Realisation and metrological characterisation of thickness standards below 100 nm

High-accuracy film thickness measurements in the range below 100 nm can be made by various complex methods like spectral ellipsometry (SE), scanning force microscopy (SFM), grazing incidence X-ray reflectometry (GIXR), or X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). The measurement results achieved with these methods are based on different interactions between the film and the probe. A key question in nanotechnology is how to achieve consistent results on a level of uncertainty below one nanometre with different techniques.Two different types of thickness standards are realised. Metal film standards for X-ray techniques in the thickness range 10 to 50 nm are calibrated by GIXR with monochromatised synchrotron radiation of 8048 eV. The results obtained at four different facilities show excellent agreement. SiO₂ on Si standards for SE and SFM in the thickness range 6 to 1000 nm are calibrated by GIXR with monochromatised synchrotron radiation of 1841 eV and with a metrological SFM. Consistent results within the combined uncertainties are obtained with the two methods. Surfaces and interfaces of both types of standards are additionally investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). PACS 61.10.Kw; 68.55.Jk; 06.20.Fn; 06.60.Mr; 07.79.Lh     

Early Evolution of Gas Chromatography in East Germany. Part I: Beginnings, Instrument and Column Development and Organizations

The early evolution of gas chromatography in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) is surveyed and instrument development is outlined, describing the most important models manufactured in the GDR. The organization of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Gas-Chromatographie (Working Group for GC) is chronicled and its activities are discussed. Subsequent parts of this article will deal with the six symposia organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft between 1958 and 1968.     

High-Throughput Screening of Ten Microcystins and Nodularins, Cyanobacterial Peptide Hepatotoxins, by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry was evaluated in the high-throughput analysis of microcystins and nodularins, cyanobacterial peptide hepatotoxins. Extracts originating from cyanobacterial strains and field material were separated on a 30 mm × 4 mm I.D. Merck Purospher STAR RP-18e column using a rapid gradient of aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile, ionised by electrospray technique and analysed on a Micromass Quattro II triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in the selected ion recording (SIR) mode. The total analysis time per sample was 2.8 min corresponding to 514 samples a day. The system showed good robustness during a series of 320 repetitive injections of a field sample containing three major microcystins.     

Pointwise and L2 bounds in some nonstandard problems for the heat equation

We consider some initial-boundary value problems for the linear and nonlinear heat equation where the gradient of the solution is prescribed on the boundary. Assuming that a solution exists, we obtain bounds for the solution and its gradient by maximum principle arguments or by means of differential and integral inequalities.     

Photon statistics in the stochastic limit of QED without dipole approximation

In this paper we investigate the distribution of the Heisenberg evolution of the number operator in the stochastic limit of the quantum electromagnetic field without dipole approximation. We prove that in this case the usual Poisson statistics of the free fields has to be replaced by a hypergeometric series whose coefficients we compute explicitly. The physical effects of the new statistics should manifest themselves in situation which are not yet in the relativistic regime, but in which the dipole approximation is no longer valid. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Cluster sets of subharmonic functions and associated measures in a cone

A study is conducted of the relationship between the asymptotic behavior of a subharmonic function of finite order in a cone and the distribution of the measure associated with it.Translated from Ukrainskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 247–261, Febraury, 1991.     

Trace norm estimates for products of integral operators and diffusion semigroups

We give trace norm estimates for products of integral operators and for diffusion semigroups. These are applied to differences of heat semigroups. A natural example of an integral operator with finite trace which is not trace class is given.     

On the instability of parallel weakly interacting dislocations in soft-mode crystals

The instability of the rectilinear form of parallel weakly interacting dislocations, manifesting itself in their spontaneous wave-like bending, has been investigated. It is shown that softening of a crystal leads to the enhancement of this instability.     

Magnetic calorimeter for registration of small energy release

A scheme of magnetic calorimeter for registration of rare events characterized by small energy release (cosmic rays, WIMPs, solitary X-ray quanta) is proposed. The calorimeter is brought to operation by adiabatic demagnetization, and its magnetic response is measured by a quantum interferometer (SQUID, A. Barone and G. Paterno, Physics and applications of Josephson Effect). Special consideration is given to the specific features of calorimeter operation in the ferromagnetic transition region. The trigger registration of ultrasmall energy release by a ferromagnetic system in the metastable state is described.