Abstract: An appliance hub for use in an upper portion of an enclosure can include a substrate configured to be positioned in an upper portion of an enclosure. The appliance hub can include a climate control apparatus mounted on the substrate and the climate control apparatus can be configured to regulate a temperature within the enclosure. The appliance hub can include one or more lighting elements configured to provide light within the enclosure, a plurality of fluid lines connected to the substrate and configured to provide fluid service and return to the climate control apparatus, and/or a plurality of electrical connections connected to the substrate and configured to provide electrical power and/or data to at least one of the climate control apparatus and the one or more lighting elements.

Abstract: A cake icing system comprising a) a mould (100) comprising a mould wall (102) having a top end and a bottom end and a height defined therebetween, the mould wall having an inner surface (104) which defines the width and the length of the mould, the inner surface having a perimeter length, the mould wall having a support surface at the bottom end (106) of the mould, b) a base (200) with a width which is less than the width of the mould, a length which is less than the length of the mould, a top surface (202), a bottom surface (204), and a side surface (204) therebetween, wherein the height of the side surface (H2) is less than the height of the mould wall (H1) and the base is removable and insertable into the mould, c) a liner (300) having a thickness (T3), a height (H3) and a length (L3) greater than the perimeter length of the mould wall, wherein when the system is in use the base sits on the support surface of the mould, and the liner engaging the inner wall of the mould, such that that an icing composition

Abstract: An oscilloscope probe includes: a connector pod; a probe identification module disposed in the connector pod, the probe identification module having a cross-sectional area; and a resistor disposed in the connector pod, and in-line with the probe identification module and having a substantially identical cross-sectional area as the probe identification module.

Abstract: An oscilloscope probe includes: a connector pod; a probe identification module disposed in the connector pod, the probe identification module having a cross-sectional area; and a resistor disposed in the connector pod, and in-line with the probe identification module and having a substantially identical cross-sectional area as the probe identification module.

Abstract: A damper for a semiconductor metrology or inspection system includes a pair of parallel plates with a fluid with a variable viscosity retained between plates. At least one wire is disposed between the plates, which may include one or more sets of lands and grooves. In some implementations, both plates include intermeshed lands and grooves. A controller is configured to provide a current to the at least one wire in order to adjust an electromagnetic field or a current through the fluid. The fluid may be a magnetorheological fluid or an electrorheological fluid in which the viscosity of the fluid is variable based on the electromagnetic field or current through the fluid. The controller varies the current applied to the wire to adjust the viscosity of the fluid to alter the damping of the semiconductor metrology or inspection system based on movement of the stage.

Abstract: An elongated rectangular Rochon polarizer, e.g., having a height to width or depth ratio of at least 2.5, is securely held in a non-adhesive mounting assembly. The mounting assembly includes a plurality of compression elements that press the Rochon polarizer against corresponding reference points to properly align the Rochon polarizer within the mounting assembly. Moreover, air gaps between the Rochon polarizer and the sidewalls of the mounting assembly are provided to minimize thermal conduction between the mounting assembly and the Rochon polarizer and to provide thermal convection to cool the Rochon polarizer, thereby reducing risk of catastrophic delamination of the Rochon polarizer due to thermal effects.

Abstract: A damper for a semiconductor metrology or inspection system includes a pair of parallel plates with a fluid with a variable viscosity retained between plates. At least one wire is disposed between the plates, which may include one or more sets of lands and grooves. In some implementations, both plates include intermeshed lands and grooves. A controller is configured to provide a current to the at least one wire in order to adjust an electromagnetic field or a current through the fluid. The fluid may be a magnetorheological fluid or an electrorheological fluid in which the viscosity of the fluid is variable based on the electromagnetic field or current through the fluid. The controller varies the current applied to the wire to adjust the viscosity of the fluid to alter the damping of the semiconductor metrology or inspection system based on movement of the stage.

Abstract: A load port for loading wafers to and unloading wafers from a front opening unified pod (FOUP) includes a shield member that covers and provides a seal over an opening of the FOUP. The shield member includes a narrow wafer slot that is sized to allow a single wafer to be loaded to or unloaded from the FOUP but otherwise minimize loss of the purge environment within the FOUP. The shield member is movable so that the wafer slot may be moved vertically to provide a wafer transfer robot access to any desired wafer position within the FOUP. The shield member, for example, may be a flexible sheet that is held taut and is rolled onto and off of at least one roller to vertically position the wafer slot. The shield member may alternatively be one or more rigid members that slide on rails to vertically position the wafer slot.

Abstract: An oscilloscope probe includes: a connector pod; a probe identification module disposed in the connector pod, the probe identification module having a cross-sectional area; and a resistor disposed in the connector pod, and in-line with the probe identification module and having a substantially identical cross-sectional area as the probe identification module.

