Abstract: An article (40), such as a piece of manufacturing tooling, is modified prior to use by treating a portion of its surface (38) to be worn so that the treated surface worn more than a preselected amount has a different appearance than the treated surface worn less than the preselected amount, using a treatment process in which the treated surface is at least as wear resistant as the untreated surface. In one approach, the surface (38) is treated by implanting ions to a preselected depth. The ions are chosen so that the substrate has a different color at depths less than the preselected depth than does the substrate at depths greater than the preselected depth. After wear, the treated surface is visually inspected for color variations that indicate wear to more than the preselected depth. The surface treatment can also be accomplished by ion implanting or ion beam mixing a previously deposited surface coating.

Abstract: An optical beam amplification and delivery system and method employs a central station with a laser oscillator, a laser amplifier and a phase conjugate mirror (PCM). Low power, near diffraction limited laser beams are delivered to each of a plurality of local stations through single-mode polarization preserving fibers. From the local stations the low power beams are transmitted back to the central station through high power multi-mode optical fibers. At the central station the received beams are amplified, phase conjugated and transmitted back through the amplifier and multi-mode fibers to their respective local stations. Distortions imposed upon the beams by the multi-mode fibers during transmission back to the central station, and by the amplifier, are compensated during the return path, providing high power yet near diffraction limited beam quality at the local stations.

Abstract: A masked ion beam lithography (MIBL) system and method is disclosed which is considerably more compact and economical than prior ion implantation devices. An H.sup.+ ion beam is extracted from a source in the form of an angularly expanding beam, and is transmitted through two lenses that sequentially accelerate the ions to energies in the range of 200-300 keV. The first lens focuses the beam so that it emerges from a crossover point with an amplified angular divergence at least three times the divergence of the initial beam, thereby considerably reducing the necessary column length. The second lens collimates the beam so that it can be directed onto a mask to expose resist on an underlying semiconductor substrate. A series of extraction electrodes are used to provide an initial point source beam with a desired angular expansion, and a specially designed sector magnet is positioned between the extraction mechanism and the first lens to remove particles heavier than H.sup.+ from the beam.

Abstract: Chemical reactions are accomplished at a surface of a substrate by supplying both a chemical reactant and energy by means of a cluster beam of a volatile material. Discrete units containing a volatile reactant are formed into clusters, ionized, accelerated to high energy, and impacted against the surface. The clusters disintegrate, and the reactant species reacts at the surface, under the influence of the energy transferred by the accelerated cluster. The clustered species may be the only reactant, as in a decomposition reaction, or additional reactants may be supplied from the surface or from other external sources, as in a film deposition, etching reaction, or catalysis reaction.

Abstract: An interferometric alignment and position detector system for determining relative location of an object is provided. A composite diffraction grating is provided with the object. A laser can provide a collimated coherent light beam directed so as to impinge on the composite diffraction grating. A beam splitter can collect at least two pairs of diffracted light beams from the composite diffraction grating and can combine the pairs of diffracted light beams to provide interference fringe patterns. Apparatus is provided for detecting the interference fringe patterns to provide a measurement of the intensity distribution from which the relative location can be established.

Abstract: An ion beam microfabrication system is described which is capable of operating in either a flooded beam mode, in which a relatively high current beam is used to yield a rapid throughput, or in a low current, high resolution focused ion beam mode. With a focused beam a small, relatively low current ion spot is deflected in a predetermined pattern over a portion of the wafer to produce more detailed patterning that is not achievable in the flooded beam mode. A lens is added to the beam column to modify the beam collimation between the focused and flooded modes, and switching between modes is accomplished by simply actuating or de-actuating the lens. The beam is formed with a larger acceptance angle and total current in the flooded than the focused mode.

Abstract: A substrate having a diffraction grating of a first periodicity formed thereon, a mask having a diffraction grating of a second periodicity formed thereon, the mask and substrate being positioned such that the respective mask and substrate gratings are generally parallel opposing one another on the mask and substrate, means for providing collimated coherent light directed so as to impinge on the mask and substrate gratings, and means for separately collecting, recombining, and detecting the intensity of at least a first given order of diffracted light beams as respectively diffracted by the mask and substrate gratings.

Abstract: A negative, high energy radiation resist based on styrene-allyl methacrylate copolymers and substitutional modifications thereof, yielding a linear copolymer with highly sensitive allyl pendant groups together with a thermally stable, solvent resistant backbone. This resist exhibits improved e-beam sensitivity without the attendant problems of swelling during development and flow during heat processing.