Publications

A non-conventional type of heating system is being tested at Sandia National Laboratories for solar thermal power tower applications. In this system, called impedance heating, electric current flows directly through the pipe to maintain the desired temperature. The pipe becomes the resistor where the heat is generated. Impedance heating has many advantages over previously used mineral insulated (MI) heat trace. An impedance heating system should be much more reliable than heat trace cable since delicate junctions and cabling are not used and the main component, a transformer, is inherently reliable. A big advantage of impedance heating is the system can be sized to rapidly heat up the piping to provide rapid response times necessary in cyclic power plants such as solar power towers. In this paper, experimental results from testing an impedance heating system are compared to MI heat trace. The authors found impedance heating was able to heat piping rapidly and effectively. There were not significant stray currents and impedance heating did not affect instrumentation.

In this work, the authors have applied mold micromachining and standard photolithographic techniques to the fabrication of parts integrated with 0.4 micron pitch diffraction gratings. In principle, the approach should be scaleable to considerably finer pitches. They have achieved this by relying on the thickness of deposited or grown films, instead of photolithography, to determine the grating pitch. The gratings can be made to extend over large areas and the entire process is compatible with batch processing. Literally thousands of parts can be batch fabricated from a single lot of six inch wafers. In the first stage of the process they fabricate a planarized silicon dioxide pad over which the silicon nitride wave guide runs. The grating is formed by first patterning and etching single crystalline silicon to form a series of trenches with well defined pitch. The silicon bounding the trenches is then thinned by thermal oxidation followed by stripping of the silicon dioxide. The trenches are filled by a combination of polysilicon depositions and thermal oxidations. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is used to polish back these structures resulting in a series of alternating 2000 {angstrom} wide lines of silicon and silicon dioxide. The thickness of the lines is determined by the oxidation time and the polysilicon deposition thickness. The silicon lines are selectively recessed by anisotropic reactive ion etching, thus forming the mold for the grating. The mold is filled with low stress silicon nitride deposited by chemical vapor deposition. A wave guide is then patterned into the silicon nitride and the mold is locally removed by a combination of deep silicon trench etching and wet KOH etching. This results in a suspended diffraction grating/membrane over the KOH generated pit.

To characterize particle size/magnetic property relationships, 9 to 50 nm in diameter barium hexaferrite, BaFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} (BHF), particles were prepared using a new synthesis route. By replacing the conventional 50 to 100 nm particles of goethite with nanocrystalline goethite produced via the microwave anneal method of Knight and Sylva, nanocrystalline BHF was synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Evolution of particle size and morphology with respect to concentration and heat treatment time is reported. Hysteresis properties, including coercivity (0.2--1.0 kOe), magnetization saturation (0.1--33.4 emu/g), and magnetization remanence (0.004--22.5 emu/g) are discussed as a function of particle size. The magnetization saturation and remanence of the 7 nm particles is nearly zero, suggesting the superparamagnetic threshold size for BHF is around this size. In addition, the equilibrium morphology of BHF crystals was calculated to be truncated hexagonal prisms which was verified by experiment, and the isoelectric point, pH of 4.1, was measured for 18 nm BHF particles.

Electrokinetic remediation is generally an in situ method using direct current electric potentials to move ionic contaminants and/or water to collection electrodes. The method has been extensively studied for application in saturated clayey soils. Over the past few years, an electrokinetic extraction method specific for sandy, unsaturated soils has been developed and patented by Sandia National Laboratories. A RCRA RD&D permitted demonstration of this technology for the in situ removal of chromate contamination from unsaturated soils in a former chromic acid disposal pit was operated during the summer and fall of 1996. This large scale field test represents the first use of electrokinetics for the removal of heavy metal contamination from unsaturated soils in the United States and is part of the US EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. Guidelines for characterizing a site for electrokinetic remediation are lacking, especially for applications in unsaturated soil. The transference number of an ion is the fraction of the current carried by that ion in an electric field and represents the best measure of contaminant removal efficiency in most electrokinetic remediation processes. In this paper we compare the transference number of chromate initially present in the contaminated unsaturated soil, with the transference number in the electrokinetic process effluent to demonstrate the utility of evaluating this parameter.

For almost four years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through its Federal Facility Compliance Act Disposal Workgroup has been working with state regulators and governors` offices to develop an acceptable configuration for disposal of its mixed low-level waste (MLLW). These interactions have resulted in screening the universe of potential disposal sites from 49 to 15 and conducting ``performance evaluations`` for those fifteen sites to estimate their technical capabilities for disposal of MLLW. In the residuals analysis project, we estimated the volume of DOE`s MLLW that will require disposal after treatment and the concentrations of radionuclides in the treated waste. We then compared the radionuclide concentrations with the disposal limits determined in the performance evaluation project for each of the fifteen sites. The results are a scoping-level estimate of the required volumetric capacity for MLLW disposal and the identification of waste streams that may pose problems for disposal based on current treatment plans. The analysis provides technical information for continued discussions between the DOE and affected States about disposal of MLLW and systematic input to waste treatment developers on disposal issues.

During the fiscal years 92-94 a joint group from Sandia/New Mexico and Sandia/California studied the development of new laser-plasma targets for projection x-ray or EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography. Our experimental and theoretical analyses incorporated target design as an integral part of the lithographic optical system. Targets studied included thick solid targets, thin-foil metal-coated targets, and cryogenic targets. Our complete measurement suite consisted of x-ray conversion efficiency measurements, source size imaging, source x-ray angular distribution measurements, debris collection, and source EUV spectrum. Target evaluation also included the variation of laser characteristics, such as, laser intensity, spot size, wavelength, pulselength, and pulseshape. Over the course of these experiments we examined targets using KrF (248nm), XeCl (308nm), and CO{sub 2} (10.6 {mu}m) lasers. While debris issues now dominate research in this area, final details were concluded on our understanding of material spectra and radiation transport of 13 run light in laser-plasmas. Additionally, conclusive results were obtained with 308 rim light, showing the pulselength threshold below which plumes no longer limited the transmission of (and thus the conversion efficiency to) 13 nm radiation.

This report summarizes the results of a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) effort to study and model surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices for environmental applications. The response of polymer-coated SAW devices to temperature changes and polymer vapor absorption is examined. A perturbational approach is used to relate velocity and attenuation responses to film translational and strain modes generated by the SAW. Two distinct regimes of film behavior arise, causing different SAW responses. For glassy films, displacement is nearly uniform across the film thickness, varying only in the direction of propagation. A model developed to predict velocity and attenuation in this regime, reduces to the familiar Tiersten (Wohltjen) equation for purely elastic films. For elastomeric (rubbery) films, inertial effects cause a phase lag to occur across the film for shear displacements. A model to account for these cross-film displacement gradients predicts a characteristic resonant response when the film phase shift reaches np/2, where n is an odd integer. These model predictions are compared with measured responses from polyisobutylene-coated SAW devices as temperature is varied and during exposure to high vapor concentrations.

The MC4523 Sealed Cap is a WW42C1 Percussion Primer that is pressed into a steel cylinder. Hermaticity of the input end is then provided by welding a thin steel closure disk on the input end of the MC4523. Thus, the user is provided with a component that is prequalified in terms of ignition sensitivity and hermeticity. The first customer is the Thermal Battery Department (1522). The MC4523 will be used on the MC2736A Thermal Battery which in turn will be used on the W78 JTA. Attachment of the MC4523 to the battery is with a laser weld. Combined test results of four production lots at a commercial supplier (PPI, TMS, WR1, and WR2) show an all-fire ignition sensitivity (.999 @ 50%) of approximately 60 millijoules of mechanical energy with a 2.2 gram firing pin. The firing pin had an impact tip with a radius of 0.020 inch. This firing pin is like that to be used in the W78 JTA application. Approximately 112 millijoules of mechanical energy will be supplied in the application, thus the design margin is more than adequate.

A sinkhole formed over the former salt mine used for crude oil storage by the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve at Weeks Island, Louisiana. This created a dilemma because in-mine grouting was not possible, and external grouting, although possible, was impractical. However, environmental protection during oil withdrawal and facility decommissioning was considered critical and alternative solutions were essential. Mitigation of, the sinkhole growth over the salt mine was accomplished by injecting saturated brine directly into the sinkhole throat, and by constructing a cylindrical freeze curtain around and into the dissolution orifice at the top of the salt dome. These measures vastly reduced the threat of major surface collapse around the sinkhole during oil transfer and subsequent brine backfill. The greater bulk of the crude oil was removed from the mine during 1995-6. Final skimming operations will remove residual oil trapped in low spots, concurrent with initiating backfill of the mine with saturated brine. Environmental monitoring during 1995-9 will assure that environmental surety is achieved.

It is well known that water plays an important role in the degradation of adhesive strength between a wide variety of materials. It is also well established that silane coupling agents can provide excellent bond durability in aqueous environments. However, the detrimental effects of interfacial water are not limited to adhesive failure. The present study was motivated by concerns in the printed circuit board industry regarding the loss of electrical resistance, as well as adhesive failure, which may arise from water at epoxy/silane/E-glass interphases. The commercial silane finish used in this study provides excellent adhesive strength between epoxy and E-glass, and remarkable bond durability even after extensive conditioning in boiling water or a pressure cooker. However, circuit boards with this finish do not perform well in insulation resistance testing following such conditioning. The goal of this work is to develop a detailed understanding of the mechanism by which water interacts with a resin/silane interphase, with a focus on the consequences for both electrical resistance and adhesion. The present report focuses on the measurement of profiles of adsorbed moisture by neutron reflection.

This report describes the process and results from an effort to develop metrics for program accomplishments for the FY 1997 budget submission of the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management International Technology Integration Program (EM-ITI). The four-step process included interviews with key EM-ITI staff, the development of a strawman program logic chart, and all day facilitated workshop with EM-ITI staff during which preliminary performance plans and measures were developed and refined, and a series of follow-on discussions and activities including a cross-organizational project data base. The effort helped EM-ITI to crystallize and develop a unified vision of their future which they can effectively communicate to their own management and their internal and external customers. The effort sets the stage for responding to the Government Performance and Results Act. The metrics developed may be applicable to other international technology integration programs. Metrics were chosen in areas of eight general performance goals for 1997-1998: (1) number of forums provided for the exchange of information, (2) formal agreements signed, (3) new partners identified, (4) customers reached and satisfied, (5, 6) dollars leveraged by EM technology focus area and from foreign research, (7) number of foreign technologies identified for potential use in remediation of DOE sites, and (8) projects advanced through the pipeline.

