Abstract: A method for depositing and tailoring anisotropic properties of ceramic oxide superconductive films onto the outer surface of fibers, wires, rods, bars and onto the inner surface of tubes, as well as onto the surface of disc-shaped substrates, employs either tandem magnetron discharges alone or both an abnormal glow cold cathode electron gun together with tandem magnetron discharges. This deposition method provides uniform thin films having high growth rates, controllable stoichiometry and desired anisotropic microstructure. The magnetron cathodes are made from either mixtures or single elements of the metals. The oxygen component is achieved either from the cathode material itself or by reactive sputtering in an oxygen ambient or a post-deposition thermal or plasma oxidation. An external electron beam may also be used for in-situ annealing of the deposited films while placed under an external applied magnetic field to better align crystals in the films for the desired anisotropic superconducting properties.

Abstract: A cold cathode glow discharge electron gun operating in the abnormal glow region produces a wide area collimated electron beam employed for flood exposure of thin film materials through electron beam transmission masks, resulting in spatially localized exposure and patterning of the thin film materials.

Abstract: A cold cathode for generating an abnormal glow discharge electron beam within a vacuum chamber is mounted to a wall of the vacuum chamber such that only the emitting front face of the cold cathode, itself electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber wall by a narrow gap therebetween, is located inside the vacuum chamber, while the remainder of the cold cathode is located outside the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: An open wide area vacuum ultraviolet lamp for use in microelectronics processing applications employes a ring-shaped cold cathode to produce a trapped electron beam discharge of generally disc-shaped cross section in a low pressure molecular gas environment and without the use of VUV windows.

Abstract: Apparatus for generating multiply charged ions from a source of wide area for use in ion implantation is based upon electron beam plasma interactions which more efficiently create a large density of multiply ionized species than conventional plasma sources over a wide area (1-20 cm in diameter). The beam electrons are generated from a glow discharge electron gun operating in the abnormal glow discharge state. More multiply ionized species are created because of the larger number of electrons at high energy present in a beam created discharge as compared to conventional hollow cathode or thermionic cathode ion sources. By using a ring-shaped cold cathode beam electron generator it is possible to realize a wide area source 2-20 cm in diameter. This multiple ion source permits the realization of a fixed ion implantation energy using a lower electrostatic potential because multiply ionized species are accelerated rather than singly ionized species.

Abstract: A gas ion laser employs a direct current electron beam to create a rare gas ion density and a cylindrical magnetron to sputter a partial pressure of metal vapor density and to also create a rare gas ion density. Thermal energy charge transfer selectively pumps the upper metal ion laser transitions on a continuous wave basis.

Abstract: A gas ion laser employs two or more independently controlled electrical gas discharges including a longitudinal plasma arc created by a thermionic cathode and an anode and a transverse glow discharge electron beam created within a photocathode reflector. These separately controlled gas discharges are arranged in a unique topology that produces highly excited atomic ions on the optical axis of a laser cavity, giving rise to a beam of laser optical radiation characteristic of the gas ion species being excited. The longitudinal plasma arc on the optical axis is heavily populated with ground state thermal ions that are not sufficiently excited to the energetic states required for laser action. The additional energy to excite these ground state thermal ions to the upper laser states is provided by a second more energetic photo-electron and glow discharge electron beam generated by a negatively biased coaxial photocathode reflector.

Abstract: A method for forming channel stops in the sidewalls of a trench isolation structure formed in a semiconductor substrate. In one form, anistrophically etched substrate trenches are conformally covered by doped glass, the doped glass is anisotropically etched to retain vertical, sidewall segments of doped glass, and the substrate is annealed to form shallow diffusions in the trench sidewalls. The depth of the sidewall diffusion is related to differences in the dopant segregation coefficients between the glass and substrate materials.

Abstract: A highly efficient laser employs a glow discharge electron gun and includes a solid wall cathode that emits a beam of electrons resulting in a plasma that is a negative glow discharge having an electron distribution that has a larger number of high energy electrons than would be present in a Maxwellian distribution of the same electron density.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a bipolar transistor with a thin base and an abrupt base-collector junction includes the steps of depositing a thin layer of polycrystalline or amorphous silicon base material in a single crystal collector region, while in-situ doping the deposited silicon with boron atoms, and thereafter, recrystallizing the deposited silicon layer by thermal-pulse annealing at a temperature high enough to effect recrystallization and solid phase epitaxial regrowth while low enough to minimize interdiffusion of dopants between the base and collector.The process further includes providing the transistor fabricated by the aforedescribed steps with an abrupt base-emitter junction. This is accomplished by depositing n.sup.++ doped polysilicon with a LPCVD process and thereafter thermal annealing the polysilicon.

Abstract: Applicants have invented a new low temperature method (50.degree. C. to 500.degree. C.) to deposit and grow microelectronic thin films using cold cathode electron beams to initiate and sustain both gas phase and surface chemical reactions. The new method uses electron beams generated by glow discharge electron guns. Secondary electrons are emitted from these electron guns following ion and fast neutral bombardment upon cathode surfaces and secondary electrons so formed are accelerated in the cathode sheath.Our method uses the plasma generated electron beams to decompose reactant molecules directly by electron impact and indirectly by the vacuum ultraviolet radiation generated following rare gas electron collisions in the beam region. The reactant molecules can be in the gas phase or adsorbed on substrate surfaces. The electron beams are spatially confined and excite only a localized region above the substrate so that direct plasma bombardment of the substrate is avoided.

Abstract: A new apparatus for altering the microtopography of certain solid materials commonly used in the integrated circuit industry by electron beam induced etching is described. This is accomplished with one or more glow discharge electron beam guns operating in a controlled gas environment. Specially designed versions of these guns perform the dual functions of dissociating certain donors of reactive gases in close proximity to the substrate surface and enhancing surface reactions anisotropically with the directed electron beam energy. The geometrical relationship between the substrate and the electron beams is chosen to optimize the role of each beam for its particular function. The operating gas environment is typically a carefully controlled mixture of a non-reactive buffer gas and one or more reactive gases. The gas flow rates, partial pressures, and direction are controlled by valves, regulators, and nozzles connected to the low pressure vessel.