U.S. patent application number 14/524631 was filed with the patent office on 2015-02-12 for multi-tiered semiconductor apparatuses including residual silicide in semiconductor tier.
The applicant listed for this patent is Micron Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Eric Blomiley, Gowri Damarla, Anurag Jindal, Roger W. Lindsay.
Application Number | 20150044860 14/524631 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47626433 |
Filed Date | 2015-02-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150044860 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jindal; Anurag ; et
al. |
February 12, 2015 |
MULTI-TIERED SEMICONDUCTOR APPARATUSES INCLUDING RESIDUAL SILICIDE
IN SEMICONDUCTOR TIER
Abstract
Methods of forming multi-tiered semiconductor devices are
described, along with apparatuses that include them. In one such
method, a silicide is formed in a tier of silicon, the silicide is
removed, and a device is formed at least partially in a void that
was occupied by the silicide. One such apparatus includes a tier of
silicon with a void between tiers of dielectric material. Residual
silicide is on the tier of silicon and/or on the tiers of
dielectric material and a device is formed at least partially in
the void. Additional embodiments are also described.
Inventors: |
Jindal; Anurag; (Boise,
ID) ; Damarla; Gowri; (Boise, ID) ; Lindsay;
Roger W.; (Boise, ID) ; Blomiley; Eric;
(Boise, ID) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Micron Technology, Inc. |
Boise |
ID |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47626433 |
Appl. No.: |
14/524631 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13197557 |
Aug 3, 2011 |
8872252 |
|
|
14524631 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
438/588 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/11556 20130101;
H01L 21/32134 20130101; H01L 21/02057 20130101; H01L 29/40114
20190801 |
Class at
Publication: |
438/588 |
International
Class: |
H01L 21/28 20060101
H01L021/28; H01L 27/115 20060101 H01L027/115 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: forming a silicide in a tier of
semiconductor material; at least substantially removing the
silicide from the tier of semiconductor material; and forming a
device at least partially in a void that was occupied by the
silicide.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a silicide comprises
forming a silicide in a tier of polysilicon.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a silicide comprises:
forming metal on the tier of semiconductor material; and annealing
the metal and the tier of semiconductor material.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the metal is selected from the
group consisting of cobalt, titanium, tungsten, nickel, molybdenum,
platinum and tantalum.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the device comprises
forming a floating gate at least partially in the void that was
occupied by the silicide.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the silicide further
comprises forming the silicide in the tier of semiconductor
material between tiers of dielectric material.
7. A method comprising: forming metal on a plurality of tiers of
semiconductor material and a plurality of tiers of dielectric
material; converting at least some of the metal into a silicide; at
least substantially removing the silicide to leave a respective
void in each tier of semiconductor material between respective
tiers of the dielectric material; and forming a respective device
at least partially in each of the voids.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: forming a channel
through the tiers of semiconductor material and the tiers of
dielectric material, wherein forming the metal comprises depositing
the metal on the tiers of semiconductor material and the tiers of
dielectric material inside the channel.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein: the tiers of semiconductor
material and the tiers of dielectric material comprise alternating
tiers of polysilicon and the tiers of dielectric material; and
forming a channel comprises etching a channel through the
alternating tiers of polysilicon and the tiers of dielectric
material.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the dielectric material
comprises silicon dioxide.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein converting at least some of the
metal comprises annealing the metal and the semiconductor material
to cause at least some of the metal to react with the semiconductor
material to become the silicide.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein the semiconductor material
comprises p type silicon.
