Kubhörnsreflektorer används som måltavlor med kontinuerlig och identifierbar reflekterad signalstyrka vid fjärranalys, bland annat för tekniken ”interferometric synthetic aperture radar” [InSAR]. Kubhörnsreflektorer tillämpas exempelvis för bevakning av sättningar i jordytan och kalibrering av [SAR]-system (”synthetic aperture radar”). Hur starkt en kubhörnsreflektor reflekterar satellitsignaler anges med ”radar cross section” [RCS], som minskar vid deformationer såsom avvikelse från ortogonalitet mellan reflektorplåtar, buktighet och ytoregelbundenheter. Därmed är det viktigt att kunna mäta och analysera sådana deformationer. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur väl fotobaserad skanning [FBS] och terrester laserskanning [TLS] kan användas för att göra deformationsmätningar på kubhörnsreflektorer. En problematik med kubhörnsreflektorer är att ytorna vanligtvis är reflekterande och texturlösa.  Skanningen genomfördes i fältmiljö och FBS gjordes med en systemkamera. FBS-tekniken som användes i studien är baserad på Structure-from-Motion [SfM], vilket automatiserar bildmatchning och 3D-modellering. TLS utfördes med en Leica C10 på kort avstånd, cirka 2 m, från kubhörnsreflektorerna. Insamlade punktmoln segmenterades till separata punktmoln motsvarande de enskilda reflektorplåtarna och referensplan skapades för dessa. Referensplanen användes för att mäta vinklar mellan reflektorplåtar i alla punktmoln, med uppmätta avvikelser från ortogonalitet på 0–0,8°. Buktighet mättes som avstånd mellan plåtarnas punktmoln och referensplan och varierade mycket mellan de två reflektorernas sidor och mellan TLS och FBS, i ett spann från 0 till 6 mm. Ytoregelbundenheter i form av popnitar med storlek 0,6 mm kunde mätas i FBS-punktmoln. Mätosäkerheten var generellt något lägre för deformationsmätningar utifrån TLS jämfört med FBS i studien. Både TLS och FBS har begränsningar vid skanning av kubhörnsreflektorer på grund av reflektorernas ytegenskaper. För FBS kan dessa problem minskas med åtgärder i fält, såsom extra fokuspunkter och artificiell yttextur. TLS-resultat påverkades av infallsvinkeln mot reflektorplåtarna vid skanningen, eftersom en stor infallsvinkel leder till få returer och för liten infallsvinkel riskerar att leda till returer med hög intensitet (och felaktig position). Uppmätt deformation i studien skulle motsvara som mest en förlust på strax över en fjärdedel av det maximala RCS-värdet för den studerade reflektortypen. Den största RCS-förlusten i den här studien berodde på uppmätt buktighet i bottenplåten, i kontrast med att RCS-värdet enligt tidigare studier anses mer känsligt för avvikelse från ortogonalitet mellan reflektorplåtar. / Corner reflectors are used as targets with a continuous and identifiable reflected signal in remote sensing, commonly used with interferometric synthetic aperture radar [InSAR]. Corner reflectors are applied for monitoring crustal changes and calibrating synthetic aperture radar [SAR]-systems. The strength of the reflected radar signal is measured with radar cross section [RCS]. The RCS decreases if the reflector has deformations, such as deviation from orthogonality of the reflector plates, the plate curvature and surface irregularities. Therefore, it is important to be able to measure and analyse these kinds of deformations. The aim of this study was to examine how well close-range photogrammetry [CRP] and terrestrial laser scanning [TLS] can be used to measure deformations of corner reflectors. A problematic aspect of corner reflectors are their surfaces, that usually are reflective and textureless.  Scanning was conducted in a field environment and CRP was performed with a digital camera. The CRP-technique used in this study is based on Structure-from-Motion [SfM], which automates the image matching and 3D-modeling. TLS was done with a Leica C10 at short range from the corner reflector, about 2 m. The point clouds were segmented into separate point clouds for each reflector plate and reference planes were fitted to them. The reference planes were used to measure angles between reflector plates, with measured deviations from orthogonality between 0-0,8°. Plate curvature was measured as the distance from the point cloud to the reference plane and varied between the reflector sides and between TLS and CRP, in an interval from 0 to 6 mm. Surface irregularities in the shape of pop rivets, 0,6 mm in size, could be measured in the CRP-point clouds. Measurement uncertainties were generally lower in measurements based on TLS compared to CRP. Both TLS and CRP have limitations when scanning corner reflectors, caused by surface properties of the corner reflector. These problems can be reduced for CRP with certain field measures, such as extra focus points and artificial surface texture. The TLS results were affected by the incident angle while scanning, since a large incident angle leads to few return pulses and a too small incident angle may lead to returns with high intensity (and incorrect position). Measured deformation in this study would be equivalent to a reduction of RCS slightly above one fourth of the maximum RCS-value for the studied corner reflector type. In contrast to earlier studies, which say that RCS is most sensitive to lack of orthogonality between the plates, the largest reduction of RCS in this study was caused by the measured plate curvature of the bottom plate.

