Switching characteristics of an MOSFET-controlled high-power integrated thyristor

The basic stages of switching a high-power integrated thyristor controlled by an external MOSFET are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The stage of switching delay is analyzed in terms of an analytical model the adequacy of which is verified by numerically calculating the current decay transient upon switching off the n ⁺ pnn’p ⁺-structure. The effect of hyperdelay is discovered, which arises as the turned-off anode current approaches a limiting value depending on the parameters of the thyristor structure and control circuit. The specific energy losses are calculated, and it is shown that most losses are due to the current slow decay stage.     

Frequency dependence of the resistive switching effect in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y/Ag film heterocontacts

In this work we have performed the relaxation studies “in situ” of the electron instability effect (EIE) in the heterostructures based on BSCCO single crystals. The new effect of suppression of EIE or colossal electroresistance via application of an alternating low frequency electric field to the heterojunctions in the BSCCO-based single crystals has been found. It has been shown that the top possible frequencies for observation of the effect are of the order of 10³ Hz. This fact is interpreted as accumulation of the oxygen ions driven by the electric field to the interface. On the other hand, it has been shown that the switching events are limited by two time processes: t≈1 ms and about ten seconds. The first ones are caused by rearrangement of a charge net in the degraded surface at the electric field switching. The latter are caused by oxygen diffusion to vacancies under electric field above some threshold value. The considered experimental data confirm the correlation character of the HTSC properties as Mott systems, which appears in extreme sensitivity to the doping level, in the tendency to phase separation under external actions, in the hysteresis character of the metal-insulator transition.     

Ionic liquid type dye-sensitized solar cells: increases in photovoltaic performances by adding a small amount of water

Increases in photovoltaic performances for dye-sensitized solar cells having ionic liquid type electrolytes are reported. These results are explained by diffusion coefficient for I₃⁻, charge transfer resistances on counter electrodes, flat band potentials of TiO₂, redox potentials for I⁻/I₃⁻, electron diffusion constants, electron life time, and diffusion length in TiO₂ layers. Methylpropylimidazolium iodide is selected because of the lowest viscosity and the highest conductivity. Increases in the photovoltaic performance are observed when a small amount of water was added into the ionic liquid consisting of both LiI and t-butylpyridine as the additives. These improvements are brought about by enhancements of all of J_sc, ff and V_oc. The increases in J_sc and ff are associated with the decrease in charge transfer resistances on counter electrodes and increases in ionic conductivities. V_oc may be explained by an increase in the difference between redox potentials of I⁻/I₃⁻ and Fermi level.     

Diffusion-controlled first-order surface reaction in turbulent flow

The effect of advective diffusion on the rate of reactant consumption by a first-order surface reaction is analyzed in the fast-reaction limit. The decay of reactant concentration is described by the function n(t) ～ exp(?λt). In the limit of well-developed turbulence, the scaling estimates λ ～ L ^?1κ^3/4μ^1/4 and λ ～ fκ^3/4μ^1/4 are obtained, respectively, for a confined flow with characteristic length scale L and in the case when the reactants are contained near the surface by an external field with potential U/T = fx, where κ is molecular diffusivity and μ is the constant parameter in the eddy diffusivity D _adv = μx ⁴ (x is distance to the wall). The coefficients in the scaling laws are evaluated by a variational method and by numerical solution of the governing equations.     

Evaluation of ultrasound and microbubbles effect on pork meat during brining process

In this study combined effect of ultrasound-induced acoustic cavitation and microbubbles during meat brining on pork loin (Longissimus dorsi) was evaluated. Cylindrical shape (diameter 15 mm, height 80 mm) pork loin samples were cut and immersed in 200 g L^-1 NaCl brine and treated with the following brining methods for 180 min: static brining (SB), ultrasound assisted brining (US) and ultrasound combined with microbubbles in brine (USMB). Ultrasound was generated with 20 kHz frequency, 5,09 W/cm² maximum intensity and 100 W maximum power. Microbubbles in brine were produced by a gas–liquid mixing pump. Effect of ultrasound and microbbubles on NaCl content and diffusion in pork loin, mass balance, water binding capacity (WBC), protein denaturation and meat tissue microstructure were evaluated. The US and USMB brinings enhanced the NaCl diffusion into meat compared to meat brined under static conditions. The constant diffusion coefficient (D) model precisely described the NaCl diffusion kinetics during brinings. The ultrasound and microbbubles resulted in microscopic pores on the surface of myofibers. Decreasing WBC was observed for all brining methods. Myosin was not detectable in any of the brining methods. Denaturation temperature of actin showed a decreasing tendency with increasing brining time independently the brining methods.     

