Thesis (M.E.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-96). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Conventional physical vapour deposition (PVD) techniques usually result in films of lower quality than the corresponding bulk material. A major problem with PVD films is the presence of columns and voids throughout the thickness of the film. The films may have a low packing density, low micro-hardness and in many cases poor adhesion to the substrate. Many of these problems are a direct consequence of the low energy of the depositing atoms arriving at the substrate during film growth. The resulting film porosity gives rise to a reduction in mechanical strength, and in the case of dielectric optical films, a reduction in the refractive index. The properties of deposited films are greatly improved when the substrate or the growing film is bombarded with more energetic particles. An ideal deposition process requires a high flux of film atoms with an energy of approximately 5-50 eV in order to achieve sufficient surface mobility at the substrate to overcome columnar growth.

This thesis describes the design of two particular types of conventional distributed amplifiers and treats a proposed split-band amplifier. The method used for the conventional designs is an iterative synthesis process developed at Stanford University in 1952. The objective was to investigate the possibility of producing distributed amplifiers of superior performance. Only amplifiers with a flat amplitude response were considered since the calculating equipment available was inadequate for the computations involved in producing amplifiers with other types of response characteristics. Three designs of one form of conventional distributed amplifier were carried out. These were amplifiers with ladder networks for delay lines and with both delay lines identical except for a possible difference in impedance level. None of the three amplifiers had theoretical characteristics which justified an attempt to construct them. The other conventional amplifier was one employing ladder-like networks for the delay lines with each of the lines symmetrical about the mid-point of its length and with both lines identical except for a possible difference in impedance level. An attempt to design one of these amplifiers produced new information beyond that reported in the original work at Stanford University. Furthermore, when using the iterative technique to design this amplifier, there seemed to be reasonable doubt as to whether or not the process was always convergent. No definite opinion on the matter was formulated since it would have required that the calculations be continued through more cycles of iteration than could reasonably be carried out with the computing equipment at hand. Finally, a proposed split-band amplifier was investigated and its theoretical gain-bandwidth characteristics were compared with those of a conventional distributed amplifier. It showed a slight advantage, but this was far outweighed by certain serious inherent disadvantages and the project was discontinued. The investigation has shown that it is impractical to carry out the calculations involved in the iterative prodecure when using a hand calculator. Also, some doubt as to the general convergence of the iterative synthesis process has been raised. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Human embryonic stem cell research would seem to offer the prospect of developing a greater understanding of, and potential therapies for, common degenerative diseases such as diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Despite the fact that some Irish institutions engage in such research, Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe which has failed to produce any relevant regulatory framework or legislation. This is largely because embryo research and its regulation remain mired in conflicting socio-political values and interests, despite the fact that the in vitro human embryo is not afforded any legal protection under the Irish Constitution. This thesis seeks to examine the current Irish legal lacuna in relation to embryos and embryonic stem cell research. The first of the three papers making up the core of this thesis reviews the background to the moral, legal and social factors that have contributed to the extant Irish position. A description of the divergent policies enacted in other jurisdictions is also given to outline possible policy options which may be considered by Ireland in the future. The views of relevant stakeholders on the impact of the regulatory lacuna are explored in the second paper through a series of semi-structured interviews. These interviews highlight a surprising level of consensus on the need for the Irish legislature to act and introduce regulations to provide certainty, in one way or the other, in this area of scientific innovation. A procedural mechanism is proposed in the third paper which could allow the development of policy and concomitant regulation in Ireland in this area. It is hoped that the procedural process and resultant framework would be sufficiently inclusive as to be acceptable to the majority of people in Irish society. In conclusion, it is argued that it is undesirable that a modern pluralist democracy (as Ireland aspires to be) should regard legislative inertia and non-regulation as the preferred method of dealing with morally challenging scientific endeavour. Instead, appropriate procedural mechanism should be utilised to allow for the development of apposite policies.

