Abstract: A superior wear-resistant coating is provided for metallic magnetic recording layers, where the improved coating is a hard carbon layer that is strongly bound to the underlying metallic magnetic recording layer by an intermediate layer of silicon. The silicon layer can be very thin, with a minimum thickness of a few atomic layers, and provides strong adhesion between the hard carbon protective layer and the metallic magnetic recording layer. A preferred technique for depositing both the intermediate silicon layer and the hard carbon layer is plasma deposition, since both of these depositions can be performed in the same reactor without breaking vacuum.

Abstract: In a process for sintering a metal member bonded to a substrate during which the metal member undergoes densification at a temperature which is different from the curing temperature of the substrate, an improvement is provided which comprises causing the densification temperature of the metal member to be closer to or identical with the curing temperature of the substrate by adding to said metal member prior to sintering an amount of organometallic compound which undergoes decomposition before the densification temperature of the metal member has been reached to provide under the sintering conditions employed a densification temperature-modifying amount of a metal or metal oxide which can be the same as or different from the metal of the aforesaid metal member.The improved sintering process of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in the fabrication of multilayer ceramic substrates which serve as circuit modules for seminconductor chips.

Abstract: An integrated circuit structure made up of a monocrystalline substrate on which there is an epitaxial intermediate layer of GaAlAs or GaAlAs and Ge with the Ge adjacent to the substrate. The structure is equipped with a single or a combined device epitaxial layer involving GaAs and GaAlAs. The intermediate GaAlAs layer permits substrate, circuit and optical signal application flexibility.

Abstract: A method for the fabrication of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) metal-semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) is described. The method requires the step of providing a semi-insulating GaAs substrate having thereon a layer of n doped GaAs and another layer of n+ doped Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x As, the latter being used as a diffusion source for n dopants in selectively doping the n GaAs layer underneath. The fabrication method further includes the step of employing highly directional reactive ion etching on silicon nitride to build insulating side walls thereby to effect the self-alignment of the gate of the MESFET with respect to its source and drain. GaAs MESFET fabricated using this method has its source and drain in close proximity having its gate therebetween. Utilizing the disclosed method, conventional photolithographic techniques can be employed to produce submicron self-aligned GaAs MESFETs.

Abstract: The practice of this disclosure obtains a relatively high efficiency operation for a crystalline semiconductor solar cell containing various defects of the linear and planar types. Linear defects include screw dislocations as well as full and partial dislocations. Planar defects include twins, stacking faults, grain boundaries and surfaces. Such defects normally contain recombination centers at which electrons and holes generated in the semiconductor region recombine with loss to the external current of the charge carried thereby. Through application of the principles of this invention, especial dopant concentrations and conductivity regions are established in a finite region around the linear and planar defects so that electrons and holes which are generated in the semiconductor region by incident radiation are substantially collected for external current as consequence thereof.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for fabricating a thin elemental semiconductor, e.g., Si or Ge, film with columnar grains in a filamentary structure, by the use of an intermetallic compound incorporating the elemental semiconductor to form a nucleating layer for the growth of the semiconducting film. The semiconductor is grown from vapor phase by the technique of either vacuum evaporation or chemical vapor deposition, e.g., by decomposition of SiH.sub.4. The semiconductor e.g., Si, is initially deposited onto a thin film of a specific metal, e.g., Pt or Ni, on any inert substrate, e.g., SiO.sub.2 or Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, which is held at a temperature, e.g., 900.degree. C, above the eutectic point, i.e., 830.degree. C, of an intermetallic compound and the metallic film, and below the eutectic point, i.e., 979.degree. C, of another intermetallic compound and the semiconductor.

Abstract: The practice of this disclosure obtains a relatively high efficiency operation for a crystalline semiconductor solar cell containing various defects of the linear and planar types. Linear defects include screw dislocations as well as full and partial dislocations. Planar defects include twins, stacking faults, grain boundaries and surfaces. Such defects normally contain recombination centers at which electrons and holes generated in the semiconductor region recombine with loss to the external current of the charge carried thereby. Through application of the principles of this invention, especial dopant concentrations and conductivity regions are established in a finite region around the linear and planar defects so that electrons and holes which are generated in the semiconductor region by incident radiation are substantially collected for external current as consequence thereof.

Abstract: A first thin film of appropriate texture, lattice constant, and crystal structure, such as body centered cubic vanadium or chromium with (110) texture is deposited upon a rigid or flexible substrate forming a plurality of polycrystals. A ferrite such as magnetite (Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4) is sputtered from a target onto the first thin film forming a mixture of .gamma.Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 substantially completely without formation of Fe or other oxides of iron, providing good magnetic characteristics and resistance to corrosion. The substrate temperature can be maintained as low as 200.degree.C for both steps when sputtering or evaporation is employed.