The width of the giant dipole resonance built on excited states of Cu compound nuclei

Continuumγ- ray spectra from the decay of⁵⁹Cu formed at an excitation energy of 100 MeV and angular momenta up to 43? by means of the reaction 190 MeV³²S +²⁷Al have been measured and analyzed. The parameters of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) have been extracted using the statistical model. The derived GDR width confirms the sizeable broadening of this resonance in⁵⁹Cu already reported in our earlier investigation at 77 MeV excitation energy (J_crit=38?). Estimates of the GDR width have been performed in the adiabatic approximation. Predicted values account qualitatively for the experimental data of⁵⁹Cu as well as of the heavier isotope⁶³Cu, in which the broadening was not seen up to 77MeV excitation (J_crit=35?). The present analysis demonstrates the strong sensitivity of the GDR to spin effects in this mass region.     

Structural stability and electrical conductivity of amorphous Ge-metal alloy films

Stable homogeneous amorphous alloy¹ films of Ge with different concentrations of Al, Cu and Fe have been prepared by the simultaneous vapor deposition technique. Ge-Metal films are amorphous up to a concentration of ～ 40 at.% Al, ～ 20 at.% Cu and ～ 20 at.% Fe. The cyclic annealing and crystallization temperature of these films show that whereas Al increases the stability of the amorphous phase, the addition of Cu and Fe decreases it. The electrical resistivity decreases gradually with increasing Al content. In contrast, a rapid decrease in the electrical resistivity is observed for the Ge-Cu and Ge-Fe systems. The thermoelectric power (TEP) of Ge-Cu and Ge-Fe system assumes small values ～ few μV/deg for concentrations greater than few atomic percent. Ge-Al system exhibits large positive thermoelectric power at all compositions. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of these alloy films show that the addition of Cu and Fe to Ge results in a drastic decrease in the activation energy of conduction whereas the addition of Al increases the activation energy. Ge-Al films exhibit intrinsic like conduction in the temperature range 100–300 K. The Ge-Cu and Ge-Fe films exhibit hopping conduction from 100–300 K and the related density of states is up to 100 times larger than in pure a-Ge films.     

A method for the determination of recoil ion ranges needed in DSA measurements

From the yield curve of the²⁷Al(p, γ)²⁸Si reaction obtained with implanted targets, the range distributions and mean ranges of 50 keV Al⁺-ions have been determined in C, Cu, Mo and Ta. The energy straggling of protons has been taken into account in the analysis. The DSA lifetime values in different backing materials are in good agreement when measured ranges are used for the determination of the stopping parameters.     

Internal photoemission and plasmon gain in solid and thin films of Al

Weak features in the electron spectrum of Al excited by bremsstrahlung radiation from a Cu anode have been studied using a recently developed multidetector. A feature at ～1410 eV which has been identified as the Al 2p internal photoelectron line was found to have an intensity 4.2 × 10^?3 times that of the Al KL_2,3L_2,3:¹D₂ Auger line, in agreement with a simple theoretical treatment. The identification of this feature is confirmed by the observation of an ～67% decrease in its intensity in spectra obtained from clean Al films in the thickness range 3.1–34.0 nm. The intensity of a plasmon gain peak at ～1404 eV is found to be independent of thickness for films of thickness greater than 7.5 nm.     

Tunneling characteristics of trilayer tunnel junctions

We report here the tunneling characteristics (d²V/dI²) of trilayer junctions of the form AlOxAgCuPb and AlOxCuAgPb. The Cu and Ag thicknesses both being 300 Å and the Pb thickness being 3000 Å. The two contributions to the tunneling density of states seen are: (i) the interference effect in the two normal layers showing structures associated with the Pb phonons [1]. This structure is very similar to the one of AlOxAgPb (or AlOxCuPb where the Ag (or Cu) thickness is 600 Å thus showing that the interference effect takes place in both normal metals, (ii) the induced pair potential in the normal layers produces a structure associated with the normal metal phonons. However, only the normal phonons of the metal next to the oxide are seen thus showing that the electron tunneling is a very local probe.     

