Electrical characterization of dielectric barrier discharge driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses in atmospheric air

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is an important method to produce non-thermal plasma, which has been widely used in many fields. In the paper, a repetitive nanosecond-pulse generator is used for the excitation of DBD. Output positive pulse of the generator has a rise time of about 15 ns and a full width at half maximum of 30–40 ns, and pulse repetition frequency varies from single shot to 2 kHz. The purpose of this paper is to experiment the electrical characteristics of DBD driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses. The variables affecting discharge conditions, including air gap spacing, dielectric thickness, barrier fashion, and applied pulse repetition frequency, are investigated. The relationship between electric field, discharge current, instantaneous discharge power across air gap, and estimated electron density with the length of air gap, dielectric thickness, barrier fashion, and pulse repetition frequency is obtained respectively, and the experimental results are also discussed. In addition, two typical images exhibiting homogeneous and filamentary discharges are given with different experimental conditions.     

Low frequency properties of micro power generator using a gold electroplated coil and magnet

Micro power generating devices were fabricated by using a gold electroplated coil and a permanent magnet. The electrical power was generated when the magnet reciprocated on the fabricated electroplated coil. The output power was increased as a function of vibration frequency. A measurement system, which convert a rotational motion of a motor into a linear motion, was designed and fabricated. The purpose of this work is to develop the micro power generating devices which convert the ambient vibration or oscillating energy into useful electrical energy. With changing vibration frequency from 0.5 to 8 Hz, the generated power increased linearly. The generated voltage was 106 mV at 3 Hz and 198 mV at 6 Hz. After using the step up circuit, the measured voltage was 81 mV at 3 Hz and 235 mV at 6 Hz. From above the frequency of about 4.5 Hz, the gain obtained by using the quadrupler circuit becomes larger than the loss without using that circuit.     

Kinetics of microplasma atmospheric ion generation correlated with discharge current

The conditions necessary for achieving a stable bipolar ion generation (in the order of 10⁶ ion/cm³) and lower ozone concentration (less than 50 ppb) using a surface discharge microplasma device (SMD) by adjusting the applied voltage and frequency were experimentally determined and investigated. Measurements of the discharge current characteristics of the SMD revealed saturation against the frequency (1.5–2.5 kHz, depending on the applied voltage). The ion and ozone concentrations both increased in step with the discharge current in the lower frequency region. The ion concentration reached equilibrium in the frequency range of 200–500 Hz, and the point of equilibrium within that range depended on the applied voltage. The ozone concentration did not reach equilibrium under our experimental conditions (ozone concentration < 100 ppb). The kinetics of the ion/ozone generation rate with a focus on the plasma reaction and recombination of bipolar ions is discussed.     

Analysis of sterilization effect by pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

Atmospheric pressure (AP) plasmas can sterilize against almost all kinds of bacteria because many ions and reactive species, such as oxygen atoms and ozone, etc., are generated during AP plasmas. So AP plasmas are proper processes for application to air cleaners and sterilizers. The aim of this paper is to evaluate a germicidal effect caused by pulsed plasma system in air utilizing a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) type reactor incorporating alumina, glass, etc. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria were used for this sterilization experiment. For analysis of the relationship between sterilization results and chemical species generated in the discharge, we used optical emission spectroscopy and we checked emission spectra by atomic oxygen (394.2 and 436.8 nm) and second positive system of nitrogen (337.1 nm). Experimental results showed that DBD treatment during 70 s sterilized E. coli with 99.99% effectively and ozone molecules were the dominant germicidal species. From these results we concluded that the pulsed DBD system is very effective for sterilization.     

Degradation of methyl orange by atmospheric DBD plasma: Analysis of the degradation effects and degradation path

The degradation process of methyl orange solution by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma using a board-DBD reactor was studied. The percentage destruction reached 99% after 35 min treatment. The pH value of the methyl orange solution decreased with the treatment time and it reached a constant value when discharged for 20 min. The COD value of the methyl orange solution decreased by 57.9% for 30 min treatment. The degradation path was suggested based on the analysis of the molecular structure of methyl orange, intermediate products and the molecular bond energies.     

