Ab initio study of the electronic structure of the molecule-based ferromagnet Co[N(CN)2]2

We have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of the molecule-based magnet Co[N(CN)₂]₂ using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The relative stability of the ground state, density of states and charge distributions were examined. Total energy calculations reveals that the ferromagnetic phase is a stable ground state for Co[N(CN)₂]₂ in agreement with the previous experimental findings. It is noteworthy that we predict the Co[N(CN)₂]₂ is a ferromagnetic semiconductor with a small band gap of 0.027 eV, and the semiconductor property can be connected to the strong crystal field splitting of Co²⁺ 3d states for Co[N(CN)₂]₂. Such a molecule-based ferromagnetic semiconductor would offer a potential for semiconductor applications, therefore, an experimental confirmation of our theoretical predictions is encouraged.     

A new technique to measure the phase characteristics of laser mirrors based on semiconductor heterostructures

A reflection interferometer based on a thin metal film is proposed to measure the phase of the reflection spectrum of laser mirrors. The device is applied to the study of the phase characteristics of the all-semiconductor mirror which combines the functions of the saturable absorber and the dispersion compensator (all-in-one) in the Nd³⁺:KGd(WO₄)₂ laser operating in the ultrashort-pulse regime. The method provides improvement of spectral resolutions and an increase in the accuracy in the measurement of the phase characteristics.     

Self-mode-locking of the Nd3+:KGd(WO4)2 laser using a multifunctional semiconductor mirror

A multifunctional semiconductor mirror that contains a saturable absorber based on quantum wells, a broadband reflector, and a Gires-Tournois interferometer that serves as a GVD compensator is designed and created. The mirror is fully characterized using the pump-probe technique with a subpicosecond resolution and the transmission and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The mirror that simultaneously executes the three functions and that is created in a single technological cycle provides stable mode-locking in the Nd³⁺:KGd(WO₄)₂ laser.     

Thin film characterization by laser interferometry combined with SIMS

Thin film properties of technologically important materials (Si, GaAs, SiO₂, WSi_x) have been measured by using a novel technique that combines secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser interferometry.The simultaneous measurement of optical phase and reflectance as well as SIMS species during ion sputtering yielded optical constants, sputtering rates and composition of thin films with high depth resolution. A model based on the principle of multiple reflection within a multilayer structure, which considered also transformation of the film composition in depth and time during sputtering, was fitted to the reflectance and phase data. This model was applied to reveal the transformation of silicon by sputtering with O ₂ ⁺ ions. Special attention was paid to the preequilibrium phase of the sputter process (amorphization, oxidation, and volume expansion). To demonstrate the analytical potential of our method the multilayer system WSi_x/poly-Si/SiO₂/Si was investigated. The physical parameters and the stoichiometry of tungsten suicide were determined for annealed as well as deposited films. A highly sensitive technique that makes use of a Fabry-Perot etalon integrated with a Michelson type interferometer is proposed. This two-stage interferometer has the potential to profile a sample surface with subangstroem resolution.     

Wavelength shift determination using a dual-path heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer

This paper introduces a dual-path heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer adopted for wavelength shift determinations. In this interferometer, two parallel incident beams are separated into two interference pairs which are then recombined to generate two interference signals. A parallel plate is placed on the path of one wave of an interference pair, so the phase difference of the interference signals is a function of the plate and beam wavelength, and the interferometer is thus able to determine the wavelength shift of the incident beam. A setup constructed to realize the proposed interferometer is described, it shows that the interferometer has a resolution up to 1.1 × 10⁻¹⁰ (λ²/nm), and the experimental results of applying this setup not only agree the validity of the interferometer but also indicate that the interferometer has a stability of 6.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ (λ²/nm).     

