Breakdown Model Research Articles

Memristor compact model with oxygen vacancy concentrations as state variables

We present a unique compact model for oxide memristors based upon the concentration of oxygen vacancies as state variables. In this model, the increase (decrease) in oxygen vacancy concentration is similar in effect to the reduction (expansion) of the tunnel gap used as a state variable in existing compact models, providing a mechanism for the electronic current to increase (decrease) based upon the polarity of the applied voltage. Rate equations defining the dynamics of state variables are obtained from simplifications of a recent paper in which electronic processes (i.e., electron capture/emission) were combined with atomic processes (i.e., Frenkel-pair generation/recombination, diffusion) stemming from the thermochemical model of dielectric breakdown. Central to the proposed model is the effect of the electron occupancy of oxygen vacancy traps on resistive switching dynamics. The electronic current is calculated considering Ohmic, band-to-band, and bound-to-band contributions. The model includes uniform self-heating with Joule heating and conductive loss terms. The model is calibrated using experimental current–voltage characteristics for HfO2 memristors with different electrode materials. Though a general model is presented, a delta-shaped density of states profile for oxygen vacancies is found capable of accurately representing experimental data while providing a minimal description of bound-to-band transitions. The model is implemented in Verilog-A and tested using read/write operations in a 4×4 1T1R nonvolatile memory array to evaluate its ability to perform circuit simulations of practical interest. A particular benefit is that the model does not make strong assumptions regarding filament geometry of which scant experimental-evidence exists to support.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF M|M|1 and M|M|C MODELS FOR B2C WITH SUPPLY CHAIN PROCESS

With the emerging technology of electronic commerce, most of the business companies positively tend to offer services to their clients dealing in B2C e-commerce. We pro- posed four models for business to consumer (B2C) with supply chain management. First two models are M |M |1 with and without server breakdown and other models are M |M |C with and without server breakdown. During service when the server breakdown, the re- pairing process of the server begins immediately. During repair period the server serves the customer with slow rate and service period follows exponential distribution. Then numerical results are also illustrated various system performances are calculated

Economic impact of quality inspection in manufacturing: A proposal for a novel cost modeling

Designing suitable quality inspections is a significant issue for manufacturing companies. In particular, performing an economic evaluation of alternative inspections is key for choosing the most appropriate, especially in the field of low-volume productions. This paper presents a cost breakdown model for assessing the economic performance of quality inspections with the aim to support designers in early inspection design phases. Unlike the main cost models developed in the scientific literature that only consider cost components related to the production process, the proposed model integrates production costs with the main cost drivers involved in the product quality-related steps, including inspection activities, pre- and after-sales reworks and unnecessary repairs due to inspection errors. Moreover, a novel performance measure providing a snapshot of profitability of product inspections – the Return On Investment of Inspections (ROII) – is presented. An application case in metal Additive Manufacturing is proposed to demonstrate the practical relevance of the model.

Numerical Simulation of the Lightning Leader Development and Upward Leader Initiation for Rotating Wind Turbine

Lightning accidents seriously threaten safe operation of wind turbines because the influence mechanisms of wind turbine rotation on corona and upward leader initiation are, so far, not clear. A three-dimensional stochastic evolution model of the lightning downward leader was established by combining the dielectric breakdown model and the lightning current shunt method, according to which the charge density distribution of leader branches was determined. The corona and leader initiation mechanisms of rotating wind turbine were studied based on the 3D drift and diffusion model of ion flow in the neighboring space of a rotating wind turbine. The results show that due to blade rotation, the charged particles are unevenly distributed near the blade tip and the contours are in a strip-like shape. As the rotating speed increases, the blade tip is more susceptible to initiating corona discharge. Combining the three-dimensional stochastic development model of the lightning downward leader and ion distribution model near a rotating wind turbine, the initiation direction of the upward leader was analyzed, and in 66% of cases, the initiation direction of the upward leader on the blade tip was on the back side of the blade rotation.

