1. A deployable structure comprising:
a longeron having a slit along a longitudinal length of the longeron;
a first supporting structure coupled with the longeron at a first location of the longeron; and
a second supporting structure adjustably coupled with the longeron at a second location of the longeron such that:
the second supporting structure is angled with respect to the first supporting structure when the longeron is in the deployed state;
an adjustment of the angle between the first and second supporting structures causes deformation of at least one of:
a cross-sectional profile of the longeron, and
the second supporting structure; and
wherein the longeron, the first supporting structure, and the second supporting structure are stowed as a roll comprising the longeron, the first supporting structure, and the second supporting structure, wherein the roll is rolled along a longitudinal length of longeron,
wherein one or more solar cells are coupled with the first supporting structure, the second supporting structure, or both.
2. (canceled)
3. The deployable structure of claim 2, wherein the roll further comprises the one or more solar cells.
4. The deployable structure of claim 1, wherein the longeron comprises a first longeron, the deployable structure further comprising a second longeron coupled with the first supporting structure.
5. The deployable structure of claim 4, wherein the first supporting structure comprises a plurality of connecting elements coupled with the first and second longerons.
6. The deployable structure of claim 5, wherein the first supporting structure further comprises a sheet of material coupled with one or more of the plurality of connecting elements.
7. The deployable structure of claim 1, wherein the first supporting structure, the second supporting structure, or both, are coupled with the longeron at a plurality of positions along the longitudinal length of the longeron.
8. A deployable structure comprising:
a plurality of longerons, wherein each longeron includes:
a slit along the longitudinal length of the longeron;
a material with a curved cross-sectional profile when the longeron is in a deployed state; and
a stowed state, wherein the longeron, being rolled along a longitudinal length of the longeron, comprises a roll;
a first supporting structure coupled with a first longeron and a second longeron, the first supporting structure being coupled with the first longeron at a first location of the first longeron;
a second supporting structure adjustably coupled with the first longeron at a second location of the first longeron such that:
the second supporting structure is angled with respect to the first supporting structure when the first longeron is in the deployed state; and
an adjustment of the angle between the first and second supporting structures causes deformation of at least one of:
a cross-sectional profile of the longeron, and
the second supporting structure; and
a solar panel coupled with one of the longerons.
9. The deployable structure of claim 8, wherein the curved cross-sectional profile of some or all longerons of the plurality of longerons is semi-circular.
10. The deployable structure of claim 8, wherein the first and second longerons, when stowed, comprise a singular roll.
11. (canceled)
12. The deployable structure of claim 11, further comprising solar cells coupled with the first supporting structure between the first longeron and the second longeron.
13. A method of manufacturing a deployable structure, the method comprising:
providing a longeron having:
a slit along the longitudinal length of the longeron;
a stowed state, wherein the longeron, being rolled along a longitudinal length of the longeron, comprises a roll; and
coupling a supporting structure with the longeron at a location of the longeron such that:
the supporting structure is angled with respect to the longeron when the longeron is in the deployed state; and
an adjustment of the angle between the supporting structure and the longeron causes deformation of at least one of:
a cross-sectional profile of the longeron, and
the supporting structure;
coupling one or more solar cells with the longeron, the supporting structure, or both.
14. (canceled)
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising coupling the supporting structure such that longeron and the supporting structure comprise a singular roll when the longeron is in the stowed state.
16. The method of claim 13, further comprising coupling a second supporting structure such that longeron and the second supporting structure comprise a singular roll when the longeron is in the stowed state.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the longeron comprises a first longeron, the method further comprising coupling a second longeron with the supporting structure.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the supporting structure comprises a plurality of connecting elements coupled with the first and second longerons.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising coupling the supporting structure with the longeron at a plurality of positions along the longitudinal length of the longeron.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein the deformation of the supporting structure comprises a bending of a hinge of the supporting structure.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for forming a material on a substrate, comprising:
positioning a substrate within a plasma-enhanced process chamber;
forming a tantalum nitride layer by sequentially exposing the substrate to a tantalum precursor and a nitrogen precursor during an atomic layer deposition process;
reducing a nitrogen concentration of the tantalum nitride layer by exposing the substrate to a plasma annealing process; and
depositing a metal-containing layer on the tantalum nitride layer.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrogen precursor is a plasma nitrogen precursor.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein a plasma is ignited by an electric field during the atomic layer deposition process.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein a plasma is ignited by a radio frequency field during the atomic layer deposition process.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrogen precursor contains a compound selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, plasmas thereof, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the metal-containing layer comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, tungsten, tantalum and alloys thereof.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the metal is tungsten deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or the metal is copper deposited by an electroplating process or a physical vapor deposition process.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tantalum nitride layer has a thickness within a range from about 10 \u212b to about 50 \u212b.