Investigation of the 13C(d,α)11B reaction mechanism at Ed = 15.3 MeV

The differential cross section of the ¹³C(d, α)¹¹B reaction at E _d = 15.3 MeV with the formation of ¹¹B nucleus in the ground and three low-lying excited states have been measured. The experimental data are compared with the results of calculations under the assumption of different reaction mechanisms: deuteron pick-up, ⁹Be-cluster exchange, two-step consecutive cluster transfer, and compound nucleus formation. Original Russian Text ? L.I. Galanina, N.S. Zelenskaya, I.A. Konyukhova, V.M. Lebedev, N.V. Orlova, A.V. Spassky, 2009, published in Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. Seriya Fizicheskaya, 2009, Vol. 73, No. 6, pp. 853–856.     

Imperfection of the nanostructure, phase transitions, 55Mn NMR, and magnetoresistive properties of La 0.73+ Ca 0.3 ? x2+ Sr x2+ MnO3 ± δ ceramics

Magnetoresistive ceramic samples La_0.7Ca_{0.3 − x} Sr _x MnO_{3 ± δ} sintered at temperatures of 1150 and 1350°C are investigated using X-ray diffraction, microscopic, resistance, and magnetic (χ, ⁵⁵Mn NMR) measurements. The specific features of the influence of the composition on the type and parameters of the perovskite structure, its imperfection, the porous crystallite structure, the metal-semiconductor and ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transitions, the ⁵⁵Mn NMR spectra, and the magnetoresistance effect are established. The magnetic phase diagram is constructed. The conclusions are drawn regarding the nonuniformity of the distribution of ions and vacancies around manganese involved in the high-frequency electron-hole exchange (Mn³⁺ ai Mn⁴⁺) and the nanostructured separation of the perovskite structure containing anion and cation vacancies, with the concentrations and magnetoresistance effect decreasing and the lattice parameters and phase transition temperatures increasing as calcium is replaced by strontium. Original Russian Text ? A.V. Pashchenko, A.A. Shemyakov, V.P. Pashchenko, V.A. Turchenko, V.K. Prokopenko, Yu.F. Revenko, Yu.V. Medvedev, B.M. éfros, G.G. Levchenko, 2009, published in Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 2009, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 1127–1136.     

Oxygen isotope effect in the Ruddlesden-Popper phases

The oxygen isotope effect in ceramic samples of bilayer manganites (La_1−z Pr _z )_1.2Sr_1.8Mn₂ ^16–18O₇(z = 0, 0.3) has been investigated. The real and imaginary parts of the magnetic susceptibility have been measured and a significant (more than 20 K) decrease in the ferromagnetic transition temperature upon oxygen isotope substitution ¹⁶O—¹⁸O is found. At temperatures T > 170 K, a number of additional ferromagnetic transitions are observed, whose critical temperatures also shift as a result of the isotope substitution. The obtained results are compared from the data for other manganite systems where giant isotope effect is observed. Original Russian Text ? A.N. Taldenkov, N.A. Babushkina, A.V. Inyushkin, R. Suryanarayanan, 2009, published in Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. Seriya Fizicheskaya, 2009, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 124–127.     

IR reflection and Raman spectra of β-Tl1 ? x Cu x InS2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.015) single crystals

The IR reflection and Raman spectra of β-Tl_{1 − x} Cu _x InS₂ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.015) single crystals have been studied in the temperature range 84–300 K. It is shown that partial replacement of thallium by copper atoms leads to a decrease in the frequencies of the corresponding oscillations in the frequency range 40–500 cm⁻¹ and does not induce (at given concentrations) local oscillations. Analysis of the transformation of the IR reflection spectra at T ₂ ≈ 185 K revealed a ferroelectric phase transition. Original Russian Text ? A.N. Georgobiani, A.Kh. Matiyev, C.V. Bulyarski, T.A. Matiyeva, 2009, published in Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. Seriya Fizicheskaya, 2009, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 138–140.     

Formation of GaAsN/GaN cluster nanostructures on the surface of GaAs by the implantation of low-energy nitrogen ions

A nitride nanolayer fabricated on a GaAs (100) surface by implanting ions N ₂ ⁺ (E _i = 1.5 keV) has been studied by high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy with the use of synchrotron radiation. It has been found that, apart from the dominant GaN wide-gap semiconductor phase, an additional phase of the GaAs_{1 ? x} N _x narrow-gap solid solution (x < 0.10) is present in the nitride layer. It has been shown that the nitride layer created by ion implantation is a nanostructure with an attribute of a system of quantum dots, since it consists of nanoclusters of the narrow-gap semiconductor in the wide-gap matrix.     

