Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy and homogeneity in polycrystals

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) is capable of determining the bulk elastic properties of a solid from its characteristic vibration frequencies, given the dimensions, density and shape of the sample. The model used for extracting values of the elastic constants assumes perfect homogeneity, which can be approximated by average-isotropic polycrystals. This approximation is excellent in the small grain regime assumed for most averaging procedures, but for real samples with indeterminate grain size distributions, it is not clear where the approximation breaks down. RUS measurements were made on pure copper samples where the grain size distribution was changed by progressive heat treatments in order to find a quantitative limit for the loss of homogeneity. It is found that when a measure of the largest grains is 15% of the sample’s smallest dimension, the deviation in RUS fits indicates elastic inhomogeneity.     

Ultrasonic transducers using electron-irradiated vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene copolymers

Single-element, planar transducers have been fabricated using electron-irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) 80/20 mol% copolymers with different electron dosage. Electrical field-induced strain response of copolymer film with 100 Mrad dosage has been studied at 5 kHz and the electrostrictive coefficient was calculated. The transmitting response of the air-backing and epoxy-backing transducers was evaluated with the application of high DC bias voltages. Clear ultrasonic amplitudes and high frequency spectrum (>20 MHz) were observed when driven from a standard ultrasonic voltage source through a decoupling circuit. It has also showed that larger generation of ultrasonic waves will be induced under high DC bias field, which is due to the increase of induced d(33) piezoelectric coefficient. Two different polar bias voltages, positive and negative, were applied to the transducers and inverse waveforms were received, which was coincident with the theoretical analysis of the strain response of electrostrictive film.     

Effect of finite charging time on particulates in RF discharges

The effect of the finite charging time on spherical and cylindrical particulates in an RF discharge is considered. Using probe theory, analytical expressions for the charging rate under various conditions are derived and compared with numerical solutions. Scaling of the charging time with discharge parameters, in particular the electron temperature, is demonstrated. Using a one-dimensional fluid model for an rf discharge, the equilibrium electric and ion drag forces are compared for spherical and cylindrical particulates. The effect of the finite charging time on the dynamics of particulates of various sizes in the model discharge are discussed. Overall, a long cylindrical particle with the same mass as a spherical particle charges up more slowly to a larger net (negative) charge and has a significantly larger polarization. As a consequence, small cylindrical particles introduced near the electrodes are more likely to escape from the sheath region before becoming fully charged     

Long-lived resonances supported by a contact interaction in crossed magnetic and electric fields

The lifetime of the resonance states of an electron interacting with a zero-range potential in the presence of crossed magnetic and electric fields is studied for the case where the electron is confined in the direction of the magnetic field by a parabolic quantum well. It is shown that long-lived electric field-induced resonances exist in this system even when the zero-range potential does not support any field-free bound state. The relationship of these resonances with the Landau states localized near the point interaction is discussed.     

The vibration and rotation of piezoelectric particles in high frequency electric fields observed by a thermoacoustic method

We have observed, by a thermoacoustic method, the acoustic resonance vibration of small (diameter 115 m) piezoelectric particles in high frequency (15 MHz) electric fields. The frequency dependence of the thermoacoustic signal gives direct information about the size distribution of the particles.In very strong rf electric fields we also observed a rotation of the vibrating particles by large angles — as originally suggested by Melcher and Shiren [3] — orienting the initially random rf dipoles parallel to the rf electric fields.The observed strong forces acting on vibrating piezoelectric particles in rf fields can probably be used as a new method of selectively extracting particles of a given size from a broad distribution of very small particles.     

A novel ultrasonic clutch using near-field acoustic levitation

This paper investigates design, fabrication and drive of an ultrasonic clutch with two transducers. For the two transducers, one serving as a driving element of the clutch is connected to a driving shaft via a coupling, and the other serving as a slave element of the clutch is connected to a slave shaft via another coupling. The principle of ultrasonic levitation is first expressed. Then, a series-resonant inverter is used to generate AC voltages at input terminals of each transducer, and a speed measuring system with optic sensors is used to find the relationship between rotational speed of the slave shaft and applied voltage of each transducer. Moreover, contact surfaces of the two transducers are coupled by the frictional force when both the two transducers are not energized, and separated using the ultrasonic levitation when at least one of the two transducers is energized at high voltages at resonance.     

Ultrasonic field modeling for immersed components using Gaussian beam superposition

The Gaussian beam (GB) superposition approach can be applied to model ultrasound propagation in complex-structured materials and components. In this article, progress made in extending and applying the Gaussian beam superposition technique to model the beam fields generated by transducers with flat and focused rectangular apertures as well as with circular focused apertures is addressed. The refraction of transducer beam fields through curved surfaces is illustrated by calculation results for beam fields generated in curved components during immersion testing. In particular, the following developments are put forward: (i) the use of individually determined sets of GBs to model transducer beam fields with a number of less than ten beams; (ii) the application of the GB representation of rectangular transducers to focusing probes, as well as to the problem of transmission through interfaces; and (iii) computationally efficient transient modeling by superposition of ‘temporally limited’ GBs.     

