Coherent low-frequency oscillations whose frequency is lower than the ion plasma frequency are generated by a mesh grid with negative d.c. bias in a double-plasma device. The frequency is inversely proportional to the one-quarter power of the grid voltage under a fixed plasma density, and is proportional to the ion plasma frequency when the grid bias is kept constant. With potential profiles near the grid, which are measured by an emissive probe, the transit time of ions is numerically calculated. The inverse of the transit time agrees well with the oscillation frequency. The oscillation is considered to be excited by a klystron bunching effect of incident ions towards the ion-rich sheaths.

Directional information should play a significant role for a firm detection of the galactic dark matter. We developed a prototype three-dimensional gaseous tracking device for a direction-sensitive dark matter direct detection. We investigated the performance of the prototype detector and demonstrated a direction-sensitive dark matter search experiment in a surface laboratory. We set the first limit on the spin-dependent WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles)-proton cross s ection by a direction-sensitive method.

The electrical properties of epitaxial La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 films on a SrTiO3(STO) substrate prepared by changing the laser fluence, the irradiation time and the film thickness using excimer laser metal organic deposition(ELMOD) at 500/cm2, the film showed a 3.9 % maximum temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR: defined as 1/R•dR/dT) which was obtained by the ArF laser irradiation at 80mJ/cm2 for 10min. At a constant fluence of 80mJ/cm2, the Tm (temperature of the maximum TCR) of the La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 films increased from 225K to near 250K with an increase in the irradiation time to 90min at which the TCR was almost 3.9%. The La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 film that showed the maximum TCR of 4.0% at 275K was obtained by the ELMOD process at 500°C using the optimum conditions (Flence:80mJ/cm2, Irradiation time: 90min, Film thickness: 80nm).

We discuss some aspects of solid-state chemistry concerning ferroelectric SrBi2Ta2O9, (SBT). Crystal structure analysis by high-resolution neutron diffraction revealed considerable structural distortion in the SBT materials. This distortion, which consists of large atomic displacements of constituent ions, causes large ferroelectric spontaneous polarization. The structural distortion is more pronounced in Sr-deficient-and-Bi-excess material Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 than in stoichiometric SBT, leading to the larger remanent polarization. The enhanced structural distortion is explained in terms of an “ionic size effect” at the A-cation site. This effect was apparently observed in a series of compounds of ABi2Ta2O9 (A=Ca, Sr, and Ba) with different size A-site cations. On the other hand, analysis of chemical reactions of SBT gave important information on the degradation of the SBT capacitors and on the reaction between the SBT materials and a Pt electrode during device fabrication. The degradation of SBT in an H2- containing reducing atmosphere and its recovery by subsequent annealing in oxygen have been reproduced experimentally by using bulk ceramics and analyzed by thermogravimetric and x-ray- diffraction measurements. SBT decomposes into Bi metal or Bi-Pt alloy in H2 by oxygen dissociation. In the presence of Pt, the SBT degradation and the re-crystallization processes differ from those for SBT alone.

Real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) method was applied to study thermal cleaning process of silicon surfaces for epitaxial growth by ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV-CVD). For the first time, in-situ observation of oxide decomposition process under Si2H6 ambience was carried out. The substrates with thin oxide formed by wet chemical treatment were heated up by infrared heater under UHV or under Si2H6 ambience in an UHV-CVD chamber and the oxide decomposition processes were observed by RTSE. Ellipsometric parameters Psi and Delta increase with the progress of oxide decomposition process and become constant with the completion of the decomposition. It was found that the oxide decomposition process consists of two phases and rate-determing processes are different in each phase. It was also found that Si2H6 lowers the activation energies of oxide decomposition process in each phase.

We have confirmed that grain boundaries are related to leakage problems in Ta2O5/SiON capacitors for high dielectric DRAMs. XRD studies using an intensity ratio of (200) to (001) showed that the crystallographic structure of Ta2O5 film was strongly dependent on preparation conditions. As the (200) oriented grains grew faster than the other grains, it became important to control its grain growth in forming uniform grain boundaries. TEM observation has shown that Ta2O5 film with a high intensity ratio of (200) to (001) was made up of large size grains and had SION interface intruding into grain boundaries. By using the current-mode AFM, we could monitor leakage current directly through grain boundaries on Ta2O5 film.

Structural and ferroelectric properties of stoichiometric SrBi2Ta2O9 and Sr-deficient-and-Bi-excess Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 bulk ceramics materials are studied. The ferroelectric Curie temperatures for SrBi2Ta2O9 and Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 are 300 and 400°C, respectively. Structure analysis by neutron powder diffraction reveals that Bi2O2 layer and TaO6 octahedra are considerably distorted and that atomic displacement along the a-axis causes ferroelectric spontaneous polarization. In Sro8Bi22Ta2O9, both Bi-substitution and cation-vacancies exist at the Sr-site. The calculated polarization of Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 is higher than that of the stoichiometric sample, which is consistent with observations of remanent polarization in thin-film capacitors. The Bi-substitution and the cation-vacancies at the Sr site enhance structural distortion in the TaO6 octahedron and lead to the higher Curie temperature and the higher ferroelectric spontaneous polarization.

