Solar energy conversion plays a very important role in the rapid introduction of renewable energy, which is essential to meet future energy demands without further polluting the environment, but current solar panels based on silicon are expensive due to the cost of raw materials and high energy consumption during production. The way forward is to move towards thin-film solar cells using alternative materials and low-cost manufacturing methods. The photovoltaic community is actively researching thin-film solar cells based on amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and dye-sensitised and organic materials. However, progress has been slow due to a lack of proper understanding of the physics behind these devices. This book concentrates on the latest developments and attempts to improve our understanding of solid-state device physics. The material presented is mainly experimental and based on CdTe thin-film solar cells. The author extends these new findings to CIGS thin-film solar cells and presents a new device design based on graded bandgap multi-layer solar cells. This design has been experimentally tested using the well-researched GaAs/AlGaAs system, and initial devices have shown impressive device parameters. These devices are capable of absorbing all radiation (UV, visible and infra-red) within the solar spectrum and combine "impact ionisation" and "impurity photovoltaic" effects. The improved device understanding presented in this book should impact and guide future photovoltaic device development and low-cost thin-film solar panel manufacture. This new edition features an additional chapter besides exercises and their solutions, which will be useful for academics teaching in this field.

This book is based on three undergraduate and postgraduate courses taught by the author on Matrix theory, Probability theory and Antenna theory over the past several years. It discusses Matrix theory, Probability theory and Antenna theory with solved problems. It will be useful to undergraduate and postgraduate students of Electronics and Communications Engineering. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan).

Focusing on resource awareness in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) design, Applications of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays in Scientific Research covers the principle of FPGAs and their functionality. It explores a host of applications, ranging from small one-chip laboratory systems to large-scale applications in "big science." The book first describes various FPGA resources, including logic elements, RAM, multipliers, microprocessors, and content-addressable memory. It then presents principles and methods for controlling resources, such as process sequencing, location constraints, and intellectual property cores. The remainder of the book illustrates examples of applications in high-energy physics, space, and radiobiology. Throughout the text, the authors remind designers to pay attention to resources at the planning, design, and implementation stages of an FPGA application, in order to reduce the use of limited silicon resources and thereby reduce system cost. Supplying practical know-how on an array of FPGA application examples, this book provides an accessible overview of the use of FPGAs in data acquisition, signal processing, and transmission. It shows how FPGAs are employed in laboratory applications and how they are flexible, low-cost alternatives to commercial data acquisition systems. Web Resource A supporting website at http://scipp.ucsc.edu/~hartmut/FPGA offers more details on FPGA programming and usage. The site contains design elements of the case studies from the book, including VHDL code, detailed schematics of selected projects, photographs, and screen shots.

Back-action of aerodynamics onto structures such as wings cause vibrations and may resonantly couple to them, thus causing instabilities (flutter) and endangering the whole structure. By careful choices of geometry, materials and damping mechanisms, hazardous effects on wind engines, planes, turbines and cars can be avoided. Besides an introduction into the problem of flutter, new formulations of flutter problems are given as well as a treatise of supersonic flutter and of a whole range of mechanical effects. Numerical and analytical methods to study them are developed and applied to the analysis of new classes of flutter problems for plates and shallow shells of arbitrary plane form. Specific problems discussed in the book in the context of numerical simulations are supplemented by Fortran code examples (available on the website).

This latest edition continues the evolution toward the ultimate realization of a new technique for solving electromagnetic propagation problems. The technique combines the classical and intuitive use of a transmission line matrix (TLM) while striving for consistency with the guideposts demanded by quantum mechanics and the essential structure of electromagnetic theory. The matrix then becomes a useful vehicle for examining both coherent and noncoherent electromagnetic waves. The goal is a mathematical tool capable of solving problems related to the propagation of transient, high-speed, complex waveforms containing both symmetric and plane wave components. For such waveforms, standard classical electromagnetic theory is unable to provide a truly accurate solution since it does not properly account for the correlations among the various TLM cells. The correlations among neighboring TLM cells allow the cell waves to sense one another and to collectively participate as a coherent wave.For arbitrary signals, e.g., complex, high speed, highly non-uniform signals, the correlation model must be placed on a firmer footing to insure the proper correlation strength based on the close adherence to quantum mechanical principles. The purpose of the Third Edition is to thereby improve the correlation model, and incorporate the model into the simulations. The simulation results thus obtained show great promise in describing the full range of electromagnetic phenomena. Wave divergence and diffraction simulations, employing both composite and shorter range correlation models, have been incorporated. The models employ correlation coefficients which may be linked with quantum mechanical parameters, thus providing a deeper understanding of coherent wave fronts.

