The early oxynitridation stages of hydrogen-terminated (100) silicon after exposure to N2:N2O. Nitrogen bonding states

Nitridation of hydrogen-terminated silicon in a diluted N₂:N₂O atmosphere was studied by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy. Our analysis showed that the broad N(1s) peak of width 1.5 eV at 398–399 eV, usually reported in the literature, is preceded by the formation of a narrow peak of width around 1.0 eV at 397.5 eV, attributed to the moiety Si₃N in which silicon is only marginally oxidized, and two other peaks at 400.0 eV and 401.5 eV, attributed to the moieties Si₂NOSi and SiNO, respectively. Received: 11 July 2001 / Accepted: 19 September 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001     

Electric-field enhancement of beam coupling in Sn2P2S6

The influence of an external field on photorefractive recording in Sn₂P₂S₆ (SPS) crystals is studied. A large gain factor of more then 15 cm^-1 is achieved for a grating spacing of 12 μm at λ=0.9 μm. For an applied field exceeding ±200 V/cm a switching of the beam coupling direction is detected, exhibiting a pronounced hysteresis. Received: 25 October 2000 / Revised version: 18 January 2001 / Published online: 21 March 2001     

Additive-pulse mode locking of a diode-pumped Nd3+:YVO4 laser

We demonstrate self-starting additive-pulse mode locking of a diode-pumped Nd³⁺:YVO₄ laser. Pulse durations of 2.7 ps are measured at a repetition frequency of 90.7 MHz and at an average output power of 1.1 W. This corresponds to a peak power of 4.5 kW. Received: 27 June 2001 / Revised version: 10 October 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Spectroscopy of YVO4:Ho3+ crystals

Crystals of YVO₄:Ho were grown by the Czochralski method. The structure of the low-energy levels of Ho³⁺ has been estimated experimentally. Intensity parameters, radiative lifetimes, and branching ratios have been calculated in the framework of the Judd–Ofelt theory. The influence of temperature on luminescence lifetimes has been investigated. The calculated nonradiative transition rate was compared with the energy-gap law. The potential laser gain for the ⁵ I ₇–⁵ I ₈ transition has been estimated. Received: 27 June 2001 / Final version: 10 December 2001 / Published online: 7 February 2002     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of magnetic films

Ta/NiO_x/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Ta films were prepared by rf reactive and dc magnetron sputtering. The exchange coupling field H_ex and the coercivity H_c of NiO_x/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ as a function of the ratio of Ar to O₂ during the deposition process were studied. The composition and the chemical states in the interface region of NiO_x/NiFe were also investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the peak decomposition technique. The results show that the ratio of Ar to O₂ has a great effect on the chemical states of nickel in NiO_x films. The exchange coupling field H_ex and the coercivity H_c of Ta/NiO_x/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Ta are thus seriously affected. XPS is shown to be a powerful tool for characterizing magnetic films. Received: 18 July 2001 / Accepted: 21 December 2001 / Published online: 3 June 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +86-010/6232-7283, E-mail: guanghua_yu@263.net     

Photorefractive properties of Cr-doped Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 related to crystal purity and doping concentration

The purity and the concentrations of the constituents Sr, Ba, Nb and Cr were determined in single crystals of chromium-doped Sr_0.61Ba_0.39Nb₂O₆ (SBN) by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). Experiments with different Cr concentrations C_Cr reveal constant Sr and Ba concentrations as well as a decreasing Nb concentration with an increasing C_Cr. Therefore, Cr is incorporated at Nb lattice sites. The distribution coefficient of Cr is 1.2 between 100 and about 7000 ppm Cr and 1 above. From measurements of the holographic two-beam coupling gain Γ for different C_Cr, we deduced response times for the buildup of holographic gratings. The saturation value of Γ depends in a nonlinear manner on C_Cr and reaches its maximum at about 6000 ppm Cr. The inverse photorefractive response time of the grating erasure depends linearly on the erasure intensity for all doping concentrations. Thus a one-center model can be assumed for the charge transport in SBN:Cr. Received: 8 December 2000 / Revised version: 23 January 2001 / Published online: 21 March 2001     

Quasi-simultaneous detection of CH2O and CH by cavity ring-down absorption and laser-induced fluorescence in a methane/air low-pressure flame

