Mechanism of silicon epitaxy on porous silicon layers

The mechanism of silicon epitaxy on porous Si(111) layers is investigated by the Monte Carlo method. The Gilmer model of adatom diffusion extended to the case of arbitrary surface morphology is used. Vacancies and pendants of atoms are allowed in the generalized model, the activation energy of a diffusion hop depends on the state of the neighboring positions in the first and second coordination spheres, and neighbors located outside the growing elementary layer are also taken into account. It is shown that in this model epitaxy occurs by the formation of metastable nucleation centers at the edges of pores, followed by growth of the nucleation centers along the perimeter and the formation of a thin, continuous pendant layer. Three-dimensional images of surface layers at different stages of epitaxy were obtained. The dependence of the kinetics of the epitaxy process on the amount of deposited silicon is determined for different substrate porosities. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 7, 512–517 (10 April 1998)     

Asymptotic behavior of neutron small-angle multiple scattering spectra

The asymptotic behavior of the spectra for large values of the scattering vector for the case of elastic multiple small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is investigated theoretically and experimentally. An expansion of the spectrum in terms of the reciprocal of the magnitude of the momentum transfer is obtained taking account of the influence of the instrumental line. It is shown that, to within some factor, the leading term of the expansion is identical to the differential single-scattering cross section averaged over a statistical ensemble of particles; several subsequent terms in the expansion are calculated and the range of applicability of the resulting expressions is determined. The asymptotic behavior of the multiple SANS spectrum is measured, using a two-crystal neutron spectrometer, for samples of an HTSC ceramic, the alloy Fe-Ni, and Al powder. The agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions is analyzed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 2194–2203 (December 1998)     

Phase transitions in silicon single crystals resulting from directional plastic deformation

The formation of polytypic modifications is observed in dislocation-free silicon single crystals under directional plastic deformation. It is shown that the deformation-stimulated phase appears on the surface of the sample in the form of small grains ranging from several hundred to several thousand angstroms in size. A twin structure in the individual grains is observed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 746–749 (April 1998)     

Dynamics of nanodefects on a loaded gold surface

The dynamics of defects with linear dimensions from ≈1 to ≈100 nm on a Au surface under load have been studied by means of tunnelling microscopy. It is found that the origin, growth, and resorption of the defects is caused by displacements of bands of material from 5 to 50 nm wide, parallel to the {111} slip planes. The defects can be separated into two groups: nonsteady-state defects, whose lifetime does not exceed 15 min, while the depth is ⩽20 nm, and quasi-steady-state defects, with a lifetime three orders of magnitude greater than the first. It is assumed that the nonsteady-state defects are formed when the ensemble of dislocations is being reconstructed, while the quasi-steady-state defects are formed at the instant of formation of dislocation substructures during the creep of the loaded metal. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2180–2183 (December 1998)     

Influence of the thickness of the liquid layer on the ratio of the dimensions of a convection cell

A theory is developed for a new type of transition — a change in the ratio of the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of a convection cell as the thickness of a liquid layer is varied. A sudden change in the ratio of the cell dimensions takes place because of a change in the predominant mechanism for excitation of convection. The governing influence of buoyancy forces gives way to one of thermocapillary forces, and they in turn give way to the influence of thermoelectric forces for yet thinner layers. As the layer thickness is reduced gradually at a fixed external heating, the ratio of the dimensions will take on the values 0.7, 0.65, and 1, respectively. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 7–11 (November 1998)     

Experiments on two-step heating of a dense plasma in the GOL-3 facility

This paper presents the results of experiments on two-stage heating of a dense plasma by a relativistic electron beam in the GOL-3 facility. A dense plasma with a length of about a meter and a hydrogen density up to 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ was created in the main plasma, whose density was 10¹⁵ cm⁻³. In the process of interacting with the plasma, the electron beam (1 MeV, 40 kA, 4 μs) imparts its energy to the electrons of the main plasma through collective effects. The heated electrons, as they disperse along the magnetic field lines, in turn reach the region of dense plasma and impart their energy to it by pairwise collisions. Estimates based on experimental data are given for the parameters of the flux of hot plasma electrons, the energy released in the dense plasma, and the energy balance of the beam-plasma system. The paper discusses the dynamics of the plasma, which is inhomogeneous in density and temperature, including the appearance of pressure waves. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 897–917 (March 1998)     

Thickness dependence of exciton absorption in pure GaAs crystals at the “prequantum” limit

The optical absorption of GaAs crystals with thicknesses d=0.4−4.4 μm is measured in the exciton-polariton resonance region at a temperature of 1.7 K. As the thickness is reduced, both a broadening of the exciton line and increased absorption with a negligible Stark shift are observed. The way the absorption spectra vary with crystal thickness is examined in terms of a competition between two regions for light-exciton interactions in the crystal: in the field of surface charges and electric-field free. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 869–871 (May 1998)     

Excitons in ZnP2 crystals in the electric field of a Schottky barrier

A study is made of the effect of electric fields on the exciton states of β-ZnP₂ crystals (T=77 K) in structures with Schottky barriers formed by depositing semitransparent electrically-conducting InSnO₂ films on the crystal surface. The observed changes in the exciton optical reflection spectra when an electrical potential is applied to a barrier are explained by the shift and broadening of the exciton level caused by the Stark effect. The experimental data are compared with calculations based on a theory of exciton optical reflection from planar spatially nonuniform structures. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 884–886 (May 1998)     

Spectroscopy of GaAs/AlGaAs microstructures with submicron spatial resolution using a near-field scanning optical microscope

A near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM), which we built, is used to investigate 1–5-μm wide stripes with a 10-nm thick layer—a quantum well — on a GaAs surface. A map of the photoluminescence intensity is obtained synchronously with the topographic profile of the structures. The measured spatial distribution of the photoluminescence intensity is described satisfactorily in a model that takes into account carrier diffusion in the layer and the existence of a region with a short carrier lifetime near the side boundaries of the layer. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 7, 523–527 (10 April 1996)