This report describes the research performed under the laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) grant {open_quotes}A new approach to protein function and structure prediction{close_quotes}, funded FY94-6. We describe the goals of the research, motivate and list our improvements to the state of the art in multiple sequence alignment and phylogeny (evolutionary tree) construction, but leave technical details to the six publications resulting from this work. At least three algorithms for phylogeny construction or tree consensus have been implemented and used by researchers outside of Sandia.

The primary current-collector materials being used in lithium-ion cells are susceptible to environmental degradation: aluminum to pitting corrosion and copper to environmentally assisted cracking. Pitting occurs at the highly oxidizing potentials associated with the positive-electrode charge condition. However, the pitting mechanism is more complex than that typically observed in aqueous systems in that the pits are filled with a mixed metal/oxide product and exist as mounds or nodules on the surface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was shown to be an effective analytical tool for quantifying and verifying aluminum corrosion behavior. Two fluorocarbon-based coatings were shown to improve the resistance of Al to pitting attack. Detailed x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) surface analyses showed that there was very little difference in the films observed after simple immersion in either PC:DEC or EC:DMC electrolytes versus those following electrical cycling. Li and P are the predominant surface species. Finally, environmental cracking of copper can occur at or near the lithium potential and only if specific metallurgical conditions exist (work-hardening and large grain size).

The corrosion and gas-generation characteristics of four material types: low-carbon steel (the current waste packaging material for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant), Cu-base and Ti-base (alternative packaging) materials, and Al-base (simulated waste) materials were determined in both the liquid and vapor phase of Brine A, a brine representative of an intergranular Salado Formation brine. Test environments consisted primarily of anoxic brine with overpressures of N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}S, and H{sub 2}. Limited tests of low-carbon steel were also performed in simulated-backfill environments and in brine environments with pH values ranging from 3 to 11. Low-carbon steel reacted at a slow, measurable rate with anoxic brine, liberating H{sub 2} on an equimolar basis with Fe reacted. Presence of CO{sub 2} caused the initial reaction to proceed more rapidly, but CO{sub 2}-induced passivation stopped the reaction if the CO{sub 2} were present in sufficient quantities. Addition of H{sub 2}S to a CO{sub 2}-passivated system caused reversal of the passivation. Low-carbon steel immersed in brine with H{sub 2}S showed no reaction, apparently because of passivation of the steel by formation of FeS. Addition of CO{sub 2} to an H{sub 2}S-passivated system did not reverse the passivation. Cu- and Ti-base materials showed essentially no corrosion when exposed to brine and overpressures of N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, and H{sub 2}S except for the rapid and complete reaction between Cu-base materials and H{sub 2}S. The Al-base materials reacted at approximately the same rate as low-carbon steel when immersed in anoxic Brine A; considerably more rapidly in the presence of CO{sub 2} or H{sub 2}S; and much more rapidly when iron was present in the system as a brine contaminant. High-purity Al was much more susceptible to corrosion than the 6061 alloy. No significant reaction took place on any material in any environment in the vapor-phase exposures.

Dielectric optical waveguides exhibit properties that are well suited to sensor applications. They have low refractive index and are transparent to a wide range of wavelengths. They can react with the surrounding environment in a variety of controllable ways. In certain sensor applications, it is advantageous to integrate the dielectric waveguide on a semiconductor substrate with active devices. In this work, we demonstrate a tamper sensor based on dielectric waveguides that connect epitaxial GaAs-GaAlAs sources and detectors. The tamper sensing function is realized by attaching particles of absorbing material with high refractive index to the surface of the waveguides. These absorbers are then attached to a lid or cover, as in an integrated circuit package or multi-chip module. The absorbers attenuate the light in the waveguides as a function of absorber interaction. In the tamper indicating mode, the absorbers are placed randomly on the waveguides, to form a unique attenuation pattern that is registered by the relative signal levels on the photodetectors. When the lid is moved, the pattern of absorbers changes, altering the photodetector signals. This dielectric waveguide arrangement is applicable to a variety of sensor functions, and specifically can be fabricated as a chemical sensor by the application of cladding layers that change their refractive index and/or optical absorption properties upon exposure to selected chemical species. An example is found in palladium claddings that are sensitive to hydrogen. A description of designs and a basic demonstration of the tamper sensing and chemical sensing functions is described herein.

The interior and exterior ballistic development of a 20mm saboted penetrator projectile is discussed. Exterior ballistic performance test results are also presented.

The Microelectronics Development Laboratory (MDL) contains 3,000 m{sup 2}, Which includes 1,000 m{sup 2}of Class I clean room space. There are 20 laminar flow Class I clean room bays. The MDL supplies several, full-flow process technologies which produce complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits using 150 nun diameter silicon wafers. All gases, chemicals and physical hazards used in the fabrication processes are controlled to levels well below regulatory requirements. Facility engineering controls in the MDL include toxic and pyrophoric gas monitoring, interlocks, ventilation, substitution and chemical segregation. Toxic and pyrophoric gases are monitored continuously inside processing tools as well as through the exhaust lines, gas cabinets, the valve boxes, and in general work areas. The toxic gas monitoring systems are interlocked to gas shutoff valves and have both low and high level alarms. In-use process gases are stored in exhausted cabinets. All chemicals and gases are segregated by chemical type. The processes are organized into eight sector areas that consist of photolithography, wet processes, dry etch, ion implant, metals, diffusion, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and chemical mechanical polishing (CW). Each morning, engineering, safety and facilities personnel meet to review the equipment and wafer lot status and discuss processing issues. Hazards are assessed in the MDL with periodic walkthroughs, continuous toxic and pyrophoric gas monitoring and personal monitoring. All chemicals and gases proposed for use in the MDL are reviewed by the industrial hygienist and must be approved by a manager before they are purchased. All new equipment and processes are reviewed by a hazard and barrier committee and cannot be used in the MDL without the committee`s approval and an IH hazard assessment. Overall risk of operating the MDL has been reduced to a level that is as low as reasonable achievable for this research facility.

A key issue in performance assessment of low-level radioactive waste sites is predicting the transport and retardation of radionuclides through local soils under a variety of hydrologic and geochemical conditions. Improved transport codes should include a mechanistic model of radionuclide retardation. The authors have been investigating metal sorption (Cs{sup +}, Sr{sup 2+}, and Ba{sup 2+}) on a simple clay mineral (kaolinite) to better understand the geochemical interactions of common soil minerals with contaminated groundwaters. These studies include detailed characterizations of kaolinite surfaces, experimental adsorption measurements, surface complexation modeling, and theoretical simulations of cation sorption. The aluminol edge (010) site has been identified as the most likely site for metal sorption on kaolinite in natural solutions. Relative metal binding strengths decrease from Ba{sup 2+} to Sr{sup 2+} to Cs{sup +}, with some portion sorbed on both kaolinite edges and basal surfaces. Some Cs{sup +} also appears to be irreversibly sorbed on both sites. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that Cs{sup +} is sorbed at aluminol (010) edge sites as an inner-sphere complex and weakly sorbed as an outer-sphere complex on (001) basal surfaces. These results provide the basis to understand and predict metal sorption onto kaolinite, and a framework to characterize sorption processes on more complex clay minerals.

This report describes recent work done to demonstrate feasibility of a fail-safe Through Bulkhead Initiator with minimum dimensions and suitable for use in cyclical thermal environments. Much of the ground work for a fail-safe TBI was previously done by A.C. Schwartz. This study is an expansion of Schwartz`s work to evaluate devices with bulkheads of 304 stainless steel and Inconel 718; explosive donors of PETN, BNCP, and a 0.005 inch thick steel flying plate donor traveling at 2.6 mm/{micro}s; and explosive acceptors of PETN and BNCP. Bulkhead thickness were evaluated in the range of 0.040 to 0.180 inch. The explosive acceptors initiated a small HMX pellet to drive a 0.005 inch thick steel flying plate, and VISAR histories of the HMX-driven flying plates were the measure of acceptable performance. A companion set of samples used a PMMA acceptor to measure the particle velocities at the bulkhead/PMMA interface with VISAR. These data were used to compute the input pressure to the acceptor explosives in an attempt to measure initiation threshold. Unfortunately, the range of bulkhead thicknesses tested did not give any failures, thus the threshold was not determined. It was found that either explosive or the flying plate would perform as a TBI in the bulkhead thickness range tested. The optimum TBI is about 0.060 inches thick, and steel bulkheads seem to be more structurally sound than those made of Inconel. That is, cross section views of the Inconel bulkheads showed it to be more prone to stress cracking than was the 304 stainless steel. Both PETN and BNCP showed good performance when tested at {minus}65 F following thermal cycling of {minus}65 F to +165 F. Analysis of the TBI function times showed that BNCP acceptor explosives were undergoing the classical deflagration to detonation process. The PETN acceptors were undergoing prompt detonation.

Over the last fifteen years, Sandia National Laboratories Security Systems and Technology Center, Department 5800, has been involved in several laboratory tests of various biometric identification devices. These laboratory tests were conducted to verify the manufacturer`s performance claims, to determine strengths and weaknesses of particular devices, and to evaluate which devices meet the US Department of Energy`s unique needs for high-security devices. However, during a recent field installation of one of these devices, significantly different performance was observed than had been predicted by these laboratory tests. This report documents the data analysis performed in the search for an explanation of these differences.

The monolithic integration of micromechanical devices with their controlling electronics offers potential increases in performance as well as decreased cost for these devices. Analog Devices has demonstrated the commercial viability of this integration by interleaving micromechanical fabrication steps with microelectronic fabrication steps to produce a single-axis accelerometer on a chip. A next-generation integrated technology developed at Sandia National Laboratories eliminates many of the constraints associated with Analog`s process. This new technology enables the manufacture of complex micromachined sensor systems on a chip. An overview of Sandia`s micromachined system-on-a-chip technology along with application of the technology to inertial sensor systems designed by researchers at U.C. Berkeley will be given.

