Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

General Electric Company

John F McDonald

Henry August Scarton

Seetha Ramaiah Mannava

Toh-Ming Lu

Warren C Kennedy

Thomas W Krawczyk

James A Moore

Guang Rong Yang

Guang-Rong Yang

Matthew W Ernest

Lu You

Paul B Crilly

Bin Wang

A via for connecting metallization layers of chips bonded in a face-to-face configuration is provided, as well as methods of fabricating the via. The via may function as an interconnection of metallization layers in three-dimensional, stacked, integrated circuits, and may enable high density, low-resistance interconnection formation.

Three-dimensional face-to-face integration assembly

According to one embodiment of the invention, a ring oscillator is provided that includes a number of stages, each of the stages being coupled to an output of at least two previous stages. This architecture is referred to hereinafter as a &ldquo;feed forward&rdquo; architecture, as signals are fed forward to further stages beyond a consecutive stage. Any number of stages may be used. This architecture represents a new topology for ring oscillator design, as ring oscillators generally include consecutive stages that each have an input from the previous stage only. In general, such an architecture achieves higher frequencies than oscillators without feed forward paths.

Feed forward voltage controlled ring oscillator

A multiplexer is provided that is symmetric in that substantially the same delay is experienced from any input of the multiplexer to the multiplexer output. It is realized that in conventional serial transmission systems, standard Current Mode Logic (CML) multiplexers are used which are asymmetric and exhibit different delays between select and data inputs. Because of these delays, conventional transmission systems experience jitter at high frequencies. To extend the operable range of communication systems, a symmetric multiplexer may be used which has substantially the same delay from any input to the multiplexed output, thus reducing jitter. For example, the multiplexer may be part of a communication system having a serial data transmission circuit.

Symmetric multiplexer

A method of depositing a polymer film onto a semiconductor wafer is provided which includes the steps of connecting the wafer to one terminal of a voltage source, connecting an electrode to an other pole of the voltage source and placing the electrode and substrate in superposed orientation to form a parallel plate capacitor, wherein an electric field is produced between the electrode and substrate. The parallel plate capacitor is placed in a chamber where pressure andc temperature are maintained at predetermined levels and gaseous monomers of the desired film to be polymerized are introduced into the chamber. The gaseous monomers are then permitted to flow between the electrode and wafer while the voltage of the electric field is maintained at a level sufficient to polarize the monomers without breaking their chemical bonds wherein the polarized monomers react to form a polymer film on the wafer at an enhanced rate.

Increase of deposition rate of vapor deposited polymer by electric field

A PA-F polymer film is formed using a mixture of 1,4-bis (trifluoromethyl) benzene (TFB) and a halogen initiator. This mixture is provided to a low pressure reactor containing a metal catalyst. The reactor is operated at a sufficient temperature to form a reactive monomer by a chemical reaction at the surface of the catalyst. The reactive monomer is condensed on the surface of a substrate cooled to a temperature sufficiently low to induce polymerization of the reactive monomer to form a PA-F polymer film. In general, the proportion of halogen initiator is about 0.25 to 50% by volume relative to the total volume of the TFB/halogen initiator mixture. The reactor is operated at a temperature of about 200.degree. to 700.degree. C. and a pressure of less than about one torr. In addition, the surface of the substrate is maintained at a temperature of about -30.degree. C. to room temperature. In the preferred approach, the halogen initiator is dibromotetrafluoro-p-xylene (DBX) and the proportion of DBX is about 1 to 5%.

Vapor deposition of parylene-F using 1,4-bis (trifluoromethyl) benzene

A periodic structure such as a diffraction grating is disposed on the surface of an object from which acoustic emissions are to be detected. A plane monochromatic light beam is incident on the periodic structure and forms a number of Bragg diffraction orders at predetermined angles. A detector positioned to intercept one of the diffraction orders receives light whose frequency has been Doppler shifted by surface motion on the object. A reference beam, also incident on the detector heterodynes with the Doppler-shifted beam so that the Doppler component can be recovered. In one embodiment, the reference beam is also incident on the surface and itself produces Bragg diffraction orders. The geometry produces up Doppler in the Bragg diffraction orders from one beam and down Doppler from the Bragg diffraction orders from the other beam and selected Bragg diffraction orders from both beams are heterodyned in the detector.

Acoustic emission analyzer

The velocity and change in velocity of a rotating or otherwise moving surface is measured by a laser Doppler technique. In particular, a diffraction grating is formed on the moving surface either by machining processes or by affixing a ready-made grating thereto. The grating surface exhibits periodicity in one or more directions, either separately or simultaneously. The presence of the grating produces Bragg order diffraction reflections at specific angles relative to the surface. These Bragg order reflections contain information, in the form of Doppler shifts, concerning the motion of the surface and the body to which it is attached. This Bragg order Doppler shift information is readily analyzable using conventional signal processing apparatus and processes to produce the desired velocity and torsional vibration information.

Laser doppler velocimeter for measuring torsional vibration

Sudden changes in arc current are slowed to mitigate the resulting noise. A sensor detects large decreases in current during initial stages of arc quench and actuate circuits to maintain ionization and current flow to avoid sharp final drop that causes loud noise impulse. Ionization can be maintained by supplying RF energy at appropriate frequency to the arc electrodes and/or by increasing the arc voltage. The sophisticated control algorithm is implemented utilizing an inexpensive microprocessor to exert proper control of arc sustaining parameters to mitigate arc quenching impulse noise.

Microprocessor based arc-air and welder noise abatement controller

A reduced operating noise nozzle for a cutting device using at least one electrode and an electric arc to cut material of a workpiece, comprises, a nose end piece disposed around the electrode which has an outer surface tapered from an outer relatively wide diameter end inwardly toward a smaller diameter end which faces the workpiece to be cut. Compressed air is directed in a substantially annular flow path along the tapered surface of the nose piece from the wide diameter end toward the smaller diameter end thereof. Noise which would have emanated from the nozzle, especially when the material of the workpiece which is melted by the arc is blown away to effect the cutting operation, will be greatly reduced.

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

John F McDonald