Abstract: A flexure carriage assembly has a carriage formed of a substantially rigid material. The carriage has four elongate columns arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another. Each of the elongate columns has first and second ends. The flexure carriage has four first cross members disposed between adjacent pairs of elongate columns and arranged to interconnect the first ends. The flexure carriage also includes four second cross members arranged between adjacent pairs of elongate columns and arranged to interconnect the bottom ends. The elongate columns and first and second cross members define a three-dimensional rectangular structure. The flexure carriage also has disposed centrally between the four elongate columns a translating section spaced equidistant between the first and second ends of the columns.

Abstract: The invention concerns a self-contained temperature transfer interface, used in processing wafers under high temperature and vacuum conditions, for transferring temperature between a substrate and a temperature control seat. The temperature transfer interface comprises first and second spaced apart panel members which are joined together to define a closed interior, and a fluid disposed within the closed interior. The panel members are formed from a flexible, thermally conductive material. The interface may include a peripheral spacer that limits the compressibility of the closed interior.

Abstract: A reactive ion beam etching method which employs an oxidizing agent in a plasma contained in an ion source to control carbonaceous deposit (e.g., polymer) formation within the ion source and on the substrate. During operation of an ion source, after operating the ion source with a plasma having a carbonaceous deposit forming species, a plasma containing an oxidizing agent (species) is generated within the ion source. Preferably, within the ion source a plasma is maintained essentially continuously between the time that the carbonaceous deposit forming species is present and the time that the oxidizing agent is present. A reactive ion beam extracted from an ion source containing a plasma having an oxidizing species may be impinged onto a sample substrate to remove (i.e., etch) any carbonaceous material deposits (e.g., polymers) formed on the sample, such as may be formed from previous reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) processing steps using an ion beam having species which may form carbonaceous (e.g.

Abstract: An ion beam sputtering target assembly has six sputter targets arranged in pairs on three paddles and disposed upon the circumference of a circular holder. The circular holder can be rotated about its axis in such a way as to bring any one of the target pairs to be exposed to the sputtering ion beam to deposit a film on substrate. The paddle is rotated to bring a desired target in the pair into position for sputtering. An alternative embodiment is provided with an enlarged region which allows one of the target paddles to be rotated about its axis while that target paddle is in an inactive, non-sputtering rotary position.

Abstract: A control system and process for operating a charged-particle source which achieves gating of the charged-particle beam without a mechanical shutter and with very short transition between the beam “on” and beam “off” states is presented. The process and control system provide very precise control of the duration of the charged-particle extraction.

Abstract: A method of operating a probe-based instrument comprises placing a probe of the probe-based instrument in an operative state in which the probe interacts with a heated sample, measuring a parameter of probe operation indicative of a characteristic of the heated sample, and during the measuring step, maintaining interaction between the probe and the heated sample that is substantially free of influences caused by condensation on the probe. The maintaining step includes heating the probe to a temperature at which the measured parameter of probe operation is substantially free of influences caused by condensation on the probe. Heating the probe reduces or eliminates the formation of condensation on the probe from water or materials that have evaporated from the heated sample. The invention is especially useful in connection with atomic force microscopes and other probe-based instruments.

Abstract: A method of operating a probe-based instrument comprises placing a probe of the probe-based instrument in an operative state in which the probe interacts with a heated sample, measuring a parameter of probe operation indicative of a characteristic of the heated sample, and during the measuring step, maintaining interaction between the probe and the heated sample that is substantially free of influences caused by condensation on the probe. The maintaining step includes heating the probe to a temperature at which the measured parameter of probe operation is substantially free of influences caused by condensation on the probe. Heating the probe reduces or eliminates the formation of condensation on the probe from water or materials that have evaporated from the heated sample. The invention is especially useful in connection with atomic force microscopes and other probe-based instruments.

Abstract: A surface of the sample is scanned in intermittent contact mode with an the AFM. The probe tip is electrically conductive and is electrically connected to a capacitance sensing circuit. The oscillation of the AFM probe modulates capacitance between probe tip and sample surface. The modulated capacitance is demodulated to yield the capacitance properties of the sample.

Abstract: A charged particle source includes a vessel defining an interior for containing a plasma, the vessel having an inlet communicating with the interior of the vessel and connected to a source of atoms, and an aperture through which a charged particle beam is discharged, an energy generator for communicating with the atoms in the interior of the vessel and effecting ionization of the atoms in the vessel and creating the plasma, an electrode assembly disposed in the interior of the vessel, the electrode assembly including a conductive electrode support member, a tray member associated with the support member, a conductive liquid disposed in the tray member, the liquid having a surface area and a conductor connected between the conductive liquid and a voltage source, and an ion optics assembly disposed adjacent the vessel for accelerating plasma-generated charged particles having the same polarity as the conductive liquid in the vessel while maintaining charged particles of the opposite polarity within the vessel.

Abstract: This invention is directed to methods for depositing multilayered thin films onto substrates, for example in making thin film magnetic heads. In accordance with the invention a first film, such as Cr, is deposited onto the substrate at a first angle and a second layer, such as CoCrPt is deposited at a second angle.

