coherent. Electron spin resonance confirmed a 

 lowering of defect concentration relative to oxides 

 prepared conventionally. Measurements of flat- 

 band voltage shift under bias-temperature stress, 

 of surface state charge density, and of dielectric 

 strength show values substantially better than 

 those generally reported for conventionally grown 

 oxides. Superior gate, field, and isolation oxides 

 for a wide range of applications in integrated cir- 

 cuit devices (e.g., LSI digital devices for secure 

 communications and other man-portable, air- 

 borne, or munitions delivery electronics) can be 

 obtained in shorter processing times and at re- 

 duced oxidation temperatures by dry pressure 

 oxidation. 



The potential for reduced production costs is of 

 interest to several major industrial electronic 

 manufacturers, which have requested details from 

 the Army on requisite instrumentation and pro- 

 cessing techniques. Suitable pressure-oxidation 

 equipment is being developed on a production 

 scale for industry under Defense Advanced Re- 

 search Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsorship. 

 Research and device programs are being under- 

 taken cooperatively with industry and academia. 



Six publications and invited presentations have 

 resulted from the program, three of which are: 



R. J. Zelo, C. G. Thornton, E. Hryckowian and C. D. Bosco, 

 Low Temperature Thermal Oxidation of Silicon by Dry Oxy- 

 gen Pressure Above 1 Atm. J. Electrochem. Soc. 122. 1409 

 (1975). 



R. J. Zeto, C. G. Thornton, E. Hrychowian, and C. D. Bosco. 

 Low Temperature Pressure-Oxidation of Silicon for Integrated 

 Circuit Technology, Army Science Conference Proceedings. 

 USDepartmenlof Defense, Vol. Ill, 4/.'( 1976). 



R. J. Zeto. High Pressure Oxides. Gordon Research Confer- 

 ence on Metal-lnsulator-Semiconductor Systems, Kimball- 

 Union Academy, Meridcn, New Hampshire, August 1976. 



The STRATCOM Program 



The stratospheric composition (STRATCOM) 

 program is a long-term, multipurpose program for 

 integrated, correlated measurements of strato- 

 spheric parameters related to composition, ther- 

 modynamics, and radiative balance. It provides 

 the means for the Army to obtain the necessary 

 data base to develop and validate a chemical ki- 

 netic model needed to determine atmospheric 

 effects on ballistic missile defense and communi- 

 cation systems. The program was initiated by the 

 Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory at White Sands 

 Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, in 1968 to 

 take advantage of new developments in balloon 

 technology which provided the capability to place 

 a stable platform with 66 pounds of scientific pay- 

 load at the top of the stratosphere (50 km) for a 

 period of 24 hours (STRATCOM I). The obvious 

 advantages offered through large balloon plat- 



forms quickly led to joint agency experiments of 

 ever-expanding complexity and scope. STRAT- 

 COM VII, conducted at WSMR in September 

 1976, was sponsored by three Federal agencies 

 and involved experimenters from 10 laboratories 

 (Government, university, and private industry). 

 More than 20 on-board instruments measured 

 atmospheric composition and structure for 34 

 hours in the altitude range of 23 to 39 km. In ad- 

 dition, supporting measurements were made with 

 sensors on rockets, small balloons, and satellites. 

 Joint sponsorship and funding for the STRAT- 

 COM program allows for a more comprehensive 

 program than could be achieved by any single 

 organization. The scientific value and cost effec- 

 tiveness are now well known; the program de- 

 scription was included in briefings to the United 

 States Senate Subcommittee on the Upper Atmos- 

 phere and is part of the Congressional Record. A 

 special session of the American Geophysical 

 Union national meeting in December 1974 was 

 devoted to STRATCOM 111 and STRATCOM IV, 

 and a session for STRATCOM VII was held in 

 May 1977. 



References: 



Hearings before the Subcommittee on the Upper Atmosphere 

 of the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, 

 United States Senate. Ninety-Fourth Congress. Second Ses- 

 sion, February 25 and March I. 1976. 



Randhawa, J. S., 1969: "Ozone Measurements from a Stable 

 Platform near the Stratopause Level," J. Geophys. Res.. 74, 



4588-4590. 



Ballard, H. N.. et al., 1970: "A Constant Altitude Balloon 

 Experiment at 48 Kilometers," J. Geophys. Res.. Vol 75, No. 

 18. 3501-3512. 



Beyers, N. J., and B. T. Miers, 1970: "Measurement from a 

 Zero-Pressure Balloon in the Stratopause (48 km)." 

 J. Geophys. Res, 75. 35 13-3522. 



Ballard, H. N., et al., 1972: 'Atmospheric Tidal Measure- 

 ments at 50 km from a Constant Altitude Balloon," J. Appl. 

 Meterol.. Vol II, No. 7. 1138-1149. 



Ballard, H. N., 1976: "Temperature Measurements in the 

 Stratosphere from Balloon-Borne Instrument Platforms, 1968- 

 1975," ECOM-5808, Proceedings Ninth AFGL Scientific Bal- 

 loon Symposium, October 1976. 



Thermomechanical Treatment of Aluminum 

 Alloys 



A U.S. -Italy cooperative research program on 

 aluminum alloys was performed over the period 

 of 1968-1975, the objective of which was to study 

 the effects of alloy composition, ingot solidifica- 

 tion techniques, homogenization, and complex 

 combinations of plastic deformation and thermal 

 treatments on properties of aluminum alloy in- 

 gots. 



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