Level structure of the 89-neutron nucleus 153Gd: (I). Levels and gamma-transitions in 153Gd excited in the decay of 153Tb

Investigations of the properties of ¹⁵³Gd excited states populated in ¹⁵³Tb decay were continued. The following measurements were performed: coincidence spectra e^?γ with L41, K93 + L52, K110, K129 + L87 + L88 and K195 + L152 keV conversion electron lines, angular correlations of high energy γ-cascades going through the 109.7 keV level, delayed e^?γ and e^?e^? coincidence spectra to determine the half-lives of 41.5, 93.3, 109.7, 129.1,183.5, 212.0 and 216.1 keV states, R(135°, ± B) parameters of IPAC for the 102–110 and 83–129 keV cascades using ¹⁵³Tb sources implanted into Fe foil.A decay scheme of ¹⁵³Tb containing 50 excited levels is proposed. Their spins, parities, $\text{log}\text{?t}$ and, for low-lying levels, also the mean half-lives have been determined. An estimation of the g-factors of the 109.7 and 129.1 keV levels has been given. On the basis of half-lives of investigated states absolute values of reduced γ-transition probabilities for these states have been calculated. The structure of the ground state of ¹⁵³Gd is discussed.     

Low-spin states of153Gd observed in the decay of153Tb

Level structure of the 89-neutron nucleus¹⁵³Gd has been investigated by studying theEC-decay of isotope-separated¹⁵³Tb sources with several semiconductor detectors. In addition to singles gamma and electron spectra,γ-γ ande ^?-γ coincidences were investigated by using Ge(Li) and Si(Li) spectrometers and a high-capacity two-parameter recording system. In all, 191γ-rays are assigned to the decay of the 2.4d¹⁵³Tb. The proposed level scheme of¹⁵³Gd containing most of the observed transitions shows a very high density of low-spin states (45 states below 1.5MeV). Spin and/or parity assignments based mainly on coincidence data and measured transition multipolarities are proposed for a majority of these states. Nilsson model classifications of some levels are discussed. On the basis of logf t values the spin and parity of the ground state of¹⁵³Tb are suggested to be 3/2⁺ or 5/2⁺.     

Novel trends in improvement of solar cell characteristics

Faced with an alarming increase of energy consumption on one side, and very limiting amounts of available conventional energy sources on the other, scientists have turned to the most promising renewable energy sources. Possibilities for the application of solar systems based on photovoltaic (PV) conversion of solar energy are widespread, primarily because of their relatively low cost and the very important fact that solar energy is the most acceptable source of electrical energy from an environmental point of view. Recently, increased investments in the development of PV technology have been observed worldwide. However, as with every other energy source, PV technology also has some limitations and disadvantages, primarily connected to its low efficiency. There are several trends in the development of solar cells, but the two main directions are the improvement of the conventional solar cell characteristics based on semiconductor materials, and exploring the possibilities of using new materials. The aim of this paper is to present some different approaches for the improvement of solar cells.     

Novel dynamical effects and persistent memory in phase separated manganites

The time dependent response of the magnetic and transport properties of Fe-doped phase separated (PS) manganite La(0.5)Ca(0.5)MnO3 is reported. The nontrivial coexistence of ferromagnetic (FM) and non-FM regions induces a slow dynamics which leads to time relaxation and cooling rate dependence within the PS regime. This dynamics influences physical properties drastically. On one hand, metalliclike behavior, assumed to be a fingerprint of percolation, can be also observed before the FM phase percolates as a result of dynamical contributions. On the other hand, two novel effects for the manganites are reported, namely, the rejuvenation of the resistivity after aging and a persistent memory of low magnetic fields (<1 T), imprinted in the amount of the FM phase.     

Shape memory characteristics in the L1 0 -fcc order-disorder transformation of FePd

Shape recovery through L1 0 -fcc order-disorder transformation of FePd is examined. Under a uniaxial compressive stress, a reversible shape change associated with the order-disorder transformation is observed. Shape memory characteristics (transformation strain, time required for the transformation and temperature hysteresis) for single-crystal and polycrystal specimens are determined by a compression test under a constant stress. The transformation strain (4% for a single crystal) and time required for disordering (about 10 s for a single crystal) are comparable with those of conventional martensitic shape memory alloys. The alloys can be used as shape memory materials with relatively high transformation temperature.     

