A computer migration method for transferring non-physical aspects from a source computer to a target computer according to an embodiment. In one embodiment, the method includes surveying the source computer aspects, and without scripts, associating portions of the source computer aspects into source computer Application Groups on the fly. The method also includes generating a list at least including the source computer Application Groups; receiving a user's selection of source computer Application Groups to be migrated to the target computer; and transferring selected source computer Application Groups to the target computer,; wherein the target computer is adapted to supplant the source computer after migration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly relates to computer system migration tools, and the improvements thereof.
2. Background
Computer migration may be broadly defined as the process of transferring some or all of a "source" computer's information, non-device assets or intellectual property, to a "target" computer. The computer migration process is often carried out via a special computer migration tool kit in the form of software loaded on the source computer, the target computer, or both. The two computers involved in the migration process can be linked in a variety of ways, including, inter alia, direct cables/wires, direct telephone links, Local Area Networks (LANs), and Wide Area Networks (WANs). Alternatively, another approach is to use an intermediate storage device or system (e.g., rewritable or write-once CDs, ZIP® storage devices, network storage, etc.) to which to transfer aspects of the source computer. The aspects to be migrated are then transferred from the intermediate device to the target computer.
With rapid advancements in the computing power and memory capacity of widely available desktop computers, as well as others, the practical life cycle of computer systems continues to decrease. While users continue to switch to newer computer systems, there is very often a need and desire to transfer important aspects of the old computer system to the new computer system. There are several prior art approaches to computer migration, each having drawbacks. A "brute-force" approach entails painstakingly transferring software, data and other aspects of a source computer to a target computer in a piece-meal fashion. This method is tedious, extremely slow, and often requires a level of sophistication not possessed by ordinary computer users who wish to transfer important aspects from one computer to another computer.
An improved approach is to semi-automatically migrate aspects of a source computer to a target computer using a migration tool kit which has been loaded in the source computer, the target computer, or both. Using this approach, all non-physical aspects of source computer are transferred en masse. While this eliminates some of the drawbacks (i.e., tediousness, time consuming, difficult for ordinary users) of brute-force migration methods, there are yet problems with this approach. Often the user would like to transfer most of the aspects of the source computer, but not all of them—especially where newer versions of software and operating system are available. This approach can also transfer aspects from the source computer that may be incompatible with the target computer, leading to conflicts, dangerous system instability, and sometimes inoperability of the target computer.
Later generation software such as the Alohabob's™ PC Relocator software marketed by Eisenworld, Inc., the assignee of this Letters Patent, solves the aforementioned problems by transferring all of the important aspects of the source computer—including preferences and settings—to the target computer, while giving the user the option to leave behind potentially troublesome (to the target computer) aspects of the source computer.
Even with these improvements, the en masse transfer from the source computer to the target computer is not always desirable. Users sometimes wish to be given the choice of only transferring specific programs and related data. The typical prior art approach to transferring specific programs is a script-based approach, in which the migration tool responds directly to scripts stored in the migration software for the exact course of action to take regarding known software programs. This approach only works where the migration tool kit is set up to migrate the specific program in question. Thus, it may be possible to successfully migrate very popular software programs and data, but not less popular or more proprietary software programs and data. These tools have no mechanism to migrate aspects for which there are not already stored scripts.
A last ditch effort of the prior art approaches allows sophisticated users who are so inclined to develop their own scripts for programs that are not recognized by the original migration software. However, even if one is capable and motivated to generate scripts for programs not covered by the original migration software, there is no flexibility to handle new software on the fly.
What is therefore sorely needed is a migration tool which allows a user to conveniently transfer specific aspects of a source computer to a target computer that the user selects, and a migration tool that can intelligently and automatically transfer aspects of the source computer to the target computer, even when the migration tool has no previous knowledge of, or encounters with a particular program to be transferred.

