SiC etch development has been performed in a Lam TCP 9400SE II system (a system meant for polysilicon etching and modified for SiC etching). SiC etching has never been reported in this particular system. Various parameters (carrier material, pressure, gas additives, gas flow, and electrode power) were examined and their effects determined on etch rate and resulting surface morphology. An efficient carrier material (graphite), operating pressure (25 mTorr), and gas flow rate (30 sccm) for obtaining peak etch rates were determined for this system. Peak etch rates of 1254 Å/min. in CHF3:O2, 4314 Å/min. in SF6:O2, and 1255 Å/min. in NF3:O2 plasmas were obtained at 25 mTorr with 60%, 20%, and 30% O2 concentrations, respectively, and 1978 Å/min. in a NF3:Ar plasma with 10% Ar concentration. Gas additives were determined to have little or no effect in enhancing the etch rate at low pressures (2 mTorr). The addition of H2 in CHF3 plasmas resulted in severe polymerization when the concentration of H2 was 60% or greater. Increased bottom electrode power resulted in higher etch rates and more anisotropic etch profiles.

A robust and highly accurate positioning system is required to transition to fully autonomous vehicles in society.  This thesis investigates the potential for lidar sensors to be a part of a localization system, adding redundancy in case of an outage in a global navigation satellite system GNSS. Point cloud data is recorded on a busy road to experimentally study lidar odometry with dynamic objects present. By matching point clouds with the well-established iterative closest point ICP algorithm, odometry estimates in 6 degrees of freedom are obtained. In this thesis, three ICP variants, point-to-point, point-to-plane and plane-to-plane, are evaluated along with preprocessing and data segmentation techniques to improve accuracy and computational speed.  High-end lidar sensors are known to produce a large amount of data. To achieve real-time performance for the odometry, the point clouds are downsampled using a 3D voxel grid filter to reduce the amount of data by 86% on average. Experiments show that downsampling with a properly tuned voxel grid filter reduces the total process time without sacrificing the accuracy of the estimates. ICP algorithms assume the environment to be static. Therefore dynamic objects can introduce errors in the odometry estimates. Methods to counteract these errors are evaluated. One approach to address this issue, suggested in the literature, is to segment the point cloud into different objects and remove objects smaller than a given threshold. However, experiments on the recorded data set indicate that this method removes too much point cloud data in certain sections, resulting in inaccurate odometry estimates. This problem is especially salient when the environment lacks larger static structures.       However, outlier rejection methods show promising results for suppressing errors caused by dynamic objects. In scan matching, outlier rejection methods can be used to identify and remove individual data point pair associations whose shared distance deviates from the majority in the point clouds. Removing the outliers strengthens the estimates against errors caused by dynamic objects and improves robustness against measurement noise. Experiments in this thesis show that outlier rejection methods can improve translation accuracy with as much as 39% and rotation accuracy with 57% compared to not using any outlier rejection. To improve the accuracy of the estimates, this thesis proposes an approach to divide the lidar point clouds into two subsets, ground points and non-ground points. The scan matching can then be applied to the two subsets separately, enhancing the most relevant information in each subset. Compared to the traditional way of using the entire point clouds in one estimate, experiments show that using the best performing ICP variant, a linearized point-to-plane, in combination with this proposed method improves translation accuracy by 10%, rotation accuracy by 27%, and computational speed by 23%.  The results in this thesis indicate that a lidar odometry solution can be accurate and computationally efficient enough to strengthen a localization system during shorter GNSS outages.

