Geochemical and related studies have been made of near-surface sediments from the River Clyde estuary and adjoining areas, extending from Glasgow to the N, and W as far as the Holy Loch on the W coast of Scotland, UK. Multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar and shallow seismic data, taken with core information, indicate that a shallow layer of modern sediment, often less than a metre thick, rests on earlier glacial and post-glacial sediments. The offshore Quaternary history can be aligned with onshore sequences, with the recognition of buried drumlins, settlement of muds from quieter water, probably behind an ice dam, and later tidal delta deposits. The geochemistry of contaminants within the cores also indicates shallow contaminated sediments, often resting on pristine pre-industrial deposits at depths less than 1m. The distribution of different contaminants with depth in the sediment, such as Pb (and Pb isotopes), organics and radionuclides, allow chronologies of contamination from different sources to be suggested. Dating was also attempted using microfossils, radiocarbon and 210Pb, but with limited success. Some of the spatial distribution of contaminants in the surface sediments can be related to grain-size variations. Contaminants are highest, both in absolute terms and in enrichment relative to the natural background, in the urban and inner estuary and in the Holy Loch, reflecting the concentration of industrial activity.

The electrical characteristics of Au/Ni/Ti/ n-SiC contacts have been examined as a function of implant dose (1013-1014 ions/cm2) at 5 KeV and temperature of annealing (750-1000 °C). Measurements of specific contact resistance, ρc, were approximately constant at lower implant doses until increasing at 1 x 1015 ions/cm2 for both C and P ions. Annealing at a temperature of 1000 °C has reduced the value of ρc by an order of magnitude to ∼1 x 10-6 Ω.cm2 at implant doses of 1013-1014 ions/cm2. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) has shown that annealing at 1000 °C resulted in a strong indiffusion of the metallization layers at the interface.

Potassium titanyl phosphate crystals in both x-cut and z-cut were irradiated with 185 MeV Au ions. The morphology of the resulting ion tracks was investigated using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). SAXS measurements indicate the presence of cylindrical ion tracks with abrupt boundaries and a density contrast of 1 ± 0.5% compared to the surrounding matrix, consistent with amorphous tracks. The track radius depends on the crystalline orientation, with 6.0 ± 0.1 nm measured for ion tracks along the x-axis and 6.3 ± 0.1 nm for those along the z-axis. TEM images in both cross-section and plan-view show amorphous ion tracks with radii comparable to those determined from SAXS analysis. The protruding hillocks covering the sample surface detected by AFM are consistent with a lower density of the amorphous material within the ion tracks compared to the surrounding matrix. Simulations using an inelastic thermal-spike model indicate that differences in the thermal conductivity along the z- and x-axis can partially explain the different track radii along these directions.

The effect of low energy implantation of P or C ions in 3C-SiC on the properties of Ti/Ni/Au contacts has been examined for doses in the range 1013-1015 ions/cm2. Measurements of specific contact resistance, ρc, were performed using the two-contact circular test structure. The magnitude of ρc for the Ti/Ni/Au contacts on unimplanted SiC was 1.29 x 10−6 Ω.cm2. The value of ρc increased significantly at an implant dose of 1 x 1015 ions/cm2. The dependence of ρc on ion dose has been measured using both C and P implant species.

Nanoparticles (1-10 nm in diameter) are particularly susceptible to disorder, amorphization, deformation and/or dissolution upon ion irradiation as compared to their bulk counterparts, which is a consequence of the enhanced surface area to volume ratio of the former (structural disorder is often observed to be preferentially located at the surface). Synchrotron-radiation-based analytical techniques are ideally suited for the elucidation of structural perturbations as compared to the bulk material. Such techniques are commonly complemented by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). XTEM offers invaluable information with respect to shape and morphology of the nanoparticles.

For the present work, Cu nanoparticles were synthesized within a 2 μm amorphous SiO2 matrix on a 520 μm Si support by ion implantation and thermal annealing following a procedure described elsewhere. In order to study the influence that ion irradiation has on the nanoparticles, the sample was then irradiated with 1x1015 ions / cm2 high-energy (5 MeV) Sn+ ions.

We discuss the results so far of a program to image in the rest-frame optical and near-UV the host galaxies of a sample of 5 high redshift (z∼2−3) radio-quiet quasars with nuclear luminosities lower than most samples studied at high z. We found that in the rest-frame optical the hosts have luminosities of about L∗, comparable to the Lyman break galaxies at similar redshifts. From the rest-frame UV imaging, we can derive optical–UV colors, and find they show a great deal of variation, but may be somewhat redder and less starforming than the LBGs. We are supplementing this work at high z with study of the hosts of z∼1 radio-quiet quasars with similar low nuclear luminosities.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Polished tiles (7×7×2 mm3) of Nd-bearing zirconolite were fabricated and then some were irradiated on both large faces with 3 MeV or 2 MeV Au2+ ions (total fluence of ≥ 1 × 1015 ions/cm2) in order to render the zirconolite amorphous and so simulate displacement damage caused by alpha decay. Both the irradiated and non-irradiated tiles were then subjected to static dissolution tests in 0.01M nitric solution (pH2) at 90 C, for periods of 0–1, 1–7, 7–14 and 14–28 days. It was found that radiation damage did not affect the dissolution rate of zirconolite as indicated by the elemental leach rates of Nd, Ti, Ca and Al. The results of solution analyses are consistent with those obtained from X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) in that the Ca, Nd, Ti and Al concentrations in the top surface layer (< 5 nm) all decreased with respect to that of Zr after dissolution testing, and the leached surface composition of the non-irradiated zirconolite is very similar to that of the two irradiated specimens. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of previous work.

