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Ferritic stainless-steel interconnect materials are used in intermediate or high-temperature SOFCs because of their oxidation resistance, high formability, and low cost. Their corrosion resistance is due to the formation of a protective chromium oxide scale during operation. However, the protective oxide layer produces Cr-containing volatile species at SOFC operating temperatures and conditions, which can cause cathode poisoning. Spinel coatings have been developed to prevent cathode poisoning while maintaining an electrically conductive pathway through SOFC stacks. Generally, Mn-Co-O spinel has been the material of choice, but PNNL has developed an Mn-Cu-O spinel protective coating to remove the costly Co and enhance the electrical conductivity. This paper will focus on the electrically conductive coating’s compatibility with LSCF in high-temperature operating environments.

In this paper, we propose a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) binary image sensor with a gate/body-tied (GBT) p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOSFET)-type photodetector using a double-tail comparator for highspeed and low-power operations. The GBT photodetector is based on a PMOSFET tied with a floating gate (n+ polysilicon) and a body that amplifies the photocurrent generated by incident light. A double-tail comparator compares an input signal with a reference voltage and returns the output signal as either 0 or 1. The signal processing speed and power consumption of a double-tail comparator are superior over those of conventional comparator. Further, the use of a double-sampling circuit reduces the standard deviation of the output voltages. Therefore, the proposed CMOS binary image sensor using a double-tail comparator might have advantages, such as low power consumption and high signal processing speed. The proposed CMOS binary image sensor is designed and simulated using the standard 0.18 μm CMOS process.

Protonic ceramic fuel or electrolysis cells (PCFC/PCEC) have shown promising performance at intermediate temperatures. However, these technologies have not yet been demonstrated in a stack, hence the oxidation behavior of the metallic interconnect under relevant operating environments is unknown. In this work, ferritic stainless steels 430 SS, 441 SS, and Crofer 22 APU were investigated for their use as interconnect materials in the PCFC/PCEC stack. The bare metal sheets were exposed to a humidified air environment in the temperature range from 450 °C to 650 °C, to simulate their application in a PCFC cathode or PCEC anode. Breakaway oxidation with rapid weight gain and Fe outward diffusion/oxidation was observed on all the selected stainless steel materials. A protective coating is deemed necessary to prevent the metallic interconnect from oxidizing. To mitigate the observed breakaway oxidation, state-of-the-art protective coatings, Y2O3, Ce0.02Mn1.49Co1.49O4, CuMn1.8O4 and Ce/Co, were applied to the stainless steel sheets and their oxidation resistance was investigated. Dual atmosphere testing further validated the effectiveness of the protective coatings in realistic PCFC/PCEC environments, with a hydrogen gradient across the interconnect. Several combinations of metal and coating material were found to be viable for use as the interconnect for PCFC/PCEC stacks.

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors help autonomous vehicles detect the surrounding environment and the exact distance to an object&rsquo, s position. Conventional LiDAR sensors require a certain amount of power consumption because they detect objects by transmitting lasers at a regular interval according to a horizontal angular resolution (HAR). However, because the LiDAR sensors, which continuously consume power inefficiently, have a fatal effect on autonomous and electric vehicles using battery power, power consumption efficiency needs to be improved. In this paper, we propose algorithms to improve the inefficient power consumption of conventional LiDAR sensors, and efficiently reduce power consumption in two ways: (a) controlling the HAR to vary the laser transmission period (TP) of a laser diode (LD) depending on the vehicle&rsquo, s speed and (b) reducing the static power consumption using a sleep mode, depending on the surrounding environment. The proposed LiDAR sensor with the HAR control algorithm reduces the power consumption of the LD by 6.92% to 32.43% depending on the vehicle&rsquo, s speed, compared to the maximum number of laser transmissions (Nx.max). The sleep mode with a surrounding environment-sensing algorithm reduces the power consumption by 61.09%. The algorithm of the proposed LiDAR sensor was tested on a commercial processor chip, and the integrated processor was designed as an IC using the Global Foundries 55 nm CMOS process.