Schlieren and shadowgraph techniques are basic and valuable tools in various scientific and engineering disciplines. They allow us to see the invisible: the optical inhomogeneities in transparent media like air, water, and glass that otherwise cause only ghostly distortions of our normal vision.These techniques are discussed briefly in many books and papers, but there is no up-to-date complete treatment of the subject before now. The book is intended as a practical guide for those who want to use these methods, as well as a resource for a broad range of disciplines where scientific visualization is important. The colorful 400-year history of these methods is covered in an extensive introductory chapter accessible to all readers.

This book serves as a quick guide on the latest material systems including their synthesis, fabrication and characterization techniques. It discusses recent developments in different material systems and discusses their novel applications in various branches of science and engineering. The book briefs latest computational tools and techniques that are used to discover new material systems. The book also briefs applications of new emerging materials in various fields including, healthcare, sensors, opto-electronics, high power devices and nano-electronics. This book helps to create a synergy between computational and experimental research methods to better understand a particular material system.

Identifying and measuring the elemental x-rays released when materials are examined with particles (electrons, protons, alpha particles, etc.) or photons (x-rays and gamma rays) is still considered to be the primary analytical technique for routine and non-destructive materials analysis. The Lithium Drifted Silicon (Si(Li)) X-Ray Detector, with its good resolution and peak to background, pioneered this type of analysis on electron microscopes, x-ray fluorescence instruments, and radioactive source- and accelerator-based excitation systems. Although rapid progress in Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs), Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs), and Compound Semiconductor Detectors, including renewed interest in alternative materials such as CdZnTe and diamond, has made the Si(Li) X-Ray Detector nearly obsolete, the device serves as a useful benchmark and still is used in special instances where its large, sensitive depth is essential. Semiconductor X-Ray Detectors focuses on the history and development of Si(Li) X-Ray Detectors, an important supplement to the knowledge now required to achieve full understanding of the workings of SDDs, CCDs, and Compound Semiconductor Detectors. The book provides an up-to-date review of the principles, practical applications, and state of the art of semiconductor x-ray detectors. It describes many of the facets of x-ray detection and measurement using semiconductors, from manufacture to implementation. The initial chapters present a self-contained summary of relevant background physics, materials science, and engineering aspects. Later chapters compare and contrast the assembly and physical properties of systems and materials currently employed, enabling readers to fully understand the materials and scope for applications.

Application of New Cybernetics in Physics describes the application of new cybernetics to physical problems and the resolution of basic physical paradoxes by considering external observer influence. This aids the reader in solving problems that were solved incorrectly or have not been solved. Three groups of problems of the new cybernetics are considered in the book: (a) Systems that can be calculated based on known physics of subsystems. This includes the external observer influence calculated from basic physical laws (ideal dynamics) and dynamics of a physical system influenced even by low noise (observable dynamics). (b) Emergent systems. This includes external noise from the observer by using the black box model (complex dynamics), external noise from the observer by using the observer's intuition (unpredictable dynamics), defining boundaries of application of scientific methods for system behavior prediction, and the role of the observer's intuition for unpredictable systems. (c) Methods for solution of basic physical paradoxes by using methods of the new cybernetics: the entropy increase paradox, Schroedinger's cat paradox (wave package reduction in quantum mechanics), the black holes information paradox, and the time wormholes grandfather paradox. All of the above paradoxes have the same resolution based on the principles of new cybernetics. Indeed, even a small interaction of an observer with an observed system results in their time arrows' alignment (synchronization) and results in the paradox resolution and appearance of the universal time arrow.

This book has three volume. The first volume is mainly devoted to the macroscopic-microscopic theory in its traditional form and extended to very high mass and charge asymmetry. Applications of this theory to the emission of different kinds of charged particles from nuclei are presented in the second volume, where recent experimental achievements in alpha decay, proton, and heavy ion (14C, 24Ne, 28Mg, etc.) radioactivities are also discussed. Experiments on spontaneous fission, fission isomers, and more complex phenomena like particle-accompanied fission,delayed processes: p, a, 2p, t, n, 2n, 3n, and the new mechanism of cold fission (or fission with compact shapes) are described in detail in the third volume.

