Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a process and apparatus for epitaxial deposition of a material, e.g., a layer of MgO, onto a substrate such as a flexible metal substrate, using dual ion beams for the ion beam assisted deposition whereby thick layers can be deposited without degradation of the desired properties by the material. The ability to deposit thicker layers without loss of properties provides a significantly broader deposition window for the process.

Abstract: An oxygen sensor has a sensor body formed of a crystalline material, such as zirconia, with first and second electrodes disposed on a single surface thereof. The electrodes are arranged to induce superionic oxygen transport in the body along current paths extending at a shallow depth in the crystalline material at the electrode surface. The electrodes may be interdigitated or juxtaposed porous electrodes that define an exposed surface pattern of ionic conduction for sensing, and the electrodes are preferably poisoned to inhibit cross sensitivity to reactive components, such as hydrogen, that may be present in the environment. The electrodes may effect electrode-limited superionic conduction in a thin slice of single crystal material, or a polycrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia film sensing body, and operate at a relatively low temperature in the range of 250-400° C., preferably about 300-350° C.

Abstract: The present invention is useful in growing complex films with high quality (low lattice strain, large grain size, high degree of perfection) at high rates and large area, and high efficiency use of material. A solid-state film is grown from a liquid, where atoms are supplied continuously by vapor deposition onto the liquid surface. The desired film material grows from or is precipitated from the liquid flux, which is in thermodynamic equilibrium with the desired film. The desired film growth starts at a substrate interface. If this is a biaxial textured surface suitable in chemical reactivity and lattice constant, the growth will be epitaxial with the substrate. The atomic mixture that forms the deposited film is supplied by the arrival of the atoms from a vapor onto the surface of the liquid flux. An important additional factor in the case of an oxide such as the HTSC YBCO is that activated oxygen needs to be present, along with molecular oxygen.

Abstract: Flow is described by first variables related to a coordinate system, and by at least one second flow-related variable such as friction factor or Reynolds number unrelated to the coordinate system, wherein the first variables are separable or substantially separable from the second variables. The method includes determining average velocities of the fluid on two paths, or taking a first path measurement and at least one point measurement, selected such that combining the first path measurement and the second measurement forms an expression independent of the second variable. In one embodiment, first and second path measurements are combined in accordance with the velocity relationships given by the Pao equation to produce a flow measurement which is independent of the friction factor. A single calibration then allows the meter to be used on diverse conduits with different wall roughness or friction factor. The system also yields a non-invasive measure of the friction factor.

Abstract: An ultrasonic measurement system performs a signal path measurement by directing ultrasonic signals through a gaseous material in a conduit, and processing the detected signals to determine sound speed and to derive the average molecular weight of an unknown hydrocarbon mixture present in the material. The processor includes a plurality of stored tables of critical constants of hydrocarbon mixtures as a function of the average molecular weight of the mixture, and is configured to iteratively set a hypothetical molecular weight, determine the corresponding critical properties, and compute a predicted sound speed. If the two speeds differ, a new weight is set and the procedure is repeated until the predicted sound speed matches the measured speed, indicating that the current estimate is the correct average molecular weight.

Abstract: A thin film of material having a rock-salt-like structure is deposited on a smooth amorphous substrate surface by ion beam assisted deposition.

Abstract: A sensor responds to a magnetic wind produced by the magnetic susceptibility of a target component gas, such as oxygen, which is present together with a background gas in a sample located in a measurement field produced in a measurement device. A background sampler also determines thermal and physical characteristics in a conditioned flow path, and a processor performs a computational correction on the detected magnetic wind signal to more accurately determine the concentration of the target gas. The background sampler includes a mass flow cell in series with a laminar flow device to measure heat capacity and viscous properties of the sample. It derives the gas viscosity from a differential pressure measurement; and preferably determines the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of background gases, the composition of which may be unknown, to compensate for their effects on the magnetic wind sensor elements.

Abstract: An atomic absorption apparatus using a laser for producing a light beam having a characteristic frequency f, typically ranging from several MHz to several GHz, and a characteristic polarization for measuring the absorption of that light beam by atoms of interest. The apparatus has a modulator to generate a modulating signal to modulate the characteristic frequency f and produce a phase-modulated light beam. The apparatus includes a domain where the specific atoms are located. This domain is positioned in the path of the phase-modulated light beam such that the phase-modulated light beam encounters the specific atoms when passing through the domain and some of the specific atoms absorb a portion of the phase-modulated light beam. Typically, the domains containing the atoms of interest include process chambers for vacuum coating, ion milling, sputtering, mass spectroscopy vapor coating or deposition, and the like.

Abstract: A method of forming a superconducting YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x thin film with selected crystal orientation is described which comprises the steps of sputtering simultaneously Y, Ba and Cu onto the surface of a substrate, introducing oxygen at said surface during deposition, controlling the stoichiometry of the elements Y, Ba or both richer or poorer than the 1:2:3 stoichiometry within a few atom percent and followed by annealing to selectively grow an a-axis or a c-axis oriented film of YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x.

Abstract: A method for determining the presence, during deposition of a first thin m layer, of a substance which escapes when the layer is cooled and transferred from its deposition environment for analysis to determine the presence of the substance. The layer is first covered with a second layer of a material which captures the escaping substance. This second layer is then covered with a cap layer of a substance which seals the second layer against contamination, as from the atmosphere during transfer. The layered structure, with the escaped substance retained in the second layer, is then analyzed, as by sputter depth profiling and Auger electron spectroscopy, to determine the presence in the second layer of the escaped substance and thus determine the presence of this substance during deposition of the first layer.