The fundamental goal of this research has been to improve computational efficiency of the Visually Empirical Region of Influence (VERI) based clustering and pattern recognition (PR) algorithms we developed in previous work. The original clustering algorithm, when applied to data sets with N points, ran in time proportional to N{sup 3} (denoted with the notation O (N{sup 3})), which limited the size of data sets it could find solutions for. Results generated from our original clustering algorithm were superior to commercial clustering packages. These results warranted our efforts to improve the runtimes of our algorithms. This report describes the new algorithms, advances and obstacles met in their development. The report gives qualitative and quantitative analysis of the improved algorithms performances. With the information in this report, an interested user can determine which algorithm is best for a given problem in clustering (2-D) or PR (K-D), and can estimate how long it will run using the runtime plots of the algorithms before using any software.

Cooperative monitoring systems can play an important part in promoting the implementation of regional cooperative security agreements. These agreements advance the national security interests of the United States in a post Cold War environment. Regional issues as widely varying as nuclear nonproliferation, trade and environmental pollution can be the source of tensions which may escalate to armed conflict which could have global implications. The Office of National Security Policy Analysis at the US Department of Energy (DOE) has an interest in seeking ways to promote regional cooperation that can reduce the threats posed by regional conflict. DOE technologies and technical expertise can contribute to developing solutions to a wide variety of these international problems. Much of this DOE expertise has been developed in support of the US nuclear weapons and arms control missions. It is now being made available to other agencies and foreign governments in their search for regional security and cooperation. This report presents two examples of interest to DOE in which monitoring technologies could be employed to promote cooperation through experimentation. The two scenarios include nuclear transparency in Northeast Asia and environmental restoration in the Black Sea. Both offer the potential for the use of technology to promote regional cooperation. The issues associated with both of these monitoring applications are presented along with examples of appropriate monitoring technologies, potential experiments and potential DOE contributions to the scenarios.

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) is a very promising technology for remote mapping of 3-Dimensional objects. In particular, 3-D maps of urban areas are extremely important to a wide variety of users, both civilian and military. However, 3-D maps produced by traditional optical stereo (stereogrammetry) techniques can be quite expensive to obtain, and accurate urban maps can only be obtained with a large amount of human-intensive interpretation work. IFSAR has evolved over the last decade as a mapping technology that promises to eliminate much of the human-intensive work in producing elevation maps. However, IFSAR systems have only been robustly demonstrated in non-urban areas, and have not traditionally been able to produce data with enough detail to be of general use in urban areas. Sandia Laboratories Twin Otter IFSAR was the first mapping radar system with the proper parameter set to provide sufficiently detailed information in a large number of urban areas. The goal of this LDRD was to fuse previously unused information derived from IFSAR data in urban areas that can be used to extract accurate digital elevation models (DEMs) over wide areas without intensive human interaction.

This report contains the results of a Sandia National Laboratories Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program to investigate the integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial navigation system (INS) technologies toward the goal of optimizing the navigational accuracy of the combined GPSANS system. The approach undertaken is to integrate the data from an INS, which has long term drifts, but excellent short term accuracy, with GPS carrier phase signal information, which is accurate to the sub-centimeter level, but requires continuous tracking of the GPS signals. The goal is to maintain a sub-meter accurate navigation solution while the vehicle is in motion by using the GPS measurements to estimate the INS navigation errors and then using the refined INS data to aid the GPS carrier phase cycle slip detection and correction and bridge dropouts in the GPS data. The work was expanded to look at GPS-based attitude determination, using multiple GPS receivers and antennas on a single platform, as a possible navigation aid. Efforts included not only the development of data processing algorithms and software, but also the collection and analysis of GPS and INS flight data aboard a Twin Otter aircraft. Finally, the application of improved navigation system accuracy to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) target location is examined.

Gas generation from the microbial degradation of the organic constituents of transuranic waste under conditions expected at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) repository was investigated at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The biodegradation of mixed cellulosics (various types of paper) and electron-beam irradiated plastic and rubber materials (polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, neoprene, hypalon, and leaded hypalon) was examined. The rate of gas production from cellulose biodegradation in inundated samples incubated for 1,228 days at 30 C was biphasic, with an initial rapid rate up to approximately 600 days incubation, followed by a slower rate. The rate of total gas production in anaerobic samples containing mixed inoculum was as follows: 0.002 mL/g cellulose/day without nutrients; 0.004 mL/g cellulose/day with nutrients; and 0.01 mL/g cellulose/day in the presence of excess nitrate. Carbon dioxide production proceeded at a rate of 0.009 {micro}mol/g cellulose/day in anaerobic samples without nutrients, 0.05 {micro}mol/g cellulose/day in the presence of nutrients, and 0.2 {micro}mol/g cellulose/day with excess nitrate. Adding nutrients and excess nitrate stimulated denitrification, as evidenced by the accumulation of N{sub 2}O in the headspace (200 {micro}mol/g cellulose). The addition of the potential backfill bentonite increased the rate of CO{sub 2} production to 0.3 {micro}mol/g cellulose/day in anaerobic samples with excess nitrate. Analysis of the solution showed that lactic, acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids were produced due to cellulose degradation. Samples incubated under anaerobic humid conditions for 415 days produced CO{sub 2} at a rate of 0.2 {micro}mol/g cellulose/day in the absence of nutrients, and 1 {micro}mol/g cellulose/day in the presence of bentonite and nutrients. There was no evidence of biodegradation of electron-beam irradiated plastic and rubber.

This report describes a Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) project to field a dish/Stirling system at a southwestern US military facility. This project entitled ``Dish/Stirling for DoD Applications`` was started in August 1993 and was completed in September 1996. The project`s objective was to assist military facilities to field and evaluate emerging environmentally sound and potentially economical dish/Stirling technology. Dish/Stirling technology has the potential to produce electricity at competitive costs while at the same time providing a secure and environmentally benign source of power. In accordance with the SERDP charter, this project leveraged a US Department of Energy (DOE) cost-shared project between Sandia National Laboratories and Cummins Power Generation, Inc. (CPG). CPG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cummins Engine Company, a leading manufacturer of diesel engines. To accomplish this objective, the project called for the installation of a dish/Stirling system at a military facility to establish first-hand experience in the operation of a dish/Stirling system. To scope the potential DoD market for dish/Stirling technology and to identify the site for the demonstration, a survey of southwestern US military facilities was also conducted. This report describes the project history, the Cummins dish/Stirling system, results from the military market survey, and the field test results.

Nuclear weapons have been produced in the US since the early 1950s by a network of contractor-operated Department of Energy (DOE) facilities collectively known as the Nuclear Weapon Complex (NWC). Recognizing that the failure of an essential process might stop weapon production for a substantial period of time, the DOE Albuquerque Operations office initiated the Production Risk Evaluation Program (PREP) at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to assess quantitatively the potential for serious disruptions in the NWC weapon production process. PREP was conducted from 1984-89. This document is an unclassified summary of the effort.

This report summarizes tests on five different foams. Two are manufactured at Allied Signal, two at North Carolina Foam Industries, and one at General Plastics. The tests conducted are: thermal conductivity at various temperatures, specific heat at 60{degrees}C, compressive strength at ambient and 60{degrees}C, thermogravimetric analysis to 800{degrees}C, intumescence, and char formation properties. A CHN analysis was also performed. Funding for the testing of rigid polyurethane foams originated from the AT-400A container program at Sandia National Laboratories. This testing supported the development of the AT-400A container. The AT-400A is a storage and transportation container that will be used initially at the Pantex Plant for storage of plutonium from dismantled nuclear weapons.

This paper describes results from efforts to develop VOC sensing systems based on two complementary techniques. The first technique used a gated channeltron detector for resonant laser-induced multiphoton photoionization detection of trace organic vapors in a supersonic molecular beam. The channeltron was gated using a relatively simple circuit to generate a negative gate pulse with a width of 400 ns (FWHM), a 50 ns turn-on (rise) time, a 1.5 {mu}s turn-off (decay) time, a pulse amplitude of {minus}1000 Volts, and a DC offset adjustable from zero to {minus}1500 Volts. The gated channeltron allows rejection of spurious responses to UV laser light scattered directly into the channeltron and time-delayed ionization signals induced by photoionization of residual gas in the vacuum chamber. Detection limits in the part-per-trillion range have been demonstrated with the gated detector. The second technique used arrays of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices coated with various chemically selective materials (e.g., polymers, self assembled monolayers) to provide unique response patterns to various chemical analytes. This work focused on polymers, formed by spin casting from solution or by plasma polymerization, as well as on self assembled monolayers. Response from coated SAWs to various concentrations of water, volatile organics, and organophosphonates (chemical warfare agent simulants) were used to provide calibration data. A novel visual empirical region of influence (VIERI) pattern recognition technique was used to evaluate the ability to use these response patterns to correctly identify chemical species. This investigation shows how the VERI technique can be used to determine the best set of coatings for an array, to predict the performance of the array even if sensor responses change due to aging of the coating materials, and to identify unknown analytes based on previous calibration data.

Paving is an automated mesh generation algorithm which produces all-quadrilateral elements. It can additionally generate these elements in varying sizes such that the resulting mesh adapts to a function distribution, such as an error function. While powerful, conventional paving is a very serial algorithm in its operation. Parallel paving is the extension of serial paving into parallel environments to perform the same meshing functions as conventional paving only on distributed, discretized models. This extension allows large, adaptive, parallel finite element simulations to take advantage of paving`s meshing capabilities for h-remap remeshing. A significantly modified version of the CUBIT mesh generation code has been developed to host the parallel paving algorithm and demonstrate its capabilities on both two dimensional and three dimensional surface geometries and compare the resulting parallel produced meshes to conventionally paved meshes for mesh quality and algorithm performance. Sandia`s {open_quotes}tiling{close_quotes} dynamic load balancing code has also been extended to work with the paving algorithm to retain parallel efficiency as subdomains undergo iterative mesh refinement.

Advanced reactor systems are likely to use protection systems with digital electronics that ideally should be resistant to environmental hazards, including smoke from possible cable fires. Previous smoke tests have shown that digital safety systems can fail even at relatively low levels of smoke density and that short-term failures are likely to be caused by circuit bridging. Experiments were performed to examine these failures, with a focus on component packaging and protection schemes. Circuit bridging, which causes increased leakage currents and arcs, was gauged by measuring leakage currents among the leads of component packages. The resistance among circuit leads typically varies over a wide range, depending on the nature of the circuitry between the pins, bias conditions, circuit board material, etc. Resistance between leads can be as low as 20 k{Omega} and still be good, depending on the component. For these tests, the authors chose a printed circuit board and components that normally have an interlead resistance above 10{sup 12} {Omega}, but if the circuit is exposed to smoke, circuit bridging causes the resistance to fall below 10{sup 3} {Omega}. Plated-through-hole (PTH) and surface-mounted (SMT) packages were exposed to a series of different smoke environments using a mixture of environmentally qualified cables for fuel. Conformal coatings and enclosures were tested as circuit protection methods. High fuel levels, high humidity, and high flaming burns were the conditions most likely to cause circuit bridging. The inexpensive conformal coating that was tested - an acrylic spray - reduced leakage currents, but enclosure in a chassis with a fan did not. PTH packages were more resistant to smoke-induced circuit bridging than SMT packages. Active components failed most often in tests where the leakage currents were high, but failure did not always accompany high leakage currents.

