Global Influences on UK Manufacturing Prices 1970-2000.

This paper presents substantial new evidence on the competitive process that links together industrial economics and international economics. Our time-series data base concerns manufactured product prices and their domestic and international determinants. We identify cointegrating relationships, using single equation and multivariate methods.PRICES ; INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY ; MANUFACTURING

High-efficiency heteroepitaxial InP solar cells

High-efficiency, thin-film InP solar cells grown heteroepitaxially on GaAs and Si single-crystal bulk substrates are being developed as a means of eliminating the problems associated with using single-crystal InP substrates. A novel device structure employing a compositionally graded Ga(x)In(1-x)As layer between the bulk substrate and the InP cell layers is used to reduce the dislocation density and improve the minority carrier properties in the InP. The structures are grown in a continuous sequence of steps using computer-controlled atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (APMOVPE). Dislocation densities as low as 3 x 10(exp 7) sq cm and minority carrier lifetimes as high as 3.3 ns are achieved in the InP layers with this method using both GaAs or Si substrates. Structures prepared in this fashion are also completely free of microcracks. These results represent a substantial improvement in InP layer quality when compared to heteroepitaxial InP prepared using conventional techniques such as thermally cycled growth and post-growth annealing. The present work is is concerned with the fabrication and characterization of high-efficiency, thin-film InP solar cells. Both one-sun and concentrator cells were prepared for device structures grown on GaAs substrates. One-cell cells have efficiencies as high as 13.7 percent at 25 C. However, results for the concentrator cells are emphasized. The concentrator cell performance is characterized as a function of the air mass zero (AM0) solar concentration ratio and operating temperature. From these data, the temperature coefficients of the cell performance parameters are derived as a function of the concentration ratio. Under concentration, the cells exhibit a dramatic increase in efficiency and an improved temperature coefficient of efficiency. At 25 C, a peak conversion efficiency of 18.9 percent is reported. At 80 C, the peak AM0 efficiency is 15.7 percent at 75.6 suns. These are the highest efficiencies yet reported for InP heteroepitaxial cells. Approaches for further improving the cell performance are discussed

An empirical study of the performance of APMOVPE AM0 InP homojunction solar cells as a function of emitter thickness and doping, and base doping

Their excellent radiation resistance and conversion efficiencies greater than 20 percent, measured under global conditions, make InP shallow-homojunction solar cells very attractive for space or terrestrial application. In addition, modeling studies show that, for optimized design, efficiencies of these devices should exceed 20 percent even under AM0 conditions. However, a systematic experimental investigation of the influence of the various cell design parameters on cell performance has not as yet been made. For the n+/p/p+ structures investigated in the previous modeling study, the design parameters include the impurity concentrations and thicknesses of the emitter and base layers. In the work reported here, researchers discuss an experimental investigation of the effects on cell performance of varying the impurity concentrations of the emitter and base and thickness of the emitter

Radiation resistance and comparative performance of ITO/InP and n/p InP homojunction solar cells

The radiation resistance of ITO/InP cells processed by DC magnetron sputtering is compared to that of standard n/p InP and GaAs homojunction cells. After 20 MeV proton irradiations, it is found that the radiation resistance of the present ITO/InP cell is comparable to that of the n/p homojunction InP cell and that both InP cell types have radiation resistance significantly greater than GaAs. The relatively lower radiation resistance, observed at higher fluence, for the InP cell with the deepest junction depth, is attributed to losses in the cells emitter region. Diode parameters obtained from I sub sc - V sub oc plots, data from surface Raman spectroscopy, and determinations of surface conductivity types are used to investigate the configuration of the ITO/InP cells. It is concluded that thesee latter cells are n/p homojunctions, the n-region consisting of a disordered layer at the oxide semiconductor

InP concentrator solar cells for space applications

The design, fabrication, and characterization of high-performance, n(+)/p InP shallow-homojunction (SHJ) concentrator solar cells is described. The InP device structures were grown by atmospheric-pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (APMOVPE). A preliminary assessment of the effects of grid collection distance and emitter sheet resistance on cell performance is presented. At concentration ratios of over 100, cells with AM0 efficiencies in excess of 21 percent at 25 C and 19 percent at 80 C are reported. These results indicate that high-efficiency InP concentrator cells can be fabricated using existing technologies. The performance of these cells as a function of temperature is discussed, and areas for future improvement are outlined

