Thesis advisor: Kenneth S. Burch / In condensed matter physics we study the behavior of crystals at finite density and low temperatures. By tuning and breaking the various materials, symmetries, and the topology of a crystal one can bring about brand new quantum phases of matter. These new phases of matter in turn produce emergent quasiparticles such as the cooper pair in superconductivity, the spinon in magnetic systems, and the Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetals. Of particular interest are systems in which superconductivity interacts with topology. These systems have been theoretically predicted to produce anyonic quasiparticles which may be used as qubits in a future fault-tolerant quantum computer. However, these ideas usually require the use of the superconducting proximity effect to inject cooper pairs into the topological system. This in turn requires interfacing two different materials which not only requires extremely clean interfaces, but also matching Fermi surfaces, comparable Fermi velocities, and more. The ideal candidate for topological superconductivity would therefore be a material that is both superconducting and topologically non-trivial. One promising candidate is the iron-based superconductor FeTe(1−x)Sex, specifically at the FeTe0.55Se0.45 (FTS) doping which also has non-trivial topology. In this dissertation, we address the fabrication of pristine interfaces using a new tool as well as new probes into the topology of FTS. In Chapter II we discuss the motivation, construction, and use of the “cleanroomin-a-glovebox”. This tool places an entire nanofabrication workflow into an inert argon atmosphere which has allowed us access to study a myriad of new materials and systems. A delightful offshoot of this glovebox is that it is a useful tool in training new scientists in fabrication techniques. The photolithography, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), and characterization tools in the glovebox are designed to be easy to use and thus afford new users a low-risk method of learning new techniques. In chapter III we discuss a specific example of a new quantum phase of matter e.g. topological superconductivity in FTS. There, I discuss the fabrication requirements to probe this elusive phase as well as the unique measurement technique used to provide evidence that FTS is a higher-order topological superconductor. The characterization of FTS continues in Chapter IV where we reveal some exciting new results in the FTS system. These new results are direct evidence for the topological nature of FTS, a feat which has only been shown in Angle-Resolved Photo Emission Spectroscopy (ARPES) and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). Chapter V concludes the dissertation with a summary of Chapters II, III, and IV. In addition, we give suggestions for future experiments to investigate the FTS system further as well as suggestions for insightful teaching programs with the cleanroom-in-a-glovebox. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Gloveboxes, where special nuclear material is handled and such as those present at Los Alamos National Labs, LANL, provide an experimental area confined within a protective shell and with strict environmental controls. These gloveboxes allow workers to indirectly interact with hazardous material. Unfortunately, these gloveboxes are not fail proof and are subject to occasional accidental failures resulting in possible breaches of containment and release of nuclear material. In particular, fires within the gloveboxes are of major concern with regard to the potential for breaches and damage to not only the glovebox but also to surrounding areas as well. Another, potentially even catastrophic, result of glovebox fires is the potential for the spread of radioactive contamination. There is some historical precedent of contaminant release resulting from glovebox fires, such as those at the Rocky Flats Plant (Buffer, 2012). Gloveboxes at LANL are currently equipped with manually activated fire suppression systems. In the event of an incident, a worker would hit a nearby emergency button and the system would be activated. However, this method relies on the worker to have the presence of mind in the face of danger to activate the system, and as such there is no true guarantee that the systems will be triggered. Since the level of consequence is dire, then the ideal situation requires that other fire suppression systems be present which do not rely on human interaction to function. The Fire Foe™ system has been chosen as a secondary failsafe measure in order to meet this need. Analysis of how the casing of the Fire Foe™ system, composed of nylon 6,6 polymer, weathers under irradiation in gloveboxes is paramount in determining the effectiveness and potential lifetimes of the systems within the gloveboxes. Samples of nylon 6,6 were exposed to a 5 Ci PuBe neutron source located at the University of Texas as well as a high dose rate beam of 4.5 MeV alpha particles located at Los Alamos to determine the effect of neutron and alpha particle damage on the polymer material. Subsequent mechanical testing was conducted to determine alteration to the tensile properties of the nylon 6,6 material for both irradiated and non-irradiated samples. / text

No description available.