9. A method for forming a material on a substrate, comprising:
positioning a substrate within a plasma-enhanced process chamber;
forming a tantalum nitride layer on the substrate by sequentially exposing the substrate to a tantalum precursor and a nitrogen precursor during an atomic layer deposition process;
forming a metal-containing layer on the tantalum nitride layer; and
forming a copper-containing layer or a tungsten-containing layer on the metal-containing layer.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the nitrogen precursor is a plasma nitrogen precursor.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein a plasma is ignited by an electric field during the atomic layer deposition process.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein a plasma is ignited by a radio frequency field during the atomic layer deposition process.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein the nitrogen precursor contains a compound selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, plasmas thereof, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the metal-containing layer comprises copper or tungsten.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the metal-containing layer comprises tungsten deposited by a vapor deposition process or the metal-containing layer comprises copper deposited by an electroplating process or a physical vapor deposition process.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tantalum nitride layer has a thickness within a range from about 10 \u212b to about 50 \u212b.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the copper-containing layer is formed during a physical vapor deposition process or an electroplating process.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the tungsten-containing layer is formed during a physical vapor deposition process or a chemical vapor deposition process.
19. A method for forming a material on a substrate, comprising:
positioning a substrate within a process chamber;
forming a tantalum-containing layer on the substrate;
forming a tantalum nitride layer on the tantalum-containing layer by sequentially exposing the substrate to a tantalum precursor and a plasma nitrogen precursor during an atomic layer deposition process;
exposing the substrate to a plasma annealing process; and
forming a metal-containing layer on the tantalum nitride layer.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plasma nitrogen precursor is ignited by an electric field during the atomic layer deposition process.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the plasma nitrogen precursor is ignited by a radio frequency field during the atomic layer deposition process.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the plasma nitrogen precursor contains a compound selected from a group consisting of nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the metal-containing layer comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, tungsten, tantalum and alloys thereof.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the metal is tungsten deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or the metal is copper deposited by an electroplating process or a physical vapor deposition process.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the tantalum nitride layer has a thickness within a range from about 10 \u212b to about 50 \u212b.
26. A method for forming a material on a substrate, comprising:
positioning a substrate on an electrode pedestal within a process chamber;
forming a tantalum-containing layer on the substrate;
generating an electric field above the substrate during a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process to form a tantalum nitride layer on the tantalum-containing layer;
exposing the substrate to a plasma annealing process; and
forming a metal-containing layer on the tantalum nitride layer.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process contains sequentially exposing the substrate to a tantalum precursor and a nitrogen plasma precursor.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the nitrogen plasma precursor is formed from a nitrogen precursor selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the metal-containing layer comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, tungsten, tantalum and alloys thereof.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the metal is tungsten deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or the metal is copper deposited by an electroplating process or a physical vapor deposition process.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the tantalum nitride layer has a thickness within a range from about 10 \u212b to about 50 \u212b.
32. A method for forming a material on a substrate, comprising:
forming a tantalum-containing layer on a substrate by a physical vapor deposition process;
forming a tantalum nitride layer on the tantalum-containing layer by sequentially exposing the substrate to a tantalum precursor and a nitrogen precursor during a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process;
exposing the tantalum nitride layer to a plasma process; and
forming a metal-containing layer on the tantalum nitride layer.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein a plasma is ignited by an electric field during the plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process.
34. The method of claim 32, wherein a plasma is ignited by a radio frequency field during the plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process.
35. The method of claim 32, wherein the metal-containing layer comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, tungsten, tantalum and alloys thereof.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the metal is tungsten deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or the metal is copper deposited by an electroplating process or a physical vapor deposition process.
37. A method for forming a material on a substrate, comprising:
forming a tantalum-containing layer on a substrate by a physical vapor deposition process;
forming a tantalum nitride layer on the tantalum-containing layer by sequentially exposing the substrate to a tantalum precursor and a nitrogen precursor during a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process;
forming a metal-containing layer on the tantalum nitride layer; and
forming a copper-containing layer or a tungsten-containing layer on the metal-containing layer.