Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning a chamber is disclosed. Scraping blades are rotatably mounted within a chamber and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the chamber. The scraping blades are rotated circumferentially within the chamber, scraping the inner surface of the chamber to prevent the buildup of particulate matter. An annular gear assembly provides mounting support for the scraping blades. A pneumatically operated pushrod assembly rotates the scraping blades circumferentially within the chamber. The annular gear assembly and pushrod assembly do not obstruct a direct path through the chamber.

Abstract: A microelectronic structure including adjacent material layers susceptible of adverse interaction in contact with one another, and a barrier layer interposed between said adjacent material layers, wherein said barrier layer comprises a binary, ternary or higher order metal nitride-carbide material, whose metal constituents are different from one another and include at least one metal selected from the group consisting of transition metals Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W, Sc and Y, and optionally further including Al and/or Si. The barrier layer is stoichiometrically constituted to be amorphous or nanocrystalline in character, and may be readily formed by techniques such as chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, and plasma-assisted deposition, to provide a diffusional barrier of appropriate resistivity character for structures such as DRAMs or non-volatile ferroelectric memory cells.

Abstract: A liquid delivery apparatus for vaporizing a liquid to produce a vapor therefrom. The apparatus incorporates a vaporizer with a surface arranged to receive liquid thereon. A liquid feed assembly is provided, including (i) a liquid source and (ii) a liquid flow circuit coupled to the liquid source and arranged to discharge liquid onto the vaporizer surface during liquid vaporization operation. The apparatus features a burst purging assembly including a pressurized gas source joined in gas flow communication with the liquid flow circuit. The pressurized gas source is arranged to introduce a clearance burst of pressurized gas into the liquid flow circuit after completion of the liquid vaporization operation, so that hold-up liquid in the liquid flow circuit and/or vaporizer following completion of the liquid vaporization operation is discharged onto the vaporizer surface and vaporized.

Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition is used to form a film of Bi oxide, Sr oxide, and Ta oxide on a heated substrate by decomposing the precursors of these oxides at the surface of the substrate. The precursor of Bi oxide is a Bi complex which includes at least one carboxylate group and is decomposed and deposited at a temperature lower than 450° C. The film of Bi, Sr, and Ta oxides obtained by low-temperature CVD is predominantly non-ferroelectric, but can be converted into a ferroelectric film by a subsequent heating process.

Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition is used to form a film of Bi oxide, Sr oxide, and Ta oxide on a heated substrate by decomposing the precursors of these oxides at the surface of the substrate. The precursor of Bi oxide is a Bi complex which includes at least one amide group and is decomposed and deposited at a temperature lower than 450° C. The film of Bi, Sr, and Ta oxides obtained by low-temperature CVD is predominantly non-ferroelectric, but can be converted into a ferroelectric film by a subsequent heating process.

Abstract: An emulator is used to debug software operating on a target micro-controller in a target circuit environment. The emulator contains a field programmable gate array that is programmed to contain an emulated target micro-controller and an emulated monitoring circuit which monitors the operations of the micro-controller. The emulated target micro-controller receives signals from the target circuit environment. The signals from the target circuit environment are communicated to the emulated target micro-controller by one or more channels, such as a data channel and a timing channel. The number of channels is limited so that signals from the target environment do not degrade the performance of the emulator. A host computer contains a software debug program which works with the emulated monitoring circuit to monitor the emulated micro-controller.

Abstract: A platinum source reagent liquid solution, comprising:(i) at least one platinum source compound selected from the group consisting of compounds of the formulae:(A) RCpPt(IV)R'.sub.3 compounds, of the formula: ##STR1## wherein: R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, i-propyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, t-butyl, trimethylsilyl and trimethylsilyl methyl; and each R' is independently selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, i-propyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, t-butyl, trimethylsilyl and trimethylsilyl methyl; and(B) Pt(.beta.-diketonates).sub.2 of the formula: ##STR2## wherein: each R" is independently selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, t-butyl, trifluoromethyl, perfluoroethyl, and perfluoro-n-propyl, and(ii) a solvent medium therefor.

Abstract: A sub-atmospheric gas delivery system (100) with a backflow control apparatus (10) for preventing backflow into the sub-atmospheric gas source (14). The gas delivery system includes three fluidly coupled sticks: a purge stick (120), a process gas delivery stick (124) and an evacuation stick (130). The backflow control apparatus comprises a gas line (26) fluidly coupling the sub-atmospheric gas source to a chamber (50), a valve (20) attached to the sub-atmospheric gas source for blocking fluid communication between the gas source and the gas line upon receipt of a first signal, a flow restrictor (R) in fluid communication with the gas line and positioned between the valve and the chamber, and first and second pressure transducers (P1 and P2) in fluid communication with the gas line and positioned on either side of the flow restrictor. Each transducer is capable of generating a signal representative of pressure.

