Abstract: Multi-well plates having contoured well designs allow multi-stage high throughput parallel assaying of ion channels or ion transporters. A well of a multi-well plate has a bottom region that is sized and shaped to simultaneous accommodate a sensing electrode and a pipette for delivering, e.g., test compounds, wash fluid, and optionally ligands. Such multi-well plates may be coupled with an instrument having a pipette head and an electrode plate. Such arrangement facilitates fluidic contact between cells and fluids provided via a pipette. It also facilitates washing of wells with buffers or other wash solutions to allow serial exposure of test cells to various reagents or other stimuli. Generally, the design allows control and test experiments to be performed on the same cell (or cells) in a single well.

Abstract: Multi-well plates having contoured well designs allow multi-stage high throughput parallel assaying of ion channels or ion transporters. A well of a multi-well plate has a bottom region that is sized and shaped to simultaneous accommodate a sensing electrode and a pipette for delivering, e.g., test compounds, wash fluid, and optionally ligands. Such multi-well plates may be coupled with an instrument having a pipette head and an electrode plate. Such arrangement facilitates fluidic contact between cells and fluids provided via a pipette. It also facilitates washing of wells with buffers or other wash solutions to allow serial exposure of test cells to various reagents or other stimuli. Generally, the design allows control and test experiments to be performed on the same cell (or cells) in a single well.

Abstract: Multi-well plates having contoured well designs allow multi-stage high throughput parallel assaying of ion channels or ion transporters. A well of a multi-well plate has a bottom region that is sized and shaped to simultaneous accommodate a sensing electrode and a pipette for delivering, e.g., test compounds, wash fluid, and optionally ligands. Such multi-well plates may be coupled with an instrument having a pipette head and an electrode plate. Such arrangement facilitates fluidic contact between cells and fluids provided via a pipette. It also facilitates washing of wells with buffers or other wash solutions to allow serial exposure of test cells to various reagents or other stimuli. Generally, the design allows control and test experiments to be performed on the same cell (or cells) in a single well.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor component includes providing a semiconductor substrate (150) with a photoresist layer and providing a reflective lithographic mask (120, 200) having a radiation-absorptive composite layer (270) in a pattern over a radiation-reflective composite layer (220). A radiation sensitive layer is disposed over the semiconductor substrate, and an extreme ultra-violet light (110, 130) reflects a pattern off of the mask and onto the photoresist layer.

Abstract: A method for producing a carbon film on a substrate, comprising the steps of (a) depositing a carbon layer of a predetermined thickness onto the substrate, e.g. using off-axis sputtering, the carbon layer having predominantly graphitic or amorphous structure, and (b) treating the carbon layer by means of an radio-frequency discharge in a helium atmosphere wherein the substrate is held at a negative dc bias voltage of a preselected value, where the thickness of the carbon layer deposited in step a) is chosen not greater than the longitudinal stop range of the helium ions corresponding to the bias voltage used in step b). After producing a first carbon layer of a predetermined thickness, a next carbon layer is likewise produced upon the first carbon layer and the procedure can be repeated until the total thickness of the layers attains a desired final thickness.

Abstract: A method for depositing carbon films on membranes used in masks for X-ray or corpuscular projection, e.g. electron or ion beam, lithography is proposed in which sputtering is used and the membranes serving as sputter substrates are positioned in the off-axis configuration relative to the sputter targets. The carbon films thus produced have a compressive stress of the order of 10 MPa or below. For modifying the properties of carbon films after deposition, e.g. the deactivation of chemically reactive sites or stabilization of stress, ion bombardment with helium ions can be employed. This method anticipates changes in the film due to initial irradiation and serves to reach a plateau in which the stress varies only a little, i.e. within about 1 MPa or less.

Abstract: A sensor circuit includes a measurement signal generator which includes a sensing element having an impedance which varies in response to changes in a sensed parameter. The sensor circuit also includes a reference signal generator, a comparator and a variable impedance connected in circuit with the measurement signal generator for loading the measurement signal generator. The comparator produces a control signal for activating a control system when the measurement signal has a predetermined relationship to the reference signal. The variable impedance renders the sensor circuit fail-safe. An abnormal (failure) operating condition of the sensor element which would cause the measurement signal to have the predetermined relationship to the reference signal, instead causes the variable impedance to load the measurement signal generator to force it to generate an override measurement signal.