Selective etching of InP in NaF solution

The crossing porous structure of InP has been obtained by electrochemical etching in NaF solutions. The behavior of the periodic oscillation occurs at different potential ranges for the different concentrations of solutions, and it will disappear with the concentration of the solution decreased. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows that the pores have two directions on the surface and are perpendicular to each other. The two directions are assigned to [0 1 1] and [], respectively. The SEM image of the cross-section also shows that the two directions are assigned to [1 1 1]B and []B. Both are due to the selective etching of F⁻ ions. The crossing porous structure of InP is a very promising feature for the three-dimensional structure of III-V compound semiconductors for photonic band gap materials.     

Laser excitation spectrum of C3 in the region 26 000-30 700 cm

The vibrational structure of the electronic state of C₃ in the region 26 000-30 775 cm⁻¹ has been re-examined, using laser excitation spectra of jet-cooled molecules. Rotational constants and vibrational energies have been determined for over 60 previously-unreported vibronic levels; a number of other levels have been re-assigned. The vibrational structure is complicated by interactions between levels of the upper and lower Born-Oppenheimer components of the state, and by the effects of the double minimum potential in the Q₃ coordinate, recognized by Izuha and Yamanouchi [16]. The present work shows that there is also strong anharmonic resonance between the overtones of the ν₁ and ν₃ vibrations. For instance, the levels 2 1⁺ 1 and 0 1 ⁺ 3 are nearly degenerate in zero order, but as a result of the resonance they give rise to two levels 139 cm⁻¹ apart, centered about the expected position of the 2 1⁺ 1 level. With these irregularities recognized, every observed vibrational level up to 30 000 cm⁻¹ (a vibrational energy of over 5000 cm⁻¹) can now be assigned. A vibronic level at 30181.4 cm⁻¹, which has a much lower B′ rotational constant than nearby levels of the state, possibly represents the onset of vibronic perturbations by the electronic state; this state is so far unknown, but is predicted by the ab initio calculations of Ahmed et al. [36].     

Growth and characterization of ferroelectric‐ferroelastic Tb2(MoO4)3 crystals

Transparent and nearly colorless ferroelectric‐ferroelastic β′‐Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ (TMO) single crystals have been grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method. The single crystal structure was investigated by X‐ray powder diffraction and was shown to be a single phase with the structure similar as the β′‐Gd₂(MoO₄)₃ crystal. The optical transparency of the TMO crystal has been measured and the crystal is almost transparent in the visible and near infrared regions. The defects of TMO crystal were evaluated by etching technique and the ferroelectric domain structures were observed by an optical microscope. A high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that the as‐grown TMO crystal possesses relatively high optical quality. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

TEM,chemical etching and FTIR characterization of ZnTe grown by physical vapor transport

ZnTe ingots were obtained by the physical transport method, using an in‐house designed and built tubular furnace. The growth of ZnTe subsequently to the growth of a seed of this material allowed obtaining an ingot formed by only one large and single crystalline grain. TEM was used for the characterization of the as‐grown ZnTe single crystal ingots and commercial single‐crystalline wafers of the same material but grown by a higher temperature and more expensive technique, the Bridgman method. Both materials show very good crystalline microstructure, although some stacking faults were found in the commercial one. The infrared transmittance spectra of both materials were measured by FTIR and some differences, most likely due to differences in raw materials and growth methods, were found. The effectiveness and convenience of several chemical etchants to obtain the dislocation density and the minimal misorientation between adjacent subgrains in the as‐grown ZnTe wafers were checked. It has been found as the most advantageous the chemical solution that does not produce over‐etching. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Measurement of peroxidase activity in single neutrophils by combining catalyzed-enzyme reaction and epi-fluorescence microscopy

An epi-fluorescence microscopy for determination of peroxidase in individual neutrophils was developed by a combination of enzyme-catalyzed reaction and fluorescence detection. In this method, an individual cell was transferred into a microliter-volume vessel and lysed by freeze-thawing and ultrasonication. The peroxidases-catalyzed reaction was initiated by adding the buffer solution containing nonfluorescent substrates 10-acetyl-3,7-dihydroxyphenoxazine and H₂O₂ to the vessel. Peroxidase activity could be determined via measuring the fluorescent signal of the product resorufin of enzyme-catalyzed reaction. When the slope of kinetic curve of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction was used to quantify peroxidases in single cells, the effect of the time difference between each measurement and the interference from other intracellular compounds that could emit fluorescence can be eliminated.     

