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Due to the present shortage of ³He and the associated tremendous increase of its price, the supply of large neutron detection systems with ³He becomes unaffordable. Alternative neutron detection concepts, therefore, have been invented based on solid 10B converters. These concepts require development in thin film deposition technique regarding high adhesion, thickness uniformity and chemical purity of the converter coating on large area substrates. We report on the sputter deposition of highly uniform large-area 10B4C coatings of up to 2 µm thickness with a thickness deviation below 4% using the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht large area sputtering system. The 10B4C coatings are x-ray amorphous and highly adhesive to the substrate. Material analysis by means of X-ray-Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Secondary-Ion-Mass-Spectrometry, and Rutherford- Back-Scattering (RBS) revealed low impurities concentration in the coatings. The isotope composition determined by Secondary-Ion-Mass-Spectrometry, RBS, and inelastic nuclear reaction analysis of the converter coatings evidences almost identical 10B isotope contents in the sputter target and in the deposited coating. Neutron conversion and detection test measurements with variable irradiation geometry of the converter coating demonstrate an average relative quantum efficiency ranging from 65% to 90% for cold neutrons as compared to a black ³He-monitor. Thus, these converter coatings contribute to the development of ³He-free prototype detectors based on neutron grazing incidence. Transferring the developed coating process to an industrial scale sputtering system can make alternative ³He-free converter elements available for large area neutron detection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-surface-quality amorphous carbon (a-C) optical coatings with a thickness of 45 nm, deposited by magnetron sputtering on a silicon substrate, were irradiated by the focused beam of capillary-discharge Ne-like Ar extreme ultraviolet laser (CDL=capillary-discharge laser; XUV=extreme ultraviolet, i.e., wavelengths below 100 nm). The laser wavelength and pulse duration were 46.9 nm and 1.7 ns, respectively. The laser beam was focused onto the sample surface by a spherical Sc/Si multilayer mirror with a total reflectivity of about 30%. The laser pulse energy was varied from 0.4 to 40 μJ on the sample surface. The irradiation was carried out at five fluence levels between 0.1 and 10 J/cm2, accumulating five different series of shots, i.e., 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40. The damage to the a-C thin layer was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Nomarski differential interference contrast (DIC) optical microscopy. The dependence of the single-shot-damaged area on pulse energy makes it possible to determine a beam spot diameter in the focus. Its value was found to be equal to 23.3±3.0 μm using AFM data, assuming the beam to have a Gaussian profile. Such a plot can also be used for a determination of single-shot damage threshold in a-C. A single-shot threshold value of 1.1 J/cm2 was found. Investigating the consequences of the multiple-shot exposure, it has been found that an accumulation of 10, 20, and 40 shots at a fluence of 0.5 J/cm2, i.e., below the single-shot damage threshold, causes irreversible changes of thin a-C layers, which can be registered by both the AFM and the DIC microscopy. In the center of the damaged area, AFM shows a-C removal to a maximum depth of 0.3, 1.2, and 1.5 nm for 10-, 20- and 40-shot exposure, respectively. Raman microprobe analysis does not indicate any change in the structure of the remaining a-C material. The erosive behavior reported here contrasts with the material expansion observed earlier [L. Juha et al., Proc. SPIE 5917, 91 (2005)] on an a-C sample irradiated by a large number of femtosecond pulses of XUV high-order harmonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the substrate temperature on the growth of highly textured Ni(111) and epitaxial Ni(200) with the relationships Ni[100]∥Si[110] and Ni(001)∥Si(001) on hydrogen terminated Si(100) wafer substrates by means of direct current magnetron sputtering is reported. In order to minimize crystal defect formation and to achieve a high quality epitaxial growth of Ni on Si, a two step deposition process was developed whereby different deposition conditions were used for an initial nickel seed layer and the remaining nickel film. The in-plane and out-of-plane structural properties of the films were investigated using x-ray scattering techniques, whereas magneto-optical Kerr effect and neutron reflectometry were used to confirm the magnetic nature of the epitaxially deposited nickel films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]