Gallium-doped zinc oxide films were prepared by rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature as a function of the substrate-target distance. The best results were obtained for a distance of 10 cm, where a resistivity as low as 2.7×10-4 Ωcm, a Hall mobility of 18 cm2/Vs and a carrier concentration of 1.3×1021 cm-3 were achieved. The films are polycrystalline presenting a strong crystallographic c-axis orientation (002) perpendicular to the substrate. The films present an overall transmittance in the visible part of the spectra of about 85 %, in average. The low resistivity, accomplished with a high growth rate deposited at RT, enables the deposition of these films onto polymeric substrates for flexible applications.

Amorphous undoped a-Si:H films have been produced by hot wire plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (HWPA-CVD), which combines the hot wire chemical vapour deposition (HW-CVD) and plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition techniques. In this work we analyse the dissociation mechanism of the gas during the film growth in both processes with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Besides that, the energy delivered to the gas dissociation is determined and correlated with the films properties. Thus, based on the results of the dissociated species for each deposition condition and process, we explain why the growth rate is enhanced when the filament temperature rises in HW-CVD process and why it decreases as r.f. power is enhanced in HWPA-CVD process. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films were thermally aged in a sodium chloride aqueous solution at constant temperature (thermal aging). Some of the samples were simultaneously immersed in solution and subjected to an electric AC field (electrical aging). The dielectric relaxation spectra at 30 degreesC in the range of 10(-5) Hz to 10(5) Hz were obtained for unaged and aged samples. For the low frequency (LF) region (10(-5) Hz to 10(-1) Hz) the time domain technique was used. A lock-in amplifier was used for the 10(-1) Hz to 10(1) Hz medium frequency (MF) region. While for the high frequency (HF), 10(-1) Hz to 10(5) Hz, RLC bridge measurements were performed. The main differences can be seen between electrically, thermally aged and unaged LDPE in the HF and LF regions. The LF peak is a broad peak related to localized space charge injection driven by the electric field. For electrically aged samples this peak increases in an earlier stage of electrical aging, decreasing afterwards. While in thermally aged samples the peak amplitude always increases with aging time. Finally the HF shows the beginning of a peak due to the gamma and beta transitions. This peak decreases with aging disappearing for the most aged samples.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films were thermally aged in a sodium chloride aqueous solution at constant temperature (thermal aging). Some of the samples were simultaneously immersed in solution and subjected to an electric AC field (electrical aging). The dielectric relaxation spectra at 30 degreesC in the range of 10(-5) Hz to 10(5) Hz were obtained for unaged and aged samples. For the low frequency (LF) region (10(-5) Hz to 10(-1) Hz) the time domain technique was used. A lock-in amplifier was used for the 10(-1) Hz to 10(1) Hz medium frequency (MF) region. While for the high frequency (HF), 10(-1) Hz to 10(5) Hz, RLC bridge measurements were performed. The main differences can be seen between electrically, thermally aged and unaged LDPE in the HF and LF regions. The LF peak is a broad peak related to localized space charge injection driven by the electric field. For electrically aged samples this peak increases in an earlier stage of electrical aging, decreasing afterwards. While in thermally aged samples the peak amplitude always increases with aging time. Finally the HF shows the beginning of a peak due to the gamma and beta transitions. This peak decreases with aging disappearing for the most aged samples.

In this work we present results of a study performed on MIS diodes with the following structure: substrate (glass) / Cr (2000Å) / a-Si:H n + (400Å) / a-Si:H i (5500Å) / oxide (0-40Å) / Au (100Å) to determine the influence of the oxide passivation layer grown by different techniques on the electrical performance of MIS devices. The results achieved show that the diodes with oxides grown using hydrogen peroxide present higher rectification factor (2×106) and signal to noise (S/N) ratio (1×107 at -1V) than the diodes with oxides obtained by the evaporation of SiO2, or by the chemical deposition of SiO 2 by plasma of HMDSO (hexamethyldisiloxane), but in the case of deposited oxides, the breakdown voltage is higher, 30V instead of 3-10 V for grown oxides. The ideal oxide thickness, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry, is dependent on the method used to grow the oxide layer and is in the range between 6 and 20 Å. The reason for this variation is related to the degree of compactation of the oxide produced, which is not relevant for applications of the diodes in the range of ± 1V, but is relevant when high breakdown voltages are required.

The relativistic version of the binary-encounter Bethe (BEB) model is used to calculate cross sections for K-shell ionization of atoms by electron impact. The BEB model requires only two atomic constants, the binding energy and kinetic energy of the K electrons. These constants are listed for carbon to antimony. Comparisons with available experimental data on N, O, Na, Al, Cl, Ca, Cu, Se and Sb show good agreement. The K-shell ionization cross sections for C, Mg, P, S, Cr, As and Cd are tabulated.

The effect of initial compaction on the sintering of borosilicate glass matrix composites reinforced with 25 vol.% alumina (Al2O3) particles has been studied using powder compacts that were uniaxially pressed at 74, 200 and 370 MPa. The sintering behaviour of the samples heated in the temperature range 850-1150 °C was investigated by density measurement, axial and radial shrinkage measurement and microstructural observation. The density of the sintered composites increased continuously with temperature for compacts pressed at 74 MPa, while for compacts pressed at 200 and 370 MPa it reached the maximum value at 1050 °C and at higher temperatures it decreased slightly due to swelling. The results showed anisotropic shrinkage behaviour for all the samples, which exhibited an axial shrinkage higher than the radial shrinkage, and the anisotropic character increased with the initial compaction pressure. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energies of the [( n ,l= n -1),1= n =20] and the [( n ,l= n -2),2= n =20] levels have been calculated for several hydrogenlike kaonic atoms throughout the periodic table, using the current world average kaon mass. Calculations were done in the framework of the Klein–Gordon equation, with finite nuclear size and all-order vacuum polarization corrections.