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Over the last decade, the interstitial alloying of niobium has proven to be essential for enabling superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities to operate more efficiently at high accelerating gradients. The discovery of "nitrogen doping" was the first readily accessible avenue of interstitial alloying in which researchers saw an increase in cavity performance. However, the serendipitous nature of the discovery led to additional research to fundamentally understand the physics behind the increase in cavity performance. This knowledge gap is bridged by materials characterization. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a characterization technique which has become a staple of SRF cavity characterization that details elemental concentration profiles as a function of depth into the niobium surface with submicron resolution. SIMS has been widely used by the semiconductor industry for decades but has found less application in other fields due to the difficulty to produce reproducible data for polycrystalline materials. Much effort has been given to reduce the uncertainty of SIMS results to as low as 1% - 2% for single crystals. However, less attention has been given to polycrystalline materials with uncertainty values reported between 40% - 50% The sources of uncertainty were found to be deterministic in nature and therefore could be mitigated to produce reliable results. This dissertation documents the efforts to reduce SIMS method uncertainty which has been further used to solve mysteries regarding the characterization of SRF cavities which include predictive modeling of oxygen diffusion as well as the identification of contaminants resulting from cavity furnace treatments. / Doctor of Philosophy / Particle accelerators find many uses in society in which their complexity depends on their intended purpose. These purposes vary from projecting an image as in cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs, to creating high energy x-rays for life saving cancer treatments, to researching the very fundamental principles of science and physics. The later uses particle accelerators which are very large, spanning multiple miles, and run at extremely high energies. To keep operational costs reasonable, these instruments need to run as efficiently as possible. Therefore, superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) niobium cavities are used and are responsible for propulsion of charged particles. Although, niobium SRF cavities can pass incredibly high currents with very little surface resistance, these high-end particle accelerators push the operational boundaries of efficiency. To improve the efficiency of these cavities, an optimal concentration of impurities, such as oxygen and nitrogen, are added to the niobium surface. The addition of an impurity level that is too high or too low causes the resistance to increase which translates to higher operational costs. Therefore, it is important to accurately determine the concentration of impurities within the niobium and with high depth resolution. Secondary ion mass spectrometry is a characterization method that uses a primary ion beam to impact the surface of a material to remove atoms at the very surface. The ejected atoms are then ionized into a secondary beam which can then be detected to determine the concentration and to identify the species which was removed. Historically, this instrument has yielded results with 40% - 50% uncertainty for polycrystalline metals, such as niobium, which do not sputter evenly. With SRF cavity performance depending on accurate quantitation of impurities, a more robust method is needed. Therefore, this dissertation identifies issues which cause high uncertainties for polycrystalline materials and in addition offers mitigation strategies to reduce uncertainty to below 10%. These methods were then applied to solve real problems aimed to improve the production of niobium SRF cavities.

GaN has the potential to revolutionize the high power electronics industry, enabling high voltage applications and better power conversion efficiency due to its intrinsic material properties and newly available high purity bulk substrates. However, unintentional impurity incorporation needs to be reduced. This reduction can be accomplished by reducing the source of contamination and exploration of extreme growth conditions which reduce the incorporation of these contaminants. Newly available bulk substrates with low threading dislocations allow for better study of material properties, as opposed to material whose properties are dominated by structural and chemical defects. In addition, very thick films can be grown without cracking due to exact lattice and thermal expansion coefficient match. Through chemical and electrical measurements, this work aims to find growth conditions which reduces contamination without a severe impact on growth rate, which is an important factor from an industry standpoint. The proposed thicknesses of these devices are on the order of one hundred microns and requires tight control of the intentional dopants. / Doctor of Philosophy / GaN is a compound semiconductor which has the potential to revolutionize the high power electronics industry, enabling new applications and energy savings due to its inherent material properties. However, material quality and purity requires improvement. This improvement can be accomplished by reducing contamination and growing under extreme conditions. Newly available bulk substrates with low defects allow for better study of material properties. In addition, very thick films can be grown without cracking on these substrates due to exact lattice and thermal expansion coefficient match. Through chemical and electrical measurements, this work aims to find optimal growth conditions for high purity GaN without a severe impact on growth rate, which is an important factor from an industry standpoint. The proposed thicknesses of these devices are on the order of one hundred microns and requires tight control of impurities.

