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We characterize the development of nanometer scale topography (roughness) on SiO2 surfaces as a result of low energy, off-normal ion bombardment, using in situ energy dispersive x-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy. Surfaces roughen during sputtering by heavy ions (Xe), with roughness increasing approximately linearly with ion fluence up to 1017 cm−2. A highly coherent ripple structure with wavelength of 30 nm and oriented with the wave vector parallel to the direction of incidence is observed after Xe sputtering at 1 keV. Lower frequency, random texture is also observed. Subsequent light ion (H, He) bombardment smoothens preroughened surfaces. The smoothing kinetics are first order with ion fluence and strongly dependent on ion energy in the range 0.2–1 eV. We present a linear model to account for the experimental observations which includes roughening both by random stochastic processes and by development of a periodic surface instability due to sputter yield variations with surface curvature which leads to ripple development. Smoothing occurs via ion bombardment induced viscous flow and surface diffusion. From the smoothing kinetics with H and He irradiation we measure the radiation enhanced viscosity of SiO2 and find values on the order of 1–20×1012 N s m−2. The viscous relaxation per ion scales as the square root of the ion induced displacements in the film over the range of the ion penetration, suggesting short-lived defects with a bimolecular annihilation mechanism. The surface instability mechanism accounts for the ripple formation, while inclusion of stochastic roughening produces the random texture and reproduces the observed linear roughening kinetics and the magnitude of the overall roughness.

The extent of relaxation and orientation of linearly graded InxAl1-xAs (x=0.05–0.25) buffers grown on GaAs were examined using a novel x-ray diffraction reciprocal-space mapping technique (kmap). Samples were grown at temperatures ranging from 370 to 550 °C. The fractional relaxation of the buffers grown between 470 and 550 °C was essentially identical (77%) and symmetric in orthogonal 〈110〉 directions. These buffers are believed to be in equilibrium indicating that the incomplete relaxation is not a kinetic effect. The extent of relaxation was less than that expected for equilibrium relaxation in the absence of dislocation–dislocation interactions indicating that such interactions must be considered to accurately predict the extent of relaxation. The saturation of the relaxation as a function of temperature indicates that at the grading rate used (8% In/μm or 0.69% strain/μm), we are not working in a growth regime where the relaxation is nucleation limited. In addition, all the buffers are slightly tilted with respect to the GaAs substrate about [11̄0] toward the [110] direction suggesting either a bias in the dislocation types in the boule-grown GaAs, or a bias in the way in which α and β dislocations interact with unintentional substrate miscuts.

Continuous separations of mixtures of fructose, glucose, and sucrose have been investigated by using a laboratory-scale continuous annular chromatograph (CAC) with the calcium form Dowex 50W-X8 ion-exchange resin as adsorbent. Comparative chromatographic separation studies have also been conducted for the system using a conventional fixed-bed column packed with the same resin. Complete resolution of fructose-glucose mixtures could be obtained both in a 60-cm-long CAC and

Rapid thermal annealing of GaN in an Ar or N2 ambient up to 1100 °C is shown to improve surface morphology and photoluminescence intensity. For both ambients the average rms surface roughness as determined by atomic force microscopy decreases from ∼4 nm on the as-grown material to ∼1 nm after a 1100 °C anneal. The band-edge luminescence intensity was increased by a factor of 4 after a 1100 °C anneal in a N2 ambient and a factor of 2 for annealing at 1100 °C in an Ar ambient as compared to as-grown material. The 1100 °C anneal improves the ratio of band edge to deep-level luminescence and also reduces the electron concentration and mobility. The reduction in mobility can be explained in terms of a two-band conduction mechanism where defect band conduction dominates at the lower carrier densities or an increase in the free-carrier compensation ratio.