Multi-probe scanning system comprising three laser interferometers and one autocollimator for measuring flat bar mirror profile with nanometer accuracy

This paper describes a multi-probe scanning system comprising three laser interferometers and one autocollimator to measure a flat bar mirror profile with nanometer accuracy. The laser interferometers probe the surface of the flat bar mirror that is fixed on top of a scanning stage, while the autocollimator simultaneously measures the yaw error of the scanning stage. The flat bar mirror profile and horizontal straightness motion error are reconstructed by an application of simultaneous linear equations and least-squares method. Measurement uncertainties of the flat bar mirror profile were numerically evaluated for different installation distances between the laser interferometers. The average measurement uncertainty was found to be only 10 nm with installation distances of 10 and 21 mm between the first and second, and first and third interferometers, respectively. To validate the simulation results, a prototype system was built using an X–Y linear stage driven by a stepper motor with steps of 1 mm along the X direction. Experiments were conducted with fixed interferometers distances of 10 and 21 mm, as in the simulation, on a flat bar mirror with a profile known to an accuracy of λ = 632.8 nm. The average value of two standard deviations (95%) of the profile calculated over ten experiments was approximately 10 nm. Other results from the experiment showed that the system can also measure the yaw and horizontal straightness motion errors successfully at a high horizontal resolution. Comparing with the results measured by ZYGO's interferometer, our measured data excluding some edge points showed agreement to within approximately 10 nm. Therefore, we concluded that our measurement profile has an accuracy in the nanometer range.     

Tracking control for industrial robot using notch filtering system with little phase error

This paper proposes a new method for generation of a position reference that has both vibration suppression performance and fast tracking performance for industrial robots. It is important for industrial robots to drive at high speed and with high accuracy. In such cases, vibration is generated. Conventionally, the notch filter is used in order to reduce vibration. It is able to eliminate the natural frequency component, but a reference phase error is generated. The reference phase error causes locus error in the robot. Therefore, the accuracy of the robot is degraded by using a notch filter. The proposed method overcomes this problem by using the compensation gain. The proposed compensation gain is used in order to calculate the reference phase error. Compensation of the reference phase error is attained by feedforward input. Numerical and the experimental results confirm that the proposed method is valid for reducing vibration phenomena and that it decreases the phase error. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 175(1): 53–63, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20931     

Control of Collection Efficiency for Axial Flow Cyclone Dust Collectors with Fixed Guide Vanes and with Funnel Shaped Exit Pipes

The experimental result of the collection efficiency of the axial flow cyclone with the fixed guide vanes is lowerthan that with the tangential inlet pipe to the cyclone body due to the weak angular momentum transfer given byflowing through the guide vanes.However,one of the interesting points is the control of the collection efficiencydepended on the funnel shaped exit pipes.The collection efficiencies for these funnel shaped exit pipes aredepended on the Froude number.Then,in this paper,the experimental results of the pressure drop and also thecollection efficiency using the fly-ash particles and also the comparison of the calculated results of the collectionefficiency with the experimental results are described in detail.     

Solar to chemical conversion using metal nanoparticle modified microcrystalline silicon thin film photoelectrode

Microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) thin films, which are prospective low-cost semiconductor materials, are used as photoelectrodes for the direct conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. An n-type microcrystalline cubic silicon carbide layer and an intrinsic μc-Si:H layer are deposited on glassy carbon substrates using the hot-wire cat-CVD method. The μc-Si:H electrodes are modified with platinum nanoparticles through electroless displacement deposition. The electrodes produce hydrogen gas and iodine via photoelectrochemical decomposition of hydrogen iodide with no external bias under solar illumination. Surface modification with platinum nanoparticles and surface termination with iodine improve the conversion efficiency.     

The heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of a heat exchanger for recovering latent heat (the heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of the heat exchanger with wing fin)

In recent years the requirement for reduction of energy consumption has been increasing to solve the problems of global warming and the shortage of petroleum resources. A latent heat recovery type heat exchanger is one of the effective methods of improving thermal efficiency by recovering latent heat. This paper described the heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of a latent heat recovery type heat exchanger having a wing fin (fin pitch: 4 mm, fin length: 65 mm). These were clarified by measuring the exchange heat quantity, the pressure loss of heat exchanger, and the heat transfer coefficient between outer fin surface and gas. The effects of condensate behavior in the fins on heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics were clarified. Furthermore, the equations for predicting the heat transfer coefficient and pressure loss which are necessary in the design of the heat exchanger were proposed. ©2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 36(4): 215–229, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20154     

Boiling refrigerant‐type panel cooler (refrigerant circulation and cooling performance)

