Passive Devices Research Articles

Development of a machine learning detector for North Atlantic humpback whale song.

The study of humpback whale song using passive acoustic monitoring devices requires bioacousticians to manually review hours of audio recordings to annotate the signals. To vastly reduce the time of manual annotation through automation, a machine learning model was developed. Convolutional neural networks have made major advances in the previous decade, leading to a wide range of applications, including the detection of frequency modulated vocalizations by cetaceans. A large dataset of over 60 000 audio segments of 4 s length is collected from the North Atlantic and used to fine-tune an existing model for humpback whale song detection in the North Pacific (see Allen, Harvey, Harrell, Jansen, Merkens, Wall, Cattiau, and Oleson (2021). Front. Mar. Sci. 8, 607321). Furthermore, different data augmentation techniques (time-shift, noise augmentation, and masking) are used to artificially increase the variability within the training set. Retraining and augmentation yield F-score values of 0.88 on context window basis and 0.89 on hourly basis with false positive rates of 0.05 on context window basis and 0.01 on hourly basis. If necessary, usage and retraining of the existing model is made convenient by a framework (AcoDet, acoustic detector) built during this project. Combining the tools provided by this framework could save researchers hours of manual annotation time and, thus, accelerate their research.

De-Embedding Technology for Active and Passive Device Testing Used in the Microwave and Terahertz Bands: A Review: An Overview of Different De-Embedding Techniques

De-Embedding Technology for Active and Passive Device Testing Used in the Microwave and Terahertz Bands: A Review: An Overview of Different De-Embedding Techniques

Effects of an Early Exercise Program with Cryotherapy on Range of Motion, Pain, Swelling, and Gait in Patients with Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of cryotherapy on range of motion, pain, swelling, and gait in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. Methods: Forty-three patients who underwent TKA (total knee arthroplasty) and met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental (n = 21) and control (n = 22) groups underwent cryotherapy and non-cryotherapy treatments, respectively, six times a week for two weeks, and once each before and after exercise for 3 min. Both groups followed a similar initial rehabilitation exercise program using a continuous passive motion device. Results: The results showed a significant difference in knee flexion range of motion, pain, edema, and 10 MWT comparisons from pre- to post-test (p < 0.001). The above values were also significantly different in the comparison between the two groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, this study confirmed that an initial rehabilitation exercise program accompanied by cryotherapy could be an effective intervention method for range of motion, pain, edema, and walking in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Amorphous SiC Thin Films Deposited by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition for Passivation in Biomedical Devices.

Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with high robustness and biocompatibility, making it a promising material for applications in biomedical device passivation. a-SiC thin film deposition has been a subject of research for several decades with a variety of approaches investigated to achieve optimal properties for multiple applications, with an emphasis on properties relevant to biomedical devices in the past decade. This review summarizes the results of many optimization studies, identifying strategies that have been used to achieve desirable film properties and discussing the proposed physical interpretations. In addition, divergent results from studies are contrasted, with attempts to reconcile the results, while areas of uncertainty are highlighted.

Excitation Equations for Longitudinally-Azimutally Irregular Waveguides Taking into Account the Finite of the Walls Conductivity

Excitation equations for longitudinal-azimuthally irregular waveguides are formulated taking into account losses in the walls. The inner surface of the waveguide walls is given by an arbitrary smooth function b(ϕ, z). The coordinate transformation method replaces the original cylindrical coordinate system r, ϕ, z with a new one ρ, ϕ, z, where ρ = r/(b(ϕ, z)). The new system defines the waveguide boundary as ρ = 1 = const, i. e. the waveguide geometry transforms as a regular cylinder. Taking these functions into account, the standard procedure of the incomplete Galerkin method is used to determine the amplitudes of partial waves. The resulting general equations can be used in the calculation and optimization of both microwave and EHF electronic devices of various types, as well as passive microwave devices of various applications.

Understanding and Mitigating Atomic Oxygen-Induced Degradation of Perovskite Solar Cells for Near-Earth Space Applications.

