Abstract: A stress memorization technique (SMT) film is deposited over a semiconductor device. The SMT film is annealed with a low thermal budget anneal that is sufficient to create and transfer the stress of the SMT film to the semiconductor device. The SMT film is then removed. After the SMT film is removed, a second anneal is applied to the semiconductor device sufficiently long and at a sufficiently high temperature to activate dopants implanted for forming device source/drains. The result of this approach is that there is minimal gate dielectric growth in the channel along the border of the channel.

Abstract: A receiving device for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) system has multiple receiving coils. In the same imaging acceleration direction, a junction region is formed between adjacent receiving coils. An additional receiving coil is arranged on the junction region. The additional receiving coil covers at least partially a line of strong phase variation in sensitivity at the boundary of said junction region. This receiving device alleviates the problem of poor sensitivity to MRI signals in the junction region in the imaging acceleration direction, so as to improve the imaging quality in the junction region, and thus improving the overall imaging quality.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a semiconductor layer. The method further includes forming a gate structure overlying the semiconductor layer. The method further includes forming a high-k sidewall spacer adjacent to the gate structure. The method further includes forming a recess in the semiconductor layer, the recess aligned to the high-k sidewall spacer. The method further includes forming an in-situ doped epitaxial material in the recess, the epitaxial material having a natural lattice constant different from a lattice constant of the semiconductor layer to create stress in a channel region of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for measuring the temperature field on the surface of casting billet/slab, including: a thermal imager, an infrared radiation thermometer, a mechanical scanning unit, an image and data processing system; the thermal imager, the infrared radiation thermometer and the mechanical scanning unit are respectively connected to the image and data processing system; the infrared radiation thermometer is installed on the mechanical scanning unit and can measure the temperature of casting billet/slab surface by scanning; the thermal imager can measure the temperature of a certain area on the surface of casting billet/slab by thermal imaging.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a semiconductor fin overlying an insulating layer. The electronic device can also include a semiconductor layer overlying the semiconductor fin. The semiconductor layer can have a first portion and a second portion that are spaced-apart from each other. In one aspect, the electronic device can include a conductive member that lies between and spaced-apart from the first and second portions of the semiconductor layer. The electronic device can also include a metal-semiconductor layer overlying the semiconductor layer. In another aspect, the semiconductor layer can abut the semiconductor fin and include a dopant. In a further aspect, a process of forming the electronic device can include reacting a metal-containing layer and a semiconductor layer to form a metal-semiconductor layer. In another aspect, a process can include forming a semiconductor layer, including a dopant, abutting a wall surface of a semiconductor fin.

Abstract: A semiconductor device structure is made on a semiconductor substrate having a semiconductor layer having isolation regions. A first gate structure is formed over a first region of the semiconductor layer, and a second gate structure is over a second region of the semiconductor layer. A first insulating layer is formed over the first and second regions. The first insulating layer can function as a mask during an etch of the semiconductor layer and can be removed selective to the isolation regions and the sidewall spacers. The first insulating layer is removed from over the first region to leave a remaining portion of the first insulating layer over the second region. The semiconductor layer is recessed in the first region adjacent to the first gate to form recesses. A semiconductor material is epitaxially grown in the recesses. The remaining portion of the first insulating layer is removed.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus includes forming PMOS transistors (90) with enhanced hole mobility in the channel region by forming a hydrogen-rich silicon nitride layer (91, 136) on or adjacent to sidewalls of the PMOS gate structure as either a hydrogen-rich implant sidewall spacer (91) or as a post-silicide hydrogen-rich implant sidewall spacer (136), where the hydrogen-rich dielectric layer acts as a hydrogen source for passivating channel surface defectivity under the PMOS gate structure.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus includes forming PMOS transistors (90) with enhanced hole mobility in the channel region by forming a hydrogen-rich silicon nitride layer (91, 136) on or adjacent to sidewalls of the PMOS gate structure as either a hydrogen-rich implant sidewall spacer (91) or as a post-silicide hydrogen-rich implant sidewall spacer (136), where the hydrogen-rich dielectric layer acts as a hydrogen source for passivating channel surface defectivity under the PMOS gate structure.

Abstract: A blade for an axial fan, including at least a front edge portion, a back edge portion, and multiple pressure balance holes. The front edge portion operates to blow air from the outside of the blade, the back edge portion operates to blow air to the outside of the blade, and the pressure balance hole is disposed on the back edge portion. The pressure balance holes are adapted to balance pressure and reduce pressure difference between the front side and the back side of the blade, eliminating backflow phenomenon caused by separation of boundary layer airflow at the back edge portion on a windward side of the blade and thus reducing power consumption and noise, and preventing dust from settling on the back edge portion on the windward side of the blade.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate and forming a p-channel device and an n-channel device, each of the p-channel device and the n-channel device comprising a source, a drain, and a gate, the p-channel device having a first sidewall spacer and the n-channel device having a second sidewall spacer. The method further includes forming a liner and forming a tensile stressor layer over the liner and removing a portion of the tensile stressor layer from a region overlying the p-channel device. The method further includes transferring a stress characteristic of an overlying portion of a remaining portion of the tensile stressor layer to a channel of the n-channel device. The method further includes using the remaining portion of the tensile stressor layer as a hard mask, forming a first recess and a second recess adjacent the gate of the p-channel device.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method for calculating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in parallel acquisition image reconstruction, comprising: determining a reconstruction expression for a linear operation of the image reconstruction; determining a weighted coefficient according to the reconstruction expression; calculating the SNR according to the weighted coefficient and the raw data. The SNR not only is relevant to the geometric shape and position of the coils, but also is influenced by the reconstruction method and the sampling mode. The SNR is calculated based on contribution of the raw data at positions in the reading direction from all the phase-coding lines in all acquisition channels. It reflects more precisely the loss of the SNR in the parallel acquisition image reconstruction, especially the changes in the SNR caused by the number of the reference lines combined during the reconstruction.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus includes forming <100> channel orientation CMOS transistors (24, 34) with enhanced hole mobility in the NMOS channel region and reduced channel defectivity in the PMOS region by depositing a first tensile etch stop layer (51) over the PMOS and NMOS gate structures, etching the tensile etch stop layer (51) to form tensile sidewall spacers (62) on the exposed gate sidewalls, and then depositing a second hydrogen rich compressive or neutral etch stop layer (72) over the NMOS and PMOS gate structures (26, 36) and the tensile sidewall spacers (62). In other embodiments, a first hydrogen-rich etch stop layer (81) is deposited and etched to form sidewall spacers (92) on the exposed gate sidewalls, and then a second tensile etch stop layer (94) is deposited over the NMOS and PMOS gate structures (26, 36) and the sidewall spacers (92).

