Fourier Analysis of Serial Dependence Measures

Classical spectral analysis is based on the discrete Fourier transform of the autocovariances. In this article we investigate the asymptotic properties of new frequency‐domain methods where the autocovariances in the spectral density are replaced by alternative dependence measures that can be estimated by U‐statistics. An interesting example is given by Kendall's τ, for which the limiting variance exhibits a surprising behavior.     

Switchable Plasmonic Metasurface Utilizing the Electro-Optic Kerr Effect of a Blue Phase Liquid Crystal

A switchable metasurface composed of plasmonic split ring resonators and a polymer-stabilized liquid crystal blue phase is developed. Owing to field-induced birefringence (electro-optic Kerr effect), the state of polarization of the incident near infrared radiation changes, when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal. Thus, different resonant modes of the split ring resonators can be addressed and the transmission spectrum changes accordingly. In comparison with other liquid crystal phases, blue phases have several advantages. For example, they are optically isotropic in the field-off state, so that no alignment layer is required. The results of the present study indicate that the advantages of these mesophases can be utilized for switchable metasurfaces.     

Hierarchical opacity optimization for sets of 3D line fields

The selection of meaningful lines for 3D line data visualization has been intensively researched in recent years. Most approaches focus on single line fields where one line passes through each domain point. This paper presents a selection approach for sets of line fields which is based on a global optimization of the opacity of candidate lines. For this, existing approaches for single line fields are modified such that significantly larger amounts of line representatives are handled. Furthermore, time coherence is addressed for animations, making this the first approach that solves the line selection problem for 3D time‐dependent flow. We apply our technique to visualize dense sets of pathlines, sets of magnetic field lines, and animated sets of pathlines, streaklines and masslines.     

Measurement of CH4-concentration in HMDSO-containing process plasmas by quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy

For thin film deposition or plasma etching often organic precursors are used in the process plasma and related transient species are formed. In general it is not possible to measure the converted quantity of these precursors directly. In the present work we have used a special laser absorption spectroscopy to investigate characteristic molecular lines in the plasma to determine the concentration of stable organic molecules. Quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) is a rather new technique for the precise measurement of absolute molecule concentrations. QCL’s can be operated at room temperature. They emit light within the mid infrared and have similar spectroscopic characteristics to Tunable Diode Lasers (TDL). The commercially available system Q-MACS (Quantum Cascade Laser Measurement and Control System) offers a solid platform for the measurement of absolute molecule concentrations in plasmas and gas mixtures. The used Q-MACS is due to its laser characteristics particularly well suitable for determination of the concentrations of acetylene and methane. Molecular concentrations of methane were measured in hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) containing plasmas, too. The methane concentration was found to depend on rf power and HMDSO flow.     

Characterization of polymer inks for drop-on-demand printing systems

This paper presents a detailed study on the properties of different polymer inks based on poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene)/polystyrenesulfonate regarding their processability in an experimental piezo driven drop-on-demand (DoD) micro-feeding system. Based on the rheological properties of the used inks and the mechanical properties of the printing system characteristic values are derived which allow to predict the processability of polymer inks in a given printing system. Beside the printability the influence of different polymer inks on the electrical characteristics of printed organic field effect transistors is investigated.     

Spatially resolved thermal probe measurement for the investigation of the energy influx in an rf-plasma

The total energy influx for a typical radiofrequency process plasma has been measured by means of a simple thermal probe. The procedure is based on the measurement of temporal slope of the substrate temperature during the plasma process. A substrate dummy which is thermally isolated and inserted into the plasma at substrate position served as thermal probe. It can be moved in vertical and horizontal directions in order to measure the different energy influxes and their topology in the reactor vessel. The knowledge of the spatial distribution is important for coating or sputtering processes.Different contributions to the total energy influx can be identified by different orientation of the thermal probe. If the thermal probe is orientated to the rf-electrode (“down”) the energy influx is much higher than in the opposite direction. This difference can be explained by an additional influx due to the secondary electron emission from the powered rf-electrode.     

Simple new formulae for efficiency and mean temperature difference in heat echangers

The well-known formulae for efficiency and mean temperature difference of a heat exchanger as functions of its numbers of transfer units, or dimensionless lengths, can be written in a more compact form by introducing the auxiliary function φ(x) = x/(1 – e^?x). The resulting new formulae show a number of advantages: They are shorter, easier to memorize, and in many cases the limiting values can be seen more directly. They may therefore contribute to easier and faster heat exchanger design, and to reduced probability of errors in the relevant calculations.