Fabrication of Multilayer Films on the Basis of Lysozyme Protein and Precipitant (Iodide and Potassium) Ions on a Silicon Substrate by the Modified Langmuir–Schaefer Method

Multilayer structures, consisting of successive lysozyme layers and layers of iodide and potassium ions, have been formed on a silicon substrate by the modified Langmuir–Schaefer method; the use of this technique implies preliminary preparation of a crystallization protein solution containing an oligomeric phase. The multilayer structure has been characterized by methods of X-ray reflectivity and total external reflection X-ray standing waves (TER XSW). The data obtained indicate the formation of a dense lysozyme film (3 nm thick) and layers of potassium and iodide ions, adjacent to this film.     

两步法溅射中缓冲层厚度对Ge薄膜质量的影响

采用低温缓冲层技术制备Ge薄膜,利用AFM和Raman光谱研究缓冲层厚度对低温Ge缓冲层残余应变弛豫的影响.实验结果显示:随着缓冲层厚度的增加,残余应变弛豫度增大.在30 nm厚的低温Ge缓冲层上生长800nm厚的Ge外延层.Ge薄膜具有良好的结晶性,表面粗糙度RMS为2.06 nm.     

Optical and magneto-optical properties of {Co0.45Fe0.45Zr0.1/a-Si}n multilayers

The optical and magneto-optical (MO) properties of {CoFeZr(x)–aSi(y)}_n and {CoFeZr(x)–SiO₂(y)}_n composite films with multilayer structure were investigated. It was shown that the form and magnitude of the MO spectra strongly depend of the magnetic and non-magnetic layer thickness and component of non-magnetic material. The MO spectra were analyzed in the framework of the effective-medium approximations and macroscopic Fresnel magneto-optics to ultrathin layers.     

Magnetic properties of disordered oxides with iron and manganese ions

Magnetic properties of disordered oxides involving oxide glasses have been investigated. Spin glass-like transition is observed for Fe₂O₃–TeO₂ and MnO–TeO₂ glasses in temperature dependence of dc susceptibility, although magnetic transition does not take place for MnO–TeO₂ glasses with low concentration of manganese ion above 2 K at least. The mechanism of magnetic transition observed for Fe₂O₃–TeO₂ glasses is discussed on the basis of dc susceptibility obtained under conditions of field cooling and zero field cooling, magnetic field dependence of magnetization at low temperatures, and frequency dependence of spin-freezing temperature derived from temperature dependence of ac susceptibility. Magnetic properties of disordered ZnFe₂O₄ thin film prepared by a radio frequency sputtering method have been also studied. The disordered ZnFe₂O₄ thin film exhibits ferrimagnetic behavior with high magnetization even at room temperature. At the same time, the thin film shows spin-freezing at around 320 K. Temperature dependence of nonlinear susceptibility leads to a conclusion that this transition is explainable in terms of superparamagnetism with magnetic interaction among clusters.     

Structure of natural film on porous silicon surface founded by ellipsometry

Abstract

The multiple-angle-of-incidence ellipsometric studies of the natural film formed on the surface of porous silicon sample after its production and subsequent keeping in isopropyl alcohol have been performed. A new property of porous silicon with the natural film on its surface has been revealed which consists in a drastic change of the polarization characteristics of the reflected light wave after its keeping in alcohol. This property of porous silicon may be the basis for the development of liquid and gas sensors, polarization elements of optical devices etc. It was found that ellipsometric curves are described better by calculations in a two-layer model in comparison with a single-layer one of the investigated film. It was obtained that the outer layer of the film has smaller refractive index than the inner one. As a result of decoration the refractive indices of both layers decrease and further the changes of refractive indices and the redistribution of the thickness of both layers are found. It is suggested that the interaction of the alcohol molecules with silicon and its oxide environment occurs in the walls of the pores during the decoration.     

Mechanical Properties of Copper Films

Mechanical properties of vacuum-deposited copper films have been studied on various well cleaned and polished substrates. The density reaches the bulk value for a film thickness of 4 μm and above. The strain developed during the growth of film was found to be tensile and is dependent on nature of the substrate. The adhesion of film was observed to be thickness — and time of ageing dependent. The results are discussed.     

