Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology articles from March 2002

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology archives from March 2002

The Visible Cement Data Set.
March 1, 2002... With advances in x-ray microtomography, it is now possible to obtain three-dimensional representations of a material's microstructure with a voxel size of less than one micrometer. The Visible Cement Data Set represents a collection of 3-D data...

Argon I lines produced in a hollow cathode source, 332 nm to 5865 nm.
March 1, 2002... We report precision measurements by Fourier transform spectroscopy of the vacuum wavenumber, line width, and relative signal strength of 928 lines in the Ar I spectrum. Wavelength in air and classification of the transition are supplied for...

Water calorimetry: a correction to the heat defect calculations.
March 1, 2002... In a recent publication, we used a reaction. model (model III) to calculate the heat defect for the irradiation of aqueous solutions with ionizing radiation at 21 [degrees]C. Subsequent work has revealed that the literature value used for one...

Exploring collective dynamics in communication networks.
March 1, 2002... A communication network, such as the Internet, comprises a complex system where cooperative phenomena may emerge from interactions among various traffic flows generated and forwarded by individual nodes. To identify and understand such...

A knowledge-navigation system for dimensional metrology.
March 1, 2002... Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is a method to specify the dimensions and form of a part so that it will meet its design intent. GD&T is difficult to master for two main reasons. First, it is based on complex 3D geometric entities...

NIST announces approval of Advanced Encryption Standard. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... On Dec. 4, 2001, the Secretary of Commerce announced approval of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 197, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The new standard will be widely used to protect sensitive computerized information such as...

Critical data for integrated-circuit manufacturing. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The next generation of microlithography tools under development utilizes deep-ultraviolet radiation near 157 nm. This wavelength is characteristic of molecular fluorine lasers and is refracted (focused) by special materials such as Ca[F.sub.2]...

Understanding properties of polymer thin films. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Polymer thin films have important applications in many industries. They are found, for example, in semiconductor devices, automobile coatings, and construction materials. The molecular structure at both the free and buried interfaces of thin...

Further improvements to NIST-F1. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST scientists have made several improvements to NISTs primary frequency standard, the cesium-fountain clock NIST-F1. The result is improved reliability of operation and improved accuracy. Reliability is important since the value of NIST data...

Coherence between nodes of a dual multiplexed trap. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In order to build a multiplexed quantum computer based on trapped ions, coherence must be maintained as ion qubits are transferred between traps. This was recently demonstrated at NIST by a variation of a Ramsey experiment. In a three-step...

Advancing the theory of the hydrogen atom. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The hydrogen atom is the most basic atom from the point of view of atomic structure theory. Historically, efforts to understand its detailed properties have led to many advances in understanding fundamental physics. This atom is important not...

NIST contributes to development of next generation multimedia standard MPEG-7. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST actively participated in the development of the MPEG-7 Multimedia Content Description Interface standard, which was released at the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) meeting in Thailand in December 2001. The MPEG-7 standard provides...

New test method to determine the constituent contents of polymeric composites. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Researchers at NIST are proposing a modification of the standard burn-off test to characterize carbon/glass hybrid composites, ASTM D3171-99. Hybrid composites are increasingly being used in infrastructure, aerospace, and automotive...

High nitrogen stainless steel alloys provide new opportunities. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... During a project on the development of sensors for the powder metallurgy industry, NIST has developed a technique for production of nitrogenated stainless steel alloys with enhanced corrosion and mechanical properties. Discussions with metal...

Interlayer magnetic coupling in ferromagnetic semiconductors for spintronic applications. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Advancements in semiconductor circuitry have revolutionized data processing in recent decades. Simultaneously, developments in magnetic-based media have expanded capabilities for permanent data storage. An emerging technology called spintronics...

NIST successfully transfers x-ray microcalorimeter technology from boulder to gaithersburg. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The microcalorimeter energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer developed by NIST staff, has been successfully implemented on an analytical scanning electron microscope in Gaithersburg. The system improves the spectral resolution by one to two orders...