Influence of rate of voltage rise on positive leader inception in long-air-gap discharge

Positive leader inception under different rates of voltage rise is a key element in physical modeling of dielectric breakdown of long air gaps and evolution of natural lightning. The leader inception phase comes first in long-air-gap discharge, including first corona, primary dark period, and second corona, which is also called “leader corona,” portending leader inception. The Les Renardières Group has stated that the primary dark period is determined by the electrode curvature, based on which no leader inception model currently in use considers the influence of the rate of the applied voltage. To determine whether that assertion is true, an experimental scheme is designed so that impulse voltages can be applied with a large range of rise rates. With an increasing rate of voltage rise, the test results clearly show the following: (i) the curves relating the injected charge and inception voltage of the first corona present regular differences; (ii) the duration of the primary dark period decreases exponentially; (iii) the leader inception voltage and the difference between the leader and first-corona inception voltages present decreasing trends. These findings indicate that the formation of the dark period is related to more than just the electrode curvature, which is just one cause but may not be the essential reason for the dark period. The present findings suggest that the rate at which the applied voltage rises impacts the physical process of the streamer-to-leader transition during the dark period.

Dielectric strength of noble and quenched gases for high pressure time projection chambers

Dielectric breakdown strength is one of the critical performance metrics for pure gases and gas mixtures used in large, high pressure gas time projection chambers. In this paper we experimentally study dielectric breakdown strengths of several important time projection chamber working gases and gas-phase insulators over the pressure range 100 mbar to 10 bar, and gap sizes ranging from 0.1 to 10 mm. Gases characterized include argon, xenon, CO_2, CF_4, and mixtures 90-10 argon-CH_4, 90-10 argon-CO_2 and 99-1 argon-CF_4. We develop a theoretical model for high voltage breakdown based on microphysical simulations that use PyBoltz electron swarm Monte Carlo results as input to Townsend- and Meek-like discharge criteria. This model is shown to be highly predictive at high pressure, out-performing traditional Paschen–Townsend and Meek–Raether models significantly. At lower pressure-times-distance, the Townsend-like model is an excellent description for noble gases whereas the Meek-like model provides a highly accurate prediction for insulating gases.

Breakdown of Synthetic Air Under Nanosecond Pulsed Voltages in Quasi-Uniform Electric Fields

The electrical breakdown of synthetic air under ultrashort high-voltage pulses (50 ns duration), as well as slowly increasing ("DC") voltages, is experimentally studied in a well-defined quasi-uniform electrode configuration (sphere–plane). The electrode spacing is varied from 0.1 to 1 mm, and the gas pressure is varied from 1.5 to 8 bar. The study’s goal is to provide experimental data to develop breakdown models that predict the breakdown probability of small gas gaps under arbitrary voltage excitations. In particular, this analysis is intended for applications where statistical and formative time lags need to be considered, such as nanosecond pulsed ignition or partial discharges in inverter-fed motors. The influence of the electrode material and the presence of UV illumination are investigated for both DC and pulsed voltages. The results highlight the important role of seed electron provision for breakdown under short transient voltages. Evidence for a field-assisted emission of seed electrons with a pressure-dependent onset field is found from time lag measurements. An empirical expression is derived based on the Fowler–Nordheim formula to quantify the seed electron generation rate. The expected dependence of the breakdown threshold on the cathode material (work function) was confirmed for breakdown under slowly increasing voltages (Townsend mechanism). Interestingly, a dependence of the breakdown voltage was also found for nanosecond pulsed voltages (dominated by the streamer mechanism). This suggests that the field emission of electrons from the cathode is the dominant source of seed electrons in large cathode electric fields.

Transient Analysis of Differentiated Breakdown Model

The single server queueing system is investigated. When the system is idle or while serving a customer, it fails at random. System failure is classified into two types: hard failure and soft failure. Hard failure usually necessitates the repairman's physical presence and takes a long time. Soft failure, on the other hand, takes less time because the system can be restored to operation by simply rebooting it. When the system is being repaired, the server is forced to take a vacation and the repair process begins immediately. The model's transient state probabilities are derived and using the final value theorem of the Laplace transform, steady state probabilities are derived from transient state probabilities. Finally, numerical illustrations are provided to demonstrate the system's behaviour as the parameters' values are varied.

Point defect model for passivity breakdown on hyper-duplex stainless steel 2707 in solutions containing bromide at different temperatures

Passivity breakdown on HDSS 2707 has been studied and the electrochemical data are interpreted in terms of the Point Defect Model. Pitting parameters of HDSS 2707 are determined, including the polarizability at bl/s interface, the defect annihilation rate, and the defect diffusion coefficient. The breakdown potential is demonstrated to be linearly related to log [Br-], pH, and the square root of potential scan rate (v1/2), and follows a near-normal distribution. The critical vacancy concentration calculated from the PDM is consistent with that estimated crystallographically from the chromic barrier layer, and the dominant point defect is further confirmed by Mott-Schottky measurements.