Abstract: A method of improving the physical and/or electrical and/or magnetic properties of a thin film material formed on a substrate, wherein the properties of the thin film material are stress-dependent, by selectively applying force to the substrate during the film formation and/or thereafter during the cooling of the film in the case of a film formed at elevated temperature, to impose through the substrate an applied force condition opposing or enhancing the retention of stress in the product film. The method of the invention has particular utility in the formation of ferroelectric thin films which are grown at temperature above the Curie temperature, and which may be placed in tension during the cooling of the film to provide ferroelectric domains with polarization in the plane of the film.

Abstract: A method of forming a (gallium, aluminum, indium) nitride base layer on a substrate for subsequent fabrication, e.g., by MOCVD or MBE, of a microelectronic device structure thereon. Vapor-phase (Ga, Al, In) chloride is reacted with a vapor-phase nitrogenous compound in the presence of the substrate, to form (Ga, Al, In) nitride. The (Ga, Al, In) nitride base layer is grown on the substrate by HVPE, to yield a microelectronic device base comprising a substrate with the (Ga, Al, In) nitride base layer thereon. The product of such HVPE process comprises a device quality, single crystal crack-free base layer of (Ga, Al, In) N on the substrate, in which the thickness of the base layer may, for example, be on the order of 2 microns and greater and the defect density of the base layer may, for example, be on the order of 1E8 cm.sup.-2 or lower. Microelectronic devices thereby may be formed on the base layer, over a substrate of a foreign (poor lattice match) material, such as sapphire.

Abstract: An FeRAM array replaces ROM, PROM, EPROM, and/or EEPROM in a programmable controlling device and thus provides non-volatile memory cells for code stores, data stores, registers (including peripheral registers), state machines and microcode (if included) in the device. The programmable controlling device contains a processor and non-volatile ferroelectric memory cells as well as a ferroelectric memory array. The array has a code store that holds a program to control the processor, a data store that stores temporary data from the processor, and one or more registers that hold data being manipulated by the processor. The code store, data store and registers are memory mapped onto the non-volatile ferroelectric memory array. The state machines and peripheral registers are made of ferroelectric memory cells. The programmable controlling device may also include microcode that cooperates with the processor to change the function of the processor.

Abstract: A quartz microbalance detector system for controlling the concentration of a gas component in a gas stream. The quartz microbalance interacts with the gas component, to effect a change in the oscillation frequency of the quartz microbalance detector and produce a signal correlative of concentration of the gas component in the gas stream. A specific embodiment includes a device for sensing concentration of a halogen-containing gas species in a gas stream, comprising a quartz microbalance detector having a quartz crystal with a surface functionalized with --OH functionality that reversibly reacts with the gas component to yield a bound reaction product on the surface that effects a change in the oscillation frequency of the quartz microbalance detector. The quartz microbalance may be utilized to maintain a set-point concentration of a gas compound in a multicomponent stream.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for treating pollutants in a gaseous stream. The apparatus employs curved tubular inlets for mixing a gas stream with other oxidative and inert gases for mixture and flame production within a reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is heated by annular heating elements and has an interior wall with orifices through which heated air enters into the central reaction chamber. The oxidized gases are treated also for particles removal by flowing through a packed bed. The packed bed is cooled and its upper portion with air inlets to enhance condensation and particle growth in the bed. The treated gas stream is also scrubbed in a continuous regenerative scrubber employing at least two vertically separated beds in which one bed can be regenerated while the other is operative so that the flow may be continuously passed through the bed.

Abstract: A metal hydride derivative wherein at least one hydrogen atom is replaced by deuterium (.sup.2.sub.1 H) or tritium (.sup.3.sub.1 H) isotope. The metal constituent of such metal hydride may be a Group III, IV or V metal or a transition metal, e.g., antimony, aluminum, gallium, tin, or germanium. The isotopically stabilized metal hydride derivatives of the invention are useful as metal source compositions for chemical vapor deposition, assisted chemical vapor deposition (e.g., laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition, light-assisted chemical vapor deposition, plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition and ion-assisted chemical vapor deposition), ion implantation, molecular beam epitaxy, and rapid thermal processing.

