Abstract: A passive first-order band reject, or notch, filter characteristic is introduced into a supply and/or return line (18, 20) of a heat transfer system (12) that uses electrically conductive liquid heat transfer medium in contact with radio frequency electrified components (14) typical in sputtering or etching manufacturing equipment. The heat transfer medium line (20) is coiled to create an inherent inductance (L2). A capacitive element (C2) is operatively connected across the coil (29) in the heat transfer medium line (20), the amount of capacitance chosen so that the resonant frequency is at the RF frequency of the components (14) being thermally conditioned. Thus, a high impedance is created for that frequency. The coil (29) and capacitor (C2) combination is protected from physical and electromagnetic interference by an enclosure (44).

Abstract: Hydrogen generation and fuel cell operation are integrated through the use of a low-cost hydrogen generation zone which comprises a pre-reforming zone, a partial oxidation zone, a reforming zone, and a water gas shift zone. Anode waste gas from the fuel cell is burned to provide heat to pre-reform the feed to the hydrogen generation zone while the burner exit temperature and the reforming zone exit temperatures are controlled using a simplified control system to eliminate thermal cycling in the hydrogenation zone. This simplified control of the hot side temperatures in the hydrogen generation zone below about 700° C. combined with use of the pre-reforming zone, surprisingly permits the use of carbon steel and/or stainless steel for construction of the hydrogenation zone while providing an efficient system which does not require external fuel and offers a high degree of feedstock flexibility at low cost.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for clamping and shielding the edge of a substrate useful in electronic device fabrication. A shadow ring is formed by an inward radial extension of the top surface of a generally annular shaped clamp ring. The shadow ring portion overhangs but does not contact the top surface of a substrate being processed. A smoothly tapered substrate contact surface extending from the outer diametrical extent of the shadow ring bottom surface to the bottom surface of the clamp ring is sized and adapted to engage the outer edge of a substrate. The substrate contact surface aligns the clamp ring to a substrate support member and a substrate to the substrate support member and the clamp ring as the substrate is lifted vertically.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an artificial latticed multi-layer film deposition apparatus for depositing on a substrate a gigantic magneto-resistive effect film (GMR film) having an artificial lattice structure formed of magnetic metal films and non-magnetic metal films alternately laminated one over the other and its object is to provide the artificial latticed multi-layer film deposition apparatus to enable easy and secure deposition of an artificial latticed multi-layer film having GMR characteristics.

Abstract: An improved system for performing plasma enhanced PVD of copper, aluminum, tungsten or other metallic material is disclosed. The system has markedly improved performance in the critical area of unwanted in-film particle deposits. The improved performance is provided by lowering the operating temperature of the RF coil used in the plasma enhanced PVD system and by carefully smoothing the outer surface of the RF coil. High conductivity material in the coil supports, increased contact area between the coil supports and the RF coil, and the use of active cooling of the coil further enhance the performance of the system.

Abstract: Process for continuously stripping the surface of a substrate moving in a defined direction through a vacuum chamber past at least one counterelectrode, according to which process a plasma is created in a gas, between this counterelectrode and this surface, so as to generate radicals and/or ions which can act on the surface to be stripped, characterized in that at least one pair of successive counterelectrodes, past which the abovementioned chamber and in that an alternating potential is applied to these counterelectrodes so as to impose on the latter an alternately positive and negative potential with respect to the substrate.

Abstract: A cylindrical carriage sputtering system for disk, wafer, and flat panel substrates (20) comprising a cylindrical shaped vacuum sealed passageway formed by two concentric inner (11) and outer hollow cylinders (12), along with a top and a bottom sealing flange (13, 14). A central hollow cylinder (15), disposed between the inner (11) and outer cylinder (12), includes substrate-carrying openings and serves as a cylindrical carriage which substantially fills the sealed passageway and is rotatable in predetermined steps. Novel substrate processing devices (16) for deposition, heating, and cooling are attached around the circumference of the inner and outer cylindrical walls. Vacuum pumps are located between substrate processing devices (16). The openings in the cylindrical carriage are each fitted with thermally isolated substrate holders (19) for supporting a multiplicity of substrates (20).

Abstract: An auxiliary power source device for a portable electronic instrument is formed of a main body, an attaching terminal disposed, at one side of the main body, which is detachably fitted into an external connection terminal of the portable electronic instrument to provide electricity to the same, a battery disposed in the main body and connected to the attaching terminal, and an elastic engaging member disposed at a side portion of the attaching terminal. When the attaching terminal is fitted into the external connection terminal, the engaging member is engaged with an inner wall of the external connection terminal by an elastic force of the engaging member. In case a battery of the portable electronic instrument is dead, the auxiliary power source device can be securely connected to the portable electronic instrument by an easy operation, so that the battery of the portable electronic instrument can be charged, or the portable electronic instrument can be used immediately.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of forming an intermediate film and a hard carbon film over the inner surface of a cylindrical member having a bore, such as a bushing or a cylinder, with the hard carbon film being formed on the intermediate film with a uniform thickness, greatly enhancing of abrasion resistance of the inner surface. The cylindrical member is placed in a vacuum vessel, an auxiliary electrode of an intermediate film forming material, such as a titanium-silicon alloy or the like, is inserted in the bore of the cylindrical member, a sputtering gas is supplied into the vacuum vessel, a voltage is applied to the auxiliary electrode to produce a plasma around the auxiliary electrode in order that the intermediate film forming material is sputtered from the auxiliary electrode and an intermediate film is formed over the inner surface of the cylindrical member.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fabricating a wafer spacing mask on a substrate support chuck. Such apparatus is a stencil containing a plurality of apertures and at least one high aspect ratio opening that is positioned atop the substrate support chuck while material is deposited onto the stencil and through the apertures and high aspect ratio openings onto the chuck. Upon completion of the deposition process, the stencil is removed from the workpiece support chuck leaving deposits of the material of various widths but the same heights to form the wafer spacing mask.