Electrostatic Conditions That Produce Fast Breakdown in Thunderstorms

AbstractFast breakdown (FB), a breakdown process composed of systems of high‐velocity streamers, has been observed to precede lightning leader formation and play a critical role in lightning initiation. Vigorous FB events are responsible for the most powerful natural radio emissions on Earth, known as narrow bipolar events (NBEs). In this paper, an improved version of the Griffiths and Phelps (1976, https://doi.org/10.1029/jc081i021p03671) model of streamer breakdown is used alongside supervised machine learning techniques to probe the required electric fields and potentials inside thunderstorms to produce FB and NBEs. Our results show that the electrostatic conditions needed to produce FB observed in New Mexico at 9 km altitude and FB in Florida at 14 km altitude are about the same, each requiring about 100 MV potential difference to propagate 500 m. Additionally, the model illustrates how electric field enhancement ahead of propagating FB can initiate rebounding FB of the opposite polarity.

SPICE Simulation of RRAM-Based Cross-Point Arrays Using the Dynamic Memdiode Model

We thoroughly investigate the performance of the Dynamic Memdiode Model (DMM) when used for simulating the synaptic weights in large RRAM-based cross-point arrays (CPA) intended for neuromorphic computing. The DMM is in line with Prof. Chua’s memristive devices theory, in which the hysteresis phenomenon in electroformed metal-insulator-metal structures is represented by means of two coupled equations: one equation for the current-voltage characteristic of the device based on an extension of the quantum point-contact (QPC) model for dielectric breakdown and a second equation for the memory state, responsible for keeping track of the previous history of the device. By considering ex-situ training of the CPA aimed at classifying the handwritten characters of the MNIST database, we evaluate the performance of a Write-Verify iterative scheme for setting the crosspoint conductances to their target values. The total programming time, the programming error, and the inference accuracy obtained with such writing scheme are investigated in depth. The role played by parasitic components such as the line resistance as well as some CPA’s particular features like the dynamical range of the memdiodes are discussed. The interrelationship between the frequency and amplitude values of the write pulses is explored in detail. In addition, the effect of the resistance shift for the case of a CPA programmed with no errors is studied for a variety of input signals, providing a design guideline for selecting the appropriate pulse’s amplitude and frequency.

On the Diffuse Interface Models for High Codimension Dispersed Inclusions

Diffuse interface models are widely used to describe the evolution of multi-phase systems of various natures. Dispersed inclusions described by these models are usually three-dimensional (3D) objects characterized by phase field distribution. When employed to describe elastic fracture evolution, the dispersed phase elements are effectively two-dimensional (2D) objects. An example of the model with effectively one-dimensional (1D) dispersed inclusions is a phase field model for electric breakdown in solids. Any diffuse interface field model is defined by an appropriate free energy functional, which depends on a phase field and its derivatives. In this work we show that codimension of the dispersed inclusions significantly restricts the functional dependency of the free energy on the derivatives of the problem state variables. It is shown that to describe codimension 2 diffuse objects, the free energy of the model necessarily depends on higher order derivatives of the phase field or needs an additional smoothness of the solution, i.e., its first derivatives should be integrable with a power greater than two. Numerical experiments are presented to support our theoretical discussion.

Illumination Dependence of Reverse Leakage Current in Silicon Solar Cells

In the modeling of PV modules under shading and low illumination, a complete description of reverse bias behavior at the cell level is critical to understanding module response. This is particularly important when dealing with high voltage configurations such as tandem and shingled modules. Current simulation studies often do not account for the effects of incident light when dealing with operating voltages approaching cell breakdown. In this article, we investigate the illumination dependence of leakage current at the onset of breakdown in crystalline silicon solar cells. A study of the most popular cell technologies in the market today reveals a light induced effect under reverse bias that is prominent for p-type and small for n-type cells. Additionally, this effect is found to be larger in mono c-Si than multi c-Si cells. Because this phenomenon is not captured in current breakdown models such as Bishop's equation, we propose a split-cell model to describe partial shading in p-type cells. The outlined approach divides the cell into two parallel regions and is advantageous for its procedural simplicity as well as its ability to generalize effects from complex shading profiles.

Noise and Breakdown Characterization of SPAD Detectors with Time-Gated Photon-Counting Operation.

