Gypsum panels and methods for their manufacture are provided herein. The gypsum panels include a gypsum core having a first surface and a second opposed surface and a first fiberglass mat associated with the first surface of the gypsum core, such that gypsum from the gypsum core penetrates at least a portion of the first fiberglass mat.

Nanoparticle-coated fibre material, the coating of which includes between 0.01 and less than 2.0 wt % of nanoparticles based on the dry weight of the coated fibre material and is capable of undergoing further reactions, a process for producing the nanoparticle-coated fibre materials, and also corresponding fibre composite materials.

A method of forming a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a sacrificial dielectric layer over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, depositing conformally a predetermined thickness of a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate using an anisotropic etching process to provide the patterned features filled within sidewall spacers formed from the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer, and removing the patterned features from the substrate.

A coated optical fiber includes an optical fiber having a core and an outer surface, and a homogeneous polymer coating in contact with the outer surface of the optical fiber. The optical fiber and the homogeneous polymer coating are UV transparent, and a refractive index of the outer surface of the optical fiber or the homogeneous polymer coating is up to 15% less than a refractive index of the core. Coating the optical fiber includes coating an outer surface with a polymerizable material and polymerizing the polymerizerable material to yield the coated optical fiber having a homogeneous polymer coating. The optical fiber and the homogeneous polymer coating are UV transparent, and a refractive index of the outer surface of the optical fiber or the homogeneous polymer coating is up to 15% less than a refractive index of a core of the optical fiber.

The present disclosure provides a method of fabricating a diamond membrane. The method comprises providing a substrate and a support structure. The substrate comprises a diamond material having a first surface and the substrate further comprises a sub-surface layer that is positioned below the first surface and has a crystallographic structure that is different to that of the diamond material. The sub-surface layer is positioned to divide the diamond material into first and second regions wherein the first region is positioned between the first surface and the sub-surface layer. The support structure also comprises a diamond material and is connected to, and covers a portion of, the first surface of the substrate. The method further comprises selectively removing the second region of the diamond material from the substrate by etching away at least a portion of the sub-surface layer of the substrate.

A mineral wool insulating product which comprises a layer, notably a continuous layer, of mixed mineral wool fibres, the mixed mineral wool fibres comprising a binder, first mineral wool fibres and second mineral wool fibres, the first mineral wool fibres and the second mineral wool fibres have a difference of softening point.

A method of fabricating a mask pattern includes providing numerous masks on a substrate. A wider trench and a narrower trench are respectively defined between the mask. Subsequently, a mask material is formed to fill in the wider trench and the narrower trench. The top surface of the mask material overlapping the wider trench is lower than the top surface of the mask material overlapping the narrower trench. A photoresist layer is formed on the mask material overlapping the wider trench. Later, the mask material overlapping the narrower trench is etched while the mask material overlapping the wider trench is protected by the photoresist layer.

A method for removing material from a substrate includes providing the substrate with first and second opposing major surfaces. A masking layer is disposed along one of the first major surface and the second major surface, and is provided with a plurality of openings. The substrate is placed within an etching apparatus and material is removed from the substrate through openings using the etching apparatus. The thickness of the substrate is measured within the etching apparatus using a thickness transducer. The measured thickness is compared to a predetermined thickness and the material removal step is terminated responsive to the measured thickness corresponding to the predetermined thickness. In one embodiment, the method is used to more accurately form recessed regions in semiconductor die, which can be used in, for example, stacked device configurations.

An optical fiber base material machining method for forming spindle-shaped portions at ends of the optical fiber base material by severing the optical fiber base material after reducing an outer diameter of the optical fiber base material to a predetermined target outer diameter at a predetermined machining position, comprising: reducing the outer diameter to a predetermined intermediate outer diameter between the outer diameter before the machining and the target outer diameter at the machining position; flame polishing a surface of the optical fiber base material in a region including the machining position; and further reducing the outer diameter of the optical fiber base material.

A method of manufacturing a mask includes forming a first hole in a base material using a laser, the first hole penetrating through the base material from a first surface to a second surface different than the first surface, and expanding the first hole using an etchant to form a second hole.