Ni thin films vacuum-evaporated on polyethylene naphthalate substrates with and without the application of magnetic field

We study the structural properties of the surface roughness, the surface mound size and the interfacial structure in Ni thin films vacuum-deposited on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) organic substrates with and without the application of magnetic field and discuss its feasibility of fabricating quantum cross (QC) devices. For Ni/PEN evaporated without the magnetic field, the surface roughness decreases from 1.3 nm to 0.69 nm and the surface mound size increases from 32 nm to 80 nm with the thickness increased to 41 nm. In contrast, for Ni/PEN evaporated in the magnetic field of 360 Oe, the surface roughness tends to slightly decrease from 1.3 nm to 1.1 nm and the surface mound size shows the almost constant value of 28-30 nm with the thickness increased to 35 nm. It can be also confirmed for each sample that there is no diffusion of Ni into the PEN layer, resulting in clear Ni/PEN interface and smooth Ni surface. Therefore, these experimental results indicate that Ni/PEN films can be expected as metal/insulator hybrid materials in QC devices, leading to novel high-density memory devices.     

Reactive ion etching of FePt using inductively coupled plasma

We propose a reactive ion etching (RIE) process of an L1₀-FePt film which is expected as one of the promising materials for the perpendicular magnetic recording media. The etching was carried out using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) RIE system and an etching gas combination of CH₄/O₂/NH₃ was employed. The L1₀-FePt films were deposited on (1 0 0)-oriented MgO substrates using a magnetron sputtering system. The etching masks of Ti were patterned on the FePt films lithographically. The etch rates of ∼16 and ∼0 nm/min were obtained for the FePt film and the Ti mask, respectively. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses provided the average roughness (R_a) value of 0.95 nm for the etched FePt surface, that is, a very flat etched surface was obtained. Those results show that the highly selective RIE process of L1₀-FePt was successfully realized in the present study.     

Ultrahigh-resolution laser spectroscopy of the S1B2u ← S0Ag transition of perylene

A rotationally resolved ultrahigh-resolution fluorescence excitation spectrum of the S₁ ← S₀ transition of perylene has been observed using a collimated supersonic jet technique in conjunction with a single-mode UV laser. We assigned 1568 rotational lines of the band, and accurately determined the rotational constants. The obtained value of inertial defect was positive, accordingly, the perylene molecule is considered to be planar with D_2h symmetry. We determined the geometrical structure in the S₀ state by ab initio theoretical calculation at the RHF/6-311+G(d,p) level, which yielded rotational constant values approximately identical to those obtained experimentally. Zeeman broadening of each rotational line with the external magnetic field was negligibly small, and the mixing with the triplet state was shown to be very small. This evidence indicates that intersystem crossing (ISC) in the S₁¹B_2u state is very slow. The rate of internal conversion (IC) is also inferred to be small because the fluorescence quantum yield is high. The rotational constants of the S₁¹B_2u state were very similar to those of the S₀¹A_g state. The slow internal conversion (IC) at the S₁ zero-vibrational level is attributed to a small structural change upon electronic transition.     

Effects of annealing on properties of ZnO thin films prepared by electrochemical deposition in chloride medium

The development of cost-effective and low-temperature synthesis techniques for the growth of high-quality zinc oxide thin films is paramount for fabrication of ZnO-based optoelectronic devices, especially ultraviolet (UV)-light-emitting diodes, lasers and detectors. We demonstrate that the properties, especially UV emission, observed at room temperature, of electrodeposited ZnO thin films from chloride medium (at 70 °C) on fluor-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates is strongly influenced by the post-growth thermal annealing treatments. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements show that the films have preferably grown along (0 0 2) direction. Thermal annealing in the temperature range of 150-400 °C in air has been carried out for these ZnO thin films. The as-grown films contain chlorine which is partially removed after annealing at 400 °C. Morphological changes upon annealing are discussed in the light of compositional changes observed in the ZnO crystals that constitute the film. The optical quality of ZnO thin films was improved after post-deposition thermal treatment at 150 °C and 400 °C in our experiments due to the reducing of defects levels and of chlorine content. The transmission and absorption spectra become steeper and the optical bandgap red shifted to the single-crystal value. These findings demonstrate that electrodeposition have potential for the growth of high-quality ZnO thin films with reduced defects for device applications.     

