Abstract: A film forming method is provided with a substrate placing step wherein a substrate is placed in a process chamber in an airtight status; a first film forming step wherein the process chamber is supplied with water vapor and a material gas including an organic compound of copper, and an adhered layer of copper is formed on the substrate; an exhaust step wherein the water vapor and the material gas in the process chamber are exhausted; and a second film forming step wherein the process chamber is resupplied with only the material gas and a copper film is further formed on the adhered layer.

Abstract: A strengthened semiconductor die substrate and package are disclosed. The substrate may include contact fingers formed with nonlinear edges. Providing a nonlinear contour to the contact finger edges reduces the mechanical stress exerted on the semiconductor die which would otherwise occur with straight edges to the contact fingers. The substrate may additionally or alternatively include plating traces extending at an angle from the contact fingers. Extending at an angle, at least the ends of the plating traces at the edge of the substrate are covered beneath a lid in which the semiconductor package is encased. Thus, when in use with a host device, contact between the ends of the plating traces beneath the lid and contact pins of the host device is avoided.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device which has through holes in an end face, in which a semiconductor element is fixedly mounted on a face of a substrate which has a wiring pattern, which is conductive to the wiring portion formed in the through hole, in at least one face, in which electrodes of the semiconductor element are electrically connected to the wiring pattern, and in which the face of the substrate which has the semiconductor element is coated with a resin, the through hole has a through hole land with a width of 0.02 mm or more, which is conductive to the wiring portion, in a substrate face, and the wiring portion and the through hole land are exposed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for making an aperture in a carrier and electrically connecting two opposite faces of the carrier. At first, a carrier is provided. Secondly, a heater is provided for heating a portion of the carrier in an environment rich in oxygen, thus making an aperture in the carrier and forming an isolative layer on the wall of the aperture synchronously. Finally, the aperture is filled with a conductive material.

Abstract: In order to provide an anticorrosive technique for metal wirings formed by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) method, a process for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to the invention comprises the steps of: forming a metal layer of Cu (or a Cu alloy containing Cu as a main component) over the major face of a wafer and then planarizing the metal layer by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) method to form metal wirings; anticorroding the planarized major face of the wafer to form a hydrophobic protective film over the surfaces of the metal wirings; immersing the anticorroded major face of the wafer or keeping the same in a wet state so that it may not become dry; and post-cleaning the major face, kept in the wet state, of the wafer.

Abstract: In sophisticated semiconductor devices, a contact structure may be formed on the basis of a void positioned between closely spaced transistor elements wherein disadvantageous metal migration along the void may be suppressed by sealing the voids after etching a contact opening and prior to filling in the contact metal. Consequently, significant yield losses may be avoided in well-established dual stress liner approaches while, at the same time, superior device performance may be achieved.

Abstract: A method of machining a wafer in which, at the time of grinding the back-side surface of the wafer, only a back-side surface region corresponding to a device formation region where semiconductor chips are formed is thinned by grinding, to form a recessed part on the back side of the wafer. An annular projected part surrounding the recessed part is utilized to secure rigidity of the wafer. Next, the recessed part is etched to cause metallic electrodes to project from the bottom surface of the recessed part, thereby forming a back-side electrode parts, then an insulating film is formed in the recessed part, and the insulating film and end surfaces of the back-side electrode parts are cut.

Abstract: A copper/barrier CMP process includes (a) providing a substrate having a bulk metal layer and a barrier layer; (b) polishing the substrate with a first hard polishing pad on a first platen to substantially remove an upper portion of the bulk metal layer, wherein the first hard polishing pad has a hardness of above 50 (Shore D); (c) polishing the substrate with a second hard polishing pad on a second platen to remove residual copper, thereby exposing the barrier layer, wherein the second hard polishing pad has a hardness of above 50 (Shore D); and (d) polishing the substrate with a third hard polishing pad on a third platen to remove the barrier layer, wherein the third hard polishing pad has a hardness ranging between 40-50 (Shore D).

