Abstract: A method for determining an electromigration effect in an integrated circuit model with multiple parallel processors is provided. The method includes receiving, in a partition scheduler, a circuit netlist divided into smaller partition netlists in a partition scheduler and scheduling a computational thread including tasks associated with a first partition netlist, and verifying that at least one task in the first computational thread has been executed by at least one computer selected from a network of computers. The method also includes releasing the computer and resetting a status of the computer, converting a result from the at least one task to an input file for another computational thread associated with a second partition netlist, the result including an induced current in the circuit component of the first partition netlist. The method includes determining electromigration effects on the circuit component in the partition netlists based on the induced current.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a gas barrier plastic molded body by forming a gas barrier thin film which is substantially colorless and has gas barrier properties, on the surface of a plastic molded body by a heating element CVD method using only raw material gases that are highly safe.

Abstract: An amorphous carbon film, which has excellent etching resistance and is capable of reducing reflectance when a resist film is exposed to light, is form. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming an object film to be etched on a wafer, supplying a process gas containing a CO gas and an N2 gas into a processing container, forming an amorphous carbon nitride film from the supplied CO gas and N2 gas, forming a silicon oxide film on the amorphous carbon nitride film, forming an ArF resist film on the silicon oxide film, patterning the ArF resist film, etching the silicon oxide film by using the ArF resist film as a mask, etching the amorphous carbon nitride film by using the silicon oxide film as a mask, and etching the object film to be etched by using the amorphous carbon nitride film as a mask.

Abstract: The present invention relates to tubular elements, such as fuel assembly tubes, which are designed to be used in high pressure and high temperature water in nuclear reactors, such as pressurized water nuclear reactors. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of improving wear resistance and corrosion resistance by depositing a protective coating having a depth of from about 5 to about 25 ?m on the surface of the tubular elements. The coating is provided by nitriding the tubular element at a temperature of from about 400° C. to about 440° C. The nitridation of the tubular element can be carried out for a duration of from about 12 hours to about 40 hours.

Abstract: A metal oxide-carbon composite includes a carbon aerogel with an oxide overcoat. The metal oxide-carbon composite is made by providing a carbon aerogel, immersing the carbon aerogel in a metal oxide sol under a vacuum, raising the carbon aerogel with the metal oxide sol to atmospheric pressure, curing the carbon aerogel with the metal oxide sol at room temperature, and drying the carbon aerogel with the metal oxide sol to produce the metal oxide-carbon composite. The step of providing a carbon aerogel can provide an activated carbon aerogel or provide a carbon aerogel with carbon nanotubes that make the carbon aerogel mechanically robust. Carbon aerogels can be coated with sol-gel silica and the silica can be converted to silicon carbide, improving the thermal stability of the carbon aerogel.

Abstract: A method to grow a boule of silicon carbide is described. The method may include flowing a silicon-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor proximate to a heated filament array and forming the silicon carbide boule on a substrate from reactions of the heated silicon-containing and carbon-containing precursors. Also, an apparatus for growing a silicon carbide boule is described. The apparatus may include a deposition chamber to deposit silicon carbide on a substrate, and a precursor transport system for introducing silicon-containing and carbon-containing precursors into the deposition chamber. The apparatus may also include at least one filament or filament segment capable of being heated to a temperature that can activate the precursors, and a substrate pedestal to hold a deposition substrate upon which the silicon carbide boule is grown. The pedestal may be operable to change the distance between the substrate and the filament as the silicon carbide boule is grown.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a permeable dielectric film, includes the deposition on a substrate of a film constituted of a material comprising silicon, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and, possibly, nitrogen and/or fluorine, a majority of Si—C bonds and a proportion of Si—O bonds such that the oxygen present in said material represents less than 30 atom %; and the selective destruction with a chemical agent of the Si—O bonds present in the film. Applications include microelectronics and microtechnology, in any manufacturing process that involves the degradation of a sacrificial material by diffusion of a chemical agent through a film that is permeable to this agent, for the production of air gaps, in particular the manufacture of air-gap interconnects for integrated circuits.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is the use of a material composed of a substrate equipped with a coating based on titanium oxide surmounted by a thin hydrophilic layer forming at least one part of the outer surface of said material and that is not composed of titanium oxide, as a material that prevents the deposition of mineral soiling on said outer surface in the absence of water runoff.

