Copper CMP is a corrosion-wear process, in which mechanical and chemical-electrochemical phenomena interact synergistically. Existing models generally treat copper CMP as a corrosion enhanced wear process. However, the underlying mechanisms suggest that copper CMP would be better modeled as a wear enhanced corrosion process, where intermittent asperity/abrasive action enhances the local oxidation rate, and is followed by time-dependent passivation of copper. In this work an integrated tribo-chemical model of material removal at the asperity/abrasive scale was developed. Abrasive and pad properties, process parameters, and slurry chemistry are all considered. Three important components of this model are the passivation kinetics of copper in CMP slurry chemicals; the mechanical response of protective films on copper; and the interaction frequency of copper with abrasives/pad asperities. The material removal rate during copper CMP was simulated using the tribo-chemical model, using input parameters obtained experimentally in accompanying research or from the literature.

We describe a new technique for rapidly measuring average dislocation density and for mapping dislocation distribution of crystalline and multicrystalline silicon wafers. The wafer is etched in Sopori etch and the light scattered by dislocation etch pits is used to statistically count the pits.We also describe a unique arrangement for wafer illumination and measurement of scattered light that allows each dislocation map to be generated very rapidly—typically in less than 20 ms.The measurement system is now commercially available and has capabilities for measuring many other physical parameters of wafers and solar cells

Compound formation properties of very finely layered Mg/Al laminate composite (“super laminate composite”) were investigated. Almost uniform Mg17Al12 compound was obtained by heat treatment of the super laminate at 673K in less than 0.6ks(10 minutes). The rate control process of the compound formation is thought to be the diffusion of Mg in Al. Hydrogenation properties of thus obtained Mg17Al12 compound were also studied and its absorption capacity and dissociation pressure were almost the same as those previously reported material, which was prepared by a longer time heat treatment.

The electric-field-induced resistance switching (EIRS) phenomenon on a VO2 planar-type junction fabricated on a Al2O3 (0001) substrate was studied by performing current-voltage (I-V) measurement and optical microscope observation simultaneously. It was confirmed that current density J of the low-resistance-state (LRS) region is maintained constant at approximately 1.6 × 106 A/cm2, while the volume of the LRS region was changed according to the current. A survey of the previous I-V traces on EIRS of VO2 revealed that almost all the junctions so far had shown non-zero V-intercepts, which are attributed to the volume change of the LRS regions. The maintenance of high-J in the LRS region is considered to be related to the electrically-induced metallic phase mechanism reported in perovskite-type manganites.

Visible-light-driven Ag3VO4 photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis method. Under various hydrothermal conditions, the structures of silver vanadates were tuned by manipulating the hydrothermal time and the ratio of silver to vanadium. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal that the powders prepared in a stoichiometric ratio consisted of pure α-Ag3VO4 or mixed phases of Ag4V2O7 and α-Ag3VO4. With increasing the Ag-to-V mole ratio to 6:1, the resulting samples were identified as pure monoclinic structure α-Ag3VO4. UV-vis spectroscopy indicated that silver vanadate particles had strong visible light absorption with associated band gaps in the range of 2.2-2.5 eV. The sample synthesized in the excess silver exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than that synthesized in a stoichiometric ratio. The powder synthesized at silver-rich at 140℃ for 4 h (SHT4) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity among all samples. The reactivity of SHT4 (surface area, 3.52 m2 g-1) on the decomposition of gaseous benzene was about 16 times higher than that of P25 (surface area, 49.04 m2 g-1) under visible light irradiation. A well developed crystallinity of Ag3VO4 of SHT 4 was considered to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency.

The first steps in the synthesis of nanostructures are followed through UV-Vis and correlated with photoluminescence and images taken by SEM and TEM. Colloids permit the control in the atomic arrangement and the formation of nanostructures used to build cluster of materials. The size of the cluster in the colloid is around 5 nm. After the formation of the colloid a hydrothermal growth and microwave heating allows the formation of an ensemble of nano-sheet. This work is aim in the direction to controls the synthesis and the properties of materials with potential applications as active optical materials.

Poly(butylene fumerate) (PBF) and poly(butylene fumerate)-co-(butylene maleate) (PBFcBM) have been synthesized from the ring opening and condensation reactions of maleic anhydride (MA) and 1,3-butanediol (BD). PBFcBM synthesized in this way contains greater than 85% maleate groups. Both PBF and PBFcBM have a glass transition temperature (Tg) below room temperature and therefore cannot be electrospun using the conventional electrospinning process as a non-porous film results. To facilitate production of nonwoven micro- and nano-fiber mats, a UV-source (λ=356 nm) was used in combination with a photoinitator loaded polymer solution to initiate the crosslinking reaction of the fumerate and maleate functional groups as the fibers were produced. The resulting non-woven fiber mats are potentially suitable scaffolds for tissue engineering and drug delivery application.

