to meet the practical application.

Characteristics of X-Ray Emission from the PFRC-2 Capacitively Coupled Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, Richard; Pearcy, Jacob; Jandovitz, Peter; Swanson, Charles; Matteucci, Jackson; Cohen, Samuel; PFRC Team

2015-11-01

It is uncertain what causes keV X-rays emitted from the central-cell region of a cool (bulk Te ~ 4 eV), tenuous (ne ~1010 cm-3), 5 cm diameter, weakly ionized hydrogen plasma column generated in a tandem high-mirror-ratio mirror machine (PFRC-2 device) by a low-power, external, capacitively-coupled RF (27 MHz) antenna. We explored whether the energetic electrons responsible for the X-rays exist only in the central cell (ER) or also in the asymmetric mirror regions at opposite ends of the machine, as well as how the spectra compare if they do exist in both regions. To address this, we have designed, built, calibrated, installed and operated an X-ray detector system to view the PFRC-2 region near the RF antenna in one end cell (MC). We observe somewhat different X-ray spectra emanating from the two regions. The system comprises two Amptek XR-100CR detectors with moveable slits that scan across the plasma column. Further control of radial resolution (to 0.4 cm) is afforded by changing the detector-to-slit distance. Calibrations were performed with an 55Fe source. These data are being used to understand the source of the fast electrons that create the X-rays in the MC and in the ER. This work is supported by the US DOE Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466 and the Princeton Environmental Institute.

The Majorana Low-noise Low-background Front-end Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Boswell, M.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Byram, D.; Caldwell, A. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Christofferson, C. D.; Combs, D. C.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Doe, P. J.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Fast, J. E.; Finnerty, P.; Fraenkle, F. M.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gusev, K.; Hallin, A. L.; Hazama, R.; Hegai, A.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Leon, J.; Leviner, L. E.; Loach, J. C.; MacMullin, J.; MacMullin, S.; Martin, R. D.; Meijer, S.; Mertens, S.; Nomachi, M.; Orrell, J. L.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Overman, N. R.; Phillips, D. G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Pushkin, K.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Romero-Romero, E.; Ronquest, M. C.; Schubert, A. G.; Shanks, B.; Shima, T.; Shirchenko, M.; Snavely, K. J.; Snyder, N.; Suriano, A. M.; Thompson, J.; Timkin, V.; Tornow, W.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Young, A. R.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR will search for the neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ(0ν)) of the isotope 76Ge with a mixed array of enriched and natural germanium detectors. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale germanium-based ββ(0ν)-decay searches, a major goal of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039-keV Q-value of the 76Ge ββ(0ν)-decay. Such a requirement on the background level significantly constrains the design of the readout electronics, which is further driven by noise and energy resolution performances. We present here the low-noise low- background front-end electronics developed for the low-capacitance p-type point contact (P-PC) germanium detectors of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR. This resistive-feedback front-end, specifically designed to have low mass, is fabricated on a radioassayed fused-silica substrate where the feedback resistor consists of a sputtered thin film of high purity amorphous germanium and the feedback capacitor is based on the capacitance between gold conductive traces.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, Estanislao; Avignone, F. T.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR will search for the neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ(0ʋ) of the isotope 76Ge with a mixed array of enriched and natural Germanium detectors. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale germanium-based (ββ(0ʋ)-decay searches, a major goal of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039-keV Q-value of the 76Ge (ββ(0ʋ)-decay. Such a requirement on the background level significantly constrains the design of the readout electronics, which is further driven by noise and energy resolutionmore » performances. We present here the low-noise low background front-end electronics developed for the low-capacitance p-type point contact (P-PC) germanium detectors of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR. This resistive-feedback front-end, specifically designed to have low mass, is fabricated on a radioassayed fused-silica substrate where the feedback resistor consists of a sputtered thin film of high purity amorphous germanium and the feedback capacitor is based on the capacitance between gold conductive traces.« less

The Majorana low-noise low-background front-end electronics

DOE PAGES

Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, III, F. T.; ...

2015-03-24

The Majorana Demonstrator will search for the neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ(0ν)) of the isotope ⁷⁶Ge with a mixed array of enriched and natural germanium detectors. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale germanium-based ββ(0ν)-decay searches, a major goal of the Majorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039-keV Q-value of the ⁷⁶Ge ββ(0ν)-decay. Such a requirement on the background level significantly constrains the design of the readout electronics, which is further driven by noise and energy resolutionmore » performances. We present here the low-noise low-background front-end electronics developed for the low-capacitance p-type point contact (P-PC) germanium detectors of the Majorana Demonstrator. This resistive-feedback front-end, specifically designed to have low mass, is fabricated on a radioassayed fused-silica substrate where the feedback resistor consists of a sputtered thin film of high purity amorphous germanium and the feedback capacitor is based on the capacitance between gold conductive traces.« less

Development and Testing of Molecular Adsorber Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abraham, Nithin; Hasegawa, Mark; Straka, Sharon

2012-01-01

The effect of on-orbit molecular contamination has the potential to degrade the performance of spaceflight hardware and diminish the lifetime of the spacecraft. For example, sensitive surfaces, such as optical surfaces, electronics, detectors, and thermal control surfaces, are vulnerable to the damaging effects of contamination from outgassed materials. The current solution to protect these surfaces is through the use of zeolite coated ceramic adsorber pucks. However, these pucks and its additional complex mounting hardware requirements result in several disadvantages, such as size, weight, and cost related concerns, that impact the spacecraft design and the integration and test schedule. As a result, a new innovative molecular adsorber coating was developed as a sprayable alternative to mitigate the risk of on-orbit molecular contamination. In this study, the formulation for molecular adsorber coatings was optimized using various binders, pigment treatment methods, binder to pigment ratios, thicknesses, and spray application techniques. The formulations that passed coating adhesion and vacuum thermal cycling tests were further tested for its adsorptive capacity. Accelerated molecular capacitance tests were performed in an innovatively designed multi-unit system containing idealized contaminant sources. This novel system significantly increased the productivity of the testing phase for the various formulations that were developed. Work performed during the development and testing phases has demonstrated successful application of molecular adsorber coatings onto metallic substrates, as well as, very promising results for the adhesion performance and the molecular capacitance of the coating. Continued testing will assist in the qualification of molecular adsorber coatings for use on future contamination sensitive spaceflight missions.

The Development of a 30-125 Micron Array for Airborne Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, C. G.; Dotson, J. L.; Erickson, E. F.; Farhoomand, J.; Haas, M. R.; Koerber, C. T.; Prasad, A.; Sisson, D.; Witteborn, F. C.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The development of a 30-125 micron Ge:Sb photoconductor array for AIRES (Airborne Infra-Red Echelle Spectrometer) is described. The prototype array is a 2x24 module which can be close-stacked to provide larger two-dimensional formats. Light is focused onto each detector using a collecting cone with a 2 mm pitch. The array is read out by two Raytheon SBRC-190 cryogenic multiplexers that also provide a CTIA (capacitive transimpedance amplifier) unit cell for each detector. We discuss our results from a test series conducted to measure the array performance and to evaluate its suitability for airborne astronomy.

AC-coupled GaAs microstrip detectors with a new type of integrated bias resistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irsigler, R.; Geppert, R.; Göppert, R.; Hornung, M.; Ludwig, J.; Rogalla, M.; Runge, K.; Schmid, Th.; Söldner-Rembold, A.; Webel, M.; Weber, C.

1998-02-01

Full-size single-sided GaAs microstrip detectors with integrated coupling capacitors and bias resistors have been fabricated on 3″ substrate wafers. PECVD deposited SiO 2 and {SiO 2}/{Si 3N 4} layers were used to provide coupling capacitances of 32.5 and 61.6 pF/cm, respectively. The resistors are made of sputtered CERMET using simple lift of technique. The sheet resistivity of 78 kΩ/□ and the thermal coefficient of resistance of less than 4 × 10 -3/°C satisfy the demands of small area biasing resistors, working on a wide temperature range.

Rapid detection of microbial cell abundance in aquatic systems

DOE PAGES

Rocha, Andrea M.; Yuan, Quan; Close, Dan M.; ...

2016-06-01

The detection and quantification of naturally occurring microbial cellular densities is an essential component of environmental systems monitoring. While there are a number of commonly utilized approaches for monitoring microbial abundance, capacitance-based biosensors represent a promising approach because of their low-cost and label-free detection of microbial cells, but are not as well characterized as more traditional methods. Here, we investigate the applicability of enhanced alternating current electrokinetics (ACEK) capacitive sensing as a new application for rapidly detecting and quantifying microbial cellular densities in cultured and environmentally sourced aquatic samples. ACEK capacitive sensor performance was evaluated using two distinct and dynamicmore » systems the Great Australian Bight and groundwater from the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, TN. Results demonstrate that ACEK capacitance-based sensing can accurately determine microbial cell counts throughout cellular concentrations typically encountered in naturally occurring microbial communities (10 3 – 10 6 cells/mL). A linear relationship was observed between cellular density and capacitance change correlations, allowing a simple linear curve fitting equation to be used for determining microbial abundances in unknown samples. As a result, this work provides a foundation for understanding the limits of capacitance-based sensing in natural environmental samples and supports future efforts focusing on evaluating the robustness ACEK capacitance-based within aquatic environments.« less

Rapid detection of microbial cell abundance in aquatic systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rocha, Andrea M.; Yuan, Quan; Close, Dan M.

The detection and quantification of naturally occurring microbial cellular densities is an essential component of environmental systems monitoring. While there are a number of commonly utilized approaches for monitoring microbial abundance, capacitance-based biosensors represent a promising approach because of their low-cost and label-free detection of microbial cells, but are not as well characterized as more traditional methods. Here, we investigate the applicability of enhanced alternating current electrokinetics (ACEK) capacitive sensing as a new application for rapidly detecting and quantifying microbial cellular densities in cultured and environmentally sourced aquatic samples. ACEK capacitive sensor performance was evaluated using two distinct and dynamicmore » systems the Great Australian Bight and groundwater from the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, TN. Results demonstrate that ACEK capacitance-based sensing can accurately determine microbial cell counts throughout cellular concentrations typically encountered in naturally occurring microbial communities (10 3 – 10 6 cells/mL). A linear relationship was observed between cellular density and capacitance change correlations, allowing a simple linear curve fitting equation to be used for determining microbial abundances in unknown samples. As a result, this work provides a foundation for understanding the limits of capacitance-based sensing in natural environmental samples and supports future efforts focusing on evaluating the robustness ACEK capacitance-based within aquatic environments.« less

Material characteristics and equivalent circuit models of stacked graphene oxide for capacitive humidity sensors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Han, Kook In; Lee, In Gyu; Hwang, Wan Sik, E-mail: mhshin@kau.ac.kr, E-mail: whwang@kau.ac.kr

The oxidation properties of graphene oxide (GO) are systematically correlated with their chemical sensing properties. Based on an impedance analysis, the equivalent circuit models of the capacitive sensors are established, and it is demonstrated that capacitive operations are related to the degree of oxidation. This is also confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis. Finally, highly sensitive stacked GO sensors are shown to detect humidity in capacitive mode, which can be useful in various applications requiring low power consumption.

3D printed stretchable capacitive sensors for highly sensitive tactile and electrochemical sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Kai; Wei, Hong; Liu, Wenguang; Meng, Hong; Zhang, Peixin; Yan, Chaoyi

2018-05-01

Developments of innovative strategies for the fabrication of stretchable sensors are of crucial importance for their applications in wearable electronic systems. In this work, we report the successful fabrication of stretchable capacitive sensors using a novel 3D printing method for highly sensitive tactile and electrochemical sensing applications. Unlike conventional lithographic or templated methods, the programmable 3D printing technique can fabricate complex device structures in a cost-effective and facile manner. We designed and fabricated stretchable capacitive sensors with interdigital and double-vortex designs and demonstrated their successful applications as tactile and electrochemical sensors. Especially, our stretchable sensors exhibited a detection limit as low as 1 × 10-6 M for NaCl aqueous solution, which could have significant potential applications when integrated in electronics skins.

3D printed stretchable capacitive sensors for highly sensitive tactile and electrochemical sensing.

PubMed

Li, Kai; Wei, Hong; Liu, Wenguang; Meng, Hong; Zhang, Peixin; Yan, Chaoyi

2018-05-04

Developments of innovative strategies for the fabrication of stretchable sensors are of crucial importance for their applications in wearable electronic systems. In this work, we report the successful fabrication of stretchable capacitive sensors using a novel 3D printing method for highly sensitive tactile and electrochemical sensing applications. Unlike conventional lithographic or templated methods, the programmable 3D printing technique can fabricate complex device structures in a cost-effective and facile manner. We designed and fabricated stretchable capacitive sensors with interdigital and double-vortex designs and demonstrated their successful applications as tactile and electrochemical sensors. Especially, our stretchable sensors exhibited a detection limit as low as 1 × 10 -6 M for NaCl aqueous solution, which could have significant potential applications when integrated in electronics skins.

Sensitivity of the Enviroscan soil moisture capacitance probe to the presence of artificial macropores

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Capacitance probes (CP) have been used to measure soil water contents in various applications. Effects of large macropores, cracks and other large heterogeneities within the CP sensitivity volume are sources of concerns related to such applications. The objective of this work was to evaluate the sen...

Interdigitated electrodes as impedance and capacitance biosensors: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazlan, N. S.; Ramli, M. M.; Abdullah, M. M. A. B.; Halin, D. S. C.; Isa, S. S. M.; Talip, L. F. A.; Danial, N. S.; Murad, S. A. Z.

2017-09-01

Interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) are made of two individually addressable interdigitated comb-like electrode structures. IDEs are one of the most favored transducers, widely utilized in technological applications especially in the field of biological and chemical sensors due to their inexpensive, ease of fabrication process and high sensitivity. In order to detect and analyze a biochemical molecule or analyte, the impedance and capacitance signal need to be obtained. This paper investigates the working principle and influencer of the impedance and capacitance biosensors. The impedance biosensor depends on the resistance and capacitance while the capacitance biosensor influenced by the dielectric permittivity. However, the geometry and structures of the interdigitated electrodes affect both impedance and capacitance biosensor. The details have been discussed in this paper.

Preamplifiers for non-contact capacitive biopotential measurements.

PubMed

Peng, GuoChen; Ignjatovic, Zeljko; Bocko, Mark F

2013-01-01

Non-contact biopotential sensing is an attractive measurement strategy for a number of health monitoring applications, primarily the ECG and the EEG. In all such applications a key technical challenge is the design of a low-noise trans-impedance preamplifier for the typically low-capacitance, high source impedance sensing electrodes. In this paper, we compare voltage and charge amplifier designs in terms of their common mode rejection ratio, noise performance, and frequency response. Both amplifier types employ the same operational-transconductance amplifier (OTA), which was fabricated in a 0.35 um CMOS process. The results show that a charge amplifier configuration has advantages for small electrode-to-subject coupling capacitance values (less than 10 pF--typical of noncontact electrodes) and that the voltage amplifier configuration has advantages for electrode capacitances above 10 pF.

PEDOT-based composites as electrode materials for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhiheng; Richardson, Georgia F; Meng, Qingshi; Zhu, Shenmin; Kuan, Hsu-Chiang; Ma, Jun

2016-01-29

Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (denoted PEDOT) already has a brief history of being used as an active material in supercapacitors. It has many advantages such as low-cost, flexibility, and good electrical conductivity and pseudocapacitance. However, the major drawback is low stability, which means an obvious capacitance drop after a certain number of charge-discharge cycles. Another disadvantage is its limited capacitance and this becomes an issue for industrial applications. To solve these problems, there are several approaches including the addition of conducting nanofillers to increase conductivity, and mixing or depositing metal oxide to enhance capacitance. Furthermore, expanding the surface area of PEDOT is one of the main methods to improve its performance in energy storage applications through special processes; for example using a three-dimensional substrate or preparing PEDOT aerogel through freeze drying. This paper reviews recent techniques and outcomes of PEDOT based composites for supercapacitors, as well as detailed calculations about capacitances. Finally, this paper outlines the new direction and recent challenges of PEDOT based composites for supercapacitor applications.

Effect of noncovalent basal plane functionalization on the quantum capacitance in graphene.

PubMed

Ebrish, Mona A; Olson, Eric J; Koester, Steven J

2014-07-09

The concentration-dependent density of states in graphene allows the capacitance in metal-oxide-graphene structures to be tunable with the carrier concentration. This feature allows graphene to act as a variable capacitor (varactor) that can be utilized for wireless sensing applications. Surface functionalization can be used to make graphene sensitive to a particular species. In this manuscript, the effect on the quantum capacitance of noncovalent basal plane functionalization using 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succimidyl ester and glucose oxidase is reported. It is found that functionalized samples tested in air have (1) a Dirac point similar to vacuum conditions, (2) increased maximum capacitance compared to vacuum but similar to air, (3) and quantum capacitance "tuning" that is greater than that in vacuum and ambient atmosphere. These trends are attributed to reduced surface doping and random potential fluctuations as a result of the surface functionalization due to the displacement of H2O on the graphene surface and intercalation of a stable H2O layer beneath graphene that increases the overall device capacitance. The results are important for future application of graphene as a platform for wireless chemical and biological sensors.

High bandwidth on-chip capacitive tuning of microtoroid resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Christopher G.; Bekker, Christiaan; McAuslan, David L.; Sheridan, Eoin; Bowen, Warwick P.

2016-09-01

We report on the design, fabrication and characterization of silica microtoroid based cavity opto-electromechanical systems (COEMS). Electrodes patterned onto the microtoroid resonators allow for rapid capacitive tuning of the optical whispering gallery mode resonances while maintaining their ultrahigh quality factor, enabling applications such as efficient radio to optical frequency conversion, optical routing and switching applications.

Recent progress and development of a speedster-EXD: a new event-triggered hybrid CMOS x-ray detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, Christopher V.; Falcone, Abraham D.; Prieskorn, Zachary R.; Burrows, David N.

2015-08-01

We present the characterization of a new event-driven X-ray hybrid CMOS detector developed by Penn State University in collaboration with Teledyne Imaging Sensors. Along with its low susceptibility to radiation damage, low power consumption, and fast readout time to avoid pile-up, the Speedster-EXD has been designed with the capability to limit its readout to only those pixels containing charge, thus enabling even faster effective frame rates. The threshold for the comparator in each pixel can be set by the user so that only pixels with signal above the set threshold are read out. The Speedster-EXD hybrid CMOS detector also has two new in-pixel features that reduce noise from known noise sources: (1) a low-noise, high-gain CTIA amplifier to eliminate crosstalk from interpixel capacitance (IPC) and (2) in-pixel CDS subtraction to reduce kTC noise. We present the read noise, dark current, IPC, energy resolution, and gain variation measurements of one Speedster-EXD detector.

Development of a unit cell for a Ge:Ga detector array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Two modules of gallium-doped germanium (Ge:Ga) infrared detectors with integrated multiplexing readouts and supporting drive electronics were designed and tested. This development investigated the feasibility of producing two-dimensional Ge:Ga arrays by stacking linear modules in a housing capable of providing uniaxial stress for enhanced long-wavelength response. Each module includes 8 detectors (1x1x2 mm) mounted to a sapphire board. The element spacing is 12 microns. The back faces of the detector elements are beveled with an 18 deg angle, which was proved to significantly enhance optical absorption. Each module includes a different silicon metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) readout. The first circuit was built from discrete MOSFET components; the second incorporated devices taken from low-temperature integrated circuit multiplexers. The latter circuit exhibited much lower stray capacitance and improved stability. Using these switched-FET circuits, it was demonstrated that burst readout, with multiplexer active only during the readout period, could successfully be implemented at approximately 3.5 K.

SiC-based Photo-detectors for UV, VUV, EUV and Soft X-ray Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yan, Feng

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation describing an ideal Silicon Carbide detector for ultraviolet, vacuum ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray detection is shown. The topics include: 1) An ideal photo-detector; 2) Dark current density of SiC photodiodes at room temperature; 3) Dark current in SiC detectors; 4) Resistive and capacitive feedback trans-impedance amplifier; 5) Avalanche gain; 6) Excess noise; 7) SNR in single photon counting mode; 8) Structure of SiC single photon counting APD and testing structure; 9) Single photon counting waveform and testing circuit; 10) Amplitude of SiC single photon counter; 11) Dark count of SiC APD photon counters; 12) Temperature-dependence of dark count rate; 13) Reduce the dark count rate by reducing the breakdown electric field; 14) Spectrum range for SiC detectors; 15) QE curves of Pt/4H-SiC photodiodes; 16) QE curve of SiC; 17) QE curves of SiC photodiode vs. penetration depth; 18) Visible rejection of SiC photodiodes; 19) Advantages of SiC photodiodes; 20) Competitors of SiC detectors; 21) Extraterrestrial solar spectra; 22) Visible-blind EUV detection; 23) Terrestrial solar spectra; and 24) Less than 1KeV soft x-ray detection.

Charge Gain, Voltage Gain, and Node Capacitance of the SAPHIRA Detector Pixel by Pixel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastrana, Izabella M.; Hall, Donald N. B.; Baker, Ian M.; Jacobson, Shane M.; Goebel, Sean B.

2018-01-01

The University of Hawai`i Institute for Astronomy has partnered with Leonardo (formerly Selex) in the development of HgCdTe linear mode avalanche photodiode (L-APD) SAPHIRA detectors. The SAPHIRA (Selex Avalanche Photodiode High-speed Infra-Red Array) is ideally suited for photon-starved astronomical observations, particularly near infrared (NIR) adaptive optics (AO) wave-front sensing. I have measured the stability, and linearity with current, of a 1.7-um (10% spectral bandpass) infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) used to illuminate the SAPHIRA and have then utilized this source to determine the charge gain (in e-/ADU), voltage gain (in uV/ADU), and node capacitance (in fF) for each pixel of the 320x256@24um SAPHIRA. These have previously only been averages over some sub-array. Determined from the ratio of the temporal averaged signal level to variance under constant 1.7-um LED illumination, I present the charge gain pixel-by-pixel in a 64x64 sub-array at the center of the active area of the SAPHIRA (analyzed separately as four 32x32 sub-arrays) to be about 1.6 e-/ADU (σ=0.5 e-/ADU). Additionally, the standard technique of varying the pixel reset voltage (PRV) in 10 mV increments and recording output frames for the same 64x64 subarray found the voltage gain per pixel to be about 11.7 uV/ADU (σ=0.2 uV/ADU). Finally, node capacitance was found to be approximately 23 fF (σ=6 fF) utilizing the aforementioned charge and voltage gain measurements. I further discuss the linearity measurements of the 1.7-um LED used in the charge gain characterization procedure.

Capacitive Cells for Dielectric Constant Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguilar, Horacio Munguía; Maldonado, Rigoberto Franco

2015-01-01

A simple capacitive cell for dielectric constant measurement in liquids is presented. As an illustrative application, the cell is used for measuring the degradation of overheated edible oil through the evaluation of their dielectric constant.

Preamplifiers for non-contact capacitive biopotential measurements*

PubMed Central

Peng, GuoChen; Ignjatovic, Zeljko; Bocko, Mark F.

2014-01-01

Non-contact biopotential sensing is an attractive measurement strategy for a number of health monitoring applications, primarily the ECG and the EEG. In all such applications a key technical challenge is the design of a low-noise trans-impedance preamplifier for the typically low-capacitance, high source impedance sensing electrodes. In this paper, we compare voltage and charge amplifier designs in terms of their common mode rejection ratio, noise performance, and frequency response. Both amplifier types employ the same operational-transconductance amplifier (OTA), which was fabricated in a 0.35um CMOS process. The results show that a charge amplifier configuration has advantages for small electrode-to-subject coupling capacitance values (less than 10 pF - typical of noncontact electrodes) and that the voltage amplifier configuration has advantages for electrode capacitances above 10 pF. PMID:24109979

Efficiency of thermoelectric conversion in ferroelectric film capacitive structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volpyas, V. A.; Kozyrev, A. B.; Soldatenkov, O. I.; Tepina, E. R.

2012-06-01

Thermal heating/cooling conditions for metal-insulator-metal structures based on barium strontium titanate ferroelectric films are studied by numerical methods with the aim of their application in capacitive thermoelectric converters. A correlation between the thermal and capacitive properties of thin-film ferroelectric capacitors is considered. The time of the temperature response and the rate of variation of the capacitive properties of the metal-insulator-metal structures are determined by analyzing the dynamics of thermal processes. Thermophysical calculations are carried out that take into consideration the real electrical properties of barium strontium titanate ferroelectric films and allow estimation of thermal modulation parameters and the efficiency of capacitive thermoelectric converters on their basis.

Development of portable CdZnTe spectrometers for remote sensing of signatures from nuclear materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burger, Arnold; Groza, Michael; Cui, Yunlong; Roy, Utpal N.; Hillman, Damian; Guo, Mike; Li, Longxia; Wright, Gomez W.; James, Ralph B.

2005-03-01

Room temperature cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) gamma-ray spectrometers are being developed for a number for years for medical, space and national security applications where high sensitivity, low operating power and compactness are indispensable. The technology has matured now to the point where large volume (several cubic centimeters) and high energy resolution (approximately 1% at 660 eV) of gamma photons, are becoming available for their incorporation into portable systems for remote sensing of signatures from nuclear materials. The straightforward approach of utilizing a planar CZT device has been excluded due to the incomplete collection arising from the trapping of holes and causing broadening of spectral lines at energies above 80 keV, to unacceptable levels of performance. Solutions are being pursued by developing devices aimed at processing the signal produced primarily by electrons and practically insensitive to the contribution of holes, and recent progress has been made in the areas of material growth as well as electrode and electronics design. Present materials challenges are in the growth of CZT boules from which large, oriented single crystal pieces can be cut to fabricate such sizable detectors. Since virtually all the detector grade CZT boules consist of several grains, the cost of a large, single crystal section is still high. Co-planar detectors, capacitive Frisch-grid detectors and devices taking advantage of the small pixel effect, are configurations with a range of requirements in crystallinity and defect content and involve variable degrees of complexity in the fabrication, surface passivation and signal processing. These devices have been demonstrated by several research groups and will be discussed in terms of their sensitivity and availability.

Fabrication and optimization of a whiskerless Schottky barrier diode for submillimeter wave applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, W.; Mattauch, R. J.

1990-01-01

The following accomplishments were made towards the goal of an optimized whiskerless diode chip for submillimeter wavelength applications. (1) Surface channel whiskerless diode structure was developed which offers excellent DC and RF characteristics, reduced shunt capacitance and simplified fabrication compared to mesa and proton isolated structures. (2) Reliable fabrication technology was developed for the surface channel structure. The new anode plating technology is a major improvement. (3) DC and RF characterization of the surface channel diode was compared with whisker contacted diodes. This data indicates electrical performance as good as the best reported for similar whisker contacted devices. (4) Additional batches of surface channel diodes were fabricated with excellent I-V and reduced shunt capacitance. (5) Large scale capacitance modelinng was done for the planar diode structure. This work revealed the importance of removing the substrate gallium arsenide for absolute minimum pad capacitance. (6) A surface channel diode was developed on quartz substrate and this substrate was completely removed after diode mounting for minimum parasitic capacitance. This work continues with the goal of producing excellent quality submillimeter wavelength planar diodes which satisfy the requirements of easy handling and robustness. These devices will allow the routine implementation of Schottky receivers into space-based applications at frequencies as high as 1 THz, and, in the future, beyond.

Electrical properties study under radiation of the 3D-open-shell-electrode detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Manwen; Li, Zheng

2018-05-01

Since the 3D-Open-Shell-Electrode Detector (3DOSED) is proposed and the structure is optimized, it is important to study 3DOSED's electrical properties to determine the detector's working performance, especially in the heavy radiation environments, like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and it's upgrade, the High Luminosity (HL-LHC) at CERN. In this work, full 3D technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations have been done on this novel silicon detector structure. Simulated detector properties include the electric field distribution, the electric potential distribution, current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics, charge collection property, and full depletion voltage. Through the analysis of calculations and simulation results, we find that the 3DOSED's electric field and potential distributions are very uniform, even in the tiny region near the shell openings with little perturbations. The novel detector fits the designing purpose of collecting charges generated by particle/light in a good fashion with a well defined funnel shape of electric potential distribution that makes these charges drifting towards the center collection electrode. Furthermore, by analyzing the I-V, C-V, charge collection property and full depletion voltage, we can expect that the novel detector will perform well, even in the heavy radiation environments.

Monitoring microbial metabolites using an inductively coupled resonance circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karnaushenko, Daniil; Baraban, Larysa; Ye, Dan; Uguz, Ilke; Mendes, Rafael G.; Rümmeli, Mark H.; de Visser, J. Arjan G. M.; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio; Makarov, Denys

2015-08-01

We present a new approach to monitor microbial population dynamics in emulsion droplets via changes in metabolite composition, using an inductively coupled LC resonance circuit. The signal measured by such resonance detector provides information on the magnetic field interaction with the bacterial culture, which is complementary to the information accessible by other detection means, based on electric field interaction, i.e. capacitive or resistive, as well as optical techniques. Several charge-related factors, including pH and ammonia concentrations, were identified as possible contributors to the characteristic of resonance detector profile. The setup enables probing the ionic byproducts of microbial metabolic activity at later stages of cell growth, where conventional optical detection methods have no discriminating power.

Electrode structure of a compact microwave driven capacitively coupled atomic beam source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimabukuro, Yuji; Takahashi, Hidenori; Wada, Motoi

2018-01-01

A compact magnetic field free atomic beam source was designed, assembled and tested the performance to produce hydrogen and nitrogen atoms. A forced air-cooled solid-state microwave power supply at 2.45 GHz frequency drives the source up to 100 W through a coaxial transmission cable coupled to a triple stub tuner for realizing a proper matching condition to the discharge load. The discharge structure of the source affected the range of operation pressure, and the pressure was reduced by four orders of magnitude through improving the electrode geometry to enhance the local electric field intensity. Optical emission spectra of the produced plasmas indicate production of hydrogen and nitrogen atoms, while the flux intensity of excited nitrogen atoms monitored by a surface ionization type detector showed the signal level close to a source developed for molecular beam epitaxy applications with 500 W RF power.

Design and Development of Non-Contact Bio-Potential Electrodes for Pervasive Health Monitoring Applications.

PubMed

Portelli, Anthony J; Nasuto, Slawomir J

2017-01-01

For the advent of pervasive bio-potential monitoring, it will be necessary to utilize a combination of cheap, quick to apply, low-noise electrodes and compact electronics with wireless technologies. Once available, all electrical activity resulting from the processes of the human body could be actively and constantly monitored without the need for cumbersome application and maintenance. This could significantly improve the early diagnosis of a range of different conditions in high-risk individuals, opening the possibility for new treatments and interventions as conditions develop. This paper presents the design and implementation of compact, non-contact capacitive bio-potential electrodes utilising a low impedance current-to-voltage configuration and a bootstrapped voltage follower, demonstrating results applicable to research applications for capacitive electrocardiography and capacitive electromyography. The presented electrodes use few components, have a small surface area and are capable of acquiring a range of bio-potential signals.

Design and Development of Non-Contact Bio-Potential Electrodes for Pervasive Health Monitoring Applications

PubMed Central

Portelli, Anthony J.; Nasuto, Slawomir J.

2017-01-01

For the advent of pervasive bio-potential monitoring, it will be necessary to utilize a combination of cheap, quick to apply, low-noise electrodes and compact electronics with wireless technologies. Once available, all electrical activity resulting from the processes of the human body could be actively and constantly monitored without the need for cumbersome application and maintenance. This could significantly improve the early diagnosis of a range of different conditions in high-risk individuals, opening the possibility for new treatments and interventions as conditions develop. This paper presents the design and implementation of compact, non-contact capacitive bio-potential electrodes utilising a low impedance current-to-voltage configuration and a bootstrapped voltage follower, demonstrating results applicable to research applications for capacitive electrocardiography and capacitive electromyography. The presented electrodes use few components, have a small surface area and are capable of acquiring a range of bio-potential signals. PMID:28045439

Capacitance-Voltage (CV) Measurement of Type-2 Superlattice Photodiodes

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-05

interlayer tunneling of carriers without the requirement of an external bias or additional doping. The resulting energy gap depends upon the layer...design which involves the interaction of electrons and holes via tunneling through adjacent barriers. By adjusting the Conduction Miniband Valance...design the effective masses can be increased further to reduce the tunneling current, which is a major component of the dark current in MCT detectors

Study and realization of SI microcalorimeters for high-resolution spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alessandrello, A.; Brofferio, Chiara; Camin, D. V.; Cattadori, C.; Cremonesi, O.; Fiorini, E.; Giuliani, A.; Maglione, A.; Margesin, B.; Nucciotti, A.; Pavan, M.; Pessina, G.; Pignatel, Giorgio U.; Previtali, Ezio; Zanotti, Luigi

1994-09-01

We are developing Si-implanted thermistors to realize high resolution microcalorimeters. We plan to use these devices in an experiment for the determination of the neutrino mass. The measure implies the evaluation of the correct end-point energy of a beta spectrum with a calorimetric approach. Our study is devoted to outline the optimum fabrication process concerning performances and reproducibility. For such reasons we have realized Si thermistors with different concentration of dopant impurities and with different implant geometries. Tests are performed between 4.2 and 1.2 K using a pumped helium cryostat, and selected samples are characterized at very low temperatures in a dilution refrigerator. Good reproducibility of the devices is necessary for producing an array of detectors. At the same time suitable electronics are developed to optimize the detectors preamplifiers link: minimization of the parasitic capacitance is necessary to reduce the integration of signal and to maximize the speed response of the detector.

OPTIMIZATION OF VIRTUAL FRISCH-GRID CdZnTe DETECTOR DESIGNS FOR IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY OF GAMMA RAYS.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BOLOTNIKOV,A.E.; ABDUL-JABBAR, N.M.; BABALOLA, S.

2007-08-21

In the past, various virtual Frisch-grid designs have been proposed for cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) and other compound semiconductor detectors. These include three-terminal, semi-spherical, CAPture, Frisch-ring, capacitive Frisch-grid and pixel devices (along with their modifications). Among them, the Frisch-grid design employing a non-contacting ring extended over the entire side surfaces of parallelepiped-shaped CZT crystals is the most promising. The defect-free parallelepiped-shaped crystals with typical dimensions of 5x5{approx}12 mm3 are easy to produce and can be arranged into large arrays used for imaging and gamma-ray spectroscopy. In this paper, we report on further advances of the virtual Frisch-grid detector design formore » the parallelepiped-shaped CZT crystals. Both the experimental testing and modeling results are described.« less

Sensitivity Enhancement of an Inductively Coupled Local Detector Using a HEMT-Based Current Amplifier.

PubMed

Qian, Chunqi; Duan, Qi; Dodd, Steve; Koretsky, Alan; Murphy-Boesch, Joe

2016-06-01

To improve the signal transmission efficiency and sensitivity of a local detection coil that is weakly inductively coupled to a larger receive coil. The resonant detection coil is connected in parallel with the gate of a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) transistor without impedance matching. When the drain of the transistor is capacitively shunted to ground, current amplification occurs in the resonator by feedback that transforms a capacitive impedance on the transistor's source to a negative resistance on its gate. High resolution images were obtained from a mouse brain using a small, 11 mm diameter surface coil that was inductively coupled to a commercial, phased array chest coil. Although the power consumption of the amplifier was only 88 μW, 14 dB gain was obtained with excellent noise performance. An integrated current amplifier based on a HEMT can enhance the sensitivity of inductively coupled local detectors when weakly coupled. This amplifier enables efficient signal transmission between customized user coils and commercial clinical coils, without the need for a specialized signal interface. Magn Reson Med 75:2573-2578, 2016. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Published 2015 This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

An inverter-based capacitive trans-impedance amplifier readout with offset cancellation and temporal noise reduction for IR focal plane array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hsin-Han; Hsieh, Chih-Cheng

2013-09-01

This paper presents a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) with inverter-based capacitive trans-impedance amplifier (CTIA) and pseudo-multiple sampling technique for infrared focal plane array (IRFPA). The proposed inverter-based CTIA with a coupling capacitor [1], executing auto-zeroing technique to cancel out the varied offset voltage from process variation, is used to substitute differential amplifier in conventional CTIA. The tunable detector bias is applied from a global external bias before exposure. This scheme not only retains stable detector bias voltage and signal injection efficiency, but also reduces the pixel area as well. Pseudo-multiple sampling technique [2] is adopted to reduce the temporal noise of readout circuit. The noise reduction performance is comparable to the conventional multiple sampling operation without need of longer readout time proportional to the number of samples. A CMOS image sensor chip with 55×65 pixel array has been fabricated in 0.18um CMOS technology. It achieves a 12um×12um pixel size, a frame rate of 72 fps, a power-per-pixel of 0.66uW/pixel, and a readout temporal noise of 1.06mVrms (16 times of pseudo-multiple sampling), respectively.

Transparent and flexible electrodes and supercapacitors using polyaniline/single-walled carbon nanotube composite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jun; Cheng, Guanghui; Chen, Liwei

2011-08-01

Large-scale transparent and flexible electronic devices have been pursued for potential applications such as those in touch sensors and display technologies. These applications require that the power source of these devices must also comply with transparent and flexible features. Here we present transparent and flexible supercapacitors assembled from polyaniline (PANI)/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) composite thin film electrodes. The ultrathin, optically homogeneous and transparent, electrically conducting films of the PANI/SWNT composite show a large specific capacitance due to combined double-layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance mechanisms. A supercapacitor assembled using electrodes with a SWNT density of 10.0 µg cm-2 and 59 wt% PANI gives a specific capacitance of 55.0 F g-1 at a current density of 2.6 A g-1, showing its possibility for transparent and flexible energy storage.

Transparent and flexible electrodes and supercapacitors using polyaniline/single-walled carbon nanotube composite thin films.

PubMed

Ge, Jun; Cheng, Guanghui; Chen, Liwei

2011-08-01

Large-scale transparent and flexible electronic devices have been pursued for potential applications such as those in touch sensors and display technologies. These applications require that the power source of these devices must also comply with transparent and flexible features. Here we present transparent and flexible supercapacitors assembled from polyaniline (PANI)/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) composite thin film electrodes. The ultrathin, optically homogeneous and transparent, electrically conducting films of the PANI/SWNT composite show a large specific capacitance due to combined double-layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance mechanisms. A supercapacitor assembled using electrodes with a SWNT density of 10.0 µg cm(-2) and 59 wt% PANI gives a specific capacitance of 55.0 F g(-1) at a current density of 2.6 A g(-1), showing its possibility for transparent and flexible energy storage. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanocages as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitor.

PubMed

Tan, Yueming; Xu, Chaofa; Chen, Guangxu; Liu, Zhaohui; Ma, Ming; Xie, Qingji; Zheng, Nanfeng; Yao, Shouzhuo

2013-03-01

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbons with large surface area, high conductivity, and suitable pore size distribution is highly desirable for high-performance supercapacitor applications. Here, we report a novel protocol for template synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanocages (CNCs) derived from polyaniline (PANI) and their excellent capacitive properties. The synthesis of CNCs involves one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of Mn3O4@PANI core-shell nanoparticles, carbonization to produce carbon coated MnO nanoparticles, and then removal of the MnO cores by acidic treatment. The CNCs prepared at an optimum carbonization temperature of 800 °C (CNCs-800) have regular frameworks, moderate graphitization, high specific surface area, good mesoporosity, and appropriate N doping. The CNCs-800 show high specific capacitance (248 F g(-1) at 1.0 A g(-1)), excellent rate capability (88% and 76% capacitance retention at 10 and 100 A g(-1), respectively), and outstanding cycling stability (~95% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles) in 6 M KOH aqueous solution. The CNCs-800 can also exhibit great pseudocapacitance in 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous solution besides the large electrochemical double-layer capacitance. The excellent capacitance performance coupled with the facile synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic CNCs indicates their great application potential in supercapacitors.

The Origin of Improved Electrical Double-Layer Capacitance by Inclusion of Topological Defects and Dopants in Graphene for Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Chen, Jiafeng; Han, Yulei; Kong, Xianghua; Deng, Xinzhou; Park, Hyo Ju; Guo, Yali; Jin, Song; Qi, Zhikai; Lee, Zonghoon; Qiao, Zhenhua; Ruoff, Rodney S; Ji, Hengxing

2016-10-24

Low-energy density has long been the major limitation to the application of supercapacitors. Introducing topological defects and dopants in carbon-based electrodes in a supercapacitor improves the performance by maximizing the gravimetric capacitance per mass of the electrode. However, the main mechanisms governing this capacitance improvement are still unclear. We fabricated planar electrodes from CVD-derived single-layer graphene with deliberately introduced topological defects and nitrogen dopants in controlled concentrations and of known configurations, to estimate the influence of these defects on the electrical double-layer (EDL) capacitance. Our experimental study and theoretical calculations show that the increase in EDL capacitance due to either the topological defects or the nitrogen dopants has the same origin, yet these two factors improve the EDL capacitance in different ways. Our work provides a better understanding of the correlation between the atomic-scale structure and the EDL capacitance and presents a new strategy for the development of experimental and theoretical models for understanding the EDL capacitance of carbon electrodes. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

InGaAs nano-photodetectors based on photonic crystal waveguide including ultracompact buried heterostructure.

PubMed

Nozaki, Kengo; Matsuo, Shinji; Takeda, Koji; Sato, Tomonari; Kuramochi, Eiichi; Notomi, Masaya

2013-08-12

Ultrasmall InGaAs photodetectors based on a photonic crystal waveguide with a buried heterostructure (BH) were demonstrated for the first time. A sufficiently high DC responsivity of ~1 A/W was achieved for the 3.4-μm-long detector. The dynamic response revealed a 3-dB bandwidth of 6 GHz and a 10-Gb/s eye pattern. These results were thanks to the strong confinement of both photons and carriers in a small BH and will pave the way for unprecedented nano-photodetectors with a high quantum efficiency and small capacitance. Our device potentially has an ultrasmall junction capacitance of much less than 1 fF and may enable us to eliminate electrical amplifiers for future optical receivers and subsequent ultralow-power optical links on a chip.

Criteria for the Choice of a Capacitive Device for Mechanical Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucifredi, A. L.

1970-01-01

The advantages and disadvantages of different models of capacitive transducers and of various signal conditioning circuits are discussed with particular emphasis on the field of applications. A practical example of a design procedure is discussed.

Carbon nanotubes buckypaper radiation studies for medical physics applications.

PubMed

Alanazi, Abdulaziz; Alkhorayef, Mohammed; Alzimami, Khalid; Jurewicz, Izabela; Abuhadi, Nouf; Dalton, Alan; Bradley, D A

2016-11-01

Graphite ion chambers and semiconductor diode detectors have been used to make measurements in phantoms but these active devices represent a clear disadvantage when considered for in vivo dosimetry. In such circumstance, dosimeters with atomic number similar to human tissue are needed. Carbon nanotubes have properties that potentially meet the demand, requiring low voltage in active devices and an atomic number similar to adipose tissue. In this study, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) buckypaper has been used to measure the beta particle dose deposited from a strontium-90 source, the medium displaying thermoluminescence at potentially useful sensitivity. As an example, the samples show a clear response for a dose of 2Gy. This finding suggests that carbon nanotubes can be used as a passive dosimeter specifically for the high levels of radiation exposures used in radiation therapy. Furthermore, the finding points towards further potential applications such as for space radiation measurements, not least because the medium satisfies a demand for light but strong materials of minimal capacitance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface-Potential-Based Metal-Oxide-Silicon-Varactor Model for RF Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyake, Masataka; Sadachika, Norio; Navarro, Dondee; Mizukane, Yoshio; Matsumoto, Kenji; Ezaki, Tatsuya; Miura-Mattausch, Mitiko; Mattausch, Hans Juergen; Ohguro, Tatsuya; Iizuka, Takahiro; Taguchi, Masahiko; Kumashiro, Shigetaka; Miyamoto, Shunsuke

2007-04-01

We have developed a surface-potential-based metal-oxide-silicon (MOS)-varactor model valid for RF applications up to 200 GHz. The model enables the calculation of the MOS-varactor capacitance seamlessly from the depletion region to the accumulation region and explicitly considers the carrier-response delay causing a non-quasi-static (NQS) effect. It has been observed that capacitance reduction due to this non-quasi-static effect limits the MOS-varactor application to an RF regime.

Testbeam results of irradiated ams H18 HV-CMOS pixel sensor prototypes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoit, M.; Braccini, S.; Casse, G.; Chen, H.; Chen, K.; Di Bello, F. A.; Ferrere, D.; Golling, T.; Gonzalez-Sevilla, S.; Iacobucci, G.; Kiehn, M.; Lanni, F.; Liu, H.; Meng, L.; Merlassino, C.; Miucci, A.; Muenstermann, D.; Nessi, M.; Okawa, H.; Perić, I.; Rimoldi, M.; Ristić, B.; Barrero Pinto, M. Vicente; Vossebeld, J.; Weber, M.; Weston, T.; Wu, W.; Xu, L.; Zaffaroni, E.

2018-02-01

HV-CMOS pixel sensors are a promising option for the tracker upgrade of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, as well as for other future tracking applications in which large areas are to be instrumented with radiation-tolerant silicon pixel sensors. We present results of testbeam characterisations of the 4th generation of Capacitively Coupled Pixel Detectors (CCPDv4) produced with the ams H18 HV-CMOS process that have been irradiated with different particles (reactor neutrons and 18 MeV protons) to fluences between 1× 1014 and 5× 1015 1-MeV- neq. The sensors were glued to ATLAS FE-I4 pixel readout chips and measured at the CERN SPS H8 beamline using the FE-I4 beam telescope. Results for all fluences are very encouraging with all hit efficiencies being better than 97% for bias voltages of 85 V. The sample irradiated to a fluence of 1× 1015 neq—a relevant value for a large volume of the upgraded tracker—exhibited 99.7% average hit efficiency. The results give strong evidence for the radiation tolerance of HV-CMOS sensors and their suitability as sensors for the experimental HL-LHC upgrades and future large-area silicon-based tracking detectors in high-radiation environments.

Studies on the Evaluation Methods for the Food Quality with a Non-contact type Capacitance Sensor.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narumiya, Tadaoki; Hagura, Yoshio

Changes of capacitance and temperature of ethyl alcohol, hamburger and dough with cheese filling were measured with specially-made measuring devices during the freezing and thawing. The results of measurement of capacitance and temperature suggest a linear correlation for ethyl alcohol as a single constituent substance. The adequate correlation is too estimated from the results of food samples, though the capacitance of food sample varies greatly at the start and end of freezing and thawing process. It has been demonstrated that the quality or physical condition of food sample can be determined easily by the measurement of capacitance using the specially-made devices. Also the quality or physical condition of food can be determined easily by the non-contact and non-destructive measurements of capacitance. A variety application of the present technique is conceivable for the process control of the freezing and thawing foods.

Development of Electrochemical Supercapacitors for EMA Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosek, John A.; Dunning, Thomas; LaConti, Anthony B.

1996-01-01

A limitation of the typical electrochemical capacitor is the maximum available power and energy density, and an improvement in capacitance per unit weight and volume is needed. A solid-ionomer electrochemical capacitor having a unit cell capacitance greater than 2 F/sq cm and a repeating element thickness of 6 mils has been developed. This capacitor could provide high-current pulses for electromechanical actuation (EMA). Primary project objectives were to develop high-capacitance particulates, to increase capacitor gravimetric and volumetric energy densities above baseline and to fabricate a 10-V capacitor with a repeating element thickness of 6 mils or less. Specific EMA applications were identified and capacitor weight and volume projections made.

The Use of 3D Printing in the Development of Gaseous Radiation Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fargher, Sam; Steer, Chris; Thompson, Lee

2018-01-01

Fused Deposition Modelling has been used to produce a small, single wire, Iarocci-style drift tube to demonstrate the feasibility of using the Additive Manufacturing technique to produce cheap detectors, quickly. Recent technological developments have extended the scope of Additive Manufacturing, or 3D printing, to the possibility of fabricating Gaseous Radiation Detectors, such as Single Wire Proportional Counters and Time Projection Chambers. 3D printing could allow for the production of customisable, modular detectors; that can be easily created and replaced and the possibility of printing detectors on-site in remote locations and even for outreach within schools. The 3D printed drift tube was printed using Polylactic acid to produce a gas volume in the shape of an inverted triangular prism; base length of 28 mm, height 24.25 mm and tube length 145 mm. A stainless steel anode wire was placed in the centre of the tube, mid-print. P5 gas (95% Argon, 5% Methane) was used as the drift gas and a circuit was built to capacitively decouple signals from the high voltage. The signal rate and average pulse height of cosmic ray muons were measured over a range of bias voltages to characterise and prove correct operation of the printed detector.

AC Resonant charger with charge rate unrelated to primary power frequency

DOEpatents

Watson, Harold

1982-01-01

An AC resonant charger for a capacitive load, such as a PFN, is provided with a variable repetition rate unrelated to the frequency of a multi-phase AC power source by using a control unit to select and couple the phase of the power source to the resonant charger in order to charge the capacitive load with a phase that is the next to begin a half cycle. For optimum range in repetition rate and increased charging voltage, the resonant charger includes a step-up transformer and full-wave rectifier. The next phase selected may then be of either polarity, but is always selected to be of a polarity opposite the polarity of the last phase selected so that the transformer core does not saturate. Thyristors are used to select and couple the correct phase just after its zero crossover in response to a sharp pulse generated by a zero-crossover detector. The thyristor that is turned on then automatically turns off after a full half cycle of its associated phase input. A full-wave rectifier couples the secondary winding of the transformer to the load so that the load capacitance is always charged with the same polarity.

Ac resonant charger with charge rate unrelated to preimary power requency

DOEpatents

Not Available

1979-12-07

An ac resonant charger for a capacitive load, such as a pulse forming network (PFN), is provided with a variable repetition rate unrelated to the frequency of a multi-phase ac power source by using a control unit to select and couple the phase of the power source to the resonant charger in order to charge the capacitive load with a phase that is the next to begin a half cycle. For optimum range in repetition rate and increased charging voltage, the resonant charger includes a step-up transformer and full-wave rectifier. The next phase selected may then be of either polarity, but is always selected to be of a polarity opposite the polarity of the last phase selected so that the transformer core does not saturate. Thyristors are used to select and couple the correct phase just after its zero crossover in response to a sharp pulse generated by a zero-crossover detector. The thyristor that is turned on then automatically turns off after a full half cycle of its associated phase input. A full-wave rectifier couples the secondary winding of the transformer to the load so that the load capacitance is always charged with the same polarity.

Capacitive chemical sensor

DOEpatents

Manginell, Ronald P; Moorman, Matthew W; Wheeler, David R

2014-05-27

A microfabricated capacitive chemical sensor can be used as an autonomous chemical sensor or as an analyte-sensitive chemical preconcentrator in a larger microanalytical system. The capacitive chemical sensor detects changes in sensing film dielectric properties, such as the dielectric constant, conductivity, or dimensionality. These changes result from the interaction of a target analyte with the sensing film. This capability provides a low-power, self-heating chemical sensor suitable for remote and unattended sensing applications. The capacitive chemical sensor also enables a smart, analyte-sensitive chemical preconcentrator. After sorption of the sample by the sensing film, the film can be rapidly heated to release the sample for further analysis. Therefore, the capacitive chemical sensor can optimize the sample collection time prior to release to enable the rapid and accurate analysis of analytes by a microanalytical system.

Airplane Ice Detector Based on a Microwave Transmission Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ngo, Phong; Arndt, G. Dickey; Carl, James R.

2004-01-01

An electronic instrument that could detect the potentially dangerous buildup of ice on an airplane wing is undergoing development. The instrument is based on a microwave transmission line configured as a capacitance probe: at selected spots, the transmission-line conductors are partly exposed to allow any ice and/or liquid water present at those spots to act as predominantly capacitive electrical loads on the transmission line. These loads change the input impedance of the transmission line, as measured at a suitable excitation frequency. Thus, it should be possible to infer the presence of ice and/or liquid water from measurements of the input impedance and/or electrical parameters related to the input impedance. The sensory transmission line is of the microstrip type and thus thin enough to be placed on an airplane wing without unduly disturbing airflow in flight. The sensory spots are small areas from which the upper layer of the microstrip has been removed to allow any liquid water or ice on the surface to reach the transmission line. The sensory spots are spaced at nominal open-circuit points, which are at intervals of a half wavelength (in the transmission line, not in air) at the excitation frequency. The excitation frequency used in the experiments has been 1 GHz, for which a half wavelength in the transmission line is .4 in. (.10 cm). The figure depicts a laboratory prototype of the instrument. The impedance-related quantities chosen for use in this version of the instrument are the magnitude and phase of the scattering parameter S11 as manifested in the in-phase (I ) and quadrature (Q) outputs of the phase detector. By careful layout of the transmission line (including the half-wavelength sensor spacing), one can ensure that the amplitude and phase of the input to the phase detector keep shifting in the same direction as ice forms on one or more of the sensor areas. Although only one transmission-line sensor strip is used in the laboratory version, in a practical application, it could be desirable to install multiple strips on different areas to detect localized icing. In that case, a multiplexer should be used to connect the various strips to the phase detector for sequential measurements. Experiments have been performed with freezing and thawing of water and of water/glycol mixtures. The experiments have shown that, whether or not glycol is present, it is possible to distinguish between liquid water and ice via the I and Q outputs; in particular, the equipment can be adjusted so that when water freezes, I decreases and Q increases. With respect to the operation of this instrument, the main effect of glycol is to increase the freezing or thawing time.