Lanthanum strontium cobaltite (LSCo) is considered a good candidate as cathode contact materials for SOFC applications, due to its high electrical conductivity as compared to the standard LSM materials. However, it suffers very poor thermal cycle stability because large mismatch in CTE. To overcome the large residual stress, we proposed to use strong and short alumina fiber to enforcement the LSCo matrix. Alumina in vol% from 2.5 to 20% were formulated and prepared for sintering study, thermal expansion coefficient measurement, phase characterization, bulk strength, and contact strength evaluation before and after 10 deep thermal cycles. Results showed the presence of rigid alumina fiber did retard the densification of LSCo matrix substantially at high alumina content. Bulk strength showed increasing trend at low alumina content but decreased at high alumina v%, likely due to severe retardation in densifications. Contact strength on 1”x1” bilayer showed the strong bonding at low alumina v% while good thermal cycle stability was observed. The candidate composite was further tested in a stack fixture using 2”x2” cell. Results of impedance versus cycling and microstructure and fracture analysis will be discussed to assess the validity of fiber reinforced LSCo as contact material.

Ferritic stainless steel interconnect materials are used in intermediate or high-temperature SOFCs because of their oxidation resistance, high formability, and low cost. Their corrosion resistance is due to the formation of a protective chromium oxide scale during operation. However, the protective oxide layer produces Cr-containing volatile species at SOFC operating temperatures and conditions, which can cause cathode poisoning. Electrically conducting spinel coatings have been developed to prevent cathode poisoning and maintain an electrically conductive pathway through SOFC stacks. Generally, Mn-Co-O spinel is used for this protective coating in SOFCs. To remove the Co and enhance the electrical conductivity, PNNL has developed a Mn-Cu-O spinel for this protective coating. This paper will focus on the electrically conductive coating’s compatibility with LSCF in high temperature operating environments.

Cr poisoning has been identified as a leading cause for degradation of solid oxide fuel cells. Mitigation can be achieved by protective coatings such as Mn-Co spinel or aluminization on ferritic stainless steel, a leading candidate for metallic interconnect. This has been successfully demonstrated in short and medium term operation, although the long-term integrity of these coatings remains to be validated. In addition to the passive means for Cr mitigation via protective coatings, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has teamed with University of Connecticut to adopt an active means to tackle the issue by including a novel Cr-getter material in the system. A novel Sr-Ni-oxide developed at University of Connecticut as Cr-getter has proven promising in small button cell testing. In this work, commercial YSZ/NiO anode-supported YSZ cells (50 mm x 50 mm) with either LSCF or LSM cathode were tested in a generic stack test fixture using humidified (~4.75%) air and diluted hydrogen. Two Cr-getter locations were investigated: one upstream of the cell and one “on cell.” Pre-oxidized AISI 441 metal stripes were used as the Cr source. In this study, we validated the candidate Cr-getter materials made either by a nitrate solution method or the solid-state reaction method. Candidate getter materials from nitrate solution approach were impregnated into a porous alumina form, while getter materials obtained by solid state reaction were sintered into small cylinders. For comparison, plain cells with and without a Cr source were also tested to provide baseline data. All cells were tested at constant current for ~1000h at 800oC. Cell performance and impedance were recorded, followed by post-mortem optical/electron microscopy and cathode microstructure/composition analysis. The results showed promising gettering performance with no Cr detected within cathode areas.

The metallic compound MnBi has high intrinsic coercivity with large positive temperature coefficient. The coercivity of MnBi exceeds 12 kOe and 26 kOe at 300 K and 523 K, respectively. Hence MnBi is a good candidate for the hard phase in exchange coupled nanocomposite magnets. In order to maximize the loading of the soft phase, the size of the MnBi particle has to be close to 500 nm, the size of single magnetic domain. Low energy milling is the common method to reduce MnBi particle size. However, only 3–7 μm size particle can be achieved without significant decomposition. Here, we report our effort on preparing submicron MnBi powders using traditional powder metallurgy methods. Mn 55 Bi 45 magnetic powders were prepared using arc melting method, followed by a series of thermal-mechanical treatment to improve purity, and finished with low energy ball milling at cryogenic temperature to achieve submicron particle size. The Mn 55 Bi 45 powders were decomposed during ball milling process and recovered during 24 h 290 °C annealing process. With increasing ball-milling time, the saturation magnetization of MnBi decreases, while the coercivity increases. Annealing after ball milling recovers some of the magnetization, indicating the decomposition occurred during the ball-milling process can be reversed. The coercivity of Mn 55 Bi 45 powders are also improved as a result of the heat treatment at 290 °C for 24 h. The world record magnetization 71.2 emu/g measured applying a field of 23 kOe has been achieved via low energy ball mill at room temperature.