Non-script based intelligent migration tool capable of migrating software selected by a user, including software for which said migration tool has had no previous knowledge or encounters


A power supply input selection circuit for selecting one of a plurality of power supply inputs to supply power to a driven circuit. The power supply input selection circuit includes a power supply input switching circuit configured to provide operating power to the driven circuit by routing a selected one of the power supply inputs to the driven circuit as a function of power supply selection information; and a logic circuit configured to change the power supply selection information if a default power mode does not match a desired power mode, the logic circuit being further configured to reset the power supply input selection circuit after changing the power supply selection information, the power supply selection information being maintained during the reset, in which the power supply input switching circuit selects a desired one of the power supply inputs after the logic circuit resets the power supply input selection circuit.

Many modern electronic devices that have an integrated circuit include multiple power supply inputs, which may include a contact-based power supply input (e.g., for a battery, power cord or the like) and/or a contactless power supply input (e.g., for an inductive power supply). A power supply input selection circuit determines which of the multiple power supply inputs to use to power the driven circuit at any given time.
During power-up, the power supply input selection circuit, which may be under software and/or hardware control, determines which of the power supply inputs is the default power supply input. The power supply input selection circuit then powers up the driven circuit using this default power supply input. If there is a preferred or desired power supply input other than the default power supply input, the power supply input selection circuit immediately switches from the default power supply input to the preferred power supply input.


Techniques are describe for establishing an overall label switched path (LSP) for dynamic load balancing of network traffic being sent across a network using the a resource reservation protocol such as Resource Reservation Protocol with Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE). The tunnel may be a single RSVP-TE Label Switched Path (LSP) that is configured to automatically and dynamically load balance network traffic across different sub-paths of the RSVP-TE LSP over the network. The ingress device of the overall multi-path LSP can analyze traffic statistics to determine when a network traffic demand differs from a currently reserved bandwidth of the overall multi-path LSP by at least a threshold amount, and can automatically add or remove a sub-path from the overall multi-path LSP to adjust capacity of the overall multi-path LSP to correspond to the currently reserved bandwidth.

The term "link" is often used to refer to the connection between two devices on a computer network. The link may be a physical medium, such as a copper wire, a coaxial cable, any of a host of different fiber optic lines or a wireless connection. In addition, network devices may define "virtual" or "logical" links, and map the virtual links to the physical links. As networks grow in size and complexity, the traffic on any given link may approach a maximum bandwidth capacity for the link, thereby leading to congestion and loss.
Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a mechanism used to engineer traffic patterns within Internet Protocol (IP) networks. By utilizing MPLS, a source device can request a path through a network, i.e., a Label Switched Path (LSP). An LSP defines a distinct path through the network to carry packets from the source device to a destination device. A short label associated with a particular LSP is affixed to packets that travel through the network via the LSP. Routers along the path cooperatively perform MPLS operations to forward the MPLS packets along the established path. LSPs may be used for a variety of traffic engineering purposes including bandwidth management and quality of service (QoS).
A variety of protocols exist for establishing LSPs. For example, one such protocol is the label distribution protocol (LDP). Procedures for LDP by which label switching routers (LSRs) distribute labels to support MPLS forwarding along normally routed paths are described in L. Anderson, "LDP Specification," RFC 3036, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), January 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Another type of protocol is a resource reservation protocol, such as the Resource ReserVation Protocol with Traffic Engineering extensions (RSVP-TE). RSVP-TE uses constraint information, such as bandwidth availability, to compute and establish LSPs within a network. RSVP-TE may use bandwidth availability information accumulated by a link-state interior routing protocol, such as the Intermediate System-Intermediate System (ISIS) protocol or the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol. RSVP-TE establishes LSPs that follow a single path from an ingress device to an egress device, and all network traffic sent on the LSP must follow exactly that single path. The use of RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol), including extensions to establish LSPs in MPLS are described in D. Awduche, RSVP-TE: Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels, RFC 3209, IETF, December 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

Dynamic load balancing of network traffic on a multi-path label switched path using resource reservation protocol with traffic engineering


A method for the manufacturing of thin 3D glass window is described. The method includes layering a plurality of thin films. The plurality of thin films includes at least one glass film. The method also includes molding the plurality of thin films to form a three dimensional shape and laminating the plurality of thin films in the three dimensional shape. The 3D glass window and apparatus including the 3D glass window are also described.