A study of the influence of the input electrical power on the spectral width of the 510.6 nm line of an atomic copper vapor laser

The effect of the input electrical power on the spectral width of the 510.6 nm line of an atomic copper vapor laser (CVL) is investigated. An analysis of the gas temperature inside the discharge tube and the line broadening mechanism of the CVL is reported. The input electrical power was varied from 2.0 to 4.2 kW in a cylindrical discharge tube of inner radius 2.35 cm and length 150.0 cm. A Fabry–Perot etalon and imaging camera-based setup interfaced with personal computer was used to measure the spectral width of the 510.6 nm (green) laser line. The Doppler broadened spectral profile of the laser emission varies with input electrical power and an additional broadening of almost 1 GHz at the highest operating input power was observed.     

Formation of reactive species in gliding arc discharges with liquid water

The effects of gas composition on gliding arc (glidarc) electrical discharge reactors with pure water have been studied. The glidarc reactors utilized AC electrical discharges with two different electrode configurations. In one case a set of two stainless steel electrodes connected to a single power supply was placed in the gas phase over the liquid surface (power=250–300 W, maximum voltage=12 kV). The second experimental arrangement utilized a reactor with a set of three stainless steel electrodes supplied by two identical high-voltage transformers, where the electrodes were placed over the water surface or with the water sprayed directly in the plasma formed between the electrodes (power=500–600 W, maximum voltage=12 kV). The variation of pH and conductivity and the formation of hydrogen peroxide, ozone, nitrate, and hydrogen were measured. The effects of the type of gas, including pure oxygen, pure nitrogen, and dry air, were determined.     

A simple dye-sensitized solar cell sealing technique using a CO2 laser beam excited by 60 Hz AC discharges

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) use two glass substrates (photo electrode and counter electrode) coated with fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) to harvest light into the cell and to collect electrons. The space between the photo electrode and the counter electrode are filled with a liquid type electrolyte for electron transfer into the cell. Therefore, an appropriate sealing method is required to prevent the liquid electrolyte leaking out. In this paper, a simple CO₂ laser beam with TEM₀₀ mode excited by a 60 Hz AC discharge was used to seal two glass substrates coated with FTO for the fabrication of DSSCs. The sealing technique improved the durability and stability of the DSSCs. The optimal conditions for the sealing of the DSSCs are related to the pin-hole diameter, the discharge current and the moving velocity of the target. Especially, the CO₂ laser beam is used as a heat source that is precisely controlled by the pin-hole, which plays an important role in adjusting its spot size. From these results, the maximum laser power was found to be 40 W at 18 Torr and 35 mA. In order to achieve the best sealing quality, the following parameters are required: a pin-hole diameter of 4 mm, input voltage of 10.73 kV, discharge current of 9.31 mA, moving velocity of 1 mm/s and distance from the target surface of 26.5 cm. Scanning electron microscope images show that the sealing quality obtained using the CO₂ laser beam is superior to that obtained using a hot press or soldering iron.     

11-mJ pulse energy wideband Yb-doped fiber laser

We report a wide bandwidth (Δλ=8 nm) optical pulsed MOPA (master oscillator power amplifier) source emitting 11.23 mJ pulses (1.25 MW peak power) in the wavelength centered at (λ=1064 nm). Pulse duration and repetition rate were 9 ns and from 10 Hz to 100 Hz, respectively. In order to suppress amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), multi-stage pulse pump technology is applied. And the large core diameter (90 μm) and wide bandwidth ensures the high peak power and energy output.     

Measurements of power loss distribution in a typical stator core under PWM voltage excitation

The pulse width modulated (PWM) inverter is widely used to feed small induction motors for variable speed and torque control. When a laminated stator core is energised in this way additional iron losses occur due to localised distorted flux. Flux density and power loss distribution under PWM and sinusoidal voltage excitations were measured in a typical induction motor stator core lamination at 1.3 T, 50 Hz by using a computer-aided magnetising system to set up flux distribution as would occur in a practical three-phase stator core. The iron loss increased 15–20% under PWM excitation. The loss increase under PWM excitation in the stator core laminations was 3% lower than in Epstein strips of the same electrical steel under the same conditions showing an effect of the magnetic circuit geometry.     

