ALBERT

Description: Mutual Coupling Program for Circular Waveguide-fed Aperture Array (CWG) was developed to calculate the electromagnetic interaction between elements of an antenna array of circular apertures with specified aperture field distributions. The field distributions were assumed to be a superposition of the modes which could exist in a circular waveguide. Various external media were included to provide flexibility of use, for example, the flexibility to determine the effects of dielectric covers (i.e., thermal protection system tiles) upon the impedance of aperture type antennas. The impedance and radiation characteristics of planar array antennas depend upon the mutual interaction between all the elements of the array. These interactions are influenced by several parameters (e.g., the array grid geometry, the geometry and excitation of each array element, the medium outside the array, and the internal network feeding the array.) For the class of array antenna whose radiating elements consist of small holes in a flat conducting plate, the electromagnetic problem can be divided into two parts, the internal and the external. In solving the external problem for an array of circular apertures, CWG will compute the mutual interaction between various combinations of circular modal distributions and apertures. CWG computes the mutual coupling between various modes assumed to exist in circular apertures that are located in a flat conducting plane of infinite dimensions. The apertures can radiate into free space, a homogeneous medium, a multilayered region or a reflecting surface. These apertures are assumed to be excited by one or more modes corresponding to the modal distributions in circular waveguides of the same cross sections as the apertures. The apertures may be of different sizes and also of different polarizations. However, the program assumes that each aperture field contains the same modal distributions, and calculates the complex scattering matrix between all mode and aperture combinations. The scattering matrix can then be used to determine the complex modal field amplitudes for each aperture with a specified array excitation. CWG is written in VAX FORTRAN for DEC VAX series computers running VMS (LAR-15236) and IBM PC series and compatible computers running MS-DOS (LAR-15226). It requires 360K of RAM for execution. To compile the source code for the PC version, the NDP Fortran compiler and linker will be required; however, the distribution medium for the PC version of CWG includes a sample MS-DOS executable which was created using NDP Fortran with the -vms compiler option. The standard distribution medium for the PC version of CWG is a 3.5 inch 1.44Mb MS-DOS format diskette. The standard distribution medium for the VAX version of CWG is a 1600 BPI 9~track magnetic tape in DEC VAX BACKUP format. The VAX version is also available on a TK50 tape cartridge in DEC VAX BACKUP format. Both machine versions of CWG include an electronic version of the documentation in Microsoft Word for Windows format. CWG was developed in 1993 and is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA.

Description: Mutual Coupling Program for Circular Waveguide-fed Aperture Array (CWG) was developed to calculate the electromagnetic interaction between elements of an antenna array of circular apertures with specified aperture field distributions. The field distributions were assumed to be a superposition of the modes which could exist in a circular waveguide. Various external media were included to provide flexibility of use, for example, the flexibility to determine the effects of dielectric covers (i.e., thermal protection system tiles) upon the impedance of aperture type antennas. The impedance and radiation characteristics of planar array antennas depend upon the mutual interaction between all the elements of the array. These interactions are influenced by several parameters (e.g., the array grid geometry, the geometry and excitation of each array element, the medium outside the array, and the internal network feeding the array.) For the class of array antenna whose radiating elements consist of small holes in a flat conducting plate, the electromagnetic problem can be divided into two parts, the internal and the external. In solving the external problem for an array of circular apertures, CWG will compute the mutual interaction between various combinations of circular modal distributions and apertures. CWG computes the mutual coupling between various modes assumed to exist in circular apertures that are located in a flat conducting plane of infinite dimensions. The apertures can radiate into free space, a homogeneous medium, a multilayered region or a reflecting surface. These apertures are assumed to be excited by one or more modes corresponding to the modal distributions in circular waveguides of the same cross sections as the apertures. The apertures may be of different sizes and also of different polarizations. However, the program assumes that each aperture field contains the same modal distributions, and calculates the complex scattering matrix between all mode and aperture combinations. The scattering matrix can then be used to determine the complex modal field amplitudes for each aperture with a specified array excitation. CWG is written in VAX FORTRAN for DEC VAX series computers running VMS (LAR-15236) and IBM PC series and compatible computers running MS-DOS (LAR-15226). It requires 360K of RAM for execution. To compile the source code for the PC version, the NDP Fortran compiler and linker will be required; however, the distribution medium for the PC version of CWG includes a sample MS-DOS executable which was created using NDP Fortran with the -vms compiler option. The standard distribution medium for the PC version of CWG is a 3.5 inch 1.44Mb MS-DOS format diskette. The standard distribution medium for the VAX version of CWG is a 1600 BPI 9~track magnetic tape in DEC VAX BACKUP format. The VAX version is also available on a TK50 tape cartridge in DEC VAX BACKUP format. Both machine versions of CWG include an electronic version of the documentation in Microsoft Word for Windows format. CWG was developed in 1993 and is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA.

Description: Gallium arsenide (GaAs) peeled film solar cells were fabricated, by Organo-Metallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (OMVPE), incorporating an aluminum arsenide (AlAs) parting layer between the device structure and the GaAs substrate. This layer was selectively removed by etching in dilute hydrofloric (HF) acid to release the epitaxial film. Test devices exhibit high series resistance due to insufficient back contact area. A new design is presented which uses a coverglass superstrate for structural support and incorporates a coplanar back contact design. Devices based on this design should have a specific power approaching 700 W/Kg.

Description: The feasibility of a continuous-wave, distance-measuring technique for measuring the distance from a spacecraft antenna to a highly ionized plasma surface is examined. The reflection coefficient angle is computed for several aperture models. It is concluded that aperture size and the presence of a nonablating dielectric cover over the antenna are critical factors.

Description: Thin-film, single-crystal gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells could exhibit a specific power approaching 700 W/kg including coverglass. A simple process has been described whereby epitaxial GaAs layers are peeled from a reusable substrate. This process takes advantage of the extreme selectivity of the etching rate of aluminum arsenide (AlAs) over GaAs in dilute hydrofluoric acid. The feasibility of using the peeled film technique to fabricate high-efficiency, low-mass GaAs solar cells is presently demonstrated. A peeled film GaAs solar cell was successfully produced. The device, although fractured and missing the aluminum gallium arsenide window and antireflective coating, had a Voc of 874 mV and a fill factor of 68 percent under AM0 illumination.