Combining high efficiency with good radiation tolerance, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising candidates to upend expanding space photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Successful employment in a Near-Earth space environment, however, requires high resistance against atomic oxygen (AtOx). This work unravels AtOx-induced degradation mechanisms of PSCs with and without phenethylammonium iodide (PEAI) based 2D-passivation and investigates the applicability of ultrathin silicon oxide (SiO) encapsulation as AtOx barrier. AtOx exposure for 2h degraded the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of devices without barrier encapsulation by 40% and 43% (w/o and with 2D-PEAI-passivation) of their initial PCE. In contrast, devices with a SiO-barrier retained over 97% of initial PCE. To understand why 2D-PEAI passivated devices degrade faster than less efficient non-passivated devices, various opto-electrical and structural characterications are conducted. Together, these allowed to decouple different damage mechanisms. Notably, pseudo-J-V curves reveal unchanged high implied fill factors (pFF) of 86.4% and 86.2% in non-passivated and passivated devices, suggesting that degradation of the perovskite absorber itself is not dominating. Instead, inefficient charge extraction and mobile ions, due to a swiftly degrading PEAI interlayer are the primary causes of AtOx-induced device performance degradation in passivated devices, whereas a large ionic FF loss limits non-passivated devices.

On-Chip Lasers for Silicon Photonics

With the growing trend in the information industry, silicon photonics technology has been explored in both academia and industry and utilized for high-bandwidth data transmission. Thanks to the benefits of silicon, such as high refractive index contrast with its oxides, low loss, substantial thermal–optical effect, and compatibility with CMOS, a range of passive and active photonic devices have been demonstrated, including waveguides, modulators, photodetectors, and lasers. The most challenging aspect remains to be the on-chip laser source, whose performance is constrained by the indirect bandgap of silicon. This review paper highlights the advancements made in the field of integrated laser sources on the silicon photonics platform. These on-chip lasers are classified according to their gain media, including V semiconductors, III–V semiconductors, two-dimensional materials, and colloidal quantum dots. The methods of integrating these lasers onto silicon are also detailed in this review.

Calibration of a passive sampling device for the determination of nitrogen dioxide in ambient air

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a common air pollutant, has been widely admitted to be harmful to both the environment and human health, demanding its well-control procedure and corresponding quantification. In this study, NO2 in ambient air was collected by a passive sampling method using the Willems badge diffusive sampler, followed by a derivatization step with the Griess-Saltzman solution, and analyzed by ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy at 543 nm. The device can be utilized for 168 h of continuous field sampling. The experimental sampling rate (Ke) of (4.02 ± 0.29) × 10−3 m3h−1 with a relative standard deviation (% RSD) of 9.6 % was determined by conducting parallel experiments between an active sampling method (ISO 6768:1998) and the Willems samplers. After exposure time, samplers could be stored for two weeks in a refrigerator at 4 °C before analyzing. The studied passive diffusive sampler was simple, low-cost, easy to reuse; permitted determining the average concentration of NO2 in ambient air. The average NO2 concentrations for 2-hour to 4-hour sampling periods at different studied sampling sites in Ho Chi Minh city (Vietnam) were ranged from 11.5 to 189 μg m−3.

N77 Radio Frequency Power Amplifier Module for 5G New-Radio High-Power User Equipment Mobile Handset Applications

This paper presents a highly efficient 5G New-Radio (NR) RF power amplifier module (PAM). The n77 PAM consists of a high-voltage differential-topology 2 μm GaAs HBT power amplifier, a CMOS controller, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) switch, an integrated passive device (IPD) bandpass filter, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), and a bi-directional coupler. This PAM generates a saturation output power of 32.7 dBm including the loss of the SOI switch and output filter. The designed n77 PAM is tested with a commercial envelope tracker IC (ET-IC). The designed PAM with an ET-IC achieves an ACLR of −37 dBc at a 27 dBm output power with a DFT-s-OFDM QPSK 100 MHz NR signal and saves a dc power consumption of 950 mW compared to the APT mode. For the CP-OFDM 256QAM with the most stringent EVM requirements, it achieves an EVM of 1.22% at 23 dBm and saves 640 mW compared to the APT mode.

A 20-GHz On-Chip Six-Port Reflectometer Using Simple Lumped Passive Devices and Bipolar Junction Transistors

This paper proposes an on-chip six-port reflectometer (SPR) fabricated in the 0.13-μm IBM BiCMOS-8HP technology. The SPR enjoys a compact circuit structure, with only four amplitude detectors as active devices, one resistive power divider, and one lumped phase shifter as passive devices. The power divider and phase shifter are responsible for manipulating the radio-frequency (RF) signals appropriately, whereas the detectors are responsible for sensing the processed signals. The chip area, which can be further reduced, is 1.25 mm in width and 1 mm in height. The SPR can perform in-situ measurement of reflection coefficients of devices under test (DUTs) and reduce testing costs of RF chips by using vector network analyzers (VNAs). The SPR demonstrates excellent performance in measuring the reflection coefficients of DUTs at around 20 GHz. The experimental results indicate that the maximum error of the measured reflection coefficients in absolute value is about -26 dB.

