The rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process was adapted to crystallize the amorphous (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films prepared on Si(111) substrates by RF magnetic sputtering deposition. The effect of annealing temperature, heating rate and duration time on crystallization was studied through X-ray...

We implement and assess several statistical methods for rough surface morphology characterization, which can largely be divided into two classes. The first class is based on estimation of two-point, quadratic statistical functions and includes: estimates of the sample autocovariance function,...

Surface morphology of the {001} faces of MMTWD crystals grown from by the temperature-lowering method has been studied. Monolayer and multilayer steps elongate along the a direction, which is determined by the crystal structure. Apart from that, the elementary steps have narrower terraces than...

Using atomic force microscopy on silica and float glass surfaces, we give evidence that the roughness of melted glass surfaces can be quantitatively accounted for by frozen capillary waves. In this framework the height spatial correlations are shown to obey a logarithmic scaling law; the...

The tetrahedral carbon (ta-C) and boron doped amorphous carbon (a-C:B) thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition. The respective effects of diamond percentages by weight in the target (Dwt%) and boron percentages by weight in the camphoric carbon target (Bwt%), on the tetrahedral...

The implication of surface-adsorbed nanoscopic gas films, or nanobubbles, on the origin of the hydrophobic force and theoretical models of this force are investigated. Rather than question the validity of the model we examine the strength of the experimental observation which has led to this model.

The drainage force between a borosilicate colloid probe and a flat mica surface was measured using a custom-built nanorheology-atomic force microscope, both in pure water and in solutions of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB). The previously reported dependence of slip...

We describe experiments, based on optical and atomic force microscopy, aimed at characterising the growth of nucleated holes in polystyrene films. Circular nucleated holes develop upon dewetting in thick films, and they grow uniformly with time until coalescence with neighbouring holes occurs....