The study of zirconium alloy coatings produced by microarc oxidation using Rutherford and nuclear backscattering spectrometry

The effect of the electrolyte composition during microarc oxidation of the E110 zirconium alloy on the corrosion resistance of coatings is investigated using proton Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, nuclear backscattering spectrometry, and other methods.     

Examination of medicinal agents by nuclear backscattering spectrometry of protons

It is proposed to exam pelleted medicinal agents by nuclear backscattering spectrometry of protons. The backscattering spectra of 7.8-MeV protons have been measured for such medicinal agents as analginum, aspirin, lizobact, and berlicort, as well as for chalk and starch—examples of a base for forged medicinal agents. The measurement results indicate that proton backscattering spectrometry can be used to detect forged medicinal agents.     

Investigations on the oxidation of zirconium nitride films in air by nuclear reaction analysis and backscattering spectrometry

The thermal oxidation of dc magnetron sputter deposited thin ZrN films in air in the temperature range of 100-475 °C has been studied by depth profiling N using nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) involving ¹⁵N(¹H,αγ)¹²C resonance reaction and O using 3.05 MeV ¹⁶O(α,α)¹⁶O resonant scattering. The structural and morphological changes accompanying the process have also been investigated. NRA/backscattering spectrometry measurements show that oxidation results in the formation of ZrO_1.8±0.1 at the surface. An interface consisting of Zr, O and N is also formed underneath the surface oxide. For an isothermal annealing, oxide layer as well as interface exhibits parabolic growth with the duration of annealing. The diffusion of oxygen through the already grown oxide layer (D = 5.6 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm² s⁻¹ at 475 °C) forms the rate-controlling step of oxidation. The diffusion may be facilitated by the high concentration of oxygen vacancies in the oxide layer. Glancing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) measurements indicate that zirconia films formed are phase-singular (monoclinic) and are textured in (2 0 0) and (3 1 1) orientations. Examination by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the formation of blisters on sample surfaces on prolonged oxidation. The blistering can be attributed to intrinsic growth stress arising due to the larger molar volume of zirconium oxide in comparison to zirconium nitride, a fact demonstrated by the depth profile measurements as well.     

Determination of migration of ion-implanted Ar and Zn in silica by backscattering spectrometry

It is well known that the refractive indices of lots of materials can be modified by ion implantation, which is important for waveguide fabrication. In this work the effect of Ar and Zn ion implantation on silica layers was investigated by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE). Silica layers produced by chemical vapour deposition technique on single crystal silicon wafers were implanted by Ar and Zn ions with a fluence of 1–2?×10¹⁶ Ar/cm² and 2.5?×10¹⁶ Zn/cm², respectively. The refractive indices of the implanted silica layers before and after annealing at 300°C and 600°C were determined by SE. The migration of the implanted element was studied by real-time RBS up to 500°C. It was found that the implanted Ar escapes from the sample at 300°C. Although the refractive indices of the Ar-implanted silica layers were increased compared to the as-grown samples, after the annealing this increase in the refractive indices vanished. In case of the Zn-implanted silica layer both the distribution of the Zn and the change in the refractive indices were found to be stable. Zn implantation seems to be an ideal choice for producing waveguides.     

Off-stoichiometry indexation of BiFeO_3 thin film on silicon by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry

BiFeO_3 is a multiferroic material with physical properties very sensitive to its stoichiometry.BiFeO_3 thin films on silicon substrate are prepared by the sol–gel method combined with layer-by-layer annealing and final annealing schemes.X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are employed to probe the phase structures and surface morphologies.Using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry to quantify the nonstoichiometries of BiFeO_3 thin films annealed at 100?C–650?C.The results indicate that Bi and Fe cations are close to the stoichiometry of BiFeO_3,whereas the deficiency of O anions possibly plays a key role in contributing to the leakage current of 10~(-5) A/cm~2 in a wide range of applied voltage rather than the ferroelectric polarizations of BiFeO_3 thin films annealed at high temperature.     

