Electron microscope study of aluminium films evaporated on air-cleaved sodium chloride

The article deals with the structure of thin aluminium films evaporated on air-cleaved NaCl substrates. The effect of the substrate temperature and the film thickness on the structure, the orientation and the grain size of the films was studied at a deposition rate of 10 Å/see (ev. 50 Å/see) in a vacuum of about 7. 10^–5 torr. The optimum temperature for epitaxial growth was found to be about 420°C. An almost regular arrangement of grains was found in the thickness region of 90–150 Å.     

Stress characteristics of creep of alpha-Zr in the temperature interval 300–900 K

The stress experiments of alpha-Zr were performed within the temperature interval 300 to 900 K using the incremental loading method. The temperature interval may be divided into three regions — the low temperature region (300–475 K), the transient region (475–775 K) and the high temperature region (above 775 K). The transient region was characterized by the maximum of the strain-rate sensitivity parameterm and also the creep deformation was — to a certain degree — affected by the athermal mechanism.The authors would like to thank Professor J.adek, DrSc, for many valuable discussions, unfailing support and continual encouragement.     

Positron mobility in anthracene

We have measured the positron mobility in a sample of scintillation grade anthracene at two temperatures. We obtain at 300 K: =(26.0±0.9±2.6) cm²V^–1s^–1 and at 77 K: =(33.4±1.1±3.3) cm²V^–1s^–1, where the first error estimate is statistical and the second is systematic. We have also made preliminary measurements on a highly purified sample that yields =(130±3±20) cm² V^–1 s^–1 at 300 K. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the positron is scattered from both impurities and acoustic phonons in the first sample, and predominantly from photons in the second. It appears that positrons in pure anthracene crystals are delocalized and have a mean free path of about 85 Å at room temperature.     

Structural influence on the 2D-conductivity of thin Au films

Thin gold films (60Å–500Å) are prepared simultaneously onto carbon coated quartz- and NaCl-crystals at different substrate temperatures (5 KT300 K) in uhv. For the Au-films condensed onto the quartz substrates the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity is measured between 1.7 K and 300 K in situ. The corresponding Au-films condensed onto NaCl are removed and investigated in an EM. The observed hole and channel structures are related to the 2D-conductivity behavior.Dedicated to B. Mühlschlegel on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Impurity lattice location and recovery of structural defects in semiconductors studied by emission channeling

Doping of semiconductors by ion implantation usually requires implantation doses below 10¹³ cm^–2 to obtain typical impurity concentrations of <10¹⁸ cm^–3. The lattice location of impurities as well as the defect recovery after such low dose implantations can be studied using the emission channeling technique. In this technique, single crystals are doped with radioactive probe atoms and the channeling effects of electrons, positrons or -particles emitted from these atoms are measured. We present a quantitative analysis of electron emission channeling measurements after heavy-ion implantation into Si and III–V compound semiconductors by comparison with calculated channeling profiles based on the dynamical theory of electron diffraction. For In atoms implanted into Si, complete substitutionality was found after rapid thermal annealing to 1200 K. For lower annealing temperatures, the observed channeling effects indicate small mean displacements (of about 0.2 Å) of the In atoms from substitutional sites, caused by residual implantation defects. For GaAs, GaP and InP implanted at low temperatures with In or Cd isotopes, pronounced recovery stages around 300, 400 and 350 K, respectively, were observed and substitutional fractions close to 100% were derived after annealing above the stage.     

Phase transformation and microtwinning in crystals of the high-T c superconductor YBa2Cu3O8−x,x≅1.0

We employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques, supplemented by differential thermal and thermo-gravimetric analysis (DTA, TG) and high temperature powder X-ray diffraction, to study microtwinning in orthorhombic crystals of the high-T _c superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_8–x (x1.0). This twinning is associated with a structural phase transition at 750°C from a tetragonal high temperature phase (s.g.P4/mmm) to the orthorhombic ambient temperature phase (s.g.Pmmm) and seems to be inherent to virtually all orthorhombic crystals of YBa₂Cu₃O_8–x . The domain size ranges from typically 100 Å to 1000 Å. All our observations are compatible with a twin law where the tetragonal (110)-mirror plane is the twin element.     