Studies of the interaction of the relevant metal, metalloid or nanoparticulate species with biological systems are underpinned by the provision of reliable information about chemical composition of the relevant materials. Often, no methods of chemical analysis are available. The work described in this dissertation centers on developing methods to help with studies for a variety of analytes and samples. A method was developed for the determination of 11 trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Ti, and Zn) in human breast milk and infant formulas by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) following microwave-assisted digestion. A method was established for the determination of trace elements, with an emphasis on titanium as titanium dioxide, in snack foods and consumer products. The interactions of some dissolved metals, including rare earth elements, and metallo-nanoparticles (silver, gold, titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, and iron) with aquatic plants were studied. After exposure in a variety of mesocosms, the partitioning of the elemental species between various compartments was quantified by ICP-MS and ICP-OES following microwave-assisted digestion. An ICP mass spectrometry (MS) method has also been developed to quantify the uptake of gold and silver nanoparticles by C. elegans. Uptake of gold nanoparticles was size dependent, suggesting increased ingestion efficiency with increased particle diameter. The feasibility of discriminating between suspended TiO2 nanoparticles and dissolved titanium by the analysis of the rapid transient signal events obtained from the ICP-MS instrument operated in a rapid response mode was also developed. Data handling parameters were established that allowed a distinction in the signals for nanoparticulate and standard solutions. Spikes in the signal were defined by distinct parameters using the mean and standard deviation, where a spike in the signal was defined as a signal > + ks (k =3). This approach however did lead to a statistical difference in the spike signal events for solutions and nanosuspensions.

A method was developed for the determination of total arsenic in rice grain by microwave-assisted digestion inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Standard calibration solutions were matrix-matched with respect to acid concentration and carbon content post-digest. The importance of eliminating the drying step during sample preparation procedures was investigated. The method was validated with spikes containing standard arsenate solutions into the rice matrix, and with certified reference material SRM1568a (rice flour) from NIST. The method was successfully applied to a commercially available rice sample. Four arsenic species [arsenate (As(V)), arsenite (As(III)), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA)] were extracted from rice grains by microwave-assisted extraction and separated with high performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The method includes a novel sample clean-up step involving a dialysis procedure to decrease the amount of large starch molecules in the injection solution, in order to minimize poor resolution of chromatographic peaks and maximize column life. The method was validated with spikes of standard arsenic solutions, added to the rice matrix before the extraction procedure. Literature reference values for arsenic species quantification in SRM1568a (rice flour) were also compared. This method was successfully applied to a commercially available rice sample. A study into improvements in reverse phase-HPLC separations of arsenic species was conducted. For the first time, a Sunfire C8 column from Waters (Milford, CT) was employed for the separation of arsenic species in rice extracts. This column was compared to a Symmetry C8 column with respect to total elution time, detection limits, interference effects, and column life, and evaluated with respect to peak resolution, shifts in retention times, and peak symmetry.

