A method for depositing a phosphorus doped silicon arsenide film is disclosed. The method may include, providing a substrate within a reaction chamber, heating the substrate to a deposition temperature, exposing the substrate to a silicon precursor, an arsenic precursor, and a phosphorus dopant precursor, and depositing the phosphorus doped silicon arsenide film over a surface of the substrate. Semiconductor device structures including a phosphorus doped silicon arsenide film deposited by the methods of the disclosure are also provided.

Methods and apparatus for improving the loading ratio of a hydrogen gas in a transition metal are disclosed. Blocking desorption sites on the surface of a metallic structure increases the partial hydrogen/deuterium pressure when the absorption and desorption processes reach an equilibrium. The higher the number of desorption sites that are blocked, the higher the equilibrium pressure can be reached for attaining a higher hydrogen loading ratio. Moreover, since hydrogen desorption occurs at grain boundaries, reducing grain boundaries is conducive to reducing the hydrogen desorption rate. Methods and apparatus for increasing grain sizes to reduce grain boundaries are also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for improving the loading ratio of a hydrogen gas in a transition metal are disclosed. Blocking desorption sites on the surface of a metallic structure increases the partial hydrogen/deuterium pressure when the absorption and desorption processes reach an equilibrium. The higher the number of desorption sites that are blocked, the higher the equilibrium pressure can be reached for attaining a higher hydrogen loading ratio. Moreover, since hydrogen desorption occurs at grain boundaries, reducing grain boundaries is conducive to reducing the hydrogen desorption rate. Methods and apparatus for increasing grain sizes to reduce grain boundaries are also disclosed.

Scintillating compounds, methods of synthesizing scintillating compounds, and applications of scintillating compounds are disclosed. The scintillating compounds can include cesium rare earth silicates. A scintillating compound can include cesium, silicon, oxygen, fluorine, and one or more of europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium and scandium. The scintillating compounds can form unit cells having the general formula Cs.sub.3RESi.sub.4O.sub.10F.sub.2 with RE including rare earth metals, lanthanides, and transition metals.

Scintillating compounds, methods of synthesizing scintillating compounds, and applications of scintillating compounds are disclosed. The scintillating compounds can include cesium rare earth silicates. A scintillating compound can include cesium, silicon, oxygen, fluorine, and one or more of europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium and scandium. The scintillating compounds can form unit cells having the general formula Cs.sub.3RESi.sub.4O.sub.10F.sub.2 with RE including rare earth metals, lanthanides, and transition metals.

The present invention relates to a method for removing radioactive element thorium in a rare earth mineral, comprising: mixing the rare earth mineral with selenium dioxide in water, reacting radioactive element thorium with selenium dioxide by hydrothermal method, cooling to form a crystal, and separating the crystal to remove the radioactive element thorium. In the invention, tetravalent element thorium is selectively bound to inorganic ligand selenium dioxide in a hydrothermal environment to form a crystal, thereby achieving removal of radioactive element thorium. The method has high crystallization rate and high decontamination efficiency, and removes thorium from trivalent lanthanide element by crystallization solidification under a uniform reaction condition. Compared to a conventional industrial method for thorium separation, the method has low energy consumption and high separation ratio, enables one-step solidification separation, and effectively avoids the disadvantages of redundant separation operations and a large amount of organic and radioactive liquid wastes.

The present invention relates to a method for removing radioactive element thorium in a rare earth mineral, comprising: mixing the rare earth mineral with selenium dioxide in water, reacting radioactive element thorium with selenium dioxide by hydrothermal method, cooling to form a crystal, and separating the crystal to remove the radioactive element thorium. In the invention, tetravalent element thorium is selectively bound to inorganic ligand selenium dioxide in a hydrothermal environment to form a crystal, thereby achieving removal of radioactive element thorium. The method has high crystallization rate and high decontamination efficiency, and removes thorium from trivalent lanthanide element by crystallization solidification under a uniform reaction condition. Compared to a conventional industrial method for thorium separation, the method has low energy consumption and high separation ratio, enables one-step solidification separation, and effectively avoids the disadvantages of redundant separation operations and a large amount of organic and radioactive liquid wastes.

A polycrystalline dielectric thin film and a capacitor element have a large relative dielectric constant. The polycrystalline dielectric thin film has a perovskite oxynitride as a principal component. The perovskite oxynitride is represented by compositional formula A.sub.a1B.sub.b1O.sub.oN.sub.n (a1+b1+o+n=5), and the a-axis length of the crystal lattice of the perovskite oxynitride is larger than a theoretical value.

A polycrystalline dielectric thin film and a capacitor element have a large relative dielectric constant. The polycrystalline dielectric thin film has a perovskite oxynitride as a principal component. The perovskite oxynitride is represented by compositional formula A.sub.a1B.sub.b1O.sub.oN.sub.n (a1+b1+o+n=5), and the a-axis length of the crystal lattice of the perovskite oxynitride is larger than a theoretical value.

A solution deposition method includes: applying a liquid precursor solution to a substrate, the precursor solution including an oxide of a first metal, a hydroxide of the first metal, or a combination thereof, dissolved in an aqueous ammonia solution; evaporating the precursor solution to directly form a solid seed layer on the substrate, the seed layer including an oxide of the first metal, a hydroxide of the first metal, or a combination thereof, the seed layer being substantially free of organic compounds; and growing a bulk layer on the substrate, using the seed layer as a growth site or a nucleation site.