Abstract: A load port for loading wafers to and unloading wafers from a front opening unified pod (FOUP) includes a shield member that covers and provides a seal over an opening of the FOUP. The shield member includes a narrow wafer slot that is sized to allow a single wafer to be loaded to or unloaded from the FOUP but otherwise minimize loss of the purge environment within the FOUP. The shield member is movable so that the wafer slot may be moved vertically to provide a wafer transfer robot access to any desired wafer position within the FOUP. The shield member, for example, may be a flexible sheet that is held taut and is rolled onto and off of at least one roller to vertically position the wafer slot. The shield member may alternatively be one or more rigid members that slide on rails to vertically position the wafer slot.

Abstract: A purge system includes a purge gas distribution manifold that includes at least one port through which light beam from an optical metrology or inspection head is transmitted. The purge gas distribution manifold includes a bottom surface having one or more apertures through which purge gas is expelled. The bottom surface is held in close proximity to the top surface of the substrate and the apertures may be distributed over the bottom surface of the purge gas distribution manifold so that purge gas is uniformly distributed over the entirety of the top surface of the substrate at all measurement positions of the substrate with respect to the optical metrology or inspection head.

Abstract: A purge system includes a purge gas distribution manifold that includes at least one port through which light beam from an optical metrology or inspection head is transmitted. The purge gas distribution manifold includes a bottom surface having one or more apertures through which purge gas is expelled. The bottom surface is held in close proximity to the top surface of the substrate and the apertures may be distributed over the bottom surface of the purge gas distribution manifold so that purge gas is uniformly distributed over the entirety of the top surface of the substrate at all measurement positions of the substrate with respect to the optical metrology or inspection head.

Abstract: A purge system includes a purge gas distribution manifold that includes at least one port through which light beam from an optical metrology or inspection head is transmitted. The purge gas distribution manifold includes a bottom surface having one or more apertures through which purge gas is expelled. The bottom surface is held in close proximity to the top surface of the substrate and the apertures may be distributed over the bottom surface of the purge gas distribution manifold so that purge gas is uniformly distributed over the entirety of the top surface of the substrate at all measurement positions of the substrate with respect to the optical metrology or inspection head.

Abstract: A container for carrying contents therein and having a handle, and an article of commerce or blank for forming the container, is disclosed herein.

Abstract: An elongated rectangular Rochon polarizer, e.g., having a height to width or depth ratio of at least 2.5, is securely held in a non-adhesive mounting assembly. The mounting assembly includes a plurality of compression elements that press the Rochon polarizer against corresponding reference points to properly align the Rochon polarizer within the mounting assembly. Moreover, air gaps between the Rochon polarizer and the sidewalls of the mounting assembly are provided to minimize thermal conduction between the mounting assembly and the Rochon polarizer and to provide thermal convection to cool the Rochon polarizer, thereby reducing risk of catastrophic delamination of the Rochon polarizer due to thermal effects.

Abstract: A system for substrate tilt and focus control in an inspection system includes a dynamically actuatable substrate stage assembly including a substrate stage for securing a substrate; a tilt-height detection system including: a height detection sub-system and a tilt detection sub-system. The system further includes a first actuator configured to selectably actuate the substrate along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate at a location of the substrate stage assembly; and an additional actuator configured to selectably actuate the substrate along a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate at an additional location of the substrate stage assembly; and a MIMO tilt-focus controller communicatively coupled to the height detection sub-system, the tilt detection sub-system, the first actuator and the additional actuator.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for providing passive correction for thermal effects on a mounted mechanical component. Further disclosed is a wafer inspection system employing the passive thermal effect correction apparatus.

Abstract: A tool for investigating a substrate, where the tool has a tool head for investigating the substrate, a chuck for disposing an upper surface of the substrate in proximity to the tool head, and an air bearing disposed on the tool head adjacent the substrate. The air bearing has a pressure source and a vacuum source, where the vacuum source draws the substrate toward the air bearing and the pressure source prevents the substrate from physically contacting the air bearing. The pressure source and the vacuum source work in cooperation to dispose the upper surface of the substrate at a known distance from the tool head. By using the air bearing as part of the tool in this manner, registration of the substrate to the tool head is accomplished relative to the upper surface of the substrate, not the back side of the substrate.

Abstract: An automated service discovery and monitoring utility employs automatically generated policies (rules) for monitoring network health of a service based on network discovery using flow data derived from transmissions sent over segments between computing components defining the service. An interactive discovery application employs flow data based on transmissions associated with a service. Analysis of the flow data identifies associated components from inspection of the transmissions. Iterative component selection allows network traversal of components based on flow data of the segments used for providing the service.

Abstract: A circuit for detection of an HDMI source device to an HDMI sink device through an HDMI sink connector without regard for the activity state of the HDMI source device has a pull-up resistor connecting a DC power source to the DDC/CEC ground node. The node is readable as a binary signal to indicate the presence of a source device to the HDMI sink connector, where the node exhibits a logic low signal when either the node is grounded by the DDC/CEC GROUND pin connection to a source device or when a switching device is switched on. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.