Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for obtaining enlarged Cu grains in small trenches. More specifically it related to a method for creating enlarged copper grains or inducing super secondary grain growth in electrochemically deposited copper in narrow trenches and/or vias to be used in semiconductor devices.

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: 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: 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: 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 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 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.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for obtaining and analysing physical properties of a substance. Optical data and acoustical data are obtained for the substance and the data are used to apply a model of the optical/acoustical properties of the substance such that thereby any of the thickness, the density, the refractive index and composite related information such as the content of a certain component in the substance can be determined. If dynamic effects are studied, preferably data of simultaneously performed optical and acoustical measurements are used. An example is the use of data of surface plasmon resonance measurements and surface acoustic wave measurements to determine the water content in solutions of organic material.

Abstract: A detection system having a receiver for detecting a material having a magnetic resonance response to illumination by pulses of ultra-wideband (UWB) electromagnetic radiation is disclosed. The receiver comprises a detector for detecting the pulses after they have interacted with the material, and a discriminator arranged to identify in the detected pulses the magnetic resonance response of the material. By scanning an item tagged with a tag having a material having a magnetic resonant response, by illuminating the item with UWB pulses and identifying in detected pulses the magnetic resonance response of the material, items can be located, imaged, or activated. The magnetic resonance response of the tag can cause activation of the tag. The tag can have a magnetic resonance response arranged to provide an identifiable magnetic resonance signature such that different tags can be identified and distinguished by their signatures.

Abstract: One inventive aspect is related to a method of minimizing the final thickness of an interfacial oxide layer between a semiconductor material and a high dielectric constant material. The method comprises depositing a covering layer on the high dielectric constant material. The method further comprises removing adsorbed/absorbed water from the high dielectric constant material prior to depositing the covering layer. The removal of adsorbed/absorbed water is preferably done by a degas treatment. The covering layer may be a gate electrode or a spacer dielectric.

Abstract: A method and system for determining in real time the instantaneous output rate of a low delay video frame encoder/application for encoding a video frame to be transmitted are disclosed. The video frame encoder provides its output for wireless transmission over a telecommunication channel. In one aspect, a method comprises providing an estimate of the instantaneous channel conditions under which the video frame will be transmitted. The method further comprises determining the instantaneous output rate by selecting a high output rate when the channel conditions considered acceptable and selecting a low output rate when the channel conditions are considered unacceptable.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for cleaning semiconductor surfaces to achieve to removal of all kinds of contamination (particulate, metallic and organic) in one cleaning step. The method employs a cleaning solution for treating semiconductor surfaces which is stable and provokes less or no metal precipitation on the semiconductor surface.

Abstract: In the manufacture of electronic devices that use porous dielectric materials, the properties of the dielectric in a pristine state can be altered by various processing steps. In a method for restoring and preserving the pristine properties of a porous dielectric layer, a substrate is provided with a layer of processed porous dielectric on top, whereby the processed porous dielectric is at least partially exposed. A thin aqueous film is formed at least on the exposed parts of the processed porous dielectric. The exposed porous dielectric with the aqueous film is exposed to an ambient containing a mixture comprising at least one silylation agent and dense CO2, resulting in the restoration and preservation of the pristine properties of the porous dielectric.

Abstract: An intermediate probe structure for atomic force microscopy is disclosed. The probe structure comprises a semiconductor substrate with one or more moulds formed on a surface of one side of the substrate. The probe structure further comprises one or more probe configurations formed on the one side of the semiconductor substrate, wherein each probe configuration comprises a contact region and at least one set of a probe tip and a cantilever. The probe structure further comprises one or more holders attached to each of the contact regions, wherein the surface area of each contact region is smaller in size than the surface area of the holder which is attached to the contact region.