Computations on the Thermal Characteristics of SF6 and CO2 Switching Arcs on a Microscopic Scale.

Pure sulfur hexafluoride is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inflammable, chemically inert and thermally stable gas and has proven its worth as an excellent interruption and dielectric medium. SF6 has been successfully used for interruption and insulation purposes as interrupters and circuit-breakers in gas-insulated substations. Due to its long lifetime and high global warming potential, this gas was put on the list of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the Kyoto Protocol aimed at controlling the emission of man-made greenhouse gases. This factor makes the search for an environmentally friendly alternative to SF6 all the more urgent. In this paper, we conducted computations on the thermal and aerodynamic behaviors of SF6 and an alternative CO2 switching arcs in a self-blast chamber in order to compare the switching phenomena and the thermal reignition from an engineering point of view. Through the complete work, the 3,000 K isotherm of the remnant arc column within microseconds after a current zero was used to evaluate the thermal reignition of SF6 and CO2 switching arcs with the slope of the tangential line of the transient recovery voltage on a microscopic scale.

Selective Growth and Contact Gap-Fill of Low Resistivity Si via Microwave Plasma-Enhanced CVD.

Low resistivity polycrystalline Si could be selectively grown in the deep (~200 nm) and narrow patterns (~20 nm) of 20 nm pitch design rule DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MW-CVD). We were able to achieve the high phosphorus (CVD gap-fill in a large electrical contact area which does is affected by line pitch size) doping concentration (>2.5 × 1021 cm-3) and, thus, a low resistivity by adjusting source gas (SiH4, H2, PH3) decomposition through MW-CVD with a showerhead controlling the decomposition of source gases by using two different gas injection paths. In this study, a selective growth mechanism was applied by using the deposition/etch cyclic process to achieve the bottom-up process in the L-shaped contact, using H2 plasma that simultaneously promoted the deposition and the etch processes. Additionally, the cyclic selective growth technique was set up by controlling the SiH4 flow rate. The bottom-up process resulted in a uniform doping distribution, as well as an excellent filling capacity without seam and center void formation. Thus, low contact resistivity and higher transistor on-current could be achieved at a high and uniform phosphorus (P)-concentration. Compared to the conventional thermal, this method is expected to be a strong candidate for the complicated deep and narrow contact process.

Thermomagnetic Convection of Ferrofluid in an Enclosure Channel with an Internal Magnetic Field.

Ferrofluid is a colloidal liquid in which magnetic nanoparticles such as Fe3O4 are dispersed in a nonconductive solution, and the average diameter of the nanoparticles is 10 nm. When a magnetic field is applied, the ferrofluid generates magnetization, which changes the physical properties of the fluid itself. In this study, characteristics of the thermomagnetic convection of ferrofluid (Fe3O4) by the permanent magnet in the enclosure channel were studied. To effectively mix the ferrofluid (Fe3O4) and disturb the boundary layer, the heat dissipation of the heat source depending on the strength of the magnetic field and the shape of the enclosure channel was numerically studied. In particular, four different enclosure channels were considered: Square, separated square, circle, and separated circle. The hot temperature was set at the center of the enclosure channel. The ferrofluid was affected by the permanent magnet in the center of the channel. The magnetic field strength in the region close to the permanent magnet was enhanced. The magnetophoretic (MAP) force increased with increasing magnetic field strength. The MAP force generated a vortex in the enclosure channel, disturbing the thermal boundary. The vortex occurs differently, depending on the shape of the enclosure channel and affects the thermomagnetic convection. The temperature and velocity fields for thermomagnetic convection were described and the convective heat flux was calculated and compared. Results show that when the magnetic field strength was 4000 kA/m and the shape of the enclosure channel was a circle, the maximum convective heat flux of 4.86 × 105 W/m2 was obtained.

Quasi-Three-Dimensional Computations of the Microscopic Thermal and Dielectric Characteristics of an SF6 Rotating Switching Arc.

Pure sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is chemically inert, non-flammable, non-toxic and thermally stable, and it has excellent dielectric strength and arc-quenching and control properties. The switching-off process of SF6 arc discharges occurs at the region between the contacts during the opening sequence to interrupt the flow of excessive current in a faulty network. The arc is tolerated in a controlled manner until a natural current zero when the arc discharge is rapidly quenched to restrict the thermal and dielectric reignition to the interruption. An SF6 self-blast switching chamber combines two advantages of blowing by heat expansion of the SF6 and arc rotation by electromagnetic effect of coil to improve the switching performance on thermal and dielectric reignition. The thermal and aerodynamic behaviors of an SF6 rotating switching arc in the chamber physically are complex and difficult to understand only by measurement due to their three-dimensional effects. Since the late nineteen-eighties, significant progress has been made in the method of computational fluid dynamics describing the physical processes occurring in the switching arc. The final goal of computer simulation technology on the arc switching is to predict the switching phenomena on the thermal and dielectric reignition from an engineering point of view. In this paper, we have conducted quasi-three dimensional computations to predict the thermal and dielectric reignition of SF6 rotating arcs occurring after a current zero in the self-blast switching chamber. Through the complete work, the microscopic thermal and aerodynamic behaviors of the remnant arc column after a current zero should be good criteria to predict the thermal and dielectric reignition of the rotating switching arc in the chamber.

