Fumed silica A-300 was carbonized by means of pyrolysis of CH2Cl2. The obtained initial SiO2:C nanopowders of black color, with an average diameter of 14–16 nm and carbon (C) concentration 7 wt. %, subjected to the oxidation and passivation treatment were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in the temperature range 4–400 K. Two EPR signals of Lorentzian lineshape with nearly equal g-factors and different linewidth were observed in the initial, oxidized, and passivated SiO2:C nanopowders. The two-component EPR spectrum was explained by the presence of C in two electronic states. The intensive narrow EPR signal, which has a temperature-dependent intensity, linewidth, and resonance field position, was attributed to the carbon-related defect with non-localized electron hopping between neighboring C-dangling bonds. The striking effect is that the temperature dependence of the EPR linewidth demonstrates the motional narrowing of the EPR signal at very low temperatures from 4 K to 20 K, which is not typically for nonmetallic materials and was explained by the quantum character of C layer conductivity in the SiO2:C. The observed peaks in the temperature dependence of the conduction electron EPR signal integral intensity in the high-temperature range 200–440 K was explained by the presence of the C nanodots at the surface of SiO2 nanoparticles and the ejection of electrons from the confinement energy levels of C quantum dot when the temperature becomes comparable to the confinement energy.
We present the design and development of a single stage pulse power amplifier working in the frequency range 32-38 GHz based on a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC). We have designed the MMIC power amplifier by using the commercially available packaged GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor. The circuit fabrication and assembly process includes the elaboration of the matching networks for the MMIC power amplifier and their assembling as well as the topology outline and fabrication of the printed circuit board of the waveguide-microstrip line transitions. At room ambient temperature, the measured peak output power from the prototype amplifier is 35.5 dBm for 16.6 dBm input driving power, corresponding to 19 dB gain. The measured rise/fall time of the output microwave signal modulated by a high-speed PIN diode was obtained as 5-6 ns at 20-250 ns pulse width with 100 kHz pulse repetition rate frequency.
A change in the non-stationary electromagnetic (EM) signal over the conducting polarizable Earth covered by sea water on measuring lines located in the axial and equatorial regions of the source – a pulsed horizontal electric line (HEL) – is considered. When the HEL operates under pulsed conditions, it creates a galvanic and eddy current in the medium. If the medium affected by the HEL is heterogeneous, both influences lead to the separation of bound charges. After attenuating the impact of an artificial source, relaxation (depolarizing) processes of various nature appear in such a medium, manifesting themselves, in particular, in the form of an EM signal. As a result, the transient process recorded by the grounded line after the pulsed effect of the HEL is at least a superposition of three components: the transient electromagnetic (TEM) signals, galvanically induced polarization (GIP) and inductively induced polarization (IIP). As the contribution of the TEM field component to the overall signal decreases, the IP signal is manifested in the transient process by a change in the time response of the decay, to the point where the signal reverses polarity. As shown earlier by numerical simulations for the axial region of the HEL, the manifestation of the IIP signal at late transient process times, for most of the geoelectric conditions on land, is invisible against the GIP manifestation (Ageenkov et al., 2020). These calculations also show that in the axial region, the GIP signal manifests itself in the form of a deceleration of the transient process rate, and the IDP signal – an acceleration of the decay rate, to the point where the signal changes its sign. Field measurements performed by the aquatic differential-normalized method of electrical prospecting (ADNME), which uses axial electrical installations, record transient processes with a change in the time response of the decay: it becomes more delayed or, vice versa, runs faster and may be accompanied by a change in the polarity of the signal. In other words, measured signals of different forms are observed, which are presumably associated with the manifestation of the GIP or IIP signals. The relevance of the publication lies in the need to explain the results of field measurements performed offshore, to understand the relationship between the course of the transient process and the geoelectric conditions existing in the water area. And in general, to describe the formation of the transient response of the medium in the axial and equatorial region of the HEL for the conditions of aquatic geoelectrics. The calculated signal for axial and equatorial electrical installations with several spacings under the conditions of the sea shelf water area is studied when the installation is located on the surface of and inside the water layer, and on the seabed of the water area – on geological formations. For axial installations, calculations are made of the quantities used in the ADNME: the transient process ΔU(t), the finite difference of the transient process Δ2U(t) and the transformant P1(t) – the ratio of Δ2U(t) to ΔU(t). For equatorial installations, the signal ΔU(t). is calculated. The signals of a two-layered model of the medium with polarizable and non-polarizable bases are compared.