The onset of fire within a compartment can pose a hazard to the occupants and the structure containing the compartment. Fire suppression systems aim to either extinguish or suppress an incipient fire before loss of life or damage to the structure can occur. The geometry and use of the compartment as well as the fuel packages within must be taken into account when choosing an appropriate fire suppression system. This thesis explores novel suppression methods inside of compartments. Los Alamos National Laboratories came to the University of Texas Fire Research Group (UTFRG) to characterize and investigate the fire danger inside of nuclear gloveboxes. The first suppression method discussed explores activation tests of a commercial automatic fire suppression system (Fire Foe [superscript TM]) containing heptaflouropropane (FE-36) fire suppressant conducted within a glovebox at the UTFRG's burn structure. Temperature and time to activation data of ten tests at four different fire sizes, three 13 kW, one 20 kW, three 25 kW, and three 50 kW, was taken. Gas temperatures from experiments were compared against NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) gas temperatures with good agreement. The time and spatially averaged net heat flux on a virtual Fire Foe [superscript TM] tube from the FDS simulations were passed to a thermo-physical, semi-empirical, sub-model to predict activation with poor agreement from experimental activation times. A Bayesian parameter inference was later run on the sub-model. While the Bayesian inference approach is able to match sub-model temperatures to experimental temperatures, some non-physical values for heat transfer coefficients and view factors were observed at the lower heat release rate fires. Micro combustion calorimetry (MCC) was used to determine heat of combustion of glovebox glove material and cone calorimetry tests were run to find ignition time versus incident heat flux. Using standard ignition time models, effective model parameters were calibrated. Thermal characterization of the glove material showed that the heat of combustion found from MCC was within the range of heats of combustion for other non-halogenated materials found in the literature. Analysis of the time to ignition tests showed that the glove material should be modeled as thermally thick when one would expect thin behavior. This behavior was attributed to possible heat losses from the back of the glove material. Dry water is expected to have similar suppression characteristics as water mist systems because the dry water particle sizes are on the order of water mist droplet sizes. The major benefit with dry water is the low pressures needed to drive the aerosol. An issue encountered with the dry water was flowing it in the way one would flow normal water. It was found that at low normal and shear stresses, the dry water clathrates would release the water held inside. A possible low shear delivery mechanism was discussed that avoids the ratholing effect. A continuous dry water production system was also designed. Filter loading tests were conducted to determine the quality of the dry water collected from the batch and continuous cases. It was observed that the ratio of water to silica for the continuous case reaches the batch value and is similar to results found in the literature. For the batch dry water it was observed that the particle size of the dried clathrates does vary with rotational speed of the blender and is independent of the type of water used (tap or deionized). / text

<p>Bacillus anthracis is a risk class III organism and needs to be handled inside a biosafety level 3-laboratory. A major problem when working with airborne, spore-forming bacteria like B. anthracis are the hazardous aerosols created when using an automated DNA-extraction method to prepare samples suspected to contain the organism. This study has therefore evaluated the possibility of enclosing a DNA-extraction-robot inside an air tight container (glove box). A prototype of a class III safety cabinet (also known as a glove box) was designed and built to enclose a BioRobot EZ1 from Qiagen. The purpose of this prototype was to evaluate the measurements needed to and also the feasibility of working with the robot inside the cabinet. During the manual DNA-extractions, there was some contamination found on the glove box gloves, probably due to the significantly lowered dexterity that was seen with the thick gloves. The enclosing of the robot revealed no obstacles as the machine was very easy to operate. In addition, protocols have been created for the operation of a transportable class III safety cabinet from Germfree available at SVA. The protocols include the different pressure tests that