Removal of four kinds of volatile organic compounds mixture in air using silent discharge reactor driven by bipolar pulsed power

A silent discharge reactor initiated by bipolar pulsed power substituting the traditional ac power was used to remove the volatile organic compounds (VOC_s) mixture of acetone, benzene, tetrachloroethylene and m-xylene. The results indicated that the silent discharge driven by bipolar pulsed power could effectively input pulsed energy, produce strong instant discharge and energetic particles, and thus enhance the removal efficiency of the mixed VOC_s. The order of the removal efficiency of mixed VOC_s followed as acetone < benzene < tetrachloroethylene < m-xylene no matter what power supply was used. Comparing with single-compound, the removal efficiency of m-xylene only fell a little but those of the other three components fell a lot in the process of the mixed VOC_s treatment. In addition, controlling the status of electrical discharge plasma by changing the discharge parameters (such as capacitance of the pulse capacitor and pulse repetitive rate) was found to be an efficient way to enhance the removal efficiency of the mixed VOC_s. In this system, the Cp = 2 nF was the optimal capacitance for the bipolar power supply combined with the silent discharge reactor that had the best energy conversion efficiency for removal of mixed VOC_s. A higher pulse repetitive rate and longer residence time could also increase the removal efficiency of mixed VOC_s.     

Transfer impedance and effectiveness of SMA receptacle for wideband measurement of discharge current due to human ESD

In order to investigate the effectiveness of an SMA receptacle as wideband measurement electrode for human ESD, we derived the transfer impedance of a 50-Ω SMA receptacle, and measured its frequency characteristics from 300 kHz to 20 GHz. With a 12-GHz digital oscilloscope, measurement of discharge currents through a hand-held metal bar from a charged human was made, and thereby the injected currents on the SMA receptacle were reconstructed from the measured transfer impedance. The results show that at a charge voltage of 1500 V the reconstructed current waveform agrees well with the observed voltage waveform divided by 50 Ω.     

Improved electrical parameters of vacuum annealed Ni/4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) Schottky barrier diode

The reported work has been focused on the improvement of electrical parameters of Schottky diode using vacuum annealing at mild temperature in Ar gas ambient. Nickel Schottky barrier diodes were fabricated on 50 μm epitaxial layer of n-type 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) substrate. The values of leakage current, Schottky barrier height (?_B), ideality factor (η) and density of interface states (N_SS) were obtained from experimentally measured current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics before and after vacuum annealing treatment. The data revealed that ?_B, η and reverse leakage current for the as-processed diodes are 1.25 eV, 1.6 and 1.2 nA (at ?100 V), respectively, while for vacuum annealed diodes these parameters are 1.36 eV, 1.3 and 900 pA (at same reverse voltage). Improved characteristics have been resulted under the influence of vacuum annealing because of lesser number of minority carrier generation due to incessant reduction of number of available discrete energy levels in the bandgap of 4H-SiC substrate and lesser number of interface states density at Ni/4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) interface.     

Pulsed-wave low-dose ultrasound hyperthermia selectively enhances nanodrug delivery and improves antitumor efficacy for brain metastasis of breast cancer

The clinical application of chemotherapeutics for brain tumors remains a challenge due to limitation of blood-brain barrier/blood-tumor barrier (BBB/BTB). In this study, we investigated the effects of low-dose focused ultrasound hyperthermia (UH) on the delivery and therapeutic efficacy of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) for brain metastasis of breast cancer. Murine breast cancer cells (4T1-luc2) expressing firefly luciferase were implanted into mouse striatum as a brain tumor model. The mice were intravenously injected with PLD with/without transcranial pulsed-wave/continuous-wave UH (pUH/cUH) treatment on day-6 after tumor implantation. pUH (frequency: 500 kHz, PRF: 1000 Hz, duty cycle: 50%) was conducted under equal acoustic power (2.2-Watt) and sonication duration (10-min) as cUH. The amounts of doxorubicin accumulated in the normal brain and tumor tissues were measured with fluorometry. The tumor growth responses for the control, pUH, PLD, PLD + cUH, and PLD + pUH groups were evaluated with IVIS. The PLD distribution and cell apoptosis were assessed with immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that pUH significantly enhanced the PLD delivery into brain tumors and the tumor growth was further inhibited by PLD + pUH without damaging the sonicated normal brain tissues. This indicates that low-dose transcranial pUH is a promising method to selectively enhance nanodrug delivery and improve the brain tumor treatment.     

