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Laterally aligned multilayer GeSi/Si islands grown on a patterned Si (001) substrate are disclosed by selective etching of Si in a KOH solution. This procedure allows us to visualize the vertical alignment of the islands in a three-dimensional perspective. Our technique reveals that partly coalesced double islands in the initial layer do not merge together, but instead gradually reproduce into well-separated double islands in upper layers. We attribute this effect to very thin spacer layers, which efficiently transfer the strain modulation of each island through the spacer layer to the surface. The etching rate of Si is reduced in tensile strained regions, which helps to preserve sufficient Si between the stacked islands to form a periodic array of freestanding and vertically modulated heterostructure pillars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site-controlled groups of Ge islands are grown on pit-patterned Si (001) substrates. By varying the deposited amount of Ge, we find that the growth starts with the formation of a single island at the pit bottom and then proceeds to the formation of a highly symmetric Ge island group around the pit top. A bimodal size distribution of dome-shaped islands at the bottom and at the top corners of the pits is observed. A growth mechanism is proposed to qualitatively explain these phenomena. Our experiments help to promote a further understanding of Ge island growth on patterned substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled three-dimensional GeSi quantum dot crystals (QDCs) are realized by multilayer growth of quantum dots (QDs) on patterned SOI (001) substrates. Photoluminescence spectra of these QDCs show non-phonon (NP) recombination and its transverse-optical (TO) phonon replica of excitons in QDs. With increasing excitation power, peak energies of both the NP and TO peaks remain nearly constant and the width of the TO peak decreases. These anomalous features of the PL peaks are attributed to miniband formation due to strong coupling of the holes and the emergence of quasioptical phonon modes due to periodic scatters in ordered GeSi QDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a giant exchange bias field of over 1 kOe, which is uncommon in film systems, is obtained in all-3d-metal Heusler-type Ni38.8Co2.9Mn37.9Ti20.4 thin films. The thermomagnetic curves show an unambiguous noncoincidence between zero-field-cooled and field-cooled protocols, indicating the presence of magnetically inhomogeneous phases in the film in the low temperature range. Magnetic measurements, including magnetic relaxation and magnetic memory effects, demonstrate that the exchange bias should be attributed to the exchange interaction between ferromagnetic clusters and the antiferromagnetic host in the Ni38.8Co2.9Mn37.9Ti20.4 thin film at low temperature. The local Mn-Co-Mn configuration provides the ferromagnetic contribution, which is formed in the antiferromagnetic Heusler main phase due to the small amount of Co-substitution for Ni. The achievement of the large exchange bias effect in the Ni38.8Co2.9Mn37.9Ti20.4 thin film is a significant addition to the existing multiple magneto-responsive effects in all-3d-metal Ni-Mn-based Heusler systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse x-ray scattering from epitaxial layers with screw dislocations perpendicular to the surface is calculated assuming correlated dislocation positions. The resulting intensity distribution was compared with a reciprocal-space map measured in a symmetric diffraction from a hexagonal GaN(0001) layer, and a good correspondence was achieved. From the fit, both the dislocation density and their correlation length were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lateral composition modulation in (InAs)[sub n]/(AlAs)[sub m] short-period superlattices was studied by means of synchrotron x-ray diffraction. By choosing specific diffraction vectors having a large component closely parallel to the modulation direction, we are able to observe a number of lateral satellite peaks around the zero-order short-period superlattice peak. A model, incorporating both composition and strain, is used to simulate the intensities of these satellites. Our results provide a quantitative fit and permit the evaluation of the composition amplitude. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiferromagnetic (AFM)-ferromagnetic (FM) conversion in martensite was observed in Mn/Ni-substitution upon FM elements, such as Fe or Co, in MnNiGe helical antiferromagnets. Here, we report an AFM-FM conversion and consequently a sharp magnetic-field-driven metamagnetic martensitic transformation from paramagnetic (PM) austenite to FM martensite in the Ni- and Mnsubstituted MnNiGe alloys with indium, a non-magnetic and large-sized main group element. Accordingly, a giant magnetocaloric effect such that a twofold increase of the magnetic entropy change in MnNi0.92GeIn0.08 and even a nearly threefold increase in the Mn0.92NiGeIn0.08 alloy is obtained with respect to the MnNiGe0.95In0.05 alloy. The origin of AFM-FM conversion and resultantly sharp magnetic-field-induced PM-FM metamagnetic transformation is discussed based on the first-principles calculations and X-ray absorption spectroscopic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sharp metamagnetic martensitic transformation (MMT) triggered by a low critical field plays a pivotal role in magnetoresponsive effects for ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs). Here, a sharper magnetic-field-induced metamagnetic martensitic transformation (MFIMMT) is realized in Mn1-xCo1+xGe systems with a giant magnetocaloric effect around room temperature, which represents the lowest magnetic driving and completion fields as well as the largest magnetization difference around MFIMMT reported heretofore in MnCoGe-based FSMAs. More interestingly, a reversible MFIMMT with field cycling is observed in the Mn0.965Co0.035Ge compound. These results indicate that the consensus would be broken that the magnetic field is difficult to trigger the MMT for MnCoGe-based systems. The origin of a higher degree of sensitivity of martensitic transformation to the magnetic field is discussed based on the X-ray absorption spectroscopic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compositional atomic ordering is a crucial issue in the epitaxial growth of nanoparticles and thin films. Here, we report on a method based on x-ray diffuse scattering close to basis forbidden Bragg reflections to infer the lateral location, the symmetry, and the thermal stability of ordered domains in GeSi dome-shaped islands on Si(001) after growth and during annealing. We observe that atomic ordering does not disappear after annealing, demonstrating that it is a resilient metastable phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compositional atomic ordering is a crucial issue in the epitaxial growth of nanoparticles and thin films. Here, we report on a method based on x-ray diffuse scattering close to basis forbidden Bragg reflections to infer the lateral location, the symmetry, and the thermal stability of ordered domains in GeSi dome-shaped islands on Si(001) after growth and during annealing. We observe that atomic ordering does not disappear after annealing, demonstrating that it is a resilient metastable phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene has been discovered to have two effects on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of graphene/GeSi quantum dot (QD) hybrid structures, which were formed by covering monolayer graphene sheet on the multilayer ordered GeSi QDs sample surfaces. At the excitation of 488 nm laser line, the hybrid structure had a reduced PL intensity, while at the excitation of 325 nm, it had an enhanced PL intensity. The attenuation in PL intensity can be attributed to the transferring of electrons from the conducting band of GeSi QDs to the graphene sheet. The electron transfer mechanism was confirmed by the time resolved PL measurements. For the PL enhancement, a mechanism called surface-plasmon-polariton (SPP) enhanced absorption mechanism is proposed, in which the excitation of SPP in the graphene is suggested. Due to the resonant excitation of SPP by incident light, the absorption of incident light is much enhanced at the surface region, thus leading to more exciton generation and a PL enhancement in the region. The results may be helpful to provide us a way to improve optical properties of low dimensional surface structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two Mn-Ni-Fe-Ge ribbon samples are prepared. The ribbons reveal the complicated magnetization process with the variation of temperature and magnetic field. Strikingly, the antiferromagneticferromagnetic conversion and competition are observed in the TiNiSi-type phase in these ribbons. The required field to complete the conversion decreases with increasing temperature. When completing conversion, the coupled magnetostructural transformation from the ferromagnetic TiNiSi-type to paramagnetic Ni2In-type state with large magnetic entropy changes near room temperature is achieved for these ribbons. However, it is found that the magnetic field would be difficult to drive ferromagnetic-paramagnetic magnetostructural transformation for these ribbons unlike temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic and transitional behaviors are investigated in Mn1.9Co0.1Sb intermetallic compound. Mn2Sb is a simple ferrimagnet with Neel temperature around 550 K. The Co-introduction results in the appearance of antiferromagnetic state, and therefore, the first-order magnetic transition occurs between antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic state, which can be induced by temperature/magnetic field, in Mn1.9Co0.1Sb alloy. Accordingly, a magnetic entropy change as high as 5 J kg-1K-1 and a large magnetoresistance of 46% under the field change of 10 and 50 kOe are achieved, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic and resistance measurements have been carried out on a Ni43Mn41Co5Sn11 alloy annealed under high-pressure. Due to the existence of the intermediate phase, a change of slope in the temperature dependence of resistivity curves has been observed prior to the martensitic transformation for the high-pressure annealed alloy. As a consequence, two successive magnetoresistance peaks with the same sign are achieved around room-temperature, corresponding to the martensitic transformation and intermediate phase transition, respectively. The origin of the peculiarity of magnetoresistance properties in high-pressure annealed Ni43Mn41Co5Sn11 alloy is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have observed an extremely narrow absorption spectrum due to bound-to-continuum transition in GaAs/Al[sub x]Ga[sub 1-x]As multiple quantum wells (MQWs). Its linewidth is only about one tenth of the values reported previously. Our calculation indicates that the broadening of the excited state in the continuum has little contribution to the absorption linewidth. We have grown a sample whose MQW region contains two kinds of wells with a minor thickness inhomogeneity. Its resultant absorption linewidth is six times as large as that of homogeneous well sample, which is in good agreement with our theoretical analysis. Thus we can suggest that the wider absorption spectra reported by many authors may be due to the well width inhomogeneity. © 1998 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature and pressure dependence of phase evolution in 0.5 MgO-0.5 Y2O3 is studied using the diamond anvil method. At 300 K and 5.5 GPa, transformations in Y2O3 are observed, resulting in co-existence of cubic, hexagonal, and monoclinic phases. Heating to 1293 K results in increased crystallinity and increase in hexagonal and monoclinic phase content. Isothermal and isobaric hold at 1273 K and 5.5 GPa for 120 min results in yttrium dissolution in cubic MgO, causing 0.83% volumetric strain. Cooling to 300 K and 0 GPa yields a four phase co-existence among cubic MgO and cubic, hexagonal, and monoclinic Y2O3. The residual MgO unit cell volume expansion is 0.67% at 300 K, indicating solid solution formation. Aging of the nanocomposites for 240 h does not change the observed 4 phase co-existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments and numerical simulations based on finite element modeling show that the x-ray intensity scattered by comparatively large nanostructures on a substrate is not simply related to their strain in experiments using either grazing incidence or exit because of multiple scattering effects. However, whatever the nanostructure size, the composition profiles are correctly extracted from grazing incidence multiwavelength anomalous scattering. These effects are illustrated for the structural analysis of Ge dome-shaped islands grown on Si(001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated a series of samples containing SiGe islands capped at different growth temperatures. A layer of islands formed by deposition of 5 ML of pure Ge was capped with Si, deposited at temperatures of 460, 540, and 630 °C, respectively. The Ge composition profile and the shape of the buried islands are deduced from x-ray diffraction data. While for capping at high substrate temperatures a significant dilution of the Ge content and a flattening of the islands occur, capping at low temperatures maintains a high aspect ratio and a high Ge content of the islands. The maximum in-plane strain in the island remains as high as 0.005 for capping at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles of Eu[sub 2]O[sub 3] and Tb[sub 2]O[sub 3] have been prepared using ultrasound radiation and were deposited sonochemically on microspherical alumina particles. In a different sonochemical reaction Eu[sub 2]O[sub 3] and Tb[sub 2]O[sub 3] were doped into nanophased alumina particles. For both systems the decay times of the fluorescence was measured. The luminescence of the alumina substrate was found to be much shorter than that of the rare-earth oxides. Differences between the decay times of the deposited and doped materials are accounted for by the stronger guest-host interaction and absence of concentration quenching in the doped material. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]