Description: This article offers comments on the competitive preferential solvation theory. Abstract: Simple additive relationships for the physico-chemical properties of a solute dissolved in binary solvent mixtures are developed from the competitive preferential solvation model. Additive expressions for solute mole fraction solubility and logarithm of solute solubility are mathematically identical to equations derived previously from the microscopic partition and basic nearly ideal binary solvent models. Calculated values based on the various additive relationships are compared to carbazole solubilities in ten binary solvent mixtures containing dibutyl ether with n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, cyclohexane, cyclo-octane, methylcyclohexane, iso-octane, n-hexadecane, squalane and t-butylcyclohexane.

Description: This article discusses low-level copper concentration measurements in silicon wafers using trace-element accelerator mass spectrometry. 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 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 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 chaos and thermal conductivity. Abstract: We argue that the condition of local thermal equilibrium realized several years ago by Rich and Visscher [Phys. Rev. B 11, 2164 (1975)] through a process of mathematical convergence can be obtained dynamically by adopting the prescription of a recent paper [M. Bianucci, R. Mannella, B.J. West, and P. Grigolini, Phys. Rev. E 51, 3002 (1995)]. This should contribute to shedding light on the still unsolved problem fo the microscopic derivation of the heat Fourier law.