text:
Gas chemistry cycling to achieve high aspect ratio gapfill with HDP-CVD
A method and apparatus are disclosed for depositing a dielectric film in a gap having an aspect ratio at least as large as 6:1. By cycling the gas chemistry of a high-density-plasma chemical-vapor-deposition system between deposition and etching conditions, the gap may be substantially 100% filled. Such filling is achieved by adjusting the flow rates of the precursor gases such that the deposition to sputtering ratio during the deposition phases is within certain predetermined limits.
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 The present invention relates to the manufacture of integrated circuits on a substrate. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving the gap-fill capability of high-density-plasma chemical-vapor-deposition techniques.
 One of the primary steps in the fabrication of modem semiconductor devices is the formation of a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by chemical reaction of gases. Such a deposition process is referred to as chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”). Conventional thermal CVD processes supply reactive gases to the substrate surface where heat-induced chemical reactions take place to produce a desired film. Plasma-enhanced CVD (“PECVD”) techniques, on the other hand, promote excitation and/or dissociation of the reactant gases by the application of radio-frequency (“RF”) energy to a reaction zone near the substrate surface, thereby creating a plasma. The high reactivity of the species in the plasma reduces the energy required for a chemical reaction to take place, and thus lowers the temperature required for such CVD processes as compared to conventional thermal CVD processes. These advantages are further exploited by high-density-plasma (“HDP”) CVD techniques, in which a dense plasma is formed at low vacuum pressures so that the plasma species are even more reactive.
 Any of these CVD techniques may used to deposit conductive or insulative films during the fabrication of integrated circuits. For applications such as the deposition of insulation films as premetal or intermetal dielectric layers in an integrated circuit or for shallow trench isolation, one important physical property of the CVD film is its ability to completely fill gaps between adjacent structures without leaving voids within the gap. This property is referred to as the film's gapfill capability. Gaps that may require filling include spaces between adjacent raised structures such as transistor gates or lines and etched trenches or the like.
 As semiconductor device geometries have decreased in size over the years, the ratio of the height of such gaps to their width, the so-called “aspect ratio,” has dramatically increased. Gaps having a combination of a high aspect ratio and a small width present a challenge for semiconductor manufacturers to fill completely. In short, the challenge usually is to prevent the deposited film from growing in a manner that closes off the gap before it is filled. Failure to fill the gap completely results in the formation of voids in the deposited layer, which may adversely affect device operation, for example by trapping undesirable impurities.
 The semiconductor industry is thus continuously striving to develop new technologies and new film deposition chemistries to address challenges such as the gapfill issue. For example, several years ago some manufacturers switched from a silane-based chemistry for the deposition of intermetal dielectric silicon oxide layers to a TEOS-based (tetraethoxysilane) chemistry. This switch was at least in part due to the improved gapfill capability of the TEOS-based oxide layers. While a TEOS-based chemistry does indeed have improved gapfill capabilities, it too runs up against limitations when required to completely fill sufficiently high-aspect-ratio small-width gaps.
 One process that the semiconductor industry has developed to improve the gapfill capability of a variety of different deposition processes, including TEOS-based silicon oxide deposition chemistries, is the use of a multistep deposition and etching process. Such a process is often referred to as a deposition/etch/deposition process or “dep/etch/dep” for short. Such dep/etch/dep processes divide the deposition of the gapfill layer into two or more steps separated by a plasma etch step. The plasma etch step etches the upper corners of the first deposited film more than the film portion deposited on the sidewall and lower portion of the gap, thereby enabling the subsequent deposition step to fill the gap without prematurely closing it off. Typically, dep/etch/dep processes use a “sputter-etch” process in which physical sputter is combined with chemical etch. Such dep/etch/dep processes can be performed using either multiple chambers (separate chambers dedicated solely to either the deposition or etch steps) or with a single chamber in an in situ process. Generally, for any given deposition chemistry, dep/etch/dep processes can be used to fill higher-aspect-ratio small-width gaps than a standard deposition step for the particular chemistry would allow.
 HDP-CVD processes were not expected to share the same gapfill problems as other CVD processes. This is because argon or another sputtering agent is commonly introduced into the gaseous mixture during an HDP-CVD deposition process, and also because the application of an RF bias provides a potential that drives directional ions. The combination of deposition gases and sputtering agent result in a process that simultaneously deposits a film over the substrate and sputters the growing film. For this reason, HDP-CVD techniques are sometimes referred to as simultaneous dep/etch processes. It has been found in practice, however, that while HDP-CVD processes generally have better gapfill capabilities than similar non-HDP-CVD processes, for certain gap widths there remains a limit to the aspect ratio of gaps that can be filled. For example, dielectric gapfill with HDP-CVD has not been achieved for straight-walled gaps having a width of 0.15 &mgr;m and with an aspect ratio that exceeds 4.5; for some gaps that have tapered walls, the gapfill limit may be at a higher aspect ratio, but an upper limit nonetheless always exists. This is due in part to the fact that the sputtering component of the HDP-CVD process acts isotropically; because of the characteristic breadloafing shape of the growing film produced during deposition, anisotropic etching removal of excess material would be more advantageous.
 In view of the above problems that persist with prior-art HDP-CVD gapfill deposition techniques, new and improved methods of filling gaps with a HDP-CVD process are desirable.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with a method of gapfilling that implements gas-chemistry cycling within an HDP-CVD environment. The gas-chemistry cycling can be understood by considering one particular embodiment of the invention in which a series of gaps formed between a number of stepped surfaces on the substrate are filled. In this embodiment, a dielectric film is deposited on the substrate in a process chamber through a series of gas-cycling steps. First, a gaseous mixture containing a deposition gas and an inert gas source is provided to the process chamber. A high-density plasma is generated from this gaseous mixture to deposit some material on the substrate, partially filling the gaps before a void is formed. Then, the gas chemistry is cycled so that after cooling the substrate an etchant gas is flowed into the process chamber and selectively removes material at the top of the gaps without affecting the material already in the bottom of the gap. This reopens the gap so that more material can be deposited, so the gas chemistry is cycled again, providing a gaseous mixture that contains a deposition gas and an inert gas. A high-density plasma is generated from this gaseous mixture to deposit additional material in the gaps. Depending on the characteristics of the gaps, this may be sufficient to fill them; for some gaps, continued cycling of the gas chemistry with additional etch and deposition cycles may be used to fill them completely.
 The mixed deposition and sputtering characters of the HDP cycles may be characterized by the ratio of deposition to sputtering, a useful parameter being the ratio of the sum of the net deposition rate and blanket sputtering rate to the blanket sputtering rate. In one embodiment of the invention, the first HDP cycle is performed with a deposition/sputter ratio between 5 and 20; preferably, this ratio is in the range of 9-15. The deposition/sputter ratio for each subsequent HDP deposition cycle is also preferably within the range of 5-20. In one embodiment, the second deposition/sputter ratio is less than the ratio for the first deposition step. The etchant gas may be provided as remotely dissociated etchant atoms in some embodiments, while in other embodiments, the etchant gas is provided in situ, thereby permitting a continuous process with a single chamber. The dissociated etchant atoms are preferably fluorine atoms, which are provided by NF3 in one embodiment.
 The methods of the present invention may be embodied in a computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of a substrate processing system. Such a system may include a process chamber, a plasma generation system, a substrate holder, a gas delivery system, and a system controller. The computer-readable program includes instructions for operating the substrate processing system to form a thin film on a substrate disposed in the processing chamber in accordance with the embodiments described above.
 A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
 FIG. 1A is a simplified diagram of one embodiment of a high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition system according to the present invention.
 FIG. 1B is a simplified cross section of a gas ring that may be used in conjunction with the exemplary CVD processing chamber of FIG. 1A.
 FIG. 1C is a simplified diagram of a monitor and light pen that may be used in conjunction with the exemplary CVD processing chamber of FIG. 1A.
 FIG. 1D is a flow chart of an exemplary process control computer program product used to control the exemplary CVD processing chamber of FIG. 1A;
 FIG. 2(a) illustrates the characteristic deposition profile for an HDP-CVD gapfill process with high deposition/sputter ratio and optimized RF power;
 FIG. 2(b) illustrates the characteristic deposition profile for an HDP-CVD gapfill process with low deposition/sputter ratio;
 FIG. 2(c) illustrates the characteristic deposition profile for an HDP-CVD gapfill process with high deposition/sputter ratio and nonoptimized RF power; and
 FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps of one embodiment of the invention.DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
 I. Introduction
 Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for depositing a dielectric film on a substrate. For gaps with a given width, these embodiments using gas chemistry cycling within an HDP-CVD environment permit the dielectric film to be deposited with substantially 100% gapfill at increased aspect ratios. For example, for 0.15-&mgr;m gaps, substantially 100% gapfill is achieved for aspect ratios as large as 6:1. The etching phase of the gas chemistry cycling can readily be performed with an in situ process, thereby permitting the total deposition to proceed with a continuous process.
 II. Exemplary Substrate Processing System
 FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of a high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) system 10 in which a dielectric layer according to the present invention can be deposited. System 10 includes a chamber 13, a vacuum system 70, a source plasma system 80A, a bias plasma system 80B, a gas delivery system 33, and a remote plasma cleaning system 50.
