Near-surface defects in hydrogen-plasma-treated boron-doped silicon studied by positron beam spectroscopy

Near-surface vacancy-type defects have been studied by positron beam spectroscopy in three boron-doped Si wafers; a control sample, second sample exposed to atomic hydrogen in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma, and a third sample annealed at 500 °C following plasma treatment. From the analysis of the Doppler broadening spectra, measured as a function of positron implantation depth, we obtain positron diffusion lengths of about 100 and 250 nm for the damaged layer and bulk of the wafer, respectively. For the plasma-treated wafer, our measurements provide a defect density of about 5×10¹⁷ cm^-3. Received: 4 September 1998 / Accepted: 5 January 1999 / Published online: 28 April 1999     

Effect of dipole structures on field emission of wide-gap semiconductor emitters

It is shown that dipole structures placed in a thin (less than 1 nm) near-surface layer of a high-resistivity field emitter produce small domains on the emitting surface in which the electric field may exceed 10⁸ V/cm. In these domains, the emitter surface potential is positive, providing effective electron transport from inside the emitter to the emission boundary. Optimal dipole orientations ensuring maximal electric fields at the surface are found. When the surface density of dipoles localized in the near-surface layer is on the order of 10⁶ cm⁻², one can expect an emitter-averaged emission current density of higher than 1 A/cm². The dipole structures in the near-surface layer may persist owing to incorporated impurity molecules having a dipole moment or result from a random combination of positively charged ionized impurities and electrons captured by deep traps. Trap charging/discharging asymmetry accounts for the hysteresis of the emission I–V characteristics.     

Quasi-ordered nanostructures on the surface of strontium titanate

The results of the investigation of the surface of strontium titanate single crystals after treatment with high-energy plasma are presented. The surface morphology of the strontium titanate single crystals and the change in its characteristics after plasma treatment have been studied using electron scanning and atomicforce microscopy. A change in the electronic state of a part of the titanium ions and a change in the stoichiometry in the modified near-surface layer have been found by the method of valence shift of X-ray lines. A preliminary analysis has been made of the conditions providing the formation of single- and two-level systems of ordered crystallites with sizes of 10⁻⁷–10⁻¹⁰ m on the surface of single-crystal strontium titanate with impurities of ions of the iron and lanthanum groups.     

Rotating relativistic electron beam-plasma interaction and formation of a field-reversed configuration

Experimental results on interaction of a rotating relativistic electron beam with plasma and neutral gas are presented. The rotating relativistic electron beam has been propagated up to a distance of 150 cm in a plasma. The response of the plasma to the rotating electron beam is found to be of magnetic diffusion type over a plasma density range 10¹¹–10¹³ cm⁻³. Excitation of the axial and azimuthal return currents by the rotating beam and subsequent trapping of the azimuthal return current layer by the magnetic mirror field are observed. A field-reversed configuration has been formed by the rotating relativistic electron beam when injected into neutral hydrogen gas. We have observed field reversal up to three times the initial field in an axial length of 100 cm.     

Defect profiles in graded band-gap layers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis>-HgCdTe heteroepitaxial structures under ion-beam etching

The results of investigations into spatial distribution of donors in p-HgCdTe graded band-gap layers with various composition profiles in the near-surface layer upon ion-beam etching are reported. It is found that the depth of the resulting n⁺-layer is weakly dependent on the conditions of ion-beam etching and composition of material of the surface and is about 0.5–1 μm. The electron density in the n⁺-layer on the surface is observed to increase with time of beam etching. It is shown that the conditions of ion-beam etching and the composition of the near-surface region significantly affect only the depth of the foregoing layer with low electron density. Analysis of experimental data shows that the process of ion-bean etching in p-HgCdTe heteroepitaxial structures with a composition gradient in the near-surface region is different from etching in HgCdTe homogeneous epitaxial structures and crystals. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 51–56, September, 2008.     

Degradation of gallium arsenide under irradiation with an excimer laser

The results of a study of degradation of the surface of gallium arsenide resulting from irradiation with a power excimer laser at power densities ranging from the threshold power to the power level causing local melting of the surface are presented. Two degradation mechanisms have been identified, one of which causes the formation of a thin near-surface layer of modified nonstoichimetric gallium arsenide at a power level higher than 1×10⁷ W/cm² and the other of which causes the formation of a separate gallium phase. The formation of the separate gallium phase can be produced either by a single pulse of laser radiation with a power density exceeding 2.7×10¹¹ W/cm² or by a few less powerful pulses. An empirical relationship has been established between the power density and the number of pulses causing the formation of the separate gallium phase. It has also been established that as a result of laser irradiation at the boundary of “cold” and “hot” gallium arsenide, periodically ordered defects in the form of blocks aligned along the [100] directions emerge.     

