Segregation of the Eu impurity as function of its concentration in the melt for growing of the lead telluride doped crystals by the Bridgman method

Behaviour of a rare earth impurity of Eu in the PbTe single crystals grown by the Bridgman method from the melt with different initial concentrations of impurity N about 1*10+19 cm-3 and less is investigated with X-ray fluorescent element analysis, Secondary Neutral Mass Spectroscopy (SNMS), and magnetic measurements. The impurity distributions along and across the doped ingots are established. It is revealed that doping impurity enters into the bulk of doped crystals only if its initial concentration in the melt is high enough, approximately 1*10+20 cm-3. If this concentration is lower, about 1*10+19 cm-3 and less, the doping Eu impurity is pushed out onto the surface of doped ingot. The thickness of the doped surface layer is estimated to be in the order of several microns or somewhat more. The longitudinal distributions of Eu impurity along the axis of doped ingot for N=1*10+20 cm-3, as well as the transverse one in the surface layer where entire doping impurity is pushed out for N=1*10+19 cm-3, are strongly non-monotonic. Possible reasons for this unusual behaviour of Eu doping impurity during the growth of PbTe:Eu crystals from the melt are analyzed.

Transition from anomalous kinetics towards Fickian diffusion for Si dissolution into amorphous Ge

Over the last years several experimental and theoretical studies of diffusion kinetics on the nanoscale have shown that the time evolution differs from the classical Fickian law (kc=0.5). However, all work was based on crystalline samples or models, so far. In this letter, we report on the diffusion kinetics of a thin amorphous-Si layer into amorphous-Ge to account for the rising importance of amorphous materials in nanodevices. Employing surface sensitive technics, the initial kc was found at 0.7+-0.1. Moreover, after some monolayers of Si dissolved into the Ge, kc changes to the generally expected classical Fickian law with kc=0.5.

Degradation of Ag/Si multilayers during heat treatments

Microstructure changes during annealing of nano-crystalline silver and amorphous silicon multilayers (Ag/a-Si) have been studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The dc-magnetron sputtered Ag/a-Si multilayers remained stable even after annealing at 523K for 10h, and microstructural changes occurred only above 600K. The degradation of Ag/a-Si multilayers can be described by the increase of size of Ag grains, formation of grooves and pinholes at Ag grain boundaries and by the diffusion of silicon atoms through the silver grain boundaries and along the Ag/a-Si interfaces. This results in thinning of a-Si layers, and in formation of Ag granulates after longer annealing times.

Structural modifications induced in hydrogenated amorphous Si/Ge multilayers by heat treatments

A study is presented of the structural changes occurring as a function of the annealing conditions in hydrogenated amorphous Si/Ge multilayers prepared by sputtering. Annealing changes the structure of the as-deposited multilayer except for the less severe conditions here applied (150 oC, time<22 h). For higher temperatures and/or times, the modifications consist of layer intermixing and surface degradation in the shape of bumps and craters. They are argued to be due to the formation of H bubbles upon heating. Hydrogen should be mostly released from the amorphous Ge layers.