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Low-Pressure Plasma Cleaning of Aerospace Components Using Breathing/Compressed Air
From NASA Tech Briefs, June 1, 2017, by John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL:
"A method for
precision cleaning of aerospace components is needed that does not use
hazardous or environmentally harmful commodities. Researchers at
John F. Kennedy Space Center and Vencore Services and Solutions have
developed a method using a low-pressure plasma cleaning system combined
with breathing or compressed air as the feed gas. Plasma cleaning with
air has the following advantages over other precision cleaning methods:
produces essentially no hazardous waste stream, no drying time,
renewable low-cost consumable (air), and simple operation.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Nanostructures Detect Colors
From California Institute of Technology, June 28, 2017:
"
Engineers
at Caltech have for the first time developed a light detector that
combines two disparate technologies -- nanophotonics, which manipulates
light at the nanoscale, and thermoelectrics, which translates
temperature differences directly into electron voltage -- to distinguish
different wavelengths of light, including both visible and infrared
wavelengths, at high resolution. The new detector operates about 10 to
100 times faster than current comparable thermoelectric devices and is
capable of detecting light across a wider range of the electromagnetic
spectrum than traditional light detectors. The detectors were fabricated
in the Kavli Nanoscience Institute cleanroom at Caltech, where the team
created subwavelength structures using a combination of vapor
deposition and electron beam lithography.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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New Theory Predicts Wetted Area of Droplets Colliding with Flat Surface
From Kumamoto University, Japan, May 24, 2017, Yukihiro Yonemoto:
"Japanese researchers have succeeded in
deriving a theoretical formula that quantitatively predicts the wetting
and spreading behavior of droplets that collide with the flat surface of
a solid material. The wettability of droplets adhering to a solid
surface is characterized by the tangential dynamic balance equation
(Young equation) at the contact line. In previous theoretical studies on
the maximum wetting and spreading area of collision droplets, only the
balance equation of the contact line in the tangential direction was
considered. The conventional method used for high speed collisions
generates large errors at low speeds and the conventional method used
for low speed collisions returns large errors at high speeds. To reduce
calculation errors, a collaboration between Kumamoto University and
Kyoto University researchers focused on what had yet to be studied in
detail, the normal surface tension on the contact line and the energy
balance of droplets colliding with solid surfaces."
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Lab Breakthrough in 3D Printing of Glass
From
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, May 2, 2017 by Jeremy Thomas:
"
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
scientists and academic collaborators have demonstrated the synthesis of
transparent glass through 3D printing, a development that could
ultimately lead to altering the design and structure of lasers and other
devices that incorporate optics. A new 3D printing technique, developed
at Lawrence Livermore, could allow scientists to print glass that
incorporates different refractive indices in a single flat optic, making
finishing cheaper and easier. LLNL chemical engineer and project lead
Rebecca Dylla-Spears. 'We're not going to replace the optical
materials made through traditional means, but we're trying to impart new
functionality using additive manufacturing. This is the first step to
being able to print compositionally graded glass optics.'
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Automotive Touch Screen Shipments to Top 50 Million Units in 2017
From
IHS Markit, May 30, 2017:
"
Automotive touch panel shipments are
expected to top 50 million units in 2017, up 11 percent from 45 million
units in 2016, according to IHS Markit, a world leader in critical
information, analytics and solutions. More importantly, capacitive-touch
screen shipments are forecast to surpass that of
traditionally-dominated resistive-touch screens in vehicles in 2017.
Many newer automotive screen applications now require touch screen
panels, which shifts the role of in-car displays from simply revealing
information visually to becoming an actual human-machine interface. This
shift, along with the increased volume of displayed data, is driving a
growing need for easy-to-see designs of displays that incorporate larger
sizes, non-rectangular or curved shapes, as well as higher
resolutions."
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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$49.4 Billion Semiconductor Equipment Forecast - New Record
From
SEMI, July 11, 2017:
"
SEMI, the global industry association
representing the electronics manufacturing supply chain, released its
Mid-year Forecast at the annual SEMICON West exposition.
SEMI reported that worldwide sales of new semiconductor manufacturing
equipment are projected to increase 19.8 percent to total $49.4 billion
in 2017, marking the first time that the semiconductor equipment market
has exceeded the market high of $47.7 billion set in 2000. In 2018, 7.7
percent growth is expected, resulting in another record-breaking year ─
totaling $53.2 billion for the global semiconductor equipment market. In
2017, South Korea will be the largest equipment market for the first
time. After maintaining the top spot for five years, Taiwan will place
second, while China will come in third."
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Move Over Tesla, Europe's Building Its Own Battery Gigafactories
From Bloomberg, May 21, 2017, by Anna Hirtenstein:
"Battery-making gigafactories are about to arrive in
Europe, challenging a lead Tesla Inc. is building at a plant in Nevada
and opening the way for a quicker shift toward green power for both cars
and utilities. German Chancellor Angela Merkel broke ground at a 500
million-euro ($543 million) plant to assemble lithium-ion energy-storage
units for Daimler AG, which produces Mercedes-Benz and Maybach luxury
cars. The facility 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Berlin highlights a
push by both major automakers and power companies into energy storage.
Global battery-making capacity is set to more than double by 2021,
reaching 278 gigawatt-hours, up from about 103 gigawatt-hours now,
according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Europe's market share
is expected to almost double over that time."
