Abstract: A clamping system and a method of clamping a work piece are disclosed. The clamping system has an electrostatic clamp and a high-impedance voltmeter (“HIV”). The electro-static clamp may include a platen and a plurality of electrodes embedded in the platen. In use, at least some of the embedded electrodes provide one side of a capacitor and a work piece provides another side of the capacitor in order to hold the work piece relative to the platen when at least some of the embedded electrodes are electrically charged. The HIV is electrically connected to at least some of the embedded electrodes.

Abstract: An electrostatic force detector (“EFD”) for measuring electrostatic force of a surface under test (“SUT”) includes a force detector comprising a cantilevered arm and a probe. The EFD has a shield with a hole through which the probe extends and is positioned to prevent electromagnetic energy from the SUT from reaching the cantilevered arm and most of the probe, and preventing light from reaching the SUT. A method for selecting a voltage range for an EFD measuring a charge on an SUT includes measuring with the EFD two voltages at or near the end-points of an estimated voltage-range, and then comparing the polarities. If the polarities differ, the estimated voltage-range is selected. However, if the polarities are the same, then the estimated voltage range is adjusted to provide a new estimated voltage-range, which is then tested for purposes of determining whether the charge on the SUT is within the range.

Abstract: A clamping system and a method of clamping a work piece are disclosed. The clamping system has an electrostatic clamp and a high-impedance voltmeter (“HIV”). The electro-static clamp may include a platen and a plurality of electrodes embedded in the platen. In use, at least some of the embedded electrodes provide one side of a capacitor and a work piece provides another side of the capacitor in order to hold the work piece relative to the platen when at least some of the embedded electrodes are electrically charged. The HIV is electrically connected to at least some of the embedded electrodes.

Abstract: A dielectric layer for an electrostatic chuck is formed of a ceramic material having a first phase including aluminum oxide and a second phase including composite carbonitride (Ti, Me)(C, N) that contains titanium as fine grains. The Me represents a transition element and metals of Group 4 to Group 6 such as Mo and W. The ceramic material that includes the second phase by 0.05 vol % to 2.5 vol % has a volume resistivity value of about 108 to 1013 (?·cm) necessary for a Johnsen-Rahbek type electrostatic chuck.

Abstract: A dielectric layer for an electrostatic chuck is formed of a ceramic material having a first phase including aluminum oxide and a second phase including composite carbonitride (Ti, Me)(C, N) that contains titanium as fine grains. The Me represents a transition element and metals of Group 4 to Group 6 such as Mo and W. The ceramic material that includes the second phase by 0.05 vol % to 2.5 vol % has a volume resistivity value of about 108 to 1013 (?·cm) necessary for a Johnsen-Rahbek type electrostatic chuck.

Abstract: A system which may be used to control, monitor and optimize an electrostatic clamp is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, there is a computer, a control circuit, and at least one amplifier. Also, a signal assessing circuit may be included and used to provide a sensing signal to an output signal of the control circuit. The signal assessing circuit may provide a sensing signal that can be used to monitor the capacitance of the electrostatic clamp. Further, the signal assessing circuit may include circuitry which monitors performance of the electrostatic clamp, and provide performance information to the control circuit.

Abstract: A system which may be used to control, monitor and optimize an electrostatic clamp is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, there is a computer, a control circuit, and at least one amplifier. Also, a signal assessing circuit may be included and used to provide a sensing signal to an output signal of the control circuit. The signal assessing circuit may provide a sensing signal that can be used to monitor the capacitance of the electrostatic clamp. Further, the signal assessing circuit may include circuitry which monitors performance of the electrostatic clamp, and provide performance information to the control circuit.

Abstract: A platen for electrostatic wafer clamping apparatus comprising a platen body of dielectric material and grains of electrically conductive material diffused in the dielectric material so that the platen has a relatively large electrostatic capacitance due to the diffusion of the conductive grains with the result that the platen provides an increased clamping force regardless of humidity. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the thickness of the platen body can be decreased by an amount sufficient to maintain a constant clamping force with reduced applied voltage, to eliminate any residual voltage on the platen and to increase the speed of wafer release. The grains of electrically conductive material are present in an amount of from about 2.5 percent to about 15.0 percent of the volume of the platen body, and the grains of electrically conductive material are selected from the group consisting of carbonated transition metals, nitrified transition metals and carbonated grains.

Abstract: A platen for electrostatic wafer clamping apparatus comprising a platen body of dielectric material and grains of electrically conductive material diffused in the dielectric material so that the platen has a relatively large electrostatic capacitance due to the diffusion of the conductive grains with the result that the platen provides an increased clamping force regardless of humidity. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the thickness of the platen body can be decreased by an amount sufficient to maintain a constant clamping force with reduced applied voltage, to eliminate any residual voltage on the platen and to increase the speed of wafer release. The grains of electrically conductive material are present in an amount of from about 2.5 percent to about 15.0 percent of the volume of the platen body, and the grains of electrically conductive material are selected from the group consisting of carbonated transition metals, nitrified transition metals and carbonated grains.

