In this study, the effect of the sequential He and NH 3 plasma treatments on a chemical vapor deposition SiOC:H low-k dielectric is evaluated in the wide range of experimental conditions. Results show that the active NH 3 plasma radicals penetrate the porous low-k bulk and remove the hydrophobic Si-CH 3 groups, which leads to hydrophilization and results in the degradation of dielectric properties. The implementation of He plasma pretreatment reduces the damage imposed by the NH 3 plasma by a stimulation of the surface recombination of active radicals from NH 3 plasma. He plasma causes a surface modification of 10-20 nm presumably due to the energy transfer from the extreme UV photons and the 2 1 S He metastable atoms to the low-k structure. The plasma damage reduction is proportional to He plasma density and the treatment time. The mechanism of plasma damage reduction is explained on the basis of the Knudsen diffusion mechanism and random walk theory.

Doum (Hyphaene thebaica) fruit flour (DFF) was studied in terms of chemical properties as well as technological processing to prepare wheat flour biscuits containing DFF. Chemical composition results showed that DFF possessed low contents of crude protein and it could be considered as a good source of minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Cu). The results also indicated that DFF had very good values in terms of crude fiber, total phenolic content, and flavonoid content. The edible portion of doum fruits (DFF) was used to formulate some functional foods. The organoleptic properties of biscuits containing DFF showed that all the biscuits samples were well accepted by the panelists. Generally, doum fruit flour could be used with wheat flour to prepare biscuit characterized with its good sensorial properties, higher nutritive value and healthy as a good source of fiber, minerals, polyphenolic, and flavonoids compounds.