Positron localization effects on the Doppler broadening of the annihilation line: Aluminum as a case study

The coincidence Doppler broadening (CDB) technique is widely used to measure one-dimensional momentum distributions of annihilation photons, with the aim of obtaining information on the chemical environment of open-volume defects. However, the quantitative analysis of CDB spectra needs to include also purely geometrical effects. A demonstration is given here, on the basis of CDB spectra measured in quenched and in deformed pure aluminum. The comparison of the experimental results with ab initio computations shows that the observed differences come from the difference in free volume seen by positrons trapped in quenched-in vacancies or in vacancylike defects associated to dislocations. The computation reproduces accurately all details of CDB spectra, including the peak near the Fermi break, which is due to the zero-point motion of the confined positron.Peer reviewe

Analysis of electron-positron momentum spectra of metallic alloys as supported by first-principles calculations

Electron-positron momentum distributions measured by the coincidence Doppler broadening method can be used in the chemical analysis of the annihilation environment, typically a vacancy-impurity complex in a solid. In the present work, we study possibilities for a quantitative analysis, i.e., for distinguishing the average numbers of different atomic species around the defect. First-principles electronic structure calculations self-consistently determining electron and positron densities and ion positions are performed for vacancy-solute complexes in Al-Cu, Al-Mg-Cu, and Al-Mg-Cu-Ag alloys. The ensuing simulated coincidence Doppler broadening spectra are compared with measured ones for defect identification. A linear fitting procedure, which uses the spectra for positrons trapped at vacancies in pure constituent metals as components, has previously been employed to find the relative percentages of different atomic species around the vacancy [A. Somoza et al. Phys. Rev. B 65, 094107 (2002)]. We test the reliability of the procedure by the help of first-principles results for vacancy-solute complexes and vacancies in constituent metals.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review B on September 19 2006. Revised version submitted on November 8 2006. Published on February 14 200

Combined spectroscopic and ab initio investigation of monolayer-range Cr oxides on Fe(001) : the effect of ordered vacancy superstructure

We investigated the electronic structure of an ultrathin Cr oxide film prepared by growing about 0.8 monolayers of Cr on the oxygen-terminated Fe(001) 12p(1 71)O surface and characterized by the formation of an ordered array of Cr vacancies producing a ( 1a5 7 1a5)R27 18 superstructure. We combined experimental techniques such as angle- and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling spectroscopy with ab initio calculations, focusing on (i) the peculiar energy dispersion of O2p states and (ii) the orbital and spin character of Cr3d states. We show that the experimental O2p dispersion can be related to the presence of an ordered vacancy lattice. The comparison with the existing literature on the oxidation of bulk Cr(001), where a network of Cr vacancies with a short-range crystallographic order is present, reveals a similar effect on O states. The valence electronic structure of the Cr oxide layer is mostly composed by spin-minority Cr states, consistent with an antiferromagnetic coupling with the Fe substrate

Defect Characterization in SiGe/SOI Epitaxial Semiconductors by Positron Annihilation

The potential of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) for defect characterization at the atomic scale in semiconductors has been demonstrated in thin multilayer structures of SiGe (50 nm) grown on UTB (ultra-thin body) SOI (silicon-on-insulator). A slow positron beam was used to probe the defect profile. The SiO2/Si interface in the UTB-SOI was well characterized, and a good estimation of its depth has been obtained. The chemical analysis indicates that the interface does not contain defects, but only strongly localized charged centers. In order to promote the relaxation, the samples have been submitted to a post-growth annealing treatment in vacuum. After this treatment, it was possible to observe the modifications of the defect structure of the relaxed film. Chemical analysis of the SiGe layers suggests a prevalent trapping site surrounded by germanium atoms, presumably Si vacancies associated with misfit dislocations and threading dislocations in the SiGe films

Nano-structures in Al-based alloys

The usefulness of first-principles calculations for studying solute-atom clustering in metal alloys is discussed. This usefulness stems directly from the properties predicted by the calculations or via a related interpretation of experimental results. In this paper we review the results of our computational studies on small solute clusters in Al-based alloys. The predicted coincidence Doppler broadening spectra of the positron annihilation method are used to analyse experimental results. The calculated binding energies of small solute atom clusters explain why Cu atoms form two-dimensional platelets on the (100) planes in Al whereas Zn forms three-dimensional clusters.Peer reviewe