Abstract: A method of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) lithography in which an irradiating wavelength is selected to be in a region of low absorption in air, e.g., one in the vicinity of a local minimum in an oxygen absorption spectrum. In one embodiment, a lithographic exposure wavelength is advantageously selected between 121.0 nm to 122.0 nm, preferably at about 121.6 nm, corresponding to an absorption window in the oxygen spectrum. This method relaxes the otherwise stringent vacuum and inert gas purge requirement imposed on a VUV lithographic tool.

Abstract: An improved integrated circuit processing apparatus is disclosed wherein a protective coating of aluminum nitride (AlN), on the inner surface of a quartz (SiO.sub.2) window in the wall of the integrated circuit processing apparatus provides an enhanced resistance to the corrosive effects of halogen-containing reagents, particularly fluorine-containing gases, on the protected inner surface of the quartz window. Formation of an AlN coating having a minimum thickness of about 1 micron up to a maximum thickness of about 15 microns with a coating uniformity of .+-.15% of the average coating thickness, provides the desired protection of the inner surface of the quartz window from corrosive attack by fluorine-containing gases, such as NF.sub.3, SF.sub.6, and fluorine-containing hydrocarbons, e.g., C.sub.2 F.sub.6.

Abstract: In a disk drive including a conventional head and disk assembly containing a spindle motor for rotating a disk hub at a constant angular velocity and at least one rotating disk mounted to the hub, apparatus comprising a base having a peripheral sidewall surrounding the base. The base supports the head and disk assembly within an interior space defined by the peripheral sidewalls in combination with the base. To reduce the power consumption as well as the operating temperature of the disk drive by controlling and confining the air mass proximate the disk, a shroud is positioned within the interior space and proximate the disk such that the shroud substantially circumscribes the circumference of the disk for an arc of approximately 320 degrees.

Abstract: A magnetic field enhanced plasma etch reactor system and method of operation is disclosed. In the system and operation, modulated sinusoidal currents are generated and applied 90.degree. out of phase to opposing pairs of series connected electromagnets to produce a modified rotating magnetic field parallel to a substrate processed in the system. The modification of the rotating magnetic field, in turn, results in an improvement in the uniformity of the etch pattern over the upper surface of the substrate.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck (113) having grooves (130, 132, 134) to uniformly distribute a heat transfer medium, e.g., a gas, and a method of fabricating such an electrostatic chuck. Specifically, a grooved layer (112) is formed upon a surface (110) of a conventional chuck body (111). Typically, a conventional chuck body contains a substrate (100) having one or more electrodes (104, 106) deposited thereupon and a first layer (108), typically formed of an insulating material, disposed over the electrodes and a surface of the substrate which supports the electrodes. A second layer (112), typically formed of an insulating material, is formed by screen printing a paste of insulating material over a surface of the first layer. The paste is applied in a pattern which includes at least one gap. After curing the paste into a hard layer, the second layer contains the gap or gaps defined by the screen pattern.

Abstract: An automated method for establishing a wafer coordinate system for a wafer characterization system. Specifically, under computer control, a high-magnification imaging system images a wafer at a low, initial magnification level. From this imaging process, the method first determines the location of the center of the semiconductor wafer mounted within the imaging system and then determines the wafer orientation therein. The method then repeats the imaging process at increased magnification levels until a desired degree of magnification is used to accurately define the location of the wafer center and the wafer orientation. Together the wafer center and orientation define a wafer coordinate system. This wafer coordinate system is then related to the coordinate system of the imaging system by a coordinate system transformation. As such, once the coordinate systems are related, the imaging system can quickly and accurately determine any point on a wafer.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for releasing a workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, from an electrostatic chuck. A "dechucking" voltage is applied to the chuck electrode having the same polarity as was used to retain the workpiece, but having a different magnitude selected to minimize the electrostatic attractive force between the workpiece and the chuck. There is an optimum value for the dechucking voltage which minimizes this force. The optimum value can be determined empirically, or it can be determined by a method based on the value of the current pulse produced when the workpiece is first mounted on the chuck.

Abstract: In a chemical-vapor-deposition system, a method of reducing particulate contamination within a reaction chamber. In general, the chemical-vapor-deposition system contains a gas inlet conduit which connects a reaction chamber to a reactive gas source and a gas outlet conduit which connects the reaction chamber to a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump facilitates exhausting gas from the reaction chamber. The method of reducing particulate contamination in the system includes the steps of: filling, via said inlet conduit, the reaction chamber with a reactive gas; exhausting the reactive gas from the reaction chamber using the vacuum pump; isolating the reaction chamber from the vacuum pump to cease exhausting the chamber; backfilling, via the inlet conduit, the reaction chamber with the reactive gas; and preventing, during the backfilling step, generation of eddy currents in a portion of the outlet conduit by providing a particle restrictor within the outlet conduit.

Abstract: A covering and protector for a rain gutter prevents the gutter from becoming clogged with leaves or other debris. The covering protector is designed so that leaves (for example) and other debris which may clog the gutter can neither enter the gutter nor clog the protector, the openings in the protector which permit rain to pass into the gutter being vertically disposed. A unitary sheet includes an extended flat portion which does not contain any apertures therein which functions as a closed top portion for covering the open top of the existing gutter and which also serves to interfit under and between existing roofing materials (such as roof shingles) to provide for secure fastening to the roof as well as to provide an uninterrupted smooth path for rainwater to travel off the roof. The top portion is connected to an apertured portion containing a number of apertures each with a flap for directing rain into the surface of the gutter.