needed before every experiment take place and also decontamination steps before and after each run. Bacillus cereus was used as a model organism for different DNA-extractions, i.e. automated and manual extractions. The extracted DNA was analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA was also extracted and analysed from B. cereus-spores. When using a manual DNA-extraction kit, B. cereus-DNA was detected at the femtogram level, i.e. 10-15 g DNA / PCR. When using the automated BioRobot EZ1, detection level was found to be at 10-16 g DNA / PCR. The PCR-efficiency for the manual kit was 89-90 % for all samples, whereas with the EZ1, efficiency was 99 %, showing the strengths of the magnetic bead separation used by the machine. A novel PCR-machine, the AlphaHelix QuanTyper™, was evaluated and compared to an ABI 7500 with regards to efficiency, speed and consistency. The QuanTyper™ was found to be superior in ramping speeds, performing a 40-cycle real-time PCR-run with melting point analysis in only 14 minutes. The fastest run accomplished on the ABI 7500 took 1 h 40 min. A ready made master mix for PCR was used for most tests (Platinum® SYBR® Green qPCR SuperMix-UDG), but faster and more robust enzymes are available and further studies need to be performed on the QuanTyper™ to fully evaluate the platform. Three target genes in Bacillus anthracis-DNA were analysed in only 38 minutes with efficiencies between 96-104 % for the virulence plasmids and detection at femtogram amount of DNA. This master thesis has addressed rapid pathogen-detection with automated DNA-extraction and novel PCR-technology, coupled with a strong biosafety aspect. The thesis will hopefully contribute to the surprisingly small area of biosafety and safety cabinet research.</p>

Bacillus anthracis is a risk class III organism and needs to be handled inside a biosafety level 3-laboratory. A major problem when working with airborne, spore-forming bacteria like B. anthracis are the hazardous aerosols created when using an automated DNA-extraction method to prepare samples suspected to contain the organism. This study has therefore evaluated the possibility of enclosing a DNA-extraction-robot inside an air tight container (glove box). A prototype of a class III safety cabinet (also known as a glove box) was designed and built to enclose a BioRobot EZ1 from Qiagen. The purpose of this prototype was to evaluate the measurements needed to and also the feasibility of working with the robot inside the cabinet. During the manual DNA-extractions, there was some contamination found on the glove box gloves, probably due to the significantly lowered dexterity that was seen with the thick gloves. The enclosing of the robot revealed no obstacles as the machine was very easy to operate. In addition, protocols have been created for the operation of a transportable class III safety cabinet from Germfree available at SVA. The protocols include the different pressure tests that needed before every experiment take place and also decontamination steps before and after each run. Bacillus cereus was used as a model organism for different DNA-extractions, i.e. automated and manual extractions. The extracted DNA was analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA was also extracted and analysed from B. cereus-spores. When using a manual DNA-extraction kit, B. cereus-DNA was detected at the femtogram level, i.e. 10-15 g DNA / PCR. When using the automated BioRobot EZ1, detection level was found to be at 10-16 g DNA / PCR. The PCR-efficiency for the manual kit was 89-90 % for all samples, whereas with the EZ1, efficiency was 99 %, showing the strengths of the magnetic bead separation used by the machine. A novel PCR-machine, the AlphaHelix QuanTyper™, was evaluated and compared to an ABI 7500 with regards to efficiency, speed and consistency. The QuanTyper™ was found to be superior in ramping speeds, performing a 40-cycle real-time PCR-run with melting point analysis in only 14 minutes. The fastest run accomplished on the ABI 7500 took 1 h 40 min. A ready made master mix for PCR was used for most tests (Platinum® SYBR® Green qPCR SuperMix-UDG), but faster and more robust enzymes are available and further studies need to be performed on the QuanTyper™ to fully evaluate the platform. Three target genes in Bacillus anthracis-DNA were analysed in only 38 minutes with efficiencies between 96-104 % for the virulence plasmids and detection at femtogram amount of DNA. This master thesis has addressed rapid pathogen-detection with automated DNA-extraction and novel PCR-technology, coupled with a strong biosafety aspect. The thesis will hopefully contribute to the surprisingly small area of biosafety and safety cabinet research.