Calculation of the electron-transfer parameters of thin polycrystalline films of metals

Electron transfer parametrs (scattering coefficient R, crystal-boundary transmission coefficient r, film-surface reflection coefficient) are calculated at temperatues t_msm=120, 293, and 573 K using Sc and Re films as an example. The conditions L d and L < d are satisfied, respectively, for these films (L is the mean diameter of the crystals and d is the thickness of the specimens). The films were obtained in a vacuum of 10^–6-5·10^–7 Pa. In the thickness ranges d200–500 Å (Re) and 300–800 Å (Sc), the films had a mean crystallite size of 250 and 600 Å, respectively. Experimental data on the dimensional effect of the temperature coefficient of resistance was analyzed within the framework of the Mayadas-Shatzkes (MS) theory, the model of isotropic carrier scattering, and the three-dimensional Tellier-Tosser-Pichard (TTP) model. It was concluded that the electrophysical properties of Sc films are satisfactorily described by the TTP model, while the MS theory yields exaggerated values of the coefficients r and p. In the case of films of Re, use was made of the isotropic scattering model and an approximation of the three-dimensional model for polycrystalline films. It was found that the coefficients r and R are independent of temperature.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 42–47, June, 1988.We thank V. B. Lobode and L. G. Kulemzina for their assistance in conducting the investigation.     

Structural and superconducting properties of ion beam sputtered Nb thin films and Nb/Cu bilayers

We present the results of a study of structural and superconducting properties of polycrystalline Nb thin films (200 Å, 300 Å, 400 Å, 700 Å and 1000 Å) and Nb/Cu bilayers (300 Å/300 Å and 400 Å/300 Å) prepared on Si substrates by ion beam sputtering at room temperature. The thicknesses, roughnesses at the surfaces and interfaces were determined by X-ray reflectivity whereas the grain sizes were determined from grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic studies. The superconducting transition temperature (T_C) of Nb thin films are smaller than T_C of bulk Nb. The Nb-200 Å sample does not show T_C down to 2.3 K. The average size of the grains varies from 42 Å for Nb-200 Å sample to 69 Å for Nb-1000 Å sample. Our results show that the T_C in these polycrystalline films is not only limited by its thickness but also by the size of the grains. The Nb films deposited in situ on the Cu layer (Nb/Cu) show a marginal increase in average sizes of the grains as compare to their respective values in Nb films of same thicknesses. As a result a marginal increase in T_C of these films is also observed. The maximum decrease in T_C due to oxygen intake during deposition should be about 0.5 K from its bulk value (9.28 K). We have attributed the large decrease in T_C in our case on the basis of decrease in the Debye temperature and density of states at the Fermi level for Nb thin films as compared to their respective values for bulk Nb.     

Structural and physical properties of ZnO:Al films grown on glass by direct current magnetron sputtering with the oblique target

ZnO:Al films were deposited on glass substrates at 300 K and 673 K by direct current magnetron sputtering with the oblique target. The Ar pressure was adjusted to 0.4 Pa and 1.2 Pa, respectively. All the films have a wurtzite structure and grow with a c-axis orientation in the film growth direction. The films grow mainly with columnar grains perpendicular to the substrate and some granular grains also exist in the films. The film deposited at 673 K and 0.4 Pa has the largest grains whereas that prepared at 300 K and 0.4 Pa consists of the smallest grains and is porous. The films exhibit an n-type semiconducting behavior at room temperature. The ZnO:Al film deposited at 673 K and 0.4 Pa has the lowest resistivity (3.40 × 10⁻³ Ω cm), the highest free electron concentration (4.63 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³) and a moderate Hall mobility (4.0 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). The film deposited at 300 K and 0.4 Pa has the highest resistivity and the lowest free electron concentration and Hall mobility. A temperature dependence of the resistivity reveals that the carrier transport mechanism is Mott’s variable range hopping in the temperature region below 100 K and thermally activated band conduction above 215 K. The activation energy for the film deposited at 300 K and 0.4 Pa is 41 meV and that for the other films is about 35 meV. All the films have an average optical transmittance of over 85% in the visible wavelength range. The absorption edge of the film deposited at 300 K and 0.4 Pa shifts to the longer wavelength (redshift) relative to the films prepared under the other conditions.     

