Abstract: A resistance spot welding method may involve spot welding a workpiece stack-up that includes a steel workpiece and an aluminum alloy workpiece. A pair of opposed welding electrodes are pressed against opposite sides of the workpiece stack-up with one welding electrode contacting the aluminum alloy workpiece and the other welding electrode contacting the steel workpiece. The welding electrodes are constructed so that, when an electrical current is passed between the electrodes and through the workpiece stack-up, the electrical current has a greater current density in the steel workpiece than in the aluminum alloy workpiece to thereby concentrate heat within a smaller zone in the steel workpiece. Concentrating heat within a smaller zone in the steel workpiece is believed to modify the solidification behavior of the resultant molten aluminum alloy weld pool in a desirable way.

Abstract: A workpiece stack-up that includes at least a steel workpiece and an aluminum-based workpiece can be resistance spot welded by a spot welding method in which the welding current is controlled to perform one or more stages of weld joint development. When it is desired to terminate weld current flow and to solidify a liquid weld pool into a weld nugget (of mostly aluminum-based composition), additional cooling is applied to the outer surface of the aluminum-based workpiece around the contact area of the spot welding electrode engaging the surface of the aluminum-based workpiece surface. The additional cooling is applied and controlled so as to increase the rate of solidification of the liquid aluminum-based material and to control the direction of solidification of the weld nugget to better confine impurities, and the like, originally in the melt, at the surface of the steel workpiece.

Abstract: A method and equipment for forming gaps in a material layer are provided. The equipment includes a supporter and an etching device. The supporter is configured to support a semiconductor device. In the method for forming gaps in a material layer, at first, the semiconductor device is provided. Then, a material layer of the semiconductor device is etched to form vertical gaps in the material layer. Thereafter, the vertical sidewall of each of the vertical gaps is etched in accordance with a predetermined gap profile by using directional charged particle beams. The directional charged particle beams are provided by the etching device, and each of the directional charged particle beams has two energy peaks.

Abstract: A method of laser welding together two or more overlapping metal workpieces (12, 14 or 12, 504, 14) that define a welding region (16) in which at least a portion of an accessible top surface (20, 120, 220, 520) of a workpiece stack-up (10, 110, 210, 510) is curved or angled includes advancing a laser beam (24) along a beam travel pattern (74) that at least partially lies on the portion of the top surface that is curved or angled while maintaining a constant focal distance (64) of the laser beam during such advancing travel. The beam travel pattern may be projected onto a curved portion (20?, 220?) of the top surface, an angled portion (120?) of the top surface, or two or more portions (20?, 20?, 120?, 120?, 220?, 220?, 220??) of the top surface that lack planarity.

Abstract: A method of laser brazing a metal workpiece assembly along a joint seam established between a first metal workpiece and a second metal workpiece involves advancing a laser beam along the joint seam while feeding a filler wire into the laser beam to melt a leading end of the filler wire, which is impinged by the laser beam, to produce and dispense molten filler material within and along the joint seam. The dispensed molten filler material solidifies behind the laser beam into a braze joint. Additionally, as part of the method, a position of a focal point of the laser beam relative to the leading end of the filler wire is repeatedly fluctuated during advancement of the laser beam along at least part of the joint seam.

Abstract: A method of laser welding a workpiece stack-up (10) that includes at least two overlapping metal workpieces (12, 14) comprises advancing a laser beam (24) relative to a plane of a top surface (20) of the workpiece stack-up (10) from a start point (84) to an end point (86) along a beam travel pattern (78) at a high laser beam travel speed of greater than 8 meters per minute. The two or more overlapping metal workpieces (12, 14) may be steel workpieces or they may be aluminum workpieces, and at least one of the metal workpieces (12, 14) includes a surface coating (40). Advancing the laser beam (24) along the beam travel pattern (78) forms a weld joint (76), which includes resolidified composite workpiece material derived from each of the metal workpieces (12, 14) penetrated by a molten weld pool (80), that fusion welds the metal workpieces (12, 14) together. The relatively high laser beam travel speed contributes to improve strength properties of the weld joint (76).

