Laser removal of surface oxides and small particles from copper surfaces was carried out using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Oxide layers and small particles on copper surfaces should be removed for the improvement of solder quality on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and for the prevention of circuit failure or loss of production yield during the fabrication of microelectronic devices. A selective r...

The possibility of using electricity dispatching strategies to achieve a 50% nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission reduction from electricity generating units was examined using the grid of the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas as a case study. Simulations of a hypothetical policy demonstrate that imposing higher NOx prices induces a switch from some coal-fired generation to natural gas generati...

Drinking water treatment solids (DWTS) from coagulation processes could be a low-cost sorbent for selective removal of certain metals and metalloids from brine. In this study, continuous-flow sorption processes and factors affecting sorption of boron (III), copper (II), chromium (VI), lead (II), and selenium (VI) from reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate were investigated using different types of i...

the synthesis, spectroscopy and magnetic characterization of five new dinuclear copper(ii) complexes are described. all five compounds have the general formula [cu2(l)4(o-r)2](cl)2 or [cu2(l)2(cl)2](cl)2, in which r = ch3 or h, l=2, 3 or 4-pyridinemethanol as l2, l3 or l4, respectively. the title compounds consist of dinuclear units with bridging methoxo groups in [cu2(l4)4(o-ch3)2](cl)2, hydro...

tow new compound of type [(chelate)2cu-oh-cu(chelate)2] x3.nh2o, where chelate=1,10-phenanthroline; x=cl¯(n=3.5) and chelate=4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine;  (n=5) have been synthesized and their properties investigated. the complexes show room temperature magnetic moment order of 1.0 b.m. per copper atom. the x-band esr spectrum of powdered samples at room temperature shows typical dm=1 transit...

Aluminum and copper interconnects are widely used for microelectronic applications. A problem can arise when interfacial oxides are present. Such oxides can significantly degrade device performance by increasing electrical resistance. This paper describes analyses of interfacial oxide layers found in Al/Ta and Ta/Cu metal stacks. The analyses were performed through transmission electron microsc...