Thermal-Flow Characteristics of Ferrofluids in a Rotating Eccentric Cylinder under External Magnetic Force.

Heat dissipation has become an important issue due to the miniaturization of various electronic devices. Various methods such as spray and nozzle coolers, heat sinks and so on are used for heat dissipation. However, the emergence of ferrofluids drastically improves the operating characteristics of electromagnetic systems and devices. A ferrofluid is a suspension containing 10-nm magnetic particles in a colloidal solution. This material exhibits paramagnetic behavior and is sensitive to magnetic field and temperature. In this study, heat transfer characteristics of ferrofluids in a rotating eccentric cylinder were investigated using the commercial code, COMSOL Multiphysics. Numerical results of the local Nusselt number, magnetophoretic force and velocity distributions were obtained from various eccentricities of the cylinder, and the results were graphically depicted with various flow conditions.

Structural Characteristics of a Conical-Frustum-Patterned Stretchable Heater in an External-Force Environment.

Stretchable heaters are mechanically and biomedically advantageous because they are more flexible than the conventional microheaters. To determine the way that a heater can be used appropriately in a wide range of application fields, studies on the mechanical and thermal characteristics regarding various film configurations are underway. In this study, the mechanical characteristics of conical-frustum-patterned stretchable heaters with various configurations with upper-radius (R1), bottom-radius (R2), and height (h) aspect ratios were numerically investigated when tensile forces and bending moments were applied to the film of heater. The temperature and von Mises stress of the film were analyzed using the commercial software COMSOL ver. 5.2. The structural characteristics of a conical-frustum-patterned stretchable heater were evaluated under external load, and results are graphically depicted.

Interaction Model Between an Electrical Arc and a Material for Arc Discharge Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles.

Metal nanoparticles are used in applications ranging from bio-diagnostics to catalysis due to the expectation to improve attributes or the performance of specific products or processes. The electric arc can be used to produce metal nanoparticles by evaporating the anode and forming the anode vapor. In order to synthesize the nanoparticles of the desired properties, the influence of various input parameters on the growth kinetics has to be fully understood. In this study, we presented two and three dimensional results of numerical simulation of the transferred electric arc taking into account the interaction model between an electric arc and two electrodes. It was found that the predicted temperature of the arc column with two electrodes was in good agreement with the measured data, and the main advantage of this model over our previous one was to predict the temperature distribution of the arc column with two electrodes by two- and three-dimensional computations.

Two-Dimensional Computations on the Thermal Behaviors Between Arc Plasmas and Their Electrodes for the Switching Chamber Design.

A SF6 self-blast switching chamber belongs to a new generation of high-voltage switching devices, which take advantage of the auto-expansion principle and arc rotation to improve the switching performance on thermal and dielectric interruptions. The thermal behaviors between the arc plasma and the electrodes in the device are very complex to understand only through experimental studies. Since the late nineteen-eighties, significant progress has been made in computational methods describing the physical processes occurring in thermal plasmas. The final goal of a computer simulation on thermal plasmas is to predict the switching performance on thermal and dielectric interruptions from an engineering point of view. In this paper, we have conducted computations to predict the thermal and dielectric breakdown capabilities of a SF6 self-blast switching chamber from the results of the thermal behaviors during the entire switching process, such as a high-current period, pre-current zero period, and current-zero period. Through the complete work, the temperature of the residual thermal plasmas as well as the breakdown index after the current zero should be good criteria to predict the thermal and dielectric capabilities of the switching chambers.

Cesium lead iodide solar cells controlled by annealing temperature.