 The upper portion of chamber 13 includes a dome 14, which is made of a ceramic dielectric material, such as aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride. Dome 14 defines an upper boundary of a plasma processing region 16. Plasma processing region 16 is bounded on the bottom by the upper surface of a substrate 17 and a substrate support member 18.
 A heater plate 23 and a cold plate 24 surmount, and are thermally coupled to, dome 14. Heater plate 23 and cold plate 24 allow control of the dome temperature to within about ±10° C. over a range of about 100° C. to 200° C. This allows optimizing the dome temperature for the various processes. For example, it may be desirable to maintain the dome at a higher temperature for cleaning or etching processes than for deposition processes. Accurate control of the dome temperature also reduces the flake or particle counts in the chamber and improves adhesion between the deposited layer and the substrate.
 The lower portion of chamber 13 includes a body member 22, which joins the chamber to the vacuum system. A base portion 21 of substrate support member 18 is mounted on, and forms a continuous inner surface with, body member 22. Substrates are transferred into and out of chamber 13 by a robot blade (not shown) through an insertion/removal opening (not shown) in the side of chamber 13. Lift pins (not shown) are raised and then lowered under the control of a motor (also not shown) to move the substrate from the robot blade at an upper loading position 57 to a lower processing position 56 in which the substrate is placed on a substrate receiving portion 19 of substrate support member 18. Substrate receiving portion 19 includes an electrostatic chuck 20 that secures the substrate to substrate support member 18 during substrate processing. In a preferred embodiment, substrate support member 18 is made from an aluminum oxide or aluminum ceramic material.
 Vacuum system 70 includes throttle body 25, which houses twin-blade throttle valve 26 and is attached to gate valve 27 and turbo-molecular pump 28. It should be noted that throttle body 25 offers minimum obstruction to gas flow, and allows symmetric pumping. Gate valve 27 can isolate pump 28 from throttle body 25, and can also control chamber pressure by restricting the exhaust flow capacity when throttle valve 26 is fully open. The arrangement of the throttle valve, gate valve, and turbo-molecular pump allow accurate and stable control of chamber pressures from between about 1 millitorr to about 2 torr.
 The source plasma system 80A includes a top coil 29 and side coil 30, mounted on dome 14. A symmetrical ground shield (not shown) reduces electrical coupling between the coils. Top coil 29 is powered by top source RF (SRF) generator 31A, whereas side coil 30 is powered by side SRF generator 31B, allowing independent power levels and frequencies of operation for each coil. This dual coil system allows control of the radial ion density in chamber 13, thereby improving plasma uniformity. Side coil 30 and top coil 29 are typically inductively driven, which does not require a complimentary electrode. In a specific embodiment, the top source RF generator 31 A provides up to 2,500 watts of RF power at nominally 2 MHz and the side source RF generator 31B provides up to 5,000 watts of RF power at nominally 2 MHz. The operating frequencies of the top and side RF generators may be offset from the nominal operating frequency (e.g. to 1.7-1.9 MHz and 1.9-2.1 MHz, respectively) to improve plasma-generation efficiency.
 A bias plasma system 80B includes a bias RF (“BRF”) generator 31C and a bias matching network 32C. The bias plasma system 80B capacitively couples substrate portion 17 to body member 22, which act as complimentary electrodes. The bias plasma system 80B serves to enhance the transport of plasma species (e.g., ions) created by the source plasma system 80A to the surface of the substrate. In a specific embodiment, bias RF generator provides up to 5,000 watts of RF power at 13.56 MHz.
 RF generators 31A and 31B include digitally controlled synthesizers and operate over a frequency range between about 1.8 to about 2.1 MHz. Each generator includes an RF control circuit (not shown) that measures reflected power from the chamber and coil back to the generator and adjusts the frequency of operation to obtain the lowest reflected power, as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. RF generators are typically designed to operate into a load with a characteristic impedance of 50 ohms. RF power may be reflected from loads that have a different characteristic impedance than the generator. This can reduce power transferred to the load. Additionally, power reflected from the load back to the generator may overload and damage the generator. Because the impedance of a plasma may range from less than 5 ohms to over 900 ohms, depending on the plasma ion density, among other factors, and because reflected power may be a function of frequency, adjusting the generator frequency according to the reflected power increases the power transferred from the RF generator to the plasma and protects the generator. Another way to reduce reflected power and improve efficiency is with a matching network.
 Matching networks 32A and 32B match the output impedance of generators 31A and 31B with their respective coils 29 and 30. The RF control circuit may tune both matching networks by changing the value of capacitors within the matching networks to match the generator to the load as the load changes. The RF control circuit may tune a matching network when the power reflected from the load back to the generator exceeds a certain limit. One way to provide a constant match, and effectively disable the RF control circuit from tuning the matching network, is to set the reflected power limit above any expected value of reflected power. This may help stabilize a plasma under some conditions by holding the matching network constant at its most recent condition.
 Other measures may also help stabilize a plasma. For example, the RF control circuit can be used to determine the power delivered to the load (plasma) and may increase or decrease the generator output power to keep the delivered power substantially constant during deposition of a layer.
 A gas delivery system 33 provides gases from several sources, 34A-34F chamber for processing the substrate via gas delivery lines 38 (only some of which are shown). As would be understood by a person of skill in the art, the actual sources used for sources 34A-34F and the actual connection of delivery lines 38 to chamber 13 varies depending on the deposition and cleaning processes executed within chamber 13. Gases are introduced into chamber 13 through a gas ring 37 and/or a top nozzle 45. FIG. 1B is a simplified, partial cross-sectional view of chamber 13 showing additional details of gas ring 37.
 In one embodiment, first and second gas sources, 34A and 34B, and first and second gas flow controllers, 35A′ and 35B′, provide gas to ring plenum 36 in gas ring 37 via gas delivery lines 38 (only some of which are shown). Gas ring 37 has a plurality of source gas nozzles 39 (only one of which is shown for purposes of illustration) that provide a uniform flow of gas over the substrate. Nozzle length and nozzle angle may be changed to allow tailoring of the uniformity profile and gas utilization efficiency for a particular process within an individual chamber. In a preferred embodiment, gas ring 37 has 12 source gas nozzles made from an aluminum oxide ceramic.
 Gas ring 37 also has a plurality of oxidizer gas nozzles 40 (only one of which is shown), which in a preferred embodiment are co-planar with and shorter than source gas nozzles 39, and in one embodiment receive gas from body plenum 41. In some embodiments it is desirable not to mix source gases and oxidizer gases before injecting the gases into chamber 13. In other embodiments, oxidizer gas and source gas may be mixed prior to injecting the gases into chamber 13 by providing apertures (not shown) between body plenum 41 and gas ring plenum 36. In one embodiment, third and fourth gas sources, 34C and 34D, and third and fourth gas flow controllers, 35C and 35D′, provide gas to body plenum via gas delivery lines 38. Additional valves, such as 43B (other valves not shown), may shut off gas from the flow controllers to the chamber.
 In embodiments where flammable, toxic, or corrosive gases are used, it may be desirable to eliminate gas remaining in the gas delivery lines after a deposition. This may be accomplished using a 3-way valve, such as valve 43B, to isolate chamber 13 from delivery line 38A and to vent delivery line 38A to vacuum foreline 44, for example. As shown in FIG. 1A, other similar valves, such as 43A and 43C, may be incorporated on other gas delivery lines. Such 3-way valves may be placed as close to chamber 13 as practical, to minimize the volume of the unvented gas delivery line (between the 3-way valve and the chamber). Additionally, two-way (on-off) valves (not shown) may be placed between a mass flow controller (“MFC”) and the chamber or between a gas source and an MFC.
 Referring again to FIG. 1A, chamber 13 also has top nozzle 45 and top vent 46. Top nozzle 45 and top vent 46 allow independent control of top and side flows of the gases, which improves film uniformity and allows fine adjustment of the film's deposition and doping parameters. Top vent 46 is an annular opening around top nozzle 45. In one embodiment, first gas source 34A supplies source gas nozzles 39 and top nozzle 45. Source nozzle MFC 35A′ controls the amount of gas delivered to source gas nozzles 39 and top nozzle MFC 35A controls the amount of gas delivered to top gas nozzle 45. Similarly, two MFCs 35B and 35B′ may be used to control the flow of oxygen to both top vent 46 and oxidizer gas nozzles 40 from a single source of oxygen, such as source 34B. The gases supplied to top nozzle 45 and top vent 46 may be kept separate prior to flowing the gases into chamber 13, or the gases may be mixed in top plenum 48 before they flow into chamber 13. Separate sources of the same gas may be used to supply various portions of the chamber.
 A remote microwave-generated plasma cleaning system 50 is provided to periodically clean deposition residues from chamber components. The cleaning system includes a remote microwave generator 51 that creates a plasma from a cleaning gas source 34E (e.g., molecular fluorine, nitrogen trifluoride, other fluorocarbons or equivalents) in reactor cavity 53. The reactive species resulting from this plasma are conveyed to chamber 13 through cleaning gas feed port 54 via applicator tube 55. The materials used to contain the cleaning plasma (e.g., cavity 53 and applicator tube 55) must be resistant to attack by the plasma. The distance between reactor cavity 53 and feed port 54 should be kept as short as practical, since the concentration of desirable plasma species may decline with distance from reactor cavity 53. Generating the cleaning plasma in a remote cavity allows the use of an efficient microwave generator and does not subject chamber components to the temperature, radiation, or bombardment of the glow discharge that may be present in a plasma formed in situ. Consequently, relatively sensitive components, such as electrostatic chuck 20, do not need to be covered with a dummy wafer or otherwise protected, as may be required with an in situ plasma cleaning process. In one embodiment, this cleaning system is used to dissociate atoms of the etchant gas remotely, which are then supplied to the process chamber 13. In another embodiment, the etchant gas is provided directly to the process chamber 13. In still a further embodiment, multiple process chambers are used, with deposition and etching steps being performed in separate chambers.
