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Inline electrical testing in a semiconductor fabrication line is a very common method to monitor the line performance and to be able to detect any issue for the tested wafers. This helps to detect the problems much earlier. Detecting issues earlier not only stops the affected wafer from processing further, but it would be able to highlight an upstream process issue stopping other incoming wafers. Fundamental issues like high probe contact resistance (CRES) during test affects the measurement data integrity of critical device parameters. This also impacts the learning cycles as well as mean time to detect process / drift issues. Extensive data collection and experiments were able to conclude that the presence of copper oxide is the root cause of high CRES. Adhesion to different constructs explains variations seen in different designs.

Summary This paper explores multi‐technology capabilities between Korea and Taiwan by analyzing the pattern of inventive activities concerning technology fusion by using patent bibliometrics. Although two countries exhibit a similar level of invention activities and high degree of specialization in emerging technologies measured by the number and technological fields of their US patents, innovation systems in two countries differ. MTCs (multi‐technology corporations) are stronger in Korea national innovation system while small innovative firms play important roles in Taiwan national innovation system. Technology fusion has been an important source of technological innovation, and it suggests possible advantage for the Korean innovation system because it is a common belief that global size firms ‐ most of them are multi‐technology corporations ‐ can perform better in multi‐technology fusion and scientific research. The result of patent bibliometrics suggests rather complex answers to the belief. Even thoug...

A Fe-Pt bimetallic catalyst was prepared by impregnating iron nitrate solution into a carbon-supported platinum catalyst. The catalyst was heat-treated in flowing Ar (nontreated) at 450 C (denoted as PF450), 750 C (PF750), and 900 C (PF900), or this process was followed by an acid-treatment in 1M H[sub 2]SO[sub 4] solution to leach out surface-enriched iron (acid-treated). The surface and catalytic properties of these catalysts were studied using H[sub 2]-O[sub 2] titration, XRD and TEM measurements, and oxygen reduction tests in PAFC. With increased heat-treatment temperature, the Pt surface area measured by hydrogen chemisorption (SA) decreases rapidly owing to particle sintering, alloying effect, and enrichment of iron on the surface. The mass activity (mA/g Pt) of the alloyed catalyst is about the same as that of pure Pt catalyst due to the particle sintering in the alloyed catalyst. However, the specific activity (mA/m[sup 2] Pt, based on SA) of the alloyed catalyst is estimated at twice that of pure Pt catalyst. The acid-treatment leads to dissolution of surface-enriched iron and results in an increase of the Pt surface area due to surface roughening. Except for PF450, the specific activities of both nontreated and acid-treated catalysts are the same, indicating thatmore » SA is a good measure of active site for the reaction. After acid treatment of the partially alloyed PF750, a twofold increase in the Pt surface area was observed when compared with the nontreated Pt-Fe alloy catalyst.« less

The effects of deposition temperature, rf power and hydrogen dilution ratio on the growth, structure and transport of p-type microcrystal(μc-) Si films deposited by remote plasma CVD have been investigated. While low substrate temperature and low rf power yield small grain sizes, high temperature and high rf power tend to supress the growth of grains. The etching of Si by hydrogen radicals plays an important role to grow μc-Si, but excess etching supresses the growth of crystallites. We obtained 400 A of grain size and 3.5 S/cm of room temperature conductivity for p-type μ-Si.