Minority carriers diffusion length in ZnSe by SPV method

The minority carrier diffusion length has been measured in n-ZnSe by illuminating the sample through the semi-transparent metal of the Schottky barrier Au-ZnSe.The diffusion length value has been carried out by extrapolating to zero the plots of the light intensity as a function of the absorption-length, by keeping the open-circuit-voltage or the short-circuit current as parameters.A value of L = 0.45 ± 0.07 μm, corresponding to a minority carrier lifetime π_p = 2 × 10^?9 sec, has been found.     

Low-intensity ultrasound enhances the antimicrobial activity of neutral peptide TGH2 against Escherichia coli

In recent years, foodborne diseases caused by Escherichia coli are a major threat to the food industry and consumers. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and ultrasound both have good inhibitory effects on E. coli. In this work, the mechanism of action and synergistic effect of an in silico predicted AMP, designated as TGH2 (AEFLREKLGDKCTDRHV), from the C-terminal sequence of Tegillarca granosa hemoglobin, combined with low-intensity ultrasound was explored. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of TGH2 on E. coli decreased by 4-fold to 31.25 μg/mL under 0.3 W/cm² ultrasound treatment, while the time kill curve analysis showed that low-intensity ultrasound combined with peptide TGH2 had an enhanced synergistic bactericidal effect after 0.5 h. The permeability on E. coli cell membrane increased progressively during combined treatment with peptide TGH2 and low-intensity ultrasound, resulting in the leakage of intracellular solutes, as shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Structural analysis using circular dichroism (CD) revealed that peptide TGH2 has an α-helical structure, showing a slight untwisting effect under 0.3 W/cm² ultrasound treatment for 0.5 h. The findings here provide new insight into the potential application of ultrasound and AMPs combination in food preservation.     

Impact of pulsed ultrasound on bacteria reduction of natural waters

There is a limited work on the use of pulsed ultrasound for water disinfection particularly the case of natural water. Hence, pulsed ultrasound disinfection of natural water was thoroughly investigated in this study along with continuous ultrasound as a standard for comparison. Total coliform measurements were applied to evaluate treatment efficiency. Factorial design of 2³ for the tested experimental factors such as power, treatment time and operational mode was applied. Two levels of power with 40% and 70% amplitudes, treatment time of 5 and 15 min and operational modes of continuous and pulsed with On to Off ratio (R) of 0.1:0.6 s were investigated. Results showed that increasing power and treatment time or both increases total coliform reduction, whereas switching from continuous to pulsed mode in combination with power and treatment time has negative effect on total coliform reduction. A regression model for predicting total coliform reduction under different operating conditions was developed and validated. Energy and cost analyses applying electrical and calorimetric powers were conducted to serve as selection guidelines for the choosing optimum parameters of ultrasound disinfection. The outcome of these analyses indicated that low power level, short treatment time, and high R ratios are the most effective operating parameters.     

EHD-photoluminescence kinetics in doped Ge

Measurements of the LA-phonon assisted line kinetics of the EHD photoluminescence in As- and Sb-doped germanium with impurity concentrations n_D = 10¹⁵ ? 10¹⁷ cm^?3 are presented. These kinetics are found to be strongly dependent on the excitation level at 4.2 K. From the experimental results and a simplified kinetic equation the EHD “diffusion length” in Ge:As sample with n_D = 2 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 is estimated to be L_D ? 0.34 mm which is consistent with previous results.     

Quantitative investigation of critical slowing down in all-optical bistability

We have observed optical bistability in rubidium vapor enclosed in a Fabry-Perot cavity for λ ～ 7779 Å (two-photon transition) and λ ～ 7800 Å (one-photon transition). We have measured the switching time τ_S as a function of (l?l_c) where l_c is the last value of the length of the cavity for which switching occurs. In all the experimental situations, we have found a similar law τ_S ～ (l?l_c)^-α with α ～ 0.5. This result is in agreement with theoretical predictions.     

Angular dependences of the switching field and coercivity for magnetic multilayer films with strain caused by lattice mismatch

The angular dependences of the switching field and coercivity for magnetic multilayer films with strain caused by lattice mismatch are studied in detail with the help of the Stoner-Wohlfarth model. The expressions or equations for determining the switching field and the coercivity are obtained analytically, taking the strain effect into consideration. With these analytical expressions, the roles of the strain and the unidirectional anisotropy (exchange coupling) are displayed clearly. Compared to the standard Stoner-Wohlfarth model (without strain), the centers of the curves of the switching field and coercivity are found to shift from π/2 to π/2+θ^∗ due to the in-plane strain caused by the lattice mismatch between the film and substrate. For the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic exchange bias systems, the angularly dependent amplitude of the switching field or coercivity exhibits an obvious asymmetry. The staggering or separation of the peaks of the two branches of the coercivity results in a jump phenomenon in the curves for the exchange bias field and the coercivity near θ^∗.     