 System controller 60 controls the operation of system 10. In a preferred embodiment, controller 60 includes a memory 62, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive (not shown), and a card rack (not shown) coupled to a processor 61. The card rack may contain a single-board computer (SBC) (not shown), analog and digital input/output boards (not shown), interface boards (not shown), and stepper motor controller boards (not shown). The system controller conforms to the Versa Modular European (“VME”) standard, which defines board, card cage, and connector dimensions and types. The VME standard also defines the bus structure as having a 16-bit data bus and 24-bit address bus. System controller 31 operates under the control of a computer program stored on the hard disk drive or through other computer programs, such as programs stored on a removable disk. The computer program dictates, for example, the timing, mixture of gases, RF power levels and other parameters of a particular process. The interface between a user and the system controller is via a monitor, such as a cathode ray tube (“CRT”) 65, and a light pen 66, as depicted in FIG. 1C.
 FIG. 1C is an illustration of a portion of an exemplary system user interface used in conjunction with the exemplary CVD processing chamber of FIG. 1A. System controller 60 includes a processor 61 coupled to a computer-readable memory 62. Preferably, memory 62 may be a hard disk drive, but memory 62 may be other kinds of memory, such as ROM, PROM, and others.
 System controller 60 operates under the control of a computer program 63 stored in a computer-readable format within memory 62. The computer program dictates the timing, temperatures, gas flows, RF power levels and other parameters of a particular process. The interface between a user and the system controller is via a CRT monitor 65 and a light pen 66, as depicted in FIG. 1C. In a preferred embodiment, two monitors, 65 and 65A, and two light pens, 66 and 66A, are used, one mounted in the clean room wall (65) for the operators and the other behind the wall (65A) for the service technicians. Both monitors simultaneously display the same information, but only one light pen (e.g. 66) is enabled. To select a particular screen or function, the operator touches an area of the display screen and pushes a button (not shown) on the pen. The touched area confirms being selected by the light pen by changing its color or displaying a new menu, for example.
 The computer program code can be written in any conventional computer-readable programming language such as 68000 assembly language, C, C++, or Pascal. Suitable program code is entered into a single file, or multiple files, using a conventional text editor and is stored or embodied in a computer-usable medium, such as a memory system of the computer. If the entered code text is in a high level language, the code is compiled, and the resultant compiler code is then linked with an object code of precompiled windows library routines. To execute the linked compiled object code, the system user invokes the object code causing the computer system to load the code in memory. The CPU reads the code from memory and executes the code to perform the tasks identified in the program.
 FIG. 1D shows an illustrative block diagram of the hierarchical control structure of computer program 100. A user enters a process set number and process chamber number into a process selector subroutine 110 in response to menus or screens displayed on the CRT monitor by using the light pen interface. The process sets are predetermined sets of process parameters necessary to carry out specified processes, and are identified by predefined set numbers. Process selector subroutine 110 identifies (i) the desired process chamber in a multichamber system, and (ii) the desired set of process parameters needed to operate the process chamber for performing the desired process. The process parameters for performing a specific process relate to conditions such as process gas composition and flow rates, temperature, pressure, plasma conditions such as RF power levels, and chamber dome temperature, and are provided to the user in the form of a recipe. The parameters specified by the recipe are entered utilizing the light pen/CRT monitor interface.
 The signals for monitoring the process are provided by the analog and digital input boards of system controller 60, and the signals for controlling the process are output on the analog and digital output boards of system controller 60.
 A process sequencer subroutine 120 comprises program code for accepting the identified process chamber and set of process parameters from the process selector subroutine 110 and for controlling operation of the various process chambers. Multiple users can enter process set numbers and process chamber numbers, or a single user can enter multiple process set numbers and process chamber numbers; sequencer subroutine 120 schedules the selected processes in the desired sequence. Preferably, sequencer subroutine 120 includes a program code to perform the steps of (i) monitoring the operation of the process chambers to determine if the chambers are being used, (ii) determining what processes are being carried out in the chambers being used, and (iii) executing the desired process based on availability of a process chamber and type of process to be carried out. Conventional methods of monitoring the process chambers can be used, such as polling. When scheduling which process is to be executed, sequencer subroutine 120 can be designed to take into consideration the “age” of each particular user-entered request, or the present condition of the process chamber being used in comparison with the desired process conditions for a selected process, or any other relevant factor a system programmer desires to include for determining scheduling priorities.
 After sequencer subroutine 120 determines which process chamber and process set combination is going to be executed next, sequencer subroutine 120 initiates execution of the process set by passing the particular process set parameters to a chamber manager subroutine 130A-C, which controls multiple processing tasks in chamber 13 and possibly other chambers (not shown) according to the process set sent by sequencer subroutine 120.
 Examples of chamber component subroutines are substrate positioning subroutine 140, process gas control subroutine 150, pressure control subroutine 160, and plasma control subroutine 170. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other chamber control subroutines can be included depending on what processes are selected to be performed in chamber 13. In operation, chamber manager subroutine 130A selectively schedules or calls the process component subroutines in accordance with the particular process set being executed. Chamber manager subroutine 130A schedules process component subroutines in the same manner that sequencer subroutine 120 schedules the process chamber and process set to execute. Typically, chamber manager subroutine 130A includes steps of monitoring the various chamber components, determining which components need to be operated based on the process parameters for the process set to be executed, and causing execution of a chamber component subroutine responsive to the monitoring and determining steps.
 Operation of particular chamber component subroutines will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1D. Substrate positioning subroutine 140 comprises program code for controlling chamber components that are used to load a substrate onto substrate support number 18. Substrate positioning subroutine 140 may also control transfer of a substrate into chamber 13 from, e.g., a plasma-enhanced CVD (“PECVD”) reactor or other reactor in the multi-chamber system, after other processing has been completed.
 Process gas control subroutine 150 has program code for controlling process gas composition and flow rates. Subroutine 150 controls the open/close position of the safety shut-off valves and also ramps up/ramps down the mass flow controllers to obtain the desired gas flow rates. All chamber component subroutines, including process gas control subroutine 150, are invoked by chamber manager subroutine 130A. Subroutine 150 receives process parameters from chamber manager subroutine 130A related to the desired gas flow rates.
 Typically, process gas control subroutine 150 opens the gas supply lines, and repeatedly (i) reads the necessary mass flow controllers, (ii) compares the readings to the desired flow rates received from chamber manager subroutine 130A, and (iii) adjusts the flow rates of the gas supply lines as necessary. Furthermore, process gas control subroutine 150 may include steps for monitoring the gas flow rates for unsafe rates and for activating the safety shut-off valves when an unsafe condition is detected.
 In some processes, an inert gas, such as argon, is flowed into chamber 13 to stabilize the pressure in the chamber before reactive process gases are introduced. For these processes, the process gas control subroutine 150 is programmed to include steps for flowing the inert gas into chamber 13 for an amount of time necessary to stabilize the pressure in the chamber. The steps described above may then be carried out.
 Additionally, when a process gas is to be vaporized from a liquid precursor, for example, tetraethylorthosilane (TEOS), the process gas control subroutine 150 may include steps for bubbling a delivery gas such as helium through the liquid precursor in a bubbler assembly or for introducing the helium to a liquid injection valve. For this type of process, the process gas control subroutine 150 regulates the flow of the delivery gas, the pressure in the bubbler, and the bubbler temperature to obtain the desired process gas flow rates. As discussed above, the desired process gas flow rates are transferred to process gas control subroutine 150 as process parameters.
 Furthermore, the process gas control subroutine 150 includes steps for obtaining the necessary delivery gas flow rate, bubbler pressure, and bubbler temperature for the desired process gas flow rate by accessing a stored table containing the necessary values for a given process gas flow rate. Once the necessary values are obtained, the delivery gas flow rate, bubbler pressure and bubbler temperature are monitored, compared to the necessary values and adjusted accordingly.
 The process gas control subroutine 150 may also control the flow of heat-transfer gas, such as helium (He), through the inner and outer passages in the wafer chuck with an independent helium control (IHC) subroutine (not shown). The gas flow thermally couples the substrate to the chuck. In a typical process, the wafer is heated by the plasma and the chemical reactions that form the layer, and the He cools the substrate through the chuck, which may be water-cooled. This keeps the substrate below a temperature that may damage preexisting features on the substrate.
 Pressure control subroutine 160 includes program code for controlling the pressure in chamber 13 by regulating the size of the opening of throttle valve 26 in the exhaust portion of the chamber. There are at least two basic methods of controlling the chamber with the throttle valve. The first method relies on characterizing the chamber pressure as it relates to, among other things, the total process gas flow, the size of the process chamber, and the pumping capacity. The first method sets throttle valve 26 to a fixed position. Setting throttle valve 26 to a fixed position may eventually result in a steady-state pressure.
 Alternatively, the chamber pressure may be measured, with a manometer for example, and the position of throttle valve 26 may be adjusted according to pressure control subroutine 360, assuming the control point is within the boundaries set by gas flows and exhaust capacity. The former method may result in quicker chamber pressure changes, as the measurements, comparisons, and calculations associated with the latter method are not invoked. The former method may be desirable where precise control of the chamber pressure is not required, whereas the latter method may be desirable where an accurate, repeatable, and stable pressure is desired, such as during the deposition of a layer.