An inorganic lead halide perovskite film, CsPbI3, used as an absorber in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) was optimized by controlling the annealing temperature and the layer thickness. The CsPbI3 layer was synthesized by one-step coating of CsI mixed with PbI2 and a HI additive in N,N-dimethylformamide. The annealing temperature of the CsPbI3 film was varied from 80 to 120 °C for different durations and the thickness was controlled by changing the spin-coating rpm. After annealing the CsPbI3 layer at 100 °C under dark conditions for 10 min, a black phase of CsPbI3 was formed and the band gap was 1.69 eV. Most of the yellow spots disappeared, the surface coverage was almost 100%, and the rms roughness was minimized to 3.03 nm after annealing at 100 °C. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the CsPbI3 based PSC annealed at 100 °C was 4.88%. This high PCE value is attributed to the low yellow phase ratio, high surface coverage, low rms roughness, lower charge transport resistance, and lower charge accumulation. The loss ratio of the PCE of the CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x and CsPbI3 based PSCs after keeping in air was 47 and 26%, respectively, indicating that the stability of the CsPbI3 based PSC is better than that of the CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x based PSC. From these results, it is evident that CsPbI3 is a potential candidate for solar cell applications.

Mogul-Patterned Elastomeric Substrate for Stretchable Electronics.

A mogul-patterned stretchable substrate with multidirectional stretchability and minimal fracture of layers under high stretching is fabricated by double photolithography and soft lithography. Au layers and a reduced graphene oxide chemiresistor on a mogul-patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate are stable and durable under various stretching conditions. The newly designed mogul-patterned stretchable substrate shows great promise for stretchable electronics.

Numerical Study on the Particle Trajectory Tracking in a Micro-UV Bio-Fluorescence Sensor.

A micro-UV bio-fluorescence sensor was developed to detect primary biological aerosols including bacteria, bacterial spores, fungal spores, pollens, viruses, algae, etc. In order to effectively detect the bio-particles in a micro-UV bio-fluorescence sensor, numerical calculations were performed to adjust for appropriate flow conditions of the sensor by regulating the sample aerosols and sheath flow. In particular, a CFD-based model of hydrodynamic processes was developed by computing the trajectory of particles using commercially available ANSYS CFX-14 software and the Lagrangian tracking model. The established model was evaluated with regard to the variation of sheath flow rate and particle size. Results showed that the sheath flow was changed rapidly at the end of nozzle tip, but the sample particles moved near the center of aerosol jet for aerodynamic focusing with little deviation from the axis.

Effects of Mass Flow Rate on the Thermal-Flow Characteristics of Microwave CO2 Plasma.

In this study, the thermal-flow characteristics of atmospheric pressure microwave CO2 plasma were numerically investigated by simulation. The electric and gas flow fields in the reaction chamber with a microwave axial injection torch operated at 2.45 GHz were simulated. The microwave launcher had the standard rectangular waveguide WR340 geometry. The simulation was performed by using the COMSOL Multiphysics plasma model with various mass flow rates of CO2. The electric fields, temperature profiles and the density of electrons were graphically depicted for different CO2 inlet mass flow rates.

Micropatterning of TiO2 thin films by MOCVD and study of their growth tendency.

In this work, we studied the growth tendency of TiO2 thin films deposited on a narrow-stripe area (<10 µm). TiO2 thin films were selectively deposited on OTS patterned Si(100) substrates by MOCVD. The experimental data showed that the film growth tendency was divided into two behaviors above and below a line patterning width of 4 µm. The relationship between the film thickness and the deposited area was obtained as a function of f(x) = a[1 - e((-bx))]c. To find the tendency of the deposition rate of the TiO2 thin films onto the various linewidth areas, the relationship between the thickness of the TiO2 thin film and deposited linewidth was also studied. The thickness of the deposited TiO2 films was measured from the alpha-step profile analyses and cross-sectional SEM images. At the same time, a computer simulation was carried out to reveal the relationship between the TiO2 film thickness and deposited line width. The theoretical results suggest that the mass (velocity) flux in flow direction is directly affected to the film thickness.

Magnetophoresis Effects on the Flow Characteristics of Oil-Based Ferrofluids in Rectangular Enclosures.

This study numerically investigated the flow characteristics in a rectangular enclosure filled with oil-based ferrofluid (EFH-1, Ferrotec.) under the influence of external magnetic fields. The rectangular enclosure contained obstacles with different shapes, such as a rectangle and a triangle mounted on the top and bottom wall surfaces. In order to generate external magnetic fields, a permanent magnet was located in the lower part of the rectangular enclosure, and its direction was selected to be either horizontal or vertical. Our results showed that the ferrofluid flow fields were affected by the applied external magnetic field direction and eddy flow phenomena in the working fluid were generated in the vicinity of high magnetic flux density distributions, such as at the edge of the permanent magnet. It was also confirmed that the magnetophoretic force distributions in the analysis model played a significant role in the development of the ferrofluid flow fields.

Temperature Prediction in a Free-Burning Arc and Electrodes for Nanostructured Materials and Systems.

