Abstract: There are disclosed novel uses of aziridine compounds. The aziridine compounds can be formed into films by plasma deposition on a wide variety of substrates. The films prevent biofouling, impart biocompatible or antithrombotic properties, and can immobilize therapeutic and pharmaceutical agents to provide a drug delivery system.

Abstract: A process system and a deposition method for depositing a highly controlled layered film on a workpiece is disclosed. The basic component of the apparatus is a pulsing plasma source that is capable of either exciting or not-exciting a first precursor. The pulsing plasma source includes an energy source to generate a plasma, and a plasma adjusting system to cause the plasma to either excite or not-excite a precursor. The precursor could flow continuously (an aspect totally new to ALD), or intermittently (or pulsing, standard ALD operation process). The deposition method includes the steps of pulsing the plasma to excite/not-excite the precursors and the ambient to deposit and modify the deposited layers. This procedure then can be repeated until the film reaches the desired thickness.

Abstract: A sequential lateral solidification apparatus includes a laser generator for generating and emitting a laser beam; an X-Y stage movable in two orthogonal axial directions; and a mask arranged between the laser generator and the X-Y stage. The mask has a plurality of slits through which the laser beam passes. An objective lens for scaling down the laser beam is arranged between the mask and the X-Y stage. A mask stage is connected to the mask for controlling minute movement of the mask for crystallizing amorphous silicon in one block.

Abstract: The invention includes methods of forming a metallic coating on a substrate which contains silicon. A metallic glass layer is formed over a silicon surface of the substrate. The invention includes methods of protecting a silicon substrate. The substrate is provided within a deposition chamber along with a deposition target. Material from the deposition target is deposited over at least a portion of the silicon substrate to form a protective layer or structure which contains metallic glass. The metallic glass comprises iron and one or more of B, Si, P and C. The invention includes structures which have a substrate containing silicon and a metallic layer over the substrate. The metallic layer contains less than or equal to about 2 weight % carbon and has a hardness of at least 9.2 GPa. The metallic layer can have an amorphous microstructure or can be devitrified to have a nanocrystalline microstructure.

Abstract: A method of forming a superconductive device is provided, including providing a substrate having a dimension ratio of not less than about 102, depositing a buffer film to overlie the substrate by ion beam assisted deposition utilizing and ion beam, monitoring spatial ion beam density of the ion beam over a target area, and depositing a superconductor layer to overlie the buffer film. Monitoring may be carried out by utilizing an ion detector having an acceptance angle of not less than 10°.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for producing a high gloss coating on a printed surface. In the present method, an aqueous coating composition is deposited onto a surface to be printed using a blanket roller coating face which is a low energy, non-stick, smooth surface profile. In the present method, simultaneous with the deposition of aqueous coating onto a substrate, or shortly thereafter, pressure either alone or in combination with heat may be applied to the coating in order to create a substantially tack-free surface conforming to the surface of the coating face. By using a highly polished coating face, high gloss coatings may be readily obtained using this methodology in a number of traditional printing techniques including wet trap inline sheet-fed printing, heat-set offset printing, dry trap inline flexographic printing, offset web-fed printing and gravure printing.

Abstract: A method is adopted for deposition technology using a focused ion beam device, characterized by enabling structures to be formed by using phenanthrene as a source gas and using ions of gallium or gold, silicon or beryllium etc. of energies of 5 to 100 keV from a liquid-metal ion source as ions so as to give a gas blowing density of five to ten times greater than the case of deposition in the related art, with directionality of the gas blowing being both isotropic and symmetrical.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating a substrate with a layer of a material, such as a metal, in which a quantity of electrically conductive material is vaporized in a space with a low background pressure and energy is supplied to the material which is to be vaporized in order to vaporize this material. According to the invention, the material which is to be vaporized, while it is being vaporized, is kept floating, without support, in the space and is enclosed in an alternating electromagnetic field, the alternating electromagnetic field being generated with the aid of a high-frequency alternating current. The invention also relates to a device for coating a substrate and to a substrate.

Abstract: A method for forming an oriented film is provided for forming an oriented film on a base material by irradiating the surface of the base material where the oriented film will be formed with an ion beam comprising nitrogen ions from a direction inclined at a prescribed angle ?a with respect to the direction perpendicular to the surface, while evaporating carbon from an evaporation source. The prescribed angle, ?a, is preferably 45-89°. The accelerating voltage of the ion beam comprising nitrogen ions is preferably 100-500 V. The electric current of the ion beam comprising nitrogen ions is preferably 10-500 mA.

Abstract: Electron cyclotron resonance plasma deposition process and device for single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on a catalyst-free substrate, by injection of microwave power into a deposition chamber comprising a magnetic confinement structure with a magnetic mirror, and at least one electron cyclotron resonance area inside or at the border of the deposition chamber and facing the substrate, whereby dissociation and/or ionization of a gas containing carbon is caused, at a pressure of less than 10?3 mbars, in the magnetic mirror at the center of the deposition chamber, producing species that will be deposited on said heated substrate. The substrate surface includes raised and/or lowered reliefs. The invention concerns the SWNTs thus obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a solar cell module having photovoltaic elements in each of which a metal oxide layer made of a metal oxide forms an outermost surface part thereof at a light incident side, and a sealing resin layer formed on the metal oxide layer. The method includes the steps of providing water on a surface of the metal oxide layer, the water being chemically adsorbed thereto; irradiating the metal oxide layer with electromagnetic waves for a predetermined time so that the contact angle of the water on the surface of the metal oxide layer is 60° or less, the electromagnetic waves having energy larger than the band gap of the metal oxide; and subsequently forming the sealing resin layer on the metal oxide layer.