Abstract: A multilayer steel includes a core formed of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel. A decarburized layer is exterior to the core on at least one side thereof. The decarburized layer has reduced carbon content relative to the core. A zinc-based layer is exterior to the decarburized layer. The decarburized layer may have a composition of at least 80 percent ferrite, such that LME is reduced or mitigated. In some configurations, the decarburized layer is between 10-50 microns thick. A method of creating a coated advanced high-strength steel component is also provided. An apparatus for forming a coated advanced high-strength steel is also provided. The core of the multilayer steel may have a carbon weight-percent of less than or equal to 0.4. The decarburized layer of the multilayer steel may have a carbon weight-percent of less than or equal to 50 percent of the carbon weight-percent of the core.

Abstract: A method of laser welding a workpiece stack-up that includes at least two overlapping metal workpieces is disclosed. The method includes advancing a beam spot of a laser beam relative to a top surface of the workpiece stack-up and along a beam travel pattern to form a laser weld joint, which is comprised of resolodified composite metal workpiece material, that fusion welds the metal workpieces together. And, while the beam spot is being advanced along the beam travel pattern, between a first point and a second point, which may or may not encompass the entire beam travel pattern, at least one of the following laser beam parameters is repeatedly varied: (1) the power level of the laser beam; (2) the travel speed of the laser beam; or (3) the focal position of the laser beam relative to the top surface of the workpiece stack-up.

Abstract: A method of resistance spot welding a workpiece stack-up comprising overlapping first and second steel workpieces is disclosed, wherein at least one of the steel workpieces comprises an advanced high-strength steel substrate. The workpiece stack-up is positioned between a pair of opposed first and second welding electrodes. A cover is disposed between at least one of the first steel workpiece and the first welding electrode or the second steel workpiece and the second welding electrode at an intended weld site. The workpiece stack-up is clamped between the first and second welding electrodes at the weld site such that at least one of the weld faces of the first and second welding electrodes presses against the cover. The first and second steel workpieces are welded together by passing an electrical current between the first and second welding electrodes at the weld site.

Abstract: A resistance spot welding method may involve spot welding a workpiece stack-up that includes a steel workpiece and an aluminum alloy workpiece that overlap one another to provide a faying interface. A pair of opposed welding electrodes are pressed against opposite sides of the workpiece stack-up with one welding electrode contacting the aluminum alloy workpiece and the other welding electrode contacting the steel workpiece. The welding electrodes are constructed so that, when an electrical current is passed between the electrodes and through the workpiece stack-up, the electrical current has a greater current density in the steel workpiece than in the aluminum alloy workpiece to thereby concentrate heat within a smaller zone in the steel workpiece. Concentrating heat within a smaller zone in the steel workpiece is believed to modify the solidification behavior of the resultant molten aluminum alloy weld pool in a desirable way.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure is provided. In this method, a semiconductor substrate is provided. A SoC layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate. A hard mask layer is formed over the SoC layer. The hard mask layer is patterned to expose a portion of the SoC layer. At least one opening is formed on the portion of the SoC layer using an ALE operation, thereby enabling the remaining portion of the SoC layer adjacent to the at least one opening to have a re-entrant angle included between a sidewall of the SoC layer and a bottom of the SoC layer.

Abstract: A joint member (100) includes a metal component (12) and a composite component (14) which are joined by a joint (10) formed at a non-planar joint interface (18) defined by a textured surface portion (28) of the metal component (12) and a solidified melted area (24) of the composite component (14). The solidified melted area (24) adjacent to the joint interface (18) is characterized by a plurality of non-contiguous solidification boundaries (22) and a non-contiguous dispersion of porosity (16).

Abstract: An antenna array and a system including the antenna array are provided for implementing wireless communication in a wearable device. The antenna array includes a first plurality of antennas integrated with an antenna substrate and a second plurality of antennas integrated with the antenna substrate. Each antenna in the first plurality of antennas is disposed perpendicular to a ground plane, and each antenna in the second plurality of antennas is disposed parallel to the ground plane. The first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas generate omni-directional electro-magnetic (EM) radiation in at least two different polarizations, which makes the antenna array suitable for wearable applications.