Human detection and tracking through temporal feature recognition

The ability to accurately track objects of interest – particularly humans – is of great importance in the fields of security and surveillance. In such scenarios, t he application of accurate, automated human tracking offers benefits over manual supervision. In this paper, recent efforts made to investigate the improvement of automated human detection and tracking techniques through the recognition of person-specific time-varying signatures in thermal video are detailed. A robust human detection algorithm is developed to aid the initialisation stage of a state-of-the art existing tracking algorithm. In addition, coupled with the spatial tracking methods present in this algorithm, the inclusion of temporal signature recognition in the tracking process is shown to improve human tracking results

Impact of fast-converging PEVD algorithms on broadband AoA estimation

Polynomial matrix eigenvalue decomposition (PEVD) algorithms have been shown to enable a solution to the broadband angle of arrival (AoA) estimation problem. A parahermitian cross-spectral density (CSD) matrix can be generated from samples gathered by multiple array elements. The application of the PEVD to this CSD matrix leads to a paraunitary matrix which can be used within the spatio-spectral polynomial multiple signal classification (SSP-MUSIC) AoA estimation algorithm. Here, we demonstrate that the recent low-complexity divide-and-conquer sequential matrix diagonalisation (DC-SMD) algorithm, when paired with SSP-MUSIC, is able to provide superior AoA estimation versus traditional PEVD methods for the same algorithm execution time. We also provide results that quantify the performance trade-offs that DC-SMD offers for various algorithm parameters, and show that algorithm convergence speed can be increased at the expense of increased decomposition error and poorer AoA estimation performance

Analysing the performance of divide-and-conquer sequential matrix diagonalisation for large broadband sensor arrays

A number of algorithms capable of iteratively calculating a polynomial matrix eigenvalue decomposition (PEVD) have been introduced. The PEVD is an extension of the ordinary EVD to polynomial matrices and will diagonalise a parahermitian matrix using paraunitary operations. Inspired by recent work towards a low complexity divide-and-conquer PEVD algorithm, this paper analyses the performance of this algorithm - named divide-and-conquer sequential matrix diagonalisation (DC-SMD) - for applications involving broadband sensor arrays of various dimensionalities. We demonstrate that by using the DC-SMD algorithm instead of a traditional alternative, PEVD complexity and execution time can be significantly reduced. This reduction is shown to be especially impactful for broadband multichannel problems involving large arrays

InP/Ga0.47In0.53As monolithic, two-junction, three-terminal tandem solar cells

The work presented has focussed on increasing the efficiency of InP-based solar cells through the development of a high-performance InP/Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As two-junction, three-terminal monolithic tandem cell. Such a tandem is particularly suited to space applications where a radiation-hard top cell (i.e., InP) is required. Furthermore, the InP/Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As materials system is lattice matched and offers a top cell/bottom cell bandgap differential (0.60 eV at 300 K) suitable for high tandem cell efficiencies under AMO illumination. A three-terminal configuration was chosen since it allows for independent power collection from each subcell in the monolithic stack, thus minimizing the adverse impact of radiation damage on the overall tandem efficiency. Realistic computer modeling calculations predict an efficiency boost of 7 to 11 percent from the Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As bottom cell under AMO illumination (25 C) for concentration ratios in the 1 to 1000 range. Thus, practical AMO efficiencies of 25 to 32 percent appear possible with the InP/Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As tandem cell. Prototype n/p/n InP/Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As monolithic tandem cells were fabricated and tested successfully. Using an aperture to define the illuminated areas, efficiency measurements performed on a non-optimized device under standard global illumination conditions (25 C) with no antireflection coating (ARC) give 12.2 percent for the InP top cell and 3.2 percent for the Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As bottom cell, yielding an overall tandem efficiency of 15.4 percent. With an ARC, the tandem efficiency could reach approximately 22 percent global and approximately 20 percent AMO. Additional details regarding the performance of individual InP and Ga(0.47)In(0.53)As component cells, fabrication and operation of complete tandem cells and methods for improving the tandem cell performance, are also discussed

Divide-and-conquer sequential matrix diagonalisation for parahermitian matrices

A number of algorithms capable of iteratively calculating a polynomial matrix eigenvalue decomposition (PEVD) have been introduced. The PEVD is a generalisation of the ordinary EVD and will diagonalise a parahermitian matrix via paraunitary operations. Inspired by the existence of low complexity divide-and-conquer solutions to eigenproblems, this paper addresses a divide-and-conquer approach to the PEVD utilising the sequential matrix diagonalisation (SMD) algorithm. We demonstrate that with the proposed techniques, encapsulated in a novel algorithm titled divide-and-conquer sequential matrix diagonalisation (DC-SMD), algorithm complexity can be significantly reduced. This reduction impacts on a number of broadband multichannel problems, including those involving large arrays