Tektronix, Inc.

Philips Electronics North America Corporation

Technical Visions Inc.

Novellus Systems Incorporated

Other

Brillian Corporation

Kevin J Ilcisin

Thomas S Buzak

Paul C Martin

Babar Ali Khan

Jacob Bruinink

Karel E Kuijk

Adrianus Leonardus Burgmans

Petrus Franciscus Bongaerts

Henri R Van Helleputte

Robert D Hinchliffe

Mark Windsor Roberson

Bart Jan Van Schravendijk

Ming Chu Li

John S Moore

Tom Mountsier

Chiu Chi

Henri R J R Van Helleputte

Petrus F G Bongaerts

Adrianus L J Burgmans

Julian Hsieh

Douglas J McKnight

Bhadri N Varadarajan

James Samuel Sims

Sean C Chang

David Mordo

Dennis W Prince

Michael Carris

Guangquan Lu

Hans J Den Biggelaar

Mandar Pandit

Henri Roger Van Helleputte

Gordon J Paynter

A highly tensile dielectric layer is generated on a heat sensitive substrate while not exceeding thermal budget constraints. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is used to produce highly tensile films to be used, for example, in strained NMOS transistor architectures. UV curing of as-deposited PECVD silicon nitride films, for example, has been shown to produce films with stresses of at least 1.65 E10 dynes/cm. Other dielectric capping layer film materials show similar results. In transistor implementations, the stress from a source/drain region capping layer composed of such a film is uniaxially transferred to the NMOS channel through the source-drain regions to create tensile strain in the NMOS channel.

Tensile dielectric films using UV curing

A nitrogen-free anti-reflective layer for use in semiconductor photolithography is fabricated in a chemical vapor deposition process, optionally plasma-enhanced, using a gaseous mixture of carbon, silicon, and oxygen sources. By varying the process parameters, a substantially hermetic layer with acceptable values of the refractive index n and extinction coefficient k can be obtained. The nitrogen-free moisture barrier anti-reflective layer produced by this technique improves plasma etch of features such as vias in subsequent processing steps.

Methods of forming moisture barrier for low K film integration with anti-reflective layers

Methods of forming moisture barrier for low k film integration with anti-reflective layers

Methods and apparatus for adjusting or reducing intrinsic DC offset potential in a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) are taught. The methods allow the upper and lower assemblies of the LCD device to be manufactured with selected materials while achieving adjusted or reduced intrinsic DC offset potential in the finished LCD device. The methods are especially useful for reflective LCD designs where it is not possible to build the LCD with symmetric assemblies.

Method and apparatus for adjusted DC offset potential in a liquid crystal display (LCD) device

Chemoluminescent illuminators are used to provide night visible game equipment, notably, croquet and bocce. The balls are hollow metal spheres having plural openings and light stick receptors to retain the light stick in the ball. Light emitted from the light stick escapes from the opaque balls through the openings. The interior surface of the sphere may be treated in a variety of ways to increase light scattering within the hollow interior to define an integrating sphere. Different colored illuminators are provided to mark different balls as relating to different players. Wickets preferably comprise elongate chemoluminescent illuminators that are held in proximity to conventional wickets with torsional springs or with loops formed in the wickets. Wicket holders may also be provided to assist with directly supporting the chemoluminescent illuminators that are used as wickets. Stakes and mallets are provided with receptacles to accept chemoluminescent illuminators so as to illuminate the stakes for nighttime visibility.

Day and night croquet and bocce

Chemoluminescent illuminators are used in night visible game equipment, notably, croquet and bocce. Game balls overcome rotational wobble tendencies resulting from perturbations in the rotational moments of inertia. The balls are at least partially transparent or translucent and include a receptacle for receiving a chemoluminescent illuminator. Different colored illuminators are provided to mark different balls as relating to different players. In one embodiment the balls have relatively thin outer walls and internal metallic rings to contribute a majority of the necessary weight and to add differential weighting to equalize the moments of inertia around all three axes. Wickets comprise chemoluminescent illuminators held in proximity to conventional wickets. Wicket holders may assist with supporting the illuminators. Stakes and mallets accept chemoluminescent illuminators to illuminate the stakes.

A plasma addressed display or storage device includes a substrate and at least first and second plasma electrodes on an upper surface of the substrate. The first plasma electrode is connected to an external potential and the second plasma electrode is not ohmically connected to an external potential.

AC palc display device with floating electrode

A PALC panel is operated by driving a channel electrode to a positive voltage relative to the data drive electrode to initiate an AC discharge in the channel and thereafter maintaining a sufficient voltage between the channel electrodes to sustain a DC discharge in the channel.

Method of operating a plasma addressed liquid crystal display device to reduce sputtering

An array of parallel spaced fiber segments is attached to the flat upper surface of a transparent plate. The transparent plate and the fiber segments preferably are made of glass, with the fiber segments bonded to the transparent plate with fused glass frit or by sintering under pressure. The plate and attached fiber segments suitably are embodied in the channel substrate for a plasma-addressed display device, such as a PALC panel.

Liquid crystal display device employing fiber spacers

A flat display device, preferably of the PALC type, in which the plasma channels are formed by etching laterally-spaced slots in a spacer plate, attaching a thin dielectric sheet over the etched spacer plate, and bonding the etched spacer plate to a transparent substrate such that each channel is formed by the portion of the substrate between flanking walls formed by the etched slots in the spacer plate, adjacent flanking walls in the spacer plate, and the overlying portion of the thin dielectric sheet. In a modification, strengthening crossbars are formed between adjacent flanking walls.

Plasma addressed liquid crystal display with glass spacers

A PALC panel which includes a layer of insulating material over the plasma electrodes and in which the cover sheet is spaced from the layer of insulating material at a distance of less than about 50 &mgr;m.

Plasma addressed liquid crystal display device

A PALC panel is operated by increasing the voltage between the channel electrodes to a firing voltage to create a plasma in the channel, reducing the voltage between the channel electrodes to a sustaining voltage to sustain the plasma for an interval during which a selected drive voltage is applied to the data drive electrode to establish an electric field in the layer of electro-optic material, and reducing the voltage between the channel electrodes to a bias voltage, which is insufficient to sustain the plasma but provides an electric field having a component parallel to the cover sheet in the layer of electro-optic material.

Method of operating a plasma addressed liquid crystal (PALC) panel

Cathode structure for a palc panel

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Kevin J Ilcisin