Screening for novel hydroxylations by P450 biocatalysis. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Industries involved in manufacture of fine chemicals, pharmaceutical precursors such as the intermediates for Taxol or of high performance materials such as the polymers in bulletproof vests are searching for new synthesis routes to make...

Prisons achieve fire code compliance with alarm, saving time and money. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... ALARM 2.0 is a software tool designed to help prison facility managers and fire safety engineers achieve cost-effective compliance with the widely-used Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Correctional facilities...

Standard sets stage for growth of metropolitan area networks using fixed broadband wireless. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... On Dec. 6, 2001, the Standards Board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) Standards Association approved the publication of IEEE Standard 802.16, Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems. The...

Low-melting liquids in high-temperature superconductor precursor systems. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST researchers are characterizing the phase equilibria of liquids in the Ba[F.sub.2]-BaO-[Y.sub.2][O.sub.3]-[CuO.sub.x]-[H.sub.2]O system, in order to provide data essential for the reproducible processing of low-cost, second generation,...

CVD and electrodeposition phenomena link revealed. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST researchers have quantified the link that exists between chemical vapor deposition and liquid solution electrodeposition for superconformal filling of high-aspect ratio, fine features. This recent work exploits the curvature enhanced...

DAVE: Data Analysis and Visualization Environment. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST scientists at the NIST Center for Neutron Research have developed a new software tool for the reduction, visualization, and analysis of neutron inelastic scattering data. DAVE, short for Data Analysis and Visualization Environment, is an...

New photomask designed for SEM magnification calibration. (News Briefs).(scanning electron microscope )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In preparation for the issuance of a new batch of the successful scanning electron microscope (SEM) magnification calibration artifacts, Reference Material (RM) 8090 and Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2090, NIST scientists have completed...

Shape-sensitive measurement of nested lines. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In a scanning electron microscope (SEM), nested lines (lines with nearby line neighbors) image differently than isolated lines. This is because some of the electrons that otherwise would escape from the illuminated line to the detector have...

Standard bullets--soon a reality. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In 1997, members of the law enforcement community approached NIST about developing physical standards for optical imaging systems used to match bullets and the criminals who use them. Originally, NIST scientists developed two prototype standard...

NIST assists in performance characterization of a new CMM. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology, coordinate measuring machines)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST engineers developed and delivered a modified version of the laser ball step gauge (LBSG) to a private manufacturing company. The system was designed and constructed at NIST to perform characterization tests of very large coordinate...

NIST researchers two steps closer to electron-counting capacitance standards. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A team of NIST scientists in collaboration with an intern from the University of Maryland, has made two advances in the development of cryogenic capacitors for use with the Electron-Counting Capacitance Standard (ECCS). The ECCS is being...

NIST reviews impact of conservation voltage reduction for electric power industry. (News Brief).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The old debate about the possibility of reducing the peak power demand that electric utilities have to meet by lowering the system voltage level by a few percent (known as a "brownout") has been rekindled by the incidence of rolling blackouts...

NIST staff develops methods for accurately characterizing on-wafer waveforms. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Due to advances in integrated circut (IC) design, digital design engineers now need the ability to accurately measure electrical waveforms in high-speed digital integrated circuits. Unlike the larger ICs of the past, modern digital ICs are so...

NIST helps set the standards across the electronics manufacturing supply chain. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... From telecommunications to personal computing, electronics manufacturers are no longer competing globally as individual companies but as partners within a complex web of suppliers. The ability of a company to recoup its investment costs depends...

First quarter release of protein data bank CD-ROMS. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST has completed the production of the latest Protein Data Bank (PDB) CD-ROM set. The CD-ROMs are produced quarterly; currently there are 1200 subscribers. This set contains the 16 972 protein or nucleic acid structures in the PDB as of Jan....

Crystallographic phase analysis of submicrometer particles by electron backscatter diffraction. (New Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The characterization and identification of small particles are critical to advanced manufacturing methods in semiconductor, pharmaceutical, metallurgy, and ceramics, as well as environmental monitoring and homeland security. The chemical...