Abstract: A plasma reactor includes a vacuum enclosure including a side wall and a ceiling defining a vacuum chamber, and a workpiece support within the chamber and facing the ceiling for supporting a planar workpiece, the workpiece support and the ceiling together defining a processing region between the workpiece support and the ceiling. Process gas inlets furnish a process gas into the chamber. A plasma source power electrode is connected to an RF power generator for capacitively coupling plasma source power into the chamber for maintaining a plasma within the chamber. The reactor further includes at least a first overhead solenoidal electromagnet adjacent the ceiling, the overhead solenoidal electromagnet, the ceiling, the side wall and the workpiece support being located along a common axis of symmetry.

Abstract: Based on designs concerning boron nitride thin-films each including boron nitride crystals in acute-ended shapes excellent in field electron emission properties, and designs of emitters adopting such thin-films, it is aimed at appropriately controlling a distribution state of such crystals to thereby provide an emitter having an excellent efficiency and thus requiring only a lower threshold electric field for electron emission. In a design of a boron nitride thin-film emitter comprising crystals that are each represented by a general formula BN, that each include sp3 bonded boron nitride, sp2 bonded boron nitride, or a mixture thereof, and that each exhibit an acute-ended shape excellent in field electron emission property; there is controlled an angle of a substrate relative to a reaction gas flow upon deposition of the emitter from a vapor phase, thereby controlling a distribution state of the crystals over a surface of the thin-film.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a SiC MOSFET is disclosed. The method includes growing a SiC epilayer over a substrate, planarizing the SiC epilayer to provide a planarized SiC epilayer, and forming a gate dielectric layer in contact with the planarized epilayer.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a gas barrier plastic container which simultaneously satisfies the condition that the same vacuum chamber can be used even when the container shapes are different, the condition that a high-frequency power source is unnecessary, and the condition that film formation can be carried out for a plurality of containers inside one vacuum chamber in order to make the apparatus low cost. In an apparatus for forming a film on the inner surface of a container, a thermal catalyst is supported on a source gas supply pipe, and the source gas supply pipe is inserted into the port of the container, followed by film formation. In an apparatus for forming a film on the outer surface of a container, a thermal catalyst is arranged on the periphery of the plastic, and a source gas is blown out through the source gas supply pipe while bringing the source gas into contact with the thermal catalyst for film formation.

Abstract: A silicon oxycarbide coating remains hydrophilic for a significantly longer period of time, on the order of several months, when both (i) the coating index of refraction is 1.70 or more and (ii) the coating thickness is 350 ? or more.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method of preparing a coated C/C composite structure comprises the steps of: providing a C/C composite structure; applying a silicon based composition over the C/C composite structure by physical vapor deposition; forming a first layer comprising silicon carbide over the C/C composite by annealing the silicon based composition and the C/C composite at an annealing temperature; and applying a second layer comprising boron over the first layer by physical vapor deposition.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma processing method capable of being used for manufacturing color filters which are substantially free from defects such as white spots and color mixture of inks and color filters manufactured by using the same. A plasma processing device according to the present invention comprises a stage mainly acting also as a lower electrode; and a head electrode in which an upper electrode is stored and from which plasma raw material gas is ejected. By ejecting plasma raw material gas from the head electrode, applying voltage between the stage and the head electrode by an alternate power source to induce plasma electric discharge and by scanning over a workpiece material (glass substrate) by the head electrode, the workpiece material (glass substrate) is subjected to the plasma processing.

Abstract: The present invention has its object to obtain an SiC monitor wafer which can flatten the surface until particle detection is possible. SiC of a crystal system 3C is deposited on a substrate by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, and the SiC is detached from a substrate. After the SiC surface is flattened by using mechanical polishing alone or in combination with CMP (Chemo Mechanical Polishing), GCIB (Gas Cluster Ion Beam) is irradiated to the surface until the surface roughness becomes Ra=0.5 nm or less and the impurity density of the wafer surface becomes 1*1011 atoms/cm2 or less to produce the SiC monitor wafer.

