Characterization techniques inhomogeneity

Rapid advances in semiconductor techrwlogy, including thin film formation by deposition, interface preparation or microstructuring, demand characterization techniques that provide understanding of the fundamental processes involved, including information on structural order—disorder and spatial inhomogeneity. Raman spectroscopy is used both in process control and quality assessment [34]. Typical examples of semiconductor applications are composition determination, analysis of crystal structure, surface and interface analysis, phase determination, doping, point defects, temperature influence and mechanical stress. 

In the past two decades, 129Xe NMR has been employed as a useful technique for the characterization of the internal void space of nanoporous materials. In particular, the xenon chemical shift has been demonstrated to be very sensitive to the local environment of the nuclei and to depend strongly on the pore size and also on the pressure [4—6], Assuming a macroscopic inhomogeneity resulting from a distribution of adsorption site concentrations, 129Xe NMR spectra of xenon in zeolites have been calculated, and properties such as line widths, shapes as well as their dependence on xenon pressure can be reproduced qualitatively. A fully quantitative analysis, however, remains difficult due to the different contributions to the xenon line shift. (See Chapter 5.3 for a more detailed description of Xe spectroscopy for the characterization of porous media.)... 

It was Ziman [77] who has noted that there is little hope, at least at present, to develop an experimental technique permitting the direct measurement of these correlation functions. The only exception are the joint densities x / (r> ) information about which could be learned from the diffraction structural factors of inhomogeneous systems. On the other hand, optical spectroscopy allows estimation of concentrations of such aggregate defects in alkali halide crystals as Fn (n = 1,2,3,4) centres, i.e., n nearest anion vacancies trapped n electrons [80]. That is, we can find x mK m = 1 to 4, but at small r only. Along with the difficulties known in interpretating structure factors of binary equilibrium systems (gases or liquids), obvious specific complications arise for a system of recombining particles in condensed media which, in its turn, are characterized by their own structure factors. 

DETERMINATION OF THE OXIDATION STATES OF THE 4th PERIOD TRANSITION METALS IN MINERALS. The study of the oxidation states of polyvalent cations is an important component of the characterization of minerals as they not only have vital crystal-chemical implications, but are also useful monitors of the ambient oxygen fugacities [21, 22]. The techniques conventionally employed for the determination of the oxidation states, such as Mdssbauer, optical and x-ray absorption, etc., have limited applicability because of the difficulty in obtaining a sufficiently pure amount of the fine grained or inhomogenous mineral sample. EELS avoids... 

The striking advantages of STM are atomic resolution, its conceptional transparency and versatility, and the appeal of direct visualisation. STM can be applied to study anisotropic surface mobility, diffusion on inhomogeneous surfaces, or adsorbate interactions and collective transport effects on a local scale. It also a technique where a simultaneous characterization of tracer and chemical diffusion on single crystals is feasible [54]. Surface mobility studies using STM are currently progressing rapidly. 

N.M.R. STUDIES of ADSORBED ETHYLENE We have also investigated the reaction of C ethylene with colloidal palladium. Our initial intent was to attempt to observe the formation of ethylidyne from ethylene on the surface of the colloidal palladium particles, a reaction which is known to occur readily on the surface of supported palladium and on palladium single crystals (17). Such a reaction has been identified for ethylene on supported platinum by magnetic resonance experiments in which spin echo double resonance techniques were used to characterize the organic species (18,19), but direct observation of resonances for adsorbed ethylene or ethylidyne was not possible in the highly inhomogeneous solid samples used. The chemical shift differences... 

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