A standby power supply system is provided for supplying normal AC power to a critical load from an AC power source during normal operating conditions, and for supplying emergency AC power to the load during failure of the AC power source. During normal operation, the standby power supply system actively neutralizes undesirable harmonic components in the input current drawn by the load. The standby power supply system includes a power conversion device having a DC side coupled to a back-up power source and an AC side in parallel with the load and the AC source. A harmonic distortion sensor senses a harmonic distortion current component of a load current drawn by the load during normal operating conditions. A controller is responsive to the harmonic distortion sensor for causing the power conversion device to produce a harmonics neutralizing current to substantially neutralize the harmonic distortion current component produced by the load. A method is also provided for supplying AC power to a load during normal and emergency operating conditions.

The present invention relates generally to a load current harmonics neutralizing apparatus for interfacing a critical load with an AC power source, and more particularly to an active harmonic filtering system and a standby power supply (SPS) system for powering computer, communication, medical and other equipment, during both normal and emergency conditions, such as utility power line outages.
A revolution in the fields of microelectronics technology and the information sciences has led to the widespread use of critical electrical loads, such as in the communication and medical fields. Another recent revolution in power electronic technologies has resulted in the widespread use of nonlinear loads, including personal computers, adjustable speed drives for air conditioners and heat pumps, uninterruptible power supplies, high frequency fluorescent lights, microwave ovens and various other office and consumer electronics equipment. This trend is expected to continue in the future.
The problem of static power converters creating harmonic currents on power systems was first addressed by the IEEE in 1981 with the introduction of the Standard IEEE No. 519-1981, entitled "IEEE Guide for Harmonic Control and Reactive Compensation of Static Power Converters." Many of the users of the new non-linear electric loads did not have electrical engineers on staff to even recognize the harmonics problems, so the IEEE standard established a performance baseline.
In an article by C. K. Duffey and R. P. Stratford entitled, "Update of Harmonic Standard IEEE-519, IEEE Recommended Practices and Requirements for Harmonic Control in Electric Power Systems," IEEE Paper No. PCIC-88-7 (IEEE, 1988), a large industrial plant was studied, and the guidelines from Standard IEEE-519 were applied. Half of the plant's load was attributed to a twelve-pulse static power converter. The equivalent harmonic current distortion of the odd harmonics above the seventh (11, 13, 23, 25, 35, etc.) were higher than the baseline of IEEE-519. If there are other users on the line, the article noted that the utility system may be distorted beyond that allowed by the standard.
While harmonic filters could be placed on the line to reduce the current and voltage distortion to within acceptable limits, such harmonic filters are costly, both in terms of initial cost and operating cost. The Duffey/Stratford article concluded that the most effective way to correct harmonic distortion is where the customer couples with the electric utility. Without harmonic correction, the increased use of non-linear electric loads threatens to deteriorate the high quality power for which North America is well known.
Many nonlinear loads operate on single-phase alternating current (AC) power received from an electric utility. During a utility power outage, a battery backup is often required to avoid the loss of critical information, functions or services. A variety of UPS systems have been designed to meet these emergency power needs.
Conventional UPS systems provide an interface between the utility power system input and a critical load (personal computers, communication and medical equipment, and other loads normally receiving AC power and requiring battery backup power will herein be referred to as "critical loads"). Basically, the AC power from the utility is first rectified, and a small portion of the rectified power is used to charge the backup battery. The remaining portion of the rectified power is supplied to the critical load through an inverter, which converts the DC voltage to nearly sinusoidal line or fundamental frequency (e.g., 50 Hz in Europe or 60 Hz in the United States) voltage, to the critical load. During a utility power outage emergency condition, power is supplied by the battery through the inverter to the load.
Conventional UPS systems typically have a rectifier/charger which receives AC power from an AC power utility through a static interrupter and rectifies it into DC power. A portion of the rectified DC power charges a battery bank during normal operating conditions. A line-frequency isolation transformer is often included between the interrupter and the critical load. During normal operating conditions, the interrupter is closed to allow the AC power to flow therethrough to a critical load.
During a utility power outage, the static interrupter opens to isolate the load from the utility. The battery bank powers the load through a pulse width modulated (PWM) DC-to-AC inverter. Line-frequency isolation transformers may be placed between the inverter and the load. Thus, power is maintained to the load during both normal and emergency operating conditions. Alternatively, during normal operation, power is supplied to the load through the rectifier/charger, the inverter and an isolation transformer. In this alternate embodiment, the AC power supplied through the interrupter and isolation transformer (if used) is merely an additional backup feature to further enhance the reliability of the UPS system.
The known conventional UPS systems suffer several significant drawbacks. For example, the line-frequency isolation transformers are bulky, expensive and introduce substantial power losses into the UPS system.
The conventional UPS systems disadvantageously inject undesirable current harmonics into the utility system. These injected current harmonics produce line voltage distortion which interferes with other loads connected to the same line voltage supply. The rectifier/charger and the inverter are each sources of these undesirable current harmonics. However, the inverter harmonic currents are decoupled from the utility by the rectifier/charger and by using an isolation transformer. An active filtering system to actively neutralize harmonic currents injected by an AC-to-DC converter into an AC power transmission system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,053,820 and 4,224,660 (one inventor of the present invention being a co-inventor and the sole inventor, respectively, of these patents).
Another significant source of undesirable current harmonics is the critical load itself, which is often some form of a DC power supply. Conventionally, the input section of a rectifier/charger is a diode-bridge rectifier. The electrical characteristics at the input of this diode-bridge rectifier are identical to the input characteristics of the critical load. Therefore, the current drawn from the utility by a conventional UPS system comprises large amplitudes of harmonic currents. These harmonic currents can significantly interfere with other loads on the electric power line and with nearby telephone equipment. Additionally, these harmonics cause unnecessary heating of these other loads, and often contribute to a malfunction of ripple control systems within these other loads.
A variation of the above UPS system arrangement is known as a standby power supply (SPS) system. Under normal conditions, the SPS system delivers AC power directly from the utility to the critical load. During an emergency power outage, the SPS system supplies battery power through an inverter to the critical load. As mentioned above, the highly nonlinear input characteristic of the critical load draws a load current that is rich in harmonics of the fundamental line frequency. Since the critical load is supplied directly from the utility via the SPS system under normal conditions, the current drawn from the utility by the SPS system has large amounts of harmonic components.
For example, one SPS system proposed by Kawabata is coupled in parallel with the electric utility and the non-linear load. Kawabata requires that a very large inductive reactance be coupled in series between the utility and Kawabata's SPS system. With Kawabata, if the utility line voltage is distorted, a distorted current is drawn from the utility to power the load during normal operating conditions. Kawabata's system experiences this difficulty in both single phase and three phase embodiments.
Thus, both the conventional UPS and SPS systems disadvantageously draw undesirable harmonic current components from the utility system.
High technology electrical loads typically have a highly nonlinear input characteristic, that is, the input current drawn by these loads is rich in harmonics of the fundamental line frequency. For example, the lower-order harmonics, such as the third and fifth harmonic current components, can have very large magnitudes. With single phase nonlinear loads, the amplitude of the third harmonic component may come close to the amplitude of the fundamental frequency current component.
In a three phase, four wire power supply system, such as the service used to supply large residential, commercial and office buildings, the phase to neutral voltages are distributed to the various building floors in an attempt to balance the load on each of the phases. The third harmonic current components from each phase are combined and carried on the fourth neutral wire. These large harmonic currents on the neutral conductor result because the zero-sequence harmonic currents on the phase conductors add up on the neutral wire, rather than cancelling each other out. In several cases, the neutral wire itself has heated to the extent of becoming a fire hazard.
One possible expensive solution to neutral overheating is to replace the neutral wire with a larger conductor, but far more damaging is the effect of the neutral wire harmonic currents on the customer's distribution transformer and the utility's substation power transformer. The compounding of the neutral conductor harmonics currents from the various utility customers can cause the substation transformer to become overloaded and overheated, which may ultimately lead to transformer failure and a power outage for the customers.
To avoid a transformer burnout, the substation transformer may be replaced by a transformer having a higher current rating, but this is a very expensive solution. Another approach proposed in the past uses three single phase active filters at the four wire service entrance to each building. Each active filter is connected between a phase line and the neutral line to supply the harmonic currents drawn by the load so the harmonics are not drawn from the utility source through the substation transformer. Such single phase active filters are costly, both in terms of their initial installation, and their electrical losses during operation.
For the three phase four wire systems, in the past, the harmonics have been filtered using single phase passive filters, active filters and hybrid approaches. The passive approaches are simple, but often bulky and expensive. Moreover, the passive filters have components sensitive to temperature and aging which lead to ineffective filtering as the critical frequencies and Q-values drift. Using passive approaches, the danger exists of exciting a resonance condition with the AC system impedance, which can worsen, rather than alleviate the harmonic problem.
The active filter approaches proposed in the past have used three single phase active filters, which has proved very effective. However, these earlier systems are costly, requiring twelve controlled switches to operate. Moreover, these earlier three phase three wire active filter arrangements cannot be used in a three phase four wire system to eliminate harmonics on the neutral wire.
Thus a need exists for an improved load current harmonics neutralizing apparatus for interfacing a critical load with an AC power source, and more particularly to an active harmonic filtering system and a standby power supply (SPS) system, which are directed toward overcoming, and which are not susceptible to, the above limitations and disadvantages.

