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Materials
Analysis
NIST X-Ray
Detector Heads for Commercialization
NIST
has granted co-exclusive licenses to EDAX Inc. of Mahwah, N.J.,
and NORAN Instruments Inc. of Middleton, Wis., for commercialization
of a revolutionary microcalorimeter-based X-ray detector with
an energy resolution of two electron volts, some 50 times better
than conventional semiconductor-based detectors. The new technology
will be used in instruments for the characterization and analysis
of materials by X-rays in semiconductor and other materials-intensive
industries.
The
detector fits easily onto a commercially available scanning electron
microscope and conveniently operates even though the sensor is
cooled to near absolute zero. The vastly improved detector system
will enable chemical analysis of particles that are difficult
or impossible to study with current detectors. It permits the
chemical analysis of tiny particles that contaminate silicon wafers
during semiconductor fabrication. It also has been used to measure
the shift in X-ray energy that occurs due to chemical bonding
of one atom to another.
In
the meantime, the NIST research team that developed the technology
is exploring other uses for it. One current project is evaluating
the microcalorimeter's role as the detector on a high-resolution
mass spectrometer that might help speed up human gene sequencing.
For
technical information, contact Richard
Harris, MC 814.00, NIST, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3337; (303)
497-3776.
Media Contact:
Fred McGehan Boulder,
(303) 497-3246 
Weights
and Measures
DOT
Says Shippers Not Exempt from State Inspections of Scales
Accurate
scales are one of the most basic elements of fair trade. In order
to ensure equity in the marketplace, state weights and measures
inspectors check the accuracy of scales used in commercial transactions.
An opinion issued June 1, 1999, by the Department of Transportation
says that parcel shippers who use scales that are part of a computer-based
service system are subject to inspection under state weights and
measures regulations. In recent years, some package shipping services
have asserted that another law, the Federal Aviation Administration
Authorization Act of 1994, prohibits states from inspecting scales
that are part of a computer-based service system.
In
response to these different interpretations of the regulations,
NIST asked the DoT's legal counsel for an opinion. The recent
DoT opinion says the FAA Authorization Act does not preempt state
enforcement of uniform national standards of weights and measures.
Therefore, parcel shippers' scales are subject to inspections
by state weights and measures inspectors.
The
NIST Office of Weights and Measures and the National Conference
on Weights and Measures also held a workshop on June 3, 1999,
on the inspection of parcel shipping scales. A transcript of the
workshop and slides from workshop presentations are available
on the World Wide Web at www.nist.gov/owm.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy, (301)
975-4403
Chemistry
Patent Issued
for Chromatographic Storage Devices
A
patent has been issued to Thomas
J. Bruno, a research chemist in NIST's
Physical and Chemical Properties Division, Boulder, Colo.,
for devices and techniques to dispense small quantities of fluids
into a syringe for use as a chromatographic standard, and for
techniques for "spiking" chromatographic samples with methane
as a reference.
In
the first device, a capped permeation tube is placed inside an
automatic sampler vial. The liquid sample is located in the vial
but outside of the tube; fluid permeates the tube and a vapor
forms inside. The syringe needle of the gas chromatographic automatic
sampler pierces the septum of the vial and withdraws a controllable
mass of fluid from inside the tube. Using this approach, valuable
analytical standards can be stored for long periods while permitting
very small quantities to be removed whenever needed for the gas
chromatograph. The device has a service life of at least five
years.
The
second device also utilizes an automatic sampler vial. The liquid
sample to be spiked with methane is located inside the permeation
tube. Outside the tube is a high-capacity absorbent material.
This adsorbent is charged with methane, which then permeates into
the liquid space at a controllable rate. This device provides
a convenient reference for retention index determination and for
marking the beginning of the analysis. It is a significant improvement
over current methodology in which methane is manually loaded into
a syringe.
For
further technical information, contact Thomas
J. Bruno, MC 838.01, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3337; (303) 497-5158.
Media Contact:
Fred McGehan Boulder, (303) 497-3246
Biotechnology
RCSB Assumes
Full Responsibility for Protein Data Bank
On
July 1, 1999, responsibility for the Protein Data Bank formally
shifted from Brookhaven National Laboratory to the Research Collaboratory
for Structural Bioinformatics three months ahead of schedule.
