Ionic transport studies of the glassy silver vanadomolybdate system

Ionic conductivity of the Ag₂O-MoO₃-V₂0₅ system has been studied over a wide range of frequency, temperature and composition. A narrower glass forming region has been found in comparison to the corresponding Ag₂O-MoO₃-P₂O₅ and Ag₂O-B₂O₃-P₂O₅ systems. The highest conductivity at room temperature, _rt, = 3.21 × 10^–6–1 cm^–1 (d.c.) with an activation energy,E _act, of 0.466 eV, was observed for the glass former's ratio of unity. Further, it reached a maximum value of 2.2 × 10^–2¨-1 cm^–1 withE _act = 0.153 eV when the oxide-base glass was dissolved with Agl. D.c. conductivity, hopping rate and relaxation time in the present system have been found to be characterized by the same activation energy.     

A.c. conductivity for amorphous TeO2-P2O5 glass system

The a.c. conductivity for the TeO₂-P₂O₅ glassy system was measured in the temperature range 300–573 K and in the frequency range 100 Hz to 10 kHz. The a.c. conductivity () increased with frequency according to the relation ()^s. The frequency exponent s was found to decrease with increasing temperature. The composition dependence of the conductivity was also investigated. The density of states was also calculated using the Elliott model. The a.c. conductivity increased over the studied temperature range. The obtained experimental data have been analysed with reference to various theoretical models. The analysis shows that the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model is the most appropriate mechanism for conduction in the TeO₂-P₂O₅ glass system.     

Precision submillimeter wave laser reflection measurements of high-temperature superconductors

Submillimeter wave laser reflection measurements of surface resistance can provide improved capability in the combination of sensitivity, spatial resolution, and frequency range. We have made reflectivity measurements on metals at 1630 GHz with an uncertainty of less than 0.3%. This sensitivity corresponds to a measurement sensitivity for surface resistance of 0.3 . Assuming anf ² frequency scaling of high-temperature superconductor surface resistance from the microwave to the terahertz frequency range, this sensitivity corresponds to about 1 ×10^–5 at 10 GHz. Capability for 10^–7 sensitivity could eventually be possible. Preliminary submillimeter wave reflection measurements of a YBCO thin film have been made with a sensitivity of 1%. Submillimeter wave reflectometry can make it possible to determine the spatial dependence of surface resistance in a wide range of material sizes and shapes. The spatial resolution could be on the order of 0.3–0.5 mm.     

Magnetic field dependence of zero-sound attenuation close to the pair-breaking edge in3He-B due toJ=1−,J z =±1 collective modes

Our previous theory yielded for the Zeeman splitting of the imaginaryJ=1 collective mode in³He-B the result =2+0.25J _z ( is the effective Larmor frequency). In this paper we take into account the downward shift of the pair-breaking edge from 2 to 2₂– (₂ and ₁ are the longitudinal and transverse gap parameters). This leads to a complex Landé factor: the frequencies of theJ _z =±1 components become =2+0.39J _z , and the linewidths of these resonances become finite: =0.18. The coupling amplitudes of theJ _z =±1 components to density are found to be proportional to gap distortion, (₁–₂/(/)². Our results for the ultrasonic attenuation due to theJ _z =±1,J=1 modes are capable of explaining the field dependence of the attenuation close to the pair-breaking edge as observed by Dobbs, Saunders, et al. The observed peak is caused by theJ _z =–1 component: its height increases due to gap distortion as the field is increased, and the peak shifts downward in temperature and its width increases with the field due to the complex Landé factor. TheJ _z =+1 component gives rise to a corresponding dip relative to the continuum attenuation.     

Optical absorption and photoluminescence properties of Eu3+-doped ZnF2–PbO–TeO2 glasses

Several physical, optical absorption and photoluminescence properties of Eu3+-doped ZnF2–PbO–TeO2 glasses have been studied. From the measured intensities of various absorption bands of these glasses the Judd–Ofelt parameters 2, 4 and 6 have been computed. The Judd–Ofelt theory has been applied to characterize the photoluminescence spectra of these glasses. From this theory, various radiative properties, such as transition probability, A, branching ratio, r, and emission cross-section, EP, for various emission levels of these glasses, have been determined and reported. © 1998 Chapman & Hall.     