Studies of divacancy in Si using positron lifetime measurement

The charge state dependence of positron lifetime and trapping at divacancy (V₂) in Si doped with phosphorus or boron has been studied after 15 McV electron irradiation up to a fluence of 8.0×10¹⁷ e/cm². The positron trapping cross sections for V ₂ ^2– , V ₂ ^– and V ₂ ⁰ at 300 K were about 6×10^–14, 3×10^–14 and 0.1–3×10^–14 cm², respectively. For V ₂ ⁺ , however, no positron trapping was observed. The marked difference in the cross sections comes from Coulomb interaction between the positron and the charged divacancy. The trapping rates for V ₂ ⁰ and V ₂ ^2– have been found to increase with decreasing temperature in the temperature range of 10–300 K. These results are well interpreted by a two-stage trapping model having shallow levels with energy of 9 meV (V ₂ ⁰ ) and 21 meV (V ₂ ^2– ). The appearance of a shallow level for V ₂ ⁰ can not be explained by a conventional Rydberg state model. The lifetime (290–300 ps) in V ₂ ⁰ is nearly constant in the temperature range from 10 to 300 K, while that in V ₂ ^2– increases from 260 ps at 10 K to 320 ps at 300 K. The lifetime (260 ps) in V ₂ ^2– is shorter than that in V ₂ ⁰ at low temperature, which is due to the excess electron density in V ₂ ^2– . At high temperature, however, the longer lifetime of V ₂ ^2– than that of V ₂ ⁰ is attributed to lattice relaxation around V ₂ ^2– .     

Superconductivity in the Bi - Sr - Cu - O system

During the investigation of the system Bi–Sr–Cu–O a novel family of superconducting oxides, close to the composition Sr₂Bi₂Cu₂O₇₊ has been isolated, with a midpoint critical temperature ranging from 7 K to 22 K. The X-ray diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy studies have shown its relationships with perovskite and demonstrated its bidimensional character. The possible relationships of this lamellar oxide with Aurivillius phases is discussed.     

Rapid growth of ultra thin SiO2 films by a large-area electron beam

Rapid growth of ultra thin oxide films (40–180Å) of silicon using a low-energy large-area electron beam has been performed with a pressure ratio of 31 (O₂/He) and a total pressure of 0.5–0.7 Torr. A higher oxidation rate of about 625Ų/s is found for shorter irradiation time of the e-beam in the e-beam dose range 0.75–3 Coulomb/cm² and at lower substrate temperature 540–740°C. AES and XPS demonstrated a rapid electron-stimulated oxidation process of the Si surface. For the grown ultra thin oxide films, C-V characteristics, dielectric strength, uniformity of the film over the entire Si wafer and its thickness as a function of the processing time of the e-beam are also presented.     

Laser-induced fluorescence decay lifetimes of shock-heated NO (A 2Σ+)

Radiative emission in the NO -band system occurs when air at a few Torr initial pressure is shock-heated at sufficiently high temperatures of 3500–7000 K. Emission spectra of this system in shocks indicate that collisional quenching of the emitting A ²⁺ state is a critical quantity controlling the intensity. Quenching of excited NO by NO itself has been measured using direct time decay of laser-induced fluorescence in the shock tube at 3500 K. The cross section (2– error) is 59±20 Ų, compared to the room temperature value 37±8 Ų. At 3500 K, N₂ also quenches NO with a cross section 2 Ų, much larger than the value at 300 K.Sabbatical visitor, on leave from DLR Stuttgart, Fed. Rep. Germany     

SEM Investigation of the electrical properties of silicon ribbons

The structure and electrical properties of silicon ribbons grown on a substrate by the Ribbon Growth on Substrate (RGS) method method for solar cell applications have been investigated in secondary electron and electron beam induced current modes of scanning electron microscopy. The growth method and growth conditions have provided the formation of the coarse-grained structure of silicon, in which the majority of grains are separated by twin boundaries and the dislocation density does not exceed 10⁶ cm⁻². According to the electron beam induced current investigations, the recombination contrast from twin boundaries is extremely low at 300 K, only a small amount of twin boundaries show an increase in the contrast upon cooling, and the contrast from dislocations is almost absent in the temperature range from 100 to 300 K.     

Defect study on electron irradiated GaAs by means of positron annihilation

Measurements of the positron lifetime and Doppler-broadened annihilation-radiation have been performed in electron-irradiated GaAs. The positron lifetime at the irradiation induced defects was 0.250 ns at 300 K. The defect clustering stage was found to occur at around 520–620 K, and the coarsening and annealing stage is believed to be above 620 K. Similar annealing stages were also observed in GaAs lightly doped with Si (0.2×10¹⁸ cm^–3). Both the lifetime and the S-parameter in the irradiated GaAs were found to decrease with temperature from 300 K to 100 K, suggesting the coexistence of shallow traps in electron irradiated GaAs.     