Dielectric relaxation of ZnO nanostructure synthesized by soft chemical method

Thioglycerol capped nanoparticles of ZnO have been prepared in methanol through chemical technique. Nanostructures of the prepared ZnO particles have been confirmed through X-ray diffraction measurement. The Debye–Scherrer formula is used to obtain the particle size. The average size of the prepared ZnO nanoparticles is found to be 50 nm. The frequency-dependent dielectric dispersion of the sample is investigated in the temperature range from 293 to 383 K and in a frequency range from 100 Hz to 1 MHz by impedance spectroscopy. An analysis of the complex permittivity (ε′ and ε′′) and loss tangent (tan δ) with frequency is performed assuming a distribution of relaxation times. The frequency-dependent maxima of the imaginary part of impedance are found to obey Arrhenius law with activation energy ∼1 eV. The scaling behavior of dielectric loss spectra suggests that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures. The frequency-dependent electrical data are analyzed in the framework of conductivity and modulus formalisms. The frequency-dependent conductivity spectra obey the power law.     

Novel attributes of AlGaN/AlN/GaN/SiC HEMTs with the multiple indented channel

In this paper, a high performance AlGaN/AlN/GaN/SiC High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) with the multiple indented channel (MIC-HEMT) is proposed. The main focus of the proposed structure is based on reduction of the space around the gate, stop of the spread of the depletion region around the source–drain, and decrement of the thickness of the channel between the gate and drain. Therefore, the breakdown voltage increases, meanwhile the elimination of the gate depletion layer extension to source/drain decreases the gate–source and gate–drain capacitances. The optimized results reveal that the breakdown voltage and the drain saturation current increase about 178% and 46% compared with a conventional HEMT (C-HEMT), respectively. Therefore, the maximum output power density is improved by factor 4.1 in comparison with conventional one. Also, the cut-off frequency of 25.2 GHz and the maximum oscillation frequency of 92.1 GHz for the MIC-HEMT are obtained compared to 13 GHz and 43 GHz for that of the C-HEMT and the minimum figure noise decreased consequently of reducing the gate–drain and gate–source capacitances by about 42% and 40%, respectively. The proposed MIC-HEMT shows a maximum stable gain (MSG) exceeding 24.1 dB at 3.1 GHz which the greatest gain is yet reported for HEMTs, showing the potential of this device for high power RF applications.     

Characterization of TiN thin films grown by low-frequency (60 Hz) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The characteristics of TiN thin films grown on glass substrates by very low frequency (60 Hz) PECVD were investigated along with the reactive plasma generated using a 60 Hz power source. The TiN film depositions were performed using a gaseous mixture of H₂, N₂ and TiCl₄ onto a substrate positioned between two electrodes using a floating substrate holder with a heating unit. The substrate is electrically floated to avoid sample damages due to ion bombardment. As-grown TiN films showed a NaCl-type fcc structure with a (200) crystallographic plane, low resistivity (～60 μΩ cm) and gold-like color. Crystallinity was improved, impurities such as O and Cl were reduced, and the atomic ratio of N/Ti became stoichiometric with the increase of substrate temperature. Particularly, no chlorine component was detected above 500 °C. Also, the N₂ partial pressure strongly affected the deposition rate and ratio of N/Ti. Otherwise, impurities and crystallinity barely changed with the change of N₂ pressure. The atomic ratio of N/Ti, impurities, and crystallinity of the films significantly affected the optical and electrical properties. Consequently, we produced stoichiometric Cl-free TiN films with golden color above 500 °C at 60 mTorr. The effects of temperature played an important role in controlling the film properties compared to the N₂ partial pressure.     