A new pixel structure is proposed for wide dynamic range CMOS image sensors. A pixel based on a three-transistor active pixel sensor has two linear responses and a logarithmic response using additional circuits. The photogate surrounding the n+/p-sub photodiode exists for the second linear response. The logarithmic response is due to the biased MOS cascode. The proposed pixel was designed and fabricated using a 0.35- $\mu \text{m}$ 2-poly 4-metal standard CMOS process. The dynamic range of the pixel is higher than 106 dB. A test chip with a pixel pitch of $10 \times 10~\mu \text{m}^{2}$ and a $160 \times 120$ pixel array is evaluated.

Rapid solidification (RS) processing, as a production method, offers a variety of unique properties based on far-from-equilibrium microstructures obtained through rapid cooling rates. In this study, we seek to investigate the microstructures and properties of a novel Al-alloy specifically designed for high temperature mechanical stability. Synthesis of, AlFe 11.4 Si 1.8 V 1.6 Mn 0.9 (wt.%), was performed by two approaches: rotating cup atomization (“shot”) and melt spinning (“flake”). These methods were chosen because of their ability to produce alloys with tailored microstructures due to their inherent differences in cooling rate. The as-solidified precursor materials were microstructurally characterized with electron microscopy. The results show that the higher cooling rate flake material exhibited the formation of nanocrystalline regions as well additional phase morphologies not seen in the shot material. Secondary dendritic branching in the flake material was on the order of 0.1–0.25 μm whereas branching in the shot material was 0.5–1.0 μm. Consolidated and extruded material from both precursor materials was mechanically evaluated at both ambient and high (300 °C) temperature. The consolidated RS flake material is shown to exhibit higher strengths than the shot material. The ultimate tensile strength of the melt spun flake was reported as 544.2 MPa at room temperature and 298.0 MPa at 300 °C. These results forecast the ability to design alloys and processing approaches with unique non-equilibrium microstructures with robust mechanical properties at elevated temperatures.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), in collaboration with government agencies and industries, is actively engaged in the development, testing, and characterization of high efficiency, low cost modular solid oxide fuel cell power generation systems for stationary, automotive and military applications. Advanced SOFC systems are being developed which will offer ease of operation on a variety of gaseous liquid hydrocarbon and coal-derived fuels as well as "zero emissions" capability. SOFC R&D activities at PNNL continue in the areas of cell component materials, electrochemistry, cell design and modeling, high temperature corrosion, and fuel processing. Specific activities include development of optimized materials and cost effective fabrication techniques for high power density anode-supported cells operating at temperatures below 800 degrees C, characterization of processes responsible for high electrical performance and long term performance degradation, optimization and cell and stack designs using computational engineering models, and hydrocarbon fuel processing using micro technology.

Ferritic stainless steels are preferred to interconnect materials for intermediate temperature SOFCs because of their resistance to oxidation, high formability, and low cost. However, their protective oxide layer produces Cr-containing volatile species at SOFC operating temperatures and conditions, which can cause cathode poisoning. Electrically conducting spinel coatings have been developed to prevent cathode poisoning and to maintain an electrically conductive pathway through SOFC stacks. PNNL demonstrated the Mn-Co-O type of spinel coating on the interconnect part and delivered a great result. However, the industrial partners need the cost down of these coating materials. Hence, PNNL starts investigating next-generation coating materials. This paper will focus on the electrically conductive coating process.