Abstract: An apparatus for trimming a sheet metal workpiece includes a base to support the sheet metal workpiece at a working position on the base. A shearing tool is connected to the base to trim the sheet metal workpiece by mechanically inducing a shearing stress on the sheet metal workpiece to form an edge at an edge location on the sheet metal workpiece. A heater is connected to the base to define a heated region on the sheet metal workpiece by heating at least the edge location on the sheet metal workpiece after the sheet metal workpiece is in the working position. The apparatus includes a temperature sensor to detect a surface temperature of the heated region.

Abstract: A method of spot welding a workpiece stack-up that includes a steel workpiece and an aluminum alloy workpiece involves passing an electrical current through the workpieces and between welding electrodes that are constructed to affect the current density of the electrical current. The welding electrodes, more specifically, are constructed to render the density of the electrical current greater in the steel workpiece than in the aluminum alloy workpiece. This difference in current densities can be accomplished by passing, at least initially, the electrical current between a weld face of the welding electrode in contact with the steel workpiece and a perimeter region of a weld face of the welding electrode in contact with the aluminum alloy workpiece.

Abstract: A method of resistance spot welding a steel workpiece and an aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece together includes several steps. One step involves inserting a cover between the aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece and an adjacent welding electrode. In another step, the adjacent welding electrode is pressed against cover, and another opposed welding electrode is pressed against the steel workpiece at a weld site. In yet another step, electrical current is passed between the welding electrodes, passed through the cover, and passed through the workpieces in order to initiate and grow a molten weld pool within the aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece.

Abstract: A seamless knit enclosure for a headphone unit is provided. The seamless knit enclosure may include a pair of earpieces and a headband spanning therebetween. The seamless knit enclosure may include a first region and a second region. The first region may have a stitch construction that has a first elasticity. The second region may have a second stitch construction that has a second elasticity that is different than the first.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor fin that extends from a substrate. The first semiconductor fin has source and drain regions, which are separated from one another by a channel region in the first semiconductor fin. A gate overlies an upper surface and sidewalls of the channel region. A contact is coupled to the source or drain region of the first semiconductor fin, where the source or drain region includes a layer of epitaxial material with a substantially diamond-shaped cross-section. The contact surrounds the source or drain region on top and bottom surfaces of the substantially diamond-shaped cross-section. A first capping material is arranged along outer sidewalls of the first semiconductor fin under the contact. The first capping material has an uppermost surface that is spaced below a lowermost surface of the contact by a non-zero distance.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a contact formed to a source or drain region of a “finned” field-effect transistor (FinFET). An epitaxial material is formed over the source or drain region, which includes a diamond-shaped cross-section with top and bottom surfaces. A capping layer is formed over the top and bottom surfaces. The source or drain region is subjected to a first etch to remove the capping layer surrounding the top surfaces of the diamond-shaped cross-section. A protective layer is formed within the top surfaces. A second etch of the capping layer is performed to remove the capping layer surrounding the bottom surfaces of the diamond-shaped cross-section, while using the protective layer to prevent etching of the top surfaces by the second etch. A contact is formed to the source or drain region, which surrounds the source or drain region on the top and bottom surfaces.

Abstract: An embodiment of A-Pillar Video Monitor System is provided for a motor vehicle to permit the driver to view traffic conditions (e.g. running children, approaching cars, etc.) from sides of the vehicle. Left or right video cameras are mounted on the left sides or right sides of the motor vehicle. Each camera attachment has a miniature video camera viewing angle directed generally sides, and a housing or shroud that is in the form of an aerodynamic fairing disposed over the associated camera to protect the same and to minimize the amount of protuberance laterally from the side of the vehicle. The fairing also avoids unnecessary airflow turbulence, thereby streamlining the vehicle. The images viewed from these camera assemblies reproduced on a curved viewing screen or monitor, which is seamlessly integrated with A-Pillars of the vehicle. The driver can easily observe the conditions in all sides without having to divert his or her attention from the road ahead.