Diamond films were implanted with Au or O ions at multiple energies in order to produce a uniform region of C vacancies. Analysis of the implanted films by Raman spectroscopy has shown that the proportion of non-diamond or amorphous carbon increased with dose (5 × 1013 − 5 × 1015 ions/cm2). For implantation with Au ions, a complete amorphisation near to the surface was evident at a dose of 5 × 1015 ions/cm2. We have examined the ion beam etch (IBE) rate of the films as a function of the implant species and dose. The etching experiments were performed using either Ar or Ar/O2 gases at a bias energy of 500 -1,000 eV. In Ar gas, the process of sputter etching has produced a similar increase in etch rate with dose for both the Au and O implants. In Ar/ O2 gases, the process of ion-enhanced chemical etching produced greater etch rates than obtained in Ar gas with higher rates for the Au than the O implants.

The implantation of MeV Ge3+ ions into fused silica has been used to fabricate single mode channel waveguides with a low propagation loss of 0.10–0.15 dB/cm. The loss coefficient, α, has been measured as a function of ion dose (8 × 1013 to 8 × 1016 ions/cm2) and annealing temperature (250 to 600 °C) at λ = 1300 nm. The value of cc for the as-implanted waveguides exhibited a minimum of -1.0 dB/cm at an intermediate range of dose from 8 × 1014 to 8 × 1015 ions/cm2. A progressive reduction in α occurred as the annealing temperature was increased from 300 to 500 °C. Annealing of the implanted waveguides at 500 °C for 1 h has produced an order of magnitude decrease in α to 0.1 dB/cm at 8 × 1014 ions/cm2. At doses which were outside of the intermediate range, the value of α was ≥ 10 dB/cm. This trend in α with ion dose has been attributed to the dominance of a residual nuclear component of damage after annealing.

Low loss channel waveguides have been formed in substrates of fused silica and silica-on-silicon by the implantation of 5 MeV Si, P and Ge ions. The silica-on-silicon substrates comprised an upper core layer which was doped with either 3 or 7% Ge. Annealing of the implanted silica-on-silicon waveguides has defined a narrow range of temperature (500 - 600°C) over which the loss coefficient, α, was at a minimum of 0.10 - 0.20 dB/cm at wavelengths of λ = 1300 and 1550 nm. For the fused silica substrates, a similar minimum loss ( 0.10 - 0.20 dB/cm) was measured at 1300 nm. However, at λ = 1550 nm the value of α was significantly increased because of an absorption edge in the fused silica (Suprasil-2) at -1500 nm. The results show that the optical loss characteristics of the waveguides were essentially independent of the ion species.

Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of shallow Sb-implanted Si has been studied with Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). Single crystal Si wafers were implanted with Sb at energies of 16, 32 and 48 keV and doses of 5×1014 and 1×1015/cm2. RTA and reference furnace anneals in a nitrogen atmosphere were done to activate the dopant and remove implantation damage. Glancing-angle RBS measurements were used to determine the Sb depth distributions. Dopant profiles obtained with RBS analysis were compared with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry results and TRIM code calculations. RBS measurements of the projected range and range straggle did not differ significantly from TRIM code calculations. Following annealing, significant Sb diffusion from the as-implanted peak was apparent. Sb accumulation at the substrate surface was pronounced, especially for furnace-annealed samples.

Impurity diffusion induced by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) has been investigated for low energy B and BF2 implants in crystalline and preamorphized Si. A 50 keV 2×1015/cm2 Si self-implant was used for preamorphization. Samples were annealed with an oxide cap in an AG Associates HEATPULSE system (model 210T). Prior to the impurity depth profiling measurements, the SiO2 was removed with dilute HF. Significant B diffusion to theSiO2/Si interface was observed for a 1050°C/10 s anneal of 10 keV 3×1015/cm2 implanted;11B in crystalline and preamorphized Si. B interfacial concentrations were comparableto peak concentrations in unannealed samples. Diffusion of B and F to the SiO2/Si interface, and impurity gettering by ion straggling damage were observed for a 1050°C/10 s anneal of 45 keY 3×1O15/cm2 implanted 49BF2 in crystalline Si.though a loss F was apparent.

Depth profiles were determined with nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) [1-3], specifically the 11B(ρ,α0)8 Be(ER=163 key) [4] and 19F(ραγ)160 (ER - 340 keV) [5] reactions for 1lB and 19F profiling, respectively. This technique is sensitive to impurities at or near the surface and can reveal impurity diffusion to near-surface regions not usually detectable with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). NRA depth profiling has shownthat RTA can result in significant impurity diffusion to the SiO2/Si interface for B implanted in crystalline and preamorphized Si, and BF2 implanted in crystalline Si. Impurity concentrations at the interface are estimated to be in excess of 1020/cm3 for the implantation and annealing conditions used in this report. BF2 implanted in preamorphized Si showed greatly reduced impurity concentrations at the interface. A knowledge of the impurity concentrations at the substratesurface or the SiO2/Si interface becomes increasingly important as device dimensions decrease. Matrix effects make such measurements difficult with SIMS.