The handbook presents spectra to be utilized for the detection and measurement of new constituents in the earth's atmosphere and to obtain data for common minor species with large gas amounts in the absorption cell (such as CH/sub 4/ and N/sub 2/O). These results can be applied in the identification of absorption features in atmospheric spectra determined over long atmospheric paths. The spectra were recorded with Fourier Transform Spectrometers which are more precise than grating spectrometers. Each molecule spectrum was plotted on two scales: a condensed scale covering the range from 75 to 300/cm in one frame, and an expanded view covering 20 or 10/cm per frame. Each plot contains the name of the molecule, chemical formula, the gas pressure, cell length, and estimated resolution of the spectrum.

The field of plasmonics has shown extraordinary capabilities in realizing highly sensitive and accurate sensors for environmental monitoring and measurement of biological analytes. The inherent potential of such devices has led to growing interest worldwide in commercial fiber optic chemical and biosensors. Optical Sensors for Biomedical Diagnostics and Environmental Monitoring is an essential resource for students, established researchers, and industry developers in need of a reference work on both the fundamentals and latest advances in optical fiber sensor technology in biomedical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. The book includes rigorous theory and experimental techniques of surface plasmon and lossy mode resonances, as well as real-time sensing applications of resonance techniques implemented over optical fiber substrate using bulk layer and/or nanostructures as transducer and sensing layers. In addition, discussion of various design options for real-time sensors in environmental monitoring and biomedical diagnostics make the book approachable to readers from multidisciplinary fields.

Computational Electrodynamics is a vast research field with a wide variety of tools. In physics the principle of gauge invariance plays a pivotal role as a guide towards a sensible formulation of the laws of nature as well as computing the properties of elementary particles using the lattice formulation of gauge theories, yet the gauge principle has played a much less pronounced role in performing computation in classical electrodynamics. In this work the author will demonstrate that starting from the gauge formulation of electrodynamics using the electromagnetic potentials leads to computational tools that can very well compete with the conventional electromagnetic field-based tools. Once accepting the formulation based on gauge fields, the computational code is very transparent due to the mimetic mapping of the electrodynamic variables on the computational grid. Although the illustrations and applications originate from microelectronic engineering, the method has a much larger range of applicability. Therefore this book is of interest to everyone having interest in computational electrodynamics. The volume is organized as follows: In part 1, a detailed introduction and overview is presented of the Maxwell equations as well as the derivation of the current and charge densities is different materials. Semiconductors are responding to electromagnetic fields in a non-linear way and the induced complications are discussed in detail. In part 2, the transition of the theory of electrodynamics, using the gauge potentials, to a formulation that can serve as the gateway to computational code is presented. In part 3, the feasibility and success of the methods of part 2 are demonstrated by a collection of microelectronic device designs. Part 4 focuses on a set of topical themes that brings the reader to the frontier of research in building the simulation tools using the gauge principle in computational electrodynamics. Technical topics discussed in the book include: Electromagnetic Field Equations Constitutive Relations Discretization and Numerical Analysis Finite Element and Finite Volume Methods Design of Integrated Passive Components

The participation of such diverse scientific and technical disciplines as meteorology, astronomy, atmospheric electricity, ionospheric and magnetospheric physics, electromagnetic wave propagation, and radio techniques in the research of atmospherics means that results are published in scientific papers widely spread throughout the literature. This Handbook collects the latest knowledge on atmospherics and presents it in two volumes. Each chapter is written by an expert in his or her field. Topics include the physics of thunderclouds, thunder, global atmospheric electric currents, biological aspects of sferics, and various space techniques for detecting lightning within our own atmosphere as well as in the atmospheres of other planets. Up-to-date applications and methodology are detailed. Volumes I and II offer a comprehensive discussion that together will serve as an important resource for practitioners, professionals, and students alike.