Air-Stable Self-Driven UV Photodetectors on Controllable Lead-Free CsCu2I3 Microwire Arrays.

The rapid evolution of the Internet of Things has engendered increased requirements for low-cost, self-powered UV photodetectors. Herein, high-performance self-driven UV photodetectors are fabricated by designing asymmetric metal-semiconductor-metal structures on the high-quality large-area CsCu2I3 microwire arrays. The asymmetrical depletion region doubles the photocurrent and response speed compared to the symmetric structure device, leading to a high responsivity of 233 mA/W to 355 nm radiation. Notably, at 0 V bias, the asymmetric device produces an open-circuit voltage of 356 mV and drives to a short-circuit current of 372 pA; meanwhile, the switch ratio (Iph/Idark) reaches up to 103, indicating its excellent potential for detecting weak light. Furthermore, the device maintains stable responses throughout 10000 UV-light switch cycles, with negligible degradation even after 90-day storage in air. Our work establishes that CsCu2I3 is a good candidate for self-powered UV detection and thoroughly demonstrates its potential as a passive device.

(Ni1/3Nb2/3)4+-Improved High-K Ba3Ti4Nb4O21 Microwave Dielectric Ceramics for Miniaturized All-Ceramic Radomes with 5G Beam-Splitting Function.

With the rapid development of 5G communication technology, microwave dielectric ceramics with high dielectric constants are very conducive to the miniaturization of passive devices. Here, Ba3Ti4-x(Ni1/3Nb2/3)xNb4O21 (BTN ∼ NN, 0.03 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) ceramics with hexagonal phases are synthesized via the solid-phase route. The composite (Ni1/3Nb2/3)4+ ion substitution strategy can substantially improve the microwave dielectric properties of the Ba3Ti4Nb4O21 (BTN) ceramic. The εr and Q × f values depend on the ionicity (Nb-O bonds) and lattice energies (Nb(1)-O3 and Nb(1)-O2(1) bonds). The microwave dielectric properties of the BTN ∼ NN (x = 0.09) ceramic sintered at 1250 °C are εr = 60.3, Q × f = 22073 GHz, and τf = 78.1 ppm/°C. A miniaturized all-ceramic radome (@400 mm × 400 mm × 8 mm) for 5G beam-splitting function is designed and demonstrated using this ceramic. Compared to other radomes designed for other work utilizing low εr, the size of this radome has been reduced by 3/7. The reflection coefficients of the beam splitting function are all 0.73, and the phase shifts are all 360°. This work contributes to the development of miniaturized passive devices from a materials point of view.

Hybrid design of active and passive strategy to suppress high-frequency resonances of MMC-based system

In recent modular multilevel converter (MMC)-based projects, high-frequency resonance (HFR) incidents have posed severe threat to the grid security. Although the active methods have been suggested, they cannot completely eliminate the HFR risk of MMC system. The hybrid method, i.e., combining the active and passive ones may be a solution to solve the HFR problem. However, the existing hybrid methods introduce additional loss. To inhibit the HFR and reduce the loss of passive devices, a hybrid active and passive strategy is proposed. Compared to existing hybrid methods, it can effectively reduce the loss introduced by passive devices. Additionally, the parameters matching relationship between the damper and the low-pass filters is revealed, and a hybrid design approach is proposed to achieve the above goals. Finally, electromagnetic transient simulations are performed to validate the correctness of the parameter design and the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Strip loaded waveguide amplifiers based on erbium-doped nanocomposites with 17 dB internal net gain.

