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Mobile lab for offshore testing
Exova, UK, will provide an innovative “laboratory in a box” concept for Subsea 7, Lon-
don, to support its offshore project work near the Republic of Congo and Angola. De-
signed and built in Daventry, UK, and shipped ready for on-site testing at the Angola site
this summer, the mobile concept consists of a fully-fitted laboratory and machine shop
created in two 40-ft purpose-built units. This technically demanding project is part of a
two-year agreement between the companies. The facility will deliver pipeline coating qual-
ification tests including cathodic disbondment to ensure compatibility with potential cor-
rosion protection systems, adhesion, and peel testing of coatings to ensure a high integrity
barrier to sea water ingress. Differential scanning calorimetry will be used to verify correct
coating cure of the critical fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) corrosion coat. The mobile lab will
be on site for approximately four months, with a team of seven rotating employees oper-
ating on a 24/7 basis. Testing will be carried out on a variety of coating types using special-
ized equipment and testing methods. , .
Breakthrough interconnect technology
Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., released the Applied Endura Volta CVD
Cobalt system, said to be the only tool capable of encapsulating copper interconnects in
logic chips beyond the 28 nm node by depositing precise, thin cobalt films. The two en-
abling applications, a conformal cobalt liner and a selective cobalt capping layer, provide
complete enclosure of the copper lines, improving reliability by an order of magnitude.
The introduction of cobalt as a superior metal encapsulation film marks the most signifi-
cant materials change to the interconnect in more than 15 years.
The first step deposits a thin, conformal CVD cobalt liner to increase the gap fill win-
dow of copper in narrow interconnects. This improves device performance and yield by in-
tegrating the pre-clean, PVD barrier, CVD cobalt liner, and copper seed processes under
ultra-high vacuum on the same platform. The second step, a new “selective” CVD cobalt
capping step, is deposited after chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) to encapsulate
the copper lines for enhanced reliability. Complete envelopment of copper lines with cobalt
creates an interface with an improvement of more than 80-fold in device reliability.
.
Nature inspires low-friction bearings
Biological lubrication is much more efficient than synthetic lubrication—especially in
joints, where a thin, watery solution prevents friction. The thin film stays put due to a poly-
mer layer that is anchored to the cartilage at the end of bones that protrude from the car-
tilage and form “polymer brushes.” These brushes attract the extremely fluid lubricant and
keep it in place at the contact point.
Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jüelich, Germany, are trying to mimic this using
two different polymers at the contact point to prevent entangle-
ment. “Using supercomputers, we simulated what would hap-
pen if we applied water-soluble polymers to one side and
water-repellent polymers to the other,” says physics professor
Martin Müser. “This combination of water-based and oil-based
liquids as a lubricant reduces friction by two orders of magni-
tude—around a factor of 90—compared to a system comprising
just one type of polymer. The two different phases of the liquid
separate because they repel each other. This simultaneously
holds the polymers back and prevents them from protruding be-
yond the borders.” For more information: Martin Müser,
+49.2461.61.9095, , .
Due to biological lubrication, natural joints move almost frictionless
and withstand enormous loads. Courtesy of Tom Page.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • AUGUST 2014 13
SURFACE ENGINEERING
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Researchers at Durham
University, UK, are focused on
new smart materials called
oleophobic-hydrophilic coatings
that let water through but repel oil
for use in oil-spill cleanups. They
developed these coatings for the
surfaces of metal mesh. When an
oil-water mixture is poured onto
the mesh, water drips through into
the container below, while oil
remains on top of the mesh
surface. Separation is
instantaneous and more efficient
than existing films, and only one
step is required to make the
coating. The team also
demonstrated that it could serve
as an anti-fogging and self-
cleaning film. .
Scientists at the Fraunhofer
Institute for Microelectronic
Circuits and Systems IMS,
Germany, developed a new type of
high-temperature process to
fabricate extremely compact
microchips that operate flawlessly
at temperatures up to 300°C. To
fabricate the heat-tolerant mini-
chips, researchers use a
specialized high-temperature
silicon-on-insulator (SOI)
conventional semiconductor chip
process. The insulation prevents
leakage currents from influencing
chip operation. Researchers also
use tungsten metallization, which
is less temperature sensitive than
aluminum and increases the chips’
operating life.
Extremely compact microchips
keep their cool at 300°C.
Courtesy of Fraunhofer IMS.