Artificial neural network-based method for discriminating Compton scattering events in high-purity germaniumγ-ray spectrometer

To detect radioactive substances with low activity levels,an anticoincidence detector and a high-purity germanium(HPGe)detector are typically used simultaneously to suppress Compton scattering background,thereby resulting in an extremely low detection limit and improving the measurement accuracy.However,the complex and expensive hardware required does not facilitate the application or promotion of this method.Thus,a method is proposed in this study to discriminate the digital waveform of pulse signals output using an HPGe detector,whereby Compton scattering background is suppressed and a low minimum detectable activity(MDA)is achieved without using an expensive and complex anticoincidence detector and device.The electric-field-strength and energy-deposition distributions of the detector are simulated to determine the relationship between pulse shape and energy-deposition location,as well as the characteristics of energy-deposition distributions for fulland partial-energy deposition events.This relationship is used to develop a pulse-shape-discrimination algorithm based on an artificial neural network for pulse-feature identification.To accurately determine the relationship between the deposited energy of gamma(γ)rays in the detector and the deposition location,we extract four shape parameters from the pulse signals output by the detector.Machine learning is used to input the four shape parameters into the detector.Subsequently,the pulse signals are identified and classified to discriminate between partial-and full-energy deposition events.Some partial-energy deposition events are removed to suppress Compton scattering.The proposed method effectively decreases the MDA of an HPGeγ-energy dispersive spectrometer.Test results show that the Compton suppression factors for energy spectra obtained from measurements on ^(152)Eu,^(137)Cs,and ^(60)Co radioactive sources are 1.13(344 keV),1.11(662 keV),and 1.08(1332 keV),respectively,and that the corresponding MDAs are 1.4%,5.3%,and 21.6%lower,respectively.

75 GHz germanium waveguide photodetector with 64 Gbps data rates utilizing an inductive-gain-peaking technique

High-performance germanium(Ge)waveguide photodetectors are designed and fabricated utilizing the inductivegain-peaking technique.With the appropriate integrated inductors,the 3-dB bandwidth of photodetectors is significantly improved owing to the inductive-gain-peaking effect without any compromises to the dark current and optical responsivity.Measured 3-dB bandwidth up to 75 GHz is realized and clear open eye diagrams at 64 Gbps are observed.In this work,the relationship between the frequency response and large signal transmission characteristics on the integrated inductors of Ge waveguide photodetectors is investigated,which indicates the high-speed performance of photodetectors using the inductive-gainpeaking technique.

Thermal stress damage mechanism in single-crystal germanium caused by 1080 nm laser irradiation

The process of thermal stress damage during 1080 nm laser ablation of single-crystal germanium was recorded in real time using a high-speed charge-coupled device.A three-dimensional finite element numerical model based on Fourier's heat conduction equation,Hooke's law and the Alexander–Hasson equation was developed to analyze the thermal stress damage mechanism involved.The damage morphology of the ablated samples was observed using an optical microscope.The results show that the cooling process has an important influence on fracture in the laser-irradiated region of single-crystal germanium.Fracture is the result of a combination of thermal stress and reduction in local yield strength.

SYNTHESIS OF ORGANOGERMANE OLIGOMERS VIA LIGAND SUBSTITUTION POLYMERIZATION FROM 1, 4-DIOXANE COMPLEX OF GERMANIUM DICHLORIDE

Some organogermanium oligomers with different side groups were synthesized via ligand substitution polymerization from I, l-dioxane complex of germanium dichloride with different organolithium compounds. The oligomers were isolated through either precipitation from methanol or extraction using toluene with a yield of no less than 50%. The weight average molecular weight (M-w) of the oligomers is ranging from 1.4 x 10(3) to 5.9 x 10(3) depending on the type and alkyl length of the organolithium compounds used.

ICP-AES Determination of Germanium in GdSiGe Series Alloys as Magnetic Refrigeration Material

The ICP-AES method for the determination of Ge in GdSiGe series alloys was studied.As the three main elements in the alloys,Gd,Si,and Ge differ greatly from each other in chemical properties,it was difficult to pretreat the sample.Two decomposition methods were compared,and a mixture of HNO3＋HF was used to decompose the sample and the effect of the HF amount on the sample decomposition was examined.The adsorption effect of GdF3 on Ge was discussed.Three GdSiGe series alloy samples were analyzed,and the RSDs of this method were in the range of 0.85%～2.66%.