Field and frequency-dependent dielectric constant of quasi-one-dimensional semiconductors

The “conducting box” polarization model proposed by the present author and Belyantsev [4] which explains successfully the value and the frequency dependence of the giant dielectric constant of the one-dimensional organic semiconductor Me φ₃ As(TCNQ)₂, predicts that the dielectric constant drops in the high-electric-field region. The typical electric field strength is of the order of 20 V cm^?1.     

Model of periodic superstructure formation induced by mobile defects on a semiconductor surface

A model for forming a periodic superstructure on a semiconductor surface with mobile defects is proposed. It is shown that a self-organized system of such defects could lead to considerable modulation of incommensurate phase parameters in near-surface layers under the conditions of defect interaction with an incommensurate displacement wave. This type of defect system could induce a substantial energy decrease for the incommensurate phase and its additional stabilization on the one hand, and an increase in modulation amplitude that might be accompanied by a soliton-like nonsinusoidal incommensurate displacement wave on the other. The model allows us to explain the experimental results regarding the periodic superstructure discovered by G.V. Benemanskaya et al. on the surface of a GaN semiconductor. In particular, the model enables us to explain the nature of such superstructures based on the self-organization of mobile neutral triad-type defects, composed of negatively charged (3−) vacancies of the host lattice centers of Ga³⁺ and surface impurity ions of Cs⁺ and Ba²⁺, under conditions of triad interaction with an incommensurate displacement wave.     

Ionic conductivity of Li2NaK(SO4)2

A DSC study of Li₂NaK(SO₄)₂ in the range 300∽925 K has revealed that the compound undergoes phase transitions at 654, 682, 778 and 866 K, before melting congruently at 900 K. The five phase which are observed are designated I, II, III, IV and V with increasing order of temperature. A comparison of the enthalpy of melting with the transition enthalpies suggests that the phases IV and V are plastic phases. The ionic conductivity was measured in the range 584∽895 K by an ac impedance technique. The phase IV showed the smallest activation energy as determined from the temperature dependence of the conductivity (E_a=0.82 eV). The highest conductivity (1.0 Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹) was observed in phase V at 895 K.     

Gravitational radiation antennas using the Sagnac effect

A new class of gravitational antennas that utilize the general relativistic Sagnac effect is proposed. These antennas may be more efficient than the Weber bar by a factor of (c/v_s)⁴ 10¹⁹, wherev _sis the velocity of sound in the bar. A specific case of such an antenna consisting of a superfluid helium Josephson interferometer is considered. A general relativistic theory of the interaction of the superfluid with the gravitational field is given. Using this theory, the phase shift due to a gravitational plane wave on one such antenna is obtained. More generally, the proposed interferometer involves the interplay of general relativity and quantum theory and may afford the possibility of testing general relativity in the laboratory at the quantum mechanical level. The possibility of detecting gravitons, assuming nearly unit coupling efficiency for the antenna, is explored.This essay received the second award from the Gravity Research Foundation for the year 1981-Ed.Research was supported by NSF grant No. PHY 79-13146.Research was supported by NSF grant No. ECS-8009834.     

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript>-doped yttrium lanthanum oxide ceramic sub-picosecond laser

A diode-pumped sub-picosecond laser is realized with Yb³⁺-doped yttrium lanthanum oxide transparent ceramic Yb:(Y_0.9La_0.1)₂O₃ as the gain medium for the first time. By using Gires-Tournois interferometer mirrors and chirped mirror for dispersion compensation and semiconductor saturable absorber mirror for passive mode-locking, laser pulse as short as 730 fs was obtained at the central wavelength of 1033 nm and repetition rate of 65.5 MHz. Under the maximum pump power of 6 W at 976 nm, the output power is 92 mW.     