Location of self-interstitial atoms in boron-implanted silicon by means of rutherford backscattering of channelled ions

Abstract

For locating self-interstitial atoms in silicon by means of Rutherford backscattering of channelled ions, boron has been implanted at room temperature and at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The employed implantation doses were 2. 10¹⁴ cm^?2 and 7. 10¹³ cm^?2, respectively. The experiments have been performed at 300 K and at 120 K to reduce ionization-stimulated annealing. The beam of 1.4 MeV He⁺-ions was highly collimated.

To obtain the configuration of implantation-induced self-interstitial atoms symmetry considerations have been performed.

The location experiments presented indicate the existence of isolated self-interstitial atoms in silicon. Under the conditions of these experiments the interstitial atoms assume a (110) split configuration of orthorhombic symmetry.     

AlGaN/GaN heterostructure study using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry

Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) was used to study the structural peculiarities and the presence of the background impurities in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown on substrates from different materials (α-Al₂O₃, SiC, and Si) by means of gas-phase epitaxy from the metal-organic compounds and molecular-beam epitaxy. Redistribution of the elements in the working layers of these heterostructures during formation of the ohmic contacts was analyzed. These studies confirmed the informativity of the applied method for revealing the peculiarities of stoichiometry of heterostructures with submicron and nanoscale layers. Oxygen was found to be a background impurity in heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates. It was not detected, however, in heterostructures grown on substrates of other materials. Intermixing of the working layers of heterostructures was observed in the process of the Ohmic contact formation. The local intermetallic phases of compounds of the sputtered metals in the selected modes were revealed after annealing at T = 650–700°C.     

Direct analysis of essential oils by means of TXRF spectrometry

Direct analysis of essential oil has been performed for estimation of the elemental content in five different extracted essential oils from the leaves of different plants, namely, Mentha longifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, Elletaria cardamomum, and Lavandula hybrida. A benchtop total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with a maximum power of 40 W was used for this purpose. Fourteen elements have been quantified in most of the extracted essential oil samples, and their limits of detection were determined. The detected elements are P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Ni, and Hf. The validity of the present method was demonstrated using a standard reference material of organometallic oil sample. Two extraction methods of essential oils from leaves of the mentioned plants are evaluated, namely, classical hydro-distillation and microwave-assisted hydro-distillation. The quantitative elemental analysis of the extracted essential oils using the two extracted methods was studied and compared.     

Profiling measurements of metal ion distribution in thin polymer inclusion membranes by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) composed of a homogeneous mixture of cellulose triacetate matrix, 2-nitro-phenyl-octyl-ether as plasticizer and tri-octyl-phosphine-oxyde as carrier were synthesized by the spin coating method. Synthesized membranes were doped with molybdenum metal ions and then characterized by four experimental techniques: thermo gravimetric and differential analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) spectrometry using a 3.2 MeV He⁺ ion beam. The RBS analysis has established both the elemental composition as well as the Mo⁺ metal profiling of the studied PIMs. The experimental irradiation conditions were optimized in order to determine the ion fluence thresholds resulting in measurable changes in elemental composition of membranes. Changes in physico-chemical properties of the irradiated PIMs vs He⁺ ion fluence were observed with the ATR-FTIR analysis. Also, the SEM analysis of PIMs surfaces has revealed a porous texture, while the thermal analysis of annealed PIMs at 105°C has showed no significant changes of mass (～1%) of the studied samples.     

Analysis of coatings and surface layers of materials by proton-backscattering spectrometry

Experience in the use and the potential of proton-backscattering spectrometry as applied to problems of modern materials science are discussed.     

Investigation of the long-range effect of light irradiation by means of Rutherford backscattering/ion channeling spectroscopy

This paper presents the results of the first experiments on the observation of the long-range effect by means of Rutherford backscattering/ion channeling spectroscopy under irradiation of a silicon crystal by visible light.     

Study of acoustic wave backscattering by discrete inhomogeneities of different sizes

The influence of the distribution statistics on the sizes of discrete random bottom inhomogeneities on the mean intensity of acoustic signal backscattering is studied. The simultaneous presence of two effects leading to an increase in the mean intensity of backscattering are considered: the correlation in the positional relationship of particles on the plane of the bottom and their size distribution.     

