Thermal-mechanical modeling of nodular defect embedded within multilayer coatings

The initiation of laser damage within optical coatings can be better understood by thermal-mechanical modeling of coating defects. The result of this modeling shows that a high-temperature rise and thermal stress can be seen just inside the nodular defect compared to surrounding coating layers. The temperature rise and thermal stress tend to increase with seed diameter. Shallower seed tend to cause higher temperature rise and greater thermal stress. There is a critical seed depth at which thermal stress is largest. The composition of the seed resulting from different coating-material emission during evaporation can affect the temperature rise and thermal stress distribution.

植物分子伴侣热休克蛋白90（Hsp90）的分子作用机理及抗逆基因工程研究

热激蛋白90是广泛存在于各类细菌和真核生物中的一类高度保守的分子伴侣，它对维持细胞生命是绝对必需的。对Hsp90的相关认知主要来源于对动物和酵母细胞的研究，植物Hsp90的研究甚少。由于植物的特殊性，因此对植物Hsp90的研究是对Hsp90未知功能的有力补充。拟南芥中有7个Hsp90蛋白，其中AtHsp90-1、AtHsp90-2、AtHsp90-3和AtHsp90-4定位在细胞质中，AtHsp90-5、AtHsp90-6和AtHsp90-7分别定位在叶绿体、线粒体和内质网中。本文对拟南芥中的AtHsp90-1、AtHsp90-2、AtHsp90-5、AtHsp90-6和AtHsp90-7五个基因进行了克隆，并分别利用酵母互补、双杂交和拟南芥过表达体系几个层面进行了功能分析。 我们利用酵母穿梭载体p416GPD构建了五个AtHsp90基因的酵母表达载体，将其转入Hsp90基因点突变和条件型缺失的酵母菌株iG170D和R0005中。酵母功能互补实验表明细胞质定位的AtHsp90-1和AtHsp90-2可以在各种胁迫条件下互补酵母Hsp90的功能，而定位于细胞器中的AtHsp90-5、 AtHsp90-6和AtHsp90- 7则在任何条件下都不能互补酵母Hsp90的功能。我们还对转基因酵母进行了液体培养的动态观测和细胞膜完整性检测，其结果和固体培养的结果一致。这说明细胞质Hsp90的功能具有一定的保守性，细胞器Hsp90的功能有其特殊性。 热激蛋白90在执行其生物功能时，需要和大量的辅助因子相互作用，因此我们利用酵母双杂交体系检测了AtHsp90-1、AtHsp90-2、AtHsp90-5、AtHsp90-6和AtHsp90-7五个Hsp90蛋白和Hsp70、p23、Cyp40、NOS等几个辅助因子之间的相互作用情况。双杂交结果显示AtHsp90-1和AtHsp90-2几乎不和所选的这几个辅助因子相互作用，AtHsp90-5可以和所有的辅助因子相互作用、AtHsp90-6可以和除Hsp70以外的辅助因子相互作用，AtHsp90-7也可以和所有的辅助因子相互作用但和Hsp70及Hsp70t-2和互作较其他辅助因子弱一些。可以看出胞质Hsp90和细胞器Hsp90在和辅助因子相互作用时有一定的差异。 为了进一步了解拟南芥个Hsp90基因在抗非生物逆境中的作用，我们又将AtHsp90-2、AtHsp90-5、AtHsp90-7基因插入植物表达载体pBI121，用农杆菌介导的浸蕾法将这三个基因转入拟南芥并在其中过量表达，并研究了这些基因的过表达植株的种子和幼苗对多种模拟非生物逆境的响应。结果显示，转基因种子和幼苗对ABA、盐(NaCl)、干旱(甘露醇)、高温、氧化、高钙等非生物逆境都表现出了敏感，转细胞器Hsp90的种子和幼苗比转细胞质Hsp90的更为敏感。但在高浓度钙离子胁迫下，幼苗表现情况与盐、旱和氧化等非生物逆境处理下的情况正好相反，转细胞器Hsp90的幼苗比转细胞质Hsp90的长得健壮。这些结果表明Hsp90参与了植物抵抗非生物逆境的反应，其作用可能是通过ABA和Ca2+途径实现的，然而体内Hsp90的动态平衡可能才是植物抵抗非生物逆境的关键。

