Abstract: Advertisement quality measures (e.g., predicted click through rates) are modified in accordance with a user's preferences with respect to domains to which the advertisements relate.

Abstract: A bid for a content slot from a content provider is received. The bid includes a revenue-sharing bid. It is determined that the bid is a winning bid and content is presented from the content provider in the content slot. Presentation details are logged that include a time when the content was presented. At a later time, an indication is received of an action, the indication including an indication that the action is responsive to the content having been presented previously. Based on the action, the content provider is charged an appropriate amount based on the revenue sharing bid.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, for providing content, comprising: identifying a social action that includes a preference designation for an object; determining a location of an individual user associated with the social action or a location associated with the object that is the subject of the preference designation; attributing the preference designation to both the location and to the individual user, where the attributed preference designation can be used to target further content to either the individual user or other users; and receiving a request for content that is related to the location and providing, responsive to the request, one or more content items based on the attributed preference designations.

Abstract: Advertisement quality measures (e.g., predicted click through rates) are modified in accordance with a user's preferences with respect to domains to which the advertisements relate.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining influence in a social community. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a user in a community; determining an influence score to be associated with the user in the community for a particular topic, including: determining a reach of one or more communications that relate to the particular topic that have been distributed from the user to other users in the community, and evaluating the reach as compared to the reach of one or more communications distributed from other users in the community for the particular topic; and storing the influence score in association with the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, for providing content, comprising: identifying a social action that includes a preference designation for an object; determining a location of an individual user associated with the social action or a location associated with the object that is the subject of the preference designation; attributing the preference designation to both the location and to the individual user, where the attributed preference designation can be used to target further content to either the individual user or other users; and receiving a request for content that is related to the location and providing, responsive to the request, one or more content items based on the attributed preference designations.

Abstract: A bid for a content slot from a content provider is received. The bid includes a revenue-sharing bid. It is determined that the bid is a winning bid and content is presented from the content provider in the content slot. Presentation details are logged that include a time when the content was presented. At a later time, an indication is received of an action, the indication including an indication that the action is responsive to the content having been presented previously. Based on the action, the content provider is charged an appropriate amount based on the revenue sharing bid.

Abstract: In general, first bids associated with an ad request are identified, where the first bids have an auction value that is set at a bidding time. Second bids associated with the ad request are identified, where the second bids have an auction value that is unknown at the bidding time. One or more predicted auction values for the second bids are determined, and an auction is run to identify one or more winning bids from the first and second bids for satisfying the ad request.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of forming a shallow trench, involving the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a barrier oxide layer over at the semiconductor substrate and a nitride layer over the barrier oxide layer; depositing an ultra-thin photoresist over the nitride layer, the ultra-thin photoresist having a thickness of about 2,000 Å or less; patterning the ultra-thin photoresist to expose a portion of the nitride layer and to define a pattern for the shallow trench; etching the exposed portion of the nitride layer with an etchant having a nitride:photoresist selectivity of at least about 10:1 to expose a portion of the barrier oxide layer; etching the exposed portion of the barrier oxide layer to expose a portion of the semiconductor substrate; and etching the exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate to provide the shallow trench.

Abstract: A method of forming a conductor pattern on a base with uneven topography includes placing conductor material on the base, placing a hard mask material on the conductor material, planarizing an exposed surface of the hard mask material, and placing a layer of resist on the hard mask material. The resist is patterned and the patterned resist is used in selectively etching the hard mask material, with the hard mask material used in selectively etching the underlying conductor material. By planarizing the hard mask material prior to placing a layer of resist thereupon, uniformity of the resist coating is enhanced and depth of focus problems in exposing the resist are reduced.

Abstract: A removable pellicle for a lithographic mask that provides active and robust particle protection, and which utilizes a traditional pellicle and two deployments of thermophoretic protection to keep particles off the mask. The removable pellicle is removably attached via a retaining structure to the mask substrate by magnetic attraction with either contacting or non-contacting magnetic capture mechanisms. The pellicle retaining structural is composed of an anchor piece secured to the mask substrate and a frame member containing a pellicle. The anchor piece and the frame member are in removable contact or non-contact by the magnetic capture or latching mechanism. In one embodiment, the frame member is retained in a floating (non-contact) relation to the anchor piece by magnetic levitation. The frame member and the anchor piece are provided with thermophoretic fins which are interdigitated to prevent particles from reaching the patterned area of the mask.

Abstract: A method of forming a via structure is provided. In the method, a dielectric layer is formed on an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer covering a first metal layer; and a transition metal layer is formed on the dielectric layer. An ultra-thin photoresist layer is formed on the transition metal layer, and the ultra-thin photoresist layer is patterned with short wavelength radiation to define a pattern for a via. The patterned ultra-thin photoresist layer is used as a mask during a first etch step to transfer the via pattern to the transition metal layer. The first etch step includes an etch chemistry that is selective to the transition metal layer over the ultra-thin photoresist layer and the dielectric layer. The transition metal layer is employed as a hard mask during a second etch step to form a contact hole corresponding to the via pattern by etching portions of the dielectric layer.