The thermo-hydrologic behavior of the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, has been simulated to investigate the effects of infiltration. Transient temperatures, liquid saturations, and liquid mass flow rates through the fractures and matrix were simulated using several different steady infiltration rates ranging from 0.3 to 30 min./year. The lower infiltration rates resulted in higher temperatures near the repository element, but the overall transient temperature profiles were similar. The hydrologic response near the repository (liquid saturations and fluxes) was found to be very sensitive to the infiltration rate. Increased infiltration rates reduced the time to re-wet the simulated repository during cooling, and an infiltration rate of 10 mm/year was sufficient to completely eliminate the dry-out zone around the repository.

In March 1994, the US Department of Energy Carlsbad Area Office (DOE/CAO) implemented a performance based decision-aiding method to assist in programmatic prioritization within the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project. The prioritization was with respect to 40 CFR Part 191.13(a) and 40 CFR part 268.6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for long-term isolation of radioactive and hazardous wastes. The Systems Prioritization Method (SPM), was designed by Sandia National Laboratories to: (1) identify programmatic options (activities), their costs and durations; (2) analyze combinations of activities in terms of their predicted contribution to long-term performance of the WIPP disposal system; and (3) analyze cost, duration, and performance tradeoffs. SPM results were the basis for activities recommended to DOE/CAO in May 1995. SPM identified eight activities (less than 15% of the 58 proposed for consideration) predicted to be essential in addressing key regulatory issues. The SPM method proved useful for risk or performance-based prioritization in which options are interdependent and system behavior is nonlinear. 10 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

A series of eight fire tests with simulated radioactive material shipping containers aboard the test ship Mayo Lykes, a break-bulk freighter, is described. The tests simulate three basic types of fires: engine room fires, cargo fires and open pool fires. Detailed results from the tests include temperatures, heat fluxes and air flows measured during the fires. The first examination of the results indicates that shipboard fires are not significantly different from fires encountered in land transport. 13 refs., 15 figs., 11 tabs.

A series of hydraulic-fracture experiments using a downhole tiltmeter array, called an inclinometer array, was conducted at the Department of Energy (DOE)/Gas Research Institute (GRI) Multi-Site facility in Colorado. The inclinometer array was used to measure the deformation of the reservoir rock in response to hydraulic fracture opening and confirm microseismically measured results. In addition, the inclinometer array was found to be a useful tool for accurately measuring closure stress, measuring residual widths of both propped and unpropped fractures, estimating proppant distribution, and evaluating values of in situ moduli.

An extension to classical covariance control methods, introduced by Skelton and co-workers, is proposed specifically for application to the control of civil engineering structures subjected to random dynamic excitations. The covariance structure of the system is developed directly from specification of its reliability via the assumption of independent (Poisson) outcrossings of its stationary response process from a polyhedral safe region. This leads to a set of state covariance controllers, each of which guarantees that the closed-loop system will possess the specified level of reliability. An example civil engineering structure is considered.

The simultaneous formation of a filler phase and a polymer matrix via in situ sol-gel techniques provides silica-siloxane nanocomposite materials of high strength. This study concentrates on the effects of temperature and relative humidity on a trimodal polymer system in an attempt to accelerate the reaction as well as evaluate subtle process- structure-property relations. It was found that successful process acceleration is only viable for high humidity systems when using the tin(IV) catalyst dibutyltin dilaurate. Processes involving low humidity were found to be very temperature and time dependent. Bimodal systems were investigated and demonstrated that the presence of a short-chain component led to enhanced material strength. This part of the study also revealed a link between the particle size and population density and the optimization of material properties.

The effect of dose rate on radiation-induced gain degradation is compared for verticle npn and lateral pnp bipolar transistors. High dose rate irradiations at elevated temperatures are more effective at simulating low dose rate degradation in the lateral pnp transistors.

Effects of irradiation and annealing temperature on radiation-induced charge densities are explored for MOS transistors. Both interface- and border-trap density increase with increasing radiation temperature, while the net oxide-trap charge density decreases.

The ionizing radiation response of several semiconductor process technologies has been shown to be enhanced by plastic packaging and/or pre-conditioning (burn-in). Potential mechanisms for this effect are discussed and data on bipolar linear circuits are presented.

Windows NT desktop and server systems are becoming increasingly important to Sandia. These systems are capable of network performance considerably in excess of the 10 Mbps Ethernet data rate. As alternatives to conventional Ethernet, 155 Mbps Asynchronous Transfer Mode, ATM, and 100 Mbps Ethernet network interface cards were tested and compared to conventional 10 Mbps Ethernet cards in a typical Windows NT system. The results of the tests were analyzed and compared to show the advantages of the alternative technologies. Both 155 Mbps ATM and 100 Mbps Ethernet offer significant performance improvements over conventional 10 Mbps shared media Ethernet.

Thin metal films (∼ 100 nm thick) of Be, W, V and Mo, were deposited on a Si depth-marked graphite sample and exposed to the steady-state outer strike point on DIII-D in order to measure their respective erosion rates. Gross erosion rates and redeposition lengths are found to decrease with the atomic number of the metallic species, as expected. The maximum net erosion rate for carbon, which occurs near the separatrix, increased from 4 to 16 nm/s when the incident heat flux was increased from 0.7 to 2 MW/m2. Comparisons of the measured carbon erosion with REDEP code calculations show good agreement for both the absolute net erosion rate and its spatial variation. Visible spectroscopic measurements of singly ionized Be (BeII 4674 Å) have determined that the erosion process reaches steady-state during the exposure.

Measurements of the deuterium particle flux and energy to the divertor of the DIII-D tokamak during a series of plasmas that terminated in disruptions have been made using a silicon collector probe installed on the DiMES (divertor materials exposure system) mechanism. During the steady state portion of each discharge, the probe was located in the private flux region, but immediately before disrupting the plasma, by injecting either Ar or D2 gas, the strike point of the outer divertor leg was positioned over the probe. Comparison of the amount of retained D in the probe for the two types of disruptions indicates that much of the trapped D could have resulted from exposure in the private flux zone prior to the disruption. Measurements of the depth distribution of the trapped D in the Si imply that the incident ion energy was approximately 100 eV at normal incidence and decreased slightly at oblique angles. The measurements give an upper bound to the energy of deuterons striking the divertor floor in the vicinity of the strikepoint during disruptions.

The ability to image complex geologies such as salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico and thrusts in mountainous regions is a key to reducing the risk and cost associated with oil and gas exploration. Imaging these structures, however, is computationally expensive. Datasets can be terabytes in size, and the processing time required for the multiple iterations needed to produce a velocity model can take months, even with the massively parallel computers available today. Some algorithms, such as 3D, finite-difference, prestack, depth migration remain beyond the capacity of production seismic processing. Massively parallel processors (MPPs) and algorithms research are the tools that will enable this project to provide new seismic processing capabilities to the oil and gas industry. The goals of this work are to (1) develop finite-difference algorithms for 3D, prestack, depth migration; (2) develop efficient computational approaches for seismic imaging and for processing terabyte datasets on massively parallel computers; and (3) develop a modular, portable, seismic imaging code.

This document specifies signaling procedures required to support security services in the Phase I ATM Security Specification. These signaling procedures are in addition to those described in UNI 4.0 Signaling. When establishing point-to-point and point-to-multipoint calls, the call control procedures described in the ATM Forum UNI 4.0 Signaling apply. This document describes the additional information elements and procedures necessary to support security services. This description is in an incremental form with differences from the point-to-point and point-to-multipoint calls with respect to messages, information elements, and signaling procedures.

Germanosilicate glasses exhibit a significant photosensitive response which has been linked to the presence of oxygen-deficient germanium point defects in the glass structure. Based on this correlation, highly photosensitive thin films have been engineered which demonstrate the largest reported ultraviolet-induced refractive index perturbations (An) in an as-synthesized material. Our thin-film fabrication process avoids the use of hydrogen sensitizing treatments and, thus, yields stable films which retain their predisposition for large photosensitivity for over one year of storage. Understanding the nature of the defects in such films and their relationship to charge trapping and enhanced photosensitivity is of paramount importance in designing and optimizing the materials. Toward this end, our films have been studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), capacitance-voltage, and optical bleaching and absorption spectroscopies. We find experimental evidence suggesting a model in which a change in spin state and charge state of isolated paramagnetic neutral Ge dangling bonds form either diamagnetic positively or negatively charged Ge sites which are largely responsible for the charge trapping and photosensitivity in these thin films. We present experimental data and theoretical modeling to support our defect model and to show the relevance of the work.

The optical performance of refractive index structures induced in photosensitive (PS) glasses ultimately depends on the index modulation depth attainable. In germanosilicate materials, the photosensitive response is linked to the presence of oxygen-deficient germanium point defect centers. Prior efforts to increase PS in these materials, e.g., hydrogen loading, rely on a chemical reduction of the glass structure to enhance the population of oxygen deficient centers and thus increase the saturated refractive index change. We have previously reported the development of highly photosensitive, as-deposited germanosilicate glass films through reactive atmosphere (O{sub 2}/Ar) sputtering from a Ge/Si alloy target. The present work details our investigation of the effect of substrate temperature during deposition on the material structure and propensity for photosensitivity. Using optical absorption/bleaching, Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and selective charge injection techniques we show that the predominate defect states responsible for the PS response can be varied through substrate temperature control. We find that two regimes of photosensitive behavior can be accessed which exhibit dramatically different uv-bleaching characteristics. Thus, the corresponding dispersion of the refractive index change as well as its magnitude can be controlled using our synthesis technique. Tentative defect models for the photosensitive process in materials deposited at both ambient temperature and at elevated substrate temperatures will be presented.