 When pressure control subroutine 160 is invoked, the desired, or target, pressure level is received as a parameter from chamber manager subroutine 130A. Pressure control subroutine 160 measures the pressure in chamber 13 by reading one or more conventional pressure manometers connected to the chamber; compares the measured value(s) to the target pressure; obtains proportional, integral, and differential (PID) values from a stored pressure table corresponding to the target pressure, and adjusts throttle valve 26 according to the PID values obtained from the pressure table. Alternatively, pressure control subroutine 160 may open or close throttle valve 26 to a particular opening size to regulate the pressure in chamber 13 to a desired pressure or pressure range.
 Plasma control subroutine 170 comprises program code for controlling the frequency and power output setting of RF generators 31A and 31B and for tuning matching networks 32A and 32B. Plasma control subroutine 370, like the previously described chamber component subroutines, is invoked by chamber manager subroutine 330A.
 An example of a system that may incorporate some or all of the subsystems and routines described above would be the ULTIMA™ system, manufactured by APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., of Santa Clara, Calif., configured to practice the present invention. Further details of such a system are disclosed in the copending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/679,927, filed Jul. 15, 1996, entitled “Symmetric Tunable Inductively-Coupled HDP-CVD Reactor,” having Fred C. Redeker, Farhad Moghadam, Hirogi Hanawa, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Dan Maydan, Shijian Li, Brian Lue, Robert Steger, Yaxin Wang, Manus Wong and Ashok Sinha listed as co-inventors, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The described system is for exemplary purpose only. It would be a matter of routine skill for a person of skill in the art to select an appropriate conventional substrate processing system and computer control system to implement the present invention.
 III. Gas-Chemistry Cycling According to the Present Invention
 The present invention incorporates a gas-chemistry cycling procedure into an HDP-CVD process. Without such gas-chemistry cycling, the gapfill capability of an HDP-CVD process depends on an intimate balance between the simultaneous deposition and sputtering characteristics of the process: if the process is dominated by deposition, the deposited material will tend to cusp, resulting in poor gapfilling and the formation of voids. Conversely, if the process is dominated by sputtering, corners of the underlying structures may be cut, leading to the formation of leakage currents and device failure.
 It is accordingly useful to characterize HDP-CVD processes in terms of a ratio such as the “dep/sputter” ratio, 1 D S ≡ ( net   deposition   rate ) + ( blanket   sputtering   rate ) ( blanket   sputtering   rate ) ,
 which increases with increased deposition and decreases with increased sputtering. As used in the definition of D/S, the “net deposition rate” refers to the deposition rate that is measured when deposition and sputtering are occurring simultaneously. The “blanket sputter rate,” however, refers to the sputter rate measured when the process recipe is run without deposition gases; the servo pressure is adjusted to the deposition pressure and the sputter rate is measured on a blanket thermal oxide.
 Alternative ratios may also be used to characterize the deposition and sputtering contributions of the HDP process, although the embodiments described here make that characterization with the D/S ratio. A common alternative ratio is the “etch/dep” ratio, 2 E D ≡ ( source   only   deposition   rate ) - ( net   deposition   rate ) ( source   only   deposition   rate ) ,
 which increases with increased sputtering and decreases with increased deposition. As used in the definition of E/D, the “net deposition rate” again refers to the deposition rate that is measured when deposition and sputtering are occurring simultaneously. The “source only deposition rate,” however, refers to the deposition rate that is measured when the process recipe is run with no RF bias (i.e. with no sputtering). It is evident that while D/S and E/D are not precise reciprocals, they are inversely related. Conversion between such characteristic ratios will thus be understood by those of skill in the art.
 Notwithstanding the fact that HDP-CVD processes involve simultaneous deposition and sputtering, there has been found to be a limit to the aspect ratios of gaps that can be filled, regardless of the value of D/S achieved by the process recipe. It has been discovered by the inventors that this aspect-ratio limit may be increased by incorporating gas-chemistry cycling when certain unpredicted constraints are imposed on the value of D/S. The relevance of the D/S value can be more fully understood with reference to FIGS. 2(a)-2(c). Use of a specific value of D/S in performing HDP-CVD results in a characteristic deposition profile, three of which are illustrated in FIGS. 2(a)-(c) for certain parameters. In FIG. 2(a), the characteristic deposition profile is shown for a high D/S ratio (‰9) with optimized RF power; FIG. 2(b) similarly shows the characteristic deposition profile for a low D/S ratio (˜4); and FIG. 2(c) shows the characteristic deposition profile for a high D/S ratio (‰9) with nonoptimized RF power.
 There are several features worthy of note in distinguishing these deposition profiles, and which are helpful in understanding how the present invention achieves substantially 100% gapfill for gaps with aspect ratios at least as large as 6:1. For example, in FIG. 2(a), in using HDP-CVD to deposit material in gaps 220 and over line 226 with a D/S value ‰9, a tall hat 222 is formed over the line 226 and small peaks 224 are formed in the material deposited in the gaps 220. This qualitative shape is a result of the D/S value and is thus also seen in FIG. 2(c), where HDP-CVD with a similar D/S ratio is also used to deposit material in gaps 260 and over line 266. A similarly tall hat 262 is formed over the line 266 and small peaks 264 are similarly formed in the material deposited in the gaps 260. A different characteristic profile is seen in FIG. 2(b), which results when HDP-CVD is used with a relatively lower D/S ratio to deposit material in gaps 240 and over line 246. Although a hat 242 is formed over the line, the enhanced sputtering does not permit the formation of a peak in the material deposited in the gaps 240.
 Of particular note in each instance is the relative height of the peak formed over the line to the depth of material deposited within the gaps. This is defined by the ratios a/b, a′/b′, and a″/b″ for FIGS. 2(a), 2(b), and 2(c) respectively. The relative peak height is significantly greater for high D/S ratios: a/b≈a″/b″ >>a′/b′. A second notable feature is the minimum width separating the periodic structures. When high-aspect-ratio structures are filled with a relatively low D/S ratio (ˆ 5), as in FIG. 2(b), the minimum width w′ occurs below the top of the line, at least during the initial deposition. When the D/S ratio is sufficiently high (‰9), however, as in FIG. 2(a), the minimum width w occurs above the top of the line. Similar behavior is seen for the minimum width w″ in FIG. 2(c). It will also be appreciated that improved gap filling results when the minimum width is as large as possible. As shown in FIGS. 2(a)-(c), the minimum width is greatest where the D/S ratio is large and the RF power (source and bias) is optimized: w′≈w″<<w.
 In one embodiment of the invention, the D/S ratio for the first phase of the gas-chemistry cycling is within the range of 5-20, preferably near the middle of this range, i.e. 9-15. If the D/S ratio is less than 5, there is a danger that excessive sputtering will erode the underlying structure. If the D/S ratio is larger than 20, excess deposition material will cause the tall hat 222 or 262 to bulge unduly and close off a void. The deposition profile characteristics of a large hat over the line coupled with a large minimum width separating the sides of the deposition material are thus both useful when the gas chemistry is cycled to an etching phase. At the conclusion of the first phase, in the embodiment where a large D/S ratio is used with optimized RF power, the gap is partially filled with deposited material having a profile such as that shown in FIG. 2(a). If the aspect ratio were sufficiently high and the process were to continue, the gap would be pinched off, leaving a void in the deposited material. This is avoided by stopping the deposition and flowing an etchant gas into the chamber. In one embodiment, the atoms of the etchant gas are dissociated remotely in a manner known to those of skill in the art (e.g. by microwave energy) while in another embodiment they are provided in situ. Further, in one embodiment, the dissociated etchant atoms comprise fluorine atoms, which are preferably provided by NF3.
 During the subsequent etching phase, the dissociated etchant atoms act to remove more material anisotropically from the top of the gap than at the bottom of the gap. The relatively large width between the deposition material, and its position above the surface of the line, permit the etching phase to proceed for a shorter period of time while restoring the approximate original shape of the gap. Additionally, the height of the hat provides ample protective material above the line so that the etchant is prevented from damaging the line. Thus, the deposition profile produced during the first phase acts to neutralize the danger that there will be inadvertent and undesirable etching of the lines of the structure.
 After these two phases, the gap has a reduced aspect ratio, and therefore fewer constraints need be imposed on the third phase, in which additional material is deposited in the gap. In some embodiments where the original aspect ratio is not too large, any prior-art method for completing the filling of the partially filled gap may be used. In other embodiments where the original aspect ratio is larger, it is advantageous also to use a high D/S ratio in the third phase, again preferably within the range of 5-20. For the same reasons discussed for the first phase, a D/S ratio within this range forces as much of the dielectric material as possible into the gap without eroding the underlying structure before there is a danger of a void being pinched off.
 FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a specific exemplary plasma process used in one embodiment to deposit a film on a substrate with stepped surfaces forming gaps with an aspect ratio as great as 6:1. The substrate is loaded into the process chamber 13 through a vacuum-lock door onto the substrate support member 18 at step 310. Once the substrate is properly positioned, gas flows are established at step 320 to stabilize the pressure, which is maintained throughout the first deposition of the film by manipulating the throttle valve 26 with a stepper motor while the vacuum pump 28 pumps at a constant capacity. The pressure is preferably maintained at a value less than 50 mtorr. When establishing gas flows at step 320, a nominal source bias (e.g., 10 W) may be applied.
 Once gas flows and pressure are established, the bias RF is preset at step 330, a relatively low power (e.g., 300 W) being used to establish proper operating conditions. An RF source power (e.g., 1400 W at both top and side coils) within the chamber is then applied at step 340. With a relatively low bias RF power, the plasma may be struck using a low-pressure strike technique such as described in the copending commonly assigned application entitled “LOW PRESSURE STRIKE IN HDP CVD CHAMBER,” by Kasra Khazeni et al., filed on Dec. 23, 1999 and assigned Appl. No. 09/470,819, herein incorporated by reference for all purposes. After the plasma has been struck, the source bias, RF bias, and gas flows are adjusted to the desired deposition conditions with appropriate D/S values at step 350. During the deposition, RF energy is applied to the top coil 29 and the side coil 30 by SRF generators 31A and 31B to form an inductive plasma. SRF generators 31A and 31B continue to apply RF energy to the top and side coils throughout the process. SRF generators 31A and 31B are driven at a nominal frequency of about 2 MHz at about 0-7000 W, but preferably at about 6600 W. This power is split between the top coil 29, which may be driven at about 1.8 MHz, for example, and the side coil 30, which may be driven at about 2.1 MHz, for example. The top coil 29 may receive about 4800 W and the side coil 30 about 1800 W. Additionally, BRF generator 31C is driven at a frequency of about 13.6 MHz and a power of about 2000 W during step 350. The power from BRF generator 31C is delivered to the substrate-receiving portion 19, with the chamber body member 22 supplying the complementary electrode for capacitive coupling. The temperature during the deposition step is generally greater than 400° C.