Capacitance-Based Dosimetry of Co-60 Radiation using Fully-Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator Devices

PubMed Central

Li, Yulong; Porter, Warren M.; Ma, Rui; Reynolds, Margaret A.; Gerbi, Bruce J.; Koester, Steven J.

2015-01-01

The capacitance based sensing of fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) variable capacitors for Co-60 gamma radiation is investigated. Linear response of the capacitance is observed for radiation dose up to 64 Gy, while the percent capacitance change per unit dose is as high as 0.24 %/Gy. An analytical model is developed to study the operational principles of the varactors and the maximum sensitivity as a function of frequency is determined. The results show that FDSOI varactor dosimeters have potential for extremely-high sensitivity as well as the potential for high frequency operation in applications such as wireless radiation sensing. PMID:27840451

A 128 x 128 InGaAs detector array for 1.0 - 1.7 microns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, G.; Joshi, A.; Lange, M.; Woodruff, K.; Mykietyn, E.; Gay, D.; Ackley, D.; Erickson, G.; Ban, V.; Staller, C.

1990-01-01

A two-dimensional 128 x 128 detector array for the 1.0 - 1.7 micron spectral region has been demonstrated with indium gallium arsenide. The 30 micron square pixels had 60 micron spacing in both directions and were designed to be compatible with a 2D Reticon multiplexer. Dark currents below 100 pA, capacitance near 0.1 pF, and quantum efficiencies above 80 percent were measured. Probe maps of dark current and quantum efficiency are presented along with pixel dropout data and wafer yield which was as high as 99.89 percent (7 dropouts) in an area of 6528 pixels and 99.37 percent (103 dropouts) over an entire 128 x 128 pixel region.

Monitoring microbial metabolites using an inductively coupled resonance circuit

PubMed Central

Karnaushenko, Daniil; Baraban, Larysa; Ye, Dan; Uguz, Ilke; Mendes, Rafael G.; Rümmeli, Mark H.; de Visser, J. Arjan G. M.; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio; Makarov, Denys

2015-01-01

We present a new approach to monitor microbial population dynamics in emulsion droplets via changes in metabolite composition, using an inductively coupled LC resonance circuit. The signal measured by such resonance detector provides information on the magnetic field interaction with the bacterial culture, which is complementary to the information accessible by other detection means, based on electric field interaction, i.e. capacitive or resistive, as well as optical techniques. Several charge-related factors, including pH and ammonia concentrations, were identified as possible contributors to the characteristic of resonance detector profile. The setup enables probing the ionic byproducts of microbial metabolic activity at later stages of cell growth, where conventional optical detection methods have no discriminating power. PMID:26264183

Noise spectra in balanced optical detectors based on transimpedance amplifiers.

PubMed

Masalov, A V; Kuzhamuratov, A; Lvovsky, A I

2017-11-01

We present a thorough theoretical analysis and experimental study of the shot and electronic noise spectra of a balanced optical detector based on an operational amplifier connected in a transimpedance scheme. We identify and quantify the primary parameters responsible for the limitations of the circuit, in particular, the bandwidth and shot-to-electronic noise clearance. We find that the shot noise spectrum can be made consistent with the second-order Butterworth filter, while the electronic noise grows linearly with the second power of the frequency. Good agreement between the theory and experiment is observed; however, the capacitances of the operational amplifier input and the photodiodes appear significantly higher than those specified in manufacturers' datasheets. This observation is confirmed by independent tests.

Noise spectra in balanced optical detectors based on transimpedance amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masalov, A. V.; Kuzhamuratov, A.; Lvovsky, A. I.

2017-11-01

We present a thorough theoretical analysis and experimental study of the shot and electronic noise spectra of a balanced optical detector based on an operational amplifier connected in a transimpedance scheme. We identify and quantify the primary parameters responsible for the limitations of the circuit, in particular, the bandwidth and shot-to-electronic noise clearance. We find that the shot noise spectrum can be made consistent with the second-order Butterworth filter, while the electronic noise grows linearly with the second power of the frequency. Good agreement between the theory and experiment is observed; however, the capacitances of the operational amplifier input and the photodiodes appear significantly higher than those specified in manufacturers' datasheets. This observation is confirmed by independent tests.

A Micromachined Capacitive Pressure Sensor Using a Cavity-Less Structure with Bulk-Metal/Elastomer Layers and Its Wireless Telemetry Application

PubMed Central

Takahata, Kenichi; Gianchandani, Yogesh B.

2008-01-01

This paper reports a micromachined capacitive pressure sensor intended for applications that require mechanical robustness. The device is constructed with two micromachined metal plates and an intermediate polymer layer that is soft enough to deform in a target pressure range. The plates are formed of micromachined stainless steel fabricated by batch-compatible micro-electro-discharge machining. A polyurethane room-temperature-vulcanizing liquid rubber of 38-μm thickness is used as the deformable material. This structure eliminates both the vacuum cavity and the associated lead transfer challenges common to micromachined capacitive pressure sensors. For frequency-based interrogation of the capacitance, passive inductor-capacitor tanks are fabricated by combining the capacitive sensor with an inductive coil. The coil has 40 turns of a 127-μm-diameter copper wire. Wireless sensing is demonstrated in liquid by monitoring the variation in the resonant frequency of the tank via an external coil that is magnetically coupled with the tank. The sensitivity at room temperature is measured to be 23-33 ppm/KPa over a dynamic range of 340 KPa, which is shown to match a theoretical estimation. Temperature dependence of the tank is experimentally evaluated. PMID:27879824

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cibinetto, G.

Inner Trackers (IT) are key detectors in Particle Physics experiments; excellent spatial resolution, radiation transparency and hardness, and operability under high occupancies are main requirements. We aim to design, build and commission by 2017 a Cylindrical GEM (CGEM) detector candidate to be the new IT of the BESIII spectrometer, hosted on BEPC2 in IHEP, Beijing; BESIII data taking will last until at least 2020. The IT itself will represent an evolution w.r.t. the state of the art of GEM detectors, since the use of new kind of mechanical supports for the GEM foils will reduce the total radiation length ofmore » the detector and improve its tracking performance; an innovative design of the CGEM anode will allow for smaller capacitance and hence for bigger signals. The relatively strong BESIII magnetic field requires a new analogue readout; full custom front-end electronics, including a dedicated ASIC, will be designed and produced for optimal data collection. Prototype Beam Test results showing the measurement of the spatial resolution in a 1 Tesla magnetic field will be presented among with the mechanical design and simulations. (authors)« less

Advanced Photon Counting Imaging Detectors with 100ps Timing for Astronomical and Space Sensing Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegmund, O.; Vallerga, J.; Welsh, B.; Rabin, M.; Bloch, J.

In recent years EAG has implemented a variety of high-resolution, large format, photon-counting MCP detectors in space instrumentation for satellite FUSE, GALEX, IMAGE, SOHO, HST-COS, rocket, and shuttle payloads. Our scheme of choice has been delay line readouts encoding photon event position centroids, by determination of the difference in arrival time of the event charge at the two ends of a distributed resistive-capacitive (RC) delay line. Our most commonly used delay line configuration is the cross delay line (XDL). In its simplest form the delay-line encoding electronics consists of a fast amplifier for each end of the delay line, followed by time-to-digital converters (TDC's). We have achieved resolutions of < 25 μm in tests over 65 mm x 65 mm (3k x3k resolution elements) with excellent linearity. Using high speed TDC's, we have been able to encode event positions for random photon rates of ~1 MHz, while time tagging events using the MCP output signal to better than 100 ps. The unique ability to record photon X,Y,T high fidelity information has advantages over "frame driven" recording devices for some important applications. For example we have built open face and sealed tube cross delay line detectors used for biological fluorescence lifetime imaging, observation of flare stars, orbital satellites and space debris with the GALEX satellite, and time resolved imaging of the Crab Pulsar with a telescope as small as 1m. Although microchannel plate delay line detectors meet many of the imaging and timing demands of various applications, they have limitations. The relatively high gain (107) reduces lifetime and local counting rate, and the fixed delay (10's of ns) makes multiple simultaneous event recording problematic. To overcome these limitations we have begun development of cross strip readout anodes for microchannel plate detectors. The cross strip (XS) anode is a coarse (~0.5 mm) multi-layer metal and ceramic pattern of crossed fingers on an alumina substrate. The charge cloud is matched to the anode period so that it is collected on several neighboring fingers to ensure an accurate event charge centroid can be determined. Each finger of the anode is connected to a low noise charge sensitive amplifier and followed by subsequent A/D conversion of individual strip charge values and a hardware centroid determination of better than 1/100 of a strip are possible. Recently we have commissioned a full 32 x 32 mm XS open face laboratory detector and demonstrated excellent resolution (<6 μm FWHM, ~5k x 5k resolution) using low MCP gain (<5 x 105) thus increasing the MCP local counting rate capacity and overall lifetime of the detector system. In collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA and NSF we are developing high rate (>107 Hz) XS encoding electronics that will encode temporally simultaneous events (non spatially overlapping). Sealed tube XS detectors with GaAs and other photocathodes are also under development to increase detection efficiency and extend the sensitivity range. This type of sensor could be a significant enabling technology for several important applications, including airborne and space situational awareness, high-speed adaptive optics (by increasing the SNR and speed in the control loop), astronomy of transient and time-variable sources, optical metrology, and secure quantum communication (as a receiver of cryptographic keys for three-dimensional imaging), single-molecule fluorescence lifetime microscopy (simultaneously tracking and measuring ~1000 molecules), optical/NIR LIDAR, hybrid mass spectrometry and optical night-time/reconnaissance (LANL-ASPIRE).

Robust and conductive two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally high volumetric and areal capacitance

DOE PAGES

Feng, Dawei; Lei, Ting; Lukatskaya, Maria R.; ...

2018-01-01

For miniaturized capacitive energy storage, volumetric and areal capacitances are more important metrics than gravimetric ones because of the constraints imposed by device volume and chip area. Typically used in commercial supercapacitors, porous carbons, although they provide a stable and reliable performance, lack volumetric performance because of their inherently low density and moderate capacitances. In this paper, we report a high-performing electrode based on conductive hexaaminobenzene (HAB)-derived two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In addition to possessing a high packing density and hierarchical porous structure, these MOFs also exhibit excellent chemical stability in both acidic and basic aqueous solutions, which is inmore » sharp contrast to conventional MOFs. Submillimetre-thick pellets of HAB MOFs showed high volumetric capacitances up to 760 F cm -3 and high areal capacitances over 20 F cm -2. Furthermore, the HAB MOF electrodes exhibited highly reversible redox behaviours and good cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 90% after 12,000 cycles. In conclusion, these promising results demonstrate the potential of using redox-active conductive MOFs in energy-storage applications.« less

Robust and conductive two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally high volumetric and areal capacitance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feng, Dawei; Lei, Ting; Lukatskaya, Maria R.

For miniaturized capacitive energy storage, volumetric and areal capacitances are more important metrics than gravimetric ones because of the constraints imposed by device volume and chip area. Typically used in commercial supercapacitors, porous carbons, although they provide a stable and reliable performance, lack volumetric performance because of their inherently low density and moderate capacitances. In this paper, we report a high-performing electrode based on conductive hexaaminobenzene (HAB)-derived two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In addition to possessing a high packing density and hierarchical porous structure, these MOFs also exhibit excellent chemical stability in both acidic and basic aqueous solutions, which is inmore » sharp contrast to conventional MOFs. Submillimetre-thick pellets of HAB MOFs showed high volumetric capacitances up to 760 F cm -3 and high areal capacitances over 20 F cm -2. Furthermore, the HAB MOF electrodes exhibited highly reversible redox behaviours and good cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 90% after 12,000 cycles. In conclusion, these promising results demonstrate the potential of using redox-active conductive MOFs in energy-storage applications.« less

Electrochemical and Capacitive Properties of Carbon Dots/Reduced Graphene Oxide Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Dang, Yong-Qiang; Ren, Shao-Zhao; Liu, Guoyang; Cai, Jiangtao; Zhang, Yating; Qiu, Jieshan

2016-11-14

There is much recent interest in graphene-based composite electrode materials because of their excellent mechanical strengths, high electron mobilities, and large specific surface areas. These materials are good candidates for applications in supercapacitors. In this work, a new graphene-based electrode material for supercapacitors was fabricated by anchoring carbon dots (CDs) on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The capacitive properties of electrodes in aqueous electrolytes were systematically studied by galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The capacitance of rGO was improved when an appropriate amount of CDs were added to the material. The CD/rGO electrode exhibited a good reversibility, excellent rate capability, fast charge transfer, and high specific capacitance in 1 M H₂SO₄. Its capacitance was as high as 211.9 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. This capacitance was 74.3% higher than that of a pristine rGO electrode (121.6 F/g), and the capacitance of the CD/rGO electrode retained 92.8% of its original value after 1000 cycles at a CDs-to-rGO ratio of 5:1.

Robust and conductive two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally high volumetric and areal capacitance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Dawei; Lei, Ting; Lukatskaya, Maria R.; Park, Jihye; Huang, Zhehao; Lee, Minah; Shaw, Leo; Chen, Shucheng; Yakovenko, Andrey A.; Kulkarni, Ambarish; Xiao, Jianping; Fredrickson, Kurt; Tok, Jeffrey B.; Zou, Xiaodong; Cui, Yi; Bao, Zhenan

2018-01-01

For miniaturized capacitive energy storage, volumetric and areal capacitances are more important metrics than gravimetric ones because of the constraints imposed by device volume and chip area. Typically used in commercial supercapacitors, porous carbons, although they provide a stable and reliable performance, lack volumetric performance because of their inherently low density and moderate capacitances. Here we report a high-performing electrode based on conductive hexaaminobenzene (HAB)-derived two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In addition to possessing a high packing density and hierarchical porous structure, these MOFs also exhibit excellent chemical stability in both acidic and basic aqueous solutions, which is in sharp contrast to conventional MOFs. Submillimetre-thick pellets of HAB MOFs showed high volumetric capacitances up to 760 F cm-3 and high areal capacitances over 20 F cm-2. Furthermore, the HAB MOF electrodes exhibited highly reversible redox behaviours and good cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 90% after 12,000 cycles. These promising results demonstrate the potential of using redox-active conductive MOFs in energy-storage applications.

Effect of hysteretic and non-hysteretic negative capacitance on tunnel FETs DC performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeidi, Ali; Jazaeri, Farzan; Stolichnov, Igor; Luong, Gia V.; Zhao, Qing-Tai; Mantl, Siegfried; Ionescu, Adrian M.

2018-03-01

This work experimentally demonstrates that the negative capacitance effect can be used to significantly improve the key figures of merit of tunnel field effect transistor (FET) switches. In the proposed approach, a matching condition is fulfilled between a trained-polycrystalline PZT capacitor and the tunnel FET (TFET) gate capacitance fabricated on a strained silicon-nanowire technology. We report a non-hysteretic switch configuration by combining a homojunction TFET and a negative capacitance effect booster, suitable for logic applications, for which the on-current is increased by a factor of 100, the transconductance by 2 orders of magnitude, and the low swing region is extended. The operation of a hysteretic negative capacitance TFET, when the matching condition for the negative capacitance is fulfilled only in a limited region of operation, is also reported and discussed. In this late case, a limited improvement in the device performance is observed. Overall, the paper demonstrates the main beneficial effects of negative capacitance on TFETs are the overdrive and transconductance amplification, which exactly address the most limiting performances of current TFETs.

Fabricate BC/Fe3O4@PPy 3D nanofiber film as flexible electrode for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Xvdan; Li, Guohui; Pang, Zengyuan; Li, Dawei; Lei, Luo; Lv, Pengfei; Mushtaq, Muhammad; Wei, Qufu

2018-05-01

For flexible film supercapacitor, high areal capacitance is a main evaluating indicator. In this paper, bacterial cellulose (BC) with special three-dimensional structure was used as the natural flexible base material. Fe3O4 nanoparticles with average diameter of 20 nm were synthesized on the surface of BC fibers. The conductive path polypyrrole (PPy) was introduced as shell of BC/Fe3O4 fibers to further improve the pseudo capacitance in 1 mol/L H2SO4 solution. Besides, the BC/Fe3O4@PPy was used for supercapacitor application in acid electrolyte, and delivered higher areal capacitance compared to other Fe3O4 composites in previous reports. The obtained BC/Fe3O4@PPy film showed excellent mechanical strength (tensile strength reached 11 MPa), high areal specific capacitance (5.4 F cm-2 at active mass of 8.4 mg cm-2), and long cycle life (1.95 F cm-2 over 3500 cycles).

Application of Advanced Concepts and Techniques in Electromagnetic Topology Based Simulations: CRIPTE and Related Codes

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

multiconductor transmission line theory. The per-unit capacitance, inductance , and characteristic impedance matrices generated from the companion LAPLACE...code based on the Method of Moments application, by meshing different sections of the multiconductor cable for capacitance and inductance matrices [21...conductors held together in four pairs and resided in the cable jacket. Each of eight conductors was also designed with the per unit length resistance

A 400 KHz line rate 2048-pixel stitched SWIR linear array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anchlia, Ankur; Vinella, Rosa M.; Gielen, Daphne; Wouters, Kristof; Vervenne, Vincent; Hooylaerts, Peter; Deroo, Pieter; Ruythooren, Wouter; De Gaspari, Danny; Das, Jo; Merken, Patrick

2016-05-01

Xenics has developed a family of stitched SWIR long linear arrays that operate up to 400 KHz of line rate. These arrays serve medical and industrial applications that require high line rates as well as space applications that require long linear arrays. The arrays are based on a modular ROIC design concept: modules of 512 pixels are stitched during fabrication to achieve 512, 1024 and 2048 pixel arrays. Each 512-pixel module has its own on-chip digital sequencer, analog readout chain and 4 output buffers. This modular concept enables a long array to run at a high line rates irrespective of the array length, which limits the line rate in a traditional linear array. The ROIC is flip-chipped with InGaAs detector arrays. The FPA has a pixel pitch of 12.5μm and has two pixel flavors: square (12.5μm) and rectangular (250μm). The frontend circuit is based on Capacitive Trans-impedance Amplifier (CTIA) to attain stable detector bias, and good linearity and signal integrity, especially at high speeds. The CTIA has an input auto-zero mechanism that allows to have low detector bias (<20mV). An on-chip Correlated Double Sample (CDS) facilitates removal of CTIA KTC and 1/f noise, and other offsets, achieving low noise performance. There are five gain modes in the FPA giving the full well range from 85Ke- to 40Me-. The measured input referred noise is 35e-rms in the highest gain mode. The FPA operates in Integrate While Read mode and, at a master clock rate of 60MHz and a minimum integration time of 1.4μs, achieves the highest line rate of 400 KHz. In this paper, design details and measurements results are presented in order to demonstrate the array performance.

Energy dispersive CdTe and CdZnTe detectors for spectral clinical CT and NDT applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, W. C.; Wessel, J. C.; Nygard, E.; Iwanczyk, J. S.

2015-06-01

We are developing room temperature compound semiconductor detectors for applications in energy-resolved high-flux single x-ray photon-counting spectral computed tomography (CT), including functional imaging with nanoparticle contrast agents for medical applications and non-destructive testing (NDT) for security applications. Energy-resolved photon-counting can provide reduced patient dose through optimal energy weighting for a particular imaging task in CT, functional contrast enhancement through spectroscopic imaging of metal nanoparticles in CT, and compositional analysis through multiple basis function material decomposition in CT and NDT. These applications produce high input count rates from an x-ray generator delivered to the detector. Therefore, in order to achieve energy-resolved single photon counting in these applications, a high output count rate (OCR) for an energy-dispersive detector must be achieved at the required spatial resolution and across the required dynamic range for the application. The required performance in terms of the OCR, spatial resolution, and dynamic range must be obtained with sufficient field of view (FOV) for the application thus requiring the tiling of pixel arrays and scanning techniques. Room temperature cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) compound semiconductors, operating as direct conversion x-ray sensors, can provide the required speed when connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) operating at fast peaking times with multiple fixed thresholds per pixel provided the sensors are designed for rapid signal formation across the x-ray energy ranges of the application at the required energy and spatial resolutions, and at a sufficiently high detective quantum efficiency (DQE). We have developed high-flux energy-resolved photon-counting x-ray imaging array sensors using pixellated CdTe and CdZnTe semiconductors optimized for clinical CT and security NDT. We have also fabricated high-flux ASICs with a two dimensional (2D) array of inputs for readout from the sensors. The sensors are guard ring free and have a 2D array of pixels and can be tiled in 2D while preserving pixel pitch. The 2D ASICs have four energy bins with a linear energy response across sufficient dynamic range for clinical CT and some NDT applications. The ASICs can also be tiled in 2D and are designed to fit within the active area of the sensors. We have measured several important performance parameters including: the output count rate (OCR) in excess of 20 million counts per second per square mm with a minimum loss of counts due to pulse pile-up, an energy resolution of 7 keV full width at half-maximum (FWHM) across the entire dynamic range, and a noise floor about 20 keV. This is achieved by directly interconnecting the ASIC inputs to the pixels of the CdZnTe sensors incurring very little input capacitance to the ASICs. We present measurements of the performance of the CdTe and CdZnTe sensors including the OCR, FWHM energy resolution, noise floor, as well as the temporal stability and uniformity under the rapidly varying high flux expected in CT and NDT applications.

Energy dispersive CdTe and CdZnTe detectors for spectral clinical CT and NDT applications

PubMed Central

Barber, W. C.; Wessel, J. C.; Nygard, E.; Iwanczyk, J. S.

2014-01-01

We are developing room temperature compound semiconductor detectors for applications in energy-resolved high-flux single x-ray photon-counting spectral computed tomography (CT), including functional imaging with nanoparticle contrast agents for medical applications and non destructive testing (NDT) for security applications. Energy-resolved photon-counting can provide reduced patient dose through optimal energy weighting for a particular imaging task in CT, functional contrast enhancement through spectroscopic imaging of metal nanoparticles in CT, and compositional analysis through multiple basis function material decomposition in CT and NDT. These applications produce high input count rates from an x-ray generator delivered to the detector. Therefore, in order to achieve energy-resolved single photon counting in these applications, a high output count rate (OCR) for an energy-dispersive detector must be achieved at the required spatial resolution and across the required dynamic range for the application. The required performance in terms of the OCR, spatial resolution, and dynamic range must be obtained with sufficient field of view (FOV) for the application thus requiring the tiling of pixel arrays and scanning techniques. Room temperature cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) compound semiconductors, operating as direct conversion x-ray sensors, can provide the required speed when connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) operating at fast peaking times with multiple fixed thresholds per pixel provided the sensors are designed for rapid signal formation across the x-ray energy ranges of the application at the required energy and spatial resolutions, and at a sufficiently high detective quantum efficiency (DQE). We have developed high-flux energy-resolved photon-counting x-ray imaging array sensors using pixellated CdTe and CdZnTe semiconductors optimized for clinical CT and security NDT. We have also fabricated high-flux ASICs with a two dimensional (2D) array of inputs for readout from the sensors. The sensors are guard ring free and have a 2D array of pixels and can be tiled in 2D while preserving pixel pitch. The 2D ASICs have four energy bins with a linear energy response across sufficient dynamic range for clinical CT and some NDT applications. The ASICs can also be tiled in 2D and are designed to fit within the active area of the sensors. We have measured several important performance parameters including; the output count rate (OCR) in excess of 20 million counts per second per square mm with a minimum loss of counts due to pulse pile-up, an energy resolution of 7 keV full width at half maximum (FWHM) across the entire dynamic range, and a noise floor about 20keV. This is achieved by directly interconnecting the ASIC inputs to the pixels of the CdZnTe sensors incurring very little input capacitance to the ASICs. We present measurements of the performance of the CdTe and CdZnTe sensors including the OCR, FWHM energy resolution, noise floor, as well as the temporal stability and uniformity under the rapidly varying high flux expected in CT and NDT applications. PMID:25937684

Energy dispersive CdTe and CdZnTe detectors for spectral clinical CT and NDT applications.

PubMed

Barber, W C; Wessel, J C; Nygard, E; Iwanczyk, J S

2015-06-01

We are developing room temperature compound semiconductor detectors for applications in energy-resolved high-flux single x-ray photon-counting spectral computed tomography (CT), including functional imaging with nanoparticle contrast agents for medical applications and non destructive testing (NDT) for security applications. Energy-resolved photon-counting can provide reduced patient dose through optimal energy weighting for a particular imaging task in CT, functional contrast enhancement through spectroscopic imaging of metal nanoparticles in CT, and compositional analysis through multiple basis function material decomposition in CT and NDT. These applications produce high input count rates from an x-ray generator delivered to the detector. Therefore, in order to achieve energy-resolved single photon counting in these applications, a high output count rate (OCR) for an energy-dispersive detector must be achieved at the required spatial resolution and across the required dynamic range for the application. The required performance in terms of the OCR, spatial resolution, and dynamic range must be obtained with sufficient field of view (FOV) for the application thus requiring the tiling of pixel arrays and scanning techniques. Room temperature cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) compound semiconductors, operating as direct conversion x-ray sensors, can provide the required speed when connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) operating at fast peaking times with multiple fixed thresholds per pixel provided the sensors are designed for rapid signal formation across the x-ray energy ranges of the application at the required energy and spatial resolutions, and at a sufficiently high detective quantum efficiency (DQE). We have developed high-flux energy-resolved photon-counting x-ray imaging array sensors using pixellated CdTe and CdZnTe semiconductors optimized for clinical CT and security NDT. We have also fabricated high-flux ASICs with a two dimensional (2D) array of inputs for readout from the sensors. The sensors are guard ring free and have a 2D array of pixels and can be tiled in 2D while preserving pixel pitch. The 2D ASICs have four energy bins with a linear energy response across sufficient dynamic range for clinical CT and some NDT applications. The ASICs can also be tiled in 2D and are designed to fit within the active area of the sensors. We have measured several important performance parameters including; the output count rate (OCR) in excess of 20 million counts per second per square mm with a minimum loss of counts due to pulse pile-up, an energy resolution of 7 keV full width at half maximum (FWHM) across the entire dynamic range, and a noise floor about 20keV. This is achieved by directly interconnecting the ASIC inputs to the pixels of the CdZnTe sensors incurring very little input capacitance to the ASICs. We present measurements of the performance of the CdTe and CdZnTe sensors including the OCR, FWHM energy resolution, noise floor, as well as the temporal stability and uniformity under the rapidly varying high flux expected in CT and NDT applications.

Capacitance-type blade-tip clearance measurement system using a dual amplifier with ramp/dc inputs and integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarma, Garimella R.; Barranger, John P.

1992-01-01

The analysis and prototype results of a dual-amplifier circuit for measuring blade-tip clearance in turbine engines are presented. The capacitance between the blade tip and mounted capacitance electrode within a guard ring of a probe forms one of the feedback elements of an operational amplifier (op amp). The differential equation governing the circuit taking into consideration the nonideal features of the op amp was formulated and solved for two types of inputs (ramp and dc) that are of interest for the application. Under certain time-dependent constraints, it is shown that (1) with a ramp input the circuit has an output voltage proportional to the static tip clearance capacitance, and (2) with a dc input, the output is proportional to the derivative of the clearance capacitance, and subsequent integration recovers the dynamic capacitance. The technique accommodates long cable lengths and environmentally induced changes in cable and probe parameters. System implementation for both static and dynamic measurements having the same high sensitivity is also presented.

Capacitance-type blade-tip clearance measurement system using a dual amplifier with ramp/dc inputs and integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarma, Garimella R.; Barranger, John P.

1992-10-01

The analysis and prototype results of a dual-amplifier circuit for measuring blade-tip clearance in turbine engines are presented. The capacitance between the blade tip and mounted capacitance electrode within a guard ring of a probe forms one of the feedback elements of an operational amplifier (op amp). The differential equation governing the circuit taking into consideration the nonideal features of the op amp was formulated and solved for two types of inputs (ramp and dc) that are of interest for the application. Under certain time-dependent constraints, it is shown that (1) with a ramp input the circuit has an output voltage proportional to the static tip clearance capacitance, and (2) with a dc input, the output is proportional to the derivative of the clearance capacitance, and subsequent integration recovers the dynamic capacitance. The technique accommodates long cable lengths and environmentally induced changes in cable and probe parameters. System implementation for both static and dynamic measurements having the same high sensitivity is also presented.

Copper oxide nanowires as better performance electrode material for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yar, A.; Dennis, J. O.; Mohamed, N. M.; Mian, M. U.; Irshad, M. I.; Mumtaz, A.

2016-11-01

Supercapacitors are highly attractive energy storage devices which are capable of delivering high power, with fast charging and long cycle life. Carbon based material rely on physical charging with less capacitance while metal oxide store charge by fast redox reaction with increased capacitance. Among metal oxide, copper oxide compounds are widely use in the form of nano and micro structures with no definite control over structure. In this work we utilized the well-controlled structure copper wires, originated from AAO template. Such well controlled structure offer better capacitance values due to easily excess of ions to the surface of wires. Performance of material was check in 3 M of potassium hydroxide (KOH). Specific capacitance (Cs) was calculated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Charge discharge (CDC) test. The capacitance calculate on base on CV at 25 mV/s was 101.37 F/g while CDC showed the capacitance of 90 F/g at 2 A/g.

Capacitance-Based Frequency Adjustment of Micro Piezoelectric Vibration Generator

PubMed Central

Mao, Xinhua; He, Qing; Li, Hong; Chu, Dongliang

2014-01-01

Micro piezoelectric vibration generator has a wide application in the field of microelectronics. Its natural frequency is unchanged after being manufactured. However, resonance cannot occur when the natural frequencies of a piezoelectric generator and the source of vibration frequency are not consistent. Output voltage of the piezoelectric generator will sharply decline. It cannot normally supply power for electronic devices. In order to make the natural frequency of the generator approach the frequency of vibration source, the capacitance FM technology is adopted in this paper. Different capacitance FM schemes are designed by different locations of the adjustment layer. The corresponding capacitance FM models have been established. Characteristic and effect of the capacitance FM have been simulated by the FM model. Experimental results show that the natural frequency of the generator could vary from 46.5 Hz to 42.4 Hz when the bypass capacitance value increases from 0 nF to 30 nF. The natural frequency of a piezoelectric vibration generator could be continuously adjusted by this method. PMID:25133237

Miniature electrometer preamplifier effectively compensates for input capacitance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burrous, C. N.; Deboo, G. J.

1966-01-01

Negative capacitance preamplifier using a dual MOS /Metal Oxide Silicon/ transistor in conjunction with bipolar transistors is used with intracellular microelectrodes in recording bioelectric potentials. Applications would include use as a pickup plate video amplifier in storage tube tests and for pH and ionization chamber measurements.

Method and apparatus for detection of charge on ions and particles

DOEpatents

Fuerstenau, Stephen Douglas; Soli, George Arthur

2002-01-01

The present invention provides a tessellated array detector with charge collecting plate (or cup) electrode pixels and amplifying circuitry integrated into each pixel making it sensitive to external electrostatic charge; a micro collector/amplifier pixel design possessing a small capacitance to ensure a high charge to voltage signal conversion for low noise/high sensitivity operation; a micro-fabricated array of such pixels to create a useful macroscopic target area for ion and charged particle collection.

Programmable Low-Power Low-Noise Capacitance to Voltage Converter for MEMS Accelerometers

PubMed Central

Royo, Guillermo; Sánchez-Azqueta, Carlos; Gimeno, Cecilia; Aldea, Concepción; Celma, Santiago

2016-01-01

In this work, we present a capacitance-to-voltage converter (CVC) for capacitive accelerometers based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Based on a fully-differential transimpedance amplifier (TIA), it features a 34-dB transimpedance gain control and over one decade programmable bandwidth, from 75 kHz to 1.2 MHz. The TIA is aimed for low-cost low-power capacitive sensor applications. It has been designed in a standard 0.18-μm CMOS technology and its power consumption is only 54 μW. At the maximum transimpedance configuration, the TIA shows an equivalent input noise of 42 fA/Hz at 50 kHz, which corresponds to 100 μg/Hz. PMID:28042830

Programmable Low-Power Low-Noise Capacitance to Voltage Converter for MEMS Accelerometers.

PubMed

Royo, Guillermo; Sánchez-Azqueta, Carlos; Gimeno, Cecilia; Aldea, Concepción; Celma, Santiago

2016-12-30

In this work, we present a capacitance-to-voltage converter (CVC) for capacitive accelerometers based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Based on a fully-differential transimpedance amplifier (TIA), it features a 34-dB transimpedance gain control and over one decade programmable bandwidth, from 75 kHz to 1.2 MHz. The TIA is aimed for low-cost low-power capacitive sensor applications. It has been designed in a standard 0.18-μm CMOS technology and its power consumption is only 54 μW. At the maximum transimpedance configuration, the TIA shows an equivalent input noise of 42 fA/ Hz at 50 kHz, which corresponds to 100 μg/ Hz .

Anomalous high capacitance in a coaxial single nanowire capacitor.

PubMed

Liu, Zheng; Zhan, Yongjie; Shi, Gang; Moldovan, Simona; Gharbi, Mohamed; Song, Li; Ma, Lulu; Gao, Wei; Huang, Jiaqi; Vajtai, Robert; Banhart, Florian; Sharma, Pradeep; Lou, Jun; Ajayan, Pulickel M

2012-06-06

Building entire multiple-component devices on single nanowires is a promising strategy for miniaturizing electronic applications. Here we demonstrate a single nanowire capacitor with a coaxial asymmetric Cu-Cu(2)O-C structure, fabricated using a two-step chemical reaction and vapour deposition method. The capacitance measured from a single nanowire device corresponds to ~140 μF cm(-2), exceeding previous reported values for metal-insulator-metal micro-capacitors and is more than one order of magnitude higher than what is predicted by classical electrostatics. Quantum mechanical calculations indicate that this unusually high capacitance may be attributed to a negative quantum capacitance of the dielectric-metal interface, enhanced significantly at the nanoscale.

Design and Application of a Collocated Capacitance Sensor for Magnetic Bearing Spindle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, Dongwon; Liu, Seon-Jung; Kim, Jongwon

1996-01-01

This paper presents a collocated capacitance sensor for magnetic bearings. The main feature of the sensor is that it is made of a specific compact printed circuit board (PCB). The signal processing unit has been also developed. The results of the experimental performance evaluation on the sensitivity, resolution and frequency response of the sensor are presented. Finally, an application example of the sensor to the active control of a magnetic bearing is described.

Methods of fabricating applique circuits

DOEpatents

Dimos, Duane B.; Garino, Terry J.

1999-09-14

Applique circuits suitable for advanced packaging applications are introduced. These structures are particularly suited for the simple integration of large amounts (many nanoFarads) of capacitance into conventional integrated circuit and multichip packaging technology. In operation, applique circuits are bonded to the integrated circuit or other appropriate structure at the point where the capacitance is required, thereby minimizing the effects of parasitic coupling. An immediate application is to problems of noise reduction and control in modern high-frequency circuitry.

Capacitive transducers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucifredi, A. L.

1970-01-01

The theory, applications, and possible structural designs of capacitive transducers are presented. Emphasis is placed on the circuits used in connection with the sensors, such as AM, FM, resonant circuits, mode circuits, direct current circuits, and special circuits. Some criteria for selection of a design or the purchase of a commercial device are given.

Electrostatic Spray Deposition-Based Manganese Oxide Films-From Pseudocapacitive Charge Storage Materials to Three-Dimensional Microelectrode Integrands.

PubMed

Agrawal, Richa; Adelowo, Ebenezer; Baboukani, Amin Rabiei; Villegas, Michael Franc; Henriques, Alexandra; Wang, Chunlei

2017-07-26

In this study, porous manganese oxide (MnO x ) thin films were synthesized via electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) and evaluated as pseudocapacitive electrode materials in neutral aqueous media. Very interestingly, the gravimetric specific capacitance of the ESD-based electrodes underwent a marked enhancement upon electrochemical cycling, from 72 F∙g -1 to 225 F∙g -1 , with a concomitant improvement in kinetics and conductivity. The change in capacitance and resistivity is attributed to a partial electrochemical phase transformation from the spinel-type hausmannite Mn₃O₄ to the conducting layered birnessite MnO₂. Furthermore, the films were able to retain 88.4% of the maximal capacitance after 1000 cycles. Upon verifying the viability of the manganese oxide films for pseudocapacitive applications, the thin films were integrated onto carbon micro-pillars created via carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) for examining their application as potential microelectrode candidates. In a symmetric two-electrode cell setup, the MnO x /C-MEMS microelectrodes were able to deliver specific capacitances as high as 0.055 F∙cm -2 and stack capacitances as high as 7.4 F·cm -3 , with maximal stack energy and power densities of 0.51 mWh·cm -3 and 28.3 mW·cm -3 , respectively. The excellent areal capacitance of the MnO x -MEs is attributed to the pseudocapacitive MnO x as well as the three-dimensional architectural framework provided by the carbon micro-pillars.

Carbon-Nanotube Schottky Diodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manohara, Harish; Wong, Eric; Schlecht, Erich; Hunt, Brian; Siegel, Peter

2006-01-01

Schottky diodes based on semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are being developed as essential components of the next generation of submillimeter-wave sensors and sources. Initial performance predictions have shown that the performance characteristics of these devices can exceed those of the state-of-the-art solid-state Schottky diodes that have been the components of choice for room-temperature submillimeter-wave sensors for more than 50 years. For state-of-the-art Schottky diodes used as detectors at frequencies above a few hundred gigahertz, the inherent parasitic capacitances associated with their semiconductor junction areas and the resistances associated with low electron mobilities limit achievable sensitivity. The performance of such a detector falls off approximately exponentially with frequency above 500 GHz. Moreover, when used as frequency multipliers for generating signals, state-of-the-art solid-state Schottky diodes exhibit extremely low efficiencies, generally putting out only micro-watts of power at frequencies up to 1.5 THz. The shortcomings of the state-of-the-art solid-state Schottky diodes can be overcome by exploiting the unique electronic properties of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. A single-walled carbon nanotube can be metallic or semiconducting, depending on its chirality, and exhibits high electron mobility (recently reported to be approx.= 2x10(exp 5)sq cm/V-s) and low parasitic capacitance. Because of the narrowness of nanotubes, Schottky diodes based on carbon nanotubes have ultra-small junction areas (of the order of a few square nanometers) and consequent junction capacitances of the order of 10(exp -18) F, which translates to cutoff frequency >5 THz. Because the turn-on power levels of these devices are very low (of the order of nano-watts), the input power levels needed for pumping local oscillators containing these devices should be lower than those needed for local oscillators containing state-of-the-art solid-state Schottky diodes.

Development of capacitive multiplexing circuit for SiPM-based time-of-flight (TOF) PET detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choe, Hyeok-Jun; Choi, Yong; Hu, Wei; Yan, Jianhua; Jung, Jin Ho

2017-04-01

There has been great interest in developing a time-of-flight (TOF) PET to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of PET image relative to that of non-TOF PET. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays have attracted attention for use as a fast TOF PET photosensor. Since numerous SiPM arrays are needed to construct a modern human PET, a multiplexing method providing both good timing performance and high channel reduction capability is required to develop a SiPM-based TOF PET. The purpose of this study was to develop a capacitive multiplexing circuit for the SiPM-based TOF PET. The proposed multiplexing circuit was evaluated by measuring the coincidence resolving time (CRT) and the energy resolution as a function of the overvoltage using three different capacitor values of 15, 30, and 51 pF. A flood histogram was also obtained and quantitatively assessed. Experiments were performed using a 4× 4 array of 3× 3 mm2 SiPMs. Regarding the capacitor values, the multiplexing circuit using a smaller capacitor value showed the best timing performance. On the other hand, the energy resolution and flood histogram quality of the multiplexing circuit deteriorated as the capacitor value became smaller. The proposed circuit was able to achieve a CRT of 260+/- 4 ps FWHM and an energy resolution of 17.1 % with a pair of 2× 2× 20 mm3 LYSO crystals using a capacitor value of 30 pF at an overvoltage of 3.0 V. It was also possible to clearly resolve a 6× 6 array of LYSO crystals in the flood histogram using the multiplexing circuit. The experiment results indicate that the proposed capacitive multiplexing circuit is useful to obtain an excellent timing performance and a crystal-resolving capability in the flood histogram with a minimal degradation of the energy resolution, as well as to reduce the number of the readout channels of the SiPM-based TOF PET detector.

Simulation of 1.5-mm-thick and 15-cm-diameter gated silicon drift X-ray detector operated with a single high-voltage source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuura, Hideharu

2015-04-01

High-resolution silicon X-ray detectors with a large active area are required for effectively detecting traces of hazardous elements in food and soil through the measurement of the energies and counts of X-ray fluorescence photons radially emitted from these elements. The thicknesses and areas of commercial silicon drift detectors (SDDs) are up to 0.5 mm and 1.5 cm2, respectively. We describe 1.5-mm-thick gated SDDs (GSDDs) that can detect photons with energies up to 50 keV. We simulated the electric potential distributions in GSDDs with a Si thickness of 1.5 mm and areas from 0.18 to 168 cm2 at a single high reverse bias. The area of a GSDD could be enlarged simply by increasing all the gate widths by the same multiple, and the capacitance of the GSDD remained small and its X-ray count rate remained high.

Fabrication and characterization of semicircular detection electrodes for contactless conductivity detector - CE microchips.

PubMed

Lee, Chia-Yen; Chen, C M; Chang, Guan-Liang; Lin, Che-Hsin; Fu, Lung-Ming

2006-12-01

This study uses simple and reliable microfabrication techniques to fabricate CE biochips, integrating a novel contactless conductivity detector in a miniaturized detection system in a microfluidic biochip. The off-channel electrodes are deposited around side channels by Au sputtering and patterned using a standard "lift-off" process. A vacuum fusion bonding process is employed to seal the lower substrate containing the microchannels and the electrodes to an upper glass cover plate. The variations in the capacitance between the semicircular detection electrodes in the side channels are measured as different samples and ions pass through the detection region of the CE separation channel. Samples of Rhodamine B, commercial sports drinks, mineral waters, and a red wine, respectively, are mixed in different buffer solutions, separated, and successfully detected using the developed device. The semicircular detection electrodes for the contactless conductivity detector have microscale dimensions and provide a valuable contribution to the realization of the lab-on-a-chip concept.

Device and material characterization and analytic modeling of amorphous silicon thin film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slade, Holly Claudia

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) are now well-established as switching elements for a variety of applications in the lucrative electronics market, such as active matrix liquid crystal displays, two-dimensional imagers, and position-sensitive radiation detectors. These applications necessitate the development of accurate characterization and simulation tools. The main goal of this work is the development of a semi- empirical, analytical model for the DC and AC operation of an amorphous silicon TFT for use in a manufacturing facility to improve yield and maintain process control. The model is physically-based, in order that the parameters scale with gate length and can be easily related back to the material and device properties. To accomplish this, extensive experimental data and 2D simulations are used to observe and quantify non- crystalline effects in the TFTs. In particular, due to the disorder in the amorphous network, localized energy states exist throughout the band gap and affect all regimes of TFT operation. These localized states trap most of the free charge, causing a gate-bias-dependent field effect mobility above threshold, a power-law dependence of the current on gate bias below threshold, very low leakage currents, and severe frequency dispersion of the TFT gate capacitance. Additional investigations of TFT instabilities reveal the importance of changes in the density of states and/or back channel conduction due to bias and thermal stress. In the above threshold regime, the model is similar to the crystalline MOSFET model, considering the drift component of free charge. This approach uses the field effect mobility to take into account the trap states and must utilize the correct definition of threshold voltage. In the below threshold regime, the density of deep states is taken into account. The leakage current is modeled empirically, and the parameters are temperature dependent to 150oC. The capacitance of the TFT can be modeled using a transmission line model, which is implemented using a small signal circuit with access resistors in series with the source and drain capacitances. This correctly reproduces the frequency dispersion in the TFT. Automatic parameter extraction routines are provided and are used to test the robustness of the model on a variety of devices from different research laboratories. The results demonstrate excellent agreement, showing that the model is suitable for device design, scaling, and implementation in the manufacturing process.

A Capacitance-To-Digital Converter for MEMS Sensors for Smart Applications.

PubMed

Pérez Sanjurjo, Javier; Prefasi, Enrique; Buffa, Cesare; Gaggl, Richard

2017-06-07

The use of MEMS sensors has been increasing in recent years. To cover all the applications, many different readout circuits are needed. To reduce the cost and time to market, a generic capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) seems to be the logical next step. This work presents a configurable CDC designed for capacitive MEMS sensors. The sensor is built with a bridge of MEMS, where some of them function with pressure. Then, the capacitive to digital conversion is realized using two steps. First, a switched-capacitor (SC) preamplifier is used to make the capacitive to voltage (C-V) conversion. Second, a self-oscillated noise-shaping integrating dual-slope (DS) converter is used to digitize this magnitude. The proposed converter uses time instead of amplitude resolution to generate a multibit digital output stream. In addition it performs noise shaping of the quantization error to reduce measurement time. This article shows the effectiveness of this method by measurements performed on a prototype, designed and fabricated using standard 0.13 µm CMOS technology. Experimental measurements show that the CDC achieves a resolution of 17 bits, with an effective area of 0.317 mm², which means a pressure resolution of 1 Pa, while consuming 146 µA from a 1.5 V power supply.

Freestanding hierarchically porous carbon framework decorated by polyaniline as binder-free electrodes for high performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Fujun; Shao, Changlu; Li, Xinghua; Wang, Kexin; Lu, Na; Liu, Yichun

2016-10-01

Freestanding hierarchically porous carbon electrode materials with favorable features of large surface areas, hierarchical porosity and continuous conducting pathways are very attractive for practical applications in electrochemical devices. Herein, three-dimensional freestanding hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) materials have been fabricated successfully mainly by the facile phase separation method. In order to further improve the energy storage ability, polyaniline (PANI) with high pseudocapacitance has been decorated on HPC through in situ chemical polymerization of aniline monomers. Benefiting from the synergistic effects between HPC and PANI, the resulting HPC/PANI composites as electrode materials present dramatic electrochemical performance with high specific capacitance up to 290 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and good rate capability with ∼86% (248 F g-1) capacitance retention at 64 A g-1 of initial capacitance in three-electrode configuration. Moreover, the as-assembled symmetric supercapacitor based on HPC/PANI composites also demonstrates good capacitive properties with high energy density of 9.6 Wh kg-1 at 223 W kg-1 and long-term cycling stability with 78% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles. Therefore, this work provides a new approach for designing high-performance electrodes with exceptional electrochemical performance, which are very promising for practical application in the energy storage field.

A Capacitance-To-Digital Converter for MEMS Sensors for Smart Applications

PubMed Central

Pérez Sanjurjo, Javier; Prefasi, Enrique; Buffa, Cesare; Gaggl, Richard

2017-01-01

The use of MEMS sensors has been increasing in recent years. To cover all the applications, many different readout circuits are needed. To reduce the cost and time to market, a generic capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) seems to be the logical next step. This work presents a configurable CDC designed for capacitive MEMS sensors. The sensor is built with a bridge of MEMS, where some of them function with pressure. Then, the capacitive to digital conversion is realized using two steps. First, a switched-capacitor (SC) preamplifier is used to make the capacitive to voltage (C-V) conversion. Second, a self-oscillated noise-shaping integrating dual-slope (DS) converter is used to digitize this magnitude. The proposed converter uses time instead of amplitude resolution to generate a multibit digital output stream. In addition it performs noise shaping of the quantization error to reduce measurement time. This article shows the effectiveness of this method by measurements performed on a prototype, designed and fabricated using standard 0.13 µm CMOS technology. Experimental measurements show that the CDC achieves a resolution of 17 bits, with an effective area of 0.317 mm2, which means a pressure resolution of 1 Pa, while consuming 146 µA from a 1.5 V power supply. PMID:28590425

Ramp-integration technique for capacitance-type blade-tip clearance measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarma, Garimella R.; Barranger, John P.

The analysis of a proposed new technique for capacitance type blade tip clearance measurement is presented. The capacitance between the blade tip and a mounted capacitance electrode within a guard ring forms one of the feedback elements of a high speed operational amplifier. The differential equation governing the operational amplifier circuit is formulated and solved for two types of inputs to the amplifier - a constant voltage and a ramp. The resultant solution shows an output that contains a term that is proportional to the derivative of the product of the input voltage and the time constant of the feedback network. The blade tip clearance capacitance is obtained by subtracting the output of a balancing reference channel followed by integration. The proposed sampled data algorithm corrects for environmental effects and varying rotor speeds on-line, making the system suitable for turbine instrumentation. System requirements, block diagrams, and a typical application are included.

Ramp-integration technique for capacitance-type blade-tip clearance measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarma, G. R.; Barranger, J. P.

1986-05-01

The analysis of a proposed new technique for capacitance type blade tip clearance measurement is presented. The capacitance between the blade tip and a mounted capacitance electrode within a guard ring forms one of the feedback elements of a high speed operational amplifier. The differential equation governing the operational amplifier circuit is formulated and solved for two types of inputs to the amplifier - a constant voltage and a ramp. The resultant solutions shows an output that contains a term that is proportional to the derivative of the product of the input voltage and the time constant of the feedback network. The blade tip clearance capacitance is obtained by subtracting the output of a balancing reference channel followed by integration. The proposed sampled data algorithm corrects the environmental effects and varying rotor speeds on-line, making the system suitable for turbine instrumentation. System requirements, block diagrams, and typical application are included.

Ramp-integration technique for capacitance-type blade-tip clearance measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarma, Garimella R.; Barranger, John P.

1986-01-01

The analysis of a proposed new technique for capacitance type blade tip clearance measurement is presented. The capacitance between the blade tip and a mounted capacitance electrode within a guard ring forms one of the feedback elements of a high speed operational amplifier. The differential equation governing the operational amplifier circuit is formulated and solved for two types of inputs to the amplifier - a constant voltage and a ramp. The resultant solution shows an output that contains a term that is proportional to the derivative of the product of the input voltage and the time constant of the feedback network. The blade tip clearance capacitance is obtained by subtracting the output of a balancing reference channel followed by integration. The proposed sampled data algorithm corrects for environmental effects and varying rotor speeds on-line, making the system suitable for turbine instrumentation. System requirements, block diagrams, and a typical application are included.

Ramp-integration technique for capacitance-type blade-tip clearance measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarma, G. R.; Barranger, J. P.

1986-01-01

The analysis of a proposed new technique for capacitance type blade tip clearance measurement is presented. The capacitance between the blade tip and a mounted capacitance electrode within a guard ring forms one of the feedback elements of a high speed operational amplifier. The differential equation governing the operational amplifier circuit is formulated and solved for two types of inputs to the amplifier - a constant voltage and a ramp. The resultant solutions shows an output that contains a term that is proportional to the derivative of the product of the input voltage and the time constant of the feedback network. The blade tip clearance capacitance is obtained by subtracting the output of a balancing reference channel followed by integration. The proposed sampled data algorithm corrects the environmental effects and varying rotor speeds on-line, making the system suitable for turbine instrumentation. System requirements, block diagrams, and typical application are included.

Silicon micromachined accelerometer/seismometer and method of making the same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Richard D. (Inventor); Pike, W. Thomas (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A silicon-based microaccelerometer for seismic application is provided using a low-resonant frequency (10 Hz), large proof mass (1 gram), and high Q suspension to achieve high sensitivity of less than 1 ng with a bandwidth a 0.05 to 50 Hz. The proof mass is cut away from a planar substrate in the form of a disk using abrasive cutting, which disk closely fits but does not touch a surrounding angular frame. The spring of the microaccelerometer between the angular frame and the proof mass is provided from two continuous, 3 microns thick membranes. The fixed capacitive electrodes are provided on separate, subsequently bonded substrates, and movable capacitive plates are provided on the membranes. By fabricating capacitive plates on the separate substrates, the gap between the fixed and movable capacitive plates in the differential capacitive sensor is closely controlled. The use of continuous membranes for the spring produces a shock resistant, robust sensor.

