In a slot array structure, electromagnetic wave emission which is uniform as a whole over the length of a laser tube is realized to allow uniform laser emission with minimum energy loss. Slots (10) are formed at a predetermined pitch in a long end face (H plane) of each waveguide (1) along a central line (m) in the longitudinal direction of the H plane to be alternately located on the left and right sides of the central line (m) and spaced apart from the central line (m) by a distance (d).

The present invention relates to a laser oscillating apparatus for generating a laser beam by introducing an electromagnetic wave from a waveguide into a laser tube through a plurality of fine slots formed in the waveguide wall and, for example, to a laser oscillating apparatus using a microwave as an electromagnetic wave for exciting a laser gas, an exposure apparatus using the same, and a device fabrication method using the same.
Recently, a so-called excimer laser has attracted attention as the only high-output laser which oscillates in the ultraviolet region. This excimer laser is expected to be applied to the electronic, chemical, and energy industries, particularly processing and chemical reactions of metals, resins, glass, ceramics, and semiconductors.
The principle of function of an excimer laser oscillator will be described below. First, laser gases such as Ar, Kr, Ne, F2, He, Xe, and Cl2 contained in a laser tube are excited by electron beam irradiation or discharge. Excited F atoms bond to inert Kr and Ar atoms in the ground state to generate KrF+ and ArF+ as molecules existing only in an excited state. These molecules are called excimers. Since excimers are unstable, they immediately emit ultraviolet rays and fall to the ground state. This phenomenon is called spontaneous emission. An excimer laser oscillator uses this to amplify as an in-phase beam in an optical resonator constructed of a pair of reflecting mirrors and extract as a laser beam.
In the case of excimer laser emission, microwaves are mainly used as a laser gas exciting source. Microwaves are electromagnetic waves having an oscillation frequency of a few hundred MHz to several tens of GHz. In this case, a microwave is introduced from a waveguide into a laser tube through a slot formed in the waveguide wall, thereby exciting a laser gas in the laser tube into a plasma.
Even if the intensity distribution of microwaves emitted through the slots is uniform, a slot array structure in which a plurality of slots are arrayed in the long-axis direction of a resonator must be formed in order to supply a microwave to a long space meeting the resonator length of a laser beam. This structure is shown in FIG. 22. Referring to FIG. 22, a plurality of fine slots 302 are formed at equal intervals in a waveguide wall 301. For convenience, the interior of a laser tube is schematically shown as an emission space.
When this slot array structure is used, regions (hatched elliptic regions in FIG. 22) between adjacent slots 302 are necessarily microwave non-irradiation regions. Accordingly, when a laser gas existing in the emission space is to be excited by a microwave, the existence of these non-irradiation regions produces variations in the microwave intensity. This generates plasma discharge having a nonuniform distribution as a whole.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problem, and has as its object to realize, for example, almost uniform electromagnetic wave radiation as a whole over the length of a laser tube in a slot array structure, thereby allowing almost uniform laser emission with minimum energy loss.
A laser oscillating apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a waveguide in which a plurality of slots are formed and a laser tube to excite a laser gas in the laser tube by supplying an electromagnetic wave from the waveguide into the laser tube through the slot and generate a laser beam by resonating light generated by excitation of the laser gas, wherein electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots may be formed in a long end face or short end face of the waveguide.
Preferably, in the laser oscillating apparatus, wherein the plurality of slots and the laser tube are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and the laser oscillating apparatus further comprises a passage for guiding electromagnetic waves from the plurality of slots to the laser tube. The distance between the plurality of slots and the laser tube is preferably an integral multiple of a half-wave length. It is preferable that the width of the passage be substantially equal to a width of the slot. Preferably, the width of the passage is an integral multiple of a half-wave length of an electromagnetic wave supplied from the wave guide to the laser tube. A portion through which the passage communicates with the laser tube preferably has one or a plurality of slit portions each having a predetermined width and extending over a length of the laser tube. For example, a portion through which the passage communicates with the waveguide preferably has a width larger than a width of a portion through which the passage communicates with the laser tube.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the passage is preferably filled with a dielectric substance. The waveguide is preferably filled with a dielectric substance. The plurality of slots are filled with a dielectric substance. In this case, the plurality of slots are preferably filled with the dielectric substance such that a surface in which the plurality of slots are formed is flattened.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pair of waveguides are arranged to sandwich the laser tube.
The laser oscillating apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention preferably further comprises, for example, an adjusting portion for adjusting an impedance of each of the plurality of slots. The adjusting portion preferably includes a minute metal member attached to the short end face of the waveguide.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser oscillating apparatus which includes a waveguide in which a plurality of slots are formed and a laser tube to excite a laser gas in the laser tube by supplying an electromagnetic wave from the waveguide into the laser tube through the slot, and generate a laser beam by resonating light generated by excitation of the laser gas, wherein the plurality of slots are formed in a long end face of the waveguide, and the plurality of slots are arranged at a predetermined pitch along a central line in a longitudinal direction of the long end face to be alternately located on left and right sides of the central line and spaced apart from the central line by a predetermined distance.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are preferably supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the predetermined pitch is preferably determined such that electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots.
Preferably, in the laser oscillating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots and the laser tube are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and the laser oscillating apparatus further comprises a passage for guiding electromagnetic waves from the plurality of slots to the laser tube. The distance between the plurality of slots and the waveguide is preferably an integral multiple of a half-wave length. Preferably, the width of the passage is substantially equal to a width of the slot. The width of the passage is preferably an integral multiple of a half-wave length of an electromagnetic wave supplied from the waveguide to the laser tube. A portion through which the passage communicates with the laser tube preferably has, for example, one or a plurality of slit portions having a predetermined width and extending over a length of the laser tube. A portion through which the passage communicates with the waveguide preferably has a width larger than, for example, a width of a portion through which the passage communicates with the laser tube.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the passage is preferably filled with a dielectric substance. The waveguide is preferably filled with a dielectric substance. The plurality of slots are preferably filled with a dielectric substance. The plurality of slots are preferably filled with the dielectric substance such that a surface in which the plurality of slots are formed is flattened.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the pair of waveguides are preferably arranged to sandwich the laser tube.
Preferably, the laser oscillating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention further comprises an adjusting portion for adjusting an impedance of each of the plurality of slots. The adjusting portion preferably includes a minute metal member attached to the short end face of the waveguide.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser oscillating apparatus for generating a laser beam by exciting a laser gas and resonating light generated by excitation of the laser gas, comprising a pair of waveguides in each of which a plurality of slots are formed, the pair of waveguides being arranged such that surfaces in each of which the plurality of slots are formed opposite to each other, and a laser tube placed between the pair of waveguides, wherein electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots formed in each of the pair of waveguides.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots are preferably formed in a long end face of each of the pair of waveguides. The plurality of slots are preferably formed in two lines in each of the pair of waveguides.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots are preferably formed in a short end face of each of the pair of waveguides. The plurality of slots are preferably formed in a line in each of the pair of waveguides.
In the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots formed in each of the pair of waveguides are preferably arranged such that electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube.
Preferably, in the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots are formed at a predetermined pitch in each of the pair of waveguides, a position of the plurality of slots formed in one waveguide in a longitudinal direction of the laser tube is shifted from a position of the plurality of slots formed in the other waveguide in the longitudinal direction of the laser tube by a predetermined distance.
Preferably, in the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots are formed at a predetermined pitch in, for example, each of the pair of waveguides, and the laser oscillating apparatus further comprises an electromagnetic wave supplying portion for supplying electromagnetic waves with a predetermined phase difference to each of the pair of waveguides.
Preferably, in the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of slots are formed at a predetermined pitch in each of the pair of waveguides, a position of the plurality of slots formed in one waveguide in a longitudinal direction of the laser tube is shifted from a position of the plurality of slots formed in the other waveguide in the longitudinal direction of the laser tube by a predetermined distance, and the laser oscillating apparatus further comprises an electromagnetic wave supply portion for supplying electromagnetic waves with a predetermined phase difference to each of the pair of waveguides, whereby electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots formed in each of the pair of waveguides.
Preferably, the laser oscillating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention further comprises a tuner for tuning electromagnetic waves to the pair of waveguides.
In the laser oscillating apparatuses according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the electromagnetic wave supplied from the waveguide to the laser tube is preferably a microwave.
In the laser oscillating apparatuses according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the laser gas is preferably one of at least one type of gas selected from the group consisting of Kr, Ar, and Ne, and a gas mixture of the one type of gas and F2 gas, and the laser oscillating apparatus preferably comprises an excimer laser oscillating apparatus.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus comprising a laser oscillating unit, an illumination optical system for generating illuminating light for irradiating a mask by using illuminating light supplied from the laser oscillating unit, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the mask illuminated with the illuminating light generated by the optical system onto a substrate, wherein the laser oscillating unit includes a waveguide in which a plurality of slots are formed and a laser tube to excite a laser gas in the laser tube by supplying an electromagnetic wave from the waveguide into the laser tube through the slot, and generate a laser beam by resonating light generated by excitation of the laser gas, and electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus comprising a laser oscillating unit, an illumination optical system for generating illuminating light for irradiating a mask by using illuminating light supplied from the laser oscillating unit, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the mask illuminated with the illuminating light generated by the optical system onto a substrate, wherein the laser oscillating unit includes a waveguide in which a plurality of slots are formed and a laser tube to excite a laser gas in the laser tube by supplying an electromagnetic wave from the waveguide into the laser tube through the slot, and generate a laser beam by resonating light generated by excitation of the laser gas, the plurality of slots are formed in a long end face of the waveguide, and the plurality of slots are arranged at a predetermined pitch along a central line in a longitudinal direction of the long end face to be alternately located on left and right sides of the central line and spaced apart the central line by a predetermined distance.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus comprising a laser oscillating unit, an illumination optical system for generating illuminating light for irradiating a mask by using illuminating light supplied from the laser oscillating unit, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the mask illuminated with the illuminating light generated by the optical system onto a substrate, wherein the laser oscillating unit excites a laser gas and generates a laser beam by resonating light generated by excitation of the laser gas, the unit includes a plurality of slots formed in each of a pair of waveguides, and the pair of waveguide being arranged such that surfaces in which the plurality of slots are formed opposite to each other, and a laser tube placed between the pair of waveguides, and electromagnetic waves with in-phase electric fields are supplied to the laser tube through the plurality of slots formed in each of the pair of waveguides.
A device fabrication method according to the seventh aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of coating a substrate with a photosensitive material, exposing a pattern on the substrate coated with the photosensitive material by using any one of the exposure apparatuses described above, and developing the pattern on the exposed substrate.

