Magnetic Memories - Material

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How Bubble Memory Works - Link

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Charge Coupled Devices - CCD

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A Charge Coupled Device (CCD) is a highly sensitive photon detector. The CCD is divided up into a large number of light-sensitive small areas (known as pixels) which can be used to build up an image of a scene. A photon of light which falls within the area defined by one of the pixels will be converted into one (or more) electrons and the number of electrons collected will be directly proportional to the intensity of the scene at each pixel. When the CCD is clocked out, the number of electrons in each pixel is measured and the scene can be reconstructed.

The figure below shows a simplified cross section through a CCD. The pixels are defined by the position of electrodes above the CCD. If a positive voltage is applied to the electrode, then this positive potential will attract all of the negatively charged electrons close to the area under the electrode. In addition, any positively charged holes will be repulsed from the area around the electrode. Consequently a potential well will form in which the electrons produced by the incoming photons will be stored.


As more and more light falls onto the CCD, then the potential well surrounding this electrode will attract more and more electrons until the potential well is full. To prevent this happening the light must be prevented from falling onto the CCD for example, by using a shutter as in a camera. Thus, an image can be made of an object by opening the shutter, "integrating" for a length of time to fill up most of the electrons in the potential well, and then closing the shutter to ensure that the full well capacity is not exceeded. 


An actual CCD will consist of a large number of pixels (i.e., potential wells), arranged horizontally in rows and vertically in columns. The number of rows and columns defines the CCD size, typical sizes are 1024 pixels high by 1024 pixels wide. The resolution of the CCD is defined by the size of the pixels, also by their separation (the pixel pitch). 


CCD Operation


The figure below shows a cross section through a row of a CCD. Each pixel consists of three electrodes IØ1, IØ2, and IØ3. Only one of these electrodes is required to create the potential well, but other electrodes are required to transfer the charge out of the CCD. The upper section of the figure (section 1) shows charge being collected under one of the electrodes. To transfer the charge out of the CCD, a new potential well can be created by holding IØ3 high, the charge is now shared between IØ2 and IØ3 (section 2). If IØ2 is now taken low, the charge will be fully transferred under electrode IØ3 (section 3). To continue clocking out the CCD, taking IØ1 high and then taking IØ3 low will ensure that the charge cloud now drifts across under the IØ1 electrodes. As this process is continued, the charge cloud will progress either down the column, or across the row, depending upon the orientation of the electrodes.

The figure below (clocking diagram) shows the progression under which each electrode is held high and low to ensure that charge is transferred through the CCD.


Initially, IØ2 is high - usually to around 12V, and the charge is held under that electrode as in (1) previously. When IØ3 is held high, and IØ2 is taken low (usually 0 V), the charge migrates under the IØ3 electrode (as in (2)). Finally, taking IØ1 high and IØ3 low transfers the charge under IØ1 (as in (3)). This process is repeated in transfer 2 and transfer 3, the charge has now been moved three pixels along. This process is known as charge coupling (hence CCD).

For most of the CCD, the electrodes in each pixel are arranged so that the charge is transferred downwards along the columns. Hence, during the CCD clocking operation, rows are transferred downwards to the final row (the readout register) which is used to transfer the charge in each pixel out of the CCD so it can be measured.

In the read out register, the electrodes are arranged so that the charge is transferred in the horizontal direction, along the readout register. 


The final process on the CCD is the reading of each pixel so that the size of the associated charge cloud can be measured. At the end of the readout register is an amplifier which measures the value of each charge cloud and converts it into a voltage.

MOS Dynamic RAM Cell

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Memory cells of a dynamic RAM memory consist of capacitor storing electric charges hence logic voltage levels. A bit cell constitutes a transistor with a capacitor interconnected to the line that selects a memory row and to the bit line in the word (bit read and write lines). The figure below shows such a bit cell based on a MOS FET.



 A write takes place as a result of row line selection (positive voltage) and insertion through a bit line of the voltage that corresponds to the stored bit: 0 V for logical zero and the positive voltage for one. For logical one, the capacitor will charge through the conducting transistor to the positive voltage. For zero, the transistor will be turned off and the condenser will discharge if loaded or it will remain not charged (in both cases the condenser plate at the transistor side will reach 0V potential).

On read, a row line will be set to the positive potential and the transistor will be turned on. If the condenser was charged (the bit cell was storing one), the positive voltage from the condenser plate will be transferred into the bit line (readout of one) after which the capacitor discharges through the bit line. If the capacitor was not charged, 0 V will be transferred to the bit line i.e. a logical zero, stored in this cell. After readout of a bit cell, the condenser has to be charged again to restore the previous contents of the memory cell. It is done by execution of the read cycle for the same information. A data-readout from dynamic RAM memory is destructive and in this memory a read cycle is always followed by a write cycle.

A semiconductor dynamic RAM memory is a volatile memory, since charged capacitors are subject to spontaneous discharging. The reason for this is the leakage that results from impurities in the crystalline structure of silicon. Therefore, dynamic RAM memory requires periodic refreshing of stored data. This is done by special refresh circuits, which are always added as an extension of the proper data storing circuitry.

Atomic and Nuclear Physics - University Model Test - 7BPH4C1

Department of Physics - Dr.Zakir Husain College, Ilayangudi.
Atomic And Nuclear Physics –4BPH4C1

Time: 3 Hours Max Marks: 75

   Part – A  (10 x 2 = 20)
Answer All the Questions

1. Define critical potential.What are its two kinds?
2. Write note on photoelectric cell.
3. Give Pauli’s exclusion principle.
4. Define Bohr Magneton.
5. State Mosley’s Law.
6. What is a unit cell?
7. What are the limitations of cyclotron?
8. Define Half Life.
9. Write note on Van Allen Belts.
10.What are Baryons?
   Part – B  (5 x 5 = 25)
Answer All the Questions

11. Discuss Aston’s mass spectrograph and explain how isotopes are detected.
(OR)
      Explain the theory of determining e/m of photo-electron using Lenard’s method.

12. Explain the various quantum numbers associated with the vector atom model..
(OR)
      Explain emission of D2 lines in sodium spectrum using term symbols and selection rules.

13.  State and derive Bragg’s law. Explain the working of Bragg spectrometer.
     (OR)
        Draw NaCl structure and discuss it.
    
14.  Explain how electrons are accelerated to very high energy by betatron.
(OR)
        Write a note on thermo nuclear reactions
 15. Discuss the method of radio carbon dating.
                                                        (OR)
Explain latitude effect in cosmic rays.


   Part – C (3 x 10 = 30)
Answer any three Questions

16. Explain Frank and Hertz Experiment to determine critical potential.


17. Describe Stern and Gerlach experiment and indicate the importance of the results obtained.


18. Describe the quantum treatment of normal Zeeman Effect.


19. Explain the construction and working of a GM counter.

20. Write an essay on the nuclear reactor