Standby power supply with load-current harmonics neutralizer


An X-ray CT apparatus comprises a gantry including an X-ray generator in a rotor, and processing circuitry configured to control rotation of the rotor during a first scan such that a value related to first rotational speed serving as rotational speed of the rotor at a time when the first scan is finished is brought close to a setting value related to second rotational speed serving as rotational speed of the rotor in a second scan, with respect to the first scan and the second scan performed after the first scan is performed.

In inspection using an X-ray computed tomography (CT) apparatus, a positioning scan acquiring a positioning image (scanogram) is performed, in addition to a main scan acquiring a diagnostic image. For example, first, the X-ray CT apparatus performs a positioning scan in a state of stopping rotation of a rotor including an X-ray generator, or while rotating the rotor. Thereafter, the X-ray CT apparatus performs a main scan, with the rotor rotated at preset rotational speed for a main scan. In the case where a positioning scan is performed in a state in which rotation of the rotor is stopped, or in the case where the rotational speed of the rotor in a positioning scan is different from the rotational speed for a main scan, the main scan is not started until rotation of the rotor reaches the rotational speed for a main scan, and the operator and the subject are in a waiting state.


A method of forming a self-aligned dual damascene structure in a semiconductor device arrangement forms a first low k dielectric material over an underlying metal interconnect layer, such as a copper interconnect layer. An oxide etch stop layer is formed on the first low k dielectric layer, and a second low k dielectric layer is formed on the oxide etch stop layer. A trench is etched into the second low k dielectric layer, followed by the etching of a via into the first low k dielectric layer. The first and second low k dielectric materials are different from one another so that they have different sensitivity to at least one etchant chemistry. Undercutting in the second dielectric layer caused by overetching is thereby prevented during the etching of the via in the second dielectric layer by employing an etch chemistry that etches only the first low k dielectric material and not the second low k dielectric material.

The escalating requirements for high-density and performance associated with ultra large-scale integration semiconductor wiring require responsive changes in interconnection technology. Such escalating requirements have been found difficult to satisfy in terms of providing a low RC (resistance capacitance) interconnection pattern, particularly where sub-micron via contacts and trenches have high aspect ratios imposed by miniaturization.
Conventional semiconductor devices typically comprise a semiconductor substrate, normally of doped monocrystalline silicon, and a plurality of sequentially formed dielectric layers and conductive patterns. An integrated circuit is formed containing a plurality of conductive patterns comprising conductive lines separated by interwiring spacings, and a plurality of interconnect lines, such as bus lines, bit lines, word lines and logic interconnect lines. Typically, the conductive patterns on different layers, i.e., upper and lower layers, are electrically connected by a conductive plug filling a via hole, while a conductive plug filling a contact hole establishes electrical contact with an active region on a semiconductor substrate, such as a source/drain region. Conductive lines are formed in trenches which typically extend substantially horizontal with respect to the semiconductor substrate. Semiconductor "chips" comprising 5 or more levels of metalization are becoming more prevalent as device geometries shrink to submicron levels.
A conductive plug filling a via hole is typically formed by depositing a dielectric interlayer on a conductive layer comprising at least one conductive pattern, forming an opening in the dielectric interlayer by conventional photolithographic and etching techniques, and filling the opening with a conductive material, such as tungsten (W). Excess conductive material on the surface of the dielectric layer is typically removed by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). One such method is known as damascene and basically involves forming an opening in the dielectric interlayer and filling the opening with a metal. Dual damascene techniques involve forming an opening comprising a lower contact or via hole section in communication with an upper trench section, which opening is filled with a conductive material, typically a metal, to simultaneously form a conductive plug and electrical contact with a conductive line.
High performance microprocessor applications require rapid speed of semiconductor circuitry. The control speed of semiconductor circuitry varies inversely with the resistance and capacitance of the interconnect pattern. As integrated circuits become more complex and feature sizes and spacings become smaller, the integrated circuit speed becomes less dependent upon the transistor itself and more dependent upon the interconnection pattern. Miniaturization demands long interconnects having small contacts and small cross-sections. Thus, the interconnection pattern limits the speed of the integrated circuit. If the interconnection node is routed over a considerable distance, e.g., hundreds of microns or more as in sub-micron technologies, the interconnection capacitance limits the circuit node capacitance loading, and, hence, the circuit speed. As integration density increases and feature size decreases in accordance with sub-micron design rules, e.g., a design rule of about 0.18.mu. and below, the rejection rate due to integrated circuit speed delays severely limits production throughput and significantly increases manufacturing costs.
In prior technologies, aluminum was used in very large scale integration interconnect metalizations. Copper and copper alloys have received considerable attention as a candidate for replacing aluminum in these metalizations. Copper has a lower resistivity than aluminum and improved electrical properties vis-a-vis tungsten, making copper a desirable metal for use as a conductive plug as well as conductive wiring.
In the formation of a dual damascene structure in a self-aligned manner, a conductive line and vias that connect the line to conductive elements in a previously formed underlying conductive interconnect layer, are simultaneously deposited. The conductive material is deposited into openings (e.g., via holes and trenches) created in dielectric material that overlays the conductive interconnect layer. Typically, a first layer of dielectric material is deposited over a bottom etch stop layer that covers and protects the conductive interconnect layer. A middle etch stop layer is then deposited over the first dielectric layer. A pattern is then etched into the middle stop layer to define the feature, such as a via hole, that will later be etched into the first dielectric layer. Once the middle etch stop layer is patterned, a second dielectric layer is deposited on the middle etch stop layer. A hard mask layer may then be deposited on the second dielectric layer. A desired feature, such as a trench, is etched through the hard mask layer and the second dielectric layer. This etching continues so that the first dielectric layer is etched in the same step as the second dielectric layer. The etching of the two dielectric layers in a single etching step reduces the number of manufacturing steps. The bottom etch stop layer within the via hole, which has protected the conductive material in the conductive interconnect layer, is then removed with a different etchant chemistry. With the via holes now formed in the first dielectric layer and a trench formed in the second dielectric layer, conductive material is simultaneously deposited in the via and the trench in a single deposition step. (If copper is used as the conductive material, a barrier layer is conventionally deposited first, to prevent copper diffusion.) The conductive material makes electrically conductive contact with the conductive material in the underlying conductive interconnect layer.
In efforts to improve the operating performance of a chip, low k dielectric materials have been increasingly investigated for use as replacements for dielectric materials with higher k values. Lowering the overall k values of the dielectric layers employed in the metal interconnect layers lowers the RC of the chip and improves its performance. However, low k materials, such as benzocyclobutene (BCB), hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), SiOF, and the material sold under the trade name of FLARE, are often more difficult to handle than traditionally employed higher k materials, such as an oxide.
When forming a dual damascene structure in a self-aligned manner in which a low k dielectric material, such as BCB, is substituted for higher k dielectric materials in the two dielectric layers in which the vias and the trench are created, the problem of "undercutting" becomes a concern. Undercutting is the undesired enlargement of one of the holes created in one of the dielectric layers. As seen in FIG. 1 which depicts a cross-section of an interconnect region processed in accordance with the prior art, a trench dielectric layer 16 is overetched during the etching of the trench dielectric layer 16 and a via dielectric layer 12. (The middle etch stop layer 14 was previously etched prior to the deposition of the second dielectric layer 16.) An undercut appears below a hard mask layer 18 and is due to the overetching. The overetching typically occurs to assure adequate etching of the via dielectric layer 12 down to a bottom etch stop layer 12 that overlays the conductive layer 10. The undercutting causes the ultimately formed via structure to be incorrectly shaped and presents a critical dimension control problem in a low k etching process.
There is a need for a method and arrangement that provides a film with a lower overall dielectric constant value that will exhibit improved overall performance, yet avoids the undercutting that occurs with the use of a low k dielectric material in the dielectric layers of a dual damascene interconnect arrangement.

Self-aligned dual damascene arrangement for metal interconnection with low k dielectric constant materials and oxide etch stop layer


A device for recovering heat of molten slag, having a simple structure and high heat recovery efficiency. The device includes: a fluidized bed (3) formed of a fluidized bed material (32) composed of a crushed solidified slag; a slag pool (4) for feeding a molten slag to the fluidized bed; heat transfer tubes (7) for recovering heat from the fluidized bed; and a solidified slag withdrawing device (21) for recovering a solidified slag (34), such solidified slag (34) being formed in the fluidized bed as the molten slag is solidified therein. Molten slag droplets (31) are dripped into the fluidized bed (3) from the slag pool (4) and solidified in the corresponding fluidized bed. The heat released at that time is transferred to the heat transfer tubes (7) through the bed material (32). Further, heat-transfer coefficient between the heat transfer tubes and the bed material is about 10 times larger than that between the heat transfer tubes and gas, thereby reducing heat-transfer area for required heat recovery amount, thus making it possible to reduce the size of the heat recovery device.

