Fast Measurement Technique Research Articles

Defect formation in MeV H+ implanted GaN and 4H-SiC investigated by cross-sectional Raman spectroscopy

Cross-sectional Raman spectroscopy is used to characterize the defect formation and the defect recovery in MeV H+ implanted bulk GaN and 4H-SiC in the high energy MeV ion-cut process. The Raman intensity decreases but the forbidden modes are activated at the damage region, and the intensity decrease is proportional to the damage level. The Raman spectrum is quite sensitive to detect the damage recovery after annealing. The main peak intensity increases and the forbidden mode disappears in both annealed GaN and 4H-SiC samples. The Raman spectra of GaN samples annealed at different temperatures suggest that higher annealing temperature is more efficient for damage recovery. While, the Raman spectra of SiC indicate that higher implantation temperature results in heavier lattice damage and other polytype clusters might be generated by high annealing temperature in the annealed SiC samples. The cross-sectional Raman spectroscopy is a straightforward method to characterize lattice damage and damage recovery in high energy ion-cut process. It can serve as a fast supplementary measurement technique to Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) for the defect characterizations.

Reliability study on positive bias temperature instability in SiC MOSFETs by fast drain current measurement

The gate threshold voltage (Vth) shift under positive gate bias stress is one of the most important reliability concerns in silicon carbide metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors (SiC MOSFETs). Because dynamic recovery is observed as soon as the gate bias stress is removed, it is remarkably difficult to accurately evaluate Vth shifts. Many studies have focused on how to evaluate Vth shifts of SiC MOSFETs under positive gate bias stress. In this study, this issue is investigated by introducing a fast measurement technique. We show that the measured Vth shift is modified to take the Vth recovery term into consideration. Furthermore, we show that the Vth shift is a saturation phenomenon and that the maximum Vth shift can be predicted using an electron capture and emission model.

Three-dimensional shape measurement technique for shiny surfaces by adaptive pixel-wise projection intensity adjustment

Conventional methods based on analyses of the absolute gray levels of pixels in fringe pattern images are affected by the problems of image saturation, interreflection, and high sensitivity to noise when obtaining three-dimensional (3D) shape measurements of shiny surfaces. This study presents a robust, adaptive, and fast 3D shape measurement technique, which adaptively adjusts the pixel-wise intensity of the projected patterns, thus it avoids image saturation and has a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) during 3D shape measurement for shiny surfaces. Compared with previous time-consuming methods using multiple exposures and the projection of fringe patterns with multiple intensities, where a large number of fringe pattern images need to be captured, the proposed technique needs to capture far fewer pattern images for measurement. In addition, it can greatly reduce the time costs to obtain the optimal projection intensities by the fusion of uniform gray level patterns and coordinates mapping. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique can achieve highly accurate and efficient 3D shape measurement for shiny surfaces.

Optimized pressure pulse-decay method for laboratory estimation of gas permeability of sorptive reservoirs: Part 1 – Background and numerical analysis

Analysis of transient fluid flow in porous media has several applications in geophysics/geotechnics and engineering. An in-depth evaluation of fluid flow behavior is critical in order to improve the understanding, and development of, laboratory measurement techniques in geo-mechanics, particularly permeability estimation. Given that considerable errors may be yielded in the derived permeabilities of sorptive rocks when using the conventional pressure-pulse decay method (PDM), this paper proposes a new experimental design, an optimized PDM, by creating dual pressure pulses to avoid the pressure disturbance due to compressive storage, ad-/de-sorption and thermal effect during the course of measurement. In this paper, the first of a two-part series, a mathematical model established for the conventional PDM was modified to closely represent the new experimental design, thereby extending the transient technique for permeability measurement of unconventional reservoir rocks, particularly ones with large sorption potential. Considering the complexity of analytical solutions of mathematical models, a comprehensive numerical investigation was established and a detailed comparison was carried out between the conventional and optimized PDMs. The results showed how the profiles of the decay curves change in space and time domain, and how pressure responses are influenced by various parameters in the experimental design for PDM. Combining the new design with numerical simulation results in an optimized technique for fast and accurate permeability measurement of sorptive rocks. In particular, Brace et al.’s solution, the most acknowledged and commonly-used permeability calculation method, was extended for permeability estimation of sorptive rocks. In Part 2, the experimental work under best-replicated in situ stress/strain conditions using the optimized method along with the numerical pressure response results obtained from computer simulation is presented. The results verified the practicality of the optimized PDM and the validity of Brace et al.’s solution for permeability measurement of sorptive rocks.

