Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:33:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:05:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertacao (Mestrado Profissionalizante em Lasers em Odontologia) / IPEN/D-MPLO / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP; Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo

Les systèmes nanostructurés composés de nanoparticules déposées à la surface d’oxyde présentent à la fois un intérêt fondamental et technologique. Les propriétés finales de tels systèmes dépendent principalement de la forme et de la taille des nanoparticules déposées ainsi que de leur organisation sur la surface. Dans ce contexte général, l’utilisation de surfaces vicinales apparaît comme un moyen intéressant pour réaliser des substrats gabarits sur lesquels des particules pourront être déposées. Ce travail est consacré à l’étude de la nanostructuration bidimensionnelle (2D) de surfaces vicinales de saphir obtenue dans certaines conditions expérimentales (orientation de la surface vicinale et paramètres du traitement thermique). Les principaux objectifs de cette étude sont de décrire la morphologie de surface de ces échantillons présentant une mise en ordre 2D mais aussi de proposer un mécanisme concernant le passage de l’organisation monodimensionnelle (1D) à l’organisation 2D. La morphologie des surfaces vicinales d’alumine α, traitées à 1250 °C sous atmosphère d’oxygène pur pendant des durées allant jusqu’à 380 h, a été étudiée par des techniques expérimentales complémentaires : la microscopie à force atomique (AFM), la diffusion centrale des rayons X sous incidence rasante (GISAXS) et la diffraction de surface (GIXD). Les différents résultats ainsi obtenus nous ont permis de montrer que la surface présentant une organisation 2D pouvait être décrite par une assemblée de pyramides, dont la base est un triangle isocèle, décorant un réseau rectangulaire centré. Nous avons déterminé de façon très précise la forme de ce tétraèdre irrégulier qui a été décrit selon les caractéristiques cristallographiques du saphir. Il a de plus été montré qu’un phénomène de méandrage des bords de marches est probablement à l’origine de la transition entre les réseaux 1D et 2D qui n’est observée que lorsque les bords de marches initiaux sont rectilignes. / Nanostructured systems based on nanoparticles deposited onto oxide surfaces have both a fundamental and technological interests. Final properties of such systems depend mostly on the shape and size of the nanoparticles and also on their spatial organization on the surface. In this general context, the use of vicinal surfaces appears to be an interesting way of producing templates for ordering nanoparticles. This work is devoted to the study of two-dimension (2D) nanostructuration of sapphire vicinal surfaces obtained under specific experimental conditions (vicinal surface orientation and thermal treatment parameters). The main objectives of this study were to describe the surface morphology of the samples having the 2D ordering and also to propose a mechanism regarding the transition from the 1D to the 2D ordering.Morphology of sapphire vicinal surfaces, annealed at 1250 °C under pure oxygen atmosphere during various durations up to 380 h, was studied by complementary technics: atomic force microscopy (AFM), grazing-incidence small-angle X-rays scattering (GISAXS), and grazing-incidence X-rays diffraction (GIXD). Results allowed us to describe the 2D ordered surface by being an assembly of pyramids with an isosceles triangle base decorating a rectangular centered lattice. The shape of those irregular tetrahedrons has been precisely determined with the crystallographic characteristics of sapphire. It has also been shown that a meandering step-edge phenomenon is probably the starting point of the transition between 1D and 2D lattices obtained when initial step-edges are straight.

Fiber optic temperature sensing has become a well-defined field in the past few decades [1] through the use of Fiber Bragg Gratings, Fabry-Perot interferometry, and pyrometry, to list several techniques in use today.  The use of fiber optics offers significant advantages over electronic sensing in terms of size and insensitivity to harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures and corrosive environments.  The availability of optical sapphire materials, including fibers, has allowed the creation of fiber optic sensing elements able to continuously operate at temperatures of 1600"C [2] or more, thus outstripping the abilities of many commonly used thermocouples (excluding platinum types R, S, and B) [3] which will also exhibit a sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. In addition to the aforementioned benefits, fiber optic sensing techniques provide a great deal of accuracy in temperature measurement over the entire working range of the sensor. The work documented in this thesis consists of efforts to minimize the overall footprint of a sapphire based extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometry (EFPI) temperature sensing element, as well as strides made in multiplexing the same element and reducing the error potential from cross sensitivity of the thermometer with applied strain.  This work has been variously funded by Pratt & Whitney and the Department of Energy. / Master of Science

