An infrared absorption spectrometer features an optical microcavity, and a waveguide that evanescently couples light into the microcavity. The optical resonance frequency of the microcavity is tuned to coincide with an atomic or molecular resonance frequency of a selected atom or molecule. In this way, light coupled into the microcavity will experience absorption in the presence of an atomic or molecular subtance. The absorption causes a measurable change in the evanescent light coupling into the microcavity. The detection sensitivity of the spectrometer is significantly increased, compared to prior art spectrometers, because of the high Q value of the microcavity and the ensuing long optical path lengths of the resonant modes traveling within the microcavity.

Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to optical sensors, and in particular to a high-precision, micro-optic absorption spectrometer.
During the past few years, a substantial amount of research has been performed in the field of optical microcavity physics, in order to develop high cavity-Q optical microcavity resonators. In general, resonant cavities that can store and recirculate electromagnetic energy at optical frequencies have many useful applications, including high-precision spectroscopy, signal processing, sensing, and filtering. Many difficulties present themselves when conventional planar technology, i.e. etching, is used in order to fabricate high quality optical resonators, because the surfaces must show deviations of less than about a few nanometers. Optical microsphere resonators, on the other hand, can have quality factors that are several orders of magnitude better than typical surface etched optical micro-resonators, because these microcavities can be shaped by natural surface tension forces during a liquid state fabrication. These microcavities are inexpensive, simple to fabricate, and are compatible with integrated optics.
Optical microcavity resonators have quality factors (Qs) that are higher by several orders of magnitude, as compared to other electromagnetic devices. Measured Qs as large at 1010 have been reported. The highs resonances encountered in these microcavities are due to whispering-gallery-modes (WGM) that are supported within the microcavities.
As a result of their small size and high cavity Q, interest has recently grown in potential applications of microcavities to fields such as electro-optics, microlaser development, measurement science, and spectroscopy. By making use of these high Q values, microspheric cavities have the potential to provide unprecedented performance in numerous applications. For example, these microspheric cavities may be useful in applications that call for ultra-narrow linewidths, long energy decay times, large energy densities, and fine sensing of environmental changes, to cite just a few examples.
In order for the potential of microcavity-based devices to be realized, it is necessary to couple light selectively and efficiently into the microspheres. Since the ultra-high Q values of microcavities are the result of energy that is tightly bound inside the cavity, optical energy must be coupled in and out of the high Q cavities, without negatively affecting the Q. Further, the stable integration of the microcavities with the input and output light coupling media should be achieved. Also, controlling the excitation of resonant modes within these microcavities is necessary for proper device performance, but presents a challenge for conventional waveguides.
Typically, good overall performance is gained by accessing the evanescent field in a waveguide. Also, only waveguide structures provide easy alignment and discrete, clearly defined ports. Because of cavity and waveguide mode leakage into the substrate and into the modes within the fiber cladding, power extraction from the input optical radiation has proved to be inefficient for conventional planar waveguides, however.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/893,854 (identified by Attorney Docket Nos. CSLL-625 and hereby incorporated by reference) discloses a highly efficient and robust mechanism for coupling optical microcavity whispering-gallery modes into integrated optical waveguide chips. SPARROW (Stripline Pedestal Antiresonant Reflecting Waveguides) are used to achieve vertical confinement and substrate isolation through a highly reflective stack of alternating high and low refractive index dielectric layers. Q-values of over 1010, and coupling efficiencies of over 98% have been observed.
SPARROW waveguide chips have the potential to integrate optical microcavities into miniaturized optical sensor systems. Because of their ability to excite resonant modes having unprecedentedly high Q-values in optical microcavities, SPARROW waveguide chips have the potential for greatly increasing the resolution and dynamic range in these sensing applications.
In particular, a significant potential application for microcavity resonator devices is chemical/biological agent sensing. Chemical sensors known in the art include MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) chemical sensors, optical waveguide-based sensors, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) chemical sensors, surface acoustic wave (SAW) chemical sensors, mass spectrometers, and IR (infrared) absorption spectrometers Miniaturized sensors, such as prior art MEMS sensors, provide significant advantages. For example, they would be well adapted for in situ functioning. Also, they would be small enough to be deployed in large numbers and implemented for remote probing. It is desirable to provide chemical sensors with an improved resolution, while maintaining the compact size of MEMS sensors known in the art.
The present invention is directed to a light absorption spectrometer, formed of a waveguide-coupled optical microcavity resonator. The present invention features the tuning of the optical resonance frequency of the microsphere, to coincide with a selected electronic or vibrational transition frequency, so that the light coupled into the microsphere will experience absorption in the presence of an atomic or molecular substance surrounding the microsphere.
An infrared absorption spectrometer constructed in accordance with the present invention includes at least one optical microcavity, and an optical waveguide for coupling light into a resonant mode of the optical microcavity. The optical waveguide has an input end and an output end. The waveguide is adapted for transmitting optical radiation incident on the input end to the output end.
The light coupled into the optical microcavity is adapted to interact with at least one an atomic or molecular species. The atomic or molecular species may be found in a chemical substance surrounding the microcavity, and may be a fluid, by way of example. The optical microcavity is configured so that the frequency of at least one resonant mode of the optical cavity matches an electronic or vibrational transition frequency of the atomic or molecular species. In this way, optical radiation coupled into the optical microcavity and having a frequency substantially equal to the frequency of the resonant mode is absorbed by the atomic or molecular species.
Because of the high Q value and the correspondingly long optical path length of the optical microcavity, the sensitivity of the infrared absorption spectrometer of the present invention is significantly increased, as compared to the prior art.

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.


Method for treating non-gelatin colloidal encapsulation waste materials in which the waste is combined, optionally, with a solvent capable of dissolving the non-gelatin colloidal encapsulation material, and any softening agent contained therein, and then treating the solvent layer to remove contaminants such as residual oils and/or particulates which may be present, to provide a purified and usable encapsulating material containing stream.

The present invention is generally directed to a process for purifying and recycling colloidal non-gelatin encapsulation waste materials and derivatives thereof and other components obtained from capsule manufacturing processes.
Gelatin and gelatin derivatives are colloidal materials and are used to encapsulate the products of several industries. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,102, issued to Simpson et al, and include the encapsulation of medicinal compounds such as drugs and vitamins; employment of gelatin encapsulation in food packaging, such as for powdered instant coffee or spices; in candy manufacturing; in fertilization of ornamental plants and/or indoor plants; in packaging of sensitive seeds in combination with protective agents and/or fertilizers; and in the packing of single dyestuffs or mixtures of various drugs.
Due to market conditions, as discussed below, recent advances allow for encapsulation of the above recited products using materials in the form of colloids which are effective in encapsulating active agents such as drugs, vitamins, neutriceuticals and the like, hereinafter xe2x80x9ccolloidal encapsulating material(s)xe2x80x9d, which do not contain gelatin. Such non-gelatin colloidal encapsulating materials include, for example, 1) starch, starch acetate, high amylase starch, modified starch and derivatives thereof as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,323, issued to Hutchinson, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,385, issued to Stroud and U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,1009, issued to Laba, et al., 2) kappa and iota-carrageenan and derivatives thereof as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,376, issued to Gennadios and European Patent No. EP1106107, issued to Tanner, et al. and International Publication No. WO 01/03677 A1, issued to Tanner, et al., 3) cellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellusle (HPMC) and derivatives thereof as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,696, issued to Wang and UK Patent Application No. 9925166.2, issued to Brown et al. and 4) acacia gum as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,999, issued to Gennadios, or combinations thereof or in combination with gelatin. Each of the references mentioned above is incorporated herein by reference.
The replacement of gelatin by compositions derived from non-animal sources is driven by market conditions that have capsule manufacturers looking toward alternative materials that can effectively encapsulate the various products mentioned above. Some of these market conditions include: 1) the outbreak of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), or xe2x80x98mad cow diseasexe2x80x99, which has resulted in government action and consumer concerns, tightening raw material supplies as more and more portions of the source material, cow bone and hide, are being banned from use; gelatin products having already been banned in France. There has been one allegation of cross-species contamination from cow to human in the United Kingdom. 2) Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in 2001 resulted in consumer concerns and reduced animal derived raw material supplies. 3) Various groups around the world that do not ingest products of pigs or beef, such as Hebrews, Muslims, Hindus and vegetarians. As raw material supplies become short and government action and consumer concerns expand, non-gelatin colloidal materials will become the preferred sources of encapsulating materials.
In addition, it may be desirable that, an encapsulated product intended for oral use, have a faster disintegration rate, to release the encapsulated product in the oral cavity. Gelatin based colloidal encapsulating materials typically have a relatively slow rate of disintegration compared to non-gelatin colloidal materials.
In each of the above-recited manufacturing and production processes, a certain amount of the encapsulating material is lost as waste. Frequently, the amount lost as waste approaches 40% or more of the total starting material, depending on the manner in which is the capsules are produced. As a result, capsule manufacturers are interested in improving production efficiency by purifying and recycling the waste for reuse.
Methods exist for the recovery and purification of waste material obtained from capsule manufacturing processes which use gelatin based colloidal encapsulating materials. Such methods suffer from a variety of shortcomings as discussed herein. However, there are no known processes for the purification and recovery of non-gelatin colloidal encapsulating materials from capsule manufacturing processes.
Before the shortcomings of waste recovery of gelatin from encapsulating materials employing the same can be fully appreciated, the composition of the encapsulation waste material itself should be further understood. In general, the waste material of encapsulation processes is comprised of a variable number of components added to a base. These components may include solvents (usually water); softening agents and oil coatings; and, contaminants in the form of residual active ingredients, i.e. the substance being encapsulated. In addition, colorings and preservatives may also be present. Thus, it can be observed that the successful recovery and recycling of the purified gelatin involves not only the recovery of the gelatin from surrounding oils, but also the removal of the remaining components of the waste as described above in order to achieve a relatively pure, reusable product.
Under typical waste recovery processes employing gelatin, extraction is the principle method for accomplishing removal of oils, actives, and the like in the pharmaceutical industry. While several solvents have been used in an effort to accomplish separation, each solvent suffer from a variety of shortcomings not the least of which is the necessity of ultimately removing yet another component, i.e. the solvent itself, from the waste material. To date, the most popular and widely used solvents used to separate gelatin from oils and actives are chlorinated solvents such as, for example, 1,1,1,-trichloroethane with naphtha. The use of chlorinated solvents, however, is accompanied by high costs, disposal problems, and most importantly, environmental concerns.
Attempts have been made to use other solvents including isopropyl alcohol, methyl isobutyl ketone, toluene, hexane, heptane, acetone, and acetone/water mixtures, but the resulting yields are insufficient and/or the separation is poor. Furthermore, some of these chemicals are relatively expensive and present similar environmental, disposal, and safety concerns as the chlorinated solvents. None of them have been found to separate oils and actives with a high degree of efficiency. These methods also do not address the intrinsic problem of oils trapped between the ribbons of the waste material that emerge from the encapsulation process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,408, issued to Schmidt et al, discloses a method of recycling gelatin-based encapsulation waste material, and more specifically, to a process for the recovery and purification of gelatin and softening agents from the waste material. In the preferred embodiment, deionized water, is added to the gelatin waste material thereby forming an aqueous solution of gelatin and glycerin dispersed within the remaining oil and residual active-ingredient components of the waste. Filtration methods are employed under specific conditions to effect separation of the solvent (aqueous) layer from the non-solvent layer. The solvent layer is filtered under elevated temperatures to remove any remaining traces of oil or other contaminants and the filtrate is then charged to a concentration vessel adapted for vacuum distillation. The solvent (water) is thus removed under specific thermal and atmospheric conditions until the desired concentration of gelatin and glycerin is achieved. The limitation of the ""408 Patent is that the recovery process described therein is confined to the processing relatively clean gelatin waste streams. The ""408 Patent does not address gelatin waste materials which may contain contaminants residing in the solvent layer containing the gelatin to be recycled, that are miscible with the solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,001, issued to Schmidt, provides an advance in the art over Schmidt, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,408). The ""001 Patent discloses a method of recycling gelatin-based encapsulation waste material, and more specifically, to a process for the recovery and purification of gelatin and softening agents therefrom. In the preferred embodiment, deionized water is added to the gelatin waste material thereby forming a solution of gelatin and glycerin dispersed within the remaining oil and residual active-ingredient components of the gelatin waste material. Filtration methods are employed under specific conditions to effect separation of the solvent (aqueous) layer from the non-solvent layer. The solvent layer is filtered under elevated temperatures to remove any remaining traces of oil or other contaminants and the filtrate is then subjected to diafiltration rather than vacuum distillation. The Schmidt ""001 Patent is an advance in the art over the Schmidt et al. ""408 Patent in that: 1) a more economical method of solvent removal is employed, 2) water soluble contaminants can now be removed, and 3) low molecular weight degradation products, the result of normal gelatin processing and the recovery process, can be removed. Nonetheless, both the ""001 Patent and the ""408 Patent are limited to a recovery process concerning relatively clean gelatin waste streams; (e.g. neither Patent addresses the removal of waste contaminants from the solvent layer, which are miscible with the solvent layer).
The ""408 Patent and the ""001 Patent while disclosing significant advances and a new approach to purification encapsulation waste streams to obtain recyclable components, nonetheless, had limited ability to remove some contaminants that may be present in some encapsulation waste streams.
It would be a further advance in the art of purifying and recycling waste if an in situ process could be developed that is especially effective in recovering and purifying colloidal encapsulation waste materials containing suspended particles, i.e., emulsified oil droplets or suspended particles, without thermal degradation, in a cost efficient and effective manner, especially waste streams containing non-gelatin colloidal encapsulation waste materials.
The present invention is generally directed to the purification and recovery of non-gelatin colloidal materials from a waste stream derived from capsuled manufacturing processes employing non-gelatin colloid materials as the encapsulating material. The waste stream in addition to the non-gelatin colloid material includes other components which are separated from the waste stream into solvent and non-solvent layers of which the solvent layer is then further treated in accordance with the present invention.
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating a non-gelatin colloidal encapsulation waste material to recover non-gelatin colloidal material therefrom comprising:
a) forming a liquid containing the non-gelatin colloidal material; and
b) removing contaminants from the liquid to form a product containing the non-gelatin colloidal material having a higher purity than the non-gelatin colloidal material contained in the liquid formed in step (a).
In a preferred form of the invention, step (a) comprises combining the non-gelatin colloidal encapsulating waste material with a solvent and separating the solvent layer containing the non-gelatin colloidal material from the non-solvent layer and removing contaminants from the solvent layer.

Method for the purification and recovery of non-gelatin colloidal waste encapsulation materials


A semiconductor device for initializing an interface card using a serial EEPROM and an initializing method allow for more effective use of a serial EEPROM used to store the initialization information, while not consuming additional circuit surface area. The method comprises initializing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device stores initialization information in a serial electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) and includes a direct memory access (DMA), a serial EEPROM interface, and a register interface that are connected to a common system bus according to the initialization information, the method comprising (a) setting an operational channel to allow the DMA automatically initialize the semiconductor device in a state where the semiconductor device is reset; (b) reading the initialization information from the serial EEPROM in response to the operational channel set in the DMA after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled; (c) initializing the semiconductor device by writing the initialization information read out from the serial EEPROM to the register interface; (d) generating an initialization completion signal for indicating that the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed, and (e) automatically setting the register interface and the DMA to be prepared for normal operations after the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device and a method for initializing an interface card using a serial electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM).
2. Description of the Related Art
In current semiconductor systems, it is common for a PCI bus or cardbus PC card to be used as an interface between circuits In general, the PCI bus is used as an interface to transmit data at high speeds, whereas the cardbus PC card is an interface that adopts a PCI bus structure due to restrictions on the transmission bandwidth of a conventional personal computer memory card international association (PCMCIA) card.
Most PCI cards or cardbus PC cards simply process data using only a digital signal processor without a central processing unit (CPU). Since there is a need for data to be processed at higher speeds and managed more effectively, system-on-a-chip (SOC)-type systems that include CPUs have been developed.
In the case of a PCI system, a plurality of PCI cards are connected to a PCI bus. A HOST/PCI bridge is installed between the CPU of a host system and the PCI bus, and a plurality of PCI cards may be connected to the PCI bus. A cardbus PC card system may have a connection structure similar to that of the PCI system.
An SOC-type PCI interface chip including a CPU may be used in a PCI card. In the PCI card, a configuration register of a PCI interface unit must be initialized to a predetermined state. A configuration register of the PCI card must also be initialized to a predetermined state.
FIG. 1 is a register map showing the structure of a configuration register of a PCI card. Referring to FIG. 1, the bit positions of registers are marked along the X-axis, and the register addresses are expressed as hexadecimal numbers along the Y-axis. Registers for classifying PCI cards are shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, device identification (ID), vendor ID, class code, revision code, subsystem ID, and subsystem vendor ID are data required in order to classify and identify PCI cards in a host CPU of a personal computer system or in order to perform a plug-and-play operation. The vendor ID is used for an interface number that is used to identify the manufacturer of an interface system on chip mounted on a PCI card, and the device ID is used for an ID number of a chip given by the manufacturer, the class code is used to identify the type of chip mounted on a PCI card, and the revision code identifies the version of a chip. The subsystem vendor ID identifies the manufacturer of a PCI card, on which a chip will be mounted, and the subsystem ID contains the ID number of a PCI card given by the manufacturer. The device ID and the vendor ID are data specific to a PCI interface chip and are set by the manufacture of the chip. However, since there are various PCI cards manufactured by different manufacturers, on which chips will be mounted, it is impossible for the chip manufacturers to fix the class code, revision code, subsystem Id, and subsystem vendor ID of a PCI card without using an external memory. A cardbus PC card includes a configuration register having substantially the same structure as that of a configuration register of a PCI card.
Hereinafter, the class code, revision code, subsystem ID, and subsystem vendor of a PCI card are referred to as the initial data of a PCI card.
Card information structure (CIS) information in a cardbus PC card system displays predetermined data concerning a cardbus PC card, which are fixed data and thus cannot be changed during operation of the cardbus PC card.
A central processing unit (CPU) host reads data stored in one of the registers shown in FIG. 1 in order to read CIS information stored in a cardbus PC card. The CPU host than analyzes the data and identifies the part of the register in which the CIS information is located. Next, the host CPU reads the CIS information from the register and allows the cardbus PC card to operate. However, in the case when the CIS information is not located at a desired position, it is impossible to determine which kind of card is connected to a cardbus and allow the card to appropriately operate. Accordingly, it becomes necessary to move the CIS information from an original location where the CIS information is originally stored, to another location where the time taken to access the CIS information can be reduced.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional semiconductor device for initializing a PCI card or a cardbus PC card. Referring to FIG. 2, a conventional semiconductor device 200 is a chip 200 installed in a PCI card or a cardbus PC card. The chip 200 includes a CPU 210 connected to a system bus, a memory controller 220, and an interface 230.
In the conventional systems, in order to initialize a PCI card, the CPU 210 reads initialization information INIFORM from an external read only memory (ROM) 240 using the memory controller 220 after the reset operation of the PCI card is completed, and stores the initialization information in a predetermined register of the interface 230, thus initializing the interface 230. The initialization information is stored in the ROM 240 as data or as a program. Since the ROM 240 is necessary for initializing the PCI card, it is difficult to modify a program concerning the initialization information stored in the ROM 240.
In the case of a cardbus PC card, like the PCI card described above, the CPU 210 reads the initialization information from the ROM 240 using the memory controller 220 after the reset operation of the cardbus PC card is completed and stores the initialization information in a predetermined register of an interface 230, thus initializing the interface 230. Since the ROM 240 is necessary for initializing the cardbus PC card, like the PCI card, it is also difficult to modify a program that includes the initialization information stored in the ROM 240. In addition, CIS information must also be stored in the cardbus PC card, unlike the PCI card.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional semiconductor device for initializing a PCI card or a cardbus PC card. Referring to FIG. 3, a conventional semiconductor device 300 is a chip 300 installed in a PCI card or a cardbus PC card. The chip 300 includes a memory controller 310 connected to a bus system and an interface 320. The interface 320 includes a serial electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) interface 330.
The semiconductor device 300 shown in FIG. 3, unlike the semiconductor device 200 shown in FIG. 2, uses only a serial EEPROM 340, in which only the initialization information necessary to initialize the interface 320 is stored, instead of the external ROM 240 shown in FIG. 2. In other words, after the reset operation of a PCI card or a cardbus PC card is completed, the serial EEPROM interface 330 in the interface 320 automatically reads initialization information INIFORM of the serial EEPROM 340 and stores the initialization information in a predetermined register, thus initializing the interface 320. In this manner, it is not necessary for the CPU to be in the chip 300 in a PCI card or a cardbus PC card, since a device driver of a host system downloads a program for operating the PCI card or the cardbus PC card from a volatile memory (not shown), such as a SRAM, which is located outside the chip 300, via a bus system installed in the chip 300, thus operating the PCI card or the cardbus PC card.
In the case of operating the PCI card or the cardbus PC card using a downloaded program, the initialization information of the PCI card or the cardbus PC card is stored in the serial EEPROM 340 and is automatically read by the serial EEPROM interface 330 in the interface 320 after resetting the PCI card or the cardbus PC card.
In the above-described method, the PCI card or the cardbus PC card is generally initialized using the serial EEPROM interface 330 installed in the interface 320 instead of using a serial EEPROM interface (not shown) separately connected to a bus system. However, in this method, a circuit, which serves as the serial EEPROM interface (not shown) separately connected to a bus system, is necessary, and thus the area of the interface 320 needs to be increased. In addition, a pin used to allow the interface 320 to interface with the serial EEPROM 340 is additionally required, and it is difficult to effectively use the serial EEPROM 340 for purposes other than for storing initialization information.
To address the above-described limitations, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of initializing a semiconductor device for initializing an interface card without increasing the area of a circuit.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device for initializing an interface card without increasing the area of a circuit.
To achieve the first object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of initializing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device stores initialization information in a serial electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) and includes a direct memory access (DMA), a serial EEPROM interface, and a register interface that are connected to a bus system bus according to the initialization information, the method comprising the acts of: (a) setting an operational channel to allow the DMA automatically initialize the semiconductor device in a state where the semiconductor device is reset; (b) reading the initialization information from the serial EEPROM following the operational channel set in the DMA after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled; (c) initializing the semiconductor device by writing the initialization information read out from the serial EEPROM to the register interface; (d) generating an initialization completion signal for indicating that the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed, using the DMA; and (e) setting the register interface and the DMA to be prepared for normal operations after the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed.
To achieve the first object according to the second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of initializing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device stores initialization information and card information structure (CIS) information concerning a cardbus PC card and includes a DMA, a serial EEPROM interface, a register interface, and a memory controller that are connected to a system bus according to the initialization information and the CIS information, the method comprising the acts of: (a) setting an operational channel to allow the DMA automatically initialize the semiconductor device in a state where the semiconductor device is reset; (b) reading the initialization information from the serial EEPROM in response to the operational channel set in the DMA after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled; (c) initializing the semiconductor device by writing the initialization information read out from the serial EEPROM to the register interface; (d) reading the CIS information from the serial EEPROM in response to the operational channel set in the DMA, and writing the CIS information read from the serial EEPROM in an external memory; (e) generating an initialization completion signal for indicating that the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed; and (f) automatically setting the interface and the DMA to be prepared for normal operations after the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed.
To achieve the first object according to the third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of initializing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device is mounted on a cardbus PC card, stores initialization information and CIS information concerning the cardbus PC card in a serial EEPROM mounted on the cardbus PC card, and includes a DMA, a serial EEPROM interface, a register interface, and a memory controller that are connected to a system bus according to the initialization information and the CIS information, the method comprising: (a) setting an operational channel to allow the DMA automatically initialize the semiconductor device in a state where the semiconductor device is reset; (b) reading the initialization information from the serial EEPROM in response to the operational channel set in the DMA after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled; (c) initializing the semiconductor device by writing the initialization information read out from the serial EEPROM to the register interface; (d) reading the CIS information from the serial EEPROM following the operational channel set in the DMA and writing the CIS information read out from the serial EEPROM in a memory mounted on the cardbus PC card; (e) generating an initialization completion signal for indicating that the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed, and (f) automatically setting the interface and the DMA to be prepared for normal operations after the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed.
To achieve the first object according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of initializing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device is mounted on a PCI card, stores initialization information and other information in a serial EEPROM mounted on the PCI card, and includes a DMA, a serial EEPROM interface, a register interface, and a memory controller that are connected to a system bus according to the initialization information and the other information, the method comprising the acts of: (a) setting an operational channel to allow the DMA automatically initialize the semiconductor device in a state where the semiconductor device is reset; (b) reading the initialization information from the serial EEPROM in response to the operational channel set in the DMA after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled; (c) initializing the semiconductor device by writing the initialization information read out from the serial EEPROM to the register interface; (d) reading the other information from the serial EEPROM following the operational channel set in the DMA and writing the other information read from the serial EEPROM to a memory mounted on the PCI card; (e) generating an initialization completion signal for indicating that the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed, using the DMA; and (f) automatically setting the interface and the DMA to be prepared for normal operations after the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed.
To achieve the second object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) which is turned off in response to an initialization control signal and is turned on in response to an initialization completion signal; a direct memory access (DMA); a reset controller which allows the DMA to perform an initialization operation in response to a reset signal, generates the initialization control signal used to turn off the CPU, and is reset in response to the initialization completion signal; a serial EEPROM interface which is controlled by the DMA and interfaces with an external serial EEPROM to read initialization information from the serial EEPROM; and an interface which is controlled by the DMA, receives the initialization information from the serial EEPROM interface, and stores the initialization information in a register, wherein the DMA performs an initialization operation using the initialization information in response to the initialization control signal in a state where the semiconductor device is reset and generates the initialization completion signal for performing a normal operation after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled.
To achieve the second object according to the second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) which is turned off in response to an initialization control signal and is turned on in response to an initialization completion signal; a direct memory access (DMA); a reset controller which allows the DMA to perform an initialization operation in response to a reset signal, generates the initialization control signal used to turn off the CPU, and is reset in response to the initialization completion signal; a serial EEPROM interface which is controlled by the DMA and interfaces with an external serial EEPROM to read initialization information and other information from the serial EEPROM; an interface which is controlled by the DMA, receives the initialization information from the serial EEPROM interface, and stores the initialization information in a register, and a memory controller which is controlled by the DMA, reads the information other than the initialization information from the serial EEPROM, and stores the information other than the initialization information in an external memory, wherein the DMA performs an initialization operation using the initialization information and the other information in response to the initialization control signal in a state where the semiconductor device is reset and generates the initialization completion signal for performing a normal operation after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled.
As described above, the semiconductor device for initializing an interface card according to the present invention and the initializing method therefore, unlike the prior art, in which a semiconductor device initializes an interface card by storing initialization information in a ROM, do not use a ROM. Thus, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, and it is easy to obtain bug patches and upgrade the semiconductor device by downloading a program for operating an interface card.
In the present invention, unlike in the prior art, there is no need to install a dedicated serial EEPROM interface in the register interface, and thus a direct memory access (DMA) and the register interface require a smaller circuit area than that of the prior art during an initialization operation. In addition, only one serial EEPROM interface is required for a semiconductor device, and thus it is possible to reduce the area of a circuit and decrease the number of pins used to install a serial EEPROM interface in a semiconductor device.
Finally, since it is possible to store initialization information, card information structure (CIS information), and other information in a serial EEPROM and read the information stored in the serial EEPROM using a CPU, it is possible to use the serial EEPROM more effectively.

Semiconductor device and method for initializing interface card using serial EEPROM


Variable space charge effects in the imaging portion of a particle beam projection system due to variations in transmitted beam current are compensated with an additional lens appropriately positioned within the imaging system and having a focal length which varies in response to the transmitted beam current.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to charged particle beam projection systems and more particularly to the imaging sections of an electron or ion beam column.
2. Description of Related Art
In a particle beam projection lithography system with sufficient beam current to provide useful tool throughput there is a problem that the Coulomb interaction causes a shift in the position of the image plane and a change in nominal magnification which vary depending on the transmitted beam current, i.e., exposure pattern density.
For a hypothetical electron beam column under consideration, Monte Carlo calculations of the effect suggest image shifts of approximately 50 microns and magnification changes of approximately 0.1%, for a 20 microAmpere change in transmitted beam current. Tolerable image shifts and magnification changes are about 10-100 times smaller than these values.
Dynamic refocusing to correct shifts of the image plane of an electron beam system in response to beam current changes is known from shaped beam lithography systems, and character projection systems, but to our knowledge, compensation of magnification effects has never before been addressed.

Compensation of space charge in a particle beam system


The present invention provides a system and method for monitoring global network performance across a public Wide Area Network (WAN), and/or private networking through a secure IPSec gateway, and providing a user interface for performance metrics through a secure Internet browser.

During the past 10 years, companies have made significant investments to configure robust networks to support burgeoning applications, transactions and communications over the Internet. Yet, the majority of tools to support network operations have been focused on internal Local Area Networks (LANs), despite the demand to support external business applications. As a result, Global Networks have been managed locally without a clear picture of performance, operational requirements, or the allocation of network resources across multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Further, the internal hardware, software and traps, typically used in the prior art to gather network intelligence, has only limited application across the diverse network segments that today make up an enterprise's Global Network, such as data (including Internet Protocol (IP)), wireless (including Wireless Access Point (WAP) access and equipment), voice (including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)) and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Different sets of tools have been required to monitor each of these different segment types.
Accordingly, there is a need to gauge the performance of Global Networks, including ISP quality of service and device performance from a single integrated interface across diverse network segments.
The present invention answers this need by enabling clients to remotely monitor disparate networks and service providers over a real-time Wide Area Network (WAN)-based interface without displacing internal management applications.

System and method for monitoring global network performance


An integrated isolator array is provided having a plurality of waveguides fabricated in a planar optical substrate, each waveguide having input and output sections. An isolator subassembly is received within a transverse trench formed in the substrate between the input and output sections such that it intersects the optical paths of the waveguides. The isolator subassembly, which may consist of layers of Faraday rotator material sandwiched between layers of birefringent crystal material, permits the forward passage of light from the input sections to the output sections of the waveguides while preventing the backward passage of light from the output to the input sections. Each waveguide input section is preferably adapted with a mode-expanding input taper to collimate light propagating through the waveguide. Similarly, each output section is preferably adapted with a mode-reducing output taper to reduce the mode size of forward-traveling light to match that of an output fiber, as well as to collimate light traveling backward within the output section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to nonreciprocal optical devices, and more particularly to arrays of nonreciprocal devices, such as isolators and circulators, integrated on a common planar optical substrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nonreciprocal optical devices, such as optical isolators and optical circulators, are essential components of optical communication systems. Optical isolators pass light propagating in a forward direction while inhibiting the propagation of light in a backward direction. Optical circulators enable the routing of light from one optical fiber or waveguide to another based upon the direction of light propagation.
Commercially available nonreciprocal optical devices generally take the form of individual (non-integrated) assemblies of bulk optical components. For example, optical isolators typically utilize a GRIN lens attached to an input fiber to collimate the input light. The light is then passed through a series of polarization and Faraday rotation components and subsequently recaptured by a second GRIN lens that recouples the light onto an output fiber. Manufacturing of such isolators involve numerous assembly and manufacturing steps (most of which must be performed manually), resulting in high costs and limitations in production volume. The growth and increasingly price-competitive character of the fiber optic equipment industry has created a demand for low-cost nonreciprocal devices which may be manufactured in large volumes using automated assembly techniques. A particularly strong demand exists for array architectures, in which plural isolators or other nonreciprocal devices are integrated into a single structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,371 to Pan ("Optical Isolator Array Device") presents one example of an isolator array architecture. The Pan device consists of corresponding input and output arrays of optical fibers disposed in V-grooves formed on one surface of a supporting substrate. An isolator subassembly, comprising a strip of Faraday material sandwiched between strips of birefringent crystal material, is fixed within a transverse trench formed in the substrate between the input and output optical fiber arrays. Light leaving the input fibers is collimated (either by GRIN lenses located proximal to the fiber endfaces or by thermally expanded cores) and directed onto the isolator subassembly. The receiving ends of the output fibers are provided with collimating elements (GRIN lenses or thermally expanded cores) to couple light transmitted from the corresponding input fibers through the isolator subassembly.
The approach described in the aforementioned Pan patent does offer certain advantages over existing single-channel designs, but has several problems associated with its implementation. These problems include a need to utilize non-standard fibers having thick (>200 μm) claddings to prevent excessive losses resulting from the presence of a sizable evanescent field at the cladding outer surface; processing and induced mechanical fatigue issues associated with thermal expansion of the fiber cores, and; difficulty in automating the placement and alignment of the optical fibers and any separate collimating elements (e.g., GRIN lenses). These and other problems associated with the Pan approach may significantly raise manufacturing costs and compromise device performance. There remains a need in the art for an array-based based nonreciprocal device which is well-suited for high-volume manufacture by automated methods, and which may be produced relatively easily and inexpensively.


A method for the decontamination of water containing one or more PFAS contaminants includes injecting a gas through a diffuser and into the water so as to form a plurality of bubbles in the water, the one or more PFAS contaminants accumulating on the plurality of bubbles. The plurality of bubbles is allowed to rise, forming a foam at the surface of the water. The resulting foam is then collected and transported away from the surface of the water, where it condenses into a liquid and can be treated and/or disposed of.

This invention relates to a method and device for the decontamination of a media, such as groundwater or groundwater and soil, containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and related compounds such as PFAS precursors, collectively referred to as PFAS contaminants. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for concentrating and removing PFAS contaminants from soil and groundwater, preferably using in-situ gas injection and collection of the resulting foam.
PFAS are contained in fire-fighting agents such as aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) and as such have they been used extensively at facilities such as military bases and airports over the past fifty years. They have also been used in the manufacture of many consumer goods for grease repellency and water-proofing. More recently, long-chained PFAS in particular have been shown to bioaccumulate, persist in the environment, and be toxic to laboratory animals, wildlife, and humans. As a result of these observations, on May 19, 2016 EPA established a health advisory for the long-chained PFAS constituents; perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) of 70 parts per trillion in drinking water.
PFAS have unique chemistry. The carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest bonds in nature and it is very difficult break. In addition, PFOA and PFOS, for example, have a perfluorinated carbon tail that preferentially partitions out of the aqueous (water) phase and an ionic headgroup that partitions into the aqueous phase. (See FIG. 1.) This causes PFAS to preferentially accumulate at air/water interfaces.
Because of these characteristics, traditional in-situ remediation technologies such as chemical reduction, chemical oxidation, and bioremediation have not been shown to be effective in treating PFAS. Thermal treatment can be effective, however very high temperatures are needed (greater than 1,770 degrees F.) for complete destruction thereby making in-situ treatment either impracticable or very expensive. Groundwater pump and treat systems can remove PFAS however they are not effective at removing large amounts of contaminant mass and they are also very costly since these systems tend to operate over long periods of time, typically decades. Some success has been reported using immobilization where for example PFAS waste is mixed with clay and aluminum hydroxide. Long term success with the technology under in-situ conditions has not been demonstrated. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method and system capable of treating PFAS contaminated soil and water in situ.

System and method for treatment of soil and groundwater contaminated with PFAS


An image forming apparatus that forms an image includes: a photosensitive element; an optical scanning device that includes a light source, and scans a surface of the photosensitive element in a main scanning direction with light emitted from the light source to form a latent image; a developing unit that develops the latent image; a photosensitive element period detecting sensor that detects a rotation period of the photosensitive element; a density sensor that detects a density variation of an image developed by the developing unit, in a sub scanning direction; and a processing device that corrects a driving signal of the light source according to the image information, based on an output signal of the density sensor and an output signal of the photosensitive element period detecting sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus using laser light.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, a digital copying machine, or a facsimile, it is general that light flux scans a scanning target surface while irradiating the scanning target surface so that a latent image is formed on the scanned surface.
The image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive element being photosensitive and serving as a scanned surface, a light source that emits laser light, a polygon mirror that deflects the laser light emitted from the light source, a scanning optical system that guides the laser light deflected by the polygon mirror to the surface of the photosensitive element, and the like.
An optical spot on the surface of the photosensitive element moves in an axial direction with the rotation of the polygon mirror, so that scanning corresponding to one line is performed. When scanning of one line is finished, the photosensitive element rotates to start the scanning of the following line. The axial direction of the photosensitive element is referred to as a "main scanning direction", and the rotation direction of the photosensitive element is referred to as a "sub scanning direction". The position of the optical spot on the surface of the photosensitive element in the main scanning direction is called an "image height".
The scanning optical system is configured to include optical elements such as a lens, a glass plate, and a mirror. In scanning optical systems, however, light use efficiency (reflectance or transmittance) varies depending on the incident angle of light. Further, the thickness of the lens varies depending on the incident position of light.
The laser light deflected by the polygon mirror is incident to the scanning optical system at an incident angle depending on a deflection angle of the polygon mirror; and the incident position changes depending on the image height. Thus, the intensity of laser light on the surface of the photosensitive element becomes stronger or weaker according to the image height.
The dynamics in the laser light intensity according to the image height is called a "shading characteristic" and is one of factors that cause a density variation of an output image, thereby degrading the image quality. In this regard, there has been suggested various methods of correcting the shading characteristic (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-135100 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-262344).
Further, an image forming apparatus that controls a light exposure amount according to a variation in sensitivity of the photosensitive element is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-065270.
Meanwhile, when the photosensitive element is eccentric or has a cross section that is not a true circle, a gap between the photosensitive element and the developing roller varies as the photosensitive element rotates. A variation in the gap leads to a variation in development, causing an unnecessary density variation in an image (also referred to as "output image") output from the image forming apparatus.
In recent years, there are demands for the high image quality, and conventional methods are difficult to suppress the density variation of the output image, caused by eccentricity or a shape error of the photosensitive element, down to a requested level.


Slider disk stiction is reduced in a disk-based storage device by providing one or more step projections on the air bearing surface of a slider. The rear part of the step projections which rest on the disk surface projections are forward of the slider pivot point. When the slider rests on a disk surface, the step projections elevate the leading edge of the slider, which imposes a static pitch angle on the slider, reducing the slider/disk contact area. Provision is also made for contouring the slider air bearing surface adjacent to the slider leading edge, using a taper or the step projection leading face, to compress the airflow and provide a stable slider air bearing during disk file operation.

The invention relates generally to direct access storage devices (DASD), and more specifically to air bearing slider structures employed in the head disk assembly (HDA) of a DASD. More particularly, the invention relates to a slider structure which reduces stiction between the air bearing surface of a slider and the surface coating of a rigid disk. Typically, the surface of a rigid disk has applied to it a thin layer of liquid lubricant which serves to reduce friction and potential disk wear when the air bearing surface of a slider contacts the disk surface, as during take-off and landing of the slider.
When a slider is at rest on the surface of a disk, a static frictional force (stiction) between the air bearing surface of a slider and the disk arises from adhesion and from capillary forces exerted primarily by the liquid lubricant. Stiction depends upon the slider/disk contact area, the contact pressure and the thickness of the liquid lubricant layer; it can entirely stall a low torque drive upon startup or cause damage to the disk or slider.
A number of techniques have been proposed for reduction of stiction. For example, some DASD's have been provided with expensive slider load/unload mechanisms. For thin film disks, various means of texturing and patterning the disk surface or slider surface have been proposed and used. While these latter techniques reduce the contact area, they can accelerate disk wear and corrosion and degrade the magnetic signal-to-noise performance of the disk. Large amounts of roughness or texturing can adversely affect slider flying dynamics. Thus, there is an inherent tradeoff between reliability and stiction reduction.
Current slider air bearing designs have been optimized to enhance slider flying dynamics during operation. These designs are variations of a flat air bearing surface (ABS) and generally include a tapered transition between the leading edge of the slider and the flat part of the air bearing surface. The advantage of the transition is that it compresses the air flow under the remaining flat part of the slider's ABS, thereby enhancing the stability and take-off characteristics of the slider during flight. However, these current designs still employ a relatively large flat ABS area and, therefore, do not alleviate the stiction problem.
Accordingly, there is a manifest need for a slider design which reduces stiction. Preferably, such a design would reduce stiction by reducing the slider/disk contact area without reducing device reliability or performance.

Step projection air bearing slider with improved stiction performance and wear resistance

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides a method of leaching copper from a copper sulfide ore, wherein operating costs and environmental impacts can be effectively reduced. The present invention is a method of leaching copper from a copper sulfide ore by a process of leaching a layer of stacked ores, wherein the leaching solution containing Fe (III) ion and other leaching solution containing iodide ion are fed through routes independent of each other to a layer of stacked ores containing a copper sulfide ore.

It has been known that in a hydrometallurgical process of copper, leaching of copper is significantly promoted by adding iodine or iodide ion and Fe (III) ion to the leaching solution in order to recover copper by leaching a poorly soluble copper sulfide ore in mineral acids such as chalcopyrite (Patent Literature 1).
On the one hand, there is a problem of channeling phenomenon which causes only the flow paths of the leaching solution to be leached in the process of leaching copper. In contrast, when iodine, being a simple substance is added to the leaching solution, the iodine spreads widely within the layer of stacked ores in leaching processes such as heap leaching and dump leaching processes because of high volatility of iodine, being a simple substance. Therefore, channeling phenomenon is effectively prevented and results in no need for separately taking measures for this type of phenomena, achieving efficient leaching of copper. Accordingly, these effects become significant when particularly iodine, being a simple substance is used in leaching of a layer of stacked ores. (See JP 2009-193197 A filed on Aug. 14, 2009).

Method for leaching copper from copper sulfide ore


An improved process and apparatus for making carbonated beverages in which water is mixed with a syrup and the resulting mixture is carbonated and filled into containers in a filling line, the improvement is the following:. a sample of beverage is continuously removed before the beverage is filled into containers and then the sample is passed into a cell of a photometric analyzer and the concentration of syrup is photometrically measured which generates a signal; the signal is fed to a process controller which compares the signal to a signal stored in the controller having been generated by the photometric analyzer of an analysis of a sample of a standard beverage containing a predetermined level of syrup concentration and precisely determines the deviation of syrup concentration of the sample from the standard; a trim amount of water is added to the beverage to control the syrup concentration of the beverage to the concentration level of the standard; and the beverage is passed through a static-in-line mixer to provide thorough mixing of the beverage and then the beverage is filled into containers.

This invention relates to an apparatus and process for analyzing and controlling the content of ingredients used in beverages.
In the preparation of carbonated beverages, a flavoring syrup is mixed with water and then the mixture is carbonated, usually chilled and then by using conventional filling equipment the resulting beverage is filled into containers such as bottles or cans. A critical component of the beverage is its syrup content. To provide a beverage that has a uniform taste and appearance, the syrup content must be held at a constant level. Also, significant quality improvement and/or cost savings can be realized if the correct syrup content is used.
The syrup content of the beverage can be monitored by analyzing the contents of a container after filling or removing a sample of beverage from the filling line and analyzing its syrup content and then if needed the ratio of syrup to water is adjusted to bring the syrup content of the beverage within a predetermine level. However, these methods are relatively slow and allow for a large number of containers to be filled before an adjustment of syrup content of the beverage can be made. An additional problem has presented itself with sugar-free beverages. In a conventional process, the syrup content of the beverage was determined by measuring the sugar content of the beverage which of course is not possible with a sugar-free beverage.
There is a need for a process and apparatus that will measure the syrup content of carbonated beverages in particular sugar-free beverages and make in line adjustments so that the syrup content of the beverage is adjusted to be within its desired level before it is filled into a container.

Photometric analyzer and controller for beverages


Systems and methods for generating instructions for a vehicle to navigate an unsignaled intersection are provided. The method may include: generating an expected return over a sequence of actions of the vehicle; determining an optimal policy by selecting an action with a maximum value for the vehicle; executing dynamic frame skipping to expedite learning a repeated action of the vehicle; prioritize an experience replay by utilizing an experience replay buffer to break correlations between sequential steps of the vehicle; generate a plurality of state-action representations based on at least one of the expected return, the optimal policy, the dynamic frame skipping, or the prioritized experience replay; generate the instructions for navigating the unsignaled intersection based on the plurality of state-action representations; and transmit the instructions for navigating the unsignaled intersection to the vehicle such that the vehicle executes the instructions to navigate the unsignaled intersection.

In order to successfully navigate through an unsignaled intersection, a driver must understand vehicle dynamics, interpret the intent of other drivers, and behave predictably so that other drivers can appropriately respond. However, learning this behavior in autonomous vehicles requires optimizing multiple conflicting objectives including safety, efficiency, and minimizing the disruption of traffic. Balancing between safety, efficiency, and minimizing disruption of traffic can be challenging even for human drivers. Consequently, one of the most challenging problems for autonomous vehicles is to handle unsignaled intersections in urban environments. The challenge arises most out of unpredictable autonomous driving system behavior. While rule-based intersection handling methods offer reliable and easy-to-interpret solutions, these methods may result in sub-optimal behavior and task performance.
Previous rule-based strategies include cooperative and heuristic approaches. Cooperative approaches require vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and therefore, are not scalable to general intersection handling. Heuristic approaches are rule-based methods based on time-to-collision (TTC). While TTC has many benefits, it also has limitations. For example, TTC models assume constant velocity, which ignores nearly all information concerning driver intent. Additionally, the often unpredictable behavior of human drivers may complicate the use of rule-based algorithms. As such, in many cases, an autonomous driving system using TTC may be overly cautious, which may create unnecessary delays.
Other machine learning based approaches have been used for intersection handling, such as imitation learning, online planning, and offline learning. While each of these approaches may have advantages, they also have disadvantages. For example, in imitation learning, the policy is learned from a human driver. However, this policy does not offer a solution if an autonomous driving system finds itself in a state that is not part of the training data, e.g., the state was not previously learned. Online planners compute a best action to take by simulating future states from the current time step. While online planners based on partially observable Monte Carlo Planning (POMCP) have been shown to handle intersections, they rely on the existence of an accurate generative model. Offline learning approaches tackle the intersection problem, often by using Markov Decision Processes (MDP) in the back-end. Offline learning may involve training a system on collected data, which enables the system to train on large amounts of data and often results in a system that is fast at runtime. However, one example disadvantage is that the resultant system is then "fixed" and may not be able to adapt to new situations.

Systems and methods for generating instructions for navigating intersections with autonomous vehicles


A fluid cylinder for high temperature applications is disclosed. The fluid cylinder includes an extensible member that moves between a retracted position and an extended position by forcing a fluid, such as a pneumatic fluid or a hydraulic fluid, into the cylinder. In order to seal the extensible member against an internal surface of the cylindrical housing, the extensible member includes a sealing member defining a plurality of grooves. A corresponding plurality of metallic sealing rings are placed in each of the grooves. The sealing rings include a gap that allow for thermal expansion. The sealing rings are positioned in the grooves so that the gaps on the rings are in a staggered arrangement in the axial direction. Further, a metal alloy coating may be applied to at least certain parts of the fluid cylinder. Through the above configuration, the fluid cylinder can be made without any polymeric sealing rings, composite bearings, or lubricants that may degrade during high temperature applications.

Fluid cylinders, such as pneumatic cylinders and hydraulic cylinders, are used in many industrial processes due to their capability for producing great forces through their use of relatively simple and inexpensive constructions. Fluid cylinders typically operate by forcing a fluid into a chamber that causes an actuator to move, for instance, in a linear direction. The actuator may be moved, for instance, by applying air or liquid pressure to the actuator. In order for the device to work properly, the actuator generally needs to form a tight seal against the walls of the channel in which the actuator moves.
In the past, in order to form a seal between the actuator and the walls of the housing, various lubricants and sealing polymers, such as O rings, were used. Conventional sealing methods, however, are generally not designed to be used in high temperature applications. For example, many sealing polymers and composite bearing elements typically do not have operating ranges exceeding about 400° F. As such, a need currently exists for a fluid cylinder that may be used in high temperature applications. For example, a fluid cylinder is needed that is capable of withstanding a continuous operating temperature of greater than about 600° F.

Fluid cylinder for high temperature applications


An electronic dictionary comprising an input device, a display, a dictionary memory, a searching device, and an indicator device. The memory consists of plural divisions of equal storage capacity and stores multiple sets of word data representative of different words in an alphabetical order. Each set of word data is stored in one of the plural divisions such that each of the divisions has at its end a waste portion storing no part of any of the multiple sets of word data, if the number of characters of the first set of word data stored in the following division is larger than the number of characters which may be stored in the waste portion. In response to input data entered through the input device, the display displays the input data, and the searching device finds, in a binary search process, one of the plural divisions of the memory which is assigned to store the set of word data representative of the input data, and scans the found division to search the set of word data representative of the input data. The indicator device indicates whether the set of word data representative of the input data has been found or not.

1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates in general to an electronic dictionary device, and more particularly to an arrangement of a memory incorporated in the device to store word data representative of multiple words and search means for scanning the memory to find the word data representative of input data entered through operator-controlled keys.
2. Related Art Statement
In a known dictionary memory storing word data which represent a host of words of a language, for example, a list of English words in an alphabetical order, word data corresponding to a desired word must be searched by scanning the dictionary memory from the beginning of the memory while checking the invididual sets of word data against the desired word to be searched. This type, of searching is not satisfactory in terms of searching time required.
In addition, a so-called "binary search" or "dichotomizing search" is known, wherein memory locations storing individual sets of word data are provided with respective data-identification pointers. In this binary search process, the data storage area of a memory is divided into two parts, one of which is rejected and the other of which is accepted, based on whether these parts contain the word data in question. The process is repeated on the accepted part until the desired word data is found in the corresponding memory location. This binary or dichotomizing search process is advantageous for its faster searching capability.
More specifically described, binary searching involves individual memory locations corresponding to alphabetically arranged different words are given respective addresses Nl through Nn, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In the first step of a binary search, the entire area of the memory defined by the first address Nl and the last address Nn is divided into two parts by locating an (not shown) address Nt intermediate between Nl and Nn. The intermediate address Nt is obtained as Nt =(Nl +Nn)/2. If the obtained value Nt is not a whole number or integer, the address number Nt is determined to be a value of the integer part of the value (Nl +Nn)/2 as obtained, plus 1. The word data stored at the intermediate address Nt is retrieved, and compared with the desired data (data representing a desired word). If the retrieved data is not identical to the desired data, a check is made as to whether the desired data is stored at an address number smaller than the intermediate address number Nt, or at an address number larger than the to address Nt. If the checking reveals that the desired data is stored at an address number smaller than the intermediate address number Nt, the first part of the memory between the first address Nl and the intermediate address Nt is further divided into two sections. On the other hand, if the desired data is found to be stored at an address number larger than the intermediate address number Nt, the second part of the memory between the intermediate address Nt and the last address Nn is divided into two sections. In dividing the first or second part into two sections, an address number intermediate between Nl and Nt or between Nt and Nn is obtained in the same manner as indicated above. Then, the data stored at the newly obtained intermediate address is retrieved for comparison with the desired data, to find one of the two sections that is assigned to contain the desired data. The above binary search process is repeated on the accepted part or section until the memory location storing the desired data has been found.
Although the binary search permits a faster searching operation, it requires that the individual memory locations identified by the respective addresses have the same storage capacity. Hence, all memory locations should have a storage capacity which is sufficient to store the longest word or words which are stored in the dictionary memory. In other words, the storage capacity of each memory location should correspond to the number of characters of the longest word or words. In this arrangement of the memory, the memory locations tend to have considerably large waste portions which are not used.
If a series of word data is successively stored end to end in alphabetical order in a dictionary memory, on the other hand, the total storage capacity required is reduced. In this case, however, it is impossible to practice the binary or dichotomizing search process, and extra searching time is required.