Medical micromotors have the potential to lead to a paradigm shift in future biomedicine, as they may perform active drug delivery, microsurgery, tissue engineering, or assisted fertilization in a minimally invasive manner. However, the translation to clinical treatment is challenging, as many applications of single or few micromotors require real-time tracking and control at high spatiotemporal resolution in deep tissue. Although optical techniques are a popular choice for this task, absorption and strong light scattering lead to a pronounced decrease of the signal-to-noise ratio with increasing penetration depth. Here, a highly reflective micromotor is introduced which reflects more than tenfold the light intensity of simple gold particles and can be precisely navigated by external magnetic fields. A customized optical IR imaging setup and an image correlation technique are implemented to track single micromotors in real-time and label-free underneath phantom and ex vivo mouse skull tissues. As a potential application, the micromotors speed is recorded when moving through different viscous fluids to determine the viscosity of diverse physiological fluids toward remote cardiovascular disease diagnosis. Moreover, the micromotors are loaded with a model drug to demonstrate their cargotransport capability. The proposed reflective micromotor is suitable as theranostic tool for sub-skin or organ-on-a-chip applications.

Τα φωτοβολταϊκά είναι κατάλληλες ενεργειακές συσκευές τόσο για εφαρμογή σε κεντρικές μονάδες παραγωγής ηλεκτρισμού (φωτοβολταϊκά πάρκα) όσο και σε ξεχωριστές μονάδες (κατοικίες και άλλα κτήρια). Και στις δύο αυτές περιπτώσεις, η εγκατάσταση των φωτοβολταϊκών επιδιώκεται να έχει την βέλτιστη κλίση και αζιμούθια γωνία των φβ πλαισίων, για να επιτυγχάνεται μεγιστοποίηση του παραγόμενου ηλεκτρισμού. Εκτός από τις περιπτώσεις που είναι εφικτή η βέλτιστη εγκατάσταση των φβ, υπάρχουν και περιπτώσεις που η εγκατάσταση παρουσιάζει ιδιαιτερότητα ως προς την τοποθέτηση και χρειάζεται ειδική μελέτη για την επίτευξη ικανοποιητικού αποτελέσματος. Στις περιπτώσεις αυτές και εκτός από το αυξημένο κόστος τα άλλα κριτήρια είναι κυρίως η επιλογή του κατάλληλου φβ πλαισίου και η λειτουργική και αισθητική ιδιαιτερότητα της εγκατάστασης, σε συνδυασμό με τις ενεργειακές και περιβαλλοντικές προεκτάσεις. Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής είναι η μελέτη νέων τρόπων εγκατάστασης φωτοβολταϊκών, με την εξέταση των παραμέτρων που επηρεάζουν την ενεργειακή συμπεριφορά τους, ανάλογα του είδους και της τοποθέτησης των φβ πλαισίων, των συνθηκών θερμοκρασίας λειτουργίας, του πνέοντος ανέμου και φωτισμού και των ειδικών απαιτήσεων της εφαρμογής, στην κάλυψη των αναγκών σε ηλεκτρισμό. Ιδιαίτερη αναφορά γίνεται και στις συνέπειες από την ικανοποίηση αισθητικών απαιτήσεων των εγκαταστάσεων των φβ, επιδιώκοντας τον βέλτιστο συγκερασμό. Στην εργασία μελετάται πειραματικά και σε συνθήκες φυσικού ηλιασμού η συνεισφορά των διάχυτων και κατοπτρικών ανακλαστήρων στην ενεργειακή απόδοση των φβ, η απαγωγή θερμότητας από τα φβ με νερό ή αέρα, η εγκατάσταση των φβ σε δυσμενή ενεργειακά κλίση και αζιμούθια γωνία, η χρήση διαπερατών στο φως φβ πλαισίων, κλπ. Δοκιμάστηκαν διάφορα φβ πλαίσια (πυριτίου, CIS, λεπτού φιλμ, οργανικά, άκαμπτα, εύκαμπτα, κλπ) και προτείνονται σχεδιάσεις φβ εγκαταστάσεων για ειδικές περιπτώσεις εφαρμογών. Επιπλέον, υπολογίστηκαν και τα περιβαλλοντικά οφέλη από την ευρεία χρήση των φωτοβολταϊκών, ανάλογα με τις ιδιαιτερότητες των εφαρμογών τους. / Photovoltaics are solar energy devices suitable for applications in both central power generation units (solar farms) and in separate units (residential and other buildings). In both cases, the aim is to install the photovoltaic modules with optimum tilt and azimuth angle, so that the electrical output is maximized. However, there are times where the photovoltaic modules cannot be placed with optimum angles and special considerations must be