冬小麦对盐分与臭氧胁迫的生理生态响应机理研究

本研究选用抗盐冬小麦品种—德抗961（DK961）和盐敏感品种—济南17（JN17）为试验材料。一方面，研究了冬小麦对盐分及臭氧胁迫的生理生态响应机制；另一方面，探讨了外源硝酸钾对小麦盐伤害的缓解机理，提出了盐胁迫下小麦优质高产的栽培技术规程。主要结论如下： 1 冬小麦产量与品质对不同浓度盐胁迫的响应 同一小麦品种在不同盐浓度胁迫下产量和品质存在显著差异，不同小麦品种在同一盐分浓度胁迫下产量和品质也有显著差异，说明盐胁迫下小麦产量和品质与小麦品种特性和耐盐性关系密切。在对照栽培条件下，两小麦品种的产量次序为JN17＞DK961；在轻度（0.3%）盐胁迫下，耐盐品种仍获得了较高的产量（仅下降5.8%），而盐敏感品种下降幅度较大（为22.9%），此时的产量次序为DK961＞JN17；DK961在0.5%盐胁迫下，产量较对照处理下降9.7%，而JN17下降了54.3%；在0.7％盐浓度环境中，DK961和JN17产量均出现了大幅降低，但DK961的产量仍显著高于JN17。 盐胁迫下的小麦品质指标表现为：在0.3％和0.5%盐浓度下，随着盐浓度的升高，蛋白质含量升高，淀粉含量下降；当盐浓度达到0.7%时，两者都快速下降。 2 不同耐盐性冬小麦品种对盐胁迫的生理生态响应 2.1品种与盐浓度对小麦生长特性的影响 盐胁迫造成了小麦的后期衰老加快，光合速率降低，生育期缩短。但这种影响会因小麦的耐盐性不同而有很大的差异：DK961在轻、中度盐浓度（0.3％、0.5％）下，生育期与无盐处理时无显著差异，但当盐浓度达到0.7%时，生育期出现了明显的缩短；相反，JN17生育期在各个盐浓度下都出现了显著变化。对盐敏感品种，盐胁迫导致小麦出苗期、拔节期推迟3-5 d，抽穗期和开花期提前6-7 d，成熟期提前10-15 d。盐胁迫对小麦生育期的影响主要是缩短生殖生长期。 2.2品种与盐浓度对小麦生理代谢的影响 不同冬小麦品种对盐胁迫产生的生理反应程度不同，耐盐小麦品种在一定的盐浓度范围内，盐胁迫症状不明显，生理反应比较迟钝，光合速率、气孔导度、光饱和点等基本维持在无盐处理的水平，丙二醛和活性氧清除酶活性增加不显著；盐敏感品种在各种盐浓度胁迫下或耐盐品种在过重的盐分浓度胁迫下，盐胁迫症状极为显著，小麦植株生长矮小，光合速率、气孔导度、光饱和点等大幅下降，丙二醛和活性氧自由基含量大幅上升，严重的情况下，小麦植株不能正常生长，甚至出现“干死”现象。 3 盐胁迫下冬小麦生理生态特征对臭氧浓度升高的响应 3.1 臭氧污染对小麦生理代谢的影响 3.1.1对小麦叶片气体交换的影响 气孔是小麦叶片与外界气体交换的“大门”，是臭氧进入叶片的主要通道，控制着蒸腾、光合、呼吸等重要生理过程。通常，高浓度臭氧环境中，小麦表现出较低的气孔导度。气孔的这种反应是植物限制臭氧进入叶片中的一种避害机制。 臭氧的强氧化性导致高浓度臭氧环境中小麦的光合速率下降。臭氧通过气孔进入叶片后，对植物叶片光合作用的抑制主要是由Rubiso酶含量/活性的降低引起的。研究发现，臭氧低于某一临界值时，产生的氧化伤害可以被植物体的抗氧化系统清除而不会对光合作用产生抑制，而高于该临界值时由Rubsico限制引起的光合速率降低将与臭氧吸收量呈线性关系。