Abnormal transition of the electron energy distribution with excitation of the second harmonic in low-pressure radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas

The self-excited second harmonic in radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasma was significantly enhanced by adjusting the external variable capacitor.At a lower pressure of 3 Pa,the excitation of the second harmonic caused an abnormal transition of the electron energy probability function,resulting in abrupt changes in the electron density and temperature.Such changes in the electron energy probability function as well as the electron density and temperature were not observed at the higher pressure of 16 Pa under similar harmonic changes.The phenomena are related to the influence of the second harmonic on stochastic heating,which is determined by both amplitude and the relative phase of the harmonics.The results suggest that the self-excited high-order harmonics must be considered in practical applications of lowpressure radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas.

Designing shielded radio-frequency phased-array coils for magnetic resonance imaging

In this paper, an approach to the design of shielded radio-frequency （RF） phased-array coils for magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） is proposed. The target field method is used to find current densities distributed on primary and shield coils. The stream function technique is used to discretize current densities and to obtain the winding patterns of the coils. The corresponding highly ill-conditioned integral equation is solved by the Tikhonov regularization with a penalty function related to the minimum curvature. To balance the simplicity and smoothness with the homogeneity of the magnetic field of the coll＇s winding pattern, the selection of a penalty factor is discussed in detail.

Numerical research of a 2D axial symmetry hybrid model for the radio-frequency ion thruster

Since the high efficiency discharge is critical to the radio-frequency ion thruster(RIT), a 2D axial symmetry hybrid model has been developed to study the plasma evolution of RIT. The fluid method and the drift energy correction of the electron energy distribution function(EEDF) are applied to the analysis of the RIT discharge. In the meantime, the PIC-MCC method is used to investigate the ion beam current extraction character for the plasma plume region. The beam current simulation results, with the hybrid model, agree well with the experimental results, and the error is lower than 11%, which shows the validity of the model. The further study shows there is an optimal ratio for the radio-frequency(RF) power and the beam current extraction power under the fixed RIT configuration. And the beam extraction efficiency will decrease when the discharge efficiency beyond a certain threshold(about 87 W). As the input parameters of the hybrid model are all the design values, it can be directly used to the optimum design for other kinds of RITs and radio-frequency ion sources.

Numerical study on characteristics of radio-frequency discharge at atmospheric pressure in argon with small admixtures of oxygen

In this paper, a 1D fluid model is developed to study the characteristics of a discharge in argon with small admixtures of oxygen at atmospheric pressure. This model consists of a series of equations, including continuity equations for electrons, positive ions, negative ions and neutral particles, the energy equation, and the Poisson equation for electric potential. Special attention has been paid to the electron energy dissipation and the mechanisms of electron heating, while the admixture of oxygen is in the range of 0.1%-0.6%. It is found that when the oxygen-to-argon ratio grows, the discharge is obviously divided into three stages： electron growth, electron reduction and the electron remaining unchanged. Furthermore, the cycle-averaged electric field, electron temperature, electron Ohmic heating, electron collisionless heating, electron energy dissipation and the net electron production are also studied in detail, and when the oxygen-to- argon ratio is relatively larger （R = 0.6%）, double value peaks of electron Ohmic heating appear in the sheath. According to the results of the numerical simulation, various oxygen-to-argon ratios result in different amounts of electron energy dissipation and electron heating.

Hemodynamic changes in hepatic cancer before and after cluster electrode radio-frequency ablation

Objective: To evaluate the hemodynamic changes of hepatic artery (HA), portal vein (PV) and tumors in hepatic cancer patients treated by cluster electrode radio-frequency ablation with the aid of color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI). Methods: The hemodynamic changes of HA, PV and 42 tumors in 30 cases of hepatic cancer were investi- gated by CDFI one week before and after cluster e- lectrode radio-frequency ablation. Results: One week after radio-frequency ablation, the velocity of HA decreased (P<0.05), but the dia- meter and velocity of PV unchanged. Before radio- frequency ablation, blood signals were observed in 35 cancer nodes (83.0 % of all 42 nodes). After radio- frequency ablation, blood signals were reduced in 15 nodes and disappeared in 14 nodes. Early investiga- tion implied that the decrease of blood supply was parallel with the reduction of node size. However, the outcome in case of huge nodes with double blood supply was not as promising as those small nodes. Conclusion: CDFI is useful to assess blood supply in ablation of hepatic cancer by using cluster electrode radio-frequency therapy.