Solar energy as the most abundant source of energy is clean, non-pollutant, and completely renewable, which provides energy security, independence, and reliability. Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) revolutionized the photovoltaics field not only by showing high efficiency of above 22% in just a few years but also by providing cheap and facile fabrication methods. In this dissertation, fabrication of PSCs in both ambient air conditions and environmentally controlled N2-filled glove-box are studied. Several characterization methods such as SEM, XRD, EDS, Profilometry, four-point probe measurement, EQE, and current-voltage measurements were employed to examine the quality of thin films and the performance of the PSCs. A few issues with the use of equipment for the fabrication of thin films are addressed, and the solutions are provided. It is suggested to fabricate PSCs in ambient air conditions entirely, to reduce the production cost. So, in this part, the preparation of the solutions, the fabrication of thin films, and the storage of materials were performed in ambient air conditions regardless of their humidity sensitivity. Thus, for the first part, the fabrication of PSCs in ambient air conditions with relative humidity above ~36% with and without moisture sensitive material, i.e., Li-TFSI are provided. Perovskite materials including MAPbI3 and mixed cation MAyFA(1-y)PbIxBr(1-x) compositions are investigated. Many solution-process parameters such as the spin-coating speed for deposition of the hole transporting layer (HTL), preparation of the HTL solution, impact of air and light on the HTL conductivity, and the effect of repetitive measurement of PSCs are investigated. The results show that the higher spin speed of PbI2 is critical for high-quality PbI2 film formation. The author also found that exposure of samples to air and light are both crucial for fabrication of solar cells with larger current density and better fill factor. The aging characteristics of the PSCs in air and vacuum environments are also investigated. Each performance parameter of air-stored samples shows a drastic change compared with that of the vacuum-stored samples, and both moisture and oxygen in air are found to influence the PSCs performances. These results are essential towards the fabrication of low-cost, high-efficiency PSCs in ambient air conditions. In the second part, the research is focused on the fabrication of high-efficiency PSCs using the glove-box. Both single-step and two-step spin-coating methods with perovskite precursors such as MAyFA(1-y)PbIxBr(1-x) and Cesium-doped mixed cation perovskite with a final formula of Cs0.07MA0.1581FA0.7719Pb1I2.49Br0.51 were considered. The effect of several materials and process parameters on the performance of PSCs are investigated. A new solution which consists of titanium dioxide (TiO2), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and anhydrous ethanol is introduced and optimized for fabrication of quick, pinhole-free, and efficient hole-blocking layer using the spin-coating method. Highly reproducible PSCs with an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.4% are fabricated using this solution by spin-coating method compared to the conventional solution utilizing both spin-coating with an average PCE of 10.6% and spray pyrolysis with an average PCE of 13.78%. Moreover, a thin layer of silver is introduced as an interlayer between the HTL and the back contact. Interestingly, it improved the current density and, finally the PCEs of devices by improving the adhesion of the back electrode onto the organic HTL and increasing the light reflection in the PSC. Finally, a highly reproducible fabrication procedure for cesium-doped PSCs using the anti-solvent method with an average PCE of 16.5%, and a maximum PCE of ~17.5% is provided.