高浓度臭氧环境下，植物光合作用降低的生理原因，主要是臭氧导致叶绿素和可溶性蛋白分解，叶片衰老加快、叶绿体结构发生改变、活性氧清除酶活性升高，而与碳素固定有关的酶活性降低、光合产物向外运输受阻而导致的反馈抑制。 3.1.2对小麦生长特性的影响 研究表明，环境中臭氧浓度升高可引起小麦生长特性发生巨大改变。臭氧污染首先加快老叶的衰老，而对新叶的影响很小。然而老叶衰老能够将其中的营养转移到新生长叶片中，有利于维持植株的生长。臭氧环境下，老叶迅速衰老的同时，同一植株中的新生组织具有较高的Rubisco合成速率和总量，同化速率加强。这一现象被认为是植株在臭氧环境下的一种补偿机制。臭氧显著降低植株同化物向根系的分配，而同化物向根系分配的改变将导致根系与整株植物功能关系的改变。在水分亏缺环境下，植物根系的生长受到抑制，导致根系对土壤营养吸收能力的降低，从而间接降低叶片的光合速率。 3.2 盐胁迫引起的生理响应提高了小麦抵御臭氧伤害的能力 试验结果表明，盐胁迫引起的小麦生理响应（如，气孔导度降低、抗氧化酶活性升高等），显著增强了小麦抵抗臭氧伤害的能力。但这种保护作用是相对的，因为盐胁迫本身已对小麦生长产生显著的抑制作用。 3.2.1 气孔导度下降减少了臭氧的进入 研究发现，臭氧是通过气孔进入植物体内的，而盐胁迫引起的小麦气孔导度下降，显著减少了臭氧进入小麦体内的量，大大减轻了臭氧对小麦的伤害。本实验中，无盐栽培条件下，臭氧引起的小麦光合速率降低，达到了显著水平；而盐胁迫下，由臭氧引起的小麦光合速率降低，未达到显著水平。这说明盐胁迫引起的气孔导度降低，起到了减轻臭氧对小麦生长抑制的作用。 3.2.2 渗透调节能力的增强弱化了臭氧的伤害 盐胁迫引起的可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白、脯氨酸等渗透调节物质含量的升高，大大增强了小麦抵御臭氧伤害的能力。如，臭氧往往造成植物蛋白质的分解，降低蛋白质含量；但盐胁迫下，可溶性蛋白含量是上升的，两方面协调，维持了植株蛋白质水平，促进了小麦生长。另一方面，渗透调节物质的积累，有利于小麦同化物的合成、转化和运输，加快了循环的节奏，这也是盐胁迫降低臭氧对小麦伤害的重要原因之一。 3.2.3 抗氧化能力增强降低了臭氧的氧化伤害 盐胁迫引起的小麦酶促保护系统抗氧化酶（SOD、POD等）活性升高，提高了小麦体内活性氧清除能力。臭氧污染可产生大量的活性氧自由基，对小麦产生强氧化伤害，抑制小麦生长。通常情况下，臭氧胁迫也可引起小麦抗氧化酶活性的提高，来适应这种污染环境。本实验表明，在盐和臭氧的交互作用下，小麦抗氧化酶活性的升高呈现了叠加效应，小麦的活性氧清除能力大大加强，减缓了小麦衰老进程，有利于小麦生长。 4 外源硝酸钾对冬小麦盐胁迫伤害的缓解机理及高产栽培技术规程 4.1 不同浓度硝酸钾处理对盐胁迫下小麦幼苗生理代谢的影响 植株体内K+/Na+比值是衡量小麦抗盐性的一项重要指标。盐胁迫下，小麦体内Na+含量快速上升，而K+含量相对下降，K+/Na+比值快速降低，打破了植株体内离子平衡，对小麦造成Na+“单盐毒害”，严重抑制小麦生长。