XPS Study of Niobium and Niobium-Nitride Nanofilms

A new, XPS-based approach to quantitative and nondestructive determination of the chemical and phase layer composition of multicomponent multilayer films is proposed. It includes a new method for subtracting the background of repeatedly inelastically scattered photoelectrons, taking into account the inhomogeneity of inelastic scattering over depth; a new way of decomposing a photoelectron line into component peaks, taking into account the physical nature of various decomposition parameters; solution of the problem of subtracting the background and decomposing the photoelectron line simultaneously; and determination of the thickness of the layers of a multilayer target using a simple equation. The phase-layer composition of nanoscale Nb and NbN films is determined, and the thicknesses of these layers are calculated.     

Evolution of Phase Composition and Structure in Sapphire Implanted with <Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn<Superscript>+</Superscript> Ions and Heat-Treated in Oxygen

Single-crystal Al₂O₃ substrates are implanted with ⁶⁴Zn⁺ ions using doses of 5 × 10¹⁶ cm^–2 and an energy of 100 keV. The samples are annealed in oxygen with a stepwise increase in temperature from 400 to 1000°C. The changes on the surface and in the bulk of the sample are analyzed via scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy.     

Investigation of the erosion drop fraction for liquid-metalexplosive-emission cathodes

The velocity spectrum of drops emitted by a liquid-metal explosive-emission cathode has been investigated. A relation between the sizes of the drops and their maximum velocities has been found for the velocity range 10³-8×10⁴ cm/s. The relation obtained supports the earlier established mechanism for the emission of drops under the action of high pressures developing in explosive emission centers. The possibilities of an additional acceleration of drops due to the explosion of necks formed on breaking the drops off the cathode surface and at the expense of the kinetic energy of the ions of the expanding cathode plasma have been discussed     

Sites of Initiation of Explosive-Emission Processes on the Surface of Single-Crystal and Coarse-Grained Polycrystalline Copper

Russian Physics Journal - Results of a study of sites of vacuum breakdown initiation on the electrolytically polished surface of single-crystalline and coarse-grained polycrystalline copper are...     

On the valency of uranium in aegirine and on behavior of isotopes<Superscript>234</Superscript>U and<Superscript>238</Superscript>U at dissolving the mineral

An attempt has been undertaken to find a correlation between the valency forms of uranium and the isotopic ratio (AR=²³⁴U/²³⁸U) following the incongruent dissolving of the mineral aegirine. The low values of AR (≈0.7) observed for hematite are assumed to be connected with the existence of considerable fraction of U(V) form in the original mineral. The discussion is given on the origin of the values of AR≈1 and on its connection with different stabilities of U(IV) and U(VI).     

The Studies of a Vacuum Gap Breakdown after High-Current Arc Interruption with Increasing the Voltage

Vacuum-gap breakdown has been studied after high-current arc interruption with a subsequent increase in the transient recovery voltage across a gap. The effects of factors, such as the rate of the rise in the transient voltage, the potential of the shield that surrounds a discharge gap, and the arc burning time, have been determined. It has been revealed that opening the contacts earlier leads to the formation of an anode spot, which is the source of electrode material vapors into the discharge gap after current zero moment. Under the conditions of increasing voltage, this fact results in the breakdown. Too late opening leads to the breakdown of a short gap due to the high electric fields.     

Investigating <Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion-doped silicon under conditions of hot implantation

The results from visualizing the structure and identifying the composition of surface and the nearsurface layers of CZ n-Si (100) implanted by ⁶⁴Zn⁺ ions with dose of 5 × 10¹⁶ cm^–2 and energy of 50 keV under conditions of a substrate heated to 350°C are presented. It is found that there is no Si amorphization after Zn implantation, and only one layer 200 nm thick forms and is damaged because of radiation-induced defects. Zn nanoparticles 10–100 nm in size are found on a sample’s surface and in its near-surface layer. Computer analysis and mapping of the elemental and phase composition of FIB crater walls and the surface show that the main elements (54%) in the sample near-surface layer are Si, O, and Zn. The presence of ZnO phase is recorded to a depth of 20 nm in the sample.     

Determination of pH value of isoelectric solution and identification of passive iron surface phases using immersion method

Using the method of phase modeling, the pH values of solutions corresponding to the uncharged surface of passive iron and ferric oxide γ-Fe₂O₃ (pH₀) are compared. According to the theory of connected places, the charge of metal oxide surface is determined by the adsorption or desorption of hydrogen ions leading to a change in the potential drop at the oxide/solution interface. Preliminarily passivated iron electrode was washed with twice-distilled water and placed into 0.5 M NaNO₃ solution with various pH values; the variation in the potential (ΔE) with time was studied. The pH₀ value for passive electrode under the open-circuit conditions was determined by the dependence of ΔE on the pH value (pH₀ 6.2 ± 0.1). The pH₀ value was close to that for γ-Fe₂O₃ (pH₀ 6.2), which was determined by the method of potentiometrical titration of oxide suspension in the nitrate solution. The introduction of surface-active ions Ba²⁺ and Cl^? changes the charge of passive iron surface: Ba²⁺ ions increase the electrode potential, while Cl^? ions decrease it. Comparing the pH₀ values for passive electrode and metal oxides, one can identify the composition of passive electrode surface.     

A Study of Transient Processes in a High-Current Vacuum-Arc Anode Spot Using High-Speed Spectroscopy and Videorecording

Russian Physics Journal - The processes of plasma formation in the anode region of a high-current vacuum arc discharge are of high importance in terms of improving the switching characteristics of...