An introduction to GaAs/GaAlAs HBTs for power applications

This paper presents a brief introduction to GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for microwave and millimetre-wave power applications. The theoretical advantages of the heterojunction are outlined and the benefits of its incorporation in DC, RF and power devices are discussed. The problems inherent in the realization of HBTs in terms of device design, epitaxial material growth and device fabrication are discussed and the performance characteristics for practical devices presented. The paper concludes with a look at state-of-the-art GaAs/GaAlAs HBT performance and its standing with respect to the competing technologies of the metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) and the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT).     

Impact fracture toughness tests on polymers

A series of impact tests are described in which the plane strain fracture toughness, K_c1, of five different polymers is measured using a three point bend specimen at striker speeds up to 5m/s. At low speeds K_c1 is determined using the maximum load and a static analysis, but at speeds greater than 1 m/s the dynamic effects render the load signal unusable. For the higher speeds the fracture is timed using contact and crack propagation gages and the analysis is performed using the striker displacement at fracture. A dynamic analysis is used to convert this measurement to the true specimen displacement and K_c1 is determined from this. The apparent downward trends in the K_c1 results obtained, especially at speeds above 3m/s, are discussed.     

On finite volterra series which admit hamiltonian realizations

In this paper we give necessary and sufficient conditions for a stationary finite Volterra series to have a linear (in the controls) analytic realization, which at the same time has a Hamiltonian structure. The result generalizes that for linear systems, where the condition is that the impulse response should be an odd function, and is expressed as a particular symmetry condition on the Volterra kernals. The relation between this problem and that of the inverse problem in Newtonian mechanics is explored. The finiteness of the Volterra series implies a nilpotence condition on a certain Lie algebra defined by the realization. The additional requirement that the system be Hamiltonian adds further structure to the classical representation of a nilpotent Lie algebra by lower triangular matrices.Work supported in part by the Office of Naval Research, Grant No. N00014-75-C-0648 while the author was on leave in the Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. U.S.A.Work supported in part by S.E.R.C. Grant No. GR/B/9116.7.     

Controllability on principal fibre bundles with compact structure group

In this paper we consider the controllability problem for systems defined on principal fibre bundles, in which the set of associated vector fields is invariant under the action of the structure group, and projects down on to a set of vector fields on the base space. It is shown that if the system is accessible, and the structure group is compact, then the system is controllable if and only if the system is controllable when projected onto the base space. The connection between these systems and systems admitting symmetries generated by free and proper group actions is described, and various examples are given relating to systems on homogeneous spaces.     

Spacecraft attitude control and stabilization: Applications of geometric control theory to rigid body models

In this paper, we study the attitude control problem for spacecraft with gas jet or momentum exchange actuators, using the recent nonlinear geometric control theory. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for controllability of the system in the case that the gas jet actuators yield one, two, or three independent torques. In the case of momentum exchange devices, controllability is studied with three independent actuators, and controllability is shown to be impossible with fewer devices. The former conditions with gas jet actuators are presented in three equivalent ways, and an equivalence is established with an earlier condition by Baillieul. The local controllability problem is also studied in the case of gas jet actuators yielding two independent torques. Using these results, an algorithm stabilizing the controllable system around an equilibrium state and trajectory is outlined, as proposed by Hermes. In the situations considered, however, the linearized systems are not controllable.     

Cloning and localization of RPE65 mRNA in salamander cone photoreceptor cells1

RPE65 is a potential retinoid-processing protein expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium. Mutations in the RPE65 gene have been shown to cause certain inherited retinal dystrophies. Previous studies have shown that salamander cone photoreceptor cells have a unique retinoid processing mechanism which is distinct from that of rods. To determine whether RPE65 is expressed in photoreceptors, the RPE65 cDNA was cloned from a salamander retinal cDNA library. The deduced protein consists of 533 amino acids and is 85% identical to human and bovine RPE65. The RPE65 mRNA was detected in all of the single cone cells isolated from the salamander retina, as well as in the retinal pigment epithelium by RT-PCR, but not in the isolated rods. The RT-PCR products have been confirmed to be RPE65 by DNA sequencing. The results indicate that this potential retinoid processing protein is expressed in the cone photoreceptor cells but not in rods. Therefore, this protein may contribute to the unique retinoid processing capabilities in salamander cones.     

Predictors of outcome following severe head trauma: follow-up data from the Traumatic Coma Data Bank

Outcome as a function of employment status or return to school was evaluated in severely head-injured patients. A priori we selected the most salient demographic, physiological, neuropsychological and psychosocial outcome predictors with the aim of identifying which of there variables captured at baseline or 6 months would best predict employability at 6 or 12 months. Based on the patients evaluated at 6 months, 18% of former workers had returned to gainful employment and 62% of former students had returned to school. For those not back to work or school at 6 months, 31% of the former workers and 66% of the former students had returned by 12 months. Age, length of coma, speed for both attending and motor movements, spatial integration, and intact vocabulary were all significantly related to returning to work or school. The three most potent predictors for returning to work or school were intactness of the patient's verbal intellectual power, speed of information processing and age.     

Uncertainty in octanol-water partition coefficient: implications for risk assessment and remedial costs

The assessment of human health and ecological risks at chemically contaminated sites often includesthe use of models to assess chemical transport, fate, and exposure/toxicity. These models require input data on a variety of physical and chemical properties for each compound of concern. Small changes in some of these parameters may result in significant differences in estimated human health or ecological risks and in the extent of required remediation efforts. The octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) for hydrophobic organic compounds is one such parameter, particularly because it is often used to estimate additional partitioning and bioaccumulation parameters. Unfortunately, there is considerable variability among tabulated Kow values for many compounds of concern. This paper assesses the implications of using various values of Kow to calculate health-protective polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) sediment quality objectives (SQOs) in a case study using a simplified food chain model and the range of Kow values available from or recommended by the U. S. EPA. For the site and Kow values considered in this study, which are a snapshot of values available in the spring of 2004, the SQOs differ by as much as a factor of 5. This range of SQOs is estimated to correspond to a difference in remediation costs of $48 million.     

Properties of GaN grown on sapphire substrates

Epitaxial growth of GaN on sapphire substrates using an open-tube growth furnace has been carried out to study the effects of substrate orientation and transfer gas upon the properties of the layers. It has been found that for the (0001) substrates, surface appearance was virtually independent of carrier gas and of doping levels. For the (1 ¯102) substrates surface faceting was greatly reduced when He was used as a transfer gas as opposed to H₂. Faceting was also reduced when the GaN was doped with Zn and the best surfaces for the (1 ¯102) substrates were obtained in a Zn-doped run using He as the transfer gas. The best sample in terms of electrical properties for the (1¯102) substrate had a mobility greater than 400 cm² V^–1 sec^–1 and a carrier concentration of about 2 × 10¹⁷ cm^–3. This sample was undoped and used He as the transfer gas. The best (0001) sample was also grown undoped with He as the transfer gas and had a mobility of 300cm²V^–1 sec^–1 and a carrier concentration of 1 × 10¹⁸ cm^–3.