Papers by Michael Krasowski
Materials Science Forum, May 1, 2012
In an effort to develop harsh environment electronic and sensor technologies for aircraft engine ... more In an effort to develop harsh environment electronic and sensor technologies for aircraft engine safety and monitoring, we have used capacitive-based pressure sensors to shift the frequency of a SiCelectronics-based oscillator to produce a pressure-indicating signal that can be readily transmitted, e.g. wirelessly, to a receiver located in a more benign environment. Our efforts target 500 °C, a temperature well above normal operating conditions of commercial circuits but within areas of interest in aerospace engines, deep mining applications and for future missions to the Venus atmosphere. This paper reports for the first time a ring oscillator circuit integrated with a capacitive pressure sensor, both operating at 500 °C. This demonstration represents a significant step towards a wireless pressure sensor that can operate at 500 °C and confirms the viability of 500 °C electronic sensor systems.
NASA Glenn Research Center is presently developing and applying a range of sensor and electronic ... more NASA Glenn Research Center is presently developing and applying a range of sensor and electronic technologies that can enable future planetary missions. These include space qualified instruments and electronics, high temperature sensors for Venus missions, mobile sensor platforms, and Microsystems for detection of a range of chemical species and particulates. A discussion of each technology area and its level of maturity is given. It is concluded that there is a strong need for low power devices which can be mobile and provide substantial characterization of the planetary environment where and when needed. While a given mission will require tailoring of the technology for the application, basic tools which can enable new planetary missions are being developed.
This invited plenary paper summarizes recent significant progress towards development and deploym... more This invited plenary paper summarizes recent significant progress towards development and deployment of manufacturable SiC JFET-R ICs technology for beneficial prolonged use in extreme environmental conditions previously inaccessible to semiconductor electronics.
Additional Conferences (Device Packaging, HiTEC, HiTEN, and CICMT)
At HiTEC 2018, NASA Glenn Research Center reported the first demonstration of yearlong 500 °C ope... more At HiTEC 2018, NASA Glenn Research Center reported the first demonstration of yearlong 500 °C operation of ceramic-packaged “Generation 10” ~200-transistor integrated circuits (ICs) based on two-level interconnect silicon carbide (4H-SiC) junction field effect transistors and resistors (JFET-R). This HiTEC 2021 submission updates on-going efforts at NASA Glenn spanning two subsequent prototype IC generations “11 and 12” to increase both complexity and durability of these ICs. Increased chip complexities of around 1000 transistors/chip for Gen. 11 and near 3000 transistors/chip for Gen. 12 are made possible by reductions in minimum layout feature sizes (including resistor width shrinkage from 6 μm to 2 μm) coupled with enlarged die size (from 3 × 3 mm to 5 × 5 mm). Gen. 11 ICs electrically tested to date include an 8-bit delta-sigma analog to digital converter (ADC) as well as upscaled random access memory (RAM) and nearly 1 kbit read only memory (ROM). However, Gen. 11 prototype ICs...
Cratos was originally designed to evaluate a small footprint, low-power, tracked vehicle for trav... more Cratos was originally designed to evaluate a small footprint, low-power, tracked vehicle for traversing a crater face and for scraping regolith from a crater basin on the lunar surface. These activities require a power-to-weight ratio such that the vehicle is able to pull its entire mass vertically off the ground with the power from one track. Further complicating matters, the available power-units that fit the vehicles approximate one cubic meter volume, restrict power consumption to 100 watts. Lastly, the vehicle is required to telemeter data from an array of sensors to a remote control station for further study. This unique mix of design constraints lead to the creation of a versatile mobile sensor platform, described in this paper, capable of performing a myriad of functions beyond the scope of its original purpose.
NASA Glenn Research Center and NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab are collaborating to u... more NASA Glenn Research Center and NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab are collaborating to utilize an airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor suite to monitor Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the western basin of Lake Erie. The HABs are very dynamic events as they form, spread and then disappear within a 4 to 8 week time period in late summer. They are a concern for human health, fish and wildlife because they can contain blue green toxic algae. Because of this toxicity there is a need for the blooms to be continually monitored. This situation is well suited for aircraft based monitoring because the blooms are a very dynamic event and they can spread over a large area. High resolution satellite data is not suitable by itself because it will not give the temporal resolution due to the infrequent overpasses of the quickly changing blooms. A custom designed hyperspectral imager and a point spectrometer mounted on aT 34 aircraft have been used to obtain data on an algal bloom that form...