The combination of two-dimensional, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and cavity ring-down (CRD) absorption spectroscopy is applied to map quantitatively the spatial distributions of CH₂O and CH in a methane/air flame at 25 Torr. Both species are detected in the same spectral region using the overlapping CH₂O A ¹ A ₂ -X ¹ A ₁ 4₁ ⁰ and CH B-X(1,0 )bands. The combination of diagnostic techniques exploits the spatial resolution of LIF and the quantitative CRD absorption measure of column density. The spatially resolved PLIF provides the distribution of absorbers and line-of-sight CRD absorption the absolute number density needed for quantitative concentration images. The peak CH₂O concentration is (3.5±1.4 )×10¹⁴ cm^-3, or 1450±550 ppm at 1000 K. The lack of precise absorption cross-section data produces these large error limits. Although a flame model predicts lower amounts, these large uncertainties limit this measurement’susefulness as a test of the flame chemistry. Received: 24 April 2001 / Revised version: 10 July 2001 / Published online: 10 October 2001     

Optical properties of fullerene and non-fullerene peapods

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) encapsulating fullerenes, so-called fullerene peapods, were synthesized in high yield by using diameter-selected nanotubes as pods. Transmission electron microscopy revealed high-density fullerene chains inside the nanotubes. X-ray-diffraction measurements indicate 85% filling for C₆₀ and 72% filling for C₇₀ molecules as a total yield. Interestingly, C₆₀ peas do not show any thermal expansion while C₇₀ peas show normal behavior. Room-temperature Raman spectra show one-dimensional photopolymerization of C₆₀ inside nanotubes by blue-laser irradiation, suggesting molecular rotation inside them. In C₇₀ peapods, no photopolymerization was observed but the relative Raman intensity of each peak is different from the C₇₀ 3D crystal. This is probably caused by mixing of two different crystal structures in C₇₀ peas. Furthermore, we synthesized Zn-diphenylporphyrin peapods. Optical absorption and Raman spectra suggest that the encapsulated molecules are deformed by interaction with the SWNT. Received: 12 November 2001 / Accepted: 3 December 2001 / Published online: 4 March 2002     

Photoluminescence characteristics of neodymium oxide nanocrystal/titania/ormosil composite sol-gel thin films

Neodymium (III) oxide nanocrystal/titania/organically-modified silane (ormosil) composite thin films have been prepared using a chemical approach consisting of a combination of inverse microemulsion and sol-gel techniques at low temperature. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the neodymium (III) oxide nanoparticles have a needle-like nanocrystal structure. A strong room temperature emission at 1064 nm, corresponding to the ⁴ F _3/2?⁴ I _11/2 transition, has been observed as a function of the heat treatment temperature used for the production of the composite thin films. In addition to this emission, two other main emissions at 890 nm and at 1336 nm have also been observed. In particular, there was a clear shoulder peak at 1145 nm, probably be due to the host matrix, which was observed in all the measured samples and this shoulder peak gave a maximum intensity after heat treatment at 300 °C. Received: 6 September 2000 / Accepted: 15 November 2000 / Published online: 20 June 2001     

Electroluminescence of silicon nanocrystals in MOS structures

We have studied the structural, electrical and optical properties of MOS devices, where the dielectric layer consists of a substoichiometric SiO_x (x<2) thin film deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. After deposition the samples were annealed at high temperature (>1000 °C) to induce the separation of the Si and the SiO₂ phases with the formation of Si nanocrystals embedded in the insulating matrix. We observed at room temperature a quite intense electroluminescence (EL) signal with a peak at ∼850 nm. The EL peak position is very similar to that observed in photoluminescence in the very same device, demonstrating that the observed EL is due to electron–hole recombination in the Si nanocrystals and not to defects. The effects of the Si concentration in the SiO_x layer and of the annealing temperature on the electrical and optical properties of these devices are also reported and discussed. In particular, it is shown that by increasing the Si content in the SiO_x layer the operating voltage of the device decreases and the total efficiency of emission increases. These data are reported and their implications discussed. Received: 31 August 2001 / Accepted: 3 September 2001 / Published online: 17 October 2001     

Comparison between c-cut and a-cut Nd:YVO4 lasers passively Q-switched with a Cr4+:YAG saturable absorber

Comparison between c-cut and a-cut Nd:YVO₄ microchip lasers passively Q-switched with a Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber is experimentally made. The lower emission cross section of the c-cut Nd:YVO₄ crystal can enhance the passive Q-switching effect to produce a peak power 10 times higher than that obtained with the a-cut crystal. The experimental result further reveals that a c-cut Nd:YVO₄ crystal is a very convenient material for short-pulse (sub-nanosecond) and high-peak-power (>10 kW) lasers. Received:10December2001/Revisedversion:22January2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

