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<p>Dry etching is an important technique for pattern transferin fabrication of most opto-electronic devices, since it canprovide good control of both structure size and shape even on asub-micron scale. Unfortunately, this process step may causedamage to the material which is detrimental to deviceperformance. It is therefore an objective of this thesis todevelop and investigate low damage etching processes for InPbased devices.</p><p>An ion beam system in combination with hydrocarbon (CH₄) based chemistries is used for etching. At variousion energies and gas flows the etching is performed in twomodes, reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) and chemical assistedion beam etching (CAIBE). How these conditions affect both etchcharacteristics (e.g. etch rates and profiles, surfacemorphology and polymer formation) and etch induced damage (onoptical and electrical properties) is evaluated and discussed.Attention is also paid to the effects of typical post etchingtreatments such as annealing on the optical and electricalproperties. An important finding is the correlation betweenas-etched surface morphology and recovery/degradation inphotoluminescence upon annealing in PH₃. Since this type of atmosphere is typical forcrystal regrowth (an important process step in III/Vprocessing) a positive result is imperative. A low ion energy N₂/CH₄/H₂CAIBE process is developed which not onlysatisfies this criteria but also exhibits good etchcharacteristics. This process is used successfully in thefabrication of laser gratings. In addition to this, the abilityof the ion beam system to modify the surface morphology in acontrollable manner is exploited. By exposing such modifiedsurfaces to AsH₃/PH₃, a new way to vary size and density of InAs(P)islands formed on the InP surfaces by the As/P exchangereaction is presented.</p><p>This thesis also proposes a new etch chemistry, namelytrimethylamine ((CH₃)₃N or TMA), which is a more efficient methyl sourcecompared to CH₄because of the low energy required to break the H₃C-N bond. Since methyl radicals are needed for theetching it is presumably a better etching chemistry. A similarinvestigation as for the CH₄chemistry is performed, and it is found that bothin terms of etch characteristics and etch induced damage thisnew chemistry is superior. Extremely smooth morphologies, lowetch induced damage and an almost complete recovery uponannealing can be obtained with this process. Significantly,this is also so at relatively high ion energies which allowshigher etch rates.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>InP, dry etching, ion beam etching, RIBE,CAIBE, hydrocarbon chemistry, trimethylamine, As/P exchangereaction, morpholoy, low damage, AFM, SCM, annealing</p>

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden elementare, plasma-relevante Ion-Molekül-Reaktionen in der Gasphase mit einer Guided Ion Beam (GIB)-Apparatur untersucht. Es werden Geschwindigkeitsverteilungen und absolute integrale Reaktionsquerschnitte für die Produkte der Reaktionen 40Ar+/36Ar+ + 40Ar und N2+ + CH4/CD4 für Stoßenergien zwischen 0.1 und 3.5 eV angegeben. Die Ergebnisse lassen Rückschlüsse auf die Dynamik der reaktiven Stöße zu. Bei dem resonanten, symmetrischen Ladungstransferprozeß können 40Ar+-Primär- und Produkt-Ionen aufgrund ihrer unterschiedlichen Flugzeit getrennt nachgewiesen werden. Bei der quasi-resonanten, nicht-symmetrischen Reaktion wird ein isotopenselektierter 36Ar+-Ionenstrahl verwendet, um den Nachweis von 40Ar+-Produkten nicht zu beeinträchtigen. Die Geschwindigkeitsverteilungen dieser Produkte zeigen einen zusätzlichen Anteil von Ionen, die im Schwerpunktsystem vorwärts gestreut werden. Alle Ausgangskanäle der Reaktion N2+ + CX4 (X = H, D) wurden experimentell nachgewiesen. Aus den gemessenen integralen Querschnitten ergibt sich CX3+ als das häufigste Produkt mit einem Anteil von über 85%. Protonierte Produkte werden gegenüber deuterierten bevorzugt. Geschwindigkeitsverteilungen zeigen, daß die Produkte sowohl aus dem Zerfall eines langlebigen Zwischenkomplexes als auch durch einen direkten Prozeß gebildet werden. Oberhalb einer Stoßenergie von 0.5 eV überwiegt der direkte Prozeß. Es wird kein Unterschied im Reaktionsmechanismus von protonierten und deuterierten Produkten gleicher Art festgestellt.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Messungen zur Multiphotonenanregung von HCl durchgeführt. Die untersuchten Moleküle wurden dabei in einem Molekularstrahl innerhalb eines Vierpols durch Laserlicht variabler Wellenlänge angeregt. Bei verlustfreier Führung im Vierpol konnten die dabei entstandenen Ionen anhand ihrer Flugzeit bestimmt werden. Die Aufnahme von Wellenlängenspektren für einzelne Massen ermöglichte die Bestimmung der am Zerfall des Moleküls beteiligten resonanten Zwischenzustände. Eine Analyse der Flugzeitspektren der Protonen führte zu genaueren Aussagen über die vorliegenden Zerfallskanäle. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit wurde dabei auf die Ionenpaarbildung, H+ + Cl-, gelegt.