Abstract: A method of performing chemical mechanical polish (CMP) processes on a wafer includes providing the wafer; determining a thickness profile of a feature on a surface of the wafer; and, after the step of determining the thickness profile, performing a high-rate CMP process on the feature using a polish recipe to substantially achieve a within-wafer thickness uniformity of the feature. The polish recipe is determined based on the thickness profile.

Abstract: Substrate devices having tuned work functions and methods of forming thereof are provided. In some embodiments, forming devices on substrates may include depositing a dielectric layer atop a substrate having a conductivity well; depositing a work function layer comprising titanium aluminum or titanium aluminum nitride having a first nitrogen composition atop the dielectric layer; etching the work function layer to selectively remove at least a portion of the work function layer from atop the dielectric layer; depositing a layer comprising titanium aluminum or titanium aluminum nitride having a second nitrogen composition atop the work function layer and the substrate, wherein at least one of the work function layer or the layer comprises nitrogen; etching the layer and the dielectric layer to selectively remove a portion of the layer and the dielectric layer from atop the substrate; and annealing the substrate at a temperature less than about 1500 degrees Celsius.

Abstract: A method of cleaning a low dielectric constant film in a lithographic process includes providing a dielectric film having thereover a resist composition, the dielectric film having a dielectric constant no greater than about 4.0, and stripping the resist composition to leave a substantially silicon-containing ash residue on the dielectric film. The method then includes contacting the ash residue with plasma comprising an ionized, essentially pure noble gas such as helium to remove the resist residue without substantially affecting the underlying dielectric film.

Abstract: In a plasma etching method, a substrate, on which an oxide film as a target layer to be etched, a hard mask layer, and a patterned photoresist are sequentially formed, is loaded into the processing chamber and mounted on a lower electrode. A processing gas containing CxFy (x is 3 or less and y is 8 or less), C4F8, a rare gas and O2 is supplied and a plasma of the processing gas is generated by applying a high frequency power to an upper or a lower electrode. Further, a high frequency power for bias is applied to the lower electrode, and a DC voltage is applied to the upper electrode.

Abstract: The invention provides a plasma processing apparatus and a dry etching method for etching a multilayered film structure having steps with high accuracy. The plasma processing apparatus comprises a vacuum reactor 107, a lower electrode 113 placed within a processing chamber of the vacuum reactor and having a wafer 112 to be etched mounted on the upper surface thereof, bias supplying units 118 and 120 for supplying high frequency power for forming a bias potential to the lower electrode 113, a gas supply means 111 for feeding reactive gas into the processing chamber, an electric field supplying means 101 through 103 for supplying a magnetic field for generating plasma in the processing chamber, and a control unit 127 for controlling the distribution of ion energy in the plasma being incident on the wafer 112 via the high frequency power.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer in which a carbon thin film is formed on a surface of a silicon substrate implanted with impurities is irradiated with flash light emitted from flash lamps. Absorbing the flash light causes the temperature of the carbon thin film to increase. The surface temperature of the silicon substrate implanted with impurities is therefore increased to be higher than that in a case where no thin film is formed, and the sheet resistance value can be thereby decreased. When the semiconductor wafer with the carbon thin film formed thereon is irradiated with flash light in high concentration oxygen atmosphere, since the carbon of the thin film is oxidized to be vaporized, removal of the thin film is performed concurrently with flash heating.

Abstract: A substrate processing method implemented in a substrate processing system that includes an etching apparatus that carries out plasma etching processing on a substrate and a vacuum-type substrate transferring apparatus to which the etching apparatus is connected is provided. A first step includes forming a protective film on a rear surface of the substrate before the plasma etching processing is carried out. The protective film prevents the rear surface of the substrate from being scratched by an electrostatic chuck that electrostatically attracts the substrate during the plasma etching processing. A second step includes electrostatically attracting the substrate to the electrostatic chuck such that the electrostatic chuck directly contacts the rear surface of the substrate and of carrying out the plasma etching processing on the substrate. A third step includes removing the protective film from the rear surface of the substrate after the plasma etching processing has been carried out.

