Influence of substrate temperature and post-deposition heat treatment on the optical properties of SiO2 films

Silicon dioxide films are extensively used as protective, barrier and also low index films in multilayer optical devices. In this paper, the optical properties of electron beam evaporated SiO2 films, including absorption in the UV, visible and IR regions, are reported as a function of substrate temperature and post-deposition heat treatment. A comparative study of the optical properties of SiO2 films deposited in neutral and ionized oxygen is also made.

A comparative study of the interaction of nickel clusters with buckminsterfullerene, C60, and graphite

Interaction of nickel deposited on multilayer films of C60 has been investigated in comparison with that on amorphized graphite by employing photoemission spectroscopy. It is shown that unlike with graphite, Ni interacts strongly with C60 causing large changes in C(1s) and C(2p) binding energies. The increase in the Ni(2p) binding energy at small Ni coverages is also far greater on c60 than on graphite.

Optimal scheduling of a processor executing a communication protocol stack

We consider the problem of optimally scheduling a processor executing a multilayer protocol in an intelligent Network Interface Controller (NIC). In particular, we assume a typical LAN environment with class 4 transport service, a connectionless network service, and a class 1 link level protocol. We develop a queuing model for the problem. In the most general case this becomes a cyclic queuing network in which some queues have dedicated servers, and the others have a common schedulable server. We use sample path arguments and Markov decision theory to determine optimal service schedules. The optimal throughputs are compared with those obtained with simple policies. The optimal policy yields upto 25% improvement in some cases. In some other cases, the optimal policy does only slightly better than much simpler policies.

Diastereospecific Coupling of Imines by Low-Valent Titanium: An Experimental and Computational Study

The reaction of phenylsilane (PhSiH3) and titanium(IV) isopropoxide Ti(OiPr)(4)] generates low-valent titanium alkoxides that reduce and reductively couple imines. The C-C coupling reaction is diastereospecific, with exclusive formation of the (+/-)-isomer. The yield is dependent on the concentration of titanium(IV) isopropoxide used. Using imines with varying electronic demand revealed that the coupling is most efficient for unsubstituted imines. The involvement of a trimeric titanium biradical species is invoked to explain the observed concentration dependence and diastereospecificity in the reaction. Multilayer ONIOM (''our own n-layered integrated molecular orbital and molecular mechanics'') calculations were carried out on the plausible intermediates involved by using the Guassian 09 suite of programs. Formation of the trimeric biradical species leading to the formation of the (+/-)-isomer is more favored than formation of the trimeric biradical species, which leads to the meso-isomer. Similar calculations with dimeric intermediates do not predict the (+/-)-selectivity. Mass spectral analysis of the reaction mixture indicates the presence of a trimeric titanium alkoxide species.

Control of lipid microstructures by molecular design and its implications

An overview of the current trends in the lipid design for specific applications has been presented. Lipids with different surface charge and hydrophobic backbone undergo aggregation to produce lamellae or bilayer and multilayer vesicles in aqueous media. Various aspects of present development of chiral superstructures and enzyme-mimics have been discussed. Utility of these molecules for potential applications in immunomodulation and sustained drug-delivery systems is also summarized.

Microscopic Mechanism of 1/f Noise in Graphene: Role of Energy Band Dispersion

A distinctive feature of single-layer graphene is the linearly dispersive energy bands, which in the case of multilayer graphene become parabolic. A simple electrical transport-based probe to differentiate between these two band structures will be immensely valuable, particularly when quantum Hall measurements are difficult, such as in chemically synthesized graphene nanoribbons. Here we show that the flicker noise, or the 1/f noise, in electrical resistance is a sensitive and robust probe to the band structure of graphene. At low temperatures, the dependence of noise magnitude on the carrier density was found to be opposite for the linear and parabolic bands. We explain our data with a comprehensive theoretical model that clarifies several puzzling issues concerning the microscopic origin of flicker noise in graphene field-effect transistors (GraFET).

