Investigation of organic impurities adsorbed on and incorporated into electroplated copper layers

At room temperature electroplated copper layers exhibit changes in resistivity, residual stress, and microstructure. This process, known as self-annealing, is intimately linked to the release of organic impurities, which stem from the incorporation of organic additives into the Cu layer in the course of the electroplating process. The behavior of these impurities during self-annealing, represented by the carbon content, could be detected by analytical radio frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GD-OES) and carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE). The precondition of a quantitative determination is a surface cleaning procedure to remove adsorbed organics from the copper surface. It was observed that at first almost all impurities have to leave the Cu metallization before an accelerated abnormal grain growth can start. The small amount of remaining organic species after self-annealing could be quantified by both examination techniques, GD-OES and CGHE.     

Electrochemical characterization of solid materials in volume range I. Chemical effects on the matrix-phase separation

The electrochemical phase isolation (EPI) is described as a preparation method for determining specific precipitations in solid materials in microamounts and microdimensions. Fundamental criteria are examined as a function of the main parameter (polarization current) on the system Fe₃C in a Fe-matrix. The influence of the electrolyte composition on the electrochemical behaviour of the matrix, on the one hand, and of the phase, on the other hand, are investigated and utilized.     

Direct coupling of capillary supercritical fluid chromatography with double-focusing high resolution mass spectrometry

An integral restrictor interface with jet separator for coupling capillary column supercritical fluid extraction – supercritical fluid chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry (SFE-SFC-MS) has been built and used for the analysis of a fatty acid ester, and of polymer additives with a wide range of masses. The mobile phase used was supercritical carbon dioxide; a flame ionization detector (FID) was used in parallel with the mass spectrometer. Different SFC-MS interface operating conditions, e.g. temperature, restrictor position, flow rate, and sample transfer conditions were optimized to obtain good sensitivity and separation for these applications. In addition, the sensitivity of measurements performed with the direct insertion probe and by SFC-MS interface have been compared.     

Ordered nanostructured ceramic–metal composites through multifunctional block copolymer-metal nanoparticle self-assembly

A novel strategy for fabrication of ordered ceramic–metal nanocomposites was demonstrated by multifunctional block copolymer/metal nanoparticle self-assembly. Hybrid organic–inorganic block copolymer poly(3-methacryloxypropyl-T8-heptaisobutyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-block-N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) was synthesized and used as a bi-functional structure directing agent for ligand-stabilized platinum nanoparticles to form ordered organic–inorganic nanocomposites with dense loading of inorganic species in both microphase separated domains. Subsequently, thin films of the hybrid material were converted to ordered silica (ceramic)–platinum (metal) nanocomposites via UV-assisted ozonolysis. This is the first time ordered ceramic–metal nanocomposites were achieved through a bottom-up approach, opening up opportunities for the design and synthesis of a broad range of ordered inorganic–inorganic nanocomposites.     

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Aerodynamic levitation and laser heating:

Aerodynamic levitation is an effective way to suspend samples which can be heated with CO₂ lasers. The advantages of this containerless technique are the simplicity and compactness of the device, making it possible to integrate it easily in different kinds of experiments. In addition, all types of materials can be used, including metals and oxides. The integration of aerodynamic levitation at synchrotron and neutron sources provides powerful tools to study the structure and dynamics of molten materials. We present here an overview of the existing techniques and of the developments made at the CEMHTI in Orléans, as well as a few examples of experimental results already obtained.     

Influence of magnetism on the structural stability of cubic L2<Subscript>1</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>2</Subscript>MnGa

We present calculations of magnetic field-dependent properties of magnetic shape memory (MSM) Heusler alloys by means of density functional theory calculations. The effects of an external magnetic field on structural properties are simulated by fixing the magnetic moments within the framework of the fixed spin moment (FSM) method. We calculate the binding surface as a function of the magnetic moment and the tetragonal distortion. For magnetizations of 10% below the equilibrium value, the energy of the martensitic L1₀ phase steeply increases leading to a relative stabilization of the L2₁ phase in a confined magnetization range. Calculations of the phonon dispersion in the direction [ξξ0]2π/a suggest that the instability at ξ≈1/3 disappears with decreasing magnetization, allowing a nearly stable spectrum in a small magnetization interval.     

The first example of a sigma(2)lambda(2)-dioxaphosphenium cation, stabilized by an intramolecular dative P(+) <-- S bond

[structure in text] The first example of a sigma(2)lambda(2)-dioxaphosphenium cation 5 bearing dioxathiophosphocin ring systems stabilized by an intramolecular dative P(+) <-- S bond and its reactivity with pyridine and cycloaddition reaction with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene are reported.     

Time resolved collapse of a folding protein observed with small angle x-ray scattering

High-intensity, "pink" beam from an undulator was used in conjunction with microfabricated rapid-fluid mixing devices to monitor the early events in protein folding with time resolved small angle x-ray scattering. This Letter describes recent work on the protein bovine beta-lactoglobulin where collapse from an expanded to a compact set of states was directly observed on the millisecond time scale. The role of chain collapse, one of the initial stages of protein folding, is not currently understood. The characterization of transient, compact states is vital in assessing the validity of theories and models of the folding process.