If photonic data and power transfer links are constructed in a modular fashion, they can be easily adapted into various forms to meet a wide range of needs for aerospace and military applications. The performance specifications associated with these needs can vary widely according to application. Alignment tolerance needs also tend to vary greatly, as can requirements on power consumption. An example of a modular photonic data and/or power transfer link that can be applied to military and aerospace needs is presented. In this approach, a link is designed for low (<10 kb/s) data rates, ultra-low electrical power consumption, large alignment tolerance, and power transfer to provide complete electrical shielding in a remote module that might be found in a military or aerospace application.

The effects of heterogeneities on the performance of capillary barriers is investigated by simulating three systems comprised of a fine soil layer overlying a coarse gravel layer with homogeneous, layered heterogeneous, and random heterogeneous property fields. The amount of lateral diversion above the coarse layer under steady-state infiltration conditions is compared between the simulations. Results indicate that the performance of capillary barriers may be significantly influenced by the spatial variability of the properties. The layered heterogeneous system performed best as a result of horizontal features within the fine layer that acted as additional local capillary barriers that delayed breakthrough into the coarse layer. The random heterogeneous system performed worst because of channeled flow that produced localized regions of water breakthrough into the coarse layer. These results indicate that engineered capillary barriers may be improved through emplacement and packing methods that induce a layered system similar to the layered heterogeneous field simulated in this study.

While a number of technologies or methods of subsurface imaging and monitoring exist, most require some adaptation to meet the site-specific objectives of a particular in-situ waste containment/stabilization verification and monitoring program. The selection of methods and their site-specific adaptation must be based on sound, scientific principles. Given this, specific information about the site and the objectives of the containment or remediation are required to design and implement an appropriate and effective verification and monitoring program. Site and technology information that must be considered and how it affects the selection and adaptation of monitoring technologies is presented. In general, this information includes the objectives of the containment or remediation, the verification and monitoring systems, and the physical properties of the site and the waste containment/stabilization system. The objectives of the containment or remediation and the verification and monitoring system must be defined to provide a goal for the technology developer`s design. The physical properties of the site and the waste containment/stabilization system are required to ensure the proper technology is selected. A conceptual framework and examples are given to demonstrate the impacts of these aspects on technology selection.

Mean arc voltage is a process parameter commonly used in vacuum arc remelting (VAR) control schemes. The response of this parameter to changes in melting current (I) and electrode gap (g{sub e}) at constant pressure may be accurately described by an equation of the form V = V{sub 0} + c{sub 1}g{sub e}I + c{sub 2}g{sub e}{sup 2} + c{sub 3}I{sup 2}, where c{sub 1}, c{sub 2} and c{sub 3} are constants, and where the non-linear terms generally constitute a relatively small correction. If the non-linear terms are ignored, the equation has the form of Ohm`s law with a constant offset (V{sub 0}), c{sub 1}g{sub e} playing the role of resistance. This implies that the arc column may be treated approximately as a simple resistor during constant current VAR, the resistance changing linearly with g{sub e}. The VAR furnace arc is known to originate from multiple cathode spot clusters situated randomly on the electrode tip surface. Each cluster marks a point of exist for conduction electrons leaving the cathode surface and entering the electrode gap. Because the spot clusters re highly localized on the cathode surface, each gives rise to an arc column that may be considered to operate independently of other local arc columns. This approximation is used to develop a model that accounts for the observed arc voltage dependence on electrode gap at constant current. Local arc column resistivity is estimated from elementary plasma physics and used to test the model for consistency by using it to predict local column heavy particle density. Furthermore, it is shown that the local arc column resistance increases as particle density increases. This is used to account for the common observation that the arc stiffens with increasing current, i.e. the arc voltage becomes more sensitive to changes in electrode gap as the melting current is increased. This explains why arc voltage is an accurate electrode gap indicator for high current VAR processes but not low current VAR processes.

The collapse of the Soviet Union has left many of its scientific institutes and technical universities without their traditional backbone of financial support. In an effort to stem the export of science to nations advocating nuclear proliferation, and to acquire potentially useful technology, several US government-sponsored programs have arise to mine the best of former USSR scientific advances. In the field of metallurgy, the earliest institutes to be investigated by Sandia National Laboratories are located in Ukraine. In particular, scientists at the State Metallurgical Academy have developed unique porous metals, resembling what could be described as gas-solid ``eutectic``. While porous metals are available in the US and other western countries, none have the remarkable structure and properties of these materials. Sandia began a collaborative program with the Ukrainian scientists to bring this technology to the US, verify the claims regarding these materials, and begin production of the so-called Gasars. This paper will describe the casting process technology and metallurgy associated with the production of Gasars, and will review the progress of the collaborative project.

The authors have performed electron spin resonance and electrical measurements on SiO{sub 2}/Si structures subjected to anneals in 5% H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} or 5% D{sub 2}/N{sub 2} gases and subsequently injected with electrons using corona ions and ultra-violet radiation. Threshold voltage and transconductance measurements have also been made on 0.25 {micro}m metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors subjected to 400 C anneals in the same gases and subsequently aged by hot electron injection. The electrical data on SiO{sub 2}/Si structures indicates that the density of interface states increases as a result of electron injection but that there are only minor differences between H and D passivated interfaces. The data on P{sub b}, trivalent Si dangling bond, centers at the same interfaces observed by electron spin resonance is insufficiently accurate to enable them to observe any significant differences. The hot electron injection experiments on transistors, consistent with other authors, indicate that, for the limited number of measurements they have made, the transistor aging resulting from the generation of interface states is significantly reduced for devices annealed in the D containing gas as compared to those annealed in the H containing gas. The origins of some potential differences in annealing behavior between the SiO{sub 2}/Si structures and the 0.25 {micro}m transistors are suggested.

The electronics radiation hardness-testing community uses the ASTM E722-93 Standard Practice to define the energy dependence of the nonionizing neutron damage to silicon semiconductors. This neutron displacement damage response function is defined to be equal to the silicon displacement kerma as calculated from the ORNL Si cross-section evaluation. Experimental work has shown that observed damage ratios at various test facilities agree with the defined response function to within 5%. Here, a covariance matrix for the silicon 1-MeV neutron displacement damage function is developed. This uncertainty data will support the electronic radiation hardness-testing community and will permit silicon displacement damage sensors to be used in least squares spectrum adjustment codes.

Typical industrial ESR melting practice includes operation at a constant current. This constant current operation is achieved through the use of a power supply whose output provides this constant current characteristic. Analysis of this melting mode indicates that the ESR process under conditions of constant current is inherently unstable. Analysis also indicates that ESR melting under the condition of a constant applied voltage yields a process which is inherently stable. This paper reviews the process stability arguments for both constant current and constant voltage operation. Explanations are given as to why there is a difference between the two modes of operation. Finally, constant voltage process considerations such as melt rate control, response to electrode anomalies and impact on solidification will be discussed.

Approximate probabilities of inclusion survival through an electron beam melting hearth are computed from nitride dissolution rates, flotation velocities, and residence times. Dissolution rates were determined by measuring shrinkage rates of pure TiN and nitrided sponge in small pools of molten titanium in an electron beam melting hearth. Flotation velocities were calculated using correlations for fluid flow around spheres, and show that particles sink or float unless their densities are extremely close to that of molten titanium. Flow field characteristics which lead to effective inclusion removal are discussed in terms of heat flux pattern required to produce them, based on the electron beam`s unique ability to impart a nearly arbitrary heat flux pattern to the melt surface.

New dosimetry cross-section evaluations have been made available to the reactor community. Most dosimetry-quality evaluations include a section (File 33) that defines the uncertainty and covariance matrix for the dosimetry reaction cross section. This paper compares the latest computed cross-section activities for benchmark neutron fields with experimental data. Uncertainty data is usually reported with experimental measurements. This work also presents uncertainty data for the calculated activities. The calculated uncertainty values include a full uncertainty propagation using the cross-section evaluation, energy-dependent covariance data as well as the uncertainty attributed to the knowledge of the neutron spectrum.

Deterioration of monuments, buildings, and works of art constructed of carbonate-based stone potentially can be arrested by applying a combination of chemical passivants and consolidants that prevent hydrolytic attack and mechanical weakening. The authors used molecular modeling and laboratory synthesis to develop an improved passivating agent for the calcite mineral surface based on binding strength and molecular packing density. The effectiveness of the passivating agent with and without a linked outer layer of consolidant against chemical weathering was determined through leaching tests conducted with a pH-stat apparatus at pH 5 and 25 C. For the range of molecules considered, modeling results indicate that the strongest-binding passivant is the trimethoxy dianionic form of silylalkylaminocarboxylate (SAAC). The same form of silylalkylphosphonate (SAP) is the second strongest binder and the trisilanol neutral form of aminoethylaminopropylsilane (AEAPS) is ranked third. Short-term leaching tests on calcite powders coated with the trisilanol derivative of SAAC, the triethoxy neutral form of SAP, and the trimethoxy neutral form of AEAPS show that the passivant alone does not significantly slow the dissolution rate. However, all passivants when linked to the sol consolidant result in decreased rates. Combined AEAPS plus consolidant results in a coating that performs better than the commercial product Conservare{reg_sign} OH and at least as well as Conservare{reg_sign} H. The modeling results indicate that there may be a threshold binding energy for the passivant above which the dissolution rate of calcite is actually enhanced. More strongly-binding passivants may aid in the dissolution mechanism or dissociate in aqueous solution exposing the calcite surface to water.

An optoelectronic integrated circuit for generating mm-wave frequencies is demonstrated and design issues detailed. A monolithically integrated ring laser, optical amplifier, and photodiode generate electrical signals up to 85.2 GHz.

The use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) microelectronics for nuclear weapon applications will soon be reality rather than hearsay. The use of COTS for new technologies for uniquely military applications is being driven by the so-called Perry Initiative that requires the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to accept and utilize commercial standards for procurement of military systems. Based on this philosophy, coupled with several practical considerations, new weapons systems as well as future upgrades will contain plastic encapsulated microelectronics. However, a conservative Department of Energy (DOE) approach requires lifetime predictive models. Thus, the focus of the current project is on accelerated testing to advance current aging models as well as on the development of the methodology to be used during WR qualification of plastic encapsulated microelectronics. An additional focal point involves achieving awareness of commercial capabilities, materials, and processes. One of the major outcomes of the project has been the definition of proper techniques for handling and evaluation of modern surface mount parts which might be used in future systems. This program is also raising the familiarity level of plastic within the weapons complex, allowing subsystem design rules accommodating COTS to evolve. A two year program plan is presented along with test results and commercial interactions during this first year.