Os minerais são de extrema importância no metabolismo geral e no desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo dos bovinos. Atualmente, no Brasil, existem poucos estudos sobre o diagnóstico de deficiências minerais em bovinos, através de análise de macroelementos e elementos traço em fluidos biológicos. A maior parte das informações disponíveis limitam-se ao diagnóstico clínico de deficiências isoladas e à análise de elementos nas pastagens e no solo, que podem sugerir deficiências sub clínicas de alguns minerais, mas apresentam várias limitações e interferências. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver um método de análise simples, com introdução direta da amostra, utilizando a técnica de q-ICP-MS e DRC-ICP-MS, para determinação de Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn, I, Mo, As, Se, Ni, Co, Ba, Cs, Mn e Pb em sêmen bovino. Para realização das análises, foi utilizada calibração em meio aquoso e as amostras foram diluídas na proporção 1:50 em solução contendo 0,01% v/v Triton® X-100 e 0,5% v/v de ácido nítrico. Também foram avaliadas a calibração por ajuste de matriz e a análise das amostras após digestão por microondas, para confirmação dos resultados obtidos por introdução direta e calibração em meio aquoso. O DRC foi essencial para determinação de níquel. O gás de reação utilizado foi H2 e os parâmetros RPq e vazão do gás foram estudados para otimização do método. Os limites de detecção para determinação de 44Ca, 63Cu, 57Fe, 24Mg, 64Zn, 127I, 98Mo, 75As, 82Se, 59Co, 138Ba, 133Cs, 55Mn e 208Pb foram: 0,262; 0,003; 0,168; 0,004; 0,004; 0,026; 0,007; 0,007; 0,033; 0,002; 0,005; 0,002; 0,003; 0,002 µg L-1 respectivamente, e para determinação de 60Ni por DRC-ICP-MS o LD foi 0,020 µgL-1. O método desenvolvido foi aplicado para determinação de 15 elementos em amostras de sêmen de bovinos de diferentes raças usadas em programas de reprodução e inseminação artificial. / The minerals are of extreme importance in the general metabolism and in the productive and reproductive performance of the bovines. Nowadays, in Brazil, few studies exist on the diagnosis of mineral deficiencies in bovine, through macroelementos analysis and trace elements in biological fluids. Most of the available information is limited to the clinical diagnosis of isolated deficiencies and the analysis of elements in the pastures and in the soil, that can suggest sub clinical deficiencies of some minerals, but present several limitations and interferences. The objective of this work was to develop a method of simple analysis, with direct introduction of the sample, using the technique of q-ICP-MS and DRC-ICP-MS, for determination of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn, I, Mo, As, Se, Ni, Co, Ba, Cs, Mn and Pb in bovine semen. Aqueous medium calibration was used in the analysis and the samples were diluted in the proportion 1:50 in solution containing 0,01% v/v Triton® X-100 and 0,5% v/v of nitric acid. They were also evaluated the matrix matching and the analysis of samples after digestion for microwave, for confirmation of the results obtained by direct introduction and calibration in aqueous medium. DRC went essential for nickel determination. The reaction gas used it was H2 and the parameters RPq and gas flow rate were studied for optimization of the method. The detection limits for determination of 44Ca, 63Cu, 57Fe, 24Mg, 64Zn, 127I, 98Mo, 75As, 82Se, 59Co, 138Ba, 133Cs, 55Mn and 208Pb were: 0,262; 0,003; 0,168; 0,004; 0,004; 0,026; 0,007; 0,007; 0,033; 0,002; 0,005; 0,002; 0,003; 0,002 µg L-1 respectively, and for determination of 60Ni for DRC-ICP-MS the LOD was 0,020 µgL-1. The developed method was applied for determination of 15 elements in bovine semen samples of different breed used in reproduction programs and artificial insemination.

Os minerais são de extrema importância no metabolismo geral e no desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo dos bovinos. Atualmente, no Brasil, existem poucos estudos sobre o diagnóstico de deficiências minerais em bovinos, através de análise de macroelementos e elementos traço em fluidos biológicos. A maior parte das informações disponíveis limitam-se ao diagnóstico clínico de deficiências isoladas e à análise de elementos nas pastagens e no solo, que podem sugerir deficiências sub clínicas de alguns minerais, mas apresentam várias limitações e interferências. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver um método de análise simples, com introdução direta da amostra, utilizando a técnica de q-ICP-MS e DRC-ICP-MS, para determinação de Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn, I, Mo, As, Se, Ni, Co, Ba, Cs, Mn e Pb em sêmen bovino. Para realização das análises, foi utilizada calibração em meio aquoso e as amostras foram diluídas na proporção 1:50 em solução contendo 0,01% v/v Triton® X-100 e 0,5% v/v de ácido nítrico. Também foram avaliadas a calibração por ajuste de matriz e a análise das amostras após digestão por microondas, para confirmação dos resultados obtidos por introdução direta e calibração em meio aquoso. O DRC foi essencial para determinação de níquel. O gás de reação utilizado foi H2 e os parâmetros RPq e vazão do gás foram estudados