Ceramic HTSC SQUID-based galvanometer

A highly sensitive galvanometer operating at liquid-nitrogen temperature for direct and low-frequency current measurements was developed on the basis of a HTSC SQUID. The direct-current sensitivity of the galvanometer is approximately 0.5 nA at an internal resistance of about 20 . Its energy resolution in the white noise region is 2 × 10^–21 J/Hz.     

Electrical conductivity in hot-pressed nitrogen ceramics

The a.c. and d.c. electrical conductivities of some hot-pressed polycrystalline nitrogen ceramics have been measured between 400 and 1000° C. The materials examined were Si₃N₄, 5.0% MgO/Si₃N₄ and two sialons, Si_(6–z) · Al _z · O _z · N_(8–z) having z 3.2 and z 4.0 respectively. The electrical behaviour of all the materials showed similar general features. The d.c. conductivities were about 10^{–10 –1} cm^–1 at 400° C and rose to between 10^–6 and 10^{–5 –1} cm^–1 at 1000° C. The a.c. Data, taken over the frequency range 15 Hz to 5 kHz showed that below about 500° C the a.c. conductivity ( _a.c.) varied with frequency as _a.c. ^s where 0.7 _d.c.) agreed well with the relation _d.c. = A exp(–B/T ^1/4). Above 700° C both the a.c. and d.c. conductivities followed log T ^–1. Hall effect and thermoelectric power measurements enabled the Hall mobility to be estimated as less than 10^–4 cm² V^–1 sec^–1 at 400° C and showed that the materials were all p-type below 900° C and n-type above 900° C. The electrical properties of all four materials are consistent with the presence of a glassy phase.     

Semi-insulating iron-doped indium phosphide grown by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapour deposition

(C₅H₅)₂Fe and Fe(CO)₅ were used as the 3d transition-metal dopant sources in the growth of semi-insulating InP epitaxial layers by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD). From the bright- and dark-field images of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, many precipitates were observed. Three extra peaks in the X-ray diffraction pattern were found. The peaks of band-band recombination, donor-acceptor pair recombination transitions and the recombination of donor-acceptor pair with one-phonon emission were observed in the short-wavelength range of low-temperature photoluminescence measurement. Three Fe-related peaks were observed at 0.7079, 0.6897 and 0.6683 Ev. For a wide range (10–600) of In/Fe molar fraction, the resistivity remained at high values (about 10⁸ cm) and the highest resistivity appeared at 5 × 10⁸ cm for a 1 m layer with a breakdown voltage of 9 V.     

Luminescence of Native-Defect p-Type ZnO

p-Type ZnO layers with a resistivity of 10² cm, hole mobility of 23 cm²/(V s), and hole concentration of 10¹⁵cm^–3were grown by radical-beam getter epitaxy, a process involving heat treatment of II–VI crystals in a flow of chalcogen atoms (radicals) and gettering of metal atoms from the crystal bulk. The effect of native defects on the photoluminescence spectra of the layers was studied. The dominant bands in the spectra, those at 370.2 and 400 nm, were attributed to the V _Zn ^×and V _O ^¨vacancies.     

Liquid-Phase Sintering and Properties of Si3N4–TiN Composites

Densification during liquid-phase sintering of Si₃N₄–TiN was studied in the presence of Y₂O₃. The content of TiN was varied from 0–50 mass%. During the densification Y-silicate was formed. The amount of silicate increased with both decreasing fraction of TiN and increasing isothermal heating time. Density, fracture toughness, and electrical resistivity were measured as a function of TiN content. It was found that the density and fracture toughness increased with increasing TiN content. The electrical resistivity drops drastically, from 10¹⁰ m for sintered Si₃N₄ to 10^–3 m for sintered Si₃N₄–TiN composite containing 30 vol% TiN.     