Influence of excess Si distribution in the gate oxide on the memory characteristics of MOSFETs

In this work, Si ions are implanted into the gate oxide of MOSFETs with different implantation schemes, followed by a high-temperature annealing. The memory characteristics of the MOSFETs have been investigated for the following two excess Si distributions: (1) the excess Si is distributed in a narrow layer in the gate oxide near the Si substrate; and (2) the excess Si is distributed throughout the gate oxide. It is observed that both the excess Si distributions have good endurance of up to 10⁶ program/erase cycles. The second excess Si distribution exhibits a better retention characteristic with less than 50% charge loss after 10 years. In contrast, the first excess Si distribution shows a complete charge loss after 1 year. PACS 73.22.-f; 73.63.Bd; 81.07.Bc     

Levels in the 89-neutron nucleus 153Gd

The electron-capture of 57 h ¹⁵³Tb has been studied with isotope-separated sources by means of direct and coincidence spectrometry with a six-gap beta-ray spectrometer and Ge(Li) gamma-ray detectors. New levels in ¹⁵³Gd were established at 315.1 and 1103 keV. New relative parity assignments were made for levels at 183.5, 249.6, 315.1, 368.6, 448, 549, 946 and 1103 keV.     

The level structure of the 153Gd nucleus studied in the 150Sm(α, n)153Gd reaction

The level structure of ¹⁵³Gd has been studied by means of the ¹⁵⁰Sm(α, n)¹⁵³Gd reaction. The experiment included measurements of γ-γ coincidences, γ-angular distributions, γ-ray yield at 17 MeV and 19 MeV beam energy, and γ-ray multiplicities. Favoured and unfavoured members of the positive-parity i_13,2, band were identified. States belonging to the h_9,2 and f_7,2 band structures have been located.Surprisingly low multiplicity numbers were deduced for ₁₅₃Gd γ-rays. This may indicate that the (α, n) reaction is not a pure compound reaction. The level structure of ¹⁵³Gd has been compared to the known structure of other odd-mass N = 89 nuclei, and a close similarity is found.The positive-parity band structure has been compared to calculations with the pairing-plus-recoil model. Good agreement is obtained without any ad hoc Coriolis attenuation.     

Description of the low-lying negative parity states in153Gd

To explain the properties of the recently observed negative parity states in the 89-neutron nucleus¹⁵³Gd, the Nilsson model is extended to include the Coriolis couplings between the 3^?/2 [521], 5^?/2 [523], 3^?/2 [532], 1^?/2 [530], 1^?/2 [510], 1^?/2 [521] and 5^?/2 [512] bands. The calculation reproduces rather well the experimental level energies, single neutron transfer cross sections and electromagnetic transition rates.     

Aero-thermo-mechanical characteristics of imperfect shape memory alloy hybrid composite panels

A nonlinear finite element model is provided to predict the static aero-thermal deflection and the vibration behavior of geometrically imperfect shape memory alloy hybrid composite panels under the combined effect of thermal and aerodynamic loads. The nonlinear governing equations are obtained using Marguerre curved plate theory and the principle of virtual work taking into account the temperature-dependence of material properties. The effect of large deflection is included in the formulation through the von Karman nonlinear strain-displacement relations. The thermal load is assumed to be a steady-state constant-temperature distribution, whereas the aerodynamic pressure is modeled using the quasi-steady first-order piston theory. The Newton-Raphson iteration method is employed to obtain the nonlinear aero-thermal deflections, while an eigenvalue problem is solved at each temperature step and static aerodynamic load to predict the free vibration frequencies about the deflected equilibrium position. Finally, the nonlinear deflection and free vibration characteristics of a composite panel are presented, illustrating the effects of geometric imperfection, temperature rise, aerodynamic pressure, boundary conditions and shape memory alloy fiber embeddings on the panel response.     

Comparative analysis of influence of gamma radiation on programmable memory characteristics

The aim of this paper is to examine the reliability of erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) and electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) components subjected to the influence of gamma radiation. This problem is of considerable significance for both military industry and space technology. We present total dose results for the NM27C512 8F85 EPROM and M24128 – B W BN 5 T P EEPROM components. There is evidence that EPROM components radioactive reliability is better than that of EEPROM components. Furthermore, the changes EPROM's undergoes are reversible, so that after erasing process and reprogramming all EPROM components are fully functional. On the other hand, EEPROM's changes are irreversible and when subjected to the influence of gamma radiation, all EEPROM components become permanently nonfunctional. The obtained results are analyzed and explained via the interaction of gamma radiation with oxide layers.     