In this work, size-classified substrate-free Zn nanocrystals (NCs) are prepared and investigated for their oxidation kinetics using an in-flight tandem ion-mobility method. The first mobility characterization size selects the NCs, while the second mobility characterization measures changes in mass resulting from a controlled oxidation of the NCs. This method allows for a direct measurement of mass change of individual particles and thus enables us to explore the intrinsic reactivity of NCs while minimizing the sampling error introduced by mass and heat transfer. Two reaction regimes were observed for Zn NC oxidation. A shrinking core model is used to extract the size-dependent oxidation activation energies. We also observed a strong anisotropy effect in the oxidation process as imaged by electron microscopy. An oxidation mechanism is proposed that qualitatively explains the oxidation anisotropy and its relationship to the surface energy of the Zn NCs.

Adhesive strength of the oxidation layers on carbon steel was evaluated by means of a laser shock method, which uses a pulsed laser to generate shock wave. Oxidation for 200 hours in air created 10-micron-thick magnetite on carbon steel. Typical strength of the layer was evaluated to be about 50MPa at ambient temperature. The adhesive strength was varied from around one-tenth of yield stress to the ultimate tensile strength of the base materials. The adhesive strength of the oxide layer depended on test temperature. It is possible that the adhesive strength becomes an essential parameter for the evaluation of the protective layers.

Here we developed a new method to prepare the liquid crystal particles by first synthesizing the monodisperse hollow inorganic spheres and then allowing the liquid crystals to infiltrate into the hollow spheres. The resulting liquid crystal colloidal particles have a diameter of 285nm with a low polydispersity of 0.03. DSC thermograms showed a clear peak at around 30 degree, indicating the isotropic-nematic transition of liquid crystals encapsulated in the silica shells. The inorganic shells can prevent liquid crystals inside from leaking out and also hold the spherical shape of colloidal particles after the evaporation of the dispersant. A thin film assembled by the liquid crystal colloidal particles was also prepared in this report.

A survey of state of the art of the development of high temperature materials is presented and will be discussed in comparison to the situation in the 1990th. An attempt will be made to assess the state of the art of the materials thermoelectric properties, their technical level, and possible potential for standardized device technology. Also a first assessment based on current commodity prices for some important thermoelectric compounds will be made.As a roundup advantages and drawbacks for some classical and upcoming compounds will be given. The main challenges, which will have to be overcome to finally enable thermoelectric power generation as a recycling technology of “nomadic” energy, will be summarized. As a result, thermoelectrics should play an important role in the field of green energies.

This paper investigates the failure causes for slopped through silicon vias (TSV) and presents process improvement for implementing the slopped TSV for 3D wafer level packaging (WLP). IMEC is developing slopped and scaled generic approaches for 3D WLP. Previously we have reported on the integrated process flow for the slopped (TSV) and showed the feasibility of Parylene N as a dielectric material. In the TSV process discussed here, firstly 200mm device wafer is bonded facedown on a carrier using temporary glue layer and thinned by grinding. TSV's are realized by dry etching from the wafer backside, followed by dielectric deposition and patterning. Dielectric patterning is done at the bottom of the via on 100 microns thin silicon device wafer supported by the carrier. Finally, conformal plating is done inside the via to obtain the interconnections.

This paper discusses the yield killer or failure causes in the slopped TSV process. There can be many parameter including silicon etch uniformity, dielectric etching at the bottom of the via and resist residue inside the via that can reduce the yield of the process. We report that one of the main factors contributing to the yield loss is silicon dry etching effects including non-uniformity and notching. Using standard Bosch etching process, notching at the interface between landing oxide and silicon has been observed. The notching cause a discontinuity at the bottom of the via resulting in no plating at the bottom interface.

In this paper we report on a new via shape that is a combination of slopped and straight etching sequence to overcome the notching problem. Different parameters including influence of grinding marks, mask opening, wafer thickness variation, etching rate and etching profile across the wafer were investigated. The optimized design rules for mask opening and effect of individual etching parameters on the etching profile will be presented. In etching, firstly a sloped via with slope of 60 degrees is optimized with changing different etching parameters including different gasses and pressure. Slope via facilitates in subsequent dielectric deposition and sputtering processes. Secondly, a straight wall etching process based on Bosch process and soft landing step with longer passivation steps were investigated to obtain the notch free etching profile. The optimized etching process is notch free, very repeatable and total variation across different wafers is less then 2 percent for 100 micron target opening.

This paper reports the failure analysis of TSV and discuses the processes improvement to obtain higher yielding vias. Different parameters that reduced the yield are discussed with main focus on notching effects during silicon etching. An improved and characterized, notch free uniform silicon etching across the wafer process based on two step etching is presented. An integration flow implementing the above optimized parameters with electrical yield will be detailed in the paper.

The obtention of iron aluminium silicate- phosphate glasses including U3O8 oxide has been carried out and the study of crystalline phases formation. A serie of these original glasses have been investigated by thermal cycles at 780? C for promoting the nucleation and growth of crystalline phases of iron aluminium phosphates including U3O8 in the 5.1- 13.71 wt% range. Thermal expansion and DTA/G analysis have been carried out showing behaviour trend to crystallization of these glasses. The glass with higher uranium oxide content shows liquid phase in phase separation which change of microstructure during HREM observations. It seems produced a pulsed order- disorder processing which takes place under the electron beam. This effect first observed in TEM-HREM on phase separation droplets is discussed.