Conventionally, if heat transfer tubes are used to recover heat from a molten slag directly, heat cannot be recovered in a continuous manner because lump of solidified slag adheres to the heat transfer tubes. In order to address such problem, there has been proposed a method for recovering heat after once cooling as well as solidifying the slag with an air or water spray, such heat being actually recovered at a temperature not higher than a solidification temperature (e.g., patent documents 1 and 2). However, such methods can not utilize the high exergy of high-temperature slag effectively.
Further, there have also been proposed: a method for recovering heat from high-temperature gas released when spraying gas such as air on a molten slag (e.g., patent document 3); and a method for recovering heat from a water vapor generated when mixing a molten slag with cold or warm water (e.g., patent document 4). However, these methods have a fault that large heat recovery device is required because heat transfer coefficient between gas and heat transfer tubes is low.

Device for recovering heat of molten slag


An apparatus for dressing a weld in an area adjacent a weld bead has a power head, a shaft affixed to the power head such that the power head rotates the shaft, a first brush affixed to the shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom, and a second brush affixed to the shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom. The second brush is spaced by a distance greater than a width of the weld bead from the first brush. Each of the brushes is a wire brush. A third brush can be affixed to the shaft in side-by-side relation to the second brush on a side of the second brush opposite the first brush.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multiple brushes. In particular, the present invention the relates to a weld and pipe buffing brush having multiple brushes which can be used in a usual method of buffing completed welds within the pipeline industry. The present invention also relates to wire brushes as mounted on the shaft of a power tool.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
In the pipeline industry, joints of steel pipe are welded together with the aid of several sophisticated tools and skilled welders. Following the completion of welding two joints of steel pipe together, the weld must be examined and often subjected to X-ray evaluation. Additionally, each welded joint is inspected by an experienced technician. Prior to the final visual inspection, each welded joint must be completely buffed and cleaned of all debris. This process is known as "dressing" the weld. The area adjacent to the newly-welded joint is so clean that the base metal of the pipe is thoroughly cleaned and the base metal is clearly revealed. The cleaned area varies from a few inches to several inches in length on both sides of the welded joint. Usually, the area that is cleaned is the same in length on each end of the two joints of pipes that have been welded together. After being thoroughly cleaned, the joint is ready for inspection. After the acceptance of the weld has been obtained, the cleaned joint can then be coated appropriately by whatever means and procedures which have been specified for the specific job so as to make the joint ready for placing the completed joint in the trench for covering with the appropriate backfill.
It is clear that a great deal of time and effort go into cleaning the weld on the joint as well as the area adjacent to the new joint. The current state of the art is to use right-angle grinders equipped with buffer brushes specified for the particular job. Each grinder is equipped with a single grinder/buffer wheel. The worker assigned to clean the weld and the adjacent area spends a significant amount of time on this task. A common practice is to assign two workers to the same joint, one positioned on each side of the pipe to be cleaned. Additionally, one worker often starts at the top of the pipe and the other starts at the bottom of the pipe. This arrangement allows each to work unimpeded by the other. When each reaches a cleaned section of the pipe, the other will know that the pipe has been completely encircled with the cleaning operation.
In past, various patents have issued relating to multiple brush arrangements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,824, issued on Jun. 14, 1994 to E. E. Cook, describes a tile joint brush structure that is provided with a handle that can be used from a standing position and pivotable about a horizontal axis to two oblique extremes at which positive stops are provided. The brush structure includes a main brush for cleaning one band of the joint and a laterally adjustably spaced auxiliary brush for simultaneously cleaning an adjoining band of the joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,829, issued on May 9, 1995 to E. L. Hefner, discloses a tile grout scrubber that is used to scrub adjacent parallel grout lines on a tile floor simultaneously. A long handle is attached to a base that is wider than the space between adjacent grout lines. Two or more long narrow scrubbing elements are adjustably mounted on the base with the long sides parallel to one another. The scrubbing elements are spaced apart to correspond to the spacing between tiles and locked in position. When they are moved back and forth in a scrubbing motion, they tend to remain in the depressed grout lines so they are self-guiding.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,221, issued on Jun. 20, 2000 to R. J. Bradshaw, provides an adjustable brush for cleaning grout. This adjustable brush includes a group of brush mounting constructions slidably disposed on a rigid support track. Each mounting construction is movable, yet selectively held in place along the longitudinal axis of the support track. A brush assembly is removably attached to each brush mounting construction. Each brush assembly includes bristles secured within a bristle holding member.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,188, issued on May 1, 2007 to M. E. Kirby, discloses a sponge for cleaning grout that occupies the concave spaces between tiles. This sponge has a cleaning surface that includes a plurality of rows of elongate convexities. The convexities are linear in construction and disposed in parallel relation to one another.
European Patent No. 0 152 622, granted on Dec. 22, 1984 to Keller et al., discloses a power tool having a shaft extending therefrom. A single brush element is mounted on the shaft so as to move in relation to the shaft.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that simplifies weld dressing and buffing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that reduces the time required to properly dress and clean the weld.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which improves the quality of the weld dressing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that improves the ability to inspect, x-ray, coat, and paint the weld surface.
It is a still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for dressing a weld adjacent to a weld bead that is relatively inexpensive, easy to use and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.

Apparatus for dressing a weld adjacent to a weld bead


A method for making parts in conjunction with a mold having a negative shape of the part. The mold is coated with a release agent and thereafter the part material is deposited on the release agent in the mold by gas dynamic cold spray. Thereafter, the release agent is separated from both the mold and the part either thermally, chemically, or mechanically.

I. Field
The present invention relates generally to molding processes and, more particularly, to a mold release process for use with cold spraying.
II. Description
There are many different types of additive manufacturing processes, such as thermal spray, cold spray, laser forming, casting, and the like in which the manufactured parts are produced using a mold or die. For example, in one known method, molten material is deposited onto or into a mold and, upon cooling, solidifies to form the desired part. The mold must then be removed from the part.
There are many known different ways for separating the part from the mold. For example, in some known methods, the mold with the formed part is immersed in a chemical bath which dissolves the mold but not the part. In other cases, the mold is mechanically machined away from the formed part. In both cases, however, the mold or die is destroyed during the process of separating it from the formed part.
A still further known method of casting parts is known as the "lost wax process." In the lost wax process, the mold is comprised of a low melting material, i.e. the wax that is formed into a negative image of the desired finished part. That wax negative image is then immersed into a ceramic slurry which coats the entire mold surface, except for sprue openings, with the ceramic slurry which is then allowed to dry and harden. That process is repeated until there is a sufficient buildup of hardened ceramic coating surrounding the surface of the wax negative image.
The coated mold is then placed into an oven which heats the mold and the wax to a temperature sufficient to melt the wax which is then removed from the mold leaving the image of the desired part. The part material is then introduced into the mold cavity and, upon cooling, the part is formed.
The process of cold spraying, also known as gas dynamic cold spray, also presents unique problems in molding parts. In a cold spray process, the part material in powder form is directed at high speed against the mold surface. Due to the high velocity of the part material at impact against the mold surface, the part material fuses together and solidifies by a cold forming solid state operation. After sufficient material has been deposited on the mold surface, the mold must be removed in order to obtain the desired manufactured part.
Previously, during the cold spray process, the part material adheres and bonds to the mold surface. Consequently, in order to extract the part from the mold, it has been previously necessary to either mechanically machine away the mold from the finished part, or chemically dissolve the mold. In either case, however, the mold cannot be reused since it is destroyed during the removal process. This, in turn, increases the overall cost of molding parts using the cold spray process.

Mold release method for a cold spray process

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


Technologies are provided for insertion of directed content into video assets based on analysis of audio data corresponding to the video assets. Some embodiments include a computing system that can receive audio data corresponding to a video asset. The computing system can generate, using the audio data, a time series of tags corresponding to speech conveyed by the video asset. The computing system can then generate a time-asset mapping between time and directed content using the time series and a correlation policy. The directed content can include digital media intended for a defined audience, for example. The time-asset mapping associates groups of directed content assets to respective specific times in the time series. The computing system can insert, using the mapping, a defined directed content asset from a group of directed content assets identified in the mapping.

Insertion of contextually meaningful advertisements into a video segment typically entails image analysis of frames that constitute the video segment. Such analysis commonly relies on machine-learning models. For typical video segments that span tens of seconds to several minutes, thousands to tens of thousands of frames may be analyzed. Such analysis is therefore computationally intensive. Large amounts of computing resources (compute time, data storage, communication bandwidth, etc.) can be consumed in order to identify attributes of the video segment that identify context of the content presented in the video segment. Therefore, improved technologies for insertion of content into digital video content may be desired. More specifically, several technical challenges remain to be addressed in the insertion of directed content into video segments.

Insertion of directed content into a video asset


Biodegradable polyanhydrides or polyester compositions based on amino acids. The compositions may be used as carriers for drugs or the like or as the drug source itself. The polymers are prepared from amino acids which are modified to include an additional carboxylic acid group.

