A plasmonic sensor, having at least a substrate, a laser processed active surface area on the said substrate, and a metal coating on the activate surface, where the laser processed surface is fabricated by means of short laser pulses in such a way that in a shallow layer of the surface material, the viscosity is reduced and under the influence of the same pulse, which was used to reduce the viscosity, or a successive incident one or more pulses a self-organized, stochastic nanostructure is formed, which has features smaller than 1 μm. In some implementations, the substrate material is amorphous, such as soda-lime glass or similar. Also disclosed is a slide and/or a slip cover, which are used in microscopy, for forming the active sensor area on top surface of it.

A spatial filter is made by forming a structure comprising a focusing element and an opaque surface, the opaque surface being disposed remotely from the focusing element in substantially the same plane as a focal plane of the focusing element; and by forming a pinhole in the opaque surface at or adjacent to a focal point of the focusing element by transmitting a substantially collimated laser beam through the focusing element so that a point optimally corresponding to the focal point is identified on the opaque surface and imperfection of the focusing element, if any, is reflected on the shape and position of the pinhole so formed.

A spatial filter is made by forming a structure comprising a focusing element and an opaque surface, the opaque surface being disposed remotely from the focusing element in substantially the same plane as a focal plane of the focusing element; and by forming a pinhole in the opaque surface at or adjacent to a focal point of the focusing element by transmitting a substantially collimated laser beam through the focusing element so that a point optimally corresponding to the focal point is identified on the opaque surface and imperfection of the focusing element, if any, is reflected on the shape and position of the pinhole so formed.

The present invention provides a method for depositing aluminum on a permanent Nd—Fe—B magnet including a step of cooling the chamber and the arc source by feeding a fluid of water at a cooling temperature of between 0° C. and 5° C. through the chamber and the arc source. The method also includes a step of adjusting a target source and a control magnet of the arc source in the chamber of the multi-arc ion plating apparatus to define a predetermined distance of between 1 cm and 10 cm. The step of depositing the film of aluminum further including steps of applying a current of between 50 A and 70 A and an electrical potential of between 100V and 200V to the target source of aluminum and directing the ions of aluminum using the arc source to the purified permanent Nd—Fe—B magnet for a time period of between 0.5 hours and 5 hours.

Apparatus for physical vapor deposition are provided herein. In some embodiments, a clamp for use in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber includes a clamp body and an outwardly extending shelf that extends from the clamp body, wherein the outwardly extending shelf includes a clamping surface configured to clamp an isolator ring to a chamber body of the PVD chamber, wherein a height of the outwardly extending shelf is about 15 percent to about 40 percent of a height of the clamp body and wherein the clamp body includes a central opening configured to retain a fastener therein.

The disclosure describes techniques for forming nanoparticles including Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase. In some examples, the nanoparticles may be formed by first forming nanoparticles including iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron. The carbon or boron may be incorporated into the nanoparticles such that the iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron are mixed. Alternatively, the at least one of carbon or boron may be coated on a surface of a nanoparticle including iron and nitrogen. The nanoparticle including iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron then may be annealed to form at least one phase domain including at least one of Fe.sub.16N.sub.2, Fe.sub.16(NB).sub.2, Fe.sub.16(NC).sub.2, or Fe.sub.16(NCB).sub.2.

The invention relates to a nuclear fuel cladding comprising: i) a substrate containing a zirconium-based inner layer, optionally coated with at least one intermediate layer formed by at least one intermediate material selected from among tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, vanadium, hafnium or the alloys thereof; and ii) at least one protective outer layer placed on the substrate and formed by a protective material selected from either chromium or an alloy of chromium. The nuclear fuel cladding produced using the method of the invention has improved resistance to oxidation/hydriding. The invention also relates to the method for the production of the nuclear fuel cladding by ion etching of the surface of the substrate and deposition of the outer layer on the substrate with a high power impulse magnetron sputtering method (HiPIMS), as well as to the use thereof to protect against oxidation and/or hydriding.

An oxide superconductor has a composition expressed by RE.sub.aBa.sub.bCu.sub.3O.sub.7-x, where RE represents one rare earth or a combination of two or more of a rare earth, a satisfies 1.05≦a≦1.35, b satisfies 1.80≦b≦2.05, and x represents an amount of oxygen deficiency, and a non-superconducting phase having an outer diameter of 30 nm or less is included in a superconducting phase.

A mask blank with phase shift film where changes in transmittance and phase shift to an exposure light of an ArF excimer laser are suppressed. The film transmits light of an ArF excimer laser at a transmittance of 2% or more and less than 10% and generates a phase difference of 150 degrees or more and 190 degrees or less between the exposure light transmitted through the phase shift film and the exposure light transmitted through the air for the same distance as a thickness of the phase shift film. The film has a stacked lower layer and upper layer, the lower layer containing metal and silicon and substantially free of oxygen. The upper layer containing metal, silicon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The lower layer is thinner than the upper layer, and the ratio of metal to metal and silicon of the upper layer is less than the lower layer.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a balun having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, a first output terminal, and a second output terminal, a vacuum container, a first electrode electrically connected to the first output terminal, a second electrode electrically connected to the second output terminal, and a connection unit configured to electrically connect the vacuum container and ground, the connection unit including an inductor.