Thin noble metal films on Si (111) investigated by optical second-harmonic generation and photoemission

Thin noble metal films (Ag, Au and Cu) on Si (111) have been investigated by optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) in combination with synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy. The valence band spectra of Ag films show a quantization of the sp-band in the 4-eV energy range from the Fermi level down to the onset of the d-bands. For Cu and Au the corresponding energy range is much narrower and quantization effects are less visible. Quantization effects in SHG are observed as oscillations in the signal as a function of film thickness. The oscillations are strongest for Ag and less pronounced for Cu, in agreement with valence band photoemission spectra. In the case of Au, a reacted layer floating on top of the Au film masks the observation of quantum well levels by photoemission. However, SHG shows a well-developed quantization of levels in the Au film below the reacted layer. For Ag films, the relation between film thickness and photon energy of the SHG resonances indicates different types of resonances, some of which involve both quantum well and substrate states. Received: 16 October 2001 / Revised version: 14 March 2002 / Published online: 29 May 2002     

Generation of a wide discrete visible spectrum in a frequency-doubling optical fiber

We describe some special features of frequency doubling in a Ge-doped SiO₂ optical fiber. The generation of a multi-frequency visible spectrum in a single short fiber pumped with 1.06 µm radiation is demonstrated. This effect is the result of an interplay between the processes of frequency doubling and third-order nonlinear frequency mixing. Most of the new components coincide with the characteristic stimulated four-wave-mixing spectrum of the fiber, although the power of the internally generated 0.532 µm pump was more than an order of magnitude below the respective thresholds.     

Structural and magneto-transport characterization of Co2CrxFe1-xAl Heusler alloy films

We investigate the structure and magneto-transport properties of thin films of the Co₂Cr_0.6Fe_0.4Al full-Heusler compound, which is predicted to be a half-metal by first-principles theoretical calculations. Thin films are deposited by magnetron sputtering at room temperature on various substrates in order to tune the growth from polycrystalline on thermally oxidized Si substrates to highly textured and even epitaxial on MgO(001) substrates, respectively. Our Heusler films are magnetically very soft and ferromagnetic with Curie temperatures up to 630 K. The total magnetic moment is reduced compared to the theoretical bulk value, but still comparable to values reported for films grown at elevated temperature. Polycrystalline Heusler films combined with MgO barriers are incorporated into magnetic tunnel junctions and yield 37% magnetoresistance at room temperature.     

Rapid communicationPhotoelectron emission in femtosecond laser assisted scanning tunneling microscopy

Direct illumination of the tunneling gap in an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope with ultrashort pump-probe laser pulses may offer ultimate spatial and temporal resolution in surface experiments. The electronic bandwidth of the tunneling gap ( 1 THz) does not limit the time resolution. Our experiments show that multiphoton photoelectron emission from the sample limits the application of this detection scheme at high laser fluence. However, a substrate specific pump-probe effect in the photoelectron yield with femtosecond transients is observed on Tantalum and on GaAs(110) surfaces. Received: 5 November 1996     

Influence of the inhomogeneity of a multilayer structure on the depth of an implanted-junction rectifier

It has been shown, that inhomogeneity of a multilayer structure leads to decreasing of depth of a p-n-junction, which was produced in the multilayer structure. In the Letter we determined some conditions for decreasing depth of an implanted-junction rectifier.     

Electron properties and surface effects of rare-earth systems

3 . Received: 21 March 1997/Accepted: 12 August 1997     

Temperature dependence of the saturation magnetization of ion-implanted YIG films

The temperature dependence of the saturation magnetization of a series of ionimplanted YIG films is presented. The films were implanted with neon ions at an energy of 450 keV; the dose ranged from 2 to 5*10¹⁴ ions/cm². The experimental data can be described by the molecular field theory showing that the ion-implanted part of the film can be approximated as consisting of two regions each having their own magnetization and Curie temperature. The values of these magnetic parameters vary as a function of dose and differ strongly from the values for pure YIG.     

Dynamics of photoinduced reactions at oxide surfaces

This report summarizes our work on UV-laser induced desorption of small molecules and atoms from transition metal oxides. The systems presented serve as examples for a simple photochemical reaction, the fission of the molecule surface bond. State resolved detection methods were used to record the final state distributions of the desorbing neutral molecules. Detailed results on the systems NO/NiO(1 1 1) and CO/Cr₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) are presented. The experiments include investigations on stereodynamic aspects like the angular distributions of the desorbing molecules and, in the case of CO desorption, the rotational alignment with respect to the surface normal. Large desorption cross sections of (6 ± 1) · 10^–17 cm² for NO and (3.5 ± 1) · 10^–17 cm² for CO have been found for the desorption at 6.4 eV. The wavelength dependence indicates that the primary excitation step is substrate induced. The final state distributions show a high degree of translational, rotational and vibrational excitation and are clearly nonthermal of origin. The results are consistent with the formation of a negative ion intermediate state of the adsorbate. This observation is supported from a comparison to former results on NO/NiO(1 0 0) for which extensive ab initio calculations including electronically excited states exist. A spin state dependence of the vibrational excitation of NO could only be observed for NO/NiO(1 1 1) and is absent for NO/NiO(1 0 0). We attribute this observation to a spin state dependent coupling of the desorbing molecule to the surface in case the spin lattice orientation of the surface shows a preferential orientation. In the (111) plane the spin orientation is parallel within neighbour nickel ions while it is alternating in the (1 0 0) plane. For both systems studied the velocity component parallel to the surface is constant leading to a strong peaking along the surface normal for the fast molecules. The change from a preferred helicopter rotation (angular momentum vector aligned parallel to the surface normal) to a cartwheel motion (angular momentum vector aligned perpendicular to the surface normal) with increasing rotational excitation for desorption of the flat lying CO is consistent with a change of bonding geometry during the desorption process.     

Laser action ofnd 8(n + 1)s 2 −nd 9(n + 1)p transitions in HgIII,Cull and AgII

A mechanism of the laser action of 5d ⁸ 6s ² –5d ⁹ 6p HgIII transitions is proposed. The explanation is based on atomic constants of the transitions and the predominant role of direct electron excitation of the upper laser level. The kinetic models of electron beam and hollow cathode discharge sources are calculated. The theoretical estimations are compared with experimental data and possible laser transitions are also proposed. The role of electron impact excitation in the formation of inverse population for two-electron transitions in CuII and AgII obtained in hollow cathode discharges is discussed.     

Nonequilibrium potential for the Ginzburg-Landau equation in the phase-turbulent regime

The steady state distribution functional of the supercritical complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with weak noise is determined asymptotically for long-wave-length fluctuations including the phaseturbulent regime. This is done by constructuring a non-equilibrium potential solving the Hamilton-Jacobi equation associated with the Fokker-Planck equation. The non-equilibrium potential serves as a Lyapunov functional. In parameter space it consists of two branches which are joined at the Benjamin-Feir instability. In the Benjamins-Feir stable regime the non-equilibrium potential has minima in the plane-wave attractors and our result generalizes to arbitrary dimension an earlier result for one dimension. Beyond the Benjamin-Feir instability the potential in the function space has a minimum which is degererate with respects to arbirary long-wavelength phase variations. The dynamics on the minimum set obey the generalized Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation.