An embodiment of a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode includes a body of semiconductor material having a first conductivity type, a first surface and a second surface; a trench extending through the body from the first surface and surrounding an active region; a lateral-isolation region within the trench, formed by a conductive region and an insulating region of dielectric material, the insulating region surrounding the conductive region; an anode region having a second conductivity type, extending within the active region and facing the first surface. The active region forms a cathode region extending between the anode region and the second surface, and defines a quenching resistor. The photodiode has a contact region of conductive material, overlying the first surface and in contact with the conductive region for connection thereof to a circuit biasing the conductive region, thereby a depletion region is formed in the active region around the insulating region.

As is known, in the field of photon-detection techniques, there is a need for devices that enable detection of electromagnetic radiation with high sensitivity, which are thus able to detect an even limited number of photons associated with the electromagnetic radiation.
To this end, so-called avalanche photodiodes (APDs) have been known for some time and typically comprise a junction of P-N type or P-I-N type, an anode contact, and a cathode contact, capable of biasing the junction. In particular, an APD is biased by applying, by an appropriate biasing circuit, a reverse biasing voltage VA that is very high, but lower (in modulus) than the breakdown voltage VB of the junction in the APD, thus biasing the junction in the linear region. Given the high reverse biasing voltage VA, the junction has a wide depletion region, subject to a high electric field.
Operatively, given a photon that impinges on an APD, the photon traverses the junction, and in particular traverses the depletion region, where it can be absorbed, generating a corresponding electron-hole pair. If the photon is absorbed, the electron and the hole thus created, referred to, as a whole, as "carriers", are accelerated by the electric field in opposite directions, with consequent generation of a current indicating the absorption having occurred. Since the APD is biased in the linear region, the current is proportional to the number of photons absorbed, thus to the number of photons that impinge on the APD. In addition, given the high electric field, the acceleration is such that the carriers acquire kinetic energies sufficient to cause generation of further electron-hole pairs by atomic ionization by impact, i.e., irrespective of the absorption of photons. Each carrier created after absorption of a single photon may thus generate one or more electron-hole pairs, with consequent multiplication of the absorption current and generation of an avalanche current. The avalanche current is appropriately collected, for example, through external circuitry, at the anode and cathode contacts, and represents an output signal of the APD.
It is noted that, to be precise, the reverse biasing voltage VA applied to the APD coincides with the effective voltage Ve present across the junction only in the absence of photons. In fact, in the presence of photons, and thus of current generated within the APD, the effective voltage Ve across the junction may be lower, in modulus, than the reverse biasing voltage VA, as described hereinafter in greater detail. However, in the present document it is assumed, except where otherwise explicitly specified, that the effective voltage Ve across the junction coincides with the reverse biasing voltage VA.
The most widely available APDs comprise a P-I-N junction, capable of guaranteeing a depletion region that is wider than the one obtainable with a P-N junction, and moreover comprise an additional region of semiconductor material, which is slightly doped, either of P- or N-type. This additional region is arranged in such a way that the electric field inside it is particularly high so as to favor the process of atomic ionization by impact.
In detail, the APD comprises a structure formed by semiconductor regions that follow one another according to a P-N-I-N scheme, or else a N-P-I-P scheme, the additional region being thus arranged between the intrinsic region I, which is at most only slightly doped, and the region of the P-I-N junction having a conductivity of an opposite type with respect to the conductivity of the additional region. On the basis of the physical phenomena that occur therein, the additional region is also known as "multiplication area" in so far as it is the site of the phenomena of ionization by impact, while the intrinsic region is also known as "absorption area", since the majority of the photons are absorbed therein.
APD photodetectors of the type described, also known as "separate absorption and multiplication avalanche photodiodes" (SAM APDs), make it possible to achieve gains, i.e., amplifications of the current generated by absorption of a photon, of the order of 102. However, on account of noise and of noise amplification, APD photodetectors do not enable detection of individual photons.
In order to improve responsivity further, so-called "Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes" have been proposed, which are theoretically able to detect individual photons.
A Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode, also known as single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), is biased by applying a reverse biasing voltage VA higher in amplitude than the breakdown voltage VB, typically higher by 10-20%, so that a single electron-hole pair, generated by absorption of a photon, is sufficient to trigger a ionization process that causes an avalanche multiplication of the carriers, with gains of around 106 and consequent generation in short times (hundreds of picoseconds) of the avalanche current.
The gain and the likelihood of detection of a photon, i.e., the responsivity of the SPAD, are directly proportional to the reverse biasing voltage VA applied to the SPAD. In fact, the more the reverse biasing voltage VA exceeds the amplitude of the breakdown voltage, the higher the likelihood of occurrence of an avalanche generation of charge carriers.
However, high reverse biasing voltages VA mean that, even in the absence of incident photons (dark conditions), a single charge carrier, generated, for example, by transfer of thermal energy, is sufficient to trigger the avalanche-ionization process, generating the so-called "dark current", which interferes negatively with normal use of the SPAD.
In addition, the fact that the reverse biasing voltage VA is appreciably higher than the breakdown voltage VB causes the avalanche-ionization process, once triggered, to be self-supporting. Consequently, once triggered, the SPAD is no longer able to detect photons, with the consequence that, in the absence of appropriate remedies, the SPADs described manage to detect arrival of a first photon, but not arrival of subsequent photons.
In order to be able to also detect these subsequent photons, it is necessary to quench the avalanche current generated within the SPAD, stopping the avalanche-ionization process. In detail, it is necessary to reduce, for a period of time known as "hold-off time", the effective voltage Ve across the junction so as to inhibit the ionization process and quench the avalanche current, as described hereinafter. Subsequently, the initial junction-biasing conditions are reset so that the SPAD is again able to detect photons. Since during the hold-off time the SPAD is not able to detect photons, it is desirable for the hold-off time to be as short as possible.
In order to reduce the effective voltage Ve across the junction after absorption of a photon, the SPADs adopt so-called "quenching circuits".
Among others, quenching circuits of a passive type are known in the art, comprising a quenching resistor arranged in series with the junction and having a resistance of the order of hundreds of kiloohms.
In the absence of photons, the presence of the quenching resistor does not alter the effective voltage Ve across the junction, which is equal to the reverse biasing voltage VA. However, after absorption of a photon and consequent triggering of the ionization process, the avalanche current that is triggered thereby, by flowing in the quenching resistor, causes an exponential reduction in the amplitude of the effective voltage Ve across the junction, which drops until it is slightly higher than the breakdown voltage VB. As regards, instead, the avalanche current generated within the SPAD, it passes from a zero value to a peak value substantially immediately after triggering of the avalanche-ionization process (turning-on of the SPAD), then decreases exponentially towards an asymptotic value, inversely proportional to the resistance of the quenching resistor and directly proportional to the difference between the reverse biasing voltage VA applied of the SPAD and the breakdown voltage VB, said difference being generally known as "overvoltage" (OV).
In detail, it is possible to show that the avalanche-ionization process is stopped if the value of the avalanche current drops below a threshold value known as "latching current" IL. Consequently, a quenching resistor having a resistance equal to Rq is able to quench the avalanche current for an overvoltage equal at most to the product Rq·IL, i.e., for a reverse biasing voltages VA not higher than VB+Rq·IL. If these conditions are respected, the avalanche current is quenched. Then, the SPAD, the behavior whereof is to a certain extent comparable to that of a capacitor, recharges exponentially through the quenching resistor so that the effective voltage Ve across the junction returns to being equal to the reverse biasing voltage VA, the SPAD being thus ready to detect the arrival of a new photon. During the recharging time, i.e., in the time interval in which the effective voltage Ve increases exponentially until it returns equal to the reverse biasing voltage VA, the SPAD has a reduced responsivity, which increases as the effective voltage Ve increases.
On the basis of the above, it may be inferred that applications that are particularly demanding in terms of responsivity typically require high overvoltages OV, thus high reverse biasing voltages VA, with the consequence that the quenching resistor has a high value; otherwise, it might be impossible to quench the avalanche current and, thus, to detect more photons.
High quenching resistance entails a longer recharging time than lower resistance. On the other hand, it leads to an additional advantage. In fact, during the recharging time the SPAD is less sensitive to the arrival of the photons, but is also less sensitive to spurious pulses ("afterpulsing"), which usually degrade the performance of the SPADs. In detail, afterpulsing consists of the secondary emission of carriers due to lattice defects in the depletion region, which create intermediate energy levels (comprised between the conduction band and the valence band) that are able to capture one or more carriers of the avalanche current, then releasing them with unpredictable delays, causing an increase in the dark current and distorting the output signal of the SPAD.
On the basis of the above, the quenching resistors are sized in the design stage according to the reverse biasing voltage VA to be applied to the SPAD, which in turn depends upon the application intended for the SPAD, and in particular upon the responsivity and upon the quantum efficiency required. In addition, the resistance of the quenching resistor is sized as a function of the recharging times and of the sensitivity to afterpulsing specified by the application for which the SPAD is devised. For example, where the rate of arrival of the photons is predictably low, as, for example, in astrophysical applications, the quenching resistor is sized with a high resistance so as to limit the afterpulsing, the consequent increase in the recharging time not being particularly important in this type of application.
SPADs of a known type may thus be optimized for a specific application; consequently, their performance may fall off markedly when they are used in conditions that are not perfectly in compliance with the design conditions.
Similar considerations may be made for so-called SPAD arrays, and moreover for so-called silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), used in order to improve the performance that may be obtained with individual SPADs.
In particular, an array of SPADs, two examples whereof are shown in Italian Patent Application Nos. TO2008A000046 and TO2008A000045 filed on Jan. 18, 2008, and which are incorporated by reference, is simply formed by a planar matrix of SPADs grown on a same substrate.
A SiPM is a particular array of SPAD. In detail, the SiPM is formed by a matrix of SPADs grown on a same substrate and provided with respective quenching resistors, of a vertical type and integrated in the SPADs, the quenching resistors being uncoupled from, and independent of, one another. In addition, the anode and cathode contacts of each SPAD are configured to be coupled to a single voltage source. Consequently, the SPADs of the SiPM can be biased at a same reverse biasing voltage VA. In addition, the avalanche currents generated inside them are multiplied together so as to generate an output signal of the SiPM equal to the sum of the output signals of the SPADs. As regards the terminology, in the technical field of SiPMs it is common to refer to the ensemble photodiode-quenching resistor as "pixel", the SiPM being thus formed by an array of pixels.
The SiPM is thus a device with a large area and high gain, capable of supplying, on average, an electric output signal (current) proportional to the number of photons that impinge on the SiPM. In fact, since the quenching resistors are uncoupled from one another, each photodiode of the SiPM behaves as an independent binary counter, while the output signal of the SiPM is proportional to the number of pixels activated, i.e., to the number of SPADs in which the avalanche-ionization process (detection of a photon) has been triggered, this number being in turn proportional to the number of incident photons.
As has been indicated, notwithstanding the better performance provided by SiPMs, these also may undergo improvement as to versatility of use.

Geiger-mode photodiode with integrated and adjustable quenching resistor and surrounding biasing conductor


Provided are a semiconductor inspection device and a semiconductor inspection method such that in a specimen image in a single field of view obtained by an electron microscope, it is possible to suppress variations in the edge position measurement error attributable to the materials and structures of the lower layers of measured patterns by a first method, wherein the area in the field of view obtained by electron beam scanning is divided into a plurality of regions on the basis of information regarding the structures and materials of the object to be observed and the electron beam scanning conditions are changed for individual regions (805, 806), a second method, wherein, the image processing conditions are changed for individual regions resulting from division of the obtained images, or a third method, wherein the edge detection conditions are changed for individual regions resulting from the division within the edge inspection regions of the obtained images.

In the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, the number of layers of fine patterns formed on a substrate, whether the patterns are processed on a wafer as designed, or whether the sizes of the processed patterns vary is inspected. In the inspection, a scanning type electron microscope which is excellent for measuring fine sizes has been used in the related art. Devices or methods performing various inspections using the electron microscope are disclosed, for example, in Patent Literatures 1 to 7 or Non-Patent Literature 1.

Semiconductor inspection device and semiconductor inspection method using the same


An immersion base ultrasonic inspection system for interrogating the bore and near bore material of turbine and generator rotors by passing ultrasonic search units through the rotor bore. This system utilizes variable focus array inspection transducers in a shear mode inspection of the near bore material. The system includes a positioning assembly for a transducer which includes carriage means for supporting the transducer and a first positioning means for tilting one end of the carriage means in a radial axial plane whereby the transducer may be positioned at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the system. A second positioning means is provided for circumferentially rotating the transducer to a known and repeatable angular position. Position resolver means are coupled to the first and second positioning means.

The present invention is directed to an inspection system for ultrasonically inspecting a material such as metal, and, more particularly, the present invention is directed to a boresonic inspection system which performs shear mode inspection of near bore material in turbine and generator rotors by passing ultrasonic search units through an axial rotor bore.
For many years, there has been increasing interest in, and a growing demand for, equipment and methods which can be used to inspect power generation turbine and generator rotors for possible material discontinuities or degradation which could lead to premature, and possibly catastrophic, failure of these components and which allow rotor life extension where appropriate. The consequences of a sudden, catastrophic failure of such a component would be severe, certainly in financial terms and possibly in terms of human losses. The center portion of the steel forgings from which these rotors are made, by the very nature of the manufacturing process, is perhaps the most suspect material in the rotor in terms of naturally occurring discontinuities and other material disorders. This is, in fact, one reason that a central bore hole is machined through most rotors in an attempt to remove this suspect material. In addition, the operating conditions at and near the central bore holes in rotors can lead to service related disorders such as thermal creep, fatigue and thermal embrittlement, especially in the presence of inherent forging discontinuities. Thus, there is a great interest in rotor inspection capabilities.
Several nondestructive test methods have been developed for use in interrogating the bore and near bore regions of rotor forgings. When the forging is new and before the final machining has take place, it is still cylindrical or near cylindrical in shape and ultrasonic inspection from the outside has proven to be a valuable tool. However, because of the complex geometries which characterize the outer peripheries of completely machined forgings, ultrasonic inspection from the outside is impractical for inspecting rotors once they are machined. Other methods such as visual and magnetic particle examination have been used successfully to inspect the bore, but these methods are only sensitive to discontinuities which intersect or are very near to the bore and then only yield a two dimensional view of the material and any detected discontinuities.
Since the early to mid 1970's, ultrasonic inspection from the rotor bore itself has gained fairly wide acceptance as viable volumetric inspection method. In this method, which has become known as boresonic inspection, the ultrasonic transducers are transported through the central bore hole by some convenient method and the ultrasonic beams are directed from the bore surface into the rotor material. The ultrasonic wave can penetrate well into the rotor material, and by collecting, processing, and observing any reflections of the wave which occur within the forging, one can get some idea of the integrity of the material. Volumetric inspection is achieved by scanning the transducers around the circumference and along the length of the bore while directing the ultrasonic beam into the material so that the beam has been ultimately passed through all of the material of interest.
Early boresonic test systems and some still in use, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,006, are based on conventional, contact ultrasonic practices.
More recently, a new direction regarding bore ultrasonic inspection of rotors has begun to emerge. A test system, known as TREES (Turbine Rotor Examination and Evaluation System) has been developed under the direction of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) for the American Electric Power Company. This test system is the first known rotor bore inspection system to provide inspection capability based upon immersion ultrasonic testing techniques. For the purpose of this writing, TREES is categorized as a fixed focus immersion system.
Fixed focus immersion systems provide certain features which overcome many of the shortcomings of the contact systems. The transducers operate in an immersion bath which eliminates many, if not all, of the contact problems. No transducer shoes are required as the water provides a path for the sound to travel from the transducer to the rotor. The transducer can be offset from the bore by an amount which provides for the near field effects to occur entirely in the water so that the beam is formed and well behaved at the bore surface and beyond. Generation of either angled compressional or shear waves in the rotor can be easily accomplished by simply tilting the transducer such that the beam strikes the bore surface at other than normal incidence.
In the prior art, manual, pneumatic and motor driven inspection systems, the control systems that move the scan head and provide position indications have been cumbersome and inaccurate due to resolver locations that require knowledge of mechanical slack in the system and positioning apparatus that does now allow for high resolution positioning. As a result, the location and size of discontinuities and flaws have been inaccurately located. Inaccurate flaw location, requires that remachining to remove flaws cover a larger area than is necessary, weakening the rotor at its highest stress area, near the bore. Inaccurate flaw location also hinders comparison of previous inspections with current inspections because it is difficult to determine whether a given flaw is a new flaw or an old flaw that has been inaccurately located due to alignment inaccuracies.
See U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,716 for additional discussion relating to the background of this invention.

Positioning assembly for a transducer in a boresonic inspection system


An improved projectile trap assembly includes a frame that supports a channel and a containment chamber. The containment chamber has an ingress point receiving a fired bullet and an egress point for distributing the bullet. The containment chamber is supported by a pair of bulkhead plates that are connected to the frame. Each bulkhead plate defines an aperture, with a scroll assembly being mounted between bulkhead plates proximate the aperture. The scroll assembly includes a front scroll affixed and a rear scroll detachably connected to the bulkhead plates. A side plate is detachably connected to the bulkhead plate opposite said front and rear scrolls to seal the scroll assembly to receive bullets. The containment chamber additionally includes upper and lower trap plates that are positioned proximate upper and lower channel plates at the ingress point. Finally, a plurality of collection buckets positioned below said front scroll in an adjustable position.

Firearms training and testing frequently requires the use of live weapons and ammunition, and there are various ways of stopping and collecting the bullets fired in these situations. That is, bullet traps have been in use for over a century in different styles and types of traps. The steel type has gained popularity in recent years because of the ability to better capture the lead and other projectile by-products, reducing environmental impact of the trap system.
Scroll traps, so named for their characteristic cylindrical shape, slow down the projectiles by decelerating them in a circular or multi-faceted chamber. The bullets are usually led into this chamber by striking a series of plates designed to direct the bullets smoothly into the entrance, or throat of the chamber. Once inside the chamber, the bullets are slowed down as gradually as possible to generate the least amount of particulate debris. The bullets and fragments are then collected by a variety of means and disposed from the bullet trap.


A method for controlling an environment within a sterilizer device is disclosed. The method includes equipping an interior space of the sterilizer device with an auxiliary device having a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a heating element, monitoring temperature within the sterilizer device, receiving, by the sterilization device, information associated with an initiation of a sterilization cycle of the sterilizer device; monitor duration of the sterilization cycle, receiving, by the sterilization device, information associated with an end of a sterilization cycle of the sterilizer device, determining whether a current humidity measurement is above a predefined threshold, and controlling the heating element to an ON operating state when the current humidity measurement is above the predefined threshold.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Currently, medical instruments are cleaned and placed in a tray for sterilization in a sterilizer, which is sometimes referred to as a converter or an autoclave. The sterilizer runs a sterilization cycle which includes heating the instruments to a predefined temperature set point for a predefined time period. After the cycle is complete, the tray is removed from the sterilizer and placed in a storage area or moved to a medical room for use in a medical procedure. These known sterilizers and known procedures are problematic in that there is no way to ensure that the instruments have reached a certain temperature, reached a certain temperature for a certain duration, or maintain humidity under a threshold after the sterilization cycle.
Therefore, a need exists for monitoring and managing temperature and humidity conditions during the sterilization cycle and for monitoring and managing humidity conditions after the sterilization cycle is complete.

Sterilization management device and methods for operating same


A beverage holding device includes a support platform, a spine, an upper support and a fixation mechanism. The spine includes a bottom portion and a top portion defining a spine length, and the bottom portion is fixed to the support platform. The upper support is configured and arranged to be adjustable along the spine relative to the support platform between a plurality of positions. The upper support includes at least one arm configured to at least partially encircle a portion of a beverage container when a bottom of the beverage container is seated on the support platform. And, the fixation mechanism is configured and arranged to secure the upper support to the spine at a selected one of the plurality of positions.

Conventional beverage holding devices for transporting a beverage container in a vehicle include recesses or cup-holders located in a center console, a door or a dashboard region. Generally, such conventional devices are configured to receive beverage containers (e.g., coffee cups, soda cups, water bottles, etc.) having a narrowly defined configuration such as, but not limited to, no cup handle, a preferred height, and a preferred diameter.


A locking device that locks a power feeding plug to an inlet of an plug-in vehicle to restrict removal of the power feeding plug from the inlet. The locking device includes a housing coupled to the inlet. The housing covers a peripheral portion of the inlet and includes a hook port that receives the hook when the power feeding plug is inserted into the inlet. A lock bar, which is arranged in the housing, moves between a lock position, in which the lock bar locks the hook to the inlet, and an unlock position, in which the lock bar permits the hook to move relative to the inlet. The lock bar, when located at the lock position, blocks the hook, which is hooked to the inlet, to restrict removal of the housing from the inlet.

The present invention relates to a plug locking device.
Electric vehicles, which reduce carbon dioxide emissions, have become popular in recent years. Such an electric vehicle uses a battery to power a motor. Whenever the state of charge of the vehicle battery becomes low, the battery is charged, for example, with a household outlet or at a charging station. Japanese Laid-Open patent Publication No. 9-161898 describes a power feeding plug connected to a distal end of a power cable. The power feeding plug is connected to an inlet of a vehicle to charge the vehicle battery.
The time required to charge the battery of an electric vehicle is still much longer than the time required to refuel a gasoline engine vehicle. As a result, the vehicle may be left unattended over a long period of time with the power feeding plug connected to the inlet of the vehicle. In such a case, someone may wrongfully remove the power feeding plug and connect it to another vehicle to steal electricity or steal the power feeding plug.
FIG. 8 shows a referential example of a locking device 101, which locks a power feeding plug to an inlet 102 of a vehicle and prevents unauthorized removal of the power feeding plug. The locking device 101 is formed integrally with the inlet 102. The inlet 102 includes a plug port 103, which receives the power feeding plug, and a hooking hole 104, which is formed above the plug port 103. When the power feeding plug is connected to the inlet 102, the hooking hole 104 receives a hook of the power feeding plug. The hook is engaged with a projection in the hooking hole 104. A lock bar (not shown) of the locking device 101 blocks the hook in the hooking hole 104 to prevent the hook from being released from the hooking hole 104. This prevents unauthorized removal of the power feeding plug.
The inlet 102 is arranged in a side wall of the vehicle in the same manner as a fuel filler inlet of a gasoline vehicle. In the referential example shown in FIG. 8, bolts 106 fasten the locking device 101 to the vehicle. When the locking device 101 is coupled to the vehicle from the outer side by the bolts 106, the head of each bolt 106 is exposed toward the outer side of the vehicle. The locking device 101 prevents unauthorized removal of the power feeding plug from the plug port 103. However, when the bolts 106 are unfastened with a tool, the locking device 101 may be removed from the vehicle.
To solve this problem, the bolts 106 may fasten the locking device 101 to the vehicle from the inner side of the vehicle. However, the fastening of the bolts 106 from the inner side of the vehicle would be complicated.

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho


A sample injection apparatus and a liquid chromatography apparatus including the sample injection apparatus are provided. The sample injection apparatus includes a sampling vessel into which a sample is supplied, a sampling needle for aspirating and ejecting the sample, a cleaning part into which a cleaning liquid for cleaning at least the sampling needle is supplied, a sample injection part for injecting the sample ejected from the sampling needle into a moving liquid, and a needle transfer part for transferring the sampling needle among the sampling vessel, the cleaning part and the sample injection part, wherein the cleaning part includes an ultrasonic vibrator for generating an ultrasonic wave in the cleaning liquid.

