Interfacial reactions of rf-sputtered TiNi thin films on (100) silicon with a SiN diffusion barrier

Silicon nitride (SiN) with a 50?nm thickness on Si(100) as a thermal barrier was obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). TiNi thin films were rf sputtered on a SiN/Si substrate and then annealed at 400–700°C for 30?min. Their interfacial reactions were studied using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy analyses. Experimental results show that the thickness of reaction layer in TiNi/SiN/Si specimens is clearly reduced, compared with that in TiNi/Si specimens under the same annealing conditions. The significant effect of the SiN layer as a diffusion barrier in TiNi/SiN/Si can be recognized. N and Si atoms diffuse from the SiN layer to react with TiNi films at 500°C and 600°C respectively. The TiN_{1 ? x} phase is formed in specimens annealed at 500°C, and mixed Ti₂Ni₃Si and Ti₄Ni₂O compounds are found at 600°C. In the specimen annealed at 700°C, the reaction layer has sublayers in the sequence TiNi/Ti₄Ni₂O/Ti₂Ni₃Si/TiN_{1 ? x} /SiN/Si. The SiN thermal barrier obtained by PECVD caused quite different diffusion species to cross the interfaces between TiNi/SiN/Si and TiNi/Si specimens during the annealing.     

Periodic antiphase boundary spinel-based structures in aluminates,gallates, aluminium oxynitrides and transition aluminas

The crystallographic structures of several transition aluminas possessing a face-centred cubic packing of oxygen anions can be considered as deriving from that of a non-stoichiometric spinel. However, they are not yet known in detail owing to the poor crystallinity of most of the samples studied by X-ray or electron diffraction. Conversely, relatively large crystals have been produced in the case of non-stoichiometric spinels in the alumina-rich (or Ga₂O₃-rich) parts of the Al₂O₃–AlN, Al₂O₃–MgO, Al₂O₃–NiO, Al₂O₃–Li₂O and Ga₂O₃–MgO systems. Detailed studies of their diffraction patterns have shown that all these phases possess periodic antiphase boundary (PAPB) structures based on the spinel structure. In the case of the so-called δ-transition aluminas, various structural models have been previously proposed and in this paper we are focusing on the striking similarities between their diffraction patterns and those of several metastable PAPB aluminate structures. This makes it possible to show that at least three distinct PAPB structures must be taken into account in the case of δ-transition aluminas. APB planes are either {100} or {110} whereas APB vectors are either 1/2??001? or 1/4??110? when referring to the spinel structure. Neighbouring octahedral and tetrahedral incompatible sites are observed in the vicinity of each APB and cation vacancies are shown to occupy these octahedral sites.     

Steady oscillatory states of a finite Josephson junction

Under the assumption that solutions have traveling-wave form, time-periodic solutions are found for the Josephson phase equation for a finite-length tunnel junction with uniform current feed and linear loss term. Exact current-voltage characteristics are found and compared with simple approximations. The complete current-velocity and mean-width-velocity curves for isolated fluxons are found. Comparison with characteristics for a finite junction shows that end effects obtained from analysis of a circuit model of the junction shows that end effects introduce lower- and upper-current thresholds.     

Acoustic plasmons in a two-band metal

The properties of acoustic plasmon excitations and the conditions for their existence in a metal with two overlapping bands one of which is narrow (d-band) and the other broad (s-band) are discussed. Model calculations in which the d-electrons are treated in the tight-binding approximation and the s-electrons are assumed to be free are presented. The prospects for finding well defined acoustic plasmons in a real system are examined. The example of the V₃Ga crystal is considered in some detail.     

Capture cross-section and density of deep gap states in a−SiHx schottky barrier structures

Recombination of charge carriers in a?SiH_x Schottky barriers with density of states near mid-gap ranging from 2.8×10¹⁵?7×10¹⁶cm^-1eV^-1 is attributed to recombination centers with hole capture cross-section of 1.3×10^-15cm².     

Far infrared and millimetre dielectric response of incommensurate and ferroelectric K2SeO4

Dielectric response of K₂SeO₄ in the spectral region 5–460cm^–1 was determined using transmissivity and reflectivity measurements as a function of temperature between 80 and 300K. The spectral features above 20cm^–1 are interpreted using results of lattice vibrational analysis in three known commensurate phases. The low-frequency dielectric anomaly in the incommensurate phase can be roughly described by critical slowing-down of a Debye relaxation given rise to by the overdamped infrared active phason mode which softens at the incommensurate-commensurate transition.     

Non-secular part of nuclear dipolar broadening detected by zero-field spin relaxation of positive muon

The zero-field spin relaxation function of μ⁺ observed in ZrH₂ has revealed that the second moment of the nuclear dipolar broadening is five times larger than the high-field value. This experiment clearly demonstrates the recovery of the non-secular part of dipolar interaction between unlike spins. A general expression of zero-field relaxation function is presented to account for a slow modulation of random fields on μ⁺ found at room temperature.     

Relativistic field formulation of simultaneous quantum measurement

The simultaneous measurement of Dirac field operators is formulated in analogy to the work of von Neumann and Arthurs-Kelly. Meter fields are coupled to the system field with a relativistically invariant bilinear interaction. Measurement of vacuum meter field expectation values provides for the simultaneous measurement of noncommuting system components. It is shown that two meter coupling allows for a simultaneous minimum in the variance of the subsequent meter measurements. A pseudoscalar self-interaction of the Dirac field is shown to allow simultaneous measurement of positive energy field operators with negative energy meters. The simultaneous measurement ofn noncommuting field operators is obtained by coupling the system ton fermionic fields. Also, in this paper the related concept of mutual simultaneous measurement is developed. This requires that any operators in the enlarged Hilbert space are measurable by the remaining fields as meters. System embedding into a larger Hilbert space results in added noise due to the zero point motion of the meter fields. By the negentropy principle of Brillouin, the added noise is equivalent to entropy. A criterion determining the interaction among fields is that the averaged added noise in the components of each quantum field is minimized. This criterion defines an optimum fermionic mass matrix through the determination of the entangling interaction.1. This work was sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under contract F19628-90-C-0002.     

High-resolution electron microscopy of Si cones formed on Ar+-bombarded Si wafers

Conical Si projections generated on Si wafers bombarded with obliquely incident Ar⁺ ions were studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The cones were composed of an [111]-oriented bulk phase covered with a disordered thin layer, but the bulk phase was not perfectly ordered, containing an amorphous domain underneath the outermost area. Such a multi-phase structure is inexplicable in terms of ion erosion, suggesting interplay of the redeposition of sputtered Si atoms on the bombarded area with the ion-erosion process so as to promote cone evolution. The cones were also characterized by the development of web-like platelets at their acute angles, an indication of a crystal growth process involved in the surface phenomenon observed.