Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems and methods for common request processing by a request formatting platform. The request formatting platform generates formatted requests for request processors according to specifications of a common request processing application programming interface (API). The same common request processing API is used by the request formatting platform to communicate with all of the request processors according to one particular format.

Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to manage object locks are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes intercepting a processor request to apply the lock on the object, identifying a performance history of the object based on a number of instances of contention, reducing computing resources of the processor by, when the number of instances is below a threshold value, generating a lock bypass for the object to cause speculative execution of target code within the object, and preventing speculative execution by applying the lock on the object when the number of instances is above the threshold value.

Abstract: The use of doped silicon nanoparticle inks and other liquid dopant sources can provide suitable dopant sources for driving dopant elements into a crystalline silicon substrate using a thermal process if a suitable cap is provided. Suitable caps include, for example, a capping slab, a cover that may or may not rest on the surface of the substrate and a cover layer. Desirable dopant profiled can be achieved. The doped nanoparticles can be delivered using a silicon ink. The residual silicon ink can be removed after the dopant drive-in or at least partially densified into a silicon material that is incorporated into the product device. The silicon doping is suitable for the introduction of dopants into crystalline silicon for the formation of solar cells.

Abstract: Laser pyrolysis reactor designs and corresponding reactant inlet nozzles are described to provide desirable particle quenching that is particularly suitable for the synthesis of elemental silicon particles. In particular, the nozzles can have a design to encourage nucleation and quenching with inert gas based on a significant flow of inert gas surrounding the reactant precursor flow and with a large inert entrainment flow effectively surrounding the reactant precursor and quench gas flows. Improved silicon nanoparticle inks are described that has silicon nanoparticles without any surface modification with organic compounds. The silicon ink properties can be engineered for particular printing applications, such as inkjet printing, gravure printing or screen printing. Appropriate processing methods are described to provide flexibility for ink designs without surface modifying the silicon nanoparticles.

Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to manage object locks are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes intercepting a processor request to apply the lock on the object, identifying a performance history of the object based on a number of instances of contention, reducing computing resources of the processor by, when the number of instances is below a threshold value, generating a lock bypass for the object to cause speculative execution of target code within the object, and preventing speculative execution by applying the lock on the object when the number of instances is above the threshold value.

Abstract: Laser pyrolysis reactor designs and corresponding reactant inlet nozzles are described to provide desirable particle quenching that is particularly suitable for the synthesis of elemental silicon particles. In particular, the nozzles can have a design to encourage nucleation and quenching with inert gas based on a significant flow of inert gas surrounding the reactant precursor flow and with a large inert entrainment flow effectively surrounding the reactant precursor and quench gas flows. Improved silicon nanoparticle inks are described that has silicon nanoparticles without any surface modification with organic compounds. The silicon ink properties can be engineered for particular printing applications, such as inkjet printing, gravure printing or screen printing. Appropriate processing methods are described to provide flexibility for ink designs without surface modifying the silicon nanoparticles.

Abstract: The presently described embodiments use a printing process, e.g. a wax printing technique, to pattern a mask layer (such as a soldermask layer) of, for example, a printed circuit. Substantially all other conventional processes in developing soldermask and exposure processes can be maintained. According to the presently described embodiments, each printed circuit will have a unique pattern that matches uniform and non-uniform runout. In one form, the pattern is comprised of wax single drops having a specified gap to make the process transparent to the current industry practice. Furthermore, the single drops can be used for both large and small areas without any development time differences. In at least one form, the wax pattern and the soldermask in the gap are removed during development.

Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to manage object locks are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving an object lock request from a processor, the lock request associated with object lock code to lock an object, and generating object lock-bypass code based on a type of the processor, the object lock-bypass code to execute in a managed runtime in response to receiving the object lock request. The example method also includes identifying a type of instruction set architecture (ISA) associated with the processor, invoking a checkpoint instruction for the processor based on the identified ISA, suspending the object lock code from executing and executing target code when the object is uncontended, and allowing the object lock code to execute when the object is contended.

Abstract: The use of doped silicon nanoparticle inks and other liquid dopant sources can provide suitable dopant sources for driving dopant elements into a crystalline silicon substrate using a thermal process if a suitable cap is provided. Suitable caps include, for example, a capping slab, a cover that may or may not rest on the surface of the substrate and a cover layer. Desirable dopant profiled can be achieved. The doped nanoparticles can be delivered using a silicon ink. The residual silicon ink can be removed after the dopant drive-in or at least partially densified into a silicon material that is incorporated into the product device. The silicon doping is suitable for the introduction of dopants into crystalline silicon for the formation of solar cells.

Abstract: Laser pyrolysis reactor designs and corresponding reactant inlet nozzles are described to provide desirable particle quenching that is particularly suitable for the synthesis of elemental silicon particles. In particular, the nozzles can have a design to encourage nucleation and quenching with inert gas based on a significant flow of inert gas surrounding the reactant precursor flow and with a large inert entrainment flow effectively surrounding the reactant precursor and quench gas flows. Improved silicon nanoparticle inks are described that has silicon nanoparticles without any surface modification with organic compounds. The silicon ink properties can be engineered for particular printing applications, such as inkjet printing, gravure printing or screen printing. Appropriate processing methods are described to provide flexibility for ink designs without surface modifying the silicon nanoparticles.