Intense slow positron production at the 15 MeV LINAC at Argonne National Laboratory

An intense slow positron beam using a 15 MeV LINAC (average current 1.25 × 10¹⁵ e⁻/s) at the Radiation and Photochemistry Group, Chemistry Division of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has been proposed and studied. Computer simulated results optimizing the positron yield and distribution of energy and angle show that a slow positron production at 10¹⁰ e⁺/s is possible. A proposed design of an intense slow positron beam with optimal conditions of incident electron, converter/moderator configurations, and extraction/transportation is presented.     

Critical (burst) electron emission from dielectrics, induced by injection of a dense electron beam

A dense pulsed electron beam and nanosecond pulse length has been used to inject negative electric charge into various dielectric materials (single crystals, glasses, composites, plastics) for initiation of electron field emission from the dielectric into a vacuum. It has been shown that upon reaching a critical electric field in the bulk and at the dielectric surface there is intense critical electron emission. The local current density from the emission centers reaches a record value (for dielectrics) of the order of 10⁶ A/cm². The emission occurs in the form of a single gigantic pulse. The measured amplitude of the emission current averaged over the emitting surface is the same order of magnitude as the injected electron current: 10–1000 A. the emission current pulse lages behind the current pulse of the primary electron beam injected into the sample. The delay time is in the range 1–20 nsec and decreases with increasing current density of the injected beam. Direct experimental evidence is found for intense generation of carriers (band or quasifree electrons) in the near-surface layer of the dielectric in a strong electric field due to the Frenkel-Poole effect and collisional ionization of traps, usually various donor levels. This process greatly strengthens the field emission from the dielectric. It has been shown experimentally that the emission is nonuniform and is accompanied by “point bursts” at the surface of the dielectric and ionized plasma spikes in the vacuum interval. These spikes are the main reason that the transition of the field emission into “bursts” is critical, similar to the current which has been previously observed in metals and semiconductors. However there are a number of substantial differences. For example the critical field emission current density needed for the transition into “bursts” is three orders of magnitude less than for metals. If we provide sufficient electron current at the surface or from the bulk of the dielectric to the emission centers, then the critical emission is always accompanied by a vacuum discharge between the surface of the dielectric and a metallic collector. A detailed computer model of the processes in the dielectric during injection of a high-density electron beam has been developed which allows one to understand the complex physical pattern of the phenomenon. Tomsk Polytechnic University. Institute of High-Current Electronics, Siberian Section, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 45–67, November, 1997.     

Recrystallization and formation of spheroidal gold particles in amorphous-like AlN–TiB<Subscript>2</Subscript>–TiSi<Subscript>2</Subscript> coatings after annealing and subsequent implantation

The recrystallization of the structure of an X-ray amorphous AlN–TiB₂–TiSi₂ coating containing short-range order regions with characteristic sizes of 0.8–1.0 nm has been performed using a negative gold ion (Au^–) beam and high-temperature annealing. Direct measurements using methods of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectral (EDXS) microanalysis have demonstrated that thermal annealing at a temperature of 1300°C in air results in the formation of nanoscale (10–15 nm) phases AlN, AlB₂, Al₃O₃, and TiO₂, whereas the ion implantation of negative ions Au^– leads to a fragmentation (decrease in the size) of nanograins to 2–5 nm with the formation of spheroidal gold nanocrystallites a few nanometers in size, as well as to the formation of an amorphous oxide film in the depth (near-surface layer) of the coating due to ballistic ion mixing and collision cascades.     

On the nature of emissions of polymethyl methacrylate excited by an electron beam of subnanosecond or nanosecond duration

The results of studies of the physical nature of emissions produced in polymethyl methacrylate excited by electron beams of a subnanosecond or a nanosecond duration are presented. The spatial, amplitude, and spectral-kinetic properties of emissions have been examined under an electron beam energy density varying from 10^–4 to 4 × 10^–1 J/cm². It has been found that cathodoluminescence is the primary type of emission under low energy densities of the electron beam. When the energy density of a nanosecond electron beam and/or the number of pulses of excitation by a subnanosecond electron beam were increased, an electrical breakdown of polymethyl methacrylate occurred in the irradiated region. This process was accompanied by a burst of emission of dense, low-temperature plasma.     