Facile fabrication of cobalt oxalate nanostructures with superior specific capacitance and super-long cycling stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Guanhua; Si, Conghui; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Ying; Yang, Wanfeng; Dong, Chaoqun; Zhang, Zhonghua

2016-04-01

Transition metal oxalate materials have shown huge competitive advantages for applications in supercapacitors. Herein, nanostructured cobalt oxalate supported on cobalt foils has been facilely fabricated by anodization, and could directly serve as additive/binder-free electrodes for supercapacitors. The as-prepared cobalt oxalate electrodes present superior specific capacitance of 1269 F g-1 at the current density of 6 A g-1 in the galvanostatic charge/discharge test. Moreover, the retained capacitance is as high as 87.2% as the current density increases from 6 A g-1 to 30 A g-1. More importantly, the specific capacitance of cobalt oxalate retains 91.9% even after super-long cycling of 100,000 cycles. In addition, an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with cobalt oxalate (positive electrode) and activated carbon (negative electrode) demonstrates excellent capacitive performance with high energy density and power density.

Design and fabrication of a novel self-powered solid-state neutron detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LiCausi, Nicholas

There is a strong interest in intercepting special nuclear materials (SNM) at national and international borders and ports for homeland security applications. Detection of SNM such as U and Pu is often accomplished by sensing their natural or induced neutron emission. Such detector systems typically use thermal neutron detectors inside a plastic moderator. In order to achieve high detection efficiency gas filled detectors are often used; these detectors require high voltage bias for operation, which complicates the system when tens or hundreds of detectors are deployed. A better type of detector would be an inexpensive solid-state detector that can be mass-produced like any other computer chip. Research surrounding solid-state detectors has been underway since the late 1990's. A simple solid-state detector employs a planar solar-cell type p-n junction and a thin conversion material that converts incident thermal neutrons into detectable alpha-particles and 7Li ions. Existing work has typically used 6LiF or 10B as this conversion layer. Although a simple planar detector can act as a highly portable, low cost detector, it is limited to relatively low detection efficiency (˜10%). To increase the efficiency, 3D perforated p-i-n silicon devices were proposed. To get high efficiency, these detectors need to be biased, resulting in increased leakage current and hence detector noise. In this research, a new type of detector structure was proposed, designed and fabricated. Among several detector structures evaluated, a honeycomb-like silicon p-n structure was selected, which is filled with natural boron as the neutron converter. A silicon p+-n diode formed on the thin silicon wall of the honeycomb structure detects the energetic alpha-particles emitted from the boron conversion layer. The silicon detection layer is fabricated to be fully depleted with an integral step during the boron filling process. This novel feature results in a simplified fabrication process. Three key advantages of the novel devices are theoretical neutron detection efficiency of ˜48%, a self-passivating structure that reduces leakage current and detector operation with no bias resulting in extremely low device noise. Processes required to fabricate the 3D type detector were explored and developed in this thesis. The detector capacitance and processing steps have been simulated with MEDICI and TSuprem-4, respectively. Lithography masks were then designed using Cadence. The fabrication process development was conducted in line with standard CMOS grade integrated circuit processing to allow for simple integration with existing fabrication facilities. A number of new processes were developed including the low pressure chemical vapor deposition of conformal boron films using diborane on very high aspect-ratio trenches and holes. Development also included methods for "wet" chemical etching and "dry" reactive ion etching of the deposited boron films. Fabricated detectors were characterized with the transmission line method, 4-point probe, I-V measurements and C-V measurements. Finally the detector response to thermal neutrons was studied. Characterization has shown significant reduction in reverse leakage current density to ˜8x10-8 A/cm2 (nearly 4 orders of magnitude over the previously published data). Results show that the fabrication process developed is capable of producing efficient (˜22.5%) solid-state thermal neutron detectors.

Conductive polymer foam surface improves the performance of a capacitive EEG electrode.

PubMed

Baek, Hyun Jae; Lee, Hong Ji; Lim, Yong Gyu; Park, Kwang Suk

2012-12-01

In this paper, a new conductive polymer foam-surfaced electrode was proposed for use as a capacitive EEG electrode for nonintrusive EEG measurements in out-of-hospital environments. The current capacitive electrode has a rigid surface that produces an undefined contact area due to its stiffness, which renders it unable to conform to head curvature and locally isolates hairs between the electrode surface and scalp skin, making EEG measurement through hair difficult. In order to overcome this issue, a conductive polymer foam was applied to the capacitive electrode surface to provide a cushioning effect. This enabled EEG measurement through hair without any conductive contact with bare scalp skin. Experimental results showed that the new electrode provided lower electrode-skin impedance and higher voltage gains, signal-to-noise ratios, signal-to-error ratios, and correlation coefficients between EEGs measured by capacitive and conventional resistive methods compared to a conventional capacitive electrode. In addition, the new electrode could measure EEG signals, while the conventional capacitive electrode could not. We expect that the new electrode presented here can be easily installed in a hat or helmet to create a nonintrusive wearable EEG apparatus that does not make users look strange for real-world EEG applications.

Effect of reducing system on capacitive behavior of reduced graphene oxide film: Application for supercapacitor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akbi, Hamdane; Yu, Lei; Wang, Bin

2015-01-15

To determine the best chemical reduction of graphene oxide film with hydriodic acid that gives maximum energy and power density, we studied the effect of two reducing systems, hydriodic acid/water and hydriodic acid/acetic acid, on the morphology and electrochemical features of reduced graphene oxide film. Using acetic acid as solvent results in high electrical conductivity (5195 S m{sup −1}), excellent specific capacitance (384 F g{sup −1}) and good cyclic stability (about 98% of its initial response after 4000 cycles). Using water as a solvent, results in an ideal capacitive behavior and excellent cyclic stability (about 6% increase of its initialmore » response after 2100 cycles). - Graphical abstract: The choice of reducing system determines the morphology and structure of the chemically reduced graphene film and, as a result, affects largely the capacitive behavior. - Highlights: • The structure of the graphene film has a pronounced effect on capacitive behavior. • The use of water/HI as reducing system results in an ideal capacitive behavior. • The use of acetic acid/HI as reducing system results in a high specific capacitance.« less

IRAC test report. Gallium doped silicon band 2: Read noise and dark current

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamb, Gerald; Shu, Peter; Mather, John; Ewin, Audrey; Bowser, Jeffrey

1987-01-01

A direct readout infrared detector array, a candidate for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), has been tested. The array has a detector surface of gallium doped silicon, bump bonded to a 58x62 pixel MOSFET multiplexer on a separate chip. Although this chip and system do not meet all the SIRTF requirements, the critically important read noise is within a factor of 3 of the requirement. Significant accomplishments of this study include: (1) development of a low noise correlated double sampling readout system with a readout noise of 127 to 164 electrons (based on the detector integrator capacitance of 0.1 pF); (2) measurement of the readout noise of the detector itself, ranging from 123 to 214 electrons with bias only (best to worst pixel), and 256 to 424 electrons with full clocking in normal operation at 5.4 K where dark current is small. Thirty percent smaller read noises are obtained at a temperature of 15K; (3) measurement of the detector response versus integration time, showing significant nonlinear behavior for large signals, well below the saturation level; and (4) development of a custom computer interface and suitable software for collection, analysis and display of data.

Optical detectors based on thermoelastic effect in crystalline quartz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chelibanov, V. P.; Ishanin, G. G.

2015-06-01

Optical detectors developed on base of thermo elastic effect In quartz crystalline (PTEK) attributed to the thermal detectors group. Such detectors occurred very effective for the registration of pulsed light energy or power of harmonically modulated laser radiation flux in a wide spectral (from UV to far IR) and dynamic ranges (from 10-6 to 300 W / cm2 with cooling) with a time constant up to10-6 seconds. When exposed to electromagnetic radiation occurs at the receiver thermal field which causes mechanical stress in the transient crystalline quartz, which in turn leads to a change in the polarization of crystalline quartz and, as a consequence, to an electric potential difference at the electrodes (the front surface with a conductive coating and damper). The capacitive characteristic of the detector, based on a thermo elastic effect in crystalline quartz, eliminates the possibility of working with constant flow of radiation, which also affects at the frequency response of the detector, since the potential difference appearance in the piezoelectric plate depends on the direction of the forces relative to the axes X, Y, Z of the crystal. Therefore, a certain choice of orientation of the receiving element is necessary in accordance with the physical properties of crystalline quartz. In this paper, a calculation of the sensitivity and frequency characteristics of optical detectors based on the thermo elastic effect in crystalline quartz at the harmonic effects of electromagnetic radiation flux are reported.

Physical characterization and performance comparison of active- and passive-pixel CMOS detectors for mammography.

PubMed

Elbakri, I A; McIntosh, B J; Rickey, D W

2009-03-21

We investigated the physical characteristics of two complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) mammography detectors. The detectors featured 14-bit image acquisition, 50 microm detector element (del) size and an active area of 5 cm x 5 cm. One detector was a passive-pixel sensor (PPS) with signal amplification performed by an array of amplifiers connected to dels via data lines. The other detector was an active-pixel sensor (APS) with signal amplification performed at each del. Passive-pixel designs have higher read noise due to data line capacitance, and the APS represents an attempt to improve the noise performance of this technology. We evaluated the detectors' resolution by measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF) using a tilted edge. We measured the noise power spectra (NPS) and detective quantum efficiencies (DQE) using mammographic beam conditions specified by the IEC 62220-1-2 standard. Our measurements showed the APS to have much higher gain, slightly higher MTF, and higher NPS. The MTF of both sensors approached 10% near the Nyquist limit. DQE values near dc frequency were in the range of 55-67%, with the APS sensor DQE lower than the PPS DQE for all frequencies. Our results show that lower read noise specifications in this case do not translate into gains in the imaging performance of the sensor. We postulate that the lower fill factor of the APS is a possible cause for this result.

Great improvement in pseudocapacitor properties of nickel hydroxide via simple gold deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sun-I.; Thiyagarajan, Pradheep; Jang, Ji-Hyun

2014-09-01

In this letter, we report a facile approach to improve the capacitor properties of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) by simply coating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the surface of Ni(OH)2. Au NP-deposited Ni(OH)2 (Au/Ni(OH)2) has been prepared by application of a conventional colloidal coating of Au NPs on the surface of 3D-Ni(OH)2 synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Compared with pristine Ni(OH)2, Au/Ni(OH)2 shows a 41% enhanced capacitance value, excellent rate capacitance behavior at high current density conditions, and greatly improved cycling stability for supercapacitor applications. The specific capacitance of Au/Ni(OH)2 reached 1927 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, which is close to the theoretical capacitance and retained 66% and 80% of the maximum value at a high current density of 20 A g-1 and 5000 cycles while that of pristine Ni(OH)2 was 1363 F g-1 and significantly decreased to 48% and 30%, respectively, under the same conditions. The outstanding performance of Au/Ni(OH)2 as a supercapacitor is attributed to the presence of metal Au NPs on the surface of semiconductor Ni(OH)2; this permits the creation of virtual 3D conducting networks via metal/semiconductor contact, which induces fast electron and ion transport by acting as a bridge between Ni(OH)2 nanostructures, thus eventually leading to significantly improved electrochemical capacitive behaviors, as confirmed by the EIS and I-V characteristic data.In this letter, we report a facile approach to improve the capacitor properties of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) by simply coating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the surface of Ni(OH)2. Au NP-deposited Ni(OH)2 (Au/Ni(OH)2) has been prepared by application of a conventional colloidal coating of Au NPs on the surface of 3D-Ni(OH)2 synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Compared with pristine Ni(OH)2, Au/Ni(OH)2 shows a 41% enhanced capacitance value, excellent rate capacitance behavior at high current density conditions, and greatly improved cycling stability for supercapacitor applications. The specific capacitance of Au/Ni(OH)2 reached 1927 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, which is close to the theoretical capacitance and retained 66% and 80% of the maximum value at a high current density of 20 A g-1 and 5000 cycles while that of pristine Ni(OH)2 was 1363 F g-1 and significantly decreased to 48% and 30%, respectively, under the same conditions. The outstanding performance of Au/Ni(OH)2 as a supercapacitor is attributed to the presence of metal Au NPs on the surface of semiconductor Ni(OH)2; this permits the creation of virtual 3D conducting networks via metal/semiconductor contact, which induces fast electron and ion transport by acting as a bridge between Ni(OH)2 nanostructures, thus eventually leading to significantly improved electrochemical capacitive behaviors, as confirmed by the EIS and I-V characteristic data. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02204a

Hydrous Ruthenium Oxide Nanoparticles Anchored to Graphene and Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Foam for Supercapacitors

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei; Guo, Shirui; Lee, Ilkeun; Ahmed, Kazi; Zhong, Jiebin; Favors, Zachary; Zaera, Francisco; Ozkan, Mihrimah; Ozkan, Cengiz S.

2014-01-01

In real life applications, supercapacitors (SCs) often can only be used as part of a hybrid system together with other high energy storage devices due to their relatively lower energy density in comparison to other types of energy storage devices such as batteries and fuel cells. Increasing the energy density of SCs will have a huge impact on the development of future energy storage devices by broadening the area of application for SCs. Here, we report a simple and scalable way of preparing a three-dimensional (3D) sub-5 nm hydrous ruthenium oxide (RuO2) anchored graphene and CNT hybrid foam (RGM) architecture for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. This RGM architecture demonstrates a novel graphene foam conformally covered with hybrid networks of RuO2 nanoparticles and anchored CNTs. SCs based on RGM show superior gravimetric and per-area capacitive performance (specific capacitance: 502.78 F g−1, areal capacitance: 1.11 F cm−2) which leads to an exceptionally high energy density of 39.28 Wh kg−1 and power density of 128.01 kW kg−1. The electrochemical stability, excellent capacitive performance, and the ease of preparation suggest this RGM system is promising for future energy storage applications. PMID:24663242

Reduced graphene oxide hydrogels deposited in nickel foam for supercapacitor applications: Toward high volumetric capacitance

DOE PAGES

Pham, Viet Hung; Dickerson, James H.

2016-02-21

Graphene hydrogels have been considered as ideal materials for high-performance supercapacitors. However, their low volumetric capacitance significantly limits its real application. In this study, we report an environment-friendly and scalable method to prepare high packing density, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide hydrogels (ERGO) for supercapacitor application by the electrophoretic deposition of graphene oxide onto nickel foam, followed by the electrochemical reduction and hydraulic compression of the deposited materials. The as-prepared ERGO on nickel foam was hydraulic compressed up to 20 tons, resulting in an increase of the packing density of ERGO from 0.0098 to 1.32 g cm –3. Consequently, the volumetricmore » capacitance and volumetric energy density of ERGOs greatly increased from 1.58 F cm –3 and 0.053 Wh cm –3 (as-prepared ERGO) to 176.5 F cm –3 and 6.02 Wh cm –3 (ERGO compressed at 20 tons), respectively. The ERGOs also exhibited long-term electrochemical stability with a capacitance retention in the range of approximately 79–90% after 10 000 cycles. Lastly, we believe that these high packing density ERGOs are promising for real-world energy storage devices for which scalable, cost-effective manufacturing is of significance and for which space constraints are paramount.« less

Reduced graphene oxide hydrogels deposited in nickel foam for supercapacitor applications: Toward high volumetric capacitance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pham, Viet Hung; Dickerson, James H.

Graphene hydrogels have been considered as ideal materials for high-performance supercapacitors. However, their low volumetric capacitance significantly limits its real application. In this study, we report an environment-friendly and scalable method to prepare high packing density, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide hydrogels (ERGO) for supercapacitor application by the electrophoretic deposition of graphene oxide onto nickel foam, followed by the electrochemical reduction and hydraulic compression of the deposited materials. The as-prepared ERGO on nickel foam was hydraulic compressed up to 20 tons, resulting in an increase of the packing density of ERGO from 0.0098 to 1.32 g cm –3. Consequently, the volumetricmore » capacitance and volumetric energy density of ERGOs greatly increased from 1.58 F cm –3 and 0.053 Wh cm –3 (as-prepared ERGO) to 176.5 F cm –3 and 6.02 Wh cm –3 (ERGO compressed at 20 tons), respectively. The ERGOs also exhibited long-term electrochemical stability with a capacitance retention in the range of approximately 79–90% after 10 000 cycles. Lastly, we believe that these high packing density ERGOs are promising for real-world energy storage devices for which scalable, cost-effective manufacturing is of significance and for which space constraints are paramount.« less

Hydrous ruthenium oxide nanoparticles anchored to graphene and carbon nanotube hybrid foam for supercapacitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Wei; Guo, S.; Lee, I.

2014-03-25

In real life applications, supercapacitors (SCs) often can only be used as part of a hybrid system together with other high energy storage devices due to their relatively lower energy density in comparison to other types of energy storage devices such as batteries and fuel cells. Increasing the energy density of SCs will have a huge impact on the development of future energy storage devices by broadening the area of application for SCs. Here, we report a simple and scalable way of preparing a three-dimensional (3D) sub-5 nm hydrous ruthenium oxide (RuO₂) anchored graphene and CNT hybrid foam (RGM) architecturemore » for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. This RGM architecture demonstrates a novel graphene foam conformally covered with hybrid networks of RuO₂ nanoparticles and anchored CNTs. SCs based on RGM show superior gravimetric and per-area capacitive performance (specific capacitance: 502.78 F g⁻¹, areal capacitance: 1.11 F cm⁻²) which leads to an exceptionally high energy density of 39.28 Wh kg⁻¹ and power density of 128.01 kW kg⁻¹. The electrochemical stability, excellent capacitive performance, and the ease of preparation suggest this RGM system is promising for future energy storage applications.« less

Amplifiers dedicated for large area SiC photodiodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doroz, P.; Duk, M.; Korwin-Pawlowski, M. L.; Borecki, M.

2016-09-01

Large area SiC photodiodes find applications in optoelectronic sensors working at special conditions. These conditions include detection of UV radiation in harsh environment. Moreover, the mentioned sensors have to be selective and resistant to unwanted signals. For this purpose, the modulation of light at source unit and the rejection of constant current and low frequency component of signal at detector unit are used. The popular frequency used for modulation in such sensor is 1kHz. The large area photodiodes are characterized by a large capacitance and low shunt resistance that varies with polarization of the photodiode and can significantly modify the conditions of signal pre-amplification. In this paper two pre-amplifiers topology are analyzed: the transimpedance amplifier and the non-inverting voltage to voltage amplifier with negative feedback. The feedback loops of both pre-amplifiers are equipped with elements used for initial constant current and low frequency signals rejections. Both circuits are analyzed and compared using simulation and experimental approaches.

Electro-optic modulator based gate transient suppression for sine-wave gated InGaAs/InP single photon avalanche photodiode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yixin; Zhang, Xuping; Shi, Yuanlei; Ying, Zhoufeng; Wang, Shun

2014-06-01

Capacitive gate transient noise has been problematic for the high-speed single photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD), especially when the operating frequency extends to the gigahertz level. We proposed an electro-optic modulator based gate transient noise suppression method for sine-wave gated InGaAs/InP SPAD. With the modulator, gate transient is up-converted to its higher-order harmonics that can be easily removed by low pass filtering. The proposed method enables online tuning of the operating rate without modification of the hardware setup. At 250 K, detection efficiency of 14.7% was obtained with 4.8×10-6 per gate dark count and 3.6% after-pulse probabilities for 1550-nm optical signal under 1-GHz gating frequency. Experimental results have shown that the performance of the detector can be maintained within a designated frequency range from 0.97 to 1.03 GHz, which is quite suitable for practical high-speed SPAD applications operated around the gigahertz level.

Bimodal wireless sensing with dual-channel wide bandgap heterostructure varactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deen, David A.; Osinsky, Andrei; Miller, Ross

2014-03-01

A capacitive wireless sensing scheme is developed that utilizes an AlN/GaN-based dual-channel varactor. The dual-channel heterostructure affords two capacitance plateaus within the capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristic, owing to the two parallel two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) located at respective AlN/GaN interfaces. The capacitance plateaus are leveraged for the definition of two resonant states of the sensor when implemented in an inductively-coupled resonant LRC network for wireless readout. The physics-based CV model is compared with published experimental results, which serve as a basis for the sensor embodiment. The bimodal resonant sensor is befitting for a broad application space ranging from gas, electrostatic, and piezoelectric sensors to biological and chemical detection.

Spectral Analysis and Metastable Absorption Measurements of High Pressure Capacitively and Inductively Coupled Radio-Frequency Argon-Helium Discharges

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

density of the s5 and s3 metastable states for different discharge parameters. The absorption data was fit to an approximated Voigt profile from which...pressures are required in order to have enough spin-orbit relaxation to maintain CW lasing without significant bottlenecking. There are many methods to...for just that [(5),(12)]. This method allows for a wide study of energy levels since the limiting factor is the sensitivity of the detector and modern

Ultrasonic Determination of Combinations of Third-Order Elastic Constants of Small Cubic Single Crystals

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

crystals Cesium cadmium fluoride Ultrasonic wave propagation Potassium zinc fluoride Nonlinear acoustics 20. A’?S1 RACT (Continue on reverse side If...is the stray capacitance of the detector, L is the inductance of the wire leading from the banana jack to the BNC connector (shown in Figure 111-2). Z...The samples on which measurements were made included [lO0] and [1111 copper samples, a sample of potassium zinc fluoride (KZnF 3 ) and a sample of

Testbeam results of irradiated ams H18 HV-CMOS pixel sensor prototypes

DOE PAGES

Benoit, M.; Braccini, S.; Casse, G.; ...

2018-02-08

HV-CMOS pixel sensors are a promising option for the tracker upgrade of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, as well as for other future tracking applications in which large areas are to be instrumented with radiation-tolerant silicon pixel sensors. We present results of testbeam characterisations of the 4 th generation of Capacitively Coupled Pixel Detectors (CCPDv4) produced with the ams H18 HV-CMOS process that have been irradiated with different particles (reactor neutrons and 18 MeV protons) to fluences between 1×10 14 and 5×10 15 1–MeV– n eq. The sensors were glued to ATLAS FE-I4 pixel readout chips and measured atmore » the CERN SPS H8 beamline using the FE-I4 beam telescope. Results for all fluences are very encouraging with all hit efficiencies being better than 97% for bias voltages of 85 V. The sample irradiated to a fluence of 1×10 15 neq—a relevant value for a large volume of the upgraded tracker—exhibited 99.7% average hit efficiency. Furthermore, the results give strong evidence for the radiation tolerance of HV-CMOS sensors and their suitability as sensors for the experimental HL-LHC upgrades and future large-area silicon-based tracking detectors in high-radiation environments.« less

Testbeam results of irradiated ams H18 HV-CMOS pixel sensor prototypes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benoit, M.; Braccini, S.; Casse, G.

HV-CMOS pixel sensors are a promising option for the tracker upgrade of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, as well as for other future tracking applications in which large areas are to be instrumented with radiation-tolerant silicon pixel sensors. We present results of testbeam characterisations of the 4 th generation of Capacitively Coupled Pixel Detectors (CCPDv4) produced with the ams H18 HV-CMOS process that have been irradiated with different particles (reactor neutrons and 18 MeV protons) to fluences between 1×10 14 and 5×10 15 1–MeV– n eq. The sensors were glued to ATLAS FE-I4 pixel readout chips and measured atmore » the CERN SPS H8 beamline using the FE-I4 beam telescope. Results for all fluences are very encouraging with all hit efficiencies being better than 97% for bias voltages of 85 V. The sample irradiated to a fluence of 1×10 15 neq—a relevant value for a large volume of the upgraded tracker—exhibited 99.7% average hit efficiency. Furthermore, the results give strong evidence for the radiation tolerance of HV-CMOS sensors and their suitability as sensors for the experimental HL-LHC upgrades and future large-area silicon-based tracking detectors in high-radiation environments.« less

The μ-RWELL: A compact, spark protected, single amplification-stage MPGD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli Lener, M.; Bencivenni, G.; de Olivera, R.; Felici, G.; Franchino, S.; Gatta, M.; Maggi, M.; Morello, G.; Sharma, A.

2016-07-01

In this work we present two innovative architectures of resistive MPGDs based on the WELL-amplification concept: - the micro-Resistive WELL (μ-RWELL) is a compact spark-protected single amplification-stage Micro-Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD). The amplification stage, realized with a structure very similar to a GEM foil (called WELL), is embedded through a resistive layer in the readout board. A cathode electrode, defining the gas conversion/drift gap, completes the detector mechanics. The new architecture, showing an excellent space resolution, 50 μm, is a very compact device, robust against discharges and exhibiting a large gain (>104), simple to construct and easy for engineering and then suitable for large area tracking devices as well as digital calorimeters. - the Fast Timing Micro-pattern (FTM): a new device with an architecture based on a stack of several coupled full-resistive layers where drift and multiplication stages (WELL type) alternate in the structure. The signals from each multiplication stage can be read out from any external readout boards through the capacitive couplings, providing a signal with a gain of 104-105. The main advantage of this new device is the improvement of the timing provided by the competition of the ionization processes in the different drift regions, which can be exploited for fast timing at the high luminosity accelerators (e.g. HL-LHC upgrade) as well as for applications like medical imaging.

Chemical modification of graphene aerogels for electrochemical capacitor applications.

PubMed

Hong, Jin-Yong; Wie, Jeong Jae; Xu, Yu; Park, Ho Seok

2015-12-14

Graphene aerogel is a relatively new type of aerogel that is ideal for energy storage applications because of its large surface area, high electrical conductivity and good chemical stability. Also, three dimensional interconnected macropores offer many advantages such as low density, fast ion and mass transfer, and easy access to storage sites. Such features allow graphene aerogels to be intensively applied for electrochemical capacitor applications. Despite the growing interest in graphene aerogel-based electrochemical capacitors, however, the graphene aerogels still suffer from their low capacitive performances and high fragility. Both relatively low capacitance and brittleness of physically crosslinked graphene aerogels remain a critical challenge. Until now, a number of alternative attempts have been devoted to overcome these shortcomings. In this perspective, we summarize the recent research progress towards the development of advanced graphene aerogel-based electrochemical capacitors according to the different approaches (e.g. porosity, composition and structure controls). Then, the recently proposed chemical strategies to improve the capacitive performances and mechanical durability of graphene aerogels for practical applications are highlighted. Finally, the current challenges and perspectives in this emerging material are also discussed.

MnO2/carbon nanowalls composite electrode for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Sameh; Suzuki, Masaaki; Mori, Shinsuke; El-Moneim, Ahmed Abd

2014-03-01

Amorphous MnO2/carbon nanowalls composite films are developed for the supercapacitor applications. Synthesis of carbon nanowalls template is performed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition in a CO/H2 microwave discharge system. A well dispersion of amorphous MnO2 domains throughout carbon nanowalls template is obtained by potentiostatic anodic deposition technique. Carbon nanowalls enable to improve the capacitive behavior and rate capability of MnO2, a specific capacitance of 851 F g-1 at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 and charge transfer resistance of 1.02 Ω are obtained. MnO2/carbon nanowalls composite film exhibits energy density of 118 wh kg-1, power density of 783 wh kg-1, and capacitance retention of 92% after long cycle life of 2000 cycles by charging and discharging at 3 mA cm-2. The high density of atomic scale graphitic edges and large surface area of carbon nanowalls in conjunction with the presence of amorphous MnO2 domains facilitate rapid electron and ion transport and hence offering the potential of the improved capacitive behavior.

Electrical NEP in hot-electron titanium superconducting bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasik, Boris S.; Pereverzev, Sergey V.; Olaya, David; Wei, Jian; Gershenson, Michael E.; Sergeev, Andrei V.

2008-07-01

We are presenting the current progress on the titanium (Ti) hot-electron transition-edge devices. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a submillimeter Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) with the noise equivalent power NEP = 10-18-10-20 W/Hz1/2 for the moderate resolution spectroscopy and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) studies on future space telescope (e.g., SPICA, SAFIR, SPECS, CMBPol) with cryogenically cooled (~ 4-5 K) mirrors. Recentlyi, we have achieved the extremely low thermal conductance (~ 20 fW/K at 300 mK and ~ 0.1 fW/K at 40 mK) due to the electron-phonon decoupling in Ti nanodevices with niobium (Nb) Andreev contacts. This thermal conductance translates into the "phonon-noise" NEP ~ 3×10-21 W/Hz1/2 at 40 mK and NEP ~ 3×10-19 W/Hz1/2 at 300 mK. These record data indicate the great potential of the hot-electron detector for meeting many application needs. Beside the extremely low phonon-noise NEP, the nanobolometers have a very low electron heat capacitance that makes them promising as detectors of single THz photonsii. As the next step towards the practical demonstration of the HEDD, we fabricated and tested somewhat larger than in Ref.1 devices (~ 6 μm × 0.35 μm × 40 nm) whose critical temperature is well reproduced in the range 300-350 mK. The output electrical noise measured in these devices with a low-noise dc SQUID is dominated by the thermal energy fluctuations (ETF) aka "phonon noise". This indicates the high electrothermal loop gain that effectively suppresses the contributions of the Johnson noise and the amplifier (SQUID) noise. The electrical NEP = 6.7×10-18 W/Hz1/2 derived from these measurements is in good agreement with the predictions based on the thermal conductance data. The very low NEP and the high speed (~ μs) are a unique combination not found in other detectors.

Electrical Properties and Power Considerations of a Piezoelectric Actuator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, T.; Ounaies, Z.; Tripp, J.; Tcheng, P.

1999-01-01

This paper assesses the electrical characteristics of piezoelectric wafers for use in aeronautical applications such as active noise control in aircraft. Determination of capacitive behavior and power consumption is necessary to optimize the system configuration and to design efficient driving electronics. Empirical relations are developed from experimental data to predict the capacitance and loss tangent of a PZT5A ceramic as nonlinear functions of both applied peak voltage and driving frequency. Power consumed by the PZT is the rate of energy required to excite the piezoelectric system along with power dissipated due to dielectric loss and mechanical and structural damping. Overall power consumption is thus quantified as a function of peak applied voltage and driving frequency. It was demonstrated that by incorporating the variation of capacitance and power loss with voltage and frequency, satisfactory estimates of power requirements can be obtained. These relations allow general guidelines in selection and application of piezoelectric actuators and driving electronics for active control applications.

Porous NiCo2O4 nanosheets/reduced graphene oxide composite: facile synthesis and excellent capacitive performance for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Ma, Lianbo; Shen, Xiaoping; Ji, Zhenyuan; Cai, Xiaoqing; Zhu, Guoxing; Chen, Kangmin

2015-02-15

A composite with porous NiCo2O4 nanosheets attached on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets is synthesized through a facile solution-based method combined with a simple thermal annealing process. The capacitive performances of the as-prepared NiCo2O4/RGO (NCG) composites as electrode materials are investigated. It is found that the NCG composites exhibit a high specific capacitance up to 1186.3 F g(-1) at the current density of 0.5 A g(-1), and superior cycling stability with about 97% of the initial capacitance after 100 cycles. The greatly enhanced capacitive performance of the NCG electrode can be attributed to the existence of RGO support, which serves as both conductive channels and active interface. The approach used in the synthesis provides a facile route for preparing graphene-binary metal oxide electrode materials. The remarkable capacitive performance of NCG composites will undoubtedly make them be attractive for high performance energy storage applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Highly Compressible Carbon Sponge Supercapacitor Electrode with Enhanced Performance by Growing Nickel-Cobalt Sulfide Nanosheets.

PubMed

Liang, Xu; Nie, Kaiwen; Ding, Xian; Dang, Liqin; Sun, Jie; Shi, Feng; Xu, Hua; Jiang, Ruibin; He, Xuexia; Liu, Zonghuai; Lei, Zhibin

2018-03-28

The development of compressible supercapacitor highly relies on the innovative design of electrode materials with both superior compression property and high capacitive performance. This work reports a highly compressible supercapacitor electrode which is prepared by growing electroactive NiCo 2 S 4 (NCS) nanosheets on the compressible carbon sponge (CS). The strong adhesion of the metallic conductive NCS nanosheets to the highly porous carbon scaffolds enable the CS-NCS composite electrode to exhibit an enhanced conductivity and ideal structural integrity during repeated compression-release cycles. Accordingly, the CS-NCS composite electrode delivers a specific capacitance of 1093 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 and remarkable rate performance with 91% capacitance retention in the range of 0.5-20 A g -1 . Capacitance performance under the strain of 60% shows that the incorporation of NCS nanosheets in CS scaffolds leads to over five times enhancement in gravimetric capacitance and 17 times enhancement in volumetric capacitance. These performances enable the CS-NCS composite to be one of the promising candidates for potential applications in compressible electrochemical energy storage devices.

High resolution CMOS capacitance-frequency converter for biosensor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghoor, I. S.; Land, K.; Joubert, T.-H.

2016-02-01

This paper presents the design of a low-complexity, linear and sub-pF CMOS capacitance-frequency converter for reading out a capacitive bacterial bio/sensors with the endeavour of creating a universal bio/sensor readout module. Therefore the priority design objectives are a high resolution as well as an extensive dynamic range. The circuit is based on a method which outputs a digital frequency signal directly from a differential capacitance by the accumulation of charges produced by repetitive charge integration and charge preservation1. A prototype has been designed for manufacture in the 0.35 μm, 3.3V ams CMOS technology. At a 1MHz clock speed, the most pertinent results obtained for the designed converter are: (i) power consumption of 1.37mW; (ii) a resolution of at least 5 fF for sensitive capacitive transduction; and (iii) an input dynamic range of at least 43.5 dB from a measurable capacitance value range of 5 - 750 fF (iv) and a Pearson's coefficient of linearity of 0.99.

Hybrid charge division multiplexing method for silicon photomultiplier based PET detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Haewook; Ko, Guen Bae; Lee, Jae Sung

2017-06-01

Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is widely utilized in various positron emission tomography (PET) detectors and systems. However, the individual recording of SiPM output signals is still challenging owing to the high granularity of the SiPM; thus, charge division multiplexing is commonly used in PET detectors. Resistive charge division method is well established for reducing the number of output channels in conventional multi-channel photosensors, but it degrades the timing performance of SiPM-based PET detectors by yielding a large resistor-capacitor (RC) constant. Capacitive charge division method, on the other hand, yields a small RC constant and provides a faster timing response than the resistive method, but it suffers from an output signal undershoot. Therefore, in this study, we propose a hybrid charge division method which can be implemented by cascading the parallel combination of a resistor and a capacitor throughout the multiplexing network. In order to compare the performance of the proposed method with the conventional methods, a 16-channel Hamamatsu SiPM (S11064-050P) was coupled with a 4  ×  4 LGSO crystal block (3  ×  3  ×  20 mm3) and a 9  ×  9 LYSO crystal block (1.2  ×  1.2  ×  10 mm3). In addition, we tested a time-over-threshold (TOT) readout using the digitized position signals to further demonstrate the feasibility of the time-based readout of multiplexed signals based on the proposed method. The results indicated that the proposed method exhibited good energy and timing performance, thus inheriting only the advantages of conventional resistive and capacitive methods. Moreover, the proposed method showed excellent pulse shape uniformity that does not depend on the position of the interacted crystal. Accordingly, we can conclude that the hybrid charge division method is useful for effectively reducing the number of output channels of the SiPM array.

A 3D CZT high resolution detector for x- and gamma-ray astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuvvetli, I.; Budtz-Jørgensen, C.; Zappettini, A.; Zambelli, N.; Benassi, G.; Kalemci, E.; Caroli, E.; Stephen, J. B.; Auricchio, N.

2014-07-01

At DTU Space we have developed a high resolution three dimensional (3D) position sensitive CZT detector for high energy astronomy. The design of the 3D CZT detector is based on the CZT Drift Strip detector principle. The position determination perpendicular to the anode strips is performed using a novel interpolating technique based on the drift strip signals. The position determination in the detector depth direction, is made using the DOI technique based the detector cathode and anode signals. The position determination along the anode strips is made with the help of 10 cathode strips orthogonal to the anode strips. The position resolutions are at low energies dominated by the electronic noise and improve therefore with increased signal to noise ratio as the energy increases. The achievable position resolution at higher energies will however be dominated by the extended spatial distribution of the photon produced ionization charge. The main sources of noise contribution of the drift signals are the leakage current between the strips and the strip capacitance. For the leakage current, we used a metallization process that reduces the leakage current by means of a high resistive thin layer between the drift strip electrodes and CZT detector material. This method was applied to all the proto type detectors and was a very effective method to reduce the surface leakage current between the strips. The proto type detector was recently investigated at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble which provided a fine 50 × 50 μm2 collimated X-ray beam covering an energy band up to 600 keV. The Beam positions are resolved very well with a ~ 0.2 mm position resolution (FWHM ) at 400 keV in all directions.

TiO2 nanotubes with different spacing, Fe2O3 decoration and their evaluation for Li-ion battery application.

PubMed

Ozkan, Selda; Cha, Gihoon; Mazare, Anca; Schmuki, Patrik

2018-05-11

In the present work, we report on the use of organized TiO 2 nanotube (NT) layers with a regular intertube spacing for the growth of highly defined α-Fe 2 O 3 nano-needles in the interspace. These α-Fe 2 O 3 decorated TiO 2 NTs are then explored for Li-ion battery applications and compared to classic close-packed (CP) NTs that are decorated with various amounts of nanoscale α-Fe 2 O 3 . We show that NTs with tube-to-tube spacing allow uniform decoration of individual NTs with regular arrangements of hematite nano-needles. The tube spacing also facilitates the electrolyte penetration as well as yielding better ion diffusion. While bare CP NTs show a higher capacitance of 71 μAh cm -2 compared to bare spaced NTs with a capacitance of 54 μAh cm -2 , the hierarchical decoration with secondary metal oxide, α-Fe 2 O 3 , remarkably enhances the Li-ion battery performance. Namely, spaced NTs with α-Fe 2 O 3 decoration have an areal capacitance of 477 μAh cm -2 , i.e. they have nearly ∼8 times higher capacitance. However, the areal capacitance of CP NTs with α-Fe 2 O 3 decoration saturates at 208 μAh cm -2 , i.e. is limited to ∼3 times increase.

TiO2 nanotubes with different spacing, Fe2O3 decoration and their evaluation for Li-ion battery application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozkan, Selda; Cha, Gihoon; Mazare, Anca; Schmuki, Patrik

2018-05-01

In the present work, we report on the use of organized TiO2 nanotube (NT) layers with a regular intertube spacing for the growth of highly defined α-Fe2O3 nano-needles in the interspace. These α-Fe2O3 decorated TiO2 NTs are then explored for Li-ion battery applications and compared to classic close-packed (CP) NTs that are decorated with various amounts of nanoscale α-Fe2O3. We show that NTs with tube-to-tube spacing allow uniform decoration of individual NTs with regular arrangements of hematite nano-needles. The tube spacing also facilitates the electrolyte penetration as well as yielding better ion diffusion. While bare CP NTs show a higher capacitance of 71 μAh cm-2 compared to bare spaced NTs with a capacitance of 54 μAh cm-2, the hierarchical decoration with secondary metal oxide, α-Fe2O3, remarkably enhances the Li-ion battery performance. Namely, spaced NTs with α-Fe2O3 decoration have an areal capacitance of 477 μAh cm-2, i.e. they have nearly ˜8 times higher capacitance. However, the areal capacitance of CP NTs with α-Fe2O3 decoration saturates at 208 μAh cm-2, i.e. is limited to ˜3 times increase.

Note: a transimpedance amplifier for remotely located quartz tuning forks.

PubMed

Kleinbaum, Ethan; Csáthy, Gábor A

2012-12-01

The cable capacitance in cryogenic and high vacuum applications of quartz tuning forks imposes severe constraints on the bandwidth and noise performance of the measurement. We present a single stage low noise transimpedance amplifier with a bandwidth exceeding 1 MHz and provide an in-depth analysis of the dependence of the amplifier parameters on the cable capacitance.

DBD tranformerless power supplies: impact of the parasitic capacitances on the power transfer.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diop, M. A.; Belinger, A.; Piquet, H.

2017-04-01

A new transformerless power supply for DBD application is presented here. The power supply is built with 10kV SiC MOSFET. This high voltage switches allow holding the high voltage required by the DBD. An analytical study of the converter’s operation is presented to deduce the power transmitted to the DBD. A comparison between the experimental and theoretical electrical waveforms is shown. The experimental waveforms are particularly affected by all the parasitic capacitances. When all the switches are in OFF state, oscillations cause over-voltages across the switches. An analysis of the effect of each capacitance is presented and demonstrates that the parasitic capacitances of the switches and of the inductance play a key role in the actual power transfer.

Negative capacitance in a ferroelectric capacitor.

PubMed

Khan, Asif Islam; Chatterjee, Korok; Wang, Brian; Drapcho, Steven; You, Long; Serrao, Claudy; Bakaul, Saidur Rahman; Ramesh, Ramamoorthy; Salahuddin, Sayeef

2015-02-01

The Boltzmann distribution of electrons poses a fundamental barrier to lowering energy dissipation in conventional electronics, often termed as Boltzmann Tyranny. Negative capacitance in ferroelectric materials, which stems from the stored energy of a phase transition, could provide a solution, but a direct measurement of negative capacitance has so far been elusive. Here, we report the observation of negative capacitance in a thin, epitaxial ferroelectric film. When a voltage pulse is applied, the voltage across the ferroelectric capacitor is found to be decreasing with time--in exactly the opposite direction to which voltage for a regular capacitor should change. Analysis of this 'inductance'-like behaviour from a capacitor presents an unprecedented insight into the intrinsic energy profile of the ferroelectric material and could pave the way for completely new applications.

Facile preparation of polypyrrole/graphene oxide nanocomposites with large areal capacitance using electrochemical codeposition for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Haihan; Han, Gaoyi; Xiao, Yaoming; Chang, Yunzhen; Zhai, Hua-Jin

2014-10-01

A simple and low-cost electrochemical codeposition method has been introduced to fabricate polypyrrole/graphene oxide (PPy/GO) nanocomposites and the areal capacitance of conducting polymer/GO composites is reported for the first time. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are implemented to determine the PPy/GO nanocomposites are successfully prepared and the interaction between PPy and GO. The as-prepared PPy/GO nanocomposites show the curly sheet-like morphology, superior capacitive behaviors and cyclic stability. Furthermore, the varying deposition time is implemented to investigate the impact of the loading amount on electrochemical behavior of the composites, and a high areal capacitance of 152 mF cm-2 is achieved at 10 mV s-1 CV scan. However, the thicker films caused by the long deposition time would result in larger diffusion resistance of electrolyte ions, consequently exhibit the relatively lower capacitance value at the high current density. The GCD tests indicate moderate deposition time is more suitable for the fast charge/discharge. Considering the very simple and effective synthetic process, the PPy/GO nanocomposites with relatively high areal capacitance are competitive candidate for supercapacitor application, and its capacitive performances can be easily tuned by varying the deposition time.

High-Sensitivity Encoder-Like Micro Area-Changed Capacitive Transducer for a Nano-g Micro Accelerometer

PubMed Central

Zheng, Panpan; Liu, Jinquan; Li, Zhu; Liu, Huafeng

2017-01-01

Encoder-like micro area-changed capacitive transducers are advantageous in terms of their better linearity and larger dynamic range compared to gap-changed capacitive transducers. Such transducers have been widely applied in rectilinear and rotational position sensors, lab-on-a-chip applications and bio-sensors. However, a complete model accounting for both the parasitic capacitance and fringe effect in area-changed capacitive transducers has not yet been developed. This paper presents a complete model for this type of transducer applied to a high-resolution micro accelerometer that was verified by both simulations and experiments. A novel optimization method involving the insertion of photosensitive polyimide was used to reduce the parasitic capacitance, and the capacitor spacing was decreased to overcome the fringe effect. The sensitivity of the optimized transducer was approximately 46 pF/mm, which was nearly 40 times higher than that of our previous transducer. The displacement detection resolution was measured as 50 pm/√Hz at 0.1 Hz using a precise capacitance detection circuit. Then, the transducer was applied to a sandwich in-plane micro accelerometer, and the measured level of the accelerometer was approximately 30 ng/√Hz at 1Hz. The earthquake that occurred in Taiwan was also detected during a continuous gravity measurement. PMID:28930176

Test beam measurement of the first prototype of the fast silicon pixel monolithic detector for the TT-PET project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paolozzi, L.; Bandi, Y.; Benoit, M.; Cardarelli, R.; Débieux, S.; Forshaw, D.; Hayakawa, D.; Iacobucci, G.; Kaynak, M.; Miucci, A.; Nessi, M.; Ratib, O.; Ripiccini, E.; Rücker, H.; Valerio, P.; Weber, M.

2018-04-01

The TT-PET collaboration is developing a PET scanner for small animals with 30 ps time-of-flight resolution and sub-millimetre 3D detection granularity. The sensitive element of the scanner is a monolithic silicon pixel detector based on state-of-the-art SiGe BiCMOS technology. The first ASIC prototype for the TT-PET was produced and tested in the laboratory and with minimum ionizing particles. The electronics exhibit an equivalent noise charge below 600 e‑ RMS and a pulse rise time of less than 2 ns , in accordance with the simulations. The pixels with a capacitance of 0.8 pF were measured to have a detection efficiency greater than 99% and, although in the absence of the post-processing, a time resolution of approximately 200 ps .

Cryogenic Design of the Setup for MARE-1 in Milan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaeffer, D.; Arnaboldi, C.; Ceruti, G.; Ferri, E.; Kilbourne, C.; Kraft-Bermuth, S.; Margesin, B.; McCammon, D.; Monfardini, A.; Nucciotti, A.; Pessina, G.; Previtali, E.; Sisti, M.

2008-05-01

A large worldwide collaboration is growing around the project of Micro-calorimeter Arrays for a Rhenium Experiment (MARE) for a direct calorimetric measurement of the neutrino mass. To validate the use of cryogenic detectors by checking the presence of unexpected systematic errors, two first experiments are planned using the available techniques composed of arrays of 300 detectors to measure 1010 events in a reasonable time of 3 years (step MARE-1) to reach a sensitivity on the neutrino mass of ˜2 eV/c2. Our experiment in Milan is based on compensated doped silicon implanted thermistor arrays made in NASA/GSFC and on AgReO4 crystals. We present here the design of the cryogenic system that integrates all the requirements for such experiment (electronics for high impedances, low parasitic capacitances, low micro-phonic noise).

Electromagnetic receiver with capacitive electrodes and triaxial induction coil for tunnel exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kai, Chen; Sheng, Jin; Wang, Shun

2017-09-01

A new type of electromagnetic (EM) receiver has been developed by integrating four capacitive electrodes and a triaxial induction coil with an advanced data logger for tunnel exploration. The new EM receiver can conduct EM observations in tunnels, which is one of the principal goals of surface-tunnel-borehole EM detection for deep ore deposit mapping. The use of capacitive electrodes enables us to record the electrical field (E-field) signals from hard rock surfaces, which are high-resistance terrains. A compact triaxial induction coil integrates three independent induction coils for narrow-tunnel exploration applications. A low-time-drift-error clock source is developed for tunnel applications where GPS signals are unavailable. The three main components of our tunnel EM receiver are: (1) four capacitive electrodes for measuring the E-field signal without digging in hard rock regions; (2) a triaxial induction coil sensor for audio-frequency magnetotelluric and controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric signal measurements; and (3) a data logger that allows us to record five-component MT signals with low noise levels, low time-drift-error for the clock source, and high dynamic range. The proposed tunnel EM receiver was successfully deployed in a mine that exhibited with typical noise characteristics. [Figure not available: see fulltext. Caption: The new EM receiver can conduct EM observations in tunnels, which is one of the principal goals of the surface-tunnel-borehole EM (STBEM) detection for deep ore deposit mapping. The use of a capacitive electrode enables us to record the electrical field (E-field) signals from hard rock surfaces. A compact triaxial induction coil integrated three induction coils, for narrow-tunnel applications.

Modulating capacitive response of MoS2 flake by controlled nanostructuring through focused laser irradiation.

PubMed

Rani, Renu; Kundu, Anirban; Balal, Mohammad; Sheet, Goutam; Hazra, Kiran Shankar

2018-08-24

Unlike graphene nanostructures, various physical properties of nanostructured MoS 2 have remained unexplored due to the lack of established fabrication routes. Herein, we have reported unique electrostatic properties of MoS 2 nanostructures, fabricated in a controlled manner of different geometries on 2D flake by using focused laser irradiation technique. Electrostatic force microscopy has been carried out on MoS 2 nanostructures by varying tip bias voltage and lift height. The analysis depicts no contrast flip in phase image of the patterned nanostructure due to the absence of free surface charges. However, prominent change in phase shift at the patterned area is observed. Such contrast changes signify the capacitive interaction between tip and nanostructures at varying tip bias voltage and lift height, irrespective of their shape and size. Such unperturbed capacitive behavior of the MoS 2 nanostructures offer modulation of capacitance in periodic array on 2D MoS 2 flake for potential application in capacitive devices.

Sensitivity enhancement of capacitive tumor necrosis factor-α detection by deposition of nanoparticles on interdigitated electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagati, Ajay Kumar; Park, Jinsoo; Kim, Jungsuk; Ju, Heongkyu; Chang, Keun-A.; Cho, Sungbo

2016-06-01

An interdigitated electrodes (IDE) modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was fabricated to enhance the capacitive detection of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and compared with a bare IDE. A TNF-α immunosensor was developed by covalently conjugating TNF-α antibodies with 3-mercaptopropionic acid by a carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide reaction on the AuNP/IDE. After the application of human serum samples containing various concentrations of TNF-α to the sensing electrode, changes in both the impedance spectrum and the electrode interfacial capacitance were measured. The capacitance changes were dependent on the TNF-α concentration in the range of 1 pg ml-1 to 10 ng ml-1, and the device had the calculated detection limit of 0.83 pg ml-1. The developed AuNP/IDE-based immunosensor was successfully used for the capacitive detection of the binding of TNF-α to its antibody, and was found to be feasible for the analysis of TNF-α in human blood serum.

In vivo skin imaging for hydration and micro relief-measurement.

PubMed

Kardosova, Z; Hegyi, V

2013-01-01

We present the results of our work with device used for measurement of skin capacitance before and after application of moisturizing creams and results of experiment performed on cellulose filter papers soaked with different solvents. The measurements were performed by a device built on capacitance sensor, which provides an investigator with a capacitance image of the skin. The capacitance values are coded in a range of 256 gray levels then the skin hydration can be characterized using parameters derived from gray level histogram by specific software. The images obtained by device allow a highly precise observation of skin topography. Measuring of skin capacitance brings new, objective, reliable information about topographical, physical and chemical parameters of the skin. The study shows that there is a good correlation between the average grayscale values and skin hydration. In future works we need to complete more comparison studies, interpret the average grayscale values to skin hydration levels and use it for follow-up of dynamics of skin micro-relief and hydration changes (Fig. 6, Ref. 15).

One-step electroplating porous graphene oxide electrodes of supercapacitors for ultrahigh capacitance and energy density.

PubMed

Wang, Yongjie; Zhu, Jiaqi

2015-02-06

An electroplating method was used for the first time to synthesize 3D porous graphene oxide (PGO) architectures, exhibiting ultrahigh capacitance and energy density as electrodes of supercapacitors. Scanning electron microscopy illustrated the porous structures which promoted the stability and alleviated the stacking of the graphene oxide layers. As investigated in a three-electrode supercapacitor cell, PGO electrodes exhibited the maximum capacitance and energy of 973 F · g(-1) and 98.4 Wh · Kg(-1), which are better than current reports and comparable to batteries. At 4 A · g(-1) for high-power applications, PGO electrodes reached a capacitance, energy, and power density of 493 F · g(-1), 49.9 Wh · Kg(-1), and 1700 W · Kg(-1), and they retained ∼97.83% of capacitance after 10 000 charge/discharge processes. Furthermore, when the PGO was bent exaggeratedly, it still displayed identical properties, which is of important significance for supporting wearable devices.