 After the first deposition is completed, the gas chemistry is cycled to etch the deposited layer. At step 360, the deposition gases are purged from the process chamber 13 (e.g., by flowing an inert gas into the chamber) and at step 370, a remotely dissociated etchant gas is provided to the process chamber from the cleaning system 50. The microwave power used to dissociate the etchant gas is approximately 3000 W. In another embodiment, the etchant gas is provided in situ by supplying the etchant gas directly to the process chamber 13. In one embodiment, the wafer is cooled for the etching step to a temperature substantially less than the temperature during the deposition step. The etch rate is approximately exponentially dependent on temperature, so a lower temperature generally permits a more controlled etch. The etching temperature is preferably less than 250° C., more preferably less than 150° C. In one embodiment the wafer is cooled externally such as with a cooling station and in another embodiment the wafer is cooled in situ, for example by flowing backside helium to the wafer.
 After the film has been etched, the gas chemistry is cycled back to the deposition phase. At step 380, the etchant gases are purged from the process chamber 13 and at step 390, the deposition process is repeated. This step includes the individual steps described above to generate the appropriate deposition conditions. Such deposition conditions may be approximately the same, although the gas flow rates may alternatively be adjusted to provide a lower D/S ratio. After the second deposition is completed, the process chamber 13 is again purged and the deposited substrate is removed.
 Table I shows one recipe for depositing a USG film according to the present invention, showing the parameters used for the principal steps of the process. In the table, two numbers are provided for the argon and silane flows, the first denoting the side flow rate and the second denoting the top flow rate. 1 TABLE I First Deposition Etching Second Deposition Parameter (Step 350) (Step 370) (Step 390) Top RF power 4800 W 4800 W Side RF power 1800 W 1800 W Bias RF power 2000 W 2000 W Microwave power 3000 W Ar flow rate 110 + 16 sccm 110 + 16 sccm O2 flow rate 140 sccm 140 sccm SiH4 flow rate 62 + 11 sccm 62 + 11 sccm D/S ratio 9 9 NF3 flow rate 750 sccm
 While both the parameters shown in the table and recited in the above description are appropriate for a 200 mm wafer in a nominally 5 L chamber, the methods of the present invention are not intended to be limited by the specific parameters set forth. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that processing parameters, such as gas flow rates, can vary for different processing chambers and different processing conditions, and that different precursors can be used (in some cases to form films of different composition, such as FSG) without departing from the spirit of the invention. Other variations will also be apparent to persons of skill in the art. These equivalents and alternatives are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of this invention should not be limited to the embodiments described, but should instead be defined by the following claims.
1. A method for depositing a dielectric film on a substrate in a process chamber, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a first gaseous mixture to the process chamber, the first gaseous mixture comprising a first deposition gas and a first inert gas source;
- (b) generating a first high-density plasma from the first gaseous mixture to deposit a first portion of the film on the substrate with a first deposition/sputter ratio within the range of 5-20, wherein the first deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a sum of a first net deposition rate and a first blanket sputtering rate to the first blanket sputtering rate;
- (c) thereafter, cooling the substrate;
- (d) thereafter, flowing an etchant gas into the process chamber;
- (e) thereafter, providing a second gaseous mixture to the process chamber, the second gaseous mixture comprising a second deposition gas and a second inert gas source; and
- (f) generating a second high-density plasma from the second gaseous mixture to deposit a second portion of the film on the substrate.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second gaseous mixture is substantially the same as the first gaseous mixture.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the deposition/sputter ratio is in the range of 9-15.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of generating a second high-density plasma is performed with a second deposition/sputter ratio within the range of 5-20, wherein the second deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a sum of a second net deposition rate and a second blanket sputtering rate to the second blanket sputtering rate.
5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the second deposition/sputter ratio is less than the first deposition/sputter ratio.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the etchant gas comprises remotely dissociated etchant atoms.
7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the remotely dissociated etchant atoms comprise fluorine atoms.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the fluorine atoms are provided by NF3.
9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of dissociating the etchant gas into dissociated etchant atoms within the process chamber.
10. The method according to claim 9 wherin the etchant gas is a fluorine-containing gas.
11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the etchant gas is NF3.
12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the dielectric film is a silicon oxide film.
13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the dielectric film is a fluorinated silicon oxide film.
14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the dielectric film is deposited over a plurality of stepped surfaces formed on the substrate having gaps formed between adjacent ones of the stepped surfaces and wherein the first portion of the film partially fills the gaps.
15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the second portion of the film completes filling the gaps.
16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of cooling the substrate is performed external to the process chamber.
17. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of a substrate processing system including a process chamber; a plasma generation system; a substrate holder; and a gas delivery system configured to introduce gases into the process chamber, the computer-readable program including instructions for operating the substrate processing system to deposit a dielectric film on a substrate disposed in the process chamber in accordance with the following:
- (a) providing a first gaseous mixture to the process chamber, the first gaseous mixture comprising a first deposition gas and a first inert gas source;
- (b) generating a first high-density plasma from the first gaseous mixture to deposit a first portion of the film on the substrate with a first deposition/sputter ratio within the range of 5-12, wherein the first deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a sum of a first net deposition rate and a first blanket sputtering rate to the first blanket sputtering rate;
- (c) thereafter, cooling the substrate;
- (d) thereafter, flowing an etchant gas into the process chamber;
- (e) thereafter, providing a second gaseous mixture to the process chamber, the second gaseous mixture comprising a second deposition gas and a second inert gas source; and
- (f) generating a second high-density plasma from the second gaseous mixture to deposit a second portion of the film on the substrate.
18. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 17 wherein the second high-density plasma is generated to deposit the second portion of the film with a second deposition/sputter ratio within the range of 5-20, wherein the second deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a sum of a second net deposition rate and a second blarket sputtering rate to the second blanket sputtering rate.
19. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 wherein the dielectric film is to be deposited over a plurality of stepped surfaces formed on the substrate having gaps formed between adjacent ones of the stepped surfaces and wherein the first portion of the film partially fills the gaps.
20. A substrate processing system comprising:
- (a) a housing defining a process chamber;
- (b) a high-density plasma generating system operatively coupled to the process chamber;
- (c) a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate during substrate processing;
- (d) a gas-delivery system configured to introduce gases into the process chamber;
- (e) a pressure-control system for maintaining a selected pressure within the process chamber;
- (f) a controller for controlling the high-density plasma generating system, the gas-delivery system, and the pressure-control system; and
- (g) a memory coupled to the controller, the memory comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of the substrate processing system, the computer-readable program including
- (i) instructions to control the gas-delivery system to provide a first gaseous mixture to the process chamber, the first gaseous mixture comprising a first deposition gas and a first inert gas source;
- (ii) instructions to control the high-density plasma generating system to generate a first high-density plasma from the first gaseous mixture to deposit a first portion of the film on the substrate with a first deposition/sputter ratio within the range of 5-20, wherein the first deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a sum of a first net deposition rate and a first blanket sputtering rate to the first blanket sputtering rate;
- (iii) instructions to control the gas-delivery system therafter to flow a heat-transfer gas to cool the substrate;
- (iv) instructions to control the gas-delivery system thereafter to flow an etchant gas into the process chamber;
- (v) instructions to control the gas-delivery system thereafter to provide a second gaseous mixture to the process chamber, the second gaseous mixture comprising a second deposition gas and a second inert gas source; and
- (vi) instructions to control the high-density plasma generating system to generate a second high-density plasma from the second gaseous mixture to deposit a second portion of the film on the substrate.
21. The substrate processing system according to claim 20 wherein the instruction to generate a second high-density plasma comprise instructions to deposit the second portion of the film with a second deposition/sputter ratio within the range of 5-20, wherein the second deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a sum of a second net deposition rate and a second blanket sputtering rate to the second blanket sputtering rate.
22. The substrate processing system according to claim 20 wherein the dielectric film is to be deposited over a plurality of stepped surfaces formed on the substrate having gaps formed between adjacent ones of the stepped surfaces and wherein the first portion of the film partially fills the gaps.
International Classification: H01L021/00;