Abstract: A patterned layer over a wafer is produced by depositing a print-patterned mask structure. Energized particles of a target material are deposited over the wafer and the print-patterned mask such that particles of said target material incident on the mask structure enter the mask structure body and minimally accumulate, if at all, on the surface of the mask structure, and otherwise the particles of target material accumulate as a generally uniform layer over the wafer. The print-patterned mask structure, including particles of target material therein, is removed leaving the generally uniform layer of target material as a patterned layer over the wafer.

Abstract: Silicon based nanoparticle inks are described with very low metal contamination levels. In particular, metal contamination levels can be established in the parts-per-billion range. The inks of particular interest generally comprise a polymer to influence the ink rheology. Techniques are described that are suitable for purifying polymers soluble in polar solvents, such as alcohols, with respect metal contamination. Very low levels of metal contamination for cellulose polymers are described.

Abstract: The use of doped silicon nanoparticle inks and other liquid dopant sources can provide suitable dopant sources for driving dopant elements into a crystalline silicon substrate using a thermal process if a suitable cap is provided. Suitable caps include, for example, a capping slab, a cover that may or may not rest on the surface of the substrate and a cover layer. Desirable dopant profiled can be achieved. The doped nanoparticles can be delivered using a silicon ink. The residual silicon ink can be removed after the dopant drive-in or at least partially densified into a silicon material that is incorporated into the product device. The silicon doping is suitable for the introduction of dopants into crystalline silicon for the formation of solar cells.

Abstract: Silicon nanoparticle inks provide a basis for the formation of desirable materials. Specifically, composites have been formed in thin layers comprising silicon nanoparticles embedded in an amorphous silicon matrix, which can be formed at relatively low temperatures. The composite material can be heated to form a nanocrystalline material having crystals that are non-rod shaped. The nanocrystalline material can have desirable electrical conductive properties, and the materials can be formed with a high dopant level. Also, nanocrystalline silicon pellets can be formed from silicon nanoparticles deposited form an ink in which the pellets can be relatively dense although less dense than bulk silicon. The pellets can be formed from the application of pressure and heat to a silicon nanoparticle layer.

Abstract: Laser based processes are used alone or in combination to effectively process doped domains for semiconductors and/or current harvesting structures. For example, dopants can be driven into a silicon/germanium semiconductor layer from a bare silicon/germanium surface using a laser beam. Deep contacts have been found to be effective for producing efficient solar cells. Dielectric layers can be effectively patterned to provide for selected contact between the current collectors and the doped domains along the semiconductor surface. Rapid processing approaches are suitable for efficient production processes.

Abstract: High aspect ratio structures can be obtained by print-patterning masking features in feature stacks such that each feature has a lateral edge which is aligned in a plane roughly perpendicular to the plane of the substrate on which the features are formed. Due to the differential lateral spreading between features formed on a substrate and formed atop other features, the print head is indexed less than the radius of a droplet to a position where a droplet ejected by the print head forms an upper feature atop a lower feature such that the lateral edges of the upper and lower features are aligned in the plane roughly perpendicular to the plane of the substrate. Feature stacks of two or more features may provide a vertical (or re-entrant) sidewall mask for formation of high aspect ratio structures, by e.g., electroplating, etc.

Abstract: Improved silicon/germanium nanoparticle inks are described that have silicon/germanium nanoparticles well distributed within a stable dispersion. In particular the inks are formulated with a centrifugation step to remove contaminants as well as less well dispersed portions of the dispersion. A sonication step can be used after the centrifugation, which is observed to result in a synergistic improvement to the quality of some of the inks. The silicon/germanium ink properties can be engineered for particular deposition applications, such as spin coating or screen printing. Appropriate processing methods are described to provide flexibility for ink designs without surface modifying the silicon/germanium nanoparticles. The silicon/germanium nanoparticles are well suited for forming semiconductor components, such as components for thin film transistors or solar cell contacts.

Abstract: Silicon nanoparticle inks provide a basis for the formation of desirable materials. Specifically, composites have been formed in thin layers comprising silicon nanoparticles embedded in an amorphous silicon matrix, which can be formed at relatively low temperatures. The composite material can be heated to form a nanocrystalline material having crystals that are non-rod shaped. The nanocrystalline material can have desirable electrical conductive properties, and the materials can be formed with a high dopant level. Also, nanocrystalline silicon pellets can be formed from silicon nanoparticles deposited form an ink in which the pellets can be relatively dense although less dense than bulk silicon. The pellets can be formed from the application of pressure and heat to a silicon nanoparticle layer.

Abstract: The use of doped silicon nanoparticle inks and other liquid dopant sources can provide suitable dopant sources for driving dopant elements into a crystalline silicon substrate using a thermal process if a suitable cap is provided. Suitable caps include, for example, a capping slab, a cover that may or may not rest on the surface of the substrate and a cover layer. Desirable dopant profiled can be achieved. The doped nanoparticles can be delivered using a silicon ink. The residual silicon ink can be removed after the dopant drive-in or at least partially densified into a silicon material that is incorporated into the product device. The silicon doping is suitable for the introduction of dopants into crystalline silicon for the formation of solar cells.

Abstract: A patterned layer over a wafer is produced by depositing a print-patterned mask structure. Energized particles of a target material are deposited over the wafer and the print-patterned mask such that particles of said target material incident on the mask structure enter the mask structure body and minimally accumulate, if at all, on the surface of the mask structure, and otherwise the particles of target material accumulate as a generally uniform layer over the wafer. The print-patterned mask structure, including particles of target material therein, is removed leaving the generally uniform layer of target material as a patterned layer over the wafer.