On a theorem by do Carmo and Dajczer

We give a new proof of a theorem by M.P. do Carmo and M. Dajczer on helicoidal surfaces of constant mean curvature.

     

A new model for the discharge behaviour of metal-nitride-oxide-silicon (MNOS) non-volatile memory devices

A new model is presented for the discharge mechanism of MNOS memory devices. For moderate and large charge contents the discharging effect can actually be ascribed to the compensation of the stored charge by the injection from the silicon into the nitride of carriers of the opposite type.     

Anwendung der Ionenstrahl- und Plasma?tztechnik in der elektronischen Feinstrukturierung und ihre analytische Problematik anhand praktischer Erfahrungen

Zusammenfassung Die Herstellung feinstrukturierter Schaltungen in der Elektronik hat zu neuen Strukturierungsverfahren geführt, die heute im Produktionsmaßstab eingesetzt werden. Im folgenden Beitrag wird die Ionenstrahl- und Plasmaätztechnik in ihren Prinzipien und ihrer praktischen Anwendung dargelegt.

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Application and analytical problems of ion beam etching and plasma etching in structuring of electronic devices

Summary The manufacturing of fine line geometries in electronic circuits requires new technologies. This paper describes principles and practical applications of ion milling and plasma etching.

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Für anregende und hilfreiche Beiträge in einer Reihe von Erörterungen danken die Autoren Herrn Gerhard Lässing und Herrn Dr. Frank Stephany von der Firma AEG-Telefunken, Heilbronn.     

IonCCD Detector for Miniature Sector-Field Mass Spectrometer: Investigation of Peak Shape and Detector Surface Artifacts Induced by keV Ion Detection

A recently described ion charge coupled device detector IonCCD (Sinha and Wadsworth, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 76(2), 2005; Hadjar, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 22(4), 612–624, 2011) is implemented in a miniature mass spectrometer of sector-field instrument type and Mattauch-Herzog (MH)-geometry (Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62(11), 2618–2620, 1991; Burgoyne, Hieftje and Hites J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 8(4), 307–318, 1997; Nishiguchi, Eur. J. Mass Spectrom. 14(1), 7–15, 2008) for simultaneous ion detection. In this article, we present first experimental evidence for the signature of energy loss the detected ion experiences in the detector material. The two energy loss processes involved at keV ion kinetic energies are electronic and nuclear stopping. Nuclear stopping is related to surface modification and thus damage of the IonCCD detector material. By application of the surface characterization techniques atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy (XPS), we could show that the detector performance remains unaffected by ion impact for the parameter range observed in this study. Secondary electron emission from the (detector) surface is a feature typically related to electronic stopping. We show experimentally that the properties of the MH-mass spectrometer used in the experiments, in combination with the IonCCD, are ideally suited for observation of these stopping related secondary electrons, which manifest in reproducible artifacts in the mass spectra. The magnitude of the artifacts is found to increase linearly as a function of detected ion velocity. The experimental findings are in agreement with detailed modeling of the ion trajectories in the mass spectrometer. By comparison of experiment and simulation, we show that a detector bias retarding the ions or an increase of the B-field of the IonCCD can efficiently suppress the artifact, which is necessary for quantitative mass spectrometry.     

TG–DSC analysis applied to contemporary oil paints

Thermogravimetry coupled with differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC) has been commonly used in the field of conservation of Cultural Heritage for the study of art objects, especially for the characterisation of inorganic matrixes. In recent years, thermal analyses have been applied to the study of organic painting materials. The advantages of performing TG–DSC are linked to the fact that it is micro-destructive technique which does not require any treatment prior the analysis and provide useful information in relatively short time. The aim of this study is to describe the application of TG–DSC on the study of oil binders used in contemporary paints. Even if synthetic binders have become increasingly popular in the 20th century, many contemporary artists still prefer the more traditional media: drying oils. Although the wish of recalling traditional methods, much practical knowledge in paint preparation by mixing drying oil and pigments and in the behaviour of the mixture has been lost. This is mainly due to the different composition of contemporary materials in comparison with the traditional ones and may sometimes lead to different drying properties of the oil paint formulations and consequent problems in the art creation and conservation. For answer to this artistic need and in particular to the difficulties outlined by artists themselves in producing and employing oil paints, unpigmented and pigmented oil films were studied after a week, 1 and 2 years of natural drying under laboratory conditions. Thermal analyses were performed in air flow: the focus of this research was, in fact, to study the thermal and oxidative behaviours of young films for better understanding the very first processes leading to the formation of the film.     

A planar conformation and the hydroxyl groups in the B and C rings play a pivotal role in the antioxidant capacity of quercetin and quercetin derivatives

The polyphenol quercetin (Q) that has a high antioxidant capacity is a lead compound in the design of antioxidants. We investigated the possibility of modifying quercetin while retaining its antioxidant capacity as much as possible. To this end, the antioxidant capacities of Q, rutin, monohydroxyethyl rutinoside (monoHER) and a series of synthesized methylated Q derivatives were determined. The results confirm that the electron donating effect of the hydroxyl groups is essential. It was also found that the relatively planar structure of Q needs to be conserved. This planar conformation enables the distribution of the electron donating effect through the large conjugated π-system over the entire molecule. This is essential for the cooperation between the electron donating groups. Based on the activity of the compounds tested, it was concluded that structural modification at the 5 or 7 position is the most optimal to retain most of the antioxidant capacity of Q. This was confirmed by synthesizing and testing Q5OMe (Q6) and Q7OMe (Q7) that indeed displayed antioxidant capacities closest to Q.