This innovation represents a method and circuit realization of a system designed to make in-situ ... more This innovation represents a method and circuit realization of a system designed to make in-situ measurements of test solar-cell operational parameters on orbit using readily available high-temperature and high-ionizing-radiation- tolerant electronic components. This innovation enables on-orbit in-situ solar-array health monitoring and is in response to a need recognized by the U.S. Air Force for future solar arrays for unmanned spacecraft. This system can also be constructed out of commercial-grade electronics and can be embedded into terrestrial solar power system as a diagnostics instrument. This innovation represents a novel approach to I-V curve measurement that is radiation and temperature hard, consumes very few system resources, is economical, and utilizes commercially available components. The circuit will also operate at temperatures as low as 55 C and up to +225 C, allowing it to reside close to the array in direct sunlight. It uses a swept mode transistor functioning as ...
Materials Science Forum, 2018
This report describes more than 5000 hours of successful 500 °C operation of semiconductor integr... more This report describes more than 5000 hours of successful 500 °C operation of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) with more than 100 transistors. Multiple packaged chips with two different 4H-SiC junction field effect transistor (JFET) technology demonstrator circuits have surpassed thousands of hours of oven-testing at 500 °C. After 100 hours of 500 °C burn-in, the circuits (except for 2 failures) exhibit less than 10% change in output characteristics for the remainder of 500 °C testing. We also describe the observation of important differences in IC materials durability when subjected to the first nine constituents of Venus-surface atmosphere at 9.4 MPa and 460 °C in comparison to what is observed for Earth-atmosphere oven testing at 500 °C.
Additional Conferences (Device Packaging, HiTEC, HiTEN, and CICMT), 2016
This work reports fabrication and testing of integrated circuits (ICs) with two levels of interco... more This work reports fabrication and testing of integrated circuits (ICs) with two levels of interconnect that consistently achieve greater than 1000 hours of stable electrical operation at 500 °C in air ambient. These ICs are based on 4H-SiC junction field effect transistor (JFET) technology that integrates hafnium ohmic contacts with TaSi2 interconnects and SiO2 and Si3N4 dielectric layers over ~ 1-μm scale vertical topology. Following initial burn-in, important circuit parameters remain stable for more than 1000 hours of 500 °C operational testing. These results advance the technology foundation for realizing long-term durable 500 °C ICs with increased functional capability for sensing and control combustion engine, planetary, deep-well drilling, and other harsh-environment applications.
14th International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, 2016
Accurate air mass zero (AM0) measurement is essential for the evaluation of new photovoltaic (PV)... more Accurate air mass zero (AM0) measurement is essential for the evaluation of new photovoltaic (PV) technology for space solar cells. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has flown an experiment designed to measure the electrical performance of several solar cells onboard NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Robotic Refueling Mission's (RRM) Task Board 4 (TB4) on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS). Four industry and government partners provided advanced PV devices for measurement and orbital environment testing. The experiment was positioned on the exterior of the station for approximately eight months, and was completely selfcontained, providing its own power and internal data storage. Several new cell technologies including four-junction (4J) Inverted Metamorphic Multi-junction (IMM) cells were evaluated and the results will be compared to ground-based measurement methods.
Some embodiments of the present invention describe an apparatus that includes an oscillator, a ra... more Some embodiments of the present invention describe an apparatus that includes an oscillator, a ramp generator, and an inverter. The apparatus includes an oscillator, an inverter, and a ramp generator. The oscillator is configured to generate a waveform comprising a low time and a hightime. The inverter is configured to receive the waveform generated by the oscillator, and invert the waveform. The ramp generator configured to increase a gate control voltage of a transistor connected to a solar cell, and rapidly decrease the gate control voltage of the transistor. During the low time of the waveform, a measurement of a current and a voltage of the solar cell is performed as the current and voltage of the solar cell are transmitted through a first channel and to a second channel. During the high time of the waveform, a measurement of a current of a shorted cell and a voltage reference is performed as the current of the shorted cell and the voltage reference are transmitted through the first channel and the second channel.
IEMC '03 Proceedings. Managing Technologically Driven Organizations: The Human Side of Innovation and Change (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37502)
Cooperative behavior algorithms utilizing swarm intelligence are being developed for mobile senso... more Cooperative behavior algorithms utilizing swarm intelligence are being developed for mobile sensor platforms to inspect jet engines on-wing. Experiments are planned in which several relatively simple autonomous platforms will work together in a coordinated fashion to carry out complex maintenance-type tasks within the constrained working environment modeled on the interior of a turbofan engine. The algorithms will emphasize distribution of the tasks among multiple units; they will be scalable and flexible so that units may be added in the future; and will be designed to operate on an individual unit level to produce the desired global effect. This proof of concept demonstration will validate the algorithms and provide justification for further miniaturization and specialization of the hardware toward the true application of on-wing in situ turbine engine maintenance.
MRS Proceedings, 2008
ABSTRACTNASA has been developing very high temperature semiconductor integrated circuits for use ... more ABSTRACTNASA has been developing very high temperature semiconductor integrated circuits for use in the hot sections of aircraft engines and for Venus exploration. This paper reports on long-term 500 °C electrical operation of prototype 6H-SiC integrated circuits based on epitaxial 6H-SiC junction field effect transistors (JFETs). As of this writing, some devices have surpassed 4000 hours of continuous 500 °C electrical operation in oxidizing air atmosphere with minimal change in relevant electrical parameters.