Bounds on the coupling parameters in field theoretical models of nuclear physics

Neutrons of energies within a 50 eV interval at 1970 eV have been selected from reactor neutrons by means of resonance scattering on a target of⁶³Cu and subsequently by the 1970 eV resonance of a⁸⁰Se target. Insertion of stationary filters and the technique of difference measurements with a resonance filter resulted in a high selectivity, which allowed the determination of cross sections for quasi-monoenergetic neutrons for the elements: H, C, O, F, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Pb and Bi. The precision cross sections of Pb and H contribute to investigations of fundamental neutron interactions. The measured σ(Pb)=11.198±0.003 b was recently used to deriveα _n=(0.8±1)10^?3 fm³ for the electric polarizability of the neutron. The neutron-proton cross sectionσ(¹ H)=20.13±0.03 b and data at 143 keV, 〈1.3〉 MeV, 〈2.1〉 MeV and from the literature provide a refined set of the scattering parameters for the shape-independent effective-range approximation of the neutron-proton interaction.     

A study of the (α, t) reaction on 19F, 27Al, 51V and 59Co

The angular distributions of tritons from the (α, t) reaction on ¹⁹F, ²⁷Al, ⁵¹V and ⁵⁹Co nuclei corresponding to the (0⁺) ground states and (2⁺) excited states in the final nuclei have been measured in the angular range between 15° and 170° at α-particle energies of 25 MeV. For reactions on ²⁷Al and ⁵¹V nuclei, the differential excitation functions have also been obtained at different angles of outgoing tritons at E_α from 20 to 25 MeV. The experimental angular distributions are analysed by the DWBA approximation on the assumption of a nucleon stripping mechanism. The analyses of the present results and the data obtained earlier for the (α, t) reaction on the 1 p shell nuclei, A ? 30, reveal that the distinguishing feature of the reaction under study is the presence of backward angle peaks in the reaction cross section, which appear to be associated with exchange processes. For the (α, t) reaction on the heavier nuclei (A > 30), the dominant mechanism is nucleon stripping.     

Recoil properties of spallation products from bombardment of Z = 13–29 targets with 150,300 and 600 MeV protons

A semi-empirical relation developed using the classical model of high-energy nuclear reactions has been applied to spallation data obtained from thick-target — thick-collector recoil experiments. The ²⁴Na, ⁴²K, ⁴³K, ^44mSc, ⁴⁶Sc, ⁴⁷Sc ranges produced in Al, Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Cu targets by 150, 300 and 600 MeV protons were determined. The excitation energies of the residual nuclei, deduced from the ranges, have been compared with theoretical calculations. The analysis shows that if the mass difference of the target and product nucleus is ΔA ? 10 the cascade plays a privileged role. If ΔA>10 an averaging effect is observed. In this case the number of prompt nucleons is about one-third of the total number and the excitation energy per evaporated nucleon is about 11 MeV.     

The electrical properties of metal-oxide-semiconductor devices fabricated on the chemically etched n-InP substrate

The electrical properties of the Cu/n-InP and Al/n-InP Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with and without the interfacial oxide layer have been investigated by using current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The oxide layer on chemically cleaned indium phosphide (InP) surface has been obtained by exposure to water vapor at 1 ml/min at 200 °C before metal evaporation. The chemical composition of surface oxides grown on the InP is investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Phosphorus is present as In(PO₃)₃, InPO₄, P₂O₅ and P₄O₁₀. The values of 0.437 ± 0.007 and 0.438 ± 0.003 eV for the barrier height of the reference Cu/n-InP and Al/n-InP SBDs were obtained, respectively. Furthermore, the values of 0.700 ± 0.030 and 0.517 ± 0.023 eV for the barrier height of the oxidized Cu/n-InP and Al/n-InP SBD were obtained, respectively. The transport properties of the metal-semiconductor contacts have been observed to be significantly affected by the presence of the interfacial oxide layer. Devices built on the oxidized surfaces show improved characteristics compared with those built on chemically cleaned surfaces. The chemical reactivity of the metal with oxide and n-InP is important to the formation of the Schottky barriers. The reactive metal Al gave a low barrier height due to the reduction of oxide and reaction with InP. The transmission coefficients for the oxidized Cu/n-InP and Al/n-InP are equal to 2.23 × 10⁻⁵ and 4.60 × 10⁻², respectively.     

Investigation of the gamma decay of excited states in25Al

The gamma decay of the low-lying energy levels (E _x <4MeV) in²⁵Al has been studied through the²⁴Mg(p, γ)²⁵Al reaction using seven resonances in the proton energy rangeE _p +200?1700 keV. Ge(Li) detectors and isotopically separated targets have been used. Energies and branching ratios of several excited states have been measured. TheQ-value of the reaction was determined to be 2271.3±0.8 keV. Lifetimes, investigated by the Doppler-shift attenuation method and γ-ray angular distributions have been determined using theE _p +823, 1201, 1490 and 1660 keV resonances of the²⁴Mg(p, γ)²⁵Al reaction.     

