We have investigated the relationship between microstructure and stress in very thin sputtered W films. We discuss features of the microstructure, in particular the presence of voids in compressively stressed films, in terms of the evolution of the structure from a metastable β-phase. By developing a novel specimen geometry for the transmission electron microscope (TEM), we present dynamic observations of the β-W→α-W transformation.

We present a two-dimensional analysis of the in-plane misfit stress and its elastic relaxation in rectangular patterned heteroepitaxial multilayer structures on rigid substrate. Based on the generally acknowledged model of relaxing film stress we calculate the distribution of the misfit stress versus distance from the free surface of a multilayered mesa edge. By superposition of the isolated stress fields of the mesa edges, we obtain the biaxial misfit stress distribution in a finite heteroepitaxial thin film structure on thick substrate. The formalism developed permits the determination of the variation of stress values as a function of material and size characteristics of the patterned multilayer-substrate system. The theoretical analysis will be applied to the SiGe/Si strained layer epitaxy and III-V compound semiconductor integration with Si or Ge.

The optical and mechanical properties of silicon surface subjected to thermal, chemical, electromechanical and laser treatment have been studied. A special electroluminescence spectrum of silicon monocrystal with porous layer obtained by means of selective etching has been given. It was shown that radiating of monocrystal and porous silicon by laser irradiation with the energy of (1÷5)• 105j/m2 (λ=1,06 μm) allowed to change their microplasticity and microhardness by 20 -50%.

The film electrodes of amorphous Tio.ssNi1.00 and Ti1.59Ni1.00 were prepared by means of ion beam sputtering method using TiNi and Ti3Ni alloy targets, respectively The surface microstructures and chemical states of elements of the two films before and after HF treatment were examined by SEM and XPS. The electrocatalytic properties for hydrogen evolution reaction were measured by the galvanost&tic steady-state method in 1M NaOH at 40°C. The results showed that the surface microstructures and compositions of the treated films obviously changed as compared with the untreated films. The electrocatalytic activities of the both films before treatment were lower, but the electrocatalytic activities and exchange current densities significantly increased after treatment.