Abstract: A vacuum wafer chuck with solid diamond pins. The VCSEL device may comprise a plurality of layers forming a protective diode outside of the lithographic aperture area, wherein the surface area of the protective diode is larger than the surface area of said lithographic aperture.

Abstract: A reaction-bonded silicon carbide (SiC) body is produced by: providing a preform including ceramic elements and carbon, and one or more surface features; providing a powder which includes diamond particles and carbon; locating the powder in the surface feature(s); and infiltrating the preform and the powder with molten silicon (Si) to form reaction-bonded SiC in the preform, and to form reaction-bonded SiC coatings on the diamond particles. The present disclosure also relates to a device/component which includes: a main body portion and discrete elements located at least partially within the main body portion. The main body portion may include reaction-bonded SiC and Si, but not diamond, while the discrete elements include diamond particles, reaction-bonded SiC coatings surrounding the diamond particles, and Si. According to the present disclosure, diamond may be advantageously located only where it is needed.

Abstract: A mirror device includes a multi-phase substrate and a single-phase layer. The multi-phase layer is formed of reaction-bonded silicon-carbide (RB-SiC, or Si/SiC) material. The single-phase layer is formed of elemental silicon. The single-phase layer is formed in-situ, that is, contemporaneously with, the formation of RB-SiC material. The single-phase layer is integrally bonded, as one piece, to silicon of the multi-phase substrate. Methods of making a multi-layer device, such as a mirror device, are also described. One such method includes providing a porous mass of silicon carbide and carbon, causing molten elemental silicon to infiltrate the porous mass to form RB-SiC material, simultaneously causing the silicon to flow into a cavity to form a single-phase layer of polishable silicon, integrally bonding silicon in the cavity to the RB-SiC material, and, if desired, polishing a surface of the single-phase layer.

Abstract: A method of making a ceramic device with a controlled roughness includes using a defocused laser beam to roughen a surface of a ceramic substrate, and removing one or more portions of the roughened surface without removing all of the roughened surface. If desired, the ceramic device may include reaction-bonded silicon carbide, and an opening may be formed in the device so that the device can be used to apply a clamping suction to a wafer surface. A ceramic surface with a controlled roughness is also disclosed. The defocused laser beam may be used to make the surface rough enough to prevent it from sticking to a mating element, and to have adequate wear resistance, but not so rough as to prevent the formation of sufficient suction to clamp the surface to a mating element.

Abstract: A reaction-bonded silicon carbide (SiC) body is produced by: providing a preform including ceramic elements and carbon, and one or more surface features; providing a powder which includes diamond particles and carbon; locating the powder in the surface feature(s); and infiltrating the preform and the powder with molten silicon (Si) to form reaction-bonded SiC in the preform, and to form reaction-bonded SiC coatings on the diamond particles. The present disclosure also relates to a device/component which includes: a main body portion and discrete elements located at least partially within the main body portion. The main body portion may include reaction-bonded SiC and Si, but not diamond, while the discrete elements include diamond particles, reaction-bonded SiC coatings surrounding the diamond particles, and Si. According to the present disclosure, diamond may be advantageously located only where it is needed.

Abstract: A reaction-bonded silicon carbide (SiC) body is produced by: providing a preform including ceramic elements and carbon, and one or more surface features; providing a powder which includes diamond particles and carbon; locating the powder in the surface feature(s); and infiltrating the preform and the powder with molten silicon (Si) to form reaction-bonded SiC in the preform, and to form reaction-bonded SiC coatings on the diamond particles. The present disclosure also relates to a device/component which includes: a main body portion and discrete elements located at least partially within the main body portion. The main body portion may include reaction-bonded SiC and Si, but not diamond, while the discrete elements include diamond particles, reaction-bonded SiC coatings surrounding the diamond particles, and Si. According to the present disclosure, diamond may be advantageously located only where it is needed.

Abstract: A reaction-bonded silicon carbide (SiC) body is produced by: providing a preform including ceramic elements and carbon, and one or more surface features; providing a powder which includes diamond particles and carbon; locating the powder in the surface feature(s); and infiltrating the preform and the powder with molten silicon (Si) to form reaction-bonded SiC in the preform, and to form reaction-bonded SiC coatings on the diamond particles. The present disclosure also relates to a device/component which includes: a main body portion and discrete elements located at least partially within the main body portion. The main body portion may include reaction-bonded SiC and Si, but not diamond, while the discrete elements include diamond particles, reaction-bonded SiC coatings surrounding the diamond particles, and Si. According to the present disclosure, diamond may be advantageously located only where it is needed.