Mise au point d'un microscope à effet tunnel

La conception et la réalisation d'un microscope à effet tunnel sont présentées. On discute de la partie mécanique et de la façon de réaliser l'isolation vis-à-vis des vibrations. Le comportement de la boucle d'asservissement qui contrôle la distance pointe-échantillon est analysée en détail. Les effets parasites dus aux perturbations électriques sont également pris en compte. Les possibilités de ce microscope sont démontrées avec quelques images du graphite et de métaux réalisées à l'air

Crystallization of Ge2Sb2Te5 nanometric phase change material clusters made by gas-phase condensation

International audienceThe crystallization behavior of Ge2Sb2Te5 nanometric clusters was studied using X-ray diffraction with in situannealing. Clusters were made using a sputtering gas-phase condensation source, which allowed for the growth of well-defined, contaminant-free, and isolated clusters. The average size for the clusters is 5.7 ± 1 nm. As-deposited amorphous clusters crystallize in the fcc cubic phase at 180 °C, while for thin films, the phase change temperature is 155 °C. This observation illustrates the scalability of the Ge2Sb2Te5phase change from the amorphous to the cubic state in three-dimensionally confined systems in this size range

Asymmetric response of forest and grassy biomes to climate variability across the African Humid Period : influenced by anthropogenic disturbance?

A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between land cover, climate change and disturbance dynamics is needed to inform scenarios of vegetation change on the African continent. Although significant advances have been made, large uncertainties exist in projections of future biodiversity and ecosystem change for the world's largest tropical landmass. To better illustrate the effects of climate–disturbance–ecosystem interactions on continental‐scale vegetation change, we apply a novel statistical multivariate envelope approach to subfossil pollen data and climate model outputs (TraCE‐21ka). We target paleoenvironmental records across continental Africa, from the African Humid Period (AHP: ca 14 700–5500 yr BP) – an interval of spatially and temporally variable hydroclimatic conditions – until recent times, to improve our understanding of overarching vegetation trends and to compare changes between forest and grassy biomes (savanna and grassland). Our results suggest that although climate variability was the dominant driver of change, forest and grassy biomes responded asymmetrically: 1) the climatic envelope of grassy biomes expanded, or persisted in increasingly diverse climatic conditions, during the second half of the AHP whilst that of forest did not; 2) forest retreat occurred much more slowly during the mid to late Holocene compared to the early AHP forest expansion; and 3) as forest and grassy biomes diverged during the second half of the AHP, their ecological relationship (envelope overlap) fundamentally changed. Based on these asymmetries and associated changes in human land use, we propose and discuss three hypotheses about the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on continental‐scale vegetation change

Perpendicular magnetization in CoO (111) layers induced by exchange interaction with ferromagnetic Co and Ni60Cu40 nanoclusters

The magnetization reversal of ferromagnetic nanoparticles coupled by exchange with a CoO (111) thin film has been studied. The interfacial exchange interaction triggers the appearance of an out-of-plane magnetization in the CoO (111) film. Co and Ni60Cu40 particles were chosen, as they present an order of magnitude difference in the saturation magnetization and Curie temperatures that surround the Ne´el temperature of CoO. In both cases, the exchange coupling leads to an increase of the coercive field, up to 200% in Co particles, and small exchange bias of 100 Oe when the external magnetic field is applied in the CoO (111) plane. When the field is applied along the CoO [111] direction, an unexpected net magnetization of the CoO (111) layer is revealed. Interestingly, it scales with the particles magnetization. The results are explained in terms of a large interfacial interaction and an induced canting of the CoO spins in the close region of the interface. The large value of the CoO magnetization indicates that the canting settles over an extended thickness of at least 3.7 nm and 1.2 nm in the cases of Co and Ni60Cu40 particles, respectively, which is consistent with a compensated antiferromagnetic spins surface

Mise au point d'un microscope à effet tunnel

We report on the design and realization of a scanning tunneling microscope. The mechanical structure and the way the problem of vibration isolation is resolved are discussed. The behaviour of the feedback loop controlling the tip to sample distance is analysed in detail, including parasitic effects by electrical perturbations. The performance of this microscope is shown for graphite and metals imaged at atmospheric pressure.La conception et la réalisation d'un microscope à effet tunnel sont présentées. On discute de la partie mécanique et de la façon de réaliser l'isolation vis-à-vis des vibrations. Le comportement de la boucle d'asservissement qui contrôle la distance pointe-échantillon est analysée en détail. Les effets parasites dus aux perturbations électriques sont également pris en compte. Les possibilités de ce microscope sont démontrées avec quelques images du graphite et de métaux réalisées à l'air

Status report of the accelerator for multiply charged ions in Grenoble

International audienceThe status report of the Multiply Charged Ion Accelerator of the CEA-Grenoble is presented. This facility is devoted to the production of multiply charged ions (up to Xe31+) in the low energy domain (1–20 q keV). A new 14.5 GHz high magnetic field electron cyclotron resonance ion source of the Caprice type has been installed, the transmission of the beam line increased, resulting in a large enhancement of the available beam intensity. Ion selection and deceleration are simplified. Emittances as low as before are achieved. Performances for various beams are presented, together with updated beam emittance measurements. The intensity enhancement is especially large for highly charged ion beams like Ar17+ (100 times more intensity), and enables routine delivery to experiments of more than 10 μA of Xe25+ at 20 q keV in 20 π mm mrad. The range of available charge states was extended to Xe31+ (with a reasonable intensity of 180 nA). Future prospects include the extension of the energy range down to a few q eV