Abstract: The feed axis device of a machine tool is equipped with first and second planetary gear speed reducers, each of which is obtained from an inner element, outer element, and intermediate elements that are disposed between the two, the elements being disposed so as to be mutually rotatable and combined in series so that one of the three elements is a fixed section, one of the two remaining elements is the input section and the other is the output section. The element that is the input section of the first speed reducer and the element that is the input section of the second speed reducer are connected to a single drive source. The element that is the output section of the first speed reducer and the element that is the output section of the second speed reducer are connected. The feed axis device is provided with an actuator.

Abstract: Apparatus for improving temperature uniformity across a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a deposition ring for use in a substrate processing system to process a substrate may include an annular body having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a central opening passing through the first and second surfaces, wherein the second surface is configured to be disposed over a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate having a given width, and wherein the opening is sized to expose a predominant portion of the support surface; and wherein the first surface includes at least one reflective portion configured to reflect heat energy toward a central axis of the annular body, wherein the at least one reflective portion has a surface area that is about 5 to about 50 percent of a total surface area of the first surface.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell, including providing a patterned silicon wafer having a covered area and an uncovered area, and forming at least one electrode layer in the uncovered area in a low-temperature process.

Abstract: The present disclosure enables high-volume cost effective production of three-dimensional thin film solar cell (3-D TFSC) substrates. Pyramid-like unit cell structures 16 and 50 enable epitaxial growth through an open pyramidal structure 3-D TFSC embodiments 70, 82, 100, and 110 may be combined as necessary. A basic 3-D TFSC having a substrate, emitter, oxidation on the emitter, and front and back metal contacts allows for simple processing. Other embodiments disclose a selective emitter, selective backside metal contacts, and front-side SiN ARC layers. Several processing methods, including process flows 150, 200, 250, 300, and 350, enable production of these 3-D TFSCs.

Abstract: An apparatus for growth of uniform multi-component single crystals is provided. The single crystal material has at least three elements and has a diameter of at least 50 mm, a dislocation density of less than 100 cm?2 and a radial compositional variation of less than 1%.

Abstract: A nanoengineered structure comprising an array of more than about 1000 nanowhiskers on a substrate in a predetermined spatial configuration, for use for example as a photonic band gap array, wherein each nanowhisker is sited within a distance from a predetermined site not greater than about 20% of its distance from its nearest neighbour. To produce the array, an array of masses of a catalytic material are positioned on the surface, heat is applied and materials in gaseous form are introduced such as to create a catalytic seed particle from each mass, and to grow, from the catalytic seed particle, epitaxially, a nanowhisker of a predetermined material, and wherein each mass upon melting, retains approximately the same interface with the substrate surface such that forces causing the mass to migrate across said surface are less than a holding force across a wetted interface on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A pressure differential is applied across a mold sheet and a semiconductor (e.g. silicon) wafer (e.g. for solar cell) is formed thereon. Relaxation of the pressure differential allows release of the wafer. The mold sheet may be cooler than the melt. Heat is extracted almost exclusively through the thickness of the forming wafer. The liquid and solid interface is substantially parallel to the mold sheet. The temperature of the solidifying body is substantially uniform across its width, resulting in low stresses and dislocation density and higher crystallographic quality. The mold sheet must allow flow of gas through it. The melt can be introduced to the sheet by: full area contact with the top of a melt; traversing a partial area contact of melt with the mold sheet, whether horizontal or vertical, or in between; and by dipping the mold into a melt. The grain size can be controlled by many means.

Abstract: A method for producing a ZnO single crystal by a liquid phase growth technique, comprising the steps of: mixing and melting ZnO as a solute and PbF2 and PbO as solvents; and putting a seed crystal or substrate into direct contact with the obtained melted solution, thereby growing a ZnO single crystal on the seed crystal or substrate.

