Absolute flatness measurements of silicon mirrors by a three-intersection method by near-infrared interferometry.

Absolute flatness of three silicon plane mirrors have been measured by a three-intersection method based on the three-flat method using a near-infrared interferometer. The interferometer was constructed using a near-infrared laser diode with a 1,310-nm wavelength light where the silicon plane mirror is transparent. The height differences at the coordinate values between the absolute line profiles by the three-intersection method have been evaluated.

Metal-assisted chemical etching of Ge(100) surfaces in water toward nanoscale patterning.

We propose the metal-assisted chemical etching of Ge surfaces in water mediated by dissolved oxygen molecules (O2). First, we demonstrate that Ge surfaces around deposited metallic particles (Ag and Pt) are preferentially etched in water. When a Ge(100) surface is used, most etch pits are in the shape of inverted pyramids.

Characterization of terraces and steps on Cl-terminated Ge(111) surfaces after HCl treatment in N2 ambient.

Germanium (Ge) is a promising substrate for semiconductor devices in the near future. However, wet-chemical preparations that enable the control of the structure of the Ge surface have not yet been developed. In this study, the surface structure of Ge(111) after HCl treatment is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

Selective adsorption of organosilane molecules along step edges of atomically flattened Si(111) surfaces.

We investigate the selective adsorption of organosilane molecules (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)) at the step edges of a flattened Si(111) surface by atomic force microscopy. The flattened Si(111) surface is formed by dipping a vicinal Si(111) wafer into ultralow-dissolved-oxygen water after treatment with HF. The selective adsorption of these organosilanes is achieved only when the Si(111) sample is pretreated with a Cu-containing solution to form Cu wires along the step edges of the Si(111) surface.

Metal-insulator-gap-insulator-semiconductor structure for sensing devices.

We report on the use of sensing devices that have a metal-insulator-gap-insulator-semiconductor structure. We have used capacitance-voltage measurements from a metal-insulator-gap-insulator-semiconductor sensing device to characterize different pH solutions and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) solutions. Hysteresis in the capacitance-voltage curves results from mobile ionic charges in the solutions and the influence of changes on the sensing surface condition.

Genome-wide microsatellite analysis of focal nodular hyperplasia: a strong tool for the differential diagnosis of non-neoplastic liver nodule from hepatocellular carcinoma.

Allelic imbalance (AI), which represents certain chromosomal gains or losses, has been described in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the significance of AI analysis in focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) has not been fully clarified. We hypothesized, therefore, that comprehensive allelotyping of FNH could be a useful tool for differentiating FNH from HCC. A 27-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of general fatigue.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising from the renal capsule.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) arising from the renal capsule is a rare tumor. We report a case of 55-year-old man with this tumor. Radiological imaging, including magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, was helpful in the differential diagnosis between MFH of the renal capsule and other renal tumors.

Choroid plexus metastasis of colon cancer.

This article presents an extremely rare case of solitary metastasis in the choroid plexus of the inferior horn of the right lateral ventricle three years after a colectomy for colon cancer. We discuss the current literature on this tumor together with the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and computed tomography (CT) findings.

FTIR-ATR evaluation of organic contaminant cleaning methods for SiO2 surfaces.

The effectiveness of cleaning organic contaminants from silicon dioxide (SiO2) surfaces was studied by conducting highly sensitive measurements using Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) with a Si prism as the waveguide. To serve as an example, the surface of the prism was oxidized to an order of a few nanometers. The oxidized Si surface film was allowed to stand in the atmosphere and then wet-cleaned in a repeated manner; subsequently its thickness was measured by ellipsometry.