Abstract: A method of coating a material surface with thin film silicon comprises dissolving silicon in a metal solvent to form a solution and subsequently deposited the dissolved silicon from the solution by controlling the temperature of the solution and thereby depositing a layer of silicon onto the material surface. The metal solvent is preferably a mixture of gold and a metal or metals which either have a melting point below the deposition temperature range or which form a eutectic with gold and have a eutectic temperature below the deposition temperature range. The temperature of the solution is controlled so that the silicon becomes super saturated in the solution and is deposited out of solution onto the material surface.

Abstract: The present invention relates in particular to electrostatic holding devices for holding semiconductor wafers and other materials during processing operations, such as vacuum sputtering, for example.One problem with such holding devices is that a residual electrostatic charge tends to build up on the surface of the device. This can lead to problems in the release of the wafer when processing is completed, as this electrostatic charge will tend to grip the wafer.The present invention overcomes this problem by determining a value of drive voltage to be applied to the electrostatic chuck to cancel out the holding effects of at least most of the residual electrostatic charge and thus enable release of the wafer. The value of drive voltage to be applied to allow release is determined by monitoring motion of the wafer as the drive voltage is varied, the motion of the wafer being indicative of whether it is being gripped by the body or not.

Abstract: A low electrical resistance bipolar membrane formed by the conjoining of treated anion and cation exchange membranes is disclosed. The treatment comprises contacting the membranes with an aqueous solution of at least one cation prior to conjoining and contacting at least one face of the membranes with an aqueous alkaline solution.A process for the preparation of acid and alkali using these bipolar membranes is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of reducing the impact of a reading deficiency caused by a slow transient response comprises the steps of inserting a light diffuser in a reader's light path to attenuate the high spatial frequency information mediated by the cone receptors of the eye(s) of the reader, and inserting a chromatic filter which limits stimulation to the red and/or green cone receptors relative to stimulation of the blue cone receptors in the eye(s) of the reader whereby the magnitude of the cone mediated sustained response of the reader is reduced towards a more normal balance relative to the impaired transient response of the reader. An apparatus for reducing the impact of a reading deficiency caused by a too slow transient response of a reader comprises a light diffuser and a chromatic filter to limit the red and/or green mediated sustained transmission relative to the blue cone mediated transient transmission, the diffuser and filter being locatable in the reader's light path.

Abstract: A tandem mass spectrometry system, capable of obtaining tandem mass spectra for each parent ion without separation of parent ions of differing mass from each other, comprising an ion source, (1) a particle detector (6), two separated time-of-flight devices (3, 5) between the source and the detector, a control ion-excitation device (4) between the time-of-flight devices, and means measuring a time-of-flight for particles reaching the detector (6), all of which lie on a common ion path, and wherein ion optics maintain ion flight from the source within the ion path and a computer control system controls the excitation device (4) and the optics.

Abstract: The invention disclosed relates to a new highly permeable anisotropic synthetic membrane useful in membrane separation of compounds in such processes as ultrafiltration, dialysis, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, gas permeation and gas diffusion. The membrane comprises a multi-layered structure, preferably of 4-12 layers, with each layer thereof serving as a molecular screen of a precise molecular weight cut-off. Between each layer of the membane there are rows of alveolae with adjacent alveolae in adjacent rows being connected by means of channels of molecular dimensions. For any type of plymeric starting material it is possible to obtain membranes of a predetermined molecular weight cut-off. The membranes have the advantage of providing a multilayered action for separation of compounds, with any defect in one layer being corrected by the following layer.

Abstract: A time of flight mass spectrometer includes an ion source (10) a lens system (18, 19) to focus the ions into a beam (21), an orthogonal accelerator (22) comprising two parallel electrodes one of which is a grid through which ions are deflected into a main accelerator and into a flight tube (26). At the distal end of the flight tube (26) is located an ion detector (27) which enables the measurement of the time of flight of ions from the orthogonal accelerator (22) to the detector (27).

Abstract: A process and equipment for the controlled malolactic fermentation of wine in which wine is introduced into a reaction vessel containing a concentration of at least 10.sup.8 cfu/ml of a bacterial or yeast species that is capable of converting malic acid to lactic acid through a bacteria retaining filter. The wine is removed from the reaction vessel through a bacteria retaining filter after a predetermined residence time in the reaction vessel sufficient to allow the desired malolactic fermentation to take place. The process and equipment are preferably operated on a continuous basis. The cells may be immobilized within the reaction vessel.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck for semiconductor wafers (10) uses at least three electrodes (12, 13, 14). Two electrodes (13, 14) defining a substantially planar surface and embedded in a thin dielectric film (11), are respectively excited by a low-frequency A.C. supply (15, 16, 17, 18, 23) to produce sinewave fields of controlled amplitude and phase, provided a low resultant voltage on the wafer surface. A third electrode (12) acts as a shield electrode or as a reference point for the other two electrodes (13, 14). In addition, by controlled rates of voltage application and removal, low voltage gradients are obtained on the wafer (10); and no retentive forces exist in the dielectric medium (11). A low A.C. amplitude excitation of the chuck enables capacitive current sensing of the relative positions of the wafer (10) and the dielectric film (11), enabling simple control of voltage application to the two electrodes (13, 14).

