Abstract: The electron distribution function (EDF) in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharge is far from Maxwellian. The self-consistent simulation of ECR discharges requires a calculation of the EDF on every magnetic line for various ion density profiles. The straightforward self-consistent simulation of ECR discharges using the Monte Carlo technique for the EDF calculation is very computer time expensive, since the electron and ion time scales are very different. An electron Boltzmann kinetic equation averaged over the fast electron bouncing and pitch-angle scattering was derived in order to develop an effective and operative tool for the fast modeling (FM) of low-pressure ECR discharges. An analytical solution for the EDF in a loss cone was derived. To check the validity of the FM, one-dimensional (in coordinate) and two-dimensional (in velocity) Monte Carlo simulation codes were developed. The validity of the fast modeling method is proved by comparison with the Monte Carlo simulations. The complete system of equations for FM is presented and ready for use in a comprehensive study of ECR discharges. The variations of plasma density and of wall and sheath potentials are analyzed by solving a self-consistent set of equations for the EDF.

Abstract: The electron bounce resonance heating (BRH) in dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas operated in oxygen is studied by different experimental methods and a particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulation, and compared with the electropositive argon discharge. In comparison with argon, the experimental results show that in an oxygen discharge the resonance peaks in positive-ion density and light intensity tend to occur at larger electrode gaps. Moreover, at electrode gaps L > 2.5 cm, the positive-ion (and electron) density and the light emission drop monotonically in the oxygen discharge upon increasing L, whereas they rise (after an initial drop) in the argon case. At resonance gap the electronegativity reaches its maximum due to the BRH. All these experimental observations are explained by PIC/MCC simulations, which show that in the oxygen discharge the bulk electric field becomes quite strong and is out of phase with the sheath field. Therefore, it retards the resonance electrons when traversing the bulk, resulting in a suppressed BRH. Both experiment and simulation results show that this effect becomes more pronounced at lower high-frequency power, when the discharge mode changes from electropositive to electronegative. In a pure oxygen discharge, the BRH is suppressed with increasing pressure and almost diminishes at 12 Pa. Finally, the driving frequency significantly affects the BRH, because it determines the phase relation between bulk electric field and sheath electric field.

Abstract: The occurrence and origin of diffuse intensity contours in electron micrographs of AgBr crystals are investigated. The observations are interpreted in terms of a model, which attributes diffuse scattering to the presence of predominant atom or vacancy clusters of a particular polyhedral type. It is shown that irrespective of the crystal morphology, interstitial Ag ions order in AgBr material in clusters of finite size along 001 type planes. A different geometry of the diffuse intensity locus observed for triangular and hexagonal tabular grains is explained in terms of the different twin plane morphology of these grains.

Abstract: A parabolic quantum dot (QD) as realized by biasing nanostructured gates on bilayer graphene is investigated in the presence of electron-electron interaction. The energy spectrum and the phase diagram reveal unexpected transitions as a function of a magnetic field. For example, in contrast to semiconductor QDs, we find a valley transition rather than only the usual singlet-triplet transition in the ground state of the interacting system. The origin of these features can be traced to the valley degree of freedom in bilayer graphene. These transitions have important consequences for cyclotron resonance experiments.

Abstract: We study the energy and temperature relaxation of electrons in graphene on a piezoelectric substrate. Scattering from the combined potential of extrinsic piezoelectric surface acoustical (PA) phonons of the substrate and intrinsic deformation acoustical phonons of graphene is considered for a (non) degenerate gas of Dirac fermions. It is shown that in the regime of low energies or temperatures the PA phonons dominate the relaxation and change qualitatively its character. This prediction is relevant for quantum metrology and electronic applications using graphene devices and suggests an experimental setup for probing electron-phonon coupling in graphene.

Abstract: The measurement of the electronic structure of anisotropic materials using energy loss near edge structure (ELNES) spectroscopy is an important field of microanalysis in transmission electron microscopy. We present a novel method to study the angular dependence of electron inelastic scattering in anisotropic materials. This method has been applied to the study of 1s -> pi* and sigma* transitions on the carbon K edge in pyrolitic graphite. An excellent agreement between experimental and theoretical two-dimensional scattering patterns has been found. In particular, the need of a fully relativistic calculation of the inelastic scattering cross-section to explain the experimental results is demonstrated. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.