Low temperature laser absorption spectra of methane in the near-infrared at 1.65 μm for lower state energy determination

Direct absorption spectra of the 2ν 3 band of methane （CH₄） from 6038 to 6050 cm～（-1） were studied at different low temperatures using a newly developed cryogenic cell in combination with a distributed feedback （DFB） diode laser.The cryogenic cell can operate at any stabilized temperature ranging from room temperature down to 100 K with temperature fluctuation less than ±1 K within 1 hour.In the present work,the CH 4 spectra in the range of 6038-6050 cm～（-1） were recorded at 296,266,248,223,198,and 176 K.The lower state energy E and the rotational assignment of the angular momentum J were determined by a "2-low-temperature spectra method" using the spectra recorded at 198 and 176 K.The results were compared with the data from the GOSAT and the recently reported results from Campargue and co-workers using two spectra measured at room temperature and 81 K.We demonstrated that the use of a 2-low-temperature spectra method permits one to complete the E and J values missed in the previous studies.     

Magnetic behaviour of TbMnFe

Neutron diffraction and M?ssbauer measurements have been carried out on the cubic Laves phase intermetallic TbMnFe. The magnetic moment on the transition metal atom is found to be low, 0.2μ _B, at room temperature. This moment is temperature independent down to 10 K. Magnetic moment on the rare earth atom varies from 2.5μ _B at 296 K to 7.27μ _B at 10 K. M?ssbauer spectra recorded at 298 K and 78 K have magnetic character but there is a large distribution of hyperfine field values. Both these features arise due to magnetic frustration created in the sample due to the competing ferro and antiferromagnetic interactions between the transition metal atoms.     

Solid state photoelectrochemical cells utilising graphite thin films counter electrode

This paper reports the use of graphite thin films as a counter electrode of a solid state photoelectrochemical cells of ITO/TiO₂/PVC-LiClO₄/graphite. The photoelectrochemical cells material was a screen-printed layer of titanium dioxide onto an ITO-covered glass substrate which was used as a working electrode of the device. The solid electrolyte used was PVC-LiClO₄ that was prepared by solution casting technique. The graphite films which serve as a counter electrode were prepared onto glass substrate by electron beam evaporation technique at substrate temperatures variation of 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 °C. The dependence of sheet resistance and surface morphology of the graphite films on substrate temperature were studied. The films deposited at 25 °C shows the smoothest surface morphology and the smallest grain size. Bigger grain size, rougher surface morphology of graphite film counter electrode. The current-voltage characteristics of four devices utilising the graphite counter electrode with different substrate temperature in dark as well as under illumination of 100 mWcm⁻² light from a tungsten halogen lamp were recorded at room temperature and at 50 °C, respectively. It was found that the photovoltaic parameters of the device such as short-circuit current density, J_sc and open-circuit voltage, V_oc increases with the decreasing average grain size of the graphite counter electrode. The device whose graphite film counter electrode was deposited onto the glass substrate at 25 °C gave the highest J_sc of 0.32 μA/cm² and V_oc of 117 mV, respectively.     

一氧化二氮分子位于775 nm的6υ3振动泛频跃迁的高精密光腔衰荡光谱

Transitions of the 6υ₃ overtone band of ¹⁴N₂ ¹⁶O near 775 nm have been studied by continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Line positions and intensities were derived from a fit of the line shape using a hard-collisional profile. The line positions determined with absolute accuracy of 5×10^-4 cm^-1 allowed us to reveal finer ro-vibrational couplings taking place after J>14 except a strong anharmonic interaction identified by the effective Hamiltonian model. The absolute line intensities have also been retrieved with an estimated accuracy of 2% for a majority of the unblended lines. A new set of ro-vibrational and dipole moment parameters were derived from the experimental values. A comparison between the line positions and intensities of the 6υ₃ band obtained in this work and those from previous studies is given.     

