Dissociation upon sulfur K-shell excitation or ionization of SF6 is studied by sulfur L-shell emission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation and multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations of emission energies and transition rates. The decay path involves in particular Auger emission with the ejection of one or more electrons, leading to singly or multiply charged intermediate states. Nevertheless, the results of the study show that the observed photon emission at 151–152 eV following excitation at 2485–2489 eV originates dominantly from transitions in neutral sulfur. This clearly indicates that the central atom retains its electrons in a dissociation process where all fluorine atoms detach before the S 2p decay. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Abstract Background: There is a paucity of research on therapist competence development following extensive training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In addition, metacognitive ability (the knowledge and regulation of one’s cognitive processes) has been associated with learning in various domains but its role in learning CBT is unknown. Aims: To investigate to what extent psychology and psychotherapy students acquired competence in CBT following extensive training, and the role of metacognition. Method: CBT competence and metacognitive activity were assessed in 73 psychology and psychotherapy students before and after 1.5 years of CBT training, using role-plays with a standardised patient. Results: Using linear mixed modelling, we found large improvements of CBT competence from pre- to post-assessment. At post-assessment, 72% performed above the competence threshold (36 points on the Cognitive Therapy Scale-Revised). Higher competence was correlated with lower accuracy in self-assessment, a measure of metacognitive ability. The more competent therapists tended to under-estimate their performance, while less competent therapists made more accurate self-assessments. Metacognitive activity did not predict CBT competence development. Participant characteristics (e.g. age, clinical experience) did not moderate competence development. Conclusions: Competence improved over time and most students performed over the threshold post-assessment. The more competent therapists tended to under-rate their competence. In contrast to what has been found in other learning domains, metacognitive ability was not associated with competence development in our study. Hence, metacognition and competence may be unrelated in CBT or perhaps other methods are required to measure metacognition.

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra excited at the oxygen K edge of CO2 are presented and discussed. Although excitation from a gerade initial state to the intermediate 1s(-1)pi* state breaks the inversion symmetry due to strong vibronic coupling, RIXS excited at the corresponding resonance exclusively populates gerade vibrations in the gerade electronic ground state. This observation constitutes an experimental confirmation of the prediction that the parity selection rule applies in RIXS on an inversion-symmetric polyatomic system, provided that the total electronic-vibronic wave function is considered. Parity selectivity is used for assigning spectra to the population of electronically excited final states, a procedure hampered only when symmetry-breaking vibronic coupling in the final states is prominent. A RIXS spectrum excited in the Rydberg region is tentatively assigned using a simplified quasi-two-step model in which it is assumed that the electron in the Rydberg orbital excited in the first step remains as a spectator during the second decay step.

Hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films are attractive for a wide range of industrial applications. One of the challenges related to the use of hard DLC lies in the high intrinsic compressive stresses that limit the film adhesion. Here, we report on the mechanical and tribological properties of DLC films deposited by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) with Ne as the process gas. In contrast to standard magnetron sputtering as well as standard Ar-based HiPIMS process, the Ne-HiPIMS lead to dense DLC films with increased mass density (up to 2.65 g/cm3) and a hardness of 23 GPa when deposited on steel with a Cr + CrN adhesion interlayer. Tribological testing by the pin-on-disk method revealed a friction coefficient of 0.22 against steel and a wear rate of 2 × 10−17 m3/Nm. The wear rate is about an order of magnitude lower than that of the films deposited using Ar. The differences in the film properties are attributed to an enhanced C ionization in the Ne-HiPIMS discharge.

Different lengths of WR3 (220–330 GHz) and WR10 (75–110 GHz) waveguides are fabricated through direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). The losses in these waveguides are measured and modelled using the Huray surface roughness model. The losses in WR3 are around 0.3 dB/mm and in WR10 0.05 dB/mm. The Huray equation model is accounting relatively good for the attenuation in the WR10 waveguide but deviates more in the WR3 waveguide. The model is compared to finite element simulations of the losses assuming an approximate surface structure similar to the resulting one from the DMLS process.

