Abstract: An actuating arrangement for a Bowden cable, in particular in a vehicle, includes a bracket which can be fastened to a wall and a lever arrangement which is pivotally fastened to the bracket and includes a lever member and a cable coupling for one end of the Bowden cable. To provide improved installation conditions and a concealed arrangement of the Bowden cable, the lever member and the cable connector are separate parts which can be connected to each other in a rotationally fixed relation after the assembly consisting of the bracket and cable coupling has been fastened to the wall.

Abstract: The invention relates to calibration standards which are used chiefly for the calibration of profilometers and in atomic force- and scanning probe microscopes. The calibration standard has one step of defined height H or a multi-step system formed of several steps of the same step-height H and consisting of exactly one material. The manufacturing procedure for the calibration standard requires only a single masking layer for each of the different versions in the form of a one-step standard or a multi-step system.

Abstract: Membrane masks for electron-beam lithography are described which have a high mechanical stability and low membrane thickness, are free of stress and the submicron structures of which are easy to produce using reactive ion etching methods without rounding effects.In the case of a membrane mask for structuring surface areas with the aid of electron or corpuscular beams, a layer 1 of silicon nitride with going right through openings, which define the mask pattern, is deposited on one surface of a semiconductor wafer 2, which consists preferably of silicon. A tub-shaped recess 3 extends from the other surface of the semiconductor wafer 2 as far as the layer-carrying surface.A further mask for structuring surface areas with the aid of electron beams has at least one continuous layer 30 and a layer 31 defining the mask pattern.These two layers are deposited on the surface of a semiconductor wafer 32 with a tub-shaped recess 33.

Abstract: The invention relates to a manufacturing method for a membrane mask suitable for particle beams with mask fields, which are bounded by thin support walls.The deep plasma etching for the formation of the support walls is halted shortly before reaching the membrane and the last .mu.m before the membrane removed by wet-chemical etching. A high etch selectivity can be achieved using an alkaline etching solution.The support walls 1 are turned by 45.degree. to the (110) direction or oriented parallel to the (100) plane, so that the structures restricted by (111) planes are avoided.

Abstract: Disclosed is a reproducible process for making an SiO.sub.2 layer by thermal oxidation which assures an extremely uniform thickness of the SiO.sub.2 layer of approximately 1%. The process of the invention comprises the steps growing an initial layer of SiO.sub.2 to a defined minimal thickness by dry oxidation and increasing the thickness of the initial layer by simultaneous wet and dry oxidation until the desired final thickness is reached.

Abstract: The supporting plate and the bulk removal, transport and storage fixture for small batch-fabricated devices (1) have openings (2) penetrating from the top side (3) to the bottom side (4) of the plate and raised retaining means (5) on the bottom side (4). The raised retaining means (5) are provided in sufficient number and are arranged according to the shape of the devices (1) for retaining the devices. Flange means (7) which are designed for providing vacuum or agents to the devices (1) on the supporting plate are connected to the supporting plate thus forming a fixture. By changing the arrangement of the raised retaining means (5) and/or the openings (2) the supporting plate and the fixture may easily be adapted to different sizes and kinds of devices.

Abstract: Adjacent shaped grooves are placed in single crystal structure with great accuracy and known dimensions by a combination of anisotropic and isotropic etching to produce a scanning probe microscope calibration standard with fine V-shaped grooves forming a prismatically shaped ridge or blade between them. A probe microscope to be calibrated is used to profile the tip of the ridge in a number of places along the length of the ridge. With knowledge of the sidewall angles and tip radius of the calibration standard both the flat tip dimensions of a probe with a flared tip and the tip radius of a probe with a conical tip can be calculated from the profile they produce.

Abstract: In the course of the process for making masks with structures in the submicrometer range, initially structures of photoresist or polymer material with horizontal and substantially vertical sidewalls are produced on a silicon substrate covered with an oxide layer. This is followed by a layer of silicon nitride which is deposited by LPCVD. The resultant structure is planarized with a photoresist which is etched back until the start of the vertical edges of the sidewall coating formed by the nitride layer is bared on the photoresist structures. In a photolithographic step, a trimming mask is produced on the surface of the nitride layer and the planarizing resist. The bared regions of the nitride layer are then removed by isotropic etching. The dimensions A-B of the openings defined after removal of the nitride layer from the vertical surfaces of the photoresist structures are transferred to the oxide layer by anisotropic etching.

Abstract: To remove small particles from surfaces of solid bodies at least one laser pulse of high power density (excimer laser) is directed onto the surface. The method is particularly suited to clean Si-masks used in electron-beam lithographic devices. An arrangement for in-situ-cleaning of masks in accordance to this method is integrated in such an electron-beam lithographic device.