The PV Manufacturing R&D (PVMR&D) Project conducts cost-shared research and development programs with U.S. PV industry partners. There are currently two active industry partnership activities. ''In-line Diagnostics and Intelligent Processing'', launched in 2002, supports development of new in-line diagnostics and monitoring with real-time feedback for optimal process control and increased yield in the fabrication of PV modules, systems, and other system components. ''Yield, Durability and Reliability'', launched in late 2004, supports enhancement of PV module, system component, and complete system reliability in high-volume manufacturing. A second key undertaking of the PVMR&D Project is the collection and analysis of module production cost-capacity metrics for the U.S. PV industry. In the period from 1992 through 2005, the average module manufacturing cost in 2005 dollars fell 54% (5.7% annualized) to $2.74/Wp, and the capacity increased 18.6-fold (25% annualized) to 253 MW/yr. An experience curve analysis gives progress ratios of 87% and 81%, respectively, for U.S. silicon and thin-film module production.

The IAEA needs to determine the value of imposing safeguards on the spent fuel storage at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) planned for construction in the Republic of South Africa. The PBMR will use hundreds of thousands of fuel elements in the shape of small spheres (6 cm in diameter). The PBMR plant design calls for the storage on site of all the spent fuel generated during the whole life of the reactor, expected to span 40 years. The spent fuel storage system is designed (or to be designed) for a functional life of 80 years. If it is determined that the spent fuel contains materials of interest to a would-be proliferant, then safeguards would have to be imposed and maintained until the spent fuel elements are processed into a form and composition that no longer requires safeguards. The problem addressed in this report is the determination of the strategic value of the spent fuel to such a would-be proliferant.

Electroanalytical chemistry is often utilized in chemical analysis and Fundamental studies. Important advances have been made in these areas since the advent of chemically modified electrodes: the coating of an electrode with a chemical film in order to impart desirable, and ideally, predictable properties. These procedures enable the exploitation of unique reactivity patterns. This dissertation presents studies that investigate novel reaction mechanisms at self-assembled monolayers on gold. In particular, a unique electrochemical current amplification scheme is detailed that relies on a selective electrode to enable a reactivity pattern that results in regeneration of the analyte (redox recycling). This regenerating reaction can occur up to 250 times for each analyte molecule, leading to a notable enhancement in the observed current. The requirements of electrode selectivity and the resulting amplification and detection limit improvements are described with respect to the heterogeneous and homogeneous electron transfer rates that characterize the system. These studies revealed that the heterogeneous electrolysis of the analyte should ideally be electrochemically reversible, while that for the regenerating agent should be held to a low level. Moreover, the homogeneous reaction that recycles the analyte should occur at a rapid rate. The physical selectivity mechanism is also detailed with respect to …

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Presented at the 2006 DOE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program Annual Merit Review in Washington, D.C., May 16-19, 2006.

Local open-circuit voltage (Voc) distributions on amorphous and nanocrystalline mixed-phase silicon solar cells were measured using a scanning Kelvin probe microscope (SKPM) on the p layer of an n-i-p structure without the top ITO contact. During the measurement, the sample was illuminated with a laser beam that was used for the atomic force microscopy (AFM). Therefore, the surface potential measured by SKPM is the sum of the local Voc and the difference in workfunction between the p layer and the AFM tip. Comparing the SKPM and AFM images, we find that nanocrystallites aggregate in the amorphous matrix with an aggregation size of {approx}0.5 ..mu..m in diameter, where many nanometer-size grains are clustered. The Voc distribution shows valleys in the nanocrystalline aggregation area. The transition from low to high Voc regions is a gradual change within a distance of about 1 ..mu..m. The minimum Voc value in the nanocrystalline clusters in the mixed-phase region is larger than the Voc of a nc-Si:H single-phase solar cell. These results could be due to lateral photo-charge redistribution between the two phases. We have also carried out local Voc measurements on mixed-phase SiGe:H alloy solar cells. The magnitudes of Voc in the amorphous and nanocrystalline …

Electron cooling of 8 GeV antiprotons at Fermilab's Recycler storage ring is now routinely used in the collider operation. It requires a 0.1-0.5 A, 4.3 MeV dc electron beam and is designed to increase the longitudinal phase-space density of the circulating antiproton beam. This paper briefly describes the characteristics of the electron beam that were achieved to successfully cool antiprotons. Then, results from various cooling force measurements along with comparison to a nonmagnetized model are presented. Finally, operational aspects of the implementation of electron cooling at the Recycler are discussed, such as adjustments to the cooling rate and the influence of the electron beam on the antiproton beam lifetime.