13. A method comprising: forming a channel at least partially
through a semiconductor construction comprising a plurality of
tiers of dielectric material interleaved with a plurality of tiers
of semiconductor material; forming metal in the channel on the
tiers of dielectric material and the tiers of semiconductor
material; forming portions of silicide from the metal and the tiers
of semiconductor material; at least substantially removing any of
the metal remaining after the portions of silicide have been
formed; at least substantially removing the portions of silicide to
leave voids in the tiers of semiconductor material; and forming
devices at least partially in the voids.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the semiconductor material
comprises n type silicon.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the portions of
silicide further comprises annealing the metal and the tiers of
semiconductor material to cause the metal to react with the tiers
of semiconductor material to form the portions of silicide.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein: annealing the metal and the
tiers of semiconductor material comprises annealing the metal and
the tiers of semiconductor material in a first anneal to form the
portions of silicide; and annealing the portions of silicide and
the tiers of semiconductor material in a second anneal to form
portions of di-silicide.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein annealing the metal and the
tiers of semiconductor material further comprises annealing the
metal and the tiers of semiconductor material with a Rapid Thermal
Processing (RTP) anneal.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein forming portions of silicide
from the metal and the tiers of semiconductor material comprises
forming residual silicide selected from a group consisting of
platinum silicide, platinum di-silicide, molybdenum silicide,
molybdenum di-silicide, cobalt silicide, cobalt di-silicide,
titanium silicide, titanium di-silicide, tungsten silicide,
tungsten di-silicide, nickel silicide, nickel di-silicide, tantalum
silicide and/or tantalum di-silicide.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the channel at least
partially through the semiconductor construction comprising the
plurality of tiers of dielectric material interleaved with the
plurality of tiers of semiconductor material comprises forming the
channel at least partially through the semiconductor construction
comprising a plurality of tiers of silicon dioxide interleaved with
a plurality of tiers of polysilicon.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the metal in the
channel on the tiers of dielectric material and the tiers of
semiconductor material comprises forming one of the following
metals: cobalt (Co), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), nickel (Ni),
tantalum (Ta), platinum (Pt) or molybdenum (Mo).
Description
[0001] PRIORITY APPLICATION
[0002] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 13/197,557, filed Aug. 3, 2011, which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Non-volatile semiconductor memories (NVSMs) are widely used
in many electronic devices such as personal digital assistants
(PDAs), laptop computers, mobile phones and digital cameras. Some
of these memories have arrays of charge storage transistors, such
as floating gate transistors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not
limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an apparatus in the
form of a semiconductor construction according to various
embodiments of the invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor
construction according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a top view of a semiconductor construction
according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor
construction according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor
construction according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0010] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor
construction according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor
construction according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor
construction according to various embodiments of the invention;
[0013] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of one method according to various
embodiments of the invention; and
[0014] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an apparatus in the form
of a system according to various embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] For the purposes of this document, a "tier of semiconductor
material" can mean semiconductor material formed in the same plane,
rank, row, or unit, such as in a horizontal, vertical, or sloped
plane, row, rank, or unit of a structure.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an apparatus in the
form of a semiconductor construction 100 according to various
embodiments of the invention. Elements in the semiconductor
construction 100 will be identified by the same reference numerals
throughout the drawings for purposes of brevity and clarity. In
addition, acts may be described herein related to the formation of
a single device, but the acts may result in the formation of more
than one device. Thus, it is understood that the acts described
herein may be applied to multiple devices, such as an array of
devices, as well.
[0017] The semiconductor construction 100 includes a first tier of
a dielectric 110. The first tier of the dielectric 110 can be
formed in a p type well as part of a substrate (not shown), and the
substrate may comprise silicon. Alternate tiers of polysilicon and
a dielectric can be formed on the first tier of the dielectric 110.
For example, a first tier of polysilicon 112 may be formed on the
first tier of dielectric 110. A second tier of the dielectric 120
may then be formed on the first tier of polysilicon 112. A second
tier of the polysilicon 122 may then be formed on the second tier
of the dielectric 120. A third tier of the dielectric 130 may then
be formed on the second tier of the polysilicon 122. A third tier
of the polysilicon 132 may then be formed on the third tier of the
dielectric 130. A fourth tier of the dielectric 140 may then be
formed on the third tier of the polysilicon 132. A fourth tier of
the polysilicon 142 may then be formed on the fourth tier of the
dielectric 140. A fifth tier of the dielectric 150 may then be
formed on the fourth tier of the polysilicon 142. A silicon nitride
(Si.sub.3N.sub.4) mask 160 may then be formed on the fifth tier of
the dielectric 150. The silicon nitride mask 160 can be subjected
to planarization such as chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP).
The alternate formation of the tiers of dielectrics and the tiers
of polysilicon may be reversed. More or fewer tiers of dielectrics
and polysilicon may be formed according to various embodiments of
the invention. The tiers of dielectrics 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150
may comprise, for example, silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2). Tiers of
undoped silicon or n type silicon or p type silicon, for example,
may be substituted for the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and
142. The tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142 may comprise n
type polysilicon or p type polysilicon. The different tiers of
semiconductor material and the different tiers of dielectric
material, however, may not necessarily comprise the same
semiconductor material or the same dielectric material,
respectively.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor
construction 100 according to various embodiments of the invention.
