Abstract: A welded nanotube fiber and a method of forming such a fiber is disclosed. The method comprises applying a voltage or current signal to a nanotube bundle, either in an evacuated chamber or in a chamber in which additional process gasses are introduced. The fiber comprises a plurality of substantively parallel nanotubes, in which a plurality of the subtantially parallel nanotubes has been covalently bonded to other nanotubes in the fiber by welding.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the amount of conditioning required to be applied to a polishing pad to achieve a desired removal rate during the polishing of a semiconductor wafer utilizes a rotating conditioning wheel in contact with a rotating polishing pad. Preselected points on just polished wafers are measured for removal rate and such measurements are used to calculate the removal rate as a function of wafer radius. When the removal rate changes by a preselected amount, the polishing pad is conditioned in accordance with the calculations.