Positron/positronium annihilation in nanocrystalline silicon thin films

Positron and positronium annihilation investigations were applied to nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) thin films, for the first time. The nc-Si thin films with average grain diameters of 3–5 nm show intense blue luminescence at room temperature. The nanometer-sized Si crystallites formed in amorphous Si (a-Si) matrix give rise to this luminescence. Very highS-parameters up to 0.62 were observed in the as-grown a-Si thin film suggesting positronium formation in the a-Si layer. The average lifetime of the positrons in the a-Si was determined to be about 520 ps. TheS-parameters dropped significantly to 0.53 by crystallization of the thin film at 800 °C for 10 seconds, which was almost the same to the value observed in bulk Si (100) substrate. Further crystallization from 60 seconds to 1 hour showed smaller change in theS-parameters than that from the a-Si to 10 seconds. The large change in theS-parameters due to the annealing might be caused by the formation of Si nanocrystallites in a-Si matrix suggesting that positron is a sensitive probe for structural investigations of the nc-Si materials.     

Simultaneous detection of ammonia and humidity using transmission surface plasmon resonance technique

Abstract

Gas sensing by using the transmission surface plasmon resonance (T-SPR) technique was demonstrated. Polyacrylic acid (PAA)/5-nm-thick gold/40-nm-thick silver/polycarbonate grating substrate structure (Sensor A) responded to ammonia; however, it exhibited a strong humidity dependence. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/5-nm-thick gold/40-nm-thick silver/polycarbonate grating substrate structure (Sensor B) as the sensing material was also prepared and it mainly responded to humidity. The T-SPR properties of Sensors A and B were observed simultaneously by a stacking arrangement that enabled us to obtain the responses by using a single spectrophotometer. The ammonia concentration under various humidity conditions could be accurately obtained by simultaneous measurement of Sensors A and B.     

Effect of UV anneal on plasma CVD low-k film

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) low-dielectric (low-k) film was irradiated with ultra violet (UV) light of wavelength 172 nm to enhance mechanical strength and reduce dielectric constant (k value). The thickness measurement method for the UV annealed low-k film is discussed. The effects of UV irradiation on dielectric constant, shrinkage, stress, density, pore size, mechanical strength, and structure are clarified and the mechanism is discussed.     

Open spaces and relaxation processes in the subsurface region of polypropylene probed by monoenergetic positron beams

Open spaces and relaxation processes in the subsurface region of isotactic polypropylene were investigated by monoenergetic positron beams. From measurements of the lifetime spectra of positrons, the size of the open spaces in the subsurface region (≤ 0.2 μm) was found to be larger than that in the bulk; their differences were estimated as 20% at 295 K and 10% at 395 K. From conventional positron annihilation experiments, the glass‐transition temperatures, T_{g (upper)}and T_g(lower) were determined as 306 K and 278 K, respectively. These transition temperatures were associated with the onset temperatures of the molecular motions under the constraint imposed by crystalline regions and those free from the constraint, respectively. In the subsurface region, although the onset temperatures of the molecular motions were close to those in the bulk, the molecular motions above T_{g (lower)} were found to be suppressed. The annihilation characteristics of positrons with different implantation energies were also discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 101–107, 2000     

Development of positron annihilation spectroscopy to test accelerated weathering of protective polymer coatings

A variable mono-energetic positron beam with a computer-controlled system has recently been constructed at the University of Missouri–Kansas City for weathering studies of polymeric coatings. The beam is designed to measure the S-parameter from Doppler-broadening energy spectra and the sub-nanometer defect properties from positron annihilation lifetimes (PAL). Significant variations of S-parameter and ortho-positronium intensity in coatings, as obtained from the newly built beam and from the Electrotechnical Laboratory’s beam, respectively, are observed as a function of depth and exposure time due to the Xe-light irradiation. A high sensitivity of positron annihilation signal response to the early stage of degradation is observed. Development of positron annihilation spectroscopy to test accelerated weathering of polymeric coatings is discussed.     

Characterization of photoresists for ArF‐excimer laser lithography using monoenergetic positron beams

The volume and depth distributions of open spaces in photoresist films designed for ArF‐excimer laser light exposure were studied with monoenergetic positron beams. We measured the Doppler broadening spectra of the annihilation radiation and lifetime spectra of positrons for acrylate and cyclic olefin‐co‐maleic anhydride (COMA) polymers spin‐coated onto Si wafers with methyl amyl ketone, cyclohexanone, and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate solvents. The volume of open spaces in both prebaked acrylate and COMA films was estimated to be 0.12 nm³. The volume of open spaces in acrylate films decreased up to 20% by postexposure baking, but no large change was observed for COMA films. The decrease in the open volume was attributed to the removal of large molecules (adamantyl) from flexible main chains after the chemically amplified reaction of acrylate. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 341–346, 2004     

Porogen approach for the fabrication of plasma-polymerized nanoporous polysiloxane films

Nanoporous polysiloxane films were fabricated by plasma polymerization of hexamethyldisiloxane mixed with cyclohexane under different conditions. The pores were generated through the elimination of carbonaceous aggregates (porogen) by annealing at 600 degrees C. Results of spectroscopic ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy suggest that not only film porosity but also average pore size depends on the amount of the decomposable porogen. The pore size was controllable in a range between 0.6 and 1.0 nm in radius by proper selection of the substrate temperature and precursor composition.     

Application of slow positrons to coating degradation

Photodegradation of a polyurethane-based topcoat induced by accelerated UV irradiation is studied using Doppler broadened energy spectra (DBES) and positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopies coupled with slow positron technique. Significant and similar variations of S-parameter and ortho-positronium intensity (I₃) in coatings are observed as functions of depth and of exposure time. The decrease of S is interpreted as a result of an increase of crosslink density and a reduction of free-volume and hole fraction during the degradation process.     

Deterioration of a polyurethane coating studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy: Correlation with surface properties

Deterioration of a polyurethane coating by Florida natural environments as a function of time up to 16 weeks was studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Doppler broadening energy spectroscopy (DBES) of annihilation irradiation and positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) were measured as a function of incident positron energy (0–30 keV). A significant decrease in the S‐defect parameter from DBES and the intensity of orthopositronium from PAL was observed as a function of weathering time. This is interpreted as a loss of free volume and holes as a result of the weathering process. The gloss and surface morphology in the same system were measured by glossimetry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The gloss decreased and surface roughness increased as a function of weathering time. The AFM images showed a new feature of a spherically coagulated microstructure on the surface after weathering. Direct correlations between the decrease in gloss and the increase in roughness as well as the decrease in the S‐defect parameter from the DBES data and in the free volume from the PAL data were observed. These results were used to discuss the weathering process in terms of chemical and physical changes as a result of photodegradation in protective polymeric systems. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2290–2301, 2001     

Control of type-I and type-II band alignments in AlInAs/AlGaAs self-assembled quantum dots by changing AlGaAs compositions

Type-I and type-II band alignments were successfully controlled by changing composition and growth temperature in AlInAs/AlGaAs self-assembled quantum dots. The Al composition dependence of the photoluminescence peak shift clearly indicated the crossover from type-I to type-II band line up and a long decay time of 30 ns was obtained by time-resolved photoluminescence at 8 K for the sample with type-II band alignment grown under optimized conditions. A much longer decay component of 500 ns was also observed from the same structure, but it may be due to slow relaxation of carriers trapped in AlGaAs matrix.