53rd Annual Orange
County Science and Engineering Fair
SCCAVS Awards 1st
Place to Michelle Chen
April 23, 2008
|
Congratulations to 9th Grader
Michelle Chen, a student at Troy High School in Fullerton, for being the 1st place Special
SCCAVS Award Recipient for her project at the 53rd Annual Orange County
Science and Engineering Fair held April 23, 2008. Her project, titled “The Generation of
Quasi-White Lights Using Compound Semiconductors,” was entered into the
Senior Division under the category Electricity and Electronics. Miss
Chen worked with the help of the company Blue Photonics to answer the
question: “Can compound semiconductors
be used to emit white light?” Her
hypothesis was that currently, semiconductors can be used to create
monochromatic (single-color) lights only.
However, by combining different semiconductors, a multiple wavelength
light can be created within the same material. Michelle hypothesized that by properly
adjusting the wavelengths, a quasi-white light can be generated. Using
compound semiconductors Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Indium Gallium Nitride
(InGaN), a spectrometer, and an I-V measuring device, this 9th grade student
analyzed and recorded data for samples grown in different conditions,
measured current and voltage, as well as the relative intensity vs.
wavelength in order to give feedback for the adjustment of growth conditions. Her hypothesis was proven correct that
compound semiconductors can indeed produce white light. However, this light is not pure, but is a
mixture of monochromatic lights within the same material. It was shown through her experiment that a
white light can be produced using compound semiconductors. Miss
Chen was awarded a SCCAVS Certificate and a check for $150.00 to be presented
at the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair awards ceremony Sunday
April 27th. The Chapter’s second place prize
of $100 was awarded to Travis Adams, a junior at Fairmont Private School
Preparatory Academy in Anaheim,
for his ambitious experiment, “Maximizing the Power Output of a Crystalline
Silicon Photovoltaic Module Through the use of Solar Concentrators.” Travis
used test apparatus consisting of a crystalline silicon photovoltaic
module, wooden cloud chamber,
humidifier, light dimmer, mirrors, covers, voltage, light meter and other
equipment to demonstrate how at very low levels of lux, the mirrors increased
the power output 65% by directing more light energy to the surface of the
solar cell module. - Judging
done by Corinne Freeman and Linda Ellsworth, SCCAVS Education Committee |
