Precision of micromilled x-ray masks and exposures

 Micromechanical milling has been shown to be a rapid and direct method for the fabrication of structures with the geometry and size suitable for use as x-ray mask absorbers. While the micromilling process can not duplicate the size and resolution of absorber patterns created by high energy electron beam or optical lithography methods, micromilling can repeatedly create absorber line widths down to 10 micrometers, or less, with a one-sigma tolerance of 0.5 micrometers. A method for easily characterizing milling tool run out has been adapted so tool change out can be more routine. The milling process leaves some absorber burrs and the absorber is apparently tapered at the machined wall which introduce process biases, both of which add to exposure degradation. Nevertheless, based on work to date, it appears both of these effects can be reduced to acceptable limits. Received: 25 August 1997/Accepted: 3 September 1997     

Simple digital control improving dynamic performance of powerfactor preregulators

This paper presents the practical implementation of a fully digital control for boost power factor preregulators (PFPs). The control algorithm, which is simple and fast, provides a significant improvement in the system's dynamic performance compared to the usual analog control techniques. The paper discusses the design criteria and the actions taken for the implementation of the digital control, which is performed by means of a standard microcontroller (Siemens 80C166). The effectiveness of the approach is assessed by experimental tests     

A multiple-switch high-voltage DC-DC converter

Series connection of power devices has evolved into a mature technique and is widely applied in HV DC power systems. Static and dynamic voltage balance is ensured by shunting individual devices with dissipative snubbers. The snubber losses become pronounced for increased operating frequencies and adversely affect power density. Capacitive snubbers do not exhibit these disadvantages, but they require a zero-voltage switching mode. Super-resonant power converters facilitate the principle of zero-voltage switching. A high-voltage DC-DC power converter with multiple series-connected devices is proposed. It allows the application of nondissipating snubbers to assist the voltage sharing between the multiple series-connected devices and lowers turnoff losses. Simulation results obtained with a circuit simulator are validated in an experimental power converter operating with two series-connected devices. The behavior of the series connection is examined for MOSFETs and IGBTs by both experimental work with a 2 kW prototype and computer simulation. Applications can be found in traction and heavy industry, where the soft-switching power converter is directly powered from a high-voltage source     

In search of therapeutic nursing: subacute care

A form of 'intermediate' care exists in the USA which parallels the work of nurse-led units in the UK. This article describes subacute care, the term used for in-patient facilities for post-operative care and rehabilitation, and looks at its application in the USA. The work of such units is detailed and compared with similar units in the UK.     

Oxidation of TiAl based intermetallics

The high temperature oxidation behaviour of the binary and ternary alloys of the Ti–48Al system was studied at different temperatures. The primary objectives of this work were the establishment of the activation energies, the migration tendencies of the alloy species, mechanism of oxidation and chemistry of the oxide scales. The ternary additions were Cr (1.5 at 19%), V (2.2 at%), W (0.2 at%) and Mn (1.4 at%). The addition of ternary additions did not play a significant role in the oxidation behaviour at 704°C. At 815°C the alloys with Cr and V exhibited linear oxidation behaviour with large weight gains while the base Ti–48Al alloys exhibited the best behaviour. At 982°C the Mn-containing alloy was the worst, exhibiting a linear oxidation behaviour while the alloy with V and W and the base alloy with 400 p.p.m. oxygen exhibited the best oxidation behaviour. At 982°C the outermost oxide layer in contact with air is always near stoichiometric TiO₂. In all the alloys a layer of porosity is created just below the outer TiO₂ layer by the Kirkendall mechanism due to the rapid outward diffusion of Ti atoms. The addition of trivalent atoms like Cr in small amounts appear to be detrimental to the oxidation process as they can generate additional oxygen vacancies while the addition of atoms with valence of 5, such as V, and 6, such as W, appear to have beneficial effect on the oxidation behaviour at 982°C by tying up oxygen vacancies. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Low-threshold single-quantum-well InGaAs/GaAs lasers grown bymetal-organic chemical vapor deposition on structure substrates

Low-threshold current (as low as 3.0 mA) and high-external efficiency (≈88%) InGaAs/GaAs lasers emitting at 1 μm under a stable fundamental transverse mode were obtained by using the temperature engineered growth technique for the growth on prepatterned substrates     

Ultrathin oxide-nitride dielectrics for rugged stacked DRAMcapacitors

Ultrathin dielectric materials that provide high capacitance values are needed for 64- and 256-Mb stacked DRAMs. It is shown that capacitance values as high as 12.3 fF/μm² can be obtained with ultrathin nitride-based layers deposited on rugged polysilicon storage electrodes. These films present the reliability and low leakage current levels required for 3.3-V applications. The nitride thickness, however, cannot be scaled much below 6 nm to avoid the oxidation-punchthrough mechanisms that appear when too-thin films are unable to withstand the reoxidation step