Limited volume thin film deposition on geometrically complicated substrates

In this paper we report a study on the elastic scattering of electrons by lithium and sodium atoms in the presence of circularly polarized resonant laser field within the framework of the two-state rotating wave approximation. The effect of laser on projectile electrons is described by Volkov states. The frequency of the laser field is chosen to match with the 2s–3p (3s–3p) transition frequency in lithium (sodium) atoms. The total and differential elastic cross sections with single photon exchange are calculated for intermediate energies (50–150 eV) and laser intensity (10⁷–10¹¹ W cm^-2). An erratum to this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Messung der Energie- und Winkelabhängigkeit der Asymmetrie der äußeren Bremsstrahlung

In order to obtain an azimuthal dependence of the external bremsstrahlung produced by electrons, the electron beam has to be transversely polarized. In first-order Born approximation the differential cross section does not depend on the azimuthal angle φ¹, but the second-order approximation includes the spin vector of the electrons^2,3 and yields, consequently, a φ-dependence. This paper deals with a measurement of the bremsstrahlung asymmetry as function of the photon energy and the emission angle Θ. The transversely polarized electron beam was produced by momentum deflection of longitudinally polarizedβ-decay electrons emitted from a⁹⁰Sr source. With a kinetic energy of 300±10 keV and a degree of transverse polarization of 74% the electrons hit a Pb target. Because of the high γ-background it was necessary to detect the emitted bremsstrahlung in coincidence with the incident electrons. We found effects of about 3% in contrast to considerably larger values (13%) published in an earlier paper. The asymmetry was numerically calculated according to Johnson and Rozics. Since at an electron energy of 300 keV the Born approximation gives not yet good results, theory and measurement agree only in order of magnitude, particularly at highγ-energies.     

The bremsstrahlung of electrons on atoms calculated in a broad range of photon energies

The total bremsstrahlung spectra for electrons colliding with atoms have been calculated for krypton atoms in a photon energy range from 10 eV to 25 keV and for lanthanum atoms in the vicinity of the 4d shell ionization energy. The generalized atomic polarizabilities were calculated using a simple semiclassical local energy density approximation and experimental data on the photon absorption. The results are compared to those obtained using the distorted partial wave approximation for Kr and to the experimental data available for La.     

Relativistic double differential cross sections for Compton scattering by bound electrons: Test at low photon energies and predictions at intermediate photon energies

Cross section profiles d²σ/dΩdω′ for Compton scattering of photons by bound electrons are calculated for all subshells of the atom. Results obtained from the form factor approximation and from a relativistic version of the impulse approximation are compared with experimental data for Cu and Pb at a scattering angle ofθ=145° and a photon energy of 662 keV. The impulse approximation proves to be superior to the form factor approximation and is used to predict cross section profiles for a primary energy of 50 MeV and different scattering angles and charge numbers. It is shown that only for the heaviest atoms and scattering angles belowθ=5° there is a non-negligible contribution of Compton scattering to the elastic peak.     

Two-electron excitations in helium-like ions by inelastic photon scattering

Inelastic photon scattering by helium atoms and helium-like ions with simultaneous excitation of the two-electron transition 1s ²→2s ² is examined in the nonrelativistic energy range I≪ω≪m (I is the ionization potential, ω is the photon energy, m is the electron mass, and ℏ=c=1). The electrons are assumed to be moving in the Coulomb field of the nucleus, and the electron-electron interaction is taken into account in the lowest perturbation order. The differential and total cross sections of the process and the autoionization width of the 2s ² energy level are calculated. The numerical value of the autoionization width is found to agree with the results of the more rigorous calculations of other researchers. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 539–549 (February 1998)     