Investigations on ferroelectric PMN-PT and PZN-PT single crystals ability for power or resonant actuators

Ferroelectric single crystals of PZN-PT and PMN-PT exhibit outstanding properties: high charge coefficient (dij), high coupling factor (kij) and high strain levels under DC fields. Besides, their mechanical quality factor is believed to be low. Their usefulness for non-resonant or large bandwidth transducers has therefore been previously investigated. However, few studies have been devoted to the dielectric and mechanical losses of single crystals and to their stability under high levels of excitations (electric fields, temperature and mechanical stress). A knowledge and understanding of such performances is needed to determine whether single crystals are suitable materials for power or resonant transducers. In this work, losses and non-linearity versus external excitations are investigated. Dielectric losses and mechanical losses are measured versus electric field for different compositions, orientations. The evolution of d33 and epsilonT33 are obtained versus electric field and temperature for the longitudinal mode. Strain and hysteresis versus sweep mode (up and down) are measured near the resonance frequency using a laser Doppler vibrometer.     

Above threshold ionization in tightly focused,strongly relativistic laser fields

The dynamics of electrons ionized from high charge states by lasers with intensity >10(20) W/cm(2) have been studied. At these intensities vxB forces drive the electrons subsequent to ionization in a trajectory nearly parallel to the laser propagation direction. This gives rise to large energy gains as the electron rides in phase with the laser field over a long distance. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate that, unlike in case of ionization in sub- and near-relativistic intensity fields (<10(19) W/cm(2)), the electron dynamics in the ultrarelativistic case are strongly influenced by the longitudinal electric fields found near the focus of a tightly focused laser.     

Quantum confined Stark effect in single self-assembled GaN/AlN quantum dots

We have experimentally and theoretically investigated quantum confined Stark effect in hexagonal self-assembled GaN/AlN quantum dots. We have observed a blueshift of up to 100 meV for vertical electric field applied against the built-in electric field while we have observed a redshift for the electric field along the built-in field. The experimental result is compared with a charge self-consistent effective mass calculation, taking into account strain, piezoelectric charge, and pyroelectric charge. The tunability of the emission energy and the exciton binding energy is discussed.     

Charging dynamics of polymer due to electron irradiation: A simultaneous scattering-transport model and preliminary results

We present a novel numerical model and simulate preliminarily the charging process of polymer subjected to electron irradiation of several 10 keV. The model includes the simultaneous processes of electron scattering and ambipolar transport and the influence of a self-consistent electric field on the scattering distribution of electrons. The dynamic spatial distribution of charges is obtained and validated by existing experimental data. Our simulations show that excess negative charges are concentrated near the edge of the electron range. However, the formed region of high charge density may extend to the surface and bottom of a kapton sample, due to the effects of electric field on electron scattering and charge transport, respectively. Charge trapping is then demonstrated to significantly influence the charge motion. The charge distribution can be extended to the bottom as the trap density decreases. Charge accumulation is therefore balanced by the appearance and increase of leakage current. Accordingly, our model and numerical simulation provide a comprehensive insight into the charging dynamics of polymer irradiated by electrons in the complex space environment.     

Charging dynamics of a polymer due to electron irradiation： A simultaneous scattering-transport model and preliminary results

<正>We present a novel numerical model and simulate preliminarily the charging process of a polymer subjected to electron irradiation of several 10 keV.The model includes the simultaneous processes of electron scattering and ambipolar transport and the influence of a self-consistent electric field on the scattering distribution of electrons.The dynamic spatial distribution of charges is obtained and validated by existing experimental data.Our simulations show that excess negative charges are concentrated near the edge of the electron range.However,the formed region of high charge density may extend to the surface and bottom of a kapton sample,due to the effects of the electric field on electron scattering and charge transport,respectively.Charge trapping is then demonstrated to significantly influence the charge motion.The charge distribution can be extended to the bottom as the trap density decreases.Charge accumulation is therefore balanced by the appearance and increase of leakage current.Accordingly,our model and numerical simulation provide a comprehensive insight into the charging dynamics of a polymer irradiated by electrons in the complex space environment.     

