Unusual modification of CuCl or CuBr films by He plasma exposure resulting in nanowire formation.

In this paper, we present a method for growing copper-based nanowires. The method is based on the unusual modification of a halogenated copper surface by exposure to a helium plasma. The nanowires have diameters ranging between 50 and 150 nm and lengths up to 50 microm. They are polycrystalline, and large parts of the wires have a pronounced core-shell structure with a dense shell and less material inside. The wires are grown in a plasma environment at room temperature, and large amounts can be grown in a matter of minutes. The critical process parameters for the growth process are the gas flow and pressure settings, and the impact thereof will be discussed in detail. In order to gain insight in a possible growth mechanism, our observations are compared with literature on the growth of silver whiskers from halogenated silver crystallites. Finally, photoluminescence spectra of the wires are discussed in view of the analytical data about the stoichiometry and structure of the nanowires.

Grazing incidence-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for the compositional analysis of nanometer-thin high-kappa dielectric HfO2 layers.

In future microelectronic devices, SiO2 as a gate dielectric material will be replaced by materials with a higher dielectric constant. One such candidate material is HfO2. Thin layers are typically deposited from ligand-containing precursors in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. In the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of HfO2, these precursors are often HfCl4 and H2O. Obviously, the material properties of the deposited films will be affected by residual ligands from the precursors. In this paper, we evaluate the use of grazing incidence--and total reflection-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (GI-XRF and TXRF) for Cl trace analysis in nanometer-thin HfO2 films deposited using ALD. First, the results from different X-ray analysis approaches for the determination of Hf coverage are compared with the results from Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Next, we discuss the selection of an appropriate X-ray excitation source for the analysis of traces within the high-kappa: layers. Finally, we combine both in a study on the accuracy of Cl determinations in HfO2 layers.

Oxidation of cyclic acetals by ozone in ionic liquid media.

The application of ozone-stable pyrrolidinium based ionic liquids as safe reaction media resulted in selective hydroxy ester formation upon ozonation of cyclic acetals without using low temperatures or acetylating reagents.

Decomposition mechanism of the anions generated by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization of nitroanilines.

The decomposition reaction mechanism of the anions generated by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry, in the negative mode, of nitroanilines and 2,4-dinitroanilines has been probed using quantum chemical calculations. The same process has been analyzed for the neutral counterparts and the simpler neutral and anionic nitrobenzenes. Our computations using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) level demonstrate that the decomposition of the anion occurs in a two-stage process, involving an initial nitro-nitrite rearrangement followed by a NO-elimination leading to formation of a phenoxy radical anion derivative. The former is by far the rate-determining step. Calculations using the MP2 and CCSD(T)/6-311++G(d,p) levels also pointed out the same energy landscape. A similar mechanism has also been emphasized for the neutral counterparts. The effects of the amino and nitro groups as well as that of the negative charge on the nitro-nitrite interconversion are rather small and do not qualitatively modify the landscape of the pertinent energy surface and thereby the NO-loss mechanism.

Generation of iron atoms in the gas phase by microwave-induced plasma afterglows.

A fast-flow reactor technique is described by which Fe atoms can be produced in the gas phase in the afterglow of microwave-induced plasmas in hydrogen/argon and hydrogen/helium mixtures. When the iron salt FeCl3(s) was brought into the gas phase by thermal sublimation at temperatures between 360 and 405 K, it was partly converted to Fe atoms by reaction of the gaseous compounds FexCl3x(g) with hydrogen atoms. The Fe atoms were detected by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). It was shown that sublimation of the salt is the rate-determining step of the overall plasma-afterglow atomisation process. Experimental conditions for the generation of Fe atoms suited to kinetic studies start at a temperature of 303 K. In the downstream region the concentration of Fe atoms decays due to diffusion to the reactor wall. Binary diffusion coefficients DFe/Ar and DFe/He of 231.5 +/- 6.6 and 370.0 +/- 15.5 cm2 s-1 Torr at 303 K, respectively, were determined.

Study of the carbonyl products of terpene/OH radical reactions: detection of the 2,4-DNPH derivatives by HPLC-MS.

The oxidation of the terpenes alpha- and beta-pinene, limonene and Delta(3)-carene by hydroxyl radicals has been investigated in a fast-flow reactor coupled to a liquid nitrogen trap for collecting the carbonyl compounds. Identification of the products was performed via 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (DNPH) derivatization of the carbonyls to form the mono- and di-DNPH derivatives, which were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC)-DAD (diode array detector) and HPLC-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Both electrospray ionization [ESI(-)] and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization [APCI(-)] were suitable for the detection of the DNPH derivatives of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, myrtanal, campholene aldehyde, perillaldehyde, acetone, nopinone, trans-4-hydroxynopinone and 4-acetyl-1-methylcyclohexene. Also the mono-DNPH derivatives of the dicarbonyl compounds pinonaldehyde, endolim and caronaldehyde could be identified. The MS(2) spectra generated in the ion trap of the mass spectrometer allowed us to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones on the basis of the characteristic fragment ion m/ z 163 for the aldehydes. For the quantitative analysis of the mono-DNPH derivatives, ESI(-) in combination with single ion monitoring (SIM) detection showed the lowest detection limits. For the quantification of the dicarbonyl compounds, the acid-sensitive di-DNPH derivatives had to be formed by keeping the acidity in the acid-catalysed derivatization reaction at about 1.7 mM H(2)SO(4). Detection of these dicarbonyl compounds can only be performed by APCI(-) with somewhat lesser sensitivity than by HPLC-DAD.