Excimer-laser etching on silicon

Studies have been made of poly- and single Si etching induced by excimer-laser irradiation of the silicon surfaces in halogenated gases. Etching was investigated for different conduction types, impurity concentrations and crystallographic planes. Chlorine atoms accept electrons generated in photoexcited, undoped p-type Si, thus becoming negative ions which are pulled into the Si. However, the n⁺-type Si is etched spontaneously by Cl^– as a result of the availability of conduction electrons. Fluorine atoms, with the highest electronegativity, take in electrons independent of whether the material is n- or p-type. And thus, the easy F^– ion penetration into Si causes spontaneous etching in both types. New anisotropic etching for n⁺ poly-Si is investigated because of its importance to microfabrication technology. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) gas, which reacts with Cl atoms, produces a deposition film on the n⁺ poly-Si surface. The surface, from which the film is removed by KrF (5 eV) laser irradiation, is etched by Cl atoms, while the film remains on the side wall to protect undercutting. However, with the higher photon energy for the ArF (6.4 eV) laser, the Si-OH bonds are broken and electron traps are formed. These electrontrapping centers are easily annealed out in comparison to the plasma-induced centers. Pattern transfer etching for n⁺ poly-Si has been realized using reflective optics. The problems involved in obtaining finer resolution etching are discussed.     

Charging dynamics of metal clusters in intense laser fields

Clusters of heavy metal atoms in strong femtosecond laser-light fields undergo multi-ionization with the loss of hundreds of electrons. The cross section largely exceeds that of corresponding isolated atoms, which leads in the case of Pb_N to a complete ionization of the 4f shell with a light intensity of 1.2×10¹⁵ W/cm². Experimental investigations on Pb and Pt clusters with variable pulse widths and, for the first time, with the pump&probe technique give insight into the dynamics of the coupling of electromagnetic radiation into the clusters. Both approaches support the picture according to which, after an initial charging, the clusters expand due to Coulomb forces. This expansion is accompanied by a reduction of the electron density and at the same time by an increase of the optical sensitivity. Once the plasmon energy of the diluted nanoplasma approaches the photon energy, the charging efficiency increases significantly. The experimental observations are confirmed by random-phase approximation (RPA) calculations of the optical response, including molecular-dynamics simulations of the expanding systems. Received: 11 November 1999 / Published online: 13 July 2000     

Monte Carlo calculation of electron spectra produced in water phantoms by 20 keV-1 GeV photons

Abstract

A Monte Carlo calculation for the energy spectra of electrons and positrons produced in infinite and semiinfinite water phantoms by photons ranging in energies from 20 keV to 1 GeV are presented. The dominant processes considered are the photoelectric effect, Auger effect, Compton effect, pair, and triplet production. Bremsstrahlung produced by electrons and positrons with energies greater than 1 MeV is also included. The effect of multiple Compton scattering, not considered in the earlier calculation, for the infinite phantom for photon energies higher than 2 MeV has been incorporated. For a semi-infinite phantom, multiple Compton scattering and backscattering through the top are considered. The results are compared with the earlier calculations for the first-collision spectrum. It is found that the inclusion of multiple Compton scattering significantly increases the average number of electrons/cm³ per photon/cm² at all energies considered whereas bremsstrahlung reduces the number of high energy electrons and produces more low energy electrons in the spectrum.     

Emission of single gamma rays by electrons with energies of hundreds of GeV in oriented crystals

Cross sections are calculated for the emission of single hard photons by electrons with energies of 150–1000 GeV as they pass through oriented crystals at small angles to the crystallographic axes. The contribution of incoherent emission at isolated atoms of the crystal is taken into account in the calculations, along with the emission in the continuum potential. The calculations are compared with the customary Bethe-Heitler spectrum for a thick amorphous target with allowance for photon absorption due to electron-positron pair production. It is shown that, in this range of energies, an oriented crystal can be more efficient than a thick amorphous target for creating a larger number of hard gamma rays with energies comparable to the energies of the emitting electrons. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 37–41 (September 1998)     

Negative ions Ar<Superscript>−</Superscript>, Kr<Superscript>−</Superscript>, and Xe<Superscript>−</Superscript> in superfluid helium