Thickness and substrate orientation dependence of ferromagnetism in Mn doped ZnO thin films

The effect of film thickness and substrate orientation on ferromagnetism in Mn doped ZnO thin films have been studied. The Mn doped ZnO films of different thickness (15, 35 and 105 nm) have been grown on both Si (100) and Si (111) substrates. The structural, electrical, optical, elemental and magnetic properties of the films have been investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Hall Effect measurements, photoluminescence (PL), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. It is found that all the properties are strongly influenced by the film thickness and substrate orientation. The XRD analysis confirmed that the formation of high quality monophasic hexagonal wurtzite structure for all the grown films. The room temperature VSM measurements showed that the films of lower thickness have better ferromagnetism than that of the thicker films grown on both the substrates. Among the lower thickness films, the film grown on Si (111) substrate has higher saturation magnetization (291×10^‐5 emu cm^‐3) due to high density of the defects. The observed ferromagnetism has been well justified by XRD, Hall measurements and PL. The presence of Mn atoms in the film has been confirmed by EDS. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Liquid phase epitaxy of garnets

A short introduction to the technique of liquid phase epitaxy of single crystal thin films of magnetic garnets is given with the emphasis on the relative merits of vertical and horizontal dipping. For vertical dipping results are given for the thickness profiles from top to bottom of the samples and the inhomogeneities within the film thickness. The thickness profile is explained by fluid motion caused by density segregation. The inhomogeneities are explained by growth rate changes due to transient growth at the beginning and nearly steady state growth when the diffusion boundary layer has been formed. It is shown under special conditions these inhomogeneities in composition in LaGa : YIG films can be an advantage and can increase the domain wall velocity. These effects are compared to films grown by horzontal dipping with rotation. Using spin wave resonance it is shown that this process does not produce as homegeneous films as expected. Explanation of this is given in terms of fluid flow during the growth. Because literature data on the diffusion coefficient D has a wide spread of values, an experiment is described in which D has been measured independent of the model using radioactive tracers. These results, combined with the model that the garnet does not diffuse as a molecule but as species like Y₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ and at the growing interface react to form garnet, has lead to a new insight into the solvation of these species in the liquid. Magnetic bubble films of the type CaGe substituted iron garnets are used in large numbers for devices. This makes the reproducibility an important factor. To increase the yields of usuable material it has been found necessary to make the magnetic parameter H_collapse independent of the growth temperature because of the thermal constants in LPE furnaces. This has been achieved by combining CaGe melts with Ga. Results are given for a 3 μm bubble material. The LPE technique can be used for non-magnetic garnet materials as well as iron garnets. These materials are usually substituted with rare-earths. The incorporation of Ce into Y₃Al₅O₁₂ is a difficult case. How this can be achieved and difficulties encountered are explained in the last part of the paper.     

(Ga, Gd, As) film growth on GaAs substrate by low-energy ion-beam deposit

(Ga, Gd, As) film was fabricated by the mass-analyzed dual ion-beam epitaxy system with the energy of 1000 eV at room temperature. There was no new peak found except GaAs substrate peaks (0 0 2) and (0 0 4) by X-ray diffraction. Rocking curves were measured for symmetric (0 0 4) reflections to further yield the lattice mismatch information by employing double-crystal X-ray diffraction. The element distributions vary so much due to the ion dose difference from AES depth profiles. The sample surface morphology indicates oxidizing layer roughness is also relative to the Gd ion dose, which leads to islandlike feature appearing on the high-dose sample. One sample shows ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature.     

X-ray diffraction and X-ray standing-wave study of the lead stearate film structure

A new approach to the study of the structural quality of crystals is proposed. It is based on the use of X-ray standing-wave method without measuring secondary processes and considers the multiwave interaction of diffraction reflections corresponding to different harmonics of the same crystallographic reflection. A theory of multiwave X-ray diffraction is developed to calculate the rocking curves in the X-ray diffraction scheme under consideration for a long-period quasi-one-dimensional crystal. This phase-sensitive method is used to study the structure of a multilayer lead stearate film on a silicon substrate. Some specific structural features are revealed for the surface layer of the thin film, which are most likely due to the tilt of the upper layer molecules with respect to the external normal to the film surface.     