A liquid chromatography apparatus for pressurizing a sample with liquid as a mobile phase so as to send them to a column, separating and eluting components of the sample and detecting them on a detector basically has a configuration as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the liquid chromatography apparatus includes a mobile phase reservoir 101 for storing the liquid as a mobile phase, a mobile phase degassing device 102 for removing air from the liquid as a mobile phase, a pump 103 for sending the liquid as a mobile phase from the mobile phase reservoir 101 to a detector 107, an (automatic) sample injection apparatus 104 for injecting a sample into the liquid as a mobile phase directed into a separation column 105, the separation column 105 being filled with a packing material for separating components of the sample, a column thermostatic bath 106 for keeping the temperature of the separation column 105 to be approximately constant, and the detector 107 for detecting an eluted component of the sample.
As the detection sensitivity of a liquid chromatography apparatus having such a structure becomes higher, a phenomenon called carry-over has become problematic. The carry-over is a phenomenon such that a substance of a sample measured previously through time remains in the liquid chromatography apparatus so as to show a detection result as if the substance were present in the sample measured at present, and reduces the reliability of the results of analysis. The carry-over is caused, when a sample is adsorbed on a metal and/or a resin and remains in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104 after the sample is injected into the liquid as a mobile phase in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104, and the remaining sample is introduced into the liquid chromatography analysis system when a next sample is introduced. Particularly, it is known that a sample containing a basic and/or fat-soluble substance is easily adsorbed on the metal and/or resin in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104 and, therefore, easily remains in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104 so that carry-over is significantly observed.
In order to reduce the carry-over by removing the sample adsorbed and remaining in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104, a self-cleaning function can be provided in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104. As shown in FIG. 6, the main operation of the automatic sample injection apparatus 104 is composed of sampling a sample supplied into a sampling vessel 14 by a sampling needle 10, inserting the sampling needle 10 in which the sample is sampled into an injection port 19 of an injection valve 15 so as to inject the sample from the sampling needle 10 through a sample injection route to a sample loop 16, and switching flow channels for a sample in the injection valve 15 so as to send the sample in the sample loop 16 to the separation column 105. Therefore, as locations (sample adsorbing portions) at which the sample in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104 is adsorbed and remains, an outer wall of the sampling needle 10 after sampling the sample, an inner wall of the sampling needle 10 after sampling the sample, an inner wall of the sample loop 16 after sending the sample to the separation column 105, and the flow channel for a sample in the injection valve 15 are listed.
Since the self-cleaning functions are provided to these sample adsorbing portions, it is only necessary to provide four self-cleaning functions, that is, a function for cleaning the outer wall of the sampling needle, a function for cleaning the inner wall of the sampling needle, and functions for cleaning the sample loop and the injection valve. These four self-cleaning functions are described below.
(1) The function for cleaning the outer wall of the sampling needle immediately before sample injection (Needle pre-washing)
As shown in FIG. 7, needle pre-washing is a function for removing a sample adsorbed and remaining on the outer wall of the sampling needle 10 after sampling the sample by dipping the sampling needle 10 into cleaning liquid that is sent into a cleaning part 17 immediately before the sample sampled in the sampling needle 10 is injected into an injection port. The cleaning liquid used for removing the sample remaining on the outer wall of the sampling needle 10 is disposed of and pure cleaning liquid is supplied into the cleaning part 17. For the needle pre-washing, a user can set a time period (cleaning time period) for dipping the sampling needle 10 in the cleaning liquid.
(2) The function for cleaning the inner wall of the sampling needle immediately after sample injection (Needle post-washing)
As shown in FIG. 8, needle post-washing is a function for removing a sample adsorbed and remaining on the inner wall of the sampling needle 10 by dipping the sampling needle 10 into cleaning liquid supplied into the cleaning part 17 and flowing the cleaning liquid through the sampling needle 10 immediately after the sample is injected into the injection port. The cleaning liquid used for removing the sample remaining on the inner wall of the sampling needle 10 is disposed of and pure cleaning liquid is supplied into the cleaning part 17. For the needle post-washing, a user can set a time period (cleaning time period) for flowing the cleaning liquid through the sampling needle 10.
(3) The cleaning of the sample injection route after the sample injection (Post-injection washing)
As show in FIG. 9, the post-injection washing is a cleaning function in which after a sample is injected into an injection port, operations (1) through (3) are carried out in order during the analysis of the sample.
1) The sampling needle 10 is moved to a position above a cleaning port 24 and cleaning liquid prepared in the cleaning port 24 is aspirated into the sampling needle 10.
2) The sampling needle 10 that aspirated and holds the cleaning liquid is inserted into the injection port 19 of the injection valve 15 and the cleaning liquid in the sampling needle 10 is (repeatedly) ejected and aspirated so as to clean a sample injection route (flow channel from the injection port 19 to a waste liquid disposal port 23) in the injection valve 15. At this time, the injection port 19 and the waste liquid disposal port 23 are connected and the injection port 19 is not connected to the sample loop 16 in the injection valve 15. Therefore, as the injection port 19 and the waste liquid disposal port 23 are connected after injecting a sample into the sample injection route, while the sample is analyzed through the sample loop 16, a flow channel between the injection port 19 and the waste liquid disposal port 23 can be cleaned.
3) For the post-injection washing, a user can set the volume of cleaning liquid to be aspirated into the sampling needle 10 and the number of ejections and aspirations of the cleaning liquid (the number of cleanings). Also, two or more cleaning liquid ports 24 can be provided so as to use two or more kinds of cleaning liquids. For example, when the two or more kinds of cleaning liquids are used, if a previously used cleaning liquid is liquid with high detergency (a strong alkali that is not desired to pass through the separation column 15, etc.) and a subsequently used cleaning liquid is liquid to be used as a mobile phase, the liquid with high detergency can be used and the liquid with high detergency can be prevented from mixing into an analysis system.
(4) A function of cleaning the sample loop and the injection valve during the progression of analysis (Loop rinse)
For performing the loop rinse, a loop rinse valve is required except for the automatic sample injection apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), a loop rinse valve 108 operates so as to switch flow channels of liquid as a mobile phase supplied from the mobile phase reservoir 101. That is, as shown in FIG. 10(a), when the cleaning function of the loop rinse is not performed, the liquid as the mobile phase sent out by the pump 103 is supplied into the sample injection apparatus 104 and sent to the separation column 105 and the detector 107 with a sample. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10(b), when the cleaning function of the loop rinse is performed, the liquid as the mobile phase sent out by the pump 103 does not pass through the sample injection apparatus 104 and is directly sent to the separation column 105 and the detector 107. As such a loop rinse valve 108 is used, if after sending the sample to the separation column 105 through a flow channel shown in FIG. 10(a), immediately switching to a flow channel shown in FIG. 10(b) is made, while analysis is progressed by sending the liquid as the mobile phase to the separation column 105, the sample loop and the injection valve can be cleaned.
The loop rinse is a cleaning function for carrying out the following operations 1) through 4) in order after injecting a sample into the sample loop 16, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.
1) After the sample is injected into the sample loop 16, the automatic sample injection apparatus is completely separated from a flow channel of an analysis system including the separation column 105 and the detector 107 by the loop rinse valve 108.
2) While analysis is carried out by sending the liquid as the mobile phase to the separation column without traveling through the automatic sample injection apparatus 104, the insides of the sample loop 16 and injection valve 15 are cleaned by inserting the sampling needle 10 into the injection port 19 of the injection valve 15 and ejecting the cleaning liquid from the sampling needle 10 in the automatic sample injection apparatus 104. Then, the sampling needle 10 is connected to a cleaning liquid reservoir in which the cleaning liquid is stored and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the sampling needle from the cleaning liquid reservoir.
3) Since the flow channels of the injection valve 15 are switched while the cleaning liquid is ejected from the sampling needle, a flow channel from the injection port 19 to the waste liquid disposal port 23 can be also cleaned.
4) As the cleaning in the sample loop 16 and the injection valve 15 is completed, the loop rinse valve 108 is switched to the usual flow channel through the automatic sample injection apparatus 104, again, as shown in FIG. 10(a).
For the loop rinse, a user can set a time period of ejecting the cleaning liquid from the sampling needle 10 (cleaning time period) and the number of times of switching of the injection valve 15. Also, two or more vessels for cleaning liquid can be provided so that two or more kinds of cleaning liquids can be used by connecting these vessels for cleaning liquid to the sampling needle 10 and switching the connections among these vessels for cleaning liquids and the sampling needle 10. For example, when the two or more kinds of cleaning liquids are used, if previously used cleaning liquid is liquid with high detergency (a strong alkali that is not desired to pass through the separation column 105, etc.) and subsequently used cleaning liquid is liquid to be used as a mobile phase, the liquid with high detergency can be used and the liquid with high detergency can be prevented from mixing into an analysis system.
On the other hand, in regard to cleaning of a needle, a sample introduction apparatus for introducing a sample to an analyzer such as a liquid chromatography apparatus, which sample introduction apparatus can perform the mixing of samples or the cleaning of needle without aspirating or ejecting liquid, is also disclosed in JP-A-11-304779. This sample introduction apparatus is equipped with a vibration generation part such as an ultrasonic vibrator arranged directly or through the intermediary of a member capable of transmitting the vibration, on a sample injection needle, and a vibration control part for controlling the vibration generation part. More specifically, it is equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator arranged in connection with the sample injection needle or a metal part connecting to the sample injection needle, and the needle itself is vibrated by the ultrasonic vibrator which is simultaneously controlled by the vibration control part, at the time of mixing the samples or cleaning the needle.
Since the automatic sample injection apparatus provided with four self-cleaning functions performs the four self-cleaning functions in combination in order to reduce a carry-over phenomenon, a cleaning time period of approximately 3 minutes on average is needed. Among these four self-cleaning functions, the needle pre-washing is performed before the start of analysis but cleaning for approximately 1 through 5 seconds is commonly sufficient so that a shorter cleaning time period is required. Therefore, the three self-cleaning functions other than the needle pre-washing require approximately 3 minutes in total. However, these three self-cleaning functions are practicable while a sample is analyzed. Accordingly, if the time period of analysis is 3 minutes or more, all the three self-cleaning functions are carried out within the time period of analysis, in which there is no problem. However, in regard to analysis by means of liquid chromatography, the time period of analysis is being reduced and the cleaning time period has to be reduced (for example, to a cleaning time period=1 minute or less) in accordance with the reduction of the time period of analysis.
Also, it is necessary to set the operating conditions of the four self-cleaning functions, respectively, in the automatic sample injection apparatus provided with the four self-cleaning functions, in order to set the optimum cleaning conditions adapted to a sample to be analyzed. However, as described above, since it is necessary to set approximately 6 through 8 parameters in total for the operating conditions of the four self-cleaning functions, the number of the parameters to be set is high, which is complex and inconvenient for a user.
On the other hand, in regard to the sample introduction apparatus provided with a vibration generation part such as an ultrasonic vibrator arranged directly or through the intermediary of a member capable of transmitting the vibration, on a sample injection needle, since the sample injection needle it self is vibrated, adverse impact is applied to the sample injection needle. As the result, it is a concern that the deterioration of the sample injection needle is caused and the durability of the sample injection needle is lowered. Also, as the sample injection needle is cleaned on the condition that a sample is held in such a sample injection needle, since the sample injection needle itself vibrates, a part of the sample held in the sample injection needle is lost in the cleaning liquid and there is a possibility of causing a large error in the amount of injected sample. Further, there is also a possibility of transmitting vibration through the sample injection needle to another member of the automatic sample injection apparatus by vibrating the sample injection needle itself. However, since the automatic sample injection apparatus is fundamentally a precision machine, it is required to avoid undesired vibration. Therefore, there is also a problem in that the sample introduction apparatus provided with a vibration generation part such as an ultrasonic vibrator arranged directly or through the intermediary of a member capable of transmitting the vibration on a sample injection needle, can be influenced by the ultrasonic vibration of the sample injection needle.

Sample injection apparatus and liquid chromatography apparatus having the sample injection apparatus


An electrical connector (1) includes an insulative housing (10) for being mounted to an edge of a printed circuit board (6) and a plurality of contacts (12) received in recesses (20) defined in the insulative housing. The insulative housing has an elongated body portion (14), a mating portion (18) projecting forwardly from the body portion and a pair of guide portions (16) formed on a pair of lateral sides of the body portion. A pair of first retainers (40) respectively extends rearwardly from the body portion. The first retainer comprises a top latch (42) and a bottom latch (44) and a receiving slot (43, 53) defined between the top and bottom latches. A plurality of locking tabs (45) is formed on the bottom latch and extending into the receiving slots. The latches of the retainers can fix the PCB tightly and keep the PCB and the electrical connector steadily assemble together.

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having a retention system for facilitating mounting of the electrical connector to a printed circuit board.
It is well known to provide an electrical connector mountable to a printed circuit board (hereinafter PCB), in which the connector has terminals electrically engaging with respective electrical circuit traces on the PCB. The terminals may have solder tails projecting from the connector and inserted into holes in the PCB, or leg portions extending generally parallel to the PCB for surface mounting to circuit traces on the PCB. Such a connector has a problem that the electrical connections between the terminals and the circuit traces of the PCB often are subjected to external stresses, which sometimes will cause the solder tails or the leg portions of the connector separating electrically connects with the PCB. To resolve this problem, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,622,519, 5,217,381, 5,230,633, 5,178,557 and 4,679,883 disclose the use of board locks and posts to retain the connectors to the printed circuit boards.
However, with the ever-increasing miniaturization of electronic circuit, along with the consequent reduction in sizes of the connector and terminals, the board locks are often impractical and neither cost nor space effective.
Regarding the posts, which extend vertically from the dielectric housing of the electrical connector for insertion into the printed circuit board, the posts result in a difficulty in molding the housing. Because the housing has generally a mating port extending along a horizontal direction, a mold open direction of the mold for forming the housing His in a horizontal direction. To form the vertically extending posts, slide structure is necessary in the mold. The slide structure increases the cost and operating complication of the mold. Furthermore, for a board edge mounting electrical connector, a mating/unmating force of the connector will cause the connector to rotate, whereby the connections of the tails of the connector and the PCB are insecure. Hence, an improvement to resolve the problems of the prior art is required.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for facilitating mounting of the electrical connector onto a PCB.
In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector includes an insulative housing for being mounted to an edge of a printed circuit board and a plurality of contacts received in recesses defined in the insulative housing. The insulative housing has an elongated body portion, a mating portion projecting forwardly from the body portion and a pair of guide portions formed on a pair of lateral sides of the body portion. A pair of first retainers and a second retainer respectively extends rearwardly from the body portion. The first retainers are adjacent to the guide portions and the second retainer locates between both first retainers. Each retainer respectively comprises a top latch and a bottom latch, and a receiving slot is defined between the top and bottom latches. A plurality of locking tabs is formed on the bottom latch and extending into the receiving slot. The latches of the retainers can fix the PCB tightly and keep the PCB and the electrical connector steadily assemble together.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Electrical connector having retention system for mounting onto a printed circuit board


A multimodal airborne pathogen control apparatus and system configured to direct and decontaminate a volume of indoor air of occupied spaces and reduce the risk of spreading airborne contagions. Certain aspects of the multimodal airborne pathogen control apparatus and system may include one or more infection control modalities including, but not limited to, dielectric Cold Plasma generation, non-ozone producing UV-C light, True HEPA filtration comprising a monoterpene phenol-impregnated filter material, and configurable intake/output ducting to direct airflow to/from a desired area and regulate interior atmospheric pressure. Embodiments of the present disclosure include a door-mounted control unit comprising a door panel having one or more directional intake vents at a floor-level of the door panel, an interior chamber housing a blower fan and one or more germicidal irradiation/inactivation means, and one or more directional output vents at a head level of the door panel.

Respiratory infections can be acquired from exposure to pathogens contained either in droplets or droplet nuclei. Exposure to microorganisms in droplets (e.g., through aerosolized oral and nasal secretions from infected patients) constitutes a form of direct contact transmission. When droplets are produced during a sneeze or cough, a cloud of infectious particles >5 μm in size is expelled, resulting in the potential exposure of susceptible persons within 3 feet of the source person. Examples of pathogens spread in this manner are influenza virus, rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The spread of airborne infectious diseases via droplet nuclei is a form of indirect transmission. Droplet nuclei are the residuals of droplets that, when suspended in air, subsequently dry and produce particles ranging in size from 1-5 These particles can contain potentially viable microorganisms, be protected by a coat of dry secretions, remain suspended indefinitely in air, and be transported over long distances.
The microorganisms in droplet nuclei persist in favorable conditions (e.g., a dry, cool atmosphere with little or no direct exposure to sunlight or other sources of radiation). Pathogenic microorganisms that can be spread via droplet nuclei include, for example, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, VZV, measles virus (i.e., rubeola), and smallpox virus (i.e., variola major). Several environmental pathogens have life-cycle forms that are similar in size to droplet nuclei and may exhibit similar behavior in the air. The spores of Aspergillus fumigatus have a diameter of 2-3.5 with a settling velocity estimated at 0.03 cm/second (or about 1 meter/hour) in still air. With this enhanced buoyancy, the spores, which resist desiccation, can remain airborne indefinitely in air currents and travel far from their source.
Buildings have been associated with spread of infectious diseases, such as outbreaks of measles, influenza, and Legionella. With SARS-CoV-2 (also known as COVID-19), most outbreaks involving three or more people have been linked to time spent indoors, and evidence confirms that far-field airborne transmission (defined as within-room but beyond 6 feet) of SARS-CoV-2 is occurring. Controlling concentrations of indoor respiratory aerosols to reduce airborne transmission of infectious agents is critical. Current solutions to control the spread of infectious diseases in interior environments include source control strategies (e.g., masking, physical distancing) and engineering controls (e.g., ventilation and filtration systems and apparatuses). In addition, outbreaks of diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 present unique treatment challenges for hospitals and healthcare facilities where limited rooms are available for appropriate isolation of patients infected with highly contagious pathogens. What is needed, therefore, is a solution to enable hospitals to convert a normal patient room quickly and efficiently into an isolation or reverse isolation room to accommodate unexpected or fluctuating patient load on an as-needed basis.
Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, Applicant has identified several deficiencies and problems with airborne pathogen control in interior environments. Applicant has developed a solution that is embodied by the present invention, which is described in detail below.

Apparatus and system for indoor airborne pathogen control


An insulated-gate static induction transistor is formed by establishing a potential barrier in a semiconductor region of one conductivity type between the source and the drain regions of the other conductivity type. The height of the potential barrier should be sensitive to the drain voltage as well as to the gate voltage. Therefore, the semiconductor region should have a low impurity concentration and short length. The potential barrier can be established by varying the field effect of the gate voltage in the semiconductor region and/or by the built-in potential between the source region and the semiconductor region.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly it pertains to an insulated-gate static induction transistor, and also to a semiconductor integrated circuit including the same.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional ordinary field effect transistors of both junction and insulated gate types show saturated drain current vs. drain voltage characteristics, i.e. the drain current becomes saturated with an increase in the drain voltage.
A new type of the field effect transistor, i.e. the static induction transistor, was proposed by one of the present inventors, e.g. in U.S. Pat. application Ser. Nos. 817,052 and 576,541 and in IEEE Trans. on Electron Devices, ED-22, pp.185-197 April 1975.
The static induction transistor (referred to as SIT hereinbelow) has a distinguishing feature that the drain current keeps growing with an increase in the drain voltage at least in a portion of the main operative state regardless of the gate bias voltage. The static induction transistor has the following advantages over the ordinary field effect transistors (referred to as FET, hereinbelow).
(1) At least in a portion of the main operative state, the region between the source and the drain is not punched through, i.e. there remains a neutral region between the source and the gate which is not depleted, and the product of the series resistance r.sub.s and the true transconductance G.sub.m is less than one to exhibit an unsaturating drain current vs. drain voltage characteristic in a low drain current region.
(2) The unsaturating drain current vs. drain voltage characteristic provides a high input impedance, a low output impedance, a large apparent transconductance g.sub.m and less distortion in the signal transfer.
(3) A large output current can be supplied. Also, a high breakdown voltage can be provided by using a high resistivity layer in a predetermined portion. Thus, a high power element with a large output current and a high breakdown voltage can be provided.
(4) The gate region may have a high impurity concentration, and the dimension of the gate structure can be minimized. Thus, both the parasitic capacitance and the resistance of the gate can be reduced to improve high-frequency and high-speed performance.
(5) The amplification factor can be maintained substantially constant in a very wide gate voltage region and in a very wide drain voltage region from a low drain current region in which the drain current vs. drain voltage characteristic fundamentally follows an exponential formula to a high drain current region in which the drain current vs. drain voltage characteristic becomes substantially linear due to an increase in the voltage drop across the series resistance r.sub.s. This unsaturating drain current region may extend over more than ten orders of magnitude. Thereby, operation with very low distortion is feasible.
(6) The amplification factor can be maintained substantially constant down to a very small drain current region. Thereby, an excellent switching operation can be achieved in a low current and low power consumption state.
(7) Temperature dependency of the drain current may be rendered negative at large drain currents. Thereby, thermal runaway can be prevented. Also, active structures which have almost no temperature dependency can be designed.
(8) The amplification factor can be maintained substantially constant through a very wide temperature range, e.g. over two hundred degrees centigrade.
(9) High speed switching operation can be performed by narrowing the channel width and decreasing the impurity concentration in the channel so that almost no current is allowed to flow at zero gate bias and that a current is allowed to flow when a forward bias voltage is applied to the gate.
(10) High-speed operation can be enhanced by shortening the source-drain distance so that the transit time of carriers therebetween is reduced.
The high input impedance feature allows direct coupling of the succeeding amplifier stages and the non-requirement for the driving power enhances the integration density in an integrated circuit (IC). Furthermore, the large transconductance together with the unsaturating drain current vs. drain voltage characteristic allows a large fan-out, which is extremely fitted for IC and LSI.
As can be seen from the above, the SIT has excellent features in high power, high voltage, large current low distortion, low noise, low power dissipation and/or high speed operation. Together with its temperature dependence, the SIT has many advantages over the conventional bipolar and field effect transistors. Superiority of the SIT as a discrete active element and as an element in IC has been proved and its utility is being developed in various fields.
However, the developments of the SIT made heretofore are mainly concentrated to junction SITs and depletion mode MOS SITs.
In the conventional insulated-gate (hereinafter referred to as IG) FET of enhancement mode, the length and the width of the channel which is formed with an inversion layer are long and narrow, respectively, so that the drain current is saturated for drain voltages above a certain drain voltage. Furthermore, the potential profile in the channel from the source to the drain is monotonic and has no maximum.

Insulated gate static induction transistor and integrated circuit including same


In this invention we describe a magnet or magnetic material that is attached to a pipette to hang it on a ferrous or magnetic material. The magnet can be attached to any place on the pipette in such a way that the pipette can be hung as desired on the magnetic or ferrous surface such as ferrous clips, iron or steel sheets (refrigerator, lab bench, hood etc.). This will help to organize the laboratories. Furthermore this will reduce the contamination from pipette to pipette and sample to sample.

In this invention we describe a magnet or magnetic material attached to a pipette or pipetting device to hang the pipetting device onto a ferrous or magnetic material. The magnet can be attached to any surface on the pipette in such a way that the pipette can be temporally attached to, or hung as desired, on any magnetic or ferrous surface such as ferrous clips, iron or steel sheets (e.g. refrigerator, lab bench, hood). The pipette described in the present invention can be stored more effectively in research laboratories and the present invention will help to reduce the contamination of pipettes, pipette tips and samples transported by them.
In chemical and biomedical labs, pipetting devices (also known as pipettes, micropipettes or pipettors) are used frequently and routinely to aspirate, transport and dispense small sample volumes. The applications of such devices range from measuring predetermined volumes of the sample to transporting samples from one container to another. The sample can either be drawn directly into a disposable or non-disposable pipette or into a disposable or non-disposable pipette tip attached to the pipetting device.
However, when they are not in use, these pipetting devices are stored in a number of different ways. For example, they can be placed on a hanger, affixed to a wall or vertical surface, or they can be placed in a support structure or stand placed on the lab bench surface. Alternatively, they may be placed in drawers or simply be left lying on the lab counter surface.
In many of the above methods, the storing device, into which the pipetting device is placed, is attached to another surface. For example, current pipette hangers are fixed onto a surface by glue, a screw or a magnet. If the pipetting device is used in a different location, far removed from the hanger, there is a tendency by the device user to just leave the pipette on the lab bench, which can cause contamination of the pipetting device or pipette tip.
When a pipette stand is used, it can easily be moved from one location to another on the lab bench, but such stands often occupy significant amounts of space on lab benches where space is very tight.
To overcome the limitations of currently available alternatives, the present invention provides a practical and space-efficient solution for storing pipettes and pipetting devices and it facilitates the use and organization of such pipetting devices in the laboratory.
In US Patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,979,675 and 5,695,165) Moriarty described the use of hangers, which can be attached to a metallic surface by a built-in magnet in the hanger or by the use of permanent methods such as adhesives, or screws with which the hanger is attached to a surface. However, if pipettes of different types and size are used, different types of hangers need to be used in the lab to accommodate for these variations among different devices. Currently, there are over a dozen different pipetting device manufacturers (such as, Eppendorf, Rainin, Oxford, Gilson, and Finnpipette) each of whom makes different types of pipetting devices. Since there are significant variations among their devices, it becomes impractical to have a spectrum of different types of hangers or stands in labs where pipettors from many different manufacturers are used.
In the present invention, a magnet or magnetic material is attached to any surface on a pipette or pipetting device such that it can be non-permanently attached to any ferrous metallic or magnetic surface. By having a magnet or magnetic material attached directly to the pipette or pipetting device, it can be conveniently stored in the lab. According to the present invention, the magnet or magnetic component can be embedded or built into the pipetting device during the pipetting device manufacturing process. Alternatively, the magnet or magnetic material can be attached to any existing pipette or pipetting device such that devices currently in existence can be modified. Thus, a scientist can simply place the magnet on the pipetting device and then use that to attach it to any ferrous or other magnetic surfaces.
While pipettes with built-in magnets are better suited for sterilization, those with an attachable magnetic unit give the user flexibility in modifying the pipetting device as needed.
In this invention we describe a magnet or magnetic material attached to a pipette or pipetting device to hang the pipetting device onto a ferrous or magnetic surface. The magnet can be attached to any surface on the pipette in such a way that the pipette can be temporally attached to, or hung as desired, on any magnetic or ferrous surface such as ferrous clips, iron or steel sheets (e.g. metal cabinet, refrigerator, lab bench, hood). The pipette described in the present invention can be stored more effectively in research laboratories and the present invention will help to reduce the contamination of pipettes, pipette tips and samples transported by them.
The various features of novelty, which characterize the present invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its advantages and objects, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.


A process of converting simulation data to test data used for testing an integrated circuit includes the steps of detecting a transition of state of the simulation data, extracting an event from the simulation data in response to the transition, and creating the test data in response to the event.

The present invention generally relates to fabrication of semiconductor devices and more particularly to a testing of a semiconductor device during a fabrication process of the same and a test data processor used in such testing for creating test data.
With increase in the integration density, the magnitude of integrated circuits is increasing ever and ever. In such very large-scale integrated circuits, the testing for verifying proper operation of the integrated circuit becomes an important problem.
Conventionally, testing of integrated circuits has been made by using simulation data, which represents the expected functional operation of an integrated circuit produced by software simulation, wherein the simulation data is generally provided in the form of sampling data sampled in a time axis with a predetermined sampling interval. The simulation data thus sampled is then processed by a test data processor that converts the sampled simulation data thus obtained into test data suitable for use in actual testing of the integrated circuit. It should be noted that the testing of the integrated circuit is conducted by a tester device while using the test data which represents the result of the simulation in terms of operational cycles. Typically, the test data is produced by sampling the simulation data with a specific sampling interval having a period coincident with the interval of the operational cycle.
FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A-2D represent a conventional example conducted by a test data processor for converting simulation data into test data, wherein FIG. 1 represents the flowchart of the test data processor while FIGS. 2A-2D represent examples of event information and cycle information of the test data. It should be noted that the event information represents the timing of the simulation data, while the cycle information represents the event information for each cycle thus obtained by sampling the simulation data with the predetermined sampling interval.
Hereinafter, the process of verifying the operation of an integrated circuit 100 of FIG. 2A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1. In the example of FIG. 2A, the integrated circuit 100 has input terminals 101 and 102 and an output terminal 103.
Referring to FIG. 1, a step S100 is conducted first, in which the event (transition of state) is detected for the signals appearing on the input/output terminals 101-103 from the diagram of FIG. 2B, wherein FIG. 2B represents the state of the signals appearing at the input/output terminals 101-103. It should be noted that the diagram of FIG. 2B is obtained as a result of the software simulation on the function of the integrated circuit 100 and indicates that the integrated circuit 100 produces an output signal on the output terminal 103 in response to input signals supplied to the input terminals 101 and 102.
After the step S100, a step S110 is conducted on the simulation data of FIG. 2B to extract therefrom test timing information represented in FIG. 2D. It should be noted that the test timing information of FIG. 2D is necessary when sampling the event information included in the simulation data of FIG. 2B to produce the test data.
Referring to FIG. 2D, the test timing information includes: a timing number TNO used to discriminate a plurality of different test timing information from each other; cycle information CYCLE indicative of the sampling interval used for sampling the event information from the simulation data of FIG. 2B; and an event discriminator that represents the mode of signal transition for each of the signals appearing on the input terminals 101 and 102 and the output terminal 103, wherein it should be noted that the event discriminator is used to discriminate the signal transition mode occurring in each sampling interval. For example, a representation such as NRZ or RZ may be used for the event discriminator, wherein NRZ represents the non-return-to-zero transition mode while RZ represents the return-to-zero transition mode. In the illustrated example, there is only one TNO, while there can be a number of different timing numbers TNO corresponding to different test timing information, wherein such different test timing information are used as a template for sampling the simulation data of FIG. 2B with respective, mutually different timings and sampling intervals or cycles.
After the step S110, the process proceeds to a step S120 wherein the simulation data of FIG. 2B is sampled according to the test timing information of FIG. 2D for each TNO, and a step S130 is conducted subsequently wherein test data represented in FIG. 2C is produced in the step S130 from the simulation data sampled in the step S120. It should be noted that the test data contains therein, in addition to the timing number TNO, the logic state of the signals of the input and output terminals 101-103 at the foregoing sampling timing specified by the TNO.
In the illustrated example of FIG. 2B, it should be noted that there exists only one event timing occurring every 5 ns (nanoseconds), and thus, there is only one timing information (TNO=xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d) as represented in FIG. 2D. As noted before, however, there can be a number of additional event timings corresponding to TNO of other than xe2x80x9c1.xe2x80x9d
The test data of FIG. 2C thus formed has been used by a tester device for the testing of the integrated circuit 100.
However, the foregoing processing to form the test data by a sampling of the simulation data with a predetermined sampling interval or cycle has a drawback in that it is necessary to provide a number of different test timing information, such as the one represented in FIG. 2D with the TNO of xe2x80x9c1,xe2x80x9d in correspondence to the event information of the simulation data to be processed. It should be noted that such test timing information is used as a prior template when extracting the test data such as the one represented in FIG. 2C from the simulation data of FIG. 2B. However, such a process of preparing different templates is complex and takes a substantial time. Thereby, the efficiency of fabrication of the integrated circuits, which includes such a testing process, is inevitably deteriorated.
Further, such a conventional testing process has required that the test data be formed based on exact test timing information in order to ensure that the sampling is made with proper timing. Otherwise, there may be oversight of events or offset in the timing of the events, and the processing of the test data back to the original simulation date may not be possible.
Further, the test data thus formed from the simulation data by sampling the simulation data tends to raise the problem of discrepancy in the accuracy between the simulation data and the tester device, as there is no adaptation made about the accuracy of between the simulation data and the testing conducted by the tester device. Thus, the test data may be unnecessarily accurate as compared with the test actually conducted by the tester device. Alternatively, there may be a case in which the accuracy of the test data may be too rough for the testing by the tester device. In the latter case, no satisfactory testing of the integrated circuit is possible.
Further, because of the lack of ability of verification of semiconductor operation in the case of uncertain events such as incoming of noise, the foregoing conventional process of forming the test data has a problem in that the verification of such uncertain events, which may require accuracy exceeding the accuracy of measurement of the tester device, is not possible.
Further, the conventional process of forming the test data suffers from the problem, when the cycle time used for testing the semiconductor device is too short, in that sufficient input/output dead band is not secured. It should be noted that such an input/output dead band is necessary for switching the state of the semiconductor device between an input state and an output state. Thereby, the testing of the semiconductor device is not possible with the desired precision.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful method of forming test data for testing a semiconductor device and a fabrication process of a semiconductor device including a testing process using such test data, wherein the foregoing problems are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a method of creating test data used for testing a semiconductor device, from simulation data simulating a function of said semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:
detecting a transition of state of said simulation data; and
creating said test data in response to said detected transition of said simulation data.
According to the present invention, the process of preparing sampling information as template is eliminated, and the simulation data is converted directly to the test data. Thereby, the process of provide a number of different templates in advance is eliminated also, and the creation of the test data is conducted easily and efficiently. As the test data is formed based on the actual transition of state of the simulation data, there is no chance that the test data misses the transition in the simulation data, and the testing of the semiconductor device is conducted with reliability and accuracy.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.

Testing of semiconductor device and a fabrication process of a semiconductor device including a testing process


A linear drive for use in air and space travel converts the rotational drive of an electromotor into a linear motion of a runner which is secured to at least one flexible coupling member. The flexible coupling member runs around at least one guide member at one end thereof, and around a drive wheel driven by the electric motor at the other end of the flexible coupling member. The rotating drive wheel and the guide member both change the movement direction of the flexible coupling member, whereby the runner can run back and forth between the drive wheel and the guide member.

Linear drives of the type described above include an electromotor that provides the rotational drive movement, for example, or a drive wheel or pulley, and a runner that is secured to a flexible member running around a guide member such as a guide pulley. The electric motor runs in one direction for moving the runner one linear direction and the rotational direction of the electric motor is reversed for moving the runner in the opposite direction.
It is also known to drive a spindle by means of an electromotor. The runner has a female threading that engages the threading of the spindle, whereby the runner can be positioned anywhere along the length of the spindle. In known linear drives, the electric motor is frequently arranged in the area of one end of the linear drive, whereby such an arrangement in combination with the available installation space for a given installation length of the linear drive, reduces the available stroke range of the linear movement of the runner. Another disadvantage of conventional drives this type is seen in that the electromotor frequently extends substantially to the side of the longitudinally movable runner so that depending on the arrangement of the motor a substantial installation space is required in the direction of the longitudinal movement of the runner or in the direction across the movement direction, or even in both directions. Such an installation space or volume does not pose a substantial problem on the ground in the workshop or assembly sheds. However, when such drives are to be used in air or spacecraft, the available installation volume is very limited, whereby the installation of such Linear drives poses substantial difficulties. As a result, heretofore such linear drives have been used on a rather limited scale in air and spacecraft.
German Patent Publication (DE) 3,836,372 A1 (Holtkamp) published May 3, 1990 discloses an apparatus for converting the rotational movement of a spindle into a longitudinal movement of a runner or trip dog, whereby the spindle is constructed as a flexible endless tension spindle having an external threading. The spindle passes through a hollow shaft that is rotated by an electric motor and which is fixed against axial displacement. The hollow snarl is equipped with a drive ball that engages into the threading of the spindle. Thus, when the hollow shaft rotates, the spindle travels axially through the motor. This conventional construction requires that one half of the motor diameter is located on each side of the longitudinal spindle axis. Additionally, there must be space outside the motor for the return path of the flexible spindle. Thus, a compact construction is possible only within limits.

Linear drive for converting a rotational drive movement into a linear output movement


A pallet understructure, in particular for transport and storage containers for liquids, which are equipped with an inner container made of plastic, with a closable filling neck and a draining neck for connecting a tapping armature, wherein the understructure has an outer jacket made of a metal grid or sheet metal, and a bottom (13) for supporting the inner container, corner feet and central feet arranged between the corner feet, as well as a bottom cross member (16), wherein at least the outer jacket and the bottom cross member are attached to at least two central feet, wherein the respective central foot, the outer jacket and the bottom cross member are coupled in a form-fitting fashion with the aid of a screw (45), wherein there is a bracket (28), which reaches around the bottom cross member (16) and around a peripheral edge of the outer jacket, wherein the screw (45) penetrates legs (29, 30) of the bracket.

In the course of making regenerative energy sources available, more and more questions regarding a rational production of electric storage media and voltage sources, in particular high-voltage batteries (HV batteries) for electric vehicles or module strings for photovoltaic plants (PV plants), are moving to the forefront.
As an exemplary application of a production process based on the invention, the assembly process of HV batteries and of photovoltaic module strings is described first of all.
HV batteries for electric vehicles consist of individual battery modules, which are automatically connected in series during production in order to attain the required high voltage.
For this purpose, the HV batteries are most commonly set up step-by-step during the production process to form a first partial string of a module starting from a first connection (positive pole HV+) and to form a second partial string of a module starting from a second connection (negative pole HV−), a lastly installed module connecting both partial strings of the modules to each other to form a closed module string. Therefore, not until the lastly installed battery module is installed can a voltage be measured between the positive pole and the negative pole. If produced correctly, this voltage should then correspond to the desired nominal voltage of the voltage source.
In comparison to a single-string assembly, lower voltages and shorter assembly times arise in this production process since two partial strings of the modules can be assembled at the same time.
Another application of a two-string production process is constituted by the installation of photovoltaic systems, individual solar panels being connected in series in order to ultimately form a module string. Since a central connection point exists at an inverter or at a sub-distribution board, the modules most commonly are also set up as two open partial strings starting from the positive pole and from the negative pole, respectively.
Not until the last module is installed will the series connection be closed, and the desired nominal voltage rests between the positive pole and the negative pole. As long as the modules are not connected to the inverter, the (partial) strings each form an independent ungrounded power supply system. Such an ungrounded power supply system is also referred to as an isolated network (IT network, from French Isolé Terre).
When producing HV batteries as well as when constructing photovoltaic plants and when producing modularly assembled voltage sources in general, two discrete ungrounded partial systems are therefore always yielded in the described production process, said partial systems not being connected to form one individual ungrounded overall system, which provides the required nominal voltage to the connecting terminals, until the last installed module is lastly installed.
During the production process, insulation faults or line defects (line breakage) can arise in individual modules or at the electrical connections, respectively, due to mechanical stresses or through external influences and can lead to considerable losses in quality or to the uselessness of the entire production unit. The installation of initially defective modules poses a source for error. These errors should be identified and localized as soon as possible in the progression of the production process since a fault location at the end of the assembly process is connected to a considerable expenditure of time and costs.
Constant insulation monitoring is a required normative measure in many applications during later operation in the fully installed voltage source (HV battery or photovoltaic plant), however, no such monitoring is intended during production.
It is known that when assembling HV batteries via optical process control and by using robots, an attempt at optimizing the production process is made in such a manner that the failure rate is as low as possible. Only at the end of the production process will the high voltage be tested and the insulation resistance measured.
When constructing photovoltaic plants, cables, which are resistant to short circuits and have plugs protected against polarity reversal, or standardized assembly sets are used due to structural features. Damage incurred during transport or assembly errors which effect electric parameters are not identified until after the inverter has been connected. The fault location is then quite difficult depending on the installation site and the size of the photovoltaic plant.
From the state of the art, a measuring method and an assembly device for insulation testing during assembly of a high voltage battery assembled from several battery modules are known from DE 10 2014 003 325 A1. When connecting the electrical connections between the battery modules of the high voltage battery, an electrically conductive assembly tool used therefor is connected to a measuring device testing the insulation resistance. The measured insulation resistance value is compared to a reference value and should an inadmissibly large difference between the reference value and the insulation resistance value be determined, a fault signal is triggered.
From DE 10 2014 003 910 A1, a testing device for simultaneously testing several battery cells is known and comprises a measuring device for detecting a leakage current, a series voltage, a through current and/or another battery parameter. For this purpose, the testing device comprises an access network, which comprises several contacting elements for being electrically contacted to poles of the battery cells as well as at least one current bridge for electrically connecting battery cells.
However, these known methods also often prove inadequate in regard of prematurely identifying assembly errors.

Method and measurement arrangement for monitoring a production process of a modularly set-up voltage source


A collapsible net for stopping flying balls and for installing on a floor includes a collapsible center coil loop, collapsible first and second side coil loops, a vertical fabric portion, top and bottom fabric portions, and top and bottom straps. The collapsible center coil loop includes a top part, a bottom part, and first and second side parts. Each side coil loop includes a top part, a bottom part, and inner and outer side parts. Each inner side part is connected to each side part of the collapsible center coil loop. The vertical fabric portion covers the openings of the coil loops for stopping the flying balls. The opening angle of the side coil loops are controllable. The propping device includes pecks and strings to fix the net to the floor.

The present invention relates to a collapsible net. More particularly, this invention relates to a collapsible net, which has three portions of net.
A net has been quite a useful thing since its invention by some cavemen. A net comprises a mesh structure. The mesh extends across a certain amount of surface and stops anything along the mesh string only. Actually, the useful aspect of the net resides in the fact that it can also stop anything larger than the size of the eyes of mesh.
Therefore, the fishing net can scoop out big fish leaving water and small fish behind. The net surrounding the little league stadium keeps the flying balls and foul balls from hitting the spectator and at the same allows the spectator to look through itself to watch the game.
The two big users of net might be the fishing industry and the sports.
In everyday life, the sport is much nearer to the people than the fishing industry. The net is quite useful not only at a regular sports game in a stadium, a diamond, or a link, but also at a practice in a small and limited place such as backyard, sideway, and even indoors.
Accordingly, a need for a collapsible net has been present for a long time considering the endless demands from the various sports. This invention is directed to solve these problems and satisfy the long-felt need.


The coupling of optical signals to the active region of a FET having a wide source to drain spacing via an optical fiber and material having an index of refraction matching that of the fiber or the FET so as to increase the locking range when the FET is part of an oscillator circuit or to increase the change in the electrical gain of the FET caused by a change in the optical energy if the FET is an amplifier.

Description of the Prior Art
It is known that the frequency of an oscillator having a field effect transistor, FET, as its active element can be locked to the frequency of variations in the intensity of light in an optical signal injected into the active region of the FET that lies between its source and drain electrodes. For any given amount of modulated light intensity, there is a given bandwidth of frequencies, .DELTA.f, called the locking bandwidth, to which the oscillator can be locked. Whereas the locking bandwidth can be increased by increasing the peak modulated light intensity, a limit is reached when the active region of the FET becomes saturated. At the present time, the highest ratio of the locking bandwidth, .DELTA.f, to the free running frequency of an oscillator being locked is about 0.2%. Thus, in a situation where a large number of oscillators are to be locked to the same optical signal, it is essential that their free running frequencies be within .DELTA.f of the frequency of the optical signal for locking to occur. Unfortunately, however, this can be very expensive to obtain.
In an article entitled "Optical Injection Locking of FET Oscillators Using Fiber Optics", by D. C. Buck and M. A. Cross, that was published in a "Digest of Papers" for the IEEE MTT Symposium of 1986, a locking bandwidth of 5 MHz for an oscillator in the S band was said to have been achieved by injecting the optical signal into a FET via an optical fiber. This was achieved by using a lens to transform the cylindrical beam emerging from the fiber into an elliptical beam having its major axis aligned with length of the long narrow space between the source and drain electrodes of the FET.
In an article entitled "Optical Phase Control of an Optically Injection-Locked FET Microwave Oscillator", by Ronald D. Esman, Lew Goldberg and J. F. Weller, that was published in Vol. 37, No. 10 of the IEEE Transactions On Microwave Theory and Techniques of October, 1989, lock-in ranges that are a small fraction of 1% are reported. Also described are two ways of improving the coupling of optical energy to a FET. In one, the passivation layer is made to be antireflective, but the optical signal is shown as passing through space. In the other, an optical fiber is inserted through the substrate into contact with the active region of the FET, but this requires special construction not found in FET's available on the market.

Direct optical injection locked fet oscillator

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


A fabric conveyor system for a textile web includes a plurality of guiding rollers pressing against one side of the web, a toothed driven belt pressed against the opposite side the web, and a plurality of pressure pads supporting a toothed side of the driven belt turned away from the opposite side of the web and formed with respective flank portions each providing an unsupported run for a maximum of one tooth.

A fabric conveyor system of the above-described kind is known from DE-A-38 44 581.
Such fabric conveyor systems are frequently used in automatic textile machines of all kinds. In such systems it is most important to guide the textile goods precisely to and between the work stations, in order to avoid irregularities. These irregularities can occur due to the slippage of the textile goods between the guides, but also due to the slippage of the smooth belt from its drive disk. When textile goods are referred to here, generally we include in the definition any kind of flat goods made of any material such as textile, plastic, cardboard, etc.
Special difficulties are encountered in guiding textile webs when the thickness of these webs varies. The slippage of the drive belt from its drive disk results in uneven belt speeds, which in turn produce irregularities in the goods at the work station. When the belt portion between the guide rollers sags, variations in the contact pressure on the textile web occur over lengths of several meters.
From DE-A-38 44 581 a fabric conveyor system is known in which a smooth, flat belt is used as a continuous conveyor.
In this system, it is possible that slippage can occur between the guide or driving rollers and the belt, which can lead to irregularities in the guidance of the material.
Furthermore, this construction requires a pressure means, which presses the smooth face of the conveyor belt against the workpiece. For this purpose in a boxlike hollow profile a pressure means in the form of an inflatable pressure hose is provided, which can act upon a pressure-transmitting member consisting for instance of elements subdivided in the longitudinal direction. This element subdivided in longitudinal direction can be formed by a band element having individual segments connected to each other by elastic webs. As already described above, this arrangement does not insure a slippage-free entrainment between the guide or driving rollers and the endless belt of the continuous conveyor.
In addition considerable manufacturing and structural expenses are related to the arrangement of the pressure-medium-actuatable hose, including the pressure member actuated by the hose. Also the adjustment to the variable thickness of the running textile web or the like may not be satisfactory. In earlier systems it has been proposed to provide several pressure hoses as pressure elements which can be differently actuated. However this allows only an insufficient degree of adjustment of the individual segments of the pressure-transmitting element.
Hence it is essential for the individual elements of the pressure-transmitting member not to be in fact separate elements, but at least elements connected to each other by elastic webs.