This section is intended to provide a background or context. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the drawing figures are defined as follows:
ACF anisotropic conductive film
ALD atomic layer deposition
AR anti-reflective
E2C easy to clean
IMD in-mold decorating
IML in-mold labeling
ITO indium tin oxide
OCA optically clear adhesive
OLED organic light emitting diode
PET polyethylene terephthalate
PUR polyurethane reactive
UE user equipment, such as a mobile station or mobile terminal
UV ultraviolet
Many devices feature glass screen (or windows). While mobile devices are designed in a great many forms, the limitations of glass screens limit the options available. For example, a glass screen which is flat (or two dimensional, 2D) causes the mobile device to present at least that portion of the device as a flat surface. Also, conventional glass screens, especially those that are curved in the front and flat on the backside, tend to be thick (for example, over 1.5 mm). This adds additional weight and size to the mobile device.
While a glass screen may be molded into a three dimensional (3D) shape, this introduces potential hurdles in the manufacturing process. A 3D shape is a non-flat shape where the surface of the shape is not a plane, such as a bent shape or wavy shape for example. A glass screen which is molded, for example, using thermoforming, may have distortions in the glass material. Such a screen is inadequate for many mobile device uses. This also lowers the yield of the molding process as many screens are unusable.
Once an adequate glass screen is molded, there remain additional problems of processing the 3D glass screen. For example, adding a touch-sensor to a 2D glass screen is well understood; however, adding the touch-sensor to a glass screen which includes a curve (or other 3D elements) is not so straight forward. Additionally, current molding techniques for glass screens such as thermoforming make adding functional elements (such as a touch sensor) to the glass screen prior to molding impractical.
What is needed is a technique to make thin 3D glass screens.

Multilayer 3D glass window with embedded functions


The invention is a new type of locking mechanism for office panel systems which allows quick joining or separation of connecting panels without the need for tools. This is accomplished by the invention of a spring-loaded "tab and slot" locking mechanism, whereby the opposing tabs from the connecting vertical panel end, enter and lock into matching slots on the other panels by way of a spring-loaded sliding locking bar. Joining adjacent panels requires only that the panels be aligned and firmly pushed together, while separation is allowed by pulling down on the metal rings attached to the bottom of the opposing locking bars and pulling the panels apart.

This invention presents a new type of locking mechanism for the temporary office partitions known as "office panel systems". As is known, sections of these office panels are configured in open office areas to create cubicles or private work spaces by dividing the greater work area into smaller sections. At the same time, these panels provide temporary, non-fixed walls for improved visual and acoustic privacy, as well as for the mounting of cabinets and work surfaces.
While office partition panels have been well known in the art, there has been no known office partition panel system which provides for rapid and effective engagement and disengagement of the panels without the use of tools.

Office partition, panel-to-panel quick-locking mechanism


A glass substrate for an information recording medium is manufactured by polishing the surface of a raw material glass plate. The polishing of the raw material glass plate is divided into a step for performing a first polishing process to roughly polish the surface of the raw material glass plate to be smooth and a step for performing a second polishing process to finely polish the surface of the roughly polished raw material glass plate to be smoother. The first polishing process uses a polishing pad made of a synthetic resin foam and slides the polishing pad on the raw material glass plate surface while supplying a polishing agent to roughly polish the surface. A pad dressing process is performed on the polishing pad before being used in the first polishing process. The pad dressing process polishes the surface of the polishing pad by sliding the polishing pad on a pad dresser including abrasive grains.

