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Without mask control by intense, pulsed ion-beam evaporation (IBE) method, the compositionally gradient Si-Ge thin films have been successfully prepared by an ion-beam irradiation on Si and Ge plates. One of the compositionally gradient Si-Ge thin films indicated the compositional gradient (a) as 0.8 at. %/mm. This value was found to become an eighth of that of the previous work. When the synthesis of new phases in a system is attempted by the preparation of the compositionally gradient thin films having lower a, the crystalline of the phases seems to be easily identified. Accordingly, the present results can indicate a new possibility for the preparation of compositionally gradient thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In close collaboration with government, municipality and private companies, the systematic studies on pulsed power technology have been carried out at Extreme Energy-Density Research Institute (EDI), Nagaoka University of Technology. In particular, the applications are emphasized to materials science by intense, pulsed ion beam evaporation (IBE) using high-density ablation plasma. Various kinds of thin films or ultrafine nanosized powders have been prepared very efficiently. Additionally, the nanosized powders can be successfully synthesized by pulsed wire discharge (PWD) as well. The industrial applications have also been succeeded in NOx treatment by an intense, pulsed relativistic electron beam (IREB) or pulsed corona discharge using an inductive-energy-storage (IES) pulsed power generator. Recent progress at EDI will be overviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chromium aluminum oxynitride (Cr-Al-N-O) thin films have been successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Experiments were carried out by changing surface area ratio of the targets (S[sub R] = S[sub AlN]/(S[sub Cr[sub 2]N] + S[sub AlN])) from 0 to 100%. The hardness of one of the Cr-Al-N-O thin films was found to be approximately 40 GPa when the aluminum content in cations (x) was 35 at. %. Elastic modulus of the Cr-Al-N-O thin films with x = 35 at. % was clarified to be 40% higher than that of chromium oxynitride (Cr-N-O) thin film. These results implied that increasing the elastic modulus by substitution of Al for Cr in Cr-N-O grains causes the hardening of the Cr-Al-N-O thin films. In oxidation tests, the existence of oxides was not detected in the Cr-Al-N-O thin film heat-treated at 900 °C by X-ray diffraction (XRD). This fact was presumed to be due to dissolved aluminum atoms in B1 (NaCl) structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]