No abstract available

No abstract available

[en] All metrology tools must make a trade-off between data quality and wafer throughput. Moreover, most X-ray metrology may be performed on regions inside the scribe lines. This paper discusses the appropriate choices of trade-offs for throughput, repeatability and spot size, choosing examples from silicon-germanium composition and thickness metrology. The repeatability varies from 0.7% to 0.1% 1σ with data collection cycles between 20 s and 1000 s. We show that for most of the parameters determined by X-rays the metrology is absolute, and that both accuracy and tool matching is achieved by traceable calibration of the X-ray wavelength and the angle encoders on the tools. Tool matching achieved by this absolute approach to metrology is typically 0.2% in thickness and 0.05% in composition for Si-20%Ge layers ∼ 50 nm thick. For 30 nm metal or dielectric layers measured within a 100 mm scribe line, 0.65% 1σ repeatability is achieved at 150 measurement points/hr and 0.33% at 75 sites/hr

No abstract available

[en] We classify all fundamental integrable spin chains with two-dimensional (2D) local Hilbert space which have regular R-matrices of difference form. This means that the R-matrix underlying the integrable structures is of the form and reduces to the permutation operator at some particular point. We find a total of 14 independent solutions, eight of which correspond to well-known eight or lower vertex models. The remaining six models appear to be new and some have peculiar properties such as not being diagonalizable or being nilpotent. Furthermore, for even R-matrices, we find a bijection between solutions of the Yang–Baxter equation (YBE) and the graded YBE which extends our results to the graded 2D case. (paper)

[en] In this paper we find new integrable one-dimensional lattice models of electrons. We describe all such nearest-neighbour integrable models with $\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{u}\left(2\right)\times <!--\; ??\; -->\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{u}\left(2\right)$ symmetry by classifying solutions of the Yang–Baxter equation following the procedure first introduced in [1]. We find 12 R-matrices of difference form, some of which can be related to known models such as the XXX spin chain and the free Hubbard model, and some are new models. In addition, integrable generalizations of the Hubbard model are found by keeping the kinetic term of the Hamiltonian and adding all terms which preserve fermion number. We find that most of the new models cannot be diagonalized using the standard nested Bethe Ansatz. (paper)

[en] 

Background

: Acute urinary retention (AUR) is a common urologic emergency. However, its management is not standardized due to lack of clinical guidelines.

Aims

: We retrospectively reviewed the treatment of all male patients admitted to our institution with AUR over 12 months.

Methods

: Data was obtained from the HIPE (Hospital Inpatient Enquiry) data system, each patient’s electronic discharge summary and from patient medical records.

Results

: There were 130 AUR admissions during the period. About 74 admissions were due to benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). Of these, 45.9% (n = 34) passed their trial without catheter (TWOC). The remainder (n = 40) failed their TWOC necessitating recatheterization and consideration for transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) or re-TWOC. An indwelling urinary catheter (IDC) was inserted for 27.5% (n = 11) of patients with a failed TWOC secondary to comorbidities. This group had a mean age of 78 years (range 68–96 years). Of those who failed their TWOC, 32.5% (n = 13) had a TURP on index admission. Of the remaining 16 patients with failed TWOC, 75% (n = 12) were discharged with an IDC and readmitted for an elective TURP with a median waiting time of 55 days (range 17–138 days). 18.75% (n = 3) passed a re-TWOC and thus offset the need to have any surgical intervention and 6.25% (n = 1) proceeded to a radical retropubic prostatectomy for biopsy proven prostate adenocarcinoma.

Conclusion

: Admission of patients with acute urinary retention leads to a definitive management decision and reduced prolonged catheterization.

[en] Single-atom alloys are a new class of heterogeneous catalyst in which trace amounts of metal dopants exist as individual, isolated sites in a host metal. In this study, we examine RhCu, a new single-atom alloy with a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, reflectance absorption infrared spectroscopy, and temperature programed desorption to understand the atomic structure of the alloy and correlate this with the behavior of CO, a common probe molecule. We find that Rh alloys into Cu(111) preferentially from step edges. As such, step density plays an important role in the vibrational structure of CO on isolated Rh sites. We find that atomically dispersed Rh sites can be close enough together to have dipole-dipole coupling interactions. Together, this combined experimental approach enables us to understand the alloying mechanism of Rh with Cu and yields important signatures of the atomic sites that are useful in benchmarking CO vibrational data.

[en] Successful treatment of skull base tumors with interstitial brachytherapy requires high targeting accuracy for the brachytherapy needles to avoid harming vital anatomical structures. To enable safe placement of the needles in this area, we developed an image-based planning and navigation system for brachytherapy, which includes a custom-made mechanical positioning arm that allows rough and fine adjustment of the needle position. The fine-adjustment mechanism consists of an XYZ microstage at the base of the arm and a needle holder with two fine-adjustable inclinations. The rotation axes of the inclinations cross at the tip of the needle so that the inclinational adjustments do not interfere with the translational adjustments. A vacuum cushion and a noninvasive fixation frame are used for the head immobilization. To avoid mechanical bending of the needles due to the weight of attached tracking markers, which would be detrimental for targeting accuracy, only a single LED marker on the tail of the needle is used. An experimental phantom-based targeting study with this setup demonstrated that a positioning accuracy of 1.4 mm (rms) can be achieved. The study showed that the proposed setup allows brachytherapy needles to be easily aligned and inserted with high targeting accuracy according to a preliminary plan. The achievable accuracy is higher than if the needles are inserted manually. The proposed system can be linked to a standard afterloader and standard dosimetry planning module. The associated additional effort is reasonable for the clinical practice and therefore the proposed procedure provides a promising tool for the safe treatment of tumors in the skull base area

[en] High resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements were performed using a commercially-available X-ray metrology tool, the BedeMetrix-L, on small test pads containing arrays of SiGe line structures selectively deposited in Si recesses with various window dimensions. Reciprocal space maps (RSMs) were performed in two orthogonal <110> directions in order to determine the lattice parameter parallel and perpendicular to the lines. With narrow lines, asymmetric relaxation effects were seen: the SiGe was fully strained along the long dimension of the lines while there was significant relaxation along the short dimension of the lines. The magnitude of the relaxation increased significantly for lines with short dimension below about 1 μm. We show how to determine the lattice parameters, and hence the strain of the SiGe in the [110] and [-110] directions, the Ge composition and the relaxation initially using RSMs, but with an extension to measurements more suitable for in-fab metrology