Longitudinal dielectric function and collective surface oscillations in superconductors

The electrodynamic approach to the problem of collective oscillations in superconductors is considered. The kinetic equation for quasiparticles is used to find the longitudinal dielectric function ₁ (, k) of a pure superconductor at ( is the collision frequency). With the help of the evaluated ₁ (, k) the existence of collective oscillations localized near the boundary of the superconductor is investigated.     

Electronic Transport Properties of Speer Carbon Resistors—Experimental Results and Semi-empirical Fits

Speer carbon composition resistors, in particular the 470 and 220 1/2 W grade 1002 resistors, have been used as secondary thermometers at temperatures below 4 K for many years. Their zero field resistances have been measured between 300 K and 4 K using a dip probe. Above 10 K, the resistance behavior can be explained using a simple temperature power law, R(T) R₀/T^0.16. The resistance measurements have been extended to 0.02 K using dilution refrigerators. Between 4 K and 0.3 K, the resistances exhibited activated laws having hopping exponents y 0.5. Below 0.3 K, the 470 resistors exhibit a crossover to a weaker activated law. Crossover resistance expressions suggest that the resistances follow a Mott variable-range hopping (VRH) law below 0.05 K. The low temperature magnetoresistance (MR) data showed changes of less than ±12 % of the zero field resistance values in fields up to 10 T. Fits using the wave function shrinkage and the forward interference models gave only fair agreement with the MR data.     

Varistor characteristics in PTCR-type (Ba,Sr)TiO3 ceramics prepared by single-step firing in air

This paper deals with donor, acceptor-codoped (Ba_0.4Sr_.6)TiO₃ ceramics with distinct varistor characteristics at room temperature, which were prepared by single-step firing in air. The materials, with the Curie point at around –90 °C, exhibited a large PTCR (positive temperature coefficient of resistivity) effect of more than seven orders of magnitude in the temperature range –90 °C (the resistivity 10³ · cm) to room temperature ( > 10¹⁰ · cm). An apparent dielectric constant of >20000 and tan < 0.05 (at 100 kHz) were observed for the present materials at room temperature, and moreover, the materials exhibited nonlinear current-voltage characteristics with the nonlinear coefficient, , in the range 7–12 and the varistor field, E_v, in the range 0.3–1.0 kV/cm. The value of in the present materials increased systematically with increasing in their PTCR temperature range. It has been found that there exists a close correlation between and the grain-boundary potential barrier height, e, obtained from the -T characteristic of the materials. An almost linear relationship was also found to exist between and log E_v for the present materials.     

A study of the crystallization process of Na1.6Zn0.8Si1.2O4 glass and the ionic conductivity properties of partially crystallized samples

The crystallization process of Na_1.6Zn_0.8Si_1.2O₄ glass was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction and the platinum/carbon replication technique. Partially crystallized samples were made by rapidly cooling samples from elevated temperatures using the DSC apparatus, and the ionic conductivity of the materials was determined by means of impedance measurements conducted at lower temperatures where the crystallization rate was negligible. The glass was found to crystallize at 830 K by precipitation and three-dimensional grain-growth of a crystobalite-type phase with the same composition as the glass. The overall activation energy for the crystallization process was determined from isothermal DSC measurements to be 340 kJ mol^–1. The bulk ionic conductivity for partially crystallized samples increases smoothly from 9.3 x 10^–5( cm)^–1 at 600 K for the glass to 2.4 x 10^–3( cm)^–1 for the crystallized material.     

Methodology for the determination of the interfacial properties of brittle matrix composites

