Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods for forming a gate stack in a MOSFET device and to MOSFET devices obtainable through such methods. In exemplary methods described herein, a rare-earth-containing layer is deposited on a layer of a silicon-containing dielectric material. Before these layers are annealed, a gate electrode material is deposited on the rare-earth-containing layer. Annealing is performed after the deposition of the gate electrode material, such that a rare earth silicate layer is formed.

Abstract: A method for improving run-time execution of an application on a platform based on application metadata is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises loading a first information in a standardized predetermined format describing characteristics of at least one of the applications. The method further comprises generating the run-time manager, based on the first information, the run-time manager comprising at least two run-time sub-managers, each handling the management of a different resource. The information needed to generate the two run-time sub-managers is at least partially shared.

Abstract: A method and device for determining the quality of the interface surface between a layer of a dielectric material and the top surface of the semiconductor substrate are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises providing a semiconductor substrate with a top surface whereon a layer of a dielectric material is deposited thereby forming an interface surface, the surface of the layer of the dielectric material being or not in direct contact with the semiconductor substrate defining a top surface. A charge is then applied on a dedicated area of the top surface. A voltage Vs is measured on the top surface. The dedicated area is illuminated to define an illuminated spot. The photovoltage is measured inside and outside the determined illuminated spot during the illumination of the area.

Abstract: A method is disclosed to measure the permeability of films or coatings towards solvents (e.g. water). First a substrate comprising an absorption or container layer is provided, preferably the material is a porous material. To study water permeability, the porous material is hydrophilic or is made hydrophilic by means of e.g. an anneal process. To study the permeability of the film or coating, the coating is deposited on top of the porous material. The substrate comprising the film or coating on top of the absorption or container layer is then brought into a pressurizable chamber subsequently filled with the gaseous substance of the solvent (e.g. water vapor). By increasing/decreasing the vapor pressure in the chamber between zero and the equilibrium vapor pressure of the solvent used, the permeability (penetration) of solvent through the film or coating can be determined. The amount of solvent that can penetrate through the film or coating can be measured by means of ellipsometry, mass spectrometry, etc.

Abstract: In one aspect, a virtually multi-threaded distributed instruction memory hierarchy that can support the execution of multiple incompatible loops in parallel is disclosed. In addition to regular loops, irregular loops with conditional constructs and nested loops can be mapped. The loop buffers are clustered, each loop buffer having its own local controller, and each local controller is responsible for indexing and regulating accesses to its loop buffer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are related to methods for and devices for performing electrical spin detection. A method for spin detection of charged carriers having a spin and forming a flux in a medium is disclosed, the method comprises measuring a first current on a first contact on the medium that has a first spin selectivity, measuring a second current on a second contact on the medium that has a second spin selectivity, comparing the first measured current and the second measured current, and deriving the average or statistically relevant spin state of the flux of charge carriers. Corresponding devices are disclosed.

Abstract: A device and method for calibrating MIMO systems are disclosed. In one aspect, a calibration circuit comprises at least a first and a second input/output port, each arranged for being connected to a different transmitter/receiver pair of a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system. The circuit further comprises at least a third and a fourth input/output port, each arranged for being connected to a different antenna. The circuit further comprises an attenuator having a first attenuator port and a second attenuator port. The circuit further comprises a first and a second non-reciprocal switch, the first switch being arranged for establishing a connection between the first input/output port and either the third input/output port or the first attenuator port, and the second switch arranged for establishing a connection between the second input/output port and either the fourth input/output port or the second attenuator port.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for creating transient cavitation comprising the steps of creating gas bubbles having a range of bubble sizes in a liquid, creating an acoustic field and subjecting the liquid to the acoustic field, characterized in that the range of bubble sizes and/or the characteristics of the acoustic field are selected to tune them to each other, thereby controlling transient cavitation in the selected range of bubble sizes. It also relates to an apparatus suitable for performing the method according to the invention.

Abstract: A bipolar photo-electrochemical process is disclosed for electroless deposition (referred to as photo Bi-OCD) of a metallic compound onto the top surface of a semiconducting substrate whereby differential illumination of the front side of the substrate versus the back side of the substrate provides a driving force to separate the cathodic and anodic partial reactions leading to high yield deposition of the metallic compound. A selective photo Bi-OCD process is further disclosed whereby the top surface of the substrate is at least partly covered with an insulating pattern such that the deposition of the metallic compound takes place selectively into the openings of the pattern.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method and apparatus for preparing a first node of a communications system for transmitting an encoded digital signal to a second node of the communication system is described for providing Terminal QoS. The encoded digital signal is generated from a digital signal, the first node providing the encoded digital signal and the first node having access to display parameters associated with the digital signal. The second node is for at least decoding the encoded signal within an execution time and for subsequent display, the encoding and/or decoding being defined by at least one encoding-decoding scheme in accordance with coding parameters. The coding parameters are determined for encoding-decoding in accordance with one or more first display quality measures of the decoded signal after decoding, one or more execution times of the decoding of the encoded digital signal, and one or more second display quality measures.

