Industry is heavily dependent on the process of combustion and with a projected rapid increase for the demand of combustion-derived energy it is imperative to expose a new age of engineering professionals to the discipline of combustion engineering. One purpose of this study was to modify an existing scaled-down industrial furnace and to retrofit it with the ability to interchange burners for academic application and combustion testing. A number of available industrial burners are presented and their qualities and drawbacks discussed. The modification of an existing scaled-down industrial tunnel furnace is proposed in this work with the objective of providing users with exposure to the control and safe operating strategies associated with industrial combustion. The furnace system simulates a square-shaped tunnel geometry commonly found in industrial applications. A single nozzle mix burner is mounted along the furnace axis and operated with supporting equipment such as a burner control safeguard, a gas train, and an air supply. Details of the furnace are provided in this work. The concept of radiative heat transfer within a combustion enclosure is demonstrated through furnace simulation with Hottel’s Zone Method. / Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-07-19 09:50:22.797

In the era of intense pressures on water resources, the loss of groundwater by increased seawater intrusion (SWI), driven by climate, sea level and landscape changes, may be critical for many people living in commonly populous coastal regions. Analytical solutions have been derived here for interface flow in coastal aquifers, which allow for simple quantification of SWI under extended conditions from previously available such solutions and are suitable for first-order regional vulnerability assessment and mapping of the implications of climate- and landscape-driven change scenarios and related comparisons across various coastal world regions. Specifically, the derived solutions can account for the hydraulically significant aquifer bed slope in quantifying the toe location of a fresh-seawater sharp interface in the present assessments of vulnerability and safe exploitation of regional coastal groundwater.  Results show high nonlinearity of SWI responses to hydro-climatic and groundwater pumping changes on the landside and sea level rise on the marine side, implying thresholds, or tipping points, which, if crossed, may lead abruptly to major SWI of the aquifer. Critical limits of coastal groundwater change and exploitation have been identified and quantified in direct relation to prevailing local-regional conditions and stresses, defining a safe operating space for the human use of coastal groundwater. Generally, to control SWI, coastal aquifer management should focus on adequate fresh groundwater discharge to the sea, rather than on maintaining a certain hydraulic head at some aquifer location. First-order vulnerability assessments for regional Mediterranean aquifers of the Nile Delta Aquifer, the Israel Coastal Aquifer  and the Cyprus Akrotiri Aquifer show that in particular the first is seriously threatened by advancing seawater. Safe operating spaces determined for the latter two show that the current pumping schemes are not sustainable under declining recharge. / <p>The thesis was founded by two research programmes: NEO private-academic sector partnership and Ekoklim, a strategic governmental funding through Stockholm University</p><p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>

