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The controlled electrophoretic deposition of polystyrene/divinyl/benzene (PS/DVB) star polymer films from a colloidal suspension is demonstrated. The nanostructured films could be utilized in optical and biological device applications.

A procedure for the electroless deposition of silver on films containing 99.5 percent aluminum and 0.5 percent copper is described. The deposition proceeds via the galvanic displacement mechanism by which the silver cations are reduced and copper is oxidized.

Abstract--Focused ion beam (FIB) systems are commonly used to image, repair and modify integrated circuits by cutting holes in passivation to create vias or to selectively break metal tracks. The ion beam can also be used to deposit a metal, such as platinum, to create new connections. These techniques are very useful tools for debugging designs and testing possible changes to the circuit without the expense of new mask sets or silicon. This paper presents test structures which can be used to characterize a FIB induced platinum deposition process. Sheet resistance test structures have been fabricated using a FIB tool and the results of testing these structures are presented. The sheet resistance data has been used to fabricate platinum straps with a known resistance. This extends the capability of the focused ion beam system beyond the deposition of simple conducting straps. The design of the test structures has been improved through the use of current flow simulation to investigate the effects of geometry and misalignment on the measurement accuracy. The results of these simulations are also presented. Index Terms--Deposition, FIB, focused ion beam, metrology, organometallic, sheet resistance, simulation, test structures, van der Pauw method.

In this paper, we have shown that the sputter etch before cobalt deposition during the silicide processing of a deep submicron CMOS device fabrication needs to be optimized in order to eliminate a detrimental origin of gate (G) to source (S)/drain (D) bridging. It is known that Co cannot reduce even a thin layer of native oxide. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that Co is deposited on a very clean Si surface. To ensure this, an in-situ sputter etch is commonly conducted before Co deposition. It is observed that this sputter etch process can sputter Si from the S/D area and deposit them on the sidewall spacer (SWS). This sputtered Si in turn will react with deposited Co and form silicide. The worst case leakage currents from poly-Si to composite for long (10 m) and narrow (0.18 micron) poly lines are shown to be on the order of milliampere. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs included show the existence of cobalt silicide layers (~ 8 nm thick) over sidewall spacer. The silicide thickness on the sidewall spacer is correlated with resistance value calculated from current and voltage (I-V) measurements. The need for optimizing the sputter etch recipe has been validated by TEM and I-V measurements. Index Terms--CMOS processing, cobalt silicide, G to S/D bridging, sidewall spacer, sputter etch.

A method to reduce macroparticles, increase the deposition rate, and improve the coating quality in the cathodic vacuum arc deposition process is suggested. This method is based on the creation of emission-active phases on the cathode surface, and changing the melting point of surface layers of the cathode material and its work function. TiN coatings with a surface roughness of about 0.02 [[micro]meter] and microhardness [H.sub.v] about 4000 were deposited (compared with 0.085 [[micro]meter] Ra and 2900 [H.sub.v] for the conventional process). The method was successfully employed for the deposition of smooth coatings of AlN, (Ti,Al)N, and other compounds. Index Terms - Coatings, reactive gas, vacuum arc.

A filtered cathodic arc source has been used to deposit thin films of titanium nitride. The properties of the films are influenced by the nature of the condensation process. TiN films may be deposited directly onto heated substrates in a nitrogen atmosphere or onto unbiased substrates at ambient temperature by condensing the [Ti.sup.+] ion beam under [Mathematical Expression Omitted] nitrogen ion bombardment. In the latter case, the film stoichiometry was varied from an N:Ti ratio of 0.8 to 1.2 by controlling the relative arrival rates of Ti and nitrogen ions. Simple models are used to describe the evolution of compressive stress as a function of arrival ratio and the composition of the [Mathematical Expression Omitted] ion-assisted TiN films. Index Terms - Cathodic arc, stoichiometry, stress, thin films, titanium nitride.