Uranium-zirconium (U-Zr) alloys comprise a class of metallic nuclear fuel that is regularly considered for application in fast nuclear energy systems. The U-10wt%Zr alloy has been demonstrated to very high burnup without cladding breach in the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II). This was accomplished by successfully accommodating gaseous fission products with low smear density fuel and an enlarged cladding plenum. Fission gas swelling behavior of the fuel has been experimentally revealed to be significantly affected by the temperature gradient within a fuel pin and the multiple phase morphologies that exist across the fuel pin. However, the phase effects on swelling behavior have not been yet fully accounted for in existing fuel performance models which tend to assume the fuel exists as a homogeneous single phase medium across the entire fuel pin. Phase effects on gas bubble nucleation and growth in the alloy were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To achieve this end, a comprehensive examination of the alloy system was carried out. This included the fabrication of uranium alloys containing 0.1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt% zirconium by melt-casting. These alloys were characterized using electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Once the alloys were satisfactorily characterized, selected U-Zr alloys were irradiated with 140 keV He^(+) ions at fluences ranging from 1 × 10^(14) to 5 × 10^(16) ions/cm^(2). Metallographic and micro-chemical analysis of the alloys indicated that annealing at 600 °C equilibrates the alloys within 168 h to have stable α-U and δ-UZr_(2) phase morphologies. This was in contrast to some reported data that showed kinetically sluggish δ-UZr_(2) phase formation. Phase transformation temperatures and enthalpies were measured using DSC-TGA for each of the alloys. Measured temperatures from different time annealed alloys have shown consistent matches with most of the features in the current U-Zr phase diagram which further augmented the EPMA observed microstructural equilibrium. Nevertheless, quantitative transformation enthalpy analysis also suggests potential errors in the existing U-Zr binary phase diagram. More specifically, the (β-U, γ2) phase region does not appear to be present in Zr-rich (> 15 wt%) U-Zr alloys and so further investigation may be required. To prepare TEM specimens, characterized U-Zr alloys were mechanically thinned to a thickness of ~150 μm, and then electropolished using a 5% perchloric acid/95% methanol electrolyte. Uranium-rich phase was preferentially thinned in two phase alloys, giving saw-tooth shaped perforated boundaries; the alloy images were very clear and alloy characterization was accomplished. During in-situ heating U-10Zr and U-20Zr alloys up to 810 °C, selected area diffraction (SAD) patterns were observed as the structure evolved up to ~690 °C and the expected α-U → β-U phase transformation at 662 °C was never observed. For the temperature range of the (α-U, γ2) phase region, phase transformation driven diffusion was observed as uranium moved into Zr-rich phase matrix in U-20Zr alloy; this was noted as nonuniform bridging of adjacent phase lamellae in the alloy. From the irradiation tests, nano-scale voids were discovered to be evenly distributed over several micrometers in U-40Zr alloys. For the alloys irradiated at the fluences of 1 × 10^(16) and 5 × 10^(16) ions/cm^(2), estimated void densities were proportional to the irradiation doses, (250 ± 40) and (1460 ± 30) /μm^(2), while void sizes were fairly constant, (6.0 ± 1.5) and (5.2 ± 1.2) nm, respectively. Measured data could be foundational inputs to the further development of a semi-empirical metal fuel performance model.