Muon transfer from ground state deuterium to helium nuclei and its temperature dependence

The energy and time distributions of the decay X-rays of excited, metastable, molecular (dμHe)*-resonances were measured. The comparison of the observed energy spectra with calculated ones suggests that decay from the rotational state J = 1 dominates at the investigated conditions. The muon transfer rates from ground state deuterium to the helium isotopes ³He and ⁴He at low temperatures were determined from the time distributions of these spectra. Additionally, the temperature dependence of the muon transfer rate was clearly established in deuterium / ⁴He mixtures. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ROOM TEMPERATURE LIGHT-THERMO-DETECTOR MADE OF HIGH-Tc SUPERCONDUCTOR

Based on the anisotropic Seebeck tensor coefficients, a light-thermo-radiation detector made of high-T_c superconductor (YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ) was fabricated, which can function at room temperature. The induced voltaic signals at various modulation frequencies for radiation from He-Ne laser and from a 500 K black body were measured. The noise ratio for detecting He-Ne laser radiation and the D^* for black body were evaluated. Compared with bolometer made of high-T_c superconductor which functions at liquid nitrogen, and with pyroelectric detector, it was found that the advantages of this new device are that the device can work at room temperature with very low noise and very fast response. Although having a lower D^* value than that of bolometer for the present device construction, we point out the possibility and the direction for improving the D^* value, hence the promising prospect of this kind of device.     

Intrinsic tunneling study of underdoped Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+δ superconductors

We report on a tunneling study of underdoped submicron Bi₂Sr_2-xLa_xCuO_6+δ (La-Bi2201) intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs), whose self-heating is sufficiently suppressed. The tunneling spectra are measured from 4.2 K up to the pseudogap opening temperature of T^* = 260 K. The gap value found from the spectral peak position is about 35 meV and has a weak temperature dependence both below and above the superconducting transition temperature of T_c = 29 K. Since the superconducting gap should have a value of 10-15 meV, our results indicate that the pseudogap (～35 meV) plays an important role in the underdoped La-Bi2201 intrinsic tunneling spectroscopy down to the lowest temperature of 4.2 K. However, the contribution of the superconducting gap can be separated by normalizing the spectra to the one near and above T_c, which shows that the IJJs can be a useful tool for the study of the electronic properties of the La-Bi2201 cuprate superconductors.     

Self-injection length in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3-YBa2Cu3O7-δ ferromagnet-superconductor multilayer thin films

We have carried out extensive studies on the self-injection problem in barrierless heterojunctions between La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO) and YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) thin films. The heterojunctions were formed in situ by sequentially growing LCMO and YBCO films on 〈100〉 LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. YBCO micro-bridges with 64 μm width were patterned both on the LAO (control) and LCMO side of the substrate. Critical current, I _c, was measured at 77 K on both the control side as well as the LCMO side for different YBCO film thickness. It was observed that while the control side showed a J _c of ∼ 2 × 10⁶ A/cm², the LCMO side showed about half the value for the same thickness (1800 ?). The difference in J _c indicates that a certain thickness of YBCO has become ‘effectively’ normal due to self-injection. From the measurement of J _c at two different thicknesses (1800 ? and 1500 ?) of YBCO films both on the LAO as well as the LCMO side, the value of self-injection length (at 77 K) was estimated to be ∼ 900 ?. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first time that self-injection length has been quantified. A control experiment carried out with LaNiO₃ deposited by PLD on YBCO did not show any evidence of self-injection.     

氮原子在800 nm附近的同位素位移

The Doppler-limited absorption spectra of ¹⁴N and ¹⁵N atoms were measured around 800 nm using concentration modulation spectroscopy to study their isotope shifts. The nitrogen atoms were generated by discharging molecular nitrogen buffered with helium in a homemade discharge tube. The isotope shifts of four multiplets (3s⁴P_J→3p⁴D_J^o, 3s⁴P_J→3p⁴P_J^o, 3s²D_J→5s²P_J^o, and 3p²P_J^o→5s²D_J^o) were measured and their J-dependent specific mass shifts were observed and discussed.     

Fabrication of anode supported thick film ceria electrolytes for IT-SOFCs

Anode supported thick film ceria electrolyte unit cells were fabricated using a colloidal dip coating method for IT-SOFCs. Pre-sintering temperature of the anode substrate and the final sintering temperature were found to be the primary parameters determining the density of the film. With Ni-Ce_0.89Gd_0.11 O_2–δ cermet anode, La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O₃ cathode and 15 μm Ce_0.89Gd_0.11 O_2–δ electrolyte, the cells were tested in a fuel cell configuration with air at the cathode and moist H₂ at the anode. At 650 °C, the cell indicated a maximum power density of ∼0.27 W/cm² at a current density of 0.62 A/cm². Cell performance was compared with oxygen at the cathode and the cell indicated a maximum power density of ∼0.50 W/cm² at 1.14 A/cm², 650 °C. Activation energy for the area specific resistance (ASR) of the cell suggests that with air at cathode, the cell performance was limited by gaseous diffusion at cathode and with oxygen at cathode, by oxygen ion transport across the electrolyte.     