Resonant-ultrasound spectroscopy for studying annealing effect on elastic constant of thin film

In this paper, we study the elastic property of thin films using resonant-ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). RUS determines the elastic constants of a solid from its resonance frequencies of free vibration. There were two problems to be solved for applying RUS to thin films: accurate measurement of the resonance frequencies and mode identification of each resonance frequency. We solve these problems using the tripod needle transducers and the laser-Doppler interferometry (LDI). In this paper, we describe the RUS/LDI measurement setup we developed, and show the relationship between the elastic constant and annealing temperature for Cu thin films. Then, we discuss the effects of recrystallization and recovery on the elastic constant referring the X-ray diffraction measurement.     

Computer simulation of charging the silicon dioxide surface and subsurface layers by electron bombardment

A physical model and program of calculating the parameters of charging dielectrics by electron bombardment is described. A method of computer simulation is used to investigate the main processes of charging the subsurface silicon dioxide layers. Dependences of the current density, volume charge density, and electric field strength on the material layer depth are calculated for variable electron beam parameters, irradiation time, and grid potential near the sample surface.     

Structural and optical properties of sputtered ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films were prepared by RF diode sputtering at varying deposition conditions. The effects of negative bias voltage and RF power on structural and optical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) confirmed that both un-doped and Al-doped ZnO films are polycrystalline and have hexagonal wurtzite structure. The preferential 〈0 0 1〉 orientation and surface roughness evaluated by AFM measurements showed dependence on applied bias voltage and RF power. The sputtered ZnO and ZnO:Al films had high optical transmittance (>90%) in the wavelength range of 400-800 nm, which was not influenced by bias voltage and RF power. ZnO:Al were conductive and highly transparent. Optical band gap of un-doped and Al-doped ZnO thin films depended on negative bias and RF power and in both cases showed tendency to narrowing.     

High-density fixed point for radially compressed single-component plasmas

Rotating electric fields are used to compress electron plasmas confined in a Penning-Malmberg trap. Bifurcation and hysteresis are observed between low-density and high-density steady states as a function of the applied electric field amplitude and frequency. These observations are explained in terms of torque-balanced fixed points using a simple model of the torques on the plasma. Perturbation experiments near the high-density fixed point are used to determine the magnitude, frequency, and voltage dependence of the drive torque. The broader implications of these results are discussed.     

Study on the prestressed sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer of torsional-flexural composite vibrational mode

Based on the classical torsional and flexural vibrational theory of a slender rod, the prestressed sandwich torsional-flexural composite mode piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer is studied. This type of transducer consists of the slender metal rods and the longitudinally and tangentially polarized piezoelectric ceramic rings. The resonance frequency equations for the torsional and flexural vibrations in the transducers are derived. The simultaneous resonance of the torsional and flexural vibrations in the transducer is acquired by correcting the length of the metal slender rods resulting from the piezoelectric ceramic elements. The experimental results show that the measured resonance frequencies of the transducers are in good agreement with the computed ones, and the measured resonance frequencies of the torsional and the flexural vibrations in the composite transducers are also in good agreement with each other.     

Nonlinear piezoelectricity in epitaxial ferroelectrics at high electric fields

Nonlinear effects in the coupling of polarization with elastic strain have been predicted to occur in ferroelectric materials subjected to high electric fields. Such predictions are tested here for a PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 ferroelectric thin film at electric fields in the range of several hundred MV/m and strains reaching up to 2.7%. The piezoelectric strain exceeds predictions based on constant piezoelectric coefficients at electric fields from approximately 200 to 400 MV/m, which is consistent with a nonlinear effect predicted to occur at corresponding piezoelectric distortions.     

A hybrid model for the charging process of the amorphous SiO2 film in radio frequency microelectromechanical system capacitive switches

Charging is one of the most important reliability issues in radio frequency microelectro-mechanical systems(RF MEMS) capacitive switches since it makes the actuation voltage unstable.This paper proposes a hybrid model to describe the transient dielectric charging and discharging process in the defect-rich amorphous SiO 2 RF MEMS capacitive switches and verifies experimentally.The hybrid model contains two parts according to two different charging mechanisms of the amorphous SiO 2,which are the polarisation and charge injection.The models for polarisation and for charge injection are established,respectively.Analysis and experimental results show that polarisation is always effective,while the charge injection has a threshold electric field to the amorphous SiO 2 film.Under different control voltage conditions,the hybrid model can accurately describe the experimental data.     

Control of photoelectric conversion in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures by means of an acoustic vibration piezoelectric field

Control of charge carrier transport and recombination in low-dimensional heterostructures is a topical problem of applied physics in view of the need to improve the efficiency of available optoelectronic and nanoelectronic devices and create new-generation devices. The possibility of using piezoelectric fields produced by acoustic vibrations to control photoelectric conversion in heterostructures with GaAs quantum wells is studied. The spectral dependences of the capacitor photovoltage in the heterostructures indicate that carrier separation both in the quantum well plane and in the direction normal to this plane can be controlled by varying the piezoelectric field configuration, which is governed by the vibration frequency in the heterostructure.