This paper proposes an algorithm that reduces the conversion time of a single-slope A/D converter (SSADC) that has n-bit resolution, which typically is limited by conversion time taking up to 2 n clock cycles for an operation. To improve thissituation, we have researched a novel hybrid-type A/D converter that consists of a pseudo-pipeline A/D converter and a con-ventional SSADC. The pseudo-pipeline A/D converter, using a single-stage of analog components, determines the most sig-nificant bits (MSBs) or upper bits and the conventional SSADC determines the remaining bits. Therefore, the modifiedSSADC, similar to the hybrid-type A/D converter, is able to significantly reduce the conversion time because the pseudo-pipeline A/D converter, which determines the MSBs (or upper bits), does not rely on a clock. The proposed A/D converterwas designed using a 0.35-µm 2-poly 4-metal standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology pro-cess; additionally, its characteristics were simulated.Keywords: Single-slope A/D converter, Conversion time, Pipeline A/D converter, A/D converter, CMOS image sensor

A new SPICE-compatible model for a gate/body-tied PMOSFET photodetector (GBT PD) with an overlapping control gate is pre-sented. The proposed SPICE-compatible model of a GBT PD with an overlapping control gate makes it possible to control the photo-current. Research into GBT PD modeling was proposed previously. However, the analysis and simulation of GBT PDs is not lacking.This SPICE model concurs with the measurement results, and it is simpler than previous models. The general GBT PD model is a hy briddevice composed of a MOSFET, a lateral bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and a vertical BJT. Conventional SPICE models are basedon complete depletion approximation, which is more applicable to reverse-biased p-n junctions; therefore, they are not appropriate forsimulating circuits that are implemented with a GBT PD with an overlapping control gate. The GBT PD with an overlapping controlgate can control the sensitivity of the photodetector. The proposed sensor is fabricated using a 0.35µm two-poly, four-metal standardcomplementary MOS (CMOS) process, and its characteristics are evaluated.Keywords: High-sensitivity, Gate/body-tied photodetector, SPICE model

This paper proposes a single slope A/D converter (SSADC) that is possible to process the signal of the ultraviolet, visible and infrared rays with a single chip. And the proposed SSADC is a type of single channel ADC. In the conventional SSADC, it is possible to process the only one signal with a kind of the sensor because the speed of the operating frequency and the slope of ramp signal generated by the ramp generator are fixed. In order to improve the disadvantages, a ramp generator which has variable slope in ramp function is designed and MUX(multiplexer) is adopted so that we can change the speed of the operating frequency and the slope of ramp signal. Therefore, the multiple signal processing of the wanted sensors can be possible. The designed circuit is layout by the CMOS 2-poly 4-metal technology process and is checked through DRC and LVS tools.

We propose a linear-logarithmic CMOS image sensor with reduced fixed pattern noise (FPN). The proposed linear-logarithmic pixel based on a conventional 3-transistor active pixel sensor (APS) structure has additional circuits in which a photogate and a cascade MOSFET are integrated with the pixel structure in conjunction with the photodiode. To improve FPN, we applied the PMOSFET hard reset method as a reset transistor instead of NMOSFET reset normally used in APS. The proposed pixel has been designed and fabricated using 0.18-μm 1-poly 6-metal standard CMOS process. A 120 × 240 pixel array of test chip was divided into 2 different subsections with 60 × 240 sub-arrays, so that the proposed linear-logarithmic pixel with reduced FPN could be compared with the conventional linear-logarithmic pixel. We confirmed a reduction of pixel response variation which affected image quality.

The metallic compound MnBi is a promising rare-earth-free permanent magnet material, unique among all candidates for its high intrinsic coercivity (Hci) and its large positive temperature coefficient. The Hci of MnBi in thin-film or powder form can exceed 12 and 26 kOe at 300 and 523 K, respectively. Such a steep rise in Hci with increasing temperature is unique to MnBi. Consequently, MnBi is a highly sought-after hard phase for exchange coupling nanocomposite magnets. However, the reaction between Mn and Bi is peritectic, and hence Mn tends to precipitate out of the MnBi liquid during the solidification process. As result, when the alloy is prepared using conventional induction or arc-melting casting methods, additional Mn is required to compensate the precipitation of Mn. In addition to composition, post-casting annealing plays an important role in obtaining a high content of MnBi low-temperature phase (LTP) because the annealing encourages the Mn precipitates and the unreacted Bi to react, forming the desired LTP phase. Here we report a systematic study of the effect of composition and heat treatments on the phase content and magnetic properties of Mn–Bi alloys. In this study, 14 compositions were prepared using conventional metallurgical methods, and the compositions, crystal structures, phase content and magnetic properties of the resulting alloys were analyzed. The results show that the composition with 55 at.% Mn exhibits both the highest LTP content (93 wt.%) and magnetization (74 emu g−1 with 9 T applied field at 300 K).