ИЗМЕРЕНИЯ ЭЛЕКТРОННЫХ РЕЛАКСАЦИОННЫХ ПРОЦЕССОВ В МАРГАНЦЕВЫХ ФЕРРИТАХ

The measurements of magnetic loss factor in the system Mn _x Fe_3–x O_4+y for 0.62x1.66 are described. The temperature range used was 2°K to 360°K and four fixed frequencies 75, 150, 300, and 600 kHz were employed. The results show, that three distinct processes were found with various dependences upon composition. The corresponding maxima in tg vsT curves are situated at 2°K, 10°–50°K, and 90°–350°K respectively. The connection of these processes with electron transport and/or reorientation of distortions surrounding octahedrally coordinated Mn³⁺ ions is used as a basis for an interpretation already proposed earlier.     

A temperature programmed desorption study of the reaction of methylacetylene on Pt(111) and Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys

The adsorption and reaction of methylacetylene (H₃CC≡CH) on Pt(111) and the p(2×2) and

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surface alloys were investigated with temperature programmed desorption, Auger electron spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction. Hydrogenation of methylacetylene to form propylene is the most favored reaction pathway on all three surfaces accounting for ca 20% of the adsorbed monolayer. Addition of Sn to the Pt(111) surface to form these two ordered surface alloys suppresses the decomposition of methylacetylene to surface carbon. The alloy surfaces also greatly increase the amount of reversibly adsorbed methylacetylene, from none on Pt(111) to 60% of the adsorbed layer on the

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surface alloy. Methylacetylene reaction also leads to a small amount of desorption of benzene, along with butane, butene, isobutylene and ethylene. There is some difference in the yield of these other reaction products depending the Sn concentration, with the (2×2)-Sn/Pt(111) surface alloy having the highest selectivity for these. Despite previous experiments showing cyclotrimerization of acetylene to form benzene on the Pt–Sn surface alloys, the analogous reaction of methylacetylene on the alloy surfaces was not observed, that is, cyclotrimerization of methylacetylene to form trimethylbenzene. It is proposed that this and the high yield of propylene is due to facile dehydrogenation of methylacetylene because of the relatively weak H–CH₂CCH bond compared to acetylene. The desorption of several C₄ hydrocarbon products at low (<170 K) temperature indicates that some minor pathway involving C–C bond breaking is possible on these surfaces.     

Electrical conduction in copper vanadate

A.C. and d.c. electrical conductivities, thermoelectric power and dielectric constant of copper vanadate (CuV₂O₆) have been measured in the temperature range 300–1000 K in order to discuss the electrical conduction in the compound. The extrinsic conduction, which takes place below 500 K, has been explained by small polaron hopping mechanism while intrinsic conduction, which takes place above 500 K, has been explained by large polaron band mechanism in view of the values of activation energy and charge carrier mobility in the temperature ranges 300–500 K and 500–1000 K.     

Crystallographic and magnetic structures of highT c related (Bi/Pb)2Sr2FeO6.25 determined by neutron powder diffraction

The structure of (Bi/Pb)₂Sr₂FeO_6.25 was refined from high resolution neutron powder diffraction data taken at 300 K and 5 K. The average structure is well described in the orthorhombic spacegroup Amaa witha=5.4254 Å,b=5.4909 Å andc=23.2245 Å. The FeO₆ octahedra are tilted by 2.7° towards (0 1 0). The oxygen positions in the (Bi/Pb)O-layers are consistent with the occurrence of (Bi/Pb)–O–(Bi/Pb) chains. Excess oxygen was located between these chains. Antiferromagnetic 3-dim ordering of the Fe-moments withM=(2, 1, 2) _B was observed at 5 K with the wavevector pointing along (1 0 0).     

Magnetic phase transitions in 187-01187-01187-01

We report SR measurements of Pr₂CuO_4– and (Pr_2–xCe_x)CuO_4– single crystals in the temperature range 4.2K300K. Two spin reorientation phase transitions were observed, although neutron scattering experiment could not detect these phase transitions. These allow us to conclude that magnetic moments of the Cu atoms order in an antiferromagnetic noncollinear cross like structure including a hidden canting spin arrangement.