Abstract: A hot object is quenched after heat treatment. A hot gas stream having at least 20% by volume of hydrogen is taken from for example a carburising chamber of a furnace. The gas is cooled by passage through a heat exchanger, and is compressed in a compressor. The compressor has an aftercooler (not shown) to remove heat of compression from the gas. The cooled, compressed gas flows through nozzles into a quenching chamber. The gas leaves the nozzles at a velocity of at least 50 m/s and impinges upon the hot metal object so as to effect its quenching.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for production of molten aluminium by electrolysis of an aluminous ore, preferably alumina, in a molten salt mixture, preferably a sodium fluoride—aluminium fluoride-based electrolyte. The invention describes an electrolysis cell for said production of aluminium by use of essentially inert electrodes in a vertical an/or inclined position, where said cell design facilitates separation of aluminium and evolved oxygen gas by providing a gas separation chamber (14) arranged in communication with the electrolysis chamber (22), thus establishing an electrolyte flow between the electrolysis chamber (22) and the gas separation chamber (14).

Abstract: A polishing pad or other shaped article for the electrochemical mechanical polishing (ECMP) of a workpiece. The article includes an electrically-conductive compound which is formed into a layer. The compound is formulated as an admixture which includes a polymeric component forming a continuous phase in the layer, and an electrically-conductive filler component forming a discrete phase within the continuous phase. With the workpiece and the layer being electrically connected and with an electrical bias being applied between the workpiece and the layer, the bias being capable of activating an electrochemical reaction, the compound exhibits an overpotential for the activation of the reaction greater than the bias.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method for reducing residual stress in a nickel-base superalloy article comprising about 40–70% of gamma prime phase and having a gamma prime solvus temperature is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of super-solvus heat treating the superalloy article about 5–40° F. (3–22° C.) above the gamma prime solvus temperature; and holding at the super-solvus heat treatment temperature for about 0.25–2 hours, wherein the heat-treated superalloy article has reduced residual stress.

Abstract: A process for making a work piece from a ?-type titanium alloy material includes subjecting the ?-type titanium alloy material to cold working with controlling the reduction rate thereof to vary the reduction rate depending on a position across a plain direction of the ?-type titanium alloy material, and then subjecting the ?-type titanium alloy material to an aging treatment.

Abstract: An electropolishing method for removing potential device-contaminating particles from a wafer, is disclosed. The method includes immersing the wafer in an electropolishing electrolyte solution and removing defects and particles from the wafer by rotational friction between the wafer and the electrolyte solution in combination with electrolysis. The method is effective in removing particles from via openings of all sizes, including via openings having a width smaller than about 0.2 ?m.

Abstract: The invention relates to a low-pressure carburising method comprising alternating low-pressure enrichment steps and diffusion steps in the presence of a neutral gas. During the enrichment steps, an enriching gas and neutral gas mixture is used, the proportion of the neutral gas being between 5 and 50% by volume of the enriching gas. The enriching gas can be, for example, acetylene (C2H2).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved single crystal nickel base superalloy and a process for making same. The single crystal nickel base superalloy has a composition comprising 3 to 12 wt % chromium, up to 3 wt % molybdenum, 3 to 10 wt % tungsten, up to 5 wt % rhenium, 6 to 12 wt % tantalum, 4 to 7 wt % aluminum, up to 15 wt % cobalt, up to 0.05 wt % carbon, up to 0.02 wt % boron, up to 0.1 wt % zirconium, up to 0.8 wt % hafnium, up to 2.0 wt % niobium, up to 1.0 wt % vanadium, up to 0.7 wt % titanium, up to 10 wt % of at least one element selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, and mixtures thereof, and the balance essentially nickel. The single crystal nickel base superalloy has a microstructure which is pore-free and eutectic ?–?? free and which has a gamma prime morphology with a bimodal ?? distribution.

Abstract: In a known method for producing an oxide layer on metal parts, the metal parts are heat-treated in a treatment chamber during a carburization phase at temperatures below 1100° C. [2012° F.] in an atmosphere containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen and then, during an oxidation phase, they are oxidized at an oxidation temperature in the range from 750° C. to 950° C. [1382° F. to 1742° F.] in an atmosphere where a PH2O-to-PH2 ratio between 0.3 and 10 has been established by feeding an oxidant into the treatment chamber, a process in which an oxide layer is formed, whereby the oxygen partial pressure is determined by means of an oxygen probe and regulated at least during the oxidation phase.

