1-27. (canceled)
28. Device for pneumatic conveyance of powdered material, comprising:
a chamber that alternately is filled with powder and emptied, the chamber being at least partially defined by a gas-permeable material such that alternating application of positive and negative pressure to the chamber interior through the gas-permeable material conveys powder into and out of the chamber, a first end of the cylinder being adapted to receive powder from a supply inlet and a second end of the cylinder being adapted to convey powder from the chamber to a delivery outlet, and a purge arrangement for applying pressurized purge gas into the chamber interior with at least a portion of the purge gas entering the chamber interior other than by filtering through said gas-permeable material.
29. The device of claim 28 wherein pressurized gas also filters through said gas-permeable material into the chamber interior as part of a purge operation.
30. The device of claim 28 wherein said purge arrangement comprises a valve that controls pressurized purge gas into the chamber interior through a port formed in the gas-permeable cylinder.
31. The device of claim 30 wherein said port is radial relative to a longitudinal axis of the chamber.
32. The device of claim 30 wherein said valve comprises a flexible member that is elastically deformed by flow of the pressurized purge gas through the valve to open said port, and closes said port when said pressurized purge gas is not applied to the valve.
33. The device of claim 32 comprising a check valve between a source of said pressurized purge gas and said diaphragm.
34. The device of claim 28 wherein said gas-permeable material is formed as a rigid hollow cylinder.
35. The device of claim 28 wherein said gas-permeable material comprises sintered plastic.
36. A method for conveying powdered material, comprising:
defining a metering volume;
alternately filling and emptying the metering volume with material by alternately applying positive and negative pressure to the metering volume through a gas-permeable material, such that the application of negative pressure to the metering volume sucks material into the volume and the application of positive pressure to the metering volume forces material out of the volume, and
purging the metering volume by applying pressurized purge gas into the metering volume other than by filtering the purge gas through the gas-permeable material.
37. The method of claim 36 comprising additionally purging the metering volume by applying purge gas through said gas-permeable material.
38. The method of claim 36 wherein said purge gas is introduce radially into the metering volume relative to a longitudinal axis of the metering volume.
39. Device for pneumatic conveyance of powdered material, comprising:
a chamber that alternately is filled with powder and emptied, the chamber being at least partially defined by a gas-permeable material such that application of negative pressure to the chamber interior through the gas-permeable material conveys powder into the chamber, and an arrangement for applying pressurized gas into the chamber interior with at least a portion of the pressurized gas entering the chamber interior other than by filtering through said gas-permeable material.
40. The device of claim 39 wherein pressurized purge gas is applied into the chamber interior other than by filtering through said gas permeable material.
41. The device of claim 39 comprising one or more pinch valves that control flow of powder through the chamber.
42. The device of claim 41 comprising an inlet pinch valve for controlling flow of powder into the chamber under negative pressure and an outlet pinch valve for controlling flow of powder out of the chamber under positive pressure.
43. The device of claim 39 wherein the gas permeable material is formed as a hollow rigid cylinder.
44. System for pneumatic conveyance of powdered material, comprising: a chamber that alternately is filled with powder and emptied, the chamber being at least partially defined by a gas-permeable material such that application of negative pressure to the chamber interior through the gas-permeable material conveys powder into the chamber, and wherein the application of pressurized gas to the chamber interior removes powder from the chamber; and a source of positive pressure gas that provides said pressurized gas for emptying the chamber and that produces said negative pressure to convey powder into the chamber.
45. The system of claim 44 comprising a venturi pump that produces negative pressure for the chamber and operates from pressurized gas from said source.
46. The system of claim 44 wherein said source of positive pressure gas comprises a compressed air tank.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-17. (canceled)
18. A partially completed semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a dielectric layer overlying the semiconductor substrate;
a gate structure including edges;
a substantially pure silicon dioxide mask structure overlying the gate structure;
a thickness ranging from about 400 to about 600 Angstroms of the substantially pure silicon dioxide mask structure;
a dielectric layer forming sidewall spacers on the edges of the gate structure to protect the gate structure including the edges;
an exposed portion of the pure silicon dioxide mask structure overlying the gate structure;
a silicon germanium fill material in an etched source region and an etched drain region, the etched source region and the etched drain region being coupled to the gate structure; and
a strained channel region between the filled source region and the filled drain region from at least the silicon germanium material formed in the etched source region and the etched drain region.
19. A partially completed CMOS semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a dielectric layer overlying the semiconductor substrate;
a gate structure including edges overlying the dielectric layer;
a substantially pure silicon dioxide mask structure overlying the gate structure;
a thickness ranging from about 400 to about 600 Angstroms of the substantially pure silicon dioxide mask structure;
a dielectric layer forming sidewall spacers on the edges of the gate structure to protect the gate structure including the edges;
an exposed portion of the pure silicon dioxide mask structure overlying the gate structure;
an epitaxially grown fill material in an etched source region and an etched drain region, the etched source region and the etched drain region being coupled to the gate structure; and
a strained channel region between the filled source region and the filled drain region from at least the epitaxially grown fill material formed in the etched source region and the etched drain region.
20. The device of claim 19 wherein the epitaxially grown fill material comprises silicon germanium material.
21. A partially completed semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a dielectric layer overlying the semiconductor substrate;
a first gate structure including edges and second gate structure including edges;
a substantially pure silicon dioxide mask structure overlying the first and second gate structures, the pure silicon dioxide being substantially free from any nitride bearing species;
a thickness ranging from about 400 to about 600 Angstroms of the substantially pure silicon dioxide mask structure;
a dielectric layer forming sidewall spacers on the edges of the gate structures to protect the gate structures including the edges, the dielectric layer exposing a portion of the silicon dioxide mask;
an exposed portion of the pure silicon dioxide mask structure overlying the gate structure;
a silicon germanium fill material in etched first and source regions and etched first and second drain regions, the first source region and the first drain region being adjacent to the first gate structure, the second source region and the second drain region being adjacent to the second gate structure, second source and drain regions having the dielectric layer and portion of the pure silicon dioxide mask as a protective layer;
a strained N-type channel region between the filled first source region and the filled first drain region from at least the silicon germanium material formed in the etched first source region and the first etched drain region; and
a P-type channel region between the second source region and the second drain region.
22. The device of claim 21 further comprising a silicon carbide material filled into at least the second source region and the second drain region.
23. The device of claim 22 wherein the second source region and the second drain region are strained in tensile mode.
24. The device of claim 21 wherein the first source region and the first drain region are strained in compressive mode.
25. The device of claim 21 wherein the first gate is being covered with a masking material.
26. The device of claim 21 wherein the strained N-type channel region has a length of a width of the gate structure.
27. The device of claim 21 wherein the semiconductor substrate is essential silicon material.
28. The device of claim 21 wherein the semiconductor substrate is essential silicon material.
29. The device of claim 21 wherein the silicon germanium material is single crystalline.
30. The device of claim 21 wherein the silicon germanium has a ratio of silicongermanium of 10% to 30%.
31. The device of claim 21 further comprising a contact structure on a metal hard mask, the metal hard mask being in physical and electrical contact with the first gate structure.
32. The device of claim 24 wherein the compressive mode increases a mobility of holes in the strained N-type channel region.