I have investigated gap plasmon mode of an eccentric coaxial waveguide structure using effective index method. The results found good agreement with fully-vectorial numerical calculation. In the eccentric structure, a strong field localization has been noticed at and around the smallest gap. Analysis showed the increase of effective index of lowest-order waveguide mode to 3.7 in the structure considered with a 2 nm minimum gap for a wavelength of 4 micrometer. In the visible regime, the effective index increases to over 10 for the same structure. Nanohole arrays, both flowover and flow-through formats, have been fabricated using focused ion beam (FIB). A 2-color LED-based nanohole sensor has been presented. The objective of the sensing platform was to register mutually opposite intensity change of transmitted light when the dielectric medium of metal-dielectric interface of the nanohole sensor undergoes a change. A number of tests with microfluidics setup demonstrated the proof-of-concept.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Oct. 22, 2009). Thesis advisor: Kate Jones. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

A Penning-type surface-plasma negative hydrogen (H^-) ion source has been delivering beam at the ISIS pulsed spallation neutron and muon facility for over thirty years. It is one of the most powerful and well-renowned H^- sources in the world. Although long-term experience has allowed the source to be operated reliably and set up in a repeatable way, it is treated as something of a 'black box': the detailed plasma physics of why it works has always been unclear. A vacuum Vessel for Extraction and Source Plasma Analyses (VESPA) has been developed to understand the ISIS ion source plasma and improve the beam extracted from it. The VESPA ion source is operated in a completely new regime whereby the analysing sector dipole magnet housed inside a refrigerated 'cold box', presently used on ISIS, is replaced by an on-axis extraction system. The new extraction system incorporates a novel einzel lens with an elliptical aperture. This is the first demonstration of an elliptical einzel being used to focus an asymmetric H^- ion beam. With the dipole magnet removed, the ion source has been shown to produce 85 mA of H^- beam current at normal settings; of which 80 mA is transported through the new einzel lens system, with a normalised RMS emittance of 0.2 &pi; mm mrad. Optical emission spectroscopy measurements have shown a plasma density of 10¹⁹ m^–3, an H₂ dissociation rate of 70%, an almost constant electron temperature of 3.5 eV and an atomic temperature which linearly increases above the electron temperature. In support of these principal measurements, rigorous particle tracking, electrostatic and thermal simulations were performed. In addition, a suite of new equipment was manufactured by the author. This includes a fast pressure gauge, a temperature controller, a high voltage einzel lens circuit, a fast beam chopper and a caesium detection system.

Dans les nouvelles centrales nucléaires dites 4ème génération, comme d’ailleurs les anciennes, le dioxyde d’uranium devra opérer dans des milieux hostiles de températures et d’irradiation avec la présence des produits de fission (PF) et des particules alpha (α). Le fonctionnement dans ces conditions extrêmes induira des déplacements d’atomes et dégradera les propriétés thermiques et mécaniques du combustible UO2. La compréhension du comportement des défauts lacunaires, des PF et de l’hélium est cruciale pour prévoir le comportement du dioxyde d’uranium au sein de ces futures installations nucléaires. La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée à l’étude des défauts lacunaires induits par l’implantation de krypton et d’iode (quelques MeV) dans l’UO2 polycristallin et leurs stades de recuits. L’analyse par spectroscopie d’annihilation de positons (PAS) a permis de mettre en évidence la création de défauts de Schottky VU-2VO dans le cas des implantations iode et la formation de clusters lacunaires contenant du gaz pour les implantations krypton. L’évolution en température de ces défauts générés dépend des paramètres d’implantation (nature des ions, énergie, fluence). Cette étude a montré les rôles importants que peuvent jouer les défauts lacunaires et la présence des gaz de fission dans l’évolution du matériau UO2. Ensuite, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’étude et à la caractérisation, par PAS et les techniques d’analyse par faisceau d’ions (NRA/C et RBS/C), du comportement de l’hélium dans l’UO2. Les mesures de NRA/C et RBS/C révèlent une localisation d’une grande fraction d’hélium dans les sites interstitiels octaédriques de la matrice UO2. La localisation de l’hélium reste stable dans ces sites pour T< 600°C, évoluent légèrement entre 600 et 700°C et devient aléatoire à 800°C. Les mesures PAS mettent en évidence trois stades d’évolution des défauts lacunaires : la recombinaison par migration des interstitiels d’oxygène, l’agglomération des défauts entre 600 et 800°C et leur dissociation et élimination lorsque la température augmente. Ces résultats suggèrent que le transport d'hélium est assisté par les défauts lacunaires. / In the new fourth generation nuclear plants, as in the old ones, uranium dioxide must operate in hostile environments of temperature and irradiation with the presence of fission products (FP) and alpha particles (α). Operation in these extreme conditions will induce atoms displacements and degrade the thermal and mechanical properties