Abstract: A control system and process for operating a charged-particle source which achieves gating of the charged-particle beam without a mechanical shutter and with very short transition between the beam "on" and beam "off" states is presented. The process and control system provide very precise control of the duration of the charged-particle extraction.

Abstract: A charged particle source applicable for etching, thin film deposition, or surface modification includes a conductive electrode for controlling the plasma potential and beam voltage, the electrode retaining long term conductivity during operation, such as by shielding or in situ cleaning during operation, and/or by being operated in pulse mode conditions capable of preventing charge accumulation in the source during ion extraction.

Abstract: A loading station receives a substrate into a load-lock volume pressure isolated from a loading station chamber which is open to a processing chamber. The volume is evacuated and the substrate lowered into the loading chamber. A transport arm moves the substrate from the loading station to a substrate carrier of a cooling fixture within the processing chamber. The carrier is connected to a clamp which together move vertically downward to lower the wafer onto a substrate seat of the fixture. During substrate processing the fixture is tiltable and rotatable and provides substrate cooling by solid-to-solid conduction, forced convection and free convection.Solid-to-solid conduction is provided by the clamp. The substrate is pressed to the fixture by the cooling clamp having a circulating cooling fluid.

Abstract: A regulating control circuit for a single-ended switching power supply includes means for controlling the switching duty cycle during start-up, normal operation and current limiting modes. Normal operation utilizes a duty cycle of less than about 50%, but low input voltage operation can occur for limited times at duty cycles up to 70%-80%. A time base generator defines the maximum permissible switch conduction time, as well as the switching rate. During start-up, input current is restricted to reduce dissipation within the control circuit, the start-up duty cycle also being maintained at a low value by extending the switch non-conduction time. In the current limiting mode, the duty cycle is reduced as a function of current demand to achieve constant current operation over a given range of output voltages, and to achieve current foldback below such range. In current foldback, the switch non-conduction period is extended to obtain unusually low duty cycles in near shorted output conditions.

Abstract: An electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source for generating a plasma for etching, deposition, pre-deposition and material property modification processes. The plasma source includes two magnetic field sources. The first magnetic field source provides a magnetic field of sufficient intensity to achieve an ECR condition for a given microwave frequency input beam. The second magnetic field source enhances the uniformity of the plasma formed and the uniformity of the output by creating a uniform field region in the plasma generating chamber. The second magnetic field source also reduces the magnetic field so that the plasma near the extraction system and the output extracted are less magnetized. The magnetic field intensity, longitudinal position, radial position and pole orientation are design variables for adjusting the second magnetic field source to enhance uniformity and reduce the magnetization of the output.

Abstract: A switching type power supply is described which employs pulse width and rate modulation. Enhanced control range is achieved by controlling a frequency determining circuit to increase operating frequency as a function of power switch pulse width. The power switch controls the switching of primary current in a transformer whose secondary supplies the output via a rectifier/filter circuit.

Abstract: A demagnetization circuit for use with a forward converter includes a drive winding magnetically coupled to the primary winding of the forward converter, a capacitor for absorbing leakage and magnetization energies from the primary winding when the forward converter is switched off, an inductor for absorbing energy from the capacitor, and a switching circuit for selectively connecting the inductor to the input voltage source of the forward converter.

Abstract: An integrated magnetic assembly for use in the direct current output circuit of a high frequency electronic switching power supply, comprising magnetic core sections for the output transformer and inductor windings and a common magnetic core segment completing the magnetic flux paths for the transformer and inductor windings. An auxiliary winding on one or both of the core sections is supplied with energy from the capacitor of a snubber circuit connected across the primary side of the magnetic output circuit. This auxiliary winding is magnetically coupled to the secondary side of the magnetic circuit to transfer energy to the power supply output during a portion of the switched current cycle.

Abstract: A parallel exposure electron beam lithography system for directly writing an integrated circuit pattern simultaneously at a plurality of locations on the surface of a resist-coated semiconductor wafer is disclosed.An electron source produces an electron beam which is used to illuminate an object aperture. A screen lens consisting of a multiplicity of holes breaks up the flood electron beam emanating from the object aperture into a multiplicity of beams in parallel and focuses them on a resist-coated substrate. Each hole in the screen lens acts like a small aperture lens when a positive potential is applied to the wafer with respect to the screen lens.A pair of octupole deflectors electronically control the angle with which the electron beam strikes the screen lens. This controls the deflection of the images beneath each of the screen lenses.

Abstract: An atomic force microscope in which a probe tip is oscillated at a resonant frequency and at amplitude setpoint and scanned across the surface of a sample, which may include an adsorbed water layer on its surface, at constant amplitude in intermittent contact with the sample and changes in phase or in resonant frequency of the oscillating are measured to determine adhesion between the probe tip and the sample. The setpoint amplitude of oscillation of the probe is greater than 10 nm to assure that the energy in the lever arm is much higher than that lost in each cycle by striking the sample surface, thereby to avoid sticking of the probe tip to the sample surface. In one embodiment the probe tip is coated with an antibody or an antigen to locate corresponding antigens or antibodies on the sample as a function of detected variation in phase or frequency.