Numerical simulation of ultrasonic enhancement on mass transfer in liquid–solid reaction by a new computational model

Mass transfer coefficient is an important parameter in the process of mass transfer. It can reflect the degree of enhancement of mass transfer process in liquid–solid reaction and in non-reactive systems like dissolution and leaching, and further verify the issues by experiments in the reaction process. In the present paper, a new computational model quantitatively solving ultrasonic enhancement on mass transfer coefficient in liquid–solid reaction is established, and the mass transfer coefficient on silicon surface with a transducer at frequencies of 40 kHz, 60 kHz, 80 kHz and 100 kHz has been numerically simulated. The simulation results indicate that mass transfer coefficient increases with the increasing of ultrasound power, and the maximum value of mass transfer coefficient is 1.467 × 10⁻⁴ m/s at 60 kHz and the minimum is 1.310 × 10⁻⁴ m/s at 80 kHz in the condition when ultrasound power is 50 W (the mass transfer coefficient is 2.384 × 10⁻⁵ m/s without ultrasound). The extrinsic factors such as temperature and transducer diameter and distance between reactor and ultrasound source also influence the mass transfer coefficient on silicon surface. Mass transfer coefficient increases with the increasing temperature, with the decreasing distance between silicon and central position, with the decreasing of transducer diameter, and with the decreasing of distance between reactor and ultrasound source at the same ultrasonic power and frequency. The simulation results indicate that the computational model can quantitatively solve the ultrasonic enhancement on mass transfer coefficient.     

Influence of rapid thermal annealing on electrical and structural properties of double metal structure Au/Ni/n-InP (1 1 1) diodes

The effect of rapid thermal annealing on the electrical and structural properties of Ni/Au Schottky contacts on n-InP have been investigated by current–voltage (I–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V), auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The Au/Ni/n-InP Schottky contacts are rapid thermally annealed in the temperature range of 200–500 °C for a duration of 1 min. The Schottky barrier height of as-deposited Ni/Au Schottky contact has been found to be 0.50 eV (I–V) and 0.86 eV (C–V), respectively. It has been found that the Schottky barrier height decreased with increasing annealing temperature as compared to as-deposited sample. The barrier height values obtained are 0.43 eV (I–V), 0.72 eV (C–V) for the samples annealed at 200 °C, 0.45 eV (I–V) and 0.73 eV (C–V) for those at 400 °C. Further increase in annealing temperature to 500 °C the barrier height slightly increased to 0.46 eV (I–V) and 0.78 eV (C–V) compared to the values obtained for the samples annealed at 200 °C and 400 °C. AES and XRD studies showed the formation of indium phases at the Ni/Au and InP interface and may be the reason for the increase in barrier height. The AFM results showed that there is no significant degradation in the surface morphology (rms roughness of 1.56 nm) of the contact even after annealing at 500 °C.     

Nitrogen fixed into HNO3 by pulsed high voltage discharge

By applying pulsed high voltage discharge to a needle-mesh reactor that using seven acupuncture needles as discharge electrode and stainless steel wire mesh as ground electrode, nitrogen from bubbling gas could be fixed into NO₂^? and NO₃^? with equivalent mol H⁺ produced in the liquid phase and a small amount of NO and NO₂ yielded in the gas phase. The HNO₂ was originally formed and then converted into HNO₃. The ·OH and H₂O₂ stimulated the conversion reaction from HNO₂ to HNO₃, which caused HNO₂ concentration increased in the first 12 min and then decreased until lower than its detection limit. The concentration of HNO₃ still increased with discharge time. After 36 min, HNO₃ was the only and ultimate product in the liquid. The total yield of HNO₂ and HNO₃ could be affected by processing parameters such as electric factors of peak voltage and frequency, mesh size of ground electrode and content of nitrogen in N₂/O₂ bubbling. Increasing peak voltage or frequency, the total yield of HNO₂ and HNO₃ increased. Gas composition had a heavy impact on the fixation efficiency that obtained its maximum value at an oxygen content of 66.7% with bubbling O₂/N₂ gas. At the end of the 36 min discharge, the HNO₃ concentration with bubbling air was 2.215 mmol L^?1 at an applied voltage of 25 kV, pulse repetition frequency of 140 Hz and ground electrode mesh of 20 × 20. The energy yield was about 1.22 g (HNO₃)/kWh.