Abstract: A sputtered low copper concentration multilayered, device interconnect metallurgy structure is disclosed herein. The interconnect metallization structure comprises a sputtered aluminum-copper (<2) weight percent copper conductor. In the preferred embodiment, the AlCu conductor has formed on one or both of its surfaces a layer of an intermetallic compound formed from a Group IVA metal and aluminum. The Group IVA metal is deposited by sputtering. Optionally, onto said top intermetallic layer is further deposited a non-reflective, non-corrosive, etch-stop, capping layer.

Abstract: A nulling optical bridge is disclosed herein for the measurement of the difference in the relative power of more than one light beam. The bridge can be used to precisely measure the change in reflectivity and/or transmissivity of a semiconductor device or metal. The bridge operates by splitting at least one illumination source into a number of beams wherein one of said beams is made to traverse the sample whose change in transmissivity and reflection characteristics is to be measured. A rotating polarizer is used to equate the intensity of the variable and nonvariable beams under feedback servo control from a photodetector. The incremental quantity of rotation of the polarizer can be calibrated to correspond to a number of characteristics of the sample.

Abstract: A method for forming contact studs to connect the substrate component devices to the overlying wiring patterns is disclosed herein. The contact studs are formed by a combination of blanket depositing an adhesive and reactive layer into the contact opening. Onto said adhesive and reactive layer is deposited a seed layer and said contact stud is completed by filling the contact opening with a third metal layer. Preferably, the adhesive and reactive layer is a transition metal and the seen and fillter layers are refractory metals.

Abstract: A contact probe assembly is described comprising a motor-driven fine positioning means. The fine positioning means permits the contact probe assembly to move in two directions X and Y which are perpendicular to each other. For positioning several contact probe assemblies, provided with fine positioning means, closely adjacent to each other, the longitudinal axis of each fine positioning means extends perpendicularly to the plane defined by the X and the Y direction. An electromotor is provided for either direction of movement. In one embodiment, fine positioning in either direction is effected by a perpendicularly arranged hollow shaft, the lower end of which is eccentrically shaped, reciprocally moving a carrier slide which is permanently connected to the contact probe assembly. The hollow shaft for moving the contact probe assembly in the Y direction is arranged inside the hollow shaft for movement in the X direction. The travel performed is detected by sensors.

Abstract: An apparatus for the linear translation of read/write heads in a data recording system is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises a compound parallel bending element suspension with a driver connected thereto. The compound parallel suspension comprises two sets of cantilevered bendable elements. One end of each bendable element is attached to a movable connector to connect the elements together. The other ends of two bendable elements are attached to a non-movable support post. The other ends of the remaining two elements are connected to the read/write head assembly and driver. The driver can be any of a number of conventional stepping and voice coil motor configurations including but not limited to friction drives, taut band drives, rack and pinion drives.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a Bi-CMOS device is disclosed herein, which device can include both vertical PNP and NPN components. The process steps include forming the reach-through N+ subcollector to the bipolar device without extra processing steps; combining into one mask the threshold adjust/well implants with self-aligned isolation leakage protection implants by using a self-aligned, removable oxide mask prior to field isolation; using a resist etch-back scheme to protect against emitter-to-base punch-through while self-aligning the pedestal and base; and also providing for the removal of the gate oxide at the emitter while maintaining it at the FET, without extra masks.The device incorporates similar structural featues between the bi-polar and FET devices. The NPN and pFET can share the same well and a P+ diffusion (the p+ extrinsic base is the same as the p+ source). Also, the pnp and nFET can share the same well and an n+ diffusion.

Abstract: Layers containing silicon and oxygen are formed by means of low pressure chemical vapor deposition. As a source for silicon and oxygen, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) is used which is drawn into the low pressure area of the deposition apparatus in liquid form and evaporated there. If necessary, oxygen is introduced into the low pressure area. The reactants are directed into the reaction zone which has been heated to a predetermined temperature, and reacted there. The reaction product is deposited onto the substrates provided therein. If the deposited layer is to comprise still further elements, liquid substances containing such elements are mixed with the liquid TEOS prior to being drawn into the evaporating area, in a ratio adapted to the desired layer composition. Both with respect to layer thickness and composition the layers deposited are highly homogeneous.

Abstract: An acoustic contact sensor for handwritten computer input is disclosed herein. The contact sensor comprises ultrasonic sending transducer means, receiving transducer means and circuit means for providing a logic signal to a computer when contact is made. The sending and receiver transducer means can either individually be coupled to a pen stylus or writing and/or display surface.

