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In this research, we conducted a series of experiments to investigate the mechanisms of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of silicon. Experimental approaches include tribological tests of frictional and lubricating behavior, chemical analysis, and surface characterization. Specifically, the effects of pH in slurry, surface roughness of wafers, and nano-particle size on removal rate were studied. A transmission electron microscope (TEM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and x-ray characterization tools were used to study the change of surface structure and chemistry. Experimental results indicate that the removal rate and planarization are dominated by the surface chemistry.

High pressure reverse-phase liquid chromatography has been used to separate saturated fatty acids, their methyl esters, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and triglycerides. Rapid separation of fatty acids differing in chain length and number of double bonds has been accomplished. Analysis time was less than 10 min in most cases. The high pressure reverse chromatography resulted in better separations of polyenoic acids than can be accomplished by conventional argentation silicic acid column chromatography. The analyses were carried out on a chemically bonded reverse phase packing, VYDAC reverse phase.

The E170 module was evaluated at 13 sites in an international multicentre study. The objective of the study was to assess the analytical performance of 49 analytes, and to collect feedback on the system's reliability and practicability. The typical, within-run coefficients of variation (CVs) for most of the quantitative assays ranged between 1 and 2% while a range of 2-4% was achieved with the infectious disease methods. Total precision CVs were found to be within the manufacturer's expected performance ranges, demonstrating good concordance of the system's *Corresponding author: Dr. Albert Kunst, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Centralized Diagnostics Clinical Trials, Sandhofer Straße 116, 68305 Mannheim, Germany Fax: q49-621-759-4175, E-mail: albert.kunst@roche.com measuring channels and a high reproducibility during the 2-4-week trial period. The functional sensitivity of 11 selected assays met the clinical requirements (e.g., thyreotroponin (TSH) 0.008 mU/l, troponin T 0.02 mg/ l, total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 0.03 mg/l). The E170 showed no drift during an 8-hour period and no relevant reagent carryover. Accuracy was confirmed by ring trial experiments and method comparisons vs. Elecsys ᮋ 2010. The reliability and practicability of the system's hardware and software met with, or even exceeded, the evaluator's requirements. Workflow studies showed that E170 can cover the combined workload of various routine analysers in a variety of laboratory environment. Throughput and sample processing time requirements were achieved while personnel 'hands-on-time' could be reduced.

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