Compared to unmodified carbons and even some metal materials, nitrogen-doped carbons have been found to exhibit better performance for reducing oxygen-oxygen bonds, a key step in electroreduction of both O2 (an important reaction in energy applications) and H2O2 (an important reaction in sensing and biosensing). Previous studies from our lab revealed that thermal decomposition of urea in the presence of carbon fiber (CF) results in N-doped that exhibited good electrocatalytic properties for H2O2 reduction. However, previous methods of sealing ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) made from N-doped CF using laser heating of borosilicate capillaries and epoxy seemed to affect surface nitrogen contents and electrocatalytic properties. In this work, we evaluate paraffin sealing as a strategy for preparing UMEs in a way that minimizes effects on important surface nitrogen species so that electrocatalytic properties of the N-doped CF towards H2O2 reduction can be retained.

The present work studies the disorder in ion-implanted and ion-etched GaAs semiconductors. The primary targets in this study consist of two types of systems:45-keV Be⁺-implanted GaAs and low-energy Ar⁺-etched GaAs. Electronic and lattice structural disorder in these systems are investigated by means of optical reflectivity measurements and Raman-scattering techniques. Visible-ultraviolet reflectivity measurements have identified finite-size effects on the interband electronic excitations in microcrystalline GaAs (μ-GaAs), which is known from previous work to exist in Be⁺-implanted disordered GaAs. The optical properties of μ-GaAs differ appreciably from those of the bulk crystal, the difference increasing with L⁻¹, the inverse of the characteristic size of the microcrystals. The linewidths of the prominent interband features E₁, E₁+∆₁, and E₂ increase linearly and rapidly with inverse microcrystal size: Γ_μ = Γ₀ + AL⁻¹, where Γ₀ (Γ_μ) is the linewidth in the bulk crystal (μ-GaAs), and A is a constant. A simple theory is proposed which semi-quantitatively accounts for the observed size effects. Small microcrystal size implies a short time for an excited carrier to reach, and to be scattered by, the microcrystal boundary, thus limiting the excited-state lifetime and broadening the excited-state energy. An alternative uncertainty-principle argument is also given in terms of the confinement-induced k-space broadening of electron states. The near-surface structural disorder in Ar⁺-etched GaAs has been investigated using a combination of Raman scattering and optical reflectivity measurements. The longitudinal optical (LO) Raman mode in the ion-damaged medium preserves its crystalline lineshape, indicating that the crystalline long-range order is retained in the disordered structure. The structural damage is depth-profiled with LO Raman intensity measurements together with wet chemical etching. A graded damage model proposed in the work well explains the observed LO intensity in the ion-damaged, chemical-etched GaAs. The reflectivity measurements qualitatively support the Raman scattering findings. In addition, the reflectivity spectrum exhibits a red-shift of the peaks associated with the interband electronic transitions. Such a peak shift is likely to arise from the electron-defect interaction in the disordered surface medium. / Ph. D.

Title: Development of doping and its prohibition in modern Olympism. Objectives: The main goal of the thesis is to present issues of doping. Partial goal is to outline the development of the modern Olympic Movement and to identify the principal points in the development of doping ban, which resulted in the current form of the anti-doping movement. Methods: This is a theoretical thesis. The scientific methods of historical research and document analysis were used to achieve the targets. Results: New substances and methods, that can improve athletic performance, are constantly discovered. However in case of excessive use, these substances can harm human body. Therefore it is necessary to guard their abuse. Unfortunately the biggest breakthroughs in doping prohibition came after athlete's deaths (caused by doping). International Olympic Committee played a fundamental role in the process of doping ban. IOC initiated establish of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999. WADA currently provides a really efficient fight against doping in sport. Keywords: Doping, prohibited substances, anti-doping policy, Olympic Movement, IOC, WADA.

This diploma thesis aims to describe and examine the legal framework of the anti-doping system, which is a phenomenon of top-level sport, i.e. the rules controlling institutions, legal rules, arbitration procedure etc. At the beginning of the thesis, the author would like to describe to its readers the history and the origin of the term "doping" as itself and how it developed both in the modern sport history and also as a term important for arbitral proceedings. Next chapter is related to the system of the testing, starting with a preventive control ad testing related to it. Numerous chapters present together an extensive overview of the anti- doping program, the legal system related to it and its debated issues with connections to several legal branches. After the testing proves a positive finding, the sportsmen face a serious risk of being punished (if some of the exception do not apply) because of the strict liability. Since this kind of liability might seem harsh for many, the author presents to readers both the opinions in favor of this system and against its use. The anti-doping system and its rules, the World Anti- Doping Code, changes continuously, therefore author decided to also stress out the most important changes which were brought with the last amendment of the Code, which is effective...

