Determination of attenuation and phase velocity of hypersound by multiple-beam interferometry in evaporated wedge-shaped metal films

By means of movable beams of coherent pulsed phonons it is possible to record multiple-beam interferences in wedge-shaped evaporated films as a function of thickness. By fitting calculated interferograms to these phonon interferograms the attenuation and phase velocity of longitudinal and transverse hypersound can be determined for these films. Details of the experimental setup used at 1 GHz, 3 GHz, 9 GHz and 24 GHz as well as the preparation of wedge-shaped metals films are described, too.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Photostimulated attenuation of hypersound in superlattices

Photostimulated attenuation of hypersound in semiconductor superlattices has been investigated theoretically. It is shown that the attenuation coefficient depends on the phonon wave vectorqin an oscillatory manner and that from this oscillation the band width Δ of the superlattice can be found.     

Hypersound attenuation and phase velocities in evaporated polycrystalline films of silver,copper and constantan between 1 and 24 GHz

A model for a recombination instability in a semiconductor far from equilibrium is analysed. It is based upon the simultaneous impact ionization of ground state and excited donors at low temperature. The number and the stability of spatially homogeneous steady states and their dependence upon external control parameters is investigated. For certain values of these parameters bistability andS-shaped current-voltage characteristics are found. Nonequilibrium phase transitions of first order between low and high conductivity states can be induced by varying the applied voltage. If certain generation coefficients are negligible, the transition changes from first to second order above some tricritical value of the other parameters.     

Adsorption of carbon monoxide on polycrystalline nickel films

The adsorption states of carbon monoxide on polycrystalline nickel films have been investigated by measuring the thermal desorption, the heat of adsorption, the change in resistivity, and the change in work function in dependence on coverage and temperature. It can be shown that there are two chemisorbed (β₂, β₂) and one weakly bound (γ) species. Desorption peaks appear at 170K, 310–360 K, and 460–490 K. The differential heat of adsorption is $\text{30}\text{kcal}\text{mole}$ at low coverages and approximately $\text{25}\text{kcal}\text{mole}$ between 0.3 and 0.6 monolayers. The resistivity of the nickel film is characteristically changed with increasing coverage, and there is a maximum of resistivity at half a monolayer. At low coverages the increase in the work function is proportional to the amount adsorbed; at a monolayer the total increase is 1.26 eV at 77 K and 1.46 eV at 273 K. The two chemisorbed species differ only in the structures they form in the adsorption phase, β₂ being the species that is stable at low coverages, β₁ being the species that is stable at high coverages. These results are in good agreement with those recently found for CO adsorption on single crystal surfaces.     

Phase size effect in thin Ge-Se polycrystalline films

The Raman spectra of thin (d = 60–170 nm) Ge-Se polycrystalline films obtained by vacuum thermal evaporation of Ge₁₀Se₉₀ glass are investigated in the spectral range 110–310 cm^?1. The coexistence of the glasslike and crystalline phases α-Se, β-Se, and β-GeSe₂ is established using the X-ray diffraction method. Analysis of diffraction patterns and the Raman spectra of polycrystalline samples of various thicknesses demonstrates a phase size effect in the transition of Se from the α-monoclinic to the β monoclinic modification (d ～ 120 nm). It is found that the crystalline phase of Se is of the nanodisperse type with an average grain size of ～30–50 nm. Crystallites of β-GeSe₂ have an average size of ～100–130 nm.     

Light scattering study of dispersion and attenuation of hypersound in adamantane

The Brillouin scattering techniques have been used to measure the velocity dispersion of hypersonic acoustic waves in the “high temperature” disordered cubic phase of adamantane. Shear waves, characteristic of the C₄₄ elastic constant, show no significant dispersion. Longitudinal waves propagating in the (001) plane show strong velocity dispersion. The measures have been performed at the same temperature T = 295.7 K. Using a classical single relaxation time model for the dispersion as a function of frequency at temperature T, the L-mode data have been correctly fitted.The importance of the dispersion $\text{(C}{}_{\mathrm{\infty }}\text{? C}{}_{\mathrm{o}}\text{)}\text{C}{}_0$ for the elastic constants is 20% for C₁₁, 51% for C₁₂ #1% for C₄₄ and ?2.8% for $\text{(C}{}_{11}\text{? C}{}_{12}\text{)}\text{2}$. The fitted relaxation time is τ ? 9 × 10^?11 sec.     

Dielectric properties of paper as a function of of moisture content at 9 GHz

This letter gives values of the complex dielectric constant of a good quality paper as a function of the moisture content at 9 GHz. The experimental results are interpreted using Weiner's theory for dielectric mixtures.     

