Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a dopant species selected from carbon, boron, nitrogen or oxygen into an upper portion of a semiconductor region to form a doped etch stop semiconductor material portion over a remaining semiconductor material portion, forming an overlying material portion over the etch stop semiconductor material portion, etching through the overlying material portion by an etch process that removes the overlying material portion selective to a material of the etch stop semiconductor material portion, and depositing at least one fill material over the etch stop semiconductor material portion.

Abstract: A flow rate control apparatus includes a flow rate detection unit that detects the flow rate of a fluid flowing through a solenoid valve, a correlation storage unit that stores a correlation between a flow start point voltage at which the fluid starts to flow through a sample solenoid valve, which has substantially the same characteristic as the solenoid valve, and a limit voltage at which the sample solenoid valve is fully open, and a control unit that, when starting control of the flow rate of the fluid, changes the driving voltage of the solenoid valve, obtains the driving voltage at a time when the start of flowing of the fluid is detected as the flow start point voltage, and uses the correlation for the sample solenoid valve to set the driving voltage of the solenoid valve within a range between the flow start point voltage and the limit voltage.

Abstract: An alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. A memory opening is formed through the alternating stack. A memory film is formed in the memory opening. The memory film includes an opening at a bottom portion. A connection strap is formed by performing a selective semiconductor deposition process that grows a strap semiconductor material from a physically exposed surface of an underlying semiconductor material portion through the opening. A vertical semiconductor channel is formed on an inner sidewall of the memory film by non-selectively depositing a semiconductor channel material. The connection strap provides an electrical connection between the underlying semiconductor material portion and the vertical semiconductor channel through the opening in the memory film. The sacrificial material layers are then replaced with electrically conductive layers.

Abstract: An alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. A memory opening is formed through the alternating stack. A memory film is formed in the memory opening. The memory film includes an opening at a bottom portion. A connection strap is formed by performing a selective semiconductor deposition process that grows a strap semiconductor material from a physically exposed surface of an underlying semiconductor material portion through the opening. A vertical semiconductor channel is formed on an inner sidewall of the memory film by non-selectively depositing a semiconductor channel material. The connection strap provides an electrical connection between the underlying semiconductor material portion and the vertical semiconductor channel through the opening in the memory film. The sacrificial material layers are then replaced with electrically conductive layers.

Abstract: An annular dielectric spacer can be formed at a level of a joint-level dielectric material layer between vertically neighboring pairs of alternating stacks of insulating layers and spacer material layers. After formation of a memory opening through multiple alternating stacks and formation of a memory film therein, an anisotropic etch can be performed to remove a horizontal bottom portion of the memory film. The annular dielectric spacer can protect underlying portions of the memory film during the anisotropic etch. In addition, a silicon nitride barrier may be employed to suppress hydrogen diffusion at an edge region of peripheral devices.

Abstract: The embodiment provides a blood pressure measurement device equipped with a pressing surface having plural pressure sensors arranged in one direction, an air bag for pressing the pressing surface against a living body part in a state that the one direction crosses a direction in which the radius artery T runs, an air bag drive unit, a rotational drive unit for driving the pressing surface rotationally about at least one of axes X and Y, and a control unit which performs a rotation control on the basis of pressure pulse waves that were detected by the pressure sensors in a process that the pressing force was increased and calculates blood pressure values on the basis of pressure pulse waves that were detected by the pressure sensors after the rotation control in a process that the pressing force was decreased.

Abstract: A blood pressure measurement device is equipped with a pressing surface which is formed with an element array of plural pressure sensors arranged in one direction and an element array of plural pressure sensors arranged in the one direction, an air bag for pressing the pressing surface against a living body, a control unit for calculating blood pressure values in a radius artery on the basis of pressure pulse waves that are detected by the pressure sensors in a state that the pressing surface is pressed against the living body by the air bag, and a rotational drive unit for performing driving to rotate the pressing surface about each of axes that are perpendicular to a pressing direction of the air bag.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a dopant species selected from carbon, boron, nitrogen or oxygen into an upper portion of a semiconductor region to form a doped etch stop semiconductor material portion over a remaining semiconductor material portion, forming an overlying material portion over the etch stop semiconductor material portion, etching through the overlying material portion by an etch process that removes the overlying material portion selective to a material of the etch stop semiconductor material portion, and depositing at least one fill material over the etch stop semiconductor material portion.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes semiconductor devices located on a semiconductor substrate, lower interconnect level dielectric layers embedding lower interconnect structures, an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers overlying the lower interconnect level dielectric layers and including stepped surfaces, memory stack structures vertically extending through the alternating stack, and contact via structures extending downward from the stepped surfaces through underlying portions of the alternating stack to the lower interconnect structures. Each of the contact via structures laterally contacts an electrically conductive layer located at the stepped surfaces, and provides electrical interconnection to an underlying semiconductor device. A top portion of each contact via structures contacts an electrically conductive layer, and is electrically isolated from other underlying electrically conductive layers.

