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A GaN/AIGaN heterojunction bipolar transistor has been fabricated using C12/Ar dry etching for mesa formation. As the hole concentration increases due to more efficient ionization of the Mg acceptors at elevated temperatures (> 250oC), the device shows improved gain. Future efforts which are briefly summarized. should focus on methods for reducing base resistance.

The Accelerator-Based Conversion (ABC) facility will be designed to accomplish the following mission: `Provide a weapon`s grade plutonium disposition capability in a safe, economical, and environmentally sound manner on a prudent schedule for [50] tons of weapon`s grade plutonium to be disposed on in [20] years.` This mission is supported by four major objectives: provide a reliable plutonium disposition capability within the next [15] years; provide a level of safety and of safety assurance that meets or exceeds that afforded to the public by modern commercial nuclear power plants; meet or exceed all applicable federal, state, and local regulations or standards for environmental compliance; manage the program in a cost effective manner. The ABC Technology Development Program defines the technology development activities that are required to accomplish this mission. The technology development tasks are related to the following topics: blanket system; vessel systems; reactivity control systems; heat transport system components; energy conversion systems; shutdown heat transport systems components; auxiliary systems; technology demonstrations - large scale experiments.

WSRC-RP-91-677 studied the structural response of the safety rods under the conditions of brake failure and accidental release. It was concluded that the maximum impact loading to the safety rod is 6020 pounds based on conservative considerations that energy dissipation attributable to fluid resistance and reactor superstructure flexibility. The staffers of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board reviewed the results and inquired about the extent of conservatism. By request of the RESTART team, I reassessed the impact force due to these conservative assumptions. This memorandum reports these assessments.

WSRC-RP-91-677 studied the structural response of the safety rods under the conditions of brake failure and accidental release. It was concluded that the maximum impact loading to the safety rod is 6020 pounds based on conservative considerations that energy dissipation attributable to fluid resistance and reactor superstructure flexibility. The staffers of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board reviewed the results and inquired about the extent of conservatism. By request of the RESTART team, I reassessed the impact force due to these conservative assumptions. This memorandum reports these assessments.

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The anisotropic deformation of foliated and linealed rocks has been investigated, primarily to predict the mechanical response of rocks surrounding buried magma chambers to the stress fields generated by deep drilling. The principal application in this regard has been to evaluate, the scientific feasibility of extracting geothermal energy from buried magma chambers. Our approach has been to perform triaxial extension and compression tests at temperatures and pressures representative of the borehole environment on samples cored along six selected orientations and to fit the data to an orthohombric yield criterion. We have investigated Four-Mile gneiss (a strongly layered gneiss with well defined lineation), a biotite-rich schist, and Westerly granite (using a block oriented with respect to the granite's rift, grain, and hardway). Progress has been made in three areas: the experimental determination of strength anisotropies for the three starting materials, theoretical treatment and modeling of the results, and characterization of fabrics surrounding magma bodies resulting from their diaperic emplacement into shallow portions of the Earth's crust. In addition, results have been obtained for the tensile fracture of quartzite, basal slip and anisotropy of biotite single crystals, and anisotropic flow of bedded rocksalt.

The anisotropic deformation of foliated and linealed rocks has been investigated, primarily to predict the mechanical response of rocks surrounding buried magma chambers to the stress fields generated by deep drilling. The principal application in this regard has been to evaluate, the scientific feasibility of extracting geothermal energy from buried magma chambers. Our approach has been to perform triaxial extension and compression tests at temperatures and pressures representative of the borehole environment on samples cored along six selected orientations and to fit the data to an orthohombric yield criterion. We have investigated Four-Mile gneiss (a strongly layered gneiss with well defined lineation), a biotite-rich schist, and Westerly granite (using a block oriented with respect to the granite`s rift, grain, and hardway). Progress has been made in three areas: the experimental determination of strength anisotropies for the three starting materials, theoretical treatment and modeling of the results, and characterization of fabrics surrounding magma bodies resulting from their diaperic emplacement into shallow portions of the Earth`s crust. In addition, results have been obtained for the tensile fracture of quartzite, basal slip and anisotropy of biotite single crystals, and anisotropic flow of bedded rocksalt.

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A highly accurate and repeatable at-line benzene monitor (ALBM) has been developed to measure the benzene concentration in precipitate hydrolysis aqueous (PHA) in the DWPF. This analyzer was conceived and jointly developed within SRTC by the Analytical Development and the Defense Waste Process Technology Sections with extensive support from the Applied Statistics Group and the TNX Operations Section. It is recommended that an ALBM specifically adapted to DWPF analytical requirements be used to measure benzene in PHA; calibrations be performed using a 10% methanol solution matrix (for standard stability); and based on experience gained in development at TNX, the services of ADS and ASG be employed to both adapt the ALBM to DWPF requirements and develop statistical control procedures.