Phase velocity and normalized broadband ultrasonic attenuation in Polyacetal cuboid bone-mimicking phantoms

The variations of phase velocity and normalized broadband ultrasonic attenuation (nBUA) with porosity were investigated in Polyacetal cuboid bone-mimicking phantoms with circular cylindrical pores running normal to the surface along the three orthogonal axes. The frequency-dependent phase velocity and attenuation coefficient in the phantoms with porosities from 0% to 65.9% were measured from 0.65 to 1.10 MHz. The results showed that the phase velocity at 880 kHz decreased linearly with porosity, whereas the nBUA increased linearly with porosity. This study provides a useful insight into the relationships between ultrasonic properties and porosity in bone at porosities lower than 70%.     

Temperature dependence and asymmetry of the hypersound velocity in cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals

Measurements of the hypersound velocity have been made as a function of temperature for two principal directions in cyanobiphenyl samples. Velocity asymmetry is observed in both the nematic and smectic phases. The behaviour of the velocity in the vicinity of the phase-transition temperatures is discussed.     

Optical absorption in polycrystalline thin films of magnetite at room temperature

Polycrystalline thin films of magnetite have been prepared to allow the measure of their absorption coefficient. Results are dealt with the hopping small polarons scheme. The case of free carriers is also considered.     

Formation of micro- and nanodomain structures in ferroelectric films by interfering hypersound

The conditions for forming regular domain structures by the double-pulse heterothermal technique are established with regard to new data on heat transfer in films. The main technological parameters of regular domain structure formation in lead zirconate titanate samples are determined.     

Nanostructures in calcia stabilized hafnia thin films observed by PAC as a function of temperature

The hyperfine quadrupole interaction at Hf sites in films and powders of 14 mol% CaO–HfO₂ and 20 mol% CaO–HfO₂ has been determined as a function of temperature. Results indicate the formation of a cubic solid solution and other microstructures assigned to the ?₁ (CaHf₄O₉) and ?₂ (Ca₆Hf₁₉O₄₄) phases. Dynamical effects on the electric field gradient reveal the existence of oxygen vacancies movements in the solid solution. The thermal behavior of the relaxation constant observed in films allowed the determination of activation energies of 0.54 eV and 0.70 eV for the 14 mol% and 20 mol% CaO doped hafnias, respectively. The influence of the microdomains and the stability of the cubic solid solution are discussed.     

Thickness dependence of temperature coefficient of resistivity of polycrystalline bismuth films

Results for the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) of polycrystalline bismuth films deposited on to glass substrate are reported for the thickness range 30–300 nm. The film TCR is found to be negative for all thicknesses studied and its absolute value exhibits a maximum of 3.70×10^–3 K^–1 near 72.5 nm. The variation of charge carrier density with film thickness has been estimated from the presence of surface states. To include the thickness dependence of charge carrier density, a modified theory has been used to explain the observed behaviour of the TCR. The experimental results for the TCR of Bi films are found to be consistent with the theoretical values. The existence of the extremum is theoretically verified. From the analysis, the specularity parameter p is about 0.44 and the reflection coefficient R is 0.1.     

Phase transitions as a function of material constants and temperature in intermetallic compounds of the terfenol-D type

A model of magnetic and magnetoelastic properties of intermetallic compounds has been considered with the inclusion of the influence of the “giant” magnetoelastic coupling and the biquadratic exchange interaction. The phase transitions as a function of material constants and temperature have been investigated in the framework of the proposed model. It has been demonstrated that the ferromagnetic and quadrupole phases can be formed in the system under consideration. In this case, the phase transition between these phases is a first-order transition and occurs through the intermediate, i.e., quadrupole-ferromagnetic, state. The dependences of the phase transition temperature on the Heisenberg and biquadratic exchange interaction constants have been obtained for compounds of the terfenol-D type.     

Photon emission from sputtered nickel atoms as a function of target temperature near the Curie point

The photon emission from sputtered and excited Ni atoms was measured over the target temperature range including the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition point. It was found, that ion induced desorption of an adsorbed layer increases in the vicinity of the Curie point. It is also shown that excitation events and ionic desorption of adsorbates are strongly correlated. The temperature dependence of photon emission and ionic desorption indicate that points of surface and bulk magnetic transitions are identic.     

Effect of grain boundary on electrical properties of polycrystalline lanthanum nickel oxide thin films

In the present work, lanthanum nickel oxide (LNO) thin films were prepared by the sol-gel method. Microstructures of the films were tailored by changing sol concentration so as to investigate the effect of grain boundary on the transport properties of electrons in the polycrystalline LNO films. Based on the temperature dependence of the resistivity and the magnetic field dependence of the magnetoresistance (MR) at various temperatures, the factors that dominate the transport behavior in the polycrystalline LNO films were explored in terms of weak localization and strong localization. The results show that the grain boundary has a significant influence on the transport behavior of the electrons in LNO films at a low-temperature region, which can be captured by a variable-range hopping (VRH) model. The increase of metal–insulator (M–I) transition temperature is ascribed to Anderson localization in grain boundary. At a high-temperature region, electron–electron scattering and electron–phonon scattering predominates in the films. In this case, the existence of more grain boundary shows a minor effect on the transport behavior of the electrons but elevates the residual resistivity of the films.