Low density Nitinol shape memory alloy honeycombs were fabricated using a new Nb-based brazing method, which demonstrated enhanced shape memory and superelastic properties under in-plane compression. Adaptive, light-weight cellular structures present interesting possibilities for design of new architectures and novel applications. This paper presents an overview of ongoing work to address the multi-scale stability of superelastic, thin-walled, SMA honeycombs and the need for design and simulation tools.

Measuring elastic properties of cells has gained importance in the study of malignant transformations. The stiffness of a cell, which is technically referred to as the modulus of elasticity or Young's Modulus, E, is the measure of the amount of cell deformation caused by an applied known force. In vitro studies have shown that cancer cells have much lower elastic stiffness than normal cells. These stiffness measurements and their differences can be used to study the behavioral mechanics of how cancer cells grow, profligate, and die in a patient. Another important use of this difference in elasticity is in cancer detection.

In this study, we explore the viability of measuring the elastic modulus of cancer cells by using a method that only requires the use of a low magnification microscope and a digital camera. In particular we are interested in applying the previously reported relationship between the wrinkling of thin films and the elastic properties of freely floating polystyrene (PS) films. Our work extends the scope of previous thin film studies by evaluating wrinkle formation in floating polystyrene films coated with biological cells. Our results show that the wrinkle formation is modified, both in morphology and in size, by the presence of a cellular monolayer on top of the PS film.

This contribution illustrates the synthesis of nitrogen-containing hydrothermal carbon particles from a mixture of glucose, as carbon source, and different types of proteins, as nitrogen sources. Casein, ovalbumin, hemoglobin and gelatin were chosen here as model compounds. The particle size and the level of structural order could be tuned according to the protein type and the amount utilized.

Designing magnetic shape memory materials with practicable engineering applications requires a thorough understanding of their electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties. Experimental and computational studies on such materials provide differing perspectives on the same problems, with theoretical approaches offering fundamental insight into complex experimental phenomena. Many recent computational approaches have focused on first-principles calculations, all of which have been successful in reproducing ground-state structures and properties such as lattice parameters, magnetic moments, electronic density of states, and phonon dispersion curves. With all of these successes, however, such methods fail to include the effects of finite temperatures, effects which are critical in understanding how these properties couple to the experimentally-observed martensitic transformation. To this end, we apply the quasi-harmonic theory of lattice dynamics to predict the finite-temperature mechanical properties of Ni-Mn-In magnetic shape memory alloy. We employ first-principles calculations in which we include vibrational contributions to the free energy. By constructing a free energy surface in volume/temperature space, we are able to evaluate key thermodynamic properties such as entropy, enthalpy, and specific heat. We further report the elastic constants for the austenite and martensite phases and evaluate their role as a driving force for martensitic transformation.

Nb-Ti-Ni alloy is one of the candidates for hydrogen permeation membranes. The hydrogen permeability of a membrane depends on its thickness, and mechanical properties such as the fracture toughness of the membrane are important to ensure reliability and durability. In the present work, micro-mechanical tests have been carried out for melt-spun Nb-Ti-Ni thin films consisting of amorphous and nano-crystalline phases. The relationship between the mechanical properties of the melt-spun films and the microstructural changes occurring in the films due to heat treatment has been also discussed. The Nb-Ti-Ni alloy thin films were prepared by the melt-spun technique and then heat-treated at 873-1173 K. Micro-sized cantilever specimens with dimensions of 10 × 10 × 50 μm3 were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) machining. Fracture tests were carried out using a mechanical testing machine for the micro-sized specimens; the testing machine was developed by us. In addition, microstructures were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The fracture toughness (K Q) value decreased up to 823 K, and it increased above 1173 K. The specimen heat-treated above 1173 K showed ductile fracture. The fracture morphology of the specimen heat-treated up to 1023 K showed grain boundary fracture characteristics, and that of the specimen heat-treated at 1173 K changed to transgranular fracture.

Ultrafast picosecond laser pulses of wavelength of 1064nm have allowed the surface modification of anodised aluminium plate for potential industrial application. The interaction of the laser with the substrate created a hydrophilic surface, giving a contact angle of less than 10 degrees. On examination under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), it was observed that these surfaces have an interesting ‘lotus-leaf’ like structure. It has been found that these laser processed hydrophilic surfaces revert with time. The potential for application in the printing industry is strong due to the reusability and sustainability of the process materials; initial trials confirm this. This technology would offer extra advantages as a non-chemical process without the need for developer, thereby reducing the overall cost and time of printing.

Glassy polymeric carbon (GPC) is a material commonly used for making electrodes for cyclic voltammetric (CV) and amperometric measurements. Previous work done at Alabama A&M University (AAMU) has shown that high energy ion beams can be used to improve the physical properties of GPC in general. In this work, we fabricated a glassy polymeric carbon electrode and we used carbon ions to activate it. Surface analyses including Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were performed to compare the changes in surface morphology and structure before and after carbon ion bombardment.