A semiconductor integrated circuit device including a semiconductor substrate, a lower interconnection layer pattern formed along first parallel lines on the substrate, an insulating layer formed on the pattern, and an upper interconnection layer pattern formed along second parallel lines perpendicularly intersecting with the first parallel lines on the insulating layer. A dummy pattern made of the same material as that of the lower interconnection layer pattern, and not electrically connected to the upper and lower interconnection layer patterns, is formed in a region which is arranged below the upper interconnection layer pattern and in which the first parallel lines intersect the second parallel lines. The dummy pattern has the same level as that of the lower interconnection layer pattern, has no lower interconnection layer pattern, and is adjacent to the lower interconnection layer pattern, at a predetermined interval from the lower interconnection layer pattern. By arranging such a dummy pattern, the insulating layer formed on the lower interconnection layer is flattened, thereby preventing disconnection of the upper interconnection layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device having multi-level interconnection layers and, more particularly, to a semiconductor integrated circuit device having a multi-level interconnection structure in which upper and lower interconnection layers intersect with each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device, a multi-level interconnection structure having multi-level interconnection layers is employed to improve an integration degree. FIG. 1 shows a conventional grid-type interconnection layout in which a lower interconnection layer is formed on wafer 10 along prospective interconnection lines. Referring to FIG. 1, broken lines 101 to 105 represent grid lines along which the lower interconnection layer can be formed, and dash lines 201 to 205 represent grid lines along which the upper interconnection layer can be formed. In FIG. 1, only the lower interconnection layer is shown, and the upper interconnection layer is omitted.
The lower interconnection layer is constituted by pattern 11 formed along grid line 101, patterns 21 and 22 formed along grid line 102, patterns 31 and 32 formed along grid line 103, patterns 41 and 42 formed along grid line 104, and pattern 51 formed along grid line 105. On grid lines 102, 103, and 104, patterns are partially disconnected.
The multi-level interconnection with the above arrangement has the following three problems.
The first problem is a configuration of the surface of an insulating film formed on the lower interconnection layer. A section of a structure along line 201 in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2A. In general, when an insulating material is deposited on the surface of the wafer having steps, the insulating film having a substantially equal thickness is formed on upper, side, and bottom surfaces of the steps. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2A, when patterns 11, 21, 31, 41, and 51 are formed on wafer 10 at a constant pitch, an insulating film having a thickness which is 1/2 or more of an interval between the patterns is formed, so that grooves at the intervals of the patterns are buried with the insulating film. As a result, the surface of the insulating film can be substantially flattened.
When the pattern is partially discontinued, as in pattern 31, patterns do not exist at equal intervals in, e.g., a structure along line 204, as shown in FIG. 2B, but the interval between patterns 21 and 41 is larger than intervals between other adjacent patterns. In this large groove, a step is undesirably formed on the surface of the insulating film formed in the groove. Since this step is substantially vertical, when an upper interconnection layer is formed on this insulating film 60, disconnection may occur in the upper interconnection layer. Therefore, a manufacturing step for flattening insulating film 60 is required. In this case, the ratios of the depth and the width of the grooves, i.e., aspect ratios are different in large and small regions wherein the pattern of the lower interconnection layer does not exist. Therefore, a sufficient flattening step is required in consideration of the worst case as the basis, thereby increasing a manufacturing cost.
The second problem is a loading effect during etching for forming a first interconnection layer. In normal anisotropic etching, a polymer film consisting of carbon, oxygen, fluorine, and the like is attached to a side wall of an etched portion to serve as an etching protection film, and side etching is prevented, thereby obtaining a substantially vertical shape. In this case, since the carbon is supplied from a resist, side etching can be prevented near a dense resist pattern. However, in a sparce resist pattern, side etching is advanced because carbon is not sufficiently supplied. In particular, in a portion near the peripheral portion of a chip and having a low interconnection density, the interval between adjacent interconnection patterns is large and the interconnection patterns tend to be isolated. In the worst case, disconnection of the interconnection layer may occur.
The third problem is that a capacitance of an interconnection pattern is varied depending upon the presence/absence of adjacent interconnection patterns. In recent semiconductor elements, an operation speed largely varies depending upon the value of the interconnection capacitance. These interconnection capacitances are roughly classified into a capacitance with respect to ground and a capacitance between adjacent interconnection patterns. As an interval between adjacent interconnection patterns is decreased with the miniaturization of elements, a ratio of the capacitance between adjacent interconnection patterns is increased.
An interconnection capacitance and hence the operation speed of the element largely change depending on whether an adjacent interconnection pattern exists. Design for a semiconductor integrated circuit device must be performed in consideration of the above difference. When a large scale integrated circuit which cannot be designed without employing an automatic placement and routing programs by a computer is designed, the above consideration is impractical. Note that, in an integrated circuit having uniform capacitances, the operation speed can be easily estimated and the circuit can be operated at optimal timings as compared to an integrated circuit in which a circuit having a large interconnection capacitance due to adjacent interconnection patterns and a circuit having a small interconnection capacitance without adjacent interconnection patterns are mixed.
Although a layout method in which an interconnection layer is formed on grid-type interconnection lines is exemplified and described as described above, a general layout method without employing the grid-type interconnection line also has the same problems. More specifically, when a general layout method as shown in FIG. 3 is employed, in a portion in which lower interconnection layer patterns 11a and 11b are arranged at a small interval, i.e., a portion along alternate long and short dash line 201a, insulating film 60 has a flat surface, as shown in FIG. 4A. However, in a portion including a part having a small width, e.g., lower interconnection layer pattern 11a and therefore having a large interval between the part having a small width of pattern 11a and lower interconnection layer pattern 11b, i.e., a portion along alternate long and short dash line 201b, the surface of insulating film 60 is uneven, as shown in FIG. 4B. For this reason, it is difficult to form upper interconnection layer patterns 21a and 21b .

