Logarithmic temperature dependence of the conductivity of the two-dimensional metal

We report on the first observation and studies of a weak delocalizing logarithmic temperature dependence of the conductivity, which causes the conductivity of the 2D metal to increase as T decreases down to 16 mK. The prefactor of the logarithmic dependence is found to decrease gradually with density, to vanish at a critical density n _c , 2∼2×10¹² cm⁻², and then to have the opposite sign at n>n _c ,2. The second critical density sets the upper limit on the existence region of the 2D metal, whereas the conductivity at the critical point, G _c ,2∼120e ²/h, sets an upper (low-temperature) limit on its conductivity. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 6, 497–501 (25 September 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Investigation of the chemical state of copper in Cu/SiO2 composite films by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The concentration and chemical state of copper in the subsurface region of Cu/SiO₂ composite films obtained by simultaneous magnetron sputtering from two sources (Cu and SiO₂) are determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is established that copper in the as-grown film is primarily in the form of unoxidized atoms dispersed in a SiO₂ matrix. Annealing of the film results in practically no oxidation, but about 70% of the copper atoms condense into metallic clusters with sizes below 10 Å in the subsurface region and about 50 Å in the bulk of the film. The changes in the binding energy of core electrons, and especially in the energies of Auger electrons, are so large in this situation that photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy are efficient methods for monitoring the chemical state of this composite material.     

Formation of a two-dimensional periodic structure of local melting regions on a silicon surface upon pulsed light irradiation

The first results regarding the formation of a two-dimensional periodic structure of local melting regions on a silicon surface upon pulsed light irradiation are presented. The conditions are established, and the mechanism of the formation of such structures is discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 97–99 (December 1997)     

High quantum efficiency of intersubband transitions in coherent tunneling of electrons through asymmetric double-barrier structures

A converging perturbation series that can be summed analytically has been obtained for intersubband transitions of electrons coherently tunneling through the middle of a dimensionally quantized level in an asymmetric double-barrier structure in a high-frequency terahertz electric field. The possibility of a substantial increase in tunneling current accompanied by either absorption or emission of a photon has been demonstrated. The quantum efficiency of radiative transitions between dimensionally quantized levels can be up to 66%. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 237–245 (July 1997)     

Excitation of bulk elastic waves at the surfaces of piezoelectric crystals with 422,622 symmetry

The problem of exciting bulk elastic waves at the surface of a piezoelectric with symmetries 422,622 has been solved by a successive approximation method. In the approximation of a fixed electric field, created at the surface of the piezoelectric crystal by a two-electrode transducer, the distributions are found for the shear wave stress and the energy flux density in the far zone. The equivalent circuit parameters for a two-electrode radiator are determined taking account of the dynamic piezoelectric correction obtained in the second approximation. The equivalent circuit parameters and the transducer loss are treated for TeO₂ crystals. A realistic possibility of using surface transducers in the development of acousto-optic modulators in the s.h.f. region is shown. Tomsk State Academy of Control Systems and Radio Electronics. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 8–15, January, 1997.     

Thermodynamic stability of the structure of a deformed Fe-C solid solution

An analysis is made of the thermodynamic stability of the dislocation structure in polycrystalline samples of Fe-C, deformed under conditions of high rates and hydrostatic pressures, based on experimental and theoretical data concerning the internal energy and on diffractometer measurements of the broadening of x-ray lines. The method of deformation calorimetry was used to determine the internal energy in a wide range of deformations. A theoretical model is proposed for estimating the change in internal energy in deformed alloys. An investigation is made of the dependence of the interdislocation interaction parameter on the deformation rate for different stressed state-schemes and large plastic deformations. It is shown that the relative quantity δU/A is correlated in a wide range of deformations with the relative root-mean-square distortions of the crystal lattice of the deformed solid solution. The mechanisms for the accumulation of energy in deformed solid solutions having a body-centered cubic lattice are considered. Don State Technical University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 77–83.     

Pseudo-epitaxial C60 films prepared by a hot-wall method

We have used both reflection-geometry and grazing-incidence-geometry X-ray scattering to study thin films of C₆₀ evaporated onto mica substrates via a hot-wall technique. The growth mode yields close-packed C₆₀ planes, which are parallel to the substrate surface and which exhibit out-of-plane correlation lengths of 850 Å. In the film plane the C₆₀ is at best pseudo-epitaxial, with a 0.9° distribution of crystallite orientations, a 450 Å in-plane correlation length, and a 3.7% lattice mismatch, better than obtained by other thin film techniques but far from the accepted definition of single crystal thin film epitaxy.     

Increasing the accuracy of eigenvalue computation in the spectral problem

A simple method is proposed for increasing the accuracy of computation of the eigenvalues of elliptic operators, which does not require high-order accurate schemes.Translated from Vychislitel'naya i Prikladnaya Matematika, No. 63, pp. 63–68, 1987.