Being ready-to-detect over a certain portion of time makes the time-gated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) an attractive candidate for low-noise photon-counting applications. A careful SPAD noise and performance characterization, however, is critical to avoid time-consuming experimental optimization and redesign iterations for such applications. Here, we present an extensive empirical study of the breakdown voltage, as well as the dark-count and afterpulsing noise mechanisms for a fully integrated time-gated SPAD detector in 0.35-m CMOS based on experimental data acquired in a dark condition. An “effective” SPAD breakdown voltage is introduced to enable efficient characterization and modeling of the dark-count and afterpulsing probabilities with respect to the excess bias voltage and the gating duration time. The presented breakdown and noise models will allow for accurate modeling and optimization of SPAD-based detector designs, where the SPAD noise can impose severe trade-offs with speed and sensitivity as is shown via an example.

High performance floating self-excited sliding triboelectric nanogenerator for micro mechanical energy harvesting

Non-contact triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) enabled for both high conversion efficiency and durability is appropriate to harvest random micro energy owing to the advantage of low driving force. However, the low output (<10 μC m−2) of non-contact TENG caused by the drastic charge decay limits its application. Here, we propose a floating self-excited sliding TENG (FSS-TENG) by a self-excited amplification between rotator and stator to achieve self-increased charge density, and the air breakdown model of non-contact TENG is given for a maximum charge density. The charge density up to 71.53 μC m−2 is achieved, 5.46 times as that of the traditional floating TENG. Besides, the high output enables it to continuously power small electronics at 3 m s−1 weak wind. This work provides an effective strategy to address the low output of floating sliding TENG, and can be easily adapted to capture the varied micro mechanical energies anywhere.

Dynamical rate equation model for femtosecond laser-induced breakdown in dielectrics

Experimental and theoretical studies of laser-induced breakdown in dielectrics provide conflicting conclusions about the possibility to trigger ionization avalanche on the subpicosecond time scale and the relative importance of carrier-impact ionization over field ionization. On the one hand, current models based on a single ionization-rate equation do not account for the gradual heating of the charge carriers, which, for short laser pulses, might not be sufficient to start an avalanche. On the other hand, kinetic models based on microscopic collision probabilities have led to variable outcomes that do not necessarily match experimental observations as a whole. In this paper, we present a rate-equation model that accounts for the avalanche process phenomenologically by using an auxiliary differential equation to track the gradual heating of the charge carriers and define the collisional impact rate dynamically. The computational simplicity of this dynamical rate-equation model offers the flexibility to extract effective values from experimental data. This is demonstrated by matching the experimental scaling trends for the laser-induced damage threshold of several dielectric materials for pulse durations ranging from a few fs to a few ps. Through numerical analysis, we show that the proposed model gives results comparable to those obtained with multiple rate equations and identify potential advantages for the development of large-scale, three-dimensional electromagnetic methods for the modeling of laser-induced breakdown in transparent media.

High-fidelity modeling of breakdown in helium: initiation processes and secondary electron emission

Understanding the role of physical processes contributing to breakdown is critical for many applications in which breakdown is undesirable, such as capacitors, and applications in which controlled breakdown is intended, such as plasma medicine, lightning protection, and materials processing. The electron emission from the cathode is a critical source of electrons which then undergo impact ionization to produce electrical breakdown. In this study, the role of secondary electron yields due to photons (γ ph) and ions (γ i) in direct current breakdown is investigated using a particle-in-cell direct simulation Monte Carlo model. The plasma studied is a one-dimensional discharge in 50 Torr of pure helium with a platinum cathode, gap size of 1.15 cm, and voltages of 1.2–1.8 kV. The current traces are compared with experimental measurements. Larger values of γ ph generally result in a faster breakdown, while larger values of γ i result in a larger maximum current. The 58.4 nm photons emitted from He(21P) are the primary source of electrons at the cathode before the cathode fall is developed. Of the values of γ ph and γ i investigated, those which provide the best agreement with the experimental current measurements are γ ph = 0.005 and γ i = 0.01. These values are significantly lower than those in the literature for pristine platinum or for a graphitic carbon film which we speculate may cover the platinum. This difference is in part due to the limitations of a one-dimensional model but may also indicate surface conditions and exposure to a plasma can have a significant effect on the secondary electron yields. The effects of applied voltage and the current produced by a UV diode which was used to initiate the discharge, are also discussed.