The purpose of this study has been to design a prototype accelerating tube, to determine the correct point shape and spacing needed to produce corona current along the tube for the case of negative-point-to-positive-plane discharge, and to study the voltage-gradient characteristics of short sections of the tube when they were evacuated to a low internal pressure.

No description available.

Driven by a tiny positive cosmological constant, our observable universe asymptotes into a casual patch in de Sitter space in the distant future. Due to the exponential cosmic expansion, a static observer in a de Sitter space is surrounded by a horizon. A semi-classical gravity analysis by Gibbons and Hawking implies that the de Sitter horizon has a temperature and entropy, obeying laws of thermodynamics. Understanding the statistical origin of these thermodynamic quantities requires a precise microscopic model for the de Sitter horizon. With the vision of narrowing the search of such a model with quantum-corrected macroscopic data, we aim to exactly compute the leading quantum (1-loop) corrections to the Gibbons-Hawking entropy, mathematically defined as the logarithm of the effective field theory path integral expanded around the round sphere saddle, i.e. sphere partition functions. This thesis discusses sphere partition functions and their relations to de Sitter (dS) thermodynamics. It consists of three main parts: The first part addresses the subtleties of 1-loop partition functions for totally symmetric tensor fields on 𝑆^{d⁺¹, and generalizes all known results to arbitrary spin 𝑠 ≥ 0 in arbitrary dimensions 𝑑 ≥ 1. Starting from a manifestly covariant and local path integral on the sphere, we carry out a detailed analysis for any massive, shift-symmetric, massless, and partially massless fields. For any field with spin 𝑠 ≥ 1, we find a finite contribution from longitudinal modes; for any massless and partially massless fields, there is a residual group volume factor due to modes generating constant gauge transformations; for any massless and partially massless fields with spin 𝑠 ≥ 2, we derive the phase factor resulted from Wick-rotating negative conformal modes, generalizing the phase factor first obtained by Polchinski for the case of massless spin 2 to arbitrary spins. The second part presents a novel formalism for studying 1-loop quantum de Sitter thermodynamics. We first argue that the Harish-Chandra character for the de Sitter group 𝑆𝑂(1,𝑑+1) provides a manifestly de Sitter-invariant regularization for normal mode density of states in the static patch, without introducing boundary ambiguities as in the traditional brick wall approach. These characters encode quasinormal mode spectrums in the static patch. With these, we write down a simple integral formula for the thermal (quasi)canonical partition function, which straightforwardly generalizes to arbitrary spin representations. Then, we derive a universal formula for 1-loop sphere partition functions in terms of the 𝑆𝑂(1,𝑑+1)$ characters. We find a precise relation between these and the (quasi)canonical partition function mentioned earlier: they are equal for scalars and spinors; for any fields with spin 𝑠 ≥ 1, they differ by ``edge'' degrees of freedom living on the de Sitter horizon. This formalism allows us to efficiently compute the exact 1-loop corrected de Sitter horizon entropy, which as we argue provides non-trivial constraints on microscopic models for the de Sitter horizon. In three dimensions, higher-spin gravity can be alternatively formulated as an sl(𝑛) Chern-Simons theory, which as we show possesses an exponentially large landscape of de Sitter vacua. For each vacuum, we obtain the all-loop exact sphere partition function, given by the absolute value squared of a topological string partition function. Finally, our formalism elegantly proves the relations between generic dS, AdS, and conformal higher-spin partition functions. The last part extends our studies in the previous part to grand (quasi)canonical partition functions on the dS static patch, where we generalize the (quasi)canonical partition functions by allowing non-zero chemical potentials in some of the angular directions. For these, we derive a generalized character integral formula in terms of the full 𝑆𝑂(1,𝑑+1) characters. In three dimensions, we relate them to path integrals on Lens spaces. Similar to its sphere counterpart, the Lens space path integral exhibits a ``bulk-edge'' structure.