Spectroscopic properties of Nd—doped phosphate glass with a high emission cross section

Neodymium doped phosphate glasses have been prepared by the semi-continuous melting technique. Their absorption and emission spectra have been recorded at room temperature. The Judd－Ofelt theory has been applied to evaluate the stimulated emission cross sections of ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_11/2 transition for Nd³⁺. The higher stimulated emission cross section, 4.0×10^-20cm², is obtained. The fluorescence decays of the ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_11/2 transition of Nd³⁺ are measured for the samples doped (0.7－10) wt% of Nd₂O₃ at room temperature. The concentration quenching of Nd-doped phosphate glass is mainly attributed to cross-relaxation and energy migration. The site-dependent properties of fluorescence spectra and the fluorescence lifetime of the Nd³⁺-doped phosphate glass (with 2.2wt%Nd₂O₃) are studied using laser-induced fluorescence line narrowing techniques, and the site-to-site variations of optical properties are observed at low temperature.     

Sn-based type-VIII single-crystal clathrates with a large figure of merit

Single-crystal samples of type-VIII Ba₈Ga_{16 - x}Cu_xSn₃₀ (x=0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.15) clathrates were prepared using the Sn-flux method. At room temperature the carrier density, n, is 3.5-5×10¹⁹ cm^-3 for all the samples, the carrier mobility, μ_H, increases to more than twice that of Ba₈Ga₁₆Sn₃₀ for all the Cu doping samples, and consequently the electrical conductivity is enhanced distinctly from 1.90×10⁴ S/m to 4.40×10⁴ S/m, with the Cu composition increasing from x=0 to x=0.15. The Seebeck coefficient, α , decreases slightly with the increases in Cu composition. The κ values are about 0.72 W/mK at 300 K and are almost invariant with temperature up to 500 K for the samples with x=0 and x=0.03. The lattice thermal conductivity, κ_L, decreases from 0.59 W/mK for x=0 to 0.50 W/mK for x=0.03 at 300 K. The figure of merit for x=0.03 reaches 1.35 at 540 K.     

Mechanooptical investigations of polyimide films exposed to electrons,mechanical loads,and temperatures

Joint effect of high-energy electrons, mechanical loads, and temperature on polyimide films of thicknesses in the range 30–130 μm is investigated. The films were preliminary irradiated by electrons in air using an éLU-6 linear accelerator with energy of 2 MeV and doses D = 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 100 MGy and then subjected to uniaxial mechanical tension at temperatures (T) from 293 to 593 K. It is established that at T = 293–450 K and D = 20–40 MGy, the mechanical load causes almost the same deformations (ε_{l max}) of nonirradiated and irradiated samples; at T = 450–550 K, deformations of films sharply increase, and the character of their dependence changes. The ε_{l max} value of the initial sample increases almost linearly with temperature by a factor of 10, whereas the character of changing ε_{l max}(T) of the irradiated films is more complex, and its value increases approximately by a factor of 4. For T > 500 K, the deformation reaches limiting values. Irradiation increases the intensity of IR-spectra by 2–6 times and essentially increases the widths of absorption bands at 720, 1380, and 1775 cm⁻¹, which is caused by the formation of hydrogen bonds and cycles with nitrogen as well as by the formation of nitrogen oxides. External loading applied to film rupture causes an increase in the EPR signal amplitude from 3·10³ to 5·10³, which is connected with an increased concentration of radicals =N-H and-NH ₂. The electron irradiation of the polyimide films with their subsequent mechanical loading causes the spectrum lines to displace from 3475.0 to 3512.5 cm⁻¹ with simultaneous reduction of the signal amplitude from 6·10³ to 4·10³. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 52–58, February, 2007.     