The catalogue of negative ions in superfluid helium has been extended using the example of Ar⁻, Kr⁻, and Xe⁻. Such objects cannot exist in vacuum, since the polarization attraction of an electron to the inert A atom is insufficient for the formation of the bound state A⁻. However, these objects exist in helium as stable or metastable with a very long lifetime. The effect is due to the electron localization in liquid helium. If a mixture of excited A* atoms and electrons is prepared in the gas phase above liquid helium, the reaction A* + e = A*⁻ becomes possible for all atoms of the periodic table. Such charges can be immersed into liquid helium by the electric field. In this case, the radiative decay A*⁻ = A + e allowed in vacuum can be forbidden in liquid. This leads to the formation of the new unique objects A⁻, which can exist in liquid helium but are absent in nature. The size of such charged formations has been determined and is close the radius of a usual electron bubble in helium.     

The problem of two electrons in an external field and the method of integral equations in optics

This paper solves the problem of the interaction, via the field of virtual photon field with the emission or absorption of a real photon, of two atomic electrons located at arbitrary distances from one another. The interaction is interpreted as a third-order QED effect in the coordinate representation. The role of intermediate states with positive and negative frequencies is studied. A general expression is derived for the matrix elements of the operator of the effective electron-electron interaction energy for different types of quantum transitions. The expression makes it possible to calculate the probabilities of the corresponding transitions and to examine various patterns of induction of polarizing fields by one atom at the point occupied by the other atom. The exchange of virtual photons between the atoms located at arbitrary distances from one another is shown to lead to additional terms in the operators of spin-orbit and spin-spin coupling of the atomic electrons, over and above those in the corresponding Breit operators. It is shown that there is an important difference between the induction of polarizing fields and the transfer of optical photons. In particular, it is found that when polarizing fields are induced, a situation may arise in which the disappearance (production) of a photon takes place at the point occupied by one atom, while absorption (emission) of the same photon occurs at the place occupied by the other atom. A block diagram of an experimental device that could be used to study this property of polarizing fields is presented. Finally, a method of deriving integral field equations is proposed. The method is based on allowing for polarizing fields, and its effectiveness is demonstrated by the example of electric dipole and spin transitions in the spectrum of interacting atomic electrons. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1555–1577 (November 1998)     

Drag effect of one-dimensional electrons upon photoionization of D<Superscript>(−)</Superscript> centers in a longitudinal magnetic field

A theory is elaborated for the impurity photon drag effect in a semiconductor quantum wire exposed to a longitudinal magnetic field B directed along the axis of the quantum wire. The phonon drag effect is associated with the transfer of the longitudinal photon momentum to localized electrons in optical transitions from D^(?) states to hybrid-quantized states of the quantum wire, which is described by a confinement parabolic potential. An analytical expression for the drag current density is derived within the model of a zero-range potential in the effective mass approximation, and the spectral dependence of the drag current density is examined at different magnitudes of B and parameters of the quantum wire upon electron scattering by a system of impurities with short-range potentials. It is established that the spectral dependence of the drag current density exhibits a Zeeman doublet with a clear beak-shaped peak due to optical transitions of electrons from D^(?) states to states with the magnetic quantum number m=1. The possibility of using the photon drag effect in a longitudinal magnetic field for the development of laser radiation detectors is analyzed.     

New allotropic form of silicon

A new allotropic form of amorphous silicon with sp hybridization of the valence electrons is discovered. The new material consists of linear chains of atoms. A small fraction of the atoms are in the sp ² state. Acting as bridges, these atoms couple the linear chains into a single random network. This conclusion is based on an analysis of experimental data on the effect of annealing and ion implantation on the structure of the short-range order and the properties of amorphous-silicon films obtained by different methods. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 9, 646–649 (10 May 1998)     

Elastische Energieverluste kristallgestreuter Elektronen

Elastic energy losses due to scattering of fast electrons (20–40keV) by crystals into large angles (≧45⁰) are experimentally and theoretically investigated. Energy losses up to a few electron volts appear, which depend on the mass of the atoms composing the crystal, of the scattering angle, and of the primary energy of the electrons. These results agree with the assumption of elastic scattering by single atoms and not by the crystal as a whole. The width of the energy losses increases with the energy loss himself, and with the temperature of the crystal. In a first theoretical approximation this effect can be explained by the thermal motion of free atoms.     

