Structural phase transitions in ‘hcp’ C70 single-crystals

The thermal expansion of vapor-grownC ₇₀ single crystals ahs been investigated using high-resolution capacitance dilatometry from 5–380 K. Measurements were made both parallel and perpendicular to the hexagonalc-axis. Three first-order phase transitions which we associate with the consecutive disordering of theC ₇₀ molecules are observed upon heating at 280 K (long-axis spinning), 300 K (long-axis precession) and 355 K (quasi-free rotation), respectively. The highest-temperature transition exhibits a very large (50 K) thermal hysteresis. Powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction show that the crystals are predominantly hexagonal-close-packed (HCP) with an idealc/a1.63 above 360 K andc/a1.84 at 295 K.     

Thermodynamic properties of the spin-Peierls transition in CuGeO3

We present an investigation of the spin-Peierls transition atT _SP=14.5 K in polycrystalline CuGeO₃ through specific-heat and thermal-expansion measurements. Clear second-order phase-transition anomalies are found in both properties atT _SP, although only a small entropy of S0.1 Rn2 is released at the transition. Most of the entropy is released atT _SP<T<150 K, where the temperature dependence of the magnetic contribution to the specific heat as well as the thermal expansion exhibit extrema atT ^*40 K. These are caused by one-dimensional antiferromagnetic fluctuations along the Cu chains, possibly accompanied by structural fluctuations. Using Ehrenfest's relation, a hydrostatic pressure coefficient (T _SP/_p)_p0 (0.45±0.06) K/kbar is derived.     

Low-load friction behavior of epitaxial C60 monolayers

We report on¹³C MAS NMR experiments in the low temperature phase of Rb₁C₆₀. Two different lines are observed with line shifts of 110 ppm and 50 ppm. The line at 50 ppm is a signature ofsp ³ carbons and can be interpreted in terms of a hypothetical polymerization along the crystallographica-axis. This supports a quasi 1 D structure of the A₁C₆₀ in the low temperature phase.     

Oxidation of Si(1 1 1) promoted by K multilayers: K and SiO2 islands

In the context of the alkali-metal promotion of Si oxidation, high-pressure oxidation of potassium multilayers on cooled Si(111) has been investigated using SEM, micro-AES and AFM. The oxidation process at high pressure turns the potassium islands observed at high coverage into potassium oxides islands. A subsequent potassium desorption at moderate temperature (900 K) yields SiO₂ islands (height of 20 nm and lateral dimensions of 10 m) surrounded by a thin continuous SiO₂ overlayer. Other conditions such as potassium multilayer coverage exposed to a low O₂ pressure, potassium monolayer or simultaneous potassium/oxygen adsorption yield a uniform SiO₂ overlayer.     

True self-avoiding walk on critical percolation clusters and lattice animal

The statistics of true-self-avoiding walk model on two dimensional critical percolation clusters and lattice animals are studied using real-space renormalization group method. The correlation length exponents 's are found to be _TSAW ^pc 0.576 and _TSAW ^LA 0.623 respectively for the critical percolation clusters and lattice animals.     

High-temperature structure of C60

High-purity C₆₀ has been studied by in situ X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Between 300 and 900 K, the volume thermal expansion coefficient is _v = 4.57(4) × 10^–5 K^–1 with no observable deviations from linearity. Recrystallization is activated atT 600 K, as observed by the fast ( < 5 s) and slow ( > 10 min) variations in low-index Bragg intensities. At lower temperatures, thermal desorption of molecular oxygen at 420 K is accompanied with a step-wise increase of the 111-Bragg reflection intensity, but with no measurable change of the lattice parameter. The twin fault density has first been determined using high-resolution XRD. The (winning probability is 0.8%. Crystallites show a ± 0.3° intrinsic mosaic spread. Mechanical milling in acetone and in air increases the twinning probability to 1.8 and 3.1%, respectively.     

Pulsed laser crystallization of hydrogen-free a-Si thin films for high-mobility poly-Si TFT fabrication

The possibility to fabricate high-mobility polysilicon TFTs by nanosecond pulsed laser crystallization of unhydrogenated amorphous Si thin films has been investigated. Two types of lasers have been used: a large area ( 1 cm²) single ArF excimer laser pulse and a small diameter ( 100 m) frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser beam, working in the scanning regime. Processed films have been characterized in detail by different optical and microscopic techniques. Device performances indicate that the best results are achieved with the excimer laser leading to high mobility values (up to 140 cm²/Vs) which are much larger than in polysilicon TFTs fabricated onto the same quartz substrates by low-temperature thermal (630° C) crystallization of amorphous Si films (_fe55 cm²/Vs).     