Abstract: A SiC single crystal is produced by the solution growth method in which a seed crystal attached to a seed shaft is immersed in a solution of SiC dissolved in a melt of Si or a Si alloy and a SiC single crystal is allowed to grow on the seed crystal by gradually cooling the solution or by providing a temperature gradient therein. To this method, accelerated rotation of a crucible is applied by repeatedly accelerating to a prescribed rotational speed and holding at that speed and decelerating to a lower rotational speed or a 0 rotational speed. The rotational direction of the crucible may be reversed each acceleration. The seed shaft may also be rotated synchronously with the rotation of the crucible in the same or opposite rotational as the crucible. A large, good quality single crystal having no inclusions are produced with a high crystal growth rate.

Abstract: A nanoengineered structure comprising an array of more than about 1000 nanowhiskers on a substrate in a predetermined spatial configuration, for use for example as a photonic band gap array, wherein each nanowhisker is sited within a distance from a predetermined site not greater than about 20% of its distance from its nearest neighbor. To produce the array, an array of masses of a catalytic material are positioned on the surface, heat is applied and materials in gaseous form are introduced such as to create a catalytic seed particle from each mass, and to grow, from the catalytic seed particle, epitaxially, a nanowhisker of a predetermined material, and wherein each mass upon melting, retains approximately the same interface with the substrate surface such that forces causing the mass to migrate across said surface are less than a holding force across a wetted interface on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A method of producing networks of low melting metal oxides such as crystalline gallium oxide comprised of one-dimensional nanostructures. Because of the unique arrangement of wires, these crystalline networks defined as “nanowebs”, “nanowire networks”, and/or “two-dimensional nanowires”. Nanowebs contain wire densities on the order of 109/cm2. A possible mechanism for the fast self-assembly of crystalline metal oxide nanowires involves multiple nucleation and coalescence via oxidation-reduction reactions at the molecular level. The preferential growth of nanowires parallel to the substrate enables them to coalesce into regular polygonal networks. The individual segments of the polygonal network consist of both nanowires and nanotubules of ?-gallium oxide. The synthesis of highly crystalline noncatalytic low melting metals such as ?-gallium oxide tubes, nanowires, and nanopaintbrushes is accomplished using molten gallium and microwave plasma containing a mixture of monoatomic oxygen and hydrogen.

Abstract: A method for selectively controlling lengths of nanowires in a substantially non-uniform array of nanowires includes establishing at least two different catalyzing nanoparticles on a substrate. A nanowire from each of the at least two different catalyzing nanoparticles is substantially simultaneously grown. At least one of the nanowires has a length different from that of at least another of the nanowires.

Abstract: A single-crystal structure is grown using free-form fabrication through principles of directional solidification and direct-deposition techniques. The structure is formed from a metallic alloy by building from feedstock on top of and upward from a heated base element. The top of the structure is also heated with a scanning beam as it is built. The higher temperatures near the melting alloy tend to promote crystal growth rather than nucleation as the grain grows toward the heat of the scanning beam. This allows a two-dimensional thermal gradient to be formed in the build direction, which allows the solid crystal to maintain one orientation during the deposition process. As the material initially solidifies, it nucleates off of a desired grain that is designated by a grain selector. This method eliminates the need for expensive mold cavities and segmented furnaces that are typically required by prior art processes for producing some components.

Abstract: A method for growing single-walled nanotubes comprises providing a silicon carbide semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon face and a carbon face, and annealing the silicon carbide semiconductor wafer in a vacuum at a temperature of at least about 1300 degrees Celsius, inducing formation of single wall carbon nanotubes on the silicon face.

Abstract: A method for growing single-walled nanotubes comprises providing a silicon carbide semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon face and a carbon face, and annealing the silicon carbide semiconductor wafer in a vacuum at a temperature of at least about 1300 degrees Celsius, inducing formation of single wall carbon nanotubes on the silicon face.

