Optical characterization of thin thermal oxide films on copper by ellipsometry

A complete optical characterization in the visible region of thin copper oxide films has been performed by ellipsometry. Copper oxide films of various thicknesses were grown on thick copper films by low temperature thermal oxidation at 125 °C in air for different time intervals. The thickness and optical constants of the copper oxide films were determined in the visible region by ellipsometric measurements. It was found that a linear time law is valid for the oxide growth in air at 125 °C. The spectral behaviour of the optical constants and the value of the band gap in the oxide films determined by ellipsometry in this study are in agreement with the behaviour of those of Cu₂O, which have been obtained elsewhere through reflectance and transmittance methods. The band gap of copper oxide, determined from the spectral behaviour of the absorption coefficient was about 2 eV, which is the generally accepted value for Cu₂O. It was therefore concluded that the oxide composition of the surface film grown on copper is in the form of Cu₂O (cuprous oxide). It was also shown that the reflectance spectra of the copper oxide–copper structures exhibit behaviour expected from a single layer antireflection coating of Cu₂O on Cu. Received: 19 July 2001 / Accepted: 27 July 2001 / Published online: 17 October 2001     

GENERALIZED DIFFERENTIAL QUADRATURE METHOD FOR THE FREE VIBRATION OF TRUNCATED CONICAL PANELS

This paper presents an improved generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method for the investigation of the effects of boundary conditions on the free vibration characteristics of truncated conical panels. The truncated conical panel is an important geometrical shape in the fields of aerospace, marine and structural engineering. However, despite this importance, few works in free vibration analysis have dealt with this particular geometry. In this work, the vibration characteristics of clamped and simply supported truncated conical shells are obtained for various circumferential wave numbers. Further, the effects of the vertex and subtended angles on the frequency parameters are also examined in detail. Due to limited published results in the open literature, results for a range of cases are compared with those generated from the commercial finite element solver McNeal-Schwendler Corporation Nastran, and excellent agreement is observed.     

Combining PSMs with hard OR methods: the philosophical and practical challenges

Combinations of problem structuring methods with hard OR methodologies are seldom described in the literature. This paper will reflect on the barriers to such combinations that can be seen at the philosophical level—paradigm incommensurability—and cognitive level—type of personality and difficulty of switching paradigm. This paper examines the combination of Soft Systems Methodology and Discrete Event Simulation within an Intermediate Care case study. The paper will argue, by way of the practical application, that these problems are not insurmountable and that the result can be seen as interplay of the soft and hard paradigms. The idea of yin and yang is proposed as a metaphor for this process.     

Studies on cardiac ingredients of plants. VII: Chemical transformation of proscillaridin by means of the Diels-Alder reaction and biological activities of its derivatives.

The Diels-Alder reactions of a cardiac glycoside, proscillaridin (1), with some dienophiles were investigated. The reaction of 1 with alkenes such as methyl vinyl ketone and methyl acrylate afforded 3-oxo-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-enes (2-5) and para-substituted benzene derivatives (6 and 7), while 1 reacted with alkynes (3-butyn-2-one, methyl propiolate) to yield para- or meta-substituted benzene derivatives (6-9). The biological activities of the resulting derivatives were evaluated by the use of isolated guinea-pig papillary muscle preparations and Na+,K(+)-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) preparation from dog kidney. Among the proscillaridin derivatives, compounds 4 and 7 moderately inhibited Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity. Furthermore, the concentration range of 7 over which its positive inotropic effect on guinea-pig papillary muscle preparations, increased from 5% to 95% of maximum was broader than that of 1, i.e., concentration dependency was maintained over a greater range of concentration.     

Particle scattering in Euclidean Lattice Field Theories

A Haag-Ruelle Scattering Theory for Euclidean Lattice Field Theories is developed.Work supported by DAAD, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. Partially supported by CNPq     

Fluorescent spectroscopy of 3-aminophthalimide molecules cooled in an ultrasonic jet

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 385–391, March, 1989.     

Influence of internal degrees of freedom on the structure of one-dimensional systems

Summary The influence of internal degrees of freedom on the behaviour of one-dimensional systems is discussed. For systems with half-filled bands the coupling to internalviz. lattice coordinates decides whether Peierls distortion is caused by intramonomer coordinates or by a lattice coordinate. Thereby the various intramonomer degrees of freedom act cooperatively. We show that there is a small regime of parameters where both kinds of distortion exist simultaneously. For increasing temperature we find that distortions can also move from the lattice coordinate to the intramonomer coordinate.     

Development of high-repetition-rate LD pumped Nd:YAG laser and its application

High-average-power and high-energy lasers with good beam quality are fundamental tools for pumping high-peak and high-average-power ultrafast Ti:sapphire laser systems. Laser-diode (LD) pumped solid slate lasers with phase conjugation offer a unique combination of efficiency, reliability, and compactness. We present the design details and performance characteristics of a 360-W 1-kHz LD pumped Nd:YAG phase-conjugated laser. We also discuss the basic design aspects and present our preliminary experimental investigations on ultrashort-pulse laser systems.