Abstract: A method of forming an iridium-based electrode structure on a substrate, from an iridium-containing precursor thereof which is decomposed to deposit iridium on the substrate. The iridium-based material is formed on the substrate in a desired environment, e.g., an oxidizing ambient environment which may for example contain an oxidizing gas such as oxygen, ozone, air, or nitrogen oxide, or alternatively a reducing environment containing a reducing agent such as H.sub.2, CO or NH.sub.3. The iridium deposited on the substrate is contacted with an etching reagent such as halogen-based etch species (e.g., Cl.sub.2, Br.sub.2, F.sub.2, CCl.sub.4, Si.sub.2 F.sub.6, SiCl.sub.4, NF.sub.3, C.sub.2 F.sub.6, SF.sub.6, or CF.sub.4) formed by exposing halogen to light, laser radiation, plasma, or ion beam, or alternatively with XeF.sub.2, for sufficient time and under sufficient conditions to etch the deposited iridium-based material and form the etched iridium-based electrode structure.

Abstract: The present invention is an enhanced peripheral controller communicating between a microcontroller and multiple peripherals that increases the speed with which configuration data sets are loaded. The enhanced peripheral controller includes a programmable logic array (PLA) and an FeRAM array. A reconfigurable peripheral controller is programmed onto the programmable logic array from a configuration data set for one of multiple peripherals. The reconfigurable peripheral controller is reprogrammed each time a new peripheral is connected to the microcontroller. The FeRAM array contains the configuration data set for programming the reconfigurable peripheral controller onto the programmable logic array. The FeRAM will receive a different configuration data set for each different peripheral to be programmed onto the PLA. Because the FeRAM operates at the speed of RAM, it receives the configuration data set for each peripheral on the fly as the microcontroller operates.

Abstract: A metal oxide ceramic layer is formed from an amorphous film. The metal oxide ceramic layer comprises, for example, a Bi-based oxide ceramic, The amorphous Bi-based metal oxide layer is annealed to transformed it into a ferroelectric layer. A lower thermal budget is needed to transform the amorphous Bi-based metal oxide ceramic into the ferroelectric phase.

Abstract: A sorbent-based gas storage and dispensing system, including a storage and dispensing vessel containing a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a sorbate gas physically adsorbed thereon. A chemisorbent material is provided in the vessel to chemisorb the impurities for gas phase removal thereof in the storage and dispensing vessel. Desorbed sorbate gas is discharged from the storage and dispensing vessel by a dispensing assembly coupled to the vessel. The chemisorbent may be provided in a capsule including an impurity-permeable, but sorbate gas-impermeable membrane, and installed in the vessel at the time of sorbent material loading. Semiconductor manufacturing processes and products manufactured by such processes are described.

Abstract: A metalorganic complex of the formula:MA.sub.Y Xwherein:M is a y-valent metal;A is a monodentate or multidentate organic ligand coordinated to M which allows complexing of MAY with X;y is an integer having a value of 2, 3 or 4;each of the A ligands may be the same or different; andX is a monodentate or multidentate ligand coordinated to M and containing one or more atoms independently selected from the group consisting of atoms of the elements C, N, H, S, O and F.The metal M may be selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ba, Sr, La, Nd, Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu, Th, Gd, Th, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Bi, Tl, Y, Pb, Ni, Pd, Pt, Al, Ga, In, Ag, Au, Co, Rh, Ir, Fe, Ru, Sn, Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Mg, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W. A may be selected from the group consisting of .beta.-diketonates and their sulfur and nitrogen analogs, .beta.-ketoesters and their sulfur and nitrogen analogs, cyclopentadienyls, alkyls, perfluoroalkyls, alkoxides, perfluoroalkoxides, and Schiff bases.

Abstract: A laser system utilizing a fluid as the excitatory medium for stimulated light emission, wherein the fluid is supplied from a sorbent-based fluid storage and dispensing system coupled in fluid-supplying relationship with the laser apparatus. The laser may be an excimer laser utilizing as the laser working fluid a rare gas halide compound such as fluorides and/or chlorides of krypton, xenon and argon, as well as fluorine and/or chlorine per se. The laser system may alternatively be a far infrared gas laser utilizing a gas such as CO.sub.2, N.sub.2 O, CD.sub.3 OD, CH.sub.3 OD, CH.sub.3 OH, CH.sub.3 NH.sub.2, C.sub.2 H.sub.2 F.sub.2, HCOOH, CD.sub.3 I, CH.sub.3 F, and C.sup.13 H.sub.3 F.