A great deal of research has been directed in recent years to developing biodegradable polymer compositions for use in providing for the controlled delivery of biologically active agents, particularly drugs. Such compositions may be implanted into a patient and function to dispense the active agent at a controlled rate sufficient to provide the dosage required for treatment.
Biodegradable polymer compositions release the active agent as the polymer is eroded away by the environment through dissolution hydrolysis processes or enzymatic degradation. When such polymers are used for delivery of drugs within medical applications, it is essential that the polymers themselves be non-toxic and that they degrade into non-toxic degradation products as the polymer is eroded by body fluid.
In order to minimize the toxicity of the intact polymer carrier and its degradation products, polymers have been designed based upon naturally occurring metabolites. The most extensively studied examples of such polymers are the polyesters derived from lactic or glycolic acid [D. L. Wise et al., Drug Carriers in Biology and Medicine, G. Gregoriadis ed., Academic Press, London, 1979, pp. 237-270 and polyamides derived from amino acids D.A. Wood, Int. J. Pharm. 7:1, 1980].
Toxicity of the polymer and its degradation products represents only one of a number of factors which need to be considered in order to provide an effective biodegradable polymer composition for use in the controlled delivery of a drug or other active agent. Thus, the polymer composition must also have suitable physical and mechanical properties including effective surface erosion so that the active agent is released in a controlled manner. Bulk erosion is not satisfactory because this results in a complete breakup of the polymer composition rather than providing a slow or controlled release of the active agent. Bulk erosion usually occurs when the polymer is hydrophilic and absorbs water to the point of becoming sponge-like. Many polymer compositions cannot be effectively used as controlled release biodegradable polymers because they are hydrophilic and undergo bulk erosion. Typical of such polymers are polylactic acid or polyglutamic acid.
Despite the extensive research activity in this field, only a relatively few bioerodible polymer compositions have been developed for in vivo use. Examples of useful compositions are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,347 which discloses polycarbonate and polyorthoester polymeric compositions. Polylactic acid and lactic/glycolic acid copolymers have also been employed for controlled release of biologically active substances. These materials, however, suffer from the problem of bulk erosion referred to earlier.
In recent years a new class of biodegradable polymers, the polyanhydrides, has been introduced for medical use. These polymers display superior physical and mechanical properties with respect to erodible carriers for controlled release drug delivery systems (Rosen, H.B., Chang, J., Wnek, G.E., Linhardt, R.J., and Langer R., Biomaterials, 4 131, 1983; Leong, K.W., Brott, B.C. and Langer R., J. Biomed. Mat. Res., 19, 941, 1985; Mathiowitz, E., Saltzman, W.M., Domb, A.J., Dor Ph., Langer, R., J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 35, 755, 1987). See also Domb, A. J., Ron, E. and Langer, R., Macromolecules, 1988, 21, 1925 and Domb et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,128 and 4,789,724.
Notwithstanding the foregoing efforts, there is still considerable room for improvement in biodegradable polymer compositions for use in providing for the controlled release of drugs or the like. Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide such improvements.
A more specific object is to provide biodegradable polymers based on naturally occurring amino acids. An additional object includes the provision of biodegradable polymer compositions based on amino acid derivatives which are useful as carriers for the controlled release of drugs or other active agents. A further object is to provide biodegradable polymers which have improved physical and mechanical properties. Another important object is to provide biodegradable polymers based on bioactive amino acids whereby the polymers themselves or the degradation products thereof can effectively function as the controlled release drug or other active agent. Other objects will also be hereinafter apparent.
Amino acids are the main metabolites of the body. Accordingly, polymers based on amino acids which degrade into their amino acid counterparts offer the possibility of favorable surface and erosion biocompatibility. In addition, polymers with alternating amide, imide, azo, urethane, urea or thiourea bonds and anhydride or ester bonds in the polymer backbone as contemplated herein, have improved physical and mechanical properties as a result of the incorporation of bonds with high cohesion energy.
Another important advantage of forming amino acids into biodegradable polymers is the fact that many amino acids are biologically active and are used as drugs in the clinic. Degradable polymeric drugs, releasing pharmacologically active amino acids in a controlled fashion for extended periods of time, improve therapy effectiveness and bioavailability of the drug (`Design of Prodrugs`, Bundgaard H. editor, Elsevier Sci. Pub., Amsterdam, 1985).
Examples of amino acid drugs suitable for the polymeric drug approach contemplated herein include biologically active natural .alpha.-amino acids, e.g., glycine, .gamma.-amino butyric acid (as brain transmitters); phenylalanine derivatives i.e. L-dopa, D-thyroxine; aminosalicylic acid derivatives; tyrosine derivatives (as adjuvants); .beta.-lactam antibiotics, such as ampicillin and cephalexin, and oligopeptides (as peptidic hormones) with carboxylic acid and amino group terminals, i.e. L-alanyl-DL-alanine, L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine, and alanyl-leucyl-alanyl-leucine.


A chemical treatment of an aluminum cathode used in zinc electrowinning consists of contacting the affected areas of the aluminum cathode or the entire surface of the cathode with a dilute hydrochloric acid aqueous solution.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of chemical treating aluminum cathodes used in zinc electrowinning to remove recrystallized particles of zinc sulphate salts, and other impurities which may affect the zinc deposition process.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the zinc electrowinning process, zinc is plated onto aluminum cathodes while oxygen is evolved at the Pb-Ag anode. The zinc deposit is stripped from the cathode after a predetermined plating period which depends on the mode of operation of the zinc plant. The stripping process consists of removing the aluminum cathodes from the cells, followed by either manually or automatically stripping the zinc deposit. When the cathodes are removed from the cells and stripped, some electrolyte remains on the surface of the cathodes despite the water rinsing treatment. As a result, the cathodes especially in the area close to the edges of the cathode, is corroded at a varying degree, depending on the quantity and concentration of the acid in contact with the cathode. Evaporation of the electrolyte is also observed at the surface of cathode, resulting in precipitation of insoluble zinc sulphate salts and other impurities causing an increase in the corrosion rate of the aluminum cathode. The overall effect of this corrosion attack can be seen on the smoothness of the aluminum cathode, i.e., patches of rough areas appear at times on the surface of the aluminum. Because of the unevenness in the surface of the cathode and of the presence of impurities, the zinc deposition process is affected resulting in formation of rough zinc deposits. Usually, these areas are seen as "puffed" sections of the deposits which, because of their closer proximity to the anode, tend to affect the current distribution in the electrolysis cell. As the zinc electrowinning process is sensitive to variations in current density, the uneven current distribution observed with puffed zinc deposits, causes a decrease in the current efficiency of zinc deposition. Under these conditions, higher corrosion rates of the Pb-Ag anode are observed which result in an increase in the Pb content of the zinc deposits.
Another effect of the impurities on the surface of the aluminum cathode is the formation of pinholes on the zinc deposit. This also results in lower current efficiency of zinc deposition.
A known method of preventing the occurrence of puffed zinc deposits consists of mechanically or manually buffing the aluminum cathodes using metal or plastic brushes. Mechanical buffing is carried out using automated machines which apply a scrubbing action at the surface of the cathode. As a result the surface of the cathode is maintained free of deposited impurities. However, due to the presence of edge strips located at the sides and bottom of the aluminum cathode to prevent electrodeposition of zinc on the sides of the cathode and facilitate the stripping of the deposits, the mechanical buffing machines are not efficient in treating the entire surface of the cathode. Furthermore, mechanical or manual buffing of the affected cathodes does not completely remove the deposited impurities, and insoluble zinc sulphate salts from the surface of the electrode as the treated areas become affected after about three weeks necessitating rebuffing of the electrode.
To facilitate removal of impurities and insoluble zinc sulphate salts from an aluminum cathode used in zinc electrowinning a chemical treatment has been developed.

