Study of metal assisted anisotropic chemical etching of silicon for high aspect ratio in crystalline silicon solar cells

Textured surface is commonly used to enhance the efficiency of silicon solar cells by reducing the overall reflectance and improving the light scattering. In this study, a comparison between isotropic and anisotropic etching methods was investigated. The deep funnel shaped structures with high aspect ratio are proposed for better light trapping with low reflectance in crystalline silicon solar cells. The anisotropic metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) was used to form the funnel shaped structures with various aspect ratios. The funnel shaped structures showed an average reflectance of 14.75% while it was 15.77% for the pillar shaped structures. The average reflectance was further reduced to 9.49% using deep funnel shaped structures with an aspect ratio of 1:1.18. The deep funnel shaped structures with high aspect ratios can be employed for high performance of crystalline silicon solar cells.     

Nature of heterophase inclusions in high-purity optical fiber materials as studied with 3D laser ultramicroscopy

3D laser ultramicroscopy (3D LUM) is intended specially for determining the concentration and size distribution of submicron inclusions in the bulk samples of high-purity materials for visible and IR fiber optics. In this work the 3D LUM technique is shown to be able to identify the nature of individual inclusions detected. The measurement of the light scattered by an inclusion at a varied probe beam wavelength and polarization and at a varied scattered light collection angle makes it possible to determine the inclusion refractive index. The 3D LUM possibilities are illustrated by the example of studying the inclusion nature in the As₂S₃ glass samples prepared by the direct synthesis from elements in a quartz container at elevated temperatures.     

求解二维结构-声耦合问题的一种直接方法

本文基于传递矩阵法(TMM)和虚拟边界元法(VBEM)，提出了一种求解在谐激励作用下二维结构-声耦合问题的直接法。文中对任意形状的二维弹性环建立了一阶非齐次运动微分方程组，便于用齐次扩容精细积分法求解，对于含有任意形状孔穴的无穷域流体介质的Helmholtz外问题，采用复数形式的Burton-Miller型组合层势法建立了虚拟边界元方程，保证了声压在全波数域内存在唯一解。根据叠加原理并结合最小二乘法，提出了一种耦合方程的直接解法，由于该方法不存在迭代过程，因而具有较高的计算精度和效率。文中给出了二个典型弹性环在集中谐激励力作用下声辐射算例，计算结果表明本文方法较通常采用的混合FE／BE法更为有效。     

复合材料手动扫描超声特征成像检测

研究了复合材料手动扫描超声特征成像检测，通过对超声检测信号的全波列采集与处理，实现了A，B，C扫描成像；相位特征成像；当量特征成像；超声层析技术和超声频谱分析技术。该系统已经在复合材料的检测上得到了良好的应用。     

Profiling Voids Embedded in a Slab by a Non-Linear Model

In this paper, by applying a non linear model for the electromagnetic inverse scattering, a technique for the dielectric profiling of a planarly layered medium is investigated and applied to void localization and diagnostics inside a homogeneous lossless slab (one-dimensional geometry). Data are collected under plane wave multifrequency normal incidence. Suitable finite dimensional representations for the unknown functions are introduced and their influence on the model is discussed. The resulting functional equation is solved by the method of weighted residuals and the solution algorithm amounts to minimizing a non quadratic function, where particular attention is devoted to reduce the occurrence of local minima. Finally, the inversion algorithm is validated by applications to both simulated and experimental data.     

Growth Stresses in the Oxide Scales on TiAl Alloys at 800 and 900°C

In the oxidation of TiAl alloys, the role of scale-growth stresses formed during oxidation has, thus far, been unknown. In the present paper the oxide-growth stresses were investigated by the deflection-test method in monofacial oxidation (DTMO) accompanied by acoustic-emission measurements. On unmodified surfaces the growth stresses are compressive and reach levels of around –100 MPa. At the same time, significant acoustic emission occurs indicating that even under isothermal conditions, stresses are relieved by a scale-cracking mechanism. For oxide scales on TiAl surfaces, which had been ion implanted with chlorine before oxidation, a very thin protective alumina layer is formed which, however, develops growth stresses in the range of several GPa, accompanied by intensive acoustic emission. In all stress–time curves, a dynamic situation is observed. This consists of phases of stress relief by scale microcracking and phases of stresses increase due to crack healing and further oxide growth. As a result, the level of stress as a function of oxidation time, is characterized by an oscillating course.     

Acoustic emission method for research and control of friction pairs

One of the new physical methods that provides much information about the processes going on in a friction contact zone in real time is acoustic emission (AE). Basic experimental results of AE in friction are presented and analysed. Using AE signals we can get an indication about the state of the friction processes, about the quality of solid and liquid layers on the contacting surfaces in real time, sometimes about intensity of wear, changing of wear and friction regimes and so on. The influence of sliding velocity, load, roughness and some physical and mechanical properties of the body on the parameters of AE are also given. Some attention to the practical implementation of these techniques for control of capability for work of friction pairs in real conditions are given. Modern methods and devices enable condition monitoring of sliding and rolling bearings.     

A versatile data acquisition system for time resolved X-ray scattering using gas proportional detectors with delay line readout

A data acquisition system for time resolved X-ray scattering experiments using linear, quadrant or area gas proportional detectors with delay line readout based on commercially available hardware (National Instruments) is described. The system can easily be configured for recording data from point detectors (e.g. photomultipliers and photodiodes) and/or ancillary data only. Applications involving measurements with two different types of time to digital converters illustrate the features and performances of the system.     

Assessing organo-clay dispersion in polymer layered silicate nanocomposites: A SAXS approach

A SAXS method for the quantitative assessment of the morphology of polymer layered silicate nanocomposites is proposed. Fitting the SAXS patterns, the number of clay layers, the periodicity of the layers in the tactoids, the thickness of the regions interposed between the clay platelets and their distributions can be measured. A good agreement with TEM data was obtained, avoiding the inconsistencies with microscopical observations often reported in the literature.     

A small-angle X-ray scattering study of powder compaction

This work demonstrated a novel and potentially important application of two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering (2D-SAXS) to investigate powder compaction. SAXS from powder compacts of three materials commonly used for pharmaceutical tabletting exhibited azimuthal variations, with stronger intensity in the direction of the applied compaction force, relative to the transverse direction. This implied that compaction of a (macroscopic) powder could also produce changes on the molecular (nanometre) scale, which can be probed by 2D-SAXS. Two possible explanations for this effect were suggested. A combination of anisometric (i.e. elongated or flattened) granules with anisotropic morphologies could result in azimuthal variation in X-ray scattering due to granule orientation. It is expected that this mechanism would require relatively low packing density, so may operate during die filling. Granule re-orientation appeared less likely at higher packing densities and compaction pressures, however. Under these conditions, the changes in the 2D-SAXS patterns would be consistent with the powder granules becoming relatively flattened in the compression direction, with corresponding changes in their nano-scale morphology. The magnitude of this effect was found to vary between the materials used and increased with compaction pressure. This suggested that 2D-SAXS studies could provide useful information on force-transmission within a compressed powder. Further analysis of the data also suggested differences in the compaction mechanisms (i.e. granule re-orientation, deformation or fragmentation) between the materials studied.