Status of Uncooled Infrared Detector Technology at ULIS, France

The high level of accumulated expertise by ULIS and CEA/LETI on uncooled microbolometers made from amorphous silicon enables ULIS to develop uncooled IRFPA with 17 µm pixel-pitch to enable the development of small power, small weight and power (SWaP) and high performance IR systems. Key characteristics of amorphous silicon based uncooled IR detector is described to highlight the advantage of this technology for system operation. A full range of products from 160 x 120 to 1024 x 768 has been developed and we will focus the paper on the ¼ VGA with 17 µm pixel pitch. Readout integrated circuit (ROIC) architecture is described highlighting innovations that are widely on-chip implemented to enable an easier operation by the user. The detector configuration (integration time, windowing, gain, scanning direction), is driven by a standard I²C link. Like most of the visible arrays, the detector adopts the HSYNC/VSYNC free-run mode of operation driven with only one master clock (MC) supplied to the ROIC which feeds back pixel, line and frame synchronisation. On-chip PROM memory for customer operational condition storage is available for detector characteristics. Low power consumption has been taken into account and less than 60 mW is possible in analogue mode at 60 Hz. A wide electrical dynamic range (2.4V) is maintained despite the use of advanced CMOS node. The specific appeal of this unit lies in the high uniformity and easy operation it provides. The reduction of the pixel-pitch turns this TEC-less ¼ VGA array into a product well adapted for high resolution and compact systems. Noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of 35 mK and thermal time constant of 10 ms have been measured leading to 350 mK.ms figure of merit. We insist on NETD trade-off with wide thermal dynamic range, as well as the high characteristics uniformity and pixel operability, achieved thanks to the mastering of the amorphous silicon technology coupled with the ROIC design. This technology node associated with advanced packaging technique, paves the way to compact low power system.Defence Science Journal, 2013, 63(6), pp.545-549, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.63.5753

Results of the Level 1 probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of internal events for heavy water production reactors

A full-scope probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is being performed for the Savannah River site (SRS) production reactors. The Level 1 PRA for the K Reactor has been completed and includes the assessment of reactor systems response to accidents and estimates of the severe core melt frequency (SCMF). The internal events spectrum includes those events related directly to plant systems and safety functions for which transients or failures may initiate an accident. The SRS PRA has three principal objectives: improved understanding of SRS reactor safety issues through discovery and understanding of the mechanisms involved. Improved risk management capability through tools for assessing the safety impact of both current standard operations and proposed revisions. A quantitative measure of the risks posed by SRS reactor operation to employees and the general public, to allow comparison with declared goals and other societal risks

Infrared Technology and applications XXXIV

ABSTRACT The high level of accumulated expertise by ULIS and CEA/LETI on uncooled microbolometers made from amorphous silicon layer enables ULIS to develop 384 x 288 (¼ VGA) IRFPA formats with 25 µm pixel-pitch designed for high end applications. This detector ROIC design relies on the same architecture as the full TV format ROIC one (detector configuration by serial link, user defined amplifier gain, windowing capability …). The detector package is identical as the 384 x 288 / 35 µm and 640 x 480 / 25µm ones, enabling an easier system update or less non recurrent cost for different systems developments. This paper will give results of the IRFPA characterization. NETD in the range of 30mK (f/1, 300 K, 60 Hz) and operability higher than 99.99 % are routinely achieved

Complementarities of high energy WAXS and Raman spectroscopy measurements to study the crystalline phase orientation in polypropylene blends during tensile test

In situ measurements using simultaneously Raman spectroscopy and high energy wide angles X-rays scattering (HE-WAXS) were carried out during uniaxial tensile tests of different polypropylene blends (neat isotactic polypropylene e iPP, high impact polypropylene e iPP/EPR, and high impact polypropylene filled by 7%wt of m-talc particles e iPP/EPR þ m-talc) at various strain rates (5.10 À3 s À1 , 10 À3 s À1 and 5.10 À4 s À1). Tensile tests were performed using the Vid eoTraction™ system to determine the true mechanical behavior of materials in a Representative Volume Element (RVE) where microstructural analyses by the both experimental techniques are obtained. Evolutions of the macromolecular chains orientation have been obtained live at the macromolecular and crystalline cell scales. Experimental results show both that over the course of adding charges in the iPP matrix or increasing the true strain rate, this major micromechanism of deformation of semi-crystalline polymers would be less and less important until its complete disappearance in case of iPP/EPR filled by m-talc particles. Moreover, correlations made between both techniques evidence similar results over a wide range of true strains. However, measurements diverge at lower and higher strains due to singularities of each both techniques which are discussed in terms of experimental protocols and materials microstructure modifications (transient mesophase, volume damage). Finally, the determination of the true intrinsic mechanical behaviors show similar stress hardening slopes for the three studied iPP blends which means that they all present an highly fibrillar microstructure. The differences of macromolecular chains orientation levels between each material is then discussed in terms of analysis volume of both techniques which could be responsible of their lack of accuracy in case of filled polymers

Interfacial phenomena during salt layer formation under high rate dissolution conditions

International audienc

Interfacial Phenomena during Salt Layer Formation under High Rate Dissolution Conditions

Interfacial phenomena occurring during high metal dissolution rates, in an environment with diffusion-limited transport of dissolution products, have been investigated using time-resolved X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and fast radiography. Time resolved SAXS data reveal that highly anisotropic interfacial X-ray scattering always precedes salt nucleation. The correlation between the interfacial scattering the presence of salt crystals indicates that the interface is between the metal electrode and the concentrated NiCl₂ electrolyte and can therefore be interpreted as reflectivity or Porod scattering. Using fast radiography, we show that continued crystal nucleation and growth results in formation of a crystal-containing salt layer, which initially extends far from the interface (>20 μm), until the NiCl₂ concentration decreases below saturation. Dissolution of this thick salt layer occurs mainly at the furthest boundary from the interface until, the salt layer thickness decreases to a steady state value, resulting in a steady state limiting current. These results show that the presence of a crystalline salt layer at a dissolving interface causes microscopic roughening which has implications for understanding both the role of salt films in pitting corrosion and electrochemical processing