Plasma measurements in pulse discharge with resistively heated emissive probe

A resistively heated emissive probe has been developed to work in low-pressure air plasma produced by 100 Hz pulsed DC source. The evolution of the discharge and consequent rapid changes in plasma potential and electron temperature are characterized for different fill pressures at constant input voltage of 300 V. The floating point method in the strong emission regime is applied to determine the plasma potential. Emissive probe responds to rapid changes in the discharge current during different stages of the pulse cycle. The electron temperature is determined from the potential difference of hot probe in the strong emission regime and the cold one incorporating the space charge effects of the hot probe. Temporal measurements of Vp and Te describe the development and characteristics of the emissive probe technique for fast measurements in pulsating discharges.

The control and maintenance of desired flow patterns in bends of different orientations

Multiphase flows are common in industrial settings and bends in pipe lines cannot be avoided due to space limitations. Gas-liquid two phase flows could form material discontinuities that could have adverse effect on productivity and the pipe network due to sudden variations resulting due to the rapid momentum flux variations at fittings such as bends. Research into gas-liquid flow and bends can be motivated by the effect of the bend on the flow downstream of it which could alter the flow pattern occurring and the performance of downstream equipment. Alternatively, the interest might come from what occurs in the bend itself, there could be dryout of the film on the walls and consequent damage to the heat transfer equipment. Here we present measurements made with a number of accurate and fast responding sensors on three cases, two on the effect of the bend and one considering effects in the bend. The results show that the flow transformations occur in two phase flows depending on the orientation of the bend and the change could be captured using fast sweeping measurement techniques. We present the evidence of effectiveness of several types of measurement techniques that could fit into various combinations of phases. The results, point to how to achieve certain flow patterns. Also recommendations are provided regarding the position of any sensor installed to determine flow pattern.

Only time will tell - why temporal information is essential for our neuroscientific understanding of semantics.

Theoretical developments about the nature of semantic representations and processes should be accompanied by a discussion of how these theories can be validated on the basis of empirical data. Here, I elaborate on the link between theory and empirical research, highlighting the need for temporal information in order to distinguish fundamental aspects of semantics. The generic point that fast cognitive processes demand fast measurement techniques has been made many times before, although arguably more often in the psychophysiological community than in the metabolic neuroimaging community. Many reviews on the neuroscience of semantics mostly or even exclusively focus on metabolic neuroimaging data. Following an analysis of semantics in terms of the representations and processes involved, I argue that fundamental theoretical debates about the neuroscience of semantics can only be concluded on the basis of data with sufficient temporal resolution. Any “semantic effect” may result from a conflation of long-term memory representations, retrieval and working memory processes, mental imagery, and episodic memory. This poses challenges for all neuroimaging modalities, but especially for those with low temporal resolution. It also throws doubt on the usefulness of contrasts between meaningful and meaningless stimuli, which may differ on a number of semantic and non-semantic dimensions. I will discuss the consequences of this analysis for research on the role of convergence zones or hubs and distributed modal brain networks, top-down modulation of task and context as well as interactivity between levels of the processing hierarchy, for example in the framework of predictive coding.

Robust and fast near-field antenna measurement technique

Traditional near-field antenna measurements use the sampling theorem to reconstruct the antenna pattern perfectly. However, a large number of measurement points are required for this approach. To address this problem, in this study, we propose a technique to accelerate the near-field antenna measurement, which is achieved by sparse E-field sampling in the region where the E-field changes smoothly and dense sampling in the region where the field changes rapidly. Further, our approach ensures robustness of measurement; the E-field information need not be known before carrying out measurements. Our experimental results demonstrate that our technique can reduce the number of measuring points by at least 64.9% when measuring two different patterns (15-GHz horn antenna with θ = 0° and 10°).