NIST immersive visualization environment available. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST has developed an immersive visualization environment that can be used to gain increased insight into large, complex data sets. Such data sets are becoming more commonplace at NIST, as high performance parallel computing is used to develop...

NIST structural database used for phase identification in electron diffraction instruments. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Researchers use crystallographic information on a daily basis to visualize, explain, and predict the behavior of chemicals and materials. The NIST Structural Database (NSD) contains crystallographic and atomic positional information for...

NIST researcher's findings influence industry acceptance of physical model for breakdown. (News Briefs).(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A NIST researcher has played an important role in influencing the semiconductor industry to refute the previously accepted thermochemical model (or "E-model") of dielectric breakdown of reliability of ultrathin silicon dioxide. The correct...

NIST reduces uncertainties in fast-pulse calibration service. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The application of new test instruments, a new test procedure, and an improved uncertainty analysis has resulted in a significant reduction in the reported uncertainty for transition duration (i.e., rise time and fall times) provided by NIST...

34.6 GHz across-the-road calibrator/simulator designed and tested by NIST. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Across-the-road photo radars are increasingly used for speed limit enforcement on the nations highways. During the past 10 years, NIST has played an important role in developing new instrumentation that is to be used for type certification of...

NIST examines future directions of fluid property research. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... As advanced technologies emerge in the chemical and related industries, fluid thermophysical properties will be needed for their design, development and optimization. However, there is a growing concern that technology is being developed in...

NIST reaffirms commitment to cement industry. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST portland cement Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) have underpinned product quality for the cement industry for nearly 50 years. The cement SRM 1880 series has proven to be essential to laboratories which certify concrete products for...

The role of the gene of the Cockayne Syndrome in the repair of oxidative DNA damage. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Cockayne Syndrome (CS) is a human genetic disorder with diverse clinical symptoms that include hypersensitivity to sunlight, severe mental and physical growth retardation, progressive neurological and retinal degeneration, and skeletal...

NIST's Cryptographic Module Validation Program achieves major milestones. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST's Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) recently achieved three major milestones. First, the CMVP accredited the programs sixth cryptographic module testing laboratory through the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation...

NIST publishers Information Technology Security risk management guideline. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In fulfillment of NIST's statutory responsibilities to advise Federal agencies on IT security, NIST recently published two new security guidance documents. NIST Special Publication 800-30. Risk Management Guide for Information Technology...

NIST measurements identify mechanisms that limit polymer processing. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST has developed visualization tools that allow processors to improve the way polymers are manufactured. Polymer processors have long battled against a manufacturing defect known as "sharkskin," which causes the surface of the extruded...

The polar nanostructure of novel relaxor ferroelectric materials. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A renaissance in the field of ferroelectricity has taken place over the past several years ever since the finding of exceptional piezoelectric properties in the lead-oxide class of relaxor ferroelectric materials...

Classification tool developed for process specification language. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NIST researchers completed an initial version of the "twenty questions" tool for the developing international standard, Process Specification Language (PSL). This tool allows a domain expert who is not versed in formal semantic theory to...

NIST researchers receive DARPA award. (News Briefs).(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... At a recent meeting of principal investigators in the DARPA Active Networks program, the program manager announced the selection of a research team from NIST to receive the 2001 "Bytes for the Buck" award, given annually. The NIST team focused...

Measurements conducted with X-Ray Calibration Interferometer. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A NIST researcher completed the testing and analysis of several three-flat, five-position measurements with the X-Ray Calibration Interferometer (XCALIBIR) using 300 mm diameter flats. The XCALIBIR is a measurement system that was designed at...

NIST releases air particulate on filter media standard reference material (SRM). (Standard Reference Materials).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Investigations into the amount and composition of atmospheric particulates are currently carried out in virtually every country. Large numbers of air particulate matter (APM) samples collected on filter substrates are being analyzed for trace...