46th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 2008
The development of a robust regolith moving system for lunar and planetary processing and constru... more The development of a robust regolith moving system for lunar and planetary processing and construction is critical to the NASA mission to the Moon and Mars. Oxygen production may require up to 200 metric tons of regolith collection per year; outpost site development may require several times this amount. This paper describes progress in the small vehicle implement development and small excavation system development. Cratos was developed as a platform for the ISRU project to evaluate the performance characteristics of a low center of gravity, small (0.75 m x 0.75 m x 0.3 m), low-power, tracked vehicle performing excavation, load, haul, and dump operations required for lunar ISRU. It was tested on loose sand in a facility capable of producing level and inclined surfaces, and demonstrated the capability to pick up, carry, and dump sand, allowing it to accomplish the delivery of material to a site. Cratos has demonstrated the capability to pick up and deliver simulant to a bury an inflatable habitat, to supply an oxygen production plant, and to build a ramp. I.
Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. ... more Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. The NASA Scientifi c and Technical Information (STI) program plays a key part in helping NASA maintain this important role. The NASA STI Program operates under the auspices of the Agency Chief Information Offi cer. It collects, organizes, provides for archiving, and disseminates NASA's STI. The NASA STI program provides access to the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database and its public interface, the NASA Technical Reports Server, thus providing one of the largest collections of aeronautical and space science STI in the world. Results are published in both non-NASA channels and by NASA in the NASA STI Report Series, which includes the following report types: • TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of completed research or a major signifi cant phase of research that present the results of NASA programs and include extensive data or theoretical analysis. Includes compilations of signifi cant scientifi c and technical data and information deemed to be of continuing reference value. NASA counterpart of peer-reviewed formal professional papers but has less stringent limitations on manuscript length and extent of graphic presentations.
Materials Science Forum, 2012
Smart sensor systems that can operate at high temperatures are required for a range of aerospace ... more Smart sensor systems that can operate at high temperatures are required for a range of aerospace applications such as propulsion [1]. For future aerospace propulsion systems to meet the requirements of decreased maintenance, improved performance, and increased safety, the inclusion of intelligence into the propulsion system design and operation is necessary. This implies the development of sensor systems able to operate under the harsh environments present in an engine. Likewise, applications such as Venus exploration missions require systems that can operate in the harsh environments present on the Venus planetary surface. More sensor systems added to the aircraft increases the number of wires and the associated weight, complexity, and potential for failure. Thus, there is a need not only for high temperature sensors and electronics, but also for high temperature wireless technology. This implies the integration of sensors, electronics, wireless circuits, and power into a single sy...
IEEE Electron Device Letters, 2008
The fabrication and testing of the first semiconductor transistors and small-scale integrated cir... more The fabrication and testing of the first semiconductor transistors and small-scale integrated circuits (ICs) to achieve up to 3000 h of stable electrical operation at 500 • C in air ambient is reported. These devices are based on an epitaxial 6H-SiC junction field-effect transistor process that successfully integrated hightemperature ohmic contacts, dielectric passivation, and ceramic packaging. Important device and circuit parameters exhibited less than 10% of change over the course of the 500 • C operational testing. These results establish a new technology foundation for realizing durable 500 • C ICs for combustion-engine sensing and control, deep-well drilling, and other harsh-environment applications.
2016 IEEE 43rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2016
Accurate air mass zero (AM0) measurement is essential for the evaluation of new photovoltaic (PV)... more Accurate air mass zero (AM0) measurement is essential for the evaluation of new photovoltaic (PV) technology for space solar cells. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has flown an experiment designed to measure the electrical performance of several solar cells onboard NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Robotic Refueling Mission's (RRM) Task Board 4 (TB4) on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS). Four industry and government partners provided advanced PV devices for measurement and orbital environment testing. The experiment was positioned on the exterior of the station for approximately eight months, and was completely selfcontained, providing its own power and internal data storage. Several new cell technologies including four-junction (4J) Inverted Metamorphic Multi-junction (IMM) cells were evaluated and the results will be compared to ground-based measurement methods.
US Naval Research Laboratory's Current Space Photovoltaic Experiemtns
ESASP, Sep 1, 2008
Development of a Mars dust characterization instrument
Planetary and Space Science, Nov 1, 1996
... 000426 Development of a Mars dust characterization instrument* Geoffrey A. Landis, Phillip Je... more ... 000426 Development of a Mars dust characterization instrument* Geoffrey A. Landis, Phillip Jenkins, Joseph Flatico, Larry Oberle, Mike Krasowski and ... coverglass transmission experiment to measure the change in optical opacity of a transparent coverglass as dust settle on the ...
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Papers by Michael Krasowski