Suppression of the uranium-hydrogen reaction using high-dose carbon implantation

We have previously reported the delay and reduction of the hydriding of uranium by implantation of oxygen. The reduced hydriding was attributed to the presence of the uranium oxide layer created near room temperature. In this paper we present results for the layers formed by implantation of 80 keV C/sup +/ to a dose of 8E17 C/cm/sup 2/. The carbide layers formed were characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, and glancing angle x-ray diffraction. Hydriding properties of both non-implanted and implanted uranium were measured for 76 Torr hydrogen at 130/sup 0/C. The implanted specimens had significantly longer incubation times for the start of the reaction after exposure to hydrogen and less area participating in the reaction

Applications of simultaneous ion backscattering and ion-induced x-ray emission

Simultaneous ion backscattering and ion-induced x-ray emission (E/sub x/greater than or equal to 300 eV) analyses have been performed using helium ions as probes of the first few hundred nanometers of various materials. These studies serve as a demonstration of the complementary nature of the two types of information obtained. Uncertainties associated with each of the individual techniques were reduced by performing both analyses. The principal advantages of simultaneous analyses over sequential analyses have been delineated

Considerations for application of Si(Li) detectors in analyses of sub-keV, ion-induced x rays

Spectroscopy of ion-induced x rays is commonly performed using lithium-drifted, silicon detectors, Si(Li), with beryllium windows. Strong absorption of x rays with energies below 1 keV occurs in even the thinnest commercially available beryllium windows and precludes useful analysis of sub-keV x rays. Access to the sub-keV x ray region can be achieved using windowless (WL) and ultra-thin-windowed (UTW) Si(Li) detectors. These detectors have been shown to be useful for spectroscopy of x rays with energies above approximately 200 eV. The properties of such detectors are reviewed with regard to analysis of ion-induced x rays. In particular, considerations of detection efficiency, output linearity, energy resolution, peak shapes, and vacuum requirements are presented. The use of ion excitation for determination of many detector properties serves to demonstrate the usefulness of WL and UTW detectors for the spectroscopy of sub-keV, ion-induced x rays. 23 refs., 4 figs

Analysis of oxygen on and in beryllium using 2 MeV helium ions

Analysis of oxygen on beryllium can be routinely performed using helium-ion backscattering (RBS). However, determination of the bulk oxygen concentration by this technique is limited to about 350 atomic parts per million (appM). We have performed simultaneous RBS and particle-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) measurements to improve the detection limit for bulk oxygen. The RBS measurements allowed determination of the surface oxygen before and after in-situ sputter cleaning by argon ions in an ultra-high-vacuum system. PIXE measurements of specimens with surfaces maintained clean by sputtering permitted assessment of the concentration of oxygen in the bulk. For our geometry and detector sensitivities, 90% of the oxygen x-ray signal originated in the first 2.1 ..mu..m of the beryllium and a detection limit of 10 appM was found. 12 refs., 3 figs

Atomic scale enhancement of the adhesion of beryllium films to carbon substrates

We have used 200 keV carbon ions to enhance the adhesion of 240-nm thick Be films to polished, vitreous carbon substrates. Adhesion of the as-deposited films was below that necessary to pass the scotch-tape test. Carbon ion fluences less than 1.6x10{sup 14} C/cm{sup 2} were sufficient to ensure the passage of the tape test without affecting the optical properties of the films. Adhesion failure of the as-deposited film was attributed to an inner oxide layer between the Be and the carbon. Because this oxide ({approximately}5 nm of BeO) was not measurably changed by the irradiation process, these results are consistent with adhesion enhancement occurring on the atomic scale at the interface between the inner oxide and the carbon substrate. This conclusion was supported by Rutherford backscattering (RBS) data, and potential adhesion mechanisms are discussed with consideration of relative contributions from electronic and nuclear stopping

Modification of the hydriding of uranium using ion implantation

The hydriding of depleted uranium at 76 Torr hydrogen and 130/sup 0/C has been significantly reduced by implantation of oxygen ions. The high-dose implanted specimens had incubation times for the initiation of the reaction after exposure to hydrogen that exceeded those of the nonimplanted specimens by more than a factor of eight. Furthermore, the nonimplanted specimens consumed enough hydrogen to cause macroscopic flaking of essentially the entire surface in times much less than the incubation time for the high-dose implanted specimens. In contrast, the ion-implanted specimens reacted only at isolated spots with the major fraction of the surface area unaffected by the hydrogen exposure

Synthesis and Characterization of Nanowires

With the dimensions of components in microelectronic circuits shrinking, the phenomena associated with electronic conduction through wires and with device operation can be expected to change. For example, as the length of electrical conductors is reduced, ballistic transport will become the main mode of conduction. Sufficient reduction in the cross sectional area of conductors can lead to quantum confinement effects. Prior knowledge of the phenomena associated with decreasing size should help guide the designers of future, smaller devices in terms of geometry and materials. However, prior knowledge requires the availability of sufficiently small nanowires for experiments. To date, the smallest nanowires that have been fabricated and investigated had diameters of 8 nm. We propose to extend the investigation of these size-related phenomena by synthesizing, using a novel version of nuclear, or ion, track lithography and characterizing, physically and electrically, nanowires with diameters D of 1 to 5 nm and lengths L of 2 to 250 nm. Thus, by varying the dimensions of the nanowires, we will be able to determine experimentally when the ideas of macroscopic conductance break down and the conductance becomes dominated by quantum and ballistic effects. In our approach the nature of the small-diameter nanostructure formed can be controlled: Nanowires are formed when L/D is large, and quantum dots are formed when both L and D are small. Theoretical calculations will be performed to both guide and understand the experimental studies. We have examined several aspects of this challenging problem and generated some promising results, but the project was not extended for the second year as planned. Thus, we did not have sufficient resources to complete the proof of concept