Laser oscillating apparatus with slotted waveguide


An adaptive method is used for LNT desulfation and regeneration. The desulfation method involves adapting the amount of sulfur loading to trigger a desulfation event in accordance with the current adsorption capacity of the LNT. The method involves monitoring the current sulfur loading and the current LNT adsorption capacity. This data is used to calculate a loading amount “trigger”, whose value varies over the LNT lifetime. Whenever this trigger amount is reached, a desulfation event is performed. The regeneration method is similar, with the baseline data and loading threshold being determined by NOx loading rather than sulfur loading.

Diesel emission standards for vehicle engines are becoming increasingly stringent. It has been impossible to meet emissions legislations by merely relying on the diesel engine itself.
Thus, various exhaust aftertreatment devices have played an essential role in engine emission technologies. Diesel particulate filters (DPF) are in common use for particulate matter (PM) control, and lean NOx traps (LNT) are used for NOx control in light-duty diesel applications. In addition to diesel applications, LNT's can be used with lean burn gasoline engines.
Under lean conditions, an LNT adsorbs oxides of nitrogen (NOx) produced from engine combustion. The adsorption process generally involves two steps. First, engine-out nitric oxide (NO) reacts with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on an active oxidation catalyst (such as platinum). Second, the NO2 is adsorbed in the form of nitrates by a storage material (such as barium oxide). The LNT may be regenerated under rich conditions, whereby NOx is released and reduced to N2 over a reduction catalyst (such as rhodium).
Sulfur poisoning is a particularly challenging problem for LNT devices. Lean-burn engine exhaust contains oxides of sulfur (SOx), derived from fuel and lubricating oil, which compete with NOx for LNT adsorption sites. Unfortunately, SOx is preferentially adsorbed over NOx and forms stable sulfates with the LNT storage materials. As a result, LNT performance gradually declines because fewer storage sites are available for NOx adsorption.
Even if ultra low sulfur fuel is used, without effective sulfur management, an LNT can be fully de-activated over time. To effectively manage sulfur poisoning, high temperature desulfation is periodically performed. Desulfation requires a high temperature exhaust (e.g. 650° C.) and rich conditions to release sulfur from the LNT adsorption sites.

Adaptive desulfation and regeneration methods for lean NOx trap


A method of buffering a data stream in an electronic device using a first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer system wherein the first read latch signal does not change the pointer location of the read pointer. A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is also disclosed in accordance with the invention to include a FIFO buffer system to buffer memory addresses and commands within the DRAM until corresponding data is available.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for capturing high-bandwidth commands and addresses. More particularly, the present invention relates to an address FIFO (first-in first-out) procedure and apparatus for use with a data storage system such as dynamic random access memory (xe2x80x9cDRAMxe2x80x9d). A FIFO circuit buffers incoming memory address commands until corresponding data arrives to smooth data transfer to memory. The invention also relates to a FIFO buffer system which maintains the write pointer at least one buffer ahead of the read pointer to enable loading of buffers while others are being unloaded.
2. State of the Art
Faster and smaller circuits are the focus of much advancement in semiconductor technology. To address the need for faster and smaller circuits, a group of integrated circuits can be on a common bus. In this configuration, each integrated circuit operates in a coordinated manner with the other integrated circuits on the bus to share data which is transmitted at a high-speed. An example of such a high speed data system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,760 to Millar (Jun. 29, 1999), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Millar describes a high-speed data system using a common bus and a memory subsystem commonly known as SyncLink dynamic random access memory (xe2x80x9cSLDRAMxe2x80x9d). By providing an appropriate number of memory devices and an efficient control system as used in SLDRAM, very high-speed data transmissions can be achieved. However, faster systems, such as SLDRAM, are now reaching transfer speeds where the memory circuits cannot process the data as fast as the common bus can supply it. More specifically, as data storage address commands arrive at a memory system, if the corresponding data has not arrived yet, the address commands must be stored in a data pipeline until the data arrives. This address command backlog prevents use of the data pipeline by other processes, including transmitting other data, until the data corresponding to the address command arrives. This inconsistency in address command and data arrival times can result in increased data errors and lost data, but most often slows the system by creating a xe2x80x9cbottleneckxe2x80x9d of address commands.
A pipeline may be divided into any number of stages during which portions of commands are processed and executed. However, in a case of a memory device, such as SLDRAM, the series of processes typically includes: 1) an input process of address data; 2) a decoding process of the address data; 3) a reading process of data from a cell; 4) a transfer process of the data to an output circuit; and 5) an output process of the data. An example of a pipeline system used with DRAM is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,884 to Yamaguchi et al. (Nov. 2, 1999), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
One solution which has been used in memory pipeline systems to correct for the bottleneck problem is to repeat much of the logic circuits within each logic pipeline to accommodate multiple simultaneous commands. However, adding more redundant logic circuits to a system is counter to the desire to make the overall system smaller.
Many telecommunication devices include first-in first-out (FIFO) circuits which temporarily buffer data arriving at a bandwidth higher than the bandwidth of the receiving system. A FIFO circuit stores incoming data, in the order it arrives, in temporary buffers which are then sequentially read out and used by the telecommunication subsystem for which they were intended. The FIFO circuit can store the mass of data which arrives before it can be processed in a temporary storage, and read it at a manageable speed. For example, a high-bandwidth data signal can be received at any speed by a telecommunication device, stored in the FIFO buffer, and read out at the processing speed of the device.
One example of a FIFO circuit used in a telecommunication system includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,760 to Fraser (Mar. 26, 1985). Fraser discloses random access memory (RAM) organized to act as FIFO memory and a control circuit to implement queue management for incoming/outgoing data in a digital communication system. A read pointer addresses the execution in the RAM from where a word may be read. A write pointer addresses the location in the RAM where a word may be entered. A xe2x80x9clastxe2x80x9d pointer addresses the location in the RAM where the last word of a complete message is stored.
Another example of a FIFO circuit used in a data communications system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,701 to Colmant et al. (May 21, 1996). Colmant et al. disclose a system to manage storage of data in FIFO circuits as data is transferred, in either direction, between the host bus and the network. By a queue manager allocating the queues which have the most activity, the queue manager can improve the speed of the transferring data while reducing the amount of bandwidth that would otherwise be required.
It is desirable to have a memory system which can handle the increased speed demands made by faster circuits, preserve data which arrives faster than the memory circuits can handle it, and do so without the redundancy of circuits required by existing memory systems.
The present invention addresses the problem of the bottleneck created in high bandwidth to smaller bandwidth systems through the use of a first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer system. The FIFO buffer system of an embodiment of the invention comprises a sequential series or plurality of FIFO buffers associated with read and write counters or pointers to indicate the next FIFO buffer in the sequential series from which data should be read, or to which data should be written. Read and write address decoders are coupled between the FIFO buffers and the read and write counters, respectively, to decode the pointer indicators to a particular FIFO buffer indicator. Of particular interest within the FIFO buffer system is the way in which the read counter operates. The read counter tracks both the current and previous setting for the read counter, yet indicates through the decoder to the FIFO buffers the previous setting as the particular buffer to which the read counter is pointing. A result of this form of operation is that the first read latch signal sent to the read counter is ignored so far as the read counter"" indicator is concerned. Following a reset signal, the read counter points to the first of the series of FIFO buffers even after receiving the first read latch signal. Subsequently, the pointer increments one buffer in the sequential series of FIFO buffers for each read latch signal received. Another result of this form of operation is that through the control logic associated with the FIFO buffer system, the write counter always points at least one FIFO buffer ahead of the FIFO buffer to which the read counter is pointing. This allows the FIFO system to read buffers while writing to other buffers.
In particular use with a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, the FIFO buffer system stores address commands until corresponding data to be stored arrives at the DRAM. This frees up the DRAM pipelines for use with transferring data rather than storing address commands for the data.
In one embodiment of the FIFO buffer system within a DRAM device, the read counter comprises a plurality of registers to track the current and previous register settings. A two to four decoder is used to decode a two digit binary code indicating the previous state into a signal to activate one of four decoder outputs corresponding to related FIFO buffers. For each decoder output activated, a column address buffer and a row address buffer are activated.
In another embodiment of the FIFO buffer system, the read counter comprises a linear feedback shift register to track both the current and previous register settings and indicate the previous register setting as the FIFO buffer to which the read counter is pointing.

Method and apparatus for address FIFO for high-bandwidth command/address busses in digital storage system


Disclosed herein is an electronic device including an IO node, with a receiver coupled to receive input from the IO node. A transmitter driver has a first n-channel DMOS with a source coupled to the IO node. A pass gate circuit decouples the IO node from the receiver based upon presence of a negative voltage at the IO node and couples the IO node to the receiver based upon lack of presence of the negative voltage at the IO node. A transmit protection circuit applies the negative voltage from the IO node to the gate and bulk of the first n-channel DMOS based upon the presence of the negative voltage at the IO node.

An input output (IO) pad of an integrated circuit for use in serial communication has both a receiver circuit and a transmitter circuit associated therewith. So as to help control power consumption in such circuits, it is desirable to use power factor correction circuitry to help raise the power factor as close to ideal as possible.
However, power factor correction circuitry may result in negative voltages being externally applied to the IO pad. This can result in damage to the transistors in the receiver and transmitter circuits associated with the IO pad. In particular, the gate oxides of the transistors can be damaged, affecting the proper operation of the transistors, ultimately rendering the IO pad inoperable. This can in turn render certain functions of the electronic device which the integrated circuit inoperable.
Consequently, development of IO circuitry, for an IO pad of an integrated circuit, resistant to negative voltages is needed.

Negative voltage tolerant IO circuitry for IO pad


A cleaning system connected to an air suspension system. The disclosed subject matter generally relates to a cleaning system for cleaning a surface of a device of a vehicle by means of applying an air jet to the surface. The proposed cleaning system is adapted to be combined with an air suspension system in such a way that the cleaning system receives exhaust air from the air suspension system which air may be used for cleaning of device surfaces. Thus, the proposed cleaning system can receive exhaust air from the air suspension system and apply the air to the device surface via nozzles without the need for a source of air dedicated to the cleaning system.

Most modern vehicles have various sensors or other devices arranged on their exterior surfaces. For example, modern vehicles often include exterior sensors adapted for monitoring of the surroundings of the vehicles. Such sensors may be adapted to provide images to the driver for assisting the driver in controlling the vehicle. Other sensors may provide sensing data to electronic control units of the vehicle to enable e.g. semi-autonomous or autonomous control functions in the vehicle.
Sensors and other devices arranged on the exterior surfaces of vehicles are inevitably exposed to contamination due to weather and road conditions, e.g. such contamination may be dirt, road spray, rain, snow salt, dust, to mention a few examples. Exposure to contaminants will lead to sensor or device degradation and consequently to reduced functionality of the sensor or device. This may cause reduced ability for the driver and control functions of the vehicle to take safe and accurate decisions. This is particularly important for autonomous vehicles which base many of their maneuvers on sensor data from exterior sensors monitoring the surrounding environment.
Vehicles are often equipped with separate cleaning devices to alleviate the above issues with contaminants. Some cleaning devices use washer fluid and a pump for applying the washer fluid on the contaminated surfaces via jet nozzles. Other devices operate to apply air on the contaminated surfaces.
However, there is still room for improvement with regards to cleaning functions for exterior devices of vehicles. In particular, there is room for improvements with regards to the integration of the cleaning functionality with other systems of the vehicle.

Cleaning system connected to an air suspension system


By means of the device for coating a substrate (2; 102) according to the present invention, a homogeneous coating of the substrate (2; 102) can be achieved. The device comprises a holding and rotating means for holding and rotating the substrate (2; 102) about an axis (A). A disk (3) is provided below the substrate (2; 102). Said disk (3) is arranged coaxially with respect to the substrate (2; 102), has at least the same diameter as the substrate (2; 102) and is able to rotate synchronously with the substrate (2; 102). By means of the disk (3), air swirls at the edge of and below the substrate (2; 102) are avoided during coating of the substrate (2; 102). Thus, it is possible to obtain a homogeneous coating. For being able to load and unload a substrate (2; 102) into and out of the device by means of a conventional gripper system (6), the distance between substrate (2; 102) and disk (3) is increased during loading and unloading.

DE 10 2007 033 226 A1 discloses an aerodynamic spinning process for applying liquid layers, realized as a single wafer apparatus which comprises at least one air flow device and at least one holding and moving device. Further technological background is disclosed in US 2001/0003965 A1, DE 10 2004 011 850 B4, U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,055 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,455 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,968 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,709 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,763 A, JP 2004/072120 A, and JP 02149367 A.
In normal devices for coating substrates, the substrates are rotated and at the same time the substance by means of which the substrate is to be coated is applied to the substrate. The rotating movement causes the substance, e.g. a lacquer, to distribute on the substrate. When spinning the substance off, air swirls are caused at the edge of the substrate or at the lower side of the substrate. These air swirls cause contamination of the edges and/or rear sides. A homogeneity of the layer thickness of the substance of less than 20% on the substrate is hardly possible.
In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, it is the object of the present invention to provide a device for coating substrates in which the homogeneity of the layer thickness of the substance on the substrate can be improved. Moreover, an automated loading and unloading of the substrates into and out of the device by means of conventional gripper systems, such as finger, fork or edge grippers, is provided. These objects of the invention are achieved by the features of the claims.


Systems and methods are described to enable management of an asset to be transferred from a first entity to a second entity such that an Information Manager that stores information for the asset can authenticate the management transfer when the second entity requests the Information Manager to access or modify the stored information for the asset. Authentication is enabled using a token assigned to the asset by the Information Manager which is provided to the first entity by the Information Manager, transferred from the first entity to the second entity following the transfer of management and provided to the Information Manager by the second entity to enable authentication of the request by the second entity to access or modify the stored information for the asset. In an embodiment, the asset may be a WiFi access point or Bluetooth beacon and the Information Manager may be a National Emergency Address Manager.

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice and data. Typical wireless communication systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, the systems can conform to specifications such as those defined by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) and the third generation partnership project 2 (3GPP2). For example, wireless communication systems supporting Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A) have been defined by 3GPP, whereas systems supporting cdma2000 and high rate packet data (HRPD) have been defined by 3GPP2.
In general, a modern wireless communication system includes support for navigation and location capabilities based on received electronic signals (e.g., satellite signals, base station signals, access point signals, visual light signals, etc.). During emergency situations, a wireless device may be used to connect with public emergency systems, such as by dialing 911 or 112. A wireless communication system may provide location information for a mobile device (e.g., the current location of the mobile device) to assist emergency personnel in dispatching appropriate public safety resources and responding to a distress message.
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Emergency Location Task Force (ELOC) is standardizing support for high accuracy indoor location for E911 calls made in North America. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is mandating that network operators provide Heightened Accuracy Location Information (HALO for emergency calls made indoors in the form of either a dispatchable civic location for an emergency caller and/or a geographic location accurate to within 50 meters for an emergency caller when an emergency 911 call is placed from a wireless device via a cellular wireless network such as an LTE network.
To this end, the FCC has mandated that global addresses of assets (e.g., WiFi IEEE 802.11 access points (APs), Bluetooth® Low Energy (BTLE) beacons, small-cells such as pico-cells, femto-cells or home base stations, etc.) together with their dispatchable civic locations and possibly geographic locations be stored in a National Emergency Address Database (NEAD) that can be accessed by any cellular wireless network. The global addresses may correspond to 48-bit Media Access Control (MAC) addresses in the case of WiFi APs and BTLE beacons or to global cell IDs in the case of small cells. A civic location may correspond to a street address or postal address and may include a room, suite, apartment, floor, building identity or other like designation where appropriate. A geographic location (also referred to as geodetic location) may correspond to a latitude, longitude and optionally an altitude (e.g., above or below local ground level or mean sea level). The NEAD may be managed by a National Emergency Address Manager (NEAM) that may provide an interface to external users to support addition, modification and deletion of asset information (e.g., for WiFi APs, BTLE beacons and/or small cells) into the NEAD.
A problem may arise when an asset (e.g., a WiFi AP, BTLE beacon or small cell) is transferred to a new owner or new manager (e.g., because of a sale, because an Enterprise owner is acquired by or merged with another Enterprise or because management of the asset in the NEAD and NEAM is transferred to a new third party manager). In that case, the NEAM may reject an attempt by the new owner or new manager of the asset to access or modify information for the asset because it may be required by the NEAM that only the original owner or original manager of the asset be allowed to retrieve, add, change or delete information for the asset. However, a change to asset information, which may need to be reported to the NEAM, is expected to occur occasionally such as when an asset is moved to a new location, taken out of service or transferred to a new owner or new manager. One solution to this problem may be for the new owner or new manager of an asset, and/or the previous owner or previous manager, to report the transfer of ownership or transfer of management of the asset to NEAM operations personnel by means of Email, mail or phone communication and for the NEAM operations personnel to then perform some modification of asset information (e.g., indicating the change of ownership or management) to enable the new owner or new manager to modify or access information for the asset without a rejection from the NEAM. However, this solution may increase NEAM operations cost and may inconvenience owners and managers of assets, which may in turn deter an owner or manager from updating asset information in the NEAD.

Systems and methods to authenticate a request to modify or access information related to an asset in association with a transfer of management


A food cutting machine for cutting food into strips or cubes has first and second rotatable shafts, each having an array of cutter discs thereon. The cutter discs on one shaft are offset from corresponding discs on the other shaft and form cutter pairs therewith, the spacing between pairs being substantially greater than the spacing between the discs forming the pairs. Guide means extending between cutter pairs define the maximum thickness of meat that can be cut, and the discs forming a pair overlap a distance equal to or greater than one-half the spacing between the guide means.

In the field of large scale, or restaurant scale, processing of food, slicing meat into strips or cubes for use in, for example, fajitas or salads, is a frequent occurrence. Slicing into strips or cubing meat by hand can be a laborious and slow process, and uniformity of the strips or cubes depends upon the skill of the person doing the slicing.
There are, in the prior art, numerous examples of apparatus for slicing meat into strips. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,536 of Deckerr, there is shown one such apparatus that simultaneously tenderizes and slices a slab of meat into strips. A plurality of spaced tenderizing blades are mounted on a first shaft and a lesser plurality of spaced slicing blades are mounted on a second shaft closely adjacent and parallel to the first shaft. The slicing blades, which are fewer in number than the tenderizing blades are interleaved therewith. The two shafts are geared together so that the slicing blades revolve faster than the tenderizing blades, and the tenderizing blades penetrate the meat and pull it into the cutting area. Guide fingers are disposed between the tenderizing blades and the slicing blades for guiding the meat into the cutting area. This general arrangement of elements is common to a number of prior art meat tenderizing devices, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,716 of Dickey, which also includes stripper plates for preventing the meat from wrapping around the rollers. Such wrapping of the meat around the rollers occurs frequently when raw meat is being tenderized or cut. The raw meat being processed becomes a flexible, glutinous mass with a tendency to stick to the blades and to wrap around the shafts after it is cut, which jams up the cutting area, thereby preventing further cutting until the jam is cleared. Thus, the stripper plates of the Dickey patent are useful in preventing such jam-ups from occurring.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,163,123 of Huse, there is shown a meat tenderizing machine having the general structure of parallel shafts having interleaved cutters geared together to rotate contra to each other to draw the meat into the cutting area. Spring loaded fingers interspersed between the blades function to guide the meat into the cutting area and to prevent the meat from wrapping around the shafts. Inasmuch as the Huse arrangement does not cut the meat into strips, there is less tendency for the slab of meat to wrap, although such wrapping can occur in the Huse mechanism if the guide fingers are not present and functioning.
As discussed in the foregoing, most of the prior art devices are directed to meat tenderizing, i.e., scoring the meat, and not to meat slicing. Even the Deckerr arrangement, which does slice the meat, simultaneously scores the meat into the cutting area as the tenderizing blades pull the meat therethrough. In all such cases, the apparatus is designed to process raw meat and none of the prior art references of which applicant is aware is designed to process and slice cooked meat into strips or cubes.
In restaurants which serve, for example, fajitas, or diced meat salads, it is much more efficient and economical to cook the meat before slicing or cubing it. Cooked meat loses most of the glutinous tendencies of raw meat and thus is less likely to cling to the cutting blades or to wrap around the shafts. On the other hand, cooked meat is more susceptible to tearing or ragged cutting. Thus, in an apparatus of the type shown in the Deckerr patent, the toothed tenderizing wheels, if used with cooked meat, would tend to tear the meat, resulting in unsightly strips or cubes. Even arrangements such as in the Huse apparatus, which apparently does not use toothed tenderizing wheels to tenderize the meat, tend to make ragged shallow cuts in the meat.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to cut food, such as meat, into neat, clean-cut strips or cubes, whether the food is raw or cooked.


Methods to preserve starch present in pulp are provided and also methods to control calcium precipitation and/or scaling in digesters or BOD systems. The methods can be performed as part of a papermaking process. Process water containing pulp can be treated with a chloramine. Process water containing pulp with native starch can receive a double treatment with at least one biocide, such as chloramine, and at least one oxidant, such as sodium hypochlorite. The treatment can be performed in any suitable manner. The treatment can be performed at one or more stages or locations in a papermaking system. A target residual chloramine value or range can be achieved by the treatment. Packaging sheets/boards and other paper products manufactured using the methods provided exhibit superior strength and other desirable characteristics.

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/909,119, filed Jun. 4, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,764,942, which in turn claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/655,678, filed Jun. 5, 2012, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
The present invention relates to papermaking and/or the use of recycled paper/paperboard, and also relates to preserving the starch content of pulp during paper and packaging manufacturing, and further relates to controlling calcium precipitation and/or scaling in the treatment of waste water effluents.
Recycling is a major factor in the modern green economy and is particularly significant in the paper industry's goal to become more efficient and environmentally sustainable. Use of recycled pulp in paper and packaging manufacturing, however, presents several obstacles to achieving high-quality product. Recycled pulp, for example, derived from old corrugated cardboard, writing/printing grades sized or coated with starch, contain starch, usually at high levels, and are beneficial to making recycled paper/paperboard. The grades of paper/cardboard to be recycled also have beneficial levels of CaCO3. Unfortunately, this starch content can become substantially degraded during manufacturing as can supplemental starch added during the manufacturing. Less starch in the resulting product means a loss of or lower mechanical properties in the paper/paperboard product made from the pulp. Further, the calcium found in pulp, such as pulp from recycled sources, can cause calcium precipitation, scaling or fouling in the post treatment of process water that occurs after pulp removal.
More specifically, in the past, numerous papermaking plants (especially those using recycled paper) have experienced numerous problems that may have been related to bacterial problems. However, when the standard approach to combating bacteria was attempted, no success was achieved. Biocides typically used in the papermaking industry and/or typical biocide treatments did not solve the following problems that were being seen in many machines making packaging papers. Those in the industry could not understand what was the exact problem and could not determine a solution to the problem. The present inventor however, determined that a particular microbial activity initiated the following sequence:                Microorganisms release amylases into the papermaking system.        These extracellular enzymes degrade starch into glucose oligomers (e.g., maltose) and glucose (the starch for instance, comes from waste paper, broke and/or wet end additive starch).        The oligomers and monomers are taken up by bacteria and are fermented producing volatile fatty acid (VFAs).        VFAs decrease the process pH (from 7 or higher to 6.5-6 or lower).        The fermentation process is accompanied by an increase in conductivity and decrease in redox potential.        The pH in localized areas around fermenting bacteria can be as low as 1 to 4.        Low pH dissolves calcium carbonate filler (for instance as present in waste paper) into soluble calcium Ca2+ (and CO2).At this point, the problems only get worse: (1) increased growth of fermenting bacteria results in increased production of extracellular amylases; (2) any starch added for strength in the wet end (between mixing chest and head box) is degraded; (3) the glucose oligomers encourage even more growth of microorganisms and so increase slime and/or other bacteria problems; (4) VFAs are a cause of serious odor problems in the paper as well as in the production environment and/or in the surroundings, potentially including habitation areas; (5) when calcium carbonate is dissolved and stabilized by VFAs, filler (e.g., from waste paper) is lost, essentially a loss of raw material; and/or (6) dissolved calcium can cause deposit or scaling problems.
In mills utilizing anaerobic digesters for waste water treatment, another related problem can develop, as follows:                VFAs react to stabilize dissolved calcium (as VFA-Ca salts) and carry that calcium into the waste water treatment system.        With conversion of VFAs into CH4 and CO2 and a pH increase in the anaerobic digester, calcium scale forms; if excessive scale is formed this can shut down the waste treatment system, which in turn could cause the shutdown of the mill for cleaning of the anaerobic digester.
In mills utilizing aerobic digesters or ponds for waste water treatment, alone or in combination with anaerobic digesters, problems with CaCO3 fall-out can develop, as follows:                VFAs react to stabilize dissolved calcium (as VFA-Ca salts) and carry that calcium into the waste water treatment system.        With (further) degradation of VFAs in the effluent and with further pH increase during the effluent treatment, calcium carbonate can precipitate resulting in scaling (aerobic reactors) or excessive sludge formation (in aerobic ponds). This can lead to increased downtime for maintenance and cleaning and can cause significant cost for the disposal of CaCO3-rich sludge as chemical waste.
The present inventor was the first to understand the root of the problem and how to prevent and/or control this problem. The approach used by the present inventor, as described herein, is to reduce or prevent the breakdown of starch by microbiological activity in the paper mill. The root causes of the problem are in summary:                The bacteria and the amylase enzymes produced by the bacteria in the paper machines, because amylase enzymes are very efficient in breaking down starch, for instance, to maltose and glucose.        The stimulation of fermentation metabolism of facultative anaerobic bacteria by high glucose and sugar content in the process water resulting in high levels of VFAs being produced which are at the origin of the solubilisation of calcium filler in the process.
Thus, the present inventor determined that the best way to solve this problem was to get ahead of the problem and stop the terrible chain of events that are detailed above.

Method to preserve native starch present in pulp in a papermaking process

Buckman Laboratories International, Inc.


The present invention relates generally to the drought-specific expression of a nucleotide sequence of interest in one or more cells of a plant. In some particular embodiments, the present invention relates to the drought-specific expression of a nucleotide sequence of interest in wheat under the control of a Rab17 transcriptional control sequence.

Several families of transcription factors, such as DREB/CBF, ERF, MYK, MYB, AREB/ABF, NAC and HDZip class I and II, have been shown to be involved in the regulation of drought response in plants. These factors bind specific cis-elements on the promoters of drought regulated genes.
The dehydration-responsive element-binding proteins (DREBs) or C-repeat-binding proteins (CBFs) are among the first discovered families of transcription factors responsible for gene regulation under conditions of water deficiency. It is a group of transcriptional factors with a single AP2 domain, which controls the expression of many stress inducible genes in plants. Many DREB/CBF factors are themselves induced by such abiotic stresses, like drought, cold, salinity, and heat.
Six DREB transcription factors, including four DREB1/CBF and two DREB2 factors have been identified in Arabidopsis. It has been demonstrated that DREB1/CBF factors are induced by drought, salt and cold, whereas DREB2 factors are induced by drought and salt only.
Since discovery of the role of DREB/CBF factors in the stress response, several attempts have been undertaken to demonstrate their potential to improve stress tolerance in Arabidopsis, and crop plants such as Brassica junceae, soybean, rice, wheat and other grasses.
In the majority of attempts to overexpress DREB factors in plants, constitutive promoters such as the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, rice actin 1 promoter and maize polyubiquitin promoter have been used. However, in most cases strong constitutive expression led to different degrees of growth retardation, which subsequently led to dwarfism of the transgenic plants.
There have been attempts to overcome the problems of severe growth retardation by reducing the duration of overexpression using stress inducible promoters. For example expression of DREB factors under the control of the rd29A promoter has been attempted in a range of plants. However, this promoter was generally observed to have some level of basal expression in the absence of drought stress. As mentioned above, expression of DREB factors in the absence of drought stress is associated with the dwarfism and or stunting of plants.
In light of the above, it would be desirable to be able to drive the expression of nucleotide sequences, including those involved in drought tolerance (such as DREB factors), in a drought responsive manner. In this way, the nucleotide sequences could be expressed when required, ie. in response to drought, but not be expressed in the absence of drought where undesirable phenotypes such as dwarfism and or stunting of plants may occur.
Reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any country.

Drought responsive expression of genes from the

Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics Pty Ltd


A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes that is capable of growing carbon nanotubes on a substrate by a CVD method without giving rise to residual carbon impurities is provided. The method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to the present invention is a method in which carbon nanotubes are grown on a substrate by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process using a reaction gas containing a compound for the carbon source, wherein a compound having a carbon skeleton and a functional group which is effective for removing carbon impurities that deposit during the growth of carbon nanotubes is used as the compound for the carbon source.

Various methods have been known for manufacturing carbon nanotubes, such as arc dischrge methods, laser ablation methods, thermal CVD methods, plasma CVD methods, and the like. Carbon nanotubes produced by arc discharge methods or laser ablation methods include both single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT: Single Wall Nanotube), which consists of a single graphene sheet, and multiple-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT: Multi-Wall Nanotube), which consists of a plurality of graphene sheets. In general, MWNTs are produced by thermal CVD methods and plasma CVD methods. In a SWNT, a graphene sheet, in which carbon atoms are bound to each other via a strong bond called an sp2 bond so as to form six-membered rings, is rolled into a tube with the end of the tube being closed by several six-membered rings together with five-membered rings.
A method for synthesizing carbon nanotubes in large amounts was proposed in Nature 358, 220 (1992). The product obtained by the method described in this literature contains, in addition to carbon nanotubes, a large amount of residual carbon impurities such as graphite-like material and amorphous carbon and, therefore, the carbon nanotubes have to be separated and purified. However, as carbon impurities have strong tendency to coagulate, it has been very difficult to isolate them completely.
Methods of purifying carbon nanotubes are disclosed in JP 8-231210 A, JP 2000-290008 A, JP 2002-515847, etc. All of these methods are post-processing methods to be performed after carbon nanotubes have been manufactured, and are not applicable to carbon nanotubes manufactured directly on a substrate.
Use of an alcohol such as ethanol or methanol as the carbon source for growing carbon nanotubes is described in S. Maruyama et al., Low-Temperature synthesis of high-purity single-walled carbon nanotubes from alcohol, Chem. Physics Letters 360 (2002), 229-234. It is stated that OH radicals produced upon decomposition of alcohol serve to effectively remove amorphous carbon, and thereby makes it possible to grow carbon nanotubes of high purity.
JP 2000-86218 A discloses a method of manufacturing carbon nanoubes by thermal cracking of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene or toluene, or aliphatic hydrocarbons such as naphtha or gas oil in the presence of a thermal cracking accelerator such as cyanuric acid.
Patent Document 1
JP 8-231210 A
Patent Document 2
JP 2000-290008 A
Patent Document 3
JP 2002-515847
Patent Document 4
JP 2000-86218 A
Non-Patent Document 1
Nature 358, 220 (1992)
Non-Patent Document 2
S. Maruyama et al., Low-Temperature synthesis of high-purity single-walled carbon nanotubes from alcohol, Chemical Physics Letters 360 (2002) 229-234

Method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes


An electrostatic-image developing toner includes toner particles each including a polyester resin and a styrene (meth)acrylic resin. In a micro-compression test where a load of 0.2 mN is applied to the toner particles at a loading rate of 0.098 mN/sec, the median of a distribution of the ratios (%) of deformations of the toner particles to the diameters of the toner particles is 8.0 or more and 18.0 or less, and a variation in the distribution of the ratios of deformations of the toner particles to the diameters of the toner particles is 0.02 or more and 0.40 or less.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electrostatic-image developing toner, an electrostatic-image developer, and a toner cartridge.
(ii) Related Art
Methods for visualizing image information, such as electrophotography, have been used in various fields. In electrophotography, an electrostatic image, that is, image information, is formed on the surface of an image carrier through charging and electrostatic-image-forming steps. The electrostatic image is developed with a developer including a toner, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the image carrier. The toner image is transferred to a recording medium and subsequently fixed to the recording medium. The image information is visualized through the above steps.

Electrostatic-image developing toner, electrostatic-image developer, and toner cartridge


Techniques for storage management involve: determining expected usage time of a first storage disk in a set of storage disks, at least a part of the set of storage disks being configured to form at least one redundant array of independent disks (RAID); moving data in a first storage block, associated with a first RAID in the at least one RAID, in the first storage disk to a second storage block in a second storage disk in the set of storage disks based on a determination that the expected usage time is less than a predetermined threshold value; and replacing the first storage block with the second storage block, so that the second storage block is associated with the first RAID. Based on this manner, the stability of a storage system can be improved.

In a storage system based on a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), if a storage disk fails, the storage system can recover data in the failed disk by using data in other storage disks. However, the situation where a plurality of storage disks fail at the same time may still occur, and such a failure may result in that some data is lost and cannot be effectively recovered. Therefore, how to reduce the risk caused by storage disk failure becomes a focus of attention at present.

Method for storage management, device and computer program product


There is provided a method for hoisting and lowering a device in a rotor head of a wind turbine generator, that can easily perform a device hoisting and lowering operation in the rotor head without an external crane. The method for hoisting and lowering a device in a rotor head includes a step of mounting a temporary winch rail to a rail support portion previously provided in the rotor head, a step of installing a temporary winch on the temporary winch rail, a step of opening a maintenance hatch provided in the rotor head, and a step of hoisting and lowering a replacement device to be attached or removed in the rotor head through a hoisting and lowering opening in the maintenance hatch by the temporary winch.

A wind turbine generator is an apparatus in which a rotor head including a wind turbine blade is rotated by wind power, and a generator driven by increasing the speed of the rotation with a gear box or the like generates electricity.
The above-described rotor head is mounted to an end of a nacelle that is provided on a wind turbine tower (hereinafter referred to as "tower") and can yaw, and supported rotatably around a substantially horizontal, lateral rotation axis.
In a conventional wind turbine generator, devices in a rotor head are hoisted, lowered and replaced in the following procedure.
First, an operator enters inside the rotor head, and removes a replacement device mainly by human power. Then, the replacement device is moved into a nacelle by human power, and moved down to the ground using a winch provided in the nacelle.
When newly mounted, a replacement device is lifted from the ground into the nacelle using the winch, and then moved from inside the nacelle to the rotor head by human power in reverse order of the removal operation.
For a conventional wind turbine generator, a method for hoisting and lowering a wind turbine facility is known using a reciprocating winch lifted by a permanent winch in a nacelle to reduce costs required for a hoisting and lowering operation of a large facility in the nacelle (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
Patent Literature 2 listed below discloses a technique on a method for transporting a wind turbine generator.

Method for hoisting and lowering device in rotor head of wind turbine generator


An information recording medium has an excellent jitter characteristic with a considerable difference in reflectance between prior to and subsequent to recording. The information recording medium includes a recording layer which contains a material having a reflectance which varies by irradiation of a light beam, on which information is recorded as reflectance variations, and a substrate for supporting the recording layer, the recording layer including a metal nitride as a major component. In a method of manufacturing the information recording medium having a recording layer which includes a material having a reflectance which varies by irradiation of a light beam, on which information is recorded as reflectance variations, and the substrate for supporting the recording layer, the recording layer including a metal nitride as a major component, the method includes a recording layer forming step for forming the recording layer by a reactive sputtering method which uses a target comprised of a metal constituting a metal nitride, wherein a flow ratio Ar:N2 in an atmosphere including Ar and N2 in the recording layer forming step is set within the range of 80:10 to 10:80.

In recent years, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is widely used as an information recording medium for recording/reproducing data, such as video data, audio data, computer data, and the like. The DVD comes in different types: in addition to the DVD used exclusively for reproduction, the DVD-R (recordable) which uses an organic coloring material in the recording layer thereof to allow writing-once-reading-many, the DVD-RW (re-recordable) which uses a phase change material in the recording layer thereof to allow rewriting many times, and the like.
While there is a demand for a capability of recording/reproducing by light beams of wave range shorter than 635 nm so as to cope with higher density, the conventional write-once-read-many optical disc has been unable to fully realize characteristics of the optical disc.
In addition, various optical discs of write-once type are reported, for example, one of which has a recording layer to be penetrated by the irradiation of a laser beam to have a hole, in another of which a bubble cavity in a recording layer is formed by the irradiation of a laser beam, another of which has a recording layer to have a protuberance, in further another of which a heat decomposable substance is dispersed in the recording layer by the irradiation of a laser beam. These conventional recording methods have a problem in that it is difficult to control the size and edge of a minute recorded mark formed on the recording layer with a high density recording. In other words, as shown in FIG. 16, the recorded mark is formed so as to spread out a guide groove during the recording.
Further, in the case of the write-once-read-many disc, rewriting is not allowed on an area once recorded. This increases consumption of the discs. The effects on the environment due to the dumping of the discs should be considered, because some discs may contain materials which are considered to be deleterious under "a law concerning promotion of improvements in grasp of the amount of a specific chemical material discharged to the environment, and in the control thereof or the like", i.e., PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) law.

Information recording medium and process for producing the same


A car includes a factory installed harness and a factory installed data processing component coupled to the factory installed harness. The factory installed harness is configured to receive an assisted driving hardware component in order to allow the assisted driving hardware component to make electrical connection with the data processing component when the assisted driving hardware component is installed by the car's owner or user or dealer. The assisted driving hardware component can be a user installed LIDAR to add to the car's assisted driving functionality.

Vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and other motorized vehicles (referred to as "cars") are becoming more sophisticated as assisted driving features are included in the cars by car manufacturers as factory installed features. For example, car manufacturers such as Toyota, etc. are including assisted driving features such as lane departure warning and blind spot detection as factory installed features in cars. These features use factory installed sensors such as ultrasound sensors and radar sensors and cameras to provide the assisted driving features. One of the most advanced set of assisted driving features can provide what can be referred to as autonomous driving. Some car manufacturers have included factory installed autonomous driving features which allow the car to drive itself so that a user, such as a driver, does not need to control the steering or the accelerator or the brakes but may need to be ready to take control of the car upon request by the autonomous driving system. A car that includes an autonomous driving system as a factory installed feature can be referred to as a self driving car. Some cars that include a factory installed autonomous driving system can receive software updates which can be downloaded to the car to update the software in the car, such as software relating to or used by the autonomous driving system. The updating process updates the software to change the software, such as the correction of bugs or the addition of features or functionality, etc.


Provided are dies having a first section for orienting material being pressed through the die and a second section for shaping the oriented material into a desired form. In an embodiment, the surface area for shaping the oriented material into a desired form is limited. Also provided are polymer articles and processes for making the same. In an embodiment, the processes employ the dies.

Efforts have been made to produce high-performance polymer fibers. For the category of thermotropic and lyotropic liquid-crystalline polymers, as an example, publications are available where reasonable success is being reported by directly spinning from the thermotropic melt or lyotropic solution and applying relatively high wind-up/extrusion speed (draw down) ratios that induce elongational flow fields causing the polymer molecules to orient in the direction of flow. For examples, see e.g. Muramatsu et al. in Macromolecules 19, 2850 (1986); and Wissbrun et al. in J. Polym. Sci. Pt. B-Polym. Phys. 20, 1835 (1982). Producing high-performance films and foils and other objects of these materials, however, has been less successful in one or more aspects. For examples, see e.g. Calundann et al. in Proceedings of the Robert A. Welch Conference on Chemical Research, XXVI. Synthetic Polymers, 280 (1982); U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,759; U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,016; Ide et al. in J. Macromol. Sci.-Phys. B23, 497 (1985); and Lusignea in Polym. Eng. Sci., 39, 2326 (1999).

Polymer articles, and methods and dies for making the same

EIDGENÖSSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZÜRICH


A forward converter for supplying various output voltages for a television receiver includes a multi-resonant circuit, including a resonant inductor, a charging capacitor, and the output capacitors across each secondary winding of an output transformer. This arrangement relaxes the slopes of the voltages in the converter resulting in reduced radiated EMI. In addition, the values of the inductor and the capacitors are adjusted so that a switching transistor in the forward converter turns on at zero voltage and zero current so that the switching transistor is less stressed and the converter is capable of high frequency operation. The secondary providing high voltage includes the series arrangement of two oppositely conducting diode branches, each branch including the series arrangement of a high voltage diode and a Schottky diode. Finally, the switching signals applied to the switching transistor are subjected to a filter-delay to lessen the slope of the signals thereby also resulting in a reduction in the EMI radiated from the driving circuit.

1. Field of The Invention
The subject invention relates to power supplies capable of providing multiple voltage outputs and low electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise for use in television receivers.
2. Description of The Related Art
Typically, in television receivers, a PWM switched-mode power supply is used to supply these multiple output voltages. U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,591 discloses such a PWM switched-mode power supply. However, since the voltage and current waveforms associated with such a supply are substantially square waves, a significant amount of EMI noise is generated in the television receivers. In fact, it has become common practice to install snubber (filter) circuits throughout the power supply circuit in the television receiver to reduce ringing and, consequently, to reduce the radiated EMI noise from the supply.
To reduce EMI noise generated from and eliminate snubber circuits used in switched-mode power supplies, resonant power supplies with soft-switching (i.e., zero-voltage-switching or zero-current switching) have been introduced. FIG. 1 shows the circuit schematic of a multi-resonant and multi-output dc-to-dc converter power supply proposed in the article "DESIGN OF HIGH-DENSITY ON-BOARD SINGLE- AND MULTIPLE-OUTPUT MULTI-RESONANT CONVERTERS", by T. A. Tabisz and F. C. Lee, HFPC, May, 1990 Proceedings, pp. 45-57. Due to resonant phenomenon, currents and voltages present in this converter possess the sine-wave like shape except for the gate-to-source voltage of the MOSFET Q1 and the currents through the output rectifying diodes (D1-D6). Furthermore, all parasitics can be used in the converter design. Therefore, the amount of EMI noise generated in the converter is reduced and the snubber circuits are removed. However, the EMI noise generated in the driving circuit is still significant due to the square-wave voltage across the gate and source terminals of the MOSFET, and, consequently, a pulsating gate current with high di/dt is generated. To reduce the noise from the control circuit and the converter, the whole circuit is enclosed in a metal box for shielding, which is an expensive solution. It should be noted that the simple rectifying scheme used in the converter has potential switching losses and EMI noise problems when the converter is used for high output voltage applications, such as for a TV power supply where one output voltage is 130 volts. These problems are caused by the recovery time of high voltage rectifying diodes.

Low noise multi-output and multi-resonant forward converter for television power supplies

Philips Electronics North America Corporation


A vessel steering system is provided with a control unit that calculates a control pivoting angle for pivoting the propulsion means based on a steering angle. Based on actual-state recognition of at least one of the type of the vessel, the type of the propulsion means, an actual pivoting angle of a neighboring propulsion means that is close to the propulsion means when a plurality of propulsion means is provided, the distance between the swivel shaft of a reference propulsion means and the swivel shaft of a neighboring propulsion means thereof at a time when a plurality of propulsion means is provided, and the mounting position of the propulsion means on the vessel, the control unit sets a pivoting limit angle for limiting the pivoting of the propulsion means, and controls the pivoting apparatus in such a way that the propulsion means does not pivot by more than the set pivoting limit angle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vessel steering system in which steering is performed by pivoting a propulsion means, such as an outboard engine or a stern drive system, on a swivel shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
To date, there has been proposed a technology in which, as a steering apparatus for a small vessel or the like equipped with an outboard engine at the stern, the propulsion direction of the vessel is controlled and the vessel is steered by pivoting the outboard engine counterclockwise or clockwise on a swivel shaft (for example, Japanese Patent No. 2734041). A conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2734041 is a so-called multi-engine steering apparatus in which two outboard engines provided at the stern are operated in conjunction with each other so that steering is performed; the outboard engines are coupled with a differential lever by the respective tie rods, and the differential lever is pivoted through the operation of the steering wheel by the intermediary of a steering cable, so that the two outboard engines are pivoted in the same direction on the respective swivel shafts in conjunction with each other. In the case of the conventional vessel steering system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2734041, as an actuator for pivoting an outboard engine in response to the operation of a steering wheel, there can be utilized a mechanism in which a hydraulic cylinder is adopted.
In addition, to date, in a vessel steering system, there has been proposed a technology in which, by utilizing an electric motor, an outboard engine is pivoted on a swivel shaft so that a vessel is steered (for example, refer to Japanese Patent No. 2959044). A conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2959044 is provided with an electric actuator for pivoting a single outboard engine on a swivel shaft, a steering wheel sensor for detecting the pivoting angle and the pivoting direction of a steering wheel, and a controller for controlling the electric actuator based on an output signal from the steering wheel sensor. In the case of the conventional vessel steering system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2959044, the steering wheel and the electric actuator for driving the outboard engine are connected with each other by the intermediary of a cable in an electric manner only.
Moreover, to date, in a vessel equipped with a plurality of propulsion units, there has been proposed a multi-engine steering apparatus in which the respective propulsion directions of the plurality of propulsion units are controlled in such a way as to be different in angle from one another so that the vessel can travel in a lateral direction or the like through the propulsion force produced by the combination of the propulsion-direction vectors of the propulsion units (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-313398). A conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-313398 is provided with an operational drive unit for making each propulsion unit perform steering operation, a shift drive unit for driving each propulsion unit to any one of shift positions, a single operation stick to be manipulated in an arbitrary direction with respect to a neutral position, and a control unit for controlling the respective motors of the drive units based on a signal corresponding to the operation position of the operation stick.
As described above, in the conventional multi-engine steering apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2734041, the actuator for pivoting an outboard engine can be formed of a hydraulic cylinder. However, in the case where a hydraulic cylinder is utilized, there has been a problem that there is required a space, around the steering apparatus, where hydraulic tubes for the hydraulic cylinder are arranged and the structure becomes complex.
The conventional multi-engine steering apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-313398 is configured in such a way that the respective steering angles of the propulsion units can independently and freely be controlled; therefore, there has been a problem that the respective driving bodies forming the propulsion units may interfere with one another, whereby the actuator fails or damage to the driving body is caused.
The angle at which the respective driving bodies of the propulsion units start to interfere with one another depends on the size, the shape, the mounting position, and the like of an outboard engine or the like forming the propulsion unit. Therefore, in order to prevent the foregoing interference, it is required to adjust the mounting position of each propulsion unit and the control range of the steering angle, for each type of the propulsion unit such as an outboard engine or each time the propulsion unit is mounted on a vessel. Provided it is impossible to adjust the mounting position and the steering angle of each propulsion unit each time the propulsion unit is mounted on a vessel, a vessel whose stern has a broad overall width is required when the propulsion units are arranged in such a way that the respective driving bodies of the propulsion units never interfere with one another.
In the case of the conventional multi-engine steering apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2734041, because of its structure, the respective driving bodies of the outboard engines do not interfere with one another; however, in the case of the conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-313398, the propulsion units cannot be coupled with one another by use of a link mechanism such as the tie rod in the conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 734041.


In this invention, a process is provided by which a carboxylic acid/diol mixture suitable as starting material for a polyester production is obtained from a decolorized carboxylic acid solution without isolation of a substantially dry carboxylic acid solid. More specifically, in this invention, a process is provided by which a terephthalic acid/ethylene glycol mixture suitable as starting material for a polyester production is obtained from a decolorized terephthalic acid solution without isolation of a substantially dry terephthalic acid solid.

Thermoplastic polyesters are step growth polymers that are useful when made to high molecular weights. The first step in a common method of producing a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is an esterification or ester-exchange stage where a diacid (typically terephthalic acid) reacts with an appropriate diol (typically ethylene glycol) to give a bis(hydroxyalkyl)ester and some linear oligomers. Water is evolved at this stage and is usually removed by fractional distillation.
Pursuant to the goal of making polyethylene terephthalate and other polyesters, a great deal of patent literature is dedicated to the describing processes for preparing terephthalic acid/ethylene glycol mixtures suitable as starting material. In general, these inventions describe specific mixing schemes with a purified terephthalic acid solid and liquid ethylene glycol as starting materials. Additionally, there is substantial body of literature devoted to producing a purified terephthalic acid in the powder form that is suitable for use in producing PET. The objective of this invention is to describe a process by which a terephthalic acid/ethylene glycol mixture suitable as starting material for polyester production is obtained from a decolorized terephthalic acid solution without isolation of a substantially dry terephthalic acid solid.
A number of processes for producing the purified terephthalic acid solid have been developed and are commercially available. Usually, the purified terephthalic acid solid is produced in a multi-step process wherein a crude terephthalic acid is produced. The crude terephthalic acid does not have sufficient quality for direct use as starting material in commercial PET. Instead, the crude terephthalic acid is usually refined to purified terephthalic acid solid.
Liquid phase oxidation of p-xylene produces crude terephthalic acid. The crude terephthalic acid is dissolved in water and hydrogenated for the purpose of converting 4-carboxybenzaldehyde to p-toluic acid, which is a more water-soluble derivative, and for the purpose of converting characteristically yellow compounds to colorless derivatives. Any 4-carboxybenzaldehyde and p-toluic acid in the final purified terephthalic acid product is particularly detrimental to polymerization processes as they act as a chain terminator during the condensation reaction between terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol in the production of PET. Typical purified terephthalic acid contains on a weight basis less than 25 parts per million (ppm) 4-carboxybenzaldehyde and less than 150 ppm p-toluic acid.
The crude terephthalic acid typically contains on a weight basis from about 800 to 7,000 parts per million (ppm) 4-carboxybenzaldehyde and about 200 to 1,500 ppm p-toluic acid as the main impurities. The crude terephthalic acid also contains lesser amounts, about 20-200 ppm range, of yellow color aromatic compounds having the structures of benzil, fluorenone, and/or anthraquinone, which are characteristically yellow compounds as impurities resulting from coupling side reactions occurring during oxidation of p-xylene. It is necessary to purify the crude terephthalic acid when using it as a starting material for producing polyester fiber, which requires a purified terephthalic acid as a starting material.
Such a purification process typically comprises adding water to the crude terephthalic acid to form a crude terephthalic acid solution, which is heated to dissolve the crude terephthalic acid. The crude terephthalic acid solution is then passed to a reactor zone in which the solution is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst at temperatures of about 200° to about 375° C. This reduction step converts the various color bodies present in the crude terephthalic acid to colorless products. The principal impurity, 4-carboxybenzaldehyde, is converted to p-toluic acid.
Typical crude terephthalic acid contains excessive amounts of both 4-carboxybenzaldehyde and p-toluic acid on a weight basis. Therefore, to achieve less than 25 ppmw 4-carboxybenzaldehyde and less than 150 ppmw p-toluic acid in the purified terephthalic acid requires mechanisms for purifying the crude terephthalic acid and removing the contaminants.
Subsequent separation and isolation of the purified terephthalic acid can be accomplished via a wide variety of separation methods including crystallization, centrifugation, filtration, extraction and combinations thereof followed by drying. These processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,732; 5,175,355; and 5,583,254; all of which are herein incorporated by reference. It is necessary to perform a separation step due the nature of the crude terephthalic acid feedstock to the hydrogenation process.
A number of processes have been developed for producing a purified terephthalic acid solid from crude terephthalic acid. In general, the common features among these processes are as follows:
Step (1) is decolorization of the crude terephthalic acid usually via hydrogenation treatment in an aqueous medium;
Step (2) is purification/separation of the terephthalic acid from partial oxidation products usually via fractional crystallization followed by liquor exchange with contaminant-free water; and
Step (3) is production of a solid purified terephthalic acid product with consistent material handling properties usually via crystallization of terephthalic acid followed by drying of purified terephthalic acid from water.
The resultant purified terephthalic acid powder along with ethylene glycol are starting materials in the production of polyesters specifically PET. Because the difficulty in handling, mixing, and dissolving terephthalic acid solids, the purified terephthalic acid solid is usually mixed with ethylene glycol to form a paste prior to introduction into an esterification reactor system.
In the present invention, a novel process has been discovered resulting in fewer steps than the currently employed processes. The primary utility of the invention is reduction of capital and operating costs associated with the isolation of a terephthalic acid powder. In the conventional approach toward producing terephthalic acid, the post-hydrogenated aqueous solution is passed to a series of crystallizer vessels for the purpose of purifying the terephthalic acid by crystallization and for the purpose of obtaining a uniform particle size distribution necessary for good flowability of purified terephthalic powder. Further, the p-toluic acid contaminated mother liquor from the crystallization process must be removed prior to a drying step to isolate the purified terephthalic powder.
In on embodiment of the present invention, the crude terephthalic acid solution with low concentrations of p-toluic acid and 4-carboxybenzaldehyde is hydrogenated to form a decolorized terephthalic acid solution. Starting with crude terephthalic acid with low concentrations of the p-toluic acid and 4-carboxybenzaldehyde eliminates the need for separation of p-toluic acid-contaminated mother liquor from the terephthalic acid. Hence, the decolorized terephthalic acid solution can be directly combined with ethylene glycol in an esterification zone to produce a terephthalic acid/ethylene glycol mixture. By bypassing conventional processes for producing a purified terephthalic acid powder, the need for the equipment necessary to purify and isolate purified terephthalic powder is eliminated.
Another surprising and seemingly contradictory aspect of the invention is the benefits of addition of large amounts of water to the esterification reaction starting materials. This is directly contrary to accepted esterification procedures. The esterification reaction:RCOOH+R′OH→RCOOR′+H2Ois generally not complete. The water formed in the course of the reaction tends to react with the ester to hydrolyze it, i.e. to regenerate the original alcohol and acid. In order to drive the reaction toward the ester, the prior art teaches removal of water from the system by a variety of methods such as distillation or dehydration with a hydrophilic compound. According to conventional esterification procedures, it is non-intuitive to add large amount of the water to the acid/alcohol starting material.

Process for production of a carboxylic acid/diol mixture suitable for use in polyester production


Natural language processing (NLP) with awareness of textual polarity. An NLP system, such as a search engine or a Question-Answering (QA) system receives input text for processing. The input text may be a text fragment, a search phrase, a question having a general type, or a polar question having a yes or no answer. The NLP system identifies textual polarity and provides responses to the input text (for example, in answer form) based on identifying evidence whose selection, scoring, and processing, is informed by the textual polarity of the input text, and the textual polarity of candidate evidence passages.

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to electronic natural language processing, and more particularly, to natural language processing based on textual polarity.
Generally, natural language processing (NLP) systems are designed to process unstructured data in natural language form. NLP systems seek to bridge the gap between the processing power of computers and the variable nature of natural language expression. Search engines and Question-Answering systems are two classes of NLP systems.
Search engines traditionally operate based on matching key terms in a search phrase to terms in a reference document (for example, a webpage). The matching may be enhanced by using Boolean search operators, wildcard characters, or the like. In this model, a search result is generally deemed relevant to a search phrase if there is close mapping of words in the search phrase to words in the search result. The search engine generally ignores the disparate impact that a given word may have on the meaning of the search phrase as a whole, or on the meaning of a mapped phrase in a search result. For example, in response to receiving the search phrase "first president of the United States," a traditional search engine may rank the following results closely to one another: "George Washington was the first president of the United States," and "George Washington was not the first president of the United States." While the two search results are substantially similar (they share ten words appearing in the same sequence with the exception of "not" in the second sentence), they convey completely opposite meanings. The search engine likely presents both sentences as highly relevant in its search results, even though at least one of the two sentences is wrong.
Question-answering (QA) systems generally are designed to receive a natural language question input, analyze the question to determine its meaning beyond the mere words used in the question, and generate a natural language answer to the question. For example, in a typical QA use-case, the QA system receives a natural language question from a user. The likelihood that the QA system arrives at a correct answer to the question can be improved by categorizing the question into a known question type, and by employing special techniques that take advantage of known properties of the question type, and known properties of likely answers to that question type.

Natural language processing based on textual polarity

International Business Machines Corporation


A novel method and instruction set for storing and trading Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), on Bitcoin blockchain. As proof of NFT ownership, proposed methods allow a user to perform the following operations with an NFT: (1) store NFT token on Bitcoin blockchain; (2) securely associate NFT data unit with digital assets (photos, video, audio, digital documents, etc.); (3) grouping many NFT tokens together to a collection with a single unique identifier; (4) safely sell and buy an NFT using Bitcoin ecosystem. These actions and validation of the transactions are performed using Bitcoin transactions.

The volume of transactions in different blockchain solutions with NFTs is increasing daily. The most popular NFT standard is ERC-721 [1], which represents non-fungible digital assets based on the Ethereum blockchain.
Usage of the Ethereum for NFT appears to be natural due to its versatile Smart Contracts. This feature allows to facilitate exchange of virtually any class of assets, which is capable to transfer within the Internet infrastructure. But, in other cases is more preferable to use other blockchain solutions, e.g., Bitcoin, for NFT issuing and execution of manipulation instructions with the NFT. This may be, for example, because there are lower transaction fee compared to Etherium [2], which many users prefer.
By default, Bitcoin ecosystem does not allow exchange of any object other than Bitcoin unit. Also, Bitcoin Script language [4] provides less functionality comparing with Ethereum Smart Contracts. However, Bitcoin Script language allows to store a small amount of metadata on the blockchain, which can be used to represent NFT asset manipulation instruction by defining metadata structure per instruction. Usage of the metadata allows to define NFT protocol over Bitcoin blockchain, which provides proof of ownership and required functionality for NFT issuing and transferring.

Implementing non-fungible tokens using bitcoin


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present embodiment includes the steps of forming a metallic silicide film on an n-type impurity region and a p-type impurity region made of silicon carbide (SiC), performing ion implantation of phosphorous (P) into the metallic silicide film on the n-type impurity region, performing a first thermal treatment, performing ion implantation of aluminum (Al) into the metallic silicide film on the p-type impurity region, and performing a second thermal treatment at a temperature lower than the first thermal treatment.

As a next generation power semiconductor device material, silicon carbide (which may be hereinafter also denoted as SiC) attracts attention. SiC has about 10 times the breakdown field strength and about three times thermal conductivity of silicon (which may be hereinafter also denoted as Si), and SiC can achieve a power semiconductor device capable of operating at a high temperature with a low loss, which cannot be achieved with a Si power device.
For example, a high-breakdown voltage power MOSFET has a low ON-resistance and high breakdown voltage, and can achieve fast switching operation. Accordingly, it is widely used as a switching device for a power circuit such as a switching power supply. The device structure of the high-breakdown voltage power MOSFET has a vertical-type MOSFET structure in which a source electrode, a gate electrode, and a well electrode are formed on a substrate surface, and a drain electrode is formed on a back surface of the substrate. Double Implantation MOSFET (which may be hereinafter also denoted as DIMOSFET) structure in which a channel formation region (well region) and a source region are respectively formed on a substrate surface using ion implantation is an advantageous device structure in which the channel region can be easily formed with high precision, and this is also suitable for parallel operation.
When a DIMOSFET using a SiC substrate is formed, an electrode for connecting this device to an electrical circuit and the like is desired to be in ohmic contact. However, a generally used hexagonal single-crystal SiC substrate has 4H-SiC structure of which laminating cycle is 4, and an energy band gap thereof is 3.26 eV, i.e., three times the energy band gap of Si. Therefore, it is difficult to form ohmic contact with an electrode metal.
When an n-type MOSFET is used, it is desired to achieve ohmic contact with source and drain n+ regions as well as a p+ region connected to a well region.

Manufacturing method of semiconductor device