Hydrogen-free amorphous carbon films with hardness comparable to crystalline superhard materials have been deposited by special pulsed arc techniques. With the combination of very high hardness, high smoothness, and low adhesion activity to other materials which are in contact with them, these films show superior behavior in wear and slide applications. The influence of plasma and deposition conditions on these film properties and the choice of optimum conditions are discussed.

Ion beam assisted deposition is used to create textured yttria-stabilized-zirconia buffer layers on flexible nickel substrates prior to the preparation of high current YBa2Cu3O7-gamma thick films. This approach enables the formation of c-oriented thick films with strong in-plane textures. The films produced using this method also exhibit excellent resistance to high magnetic fields at cryogenic temperatures.

The KrF pulsed laser deposition technique is used to prepare a YBaCuO thin film on a flexible metallic substrate with a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) buffer layer for suppressing the interdiffusion between the substrate and the film. The use of the YSZ layer allows optimum control of the c-axis arrangement and orientation of the thin film by minimizing the formation of particles.

A new method is proposed for the in situ deposition of high quality yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) films at a substrate temperature of over 700 degrees centigrade. The method uses yttria-stabilized zirconia as a buffer layer to enable the substrate to absorb the radiant heat and obtain c-axis oriented films. The applicability of the proposed deposition method is validated by its application on the preparation of YBCO films on lanthanum aluminate and sapphire substrates.

A new high-quantity in-line dc-magnetron sputter deposition metallization technique for the formation of grafted multilayer thin film modules was presented. The technique produced devices with high reliability and low defect levels and provided layered metal systems with either discrete or phased interfaces. When plasma optimization was used, deposit thickness variation over the deposition area was effectively controlled throughout the life of the targets.

Electronic systems that use rugged lightweight plastics potentially offer attractive characteristics (low-cost processing, mechanical flexibility, large area coverage, etc.) that are not easily achieved with established silicon technologies. This paper summarizes work that demonstrates many of these characteristics in a realistic system: organic active matrix backplane circuits (256 transistors) for large ([approximately equals] 5 x 5-inch) mechanically flexible sheets of electronic paper, an emerging type of display. The success of this effort relies on new or improved processing techniques and materials for plastic electronics, including methods for (i) rubber stamping (microcontact printing) high-resolution ([approximately equals] 1 [micro]m) circuits with low levels of defects and good registration over large areas, (ii) achieving low leakage with thin dielectrics deposited onto surfaces with relief, (iii) constructing high-performance organic transistors with bottom contact geometries, (iv) encapsulating these transistors, (v) depositing, in a repeatable way, organic semiconductors with uniform electrical characteristics over large areas, and (vi) low-temperature ([approximately equals] 100 [degrees] C) annealing to increase the on/off ratios of the transistors and to improve the uniformity of their characteristics. The sophistication and flexibility of the patterning procedures, high level of integration on plastic substrates, large area coverage, and good performance of the transistors are all important features of this work. We successfully integrate these circuits with microencapsulated electrophoretic 'inks' to form sheets of electronic paper.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were deposited on [Al.sub.2][O.sub.3]-TiC substrate of head sliders by filtered cathodic arc (FCA), ion beam (IB), electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) and sputtering (SP) with thicknesses of 5, 10 and 20 nm. Drag and CSS tests were performed using a commercial laser-textured disk. The interface failures, correlated to tribological properties of coatings on the head slider and disk surfaces, are discussed. The IB coatings show the longest interface durability whereas sputtered DLC coatings show the lowest interface durability. However, if DLC coatings on the head slider and disk surfaces are deposited with the compatible elastic modulus, based on mechanical characterization it is believed that FCA and ECR-CVD may also hold a promise for superior tribological performance. Index Terms--Deposition technique, diamond-like carbon, head-disk interface, tribology.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide-band gap semiconductor and one of the more promising materials for use in high-temperature high-power devices because of its thermal chemical, and mechanical stability. Still, [...]