Conventionally, a glass substrate for an information recording medium must have a surface that is as smooth as possible to enable recording of information with high density. Thus, the surface of the glass substrate is ground and polished in plural stages during manufacturing to suppress the formation of microscopic protuberances (refer to, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-154325). That is, the glass substrate is ground and polished in steps divided into rough grinding, fine grinding, first polishing, and second polishing (final polishing).
The first polishing is a step using a polishing device to polish the surface of the glass substrate with a hard polisher until the surface roughness Rmax thereof is about 10 nm. The second polishing is a step using the same polishing device as the first polishing step to polish the surface of the glass substrate with a soft polisher in place of the hard polisher. For the polishing agent of the first polishing and the second polishing, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, and colloidal silica and the like containing particles of and silicon oxide is selected and used in accordance with the required polishing accuracy or the like.
Recent glass substrates are required to be recordable with higher density. To fulfill this requirement, the smoothness of the glass substrate surface must be improved. In order to improve smoothness, polishing must not only be divided into two stages of first polishing and second polishing but must further be divided into more stages, such as a third stage and a fourth stage. However, as the steps related to polishing become divided into many steps, tasks that are troublesome and that require a long period of time increase. Such tasks include transferring the glass substrate between polishing devices and performing cleaning between the steps. This has a shortcoming in that the productivity and yield decrease.
The present invention focuses on the above problem of the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to provide a glass substrate for an information recording medium that improves production efficiency and that increases the amount of production while maintaining quality, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Glass substrate for information recording medium and method for producing same


A functional amine release agent displaying reduced coefficient of friction as compared to standard silicone oils, the release agent comprising a polydimethylsiloxane oil and a functional amine selected from the group consisting of pendant propylamines and pendant N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl; wherein the concentration of functional amine to polydimethylsiloxane oil is approximately less than 0.0006 meq/g. According to certain embodiments, the functional amine release agent is operable to impart a coefficient of friction of about 0.3 or more to the print media, resulting in improved finishing and converting equipment interaction.

Solid inkjet imaging systems generally use an electronic form of an image to distribute ink melted from a solid ink stick or pellet in a manner that reproduces the electronic image. In some solid inkjet imaging systems, the electronic image may be used to control the ejection of ink directly onto a media sheet. In other solid inkjet imaging systems, the electronic image is used to operate printheads to eject ink onto an intermediate imaging member. A media sheet is then brought into contact with the intermediate imaging member in a nip formed between the intermediate member and a transfer roller. The heat and pressure in the nip help transfer the ink image from the intermediate imaging member to the media sheet, which is transported from the system and deposited in a paper tray.
In solid ink imaging systems having intermediate imaging members, ink is loaded into the system in a solid form, either as pellets or as ink sticks, and transported through a feed chute by a feed mechanism for delivery to a melting device. The melting device heats the solid ink to its melting temperature and the liquid ink is delivered to a printhead for jetting onto an intermediate imaging member. In the print head, the liquid ink is typically maintained at a temperature that enables the ink to be ejected by the printing elements in the print head, but that preserves sufficient tackiness for the ink to adhere to the intermediate imaging member. In some cases, however, the tackiness of the liquid ink may cause a portion of the ink to remain on the intermediate imaging member after the image is transferred onto the media sheet and the residual ink may later degrade other ink images formed on the intermediate imaging member.