可溶性糖、脯氨酸等低分子量渗透调节物质含量升高；膜质过氧化程度加重，电解质外渗量及丙二醛含量升高；活性氧自由基增多，抗氧化酶活性升高。 外源KNO3显著提高了小麦植株组织内K+/Na+比值，盐胁迫症状减轻，可溶性糖、脯氨酸等低分子量渗透调节物质含量比单独NaCl胁迫时降低；膜质过氧化程度减轻，电解质外渗量及丙二醛含量降低；活性氧自由基减少，抗氧化酶活性恢复到接近正常水平。但过量施用硝酸钾同样不利于小麦的生长。实验结果表明，小麦生长环境中最佳的K+/Na+ = 16:100。 4.2 抽穗期叶面喷施硝酸钾对盐胁迫下小麦花后生长及籽粒产量的影响 根据小麦生长环境中最佳的钾/钠 = 16:100的实验结果，设计了对100 mM NaCl生长环境中小麦抽穗期叶面喷施10 mM KNO3溶液试验（Hoagland 营养液中已含6 mM KNO3），得出外源硝酸钾有利于盐胁迫下小麦生长的恢复及籽粒产量的提高，DK961和JN17的穗粒数分别比单纯盐胁迫时提高了1.9%和7.1%；千粒重分别提高了2.3%和2.8 %；产量分别提高了4.5%和12.3%；叶面喷施钾肥后，盐胁迫对耐盐小麦产量指标影响变小，小麦各项指标恢复到接近于对照水平。盐敏感小麦品种受到盐胁迫的伤害较重，产量下降幅度较大，施钾肥后小麦盐胁迫症状虽有改善，但仍与对照相差较远。所以，盐胁迫下小麦高产优质栽培中，耐盐品种的选用是首要的。 4.3外源硝酸钾对盐胁迫下花后小麦旗叶气体交换的影响 盐胁迫下小麦叶面喷施钾肥，旗叶光合速率在灌浆期比不施钾处理显著升高，且维持高光合速率时间延长，小麦后期衰老速率减缓。由于施钾处理使旗叶光合速率提高，功能期延长，使籽粒可溶性总糖含量和蔗糖含量高于不施钾的处理，促进了淀粉合成底物的供应，由此促进了淀粉的合成。盐胁迫下小麦抽穗期施钾，可促进小麦旗叶、籽粒的碳、氮代谢，淀粉合成速率加快。同时游离氨基酸含量增加，籽粒中蛋白质合成底物的供应增加，蛋白质产量提高。适宜的钾肥处理能够显著促进小麦植株碳、氮代谢过程，加速碳水化合物和蛋白质的合成，使籽粒蛋白质、淀粉产量提高。 4.4外源硝酸钾对盐胁迫下小麦花后旗叶抗衰老酶活性的影响 盐胁迫可使小麦代谢过程中产生的活性氧自由基增多，刺激酶促防御系统的保护酶（如，SOD、POD、CAT等）活性提高，但当盐浓度超过其上限时，酶活性达到一定的极限，活性氧自由基不能及时的清除，代谢发生紊乱，植株加速衰老或不能正常生长，出现“早死”现象。外源硝酸钾可有效缓解这一抑制作用，提高小麦在盐胁迫下的代谢能力，减少活性氧自由基的产生，减轻活性氧清除系统的压力，能较长时间维持叶片细胞结构的完整性，提高小麦抵抗盐胁迫的能力。 4.5 盐胁迫下小麦优质高产栽培技术规程 研究结果表明：选用高产优质抗盐小麦新品种，并合理配合施用钾肥是获得小麦优质高产的一项有效措施： 1） 选用高产优质抗盐小麦新品种 在品种选用上，首先要考虑苗期耐盐力好、个体分蘖强、成穗率高三大因素，在此基础上选择多穗、粒大、粒多的性状。 2）配合施用钾肥 钾肥基施和抽穗期叶面喷施皆对盐胁迫下小麦生长有促进作用。钾肥的施用量应根据土壤盐浓度而定，小麦生长环境中最佳的K+/Na+比值为16:100。

