The NSF Science and Technology Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) is supporting a major scientific legacy project called the CfAO Treasury Survey (CATS). CATS is obtaining near-infrared AO data in deep HST survey fields, such as GEMS, GOODS-N, & EGS. Besides summarizing the main objectives of CATS, we highlight some recent imaging work on the study of distant field galaxies, AGNs, and a redshift z = 1.32 supernova. CATS plans the first data release to the community in early 2007 (check http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~irlab/cats/index.shtml for more details on CATS and latest updates).

Abstract. We propose novel stress metrology technique for measurement of local values stress tensor components in the coated wafers. New metrology is based on fiber-optic low coherence interferometry and can be applied to study stress not only in semicondiuctor wafers but in wide variety applications spanning from semiconductor to construction industry where measurements of plates covered by thin film encountered in flat panel displayes, solar cells, modern windows.

Single probe infrared low coherence optical interferometry has been proven to be an effective tool for characterization of thin and ultra-thin semiconductor Si and compound materials wafers. Its application was however limited to wafers transparent at probing wavelength, and having relatively smooth surfaces. Purpose of this paper is to present an extension of low coherence interferometry to characterization of non-transparent wafers, and wafers with rough surfaces.

A novel, non-contact method for determination of ultra-shallow junction sheet resistance and leakage current density has been developed based on monitoring the dynamics of photo-generated carriers by means of spatially separated capacitive probes. At light modulation frequencies of about 100 kHz, spatially resolved surface voltage signals give a direct measure of the junction sheet resistance, independent of the junction depth. At lower light modulation frequencies, the junction leakage current density is determined. Combining capacitive monitoring of modulated photo-generated free carriers with a precision wafer motion stage allows for rapid acquisition of sheet resistance and leakage data for efficient wafer-scale mapping applications.

We present the Tully-Fisher relation in cluster Cl0024+1654 at z=0.4. We find that our sample of 15 distant cluster members are ⋐ 0.5 mag overluminous as compared to local galaxies, and they exhibit slightly more Tully-Fisher scatter. This scatter is correlated with galaxy colours and sizes such that the smallest and bluest Cl0024 members in our sample are most overluminous.

We present application of low coherence interferometry to characterization of ultra-thin MEMs structures such as membranes in micro-machined devices.