The field of organic electronics promises exciting new technologies based on inexpensive and mechanically flexible electronic devices, and is now seeing the beginning of commercial success. On the sidelines of this increasingly well-established field are several emerging technologies with innovative mechanisms and functions that utilize the mixed ionic/electronic conducting character of conjugated organic materials. Iontronics: Ionic Carriers in Organic Electronic Materials and Devices explores the potential of these materials, which can endow electronic devices with unique functionalities. Fundamental science and applications With contributions from a community of experts, the book focuses on the use of ionic functions to define the principle of operation in polymer devices. It begins by reviewing the scientific understanding and important scientific discoveries in the electrochemistry of conjugated polymers. It examines the known effects of ion incorporation, including the theory and modulation of electrochemistry in polymer films, and it explores the coupling of electronic and ionic transport in polymer films. The authors also describe applications that use this technology, including polymer electrochromic devices, artificial muscles, light-emitting electrochemical cells, and biosensors, and they discuss the fundamental technological hurdles in these areas. The changes in materials properties and device characteristics due to ionic conductivity and electrochemical doping in electrically conductive organic materials, as well as the importance of these processes in a number of different and exciting technologies, point to a large untapped potential in the development of new applications and novel device architecture. This volume captures the state of the science in this burgeoning field.

Nano particles have created a high interest in recent years by virtue of their unusual mechanical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties and find wide applications in all fields of engineering. This edited volume aims to present the latest trends and updates in nanogenerators, thin film solar cells and green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles with a focus on nanostructured semiconductor devices. Exclusive chapter on electrical transport of nanostructure explains device physics for material properties for reduced dimensions. Additionally, the text describes the functionality of metallic nanoparticles and their application in molecular imaging and optical metamaterials. Piezoelectric nanogenerators has been touched upon from the energy perspective as well. Key Features: * Organized contents on Nanogenerators, VOC sensing, nanoelectronics, and NEMS. * Discusses eco-friendly green synthesis methods for metallic nanoparticles. * Touches upon low power nano devices (e.g. nanogenerators) for energy harvesting with quantum mechanical study. * Thin film/heterojunction based high efficiency solar cell addressed aimed at reducing global energy consumption.

One of the biggest challenges of organic optoelectronics is the realization of the first organic laser diode (electrically pumped) which has a very strong potential for many applications. Similar to what happened in the field of inorganic optoelectronics when transforming LEDs into LDs, the race is on to transform an OLED into an OLD. This involves the development of innovative solutions to overcome the difficulties inherent in organic materials and the electric pump. This book presents the elements of physics, materials and technologies that allow us to understand the basics of organic lasers and to capture the progress made. It also provides guidance for future developments towards the organic laser diode.

Given the increasing role of intellectual property (IP) in academic research, it is important for academic scientists to gain greater awareness and knowledge of the various issues involved with IP resulting from their research and inventions. In addition, the line between academic and industrial research has been blurred, and a large amount of crossover exists due to corporate funding of academic research and collaborations between company and university laboratories. These and other factors have complicated the push toward technology transfer in universities. As commercialization has become inseparable from university research, there is now an essential need for academics to have a greater understanding of the processes involved. Intellectual Property in Academia: A Practical Guide for Scientists and Engineers fills this need, providing an indispensable source of information for researchers in academia. You ve Just Invented a Gadget What Now? Written by a select team of IP professionals, most of whom also have years of experience as scientists, this volume addresses IP issues relevant to the academic community including ways to efficiently deal with the structural constraints inherent in the university environment. Scientists and engineers will benefit from the authors insights and their advice on how to establish good communication with university Offices of Technology Transfer. This perspective affords a common language and facilitates a smoother path through IP procedures. The book covers the best approaches to determine invention novelty by prior art searching and gives step-by-step guidance in using the best modern electronic patent databases. It presents a unique practical approach for assessing the monetary value of ideas and provides software for invention valuation, which can be used even during the early stages of an invention s development. The book also discusses invention ownership, which

Written at an intermediate level in a way that is easy to understand, Fundamentals and Applications of Ultrasonic Waves, Second Edition provides an up-to-date exposition of ultrasonics and some of its main applications. Designed specifically for newcomers to the field, this fully updated second edition emphasizes underlying physical concepts over mathematics. The first half covers the fundamentals of ultrasonic waves for isotropic media. Starting with bulk liquid and solid media, discussion extends to surface and plate effects, at which point the author introduces new modes such as Rayleigh and Lamb waves. This focus on only isotropic media simplifies the usually complex mathematics involved, enabling a clearer understanding of the underlying physics to avoid the complicated tensorial description characteristic of crystalline media. The second part of the book addresses a broad spectrum of industrial and research applications, including quartz crystal resonators, surface acoustic wave devices, MEMS and microacoustics, and acoustic sensors. It also provides a broad discussion on the use of ultrasonics for non-destructive evaluation. The author concentrates on the developing area of microacoustics, including exciting new work on the use of probe microscopy techniques in nanotechnology. Focusing on the physics of acoustic waves, as well as their propagation, technology, and applications, this book addresses viscoelasticity, as well as new concepts in acoustic microscopy. It updates coverage of ultrasonics in nature and developments in sonoluminescence, and it also compares new technologies, including use of atomic force acoustic microscopy and lasers. Highlighting both direct and indirect applications for readers working in neighboring disciplines, the author presents particularly important sections on the use of microacoustics and acoustic nanoprobes in next-generation devices and instruments.