Magnetic moment measurement of the 129.2 keV level in153Gd

The magnetic moment = (0.37±0.07)_N of the 129.2 keV level in¹⁵³Gd was determined from measurements of the integral perturbed angular correlation (IPAC) in an external magnetic field.     

Low power consumption bipolar resistive switching characteristics of ZnO-based memory devices

Ag/ZnO/Pt structure resistive switching devices are fabricated by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The memory devices exhibit stable and reversible resistive switching behavior. The ratio of high resistance state to low resistance state can reach as high as 10 2 . The retention measurement indicates that the memory property of these devices can be maintained for a long time (over 10 4 s under 0.1-V durable stress). Moreover, the operation voltages are very low, -0.4 V (OFF state) and 0.8 V (ON state). A high-voltage forming process is not required in the initial state, and multi-step reset process is demonstrated. Resistive switching device with the Ag/ZnO/ITO structure is constructed for comparison with the Ag/ZnO/Pt device.     

Relaxation of individual m-states in ferromagnets: 153Eu in EuO

A model calculation of nuclear relaxation in inhomogeneous ferromagnets is extended to treat individual m ? m + 1 transitions. The relaxation of individual ¹⁵³Eu transitions in EuO is analised in terms of the model, yielding the separate Zeeman and quadrupole contributions to the line width.     

Influence of deformation on the force characteristics of shape memory effects in alloys based on titanium nickelide

Studies of the influence of plastic deformation and the straining temperature on the temperature dependence of the stresses developed in titanium nickelide shape memory alloys are described. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 141–142 (July 1998)     

On the nonlinearity of the P(V) characteristics of heavily doped semiconductors

The interrelation between the hydrostatic pressure P and the relative change of volume V in heavily doped semiconductors with a band structure containing several non-equivalent minima (A^IIIB^V type) is considered.It is shown that under the electron transition from a low central minimum into “heavy” subsidiary minima the P(V) dependence becomes superlinear.The possibility of the appearance in this case of a spontaneous deformation with a significant electron redistribution between the central and the subsidiary minima is treated.     

Effect of dopants on TL characteristics of LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors

LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors produced at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Krakow have shown very good dosimetric characteristics. Understanding of the effect of the concentration and type of dopants is important in the characterization of TL materials. The aim of work was to investigate the influence of the type and concentration of the dopants on the photon energy response of these detectors by irradiations “in air” and on the ISO water phantom in the range of mean photon energies between 33 and 164 keV. The influence of dopants on the glow curves, sensitivity and reproducibility was also examined. Results showed that measured energy dependence values are lower compared to the theoretical values both “in air” and on phantom. The type and concentration of the dopants influence the shape of the glow curves and sensitivity while for energy dependence is more important the presence of certain activators, namely copper.     

The charge storage characteristics of ZrO2 nanocrystallite-based charge trap nonvolatile memory

ZrO2 nanocrystallite-based charge trap flash memory capacitors incorporating a(ZrO2)0.6(SiO2)0.4 pseudobinary high-k oxide film as the charge trapping layer were prepared and investigated.The precipitation reaction in the charge trapping layer,forming ZrO2 nanocrystallites during rapid thermal annealing,was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.It was observed that a ZrO2 nanocrystallite-based memory capacitor after post-annealing at 850℃ for 60s exhibits a maximum memory window of about 6.8V,good endurance and a low charge loss of ～25% over a period of 10 years(determined by extrapolating the charge loss curve measured experimentally),even at 85℃.Such 850℃-annealed memory capacitors appear to be candidates for future nonvolatile flash memory device applications.     

Effect of defect content on the unipolar resistive switching characteristics of ZnO thin film memory devices

In this study, unipolar resistive switching (URS) characteristics in ZnO thin film memory devices were systematically investigated with variable defect content. ZnO films displayed typically URS behavior while oxygen-deficient ZnO_1?x films did not show resistive switching effects. The devices with two intentional Ohmic interfaces still show URS. These results show that appearance of URS behavior can be dominated by initial oxygen vacancy content in ZnO thin films. Modest increase in oxygen vacancy content in ZnO films will lead to forming-free and narrower distributions of switching parameters (set and reset voltage, high and low resistance states). It indicates that controlling the initial oxygen vacancy content was an effective method to enhance the URS performance.