Improving the field-emission properties of carbon nanotubes by magnetically controlled nickel-electroplating treatment

A novel magnetically controlled Ni-plating method has been developed to improve the field-emission properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The effect of the magnetic field and Ni-electroplating on CNT field-emission properties was investigated, and the results are demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy, J-E and the duration test. After treatment, the turn-on electric field declines from 1.55 to 0.91 V/μm at an emission current density of 100 μA/cm², and the emission current density increases from 0.011 to 0.34 mA/cm² at an electric field of 1.0 V/μm. Both the brightness and uniformity of the CNT emission performance are improved after treatment.     

Structures and luminescence properties of Yb3＋ in the double perovskites Ba2YB＇O6 （B＇=Ta5＋, Nb5＋） phosphors

The Yb³⁺ doped Ba₂YB'O₆ (B'=Ta⁵⁺, Nb⁵⁺) were prepared by high temperature solid-state reaction method, their structures were determined by x-ray diffraction and refined by Rietveld method. The diffuse reflection absorption, excitation and emission spectra of Yb³⁺:Ba₂YB'O₆ (B'=,Ta⁵⁺, Nb⁵⁺) were measured at room temperature. Under the excitation of ultraviolet light, these phosphors exhibit broad charge transfer band emissions of TaO₆ or NbO₆ centre with large Stokes shift. The Yb³⁺ doped into these hosts are situated at Y³⁺ sites of cubic symmetry (O_h). The experimental energy levels of Yb³⁺ in Ba₂YTaO₆ and Ba₂YNbO₆ were determined by photoluminescence and diffuse reflection absorption spectra. Their wavefunctions and theoretical energy levels were obtained by diagonalising the Hamiltonian matrix. The experimental energy levels were fitted by Levenberg--Marquardt iteration algorithm to determine crystal field parameters. Then, the magnetic-pole transition line strengths of Yb³⁺:Ba₂YB'O₆(B'=Ta⁵⁺, Nb⁵⁺) from (²F_5/2)Γ₈^- to the low-energy states were calculated.     

Optical parameters of Nd3＋：Er3＋：yb3＋ co-doped borosilicate glasses and their energy transfers at high temperature

This paper reports that a series of Nd³⁺:Er³⁺:Yb³⁺ co-doped borosilicate glasses have been prepared and their absorption spectra measured. The J--O intensity parameters Ω_k (k=2, 4, 6), spontaneous radiative lifetime τ_rad, spontaneous transition probability A, fluorescence branching ratio β and oscillator strength f_ed of the Nd³⁺ ions at room temperature are calculated based on Judd--Ofelt (J--O) theory. The temperature dependence of the up-conversion photoluminescence characteristics in a Nd³⁺:Er³⁺:Yb³⁺ co-doped sample is studied under a 978 nm semiconductor laser excitation, and the energy transfer mechanisms among Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ and Nd³⁺ ions are analysed. The results show that the J--O intensity parameters Ω₂ increase when the Nd³⁺ concentration of the Nd³⁺:Er³⁺:Yb³⁺ co-doped borosilicate glasses increases. The possibility of spontaneous transition is small and lifetimes are long at levels of ⁴F_5/2 and ⁴F_3/2. The intensity of Nd³⁺ emissions at 595, 691, 753, 813 and 887 nm are markedly enhanced when the sample temperature exceeds 400 K. The reasons being the cooperation of the secondary sensitization from Er³⁺ to Nd³⁺ and the contribution of a multi-phonon.     

EPR Study of Fe3+- and Ni2+-Doped Macroporous CaSiO3 Ceramics

Thermally stable macroporous CaSiO₃, Fe³⁺- and Ni²⁺-doped (0.5 to 5 mol%) ceramics have been prepared by solution combustion process by mixing respective metal nitrates (oxidizers), fumed silica. Diformol hydrazine is used as a fuel. The combustion products were identified by their X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetry/differential thermal analysis. Single phases of β-CaSiO₃ and α-CaSiO₃ were observed at 950 and 1200 °C, respectively. The phase transition temperatures of combustion-derived CaSiO₃ were found to be lower compared to those obtained via solid-state reaction method. It is interesting to note that with an increase in the calcination temperature the samples become more porous with an increase in the pore diameter from 0.2 to 8 μm. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of Fe³⁺ ions in CaSiO₃ exhibits a weak signal at g = 4.20 ± 0.1 followed by an intense signal at g = 2.0 ± 0.1. The signal at g = 4.20 is ascribed to isolated Fe³⁺ ions at rhombic site. The signal at g = 2.0 is due to Fe³⁺ coupled together with dipolar interaction. In Ni²⁺-doped CaSiO₃ ceramics the EPR spectrum exhibits a symmetric absorption at g = 2.23 ± 0.1. This deviation from the free electron g-value is ascribed to octahedrally coordinated Ni²⁺ ions with moderately high spin–orbit coupling. The number of spins participating in resonance and the paramagnetic susceptibilities have been evaluated from EPR data as a function of Fe³⁺ as well as Ni²⁺ content. The effect of alkali ions (Li, Na and K) on the EPR spectra of these ceramics has also been studied. Authors' address: R. P. Sreekanth Chakradhar, Glass Technology Laboratory, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata 700032, India     