A generic solid oxide fuel cell stack test fixture was developed to evaluate candidate materials and processing under realistic conditions. Part III of the work investigated the stability of Ce-(Mn,Co) spinel coating, AISI441 metallic interconnect, alumina coating, and cell's degradation. After 6000 h test, the spinel coating showed densification with some diffusion of Cr. At the metal interface, segregation of Si and Ti was observed, however, no continuous layer formed. The alumina coating for perimeter sealing areas appeared more dense and thick at the air side than the fuel side. Both the spinel and alumina coatings remained bonded. EDS analysis of Cr within the metal showed small decrease in concentration near the coating interface and would expect to cause no issue of Cr depletion. Inter-diffusion of Ni, Fe, and Cr between spot-welded Ni wire and AISI441 interconnect was observed and Cr-oxide scale formed along the circumference of the weld. The microstructure of the anode and cathode was discussed relating to degradation of the top and middle cells. Overall, the Ce-(Mn,Co) spinel coating, alumina coating, and AISI441 steel showed the desired long-term stability and the developed generic stack fixture proved to be a useful tool to validate candidate materials for SOFC.

A generic solid oxide fuel cell stack test fixture was developed to evaluate candidate materials and processing under realistic conditions. A NiO–YSZ anode-supported YSZ electrolyte cell with a composite cathode was used to evaluate the long-term stability of a sealing system, alumina coating, Ce-modified (Mn,Co)-spinel coating, ferritic stainles steel AISI441 interconnect metal, and current collectors. A 3-cell short stack was assembled and tested in constant current mode for 6000 h at 800 °C. Part I of the work addresses the stack fixture design, cell components, sealing system, cell performance, and post-mortem analysis. Parts II and III will discuss microstructure evolution, interfacial reactions, and degradation mechanisms. During 6000 h of testing, the top cell showed very low degradation (∼1.4% kh−1), while the middle and bottom cells exhibited much higher degradation after ∼2000 h. The rapid cell degradation was correlated to the open circuit voltage measurements and was attributed to glass seal failure, probably due to unbalanced stress conditions. Post-mortem analysis showed a characteristic yellowish color around the glass seal, suggesting formation of SrCrO4. Overall the developed stack test fixture was demonstrated as a simple and useful tool for evaluation of SOFC candidate materials in realistic conditions.

A generic solid oxide fuel cell stack test fixture was developed to evaluate candidate materials and processing methods under realistic conditions. Part II of the work examined the sealing glass stability, microstructure development, interfacial reaction, and volatility issues of a 3-cell stack with LSM-based cells. After 6000 h of testing, the refractory sealing glass YSO7 showed desirable chemical compatibility with YSZ electrolyte in that no discernable interfacial reaction was identified. In addition, no glass penetration into the thin electrolyte was observed. At the aluminized AISI441 interface, the protective alumina coating appeared to be corroded by the sealing glass. Air side interactions appeared to be more severe than fuel side interactions. Metal species such as Cr, Mn, and Fe were detected in the glass, but were limited to the vicinity of the interface. No alkaline earth chromates were found at the air side. Volatility was also studied in a similar glass and weight loss in a wet reducing environment was determined. Using the steady-state volatility data, the life time weight loss of refractory sealing glass YSO77 was estimated to be less than 0.1 wt%.

This paper presents an extension of the dynamic range in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor(APS) using a stacked photodiode and feedback structure. The proposed APS is composed of two additional MOSFETs and stackedP+/N-well/P-sub photodiodes as compared with a conventional APS. Using the proposed technique, the sensor can improve the spectralresponse and dynamic range. The spectral response is improved using an additional stacked P+/N-well photodiode, and the dynamicrange is increased using the feedback structure. Although the size of the pixel is slightly larger than that of a conventional three-transistorAPS, control of the dynamic range is much easier than that of the conventional methods using the feedback structure. The simulation andmeasurement results for the proposed APS demonstrate a wide dynamic range feature. The maximum dynamic range of the proposedsensor is greater than 103 dB. The designed circuit is fabricated by the 0.35- um 2-poly 4-metal standard CMOS process, and itscharacteristics are evaluated.