Application of biomass-derived flexible carbon cloth coated with MnO2 nanosheets in supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Shuijian; Chen, Wei

2015-10-01

Successful application of inexpensive energy storage devices lies in the exploitation of fabrication approaches that are based on cost-efficient materials and that can be easily scaled up. Here, inexpensive textile weaved by natural flax fiber is selected as raw material in preparing flexible and binder-free electrode material for supercapacitors. Although carbon fiber cloth obtained from the direct carbonization of flax textile exhibits a low specific capacitance of 0.78 F g-1, carbon fiber cloth electrode shows a very short relaxation time of 39.1 m s and good stability with almost 100% capacitance retaining after 104 cycles at 5 A g-1. To extend the application of the resulting carbon cloth in supercapacitor field, a layer of MnO2 nanosheets is deposited on the surface of carbon fiber via in situ redox reaction between carbon and KMnO4. The specific capacitance of MnO2 reaches 683.73 F g-1 at 2 A g-1 and still retains 269.04 F g-1 at 300 A g-1, indicating the excellent rate capacitance performance of the carbon cloth/MnO2 hybrids. The present study shows that carbon cloth derived from flax textile can provide a low-cost material platform for the facile, cost-efficient and large scale fabrication of binder-free electrode materials for energy storage devices.

A Study on Dielectric Properties of Cadmium Sulfide-Zinc Sulfide Core-Shell Nanocomposites for Application as Nanoelectronic Filter Component in the Microwave Domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devi, Jutika; Datta, Pranayee

2018-07-01

Complex permittivities of cadmium sulfide (CdS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), and of cadmium sulfide-zinc sulfide (CdS/ZnS) core-shell nanoparticles embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix (PVA) were measured in liquid phase using a VectorNetwork Analyzer in the frequency range of 500 MHz-10 GHz. These nanocomposites are modeled as an embedded capacitor, and their electric field distribution and polarization have been studied using COMSOL Multiphysics software. By varying the thickness of the shell and the number of inclusions, the capacitance values were estimated. It was observed that CdS, ZnS and CdS/ZnS core-shell nanoparticles embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix show capacitive behavior. There is a strong influence of the dielectric properties in the capacitive behavior of the embedded nanocapacitor. The capping matrix, position and filling factors of nanoinclusions all affect the capacitive behavior of the tested nanocomposites. Application of the CdS, ZnS and CdS/ZnS core-shell nanocomposite as the passive low-pass filter circuit has also been investigated. From the present study, it has been found that CdS/ZnS core-shell nanoparticles embedded in PVA matrix are potential structures for application as nanoelectronic filter components in different areas of communication.

Visual prosthesis wireless energy transfer system optimal modeling.

PubMed

Li, Xueping; Yang, Yuan; Gao, Yong

2014-01-16

Wireless energy transfer system is an effective way to solve the visual prosthesis energy supply problems, theoretical modeling of the system is the prerequisite to do optimal energy transfer system design. On the basis of the ideal model of the wireless energy transfer system, according to visual prosthesis application condition, the system modeling is optimized. During the optimal modeling, taking planar spiral coils as the coupling devices between energy transmitter and receiver, the effect of the parasitic capacitance of the transfer coil is considered, and especially the concept of biological capacitance is proposed to consider the influence of biological tissue on the energy transfer efficiency, resulting in the optimal modeling's more accuracy for the actual application. The simulation data of the optimal model in this paper is compared with that of the previous ideal model, the results show that under high frequency condition, the parasitic capacitance of inductance and biological capacitance considered in the optimal model could have great impact on the wireless energy transfer system. The further comparison with the experimental data verifies the validity and accuracy of the optimal model proposed in this paper. The optimal model proposed in this paper has a higher theoretical guiding significance for the wireless energy transfer system's further research, and provide a more precise model reference for solving the power supply problem in visual prosthesis clinical application.

Visual prosthesis wireless energy transfer system optimal modeling

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Wireless energy transfer system is an effective way to solve the visual prosthesis energy supply problems, theoretical modeling of the system is the prerequisite to do optimal energy transfer system design. Methods On the basis of the ideal model of the wireless energy transfer system, according to visual prosthesis application condition, the system modeling is optimized. During the optimal modeling, taking planar spiral coils as the coupling devices between energy transmitter and receiver, the effect of the parasitic capacitance of the transfer coil is considered, and especially the concept of biological capacitance is proposed to consider the influence of biological tissue on the energy transfer efficiency, resulting in the optimal modeling’s more accuracy for the actual application. Results The simulation data of the optimal model in this paper is compared with that of the previous ideal model, the results show that under high frequency condition, the parasitic capacitance of inductance and biological capacitance considered in the optimal model could have great impact on the wireless energy transfer system. The further comparison with the experimental data verifies the validity and accuracy of the optimal model proposed in this paper. Conclusions The optimal model proposed in this paper has a higher theoretical guiding significance for the wireless energy transfer system’s further research, and provide a more precise model reference for solving the power supply problem in visual prosthesis clinical application. PMID:24428906

A Study on Dielectric Properties of Cadmium Sulfide-Zinc Sulfide Core-Shell Nanocomposites for Application as Nanoelectronic Filter Component in the Microwave Domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devi, Jutika; Datta, Pranayee

2018-03-01

Complex permittivities of cadmium sulfide (CdS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), and of cadmium sulfide-zinc sulfide (CdS/ZnS) core-shell nanoparticles embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix (PVA) were measured in liquid phase using a VectorNetwork Analyzer in the frequency range of 500 MHz-10 GHz. These nanocomposites are modeled as an embedded capacitor, and their electric field distribution and polarization have been studied using COMSOL Multiphysics software. By varying the thickness of the shell and the number of inclusions, the capacitance values were estimated. It was observed that CdS, ZnS and CdS/ZnS core-shell nanoparticles embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix show capacitive behavior. There is a strong influence of the dielectric properties in the capacitive behavior of the embedded nanocapacitor. The capping matrix, position and filling factors of nanoinclusions all affect the capacitive behavior of the tested nanocomposites. Application of the CdS, ZnS and CdS/ZnS core-shell nanocomposite as the passive low-pass filter circuit has also been investigated. From the present study, it has been found that CdS/ZnS core-shell nanoparticles embedded in PVA matrix are potential structures for application as nanoelectronic filter components in different areas of communication.

Ultrahigh Responsivity-Bandwidth Product in a Compact InP Nanopillar Phototransistor Directly Grown on Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Wai Son; Bhattacharya, Indrasen; Tran, Thai-Truong D.; Ng, Kar Wei; Adair Gerke, Stephen; Chang-Hasnain, Connie

2016-09-01

Highly sensitive and fast photodetectors can enable low power, high bandwidth on-chip optical interconnects for silicon integrated electronics. III-V compound semiconductor direct-bandgap materials with high absorption coefficients are particularly promising for photodetection in energy-efficient optical links because of the potential to scale down the absorber size, and the resulting capacitance and dark current, while maintaining high quantum efficiency. We demonstrate a compact bipolar junction phototransistor with a high current gain (53.6), bandwidth (7 GHz) and responsivity (9.5 A/W) using a single crystalline indium phosphide nanopillar directly grown on a silicon substrate. Transistor gain is obtained at sub-picowatt optical power and collector bias close to the CMOS line voltage. The quantum efficiency-bandwidth product of 105 GHz is the highest for photodetectors on silicon. The bipolar junction phototransistor combines the receiver front end circuit and absorber into a monolithic integrated device, eliminating the wire capacitance between the detector and first amplifier stage.

Experimental study of a SINIS detector response time at 350 GHz signal frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemzyakov, S.; Tarasov, M.; Mahashabde, S.; Yusupov, R.; Kuzmin, L.; Edelman, V.

2018-03-01

Response time constant of a SINIS bolometer integrated in an annular ring antenna was measured at a bath temperature of 100 mK. Samples comprising superconducting aluminium electrodes and normal-metal Al/Fe strip connected to electrodes via tunnel junctions were fabricated on oxidized Si substrate using shadow evaporation. The bolometer was illuminated by a fast black-body radiation source through a band-pass filter centered at 350 GHz with a passband of 7 GHz. Radiation source is a thin NiCr film on sapphire substrate. For rectangular 10÷100 μs current pulse the radiation front edge was rather sharp due to low thermal capacitance of NiCr film and low thermal conductivity of substrate at temperatures in the range 1-4 K. The rise time of the response was ~1-10 μs. This time presumably is limited by technical reasons: high dynamic resistance of series array of bolometers and capacitance of a long twisted pair wiring from SINIS bolometer to a room-temperature amplifier.

Analysis of differential and active charging phenomena on ATS-5 and ATS-6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, R. C.; Whipple, E. C., Jr.

1980-01-01

Spacecraft charging on the differential charging and artificial particle emission experiments on ATS 5 and ATS 6 were studied. Differential charging of spacecraft surfaces generated large electrostatic barriers to spacecraft generated electrons, from photoemission, secondary emission, and thermal emitters. The electron emitter could partially or totally discharge the satellite, but the mainframe recharged negatively in a few 10's of seconds. The time dependence of the charging behavior was explained by the relatively large capacitance for differential charging in comparison to the small spacecraft to space capacitance. A daylight charging event on ATS 6 was shown to have a charging behavior suggesting the dominance of differential charging on the absolute potential of the mainframe. Ion engine operations and plasma emission experiments on ATS 6 were shown to be an effective means of controlling the spacecraft potential in eclipse and sunlight. Elimination of barrier effects around the detectors and improving the quality of the particle data are discussed.

Ultrahigh Responsivity-Bandwidth Product in a Compact InP Nanopillar Phototransistor Directly Grown on Silicon

PubMed Central

Ko, Wai Son; Bhattacharya, Indrasen; Tran, Thai-Truong D.; Ng, Kar Wei; Adair Gerke, Stephen; Chang-Hasnain, Connie

2016-01-01

Highly sensitive and fast photodetectors can enable low power, high bandwidth on-chip optical interconnects for silicon integrated electronics. III-V compound semiconductor direct-bandgap materials with high absorption coefficients are particularly promising for photodetection in energy-efficient optical links because of the potential to scale down the absorber size, and the resulting capacitance and dark current, while maintaining high quantum efficiency. We demonstrate a compact bipolar junction phototransistor with a high current gain (53.6), bandwidth (7 GHz) and responsivity (9.5 A/W) using a single crystalline indium phosphide nanopillar directly grown on a silicon substrate. Transistor gain is obtained at sub-picowatt optical power and collector bias close to the CMOS line voltage. The quantum efficiency-bandwidth product of 105 GHz is the highest for photodetectors on silicon. The bipolar junction phototransistor combines the receiver front end circuit and absorber into a monolithic integrated device, eliminating the wire capacitance between the detector and first amplifier stage. PMID:27659796

Silicon CMOS optical receiver circuits with integrated thin-film compound semiconductor detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooke, Martin A.; Lee, Myunghee; Jokerst, Nan Marie; Camperi-Ginestet, C.

1995-04-01

While many circuit designers have tackled the problem of CMOS digital communications receiver design, few have considered the problem of circuitry suitable for an all CMOS digital IC fabrication process. Faced with a high speed receiver design the circuit designer will soon conclude that a high speed analog-oriented fabrication process provides superior performance advantages to a digital CMOS process. However, for applications where there are overwhelming reasons to integrate the receivers on the same IC as large amounts of conventional digital circuitry, the low yield and high cost of the exotic analog-oriented fabrication is no longer an option. The issues that result from a requirement to use a digital CMOS IC process cut across all aspects of receiver design, and result in significant differences in circuit design philosophy and topology. Digital ICs are primarily designed to yield small, fast CMOS devices for digital logic gates, thus no effort is put into providing accurate or high speed resistances, or capacitors. This lack of any reliable resistance or capacitance has a significant impact on receiver design. Since resistance optimization is not a prerogative of the digital IC process engineer, the wisest option is thus to not use these elements, opting instead for active circuitry to replace the functions normally ascribed to resistance and capacitance. Depending on the application receiver noise may be a dominant design constraint. The noise performance of CMOS amplifiers is different than bipolar or GaAs MESFET circuits, shot noise is generally insignificant when compared to channel thermal noise. As a result the optimal input stage topology is significantly different for the different technologies. It is found that, at speeds of operation approaching the limits of the digital CMOS process, open loop designs have noise-power-gain-bandwidth tradeoff performance superior to feedback designs. Furthermore, the lack of good resisters and capacitors complicates the use of feedback circuits. Thus feedback is generally not used in the front-end of our digital process CMOS receivers.

Hard x-ray and gamma-ray imaging and spectroscopy using scintillators coupled to silicon drift detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lechner, P.; Eckhard, R.; Fiorini, C.; Gola, A.; Longoni, A.; Niculae, A.; Peloso, R.; Soltau, H.; Strüder, L.

2008-07-01

Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) are used as low-capacitance photon detectors for the optical light emitted by scintillators. The scintillator crystal is directly coupled to the SDD entrance window. The entrance window's transmittance can be optimized for the scintillator characteristic by deposition of a wavelength-selective anti-reflective coating. Compared to conventional photomultiplier tubes the SDD readout offers improved energy resolution and avoids the practical problems of incompatibility with magnetic fields, instrument volume and requirement of high voltage. A compact imaging spectrometer for hard X-rays and γ-rays has been developed by coupling a large area (29 × 26 mm2) monolithic SDD array with 77 hexagonal cells to a single non-structured CsI-scintillator of equal size. The scintillation light generated by the absorption of an energetic photon is seen by a number of detector cells and the position of the photon interaction is reconstructed by the centroid method. The measured spatial resolution of the system (<= 500 μm) is considerably smaller than the SDD cell size (3.2 mm) and in the order required at the focal plane of high energy missions. The energy information is obtained by summing the detector cell signals. Compared to direct converting pixelated detectors, e.g. CdTe with equal position resolution the scintillator-SDD combination requires a considerably lower number of readout channels. In addition it has the advantages of comprehensive material experience, existing technologies, proven long term stability, and practically unlimited availability of high quality material.

Characterization and development of an event-driven hybrid CMOS x-ray detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, Christopher

2015-06-01

Hybrid CMOS detectors (HCD) have provided great benefit to the infrared and optical fields of astronomy, and they are poised to do the same for X-ray astronomy. Infrared HCDs have already flown on the Hubble Space Telescope and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission and are slated to fly on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Hybrid CMOS X-ray detectors offer low susceptibility to radiation damage, low power consumption, and fast readout time to avoid pile-up. The fast readout time is necessary for future high throughput X-ray missions. The Speedster-EXD X-ray HCD presented in this dissertation offers new in-pixel features and reduces known noise sources seen on previous generation HCDs. The Speedster-EXD detector makes a great step forward in the development of these detectors for future space missions. This dissertation begins with an overview of future X-ray space mission concepts and their detector requirements. The background on the physics of semiconductor devices and an explanation of the detection of X-rays with these devices will be discussed followed by a discussion on CCDs and CMOS detectors. Next, hybrid CMOS X-ray detectors will be explained including their advantages and disadvantages. The Speedster-EXD detector and its new features will be outlined including its ability to only read out pixels which contain X-ray events. Test stand design and construction for the Speedster-EXD detector is outlined and the characterization of each parameter on two Speedster-EXD detectors is detailed including read noise, dark current, interpixel capacitance crosstalk (IPC), and energy resolution. Gain variation is also characterized, and a Monte Carlo simulation of its impact on energy resolution is described. This analysis shows that its effect can be successfully nullified with proper calibration, which would be important for a flight mission. Appendix B contains a study of the extreme tidal disruption event, Swift J1644+57, to search for periodicities in its X-ray light curve. iii.

The Physics of Superconducting Microwave Resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jiansong

Over the past decade, low temperature detectors have brought astronomers revolutionary new observational capabilities and led to many great discoveries. Although a single low temperature detector has very impressive sensitivity, a large detector array would be much more powerful and are highly demanded for the study of more difficult and fundamental problems in astronomy. However, current detector technologies, such as transition edge sensors and superconducting tunnel junction detectors, are difficult to integrate into a large array. The microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) is a promising new detector technology invented at Caltech and JPL which provides both high sensitivity and an easy solution to the detector integration. It senses the change in the surface impedance of a superconductor as incoming photons break Cooper pairs, by using high-Q superconducting microwave resonators capacitively coupled to a common feedline. This architecture allows thousands of detectors to be easily integrated through passive frequency domain multiplexing. In this thesis, we explore the rich and interesting physics behind these superconducting microwave resonators. The first part of the thesis discusses the surface impedance of a superconductor, the kinetic inductance of a superconducting coplanar waveguide, and the circuit response of a resonator. These topics are related with the responsivity of MKIDs. The second part presents the study of the excess frequency noise that is universally observed in these resonators. The properties of the excess noise, including power, temperature, material, and geometry dependence, have been quantified. The noise source has been identified to be the two-level systems in the dielectric material on the surface of the resonator. A semi-empirical noise model has been developed to explain the power and geometry dependence of the noise, which is useful to predict the noise for a specified resonator geometry. The detailed physical noise mechanism, however, is still not clear. With the theoretical results of the responsivity and the semi-empirical noise model established in this thesis, a prediction of the detector sensitivity (noise equivalent power) and an optimization of the detector design are now possible.

Interconnected V2O5 nanoporous network for high-performance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Saravanakumar, B; Purushothaman, Kamatchi K; Muralidharan, G

2012-09-26

Vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) has attracted attention for supercapcitor applications because of its extensive multifunctional properties. In the present study, V(2)O(5) nanoporous network was synthesized via simple capping-agent-assisted precipitation technique and it is further annealed at different temperatures. The effect of annealing temperature on the morphology, electrochemical and structural properties, and stability upon oxidation-reduction cycling has been analyzed for supercapacitor application. We achieved highest specific capacitance of 316 F g(-1) for interconnected V(2)O(5) nanoporous network. This interconnected nanoporous network creates facile nanochannels for ion diffusion and facilitates the easy accessibility of ions. Moreover, after six hundred consecutive cycling processes the specific capacitance has changed only by 24%. A simple cost-effective preparation technique of V(2)O(5) nanoporous network with excellent capacitive behavior, energy density, and stability encourages its possible commercial exploitation for the development of high-performance supercapacitors.

Reduced Graphene Oxide/Carbon Nanotube Composites as Electrochemical Energy Storage Electrode Applications.

PubMed

Yang, Wenyao; Chen, Yan; Wang, Jingfeng; Peng, Tianjun; Xu, Jianhua; Yang, Bangchao; Tang, Ke

2018-06-15

We demonstrate an electrochemical reduction method to reduce graphene oxide (GO) to electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) with the assistance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The faster and more efficient reduction of GO can be achieved after proper addition of CNTs into GO during the reduction process. This nanotube/nanosheet composite was deposited on electrode as active material for electrochemical energy storage applications. It has been found that the specific capacitance of the composite film was strongly affected by the mass ratio of GO/CNTs and the scanning ratio of cyclic voltammetry. The obtained ERGO/CNT composite electrode exhibited a 279.4 F/g-specific capacitance and showed good cycle rate performance with the evidence that the specific capacitance maintained above 90% after 6000 cycles. The synergistic effect between ERGO and CNTs as well as crossing over of CNTs into ERGO is attributed to the high electrochemical performance of composite electrode.

Facile preparation and electrochemical characterization of kassite-based materials for supercapacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Weijie; Zhao, Gaoling; Song, Bin; Xie, Junliang; Lu, Wangwei; Han, Gaorong

2017-12-01

In this study, kassite was synthesized by employing a simple, green hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were carried out to study its crystal phases, morphologies and electrochemical performance. With the extension of reaction time, the crystallinity of the samples became higher and the specific capacitance increased correspondingly. The result shows that kassite has a promising application in electrode material for capacitors. To improve the electrical conductivity of kassite and the accessibility of the surface area, graphene nanosheet (GNS) was introduced to form composites with kassite. The capacitive performance improved with increasing weight percentage of GNS and reached an optimum with the specific capacitance of 129.8 F/g at weight percentage of 10%, then decreased with further increasing GNS, showing a synergistic effect of kassite and the GNS.

Voltage equalization of an ultracapacitor module by cell grouping using number partitioning algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyarbide, E.; Bernal, C.; Molina, P.; Jiménez, L. A.; Gálvez, R.; Martínez, A.

2016-01-01

Ultracapacitors are low voltage devices and therefore, for practical applications, they need to be used in modules of series-connected cells. Because of the inherent manufacturing tolerance of the capacitance parameter of each cell, and as the maximum voltage value cannot be exceeded, the module requires inter-cell voltage equalization. If the intended application suffers repeated fast charging/discharging cycles, active equalization circuits must be rated to full power, and thus the module becomes expensive. Previous work shows that a series connection of several sets of paralleled ultracapacitors minimizes the dispersion of equivalent capacitance values, and also the voltage differences between capacitors. Thus the overall life expectancy is improved. This paper proposes a method to distribute ultracapacitors with a number partitioning-based strategy to reduce the dispersion between equivalent submodule capacitances. Thereafter, the total amount of stored energy and/or the life expectancy of the device can be considerably improved.

Electrolyte gated TFT biosensors based on the Donnan's capacitance of anchored biomolecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoli, Kyriaki; Palazzo, Gerardo; Macchia, Eleonora; Tiwari, Amber; Di Franco, Cinzia; Scamarcio, Gaetano; Favia, Pietro; Mallardi, Antonia; Torsi, Luisa

2017-08-01

Biodetection using electrolyte gated field effect transistors has been mainly correlated to charge modulated transduction. Therefore, such platforms are designed and studied for limited applications involving relatively small charged species and much care is taken in the operating conditions particularly pH and salt concentration (ionic strength). However, there are several reports suggesting that the device conductance can also be very sensitive towards variations in the capacitance coupling. Understanding the sensing mechanism is important for further exploitation of these promising sensors in broader range of applications. In this paper, we present a thorough and in depth study of a multilayer protein system coupled to an electrolyte gated transistor. It is demonstrated that detection associated to a binding event taking place at a distance of 30 nm far from the organic semiconductor-electrolyte interface is possible and the device conductance is dominated by Donnan's capacitance of anchored biomolecules.

Surfactant free nickel sulphide nanoparticles for high capacitance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandhini, S.; Muralidharan, G.

2018-04-01

The surfactant free nickel sulphide nanoparticles were synthesized via facile hydrothermal method towards supercapacitor applications. The formation of crystalline spherical nanoparticles was confirmed through structural and morphological studies. Electrochemical behaviour of the electrode was analyzed using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge studies (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The CV studies imply that specific capacitance of the electrode arises from a combination of surface adsorption and Faradic reaction. The NiS electrode delivered a specific capacitance of about 529 F g-1 at a current density of 2 A g-1 (GCD measurements). A profitable charge transfer resistance of 0.5 Ω was obtained from EIS. The 100 % of capacity retention even after 2000 repeated charge-discharge cycles could be observed in 2 M KOH electrolyte at a much larger rate of 30 A g-1. The experimental results suggest that nickel sulphide is a potential candidate for supercapacitor applications.

A Direct Dark Matter Search with the MAJORANA Low-Background Broad Energy Germanium Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finnerty, Padraic Seamus

It is well established that a significant portion of our Universe is comprised of invisible, non-luminous matter, commonly referred to as dark matter. The detection and characterization of this missing matter is an active area of research in cosmology and particle astrophysics. A general class of candidates for non-baryonic particle dark matter is weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). WIMPs emerge naturally from supersymmetry with predicted masses between 1--1000 GeV. There are many current and near-future experiments that may shed light on the nature of dark matter by directly detecting WIMP-nucleus scattering events. The MAJORANA experiment will use p-type point contact (PPC) germanium detectors as both the source and detector to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76Ge. These detectors have both exceptional energy resolution and low-energy thresholds. The low-energy performance of PPC detectors, due to their low-capacitance point-contact design, makes them suitable for direct dark matter searches. As a part of the research and development efforts for the MAJORANA experiment, a custom Canberra PPC detector has been deployed at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility in Ripplemead, Virginia. This detector has been used to perform a search for low-mass (< 10 GeV) WIMP induced nuclear recoils using a 221.49 live-day exposure. It was found that events originating near the surface of the detector plague the signal region, even after all cuts. For this reason, only an upper limit on WIMP induced nuclear recoils was placed. This limit is inconsistent with several recent claims to have observed light WIMP based dark matter.

IDeF-X ECLAIRs: A CMOS ASIC for the Readout of CdTe and CdZnTe Detectors for High Resolution Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gevin, Olivier; Baron, Pascal; Coppolani, Xavier; Daly, FranÇois; Delagnes, Eric; Limousin, Olivier; Lugiez, Francis; Meuris, Aline; Pinsard, FrÉdÉric; Renaud, Diana

2009-08-01

The very last member of the IDeF-X ASIC family is presented: IDeF-X ECLAIRs is a 32-channel front end ASIC designed for the readout of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe) Detectors. Thanks to its noise performance (Equivalent Noise Charge floor of 33 e- rms) and to its radiation hardened design (Single Event Latchup Linear Energy Transfer threshold of 56 MeV.cm2.mg-1), the chip is well suited for soft X-rays energy discrimination and high energy resolution, ldquospace proof,rdquo hard X-ray spectroscopy. We measured an energy low threshold of less than 4 keV with a 10 pF input capacitor and a minimal reachable sensitivity of the Equivalent Noise Charge (ENC) to input capacitance of less than 7 e-/pF obtained with a 6 mus peak time. IDeF-X ECLAIRs will be used for the readout of 6400 CdTe Schottky monopixel detectors of the 2D coded mask imaging telescope ECLAIRs aboard the SVOM satellite. IDeF-X ECLAIRs (or IDeF-X V2) has also been designed for the readout of a pixelated CdTe detector in the miniature spectro-imager prototype Caliste 256 that is currently foreseen for the high energy detector module of the Simbol-X mission.

Tailoring graphene-based electrodes from semiconducting to metallic to increase the energy density in supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vatamanu, Jenel; Ni, Xiaojuan; Liu, Feng; Bedrov, Dmitry

2015-11-01

The semiconducting character of graphene and some carbon-based electrodes can lead to noticeably lower total capacitances and stored energy densities in electric double layer (EDL) capacitors. This paper discusses the chemical and electronic structure modifications that enhance the available energy bands, density of states and quantum capacitance of graphene substrates near the Fermi level, therefore restoring the conducting character of these materials. The doping of graphene with p or n dopants, such as boron and nitrogen atoms, or the introduction of vacancy defects that introduce zigzag edges, can significantly increase the quantum capacitance within the potential range of interest for the energy storage applications by either shifting the Dirac point away from the Fermi level or by eliminating the Dirac point. We show that a combination of doping and vacancies at realistic concentrations is sufficient to increase the capacitance of a graphene-based electrode to within 1 μF cm-2 from that of a metallic surface. Using a combination of ab initio calculations and classical molecular dynamics simulations we estimate how the changes in the quantum capacitance of these electrode materials affect the total capacitance stored by the open structure EDL capacitors containing room temperature ionic liquid electrolytes.

Superior supercapacitors based on nitrogen and sulfur co-doped hierarchical porous carbon: Excellent rate capability and cycle stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Deyi; Han, Mei; Wang, Bing; Li, Yubing; Lei, Longyan; Wang, Kunjie; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Liang; Feng, Huixia

2017-08-01

Vastly improving the charge storage capability of supercapacitors without sacrificing their high power density and cycle performance would bring bright application prospect. Herein, we report a nitrogen and sulfur co-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NSHPC) with very superior capacitance performance fabricated by KOH activation of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NSOMC). A high electrochemical double-layer (EDL) capacitance of 351 F g-1 was observed for the reported NSHPC electrodes, and the capacitance remains at 288 F g-1 even under a large current density of 20 A g-1. Besides the high specific capacitance and outstanding rate capability, symmetrical supercapacitor cell based on the NSHPC electrodes also exhibits an excellent cycling performance with 95.61% capacitance retention after 5000 times charge/discharge cycles. The large surface area caused by KOH activation (2056 m2 g-1) and high utilized surface area owing to the ideal micro/mesopores ratio (2.88), large micropores diameter (1.38 nm) and short opened micropores structure as well as the enhanced surface wettability induced by N and S heteroatoms doping and improved conductivity induced by KOH activation was found to be responsible for the very superior capacitance performance.

The self-assembly of redox active peptides: Synthesis and electrochemical capacitive behavior.

PubMed

Piccoli, Julia P; Santos, Adriano; Santos-Filho, Norival A; Lorenzón, Esteban N; Cilli, Eduardo M; Bueno, Paulo R

2016-05-01

The present work reports on the synthesis of a redox-tagged peptide with self-assembling capability aiming applications in electrochemically active capacitive surfaces (associated with the presence of the redox centers) generally useful in electroanalytical applications. Peptide containing ferrocene (fc) molecular (redox) group (Ac-Cys-Ile-Ile-Lys(fc)-Ile-Ile-COOH) was thus synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). To obtain the electrochemically active capacitive interface, the side chain of the cysteine was covalently bound to the gold electrode (sulfur group) and the side chain of Lys was used to attach the ferrocene in the peptide chain. After obtaining the purified redox-tagged peptide, the self-assembly and redox capability was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance-based capacitance spectroscopy techniques. The obtained results confirmed that the redox-tagged peptide was successfully attached by forming an electroactive self-assembled monolayer onto gold electrode. The design of redox active self-assembly ferrocene-tagged peptide is predictably useful in the development of biosensor devices precisely to detect, in a label-free platform, those biomarkers of clinical relevance. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 357-367, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

3D architecture of a graphene/CoMoO(4) composite for asymmetric supercapacitors usable at various temperatures.

PubMed

Jiang, Yaru; Zheng, Xin; Yan, Xiaoqin; Li, Yong; Zhao, Xuan; Zhang, Yue

2017-05-01

Designing and optimizing the electrode materials and studying the electrochemical performance or cycle life of the supercapacitor under different working conditions are crucial to its practical application. Herein, we proposed a rational design of 3D-graphene/CoMoO 4 nanoplates by a facile two-step hydrothermal method. Owing to the high electron transfer rate of graphene and the high activity of the CoMoO 4 nanoplates, the three-dimensional electrode architectures achieved remarkable electrochemical performances with high areal specific capacitance (1255.24F/g at 1A/g) and superior cycling stability (91.3% of the original specific capacitance after 3000 cycles at 1A/g). The all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor composed of 3D-graphene/CoMoO 4 and activated carbon (AC) exhibited a specific capacitance of 109F/g at 0.2A/g and an excellent cycling stability with only 12.1% of the initial specific capacitance off after 3000 cycles at 2A/g. The effects of temperature and charge-discharge current densities on the charge storage capacity of the supercapacitor were also investigated in detail for practical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and Development for Capacitive Humidity Sensor Applications of Lead-Free Ca,Mg,Fe,Ti-Oxides-Based Electro-Ceramics with Improved Sensing Properties via Physisorption

PubMed Central

Tripathy, Ashis; Pramanik, Sumit; Manna, Ayan; Bhuyan, Satyanarayan; Azrin Shah, Nabila Farhana; Radzi, Zamri; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan

2016-01-01

Despite the many attractive potential uses of ceramic materials as humidity sensors, some unavoidable drawbacks, including toxicity, poor biocompatibility, long response and recovery times, low sensitivity and high hysteresis have stymied the use of these materials in advanced applications. Therefore, in present investigation, we developed a capacitive humidity sensor using lead-free Ca,Mg,Fe,Ti-Oxide (CMFTO)-based electro-ceramics with perovskite structures synthesized by solid-state step-sintering. This technique helps maintain the submicron size porous morphology of the developed lead-free CMFTO electro-ceramics while providing enhanced water physisorption behaviour. In comparison with conventional capacitive humidity sensors, the presented CMFTO-based humidity sensor shows a high sensitivity of up to 3000% compared to other materials, even at lower signal frequency. The best also shows a rapid response (14.5 s) and recovery (34.27 s), and very low hysteresis (3.2%) in a 33%–95% relative humidity range which are much lower values than those of existing conventional sensors. Therefore, CMFTO nano-electro-ceramics appear to be very promising materials for fabricating high-performance capacitive humidity sensors. PMID:27455263

Tuning the porosity of mesoporous NiO through calcining isostructural Ni-MOFs toward supercapacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Xiang-Yang; Yan, Xiao-Li; Wang, Xiao; Zhai, Quan-Guo

2018-07-01

NiO has an unusually high theoretical specific capacitance and possess relatively high electrical conductivity compared to other metal oxides. However, the reported specific capacitance of the NiO-based electrodes is far below the theoretical value up to now. In this paper, three porous NiO materials with different specific surface area were synthesized simply by calcining iso-structural Ni-based MOFs templates. The formation mechanism of NiO was discussed by taking into account the thermal behavior and intrinsic structural features of the Ni-MOFs. Taking advantages of the Ni-MOFs precursors, all prepared NiO compounds are mesoporous and their porosity can be tuned by the structure of MOFs. Specially, due to the high porosity, three NiO exhibited an improved electrochemical performance and the specific discharge capacitances are of 102, 105, and 116 F g-1 at the current density of 1 A g-1, respectively. The specific capacitance of 1-NiO-450 is approximately 93.2% of its maximum value after 3000 cycles, which obviously superior to most of the previously reported NiO electrode materials and suggests their promising applications in supercapacitors.

Design, fabrication, and evaluation of on-chip micro-supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beidaghi, Majid

Due to the increasing demand for high power and reliable miniaturized energy storage devices, the development of micro-supercapacitors or electrochemical micro-capacitors have attracted much attention in recent years. This dissertation investigates several strategies to develop on-chip micro-supercapacitors with high power and energy density. Micro-supercapacitors based on interdigitated carbon micro-electrode arrays are fabricated through carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) technique which is based on carbonization of patterned photoresist. To improve the capacitive behavior, electrochemical activation is performed on carbon micro-electrode arrays. The developed micro-supercapacitors show specific capacitances as high as 75 mFcm-2 at a scan rate of 5 mVs -1 after electrochemical activation for 30 minutes. The capacitance loss is less than 13% after 1000 cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles. These results indicate that electrochemically activated C-MEMS micro-electrode arrays are promising candidates for on-chip electrochemical micro-capacitor applications. The energy density of micro-supercapacitors was further improved by conformal coating of polypyrrole (PPy) on C-MEMS structures. In these types of micro-devices the three dimensional (3D) carbon microstructures serve as current collectors for high energy density PPy electrodes. The electrochemical characterizations of these micro-supercapacitors show that they can deliver a specific capacitance of about 162.07 mFcm-2 and a specific power of 1.62mWcm -2 at a 20 mVs-1 scan rate. Addressing the need for high power micro-supercapacitors, the application of graphene as electrode materials for micro-supercapacitor was also investigated. The present study suggests a novel method to fabricate graphene-based micro-supercapacitors with thin film or in-plane interdigital electrodes. The fabricated micro-supercapacitors show exceptional frequency response and power handling performance and could effectively charge and discharge at rates as high as 50 Vs-1. CV measurements show that the specific capacitance of the micro-supercapacitor based on reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotube composites is 6.1 mFcm -2 at scan rate of 0.01Vs-1. At a very high scan rate of 50 Vs-1, a specific capacitance of 2.8 mFcm-2 (stack capacitance of 3.1 Fcm-3) is recorded. This unprecedented performance can potentially broaden the future applications of micro-supercapacitors.

Zinc oxide nanowire-poly(methyl methacrylate) dielectric layers for polymer capacitive pressure sensors.

PubMed

Chen, Yan-Sheng; Hsieh, Gen-Wen; Chen, Shih-Ping; Tseng, Pin-Yen; Wang, Cheng-Wei

2015-01-14

Polymer capacitive pressure sensors based on a dielectric composite layer of zinc oxide nanowire and poly(methyl methacrylate) show pressure sensitivity in the range of 2.63 × 10(-3) to 9.95 × 10(-3) cm(2) gf(-1). This represents an increase of capacitance change by as much as a factor of 23 over pristine polymer devices. An ultralight load of only 10 mg (corresponding to an applied pressure of ∼0.01 gf cm(-2)) can be clearly recognized, demonstrating remarkable characteristics of these nanowire-polymer capacitive pressure sensors. In addition, optical transmittance of the dielectric composite layer is approximately 90% in the visible wavelength region. Their low processing temperature, transparency, and flexible dielectric film makes them a highly promising means for flexible touching and pressure-sensing applications.

On Machine Capacitance Dimensional and Surface Profile Measurement System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Resnick, Ralph

1993-01-01

A program was awarded under the Air Force Machine Tool Sensor Improvements Program Research and Development Announcement to develop and demonstrate the use of a Capacitance Sensor System including Capacitive Non-Contact Analog Probe and a Capacitive Array Dimensional Measurement System to check the dimensions of complex shapes and contours on a machine tool or in an automated inspection cell. The manufacturing of complex shapes and contours and the subsequent verification of those manufactured shapes is fundamental and widespread throughout industry. The critical profile of a gear tooth; the overall shape of a graphite EDM electrode; the contour of a turbine blade in a jet engine; and countless other components in varied applications possess complex shapes that require detailed and complex inspection procedures. Current inspection methods for complex shapes and contours are expensive, time-consuming, and labor intensive.

Leak and Pipe Detection Method and System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youngquist, Robert C. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A method and system for locating leaks of conductive fluids from non-conductive pipes and other structures or for locat- ing non-conductive pipes or structures having conductive fluid contained therein, employ a charge generator to apply a time varying charge to the conductive fluid, and a capaci- tive type detector that can detect the variable charge that is induced in the fluid. The capacitive detector, which prefer- ably includes a handheld housing, employs a large conduc- tive pickup plate that is used to locate the pipe or leak by scanning the plate over the ground and detecting the induced charge that is generated when the plate comes in close proximity to the pipe or leak. If a leak is encountered, the resulting signal will appear over an area larger than expected for a buried pipe, assuming the leak provides an electrically conductive path between the flow and the wet surrounding ground. The detector uses any suitable type of indicator device, such as a pair of headphones that enable an operator to hear the detected signal as a chirping sound, for example.

A Compact Operational Amplifier with Load-Insensitive Stability Compensation for High-Precision Transducer Interface.

PubMed

Yu, Zhanghao; Yang, Xi; Chung, SungWon

2018-01-29

High-resolution electronic interface circuits for transducers with nonlinear capacitive impedance need an operational amplifier, which is stable for a wide range of load capacitance. Such operational amplifier in a conventional design requires a large area for compensation capacitors, increasing costs and limiting applications. In order to address this problem, we present a gain-boosted two-stage operational amplifier, whose frequency response compensation capacitor size is insensitive to the load capacitance and also orders of magnitude smaller compared to the conventional Miller-compensation capacitor that often dominates chip area. By exploiting pole-zero cancellation between a gain-boosting stage and the main amplifier stage, the compensation capacitor of the proposed operational amplifier becomes less dependent of load capacitance, so that it can also operate with a wide range of load capacitance. A prototype operational amplifier designed in 0.13-μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) with a 400-fF compensation capacitor occupies 900- μ m 2 chip area and achieves 0.022-2.78-MHz unity gain bandwidth and over 65 ∘ phase margin with a load capacitance of 0.1-15 nF. The prototype amplifier consumes 7.6 μ W from a single 1.0-V supply. For a given compensation capacitor size and a chip area, the prototype design demonstrates the best reported performance trade-off on unity gain bandwidth, maximum stable load capacitance, and power consumption.

A Novel Optoelectronic Device Based on Correlated Two-Dimensional Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dianat, Pouya

Conventional metallic contacts can be replicated by quantum two dimensional charge (of Fermion) systems (2DFS). Unlike metals, the particle concentration of these "unconventional" systems can be accurately controlled in an extensive range and by means of external electronic or optical stimuli. A 2DFS can, hence, transition from a high-density kinetic liquid into a dilute-but highly correlated-gas state, in which inter-particle Coulombic interactions are significant. Such interactions contribute negatively, by so-called exchange-correlation energies, to the overall energetics of the system, and are manifested as a series negative quantum capacitance. This dissertation investigates the capacitive performance of a class of unconventional devices based on a planar metal-semiconductor-metal structure with an embedded 2DFS. They constitute an opto-electronically controlled variable capacitor, with record breaking figures-of-merit in capacitance tuning ranges of up to 7000 and voltage sensitivities as large as 400. Internal eld manipulations by localized depletion of a dense 2DFS account for the enlarged maximum and reduced minimum capacitances. The capacitance-voltage characteristics of these devices incur an anomalous "Batman" shape capacitance enhancement (CE) of up to 200% that may be triggered optically. The CE is attributed to the release and storage of exchange-correlation energies; from the "unconventional" plate and in the dielectric, respectively. This process is enforced by density manipulation of the 2DFS by a hybrid of an external eld and light-generated carriers. Under moderate optical powers, the capacitance becomes 43 times greater than the dark value; thus a new capacitance-based photodetection method is offered. This new capacitance based photodetection method has a range of applications in optoelectronics, particularly in the next generation of photonic integrated systems.

Frequency dispersion of capacitance-voltage characteristics in wide bandgap semiconductor-electrolyte junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frolov, D. S.; Zubkov, V. I.

2016-12-01

The frequency dispersion of capacitance-voltage characteristics and derived charge carrier concentration with application to the junction between an electrolyte and wide band-gap semiconductors are investigated. To expand the measurement frequency range, the precision LCR-meter Agilent E4980A was connected to the electrochemical cell ECVPro Nanometrics via a specially designed switch unit. The influence of series resistance and degree of dopant ionization on the frequency dispersion of CV-measured characteristics are discussed. It was shown that in wide band-gap semiconductors one can get both total and ionized dopant concentration, depending on the test frequency choice for capacitance measurements.

Tunable Superconducting Split Ring Resonators

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-19

microwave field-strength distortion and quality- factor dependence on tuning. Feedback for changes in design and fabrication, (4) design and fabrication...elements. For many applications tuning of the resonance frequency of the SRR is needed. Classically this is done by varactor diodes. Their capacitance ... capacitance of the gap to form a resonator circuit. The advantage of such a circuit is its quite low resonance frequency compared to other structures

Ternary carbon composite films for supercapacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Minh-Hai; Jeong, Hae Kyung

2017-09-01

A simple, binder-free, method of making supercapacitor electrodes is introduced, based on modification of activated carbon with graphite oxide and carbon nanotubes. The three carbon precursors of different morphologies support each other to provide outstanding electrochemical performance, such as high capacitance and high energy density. The ternary carbon composite shows six times higher specific capacitance compared to that of activated carbon itself with high retention. The excellent electrochemical properties of the ternary composite attribute to the high surface area of 1933 m2 g-1 and low equivalent series resistance of 2 Ω, demonstrating that it improve the electrochemical performance for supercapacitor applications.

Estudo de cavidade reentrante supercondutora a ser utilizada nos transdutores paramétricos do detector brasileiro de ondas gravitacionais Mario Schenberg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, K. L.; Furtado, S. R.; Aguiar, O. D.; Frajuca, C.

2003-08-01

Cavidades reentrantes de nióbio vêm sendo utilizadas pelo grupo Australiano nos transdutores eletromecânicos paramétricos do detector de ondas gravitacionais Niobè. Esses transdutores paramétricos são ativados por um sinal AC na faixa de microondas (banda X), que é modulado pelo sinal mecânico da vibração da antena esférica, com a variação de um parâmetro, que, no caso, é a capacitância da cavidade. Nós estudamos esse tipo de cavidade, com o objetivo de transformá-la de reentrante aberta para reentrante fechada, de forma a utilizá-la nos transdutores paramétricos do detector brasileiro Mario Schenberg. O desempenho do transdutor depende de alguns parâmetros da cavidade, como a sua Figura de Mérito (Q elétrico) e o seu acoplamento elétrico com o circuito externo. Neste trabalho mostramos a medida do Q elétrico como função do acoplamento, do acabamento superficial interno e do vazamento de microondas da cavidade, e mostramos o desempenho esperado para o detector Mario Schenberg usando uma cavidade supercondutora reentrante fechada de nióbio.

Novel designs for application specific MEMS pressure sensors.

PubMed

Fragiacomo, Giulio; Reck, Kasper; Lorenzen, Lasse; Thomsen, Erik V

2010-01-01

In the framework of developing innovative microfabricated pressure sensors, we present here three designs based on different readout principles, each one tailored for a specific application. A touch mode capacitive pressure sensor with high sensitivity (14 pF/bar), low temperature dependence and high capacitive output signal (more than 100 pF) is depicted. An optical pressure sensor intrinsically immune to electromagnetic interference, with large pressure range (0-350 bar) and a sensitivity of 1 pm/bar is presented. Finally, a resonating wireless pressure sensor power source free with a sensitivity of 650 KHz/mmHg is described. These sensors will be related with their applications in harsh environment, distributed systems and medical environment, respectively. For many aspects, commercially available sensors, which in vast majority are piezoresistive, are not suited for the applications proposed.

Excellent capacitive performance of a three-dimensional hierarchical porous graphene/carbon composite with a superhigh surface area.

PubMed

Li, Xue Jin; Xing, Wei; Zhou, Jin; Wang, Gui Qiang; Zhuo, Shu Ping; Yan, Zi Feng; Xue, Qing Zhong; Qiao, Shi Zhang

2014-10-06

Three-dimensional hierarchical porous graphene/carbon composite was successfully synthesized from a solution of graphene oxide and a phenolic resin by using a facile and efficient method. The morphology, structure, and surface property of the composite were investigated intensively by a variety of means such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It is found that graphene serves as a scaffold to form a hierarchical pore texture in the composite, resulting in its superhigh surface area of 2034 m(2) g(-1), thin macropore wall, and high conductivity (152 S m(-1)). As evidenced by electrochemical measurements in both EMImBF4 ionic liquid and KOH electrolyte, the composite exhibits ideal capacitive behavior, high capacitance, and excellent rate performance due to its unique structure. In EMImBF4 , the composite has a high energy density of up to 50.1 Wh kg(-1) and also possesses quite stable cycling stability at 100 °C, suggesting its promising application in high-temperature supercapacitors. In KOH electrolyte, the specific capacitance of this composite can reach up to an unprecedented value of 186.5 F g(-1), even at a very high current density of 50 A g(-1), suggesting its prosperous application in high-power applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

In situ self-sacrificed template synthesis of vanadium nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposites for electrochemical capacitors.

PubMed

Liu, Hong-Hui; Zhang, Hong-Ling; Xu, Hong-Bin; Lou, Tai-Ping; Sui, Zhi-Tong; Zhang, Yi

2018-03-15

Vanadium nitride and graphene have been widely used as pseudo-capacitive and electric double-layer capacitor electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors, respectively. However, the poor cycling stability of vanadium nitride and the low capacitance of graphene impeded their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrated an in situ self-sacrificed template method for the synthesis of vanadium nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene (VN/NGr) nanocomposites by the pyrolysis of a mixture of dicyandiamide, glucose, and NH 4 VO 3 . Vanadium nitride nanoparticles of the size in the range of 2 to 7 nm were uniformly embedded into the nitrogen-doped graphene skeleton. Furthermore, the VN/NGr nanocomposites with a high specific surface area and pore volume showed a high specific capacitance of 255 F g -1 at 10 mV s -1 , and an excellent cycling stability (94% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles). The excellent capacitive properties were ascribed to the excellent conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene, high surface area, high pore volume, and the synergistic effect between vanadium nitride and nitrogen-doped graphene.

An Annular Mechanical Temperature Compensation Structure for Gas-Sealed Capacitive Pressure Sensor

PubMed Central

Hao, Xiuchun; Jiang, Yonggang; Takao, Hidekuni; Maenaka, Kazusuke; Higuchi, Kohei

2012-01-01

A novel gas-sealed capacitive pressure sensor with a temperature compensation structure is reported. The pressure sensor is sealed by Au-Au diffusion bonding under a nitrogen ambient with a pressure of 100 kPa and integrated with a platinum resistor-based temperature sensor for human activity monitoring applications. The capacitance-pressure and capacitance-temperature characteristics of the gas-sealed capacitive pressure sensor without temperature compensation structure are calculated. It is found by simulation that a ring-shaped structure on the diaphragm of the pressure sensor can mechanically suppress the thermal expansion effect of the sealed gas in the cavity. Pressure sensors without/with temperature compensation structures are fabricated and measured. Through measured results, it is verified that the calculation model is accurate. Using the compensation structures with a 900 μm inner radius, the measured temperature coefficient is much reduced as compared to that of the pressure sensor without compensation. The sensitivities of the pressure sensor before and after compensation are almost the same in the pressure range from 80 kPa to 100 kPa. PMID:22969385

Hydrothermal synthesis of cobalt sulfide nanotubes: The size control and its application in supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Houzhao; Ji, Xiao; Jiang, Jianjun; Yu, Jingwen; Miao, Ling; Zhang, Li; Bie, Shaowei; Chen, Haichao; Ruan, Yunjun

2013-12-01

Cobalt sulfide nanotubes are synthesized by hydrothermal method. The precursor is characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM. We study the influence of temperature on the evolution of this special coarse shape nanostructure and analyze relationship between the sizes of cobalt sulfide nanotubes and the capacitive properties of active materials. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are used to study the effects of microstructure and morphology of the samples on their capacitance and conductivity. The specific capacitance of cobalt sulfide nanotubes (obtained in 80 °C) electrode exhibits a capacitance of 285 F g-1 at the current density of 0.5 A g-1 as well as rather good cycling stability. Moreover, during the cycling process, the coulombic efficiency remains 99%. The as-prepared cobalt sulfide nanotubes electrode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance as electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Significantly enhanced robustness and electrochemical performance of flexible carbon nanotube-based supercapacitors by electrodepositing polypyrrole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanli; Du, Lianhuan; Yang, Peihua; Sun, Peng; Yu, Xiang; Mai, Wenjie

2015-08-01

Here, we report robust, flexible CNT-based supercapacitor (SC) electrodes fabricated by electrodepositing polypyrrole (PPy) on freestanding vacuum-filtered CNT film. These electrodes demonstrate significantly improved mechanical properties (with the ultimate tensile strength of 16 MPa), and greatly enhanced electrochemical performance (5.6 times larger areal capacitance). The major drawback of conductive polymer electrodes is the fast capacitance decay caused by structural breakdown, which decreases cycling stability but this is not observed in our case. All-solid-state SCs assembled with the robust CNT/PPy electrodes exhibit excellent flexibility, long lifetime (95% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles) and high electrochemical performance (a total device volumetric capacitance of 4.9 F/cm3). Moreover, a flexible SC pack is demonstrated to light up 53 LEDs or drive a digital watch, indicating the broad potential application of our SCs for portable/wearable electronics.

MnO2 nanowires-decorated carbon fiber cloth as electrodes for aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Congcong; Wang, Xing; Yu, Houlin; Wu, Huaping; Wang, Jianshan; Liu, Aiping

Manganese dioxide nanowires (MnO2 NWs) anchored on carbon fiber cloth (CFC) were fabricated through a simple hydrothermal reaction and used as integrated electrodes for supercapacitor. The morphology-dependent electrochemical performance of MnO2 NWs was confirmed, yielding good capacitance performance with a high specific capacitance of 3.88Fṡcm‑2 at a charge-discharge current density of 5mAṡcm‑2 and excellent stability of 91.5% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles. Moreover, the composite electrodes were used to fabricate supercapacitors, which showed a high specific capacitance of 194mFṡcm‑2 at a charge-discharge current density of 2mAṡcm‑2 and high energy density of 0.108mWhṡcm‑2 at power density of 2mWṡcm‑2, foreboding its potential application for high-performance supercapacitor.

Performance characteristics of supercapacitor electrodes made of silicon carbide nanowires grown on carbon fabric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Lin; Wang, Yewu; Fang, Yanjun; Lu, Ren; Sha, Jian

2013-12-01

In this paper, we report the supercapacitor electrodes with excellent cycle stability, which are made of silicon carbide nanowires (SiC NWs) grown on flexible carbon fabric. A high areal capacitance of 23 mF cm-2 is achieved at a scan rate of 50 mV s-1 at room temperature and capacitances increase with the rise of the working temperature. Owing to the excellent thermal stability of SiC NWs and carbon fabric, no observable decrease of capacitance occurs at room temperature (20 °C) after 105 cycles, which satisfies the demands of the commercial applications. Further increasing the measurement temperature to 60 °C, 90% of the initial capacitance is still retained after 105 cycles. This study shows that silicon carbide nanowires on carbon fabric are a promising electrode material for high temperature and stable micro-supercapacitors.

Low-temperature direct synthesis of mesoporous vanadium nitrides for electrochemical capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hae-Min; Jeong, Gyoung Hwa; Kim, Sang-Wook; Kim, Chang-Koo

2017-04-01

Mesoporous vanadium nitrides are directly synthesized by a one-step chemical precipitation method at a low temperature (70 °C). Structural and morphological analyses reveal that vanadium nitride consist of long and slender nanowhiskers, and mesopores with diameters of 2-5 nm. Compositional analysis confirms the presence of vanadium in the VN structure, along with oxidized vanadium. The cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge tests indicate that the obtained material stores charges via a combination of electric double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance mechanisms. The vanadium nitride electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 598 F/g at a current density of 4 A/g. After 5000 charge-discharge cycles, the electrode has an equivalent series resistance of 1.42 Ω and retains 83% of its initial specific capacitance. This direct low-temperature synthesis of mesoporous vanadium nitrides is a simple and promising method to achieve high specific capacitance and low equivalent series resistance for electrochemical capacitor applications.

