摘要:
Fuel cell systems and associated methods of operation are provided whereby application of a fuel cell is coordinated with a fuel processor and a hydrogen separator. One such method includes the following steps: (1) operating a fuel processor to convert a hydrocarbon to reformate; (2) reacting the reformate in a fuel cell to generate electrical power; (3) supplying the electrical power to an electrical load, wherein the electrical load has a power requirement threshold; (4) determining whether the electrical power from the fuel cell is below the power requirement threshold; (5) increasing a flow of reformate from the fuel processor to the fuel cell when the electrical power from the fuel cell is below the power requirement threshold; (6) flowing a portion of the reformate from the fuel processor to a hydrogen separator; (7) storing hydrogen from the hydrogen separator in a hydrogen storage vessel; (8) monitoring an amount of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage vessel; and (9) adjusting a proportional valve upstream from the fuel cell toward a closed position when the amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank is below a predetermined threshold to increase a proportion of the reformate from the fuel processor that is flowed to the hydrogen separator.
摘要:
A method of forming semiconductor device treating a surface of a substrate to produce a discontinuous growth of a material on the surface through rapid thermal oxidation of the substrate surface at a temperature of less than about 700° C.
摘要:
A method for changing an electrical resistance of a resistor. Initially, the resistor is provided, wherein the resistor has a length L and an electrical resistance R1. A portion of the resistor is exposed to a laser radiation, wherein the portion includes a fraction F of the length L of the resistor. After the resistor has been exposed to the laser radiation, the resistor has an electrical resistance R2, wherein R2 is unequal to R1.
摘要:
A cogeneration fuel cell system and associated methods of operation are provided that accommodate a demand for heat as well as a demand for electric power. The system is operated among various modes to balance heat and power demand signals. In general, a fuel cell system is coupled to a power sink and a heat sink, and a controller is adapted to respond to data signals from the power sink and the heat sink. As examples, such data signals from the heat sink may include a temperature indication or a heat demand signal (such as from a thermostat), and such data signals from the power sink may include a voltage or current measurement, an electrical power demand signal, or an electrical load.
摘要:
A method and structure for increasing an electrical resistance of a resistor that is within a semiconductor structure, by oxidizing or nitridizing a fraction of a surface layer of the resistor with oxygen/nitrogen (i.e., oxygen or nitrogen) particles, respectively. The semiconductor structure may include a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor chip, and an integrated circuit. The method and structure comprises five embodiments. The first embodiment comprises heating an interior of a heating chamber that includes the oxygen/nitrogen particles as gaseous oxygen/nitrogen-comprising molecules (e.g., molecular oxygen/nitrogen). The second embodiment comprises heating the fraction of the surface layer by a beam of radiation (e.g., laser radiation), or a beam of particles, such that the semiconductor structure is within a chamber that includes the oxygen/particles as gaseous oxygen/nitrogen-comprising molecules (e.g., molecular oxygen/nitrogen). The third embodiment comprises: using a plasma chamber to generate plasma oxygen/nitrogen ions; and applying a DC voltage to the plasma oxygen/nitrogen ions to accelerate the plasma oxygen/nitrogen ions into the resistor such that the oxygen/nitrogen particles include the plasma oxygen/nitrogen ions. The fourth embodiment comprises using an anodization circuit to electrolytically generate oxygen/nitrogen ions in an electrolytic solution in which the resistor is immersed, wherein the oxygen/nitrogen particles include the electrolytically-generated oxygen/nitrogen ions. The fifth embodiment comprises immersing the semiconductor structure in a chemical solution which includes the oxygen/nitrogen particles, wherein the oxygen/nitrogen particles may include oxygen/nitrogen-comprising liquid molecules, oxygen/nitrogen ions, or an oxygen/nitrogen-comprising gas dissolved in the chemical solution under pressurization.
摘要:
A semiconductor device is presented which is composed of two adjacent semiconductor chips. Each semiconductor chip has an integrated half-wave dipole antenna structure located thereon. The semiconductor chips are oriented so that the half-wave dipole antenna segments extend away from each other, allowing the segments to be effectively mated and thus form a complete full-wave dipole antenna. The two solder bumps which form the antenna are separated by a gap of approximately 200 microns. The length of each solder bump antenna is based on the wavelength and the medium of collection. Phased array antenna arrays may also be constructed from a plurality of these semiconductor chip antennae.
摘要:
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method of forming one or more FETs having a vertical trench-formed double-gate, with a plurality of nitride layers having oxide marker etch-stop layers provided periodically there-through, thereby adapting the FETs to have a plurality of selectable gate lengths. The present invention provides for control and formation of gate lengths scaled down to about 5 nm to about 100 nm, preferably from about 5 nm to about 50 nm. The plurality of pad nitride layers with the oxide etch-stop layers provide for the present FET to be connected to a plurality of contacts having a variety of connection depths corresponding to the gate lengths used, by etching a plurality of via in the pad nitride layers whereby such vias stop at selected ones of the etch-stop layers to provide vias adapted to connect with the selected ones of such contacts. Additional gate material may be deposited over a top surface of the selected plurality of nitride layers to allow for contacts to the gate electrodes of any given FET.
摘要:
A technique includes operating a fuel cell, which produces an effluent flow. The technique includes routing the effluent flow through an electrochemical pump to extract fuel from the effluent flow and providing the extracted fuel to the fuel cell.
摘要:
Hydrogen pumps include a proton conducting medium, and a nonporous hydrogen permeable anode electrode and/or nonporous hydrogen permeable cathode electrode. For example, the electrodes may be a solid thin metallic film such as palladium or a palladium alloy such as a palladium-copper alloy that allow for hydrogen permeation but not impurities, and thus, purifying a supply containing hydrogen. The proton conducting medium may be a solid anhydrous proton conducting medium disposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The anode electrode and the cathode electrode may be directly sealed to at least one of the proton conducting medium, a first member for distributing the supply containing hydrogen to the anode electrode, a second member for collecting a supply of purified hydrogen, and a gasket disposed around the proton conducting medium.
摘要:
Anode and cathode separator plates are suitable for use in ion pumps for converting an input stream such as reformate into a pressurized and purified hydrogen-rich gas stream. The plates may include a single cathode outlet opening forming a portion of cathode output gas manifold, an anode inlet opening forming a portion of an inlet gas stream manifold and being sized larger than inlet cathode outlet opening, the distance of the anode inlet opening to an edge of the plate being less than the distance of the cathode outlet opening from an edge of the plate, and the size of the fluid flow channel of the anode separator plate being smaller than the size of the fluid flow channel of the cathode separator plate. Methods for forming the plates and infrastructure systems are also disclosed.