Photoluminescence of a-Si:H films grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and doped with erbium from the metallorganic compound Er(HFA)3·DME

Using standard low-temperature (<300 °C) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE CVD) technology, films of a Si(Er): H were obtained that emitted light in the neighborhood of 1.54 μm at room temperature. The Er source was the specially synthesized fluorine-containing metallorganic complex Er(HFA)₃·DME where HFA=CF₃C(O)CHC(O)CF₃ and DME=CH₃OCH₂CH₂OCH₃, which possesses a low transition temperature to the gas phase (of order 100 °C) at working pressures (0.1–0.5 Torr) for the PE CVD method. Distinctive features of the photoluminescence spectrum of a-Si(Er):H were investigated in the range 0.5–1.7 μm for T=77 and 300 K. The presence of photoconductivity in the synthesized films is evidence of their satisfactory electronic quality. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1433–1436 (August 1998)     

Intrinsic and Zn-, Ce-, Tb-, Er-, Sm-, and Eu-Activated photoluminescence of pseudoamorphous GaN and InGaN thin films

Thin films of pseudoamorphous GaN (a-nc-GaN), as well as of its alloys with indium, In_xGa_1−x N (x=0.04, 0.16), were prepared by magnetron sputtering of a metallic target in the plasma of a reactive nitrogen and argon mixture. The a-nc-GaN films were codoped by the Zn acceptor impurity and a set of rare-earth metal (REM) dopants, namely, Ce, Tb, Er, Sm, and Eu. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra excited by a nitrogen laser with wavelength λ=337 nm at room temperature and 77 K were measured for all compositions and a set of impurities. It was shown that the high-energy PL edge of the pseudoamorphous (a-nc) GaN matrix lies at the same energy as that of the crystalline (epitaxial) c-GaN. As in c-GaN, the Zn acceptor impurity stimulates blue luminescence; however, the PL spectrum is substantially more diffuse, with practically no temperature quenching of the PL present. Indium doping in an amount of 16 at. % results in strong PL with a diffuse peak at 2.1–2.2 eV; the PL of the alloy exhibits temperature quenching as high as a factor of three to four in the interval 77–300 K. The decay time of the PL response increases up to 50 μs. RE impurities enter the amorphous GaN host as trivalent ions and produce narrow-band (except Ce) high-intensity spectra, thus indicating both a high solubility of RE impurities in a-nc-GaN and the generation of an effective crystal field (by the GaN anion sublattice) whose local symmetry makes the intracenter f-f transitions partly allowed. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2003, pp. 395–402. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2003 by Andreev.     

Simulation of near-infrared photodiode detectors based on β-FeSi2/4H-SiC heterojunction

In this paper, we propose the near-infrared p-type β-FeSi₂/n-type 4H-SiC heterojunction photodetector with semiconducting silicide (β-FeSi₂) as the active region for the first time. Optoelectronic characteristics of the photodetector are simulated using a commercial simulator at room temperature. The results show that the photodetector has a good rectifying character and a good response to the near-infrared light. Interface states should be minimized to obtain a lower reverse leakage current. The response spectrum of the β-FeSi₂/4H-SiC detector, which consists of a p-type β-FeSi₂ absorption layer with a doping concentration of 1×10¹⁵ cm^-3 and a thickness of 2.5 μm, has a peak of 755 mA/W at 1.42 μm. The illumination of the SiC side obtains a higher responsivity than that of the β-FeSi₂ side. The results illustrate that the β-FeSi₂/4H-SiC heterojunction can be used as a near-infrared photodetector compatible with near-infrared optically-activated SiC-based power switching devices.