SCALING OF LIMB PROPORTIONS AND LIMB BONE DIAMETERS IN 3 SPECIES OF CHINESE SNUB-NOSED LANGURS (GENUS RHINOPITHECUS)

In this study, aspects of the structural mechanics of the upper and lower limbs of the three Chinese species of Rhinopithecus were examined. Linear regression and reduced major axis (RMA) analyses of natural log-transformed data were used to examine the dimensions of limb bones and other relationships to body size and locomotion. The results of this study suggest that: (1) the allometry exponents of the lengths of long limbs deviate from isometry, being moderately negative, while the shaft diameters (both sagittal and transverse) show significantly positive allometry; (2) the sagittal diameters of the tibia and ulna show extremely significantly positive allometry - the relative enlargement of the sagittal, as opposed to transverse, diameters of these bones suggests that the distal segments of the fore- and hindlimbs of Rhinopithecus experience high bending stresses during locomotion; (3) observations of Rhinopithecus species in the field indicate that all species engage in energetic leaping during arboreal locomotion. The limbs experience rapid and dramatic decelerations upon completion of a leap. We suggest that these occasional decelerations produce high bending stresses in the distal limb segments and so account for the hypertrophy of the sagittal diameters of the ulna and tibia.

Physiological responses to capture and handling of free-ranging male Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)

We captured free-ranging male Yangtze finless porpoises over three seasons and assayed leukocytes and serum biochemistry to investigate physiological responses to the capture and handlings. Serum thyroid hormones (THs) declined sharply in those porpoises compared with hormone variation in a captive male finless porpoise. Hypernatremia and hypokalemia were also significant in the free-ranging animals suggesting that conservation of serum sodium might be acutely vital for this freshwater subspecies. The animals captured in spring showed more significant neutrophilia and eosinopenia than those captured in autumn suggesting that they may be more affected by capture during the breeding season. Furthermore, physical examination of porpoises when out of the water was apparently stressful, particularly when they were kept out of the water for longer periods. However, an increase in circulating THs may be an adaptive response to accommodate these short-term stresses.

EFFECTS OF IRON ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF Microcystis wesenbergii (Kom.) Kom. (Cyanobacterium)

Iron is an essential trace element for biological requirements of phytoplankton. Effects of iron on physiological and biochemical characteristics of Microcystis wesenbergii were conducted in this study. Results showed that 0.01 mu M [Fe3+] seriously inhibited growth and chlorophyll synthesis of M. wesenbergii, and induced temporary increase of ATPase activities, however, NR. ACP and ALP activities were restrained by iron limitation. Interestingly, iron addition on day 8 resulted in the gradual restoration of structures and functions of above enzymes and resisted a variety of stresses from iron limitation. M. wesenbergii in 10 mu M [Fe3+] treatment group grew normally. enzymes maintained normal levels, and residual phosphate contents in cultures first sharply decreased, then smoothly as M. wesenbergii has a characteristic of luxury consumption of phosphorus. Above parameters in 100 mu M [Fe3+] treatment group were almost same with those in 10 mu M [Fe3+] treatment group except for NR, ACP and ALP activities. In 100 mu M [Fe3+] treatment group, activities of ACP and ALP had temporary increase because phosphate and ferric iron could form insoluble compound - ferric phosphate (Fe3PO4) through adsorption effect. resulting in lack of bioavailable phosphate in culture media. The experiment suggested that too low or too high iron can affect obviously physiological and biochemical characteristics of M. wesenbergii.

Molecular cloning and stress-induced expression of paralichthys olivaceus heme-regulated initiation factor 2 alpha kinase

The heme-regulated initiation factor 2 alpha kinase (HRI) is acknowledged to play an important role in translational shutoff in reticulocytes in response to various cellular stresses. In this study, we report its homologous cDNA cloning and characterization from cultured flounder embryonic cells (FEC) after treatment with UV-inactivated grass carp haemorrhagic virus (GCHV). The full-length cDNA of Paralichthys olivaceus HRI homologue (PoHRI) has 2391 bp and encodes a protein of 651 amino acids. The putative PoHRI protein exhibits high identity with all members of eIF2 alpha kinase family. It contains 12 catalytic subdomains located within the C-terminus of all Ser/Thr protein kinases, a unique kinase insertion of 136 amino acids between subdomains IV and V, and a relatively conserved N-terminal domain (NTD). Upon heat shock, virus infection or Poly PC treatment, PoHRI mRNA and protein are significantly upregulated in FEC cells but show different expression patterns in response to different stresses. In healthy flounders, PoHRI displays a wide tissue distribution at both the mRNA and protein levels. These results indicate that PoHRI is a ubiquitous eIF2a kinase and might play an important role in translational control over nonheme producing FEC cells under different stresses. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of polyurethane foam units and calorimetry to microbial monitoring in Lake Donghu