Investigation of impurity diffusion in dilute alloys by nuclear magnetic resonance

The diffusion of Al in a Cu: 3.8 at % Al alloy has been investigated by observing the rotating-frame nuclear magnetic relaxation time T_1π of ²⁷Al as a function of temperature. It is shown that relaxation measurements of the solute atoms in a dilute alloy provide the correlation time of the diffusive motion of these atoms, if quadrupolar interactions form the main contribution to the relaxation time. From the correlation times the Al-diffusion coefficient in the alloy has been determined.     

Comparative study on Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 based thin film solar cell performances by adding various back surface field (BSF) layers

In this research work, SCAPS-1D (Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in one Dimension) is used to simulate the CZTSSe (Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4) solar cell with Al/ZnO:Al/ZnO(i)/CdS/CZTSSe/Mo structure. The simulation results have been compared and validated with real experimental results. After that, an effective receipt is proposed with the aim of improving the efficiency of the CZTSSe solar cell, in which a BSF layer is inserted using various materials (SnS, CZTSSe and CZTSe). The obtained results show that the efficiencies of CZTSSe solar cells are increased from 12.3% to 15.7%, 15.3% and 15% by the insertion of SnS, CZTSSe and CZTSe materials as BSF layers, respectively. This enhancement corresponds with a BSF layer thickness of 30 nm and doping concentration of 1E18 cm⁻³. Next, an optimization of BSF layers thickness has been conducted. The optimum value of thickness is considered at 40 nm with an enhancement ratio in efficiency of 36.70%, 26.21% and 21.53% for SnS, CZTSSe and CZTSe, respectively. Better performances have been noted for SnS material. The optimized CZTSSe solar cell with SnS as a BSF layer achieves an efficiency of 16.95% with J_SC = 36.34 mA/cm², V_OC = 0.69 V, and FF = 67% under Standard Test Conditions (AM1.5 G and cell temperature of 25 °C).     

Entrance channel correlations for 2+ resonances inp+27Al

Angular distributions for²⁷Al(p, α ₀) and excitation functions for²⁷Al(p, p ₀) and²⁷Al(p, α ₀) have been measured for 2⁺ resonances in thep+²⁷Al system. For 10 of these resonances, partial widths have been determined for three proton channels, and the relative sign between the reduced width amplitudes in two of these channels has been deduced. Linear correlation coefficients between reduced widths and between reduced width amplitudes in different channels have been calculated. The amplitudes appear consistent with the expected Gaussian distribution.     

The growth of ZnO:Ga:Cu as new TCO film of advanced electrical,optical and structural quality

Because of having similarities in many physical as well as chemical properties to those of Zn, Cu has been strategically used as an effective dopant e.g., Al, Ga, F, etc., to change the optical, electrical and the micro-structural properties of ZnO thin films for obtaining its favorable opto-electronic performance as a transparent conducting oxide suitable for devices. Present study demonstrates the growth of transparent conducting ZnO:Ga:Cu thin films, by low power RF magnetron sputtering at a low substrate temperature (100 °C). Highly crystalline ZnO:Ga:Cu film with preferred c-axis orientation has been obtained demonstrating a high magnitude of transmission ~85% in the visible range and a high electrical conductivity ~40 S cm^–1, facilitated by large crystallite size (~29 nm), introducing reduced grain boundary scattering. XPS O 1S spectrum reveals the presence of a significant fraction of oxygen atoms effectively increasing the optical transparency. Incorporation of Ga and Cu ions into the ZnO matrix promotes violation of the local translational symmetry as suggested by the relaxation of Raman selection rules for the network, evident by the presence of strong (B₁^high–B₁^low) modes which are typically Raman inactive. The consequences of Cu doping has been compared with identically prepared ZnO and ZnO:Ga films.     

Impact of laser produced X-rays on the surface of gold

In the paper an attempt has been made to use the laser-induced plasma as an X-ray source for the growth of nanostructures on the surface of gold. For this purpose, an Nd:YAG laser operated at second harmonics (λ = 532 nm, E = 400 mJ) is used to produce plasma from analytical grade 5N pure Al, Cu and W targets. An analytical grade (5N pure) gold substrate was irradiated by X-rays generated from Al, Cu and W plasma under the vacuum ∼10⁻⁴ Torr. The surface was analyzed by two techniques, XRD and AFM. The aberrations in the XRD peaks show that there are significant structural changes in the exposed gold, in terms of decreased reflection intensities, increased dislocation line density, changes in the d-spacing and disturbance in the periodicity of the planes. AFM used to explore the topography of the irradiated gold reveals that regardless of the source, nm sized hillocks have been produced on the gold surface. The roughness of the surface has increased due to the growth of these hillocks.     