A Charge-Based Low-Power High-SNR Capacitive Sensing Interface Circuit

PubMed Central

Peng, Sheng-Yu; Qureshi, Muhammad S.; Hasler, Paul E.; Basu, Arindam; Degertekin, F. L.

2008-01-01

This paper describes a low-power approach to capacitive sensing that achieves a high signal-to-noise ratio. The circuit is composed of a capacitive feedback charge amplifier and a charge adaptation circuit. Without the adaptation circuit, the charge amplifier only consumes 1 μW to achieve the audio band SNR of 69.34dB. An adaptation scheme using Fowler-Nordheim tunneling and channel hot electron injection mechanisms to stabilize the DC output voltage is demonstrated. This scheme provides a very low frequency pole at 0.2Hz. The measured noise spectrums show that this slow-time scale adaptation does not degrade the circuit performance. The DC path can also be provided by a large feedback resistance without causing extra power consumption. A charge amplifier with a MOS-bipolar pseudo-resistor feedback scheme is interfaced with a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for ultrasound applications. PMID:18787650

A Wearable Capacitive Sensor for Monitoring Human Respiratory Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, Subrata Kumar; Kumagai, Shinya; Sasaki, Minoru

2013-04-01

Realizing an untethered, low-cost, and comfortably wearable respiratory rate sensor for long-term breathing monitoring application still remains a challenge. In this paper, a conductive-textile-based wearable respiratory rate sensing technique based on the capacitive sensing approach is proposed. The sensing unit consists of two conductive textile electrodes that can be easily fabricated, laminated, and integrated in garments. Respiration cycle is detected by measuring the capacitance of two electrodes placed on the inner anterior and posterior sides of a T-shirt at either the abdomen or chest position. A convenient wearable respiratory sensor setup with a capacitance-to-voltage converter has been devised. Respiratory rate as well as breathing mode can be accurately identified using the designed sensor. The sensor output provides significant information on respiratory flow. The effectiveness of the proposed system for different breathing patterns has been evaluated by experiments.

CMOS capacitive biosensors for highly sensitive biosensing applications.

PubMed

Chang, An-Yu; Lu, Michael S-C

2013-01-01

Magnetic microbeads are widely used in biotechnology and biomedical research for manipulation and detection of cells and biomolecules. Most lab-on-chip systems capable of performing manipulation and detection require external instruments to perform one of the functions, leading to increased size and cost. This work aims at developing an integrated platform to perform these two functions by implementing electromagnetic microcoils and capacitive biosensors on a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) chip. Compared to most magnetic-type sensors, our detection method requires no externally applied magnetic fields and the associated fabrication is less complicated. In our experiment, microbeads coated with streptavidin were driven to the sensors located in the center of microcoils with functionalized anti-streptavidin antibody. Detection of a single microbead was successfully demonstrated using a capacitance-to-frequency readout. The average capacitance changes for the experimental and control groups were -5.3 fF and -0.2 fF, respectively.

Charge Collection Efficiency in a segmented semiconductor detector interstrip region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alarcon-Diez, V.; Vickridge, I.; Jakšić, M.; Grilj, V.; Schmidt, B.; Lange, H.

2017-09-01

Charged particle semiconductor detectors have been used in Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) for over four decades without great changes in either design or fabrication. However one area where improvement is desirable would be to increase the detector solid angle so as to improve spectrum statistics for a given incident beam fluence. This would allow the use of very low fluences opening the way, for example, to increase the time resolution in real-time RBS or for analysis of materials that are highly sensitive to beam damage. In order to achieve this goal without incurring the costs of degraded resolution due to kinematic broadening or large detector capacitance, a single-chip segmented detector (SEGDET) was designed and built within the SPIRIT EU infrastructure project. In this work we present the Charge Collection Efficiency (CCE) in the vicinity between two adjacent segments focusing on the interstrip zone. Microbeam Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) measurements with different ion masses and energies were used to perform X-Y mapping of (CCE), as a function of detector operating conditions (bias voltage changes, detector housing possibilities and guard ring configuration). We show the (CCE) in the edge region of the active area and have also mapped the charge from the interstrip region, shared between adjacent segments. The results indicate that the electrical extent of the interstrip region is very close to the physical extent of the interstrip and guard ring structure with interstrip impacts contributing very little to the complete spectrum. The interstrip contributions to the spectra that do occur, can be substantially reduced by an offline anti-coincidence criterion applied to list mode data, which should also be easy to implement directly in the data acquisition software.

Silicon pixel-detector R&D for CLIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nürnberg, A.

2016-11-01

The physics aims at the future CLIC high-energy linear e+e- collider set very high precision requirements on the performance of the vertex and tracking detectors. Moreover, these detectors have to be well adapted to the experimental conditions, such as the time structure of the collisions and the presence of beam-induced backgrounds. The principal challenges are: a point resolution of a few μm, ultra-low mass (~ 0.2%X0 per layer for the vertex region and ~ 1%X0 per layer for the outer tracker), very low power dissipation (compatible with air-flow cooling in the inner vertex region) and pulsed power operation, complemented with ~ 10 ns time stamping capabilities. A highly granular all-silicon vertex and tracking detector system is under development, following an integrated approach addressing simultaneously the physics requirements and engineering constraints. For the vertex-detector region, hybrid pixel detectors with small pitch (25 μm) and analog readout are explored. For the outer tracking region, both hybrid concepts and fully integrated CMOS sensors are under consideration. The feasibility of ultra-thin sensor layers is validated with Timepix3 readout ASICs bump bonded to active edge planar sensors with 50 μm to 150 μm thickness. Prototypes of CLICpix readout ASICs implemented in 6525 nm CMOS technology with 25 μm pixel pitch have been produced. Hybridisation concepts have been developed for interconnecting these chips either through capacitive coupling to active HV-CMOS sensors or through bump-bonding to planar sensors. Recent R&D achievements include results from beam tests with all types of hybrid assemblies. Simulations based on Geant4 and TCAD are used to validate the experimental results and to assess and optimise the performance of various detector designs.

Tailoring graphene-based electrodes from semiconducting to metallic to increase the energy density in supercapacitors.

PubMed

Vatamanu, Jenel; Ni, Xiaojuan; Liu, Feng; Bedrov, Dmitry

2015-11-20

The semiconducting character of graphene and some carbon-based electrodes can lead to noticeably lower total capacitances and stored energy densities in electric double layer (EDL)capacitors. This paper discusses the chemical and electronic structure modifications that enhance the available energy bands, density of states and quantum capacitance of graphene substrates near the Fermi level, therefore restoring the conducting character of these materials. The doping of graphene with p or n dopants, such as boron and nitrogen atoms, or the introduction of vacancy defects that introduce zigzag edges, can significantly increase the quantum capacitance within the potential range of interest for the energy storage applications by either shifting the Dirac point away from the Fermi level or by eliminating the Dirac point. We show that a combination of doping and vacancies at realistic concentrations is sufficient to increase the capacitance of a graphene-based electrode to within 1 μF cm(−2) from that of a metallic surface.Using a combination of ab initio calculations and classical molecular dynamics simulations we estimate how the changes in the quantum capacitance of these electrode materials affect the total capacitance stored by the open structure EDL capacitors containing room temperature ionic liquid electrolytes.

Monitoring of biofilm aging in a Sphingomonas sp. strain from public drinking water sites through changes in capacitance.

PubMed

Gulati, Parul; Singh, Pawandeep; Chatterjee, Arun Kumar; Ghosh, Moushumi

2017-09-01

This study reports the applicability of a capacitance-based technique for evaluating the biofilm progression of Sphingomonas sp. One hundred and forty isolates of Sphingomonas were screened from public drinking water sites, and one potential strain with biofilm-forming ability was used for the study. The biofilm production by this strain was established in microtiter plates and aluminum coupons. The standard biofilm-forming strain Sphingomonas terrae MTCC 7766 was used for comparison. Changes in biofilm were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Capacitance values were measured at 1, 100 and 200 kHz frequency; however, 1 kHz was selected since resulted in reproducible values, which could be correlated to biofilm age measured as dry weight over a time of 96 h (4 days) depicting the biofilm growth/progression over time. The EDX, SEM and capacitance values obtained in parallel indicated the related physiological profile usually displayed by biofilms upon growth, suggesting authenticity to the observed capacitance profile. The results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of a capacitance-based method for analyzing biofilm development/progression by Sphingomonas sp. and suggested a simple approach for developing an online system to detect biofilms by this opportunistic pathogen of concern in drinking water.

Applications of pressure-sensitive dielectric elastomer sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böse, Holger; Ocak, Deniz; Ehrlich, Johannes

2016-04-01

Dielectric elastomer sensors for the measurement of compression loads with high sensitivity are described. The basic design of the sensors exhibits two profiled surfaces between which an elastomer film is confined. All components of the sensor were prepared with silicone whose stiffness can be varied in a wide range. Depending on details of the sensor design, various effects contribute to the enhancement of the capacitance. The intermediate elastomer film is stretched upon compression and electrode layers on the elastomer profiles and in the elastomer film approach each other. Different designs of the pressure sensor give rise to very different sensor characteristics in terms of the dependence of electric capacitance on compression force. Due to their inherent flexibility, the pressure sensors can be used on compliant substrates such as seats or beds or on the human body. This gives rise to numerous possible applications. The contribution describes also some examples of possible sensor applications. A glove was equipped with various sensors positioned at the finger tips. When grabbing an object with the glove, the sensors can detect the gripping forces of the individual fingers with high sensitivity. In a demonstrator of the glove equipped with seven sensors, the capacitances representing the gripping forces are recorded on a display. In another application example, a lower limb prosthesis was equipped with a pressure sensor to detect the load on the remaining part of the leg and the load is displayed in terms of the measured capacitance. The benefit of such sensors is to detect an eventual overload in order to prevent possible pressure sores. A third example introduces a seat load sensor system based on four extended pressure sensor mats. The sensor system detects the load distribution of a person on the seat. The examples emphasize the high performance of the new pressure sensor technology.

A Multi-Contact, Low Capacitance HPGe Detector for High Rate Gamma Spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cox, Christopher

2014-12-04

The detection, identification and non-destructive assay of special nuclear materials and nuclear fission by-products are critically important activities in support of nuclear non-proliferation programs. Both national and international nuclear safeguard agencies recognize that current accounting methods for spent nuclear fuel are inadequate from a safeguards perspective. Radiation detection and analysis by gamma-ray spectroscopy is a key tool in this field, but no instrument exists that can deliver the required performance (energy resolution and detection sensitivity) in the presence of very high background count rates encountered in the nuclear safeguards arena. The work of this project addresses this critical need bymore » developing a unique gamma-ray detector based on high purity germanium that has the previously unachievable property of operating in the 1 million counts-per-second range while achieving state-of-the-art energy resolution necessary to identify and analyze the isotopes of interest. The technical approach was to design and fabricate a germanium detector with multiple segmented electrodes coupled to multi-channel high rate spectroscopy electronics. Dividing the germanium detector’s signal electrode into smaller sections offers two advantages; firstly, the energy resolution of the detector is potentially improved, and secondly, the detector is able to operate at higher count rates. The design challenges included the following; determining the optimum electrode configuration to meet the stringent energy resolution and count rate requirements; determining the electronic noise (and therefore energy resolution) of the completed system after multiple signals are recombined; designing the germanium crystal housing and vacuum cryostat; and customizing electronics to perform the signal recombination function in real time. In this phase I work, commercial off-the-shelf electrostatic modeling software was used to develop the segmented germanium crystal geometry, which underwent several iterations before an optimal electrode configuration was found. The model was tested and validated against real-world measurements with existing germanium detectors. Extensive modeling of electronic noise was conducted using established formulae, and real-world measurements were performed on candidate front-end electronic components. This initial work proved the feasibility of the design with respect to expected high count rate and energy resolution performance. Phase I also delivered the mechanical design of the detector housing and vacuum cryostat to be built in Phase II. Finally, a Monte Carlo simulation was created to show the response of the complete design to a Cs-137 source. This development presents a significant advance for nuclear safeguards instrumentation with increased speed and accuracy of detection and identification of special nuclear materials. Other significant applications are foreseen for a gamma-ray detector that delivers high energy resolution (1keV FWHM noise) at high count rate (1 Mcps), especially in the areas of physics research and materials analysis.« less

Point-spread Function Ramifications and Deconvolution of a Signal Dependent Blur Kernel Due to Interpixel Capacitive Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donlon, Kevan; Ninkov, Zoran; Baum, Stefi

2018-07-01

Interpixel capacitance (IPC) is a deterministic electronic coupling that results in a portion of the collected signal incident on one pixel of a hybridized detector array being measured in adjacent pixels. Data collected by light sensitive HgCdTe arrays which exhibit this coupling typically goes uncorrected or is corrected by treating the coupling as a fixed point-spread function. Evidence suggests that this IPC coupling is not uniform across different signal and background levels. This variation invalidates assumptions that are key in decoupling techniques such as Wiener Filtering or application of the Lucy–Richardson algorithm. Additionally, the variable IPC results in the point-spread function (PSF) depending upon a star’s signal level relative to the background level, among other parameters. With an IPC ranging from 0.68% to 1.45% over the full well depth of a sensor, as is a reasonable range for the H2RG arrays, the FWHM of the JWSTs NIRCam 405N band is degraded from 2.080 pix (0.″132) as expected from the diffraction pattern to 2.186 pix (0.″142) when the star is just breaching the sensitivity limit of the system. For example, When attempting to use a fixed PSF fitting (e.g., assuming the PSF observed from a bright star in the field) to untangle two sources with a flux ratio of 4:1 and a center to center distance of 3 pixels, flux estimation can be off by upwards of 1.5% with a separation error of 50 millipixels. To deal with this issue an iterative non-stationary method for deconvolution is here proposed, implemented, and evaluated that can account for the signal dependent nature of IPC.

Identification of inorganic ions in post-blast explosive residues using portable CE instrumentation and capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection.

PubMed

Hutchinson, Joseph P; Johns, Cameron; Breadmore, Michael C; Hilder, Emily F; Guijt, Rosanne M; Lennard, Chris; Dicinoski, Greg; Haddad, Paul R

2008-11-01

Novel CE methods have been developed on portable instrumentation adapted to accommodate a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector for the separation and sensitive detection of inorganic anions and cations in post-blast explosive residues from homemade inorganic explosive devices. The methods presented combine sensitivity and speed of analysis for the wide range of inorganic ions used in this study. Separate methods were employed for the separation of anions and cations. The anion separation method utilised a low conductivity 70 mM Tris/70 mM CHES aqueous electrolyte (pH 8.6) with a 90 cm capillary coated with hexadimethrine bromide to reverse the EOF. Fifteen anions could be baseline separated in 7 min with detection limits in the range 27-240 microg/L. A selection of ten anions deemed most important in this application could be separated in 45 s on a shorter capillary (30.6 cm) using the same electrolyte. The cation separation method was performed on a 73 cm length of fused-silica capillary using an electrolyte system composed of 10 mM histidine and 50 mM acetic acid, at pH 4.2. The addition of the complexants, 1 mM hydroxyisobutyric acid and 0.7 mM 18-crown-6 ether, enhanced selectivity and allowed the separation of eleven inorganic cations in under 7 min with detection limits in the range 31-240 microg/L. The developed methods were successfully field tested on post-blast residues obtained from the controlled detonation of homemade explosive devices. Results were verified using ion chromatographic analyses of the same samples.

Preparation and Application of Electrodes in Capacitive Deionization (CDI): a State-of-Art Review.

PubMed

Jia, Baoping; Zhang, Wei

2016-12-01

As a promising desalination technology, capacitive deionization (CDI) have shown practicality and cost-effectiveness in brackish water treatment. Developing more efficient electrode materials is the key to improving salt removal performance. This work reviewed current progress on electrode fabrication in application of CDI. Fundamental principal (e.g. EDL theory and adsorption isotherms) and process factors (e.g. pore distribution, potential, salt type and concentration) of CDI performance were presented first. It was then followed by in-depth discussion and comparison on properties and fabrication technique of different electrodes, including carbon aerogel, activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, graphene and ordered mesoporous carbon. Finally, polyaniline as conductive polymer and its potential application as CDI electrode-enhancing materials were also discussed.

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of three-dimensional porous Ni-Co sulfide/reduced graphene oxide composite with optimal incorporation of carbon nanotubes for high performance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Chiu, Cheng-Ting; Chen, Dong-Hwang

2018-04-27

Three-dimensional (3D) porous Ni-Co sulfide/reduced graphene oxide composite with the appropriate incorporation of carbon nanotubes (NCS/rGO/CNT) was fabricated as a promising material for supercapacitor electrodes. It combined the high pseudo-capacitance of Ni-Co sulfide as well as the large specific surface area and electrical double layer capacitance of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were incorporated to act as the spacer for hindering the restacking of rGO and to construct a conductive network for enhancing the electron transport. The 3D porous NCS/rGO/CNT composite was fabricated by a facile one-step hydrothermal process in which Ni-Co sulfide nanosheets were synthesized and graphene oxide was reduced simultaneously. It was shown that the capacitance and cyclic performance indeed could be effectively improved via the appropriate addition of CNTs. In addition, a flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor based on the NCS/rGO/CNT electrode was fabricated and exhibited the same capacitive electrochemical performance under bending. Also, it could successfully turn on a light-emitting diode light, revealing its feasibility in practical application. All results demonstrated that the developed NCS/rGO/CNT composite has potential application in supercapacitors.

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of three-dimensional porous Ni-Co sulfide/reduced graphene oxide composite with optimal incorporation of carbon nanotubes for high performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Cheng-Ting; Chen, Dong-Hwang

2018-04-01

Three-dimensional (3D) porous Ni-Co sulfide/reduced graphene oxide composite with the appropriate incorporation of carbon nanotubes (NCS/rGO/CNT) was fabricated as a promising material for supercapacitor electrodes. It combined the high pseudo-capacitance of Ni-Co sulfide as well as the large specific surface area and electrical double layer capacitance of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were incorporated to act as the spacer for hindering the restacking of rGO and to construct a conductive network for enhancing the electron transport. The 3D porous NCS/rGO/CNT composite was fabricated by a facile one-step hydrothermal process in which Ni-Co sulfide nanosheets were synthesized and graphene oxide was reduced simultaneously. It was shown that the capacitance and cyclic performance indeed could be effectively improved via the appropriate addition of CNTs. In addition, a flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor based on the NCS/rGO/CNT electrode was fabricated and exhibited the same capacitive electrochemical performance under bending. Also, it could successfully turn on a light-emitting diode light, revealing its feasibility in practical application. All results demonstrated that the developed NCS/rGO/CNT composite has potential application in supercapacitors.

Capacitive sensing of N-formylamphetamine based on immobilized molecular imprinted polymers.

PubMed

Graniczkowska, Kinga; Pütz, Michael; Hauser, Frank M; De Saeger, Sarah; Beloglazova, Natalia V

2017-06-15

A highly sensitive, capacitive biosensor was developed to monitor trace amounts of an amphetamine precursor in aqueous samples. The sensing element is a gold electrode with molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) immobilized on its surface. A continuous-flow system with timed injections was used to simulate flowing waterways, such as sewers, springs, rivers, etc., ensuring wide applicability of the developed product. MIPs, implemented as a recognition element due to their stability under harsh environmental conditions, were synthesized using thermo- and UV-initiated polymerization techniques. The obtained particles were compared against commercially available MIPs according to specificity and selectivity metrics; commercial MIPs were characterized by quite broad cross-reactivity to other structurally related amphetamine-type stimulants. After the best batch of MIPs was chosen, different strategies for immobilizing them on the gold electrode's surface were evaluated, and their stability was also verified. The complete, developed system was validated through analysis of spiked samples. The limit of detection (LOD) for N-formyl amphetamine was determined to be 10μM in this capacitive biosensor system. The obtained results indicate future possible applications of this MIPs-based capacitive biosensor for environmental and forensic analysis. To the best of our knowledge there are no existing MIPs-based sensors toward amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An asymmetric supercapacitor with ultrahigh energy density based on nickle cobalt sulfide nanocluster anchoring multi-wall carbon nanotubes hybrid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Ping; Fan, Mingjin; Yang, Desuo; Wang, Yan; Cheng, Hualei; Wang, Jinqing

2016-07-01

The development of novel electrode materials with high energy density and long cycling life is critical to realize electrochemical capacitive energy storage for practical applications. In this paper, the hybrids of nickle cobalt sulfide/multi-wall carbon nanotubes (NiCo2S4/MWCNTs) with different contents of MWCNTs are prepared using a facile one-pot solvothermal reaction. As novel active materials for supercapacitors, the electrochemistry tests show that the hybrid of NiCo2S4/MWCNTs-5 is able to deliver a high specific capacitance of 2080 F g-1 at the current density of 1 A g-1, even superior rate capability of 61% capacitance retention after a 20-fold increase in current densities, when the content of MWCNTs is up to 5%. More importantly, an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled by NiCo2S4/MWCNTs-5 as positive electrode and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as negative electrode delivers a high energy density of 51.8 Wh Kg-1 at a power density of 865 W kg-1, and 85.7% of its initial capacitance is retained at the current density of 4 A g-1 after 5000 charge-discharge cycles, exhibiting potential prospect for practical applications.

Silicon technologies for the CLIC vertex detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spannagel, S.

2017-06-01

CLIC is a proposed linear e+e- collider designed to provide particle collisions at center-of-mass energies of up to 3 TeV. Precise measurements of the properties of the top quark and the Higgs boson, as well as searches for Beyond the Standard Model physics require a highly performant CLIC detector. In particular the vertex detector must provide a single point resolution of only a few micrometers while not exceeding the envisaged material budget of around 0.2% X0 per layer. Beam-beam interactions and beamstrahlung processes impose an additional requirement on the timestamping capabilities of the vertex detector of about 10 ns. These goals can only be met by using novel techniques in the sensor and ASIC design as well as in the detector construction. The R&D program for the CLIC vertex detector explores various technologies in order to meet these demands. The feasibility of planar sensors with a thickness of 50-150 μm, including different active edge designs, are evaluated using Timepix3 ASICs. First prototypes of the CLICpix readout ASIC, implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology and with a pixel size of 25×25μm 2, have been produced and tested in particle beams. An updated version of the ASIC with a larger pixel matrix and improved precision of the time-over-threshold and time-of-arrival measurements has been submitted. Different hybridization concepts have been developed for the interconnection between the sensor and readout ASIC, ranging from small-pitch bump bonding of planar sensors to capacitive coupling of active HV-CMOS sensors. Detector simulations based on Geant 4 and TCAD are compared with experimental results to assess and optimize the performance of the various designs. This contribution gives an overview of the R&D program undertaken for the CLIC vertex detector and presents performance measurements of the prototype detectors currently under investigation.

A Compact Operational Amplifier with Load-Insensitive Stability Compensation for High-Precision Transducer Interface

PubMed Central

Yang, Xi

2018-01-01

High-resolution electronic interface circuits for transducers with nonlinear capacitive impedance need an operational amplifier, which is stable for a wide range of load capacitance. Such operational amplifier in a conventional design requires a large area for compensation capacitors, increasing costs and limiting applications. In order to address this problem, we present a gain-boosted two-stage operational amplifier, whose frequency response compensation capacitor size is insensitive to the load capacitance and also orders of magnitude smaller compared to the conventional Miller-compensation capacitor that often dominates chip area. By exploiting pole-zero cancellation between a gain-boosting stage and the main amplifier stage, the compensation capacitor of the proposed operational amplifier becomes less dependent of load capacitance, so that it can also operate with a wide range of load capacitance. A prototype operational amplifier designed in 0.13-μm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) with a 400-fF compensation capacitor occupies 900-μm2 chip area and achieves 0.022–2.78-MHz unity gain bandwidth and over 65∘ phase margin with a load capacitance of 0.1–15 nF. The prototype amplifier consumes 7.6 μW from a single 1.0-V supply. For a given compensation capacitor size and a chip area, the prototype design demonstrates the best reported performance trade-off on unity gain bandwidth, maximum stable load capacitance, and power consumption. PMID:29382183

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DE GERONIMO,G.; CHEN, W.; FRIED, J.

We present an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for high-resolution x-ray spectrometers. The ASIC is designed to read out signals from a pixelated silicon drift detector (SDD). Each hexagonal pixel has an area of 15 mmz and an anode capacitance of less than 100 fF. There is no integrated Field Effect transistor (FET) in the pixel, rather, the readout is done by wirebonding the anodes to the inputs of the ASIC. The ASIC provides 14 channels of low-noise charge amplification, high-order shaping with baseline stabilization, and peak detection with analog memory. The readout is sparse and based on low voltagemore » differential signaling. An interposer provides all the interconnections required to bias and operate the system. The channel dissipates 1.6 mW. The complete 14-pixel unit covers an area of 210 mm{sup 2}, dissipates 12 mW cm{sup -2}, and can be tiled to cover an arbitrarily large detection area. We measured a preliminary resolution of 172 eV at -35 C on the 6 keV peak of a {sup 55}Fe source.« less

Noncontact Acousto-Ultrasonics for Material Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kautz, Harold E.

1998-01-01

A NdYAG 1064 nm, laser pulse was employed to produce ultrasonic waves in specimens of SiC/SiC and SiC/Ti 6-4 composites which are high temperature materials of interest for aerospace applications. Air coupled transducers were used to detect and collect the signals used for acousto-ultrasonic analysis. Conditions for detecting ultrasonic decay signals were examined. The results were compared to those determined on the same specimens with contact coupling. Some non-contact measurements were made employing conventional air focused detectors. Others were performed with a more novel micromachined capacitance transducer. Concerns of the laser-in technology include potential destructiveness of the laser pulse. Repeated laser pulsing at the same location does lead to deterioration of the ultrasonic signal in some materials, but seems to recover with time. Also, unlike contact AU, the frequency regime employed is a function of laser-material interaction rather than the choice of transducers. Concerns of the air coupled-out technology include the effect of air attenuation. This imposes a practical upper limit to frequency of detection. In the case of the experimental specimens studied ultrasonic decay signals could be imaged satisfactorily.

Enhancement of capacitance benefit by drain offset structure in tunnel field-effect transistor circuit speed associated with tunneling probability increase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asai, Hidehiro; Mori, Takahiro; Matsukawa, Takashi; Hattori, Junichi; Endo, Kazuhiko; Fukuda, Koichi

2018-04-01

The effect of a drain offset structure on the operation speed of a tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) ring oscillator is investigated by technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. We demonstrate that the reduction of gate-drain capacitance by the drain offset structure dramatically increases the operation speed of the ring oscillators. Interestingly, we find that this capacitance benefit to operation speed is enhanced by the increase in band-to-band tunneling probability. The “synergistic” speed enhancement by the drain offset structure and the tunneling rate increase will have promising application to the significant improvement of the operation speed of TFET circuits.

Perspectives on MEMS in bioengineering: a novel capacitive position microsensor.

PubMed

Pedrocchi, A; Hoen, S; Ferrigno, G; Pedotti, A

2000-01-01

We describe a novel capacitive position sensor using micromachining to achieve high sensitivity and large range of motion. These sensors require a new theoretical framework to describe and optimize their performance. Employing a complete description of the electrical fields, the sensor should deviate from the standard geometries used for capacitive sensors. By this optimization, the sensor gains a twofold increase in sensitivity. Results on a PC board 10x model imply that the micromachined sensor should achieve a sensitivity of less than 10 nm over 500-micron range of travel. Some bioengineering applications are addressed, including positioning of micromirrors for laser surgery and dose control for implantable drug delivery systems.

Flexible MXene/Carbon Nanotube Composite Paper with High Volumetric Capacitance

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Meng-Qiang; Ren, Chang E.; Ling, Zheng; ...

2014-11-18

Electrochemical capacitors attract attention because of their high power densities and long cycle lives. Moreover, with increasing demand for portable and wearable electronics, recent research has focused primarily on improving the energy density per unit of volume of electrochemical capacitors. But, the volumetric capacitances of carbon-based electrodes is limited at around 60 F cm -3 for commercial devices, and at best in the range of 300 F cm -3 for low-density porous carbons (<0.5–1 g cm -3 ). Although extremely high capacitances of 1000–1500 F cm -3 can be achieved for hydrated ruthenium oxide, RuO 2 , its highmore » cost limits its wide-spread applications.« less

Anomalous change in dielectric constant of CaCu3Ti4O12 under violet-to-ultraviolet irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masingboon, C.; Eknapakul, T.; Suwanwong, S.; Buaphet, P.; Nakajima, H.; Mo, S.-K.; Thongbai, P.; King, P. D. C.; Maensiri, S.; Meevasana, W.

2013-05-01

The influence of light illumination on the dielectric constant of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) polycrystals is studied in this work. When exposed to 405-nm laser light, a reversible enhancement in the room temperature capacitance as high as 22% was observed, suggesting application of light-sensitive capacitance devices. To uncover the microscopic mechanisms mediating this change, we performed electronic structure measurements, using photoemission spectroscopy, and measured the electrical conductivity of the CCTO samples under different conditions of light exposure and oxygen partial pressure. Together, these results suggest that the large capacitance enhancement is driven by oxygen vacancies induced by the irradiation.

Simulation of void formation in interconnect lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheikholeslami, Alireza; Heitzinger, Clemens; Puchner, Helmut; Badrieh, Fuad; Selberherr, Siegfried

2003-04-01

The predictive simulation of the formation of voids in interconnect lines is important for improving capacitance and timing in current memory cells. The cells considered are used in wireless applications such as cell phones, pagers, radios, handheld games, and GPS systems. In backend processes for memory cells, ILD (interlayer dielectric) materials and processes result in void formation during gap fill. This approach lowers the overall k-value of a given metal layer and is economically advantageous. The effect of the voids on the overall capacitive load is tremendous. In order to simulate the shape and positions of the voids and thus the overall capacitance, the topography simulator ELSA (Enhanced Level Set Applications) has been developed which consists of three modules, a level set module, a radiosity module, and a surface reaction module. The deposition process considered is deposition of silicon nitride. Test structures of interconnect lines of memory cells were fabricated and several SEM images thereof were used to validate the corresponding simulations.

High-performance supercapacitor electrode from cellulose-derived, inter-bonded carbon nanofibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Jie; Niu, Haitao; Wang, Hongxia; Shao, Hao; Fang, Jian; He, Jingren; Xiong, Hanguo; Ma, Chengjie; Lin, Tong

2016-08-01

Carbon nanofibers with inter-bonded fibrous structure show high supercapacitor performance when being used as electrode materials. Their preparation is highly desirable from cellulose through a pyrolysis technique, because cellulose is an abundant, low cost natural material and its carbonization does not emit toxic substance. However, interconnected carbon nanofibers prepared from electrospun cellulose nanofibers and their capacitive behaviors have not been reported in the research literature. Here we report a facile one-step strategy to prepare inter-bonded carbon nanofibers from partially hydrolyzed cellulose acetate nanofibers, for making high-performance supercapacitors as electrode materials. The inter-fiber connection shows considerable improvement in electrode electrochemical performances. The supercapacitor electrode has a specific capacitance of ∼241.4 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 current density. It maintains high cycling stability (negligible 0.1% capacitance reduction after 10,000 cycles) with a maximum power density of ∼84.1 kW kg-1. They may find applications in the development of efficient supercapacitor electrodes for energy storage applications.

Aligned carbon nanotube/zinc oxide nanowire hybrids as high performance electrodes for supercapacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Asadi, Ahmed S.; Henley, Luke Alexander; Wasala, Milinda; Muchharla, Baleeswaraiah; Perea-Lopez, Nestor; Carozo, Victor; Lin, Zhong; Terrones, Mauricio; Mondal, Kanchan; Kordas, Krisztian; Talapatra, Saikat

2017-03-01

Carbon nanotube/metal oxide based hybrids are envisioned as high performance electrochemical energy storage electrodes since these systems can provide improved performances utilizing an electric double layer coupled with fast faradaic pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanisms. In this work, we show that high performance supercapacitor electrodes with a specific capacitance of ˜192 F/g along with a maximum energy density of ˜3.8 W h/kg and a power density of ˜ 28 kW/kg can be achieved by synthesizing zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) directly on top of aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In comparison to pristine MWCNTs, these constitute a 12-fold of increase in specific capacitance as well as corresponding power and energy density values. These electrodes also possess high cycling stability and were able to retain ˜99% of their specific capacitance value over 2000 charging discharging cycles. These findings indicate potential use of a MWCNT/ZnO NW hybrid material for future electrochemical energy storage applications.

Layered conductive polymer on nylon membrane templates for high performance, thin-film supercapacitor electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, HaoTian Harvey; Naguib, Hani E.

2016-04-01

Flexible Thin-film Electrochemical Capacitors (ECs) are emerging technology that plays an important role as energy supply for various electronics system for both present era and the future. Intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs) are promising pseudo-capacitive materials as they feature both good electrical conductivity and high specific capacitance. This study focuses on the construction and characterization of ultra-high surface area porous electrodes based on coating of nano-sized conductive polymer materials on nylon membrane templates. Herein, a novel nano-engineered electrode material based on nylon membranes was presented, which allows the creation of super-capacitor devices that is capable of delivering competitive performance, while maintaining desirable mechanical characteristics. With the formation of a highly conductive network with the polyaniline nano-layer, the electrical conductivity was also increased dramatically to facilitate the charge transfer process. Cyclic voltammetry and specific capacitance results showed promising application of this type of composite materials for future smart textile applications.

Great improvement in pseudocapacitor properties of nickel hydroxide via simple gold deposition.

PubMed

Kim, Sun-I; Thiyagarajan, Pradheep; Jang, Ji-Hyun

2014-10-21

In this letter, we report a facile approach to improve the capacitor properties of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) by simply coating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the surface of Ni(OH)2. Au NP-deposited Ni(OH)2 (Au/Ni(OH)2) has been prepared by application of a conventional colloidal coating of Au NPs on the surface of 3D-Ni(OH)2 synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Compared with pristine Ni(OH)2, Au/Ni(OH)2 shows a 41% enhanced capacitance value, excellent rate capacitance behavior at high current density conditions, and greatly improved cycling stability for supercapacitor applications. The specific capacitance of Au/Ni(OH)2 reached 1927 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1), which is close to the theoretical capacitance and retained 66% and 80% of the maximum value at a high current density of 20 A g(-1) and 5000 cycles while that of pristine Ni(OH)2 was 1363 F g(-1) and significantly decreased to 48% and 30%, respectively, under the same conditions. The outstanding performance of Au/Ni(OH)2 as a supercapacitor is attributed to the presence of metal Au NPs on the surface of semiconductor Ni(OH)2; this permits the creation of virtual 3D conducting networks via metal/semiconductor contact, which induces fast electron and ion transport by acting as a bridge between Ni(OH)2 nanostructures, thus eventually leading to significantly improved electrochemical capacitive behaviors, as confirmed by the EIS and I-V characteristic data.

Novel Designs for Application Specific MEMS Pressure Sensors

PubMed Central

Fragiacomo, Giulio; Reck, Kasper; Lorenzen, Lasse; Thomsen, Erik V.

2010-01-01

In the framework of developing innovative microfabricated pressure sensors, we present here three designs based on different readout principles, each one tailored for a specific application. A touch mode capacitive pressure sensor with high sensitivity (14 pF/bar), low temperature dependence and high capacitive output signal (more than 100 pF) is depicted. An optical pressure sensor intrinsically immune to electromagnetic interference, with large pressure range (0–350 bar) and a sensitivity of 1 pm/bar is presented. Finally, a resonating wireless pressure sensor power source free with a sensitivity of 650 KHz/mmHg is described. These sensors will be related with their applications in harsh environment, distributed systems and medical environment, respectively. For many aspects, commercially available sensors, which in vast majority are piezoresistive, are not suited for the applications proposed. PMID:22163425

Electrochemical Synthesis of Graphene/MnO2 Nano-Composite for Application to Supercapacitor Electrode.

PubMed

Jeong, Kwang Ho; Lee, Hyeon Jeong; Simpson, Michael F; Jeong, Mun

2016-05-01

Graphene/MnO2 nano-composite was electrochemically synthesized for application to an electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitors. The nanosized needle-like MnO2 was obtained by use of a graphene substrate. The prepared composite exhibited an ideal supercapacitive behavior. A capacitance retention of 94% was achieved with a 4 h deposition time (an initial capacitance of 574 mF/cm2 at a scan rate of 20 mV/s) and the retention declined with further deposition time. The results demonstrate enhanced contact between the electrode and electrolyte and improved power density as an electrochemical capacitor.

Closed-loop feedback control for microfluidic systems through automated capacitive fluid height sensing.

PubMed

Soenksen, L R; Kassis, T; Noh, M; Griffith, L G; Trumper, D L

2018-03-13

Precise fluid height sensing in open-channel microfluidics has long been a desirable feature for a wide range of applications. However, performing accurate measurements of the fluid level in small-scale reservoirs (<1 mL) has proven to be an elusive goal, especially if direct fluid-sensor contact needs to be avoided. In particular, gravity-driven systems used in several microfluidic applications to establish pressure gradients and impose flow remain open-loop and largely unmonitored due to these sensing limitations. Here we present an optimized self-shielded coplanar capacitive sensor design and automated control system to provide submillimeter fluid-height resolution (∼250 μm) and control of small-scale open reservoirs without the need for direct fluid contact. Results from testing and validation of our optimized sensor and system also suggest that accurate fluid height information can be used to robustly characterize, calibrate and dynamically control a range of microfluidic systems with complex pumping mechanisms, even in cell culture conditions. Capacitive sensing technology provides a scalable and cost-effective way to enable continuous monitoring and closed-loop feedback control of fluid volumes in small-scale gravity-dominated wells in a variety of microfluidic applications.

Synthesis and Characterization of Self-Standing and Highly Flexible δ-MnO2@CNTs/CNTs Composite Films for Direct Use of Supercapacitor Electrodes.

PubMed

Wu, Peng; Cheng, Shuang; Yang, Lufeng; Lin, Zhiqiang; Gui, Xuchun; Ou, Xing; Zhou, Jun; Yao, Minghai; Wang, Mengkun; Zhu, Yuanyuan; Liu, Meilin

2016-09-14

Self-standing and flexible films worked as pseudocapacitor electrodes have been fabricated via a simple vacuum-filtration procedure to stack δ-MnO2@carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite layer and pure CNT layer one by one with CNT layers ended. The lightweight CNTs layers served as both current collector and supporter, while the MnO2@CNTs composite layers with birnessite-type MnO2 worked as active layer and made the main contribution to the capacitance. At a low discharge current of 0.2 A g(-1), the layered films displayed a high areal capacitance of 0.293 F cm(-2) with a mass of 1.97 mg cm(-2) (specific capacitance of 149 F g(-1)) and thickness of only 16.5 μm, and hence an volumetric capacitance of about 177.5 F cm(-3). Moreover, the films also exhibited a good rate capability (only about 15% fading for the capacitance when the discharge current increased to 5 A g(-1) from 0.2 A g(-1)), outstanding cycling stability (about 90% of the initial capacitance was remained after 5,000 cycles) and high flexibility (almost no performance change when bended to different angles). In addition, the capacitance of the films increased proportionally with the stacked layers and the geometry area. E.g., when the stacked layers were three times many with a mass of 6.18 mg cm(-2), the areal capacitance of the films was increased to 0.764 F cm(-2) at 0.5 A g(-1), indicating a high electronic conductivity. It is not overstated to say that the flexible and lightweight layered films emerged high potential for future practical applications as supercapacitor electrodes.

Electrical NEP in Hot-Electron Titanium Superconducting Bolometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, Boris S.; Pereverzev, Sergey V.; Olaya, David; Wei, Jian; Gershenson, Michael E.; Sergeev, Andrei V.

2008-01-01

We are presenting the current progress on the titanium (Ti) hot-electron transition-edge devices. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a submillimeter Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) with the noise equivalent power NEP = 10(sup -1) - 10(sup -20) W/Hz(sup 1/2) for the moderate resolution spectroscopy and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) studies on future space telescope (e.g., SPICA, SAFIR, SPECS, CMBPol) with cryogenically cooled (approximately 4-5 K) mirrors. Recently, we have achieved the extremely low thermal conductance (approximately 20 fW/K at 300 mK and approximately 0.1 fW/K at 40 mK) due to the electron-phonon decoupling in Ti nanodevices with niobium (Nb) Andreev contacts. This thermal conductance translates into the "phonon-noise" NEP approximately equal to 3 x 10(sup -21) W/Hz(sup 1/2) at 40 mK and NEP approximately equal to 3 x 10(sup -19) W/Hz(sup 1/2) at 300 mK. These record data indicate the great potential of the hot-electron detector for meeting many application needs. Beside the extremely low phonon-noise NEP, the nanobolometers have a very low electron heat capacitance that makes them promising as detectors of single THz photons. As the next step towards the practical demonstration of the HEDD, we fabricated and tested somewhat larger than in Ref.1 devices (approximately 6 micrometers x 0.35 micrometers x 40 nm) whose critical temperature is well reproduced in the range 300-350 mK. The output electrical noise measured in these devices with a low-noise dc SQUID is dominated by the thermal energy fluctuations (ETF) aka "phonon noise". This indicates the high electrothermal loop gain that effectively suppresses the contributions of the Johnson noise and the amplifier (SQUID) noise. The electrical NEP = 6.7 x 10(sup -18) W/Hz(sup 1/2) derived from these measurements is in good agreement with the predictions based on the thermal conductance data. The very low NEP and the high speed (approximately microns) are a unique combination not found in other detectors.

Brain-computer interfaces using capacitive measurement of visual or auditory steady-state responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baek, Hyun Jae; Kim, Hyun Seok; Heo, Jeong; Lim, Yong Gyu; Park, Kwang Suk

2013-04-01

Objective. Brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies have been intensely studied to provide alternative communication tools entirely independent of neuromuscular activities. Current BCI technologies use electroencephalogram (EEG) acquisition methods that require unpleasant gel injections, impractical preparations and clean-up procedures. The next generation of BCI technologies requires practical, user-friendly, nonintrusive EEG platforms in order to facilitate the application of laboratory work in real-world settings. Approach. A capacitive electrode that does not require an electrolytic gel or direct electrode-scalp contact is a potential alternative to the conventional wet electrode in future BCI systems. We have proposed a new capacitive EEG electrode that contains a conductive polymer-sensing surface, which enhances electrode performance. This paper presents results from five subjects who exhibited visual or auditory steady-state responses according to BCI using these new capacitive electrodes. The steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) spelling system and the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) binary decision system were employed. Main results. Offline tests demonstrated BCI performance high enough to be used in a BCI system (accuracy: 95.2%, ITR: 19.91 bpm for SSVEP BCI (6 s), accuracy: 82.6%, ITR: 1.48 bpm for ASSR BCI (14 s)) with the analysis time being slightly longer than that when wet electrodes were employed with the same BCI system (accuracy: 91.2%, ITR: 25.79 bpm for SSVEP BCI (4 s), accuracy: 81.3%, ITR: 1.57 bpm for ASSR BCI (12 s)). Subjects performed online BCI under the SSVEP paradigm in copy spelling mode and under the ASSR paradigm in selective attention mode with a mean information transfer rate (ITR) of 17.78 ± 2.08 and 0.7 ± 0.24 bpm, respectively. Significance. The results of these experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using our capacitive EEG electrode in BCI systems. This capacitive electrode may become a flexible and non-intrusive tool fit for various applications in the next generation of BCI technologies.

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-12-01

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other.

Micro faraday-element array detector for ion mobility spectroscopy

DOEpatents

Gresham, Christopher A [Albuquerque, NM; Rodacy, Phillip J [Albuquerque, NM; Denton, M Bonner [Tucson, AZ; Sperline, Roger [Tucson, AZ

2004-10-26

An ion mobility spectrometer includes a drift tube having a collecting surface covering a collecting area at one end of the tube. The surface comprises a plurality of closely spaced conductive elements on a non-conductive substrate, each conductive element being electrically insulated from each other element. A plurality of capacitive transimpedance amplifiers (CTIA) adjacent the collecting surface are electrically connected to the plurality of elements, so charge from an ion striking an element is transferred to the capacitor of the connected CTIA. A controller counts the charge on the capacitors over a period of time.

Subpixel mapping and test beam studies with a HV2FEI4v2 CMOS-Sensor-Hybrid Module for the ATLAS inner detector upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisanz, T.; Große-Knetter, J.; Quadt, A.; Rieger, J.; Weingarten, J.

2017-08-01

The upgrade to the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider will increase the instantaneous luminosity by more than a factor of 5, thus creating significant challenges to the tracking systems of all experiments. Recent advancement of active pixel detectors designed in CMOS processes provide attractive alternatives to the well-established hybrid design using passive sensors since they allow for smaller pixel sizes and cost effective production. This article presents studies of a high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor designed for the ATLAS tracker upgrade. The sensor is glued to the read-out chip of the Insertable B-Layer, forming a capacitively coupled pixel detector. The pixel pitch of the device under test is 33× 125 μm2, while the pixels of the read-out chip have a pitch of 50× 250 μm2. Three pixels of the CMOS device are connected to one read-out pixel, the information of which of these subpixels is hit is encoded in the amplitude of the output signal (subpixel encoding). Test beam measurements are presented that demonstrate the usability of this subpixel encoding scheme.

Design of pressure-sensing diaphragm for MEMS capacitance diaphragm gauge considering size effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gang; Li, Detian; Cheng, Yongjun; Sun, Wenjun; Han, Xiaodong; Wang, Chengxiang

2018-03-01

MEMS capacitance diaphragm gauge with a full range of (1˜1000) Pa is considered for its wide application prospect. The design of pressure-sensing diaphragm is the key to achieve balanced performance for this kind of gauges. The optimization process of the pressure-sensing diaphragm with island design of a capacitance diaphragm gauge based on MEMS technique has been reported in this work. For micro-components in micro scale range, mechanical properties are very different from that in the macro scale range, so the size effect should not be ignored. The modified strain gradient elasticity theory considering size effect has been applied to determine the bending rigidity of the pressure-sensing diaphragm, which is then used in the numerical model to calculate the deflection-pressure relation of the diaphragm. According to the deflection curves, capacitance variation can be determined by integrating over the radius of the diaphragm. At last, the design of the diaphragm has been optimized based on three parameters: sensitivity, linearity and ground capacitance. With this design, a full range of (1˜1000) Pa can be achieved, meanwhile, balanced sensitivity, resolution and linearity can be kept.

Circuital characterisation of space-charge motion with a time-varying applied bias

PubMed Central

Kim, Chul; Moon, Eun-Yi; Hwang, Jungho; Hong, Hiki

2015-01-01

Understanding the behaviour of space-charge between two electrodes is important for a number of applications. The Shockley-Ramo theorem and equivalent circuit models are useful for this; however, fundamental questions of the microscopic nature of the space-charge remain, including the meaning of capacitance and its evolution into a bulk property. Here we show that the microscopic details of the space-charge in terms of resistance and capacitance evolve in a parallel topology to give the macroscopic behaviour via a charge-based circuit or electric-field-based circuit. We describe two approaches to this problem, both of which are based on energy conservation: the energy-to-current transformation rule, and an energy-equivalence-based definition of capacitance. We identify a significant capacitive current due to the rate of change of the capacitance. Further analysis shows that Shockley-Ramo theorem does not apply with a time-varying applied bias, and an additional electric-field-based current is identified to describe the resulting motion of the space-charge. Our results and approach provide a facile platform for a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of space-charge between electrodes. PMID:26133999

Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Porous NiCo2O4 Microspheres: Application as High Performance Asymmetric and Symmetric Supercapacitors with Large Areal Capacitance

PubMed Central

Khalid, Syed; Cao, Chuanbao; Wang, Lin; Zhu, Youqi

2016-01-01

Large areal capacitance is essentially required to integrate the energy storage devices at the microscale electronic appliances. Energy storage devices based on metal oxides are mostly fabricated with low mass loading per unit area which demonstrated low areal capacitance. It is still a challenge to fabricate supercapacitor devices of porous metal oxides with large areal capacitance. Herein we report microwave method followed by a pyrolysis of the as-prepared precursor is used to synthesize porous nickel cobaltite microspheres. Porous NiCo2O4 microspheres are capable to deliver large areal capacitance due to their high specific surface area and small crystallite size. The facile strategy is successfully demonstrated to fabricate aqueous-based asymmetric & symmetric supercapacitor devices of porous NiCo2O4 microspheres with high mass loading of electroactive materials. The asymmetric & symmetric devices exhibit maximum areal capacitance and energy density of 380 mF cm−2 & 19.1 Wh Kg−1 and 194 mF cm−2 & 4.5 Wh Kg−1 (based on total mass loading of 6.25 & 6.0 mg) respectively at current density of 1 mA cm−2. The successful fabrication of symmetric device also indicates that NiCo2O4 can also be used as the negative electrode material for futuristic asymmetric devices. PMID:26936283

Hybrid MnO2/carbon nanotube-VN/carbon nanotube supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Y.; Zhitomirsky, I.

2014-12-01

Composite materials, containing fibrous VN nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are prepared by a chemical method for application in electrochemical supercapacitors. We demonstrate for the first time that VN-MWCNT electrodes exhibit good capacitive behavior in 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte in a negative voltage window of 0.9 V. Quartz crystal microbalance studies provide an insight into the mechanism of charge storage. Composite VN-MWCNT materials show significant improvement in capacitance, compared to individual VN and MWCNT materials. Testing results indicate that VN-MWCNT electrodes exhibit high specific capacitance at high mass loadings in the range of 10-30 mg cm-2, good capacitance retention at scan rates in the range of 2-200 mV s-1 and good cycling stability. The highest specific capacitance of 160 F g-1 is achieved at a scan rate of 2 mV s-1. The new findings open a new and promising strategy in the fabrication of hybrid devices based on VN. The proof-of-principle is demonstrated by the fabrication of hybrid supercapacitor devices based on VN-MWCNT negative electrodes and MnO2 -MWCNT positive electrodes with voltage window of 1.8 V in aqueous 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The hybrid VN-MWCNT/MnO2-MWCNT supercapacitor cells show promising capacitive and power-energy characteristics.

Nonlinear dynamics of capacitive charging and desalination by porous electrodes.

PubMed

Biesheuvel, P M; Bazant, M Z

2010-03-01

The rapid and efficient exchange of ions between porous electrodes and aqueous solutions is important in many applications, such as electrical energy storage by supercapacitors, water desalination and purification by capacitive deionization, and capacitive extraction of renewable energy from a salinity difference. Here, we present a unified mean-field theory for capacitive charging and desalination by ideally polarizable porous electrodes (without Faradaic reactions or specific adsorption of ions) valid in the limit of thin double layers (compared to typical pore dimensions). We illustrate the theory for the case of a dilute, symmetric, binary electrolyte using the Gouy-Chapman-Stern (GCS) model of the double layer, for which simple formulae are available for salt adsorption and capacitive charging of the diffuse part of the double layer. We solve the full GCS mean-field theory numerically for realistic parameters in capacitive deionization, and we derive reduced models for two limiting regimes with different time scales: (i) in the "supercapacitor regime" of small voltages and/or early times, the porous electrode acts like a transmission line, governed by a linear diffusion equation for the electrostatic potential, scaled to the RC time of a single pore, and (ii) in the "desalination regime" of large voltages and long times, the porous electrode slowly absorbs counterions, governed by coupled, nonlinear diffusion equations for the pore-averaged potential and salt concentration.

Nonlinear dynamics of capacitive charging and desalination by porous electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biesheuvel, P. M.; Bazant, M. Z.

2010-03-01

The rapid and efficient exchange of ions between porous electrodes and aqueous solutions is important in many applications, such as electrical energy storage by supercapacitors, water desalination and purification by capacitive deionization, and capacitive extraction of renewable energy from a salinity difference. Here, we present a unified mean-field theory for capacitive charging and desalination by ideally polarizable porous electrodes (without Faradaic reactions or specific adsorption of ions) valid in the limit of thin double layers (compared to typical pore dimensions). We illustrate the theory for the case of a dilute, symmetric, binary electrolyte using the Gouy-Chapman-Stern (GCS) model of the double layer, for which simple formulae are available for salt adsorption and capacitive charging of the diffuse part of the double layer. We solve the full GCS mean-field theory numerically for realistic parameters in capacitive deionization, and we derive reduced models for two limiting regimes with different time scales: (i) in the “supercapacitor regime” of small voltages and/or early times, the porous electrode acts like a transmission line, governed by a linear diffusion equation for the electrostatic potential, scaled to the RC time of a single pore, and (ii) in the “desalination regime” of large voltages and long times, the porous electrode slowly absorbs counterions, governed by coupled, nonlinear diffusion equations for the pore-averaged potential and salt concentration.

Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Porous NiCo2O4 Microspheres: Application as High Performance Asymmetric and Symmetric Supercapacitors with Large Areal Capacitance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalid, Syed; Cao, Chuanbao; Wang, Lin; Zhu, Youqi

2016-03-01

Large areal capacitance is essentially required to integrate the energy storage devices at the microscale electronic appliances. Energy storage devices based on metal oxides are mostly fabricated with low mass loading per unit area which demonstrated low areal capacitance. It is still a challenge to fabricate supercapacitor devices of porous metal oxides with large areal capacitance. Herein we report microwave method followed by a pyrolysis of the as-prepared precursor is used to synthesize porous nickel cobaltite microspheres. Porous NiCo2O4 microspheres are capable to deliver large areal capacitance due to their high specific surface area and small crystallite size. The facile strategy is successfully demonstrated to fabricate aqueous-based asymmetric & symmetric supercapacitor devices of porous NiCo2O4 microspheres with high mass loading of electroactive materials. The asymmetric & symmetric devices exhibit maximum areal capacitance and energy density of 380 mF cm-2 & 19.1 Wh Kg-1 and 194 mF cm-2 & 4.5 Wh Kg-1 (based on total mass loading of 6.25 & 6.0 mg) respectively at current density of 1 mA cm-2. The successful fabrication of symmetric device also indicates that NiCo2O4 can also be used as the negative electrode material for futuristic asymmetric devices.

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging and therapy.

PubMed

Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T; Oralkan, Omer

2011-05-01

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been subject to extensive research for the last two decades. Although they were initially developed for air-coupled applications, today their main application space is medical imaging and therapy. This paper first presents a brief description of CMUTs, their basic structure, and operating principles. Our progression of developing several generations of fabrication processes is discussed with an emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each process. Monolithic and hybrid approaches for integrating CMUTs with supporting integrated circuits are surveyed. Several prototype transducer arrays with integrated frontend electronic circuits we developed and their use for 2-D and 3-D, anatomical and functional imaging, and ablative therapies are described. The presented results prove the CMUT as a MEMS technology for many medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging and therapy

PubMed Central

Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T.; Oralkan, Ömer

2011-01-01

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been subject to extensive research for the last two decades. Although they were initially developed for air-coupled applications, today their main application space is medical imaging and therapy. This paper first presents a brief description of CMUTs, their basic structure, and operating principles. Our progression of developing several generations of fabrication processes is discussed with an emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each process. Monolithic and hybrid approaches for integrating CMUTs with supporting integrated circuits are surveyed. Several prototype transducer arrays with integrated frontend electronic circuits we developed and their use for 2-D and 3-D, anatomical and functional imaging, and ablative therapies are described. The presented results prove the CMUT as a MEMS technology for many medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. PMID:21860542

Processing of n+/p-/p+ strip detectors with atomic layer deposition (ALD) grown Al2O3 field insulator on magnetic Czochralski silicon (MCz-si) substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Härkönen, J.; Tuovinen, E.; Luukka, P.; Gädda, A.; Mäenpää, T.; Tuominen, E.; Arsenovich, T.; Junkes, A.; Wu, X.; Li, Z.

2016-08-01

Detectors manufactured on p-type silicon material are known to have significant advantages in very harsh radiation environment over n-type detectors, traditionally used in High Energy Physics experiments for particle tracking. In p-type (n+ segmentation on p substrate) position-sensitive strip detectors, however, the fixed oxide charge in the silicon dioxide is positive and, thus, causes electron accumulation at the Si/SiO2 interface. As a result, unless appropriate interstrip isolation is applied, the n-type strips are short-circuited. Widely adopted methods to terminate surface electron accumulation are segmented p-stop or p-spray field implantations. A different approach to overcome the near-surface electron accumulation at the interface of silicon dioxide and p-type silicon is to deposit a thin film field insulator with negative oxide charge. We have processed silicon strip detectors on p-type Magnetic Czochralski silicon (MCz-Si) substrates with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin film insulator, grown with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. The electrical characterization by current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurement shows reliable performance of the aluminum oxide. The final proof of concept was obtained at the test beam with 200 GeV/c muons. For the non-irradiated detector the charge collection efficiency (CCE) was nearly 100% with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of about 40, whereas for the 2×1015 neq/cm2 proton irradiated detector the CCE was 35%, when the sensor was biased at 500 V. These results are comparable with the results from p-type detectors with the p-spray and p-stop interstrip isolation techniques. In addition, interestingly, when the aluminum oxide was irradiated with Co-60 gamma-rays, an accumulation of negative fixed oxide charge in the oxide was observed.

4482 Element Multispectral Hybrid PV/PC HgCdTe IRFPA for High Resolution Coverage of 3.7 - 15.4 Micrometers for the AIRS Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rutter, James; Libonate, Scott; Denley, Brian; Gurnee, Mark N.; Robillard, Gene

1996-01-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a key facility instrument in the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) program, being implemented to obtain comprehensive long-term measurements of earth processes affecting global change. The instrument performs passive IR remote sensing using a high resolution grating spectrometer with a wide spectral coverage (3.7 - 15.4 m) directing radiation onto a hybrid HgCdTe IRFPA operating at 58K in a vacuum package cooled to 155K. The hybrid HgCdTe FPA consists of twelve modules, 10 with multiplexed photovoltaic detectors and two with individually leaded out photoconductive detectors. The complex FPA has a large optical footprint, 53 mm x 66 mm, and receives energy dispersed from the grating through a precision filter assembly containing 17 narrow band filters. The backside illuminated PV detector arrays are fabricated from P-on-n double layer LPE grown heterojunction detectors in a bilinear format of 50 m x 100 m detectors, with from 232 to 420 detectors per module. For the MWIR bands four PV modules cover the 3.7 m to 8.22 m region. Low detector capacitance and low noise preamplifiers in the ROIC are key to achieving high sensitivities in these bands. Uniform quantum efficiencies and detectivities exceeding 3E13 cm-rtHz/W have been achieved. The LWIR region is covered by six PV modules spanning 8.8 m to 13.75 m. High detector resistance and very low ROIC preamplifier input noise are key to achieving high sensitivity. A detectivity exceeding 2E11 cm-rtHz/W has been achieved at the longest wavelength. Two additional PC modules cover the longest spectral bands out to 15.4 m. This high performance multispectral focal plane has been built and integrated with the dewar assembly, and is currently being integrated with the complete AIRS sensor.

MnO2 Nanorods Intercalating Graphene Oxide/Polyaniline Ternary Composites for Robust High-Performance Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Guangqiang; Liu, Yun; Zhang, Lingling; Kan, Erjun; Zhang, Shaopeng; Tang, Jian; Tang, Weihua

2014-04-01

New ternary composites of MnO2 nanorods, polyaniline (PANI) and graphene oxide (GO) have been prepared by a two-step process. The 100 nm-long MnO2 nanorods with a diameter ~20 nm are conformably coated with PANI layers and fastened between GO layers. The MnO2 nanorods incorporated ternary composites electrode exhibits significantly increased specific capacitance than PANI/GO binary composite in supercapacitors. The ternary composite with 70% MnO2 exhibits a highest specific capacitance reaching 512 F/g and outstanding cycling performance, with ~97% capacitance retained over 5000 cycles. The ternary composite approach offers an effective solution to enhance the device performance of metal-oxide based supercapacitors for long cycling applications.

Synthesis and fabrication of porous activated carbon/nano ZnO composite electrode for supercapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

P, Shabeeba; Thayyil, Mohammed Shahin; Pillai, M. P.

2017-05-01

Supercapacitors, also called as ultracapacitors, are electrochemical energy-storage devices that exploit the electrostatic interaction between high-surface-area nanoporous electrodes and electrolyte ions that combine properties of conventional batteries and conventional capacitors. A symmetrical ZnO-Activated Carbon (ZAC) electrode supercapacitor have been fabricated in a simple and inexpensive manner. The electrochemical characteristics of fabricated supercapacitor was analyzed using Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge discharge technique, and impedance spectroscopy methods. Capacitance of fabricated ZAC electrode were showed capacitance in the range of 60-70 F/g respectively. It has been found that the cells have excellent electro chemical reversibility, capacitive characteristics in electrolyte and stable in cyclings, which is promising for energy storage applications.

Anomalous change in dielectric constant of CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} under violet-to-ultraviolet irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masingboon, C.; Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon 47000; Eknapakul, T.

2013-05-20

The influence of light illumination on the dielectric constant of CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} (CCTO) polycrystals is studied in this work. When exposed to 405-nm laser light, a reversible enhancement in the room temperature capacitance as high as 22% was observed, suggesting application of light-sensitive capacitance devices. To uncover the microscopic mechanisms mediating this change, we performed electronic structure measurements, using photoemission spectroscopy, and measured the electrical conductivity of the CCTO samples under different conditions of light exposure and oxygen partial pressure. Together, these results suggest that the large capacitance enhancement is driven by oxygen vacancies induced by the irradiation.

Humic acids as pseudocapacitive electrolyte additive for electrochemical double layer capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasiński, Krzysztof; Walkowiak, Mariusz; Lota, Grzegorz

2014-06-01

Novel electrolyte additive for electrochemical capacitors has been reported. It has been demonstrated for the first time that addition of humic acids (HA) to KOH-based electrolyte significantly increases capacitance of symmetrical capacitors with electrodes made of activated carbon. Specific capacitances determined by means of galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy consistently showed increases for HA concentrations ranging from 2% w/w up to saturated solution with maximum positive effect observed for 5% w/w of the additive. The capacitance increase has been attributed to complex faradaic processes involving oxygen-containing groups of HA molecules. Due to abundant resources, low cost and easy processability the reported solution can find application in electrochemical capacitor technologies.

High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors

DOEpatents

Street, R.A.; Kaplan, S.N.; Perez-Mendez, V.

1992-05-26

A radiation detector employing amorphous Si:H cells in an array with each detector cell having at least three contiguous layers (n-type, intrinsic, p-type), positioned between two electrodes to which a bias voltage is applied. An energy conversion layer atop the silicon cells intercepts incident radiation and converts radiation energy to light energy of a wavelength to which the silicon cells are responsive. A read-out device, positioned proximate to each detector element in an array allows each such element to be interrogated independently to determine whether radiation has been detected in that cell. The energy conversion material may be a layer of luminescent material having a columnar structure. In one embodiment a column of luminescent material detects the passage therethrough of radiation to be detected and directs a light beam signal to an adjacent a-Si:H film so that detection may be confined to one or more such cells in the array. One or both electrodes may have a comb structure, and the teeth of each electrode comb may be interdigitated for capacitance reduction. The amorphous Si:H film may be replaced by an amorphous Si:Ge:H film in which up to 40 percent of the amorphous material is Ge. Two dimensional arrays may be used in X-ray imaging, CT scanning, crystallography, high energy physics beam tracking, nuclear medicine cameras and autoradiography. 18 figs.

High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors

DOEpatents

Street, Robert A.; Kaplan, Selig N.; Perez-Mendez, Victor

1992-01-01

A radiation detector employing amorphous Si:H cells in an array with each detector cell having at least three contiguous layers (n type, intrinsic, p type), positioned between two electrodes to which a bias voltage is applied. An energy conversion layer atop the silicon cells intercepts incident radiation and converts radiation energy to light energy of a wavelength to which the silicon cells are responsive. A read-out device, positioned proximate to each detector element in an array allows each such element to be interrogated independently to determine whether radiation has been detected in that cell. The energy conversion material may be a layer of luminescent material having a columnar structure. In one embodiment a column of luminescent material detects the passage therethrough of radiation to be detected and directs a light beam signal to an adjacent a-Si:H film so that detection may be confined to one or more such cells in the array. One or both electrodes may have a comb structure, and the teeth of each electrode comb may be interdigitated for capacitance reduction. The amorphous Si:H film may be replaced by an amorphous Si:Ge:H film in which up to 40 percent of the amorphous material is Ge. Two dimensional arrays may be used in X-ray imaging, CT scanning, crystallography, high energy physics beam tracking, nuclear medicine cameras and autoradiography.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon derived from biomass waste for high-performance supercapacitor.

PubMed

Ma, Guofu; Yang, Qian; Sun, Kanjun; Peng, Hui; Ran, Feitian; Zhao, Xiaolong; Lei, Ziqiang

2015-12-01

High capacitance property and low cost are the pivotal requirements for practical application of supercapacitor. In this paper, a low cost and high capacitance property nitrogen-doped porous carbon with high specific capacitance is prepared. The as-prepared nitrogen-doped porous carbon employing potato waste residue (PWR) as the carbon source, zinc chloride (ZnCl2) as the activating agent and melamine as nitrogen doping agent. The morphology and structure of the carbon materials are studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra. The surface area of the nitrogen-doped carbon which prepared under 700°C is found to be 1052m(2)/g, and the specific capacitance as high as 255Fg(-1) in 2M KOH electrolyte is obtained utilize the carbon as electrode materials. The electrode materials also show excellent cyclability with 93.7% coulombic efficiency at 5Ag(-1) current density of for 5000cycles. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Capacitance properties and structure of electroconducting hydrogels based on copoly(aniline - p-phenylenediamine) and polyacrylamide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, Michael A.; Sokolova, Maria P.; Bobrova, Natalya V.; Kasatkin, Igor A.; Lahderanta, Erkki; Elyashevich, Galina K.

2016-02-01

Electroconducting hydrogels (EH) based on copoly(aniline - p-phenylenediamine) grafted to the polyacrylamide for the application as pseudo-supercapacitor's electrodes have been prepared. The influence of preparation conditions on the structure and capacitance properties of the systems were investigated: we determined the optimal amount of p-phenylenediamine to obtain the network of swollen interconnected nanofibrils inside the hydrogel which provides the formation of continuous conducting phase. Structure and morphology of the prepared samples were investigated with UV-VIS spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The maximal value of capacitance was 364 F g-1 at 0.2 A g-1. It was shown that the EH samples demonstrate the retention of 50% of their capacity at high current density 16 A g-1. Cycle-life measurements show evidence that capacitance of EH electrodes after 1000 cycles is higher than its initial value for all prepared samples. Changes of the copolymer structure during swelling in water have been studied with WAXD.

Titanium nitride films for micro-supercapacitors: Effect of surface chemistry and film morphology on the capacitance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achour, Amine; Porto, Raul Lucio; Soussou, Mohamed-Akram; Islam, Mohammad; Boujtita, Mohammed; Aissa, Kaltouma Ait; Le Brizoual, Laurent; Djouadi, Abdou; Brousse, Thierry

2015-12-01

Electrochemical capacitors (EC) in the form of packed films can be integrated in various electronic devices as power source. A fabrication process of EC electrodes, which is compatible with micro-fabrication, should be addressed for practical applications. Here, we show that titanium nitride films with controlled porosity can be deposited on flat silicon substrates by reactive DC-sputtering for use as high performance micro-supercapacitor electrodes. A superior volumetric capacitance as high as 146.4 F cm-3, with an outstanding cycling stability over 20,000 cycles, was measured in mild neutral electrolyte of potassium sulfate. The specific capacitance of the films as well as their capacitance retentions were found to depend on thickness, porosity and surface chemistry of electrodes. The one step process used to fabricate these TiN electrodes and the wide use of this material in the field of semiconductor technology make it promising for miniaturized energy storage systems.

A variable capacitance based modeling and power capability predicting method for ultracapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chang; Wang, Yujie; Chen, Zonghai; Ling, Qiang

2018-01-01

Methods of accurate modeling and power capability predicting for ultracapacitors are of great significance in management and application of lithium-ion battery/ultracapacitor hybrid energy storage system. To overcome the simulation error coming from constant capacitance model, an improved ultracapacitor model based on variable capacitance is proposed, where the main capacitance varies with voltage according to a piecewise linear function. A novel state-of-charge calculation approach is developed accordingly. After that, a multi-constraint power capability prediction is developed for ultracapacitor, in which a Kalman-filter-based state observer is designed for tracking ultracapacitor's real-time behavior. Finally, experimental results verify the proposed methods. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by terminal voltage simulating results under different temperatures, and the effectiveness of the designed observer is proved by various test conditions. Additionally, the power capability prediction results of different time scales and temperatures are compared, to study their effects on ultracapacitor's power capability.

A capacitive sensor for 2,4-D determination in water based on 2,4-D imprinted polypyrrole coated pencil electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prusty, Arun Kumar; Bhand, Sunil

2017-03-01

A capacitive sensor for 2,4-dichloro phenoxy acetic acid(2,4-D) determination in drinking water has been developed using molecularly imprinted polypyrrole on pencil graphite electrode (PGE). Molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) coated PGE was prepared by electropolymerization of pyrrole via chronopotentiometry in the presence of 2,4-D as the template molecule. The prepared electrodes were characterized by field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The capacitance change of MIP electrode was measured in the presence of 2,4-D using EIS. The developed capacitive sensor exhibited a linear range 0.06-1.25 µg l-1 2,4-D with limit of detection of 0.02 µg l-1 and good selectivity towards 2,4-D in water with recovery from 92 to 110%. The results suggest the viable applicability of the MIP/PGE based sensor for the determination of the 2,4-D in water samples.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Highly-Crumpled, Few-Layered Graphene and Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for Use as High-Performance Electrodes in Capacitive Deionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amiri, Ahmad; Ahmadi, Goodarz; Shanbedi, Mehdi; Savari, Maryam; Kazi, S. N.; Chew, B. T.

2015-12-01

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a promising procedure for removing various charged ionic species from brackish water. The performance of graphene-based material in capacitive deionization is lower than the expectation of the industry, so highly-crumpled, few-layered graphene (HCG) and highly-crumpled nitrogen-doped graphene (HCNDG) with high surface area have been introduced as promising candidates for CDI electrodes. Thus, HCG and HCNDG were prepared by exfoliation of graphite in the presence of liquid-phase, microwave-assisted methods. An industrially-scalable, cost-effective, and simple approach was employed to synthesize HCG and HCNDG, resulting in few-layered graphene and nitrogen-doped graphene with large specific surface area. Then, HCG and HCNDG were utilized for manufacturing a new class of carbon nanostructure-based electrodes for use in large-scale CDI equipment. The electrosorption results indicated that both the HCG and HCNDG have fairly large specific surface areas, indicating their huge potential for capacitive deionization applications.

Tribotronic Tuning Diode for Active Analog Signal Modulation.

PubMed

Zhou, Tao; Yang, Zhi Wei; Pang, Yaokun; Xu, Liang; Zhang, Chi; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-01-24

Realizing active interaction with external environment/stimuli is a great challenge for current electronics. In this paper, a tribotronic tuning diode (TTD) is proposed by coupling a variable capacitance diode and a triboelectric nanogenerator in free-standing sliding mode. When the friction layer is sliding on the device surface for electrification, a reverse bias voltage is created and applied to the diode for tuning the junction capacitance. When the sliding distance increases from 0 to 25 mm, the capacitance of the TTD decreases from about 39 to 8 pF. The proposed TTD has been integrated into analog circuits and exhibited excellent performances in frequency modulation, phase shift, and filtering by sliding a finger. This work has demonstrated tunable diode and active analog signal modulation by tribotronics, which has great potential to replace ordinary variable capacitance diodes in various practical applications such as signal processing, electronic tuning circuits, precise tuning circuits, active sensor networks, electronic communications, remote controls, flexible electronics, etc.

Ultrasensitive and label-free detection of pathogenic avian influenza DNA by using CMOS impedimetric sensors.

PubMed

Lai, Wei-An; Lin, Chih-Heng; Yang, Yuh-Shyong; Lu, Michael S-C

2012-05-15

This work presents miniaturized CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors for non-faradic impedimetric detection of AIV (avian influenza virus) oligonucleotides. The signal-to-noise ratio is significantly improved by monolithic sensor integration to reduce the effect of parasitic capacitances. The use of sub-μm interdigitated microelectrodes is also beneficial for promoting the signal coupling efficiency. Capacitance changes associated with surface modification, functionalization, and DNA hybridization were extracted from the measured frequency responses based on an equivalent-circuit model. Hybridization of the AIV H5 capture and target DNA probes produced a capacitance reduction of -13.2 ± 2.1% for target DNA concentrations from 1 fM to 10 fM, while a capacitance increase was observed when H5 target DNA was replaced with non-complementary H7 target DNA. With the demonstrated superior sensing capabilities, this miniaturized CMOS sensing platform shows great potential for label-free point-of-care biosensing applications. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Micropore engineering of carbonized porous aromatic framework (PAF-1) for supercapacitors application.

PubMed

Li, Yanqiang; Roy, Soumyajit; Ben, Teng; Xu, Shixian; Qiu, Shilun

2014-07-07

Micropore engineering of porous carbons on the effect of capacitance was explored using a carbonized porous aromatic framework (PAF-1). The porous carbons obtained through different carbonization methods show different pore structures enabling us to do this. The capacitance was measured both in aqueous electrolyte and different organic electrolytes. The porous carbons prepared by KOH activation show both high microporous volume, which is beneficial for charge storage, and mesoporous volume, which is devoted to fast ion diffusion in the pores; properties which are highly desirable. It shows a capacitance as high as 280 F g(-1) and 203 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) in 6.0 M KOH and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMImTFSI), respectively. We also demonstrate the effect of diffusion and that of geometric packing of the electrolyte ions in the pores, where a commensurate match of the electrolyte ions with the pores of carbonized materials control and influence significantly the capacitance of these materials.

An associative capacitive network based on nanoscale complementary resistive switches for memory-intensive computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavehei, Omid; Linn, Eike; Nielen, Lutz; Tappertzhofen, Stefan; Skafidas, Efstratios; Valov, Ilia; Waser, Rainer

2013-05-01

We report on the implementation of an Associative Capacitive Network (ACN) based on the nondestructive capacitive readout of two Complementary Resistive Switches (2-CRSs). ACNs are capable of performing a fully parallel search for Hamming distances (i.e. similarity) between input and stored templates. Unlike conventional associative memories where charge retention is a key function and hence, they require frequent refresh cycles, in ACNs, information is retained in a nonvolatile resistive state and normal tasks are carried out through capacitive coupling between input and output nodes. Each device consists of two CRS cells and no selective element is needed, therefore, CMOS circuitry is only required in the periphery, for addressing and read-out. Highly parallel processing, nonvolatility, wide interconnectivity and low-energy consumption are significant advantages of ACNs over conventional and emerging associative memories. These characteristics make ACNs one of the promising candidates for applications in memory-intensive and cognitive computing, switches and routers as binary and ternary Content Addressable Memories (CAMs) and intelligent data processing.

Synthesis of chemically bonded graphene/carbon nanotube composites and their application in large volumetric capacitance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Jung, Naeyoung; Kwon, Soongeun; Lee, Dongwook; Yoon, Dong-Myung; Park, Young Min; Benayad, Anass; Choi, Jae-Young; Park, Jong Se

2013-12-17

Chemically bonded graphene/carbon nanotube composites as flexible supercapacitor electrode materials are synthesized by amide bonding. Carbon nanotubes attached along the edges and onto the surface of graphene act as spacers to increase the electrolyte-accessible surface area. Our lamellar structure electrodes demonstrate the largest volumetric capacitance (165 F cm(-3) ) ever shown by carbon-based electrodes. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Suppressing the Coffee-Ring Effect in Semitransparent MnO2 Film for a High-Performance Solar-Powered Energy Storage Window.

PubMed

Jin, Huanyu; Qian, Jiasheng; Zhou, Limin; Yuan, Jikang; Huang, Haitao; Wang, Yu; Tang, Wing Man; Chan, Helen Lai Wa

2016-04-13

We introduce a simple and effective method to deposit a highly uniform and semitransparent MnO2 film without coffee-ring effect (CRE) by adding ethanol into MnO2 ink for transparent capacitive energy storage devices. By carefully controlling the amount of ethanol added in the MnO2 droplet, we could significantly reduce the CRE and thus improve the film uniformity. The electrochemical properties of supercapacitor (SC) devices using semitransparent MnO2 film electrodes with or without CRE were measured and compared. The SC device without CRE shows a superior capacitance, high rate capability, and lower contact resistance. The CRE-free device could achieve a considerable volumetric capacitance of 112.2 F cm(-3), resulting in a high volumetric energy density and power density of 10 mWh cm(-3) and 8.6 W cm(-3), respectively. For practical consideration, both flexible SC and large-area rigid SC devices were fabricated to demonstrate their potential for flexible transparent electronic application and capacitive energy-storage window application. Moreover, a solar-powered energy storage window which consists of a commercial solar cell and our studied semitransparent MnO2-film-based SCs was assembled. These SCs could be charged by the solar cell and light up a light emitting diode (LED), demonstrating their potential for self-powered systems and energy-efficient buildings.

Characteristics of capacitance-micro-displacement for model of complex interior surface of the 3D Taiji ball and its applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ruo-Gu; Jiang, Kun; Qing, Zhao-Bo; Liu, Yue-Hui; Yan, Jun

2006-11-01

Taiji image originated from ancient China. It is not only the Taoism emblem but also the ancient graphic presentation sign to everything origin. It either has a too far-reaching impact on traditional culture of China, or is influencing the development of current natural science. On the basis of analyzing the classical philosophic theory of two-dimensional (2-D) Taiji image, we developed it into the model of complex interior surface-three-dimensional (3-D) Taiji ball, and explored its possible applications. Combining modern mathematics and physics knowledge, we have studied on the physical meaning of 3-D Taiji ball, thus the plane change of original Taiji image is developed into space change which is more close to the real world. The change layers are obvious increased notably, and the amount of information included in this model increases correspondingly. We also realized a special paper 3-D Taiji ball whose surface is coved with metal foil by means of laser manufacture. A new experiment set-up for measuring micro displace has been designed and constituted thus the relation between capacitance and micro displacement for the 3-D Taiji ball has performed. Experimental and theoretical analyses are also finished. This models of 3-D Taiji ball for physical characteristics are the first time set up. Experimental data and fitting curves between capacitance and micro displacement for the special paper Taiji ball coved with metal foil are suggested. It is shown that the special Taiji ball has less leakage capacitance or more strengthen electric field than an ordinary half ball capacitance. Finally their potential applied values are explored.

Nanostructured stannic oxide: Synthesis and characterisation for potential energy storage applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Nuamah, R. A.; Jain, P. K.; Obada, D. O.; Yaya, A.

2018-06-01

SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized using the hydrothermal technique. Well crystalline particles with different morphologies and crystallite size in the range of 2 nm-10 nm were obtained by using Urea and Soduim Borohydride as reducing agents, and deploying Dioctyl Sulfosuccinate Sodium Salt (AOT) and Cetyl Trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as the surfactants. Samples have been characterised by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, specific surface area, porosity, and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Preliminary studies on the potential electrochemical properties of the as-produced nanoparticles were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiostatic charge-discharge in aqueous KOH electrolyte. The surfactant and reducing agents used in the synthesis procedure of SnO2 nanoparticles influenced the particle size and the morphology, which in turn influenced the capacitance of the SnO2 nanoparticles. The SnO2 electrode material showed pseudocapacitor properties with a maximum capacitance value of 1.6 Fg-1 at a scan rate of 5 mVs-1, an efficiency of 52% at a current of 1 mA and a maximum capacitance retention of about 40% after 10 cycles at a current of 1 mA. From the Nyquist plot, The ESR for the samples increase accordingly as SCA (31.5 Ω) < SAA (31.85 Ω) < SE (36.3 Ω) < SAT (36.92 Ω) < SCT (40.41 Ω) < SA < SC (53.97 Ω). These values are a confirmation of the low capacitance, efficiencies and capacitance retention recorded. The results obtained demonstrate the potential electrochemical storage applications of SnO2 nanoparticles without the addition of conductive materials.

Aloe vera Derived Activated High-Surface-Area Carbon for Flexible and High-Energy Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Karnan, M; Subramani, K; Sudhan, N; Ilayaraja, N; Sathish, M

2016-12-28

Materials which possess high specific capacitance in device configuration with low cost are essential for viable application in supercapacitors. Herein, a flexible high-energy supercapacitor device was fabricated using porous activated high-surface-area carbon derived from aloe leaf (Aloe vera) as a precursor. The A. vera derived activated carbon showed mesoporous nature with high specific surface area of ∼1890 m 2 /g. A high specific capacitance of 410 and 306 F/g was achieved in three-electrode and symmetric two-electrode system configurations in aqueous electrolyte, respectively. The fabricated all-solid-state device showed a high specific capacitance of 244 F/g with an energy density of 8.6 Wh/kg. In an ionic liquid electrolyte, the fabricated device showed a high specific capacitance of 126 F/g and a wide potential window up to 3 V, which results in a high energy density of 40 Wh/kg. Furthermore, it was observed that the activation temperature has significant role in the electrochemical performance, as the activated sample at 700 °C showed best activity than the samples activated at 600 and 800 °C. The electron microscopic images (FE-SEM and HR-TEM) confirmed the formation of pores by the chemical activation. A fabricated supercapacitor device in ionic liquid with 3 V could power up a red LED for 30 min upon charging for 20s. Also, it is shown that the operation voltage and capacitance of flexible all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitors fabricated using aloe-derived activated carbon could be easily tuned by series and parallel combinations. The performance of fabricated supercapacitor devices using A. vera derived activated carbon in all-solid-state and ionic liquid indicates their viable applications in flexible devices and energy storage.

Development of SnS2/RGO nanosheet composite for cost-effective aqueous hybrid supercapacitors.

PubMed

Chauhan, Himani; Singh, Manoj K; Kumar, Praveen; Hashmi, Safir Ahmad; Deka, Sasanka

2017-01-13

The development of low cost supercapacitor cells with unique capacitive properties is essential for many domestic and industrial purposes. Here we report the first ever application of SnS 2 -reduced graphene oxide (SnS 2 /RGO) layered nanocomposite as a superior electrode material for symmetric aqueous hybrid supercapacitors. We synthesized SnS 2 /RGO nanocomposite comprised of nanosheets of SnS 2 and graphene oxide via a one-pot hydrothermal approach. in situ as-synthesized SnS 2 /RGO is devised for the first time to give high specific capacitance 500 Fg -1 , energy density 16.67 Wh kg -1 and power density 488 W kg -1 . The cell retains 95% charge/discharge cycle stability up to 1000 cycles. In-short, the SnS 2 /RGO nanosheet composite presented is a novel and advanced material for application in high stability moderate value hybrid supercapacitors. All the currently available surveys in literature state the potential applicability of SnS 2 as the anode material for reversible lithium/sodium ion batteries (LIBs/NIBs) but there is a lack of equivalent studies on electrochemical capacitors. We filled up this knowledge gap by the use of the same material in a cost-effective, highly active hybrid supercapacitor application by utilizing its pseudocapacitance property combined with the layered capacitance property of graphene sheets.

In-situ microwave irradiation synthesis of ZnO-graphene nanocomposite for high-performance supercapacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunaseelan, R.; Venkatachalam, V.; Raj, A. Antony

2018-04-01

In this paper, the ZnO/G nanocomposite was synthesized by facile in-situ microwave irradiation method. The as-prepared ZnO/G composite has been characterized with X-ray powder diffraction. The electrochemical properties of the obtained composite electrode for supercapacitor have been studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectra analyses. The ZnO/G nanocomposites showed a good capacitive behavior with a higher specific capacitance of 140.4 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s scan rate in 1M KOH electrolyte. Based on the electrochemical results revealed that the composite electrode is a suitable candidate for supercapacitor applications.

Band edge engineering of TiO2@DNA nanohybrids and implications for capacitive energy storage devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imani, Roghayeh; Pazoki, Meysam; Tiwari, Ashutosh; Boschloo, G.; Turner, Anthony P. F.; Kralj-Iglič, V.; Iglič, Aleš

2015-06-01

Novel mesoporous TiO2@DNA nanohybrid electrodes, combining covalently encoded DNA with mesoporous TiO2 microbeads using dopamine as a linker, were prepared and characterised for application in supercapacitors. Detailed information about donor density, charge transfer resistance and chemical capacitance, which have an important role in the performance of an electrochemical device, were studied by electrochemical methods. The results indicated the improvement of electrochemical performance of the TiO2 nanohybrid electrode by DNA surface functionalisation. A supercapacitor was constructed from TiO2@DNA nanohybrids with PBS as the electrolyte. From the supercapacitor experiment, it was found that the addition of DNA played an important role in improving the specific capacitance (Cs) of the TiO2 supercapacitor. The highest Cs value of 8 F g-1 was observed for TiO2@DNA nanohybrids. The nanohybrid electrodes were shown to be stable over long-term cycling, retaining 95% of their initial specific capacitance after 1500 cycles.Novel mesoporous TiO2@DNA nanohybrid electrodes, combining covalently encoded DNA with mesoporous TiO2 microbeads using dopamine as a linker, were prepared and characterised for application in supercapacitors. Detailed information about donor density, charge transfer resistance and chemical capacitance, which have an important role in the performance of an electrochemical device, were studied by electrochemical methods. The results indicated the improvement of electrochemical performance of the TiO2 nanohybrid electrode by DNA surface functionalisation. A supercapacitor was constructed from TiO2@DNA nanohybrids with PBS as the electrolyte. From the supercapacitor experiment, it was found that the addition of DNA played an important role in improving the specific capacitance (Cs) of the TiO2 supercapacitor. The highest Cs value of 8 F g-1 was observed for TiO2@DNA nanohybrids. The nanohybrid electrodes were shown to be stable over long-term cycling, retaining 95% of their initial specific capacitance after 1500 cycles. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The HRTEM analysis of TiO2 microbeads, XPS spectra of modified electrodes (Ti 2p and O 1s peaks), total number of surface states vs applied potential (calculated DOS) of modified electrodes, circuit used for EIS data fitting, specific capacitance of FTO/TiO2/DA/DNA calculated from Galvanostatic charge-discharge test versus cycle number. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02533h

A readout integrated circuit based on DBI-CTIA and cyclic ADC for MEMS-array-based focal plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Liu; Dong, Wu; Zheyao, Wang

2016-11-01

A readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for a MEMS (microelectromechanical system)-array-based focal plane (MAFP) intended for imaging applications is presented. The ROIC incorporates current sources for diode detectors, scanners, timing sequence controllers, differential buffered injection-capacitive trans-impedance amplifier (DBI-CTIA) and 10-bit cyclic ADCs, and is integrated with MAFP using 3-D integration technology. A small-signal equivalent model is built to include thermal detectors into circuit simulations. The biasing current is optimized in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and power consumption. Layout design is tailored to fulfill the requirements of 3-D integration and to adapt to the size of MAFP elements, with not all but only the 2 bottom metal layers to complete nearly all the interconnections in DBI-CTIA and ADC in a 40 μm wide column. Experimental chips are designed and fabricated in a 0.35 μm CMOS mixed signal process, and verified in a code density test of which the results indicate a (0.29/-0.31) LSB differential nonlinearity (DNL) and a (0.61/-0.45) LSB integral nonlinearity (INL). Spectrum analysis shows that the effective number of bits (ENOB) is 9.09. The ROIC consumes 248 mW of power at most if not to cut off quiescent current paths when not needed. Project supported by by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61271130), the Beijing Municipal Science and Tech Project (No. D13110100290000), the Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program (No. 20131089225), and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Development Fund (No. CXZZ20130322170740736).

Amending the Structure of Renewable Carbon from Biorefinery Waste-Streams for Energy Storage Applications.

PubMed

Ho, Hoi Chun; Goswami, Monojoy; Chen, Jihua; Keum, Jong K; Naskar, Amit K

2018-05-29

Biorefineries produce impure sugar waste streams that are being underutilized. By converting this waste to a profitable by-product, biorefineries could be safeguarded against low oil prices. We demonstrate controlled production of useful carbon materials from the waste concentrate via hydrothermal synthesis and carbonization. We devise a pathway to producing tunable, porous spherical carbon materials by modeling the gross structure formation and developing an understanding of the pore formation mechanism utilizing simple reaction principles. Compared to a simple hydrothermal synthesis from sugar concentrate, emulsion-based synthesis results in hollow spheres with abundant microporosity. In contrast, conventional hydrothermal synthesis produces solid beads with micro and mesoporosity. All the carbonaceous materials show promise in energy storage application. Using our reaction pathway, perfect hollow activated carbon spheres can be produced from waste sugar in liquid effluence of biomass steam pretreatment units. The renewable carbon product demonstrated a desirable surface area of 872 m 2 /g and capacitance of up to 109 F/g when made into an electric double layer supercapacitor. The capacitor exhibited nearly ideal capacitive behavior with 90.5% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles.

Electrochemical Study of Hydrocarbon-Derived Electrolytes for Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noorden, Zulkarnain A.; Matsumoto, Satoshi

2013-10-01

In this paper, we evaluate the essential electrochemical properties - capacitive and resistive behaviors - of hydrocarbon-derived electrolytes for supercapacitor application using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrolytes were systematically prepared from three hydrocarbon-derived compounds, which have different molecular structures and functional groups, by treatment with high-concentration sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at room temperature. Two-electrode cells were assembled by sandwiching an electrolyte-containing glass wool separator with two active electrodes of activated carbon sheets. The dc electrical properties of the tested cells in terms of their capacitive behavior were investigated by CV, and in order to observe the frequency characteristics of the constructed cells, EIS was carried out. Compared with the tested cell with only high-concentration H2SO4 as the electrolyte, the cell with the derived electrolytes exhibit a capacitance as high as 135 F/g with an improved overall internal resistance of 2.5 Ω. Through the use of a simple preparation method and low-cost precursors, hydrocarbon-derived electrolytes could potentially find large-scale and higher-rating supercapacitor applications.

Few-layered MoSe2 nanosheets as an advanced electrode material for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Balasingam, Suresh Kannan; Lee, Jae Sung; Jun, Yongseok

2015-09-21

We report the synthesis of few-layered MoSe2 nanosheets using a facile hydrothermal method and their electrochemical charge storage behavior. A systematic study of the structure and morphology of the as-synthesized MoSe2 nanosheets was performed. The downward peak shift in the Raman spectrum and the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images confirmed the formation of few-layered nanosheets. The electrochemical energy-storage behavior of MoSe2 nanosheets was also investigated for supercapacitor applications in a symmetric cell configuration. The MoSe2 nanosheet electrode exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 198.9 F g(-1) and the symmetric device showed 49.7 F g(-1) at a scan rate of 2 mV s(-1). A capacitance retention of approximately 75% was observed even after 10 000 cycles at a high charge-discharge current density of 5 A g(-1). The two-dimensional MoSe2 nanosheets exhibited a high specific capacitance and good cyclic stability, which makes it a promising electrode material for supercapacitor applications.

Direct fabrication of 3D graphene on nanoporous anodic alumina by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

PubMed Central

Zhan, Hualin; Garrett, David J.; Apollo, Nicholas V.; Ganesan, Kumaravelu; Lau, Desmond; Prawer, Steven; Cervenka, Jiri

2016-01-01

High surface area electrode materials are of interest for a wide range of potential applications such as super-capacitors and electrochemical cells. This paper describes a fabrication method of three-dimensional (3D) graphene conformally coated on nanoporous insulating substrate with uniform nanopore size. 3D graphene films were formed by controlled graphitization of diamond-like amorphous carbon precursor films, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Plasma-assisted graphitization was found to produce better quality graphene than a simple thermal graphitization process. The resulting 3D graphene/amorphous carbon/alumina structure has a very high surface area, good electrical conductivity and exhibits excellent chemically stability, providing a good material platform for electrochemical applications. Consequently very large electrochemical capacitance values, as high as 2.1 mF for a sample of 10 mm3, were achieved. The electrochemical capacitance of the material exhibits a dependence on bias voltage, a phenomenon observed by other groups when studying graphene quantum capacitance. The plasma-assisted graphitization, which dominates the graphitization process, is analyzed and discussed in detail. PMID:26805546

High performance asymmetric supercapacitor based on molybdenum disulphide/graphene foam and activated carbon from expanded graphite.

PubMed

Masikhwa, Tshifhiwa M; Madito, Moshawe J; Bello, Abdulhakeem; Dangbegnon, Julien K; Manyala, Ncholu

2017-02-15

Molybdenum disulphide which has a graphene-like single layer structure has excellent mechanical and electrical properties and unique morphology, which might be used with graphene foam as composite in supercapacitor applications. In this work, Molybdenum disulphide (MoS 2 )/graphene foam (GF) composites with different graphene foam loading were synthesized by the hydrothermal process to improve on specific capacitance of the composites. Asymmetric supercapacitor device was fabricated using the best performing MoS 2 /GF composite and activated carbon derived from expanded graphite (AEG) as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, in 6M KOH electrolyte. The asymmetric MoS 2 /GF//AEG device exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 59Fg -1 at a current density of 1Ag -1 with maximum energy and power densities of 16Whkg -1 and 758Wkg -1 , respectively. The supercapacitor also exhibited a good cyclic stability with 95% capacitance retention over 2000 constant charge-discharge cycles. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of MoS 2 /GF//AEG as a promising material for electrochemical energy storage application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Supercapacitor electrode materials with hierarchically structured pores from carbonization of MWCNTs and ZIF-8 composites.

PubMed

Li, Xueqin; Hao, Changlong; Tang, Bochong; Wang, Yue; Liu, Mei; Wang, Yuanwei; Zhu, Yihua; Lu, Chenguang; Tang, Zhiyong

2017-02-09

Due to their high specific surface area and good electric conductivity, nitrogen-doped porous carbons (NPCs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted much attention for electrochemical energy storage applications. In the present work, we firstly prepared MWCNT/ZIF-8 composites by decoration of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) onto the surface of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs), then obtained MWCNT/NPCs by the direct carbonization of MWCNT/ZIF-8. By controlling the reaction conditions, MWCNT/ZIF-8 with three different particle sizes were synthesized. The effect of NPCs size on capacitance performance has been evaluated in detail. The MWCNT/NPC with large-sized NPC (MWCNT/NPC-L) displayed the highest specific capacitance of 293.4 F g -1 at the scan rate of 5 mV s -1 and only lost 4.2% of capacitance after 10 000 cyclic voltammetry cycles, which was attributed to the hierarchically structured pores, N-doping and high electrical conductivity. The studies of symmetric two-electrode supercapacitor cells also confirmed MWCNT/NPC-L as efficient electrode materials that have good electrochemical performance, especially for high-rate applications.

Direct fabrication of 3D graphene on nanoporous anodic alumina by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

PubMed

Zhan, Hualin; Garrett, David J; Apollo, Nicholas V; Ganesan, Kumaravelu; Lau, Desmond; Prawer, Steven; Cervenka, Jiri

2016-01-25

High surface area electrode materials are of interest for a wide range of potential applications such as super-capacitors and electrochemical cells. This paper describes a fabrication method of three-dimensional (3D) graphene conformally coated on nanoporous insulating substrate with uniform nanopore size. 3D graphene films were formed by controlled graphitization of diamond-like amorphous carbon precursor films, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Plasma-assisted graphitization was found to produce better quality graphene than a simple thermal graphitization process. The resulting 3D graphene/amorphous carbon/alumina structure has a very high surface area, good electrical conductivity and exhibits excellent chemically stability, providing a good material platform for electrochemical applications. Consequently very large electrochemical capacitance values, as high as 2.1 mF for a sample of 10 mm(3), were achieved. The electrochemical capacitance of the material exhibits a dependence on bias voltage, a phenomenon observed by other groups when studying graphene quantum capacitance. The plasma-assisted graphitization, which dominates the graphitization process, is analyzed and discussed in detail.

Nanofoaming to Boost the Electrochemical Performance of Ni@Ni(OH)2 Nanowires for Ultrahigh Volumetric Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Xu, Shusheng; Li, Xiaolin; Yang, Zhi; Wang, Tao; Jiang, Wenkai; Yang, Chao; Wang, Shuai; Hu, Nantao; Wei, Hao; Zhang, Yafei

2016-10-10

Three-dimensional free-standing film electrodes have aroused great interest for energy storage devices. However, small volumetric capacity and low operating voltage limit their practical application for large energy storage applications. Herein, a facile and novel nanofoaming process was demonstrated to boost the volumetric electrochemical capacitance of the devices via activation of Ni nanowires to form ultrathin nanosheets and porous nanostructures. The as-designed free-standing Ni@Ni(OH) 2 film electrodes display a significantly enhanced volumetric capacity (462 C/cm 3 at 0.5 A/cm 3 ) and excellent cycle stability. Moreover, the as-developed hybrid supercapacitor employed Ni@Ni(OH) 2 film as positive electrode and graphene-carbon nanotube film as negative electrode exhibits a high volumetric capacitance of 95 F/cm 3 (at 0.25 A/cm 3 ) and excellent cycle performance (only 14% capacitance reduction for 4500 cycles). Furthermore, the volumetric energy density can reach 33.9 mWh/cm 3 , which is much higher than that of most thin film lithium batteries (1-10 mWh/cm 3 ). This work gives an insight for designing high-volume three-dimensional electrodes and paves a new way to construct binder-free film electrode for high-performance hybrid supercapacitor applications.

MnO2-deposited lignin-based carbon nanofiber mats for application as electrodes in symmetric pseudocapacitors.

PubMed

Youe, Won-Jae; Kim, Seok Ju; Lee, Soo-Min; Chun, Sang-Jin; Kang, Juwon; Kim, Yong Sik

2018-06-01

Low-cost, high-performance electrodes are highly attractive for practical supercapacitor applications. MnO 2 -deposited carbon nanofiber mats (MnO 2 -CNFMs) are prepared for use as binder-free supercapacitor electrodes. MnO 2 is deposited on the mats in situ by hydrothermally decomposing aqueous KMnO 4 , leading to the formation of nanocrystals of MnO 2 . The MnO 2 -CNFM electrode produced with 38.0μmol KMnO 4 (this electrode) shows a high specific capacitance of ~171.6F·g -1 at a scan rate of 5mV·s -1 . Moreover, a symmetric supercapacitor with the electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 67.0F·g -1 , an energy density of 6.0Wh·kg -1 and a power density of 160W·kg -1 at a special current of 0.1A·g -1 . Further, the symmetric supercapacitor displays excellent cycling stability, retains approximately 99% of the capacitance after 1000cycles. The simplicity and ease of preparation of the MnO 2 -CNFMs as well as their suitability for use in coin-type supercapacitor cells make them ideal for application in cost-effective and high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

LWIR detector requirements for low-background space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deluccia, Frank J.

1990-01-01

Detection of cold bodies (200 to 300 K) against space backgrounds has many important applications, both military and non-military. The detector performance and design characteristics required to support low-background applications are discussed, with particular emphasis on those characteristics required for space surveillance. The status of existing detector technologies under active development for these applications is also discussed. In order to play a role in future systems, new, potentially competing detector technologies such as multiple quantum well detectors must not only meet system-derived requirements, but also offer distinct performance or other advantages over these incumbent technologies.

Scalable Synthesis of Triple-Core-Shell Nanostructures of TiO2 @MnO2 @C for High Performance Supercapacitors Using Structure-Guided Combustion Waves.

PubMed

Shin, Dongjoon; Shin, Jungho; Yeo, Taehan; Hwang, Hayoung; Park, Seonghyun; Choi, Wonjoon

2018-03-01

Core-shell nanostructures of metal oxides and carbon-based materials have emerged as outstanding electrode materials for supercapacitors and batteries. However, their synthesis requires complex procedures that incur high costs and long processing times. Herein, a new route is proposed for synthesizing triple-core-shell nanoparticles of TiO 2 @MnO 2 @C using structure-guided combustion waves (SGCWs), which originate from incomplete combustion inside chemical-fuel-wrapped nanostructures, and their application in supercapacitor electrodes. SGCWs transform TiO 2 to TiO 2 @C and TiO 2 @MnO 2 to TiO 2 @MnO 2 @C via the incompletely combusted carbonaceous fuels under an open-air atmosphere, in seconds. The synthesized carbon layers act as templates for MnO 2 shells in TiO 2 @C and organic shells of TiO 2 @MnO 2 @C. The TiO 2 @MnO 2 @C-based electrodes exhibit a greater specific capacitance (488 F g -1 at 5 mV s -1 ) and capacitance retention (97.4% after 10 000 cycles at 1.0 V s -1 ), while the absence of MnO 2 and carbon shells reveals a severe degradation in the specific capacitance and capacitance retention. Because the core-TiO 2 nanoparticles and carbon shell prevent the deformation of the inner and outer sides of the MnO 2 shell, the nanostructures of the TiO 2 @MnO 2 @C are preserved despite the long-term cycling, giving the superior performance. This SGCW-driven fabrication enables the scalable synthesis of multiple-core-shell structures applicable to diverse electrochemical applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Diamond-Based Supercapacitors: Realization and Properties.

PubMed

Gao, Fang; Nebel, Christoph E

2016-10-26

In this Spotlight on Applications, we describe our recent progress on the fabrication of surface-enlarged boron-doped polycrystalline diamond electrodes, and evaluate their performance in supercapacitor applications. We begin with a discussion of the fabrication methods of porous diamond materials. The diamond surface enlargement starts with a top-down plasma etching method. Although the extra surface area provided by surface roughening or nanostructuring provides good outcome for sensing applications, a capacitance value <1 mF cm -2 or a surface-enlargement factor <100 fail to meet the requirement of a practical supercapacitor. Driven by the need for large surface areas, we recently focused on the tempated-growth method. We worked on both supported and free-standing porous diamond materials to enhance the areal capacitance to the "mF cm -2 " range. With our newly developed free-standing diamond paper, areal capacitance can be multiplied by stacking multilayers of the electrode material. Finally, considering the fact that there is no real diamond-based supercapacitor device up to now, we fabricated the first prototype pouch-cell device based on the free-standing diamond paper to evaluate its performance. The results reveal that the diamond paper is suitable for operation in high potential windows (up to 2.5 V) in aqueous electrolyte with a capacitance of 0.688 mF cm -2 per layer of paper (or 0.645 F g -1 ). Impedance spectroscopy revealed that the operation frequency of the device exceeds 30 Hz. Because of the large potential window and the ability to work at high frequency, the specific power of the device reached 1 × 10 5 W kg -1 . In the end, we made estimations on the future target performance of diamond supercapacitors based on the existing information.

Noncontact Capacitive Clearance Control System For Laser Cutting Machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topkaya, Ahmet; Schmall, Karl-Heinz; Majoli, Ralf

1989-03-01

For a continuous high quality laser cut, it is necessary among other things to position the focal point of the laser beam correctly. This means that a constant clearance between the cutting head and the workpiece with a tolerance of +/- 0.Imm must he ensured. When cutting corrugated automobile bodysheet for example, a good quality cut can only be achieved with automatic clearance control. In the following, a method of automatic clearance control is described using the assistance of a noncontact capacitive sensor system. The copper nozzle of the laser cutting head acts as the electrode of the clearance sensor. The nozzle electrode and the workpiece build a small variable capacitance depending on the clearance. A change of clearance also changes the capacitance, which in turn influences a high frequency oscillator circuit. This shift in frequency is then converted into an analogue DC signal, which can be used to operate a servo motor control for the positioning of the laser cutting head in a closed loop servo system. Laser cutting heads with clearance sensor nozzles of different shapes, suited fur most applications in the industry, with focal lengths from 2.5" to 5" have been developed. They are capable to cut metal sheet from 0.2 to 12 mm of thickness, using CO2-lasers with output power up to 2.5 kW. For special applications involving difficult workpiece topographies in automobile production applications special "trunk" nozzles have been developed. For 5-axis cutting machines and robots, new laser cutting heads with integrated nozzle sensors in combination with a high dynamic Z-axis motor drive are in a stage of development.

Three dimensional stress vector sensor array and method therefor

DOEpatents

Pfeifer, Kent Bryant; Rudnick, Thomas Jeffery

2005-07-05

A sensor array is configured based upon capacitive sensor techniques to measure stresses at various positions in a sheet simultaneously and allow a stress map to be obtained in near real-time. The device consists of single capacitive elements applied in a one or two dimensional array to measure the distribution of stresses across a mat surface in real-time as a function of position for manufacturing and test applications. In-plane and normal stresses in rolling bodies such as tires may thus be monitored.

