Des investigations ont été menées concernant la caractérisation des céramiques semi-conductrices à matrice SnO2, en particulier dans des domaines de densités de courant et de champs électriques élevés. L’ensemble du procédé d’élaboration a été analysé et optimisé, de manière à obtenir des composés aux propriétés électriques aptes à l’application varistance. L’addition de plusieurs dopants a été étudiée, et deux éléments ont donné lieu à un comportement électrique remarquable. Le dopage des grains de SnO2 par l’aluminium (III) permet d’accroître leur conductivité apparente et de ce fait, d’obtenir des composants dont la plage de fonctionnement est équivalente à celle observée pour des varistances ZnO. Le silicium apparaît aux joints de grains dans la microstructure des céramiques. Il réduit fortement la surface effective des joints de grains, entrainant une diminution importante de la zone de fonctionnement des varistances. Simultanément, la caractéristique courant-tension est quasi-idéale avec des coefficients de non-linéarité supérieurs à 100 et des profils de variation similaires à ceux observés pour les diodes Zener. La modélisation du mécanisme de conduction au niveau d’un joint de grain SnO2-SnO2 suggère que ces céramiques présentent un potentiel théorique supérieur aux céramiques à base de ZnO du fait d’une largeur de bande interdite plus importante. Enfin, un comparatif technico-économique succinct a ensuite été proposé, afin d’illustrer la compétitivité des deux matériaux pour l’application varistance / Many investigations have been conducted on semiconductive ceramics with a tin dioxide matrix, particularly in the high electric field and high current density ranges. The sintering process has been optimized, in order to obtain compounds with electrical properties compatible with the varistor application. Among the many dopants studied, two elements produced a remarkable electrical behavior. By doping SnO2 grains with Aluminium (III) allows an increase of their apparent conductivity and hence, widens the working range of tin oxide based compounds, up to the ZnO varistors ones. It appears that the silicium is located on the grain boundaries in the ceramic microstructure. This element reduces strongly the effective surface of the grain boundaries and causes an important diminution of the varistors working range. Simultaneously, the current-voltage behavior appears to be like those observed for a Zener diode, with non-linearity coefficients higher than 100 and nearly ideal variation profiles. The conduction modelling in the SnO2-SnO2 grain boundary area reflects that these ceramics present theoretically a higher potential than ZnO based ceramics, due to a wider SnO2 bandgap. A brief technico-economical comparison has been proposed in order to highlight the competitiveness between the two materials for the varistor applications

Contatos elétricos são aplicados na área de geração, manuseio e distribuição de energia elétrica, sendo fabricados em metais condutores como: cobre eletrolítico e suas ligas. Através de alguns métodos de brasagem, pastilhas com propriedades de condutividade, elétrica e térmica, mais apuradas são brasadas sobre estas bases condutoras. Em função da substituição do cádmio por um elemento menos nocivo ao homem e ao meio ambiente, o estanho vem se difundindo com rapidez, apoiado por iniciativas internacionais. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a brasabilidade de um metal de adição na liga 40%Ag-21%Zn- 20%Cd-19%Cu, sobre metais de base em: cobre eletrolítico, latão (65%Cu-35%Zn), prata pura e prata-óxido de estanho (90%Ag-10%SnO2) através dos ensaios da gota séssil e da cunha. As amostras foram caracterizadas metalograficamente. Os resultados mostraram que a brasabilidade para todos os substratos empregados estava dentro de valores de ângulo de contato menores que 10o, com exceção do substrato prata-óxido de estanho. Para este material ocorreu o demolhamento, dificultando a caracterização da sua molhabilidade. / Electrical contacts are manufactured with conductive metals, like electrolytic copper and its alloys. These products are used in electric circuits to manage the electrical energy. Electrical contacts assemblies can be built up by brazing joining methods, which improves electrical and thermal conductivity in non-ferrous substrates. The cadmium oxide, present into electrical contact alloys, has been replaced by tin oxide due to environmental issues, to meet the actual internationals agreements. The objective of this work is to evaluate the brazeability of a filler metal 40%Ag-21%Zn-20%Cd-19%Cu, on non-ferrous substrates, like: electrolytic copper, brass (65%Cu-35%Zn), silver and silver tin-oxide (90%Ag- 10%SnO2) using sessile drop and edge tests. The results showed that the brazeability of all non-ferrous substrates depicted contact angles less than 10º, except for the silver-tin oxide substrate. For silver-tin oxide substrate dewetting took place and the measurement of contact angles was impossible.