A vertical channel 250 can be etched through the silicon nitride
mask 160, the tiers of dielectrics 120, 130, 140 and 150 and the
tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142. The etch of the
vertical channel 250 ends into the first tier of the dielectric
110. The vertical channel 250 can be etched by, for example, a
single dry etch chemistry, such as reactive ion etching. The
vertical channel 250 may have a diameter of about 50 to about 250
nanometers and a height of about 2 micrometers.
[0019] The semiconductor construction 100 can be cleaned with, for
example, a wet clean procedure to remove silicon dioxide. For
example, a 100:1 solution of hydrofluoric acid is applied to remove
approximately 15 to 50 angstroms of silicon dioxide from the
semiconductor construction 100.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a top view of the semiconductor construction 100
according to various embodiments of the invention. The vertical
channel 250 is shown etched in the semiconductor construction 100
along with additional vertical channels 310 and 320 to illustrate
that more than one vertical channel may be etched in the
semiconductor construction 100.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor
construction 100 according to various embodiments of the invention.
A metal film 460 can be formed (e.g., deposited) over the
semiconductor construction 100 including over the silicon nitride
mask 160 and inside the vertical channel 250. The metal film 460
can be deposited over the tiers of dielectrics 110, 120, 130, 140
and 150 and the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142 that
were cleaned by the wet clean procedure described with respect to
FIG. 2. The metal film 460 can have a thickness of between about 25
angstroms and about 200 angstroms and may be deposited by, for
example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition
(ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD) or evaporation. The metal
film 460 comprises cobalt (Co), and may alternatively comprise, for
example, titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), nickel (Ni), tantalum (Ta),
platinum (Pt) or molybdenum (Mo) according to various embodiments
of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor
construction 100 according to various embodiments of the invention.
The semiconductor construction 100 can be subjected to an annealing
operation such as, for example, a Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP)
anneal to cause the metal film 460 inside the vertical channel 250
to react with the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142 to
form portions of silicide 570. If the metal film 460 comprises
cobalt, the semiconductor construction 100 may be heated to a
temperature of between about 400 and about 600 degrees Celsius for
about 30 to about 120 seconds in a nitrogen (N.sub.2) atmosphere
during the RTP anneal to react the cobalt with the tiers of
polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142. The temperature of the RTP
anneal can be different for a different metal composition. The RTP
anneal consumes a portion of the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132
and 142, such that the portions of silicide 570 extend into the
tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142, between the tiers of
dielectrics 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150. The portions of silicide
570 also extend into the vertical channel 250. The portions of
silicide 570 comprise cobalt silicide (CoSi). The portions of
silicide 570 may alternatively comprise, for example, titanium
silicide (TiSi), tungsten silicide (WSi), nickel silicide (NiSi),
tantalum silicide (TaSi), molybdenum silicide (MoSi) or platinum
silicide (PtSi), depending on the composition of the metal film
460, according to various embodiments of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor
construction 100 according to various embodiments of the invention.
The semiconductor construction 100 can be subjected to a wet etch
process, such as to at least substantially remove the metal film
460 remaining after the RTP anneal (wherein the phrase "at least
substantially" is used to imply that there may be some residual
metal 610 that remains on the semiconductor construction 100). The
wet etch process leaves portions of the silicide 570 in the
semiconductor construction 100. Residual metal 610, such as
residual cobalt, may remain on the semiconductor construction 100
after the wet etch process. For example, the residual metal 610 may
remain on one or more of the tiers of dielectrics 110, 120, 130,
140 and 150. The residual metal 610 may be a trace amount of metal.
For the purposes of this document, a trace amount of a material is
an amount of material that is detectable but not able to be
quantified. The wet etch process may be implemented with, for
example, a 5:1 mixture of concentrated H.sub.2SO.sub.4 in an
approximately 30% H.sub.2O.sub.2 solution. Other possible mixtures
include approximately a 3:1 mixture or approximately a 10:1 mixture
of H.sub.2SO.sub.4. The wet etch process may occur at a temperature
of between about 120 degrees and about 150 degrees Celsius. The wet
etch process may also be implemented using only H.sub.2SO.sub.4
without the H.sub.2O.sub.2. Removal of the metal film 460 can
improve control of the thickness of portions of the silicide
570.