Continuous electrodeposition of silicon and germanium micro/nanowires from their oxides precursors in molten salt

In recent years,silicon(Si)and germanium(Ge)materials have been considered as promising highperformance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacities.It is of great importance to design and synthesize micro/nanostructured Si and Ge materials.In this work,we demonstrated that Si,Ge and SiGe micro/nanowires can be continuously synthesized from their oxides precursors through molten salt electrodeposition.The electrochemical synthesis processes have been investigated systematically,and the deposited Si,Ge and SiGe micro/nanowires have been characterized and compared.The results show that the micro/nanostructured Si and Ge materials with tunable morphology can be facilely and continuously produced via molten salt electrodeposition.The electrodeposition process generally includes calcium oxide-assisted dissolution and electrodeposition processes,and the morphologies of the deposited Si and Ge products can be controlled by varying conditions.Si micro/nanowires,Si films,Ge micro/nanowires,and Ge particles can be continuously synthesized in a controlled manner.

Recovering germanium from coal ash by chlorination with ammonium chloride

A new process of enriching germanium from coal ash was developed. The processinvolves in mixing the coal ash and ammonium chloride and then roasting the mixture to producegermanium chloride that is then absorbed by dilute hydrochloric acid and hydrolyzed to germaniumoxide. The germanium recovery reached to 80.2% at the optimum condition: mass ratio of NH_4Cl/coalash is 0.15, roasting temperature 400℃ and roasting time 90 min.

Lincang Superlarge Germanium Deposit in Yunnan Province,China: Sedimentation,Diagenesis,Hydrothermal Process and Mineralization

The mineralization is related closely to sedimentation, diagenesis and hydrothermal processes. In this paper, investigations are carried out on coal occurrence, maceral composition, inorganic minerals, trace elements and huminite reflectance. It is concluded that the source of Lincang superlarge deposit is mainly the muscovite granite in the west edge of the basin. During sedimentation, Ge (germanium) was leached out and entered the basin. Ge was adsorbed by lower organism and humic substances in water. Lincang lignite underwent three thermal processes: peatification, early diagenesis and hydrothermal transformation. During peatification, Ge was adsorbed or complexed by humic colloids. During early diagenesis, the Ge associated with humic acids was hard to mobilize or transport. Most of Ge entered the structure of huminite while a small amount of Ge was associated with residual humic acids as complex or humate. During hydrothermal transformation, the heated natural water or deep fluid from basement encountered the coal layer within tectonic weak zone. SO 2- 4 was reduced by coal organic matter. Pyrite and calcite formed. Hydrothermal process did not contribute significantly to mineralization.

Germanium in Magnetite:A Preliminary Review

Magnetite is a very common mineral in various types of iron deposits and some sulfide deposits. Recent studies have focused on the use of trace elements in magnetite to discriminate ore types or trace ore-forming process. Germanium is a disperse element in the crust, but sometimes is not rare in magnetite. Germanium in magnetite can be determined by laser ablation ICP-MS due to its low detection limit（0.0X ppm）. In this study, we summary the Ge data of magnetite from magmatic deposits, iron formations, skarn deposits, iron oxide copper-gold deposits, and igneous derived hydrothermal deposits. Magnetite from iron formations contains relatively high Ge（up to ~250 ppm）, whereas those from all other deposits mostly contains Ge less than 10 ppm, indicating that iron formations can be discriminated from other Fe deposits by Ge contents. Germanium in magmatic/hydrothermal magnetite is controlled by a few factors. Primary magma/fluid composition may be the major control of Ge in magnetite. Higher oxygen fugacity may be beneficial to Ge partition into magnetite. Sulfur fugacity and temperature may have little effect on Ge in magnetite. The enrichment mechanism of Ge in magnetite from iron formations remains unknown due to the complex ore genesis. Germanium along with other elements（Mn, Ni, Ga） and element ratios（Ge/Ga and Ge/Si raios） can distinguish different types of deposits, indicating that Ge can be used as a discriminate factor like Ti and V. Because of the availability of in situ analytical technique like laser ablation ICP-MS, in situ Ge/Si ratio of magnetite can serve as a geochemical tracer and may provide new constraints on the genesis of banded iron formations.