In vivo lipid diffusion coefficient measurements in rat bone marrow

The diffusion coefficient of lipids, D_l, within bone marrow, fat deposits and metabolically active intracellular lipids in vivo will depend on several factors including the precise chemical composition of the lipid distribution (chain lengths, degree of unsaturation, etc.) as well as the temperature. As such, D_l may ultimately prove of value in assessing abnormal fatty acid distributions linked to diseases such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes and coronary heart disease. A sensitive temperature dependence of D_l may also prove of value for MR-guided thermal therapies for bone tumors or disease within other fatty tissues like the breast. Measuring diffusion coefficients of high molecular weight lipids in vivo is, however, technically difficult for a number of reasons. For instance, due to the much lower diffusion coefficients compared to water, much higher b factors than those used for central nervous system applications are needed. In addition, the pulse sequence design must incorporate, as much as possible, immunity to motion, susceptibility and chemical shift effects present whenever body imaging is performed. In this work, high b-factor line scan diffusion imaging sequences were designed, implemented and tested for D_l measurement using a 4.7-T horizontal bore animal scanner. The gradient set available allowed for b factors as high as 0.03 μs/nm² (30,000 s/mm²) at echo times as short as 42 ms. The methods were used to measure lipid diffusion coefficients within the marrow of rat paws in vivo, yielding lipid diffusion coefficients approximately two orders of magnitude smaller than typical tissue water diffusion coefficients. Phantom experiments that demonstrate the sensitivity of lipid diffusion coefficients to chain length and temperature were also performed.     

High-capacity and security packet switching using the nonlinear effects in micro ring resonators

We propose a new design of secured packet switching generated by using nonlinear behaviors of light in a micro ring resonator. The use of chaotic signals generated by the micro ring resonator to form the filtering and packet switching characteristics is described, where the high-capacity and security switching using such form is presented. The key advantage is that the high capacity of communication data can be secured in the transmission link, where the nonlinear penalty of light traveling in the device is beneficial. For instance, the required information can be transmitted and retrieved by using the proposed packet switching scheme. In principle, the chaotic signals are generated by a Kerr effects nonlinear type of light in a micro ring resonator, where the control input power can be specified by the required output filtering signals. The ring radii used range between 10 and 20 μm, κ=0.0225, α=0.5 dB and n₂=2.2×10⁻¹⁵ m²/W. Simulation results obtained have been described based on the practical device parameters. Three forms of the applications have been simulated, the potential of using for the tunable band pass and band stop filters, in which high-capacity packet switching data can be performed, and the fs switching time is plausible.     

Isotope effect for cation diffusion in CoO

The simultaneous diffusion of ⁵⁵Co and ⁶⁰Co has been measured in CoO as a function of equilibrium oxygen pressure in the range 10^?9 < po₂ < 1 atm at 1200°C. The slope of the log D¹_Co vs logpo₂ plot changes from a value of about $\text{1}\text{4}$ at high po₂ to about $\text{1}\text{5}$ at low po₂, in agreement with the extensive measurements of Dieckmann. The isotope effect is independent of po₂, which suggests that diffusion by defect clusters, interstitial Co ions and impurity-induced defects is not important in the present measurements. Conductivity, diffusion, stoichiometry and isotope-effect results are consistent with diffusion by neutral, singly charged, and doubly charged vacancies; the relative contributions from the various vacancies varies with po₂.     

EPR and NMR study of molecular components mobility and organization in goat milk under ultrasound treatment

The effect of ultrasound treatment on molecular mobility and organization of the main components in raw goat milk was studied by EPR and NMR spectroscopies. NMR relaxation studies showed an increase in the spin–lattice T₁ and spin–spin T₂ relaxation times in goat milk products (cream, anhydrous fat) and change in the diffusion of proton-containing molecules during ultrasound treatment. The diffusion became more uniform and could be rather accurately approximated by one effective diffusion coefficient D_eff, which indicates homogenization of goat milk components, dispersion of globular and supermicellar formations under sonication. EPR studies have shown that molecular mobility and organization of hydrophobic regions in goat milk are similar to those observed in micellar formations of surfactants with a hydrocarbon chain length C12–C16. Ultrasound treatment did not affect submicellar and protein globule organization. Free radicals arising under ultrasound impact of milk reacted quickly with components of goat milk (triglycerides, proteins, fatty acids) and were not observed by spin trapping method.     