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Solving Complex Adhesion Problems with Plasma
From Product Design & Development, June 2, 2017 by Jeff Elliott (for PVA TePla America):
"
Whether bonding metal to plastic,
silicon to glass, polymers to other polymers of different durometers,
biological content to polymeric microtiter plates or even bonding to
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), plasma can be used to promote
adhesion. Adhesion promotion can be achieved by increasing the surface free energy. There
are several plasma methods to increase surface energy, including
physical and chemical plasmas along with PECVD coating surfaces.
In addition, plasma can increase the surface area of bonding by
nano-roughening a surface. Surfaces that are highly ordered, or
very crystalline, tend to have very low surface energies. To
disrupt that order, ionized plasma gas is utilized to bombard the
surface. This article discusses adhesion to non-stick coatings of
biological molecules, silicon overmolds and primers.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
Image: Wikimedia Commons/Clleyagr
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New Design Improves Performance of Flexible Wearable Electronics
From North Carolina State University, June 22, 2017 by Mehmet Ozturk:
"In a proof-of-concept study, North Carolina State
University engineers have designed a flexible thermoelectric energy
harvester that has the potential to rival the effectiveness of existing
power wearable electronic devices using body heat as the only source of
energy. One of the key challenges of a flexible harvester is to connect
thermoelectric elements in series using reliable, low-resistivity
interconnects. Researchers use a liquid metal of gallium and indium - a
common, non-toxic alloy called EGaIn - to connect the thermoelectric
'legs.' Liquid metal in the flexible thermoelectric device allows for
self-healing. Rigid devices do not have the ability to heal themselves.
" READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Solar Glasses: A Glimpse Into the Bright Future of Wearable Electronics
From
Advanced Science News, June 24, 2017 by John Uhlrich:
"
In an important step forward for wearable
electronics, researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have
designed and built a set of "solar glasses", which integrate transparent
solar cells into the lenses and electronics into the frames, to measure
and display the instantaneous light intensity and ambient temperature.
The research team used a combination of commercially available
thiophene- and fullerene-based polymers to form the solar cells, where
their properties of light weight, processability, transparency, and
low-light performance are put on full display. The low-light performance
is of paramount importance because the solar glasses are designed to be
fully functional even under office lighting indoors (500 lux).
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Large Portfolio of 2D Semiconductor Materials Benefits Next-generation Flexible Electronics
From
Nanowerk, May 23, 2017 by Michael Berger:
"
A recent Review article in Small
by Dr. Li Gao from Nanjing University of Science and Technology,
examines the recent advancement of flexible 2D electronic devices based
on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and black
phosphorous (BP or phosphorene). Gao discusses the mechanical properties
and strain-tunability of typical 2D semiconductors first, followed by
novel growth and fabrication techniques that are compatible for 2D
flexible devices. Subsequently, she presents detailed application
examples of field-effect transistors, photodetectors, strain and
chemical sensors, and supercapacitors, with a final discussion of
potential approaches and challenges to achieve 2D stretchable devices.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
Image:
Nanjing University of Science and Technology
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Nanoparticles Could Spur Better LEDs, Invisibility Cloaks
From University of Michigan, July 19, 2017 by Gabe Cherry:
"
In an advance that could boost the
efficiency of LED lighting by 50 percent and even pave the way for
invisibility cloaking devices, a team of University of Michigan
researchers have developed a new technique that peppers metallic
nanoparticles into semiconductors. This is the first technique that can
inexpensively grow metal nanoparticles both on and below the surface of
semiconductors. The team discovered a simple way that integrates easily
with the molecular beam epitaxy process used to make semiconductors.
They applied an ion beam between these layers -- a step that pushes
metal out of the semiconductor wafer and onto the surface. Their size
and placement can be precisely controlled by varying the angle and
intensity of the ion beam. Because the technique allows precise
control over the nanoparticle distribution, the researchers say it may
one day be useful for cloaks that render objects partially invisible by
inducing a phenomenon known as "reverse refraction.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation
Founding Principle:
The Society of Vacuum Coaters recognizes that in
order to sustain its growth, it is important to attract young, well
trained individuals to the field of Vacuum Coatings.
The SVC Foundation
pursues this principle by providing scholarships
to well qualified students planning to enter fields related to vacuum
coatings, and/or providing stipends for travel expenses to attend the
annual SVC Technical Conference, usually to present technical papers.
The Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC), the SVCF's founder, and AIMCAL, an
organization committed to advancing vacuum roll-coating technology, and
their members, provides support for the Foundation to pursue these
goals.
Since its inception in 2002, the SVCF has
awarded more than 50 scholarships and travel awards totaling over
$180,000 to students from 18 countries. Our support can really have an
impact in the life of these students; quoting a recent award recipient:
"Not only does the scholarship give the gift of
financial support and the possibility to continue learning, it also
gives those that have a passion for vacuum coating the blessing of
attending such a wonderful program [SVC TechCon] to network and further
their knowledge."
Inviting scholarship recipients to the SVC
TechCon is an important element of the overall strategy for attracting
new talent to our industry. Scholarship beneficiaries carry a special
identification on the TechCon badge and we encourage you to meet them
and make them feel welcome.
Scholarship Applications must be postmarked by November 30th of each year.
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Do You Have an Interesting Article to Share?
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Interested in sharing the latest news in vacuum coating technology?
Forward us a link to an article you want to share with the rest of the SVC readership to
svcinfo@svc.org
.
Purchase advertising space in this newsletter by contacting SVC at
svcinfo@svc.org
.
SVConnections Contributing Editors:
Carl M. Lampert, SVC Technical Director
Joyce Lampert
Society of Vacuum Coaters
PO Box 10628
Albuquerque, NM 87184
505.897.7743
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