1. A gaming system comprising:
a game controller configured to execute game play of a given game at a gaming machine, the game controller selectively executing game play of the given game in either a normal mode or free mode;
a credit meter under control of the game controller, wherein the credit meter is activated during game play of the given game in the normal mode;
a cash input mechanism under control of the game controller, wherein the cash input mechanism is activated during game play of the given game in the normal mode; and
a free mode interface configured to communicate with the game controller to initiate game play of the given game in the free mode;
wherein the game controller is configured to deactivate the credit meter during game play of the given game in the free mode to prevent modification of real credits in the credit meter; and
wherein the game controller is configured to deactivate the cash input mechanism during game play of the given game in the free mode to prevent modification of real credits in the credit meter through cash purchases of real credits.
2. The gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free mode interface comprises a free mode selector operable by a player.
3. The gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the free mode interface comprises a button at the gaming machine.
4. The gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the free mode interface comprises a virtual button on a display at the gaming machine.
5. The gaming system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an end free mode interface, wherein the game controller is configured to reactivate the credit meter in response to actuation of an end free mode command.
6. The gaming system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the free mode interface and the end free mode interface are the same interface, wherein the same interface is toggled to switch between the normal mode and the free mode.
7. The gaming system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a regulatory meter under control of the game controller, wherein the regulatory meter is configured to record data related to game play of the given game in both the normal mode and the free mode based on whether a player is engaging in normal mode game play or free mode game play.
8. The gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free mode interface comprises a player tracking device reader, wherein initiation of game play of the given game in the free mode occurs automatically when specified by free mode data stored in a player tracking device provided to the player tracking device reader.
9. The gaming system as claimed in claim 1, further wherein the free mode interface comprises a ticket reader, wherein game play of the given game in the free mode occurs automatically when a ticket including encoded free mode data is provided to the ticket reader.
10. The gaming system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the game controller is configured to respond to a free mode command to initiate the free mode or the end free mode command to restore the normal mode only if at least one predetermined condition is met.
11. The gaming system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one condition is that a player is at a predetermined stage of game play of the given game in the normal mode.
12. A method of operating a gaming system comprising:
executing game play of a given game at a gaming machine in a normal mode;
activating a credit meter of the gaming machine during game play of the given game in the normal mode;
activating a cash input mechanism during game play of the given game in the normal mode;
initiating game play of the given game in a free mode in response to a free mode command;
deactivating the credit meter during game play of the given game in the free mode to prevent modification of real credits in the credit meter; and
deactivating the cash input mechanism during game play of the given game in the free mode to prevent modification of real credits in the credit meter through cash purchases of real credits.
13. The method claim 12, comprising initiating game play of the given game in the free mode in response to actuation of a free mode selector operable by a player.
14. The method of claim 12, comprising initiating game play of the given game in the free mode in response to actuation of a button at the gaming machine.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising reactivating the credit meter in response to an end free mode command.
16. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions to perform a method of operating a gaming system comprising:
executing game play of a given game at a gaming machine in a normal mode;
activating a credit meter of the gaming machine during game play of the given game in the normal mode;
activating a cash input mechanism during game play of the given game in the normal mode;
initiating game play of the given game in a free mode in response to a free mode command;
deactivating the credit meter during game play of the given game in the free mode to prevent modification of real credits in the credit meter; and
deactivating the cash input mechanism during game play of the given game in the free mode to prevent modification of real credits in the credit meter through cash purchases of real credits.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method comprises initiating game play of the given game in the free mode in response to actuation of a free mode selector operable by a player.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method comprises initiating game play of the given game in the free mode in response to actuation of a button at the gaming machine.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises reactivating the credit meter in response to an end free mode command.
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 strained semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a first semiconductor material and having a first conductivity type;
forming a semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type contacting with the substrate, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises the first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material and has a dopant of the second conductivity type, and the semiconductor layer is formed with a selective epitaxy growth (SEG) process with in-situ doping of the dopant; and
after forming the semiconductor layer with in-situ doping of the dopant, conducting an in-situ annealing to diffuse the dopant,
wherein the first semiconductor material is silicon, the second semiconductor material is germanium, the dopant is boron, the SEG process is conducted at about 650-800\xb0 C., and the in-situ annealing is conducted ar about 850-950\xb0 C.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming an opening on the substrate before the semiconductor layer is formed, and the semiconductor layer is later formed filling the opening.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a patterned mask layer thereon, further comprising:
forming an opening in the substrate with the patterned mask layer as an etching mask before the semiconductor layer is formed, and while the semiconductor layer is later formed filling the opening based on the substrate exposed by the patterned mask layer.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the opening is formed to define an SD region of a MOS transistor.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second conductivity is P-type, and the semiconductor layer is formed to be strained in the opening to increase hole mobility.
6. A method for forming an SD region, comprising:
providing a substrate that comprises a first semiconductor material and has a first conductivity type;
forming an opening in a substrate within a predetermined area for the SD region;
conducting a selective epitaxy growth (SEG) process with in-situ doping to form an epitaxial layer of a second conductivity type filling the opening, wherein the epitaxial layer comprises the first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material and has a dopant of the second conductivity type; and
after forming the epitaxial layer with in-situ doping of the dopant, conducting in-situ annealing to diffuse the dopant,
wherein the first semiconductor material is silicon, the second semiconductor material is germanium, the dopant is boron, the SEG process is conducted at about 650-800\xb0 C., and the in-situ annealing is conducted at about 850-950\xb0 C.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second conductivity type is P-type, and the epitaxy layer is formed to be strained in the opening to increase hole mobility.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the in-situ annealing is conducted for about 30-120 seconds.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the in-situ annealing is conducted under a pressure of about 1-10 Torr.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate is provided with a gate structure thereon and the opening is formed using the gate structure as an etching mask.