We have developed a new compact boiling refrigerant type panel cooler. It is a closed two‐phase loop thermosiphon constructed with heat exchanger cores for an automobile air conditioning system. We confirmed higher performance of the natural refrigerant circulation type and tried to optimize the size of the refrigerant path in the boiling core by observing the internal refrigerant flow and successfully achieved much higher cooling performance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(2): 94–105, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20003     

Measurements of induced activity in concrete by secondary particles at forward direction produced by intermediate energy heavy ions on an Fe target

Spallation and neutron capture reaction rate distributions were measured using activation detectors inside a 90-cm thick ordinary concrete pile exposed to a field of secondary particles escaping a thick (stopping length) iron target bombarded with various intermediate energy ions, 230 MeV/u He, 400 MeV/u C, and 800 MeV/u Si. Activation detectors of aluminum, bismuth, gold, and gold covered with cadmium were inserted at various depths in the concrete pile. In addition, the distributions of activation reaction rate were simulated by FLUKA and PHITS Monte-Carlo codes. Generally, comparison of measured and calculated reaction rates show agreement within a factor of two. The experimental data will be useful for benchmarking Monte-Carlo radiation transport simulation code capabilities in estimating radioactivity induced in accelerator radiation shielding.     

Effect of Bi and Ti substitutions for Na and Nb on ferroelectric properties of oriented (Bi4.5+xNa0.5−x)(Ti2xNb2−2x)WO15 compounds

(Bi_4.5+xNa_0.5−x)(Ti_2xNb_2−2x)WO₁₅ (BNTNW) compounds were synthesized and their ferroelectric properties were characterized. The X-ray powder diffraction patterns of the compounds revealed that they have a single phase over the whole composition range. The linear variations of the lattice parameters with composition indicate the formation of solid solutions, resulting in a reduction in the orthorhombicity of the compounds. The remnant polarization of the BNTNW decreased from 8.5 to 5.1 μC/cm² with increasing x, which may be related to the orthorhombicity of the compounds. By using hot forging, an oriented BNTNW compound at x = 0 was obtained. Strong reflections from (0 0 l) were observed for sample // in which the measurement direction is parallel and the orientation factor of such sample was approximately 0.72. A remarkable increase in the remnant polarization (P_r) of the compound was observed for the sample ⊥ in which the direction of applied pressure is perpendicular to the measurement direction; the highest P_r value was 18 μC/cm².     

Ni(2+) and H(2)PO(4)(-) uptake properties of compounds in the CaTiO(3)-CaFeO(2.5) system

A batch method was used to investigate the uptake of heavy metal cations and anions by the compounds in the CaTiO(3)-CaFeO(2.5) system, in which a series of oxygen vacancies was systematically introduced into a perovskite structure as the x-value of Ca(Fe(x)Ti(1-x))O(3-x/2) was increased. Samples of CaTiO(3), CaFe(0.1)Ti(0.9)O(2.95), CaFe(0.5)Ti(0.5)O(2.75), CaFe(0.67)Ti(0.33)O(2.67) and CaFeO(2.5) were prepared by solid mixing (SM), co-precipitation (CP) and gel evaporation (GE) methods. The resulting samples were calcined at temperatures between 400 and 1000 °C. The target crystalline phases differed according to the preparation method, but in most cases were formed at 700-800 °C. The Ni(2+) sorption isotherms of all the samples were fitted better by the Langmuir model than by the Freundlich model, while in the case of H(2)PO(4)(-) sorption isotherms, these were better fitted by the latter model. The uptake ability increased with increasing x value of the samples. The maximum values for the saturated sorption of Ni(2+) (Q(0)(Ni(2+)) = 2.83 mmol/g) and H(2)PO(4)(-) (K(F)(H(2)PO(4)(-)) = 2.95 mmol/g) were achieved for x = 1 (i.e. CaFeO(2.5)) sample.     

Study on the growth of heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide layers in atmospheric-pressure H2-based plasma

The heteroepitaxial growths of cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) layers on Si(001) substrates are studied at a temperature of 800 degrees C in atmospheric-pressure (AP) plasma excited by a 150 MHz, very high-frequency (VHF) power using a porous carbon electrode. The effect of a very large C/Si ratio (-400) of the source molecules on the improvement of crystallinity of the resultant SiC layer is mainly investigated. For this purpose, we utilize the chemical transport of Si induced by AP H2/CH4 plasma instead of using SiH4 as the Si source. The layer crystallinity is characterized using reflection high-energy electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The results show that the SiC layer exhibits the (001) 3C-SiC growth aligned to the Si matrix epitaxially. Although the SiC layer contains a high density of defects originating presumably from anti-phase boundaries and twin boundaries, the layer crystallinity has been considerably improved in comparison with that of the layer grown with C/Si = 10. It is also demonstrated that the moderate dilution of H2 with He leads to a further improvement of the layer crystallinity.