Applications of cold atmospheric plasmas(CAPs)in agriculture:a brief review and the novel development of a radio-frequency CAP jet generator for plant mutation

Cold atmospheric plasmas(CAPs)have shown great applicability in agriculture.Many kinds of CAP sources have been studied in agricultural applications to promote plant growth and cure plant diseases.We briefly review the state-of-the-art stimulating effects of atmospheric-pressure dielectricbarrier-discharge(AP-DBD)plasmas,after the direct or indirect treatment of plants for growth promotion and disease control.We then discuss the special demands on the characteristics of the CAP sources for their applications in plant mutation breeding.An atmospheric and room temperature plasma(ARTP)jet generator with a large plasma irradiation area,a high enough concentration of chemically reactive species and a low gas temperature is designed for direct plant mutagenesis.Experimental measurements of the electrical,thermal and optical features of the ARTP generator are conducted.Then,an ARTP-P(ARTP for plant mutagenesis)mutation breeding machine is developed,and a typical case of plant mutation breeding by the ARTP-P mutation machine is presented using Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt.seeds.Physical and agricultural experiments show that the newly-developed ARTP-P mutation breeding machine with a large irradiation area can generate uniform CAP jets with high concentrations of chemically reactive species and mild gas temperatures,and have signiflcant mutagenesis effects on the Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt.seeds.The ARTP-P mutation breeding machine may provide a platform for systematic studies on mutation mechanisms and results for various plant seeds under different operating conditions in future research.

Simulation of radio-frequency atmospheric pressure glow discharge in γ mode

The existence of two diffe1：ent discharge modes has been verified in an rf （radio-frequency） atmospheric pressure glow discharge （APGD） by Shi [J. Appl. Phys. 97, 023306 （2005）]. In the first mode, referred to as a mode, the discharge current density is relatively low and the bulk plasma electrons acquire the energy due to the sheath expansion. In the second mode, termed γ mode, the discharge current density is relatively high, the secondary electrons emitted by cathodc under ion bombardment in the cathode sheath region play an important role in sustaining the discharge. In this paper, a one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model for rf APGDs is used to simulate the discharge mechanisms in the mode in helium discharge between two parallel metallic planar electrodes. The results show that as the applied voltage increases, the discharge current becomes greater and the plasma density correspondingly increases, consequentially the discharge transits from the a mode into the γ mode. The high collisionality of the APGD plasma results in significant drop of discharge potential across the sheath region, and the electron Joule heating and the electron collisional energy loss reach their maxima in the region. The validity of the simulation is checked with the available experimental and numerical data.

Influence of magnetic filter field on the radio-frequency negative hydrogen ion source of neutral beam injector for China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor

In the design of negative hydrogen ion sources,a magnetic filter field of tens of Gauss at the expansion region is essential to reduce the electron temperature,which usually results in a magnetic field of around 10 Gauss in the driver region,destabilizing the discharge.The magnetic shield technique is proposed in this work to reduce the magnetic field in the driver region and improve the discharge characteristics.In this paper,a three-dimensional fluid model is developed within COMSOL to study the influence of the magnetic shield on the generation and transport of plasmas in the negative hydrogen ion source.It is found that when the magnetic shield material is applied at the interface of the expansion region and the driver region,the electron density can be effectively increased.For instance,the maximum of the electron density is 6.7×10^(17)m^(-3)in the case without the magnetic shield,and the value increases to 9.4×10^(17)m^(-3)when the magnetic shield is introduced.

Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting in a weak radio-frequency electric field

We utilize an electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) of a three-level cascade system involving Rydberg state in a room-temperature cell, formed with a cesium 6 S_(1/2)–6 P_(3/2)–66 S_(1/2) scheme, to investigate the Autler–Townes(AT)splitting resulting from a 15.21-GHz radio-frequency(RF) field that couples the |66 S_(1/2) → |65 P_(1/2) Rydberg transition.The radio-frequency electric field induced AT splitting, γAT, is defined as the peak-to-peak distance of an EIT-AT spectrum.The dependence of AT splitting γAT on the probe and coupling Rabi frequency, ?_p and ?_c, is investigated. It is found that the EIT-AT splitting strongly depends on the EIT linewidth that is related to the probe and coupling Rabi frequency in a weak RF-field regime. Using a narrow linewidth EIT spectrum would decrease the uncertainty of the RF field measurements.This work provides new experimental evidence for the theoretical framework in [J. Appl. Phys. 121, 233106(2017)].

Characterization of La-doped xBiInO_3(1-x)PbTiO_3 Piezoelectric Films Deposited by the Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Method

La-doped and undoped xBiIn03-（1 - x）PbTi03 （BI-PT） thin films are deposited on （101）SrRuO3/（lOO）Pt/（lO0） MgO substrates by the rf-magnetron sputtering method. The structures of the films are characterized by XRD and SEM, and the results indicate that the thin films are grown with mainly （100） oriented and columnar structures. The ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity of the BI-PT films are also measured, and the measured results illustrate that both performances are effectively improved by the La-doping with suitable concentrations. These results will open up wide potential applications of the films in electronic devices.

Radio-frequency magnetron sputtered thin-film La_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)Co_(0.95)Nb_(0.05)O_(3-δ) perovskite electrodes for intermediate temperature symmetric solid oxide fuel cell(IT-SSOFC)

The present work explores the application of La_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)Co_(0.95)Nb_(0.05)O_(3-δ)(LSCNO)perovskite as electrode material for the symmetric solid oxide fuel cell.Symmetric solid oxide fuel cells of thin-film LSCNO electrodes were prepared to study the oxygen reduction reaction at intermediate temperature.The Rietveld refinement of syn-thesized material shows a hexagonal structure with the R-3c space group of the prepared perovskite material.Lattice parameter and fractional coordinates were utilized to calculate the oxygen ion diffusion coefficient for molecular dynamic simulation.At 973 K,the oxygen ion diffusion of LSCNO was 1.407×10^(-8)cm^(2)s^(-1) higher by order of one magnitude than that of the La_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)Co_(0.95)Nb_(0.05)O_(3-δ)(7.751×10^(-9)cm^(2)^(-1)).The results suggest that the Nb doping provide the structural stability which improves oxygen anion diffusion.The enhanced structural stability was analysed by the thermal expansion coefficient calculated experimentally and from molecular dynamics simulations.Furthermore,the density functional theory calculation revealed the role of Nb dopant for oxygen vacancy formation energy at Sr-0 and La-O planes is lower than the undoped structure.To understand the rate-limiting process for sluggish oxygen diffusion kinetics,80 nm and 40 nm thin films were fabricated using radio frequency magnetron sputtering on gadolinium doped ceria electrolyte substrate.The impedance was observed to increase with an increasing thickness,suggesting the bulk diffusion as a rate-limiting step for oxygen ion diffu-sion.The electrochemical performance was analysed for the thin-flm symmetric solid oxide fuel cell,which achieved a peak power density of 390 mW cm^(-2) at 1.02 V in the presence of H_(2) fuel on the anode side and air on the cathode side.