Abstract: Brushless motors for portable information equipment that can be simultaneously reflow-soldered to a substrate and efficiently and densely mounted thereon in such a way that the coupled portion between the motor and the substrate has a high impact resistance, thereby providing small and reliable portable information equipment having a high productivity.

Abstract: A sensor for an electrostatic detector including an elongated vibratory element supported at a mechanical node at one end in the manner of a cantilever beam, a sensitive electrode on the vibratory element near the other end and adapted to be disposed toward an electrical charge, field or potential being measured, and a driver transducer on the vibratory element for vibrating the element in a direction to vary the capacitive coupling between the electrode and the electrical charge, field or potential being measured. An amplifier and the sensitive electrode are combined in an assembly on the vibratory element thereby providing a low impedance amplifier output which in turn allows a narrow spacing around the vibratory element to prevent entry of contaminants. The vibratory element can be provided with a structure which allows measurements with various spatial resolution characteristics.

Abstract: A sensor for an electrostatic detector comprising an elongated vibratory element supported at a mechanical node at one end in the manner of a cantilever beam, a sensitive electrode on the vibratory element near the other end and adapted to be disposed toward an electrical charge, field or potential being measured, and a driver transducer on the vibratory element for vibrating the element in a direction to vary the capacitive coupling between the electrode and the electrical charge, field or potential being measured. The driver transducer is at a location along the beam and is operated at a vibratory frequency such that a virtual mechanical node appears along the beam. This, in turn, prevents vibration of the mechanical node so that the degree of stiffness of the mechanical node does not affect the operating frequency and/or the displacement at the free end of the cantilever.

Abstract: An electrostatic force microscope wherein electrostatic force applied to the detector is determined through obtaining the field distribution on several different shaped detectors with the calculation of the voltage distribution near the detector with the Finite Element Method to direct the measurement of the absolute charge amount on surface under test so that one can define the differences between the analysis and the results from the parallel plate model. Of interest is how large the error in the charge detection occurs in conjunction with thickness change of dielectric materials to be tested. There is provided a detector with cantilever which has proper shape for the spatial resolution of 10&mgr; made out of nickel foil for an electrostatic force microscope and the electrostatic force which appeared on it has been calculated.

Abstract: Brushless motors for portable information equipment that can be simultaneously reflow-soldered to a substrate and efficiently and densely mounted thereon in such a way that the coupled portion between the motor and the substrate has a high impact resistance, thereby providing small and reliable portable information equipment having a high productivity.

Abstract: Brushless motors for portable information equipment that can be simultaneously reflow-soldered to a substrate and efficiently and densely mounted thereon in such a way that the coupled portion between the motor and the substrate has a high impact resistance, thereby providing small and reliable portable information equipment having a high productivity.

Abstract: Brushless motors for portable information equipment that can be simultaneously reflow-soldered to a substrate and efficiently and densely mounted thereon in such a way that the coupled portion between the motor and the substrate has a high impact resistance, thereby providing small and reliable portable information equipment having a high productivity.

Abstract: Brushless motors for portable information equipment that can be simultaneously reflow-soldered to a substrate and efficiently and densely mounted thereon in such a way that the coupled portion between the motor and the substrate has a high impact resistance, thereby providing small and reliable portable information equipment having a high productivity.

Abstract: An electrostatic force microscope for measuring electrostatic force of a sample under test including a detector comprising a cantilever arm having a tip formation at one end and located so that electrostatic force is induced at the tip due to electrostatic charge on the sample under test, an optical system for transforming bending of the cantilever arm due to electrostatic force induced at the tip into an electrical signal containing a frequency component of the electrostatic force induced at the detector tip, a source for applying bias voltage to the detector, a detector for detecting the frequency component of the electrostatic force induced at the detector tip so that a measurement of electrostatic force on the sample under test can be obtained, and an electrostatic shield operatively associated with the cantilever arm. The shield is located between the cantilever arm and the sample under test, in particular in close spaced relation to the arm.

Abstract: An magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprises an image pick-up section having a slice selector for selecting a position and a gradient of a slice, the image pick-up section exciting the magnetic resonance (MR) in a slice of an object under inspection as selected, to collect MR data and to obtain the MR image data, a memory section for storing the MR image data picked up by the image pick-up section, together with its associated slice position data, and a display section for displaying an image. The MRI system further includes an MR image display control section for reading out desired MR image data from the memory section, and causing the display section to display the MR image of one or more slices, a marker display control section for displaying a marker to designate an image picked up slice, superposing on the MR image of the arbitrary slice as displayed by the display section, and an image pick up control section for setting up the conditions for of these conditions.

Abstract: In a computed tomography system using radiation, a large number of radiation beams are projected into a selected slice-like sectional portion of a subject to be reconstructed, in various directions. A profile of measured projection data is obtained from the radiation beams penetrated in parallel at each given angular interval. The profile of measured projection data thus obtained is subjected to a filtering operation to produce profiles of first modified projection data. The profile of modified projection data is recasted at properly selected intervals to produce second modified projection data. This results in a remarkable reduction of the amount of weight coefficients required in an interpolation to calculate the modified projection data for a large number of picture elements defined in matrix fashion on the sectional portion.