In continuous-web, direct-to-media printing, a fixing assembly is used after the ink is ejected onto the web to fix the ink to the web. The fixing assembly used depends on the type of ink. For example, when using melted phase change ink to form images, the fixing assembly may include a pair of rollers that defines a nip for applying pressure to the ink and web to spread the ink on the web as the web passes through the nip. The function of the pair of rollers, also referred to herein as a spreader, is to transform a pattern of ink drops deposited onto a web by flattening and spreading the ink drops to make a more uniform and continuous layer. The spreader uses pressure and heat to reduce the height of the ink droplets and fill the spaces between adjacent drops.
One difficulty faced in the operation of the spreader is providing the web and the ink deposited on the web to the spreader at a temperature that enables the ink deposited on the web to be spread uniformly for high image quality. Due to very fast processing speeds at which some continuous feed imaging devices operate, the ink deposited on the web at the print station may be above a suitable temperature range as the image passes through the nip. This high ink temperature results in the ink bleeding into the web and possibly showing through to the opposite side of the media web. Conversely, if the ink cools below the suitable temperature range prior to reaching the spreader, the ink may not be malleable enough to allow for sufficient line spread or adherence to the web. In addition, the ink ejected by the printheads is generally much hotter than the print medium, and, consequently, areas imaged with high ink coverage may exit from the print zone at higher temperatures than the areas of the media web where little or no ink was ejected. Ink that enters the spreader at varying temperatures can cause inconsistent and non-uniform line spread on the web, reducing image quality. Thus, improved media and ink temperature equalization is desirable. For optimum spreader performance, ink and web temperatures are substantially equalized prior to entering the nip 128 to within a target temperature range that promotes adherence of the melted ink to the web, minimizes visibility of printed ink from the opposite side of the media ("show-through"), maximizes ink dot spread, and reduces image defects on the opposite side of the media in a duplex printing process. The target temperature range for the ink and web prior to entering the nip 128 can also be referred to as the pre-spreading temperature range. In one embodiment, the pre-spreading temperature range is between about 50° C. and about 55° C. The pre-spreading temperature range, however, can be any suitable range of temperatures suitable for spreading ink on a web depending on factors such as the ink formulation, web substrate material, web velocity, and the like.
To address and/or prevent the accumulation of ink on an intermediate imaging member or on a spreader, which may be in the form of a drum, solid ink imaging systems may be provided with a drum maintenance unit (DMU) that releases an oil or oil blend that lubricates the image receiving surface of the intermediate imaging member before each print cycle, thereby preventing ink offset to the spreader drum. Typically, these DMU oils are silicone oils that may contain additives to allow for proper lubrication and release characteristics.
However, use of known DMU oils often results in imparting a coefficient of friction to the media being printed that is significantly lower than that of the native media. As such, the printed media is more slippery than native media, which can interfere with any production finishing or converting equipment that is used, for example, to handle, cut, fold, insert (as in mail-envelope inserters) or collate the printed material. Specifically, production finishing or converting equipment is typically calibrated to handle media displaying the coefficient of friction similar to native paper. Therefore, imparting printed media with a lower coefficient of friction through the use of DMU oils often results in feeding failures and/or production failures with production finishing or converting equipment.
As such, a DMU oil formulation for use in solid ink-jet color web-press printers that provides sufficient lubrication to an image receiving surface of the intermediate imaging member and image fixing members (i.e. a spreader drum) without imparting a coefficient of friction to the printed media that interferes with production finishing or converting equipment would be appreciated in the art.