Der hauptsächliche Bestandteil dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung einer kostengünstigen Methode zur Produktion von auf Silizium basierenden Dünnschicht-Solarzellen durch Sprühbeschichtung. Hier wird untersucht inwiefern sich diese Methode für die Herstellung großflächiger photovoltaische Anlagen eignet. Als Grundsubstanz für entsprechende Lacke werden Mischungen aus Organosilizium und nanokristallines Silizium verwendet. Eine Idee ist das Verwenden von Silizium-Kohlenstoff-Verbindungen als Si-Precursor (Cyclo-, Poly-, Oligo- und Monosilane). In jedem Fall, Organosilizium und Silizium- Nanopartikel, ist eine Umwandlung durch äußere Energiezufuhr nötig, um die Precursor-Substanz in photovoltaisch nutzbares Silizium umzuwandeln. Die Versuchsreihen werden mithilfe photothermischer Umwandlung (FLA-„flash lamp annealing“, einige 1 J/cm² bei Pulslängen von einigen 100 μs) unter N2-Atmosphäre durchgeführt. Zur Bereitstellung eines auf Laborgröße skalierten Produktionsprozesses wurden ein Spraycoater, eine Heizplatte, ein Blitzlampensystem und ein In-Line Ellipsometer in einem Aufbau innerhalb einer Glovebox unter N2-Atmosphäre kombiniert. Die Gewinnung von Proben und deren Charakterisierung fand in enger Zusammenarbeit mit den beiden Arbeitsgruppen der anorganischen Chemie und der Koordinationschemie an der TU-Chemnitz statt. Die eingesetzten Charakterisierungsmethoden sind Raman-Spektroskopie, Infrarotspektroskopie, Rasterelektronenmikroskopie, Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie, Elektronenbeugung, Röntgenbeugung, energiedispersive Röntgenspektroskopie, Rasterkraftmikroskopie und elektrische Charakterisierung wie die Aufnahme von Strom- Spannungs-Kennlinien und Widerstandsmessung per Vierpunktkontaktierung.

Der hauptsächliche Bestandteil dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung einer kostengünstigen Methode zur Produktion von auf Silizium basierenden Dünnschicht-Solarzellen durch Sprühbeschichtung. Hier wird untersucht inwiefern sich diese Methode für die Herstellung großflächiger photovoltaische Anlagen eignet. Als Grundsubstanz für entsprechende Lacke werden Mischungen aus Organosilizium und nanokristallines Silizium verwendet. Eine Idee ist das Verwenden von Silizium-Kohlenstoff-Verbindungen als Si-Precursor (Cyclo-, Poly-, Oligo- und Monosilane). In jedem Fall, Organosilizium und Silizium- Nanopartikel, ist eine Umwandlung durch äußere Energiezufuhr nötig, um die Precursor-Substanz in photovoltaisch nutzbares Silizium umzuwandeln. Die Versuchsreihen werden mithilfe photothermischer Umwandlung (FLA-„flash lamp annealing“, einige 1 J/cm² bei Pulslängen von einigen 100 μs) unter N2-Atmosphäre durchgeführt. Zur Bereitstellung eines auf Laborgröße skalierten Produktionsprozesses wurden ein Spraycoater, eine Heizplatte, ein Blitzlampensystem und ein In-Line Ellipsometer in einem Aufbau innerhalb einer Glovebox unter N2-Atmosphäre kombiniert. Die Gewinnung von Proben und deren Charakterisierung fand in enger Zusammenarbeit mit den beiden Arbeitsgruppen der anorganischen Chemie und der Koordinationschemie an der TU-Chemnitz statt. Die eingesetzten Charakterisierungsmethoden sind Raman-Spektroskopie, Infrarotspektroskopie, Rasterelektronenmikroskopie, Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie, Elektronenbeugung, Röntgenbeugung, energiedispersive Röntgenspektroskopie, Rasterkraftmikroskopie und elektrische Charakterisierung