para otimização do método. Os limites de detecção para determinação de 44Ca, 63Cu, 57Fe, 24Mg, 64Zn, 127I, 98Mo, 75As, 82Se, 59Co, 138Ba, 133Cs, 55Mn e 208Pb foram: 0,262; 0,003; 0,168; 0,004; 0,004; 0,026; 0,007; 0,007; 0,033; 0,002; 0,005; 0,002; 0,003; 0,002 µg L-1 respectivamente, e para determinação de 60Ni por DRC-ICP-MS o LD foi 0,020 µgL-1. O método desenvolvido foi aplicado para determinação de 15 elementos em amostras de sêmen de bovinos de diferentes raças usadas em programas de reprodução e inseminação artificial. / The minerals are of extreme importance in the general metabolism and in the productive and reproductive performance of the bovines. Nowadays, in Brazil, few studies exist on the diagnosis of mineral deficiencies in bovine, through macroelementos analysis and trace elements in biological fluids. Most of the available information is limited to the clinical diagnosis of isolated deficiencies and the analysis of elements in the pastures and in the soil, that can suggest sub clinical deficiencies of some minerals, but present several limitations and interferences. The objective of this work was to develop a method of simple analysis, with direct introduction of the sample, using the technique of q-ICP-MS and DRC-ICP-MS, for determination of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn, I, Mo, As, Se, Ni, Co, Ba, Cs, Mn and Pb in bovine semen. Aqueous medium calibration was used in the analysis and the samples were diluted in the proportion 1:50 in solution containing 0,01% v/v Triton® X-100 and 0,5% v/v of nitric acid. They were also evaluated the matrix matching and the analysis of samples after digestion for microwave, for confirmation of the results obtained by direct introduction and calibration in aqueous medium. DRC went essential for nickel determination. The reaction gas used it was H2 and the parameters RPq and gas flow rate were studied for optimization of the method. The detection limits for determination of 44Ca, 63Cu, 57Fe, 24Mg, 64Zn, 127I, 98Mo, 75As, 82Se, 59Co, 138Ba, 133Cs, 55Mn and 208Pb were: 0,262; 0,003; 0,168; 0,004; 0,004; 0,026; 0,007; 0,007; 0,033; 0,002; 0,005; 0,002; 0,003; 0,002 µg L-1 respectively, and for determination of 60Ni for DRC-ICP-MS the LOD was 0,020 µgL-1. The developed method was applied for determination of 15 elements in bovine semen samples of different breed used in reproduction programs and artificial insemination.

No description available.

No description available.

O Mercúrio (Hg) é um dos mais tóxicos poluentes do meio ambiente. Ele existe basicamente em três formas: Mercúrio elementar (Hg0), ou Hg metálico, mercúrio inorgânico (Hg-i), principalmente o cloreto mercúrico e o mercúrio orgânico (Hg-o), representado principalmente pelo metilmercúrio (MeHg) e etilmercúrio (EtHg), sendo que as formas orgânicas do Hg são mais tóxicas. Sendo assim, é de suma importância que se tenha métodos de fracionamento (Hg t, Hg-i e Hg-o pela diferença) e de especiação de mercúrio (Hg-i, MeHg, EtHg) para diferenciação das espécies de mercúrio em matrizes biológicas. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivos o desenvolvimento de três métodos analíticos rápidos, simples e sensíveis para: i) fracionamento entre Hg-t e Hg-i em sangue/plasma (Hg-o pela diferença) utilizando sistema de geração de vapor frio em linha com ICP-MS (CV ICP-MS); ii) especiação de Hg em amostras de sangue e plasma utilizando o acoplamento HPLC-ICP-MS; iii) especiação de Hg em amostras de sangue utilizando o acoplamento GC-ICP-MS. No método de fracionamento de mercúrio foi feito o preparo de amostras utilizando hidróxido de tetrametilamônio (TMAH) à temperatura ambiente. No método de especiação por HPLC-ICP-MS foi feita a extração das espécies utilizando banho ultrassônico, ao passo que no método GC-ICP-MS foi feita a extração das espécies assistida por microondas. O método CV ICP-MS foi comparado com a geração de vapor utilizando absorção atômica (CV AAS) não tendo diferença estatística entre os dois métodos. Para validação dos métodos foi utilizado Material de Referência Certificado (NIST 966) e outros Materiais de Referência. Os métodos foram aplicados para análise de amostras de sangue de populações Ribeirinhas da Amazônia brasileira expostas ao mercúrio. Os métodos demonstraram ser simples e rápidos, podendo facilmente serem implantados em rotina de laboratórios clínicos. / Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic environmental pollutants. It exists primarily in three forms: elemental mercury (Hg0), or metallic mercury, inorganic mercury (Hg-i), particularly mercuric chloride and organic mercury (Hg-o), mainly represented by methylmercury (MeHg) and ethylmercury (EtHg), and the organic forms of mercury are more toxic than the inorganic ones. Then, it is very important the development of simple and fast methods for mercury fractionation (T-Hg, Hg-i and Hg-o by the difference) or speciation (Hg-i, MeHg, EtHg) in biological samples. Then, the aims of this work were to evaluate three analytical methods for: i) mercury fractionation in blood/plasma samples (Hg-t, Hg-i and Hg-o by difference) by using a ICP-MS on line coupled to a cold-vapor generation system (CV ICP-MS), ii) Hg speciation in blood and plasma by using LC coupled to ICP-MS; iii) Hg speciation in blood samples with the use of GC coupled to ICP-MS. For the fractionation method, samples were previously incubated with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) at room temperature. On the other hand, for the speciation of Hg in blood/plasma by using HPLC-ICP-MS the extraction of Hg species was carried out with the use of ultrasonic energy. For the speciation methodology with GC-ICP-MS the extraction of Hg species was carried out with the use of microwave-assisted extraction. Validation of the proposed methods were evaluated based on the analysis of the SRM NIST 966 and ordinary blood samples collected from riparians living in the Brazilian Amazon exposed to mercury. In general the proposed methodologies proved to be simple, fast and easily applied in routine analysis by clinical laboratories.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de um método analítico para determinação simultânea de elementos na faixa de concentração de traços em óleos através das técnicas de espectrometria de massas (ICPMS) e espectrometria de emissão ótica (ICPOES), ambas com plasma indutivamente acoplado, após procedimento de digestão em equipamento de mineralização que trabalha sob altas temperaturas (300 °C) e pressões (100 bar). A digestão dos petróleos foi realizada em frascos fechados de quartzo de volume de 90 mL utilizando-se uma mistura de ácido nítrico e peróxido de hidrogênio concentrado, de elevada pureza. Foram avaliadas as melhores condições de digestão dos petróleos, possíveis interferentes resultantes das matrizes formadas durante o processo de digestão e as condições operacionais para a determinação simultânea dos elementos de interesse. O teor de carbono residual foi determinado para avaliar a extensão do processo de digestão e possíveis interferências em ambas às técnicas utilizadas. O efeito da concentração residual de ácido nítrico na intensidade dos sinais analíticos foi estudado, bem como o desempenho de diferentes padrões internos para corrigi- lo. Curvas analíticas com lineariadades r2 > 0,999 foram obtidas para a maioria do elementos determinados e limites de detecção (LDM-3(sigma)): < 1 (mi) g kg-1 para Sb, Be, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Hg, Ni, Ag, Na, Sr, Ti, V, Zn, ETR, EGP, e na faixa de 1 a 10 (mi)g kg-1, para Al, Ba, Cd, Pb, K, Se. O método foi validado através da quantificação de elementos certificados nas amostras de referência NIST 1634c e NIST 1084a, obtendo-se repetitividades e exatidões melhores que 5% para a maioria deles. / [en] An analytical procedure was developed for the determination of trace elements in crude oil by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICPOES) after sample digestion in a high pressure asher system operating at 100 bar and a temperature of 300 °C. Wet digestion was performed in closed quartz vessels of 90 mL volume using high purity nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Best conditions for the digestion of petroleum samples were studied and possible interferences caused by the resulting matrix were evaluated, as well as best measuring conditions for the analytes of interest. Residual carbon content was determined in order to assess the completeness of digestion and interferences caused by this element in both techniques. The effect of residual acid concentration on the analytical signals were studied, as well as the performance of different internal standards for its correction. Linear analytical curves (r2 >0.999) were obtained and method detection limits (MDL - 3(sigma)) of 1 (mi)g kg-1 for Sb, Be, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Hg, Ni, Ag, Na, Sr, Ti, V, Zn, ETR, EGP, and in the range of 1 to 10 (mi)g kg-1 for Al, Ba, Cd, Pb, K and Se were obtained. Method validation was performed by quantification of certified elements in two standard reference materials (NIST: 1634c; 1084a) resulting in repeatabilities and accuracies of better than 5 % for most of the elements studied.