scholarly journals Photorefractive Effect in NLC Cells Caused by Anomalous Electrical Properties of ITO Electrodes

Crystals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 900
Author(s):  
Atefeh Habibpourmoghadam

In a pure nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cell, optically induced charge carriers followed by transports in double border interfaces of orientant/LC and indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/orientant (or LC) can cause removal of screening of the static electric field inside the LC film. This is called surface photorefractive effect (SPR), which induces director field reorientation at a low DC electric field beyond the threshold at a reduced Fréedericksz transition and, as a result, a modulation of the LC effective refractive index. The studies conducted on the photoinduced opto-electrical responses in pure nematic LC cells biased with uniform static DC electric fields support the SPR effect (attributed to the photoelectric activation of the double interfaces). The SPR effect was further studied in LC cells with photoresponsive substrates, which act as a source of a bell-shaped electric field distribution in the LC film if no ITO electrode was employed. In an equipped cell with ITO, the photovoltaic electric field induces charge carrier redistribution in the ITO film, hence the SPR effect. This paper is aimed at highlighting all the evidences supporting ITO film as one of the fundamental sources of the SPR effect in pure NLC cells under the condition of applying low optical power and low DC voltage. An optically induced fringe electric field stemming from inhomogeneous photo-charge profiles near the electrode surfaces is expected in the LC film due to the semiconducting behavior of the ITO layer.

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Dimant ◽  
M. M. Oppenheim ◽  
G. M. Milikh

Abstract. Meteoroids traversing the E-region ionosphere leave behind extended columns of elevated ionization known as the meteor plasma trails. To accurately interpret radar signals from trails and use them for diagnostics, one needs to model plasma processes associated with their structure and evolution. This paper describes a 3-D quantitative theory of the electrostatic interaction between a dense plasma trail, the ionosphere, and a DC electric field driven by an external dynamo. A simplified water-bag model of the meteor plasma shows that the highly conducting trail efficiently short-circuits the ionosphere and creates a vast region of currents that flow through and around the trail. We predict that the trail can induce electric fields reaching a few V/m, both perpendicular and parallel to the geomagnetic field. The former may drive plasma instabilities, while the latter may lead to strong heating of ionospheric electrons. We discuss physical and observational implications of these processes.


Author(s):  
Jay Shieh

Bulk barium titanate (BaTiO3 ) ceramic specimens with bimodal microstructures are prepared and their dielectric and fatigue strengths are investigated under an alternating current (AC) electric field and a direct current (DC) electric field. It is found that under AC electrical loading, both the dielectric and fatigue strengths decrease with increasing amount of coarse abnormal grains. The scatter of the AC fatigue strength is characterized with the Weibull statistics. The extent of scatter of the AC fatigue strength data correlates strongly with the size distribution of the coarse grains. Such correlation is resulted from the presence of intrinsic defects within the microstructure. For DC electrical loading, the time to failure of the specimens with coarse abnormal grains is significantly shorter than the lifetimes of the specimens with only small normal grains. It is found that under a DC electric field of 6 MVm−1, the BaTiO3 specimens would fail within 200 h when abnormal grains are present in the microstructure. However, the lifetimes of the specimens containing abnormal grains vary significantly from one to another. The Weibull statistical analysis indicates that the amount of abnormal grains has little influence on the lifetime performance of bulk BaTiO3 ceramics under large DC electric fields. In most of the failed BaTiO3 specimens under DC electrical loading, regardless of their lifetimes, large through-thickness round holes with recrystallization features are present. A mixed failure mode consisting of avalanche and thermal breakdowns is proposed for the failed specimens.


2012 ◽  
Vol 550-553 ◽  
pp. 1108-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Yan ◽  
Shi Ru Jia ◽  
Xin Tong Zheng ◽  
Cheng Zhong ◽  
Miao Liu ◽  
...  

In this study, the movement and orientation of bacteria cells were controlled by direct current(DC) electric fields, result in altering alignment of bacterial cellulose nanofiber and further changing the 3-dimensional network structure of bacterial cellulose. A modified swarm plate assay was performed to investigate the migration of Gluconacetobacter xylinus cells which exposed in DC electric field. It suggested that the cells moved toward to negative pole and with the increasement of the electric field strength the velocity will also increase. The SEM analysis demonstrated that the cellulose fiber bundles which synthesized at 1V/cm have lager diameter and a trend toward one direction. Meanwhile the growth state of G.xylinus in the presence of DC electric field was also being observed.