Discharges with crossed electric and magnetic fields are known to develop instabilities that are crucial in the transport of charged particles. Sputtering magnetrons are no exception. While most recent studies focused on traveling ionization zones in high-power impulse magnetron sputtering, we show here fast camera images of magnetron discharges at very low current. A single drifting ionization zone is always present, even down to the threshold current of ~10 mA.

The discharges in high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) have been reported to consist of azimuthally inhomogeneous plasma with locally increased light emission. The luminous zones seemingly travel around the racetrack and are implicated in generation of the high ion kinetic energies observed in HiPIMS. We show that the inhomogeneities smooth out at high discharge current to yield azimuthally homogeneous plasma. This may have implications for the spatial and kinetic energy distribution of sputtered particles, and therefore also on the thin films deposited by HiPIMS.

Ion energy distribution functions measured for high power impulse magnetron sputtering show features, such as a broad peak at several 10 eV with an extended tail, as well as asymmetry with respect to E×B, where E and B are the local electric and magnetic field vectors, respectively. Here it is proposed that those features are due to the formation of a potential hump of several 10 V in each of the traveling ionization zones. Potential hump formation is associated with a negative-positive-negative space charge that naturally forms in ionization zones driven by energetic drifting electrons.

Excitation and ionization conditions in traveling ionization zones of high power impulse magnetron sputtering plasmas were investigated using fast camera imaging through interference filters. The images, taken in end-on and side-on views using light of selected gas and target atom and ion spectral lines, suggest that ionization zones are regions of enhanced densities of electrons, and excited atoms and ions. Excited atoms and ions of the target material (Al) are strongly concentrated near the target surface. Images from the highest excitation energies exhibit the most localized regions, suggesting localized Ohmic heating consistent with double layer formation.

Plasma and ion-beam surface treatments by energetic particle bombardment enable a high degree of freedom and control of surface material chemistry and microstructure. The development of plasma and ion-beam surface modification methods and tools has allowed the synthesis, modification and exploration of new technologically important materials. Plasma surface treatments together with low energy (< 5 keV) ion-beam processing of surfaces, thin films, and nanostructures result in new phases and metastable states that directly impact the chemical, physical, and morphological properties of the material. Thus, this field is highly relevant for new applications such as tribological, optical and biomedical coated surfaces.

In reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) of oxides, target effects such as reduced surface oxidation during pulse off time, increased implantation of reactive gas due to the higher discharge voltage as compared to normal DC sputtering, and enhanced target cleaning during on time are considered to be responsible for the differences compared to reactive DC sputtering. These effects are assumed to cause changes in the target oxide coverage and hence lead to the hysteresis shifts observed in experimental studies. In this contribution, the target processes are simulated using the binary collision approximation code TRIDYN. Using an Al target sputtered in Ar+O2 mixture as a model system, a range of pulse configurations is simulated for different oxygen partial pressures. The results indicate that the target effects alone are not sufficient to explain the observed shift of hysteresis and its frequency dependence.

First, we would like to apologize for not mentioning the results presented by Agåker et al. 1 in our recently published Letter 2 .Although we mentioned the theoretical study of Yin et al. 3 in a previous paper 4 , we were unaware of these recent experimental Agåker et al. raise some interesting points that we would like to clarify here.Concerning the reflectivity of the roofshaped reflectors in our instrument, it is indeed difficult to go far below a wavelength of 40 nm (although 30 nm is still manageable with the undulator we use at the SOLEIL synchrotron).However, the general concept of our spectrometer does not rely on the precise 45° grazing incidence shape of the reflectors.As mentioned in a previous study 5 , the roof angle (and therefore the incidence angle) is a free parameter that can be chosen in the instrument design to target a specific wavelength range.The reflecting surface can also be chosen accordingly.In our present set-up 2 , we used a 45° grazing angle and an SiC coating on silica as an optimized configuration for covering the vacuum-ultraviolet range (40-250 nm).However, the same principles could be used to design a system with 20° grazing incidence and silicon reflectors for highresolution spectroscopy down to around