Enhancement of the thermoelectric power factor of MnSi1.7 film by modulation doping of Al and Cu

It is well known that aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu) are acceptor impurities with shallow- and deep-energy levels in silicon (Si), respectively. The thermoelectric power factor of Al and Cu codoped Si film is larger than that of only Al-doped Si film. In this report, the Al and Cu codoped Si layer, Si: (Al + Cu), is used as a barrier layer, while a higher manganese silicide (HMS, MnSi_1.7) layer is used as a well layer to enhance the power factor of MnSi_1.7 film. It is found that the Al and Cu modulation doped MnSi_1.7 film, Si: (Al + Cu)/MnSi_1.7, has a power factor almost two times larger than that of only Al modulation doped MnSi_1.7 film, Si: Al/MnSi_1.7. It is also found that an undoped Si spacer layer between the Si: (Al + Cu) barrier layer and the MnSi_1.7 well layer can enhance the power factor further. Finally, it is demonstrated that the MnSi_1.7 film with double Si barrier layers, Si: (Al + Cu)/MnSi_1.7/Si: (Al + Cu), has the highest power factor, 1423×10^?6 W/m?K² at 783 K, which is very close to that of MnSi_1.7 bulk material.     

Properties of unbound high-spin states in27Al

Selectively excited high-spin states in²⁷Al have been located by the reaction¹²C(¹⁶O,p)²⁷Al. The excitation functions of these states have been measured at incident energiesE _cm=18.7 to 30.1 MeV at intervals of 150 keV. They exhibit maxima of presumably non-statistical origin. At four different energies the subsequent decay of the²⁷Al states has been studied by detecting the final heavy recoils with the Munich recoil spectrometer in coincidence with the proton emitted in the first stage of the reaction. Using this new method branching ratios of theγ-, α-, andn-decay have been measured. Based on angular correlation arguments spins up to 27/2? have been determined within the experimental accuracy of 1–2?. The observations suggest a superdeformed shape of²⁷Al at least in some of the states.     

Multinuclear MRI of Solids: from Structure to Transport

Direct multinuclear imaging of rigid solids has been performed using the conventional two-pulse spin-echo pulse sequence and liquids magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hardware. Two-dimensional ²⁷Al and ⁵¹V images of an Al₂O₃-V₂O₅-glass composite sample and ¹¹B, ²³Na, ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si images of glass have been detected, extending the range of nuclei and solid materials that can be studied by this approach. For a spinning cylinder packed with Al₂O₃ powder, quantitative velocity maps have been obtained by directly detecting the ²⁷Al nuclear magnetic resonance signal of the solid phase. The two velocity components in the imaging plane transverse to the rotation axis have been mapped using the three-pulse stimulated echo sequence. Some possibilities to improve sensitivity in the MRI experiments on rigid solids have been considered. In particular, inversion of the satellite transitions by a double frequency sweep adiabatic passage has led to a signal enhancement by a factor of two in ²⁷Al MRI of a glass sample despite a short repetition time (0.5 s) of the imaging pulse sequence. Authors' address: Igor V. Koptyug, International Tomography Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3A Institutskaya ulitsa, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation     

Investigation of the subthreshold production of <Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis><Superscript>−</Superscript> mesons in proton-nucleus collisions

The differential cross sections for the proton-induced production of K ^? mesons on Be, Al, and Cu nuclei in the subthreshold energy region have been measured. Folding-model calculation including three channels of their production satisfactorily reproduces the experimental data. It has been shown that the main contribution to the production of hard K ^? mesons comes from the nonresonant direct process. Evidence for the existence of an attractive optical potential with a magnitude of about 140 MeV for K ^? at normal nuclear density has been obtained.     

Bias dependence of apparent layer thickness and Moiré pattern on NaCl/Cu(001)

Bias-dependent features of the insulating NaCl layer grown on Cu(001) have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). The apparent layer thickness of the NaCl film is variable at bias voltages ranging from 2.8 to 3.2 V as well as from 4.0 to 5.0 V, and the Moiré pattern induced by NaCl–Cu lattice mismatch also shows bias dependence. The z–V (dz/dV–V) curves and dI/dV mapping measurements reveal that the resonant tunneling between the image potential states (IPSs) on Cu(001) and the Fermi level of the STM tip leads to drastic variations of these features.