In the manufacturing process of float glass often atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD) reactors are integrated on-line for the deposition of functional thin solid films. Such functional films have applications in architectural glass, flat panel displays and solar cells. As glass moves downstream in the process, the thin film is deposited at temperatures between 500 to 700°C. The high temperatures make it difficult to monitor the deposition process and thin film quality control is commonly done at the end of the line or at lower temperatures. A time delay therefore exists between the point of thin film deposition and subsequent quality control, which can lead to large quantities of defective product being produced before faults are detected. It is therefore desirable to monitor in the APCVD reactor for rapid feedback of unexpected deviations from desired process conditions, reaction progress and fault detection. High uniformity of film properties across the substrate are important, but APCVD reactors are often empirically designed and the detailed chemical reaction mechanism is unknown. This leads to inefficient gas flow patterns and precursor utilization as well as difficulties in the design of new reactors. The APCVD deposition of tin oxide from the mono-butyl-tin tri-chloride (MBTC) is an example of such a process. Optical monitoring instruments in-situ and in-line on the APCVD reactor provided rapid feedback about process stability and progress non-invasively. Near infrared diode laser absorption spectroscopy (NIR-LAS) monitored the concentration of the reaction species hydrogen chloride (HCl) in-situ and spatially in the coating zone. A mid-infrared grating absorption spectrometer (IR-GAS) with novel pyro-electric array detector monitored the concentration of precursor entering the coating system simultaneously. In combination these instruments provide the means for rapid process feedback. Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to investigate the unknown decomposition pathway of the precursor to find the yet unknown key tin radical that initiates film growth. Stable species forming during MBTC decomposition over a temperature range of 170 to 760°C were investigated but the tin intermediate remains unknown. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is routinely employed in research and industry for the numerical simulation of CVD processes in order to predict reactor flow patterns, deposition rates, chemical species distribution or temperature profiles. Two and three dimensional models with complex geometries and detailed reaction models exist. A three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the used APCVD reactor was built using the Fluent CFD software. The numerical simulation included a chemical model that predicted qualitatively the chemical species distribution of hydrogen chloride in the gas phase. This was confirmed through comparison with NIR-LAS results. Design shortcomings due to inefficient flow patterns were also identified. In combination the optical tools developed provide the means for safe and efficient manufacturing of thin films in APCVD reactors. CFD simulations can be used to increase precursor utilization and film uniformity in the development of new reactor designs.

Nanostructured tin oxide materials with a high specific surface area and porosity are promising for applications such as electrocatalysis, lithium ion batteries or sensors. Here, we present a facile strategy for the synthesis of tin oxide aerogels using inexpensive hexahydroxostannate as tin precursor. This easy and scalable method yields tin oxide aerogels with a high specific surface area and wide pore size distribution. The method can be modified by adding hexahydroxoantimonate to obtain antimony doped tin oxide aerogels that show an electrical conductivity after annealing. A cogelation with other preformed nanoparticles (e.g. Au, Pt) leads to mixed gels. Both modifications do not have a large impact on the porous properties of the obtained aerogels. Tin oxide materials prepared via this route can be tailored to a specific application by versatile modification possibilities.