Abstract: A method of preventing or reducing fogging of a surface of a composite when subjected to humid conditions includes providing a composite with a surface. The composite includes a substrate and a photocatalytic surface layer. The photocatalytic surface layer includes a photocatalyst. The method further includes subjecting the photocatalyst to photoexcitation to render the surface of the composite hydrophilic, wherein, after the photoexcitation, the surface of the composite has a water wettability of less than 10° in terms of the contact angle with water. The method further includes subjecting the composite to humidity that is sufficient to induce fogging of the substrate if the photocatalytic surface layer were absent.

Abstract: A curing light system useful for curing light activated composite materials is disclosed. Various configurations of light emitting semiconductor chips and heat sinks are disclosed, as well as various structures and methods for driving, controlling and using them.

Abstract: A method of transferring organic material from a donor element to a substrate includes providing a radiation source; and selecting the power of the radiation applied to the donor element by the radiation source to cause the transfer of organic material to the substrate wherein the time that one or more positions of the donor element receives radiation is greater than 1 millisecond.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multiphase, ultra low k film which exhibits improved elastic modulus and hardness as well as various methods for forming the same. The multiphase, ultra low k dielectric film includes atoms of Si, C, O and H, has a dielectric constant of about 2.4 or less, nanosized pores or voids, an elastic modulus of about 5 or greater and a hardness of about 0.7 or greater. A preferred multiphase, ultra low k dielectric film includes atoms of Si, C, O and H, has a dielectric constant of about 2.2 or less, nanosized pores or voids, an elastic modulus of about 3 or greater and a hardness of about 0.3 or greater. The multiphase, ultra low k film is prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition in which one of the following alternatives is utilized: at least one precursor gas comprising siloxane molecules containing at least three Si—O bonds; or at least one precursor gas comprising molecules containing reactive groups that are sensitive to e-beam radiation.

Abstract: A process for plasma treatment of an object's surface to be treated comprising the creation of a plasma, the application of the plasma to the surface to be treated, and the excitation of the surface to be treated, such that it vibrates and undulates. The energy for excitation of the surface may come from the process creating the plasma, from an external source, or from a combination of these two sources. The vibration preferably takes place while the plasma is being applied to the surface to be treated, but depending on the treatment to carry out, it may also take place just prior to and/or just after the application phase.

Abstract: A method of crystallizing amorphous silicon, wherein the method includes supplying nanoparticles over a surface of an amorphous silicon layer; intermittently melting nanoparticles that reach the surface of the amorphous silicon layer while supplying the nanoparticles; and cooling the amorphous silicon layer to grow crystals using unmolten nanoparticles as crystal seeds, thereby forming a polysilicon layer. Externally supplied nanoparticles are used as crystal seeds to crystallize an amorphous silicon layer so that large grains can be formed. Accordingly, since the number and size of nanoparticles may be controlled, the size and arrangement of grains may also be controlled.

Abstract: The present invention provides a continuous process for producing catalyst-coated polymeric electrolyte membranes and membrane electrode assemblies for fuel cells. The process of the invention uses an ionomer membrane having a polymeric backing film on the back side. After the first coating step, the membrane is dried, during which the residual solvent may be almost completely removed. After this, the polymeric backing film is removed and the back side of the membrane is coated in a second step. The front and back sides of the membrane can be coated by various methods, such as screen printing or stencil printing. Two gas distribution layers are applied to the two sides of the catalyst-coated membrane to produce a 5-layer membrane electrode assembly. The membrane electrode assemblies are used in polymeric electrolyte membrane fuel cells and in direct methanol fuel cells.

Abstract: A method and superalloy component for depositing a layer of material onto gas turbine engine components by atomic layer deposition. A superalloy component may have a ceramic thermal barrier coating on at least a portion of its surface, comprising a superalloy substrate and a bonding coat; and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer may be deposited on top of an yttria-stabilized zirconia layer and form a bonding coat by atomic layer deposition. The yttria-stabilized zirconia layer may have a plurality of micron sized gaps extending from the top surface of the ceramic coating towards the substrate and defining a plurality of columns of the yttria-stabilized zirconia layer. Also, atomic layer deposition may be used to lay an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer over a tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) layer on a silicon-based substrate.

Abstract: Materials variously treated with sodium silicate were studied until enough information was obtained to find a way to solve the problems that have prevented sodium silicate from being the used as a fire retardant. These problems are: 1) water solubility (miscible with water), which results in extensive leaching when exposed to water, 2) cracking, chipping and peeling of treated surfaces, and 3) surface granulation. During flame tests it was discovered that sodium silicate formed a foam-like material, and this material was found to have become water insoluble, yet its elemental composition had remained virtually identical to that of the unmodified sodium silicate. This investigator proposes that under the influence of heat and dehydration, sodium silicate undergoes a polymerization process resulting in particles sizes too large to dissolve in water, and then developed a mechanism to explain how the process could occur.