Abstract: A fault tolerant logic circuit capable of absorbing many D.C. and A.C. defects. The logic circuit employs a number of redundant logic gate circuits. The gate circuits are arranged in at least first and second interconnected signal paths. The logic gate circuits have two independent outputs. The two independent outputs are each connected to an input in a discrete one the first and second interconnected signal paths.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fault testing a clock distribution network for A.C. and D.C. faults. The fault testing apparatus includes test latch circuit means and is adapted to initially test for D.C. (stuck) faults and to thereafter continuously monitor a plurality of clock signal lines to detect A.C. clock faults.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic read/write head/arm assembly and method of manufacturing the same is disclosed herein. Contact soldering of the opposite to disk side of the read/write head to a cable in laminate relationship to the suspension arm, or a polyimide strip with conductors deposited thereon provides both electrical interconnection and mechanical support. Semiconductor devices can also be intermediately soldered between the head and cable for maximum noise suppression.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and circuit for reducing and maintaining constant overshoot in a high speed driver. The circuit includes a predriver circuit which is driven single endedly and a driver circuit which is differentially driven by the predriver outputs. The predriver and the driver are differential pairs, with commonly controlled individual transistor current sources. A diode has been added in series with each emitter of the differential pairs. Schottky diodes are preferable because of their low capacitance. The diodes increase the input switching voltage (the smallest input voltage swing that will cause the outputs to fully switch) of the differential pair because they must also be switched on and off. The increase results in an increase in effective transition time, which results in smaller overshoots because the circuit is being switched slower. The output amplitude of the driver is set by a voltage which controls the current source currents of the commonly controlled current sources.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatic inspection of periodic patterns typically found on patterned silicon wafers, printed circuit board, and the like is disclosed herein. The method comprises an inspection algorithm of two parts: a low-level algorithm and a higher level algorithm which includes, therein the operation of the low-level algorithm. The low-level algorithm utilizes the known periodicity of the pattern to find defects by comparing identical cells in the periodic array. The high-level algorithm comprises applying the low-level algorithm, some number of times (N) in succession on the image. An accumulator image is formed by adding the results of the low-level algorithm to create a separate image array where the pixels relate to the number of times that the pixel in the original image was detected as defective by the low-level algorithm.

Abstract: A color CRT has stripes of different color light emission phosphors (r, g and b) deposited on a faceplate of the tube with the relative widths of the stripes being inversely proportional to the light emission efficiency of the phosphors. By this means the integrated brightness of the emitted light from the different phosphor stripes is the same for the same value beam current. By using a novel double shadow mask arrangement, the widths of the beams from the three guns can be made to match, or substantially to match, the widths of the phosphor elements on which they land. Specifically, the beam from one gun is aligned with apertures through both masks in order to transmit a relatively wide portion of the beam onto the least efficient, phosphor. The portion of the beams transmitted by the first mask for the other two guns are further clipped by the relatively off-set apertures in the second mask.

Abstract: An interlaced raster-scanned color cathode ray tube display in which flicker is reduced by temporally off-setting one of the colors (preferably red) so that normally even-field data for that color is displayed in the odd field and normally odd-field data for that color is displayed in the even field. The temporal shift can be either before or during storage of the bit patterns or during or after reading of the bit patterns.The resulting positional shift of one scan line of the temporally shifted color is compensated for by using the static and/or dynamic convergence circuitry.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for electrostatic removal of micron and sub-micron sized contaminant particles is disclosed herein. The apparatus and method comprise creating a potential difference with a megavolt/cm electrostatic field between two conducting bases in a predetermined geometrical relation to each other. An insulator (e.g. a dielectric film) is maintained at or near contact between one of the bases and the surface to be cleaned to electrostatically remove particles from said surface. The bases can be made to move relative to each other and the surface to be cleaned.

Abstract: An I.sup.2 L output circuit is described for supplying current (I.sub.D ') to an output node (8) of a plurality of I.sup.2 L blocks (7) in order to ascertain the logic condition at the output node. The output circuit includes a standard I.sup.2 L gate (11) with an input connection (12) to the semiconductor region comprising both the lateral injector transistor collector electrode and the vertical switching transistor base electrode, and an output connection (13) from the semiconductor region comprising one of the collectors electrodes of the switching transistor. The gate output being used to control two identical current sources (T.sub.11, T.sub.12) one of which (T.sub.11) supplies current to the input of a simple current mirror (T.sub.13, T.sub.14) having its output connected to the gate input. The other current source (T.sub.12) being connected to the output node of the logic blocks. The provision of a current feedback loop around the I.sup.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk is formed on a rigid aluminum substrate coated with a polymeric dielectric layer. A thin film metallic position-indicating track is applied to the upper surface of the dielectric layer. The dielectric material is coated with a magnetic recording medium. A thin film of aluminum forms the patterned capacitive and optically reflective track. The dielectric layer is composed of a very similar material to the matrix material in the magnetic recording medium.The disk can be flexible or floppy and it is not necessary to have the extra dielectric layer in such a case, where the substrate is a dielectric.

Abstract: A method for rapid windowing of display information in computer graphics is disclosed herein. Image display data is maintained in a hierarchical data tree structure. Small numbers of bits of data called summaries are maintained at the nodes of the tree. The large complete data image is divided into units called boxes. These boxes combine to form a master box for a particular window size. By searching the summaries for each box and locating the window within the master box, traversal of an entire subtree may be terminated quickly, proceed on only some of the subtrees, or proceed through to completion. A clipped image is rapidly generated that can be rendered to the viewer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for format patterning magnetic recording media with servo-control patterns is disclosed herein. The method comprises the steps of printing the control pattern using a resist in liquid form onto the media material by conventional printing techniques. A layer of a thin metallic film is then deposited over the resist and uncovered substrate areas. The resist and its overlayered metal is then removed using a liftoff technique by dissolving the resist in its particular solvent. A control pattern of deposited metallic film remains in those non-resist areas. In the alternative, the process can also use an etching bath to create the servo control pattern.