The ability to authenticate the source and integrity of data is critical to the monitoring and inspection of special nuclear materials, including hardware related to weapons production. Current methods rely on electronic encryption/authentication codes housed in monitoring devices. This always invites the question of implementation and protection of authentication information in an electronic component necessitating EMI shielding, possibly an on board power source to maintain the information in memory. By using atomic layer deposition techniques (ALD) on photonic band gap (PBG) optical fibers we will explore the potential to randomly manipulate the output spectrum and intensity of an input light source. This randomization could produce unique signatures authenticating devices with the potential to authenticate data. An external light source projected through the fiber with a spectrometer at the exit would 'read' the unique signature. No internal power or computational resources would be required.
We report low-temperature transport measurements of a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) double quantum dot (DQD). In contrast to previously reported measurements of DQD's in Si MOS structures, our device has a lateral gate geometry very similar to that used by Petta et al. to demonstrate coherent manipulation of single electron spins. This gate design provides a high degree of tunability, allowing for independent control over individual dot occupation and tunnel barriers, as well as the ability to use nearby constrictions to sense dot charge occupation. Comparison of experimentally extracted capacitances between the dot and nearby gates with electrostatic modeling demonstrates the presence of disorder and the ability to partially compensate for this disorder by adjustment of gate voltages. We experimentally show gate-controlled tuning of the interdot coupling over a wide range of energies, an important step towards potential quantum computing applications.
We fabricated a split-gate defined point contact in a double gate enhancement mode Si-MOS device, and implanted Sb donor atoms using a self-aligned process. E-beam lithography in combination with a timed implant gives us excellent control over the placement of dopant atoms, and acts as a stepping stone to focused ion beam implantation of single donors. Our approach allows us considerable latitude in experimental design in-situ. We have identified two resonance conditions in the point contact conductance as a function of split gate voltage. Using tunneling spectroscopy, we probed their electronic structure as a function of temperature and magnetic field. We also determine the capacitive coupling between the resonant feature and several gates. Comparison between experimental values and extensive quasi-classical simulations constrain the location and energy of the resonant level. We discuss our results and how they may apply to resonant tunneling through a single donor.
Thin and small form factor cells have been researched lately by several research groups around the world due to possible lower assembly costs and reduced material consumption with higher efficiencies. Given the popularity of these devices, it is important to have detailed information about the behavior of these devices. Simulation of fabrication processes and device performance reveals some of the advantages and behavior of solar cells that are thin and small. Three main effects were studied: the effect of surface recombination on the optimum thickness, efficiency, and current density, the effect of contact distance on the efficiency for thin cells, and lastly the effect of surface recombination on the grams per Watt-peak. Results show that high efficiency can be obtained in thin devices if they are well-passivated and the distance between contacts is short. Furthermore, the ratio of grams per Watt-peak is greatly reduced as the device is thinned.
Phase transformation between the ferroelectric (FE) and the antiferroelectric (AFE) phases in tin modified lead zirconate titanate (PSZT) ceramics can be influenced by pressure and electric field. Increasing the pressure has the tendency to favor the AFE phase while electric field favors the FE phase. In this study, these phase transformations are studied as functions of external pressure, temperature, and dc bias. The shifting of transformation temperature and the relative phase stability between FE and AFE with respect to these external parameters will be presented. Results will be compared to a pressure-induced depoling behavior (or FE-to-AFE phase transformation) for the PSZT ceramic. Fundamental issues relates to the relative phase stability will be discussed from the perspective of lattice dynamics theory.