Substrate preparation for thin film deposition—a survey

Surface preparation is an integral part of any thin film deposition process. As the technological demands on films and coatings increase, the need for better and more reproducible surface preparation techniques is also increased. There is a wide variety of approaches to surface preparation and each film-substrate couple and function require specific development. This paper outlines the problems to be considered and some general approaches to surface preparation technologies.     

Synthesis and characterisation of copolyesters from poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(hexamethylene terephthalate)

Copolyesters containing poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(hexamethylene terephthalate) (PHT) were prepared by a melt condensation reaction. The copolymers were characterised by infrared spectroscopy and intrinsic viscosity measurements. The density of the copolyesters decreased with increasing percentage of PHT segments in the backbone. Glass transition temperatures (T_g). melting points (T_m) and crystallisation temperatures (T_c) were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. An increase in the percentage of PHT resulted in decrease in T_g, T_m and T_c. The as-prepared copolyesters were crystalline in nature and no exotherm indicative of cold crystallisation was observed. The relative thermal stability of the polymers was evaluated by dynamic thermogravimetry in a nitrogen atmosphere. An increase in percentage of PHT resulted in a decrease in initial decomposition temperature. The rate of crystallisation of the copolymers was studied by small angle light scattering. An increase in percentage of PHT resulted in an increase in the rate of crystallisation.     

The Athy—Heckel equation applied to granular agglomerates of basic tricalcium phosphate [3Ca3PO4)2·Ca(OH)2]

It is shown that direct compression grade tricalcium phosphate yields linear Heckel plots only if the particle density used is that obtained by liquid pycnometry or mercury porosimetry. If the true density is used (i.e. that obtained by gas displacement), then linearization is not obtained in a pressure range where bonding evidently occurs. It is shown that the pore volume in the range of diameters from 0.5 to 2 μm decreases as tableting pressure increases, and that bonding is associated with the loss of pores of this size.     

Effects ofSolanum glycoalkaloids on chemosensilla in the Colorado potato beetle

Steroidal glycoalkaloids, found in species of the Solanaceae, elicit bursting activity in galeal and tarsal chemosensilla of adult Colorado potato beetles. The effect has an average latency of 6–12 sec, depending on the sensillum/alkaloid combination. A 20-sec alkaloid treatment is often suffficient to render galeal sensilla unresponsive to gamma-aminobutyric acid, normally an effective stimulant. The alkaloids have similar effects on galeal sensilla of larval Colorado potato beetles and on labellar chemosensilla of the blowfly. It is concluded that these compounds act independently of any specialized chemoreceptor in the Colorado potato beetle, and that association of the Colorado potato beetle with solanaceous plants has not led to evolution of a specific receptor forSolanum glycoalkaloids.     

Occupational airway diseases in the metalworking industry Part 1: Respiratory infections, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and emphysema

Occupational airway diseases are now receiving attention in industry, although study is hampered by a lack of readily-available data. The interpretation of the data that is available, and also of the root problems themselves, is itself a difficult problem. This paper has been written as a literature review which it is hoped that other researchers can take either as a starting point or as a refresher.     

Half-bridge inverter using 4H-SiC gate turn-off thyristors

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a half-bridge power inverter constructed from silicon carbide gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) operated in the conventional GTO mode. This circuit was characterized with input bus voltages of up to 600 VDC and 2 A (peak current density of 540 A/cm²) with resistive loads using a pulse-width modulated switching frequency of 2 kHz. We discuss the implications of the thyristor's electrical characteristics and the circuit topology on the overall operation of the half-bridge circuit. This work has determined the conservative critical rate of rise value of the off-state voltage to be 200 V/μs in these devices