Focus on materials, semiconductors, vacuum, and cryogenics

Lake Shore Cryotronics has introduced its Rox RX-102B-RS ultralow-resistance temperature detector for operation below 10 mK. Suitable for advanced dilution-refrigerator applications, the RX-102B-RS builds on the capabilities of Lake Shore’s previous-generation Rox sensor. The company has refined the package to improve thermal connections and has added optical radiation shielding to reduce unwanted sensor heating. When paired with Lake Shore’s model 372 AC resistance bridge and temperature controller, the RX-102B-RS can be used for simplified monitoring or control in any application below 50 mK. Certain calibration configurations allow temperature readings down to 5 mK. Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc, 575 McCorkle Blvd, Westerville, OH 43082, www.lakeshore.com

Pfeiffer Vacuum has launched its HiLobe series of Roots pumps for low- and medium-vacuum applications, such as electron-beam welding, vacuum furnaces, coating, and freeze drying. With a new drive concept and frequency converters, the series achieves approximately 20% shorter pump-down times than Pfeiffer’s conventional Roots pumps. That fast evacuation capability makes the pumps suitable for load-lock chambers and leak-detection systems. The HiLobe pumps’ energy-efficiency class IE4 drive, special rotor geometries, and sealing concept combine to yield maintenance and energy costs more than 50% lower than standard Roots pumps. Flexible air cooling allows the pumps to operate at ambient temperatures of up to 40 °C and thus avoid the need for costly water cooling. Pfeiffer Vacuum Inc, 24 Trafalgar Sq, Nashua, NH 03063, www.pfeiffer-vacuum.com

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology has designed a high-volume manufacturing solution that uses plasma atomic-layer deposition to address key challenges, such as a consistently high-quality gate passivation, in the gallium nitride power-device industry. To enable demanding device performance in areas such as 5G networks and renewable energy conversion, the Atomfab single-wafer platform delivers excellent passivation and dielectric properties, according to the company. A patent-pending fast remote-plasma source yields reduced cost per wafer. Remote plasma delivers a reproducible GaN interface; Atomfab precisely controls the plasma to protect the underlying sensitive GaN substrate, and its high-deposition-rate process delivers high throughput. Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, N End, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4AP, UK, https://plasma.oxinst.com

Inrad Optics has unveiled a suite of 1- to 5-inch-diameter Scintinel stilbene radiation detectors for fast neutron detection. They integrate a stilbene scintillation crystal into a photomultiplier tube with voltage divider electronics in it. The main advantages of Scintinel stilbene are its high sensitivity to neutrons and ability to discriminate with high efficiency between neutrons and gamma-ray radiation. According to the company, those properties allow users seeking special nuclear material to avoid false calls caused by benign gamma sources. Because of its lower energy thresholds and higher neutron efficiency, stilbene—a solid-state, nonhazardous material—performs better than liquid and plastic scintillators. Applications for stilbene are found in nuclear security and applied physics research. Inrad Optics, 181 Legrand Ave, Northvale, NJ 07647, www.inradoptics.com

Semilab has released a new set of applications for its existing EIR instruments. Models EIR-3000 and EIR-2200 use nondestructive Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy to perform thick dielectric monitoring in the semiconductor industry. The new offering includes dielectric composition of borophosphosilicate and fluorosilicate glass and silicon nitride, which, according to the company, can help reduce wafer requirements and conditions for measurement. For example, backside wafer finishing is not required, and production wafers can be used. Semilab claims that the new capability will help users of its EIR tools to simplify their calibration routines, improve overall long-term stability, and reduce monitoring costs. Semilab USA LLC, 10770 N 46th St, Ste E700, Tampa, FL 33617, www.semilab.hu

Featuring a combination of thermal conductivity and electrical insulation properties, Master Bond Supreme 3CCM-85 is a single-component epoxy for glob top and chip-coating applications. It can also be used for encapsulation and bonding. Supreme 3CCM-85 cures in 2–3 h at 80–85 °C, which is advantageous for use on heat-sensitive components and substrates. The toughened adhesive system has a thixotropic paste-like consistency and bonds well to various similar and dissimilar substrates. It has a volume resistivity of more than 10¹⁴ Ω-cm, a thermal conductivity of 0.72–1.44 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹, and is serviceable from −73 °C to 177 °C. Because Supreme 3CCM-85 is neither premixed nor frozen and remains usable for a long time at room temperature, it is more convenient to handle and store than typical two-component glob top systems. Master Bond Inc, 154 Hobart St, Hackensack, NJ 07601-3922, www.masterbond.com

Indium Corporation has announced IndiOx (In₂O₃) for use in the manufacture of indium tin oxide (ITO) for thin-film coating. When doped with tin oxide, IndiOx—a stable, ceramic-like material—forms ITO, which is suitable for making transparent, conductive oxide layers in flat-panel displays and touch sensors for mobile devices. The ITO layer is deposited onto glass from a sputtering target manufactured from the ITO powder by sintering. IndiOx can also be used for glass coloring, gassing suppression in alkaline batteries, and as an anti-arcing additive in high-current electrical switches and contactors. It is available in three powder types, each with a different particle-size distribution range (D10–D90): Type A is crystalline, range 0.8–38 μm; Type B is fine, range 0.5–6 μm; and Type T is target grade, range 0.1–7.5 μm. Indium Corporation, 34 Robinson Rd, Clinton, NY 13323, www.indium.com