Abstract: Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device structure, including the steps of providing a structure having an insulator layer with at least one interconnect, forming a sub lithographic template mask over the insulator layer, and selectively etching the insulator layer through the sub lithographic template mask to form sub lithographic features spanning to a sidewall of the at least one interconnect.

Abstract: A first oxide film and a second oxide film 16 are formed in a first region 13a and a second region 13b, respectively, on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 10, via thermal oxidization method, and the first oxide film is removed while the second oxide film 16 is covered with the resist layer 18 formed thereon, and then the resist layer 18 is removed with a chemical solution containing an organic solvent such as isopropyl alcohol as a main component. Subsequently, a third oxide film 22 having different thickness than the second oxide film 16 is formed in the first region 13a.

Abstract: Combinatorial plasma enhanced deposition techniques are described, including designating multiple regions of a substrate, providing a precursor to at least a first region of the multiple regions, and providing a plasma to the first region to deposit a first material on the first region formed using the first precursor, wherein the first material is different from a second material formed on a second region of the substrate.

Abstract: Methods of controlling critical dimensions of reduced-sized features during semiconductor fabrication through pitch multiplication are disclosed. Pitch multiplication is accomplished by patterning mask structures via conventional photoresist techniques and subsequently transferring the pattern to a sacrificial material. Spacer regions are then formed on the vertical surfaces of the transferred pattern following the deposition of a conformal material via atomic layer deposition. The spacer regions, and therefore the reduced features, are then transferred to a semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: High tensile stress in a deposited layer such as silicon nitride, may be achieved utilizing one or more techniques, employed alone or in combination. High tensile stress may be achieved by forming a silicon-containing layer on a surface by exposing the surface to a silicon-containing precursor gas in the absence of a plasma, forming silicon nitride by exposing said silicon-containing layer to a nitrogen-containing plasma, and then repeating these steps to increase a thickness of the silicon nitride created thereby. High tensile stress may also be achieved by exposing a surface to a silicon-containing precursor gas in a first nitrogen-containing plasma, treating the material with a second nitrogen-containing plasma, and then repeating these steps to increase a thickness of the silicon nitride formed thereby. In another embodiment, tensile film stress is enhanced by deposition with porogens that are liberated upon subsequent exposure to UV radiation or plasma treatment.

Abstract: A method of forming dielectric film having Si—N bonds on a semiconductor substrate by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), includes: introducing a nitrogen- and hydrogen-containing reactive gas and a rare gas into a reaction space inside which the semiconductor substrate is placed; introducing a hydrogen-containing silicon precursor in pulses of less than 1.0-second duration into the reaction space wherein the reactive gas and the rare gas are introduced; exiting a plasma in pulses of less than 1.0-second duration immediately after the silicon precursor is shut off; and maintaining the reactive gas and the rare gas as a purge of less than 2.0-second duration.

Abstract: An integrated circuit arrangement includes a Shockley diode or a thyristor. An inner region of the diode or of the thyristor is completely or partially shielded during the implantation of a p-type well. This gives rise to a Shockley diode or a thyristor having improved electrical properties, in particular with regard to the use as an ESD protection element.

Abstract: A flexible sheet material useful as an energy absorbing material is impregnated with a dilatant silicone composition comprising the reaction product of a polydiorganosiloxane and a boron compound selected from boric oxide, a boric acid, a boric acid precursor, a borate or a partially hydrolysed borate. The silicone composition can be modified by reaction with a hydrophobic compound reactive with silanol groups to improve the resistance to washing. The flexible sheet can be a material, e.g. a fabric, having a negative Poisson's ratio.