Abstract: The present invention has its object to make it possible to produce an &agr;-SiC wafer with stability and good reproducibility at low cost without using a seed crystal substrate that is expensive and less available. In each of crucibles 11a, 11b, 11c, and so on, a &bgr;-SiC substrate 19 and an SiC raw material 17 are placed to face each other in close proximity. These crucibles are stacked in layers, and placed inside a radiation tube 40. The radiation tube 40 is heated by an induction heating coil 23, radiates radiation heat, and uniformly heats the crucibles 11a, 11b, 11c and so on. The SiC raw material in each of the crucibles is sublimated and recrystallized on a surface of the &bgr;-SiC substrate 19.

Abstract: There is provided a laminated structure having a silicon carbide coating layer formed by sputtering on an alloy substrate, and the silicon carbide has a light transmittance of 70% or greater. It is preferable that the alloy substrate is a magnetic alloy or a phase-changing alloy, the impurity ratio on the surface of the silicon carbide coating layer is 1.0×1012 atoms/cm2 or less and the thickness of the silicon carbide coating layer is 10 to 100 nm. Since the laminated structure has a silicon carbide coating layer which is excellent in oxidation resistance, chlorine resistance, humidity resistance, and which has high refractive index, high light transmittance and the like, it is suitable for an optical disk recording medium such as a CD-RW, a DVD-RAM or the like.

Abstract: A method for forming a silicon carbide film on a semiconductor substrate by plasma CVD includes (a) introducing a raw material gas containing silicon, carbon, and hydrogen and an inert gas into a reaction chamber at a predetermined mixture ratio of the raw material gas to the inert gas; (b) applying radio-frequency power at the mixture ratio, thereby forming a curable silicon carbide film having a dielectric constant of about 4.0 or higher; and (c) continuously applying radio-frequency power at a mixture ratio which is reduced from that in step (b), thereby curing the silicon carbide film to give a dielectric constant lower than that of the curable silicon carbide film.

Abstract: Silicon carbide having a resistivity of from 103 to 106 &OHgr;·cm and a powder X-ray diffraction peak intensity ratio of at least 0.005 as represented by Id1/Id2 where Id1 is the peak intensity in the vicinity of 2&thgr; being 34° and Id2 is the peak intensity in the vicinity of 2&thgr; being 36°.

Abstract: Within a method for forming a dielectric layer within a microelectronic fabrication there is first provided a substrate. There is then formed over the substrate a carbon doped silicon containing dielectric layer. There is then treated the carbon doped silicon containing dielectric layer with an oxidizing plasma to form from the carbon doped silicon containing dielectric layer an oxidizing plasma treated carbon doped silicon containing dielectric layer.

Abstract: A silicon carbide film is formed in a manner which avoids the high level contents of oxygen by depositing the film in at least two consecutive in-situ steps. Each step comprises plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon carbride and ammonia plasma treatment to remove oxygen contained in the deposit silicon carbide. The disclosed method is found to enhance several insulation properties of the silicon carbide film and can be easily adapted into production-level IC processing.

Abstract: The present invention provides: refractory composite materials protected against oxidation at high temperature; said materials are of the type made by a solid process and include, in characteristic manner, over their entire outside surface, a complex layer containing at least one silicate corresponding to a densification additive used to make them, silica, and a vitreous boron-containing silicate phase; precursors or intermediates for preparing said materials; said precursors including, in characteristic manner, over their entire outside surface, at least one layer of a precursor for borosilicate glass or a layer of borosilicate glass; and a method of preparing said materials (by preparing said precursors) and a method of preparing said precursors.

Abstract: An object constructed of silicon carbide is made up of a plurality of sintered silicon carbide component parts in simple solid forms. This approach allows the production of objects having configurations that are obtainable only with difficulty or not at all by prior art approaches. The component parts are inseparably connected together by means of a silicon carbide film integrally formed on said component parts by chemical vapor deposition. In order to provide substantially improved joint strength and overall structural strength, the silicon carbide film preferably has a crystal structure in which the X-ray diffraction intensity ratio of each crystal face to the (111) face is 0.1 to 10 and/or in which the aspect ratio of crystal grains is 1 to 30.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus have been developed to grow beta-silicon carbide nanorods, and prepare patterned field-emitters using different kinds of chemical vapor deposition methods. The apparatus includes graphite powder as the carbon source, and silicon powder as silicon sources. Metal powders (Fe, Cr and/or Ni) are used as catalyst. Hydrogen was the only feeding gas to the system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of forming an intermediate film and a hard cabon film over the inner surface of a cylindrical member having a bore, such as a bushing or a cylinder, with the hard carbon film being formed on the intermediate film with a uniform thickness, greatly enhancing of abrasion resistance of the inner surface. The cylindrical member is placed in a vacuum vessel, an auxiliary electrode of an intermediate film forming material, such as a titanium-silicon alloy or the like, is inserted in the bore of the cylindrical member, a sputtering gas is supplied into the vacuum vessel, a voltage is applied to the auxiliary electrode to produce a plasma around the auxiliary electrode in order that the intermediate film forming material is sputtered from the auxiliary electrode and an intermediate film is formed over the inner surface of the cylindrical member.