Combined with the national standard biomonitoring method (polyurethane foam units method), calorimetry was applied to study the metabolic activities of PFU microbial communities in fresh water to determine the effects of anthropotgenic stresses on the activity of the microbial community. Comparisons were made at four sampling stations with different eutrophic status in Lake Donghu. Water quality variables, species number of protozoa, abundances of microorganisms, biomass, heterotrophy indexes and diversity indexes are reported. The heat rate-time curves of the native and concentrated PFU microbial communities were determined at 28 degrees C. Growth rate, measured maximum power output and total heat were calculated from the heat rate-time curves. The values of metabolic variables are higher at the more eutrophic stations, which suggests that organic pollution increases the activity of PFU microbial communities. The metabolic variables are in good agreement with chemical and biotic variables. And calorimetry will be useful for biomonitoring of the PFU microbial community. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fracture properties of silicon carbide thin films by bulge test of long rectangular membrane

This paper reports the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of silicon carbide (3C-SiC) thin films grown on silicon substrates. Using bulge testing combined with a refined load-deflection model of long rectangular membranes, which takes into account the bending stiffness and prestress of the membrane material, the Young's modulus, prestress, and fracture strength for the 3C-SiC thin films with thicknesses of 0.40 and 1.42 mu m were extracted. The stress distribution in the membranes under a load was calculated analytically. The prestresses for the two films were 322 +/- 47 and 201 +/- 34 MPa, respectively. The thinner 3C-SiC film with a strong (111) orientation has a plane-gstrain moduli of 415 +/- 61 GPa, whereas the thicker film with a mixture of both (111) and (110) orientations exhibited a plane-strain moduli of 329 +/- 49 GPa. The corresponding fracture strengths for the two kinds of SiC films were 6.49 +/- 0.88 and 3.16 +/- 0.38 GPa, respectively. The reference stresses were computed by integrating the local stress of the membrane at the fracture over edge, surface, and volume of the specimens and were fitted with Weibull distribution function. For the 0.40-mu m-thick membranes, the surface integration has a better agreement between the data and the model, implying that the surface flaws are the dominant fracture origin. For the 1.42-mu m-thick membranes, the surface integration presented only a slightly better fitting quality than the other two, and therefore, it is difficult to rule out unambiguously the effects of the volume and edge flaws.

Mechanical Deformation Behavior of Nonpolar GaN Thick Films by Berkovich Nanoindentation

In this study, the deformation mechanisms of nonpolar GaN thick films grown on m-sapphire by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) are investigated using nanoindentation with a Berkovich indenter, cathodoluminescence (CL), and Raman microscopy. Results show that nonpolar GaN is more susceptible to plastic deformation and has lower hardness than c-plane GaN. After indentation, lateral cracks emerge on the nonpolar GaN surface and preferentially propagate parallel to the < 11 (2) over bar0 > orientation due to anisotropic defect-related stresses. Moreover, the quenching of CL luminescence can be observed to extend exclusively out from the center of the indentations along the < 11 (2) over bar0 > orientation, a trend which is consistent with the evolution of cracks. The recrystallization process happens in the indented regions for the load of 500 mN. Raman area mapping indicates that the distribution of strain field coincides well with the profile of defect-expanded dark regions, while the enhanced compressive stress mainly concentrates in the facets of the indentation.

Well-width dependence of in-plane optical anisotropy in (001) GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells induced by in-plane uniaxial strain and interface asymmetry

The well-width dependence of in-plane optical anisotropy (IPOA) in (001) GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells induced by in-plane uniaxial strain and interface asymmetry has been studied comprehensively. Theoretical calculations show that the IPOA induced by in-plane uniaxial strain and interface asymmetry exhibits much different well-width dependence. The strain-induced IPOA is inversely proportional to the energy spacing between heavy- and light-hole subbands, so it increases with the well width. However, the interface-related IPOA is mainly determined by the probability that the heavy- and light-holes appear at the interfaces, so it decreases with the well width. Reflectance difference spectroscopy has been carried out to measure the IPOA of (001) GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells with different well widths. Strain- and interface-induced IPOA have been distinguished by using a stress apparatus, and good agreement with the theoretical prediction is obtained. The anisotropic interface potential parameters are also determined. In addition, the energy shift between the interface- and strain-induced 1H1E reflectance difference (RD) structures, and the deviation of the 1L1E RD signal away from the prediction of the calculation model have been discussed.