Studies by academia, industry, and government indicate that applying a sound systems engineering process to development programs is an important tool for preventing cost and schedule overruns and performance deficiencies. There is an enormous body of systems engineering knowledge. Where does one start? How can the principles of systems engineering be applied in the Sandia environment? This road map is intended to be an aid to answering these questions.

The traditional geometry for surface mount devices is the peripheral array where the leads are on the edges of the device. As the technology drives towards high input/output (I/O) count (increasing number of leads) and smaller packages with finer pitch (less distance between peripheral leads), limitations on peripheral surface mount devices arise. The leads on these fine pitch devices are fragile and can be easily bent. It becomes increasingly difficult to deliver solder past to leads spaced as little as 0.012 inch apart. Too much solder mass can result in bridging between leads while too little solder can contribute to the loss of mechanical and electrical continuity. A solution is to shift the leads from the periphery of the device to the area under the device. This scheme is called areal array packaging and is exemplified by the ball grid array (BGA) package. A system has been designed and constructed to deposit an entire array of several hundred uniform solder droplets onto a printed circuit board in a fraction of a second. The solder droplets wet to the interconnect lands on a pc board and forms a basis for later application of a BGA device. The system consists of a piezoelectric solder pulse unit, heater controls, an inert gas chamber and an analog power supply/pulse unit.

On-Machine Acceptance (OMA) is an agile manufacturing concept being developed for machine tools at SNL. The concept behind OMA is the integration of product design, fabrication, and qualification processes by using the machining center as a fabrication and inspection tool. This report documents the final results of a Laboratory Directed Research and Development effort to qualify OMA.

Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) of semiconductor heterostructures for advanced electronic and opto-electronic devices requires precise control of the surface composition and strain. The development of advanced in situ diagnostics for real-time monitoring and process control of strain and composition would enhance the yield, reliability and process flexibility of material grown by MBE and benefit leading-edge programs in microelectronics and photonics. The authors have developed a real-time laser-based technique to measure the evolution of stress in epitaxial films during growth by monitoring the change in the wafer curvature. Research has focused on the evolution of stress during the epitaxial growth of Si{sub x}Ge{sub 1{minus}x} alloys on Si(001) substrates. Initial studies have observed the onset and kinetics of strain relaxation during the growth of heteroepitaxial layers. The technique has also been used to measure the segregation of Ge to the surface during alloy growth with monolayer sensitivity, an order of magnitude better resolution than post-growth characterization. In addition, creation of a 2-dimensional array of parallel beams allows rapid surface profiling of the film stress that can be used to monitor process uniformity.

This work is comprised of two major sections. In the first section the authors develop multivariate image classification techniques to distinguish and identify surface electronic species directly from multiple-bias scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images. Multiple measurements at each site are used to distinguish and categorize inequivalent electronic or atomic species on the surface via a computerized classification algorithm. Then, comparison with theory or other suitably chosen experimental data enables the identification of each class. They demonstrate the technique by analyzing dual-polarity constant-current topographs of the Ge(111) surface. Just two measurements, negative- and positive-bias topography height, permit pixels to be separated into seven different classes. Labeling four of the classes as adatoms, first-layer atoms, and two inequivalent rest-atom sites, they find excellent agreement with the c(2 x 8) structure. The remaining classes are associated with structural defects and contaminants. This work represents a first step toward developing a general electronic/chemical classification and identification tool for multivariate scanning probe microscopy imagery. In the second section they report measurements of the diffusion of Si dimers on the Si(001) surface at temperatures between room temperature and 128 C using a novel atom-tracking technique that can resolve every diffusion event. The atom tracker employs lateral-positioning feedback to lock the STM probe tip into position above selected atoms with sub-Angstrom precision. Once locked the STM tracks the position of the atoms as they migrate over the crystal surface. By tracking individual atoms directly, the ability of the instrument to measure dynamic events is increased by a factor of {approximately} 1,000 over conventional STM imaging techniques.

Graph partitioning is an important abstraction used in solving many scientific computing problems. Unfortunately, the standard partitioning model does not incorporate considerations that are important in many settings. We address this by describing a generalized partitioning model which incorporates the notion of partition skew and is applicable to a variety of problems. We then develop enhancements to several important partitioning algorithms necessary to solve the generalized partitioning problem. Finally we demonstrate the benefit of employing several of these generalized methods to static decomposition of parallel computing problems.

Fast z-pinch implosions can convert more than 10% of the stored electrical energy in a pulsed-power accelerator into x rays. These x rays are produced when an imploding cylindrical plasma, driven by the magnetic field pressure associated with very large axial currents, stagnates upon the cylindrical axis of symmetry. On the Saturn pulsed-power accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories, for example, currents of 6 to 8 MA with a risetime of less than 50 ns are driven through cylindrically-symmetric loads, producing implosions velocities as high as 100 cm/{mu}s and x-ray energies as high as 500 kJ. The keV component of the resulting x-ray spectrum has been used for many years 8 a radiation source for material response studies. Alternatively, the x-ray output can be thermalized into a near-Planckian x-ray source by containing it within a large cylindrical radiation case. These large volume, long-lived radiation sources have recently been used for ICF-relevant ablator physics experiments as well as astrophysical opacity and radiation-material interaction experiments. Hydromagnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities and cylindrical load symmetry are critical, limiting factors in determining the assembled plasma densities and temperatures, and thus in the x-ray pulse widths that can be produced on these accelerators. In recent experiments on the Saturn accelerator, these implosion nonuniformities have been minimized by using uniform-fill gas puff loads or by using wire arrays with as many a 192 wires. These techniques produced significant improvements in the pinched plasma quality, Zn reproducibility, and x-ray output power. X-ray pulse widths of less than 5 ns and peak powers of 75{+-}10 TW have been achieved with arrays of 120 tungsten wires. These powers represent greater than a factor of three in power amplification over the electrical power of the Saturn n accelerator, and are a record for x-ray powers in the laboratory.

A popular method for updating finite element models with modal test data utilizes optimization of the model based on design sensitivities. The attractive feature of this technique is that it allows some estimate and update of the physical parameters affecting the hardware dynamics. Two difficulties are knowing which physical parameters are important and which of those important parameters are in error. If this is known, the updating process is simply running through the mechanics of the optimization. Most models of real systems have a myriad of parameters. This paper discusses an implementation of a tool which uses the model and test data together to discover which parameters are most important and most in error. Some insight about the validity of the model form may also be obtained. Experience gained from applications to complex models will be shared.

The disposition of the large back-log of plutonium residues at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Rocky Flats) will require interim storage and subsequent shipment to a waste repository. Current plans call for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and the transportation to WIPP in the TRUPACT-II. The transportation phase will require the residues to be packaged in a container that is more robust than a standard 55-gallon waste drum. Rocky Flats has designed the Pipe Overpack Container to meet this need. It is desirable to use this same waste packaging for interim on-site storage in non-hardened buildings. To meet the safety concerns for this storage the Pipe Overpack Container has been subjected to a series of tests at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition to the tests required to qualify the Pipe Overpack Container as a waste container for shipment in the TRUPACT-II several tests were performed solely for the purpose of qualifying the container for interim storage. This report will describe these tests and the packages response to the tests. 12 figs., 3 tabs.

There is a void of public specifications for pulse discharge capacitor applications. Sandia National Laboratories has developed, over the past 25 years, specifications and test procedures for evaluating capacitor designs for this specialized use. There are three primary destructive tests that are used to assess the reliability potential of a given design at a required rated voltage. These are ultimate short time breakdown strength, life at voltage, and pulse discharge life. The strategy of the method is to accelerate the test conditions so that failures are observable and then extrapolate to the desired use conditions where the failure rates are low. This paper will present the statistical methodologies employed to analyze experimental data and to provide a point estimate of reliability with a lower confidence bound as a function of rated voltage. In addition, methods for establishing lot-acceptance-criteria specifications will be discussed. The techniques will be illustrated with actual data on a commercially available, low-inductance, pulse-discharge capacitor. The capacitor is an impregnated dual dielectric (mica-paper/polymer film), extended-foil type.

The scanning force microscopies (notably the Atomic Force Microscope--AFM), because of their applicability to nearly all materials, are presently the most widely used of the scanning-probe techniques. However, the AFM uses a deflection sensor to measure sample/probe forces which suffers from an inherent mechanical instability that occurs when the rate of change of the force with respect to the interfacial separation becomes equal to the spring constant of the deflecting member. This instability dramatically limits the breadth of applicability of AFM-type techniques to materials problems. In the course of implementing a DOE sponsored basic research program in interfacial adhesion, a self-balancing force sensor concept has been developed and incorporated into an Interfacial Force Microscopy (IFM) system by Sandia scientists. This sensor eliminates the instability problem and greatly enhances the applicability of the scanning force-probe technique to a broader range of materials and materials parameters. The impact of this Sandia development was recognized in 1993 by a Department of Energy award for potential impact on DOE programs and by an R and D 100 award for one of the most important new products of 1994. However, in its present stage of development, the IFM is strictly a research-level tool and a CRADA was initiated in order to bring this sensor technology into wide-spread availability by making it accessible in the form of a commercial instrument. The present report described the goals, approach and results of this CRADA effort.

In this presentation, the authors will investigate the use of hybrid meshes for modeling RCS and antenna problems in three dimensions. They will consider two classes of hybrid basis functions. These include combinations of quadrilateral and triangular meshes for arbitrary 3D geometries, and combinations of axisymmetric body-of-revolution (BOR) basis functions and triangular facets. In particular, they will focus on the problem of enforcing current continuity between two surfaces which are represented by different types of surface discretizations and unknown basis function representations. They will illustrate the use of an operator-based code architecture for the implementation of these formulations, and how it facilitates the incorporation of the various types of boundary conditions in the code. Both serial and parallel code implementation issues for the formulations will be discussed. Results will be presented for both scattering and antenna problems. The emphasis will be on accuracy, and robustness of the techniques. Comparisons of accuracy between triangular meshed and quadrilateral meshed geometries will be shown. The use of hybrid meshes for modeling BORs with attached appendages will also be presented.