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<p>The development of nanocomposite materials has had significant influence on modern material design. Novel properties can be achieved and controlled for a diverse range of applications. The work presented here focused on characterization of polyurethane based coatings with ITO nano-inclusions. The coatings displayed high transparency in the visible range, and UV/IR shielding properties when studied with UV-Vis spectroscopy. UV/IR shielding improved with greater ITO density, with minor affect on visible transmittance. The effective medium approximation was successfully applied to ellipsometry modeling. Coatings with varying fractions of nanoparticles were analyzed. The modeled volume percent of the nanoparticles followed a strong linear trend with the known weight percentages. SEM and TEM imaging determined that majority of the particles existed in clusters. The nanoparticles were oblong shaped, 10-20nm big, randomly distributed, with no segregation to interfaces. Agglomerates varied in size, with the largest observed agglomerate being 250nm.</p> <p>Thermal stability was studied by TGA and DSC. No degradation occurred until 238°C. DSC revealed that the matrix continued to undergo modifications with consecutive runs. It was inconclusive whether the changes were from the polyurethane or dispersive agents in the system. Electron micrographs showed that segregation did not occur post-annealing. Average surface roughness increased from 3.5nm to 5nm after annealing at 120°C for several weeks. Ellipsometry results showed that film thickness decreased 20nm and 50nm before equilibriating for the 80°C and 120°C anneals respectively. The optical and thermal measurements demonstrated that the coating has great potential for improving the PV performance.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Advancements in neural interfacing technologies, such as microelectrode arrays, have significantly contributed to understanding brain function and treating neurological disorders. Decoding the intricacies and functioning of neural circuits is key to further unlocking its potential. Two key approaches, electrical neural recording and optical imaging, have been the basis of stimulating and monitoring neural circuits. Despite the remarkable progress, several key issues such as reliable stimulation of neurons, closed-loop stimulation and monitoring, and undesired background fluorescence during widefield optical imaging remain challenging. After giving a brief background on electrode and microLED arrays, the dissertation delves into the design, microfabrication, and characterization of microelectrode arrays for neural electrical stimulation, recordings, and microLED arrays as a light source for improving optical microscopy. We first discuss a dense conformal electrode array for high spatial resolution stimulation in electrosensory systems. The performance metrics of the integrated system are thoroughly examined through meticulous characterization and optimization processes. Special emphasis is placed on evaluating biocompatibility, electrical properties, and spatial resolution to ensure robust and reliable neural stimulation capability. Next, we discuss a microelectrode device that combines simultaneous electrical recording and 2-photon imaging. We use an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) material to fabricate a transparent electrode array with a design capable of single neuron recordings. The design, microfabrication, and electrooptical characterization are presented to demonstrate the device’s capability. A system integrating the array with a GRIN lens is also presented to record and image deeper into the brain tissue. Combining both the electrical and optical recordings of neuron ensembles and finding correlations can shed further light on the functioning of neural circuits. To address the problem of unwanted background fluorescence during neural cell imaging, two microLED arrays as light sources are presented. With a microstripe array, we implement optical sectioning structured illumination microscopy (OS-SIM), and with the 2D microLED array, we implemented targeted illumination to reject background fluorescence and improve contrast. We examine the capability of the microLED as a light source with luminance-current-voltage, directivity, and transient measurements. Both implementations highlight the novel non-display application of microLED to address challenges in neural imaging. This research represents a significant contribution to the burgeoning field of neural engineering, offering novel methodologies and technologies that promise to revolutionize our approach to understanding brain functions.

Indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) and zinc-tin oxide (ZTO) are investigated for thin-film transistor (TFT) applications. Negative bias illumination stress (NBIS) is employed for electrical stability assessment. Unpassivated IGZO and ZTO TFTs suffer from severe NBIS instabilities. Zinc-tin-silicon oxide is found to be an effective passivation layer for IGZO and ZTO TFTs, significantly improving the NBIS stability. NBIS instabilities in unpassivated TFTs are attributed to an NBIS-induced desorption of chemisorbed oxygen from the channel layer top surface, exposing surface oxygen vacancies. A ZTSO layer protects the channel layer top surface from adsorbed gas interactions and also appears to reduce the density of oxygen vacancies. The best device architectures investigated with respect to TFT electrical performance are found to be staggered with aluminum electrodes for unpassivated TFTs and coplanar with ITO electrodes for ZTSO-passivated TFTs. Annealing in wet-O₂ is not found to be effective for improving the performance of IGZO or ZTO TFTs or for reducing the post-deposition annealing temperature. / Graduation date: 2012