[0024] The semiconductor construction 100 may be subject to a
second RTP anneal to convert the portions of silicide 570 to
di-silicide. If the metal film 460 comprises cobalt, the
semiconductor construction 100 may be heated to a temperature of
between about 750 and about 850 degrees Celsius for about 10 to
about 60 seconds in a nitrogen (N.sub.2) atmosphere during the
second RTP anneal to cause the portions of silicide 570 to further
react with the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142. The
portions of silicide 570 may comprise cobalt di-silicide
(CoSi.sub.2) after the second RTP anneal. The CoSi.sub.2 is stable
on silicon up to approximately 950 degrees Celsius. The formation
of the CoSi.sub.2 consumes approximately 3.64 nanometers of silicon
per nanometer of Cobalt, and results in about 3.52 nanometers of
di-silicide per nanometer of Cobalt. The CoSi.sub.2 has a barrier
height of approximately 0.65 electron volts with respect to the
silicon.
[0025] The portions of silicide 570 may alternatively comprise, for
example, titanium di-silicide (TiSi.sub.2), tungsten di-silicide
(WSi.sub.2), nickel di-silicide (NiSi.sub.2), tantalum di-silicide
(TaSi.sub.2), molybdenum di-silicide (MoSi.sub.2), or platinum
di-silicide (PtSi.sub.2), depending on the composition of the metal
film 460, according to various embodiments of the invention. The
temperature of the second RTP anneal may be different for a
different silicide composition. The second RTP anneal can provide
improved control of the thickness of the resulting portions of
di-silicide 570, and can remove more of the polysilicon from the
tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor
construction 100 according to various embodiments of the invention.
The semiconductor construction 100 can be subjected to a wet etch
process, such as to remove substantially all of the portions of
di-silicide 570. For example, the portions of di-silicide 570 may
be etched with hot phosphoric acid (H.sub.3PO.sub.4) as an aqueous
solution of approximately 85% phosphoric acid at a temperature of
between about 180 degrees and about 220 degrees Celsius. The
removal of substantially all of the portions of di-silicide 570
results in voids 710 in the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and
142 between the tiers of dielectrics 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150
where the polysilicon 112, 122, 132 and 142 was consumed during
formation of the portions of di-silicide 570. Residual di-silicide
720 may remain in the semiconductor construction 100 after the wet
etch process. For example, residual di-silicide 720 may remain in
one or more of the voids 710 between the tiers of dielectrics 110,
120, 130, 140 and 150 in the semiconductor construction 100 after
the wet etch process. The residual silicide 720 may be a trace
amount of the silicide. The wet etch process may alternatively be
carried out with, for example, hot hydrofluoric acid according to
various embodiments of the invention.
[0027] The semiconductor construction 100 can be subjected to a
single RTP anneal to cause the metal film 460 inside the vertical
channel 250 to react with the tiers of polysilicon 112, 122, 132
and 142 to form portions of di-silicide. If the metal film 460
comprises cobalt, the semiconductor construction 100 may be heated
to a temperature of between about 750 and about 900 degrees Celsius
for about 30 to about 120 seconds in a nitrogen (N.sub.2)
atmosphere to react the cobalt with the tiers of polysilicon 112,
122, 132 and 142 to produce CoSi.sub.2 570 according to various
embodiments of the invention. The semiconductor construction 100
can be subjected to a wet etch process, such as to at least
substantially remove the metal film 460 remaining after the RTP
anneal. The wet etch process leaves portions of the CoSi.sub.2 570
in the semiconductor construction 100.
[0028] Any one or more of the acts shown and described with respect
to FIGS. 2-7 can be repeated to enlarge the voids 710. The
repetition of the acts described with respect to FIGS. 2-7 can also
be used to exercise more control over the removal of polysilicon in
the semiconductor construction 100.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the semiconductor
construction 100 according to various embodiments of the invention.
Silicon dioxide 806 is deposited on the tiers of polysilicon 112,
122, 132 and 142. Silicon nitride 810 is then deposited on the
silicon dioxide 806, the tiers of dielectrics 110, 120, 130, 140
and 150 and the silicon nitride mask 160. Silicon dioxide 816 is
deposited on the silicon nitride 810 to complete a blocking
dielectric, such as oxide-nitride-oxide (e.g.,
SiO.sub.2Si.sub.3N.sub.4SiO.sub.2 or ONO) including the silicon
dioxide 806, the silicon nitride 810 and the silicon dioxide 816.
