ALBERT

Notes: The location of the Aspergillus nidulans carnitine/acyl-carnitine carrier (ACUH) was studied. ACUH with a His-tag at its N-terminus was over-expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography. The purified protein was utilised to raise polyclonal antibodies which were characterised by Western blotting. For localisation studies A. nidulans T1 strain, that contains the acuH gene under control of the strong promoter alcAp, was derived. Results obtained demonstrate the exclusively mitochondrial localisation of ACUH and therefore exclude the targeting of the acuH gene product to the peroxisomal membrane.

Notes: Pseudomonas species causing pith necrosis symptoms on tomato and pepper collected in different areas of Argentina were identified as Pseudomonas corrugata, P. viridiflava and Pseudomonas spp. Their diversity was analysed and compared with reference strains on the basis of their phenotypic characteristics, copper and antibiotic sensitivity tests, serology, pathogenicity, DNA fingerprinting and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of a 16S rRNA gene fragment. All P. corrugata strains tested were copper-resistant while P. viridiflava strains were more variable. Numerical analysis of phenotypic data showed that all P. corrugata strains formed a single phenon that clustered at a level of about 93%, while all the P. viridiflava strains clustered in a separated phenon at a level of 94%. Genomic analysis by repetitive (rep)-PCR and 16S rRNA-RFLP fingerprinting and serological analysis showed that the two species contained considerable genetic diversity. Inoculations of tomato and pepper plants with strains from both hosts caused similar pith necrosis symptoms. Strains of both P. corrugata and P. viridiflava were grouped according to their geographical origin and not according to the original host. This is the first report of Pseudomonas viridiflava causing pith necrosis on pepper.

Notes: We report on the preparation of photoluminescent porous GaAs by the application of high voltage spark discharges in atmospheres of pure oxygen, pure nitrogen, and in mixed N2:O2 ratios of 4:1 and 1:4. The spark-processed porous (spp) samples were characterized by the observation of their visible photoluminescence (PL) when illuminated with UV monochromatic radiation. Some differences are observed in the initial PL spectra of the spp-GaAs according to the atmosphere of preparation under similar sparking and time conditions. The PL consists of two dominant bands, a yellow-green band between ∼2.2 and 2.6 eV and a blue-violet band, centered at 3.1 eV. Comparison with Raman and PL results from As2O3 and As2O5 indicates that the PL in the spp-GaAs is produced by the formation of these compounds by exposure to oxygen during the preparation. This is reinforced by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy measurements that indicate that the spp-GaAs is always oxidized, even when prepared under a nitrogen flow. The blue-UV emission at 3.1 eV suggests that we cannot rule out confinement as a contributing mechanism for this PL. Raman spectra indicate that for samples prepared in pure nitrogen, the resulting material consists of amorphous As and GaAs, and the cubic form of As2O3, arsenolite. PL and Raman indicate that there exists an increasing degree of amorphization of the resultant material with the introduction of nitrogen in the preparation atmosphere. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The correlation between the structural (average size and density) and optoelectronic properties [band gap and photoluminescence (PL)] of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 is among the essential factors in understanding their emission mechanism. This correlation has been difficult to establish in the past due to the lack of reliable methods for measuring the size distribution of nanocrystals from electron microscopy, mainly because of the insufficient contrast between Si and SiO2. With this aim, we have recently developed a successful method for imaging Si nanocrystals in SiO2 matrices. This is done by using high-resolution electron microscopy in conjunction with conventional electron microscopy in dark field conditions. Then, by varying the time of annealing in a large time scale we have been able to track the nucleation, pure growth, and ripening stages of the nanocrystal population. The nucleation and pure growth stages are almost completed after a few minutes of annealing time at 1100 °C in N2 and afterward the ensemble undergoes an asymptotic ripening process. In contrast, the PL intensity steadily increases and reaches saturation after 3–4 h of annealing at 1100 °C. Forming gas postannealing considerably enhances the PL intensity but only for samples annealed previously in less time than that needed for PL saturation. The effects of forming gas are reversible and do not modify the spectral shape of the PL emission. The PL intensity shows at all times an inverse correlation with the amount of Pb paramagnetic centers at the Si–SiO2 nanocrystal–matrix interfaces, which have been measured by electron spin resonance. Consequently, the Pb centers or other centers associated with them are interfacial nonradiative channels for recombination and the emission yield largely depends on the interface passivation. We have correlated as well the average size of the nanocrystals with their optical band gap and PL emission energy. The band gap and emission energy shift to the blue as the nanocrystal size shrinks, in agreement with models based on quantum confinement. As a main result, we have found that the Stokes shift is independent of the average size of nanocrystals and has a constant value of 0.26±0.03 eV, which is almost twice the energy of the Si–O vibration. This finding suggests that among the possible channels for radiative recombination, the dominant one for Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 is a fundamental transition spatially located at the Si–SiO2 interface with the assistance of a local Si–O vibration. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The interdiffusion of Hf and Si from high-κ gate dielectric candidate (HfO2)1−x(SiO2)x thin films deposited on Si (100) was studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in combination with chemical etching. After extreme rapid and conventional furnace thermal annealing treatments, Hf incorporation into Si is limited to less than 0.5–1 nm from the interface. Implications for high-κ gate dielectric applications are also discussed. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Monochromatic x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry are used to study the outdiffusion of Zr from the alternate gate dielectric candidate ZrSixOy thin films deposited on Si(100). We find that Zr incorporation into Si from ZrSixOy appears to occur at annealing temperatures higher than 1000 °C. Incorporation of Zr to depths of up to 23 nm into the silicon substrate is observed. A diffusion coefficient of D0∼2×10−15 cm2/s is estimated from the associated depth profiles. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The size distribution, band gap energy, and photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 have been measured by direct and independent methods. The size distribution is measured by coupling high-resolution and conventional electron microscopy in special imaging conditions. The band gap is calculated from photoluminescence excitation measurements and agrees with theoretical predictions. Their correlation allows us to report the experimental Stokes shift between absorption and emission, which is 0.26±0.03 eV, independent of average size. This is almost exactly twice the energy of the Si–O vibration (0.134 eV). These results suggest that the dominant emission is a fundamental transition spatially located at the Si–SiO2 interface with the assistance of a local Si–O vibration. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Ion implantation followed by high temperature annealing can be used to synthesize group IV semiconducting nanoparticles in SiO2. The density and the size distribution of these nanocrystals obviously depend on the implantation and annealing conditions. While their size can be measured by "classical" transmission electron microscopy techniques, their density cannot because no diffraction occurs in the amorphous matrix. In this letter, we use electron energy loss spectroscopy to overcome this problem. We have measured the evolution of the size distribution, the density, and the atomic fraction occupied by the Ge precipitates during annealing. We show that the nanocrystals grow in size and reduce their density, while the overall number of atoms they contain remains constant. This observation proves that the nanoparticles undergo a conservative ripening during annealing. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The ability of surface passivation to enhance the photoluminescence (PL) emission of Si nanocrystals in SiO2 has been investigated. No significant increase of the average nanocrystal size has been detected for annealings at 1100 °C between 1 min and 16 h. In contrast, the PL intensity steadily increases and reaches saturation after 3–4 h of annealing time. Such behavior shows an inverse correlation with the amount of Si dangling bonds (Pb centers) at the interface between Si nanocrystals and the SiO2 matrix. A postannealing at 450 °C in forming gas enhances the PL intensity and lifetime, due to a reduction in Pb concentration, without modifying the spectral shape of the PL emission. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.