The Surtsey Test Facility is used to perform scaled experiments simulating High Pressure Melt Ejection accidents in a nuclear power plant (NPP). The experiments investigate the effects of direct containment heating (DCH) on the containment load. The results from Zion and Surry experiments can be extrapolated to other Westinghouse plants, but predicted containment loads cannot be generalized to all Combustion Engineering (CE) plants. Five CE plants have melt dispersal flow paths which circumvent the main mitigation of containment compartmentalization in most Westinghouse PWRs. Calvert Cliff-like plant geometries and the impact of codispersed water were addressed as part of the DCH issue resolution. Integral effects tests were performed with a scale model of the Calvert Cliffs NPP inside the Surtsey test vessel. The experiments investigated the effects of codispersal of water, steam, and molten core stimulant materials on DCH loads under prototypic accident conditions and plant configurations. The results indicated that large amounts of coejected water reduced the DCH load by a small amount. Large amounts of debris were dispersed from the cavity to the upper dome (via the annular gap). 22 refs., 84 figs., 30 tabs.

This report presents automatic motion planning algorithms for robotic manipulators performing a variety of tasks. Given a task and a robot manipulator equipped with a tool in its hand, the motion planners compute robot motions to complete the task while respecting manipulator kinematic constraints and avoiding collisions with objects in the robot`s work space. To handle the high complexity of the motion planning problem, a sophisticated search strategy called SANDROS is developed and used to solve many variations of the motion planning problem. To facilitate systematic development of motion planning algorithms, robotic tasks are classified into three categories according to the dimension of the manifold the robot tool has to travel: visit-point (0 dimensional), trace-curve (1 dimensional) and cover-surface (2 dimensional) tasks. The motion planner for a particular dimension is used as a sub-module by the motion planner for the next-higher dimension. This hierarchy of motion planners has led to a set of compact and systematic algorithms that can plan robot motions for many types of robotic operations. In addition, an algorithm is developed that determines the optimal robot-base configuration for minimum cycle time. The SANDROS search paradigm is complete in that it finds a solution path if one exists, up to a user specified resolution. Although its worst-case time complexity is exponential in the degrees of freedom of the manipulator, its average performance is commensurate with the complexity of the solution path. Since solution paths for most of motion planning problems consist of a few monotone segments, the motion planners based on SANDROS search strategy show approximately two-orders of magnitude improvements over existing complete algorithms.

Under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy, Office of Utility Technologies, the Energy Storage System Analysis and Development Department at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) conducted a cost analysis of energy storage systems for electric utility applications. The scope of the study included the analysis of costs for existing and planned battery, SMES, and flywheel energy storage systems. The analysis also identified the potential for cost reduction of key components.

A robot`s configuration space (c-space) is the space of its kinematic degrees of freedom, e.g., the joint-space of an arm. Sets in c-space can be defined that characterize a variety of spatial relationships, such as contact between the robot and its environment. C-space techniques have been fundamental to research progress in areas such as motion planning and physically-based reasoning. However, practical progress has been slowed by the difficulty of implementing the c-space abstraction inside each application. For this reason, we proposed a Configuration Space Toolkit of high-performance algorithms and data structures meeting these needs. Our intent was to develop this robotics software to provide enabling technology to emerging applications that apply the c-space abstraction, such as advanced motion planning, teleoperation supervision, mechanism functional analysis, and design tools. This final report presents the research results and technical achievements of this LDRD project. Key results and achievements included (1) a hybrid Common LISP/C prototype that implements the basic C-Space abstraction, (2) a new, generic, algorithm for constructing hierarchical geometric representations, and (3) a C++ implementation of an algorithm for fast distance computation, interference detection, and c-space point-classification. Since the project conclusion, motion planning researchers in Sandia`s Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center have been using the CSTk libcstk.so C++ library. The code continues to be used, supported, and improved by projects in the ISRC.

Under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy, Office of Utility Technologies, the Energy Storage System Analysis and Development Department at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) conducted a cost analysis of energy storage systems for electric utility applications. The scope of the study included the analysis of costs for existing and planned battery, SMES, and flywheel energy storage systems. The analysis also identified the potential for cost reduction of key components.

Sandia`s Superconductivity Technology Program is a thallium-based high-temperature superconductor (HTS) research and development program consisting of efforts in powder synthesis and process development, open-system thick film conductor development, wire and tape fabrication, and HTS motor design. The objective of this work is to develop high-temperature superconducting conductors (wire and tape) capable of meeting requirements for high-power electrical devices of interest to industry. The research efforts currently underway are: (1) Process development and characterization of thallium-based high-temperature superconducting closed system wire and tape, (2) Investigation of the synthesis and processing of thallium-based thick films using two-zone processing, and (3) Cryogenic design of a 30K superconducting motor. This report outlines the research that has been performed during FY96 in each of these areas.

A pulsed rf plasma technique is capable of generating ceramic particles of 10 manometer dimension. Experiments using silane/ammonia and trimethylchlorosilane/hydrogen gas mixtures show that both silicon nitride and silicon carbide powders can be synthesized with control of the average particle diameter from 7 to 200 nm. Large size dispersion and much agglomeration appear characteristic of the method, in contrast to results reported by another research group. The as produced powders have a high hydrogen content and are air and moisture sensitive. Post-plasma treatment in a controlled atmosphere at elevated temperature (800{degrees}C) eliminates the hydrogen and stabilizes the powder with respect to oxidation or hydrolysis.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a facility located in a bedded salt formation in Carlsbad, New Mexico, is being used by the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate the technology for safe handling and disposal of transuranic wastes produced by defense activities in the United States. In support of that demonstration, mechanical tests on salt were conducted in the laboratory to characterize material behavior at the stresses and temperatures expected for a nuclear waste repository. Many of those laboratory test programs have been carried out in the RE/SPEC Inc. rock mechanics laboratory in Rapid City, South Dakota; the first program being authorized in 1975 followed by additional testing programs that continue to the present. All of the WIPP laboratory data generated on salt at RE/SPEC Inc. over the last 20 years is presented in this data report. A variety of test procedures were used in performance of the work including quasi-static triaxial compression tests, constant stress (creep) tests, damage recovery tests, and multiaxial creep tests. The detailed data is presented in individual plots for each specimen tested. Typically, the controlled test conditions applied to each specimen are presented in a plot followed by additional plots of the measured specimen response. Extensive tables are included to summarize the tests that were performed. Both the tables and the plots contain cross-references to the technical reports where the data were originally reported. Also included are general descriptions of laboratory facilities, equipment, and procedures used to perform the work.

A nonnalized X-ray induced gain coefficient, 1.48 x 10{sup -3} cm{sup -1}/krad, has been determined for Cr,Nd:GSGG. Hermes III, a 20 ns, 2 MeV X-ray source, is used to irradiate the sample. Doping levels of 1 x 10{sup 20} and 2 x 10{sup 20} /cm{sup 3} respectively, for Cr and Nd are used. A proposed heuristic model in which excited Gd transfers its excitation to Cr which then transfers its excitation to Nd is described.

A study is underway to identify a rapid, easy method for determining cleanliness levels during the manufacture of neutron tubes. Due to high reliability concerns associated with neutron tubes, cleanliness levels of metal and ceramic piece parts are critical. Sandia has traditionally used quantitative surface analytical methods, such as Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy for determining cleanliness levels. A critical disadvantage of these techniques is the time required to perform them. More rapid, reliable methods are needed for in-line testing of neutron tube assemblies. Several methods including contact angle, MESERAN, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Optically Stimulated Electron Emission measurements are being evaluated as potential candidates. Cleanliness levels for each of these methods have been compared to Auger Electron Spectroscopy results, after processing samples through similar test conditions. An attempt was made to correlate the results from the alternative methods to those of Auger Electron Spectroscopy. Test results are presented.

Modular fixturing kits are sets of components used for flexible, rapid construction of fixtures. A modular vise is a parallel-jaw vise, each jaw of which is a modular fixture plate with a regular grid of precisely positioned holes. To fixture a part, one places pins in some of the holes so that when the vise is closed, the part is reliably located and completely constrained. The modular vise concept can be adapted easily to the design of modular parallel-jaw grippers for robots. By attaching a grid-plate to each jaw of a parallel-jaw gripper, one gains the ability to easily construct high-quality grasps for a wide variety of parts from a standard set of hardware. Wallack and Canny developed an algorithm for planning planar grasp configurations for the modular vise. In this paper, the authors expand this work to produce a 3-d fixture/gripper design tool. They describe several analyses they have added to the planar algorithm, including a 3-d grasp quality metric based on force information, 3-d geometric loading analysis, and inter-gripper interference analysis. Finally, the authors describe two applications of their code. One of these is an internal application at Sandia, while the other shows a potential use of the code for designing part of an agile assembly line.

With a goal of producing faster, safer, and cheaper technologies for nuclear waste cleanup, Sandia is actively developing and extending intelligent systems technologies. Graphical Programming is a key technology for robotic waste cleanup that Sandia is developing for this goal. This paper describes Sancho, Sandia most advanced Graphical Programming supervisory software. Sancho, now operational on several robot systems, incorporates all of Sandia`s recent advances in supervisory control. Sancho, developed to rapidly apply Graphical Programming on a diverse set of robot systems, uses a general set of tools to implement task and operational behavior. Sancho can be rapidly reconfigured for new tasks and operations without modifying the supervisory code. Other innovations include task-based interfaces, event-based sequencing, and sophisticated GUI design. These innovations have resulted in robot control programs and approaches that are easier and safer to use than teleoperation, off-line programming, or full automation.

In an effort to develop cost-efficient techniques for remediating uranium contaminated groundwater at DOE Uranium Mill Tailing Remedial Action (UMTRA) sites nationwide, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) deployed a pilot scale research project at an UMTRA site in Durango, CO. Implementation included design, construction, and subsequent monitoring of an in situ passive reactive barrier to remove Uranium from the tailings pile effluent. A reactive subsurface barrier is produced by emplacing a reactant material (in this experiment various forms of metallic iron) in the flow path of the contaminated groundwater. Conceptually the iron media reduces and/or adsorbs uranium in situ to acceptable regulatory levels. In addition, other metals such as Se, Mo, and As have been removed by the reductive/adsorptive process. The primary objective of the experiment was to eliminate the need for surface treatment of tailing pile effluent. Experimental design, and laboratory and field results are discussed with regard to other potential contaminated groundwater treatment applications.

An overview of the operations of Sandia`s Microelectronics Development Lab (MDL) is to develop radiation hardened IC, but techniques used for IC processing have been applied to a variety of related technologies such as micromechanics, smart sensors, and packaging.

