Low-order modeling and dynamic characterization of rapid thermal processing

A low-order model of rapid thermal processing (RTP) of semiconductor wafers is derived. The first-principles nonlinear model describes the static and dynamic thermal behavior of a wafer with approximate spatial temperature uniformity undergoing rapid heating and cooling in a multilamp RTP chamber. The model is verified experimentally for a range of operating temperatures from 400° C to 900° C and pressures of 1 Torr and 1 atmosphere in an inert N₂ environment. Theoretical predictions suggest model validity over a still wider range of operating conditions. One advantage of the low-order model over previous high-order and statistical models is that the proposed model contains a small number of fundamental parameters and functions that, if necessary, are easily identifiable. Furthermore, because of reduced computational complexity, the low-order model can be used in real-time predictive applications including signal processing and process control design. In studying and verifying the model, the dynamic behavior of a semiconductor wafer undergoing rapid temperature changes is characterized. Close comparison between theory and experiment in terms of the wafer eigenvalue and dc gain is demonstrated; the strong nonlinear effects of temperature are shown. Convective heat transfer losses are also examined and are shown to increase with radial position on the wafer.     

Siderophore Transport in Mycobacteria Analyzed by Mössbauer Spectroscopy: Possible Routes to Novel Antibiotics against These Organisms?

Iron uptake of the ⁵⁷Fe-siderophores ferricrocin, rhizoferrin and citrate in M. smegmatis was analyzed by in situ Mössbauer spectroscopy. Siderophore dependent uptake and metabolic utilization patterns of ⁵⁷Fe were found. Rhizoferrin is accumulated in the organism and, therefore, represents a suitable candidate for the synthesis of novel siderophore-antibiotics conjugates.     

Excimer Laser Processing of Grey Cast Iron: Microstructural and Tribological Characterization

Pearlitic grey iron was treated by means of a XeCl laser to remelt only a shallow layer. This process allows to modify the heteregeneous surfaces of cast irons in order to improve their tribological behaviour. The energy density ranged from 0.3 to 3 J/cm² and the number of shots from 4 to 40. It is shown that after laser irradiation austenite is formed in the melted layer; compressive stresses at the surface were exhibited as well as the deposition of graphite and the formation of carbides. It is shown that excimer laser processing highly decreases the coefficient of friction and the wear rate. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spectral Theory of Perturbative Decays

We propose a complex approach to evaluating afunction sum of two noncommuting non-Hermitianoperators. We propose an explicit expansion of theevolution operator in the case of the neutral K-mesonsystem influenced by an external interaction. Theimportance is pointed out of considering the algebraicexpansion of the time evolution operator whenever thedynamics decouples the internal transitions andcenter-of-mass motion.     

Ferromagnetic resonance in multilayer [Fe/Cr]n structures with noncollinear magnetic ordering

The excitation spectrum in an [Fe/Cr]n multilayer structure with non-collinear magnetic ordering was studied by the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) method in the frequency interval 9.5–37 GHz at room temperature. Besides an acoustic branch, several additional modes were observed under parallel excitation of resonance. The FMR spectrum was calculated analytically in a biquadratic exchange model, neglecting in-plane anisotropy, for an infinite number of layers in the structure and numerically for a finite number of layers contained in real samples. It was shown that the observed modes correspond to excitation of standing spin waves with wave vectors perpendicular to the film plane. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 9, 690–695 (10 May 1998)     

Theory of mixed-polarization propagation in anisotropic cubic media

Polarization dynamics are considered in the presence of an anisotropic Kerr non-linearity in the most common semiconductor waveguide geometry. The equations of motion are formulated in terms of Stokes polarization parameters and their Hamiltonian form is derived. Stationary solutions and their stability are found for plane-wave propagation. It is found that the non-integrable problem of mixed-polarization spatial soliton dynamics can be largely explained in terms of the equivalent plane-wave solutions.     

Level statistics inside the core of a superconductive vortex

A microscopic theory of the Efetov supermatrix sigma-model type is constructed for the low-lying electron states in a mixed superconductive-normal system with disorder. This technique is used for the study of the localized states in the core of a vortex in a moderately clean superconductor with τ ⁻¹≫ω ₀∼Δ²/E _F . At low energies ε≪ω _Th∼ (ω ₀/τ)^1/2, the energy level statistics is described by the “zero-dimensional” limit of this supermatrix theory, and the result for the density of states is equivalent to that obtained within Altland-Zirnbauer random matrix model. Nonzero modes of the sigma model increase the mean interlevel distance by the relative amount [2 ln (1/ω ₀ τ)]⁻¹. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 1, 78–83 (10 July 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Statistical hydrodynamics of magnetic fluids. I. the nonequilibrium statistical operator method

The Zubarev nonequilibrium statistical operator is used to describe the generalized hydrodynamic state of a magnetic fluid in an external magnetic field. The magnetic fluid is modeled with “liquid-state” and “magnetic” subsystems described using the classical and quantum statistics methods respectively. Equations of the generalized statistical hydrodynamics for a magnetic fluid in a nonhomogeneous external magnetic field with the Heisenberg spin interaction are derived for “liquid-state” and “magnetic” subsystems characterized by different nonequilibrium temperatures. These equations can be used to describe both the weakly and strongly nonequilibrium states. Some limiting cases are analyzed in which the variables of one of the subsystems can be formally neglected. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika. Vol. 115, No. 1, pp. 132–153, April, 1998.     

Isolation of acetic acid-tolerant Baker’s yeast variants in a turbidostat

A commercial baker’s yeast was subjected to selection in a continuous turbidostat cultivation with increasing concentration of acetic acid. The final acetic acid content in fresh medium was 0.6% or 0.8% v/v. Two of seven selected variants were stable over 15 sequential shake flask cultivations without selection pressure. After laboratory scale production of baker’s yeast, one of the variants also showed increased acetic acid tolerance in sour dough. The overall raising power (mL CO₂/h) in sour dough was improved 36%.     

351 nm, 0.7 ns laser damage thresholds of monomeric liquid-crystalline systems

The 351 nm laser-damage thresholds (at 0.7 nm pulse length) of monomeric liquid crystals are reported and results from aromatic-core samples are compared with those from fully saturated systems. The role of π-electron conjugation is examined and identified as the key cause for laser damage. For UV laser compatibility of devices, the damage behaviour of an alignment-layer polymer (nylon 6/6) was also investigated.