An Analysis of Leaf Chlorophyll Measurement Method Using Chlorophyll Meter and Image Processing Technique

A regular and periodic monitoring of crop health is essential in any cultivation. An important parameter which act as indices of crop health is the leaf chlorophyll measurement. In the Asian part of the world, Betel vine (Piper betle L., family Piperaceae) ranks second to coffee and tea in terms of daily consumption. Therefore, these important and highly productive crash crop is selected for the purpose of study. The experiment was conducted in an established pan betel vine crop field (Pan boroj). A small review of the popular method of leaf chlorophyll measurement is done and some of the drawbacks of the existing methods are reported. The review point out a need for fast and precise leaf chlorophyll measurement technique. Thus an image processing technique based on trichromatic colors i.e., red green and blue (RGB) model is proposed. For the purpose of analysis of the proposed model, the model outcome was compared with atLEAF+ chlorophyll meter reading. And a regression analysis was performed the result of regression analysis proof that there is a strong correlation between proposed image processing technique and chlorophyll meter reading. Thus, it appears that the proposed image processing technique of leaf chlorophyll measurement will be a good alternative for measuring leaf chlorophyll rapidly and with ease.

Measurement and Observation of Elementary Transition Boiling Process after Sudden Contact of Liquid with Hot Surface

A Fast response surface temperature measurement technique has been developed to investigate transient transition boiling phenomena after ethanol droplet impact on a nickel hot surface. Our motivation is to make clear the mechanism of boiling transition between nucleate and film boiling which is closely related the recovery of wetting on the hot surface being higher than the Leidenfrost temperature. In this study transient boiling phenomena during sudden contact of an ethanol sessile droplet on a hot solid surface has been investigated to understand what governs whether the solid surface keeps wet or not. The droplet impact boiling system is very simple and easier to observe but it includes the elementary transition boiling process. Since the transient transition took place within a couple ten milliseconds, observation with high speed video system and fast response surface temperature measurement technique are essential for better understanding of the transition boiling phenomena.The experiments were conducted for single and multiple droplet impacts. The multiple droplet impacts simulates liquid and solid contact situations on a hot surface during spray or laminar jet quench. The nickel disk of 50mm in diameter and 5mm in thickness was used as the hot surface. The hot surface was inclined from 0 deg (horizontal) to 40 deg. The fast-response film thermocouple with a typical minimum response time of 80 microseconds was developed and fabricated on the nickel disk at the depth of 3 micrometers from the surface. The temperature histories just beneath the surface were recorded at the sampling frequency of 200kHz. The boiling phenomena beneath a sessile droplet impacted on the hot surface were observed by using a microscope equipped with the high speed video camera at the maximum frame rate of 22.5 kfps. The surface temperature and surface heat flux were estimated with 1D inverse heat conduction analysis. Histories of local surface temperature and local heat flux were compared with the boiling video image. The experiments were done for different initial wall temperatures up to 250°C, different liquid subcoolings from 33 to 53K. The multiple impact frequency was changed from 280 to 840Hz.In case of the single droplet impact tests, the observation results showed that wetting situation was maintained for very short time even though the surface temperature was beyond the liquid superheat limit temperature. We defined the vapor film generation time as the characteristic boiling transition time scale from wetted nucleation boiling regime to dry film boiling regime. The film generation time were measured for the extensive initial surface temperature range, different subcoolings and different impact velocities. As the initial surface temperature increased, the film generation time decreased to order of microsecond and film boiling situation seemed to be established via spontaneous nucleation (vapor explosion) process. In case of the multiple droplets impact tests, film generation times were evaluated every droplet impact during continuous cooling from the initial solid temperature. As long as the generation time was less than 1 millisecond and much shorter than the impact period, stable film boiling was observed. Then the film generation time increased with the droplet impact times and approached to the droplet impact period as the cooling time elapsed. This region was recognized as the transition boiling region. After the generation time reached to the droplet impact period and then stable wetted situation, namely nucleate boiling was observed. As compared with the single impact tests, the generation time for the multiple impact became shorter than that for the single droplet impact at same initial surface temperature and the lower limit surface temperature observed vapor film generation was reduced. This fact may imply the effect of transient heat conduction on the wetting temperature shifts to higher wall superheat temperature beyond liquid superheat limit temperature during quenching with jets or sprays.

