Fundamental characteristics of electrostatic wafer chuck withinsulating sealant

The electrostatic wafer chuck is the most preferable handling method in advanced semiconductor manufacture. Even in a vacuum environment, it enables not only the ability to retain a wafer flat, but also to enhance heat transfer through the whole surface area because of firm contact. We have investigated the fundamental characteristics of an electrostatic chuck consisting of a pair of comb-type electrodes and a thin polymer film as a dielectric layer. In order to prevent breakdown between electrodes, the air gap between electrodes was filled with sealing material. The electrostatic force acting on the 4-inch silicon wafer is measured. Several types of insulating sealants and dielectric films were examined. The attractive force increased with the square of the applied voltage in the region of lower applied voltage and gradually saturated at higher voltage. The maximum force obtained in our experiments was approximately 30 N. These experimental results proved the high potentiality in actual use of the electrostatic chuck for silicon wafer handling. However, a few problems have to be overcome. Although the higher electrostatic force can be gained with the thinner dielectric layer, the thin polymer film is easily deformed and torn by tension when the object starts moving     

Detection of superoxide anion radical in a stratum corneum intercellular lipid model using an electrochemical sensor

A stratum corneum intercellular lipid model was prepared in a quasi-non-aqueous system. It was found that the detection of the superoxide anion radical (O???) generated in the lipid model by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was possible using an electrochemical O??? sensor. The use of an electron spin resonance-spin trap method confirmed that the reactive oxygen species generated in the lipid model by UV irradiation was O???; the presence of a hydroxyl radical (?OH) was also proven. In addition, a reduction in the electric current in the O??? sensor was observed in lipid models containing added antioxidants such as d-α-tocopherol and β-carotene. Moreover, there was a correlation between the degree of oxidative degradation of the lipid, which was determined by the thiobarbituric acid method, and the electric current due to the O??? detected using the O??? sensor.     

Application of h-BN particles using Ca-assisted carbothermal reduction nitridation to high-thermal-conductive resin/h-BN composites

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles exhibit high thermal conductivity and are promising fillers for resin filling. However, h-BN particles are plate-like particles with thermal anisotropy in the planar and thickness directions. Therefore, their applications are limited due to low thermal conductivity in the direction of the thickness of a resin sheet filled with h-BN particles. In this study, we control the size and thickness of h-BN particles using carbothermal reduction nitridation (CRN), which involves the carbothermic reduction of boric oxide in an N₂ gas atmosphere and develop them into resin sheets. In CRN using a CaO promoter, a novel method is developed to control the shape, size, and thickness of h-BN particles. Using h-BN particles grown in the thickness direction, we have successfully provided resin sheets with high thermal conductivity.     

Synthesis of highly purified and crystallized h-BN using calcium-assisted carbothermal reduction nitridation

Highly purified and crystallized hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) powder is suitable as thermally conductive filler in resins. To obtain h-BN powder with large particle size, as well as high purity and crystallinity, high-temperature heat treatment over 1800°C in a N₂ gas atmosphere is effective. The carbothermal reduction nitridation (CRN) involves the carbothermic reduction of boric oxide in a N₂ gas atmosphere. In CRN using a CaO promoter, h-BN particles with high crystallinity can be obtained by a simple heat treatment process. CaO prevents the evaporation of boron oxide and aids in h-BN particle growth at high temperatures. However, CaB₆ is formed as byproduct or impurity when CRN using the CaO promoter is performed at temperatures higher than 1800°C. In this study, the relationship between the products and the reaction temperature was clarified via thermodynamic considerations and experimentation. The results clarified the ideal reaction process of CRN using a CaO promoter to obtain highly purified and crystallized h-BN powder.     

Application of 32 and 16 kb/s speech encoding techniques to digital satellite communications

This paper describes the performance of various voice encoding techniques at 32 and 16 kb/s for applying to digital satellite communication systems. The subjective performances of adaptive differential PCM (ADPCM), adaptive predictive coding (APC), subband coding (SBC) and adaptive delta modulation (ADM) are compared under various satellite channel environments, that is, random and burst channel errors in satellite link and an ambient noise in the ship-to-shore direction in a maritime satellite channel. The performance of the voiceband data at 4·8 and 2·4 kb/s is also evaluated for these coders. ADPCM encoding at 32 kb/s is very attractive for conventional fixed satellite systems, keeping the equivalent quality to 64 kb/s PCM. On the other hand, APC encoding at 16 kb/s is also most suitable for maritime satellite communication systems at the sacrifice of a small degradation of speech quality.     

Experimental study on combustion characteristics of compost using New‐type combustor

The aim of the present study is to develop the biomass furnace combustor, which can effectively use the compost as a fuel. Here, the compost that is made from pig's waste and has the calorific value of 2000 kcal/kg is employed here. Emphasis is placed on the optimum conditions of fuel and air flow rates and moisture content of the compost and the corresponding combustion gas components and combustion gas temperature in the combustor. It is found from the study that (i) except 40% of the compost's moisture content, the self‐combustion of compost as the fuel takes place, (ii) the combustion gas concentrations are affected by gas temperature, and (iii) the optimum value of the air‐to‐fuel ratio is obtained based on the gas temperature and the concentration of combustion gases. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subnanometric stabilization of plasmon-enhanced optical microscopy

We have demonstrated subnanometric stabilization of tip-enhanced optical microscopy under ambient condition. Time-dependent thermal drift of a plasmonic metallic tip was optically sensed at subnanometer scale, and was compensated in real-time. In addition, mechanically induced displacement of the tip, which usually occurs when the amount of tip-applied force varies, was also compensated in situ. The stabilization of tip-enhanced optical microscopy enables us to perform long-time and robust measurement without any degradation of optical signal, resulting in true nanometric optical imaging with high reproducibility and high precision. The technique presented is applicable for AFM-based nanoindentation with subnanometric precision.     

Chemical Fingerprinting of Heat Stress Responses in the Leaves of Common Wheat by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is known to be negatively affected by heat stress, and its production is threatened by global warming, particularly in arid regions. Thus, efforts to better understand the molecular responses of wheat to heat stress are required. In the present study, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics, was applied to develop a protocol that monitors chemical changes in common wheat under heat stress. Wheat plants at the three-leaf stage were subjected to heat stress at a 42 °C daily maximum temperature for 3 days, and this led to delayed growth in comparison to that of the control. Measurement of FTIR spectra and their principal component analysis showed partially overlapping features between heat-stressed and control leaves. In contrast, supervised machine learning through linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of the spectra demonstrated clear discrimination of heat-stressed leaves from the controls. Analysis of LDA loading suggested that several wavenumbers in the fingerprinting region (400–1800 cm⁻¹) contributed significantly to their discrimination. Novel spectrum-based biomarkers were developed using these discriminative wavenumbers that enabled the successful diagnosis of heat-stressed leaves. Overall, these observations demonstrate the versatility of FTIR-based chemical fingerprints for use in heat-stress profiling in wheat.