The present invention relates to methods and compositions for the specific inhibition of kinase suppressor of Ras (KSR). In particular, the invention provides genetic approaches and nucleic acids for the specific inhibition of KSR, particularly of KSR expression. The invention relates to antisense oligonucleotides and the expression of nucleic acid which is substantially complementary to KSR RNA. Oligonucleotide and nucleic acid compositions are provided. The invention provides methods to inhibit KSR, including inhibition of KSR expression. Methods for blocking gƒ Ras mediated tumorigenesis, metastasis, and for cancer therapy are provided. Methods for conferring radiosensitivity to cells are also provided.

Ras plays an essential role in oncogenic transformation and genesis. Oncogenic H-, K-, and N-Ras arise from point mutations limited to a small number of sites (amino acids 12, 13, 59 and 61). Unlike normal Ras, oncogenic ras proteins lack intrinsic GTPase activity and hence remain constitutively activated (Trahey, M., and McCormick, F. (1987) Science 238: 542-5; Tabin, C. J. et al. (1982) Nature. 300: 143-9; Taparowsky, E. et al. (1982) Nature. 300: 762-5). The participation of oncogenic ras in human cancers is estimated to be 30% (Almoguera, C. et al (1988) Cell. 53:549-54).
Mutations are frequently limited to only one of the ras genes, and the frequency is tissue- and tumor type-specific. K-ras is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancers, especially the codon-12 mutation. While oncogenic activation of H-, K-, and N-Ras arising from single nucleotide substitutions has been observed in 30% of human cancers (Bos, J. L. (1989) Cancer Res 49, 4682-9), over 90% of human pancreatic cancer manifest the codon 12 K-ras mutation (Almoguera, C. et al. (1988) Cell 53, 549-54; Smit, V. T. et al. (1988) Nucleic Acids Res 16, 7773-82; Bos, J. L. (1989) Cancer Res 49, 4682-9). Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common cancer of the pancreas, is notorious for its rapid onset and resistance to treatment. The high frequency of K-ras mutations in human pancreatic tumors suggests that constitutive Ras activation plays a critical role during pancreatic oncogenesis. Adenocarcinoma of the exocrine pancreas represents the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Western countries. Treatment has had limited success and the five-year survival remains less than 5% with a mean survival of 4 months for patients with surgically unresectable tumors (Jemal, A et al (2002) CA Cancer J Clin 52, 23-47; Burris, H. A., 3rd et al. (1997) J Clin Oncol 15, 2403-13). This point mutation can be identified early in the course of the disease when normal cuboidal pancreatic ductal epithelium progresses to a flat hyperplastic lesion, and is considered causative in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer (Hruban, R. H. et al (2000) Clin Cancer Res 6, 2969-72; Tada, M. et al. (1996) Gastroenterology 110, 227-31). The regulation of oncogenic K-ras signaling in human pancreatic cancer, however, remains largely unknown.
K-ras mutations are present in 50% of the cancers of colon and lung (Bos, J. L. et al. (1987) Nature. 327: 293-7; Rodenhuis, S. et al. (1988) Cancer Res. 48: 5738-41). In cancers of the urinary tract and bladder, mutations are primarily in the H-ras gene (Fujita, J. et al. (1984) Nature. 309: 464-6; Visvanathan, K. V. et al. (1988) Oncogene Res. 3: 77-86). N-ras gene mutations are present in 30% of leukemia and liver cancer. Approximately 25% of skin lesions in humans involve mutations of the Ha-Ras (25% for squamous cell carcinoma and 28% for melanomas) (Bos, J. L. (1989) Cancer Res. 49:4683-9; Migley, R. S. and Kerr, D. J. (2002) Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 44:109-20).50-60% of thyroid carcinomas are unique in having mutations in all three genes (Adjei, A. A. (2001) J Natl Cancer Inst. 93: 1062-74).
Constitutive activation of Ras can be achieved through oncogenic mutations or via hyperactivated growth factor receptors such as the EGFRs. Elevated expression and/or amplification of the members of the EGFR family, especially the EGFR and HER2, have been implicated in various forms of human malignancies (as reviewed in Prenzel, N. et al. (2001) Endocr Relat Cancer. 8: 11-31). In some of these cancers (including pancreas, colon, bladder, lung), EGFR/HER2 overexpression is compounded by the presence of oncogenic Ras mutations. Abnormal activation of these receptors in tumors can be attributed to overexpression, gene amplification, constitutive activation mutations or autocrine growth factor loops (Voldborg, B. R. et al. (1997) Ann Oncol. 8:1197-206). For growth factor receptors, especially the EGFRs, amplification or/and overexpression of these receptors frequently occur in the cancers of the breast, ovary, stomach, esophagus, pancreatic, lung, colon neuroblastoma.
While various therapeutic strategies have been developed to inactivate key components of the Ras-Raf-MAPK cascade, specific inhibition of gain-of-function or constitutive Ras (gƒRas) action has not been achieved clinically (Adjei, A. A. (2001) J Natl Cancer Inst 93, 1062-74; Cox, A. D. & Der, C. J. (2002) Curr Opin Pharmacol 2, 388-93).
Therefore, in view of the aforementioned deficiencies attendant with prior art methods to inactivate or inhibit the Ras pathway, and particularly Ras-mediated cancers, it should be apparent that there still exists a need in the art for methods and compositions for specific inhibition of the Ras pathway and particularly for inhibition of gƒRas.
The citation of references herein shall not be construed as an admission that such is prior art to the present invention.

Kinase suppressor of Ras inactivation for therapy of Ras mediated tumorigenesis


Systems and methods of presenting channel content in a distributed network having a client device and a server device, the method comprising the acts of evaluating tagged content, e.g., from the server device and creating a personalized channel at the client device. The personalized channel comprises content from two or more predetermined channels, i.e., channels received from the server device. Last, the system and method displays the content on the personalized channel. Also, systems and methods may be employed to display a personalized programming guide, using profile information to select a preferred subset of information to display such that the user is better able to discern desirable content.

Television networks have become a predominant means through which individuals receive media content, such as entertainment and information. As technology has improved, media content providers, using computers and televisions, have been able to provide more and more media content to larger and larger audiences. Broadcast, cable, and satellite television providers transmit television signals containing vast amounts of content, such as movies, news, special interest shows, audio, advertising, and home shopping programs, among others. It is not uncommon for cable and satellite television users to have over one hundred channels to choose from.
One problem with current approaches toward media content distribution is that there is too much content provided to any given user. In an attempt to maximize viewership and/or profits, content providers typically transmit content to as many users as possible, who are able to receive the content. From the user's perspective, the massive amount of transmitted content results in an "information overload" effect. Users are inundated with such a vast amount of content that effectively choosing what they most want to view becomes difficult. Users simply do not have time to view all of the content, and therefore must be selective. Moreover, for any given user, the content that streams into the user's home includes a large amount of content that the user will not want to watch.
Most computer and television users know a priori (i.e., before receiving it) of certain categories of content that they will not want to view based only on the type of content. For example, many users, particularly parents, do not want pornographic content to be an option for selection on their television or computer. As another example, many users may not want to view sports, while other users may know a priori that they only want to watch one sport, e.g., bowling. As another example, many users may know before hand that they will never choose to watch cooking shows. In short, television or viewing device users frequently know ahead of time of certain categories of media content that they will not want to view. Unfortunately, notwithstanding users' a priori knowledge, the receipt and filtering of content are difficult and time consuming.
One aid that has been developed to help the user sort through the vast number of channels and program options is a programming guide. A programming guide typically presents all available television options in a scrolling fashion across the TV screen. Programming guides are difficult to read and confusing because they simultaneously present too much information and too little information for a discriminating user. Programming guides present too much information because they provide descriptions for every item of available content, including unwanted content. The user typically must read through all the descriptions to determine his/her preferred content. So many channels are typically presented on a programming guide that a user could easily miss a desired show while reading all the options, many of which are unwanted. Programming guides present too little information for each available content item because the descriptions are necessarily short due to limited space and time in the guide. Programming guide descriptions are frequently not descriptive enough to allow a discriminating user to effectively determine whether any particular content item should be blocked.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been developed.

System and method for providing a personalized channel


Scratch-resistant thermoplastic films are disclosed. The films include a scratch-resistant coating that is formed from an acrylated binder, a thermal initiator, and a melamine crosslinker. Of particular advantage, the coating can be formed on the film during an in-line process while the film is being formed. The melamine crosslinker not only causes the coating to crosslink but also improves the adhesion of the coating to the film layer. In one embodiment, the film layer is made from a polyester.