蓝莓转录因子VcICE全基因组鉴定及其在花果发育进程的表达分析

为探究ICE(inducer of CBF expression)转录因子在高丛蓝莓花果发育进程中可能的调控机制,通过对VcICE基因家族进行全基因组鉴定及生物信息学分析,采用实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)技术分析VcICE基因亚家族成员在蓝莓花芽膨大和果实发育进程中的相对表达水平.结果表明:在高丛蓝莓‘Draper’基因组中鉴定出8个VcICE成员,系统进化分析将其划分为2个亚家族,各亚家族成员均包含S-rich,bHLH和ACT等保守结构域;VcICE基因启动子区域富含光响应、植物激素、生长发育及非生物胁迫相关顺式作用元件;VcICE亚家族基因在高丛蓝莓‘O’Neal’和‘Bluerain’花芽膨大与果实发育进程中的相对表达差异显著.研究结果以期为深入了解VcICE转录因子在蓝莓花果发育进程中的功能提供理论参考.

一种低功耗可级联拓展的电刺激IC

设计了一种低功耗可级联拓展的电刺激芯片,该芯片主要由16个独立电刺激通道、一个全局数字控制器(GDC)及电流偏置模块组成。每个独立电刺激通道包含一个8 bit数模转换器(DAC)、一个高压刺激前端(SFE)电路以及通道本地数字控制器(LDC),能够输出脉冲幅度/宽度/相位间隔时间可独立配置的单极性双相脉冲刺激电流。GDC控制16个通道的配置和刺激使能,并有一个可进行多芯片级联拓展的控制接口。LDC和GDC共用同一组时钟/数据控制信号,节省了端口资源。提出的电路采用GF 0.18μm CMOS BCD高压工艺进行设计和制备,总面积为1.5 mm×3.1 mm。测试结果表明,在5 V/15 V/-15 V供电下,该电路的静态功耗为2.14μW,最大输出电流为1 mA,输出200μA恒定电流时顺从电压为13.5 V。

Energy Distribution of Ions Incident on Radio-Frequency Biased Electrodes in External Magnetic Field

A radio-frequency （rf） plasma sheath model in an oblique magnetic field is established and the energy distribution of ions （IED） incident on the rf sheath biased electrodes is numerically investigated. The simulation results reveal that the external magnetic field can have a decisive impact on the ion flux and energy distribution of the sheath. The ion energy can be transferred between the perpendicular and parallel components under the action of a magnetic field.

Analysis of non-uniform hetero-gate-dielectric dual-material control gate TFET for suppressing ambipolar nature and improving radio-frequency performance

A tunnel field-effect transistor(TFET) is proposed by combining various advantages together, such as non-uniform gate-oxide layer, hetero-gate-dielectric(HGD), and dual-material control-gate(DMCG) technology. The effects of the length of non-uniform gate-oxide layer and dual-material control-gate on the on-state, off-state, and ambipolar currents are investigated. In addition, radio-frequency performance is studied in terms of gain bandwidth product, cut-off frequency,transit time, and transconductance frequency product. Moreover, the length of non-uniform gate-oxide layer and dualmaterial control-gate are optimized to improve the on-off current ratio and radio-frequency performances as well as the suppression of ambipolar current. All results demonstrate that the proposed device not only suppresses ambipolar current but also improves radio-frequency performance compared with the conventional DMCG TFET, which makes the proposed device a better application prospect in the advanced integrated circuits.

Facile integration of an Al-rich Al_(1-x)In_(x)N photodetector on free-standing GaN by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

Al_(1-x)In_(x)N, a Ⅲ-nitride semiconductor material, is currently of great research interest due to its remarkable physical properties and chemical stability. When the Al and In compositions are tuned, its band-gap energy varies from 0.7 eV to 6.2 eV, which shows great potential for application in photodetectors. Here, we report the fabrication and performance evaluation of integrated Al_(1-x)In_(x)N on a free-standing GaN substrate through direct radio-frequency magnetron sputtering.The optical properties of Al_(1-x)In_(x)N will be enhanced by the polarization effect of a heterostructure composed of Al_(1-x)In_(x)N and other Ⅲ-nitride materials. An Al_(1-x)In_(x)N/Ga N visible-light photodetector was prepared by semiconductor fabrication technologies such as lithography and metal deposition. The highest photoresponsivity achieved was 1.52 A·W^(-1)under 365 nm wavelength illumination and the photodetector was determined to have the composition Al0.75In0.25N/GaN.A rise time of 0.55 s was observed after transient analysis of the device. The prepared Al_(1-x)In_(x)N visible-light photodetector had a low dark current, high photoresponsivity and fast response speed. By promoting a low-cost, simple fabrication method,this study expands the application of ternary alloy Al_(1-x)In_(x)N visible-light photodetectors in optical communication.