An alkali-containing silicate glass was recently proposed as a potential sealant for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The glass contains appreciable amount of alkalis and retains its glassy microstructure at elevated temperatures over time. It is more compliant as compared to conventional glass–ceramics sealants and could potentially heal cracks during thermal cycling. In previous papers the thermal cycle stability, thermal stability and chemical compatibility were reported with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte and YSZ-coated ferritic stainless steel interconnect. In this paper, we report the electrical stability of the compliant glass with aluminized AISI441 interconnect material under DC load in dual environment at 700–800 °C. Apparent electrical resistivity was measured with a 4-point method for the glass sealed between two aluminized AISI441 metal coupons as well as plain AISI441 substrates. The results showed good electrical stability with the aluminized AISI441 substrate, while unstable behavior was observed for un-coated substrates. In addition, interfacial microstructure was examined with scanning electron microscopy and correlated with the measured resistivity results. Overall, the alumina coating demonstrated good chemical stability with the alkali-containing silicate sealing glass under DC loading.

This paper describes the mechanical characterization and corrosion testing of X608 Al alloy that is being considered for A-pillar covers for heavy-duty truck applications. Recently, PNNL developed a thermo-mechanical process to stamp A-pillar covers at room temperature using this alloy, and the full-size prototype was successfully stamped by a tier-1 supplier. This study was conducted to obtain additional important information related to the newly developed forming process, and to further improve its mechanical properties. The solutionization temperature, pre-strain and paint-bake heat-treatment were found to influence the alloy’s fabricability and mechanical properties. Natural aging effect on the formability was investigated by limiting dome height (LDH) tests. Preliminary corrosion experiments showed that the employed thermo-mechanical treatments did not significantly affect the corrosion behavior of Al X608.

A dynamic range extension technique is proposed based on a 3-transistor active pixel sensor (APS) with gate/body-tied p-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (PMOSFET)-type photodetector using a feedback structure. The new APS consists of a pseudo 3-transistor APS and an additional gate/body-tied PMOSFET-type photodetector, and to extend the dynamic range, an NMOSFET switch is proposed. An additional detector and an NMOSFET switch are integrated into the APS to provide negative feedback. The proposed APS and pseudo 3-transistor APS were designed and fabricated using a 2-poly 4-metal standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. Afterwards, their optical responses were measured and characterized. Although the proposed pixel size increased in comparison with the pseudo 3-transistor APS, the proposed pixel had a significantly extended dynamic range of 98 dB compared to a pseudo 3-transistor APS, which had a dynamic range of 28 dB. We present a proposed pixel that can be switched between two operating modes depending on the transfer gate voltage. The proposed pixel can be switched between two operating modes depending on the transfer gate voltage: normal mode and WDR mode. We also present an imaging system using the proposed APS.

Nicrofer-6025HT (Nicrofer) has been selected as a potential manifold material for advanced air separation units that use mixed ionic and electronic conductors (MIECs). Reactive air brazing (RAB) is a recently developed joining technique that has the potential to obtain high-quality joints with the required hermeticity between Nicrofer and the MIEC. Successful RAB joining of these two distinct materials requires an alumina surface layer on the Nicrofer. To aluminize the surface of Nicrofer, a recently developed reactive air aluminizing (RAA) technique was used. The current work demonstrated the feasibility of preparing RAA coatings on Nicrofer and compared the effect of aluminum powder size on the RAA process.

Recently, compliant sealing glass has been proposed as a potential candidate sealant for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. In a previous paper, the thermal stability and chemical compatibility were reported for a compliant alkali-containing silicate glass sealed between anode supported YSZ bi-layer and YSZ-coated stainless steel interconnect. In this paper, we will report the electrical stability of the compliant glass under a DC load and dual environment at 700–800 °C. Apparent electrical resistivity was measured with a 4-ponit method for the glass sealed between two plain SS441 metal coupons or YSZ-coated aluminized substrates. The results showed instability with plain SS441 at 800 °C, but stable behavior of increasing resistivity with time was observed with the YSZ coated SS441. In addition, results of interfacial microstructure analysis with scanning electron microscopy will be correlated with the measured resistivity results. Overall, the YSZ coating demonstrated chemically stability with the alkali-containing compliant silicate sealing glass under electrical field and dual environments.

