The modified electrostatic model (Neumann and Tolle 1995) is applied to the impurity diffusion in nickel. Z o = 0.4 is used for the effective charge of the nickel ion. The comparison of calculated and experimental diffusion parameters reveals that the sign of ΔQ, the difference between impurity diffusion and self-diffusion energy, and the sign of the difference between impurity diffusion and self-diffusion coefficient is correctly predicted in all cases. On the other hand the comparison exhibits some systematic deviations for 5p impurities, which cannot be explained in terms of the current impurity diffusion models.

A compact conductive polythiophene (PT) film junction was prepared by potential controlled electrochemical doping after electropolymerization of thiophene. The polythiophene film was cation-doped on one side, while its other side was anion-doped, which resulted in a polythiophene p-n junction film diode. The free-standing polythiophene film junction diode was flexible and was 1.5 times stronger than aluminum metal. After treatment by a strong electric field, the polythiophene p-n junction exhibits a novel electric property like an intelligent electric switch.

Laser ablation of a photosensitive triazene polymer was studied in a micro region by means of a nanosecond imaging technique. The propagation of a blast wave, 100 ns after laser irradiation, sufficiently matched a planar blast wave model including the decomposed source mass which indicates characteristics of a microexplosion. The measured velocities of the fronts indicates two blast waves: an initially fast unsupported wave around the peak of the laser pulse, and a relatively slow supported wave involving the main component of the decomposition.

Stereoscopic scanning electron micrographs can be used to reconstruct the microscopic topography of material surfaces. By applying a system for automatic image processing we can obtain Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) of the investigated surface. These DEMs are used to measure the degree of deformation on metallic fracture surfaces. By modelling the deformation the amount of plastic energy that is necessary to shape the microductile fracture surface can be calculated. These values are compared with experimentally obtained results.

Ultra-fine silicon quantum wires with SiO2 boundaries were successfully fabricated by combining SiGe/Si heteroepitaxy, selective chemical etching and subsequent thermal oxidation. The results are observed by scanning electron microscopy. The present method provides a very controllable way to fabricate ultra-fine silicon quantum wires, which is fully compatible with silicon microelectronic technology. As one of the key processes of controlling the lateral dimensions of silicon quantum wires, the wet oxidation of silicon wires has been investigated, self-limiting wet oxidation phenomenon in silicon wires is observed. The characteristic of the oxidation retardation of silicon wires is discussed.

On laser melt treatment, Sliding Wear of pearlitic ductile iron reduced from severe metallic wear to oxidative mild wear by nearly two orders of magnitude at $7.5 ms^{-1}$ over a load range of $14-31 kg cm^{-2}$; resistance to Cavitation Erosion improved by a factor of seven in corrosive media and surface hardness increased from 20-22 to 40-58 $HR_c$. Laser melting could effectively reduce Corrosion rates in dilute acids by nearly 40%. These improvements were caused by the ultrafine microstructure $(1-4 \mu, DAS)$, microhardness $(700-900, HV_{0,1})$ and the consequent high resistance to plastic flow and subsurface crack initiation. In this investigation, pin-on-disc adhesive wear, ultrasonic vibratory cavitation erosion and potentiodynamic corrosion in synthetic sea water and 0.01 $NH_2SO_4$, were assessed after laser surface melting or transformation hardening of hyper-eutectic ductile iron, typically employed in automotive and marine engine components by using $CO_2$ CW or Nd-YAG pulsed high power laser. Also the processing parameters viz, beam power (P), scan rate (U), and specific energy intensity $(P/UD_b^2)$ for threshold and specific depth of transformation hardening or melting have been determined.

Polycrystalline C60 films are deposited onto a variety of substrates by ionized cluster beam deposition (ICBD) technique. The structure of the ICBD C60 films are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrical characteristics of the ICBD C60 films on silicon substrates are investigated by current-voltage (I–V) measurements. TheICBD C60/p-Si and C60/n-Si heterostructures show strong current rectification, which is analyzed using band theory.

The densification process by ion-assisted physical vapour deposition of films is considered as a consequence of rearrangement of atoms in the near-surface film layer. A model is proposed allowing the quantitative estimate of the optimum ion current density required to produce a film with maximum density.

A comparative investigation of virgin and proton exchanged X-cut samples of LiNbO3 is performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy and optical waveguide measurements. The thickness and composition of subsurface protonated layers are estimated from the intensities of Li 1s, O 1s and Nb 3d peaks and independent optical measurements. The thickness of a layer subjected to Ar− ion sputtering is estimated to be 0.5 μm whereas the thickness of the entire protonated layer is measured to be 2.4 μm An unexpected high Li content is established at the very surface of the protonated sample.