O2 plasma oxidation effect on magnetic properties of spin valves

The use of nano-oxide to improve the performance of spin valves has been extensively studied. But most of the investigations so far have been carried out on different samples. This may make some of the conclusions drawn from the experiments inconsistent because of the fluctuation in deposition conditions and device structures. In this work, the effect of nano-oxide on the properties of spin valves has been investigated through post-growth oxidation of the same sample in oxygen plasma for different rf powers and durations. The sample investigated was a bottom spin valve with the structure Si/SiO₂/Ta/NiFe/IrMn/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/Ta. A relative increase of 20% and 12% was obtained in the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio of as-deposited and annealed samples, respectively. It was found that, at a fixed rf power, there is a peak of the GMR ratio as the oxidation time increases. A higher peak value of the GMR ratio was obtained for lower rf power, although the required oxidation time is longer. This result can be well understood by considering both the enhanced specularity at the insulator/metal interface and the loss of magnetic effective thickness of the free layer by the oxidation. Magnetic parameters such as the interlayer coupling field (H₀) and the coercivity of the free layer (H_cf) were also greatly influenced by the oxidation process. When only the Ta layer was oxidized, H₀ increases very slightly, and H_cf increases with the oxidation time. However, when the CoFe free layer was oxidized, a significant increase was found for H₀, and H_cf changes to decreasing. These results can be explained based on the Néel and RKKY coupling models. Received: 25 October 2001 / Accepted: 21 December 2001 / Published online: 3 June 2002     

Spectral properties and emission efficiencies of GdVO4 phosphors

GdVO₄ with activators Eu, Dy, Sm and Bi has been synthesised by a solid-state reaction. GdVO₄:Eu³⁺ (3%) yielded the highest quantum efficiency of 95%. Interesting energy-transfer properties have been revealed in the mixed-activator phosphor (GdVO₄:Eu³⁺, Sm³⁺) when excited in the 4f shell of Sm³⁺ at 408 nm. Bismuth-activated GdVO₄ gives rise to a broad-band emission peaking at 525 nm in comparison to YVO₄:Bi³⁺, which gives an emission peak at 570 nm under UV excitation. The quantum efficiency of GdVO₄:Bi³⁺ increases gradually with bismuth concentration and reaches a maximum of 80% for a bismuth concentration of ≈0.5%. There is a shift in the excitation band of GdVO₄:Bi³⁺ towards longer wavelengths with increasing concentration of bismuth, which can lead to energy transfer from bismuth to europium in a phosphor with both these activators. Heat treatment of GdVO₄:Bi³⁺ at 1500 °C for 3–3.5 h resulted in a large percentage of bismuth being lost from the lattice as evaluated by X-ray fluorescence. However, if a large percentage of bismuth (of the order of 3% or more) is initially added, a sufficient quantity of bismuth can still be retained after heat treatment, which can lead to the development of ceramic scintillators for X-ray tomographic applications. Addition of 3–5% boron gives a white GdVO₄ phosphor without any chemical treatment. Received: 27 Feruary 2001 / Accepted: 1 August 2001 / Published online: 30 October 2001     

Room-temperature photoluminescence in amorphous SrTiO3– the influence of acceptor-type dopants

Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) was observed in undoped and 2 mol % Cr-, Al- and Y-doped amorphous SrTiO₃ thin films. Doping increased the PL, and in the case of Cr significantly reduced the associated PL wavelength. The optical bandgaps, calculated by means of UV–vis absorption spectra, increased with crystallinity and decreased with the doping level. It was considered that yttrium and aluminum substituted Sr²⁺, whereas chromium replaced Ti⁴⁺. It is believed that luminescence centers are oxygen-deficient BO₆ complexes, or the same centers with some other defects, such as oxygen or strontium vacancies, or BO₆ complexes with some other defects placed in their neighborhood. The character of excitation and the competition for negatively charged non-bridging oxygen (NBO) among numerous types of BO₆ defect complexes in doped SrTiO₃ results in various broadband luminescence peak positions. The results herein reported are an indicative that amorphous titanates are sensitive to doping, which is important for the control of the electro-optic properties of these materials. The probable incorporation of Cr into the Ti site suggests that the existence of a double network former can lead to materials displaying a more intense photoluminescence. Received: 20 November 2001 / Accepted: 22 November 2001 / Published online: 27 March 2002     