Pile volume measurement by range imaging camera in indoor environment

Abstract. Range imaging (RIM) camera is recent technology in 3D location measurement. The new study areas have been emerged in measurement and data processing together with RIM camera. It has low-cost and fast measurement technique compared to the current measurement techniques. However its measurement accuracy varies according to effects resulting from the device and the environment. The direct sunlight is affect measurement accuracy of the camera. Thus, RIM camera should be used for indoor measurement. In this study gravel pile volume was measured by SwissRanger SR4000 camera. The measured volume is acquired as different 8.13% from the known.

Accurate 3D shape measurement of multiple separate objects with stereo vision

3D shape measurement has emerged as a very useful tool in numerous fields because of its wide and ever-increasing applications. In this paper, we present a passive, fast and accurate 3D shape measurement technique using stereo vision approach. The technique first employs a scale-invariant feature transform algorithm to detect point matches at a number of discrete locations despite the discontinuities in the images. Then an automated image registration algorithm is applied to find full-field point matches with subpixel accuracy. After that, the 3D shapes of the objects can be reconstructed according to the obtained point matching and the camera information. The proposed technique is capable of performing a full-field 3D shape measurement with high accuracy even in the presence of discontinuities and multiple separate regions. The validity is verified by experiments.

Earthquakes and ancient leaning towers: Geodetic monitoring of the bell tower of San Benedetto Church in Ferrara (Italy)

Abstract In May–June 2012, several seismic events took place in the Po River Plane in northern Italy, with a maximum magnitude of M W 5.86 (M L 5.9)] and the epicentre located about 32 km from the centre of Ferrara. Many historical buildings were seriously damaged and others showed marked deformations or differential settlements. Therefore, it was necessary to place many of them under monitoring, using fast and safe measurement techniques to quickly obtain accurate information on ongoing structural deformation. This paper presents the case study of the bell tower of San Benedetto Church in Ferrara (17th century), which was already under monitoring at the time of the earthquake because of its remarkable leaning angle. Immediately after the seismic events, monitoring of the bell tower was repeated. Digital levelling indicated a marked differential settlement of the foundations with regard to the trend of secular movement, while terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) revealed a significant increase of the inclination of the tower's axis, confirming the results from levelling and showing good integration of both monitoring techniques.

基于并行小波变换的快速三维面形测量技术

基于并行小波变换的快速三维面形测量技术

Rapid Time Domain Molecular Conductance Measurement of Alkanedithiols Using STM

ABSTRACTMolecules such as dithiols are of significant interest for potential molecular electronics applications. To investigate their properties, an efficient method for measuring their electrical conductance is crucial. This research focuses on the time domain measurement, a novel technique capable of measuring hundreds of molecules within a matter of seconds. Measurements were conducted using STM with the tip positioned within tunneling distance over a SAM of 1,8-octanedithiol on Au(111)-mica substrate submerged in toluene. Bonding/debonding events between the tops of molecules and the tip were observed through jumps in the time domain current waveform. A new time-spent histogram data analysis technique was developed to extract conductance values from complex waveforms. Conductance of 2.6 nS was obtained for a single 1,8-octanedithiol molecule, consistent with results obtained from wellestablished but time consuming break junction technique, validating the new STM based time domain technique for fast measurement of molecular conductance.

Real-Time Electrical Impedimetric Monitoring of Blood Coagulation Process under Temperature and Hematocrit Variations Conducted in a Microfluidic Chip

Blood coagulation is an extremely complicated and dynamic physiological process. Monitoring of blood coagulation is essential to predict the risk of hemorrhage and thrombosis during cardiac surgical procedures. In this study, a high throughput microfluidic chip has been developed for the investigation of the blood coagulation process under temperature and hematocrit variations. Electrical impedance of the whole blood was continuously recorded by on-chip electrodes in contact with the blood sample during coagulation. Analysis of the impedance change of the blood was conducted to investigate the characteristics of blood coagulation process and the starting time of blood coagulation was defined. The study of blood coagulation time under temperature and hematocrit variations was shown a good agreement with results in the previous clinical reports. The electrical impedance measurement for the definition of blood coagulation process provides a fast and easy measurement technique. The microfluidic chip was shown to be a sensitive and promising device for monitoring blood coagulation process even in a variety of conditions. It is found valuable for the development of point-of-care coagulation testing devices that utilizes whole blood sample in microliter quantity.

