There is provided an Ag-coated material and its related technique, including a base material and an Ag film on the base material, the Ag film including alternately laminated at least three Ag layers with average crystal grain sizes different by three times or more.

There is provided an Ag-coated material and its related technique, including a base material and an Ag film on the base material, the Ag film including alternately laminated at least three Ag layers with average crystal grain sizes different by three times or more.

An electroplating copper layer includes bamboo-like copper crystal particles having a highly preferred orientation. The bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a long axis direction and a short axis direction, and the bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a length of 20 nm to 5 m in the long axis direction and a length of 20 nm to 2 m in the short axis direction. A method of preparing the bamboo-like copper crystal particles is also disclosed.

An electroplating copper layer includes bamboo-like copper crystal particles having a highly preferred orientation. The bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a long axis direction and a short axis direction, and the bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a length of 20 nm to 5 m in the long axis direction and a length of 20 nm to 2 m in the short axis direction. A method of preparing the bamboo-like copper crystal particles is also disclosed.

A semiconductor wafer forms on a mold containing a dopant. The dopant dopes a melt region adjacent the mold. There, dopant concentration is higher than in the melt bulk. A wafer starts solidifying. Dopant diffuses poorly in solid semiconductor. After a wafer starts solidifying, dopant can not enter the melt. Afterwards, the concentration of dopant in the melt adjacent the wafer surface is less than what was present where the wafer began to form. New wafer regions grow from a melt region whose dopant concentration lessens over time. This establishes a dopant gradient in the wafer, with higher concentration adjacent the mold. The gradient can be tailored. A gradient gives rise to a field that can function as a drift or back surface field. Solar collectors can have open grid conductors and better optical reflectors on the back surface, made possible by the intrinsic back surface field.

An apparatus and method is provided for coating a surface of a material with a film of porous coordination polymer. A first substrate having a first surface to be coated is positioned in a processing chamber such that the first surface is placed in a substantially opposing relationship to a second surface. In some embodiments, the second surface is provided by a wall of the processing chamber, and in other embodiments the second surface is provided by a second substrate to be coated. The first substrate is held such that a gap exists between the first and second surfaces, and the gap is filled with at least one reaction mixture comprising reagents sufficient to form the crystalline film on at least the first surface. A thin gap (e.g., having a thickness less than 2 mm) between the first and second surfaces is effective for producing a high quality film having a thickness less than 100 ?m. Confining the volume of the reaction mixture to a thin layer adjacent the substrate surface significantly reduces problems with sedimentation and concentration control. In some embodiments, the size, shape, or average thickness of the gap is adjusted during formation of the film in response to feedback from at least one film growth monitor.

An apparatus and method is provided for coating a surface of a material with a film of porous coordination polymer. A first substrate having a first surface to be coated is positioned in a processing chamber such that the first surface is placed in a substantially opposing relationship to a second surface. In some embodiments, the second surface is provided by a wall of the processing chamber, and in other embodiments the second surface is provided by a second substrate to be coated. The first substrate is held such that a gap exists between the first and second surfaces, and the gap is filled with at least one reaction mixture comprising reagents sufficient to form the crystalline film on at least the first surface. A thin gap (e.g., having a thickness less than 2 mm) between the first and second surfaces is effective for producing a high quality film having a thickness less than 100 ?m. Confining the volume of the reaction mixture to a thin layer adjacent the substrate surface significantly reduces problems with sedimentation and concentration control. In some embodiments, the size, shape, or average thickness of the gap is adjusted during formation of the film in response to feedback from at least one film growth monitor.

An electroplating copper layer includes bamboo-like copper crystal particles having a highly preferred orientation. The bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a long axis direction and a short axis direction, and the bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a length of 20 nm to 5 m in the long axis direction and a length of 20 nm to 2 m in the short axis direction. A method of preparing the bamboo-like copper crystal particles is also disclosed.

An electroplating copper layer includes bamboo-like copper crystal particles having a highly preferred orientation. The bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a long axis direction and a short axis direction, and the bamboo-like copper crystal particles have a length of 20 nm to 5 m in the long axis direction and a length of 20 nm to 2 m in the short axis direction. A method of preparing the bamboo-like copper crystal particles is also disclosed.

A semiconductor wafer forms on a mold containing a dopant. The dopant dopes a melt region adjacent the mold. There, dopant concentration is higher than in the melt bulk. A wafer starts solidifying. Dopant diffuses poorly in solid semiconductor. After a wafer starts solidifying, dopant cannot enter the melt. Afterwards, the concentration of dopant in the melt adjacent the wafer surface is less than what was present where the wafer began to form. New wafer regions grow from a melt region whose dopant concentration lessens over time. This establishes a dopant gradient in the wafer, with higher concentration adjacent the mold. The gradient can be tailored. A gradient gives rise to a field that can function as a drift or back surface field. Solar collectors can have open grid conductors and better optical reflectors on the back surface, made possible by the intrinsic back surface field.