Properties of ITO films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited by mid frequency pulsed dual magnetron sputtering using a metallic alloy target with 10 wt.% tin in an atmosphere of argon and oxygen. The aim of the work was to study the interdependence of structural, electrical and optical properties of ITO films deposited in the reactive and transition target mode, respectively. The deposition rate in the transition mode exceeds the deposition rate in the reactive mode by a factor of six, a maximum value of 100 nm·m min⁻¹ could be achieved. This corresponds to a static deposition rate of 200 nm min⁻¹. The lowest electrical resistivity of 1.1·10⁻³ Ω cm was measured at samples deposited in the high oxygen flow range in the transition mode. The samples show a good transparency in the visible range corresponding to extinction coefficients being below 10⁻². X-ray diffraction was used to characterise crystalline structure as well as film stress. ITO films prepared in the transition mode show a slightly preferred orientation in (211) direction, whereas films deposited in the reactive mode are strongly (222) oriented. Compared to undoped In₂O₃ all samples have an enlarged lattice. The lattice strain perpendicular to the surface is about 0.8% and 2.0% for films grown in the transition and the reactive mode, respectively. Deposition in the transition mode introduces a biaxial film stress in the range of −300 MPa, while stress in reactive mode samples is −1500 MPa.     

Investigation of gas chromatographic interaction mechanism on permethylated cyclodextrins by molecular modelling

Summary The capillary gas chromatographic retention behavior of -pinene and tricyclene has been investigated on stationary phases of different polarities. On all but one of the columns employed, tricyclene eluted before -pinene; only permethylated -cyclodextrins dissolved in moderately polar polisiloxanes gave a reversed elution order. The intermolecular interactions which caused the unexpected retention behavior were investigated in detail, applying methods of computer simulation. To achieve this, we have developed a calculation algorithm on the basis of molecular mechanical optimizations and programmed it in a macro. This makes it possible to systematically investigate a given configuration space in which all the possible interactions can take place. It was shown that permethylated -cyclodextrin as host molecule for both guest molecules offers an optimum cavity size. As a result the number of energetically favorable contacts between host and guest molecules as well as the strength of the interactions in this stationary phase were larger. As a consequence the elution order, normally only influenced by the vapor pressure of the compounds at a given temperature, was changed. Nonspecific interactions played an especially important role for these kinds of substances.     

Supercritical fluid chromatography of industrial paraffins and waxes

Summary The application of capillary SFC for SIMDIST investigations of paraffins and waxes is reported. Pressure, density and temperature of the mobile phase are optimized to obtain high chromatographic resolution of complex mixtures of industrial products. Isothermal linear pressure programming and asymptotic pressure and density programming are used in the range from 15 to 35 MPa in the isothermic mode above 100°C. SFC chromatograms of natural and synthetic paraffins, microcrystalline wax and candle wax are compared. The retention behaviour of paraffin mixtures and waxes has been investigated on methyl/phenyl and biphenyl capillary columns. The polarity of the stationary phases influences the absolute retention time more than it influences the chromatographic resolution.     

Configurational assignment of fragment ions by CID. Stereochemistry and mechanism of retro-Diels–Alder fragmentation accompanied by hydrogen transfer in gas-phase cations

Low energy CID mass spectra of m/z 173, C₈H₁₃O₄⁺, obtained from the diethyl ester of cis,syn,cis-l,2,3,3a,4,5,5a,6,7,8-decahydroindacene-4,5-dicarboxylic acid and cis,syn,cis-l,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10a-dodecahydrophenanthrene-9,10-dicarboxylic acid indicate they have the structure of protonated diethyl maleate. This finding together with previous deuterium labelling results suggest that the formation of this ion from both precursors takes place by migration of a hydrogen atom from an allylic δ-position followed by the concerted cleavage of two allylic C? C bonds in analogy to the ground state retro-Diels–Alder fragmentation.     

Four-wave mixing reflectivity of silicon at 1.06 μm: Influence of free-carrier absorption

The phase-conjugate reflectivity obtainable by degenerate four-wave mixing in silicon at a 1.06 m is calculated including free-carrier absorption. A maximum reflectivity of more than 100% is possible. The dependence of the reflectivity on the signal and pump energy densities up to 70 mJ/cm² is measured and found to agree with theory. The wave-front-correction property of DFWM is demonstrated with a lens in the signal beam.     

Boson peak and fast relaxation process near the glass transition in polystyrene

Atactic polystyrene, both side group and main chain deuterated, was investigated by inelastic neutron scattering in a wide temperature range around the glass transition from 2 to 450 K. In the glass the Boson peak position is only very weakly influenced by the deuteration of the phenyl group. In the neighborhood of the glass transition temperatureT _g we find a fast relaxation process similar to other glasses. The onset of the fast relaxation in polystyrene, however, is observed already at temperaturesT _g — 200 K. Results from partially deuterated polystyrene suggest a change of the phenyl ring dynamics already far belowT _g.     

The double photoionization of HCl: an ion-electron coincidence study

The double photoionization of HCl molecules by synchrotron radiation has been studied in the energy range between 30 and 50 eV. The HCl(2+) and Cl(2+) product ions have been detected by a photoelectron-photoion-coincidence technique, while the H(+)+Cl(+) formation, which follows the double ionization of HCl, has been studied by photoelectron-photoion-photoion coincidence. The photon energy threshold for the production of HCl(2+) ions has been found to be 35.4+/-0.6 eV, while for the dissociative channel leading to H(+)+Cl(+), it has been measured a threshold at 36.4+/-0.6 eV and a change in the slope of the cross-section energy dependence at 38.7+/-0.7 eV. The production of H+Cl(2+) occurs with a threshold photon energy of 42.8+/-1.1 eV. These results appear to be in a good agreement with previous data by different experimental techniques and recent theoretical calculations performed by our laboratory.     

Electron microscopic phase analysis of BN-thin films

A series of BN films was deposited by means of r.f. magnetron sputtering of a h-BN target onto Si(1OO) surfaces. Hereby, the substrate bias voltage was varied. Special interest is focussed to the influence of the deposition parameters on the orientation of the growing hexagonal BN film with respect to the substrate. For structural investigation, cross section samples were prepared. In addition to HRTEM and diffraction investigations, especially electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was applied successfully for phase identification. For negative bias voltages of U _B =–300 V and U _B =–350V, we found a phase system consisting of a first-grown 25 nm thick layer of hexagonal structure with the c axis parallel to the substrate surface followed by the cubic phase.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday