A fin module for a surfboard having a bore extending through the core between the top deck and the underside, including: a fin comprising a core and extending base portion, and a cover forming a fin blade made of resilient material; and a fin box having a cavity for receiving the base portion and adapted to receive an engagement end of a connector having a head anchorable at the top deck and an elongate member extendable through the core of the surfboard to pull the fin box toward the connector head.

The following references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be and are not to be construed as statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the following prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by a person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.
The softboard category of surfboards is gaining in popularity because it can assist learners and may be used in some general swimming areas from which traditional surfboards are often banned. A softboard will generally have a core of foam (e.g., polyurethane, EVA, EPS), sometimes multi-layered, and an outer skin of polyethylene, for example, on the deck and rails, giving a softer surface for skin contact and helping to avoid contact injuries.
Generally, it is desirable for a softboard to have a fin or fins that are made of softer material than those for traditional surfboards. Some softboard fins are made of polyvinylchloride (PVC) or thermo plastic polyurethane (TPU) and generally are made in a single piece including the fin blade and a fixing tab at the fin's base. The fin blade and the fixing tab, so integrally formed, are made from the same resilient and relatively soft material. More traditional surfboards are typically made of fibreglass/foam laminate and the fin fixing elements may typically comprise a pair of counter sunk bosses sitting flush with the deck of the board. The fin base may have tabs adapted to be received in corresponding slots in the bosses and the fin is secured in place by a screw or screws. In contrast, because the core of a softboard is relatively soft, it cannot withstand pulling forces. As a consequence, a fin system for a softboard must go from one side of the board through to the other and be attached using broad-headed polyamide screws with the screw heads sitting on or flush with the deck of the board.
To date, traditional softboard fins have been very hard to install. This is problematical for retailers. Softboards are transported from the manufacturer with the fins and screws detached from the boards to minimise transport volumes and, in most situations, the retailer is expected to attach the fins before sale and delivery of the softboard to the customer. As described above, the fin and the tab unit that holds the fin in the holes in the slick (underside) of the softboard is typically all in one piece. The traditional fins have two threaded holes or bosses that receive nylon screws that screw in from the deck (top board surface) are located in the bosses. Installation can take up to an hour; if the screws, fin-holes and bosses are not lined up properly and/or the wrong length of screws are used further delays can be the outcome. This can result in a very frustrating time and an imperfect fit in which loose fins are not tightly secured to the board resulting in undesirable play therewith on the underside of the softboard. This can be a serious problem because of the damage that may be caused to the softboard. Moreover, it is desirable to minimize water resistance in this section of the board.
Removal of fins from softboards, once installed, is even more difficult. Often, the nylon screws are cross threaded during installation and need to be cut out. Such problems in installation and removal have meant that fin damage may result in the need to replace the softboard itself. Moreover, replacement of fins with a superior model on an existing board to improve performance or to adapt to particular surf conditions is problematic for the above reasons and is discouraged.
Accordingly, this invention is an advance on unitary fin and base constructions, which are generally manufactured in a non-rigid material having the same sort of hardiness as, for example, skateboard wheels. Prior art fins may be fixed to a softboard by means of two large headed screws, typically made of nylon, which pass through holes in the board and tighten in protruding bosses on the underside of the fin and base moulding. The resilient nature of the fin material means that the fixing screws can fix firmly in the bosses regardless of the depth of engagement, without undue pressure having to be applied to the soft deck surface and ensuring the screws will not come loose because of the lock fit arrangement.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fin attachment, box, set, module and/or system that may overcome or ameliorate the above shortcomings, or which will at least provide a useful alternative.


The present invention describes a method for rendering and displaying a curved planar reformat (CPR) view (7′) of a blood vessel's 3D tubular structure (1), wherein the viewing direction of the curved planar reformat view (7′) is coupled to the viewing angle on a segmented or raw representation of the 3D tubular structure's rendered voxel volume to be visualized or, alternatively, to the C-arm geometry of a 3D rotational angiography device's C-arm system (6). The proposed method thus enables measurements on the X-ray image which do not suffer from spatial foreshortening and do not need to be calibrated. Thereby, said coupling can be performed bidirectional. According to a first aspect of the proposed method, this means that the viewing direction of the aforementioned curved planar reformat view (7′) follows the viewing angle on a segmented or raw representation of the 3D tubular structure's rendered voxel volume to be visualized, or vice versa. According to another aspect of the proposed method, this means that the viewing direction of the curved planar reformat view (7′) is set depending on the C-arm geometry given by the roll (θx), pitch (θy) and yaw angle (θz) of a 3D rotational angiography device's C-arm system (6), or vice versa.

Non-invasive imaging of the vascular system with the aid of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a well-established alternative to invasive intra-arterial angiography. Both CT and MRI provide high-resolution volumetric data sets that can be used for visualizing anatomical objects (internal organs, bones and joints, blood vessels, etc.) and pathological structures in the interior of a patient's body to be examined. These data, however, may contain many objects of less or even no diagnostic interest. This makes clinically relevant volume rendering—i.e., Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP), ray casting, Shaded Surface Display (SSD)—without preprocessing often difficult or even impossible.
Visualization of 3D tubular structures, such as e.g. blood vessels, is an important topic in CT- and MRI-based medical imaging. One way to display such 3D tubular structures for diagnostic purposes is to generate longitudinal cross-sections so as to show their lumen, wall, and surrounding tissue in a curved visualization plane. This process is called Curved Planar Reformation (CPR). A curved planar reformat—also known as a "curved planar reconstruction"—is a graphical visualization of a 3D tubular structure's longitudinal cross-section on such a curved visualization plane. The goal of curved reformatting is to make the tubular structure to be graphically displayed and examined visible in its entire length within a single image and without spatial foreshortening. To accomplish this requirement, a-priori information about the tubular structure, notably the 3D object's centerline, is required.
In particular, Curved Planar Reformation (CPR) is a way to visualize vascular structures with small diameter. Thereby, high-level information, such as e.g. a blood vessel's centerline (in the following also referred to as "central axis"), is used to resample and visualize image data which have previously been acquired by CT or MR angiography. Without loss of generality, the vessel's centerline is assumed to be a sequence of points at sub-voxel resolution. In general, the spatial position and shape of the centerline determines which parts of the 3D space are visualized. Using this technique, the whole length of the blood vessel is displayed within a single image. Vascular abnormalities (i.e., ulcerated stenoses, occlusions, aneurysms and vessel wall calcifications) can then be investigated by a physician. Current CPR techniques allow an investigation of a vessel lumen in a longitudinal section through the central axis of the vessel. In case vascular abnormalities are not touched by this plane and therefore do not appear in the generated image, the resampled plane is rotated around the central axis. This results in a set of images to be interpreted by the radiologist. Alternatively, a thick curved multiplanar reformat (CMPR) can be used.
Another aspect in today's computed tomography angiography is efficient visualization of treelike vascular structures using CPR display techniques. Multipath CPR techniques based on a projective combination of vessel segments provide a spatially coherent display of a patient's vascular anatomy. Thereby, however, parts of the arteries might be superimposed by other arteries depending on the respectively selected intersecting plane. For a detailed inspection of the entire vascular tree, different sections through the vessel's central axis have to be resampled.

Coupling the viewing direction of a blood vessel's CPR view with the viewing angle on the 3D tubular structure's rendered voxel volume and/or with the C-arm geometry of a 3D rotational angiography device's C-arm system


A hydraulic clamping device comprises clamping piece supported in a structure. In addition, the clamping device comprises a hydraulic cylinder having a longitudinal axis and including a cylinder housing fixedly connected to the structure. Further, the clamping device comprises an intermediate piece axially disposed between the piston and the clamping piece. The hydraulic cylinder is adapted to exert a force along the longitudinal axis against the clamping piece.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hydraulic clamping device. More particularly, the invention relates to a hydraulic clamping device, wherein a clamping piece is supported in a structure, and wherein a cylinder housing of a hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the structure, the hydraulic cylinder being arranged to exert, along a longitudinal axis thereof, a force against the clamping piece.
2. Background of the Technology
To be able to isolate a hydraulic cylinder from the forces acting perpendicularly to the piston in the cylinder, and in the displacement direction, it is common to connect the cylinder housing to a structure by means of a pivotal mounting. Preferably, mountings of this sort should be pivotal about at least two axes, therefore being relatively space-demanding.
Oftentimes known cylinder mountings require the cylinder to be at least partly incorporated into the structure, which may limit the possible cylinder diameters, thereby requiring use of a pressure booster to obtain sufficient force. Incorporated cylinders may also complicate the conveyance of pipes onwards to the cylinder.
A link-supported cylinder requires pressurised fluid to be supplied via a flexible connection, for example a hose, or via a pivotal coupling. Hoses and pivotal couplings constitute components prone to leaks.
The object of the invention is to remedy or reduce at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.
The object is achieved in accordance with the invention and the features disclosed in the following description and in the subsequent claims.


A third insulator of a washer switch constituting the second electrical switching unit is set to be long in the axial direction, the insulator is provided with fixed contacts extending in the axial direction and at the same time a base portion thereof is provided with connecting terminals, and the connecting terminals are disposed in the vicinity of the connecting terminals of a wiper switch constituting the first electrical switching unit. Second lead wire and third lead wire are connected to the connecting terminals, respectively.

The present invention relates to a lever switch device including a first rotary electrical switching unit and a second push-type electrical switching unit in the vicinity of the tip portion of a shaft part of a lever.
There is known a lever combination switch device of a vehicle, which includes a first electrical switching unit constituted by a rotary switch operated by a rotating operation of a knob and a second electrical switching unit composed of a push-type switch operated by a pushing operation of a push-button in the vicinity of the tip portion of the cylindrical shaft part of the lever (for example, refers to Patent Document 1).
In this case, an insulator of the first rotary electrical switching unit is disposed inside the knob at the periphery of the shaft part. Fixed contacts and connecting terminals are provided to the insulator. Further, the second push-type electrical switching unit is an opposing type in which the fixed contacts and the movable contacts oppose to each other, and the fixed contact is provided to the tip of the shaft part. Further, lead wires penetrating through the lever are connected to connecting terminals of the first electrical switching unit and the connecting terminals of the fixed contact of the second electrical switching unit, respectively.
Patent Document 1: JP-UM-B-58-52581
However, the conventional switch device having the above-described construction has the following disadvantage. Specifically, since the connecting terminals of the fixed contacts in the second electrical switching unit disposed at the tip portion of the shaft part are disposed closer to the tip portion side of the shaft part than the insulator of the first electrical switching unit, it needs to wire the lead wire to the tip portion of the front shaft further than the insulator of the first electrical switching unit. Further, since the position of the connecting terminals of the insulator in the first electrical switching unit and the position of the connecting terminals of the fixed contact in the second electrical switching unit are deviated in the axial direction, connection positions between the connecting terminals and the lead wires are deviated from each other in the axial direction.

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho


A scabbler bit comprises a carrier having a body 30 with a lower face 31 formed to provide bores 32 for receipt of scabbler tips 44. The body 30 has a central bore 33 for passage of a fixing shank 34. The bore 33 is enlarged at the lower face 31 to form a recess 35 to receive the head 36 of the shank 34. The opposite face of the body 30 is formed with a counterbore 37 to receive the piston 38, the shank 34 being retained in the piston by a pin 39. Thus, axial loads on the scabbler bit are transmitted to the piston 38 via shoulder 40 of the carrier bearing on end face 41 of the piston 38, while any sideways of twisting load is resisted by the wall of the counterbore 37 bearing on the side face 42 of the piston 38.

Scabbler bits comprise a plurality of cutting tips, usually of tungsten carbide, fitted in the base of a carrier which in turn is fixed to a reciprocating piston of a scabbling machine. In the conventional form of scabbler bit, the carrier is a female member of closed cylindrical form which fits over a male piston and is secured thereon by a through pin. Our European Pat. No. 0.068,829 illustrates such prior art in greater detail and discusses its disadvantages and the disclosure of said European Patent is incorporated herein by reference.
EP-0,068,829 relates to an improved scabbling bit in which the carrier is a male member retained within a cylindrical recess in the piston. This provides a significant improvement upon earlier scabbling bits, but it has been found that in some circumstances problems can occur. FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of scabbling bit in accordance with EP-0,068,829, in which the carrier 10 has a separate fixing shank 12 which passes through a central aperture 14 of the carrier 10 to be seated in a central bore 16 of the piston 18, in which it is retained by a pin 20. It will be seen that the scabbler tips 22 are substantially aligned with the external diameter of the piston 18. This arrangement is satisfactory when the load on the scabbler bit is substantially axial. However, uneven loading on the scabbler tips, or sideways load, can result in distortion or fracture.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a scabbler bit of male formation in which the foregoing problems are overcome or mitigated.

John MacDonald and Company (Pneumatic Tools) Limited


A storage system that includes a management communication interface coupled to a storage management layer and further includes a data communication interface. Upon receiving a request for accessing the storage management layer, from the host, via the data communication interface, the management layer sends to the host, access information necessary for allowing access of the host to the storage management layer via the management communication interface; and upon receiving a management command, from the host via the management communication interface, the host is provided with access to the storage management layer, in cases where the management command conforms to the access information.

Typical mass storage systems include a management layer that is separate from the data layer. The management layer is responsible for monitoring, storage provisioning, management of data replication, statistical information and other related tasks, to be used by a system administrator of the storage system. By way of non-limiting example, management tasks include volume management tasks, such as: creating, renaming, resizing and deleting volume, snapshots management tasks, such as creating, restoring and deleting snapshots and many other operations that are not related to the ongoing data access activities (e.g. I/O).
The management layer is typically accessed only by an administrator using a Command Language Interface (CLI) or a web interface. Access to the management layer is typically password protected and uses an encrypted channel (e.g. by using SSL protocol) for communication. Without such protection, anyone who knows the web port address of the management layer may be able to produce commands with devastating effect on the storage system.
A functional diagram of a typical storage system known in the art is demonstrated in FIG. 1 that illustrates a storage system 100 with two communication interfaces: a data communication interface and a management communication interface. The data communication interface is typically implemented by a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) port 121 coupled to an equivalent port in a host 150 over a data communication path 131. Host 150 communicates with storage system 100 via data communication path 131 for sending data access commands, such as: read data, write data, and the like, and for receiving responses to the data access commands. The management communication interface is typically a web port 122 coupled to an equivalent port of an administrator computer 160, over a management communication path 132. An administrator 165 (a human), using administrator computer 160, can communicate with storage system 100 via management communication path 132 for sending administrative commands that involve allocating and changing storage resources, such as, create volume, resize volume, delete volume, etc. and for receiving responses to the administrative commands. Administrative commands are handled by a management layer 140 while data access commands are handled by a separate entity in the storage system, such as data control layer 160.
In the illustrated storage system, when host 150 needs to create a new volume for example, the operator 155 of host 150 needs to contact the storage administrator 165 of the storage system. The storage administrator creates the new volume using the management layer in the storage system and informs the host operator about privileges, permissions, etc. Requiring human intervention for storage resource management is not suited for large-scale operations, as it is slow, suffers from low accessibility and is error prone.
The problems of minimizing the involvement of an administrator in storage management have been recognized in the Prior Art and various systems have been developed to provide a solution as, for example:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/008,373 filed Jan. 18, 2011 and assigned to the assignee of the present application discloses a method for managing resources in storage pools of external virtual memory. The method includes assigning minimal quotas to respective storage pool portions of a pool, according to resources importance ranks Next, creating resources in corresponding pool portions according to importance rank, and in case that the space in the pool is not sufficient to accommodate the new resource, freeing space including deleting resources in pool portions that exceeded their minimal quotas according to criteria such as importance ranks, until sufficient space is freed for accommodating the new snapshot.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/957,613 filed Dec. 1, 2010 and assigned to the assignee of the present application discloses a method for managing resources in a storage pool of external virtual memory, that includes a host manager being associated with a storage pool by a storage manager. The host manager manages the resources, the managing including creating resources in the storage pool and/or deleting resources in the storage pool. The host manager further accesses the resource in the pool, such accessing including reading data to or writing data to the resource.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/941,246 filed Nov. 8, 2010 and assigned to the assignee of the present application discloses a method for accessing data in an external virtual memory. A host receives from a storage manager a created handle for autonomous access of a volume. The volume forms part of accessible volumes in the virtual memory. The host autonomously provisions the handle to a selected volume from among the accessible volumes, and the host accesses the selected volume through the handle.

System and methods for host enabled management in a storage system


A convection heating system includes a hot zone enclosure defining a hot zone and a plurality of gas injection nozzles for injecting a cooling gas into the heat treatment zone of furnace. Each gas injection nozzle may include a flap disposed and pivotally supported therein for substantially preventing the escape of heat from the hot zone during a heating cycle, but for permitting the injection of the cooling gas into the furnace hot zone during a cooling cycle. A gas exit port may be provided and may include a flap pivotally mounted therein for impeding the unforced outward flow of a gas from the heat treatment zone during a heating cycle.

This invention relates generally to vacuum heat treating furnaces, and in particular, to a convection heating system for vacuum furnaces having a unique combination of features that provides significantly improved heat retention and heat transfer during heating and cooling cycles, respectively.
Known vacuum heat treating furnaces available hitherto incorporate cooling gas injection systems to provide cooling of metal parts from the elevated heat treatment temperature. Among the components of the cooling gas injection system used in such furnaces are a plurality of nozzles for conducting the cooling gas into the furnace hot zone. The gas injection nozzles used in the known systems are generally tubular or cylindrical in shape and have an unobstructed central opening that extends along the length of the nozzle.
A problem arises when using such nozzles in a vacuum heat treating furnace. Because the known nozzles have unobstructed openings therethrough, heat can be lost from the hot zone during the heating cycle. Such heat loss occurs when the heated atmosphere in the furnace hot zone escapes the hot zone through the cooling gas nozzles and is cooled in the plenum or, in a plenumless furnace, in the space between the hot zone and the furnace wall. The heated gas is cooled as it traverses the plenum, or the annular space between the hot zone and the water-cooled furnace wall in a plenumless furnace, and reenters the hot zone at a lower temperature. This problem occurs in vacuum furnaces that utilize convection heating.
In addition, in the known vacuum heat treating furnaces with forced gas cooling, a return path is provided so that the cooling gas can be recirculated and cooled. This return path usually includes an opening in the hot zone enclosure so that the cooling gas can exit the hot zone. This opening in the hot zone wall also permits heat to escape from the hot zone during heating.
The above-described heat loss results in a non-uniform heating of the metal parts and higher energy use. When the metal parts do not uniformly attain the desired heat treating temperature, the properties desired from the parts are not achieved. Consequently, a need has arisen for a heat treating furnace having a forced gas cooling function which substantially prevents the heat in the hot zone from exiting the hot zone during a convection or other heating cycle. It would be highly desirable to have a simple device for injecting cooling gas into a vacuum heat treating furnace which substantially inhibits the escape of heated gas therethrough without the need for actuators and the mechanical linkage systems needed to operate such actuators.
In accordance with the present invention, a heat treatment furnace having forced gas cooling or quenching capability is provided. The heat treatment furnace according to this invention includes an outer furnace wall inside of which a heat shielded enclosure is provided. The heat shielded enclosure contains an interior space, or hot zone, in which a work piece may be placed/positioned for heat treatment. The enclosure is designed with substantial thermal insulation to impede the outward flow of heat from the hot zone. The enclosure includes a plurality of orifices disposed in a selected area or areas of the enclosure wall. A plurality of nozzles are provided in communication with the orifices so that a cooling gas may be injected into the hot zone through the nozzles during a cooling cycle. The nozzles include a flow control means that is adapted for allowing an inward flow of the cooling gas during a cooling cycle, but which impedes the outward flow of heat from the hot zone during a heating cycle. In a first embodiment of the flow control means, each nozzle includes a flap disposed in a channel formed through the nozzles. The flap is pivotally supported in the channel in such a manner so as to impede the outward flow of heat from the hot zone, but to permit the inward flow of the cooling gas. The furnace further includes a gas exit port disposed in a wall of the heat shielded enclosure. The gas exit port provides a passageway through which the cooling gas introduced into the hot zone via the nozzles may exit the hot zone for recirculation and cooling . The gas exit port is also configured to impede the outward flow of heat from the hot zone during a heating cycle of the furnace. In a preferred embodiment of the gas exit port, the exit port includes a pivotally mounted panel in the passageway for impeding the unforced outward flow of heat from the hot zone. The exit port panel also functions to prevent the unforced introduction of cooler gas into the hot zone. A gas circulation means is also provided within the heat shielded enclosure for providing stirring circulation of the heated atmosphere within the hot zone to convectively heat or cool a work piece that is being heat treated in the furnace. The circulation means may conveniently be provided as a fan.

Convection heating system for vacuum furnaces


The present invention is a method and apparatus for decorating the dial of a clock with photos, papers, or other embellishments so as to create a decorative personalized memory for the person's home or office through the creation of a specific customized timepiece incorporating memorabilia from the personal special event. The invention incorporates the use of a blank clock dial with hour numbers printed on it and adhering decorative paper memorabilia to the clock face. The invention also includes the use of a distinctive pair of clock hands to set it apart from the decorative items adhered to the clock face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of home and office decoration items which includes decorations made of personal memorabilia. The present invention also relates to the field of decorative wall clocks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, the concept of decorative wall clocks has been known in the prior art. The concept of maintaining a scrapbook of personal events such as a wedding, the birth of a baby, an anniversary, and recording memories of other personal events is also well known in the prior art. However, to the best of the present inventor's knowledge, no one has ever conceived of the concept of incorporating the recordation of special personal events on the face of a clock so that the person has a permanent record of the special event combined with a utilitarian object that is used every day and which will serve as a pleasant reminder of the cherished personal event.


A computer numerically controlled machine may include a movable head configured to deliver electromagnetic energy to a part of a working area in which the movable head may be commanded to cause delivery of the electromagnetic energy. The interior space may be defined by a housing and may include an openable barrier that attenuates transmission of light between the interior space and an exterior of the computer numerically controlled machine when the openable barrier is in a closed position. The computer numerically controlled machine may include an interlock that prevents emission of the electromagnetic energy when detecting that the openable barrier is not in the closed position. The commanding may result in the computer numerically controlled machine executing operations of a motion plan for causing movement of the movable head to deliver the electromagnetic energy to effect a change in a material at least partially contained within the interior space.

Computer controlled manufacturing systems, such as "3-D printers," laser cutter/engravers, CNC milling machines, and the like, can be used to create complicated items where traditional manufacturing techniques like moldings or manual assembly fail. Such automated methods operate based on instructions that specify the cuts, layers, patterns, and other actions to be performed. The instructions can be in the form of computer files transferred to the memory of a computer controller for the machine and interpreted at run-time to provide a series of steps in the manufacturing process.

Laser cutter engraver material height measurement


A lift for vehicles in service stations, repair centers and the like to lift such vehicles for the repair and servicing thereof. The vehicle lift includes a support for engaging the vehicle to be lifted, a power cylinder for lifting, supporting and lowering the support, and a pair of vertically extending columns for supporting and guiding the support during lifting, supporting and lowering of the vehicle. The columns include a first pair of channels inwardly facing towards one another and a second pair of channels integrally attached to the first pair and outwardly opening away from one another for balancing the rotating forces on the inwardly facing channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to lifts having vertical columns in which lift arms are supported in cantilever fashion therefrom and which lift arms in turn act as supports for vehicles in service stations, repair centers and the like to lift such vehicles for the repair and servicing thereof.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Heretofore, such lifts for each of the columns have typically utilized a single channel or a pair of channels inwardly opening towards one another with each of the columns being supported at the lower end thereof on a supporting surface and extending vertically upwardly from the supporting surface. In each of the columns follower means in the form of either one or more rollers or one or more blocks move in the channels. The follower means are operatively connected to one or more lift arms to hold the arm(s) in cantilever fashion relative to the column as the lift arm(s) is/are moved upwardly, downwardly or is/are held in any given position. Also, typically the rollers or blocks are in pairs, i.e., an upper pair and a lower pair. The lower rollers or blocks roll or slide against the web or back of the channel and the upper rollers or blocks load the flanges of the channel with an outward pulling or shear force against the flanges in a direction away from the web of the channel tending to bend the flanges outwardly and cause problems such as the outward bulging of the flanges with the eventual possibility of the rollers or blocks pulling out of the channel causing the lift arm to fall. Thus, a dangerous situation could occur with the consequent injury to personnel and damage to the vehicle.
After the present invention was conceived by me, it was brought to my attention that in another field, i.e., the conveyor field, a configuration for the tracks for trolleys in overhead conveyors was in existence somewhat similar to the column configuration of the columns in my invention. However, I do not believe that it is an analogous art. Further, I do not believe that a person skilled in the vehicle lift field would look to the conveyor field for suggestions, and the problems are different in the two fields. Thus, in the field of the present invention the vehicle lifts utilize a cantilever effect on a vertical column supported vertically only at the base thereof with the shear forces acting on the column in a horizontal direction, with the forces acting on the upper set of rollers or blocks tending to pull the column in one direction and the forces acting on the lower set of rollers pushing in the opposite direction. In contrast, in an overhead trolley system the track is held horizontal at spaced points along the length thereof and the forces are vertical forces from the trolley acting downwardly on the track. Also, in the conveyor field there is no concern about any upward force acting against the web of the track, whereas in the vehicle lift field the web should be flat since the lower rollers or blocks are bearing thereagainst.


A switch actuating assembly supports and actuates a limit switch of the ball and roller type. The assembly includes a housing, a plunger movably positioned within the housing, and an end cap which closes off one end of the housing. The assembly is adapted to be mounted to a vehicle control panel utilizing conventional mounting hardware. Various ball and roller type limit switches are interchangeable with the housing body. The plunger is movable between a first detent position with the limit switch activated and a second spring loaded position with the limit switch deactivated.

A plurality of operational functions of heavy duty work vehicles are controllable by electrical switches mounted on a control panel in the operator's station of the vehicle. However, because such work vehicles operate in harsh environments and are subject to severe shocks, vibrations, and moisture, conventional industrial "push-pull" type control panel switches have a very short life in such environments.
One type of switch operating mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,015, issued on Jul. 10, 1964, to T. Parris, Jr. In this patent, axial movement of an actuator shaft is translated into radial movement, which is then translated or interfaced to a limit switch. The housing in this patent must be customized for a particular application and limit switch. Although this switch operating mechanism may function satisfactory in some specific applications, it does utilize a large number of piece parts. Additionally, this mechanism appears suited for actuating a limit switch off bidirectional mechanical or hydraulic motion, and is not intended for use as an automotive type control panel switch.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.


A particle beam system comprises a particle beam source 5 for generating a primary particle beam 13, an objective lens 19 for focusing the primary particle beam 13 in an object plane 23; a particle detector 17; and an X-ray detector 47 arranged between the objective lens and the object plane. The X-ray detector comprises plural semiconductor detectors, each having a detection surface 51 oriented towards the object plane. A membrane is disposed between the object plane and the detection surface of the semiconductor detector, wherein different semiconductor detectors have different membranes located in front, the different membranes differing with respect to a secondary electron transmittance.

A conventional particle microscope comprises a particle beam source for generating a primary particle beam and an electron detector. The particle microscope can be an electron microscope having an electron beam source as its particle source, and the particle microscope can be an ion microscope having an ion source as its particle source. Some conventional electron microscopes include an X-ray detector for detecting X-rays generated by the primary electron beam at an inspected object. An energy spectrum of such X-rays may comprise characteristic lines indicative of elements included in the object. An analysis of the X-rays may comprise an analysis with respect to energy of detected X-rays. One example of such analysis is an analysis commonly referred to as Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX).
A conventional electron microscope including an X-ray detector is known from US 2006/0138325 A1. The X-ray detector of this microscope receives X-rays originating from an object and generated at the object by a primary electron beam focused onto the object. Since the primary electron beam also generates secondary electrons, which should not be detected by the X-ray detector, the X-ray detector comprises an electron trap to prevent secondary electrons from generating detection signals in the X-ray detectors. Such detection signals generated by secondary electrons could be erroneously interpreted as X-ray signals in a subsequent analysis. The electron trap may comprise a magnetic electron trap.
A detection efficiency for X-rays has been perceived as being too low in conventional electron microscopes including an X-ray detector. This perceived lack of efficiency applies in particular in a situation where the primary electron beam has a low energy.


Power machines having hydraulic systems and controllers configured to prohibit, limit, or allow full operation of the hydraulic systems based upon measured temperature of the hydraulic oil in the system are provided. Also included are methods of controlling the hydraulic systems. In the methods implemented by the controllers, determinations are made as to whether the temperature of the hydraulic oil is below a first (and lowest) set point temperature, above a second (and higher) set point temperature, or between the first and second set point temperatures. The controllers then either prohibit hydraulic system operation, allow limited hydraulic system operation, or allow full hydraulic system operation, based upon the measured temperature in comparison to the two or more set point temperatures.

This disclosure is directed toward power machines. More particularly, this disclosure is directed toward power machines having hydraulic systems, and to methods of controlling the hydraulic systems in cold temperature conditions.
Power machines, for the purposes of this disclosure, include any type of machine that generates power for the purpose of accomplishing a particular task or a variety of tasks. One type of power machine is a work vehicle. Work vehicles are generally self-propelled vehicles that have a work device, such as a lift arm (although some work vehicles can have other work devices) that can be manipulated to perform a work function. Work vehicles include loaders, excavators, utility vehicles, tractors, and trenchers, to name a few examples.
Power machines having hydraulic systems sometimes operate in cold temperature conditions. Operation of the hydraulic system with the temperature of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic system being too low can result in performance degradation, damage to components, or other undesirable results.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.


A positive resist composition comprises (A) a resin capable of decomposing by the action of an acid to increase solubility in an alkali developer, and (B) a compound capable of generating an aromatic sulfonic acid substituted with at least one group containing a fluorine atom upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and radiation.

The present invention relates to a positive photosensitive composition for use in the production process of a lithographic printing plate and a semiconductor such as IC, production of a circuit board for liquid crystal and thermal head and in other photofabrication processes.
As the photosensitive composition for use in the production process of a lithographic printing plate and a semiconductor such as IC, production of a circuit board for liquid crystal and thermal head and in other photofabrication processes, various compositions are known and photoresist photosensitive compositions are ordinarily employed. The photoresist compositions are widely divided into positive photoresist compositions and negative photoresist compositions.
One of the positive photoresist photosensitive compositions is a chemical amplification-type resist composition as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,628 and European Patent No. 249,139. The chemical amplification-type positive resist composition is a pattern formation material which generates an acid in an exposed area upon irradiation with an active radiation such as a far ultraviolet ray and due to a reaction using the acid as a catalyst, solubility in a developing solution differentiates in the area irradiated with the active radiation from the non-irradiated area to form a pattern on a substrate.
Examples of such a resist composition include combinations of a compound capable of generating an acid by photolysis with an acetal or O,N-acetal compound as described in JP-A-48-89003 (the term xe2x80x9cJP-Axe2x80x9d as used herein means an xe2x80x9cunexamined published Japanese patent applicationxe2x80x9d), with an ortho ester or amide acetal compound as described in JP-A-51-120714, with a polymer having an acetal or ketal group on the main chain as described in JP-A-53-133429, with an enol ether compound as described in JP-A-55-12995, with an N-acyliminocarbonic acid compound as described in JP-A-55-126236, with a polymer having an ortho ester group on the main chain as described in JP-A-56-17345, with a tertiary alkyl ester compound as described in JP-A-60-3625, with a silyl ester compound as described in JP-A-60-10247 or with a silyl ether compound as described in JP-A-60-37549 and JP-A-60-121446. These combinations exhibit high photosensitivity since they have in principle a quantum yield exceeding 1.
A system which is stable during storage at a room temperature but decomposes by heating in the presence of an acid to become alkali-soluble is also known and examples thereof include combinations of a compound capable of generating an acid on exposure with an ester or carbonic acid ester compound having a tertiary or secondary carbon (e.g., tert-butyl or 2-cyclohexenyl) as described, for example, in JP-A-59-45439, JP-A-60-3625, JP-A-62-229242, JP-A-63-27829, JP-A-63-36240, JP-A-63-250642, Polym. Eng. Sce., Vol. 23, page 1012 (1983), ACS. Sym., Vol. 242, page 11 (1984), Semiconductor World, November, 1987, page 91, Macromolecules, Vol. 21, page 1475 (1988), and SPIE, Vol. 920, page 42 (1988). Since such a system has high photosensitivity and a little absorption in a far ultraviolet region, it is suitable for ultra fine fabrication using a light source having a shorter wavelength.
In general, the chemical amplification-type positive resist composition is roughly divided into two types. Specifically, there are a chemical amplification positive resist of three-component type comprising an alkali-soluble resin, a compound capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with a radiation (hereinafter also referred to as a xe2x80x9cphoto-acid generatorxe2x80x9d sometimes) and a compound which has an acid-decomposable group and prevents the alkali-soluble resin from dissolution and a chemical amplification positive resist of two-component type comprising a resin having a group capable of being decomposed by a reaction with an acid to become alkali-soluble and a photo-acid generator.
The chemical amplification positive resist composition of two-component or tree-component type is subjected to exposure to generate an acid from the photo-acid generator, heat treatment and development thereby obtaining a resist pattern.
A photo-acid generator which generates pentafluorobenzenesulfonic acid wherein the aromatic ring is directly substituted with fluorine atoms is described, for example, in JP-A-11-84661. However, this compound does not exhibit sufficient results in various characteristics, particularly in view of extraneous substances on surface.
These chemical amplification positive resist compositions are suitable for ultra fine fabrication using a light source having a shorter wavelength as described above. However, reduction of surface roughness, prevention of the occurrence of extraneous substances (micro grains) on surface and further improvement in process allowance such as depth of focus of isolated pattern in resolution of line and space pattern have been desired.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a positive resist composition which has a broad range in the depth of focus of isolated pattern and forms a pattern having a smooth surface without extraneous substances and a good rectangular profile.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.
It has been found that the objects of the present invention are accomplished by the following positive resist compositions:
(1) A positive resist composition comprising:
(A) a resin capable of decomposing by the action of an acid to increase solubility in an alkali developer; and
(B) a compound capable of generating an aromatic sulfonic acid substituted with at least one group containing a fluorine atom upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and radiation.
(2) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), which further comprises (D) a compound having a molecular weight of not more than 3,000 which is capable of decomposing by the action of an acid to increase solubility in an alkali developer.
(3) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), which further comprises (F) a nitrogen-containing basic compound.
(4) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), which further comprises (G) a surfactant containing at least one of a fluorine atom and a silicon atom.
(5) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), wherein the compound (B) is a compound represented by any one of formulae (I), (II) and (III):
xe2x80x83wherein R1 to R37, which are the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl group, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkoxy group, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom or an xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94R38 group; R38 represents a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl group or an aryl group; and Xxe2x88x92 represents an anion of an aromatic sultonic acid substituted with at least one fluorine atom-containing group.
(6) The positive resist composition as described in item (5), wherein Xxe2x88x92in formula (I), (II) or (III) represents an anion of an aromatic sulfonic acid substituted with at least one perfluoro alkyl group.
(7) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), wherein the resin (A) comprises a resin containing a repeating unit represented by formula (IV) below and a repeating unit represented by formula (V) below:
wherein L represents a hydrogen atom, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl group which may be substituted or an aralkyl group which may be substituted; Z represents a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl group which may be substituted or an aralkyl group which may be substituted; Z and L may be combined with each other to form a 5-membered or 6-membered ring.
(8) The positive resist composition as described in item (7), wherein Z in formula (IV) represents a substituted alkyl group or a substituted aralkyl group.
(9) The positive resist composition as described in item (7), wherein the resin (A) comprises:
the first resin containing a repeating unit represented by formula (IV), wherein Z in formula (IV) represents a substituted alkyl group or a substituted aralkyl group, and a repeating unit represented by formula (V); and
the second resin containing a repeating unit represented by formula (IV), wherein Z in formula (IV) represents an alkyl group, and a repeating unit represented by formula (V).
(10) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), which further comprises (C) a compound other than the compound (B), which is capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and radiation.
(11) The positive resist composition as described in item (10), wherein the compound (C) comprises (C1) a compound other than the compound of component (B), which is capable of generating a sulfonic acid upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and radiation.
(12) The positive resist composition as described in item (10), wherein the compound (C) contains a compound capable of generating a carboxylic acid upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and radiation.
(13) The positive resist composition as described in item (12), wherein the carboxylic acid is one of a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid and an aromatic carboxylic acid.
(14) The positive resist composition as described in item (13), wherein each of the saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid and the aromatic carboxylic acid is substituted by at least one fluorine atom.
(15) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), wherein the group containing a fluorine atom is a hydrocarbon group containing a fluorine atom.
(16) The positive resist composition as described in item (15), wherein the hydrocarbon group containing a fluorine atom has 1 to 15 carbon atoms and 1 to 31 fluorine atoms.
(17) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), wherein the aromatic sulfonic acid is substituted with at least two hydrocarbon groups containing a fluorine atom.
(18) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), wherein the aromatic sulfonic acid is a benzenesulfonic acid.
(19) The positive resist composition as described in item (1), wherein the compound (B) is at least one selected from the group consisting of an onium salt compound, an imidosulfonate compound having a sulfonic acid ester and nitrobenzyl ester compound, each of which is capable of generating an aromatic sulfonic acid substituted with at least one fluorine atom-containing group upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and radiation.


An infinitely variable gear transmission system for vehicles includes a differential gear unit for input, a planetary gear unit, an automatic gear coupling, a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor, the hydraulic pump rotating with the first output shaft of the differential gear unit and one of the three gear elements of the planetary gear unit, the hydraulic motor rotating with one of the two remaining gear elements, the automatic gear coupling for coupling the two output shafts of the differential gear unit, and a Microprocessor unit to selectively control the fluid pressure in the hydraulic circuit by adjusting the flow control valve, and control the speed of the third gear element connected to the vehicle.

Current transmission assembly for automatic transmission, a standard accessory in the modern vehicles, can provide normally 4 or 5 gear ratios between the prime mover and the driven wheels for building up the necessary torque while the vehicle moves from zero speed to the normal speed, and for over drive. The variable transmission systems currently in use, mostly rely upon conventional speed variators, such as steel chain with flexible pulley, toroidal drives, hydraulic torque convertors, electric generators etc. for transmitting the power, which primarily suffer from the delay for responding to load change, and also the limited capacity, and the inability to efficiently transmit the power, mainly due to the loss suffered by the conversion of mechanical power into pressure energy, electrical energy etc. There are also known "torque transfer systems" (Phelan) which can be used only for forward movement, in one configuration, and not for reverse and overdrive, which needs different configurations of gear elements. These systems can be used only for differential drives and produce excessive heat during normal operation wherein one of the hydraulic pumps will discharge against the other hydraulic pump, keeping both the pumps in a locked position having no torque differentiation. Additionally, these transmission systems are expensive and suffer from operational inefficiency such as delay for automatically correcting the torque level for different driving conditions, resulting in excessive fuel consumption, poor acceleration, dirty emission and high rate of wear.
The automatic transmission system for which an Indian patent and a U S patent has been granted to me, as mentioned earlier, eliminates the above deficiencies to a considerable extend. However the technology followed in this system for maintaining the speed of the planet carrier and sun gear at the same level during normal drive, by directing the fluid discharge from the right side hydraulic pump rotating with the sun gear, to the suction side of the left side hydraulic pump rotating with the planet carrier, can cause excessive heat during continuous operation and can waste pressure energy to certain extent. The fluid under pressure, discharged from these pumps to the fluid tank also wastes certain amount of pressure energy.

Infinitely variable gear transmission with automatic gear coupling


Respective glass substrates 1 of a pair of such EL devices 3 are disposed in such a manner that EL element portions 2 formed on their respective front surfaces 1a are opposed to each other. Spacers 4 are disposed between the two glass substrates 1 so that the EL element portions 2 are separated from each other and do not interfere with each other. In this state, peripheral portions of the two glass substrates 1 are bonded to each other with a sealing material 5, whereby a hollow portion 6 formed between the two glass substrates 1 is sealed with the sealing material 5 and isolated from the outside. Then, the two glass substrates 1 that are integrated together are immersed in an etching liquid, that is, they are subjected to thinning processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for thinning the substrate of an EL (electroluminescence) device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, attempts have been being made widely to put into practical use EL devices such as inorganic EL devices and organic EL devices as displays and illumination devices of thin, lightweight portable apparatus because they exhibit high luminance and emit light by themselves. Those EL devices have a structure that an EL element portion having a pair of electrode layers at least one of which is a transparent electrode layer and a light-emitting layer interposed between the two electrode layers are formed on a substrate.
In those EL devices, to reduce the thickness and weight of the entire device, it is desired to employ a thin substrate.
However, when attempted to form an EL element portion on a thin glass substrate, for example, it may become difficult to manufacture an EL device because the operability is low in each manufacturing step due to bending of the substrate and other problems. It is therefore necessary to use a thick glass substrate in manufacture.
Liquid crystal display devices are the same as EL devices in that a display element portion is formed on a glass substrate(s). However, in liquid crystal display devices, since the display element portion is disposed between two glass substrates, a method of thinning both glass substrates by immersing the liquid crystal display device in an etching liquid has been proposed as disclosed in JP-A-8-262419, for example.

Method for thinning substrate of EL device


A meta-material is disclosed that includes a first layer composed of graphene, and one or more additional layers, each composed of glassy carbon or graphene. A method of producing an engineered material includes depositing a graphene precursor on a substrate, pyrolyzing the graphene precursor to allow the formation of graphene, depositing a glassy carbon precursor the graphene, pyrolyzing to allow the formation of glassy carbon from the glassy carbon precursor, depositing a graphene precursor on the glassy carbon, and pyrolyzing the graphene precursor to allow the formation of graphene.

With the increasing proliferation of energy-hungry devices such as mobile phones and increased adoption of electrical vehicles, research activities in energy storage devices such as batteries and capacitors continue to grow. In addition, the expanding array of implantable devices that interface with the human body and need to remain in vivo for at least 5 years (for example, pace-makers, cochlear implants, and neuro-prosthetics) may require long-lasting energy storage systems.

Graphene and glassy carbon meta-material, microfabrication method, and energy storage device

San Diego State University Research Foundation


A solidification matrix includes a straight chain saturated carboxylic acid salt, sodium carbonate, and water. The straight chain saturated carboxylic acid salt is selected from a salt of a mono-, di-, or tri-carboxylic acid. The solidification matrix may be used, for example, in a solid detergent composition.

The present invention relates generally to the field of solidification and solidification matrices. In particular, the present invention relates to salts of straight chain saturated mono-, di-, and tri-carboxylic acids as part of a solidification matrix.
The use of solidification technology and solid block detergents in institutional and industrial operations was pioneered in the SOLID POWER® brand technology claimed in Fernholz et al., U.S. Reissue Pat. Nos. 32,762 and 32,818. Additionally, sodium carbonate hydrate cast solid products using substantially hydrated sodium carbonate materials was disclosed in Heile et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,595,520 and 4,680,134.
In more recent years, attention has been directed to producing highly effective detergent materials from less caustic materials such as soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate. Early work in developing the sodium carbonate based detergents found that sodium carbonate hydrate-based materials often swelled, (i.e., were dimensionally unstable) after solidification. Such swelling can interfere with packaging, dispensing, and use. The dimensional instability of the solid materials relates to the unstable nature of various hydrate forms prepared in manufacturing the sodium carbonate solid materials. Early products made with hydrated sodium carbonate typically comprised of anhydrous, a one mole hydrate, a seven mole hydrate, a ten mole hydrate or more mixtures thereof. However, after the product had been manufactured and stored at ambient temperatures, the hydration state of the initial product was found to shift between hydrate forms, e.g., one, seven, and ten mole hydrates, resulting in dimensional instability of the block chemicals. In these conventional solid form compositions, changes in water content and temperature lead to structural and dimensional change, which may lead to a failure of the solid form, resulting in problems such as the inability of the solid form to fit into dispensers for use.
Additionally, conventional solid alkaline detergents, particularly those intended for institutional and commercial use, generally require phosphates in their compositions. The phosphates typically serve multiple purposes in the compositions, for example, to control the rate of solidification, to remove and suspend soils, and as an effective hardness sequestrant. It was found, disclosed, and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,258,765, 6,156,715, 6,150,324, and 6,177,392, that a solid block functional material could be made using a binding agent that includes a carbonate salt, an organic acetate, such as an aminocarboxylate, or phosphonate component and water. Due to ecological concerns, further work has recently been directed to replacing phosphorous-containing compounds in detergents. In addition, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-containing aminocarboxylate components used in place of phosphorous-containing compounds in some instances as a binding agents and hardness sequestrants, are believed to be carcinogenic. As such, their use has also been curtailed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Solidification matrix including a salt of a straight chain saturated mono-, di-, and tri- carboxylic acid


An inflatable crib permits the safe, comfortable transport of an infant, while the crib is inflated, and requires minimal storage space when deflated. Carrying straps provide load bearing support to the cradle base on which a child is carried. An inflatable mattress adds to the child's comfort. A protective covering shields the child from sun, elements, and insects. The carrying straps have form retaining, self supporting first and second cross members extending above the crib and are adapted to releasable support the protective covering.

1. Prior Art
This is a refiling of patent application Ser. No. 07/966,511, filed by the inventor herein on Oct. 26, 1992, now abandoned but made part hereof by reference.
2. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices for cradling and transporting infants. In particular, the invention relates to an infant transporter that is conveniently stored when not in use. Specifically, the invention relates to an inflatable crib.


Compounds useful as adhesion promoters for thermally cured thiolene adhesives include a) acrylic or norbornene acid phosphate esters such as ##STR1## b) maleic, acrylic, methacrylic, norbornene dicarboxylic, and fumaric acids and half acid esters and peresters of maleic fumaric and norbornene dicarboxylic acids; and c) norbornene, acrylic or methacrylic silanes having two or three hydrolyzable groups bound to the silicon atom thereof, such as 5-(triacetoxysilyl) norbornene.. The adhesion promoters may be employed as surface primers for conventional thiolene compositions. Alternatively the thiolene compositions themselves may be modified by addition of 0.1 to 10% by weight of the adhesion promoter. Preferred thiolene compositions employ norbornene functional ene ingredients.

In the field of adhesive bonding there is a substantial body of literature devoted to improving adhesion of various adhesive systems. The various techniques include altering substrate surfaces by cleaning, priming with intermediate adhesive materials, irradiating the surfaces, etc.; subjecting curable adhesives to specifically sequenced cure cycles; priming the substrate surfaces with various cure initiators or accelerators; and altering the adhesive composition by including specific compounds which improve the bond strength of the adhesive to the bonded substrates. Examples of the compounds in the latter category are silane compounds used in RTV silicone formulations which contain both polar groups compatible with metallic surfaces and hydrolyzable groups; and acrylic, maleic or fumaric compounds with various acid functionalities as well as silane compounds with acrylic and hydrolyzable groups, all of which have been used in acrylic adhesives of various types. Other examples are well known in the various curable adhesive arts.
The utility of co-curable adhesion promoters, however, tends to be very system specific. The particular adhesion promoter must not only provide functionalities which effectively provide a bridge from the adhesive to the substrate surface, it must also not significantly deteriorate the performance of the adhesive. Consequently, the selection of adhesion promoting additives in new curable systems cannot be made on the basis of performance in another curable system.
Thiolene curable systems involve addition of thiol (--SH) groups across an olefinic or acetylenic double bond. The reaction may be catalyzed by acids or free radicals. A detailed discussion of the mechanism of this reaction and of the academic literature in this field may be found in Oae, ed., "Organic Chemistry of Sulfur", Plenum Press New York, New York, pp. 131-187 (1977). Oswald et al reportedly disclosed photocrosslinkable compositions employing tetraallyl ester compounds and dithiols at the April 1965 ACS meeting in Detroit, Michigan. See Oswald et al, Die Makromolekulare Chemie, 97, 258-266 (1966). Formulations of di-or polythiols and dienes or polyenes which are curable to solids by chemical or photolytic radical generators are also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,767,156; 3,661,744; 3,240,844; 4,119,617; and 4,157,421. All of these prior art curable formulations have involved polythiol additions to double bonds of linear olefins or acetylene compounds.
Silicone polymers having alkyl thiol groups are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,867 and background references discussed therein. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,539 other silicones having linear and cyclic mercaptoalkyl groups are described as are the thiol-ene reactions of such materials with silicones having vinyl or silacyclopentene groups. Peroxide cured compositions of vinyl terminated silicones with polythiols having organic or silicone are described in U.S. Pat. No.3,445,419.
In copending application Ser. No. 099,676, filed Sept. 21, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,638, and incorporated herein by reference, there are described improved thiolene curable systems based on compounds having a plurality of norbornenyl or analogous bicyclic ene groups.
Despite the extensive literature on thiolene compositions applicants have been unable to locate any reference which teaches adhesion promoting techniques for such compositions and in particular, have been unable to locate any references disclosing adhesion promoting co-curable additives for thiolene compositions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,497 there are described polymerizable thiolene resist compositions in which the ene compound contains at least one each of (meth)acryloxy groups; allyl, methallyl, or 1-propenyl groups bonded through an oxygen or oxycarbonyl group to an aromatic or cycloaliphatic nucleus; and carboxylic acid groups. The function of the carboxylic acid group is understood as a latent debonding agent, allowing removal of uncured formulation with a mild base wash and removal of the cured resist with a strong base wash.

Adhesion promoters for thiolene adhesive formulations


A method and system for producing an aluminum-silicon alloy are provided and include preheating silica to a predetermined temperature and combining aluminum with the preheated silica to melt the aluminum and produce an aluminum-silicon alloy.

Aluminum-silicon (Al—Si) alloy may be produced by melting aluminum and heating the molten aluminum to above 1200° C. Silica (SiO2) may then be added in the form of quartz fines or sand and mixed into the molten aluminum for 30 to 120 minutes. By superheating the molten aluminum to temperatures greater than 1200° C., the overall temperature of molten aluminum when combined with silica can reach the target reaction temperature of about 1150° C. This heat allows for the reduction of silica with the molten aluminum and results in an aluminum-silicon alloy as well as a by-product slag of silica and aluminum oxide (Al2O3). The slag, being heavier (i.e., more dense) than the molten aluminum silicon-alloy, separates from the alloy and sinks to the bottom of the molten bath where it is removed. The aluminum-silicon alloy so produced may then be further processed into more purified forms of silicon for use in chemical, solar, or semiconductor applications.
However, for current heating processes such as the use of an induction furnace, in order to achieve the desired temperature for the reaction of silica, the molten aluminum must be excessively heated (i.e., superheated). This results in losses of aluminum as vapor produced by the excessive heating. Furthermore, because silica is less dense than aluminum, the added silica tends to float on top of the molten aluminum, making mixing difficult and inhibiting the overall reaction between the silica and the molten aluminum. Stirring the mixture is difficult because of this tendency of the silica to float and because the high temperature resistant mixing blades, typically fabricated of graphite, are brittle and tend to fail because of the shear stresses generated during mixing. Finally, the by-product slag (typically Al2O3 and SiO2) has a high melting temperature and the solid slag particles can capture some of the aluminum-silicon alloy as the slag sinks to the bottom of the molten bath. The by-product slag also can adhere to the furnace refractory lining, forming a difficult to remove crust. Because of these inefficiencies in current processes, the utilization of aluminum in reducing silica and forming an aluminum-silicon alloy is only about 50%. That is, only about one-half of the original aluminum alloys with silicon; the remainder is lost as vapor, slag, or captured by separation of the slag. Because aluminum represents a significant portion of the overall cost of the process, there remains a need to provide a more efficient method for producing aluminum-silicon alloys.

Method and system for producing an aluminum—silicon alloy


The present invention discloses a method for forming a dielectric film having improved leakage current characteristics in a capacitor. A lower electrode having a surface and a rounded protruding portion is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The surface and the protruding portion define at least one concave area. A chemisorption layer is then formed on the surface and the rounded protruding portion by supplying a first reactant. Also, a physisorption layer is formed on the chemisorption layer from the first reactant. Next, a portion of the physisorption layer is removed and a portion of the physisorption layer is left on the concave area. Subsequently, the chemisorption layer and the portion of the physisorption layer on the concave area react with a second reactant to form a dielectric film on the surface of the lower electrode. The thickness of said dielectric film is greater on the concave area than on the protruding portion, thereby reducing leakage current.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method for forming a dielectric film of a capacitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid increase in the integration level of semiconductor devices, the area of a unit memory cell has been reduced. Accordingly, it is necessary to form a capacitor having a sufficient cell capacitance for device operation.
The capacitance of a semiconductor memory device is an important factor which determines a memory capacity of the memory device. Reduced capacitance lowers the reading capability of a memory cell and increases a soft error rate. Therefore, in order to attain a highly integrated semiconductor memory device, a cell capacitance greater than a predetermined value must be obtained.
Various methods for increasing the capacitance within a limited cell area have been proposed. Among them, a typical method is to increase an effective area of a capacitor by increasing the electrode surface area by growing hemispherical grains (HSGs) to obtain a rugged surface of a lower electrode.
Generally, the capacitance of a capacitor is inversely proportionate to the thickness of a dielectric film and is directly proportionate to the contact area of the dielectric film with an electrode. Thus, it is necessary to minimize the thickness of the dielectric film and to maximize the contact area of the dielectric film with the electrode. To this end, when the dielectric film is formed on a lower electrode, it is important to obtain excellent step coverage.
Particularly, when the dielectric film is formed on the rugged surface of the lower electrode, in order to suppress leakage current while obtaining large capacitance, it is imperative to obtain excellent step coverage.
However, if a dielectric film is formed using a conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD) method, it is difficult to gain excellent step coverage. Particularly, in the conventional CVD method, although a dielectric film having relatively good step coverage can be obtained by a deposition process utilizing a surface kinetic mode, reactants are simultaneously deposited onto the substrate. Thus, it is difficult to adjust step coverage in a specific portion as needed.
In particular, in a three-dimensional lower electrode having a rugged surface, excellent step coverage is difficult to obtain since the film deposited on a concavity formed by the rugged surface tends to be thin.
In a capacitor comprised of the lower electrode having a rugged surface, a greater electric potential acts upon an electrode portion having a smaller radius of curvature than upon a portion having a larger radius of curvature.
Generally, in a spherical capacitor formed in the capacitor having a rugged surface of the lower electrode, the electric potential is proportionate to the difference between radii of curvatures of two electrodes forming the capacitor, and is inversely proportionate to the product of the respective radii of curvatures. On the other hand, the capacitance is inversely proportionate to the difference between radii of curvatures of two electrodes forming the capacitor, and is regularly proportionate to the product of the respective radii of curvatures. Here, whereas the capacitance is affected by the overall area of the capacitor, the leakage current characteristic represented by the electric potential is determined by the weakest portion, i.e., an electrode surface portion having the smallest radius of curvature formed by the rugged surface. In other words, in the capacitor having a rugged surface of the lower electrode, a greater electric potential acts upon the portion having the smaller radius of curvature on the electrode surface than upon the portion having the larger radius of curvature, and thus more leakage current flows in the portion having the smaller radius of curvature than in the portion having the larger radius of curvature.
In the above description, the portions having the smaller radii of curvatures of the capacitor electrode means a plurality of concavities on the rugged surface of the lower electrode. These concavities are liable to cause a dielectric film to be formed thereon thinly, compared to convexities formed by the rugged surface when the dielectric film is formed by a conventional deposition method. When the dielectric film is to be formed, at a concavity having a small radius of curvature, thickly enough to prevent leakage current from increasing at a thin dielectric film portion due to the concentrated electric potential, a conventional method for forming a dielectric film unnecessarily increases the thickness at other dielectric film portions, thereby failing to obtain the desired capacitance.
As a result, according to the conventional method for forming a dielectric film, excellent step coverage is difficult to obtain. Although excellent step coverage could be obtained, increased leakage current at a concavity having a small radius of curvature cannot be overcome.

Method for forming dielectric film of capacitor having different thicknesses partly


A semiconductor device such as a DRAM is provided, in which a channel stop region of a first conductive type is formed in a semiconductor substrate just below a field insulator. The channel stop region comprises a first part and a second part higher in impurity concentration than the first part. An impurity-doped region such as a source/drain region of an MOS transistor, which is of a second conductive type opposite in polarity to the first conductive type, is in contact with the first part but is not in contact with the second part in the substrate. A leakage current through a p-n junction between the channel stop region and the impurity-doped region can be reduced and as a result, reliability of operation can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and more particularly, to a semiconductor device having a field insulator and a channel stop for device isolation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1B is a partial cross-section of a memory cell array of a conventional Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) in which each cell has the stacked-capacitor structure, and FIG. 1A is a partial cross-section of the cell shown in FIG. 1B to explain its fabrication process. Here, only the storage node side of the memory cell is shown for the sake of simplification of illustration.
In FIG. 1B, a patterned field oxide 26 for device isolation is formed on the surface of a p-type silicon substrate 21, and a p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer 25 with a high impurity concentration serving as a channel stop is formed just below the field oxide 26 in the substrate 21.
Within each active region formed by the field oxide 26, a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor is formed. The MOS transistor is composed of a gate electrode 28 formed on a gate oxide 27, an n-type diffusion layer 29 and an n-type diffusion layer (not shown) in the same active region, both of the diffusion layers forming a pair of source/drain regions. A patterned polysilicon film serving as the gate electrodes 28 is also serves as word lines 28a on the field oxide 26. As shown FIG. 1B, the n-type diffusion layer 29 is directly contacted with the p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer 25 as the channel stop in the substrate 21.
The surface of the gate electrode 28 and the exposed surfaces of the gate oxide 27 and the field oxide 26 are covered with an interlayer insulator film 30, and on the interlayer insulator film 30, a lower electrode 31 forming an electric charge storage capacitor is formed. The lower electrode 31 has its lower end in contact with the surface of the n-type diffusion layer 29 through a contact hole 35 in the interlayer insulator film 30. Thus, the lower electrode 31 is electrically connected to the n-type diffusion layer 29.
The entire surface of the lower electrode 31 is covered with a dielectric 32 forming the storage capacitor. The surface of the dielectric 32 and the exposed surface of the interlayer insulator film 30 are covered with a common upper electrode 33 forming the respective storage capacitors. The surface of the upper electrode 33 is covered with a passivation layer (not shown).
The conventional DRAM having the above-mentioned configuration is fabricated as follows:
First, a silicon dioxide film 22 and a silicon nitride film 23 are formed on the surface of the p-type silicon substrate 21 in this order and then, a photoresist film 24 is formed on the silicon nitride film 23. After the photoresist film 24 is patterned to the predetermined shape, the silicon nitride film 23 and the silicon dioxide film 22 are patterned by using the photoresist film 24 as a mask, which at this stage is shown in FIG. 1A.
Next, without removing the photoresist film 24, boron ions are selectively implanted into the substrate 21 at an acceleration energy of 100 keV with a dose of 1.times.10.sup.13 /cm.sup.2. Thus the p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer 25 as the channel stop is formed, as shown in FIG. 1A. Subsequently, the photoresist film 24 is removed.
A silicon dioxide film for the field oxide 26 is formed over the entirety of the substrate 21 by a wet thermal oxidation method, and then the silicon nitride film 23 and the silicon dioxide film 22 are removed by etching. Thus, the silicon dioxide film is selectively left on an isolation region of the substrate 21, in which the field oxide 26 is in contact with the surface of the substrate 21, resulting in the patterned field oxide 26. The active regions are formed by the field oxide 26 thus patterned. After the gate oxide 27 is formed on the surface of each of the active regions, a phosphorus-doped polysilicon film is formed on the gate oxides 27 and the field oxide 26. The polysilicon film is then patterned to form the gate electrodes 28 and the word lines connected to each other. N-type dopant ions are selectively implanted into the substrate 21 through the gate oxides 27 using the field oxide 26 and the gate electrodes 28 as a mask thereby to form the n-type diffusion layers 29. Thus, a pair of the source/drain regions made of the n-type diffusion layers 29 is formed in each active region. The n-type diffusion layer 29 can be formed by the following three ways. By a first way, an n.sup.30 -type diffusion layer is formed by an ion-implantation process at a high level dose. By a second way, an n-type diffusion layer with the Lightly Doped Drain (LDD) structure is formed by using a side wall oxide. By a third way, an n.sup.- -type diffusion layer is formed by an ion-implantation process at a low level dose and then, an n.sup.+ -type diffusion layer is formed in the n.sup.- -type diffusion layer in contacting with the lower electrode 31 of the capacitor through the contact hole 35 of the interlayer insulator film 30.
Next, the interlayer insulator film 30 is deposited on the field oxides 26, the gate oxides 27 and the gate electrodes 28 and then, the contact holes 35 are formed in the interlayer insulator film 30 by photolithography and etching processes. As a result, the surfaces of the n-type diffusion layers 29 are partially exposed.
A polysilicon film is deposited on the interlayer insulator film 30 and patterned to form the lower electrodes 31, each of which is in contact with each n-type diffusion layer 29 through each contact hole 35.
A dielectric film is formed on the surfaces of the lower electrodes 31 and an exposed surface of the interlayer insulator film 30 by a thermal oxidation or a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method, and patterned to form the dielectric 32. Then, a polysilicon film is deposited on the dielectric 32 and the interlayer insulator film 30, and patterned to form the common upper electrode 33. The surface of the upper electrode 33 is covered with the passivation film (not shown). Thus, the conventional DRAM is obtained.
With the memory cell of the conventional DRAM, the p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer 25 as the channel stop is formed by an ion-implantation process of many dopants, so that it usually contains many defects. Besides, the p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer 25 is directly contacted with the n-type diffusion layer 29 as the source/drain region in the substrate 21. Therefore, a large leakage current can easily flow through the p-n junction formed by the p.sup.+ -diffusion layer 25 and the n-type diffusion layer 29. Accordingly, the electric charges stored in the storage capacitor are remarkably reduced and as a result, there arise some problems such as reversal of data. This means that it is difficult to ensure to storing the electric charge which is necessary for the normal operation of the memory in the capacitor.
If the impurity concentration of the p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer 25 is reduced, the leakage current flowing through the p-n junction can be reduced, however, the layer 25 does not function as a channel stop sufficiently. As a result, there arises another problem that a leakage current flowing through a parasitic MOS transistor is increased.

Semiconductor device with improved electric charge storage characteristics


A fluid end block for attachment to a power end of a high pressure reciprocating pump includes a main body portion having an outwardly facing body forward face, an outwardly facing body rear face opposite the body forward face, and opposing side surfaces. A web portion protrudes outwardly from the outwardly facing body forward face. The web portion may have an outwardly facing web forward face and a curvilinear side surface. The web portion may be integral with the main body portion. A plurality of bosses protrude from the web forward face and having a forward facing end. The plurality of bosses may be integral with the main body portion and the web portion. A plunger bore extends through one of the plurality of bosses configured to receive a reciprocating plunger.

Well service pumps are employed for pumping fluids into wells for treatment, such as hydraulic fracturing. The flow rates and the pressures are often high; pressures may exceed 10,000 psi. A typical well service pump has a power end that connects to a separate fluid end block with stay rods. The power end reciprocates plungers that stroke within plunger bores in the fluid end block. A packing gland member is used to seal the interface between the plunger and the fluid end block.
Packing gland members come in a range of standard sizes and are used for different plunger diameters with the same fluid end block. The packing gland member is bolted to the fluid end block. However, a bolt-on packing gland requires a seal that can create problems. Also, the bolt-on arrangement may create higher stresses in certain areas, leading to stress fractures. Often, the packing gland is held to the power end via tie rods. This too can lead to higher stresses in certain areas.

Pump fluid end with integrated web portion