Chemical treatment of aluminum cathodes in zinc electrowinning


A liquid crystal display device of the present invention has a first structure (protrusion) which is provided on a first substrate and which causes liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the first structure to align with a first direction when a voltage is applied, and a second structure (protrusion) which is provided at a position on the second substrate where the second structure is opposed to the first structure and which causes liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the second structure to align with a second direction when the voltage is applied. Here, the second direction is different from the first direction. The shapes or sizes of the first and second structures are different from each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device constructed by filling liquid crystals into the space between a pair of substrates. In particular, the present invention relates to a multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) liquid crystal display device which is provided with domain regulation structures for forming, in each picture element, a plurality of areas (domains) where the directions of liquid crystal molecules are different from each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Liquid crystal display devices have the advantages that they are thin and light and that they can be driven at low voltages to have low power consumption. Accordingly, liquid crystal display devices are widely used in various kinds of electronic devices. In particular, active matrix liquid crystal display devices in which a thin film transistor (TFT) is provided for each picture element are comparable in display quality to cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays, and are therefore widely used in televisions and displays for personal computers and the like.
However, a general liquid crystal display device is inferior in viewing angle characteristics in comparison with CRT displays. In other words, contrast and color greatly change depending on whether a screen is viewed from the front thereof or from an oblique direction.
As a liquid crystal display device which is excellent in viewing angle characteristics, MVA liquid crystal display devices have been conventional (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2947350 (Patent Literature 1) and Laid-open Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-107730 (Patent Literature 2)).
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a picture element part of an MVA liquid crystal display device. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the same MVA liquid crystal display device. Incidentally, liquid crystal display devices include a transmission type liquid crystal display device in which a backlight is used as a light source to perform display by use of light passing through a liquid crystal panel, a reflection type liquid crystal display device in which display is performed by use of the reflection of outside light (natural light or lamplight), and a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display device in which a backlight is used where it is dark and in which display is performed by use of the reflection of outside light where it is bright. Here, a transmission type liquid crystal display device will be described.
An MVA liquid crystal display device has first and second substrates 10 and 20 made of transparent thin plates of glass or the like, and a liquid crystal layer 30 made of nematic liquid crystal with negative dielectric anisotropy which fills the space between these substrates 10 and 20. On the substrate 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of gate bus lines 11a and a plurality of auxiliary capacitance bus lines 11b horizontally extending and a plurality of data bus lines 13 vertically extending are formed. The gate bus lines 11a and the auxiliary capacitance bus lines 11b are placed alternately with respect to the vertical direction.
Each of the rectangular areas surrounded by the gate and data bus lines 11a and 13 is defined as a picture element (sub-pixel) area. As described later, one pixel P is constituted by three picture elements of a red (R) picture element, a green (G) picture element, and a blue (B) picture element, which are placed along a horizontal direction.
On the substrate 10, a thin film transistor (TFT) 14, an auxiliary capacitance electrode 15, and a picture element electrode 16 are formed for each picture element area. In this liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 1, a part of the gate bus line 11a is used as the gate electrode of the TFT 14. Moreover, the drain electrode 14d of the TFT 14 is connected to the data bus line 13. The picture element electrode 16 is made of transparent conductive material, such as indium-tin oxide (ITO) or the like, and electrically connected to the source electrode 14s of the TFT 14 and the auxiliary capacitance electrode 15 through contact holes C1 and C2. Each auxiliary capacitance electrode 15 is formed at a position where it is opposed to the auxiliary capacitance bus line 11b.
Hereinafter, a layered structure on the first substrate 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The gate bus lines 11a and the auxiliary capacitance bus lines 11b are formed in the same layer. On the gate bus lines 11a and the auxiliary capacitance bus lines 11b, a first insulating film (gate insulating film) 12a is formed. On predetermined areas of the first insulating film 12a, semiconductor layers (not shown) to be active layers of the TFTs 14 are formed. On these semiconductor layers, channel protection films (not shown), and the source and drain electrodes 14s and 14d of the TFTs 14 are formed. Moreover, on the first insulating film 12a, the data bus lines 13 and the auxiliary capacitance electrodes 15 are formed.
The data bus lines 13, the auxiliary capacitance electrodes 15, the source and drain electrodes 14s and 14d are covered with a second insulating film 12b. On this second insulating film 12b, the picture element electrodes 16 are formed.
On the picture element electrodes 16, a plurality of protrusions (banks) 17 extending in oblique directions relative to the data bus lines 13 are formed. These protrusions 17 are formed of, for example, photoresist, and are bent at portions where the protrusions 17 intersect the gate bus lines 11a and the auxiliary capacitance bus lines 11b. Moreover, the surfaces of the picture element electrodes 16 and the protrusions 17 are covered with an alignment film 18 made of polyimide or the like.
Hereinafter, a layered structure on the second substrate 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
On the surface of the substrate 20 which faces the liquid crystal layer 30, a black matrix (shading film, not shown) made of, for example, Cr (chromium) and color filters 22 are formed. The black matrix is formed in portions where it is opposed to the gate and data bus lines 11a and 13 and the TFTs 14. Further, in each picture element area, a color filter 22 of any color of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) is placed to be opposed to the picture element electrode 16. In this example, one pixel P is constituted of three picture elements aligned horizontally, which are a red picture element in which a red filter is placed, a green picture element in which a green filter is placed, and a blue picture element in which a blue filter is placed.
On the color filters 22 (under the color filters 22 in FIG. 2), an opposing electrode (common electrode) 23 made of transparent conductive material, such as ITO or the like, is formed. On the opposing electrode 23, protrusions 24 are formed. The protrusions 24 are formed of, for example, photoresist, and placed between the protrusions 17 on the substrate 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The surfaces of the opposing electrode 23 and the protrusions 24 are covered with an alignment film 25 made of polyimide or the like.
The substrates 10 and 20 are placed in a manner such that the surfaces thereof on which the alignment films 18 and 25 are formed are opposed to each other. Into the space between these substrates 10 and 20, liquid crystals (liquid crystal layer 30) are filled. The structure constructed by filling the space between the substrates 10 and 20 with the liquid crystal is hereinafter referred to as a liquid crystal panel. Moreover, the substrate (substrate 10 in this example) on which the TFTs 14 are formed is referred to as a TFT substrate, and the substrate (substrate 20 in this example) placed to be opposed to the TFT substrate is referred to as an opposing substrate.
Two polarizing plates (not shown) are placed with the liquid crystal panel interposed therebetween in the state where the absorption axes thereof are orthogonal. Moreover, the liquid crystal panel is connected to a driving circuit, and display signals (R, G, and B signals) and scan signals are supplied from the driving circuit.
In the liquid crystal display device configured as described above, liquid crystal molecules 30a are vertically aligned with the surfaces of the alignment films 18 and 24 in the state where a voltage is not applied to the electrodes 16 and 23. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, though the liquid crystal molecules 30a in the vicinities of the protrusions 17 and 24 are obliquely aligned with the surfaces of the substrates, most liquid crystal molecules 30a are vertically aligned with the surfaces of the substrates. In this case, light entering the liquid crystal layer 30 from the bottom of the substrate 10 through one polarizing plate passes through the liquid crystal layer 30 without change in the polarization direction thereof, and is blocked by the polarizing plate on the substrate 20. That is, this case results in dark display.
On the other hand, when a voltage higher than a predetermined voltage (threshold voltage) is applied as a display signal to a data bus line 13 and a scan signal is supplied to a gate bus line 11a, the TFT 14 is turned on, and thus the display signal is written to the picture element electrode 16. This causes the liquid crystal molecules 30a between the picture element electrode 16 and the opposing electrode 23 to be obliquely aligned with the electric field as shown in FIG. 3. In this state, light entering the liquid crystal layer 30 from the bottom of the substrate 10 through the polarizing plate changes the polarization direction thereof in the liquid crystal layer 30 to pass through the polarizing plate on the substrate 20. That is, this case results in bright display.
It is possible to also display intermediate tones by adjusting a voltage applied to the picture element electrode 16. Further, It is possible to display a desired image on the liquid crystal display device by controlling a voltage applied to the picture element electrode for each picture element.
Since the protrusions 17 and 24 are provided in the above-described MVA liquid crystal display device, the tilt directions of the liquid crystal molecules 30a are different on both sides of each of the protrusions 17 and 24 as boundaries. In the case where the protrusions 17 and 24 are formed on the basis of a pattern as shown in FIG. 1, the tilt directions of the liquid crystal molecules 30a are different from each other among areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 as shown in FIG. 4. When multi-domain is thus achieved, the leakage of light in an oblique direction relative to the surfaces of the substrates is suppressed. Accordingly, viewing angle characteristics are significantly improved.
Further, in the above-described example, the description has been performed for the case where the protrusions 17 and 24 are used as domain regulation structures. However, slits provided in at least any one of the picture element electrodes 16 and the opposing electrode 23, or dents (grooves) provided in the substrate surfaces (electrodes or insulating film thereon) may be used as domain regulation structures.
Moreover, in Laid-open Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 10(1998)-62623 (Patent Literature 3), a proposition is performed for improvement of viewing angle characteristics by forming an optical compensation layer inside a liquid crystal panel.
However, the inventors of the present application suppose that the aforementioned conventional MVA liquid crystal display device has the following problem. Specifically, in the aforementioned conventional MVA liquid crystal display device, there occurs the phenomenon (hereinafter referred to as discolor) in which a portion with a low brightness looks whitish when a screen is viewed from an oblique direction.

Liquid crystal display device with different alignments


An aluminum-containing material is employed to form replacement gate electrodes. A contact-level dielectric material layer is formed above a planarization dielectric layer in which the replacement gate electrodes are embedded. At least one contact via cavity is formed through the contact-level dielectric layer. Any portion of the replacement gate electrodes that is physically exposed at a bottom of the at least one contact via cavity is vertically recessed. Physically exposed portions of the aluminum-containing material within the replacement gate electrodes are oxidized to form dielectric aluminum compound portions. Subsequently, each of the at least one active via cavity is further extended to an underlying active region, which can be a source region or a drain region. A contact via structure formed within each of the at least one active via cavity can be electrically isolated from the replacement gate electrodes by the dielectric aluminum compound portions.

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures, and particularly to a semiconductor structure including a borderless contact for an aluminum-containing gate, and methods of manufacturing the same.
As semiconductor devices shrink in each generation of semiconductor technology, formation of contact structures to source and drain regions of a field effect transistor become challenging. Such contact structures not only need to provide reliable electrical contact to active regions, such as source and drain regions, but also need to avoid electrically shorting to other components such as the gate electrode of the field effect transistor. Since the etch chemistry employed for the anisotropic etch process remains the same while the lateral dimension of the dielectric spacer shrinks with the scaling of semiconductor devices, the likelihood of overlay variations during lithographic processes causing formation of contact structures that electrically short an active region to a gate conductor of a field effect transistor increases in each generation.
Nonetheless, contact structures to source and drain regions must avoid electrically shorting to gate conductors to provide a functional field effect transistor. Thus, the possibility of electrically shorting source/drain regions to a gate conductor of a field effect transistor is a significant concern for product yield and reliability purposes.