Light emitting transistors (LETs) and transistor lasers (TLs) are newly-emerging optoelectronic devices capable of emitting spontaneous or stimulated light while performing transistor actions. This dissertation describes the design, growth, and performances of long wavelength LETs and TLs based on InAlGaAs/InP material system. First, the doping behaviors of zinc (Zn) and carbon (C) in InAlGaAs layers for p-type doping were investigated. Using both dopants, the N-InP/p-In0.52(AlxGa1-x)0.48As/N-In0.52Al0.48As LETs with InGaAs quantum wells (QWs) in the base demonstrate both light emission and current gains (β). The device performances of Zn- and C-doped LETs have been compared, which is explained by a charge control analysis involving the quantum capture and recombination process in the QWs. A TL based on a C-doped double heterostructure (DH-TL) with single QW was designed and fabricated. The device lases at 77 K with a threshold current density (Jth) of 2.25 kA/cm2, emission wavelength (λ) at ~1.55 µm, and β of 0.02. The strong intervalence band absorption (IVBA) is considered as the main intrinsic optical loss that prohibits the device from lasing at room temperature. Based on a threshold condition analysis taking into account the strong IVBA, it is found that room-temperature lasing of a DH-TL is achieved only when the base thickness and doping level are within a specific narrow range and improved performance is expected in a separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) TL.

Die missbräuchliche Anwendung von anabolen Substanzen erfolgt mit dem Ziel eines verstärkten Muskelaufbaus - im Sport zur Leistungsverbesserung, in der Tierzucht zum Erreichen von Zuchtidealen oder bei der Masttierhaltung zur Produktivitätssteigerung. Bisher wurden Doping- oder Medikationskontrollen zum Nachweis von anabolen Steroidhormonen üblicherweise im Urin bzw. im Blut durchgeführt. Für bestimmte Fragestellungen kann der analysierbare Zeitraum allerdings unzureichend sein oder aber die Untersuchungsmaterialien sind unter praktischen Gegebenheiten nur eingeschränkt verfügbar. Das Sammeln von Urinproben ist beispielsweise bei Zuchthengsten nur mit einem unverhältnismäßig hohen Aufwand realisierbar. Haare stellen in solchen Situationen eine Alternative dar, da sich das Entnahmeverfahren unkompliziert gestaltet und bei einer entsprechenden Haarlänge die eingelagerten Fremdstoffe länger als in Urin- oder Blutproben detektierbar sein sollten. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein effektiver Langzeitnachweis für insgesamt 11 anabole Substanzen in Pferdehaar-Proben mittels GC-HRMS und GC-MS/MS entwickelt (Nachweisgrenzen zwischen 0,1 und 5,0 pg/mg). Dabei können zum einen körperfremde anabole Wirkstoffe (z. B. Steroidester in Depotpräparaten) und zum anderen körper-eigene Steroide analysiert werden (z. B. Testosteron und Nandrolon beim Hengst). In verschiedenen Applikationsversuchen wurde gezeigt, dass durch eine Haaranalyse der Nachweis bis zu einem Jahr möglich ist. Für die endogene Nandrolonmenge in Schweifproben von unbehandelten Hengsten wurde eine signifikante Altersabhängigkeit festgestellt. Die ermittelten physiologischen Höchstkonzentrationen für Nandrolon betragen zwischen 1,1 pg/mg bei Junghengsten (1-3 Jahre) und 3,1 pg/mg bei Althengsten (11-20 Jahre). Die Bestimmung von Nandrolon in Haarproben erwies sich für die Körungskontrollen bei Junghengsten als ein geeignetes Verfahren zur Detektion einer exogenen Zufuhr. Die Untersuchung von Haaren ist zum Langzeitnachweis als Alternative gegenüber Blut- und Urinanalysen vorzuziehen, auch wenn sich retrospektiv nicht alle Fragen zum Behandlungsablauf präzise klären lassen (z. B. Angaben zur Dosierung oder zum genauen Applikationszeitpunkt). Das neu etablierte Verfahren ist außerdem die Methode der Wahl, wenn die Verfügbarkeit der übrigen Probematerialien eingeschränkt bzw. eine einfache und schnelle Beprobung erforderlich ist. Es wird bereits zur Medikationskontrolle bei Zuchthengsten sowie bei speziellen forensischen Untersuchungen eingesetzt.