Abstract: A method comprising obtaining a desired storage criterion for each of a plurality of products, the desired storage criteria including at least one condition, the at least one condition including a product temperature range; based on the product temperature range setting for each product at least one alert temperature range; calculating a current temperature of each of the plurality of products located in a compartment at a current time; calculating future temperatures of each of the plurality of products at a plurality of future times based on the current temperatures and expected changes between the current time and the plurality of future times; and for each of the plurality of products raising an alert if the current or calculated future temperature exceeds the product temperature range for that product.

Abstract: A goods transportation system and method is described the method comprising obtaining information regarding each of a plurality of refrigerated units; obtaining information regarding each of a plurality of routes; calculating an efficiency metric for each of one or more potential assignments of one or more of the refrigerated units to the plurality of routes based on the information regarding each of the plurality of refrigerated units and the information regarding each of the plurality of routes; selecting one of the one or more potential assignments; and outputting the selected assignment.

Abstract: A multi-step process performed in a plasma sputter chamber including sputter deposition from the target and argon sputter etching of the substrate. The chamber includes a quadruple electromagnetic coil array coaxially arranged in a rectangular array about a chamber axis outside the sidewalls of a plasma sputter reactor in back of an RF coil within the chamber. The coil currents can be separately controlled to produce different magnetic field distributions, for example, between a sputter deposition mode in which the sputter target is powered to sputter target material onto a wafer and a sputter etch mode in which the RF coil supports the argon sputtering plasma. A TaN/Ta barrier is first sputter deposited with high target power and wafer bias. Argon etching is performed with even higher wafer bias. A flash step is applied with reduced target power and wafer bias.

Abstract: A quadruple electromagnetic coil array coaxially arranged in a rectangular array about a chamber axis outside the sidewalls of a plasma sputter reactor, preferably in back of an RF coil within the chamber. The coil currents can be separately controlled to produce different magnetic field distributions, for example, between a sputter deposition mode in which the sputter target is powered to sputter target material onto a wafer and a sputter etch mode in which the RF coil supports the gas sputtering the wafer. The coil array may include a tubular magnetic core, particularly useful for suppressing stray fields. A water cooling coil may be wrapped around the coil array to cool all the coils. The electromagnets can be powered in different relative polarities in a multi-step process.

Abstract: A plasma reactor includes a vacuum chamber having an interior and a pedestal within the chamber for supporting a semiconductor wafer to be processed. Gas distribution apparatus introduces a process gas into said chamber. Power is applied to the chamber by plural concentric coaxial waveguides outside of said chamber having an axis of propagation pointing toward the interior of said chamber and establishing corresponding annular zones of radiation within said chamber. The reactor further includes apparatus that can apply different levels of electromagnetic radiation power to different ones of the plural concentric coaxial waveguides.