Volume 35A, number 2 PHYSICS LETTERS 17 May 1971

PRECISION MEASUREMENTS OF CELL DIMENSIONS OF CERTAIN

COBALT-DOPED NICKEL FERRITES

K. N. SUBRAMANYAM
Department of Physics, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Libya, Tripoli, Libya

Received 13 April 1971

Careful experimental techniques combined with suitable mathematical corrections of the experimental
data have yielded accurate values of the cell dimensions of ferrites of composition Nil_~Co~Fe
2O4.The
implications of the changing cell dimensions are discussed in terms of the valuance of cobalt.

The general strategy in the X-ray precision

measurements of the cell dimensions of poly-
crystalline substances [11 have been the basis of 8340
the investigation. The cause of crystal anisotro-
py of cobalt has been extensively studied and
explained [2].
Polycrystalline ferrites of composition
Ni1 xC0~Fe2O4with x = 0.01. 0.015 and 0.02,
were obtained by a ceramic technique [31 The °
C
component metal oxides were sintered at E
12 00°Cin an oxygen pressure of 76 cm Hg and
the final specimens obtained as a result of slow- = 8.33
C
cooling them from 1200°C to 500°C. The X-ray
photographs of the powdered specimens were
taken by means of a Debye-Scherrer camera
(114.6 mm) and filtered cobalt radiation. All the 8.334
0 0.05 0.10 0.15
precautions were taken towards camera align- Nelson-Riley function 1(e)
ment, preparation of the right size of the speci-
men, controlling the specimen temperature to Fig. 1. Cell dimension versus N-H function for
within ± 0.5°Cand rotating the exposed specimen Nii_vCoxFe2O4.
about an axis normal to the X-ray beam by means ~specimen with x 0.01
of a synchronous meter provided with stepdown ~x specimen
specimen with
with xx~0.02
- 0.015

gearing. For the purpose of obtaining the cell

dimension a, two sets of measurements (using
an illuminated comparator and a cathetometer
provided with a telescope) were made on every
film so as to cover some high-angle reflections.
The several values of a were plotted (fig. 1)
against the Nelson-Riley function to obtain the
extrapolated value of a corresponding to
20 = 1800. The errors in the slope and intercept
of the graphical extrapolation were determined
by the method of least squares, using a compu-
ter program.
It is essential that in an investigation of this
type into structural details of what is a complex
material, to have accurate chemical information
concerning the samples used. The samples were
sent to Johnson, Matthey and Co. Ltd.. for chem-
ical analysis. Their figures showed that the sam-
ples were within 10% of the ideal cobalt content.
The changes in cell dimensions are definitely
outside the limits of experimental error
(—~ 3 x i0~ A). Repeated measurements on one
and the same film show negligible scatter in the
measured value of a.
The present results suggest the existence of
a zero point in the anisotropy of the ferrite
around x= 0.015. The zero point has been shown
[~Ito be critically dependent upon the mode of
125
Volume 35A. number 2 PHYSiCS LETTERS 17 May 1971

preparation of the specimen and the accuracy of crystal anisotropy of Ni

its composition. Further, it is well established
[2] that the cause of anisotropy in cobalt must be
sought mainly in the spin-orbit interaction in the
divalent metal ions. These considerations com-
bined with a 3~ = 0.65 A,of Co2~
knowledge the relative sizes
= 0.78 A). of
suggest
the ions
that the smaller
(Co trivalent ions with little or no
anisotropy contribution to the sample around
x = 0.015 may be one of the possible reasons for
the reduced cell dimension of this particular
sample. The accuracy of this supposition can he
checked by neutron diffraction studies of these
samples. To conclude, the zero point in the
1 ~Co~Fe2O4 exists
around x = 0.015. The reduced cell dimension
of such a sample suggests the existence of tn-
valent cobalt ions in it.
Referencc,s
[1] W, Parrish ~md A, J. C. Wilson. international tables
for X-ray crystallography. Vol. 11(1959). 216—234.
[2] J. C. Slonczewsky, Phys. Rev. 110 (1958) 1341.
[3] A. .J. I’ointeri,
Proc. lEE 110 A.(1963) 2267. and K. N. Subramanyam,
C. Ranclell
[4] M, H, Sirvetz ~md -1. H. Saunders. Phys. Rev. 102
(1956) 366.

MANY -BODY FCRMULATION OF FIELD EMISSION IN METALS *

M. C. LEUNG
Depart inenl at Physics, (sire rsifv of Saska/cheu’an , Reyina Saskatchewan, Canada

Received 15 Sia rch 1971

Effective 1-lamilionia n approach and Green function formalis o are e mp1o,~id to treat the maflV—hod~
effects on field emission in metals. As examples of application, we consider the field emission in
supe rconductors and dilute magnetic aiim a.

As in the case of metal-insulator-metal fun- vacuum (z 0) is V(z) -eFz - e2 4z. The turn-
neling. the Hamiltonian formulation is an effi- ing point Za is defined by the equation
dent tool to deal with many-body effects in field (u-i-eFza + e2/4za = 0) where u is the z part of
emission. In the presence of an electric field F the electron energy F outside the metal surface.
(along the r-direction), normal to the metal sur- We assume that at the surface Z Lr where
face, electrons in the metal tunnel [1J into the Lr 2a’ the electron wave function for the Va-
vacuum. The effective Hamiltonian of the system cuum vanishes. u therefore takes up discrete
iS 17{ H
+ Hr + HT. H1 is the Hamiltonian for’
1 values where n -: 1,2,3,. . . To obtain these
the metal. Hr is the Hamiltonian for 11Tthe is the
vacuum discrete values explicitly,
can be approximated by V(z)we assume the V(z)
-eFz forthat re-
in the presence
tunneling of the electric field,
Hamiltonian: gion Za Z ~ Lr. The one dimension density of
states in the vacuum for motions normal to the
HT~ F
1 Ck +d +c.c.
1?q(J ~q ~J (77 metal emission surface is (for n 1)
dn ‘ 3m -ti/S
Chu (dq~j)is the operator for an electron in the = = fl
metal (vacuum). Straightforward adaptation of L (alfeF) -

Bardeen’s argument [21 gives the transition ma-

trix element Tkq a form formally identical to Employing the WKB method in a way similar
eq. (6) in ref. [2J. to ref. [31.the transition matrix element Tkq
The potential energy [lj of an electron in the has a form formally similar to that obtained by
Harrison [31:
* Work supported by National Research Council of 2 2 Pir Pi1
Canada. Tkq j = OklI , ~~D(E/41T
126