Prediction of Texture of Raw Poultry Meat by Visible and Near–Infrared Reflectance Spetroscopy

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a non-destructive, low cost and fast measurement technique that is required to improve the meat texture quality prediction. In this research, visible/NIR spectroscopy has been used for the prediction of raw chicken meat texture from different types of chickens by referring to the reference data obtained from destructive measurement using a Volodkevich Bite Jaws texture analyser. The Partial Least Squares analysis shows that the prediction accuracy is higher for the Az-Zain village organic chickens (85–95%) than for village chickens (42–68%) and broiler chickens (42–44%). The high prediction accuracy and low absorbance spectra of Az-Zain village organic chickens compared to broiler and village chickens could be correlated with the food composition of the chicken meal.

Fast and Accurate Characterization of MOS and Interconnect Capacitance Using Direct Charge Measurement (DCM)

A fast and accurate capacitance measurement technique, direct charge measurement (DCM), is introduced to improve productivity of semiconductor parametric testing. The approach is simpler and much faster compared with conventional method using charge-based capacitance measurement (CBCM) or LCR meter. On-chip active device is not an essential necessity for DCM test structure and it is easy to implement parallel measurements. The basic theory, parallel measurement method and mathematical analysis on non-linear MOS capacitance measurement are explained. For interconnect capacitance measurement, an extension of DCM, degenerated exhaustive direct charge measurement (DEDCM) is presented as a faster, more accurate and thorough characterization technique. Experimental results show good data matching and significant throughput improvement over conventional LCR meter measurements.

(Invited) Negative-Bias Temperature Instability – Insight from Recent Dynamic Stress Experiments

The purpose of this paper is to summarize key experimental evidences on the important role of hole trapping on negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI). For a long time, the focus of this research topic had been on interface degradation driven by hydrogen transport and hole trapping was regarded as a side effect arising out of fast measurement techniques proposed to mitigate the effect of recovery on measurement data. In recent studies, we showed that the threshold voltage (V t) fluctuations one typically observed under dynamic NBTI were mainly the result of hole trapping and not hydrogen-transport driven interface-state generation/passivation proposed earlier. In particular, the cyclical V t shifts and constant V t recovery are inconsistent with the basic principle of the hydrogen transport model. Such behaviors are better described in terms of hole trapping/detrapping at pre-existing oxide defects. We have also shown that interface degradation during NBTI stressing has no apparent impact on bulk (oxide) trap generation, i.e. interface trap generation does not lead to bulk trap generation. This result raises further questions on the validity of the hydrogen transport mechanism and the long standing hypothesis on hydrogen-induced bulk trap generation and gate oxide breakdown. Finally, it is shown that the transient hole trapping responsible for the V t shift fluctuations could be transformed into more permanent trapped holes under NBTI stressing. The extent of transformation is accelerated by a high oxide field and temperature. An excellent correlation with stress induced leakage current indicates that such transformation underlie the generation of bulk traps reported by earlier studies.

Formaldehyde concentrations in household air of asthma patients determined using colorimetric detector tubes

Formaldehyde is a colorless, pungent gas commonly found in homes and is a respiratory irritant, sensitizer, carcinogen, and asthma trigger. Typical household sources include plywood and particleboard, cleaners, cosmetics, pesticides, and others. Development of a fast and simple measurement technique could facilitate continued research on this important chemical. The goal of this research is to apply an inexpensive short-term measurement method to find correlations between formaldehyde sources and concentration, and formaldehyde concentration and asthma control. Formaldehyde was measured using 30-min grab samples in length-of-stain detector tubes in homes (n = 70) of asthmatics in the Boston, MA area. Clinical status and potential formaldehyde sources were determined. The geometric mean formaldehyde level was 35.1 ppb and ranged from 5 to 132 ppb. Based on one-way ANOVA, t-tests, and linear regression, predictors of log-transformed formaldehyde concentration included absolute humidity, season, and the presence of decorative laminates, fiberglass, or permanent press fabrics (P < 0.05), as well as temperature and household cleaner use (P < 0.10). The geometric mean formaldehyde concentration was 57% higher in homes of children with very poorly controlled asthma compared to homes of other asthmatic children (P = 0.078). This study provides a simple method for measuring household formaldehyde and suggests that exposure is related to poorly controlled asthma.