Abstract: An output from a solid state image sensing device spatially modulated by a color filter is A/D converted and stored in a field memory. Digital signals read from the field memory during electronic zooming are successively delayed by 1H period by means of first, second and third 1H delay elements connected in series. The output from the field memory and outputs from the first, second and third 1H delay elements are separated into luminance components and line sequential color components by first to fourth Y/C separating circuits, respectively. A first set of three primary color signals are calculated based on outputs from the first, second and third Y/C separating circuits, and a second set of three primary color signals are calculated based on outputs from the second, third and fourth Y/C separating circuits.

Abstract: In an epitaxial reactor system using a vacuum pump which is connected to the reaction chamber by an exhaust line, particulate contaminants normally deposit in the exhaust line near its juncture with the reaction chamber. When the vacuum pump is isolated from the reaction chamber during a back-filling operation, these contaminants can be entrained in the currents of gas normally produced in the back-filling operation. A removable baffle device having the shape of a truncated cone and including a wafer catching device that holds a disk shaped particulate baffle member is placed in the exhaust line at its juncture with the reaction chamber to prevent these particles from re-entering the reaction chamber.

Abstract: A method for automatically adjusting an optical axis of a laser resonator. Specifically, the angle of a mirror in a laser resonator is changed in a very small stepwise increments, and the laser output before the very little change is compared to the laser output after the incremental change. If the laser output after the very small incremental change is larger than the laser output before the very small incremental change, the angle is automatically changed by a very small amount in the same direction as the previous increment. If the laser output after the very small incremental change is smaller than the previous laser output measurement, the angle is automatically changed by a very small amount in the opposite direction. Thus the optical axis of the laser resonator is adjusted automatically.

Abstract: Apparatus, and accompanying methods for use therein, for translating virtual page addresses in one address space, e.g. virtual, to page addresses in a second address space, e.g. real, and specifically for increasing the speed of such translations by translating multiple contiguous virtual page addresses upon the occurrence of a miss in a translation lookaside buffer (TLB). In response to a TLB miss, the address of each virtual page in a pre-defined block of, e.g. four, contiguous virtual pages, is separately translated through segment and/or page table lookup operations to yield corresponding page frame addresses. The virtual and corresponding page frame addresses for this block are then stored within a single TLB entry.

Abstract: Circuitry for transforming a transfer function characteristic into a specified input impedance includes: a hybrid arrangement having input, transmit, receive and balance ports; and a two-port network connected from the transmit to receive ports of the hybrid. The relation between the input impedance at the input port to the network transfer function is expressible as a function of the actual impedance seen looking into the two-wire input port of the hybrid, and the desired impedance to be simulated.

Abstract: Sixty-four regions are established on an image sensed picture from a video camera, where each evaluating value r.sub.ij, b.sub.ij, and y.sub.ij is obtained by averaging color difference signals R-Y and B-Y and luminance signal Y obtained from an image sensed signal over 1 field period for each region. When determination is made that luminance evaluating value y.sub.ij out of these evaluating values exceeds a predetermined value, the color evaluating values of the corresponding region are attenuated by a predetermined amount, in response to gain control signals derived from the color difference signals. As a result, the effect of an object of high luminance towards white balance adjustment is reduced.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for cleaning a storage or transport tank by spraying a cleaning agent against the interior wall using at least one spray nozzle, said nozzle making a rotating movement in a plane, while said plane is simultaneously revolved around an axis which makes an angle with the axis of rotation of the nozzle, the point of impingement of a jet cleaning agent delivered by the nozzle describing a track over the interior wall of the container, said track passing a plurality of times a closed circumferential line on the wall of the tank, which line is chosen as a reference, wherein the nozzle or each nozzle is so controlled that passages of the impingement track that is being described substantially occur in the greatest as yet unintersected portion of said circumferential line, which portion is located between earlier points of intersection of the impingement track and said circumferential line namely, at distances from said earlier points of intersection which substantially bear a ratio of 1:(1/2.

Abstract: A MUSE sound decoder detects a broadcasting/non-broadcasting identification flag included in the control signals in an applied MUSE signal to determine whether the MUSE signal is broadcasted or non-broadcasted. The MUSE sound decoder further includes a frame synchronization protection circuit for protecting frame synchronization over a predetermined frame synchronization protection time period when the frame synchronization pattern is not detected at the proper timing. The frame synchronization protection circuit sets the frame synchronization protection time period to a long time period when the MUSE signal is determined to be a broadcasted MUSE signal, and to a short time period when the MUSE signal is determined to be a non-broadcasted MUSE signal. Appropriate muting of a sound signal can be carried out according to the condition of the received MUSE signal.

Abstract: A valve provided with sound-reducing means, which sound-reducing means comprise a porous member.

Abstract: A printed circuit board for connecting, in n different ways, connection pins of an integrated circuit mounted in a dual-in-line (DIL) package to printed circuitry on the printed circuit board, where n is an integer .gtoreq.2. The printed circuit board comprises contact holes which are electrically connected to the printed circuitry and are each suitable for receiving a connection pin of the DIL package. To avoid the use of so-called jumper blocks for the different ways of connection, the contact holes form a matrix of p columns and q rows, with p being at least equal to the number of connection pins on a long side of the DIL package, q being at least equal to 2n, and the distance between successive rows of contact holes being such that n-1 rows of free contact holes are located between the rows of connection pins on the opposite long sides of the DIL package when these rows of connection pins have been mounted in two rows of contact holes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic focusing camera in which an automatic focusing operation is performed by detecting a high frequency component of a video signal obtained from an image sensor device at every predetermined period, and has a theme that the automatic focusing operation can be performed within an extremely short time. To this end, by a search means, a focus lens is moved from a first position to a second position with relatively coarse steps to obtain a focus evaluating value for each step. In a first method, after the focus lens is moved to the vicinity of a lens position corresponding to a maximum focus evaluating value obtained by the search means, the focus lens is moved with small incremental steps to find a true maximum focus evaluating value.