Semiconductor structure containing an aluminum-containing replacement gate electrode

International Business Machines Corporation


A device, such as a light-emitting device, e.g. a laser device, comprising: a plurality of group III-V semiconductor NWs grown on one side of a graphitic substrate, preferably through the holes of an optional hole-patterned mask on said graphitic substrate; a first distributed Bragg reflector or metal mirror positioned substantially parallel to said graphitic substrate and positioned on the opposite side of said graphitic substrate to said NWs; optionally a second distributed Bragg reflector or metal mirror in contact with the top of at least a portion of said NWs; and wherein said NWs comprise aim-type doped region and a p-type doped region and optionally an intrinsic region there between.

Over recent years, interest in semiconductor nano crystals (such as NWs) has intensified as nanotechnology becomes an important engineering discipline. NWs, which are also referred to as nanowhiskers, nanorods, nanopillars, nanocolumns, etc. by some authors, have found important applications in a variety of electrical devices such as sensors, solar cells, and light emitting diodes (LEDs).
The present invention concerns VCSELs based on NWs grown on graphitic substrates or RCLEDs based on the same technology but operating below the lasing threshold.
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". A laser differs from other sources of light in that it emits light coherently. Spatial coherence allows a laser to be focused to a tight spot, enabling applications such as laser cutting and lithography. Spatial coherence also allows a laser beam to stay narrow over great distances (collimation), enabling applications such as laser pointers. Lasers can also have high temporal coherence, which allows them to emit light with a very narrow spectrum, i.e., they can emit a single color of light.
Among their many applications, lasers are used in optical disk drives, laser printers, and barcode scanners; DNA sequencing instruments, fiber-optic and free-space optical communication; laser surgery and skin treatments; cutting and welding materials; military and law enforcement devices for marking targets and measuring range and speed; and laser lighting displays in entertainment.
The present invention relates, inter alia, to nanolasers and nano-LEDs. Nanolasers and nano-LEDs will enable the development of new science and technologies, such as localized laser cooling, displays, energy-efficient solid state lighting, wearable optoelectronics, medical devices and laser printers. However, the lack of flexibility for integration of nano lasers into other advanced optoelectronic platforms hinders the further development of nano laser-based research and applications, such as in nanophotonics/optoelectronics, condensed matter physics and other applied disciplines.
Typically, NWs have a width of the order of hundreds of nanometres or less (e.g. 500 nm-50 nm), and an aspect ratio (length-to-width ratio) of 10 or more. Given these typical dimensions, NWs are often considered to have a one-dimensional (1D) anisotropic geometry.
The dimensions of a NW may also confine light within the NW in two lateral dimensions since the nanowire diameter is symmetric. The optical confinement occurs due to the width of the NW, and the refractive index contrast between the NW and surrounding material (e.g. air or a filler). The optical confinement enables light to be guided along the length of the NW.
The present inventors appreciate that with its one dimensional (1D) anisotropic geometry, the NW structure itself may work as both (i) a Fabry-Pérot optical cavity (e.g. in which laser/RCLED light may circulate), and (ii) a gain medium that is suitable for amplifying laser/RCLED light and which has strong carrier and optical confinement, and an enhanced electronic density of states. With these properties, the inventors have appreciated that a nanolaser and a nano-LED may be formed with the NW structure. Such nanolasers and nano-LEDs based on the NW structure may be broadly referred to as a NW laser and NW LEDs, respectively. It is expected to be more efficient in performance and much smaller in dimension than other laser sources. By modulating the material structure and/or composition within the NW, the length, and the width (e.g. diameter) of the NW, the optical modes supported inside the NW cavity may be tuned flexibly.
Especially, direct bandgap III-V semiconductor NW lasers have attracted great attention recently, as the material itself is the most promising for realising lasers with high performance, covering materials from infra-red (e.g. GaSb, InAs, GaAs), visible (e.g. GaAsP, InGaN) to ultraviolet (e.g. AlGaN, AlN). The high refractive index difference of III-V materials with air can ensure the effective optical confinement of the light inside the NW cavity, bringing about stable room temperature lasing behaviour. Incorporation of zero dimensional (0D) quantum dot (QD) structures composed of low bandgap materials inside the NW, for example InGaN QDs in GaN NWs, is an efficient method to restrain the electrons and holes in a delta-function-like density of states, leading to low lasing threshold, high temperature stability and quality factor.
Thus, it will be appreciated that NW lasers and NW LEDs may provide many desirable characteristics. However, to date, making such NW lasers and NW LEDS, in particular NW VCSELs and NW RCLEDs, remains difficult and there are several critical scientific and practical challenges still to be solved. Some of these challenges are listed below and there is a need to address these challenges, particularly to fabricate arrays of NW VCSEL/RCLEDs (which is desirable to induce optical coupling between neighbouring NW VCSELs/RCLEDs for making light emitting NW photonic crystal (PC) arrays):                1. Difficulty of monolithic integration. It is challenging to grow vertical III-V NW lasers epitaxially on a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) or metal mirrors. For example, GaAs based NWs are epitaxially grown in the [111] direction, which is not compatible with two dimensional (2D) GaAs/AlAs DBRs that are grown on GaAs(100).        2. It is difficult to make an electrically pumped laser since many DBR materials suitable as mirrors have low conduction or are even insulating.        3. Absorbing electrical contact. For example, UV light will be absorbed a lot by traditional transparent ITO contacts, which dramatically reduces the laser performance.
The present inventors propose NW VCSELs or NW RCLEDs involving the growth of NWs on graphitic substrates such as graphene. In particular, the inventors consider growing group III-V NWs such as GaAs, GaN, AlN, InGaN, AlGaN, and AlInGaN NWs on graphene. In this way, the inventors advantageously use graphene both as a substrate as well as transparent and conductive contact to the NW VCSELs/RCLEDs. The inventors have also appreciated that, due to the transparency of graphene across all interesting electromagnetic light wavelengths, graphene can be used as a bottom support for NW based light-emitting devices, without blocking the light path from the NWs to structures that may be placed beneath the graphene (e.g. without blocking the light path to an underlying DBR).
The growth of NWs on graphene is not new, per se. In WO2012/080252, there is a discussion of the growth of semiconductor NWs on graphene substrates using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). WO2013/104723 concerns improvements on the '252 disclosure in which a graphene top contact is employed on NWs grown on graphene. These previous documents are not, however, concerned with lasers or LEDs. More recently, the inventors have described core-shell NWs grown on graphene (WO2013/190128).
US 2011/0254034 describes nanostructured LEDs emitting in the visible region. The device comprises a nanostructured LED with a group of NWs protruding from a substrate. The NWs have a p-i-n junction and a top portion of each NW is covered with a light-reflective contact layer which may also act as an electrode. When a voltage is applied between the electrode and the light-reflective contact layer, light is generated within the NW.
No one before, however, has considered lasers or LEDs based on NWs (i.e. NW lasers/LEDs) grown on graphene type substrates.

Lasers or LEDs based on nanowires grown on graphene type substrates

Norwegian University of Science and Technology


A product deployment system of an electronic document is described. An example product deployment system includes a deployment processor, a remote execution module, and a plan manager. The deployment processor may be configured to receive a request to deploy an application, generated a deployment plan, provide the deployment plan to the plan manager, and trigger a command to be sent from the remote execution module to the target hosts in the target host set. The plan manager provides the deployment plan to the target host set in response to receiving the identification of the deployment plan from the target host set. The plan manager may also monitor execution of the deployment plan by the target host set without saving a state of deployment process that is being performed at the target host set. The plan manager may also react to perceived failures that may occur at the target host set.

A computer-implemented product is often deployed on a farm of hosts prior to being released to the public. A product may be, for example, an on-line social network, which is as a platform to connect people in virtual space. An on-line social network may be a web-based platform, such as, e.g., a social networking web site, and may be accessed by a user via a web browser, via a mobile application, etc.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Methods and kits are provided for diagnosing a kidney disease, or the risk thereof, in a subject. The methods include determining an amount of at least one peptide biomarker disclosed herein in a biological sample from the subject and comparing the amount of the at least one peptide in the sample with a control level, wherein if the amount determined is different than the control level, the subject is diagnosed as having, or at an increased risk of developing, the kidney disease.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a kidney disease that is a severe late complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D), which frequently requires renal replacement therapy. The primary diagnostic test to identify patients with T1D at risk for progressive renal dysfunction leading to DN has been microalbuminuria (MA) (1, 2). However, the predictive value of MA is now questioned: First, only a fifth of patients with MA will progress to proteinuria (3); second, a large proportion of patients with MA can revert to normoalbuminuria (4-6); and third, many patients at the onset of MA have begun to experience early renal function decline (ERFD) (7, 8). These findings have called into question the previous paradigm of DN in T1D, in which the finding of MA conveyed a high risk of progressive renal dysfunction and support a new model in which a subset of those with MA develop progressive ERFD. This change in our understanding of diabetic renal disease also is indicative of our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms of ERFD, a process that takes place while measured renal function is still in the normal or even elevated range. These findings emphasize the need for the development of biomarkers to diagnose kidney disease such as ERFD in those with MA.
Accordingly, there is an unmet need for new biomarkers and methods of using same for diagnosing kidney disease.