Porous platinum thin films were prepared by thermal decomposition at temperatures from 25 to 675 °C of platinum oxide films deposited by a pulsed reactive sputtering technique. The samples’ chemistry and structure were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), showing that the decomposition of the oxide begins as low as 400 °C and follows a sigmoidal trend with increasing annealing temperature. In the XRD spectra, only an amorphous-like signature was observed for temperatures below 575 °C, while Pt 4f XPS showed that the deposited oxide was a mixture of PtO2 and PtO. Pt-L3 edge XANES and Pt 4f XPS spectra showed that the Pt concentration and electronic structure are predominant for temperatures equal to or above 575 °C. The morphologies of the films were investigated by the area-perimeter method from atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, indicating that the surfaces exhibit a combination of Euclidian and fractal characteristics. Moreover, the thermal evolution of these characteristics indicates the agglomeration of the grains in the film as observed by SEM.

This letter presents a proof-of-concept process for tunable, self-limiting growth of ultrathin epitaxial NiSi2 films on Si (100). The process starts with metal sputter-deposition, followed by wet etching and then silicidation. By ionizing a fraction of the sputtered Ni atoms and biasing the Si substrate, the amount of Ni atoms incorporated in the substrate after wet etching can be controlled. As a result, the thickness of the NiSi2 films is increased from 4.7 to 7.2 nm by changing the nominal substrate bias from 0 to 600 V. The NiSi2 films are characterized by a specific resistivity around 50 mu Omega cm. (C) 2011 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3580618] All rights reserved.

Cover: Nanocomposite coatings mixing hard nanocrystalline phases of TiBC in a soft amorphous carbon matrix are prepared by magnetron sputtering of a composite TiC:TiB2 target and graphite. The electrical resistivity and crystalline structure of the coatings can be varied depending on the carbon content. The formation of two types of boron bonding is reported in a ternary TiBC compound. Further details can be found in the article by M. D. Abad, R. Sanjinés, J. L. Endrino, R. Gago, J. Andersson, and J. C. Sánchez-López* on page 579.

The local structure of TiBC and amorphous carbon (a-C) nanocomposite films (TiBC/a-C) was correlated with their optical and electrical properties. TiBC/a-C films with increasing C content were deposited by magnetron co-sputtering from TiC:TiB2 (60: 40) and graphite targets. Chemical composition is determined by electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction reveals that the microstructure of the films is amorphous with small nanocrystallites emerging by increasing the C content that could be attributed to the formation of ternary (TiBxCy) or mixed binary (TiB2 and TiC) phases. Further information was then obtained by studying the chemical bonding by measuring the near-edge fine structure (NES) by electron energy-loss (B K-, C K-, and Ti L-edges) and X-ray absorption (B K-and Ti L-edges) spectroscopies. The NES analysis indicates the formation of a nanocrystalline ternary TiBxCy compound concomitant with the segregation of an a-C phase as the carbon content is increased. The optical properties were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and the electrical resistivity was measured by the Van der Pauw method between 20 and 300 K. The films continuously lose their metallic character in terms of optical constants and resistivity with increasing carbon content. Theoretical fitting of the electrical properties using the grain-boundary scattering model supported the formation of a nanocomposite structure based on a ternary TiBxCy phase embedded in a matrix of a-C. The electron transport properties are mainly limited by the high density of point defects, grain size, and transmission probability.

Resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering spectra excited at the dissociative 1 sigma(g) -> 3 sigma(u) resonance in gas-phase O-2 are presented and discussed in terms of state-of-the-art molecular theory. A new selection rule due to internal spin coupling is established, facilitating a deep analysis of the valence excited final states. Furthermore, it is found that a commonly accepted symmetry selection rule due to orbital parity breaks down, as the core hole and excited electron swap parity, thereby opening the symmetry forbidden 3 sigma(g) decay channel.