Effect of Duty Cycle on the Characteristics of Pulse-Modulhted Radio-Frequency Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Using a one-dimensional fluid model, the pulse-modulated radio-frequency dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric helium is described. The influences of the pulse duty cycle on the discharge characteristics are studied. The numerical results show that the dependence of discharge characteristics on the duty cycle is sensitive in the region of around 40% duty cycle under the given simulation parameters. In the case of a larger duty cycle, the plasma density is higher, the discharge becomes more intense, but the power consumption is higher. When the duty cycle is lower, one can get a weaker discharge, lower plasma density and higher electron temperature in the bulk plasma. In practical applications, in order to get a higher plasma density and a lower power consumption, it is more important to choose a suitable duty cycle to modulate the RF power supply.

Aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency discharge plasma and control of supersonic flow

In this paper, aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency(RF) discharge plasma are studied and a method is proposed for shock wave control based on RF discharge. Under the static condition, a RF diffuse glow discharge can be observed; under the supersonic inflow, the plasma is blown downstream but remains continuous and stable.Time-resolved schlieren is used for flow field visualization. It is found that RF discharge not only leads to continuous energy deposition on the electrode surface but also induces a compression wave. Under the supersonic inflow condition, a weak oblique shock wave is induced by discharge. Experimental results of the shock wave control indicate that the applied actuation can disperse the bottom structure of the ramp-induced oblique shock wave, which is also observed in the extracted shock wave structure after image processing. More importantly, this control effect can be maintained steadily due to the continuous high-frequency(MHz) discharge. Finally, correlations for schlieren images and numerical simulations are employed to further explore the flow control mechanism. It is observed that the vortex in the boundary layer increases after the application of actuation, meaning that the boundary layer in the downstream of the actuation position is thickened. This is equivalent to covering a layer of low-density smooth wall around the compression corner and on the ramp surface, thereby weakening the compressibility at the compression corner. Our results demonstrate the ability of RF plasma aerodynamic actuation to control the supersonic airflow.

Ultraviolet discharges from a radio-frequency system for potential biological/chemical applications

In this work, we describe a new electrode-less radio-frequency（RF） excitation technique for generating excimers in the vacuum ultraviolet（VUV） and ultraviolet（UV） spectral regions for potential biological/chemical applications. Spectra data of Xe~＊_2, XeI~＊, and KrI~＊ generated by this new technique are presented. Optical efficiency of the lamp system ranges from 3% to 6% for KrI~＊, 7% to 13% for XeI~＊, and 15% to 20% for Xe~＊_2. Also, results of irradiating E-coli with XeI~＊discharge from this lamp system is presented to show one of the promising applications of such electrode-less apparatus.This new RF lamp system offers an interesting addition to the already existing technologies for generating VUV and UV light for various biological, physical, and chemical processes especially those requiring large area for high productivity.

Ferromagnetism in Eu-doped ZnO films deposited by radio-frequency magnetic sputtering

This paper reports that Eu-doped ZnO films were successfully deposited on silicon （100） by radio-frequency magnetic sputtering. The x-ray diffraction patterns indicate that Eu substitutes for Zn in the lattice. Ferromagnetic loops were obtained by using superconducting quantum interference device at 10 K and room temperature. No discontinuous change was found in both of the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled curves. The observed ferromagnetism in Eu-doped ZnO can be attributed to a single magnetic phase. The saturation magnetisation decreased remarkably for the Eu-doped ZnO prepared by introducing 5% of oxygen in the sputtering gas or by the post annealing in O2, suggesting that the defects play key roles in the development of ferromagnetism in Eu-doped ZnO films.