We discuss recent developments in III-V multijunction solar cells, focusing on adding a fourth junction to the Ga0.5In0.5P/GaAs/Ga0.75In0.25As inverted three-junction cell. This cell, grown inverted on GaAs so that the lattice-mismatched Ga0.75In0.25As third junction is the last one grown, has demonstrated 38% efficiency, and 40% is likely in the near future. To achieve still further gains, a lower-bandgap GaxIn1-xAs fourth junction could be added to the three-junction structure for a four-junction cell whose efficiency could exceed 45% under concentration. Here, we present the initial development of the GaxIn1-xAs fourth junction. Junctions of various bandgaps ranging from 0.88 to 0.73 eV were grown, in order to study the effect of the different amounts of lattice mismatch. At a bandgap of 0.88 eV, junctions were obtained with very encouraging {approx}80% quantum efficiency, 57% fill factor, and 0.36 eV open-circuit voltage. The device performance degrades with decreasing bandgap (i.e., increasing lattice mismatch). We model the four-junction device efficiency vs. fourth junction bandgap to show that an 0.7-eV fourth-junction bandgap, while optimal if it could be achieved in practice, is not necessary; an 0.9-eV bandgap would still permit significant gains in multijunction cell efficiency while being easier to achieve than the lower-bandgap junction.

Conditionally-sampled boundary layer data for an accelerating transitional boundary layer have been analyzed to calculate the entropy generation rate in the transition region. By weighing the nondimensional dissipation coefficient for the laminar-conditioned-data and turbulent-conditioned-data with the intermittency factor the average entropy generation rate in the transition region can be determined and hence be compared to the time averaged data and correlations for steady laminar and turbulent flows. It is demonstrated that this method provides, for the first time, an accurate and detailed picture of the entropy generation rate during transition. The data used in this paper have been taken from detailed boundary layer measurements available in the literature. This paper provides, using an intermittency weighted approach, a methodology for predicting entropy generation in a transitional boundary layer.

A measurement of the t{bar t} production cross section at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV in the dilepton final states using a lepton+track selection and secondary vertex b-tagging is presented. One of the two leptons from the decay of the t{bar t} pair is allowed to be identified only as an isolated track to improve the selection efficiency. The result is combined with a measurement in the t{bar t} {yields} e{mu} final state. The measurements are based on 370 pb{sup -1} of data collected with the D0 experiment at the Tevatron collider. The preliminary cross section obtained in the combined lepton+track and e{mu} channel is: {sigma}{sub t{bar t}} = 8.6{sub -1.7}{sup +1.9}(stat) {+-} 1.1(syst) {+-} 0.6(lumi) pb.

Presented at the 2006 DOE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program Annual Merit Review in Washington, D.C., May 16-19, 2006.

We present a new thin-film solar cell structure in which the traditional transparent conductive oxide electrode (ZnO) is replaced by a transparent conductive coating consisting of a network of bundled single-wall carbon nanotubes. Optical transmission properties of these coatings are presented in relation to their electrical properties (sheet resistance), along with preliminary solar cell results from devices made using CuIn1-xGaxSe2 thin-film absorber materials. Achieving an energy conversion efficiency of >12% and a quantum efficiency of {approx}80% demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. A discussion of the device structures will be presented considering the physical properties of the new electrodes comparing current-voltage results from the new solar cell structure and those from standard ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2/Mo solar cells.

The pursuit of a high uranium density research reactor fuel plate has led to monolithic fuel, which possesses the greatest possible uranium density in the fuel region. Process developments in fabrication development include friction stir welding tool geometry and cooling improvements and a reduction in the length of time required to complete the transient liquid phase bonding process. Annealing effects on the microstructures of the U-10Mo foil and friction stir welded aluminum 6061 cladding are also examined.

The mass of the top quark M{sub top} is interesting both as a fundamental parameter of the standard model and as an important input to precision electroweak tests. The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) has a robust program of top quark mass analyses, including the most precise single measurement, M{sub top} = 173.4 {+-} 2.8 GeV/c{sup 2}, using 680 pb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collision data. A combination of current results from CDF gives M{sub top} = 172.0 {+-} 2.7 GeV/c{sup 2}, surpassing the stated goal of 3 GeV/c{sup 2} precision using 2 fb{sup -1} of data. Finally, a combination with current D0 results gives a world average top quark mass of 172.5 {+-} 2.3 GeV/c{sup 2}.

