Abstract: Integrated circuits having combined memory and logic functions are provided. In one aspect, an integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit comprises: a substrate comprising a silicon layer over a BOX layer, wherein a select region of the silicon layer has a thickness of between about three nanometers and about 20 nanometers; at least one eDRAM cell comprising: at least one pass transistor having a pass transistor source region, a pass transistor drain region and a pass transistor channel region formed in the select region of the silicon layer; and a capacitor electrically connected to the pass transistor.

Abstract: Programmable via devices and methods for the fabrication thereof are provided.

Abstract: Techniques for combining nanotechnology with photovoltaics are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a photovoltaic device is provided comprising the following steps. A plurality of nanowires are formed on a substrate, wherein the plurality of nanowires attached to the substrate comprises a nanowire forest. In the presence of a first doping agent and a first volatile precursor, a first doped semiconductor layer is conformally deposited over the nanowire forest. In the presence of a second doping agent and a second volatile precursor, a second doped semiconductor layer is conformally deposited over the first doped layer. The first doping agent comprises one of an n-type doping agent and a p-type doping agent and the second doping agent comprises a different one of the n-type doping agent and the p-type doping agent from the first doping agent. A transparent electrode layer is deposited over the second doped semiconductor layer.

Abstract: An underfill film for an electronic device includes a thermally conductive sheet. The electronic device may include a printed circuit board, an electrical component, an underfill, and the thermally conductive sheet. The underfill is situated between the circuit board and the component. The thermally conductive sheet is situated within the underfill, and together with the underfill, constitutes the underfill film. The device may include solder bumps affixing the component to the circuit board, the underfill film having holes within which the solder bumps are aligned. There may be solder bumps on the underside of the circuit board promoting heat dissipation. There may be heat sinks on the circuit board to which the thermally conductive sheet is affixed promoting heat dissipation. The thermally conductive sheet may be affixed to a chassis promoting heat dissipation. The thermally conductive sheet thus promotes heat dissipation from the component to at least the circuit board.

Abstract: A method and memory cell including self-converged bottom electrode ring. The method includes forming a step spacer, a top insulating layer, an intermediate insulating layer, and a bottom insulating layer above a substrate. The method includes forming a step spacer within the top insulating layer and the intermediate insulating layer. The step spacer size is easily controlled. The method also includes forming a passage in the bottom insulating layer with the step spacer as a mask. The method includes forming bottom electrode ring within the passage comprising a cup-shaped outer conductive layer within the passage and forming an inner insulating layer within the cup-shaped outer conductive layer. The method including forming a phase change layer above the bottom electrode ring and a top electrode above the bottom electrode ring.

Abstract: An electro-optical memory cell having a non-volatile programmable refractive index and a method of making. The memory cell includes: a waveguiding structure having a transition metal oxide with oxygen vacancies; a plurality of electrodes for applying an electrical field; and an optical detector for detecting a state of the memory cell. The method includes: fabricating a waveguiding structure having a transition metal oxide with oxygen vacancies; positioning a plurality of electrodes for application of an electric field; arranging the transition metal oxide and the electrodes such that when an electric field is applied, the oxygen vacancies migrate in a direction that has a component which is radial relative to a center of the beam path; applying the electric field thereby programming the refractive index to set a state of the memory cell; and detecting the state of the memory cell using an optical detector.

Abstract: Improved fin field effect transistor (FinFET) devices and methods for the fabrication thereof are provided. In one aspect, a method for fabricating a field effect transistor device comprises the following steps. A substrate is provided having a silicon layer thereon. A fin lithography hardmask is patterned on the silicon layer. A dummy gate structure is placed over a central portion of the fin lithography hardmask. A tiller layer is deposited around the dummy gate structure. The dummy gate structure is removed to reveal a trench in the filler layer, centered over the central portion of the fin lithography hardmask, that distinguishes a fin region of the device from source and drain regions of the device. The fin lithography hardmask in the fin region is used to etch a plurality of fins in the silicon layer. The trench is filled with a gate material to form a gate stack over the fins.