Abstract: A process produces a crystal of a material with non-congruent melting using at least one first element and a second element. The process includes (a) placing, in a vertical alignment and maintaining under a controlled atmosphere, a bar of the first element gripped between a lower bar and an upper bar made out of the material, (b) transforming the bar of the first element into a floating zone by heating to a temperature that avoids the evaporation of the first element, the heating being obtained by heating means that provides a temperature gradient in the floating zone so that the lower face of the upper bar appears as a cold face, and (c) contra-rotating the lower and upper bars around the alignment axis and moving the whole bar assembly upwards in relation to the heating means in order to obtain the crystal on the cold face by growth in solution.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming a relaxed single-crystal silicon germanium film on a silicon substrate. Also provided is a film structure with a relaxed layer of graded silicon germanium on a silicon substrate. The method comprises: providing a silicon (Si) substrate with a top surface; growing a graded layer of strained single-crystal Si1-xGex having a bottom surface overlying the Si substrate top surface and a top surface, where x increases with the Si1-xGex layer thickness in the range between 0.03 and 0.

Abstract: The present invention provides fluoride lens material crystals for VUV optical lithography systems and processes. The invention provides a fluoride optical lithography crystal for utilization in 157 nm optical microlithography elements which manipulate below 193 nm optical lithography photons.

Abstract: A method makes photodiodes by forming a HgCdTe protective, passivation layer with high Cd composition ratio on a HgCdTe semiconductor made of Group II-VI materials. The passivation layer is formed in a Cd/Hg mixed atmosphere via an annealing process wherein vaporized Cd is diffused onto the HgCdTe surface.

Abstract: A method for growing a single crystal by allowing a seed crystal to contact a molten zone formed by melting a polycrystalline material, followed by moving the molten zone away from the seed, wherein the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere during growth of the single crystal is lower than about 10% by volume.

Abstract: In a method of drawing single crystals from a body of highly pure polycrystalline material molten by inductive heating, a solid body of the polycrystalline material is first heated by direct induction heating at a frequency >200 KHz to increase its conductivity and is then further heated by direct induction heating at a frequency <20 KHz to melt the center of the body of polycrystalline material to form a molten pool contained by a marginal solid zone of the polycrystalline material from which the single crystal is drawn.

Abstract: For the solution growth, a solvent is used which is composed of a mixture of an oxide containing at least one member of those elements which constitute the oxide crystal and a halide containing at least one member of those elements which constitute the oxide crystal. The process enables the temperature of crystal growth to be lowered to a significant extent, avoids inclusions such as impure anionic elements from getting intruded into the oxide crystal, while retaining adequate crystal growth through solution growth, and affords, in spite of an atmospheric mode of crystal growth and with the pinning force of magnetic flux used to advantage, the same level of beneficial effects as in a mode of crystal growth at a low oxygen pressure.

Abstract: A method of preparing single crystals. The method of preparation involves preparing precursor materials of a particular composition, heating the precursor material to achieve a peritectic mixture of peritectic liquid and crystals, cooling the peritectic mixture to quench directly the mixture on a porous, wettable inert substrate to wick off the peritectic liquid, leaving single crystals on the porous substrate. Alternatively, the peritectic mixture can be cooled to a solid mass and reheated on a porous, inert substrate to melt the matrix of peritectic fluid while leaving the crystals unmelted, allowing the wicking away of the peritectic liquid.

Abstract: Silicon granules filled in a nonconductive cylinder are locally heated from outside of the cylinder using a local heating means, for example, a radio-frequency induction heating coil etc. to form a silicon granule sintering portion and a silicon melting portion, with gradually moving the local heating means in such a manner that the positions of the sintering portion and of the melting portion can be moved gradually. Concomitantly with the movement of the positions of the sintering portion and the melting portion, the melting portion in the original position is solidified to produce a silicon rod. According to this method, molten silicon is formed without contacting the inner wall surface of the cylinder and then solidified so that there can be obtained a silicon rod containing no impurities derived from the material of the cylinder.

Abstract: An evaporation material is used in manufacturing a VTR tape, a vertical magnetic recording thin film or the like. The evaporation material is a wire comprising a cobalt metal, a cobalt nickel alloy containing not more than 30 weight % of nickel, or a cobalt-chromium alloy containing not more than 30 weight % of chromium. This wire has a diameter of at least 1.0, mm and not more than 10 mm, a tensile strength of at least 400 MPa and not more than 1500 MPa, and a elongation and a reduction of area of at least 5%. The evaporation material has a prescribed crystal structure, with a face centered cubic lattice ratio of at least 0.1 and not more than 1.