Effects of ultrasound and temperature on copper electro reduction in Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES)

This paper concerns a preliminary study for a new copper recovery process from ionic solvent. The aim of this work is to study the reduction of copper in Deep Eutectic Solvent (choline chloride–ethylene glycol) and to compare the influence of temperature and the ultrasound effects on kinetic parameters. Solutions were prepared by dissolution of chloride copper salt CuCl₂ (to obtain Copper in oxidation degree II) or CuCl (to obtain Copper in oxidation degree I) and by leaching metallic copper directly in DES. The spectrophotometry UV–visible analysis of the leached solution showed that the copper soluble form obtained is at oxidation degree I (Copper I). Both cyclic voltammetry and linear voltammetry were performed in the three solutions at three temperatures (25, 50 and 80 °C) and under ultrasonic conditions (F = 20 kHz, PT = 5.8 W) to calculate the mass transfer diffusion coefficient kD and the standard rate coefficient k°. These parameters are used to determine that copper reduction is carried out via a mixed kinetic-diffusion control process. Temperature and ultrasound have the same effect on mass transfer for reduction of Cu^II/Cu^I. On the other hand, temperature is more beneficial than ultrasound for mass transfer of Cu^I/Cu. Standard rate constant improvement due to temperature increase is of the same order as that obtained with ultrasound. But, by combining higher temperature and ultrasound (F = 20 kHz, PT = 5.6 W at 50 °C), reduction limiting current is increased by a factor of 10 compared to initial conditions (T = 25 °C, silent), because ultrasonic stirring is more efficient in lower viscosity fluid. These values can be considered as key-parameters in the design of copper recovery in global processes using ultrasound.     

Diffusion of sulfur in nickel oxide single crystals

The diffusion of sulfur in nickel oxide single crystals has been investigated over the temperature range from 1000 to 1250°C. The measured data were found to deviate markedly from the error function complement dependence for diffusion from a constant source. The deviation is attributed to the migration of sulfur by the “double mode simultaneous diffusion mechanism.” The faster mode diffusion is suggested to be via nickel vacancies, and the slower mode diffusion is suggested to be via oxygen vacancies. The diffusivities for faster mode are given by D_f = 2.94 exp[? 86.6 kcal/RT] cm² sec^?1 and, the slower mode, D_s = 1.08 × 10^?9 exp [?32.8 kcal/RT]cm²sec^?1.     

Giant quadratic electro-optical effect during polarization switching in ultrathin ferroelectric polymer films

The low-frequency quadratic electro-optical effect with a maximum electro-optical coefficient of g = 8 × 10^?19 m²/V² (i.e., four orders of magnitude greater than the standard high-frequency value) has been studied in thin films of ferroelectric polymer PVDF(70%)-TrFE(30%). The observed effect is related to the process of spontaneous polarization switching, during which the electron oscillators of C-F and C-H dipole groups rotate to become parallel to the applied field. As a result, the ellipsoid of the refractive index exhibits narrowing in the direction perpendicular to the field. The field dependence of the electro-optical coefficient g correlates with that of the apparent dielectric permittivity, which can be introduced under the condition of ferroelectric polarization switching. The observed electro-optical effect strongly decreases when the frequency increases up to several hundred hertz. The temperature dependence of the effect exhibits clearly pronounced hysteresis in the region of the ferroelectric phase transition.     

On the possibility of determining the diffusion length of excitons in semiconductors from photomagnetic measurement data

The effect of a magnetic field on the photocurrent I_ph in Si and GaAs solar cells is investigated. It is shown that the observed change in the photocurrent I_ph of the solar cells in response to a magnetic field can be caused by a decrease in the diffusion length of excitons L_exc. A simplified model of the photomagnetic experiment is proposed to estimate the diffusion length of excitons L_exc and the contribution made by excitons to the photocurrent of the solar cells.     

Mass transfer enhancement of tuna brining with different NaCl concentrations assisted by ultrasound

The influence of different NaCl concentrations (2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% (w/w)) on the mass transfer kinetics of tuna during brining process with and without ultrasound assistance was evaluated. Results showed that an increase in NaCl concentration and the application of ultrasound accelerated the salt diffusion in the tuna muscle, and the highest yield was obtained in 5% brine concentration. Moreover, the kinetics parameters were significantly affected by the NaCl concentration and ultrasound application during brining. The values of the mass transfer kinetics parameters (k₁, k₂) for total and water weight changes decreased as NaCl concentration increased with and without ultrasound assistance during brining. In contrast, the higher the NaCl concentration, the higher the value of the salting kinetics parameters for salt weight changes. The application of ultrasound enhanced the salt effective diffusion coefficient (De) from 402.8% to 653.21% during the brining process, and the highest De was also found at 5% brine concentration. The application of ultrasound can improve the uniformity of salt distribution, enhance water holding capacity, reduce hardness and chewiness, but have no significant effect on color of tuna muscle.