Taking two resistance readings, at room temperature and at -196°C when the substrate is submerged in liquid nitrogen provides a convenient means of measuring the TCR of tantalum-nitride films. The liquid nitrogen provides a large, controlled temperature differential that can be used conveniently in the production environment. A digital-readout tester with only a simple nulling adjustment makes it possible to read the TCR of the film directly on the DVM indicator. This method provides the prompt TCR information feedback necessary to control the tantalum-nitride sputtering process and results in substantial time and materials savings.

This study is the first comprehensive NRC study that suggests a high-level intellectual structure for Federal agencies for supporting work at the biology/computing interface. The report seeks to establish the intellectual legitimacy of a fundamentally cross-disciplinary collaboration between biologists and computer scientists. That is, while some universities are increasingly favorable to research at the intersection, life science researchers at other universities are strongly impeded in their efforts to collaborate. This report addresses these impediments and describes proven strategies for overcoming them. An important feature of the report is the use of well-documented examples that describe clearly to individuals not trained in computer science the value and usage of computing across the biological sciences, from genes and proteins to networks and pathways, from organelles to cells, and from individual organisms to populations and ecosystems. It is hoped that these examples will be useful to students in the life sciences to motivate (continued) study in computer science that will enable them to be more facile users of computing in their future biological studies.