Ionizing Radiation (IR) Resistance in Bacteria. Until recently, there have been no clear physiologic predictors of a cell's ability to recover from ionizing radiation (IR) and other DOE-relevant oxidative stress conditions. In general, the most resistant bacteria have been Gram-positive (e.g., Deinococcus, Arthrobacter, Lactobacillus & Enterococcus spp.) and the most sensitive have been Gram-negative (e.g., Pseudomonas, Shewanella & Neisseria spp.). However, there are several reported exceptions to this paradigm, the Gram-negative cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis is extremely resistant to IR, whereas the Gram-positive Micrococcus luteus is sensitive. We have identified biomolecular signatures for radiation sensitivity and resistance which are independent of phylogeny, where very high and very low intracellular Mn/Fe concentration ratios correlated with very high and very low resistances, respectively; and restricting Mn(II) in the famously resistant Deinococcus radiodurans sensitized this eubacterium to IR.

This contribution reports on preliminary measurements on searches for squarks and gluinos at CDF and D0 detectors in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. The analyses are performed using event topologies with multiple jets and large missing energy in the final state. The mSUGRA scenario and R-parity conservation is assumed. No excess with respect to the Standard Model predictions is observed and new limits on the gluino and squark masses are extracted.

This paper reviews the latest results from the Tevatron on W and Z physics, and their use as probes of QCD.

Theoretical modeling of two-junction tandem solar cells shows that for optimal device performance, the bandgap of the top cell should be in the range of 1.6 to 1.8 eV. Cd1-xMgxTe (CMT) alloys have a lattice constant close to that of CdTe, and the addition of a small amount of Mg changes the bandgap considerably. In this paper, we present our work on developing CMT for solar cell applications. CMT films were prepared by vacuum deposition with co-evaporation of CdTe and Mg on substrates heated to 300-400 C. Films with a composition in the range of x = 0 to 0.66 were fabricated, and optical analysis of the films showed that the bandgap of the samples ranged from 1.5 to 2.3 eV and varied linearly with composition. For the fabrication of devices using these alloy films, we also investigated the effect of post-deposition CdCl2 heat treatment. We have investigated junctions between CdS and CMT alloys in the bandgap range of 1.5 to 1.8 eV for tandem cell applications. We have also worked on the ohmic contacts to the CMT alloy films using Cu/Au bilayers, and the preliminary data shows a significant effect of the contact processing on the device performance.

A method to calculate residual activation of thin accelerator components is presented. A model for residual dose estimation for thick objects made of arbitrary composite materials for arbitrary irradiation and cooling times is employed in this study. A scaling procedure is described to apply the model to thin objects with linear dimensions less than a fraction of a nuclear interaction length. The scaling has been performed for various materials and corresponding factors have been determined for objects of certain shapes (slab, solid and hollow cylinder) which are important from practical standpoint and can serve as models for beam pipes, magnets and collimators. Both contact residual dose and dose attenuation in air outside the objects were considered. A comparison between calculations and measurements performed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory using a 120 GeV proton beam is presented.

Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) computer simulations demonstrate that under certain experimental conditions it is possible to assess recombination in CdTe solar cells in spite of the junction. This is supported by experimental findings that open-circuit voltage (Voc) is dependent on lifetime in a manner consistent with device theory. Measurements on inverted structures show that the CdCl2 treatment significantly reduces recombination in the CdTe layer without S diffusion. However, S diffusion is required for lifetimes comparable to those observed in high-efficiency solar cells. The results indicate that substrate solar cells can be fabricated with recombination lifetimes similar to superstrate cells.

A summary of the results on the measurement of the Top Quark mass and the study of the kinematics of the t{bar t} system at the Tevatron collider is presented here. Results from both the CDF and D0 collaborations are reported.

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We report a new measurement of the isolated photon cross section by the D0 experiment at Fermilab using 326 pb{sup -1} of data from Run II of the Tevatron. The measured cross section agrees with the theoretical predictions within uncertainties.

A transverse damping system is used in the Recycler at Fermilab to damp beam instabilities which arise from large beam intensities with electron cooling. Initial tests of electron cooling demonstrated beam loss due to transverse beam motion when the beam was cooled past the beam density threshold. The transverse damper system consists of two horizontal and two vertical pickups whose signals are amplified and passed into an analog hybrid to generate a difference signal from each pickup. The difference signals are input to a custom digital damper board which digitizes the analog signals at 212mhz, performs digital processing of the signals inside a large Altera Stratix II FPGA, then provides analog output at 212mhz via digital to analog converters. The digital damper output is sent to amplifiers which drive one horizontal and one vertical kicker. An initial prototype digital damper board has been successfully used in the Recycler for over six months. Currently, work is underway to replace the prototype board with an upgraded VME version.