of UO2 fuel. Understanding the behavior of induced vacancy defects, FP and helium is crucial to predict the uranium dioxide behavior in the future nuclear reactors. The first part of this thesis is dedicated to the study of vacancy defects induced by krypton and iodine implantation (a few MeV) in the UO2 polycrystalline and of their evolution under annealing. Analysis by positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) has highlighted the creation of Schottky defects VU-2VO in the case of iodine implantations and formation of vacancy clusters containing the gas for krypton implantation. The temperature evolution of these defects depends on the implantation parameters (nature of the ion energy, fluence). This study showed the important roles that can play vacancy defects and the presence of fission gases in the evolution of UO2 material. Then we were interested in the study of the helium behavior in UO2 its location and migration, agglomeration and interaction with vacancy defects by using PAS and ion beam analysis (NRA/C and RBS/C). The NRA/C and RBS/C characterizations showed a localization of a large helium fraction in the octahedral interstitial sites of the UO2 matrix. The helium location in these sites remains stable for T <600°C, changing slightly between 600 and 700°C and becomes random at 800°C. Positron annihilation spectroscopy reveals three stages of vacancy defects evolution : The recombination with oxygen interstitial migration, defects agglomeration between 600 and 800°C and their dissociation and elimination when the temperature increases. These results suggest that the He transport is assisted by the vacancy defects.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi estudar a viabilidade de adaptação do Implantador Iônico da Universidade de São Paulo para a técnica de Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), tendo em vista as baixas energias utilizadas por este acelerador de partículas. A técnica de AMS, amplamente utilizada para a análise de Carbono-14 no estudo de datação de fósseis, requer que algum componente do acelerador garanta a quebra de moléculas de massa 14, contaminantes no processo de medição dos átomos de carbono com massa 14. Com a utilização de energias da ordem de dezenas de keV no acelerador, o estudo do processo de quebra de moléculas para estas energias foi realizado através do projeto, construção e caracterização de um stripper gasoso. Para caracterizar o stripper implementado foram realizadas medidas de seção de choque para troca de carga do feixe e quebra molecular em função da pressão de gás injetado no stripper. Também investigou-se a influência do átomo utilizado como gás, através de três diferentes gases injetados no stripper: Hélio, Argônio e Xenônio. Alguns feixes posivos foram produzidos no Implantador para o estudo destas seções de choques: Ar+, Ar(2+), CO+, CO2(+) e O2(+). O projeto do stripper foi idealizado para minimizar a variação de pressão no interior do implantador, visando preservar as condições da fonte de íons. Curvas de perfil de pressão de gás dentro do tubo do stripper foram calculadas segundo as teorias da Tecnologia do Vácuo que permitiram tanto a estimativa desta variação quanto a quantidade de gás no interior do stripper. Também foram realizados estudos do perfil de pressão em stripper com outras geometrias (cônicas abertas e fechadas), buscando estimar a otimização da espessura do stripper em função da injeção de gás em sua base. Baseando-se nos resultados, foram apontadas mudanças necessárias no atual estágio de adaptação desse acelerador de partículas para que se torne possível a concepção de um sistema AMS em sua linha de pesquisa. / The present work aimed on studying the feasibility of adapting the Ion Implanter of University of Sao Paulo to the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry technique, taking into account the low energies employed by this type of particle accelerator. The AMS technique, largely applied to the Carbon-14 analysis for fossil dating, requires the breaking of molecules with mass 14 by some component in the accelerator, since these lead to interference on the Carbon-14 counting process. By employing energies on the level of keV in the accelerator, the study of the breaking process of the molecules for this energy was accomplished by means desiring, building and characterization of a gaseous stripper. In order to characterize the installed stripper, measurements were taken of the charge state exchange and molecular break up process as a function of the pressure of the gas injection into the stripper. The influence of the atom employed as gas was also investigated. The experiments were realized with the following different gases: Helium, Argon and Xenon. Some positive beams were produced on the implanter: Ar+, \\Ar(2+), CO+, CO2(+) and O2(+). The designed stripper was idealized to minimize the pressure variation on the inside of the implanter in order to preserve the conditions of the ion source. Pressure profiles of the gas inside the stripper were calculated according to the Vacuum Technology theory, which allowed estimating the quantity of gas inside the stripper. Studies on the pressure profile for different stripper geometries (open and closed conic forms) were also carried out to estimate the optimization of the stripper thickness as a function of the gas injection on its base. Based on the results, specifications for further work and changes on the current system were listed to make it possible to implement the AMS system.