A Low-Noise 230 GHz SIS Receiver for Radio Astronomy Employing Untuned Nb/AlOx/Nb Tunnel Junctions

A heterodyne receiver based on a 1/3 reduced height rectangular waveguide SIS mixer with two mechanical tuners has been built for astronomical observations of molecular transitions in the 230 GHz frequency band. The mixer used an untuned array (R_nC_j3, R_n70 ) of four Nb/AIOx/Nb tunnel junctions in series as a nonlinear mixing element. A reasonable balance between the input and output coupling efficiencies has been obtained by choosing the junction number N=4. The receiver exhibits DSB (Double Side Band) noise temperature around 50 K over a frequency range of more than 10 GHz centered at 230 GHz. The lowest system noise temperature of 38 K has been recorded at 232.5 GHz. Mainly by adjusting the subwaveguide backshort, the SSB (Single Side Band) operation with image rejection of 15 dB is obtained with the noise temperature as low as 50 K. In addition, the noise contribution from each receiver component has been studied further. The minimum SIS mixer noise temperature is estimated as 15 K, pretty close to the quantum limit v/k11 K at 230 GHz. It is believed that the receiver noise temperatures presented are the lowest yet reported for a 230 GHz receiver using untuned junctions.     

Negative mass cyclotron resonance maser

Physical principles, design and operation characteristics of a negative mass cyclotron resonance maser inp-type germanium are considered in this paper. The formation of anisotropic inverted distributions of negative effective mass heavy holes in strong electric and magnetic fieldsE H [001], resulting in negative conductivity in the millimetre and submillimetre wavelength ranges, is discussed. The generation is observed at 0.9 to 8mm in low compensated germanium samples with the hole concentration rangeN ₀ 2×10¹² to 2×10¹⁴ cm^–3 at low temperaturesT 25 K in electric fieldsE 40 to 350Vcm^–1. The maser frequency is tuned by the magnetic field corresponding to a cyclotron resonance frequency of carriers with an effective mass ofm _c 0.4m ₀. The spectral width of the emission in single mode operation does not exceed several megahertz. A pulse duration of 1 to 200 s and a repetition rate off _rep 1 to 200 Hz has been obtained limited by sample heating. Possibilities of improving the maser characteristics inp-Ge as well as in other A_III B_v semiconductors and the perspectives of new frequency tuning methods due to the application of uniaxial stress and magnetic field are demonstrated.     

Field inversion of the sign of the hall coefficient in Hg1−xMnxTe1−ySey

In the temperature range T=77–300 K and H1–18 kOe, the dependence of the Hall coefficient (R_H) of crystals of Hg_1–xMn_xTe_1–ySe_y (0H=f(H), as well as the inversion of the sign of R_H as H increases for Hg_1–xMn_xTe_1–ySe_y (x0.1 and y=0.05) are explained by the presence in the samples of three types of charge carriers: holes, and heavy and light electrons.Chernovitskii University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshykh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 11–14, April, 1994.     

CW diode pumping and FM mode locking of a Nd: KGW laser

We have demonstrated cw diode end pumping of Nd: KGW, a novel solid-state gain medium, with up to 30% conversion efficiency into near-TEM₀₀ (M² < 1.05) output at = 1.067 µm for a pump level of 2.7 W. The slope efficiency was limited by intracavity reflections to 36%; however, direct comparison to a similar Nd:YAG laser indicates the same intrinsic slope efficiency of 60%. FM mode locking of this laser at 200 MHz has produced 12 ps pulses (compared to 16 ps for Nd: YAG), although an intracavity etalon was required. Considerable reduction in pulse width is possible (the line width limit is 0.5 ps) but different techniques may be necessary. Spatial hole burning was evident in both the 120 GHz free-running spectrum and the etalon-limited mode-locked spectrum.     

TDPAC studies of internal AgIn alloy oxidation

The internal oxidation of dilute AgIn alloys in open air versus In concentration and oxidation temperature was investigated by the TDPAC technique. The¹¹¹In interaction described by the broad quadrupole frequencies distribution aroundv _Q = 115 MHz and =0.5–0.7 was observed and interpreted as due to nonstoichiometric In–O_X cluster formation. For higher temperatures and more concentrated alloys additionally quasiunique frequencyv _Q 157 MHz with 0.28 was evidenced and ascribed to¹¹¹In interaction inside In₂O₃ precipitates. The internal oxidation under reduced oxygen pressures was studied and the thermal stability of the complex formed was tested. The effect of surface preparation on internal oxidation was observed.     

Computer simulation of driven diffusive systems with exchanges

The field-driven Kawasaki model with a fractionp admixture of Glauber dynamics is studied by computer simulation:p=0 corresponds to the order-parameter-onserving driven diffusive system, whilep=1 is the equilibrium Ising model. Forp=0.1 our best estimates of critical exponents based on a system of size 4096×128 are0.22, ^RS0.45, andv v 1. These exponents differ from both the values predicted by a field-theoretic method forp=0 and those of the equilibrium Ising model. Anisotropic finite-size scaling analyses are carried out, both for subsystems of the large system and for fully periodic systems. The results of the latter, however, are inconsistent, probably due to the complexity of the size effects. This leaves open the possibility that we are in a crossover regime fromp=0 top0 and that our critical exponents are effective ones. Forp=0 our results are consistent with the predictionsv >v .     