Devices such as charge storage structures including, for example,
floating gates 820, are formed at least partially in the voids 710
on the silicon dioxide 816. The floating gates 820 may be formed by
depositing polysilicon to fill the vertical channel 250, and then
etching the polysilicon with a blanket silicon etch to leave the
polysilicon of the floating gates 820 at least partially filling
the voids 710. A tunneling dielectric 830 is formed inside the
vertical channel 250 over the floating gates 820. The tunneling
dielectric 830 can be, for example, silicon dioxide or silicon
nitride, and may be deposited or grown. A polysilicon pillar 840 is
formed (e.g., by deposition) inside the vertical channel 250 on the
tunneling dielectric 830. The polysilicon pillar 840 can be used as
a conductive channel for the floating gates 820 in a not AND (NAND)
string of memory cells. The blocking dielectric can also be, for
example, nitride-oxide-nitride-oxide-nitride (e.g.,
Si.sub.3N.sub.4SiO.sub.2Si.sub.3N.sub.4SiO.sub.2Si.sub.3N.sub.4 or
NONON) or other combinations of nitride and oxide films according
to various embodiments of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of one method 900 according to
various embodiments of the invention. In block 910, the method 900
begins. In block 920, a channel is formed through tiers of
dielectric material interleaved with tiers of semiconductor
material. In block 930, metal is formed on the tiers of dielectric
material and the tiers of semiconductor material in the channel. In
block 940, portions of silicide are formed from the metal and the
tiers of semiconductor material. In block 950, metal remaining
after the portions of silicide have been formed is at least
substantially removed. In block 960, the portions of silicide are
at least substantially removed to leave voids in the tiers of
semiconductor material. In block 970, devices, such as floating
gates, are formed at least partially in the voids. In block 980,
the method 900 ends. Various embodiments may have more or fewer
activities than those shown in FIG. 9. The activities shown may be
accomplished in the illustrated order, or in another order. Some
activities may be substituted for others.
[0031] Multi-tiered semiconductor devices can be expensive to form
because it can be difficult to form features in multiple tiers of
semiconductor material. The inventors have discovered that such
challenges, as well as others, can sometimes be addressed by
depositing metal on tiers of dielectric material interleaved with
tiers of semiconductor material, annealing the metal and the tiers
of semiconductor material to form metal silicide, at least
substantially removing remaining metal, and at least substantially
removing the metal silicide to leave voids in the tiers of
semiconductor material. This can result in the controlled formation
of substantially uniform voids in the tiers of semiconductor
material. Devices are formed at least partially in one or more of
the voids.
[0032] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an apparatus in the form
of a system 1000 according to various embodiments of the invention.
The system 1000 may include a processor 1010, a memory device 1020,
a memory controller 1030, a graphic controller 1040, an input and
output (I/O) controller 1050, a display 1052, a keyboard 1054, a
pointing device 1056, and a peripheral device 1058. A bus 1060
couples all of these devices together.
[0033] A clock generator 1070 can be coupled to the bus 1060 to
provide a clock signal to at least one of the devices of the system
1000 through the bus 1060. The clock generator 1070 may include an
oscillator in a circuit board such as a motherboard. Two or more
devices shown in system 1000 may be formed in a single integrated
circuit chip. The memory device 1020 comprises a semiconductor
construction 100 such as those described herein and shown in the
figures according to various embodiments of the invention. The
semiconductor construction 100 may be included in a NAND memory
device. The bus 1060 may be used to interconnect traces on a
circuit board and may comprise one or more cables. The bus 1060 may
couple the devices of the system 1000 by wireless mechanisms, such
as by electromagnetic radiation, for example, radio waves. The
peripheral device 1058 coupled to the I/O controller 1050 may be a
printer, an optical device such as a CD-ROM and a DVD reader and
writer, a magnetic device reader and writer such as a floppy disk
driver, or an audio device such as a microphone.
[0034] The system 1000 represented by FIG. 10 may include computers
(e.g., desktops, laptops, hand-helds, servers, network appliances,
routers, etc.), wireless communication devices (e.g., cellular
phones, cordless phones, pagers, personal digital assistants,
etc.), computer-related peripherals (e.g., printers, scanners,
monitors, etc.), entertainment devices (e.g., televisions, radios,
stereos, tape and compact disc players, video cassette recorders,
camcorders, digital cameras, MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group,
Audio 3) players, video games, watches, etc.), and the like.
[0035] Example apparatuses and methods of forming semiconductor
constructions have been described. Although specific embodiments
have been described, it will be evident that various modifications
and changes may be made to these embodiments. Accordingly, the
specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative
rather than a restrictive sense.
[0036] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37
C.F.R. .sctn.1.72(b), requiring an abstract that allows the reader
to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is
submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to
interpret or limit the claims. In addition, in the foregoing
Detailed Description, it may be seen that various features can be
grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of
streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be
interpreted as limiting the claims. Thus, the following claims are
hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim
standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
* * * * *