Study of 169Hf at high rotational frequency

High-spin properties of the nucleus ¹⁶⁹Hf have been studied through the fusion evaporation reaction ⁹⁶Zr(⁷⁶Ge,3n)¹⁶⁹Hf at a beam energy of 310 MeV. The known rotational bands have been extended considerably and 6 new bands have been established, four of which form coupled bands with pronounced M1 connections. Quasiparticle assignments are suggested for the new band structures, and it appears that coupling to vibrational degrees of freedom plays a role. Both coupled bands involve the excitation of quasiprotons. In the region of highest spin, a large alignment gain is interpreted in terms of a mixed crossing where an h _9/2 and an h _11/2 quasiproton provide the two signatures of the aligning configuration. Received: 23 March 2001 / Accepted: 20 September 2001     

Kinetics of Er3+-doped fluorozirconate optical fiber upconversion fluorescence and laser emission under 800 nm excitation

Applying single- and double-pulse excitation at 800 nm, the kinetics of the upconversion fluorescence in the green, as well as the upconversion laser at 543 nm was studied. No significant delay between the pumping pulse and the laser emission was found. In the erbium doped (1000 ppm) optical fiber, the mechanism responsible for the upconversion is purely of the excited state absorption (ESA) type. The double-pulse technique enables also a determination of the lifetime of the intermediate metastable state ⁴ I _11/2 (7±0.3 ms). Some other basic properties of the upconverted fluorescence and of the laser itself (fluorescence spectrum, optical gain, laser threshold) are also described. Received: 11 December 2000 / Revised version: 18 February 2001 / Published online: 18 July 2001     

Efficient and compact intracavity-frequency-doubled Nd:GdVO4/KTP laser end-pumped by a fiber-coupled laser diode

A compact and efficient diode-pumped intracavity-frequency-doubled Nd:GdVO₄/KTP green laser is demonstrated with a flat–flat cavity design. With a 1.3 at. % Nd³⁺-doped GdVO₄ crystal and pumped at the weak-absorption peak of 806 nm, the second-harmonic output power at 532 nm was measured to be 1.95 W at an incident pump power of 8.4 W, corresponding to an optical conversion efficiency of 23.2%. The output characteristic at the fundamental wavelength of 1.063 μm was investigated with two different pump wavelengths. More than 4.5-W output power was generated when the laser was pumped at 806.2 nm. Received: 26 July 2000 / Revised version: 18 September 2000 / Published online: 7 February 2001     

Development and characterization of Yb-Er laser glass for high average power laser diode pumping

A new strong erbium laser glass (SELG) based on a boro-alumo-phosphate composition is reported. We discuss the synthesis and chemical properties together with spectroscopic and thermo-mechanical data. The new glass composition shows excellent laser performance and withstands high-average power pump radiation. We present laser results at 1.54 μm from flashlamp and laser pumping. In tests with laser-diode pumped Q-switched Er-Yb microchip lasers, we have achieved up to 150 mW of average output power and generated 1.2 kW in peak power. Co²⁺:MgAl₂O₄ was here used as the saturable absorber. Received: 21 December 2001 / Revised version: 14 April 2002 / Published online: 8 August 2002     

Linewidth studies on Cd+ 636.0 nm and 537.8 nm lines excited in a He-Cd hollow cathode discharge

Hollow cathode (HC) lasers usually operate in a single axial mode without any optical selection. This is attributed to the large homogeneous linewidth of the gain curve due to the relatively high filling pressure of these lasers. Collisional and Doppler broadening (Δν_C and Δν_D) of the Cd⁺ 636 nm and Cd⁺ 538 nm lines (laser transitions of the HeCd⁺ laser) excited in a HC discharge tube were determined using a Fabry–Perot interferometer technique. It was found that in the pressure range 7–25 mbar Δν_D was nearly constant, while, as expected, Δν_C increased linearly with pressure. The broadening constants were α(636 nm)= (47±2) MHz/mbarand α(538 nm)=(11.8±0.5) MHz/mbar. The first constant is large enough to explain single-mode operation of the red HeCd⁺ laser; but in the case of the green laser, the exact reason for the single-mode operation remained unclear. Received: 23 November 2000 / Revised version: 30 March 2001 / Published online: 7 June 2001     

Observation of gain at 54.2 Å on balmer-alpha transition of hydrogenic sodium

Planer stripe and foil targets coated with NaF were irradiated with high intensity 351 nm laser radiation of 130 ps duration. Time-integrated as well as time-resolved measurement of gain on NaXIH at 54.2Å were made. A time-integrated gain of 1.2 _–1.1 ^+0.8 cm^–1 and a time-resolved peak gain of 3.2±1.0 cm^–1 were obtained. A detailed account of the experimental procedures for determination of gain is given.