Abstract: A method is provided for writing data to an MRAM device having a plurality of magnetic memory cells configured in an array between a plurality of word lines and bit lines. At least one of the magnetic memory cells includes at least one fixed magnetic layer and a plurality of free magnetic layers, separated from the fixed magnetic layer by at least one barrier layer. The free magnetic layers include a first free magnetic layer adjacent to the barrier layer, a second free magnetic layer separated from the first free magnetic layer by at least one first parallel coupling layer, and a third free magnetic layer separated from the second free magnetic layer by at least one second parallel coupling layer. A magnetic moment of the second free magnetic layer is greater than both a magnetic moment of the first free magnetic layer and the third free magnetic layer.

Abstract: A fan includes a rotatable center member that is centered relative to an axis of rotation of the fan. The fan includes a number of blades radially extending from the rotatable center member. Each blade may have one or more ribs extending therefrom non-parallel to the axis of rotation of the fan. Each blade may be may be flat in shape, except for the ribs extending therefrom, or it may have a cycloidal curvature that curves away from the direction in which the rotatable center member rotates. In addition to or in lieu of the ribs, each blade may have a side profile that is non-linear. The side profile may be a zigzag or a curvy shape. The side profile may have one or more notches pointed in a direction opposite that in which the rotatable center member rotates, or may have one or more holes extending through the blade.

Abstract: Techniques for modular chip fabrication are provided. In one aspect, a modular chip structure is provided. The modular chip structure comprises a substrate; a carrier platform attached to the substrate, the carrier platform comprising a plurality of conductive vias extending through the carrier platform; and a wiring layer on the carrier platform in contact with one or more of the conductive vias, wherein the wiring layer comprises one or more wiring levels and is configured to divide the carrier platform into a plurality of voltage islands; and chips, chip macros or at least one chip in combination with at least one chip macro assembled on the carrier platform.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical wave guide and a ferrule. The optical wave guide has a prespecified horizontal-positioning surface and a prespecified vertical-positioning surface. The ferrule is to precisely couple with the optical wave guide. The ferrule defines a first datum plane mating with the prespecified vertical-positioning surface of the optical wave guide to precisely mechanically vertically position the optical wave guide within the ferrule. The ferrule defines a second datum plane mating with the prespecified horizontal-positioning surface of the optical wave guide to precisely mechanically horizontally position the optical wave guide within the ferrule.

Abstract: A fan includes a rotatable center member that is centered relative to an axis of rotation of the fan. The fan includes a number of blades radially extending from the rotatable center member. Each blade may have one or more ribs extending therefrom non-parallel to the axis of rotation of the fan. Each blade may be may be flat in shape, except for the ribs extending therefrom, or it may have a cycloidal curvature that curves away from the direction in which the rotatable center member rotates. In addition to or in lieu of the ribs, each blade may have a side profile that is non-linear. The side profile may be a zigzag or a curvy shape. The side profile may have one or more notches pointed in a direction opposite that in which the rotatable center member rotates, or may have one or more holes extending through the blade.

Abstract: Semiconductor-based electronic devices and techniques for fabrication thereof are provided. In one aspect, a device is provided comprising a first pad; a second pad and a plurality of nanowires connecting the first pad and the second pad in a ladder-like configuration formed in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer over a buried oxide (BOX) layer, the nanowires having one or more dimensions defined by a re-distribution of silicon from the nanowires to the pads. The device can comprise a field-effect transistor (FET) having a gate surrounding the nanowires wherein portions of the nanowires surrounded by the gate form channels of the FET, the first pad and portions of the nanowires extending out from the gate adjacent to the first pad form a source region of the FET and the second pad and portions of the nanowires extending out from the gate adjacent to the second pad form a drain region of the FET.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for fast-adjustment of the position of a plant in a servo system in which a servo output indicative of the plant position is provided to a positioning system for positioning the plant in dependence on the servo output. The apparatus includes an adjustment signal generator, operable in a fast-correction mode and a shock-compensation mode, for generating an adjustment signal for supply to the positioning system to effect fast positional adjustment of the plant. The apparatus also has an adjustment controller for receiving the servo output. The adjustment controller is adapted to detect from the servo output occurrence of a disturbance affecting positioning of the plant and, in response, to initiate the shock-compensation mode of the adjustment signal generator. The adjustment controller is further adapted to initiate the fast-correction mode of the adjustment signal generator in response to indication of an error in positioning of the plant.

