The band formula for A.N. Krylov’s problem

A new formula for solving the Krylov problem on the basis of band matrices is proposed. Properties of the obtained formula are studied for problems of analysis and synthesis of linear controlled systems.     

Impact of Preferential P-Diffusion Along the Grain Boundaries on Fine-Grained Polysilicon Solar Cells

Thin-film polysilicon solar cells are a promising low-cost alternative for bulk silicon solar cells due to their reduced material thickness. Recently, we showed that the use of an amorphous silicon/polycrystalline silicon heterojunction emitter instead of a diffused homojunction emitter led to a boost in the open-circuit voltage by 90 mV. Now, we present a full evidence that shows that this improvement is related to the absence of dopant smearing along the grain boundaries. By using scanning spreading resistance microscopy, we found an enlargement of the junction area by a factor of five in case of a homojunction. The tips of the dopant spikes represent lowly doped areas with an enhanced recombination.     

An Estimate of the Effective Size of a Normal Probe's Piezoelectric Plate

The directivity characteristic of a normal probe with a circular piezoelectric plate has been calculated with allowance for pressure (elastic stress) oscillations within both the excitation region (the surface of the electrodes applied to the piezoelectric plate) and the plate itself, whose dimensions exceed those of the excitation region. It is established that, in the first and second cases, the directivity characteristics are somewhat wider and narrower, respectively, than those used in the conventional stepwise approximation of the pressure applied from a transmitting probe to the surface of a tested article. The effective piezoelectric-plate size is estimated.     

An ultrasonic obstacle detector based on phase beamforming principles

A prototype of an ultrasonic obstacle detector developed as a part of a navigation system for blind and visually impaired people is presented. The detector, which employs a single ultrasound source and an array of microphones, determines the distance to the obstacle by measuring time between sending the pulse and receiving the reflected signal. Using the phase beamforming technique, borrowed from hydroacoustics, to process the output signals of microphones, it determines also the direction from which the reflected signal is received, thereby locating the obstacle. The obstacle detector was subjected to a series of tests in order to verify its design and to assess its ability to detect a broad range of obstacles. Presented test results show that most obstacles can be detected and recognized, and that the tested obstacle detector provides complete coverage of the safety zone in front of the user.     

New Multipurpose Plasma Coatings and Their Self Organizing

Results on the development, studying, and practical application of a new class of materials, viz. gradient-layered composites are shown.     

Cobol: perception and reality

The authors list the perceptions they have uncovered and counter them with the reality of Cobol. Some of the perceptions are: Cobol is a mainframe language-it has been available on PCs since their inception; Cobol stopped evolving in the 1970s, stopped growing in popularity in the 1980s, and stopped being used to develop client-server and Web-based applications in the 1990s; and Cobol is not an object-oriented language, when, in fact, it has objects galore