Schlieren diagnostics of pulsed electron beam ablation of polymethyl-methacrylate

The investigation of the interaction of pulsed electron beams with PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) targets is reported. The electron beam of some 10^–8 s in duration is produced in a pulsed low-pressure gas discharge. The beam power density of up to 10⁸ W/cm² leads to a surface plasma formation similar to that of the pulsed laser ablation process. The propagation of the ablated material and the shock wave inside the PMMA target are observed by means of Schlieren diagnostics. An electron density gradient of over 3×10¹⁹ cm^–4 has been observed in the expanding plasma up to 1.5 s after the plasma formation. During the early stage of expansion, the expansion velocity of the plasma plume as determined by the steep electron density gradient is around 10⁵ cm/s. The pressure behind the shock front inside the PMMA target as determined from the shock velocity exceeds 0.3 Gpa.     

Generating a low-energy high-current electron beam in a gun having a plasma anode

Research has been done on major physical processes governing the scope for generating magnetized low-energy high-current electron beams in a plasma-filled system. Conditions are considered for efficient excitation of the explosive electron emission at a large-area cathode at low accelerating voltages, together with the trends in beam formation in the nonstationary double layer formed between the cathode and anode plasmas, as well as the beam transport to the collector in the inhomogeneous guiding plasma. It is found that a gun having a plasma anode enables one to generate wide-aperture electron beams of microsecond duration having a mean electron energy of 10–20 keV and an energy density of up to 20 J/cm² or more, which goes with homogeneity sufficient for technological purposes.High-Current Electronics Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 100–114, March, 1994.     

Analysis of Thermal Physical Processes and Peculiarities of Modification of a Steel Surface by Pulsed Plasma Flows

The temperature gradient and melting depth of the surface of iron-based alloys under the action of high-temperature pulsed plasma beams have been estimated and compared with the experimental data. It has been shown that the steel surface melts under the action of a pulsed plasma flow at an energy density of 15–20 J/cm²; the heat front propagates to a depth of up to 20 μm, the thickness of the molten layer being less than 10 μm. The characteristic size of the microstructure formed as a result of thermal perturbation is estimated at 17 nm. The formation of new phases with crystallite sizes that vary in the range of 16–270 nm is demonstrated experimentally. It has been shown that the formation of nanosize crystalline structure and modified near-surface region are the main factors responsible for strengthening steels.     

Strained germanium films in Ge/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures: Formation of edge misfit dislocations at the Ge/InGaAs interface

Heterostructures of the “strained Ge film/artificial InGaAs layer/GaAs substrate” type have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy. A specific feature of these structures is that the plastically relaxed (buffer) InGaAs layer has the density of threading dislocations on a level of 10⁵–10⁶ cm⁻². These dislocations penetrate into the strained Ge layer to become sources of both 60° and 90° (edge) misfit dislocations (MDs). Using the transmission electron microscopy, both MD types have been found at the Ge/InGaAs interface. It has been shown that the presence of threading dislocations inherited from the buffer layer in a tensile-strained Ge film favors the formation of edge dislocations at the Ge/InGaAs interface even in the case of small elastic deformations in the strained film. Possible mechanisms of the formation of edge MDs have been considered, including (i) accidental collision of complementary parallel 60° MDs propagating in the mirror-tilted {111} planes, (ii) induced nucleation of a second 60° MD and its interaction with the primary 60° MD, and (iii) interaction of two complementary MDs after a cross-slip of one of them. Calculations have demonstrated that a critical layer thickness (h _c ) for the appearance of edge MDs is considerably smaller than h _c for 60° MDs.     

High-intensity and high-brightness source of moderated positrons using a brilliant γ beam

Presently, large efforts are conducted toward the development of highly brilliant γ beams via Compton back scattering of photons from a high-brilliance electron beam, either on the basis of a normal-conducting electron linac or a (super-conducting) Energy Recovery Linac (ERL). Particularly, ERLs provide an extremely brilliant electron beam, thus enabling the generation of highest-quality γ beams. A 2.5 MeV γ beam with an envisaged intensity of 10¹⁵ photons s⁻¹, as ultimately envisaged for an ERL-based γ-beam facility, narrow band width (10⁻³), and extremely low emittance (10⁻⁴ mm² mrad²) offers the possibility to produce a high-intensity bright polarized positron beam. Pair production in a face-on irradiated W converter foil (200 μm thick, 10 mm long) would lead to the emission of 2×10¹³ (fast) positrons per second, which is four orders of magnitude higher compared to strong radioactive ²²Na sources conventionally used in the laboratory. Using a stack of converter foils and subsequent positron moderation, a high-intensity low-energy beam of moderated positrons can be produced. Two different source setups are presented: a high-brightness positron beam with a diameter as low as 0.2 mm, and a high-intensity beam of 3×10¹¹ moderated positrons per second. Hence, profiting from an improved moderation efficiency, the envisaged positron intensity would exceed that of present high-intensity positron sources by a factor of 100.     