Electronic and geometric properties of alkali-C60 molecules

First-principle electronic structure calculations are carried out for M_xC ₆₀ ^q , where M = Li, Na, K and ( x , q ) = (1, 0),(1,±1),(2, 0),(3, - 1),(6, 0),(6, - 1),(12, 0) using the local density functional. The electric dipole moment for MC₆₀ agrees with the experimental results. The calculated Mulliken charge indicates that the bonding of the alkali atom with C₆₀ is mostly ionic except for lithium. The alkali atom prefers to make many bonds with the carbon atoms rather than a single bond with the neighbor carbon atom. The calculated adsorption energy suggest that the metal-metal bonding of sodiums and potassiums on C₆₀ arises for more than the six valence electrons in the alkali atoms. The lithium-lithium bond is, on the other hand, not appeared for x ? 12. The difference in the most stable geometry between lithiums and the other alkali atoms on C₆₀ comes from the covalent character of the lithium-carbon bond.     

虚光场对玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体与二项式光场相互作用系统中光场压缩性质的影响

在二项式光场和二能级原子玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体相互作用系统中, 应用全量子理论, 分别在旋波近似和非旋波近似下, 研究了光场的压缩特性以及原子本征频率、原子-光场的耦合系数、光场参数以及虚光场对系统光场压缩特性的影响. 研究表明, 光场的两个正交分量均被周期性压缩, 光场压缩持续时间与原子的本征频率有关, 压缩深度与二项式光场概率分布参数和虚光场有关, 光场与原子的耦合系数决定了光场涨落的崩塌-回复频率. 关键词： 量子光学 玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚 虚光场 光场压缩     

First-principles study on the structural and electronic properties of LiB and its hydrides (Li2BnHn, n=5, 8, 12, LiBH4)

Structural, electronic and vibrating properties of LiB and its hydrides (Li₂B_nH_n, n=5, 8, 12, LiBH₄) were calculated by the first-principles using density functional theory in its generalized gradient approximation. The calculated results are in good agreement with experimental studies. The deviation between theory and experimental results are also discussed. With the increasing of H atoms in range of 5-12, the band gap energy increases and the width of the conduction band decreases. Comparing with LiB, the band gap of LiBH₄ is broadened, which indicates the enhancement of Li-B and Li-H bond strength. Valence electrons mainly transfer from Li atoms to B and H atoms. As a result, Li atoms are thought to be partially ionized as Li⁺ cations. There is little contribution of Li orbital to the occupied states, resulting in Li-H and Li-B bond exhibiting an ionic nature, and B-H bond showing a covalent nature.     

Influence of the laser-induced continuum structure on cross sections of the over threshold scattering of photons on atom

Process of photon scattering on atoms is considered at energy above the ionization threshold. Influence of the resonant structure in the continuum, induced by a laser field due to coupling with the level 4¹ S in helium, on the cross sections of elastic and inelastic scattering of a probe radiation on atom in the meta-stable state 2¹ S is theoretically investigated. In the rotating wave approximation approach dependences of resonant scattering cross sections on the probe and laser radiation characteristics are obtained. The frequency and polarization dependences of the scattering cross sections to the final states of atom 1¹ S, 2¹ S and 4¹ S are calculated.     

Defect-related relaxation processes in irradiated rare gas solids

Electronic and atomic relaxation processes in preirradiated solid Ar doped with N 2 were studied with a focus on the role of radiative electronic transitions in relaxation cascades. Combining methods of activation spectroscopy - thermally stimulated and photon-stimulated exoelectron emission, a new channel of relaxation induced by photon emission from metastable N atoms was detected. It was shown that in insulating materials with a wide conduction band photons of visible range can release electrons from both kinds of traps - shallow (lattice defects) and deep thermally disconnected ones. Correlation in the charge recombination reaction yield and the yield of low temperature desorption - important relaxation channel in a preirradiated solid - clearly demonstrates interconnection between atomic and electronic processes of relaxation.