Abstract: Novel woven materials, producible by a new weaving method, are described that comprise single or doubled warps and wefts in the form of tapes that are preferably partially stabilized type of fibrous tape. These fibres are caused to occur in a non-linear arrangement during the weaving process. The non-linear fibres can be subsequently straightened by pulling the tape longitudinally. The doubled warps and wefts comprise disconnected tapes. Such separateness of constituent tapes of doubled warp and weft tapes enables them to be slid/slipped relative to each other by pulling longitudinally and laterally without causing any alteration in the woven structure. These novel fabrics solve the problem of uneven fibre distribution and orientation arising from crumples/wrinkles due to compression and stretches due to extension, at the inner and outer sides respectively, when tape-woven fabrics are curved into shapes.

Abstract: An article of manufacture for warming human extremities via graduated thermal insulation with a blanket comprised of concentrations of and transitions to and from concentrations of various types of woven thread fabric or non-woven fabric, having various properties of thermal insulation.

Abstract: A velour fabric article consists of a fabric body having a technical face formed by a filament stitch yarn and a technical back formed by a filament loop yarn. The filament stitch yarn includes a heat sensitive material, e.g. a hot melt material or a heat shrinkable material, and/or an elastomeric material, such as spandex. The fabric body has a velour surface formed at at least the technical back. The fabric body has permeability of about 80 ft3/ft2/min, or less, under a pressure difference of ½ inch of water across the fabric body.

Abstract: A process for drying/heat-treating nonwoven webs in which the web is partially dried under tension in a first drying zone and further heat treated under low tension or in a substantially tensionless state a second drying zone. The process significantly reduces the occurrence of stretch-type defects in the nonwoven webs.

Abstract: A nonwoven fabric laminate possesses excellent elasticity, softness, water resistance, fuzz resistance and curl resistance, and has less stickiness. The nonwoven fabric laminate includes at least one meltblown nonwoven fabric layer and mixed-fiber spunbonded nonwoven fabric layers on both surfaces of the at least one meltblown nonwoven fabric layer, the mixed-fiber spunbonded nonwoven fabric layers each comprising mixed fibers including 10 to 90 wt % of continuous fibers of a thermoplastic elastomer (A) and 90 to 10 wt % of continuous fibers of a thermoplastic resin (B) other than the thermoplastic elastomer (A) ((A)+(B)=100 wt %).

Abstract: A glass composition which is reduced in the amount of residual bubbles and is produced using smaller amounts of an environmentally unfriendly component such as arsenic oxide and antimony oxide. This glass composition contains, in terms of mass %: 40-70% SiO2; 5-20% B2O3; 10.25% Al2O3; 0-10% MgO; 0-20% CaO; 0-20% SrO; 0-10% BaO; 0-0.5% Li2O; 0-1.0% Na2O; 0-1.5% K2O; and 0-1.5%, excluding 0%, Cl, Li2O+Na2O+K2O exceeding 0.06%. The glass composition can be produced suitably using, for example, a chloride as part of the raw glass materials.

Abstract: The invention relates to a porous, fired ceramic foam having a total porosity of between 50 and 92% and an intergranular porosity of at least 5%. In particular, the invention relates to a recrystallised silicon carbide foam.

Abstract: Disclosed is a molding compound for producing a fireproof lining, especially for a combustion chamber of a stationary gas turbine. Said molding compound is characterized particularly by the fact that the molding compound is formed from more than about 50 percent by weight of silicon carbide and less than about 50 percent by weight of aluminum silicate.

Abstract: The disclosed invention relates to a blended hydrous kaolin clay product comprising a platy coarse kaolin clay and a fine, hydrous kaolin clay. The blended kaolin clay product is suitable for use as a raw material component in the formation of cordierite products.

Abstract: A pathogen-resistant fabric comprising one or more photocatalysts capable of generating singlet oxygen from ambient air. The pathogen-resistant fabric may optionally include one or more singlet oxygen traps.

Abstract: A methanol-reforming catalyst containing a Ni3Al intermetallic compound as a main component that is superior in heat resistance and abrasion resistance and has a high activity and selectivity even at a high temperature.