Abstract: An optical location system having a beam projection device (11, 51, 12, 13) to illuminate the field of view, and a detector array (29) to detect reflected light (21) from the field of view. The projected beam (13) is incrementably progressed across the field of view and for each increment the reflected points of light (61) detected by the detector (29) are recorded to build a map of the field of view, which is stored as a sparse array having as its first coordinate the angle of projection (A) of the illuminating beam (13) and as its second coordinate the azimuth angle (B) of the reflected ray detected by the detector. The value stored in each element of the array is the angle of the incidence (C) of the horizontal component of the detected ray with the detector.

Abstract: Solar cells are produced in which surface texturing of the substrate surface, in the form of geometric ridges and pyramids, are formed at an angle to the perpendicular such that the ridges and pyramids are not symmetrical about a perpendicular axis or plane. Such "tilted" texturing causes an increased number of passes of trapped light within the cell and also within the encapsulation covering the cell thereby increasing the chances of light being absorbed. A process for manufacture of cells with tilted texturing involves sawing a wafer from an ingot at an angle .alpha. to the 100 plane and then processing the wafer in a conventional fashion, including texturing the surface with ridges or pyramids.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the shaping of solar cell substrate surfaces in order to provide advantageous light-catching and interaction properties.Previous solar cell substrates have suffered from a relatively high percentage loss of light due to reflection from the substrate surface, as well as the disadvantage that light passing into the substrate may not be absorbed in regions of high collection probability, close to the semiconductor junctions.By specifically shaping the surface of the substrate to produce predetermined surface structures the above disadvantages can be minimized. Previous texturing of solar cell substrates has relied on the crystalline structure of the substrate to control the surface texture. The surface thus produced does not maximize the antireflection and absorption properties.By using a laser scriber and following this with a chemical etch, we produce surface shapes which maximize the anti-reflection and absorption properties of the solar cell.

Abstract: Method for the production of a catalyst suitable for use in the synthesis of methanol obtained by reacting carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide or mixtures thereof, with hydrogen, comprising forming an alloy containing 0 to 50 weight percent zinc, 30 to 75 weight percent aluminum and the balance being substantially all copper, and extracting aluminum from the alloy using an effective concentration of zincate ions in an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. Catalysts made by this method are disclosed, together with their use in the preparation of methanol.

Abstract: A Schottky barrier CCD infra-red (IR) detector array having Schottky junction IR sensitive gates as the transfer gates of the CCD array. These Schottky gates perform both IR detection and CCD shift register function within the array, thereby improving the fill factor and/or pixel size of the device.

Abstract: Robot vision and optical location systems capable of recovery of "depth" information normally lost from the two-dimensional image collected by a conventional image system comprises a radiation source for projecting a beam of light or other suitable radiation from a known location onto a field of vision in a manner that provides information indicating the direction of projection of the beam, a detection device situated at a second known location for receiving light or other radiation of the projected beam, scattered or reflected by objects within the field of vision and providing information indicating the direction of the source of scattered or reflected radiation and an analyzer for comparing the projection location, direction of projection, detection location and direction of the source of detected, scattered or reflected radiation to determine the location of objects in the field of vision.

Abstract: Charged and uncharged all-vanadium redox batteries are disclosed. Also described are a process for charging the uncharged battery and a process for producing electricity from the charged battery. A process for recharging an all-vanadium redox battery which has been at least partially discharged is also disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatus to measure the size of an optic zone of a lens, particularly a contact lens or intraocular lenses, and the refractive power of that optic zone includes an illumination system with a light source and a first lens train producing a collimated beam of light from the light source, and a second lens train including an observation system coaxial with the illumination system and focusing the collimated beam so that the observation system allows an observer to observe a magnified image of the lens to be measured. The lens to be measured is disposed on a mounting plate positioned in the collimated light beam between the first and second lens trains. A planar knife edge is positioned within the focused light beam of the second lens train so that it occludes a part of that beam. A micrometer or similar device is attached to the mounting plate so as to measure the observed size of the optic zone or zones of the lens.

Abstract: A method for the simultaneous production of sorbitol and either gluconolactone or gluconate from glucose and fructose. To this end to produce sorbitol and gluconolactone, glucose and fructose are reacted in the presence of a cell or cell-free extract of a bacteria, which contains the enzyme complex glucose/fructose transhydrogenase including the tightly bound co-factor(s), under condition whereby the further metabolism of gluconolactone is substantially prevented. In order to produce sorbitol and gluconate glucose and fructose are reacted in the presence of a cell or cell-free extract of a bacteria which contains an enzyme system comprising the enzyme complex glucose/fructose transhydrogenase including the tightly bound co-factor(s) and the enzyme gluconolactonase. This reaction is carried out under conditions whereby the metabolism of gluconate is substantially prevented. Preferably the bacteria used in this process is of the genus Zymomonas and most preferably of the species Zymomonas mobilis.

Abstract: An electrical contact formed in a groove in the surface of a semiconductor material facilitates an advantageous contact with the material for a given cross-sectional area of contact when compared with a contact of the same cross-sectional area formed on the surface of the material. The grooved contact significantly reduces shading of the surface of the semiconductor material compared with an equivalent surface contact.