The present invention relates generally to a method of coating and curing peroxide-curable coatings in-line on polymer film, and the film produced thereby. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a commercially viable process for producing a coated polymer film having various beneficial properties through in-line coating and peroxide curing steps utilizing a melamine crosslinker.
Polymer film can be modified in various ways to enhance its usefulness for specific applications. Coatings applied to one or both surfaces of the film are commonly used to achieve such modification. Various qualities such as adhesion, smoothness, oxygen permeability, printability, opacity, scratch resistance and the like can be altered through the judicious use of coating technology. Among such coatings, peroxide curable coatings are known. These coatings are typically cured by the in situ polymerization of appropriate monomers and oligomers. Most known curable coatings are applied to film off-line, after the film has been oriented, set and cooled, but the thermal activation and cure required for peroxide curable coatings has generally rendered off-line coating problematic. On the other hand, in-line coating of peroxide curable coatings has generally been considered of limited feasibility.

In-line thermally curable coating with peroxide curing agent


A method of operating a mobile terminal in a mobile communications network comprising a core network and a base station, wherein the mobile terminal is capable of transmitting data to and receiving data from the core network via the mobile base station or via a WLAN includes in the event that the WLAN becomes unavailable, reporting the WLAN unavailability to the mobile communications network, and detecting the WLAN becoming available again, and notifying the mobile communications network. A mobile terminal includes a transceiver configured to transmit data to and receive data from the core network via the mobile base station or via a WLAN, a controller configured to in the event that the WLAN becomes unavailable, report the WLAN unavailability to the mobile communications network via the transceiver, and detect the WLAN becoming available again, and notify the mobile communications network.

Wireless or mobile (cellular) communications networks in which a mobile terminal (UE, such as a mobile handset) communicates via a radio link to a network of base stations or other wireless access points connected to a telecommunications network, have undergone rapid development through a number of generations. The initial deployment of systems using analogue signaling has been superseded by Second Generation (2G) digital systems such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), which typically use a radio access technology known as GSM Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution Radio Access Network (GERAN), combined with an improved core network.
Second generation systems have themselves been largely replaced by or augmented by Third Generation (3G) digital systems such as the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), which uses a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) radio access technology and a similar core network to GSM. UMTS is specified in standards produced by 3GPP. Third generation standards provide for a greater throughput of data than is provided by second generation systems. This trend is continued with the move towards Fourth Generation (4G) systems.
3GPP design, specify and standardize technologies for mobile wireless communications networks. Specifically, 3GPP produces a series of Technical Reports (TR) and Technical Specifications (TS) that define 3GPP technologies. The focus of 3GPP is currently the specification of standards beyond 3G, and in particular on standard for the Evolved Packet Core and the enhanced radio access network called "E-UTRAN". The E-UTRAN uses the Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology, which offers potentially greater capacity and additional features compared with previous standards. Despite LTE strictly referring only to the air interface, LTE is commonly used to refer to the whole system including evolved packet core (EPC) and E-UTRAN. LTE is used in this sense in the remainder of this specification, including when referring to LTE enhancements, such as LTE Advanced. LTE is an evolution of UMTS and shares certain high level components and protocols with UMTS. LTE Advanced offers still higher data rates compared to LTE and is defined by 3GPP standards releases from 3GPP Release 10 up to and including 3GPP Release 12. LTE Advanced is considered to be a 4G mobile communication system by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Relating to interworking between cellular and WLAN networks


A dual counterrotating propeller drive mechanism for a marine propulsion system incorporates a torque splitting device which consists of a differential gear means and a ratio gear means. The torque splitting device assigns a selectable fixed fraction of the engine torque to each propeller regardless of power, thrust, and speed conditions. The rear one of the two propellers adjusts its rotational speed relative to the front propeller in response to changes in the front propeller's wake and in this way maintains optimum propulsive efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions. Furthermore, precise matching of front and rear propeller parameters for a given application is no longer required.

This invention relates to a marine propulsion system, and more particularly to such a system incorporating dual counterrotating propellers.
In a marine propulsion system, it is known to employ dual counterrotating propellers for driving a boat. The propellers are oppositely pitched, so that rotation of each propeller provides forward thrust to the boat. Employment of counterrotating propellers offsets torque imbalances which result from the use of a single propeller and improves system efficiency particularly at high speeds and high thrust.
Current practice in designing a dual counterrotating propeller system provides a driving connection between the engine and two concentric propellers which typically employs a fixed drive ratio to each propeller. In such a system, the propellers rotate at equal rotational speeds.
The above-noted design results in operating inefficiencies. For example, the forward one of the two propellers accelerates the water in its path in a helical direction, as all screw propellers do. The amount of helical motion imparted to the water depends on the state of thrust and speed of the propeller at any moment. Whereas the forward propeller operates on relatively undisturbed .water with no rotational movement, the rear propeller runs in the wake of the forward propeller, facing various degrees of rotation and velocity of the water exiting the forward propeller.
To deal with this problem, current practice matches the propeller pitches and diameters and sometimes blade areas to optimize the system efficiency at a selected operating condition. But because boat weight, engine power setting, and operating speed are not within the control of the propeller designer, the propeller match will rarely produce optimum results. One way to refine this approach is shown in Brandt U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,670, which incorporates supercavitating operation in the rear propeller. This system provides improved operation due to the flatter torque to slip relationship of a supercavitating propeller versus a standard propeller. However, the supercavitating propeller efficiency is typically lower than that of a standard propeller at moderate speeds. Furthermore, as operating conditions deviate from the optimal design conditions, some deterioration of efficiency will still occur because of the inability of the rear propeller to change pitch or rotational speed relative to the forward propeller.
The object of this invention is to allow the propellers in a dual propeller installation to deal with the variable, rotational motion and speed of water in the wake of the forward propeller without reference to a selected design condition. As mentioned earlier, a variable adjustment of either pitch or rotational speed of the rear propeller will produce the desired matching of propeller parameters to the operating conditions. Because of the mechanical complexity in the confined space of a propeller hub, the pitch adjustment has been rejected in favor of a rotational speed adjustment which may be accomplished away from the submerged parts of the drive unit.
The essence of the invention is a torque splitting device between the engine output shaft and the propellers which forces a selectable fixed fraction of the engine torque to be transmitted to each propeller regardless of engine power, thrust requirement, or boat speed. The rotational speed of each propeller is allowed to adjust relative to the other propeller through a differential device operationally analagous to an automotive differential gear. Any change in operating conditions at one propeller that causes an increase or decrease of torque allows the forward propeller to slow down or speed up as required by such conditions, causing a corresponding speed-up or slow down in the rotational speed of the second propeller, which results in an increase or decrease of torque in the second propeller until the torque balance is reestablished. This way a precise matching of front and rear propeller parameters is no longer required. Each propeller will provide its assigned share of thrust under all conditions, resulting in optimized system efficiency for a wide range of operating conditions. In addition, the portion of thrust assigned to each propeller is selectable as a result of this invention.
In a typical dual propeller counterrotation marine drive system, the front and rear propellers are each mounted to a propeller shaft, with the respective propeller shafts being rotatably mounted in the lower portion of the marine drive unit housing. The propeller shafts are preferably coaxially mounted within a torpedo formed in the lower portion of the drive unit housing. The torque splitting device of the invention is drivingly interconnected between the propeller shafts and the engine crankshaft. In one embodiment, the marine drive system includes a pair of drive shafts rotatably mounted in the drive unit housing, with each of the drive shafts being drivingly connected to one of the propeller shafts. The torque splitting device is interconnected with the drive shafts so as to provide an adjustment to the relative rotational speed of each drive shaft in response to propeller operating conditions. With this arrangement, the drive shafts extend upwardly above the waterline during boat operation, and the compensating gear means can likewise be disposed above the waterline so as not to effect the frontal area of the submerged portion of the drive unit. A reversing transmission may then also be disposed above the waterline. In another embodiment of the invention, the torque splitting device is housed within the torpedo between an input shaft, driven in response to the engine crankshaft, and the propeller shafts.
In each of the above embodiments, the torque splitting device includes counterrotation drive means which imparts counterrotation to the propeller shafts, and thereby to the propellers. The torque splitting device accomplishes its objective by providing two or more drive pinions mounted to a carrier member, which is adapted to be driven in response to rotation of the engine crankshaft. The drive pinions generally comprise two or more gears rotatably mounted to two or more pins mounted to the carrier member. The two or more drive pinions are interconnected with first and second driven gears, which are drivingly connected to first and second drive shafts. The counterrotation drive means may be located at any satisfactory location in the drive train to ultimately impart counterrotation to the concentric propeller shafts. During normal operation, the drive pinions do not rotate about the pins to which they are mounted. However, when operating conditions vary, the rotational speed adjustment of one or the other of the propellers is transmitted through the gearing system so as to cause the drive pinions to rotate about the pins to which they are mounted. This rotation of the drive pinions is transmitted to the driven gears so as to cause an increase or decrease in the rotational speed thereof, resulting in an increase or decrease in the speed of the propeller driven by such driven gear.

Torque splitting drive train mechanism for a dual counterrotating propeller marine drive system


A data communications apparatus is disclosed for providing a data communications network. The apparatus includes a portable carrying case. A power supply is securable inside the case. A router device is securable inside the case, the router device including at least one cellular gateway for wide area network communication and configured to enable at least one wireless network for local area network communication. An antenna array is in electrical communication with the router device, the antenna array including at least a first pair of cellular antennas, at least two wireless networking antennas, and a satellite antenna. The first pair of cellular antennas are configured to support multiple input multiple output applications for the at least one cellular gateway, and the at least two wireless networking antennas are configured to support multiple input multiple output applications for the at least one wireless network.

This present disclosure generally relates to the field of data communications.
More specifically, the present disclosure relates to facilitating various types of communications, including secure, high-speed data communications, and voice communications when current end user devices may detect that little or no wireless or voice signal is available. Network failures and slow data communications occur for a myriad of reasons—from crowded networks to natural disasters—leading to frustrations in a society that is growing ever dependent on the ability to transmit and receive communications, including secure, high-speed data. Further, obtaining data and voice communication in remote areas without readily available power supplies, internet connectivity, and/or where cellular coverage is weak or non-existent can be difficult if not impossible, which can be especially undesirable for public safety officials and others that often rely on data and voice communications for work projects in rural environments and in disaster relief situations.
Conventional data communication units are large, bulky, and difficult to transport, and thus are typically retained in a generally fixed or permanent location. Additionally, conventional, portable antennas are typically located on the outside of a data communications unit, creating a cumbersome device that is not aesthetically pleasing, where the antennas are freely exposed to external wear, tear and breakage.
What is needed then are improvements to data communication units.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Semiconductor components having a semiconductor body which includes a semiconductor base surface have to be sealed with a molding compound in order to protect against moisture or heat. Mechanical interlocking of the molding compound to the semiconductor base surface is achieved by means of at least one interlocking structure. This may be either a horizontal interlocking structure for mechanically interlocking the molding compound to the semiconductor base surface in the direction which is horizontal with respect to the semiconductor base surface and/or a vertical interlocking structure for mechanically interlocking the molding compound to the semiconductor base surface in the direction which is vertical with respect to the semiconductor base surface.

The invention relates to a semiconductor component and to a method for fabricating a semiconductor component. Semiconductor components are used in a very wide range of fields and are in some cases exposed to a large number of unfavorable influences which can destroy the semiconductor component, such as for example heat, cold, moisture, etc.
Consequently, molding compound is used to seal a semiconductor body of a semiconductor component. However, this molding compound may become detached from the semiconductor body. This problem occurs to an increased extent in particular in the case of power technologies, in which very thick copper (>2 μm) is used instead of the layer of aluminum in order to improve the current-carrying capacity. The power metallization may in this case cover well over 50% of the surface area of the chip. To protect the copper from corrosion, the copper may be covered with an NiP/Pd/Au layer. This layer sequence also allows bonding using an Au nail head or an Al wedge.
FIGS. 1-0 to 1-7 illustrates the production of a chip of this type in a number of steps. In the basic process of FIG. 1-0, the oxide O is passivated P by means of sputtering and a Via2 etch to a metal layer Met2 is carried out. In the next step of FIG. 1-1, sputtering is carried out to produce a tungsten/titanium barrier W/Ti, followed by sputtering to produce a copper seed layer Cu-S. In the following step of FIG. 1-2, a negative resist L with a thickness of approx. 30 μm is applied by means of photographic technology. This is followed, in the next step of FIG. 1-3, by an electroplating process, in which copper Cu is applied with a thickness of, for example, approx. 20 μm. Then, the negative resist L is stripped, cf. step FIG. 1-4. In the step of FIG. 1-5, the barrier/seed layer, that is, the tungsten/titanium barrier W/Ti and the copper seed layer Cu-S are stripped, and in the step of FIG. 1-6, a coating C is applied over the copper Cu by means of autogenous electroplating. The bonding of the chip is illustrated in the step of FIG. 1-7.
It should be noted that throughout the following description, in each case identical reference symbols are used to denote identical layers or materials.
With chips or semiconductor components of this type, the problem arises that the housing molding compounds (also referred to below as molding compounds) have poor adhesion to precious metals, and therefore there is a high risk of the molding compound becoming detached or delaminated from the chip surface, that is, from the semiconductor base surface. The delamination of the molding compound from the chip surface is described, inter alia, in ULSI Technology; Chapter 10; C. Y. Chang, S. M. Sze, McGraw-Hill; ISBN 0-07-114105-7.
The delamination can cause the metallization and/or the chip passivation to be damaged, in particular in the event of fluctuating thermal loads. Moisture can collect at the delaminated chip surfaces and may lead, inter alia, to leakage currents and even short circuits between adjacent copper interconnects or components. Moreover, in the case of passivation cracks, the moisture may penetrate further into the chip, where it can lead to chip malfunctions. In other words, the semiconductor component is destroyed by the delamination, so that it is no longer guaranteed to be able to function.
If power copper is used, one possible way of avoiding the problems described above is for the molding compound to be matched to the chip passivation and to the uncovered metal layers, that is, to copper, in such a way that the molding compound bonds both to the uncovered metal layers, that is, the copper, and to the chip passivation. A procedure of this type is described, for example, in "LeadFrameOnChip offers Integrated Power Bus and Bond over Active Circuit"; T Efland; Proceedings of 2001 International Symposium on Power Semiconductors Devices & ICs; Osaka; pp. 65-68, where the molding compound has to cover large areas of copper. Matching of the molding compound means that two different molding compounds, that is, the standard molding compound and the molding compound which is optimized for copper, have to be processed, which entails additional logistics costs and/or requires new molding machines in the back end.
Even the use of photoimide to improve the bonding between molding compound and chip, as is used for standard aluminum metallization, does not give any indication as to how to improve the bonding of the molding compound to the chip. If the topology of the power copper fluctuates extremely extensively, with height differences of >5 μm, the ability of this process used for standard aluminum metallization to be transferred to this application is very questionable. Firstly, the imide does not need to flow fully into all the trenches, resulting in the formation of cavities in which moisture can in turn accumulate. Secondly, the imide always has to be thermally cured in furnaces. Since layers comprising Au, Pd, Ni and Cu have already been applied to the wafers, dedicated furnaces have to be used in order to avoid cross-contamination with standard wafers. This would entail machinery investment costs. Furthermore, the imide has to be opened up again using an expensive photographic working step.

Semiconductor component and method for fabricating


A memory device is provided. The memory device includes a bottom conductive line, a stacked structure, a side oxide layer, a dielectric layer and a side semiconductor layer. The stacked structure is disposed on the bottom conductive line, and includes a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer disposed above the first semiconductor layer, and a plurality of oxide layers alternately stacked with the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. The side oxide layer is disposed on both side walls of the first conductive layer. The dielectric layer is disposed on the stacked structure. The side semiconductor layer is disposed on the dielectric layer.

Electrically-erasable programmable read-only Memory (EEPROM) possesses random-bit operations and is ideal in some applications. However, EEPROM is not scalable because of the large two-transistor (2T) design and large operation voltages. Thus, EEPROM has evolved into flash structure historically, where one-transistor (1T) array with block erase method enables device scaling.
However, block erase method of 1T flash architecture abandons the random access feature of EEPROM. For NAND Flash, the serial connected to NAND string inevitably makes the read current very small (<500 nA), leading to slow read speed.
Ideally, if flash (charge-storage) device can be designed with random access write/erase, and fast read speed, together with high scalability and 3D stackability, then such a 3D EEPROM device is probably even more competitive than emerging memory devices such as PCRAM and ReRAM.

Memory device having interchangeable gate/channel transistor and manufacturing method of the same


A piezoelectric loudspeaker includes: a piezoelectric vibrator including a diaphragm and a piezoelectric member provided on at least one face of the diaphragm, the diaphragm being vibrated by the piezoelectric member; a frame for supporting the piezoelectric vibrator; and a visco-elastic member provided on at least one face of the piezoelectric vibrator. The visco-elastic member is disposed in a substantial center of the piezoelectric vibrator. The visco-elastic member has a bottom face area which accounts for about 11% to about 80% of a bottom face area of the diaphragm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric loudspeaker having flat reproduced sound volume characteristics in a wide range of frequencies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker structures are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 63-81595 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-135299.
FIG. 38 illustrates the structure of a conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 63-81595. This conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker includes a piezoelectric diaphragm, which is composed of two thin piezoelectric members 31A and 31B electrodes 32A, 32B, 32C attached together, and a kneaded mixture 33 of metal powder and adhesive. Reference numerals 34A and 34B denote electrical input lines. The mixture 33 is adhered to the central portion of the piezoelectric diaphragm so as to damp the resonance peak Q at the resonance points of the piezoelectric loudspeaker, thereby improving the vibration mode characteristics. This technique of attaching visco-elastic member, i.e., the kneaded mixture 33 in a smaller diameter of the central portion of the diaphragm results in a somewhat reduced resonance peak. However, the amount of resonance attenuation obtained is well below a sufficient level. As a result, this conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker cannot attain sufficiently flat reproduced sound volume-frequency characteristics.
FIG. 39 illustrates the structure of a conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-135299. This conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker includes: a metal diaphragm 35; a piezoelectric vibrator composed of a thin piezoelectric member 36 attached to one side of the diaphragm 35; a soft damper plate 39 made of foam resin, rubber, or the like with the same outer diameter as that of the metal diaphragm 35 overlaid on the opposite side of the metal diaphragm 35: and a frame 37 for sandwiching the metal diaphragm 35 and the damper plate 39 at their outer peripheries around their entire circumferences for providing stable support for the metal diaphragm 35 and the damper plate 39. Reference numerals 38A and 38B denote electrical input lines. It is possible to impart this piezoelectric loudspeaker with various frequency characteristics by selecting the sandwiching pressure in accordance with the materials composing the metal diaphragm 35 and the damper plate 39. However, in accordance with the above conventional structure, the soft damper plate 39 and the metal diaphragm 35 are sandwiched by the frame 37 at their outer peripheries. Such a soft damper plate 39, extending all the way to the frame 37, may allow the vibratory force induced by the vibrator 36 to be transmitted into the frame 37. As a result, this conventional piezoelectric loudspeaker will not attain large vibration amplitude and hence it will not reproduce sounds at high sound volume.
Moreover, as the input voltage to the aforementioned conventional piezoelectric loudspeakers is increased, an excessive amplitude may occur, especially within the vicinity of the central portion of the piezoelectric vibrator. This may result in the xe2x80x98peelingxe2x80x99 of the piezoelectric member from the metal diaphragm, and even the destruction of the piezoelectrio vibrator.
It is known that the lowest reproducible frequency in the reproduced sound volume characteristics can be lowered as the diameter of the metal diaphragm is increased. However, this also creates a corresponding decrease in the highest reproducible frequency. Thus, it is difficult to attain a wide reproduction band width with the conventional piezoelectric loudspeakers of the type discussed above.
In a further case where a piezoelectric member is affixed on each side of the metal diaphragm, it is necessary to affix lead wires to both piezoelectric loudspeakers, and the lead wires must lead out from above and below the frame. This is aesthetically and electrically unpreferable, and may create problems such as peeling, entanglement, or even severance of the lead wires, resulting in a malfunction.
A piezoelectric loudspeaker according to the present invention includes: a piezoelectric vibrator including a diaphragm and a piezoelectric member provided on at least one face of the diaphragm, the diaphragm being vibrated by the piezoelectric member: a frame for supporting the piezoelectric vibrator: and a visco-elastic member provided on at least one face of the piezoelectric vibrator, wherein the visco-elastic member is disposed in a substantial center of the piezoelectric vibrator, and wherein the visco-elastic member has a bottom face area which accounts for about 11% to about 80% of a bottom face area of the diaphragm.
In one embodiment of the invention, the visco-elastic member includes two or more visco-elastic members stacked on top of each other, and the two or more types of visco-elastic members at least have different materials or different shapes.
In another embodiment of the invention, the visco-elastic member includes first and second visco-elastic members which are provided on opposite sides of the piezoelectric vibrator.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the first and second, visco-elastic members at least have different materials or different shapes.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the visco-elastic member includes two or more visco-elastic members having mutually different values in at least one of specific gravity, Young""s modulus, and internal loss, and the two or more types of visco-elastic members are disposed in a concentric manner.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a rigid member is provided on the visco-elastic member, the rigid member having a specific gravity which is larger than a specific gravity of the visco-elastic member.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric vibrator has at least one aperture, the at least one aperture being at least partially filled by the visco-elastic member.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the frame has a horn-like configuration having an opening, the opening having a gradually increasing cross-sectional area away from the piezoelectric vibrator and toward a final opening at which soundwaves are emitted, and the visco-elastic member has a conical configuration having a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area away from the piezoelectric vibrator and toward the final opening.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes an element provided in a central portion of the visco-elastic member, at least one of specific gravity and elastic modulus of the element being larger than specific gravity and/or elastic modulus of the visco-elastic member.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the visco-elastic member includes notches at least in one portion thereof.
Alternatively, the piezoelectric loudspeaker plurality of includes: a piezoelectric vibrator including a diaphragm and a piezoelectric member provided on at least one face of the diaphragm, the diaphragm being vibrated by the piezoelectric member; a frame for supporting the piezoelectric vibrator; and a support element for supporting the piezoelectric vibrator at a substantial center of the piezoelectric vibrator.
In one embodiment of the invention, the support element includes a conductive portion which is in electrical contact with the piezoelectric vibrator, and an electrical input is applied to the conductive portion.
In another embodiment of the invention, the loudspeaker further includes a visco-elastic member provided on at least one face of the piezoelectric vibrator.
Alternatively, the piezoelectric loudspeaker according to the present invention includes: a piezoelectric vibrator including a diaphragm and a plurality of piezoelectric members provided on at least one face of the diaphragm, the diaphragm being vibrated by the plurality of piezoelectric members; and a frame for supporting the piezoelectric vibrator, wherein different voltages are applied to at least two of the plurality of piezoelectric members.
In one embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes a visco-elastic member provided on at least one face of the piezoelectric vibrator.
In another embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of piezoelectric members receives an electric input via an electrical resistance.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the plurality of piezoelectric members are defined by at least two split sections of the visco-elastic member provided on at least one face of the piezoelectric vibrator.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes an electrically resistant member for interconnecting at least two of the plurality of piezoelectric members.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes a plate for connecting at least one said visco-elastic member to the frame so as to damp unwanted vibration of the piezoelectric vibrator, wherein an enclosed space is formed by the plate, the frame, and the diaphragm.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the plate has at least through-hole.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the visco-elastic member includes a conductive portion which is in electrical contact with the piezoelectric vibrator, and an electrical input is applied to the conductive portion.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes a lead wire for applying an electric input to the piezoelectric member, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator has at least one through-hole through which the lead wire is coupled to the piezoelectric member.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes a cover for protecting at least one said visco-elastic member and the piezoelectric vibrator.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the piezoelectric loudspeaker further includes a conductive terminal for applying an electrical input to the piezoelectric member, the conductive terminal being provided within the cover.
Alternatively, the piezoelectric loudspeaker according to the present invention includes: a piezoelectric vibrator including a diaphragm and a piezoelectric member provided on at least one face of the diaphragm, the diaphragm being vibrated by the piezoelectric member: a frame for supporting the piezoelectric vibrator; and a visco-elastic member provided on at least one face of the piezoelectric vibrator, wherein the visco-elastic member is disposed in a substantial center of the piezoelectric vibrator, wherein the visco-elastic member has a bottom face area which accounts for about 11% to about 80% of a bottom face area of the diaphragm, and wherein the bottom face area of the visco-elastic member is equal to or greater than the bottom face area of the piezoelectric member, and a diameter of the visco-elastic member is smaller than the inner diameter of the frame.
In one embodiment of the invention, the frame includes a conductive portion which is in electrical contact with the piezoelectric vibrator, and an electrical input is applied to the conductive portion.
Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the advantage of providing a piezoelectric loudspeaker which attains a high reproduced sound volume level, a wide reproduction frequency band width, flat reproduced sound volume-frequency characteristics with a relatively simple structure.
This and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying figures.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A frequency band adjusting method, in a first communication system and a second communication system sharing usable frequency band with each other, for adjusting the frequency band used by a first communication apparatus in the first communication system, comprising: determining whether or not increase in the frequency band used by the first communication apparatus is necessary based on the frequency band used by the first communication apparatus and the number of access to the first communication apparatus; determining whether or not increase in the frequency band used by the first communication apparatus is to be approved, according as there is or there is not unused frequency band not used by a second communication apparatus in the second communication system having coverage overlapping with the first communication apparatus; and, if increase is approved, increasing the frequency band used by the first communication apparatus.

In recent years, various radio communication systems are being used in parallel. Examples of radio communication systems presently in service include a 3rd generation mobile communication system, 3.5th generation mobile communication system, 3.9th generation mobile communication system, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), and Wi-MAX (World Interoperability Microwave), etc.
A radio communication control method has been proposed which can improve overall throughput of radio communication traffic in a radio communication area in a radio communication environment where plural types of radio communication systems are mixedly used in a neighboring radio communication area. When a multi-mode control station communicates with a terminal station in a network through plural types of communication systems, a communication link parameter collecting unit collects parameters indicating the state of communication links, and a resource allocation determining unit determines allocation of communication resources such that throughput is the greatest for each resource allocation period based on the parameters. A communication control unit controls the multi-mode communication unit based on the result of this determination.
Also, a dynamic spatial frequency division multiplex communication system has been proposed which includes a base station that acquires control information for a space/frequency mapping system to map user terminals on a space and frequency by executing optimization calculation utilizing an optimization equation, and a plurality of user terminals which, after receiving the control information, use this information to control the transmission system of the transmitter. In this system, resource allocation between different users may be balanced in each region of transmission power, band width and a spatial channel so that a high system capacity can be achieved and utilization factor of frequency resource can be improved.
Also, a radio communication system has been proposed in which frequency can be dynamically arranged to a plurality of radio communication systems which use the same frequency band. The control unit uses a part of the frequency band in overlapping manner with other radio communication systems. A plurality of base stations controlled by the control unit are provided with repetition utilization cell number determining means, which assign individual frequency channels to each divided band obtained by dividing the assigned frequency band of its own radio communication system, and based on the utilization state of the frequency band assigned to at least one other radio communication system, determine the frequency repetition utilization cell number that indicates number of repetition utilization of a frequency channel which is assigned to each divided band, and frequency band determining means that determine the divided band to be assigned to each of the base stations based on the number of frequency repetition utilization cells.
Also, a mobile communication system has been proposed which is capable of improving the efficiency of frequency utilization by adaptively allocating radio resources such as a frequency block, a time slot, a code or a combination of them to a plurality of cells. A mobile communication system is provided with a plurality of base station apparatuses which provide communication services to mobile station apparatuses. A mobile communication system includes means for acquiring information on the utilization state of the radio resources of the peripheral base station apparatus through the mobile station apparatuses existing near the peripheral base station apparatus, and means for preventing the radio resources being currently used in the peripheral base station apparatus from being used in a focused base station apparatus or making it difficult to allocate user data to the radio resources of the focused base station apparatus on the basis of the acquired information.
Related art is disclosed in WO 2005/117473 pamphlet, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications No. 2007-184933, No. 2005-210703 and No. 2008-278265.

Frequency band adjusting method, communication apparatus and frequency band adjusting apparatus


A slider comprises a slider section and an element section. The slider section has a first medium facing surface and an air inflow end. The element section has a second medium facing surface, an air outflow end, and a thin-film magnetic head element. The slider section and the element section are produced separately, and bonded to each other so that the air inflow end and the air outflow end are disposed on opposite sides with the first and second medium facing surfaces in between.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slider of a thin-film magnetic head which comprises a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium and a thin-film magnetic head element located near the medium facing surface, and to a method of manufacturing such a slider.
2. Description of the Related Art
Performance improvements in thin-film magnetic heads have been sought as areal recording density of hard disk drives has increased. Such thin-film magnetic heads include composite thin-film magnetic heads that have been widely used. A composite head is made of a layered structure including a recording head having an induction-type electromagnetic transducer for writing and a reproducing head having a magnetoresistive element (that may be hereinafter called an MR element) for reading. MR elements include an anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) element that utilizes the AMR effect and a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) element that utilizes the GMR effect. A reproducing head using an AMR element is called an AMR head or simply an MR head. A reproducing head using a GMR element is called a GMR head. An AMR head is used as a reproducing head where areal recording density is more than 1 gigabit per square inch. A GMR head is used as a reproducing head where areal recording density is more than 3 gigabits per square inch. It is GMR heads that have been most widely used recently.
Performance of the reproducing head is improved by replacing the AMR film with a GMR film and the like having an excellent magnetoresistive sensitivity. Alternatively, a pattern width such as the reproducing track width and the MR height, in particular, may be optimized. The MR height is the length (height) between an end of the MR element located in the air bearing surface and the other end. The air bearing surface is a surface of the thin-film magnetic head facing toward a magnetic recording medium.
Performance improvements in a recording head are also required as the performance of a reproducing head is improved. It is required to increase the recording track density in order to increase the areal recording density among the performance characteristics of the recording head. To achieve this, it is required to implement a recording head of a narrow track structure wherein the width of top and bottom poles sandwiching the recording gap layer on a side of the air bearing surface is reduced down to microns or a submicron order. Semiconductor process techniques are utilized to implement such a structure. A pattern width, such as the throat height in particular, is also a factor that determines the recording head performance. The throat height is the length (height) of pole portions, that is, portions of magnetic pole layers facing each other with a recording gap layer in between, between the air-bearing-surface-side end and the other end. To achieve improvement in the recording head performance, it is desirable to reduce the throat height. The throat height is controlled by an amount of lapping when the air bearing surface is processed.
As thus described, it is important to fabricate well-balanced recording and reproducing heads to improve the performance of the thin-film magnetic head.
In order to implement a thin-film magnetic head that achieves high recording density, the requirements for the reproducing head include a reduction in reproducing track width, an increase in reproducing output, and a reduction in noise. The requirements for the recording head include a reduction in recording track width, an improvement in overwrite property that is a parameter indicating one of characteristics when data is written over existing data, and an improvement in nonlinear transition shift.
In general, a flying-type thin-film magnetic head used in a hard disk drive and the like is made up of a slider having a thin-film magnetic head element formed at the trailing edge thereof. The slider slightly flies over a recording medium by means of airflow generated by the rotation of the medium.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 65 to 67 to describe an example of a method of manufacturing a related-art thin-film magnetic head element. FIG. 65 is a cross section orthogonal to the air bearing surface. FIG. 66 is a cross section of the thin-film magnetic head element parallel to the air bearing surface. FIG. 67 is a top view of the thin-film magnetic head element.
According to the manufacturing method, an insulating layer 102 made of alumina (Al2O3), for example, is first formed on a substrate 101 made of aluminum oxide and titanium carbide (Al2O3xe2x80x94TiC), for example. On the insulating layer 102, a bottom shield layer 103 of a magnetic material is formed for a reproducing head. Next, a bottom shield gap film 104 of an insulating material such as alumina is formed on the bottom shield layer 103. An MR element 105 for reproduction is then formed on the bottom shield gap film 104. On the bottom shield gap film 104, a pair of electrode layers 106 are formed to be electrically connected to the MR element 105. Next, a top shield gap film 107 of an insulating material such as alumina is formed on the bottom shield gap film 104, the MR element 105 and the electrode layers 106. The MR element 105 is embedded in the shield gap films 104 and 107.
Next, a top-shield-layer-cum-bottom-pole layer (called a bottom pole layer in the following description) 108 is formed on the top shield gap film 107. The bottom pole layer 108 is made of a magnetic material and used for both the reproducing head and the recording head. A recording gap layer 109 of an insulating film such as an alumina film is then formed on the bottom pole layer 108. Next, the recording gap layer 109 is partially etched to form a contact hole for making a magnetic path. A top pole tip 110 of a magnetic material is then formed for the recording head on the recording gap layer 109 in the pole portion. At the same time, a magnetic layer 119 of a magnetic material is formed for making the magnetic path in the contact hole for making the magnetic path.
Next, the recording gap layer 109 and the bottom pole layer 108 are etched through ion milling, using the top pole tip 110 as a mask. As shown in FIG. 66, the structure is called a trim structure wherein the sidewalls of the top pole portion (the top pole tip 110), the recording gap layer 109, and a part of the bottom pole layer 108 are formed vertically in a self-aligned manner. Next, an insulating layer 111 made of an alumina film, for example, is formed over the entire surface. The insulating layer 111 is then lapped to the surfaces of the top pole tip 110 and the magnetic layer 119 and flattened.
On the flattened insulating layer 111, a first layer 112 of a thin-film coil, made of copper (Cu), for example, is formed for the induction-type recording head. Next, a photoresist layer 113 is formed into a specific shape on the insulating layer 111 and the first layer 112 of the coil. Heat treatment is performed at a specific temperature to flatten the surface of the photoresist layer 113. Next, a second layer 114 of the thin-film coil is formed on the photoresist layer 113. A photoresist layer 115 is then formed into a specific shape on the photoresist layer 113 and the second layer 114 of the coil. Heat treatment is performed at a specific temperature to flatten the surface of the photoresist layer 115.
A top pole layer 116 for the recording head is formed on the top pole tip 110, the photoresist layers 113 and 115 and the magnetic layer 119. The top pole layer 116 is made of a magnetic material such as Permalloy (NiFe). Next, an overcoat layer 117 of alumina, for example, is formed to cover the top pole layer 116. Finally, machine processing of the slider including the forgoing layers is performed to form the air bearing surface 118 of the recording head and the reproducing head. The thin-film magnetic head element is thus completed.
In FIG. 67, the overcoat layer 117 and the other insulating layers and films are not shown.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 68 to 73 to describe the configuration and functions of a related-art slider. FIG. 68 is a bottom view showing an example of the configuration of the air bearing surface of the related-art slider. FIG. 69 is a perspective view of the related-art slider. In the example shown in FIGS. 68 and 69, the air bearing surface of the slider 120 is shaped such that the slider 120 slightly flies over the surface of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk by means of an airflow generated by the rotation of the recording medium. In this example, a thin-film magnetic head element 122 is disposed at a position near the air outflow end of the slider 120 (the end on the upper side of FIG. 68) and near the air bearing surface thereof. The configuration of the thin-film magnetic head element 122 is as shown in FIGS. 65 to 67, for example. Portion A of FIG. 68 corresponds to FIG. 66.
In the example shown in FIGS. 68 and 69, the air bearing surface of the slider 120 has first surfaces 121a that are closest to the recording medium, a second surface 121b having a first difference in level from the first surfaces 121a, and a third surface 121c having a second difference in level, greater than the first difference in level, from the first surfaces 121a. The first surfaces 121a are provided close to both sides along the width of the slider 120 (the lateral direction in FIG. 68) and around the thin-film magnetic head element 122. The second surface 121b is provided close to the air inflow end (the end on the lower side of FIG. 68). The remaining part of the air bearing surface, i.e., the part other than the first and second surfaces 121a and 121b, constitutes the third surface 121c. The first difference in level between the first and second surfaces 121a and 121b is about 1 xcexcm. The second difference in level between the first and third surfaces 121a and 121c is about 2 to 3 xcexcm.
While the recording medium is rotating, a pressure is created between the recording medium and the first surfaces 121a of the air bearing surface of the slider 120 shown in FIGS. 68 and 69, the pressure moving the slider 120 away from the recording medium. In the air bearing surface of the slider 120 shown in FIGS. 68 and 69, the second surface 121b is disposed near the air inflow end, and the third surface 121c is disposed closer to the air outflow end than the second surface 121b is. Here, while the recording medium is rotating, the air passing through between the second surface 121b and the recording medium increases in volume when it reaches the space between the third surface 121c and the recording medium. Accordingly, a negative pressure which draws the slider 120 toward the recording medium is generated between the third surface 121c and the recording medium. As a result, while the recording medium is rotating, the slider 120 flies over the recording medium, being inclined such that the air outflow end is closer to the recording medium than the air inflow end is. The inclination of the air bearing surface of the slider 120 with respect to the surface of the recording medium is designed to fall within 1xc2x0, for example. The amount of flying of the slider 120 can be reduced by appropriately designing the shape of the air bearing surface.
The slider 120 is fabricated as follows. First, a wafer that includes a plurality of rows of portions to be sliders (hereinafter called slider portions), each of the slider portions including the thin-film magnetic head element 122, is cut in one direction to form blocks called bars each of which includes a row of slider portions. The surface of this bar to be the air bearing surface is then lapped into a lapped surface. Then, first photoresist masks are formed by photolithography on a portion of this lapped surface, the portion being to be the first surfaces 121a. Using the first photoresist masks, the lapped surface is selectively etched to form a stepped surface that has the first difference in level from the lapped surface. The first photoresist masks are then removed. Then, a second photoresist mask is formed by photolithography on the portion of the lapped surface that is to be the first surfaces 121a and on a portion of the stepped surface that is to be the second surface 121b. Using this second photoresist mask, the stepped surface is selectively etched to form the third surface 121c having the second difference in level from the lapped surface. In this way, the first surfaces 121a, the second surface 121b, and the third surface 121c are formed. Then, the bar is cut into the individual sliders 120.
FIG. 70 is a sectional view illustrating the slider 120 and a recording medium 140 in a state in which the recording medium 140 is at rest. In FIG. 70, the slider 120 is shown as sectioned along line 70xe2x80x9470 of FIG. 68. FIG. 71 shows the slider 120 as viewed from the upper side of FIG. 68.
As shown in FIG. 70, the greater part of the slider 120 is made up of the substrate 101 made of aluminum oxide and titanium carbide, for example. The rest of the slider 120 is made up of an insulating portion 127 of alumina, for example, and the thin-film magnetic head element 122 and so on formed in the insulating portion 127. The greater part of the insulating portion 127 is the overcoat layer 117.
In the slider 120 shown in FIGS. 70 and 71, a protection layer 128 of a material such as diamond-like carbon (DLC) is formed on the air bearing surface so as to protect the bottom shield layer 103, the bottom pole layer 108, the top pole tip 110, the top pole layer 116 and others from corrosion.
FIG. 72 is a sectional view illustrating the slider 120 and the recording medium 140 in a state in which the recording medium 140 has just started rotation from a resting state. FIG. 73 shows a state in which the recording medium 140 is rotating and the slider 120 is flying over the surface of the recording medium 140 to perform reading and writing with the thin-film magnetic head element 122. While the slider 120 is flying, the minimum distance H11 between the slider 120 and the recording medium 140 is about 8 to 10 nm, and the distance H12 between the air outflow end of the slider 120 and the recording medium 140 is about 100 to 500 nm.
Measures for improving the performance of a hard disk drive, such as areal recording density in particular, include increasing a linear recording density and increasing a track density. To design a high-performance hard disk drive, specific measures to be taken for implementing the recording head, the reproducing head or the thin-film magnetic head as a whole differ depending on whether linear recording density or track density is emphasized. That is, if priority is given to track density, a reduction in track width is required for both the recording head and the reproducing head, for example.
If priority is given to linear recording density, it is required for the reproducing head, for example, to improve the reproducing output and to reduce a shield gap length, that is, the distance between the bottom shield layer and the top shield layer. Furthermore, it is required to reduce the distance between the recording medium and the thin-film magnetic head element (hereinafter called a magnetic space).
A reduction in magnetic space is achieved by reducing the amount of flying of the slider. A reduction in magnetic space contributes not only to an improvement in the reproducing output of the reproducing head but also to an improvement in the overwrite property of the recording head.
The amount of flying of the slider can be reduced, for example, by forming the first, second, and third surfaces having differences in level from one another in the air bearing surface of the slider as shown in FIGS. 68 and 69.
According to the conventional method of manufacturing a slider, a wafer is cut in one direction to form a plurality of bars, and the bars are lapped to have a lapped surface, followed by formation of the first to third surfaces in the lapped surface of each bar. The step of forming the first to third surfaces in the lapped surface can be performed for a plurality of bars at a time. To this end, however, it is necessary that the plurality of bars be placed in a prescribed arrangement and then subjected to mask-forming and etching processes. Thus, the conventional method involves a large number of steps for manufacturing a slider, which increases the manufacturing cost of the slider.
On the other hand, as the magnetic space is reduced, the slider is likely to collide with the recording medium, which can result in damage to the recording medium and the thin-film magnetic head element. To avoid this, it is required to enhance the smoothness of the surface of the medium. However, the slider easily sticks to the medium if the smoothness of the surface of the medium is enhanced. This results in a problem that the slider is harder to take off from the recording medium when the recording medium starts rotation from a resting state where the slider is in contact with the recording medium.
Conventionally, a crown or a camber is formed on the air bearing surface of the slider in order to prevent the slider from sticking to the recording medium. A crown refers to a convex surface which gently curves along the length of the slider 120 as shown in FIG. 70. A camber refers to a convex surface which gently curves along the width of the slider 120 as shown in FIG. 71. The crown has a difference of elevation C1 on the order of 10 to 50 nm. The camber has a difference of elevation C2 on the order of 5 to 20 nm.
Crowns are conventionally formed, for example, by changing the orientation of the bar with respect to the surface plate when lapping the air bearing surface of the bar.
Cambers are conventionally formed by the following method, for example. That is, after lapping the air bearing surface of the bar to adjust MR height, slits are made in the bar, using a diamond grinder or the like, at positions at which the slider portions are to be separated. Then, the air bearing surface of the bar is re-lapped lightly on a concave surface plate.
In the above-described method for forming cambers, after the MR height is precisely adjusted by lapping the air bearing surface of the bar, the air bearing surface of the bar is lapped again by about 10 to 20 nm in order to form the camber. This results in a problem that the MR height can deviate from its desired value. Further, according to this method, when the air bearing surface of the bar is lapped on the concave surface plate, the bar can be scratched by stain and dust on the surface plate, which results in a problem of a lower yield of the thin-film magnetic heads. Further, according to this method, when the air bearing surface of the bar is lapped on the concave surface plate, chippings of the electrode layer connected to the MR element may be jammed and spread between the air bearing surface and the surface plate, producing a defect called a smear. The smear sometimes causes an electric short circuit between the MR element and the shield layers. The short circuit can lower the sensitivity of the reproducing head and produce noise in the reproducing output, thereby deteriorating the performance of the reproducing head.
Further, if crowns/cambers are to be formed on the air bearing surfaces of the sliders, the manufacturing costs of the sliders are raised because of the steps of forming the crowns/cambers.
A first object of the invention is to provide a slider of a thin-film magnetic head which can be manufactured in a smaller number of steps, and a method of manufacturing such a slider.
A second object of the invention is, in addition to the aforementioned first object, to provide a slider of a thin-film magnetic head and a method of manufacturing same, which make it possible to reduce the magnetic space, prevent the slider from sticking to the recording medium, and prevent damages to a recording medium or a thin-film magnetic head element due to a collision between the slider and the recording medium.
A slider of a thin-film magnetic head according to the invention comprises:
a slider section having a first medium facing surface that faces toward a rotating recording medium and an air inflow end; and
an element section having a second medium facing surface that faces toward the recording medium, an air outflow end, and a thin-film magnetic head element,
wherein the first medium facing surface has concavities and convexities for controlling the orientation of the slider section while the recording medium is rotating, and
the slider section and the element section are bonded to each other such that the air inflow end and the air outflow end are disposed on opposite sides with the first and second medium facing surfaces in between.
The slider of a thin-film magnetic head of the invention comprises the slider section and the element section that are bonded to each other. It is therefore possible to mass-produce the slider section and the element section separately at a time.
In the slider of a thin-film magnetic head of the invention, the slider section may have a substrate portion and a medium facing layer placed on the substrate portion, the first medium facing surface may be formed on the medium facing layer, the element section may have an insulating portion surrounding the thin-film magnetic head element, the substrate portion may have a hardness greater than that of the insulating portion, and, as the substrate portion and the medium facing layer are compared in hardness, the hardness of the medium facing layer may be closer to the hardness of the insulating portion.
In the slider of a thin-film magnetic head of the invention, the first medium facing surface may have a first surface closer to the element section, a second surface closer to the air inflow end, and a border portion located between the first and second surfaces. The second surface may be slanted against the first surface such that the first and second surfaces make a convex shape bent at the border portion.
While the recording medium is rotating, the second surface may slant against the surface of the recording medium such that the air inflow end is farther from the recording medium than the border portion is. In this case, the second surface and the surface of the recording medium may form an angle of 30xc2x0 or smaller while the recording medium is rotating.
In the slider of a thin-film magnetic head of the invention, where the first medium facing surface has the first surface, the second surface and the border portion, the slider section may be in contact with the surface of the recording medium while the recording medium is at rest, and may stay away from the surface of the recording medium while the recording medium is rotating. In this case, when the slider section comes into contact with the surface of the recording medium, the border portion may be the first to make contact with the surface of the recording medium. When the slider section takes off from the surface of the recording medium, the border portion may be the last to depart from the surface of the recording medium.
Regardless of whether the recording medium is rotating or at rest, the slider section may be in contact with the surface of the recording medium at the border portion, and the first surface and the second surface may slant against the surface of the recording medium such that the element section and the air inflow end are off the recording medium.
The first surface and the second surface may form an angle of 30xc2x0 or smaller.
The first medium facing surface may have a recess formed in a region including the border portion.
The second medium facing surface may be disposed farther from the recording medium than the first surface of the first medium facing surface is.
In the slider of a thin-film magnetic head of the invention, the thin-film magnetic head element may comprise a magnetoresistive element for reproduction and an induction-type electromagnetic transducer for recording, the electromagnetic transducer being disposed farther from the slider section than the magnetoresistive element is.
A method of the invention is provided for manufacturing a slider of a thin-film magnetic head, the slider comprising: a slider section having a first medium facing surface that faces toward a rotating recording medium and an air inflow end; and an element section having a second medium facing surface that faces toward the recording medium, an air outflow end, and a thin-film magnetic head element, wherein the first medium facing surface has concavities and convexities for controlling the orientation of the slider section while the recording medium is rotating, and the slider section and the element section are bonded to each other such that the air inflow end and the air outflow end are disposed on opposite sides with the first and second medium facing surfaces in between.
The method comprises the steps of: producing the slider section; producing the element section separately from the slider section; and bonding the slider section and the element section to each other.
According to the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the slider section and the element section are produced separately, and they are bonded to each other to complete the slider. Therefore, it is possible to mass-produce the slider section and the element section separately at a time.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the step of producing the slider section may include the step of forming a plurality of the first medium facing surfaces corresponding to a plurality of the slider sections for a first wafer, and the step of producing the element section may include the step of forming a plurality of the thin-film magnetic head elements on a second wafer.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the step of producing the slider section may include the steps of: forming a plurality of the first medium facing surfaces corresponding to a plurality of the slider sections for a first wafer to thereby form a first slider section aggregate including a plurality of the slider sections arranged in a plurality of rows; and cutting the first slider section aggregate to thereby form a second slider section aggregate including a plurality of the slider sections arranged in a row. The step of producing the element section may include the steps of: forming a plurality of the thin-film magnetic head elements on a second wafer to thereby form a first element section aggregate including a plurality of the element sections arranged in a plurality of rows; and cutting the first element section aggregate to thereby form a second element section aggregate including a plurality of the element sections arranged in a row. The step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other may include the step of bonding the second slider section aggregate and the second element section aggregate to each other to thereby produce a slider aggregate including a plurality of the sliders arranged in a row. The method of manufacturing the slider may further comprise the step of cutting the slider aggregate into a plurality of the sliders separated from one another.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the slider section may have a substrate portion and a medium facing layer placed on the substrate portion, the element section may have an insulating portion surrounding the thin-film magnetic head element, the substrate portion may have a hardness greater than that of the insulating portion, the hardness of the medium facing layer may be closer to the hardness of the insulating portion as the substrate portion and the medium facing layer are compared in hardness, and, the first medium facing surface may be formed on the medium facing layer in the step of producing the slider section.
The method of manufacturing the slider of the invention may further comprise the step of lapping the first and second medium facing surfaces so as to flatten the first and second surfaces, after the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other.
The method of manufacturing the slider of the invention may further comprise, after the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other, the step of lapping the first medium facing surface so as to allow the first medium facing surface to have a first surface closer to the element section, a second surface closer to the air inflow end, and a border portion located between the first and second surfaces, and to allow the second surface to slant against the first surface such that the first and second surfaces make a convex shape bent at the border portion. In this case, the first surface and the second surface may form an angle of 30xc2x0 or smaller. The method of manufacturing the slider may further comprise the step of forming a recess in a region including the border portion in the first medium facing surface. Further, the second medium facing surface may be disposed farther from the recording medium than the first surface of the first medium facing surface is.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, a ceramic-based adhesive may be used to bond the slider section and the element section to each other in the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, in the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other, a thermosetting adhesive may be put between the slider section and the element section, and the adhesive may be cured by heating at a temperature of 300xc2x0 C. or less to thereby bond the slider section and the element section to each other.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the step of producing the element section may include the steps of: forming a plurality of the thin-film magnetic head elements on one of surfaces of a wafer; and removing at least part of the wafer by lapping the other one of the surfaces of the wafer. In this case, in the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other, a surface formed at the element section by the lapping may be bonded to the slider section. Alternatively, in the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other, a surface opposite to the surface formed at the element section by the lapping may be bonded to the slider section. In the step of removing at least part of the wafer, the other one of the surfaces of the wafer may be lapped with a support plate placed on a plurality of the thin-film magnetic head elements. At least part of the support plate, the part including the surface facing the thin-film magnetic head elements, may have conductivity.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the step of producing the slider section may include the steps of: forming an etching mask of metal on one of surfaces of a ceramic substrate; and etching the ceramic substrate by dry etching through the use of the etching mask to thereby form the concavities and convexities on the one of the surfaces of the ceramic substrate. In this case, the dry etching may be reactive ion etching.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the step of producing the slider section may include the steps of: forming a first etching mask of metal on one of surfaces of a ceramic substrate; etching the ceramic substrate by dry etching through the use of the first etching mask to thereby form a first recess in the one of the surfaces of the ceramic substrate; forming a second etching mask to cover part of the first recess; and etching the ceramic substrate further by dry etching through the use of the second etching mask to thereby form a second recess deeper than the first recess in the one of the surfaces of the ceramic substrate.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, a magnetoresistive element for reproduction and an induction-type electromagnetic transducer for recording may be formed in this order on one of surfaces of a wafer in the step of producing the element section, and the slider section and the element section may be bonded to each other such that the magnetoresistive element is disposed closer to the slider section than the induction-type electromagnetic transducer in the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other.
In the method of manufacturing the slider of the invention, the induction-type electromagnetic transducer for recording and the magnetoresistive element for reproduction may be formed in this order on one of surfaces of the wafer in the step of producing the element section, and the slider section and the element section may be bonded to each other such that the magnetoresistive element is disposed closer to the slider section than the induction-type electromagnetic transducer in the step of bonding the slider section and the element section to each other.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.


A structural low carbon steel in combination with and in contact with an aqueous MDEA solvent that includes as an amine-based chemical additive. When mixed with MDEA solvent to form a MDEA solution, the MDEA-based solution in contact with carbon steel reduces the corrosion rate of low carbon structural carbon steels having a carbon content greater than about 0.18% by weight is significantly reduced when the concentrations of CO2, O2 and heat stable salts (HSS) are controlled below critical amounts. The MDEA solution, when controlling the concentrations of CO2, O2 and HSS below critical amounts, suppresses the corrosion of carbon steel having a carbon content greater than about 0.18%. A smooth surface finish further suppresses the corrosion of the low carbon structural steel. When the CO2, O2 and HSS are maintained below critical values, a low carbon structural steel having a micropolished surface finish displayed improved corrosion resistance.

Emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants represent a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions, a known greenhouse gas. To significantly reduce CO2 emissions from such power plants, CO2 must be captured, compressed and transported to a sequestration site. One approach for capturing CO2 from a conventional coal-fired boiler uses an amine-based solution to absorb CO2 from the flue gas stream.
FIG. 1 is a schematic of a gas-treating system of a coal-fired plant utilizing a typical alkanolamine treating unit. The feed gas containing CO2 flows into the bottom of the absorber where it contacts an amine solution. The CO2 gas component is removed from the gas stream by chemical reactions with the amine which flows counter-concurrently. The purified gas is the overhead product path, while the rich amine solution is removed from the bottom of the absorber to the rich amine flash drum. In the flash drum, the rich amine flashes at a lower pressure to remove dissolved and entrained hydrocarbons. The rich amine then flows from the flash drum through a lean/rich amine heat exchanger and on to a stripper/amine regenerator. In the stripper/amine regenerator, the CO2 gas component is stripped from the solution using heat supplied by the regenerator reboiler. CO2 gas is the amine regenerator overhead product while lean amine solution is removed from the bottom of the regenerator. The hot lean amine from the regenerator is heat exchanged with the rich amine, cooled and then returned to the absorber.
Removing CO2 with amine solvent results in corrosion problems in apparatus that is in contact with the amine solution. The equipment and piping in an amine plan are usually made of steel, either carbon steel or stainless steel. It is common practice to utilize stainless steel in locations of the separation plant where carbon steel would corrode resulting in a failure. Carbon steel can be subject to uniform and localized corrosion such as pitting, galvanic corrosion, erosion, stress cracking and intergranular corrosion when in contact with amine solutions having carbon dioxide and other impurities from the exhaust gases resulting from the combustion of coal. Carbon steel is generally used for the absorber, lean amine tubes, the reflux drum, and the regenerator shell. Stainless steel, such as austenitic 304 stainless steel, is used for the absorber, regenerator internals, rich-lean heat exchangers, pump impellers, and rich amine piping.
While stainless steel has a particularly long life, it is very expensive and therefore not desirable. Because the amine solution is used for the capture of CO2 from a combustion gas, the amine solution usually contains additional impurities in solution that further shorten the life of carbon steel when the amine solution is contacted to it, further making carbon steel a less than desirable choice for use in a separation plant and increasing the cost of the plant. What is desirable is an amine solution that can be used with carbon steel such that the carbon steel in contact with amine solution has a reduced corrosion rate.

Reduced carbon steel corrosion in CO2-O2 amine environment


The invention relates to a rear structure of a motor vehicle (201), said structure comprising: a floor having a rear area intended for accommodating a rear bench, said area being raised forming a projection (209B) relative to an area of said floor adjacent to the front; two rear structural profile members (207) extending longitudinally towards the rear under the rear area of the floor away from the projection (209B); characterised in that the structure (201) also comprises: two reinforcements (215) on the two structural profile members (207), respectively; each of said reinforcements (215) being attached to the corresponding profile member (207) and to the floor, at the projection (209B), and configured to limit a tendency of said profile member (207) to pivot vertically upwards in the event of a rear impact.

This invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, particularly the rear structure of motor vehicles.
FIG. 1 is a lateral and interior view of a rear structure of a prior art motor vehicle 1. This structure comprises a floor 9 that forms a projection 9B with a zone 9C adjacent to the front of the floor 9. Two rear structural profile members 7, commonly called longitudinal members, extend longitudinally toward the rear from the floor projection 9B and are positioned inside the rear wheel well 3. There are currently new protocols in place for offsetting rear shock impact on 70% of the rear part of the vehicle. In this type of impact the rear structural profile member 7 tends to move vertically (represented schematically by the dotted lines), leading to the appearance of two angular contacts 11. These angular contacts 11 correspond to fractures in the rear structural profile member 7, which lead to the profile member 7 absorbing less impact. In order to reinforce the structure of the vehicle during a rear impact, the structure of the chassis can be modified, but that requires heavy investment.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,873 B2 describes a front structure of a motor vehicle including two shock absorbing devices at the front of the vehicle and a reinforcement that holds the two shock absorbers together, placed behind the bumper. This reinforcement will improve the absorption of energy by the shock absorbing apparatuses.
US Pub. No. 2007/0132223 A1 outlines two shock absorbing devices placed following the two longitudinal members, which are positioned laterally on the floor. This Publication also describes an additional shock absorbing device called a crash box, which is located between the first shock absorbing device and the longitudinal members. These structures, however, have no effect on the rear structural profile member moving vertically. This improves shock absorption.

Rear structure of motor vehicle comprising a reinforcement for rear-end collisions


A waveguide bandpass filter employs a waveguide section and a printed cirt filter assembly having a dielectric substrate positioned in the waveguide between the narrow walls thereof and a row or array of half-wavelength conductive metal plate elements lying in a surface plane of the dielectric substrate that is oriented substantially parallel to narrow walls and orthogonal to broad walls of the waveguide. The half-wavelength conductive metal plate elements, defining a parallel resonant array, are spaced in non-conductive relation from one another and from the broad and narrow walls of the waveguide so as to divide and transform a dominant waveguide propagation mode into a transformed propagation mode that approximates upper and lower microstrip sections interconnected by a metallic conductor. The filter also includes a pair of elongated foam dielectric bodies disposed in the waveguide and mounting therebetween the dielectric substrate and half-wavelength conductive plate elements thereon, and a pair of quarter-wavelength conductive metal plate elements on the dielectric substrate which are conductively connected to outermost ones of the half-wavelength conductive plate elements for defining impedance matching transformers adjacent input and output ends of the waveguide.

The present invention generally relates to the field of waveguides and, more particularly, to a waveguide bandpass filter having a non-contacting printed circuit filter assembly.
Conventional waveguide filters use elements that are in electrical and mechanical contact with the waveguide walls. Typical examples of these types of filters include inductive posts and inductive irises. These reactive elements are realized by means of metal rods or plates that are inserted into carefully machined openings and bonded to the walls of the waveguide by means of soldering, welding or compression techniques.
Newer printed circuit waveguide filters also use such elements printed on substrates that are held suspended between the waveguide walls with firm metallic contacts at the walls. These filters, known as fin-line filters, are simpler to make than inductive irises and posts but also require very precise machining to split the waveguide and cut the groove for supporting the substrate.
Because the above-described types of filters are in contact with the waveguide walls and because current flow in the junctions between the elements and the waveguide walls, and because of junction imperfections, the filter loss and reflection quality are often degraded. The waveguide filter of the application cross-referenced above overcomes the foregoing problems associated with conventional waveguide filters by providing a printed circuit filter element that does not require any contact with the waveguide walls.
This non-contacting printed circuit waveguide filter can be assembled by inserting a foam backed printed circuit within a short section of waveguide. The printed circuit is formed on a dielectric substrate which is positioned within the waveguide by means of dielectric foam spacer material. The filter facilitates very simple assembly techniques and eliminates practically all costly machining that is usually associated with waveguide filters. It also provides the highest attainable performance in terms of low losses and high reflection because the losses due to element contact resistance are eliminated.

Waveguide bandpass filter having a non-contacting printed circuit filter assembly

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