Description: This article discusses charge-state dependence of M-shell x-ray production in 67Ho by 2-12-MeV carbon ions. Abstract: Charge-state dependence of M-shell x-ray production cross sections of 67Ho bombarded by 2-12-MeV carbon ions, with and without K-shell vacancies, were measured using a windowless Si(Li) x-ray detector with a full-width-at-half-maximum resolution of 135 eV at 5.9 keV. Carbon ions of different charge states were produced using a postacceleration, nitrogen gas stripping cell. The carbon ions were then magnetically analyzed to select the desired charge state and energy before entering the target chamber. The total M-shell and Mζ, Mα,β, and Mγ x-ray cross sections were measured. The electron-capture (EC) contributions as well as the direct-ionization (DI) contributions can be determined by making a comprehensive study of the projectile-charge-state dependence of the target x-ray production cross sections for targets in which the single-collision realm is maintained. In this paper, both EC and DI contributions and the total M-shell x-ray production cross sections are compared to both the first Born theory and to the perturbed-stationary-state theory with energy-loss, Coulomb-deflection, and relativistic corrections.

Description: This article discusses fabrication of silicon-based optical components for an ultraclean accelerator mass spectronomy negative ion source. Abstract: An ultraclean accelerator mass spectronomy negative ion source for semiconductor material mass analysis has been built and is in operation at the University of North Texas' Ion Beam Modification and Analysis Laboratory (IBMAL). The source is unique in that the active surfaces and apertures of the optical components in the ion source have been fabricated from high-purity single crystal silicon. This prevents both the 133Cs+ beam incident on the semiconductor samples and the negative ions from the sample surfaces from "seeing" and sputtering any metal surfaces (mostly stainless steel) in the beamline. The Cs+ beam can be rastered across the sample surface and the impact energy is adjustable to control depth-profiling rates. An ultraclean ion source of this type is necessary to prevent the injection of Fe and other beamline elements onto the sample or into the tandem accelerator, which is equivalent to putting an impurity signal into the mass analysis of the semiconductor sample. Suppression of these elements increases the sensitivity of the analysis to one part in 10¹² for many masses. The fabrication and alignment of the optical components-einzel lenses, ...

Description: This article discusses high sensitivity measurement of implanted As in the presence of Ge in Ge(x)Si(1-x)/Si layered alloys using trace element accelerator mass spectrometry. Abstract: Various devices can be realized on strained GeSi/Si substrates by doping the substrate with different impurities such as As. As is an n-type dopant in both Ge and Si. As cross contamination can also arise during germanium preamorphization implantation due to inadequate mass resolution in the implanter. Thus, it is important to be able to accurately measure low-level As concentrations in the presence of Ge. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is the standard technique for these types of measurements but is constrained by mass interferences from molecular ions (⁷⁴GeH, ²⁹Si³⁰Si¹⁶O). The trace element accelerator mass accelerator technique allows the breakup of interfering molecules. As is measured in a GeSi matrix with sensitivity significantly better than SIMS.

Description: This article discusses low-level copper concentration measurements in silicon wafers using trace-element accelerator mass spectrometry. Abstract: Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is now widely used in over 30 laboratories throughout the world to measure ratios of the abundances of long-lived radioisotopes such as ¹⁰Be, ¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl, and ¹²⁷I to their stable isotopes at levels as low as 10(-16). Trace-element AMS (TEAMS) is an application of AMS to the measurement of very low levels of stable isotope impurities. Copper concentrations as low as 1 part per billion have been measured in silicon wafers. In this letter, the authors demonstrate the use of TEAMS to measure previously unknown copper concentration depth profiles in As-implanted Si wafers at a few parts per billion. To verify the TEAMS technique, the samples from the same wafer were measured with secondary ion mass spectrometry, which showed the same profiles, albeit plateauing out at a concentration level six times higher than the TEAMS measurement. The ability to measure at these levels is especially significant in light of the recent moves towards the use of copper interconnects in place of aluminum in integrated circuits.

Description: This article discusses strain fields around high-energy ion tracks in α-quartz. Transmission electron microscopy has been used to image the tracks of high-energy math (374 MeV) and math (241 MeV) ions incident in a nonchanneling direction through a prethinned specimen of hexagonal α-quartz (SiO2). These ions have high electronic stopping powers in quartz, 24 and 19 keV/nm, respectively, which are sufficient to produce a disordered latent track. When the tracks are imaged with diffraction contrast using several different reciprocal lattice vectors, they exhibit a radial strain extending outward from their disordered centerline approximately 16 nm into the crystalline surroundings. The images are consistent with a radial strain field with cylindrical symmetry around the amorphous track, like that found in models developed to account for the lateral expansion of amorphous SiO2 films produced by irradiation with high-energy ions. These findings provide an experimental basis for increased confidence in such modeling.