domain: chemistry


text:
To answer the question, YES you can do TTL with a Sea & Sea strobe, and the LX100 in a Nauticam housing.
I screwed this up for several days, before I finally started to get it right (with the help of a more skilled photographer friend on my last dive trip). So here is how I got nice results:
I have a single Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobe, connected to my LX100 camera flash by fiber optic cable. I have the Nauticam housing. The YS-01 is the previous Sea & Sea strobe model, it probably is not that different from the YS-D1.
I made sure to turn the pre-flash OFF on the camera (the AF assist lamp - page 3 of the custom menu (the one with the wrench and the letter C next to it)). What I was told is that it is difficult to get strobes to work (at least with a fiber optic connection) when your camera is doing a pre-flash. That makes sense to me, since the camera & it's flash are actually blocked by the housing, and don't actually illuminate the subject. I also made sure the red eye removal is OFF (in page 5 of the camera menu)
I then I set my strobe to TTL, and my White Balance on Auto White Balance (AWB) (since you have a lot of light). It worked really well. Some shots were a touch overexposed, but I shot in raw, and it was very easy to dial that back a bit in post.
Alternatively, you can try the strobe in manual mode, but use the single lightening bolt setting on the strobe, NOT the double lightening bolt setting (I assume the YS-01 has a similar setting to the YS-D1). That is where I screwed up for 2 days -- I was using the double lightening bolt setting -- which means the strobe is expecting a preflash (focus light) from the camera, followed by an actual flash. The strobes mirrors this, by sending out its own pre-flash, followed by the strobe's main big bright flash. However, my camera was not firing a preflash at all, just firing off the main flash, but I had effectively set my strobe to only be firing a teeny tiny preflash, which just illuminates a small circle with very weak light (as opposed to a big strobe flash), and then the strobe is waiting for a 2nd pulse of light from my camera's flash, which then never comes. The end result was that my pictures were WAY WAY underexposed, and I was...confused. Once I figured out the strobe problem (with my friend's invaluable help) I just went with using the strobe on TTL, and it made a HUGE difference. (It makes me want to go on another dive trip, just to play more with my strobe!)
One other thing to note -- the LX100 has a leaf shutter (several higher end compact cameras have this feature, as do medium format camera/lenses -- which cost thousands of dollars). As best as I understand it, basically the shutter is in the lens, not on the focal plane with the sensor. The benefit of this, is that you effectively have less of a limit on the flash synch speed you use. Most cameras have a flash synch speed of around 1/250 or 1/320 of a second, which is a ceiling for the maximum shutter speed. The LX100 does not have that same hard limitation because of the leaf shutter -- you can shoot up to 1/2000 or 1/4000. The shutter speed does not determine how much light hits your subject from the strobe -- that is controlled by the camera's aperture, and more importantly, how much power you give to the strobe. But the shutter speed does control the ambient light which is lighting the background. There may be shots, where you are really tightly focused on your subject, and you want the background to be a bit darker to better isolate the subject --- and so you can bump up the shutter speed from 1/250 up to 1/500, or even 1/1000 (the max you would probably use underwater).
I hope this is useful to you (and not too confusing).
- traveltodive likes this

domain: hobby


[media-credit id=7 align="alignright" width="150"][/media-credit]In their aggressive overreach to help the union bosses, the National Labor Relations Board has a devastating string of courtroom losses that are putting them back into place. The House Education and Workforce Committee looks at their grasp for more power:
This week, the Obama National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) suffered yet another defeat in federal court. On Monday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg – appointed to the federal bench last year by President Obama – rejected the board’s recent ambush election rule.
During the final days of 2011, the Obama labor board jammed through the regulatory process sweeping changes to long-standing rules governing union elections, changes that undermine employer free speech and worker free choice. As Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline noted:
The Obama board’s rush to enact this rule before it loses its quorum confirms what my Republican colleagues and I have suspected all along – this board is not fighting for the best interests of our workforce, but instead is determined to advance an activist, pro-union agenda at any cost.
Yet in their haste to adopt a flawed rule, board members Mark Pearce and Craig Becker neglected to follow the law. Citing Hollywood icon Woody Allen, Judge Boasberg writes:
Eighty percent of life is just showing up. When it comes to satisfying a quorum requirement, though, showing up is even more important than that. Indeed, it is the only thing that matters – even when the quorum is constituted electronically. In this case, because no quorum ever existed for the pivotal vote in question, the Court must hold that the challenged rule is invalid.


THE LIVE EXPERIENCE
February 15, 2013
In this EXCLUSIVE interview with FangirlTV, ThinkGeek (makers of the awesomest toys around!) gives us a heads up about toys that might be of interest to geek girls everywhere!
Todd McFarlane (Spawn) talks with FangirlTV!
January 27, 2014
Ashley Eckstein - Her Universe founder and the voice of SW's Ahsoka Tano!
March 15, 2013
Star Wars Into Diversity
November 28, 2014
RockLove - Awesome Nerd Jewelry!
October 27, 2015
Maze Runner Ruminations
October 14, 2014
October 10, 2014
Meet Lauren, the beautiful, steampunk Han Solo!
October 2, 2014
Fangirl Icons - Volume 1
August 30, 2014
FangirlTV LIVE clip: Stella Chuu as Batwoman!
May 15, 2014
FangirlTV LIVE clip - Essential Ladies!
Best friends at Star Wars Celebration!
January 15, 2014


text:
Chesapeake helps preserve Carroll County's history with donation
Tucked away in the Carroll County Genealogy Society are people working to preserve Carroll County's historical records.
A team of 14 people are very carefully digitalizing Carroll County's Probate Court Records from 1833-1957, Common Pleas Journals, marriages and wills. The team includes Carroll County residents, as well as those employed by Chesapeake Energy.
Using digital cameras, the team takes a digital copy, which is sent to Oklahoma where the image is checked for quality, cropped and preserved in a digital record, explained Aaron Dodds, president of the Carroll County Genealogy Society. Once the images are organized, the digital copy is sent to the library.
"This is a monumental undertaking and will benefit the society immensely when they are finished," Dodds said.
"Digitizing records at the Carroll County Genealogy Society benefits everyone involved. Once the project is finished in a couple of months, the images will be available in an instant to Carroll County residents," said Pete Kenworthy, manager for media relations for Chesapeake Energy Corporation. "Deteriorating records that date back into the early 1800s will be preserved forever. We are glad to be able to provide this service, along with a computer for local residents to use when searching for records information."
As part of the agreement, Dodds said Chesapeake Energy will keep the records in house and not to be shared with any outside entity for five years and then the company's copy will be destroyed.
Chesapeake Energy also donated to the library a computer with a 22-inch screen that can be rotated to view legal-size documents without the need for scrolling.
"This is a wonderful feature as so many of the records are legal-size documents, plus it will be beneficial in viewing newspaper pages," Dodds said. "The computer itself has a value of $3,500 and the overall project has an estimate of $300,000, costs that neither the genealogical society nor Carroll County could have undertaken."
Once the project is completed, library patrons can come in and access all of these records in a matter of minutes on one of the four computers available for use. This will eliminate the need for the original records and books to be handled, thus preserving them for future generations and provide a better service to researchers.