Titrimetric determination of silicon dissolved in concentrated HF-HNO3-etching solutions

The wet chemical etching of silicon by concentrated HF-HNO₃ mixtures in solar and semiconductor wafer fabrication requires the strict control of the etching conditions. Surface morphology and etch rates are mainly affected by the amount of dissolved silicon, that is continuously enriched in the etching solution with each etching run. A fast and robust method for the titrimetric determination of the total dissolved silicon content out of the concentrated etching solution is presented. This method is based on the difference between the two equivalence points of the total amount of acid and the hydrolysis of the hexafluorosilicic anion. This approach allows a silicon determination directly from the etching process in spite of the presence of dissolved nitric oxides in the etching solution. The influences of different acid mixing ratios and of the etching solution density depending on the silicon content is considered and discussed in detail.     

Resonator fabrication for cavity enhanced, tunable Si/Ge quantum cascade detectors

The detectivity of tunable SiGe quantum cascade injector structures designed for detection in the mid-infrared (MIR) spectra region, can be switched between two bands centered around 6 and by reversing the sign of the externally applied bias voltage. In order to enhance detectivity of these devices and restrict the response to narrower spectral bands, a process for integrating them into a vertical resonator cavity has been developed. The process is based on a low temperature etch mask deposition and, therefore, is applicable for these novel Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) structures grown by low temperature Si MBE.     

Buffer design for nitrogen polarity GaN on sapphire by RF-MBE and application to the nanostructure formation using KOH etching

GaN films were grown by radiofrequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on a variety of sapphire substrates with different buffer layer and/or preparation processes, to show the controllability of lattice-polarity selection as well as their applicability to the nanostructure fabrication. Film polarities, which have been checked by reflection high-energy electron diffraction reconstructions and etched morphologies in KOH aqueous solution, were very sensitive to these preparation processes. Ga-polarity GaN could be obtained by an introduction of a high-temperature nitridation and an AlN interlayer deposition, and the N-polarity film with a flat surface and large grains could be grown on a low-temperature-nitrided sapphire in combination with a use of nitrogen-flux modulation sequence, while other pretreatment resulted in the mixed polarities. The resultant morphology of N-polarity GaN after KOH etching clearly reflects crystallographic orientation and the highly anisotropic-etching behavior show the usefulness of the low-temperature-nitrided sapphire for obtaining large-domain N-polarity GaN and the feasibility of nanostructure fabrication without the use of an expensive dry-etching process.     

New approach to online monitoring of the Al depth profile of the hot-dip galvanised sheet steel using LIBS

In this study a new approach to the online monitoring of the Al depth profile of hot-dip galvanised sheet steel is presented, based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The coating composition is measured by irradiating the traversing sheet steel with a series of single laser bursts, each at a different sheet steel position. An ablation depth in the same range as the coating thickness (about 10 μm) is achieved by applying a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm in collinear double-pulse and triple-pulse mode. The ablation depth is controlled by adjusting the burst energy with an external electro-optical attenuator. A fingerprint of the depth profile is gained by measuring the LIBS signals from zinc, aluminium and iron as a function of the burst energy, and by post-processing the data obtained. Up to three depths can be sampled simultaneously with a single laser burst by measuring the LIBS signals after each pulse within the laser burst. A concept for continuously monitoring the Al depth profile during the galvanising process is presented and applied to different hot-dip galvanised coatings. The method was tested on rotating sheet steel disks moving at a speed of up to 1 m/s. The potential and limitations of the new method are discussed.     

Spatial distributions of the number densities of neutral atoms and ions for the different elements in a laser induced plasma generated with a Ni-Fe-Al alloy

Spatially-resolved emission spectroscopy, including spatial devonvolution of the spectra, has been used to determine the three-dimensional distributions of the relative number densities of neutral atoms and ions of the elements present in a laser-induced plasma generated with a Ni-Fe-Al alloy. The method is based on the precise measurement of the local electronic temperature from Saha–Boltzmann plots constructed with Fe I and Fe II lines. The plasma was generated in air at atmospheric pressure using a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser, and the emission was detected in the time window 3.0–3.5 μs. The ionization fraction was very high (above 0.9) for the three elements in the sample, only decreasing behind the expanding plasma front. The relative number densities were obtained from the emissivities of selected elemental lines as well as the temperature. The error in this procedure was estimated, and it was found that it is largely due to the uncertainties in the transition probability values used. The spatial distributions of the total relative number densities of the three elements were shown to coincide within the error, a result which is relevant to the development of models of plasma emission used in analytical applications. The ratios of the total number densities of the elements in the plasma were compared to their concentration ratios in the sample; however, the relatively high errors in the relative number densities did not permit any definitive conclusions to be drawn about the stoichiometry of the laser ablation process.