Abstract: A catalyst composition and process facilitates the oxidative reforming of low molecular weight hydrocarbons, such as methane, to other hydrocarbons having 2 or more carbon atoms (“C2+ compounds”). Compositions having a formula comprising a metal, tungsten, manganese and oxygen effectively catalyze the oxidative reforming of methane with a high rate of conversion and selectivity. Controlling feed gas flow and catalyst bed temperature controls the exothermic OCM reaction, avoiding runaway reactions or coking. A single or multiple reactor system can be utilized for the oxidative reforming reactions. Using two reactors in series, catalyst embodiments produced favorable yields of C2+ compounds, in the presence or absence of a distributed oxygen feed, and with or without interstage effluent cooling. Removal of desirable end products from the reactor effluent, followed by recycling of the residual effluent, increases the conversion to, and ultimate yield of desirable end product.

Abstract: A polymetallic nanoparticle alloy having enhanced catalytic properties including at least one noble metal and at least one base metal, where the noble metal is preferentially dispersed near the surface of the nanoparticle and the base metal modifies the electronic properties of the surface disposed noble metal. The polymetallic nanoparticles having application as a catalyst when dispersed on a carbon substrate and in particular applications in a fuel cell. In various embodiments a bimetallic noble metal-base metal nanoparticle alloy may be used as an electrocatalyst offering enhanced ORR activity compared to the monometallic electrocatalyst of noble metal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a thermosensitive recording medium, which is excellent in stamping ability, anti-scratching ability, and water and plasticizer resistance of image area as well as in recording sensitivity, image quality and storage stability. The present invention is a thermosensitive recording medium having a thermosensitive recording layer containing at least a colorless or pale colored basic leuco dye and an electron accepting developing agent as a coating layer on a substrate, wherein at least an outermost layer among the thermosensitive recording layer and other optionally prepared coated layers contains powdered cellulose, wherein the powdered cellulose is prepared by a dry grinding process at ambient temperature.

Abstract: A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a heat-insulating layer and an image-receiving layer on a support, wherein the receiving layer contains polymer latex, the heat-insulating layer contains hollow polymer, and at least two layers are formed by simultaneous multilayer coating, and wherein at least one layer on the side of the receiving layer on the support contains at least two compounds of the following formulae [I] to [IV]: wherein R1, R2, R13-R15, R18, R19 represent hydrogen etc.; R20 represents lower alkylene; X represents hydrogen etc.; l is 2-6; m is 1-4; p is 0 or 1; and q is 0-5.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive transfer sheet, comprising a base film, at least three heat-sensitive transfer layers containing heat-sensitively transferable dyes and a resin, and a heat-resistant slipping layer, in which the at least three heat-sensitive transfer layers contains two or more dyes different from each other; the heat-sensitive transfer layers are provided on one face of the base film so as not to be superposed on one another; the heat-sensitive transfer layers contains, as the resin, at least one of a polyvinylbutyral resin and a polyvinyl acetacetal resin, each having a polymerization degree of 200 to 1,000; and at least one of the heat-sensitive transfer layers contains the polyvinylbutyral resin as described above and the polyvinyl acetacetal resin described above, and has a ratio of the polyvinylbutyral to the polyvinyl acetacetal different from those in the other heat-sensitive transfer layers.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive transfer sheet containing a base film, a dye layer formed over one surface of the base film and containing a heat-transferable dye and a resin, and a heat-resistant lubricating layer formed over the other surface of the base film and containing inorganic particles and a resin, wherein the inorganic particles contained in the heat-resistant lubricating layer has a Mohs' hardness of 3 to 7 and a mean particle size of 0.3 to 5 ?m, and the ratio of the maximum width of each of the inorganic particles to the sphere equivalent diameter thereof is from 1.5 to 50.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet, containing a support and an interlayer, an insulation layer and a receptor layer formed on the support in that order, wherein the receptor layer contains at least one kind of latex polymer and a compound represented by the following Formula (I) or an inorganic salt, and the contact angle between the receptor layer surface and water 2 seconds after placement of water droplet, as determined by the static droplet method specified in JIS R-3257, is 68° or less or the contact angle 60 seconds after placement of water droplet is 28° or less, R—(OCH2CH2)n—OH??Formula (I) wherein, R represents an alkyl or alkenyl group having 4 to 30 carbon atoms, and n is an integer of 10 to 30.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of specific amphiphilic alkoxyates as synergistic adjuvant for agrotechnical applications. Suitable agrotechnical compositions are also described. Thus, the addition of such alkoxylates makes possible an accelerated uptake of active ingredients by the plant. The alkoxylates to be used are alkoxylates based on branched alcohols such as 2-propylheptanol, C13-oxo alcohols and C10-oxo alcohols.