2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 1219-1223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiko Narazaki ◽  
Toshiaki Hirano ◽  
Jun Sasai ◽  
Katsuhisa Tanaka ◽  
Kazuyuki Hirao ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 650-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoyuki Yasukawa ◽  
◽  
Yusuke Yoshida ◽  
Hironobu Hatanaka ◽  
Fumio Mizutani

We report on control of line pattern positioning with particles fabricated by negative dielectrophoresis (n-DEP) using the applied intensity and phase of an AC electric field. Line patterns were fabricated in a microfluidic device consisting of upper conductive indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrates and lower ITOinterdigitated microband array (IDA) electrodes used as the template. A 6-µm-diameter polystyrene particles suspension was introduced into the device between upper ITO and the bottom ITO-IDA substrate. An AC electric signal of a typically 20 peak-to-peak voltage and 1.0 MHz was then applied to upper ITO and bands on lower IDA, resulting in the formation of line patterns with low electric-field gradient regions. AC voltage was applied to bands A and B on lower IDA with the opposite phase and the same frequency and intensity. When the signal identical to band A was applied to upper ITO, particles were aligned above band A because relatively lower electric fields were produced in these regions. In contrast, the application of a signal identical to band B formed line patterns with particles aligned above band B due to the generation of a strong electric field between band A and upper ITO and the disappearance of the strong electric field between band B and upper ITO. The decrease in applied intensity to upper ITO shifted the accumulated position of particles to the center between bands A and B because of the balance of electric fields generated between band A or B and upper ITO. We thus fabricated line patterns with particles at desired positions in the fluidic device.


NANO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (05) ◽  
pp. 2050065
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Mingyan Gao ◽  
Yingmin Qu ◽  
Jun Hu ◽  
Ying Xie ◽  
...  

The effects of AC/DC electric fields on stretching DNA molecules were discussed in this work. In the experiments of stretching DNA molecules with AC/DC electric fields, the voltage range was changed from 0[Formula: see text]V to 10[Formula: see text]V, and the frequency of AC electric field was kept at 50[Formula: see text]kHz. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to obtain DNA distributions under different electric fields. DNA molecules were curved and randomly distributed in solution if there was not any force applied to them. When an AC electric field was applied to the DNA sample, the curvature of DNA molecules was decreased gradually, and the stretching result was more obvious with the increase of voltage from 0.1[Formula: see text]V to 5[Formula: see text]V. The DNA molecules were broken when the voltage was increased to 6[Formula: see text]V. However, under the DC electric field, the stretching result of DNA molecules reached to their optimum state when the voltage was 2[Formula: see text]V, and they kept their steady state even though larger electric field intensities applied to the electrodes. The results can be used for the study of DNA–DNA, protein–DNA and quantum dot–DNA interactions and for the exploration of DNA biophysical properties.


2000 ◽  
Vol 195 ◽  
pp. 311-312
Author(s):  
Y. E. Litvinenko

Fast magnetic reconnection in extragalactic jets leads to electron acceleration by the DC electric field in the reconnecting current sheet. The maximum electron energy (γ > 106) and the acceleration time (< 106 s) are determined by the magnetic field dynamics in the sheet.


Author(s):  
Y. V. Khotyaintsev ◽  
P.-A. Lindqvist ◽  
C. M. Cully ◽  
A. I. Eriksson ◽  
M. André

Abstract. Double-probe electric field instrument with long wire booms is one of the most popular techniques for in situ measurement of DC and AC electric fields in plasmas on spinning spacecraft platforms, which have been employed on a large number of space missions. Here we present an overview of the calibration procedure used for the EFW instrument on Cluster, which involves spin fits of the data and correction of several offsets. We also describe the procedure for the offset determination and present results for the long-term evolution of the offsets.


2001 ◽  
Vol 665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cengiz S. Ozkan ◽  
Huajian Gao

ABSTRACTWe have developed a method for fabricating polymer microstructures based on electric field induced self assembly and pattern formation. A dielectric fluid placed in between to conductive plates experiences a force in an applied electric field gradient across the plates, which can induce a diffusive surface instability and self construction of the fluid surface. This process is exploited for the fabrication of self assembled polymer microstructures as well as replicated patterns through the use of pre-patterned plates or electrodes. We have used silicon wafers and transparent ITO (Indium-Tin Oxide) coated quartz substrates to fabricate the capacitor structures. The bottom silicon plate is spin coated with a 100-200 nm thick polystyrene film. The ITO substrate was placed over the polymer surface at a distance to leave a thin air gap using spacers. For directed pattern transfer, patterned ITO substrates were used. The capacitor setup was heated above the glass transition temperature of the polymer and a voltage was applied across the plates (50-150 Volts), which induces electric fields on the order of 107–108 V/m. The capacitor structure was quenched to observe the structures using optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The method described can be used to fabricate a variety of structures in the micron and nanometer scales including bio-fluidic MEMS, polymer optoelectronic devices and patterned templates for nanolithography.


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