Abstract: The post-growth modification of diamond-like amorphous hydrogenated carbon a-C:H films by laser treatment has been studied by transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. a-C:H films grown on Si substrates by benzene decomposition in a rf glow discharge were irradiated with 15 ns pulses of a KrF-excimer laser with fluences in the ran e of E = 50-700 mJ/cm(2). At fluences below 100 mJ/cm(2) an increase in the number of graphitic clusters and in their ordering was evidenced from Raman spectra, while the film structure remained amorphous according to electron microscopy and electron diffraction observations. At higher fluences the appearance of diamond particles of 2-7 nm size, embedded into the lower crystallized graphitic matrix, was observed and simultaneously a progressive growth of graphite nanocrystals with dimensions from 2 nm to 4 nm was deduced from Raman measurements. The maximum thickness of the crystallized surface layer (approximate to 400 nm) and the degree of laser annealing are limited by the film ablation which starts at E > 250 mJ/cm(2). The laser-treated areas lose their chemical inertness. In particular, chemical etching in chromium acid becomes possible, which may be used for patterning the highly inert carbon films.

Abstract: We report a microstructural and compositional study of a 90% Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3 – 10% PbTiO3 ceramic sample. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed the presence of compositional ordered nano-domains (1 – 4 mn), observable in two specific orientations, [0 (1) over bar 1] and [1 1 (2) over bar]. However, the visibility and the ordering degree of the nano-domains on the HRTEM images are not at all obvious. Fourier filtering of the images clearly revealed the ordered domains. Antiphase boundaries lying in the (111) planes separate them, while (100) and (111) facets separate the ordered domains from the disordered matrix. Their shape is plate-like, not uniformly spread in the disordered matrix. Their average size varies in different regions of the sample, most probably due to a non-uniform distribution of Ti, as observed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Abstract: Multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) investigations were performed on small (2 nm) cubic ZnS nanocrystals (quantum dotsQDs) doped with 0.2% mol Mn2+, self-assembled into a mesoporous structure. The EPR data analysis shows that the substitutional Mn2+ ions are localized at Zn2+ sites subjected to a local axial lattice distortion, resulting in the observed zero-field-splitting parameter |D|=41×10−4 cm−1. The local distortion is attributed to the presence in the second shell of ligands of a stacking fault or twin, which alters the normal stacking sequence of the cubic structure. The HRTEM results confirm the presence of such extended planar defects in a large percentage of the investigated QDs, which makes possible the proposed substitutional Mn2+ impurity ions localization model. Based on these results it is suggested that the high doping levels of Mn2+ ions observed in cubic ZnS and possible in other II-VI semiconductor QDs prepared at low temperatures can be explained by the assistance of the extended lattice defects in the impurities incorporation.