Abstract: An aqueous agrochemical composition and in particular an agrochemical concentrate comprises (a) a non-encapsulated aqueous solution or dispersion of an agrochemical and (b) a suspension in said aqueous solution or dispersion of a microencapsulated liquid, water-insoluble, bioperformance-enhancing adjuvant for said agrochemical. The adjuvant suitably has little or no surfactant properties. The invention permits oil adjuvants such as “Turbocharge” and “Brij 92” to be built into agrochemical compositions with which they would normally be incompatible. With certain adjuvants reduced phytotoxicity may be observed.

Abstract: Absorbates having a high loading of particular substances for use in plant protection compositions, the use of a special process for the preparation of the absorbates and products for plant protection comprising the absorbates.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and reagents for detecting analytes, e.g. nucleic acids. The new methods and reagents allow a simple and sensitive detection even in complex biological samples.

Abstract: A method of creating a carbon dioxide hydrate is disclosed. The preferred steps include supplying liquid carbon dioxide and a dissociation agent to a hydrocarbon hydrate, decomposing the hydrocarbon hydrate by the dissociation agent into a hydrocarbon gas and liquid water, and forming the carbon dioxide hydrate from the liquid carbon dioxide and the liquid water. The dissociation agent preferably is at least one of an inorganic salt, a surface active agent, a hydrate inhibitor, and an absorption solution. Furthermore, a substance composition of liquid carbon dioxide and the dissociation agent is described, which is provided for depositing carbon dioxide hydrate in a subterranean geological formation. Furthermore, a deposition device is described, which is configured for depositing carbon dioxide hydrate in a subterranean geological formation.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention provides a fluid comprising: an aqueous base fluid; and a gelling agent that comprises a polymerizable polycarboxylic acid and that is at least partially crosslinked by a crosslinking reaction comprising a crosslinking agent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method comprising disposing in a formation fracture, a proppant and/or a fracturing fluid that comprises a radiation susceptible material that comprises indium and/or vanadium; irradiating the radiation susceptible material with neutrons; measuring gamma-radiation emitted from the radiation susceptible material in a single pass; wherein the single pass does not involve measuring of background radiation from previous or subsequent logging passes; and determining formation fracture height from the measured gamma-radiation.

Abstract: A lubricating composition comprising a base oil, (A) one or more kinds of compounds selected from phenolic antioxidants and aminic antioxidants, and (B) an ester compound having a disulfide structure is provided. The lubricating composition of the present invention has excellent stability against oxidation, prevents increase of acid value and sludge formation, and has low corrosivity to non-ferrous metals.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to lubricant oil compositions formed from base stock oils to optimize internal combustion engine performance. Base stock oils are identified that have selected cetane number characteristics and relatively reduced reactivity to improve their associated combustion characteristics and reduce engine knock without the need to modify the engine fuel or engine parameters such as compression ratio and/or ignition timing. The base stocks may specifically include esters of dicarboxylic acids, esters of trimellitic anhydride and/or alklyated naphthalene compounds.