wie die Aufnahme von Strom- Spannungs-Kennlinien und Widerstandsmessung per Vierpunktkontaktierung.:I Bibliographische Beschreibung II Abkürzungsverzeichnis III Abbildungsverzeichnis IV Tabellenverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 1 2 Grundlagen 3 2.1 Dioden und Photodioden 3 2.1.1 Schottky-Dioden 3 2.1.1.1 Schottky-Kontakt oder Ohmscher Kontakt 3 2.1.1.2 Schottky-Barriere 3 2.1.1.3 Arbeitsweise der Schottky-Diode 5 2.1.1.4 Ladungstransport durch eine Schottky-Diode 6 2.1.2 Schottky-Photodioden 8 2.2 Solarzellen 9 2.2.1 Aufbau einer Solarzelle 10 2.2.2 Charakterisierung einer Solarzelle 10 2.3 Moderne Photovoltaik 12 2.4 Transparente leitfähige Oxide (TCO) 13 2.5 Ultraschalldüse und Sprühnebel 14 2.6 Blitzlampenbehandlung (FLA) 17 3 Methoden zur Charakterisierung 18 3.1 Fourier-Transformations-Infrarotspektroskopie (FTIRS) 18 3.2 Lichtstreuung an Materie 20 3.2.1 Raman-Spektroskopie 20 3.2.1.1 Klassische Deutung des Raman-Effektes 21 3.2.1.2 Quantenmechanische Deutung des Raman-Effektes 22 3.2.1.3 Räumlich eingeschränkte Phononen 23 3.3 Änderung der Lichtpolarisation an Materie 26 3.3.1 Fresnel-Formeln 26 3.3.2 Jones-Formalismus 27 3.3.3 Spektroskopische Ellipsometrie (SE) 27 3.4 Röntgenbeugung (XRD) 29 3.4.1 Kalibrierung des Einfallswinkels 31 3.4.2 Kristallitgröße 31 3.5 Elektronenmikroskopie (EM) 31 3.5.1 Transmissionselektronmikroskopie (TEM) 32 3.5.2 Rasterelektronenmikroskopie (SEM und EDX) 33 3.6 Rasterkraftmikroskopie (AFM) 34 4 Experimentelles 37 4.1 Prozessaufbauten 37 4.2 Messgeräte 39 4.3 Probenherstellung 40 4.3.1 Lösungen und Dispersionen 41 4.3.2 Sprühlack 41 4.3.3 Substratreinigung 42 4.3.4 Drop- und Spraycoating 42 4.3.4.1 Dropcoating und Rohrofenprozess 43 4.3.4.2 Sprühen und Blitzlampenbehandlung 43 4.4 Infrarotspektroskopie 46 4.4.1 DRIFT-Spektroskopie an Silizium-Nanopartikeln im MIR 47 4.4.2 DRIFT-Spektroskopie an Silizium-Precursoren im MIR 48 4.4.3 Transmissions- und Reflexionsspektroskopie an Si-Schichten im FIR 49 4.5 Lichtstreuung 49 4.5.1 Mie-Streuung an Silizium-Nanopartikeln 49 4.5.2 Raman-Streuung an Silizium-Precursoren und –Schichten 50 4.6 AFM an Silizium-Schichten 51 4.7 Elektronenmikroskopie 51 4.7.1 SEM und EDX an Silizium-Schichten und –Folien 52 4.7.2 TEM an Silizium-Nanopartikeln und –Folien 53 4.8 XRD an Silizium-Folien 54 4.9 Elektrische Messungen an Silizium-Schichten und –Folien 55 5 Ergebnisse und Diskussion 56 5.1 Silizium-Nanopartikel als Pulver 56 5.1.1 Dispersionen von Silizium-Nanopartikeln 56 5.1.2 Oxidationsgrad von Silizium-Nanopartikeln 58 5.1.3 Verteilung von Silizium-Nanopartikeln in getrocknetem Ethanol 61 5.2 Gesprühte Silizium-Nanopartikel 64 5.2.1 Ellipsmetrie als In-Line Prozessmethode im Spraycoating 64 5.2.2 Oberflächenrauheit von Schichten von Silizium-Nanopartikeln 66 5.2.3 Effekt des FLA auf Schichten von Silizium-Nanopartikeln 69 5.2.4 Simulationen zum Phonon-Confinement 74 5.3 Organosilizium als Silizium-Precursoren 80 5.3.1 Vorversuche: Zersetzung von Phenylsilanen im Rohrofen 80 5.3.2 Photothermische Zersetzung von Monosilanen durch FLA 82 5.4 Monosilane als Haftmittel zwischen Silizium-Nanopartikeln 89 5.4.1 Bestandteile des verwendeten Lacks 90 5.4.2 Filme hergestellt von Si-Nanopartikeln gemischt mit Si-Precursor 92 5.4.3 Folien hergestellt von Si-Nanopartikeln gemischt mit Si-Precursor 106 5.5 Realisierung von Diodenstrukturen 120 6 Zusammenfassung 124 Literaturverzeichnis Anhang