Abstract: The invention relates to a method of forming an insulating zone (14) around an active zone (12) in a semiconductor substrate, which method includes the following steps: forming a groove around an active zone (12) in the substrate; and filling the groove with a first material so as to form around the active zone an insulating zone (14) which projects from the surface of the substrate and forms a vertical protrusion at its periphery; and blunting the angle of the protrusion of the insulating zone at the periphery at the active zone. The invention further relates to a semiconductor device formed using said method.

Abstract: Method of manufacturing a capacitor integrated onto a silicon substrate, comprising a step of depositing a layer of first electrode, a step of depositing a layer of a dielectric material, a step of exposure of the dielectric layer to a plasma and a step of depositing a layer of second electrode. This creates the advantage of a design of capacitors with metallic electrodes having a good linearity versus voltage.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a capacitor includes the steps of depositing a first metal level and etching it to leave in place a region corresponding to a first plate of a capacitor and an area of contact with an upper level; depositing an insulating layer; forming a first opening above the first capacitor plate; depositing a thin insulating layer; forming a second opening above the contact area; depositing a second metal level; removing by physico-chemical etching the second metal layer outside regions where it fills up the openings; and depositing a third metal level and leaving in place portions thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of forming an insulating zone (14) around an active zone (12) in a semiconductor substrate, which method includes the following steps:

Abstract: A method for characterizing a structure including single-crystal silicon-germanium areas on a single-crystal silicon substrate, including the steps of measuring the X-ray diffraction spectrum of the structure, simulating the diffraction spectrum of a single-crystal silicon substrate, simulating the diffraction spectrum of a single-crystal silicon substrate entirely coated with a single-crystal SiGe layer, adding the simulated spectrums while assigning them weights a and 1-a to obtain a sum spectrum, comparing the sum spectrum with the measured spectrum and adjusting the simulation parameters and weight a to reduce the distance between the sum spectrum and the measured spectrum, and after optimizing, adopting the simulation parameters as the measurement parameters.

Abstract: A safety device for limiting the pressure of a fluid to a predetermined value comprises a preshaped diaphragm having a downstream convex face and an upstream convex face mounted as a closing or sealing device in a pipe. A first knife faces the convex face of the diaphragm at such a distance that a predetermined pressure exerted by the fluid on the concave face of the diaphragm brings the latter into contact with the knife which then causes a bursting of the diaphragm. A second knife is fitted to face the concave face of the diaphragm and a mechanism is provided for making the second knife strike against the diaphragm in order to bring about the tearing thereof when the concave face of the diaphragm is exposed by the fluid to a pressure below said predetermined pressure. The first knife has a passive operating mode, but the second knife has an active operating mode.

Abstract: A groove is milled along a predetermined line using a cutter (2) mounted at the end of a rotary shaft (3) which is displaced under computer control (A) via a control interface (B) in such a manner as to ensure that its axis X.sub.4 remains constantly substantially perpendicular to the wall of the tube and that the depth to which the cutter penetrates into the thickness of the wall is under constant control.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for sealing an opening (7) defined by an edge (6), comprising a sealing element (2, 102), the dimensions of which are at least equal to those of the opening (7), means for securing the said sealing element opposite the opening, and means for ensuring fluid-tightness between the sealing element (2, 102) and the edge (6). The means for ensuring tightness between the sealing element (2, 102) and the edge (6) consists of a flexible membrane (8), means for fixing the circumference of this membrane to the sealing element (2, 102) so as to define a volume (16) between the membrane (8) and the sealing element (2, 102), and a communication hole (18, 32) provided in the sealing element so as to connect the volume (16) to a source of pressurized fluid.

Abstract: An isolation and protection device is suitable for being inserted and deployed inside tubing, in order, in particular, to collect swarf and foreign bodies during work on tubing which must be kept under a controlled gas atmosphere, or to act as a flow plug or as a heat shield.

Abstract: The method comprises the steps of: digging out a continuous groove (13) in the wall of the tubing at the location of the tapping point to be made, said groove being slightly shallower than the thickness of the wall, thereby leaving a membrane (14) of metal at the bottom of the groove between the inside of the tubing and the outside atmosphere; placing a sealed isolation unit on the tubing, said unit covering a wide area which is at least equal to the area delimited by the groove; breaking the metal membrane so as to make an opening in the wall of the tubing; removing the cut out portion of the wall; welding on a blind tail pipe; and removing the sealed isolation unit. The invention also provides a groove-digging device, and a membrane-breaking punch device (600).

Abstract: The method consists in subjecting a mixture of an alkali nitride and/or an alkaline-earth nitride to thermal decomposition in vacuo in the presence of at least one metallic component with which it is desired to alloy the alkali metal and/or the alkaline-earth metal, the metals thus brought together are melted and the alloy thus obtained is homogenized.