Abstract: The present invention provides a driver circuit for driving a line terminated by a load, wherein said driver circuit is configurable for design time selected energy/delay working points. The configuration capability is used, e.g. during run-time, for dynamically selecting a suitable energy/delay working point, given the circumstances wherein said driver circuit has to operate. The driver circuit is in particular targeted for on-chip communication, but is not limited thereto.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing thermopile carrier chips comprises forming first type thermocouple legs and second type thermocouple legs on a first surface of a substrate and afterwards removing part of the substrate form a second surface opposite to the first surface, thereby forming a carrier frame from the substrate and at least partially releasing the thermocouple legs from the substrate, wherein the thermocouple legs are attached between parts of the carrier frame. First type thermocouple legs and second type thermocouple lets may be formed on the same substrate or on a separate substrate. In the latter approach both types of thermocouple legs may be optimised independently. The thermocouple legs may be self-supporting or they may be supported by a thin membrane layer. After mounting the thermopile carrier chips in a thermopile unit or in a thermoelectric generator, the sides of the carrier frame to which no thermocouple legs are attached are removed.

Abstract: A technique is described for the preparation of polymers according to a process in which the starting compound of formula (I) is polymerized in the presence of a base in an organic solvent. No end chain controlling agents are required during the polymerisation to obtain soluble precursor polymers. The precursor polymer such obtained comprises structural units of the formula (II). In a next step, the precursor polymer (II) is subjected to a conversion reaction towards a soluble or insoluble conjugated polymer by thermal treatment. The arylene or heteroarylene polymer comprises structural units of the formula III. In this process the dithiocarbamate group acts as a leaving group and permits the formation of a precursor polymer of structural formula (II), which has an average molecular weight from 5000 to 1000000 Dalton and is soluble in common organic solvents. The precursor polymer with structural units of formula (II) is thermally converted to the conjugated polymer with structural formula (III).

Abstract: A method is described for providing a predetermined optical path in an optical module, the predetermined optical path being defined by predetermined optical characteristics for the optical module. a modifiable optical element is provided at a predetermined position in the optical module, thus generating an initial optical path of the optical module. The modifiable optical element comprising at least one optical interface in the initial optical path. An optical signal is detected from a radiation beam on the initial optical path of the optical module. The optical interface of the modifiable optical element is then physically modified to generate at least one modified optical interface of the modifiable optical element. The physical modification takes into account the detected optical signal so as to obtain substantially the predetermined optical characteristics for the optical module.

Abstract: A method of forming a crystalline silicon layer on a microrough face of a substrate by reducing the microroughness of the face and then performing a metal induced crystallization process on the face is disclosed. The method further comprises, after metal induced crystallization and before removing the metal layer, removing silicon islands using the metal layer as a mask.

Abstract: A device and method for exchanging data frames are disclosed. In one aspect, the device exchanges data between a WAN and one or more LAN segments in an optimized way leading to a better quality of experience for the user. The device comprises an interface exchanging data frames over an access network, at least a first and second subnet interface exchanging data frames and arranged for being coupled to a network, a memory storing classification rules, a classification agent extracting information from an incoming data frame and applying the rules to the extracted information to determine the interface via which the incoming data frame is to be forwarded, and a Quality of Service monitoring agent for retrieving Quality of Service information from the subnet interfaces and dynamically updating the classification rules according to the QoS information.

Abstract: One inventive aspect relates to a method for fabricating a high-k dielectric layer. The method comprises depositing onto a substrate a layer of a high-k dielectric material having a first thickness. The high-k dielectric material has a bulk density value and the first thickness is so that the high-k dielectric layer has a density of at least the bulk density value of the high-k dielectric material minus about 10%. The method further comprises thinning the high-k dielectric layer to a second thickness. Another inventive aspect relates to a semiconductor device comprising a high-k dielectric layer as fabricated by the method.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method of producing a semiconductor device and the resulting device. The method is suitable in the first place for producing high power devices, such as High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT), in particular HEMT-devices with multiples source-gate-drain groups or multiple base bipolar transistors. According to the method, the interconnect between the source contacts is not produced by air bridge structures, but by etching vias through the semiconductor layer directly to the ohmic contacts and applying a contact layer on the backside of the device.

Abstract: A method and system for converting application code into optimized application code or into execution code suitable for execution on a computation engine with an architecture comprising at least a first and a second level of data memory units are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises obtaining application code, the application code comprising data transfer operations between the levels of memory units. The method further comprises converting at least a part of the application code. The converting of application code comprises scheduling of data transfer operations from a first level of memory units to a second level of memory units such that accesses of data accessed multiple times are brought closer together in time than in the original code.

Abstract: A method is described for designing a micro electromechanical device in which the risk of self-actuation of the device in use is reduced. The method includes locating a first conductor in a plane and locating a second conductor with its collapsible portion at a predetermined distance above the plane. The method also includes laterally offsetting the first conductor by a predetermined distance from a region of maximum actuation liability. The region of maximum actuation liability is where an attraction force to be applied to activate the device is at a minimum.