Le défi de la transition vers une énergie sans carbone passe, aujourd’hui, par un recours systématique à l’énergie électrique avec au centre des échanges l’électronique de puissance. Pour être à la hauteur des enjeux, l'électronique de puissance nécessite des composants de plusen plus performants pour permettre un haut niveau d'intégration, une haute efficacité énergétique et un haut niveau de fiabilité. Aujourd’hui, le transistor de puissance, du type MOSFET, en carbure de silicium (SiC) est une technologie de rupture permettant de répondre aux enjeux d’intégration et d’efficacité par un faible niveau de perte et une vitesse de commutation élevée. Cependant, leur fiabilité non maitrisée et leur faible robustesse aux régimes extrêmes du type court-circuit répétitifs freinent aujourd’hui leur pénétration dans les applications industrielles. Dans cette thèse, une étude poussée du comportement en court-circuit d'un ensemble exhaustif de composants commerciaux, décrivant toutes les variantes structurelles et technologiques en jeu, a été menée sur un banc de test spécifique développé durant la thèse, afin de quantifier leur tenue au courtcircuit. Cette étude a mis en lumière des propriétés à la fois génériques et singulières aux semiconducteurs en SiC déclinés en version MOSFET tel qu’un courant de fuite dynamique de grille et un mode de défaillance par un court-circuit grille-source amenant, dans certaines conditions d'usage et pour certaines structures de MOSFET, à un auto-blocage drain-source. Une recherchesystématique de la compréhension physique des phénomènes observés a été menée par une approche mêlant analyse technologique interne des composants défaillants et modélisation électrothermique fine. Une modélisation électrothermique compacte étendue à la prise en compte des modes de défaillance a été établie et implémentée dans un logiciel de type circuit. Ce modèle a été confronté à de très nombreux résultats expérimentaux sur toutes les séquences temporelles décrivant un cycle de court-circuit jusqu'à la défaillance. Ce modèle offre un support d'analyse intéressant et aussi une aide à la conception des circuits de protection. Ainsi, à titre d'application, un driver doté d'une partie de traitement numérique a été conçu et validé en mode de détection de plusieurs scénarii de court-circuit mais aussi potentiellement pour la détection de la dégradation de la grille du composant de puissance. D’autres travaux plus exploratoires ont aussi été menés en partenariat avec l’Université de Nottingham afin d’étudier l'impact de régimes de court-circuit impulsionnels répétés sur le vieillissement de puces en parallèle présentant des dispersions. La propagation d'un premier mode de défaillance issu d'un composant "faible" a aussi été étudiée. Ce travail ouvre la voie à la conception de convertisseurs intrinsèquement sûrs et disponibles en tirant parti des propriétés atypiques et originales des semi-conducteurs en SiC et du MOSFET en particulier / Nowaday, the challenge of the transition to carbon-free energy involves a systematic use of electrical energy with power electronics at the heart of the exchanges. To meet the challenges, power electronics requires increasingly high-performance devices to provide a high level of integration, high efficiency and a high level of reliability. Today, the power transistor, of the MOSFET type, made of silicon carbide (SiC) is a breakthrough technology that allows us to meet the challenges of integration and efficiency through their low level of loss and high switching speed. However, their limited reliability and low robustness at extreme operating conditions such as repetitive short-circuits are now hindering their expansion in industrial applications. In this thesis, an in-depth study of the short-circuit behaviour of an exhaustive set of commercial devices, describing all the structural and technological variants involved, was carried out on a specific test bench developed during the thesis, in order to quantify their short-circuit resistance. This study highlighted both generic and singular properties of SiC semiconductors for every Mosfet version such as a dynamic gate leakage current and a failure mode by a short-circuit grid-source leading, under certain conditions of use and for certain Mosfet structures, to a self-blocking drain-source. A systematic research of the physical understanding of the observed mechanisms was carried out by an approach combining an internal technological analysis of the failed devices and a fine electrothermal modelling. A compact electrothermal modeling extended to failure mode consideration has been established and implemented in circuit software. This model was confronted with numerous experimental results describing a short-circuit cycle up to failure. This model offers an interesting analytical support and also helps the design of protection circuits. Thus, as an application, a driver equipped with a digital processing part has been designed and validated in detection mode for several short-circuit scenarios but also potentially for the detection of the degradation of the power component grid. Other more exploratory work has also been carried out in partnership with the University of Nottingham to study the impact of repeated pulse short-circuit regimes on the aging of parallel chips with dispersions. The propagation of a first failure mode from a "weak" device was also studied. This work paves the way for the design of intrinsically safe and available converters by taking advantage of the atypical and original properties of SiC semiconductors and Mosfet in particular

Human influence extends across the globe, fromthe tallestmountains to the deep bottom of the oceans. There is a growing call for nature to be protected from the negative impacts of human activity (particularly intensive agriculture); so-called “land sparing”. A relatively new approach is “rewilding”, defined as the restoration of self-sustaining and complex ecosystems, with interlinked ecological processes that promote and support one another while minimising or gradually reducing human intervention. The key theoretical basis of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. However, this is constrained by context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that formed part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (e.g., mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos primigenius); and, populations/communities of native herbivores/predators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. In some circumstances, managers will require a more flexible deliberate approach to intervening in rewilding projects using the range of tools in their toolbox (e.g., controlled burning regimes; using domestic livestock to replicate the impacts of extinct herbivore species), even if this is only in the early stages of the rewilding process. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces and the engagement of farmers in practises that are closer to their traditions. We provide examples, primarily European, where domestic and semi-domestic livestock are used by managers as part of their rewilding toolbox. Here managers have looked at the broader phenotype of livestock species as to their suitability in different rewilding systems. We assess whether there are ways of using livestock in these systems for conservation, economic (e.g., branded or certified livestock products) and cultural gains.

Ce travail de thèse se concentre sur l'évaluation de la fiabilité des transistors à haute mobilité électronique (HEMT) AlGaN / GaN à grille ultra-courte sur substrat silicium dédiés aux applications de puissance à une fréquence supérieure à 40GHz. Il a été réalisé au sein des laboratoires IMS Bordeaux et IEMN Lille.Ce travail compare initialement les HEMT AlGaN / GaN réalisés par croissance MOCVD avec ceux obtenus par croissance MBE. En particulier, l'analyse électrique statique a permis d'étudier l'influence de la géométrie des dispositifs sur les performances des composants.Des tests de vieillissement accéléré ont été effectués pour évaluer la robustesse des transistors HEMTs en AlGaN/GaN à grille ultra-courte sur Si. Une méthodologie basée sur une séquence d'essais de vieillissement a été définie pour établir le diagnostic in-situ d’une dégradation statique et permanente et d’une dégradation qui se traduit par un transitoire de courant de drain au cours du chaque palier de la séquence de vieillissement. La valeur de la tension critique de dégradation à partir de laquelle le courant de drain commence à diminuer de façon significative dépend des conditions de polarisation du vieillissement, de la distance grille-drain et de la longueur de grille. De plus, l’aire de sécurité de fonctionnement de cette technologie a été déterminée. / This Ph.D. work focuses on the reliability assessment of ultra-short gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on silicon substrate dedicated to power applications at frequency above 40GHz. It was carried out within IMS Bordeaux and IEMN Lille laboratories.This work initially compares AlGaN/GaN HEMTs grown by MOCVD with those grown using MBE, through electrical characterization.In particular, the device geometry impact on the device performances has been studies by static electrical characterization.Step-stress experiments are performed to investigate reliability assessment of ultra-short gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on Si substrate. A methodology based on a sequence of step stress tests has been defined for in-situ diagnosis of a permanent degradation and of a degradation which is identified by a drain current transient occurring during each step of the ageing sequence . The same stress conditions were applied on HEMTs with different geometries. It is found no evolution of the drain current during non stressful steps. The value of the critical degradation voltage beyond which the stress drain current starts to decrease significantly is also found dependent on the stress bias conditions, the gate-drain distance and the gate length. Moreover, the safe operating area of this technology has been determined.