domain: library


HarvestPlus emerges finalist in MacArthur Foundation’s $100m grant competition
HarvestPlus has been named one of the four finalists for 100&Change, a competition for a single $100 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The global challenge seeks bold solutions to critical problems of hunger in the world. After careful consideration, the MacArthur Foundation’s Board of Directors were convinced HarvestPlus’ provides a viable and much needed solution to one of the world’s greatest problems—hidden hunger.
HarvestPlus Chief Executive Officer, Bev Postma said: “We have long believed that addressing micronutrient malnutrition is critical to economic growth and development. Yet millions of children across the developing world continue to suffer from hidden hunger. They may not be visibly hungry, but they lack essential micronutrients—impacting their cognitive and physical development.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that malnutrition contributes to the death of 3.1 million children under five every year, almost half of all deaths for that age group. Of these losses, one million are the direct result of hidden hunger.
Acknowledging that hidden hunger largely stems from a lack of dietary diversity in impoverished communities, where many people rely on one or two staple crops for their primary diet, HarvestPlus has pioneered a revolutionary way to increase the nutritional value of these crops. Through a natural plant breeding process called biofortification, crops like sweet potatoes, beans, maize, and cassava are now being bred to contain higher amounts of vitamin A, iron, and zinc —three of the micronutrients most lacking in diets globally, according to the WHO.
Nutrition studies have shown that crops pioneered by HarvestPlus and its partners can dramatically improve vitamin A deficiency, reduce diarrheal disease, improve visual function, and reverse iron deficiency in women and children.
HarvestPlus is currently reaching 26 million people around the world with these more nutritious crops. “Winning this competition will help us meet our goal to reach one billion people with biofortified crops by 2030. Through the help of partners like the MacArthur Foundation, eliminating hidden hunger is possible,” says Postma.
With additional resources, HarvestPlus will be able to forge new partnerships and empower local farming communities throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America to grow and consume more nutritious food. Based on a model of sustainability, once HarvestPlus delivers biofortified seeds, the communities they serve will forever have access to crops that are more nutritious, resilient and high yielding—improving health and boosting economic development globally.
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HOMEGROWN SOLUTIONS- A TRAP FOR IT PROFESSIONALS
If you work in IT, you’ve probably heard of homegrown solutions. These are programing solutions that are written and created in-house to do a particular task. Perhaps your department uses homegrown solutions themselves. They are most supported by network engineers that need to solve a problem both quickly and on their own. While homegrown tools can be inexpensive and customizable, they are often riddled with bugs, hard to maintain and may not do everything you’re looking for. If you or your department currently implements a homegrown solutions tool, ask yourself these important questions:
- When is the last time it broke?
- How long was it down?
- Why did it go down?
- How did this affect your productivity?
- Can you afford for it to go down again?
When an organization uses a homegrown tool, they entangle themselves into a trap. Maybe at the beginning of the tool’s creation it worked and employees had confidence in it. However, as the company grows the tool begins to function less effectively as it used to. The IT professionals are then stuck with an outdated solution that is underperforming. Costs associated with these tools that were created in-house can be wasted time and money for paying the experts to manage the tool. While customizable and free, homegrown solutions are not the solutions IT departments should have.
Professional Solutions Save You Money in the Long Run
Why should you switch from a homegrown solution to a professional product? The professional product will save you money in the long run. Enterprises have skilled experts monitoring the network. A free tool may seem like the best option, but those skilled workers cost a significant price to employ. It is in the interest of many companies to have all IT personnel ready and able to run the network using this professional solution, without the need to hire a specific network engineer or the cost of retraining the existing IT staff. Expert salaries are not the only cost that can be saved with professional products. Network outages are detrimental to companies, and the severity of damage can be unpredictable. Companies need to be able to trust that their tool is reliable. If the network goes down, and the homegrown solution was not up for the task then that is the IT professional’s job on the line. Professional network analytics tools are rigorously tested for perfection, and are guaranteed to not let the IT professional down. Most professional products include 24/7 support as well, so they can confidently solve the issue. Homegrown solutions cannot offer this level of support. If an IT department uses an in-house solution, the only assistance they might have is an online community forum. However this community has limited experience whereas enterprises have entire support teams that have tremendous experience working with a variety of issues your department may face that are ready to assist at anytime.
Homegrown Solutions Struggle To Integrate New Devices
It is no surprise that new technology is on the rise in this era of digital transformation. Enterprises are constantly upgrading dated technology, and this can be daunting if they use homegrown solutions. While the digital world is quickly changing with the integrations and new technology, homegrown solutions struggle to keep up. Solutions are often written and tailored for a specific problem. Throughout the course of the company’s digital transformation that problem may evolve. An in-house solution cannot adapt to an evolving problem, likely because the problem the company is facing is more complex than what the solution was written for. Another factor that can be time consuming is the frequent introduction of new devices. IT professionals with professional tools wait for their tool to integrate new devices on it’s own or from the help of the service provided with it. But a professional with an in-house solution is on their own. Manually integrating new devices or creating a new tool for these new devices can waste the IT professional’s time, and create more issues down the road. One way to avoid this headache is to upgrade to an enterprise solution. Professional products provide updates for new device integration, so IT professionals can focus on what matters.
The Complexity of Homegrown Tools
With every new hire there is a learning curve, even in the same industry. Homegrown solutions can create an even bigger learning curve, especially when it is complex or the individual that created it is not involved. Teaching a new hire a complex tool wastes time and energy, and in some cases costs money. Professional solutions are often accompanied by training sites and informational materials that cut down on the severity of the learning curve.
While in-house solutions can be difficult to understand, they can also be difficult to use. Often times homegrown solutions do not have features such as reporting, a task that can be incredibly time consuming. IT environments are fast-paced, and transcribing a report wastes time when decisions must be made quickly. When too much time is spent on outdated and under performing solutions that were built in-house not enough time is spent doing the tasks that actually matter.
In-house politics often add to the complexity surrounding homegrown tools. The too could have been written and created by a higher-up, and perhaps that higher up is adamant about keeping the solution. Only the IT professional can truly elaborate on the effectiveness of the homegrown tool, however at the end of the day, network performance must be the priority. If the tool is under performing and unreliable then it must be replaced by something more effective, regardless of who initially created it. The politics surrounding homegrown tools must be eradicated for the betterment of the company.
We live in a world of upgrading. If there is a better seat available on the plane, we take it. A better table at a restaurant? We take it. So why settle with a homegrown tool that does not have all of the features that a professional solution has? While free is without a doubt positive, there is no excuse for keeping outdated and under performing technology. Enterprise solutions are the most effective tool for IT needs. Monitoring your network is a big job, leave it to the professionals. Don’t think of it as replacing your homegrown tool, think of it as an upgrade.
You Might Be Interested: Homegrown solutions: The good and the bad


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Have I mentioned how much I love summer? It's about the only thing I can think lately - I just love summer.
Anyway, one of the things I really wanted to say was, I'm so losing motivation when it comes to photography. I mean, I love photography - I could take pictures of everything all day. Lately, though, I've just felt disappointed with my photographs. I think it's because I'm using the manual setting, so then when a picture looks bad it's my fault, not the camera's.
Do you guys ever feel that way? How do you find your motivation again? And do you have any tips to share on improving photography skills? I feel like I'm lacking in those lately.
On a lighter note, here is some great summery music. It's by Jonsi (did you know he was in Sigur Ros? Yeah, me neither). Some of it is from the movie We Bought a Zoo, which you definitely need to see. Seriously, it's one of my new favorites.

domain: artistic


text:
COVID-19 Financial Warning: Consumers and Banks Should Avoid Payday Loans
For the foreseeable future, “normal” life will be suspended indefinitely due to the global pandemic known as the coronavirus.
Record job cuts in March prompted the Labor Ministry to report that 10.4 million consumers lost their jobs and filed for unemployment compensation. As medical experts continue to monitor the virus, The New York Times has reported at least 214,461 known infections and at least 4,800 related deaths.
Beyond these statistics, countless more school and business closures, and a growing army of people working from home have also been directly affected by the virus.
Consumers young and old have died as the virus continues to spread across the country. Its viral wrath spawned hot spots in Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, New Orleans on the Gulf Coast, Detroit in the Midwest, and New York City, the country’s largest urban metropolis.
By focusing on the economic impacts of the crisis, people around the world are grappling with competing needs in their lives. When the cost of living exceeds the financial resources available, hard times bring difficult decisions about how to feed families, how to keep housing, how to run utilities, and a myriad of other day-to-day needs.
Despite a $ 2 trillion federal bailout passed with bipartisan support, $ 1,200 checks promised to taxpayers, along with an additional $ 500 per child will arrive too late for the first of April payments for bills such as mortgages and rents. Many leaders also warn that despite its size or the range of areas covered, the legislation was not sufficient.
In a March 27 House statement, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, warned her colleagues that their work was not yet complete.
“[I] must make it clear that the legislation is far from exhaustive and that there are problems it leaves unanswered and areas where it does not respond… The American people need help now and this bill represents a down payment on that relief, ”Waters said.
A similar reaction came from AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins.
“Older Americans are facing the double whammy of the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus, and many need immediate relief and continued help and support to cope with the pandemic,” Jenkins noted. “These needs will only grow in the weeks and months to come. “
What can really make the difference between success and failure in life is not just what leaders do, but also what they haven’t done when given the chance. . The recent legislative package was silent on interest rates, as well as the cancellation of federal student loans, negative credit reports or a ban on private evictions for late rent payments.
As the cost of living has risen faster and more than most consumer incomes for over a decade, the likelihood of a savings account large enough to cover household expenses for a month or more is slim. , or even zero.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency responsible for protecting consumers from unscrupulous lenders, has been clearly under control. Instead of forceful and timely agency alerts via multimedia communications warning consumers of opportunistic scammers, CFPB has offered a modest tip sheet on how consumers – not the government – can protect themselves. Fortunately, as the viral saga unfolds, some news outlets are reporting on the potential harms of consumers turning to payday loans and auto loans.
A joint response from five federal officials – Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) – came on March 26 in a statement that encourages banks, savings and credit unions and credit unions to offer “responsible small loans” to consumers and small businesses during the pandemic.
According to regulators, “Responsible small dollar loans can play an important role in meeting the credit needs of customers due to temporary cash flow imbalances, unforeseen expenses or income disruptions during times of economic crisis or post recovery. sinister ”.
Without any specifics defining “reasonable small dollar loans,” the regulators’ statement could be an incentive to join the financial abuse of triple-digit lenders.
For black America and other communities of color, short-term predatory loans of $ 500 or less began decades ago, when payday storefronts and car titles made their home in our neighborhoods. Across the country. Loans that were marketed as quick fixes for millions of consumers turned into long-term financial nightmares that worsened debt with each renewal. In many cases, the interest paid on these loans was often double or triple the amount of the principal borrowed.
A coalition of civil and consumer rights organizations issued a joint statement warning of a possible increase in high-cost lending by the country’s deposit-taking institutions – banks, credit unions and savings and loans.
“This is the worst time for banks to give out predatory payday loans,” said Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, Center for Responsible Lending, Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, National Consumer Law Center.
“During the last recession, a handful of banks issued ‘deposit advances’ that gave borrowers an average of 19 loans per year at over 200% annual interest,” the executives continued. “These bank payday loans have disproportionately harmed the financially vulnerable and seriously damaged the reputation of banks. Since 2013, when regulatory guidelines warned against this form of credit, banks have mostly stayed on the sidelines. We hope they will continue to do so because they do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. “
Charlene Crowell is a senior member of the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org.