Spacecraft are subject to different environments while on orbit around the Earth and beyond. One of the most critical of these environments that must be counteracted is the thermal environment. Each spacecraft has an operating temperature that is specified in the mission requirements. The requirement stems from internal component operating temperatures that are critical to mission success. Prior to placing the spacecraft in orbit, engineers must be sure that the spacecraft will survive or risk losing the mission entirely. The primary way to mitigate this risk is to use a thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC). The chamber is designed to resemble a space environment by reducing the pressure within the chamber to 1e-6 Torr. The differentiating factor between a vacuum chamber and a thermal vacuum chamber is the ability for the TVAC to complete a process known as thermal cycling using a temperature controller. Thermal cycling begins at a set temperature and increases within the chamber to a designated hot temperature expected to be seen on orbit. After the maximum temperature is reached, it remains there for a specified amount of time in what is called a soak. The controller then reduces the temperature to a specified cold temperature where a second soak takes place. Finally, the temperature is returned to the initial temperature and the process is repeated for a number of cycles until testing is complete. For the purpose of this thesis, only the initial temperature increase and the first soak are being investigated. The chamber being used to run these experiments was graciously donated by MDA US Systems, however, no additional documentation was provided with the chamber. The Two identical black coated aluminum and brass cylinders have been chosen to be run with three different temperature profiles. The profiles are manually designed in the temperature controller on the chamber and vary by final soak temperature. To supplement the testing, simulations have been created for each test case in order to verify the computer model of the chamber. The simulations utilize AutoCad and Thermal Desktop to provide the results for comparison. Each of the tests were completed successfully and produced good results that corresponded well to the simulation. The largest difference between the simulation cylinder temperature and the experimental cylinder temperature was 1.9 $^{\circ}$C. The effectiveness and efficiency of the blue chamber was compared to the other thermal vacuum chamber in the Space Environments lab. Overall, the Blue Chamber proved to be more robust and much easier to operate than the HVEC thermal vacuum chamber.

Des couches minces co-deposées de Titanium Zirconium Vanadium (TiZrV) sont utilisés dans les accélérateurs de particules et les sources de lumière synchrotron pour maintenir les conditions d’ultravide. Elles sont pulvérisés sur les parois internes des chambres à vides, transformant celles-ci en « pompe chimique de gaz ». La tendance dans la conception d’accélérateurs d’électrons consiste à approcher les pôles des aimants de direction au plus près du faisceau d’électrons. Cela implique la réduction du diamètre des tubes hébergeant le vide et nécessite l’utilisation de très petits diamètres pour les chambres à vide. L’application du dépôt par vaporisation physique (PVD) dans un aussi faible diamètre devient alors très difficile. Le but de ce projet est de développer une nouvelle procédure de dépôt couplé à l’assemblage, en utilisant un mandrin sacrificiel en aluminium comme substrat de la couche mince en même temps que la création autour de lui de la chambre à vide elle-même par électroformage de cuivre. La première partie de l’étude concerne la production et la caractérisation de chambre de cuivre électroformées. La robustesse mécanique de l’assemblage complet a été validée, et les caractéristiques du film lui-même sont etudièes par microscopie électronique à balayage (MEB), diffraction des rayons X (DRX), spectrométrie de fluorescence-X (XRF) et spectrométrie de photoélectrons X (XPS). De plus, les performances de « pompage chimique des gaz » des nouvelles chambres à vide ainsi élaborées sont mesurées et comparées avec des valeurs de références de revêtements déposés par des procédures classiques dans des tubes de plus grand diamètres. La deuxième partie de l‘étude concerne l’évaluation des impuretés incluses lors des différentes étapes du procédé : le revêtement PVD, l’électroformage et l’étape de dissolution chimique du mandrin. La spectrométrie de désorption thermique et les profils de composition en épaisseur par XPS permettent de quantifier les impuretés dans le cuivre électroformé et dans le film de TiZrV. De plus, la présence d’hydrogène emprisonné dans le cuivre électroformé est étudiée à partir de différents bains à base de sulfate de cuivre. L’un d’entre eux, sans additifs, nécessite l’utilisation de courants pulsés. Le comportement électrochimique du bain permet la sélection de différents paramètres de séquences de pulses, dérivées de situations typiques des courbes transitoires. Finalement, le développement de prototypes de taille réelle a été atteint avec la création de chambres à vide revêtues de TiZrV de 2 mètres de long et 4mm de diamètre, ce qui n’a pas d’équivalent à ce jour. / Titanium Zirconium Vanadium (TiZrV) thin film coatings are used in particle accelerators and synchrotron light sources to maintain ultra-high vacuum conditions. They are deposited on the internal walls of the vacuum chambers, transforming them from a gas source into a chemical pump. The trend in electron accelerators design consists in approaching the poles of the steering magnets close to the electron beam. This implies reducing the bore hosting the vacuum chamber and using very small diameter vacuum pipes. The application of physical vapor deposition (PVD) in such small diameter chambers becomes then very difficult. The aim of this project is to develop a novel procedure of coating/assembly, using a sacrificial aluminium mandrel as substrate of the thin film together with the creation of a surrounding copper chamber by electroforming. The first part of the study deals with the production and characterization of the electroformed chambers. The mechanical robustness of the assembly is checked, and the film characterization is performed by secondary electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, the pumping performance is measured and compared with reference values of coatings produced by the standard PVD technique. The second part of the study evaluates the impurities included during the different steps of the process: PVD coating, electroforming and chemical etching of the mandrel. Thermal desorption spectroscopy and XPS depth profiling allow to quantify the impurities in the electroformed copper and the TiZrV thin film. Furthermore, the presence of hydrogen trapped in the electroformed copper is studied for different copper sulphate baths. One of them, without additives, require the use of pulse currents. The electrochemical behaviour of the bath allows the selection of different pulse parameters, derived from typical situations on the transient curves. Finally, the development of real-scale prototypes was achieved with the creation of a 4 mm diameter, 2 meters TiZrV coated vacuum chamber, which is unrivalled up to date.