A highly accurate and repeatable at-line benzene monitor (ALBM) has been developed to measure the benzene concentration in precipitate hydrolysis aqueous (PHA) in the DWPF. This analyzer was conceived and jointly developed within SRTC by the Analytical Development and the Defense Waste Process Technology Sections with extensive support from the Applied Statistics Group and the TNX Operations Section. It is recommended that an ALBM specifically adapted to DWPF analytical requirements be used to measure benzene in PHA; calibrations be performed using a 10% methanol solution matrix (for standard stability); and based on experience gained in development at TNX, the services of ADS and ASG be employed to both adapt the ALBM to DWPF requirements and develop statistical control procedures.

This report considers the feasibility of exposing, demolishing, and removing underground storage tanks from the 241-AX Tank Farm at the Hanford Site. For the study, it was assumed that the tanks would each contain 360 ft{sup 3} of residual waste (corresponding to the one percent residual Inventory target cited in the Tri-Party Agreement) at the time of demolition. The 241-AX Tank Farm is being employed as a ''strawman'' in engineering studies evaluating clean and landfill closure options for Hanford single-shell tank farms. The report is one of several reports being prepared for use by the Hanford Tanks Initiative Project to explore potential closure options and to develop retrieval performance evaluation criteria for tank farms.

In the AGS to RHIC transfer line beam profile monitors employing phosphor screens will be used to measure two dimensional beam profile and derive the beam emittance and Twiss parameters. This note present the details as well as summarizes the planned analysis.

The Bethe surface of liquid water, earlier calculated using a semi-empirical model, is compared with recent available data from IXS-experiments (inelastic X-ray scattering; Compton scattering of high energy photons) in liquid water. No alarming discrepancy is found on a global view of the Bethe surface. The extrapolation to the optical limit (viz., at zero momentum transfer) is shown and the reliability of these data is discussed in detail.

Nanoindentation has been combhed with nanometer-scale friction measurements to identi~ dissipative mechanisms responsible for friction in hexadecanethiol self-assembled monolayer on Au. We have demonstrated that friction is primarily due to viscoelastic relaxations within the films, which give rise to contact hysteresis when deformation rates are within the ranges of 5 and 200 k. We observe that this contact hysteresis increases with exposure to air such that the friction coefficient increases from 0.004 to 0.075 when films are exposed to air for 40 days. Both hysteresis and friction increase with probe speed, and we present a model of friction that characterizes this speed dependence and which also predicts a linear dependence of friction on normal force in thin organic films. Finally, we identify several short-term wear regimes and identify that wear changes dramatically when fdms age.

Engineered Cu-rich islands were fabricated on an Al thin film to investigate pit initiation mechanisms at noble particles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms that the thin film Cu-rich islands interdiffuse with the underlying Al substrate to form Al{sub 2}Cu islands. The defect arrays exhibit open circuit potential fluctuations whose magnitude and frequency increase as defect spacing decreases for constant island size and cathode/anode ratio. Post-exposure examination by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) shows that the Al beneath the Cu-rich island dissolves with a crevice geometry. Engineered Al islands fabricated under identical conditions do not induce crevice corrosion in the vicinity of the Al defects. These results suggest that the Al dissolution is driven by the galvanic coupling between the noble island and matrix, and/or by a local change in chemistry, rather than by the presence of a defective oxide in the vicinity of the island.

GaAs-based metal semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFETS), heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) and high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been exposed to ECR SiJ&/NH3 discharges for deposition of SiNX passivating layers. The effect of source power, rf chuck power, pressure and plasma composition have been investigated. Effects due to both ion damage and hydrogenation of dopants are observed. For both HEMTs and MESFETS there are no conditions where substantial increases in channel sheet resistivity are not observed, due primarily to (Si-H)O complex formation. In HBTs the carbon-doped base layer is the most susceptible layer to hydrogenation. Ion damage in all three devices is minimized at low rf chuck power, moderate ECR source power and high deposition rates.

A chemical sensing system based on arrays of surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay lines has been developed for identification and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The individual SAW chemical sensors consist of interdigital transducers patterned on the surface of an ST-cut quartz substrate to launch and detect the acoustic waves and a thin film coating in the SAW propagation path to perturb the acoustic wave velocity and attenuation during analyte sorption. A diverse set of material coatings gives the sensor arrays a degree of chemical sensitivity and selectivity. Materials examined for sensor application include the alkanethiol-based self-assembled monolayer, plasma-processed films, custom-synthesized conventional polymers, dendrimeric polymers, molecular recognition materials, electroplated metal thin films, and porous metal oxides. All of these materials target a specific chemical fi.mctionality and the enhancement of accessible film surface area. Since no one coating provides absolute analyte specificity, the array responses are further analyzed using a visual-empirical region-of-influence (VERI) pattern recognition algorithm. The chemical sensing system consists of a seven-element SAW array with accompanying drive and control electronics, sensor signal acquisition electronics, environmental vapor sampling hardware, and a notebook computer. Based on data gathered for individual sensor responses, greater than 93%-accurate identification can be achieved for …