Investigation of the influence of gradual substitution K ? Rb on the structure and phase transition in K x Rb1 ? x Pb2Br5 solid solutions

Single crystals of K _x Rb_{1 − x} Pb₂Br₅ solid solutions have been grown and investigated using X-ray diffraction and polarized light microscopy in the temperature range 270–640 K. The regions of existence of the tetragonal (I4/mcm) and monoclinic (P2₁/c) phases have been determined. It has been demonstrated that the partial introduction of rubidium into KPb₂Br₅ leads to an increase in the temperature of the ferroelastic phase transition (P2₁/c↔mmm), so that it approaches the melting temperature. In the solid solutions with x ≈ 0.4−0.5, the temperature region of existence of the orthorhombic phase is narrowed to ≈ 1−2 K. It has been revealed that an increase in the potassium content in the material results in a considerable increase in the incorporation coefficient of Er³⁺ ions. Original Russian Text ? L.I. Isaenko, S.V. Mel’nikova, A.A. Merkulov, V.M. Pashkov, A.Yu. Tarasova, 2009, published in Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 2009, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 554–557.     

Characteristics of SrBi2Ta2O9 ferroelectric films on Si using LaAlO3 thin film as an insulator

Metal–ferroelectric–insulator–semiconductor structures using LaAlO₃ (LAO) layers as an insulating barrier have been investigated. LAO films were deposited on n-Si substrates by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) films were prepared as ferroelectric layers at a low processing temperature of 650 °C by a metalorganic decomposition method. The MOCVD-derived LAO buffer layer shows an amorphous structure, relatively high dielectric constant, and good electrical properties. Au/SBT/LAO/n-Si exhibits a larger counterclockwise C–V memory window of 3.7 V and a lower leakage-current density of 2.5×10^-8 A/cm² at an applied voltage of 10 V. It has been confirmed that the hysteresis loop is caused by ferroelectricity. The Auger electron spectrometry depth profile indicates that the introduction of the LAO buffer layer prevents the interfacial diffusion between SBT and the Si substrate effectively and improves the interface quality. PACS 77.84.Dy; 81.15.Fg     

A-188 V 7.2Ω·mm~2,P-channel high voltage device formed on an epitaxy-SIMOX substrate

This paper proposes a new n +-charge island (NCI) P-channel lateral double diffused metal-oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) based on silicon epitaxial separation by implantation oxygen (E-SIMOX) substrate.Higher concentration self-adapted holes resulting from a vertical electric field are located in the spacing of two neighbouring n +-regions on the interface of a buried oxide layer,and therefore the electric field of a dielectric buried layer (E I) is enhanced by these holes effectively,leading to an improved breakdown voltage (BV).The V B and E I of the NCI P-channel LDMOS increase to-188 V and 502.3 V/μm from 75 V and 82.2 V/μm of the conventional P-channel LDMOS with the same thicknesses SOI layer and the buried oxide layer,respectively.The influences of structure parameters on the proposed device characteristics are investigated by simulation.Moreover,compared with the conventional device,the proposed device exhibits low special on-resistance.     

Effect of polarization on the intensity of anomalous electron emission in the (1 ? x)PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 + xPbTiO3 system

Spectra of anomalous electron emission from the surface of solid solutions in the (1 − x)PbMg_1/3Nb_2/3O₃ + xPbTiO₃ system with x = 0.06, 0.10, 0.13, 0.20, and 0.25 have been studied. While the energy characteristics of the anomalous electron emission spectra vary monotonically with x, the behavior of integrated intensity was found to be nonmonotonic with a maximum occurring at x = 0.1. According to the proposed interpretation, the results obtained are explained by the effect of the potential barrier on the electron emission; the potential barrier depends, in turn, on the permittivity ε of the samples. Original Russian Text ? A.T. Kozakov, A.V. Nikol’skiĭ, V.P. Sakhnenko, A.N. Pavlov, V.G. Smotrakov, V.V. Eremkin, 2009, published in Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 2009, Vol. 51, No. 7, pp. 1310–1314.