Comparative analysis of different cost allocation methodologies in LCA for cogeneration systems

When analysing multi-product systems, the allocation of resources and waste in a Life Cycle Assessment presents a difficulty. This can be solved through thermoeconomic approaches. Thus, the objective of the present work was to carry out a comparative analysis between traditional methods, recommended by ISO 14000, and thermoeconomic methods in the Life Cycle Assessment of a cogeneration system composed of a gas microturbine and lithium bromide–water absorption systems. First, the system's total emissions were calculated, and then the allocation of resources was carried out. This allocation was achieved in three ways: traditional allocation, thermoeconomic allocation, and allocation through exergoenvironmental analysis. To carry out the last two allocations, the exergetic costs were calculated considering the physical structure and the productive structure of the production flows (using four different exergy breakdown models,). And with the result of the exergetic costs, the environmental impacts (environmental costs) were calculated through the thermoeconomic allocation and the exergoenvironmental analysis. The environmental impacts (environmental costs) found with allocations that use thermoeconomics were compared with those obtained by the Life Cycle Assessment with the traditional allocation (energetic and exergetic). Thus, it was found that the results obtained by the energy allocation and the allocation that uses the thermoeconomic model of total exergy have the highest environmental impact over the cold production. It was also found that there is no difference between using an exergetic allocation or thermoeconomic allocation if the system does not have many dissipative components, such as valves, and there is no need to know the influence of the components on the final environmental impact since both perform the same calculations with very few modifications. It was concluded that, when performing a thermoeconomic analysis on a system with valves, one can use any of the models studied, depending on how detailed one wants the results of their environmental impact to be. On the other hand, if the system does not contain many dissipative elements or one does not need a detailed result, one should just make the traditional exergy allocation. Moreover, if it is necessary to know which component has the greatest environmental impact, the exergoenvironmental analysis should be used. Thus, this work contributes to a compilation of all the thermodynamic models used to date, and how they can be applied in a Life Cycle Assessment to generate more detailed results.

MECHANISMS OF OPERATIONAL PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT OF PROJECTS IN SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP REPAIR

Over the past decades, the competitiveness of enterprises in the world shipbuilding and ship repair markets is being determined by the level of development of information and communication technologies, on the basis of which global value chains are being formed. The shipbuilding 4.0 methodology is being introduced in the industry, which is based on the advanced technologies of the fourth industrial revolution. The aim of the article is to study the models and mechanisms for portfolio management of shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises on the basis of modern information technology for the effective implementation of strategic goals and sustainable development. The basis of the organizational and methodological support of portfolio management of shipbuilding enterprises is a system of planning and accounting units. This is a three-level model for the shipbuilding work breakdown. The first level of work breakdown consists of shop stages (list of works performed by a certain production department). The second level of work breakdown is technological sets that are being formed in the process of production planning on the principles of structural and technological unity of work and are the basic elements in the intershop operational management. Technological operations are carried out at the third level of work breakdown (brigade sets). At the upper levels of shipbuilding work breakdown, all the key features of project management take place. Technological sets are recommended to be used as an information and analytical basis when developing the network models at the upper levels of structural work breakdown. The methodology for portfolio management of projects of a shipbuilding enterprise described in the article is aimed at aligning the goals and objectives of individual projects and the portfolio as a whole with the strategic plans of the enterprise.

Breakdown strength and energy density enhancement in polymer-ceramic nanocomposites: Role of particle size distribution

Polymer-ceramic nanocomposites play a very promising role for energy-storage in high power electronics and advanced pulsed power systems, due to their extremely fast charge-discharge capability. The low energy density is the key factor hindering their application, for which large endeavors have been made in the modulation of the fraction, morphology, size, and dispersion of the particle fillers but small in that of the size distribution, which is critical for energy-storage performance. We first investigated the role of this based on simulated nanocomposites with controlled lognormal distributions via a generation algorithm devised in this work. Dielectric response, breakdown behavior and energy-storage performance were explored for distributions with different standard deviations (SD) and mean values (MV), which were solved with the energy equivalence basis and a phase-field dielectric breakdown model. With the decrease of SD and MV, the effective permittivity declines slightly with enhanced permittivity change, which was related with the enhanced local electric field with intensified fluctuation and should be originated from the major contribution of the polymer matrix from the local energy perspective; whereas improved nominal breakdown strength was achieved owing to the weakened local maximum electric field, which leads to distinctly increased nominal energy density despite the slight decline of the permittivity. Keeping the fillers within a narrow disperse outperforms employing super fine particles. This work demonstrates that enhancement in breakdown strength and energy density can be attained via particle size distribution modulation, paving a new way for the further improvement of the energy-storage performance of polymer-ceramic nanocomposites.