Release agent composition for solid inkjet imaging systems for improved coefficient of friction


A method of forming a SiGe layer having a relatively high Ge content includes preparing a silicon substrate; depositing a layer of SiGe to a thickness of between about 100 nm to 500 nm, wherein the Ge content of the SiGe layer is equal to or greater than 22%, by molecular weight; implanting H+ ions into the SiGe layer at a dose of between about 1xc2x71016 cmxe2x88x922 to 5xc2x71016 cmxe2x88x922, at an energy of between about 20 keV to 45 keV; thermal annealing the substrate and SiGe layer, to relax the SiGe layer, in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of between about 650xc2x0 C. to 950xc2x0 C. for between about 30 seconds and 30 minutes; and depositing a layer of tensile-strained silicon on the relaxed SiGe layer to a thickness of between about 5 nm to 30 nm.

This invention relates to high speed CMOS integrated circuits, and specifically to a method to form a SiGe layer with hydrogen implantation.
In enhanced mobility MOSFET device applications thick, relaxed Si1xe2x88x92xGex buffer layers have been used as virtual substrates for thin strained silicon layers to increase carrier mobility for both nMOS devices Welser et al, Strain dependence of the performance enhancement in strained-Si n-MOSFETs, IEDM Conference Proceedings, p. 373 (1994); Rim et al., Fabrication and analysis of Deep submicron strained-Si N-MOSFETs, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol 47, 1406, (2000); and Rim et al, Strained Si NMOSFETs for high performance CMOS technology, 2001 Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Papers, p. 59, IEEE 2001; and pMOS devices, Rim et al, Enhanced hole mobilities in surface-channel strained-Si p-MOSFETs, IEDM Conference Proceedings, p. 517 (1995); and Nayak et al, High-mobility Strained-Si PMOSFETs, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 43, 1709 (1996). Compared with bulk silicon devices, enhancement in electron mobility of 70% for devices with Leff less than 70 nm has been reported by Rim et al., 2001. Enhancements of up to 40% in high-field hole mobility for long-channel devices have also been found by Nayak et al.
Thick Si1xe2x88x92xGex layers relax plastically by the formation of misfit dislocations, R. Hull et al., Nucleation of misfit dislocations in strained-layer epitaxy in the GexSi1xe2x88x92x/Si system, J. Vac Sci. Technol., A7, 2580, 1989; Houghton, Strain relaxation kinetics in Si1xe2x88x92xGex/Si heterostructures, J. Appl. Phys., 70, 2136, 1991; Wickenhauser et al., Determination of the activation energy for the heterogeneous nucleation of misfit dislocations in Si1xe2x88x92x/Gex/Si deposited by selective epitaxy, Appl. Phys. Lett., 70, 324, 1997; Matthews et al., Defects in epitaxial multilayers, J. Cryst. Growth, 27, 118, 1974; and Tang et al., Investigation of dislocations in Si1xe2x88x92xGex/Si heterostructures grown by LPCVD, J. Cryst. Growth, 125, 301, 1992. During this process threading dislocations usually are created. The existence of threading dislocations degrades device performance and reduces device yield significantly.
The current state of the art technique to fabricate a high quality relaxed Si1xe2x88x92xGex buffer layer is the growth of a several xcexcm thick compositionally graded layer Rim et al., 2000; Nayak et al.; Schxc3xa4ffler et al., High-electron-mobility Si/SiGe heterostructures: influence of the relaxed SiGe buffer layer, Semiconductor. Sci. Technol., 7. 260, 1992; and Fitzgerald et al., Totally relaxed GexSi1xe2x88x92x layers with low threading dislocation densities grown on Si substrates, Appl. Phys. Lett., 59, 811, 1991. However, the density of threading dislocations is still high, e.g., typically  greater than 106 cmxe2x88x922. In addition, the integration of a several xcexcum thick Si1xe2x88x92xGex layer into commercial viable device fabrication is not practical. The relaxation of SiGe grown on Separation by IMplantation of Oxygen (SIMOX) wafers has also been investigated, in this case the Si/SiGe bilayer behaves as a free-floating foil constrained to remain flat by the substrate. However, the ratio of thicknesses between the silicon and SiGe layers must be precisely controlled to move the nucleation and glide of dislocations from the SiGe layer to the silicon layer. Also, this technique needs to be extended to include higher Ge content to have utility for most technological applications, LeGouse et al., Relaxation of SiGe thin films grown on Si/SiO2 substrates, J. Appl. Phys. 75 (11) 1994. Powell et al, New approach to the growth of low dislocation relaxed SiGe material, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 64, 1856 (1994).