Influence of argon ion bombardment on the formation of intermetallic compounds in the nickel-aluminum system

The formation of Ni _x Al _y intermetallic compounds in two-layer (Ni/Al) structures (nickel films deposited on aluminum substrates in vacuum) under bombardment by Ar⁺ ions has been studied experimentally. The method based on Rutherford backscattering of He⁺ ions is used to demonstrate that argon ion bombardment causes the formation of intermetallic compounds in the near-surface layer. The thickness of the intermetallic layer formed in the near-surface region substantially exceeds the projective ion path. The composition and thickness of the intermetallic layer depend mainly on the implantation dose and the substrate temperature, rather than on the ion current density. In the intermetallic layer, the content of nickel increases with increasing temperature. It has been established that, in the absence of bombardment, intermetallic phases are not observed at temperatures lower than T = 400°C and that, in the presence of bombardment, the Ni₃Al intermetallic layer arises at a temperature of 320°C.     

Density dependence of recombination in the electron cooler of CRYRING

The electron-ion recombination rates of Ne¹⁰⁺ and D⁺ have been measured as a function of relative energy and electron density. We found a strong enhancement of e-Ne¹⁰⁺ recombination over expected radiative recombination rates below 1 meV relative energies, reaching a factor of 4 close to zero relative energy. Remarkably, the measured rate coefficients decrease as a function of electron density for both systems. Studies of recombination of D⁺ indicate that this density dependence may be due to temperature variations of the electron beam with the electron density.     

Stretching of slow positron pulses generated with an electron linac

A facility for generating a high intensity slow positron beam using an electron linear accelerator has been constructed. A conversion efficiency of 6×10^–7 slow positrons per incident electron has been obtained for 75 MeV electrons. Storage and stretching of pulsed slow positrons have been successfully carried out with a Penning trap.     

Investigation of silicon doped by zinc ions with a large dose

The formation of nanoparticles in СZn-Si(100) implanted with ⁶⁴Zn⁺ ions using a dose of 5 × 10¹⁶ cm^–2 and an energy of 50 keV at room temperature with subsequent thermal processing in oxygen at temperatures ranging from 400 to 900°C is studied. The surface topology is investigated with scanning electron (in the secondary emission mode) and atomic force microscopes. The structure and composition of the near-surface silicon layer are examined using a high-resolution transmission electronic microscope fitted with a device for energy dispersive microanalysis. An amorphized near-surface Si layer up to 130 nm thick forms when zinc is implanted. Amorphous zinc nanoparticles with an average size of 4 nm are observed in this layer. A damaged silicon layer 50 nm thick also forms due to radiation defects. The metallic zinc phase is found in the sample after low-temperature annealing in the range of 400–600°C. When the annealing temperature is raised to 700°C, zinc oxide ZnO phase can form in the near-surface layer. The complex ZnO · Zn₂SiO₄ phase presumably emerges at temperatures of 800°C or higher, and zinc-containing nanoparticles with lateral sizes of 20–50 nm form on the sample’s surface.     

The influence of argon ion bombardment on the electrical and optical properties of clean silicon surfaces

The effect of low energy noble gas ion bombardment on the electrical and optical properties of Si(211) surfaces has been investigated by surface conductivity and field effect measurements, ellipsometry and AES. With this combination of techniques, information is obtained concerning the electrical properties, the chemical composition and the damage of the surface layer. Upon ion bombardment in the energy range of 500–2000 eV, ellipsometry shows the formation of a damaged surface layer with optical properties close to those of an evaporated amorphous silicon film. In order to measure the conductivity changes as sensitive as possible, nearly intrinsic silicon crystals were used. For the clean, 5200 Ω cm Si(211) surface, bombarded only with a mass-analyzed argon ion beam, a small increase in conductivity is found to occur after a small ion dose (saturation after 5 × 10¹⁴ ions cm^?2 while after 5 × 10¹³ ions cm^?2 already half of the increase has occurred). The effect was found to be independent of ion energy between 500 and 2000 eV. As the field effect signal did not change after this treatment, it is concluded that the surface state density in the neighbourhood of the Fermi level shows a slight decrease.