The interfacial properties of a glass-ceramic matrix composite (SiC/CAS) were determined from single-fibre push-out tests using the interfacial test system. The coefficient of friction, , the residual clamping stress, _c, and fibre axial residual stress, _z , were extracted by fitting the experimental stress versus fibre-end displacement curves using the models of Hsueh, and Kerans and Parthasarathy. Using Hsueh's model, the intrinsic interfacial frictional stress (=_c) was found to be 11.1±3.2 MPa, whereas by using Kerans-Parthasarathy's model it was found to be 8.2±1.5 MPa. Comparisons between these models are included, together with a discussion of data analysis techniques.Nomenclature _z Axial fibre residual stress (Pa) - ^* Effective clamping stress (Pa) - _c Residual clamping stress (Pa) - _p Poisson's effect-induced clamping stress (Pa) - _d ⁰ Debond stress in the absence of residual stresses (Pa) - _d Experimental debond stress (Pa) - Compressive applied stress (Pa) - Interfacial shear stress (Pa) - u Fibre-end displacement (m) - h Debond length (m) - r Fibre radius (m) - E _f Fibre Young's modulus (Pa) - E _m Matrix Young's modulus (Pa) - v _f Fibre Poisson's ratio (dimensionless) - v _m Matrix Poisson's ratio (dimensionless) - f Fibre volume fraction (dimensionless) - k Parameter (dimensionless) - D Parameter (dimensionless) - Interfacial coefficient of friction (dimensionless) - G _i Interface toughness (J m^–2) - C _m Load-train compliance (m N^–1)     

Preparation and electrical properties of ITO thin films by dip-coating process

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared on quartz glass substrates by a dip-coating process. The starting solution was prepared by mixing indium chloride dissolved in acetylacetone and tin chloride dissolved in ethanol. The ITO thin films containing 0 20 mol% SnO₂ were successfully prepared by heat-treatment at above 400 °C. Chemical stability of sol were investigated by using a FTIR spectrometer. The electrical resistivity of the thin films decreased with increasing heat-treatment temperature, that is carrier concentration increased, and mobility decreased with increasing SnO₂ content. The ITO thin films containing 12 mol% SnO₂ showed the minimum resistivity of =1.2 × 10^–3 ( cm). It also showed high carrier concentration of N=1.2 × 10²⁰(cm^–3) and mobility _H=7.0(cm² V^–1 s^–1).     

The optical properties and a.c. conductivity of magnesium phosphate glasses

Magnesium phosphate [X MgO-(100–X) P₂O₅] glasses in the composition range [X=20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50 mol %] have been made. The optical properties and a.c. conductivities were measured and their amorphous nature confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique. The variation of relative density with x was anomalous. In the ultraviolet/visible regions it was found that the fundamental absorption edge is a function of glass compositions and lower absorption coefficients, () follow the so-called Urbach edge. At lower absorption levels (1<<10⁴cm^–1), the width of the tail of localized states in the band gap, E _g, did not vary significantly with glass composition and lay in the range (0.26–0.343) eV. In the high absorption region (()>10⁴ cm^–1), the behaviour of () suggests that there are two different transition energies for electrons in k-space, namely direct allowed transitions and non-direct transitions. In the infrared region at wavelengths =2.5–30 m, the transmission spectrum has four absorption bands. Using the Kramers-Kronig theory, the optical constants (refractive index n and extinction coefficient k) have been determined from the transmission spectrum. The a.c. conductivity, (), real and imaginary dielectric constants, ₁, ₂, and loss factor, tan , have been determined at room temperature in the frequency region, = 2×10⁴–10⁶ Hz. It has previously been established theoretically that () ^s and s was found to be in the range 0.64–0.73, depending on glass composition.     

Preparation and characterization of YBa2Cu3O7?x samples for microwave applications

We prepared several samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x thick films electrophoretically deposited on metallic substrates, thin films sputtered on dielectric substrates, and bulk pellets, and we tested their microwave properties. Various preparation techniques are described in detail and the importance of appropriate thermal treatment during the fabrication process is emphasized. Experimental results show that electrophoretically deposited thick films on silver substrates reached, after heat treatment, a surface resistance at 50 K of 4×10^–2 comparable with the silver value, while the same measurement before sinterization gave a value of 0.5 . Either bulk pellets or thin films gave worse results, though a lack of sensitivity in our experimental apparatus could have influenced our data. The problem of sensitivity in the characterization of microwave properties of small samples is discussed in the appendices.     

Low-resistance standard measures of resistance

The construction and results of an investigation of lowresistance measures of electrical resistance (10 su–1), 1 ) for use in dc and ac circuits are described. The measures are used as standard measures of resistance and also as scale conveners in the State special and working standards of ac power.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 10, pp. 52–53, October, 1994.