Abstract: A method of identifying a change in focus and a change in illumination from a best focus and a best dose at a region on a substrate corresponding to a point in the image field of a lithographic printing tool is disclosed. The method includes forming a feature having a first pitch and a feature having a second pitch at the region on the substrate, and identifying a linewidth of the features. The identified linewidths are then used to determine the change in focus from the best focus and the change in dose from the best dose which would produce both the first pitch feature and the second pitch feature at the region.

Abstract: A structure (300) for determining an amount of line edge roughness (LER) on a patterned feature (310) includes a plurality of source regions (304) and drain regions (306) formed in a semiconductor substrate (303), with each of the source and drain regions (304, 306) having a channel (320) therebetween. The source regions (304) are electrically isolated from each other and the drain regions (306) are electrically isolated from each other, respectively. The patterned feature of interest (310) is formed over a gate oxide, extends over the channels (320) in a direction which is transverse to the source regions (304) and the drain regions (306), and forms a common gate (310) for a plurality of transistors (302a-302n) formed with the plurality of source regions (304) and drain regions (306).

Abstract: There is provided a method for applying a lower viscosity coating liquid onto a semiconductor wafer substrate so as to prevent adhesion loss and to maintain low defect level characteristics. This is achieved by priming the substrate with a bonding agent at a temperature in the range of 18° C. to 50° C. for a short amount of time. This is performed prior to the application of a liquid solvent. As a result, there is overcome the problems of poor adhesion to the substrates and high defect levels in the coated UTR films.

Abstract: There is provided a method for enhancing the contrast between oxide film and ultra-thin resists in deep-ultraviolet lithography for use with a wafer defect inspection system in order to maximize defect inspection sensitivity. This is achieved by varying the thickness of the oxide film for a given ultra-thin resist thickness so as to produce a high contrast. As a result, defect inspection of the ultra-thin resist pattern is easily obtained. In a second embodiment, the ultra-thin resist thickness is varied for a given oxide film thickness. In a third embodiment, both the oxide film and the ultra-thin resist thicknesses are varied simultaneously so as to obtain an optimum contrast.

Abstract: A method of forming a shallow trench isolation is provided. In the method, a barrier oxide layer is formed on a substrate, and a silicon nitride layer is formed on the barrier oxide layer. A metal layer is formed on the silicon nitride layer, and an ultra-thin photoresist is formed on the metal layer. The ultra-thin photoresist layer is patterned with short wavelength radiation to define a pattern for a shallow trench. The ultra-thin photoresist layer is used as a mask during a first etch step to transfer the shallow trench pattern to the metal layer. The first etch step includes an etch chemistry that is selective to the metal layer over the ultra-thin photoresist layer. The metal layer is used as a hard mask during a second etch step to form the shallow trench by etching portions of the silicon nitride layer, barrier oxide layer and substrate.

Abstract: A method of forming a gate structure is provided. In the method, a nitride layer is formed on a gate material layer. An ultra-thin photoresist layer is formed on the nitride layer. The ultra-thin photoresist layer is patterned with short wavelength radiation to define a pattern for the gate. The ultra-thin photoresist layer is used as a mask during a first etch step to transfer the gate pattern to the nitride layer. The first etch step includes an etch chemistry that is selective to the nitride layer over the ultra-thin photoresist layer. The nitride layer is used as a hard mask during a second etch step to form the gate by transferring the gate pattern to the gate material layer via the second etch step.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of forming a metal line, involving the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a metal layer, an oxide layer over the metal layer, and a silicon oxynitride layer over the oxide layer; depositing an ultra-thin photoresist over the silicon oxynitride layer, the ultra-thin photoresist having a thickness less than about 2,000 Å; irradiating the ultra-thin photoresist with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of about 250 nm or less; developing the ultra-thin photoresist exposing a portion of the silicon oxynitride layer; etching the exposed portion of the silicon oxynitride layer exposing a portion of the oxide layer; etching the exposed portion of the oxide layer exposing a portion of the metal layer; and etching the exposed portion of the metal layer thereby forming the metal line.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of forming a shallow trench, involving the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a barrier oxide layer over at the semiconductor substrate and a nitride layer over the barrier oxide layer; depositing an ultra-thin photoresist over the nitride layer, the ultra-thin photoresist having a thickness of about 2,000 Å or less; patterning the ultra-thin photoresist to expose a portion of the nitride layer and to define a pattern for the shallow trench; etching the exposed portion of the nitride layer with an etchant having a nitride:photoresist selectivity of at least about 10:1 to expose a portion of the barrier oxide layer; etching the exposed portion of the barrier oxide layer to expose a portion of the semiconductor substrate; and etching the exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate to provide the shallow trench.