Comparison and combination of several stress relief methods for cubic boron nitride films deposited by ion beam assisted deposition

Cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) technique, and the stresses were primary estimated by measuring the frequency shifts in the infrared-absorption peaks of c-BN samples. To test the possible effects of other factors, dependencies of the c-BN transversal optical mode position on film thickness and c-BN content were investigated. Several methods for reducing the stress of c-BN films including annealing, high temperature deposition, two-stage process, and the addition of a small amount of Si were studied, in which the c-BN films with similar thickness and cubic phase content were used to evaluate the effects of the various stress relief methods. It was shown that all the methods can reduce the stress in c-BN films to various extents. Especially, the incorporation of a small amount of Si (2.3 at.%) can result in a remarkable stress relief from 8.4 to similar to 3.6 GPa whereas the c-BN content is nearly unaffected, although a slight degradation of the c-BN crystallinity is observed. The stress can be further reduced down below I GPa by combination of the addition of Si with the two-stage deposition process. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bulge testing and fracture properties of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon nitride thin films

The mechanical properties and fracture behavior of silicon nitride (SiNx) thin film fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition is reported. Plane-strain moduli, prestresses, and fracture strengths of silicon nitride thin film; deposited both oil a bare Si substrate and oil a thermally oxidized Si substrate were extracted using bulge testing combined with a refined load-deflection model of long rectangular membranes. The plane-strain modu i and prestresses of SiNx thin films have little dependence on the substrates, that is, for the bare Si substrate, they are 133 +/- 19 GPa and 178 +/- 22 MPa, respectively, while for the thermally oxidized substrate, they are 140 +/- 26 Gila and 194 +/- 34 MPa, respectively. However, the fracture strength values of SiNx films grown on the two substrates are quite different, i.e., 1.53 +/- 0.33 Gila and 3.08 +/- 0.79 GPa for the bare Si substrate a A the oxidized Si substrate, respectively. The reference stresses were computed by integrating the local stress of the membrane at the fracture over the edge, Surface, and volume of the specimens and fitted with the Weibull distribution function. For SiNx thin film produced oil the bare Si Substrate, the Volume integration gave a significantly better agreement between data and model, implying that the volume flaws re the dominant fracture origin. For SiNx thin film grown on the oxidized Si substrate, the fit quality of surface and edge integration was significantly better than the Volume integration, and the dominant surface and edge flaws could be caused by buffered HF attacking the SiNx layer during SiO2 removal. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polarized Raman scattering studies of nonpolar a-plane GaN films grown on r-plane sapphire substrates by MOCVD

Nonpolar (1120) a-plane GaN thin films were grown on r-plane (1102) sapphire substrates by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The stress characteristics of the a-plane GaN films were investigated by means of polarized Raman scattering spectra in backscattering configurations. The experimental results show that there are strong anisotropic in-plane stresses within the epitaxial a-plane GaN films by calculating the corresponding stress tensors. The temperature dependence of Raman scattering spectra was studied in the range from 100 K to 550 K. The measurements reveal that the Raman phonon frequencies decrease with increasing temperature. The temperature at which nonpolar a-plane GaN films are strain free is discussed. (c) 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Strain analysis of InP/InGaAsP wafer bonded on Si by X-ray double crystalline diffraction

Wafer bonding between p-Si and an n-InP-based InGaAsP multiple quantum well (MQW) wafer was achieved by a direct wafer bonding method. In order to investigate the strain at different annealing temperatures, four pre-bonded pairs were selected, and pair one was annealed at 150 degrees C, pair two at 250 degrees C, pair three at 350 degrees C, and pair four at 450 degrees C, respectively. The macroscopical strains on the bonded epitaxial layer include two parts, namely the internal strain and the strain caused by the mismatching of the crystalline orientation between InP (100) and Si (100). These strains were measured by the X-ray double crystalline diffraction, and theoretical calculations of the longitudinal and perpendicular thermal strains at different annealing temperatures were calculated using the bi-metal thermostats model, both the internal strain and the thermal strain increase with the annealing temperature. Normal thermal stress and the elastic biaxial thermal strain energy were also calculated using this model. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.