Abstract: A fluid handling system that includes a liquid confinement structure configured to confine immersion liquid to a space between at least a part of the liquid confinement structure and a surface of a substrate. The fluid handling system also includes a mechanism configured to vibrate a vibration component in contact with the immersion liquid.

Abstract: A method of making a semiconductor structure includes forming a plurality of gate electrodes over a plurality of active regions. The method further includes increasing a width of a portion of each of the plurality of gate electrodes between adjacent active regions of the plurality of active regions, wherein increasing the width of the portion of each of the plurality of gate electrodes comprises increasing the width of less than an entirety of each of the plurality of gate electrodes between the adjacent active regions. The method further includes removing a central region of each of the plurality of gate electrodes, wherein the central region has the increased width, and removing the central region comprises removing less than an entirety of the portion of each of the plurality of gate electrodes.

Abstract: A method includes forming a dummy gate stack over a fin protruding from a semiconductor substrate, forming gate spacers on sidewalls of the dummy gate stack, forming source/features over portions of the fin, forming a gate trench between the gate spacers, which includes trimming top portions of the gate spacers to form a funnel-like opening in the gate trench, and forming a metal gate structure in the gate trench. A semiconductor structure includes a fin protruding from a substrate, a metal gate structure disposed over the fin, gate spacers disposed on sidewalls of the metal gate structure, where a top surface of each gate spacer is angled toward the semiconductor fin, a dielectric layer disposed over the top surface of each gate spacer, and a conductive feature disposed between the gate spacers to contact the metal gate structure, where sidewalls of the conductive feature contact the dielectric layer.

Abstract: The current invention is in the field of molecular biology/pharmacology and provides methods of using a pharmaceutical composition of 5-(2?,4?-difluorophenyl)-salicylanilide derivatives and their ring-fused analogs for preventing, inhibiting, reducing, or treating chronic kidney disease, conditions leading to or arising from it, and/or negative effects of each thereof.

Abstract: A method includes forming a dummy gate stack over a fin protruding from a semiconductor substrate, forming gate spacers on sidewalls of the dummy gate stack, forming source/features over portions of the fin, forming a gate trench between the gate spacers, which includes trimming top portions of the gate spacers to form a funnel-like opening in the gate trench, and forming a metal gate structure in the gate trench. A semiconductor structure includes a fin protruding from a substrate, a metal gate structure disposed over the fin, gate spacers disposed on sidewalls of the metal gate structure, where a top surface of each gate spacer is angled toward the semiconductor fin, a dielectric layer disposed over the top surface of each gate spacer, and a conductive feature disposed between the gate spacers to contact the metal gate structure, where sidewalls of the conductive feature contact the dielectric layer.

Abstract: A method for positioning a substage (9), supported by a main stage (5), relative to a reference object, the substage moveable in a direction (7) between a first and second position relative to the main stage. The method includes positioning the first stage using a passive force system that is activated by positioning the main stage. The passive force system includes two magnet systems (119, 121), each magnet system being configured to apply a force in the direction to the first stage with respect to the second stage in a non-contact manner, the forces resulting in a resultant force applied to the first stage in the direction by the passive force system. A magnitude and/or a direction of the resultant force depends on the position of the first stage relative to the second stage, and the first stage has a zero-force position between the first and second position in which the resultant force is zero.

Abstract: An object stage bearing system can include an object stage, a hollow shaft coupled to the object stage, and an in-vacuum gas bearing assembly coupled to the hollow shaft and the object stage. The in-vacuum gas bearing assembly can include a gas bearing, a scavenging groove, and a vacuum groove. The gas bearing is disposed along an inner wall of the in-vacuum gas bearing assembly and along an external wall of the hollow shaft. The scavenging groove is disposed along the inner wall such that the scavenging groove is isolated from the gas bearing. The vacuum groove is disposed along the inner wall such that the vacuum groove is isolated from the scavenging groove and the gas bearing.

Abstract: The semiconductor structure includes first and second active regions arranged in a first grid oriented in a first direction. The semiconductor structure further includes gate electrodes arranged spaced apart in a second grid and on corresponding ones of the active regions, the second grid being oriented in a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second active regions are separated, relative to the second direction, by a gap. Each gate electrode includes a first segment and a gate extension. Each gate extension extends, relative to the second direction, beyond the corresponding active region and into the gap by a height HEXT, where HEXT?150 nanometers (nm). Each gate extension, relative to a plane defined by the first and second directions, is substantially rectangular.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a homogeneous anion exchange membrane produced by subjecting a hydrophilic monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group to free radical polymerization with a quaternary ammonium salt having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a crosslinking agent, and a photoinitiator. A molar ratio of the hydrophilic monomer to the quaternary ammonium salt is in a range from 1:0.1 to 1:0.7. A biosensing membrane prepared from the homogeneous anion exchange membrane is also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a channel component of a transistor and a gate component disposed over the channel component. The gate component includes: a dielectric layer, a first work function metal layer disposed over the dielectric layer, a fill-metal layer disposed over the first work function metal layer, and a second work function metal layer disposed over the fill-metal layer.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck is provided, the electrostatic chuck includes a base; and an insulating layer, an electrode layer, a first dielectric layer, and a second dielectric layer sequentially stacked on the base. The first dielectric layer is aluminum oxide (Al2O3) or aluminum nitride (AlN). A material of the second dielectric layer is different from a material of the first dielectric layer, and the second dielectric layer includes titanium element, IVA group element, and oxygen element.