Optical and magnetic properties of SiO2:C nanopowders obtained by chemical and thermal modification of fumed silica were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman, continuous wave (CW) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), echo-detected EPR and pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy. Two overlapping signals of Lorentzian lineshape were detected in CW EPR spectra of the initial SiO2:C. The EPR signal at g = 2.0055(3) is due to the silicon dangling bonds, which vanishes after thermal annealing, and the second EPR signal at g = 2.0033(3) was attributed to the carbon-related defect (CRD). The annealing of the SiO2:C samples gives rise to the increase of the CRD spin density and shift to the higher g-values due to the appearance of the oxygen in the vicinity of the CRD. Based on the temperature-dependent behavior of the CRD EPR signal intensity, linewidth and resonance field position we have attributed it to the spin system with non-localized electrons hopping between neighboring carbon dangling bonds, which undergo a strong exchange interaction with a localized spin system of carbon nanodots. The observed motional narrowing of the CRD EPR signal in the temperature interval from 4 to 20 K indicates that electrons are mobile at 4 K which can be explained by a quantum character of the conductivity in the vicinity of the carbon layer. The electrons trapped in quantum wells move from one carbon nanodot to another by hopping process through the energy barrier. The fact that echo-detected EPR signal at g = 2.0035(3) was observed in SiO2:C sample annealed at T ann ≥ 700 °C serves as evidence that non-localized electrons coexist with localized electrons that have the superhyperfine interaction with surrounding 13C and 29Si nuclei located at the SiO2:C interface. The presence of the superhyperfine interaction of CRD with 1H nuclei indicates the existence of hydrogenated regions in SiO2:C sample.
The construction of the low noise Q-band reference oscillator based on the voltage controlled bipolar GaAs transistor for the transmitter of pulse microwave (MW) bridge designed for the pulse electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer has been presented. The application of the reference MW oscillator, which consists of a quartz crystal oscillator, frequency synthesizer and a low-noise GaAs bipolar transistor, instead of klystron or Gunn oscillator, results in the improvement of the phase and frequency noise of the pulse ESR spectrometer, which makes it well suited for the dating and diagnostics of the biomaterials by pulse ESR methods.
The carbonized silica (SiO 2 :C) nanopowders were prepared by chemical modification of fumed silica (aerosil) by phenyltrimethoxysilane followed by thermal annealing at temperature in range of 500-800 °C in nitrogen flow. Their magnetic properties were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in the temperature range from 4.2 K to 292 K. The initial and annealed SiO 2 :C samples revealed carbon (C) related defects. The carbon related radicals (CRR) in annealed SiO 2 :C nanopowders with g -factors 2.0042, 2.0039 were attributed to the oxygen (O)-centered CRR and C-centered CRR with a nearby O heteroatom, respectively. The EPR data were compared with infrared (IR) and photoluminescence (PL) data. It was found that the position of the PL band depends on the type of CRR formed after sample annealing. The PL with maximum intensity at 440 nm was found for the sample annealed at 500°C in which O-centered CRR was observed while in the sample annealed at 600°C in which C-centered CRR with a nearby O heteroatom was observed and graphite-like amorphous C clusters were appeared the peak of the PL band was shifted to the 510-520 nm.
The decay kinetics of a persistent photoconductivity (PPC) in undoped semi-insulating 4H SiC and intercenter charge transfer were studied with EPR, photo-EPR and optical admittance spectroscopy (OAS). A thermally activated charge transfer process that occurs in the dark has been observed. The PPC effect was observed directly in changes in the quality factor of the EPR cavity before and after illumination and by the decay of the OAS signal for deep levels, and indirectly by the excitation and decay of the nitrogen and boron EPR lines that were not observed in the dark before illumination. The decay kinetics of the PPC and photo-induced carrier capture by nitrogen and boron levels were found to follow a stretched exponential form. The PPC in the temperature range from 77 to 300K was found to be produced by a thermally induced charge transfer process involving deep trap levels.