Cavities formed in silicon and Ge and their alloys by helium implantation and annealing were found to have a strong short-range, attractive interaction with dislocations. Introducing cavities at the SiGe/Si interface greatly enhances the relaxation rate and alters dislocation microstructures. However, reduction of threading dislocation density has not been observed, Follstaedt et al., Cavity-dislocation interactions in Si-Ge and implications for heterostructure relaxation, Appl. Phys. Lett., 69, 2059, 1996. To achieve an 80% relaxation, a one hour anneal at about 1000xc2x0 C. is required.
Hydrogen implantation has been reported to induce exfoliation of silicon and cause shearing of macroscopic layers of silicon, Weldon et al, On the mechanism of the hydrogen-induced exfoliation of silicon, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B. 15, 1065, 1997. This was applied to the fabrication of high-quality silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, and is known as the SmartCut(trademark) process. Recent publications by a German collaboration, S. Mantl et al. and H. Trinkaus et al., have reported the advantages of using hydrogen implantation to increase the degree of SiGe relaxation and to reduce the density of threading dislocation, S. Mantl et al, Strain relaxation of epitaxial SiGe layers on Si(100) improved by hydrogen implantation, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 147, 29, (1999), and H. Trinkaus et al, Strain relaxation mechanism for hydrogen-implanted Si1xe2x88x92xGex/Si(100) heterostructures, Appl. Phys. Lett., 76, 3552, 2000. However, the researchers reported the relaxation of a SiGe layer having a thickness of only 2000 xc3x85 to 2500 xc3x85, having a Ge concentration, by molecular weight, of less than 22% Ge. SiGe of such thickness is not sufficient for commercial device applications. A method for making thicker films is disclosed in related application Ser. No. 09/541,255, while a method reducing leakage current through proper isolation is disclosed in related application Ser. No. 09/783,817. Related application Ser. No. 09/541,255 describes fabrication of SiGe thin films with about 21% Ge. A higher Ge content is desirable in order to increase the strain in the cap silicon channel and so to farther improve the electron and hole mobility.
The German collaboration has reported that helium implantation is effective in creating highly relaxed SiGe layers with up to 30% Ge, M. Luysberg et al., Relaxation of Si1xe2x88x92xGex buffer layers on Si(100) through Helium implantation, Abstracts of the 2001 MRS Spring Meeting, Abstract P5.4, Apr. 18, 2001. During the oral presentation of that paper, it was specifically reported that 80% relaxation was achieved on a 100 nm thick SiGe layer with 30% Ge content through implantation of 18 keV Helium ions at a dose of 1xc2x71016 cmxe2x88x922 to 3xc2x71016 cmxe2x88x922, and a RTA of 750xc2x0 C. to 1000xc2x0 C. The speaker specifically stated that hydrogen implantation does not work for films with Ge content greater than 22%. In order to produce a smooth, 100 nm to 500 nm thick layer of relaxed SiGe having a Ge content greater than 22%, it was reported that helium implantation is necessary, and that hydrogen implantation does not work.
A method of forming a SiGe layer having a relatively high Ge content includes preparing a silicon substrate; depositing a layer of SiGe to a thickness of between about 100 nm to 500 nm, wherein the Ge content of the SiGe layer is equal to or greater than 22%, by molecular weight; implanting H+ ions into the SiGe layer at a dose of between about 1xc2x71016 cmxe2x88x922 to 5xc2x71016 cmxe2x88x922, at an energy of between about 20 keV to 45 keV; thermal annealing the substrate and SiGe layer, to relax the SiGe layer, in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of between about 650xc2x0 C. to 950xc2x0 C. for between about 30 seconds and 30 minutes; and depositing a layer of tensile-strained silicon on the relaxed SiGe layer to a thickness of between about 5 nm to 30 nm.
The objective of this invention is to produce a thick, e.g., 100 nm to 500 nm, relaxed, smooth SiGe film with high Ge content ( greater than 22%) as a buffer layer for a tensile strained silicon film to be used for high speed MOSFET applications.
This summary and objectives of the invention are provided to enable quick comprehension of the nature of the invention. A more thorough understanding of the invention may be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in connection with the drawings.