Semiconductor integrated circuit with dummy patterns


A gas laser oscillator comprising a laser gas pressure controller for controlling the pressure of laser gas in laser gas chamber to be constant, an electromagnetic valve for supplying laser gas into the laser gas chamber from a gas bottle so that the laser gas within the laser gas chamber is maintained constant, detection means for detecting that the cycle period of open/close actions of the electromagnetic valve became longer than a reference value, and an alarm display controller which issues an alarm. In a gas laser oscillator of the present invention, even such a micro vacuum leak that hardly ill-affects the laser output can be detected with ease while the gas laser oscillator is in operation. This makes it possible to apply an appropriate maintenance work beforehand on the vacuum seal. Thus, reliable gas laser oscillators can be offered in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention relates to a gas laser oscillator equipped with a constant laser gas pressure system which controls the laser gas pressure to be constant by exhausting and supplying certain amount of laser gas.
FIG. 3 shows outline structure of a conventional gas laser oscillator including a constant laser gas pressure system. In the following, a conventional method for controlling the laser gas pressure constant in a gas laser oscillator is described with reference to FIG. 3.
A conventional gas laser oscillator with constant laser gas pressure system comprises a power supply 1 for laser gas excitation by a discharge, a laser gas chamber 2, a vacuum pump 3, a laser gas bottle 4, an electromagnetic valve 5 for laser gas supply, a laser gas pressure sensor 6 for detecting the laser gas pressure within the laser gas chamber 2 and a laser gas pressure controller 7 which opens/closes (i.e performs open-and-close actions) the electromagnetic valve 5 for laser gas supply in order to maintain the pressure constant by comparing the signals detected by the laser gas pressure sensor 6 with a reference value.
The above-description illustrates structure of the constant laser gas pressure system of a conventional gas laser oscillator; in the following, operation of the system is described.
As a general rule among the gas laser oscillators, it is essential to keep laser gas pressure within the laser gas chamber 2 connected with the excitation power supply 1 constant, in order to maintain a stable laser output. Also, in order to prevent decrease of the decrease of output power due to deterioration of the laser gas, new laser gas is supplied continuously, or intermittently, from the laser gas bottle 4 or the like means connected with the gas laser oscillator.
The vacuum pump 3 connected to the laser gas chamber 2 exhausts deteriorated laser gas out of the laser gas chamber 2 as the routine work. When laser gas is exhausted the pressure of laser gas within the laser gas chamber 2 drops, and then the electromagnetic valve 5 for laser gas supply is opened to supply new laser gas into the laser gas chamber 2 from the laser gas bottle 4 connected to the gas laser oscillator. Quantity of the exhaust and that of the supply need to be well balanced; otherwise the pressure within the laser gas chamber 2 can not be kept constant. In order to keep the pressure constant, the laser gas pressure sensor 6 connected to the laser gas chamber 2 detects laser gas pressure within the laser gas chamber 2 and transmits signals of detected results to the laser gas pressure controller 7. The laser gas pressure controller 7 compares the signals of detected results with a reference value, or target value for the laser gas pressure, and opens/closes the electromagnetic valve 5 so that the laser gas pressure is maintained constant. The cycle period of open/close actions is kept stable when a gas laser oscillator is working normally.
The above-configured conventional gas laser oscillator has following drawbacks.
After a long operation period, a gas laser oscillator sometimes exhibits a sudden drop in the laser output, or stops, due to leakage caused by a deteriorated vacuum seal or the like of the laser gas chamber 2 (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cvacuum leakxe2x80x9d). In most of the cases, the vacuum leak does not take place abruptly, but it starts from a micro leak which hardly affects the laser output and it gradually develops into a leak that matters. Therefore, if the micro leak is detected at an early stage, a certain preventive maintenance measures can be taken to avoid such drop of laser output. Measurement of the vacuum leak has been conducted during the time when a gas laser oscillator is out of duty, using a measuring equipment. Lately, an increasing number of gas laser oscillators are put into operation continuously around the clock. On the other hand, there has been no effective means for detecting the micro vacuum leak applicable to gas laser oscillators at work. Once a sudden drop of laser output actually happens, scheduled maintenance is hardly helpful; in addition, the gas laser oscillator that is out of order is put aside for a considerable length of time before it is repaired. Thus, the inconvenience spreads over a production floor related to the processing with gas laser.
The present invention addresses the above-described problems.
A gas laser oscillator of the present invention comprises:
a power supply for exciting laser gas by a discharge;
a laser gas chamber for containing the laser gas;
means for exhausting laser gas contained in the laser gas chamber;
a gas pressure sensor for detecting gas pressure in the laser gas chamber;
an electromagnetic valve for supplying laser gas into the laser gas chamber from a gas bottle so that pressure of the laser gas as detected by the gas pressure sensor is maintained constant;
detection means for detecting deviation in a cycle period of open/close actions of the electromagnetic valve from a reference value; and
an alarm display controller for issuing an alarm based on a detection results delivered from the detection means.
A gas laser oscillator of the present invention is also provided with a stop controller, which suspends the excitation of laser gas discharge in a case when the cycle period of open/close actions of the electromagnetic valve becomes longer than a reference value.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A medical supply unit including a carrier with longitudinal edges and longitudinal faces is provided such that the longitudinal faces are provided with openings at the faces of which resilient fastener elements are provided. These resilient fastener elements engage in built-in modules forming a part of one of the longitudinal faces in order to form a positive connection with the built-in modules.

In the medical field, in particular, in intensive-care medicine or in surgery, it is often necessary to operate a plurality of electrical and electronic medical apparatuses together in a spatial area and to arrange them such that they are located close to the patient but do not hinder access to the patient. Normally, this requires a certain mobility of these apparatuses as well as a flexibility of the attachment options at a medical supply unit.
In view of hygienic requirements, it is desirable to keep the lines between the connectors at the medical supply unit and the medical apparatuses as short as possible. Thus, it is desirable that the data connection points and the outlets, namely electrical outlets or gas outlets, be located close to the respective apparatuses to configure the lengths of the lines as short as possible. When the configuration or the positioning of the medical apparatuses is changed, it is therefore favorable to arrange the outlets such that they are spatially advantageously arranged, namely in a short distance to the medical apparatuses.
Due to hygienic reasons, it is also desirable that fasteners, such as screws, not be visible from the outside, as this would affect the ability to clean, and because additional gaps and openings would be created, in which the pathogens may adhere.
For an efficient assembly of the medical supply units, it is desirable to employ modules that are as standardized as possible and that can be mounted in the medical supply unit without any tool. However, the dismantling of the modules must only be enabled by means of tools.
From the prior art, medical supply units such as ceiling mounted supply units comprising one or multiple carriers for outlets are known, which comprise a skeletal structure consisting of profiles whereby data connection points or outlets for medical gases and electrical current are fixed in the skeletal structure by special holding sheets. Then, the base bodies of the outlets are covered by means of cover plates produced for the specific configuration of the outlets. Normally, these plates are fixed at the skeletal structure by means of screws.
However, the configuration and the arrangement of the outlets are typically fixedly set. A subsequent change of the position of outlets or the addition or omission of outlets requires producing a new cover plate. Thus, subsequent modifications involve a significant effort. Also, it is typically not possible to optimally organize the assembly because prefabricated modules typically cannot be inserted into the carrier of the medical supply unit. Rather, the individual parts have to be successively inserted into the carrier, which typically involves elaborate working steps because the assemblies and elements have to be individually screwed into the carrier.

Attaching modules to a medical supply unit


A rotary joint or swivel device for ensuring a continuous connection between two items that rotates with respect to each other, for example between an instrumentation unit on a fixed installation and sensor elements in a cable on a rotating cable reel or drum, is provided. The rotary joint or swivel device comprises a minimum of two spools 1A,B to coil a connecting cable 3. A first spool 1A is coupled to a first, static, item 40. A second spool 1B is coupled to a second, rotatable, item 30. A guiding arm 4 feeds the connecting cable 3 from the first 1A to the second 1B spool. Correspondingly, a method for ensuring a continuous connection between two items 30,40 that rotates with respect to each other is provided. The method comprises arranging a rotary joint or swivel device according to any of the embodiments of the invention between the two items.

Many technologies use some type of slip ring/rotary joint when there is a need for continuous contact and/or communication between items that are rotatable with respect to each other. One example is electrical slip rings which have wide spread application. They can be made for high frequency communication or high power applications. Rotary joints are also available for fluids like jet fuel when the hose is unreeled and connected to the wings of a plane.
Fibre optic rotary joints are also available. Commercial products are usually based on cutting of the fibre and inserting lenses and prisms to create an air gap which could allow for rotation of the parts on each side of the air gap. However, the number of fibres in the joints is very limited and the performance is not acceptable for many applications. The loss is fairly high and it is difficult to maintain a stable transmitted signal amplitude during rotation. Back reflection is another limitation of such a concept.
The above state-of-the-art reflects the fact that it is desirable to have a device which could allow for a fairly large number of rotations of one end of a system without causing breakage of cables or undesirable signal disturbances. In applications where only a single or couple of turns is desired, it may be sufficient to allow a cable to allocate such strains, however, if many turns is desirable, it is at present not possible without the sacrifice of signal quality or at the risk of cable damage.
As an example, in the field of offshore seismic surveying activities, a seismic cable is regularly deployed into the sea from a vessel. The seismic cable is typically deployed from a rotatable drum holding the cable. The rotatable drum means that it is difficult to have the cable connected to monitoring equipment during the deployment operation because the rotation inevitably leads to cable torque/twisting which may damage the cable.
In the prior art GB 2424315A describes a solution in which electrical slip rings are provided in a swivel device for allowing electrical signals to be transmitted between a fixed part on a vessel and a cable which may rotate. Further, it is suggested that optical slip rings are known which could achieve a similar function for optical signal transmission members between a fixed part and a rotatable part. Optical slip rings based on the transmission of light over a light transmitting gap, for example in the form of an air gap, between a fixed part and a rotatable part is known. It is a limitation of the device described in GB 2424315A that it is necessary to cut the electrical and optical transmission elements in the cable at the swivel, thus complicating the use of a swivel device with a seismic cable.
The present inventors have not become aware of any previously known rotary joint/swivel device that can achieve this objective for the required number of fibres and thus solve the problem of torque when unloading a continuously connected cable from a rotatable drum without cutting the electrical conductors or optical waveguides to provide for a slip ring solution of the connecting cable, as indicated by the state-of-the-art technology presented in the above mentioned GB-publication.
An alternative technique for avoiding the use of slip rings and rotary couplings in a spooled umbilical system has been disclosed in UK patent no. GB2210355A in which it is described how a cable ribbon is coiled back and forth from a basket to a spool in a spooled umbilical system. The uncontrollable unwinding and folding of the umbilical inside the basket will limit the length of the cable to be handled and represents a risk of a tangle and damage. Although in some applications the umbilical could be shaped in the form of a flat cable to make it easier to handle in a predictable manner, such shaping may in some applications be unpractical or impossible for other reasons.
Hence, a fibre optic swivel that could enable electrical and optical signal transmission through a continuous conductor at a swivel device without cutting the cable and without using slip ring solutions or the like even under many rotations would be advantageous.
In particular, an optical swivel device that do not necessitate the cutting of the cable when handling cables containing optical fibres would simplify the use of such cables when connecting between a fixed structure and a rotatable structure, and improve the operability of such cables.