Circuits, apparatus, and methods for avoiding deadlock conditions in a bus fabric. The composition can easily achieve a high quality factor value by sintering for a lesser duration and at lower temperatures. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed. The special contact pads are used to provide external test patterns to internal circuits andor to externally monitor results from testing the internal circuits. The exhaust tube has openings in a second tube wall portion. The present invention also provides an annealed wafer in which a boron concentration in the vicinity of a surface thereof is constant and crystal defects are annihilated.