A generic solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) test fixture was developed to evaluate candidate materials under realistic operating conditions. A commercial 50 mm × 50 mm NiO-YSZ anode-supported thin YSZ electrolyte cell with lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM)/YSZ cathode was tested to evaluate the stability of candidate materials. The cell was tested in two stages at 800°C: stage I with low (~3% H2O) humidity and stage II with high (~30% H2O) humidity hydrogen fuel in constant voltage or constant current mode. Part I of the work, published previously, provided information regarding the generic test fixture design, materials, cell performance, and optical post-mortem analysis. In part II, detailed microstructure and interfacial characterizations are reported regarding the SOFC candidate materials: (Mn,Co)-spinel conductive coating, alumina coating for sealing area, ferritic stainless steel interconnect, refractory sealing glass, and their interactions with each other. Overall, the (Mn,Co)-spinel coating was very effective in minimizing Cr migration. No Cr was identified in the cathode after 1720 h at 800°C. Aluminization of metallic interconnects also proved to be chemically compatible with alkaline-earth silicate sealing glass. The details of interfacial reaction and microstructure development are discussed.

In this paper, we propose a 4-transistor active pixel sensor(APS) with a novel correlated double sampling(CDS) circuit for the purpose of extending dynamic range. Dual sampling techniques can overcome low-sensitivity and temporal disparity problems at low illumination. To accomplish this, two images are obtained at the same time using different sensitivities. The novel CDS circuit proposed in this paper contains MOS switches that make it possible for the capacitance of a conventional CDS circuit to function as a charge pump, so that the proposed APS exhibits an extended dynamic range as well as reduced noise. The designed circuit was fabricated by using 0.35 ㎛ 2-poly 4-metal standard CMOS technology and its characteristics have been evaluated.

An alkali silicate glass (SCN-1) is being evaluated as a candidate sealant for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. The glass contains about 17 wt.% alkalis (K + Na) and has low glass transition and softening temperatures. It remains vitreous and compliant after sealing without substantial crystallization, as contrary to conventional glass–ceramic sealant. The glassy nature and low characteristic temperatures can reduce residual stresses and result in the potential for crack healing. In a previous study, the glass was found to have good thermal cycle stability and was chemically compatible with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coating during short term testing. In this study, the compliant glass was further evaluated in a more realistic way in that the sealed couples were first isothermally aged for 1000 h followed by thermal cycling. High temperature leakage was measured. Chemical compatibility was also investigated with powder mixtures to enhance potential interfacial reaction. In addition, interfacial microstructure was examined with scanning electron microscopy and evaluated with regard to the leakage and chemical compatibility results. Overall the compliant sealing glass showed desirable chemical compatibility with YSZ coated metallic interconnect of minimum reaction and hermetic behavior at 700–750 °C in dual environment.

This letter presents a highly efficient rack-level DC power architecture combined with a node-level DC uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The proposed system can provide almost the equivalent power efficiency of a high-voltage DC data center without any change in the existing power infrastructure. The node-level DC UPS combined with a power distribution board provides high power efficiency as well as lower UPS installation costs. Implemented on a rack, the entire power system can be monitored through a network.

Chromia-forming ferritic stainless steels find widespread use as interconnect materials in SOFCs at operating temperatures below 800 °C, because of their thermal expansion match and low cost. However, volatile Cr-containing species originating from this scale can poison the cathode material in the cells and subsequently cause power degradation in the devices. To prevent this, a conductive manganese cobaltite spinel coating has been developed, but unfortunately; this coating is not compatible with glass-based seals between the interconnect or cell frame components and the ceramic cell due to reactions between the coating and the glass. Thus, a new aluminizing process has been developed to improve the stability of the sealing regions of these components, as well as for other metallic stack and balance-of-plant components.