Abstract: This application provides a linear stapler with an adjusting mechanism having wider adjusting scope and more suitable pressing force and being more convenient to operate, and including an adjusting shift lever with at least one step surface on each of upper and lower ends, an adjusting slider with multiple step surfaces on an end surface close to the adjusting shift lever, and an adjusting chassis having multiple step surfaces on an end surface close to the adjusting shift lever. The adjusting shift lever rotates with a shifted adjusting knob to generate relative displacement vertical to the step surface with the adjusting slider at one end and relative displacement vertical to the step surface with the adjusting chassis at the other end, and drive a nail abutting seat subassembly to rotate relatively to a nail bin seat, until the thickness of clamped tissue is consistent in near and far ends.

Abstract: A video processing method is provided. The method includes extracting at least two adjacent video frame images from a frame image sequence corresponding to a video, positioning a text region of each video frame image in the at least two adjacent video frame images, determining a degree of similarity between text regions of each video frame image in the at least two adjacent video frame images, determining, based on the degree of similarity, a key video frame segment comprising a same text in the video, and determining a text key frame in the video based on the key video frame segment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for quantitative measurement of catechol estrogen bound protein in blood sample. By detecting adduction levels of binding sites of the catechol estrogen on the protein in blood sample, the catechol estrogen bound protein in the blood sample can be detected quantitatively and a limit of quantitation can be decreased.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a passivation layer on the substrate, a post-passivation interconnect (PPI) structure on the passivation layer, and a polymer layer covering the PPI structure and the passivation layer. The PPI structure includes a step structure disposed on the passivation layer and around a lower edge of the PPI structure.

Abstract: The invention discloses a low-viscosity hydroxyl-terminated resin with diisocyanate as a core, and a preparation method therefor and the use thereof. During preparation, 1 mole of a micromolecular polyol is first modified with 1-3 moles of a monoepoxide so as to obtain a modified polyol; and then 2 moles of the modified polyol is reacted with 1-3 moles of a diisocyanate so as to obtain the hydroxyl-terminated resin. The prepared hydroxyl-terminated resin has the advantages of simple synthesis process, high solid content and low viscosity; the hydroxyl value thereof (at 80% solid mass content) is 140-300 mg KOH/g and the viscosity thereof at 25° C. (at 80% solid mass content) is 300-3000 cp.

Abstract: Systems and methods can enable the control the motion of an animated character based on imagery (e.g., captured by an image capture device such as a web camera or “webcam”) which shows a person in motion. Specifically, the animated character can be automatically rendered to have the same motion as the entity shown in the imagery (e.g., in real time). According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the animated character can be rendered by iteratively transforming (e.g., including deforming the actual geometry of) a vector-based surface illustration. Specifically, the systems and methods present disclosure can leverage the scalable and transformable nature of a vector-based surface illustration to provide more realistic motion-controlled animation, in which the underlying geometry of the animated character is able to be adjusted to imitate human motion more realistically (e.g., as opposed to basic rotations of fixed character geometry).

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a channel component of a transistor and a gate component disposed over the channel component. The gate component includes: a dielectric layer, a first work function metal layer disposed over the dielectric layer, a fill-metal layer disposed over the first work function metal layer, and a second work function metal layer disposed over the fill-metal layer.

Abstract: A bicycle hub structure has a hub seat, an interlocking ring, a chainring seat, a shaft sleeve and a one-way bearing. The assembling space of the hub seat is installed with the interlocking ring by screw locking, and the chamber of the chainring seat is also screwed with the shaft sleeve. In particular, the inner surface of the interlocking ring and the control section of the shaft sleeve have been treated with special surface treatments to strengthen the hardness, which not only retaining the lightweight effect of the hub seat and the chainring seat and locally increasing the strength and hardness of the structure to avoid being scratched and worn by the one-way bearing. As result, a more stable transmission state is achieved and the durability of the structure is improved.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for charging devices at a property using battery-charging drones. In some implementations, a monitoring system is configured to monitor a property and includes a battery-powered sensor configured to generate sensor data. The system includes a drone that is configured to navigate the property and charge the battery-powered sensor. A monitor control unit is configured to obtain a battery level from the battery-powered sensor and compare the battery level to a battery level threshold. Based on the comparison, the monitor control unit determines that the battery level does not satisfy the threshold. Based on the determination, the monitor control unit generates and transmits an instruction to a drone for the drone to navigate to the battery-powered sensor and charge a battery of the battery-powered sensor. The monitor control unit receives data from the drone that indicates whether the drone charged the battery of the sensor.