A grid assembly for cryo-electron microscopy may be fabricated using standard nanofabrication processes. The grid assembly may comprise two support members, each support member comprising a silicon substrate coated with an electron-transparent silicon nitride layer. These two support members are positioned together with the silicon nitride layers facing each other with a rigid spacer layer disposed therebetween. The rigid spacer layer defines one or more chambers in which a biological sample may be provided and fast frozen with a high degree of control of the ice thickness.

A grid assembly for cryo-electron microscopy may be fabricated using standard nanofabrication processes. The grid assembly may comprise two support members, each support member comprising a silicon substrate coated with an electron-transparent silicon nitride layer. These two support members are positioned together with the silicon nitride layers facing each other with a rigid spacer layer disposed therebetween. The rigid spacer layer defines one or more chambers in which a biological sample may be provided and fast frozen with a high degree of control of the ice thickness.

A system and method for performing laser induced breakdown spectroscopy during laser ablation of a coating, such as a TBC coating, deposited on a surface of a component, particularly to enable obtained spectrometry signals of the ablated coating to be used to monitor and control the laser ablation removal process in real-time. The system includes a laser energy source and a scan head interconnected with the laser energy source to receive a laser beam therefrom and then direct the laser beam onto the surface of the coated component. Collection optics collect radiation emitted from a laser-induced plasma generated by the laser beam at the surface of the coated component. The system is further equipped to spectrally analyze the radiation and generate a feedback signal for control and optimization of one or more operational parameters of the laser energy source in real-time.

A mask blank wherein damage to a light semitransmissive film due to dry etching for removing a light shielding film is inhibited. Mask blank 100 has a light semitransmissive film 2 and light shielding film 4 laminated on a main surface of a transparent substrate 1. Film 2 can be dry etched with a fluorine-based gas. Film 4 has laminated lower layer 41 and upper layer 42. Lower layer 41 contained tantalum and id substantially free from hafnium, zirconium, and oxygen. Upper layer 42 contains tantalum and one or more of hafnium and zirconium and is substantially free from oxygen excluding the surface layer of the upper layer 42. Between the light semitransmissive film 2 and lower layer 41 is an etching stopper film 3 having etch selectivity with respect to the lower layer 41 in dry etching with an etching gas containing the chlorine-based gas and no oxygen gas.

A treatment liquid contains orthoperiodic acid and water, and the pH is 11 or more. It is preferable that the content of orthoperiodic acid in the treatment liquid is 0.01% to 5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the treatment liquid.

A treatment liquid contains orthoperiodic acid and water, and the pH is 11 or more. It is preferable that the content of orthoperiodic acid in the treatment liquid is 0.01% to 5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the treatment liquid.

An object is to provide a ruthenium removal composition capable of dissolving Ru while suppressing dissolution of CoFeB, and a method of producing a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) using the same. A ruthenium removal composition of the present invention contains orthoperiodic acid and water, and the pH is 11 or more. It is preferable that the content of orthoperiodic acid in the ruthenium removal composition is 0.01% to 5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition.

An etching chamber is equipped with an actively-cooled element preferentially adsorbs volatile compounds that are evolved from a polymeric layer of a wafer during etching, which compounds will act as contaminants if re-deposited on the wafer, for example on exposed metal contact portions where they may interfere with subsequent deposition of metal contact layers. In desirable embodiments, a getter sublimation pump is also provided in the etching chamber as a source of getter material. Methods of etching in such a chamber are also disclosed.

An etching chamber is equipped with an actively-cooled element preferentially adsorbs volatile compounds that are evolved from a polymeric layer of a wafer during etching, which compounds will act as contaminants if re-deposited on the wafer, for example on exposed metal contact portions where they may interfere with subsequent deposition of metal contact layers. In desirable embodiments, a getter sublimation pump is also provided in the etching chamber as a source of getter material. Methods of etching in such a chamber are also disclosed.

Atomic layer or cyclic plasma etching chemistries and processes to etch films are disclosed. Films include Si, Ti, Ta, W, Al, Pd, Ir, Co, Fe, B, Cu, Ni, Pt, Ru, Mn, Mg, Cr, Au, alloys thereof, oxides thereof, nitrides thereof, and combinations thereof.