A new diode laser using a Tapered-Rib Adiabatic-Following Fiber Coupler to achieve 2D mode expansion and narrow, symmetric far-field emission without epitaxial regrowth or sharply-defined tips on tapered waveguides is presented.

This report presents the results of a development effort to design, test and begin production of a new class of small photovoltaic (PV) charge controllers. Sandia National Laboratories provided technical support, test data and financial support through a Balance-of-System Development contract. One of the objectives of the development was to increase user confidence in small PV systems by improving the reliability and operating life of the system controllers. Another equally important objective was to improve the economics of small PV systems by extending the battery lifetimes. Using new technology and advanced manufacturing techniques, these objectives were accomplished. Because small stand-alone PV systems account for over one third of all PV modules shipped, the positive impact of improving the reliability and economics of PV systems in this market segment will be felt throughout the industry. The results of verification testing of the new product are also included in this report. The initial design goals and specifications were very aggressive, but the extensive testing demonstrates that all the goals were achieved. Production of the product started in May at a rate of 2,000 units per month. Over 40 Morningstar distributors (5 US and 35 overseas) have taken delivery in the first 2 months of shipments. Initial customer reactions to the new controller have been very favorable.

Three characteristic regimes were identified during wet thermal oxidation of AlxGa(1-x)As (x=1 to 0.90) on GaAs: oxidation of Al and Ga in the alloy to form to an amorphous oxide layer, formation and elimination of elemental As and of amorphous As2O3, and crystallization of the oxide film. Residual As can produce up to a 100fold increase in leakage current and a 30% increase in bulk dielectric constant. Very low As levels produce partial Fermi-level pinning at the oxidized AlxGa(1-x)As/GaAs interface. Local Schottky- barrier pinning of the Fermi level at As precipitates at the oxide/GaAs interface may be the source of the apparent high interface state density. The presence of thermodynamically favored interfacial As may impose a fundamental limit on the application of AlGaAs wet oxidation for achieving MIS devices without post-oxidation processing to remove the residual As from the interface.

The primary objective of this project was to further develop close-coupled barrier technology for the containment of subsurface waste or contaminant migration. A close-coupled barrier is produced by first installing a conventional cement grout curtain followed by a thin inner lining of a polymer grout. The resultant barrier is a cement polymer composite that has economic benefits derived from the cement and performance benefits from the durable and chemically resistant polymer layer. The technology has matured from a regulatory investigation of issues concerning barriers and barrier materials to a pilot-scale, multiple individual column injections at Sandia National Labs (SNL) to full scale demonstration. The feasibility of this barrier concept was successfully proven in a full scale ``cold site`` demonstration at Hanford, WA. Consequently, a full scale deployment of the technology was conducted at an actual environmental restoration site at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), Long Island, NY. This paper discusses the installation and performance of a technology deployment implemented at OU-1 an Environmental Restoration Site located at BNL.

The objective of this project is the development of a new class of supramolecular assemblies for applications in biosensors and biodevices. The supramolecular assemblies are based on membranes and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films composed of naturally-occurring or synthetic lipids, which contain electrically and/or photochemically active components. The LB films are deposited onto electrically-active materials (metal, semiconductors). The active components film components (lipo-porphyrins) at the surface function as molecular recognition sites for sensing proteins and other biomolecules, and the porphyrins and other components (e.g., fullerenes) incorporated into the films serve as photocatalysts and vectorial electron-transport agents. Computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) methods are used to tailor the structure of these film components to optimize function. Molecular modeling is also used to predict the location, orientation, and motion of these molecular components within the films. The result is a variety of extended, self-assembled molecular structures that serve as devices for sensing proteins and biochemicals or as other bioelectronic devices.

This report summarizes the three-year LDRD program directed at developing catalysts based on metalloporphyrins to reduce carbon dioxide. Ultimately it was envisioned that such catalysts could be made part of a solar-driven photoredox cycle by coupling metalloporphyrins with semiconductor systems. Such a system would provide the energy required for CO{sub 2} reduction to methanol, which is an uphill 6-electron reduction. Molecular modeling and design capabilities were used to engineer metalloporphyrin catalysts for converting CO{sub 2} to CO and higher carbon reduction products like formaldehyde, formate, and methanol. Gas-diffusion electrochemical cells were developed to carry out these reactions. A tin-porphyrin/alumina photocatalyst system was partially developed to couple solar energy to this reduction process.

Plasma discharges involving mixtures of chlorine and boron trichloride are widely used to etch metals in the production of very-large-scale-integrated circuits. Energetic ions play a critical role in this process, influencing the etch rates, etch profiles, and selectivity to different materials. The authors are using a gridded energy analyzer to measure positive ion energy distributions and fluxes at the grounded electrode of high-density inductively-coupled rf discharges. In this paper, they present details of ion energies and fluxes in discharges containing mixtures of chlorine and boron trichloride.

Implementation of optical imagery in a diffuse inhomogeneous medium such as biological tissue requires an understanding of photon migration and multiple scattering processes which act to randomize pathlength and degrade image quality. The nature of transmitted light from soft tissue ranges from the quasi-coherent properties of the minimally scattered component to the random incoherent light of the diffuse component. Recent experimental approaches have emphasized dynamic path-sensitive imaging measurements with either ultrashort laser pulses (ballistic photons) or amplitude modulated laser light launched into tissue (photon density waves) to increase image resolution and transmissive penetration depth. Ballistic imaging seeks to compensate for these {open_quotes}fog-like{close_quotes} effects by temporally isolating the weak early-arriving image-bearing component from the diffusely scattered background using a subpicosecond optical gate superimposed on the transmitted photon time-of-flight distribution. The authors have developed a broadly wavelength tunable (470 nm -2.4 {mu}m), ultrashort amplifying optical gate for transillumination spectral imaging based on optical parametric amplification in a nonlinear crystal. The time-gated image amplification process exhibits low noise and high sensitivity, with gains greater than 104 achievable for low light levels. We report preliminary benchmark experiments in which this system was used to reconstruct, spectrally upcovert, and enhance near-infrared two-dimensional images with feature sizes of 65 {mu}m/mm{sup 2} in background optical attenuations exceeding 10{sup 12}. Phase images of test objects exhibiting both absorptive contrast and diffuse scatter were acquired using a self-referencing Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor in combination with short-pulse quasi-ballistic gating. The sensor employed a lenslet array based on binary optics technology and was sensitive to optical path distortions approaching {lambda}/100.

A physical model is developed to quantify the contribution of oxide-trapped charge to enhanced low-dose-rate gain degradation in BJTs. Simulations show that space charge limited transport is partially responsible for the low-dose-rate enhancement.

An experimental program was performed that examined the physical and mechanical properties of several candidate, lead (Pb)-free solder alloys. The project was separated into three tasks designated as follows: (1) Alloy Development, (2) Intermetallic Compound (IMC) Growth, and (3) Mechanical Testing. Task 1, Alloy Development, examined the impact that small Pb additions had on the physical and mechanical properties of several Pb-free solders. Task 2, Intermetallic Compound (IMC) Growth investigated the development of the IMC layer between several Pb-free solder alloys and Cu. Quantitative analyses established the kinetics of layer growth in the solid state as a result of elevated temperature aging treatments, and as a function of the composition of the solder. Liquid state IMC layer growth as well as dissolution rates of Cu substrates by molten solders were quantitatively documented. Task 3, Mechanical Properties, performed a series of experiments that provided fracture toughness measurement, thermomechanical fatigue evaluations, and creep deformation data on a number of the Pb-free solders as well as on Pb-free alloys that had been contaminated with controlled quantities of Pb additions. The data obtained from these tests results relative performance information as well as valuable input data for computer models. Several ancillary tests were also performed to support partner company efforts.

Experimental work conducted by D. B. Adolf has shown that a separable K-BKZ constitutive equation works reasonable well in predicting the stress relaxation observed in single step strain experiments for carbon black filled rubber. However, the memory requirements and numerical efficiency of the K-BKZ equation do not make it well suited for use in a production, three-dimensional finite element code. As an alternative, D. J. Segalman, K. Zuo, and D. Parsons have developed a "damage-like" constitutive equation which is computationally attractive. This formalism has been installed in the JAS3D finite element code. The requisite code inputs and numerical details of the constitutive integration are discussed, and solutions to selected problems are presented. Comparisons are made to data collected from both single and double step strain experiments.

DIAMOND FORTUNE was a nuclear explosion detonated inside an 11 m hemispherical cavity in tuff at the Nevada Test Site. Previous cavity explosions such as STERLING and MILL YARD have shown a substantial decrease in the expected ground motion. These types of cavity tests present a serious problem for a Comprehensive Test Ban (CTB). Not only is detection a problem, but presently there is no seismic method to discriminate between a tamped and cavity explosion. DIAMOND FORTUNE allowed us to examine several aspects of a cavity explosion in the context of a CTB. On this test, there were two groups of accelerometers fielded. One group was located in the free-field at sites above and below the cavity within 30 m of the source. The second group consisted of a line of gauges placed in the invert of P-tunnel extending from 44 m to 224 m from the source. The purpose of this arrangement was to measure ground motion in an effort to detect a non-symmetric radiation pattern due to the hemisphere, examine the high frequency propagation of the free-field signals as a possible discriminate, and calculate the decoupling factor. The radiation pattern experiment was conducted in an effort to determine if the asymmetry of a hemispherical cavity could provide a preferred direction of transmission. The analysis indicated a definite radiation pattern with larger amplitudes transmitted through the spherical surface than the plane surface. The possibility of using high frequency signals as a discriminant of tamped versus cavity explosions is implied by the MILL YARD data. MILL YARD was also a nuclear explosion in an 11 m hemispherical cavity. The free-field ground motion signals from this test (<25 m) contained very large high frequency amplitudes ([approx]1000 Hz) in their spectra. DIAMOND FORTUNE also exhibited high frequency signals with comer frequencies twice that of the scaled tamped DISTANT ZENITH event.

A large-scale field demonstration comparing and contrasting final landfill cover designs has been constructed and is currently being monitored. Four alternative cover designs and two conventional designs (a RCRA Subtitle ``D`` Soil Cover and a RCRA Subtitle ``C`` Compacted Clay Cover) were constructed of uniform size, side-by-side. The demonstration is intended to evaluate the various cover designs based on their respective water balance performance, ease and reliability of construction, and cost. This paper provides an overview of the construction costs of each cover design.