domain: politics


NEW YORK -- A "Law & Order" set became a real-life crime scene Tuesday in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Police say 31-year-old Johnny Pizzaro was sitting in his car on North Henry Street at around 5 a.m., guarding the NBC production trucks when someone walked up, opened the door, and shot him in the face and neck. The victim was pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital, CBS2's Jessica Moore reported.
"Early morning, quiet. Just a pop, and a dude ran," one man said.
He told Moore he worked with Pizzaro, putting up "No Parking" fliers and cones along the block where the show "Law & Order: Organized Crime" would be filming later in the morning. He told CBS2 Pizzaro had a wife and six kids.
"He was a great guy, great guy," the man said.
Alexander Gurevich, who works nearby, said tensions are high between residents and film crews, who frequently tell people they can't park on their own block.
"Seems the scenario is 'SVU' just takes up the whole block. They park their trailers left and up and right," Gurevich said.
Gurevich said he wouldn't be surprised if the crew member was shot over the parking debacle.
"When the studios take up the whole block, you know, people are going to snap," he said.
Police have not confirmed the parking dispute was a motive for the killing. They said they are investigating a possible connection, but Pizzaro could have been targeted for some other reason, especially since the shooter didn't take anything from the victim, and, according to police, clearly wanted him dead.
Police said the gunman was wearing all black and took off on foot after the shooting.
NBC and Universal Television shared the following statement with CBS2:
"We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result. We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time."
CBS2's Nick Caloway spoke with neighbors on the quiet block, who said they heard at least one gunshot.
"I mean, this is crazy. This is insane," one woman said. "We didn't really even suspect it was gunshots, so we just went back to sleep... Later on, we woke up, and just cops everywhere."
Neighbors said it's a popular spot for productions, especially cop shows.
"They always shoot location around here. 'Law & Order,' 'NYPD Blue,' whatever," the woman added.
They never thought a show about crime would turn into a real-life crime scene.
"No, for real? That's what my daughter said. She said, 'Mom, there was a shooting.' I said, 'No, it's a film.' She said, 'OK, everything's OK?' 'As far as I know,' but I guess it's not," said Betty Gifford.
Pizzaro lived in Queens with his wife and children.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
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May 11, 2018 (Charleston, South Carolina) — Festival General Director Nigel Redden revealed the 2018 Spoleto Festival USA poster, featuring the work of renowned British painter, David Hockney. Beginning May 11, the 2018 poster will be available for $35 at the Festival box office, located in the Charleston Gaillard Center (open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm), online at spoletousa.org, or by calling 843.579.3100.
The painting, Hither and Dither (2017, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 96", hexagonal © David Hockney), received its first public showing at the Pace Gallery in New York as part of the exhibition David Hockney: Something New in Painting (and Photography) [and even Printing] that opened April 5, 2018, and is on view until May 12, 2018. “In addition to being a prolific painter, David has created a number of set and costume designs for opera houses worldwide,” says Redden. “This is the third time his work appears on Spoleto posters, and we are very thankful for his generosity.” Hockney’s Poster for the 19th Festival was created for the 1976 Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. And in 1997, the Spoleto Festival USA poster featured Orfeo ed Euridice (1" scale backdrop for Scene III, 1994, gouache on two pieces of foamcore, 19.5" x 16.5"), which Hockey designed for Placido Domingo’s televised broadcast of Operalia, 1994.
Since 1977, Spoleto Festival USA’s posters have featured work by such artists as Jonathan Green, Charles Gaines, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, Henry Moore, Elizabeth Murray, Bridget Riley, and Alex Katz, among many others. A gallery of past posters available for sale can be found at spoletousa.org. Spoleto Festival USA posters are limited editions and are not re-printed once sold out.
Born in Bradford, England, in 1937, David Hockney is one of the world’s most recognizable artists, widely known for his iconic images of backyards, shimmering pools, bright landscapes, and large portraits of friends and relatives. At 80 years old, the artist continues to create new work from his home and studio in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, often combining the distortions of perspectives of Cubism with the bright colors and thick brushworks of Fauvism. His multifaceted approach to art has led him to embrace a range of methods and technologies (including photography and iPad drawings), yet his work remains rooted in painting. Since his first one-man show in 1963, Hockney has received countless major retrospectives, recently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met Fifth Avenue) in New York from November 2017 to February 2018. His work can be seen in current exhibitions at the Pace Gallery in New York; the L.A. Louver in Venice, California; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Spoleto Festival USA
Founded in 1977, Spoleto Festival USA is an annual 17-day performing arts festival that presents leading artists in classical and popular music, jazz, dance, and theater, contributing to the rich cultural fabric of Charleston, SC. The 2018 season (May 25 – June 10) includes more than 150 ticketed events in a dozen locations on the downtown peninsula, including the historic Dock Street Theatre and the grand Charleston Gaillard Center. For more about Spoleto Festival USA and the 2018 season, visit the online press room.


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Singing the Outer Frequencies with The Noize Choir
Singing The Outer Frequencies with The Noize Choir
TYNESIDE BAR, TYNESIDE CINEMA
PILGRIM STREET, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE,
MONDAY 19 DECEMBER 2011
9PM UNTIL 10.30PM
FREE. ADVANCED BOOKING REQUIRED
The Noize Choir is a non-traditional voice choir formed by artists, Marek Gabrysch and Lindsay Duncanson in 2011. Using only the human voice and innovative uses of microphones and props, the choir create compositions using the extreme edges of the voice to produce new ways to make sound.
Singing the Outer Frequencies is a new composition inspired by the strange and random content that sits on the borderline of ‘radio listening. It is based on broadcast oddities found along the electromagnetic spectrum such as test tones, the end of analogue transmission broadcasts, data tones and spy number stations alongside the ‘20 second idler’, a twenty second tone broadcast hourly or the woody woodpecker Russian radar transmissions.
This wonderfully unique performance at the Tyneside Cinema was the first live performance of Singing the Outer Frequencies with other compositions including Christmas Carols (as never heard before!).
We also conducted a live chat with The Noize Choir on Thursday 22 December, 8.30pm on basic.fm!
Image courtesy of Steve @ 4130 Photography


While Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori tried to stay on message throughout his press conference, dismissing any suggestions that "24" or "American Idol" or any other Fox property had had problems last season. "Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe, appearing to talk about that show's little sister, "So You Think You Can Dance?," was far more candid about the state of Fox's crown jewel.
While discussing how attached viewers are to this summer's "Dance" contestants, Lythgoe said, "I think also we realize that we made such mistakes on 'Idol' last season that we didn't really show the personalities of the people. We were so engrossed with the mentors that were particularly good last season, and we focused on their stories and not really on the Melindas. And we didn't know them as much as we knew the Kelly Picklers from the season before. So this season (on 'Dance'), we've really gone out of our way to focus on the competitors' thoughts, their feelings, their emotions, so that we're all attached to them a little more than if they were just dance competitors, and I think that's affected us all. We can hear them laugh. We can hear them smile. We can see what makes them tick and they're just little emotional hooks that come out and pull us into them."
A reporter then asked whether that meant Lythgoe would be doing the same with "Idol" when it returns in January.
"We always look and tinker with the program," he said. "We never sit on our laurels and think, oh, God, we were so good last year, we needn't do anything. We will certainly look at that. We certainly do want to increase the emotional hooks for the audience next year, yes. I'd like to know the contestants an awful lot better, and I'd like our top 12 next season to be extremely strong, as strong as the contestants on 'So You Think You Can Dance' are."
As someone who's attended Fox's annual January "Idol" press tour session and gotten frustrated at Lythgoe and his colleague's dismissal of complaints about past seasons, I found his acknowledgment of season six's biggest flaw both refreshing and reassuring.
Alan Sepinwall can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
Scientists have uncovered more evidence citing camels as the cause for the recent MERS-CoV virus outbreak sweeping across the Middle East.
Whole genome sequencing taken from nasal swabs of Saudi Arabian camels is the newest method researchers have used to confirm their beliefs, according to CBS News. They found a number of MERS subtypes in DNA of the animals, including one identical to the virus infecting humans, scientifically known as the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
Spring 2012 marked the first documented cases, and since then MERS has sickened at least 339 people in Saudi Arabia alone and killed nearly a third of them, according to the country’s Ministry of Health, CNN reported. United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt were also affected.
But 26 new cases were reported over the weekend, and scientists worry that the worst of the virus is not over.
Read the full, original story: Further Evidence Blames Camels for MERS Virus Outbreak

domain: geography