Solid State pH Sensor Based on Light Emitting Diodes (LED) As Detector Platform

PubMed Central

Lau, King Tong; Shepherd, R.; Diamond, Danny; Diamond, Dermot

2006-01-01

A low-power, high sensitivity, very low-cost light emitting diode (LED)-based device developed for low-cost sensor networks was modified with bromocresol green membrane to work as a solid-state pH sensor. In this approach, a reverse-biased LED functioning as a photodiode is coupled with a second LED configured in conventional emission mode. A simple timer circuit measures how long (in microsecond) it takes for the photocurrent generated on the detector LED to discharge its capacitance from logic 1 (+5 V) to logic 0 (+1.7 V). The entire instrument provides an inherently digital output of light intensity measurements for a few cents. A light dependent resistor (LDR) modified with similar sensor membrane was also used as a comparison method. Both the LED sensor and the LDR sensor responded to various pH buffer solutions in a similar way to obtain sigmoidal curves expected of the dye. The pKa value obtained for the sensors was found to agree with the literature value.

Dark Current Characterization of SW HgCdTe IRFPAs Detectors on Si Substrate with Long Time Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, P. Y.; Ye, Z. H.; Huang, A. B.; Chen, H. L.; Hu, X. N.; Ding, R. J.; He, L.

2016-09-01

The dark currents of two short wave (SW) HgCdTe infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPA) detectors hybridized with direct injection (DI) readout and capacitance transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) with long time integration were investigated. The cutoff wavelength of the two SW IRFPAs is about 2.6 μm at 84 K. The dark current densities of DI and CTIA samples are approximately 8.0 × 10-12 A/cm2 and 7.2 × 10-10 A/cm2 at 110 K, respectively. The large divergence of the dark current density might arise from the injection efficiency difference of the two readouts. The low injection efficiency of the DI readout, compared with the high injection efficiency of the CTIA readout at low temperature, makes the dark current density of the DI sample much lower than that of the CTIA sample. The experimental value of injection efficiency of the DI sample was evaluated as 1.1% which is consistent with its theoretical value.

The Parameterization of Top-Hat Particle Sensors with Microchannel-Plate-Based Detection Systems and its Application to the Fast Plasma Investigation on NASA's Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gershman, Daniel J.; Gliese, Ulrik; Dorelli, John C.; Avanov, Levon A.; Barrie, Alexander C.; Chornay, Dennis J.; MacDonald, Elizabeth A.; Holland, Matthew P.; Pollock, Craig J.

2015-01-01

The most common instrument for low energy plasmas consists of a top-hat electrostatic analyzer geometry coupled with a microchannel-plate (MCP)-based detection system. While the electrostatic optics for such sensors are readily simulated and parameterized during the laboratory calibration process, the detection system is often less well characterized. Furthermore, due to finite resources, for large sensor suites such as the Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) on NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, calibration data are increasingly sparse. Measurements must be interpolated and extrapolated to understand instrument behavior for untestable operating modes and yet sensor inter-calibration is critical to mission success. To characterize instruments from a minimal set of parameters we have developed the first comprehensive mathematical description of both sensor electrostatic optics and particle detection systems. We include effects of MCP efficiency, gain, scattering, capacitive crosstalk, and charge cloud spreading at the detector output. Our parameterization enables the interpolation and extrapolation of instrument response to all relevant particle energies, detector high voltage settings, and polar angles from a small set of calibration data. We apply this model to the 32 sensor heads in the Dual Electron Sensor (DES) and 32 sensor heads in the Dual Ion Sensor (DIS) instruments on the 4 MMS observatories and use least squares fitting of calibration data to extract all key instrument parameters. Parameters that will evolve in flight, namely MCP gain, will be determined daily through application of this model to specifically tailored in-flight calibration activities, providing a robust characterization of sensor suite performance throughout mission lifetime. Beyond FPI, our model provides a valuable framework for the simulation and evaluation of future detection system designs and can be used to maximize instrument understanding with minimal calibration resources.

Developing a polymeric sensor to monitor intracellular conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mudarri, Timothy C.; Leo, Donald J.; Wood, Brett C.; Shires, Peter K.

2004-07-01

Ionic electroactive polymers have been developed as mechanical sensors or actuators, taking advantage of the electromechanical coupling of the materials. This research attempts to take advantage of the chemomechanical and chemoelectrical coupling by characterizing the transient response as the polymer undergoes an ion exchange, thus using the polymer for ionic sensing. Nafion is a biocompatible material, and an implantable polymeric ion sensor which has applications in the biomedical field for bone healing research. An ion sensor and a strain gauge could determine the effects of motion allowed at the fracture site, thus improving rehabilitation procedures for bone fractures. The charge sensitivity of the material and the capacitance of the material were analyzed to determine the transient response. Both measures indicate a change when immersed in ionic salt solutions. It is demonstrated that measuring the capacitance is the best indicator of an ion exchange. Relative to a flat response in deionized water (+/-2%), the capacitance of the polymer exhibits an exponential decay of ~25% of its peak when placed in a salt solution. A linear correlation between the time constant of the decay and the ionic size of the exchanging ion was developed that could reasonably predict a diffusing ion. Tests using an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) indicate that 90% of the exchange occurs in the first 20 minutes, shown by both capacitance decay and an atomic level scan. The diffusion rate time constant was found to within 0.3% of the capacitance time constant, confirming the ability of capacitance to measure ion exchange.

Effects of pore structure and electrolyte on the capacitive characteristics of steam- and KOH-activated carbons for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Feng-Chin; Tseng, Ru-Ling; Hu, Chi-Chang; Wang, Chen-Ching

Four kinds of activated carbons (denoted as ACs) with specific surface area of ca. 1050 m 2 g -1 were fabricated from fir wood and pistachio shell by means of steam activation or chemical activation with KOH. Pore structures of ACs were characterized by a t-plot method based on N 2 adsorption isotherms. The amount of mesopores within KOH-activated carbons ranged from 9.2 to 15.3% while 33.3-49.5% of mesopores were obtained for the steam-activated carbons. The pore structure, surface functional groups, and raw materials of ACs, as well as pH and the supporting electrolyte were also found to be significant factors determining the capacitive characteristics of ACs. The excellent capacitive characteristics in both acidic and neutral media and the weak dependence of the specific capacitance on the scan rate of cyclic voltammetry (CV) for the ACs derived from the pistachio shell with steam activation (denoted as P-H 2O-AC) revealed their promising potential in the application of supercapacitors. The ACs derived from fir wood with KOH activation (denoted as F-KOH-AC), on the other hand, showed the best capacitive performance in H 2SO 4 due to excellent reversibility and high specific capacitance (180 F g -1 measured at 10 mV s -1), which is obviously larger than 100 F g -1 (a typical value of activated carbons with specific surface areas equal to/above 1000 m 2 g -1).

Study on photoelectric parameter measurement method of high capacitance solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junchao; Xiong, Limin; Meng, Haifeng; He, Yingwei; Cai, Chuan; Zhang, Bifeng; Li, Xiaohui; Wang, Changshi

2018-01-01

The high efficiency solar cells usually have high capacitance characteristic, so the measurement of their photoelectric performance usually requires long pulse width and long sweep time. The effects of irradiance non-uniformity, probe shielding and spectral mismatch on the IV curve measurement are analyzed experimentally. A compensation method for irradiance loss caused by probe shielding is proposed, and the accurate measurement of the irradiance intensity in the IV curve measurement process of solar cell is realized. Based on the characteristics that the open circuit voltage of solar cell is sensitive to the junction temperature, an accurate measurement method of the temperature of solar cell under continuous irradiation condition is proposed. Finally, a measurement method with the characteristic of high accuracy and wide application range for high capacitance solar cell is presented.

Mesoporous coaxial titanium nitride-vanadium nitride fibers of core-shell structures for high-performance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhou, Xinhong; Shang, Chaoqun; Gu, Lin; Dong, Shanmu; Chen, Xiao; Han, Pengxian; Li, Lanfeng; Yao, Jianhua; Liu, Zhihong; Xu, Hongxia; Zhu, Yuwei; Cui, Guanglei

2011-08-01

In this study, titanium nitride-vanadium nitride fibers of core-shell structures were prepared by the coaxial electrospinning, and subsequently annealed in the ammonia for supercapacitor applications. These core-shell (TiN-VN) fibers incorporated mesoporous structure into high electronic conducting transition nitride hybrids, which combined higher specific capacitance of VN and better rate capability of TiN. These hybrids exhibited higher specific capacitance (2 mV s(-1), 247.5 F g(-1)) and better rate capability (50 mV s(-1), 160.8 F g(-1)), which promise a good candidate for high-performance supercapacitors. It was also revealed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization that the minor capacitance fade originated from the surface oxidation of VN and TiN.

MnO2 Nanorods Intercalating Graphene Oxide/Polyaniline Ternary Composites for Robust High-Performance Supercapacitors

PubMed Central

Han, Guangqiang; Liu, Yun; Zhang, Lingling; Kan, Erjun; Zhang, Shaopeng; Tang, Jian; Tang, Weihua

2014-01-01

New ternary composites of MnO2 nanorods, polyaniline (PANI) and graphene oxide (GO) have been prepared by a two-step process. The 100 nm-long MnO2 nanorods with a diameter ~20 nm are conformably coated with PANI layers and fastened between GO layers. The MnO2 nanorods incorporated ternary composites electrode exhibits significantly increased specific capacitance than PANI/GO binary composite in supercapacitors. The ternary composite with 70% MnO2 exhibits a highest specific capacitance reaching 512 F/g and outstanding cycling performance, with ~97% capacitance retained over 5000 cycles. The ternary composite approach offers an effective solution to enhance the device performance of metal-oxide based supercapacitors for long cycling applications. PMID:24769835

Fabrication of 3-D nanodimensioned electric double layer capacitor structures using block copolymer templates.

PubMed

Rasappa, Sozaraj; Borah, Dipu; Senthamaraikannan, Ramsankar; Faulkner, Colm C; Holmes, Justin D; Morris, Michael A

2014-07-01

The need for materials for high energy storage has led to very significant research in supercapacitor systems. These can exhibit electrical double layer phenomena and capacitances up to hundreds of F/g. Here, we demonstrate a new supercapacitor fabrication methodology based around the microphase separation of PS-b-PMMA which has been used to prepare copper nanoelectrodes of dimension -13 nm. These structures provide excellent capacitive performance with a maximum specific capacitance of -836 F/g for a current density of 8.06 A/g at a discharge current as high as 75 mA. The excellent performance is due to a high surface area: volume ratio. We suggest that this highly novel, easily fabricated structure might have a number of important applications.

Nanotubular polyaniline electrode for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athira, A. R.; Vimuna, V. M.; Vidya, K.; Xavier, T. S.

2018-05-01

Polyaniline(PANI) nanotubes have been successfully synthesised at room temperature by the chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline with Ammoniumpersulphate(APS) in aqueous acetic acid. Chemically synthesised PANI nanotubes were characterized using Field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), Brunauer - Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, X ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The super capacitive performance of the synthesised PANI nanotubes was tested using cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique in H2SO4 electrolyte with in potential range of -0.2 to 0.8V. The effect of scan rates on specific capacitance of PANI electrode was studied. The highest specific capacitance of 232.2Fg-1 was obtained for the scan rate of 5mVs-1. This study suggests that the synthesized PANI nanotubes are excellent candidate for developing electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Noncovalently-functionalized reduced graphene oxide sheets by water-soluble methyl green for supercapacitor application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ren, Xiaoying; Hu, Zhongai, E-mail: zhongai@nwnu.edu.cn; Hu, Haixiong

2015-10-15

Graphical abstract: Electroactive methyl green (MG) is selected to functionalize reduced graphene oxide (RGO) through non-covalent modification and the composite achieves high specific capacitance, good rate capability and excellent long life cycle. - Highlights: • MG–RGO composites were firstly prepared through non-covalent modification. • The mass ratio in composites is a key for achieving high specific capacitance. • MG–RGO 5:4 exhibits the highest specific capacitance of 341 F g{sup −1}. • MG–RGO 5:4 shows excellent rate capability and long life cycle. - Abstract: In the present work, water-soluble electroactive methyl green (MG) has been used to non-covalently functionalize reduced graphenemore » oxide (RGO) for enhancing supercapacitive performance. The microstructure, composition and morphology of MG–RGO composites are systematically characterized by UV–vis absorption, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical performances are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The fast redox reactions from MG could generate additional pseudocapacitance, which endows RGO higher capacitances. As a result, the MG–RGO composite (with the 5:4 mass ratio of MG:RGO) achieve a maximum value of 341 F g{sup −1} at 1 A g{sup −1} within the potential range from −0.25 to 0.75 V and provide a 180% enhancement in specific capacitance in comparison with pure RGO. Furthermore, excellent rate capability (72% capacitance retention from 1 A g{sup −1} to 20 A g{sup −1}) and long life cycle (12% capacitance decay after 5000 cycles) are achieved for the MG–RGO composite electrode.« less

Superlattice barrier varactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raman, C.; Sun, J. P.; Chen, W. L.; Munns, G.; East, J.; Haddad, G.

1992-01-01

SBV (Single Barrier Varactor) diodes have been proposed as alternatives to Schottky barrier diodes for harmonic multiplier applications. However, these show a higher current than expected. The excess current is due to X valley transport in the barrier. We present experimental results showing that the use of a superlattice barrier and doping spikes in the GaAs depletion regions on either side of the barrier can reduce the excess current and improve the control of the capacitance vs. voltage characteristic. The experimental results consist of data taken from two types of device structures. The first test structure was used to study the performance of AlAs/GaAs superlattice barriers. The wafer was fabricated into 90 micron diameter mesa diodes and the resulting current vs. voltage characteristics were measured. A 10 period superlattice structure with a total thickness of approximately 400 A worked well as an electron barrier. The structure had a current density of about one A/sq cm at one volt at room temperature. The capacitance variation of these structures was small because of the design of the GaAs cladding layers. The second test structure was used to study cladding layer designs. These wafers were InGaAs and InAlAs layers lattice matched to an InP substrate. The layers have n(+) doping spikes near the barrier to increase the zero bias capacitance and control the shape of the capacitance vs. voltage characteristic. These structures have a capacitance ratio of 5:1 and an abrupt change from maximum to minimum capacitance. The measurements were made at 80 K. Based on the information obtained from these two structures, we have designed a structure that combines the low current density barrier with the improved cladding layers. The capacitance and current-voltage characteristics from this structure are presented.

Design and development of line type modulators for high impedance electron gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dixit, Kavita P.; Tillu, Abhijit; Chavan, Ramchandra

Conventional line type modulators are routinely used for powering pulsed power microwave devices such as magnetrons and klystrons used for radar, medical and scientific applications. The load impedance (operating point) is fairly well defined in these cases, and makes the design of the discharging circuit of the modulator straight forward. This paper describes the Line type modulators that have been developed and being routinely used for powering the Triode Electron Gun of industrial electron linacs. The beam parameters of such guns are user defined and the pulse current varies from few mA to 800mA (typ). The beam energies requirement variesmore » from 40 keV to 80 keV. Hence the impedance offered by the electron gun to the power source (modulator) is not well defined. The load capacitance which is inclusive of the various stray capacitances along with the intrinsic gun capacitance is ∼ 200-400 pF. This capacitance, which depends on the configuration, shunts the load and makes the effective load highly capacitive with the resistive part varying over a wide range. The paper describes the design and development of conventional line type modulators for powering Electron gun load of the type described above. (author)« less

Aminopurvalanol A, a Potent, Selective, and Cell Permeable Inhibitor of Cyclins/Cdk Complexes, Causes the Reduction of in Vitro Fertilizing Ability of Boar Spermatozoa, by Negatively Affecting the Capacitation-Dependent Actin Polymerization

PubMed Central

Bernabò, Nicola; Valbonetti, Luca; Greco, Luana; Capacchietti, Giulia; Ramal Sanchez, Marina; Palestini, Paola; Botto, Laura; Mattioli, Mauro; Barboni, Barbara

2017-01-01

The adoption of high-througput technologies demonstrated that in mature spermatozoa are present proteins that are thought to be not present or active in sperm cells, such as those involved in control of cell cycle. Here, by using an in silico approach based on the application of networks theory, we found that Cyclins/Cdk complexes could play a central role in signal transduction active during capacitation. Then, we tested this hypothesis in the vitro model. With this approach, spermatozoa were incubated under capacitating conditions in control conditions (CTRL) or in the presence of Aminopurvalanol A a potent, selective and cell permeable inhibitor of Cyclins/Cdk complexes at different concentrations (2, 10, and 20 μM). We found that this treatment caused dose-dependent inhibition of sperm fertilizing ability. We attribute this event to the loss of acrosome integrity due to the inhibition of physiological capacitation-dependent actin polymerization, rather than to a detrimental effect on membrane lipid remodeling or on other signaling pathways such as tubulin reorganization or MAPKs activation. In our opinion, these data could revamp the knowledge on biochemistry of sperm capacitation and could suggest new perspectives in studying male infertility. PMID:29312003

Polypyrrole electrodes doped with sulfanilic acid azochromotrop for electrochemical supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S.; Zhitomirsky, I.

2013-12-01

In this work we demonstrate the feasibility of deposition of polypyrrole (PPy) films by electropolymerization on stainless steel substrates and fabrication of PPy powders by chemical polymerization using sulfanilic acid azochromotrop (SPADNS) as a new anionic dopant. The problem of low adhesion of PPy films to stainless steel substrates is addressed by the use of SPADNS, which exhibits chelating properties, promoting film formation. The use of fine particles, prepared by the chemical polymerization method, allows impregnation of Ni foams and fabrication of porous electrodes with high materials loading for electrochemical supercapacitors (ES). PPy films and Ni foam based PPy electrodes show capacitive behaviour in Na2SO4 electrolyte. The electron microscopy studies, impedance spectroscopy data and analysis of the SPADNS structure provide an insight into the factors, controlling capacitive behaviour. The Ni foam based electrodes offer advantages of improved capacitive behaviour at high materials loadings and good cycling stability. The area normalized and volume normalized specific capacitances are as high as 5.43 F cm-2 and 93.6 F cm-3, respectively, for materials loading of 35.4 mg cm-2. The capacitance retention of Ni foam based electrodes is 91.5% after 1000 cycles. The Ni foam based PPy electrodes are promising for application in ES.

Optical control of capacitance in a metal-insulator-semiconductor diode with embedded metal nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhelashvili, V.; Ankonina, G.; Kauffmann, Y.; Atiya, G.; Kaplan, W. D.; Padmanabhan, R.; Eisenstein, G.

2017-06-01

This paper describes a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitor with flat capacitance voltage characteristics and a small quadratic voltage capacitance coefficient. The device characteristics resemble a metal-insulator-metal diode except that here the capacitance depends on illumination and exhibits a strong frequency dispersion. The device incorporates Fe nanoparticles (NPs), mixed with SrF2, which are embedded in an insulator stack of SiO2 and HfO2. Positively charged Fe ions induce dipole type traps with an electronic polarization that is enhanced by photogenerated carriers injected from the substrate and/or by inter nanoparticle exchange of carriers. The obtained characteristics are compared with those of five other MIS structures: two based on Fe NPs, one with and the other without SrF2 sublayers. Additionally, devices contain Co NPs embedded in SrF2 sublayers, and finally, two structures have no NPs, with one based on a stack of SiO2 and HfO2 and the other which also includes SrF2. Only structures containing Fe NPs, which are incorporated into SrF2, yield a voltage independent capacitance, the level of which can be changed by illumination. These properties are essential in radio frequency/analog mixed signal applications.

Electronic constant current and current pulse signal generator for nuclear instrumentation testing

DOEpatents

Brown, R.A.

1994-04-19

Circuitry is described for testing the ability of an intermediate range nuclear instrument to detect and measure a constant current and a periodic current pulse. The invention simulates the resistance and capacitance of the signal connection of a nuclear instrument ion chamber detector and interconnecting cable. An LED flasher/oscillator illuminates an LED at a periodic rate established by a timing capacitor and circuitry internal to the flasher/oscillator. When the LED is on, a periodic current pulse is applied to the instrument. When the LED is off, a constant current is applied. An inductor opposes battery current flow when the LED is on. 1 figures.

Electronic constant current and current pulse signal generator for nuclear instrumentation testing

DOEpatents

Brown, Roger A.

1994-01-01

Circuitry for testing the ability of an intermediate range nuclear instrut to detect and measure a constant current and a periodic current pulse. The invention simulates the resistance and capacitance of the signal connection of a nuclear instrument ion chamber detector and interconnecting cable. An LED flasher/oscillator illuminates an LED at a periodic rate established by a timing capacitor and circuitry internal to the flasher/oscillator. When the LED is on, a periodic current pulse is applied to the instrument. When the LED is off, a constant current is applied. An inductor opposes battery current flow when the LED is on.

Sofradir latest developments for infrared space detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chorier, Philippe; Delannoy, Anne

2011-06-01

Sofradir is one of the leading companies that develop and produce infrared detectors. Space applications have become a significant activity and Sofradir relies now on 20 years of experience in development and production of MCT infrared detectors of 2nd and 3rd generation for space applications. Thanks to its capabilities and experience, Sofradir is now able to offer high reliability infrared detectors for space applications. These detectors cover various kinds of applications like hyperspectral observation, earth observations for meteorological or scientific purpose and science experiments. In this paper, we present a review of latest Sofradir's development for infrared space applications. A presentation of Sofradir infrared detectors answering hyperspectral needs from visible up to VLWIR waveband will be made. In addition a particular emphasis will be placed on the different programs currently running, with a presentation of the associated results as they relate to performances and qualifications for space use.

A novel source-drain follower for monolithic active pixel sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, C.; Aglieri, G.; Hillemanns, H.; Huang, G.; Junique, A.; Keil, M.; Kim, D.; Kofarago, M.; Kugathasan, T.; Mager, M.; Marin Tobon, C. A.; Martinengo, P.; Mugnier, H.; Musa, L.; Lee, S.; Reidt, F.; Riedler, P.; Rousset, J.; Sielewicz, K. M.; Snoeys, W.; Sun, X.; Van Hoorne, J. W.; Yang, P.

2016-09-01

Monolithic active pixel sensors (MAPS) receive interest in tracking applications in high energy physics as they integrate sensor and readout electronics in one silicon die with potential for lower material budget and cost, and better performance. Source followers (SFs) are widely used for MAPS readout: they increase charge conversion gain 1/Ceff or decrease the effective sensing node capacitance Ceff because the follower action compensates part of the input capacitance. Charge conversion gain is critical for analog power consumption and therefore for material budget in tracking applications, and also has direct system impact. This paper presents a novel source-drain follower (SDF), where both source and drain follow the gate potential improving charge conversion gain. For the inner tracking system (ITS) upgrade of the ALICE experiment at CERN, low material budget is a primary requirement. The SDF circuit was studied as part of the effort to optimize the effective capacitance of the sensing node. The collection electrode, input transistor and routing metal all contribute to Ceff. Reverse sensor bias reduces the collection electrode capacitance. The novel SDF circuit eliminates the contribution of the input transistor to Ceff, reduces the routing contribution if additional shielding is introduced, provides a way to estimate the capacitance of the sensor itself, and has a voltage gain closer to unity than the standard SF. The SDF circuit has a somewhat larger area with a somewhat smaller bandwidth, but this is acceptable in most cases. A test chip, manufactured in a 180 nm CMOS image sensor process, implements small prototype pixel matrices in different flavors to compare the standard SF to the novel SF and to the novel SF with additional shielding. The effective sensing node capacitance was measured using a 55Fe source. Increasing reverse substrate bias from -1 V to -6 V reduces Ceff by 38% and the equivalent noise charge (ENC) by 22% for the standard SF. The SDF provides a further 9% improvement for Ceff and 25% for ENC. The SDF circuit with additional shielding provides 18% improvement for Ceff, and combined with -6 V reverse bias yields almost a factor 2.

Fabrication of flower-like Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} and their electrochemical properties evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kong, Ling-Bin, E-mail: konglb@lut.cn; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050; Deng, Li

Graphical abstract: Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} nano-flakes materials, which have a flower-like structure, were successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method without adding any surfactant. The as-prepared Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} possesses a maximum specific capacitance of 2212.5 F g{sup −1} at the current density of 5 mA, suggesting its potential application in electrode material for secondary batteries and electrochemical capacitors. Highlights: ► Flower-like Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} materials were fabricated in a simple method. ► High specific capacitance of 2212.5 F g{sup −1} has been achieved. ► For the first time the effects of concentration andmore » temperature on its specific capacitance has been studied. -- Abstract: Flower-like Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} was successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. The microstructure and surface morphology of prepared Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} were physically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The electrochemical properties studies were carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronopotentiometry technology and AC impedance spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that the flower-like structure has a profound impact on electrode performance at high discharge capacitance. A maximum specific capacitance of 2212.5 F g{sup −1} at the current density of 5 mA could be achieved, suggesting its potential application in electrode material for secondary batteries and electrochemical capacitors. Furthermore, the effects of Ni(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}·6H{sub 2}O concentration and temperature on the microstructure and specific capacitance of prepared Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} have also been systematically studied. The results show that flower-like structure can be formed when the concentration is appropriate, while the temperature has just little effect on its electrochemical properties.« less

3D graphene nanomaterials for binder-free supercapacitors: scientific design for enhanced performance.

PubMed

He, Shuijian; Chen, Wei

2015-04-28

Because of the excellent intrinsic properties, especially the strong mechanical strength, extraordinarily high surface area and extremely high conductivity, graphene is deemed as a versatile building block for fabricating functional materials for energy production and storage applications. In this article, the recent progress in the assembly of binder-free and self-standing graphene-based materials, as well as their application in supercapacitors are reviewed, including electrical double layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, and asymmetric supercapacitors. Various fabrication strategies and the influence of structures on the capacitance performance of 3D graphene-based materials are discussed. We finally give concluding remarks and an outlook on the scientific design of binder-free and self-standing graphene materials for achieving better capacitance performance.

3D graphene nanomaterials for binder-free supercapacitors: scientific design for enhanced performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Shuijian; Chen, Wei

2015-04-01

Because of the excellent intrinsic properties, especially the strong mechanical strength, extraordinarily high surface area and extremely high conductivity, graphene is deemed as a versatile building block for fabricating functional materials for energy production and storage applications. In this article, the recent progress in the assembly of binder-free and self-standing graphene-based materials, as well as their application in supercapacitors are reviewed, including electrical double layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, and asymmetric supercapacitors. Various fabrication strategies and the influence of structures on the capacitance performance of 3D graphene-based materials are discussed. We finally give concluding remarks and an outlook on the scientific design of binder-free and self-standing graphene materials for achieving better capacitance performance.

A compact perspiration meter system with capacitive humidity sensor for wearable health-care applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitani, Yusuke; Miyaji, Kousuke; Kaneko, Satoshi; Uekura, Takaharu; Momose, Hideya; Johguchi, Koh

2018-04-01

This paper presents a compact wearable perspiration meter system using a 180-nm CMOS technology. With custom chip and board design, the proposed perspiration meter, which can measure a qualitative sweating rate, is integrated into 15 × 20 mm2. From the experimental results, the capacitances of the humidity sensors with analog-to-digital converter and band-gap reference circuits can operate accurately without hysteresis. In addition, a demonstration with simulated human skin is carried out to investigate the sensor’s performance under real environments. The proposed perspiration meter can output values equivalent to a conventional meter. As a result, it is verified that the proposed system can be used as a human sweat sensor for wearable application.

Multilayered films of cobalt oxyhydroxide nanowires/manganese oxide nanosheets for electrochemical capacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Huajun; Tang, Fengqiu; Lim, Melvin; Mukherji, Aniruddh; Yan, Xiaoxia; Wang, Lianzhou; (Max) Lu, Gao Qing

Multilayered films of cobalt oxyhydroxide nanowires (CoOOHNW) and exfoliated manganese oxide nanosheet (MONS) are fabricated by potentiostatic deposition and electrostatic self-assembly on indium-tin oxide coated glass substrates. The morphology and chemical composition of these films are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and the potential application as electrochemical supercapacitors are investigated using cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge measurements. These ITO/CoOOHNW/MONS multilayered film electrodes exhibit excellent electrochemical capacitance properties, including high specific capacitance (507 F g -1) and long cycling durability (less 2% capacity loss after 5000 charge/discharge cycles). These characteristics indicate that these newly developed films may find important application for electrochemical capacitors.

Facile synthesis of nickel-based metal organic framework [Ni3(HCOO)6] by microwave method and application for supercapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jujie; Yang, Xing; Wang, Shumin; Bi, Yuhong; Nautiyal, Amit; Zhang, Xinyu

The metal organic framework (MOF) [Ni3(HCOO)6] was synthesized via the simple and fast microwave method, and the effect of irradiation power on crystallinity of synthesized Ni-based MOF was studied. The samples were characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The synthesized Ni-based MOF was electrochemically characterized by using galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The synthesized MOF showed the highest specific capacitance of 1196.2F/g at 1A/g with excellent cyclability (86.04% capacitance retention after 2,000 cycles), thereby demonstrating its potential application in supercapacitors.

Superior pseudocapacitive behavior of confined lignin nanocrystals for renewable energy-storage materials.

PubMed

Kim, Sung-Kon; Kim, Yun Ki; Lee, Hyunjoo; Lee, Sang Bok; Park, Ho Seok

2014-04-01

Strong demand for high-performance energy-storage devices has currently motivated the development of emerging capacitive materials that can resolve their critical challenge (i.e., low energy density) and that are renewable and inexpensive energy-storage materials from both environmental and economic viewpoints. Herein, the pseudocapacitive behavior of lignin nanocrystals confined on reduced graphene oxides (RGOs) used for renewable energy-storage materials is demonstrated. The excellent capacitive characteristics of the renewable hybrid electrodes were achieved by synergizing the fast and reversible redox charge transfer of surface-confined quinone and the interplay with electron-conducting RGOs. Accordingly, pseudocapacitors with remarkable rate and cyclic performances (~96 % retention after 3000 cycles) showed a maximum capacitance of 432 F g(-1), which was close to the theoretical capacitance of 482 F g(-1) and sixfold higher than that of RGO (93 F g(-1)). The chemical strategy delineated herein paves the way to develop advanced renewable electrodes for energy-storage applications and understand the redox chemistry of electroactive biomaterials. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Facile Synthesis of Mixed Metal Organic Frameworks: Electrode Materials for Supercapacitor with Excellent Areal Capacitance and Operational Stability.

PubMed

Kazemi, Sayed Habib; Hosseinzadeh, Batoul; Kazemi, Hojjat; Kiani, Mohammad Ali; Hajati, Shaaker

2018-06-08

Electrode materials with high surface area, tailored pore size and efficient capability for ion insertion and enhanced transport of electrons and ions are needed for advanced supercapacitors. In the present study, a mixed metal organic framework (cobalt and manganese based MOF) was synthesized through a simple one pot solvothermal method and employed as the electrode material for supercapacitor. Notably, Co-Mn MOF electrode displayed a large surface area and excellent cycling stability (over 95% capacitance retention after 1500 cycles). Also, superior pseudocapacitive behavior was observed for Co-Mn MOF electrode in KOH electrolyte with an exceptional areal capacitance of 1.318 F cm-2. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor was assembled using Co-Mn MOF and activated carbon electrode as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The fabricated supercapacitor showed specific capacitances of 106.7 F g-1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s-1 and delivered maximum energy density of 30 Wh kg-1 at 2285.7 W kg-1. Our studies suggest the Co-Mn MOF as promising electrode materials for supercapacitor applications.

Hierarchical MoS2 nanowires/NiCo2O4 nanosheets supported on Ni foam for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Shiyang; Liu, Yu; Zhu, Fangfang; Shao, Rong; Xu, Wei

2018-01-01

The hierarchical MoS2 nanowires/NiCo2O4 nanosheets (MS/NCO) supercapacitor electrode materials supported on Ni foam were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method. The capacitance was investigated by using various electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry, constant-current galvanostatic charge/discharge curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The MS/NCO networks show 7 times more capacitance (7.1 F cm-2) than pure NiCo2O4 nanosheets by CV at a scan rate of 2 mV s-1. The specific capacitance of the assembled MS/NCO//active carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor could reach up to 51.7 F g-1 at a current density of 1.5 A g-1. Also, the maximum energy density of 18.4 W h kg-1 at a power density of 1200.2 W kg-1 was achieved, with 98.2% specific capacitance retention after 8000 cycles. These exciting results exhibit potential application in developing energy storage devices with high energy density and high power density.

Enhanced tunability of magneto-impedance and magneto-capacitance in annealed Metglas/PZT magnetoelectric composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, Chung Ming; Zhuang, Xin; Xu, Junran; Li, Jiefang; Zhang, Jitao; Srinivasan, G.; Viehland, D.

2018-05-01

This report is on a new class of magnetostatically tunable magneto-impedance and magneto-capacitance devices based on a composite of ferromagnetic Metglas and ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Layered magneto-electric (ME) composites with annealed Metglas and PZT were studied in a longitudinal in-plane magnetic field-transverse electric field (L-T) mode. It was found that the degree of tunability was dependent on the annealing temperature of Metglas. An impedance tunability (ΔZ/Z0) of ≥400% was obtained at the electromechanical resonance (EMR) frequency (fr) for a sample with Metglas layers annealed at Ta = 500oC. This tunability is a factor of two higher than for composites with Metglas annealed at 350oC. The tunability of the capacitance, (ΔC/C0), was found to be 290% and -135k% at resonance and antiresonance, respectively, for Ta = 500oC. These results provide clear evidence for improvement in static magnetic field tunability of impedance and capacitance of ME composites with the use of annealed Metglas and are of importance for their potential use in tunable electronic applications.

A Novel Layered Sedimentary Rocks Structure of the Oxygen-Enriched Carbon for Ultrahigh-Rate-Performance Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin-Lin; Li, Huan-Huan; Shi, Yan-Hong; Fan, Chao-Ying; Wu, Xing-Long; Wang, Hai-Feng; Sun, Hai-Zhu; Zhang, Jing-Ping

2016-02-17

In this paper, gelatin as a natural biomass was selected to successfully prepare an oxygen-enriched carbon with layered sedimentary rocks structure, which exhibited ultrahigh-rate performance and excellent cycling stability as supercapacitors. The specific capacitance reached 272.6 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) and still retained 197.0 F g(-1) even at 100 A g(-1) (with high capacitance retention of 72.3%). The outstanding electrochemical performance resulted from the special layered structure with large surface area (827.8 m(2) g(-1)) and high content of oxygen (16.215 wt %), which effectively realized the synergistic effects of the electrical double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance. Moreover, it delivered an energy density of 25.3 Wh kg(-1) even with a high power density of 34.7 kW kg(-1) and ultralong cycling stability (with no capacitance decay even over 10,000 cycles at 2 A g(-1)) in a symmetric supercapacitor, which are highly desirable for their practical application in energy storage devices and conversion.

Capacitive Pressure Sensor with High Sensitivity and Fast Response to Dynamic Interaction Based on Graphene and Porous Nylon Networks.

PubMed

He, Zhongfu; Chen, Wenjun; Liang, Binghao; Liu, Changyong; Yang, Leilei; Lu, Dongwei; Mo, Zichao; Zhu, Hai; Tang, Zikang; Gui, Xuchun

2018-04-18

Flexible pressure sensors are of great importance to be applied in artificial intelligence and wearable electronics. However, assembling a simple structure, high-performance capacitive pressure sensor, especially for monitoring the flow of liquids, is still a big challenge. Here, on the basis of a sandwich-like structure, we propose a facile capacitive pressure sensor optimized by a flexible, low-cost nylon netting, showing many merits including a high response sensitivity (0.33 kPa -1 ) in a low-pressure regime (<1 kPa), an ultralow detection limit as 3.3 Pa, excellent working stability after more than 1000 cycles, and synchronous monitoring for human pulses and clicks. More important, this sensor exhibits an ultrafast response speed (<20 ms), which enables its detection for the fast variations of a small applied pressure from the morphological changing processes of a droplet falling onto the sensor. Furthermore, a capacitive pressure sensor array is fabricated for demonstrating the ability to spatial pressure distribution. Our developed pressure sensors show great prospects in practical applications such as health monitoring, flexible tactile devices, and motion detection.

Capacitive behaviour of MnF2 and CoF2 submicro/nanoparticles synthesized via a mild ionic liquid-assisted route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ruguang; Zhou, Yao; Yao, Lin; Liu, Guanghui; Zhou, Zhenzhen; Lee, Jong-Min; Wang, Jiacheng; Liu, Qian

2016-01-01

Submicro-/nano-sized MnF2 rods and hierarchical CoF2 cuboids are respectively synthesized via a facile precipitation method assisted by ionic liquid under a mild condition. The as-prepared MF2 (M = Mn, Co) submicro/nanoparticles exhibit impressive specific capacitance in 1.0 M KOH aqueous solution, especially at relatively high current densities, e.g. 91.2, 68.7 and 56.4 F g-1 for MnF2, and 81.7, 70.6 and 63.0 F g-1 for CoF2 at 5, 8 and 10 A g-1, respectively. The mechanism of striking capacitance of MF2 is clarified on the basis of analysing the cycled electrodes by different characterization techniques. Such remarkable capacitance is ascribed to the redox reactions between MF2 and MOOH in aqueous alkaline electrolytes, which can not be obtained in aqueous neutral electrolytes. This study for the first time provides direct evidences on the pseudocapacitance mechanism of MF2 in alkaline electrolytes and paves the way of application of transition metal fluorides as electrodes in supercapacitors.

Technological aspects of GEM detector design and assembling for soft x-ray application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalska-Strzeciwilk, E.; Chernyshova, M.

2016-09-01

Various types of Micro Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) found applications as tracking detectors in high energy particle physics experiments and as well as imaging detectors, especially for soft X-rays. These detectors offer several advantages like high count rate capability, good spatial and energy resolution, low cost and possibility of constructing large area detectors with very small dead area. Construction, like the triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector has become a standard detector, which is widely used for different imaging applications. Some examples of such applications are: monitoring the impurity in plasma, imaging system for mapping of some parameters like pigment distributions using X-ray fluorescence technique[1], proton range radiography system for quality assurance in hadron therapy. Measuring of the Soft X-Ray (SXR) radiation of magnetic fusion plasma is a standard way of accessing valuable information, for example, about particle transport and MHD. The paper is focused on the design of GEM based soft Xray radiation detecting system which is under development. It is dedicated to study soft X-ray emission of plasma radiation with focus on tungsten emission lines energy region. The paper presents the designing, construction and assembling of a prototype of two triple-GEM detectors for soft-X ray application on the WEST device.

Extraction of minority carrier diffusion length of MWIR Type-II superlattice nBp detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taghipour, Zahra; Kazemi, Alireza; Myers, Stephen; Wijewarnasuriya, Priyalal; Mathews, Sen; Steenbergen, Elizabeth H.; Morath, Christian; Cowan, Vincent M.; Ariyawansa, Gamini; Scheihing, John; Krishna, Sanjay

2017-08-01

We present a model for the spectral external quantum efficiency (EQE) to extract the minority carrier diffusion length (Ln) of a unipolar nBp InAs/GaSb Type-II superlattice (T2SL) mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector. The detector consists of a 4 μm thick p-doped 10ML InAs/10ML GaSb SL absorber with a 50% cut-off wavelength of 5 μm at 80 K and zero bias. The n-type doped InAs/AlSb SL barrier in the structure was included to reduce the GR dark current. By fitting the experimentally measured EQE data to the theoretically calculated QE based on the solution of the drift-diffusion equation, the p-type absorber was found the have Ln = 10 +/- 0.5 μm at 80K, and Ln = 12 +/- 0.5 μm at 120K and 150K. We performed the absorption coefficient measurement at different temperatures of interest. Also, we estimated the reduced background concentration and the built-in potential by utilizing a capacitance-voltage measurement technique. We used time-resolved-photoluminescence (TRPL) to determine the lifetime at 80K. With the result of the model and the lifetime measurement, we calculated the diffusion coefficient and the mobility in the T2SL detector at various temperatures. Also, we studied the behavior of different dark current mechanisms by fitting the experimentally measured and simulated dark current density under different operating temperatures and biases.

Capacitive charge generation apparatus and method for testing circuits

DOEpatents

Cole, E.I. Jr.; Peterson, K.A.; Barton, D.L.

1998-07-14

An electron beam apparatus and method for testing a circuit are disclosed. The electron beam apparatus comprises an electron beam incident on an outer surface of an insulating layer overlying one or more electrical conductors of the circuit for generating a time varying or alternating current electrical potential on the surface; and a measurement unit connected to the circuit for measuring an electrical signal capacitively coupled to the electrical conductors to identify and map a conduction state of each of the electrical conductors, with or without an electrical bias signal being applied to the circuit. The electron beam apparatus can further include a secondary electron detector for forming a secondary electron image for registration with a map of the conduction state of the electrical conductors. The apparatus and method are useful for failure analysis or qualification testing to determine the presence of any open-circuits or short-circuits, and to verify the continuity or integrity of electrical conductors buried below an insulating layer thickness of 1-100 {micro}m or more without damaging or breaking down the insulating layer. The types of electrical circuits that can be tested include integrated circuits, multi-chip modules, printed circuit boards and flexible printed circuits. 7 figs.

Capacitive charge generation apparatus and method for testing circuits

DOEpatents

Cole, Jr., Edward I.; Peterson, Kenneth A.; Barton, Daniel L.

1998-01-01

An electron beam apparatus and method for testing a circuit. The electron beam apparatus comprises an electron beam incident on an outer surface of an insulating layer overlying one or more electrical conductors of the circuit for generating a time varying or alternating current electrical potential on the surface; and a measurement unit connected to the circuit for measuring an electrical signal capacitively coupled to the electrical conductors to identify and map a conduction state of each of the electrical conductors, with or without an electrical bias signal being applied to the circuit. The electron beam apparatus can further include a secondary electron detector for forming a secondary electron image for registration with a map of the conduction state of the electrical conductors. The apparatus and method are useful for failure analysis or qualification testing to determine the presence of any open-circuits or short-circuits, and to verify the continuity or integrity of electrical conductors buried below an insulating layer thickness of 1-100 .mu.m or more without damaging or breaking down the insulating layer. The types of electrical circuits that can be tested include integrated circuits, multi-chip modules, printed circuit boards and flexible printed circuits.

Multilayer Black Phosphorus Exfoliated with the Aid of Sodium Hydroxide: An Improvement in Electrochemical Energy Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wanying; Zhu, Yabo; Chen, Zhiyan; Lei, Jia; Feng, Peizhong

2018-05-01

We generated multilayer black phosphorus (MBP) as a precipitate in centrifugation under 3000 rpm for 25 min, preceded by liquid exfoliation, in which saturated sodium hydroxide (NaOH(s)) was added as an exfoliation auxiliary. The MBP exfoliated with NaOH(s) was characterized by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive x-ray detector, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Its electrochemical performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It was found that the appropriate amount of NaOH(s) can make MBP present a ladder-shaped structure or plackets on the layer edge, which may provide more active sites and channels for charge storage to improve its electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of MBP samples exfoliated with appropriate amounts of NaOH(s) can quickly enter a relatively stable range of 110-90 F/g after the 75th cycle, and finally stabilize at about 90 F/g after thousands of cycles under the current density of 2 A/g, which demonstrates their good stability in the range of long charge/discharge cycles. MBP exhibits double-layer capacitance properties.

Noise in Charge Amplifiers— A gm/ID Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, Enrique; Avila, Diego; Campillo, Hernan; Dragone, Angelo; Abusleme, Angel

2012-10-01

Charge amplifiers represent the standard solution to amplify signals from capacitive detectors in high energy physics experiments. In a typical front-end, the noise due to the charge amplifier, and particularly from its input transistor, limits the achievable resolution. The classic approach to attenuate noise effects in MOSFET charge amplifiers is to use the maximum power available, to use a minimum-length input device, and to establish the input transistor width in order to achieve the optimal capacitive matching at the input node. These conclusions, reached by analysis based on simple noise models, lead to sub-optimal results. In this work, a new approach on noise analysis for charge amplifiers based on an extension of the gm/ID methodology is presented. This method combines circuit equations and results from SPICE simulations, both valid for all operation regions and including all noise sources. The method, which allows to find the optimal operation point of the charge amplifier input device for maximum resolution, shows that the minimum device length is not necessarily the optimal, that flicker noise is responsible for the non-monotonic noise versus current function, and provides a deeper insight on the noise limits mechanism from an alternative and more design-oriented point of view.

A real-time spectrum acquisition system design based on quantum dots-quantum well detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S. H.; Guo, F. M.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we studied the structure characteristics of quantum dots-quantum well photodetector with response wavelength range from 400 nm to 1000 nm. It has the characteristics of high sensitivity, low dark current and the high conductance gain. According to the properties of the quantum dots-quantum well photodetectors, we designed a new type of capacitive transimpedence amplifier (CTIA) readout circuit structure with the advantages of adjustable gain, wide bandwidth and high driving ability. We have implemented the chip packaging between CTIA-CDS structure readout circuit and quantum dots detector and tested the readout response characteristics. According to the timing signals requirements of our readout circuit, we designed a real-time spectral data acquisition system based on FPGA and ARM. Parallel processing mode of programmable devices makes the system has high sensitivity and high transmission rate. In addition, we realized blind pixel compensation and smoothing filter algorithm processing to the real time spectrum data by using C++. Through the fluorescence spectrum measurement of carbon quantum dots and the signal acquisition system and computer software system to realize the collection of the spectrum signal processing and analysis, we verified the excellent characteristics of detector. It meets the design requirements of quantum dot spectrum acquisition system with the characteristics of short integration time, real-time and portability.

Facile synthesis of graphene-wrapped honeycomb MnO2 nanospheres and their application in supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhu, Jiayi; He, Junhui

2012-03-01

Graphene-wrapped MnO(2) nanocomposites were first fabricated by coassembly between honeycomb MnO(2) nanospheres and graphene sheets via electrostatic interaction. The materials were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The novel MnO(2)/graphene hybrid materials were used for investigation of electrochemical capacitive behaviors. The hybrid materials displayed enhanced capacitive performance (210 F/g at 0.5 A/g). Additionally, over 82.4% of the initial capacitance was retained after repeating the cyclic voltammetry test for 1000 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance might be attributed to the combination of the pesudocapacitance of MnO(2) nanospheres with the honeycomb-like "opened" structure and good electrical conductivity of graphene sheets. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Direct Printing of Stretchable Elastomers for Highly Sensitive Capillary Pressure Sensors.

PubMed

Liu, Wenguang; Yan, Chaoyi

2018-03-28

We demonstrate the successful fabrication of highly sensitive capillary pressure sensors using an innovative 3D printing method. Unlike conventional capacitive pressure sensors where the capacitance changes were due to the pressure-induced interspace variations between the parallel plate electrodes, in our capillary sensors the capacitance was determined by the extrusion and extraction of liquid medium and consequent changes of dielectric constants. Significant pressure sensitivity advances up to 547.9 KPa -1 were achieved. Moreover, we suggest that our innovative capillary pressure sensors can adopt a wide range of liquid mediums, such as ethanol, deionized water, and their mixtures. The devices also showed stable performances upon repeated pressing cycles. The direct and versatile printing method combined with the significant performance advances are expected to find important applications in future stretchable and wearable electronics.

Significant enhancement in volumetric and gravimetric capacitance of Cu-TiO2/PPY composite for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purty, B.; Choudhary, R. B.

2018-04-01

Copper doped titanium dioxide-polypyrrole (Cu-TiO2/PPY) composite was successfully synthesized via chemical oxidative in-situ polymerization process. The structural and morphological properties of Cu-TiO2/PPY composite were investigated using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) techniques. The electrochemical properties of as-synthesized composite were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) techniques. The novel Cu-TiO2/PPY composite showed enhanced volumetric capacitance ˜714 F cm-1 and gravimetric capacitance ˜674 F g-1 at 1 A g-1. In addition an excellent coulombic efficiency and comparabley low charge transfer resistance than pure PPY suggests improved supercapacitive performance of Cu-TiO2/PPY composite as an electrode material.

Electric Pulse Discharge Activated Carbon Supercapacitors for Transportation Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Subhadarshi; Agrawal, Jyoti

2012-03-01

ScienceTomorrow is developing a high-speed, low-cost process for synthesizing high-porosity electrodes for electrochemical double-layer capacitors. Four types of coal (lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, and anthracite) were used as precursor materials for spark discharge activation with multiscale porous structure. The final porosity and pore distribution depended, among other factors, on precursor type. The high gas content in low-grade carbon resulted in mechanical disintegration, whereas high capacitance was attained in higher-grade coal. The properties, including capacitance, mechanical robustness, and internal conductivity, were excellent when the cost is taken into consideration.

Hydrothermal synthesis of MnO2 thin film for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarwate, Soni B.; Wahule, Swati S.; Gattu, Ketan P.; Ghule, Anil V.; Sharma, Ramphal

2018-05-01

MnO2 thin films were directly grown on stainless steel mesh via a facile hydrothermal method. The structural properties revealed the formation of delta MnO2. The capacitive performance of the as-obtained MnO2 electrode was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. The synthesized electrode showed a high specific capacitance of 321 F g-1 at 5 A g-1. The excellent electrochemical performance identifies the MnO2 as a promising electrode material for next-generation energy storage devices.

Pulse power applications of silicon diodes in EML capacitive pulsers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dethlefsen, Rolf; McNab, Ian; Dobbie, Clyde; Bernhardt, Tom; Puterbaugh, Robert; Levine, Frank; Coradeschi, Tom; Rinaldi, Vito

1993-01-01

Crowbar diodes are used for increasing the energy transfer from capacitive pulse forming networks. They also prevent voltage reversal on the energy storage capacitors. 52 mm diameter diodes with a 5 kV reverse blocking voltage, rated 40 kA were successfully used for the 32 MJ SSG rail gun. An uprated diode with increased current capability and a 15 kV reverse blocking voltage has been developed. Transient thermal analysis has predicted the current ratings for different pulse length. Analysis verification is obtained from destructive testing.

Superconducting Microwave Resonator Arrays for Submillimeter/Far-Infrared Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noroozian, Omid

Superconducting microwave resonators have the potential to revolutionize submillimeter and far-infrared astronomy, and with it our understanding of the universe. The field of low-temperature detector technology has reached a point where extremely sensitive devices like transition-edge sensors are now capable of detecting radiation limited by the background noise of the universe. However, the size of these detector arrays are limited to only a few thousand pixels. This is because of the cost and complexity of fabricating large-scale arrays of these detectors that can reach up to 10 lithographic levels on chip, and the complicated SQUID-based multiplexing circuitry and wiring for readout of each detector. In order to make substantial progress, next-generation ground-based telescopes such as CCAT or future space telescopes require focal planes with large-scale detector arrays of 104--10 6 pixels. Arrays using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKID) are a potential solution. These arrays can be easily made with a single layer of superconducting metal film deposited on a silicon substrate and pattered using conventional optical lithography. Furthermore, MKIDs are inherently multiplexable in the frequency domain, allowing ˜ 10 3 detectors to be read out using a single coaxial transmission line and cryogenic amplifier, drastically reducing cost and complexity. An MKID uses the change in the microwave surface impedance of a superconducting thin-film microresonator to detect photons. Absorption of photons in the superconductor breaks Cooper pairs into quasiparticles, changing the complex surface impedance, which results in a perturbation of resonator frequency and quality factor. For excitation and readout, the resonator is weakly coupled to a transmission line. The complex amplitude of a microwave probe signal tuned on-resonance and transmitted on the feedline past the resonator is perturbed as photons are absorbed in the superconductor. The perturbation can be detected using a cryogenic amplifier and subsequent homodyne mixing at room temperature. In an array of MKIDs, all the resonators are coupled to a shared feedline and are tuned to slightly different frequencies. They can be read out simultaneously using a comb of frequencies generated and measured using digital techniques. This thesis documents an effort to demonstrate the basic operation of ˜ 256 pixel arrays of lumped-element MKIDs made from superconducting TiN x on silicon. The resonators are designed and simulated for optimum operation. Various properties of the resonators and arrays are measured and compared to theoretical expectations. A particularly exciting observation is the extremely high quality factors (˜ 3 x 107) of our TiNx resonators which is essential for ultra-high sensitivity. The arrays are tightly packed both in space and in frequency which is desirable for larger full-size arrays. However, this can cause a serious problem in terms of microwave crosstalk between neighboring pixels. We show that by properly designing the resonator geometry, crosstalk can be eliminated; this is supported by our measurement results. We also tackle the problem of excess frequency noise in MKIDs. Intrinsic noise in the form of an excess resonance frequency jitter exists in planar superconducting resonators that are made on dielectric substrates. We conclusively show that this noise is due to fluctuations of the resonator capacitance. In turn, the capacitance fluctuations are thought to be driven by two-level system (TLS) fluctuators in a thin layer on the surface of the device. With a modified resonator design we demonstrate with measurements that this noise can be substantially reduced. An optimized version of this resonator was designed for the multiwavelength submillimeter kinetic inductance camera (MUSIC) instrument for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory.