Extraction Separation of Germanium with Hydroxamic Acid HGS98

The extraction separation of germanium from indium raffinate in hydrometallurgical zinc process was discussed. The conditions and mechanism of the extraction with hydroxamic acid HGS98 have been investigated in detail. The results show that u sing 2% (mass fraction) hydroxamic acid HGS98 and 5% D 2EHPA as synergist, germanium is extracted (1 stage) over 99% in 5 min at phase ratio ( V o∶ V a) of 1∶5 from indium raffinate with original acidity. Then, using 2 mol·L -1 NH 4F as strip liquor, the stripping recovery is over 98% in 15 min at phase ratio of 1∶1. This process has the following advantages:easy to operate, high recovery and selectivity, and lower investment cost. It provides a new way to recover rare metal-germanium from metallurgical spent residues.

Identification of anomalous fast bulk events in a p-type point-contact germanium detector

The ultralow detection threshold,ultralow intrinsic background,and excellent energy resolution of ptype point-contact germanium detectors are important for rare-event searches,in particular for the detection of direct dark matter interactions,coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering,and neutrinoless double beta decay.Anomalous bulk events with an extremely fast rise time are observed in the CDEX-1B detector.We report a method of extracting fast bulk events from bulk events using a pulse shape simulation and reconstructed source experiment signature.Calibration data and the distribution of X-rays generated by intrinsic radioactivity verified that the fast bulk experienced a single hit near the passivation layer.The performance of this germanium detector indicates that it is capable of single-hit bulk spatial resolution and thus provides a background removal technique.

Study on the Synthesis and in vitro Photodynamic Anti-cancer Activity of Tetra(trifluoroethoxy) Germanium Phthalocyanine

The synthesis and in vitro photodynamic anticancer activity of a new photosen- sitizer, tetra（trifluoroethoxy） germanium phthalocyanine （GePcF）, were studied. GePcF was characterized by UV-Vis, IR, MS and elemental analysis. The in vitro photodynamic activity of GePcF was studied by MTT. IC50 of GePcF for SW480 cells of human colonic adenocarcinoma and HeLa cells of cervical cancer were 36.53 and 45.78 μmol/L, respectively. GePcF as a photosensitizer may be used to treat cancers due to its photodyrmmic anticancer activity.

Fabrication and characteristics of high-K HfO2 gate dielectrics on n-germanium

This paper reports that the high-K HfO2 gate dielectrics are fabricated on n-germanium substrates by sputtering Hf on Ge and following by a furnace annealing. The impacts of sputtering ambient, annealing ambient and annealing temperature on the electrical properties of high-K HfO2 gate dielectrics on germanium substrates are investigated. Experimental results indicate that high-K HfO2 gate dielectrics on germanium substrates with good electrical characteristics are obtained, the electrical properties of high-K HfO2 gate dielectrics is strongly correlated with sputtering ambient, annealing ambient and annealing temperature.

High‑accuracy measurement of Compton scattering in germanium for dark matter searches

Compton scattering with bound electrons contributes to a significant atomic effect in low-momentum transfer,yielding background structures in direct light dark matter searches as well as low-energy rare event experiments.We report the measurement of Compton scattering in low-momentum transfer by implementing a 10-g germanium detector bombarded by a^(137)Cs source with a radioactivity of 8.7 mCi and a scatter photon captured by a cylindrical NaI(Tl)detector.A fully relativistic impulse approximation combined with multi-configuration Dirac–Fock wavefunctions was evaluated,and the scattering function of Geant4 software was replaced by our calculation results.Our measurements show that the Livermore model with the modified scattering function in Geant4 is in good agreement with the experimental data.It is also revealed that atomic many-body effects significantly influence Compton scattering for low-momentum transfer(sub-keV energy transfer).