The RCSB is a joint collaboration between NIST, Rutgers University,
the State University of New Jersey, and the University of California,
San Diego. The PDB can be accessed on the World Wide Web at nist.rcsb.org/index.html.
The
non-profit international archive for bio-molecular structures
used in pharmaceutical and medical research, PDB has provided
substantial improvements in service during the past few months.
Since the RCSB began assuming responsibility for the PDB, data
deposited by users have been turned around in record time, and
new tools now provide a broader range of search and reporting
options. The success of these developments has accelerated the
transition timetable.
The
RCSB's PDB gives researchers access to more information about
biological structures from a single source than ever before. Via
the WWW, database users in academia, government and industry access
archival services and formulate complex queries that will provide
reliable answers to further their research efforts.
The
three-dimensional structures of proteins and other biological
macromolecules contained in the PDB hold significant promise for
the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the search
for new drugs with few or no side effects and the effort to understand
the mystery of human disease.
The
PDB is supported by funds from the National Science Foundation,
the Office of Biology and Environmental Research at the Department
of Energy, and two units of the National Institutes of Health--the
National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National
Library of Medicine.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy, (301)
975-4403
Electromagnetics
Microstrip
Testing Accurately Measures Interconnect Performance
As
transistors get smaller and faster, interconnect performance also
must be improved. To meet this challenge, manufacturers are combining
low-dielectric constant (known as low-K) thin films with high-conductivity
copper interconnects. The speed of light in these low-K thin films
approaches that in a vacuum while the copper significantly reduces
loss. Until recently, it has been difficult to accurately characterize
the performance of these systems.
A
collaborative effort between two NIST groups--the Electromagnetic
Properties of Materials Group and the Monolithic Microwave Integrated
Circuit Program--and SEMATECH has developed microstrip test structures
that thoroughly assess the dielectric properties of candidate
low-K thin films and the conductivities of accompanying metals
over a range of 50 megahertz to 40 gigahertz. The test structures
are small printed interconnects comprised of the thin film and
metal combinations to be characterized.
Testing
already has been completed on a new low-K dielectric and copper
conductor system supplied by SEMATECH. Other systems from companies
such as Dow Chemical and Texas Instruments are undergoing performance
assessments at NIST's Boulder,
Colo., laboratories.
For
technical information, contact either Dylan
Williams, 303-497-3138, or Michael
Janezic, 303-497-3656, MC 813.01, NIST, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3337.
Media Contact:
Collier Smith Boulder, (303) 497-3198
Honors
NIST Clean
Room Team Earns Hammer Award
Ten
members of NIST's Janitorial Services Group recently received
one of Vice President Al Gore's Hammer Awards for excellence in
customer service by government workers. The team was recognized
for effecting a major change in how the ultraclean environment
rooms in NIST's
Measurement and Standards Laboratories are maintained.
The
group first learned about the demanding needs of clean room maintenance
from the NIST researchers who use the rooms and from clean room
equipment vendors. For example, no more than 10 particles of five
micrometers (approximately 1/20 the diameter of a human hair)
or less in size are allowed per 0.03 cubic meter (one cubic foot)
of space. With this knowledge in hand, group members took and
completed training and certification courses in clean room management.
To do this, and to obtain the necessary equipment to begin operations,
the team realized enough savings in funds and staff-hours from
increased efficiencies in other areas. Today, the in-house Clean
Room Team handles the upkeep of an ever-growing number of NIST
clean rooms. If the work was done by outside contractors, the
additional cost to the agency and the government would be over
$100,000 annually.
Receiving
the Hammer Award are Maria Alvarez, Richard Delisi, Michael George,
Tyrone Gibson (Group Leader), Joseph Herron, Joszef Kocsis, Marie
Liason, Preston Mason, Ernest Matthews and Jerome Orye.
Media Contact:
Michael Newman, (301) 975-3025
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