A method for producing high grade soda ash from a solution mined brine containing sodium bicarbonate by processing the mine brine through a monohydrate crystallization step to the final product is described. The mine brine is treated to decompose and thereby convert sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate and to concentrate the sodium carbonate to a concentration such that a feed liquor is formed which is suitable for crystallizing sodium carbonate monohydrate crystals of high purity from the fee...

A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices using an improved planarization process for the planarization of the surfaces of the wafer on which the semiconductor devices are formed. The improved planarization process includes the formation of a flat planar surface from a deformable coating on the surface of the wafer using a fixed resilient flexible material member contacting the wafer.

A method for noninvasively determining the pulmonary capillary blood flow or cardiac output of a patient includes measurement of respiratory flow and carbon dioxide pressure of the patient's breathing. These measurements are used to calculate carbon dioxide elimination and an indicator of the carbon dioxide content of the patient's blood. A geometric relationship between the carbon dioxide elimination data and the data of the indicator of carbon dioxide content is determined. At least one set of...

Methods and an apparatuses for generating a word-line voltage are disclosed. A word-line voltage generator includes a first current source, an adjustable current source, adjustable current sink, and a voltage converter, all operably coupled to a current sum node. The first current source generates a first current having a temperature coefficient substantially equal to a temperature coefficient of at least one bit cell. The adjustable current source generates a second current that is substantiall...

A reusable burn-in/test fixture for testing unsingulated dice on a semiconductor wafer consisting of two halves. The first half of the test fixture is a wafer cavity plate for receiving the wafer, and the second half establishes electrical communication between the wafer and electrical testing equipment. A rigid substrate has conductors thereon which establish electrical contact with the wafer. The test fixture need not be opened until the burn-in and electrical testing are completed. After burn...

A method of making an interposer having an array of contact structures for making temporary electrical contact with the leads of a chip package. The contact structures may make contact with the leads substantially as close as desired to the body of the chip package. Moreover, the contact structures can be adapted for making contact with leads having a very fine pitch. In a first embodiment, the contact structures include raised members formed over a body of the interposer. A conductive layer is ...

A reusable burn-in/test fixture for testing unsingulated dice on a semiconductor wafer consisting of two halves. The first half of the test fixture is a wafer cavity plate for receiving the wafer, and the second half establishes electrical communication between the wafer and electrical testing equipment. A rigid substrate has conductors thereon which establish electrical contact with the wafer. The test fixture need not be opened until the burn-in and electrical testing are completed. After burn...

A method of making a vertical diode is provided, the vertical diode having associated therewith a diode opening extending through an insulation layer and contacting an active region on a silicon wafer. A titanium silicide layer covers the interior surface of the diode opening and contacts the active region. The diode opening is initially filled with an amorphous silicon plug that is doped during deposition and subsequently recrystallized to form large grain polysilicon. The silicon plug has a to...

A method, circuit and system for determining burn-in reliability from wafer level burn-in are disclosed. The method includes recording the number of failures in each IC die in nonvolatile elements on-chip at points in time over the duration of wafer level burn-in testing. Methods may also include using a supervoltage level to signal a transition between cycles of burn-in testing. The number of failures in each IC die, along with their associated points in time, may be used to create burn-in reli...

Novel means and methods are provided for the production of mammalian viruses comprising, infecting a culture of immortalized human cells with the virus, incubating the culture infected with virus to propagate the virus under conditions that permit growth of the virus, and to form a virus-containing medium, and removing the virus-containing medium. The viruses can be harvested and be used for the production of vaccines. Advantages are that human cells of the present invention can be cultured unde...