Study on dislocation multiplication in the head of Germanium single crystal

The high strength, radiation hardness and cost-effectiveness make Germanium the substrate of choice for high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells for space applications. Numerical modeling and large-scale simulation are important and indispensable tools in the analysis and development of crystal growth process. In this study, germanium single crystals with low dislocation density were produced by Czochralski method by applying the necking technique. Chemical etching pits method was used to measure the dislocation density, and a professional modeling software CrysVUn was used to obtain the thermal-stress distribution. The results show that the thermal-stress of the sample with diameter of 15 mm is nearly equal to that of other samples, so the thermal-stress does not influence the dislocation multiplication. Based on the result, the dislocation density must be strangely increased caused by gravity.

Study on cosmogenic radioactive production in germanium as a background for future rare event search experiments

Rare event search experiments are one of the most important topics in the field of fundamental physics,and high-purity germanium(HPGe)detectors with an ultralow radioactive background are frequently used for such experiments.However,cosmogenic activation contaminates germanium crystals during transport and storage.In this study,we investigated the movable shielding containers of HPGe crystals using Geant4 and CRY Monte Carlo simulations.The production rates of 68Ge,65Zn,60Co,55Fe,and 3H were obtained individually for different types of cosmic rays.The validity of the simulation was confirmed through a comparison with the available experimental data.Based on this simulation,we found that the interactions induced by neutrons contribute to approximately 90%of the production rate of cosmogenic activation.In addition,by adding an optimized shielding structure,the production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides are reduced by about one order of magnitude.Our results show that it is feasible to use a shielding container to reduce the cosmogenic radioactivity produced during the transport and storage of high-purity germanium on the ground.

Fabrication of large-scale graphene/2D-germanium heterostructure by intercalation

We report a large-scale, high-quality heterostructure composed of vertically-stacked graphene and two-dimensional(2D) germanium.The heterostructure is constructed by the intercalation-assisted technique.We first synthesize large-scale,single-crystalline graphene on Ir(111) surface and then intercalate germanium at the interface of graphene and Ir(111).The intercalated germanium forms a well-defined 2D layer with a 2 × 2 superstructure with respect to Ir(111).Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the 2D germanium has a double-layer structure.Raman characterizations show that the 2D germanium effectively weakens the interaction between graphene and Ir substrate, making graphene more like the intrinsic one.Further experiments of low-energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) confirm the formation of large-scale and high-quality graphene/2D-germanium vertical heterostructure.The integration of graphene with a traditional 2D semiconductor provides a platform to explore new physical phenomena in the future.

Effect of interface roughness on the carrier transport in germanium MOSFETs investigated by Monte Carlo method

Interface roughness strongly influences the performance of germanium metal-organic-semiconductor field effect transistors （MOSFETs）. In this paper, a 2D full-band Monte Carlo simulator is used to study the impact of interface roughness scattering on electron and hole transport properties in long- and short- channel Ge MOSFETs inversion layers. The carrier effective mobility in the channel of Ge MOSFETs and the in non-equilibriurn transport properties are investigated. Results show that both electron and hole mobility are strongly influenced by interface roughness scattering. The output curves for 50 nm channel-length double gate n and p Ge MOSFET show that the drive currents of n- and p-Ge MOSFETs have significant improvement compared with that of Si n- and p-MOSFETs with smooth interface between channel and gate dielectric. The 82% and 96% drive current enhancement are obtained for the n- and p-MOSFETs with the completely smooth interface. However, the enhancement decreases sharply with the increase of interface roughness. With the very rough interface, the drive currents of Ge MOSFETs are even less than that of Si MOSFETs. Moreover, the significant velocity overshoot also has been found in Ge MOSFETs.

Investigation on the Thermostability of Germanium and Elimination of Chloride and Sulfate.Interference on Germanium in Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

The thermostability and the interference-resisting property of germanium (Ge) in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF.AAS) were increased remarkably when palladium and lithium nitrates were used as complexing matrix modifiers and barium nitrate as supplementary matrix modifier.

Programmable Logic Based on Large Magnetoresistance of Germanium

We find extremely large low-magnetic-field magnetoresistance （~350% at 0.2 T and ~180% at 0.1 T） in germa- nium at room temperature and the magnetoresistanee is highly sensitive to the surface roughness. This unique magnetoelectric property is applied to fabricate logic architecture which could perform basic Boolean logic in- cluding AND, OR, NOR and NAND. Our logic device may pave the way for a high performance microprocessor and may make the germanium family more advanced.