1-8. (canceled)
9. A method of forming an interconnect structure comprising:
providing a semiconductor substrate having a metal layer;
forming a copper pedestal having a first end coupled to the metal layer, at least one side, and a second end;
forming a barrier layer on the copper pedestal;
forming a barrier protection layer on the barrier layer;
forming a solder layer on the barrier protection layer; and
pressing a mold over the solder layer so that the solder layer directly contacts one or more of the at least one side of the copper pedestal.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the copper pedestal, barrier layer, barrier protection layer, and solder layer are formed by electroplating.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the mold is pressed over the solder layer in a chemically reducing environment.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the chemically reducing environment comprises formic acid in nitrogen.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein the mold comprises an insulating material.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the mold comprises glass.
15. A method of forming an interconnect structure comprising:
providing a semiconductor substrate having a metal layer;
forming a copper pedestal having a first end coupled to the metal layer, at least one side, and a second end;
forming a barrier layer on the copper pedestal;
forming a barrier protection layer on the barrier layer;
filling a mold with a solder; and
transferring the solder from the mold to the copper pedestal, wherein the solder at least partially covers the barrier protection layer and directly contacts one or more of the at least one side of the copper pedestal.
16. The method of claim 18, wherein solder is transferred from the mold to the copper pedestal in a chemically reducing environment.
17. The method of claim 19, wherein the chemically reducing environment comprises formic acid in nitrogen.
18. The method of claim 18, wherein the copper pedestal, barrier layer, and barrier protection layer are formed by electroplating.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mold is made of an insulating material.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the mold is made of glass.
21. A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising:
providing a semiconductor substrate having a metal layer;
forming a copper pedestal having a first end coupled to the metal layer, at least one side, and a second end;
forming a barrier layer on the copper pedestal;
forming a barrier protection layer on the barrier layer;
forming a solder layer, wherein the solder layer at least partially covers the barrier protection layer and contacts one or more of the at least one side of the copper pedestal; and
reflowing the solder layer.
22. The method of claim 24, wherein the solder layer is reflowed in a chemically reducing environment.
23. The method of claim 25, wherein the chemically reducing environment comprises formic acid in nitrogen.
24. A method of forming an interconnect structure comprising:
providing a semiconductor substrate having a metal layer;
forming a copper pedestal having a first end coupled to the metal layer, at least one side, and a second end;
forming a barrier layer on the copper pedestal;
forming a barrier protection layer on the barrier layer;
forming a solder layer on the barrier protection layer wherein the solder layer directly contacts one or more of the at least one side of the copper pedestal.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein forming a solder layer on the barrier protection layer comprises:
forming a solder layer on the barrier protection layer; and
pressing a mold over the solder layer so that the solder layer directly contacts one or more of the at least one side of the copper pedestal.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein forming a solder layer on the barrier protection layer occurs in a chemically reducing environment.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the chemically reducing environment comprises formic acid in nitrogen.
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 compound present in plants of the genus Euphorbia, and in particular in sap of Euphorbia peplus, Euphorbia hirta andor Euphorbia drummondii, which:
(a) is able to kill or inhibit the growth of cancer cells, but does not significantly affect normal neonatal fibroblasts, or spontaneously transformed keratinocytes;
(b) has activity which is not destroyed by heating at 95 C. for 15 minutes;
(c) has activity which is not destroyed by treatment with acetone;
(d) has activity which can be extracted with 95% ethanol; and
(e) stimulates metallothionein gene activation.
2. A compound according to claim 1, which is able to inhibit the growth of at least one cell line selected from the group consisting of MM96L, MM229, MM220, MM537, MM2058, HeLa, B16, LIM1215, A549, MCF7, MCC16 and Colo16, as herein defined.
3. A compound according to claim 2, which is able to inhibit growth of or to induce differentiation in MM96L cells.
4. A compound according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is also able to induce normal melanocytes andor T cells to proliferate.
5. A composition comprising a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, together with a pharmaceutically- or cosmetically-acceptable carrier.
6. A composition according to claim 5, in which the compound is selected from the group consisting of jatrophanes, pepluanes, paralianes and angeloyl-substituted ingenanes or acetylated derivatives thereof, and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts or esters thereof.
7. A composition according to claim 6, in which the compound is a jatrophane of Conformation II.
8. A composition according to claim 6 or claim 7, in which the compound is substituted as defined in Table 2.
9. A composition according to any one of claims 5 to 8, in which the compound is selected from the group consisting of:
5,8,9,10,14-pentaacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-15-hydroxypepluane (pepluane);
15-pentaacetoxy-9-nicotinoyloxy-14-oxojatropha-6(1)11E-diene (jatrophane 1);
2,5,7,9,14-hexaacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-15-hydroxy-jatropha -6(17),11E-diene (jatrophane 2);
2,5,14-triacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-8,15-dihydroxy-7-isobutyroyloxy-9-nicotinoyloxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene (jatrophane 3);
2,5,9,14-tetraacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-8,15-dihydroxy-7-isobutyroyloxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene) (jatrophane 4);
2,5,7,14-tetraacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-8,15-dihydroxy-9-nicotinoyloxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene (jatrophane 5);
2,5,7,9,14-pentaacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-8,15-dihydroxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene (jatrophane 6);
20-acetyl-ingenol-3-angelate;
and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts or esters thereof.
10. A composition according to any one of claims 5 to 9, in which the carrier comprises -alanine betaine hydrochloride or t-4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyl proline.
11. A method of treatment of a cancer, comprising the step of administering an anti-cancer effective amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 to a mammal in need of such treatment.
12. A method according to claim 11, in which the cancer is a solid tumour.
13. A method according to claim 11 or claim 12, in which the cancer is selected from the group consisting of malignant melanoma, other skin cancers including Merkel cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and breast cancer.
14. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, used as an adjuvant to radiotherapy or to therapy with a DNA-damaging agent.
15. A method of inhibiting proliferative activity of neoplastic cells, comprising the step of exposing the cells to an anti-proliferative amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10.
16. A method of stimulating proliferation of non-neoplastic cells, comprising the step of exposing the cells to a proliferation-inducing amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10.
17. A method of stimulating the activity andor inducing proliferation of T-cells, comprising the step of exposing the cells to an effective amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10.
18 A method of alleviating disease conditions by stimulating cells of the immune system, according to claim 16.
19. A method of inducing neoplastic cells to differentiate, comprising the step of exposing the cells to an effective amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10.
20. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, in which the cells are treated in vivo.
21. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, in which the cells are treated ex vivo.
22. A method of preventing or alleviating damage to skin caused by ultraviolet irradiation, ionizing radiation, microwave radiation or exposure to ozone, comprising the step of topically administering an effective amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 to a subject in need of such treatment.
23. A method according to claim 22, in which the damage is solar keratosis.
24. A method according to claim 22, in which the damage occurs during radiotherapy.
25. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 24, in which the mammal is a human.
26. Use of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in the treatment of cancer.
27. Use of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4 for preventing or alleviating damage to skin caused by ultraviolet irradiation, ionizing radiation, microwave radiation or exposure to ozone
28. Use of a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 in the treatment of cancer.
29. Use of a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 in preventing or alleviating damage to skin caused by ultraviolet irradiation, ionizing radiation, microwave radiation or exposure to ozone
30. Use of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of cancer.
31. Use of a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 in the manufacture of a medicament for preventing or alleviating damage to skin caused by ultraviolet irradiation, ionizing radiation, microwave radiation or exposure to ozone.
32. Use of compound according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a composition according to any one of claims 5 to 10 in the manufacture of a medicament for inducing proliferation of non-neoplastic cells.