Abstract: Servo control methods and apparatus for a tape drive. A read/write head reads and writes data on magnetic tape with at least one servo track providing transverse position information. At least two servo readers arranged for reading a servo track associated with the read/write head operate concurrently to generate servo read signals. A position estimator processes each servo read signal to generate a series of position values corresponding to respective time instants indicative of their transverse positions. A servo controller calculates a skew value indicative of tape skew relative to the read/write head and a tension variation value indicative of variation of tape tension. The servo controller is adapted to account for cross-coupling between tape skew and tension variation.

Abstract: A solution to a variant of a class constrained multiple knapsack problem. Previous solutions require that memory demand of every application be identical and do not consider minimizing placement changes. Previous techniques do not consider optimizing placement to improve load balancing as is described subsequently. Thus, the present invention provides systems, methods and apparatus, encapsulated in software, to provide the dynamic placement of application instances on a heterogeneous cluster of server machines. It depends on the existence of a visible and controllable platform, systems management and other business services that signal events and accept commands. It provides dynamically placing applications on servers such as to maximize a total amount of satisfied application demands, minimize a number of placement changes from a current placement, and minimize imbalance of load distribution of said applications on said at least one server.

Abstract: A fan includes a rotatable center member that is centered relative to an axis of rotation of the fan. The fan includes a number of blades radially extending from the rotatable center member. Each blade may have one or more ribs extending therefrom non-parallel to the axis of rotation of the fan. Each blade may be may be flat in shape, except for the ribs extending therefrom, or it may have a cycloidal curvature that curves away from the direction in which the rotatable center member rotates. In addition to or in lieu of the ribs, each blade may have a side profile that is non-linear. The side profile may be a zigzag or a curvy shape. The side profile may have one or more notches pointed in a direction opposite that in which the rotatable center member rotates, or may have one or more holes extending through the blade.

Abstract: This invention provides methods, systems and apparatus for processing a message of a large number of agents. An example of an apparatus includes: a memory; means for managing a state of an agent based on whether the agent is in the memory and whether there is a message, by determining a priority level of the agent based on a message inserted into the agent; means for assigning a thread to the agent if the agent is in the memory and for assigning a thread to the agent after calling the agent to the memory if the agent is not in the memory, on condition that the agent having a highest priority level has been detected; and message processing means for repeating message processing until a predetermined criterion is satisfied, in relation to the agent to which a thread has been assigned.

Abstract: Computer program testing after source code for the computer program has been modified is performed more quickly, by using execution conditions. First, second, and third execution conditions are determined. These execution conditions are used to perform testing of the program to determine whether the program is properly functioning. Particularly, test data on which basis testing of the computer program is performed can be classified as first test data, second test data, third test data, or fourth test data. The program prior to modification of the source code is tested by employing the first, second, and third test data. After the source code is modified, the program is retested by employing only the third and the fourth test data. The program is thus properly retested after source code modification by employing only the third and the fourth test data, without having to employ the first and the second test data.

Abstract: Techniques for fabricating a photovoltaic device having a chalcopyrite absorber layer, such as a copper indium gallium selenide/sulfide (CIGSS) absorber layer, are provided. In one aspect, a method for fabricating a photovoltaic device is provided. The method includes the following steps. A precursor solution of metal chalcogenide dissolved in hydrazine or a hydrazine-like solvent is formed. Spray pyrolysis in an inert environment is used to deposit the precursor solution onto a substrate to form a metal chalcogenide layer on the substrate. A buffer layer is formed adjacent to a side of the metal chalcogenide layer opposite the substrate. A transparent conductive contact is formed adjacent to a side of the buffer layer opposite the metal chalcogenide layer.