<p>We are in the midst of a technological revolution (popularly known as Industrie 4.0 or 4th Industrial Revolution) where our cars are being equipped with hundreds of sensors that make them safer, homes are becoming smarter, industry yields are at an all-time high, and internet-of-things is a reality. This was largely possible due to the developments in communication, electronics, motor controls, robotics, cyber security, software, efficient power distribution, etc. One of the major propellants of the 4th Industrial revolution is the ever-expanding applications of power electronics devices. All electrical energy will be provided, handled, and consumed through power electronics devices in the near future. Therefore, the reliability of power electronics devices will be instrumental in driving future technological advances. </p> <p> </p> <p><br></p><p>A myriad of devices is categorized as power electronics devices, and in the heart of those devices are the transistors. Although Silicon-based transistors still dominate the power electronics market, a paradigm shift towards wide bandgap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), beta-gallium oxide etc., is underway. However, realizing the full potential of these devices demands unconventional design, layout, and reliability. </p> <p> </p> <p>In this thesis, we try to establish a generalized model of reliability for power and logic transistors. We start by defining a comprehensive, substrate-, self-heating-, and reliability-aware safe operating area (SOA) that analytically establishes the optimum and self-consistent trade-off among breakdown voltage, power consumption, operating frequency, heat dissipation, and reliability before actual device fabrication. Then we take a deeper look into the reliability of individual transistors (a beta-gallium oxide transistor and a Silicon-based LDMOS), to test the predictions by the safe operating area, using both experiments and simulations. In the beta-gallium oxide transistor, we studied its implementation in a DC-DC voltage converter and concluded that the self-heating is a performance bottleneck and suggested approaches to alleviate it. For the LDMOS transistor, we investigated the hot carrier degradation (HCD) using experiments and simulations. We established that the HCD degradation kinetics is universal, and physics is the same as a classical transistor, despite a complicated geometry. Finally, we studied the correlation between HCD and radiation in LDMOS used in space shuttles, airplanes, etc., to determine its lifetime. </p><p><br></p> <p> </p> <p>We have holistically analyzed the reliability of power transistors by extending the theories of logic transistors in this thesis. Therefore, this thesis takes us a step closer to a generalized reliability model for power transistors by developing a comprehensive and predictive model for the safe operating area, encompassing all sources of stresses (e.g., electrical, thermal, and radiation) it experiences during operation.</p>

ABSTRACT The Lateral Double-Diffused Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (LDMOSFET or LDMOS) has made an enormous impact in the field of power electronics. Its integration, low cost, and power performance have made it the popular choice for power system on chips (SoC's). Over the years, much research has gone into ways of optimizing this crucial power device. Particularly, the safe operating area (SOA) has become a focus of research in order to allow a wide range of various bias schemes. More so, device ruggedness is an important factor in the usability of these devices as there are many circuits in which high current and voltage are present in a device. In this study, a conventional LDMOS is simulated using a 2-D device simulator. Two specific device enhancement techniques are implemented and analyzed, including a p+ bottom layer and an n-adaptive layer. The parasitic BJT of the LDMOS and its effect on SOA is investigated by using meaningful and in depth device cross-section analysis. The ruggedness of these devices are then considered and analyzed by means of an undamped inductive switching test (UIS). The purpose is to realize the relationship and the possible trade-offs between safe operating area enhancement and device ruggedness.

This work investigates the fundamental device limits related to operational voltage constraints and linearity in state-of-the-art silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) in order to support the design of robust next-generation high-frequency transceivers. This objective requires a broad understanding of how much "usable" voltage exists compared to conventionally defined breakdown voltage specifications, so the role of avalanche-induced current-crowding (or "pinch-in") effects on transistor performance and reliability are carefully studied. Also, the effects of intermodulation distortion are examined at the transistor-level for new and better understanding of the limits and trade-offs associated with achieving enhanced dynamic range and linearity performance on existing and future SiGe HBT technology platforms. Based on these investigations, circuits designed for superior dynamic range performance are presented.