Peptide biomarkers predictive of renal function decline and kidney disease

University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.


A user can use a portable electronic device to read destination information at a starting location. The portable electronic device can be, for example, a smartphone. The destination information can be read from a tag located at the starting location. The user can then present the portable electronic device to a reader, which reads the destination information from the device. In response to reading the destination information from the device, various actions can be performed to aid the user. For example, an elevator call can be placed, trip information can be provided to the user, and/or another action can be performed.

When a user visits a location (e.g., a building), directions provided by a machine can help the user reach a given destination. Navigation devices relying on satellite data (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) devices) are sometimes not effective in locations where an adequate satellite signal cannot be easily received, including underground locations or locations in a building.
US20090014516A1 describes a system where a visitor is given an access card that is encoded for a specific route to a room in a building. The access card allows access to doors en route to the room. The card can be read by a card reader, which can show maps and give the visitor directions.


A hearing aid with wireless signal transmission is provided which includes a radio reception unit for wireless reception of modulated and/or coded audio signals, a device to estimate the reception quality of the received audio signal, a device to generate an acoustic limit signal whose level increases when the estimated reception quality of the received audio signal decreases, a device to heterodyne a demodulated and/or decoded audio signal with the limit signal, and a device to output the audio signal heterodyned with the limit signal to a hearing aid wearer. To generate a limit signal, the hearing aid includes a device to generate an impulse response and a device to perform the operation of convolving the demodulated and/or decoded audio signal with the impulse response. This convolution produces a desired signal which appears closer to the hearing aid wearer when the estimated reception quality is better.

Hearing aids are technical instruments which compensate for congenital or acquired hearing impairments which are not amenable to causal therapy. Hearing aids amplify and modulate the sound, i.e. the acoustic signal, upstream of the ear's actual sense organ, the inner ear. Various types of device are available, comprising a microphone, signal processor (e.g. amplifier), energy source and receiver.
Already known for some time are hearing aids having radio reception units which receive modulated and/or coded audio signals from a transmitter, demodulate and/or decode them and output them suitably processed (mainly amplified) to the hearing aid wearer as sound waves. Such systems are used, for example, in public buildings such as churches, or also in the hearing aid wearer's living area, in order to feed certain types of sound information to the hearing aid not only via sound waves but directly into the hearing system via radio.
Some of these systems use a coding which, in the event of transmission errors, produce unpleasant sounding noises, so-called artifacts, e.g. loud bleeping or clicking noises, before sufficient information for correct decoding is available to the decoder again after the transmission error. A frequent cause of transmission errors is an excessively weak signal reaching the receiver, e.g. because the hearing aid wearer has moved too far away from the transmitter.

Hearing aid with wireless signal transmission


In an essentially flat contour linear tape recording head, a nominal tape wrap angle exists at which reading signals from the magnetic tape ceases and/or commences. This nominal tape wrap angle can be easily determined by monitoring a prerecorded signal, such as the servo track signal, while the tape wrap angle is adjusted. When the signal ceases (or starts, depending upon the direction of adjustment) an initial position of the tape movement control device relative to the tape wrap angle is identified. At this initial position it is known that the tape wrap angle is at its nominal value, such as approximately 0.1xc2x0. Thereafter, the tape movement control device can be knowingly adjusted with a calibrated indicator to accurately and quickly achieve a desired final tape wrap angles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for setting the tape wrap angle for essentially flat contour tape recording heads, and more particularly to a device and method which utilizes a signal from the tape to provide an initial point for setting the tape wrap angle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic tape drives operate by the passage of magnetic tape across a tape recording head which includes a plurality of tape writing elements and tape reading elements. A typical tape drive includes an actuator means for moving the tape head laterally relative to the longitudinal axis of the tape, such that the tape head reading and writing elements may access different data tracks on the magnetic tape, and a typical magnetic tape may have hundreds of data tracks written on it. A typical magnetic tape also includes a plurality of servo tracks that are written onto the tape during manufacturing, and which are used by the tape drive for tape head alignment and control purposes.
For efficient writing and reading of data to and from a magnetic tape, it is necessary that the tape make direct physical contact with the data writing elements and data reading elements of the tape head. Typical prior art tape heads have been fabricated with a convex curve contour head surface, with the write and read sensors generally centrally disposed in the curved surface. A tension force is placed upon the tape, such that it is pulled tightly enough across the curved head surface to make contact with the read and write sensors of the head. The tension force and the movement of the tape across the head surface can create significant tribological effects that can degrade the performance of magnetic tape drives having such curved tape heads and unwanted wear on the magnetic tape. Additionally, the fabrication of such curved tape heads can be relatively difficult and expensive.
In an effort to improve upon the curved surface tape heads, flat contour tape heads have been developed. Such flat contour heads are simpler and generally less expensive to fabricate. However, it can be more difficult to obtain contact between the magnetic tape and the read and write sensor elements where the tape head surface is flat. It has been found and described in the prior art, that when the magnetic tape is directed towards the planar flat surface of the tape head at a slight angle, termed the tape wrap angle, that an air pressure differential can be created, such that the magnetic tape is pressed against the flat tape head surface by the air pressure differential. When the tape wrap angle is properly selected, harmful tribological effects and magnetic tape wear are minimized, while significant data read and write functions are achieved due to the contact of the magnetic tape with the read and write elements of the flat contour tape head.
It is therefore important in such prior art flat contour tape heads that the tape wrap angle be easily and accurately set. In the prior art, the method for setting the tape wrap angle involves the utilization of precise mechanical tools and measurements, and the method for setting the tape wrap angle was therefore cumbersome and time intensive, and was not always consistently, accurately repeatable. As is described hereinbelow, the present invention is a quick, easy and therefore less expensive method for setting the tape wrap angle, which utilizes the electronic signal generated by prewritten data tracks, such as the servo tracks, of the magnetic tape to accurately determine an initial point for setting the tape wrap angle. The accurate setting of a desired tape wrap angle from the initial point is then easily accomplished.
The present invention is a method for setting the tape wrap angle for a flat, or nearly flat, contour linear tape recording head of a magnetic tape drive. At the final stages of the tape drive manufacturing process, the tape drive includes a tape read/write head, a magnetic tape within a tape cartridge and a take-up reel. Such magnetic tapes generally include a plurality of servo tracks that are provided by the manufacturer on the tape for purposes such as tape head alignment and movement control. To facilitate the setting of the tape wrap angle of such tape drives, an adjustable tape movement control device is located proximate each side of the tape head, and the tape movement control device is operable to move the tape relative to the flat planar surface of the tape head to adjust the tape wrap angle.
The present invention utilizes the effect that a precise and repeatable nominal tape wrap angle exists at which reading signals from the magnetic tape ceases and/or commences. Specifically, where the tape wrap angle is greater than the nominal value, such as 0.1xc2x0, the read signal from the magnetic tape will be strong, whereas when the tape wrap angle is less than the nominal approximately 0.1xc2x0 value the read signal from the tape ceases. Thus, the nominal tape wrap angle can be easily determined by monitoring the servo track signal, or other prewritten data track signals (or even a native tape signal), while the tape wrap angle is adjusted. When the tape read signal ceases (or starts, depending upon the direction of adjustment) an initial position of the tape movement control device relative to the tape wrap angle is identified. At this initial position it is known that the tape wrap angle is at its nominal value, such as approximately 0.1xc2x0. Thereafter, the tape movement control device can be knowingly adjusted with a calibrated indicator to accurately and quickly achieve a desired final tape wrap angle.
It is an advantage of the method for setting the tape wrap angle for an essentially flat contour tape recording head of the present invention that it utilizes an electronic signal from the magnetic tape to determine a nominal tape wrap angle which is utilizable as an initial point for setting the desired tape wrap angle.
It is another advantage of the method for setting the tape wrap angle of the present invention that the tape wrap angle can be accurately and repeatably set.
It is a further advantage of the method for setting the tape wrap angle of the present invention that the tape wrap angle can be rapidly and inexpensively set.
It is yet another advantage of the method for setting the tape wrap angle of the present invention that magnetic tape drives can be more reliably and inexpensively manufactured.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description which makes reference to the several figures of the drawings.

Signal-based tape wrap angle setting for flat contour linear tape recording heads

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is an electronic device including: a display; at least one optical lens configured to change an optical path of light generated in the display at a fixed refractive index; a prism configured to reflect the light, which has passed through the at least one optical lens, at least one time to guide the light to a destination point; a variable lens positioned in the optical path of light between the display and the destination point, a refractive index of at least a portion of the variable lens being changed by a control signal to change at least a portion of the optical path of light; and a controller configured to generate the control signal. An optical path of light generated in the display may be changed by the variable lens whose refractive index can be changed.