Hydrogenated and irradiatedA15 Nb3Sn layers — Preparation,Rutherford scattering analysis,resistivity and superconductivity

Niobium films on sapphire were reacted in tin-vapour to Nb₃Sn with resistance ratiosR(297 K)/R(18.3 K) up to 6 and resistively measured superconducting transition temperaturesT _c up to 17.93 K. The composition Nb_3+z Sn_1–z H _x of electrolytically hydrogenated samples was determined depth dependent by Rutherford backscattering of 30 MeV³²S and simultaneous detection of recoiled protons. Considerable concentration gradients in the thin layers (0.27 m) were detected. The increase of resistivity with hydrogen content and the change in the temperature dependence of is analyzed. A correlation betweenT _c and ₀= is found: An increase of T _c =0.2 K at ₀25cm andx0.03 is followed by a drastic decrease toT _c <1.1 K at ₀80cm andx1. TheT _c vs. ₀ andT _c vs. (T) characteristic correlations are different from universal irradiation or preparation induced correlations. The discrepancies can be interpreted by a stiffening of phonon modes and a band-shifting caused by the hydrogen.     

A study of a fullyc-axis oriented dc-sputtered thin film of YBa2(Cu0.98 57Fe0.02)3O6.8 by means of CEMS,XRD and SEM

A fullyc-axis oriented thin film of YBa₂(Cu_0.98 ⁵⁷Fe_0.02)₃O_6.8 prepared by planar dcsputtering has been investigated by means of Mössbauer spectroscopy. Room temperature⁵⁷Fe conversion electron Mössbauer spectra taken at different angles between the -ray direction and the normal (=c-axis) of the film show four subspectra: A (quadrupole splitting E _Q1.9 mm/s), B (E _Q1 mm/s), C (E _Q0.5 m/s) and D (E _Q1.6 mm/s). For subspectra A, B and C, we found the same hyperfine parameters as already published on other samples. The hyperfine parameters for subspectrum D are determined for the first time using a fully oriented sample. For D, we found the asymmetry parameter 0.6 andV _zz (the main component of the electric field gradient) lying in the a-b-plane.     

Preparation and Properties of FeNi-Mg/MgO Nanocomposite

The FeNi-Mg/MgO nanocomposite synthesized by spark erosion of pure Mg and Fe₇₀Ni₃₀ electrodes was investigated by X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. From the X-ray diffraction measurements Mg, MgO, and -FeNi were recognized. According to the Mössbauer spectra analysis, iron atoms were identified in -FeNi, Fe_1-x O, and FeNi in Mg/MgO phases. The FeNi in Mg/MgO phase consists of fcc -FeNi phase which is antiferromagnetic below T _N 40 K and weakly ferromagnetic bcc -FeNi clusters. The magnetic measurements confirmed the presence of the -FeNi phase and the composite model in the form of isolated magnetic particles in Mg/MgO matrix.     

Real-space renormalization group for directed percolation system

We use the recently proposed real-space renormalization group method to study the critical behavior of directed percolation system in two dimensions. The correlation length exponents and are found to be 1.76 and 1.15. These results are in good agreements with the best known values.     

Thermal configurations of oxygen in silicon

The central position and the infrared absorption coefficient of the 9 m band of Si samples were measured with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) at temperatures from T=77 K to 775 K. The infrared absorption coefficients were corrected by considering background absorption and free carrier absorption calculated from the increased free carrier concentration and from the resistivity determined from Hall effect measurements. We found the central position of the 9 m band to shift to longer wavelengths with increasing temperature. The concentration [O_i] of interstitial oxygen is almost constant for T<600 K, but decreased rapidly for T>600 K. These results verified there are two types of thermal configurations of oxygen in silicon: The bonded Si₂O configuration with a binding energy E _b0.8 to 1.0 eV at T77 K to 600 K, and the Si₂O configuration coexists with a quasi-free interstitial oxygen (QFIO) state for T>600 K. The lattice potential barrier E _L, which retards QFIO atoms from migrating in the lattice, is estimated to be 1.5 to 1.6 eV. From these configurations the anomalous diffusivity of oxygen in silicon can be explained quite well.     

Photoconductivity of highly excited A IV B VI thin films

We report the results of picosecond photoconductivity measurements in photosensitive electrolytically deposited PbS and vacuum evaporated PbTe polycrystalline films. We determine Auger recombination to be the prevailing carrier recombination mechanism in highly excited PbTe and PbS films and found Auger coefficients _A5×10^–28 cm⁶ s^–1 for PbTe and _A5.3×10^–29 cm⁶ s^–1 for PbS for carrier concentration changes N>10¹⁸ cm^–3. The results indicate that the low mobility values are controlled by intergrain carrier scattering. We have studied the thermal annealing influence on picosecond photoconductivity of the films.     

Collapse transition and asymptotic scaling behavior of lattice animals: Low-temperature expansion

A low-temperature expansion for the free energy density of lattice animals is derived. Analysis of the series yields a collapse transition temperature ofT _c - 0.54, in close agreement with previous estimates. It is demonstrated that _p,k, the number ofp-particle,p-bond animals, obeys the asymptotic scaling law log _p,k pg(k/p) + o(p). The low-temperature series and numerical data are used to estimate the scaling function.