done in order to achieve a satisfactory result. In such cases, besides the increased cost, there are other things that need to be considered, such as the selection of a suitable type of photovoltaic module, the functional and aesthetic particularities of the installation in combination with the energy and environmental implications. The aim of this thesis is to study new ways of installing photovoltaics, by examining the parameters that affect their energy behavior, depending on the type of pv module and the way they are installed, the operating temperature conditions, the wind, the lighting and the specific requirements of the installation, in order to meet the electrical needs. A particular reference is made at the consequences of satisfying the aesthetic requirements of pv installations, seeking the optimal solution between functional and aesthetic application. In this thesis, experiments are conducted in natural conditions in order to determine the effects of the sunlight contribution of diffuse and specular reflectors at the energy efficiency of photovoltaics, the heat dissipation with water or air, the installation of pv modules with an unfavorable inclination and azimuth angle, the use of transparent pv modules, etc. Furthermore, several types of pv modules are tested (silicon, CIS, thin film, organic, rigid, flexible, etc.) and suggestions are made for special applications. In addition, an estimation of the environmental benefits of the widespread use of photovoltaics is done, according to the particularities of their applications.

General lighting with InGaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources is of particular interest in terms of energy savings and related environmental benefits due to high lighting efficiency, long lifetime, and Hg-free nature. Incandescent and fluorescent light sources are used for general lighting almost everywhere. But their lighting efficiency is very limited: only 20-30 lm/W for incandescent lighting bulb, approximately 100 lm/W for fluorescent lighting. State-of-the-art InGaN LEDs with a luminous efficacy of over 200 lm/W at room temperature have been reported. However, the goal of replacing the incandescent and fluorescent lights with InGaN LEDs is still elusive since their lighting efficiency decreases substantially when the injection current increases beyond certain values (typically 10-50 Acm-2). In order to improve the electroluminescence (EL) performance at high currents for InGaN LEDs, two approaches have been undertaken in this thesis. First, we explored the preparation and characterization of non-polar and semi-polar GaN substrates (including a-plane, m-plane and semi-polar planes). These substrates serve as promising alternatives to the commonly used c-plane, with the benefit of a reduced polarization-induced electric field and therefore higher quantum efficiency. It is demonstrated that LEDs on m-plane GaN substrates have inherently higher EL quantum efficiency and better efficiency retention ability at high injection currents than their c-plane counterparts. Secondly, from a device structure level, we explored the possible origins of the EL efficiency degradation at high currents in InGaN LEDs and investigated the effect of hot electrons on EL of LEDs by varying the barrier height of electron blocking layer. A first-order theoretical model is proposed to explain the effect of electron overflow caused by hot electron transport across the LED active region on LED EL performance. The calculation results are in agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, a novel structure called a “staircase electron injector” (SEI) is demonstrated to effectively thermalize hot electrons, thereby reducing the reduction of EL efficiency due to electron overflow. The SEI features several InyGa1-yN layers, with their In fraction (y) increasing in a stepwise manner, starting with a low value at the first step near the junction with n-GaN.

