A series of nanoporous membranes prepared from polyethylene-block-polystyrene were applied for size-selective diffusion of glucose and albumin molecules. Millimeter-sized test cells for characterization of such molecular diffusions were designed assuming an implantable glucose sensor. The prepared nanoporous membrane exhibits excellent flexibility and toughness compared to conventional nanoporous membranes of brittle alumina. Pore size of the membranes could be controlled from 5 to 30 nm by varying preparation conditions. All of these nanoporous membranes prepared in this study let glucose pass through, indicating a continuous pore connection through the entire thickness of the membrane in a few tens of micrometers. In contrast, membranes prepared under optimum conditions could perfectly block albumin permeation. This means that these vital molecules having different sizes can be selectively diffused through the nanoporous membranes. Such a successful combination of size selectivity of molecular diffusion in nanoscale and superior mechanical properties in macroscale is also beneficial for other devices requesting down-sized manufacture.

Electroless NiWP and NiReP films were investigated with the aim of application to barrier and capping layers in interconnect technology. These alloys containing a refractory metal with a high melting point were expected to have the ability to avoid diffusion of Cu into the interlevel dielectric. The composition and resistivity of these films were investigated first in order to know the relation between the composition and its thermal stability. The thermal stability was investigated by measuring the sheet resistance and the cross-sectional observation with field emission scanning electron microscope. Additionally, an electroless Ni alloy deposition on the SiO 2 layer without a sputtered seed layer was also examined by utilizing a self-assembled monolayer ͑SAM͒ as an adhesion and catalytic layer. Since an alkaline solution damaged the SiO 2 surface, a two-step process, which consists of a nucleation step performed in an acid electroless deposition bath and a barrier layer formation step carried out in an alkaline bath, is employed in order to fabricate a consistently uniform barrier film on the SAM/SiO 2 surface. It was found that the NiReP films formed on SAM/SiO 2 surfaces were stable up to 400°C, and are feasible for the barrier layer for the Cu interconnect technology.

High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) yielded evidence for the formation of single covalent bonds between Si(111) surface atoms and CH(3) groups from the reaction of CH(3)MgBr and hydrogen-terminated H:Si(111)(1 x 1). The vibration at 678 cm(-)(1), assigned to the C-Si bond, was isolated within the spectrum of CH(3) on deuterium-terminated D:Si(111)(1 x 1). The CH(3) groups were thermally stable at temperatures below 600 K. The C-Si bonds are essential for enhancing the usefulness of alkyl moieties, which will lead to a new prospective technology of nanoscale fabrication and biochemical application.

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