Abstract: A method includes receiving a wafer, measuring a surface topography of the wafer; calculating a topographical variation based on the surface topography measurement performing a single-zone alignment compensation when the topographical variation is less than a predetermined value or performing a multi-zone alignment compensation when the topographical variation is greater than the predetermined value; and performing a wafer alignment according to the single-zone alignment compensation or the multi-zone alignment compensation.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) device includes a substrate and a circuit region over the substrate. The circuit region includes at least one active region extending along a first direction, at least one gate region extending across the at least one active region and along a second direction transverse to the first direction, and at least one first input/output (IO) pattern configured to electrically couple the circuit region to external circuitry outside the circuit region. The at least one first IO pattern extends along a third direction oblique to both the first direction and the second direction.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a novel toughener selected from the group of polyurea, polyurethane and poly(urea-urethane) using a facile synthesis method. The toughener forms thick-interface particles, and creates an effective toughness improvement for epoxy resin. Different from the conventional epoxy/rubber composite or epoxy/thermoplastic composite, the epoxy/polyurea, epoxy/polyurethane, or epoxy/poly(urea-urethane) composite shows Newtonian rheological behaviour, a convenient property for processing. The unique feature of the toughener according to the present invention is that toughness can be significantly improved at low toughener content without losing other desirable properties.

Abstract: A method and programmable storage device for controlling an archival process in a supply chain management software tool that includes using a control table to identify files or directories to be archived, and archiving information based on the data stored in each row of the control table. The method provides for the querying of archive control table rows by incrementally reading a row in the archive control table for an active column designation, storing the information from the row in a list if the active column designation is in a predetermined active state, and incrementing to a next row in the archive control table, or skipping the row if the active column designation is in a predetermined non-active state, and incrementing to a next row in the archive control table.