Modeling of a reacting nanofilm on a composite substrate

This article provides a detailed computational analysis of the reaction of dense nanofilms and the heat transfer characteristics on a composite substrate. Although traditional energetic compounds based on organic materials have similar energy per unit weight, non-organic material in nanofilm configuration offers much higher energy density and higher flame speed. The reaction of a multilayer thin film of aluminum and copper oxide has been studied by varying the substrate material and thicknesses. The numerical analysis of the thermal transport of the reacting film deposited on the substrate combined a hybrid approach in which a traditional two-dimensional black box theory was used in conjunction with the sandwich model to estimate the appropriate heat flux on the substrate accounting for the heat loss to the surroundings. A procedure to estimate this heat flux using stoichiometric calculations is provided. This work highlights two important findings. One is that there is very little difference in the temperature profiles between a single substrate of silica and a composite substrate of silicon silica. Secondly, with increase in substrate thickness, the quenching effect is progressively diminished at a given speed. These findings show that the composite substrate is effective and that the average speed and quenching of flames depend on the thickness of the silica substrate, and can be controlled by a careful choice of the substrate configuration. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vibration Signature Analysis Using Artificial Neural Networks

Damage detection by measuring and analyzing vibration signals in a machine component is an established procedure in mechanical and aerospace engineering. This paper presents vibration signature analysis of steel bridge structures in a nonconventional way using artificial neural networks (ANN). Multilayer perceptrons have been adopted using the back-propagation algorithm for network training. The training patterns in terms of vibration signature are generated analytically for a moving load traveling on a trussed bridge structure at a constant speed to simulate the inspection vehicle. Using the finite-element technique, the moving forces are converted into stationary time-dependent force functions in order to generate vibration signals in the structure and the same is used to train the network. The performance of the trained networks is examined for their capability to detect damage from unknown signatures taken independently at one, three, and five nodes. It has been observed that the prediction using the trained network with single-node signature measurement at a suitability chosen location is even better than that of three-node and five-node measurement data.

First-principle description of magnonic PdnFem multilayers

Ab-initio calculations are used to determine the parameters that determine magnonic band structure of PdnFem multilayers (n = 2, m <= 8). We obtain the layer-resolved magnetization, the exchange coupling, and the magnetic anisotropy of the Pd-Fe structures. The Fe moment is 3.0 mu(B) close to the Pd layers and 2.2 mu(B) in the middle of the Fe layers. An intriguing but not usually considered aspect is that the elemental Pd is nonmagnetic, similar to Cu spacer layers in other multilayer systems. This leads to a pre-asymptotic ferromagnetic coupling through the Pd (about 40 mJ/m(2)). Furthermore, the Pd acquires a small moment due to spin polarization by neighboring Fe atoms, which translates into magnetic anisotropy. The anisotropies are large, in the range typical for L1(0) structures, which is beneficial for high-frequency applications. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3556763]

Thermal sensitivity analysis of spacecraft battery

Transient thermal sensitivity is studied for systems that are subjected to conductive heat transfer within themselves and radiative heat transfer with the surrounding environment, including solar heat radiation, The battery in the Indian national communication satellite is one such system for which the studies are conducted with respect to panel conduction, conductance of insulating blanket, power dissipation within the battery, and absorptance and emittance of various elements, Comparison of sensitivities revealed that battery temperature is sensitive to its power dissipation during the beginning of life of the spacecraft, whereas toward the end of life of the spacecraft mission, the effect of absorptance of optical solar reflector is dominating, The influence of optical property values of the multilayer insulation blanket is almost negligible. Among the parameters studied in this analysis, the battery temperature is found to be mast sensitive to emittance of the optical solar reflector.

High contrast imaging and thickness determination of graphene with in-column secondary electron microscopy

We report a new method for quantitative estimation of graphene layer thicknesses using high contrast imaging of graphene films on insulating substrates with a scanning electron microscope. By detecting the attenuation of secondary electrons emitted from the substrate with an in-column low-energy electron detector, we have achieved very high thickness-dependent contrast that allows quantitative estimation of thickness up to several graphene layers. The nanometer scale spatial resolution of the electron micrographs also allows a simple structural characterization scheme for graphene, which has been applied to identify faults, wrinkles, voids, and patches of multilayer growth in large-area chemical vapor deposited graphene. We have discussed the factors, such as differential surface charging and electron beam induced current, that affect the contrast of graphene images in detail. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3608062]

Comparison of CVD and MOCVD-grown Al2O3 coatings in the performance of cemented carbide cutting tool inserts