Recently, wearable computing systems that may be directly installed in users' body so as to be used has been actively researched and commercialized. In particular, an electronic device, such as glasses, capable of providing various types of data through glass and providing a cellular phone function, a camera function, and the like, in a state in which users is wearing it has drawn great attention.

Electronic device and control method thereof


A lanyard with attachment members such as a tool holding member, tether key, or carabiner, is provided. The lanyard includes one or more elastic cords within a sheath. The sheath has a much lower elasticity than the elastic cord. The higher spring constant or modulus of elasticity of the sheath limits the total extended length of the lanyard in operation. The elastic cords stretch to absorb the energy of falling equipment up to the length of the outer sheath. The attachment members may be attached to the sheath or may include components of the sheath and or the elastic cord. The lanyard allows for an elastic response to absorb the energy of a falling tool and a restraint to the total extended length of the lanyard.

The present invention relates generally to the field of tools. The present invention relates specifically to a lanyard for connecting tools, or batteries, to an anchor point, for example, while working at height. Lanyards are used to attach to/support tools, batteries, components, and/or other equipment to provide security when an operator inadvertently drops the equipment. Lanyards also protect the tool or equipment from damage due to a fall.


An apparatus for driving an occupant-protecting airbag device mounted on a vehicle is provided. The airbag device includes an airbag and a squib and the squib can be deployed by igniting the squib. The apparatus comprise plural sensors, plural A/D converters, a determination unit and an ignition circuit. Each sensor senses a physical quantity acting on the vehicle to output an analog signal indicative of the physical quantity. Each of the plural A/D converters is electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of sensors to cause each A/D converter to perform an A/D conversion on the signal. The determination unit uses the signal converted by each A/D converter to determine whether or not the airbag should be deployed. The ignition circuit causes the squib to ignite to deploy the airbag when the determination unit determines that the airbag should be deployed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for driving an occupant-protecting airbag device mounted on a vehicle.
2. Related Art
At present, a variety of types of on-vehicle occupant-protecting airbag systems have been known. Of these, one type of on-vehicle occupant-protecting airbag system is proposed by a patent publication No. 2001-505151.
This system is provided with an ignition circuit, a plurality of acceleration sensors, a single A/D converter, and a logic circuit. Each of the acceleration sensors is in charge of not only sensing various types of acceleration acting on an automobile but also generating analog electrical signals, each indicative of an amount of each type of acceleration. The A/D converter is placed to convert the analog electrical signals detected from the acceleration sensors into corresponding digital electrical signals. The logic circuit generates control signals to drive the ignition circuit in response to the A/D-converted digital detection signals.
The on-vehicle airbag system should be deployed in an emergency, but should not be easily deployed when the vehicle is in a normal state. To prevent the airbag from being deployed in the normal state, the airbag system is usually provided with devices for the prevention. One of such devices is a circuit that allows an airbag to be inflated only when all of a plurality of acceleration sensors installed in the system sense accelerations and generates ON signals.
However, the conventional on-vehicle airbag system has only one A/D converter as exemplified by the foregoing reference, there is a fear that use of such a single A/D converter invites undesirable situations. That is, when the single A/D converter operates erroneously due to such a disorder or some other malfunction, such a fear may be unfortunately realized.

Apparatus for driving on-vehicle occupant-protecting airbag device


Disclosed herein is a driver gene signature for predicting survival in patients with solid tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and breast cancer. The gene signature includes ten tumor-associated genes, SH2D4A, CCDC25, ELP3, DLC1, PROSC, SORBS3, HNRPD, PAQR3, PHF17 and DCK. A decrease in DNA copy number or mRNA expression of SH2D4A, CCDC25, ELP3, DLC1, PROSC and SORBS3 in solid tumors is associated with a poor prognosis, while a decrease in DNA copy number or mRNA expression of HNRPD, PAQR3, PHF17 and DCK in solid tumors is associated with a good prognosis. Thus, provided herein is a method of predicting the prognosis of a patient diagnosed with HCC or breast cancer by detecting expression of one of more tumor-associated genes in a tumor sample and comparing expression of the one or more tumor-associated genes in the tumor sample to a control. Also provided is a method of treating a patient diagnosed with HCC or breast cancer by administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that alters expression or activity of one or more of the disclosed tumor-associated genes. Further provided are arrays comprising probes or antibodies specific for a plurality of tumor-associated genes or proteins.

A progressive sequence of somatic mutations and epigenetic changes of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in one single cell are believed to cause tumor development. This initial cell proliferates and due to genomic instability, the cells accumulate genomic changes which lead to clonal expansion and tumor development (Hanahan and Weinberg, Cell 100:57-70, 2000). These genomic changes are irreversible and specific to tumor cells. Therefore, they provide ideal targets for the development of new therapies. However, high genomic instability in tumors causes the accumulation of genomic aberrations that do not contribute do tumor progression. In addition, cancer is a very heterogeneous disease because changes in many different cellular pathways can lead to tumor development. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between 'driver' mutations which are functionally important and 'passenger' mutations which do not provide a selective advantage to the tumor cells.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent malignant tumor in the liver and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide (Parkin et al., CA Cancer J. Clin. 55:74-108, 2005). Various etiologies have been shown to underlie HCC development, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, chronic alcohol consumption, ingestion of aflatoxin B1 contaminated food as well as inherited hemochromatosis (Farazi and DePinho, Nat. Rev. Cancer 6:674-687, 2006). Surgical resection is the only curative treatment of HCC, but eligibility is sparse because most patients present with advanced disease (McCormack et al., Eur. J Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 17:497-503, 2005). Systemic chemotherapy has been shown to be ineffective and tumor recurrence rate after surgical resection is high due to relapse and metastasis (Llovet et al., Semin. Liver Dis. 25:181-200, 2005). Therefore, the development of new drugs will be crucial to prevent relapse and to prolong patient survival.
In addition, despite considerable progress during the last few years, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying HCC development and progression are still poorly understood. This is likely because HCC, like most other solid tumors, is very heterogeneous in terms of clinical presentation and gene expression patterns.

Gene signature for predicting prognosis of patients with solid tumors

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services


An optical unit comprises a frame. A light conductive plate is combined with the frame only and stationary relative thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical unit for use in a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and to a LCD device incorporating such optical unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field concerning miniaturized LCD devices, use of an optical unit as a built-in backlight has widely spread. Commonly, such optical unit includes a light conductive plate and a source of light, for example, a fluorescent tube or LED. The incident light from the source of light impinges upon the adjacent edge of the light conductive plate. The light diffuses within the light conductive plate. The diffused light illuminates the associated LCD through a planar surface of the light conductive plate. A light reflective sheet covers at least a portion of the light conductive plate to reflect the diffused light back inwardly. This so-called edge type system is advantageous in thinness.
One example of the edge type system is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a plan view of an optical unit 120 according to the prior art with unnecessary sheets removed to illustrate a frame 102. FIG. 12 is a cross section taken through the line 12-12 in FIG. 11. The frame 102 is a rectangular receptacle with a shallow rectangular space. The frame 102 includes four-sided inner peripheral wall and an end wall, which are interconnected to define the shallow rectangular space. As best seen in FIG. 12, the frame 102 receives within the shallow rectangular space a reflective sheet 103 covering the end wall, a light conductive plate 101, and a LED 113. The frame 102 has two positioning grooves 112, with which the opposed sides of the inner peripheral wall are formed, respectively. The light conductive plate 101 has two positioning projections 111 inserted into the positioning grooves 112, respectively. The two projections 111 extend outwardly from sides of the light conductive plate 101. The light conductive plate 101 has a surface covered with a lens sheet 104 and a diffusion sheet 105. The lens sheet 104 extends over almost the entire area of the surface of the light conductive plate 101. The diffusion sheet 105 covers the entire area of the surface of the lens sheet 104. An antiglare sheet 107, which is formed with a rectangular opening, is fast on the frame 102 by adhesive 106 in a manner to cross the boundary between the inner peripheral wall of the frame 102 and the light conductive plate 101 (see FIG. 12).
The market for mobile terminals is growing bigger and bigger. Personal digital assistants (PDA) and mobile telephones constitute the market. In the market, there is strong demand for a reduction in thickness, weight and cost of LCD devices for beneficial application to the PDA and mobile telephones. Accordingly, a need remains for a thin, light and inexpensive optical unit.
The illustrated known optical unit 120 does not meet this need to a satisfactory level. In this known unit, the end wall of the frame 102 plays an important role in retaining an appropriate relationship between the light conductive plate 101 and light reflective plate 103.
With regard to the relationship between a light conductive plate and a frame, JP-A 11-305228 proposes interposing a light conductive plate between a frame and a light reflective sheet and adhering the light reflective plate to the frame. Without the light reflective plate, the light conductive plate would drop out of the frame because it is not held stationary relative to the frame. The light conductive plate is fast on the frame by adhesive only. Thus, there is a potential problem that the appropriate positional relationship between the light conductive plate and the frame may not hold if the light conductive plate is stressed against the light reflective sheet.

Optical unit and LCD device using the optical unit