Search results for "extreme"
showing 10 items of 319 documents
Phase defect inspection of multilayer masks for 13.5 nm optical lithography using PEEM in a standing wave mode
2007
We report on recent developments of an "at wavelength" full-field imaging technique for defect inspection of multilayer mask blanks for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). Our approach uses photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) in a near normal incidence mode at 13.5 nut wavelength to image the photoemission induced by the EUV wave field on the multilayer blank surface. We analyze buried defects on Mo/Si multilayer samples down to a lateral size of 50 nm and report on first, results obtained from a six inches mask blank prototype as prerequisite for industrial usage. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ZnS Ultrathin interfacial layers for optimizing carrier management in Sb2S3-based photovoltaics
2021
Antimony chalcogenides represent a family of materials of low toxicity and relative abundance, with a high potential for future sustainable solar energy conversion technology. However, solar cells based on antimony chalcogenides present open-circuit voltage losses that limit their efficiencies. These losses are attributed to several recombination mechanisms, with interfacial recombination being considered as one of the dominant processes. In this work, we exploit atomic layer deposition (ALD) to grow a series of ultrathin ZnS interfacial layers at the TiO2/Sb2S3 interface to mitigate interfacial recombination and to increase the carrier lifetime. ALD allows for very accurate control over th…
A new approach for actinic defect inspection of EUVL multilayer mask blanks: Standing wave photoemission electron microscopy
2006
Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) at 13.5 nm is the next generation lithography technique capable of printing sub-50 nm structures. With decreasing feature sizes to be printed, the requirements for the lithography mask also become more stringent in terms of defect sizes and densities that are still acceptable and the development of lithography optics has to go along with the development of new mask defect inspection techniques that are fast and offer high resolution (preferable in the range of the minimum feature size) at the same time. We report on the development and experimental results of a new 'at wavelength' full-field imaging technique for defect inspection of multilayer mask bl…
Least-squares temporal difference learning based on an extreme learning machine
2014
Abstract Reinforcement learning (RL) is a general class of algorithms for solving decision-making problems, which are usually modeled using the Markov decision process (MDP) framework. RL can find exact solutions only when the MDP state space is discrete and small enough. Due to the fact that many real-world problems are described by continuous variables, approximation is essential in practical applications of RL. This paper is focused on learning the value function of a fixed policy in continuous MPDs. This is an important subproblem of several RL algorithms. We propose a least-squares temporal difference (LSTD) algorithm based on the extreme learning machine. LSTD is typically combined wi…
A purification algorithm for semi-infinite programming
1992
Abstract In this paper we present a purification algorithm for semi-infinite linear programming. Starting with a feasible point, the algorithm either finds an improved extreme point or concludes with the unboundedness of the problem. The method is based on the solution of a sequence of linear programming problems. The study of some recession conditions has allowed us to establish a weak assumption for the finite convergence of this algorithm. Numerical results illustrating the method are given.
On the numerical treatment of linearly constrained semi-infinite optimization problems
2000
Abstract We consider the application of two primal algorithms to solve linear semi-infinite programming problems depending on a real parameter. Combining a simplex-type strategy with a feasible-direction scheme we obtain a descent algorithm which enables us to manage the degeneracy of the extreme points efficiently. The second algorithm runs a feasible-direction method first and then switches to the purification procedure. The linear programming subproblems that yield the search direction involve only a small subset of the constraints. These subsets are updated at each iteration using a multi-local optimization algorithm. Numerical test examples, taken from the literature in order to compar…
Extremely low frequency magnetic fields in residences in Germany. Distribution of measurements, comparison of two methods for assessing exposure, and…
2001
We examined the results of 1,835 magnetic field measurements in German residences conducted between November 1997 and September 1999. The measurements were part of an epidemiological study on the relationship between magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. We performed a fixed-location measurement of the magnetic field at 50 Hz and 16 2/3 Hz (frequency of the German railway system) over 24 h in the child's bedroom in the residence of each study participant. In addition, we conducted a second 24 h-measurement in the living room at 50 Hz, and spot measurements while walking through all rooms of the respective dwelling. Median 50 Hz magnetic fields above 0.2 muT were found to be infrequent in …
Sensitivity of extreme rainfall to temperature in semi-arid Mediterranean regions
2019
Abstract Warmer air has the potential to hold more water vapour and, therefore, to provide more water to rainfall events. Studying the relationship between rainfall and temperature represents an emerging issue in hydrology and meteorology, since it can be considered fundamental for evaluating the effects of global warming on future precipitation. Various approaches have been tested across different parts of the world, in many cases observing an intensification of extreme precipitation at higher temperatures consistent with the well-known thermodynamic Clausius-Clapeyron relation (CC-scaling rate of 6–7%°C−1). However, at different locations for hourly time-scales, the temperature-extreme ra…
Simulation of extreme heat events over the Valencia coastal region: Sensitivity to initial conditions and boundary layer parameterizations
2019
The Valencia coastal region (Western Mediterranean) is especially sensitive to extreme heat events, where they are really common. However, due to its geophysical characteristics and climatic conditions, the incidence of high and extreme temperatures may still be modulated over this area by means of sea breeze circulations, defining a Sea Breeze Convergence Zone (SBCZ) due to the meet and interaction of these mesoscale conditions and Western synoptic-scale wind regimes. A proper definition of this convergence zone is of significant importance over the study area for the simulation and forecast of intense-heat meteorological events. This study analyses a week period in August 2010 over this a…
Convergence in critical fuel moisture and fire weather thresholds associated with fire activity in the pyroregions of Mediterranean Europe
2021
Wildfires are becoming an increasing threat to many communities worldwide. There has been substantial progress towards understanding the proximal causes of increased fire activity in recent years at regional and national scales. However, subcontinental scale examinations of the commonalities and differences in the drivers of fire activity across different regions are rare in the Mediterranean zone of the European Union (EUMed). Here, we first develop a new classification of EUMed pyroregions, based on grouping different ecoregions with similar seasonal patterns of burned area. We then examine the thresholds associated with fire activity in response to different drivers related to fuel moist…