Structural,magnetic and transport properties of ion beam deposited Co thin films

Magnetic nanostructures display new and interesting physical phenomena and are currently used in a large variety of applications. We studied the structural, magnetic and transport properties of Co thin films deposited by ion beam sputtering. We probed the influence of the buffer layer material (Al, Cu, Ru or Ta) and thickness (10–100 Å) on the structural properties of Co thin films. Using X-ray diffraction we observed that textured fcc Co films can be grown on amorphous Ta as thin as 20 Å but for the other buffer layers no texture is observed. We also studied by magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) the magnetic properties of the Co thin films as a function of Co thickness (100–1000 Å). Finally, the electrical resistivity and anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of our Co thin films (on a Ta buffer) was obtained as a function of Co thickness.     

Modification of the Langmuir–Schaefer method for fabrication of ordered protein films

A modification of the Langmuir–Schaefer method for the fabrication of high-quality protein films on a solid substrate was proposed and applied to lysozyme. The procedure relies on the use of a pre-prepared protein solution, the parameters of which correspond to crystallization conditions. A lysozyme Langmuir monolayer was shown to be formed with the involvement of complexes, namely, dimers and octamers of protein molecules that are present in such protein solutions. These complexes apparently retain the structure after spreading a protein solution onto an aqueous subphase in a Langmuir trough. The thickness of the film after the transfer of the monolayer, which was formed by the proposed procedure, onto a solid substrate corresponds to the diameter of the octamer and this film is dense, continuous, and uniform, as was demonstrated by several methods: X-ray reflectivity, total external reflection X-ray standing wave, and atomic force microscopy. A layer of chloride ions that formed under the Langmuir monolayer was found at the air–protein film interface. This fact confirms an important role of the precipitating agent (chloride ions) in all steps of the formation of lysozyme films.     

Peculiarities of quasi-longitudinal elastic wave propagation through the interface between isotropic and anisotropic media: Theoretical and experimental study

The peculiarities of elastic wave propagation in a bilayer medium are studied theoretically and experimentally. One (isotropic) layer was an acrylic glass plate, and the other (anisotropic) was a quartz single-crystal. In experiments, the elastic waves were generated by a piezoelectric transmitter and received by a piezoelectric transducer contacting the surface of the model medium. The propagation time of a quasi-longitudinal wave was determined using high-order statistics. In the general case, the incident elastic waves are split at the interface between the layers: beams undergo double reflection and triple refraction. The measured dependences of the propagation times of quasi-longitudinal split waves on the angles of refraction are in satisfactory agreement with the calculated ones. The calculation was performed by solving the Christoffel equation with allowance for the boundary conditions.     

Optical and electrical studies on spray deposited ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films were prepared by spray pyrolytic decomposition of zinc acetate onto a glass substrate. These films were analyzed for the optical and electrical properties. Optical studies show that in these films the electronic transition is of the direct transition type. The optical energy gap for the films of different thicknesses is estimated to be in the range 2.98 – 3.09 eV. Electrical studies indicate that the films exhibit thermally activated electronic conduction and the activation energies are found to be dependent on the film thickness. The complex impedance measurements were carried out over a wide range of frequencies at room temperature (300 K). All the impedance spectra contain only a single arc, but the arc has a non‐zero intersection with the real axis in the high frequency region. Also, the arc has its centre lying below with the real axis which indicates the multirelaxation behavior of the films. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth of EuTe islands on SnTe by molecular beam epitaxy