Die Synthese von AlN/GaN- und (Al,In)N/GaN-Braggreflektoren wird untersucht. Die Strukturen wurden mittels plasmaunterstützter Molekularstrahlepitaxie auf 6H-SiC(0001)-Substraten abgeschieden. Ferner wurde der Einfluß der Si-Dotierung auf die Oberflächenmorphologie sowie die strukturellen und elektrischen Eigenschaften der AlN/GaN-Braggreflektoren untersucht. Es wurden rißfreie Braggreflektoren mit einer hohen Reflektivität (R>99%) und einem bei 450 nm zentrierten Stopband erhalten. Die Si-dotierten Strukturen weisen eine ohmsche I-V-Charakteristik im gesamten Meßbereich sowie einen spezifischen Widerstand von 2-4 mOhmcm2 auf. Die Ergebnisse der (Al,In)N-Wachstumsversuche wurden in einem Phasendiagramm zusammengefaßt, welches den optimalen Parameterraum für (Al,In)N klar aufzeigt. / We study the synthesis of AlN/GaN and (Al,In)N/GaN Bragg reflectors. The structures were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on 6H-SiC(0001) substrates. In addition, we study the impact of Si-doping on the surface morphology and the structural and electrical properties of the AlN/GaN Bragg reflectors. Crack-free and high-reflectance (R>99%) Bragg reflectors were achieved with a stopband centered at 450 nm. The Si-doped structures exhibit ohmic I-V behavior in the entire measurement range. The specific series resistance is 2-4 mOhmcm2. The results of the (Al,In)N growth experiments are summarized in a phase diagram which clearly shows the optimum growth window for (Al,In)N.

A passive wireless surface acoustic wave sensor of a delay-line type is composed of an antenna, a transducer that converts the EM signal into a surface acoustic wave, and a set of acoustic reflectors that reflect the incoming signal back out through the antenna. A cavity forms between the transducer and the reflectors, trapping energy and causing multiple unwanted echoes. The work in this dissertation aims to reduce the unwanted echoes so that only the main transit signal is left--the signal of interest with sensor information. The contributions of this dissertation include reflective delay-line device response in the form of an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter. This may be used in the future to subtract out unwanted echoes via post-processing. However, this dissertation will use a physical approach to echo suppression by using a unidirectional transducer. Thus a unidirectional transducer is used and also optimized for 3rd harmonic operation. Both the directionality and the coupling of the 3rd harmonic optimized SPUDT are improved over a standard electrode width controlled (EWC) SPUDT. New type of reflectors for the reflective delay-line device are also presented. These use BPSK type coding, similar to that of the Walsh-Hadamard codes. Two types are presented, variable reflectivity and variable chip-lengths. The COM model is used to simulate devices and compare the predicted echo suppression level to that of fabricated devices. Finally, a device is mounted on a tunable antenna and the echo is suppressed on a wireless operating device.

This thesis describes the incorporation within a semiconductor laser of a multiple quantum well InGaAsP/InP Electron Bragg Reflector (EBR). The EBR is intended to improve laser performance by inhibiting the escape of hot electrons from the laser active region by quantum mechanical Bragg reflection. To the author's knowledge, this investigation represents the first attempt to realize an EBR in the InGaAsP/InP material system. Computer models based on a transfer matrix method for the solution of Schrodinger's equation were written to obtain the EBR design. The transfer matrix method is described. Extensions to the transfer matrix method for optics are presented and are demonstrated to provide more than an order of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency for the calculation of the complex TE-mode propagation constant for planar graded-index waveguides with absorption or gain. The EBR designed for this work incorporates several new features. Deleterious band bending in the vicinity of the EBR is minimized by exploiting material strain to reduce the density of hole states in the EBR quantum wells. To maximize reflection bandwidth and relax fabrication tolerances, the EBR design used well widths that decreased with increasing depth into the p-type InP cladding. By the placement of the EBR adjacent to the separate confinement region, a return path was provided for electrons that scattered inelastically within the EBR. Moreover, the EBR structure was designed to support no bound electron states, so that the recombination of electrons with holes in the EBR would be minimal. To the author's knowledge, the EBR-equipped laser fabricated for this work represents the first attempt to exploit electron state exclusion. To explore the effectiveness of EBRs in the InGaAsP/InP material system, two nearly identical ridge waveguide lasers (one with an EBR, and one without) were designed, fabricated, and tested. The EBR-equipped lasers exhibited an anomalous threshold current temperature dependence which featured a "negative-To" regime (in which the threshold current decreases with increasing temperature), attaining a minimum in threshold current between T=150 K and T=200 K. These lasers had a threshold current temperature stability superior to that of standard lasers within a ~70 K window around the minimum threshold temperature. Experimental evidence suggests that the improved stability is not due to quantum mechanical Bragg reflection provided by the EBR, but is attributable to the temperature-dependent rate of hole escape from the EBR quantum wells into the separate confinement region. The proposed mechanism is described in detail and is supported by theoretical and experimental evidence. The results have implications for device design, because the mechanism by which the superior temperature stability is achieved does not rely on the electron coherence effects; the mathematical model suggests that the mechanism can be exploited to provide superior temperature stability in semiconductor lasers at 300 K or above. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)