Low-energy ion measurements by means of CR-39 nuclear track detectors

The paper presents an additional acceleration system, used to shift up an ion energy spectrum by 20 keV, and some examples of the ion parabolas registered by means of a Thomson-type spectrometer within the rod plasma injector (RPI-60) facility, designed for plasma physics and application studies. The use of the described acceleration system and CR-39 track detectors has enabled the registration of ions of energy above 20 keV to be performed. It made possible to measure the ion (e.g. deuteron) energy spectrum more exactly in the low-energy range, what is important for the determination of ion emission characteristics.     

Study of the electronic spectra of noble metals by low-energy electron backscattering

The density of filled electronic states of noble metals (Au, Ag, Cu) below the Fermi level is studied by low-energy electron backscattering spectroscopy (0–10 eV) by using a specially designed hypocycloidal electron spectrometer capable of high energy (≤50 meV) and angular (～1°–5°) resolution. The features observed in the electron scattering spectra are established to agree well with the extrema of the theoretically calculated density-of-states distributions. The results obtained amplify substantially the information provided by UV and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Superenhanced backscattering of light by nanoparticles

We report a physical explanation for the phenomenon wherein the backscattering of light by dielectric particles of sizes between 100 and 1 nm is enhanced by 7-11 orders of magnitude. The phenomenon involves complex composite interactions between a dielectric microsphere and a nanoparticle positioned in close proximity to the microsphere. We provide both analytical and perturbation analyses that show that the enhanced backscattering intensity of a nanoparticle is proportional to the third power of its size parameter. Potential applications of this phenomenon include visible-light detection, characterization, and manipulation of particles as small as a few nanometers.     

Transmutation of nuclear wastes using photonuclear reactions triggered by Compton backscattering photons at the Shanghai laser electrongamma source

Based on the facility of the Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source (SLEGS),the transmutation for nuclear wastes such as 137Cs and 129I is investigated.It is found that nuclear waste can be transmuted efficiently via photonuclear reaction triggered by gamma photons generated from Compton backscattering between CO2 laser photons and 3.5 GeV electrons.The nuclear activities of 137Cs and 129I are evaluated and compared with the results of transmutation triggered by bremsstrahlung gamma photons driven by ultra intense laser.Due to the better character of gamma photon spectrum as well as the high brightness of gamma photons,the transmutation rate of Compton backscattering method is much higher than that of the bremsstrahlung method.     

Light backscattering by hexagonal ice crystals

Backscattering of light by hexagonal ice columns and plates has been calculated by means of a ray-tracing code. It is shown that backscattering by the hexagonal ice cylinders at their arbitrary orientations is caused by a peculiar corner-reflector effect. A gigantic peak of backscattering is found at the angle of about 32.5° between the principal axis of a particle and the incidence direction for both hexagonal ice columns and plates. This peak is explained by multiple total internal reflections inside the crystals that take place for a part of incident rays. The obtained results on backscattering efficiency allow one to calculate backscattering by an ensemble of the hexagonal ice cylinders of various sizes, shapes and orientations. Slant lidar remote sensing of cirrus clouds for discrimination between aligned columns and plates is suggested as an application of the results obtained.     

Determination of electron affinity of carbonyl radicals by means of negative ion mass spectrometry

Appearance energies of [M-H](-) ions from carbonyl compounds R-CO-R' (R,R' = H, CH(3), NH(2), OH) have been measured by means of negative ion mass spectrometry in resonant electron capture mode. Values of electron affinity of the corresponding radicals, CH(2)&dbond;C(X)O, NH&dbond;C(X)O and O&dbond;C(X)O, have been determined. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studies of CdTe surfaces with secondary ion mass spectrometry,rutherford backscattering and ellipsometry

The composition and the stability of chemically etched, mechanically polished and oxidized surfaces of single crystals of cadmium-telluride were studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and ellipsometry. CdTe surfaces etched using a solution of bromine in methanol were found to be enriched in cadmium but a film, identified to be an oxide of tellurium, was observed to grow on it at room temperature and in air. The thickness of this film increased over long periods of timet linearly versus lnt. Mechanically polished samples and also chemically etched surfaces which were oxidized in a solution of hydrogen peroxide in amoniac were found to be stable.