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In the last 15 years, an immense amount of research has gone into developing high efficiency Gallium Nitride based light emitting diodes (LED). These devices have become increasingly popular in LED displays and solid state lighting. Due to the large difference in refractive index between GaN and Air, a significant amount of light reflects at the boundary and does not escape the device. This drawback decreases external quantum efficiency (EQE) by minimizing light extraction. Scientists and engineers continue to develop creative solutions to enhance light extraction. Some solutions include surface roughening, patterned sapphire substrates, and reflective layers. This study proposes to increase external quantum efficiency and optimize light extraction efficiency of several LED structures using finite difference time domain analysis (FDTD). The structures under investigation include GaN based LEDs with nanoscale top gratings, patterned sapphire substrates in combination with SiO2 nanorod arrays, and reflective surfaces below and above the sapphire substrate. First, we optimize GaN based nanoscale top gratings and increase light extraction by 17.8%. Next, we simulate ITO based top gratings and enhance light extraction by 40%. Third, we optimize patterned sapphire substrate period and width and the vertical position of a SiO2 nanorod array. We achieve as high as 51.8% improvement in light extraction. Finally, we increase light extraction by 160% with the use of a silver reflection layer.

No / The work presented in this paper contributes to a wider research objective aiming at gaining a better understanding of the injection moulding process at microscales. More specifically, it contributes to the development of a new modelling approach combining experimental observation and mathematical modelling to characterise thermal contact resistance that results from the imperfections present on the surfaces when two surfaces are brought in contact. Thus, this paper describes micro and nano structuring technologies (Focus Ion beam and Laser Ablation) used to structure sapphire inserts that are used as ”windows” in the injection moulding process, allowing thermal measurements with a high speed thermal camera whilst sapphire structures are filled with polymer melt. / The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the grant EP/I014551/1 and the Interreg IVB project “ECOefficient LASER technology for FACTories of the future”.

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An integrated program has been developed to explore the reactivity of 2:1 phyllosilicates (biotite and the clays montmorillonite, hectorite, and nontronite) with respect to acid dissolution using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). Three techniques are described which make it possible to fix these minerals and other small particles to a suitable substrate for examination in the fluid cell of the atomic force microscope. A suite of macros has also been developed for the Image SXM image analysis environment which make possible the accurate and consistent measurement of the dimensions of clay particles in a series of AFM images, so that dissolution rates can be measured during a fluid cell experiment. Particles of biotite and montmorillonite were dissolved, and their dissolution rates normalized to their reactive surface area, which corresponds to the area of their edge surfaces (A_e). The A_e-normalized rates for these minerals between pH 1-2 are all ~10E^-8 mol/m²*s, and compare very well to other A_e-normalized dissolution rates in the literature. Differences between the A_e-normalized rates for biotite and the BET-normalized rates (derived from solution chemical studies) found in the literature can be easily explained in terms of the proportion of edge surface area and the formation of leached layers. However, the differences between the A_e-normalized montmorillonite rates and the literature values cannot be explained the same way. Rather, it is demonstrated that rates derived from solution studies of montmorillonite dissolution have been affected by the colloidal behavior of the mineral particles. Finally, the dissolution behavior of hectorite (a trioctahedral smectite) and nontronite ( a dioctahedral smectite) were compared. Based on the differential reactivity of their crystal faces, a model of their surface atomic structures is formulated using Hartman-Perdock crystal growth theory, which explains the observed data if it is assumed that the rate-determining step of the dissolution mechanism is the breaking of connecting bonds between the octahedral and tetrahedral sheets of the mineral structure. / Ph. D.