Abstract: The embodiment provides a blood pressure measurement device equipped with an air bag drive unit, a pressing surface formed with pressure sensors, and a control unit which calculates first blood pressure values on the basis of a first pressure pulse wave that was detected by the pressure sensors, generates calibration data using the first blood pressure values, and calculates second blood pressure values by calibrating, using the calibration data, a second pressure pulse wave that is detected by the pressure sensors in a state that the pressing force is set at an optimum pressing force. The control unit performs the processing of calculating second blood pressure values by calibrating the second pressure pulse wave if detection conditions of the second pressure pulse wave coincide with detection conditions of a pressure pulse wave used for generation of the calibration data.

Abstract: A biological information measuring apparatus includes a detector, a measuring unit, a calculator, and a determining unit. The detector detects pulse waves continuously. The measuring unit measures first biological information. The calculator calculates second biological information from the pulse waves based on the first biological information. The measuring unit suspends the measurement and resumes the measurement after a lapse of a period in a case where the determining unit does not determine that the result of measurement is normal, and the measuring unit continues the measurement in other cases where the body motion is not generated, the pulse waves are not irregular or the blood pressure value fails to vary.

Abstract: Multiple tier structures including a respective alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers is formed over a substrate. A memory opening fill structure extends through the alternating stacks, and includes a vertical semiconductor channel and a memory film. A support pillar structure extends through at least an upper alternating stack, and includes a dummy memory film and a dummy memory film. The support pillar structure may be narrower than the memory opening fill structure at a bottommost layer of the upper alternating stack. Additionally or alternatively, the dummy memory film may be located above a horizontal plane including a topmost surface of a lower alternating stack. Optionally, another support pillar structure including a dielectric material may be provided underneath the support pillar structure in the lower alternating stack.

Abstract: Multiple tier structures including a respective alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers is formed over a substrate. A memory opening fill structure extends through the alternating stacks, and includes a vertical semiconductor channel and a memory film. A support pillar structure extends through at least an upper alternating stack, and includes a dummy memory film and a dummy memory film. The support pillar structure may be narrower than the memory opening fill structure at a bottommost layer of the upper alternating stack. Additionally or alternatively, the dummy memory film may be located above a horizontal plane including a topmost surface of a lower alternating stack. Optionally, another support pillar structure including a dielectric material may be provided underneath the support pillar structure in the lower alternating stack.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes semiconductor devices located on a semiconductor substrate, lower interconnect level dielectric layers embedding lower interconnect structures, an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers overlying the lower interconnect level dielectric layers and including stepped surfaces, memory stack structures vertically extending through the alternating stack, and contact via structures extending downward from the stepped surfaces through underlying portions of the alternating stack to the lower interconnect structures. Each of the contact via structures laterally contacts an electrically conductive layer located at the stepped surfaces, and provides electrical interconnection to an underlying semiconductor device. A top portion of each contact via structures contacts an electrically conductive layer, and is electrically isolated from other underlying electrically conductive layers.

Abstract: Examples of a high electron mobility transistor manufacturing method includes forming a buffer layer including a nitride semiconductor doped with any one of carbon, iron, and magnesium on a substrate, forming a Schottky layer on the buffer layer, and irradiating the Schottky layer and the buffer layer with electrons or protons.

Abstract: A pulse wave detecting device includes a sensor section and a control unit. The sensor section is rotatable about a first axis and is rotatable about a second axis. The control unit determines a rotation angle about the second axis and a rotation angle about the first axis in a state where the sensor section is pressed against the body surface with a prescribed pressing force. After determining the optimal roll angle and the optimal pitch angle, the control unit reduces the pressing force to a reset value smaller than the prescribed pressing force and larger than zero, increases the pressing force from this state, detects a pulse wave based on pressure signals detected by pressure detecting elements during the increase, and calculates vital information based on the detected pulse wave.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes a first alternating stack of first insulating layers and first electrically conductive layers located over a top surface of a substrate, such that each of the first insulating layers and the first electrically conductive layers includes a respective horizontally-extending portion and a respective non-horizontally-extending portion, memory stack structures extending through a memory array region of the first alternating stack that includes the horizontally-extending portions of the first electrically conductive layers, such that each of the memory stack structures comprises a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channel, a mesa structure located over the substrate, such that each respective non-horizontally-extending portion of the first insulating layers and the first electrically conductive layers is located over a sidewall of the mesa structure, and contact structures that contact a respective one of the non-horizontally-extending portions of the first electric

Abstract: A pulse wave detecting device includes a sensor section and a control unit. The sensor section is rotatable about a first axis and is rotatable about a second axis. The control unit determines a rotation angle about the second axis based on DC components of a plurality of a pressure detecting elements included in at least one of element rows. Then, the sensor section is pressed against the body surface in a state that the sensor section is controlled in the optimal roll angle, the pulse wave is detected based on pressure signals detected from the pressure detecting elements and the vital information is calculated based on the detected pulse wave.