Advanced integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants nearing completion, such as Sierra-Pacific, employ a circulating fluidized-bed (transport) reactor hot-gas desulfurization (HGD) process that uses 70-180 {micro}m average particle size (aps) zinc-based mixed-metal oxide sorbent for removing H{sub 2}S from coal gas down to less than 20 ppmv. The sorbent undergoes cycles of absorption (sulfidation) and air regeneration. The key barrier issues associated with a fluidized-bed HGD process are chemical degradation, physical attrition, high regeneration light-off (initiation) temperature, and high cost of the sorbent. Another inherent complication in all air-regeneration-based HGD processes is the disposal of the problematic dilute SO{sub 2} containing regeneration tail-gas. Direct Sulfur Recovery Process (DSRP), a leading first generation technology, efficiently reduces this SO{sub 2} to desirable elemental sulfur, but requires the use of 1-3 % of the coal gas, thus resulting in an energy penalty to the plant. Advanced second-generation processes are under development that can reduce this energy penalty by modifying the sorbent so that it could be directly regenerated to elemental sulfur. The objective of this research is to support the near and long term DOE efforts to commercialize the IGCC-HGD process technology. Specifically we aim to develop: optimized low-cost sorbent materials with …

Recent interest in the detection and analysis of biological samples by spectroscopic methods has led to questions concerning the degree of distinguishability and biological variability of the ultraviolet (W) fluorescent spectra from such complex samples. We show that the degree of distinguishability of such spectra is readily determined numerically.

Recent advances in the theory and modelling of tokamak edge, scrape-off-layer and divertor plasmas are described. The effects of the poloidal <i>E</i>x<i>B</i> drift on inner/outer divertor-plate asymmetries within a 1D analysis are shown to be in good agreement with experimental observations; above a critical <i>v</i>_{<i>E</i>x<i>B</i>}, the model predicts transitions to supersonic SOL flow at the inboard midplane. Two-dimensional simulations show the importance of <i>E</i>x<i>B</i> flow in the private-flux region and B-drift effects. A theory of rough plasma-facing surfaces is given, and interesting effects, some traveling back up the magnetic field-lines to the SOL plasma, are predicted. The parametric dependence of detached-plasma states in slab geometry has been explored; with sufficient pumping, the location of the ionization front can be controlled; otherwise only fronts at the plate or the X-point are stable. Studies with a more accurate Monte-Carlo neutrals model and a detailed non-LTE radiation-transport code indicate various effects are important for quantitative rnodelling. Long-lived oscillatory UEDGE solutions in both ITER and DIII-D are reported. Detailed simulations of the DIII-D core and edge are presented; impurity and plasma flow are shown to be well modelled with UEDGE, and the roles of impurity and neutral transport in the edge and SOL …

Composite wind turbine blades are often attached to a metallic structure with an adhesive bond. The objective of this investigation is to determine which parameters affect the durability of these adhesively bonded joints. The composite-to-steel joint considered in this study typically fails when the adhesive debonds from the steel adherend. Previously, this joint was monotonically loaded in either compression or tension. Compressive and tensile axial loads of the same magnitude produce adhesive stresses with very similar magnitudes but opposite signs. (For the joint considered, tensile loads produce compressive peeh stresses in the adhesive at the location where debonding initiates.) The tensile specimens failed at much higher loads, establishing that the sign of the adhesive peel stresses strongly influences the single-cycle strength of these joints. Building on this earlier work, this study demonstrates that the adhesive peel stresses are also critical for fatigue loading. The results of low-cycle (axial) and high- cycle (bending) fatigue tests are presented. To complement the test results, finite element analyses demonstrate the localized nature of the peel stresses that develop in the adhesive. In addition, these analyses are used to investigate some of the causes of these peel stresses.

In the measurement of the levitation force between a vertically magnetized permanent magnet (PM) and a bulk high-temperature superconductor (HTS), PM domains with horizontal components of magnetization are shown to produce a nonnegligible contribution to the levitation force in most systems. Such domains are typically found in all PMs, even in those that exhibit zero net horizontal magnetic moment. Extension of this analysis leads to an HTS analog of Earnshaw's theorem, in which at the field-cooling position the vertical stiffness is equal to the sum of the horizontal stiffnesses, independent of angular distribution of magnetic moments within the PM.

GaGdO was deposited on GaN for use as a gate dielectric in order to fabricate a depletion metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). This is the fmt demonstration of such a device in the III-Nitride system. Analysis of the effect of temperature on the device shows that gate leakage is significantly reduced at elevated temperature relative to a conventional metal semiconductor field effeet transistor (MESFET) fabricated on the same GaN layer. MOSFET device operation in fact improved upon heating to 400 C. Modeling of the effeet of temperature on contact resistance suggests that the improvement is due to a reduction in the parasitic resistances present in the device.