ANALYSIS OF THE ETCHING MECHANISMS OF TUNGSTEN IN FLUORINE-CONTAINING PLASMAS

Tungsten and polysilicon layers were etched in three different types of etching equipment, in different etching modes. Etch rates and wall profiles were determined. Partially etched tungsten layers were analyzed through Auger spectroscopy. Combining all these results, it was possible to determine the etch rate limiting subprocesses for tungsten etching. For most process conditions, the arrival of atomic fluorine at the wafer surface is the etch rate limiting mechanism. For other processes, the removal of products with low volatility is the limiting mechanism.14261971197

Induction of Necrosis in Human Neutrophils by Shigella flexneri Requires Type III Secretion, IpaB and IpaC Invasins, and Actin Polymerization

Infection by Shigella flexneri is characterized by infiltration of neutrophils in the intestinal mucosa and by a strong inflammatory reaction. Although neutrophils are constitutively programmed to die by apoptosis, we show that isolated human neutrophils undergo necrosis 2 h after infection with virulent S. flexneri strain M90T but not with the virulence plasmid-cured strain BS176. This was demonstrated by the release of azurophil granule proteins concomitant with the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), disruption of the plasma membrane, and absence of DNA fragmentation. Mutants with the mxiD1 gene, coding for an essential component of the secretion type III machinery, or the genes coding for IpaB or IpaC invasins deleted were not cytotoxic. Neutrophil necrosis occurred independently of the bacterial ability to leave phagosomes, and it involved actin polymerization, as the addition of cytochalasin D after phagocytosis of Shigella inhibited the release of LDH. In conclusion, Shigella kills neutrophils by necrosis, a process characterized by the release of tissue-injurious granular proteins. This probably contributes to disruption of the epithelial barrier, leading to the dysentery observed in shigellosis and allowing Shigella to enter its host cells