In situ X-ray observation of phase transformation in Fe2O3 at high pressures and high temperatures

A laser-heated sample in a diamond anvil cell and synchrotron X-ray radiation was used to carry out structural characterization of the phase transformation of Fe₂O₃ at high pressures (30-96 GPa) and high temperature. The Rh₂O₃(II) (or orthorhombic perovskite) structure transforms to a new phase, which exhibits X-ray diffraction data that are indicative of a CaIrO₃-type structure. The CaIrO₃-type structure exhibited an orthorhombic symmetry (space group: Cmcm) that was stable at temperatures of 1200-2800 K and pressure of 96 GPa (the highest pressure used). Unambiguous assignment of such a structure requires experimental evidence for the presence of two Fe species. Based on the equation of state of gold, the phase boundary of the CaIrO₃-type phase transformation was P (GPa)=59+0.0022×(T−1200) (K).     

Two-dimensional and three-dimensional Fermi surfaces of superconducting BaFe2(As(1-x)P(x))2 and their nesting properties revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We have studied the three-dimensional shapes of the Fermi surfaces (FSs) of BaFe(2)(As(1-x)P(x))(2) (x=0.38), where superconductivity is induced by isovalent P substitution and by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Moderately strong electron mass enhancement has been identified for both the electron and hole FSs. Among two observed hole FSs, the nearly two-dimensional one shows good nesting with the outer two-dimensional electron FS, but its orbital character is different from the outer electron FS. The three-dimensional hole FS shows poor nesting with the electron FSs. The present results suggest that the three dimensionality and the difference in the orbital character weaken FS nesting while partial nesting among the outer electron FSs of d(xy) character and/or that within the three-dimensional hole FS becomes dominant, which may lead to the nodal superconductivity.     

Movement of liquid gallium dispersing low concentration of temperature sensitive magnetic particles under magnetic field

In this work, a temperature sensitive functional fluid was synthesized, and then its movement under the influence of magnetic field was investigated. Silica coated FeNbVB particles, prepared by chemical synthesis, were dispersed into liquid gallium, because they have a relatively high magnetization and a high temperature dependency. The synthesized functional fluid (solid fraction of 0.3 mass%) showed temperature dependence for magnetization within the testing temperature range between 298 and 353 K. The movement of gallium based fluid under the influence of the magnetic field with a magnetic field gradient was observed at various temperatures. We found that at 318 K, fluid displacement of the synthesized functional fluid is better when compared with the fluid displacement at 348 K.     

Continuum mixing and coupled channel effects inc\bar c andb\bar b quarkonium

We apply the unitarized quark model to heavy \(c\bar c\) and \(b\bar b\) quarkonium and study mass shifts and mixings induced by hadronic coupled channel effects. In particular, we study the two-meson continuum mixing in the quarkonium wave functions. It is found that the continuum component is 2–20% in the \(c\bar c\) and \(b\bar b\) states, measured as the squared sum of two-meson amplitudes \((D\bar D,D\bar D^ * + cc,D^ * \bar D^ * ,F\bar F,F\bar F^ * + cc,F^ * \bar F^ * for c\bar c)\) . It is the largest for states near or above the first threshold. These continuum mixings reduce the predicted radiative widths by 5–30%. The mass shifts of theP andF wave \(q\bar q\) states are similar to those ofS andD wave states previously studied. The computed resonance mixing matrices are explicitly given, enabling future calculations of relativistic effects, QCD effects, etc., to include also the coupled channel effects.     

Three-dimensional vector holograms in photoreactive polymer dissolved liquid crystal composite

A detailed analysis of three-dimensional vector holograms is presented which were recorded in a photoreactive polymer dissolved liquid crystal. The diffraction properties of resultant periodic anisotropic structures were investigated. Experimental observations confirmed that the diffraction efficiencies of the structures varied with slight changes of the grating pitch, and also that they strongly depended on the incident angle of the probe beam. These diffraction properties were explained by the finite-difference time-domain optical simulations.