Abstract:
This disclosure is concerned with a process of and apparatus for producing relatively low energy electron beams through pulsed cold-cathode beam generation in a mode of operation involving an important intermediate region of a substantially linear depth-dose profile characteristic that reduces the sensitivity to possible voltage variations, and with improved triggering structures that significantly improve reliability and minimize erractic pulse genera- _ tion and missing pulses, thus particularly adapting the process and apparatus for such stringent applications as production-line steritization of surfaces, materials or workpieces passed by the apparatus.
Abstract:
This disclosure is concerned with a process of and apparatus for producing relatively low energy electron beams through pulsed cold-cathode beam generation in a mode of operation involving an important intermediate region of a substantially linear depth-dose profile characteristic that reduces the sensitivity to possible voltage variations, and with improved triggering structures that significantly improve reliability and minimize erratic pulse generation and missing pulses, thus particularly adapting the process and apparatus for such stringent applications as production-line sterilization of surfaces, materials orworkpieces passed by the apparatus.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method of forming a three- dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, comprising a method of operating a triode electron beam source including a cathode (102), a grid (104) and an anode (106) with the following steps: (a) setting an electron beam current, a cathode heating power, a grid potential Ug and a cathode potential Uc to predetermined start values; (b) reducing the cathode heating power and decreasing a Ug - Uc potential difference for mainintainig a predetermined electron beam current; (c) detecting an X-ray signal emanating from the electron beam source with at least one X-ray detector (190); (d) repeating said reducing and detecting steps until the detected X- ray signal is above a predetermined value; and (e) increasing the cathode heating power by a predetermined safety value above the heating power value which resulted in X-ray signals above said predetermined value. Thereby, the lowest acceptable cathode heating power without affacting the electron beam current is determined and thus the lifetime of the cathode element is prolonged.
Abstract:
The present application is directed to methods and devices for altering material properties of lubricants and other cross-linkable compounds comprising organic or organometallic materials through exposure to energized gaseous species. The energized gaseous species may create reactive sites among lubricant molecules that may alter their material properties by cross-linking at least a portion of the lubricant molecules. The cross-linked lubricant may reduce the ability of the lubricant to migrate away when force is applied between lubricated sliding friction surfaces.
Abstract:
A vacuum chamber for passivation and/or stripping a photoresist layer formed on a semiconductor substrate. The chamber includes an internal chamber body that forms a cavity to surround the substrate and has a plurality of gas passages extending therethrough to the cavity and one or more heaters to heat the internal chamber body. The internal chamber body is slidably mounted on an external chamber body that surrounds a side of the internal chamber with a gap therebetween. The device also includes: an exhaust unit operative to pump the gas from the cavity; a chamber top mounted on the internal chamber body to cover a top surface of the internal chamber body with a gap therebetween and having an opening in fluid communication with the gas passages; and a plasma source operative to energize the gas into a plasma state and coupled to the opening for fluid communication with the cavity.
Abstract:
An apparatus for imaging or fabrication using charged particles, the apparatus including: a charged particle source configured to generate a charged particle beam of ions or electrons; a sample holder mounted relative to the charged particle source to hold a sample in the charged particle beam for the imaging or fabrication; and an optical source system configured to generate an optical beam, wherein the optical source system is mounted relative to the sample holder to direct the optical beam onto the sample to modify an electric charge of the sample during the imaging or fabrication to improve spatial resolution of the imaging or fabrication.