Semiconductor magnetic quantum dots are very promising structures, with novel properties that find multiple applications in spintronic devices. EuTe is a wide gap semiconductor with NaCl structure, and strong magnetic moments S=7/2 at the half filled 4f⁷ electronic levels. On the other hand, SnTe is a narrow gap semiconductor with the same crystal structure and 4% lattice mismatch with EuTe. In this work, we investigate the molecular beam epitaxial growth of EuTe on SnTe after the critical thickness for island formation is surpassed, as a previous step to the growth of organized magnetic quantum dots. The topology and strain state of EuTe islands were studied as a function of growth temperature and EuTe nominal layer thickness. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was used in-situ to monitor surface morphology and strain state. RHEED results were complemented and enriched with atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements made at the XRD2 beamline of the Brazilian Synchrotron. EuTe islands of increasing height and diameter are obtained when the EuTe nominal thickness increases, with higher aspect ratio for the islands grown at lower temperatures. As the islands grow, a relaxation toward the EuTe bulk lattice parameter was observed. The relaxation process was partially reverted by the growth of the SnTe cap layer, vital to protect the EuTe islands from oxidation. A simple model is outlined to describe the distortions caused by the EuTe islands on the SnTe buffer and cap layers. The SnTe cap layers formed interesting plateau structures with easily controlled wall height, that could find applications as a template for future nanostructures growth.     

On the effect that acoustic boundary conditions have on the structural transitions in nematics in the field of ultrasonic compressional waves

The peculiarities of the structural transition in a homeotropic layer of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) affected by compressional waves in a cell with acoustically soft or hard boundary conditions at its ends have been studied for the frequency range where the wavelength of viscous wave is smaller than the layer thickness, while the wavelength of the elastic wave in NLC exceeds the layer thickness. The data obtained are analyzed within the known theoretical models developed for these two geometries based on the unified hypothesis, which postulates the flow mechanism of the orientational effect of ultrasound on NLC.     

磁控溅射Cu薄膜的光电性能研究

利用磁控溅射技术,通过正交试验设计方法,在K9光学玻璃基底上制备了Cu薄膜,研究了溅射时间、基底温度和氩气流量对Cu薄膜光电性能的影响.研究表明:Cu薄膜的透射谱在紫外波段362 nm处有明显吸收峰,但在可见光波段吸收强度较弱,说明Cu膜在可见波段有较高的透光性;膜厚度增加则光学透射率降低.电阻率随膜厚的增大,大体上呈逐渐减小的趋势;1100 nm 为临界尺寸,Cu膜厚度<1100 nm时,电阻率值变化较快;Cu薄膜厚度>1100 nm时,电阻率变化缓慢至定值.当溅射时间为25 min、基底温度为300 ℃、氩气流量为6.9 sccm时所得样品在紫外-可见光区没有吸收,且导电性好.     

Influence of the growth temperature and substrate orientation on the layer properties of MOVPE-growth (Ga,In)(As,P)/GaAs

The luminescence properties of In_1−xGa_xAs_yP_1−y layers and heterostructures grown lattice matched to GaAs by metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) were studied and correlated to the crystalline properties. For laser structures emitting around 800 nm a red-shift of the emission from the active layer (y = 0.72) grown at 680°C together with an anomalous temperature behaviour and excitation dependence of the bandgap is observed. Although some degree of ordering is observed for thick layers of this composition, polarization dependent photoluminescence does not indicate ordering of the quantum well to be the main reason for this excitation dependence. Instead, interfacial In-rich layers are found to be responsible. The thickness of these interfacial layers strongly depends on substrate misorientation and growth conditions.     

Investigation into the seismoacoustic properties of specific polycrystalline materials used in nuclear reactors

The characteristics of the wave fields observed during the transmission of quasi-longitudinal ultrasonic waves through polycrystalline graphite samples have been studied. The specific features of propagation of elastic waves in a bilayer medium, where one of the layers (isotropic) is an acrylic glass hemisphere and the other (anisotropic) is a polycrystalline porous graphite hemisphere, are considered. The velocities and propagation times of quasi-longitudinal waves in polycrystalline graphite samples and a bilayer acrylic glass-graphite sample in different directions are experimentally measured by ultrasonic spatial sounding. The experimental results are compared with theoretical calculations using the data on graphite crystallographic texture obtained previously by neutron diffraction. The reasons for the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental characteristics of elastic waves in the media under study are established and analyzed.     

Effects of magnetoelastic interaction upon propagation of a shear wave in an acoustically nongyrotropic magnetic superlattice

Specific features of localization and propagation of a shear bulk wave induced by magnetoelastic interaction in the case where the elastic wave length is comparable with the superlattice period have been investigated by the example of a limited 1D acoustically continuous magnetic superlattice of the easy-axis-antiferromagnet-ideal-metal type with a mechanically free surface.