We propose a strip loaded amplifier employing SU-8 as the loaded waveguide and nanoparticles (NPs)-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as the cladding layer. By leveraging the undoped SU-8 loaded waveguide, the polymer waveguide amplifier accomplished remarkably low transmission losses, reaching as low as 1.8 dB/cm at 1530 nm. We prepared NPs-PMMA nanocomposite by utilizing NaLu0.1Y0.7F4: Er3+, Yb3+ @NaLuF4 core-shell nanoparticles, which exhibited a significantly enhanced lifetime of 6.15 ms. An internal net gain of up to 17.7 dB was achieved on a strip loaded waveguide with a length as short as 0.5 cm when the on-chip pump power was 77 mW. Signal enhancement (SE) was measured at different wavelengths, revealing that the strip loaded waveguide exhibited broadband SE ranging from 1510 nm to 1570 nm, covering the C-band. To the best of our knowledge, this work has achieved the highest gain results reported thus far on a polymer matrix and provides an efficient method for optical amplification in passive devices on silicon and Si3N4 platforms, leveraging the ease of integration of polymer materials with diverse photonic platforms.

Diffusion-Based Continuous Real-Time Monitoring System for Total Volatile Organic Compounds

In this study, a total volatile organic compound (TVOC) monitoring system was developed and employed for the continuous and real-time monitoring of TVOCs. Gas chromatography (GC) coupled with thermal desorption (TD) and a commercially available portable VOC detector were simultaneously applied to verify the performance of the developed system. Since the developed system was applicable with and without a pump, the effect of the pump on the monitoring performance was also investigated. Overall, the reliable accuracy and precision of the developed TVOC monitoring system were verified in the TVOC concentration of 50~5000 ppbv. Based on the simultaneous analysis with TD-GC, the TVOC monitoring system showed nearly identical performance to the TD-GC system regardless of the presence of the pump. When compared to the commercially available and portable VOC detector equipped with an internal pump, the maximum delayed response of the TVOC monitoring system was 15 min. In the VOC transport in soil, the breakthrough curve was successfully obtained compared to the case with the TD-GC system. Considering the measurement frequency of the TD-GC system, the TVOC monitoring system as a passive monitoring device can be effectively applied to the subsurface area with the TVOC concentration at or above 50 ppbv.

Bridging the gap between surface physics and photonics.

Use and performance criteria of photonic devices increase in various application areas such as information and communication, lighting, and photovoltaics. In many current and future photonic devices, surfaces of a semiconductor crystal are a weak part causing significant photo-electric losses and malfunctions in applications. These surface challenges, many of which arise from material defects at semiconductor surfaces, include signal attenuation in waveguides, light absorption in light emitting diodes, non-radiative recombination of carriers in solar cells, leakage (dark) current of photodiodes, and light reflection at solar cell interfaces for instance. To reduce harmful surface effects, the optical and electrical passivation of devices has been developed for several decades, especially with the methods of semiconductor technology. Because atomic scale control and knowledge of surface-related phenomena have become relevant to increase the performance of different devices, it might be useful to enhance the bridging of surface physics to photonics. Toward that target, we review some evolving research subjects with open questions and possible solutions, which hopefully provide example connecting points between photonic device passivation and surface physics. One question is related to the properties of the wet chemically cleaned semiconductor surfaces which are typically utilized in device manufacturing processes, but which appear to be different from crystalline surfaces studied in ultrahigh vacuum by physicists. In devices, a defective semiconductor surface often lies at an embedded interface formed by a thin metal or insulator film grown on the semiconductor crystal, which makes the measurements of its atomic and electronic structures difficult. To understand these interface properties, it is essential to combine quantum mechanical simulation methods. This review also covers metal-semiconductor interfaces which are included in most photonic devices to transmit electric carriers to the semiconductor structure. Low-resistive and passivated contacts with an ultrathin tunneling barrier are an emergent solution to control electrical losses in photonic devices.

Design and Analysis of VARONE a Novel Passive Upper-Limb Exercising Device

Robots have been widely investigated for active and passive rehabilitation therapy of patients with upper limb disabilities. Nevertheless, the rehabilitation assessment process is often ignored or just qualitatively performed by the physiotherapist implementing chart-based ordinal scales or observation-based measures, which tend to rely on professional experience and lack quantitative analysis. In order to objectively quantify the upper limb rehabilitation progress, this paper presents a noVel pAssive wRist motiOn assessmeNt dEvice (VARONE) having three degrees of freedom (DoFs) based on the gimbal mechanical design. VARONE implements a mechanism of three revolute passive joints with controllable passive resistance. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor is used to quantify the wrist orientation and position, and an encoder module is implemented to obtain the arm positions. The proposed VARONE device can also be used in combination with the previously designed two-DoFs device NURSE (cassiNo-qUeretaro uppeR limb aSsistive dEvice) to perform multiple concurrent assessments and rehabilitation tasks. Analyses and experimental tests have been carried out to demonstrate the engineering feasibility of the intended applications of VARONE. The maximum value registered for the IMU sensor is 36.8 degrees, the minimum value registered is −32.3 degrees, and the torque range registered is around −80 and 80 Nmm. The implemented models include kinematics, statics (F.E.M.), and dynamics. Thirty healthy patients participated in an experimental validation. The experimental tests were developed with different goal-defined exercising paths that the participant had to follow.