Abstract: A structure is disclosed for growing semiconductor surfaces. A substrate such as a single crystal silicon substrate is treated by electrical biasing in the presence of a carbon-containing plasma to cause nucleation of the surface. By direct observation using atomic force microscopy (AFM), a nucleated surface consisting of a thin film of mutually parallel, quadrilateral carbon-containing platelets was seen to develop on the substrate. An optimum nucleated surface was determined to be substantially covered with such platelets whose slope relative to the substrate was less than 5.degree.. Such a surface can serve as a template for growing semiconductor films, particularly of diamond, of well defined structure.

Abstract: A reaction gas containing methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) and hydrogen is injected into the infiltration chamber (30) in which the substrate is placed and where predetermined infiltration temperature and pressure conditions obtain. The gas entering the infiltration chamber is preheated (by plates 46) so as to bring it up to temperature before coming into contact with the substrate. The residual gas containing the remainder of the reaction gas together with gaseous reaction products is extracted from the chamber. Infiltration is performed at a temperature lying in the range 960.degree. C. to 1050.degree. C., and preferably in the range 1000.degree. C. to 1030.degree. C., under a total pressure of not more than 25 kPa, and preferably equal to 7 kPa to 12 kPa, and the concentration of silicon-containing species in the residual gas is lowered at the outlet from the infiltration chamber, e.g. by injecting an inert gas (via 70).

Abstract: The interphase is formed by nanometric scale sequencing of a plurality of different constituents including at least a first constituent that intrinsically presents a lamellar microtexture, and at least a second constituent that is suitable for protecting the first against oxidation. A plurality of elementary layers of a first constituent of lamellar microtexture, e.g. selected from pryolytic carbon, boron nitride, and BC.sub.3 are formed in alternation with one or more elementary layers of a second constituent having a function of providing protection against oxidation and selected, for example, from SiC, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, SiB.sub.4, SiB.sub.6, and a codeposit of the elements Si, B, and C. The elementary layers of the interphase are preferably less than 10 nanometers thick and they are formed by chemical vapor infiltration or deposition in pulsed form.

Abstract: A porous preform is densified by heating while emersed in a precursor liquid. Heating is achieved by passing a current through the preform or by an induction coil immersed in the liquid. Ways to control the densification process are also described.

Abstract: A mirror for SOR includes a base (1) made of a heat resistant ceramic material having a surface, a first SiC coating (2, 3) formed on the surface of the base (1), which has a first smoothed surface, and a second SiC coating (4, 5) formed on the first smoothed surface of the first SiC coating (2, 3), which has a second smoothed surface. A third SiC coating can be formed on the smoothed surface of the second SiC coating (4).

Abstract: A deposited multi-layer device of an electronic element and a plastic substrate on which an inorganic substance thin film layer is simultaneously formed on both surfaces of the substrate wherein each of the electronic element, plastic substrate and inorganic thin film have internal and thermal stress not equal to zero. The device is free from peeling, deformation or curl of the substrate and degradation due to impurities such as acid, alkali and water.

Abstract: An apparatus for surface treatment according to the present invention used for carrying out dry etching, thin film deposition and so forth is provided with a neutral beam etching apparatus in order to improve etching rate. In an embodiment, microwave wave-guides forming a duplex tube, a discharge tube, a pair of solenoids arranged coaxially, a multiaperture electrode for extracting an ion beam, gas supply pipes, a set of charged particle retarding grids, a device for controlling temperature of a specimen and a vacuum unit are provided.