A compact and low power consumption instrument for measuring the electron density and temperature in the ionosphere has been developed by modifying the previously developed Electron Temperature Probe (ETP). A circuit block which controls frequency of the sinusoidal signal is added to the ETP so that the instrument can measure both T(e) in low frequency mode and N(e) in high frequency mode from the floating potential shift of the electrode. The floating potential shift shows a minimum at the upper hybrid resonance frequency (f(UHR)). The instrument which is named "TeNeP" can be used for tiny satellites which do not have enough conductive surface area for conventional DC Langmuir probe measurements. The instrument also eliminates the serious problems associated with the contamination of satellite surface as well as the sensor electrode.

We report on effects of a tungsten layer deposited on silicon surface on the effectiveness for diamond nanoparticles to be seeded for the deposition of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD). Rough tungsten surface and electrostatic forces between nanodiamond seeds and the tungsten surface layer help to improve the adhesion of nanodiamond seeds on the tungsten surface. The seeding density on tungsten coated silicon thus increases. Tungsten carbide is formed by reactions of the tungsten layer with carbon containing plasma species. It provides favorable (001) crystal planes for the nucleation of (111) crystal planes by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPECVD) in argon diluted methane plasma and further improves the density of diamond seeds/nuclei. UNCD films grown at different gas pressures on tungsten coated silicon which is pre-seeded by nanodiamond along with heteroepitaxially nucleated diamond nuclei were characterized by Raman scattering, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy.

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