Electrical Impedance: Principles, Measurement, and Applications provides a modern and much-needed overview of electrical impedance measurement science and its application in metrology, sensor reading, device and material characterizations. It presents up-to-date coverage of the theory, practical methods, and modeling. The author covers the main impedance measurement techniques, stressing their practical application. The book includes a large set of measurement setup schematics, and diagrams and photos of standards and devices. It also offers an extensive list of references to both historical and recent papers on devices, methods, and traceability issues. Reviews the main definitions of the quantities related to impedance, some theorems of particular interest, the issue of impedance representation, and introduces the problem of impedance definition Lists devices, appliances, circuits, and instruments employed as building blocks of impedance measurement setups Classifies the main impedance measurement methods, including details on their implementation when a specific impedance definition is chosen Discusses the increasing use of mixed-signal electronics in impedance measurement setups Covers applications including details on the measurement of electromagnetic properties of materials Introduces impedance metrology, including artifact impedance standards, and the realization and reproduction of SI impedance units

The ultrasonic motor, invented in 1980, utilizes the piezoelectric effect in the ultrasonic frequency range to provide the motive force. (In conventional electric motors the motive force is electromagnetic). The result is a motor with unusually good low-speed high-torque and power-to-weight characteristics. It has already found applications in camera autofocus mechanisms, medical equipment subject to high magnetic fields, and motorized car accessories. Its applications will increase as designers become more familiar with its unique characteristics.

This book is the result of a collaboration between the inventor and an expert in conventional electric motors: the result is an introduction to the general theory presented in a way that links it to conventional motor theory. It will be invaluable both to motor designers and to those who design with and use electric motors as an introduction to this important new invention.

The majority of all knowledge concerning atoms, molecules, and solids has been derived from applications of group theory. Taking a unique, applications-oriented approach, this book gives readers the tools needed to analyze any atomic, molecular, or crystalline solid system. Using a clearly defined, eight-step program, this book helps readers to understand the power of group theory, what information can be obtained from it, and how to obtain it. The book takes in modern topics, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and isotopic frequencies of molecules, as well as more traditional subjects: the vibrational and electronic states of molecules and solids, crystal field and ligand field theory, transition metal complexes, space groups, time reversal symmetry, and magnetic groups. With over 100 end-of-chapter exercises, this book is invaluable for graduate students and researchers in physics, chemistry, electrical engineering and materials science.

Gives a comprehensive view on the nanomaterials used in plasmonic optical fiber biosensors Includes synthesis, characterization, and usage for detection of different analytes Discusses trends in the design of wavelength-based optical fiber sensors Reviews micro- and nanostructured biosensing devices Explores application of plasmonic sensors in the biosensing field

Engineers and scientists who develop and install electronic devices and circuits need to have a solid understanding of electromagnetic theory and the electromagnetic behavior of devices and circuits. In particular, they must be well-versed in electromagnetic compatibility, which minimizes and controls the side effects of interconnected electric devices. Designed to entice the practical engineer to explore some worthwhile mathematical methods, and to reorient the theoretical scientist to industrial applications, Electromagnetic Theory for Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineers is based on the author's courses taught in industrial settings. The book is a mathematically rigorous exposition of electromagnetic theory with applications in electromagnetic compatibility and high-speed digital design. The topics-ranging from Maxwell's theory and multi-conductor transmission line theory to S-matrix, antenna theory, and dielectric breakdown-were chosen because they have direct relevance to current electromagnetic compatibility problems encountered in the real world. With many worked examples and problem sets, the book relates the theory to practical experiences faced by practitioners. It is written both for physicists and mathematicians new to the field of electromagnetic compatibility and high-speed digital design, as well as established researchers in the field. It is also designed as an advanced undergraduate textbook for a course in electromagnetic theory.