Abstract: Embodiments provide an integrated thermoacoustic freeze desalination system (100,106) and process including a thermoacoustic engine (102), wherein the thermoacoustic engine (102) is configured to generate mechanical energy in the form of acoustic waves (112) using heat supplied from a heat source (108); a thermoacoustic refrigerator (104) acoustically coupled to the thermoacoustic engine (102), wherein the thermoacoustic refrigerator (104) is adapted to use the mechanical energy in the acoustic waves (112) produced by the thermoacoustic engine (102) to remove heat from a coolant flowing through said thermoacoustic refrigerator (104); and a freeze desalination system (100, 106) fluidly coupled to the thermoacoustic refrigerator (104) and the thermoacoustic engine (102), wherein the freeze desalination system (100, 106) is configured to desalinate brine (120) via a process in which the coolant from the thermoacoustic refrigerator (104) flows through the freeze-desalination system (100,106) and causes at least a

Abstract: A semiconductor optical emission device comprising a layer of material containing a plurality of stress variations and adhering to a surface of a semiconductor is described. In one embodiment the semiconductor is an indirect band gap semiconductor and is silicon in one aspect, the material of the layer comprises silicon and metal oxides and is prepared by a sol-gel process including thermal annealing in one aspect. The layer urges a plurality of randomly distributed elastic deformations in the semiconductor that substantially enhances the radiative recombination interactions among free carriers in the semiconductor.

Abstract: A semiconductor optical emission device comprising a layer of material containing a plurality of stress variations and adhering to a surface of a semiconductor is described. In one embodiment the semiconductor is an indirect band gap semiconductor and is silicon in one aspect, the material of the layer comprises silicon and metal oxides and is prepared by a sol-gel process including thermal annealing in one aspect. The layer urges a plurality of randomly distributed elastic deformations in the semiconductor that substantially enhances the radiative recombination interactions among free carriers in the semiconductor.