Recent advances in nanophotonic light-trapping technologies offer promising solutions in developing high-efficiency thin-film solar cells. However, the cost-effective scalable manufacturing of those rationally designed nanophotonic structures remains a critical challenge. In contrast, diatoms, the most common type of phytoplankton found in nature, may offer a very attractive solution. Diatoms exhibit high solar energy harvesting efficiency due to their frustules (i.e., hard porous cell wall made of silica) possessing remarkable hierarchical micro-/nano-scaled features optimized for the photosynthetic process through millions of years of evolution. Here we report numerical and experimental studies to investigate the light-trapping characteristic of diatom frustule. Rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods are employed to investigate the light-trapping characteristics of the diatom frustules. In simulation, placing the diatom frustules on the surface of the light-absorption materials is found to strongly enhance the optical absorption over the visible spectrum. The absorption spectra are also measured experimentally and the results are in good agreement with numerical simulations.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effects of expulsion and current-lrmiting fuse (CLF) operations in distribution systems on power quality and system protection. This analysis included field tests of both types of fuses on a distribution system in Florida. To further analyze fuse effects on the voltage dip duration and spread of the overvoltages created during the fuse operations throughout the system, computer simulations were also performed. Unique digital fuse models were developed for use with the EMTP/ATP program. This paper shows that CLFs improve power quality by supporting system voltage during faults, reducing the voltage dip duration, and do not affect load operation. Additionally, CLFs reduce the fault letthrough I't.Computer simulations are included with the field testing in order to demonstrate that computer simulations can be used to predict the effects of CLF operations at any location in the system. The CLF models presented in this paper were developed for use with the Alternative Transients Program (ATP) and the Electromagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) which are widely used for power system analysis. Developed models can accurately simulate CLF operations and the resultant system voltages. The first section of this paper presents the CLF fuse modeling method. Models were verified by comparing simulation results to the laboratory tests. Fuse testing is included in section two. This section includes a comparative analysis of expulsion and current limiting fuse operations on distribution systems. Conclusions are given at the end of this paper.

Two optical data link data transmission Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), the baseline and its backup, have been designed for the ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) Calorimeter Phase-I trigger upgrade. The latency of each ASIC and that of its corresponding receiver implemented in a back-end Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) are critical specifications. In this paper, we present the latency measurements and simulation of two ASICs. The measurement results indicate that both ASICs achieve their design goals and meet the latency specifications. The consistency between the simulation and measurements validates the ASIC latency characterization.

The Split Ring Resonator (SRR) has been developed and explored for a number of sensing technologies and devices. A SRR can be equivalently regarded as an LC circuit; changes in the dielectric environment will change the equivalent capacitance of the resonator, resulting in a shift of the resonant frequency as well as the quality factor (Q-factor).This makes the device a promising application for continuous personal health monitoring throughout the day. In this work, we are developing a passive radio frequency sensor based on ring resonator designs. The targeted frequency band is within 2.4–2.5GHz ISM (Industrial-Scientific-Medical radio band) and is available for medical devices. The resonator structure is first simulated using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method by CST Microwave Studio to determine the resonant frequency. Then for the experimental study, a microstrip transmission line with a double split ring resonator (DSRR) was fabricated on a printed circuit board (PCB) with biocompatible PVC coating on top. Tuning the thickness and material of the biocompatible coating can further improve the biocompatibility, Q-factor, and resulting sensitivity (mS) of the device. Reflection spectrum (S11) is measured using a network analyzer at 100 mW. The current design senses changes in conductivity down to 0.5 mS. By reducing coating thickness, reducing the spacing between resonators, and with more efficient resonator designs we expect to further improve this sensitivity. This sensor could be utilized by either implanted into the interstitial layer beneath the skin or embedded into a contact lens to sense tear salinity levels.

In this paper, we present the design and test results of LOCx2-130, a low-power, low-latency, dual-channel transmitter ASIC for detector front-end readout. LOCx2-130 has two channels of encoders and serializers, and each channel operates at 4.8 Gbps. LOCx2-130 can interface with three types of ADCs, an ASIC ADC and two COTS ADCs. LOCx2-130 is fabricated in a commercial 130-nm CMOS technology and is packaged in a 100-pin QFN package. LOCx2-130 consumes 440 mW and achieves a latency of less than 40.7 ns.