Methane chemistry involved in a low-pressure electron cyclotron wave resonant plasma discharg

A low-pressure methane plasma generated by electron cyclotron wave resonance was characterized in terms of electron temperature, plasma density and composition. Methane plasmas were commonly used in the deposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films. Little variation in the plasma chemistry was observed by mass spectrometry measurements of the gas phase with increasing electron temperature. The results show that direct electron-impact reactions exert greater influence on the plasma chemistry than secondary ion-neutral reactions.

ZnO film based surface acoustic wave micro-pump

In this study, a micro-pump unit based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) on piezoelectric ZnO film is designed and fabricated as a micro-fluidic device. It employs a mechanical wave, which is generated electrically using an aluminum interdigital transducer (IDT), and propagates on the surface of the ZnO film. The ZnO film was used in this study because it has a high electromechanical coefficient and an excellent bonding with various substrate materials, in particular silicon. The sputtering parameters for ZnO film deposition have been optimized, and the ZnO films with different thickness from 1 micron to 5.5 microns were prepared. The film properties have been characterized using different methods, such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Aluminum IDT with a finger width and spacing of 8 microns was patterned on the ZnO film using a lift-off process. The frequency generated was measured using a network analyzer, and it varies from 130 MHz to 180 MHz as a function of film thickness. A signal generator was used to generate the frequency with a power amplifier to amplify the signal, which was then applied to aluminum IDT to generate the surface acoustic wave. If a liquid droplet exists on the surface carrying the acoustic wave, the energy and the momentum of the SAW will be coupled into the fluid, causing the liquid to vibrate and move on film surface. The strength of this movement is determined by the applied voltage and frequency. The volume of the liquid drop loaded on the SAW device in this study is of several hundreds of nanoliters. The movement of the liquid inside the droplet and also on the ZnO film surface can be demonstrated. The performance of ZnO SAW device was characterized as a function of film thickness. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.

ZnO films for surface acoustic wave microfluidic devices

SAW devices were fabricated on c-axis oriented ZnO films grown on Si substrates. Effects of film thickness on the film microstructure and acoustic frequencies were studied. Both Rayleigh and Sezawa mode waves were detected on the devices, and their resonant frequencies were found to decrease with increase in film thickness.

ZnO films for surface acoustic wave microfluidic devices

SAW devices were fabricated on c-axis oriented ZnO films grown on Si substrates. Effects of film thickness on the film microstructure and acoustic frequencies were studied. Both Rayleigh and Sezawa mode waves were detected on the devices, and their resonant frequencies were found to decrease with increase in film thickness.

A Lagrangian for von Karman Equations of Large Deflection Problem of Thin Circular Plate

By the semi-inverse method proposed by He, a Lagrangian is established for the large deflection problem of thin circular plate. Ritz method is used to obtain an approximate analytical solution of the problem. First order approximate solution is obtained, which is similar to those in open literature. By Mathematica a more accurate solution can be deduced.

Nonlinear Faraday Waves in a Parametrically Excited Circular Cylindrical Container

In the cylindrical coordinate system, a singular perturbation theory of multiple-scale asymptotic expansions was developed to study single standing water wave mode by solving potential equations of water waves in a rigid circular cylinder, which is subjec

A surface acoustic wave-based immunosensing device using a nanocrystalline ZnO film on Si

The novelty of this study resides in the fabrication of a bio-sensing device, based on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) on a nanocrystalline ZnO film. The ZnO film was deposited using an rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature on silicon. The deposited films showed the c-axisoriented crystallite with grain size of ∼40 nm. The immunosensing device was fabricated using photolithographic protocols on the film. As a model biomolecular recognition and immunosensing, biospecific interaction between a 6-(2,4-dinitrophenyl) aminohexanoic acid (DNP) antigen and its antibody was employed, demonstrating the shifts of resonant frequencies on SAW immunosensing device. The device exhibited a linearity as a function of the antibody concentration in the range of 20∼20,000 ng/ml. © 2009 American Scientific Publishers. All rights reserved.

Two-Dimensional Kinematic Wave Model of Overland-Flow

A two-dimensional kinematic wave model was developed for simulating runoff generation and flow concentration on an experimental infiltrating hillslope receiving artificial rainfall. Experimental observations on runoff generation and flow concentration on irregular hillslopes showed that the topography of the slope surface controlled the direction and flow lines of overland flow. The model-simulated results satisfactorily compared with experimental observations. The erosive ability of the concentrated flow was found to mainly depend on the ratio of the width and depth of confluent grooves.

Shocked Flows Induced by Supersonic Projectiles Moving in Tubes

A numerical study on shocked flows induced by a supersonic projectile moving in tubes is described in this paper. The dispersion-controlled scheme was adopted to solve the Euler equations implemented with moving boundary conditions. Four test cases were carried out in the present study: the first two cases are for validation of numerical algorithms and verification of moving boundary conditions, and the last two cases are for investigation into wave dynamic processes induced by the projectile moving at Mach numbers of M-p = 2.0 and 2.4, respectively, in a short time duration after the projectile was released from a shock tube into a big chamber. It was found that complex shock phenomena exist in the shocked flow, resulting from shock-wave/projectile interaction, shock-wave focusing, shock-wave reflection and shock-wave/contact-surface interactions, from which turbulence and vortices may be generated. This is a fundamental study on complex shock phenomena, and is also a useful investigation for understanding on shocked flows in the ram accelerator that may provide a highly efficient facility for launching hypersonic projectiles.

How important are shock waves to single-bubble sonoluminescence?

By solving numerically the full set of hydrodynamic equations governing the pulsation of a bubble,we show that shock waves are often absent in a stable sonoluminescing bubble. Nevertheless, for a wide range of physical parameters, a continuous compressional wave emerges and heats up the bubble, and the resulting black-body radiations have pulse heights and widths that agree with experimental data. Shock waves, being much less robust, are not essential for stable single-bubble sonoluminescence.

The Hydrothermal Wave Of Large-Prandtl-Number Fluid In A Shallow Cavity

The hydrothermal wave was investigated numerically for large-Prandtl-number fluid (Pr = 105.6) in a shallow cavity with different heated sidewalls. The traveling wave appears and propagates in the direction opposite to the surface flow (upstream) in the case of zero gravity when the applied temperature difference grows and over the critical value. The phase relationships of the disturbed velocity, temperature and pressure demonstrate that the traveling wave is driven by the disturbed temperature, which is named hydrothermal wave. The hydrothermal wave is so weak that the oscillatory flow field and temperature distribution can hardly be observed in the liquid layer. The exciting mechanism of hydrothermal wave is analyzed and discussed in the present paper.