The environmental challenges are increasing, and so is the need for renewable energy. For photovoltaic applications, thin film Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) and CuIn(S,Se)2 (CIS) solar cells are attractive with conversion efficiencies of more than 20%. However, the high-efficiency cells are fabricated using vacuum technologies such as sputtering or thermal co-evaporation, which are very costly and unfeasible at industrial level. The fabrication involves the uses of highly toxic gases such as H2Se, adding complexity to the fabrication process. The work described here focused on non-vacuum deposition methods such as printing. Special attention has been given to printing designed in a moving Roll-to-Roll (R2R) fashion. The results show potential of such technology to replace the vacuum processes. Conversion efficiencies for such non-vacuum deposition of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells have exceeded 15% using hazardous chemicals such as hydrazine, which is unsuitable for industrial scale up. In an effort to simplify the process, non-toxic suspensions of Cu(In,Ga)S2 molecular-based precursors achieved efficiencies of ~7-15%. Attempts to further simplify the selenization step, deposition of CuIn(S,Se)2 particulate solutions without the Ga doping and non-toxic suspensions of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 quaternary precursors achieved efficiencies (~1-8%). The contribution of this research was to provide a new method to monitor printed structures through spectral-domain optical coherence tomography SD-OCT in a moving fashion simulating R2R process design at speeds up to 1.05 m/min. The research clarified morphological and compositional impacts of Nd:YAG laser heat-treatment on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorber layer to simplify the annealing step in non-vacuum environment compatible to R2R. Finally, the research further simplified development methods for CIGS solar cells based on suspensions of quaternary Cu(In,Ga)Se2 precursors and ternary CuInS2 precursors. The methods consisted of post deposition reactive annealing for performance enhancement up to 2.0% solar cell conversion efficiency. Chemical treatment using metal salt solutions and Na2Se4 for Na and Se incorporation provided efficiencies up to 1.1%.