Low-pressure MOCVD, with tris(2,4 pentanedionato)aluminum(III) as the precursor, was used in the present investigation to coat alumina on to cemented carbide cutting tools. To evaluate the MOCVD process, the efficiency in cutting operations of MOCVD-coated tools was compared with that of tools coated using the industry-standard CVD process.Three multilayer cemented carbide cutting tool inserts, viz., TiN/TiC/WC, CVD-coated Al2O3 on TiN/TiC/WC, and MOCVD-coated Al2O3 on TiN/TiC/WC, were compared in the dry turning of mild steel. Turning tests were conducted for cutting speeds ranging from 14 to 47 m/min, for a depth of cut from 0.25 to 1 mm, at the constant feed rate of 0.2 mm/min. The axial, tangential, and radial forces were measured using a lathe tool dynamometer for different cutting parameters, and the machined work pieces were tested for surface roughness. The results indicate that, in most of the cases examined, the MOCVD-coated inserts produced a smoother surface finish, while requiring lower cutting forces, indicating that MOCVD produces the best-performing insert, followed by the CVD-coated one. The superior performance of MOCVD-alumina is attributed to the co-deposition of carbon with the oxide, due to the very nature of the precursor used, leading to enhanced mechanical properties for cutting applications in harsh environment.

Optical and Electronic Properties of Conjugated Polymer -Nanocluster Semiconductor Hybrid Systems

Conjugated polymers are intensively pursued as candidate materials for emission and detection devices with the optical range of interest determined by the chemical structure. On the other hand the optical range for emission and detection can also be tuned by size selection in semiconductor nanoclusters. The mechanisms for charge generation and separation upon optical excitation, and light emission are different for these systems. Hybrid systems based on these different class of materials reveal interesting electronic and optical properties and add further insight into the individual characteristics of the different components. Multilayer structures and blends of these materials on different substrates were prepared for absorption, photocurrent (Iph), photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminscence (EL) studies. Polymers chosen were derivatives of polythiophene (PT) and polyparaphenylenevinylene (PPV) along with nanoclusters of cadmium sulphide of average size 4.4 nm (CdS-44). The photocurrent spectral response in these systems followed the absorption response around the band edges for each of the components and revealed additional features, which depended on bias voltage, thickness of the layers and interfacial effects. The current-voltage curves showed multi-component features with emission varying for different regimes of voltage. The emission spectral response revealed additive features and is discussed in terms of excitonic mechanisms.

Photo-Defined Electrically Assisted Etching Method for Metal Stencil Fabrication

Metal stencils are well known in electronics printing application such as for dispensing solder paste for surface mounting, printing embedded passive elements in multilayer structures, etc. For microprinting applications using stencils, the print quality depends on the smoothness of the stencil aperture and its dimensional accuracy, which in turn are invariably related to the method used to manufacture the stencils. In this paper, fabrication of metal stencils using a photo-defined electrically assisted etching method is described. Apertures in the stencil were made in neutral electrolyte using three different types of impressed current, namely, dc, pulsed dc, and periodic pulse reverse (PPR). Dimensional accuracy and wall smoothness of the etched apertures in each of the current waveforms were compared. Finally, paste transfer efficiency of the stencil obtained using PPR was calculated and compared with those of a laser-cut electropolished stencil. It is observed that the stencil fabricated using current in PPR waveform has better dimensional accuracy and aperture wall smoothness than those obtained with dc and pulsed dc. From the paste transfer efficiency experiment, it is concluded that photo-defined electrically assisted etching method can provide an alternate route for fabrication of metal stencils for future microelectronics printing applications.

A Fast Linear Separability Test by Projection of Positive Points on Subspaces

A geometric and non parametric procedure for testing if two finite set of points are linearly separable is proposed. The Linear Separability Test is equivalent to a test that determines if a strictly positive point h > 0 exists in the range of a matrix A (related to the points in the two finite sets). The algorithm proposed in the paper iteratively checks if a strictly positive point exists in a subspace by projecting a strictly positive vector with equal co-ordinates (p), on the subspace. At the end of each iteration, the subspace is reduced to a lower dimensional subspace. The test is completed within r ≤ min(n, d + 1) steps, for both linearly separable and non separable problems (r is the rank of A, n is the number of points and d is the dimension of the space containing the points). The worst case time complexity of the algorithm is O(nr3) and space complexity of the algorithm is O(nd). A small review of some of the prominent algorithms and their time complexities is included. The worst case computational complexity of our algorithm is lower than the worst case computational complexity of Simplex, Perceptron, Support Vector Machine and Convex Hull Algorithms, if d