Synthesis and characterization of β-Ni(OH)2 embedded with MgO and ZnO nanoparticles as nanohybrids for energy storage devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, C. R. Ravi; Santosh, M. S.; Nagaswarupa, H. P.; Prashantha, S. C.; Yallappa, S.; Kumar, M. R. Anil

2017-06-01

In this study, the electrode material (nickel hydroxide powder) has been synthesized by a co-precipitation method using sodium hydroxide and nickel sulphate as precipitator and nickel source, respectively. The obtained nickel hydroxide powder has been subsequently embedded with biosynthesized MgO and ZnO nanoparticles as nanohybrids, which have been investigated as a novel hybrid electrode material for power-storage applications. The powder x-ray diffraction pattern of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2)-based nanohybrid materials reveals a typical β-phase. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms the embedded structures of nanohybrids and thermal stability by thermogravimetry and differential thermal) analysis. The electrochemical properties of these materials have been studied using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The specific capacitance values are found to be 439, 1076, and 622 F g-1 for bare β-Ni(OH)2, and for β-Ni(OH)2 embedded with ZnO and MgO nanohybrids, respectively, at a scan rate of 10 mVs-1. The enhanced capacitance of nanohybrids is also evident from EIS measurements. Galvanostatic charge-discharge tests for these designed nanohybrids show excellent capacitance performance in battery and supercapacitor applications. These innovative results could be considered for the expansion of novel resources to scale for power-storage applications and may contribute to the development of this niche area at large.

High efficiency CsI(Tl)/HgI{sub 2} gamma ray spectrometers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Y.J.; Patt, B.E.; Iwanczyk, J.S.

CsI(Tl)/HgI{sub 2} gamma-ray spectrometers have been constructed using 0.5 inch diameter detectors which show excellent energy resolution: 4.58% FWHM for 662 keV {sup 137}Cs gamma-ray photons. Further efforts have been focused on optimization of larger size ({ge} 1 inch diameter) detector structures and improvement of low noise electronics. In order to take full advantage of scintillation detectors for high energy gamma-rays, larger scintillators are always preferred for their higher detection efficiencies. However, the larger capacitance and higher dark current caused by the larger size of the detector could result in a higher FWHM resolution. Also, the increased probability of includingmore » nonuniformities in larger pieces of crystals makes it more difficult to obtain the high resolutions one obtains from small detectors. Thus for very large volume scintillators, it may be necessary to employ a photodiode (PD) with a sensitive area smaller than the cross-section of the scintillator. Monte Carlo simulations of the light collection for various tapered scintillator/PD configuration were performed in order to find those geometries which resulted in the best light collection. According to the simulation results, scintillators with the most favorable geometry, the conical frustum, have been fabricated and evaluated. The response of a large conical frustum (top-2 inch, bottom-1 inch, 2 inch high) CsI(Tl) scintillator coupled with a 1 inch HgI{sub 2} PD was measured. The energy resolution of the 662 keV peak was 5.57%. The spectrum shows much higher detection efficiency than those from smaller scintillators, i.e., much higher peak-to-Compton ratio in the spectrum.« less

Amending the Structure of Renewable Carbon from Biorefinery Waste-Streams for Energy Storage Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ho, Hoi Chun; Goswami, Monojoy; Chen, Jihua

Biorefineries produce impure sugar waste streams that are being underutilized. By converting this waste to a profitable by-product, biorefineries could be safeguarded against low oil prices. We demonstrate controlled production of useful carbon materials from the waste concentrate via hydrothermal synthesis and carbonization. We devise a pathway to producing tunable, porous spherical carbon materials by modeling the gross structure formation and developing an understanding of the pore formation mechanism utilizing simple reaction principles. Compared to a simple hydrothermal synthesis from sugar concentrate, emulsion-based synthesis results in hollow spheres with abundant microporosity. In contrast, conventional hydrothermal synthesis produces solid beads withmore » micro and mesoporosity. All the carbonaceous materials show promise in energy storage application. Using our reaction pathway, perfect hollow activated carbon spheres can be produced from waste sugar in liquid effluence of biomass steam pretreatment units. As a result, the renewable carbon product demonstrated a desirable surface area of 872 m 2/g and capacitance of up to 109 F/g when made into an electric double layer supercapacitor. The capacitor exhibited nearly ideal capacitive behavior with 90.5% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles.« less

Nanoporous metal/oxide hybrid electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Xingyou; Hirata, Akihiko; Fujita, Takeshi; Chen, Mingwei

2011-04-01

Electrochemical supercapacitors can deliver high levels of electrical power and offer long operating lifetimes, but their energy storage density is too low for many important applications. Pseudocapacitive transition-metal oxides such as MnO2 could be used to make electrodes in such supercapacitors, because they are predicted to have a high capacitance for storing electrical charge while also being inexpensive and not harmful to the environment. However, the poor conductivity of MnO2 (10-5-10-6 S cm-1) limits the charge/discharge rate for high-power applications. Here, we show that hybrid structures made of nanoporous gold and nanocrystalline MnO2 have enhanced conductivity, resulting in a specific capacitance of the constituent MnO2 (~1,145 F g-1) that is close to the theoretical value. The nanoporous gold allows electron transport through the MnO2, and facilitates fast ion diffusion between the MnO2 and the electrolytes while also acting as a double-layer capacitor. The high specific capacitances and charge/discharge rates offered by such hybrid structures make them promising candidates as electrodes in supercapacitors, combining high-energy storage densities with high levels of power delivery.

Nanoporous metal/oxide hybrid electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors.

PubMed

Lang, Xingyou; Hirata, Akihiko; Fujita, Takeshi; Chen, Mingwei

2011-04-01

Electrochemical supercapacitors can deliver high levels of electrical power and offer long operating lifetimes, but their energy storage density is too low for many important applications. Pseudocapacitive transition-metal oxides such as MnO(2) could be used to make electrodes in such supercapacitors, because they are predicted to have a high capacitance for storing electrical charge while also being inexpensive and not harmful to the environment. However, the poor conductivity of MnO(2) (10(-5)-10(-6) S cm(-1)) limits the charge/discharge rate for high-power applications. Here, we show that hybrid structures made of nanoporous gold and nanocrystalline MnO(2) have enhanced conductivity, resulting in a specific capacitance of the constituent MnO(2) (~1,145 F g(-1)) that is close to the theoretical value. The nanoporous gold allows electron transport through the MnO(2), and facilitates fast ion diffusion between the MnO(2) and the electrolytes while also acting as a double-layer capacitor. The high specific capacitances and charge/discharge rates offered by such hybrid structures make them promising candidates as electrodes in supercapacitors, combining high-energy storage densities with high levels of power delivery.

Amending the Structure of Renewable Carbon from Biorefinery Waste-Streams for Energy Storage Applications

DOE PAGES

Ho, Hoi Chun; Goswami, Monojoy; Chen, Jihua; ...

2018-05-29

Biorefineries produce impure sugar waste streams that are being underutilized. By converting this waste to a profitable by-product, biorefineries could be safeguarded against low oil prices. We demonstrate controlled production of useful carbon materials from the waste concentrate via hydrothermal synthesis and carbonization. We devise a pathway to producing tunable, porous spherical carbon materials by modeling the gross structure formation and developing an understanding of the pore formation mechanism utilizing simple reaction principles. Compared to a simple hydrothermal synthesis from sugar concentrate, emulsion-based synthesis results in hollow spheres with abundant microporosity. In contrast, conventional hydrothermal synthesis produces solid beads withmore » micro and mesoporosity. All the carbonaceous materials show promise in energy storage application. Using our reaction pathway, perfect hollow activated carbon spheres can be produced from waste sugar in liquid effluence of biomass steam pretreatment units. As a result, the renewable carbon product demonstrated a desirable surface area of 872 m 2/g and capacitance of up to 109 F/g when made into an electric double layer supercapacitor. The capacitor exhibited nearly ideal capacitive behavior with 90.5% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles.« less

Transport and charging mechanisms in Ta2O5 thin films for capacitive RF MEMS switches application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persano, A.; Quaranta, F.; Martucci, M. C.; Cretı, P.; Siciliano, P.; Cola, A.

2010-06-01

The potential of sputtered Ta2O5 thin films to be used as dielectric layers in capacitive radio frequency microelectromechanical system switches is evaluated by investigating two factors of crucial importance for the performance of these devices which are the transport mechanisms and the charging effects in the dielectric layer. We find that Ta2O5 films show good electrical and dielectrical properties for the considered application in terms of a low leakage current density of 4 nA/cm2 for E =1 MV/cm, a high breakdown field of 4 MV/cm and a high dielectric constant of 32. For electric fields lower than 1 MV/cm the conduction mechanism is found to be variable-range hopping in the temperature range 300-400 K, while nearest-neighbor hopping is observed at higher temperatures. For fields in the range 1-4 MV/cm Poole-Frenkel becomes the dominant conduction mechanism. Current and capacitance transients used to investigate the charging effects show a decay which is well described by the stretched-exponential law, thus providing further insights on capture and emission processes.

All-in-One Graphene Based Composite Fiber: Toward Wearable Supercapacitor.

PubMed

Lim, Lucas; Liu, Yangshuai; Liu, Wenwen; Tjandra, Ricky; Rasenthiram, Lathankan; Chen, Zhongwei; Yu, Aiping

2017-11-15

Graphene fibers (GF) have aroused great interest in wearable electronics applications because of their excellent mechanical flexibility and superior electrical conductivity. Herein, an all-in-one graphene and MnO 2 composite hybrid supercapacitor fiber device has been developed. The unique coaxial design of this device facilitates large-scale production while avoiding the risk of short circuiting. The core backbone of the device consists of GF that not only provides mechanical stability but also ensures fast electron transfer during charge-discharge. The introduction of a MnO 2 (200 nm in length) hierarchical nanostructured film enhanced the pseudocapacitance dramatically compared to the graphene-only device in part because of the abundant number of active sites in contact with the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/H 3 PO 4 electrolyte. The entire device exhibits outstanding mechanical strength as well as good electrocapacitive performance with a volumetric capacitance of 29.6 F cm -3 at 2 mv s -1 . The capacitance of the device did not fade under bending from 0° to 150°, while the capacitance retention of 93% was observed after 1000 cycles. These unique features make this device a promising candidate for applications in wearable fabric supercapacitors.

Pyroelectric Materials for Uncooled Infrared Detectors: Processing, Properties, and Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aggarwal, M. D.; Batra, A. K.; Guggilla, P.; Edwards, M. E.; Penn, B. G.; Currie, J. R., Jr.

2010-01-01

Uncooled pyroelectric detectors find applications in diverse and wide areas such as industrial production; automotive; aerospace applications for satellite-borne ozone sensors assembled with an infrared spectrometer; health care; space exploration; imaging systems for ships, cars, and aircraft; and military and security surveillance systems. These detectors are the prime candidates for NASA s thermal infrared detector requirements. In this Technical Memorandum, the physical phenomena underlying the operation and advantages of pyroelectric infrared detectors is introduced. A list and applications of important ferroelectrics is given, which is a subclass of pyroelectrics. The basic concepts of processing of important pyroelectrics in various forms are described: single crystal growth, ceramic processing, polymer-composites preparation, and thin- and thick-film fabrications. The present status of materials and their characteristics and detectors figures-of-merit are presented in detail. In the end, the unique techniques demonstrated for improving/enhancing the performance of pyroelectric detectors are illustrated. Emphasis is placed on recent advances and emerging technologies such as thin-film array devices and novel single crystal sensors.

Increased Multilayer Fabrication and RF Characterization of a High-Density Stacked MIM Capacitor Based on Selective Etching

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tseng, VFG; Xie, HK

2014-07-01

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of a high-density multilayer stacked metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor based on a novel process of depositing the MIM multilayer on pillars followed by polishing and selective etching steps to form a stacked capacitor with merely three photolithography steps. In this paper, the pillars were made of glass to prevent substrate loss, whereas an oxide-nitride-oxide dielectric was employed for lower leakage, better voltage/frequency linearity, and better stress compensation. MIM capacitors with six dielectric layers were successfully fabricated, yielding capacitance density of 3.8 fF/mu m(2), maximum capacitance of 2.47 nF, and linear and quadratic voltage coefficientsmore » of capacitance below 21.2 ppm/V and 2.31 ppm/V-2. The impedance was measured from 40 Hz to 3 GHz, and characterized by an analytically derived equivalent circuit model to verify the radio frequency applicability. The multilayer stacking-induced plate resistance mismatch and its effect on the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and effective capacitance was also investigated, which can be counteracted by a corrected metal thickness design. A low ESR of 800 m Omega was achieved, whereas the self-resonance frequency was >760 MHz, successfully demonstrating the feasibility of this method to scale up capacitance densities for high-quality-factor, high-frequency, and large-value MIM capacitors.« less

Flexible solid-state supercapacitors based on three-dimensional graphene hydrogel films.

PubMed

Xu, Yuxi; Lin, Zhaoyang; Huang, Xiaoqing; Liu, Yuan; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2013-05-28

Flexible solid-state supercapacitors are of considerable interest as mobile power supply for future flexible electronics. Graphene or carbon nanotubes based thin films have been used to fabricate flexible solid-state supercapacitors with high gravimetric specific capacitances (80-200 F/g), but usually with a rather low overall or areal specific capacitance (3-50 mF/cm(2)) due to the ultrasmall electrode thickness (typically a few micrometers) and ultralow mass loading, which is not desirable for practical applications. Here we report the exploration of a three-dimensional (3D) graphene hydrogel for the fabrication of high-performance solid-state flexible supercapacitors. With a highly interconnected 3D network structure, graphene hydrogel exhibits exceptional electrical conductivity and mechanical robustness to make it an excellent material for flexible energy storage devices. Our studies demonstrate that flexible supercapacitors with a 120 μm thick graphene hydrogel thin film can exhibit excellent capacitive characteristics, including a high gravimetric specific capacitance of 186 F/g (up to 196 F/g for a 42 μm thick electrode), an unprecedented areal specific capacitance of 372 mF/cm(2) (up to 402 mF/cm(2) for a 185 μm thick electrode), low leakage current (10.6 μA), excellent cycling stability, and extraordinary mechanical flexibility. This study demonstrates the exciting potential of 3D graphene macrostructures for high-performance flexible energy storage devices.

Channel Modeling of Miniaturized Battery-Powered Capacitive Human Body Communication Systems.

PubMed

Park, Jiwoong; Garudadri, Harinath; Mercier, Patrick P

2017-02-01

The purpose of this contribution is to estimate the path loss of capacitive human body communication (HBC) systems under practical conditions. Most prior work utilizes large grounded instruments to perform path loss measurements, resulting in overly optimistic path loss estimates for wearable HBC devices. In this paper, small battery-powered transmitter and receiver devices are implemented to measure path loss under realistic assumptions. A hybrid electrostatic finite element method simulation model is presented that validates measurements and enables rapid and accurate characterization of future capacitive HBC systems. Measurements from form-factor-accurate prototypes reveal path loss results between 31.7 and 42.2 dB from 20 to 150 MHz. Simulation results matched measurements within 2.5 dB. Comeasurements using large grounded benchtop vector network analyzer (VNA) and large battery-powered spectrum analyzer (SA) underestimate path loss by up to 33.6 and 8.2 dB, respectively. Measurements utilizing a VNA with baluns, or large battery-powered SAs with baluns still underestimate path loss by up to 24.3 and 6.7 dB, respectively. Measurements of path loss in capacitive HBC systems strongly depend on instrumentation configurations. It is thus imperative to simulate or measure path loss in capacitive HBC systems utilizing realistic geometries and grounding configurations. HBC has a great potential for many emerging wearable devices and applications; accurate path loss estimation will improve system-level design leading to viable products.

Rational hybrid modulation of P, N dual-doped holey graphene for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazarian-Samani, Masoud; Haghighat-Shishavan, Safa; Nazarian-Samani, Mahboobeh; Kim, Myeong-Seong; Cho, Byung-Won; Oh, Si-Hyoung; Kashani-Bozorg, Seyed Farshid; Kim, Kwang-Bum

2017-12-01

A P, N dual-doped holey graphene (PNHG) material is prepared by a scalable, facile synthetic approach, using a mixture of glucose, dicyandiamide (DCDA), and phosphoric acid (H3PO4). H3PO4 successfully functions as an "acid catalyst" to encourage the uniform breakage of C=C bonds to create large, localized perforations over the graphene monolith. Further acid treatment and annealing introduce in-plane holes. The correlation between the capacitance of the PNHG and its structural parameters during the fabrication process is comprehensively evaluated. A thermally induced sp2→sp3 transformation occurs at high temperatures because of the substantial loss of graphitic sp2-type carbons, together with a dramatic reduction in capacitance. The target PNHG-400 electrode material delivers exceptionally high gravimetric capacitance (235.5 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1), remarkable rate capability (84.8% at 70 A g-1), superior capacitance retention (93.2 and 92.7% at 10 and 50 A g-1 over 25000 cycles, respectively), and acceptable volumetric capacitance due to moderate density, when it is used with organic electrolytes in the voltage range between 0 and 3 V. These results suggest a pioneering defect-engineered strategy to fabricate dual-doped holey graphene with valuable structural properties for high-performance electric double layer supercapacitors, which could be used in next-generation energy storage applications.

Lightweight linear alternators with and without capacitive tuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niedra, Janis M.

1993-06-01

Permanent magnet excited linear alternators rated tens of kW and coupled to free-piston Stirling engines are presently viewed as promising candidates for long term generation of electric power in both space and terrestrial applications. Series capacitive cancellation of the internal inductive reactance of such alternators was considered a viable way to both increase power extraction and to suppress unstable modes of the thermodynamic oscillation. Idealized toroidal and cylindrical alternator geometries are used for a comparative study of the issues of specific mass and capacitive tuning, subject to stability criteria. The analysis shows that the stator mass of an alternator designed to be capacitively tuned is always greater than the minimum achievable stator mass of an alternator designed with no capacitors, assuming equal utilization of materials ratings and the same frequency and power to a resistive load. This conclusion is not substantially altered when the usually lesser masses of the magnets and of any capacitors are added. Within the reported stability requirements and under circumstances of normal materials ratings, this study finds no clear advantage to capacitive tuning. Comparative plots of the various constituent masses are presented versus the internal power factor taken as a design degree of freedom. The explicit formulas developed for stator core, coil, capacitor, and magnet masses and for the degree of magnet utilization provide useful estimates of scaling effects.

Lightweight linear alternators with and without capacitive tuning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedra, Janis M.

1993-01-01

Permanent magnet excited linear alternators rated tens of kW and coupled to free-piston Stirling engines are presently viewed as promising candidates for long term generation of electric power in both space and terrestrial applications. Series capacitive cancellation of the internal inductive reactance of such alternators was considered a viable way to both increase power extraction and to suppress unstable modes of the thermodynamic oscillation. Idealized toroidal and cylindrical alternator geometries are used for a comparative study of the issues of specific mass and capacitive tuning, subject to stability criteria. The analysis shows that the stator mass of an alternator designed to be capacitively tuned is always greater than the minimum achievable stator mass of an alternator designed with no capacitors, assuming equal utilization of materials ratings and the same frequency and power to a resistive load. This conclusion is not substantially altered when the usually lesser masses of the magnets and of any capacitors are added. Within the reported stability requirements and under circumstances of normal materials ratings, this study finds no clear advantage to capacitive tuning. Comparative plots of the various constituent masses are presented versus the internal power factor taken as a design degree of freedom. The explicit formulas developed for stator core, coil, capacitor, and magnet masses and for the degree of magnet utilization provide useful estimates of scaling effects.

Thermopile Detector Arrays for Space Science Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foote, M. C.; Kenyon, M.; Krueger, T. R.; McCann, T. A.; Chacon, R.; Jones, E. W.; Dickie, M. R.; Schofield, J. T.; McCleese, D. J.; Gaalema, S.

2004-01-01

Thermopile detectors are widely used in uncooled applications where small numbers of detectors are required, particularly in low-cost commercial applications or applications requiring accurate radiometry. Arrays of thermopile detectors, however, have not been developed to the extent of uncooled bolometer and pyroelectric/ferroelectric arrays. Efforts at JPL seek to remedy this deficiency by developing high performance thin-film thermopile detectors in both linear and two-dimensional formats. The linear thermopile arrays are produced by bulk micromachining and wire bonded to separate CMOS readout electronic chips. Such arrays are currently being fabricated for the Mars Climate Sounder instrument, scheduled for launch in 2005. Progress is also described towards realizing a two-dimensional thermopile array built over CMOS readout circuitry in the substrate.

A novel flexible capacitive touch pad based on graphene oxide film.

PubMed

Tian, He; Yang, Yi; Xie, Dan; Ren, Tian-Ling; Shu, Yi; Zhou, Chang-Jian; Sun, Hui; Liu, Xuan; Zhang, Cang-Hai

2013-02-07

Recently, graphene oxide (GO) supercapacitors with ultra-high energy densities have received significant attention. In addition to energy storage, GO capacitors might also have broad applications in renewable energy engineering, such as vibration and sound energy harvesting. Here, we experimentally create a macroscopic flexible capacitive touch pad based on GO film. An obvious touch "ON" to "OFF" voltage ratio up to ∼60 has been observed. Moreover, we tested the capacitor structure on both flat and curved surfaces and it showed high response sensitivity under fast touch rates. Collectively, our results raise the exciting prospect that the realization of macroscopic flexible keyboards with large-area graphene based materials is technologically feasible, which may open up important applications in control and interface design for solar cells, speakers, supercapacitors, batteries and MEMS systems.

Design and test hardware for a solar array switching unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patil, A. R.; Cho, B. H.; Sable, D.; Lee, F. C.

1992-01-01

This paper describes the control of a pulse width modulated (PWM) type sequential shunt switching unit (SSU) for spacecraft applications. It is found that the solar cell output capacitance has a significant impact on SSU design. Shorting of this cell capacitance by the PWM switch causes input current surges. These surges are minimized by the use of a series filter inductor. The system with a filter is analyzed for ripple and the control to output-voltage transfer function. Stable closed loop design considerations are discussed. The results are supported by modeling and measurements of loop gain and of closed-loop bus impedance on test hardware for NASA's 120 V Earth Observation System (EOS). The analysis and modeling are also applicable to NASA's 160 V Space Station power system.

A novel flexible capacitive touch pad based on graphene oxide film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, He; Yang, Yi; Xie, Dan; Ren, Tian-Ling; Shu, Yi; Zhou, Chang-Jian; Sun, Hui; Liu, Xuan; Zhang, Cang-Hai

2013-01-01

Recently, graphene oxide (GO) supercapacitors with ultra-high energy densities have received significant attention. In addition to energy storage, GO capacitors might also have broad applications in renewable energy engineering, such as vibration and sound energy harvesting. Here, we experimentally create a macroscopic flexible capacitive touch pad based on GO film. An obvious touch ``ON'' to ``OFF'' voltage ratio up to ~60 has been observed. Moreover, we tested the capacitor structure on both flat and curved surfaces and it showed high response sensitivity under fast touch rates. Collectively, our results raise the exciting prospect that the realization of macroscopic flexible keyboards with large-area graphene based materials is technologically feasible, which may open up important applications in control and interface design for solar cells, speakers, supercapacitors, batteries and MEMS systems.

Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Basic principles and some uses of a recent tool that has revolutionized nuclear physics are described.

PubMed

Goulding, F S; Stone, Y

1970-10-16

The past decade has seen the rapid development and exploitation of one of the most significant tools of nuclear physics, the semiconductor radiation detector. Applications of the device to the analysis of materials promises to be one of the major contributions of nuclear research to technology, and may even assist in some aspects of our environmental problems. In parallel with the development of these applications, further developments in detectors for nuclear research are taking place: the use of very thin detectors for heavyion identification, position-sensitive detectors for nuclear-reaction studies, and very pure germanium for making more satisfactory detectors for many applications suggest major future contributions to physics.

Remote Sensing and Quantization of Analog Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strauss, Karl F.

2011-01-01

This method enables sensing and quantization of analog strain gauges. By manufacturing a piezoelectric sensor stack in parallel (physical) with a piezoelectric actuator stack, the capacitance of the sensor stack varies in exact proportion to the exertion applied by the actuator stack. This, in turn, varies the output frequency of the local sensor oscillator. The output, F(sub out), is fed to a phase detector, which is driven by a stable reference, F(sub ref). The output of the phase detector is a square waveform, D(sub out), whose duty cycle, t(sub W), varies in exact proportion according to whether F(sub out) is higher or lower than F(sub ref). In this design, should F(sub out) be precisely equal to F(sub ref), then the waveform has an exact 50/50 duty cycle. The waveform, D(sub out), is of generally very low frequency suitable for safe transmission over long distances without corruption. The active portion of the waveform, t(sub W), gates a remotely located counter, which is driven by a stable oscillator (source) of such frequency as to give sufficient digitization of t(sub W) to the resolution required by the application. The advantage to this scheme is that it negates the most-common, present method of sending either very low level signals (viz. direct output from the sensors) across great distances (anything over one-half meter) or the need to transmit widely varying higher frequencies over significant distances thereby eliminating interference [both in terms of beat frequency generation and in-situ EMI (electromagnetic interference)] caused by ineffective shielding. It also results in a significant reduction in shielding mass.

Validation of Harris Detector and Eigen Features Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kok, K. Y.; Rajendran, P.

2018-05-01

Harris detector is one of the most common features detection for applications such as object recognition, stereo matching and target tracking. In this paper, a similar Harris detector algorithm is written using MATLAB and the performance is compared with MATLAB built in Harris detector for validation. This is to ensure that rewritten version of Harris detector can be used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) application research purpose yet can be further improvised. Another corner detector close to Harris detector, which is Eigen features detector is rewritten and compared as well using same procedures with same purpose. The simulation results have shown that rewritten version for both Harris and Eigen features detectors have the same performance with MATLAB built in detectors with not more than 0.4% coordination deviation, less than 4% & 5% response deviation respectively, and maximum 3% computational cost error.

The CosmicWatch Desktop Muon Detector: a self-contained, pocket sized particle detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axani, S. N.; Frankiewicz, K.; Conrad, J. M.

2018-03-01

The CosmicWatch Desktop Muon Detector is a self-contained, hand-held cosmic ray muon detector that is valuable for astro/particle physics research applications and outreach. The material cost of each detector is under 100 and it takes a novice student approximately four hours to build their first detector. The detectors are powered via a USB connection and the data can either be recorded directly to a computer or to a microSD card. Arduino- and Python-based software is provided to operate the detector and an online application to plot the data in real-time. In this paper, we describe the various design features, evaluate the performance, and illustrate the detectors capabilities by providing several example measurements.

Redox-active triazatruxene-based conjugated microporous polymers for high-performance supercapacitors† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Synthetic procedures and characterization data for all new compounds; general experimental method; thermogravimetry curves; PXRD patterns; SEM and TEM images; XPS spectra. See DOI: 10.1039/c6sc05532j Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Li, Xiang-Chun; Zhang, Yizhou; Wang, Chun-Yu; Wan, Yi

2017-01-01

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have been intensively explored for various optoelectronic applications in the last few decades. Nevertheless, CP based electrochemical energy storage devices such as supercapacitors remain largely unexplored. This is mainly owing to the low specific capacitance, poor structural/electrochemical stability, and low energy density of most existing CPs. In this contribution, a novel set of redox-active conjugated microporous polymers, TAT-CMP-1 and TAT-CMP-2, based on nitrogen-rich and highly conductive triazatruxene building blocks, were successfully designed and synthesized to explore their potential application as efficient and stable electrode materials for supercapacitors. Despite a moderate surface area of 88 m2 g–1 for TAT-CMP-1 and 106 m2 g–1 for TAT-CMP-2, exceptional specific capacitances of 141 F g–1 and 183 F g–1 were achieved at a current density of 1 A g–1. The resulting polymers exhibited unusually high areal specific capacitance (>160 μF cm–2), which is attributed to the pseudocapacitance resulting from redox-active structures with high nitrogen content. More importantly, the TAT-CMP-2 electrode exhibits excellent cycling stability: only 5% capacitance fading is observed after 10 000 cycles at a high current density of 10 A g–1, enabling the possible use of these materials as electrodes in electrochemical devices. PMID:28451362

Smart measurement system for resistive (bridge) or capacitive sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guijie; Meijer, Gerard C. M.

1998-07-01

A low-cost smart measurement system for resistive (bridge) and capacitive sensors is presented and demonstrated. The measurement system consists of three main parts: the sensor element, a universal transducer interface (UTI) and a microcontroller. The UTI is a sensor-signal-to-time converter, based on a period-modulated oscillator, which is equipped with front-ends for many types of resistive (bridge) and capacitive sensors, and which generates a microcontroller-compatible output signal. The microcontroller performs data acquisition of the output signals from the interface UTI, controls the working status of the UTI for a specified application and communicates with a personal computer. Continuous auto-calibration of the offset and the gain of the complete system is applied to eliminate many nonidealities. Experimental results show that the accuracy and resolution are 14 bits and 16 bits, respectively, for a measurement time of about 100 ms.

Stretchable V2O5/PEDOT supercapacitors: a modular fabrication process and charging with triboelectric nanogenerators.

PubMed

Qi, Ruijie; Nie, Jinhui; Liu, Mingyang; Xia, Mengyang; Lu, Xianmao

2018-04-26

Stretchable energy storage devices are of great importance for the viable applications of wearable/stretchable electronics. Studies on stretchable energy storage devices, especially supercapacitors (SCs), have shown encouraging progress. However, challenges still remain in the pursuit of high specific capacitances and facile fabrication methods. Herein, we report a modular materials fabrication and assembly process for stretchable SCs. With a V2O5/PEDOT composite as the active material, the resulting stretchable SCs exhibited high areal specific capacitances up to 240 mF cm-2 and good capacitance retention at a strain of 50%. To demonstrate the facile assembly process, a stretchable wristband was fabricated by simply assembling SC cells in series to deliver a voltage higher than 2 V. Charging the wristband with a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to light an LED was further demonstrated, indicating the potential to integrate our SCs with environmental energy harvesters for self-powered stretchable devices.

Towards ultrahigh volumetric capacitance: graphene derived highly dense but porous carbons for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Ying; Xie, Xiaoying; Lv, Wei; Tang, Dai-Ming; Kong, Debin; Huang, Zhenghong; Nishihara, Hirotomo; Ishii, Takafumi; Li, Baohua; Golberg, Dmitri; Kang, Feiyu; Kyotani, Takashi; Yang, Quan-Hong

2013-10-01

A small volumetric capacitance resulting from a low packing density is one of the major limitations for novel nanocarbons finding real applications in commercial electrochemical energy storage devices. Here we report a carbon with a density of 1.58 g cm-3, 70% of the density of graphite, constructed of compactly interlinked graphene nanosheets, which is produced by an evaporation-induced drying of a graphene hydrogel. Such a carbon balances two seemingly incompatible characteristics: a porous microstructure and a high density, and therefore has a volumetric capacitance for electrochemical capacitors (ECs) up to 376 F cm-3, which is the highest value so far reported for carbon materials in an aqueous electrolyte. More promising, the carbon is conductive and moldable, and thus could be used directly as a well-shaped electrode sheet for the assembly of a supercapacitor device free of any additives, resulting in device-level high energy density ECs.

Towards ultrahigh volumetric capacitance: graphene derived highly dense but porous carbons for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Tao, Ying; Xie, Xiaoying; Lv, Wei; Tang, Dai-Ming; Kong, Debin; Huang, Zhenghong; Nishihara, Hirotomo; Ishii, Takafumi; Li, Baohua; Golberg, Dmitri; Kang, Feiyu; Kyotani, Takashi; Yang, Quan-Hong

2013-10-17

A small volumetric capacitance resulting from a low packing density is one of the major limitations for novel nanocarbons finding real applications in commercial electrochemical energy storage devices. Here we report a carbon with a density of 1.58 g cm(-3), 70% of the density of graphite, constructed of compactly interlinked graphene nanosheets, which is produced by an evaporation-induced drying of a graphene hydrogel. Such a carbon balances two seemingly incompatible characteristics: a porous microstructure and a high density, and therefore has a volumetric capacitance for electrochemical capacitors (ECs) up to 376 F cm(-3), which is the highest value so far reported for carbon materials in an aqueous electrolyte. More promising, the carbon is conductive and moldable, and thus could be used directly as a well-shaped electrode sheet for the assembly of a supercapacitor device free of any additives, resulting in device-level high energy density ECs.

Hierarchical mesoporous nickel cobaltite nanoneedle/carbon cloth arrays as superior flexible electrodes for supercapacitors

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Hierarchical mesoporous NiCo2O4 nanoneedle arrays on carbon cloth have been fabricated by a simple hydrothermal approach combined with a post-annealing treatment. Such unique array nanoarchitectures exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance with high capacitance and desirable cycle life at high rates. When evaluated as an electrode material for supercapacitors, the NiCo2O4 nanoneedle arrays supported on carbon cloth was able to deliver high specific capacitance of 660 F g-1 at current densities of 2 A g-1 in 2 M KOH aqueous solution. In addition, the composite electrode shows excellent mechanical behavior and long-term cyclic stability (91.8% capacitance retention after 3,000 cycles). The fabrication method presented here is facile, cost-effective, and scalable, which may open a new pathway for real device applications. PMID:24661431

Solution growth of NiO nanosheets supported on Ni foam as high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Hailong; Zhang, Deyang; Xu, Jinyou; Lu, Yang; Liu, Yunxin; Qiu, Kangwen; Zhang, Yihe; Luo, Yongsong

2014-08-01

Well-aligned nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets with the thickness of a few nanometers supported on a flexible substrate (Ni foam) have been fabricated by a hydrothermal approach together with a post-annealing treatment. The three-dimensional NiO nanosheets were further used as electrode materials to fabricate supercapacitors, with high specific capacitance of 943.5, 791.2, 613.5, 480, and 457.5 F g-1 at current densities of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 A g-1, respectively. The NiO nanosheets combined well with the substrate. When the electrode material was bended, it can still retain 91.1% of the initial capacitance after 1,200 charging/discharging cycles. Compared with Co3O4 and NiO nanostructures, the specific capacitance of NiO nanosheets is much better. These characteristics suggest that NiO nanosheet electrodes are promising for energy storage application with high power demands.

Hierarchical Mesoporous Zinc-Nickel-Cobalt Ternary Oxide Nanowire Arrays on Nickel Foam as High-Performance Electrodes for Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Wu, Chun; Cai, Junjie; Zhang, Qiaobao; Zhou, Xiang; Zhu, Ying; Shen, Pei Kang; Zhang, Kaili

2015-12-09

Nickel foam supported hierarchical mesoporous Zn-Ni-Co ternary oxide (ZNCO) nanowire arrays are synthesized by a simple two-step approach including a hydrothermal method and subsequent calcination process and directly utilized for supercapacitive investigation for the first time. The nickel foam supported hierarchical mesoporous ZNCO nanowire arrays possess an ultrahigh specific capacitance value of 2481.8 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) and excellent rate capability of about 91.9% capacitance retention at 5 A g(-1). More importantly, an asymmetric supercapacitor with a high energy density (35.6 Wh kg(-1)) and remarkable cycle stability performance (94% capacitance retention over 3000 cycles) is assembled successfully by employing the ZNCO electrode as positive electrode and activated carbon as negative electrode. The remarkable electrochemical behaviors demonstrate that the nickel foam supported hierarchical mesoporous ZNCO nanowire array electrodes are highly desirable for application as advanced supercapacitor electrodes.

Graphene oxide - Polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite based electrode material for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawar, Pranav Bhagwan; Shukla, Shobha; Saxena, Sumit

2016-07-01

Supercapacitors are high capacitive energy storage devices and find applications where rapid bursts of power are required. Thus materials offering high specific capacitance are of fundamental interest in development of these electrochemical devices. Graphene oxide based nanocomposites are mechanically robust and have interesting electronic properties. These form potential electrode materials efficient for charge storage in supercapacitors. In this perspective, we investigate low cost graphene oxide based nanocomposites as electrode material for supercapacitor. Nanocomposites of graphene oxide and polyvinyl alcohol were synthesized in solution phase by integrating graphene oxide as filler in polyvinyl alcohol matrix. Structural and optical characterizations suggest the formation of graphene oxide and polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposites. These nanocomposites were found to have high specific capacitance, were cyclable, ecofriendly and economical. Our studies suggest that nanocomposites prepared by adding 0.5% wt/wt of graphene oxide in polyvinyl alcohol can be used an efficient electrode material for supercapacitors.

Three-dimensional structures of graphene/polyaniline hybrid films constructed by steamed water for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Liling; Huang, Da; Hu, Nantao; Yang, Chao; Li, Ming; Wei, Hao; Yang, Zhi; Su, Yanjie; Zhang, Yafei

2017-02-01

A novel three-dimensional (3D) structure of reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (rGO/PANI) hybrid films has been demonstrated for high-performance supercapacitors. Steamed water in closed vessels with high pressure and moderately high temperature is applied to facilely construct this structure. The as-designed rGO/PANI hybrid films exhibit a highest gravimetric specific capacitance of 1182 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 in the three-electrode test. The assembled symmetric device based on this structure shows both a high capacitance of 808 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 and a high gravimetric energy density (28.06 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 0.25 kW kg-1). Above all, this novel 3D structure constructed by steamed water regulation techniques shows excellent capacitance performance and holds a great promise for high-performance energy storage applications.

High Temperature Capacitive Pressure Sensor Employing a SiC Based Ring Oscillator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meredith, Roger D.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Ponchak, George E.; Beheim, Glenn M.; Scardelletti, Maximilian; Jordan, Jennifer L.; Chen, Liang-Yu; Spry, David J.; Krawowski, Michael J.; Hunter, Gary W.

2011-01-01

In an effort to develop harsh environment electronic and sensor technologies for aircraft engine safety and monitoring, we have used capacitive-based pressure sensors to shift the frequency of a SiC-electronics-based oscillator to produce a pressure-indicating signal that can be readily transmitted, e.g. wirelessly, to a receiver located in a more benign environment. Our efforts target 500 C, a temperature well above normal operating conditions of commercial circuits but within areas of interest in aerospace engines, deep mining applications and for future missions to the Venus atmosphere. This paper reports for the first time a ring oscillator circuit integrated with a capacitive pressure sensor, both operating at 500 C. This demonstration represents a significant step towards a wireless pressure sensor that can operate at 500 C and confirms the viability of 500 C electronic sensor systems.

High rate capacitive performance of single-walled carbon nanotube aerogels

DOE PAGES

Van Aken, Katherine L.; Pérez, Carlos R.; Oh, Youngseok; ...

2015-05-30

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) aerogels produced by critical-point-drying of wet-gel precursors exhibit unique properties, such as high surface-area-to-volume and strength-to-weight ratios. They are free-standing, are binder-free, and can be scaled to thicknesses of more than 1 mm. In this paper, we examine the electric double layer capacitive behavior of these materials using a common room temperature ionic liquid electrolyte, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMI-TFSI). Electrochemical performance is assessed through galvanostatic cycling, cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. Results indicate stable capacitive performance over 10,000 cycles as well as an impressive performance at high charge and discharge rates, due to accessible pore networks andmore » enhanced electronic and ionic conductivities of SWCNT aerogels. Finally, these materials can find applications in mechanically compressible and flexible supercapacitor devices with high power requirements.« less

Volume Averaging Study of the Capacitive Deionization Process in Homogeneous Porous Media

DOE PAGES

Gabitto, Jorge; Tsouris, Costas

2015-05-05

Ion storage in porous electrodes is important in applications such as energy storage by supercapacitors, water purification by capacitive deionization, extraction of energy from a salinity difference and heavy ion purification. In this paper, a model is presented to simulate the charge process in homogeneous porous media comprising big pores. It is based on a theory for capacitive charging by ideally polarizable porous electrodes without faradaic reactions or specific adsorption of ions. A volume averaging technique is used to derive the averaged transport equations in the limit of thin electrical double layers. Transport between the electrolyte solution and the chargedmore » wall is described using the Gouy–Chapman–Stern model. The effective transport parameters for isotropic porous media are calculated solving the corresponding closure problems. Finally, the source terms that appear in the average equations are calculated using numerical computations. An alternative way to deal with the source terms is proposed.« less

Low voltage driven RF MEMS capacitive switch using reinforcement for reduced buckling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansal, Deepak; Bajpai, Anuroop; Kumar, Prem; Kaur, Maninder; Kumar, Amit; Chandran, Achu; Rangra, Kamaljit

2017-02-01

Variation in actuation voltage for RF MEMS switches is observed as a result of stress-generated buckling of MEMS structures. Large voltage driven RF-MEMS switches are a major concern in space bound communication applications. In this paper, we propose a low voltage driven RF MEMS capacitive switch with the introduction of perforations and reinforcement. The performance of the fabricated switch is compared with conventional capacitive RF MEMS switches. The pull-in voltage of the switch is reduced from 70 V to 16.2 V and the magnitude of deformation is reduced from 8 µm to 1 µm. The design of the reinforcement frame enhances the structural stiffness by 46 % without affecting the high frequency response of the switch. The measured isolation and insertion loss of the reinforced switch is more than 20 dB and 0.4 dB over the X band range.

P(VDF-TrFE) ferroelectric nanotube array for high energy density capacitor applications.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Lim, Yee-Fun; Yao, Kui; Tay, Francis Eng Hock; Seah, Kar Heng

2013-01-14

Poly(vinylidene-fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) ferroelectric nanotube arrays were fabricated using an anodized alumina membrane (AAM) as a template and silver electrodes were deposited on both the outer and inner sides of the nanotubes by an electroless plating method. The nanotubes have the unique structure of being sealed at one end and linked at the open end, thus preventing electrical shorting between the inner and outer electrodes. Compared with a P(VDF-TrFE) film with a similar overall thickness, the idealized nanotube array has a theoretical capacitance that is 763 times larger due to the greatly enlarged contact area between the electrodes and the polymer dielectric. A capacitance that is 95 times larger has been demonstrated experimentally, thus indicating that such nanotube arrays are promising for realizing high density capacitance and high power dielectric energy storage.

Solution growth of NiO nanosheets supported on Ni foam as high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Yan, Hailong; Zhang, Deyang; Xu, Jinyou; Lu, Yang; Liu, Yunxin; Qiu, Kangwen; Zhang, Yihe; Luo, Yongsong

2014-01-01

Well-aligned nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets with the thickness of a few nanometers supported on a flexible substrate (Ni foam) have been fabricated by a hydrothermal approach together with a post-annealing treatment. The three-dimensional NiO nanosheets were further used as electrode materials to fabricate supercapacitors, with high specific capacitance of 943.5, 791.2, 613.5, 480, and 457.5 F g(-1) at current densities of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 A g(-1), respectively. The NiO nanosheets combined well with the substrate. When the electrode material was bended, it can still retain 91.1% of the initial capacitance after 1,200 charging/discharging cycles. Compared with Co3O4 and NiO nanostructures, the specific capacitance of NiO nanosheets is much better. These characteristics suggest that NiO nanosheet electrodes are promising for energy storage application with high power demands.

Self-assembling graphene-anthraquinone-2-sulphonate supramolecular nanostructures with enhanced energy density for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Lifang; Gan, Shiyu; Li, Hongyan; Han, Dongxue; Li, Fenghua; Bao, Yu; Niu, Li

2017-07-01

Boosting the energy density of capacitive energy storage devices remains a crucial issue for facilitating applications. Herein, we report a graphene-anthraquinone supramolecular nanostructure by self-assembly for supercapacitors. The sulfonated anthraquinone exhibits high water solubility, a π-conjugated structure and redox active features, which not only serve as a spacer to interact with and stabilize graphene but also introduce extra pseudocapacitance contributions. The formed nest-like three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure with further hydrothermal treatment enhances the accessibility of ion transfer and exposes the redox-active quinone groups in the electrolytes. A fabricated all-solid-state flexible symmetric device delivers a high specific capacitance of 398.5 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 (1.5 times higher than graphene), superior energy density (52.24 Wh kg-1 at about 1 kW kg-1) and good stability (82% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles).

Oxygen-rich hierarchical porous carbon derived from artemia cyst shells with superior electrochemical performance.

PubMed

Zhao, Yufeng; Ran, Wei; He, Jing; Song, Yanfang; Zhang, Chunming; Xiong, Ding-Bang; Gao, Faming; Wu, Jinsong; Xia, Yongyao

2015-01-21

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous carbon with abundant functional groups is produced through a very simple low-cost carbonization of Artemia cyst shells. The unique hierarchical porous structure of this material, combining large numbers of micropores and macropores, as well as reasonable amount of mesopores, is proven favorable to capacitive behavior. The abundant oxygen functional groups from the natural carbon precursor contribute stable pseudocapacitance. As-prepared sample exhibits high specific capacitance (369 F g(-1) in 1 M H2SO4 and 349 F g(-1) in 6 M KOH), excellent cycling stability with capacitance retention of 100% over 10 000 cycles, and promising rate performance. This work not only describes a simple way to produce high-performance carbon electrode materials for practical application, but also inspires an idea for future structure design of porous carbon.

Capacitively Coupled Arrays of Multiplexed Flexible Silicon Transistors for Long-Term Cardiac Electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Fang, Hui; Yu, Ki Jun; Gloschat, Christopher; Yang, Zijian; Chiang, Chia-Han; Zhao, Jianing; Won, Sang Min; Xu, Siyi; Trumpis, Michael; Zhong, Yiding; Song, Enming; Han, Seung Won; Xue, Yeguang; Xu, Dong; Cauwenberghs, Gert; Kay, Matthew; Huang, Yonggang; Viventi, Jonathan; Efimov, Igor R.; Rogers, John A.

2017-01-01

Advanced capabilities in electrical recording are essential for the treatment of heart-rhythm diseases. The most advanced technologies use flexible integrated electronics; however, the penetration of biological fluids into the underlying electronics and any ensuing electrochemical reactions pose significant safety risks. Here, we show that an ultrathin, leakage-free, biocompatible dielectric layer can completely seal an underlying layer of flexible electronics while allowing for electrophysiological measurements through capacitive coupling between tissue and the electronics, and thus without the need for direct metal contact. The resulting current-leakage levels and operational lifetimes are, respectively, four orders of magnitude smaller and between two and three orders of magnitude longer than those of any other flexible-electronics technology. Systematic electrophysiological studies with normal, paced and arrhythmic conditions in Langendorff hearts highlight the capabilities of the capacitive-coupling approach. Our technology provides a realistic pathway towards the broad applicability of biocompatible, flexible electronic implants. PMID:28804678

Electrical description of N2 capacitively coupled plasmas with the global model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Ming-Lu; Lu, Yi-Jia; Cheng, Jia; Ji, Lin-Hong; Engineering Design Team

2016-10-01

N2 discharges in a commercial capacitively coupled plasma reactor are modelled by a combination of an equivalent circuit and the global model, for a range of gas pressure at 1 4 Torr. The ohmic and inductive plasma bulk and the capacitive sheath are represented as LCR elements, with electrical characteristics determined by plasma parameters. The electron density and electron temperature are obtained from the global model in which a Maxwellian electron distribution is assumed. Voltages and currents are recorded by a VI probe installed after the match network. Using the measured voltage as an input, the current flowing through the discharge volume is calculated from the electrical model and shows excellent agreement with the measurements. The experimentally verified electrical model provides a simple and accurate description for the relationship between the external electrical parameters and the plasma properties, which can serve as a guideline for process window planning in industrial applications.

Optimization principles and the figure of merit for triboelectric generators.

PubMed

Peng, Jun; Kang, Stephen Dongmin; Snyder, G Jeffrey

2017-12-01

Energy harvesting with triboelectric nanogenerators is a burgeoning field, with a growing portfolio of creative application schemes attracting much interest. Although power generation capabilities and its optimization are one of the most important subjects, a satisfactory elemental model that illustrates the basic principles and sets the optimization guideline remains elusive. We use a simple model to clarify how the energy generation mechanism is electrostatic induction but with a time-varying character that makes the optimal matching for power generation more restrictive. By combining multiple parameters into dimensionless variables, we pinpoint the optimum condition with only two independent parameters, leading to predictions of the maximum limit of power density, which allows us to derive the triboelectric material and device figure of merit. We reveal the importance of optimizing device capacitance, not only load resistance, and minimizing the impact of parasitic capacitance. Optimized capacitances can lead to an overall increase in power density of more than 10 times.

Electrically Variable or Programmable Nonvolatile Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shangqing, Liu; NaiJuan, Wu; Ignatieu, Alex; Jianren, Li

2009-01-01

Electrically variable or programmable capacitors based on the unique properties of thin perovskite films are undergoing development. These capacitors show promise of overcoming two important deficiencies of prior electrically programmable capacitors: Unlike in the case of varactors, it is not necessary to supply power continuously to make these capacitors retain their capacitance values. Hence, these capacitors may prove useful as components of nonvolatile analog and digital electronic memories. Unlike in the case of ferroelectric capacitors, it is possible to measure the capacitance values of these capacitors without changing the values. In other words, whereas readout of ferroelectric capacitors is destructive, readout of these capacitors can be nondestructive. A capacitor of this type is a simple two terminal device. It includes a thin film of a suitable perovskite as the dielectric layer, sandwiched between two metal or metal oxide electrodes (for example, see Figure 1). The utility of this device as a variable capacitor is based on a phenomenon, known as electrical-pulse-induced capacitance (EPIC), that is observed in thin perovskite films and especially in those thin perovskite films that exhibit the colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) effect. In EPIC, the application of one or more electrical pulses that exceed a threshold magnitude (typically somewhat less than 1 V) gives rise to a nonvolatile change in capacitance. The change in capacitance depends on the magnitude duration, polarity, and number of pulses. It is not necessary to apply a magnetic field or to cool the device below (or heat it above) room temperature to obtain EPIC. Examples of suitable CMR perovskites include Pr(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3, La(1-x)S-r(x)MnO3,and Nb(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an EPIC capacitor connected to a circuit that can vary the capacitance, measure the capacitance, and/or measure the resistance of the capacitor.

Superconducting Detectors Come of Age, or Ready to Leave the Lab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moseley, Samuel H.

2008-01-01

Cryogenically cooled superconducting detectors have become essential tools for a wide range of measurement applications, ranging from quantum limited heterodyne detection in the millimeter range to direct searches for dark matter with superconducting phonon detectors operating at 20 mK. Superconducting detectors have several fundamental and practical advantages which have resulted in their rapid adoption by experimenters. Their excellent performance arises in part from reductions in noise resulting from their low operating temperatures, but unique superconducting properties provide a wide range of mechanisms for detection. For example, the steep dependence of resistance with temperature on the superconductor normal transition provides a sensitive thermometer for calorimetric and bolometric applications. Parametric changes in the properties of superconducting resonators provide a mechanism for high sensitivity detection of submillil.neter photons. From a practical point of view, the use of superconducting detectors has grown rapidly because many of these devices couple well to SQUID amplifiers, which are easily integrated with the detectors. These SQUID-based amplifiers and multiplexers have matured with the detectors; they are convenient to use, and have excellent noise performance. The first generation of fully integrated large-scale superconducting detection systems is now being deployed. Improved understanding of the operation of these detectors, combined with rapidly improving fabrication techniques, is quickly expanding the capability of these detectors. I will review the development and application of superconductor-based detectors, the ultimate limits to their performance, and consider prospects for their future applications. Continued advances promise to enable important new measurements in physics, and with appropriate advances in cryogenic infrastncturem, ay result in the use of these detectors in everyday monitoring applications.

Safety devices for neonatal intensive care.

PubMed

Neuman, M R; Flammer, C M; O'Connor, E

1982-01-01

Three relatively simple devices for improving safety in neonatal intensive care are described. When umbilical artery catheters are used, an inexpensive pressure switch is utilized to detect abnormally low pressures associated with catheter withdrawal or excessive fluid leakage from the catheter system. A capacitive, intravenous-line air bubble detector, consisting of a section of the intravenous line as the dielectric of a capacitor, is used to alert the clinical staff when air bubbles pass between the capacitor plates. An electronic temperature controller maintains the temperature of neonatal breathing gases to avoid temperature variations which occur with presently used techniques. These are relatively simple and inexpensive devices which can be fabricated by most hospital clinical engineering services.