Temperature in a free-burning arc used for synthesis of nanoparticles and nanostructured materials is generally around 20,000 K just below the cathode, falling to about 15,000 K just above the anode, and decreasing rapidly in the radial direction. Therefore, the electrode erosion is indispensable for these atmospheric plasma systems, as well as for switching devices, due to the high heat flux transferred from high temperature arcs to electrodes, but experimental and theoretical works have not identified the characteristic phenomena because of the complex physical processes. To the previous study, we have focused on the arc self-induced fluid flow in a free-burning arc using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. At this time, our investigation is concerned with the whole region of free-burning high-intensity arcs including the tungsten cathode, the arc plasma and the anode using a unified numerical model for applying synthesis of nanoparticles and nanostructured materials practically.

Thermomagnetic Convective Flow Characteristics of Oil-Based Magnetic Nanofluids in Rectangular Enclosure.

The characteristics of thermomagnetic convective flow in a rectangular enclosure heated from below and filled with oil-based nanofluid (EFH-1, Ferrotec.), so called ferrofluid, were numerically investigated. The enclosure contained obstacles with rectangular or triangular configurations mounted on the top and bottom walls. To generate homogeneous magnetic fields, a permanent magnet with a uniform magnetic field strength of 600 kA/m was located in the lower part of the rectangular enclosure, and specified the horizontal or vertical direction. Coupling calculations between thermal-flow field and magnetic field in the analysis model were performed using the commercial code, COMSOL Multiphysics. Results showed that the ferrofluid flow fields were affected by the applied external magnetic field directions and that the eddy flow phenomena in the rectangular enclosure were generated in the vicinity of the section of high magnetic flux density fields such as the edge of the permanent magnet. The effect of parameters like temperature distributions and local Nusselt number (Nu) profiles on the thermomagnetic convective flow was graphically depicted with various flow conditions.

Thermal Characteristics of Amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide and Graphite in Display Panel Based Thin Film Transistors.

One of the important design factors in the smart electronic industry is proper heat treatment of the display panel. In order to improve the heat transfer performance of display panels, we analyzed a three-dimensional model of multi-stack layers of the thin film transistors (TFTs). In particular, we numerically investigated the thermal barrier effects of active layers having different material properties of a-IGZO (isotropy) and graphite (anisotropy). We calculated the temperature distribution on the display panel with each active layer, using the commercial code, COMSOL Multiphysics. We graphically depict comparative results of the thermal characteristics between a-IGZO and graphite with the stacked structure of the TFTs.

Effect of Al2O3 insulator thickness on the structural integrity of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide based thin film transistors.

The current transparent oxide semiconductors (TOSs) technology provides flexibility and high performance. In this study, multi-stack nano-layers of TOSs were designed for three-dimensional analysis of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) based thin film transistors (TFTs). In particular, the effects of torsional and compressive stresses on the nano-sized active layers such as the a-IGZO layer were investigated. Numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the structural integrity of a-IGZO based TFTs with three different thicknesses of the aluminum oxide (Al2O3) insulator (δ = 10, 20, and 30 nm), respectively, using a commercial code, COMSOL Multiphysics. The results are graphically depicted for operating conditions.

Effect of nozzle tip configuration on the micro-droplet formation.

Micro-droplet formation is an emerging area of research due to its wide-ranging applications in micro-fluidic based devices. For high resolution patterning and coating processes in various industrial fields, the formation of micro-droplets should be controlled according to the rheological properties of the working fluids. However, the physical properties of the some of working fluids are limited to meet the industrial applications. In this paper, the effect of the nozzle tip configuration on the micro-droplet formation process was numerically observed. A two-phase level-set modeling method was employed for simulations, and the results for various nozzle shapes were compared. In order to validate the numerical results of ink-jet printing with various operating conditions, we introduced a dimensionless parameter Z which is the factor of correlation of dynamic viscosity with surface tension of a working fluid on the microfluidics of drop-on-demand (DOD) jets, and obtained reasonable values of Z. Also, the numerical results such as velocity and shear rate distributions, etc. were graphically depicted in two-dimensional coordinates.

Numerical study on the mixing performance of a ring-type electroosmotic micromixer with different obstacle configurations.

A new type of electrokinetic micromixer with a ring-type channel is introduced for fast mixing. The proposed mixer takes two fluids from different inlets and combines them in a ring-type mixing chamber. The fluids enter two different inlets (inner radius: 25 microm and outer radius: 50 microm), respectively. The total channel length is 500 microm, and four microelectrodes are positioned on the outer wall of the mixing chamber. The electric potentials on the four microelectrodes are sinusoidal with time, having various maximum values of voltage, zeta potential and frequency. Also, in order to compare the mixing performance with different obstacle configurations, we performed a numerical analysis using a commercial code, COMSOL. The concentration of the dissolved substances in the working fluid and the flow and electric fields in the channel were investigated and the results were graphically depicted for various flow and electric conditions.