Ba1-xSrxTiO3 thin films have been deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substra by the pulsed ArF laser deposition method. Deposition conditions, such as ambient gas and substrt temperatze, have been optmized to rrxove crystallinepropesty. Fe oelectric p e phasehasbeenobtainod ithe BSTthin filns deposited above 500°C in Q2 gas havingpressure ofabout 13Pa. Using N2O gas instead of O2 gas improved the crystallinity, because highly chemical active oxygen radicals produced due to ultraviolet inadiation of the laser. Doping of Bi ranging around 2% fills of the role of decrease leakage current of BST thin films. Temperature dependence of the dielectric constant (εr) shows a sharp change, peaking aroumd room temperature. The peak point exists below 25°C in the ratio of Ba/Sr=1.1 film, and shills above 50°C in Ba/Sr=5.7 film. When the Ba/Sr ratio is 1.4 the dielectric peak exists near 27°C and is very sharp. The maxinium differentW rate of dielectric constanttversus temperature is the largest in Ba/Sr=1.4 film and is about 100K-1. This value is equivalent to apyroelectric coefficient of 1.8 × 10-7 C/cm2K, which is almost the same as that of LiTaO3 single crystl, a typical pyroelectric material.

To fill the gap between molecular design and the architecture of three-dimensional functional structures, we propose novel hyper-structured molecules (HSMs) based on welldefined and topologically controlled molecular systems. To this end we have developed carbazole dendrimers, trimers, cyclic oligomers and chromogenic calix[4]arenes as HSMs. Photorefractivity was selected as the primary target function of these HSMs. Oligomers developed in our laboratory exhibit intrinsic photocarrier generation, transport, electro-optic, film-forming and poling properties. These multifunctional properties allow us to demonstrate optical image processing using optical phase conjugation. The topological shapes of indoaniline-derived calix[4]arenes were studied by hyper-Rayleigh scattering. The two indoaniline moieties in calix[4]arene derivatives were pre-aligned so as to enhance the net molecular hyperpolarizability. Besides dendric oligomers, cyclic oligomers can be used as a molecular platform which allows molecular level tuning of shape, size and topology for superior opto-electronic functions.

The surprisingly high Tc for the superconductivity of alkali doped C60 has spurred wide interest in understanding its mechanism [1–7]. We first report the superconductive properties of CsxRbyC60 which has a Tc as high as 33 K when x=2 and y=1 in the feed [4, 5]. SQUID measurements show that in this material the coherence length is 45 A and the penetration depth about 1, 800 A [5]. It has now been proven that the observed increase in the Tc with the size of the alkali dopant is due to the increase in the lattice constant [6]. This is most likely due to the changes in the density of states at the Fermi level. The other important parameter according to BSC theory is the phonon which mediates the electron-electron coupling. In the second part of this paper we present recent results which show that the Tc is indeed strongly influenced by this parameter [7]. The isotope effect is unexpectedly strong on the Tc.

Tc variations observed in some Tl-based superconductors were studied. Clear correlations were found between Tc, carrier concentration, and c-axis length. In particular, for Tl2Ba2CuO6, a decrease in oxygen content of about 0.1 per formula unit, which corresponded to a decrease in hole concentration of about 0.2, increased Tc up to about 80K from a metallic non-superconductor, and elongated the c axis by about 0.4%. In addition, as Tc values increased systematic changes in metal-sheet separations were observed. Tc variations caused by a change in oxygen content were also observed in Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 and Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10. It was demonstrated that superconductivity appears in a certain appropriate range of carrier concentration similar to those observed in other high-Tc superconductors.

The orthorhombic-tetragonal YBa2Cu3O7-δ phase boundary in the δ-T diagram was determined by the detailed isobar TG measurement under the oxygen partial pressures of 1 to 0.01 atm. The phase boundary was found not to be located at 5 = const, but to have a slope of dδ/dT∼−4.7 × 10-4K-1. Using the same method, the transformation temperatures of a series of lanthanide substituted systems were measured at 1 atm. O2. The transformation temperature increased with increasing the atomic number of the lanthanide element. All these experimental results are well explained in terms of the order-disorder transformation caused by the repulsion energy between the nearest neighbor oxygen atoms on the Cu plane sandwiched by Ba planes.

The present basis for the ephemeris of Mars in the National Ephemerides is the theory of S. Newcomb (1898) as amended by the corrections of Ross (1917). These amendments by Ross, however, are empirical in nature and therefore the present ephemeris of Mars does not have a strictly gravitational basis. In order to provide a gravitationally consistent basis for the ephemeris of Mars, Clemence (1949, 1961) constructed a new general perturbation theory based on the final elements of Mars as derived by Newcomb for the epoch 1850. To test the adequacy and accuracy of this new theory, Clemence compared it against 87 observations from 1802-1839 and 1931-1950. This provided provisional values of the constants (without secular variation) for his new theory. These provisional elements and Clemence's theory were used to produce a heliocentric ephemeris of Mars for the period 1800-2000 (Duncombe and Clemence 1960, Duncombe 1964).