Abstract: A transistor is formed by providing a semiconductor layer and forming a control electrode overlying the semiconductor layer. A portion of the semiconductor layer is removed lateral to the control electrode to form a first recess and a second recess on opposing sides of the control electrode. A first stressor is formed within the first recess and has a first doping profile. A second stressor is formed within the second recess and has the first doping profile. A third stressor is formed overlying the first stressor. The third stressor has a second doping profile that has a higher electrode current doping concentration than the first profile. A fourth stressor overlying the second stressor is formed and has the second doping profile. A first current electrode and a second current electrode of the transistor include at least a portion of the third stressor and the fourth stressor, respectively.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus fabricate a metal gate electrode (30) and an integrated semiconductor resistor (32) by forming a metal-based layer (26) and semiconductor layer (28) over a gate dielectric layer (24) and then selectively implanting the resistor semiconductor layer (28) in a resistor area (97) to create a conductive upper region (46) and a conduction barrier (47), thereby confining current flow in the resistor semiconductor layer (36) to only the top region (46) in the finally formed device.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus includes forming NMOS and PMOS transistors (24, 34) with enhanced hole mobility in the channel region of a transistor by selectively relaxing part of a biaxial-tensile strained semiconductor layer (90) in a PMOS device area (97) to form a relaxed semiconductor layer (91), and then epitaxially growing a bi-axially stressed silicon germanium channel region layer (22) prior to forming the NMOS and PMOS gate structures (26, 36) overlying the channel regions, and then depositing a contact etch stop layer (53-56) over the NMOS and PMOS gate structures. Embedded silicon germanium source/drain regions (84) may also be formed adjacent to the PMOS gate structure (70) to provide an additional uni-axial stress to the bi-axially stressed channel region.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus includes forming <100> channel orientation PMOS transistors (34) with enhanced hole mobility in the channel region of a transistor by epitaxially growing a bi-axially stressed silicon germanium channel region layer (22), alone or in combination with an underlying silicon carbide layer (86), prior to forming a PMOS gate structure (36) overlying the channel region layer, and then depositing a neutral (53) or compressive (55) contact etch stop layer over the PMOS gate structure. Embedded silicon germanium source/drain regions (84) may also be formed adjacent to the PMOS gate structure (70) to provide an additional uni-axial stress to the bi-axially stressed channel region.

Abstract: Forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a substrate having a strained semiconductor layer overlying an insulating layer, providing a first device region for forming a first plurality of devices having a first conductivity type, providing a second device region for forming a second plurality of devices having a second conductivity type, and thickening the strained semiconductor layer in the second device region so that the strained semiconductor layer in the second device region has less strain that the strained semiconductor layer in the first device region. Alternatively, forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a first region having a first conductivity type, forming an insulating layer overlying at least an active area of the first region, anisotropically etching the insulating layer, and after anisotropically etching the insulating layer, deposing a gate electrode material overlying at least a portion of the insulating layer.

Abstract: A stress memorization technique (SMT) film is deposited over a semiconductor device. The SMT film is annealed with a low thermal budget anneal that is sufficient to create and transfer the stress of the SMT film to the semiconductor device. The SMT film is then removed. After the SMT film is removed, a second anneal is applied to the semiconductor device sufficiently long and at a sufficiently high temperature to activate dopants implanted for forming device source/drains. The result of this approach is that there is minimal gate dielectric growth in the channel along the border of the channel.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method and an apparatus for reconstructing a parallel-acquired image, comprising: generating reconstruction data by combining uniformly under-sampled data and low-frequency fully-sampled data in MRI K-space according to a hybrid sampling mode; calculating the sensitivity distribution of a coil according to said low-frequency fully-sampled data; and reconstructing an image according to the reconstruction data, the coil's sensitivity distribution and the hybrid sampling mode. The signal to noise ratio of the reconstructed image is effectively improved by using the reconstruction data combined with the low-frequency fully-sampled data in reconstructing the image since the low-frequency fully-sampled data contains more useful information.

Abstract: Forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a substrate having a strained semiconductor layer overlying an insulating layer, providing a first device region for forming a first plurality of devices having a first conductivity type, providing a second device region for forming a second plurality of devices having a second conductivity type, and thickening the strained semiconductor layer in the second device region so that the strained semiconductor layer in the second device region has less strain that the strained semiconductor layer in the first device region. Alternatively, forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a first region having a first conductivity type, forming an insulating layer overlying at least an active area of the first region, anisotropically etching the insulating layer, and after anisotropically etching the insulating layer, deposing a gate electrode material overlying at least a portion of the insulating layer.