Field Effect Transistors for Terahertz Detection: Physics and First Imaging Applications

Resonant frequencies of the two-dimensional plasma in FETs increase with the reduction of the channel dimensions and can reach the THz range for sub-micron gate lengths. Nonlinear properties of the electron plasma in the transistor channel can be used for the detection and mixing of THz frequencies. At cryogenic temperatures resonant and gate voltage tunable detection related to plasma waves resonances, is observed. At room temperature, when plasma oscillations are overdamped, the FET can operate as an efficient broadband THz detector. We present the main theoretical and experimental results on THz detection by FETs in the context of their possible application for THz imaging.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, review pape

Immiscible silicate liquid partition coefficients: implications for crystal-melt element partitioning and basalt petrogenesis

This study investigates partitioning of elements between immiscible aluminosilicate and borosilicate liquids using three synthetic mixtures doped with 32 trace elements. In order to get a good spatial separation of immiscible liquids, we employed a high-temperature centrifuge. Experiments were performed at 1,050-1,150°C, 1 atm, in sealed Fe and Pt containers. Quenched products were analysed by electron microprobe and LA ICP-MS. Nernst partition coefficients (D's) between the Fe-rich and Si-rich aluminosilicate immiscible liquids are the highest for Zn (3.3) and Fe (2.6) and the lowest for Rb and K (0.4-0.5). The plots of D values against ionic potential Z/r in all the compositions show a convex upward trend, which is typical also for element partitioning between immiscible silicate and salt melts. The results bear upon the speciation and structural position of elements in multicomponent silicate liquids. The ferrobasalt-rhyolite liquid immiscibility is observed in evolved basaltic magmas, and may play an important role in large gabbroic intrusions, such as Skaergaard, and during the generation of unusual lavas, such as ferropicrites. © Springer-Verlag 2006

Partitioning of lanthanides and Y between immiscible silicate and fluoride melts, fluorite and cryolite and the origin of the lanthanide tetrad effect in igneous rocks

Some F-rich granitic rocks show anomalous, nonchondritic ratios of Y/Ho, extreme negative Eu anomalies, and unusual, discontinuous, segmented chondrite-normalised plots of rare earth elements (REE). The effects of F-rich fluids have been proposed as one of the explanations for the geochemical anomalies in the evolved granitic systems, as the stability of nonsilicate complexes of individual rare earths may affect the fluid-melt element partitioning. The lanthanide tetrad effect, related to different configurations of 4f-electron subshells of the lanthanide elements, is one of the factors affecting such complexing behaviour. We present the first experimental demonstration of the decoupling of Y and Ho, and the tetrad effect in the partitioning of rare earths between immiscible silicate and fluoride melts. Two types of experiments were performed: dry runs at atmospheric pressure in a high-temperature centrifuge at 1100 to 1200°C, and experiments with the addition of H 2O at 700 to 800°C and 100 MPa in rapid-quench cold-seal pressure vessels. Run products were analysed by electron microprobe (major components), solution-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (REE in the centrifuged runs), and laser ablation ICP-MS (REE and Li in the products of rapid-quench runs). All the dry centrifuge runs were performed at super-liquidus, two-phase conditions. In the experiments with water-bearing mixtures, minor amounts of aqueous vapour were present in addition to the melts. We found that lanthanides and Y concentrated strongly in the fluoride liquids, with two-melt partition coefficients reaching values as high as 100-220 in water-bearing compositions. In all the experimental samples, two-melt partition coefficients of lanthanides show subtle periodicity consistent with the tetrad effect, and the partition coefficient of Y is greater than that of Ho. One of the mixtures also produced abundant fluorite (CaF 2) and cryolite (Na 3AlF 6) crystals, which enabled us to study fluorite-melt and cryolite-melt REE partitioning. REE concentrations in fluorite are high and comparable to those in the fluoride melt. However, fluorite-melt partition coefficients appear to depend mostly on ionic radii and show neither significant tetrad anomalies, nor differences in Y and Ho partitioning. In contrast, REE concentrations in cryolite are low (∼5-10 times lower than in the silicate melt), and cryolite-melt REE partitioning shows very strong tetrad and Y-Ho anomalies. Our results imply that Y-Ho and lanthanide tetrad anomalies are likely to be caused mainly by aluminofluoride complexes, and the tetrad REE patterns in natural igneous rocks can result from fractionation of F-rich magmatic fluids. Copyright © 2005 Elsevier Ltd

Immiscible silicate liquid partition coefficients: Implications for crystal-melt element partitioning and basalt petrogenesis

This study investigates partitioning of elements between immiscible aluminosilicate and borosilicate liquids using three synthetic mixtures doped with 32 trace elements. In order to get a good spatial separation of immiscible liquids, we employed a hightemperature centrifuge. Experiments were performed at 1,050-1,150C, 1 atm, in sealed Fe and Pt containers. Quenched products were analysed by electron microprobe and LA ICP-MS. Nernst partition coefficients (D's) between the Fe-rich and Si-rich aluminosilicate immiscible liquids are the highest for Zn (3.3) and Fe (2.6) and the lowest for Rb and K (0.4-0.5). The plots of D values against ionic potential Z/r in all the compositions show a convex upward trend, which is typical also for element partitioning between immiscible silicate and salt melts. The results bear upon the speciation and structural position of elements in multicomponent silicate liquids. The ferrobasalt-rhyolite liquid immiscibility is observed in evolved basaltic magmas, and may play an important role in large gabbroic intrusions, such as Skaergaard, and during the generation of unusual lavas, such as ferropicrites

Partitioning of elements between silicate melt and immiscible fluoride, chloride, carbonate, phosphate and sulfate melts, with implications to the origin of natrocarbonatite

Liquid–liquid partitioning of 42 elements between synthetic silicate melts and immiscible fluoride, chloride, carbonate, phosphate and sulfate liquids was studied at temperatures of 650–1100 oC, pressures 72–100 MPa, with 0–11 wt.% H2O. One series of experiments was performed in a rotating internally-heated autoclave where separation of the immiscible liquids was assisted by centrifugal forces. An analogous series of experiments was done in static rapid-quench cold-seal pressure vessels. The experimentally determined liquid–liquid distribution coefficients (D’s) vary over several orders of magnitude, as a result of variable Coulombic interactions between cations and anions. For alkaline, alkaline earth and rare earth elements ther is a strong and systematic dependence of the liquid/liquid D values on the ionic potential Z/r for all the examined systems. In contrast, highly charged cations (e.g., HFSE) show no systematic relationships between the D’s and Z/r. New experimental constraints on the carbonate/silicate liquid–liquid D values presented here confirm that rare metals such as Nb, Zr, REE, Th and U concentrate in silicate liquids, and therefore carbonatites that carry economical rare metal mineralization are not likely to have formed by liquid immiscibility. The comparison between experimentally-determined carbonate– silicate liquid–liquid D values and bulk-rock natrocarbonatite vs. nephelinite compositions at the Oldoinyo Lengai in Tanzania reveals significant discrepancies for Cs, Rb, Ba, Be, Zn, heavy REE, Ti, Mo and W, thus rendering a simple, one-stage immiscibility model for Oldoinyo Lengai questionable