Impedance-Based AC/DC Terminal Modeling and Analysis of the MMC-BTB System

Impedance-based small-signal stability analysis is widely applied in practical engineering with modular multilevel converters (MMCs). However, the deficiencies of existing impedance models (IMs) and the idealized extension for the single MMC influence the analyses in multiterminal systems. In this paper, these gaps are filled by focusing on an MMC-based back-to-back system. To obtain the steady-state harmonics of the system, a numerical method is initially proposed based on Newton–Raphson iteration in the frequency domain. Then, by substituting the shared terminal dynamics with active or passive devices, theoretical AC/DC IMs based on typical control loops with pure time delays are directly established via multiharmonic linearization. Further aided by the derived IMs, two neglected aspects in the current literature are investigated, including the influence of power transformers on low-frequency impedance characteristics and the rationality of using simplified IMs for high-frequency resonance studies. The stability of interlinking systems needs to be comprehensively analyzed at both AC and DC terminals. The analyses help to position the instability source, obtain the stability margin, and guide the supplementary control strategy. All IMs and analyses are verified via frequency scans and simulations in PSCAD.

Enhancing heat transfer at low temperatures by laser functionalization of the inner surface of metal pipes

The latent heat transfer during vapour condensation in the condenser section of passive heat transport devices such as the two-phase closed thermosiphon is limited by film condensation. Dropwise condensation provides an increase of the heat transfer coefficient by up to one order of magnitude and can be achieved with a water-repellant surface. The inner surface of pipes made from stainless steel was functionalized by laser surface texturing with ultrashort laser pulses and subsequent storage in a liquid containing long-chained hydrocarbons. The pipes were separated into half-pipes by wire eroding to enable laser texturing of the inner surface, and were then joined by electron beam welding after laser texturing. As a result, superhydrophobic and water-repellent surfaces with a contact angle of 153° were obtained on the inner surface of the pipes with a length of up to 1 m. The functionalized pipes were used in the condenser section of a two-phase closed thermosiphon to demonstrate a heat transfer rate of 0.92 kW at 45 °C, which is approximately three times the heat transfer rate of 0.31 kW of a smooth reference pipe.

Effect of magnetic-spring bi-stable nonlinear energy sink on vibration and damage reduction of concrete double-column piers: Experimental and numerical analysis

Concrete structures suffer from crack damage under heavy vibrations, caused by seismic loads. Passive vibration control devices can be used to reduce the damage. The most common device is the tuned-mass-damper (TMD), which is tuned to match the natural frequency of the primary structure. However, under prolonged vibration load, the natural frequency of the concrete structure decreases, reducing the TMD's effectiveness in mitigating vibrations and damage, as it can only target a fixed natural frequency. Therefore, this study will propose and implement the nonlinear energy sink (NES), which is a vibration control device that can adapt to changing frequency, resulting in a larger effective bandwidth than the TMD. As a concrete structure, the cast-in-place double-column piers is seismically loaded with a shaking table with and without NES to observe the vibration and damage-mitigating properties of the NES. More specifically, a magnetic bi-stable NES (MBNES) with a viscous fluid damper (VFD) is designed and built. The bi-stable restoring force allows for a larger bandwidth than conventional NESs, and the magnets and VFD allow for easy manufacturability. An optimization method is proposed to obtain optimal parameters, and the restoring force and damping of the experimentally designed MBNES are verified using the restoring force surface method. The proposed design, optimization and identification procedure are generic and can be applied to any (concrete) civil structure. Shaking table tests are used to verify the robust performance of MBNES under continuous changes in the natural frequency of concrete double-column piers. The experimental results show that the MBNES can effectively mitigate vibrations of the pier and, consequently, reduce the damage of the pier, slow down the decrease of the stiffness of the pier, reduce the curvature and shear deformation of the pier. Numerical analysis results show that MBNES can absorb the energy of the primary structure in a wide frequency bandwidth and has excellent robust performance compared to conventional devices.