Abstract: A substrate 2 is autorotatably installed in a vacuum chamber 1 at an upper part thereof. MgF2 granules 3 as a film source material are put in a quartz boat 4 and mounted on a magnetron cathode 5. The magnetron cathode 5 is connected through a matching box 6 to a 13.56 MHz radio frequency power source 7. Cooling water 8 for holding the temperature of the magnetron cathode 5 constant flows on a lower face of the magnetron cathode 5. A side face of the vacuum chamber 1 is provided with gas introduction ports 9, 10 for introducing gas in the vacuum chamber 1. A shutter 11 is placed between the magnetron cathode 5 and the substrate 2. This structure provides a process enabling forming a thin film at a high speed by sputtering, especially, a high speed sputtering process enabling forming a thin fluoride film free of light absorption in a high speed by sputtering.

Abstract: In a Ti/TiN film continuous forming method, when a nitride mode TiN film is formed in a TiN film forming step, according to a correlation between the generation conditions of the nitride TiN film and the metallic mode TiN film and the pressure in the process chamber, the correlation being defined by a hysteresis characteristic having a first route in which the internal pressure in the process chamber is reduced from a high pressure state through a first branch point to a second branch point and a second route in which the internal pressure in the process chamber is increased from a low pressure state through a second branch point to the first branch point, the first and second routes being mutually different from each other at the first branch point and the second branch point, and the nitride mode TiN film being formed under a pressure condition on the first route while the metallic mode TiN film is formed under a pressure condition on the second route, the TiN film is formed under the internal pressure of t

Abstract: A new photoreceptor is provided which comprises a conductive substrate and a photoconductive layer of 5 micra or less in thickness on the substrate. The photoreceptor has a dark decay greater than 20 seconds and contains less than 5% total hydrogen. The substrate is selected from the group consisting of alloys of aluminum, chromium, iron, molybdenum, nickel or tungsten. In addition, the substrate can be a nonconductive material, such as plastic, provided with an electrically conductive layer. A new method for making the improved photoreceptor comprises providing a conductive substrate and forming a photoconductive layer of 5 micra or less in thickness on said substrate by depositing an amorphous material containing silicon and hydrogen atoms wherein said substrate has a negative potential between −40 and −100 volts during the forming of said layer.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for depositing a metal film on a substrate, comprising generating a high density plasma in a chamber, sputtering metal particles from a target to the substrate, and applying a modulated radio frequency (RF) bias to the substrate during deposition. Another aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for depositing a metal film on a substrate comprising a high density plasma physical vapor deposition (HDP PVD) chamber and a controller to modulate a RF bias power applied to a substrate in the chamber.

Abstract: A method of in-situ cleaning and deposition of device structures in a high density plasma environment. A device structure is located in a reaction chamber containing a sputter target. An ion containing gas located in the reaction chamber is exposed to an RF voltage to generate a high density plasma containing ionized gas particles. The ionized gas particles are accelerated toward the device structure during a cleaning phase. By-products produced during the cleaning phase are either evacuated from the reaction chamber or platted to the chamber walls. Ionized gas particles are then accelerated toward the sputter target during a deposition phase so that a layer of the sputter target material is deposited on at least a portion of the device structure.

Abstract: A sputtering cathode with a flat plate-shaped target (8) and a tub-shaped yoke (3) arranged behind the target (8), with center ridge (5) and with magnets (7,7′) for generating an enclosed tunnel of arc-shaped curved field lines (15,15′) in front of the target surface, as well as with three sheet metal cutouts (9,10,11) or groups of partial cutouts inserted into the plane between the target (8) and the end faces (12) of the tub rim of the yoke (3) facing the target (8), all the sheet metal cutouts (9,10,11) together form two gaps (a,b) extending roughly parallel to the end faces (12,13), wherein the magnets (7,7′) are each incorporated or inserted into the yoke bottom and the side surfaces of the magnets (7,7′) facing towards and away from the target (8) run flush with the yoke bottom.

Abstract: In the monitoring of the consumption of a target of, for example, titanium for providing titanium and/or titanium nitride film, the process work in kilowatt-hours (Y1) is determined for complete consumption of the target when providing only titanium, and the process work in kilowatt-hours (Y2) is also determined for complete consumption of the target in providing only titanium nitride.

Abstract: A surface treatment and method for applying the surface treatment to electrical components are provided that include a coating of yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG), which is applied to the inner surface of the component by sputtering.

Abstract: Micromechanical component and a method for its production having vertically arranged layers made of metallic materials, with the layers adhering firmly to one another at least in part. The layers of the micromechanical component are attached to each other via intermediate layers, with the intermediate layers being at least one sputtered layer which can be applied in the form of a metallic start plating to the underlying layer, which includes metallic and nonmetallic areas, and to which an upper metallic electroplated layer can be applied. Upon their completion, the layers yield the micromechanical component with layers that adhere to one another or layers which can be partially detached from one another.

Abstract: An improved apparatus and method for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and, in particular, for depositing material at the bottom of a contact hole, comprises sputtering a material onto a semiconductor substrate; applying a first bias voltage to the substrate, simultaneously removing the material surrounding the contact hole to form a facet at the top of the recess; and applying a second bias voltage to the substrate, simultaneously sputter-depositing the first material onto the bottom of the recess. A further embodiment of the invention utilizes an electrically isolated collimator for the sputtering apparatus. Another embodiment of the invention resputters a first material onto sidewalls of a contact hole during physical vapor deposition.