Abstract: A vacuum carbonitriding method includes: performing a vacuum carburizing process on an object to be treated (a workpiece) in a heat treating furnace under reduced pressures by supplying a carburizing gas into the furnace that has been heated to a predetermined carburizing temperature; stopping supply of the carburizing gas while keeping the carburizing temperature so as to diffuse carbon in the workpiece under reduced pressures; and performing a nitriding process on the workpiece by supplying a nitriding gas into the furnace under reduced pressures after lowering the furnace temperature. Required heat treatment qualities such as surface hardness, effective case depth, toughness and the like can be achieved in a short time with reproducibility even in a case of workpiece made of low-grade steel or case-hardened steel.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for process control of electro-processes. The method includes electro-processing a wafer by the application of two or more biases and determining an amount of charge removed as a result of each bias, separately. In one embodiment, an endpoint is determined for each bias when the amount of charge removed for a bias substantially equals a respective target charge calculated for the bias.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a very low roughness copper foil and an apparatus for manufacturing the copper foil. In the method of the present invention, a pickling process, an electrolytic polishing process and a washing process are successively performed after the copper foil was manufactured. In order to manufacture the very low roughness copper foil, the electrolytic polishing process is accomplished with the copper foil to face a metal cathode plate and supplying a current in order to perform the electrolytic polishing.

Abstract: A process and electrolytic cell for reducing in an ionic alkali metal compound, the cell containing anode and cathode electrodes, by supplying an electrolyte containing the alkali metal compound to the cell, applying an electric voltage to the cell to reduce said alkali metal compound at the cathode, and passing hydrogen or a hydrogen containing gas to at least one electrode while the compound is reduced at the cathode.

Abstract: A method of producing a workpiece of a heat-resistant steel, such as hot forming tool steel, where the workpiece may be hardened and depassivated after mechanical machining and electrochemical treatment. The hardening including a reduction step, so that no depassivation need be performed by pickling, for example, before nitriding. The result of the hardening treatment is a favorable surface condition for stepwise nitriding.

Abstract: A process for preparing highly purified silicon and aluminum and silumin (aluminum silicon alloy) in the same electrolysis furnace, by subjecting silicate and/or quartz containing rocks to electrolysis in a salt melt containing fluoride, whereby silicon and aluminum are formed in an electrolysis bath, and the aluminum formed, which may be low alloyed, flows to the bottom and is drawn off; transferring cathode with deposit to a Si-melting furnace, whereby the deposit with Si on the cathode flows down to the bottom of the melting furnace, and the cathode is removed before melting Si in said furnace, or during the electrolysis, shuffling the deposit formed on the cathode(s) down into the molten electrolysis bath, and transferring the molten or frozen bath containing Si from the cathode deposit to a Si-melting furnace after Al has flowed down to the bottom of the electrolysis furnace and been drawn off; melting the cathode deposit and/or molten or frozen bath, which contain silicon and slag, in the Si-melting fur

Abstract: Process for the production of shaped articles of niobium or tantalum by electrochemical etching of a niobium or tantalum sheet covered by a structured photoresist mask in an aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid, the etching being effected under electrochemical conditions under which strong noise is superposed on the etching current and the etching solution contains a water-soluble polymer.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a magnesium alloy billet for a thixoforming process capable of enhancing the mechanical properties of a forming product by inducing plastic deformation of an AZ91D magnesium alloy included extrusion and compression and forming a fine recrystallized microstructure from a primary solid phase through an isothermal holding process by a ‘strain induced melt activated process.’ In the case in which the magnesium alloy fabricated according to the present invention is adapted to a material used for a power train part, a chassis part or an interior part of a vehicle, it is possible to fabricate a part having a thick region and a region with a complicated shape. Such a fabrication is impossible in the conventional die casting process.

Abstract: Disclosed is a production process of a steel product for induction hardening and a steel product for carburizing, having improved grain size properties and machinability. This production process comprises the steps of: providing an ingot or bloom comprising a steel comprising, by weight, carbon (C): 0.10 to 0.45% or 0.25 to 0.70%, silicon (Si): 0.03 to 1.0%, manganese (Mn): 0.2 to 2.0%, titanium (Ti): 0.05 to 0.2%, aluminum (Al): 0.005 to 0.05%, and nitrogen (N): not more than 0.01% with the balance consisting of iron (Fe) and unavoidable impurities; and subjecting the steel ingot or bloom to a series of hot working steps including the step of rolling the steel ingot or bloom into a semi-finished steel product, the step of rolling the semi-finished steel product into a steel bar or wire rod, and the step of forging the steel bar or wire rod into a product. In the above series of hot working steps, the steel is given a thermal history in which said steel is at least once heated to 1,250° C.

Abstract: An electrochemical method is provided for producing trenches for trench capacitors in p-doped silicon with a very high diameter/depth aspect ratio for large scale integrated semiconductor memories. Trenches (macropores) having a diameter of less than about 100 nm and a depth of more than 10 ?m can be produced on p-doped silicon having a very low resistivity at a high etching rate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which uses a plating electrode in an electrolyte bath. The plating electrode works to purify an electrolyte polishing solution during the electro-polishing process. Preferably, the plating electrode is employed in a closed loop feedback system. The plating electrode may be powered by a power supply which is controlled by a controller. A sensor may be connected to the controller and the sensor may be configured to sense a characteristic (for example, but not limited to: resistance, conductance or optical transmission, absorption of light, etc.) of the electrolyte bath, which tends to indicate the level of saturation. Preferably, the plating electrode is easily replaceable.