Method to form relaxed sige layer with high ge content


A differential cylinder for a hydromechanical drive for actuating an electrical switch, for example a high-voltage switch, is disclosed which includes a first pressure region for applying a working pressure, a second pressure region, and a piston which is capable of moving in a movement region and which is movable depending on a pressure difference between the first and second pressure region. A damping device is provided which, in the event of a movement of the piston in the direction of the second pressure region, provides damping with respect to the movement of the piston in a section of the movement region, wherein the damping is adjustable.

Hydromechanical stored-energy spring mechanisms can have differential cylinders. A piston of the differential cylinder is connected to a piston rod, which can be moved by pressurization of a pressure volume. The piston rod can be connected to an electrical circuit breaker, thus enabling the electrical circuit breaker to be switched by moving the piston rod. To open the electrical circuit breaker, for example, the pressure volume of the differential cylinder can be subjected to a hydraulic pressure, moving the piston rod into a corresponding position.
The pressure in the pressure volume can be supplied by a pressure cylinder, which can be coupled to a mechanical energy storage device, for example, a spring arrangement. If the circuit breaker is to be switched, the spring force on the pressure cylinder is released, with the result that a working pressure builds up there. This is also present via a hydraulic connection in the pressure volume of the differential cylinder. The working pressure in the pressure region can move the piston and the piston rod of the differential cylinder.
If the mechanical energy storage device on the pressure cylinder is designed as a spring arrangement, it can be subjected to a preload in order to provide a sufficient force. When the spring arrangement is triggered, the working pressure can build up very quickly, and therefore the pressure region of the differential cylinder can be subjected almost immediately to the working pressure. As a result, the piston of the differential cylinder can be moved in the direction of an end stop with a high acceleration force. To protect the differential cylinder and the other mechanical components coupled thereto, end position damping can be provided, in which the speed of the piston can be reduced before it or some other component strikes a stop. Damping is intended to ensure that the final speed of the piston upon impact is brought below a predetermined threshold in order to avoid damage to the components.
Depending on the application and on the type of circuit breaker to be switched, on the trigger speed, the working pressure provided and the like, a specific geometrical design of the damping can be devised for each individual application. As a result, the hydromechanical stored-energy spring mechanisms can already be tied to a particular use at the beginning of manufacture. It can be difficult to change the area of application after their production. This makes the production of hydromechanical stored-energy spring mechanisms inflexible because they may only be produced specifically for a particular application and it may not be possible to produce them as reserve stock for a number of undefined uses and to adapt them to the given application after their production.
It is therefore desirable to provide a hydromechanical stored-energy spring mechanism which has end position damping that enables retardation in such a way that a final speed of the piston rod below a predetermined threshold is achieved before the piston, the piston rod or a component connected thereto strikes an end stop, irrespective of the working pressure supplied by the mechanical energy storage device and irrespective of the mass moved by the piston rod.

Differential cylinder for a hydromechanical drive for electrical circuit breakers


The invention relates to a machine for milling traffic areas. The machine has a vertically adjustable chassis which carries a steerable traveling mechanism and a drive unit for moving the machine and for driving a milling mechanism coupled to the drive unit. A laser scanner is attached to at least on one side of the chassis. With the laser scanner, the height relative to the surface of a traffic area to be milled can be measured and the chassis can be set vertically in accordance with the measured values relative to the surface of the traffic area to be milled. The laser scanner is attached in the center side-wall region of the chassis. The scanning plane of the laser scanner is essentially parallel to the side-wall region of the chassis and at a height which permits monitoring of a hazard region which extends at least over the side length of the machine. The laser scanner produces a trigger signal if a disturbance occurs in the scanning plane.

WO 93/08003 discloses a machine for milling floor areas inside a building for the purpose of leveling, in which machine a device for detecting the height of the floor is provided, this detecting device comprising a laser receiver on the machine, and this laser receiver evaluates an external laser beam which represents the reference height and replaces a reference cord which is otherwise used. According to said document, the height of the rear wheels is adjusted and thus the milling depth is kept at an intended level.
Furthermore, German Patent No. DE 196 32 456 C1 discloses a self-propelled, i.e. driverless, machine for skimming artificial grounds, such as sand tennis courts or the like, in which, for determining the position in connection with markings located on the grounds and thus for the steering, a laser scanner is used which accordingly scans the region in the travel direction in front of the machine with respect to the markings in a horizontal plane and stops the machine if objects which are not envisaged, such as persons, or larger objects are detected in its path.
It is also known in machines for milling traffic areas, so-called "road milling cutters", to use height regulation in order to set and maintain a certain milling depth for the milling mechanism by adjusting the height of the chassis with respect to a traffic area to be milled.
In addition, in the case of machines for milling traffic areas, there is the problem that persons can move into the hazard region at the side of the machine, in particular at road edges, without being noticed by the driver of the machine.

ABG Allgemeine Baumaschinen-Gesellschaft mbH


The disclosure provides for a UE handling messages in wireless communication. The disclosure provides for a UE partially exchanging a first signaling-related message associated with a first UE configuration with a network entity and triggering a state transition message that initiates a change to a second UE configuration different from the first UE configuration. In an aspect, the UE determines that the first message has not been successfully received or successfully transmitted. In an aspect, the UE sends an indication message to coordinate discarding of the first message with the network entity and receives, after sending the indication message, a second signaling-related message associated with the second UE configuration. In another aspect, the UE, after partially sending a signaling-related message, receives a reconfiguration request associated with a second UE configuration. In an aspect, the UE determines that the message has not been successfully transmitted and causes a reconfiguration failure.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to handling stale or incomplete packet data units (PDUs or packets) in a wireless network.
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One example of such a network is the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The UMTS, which is the successor to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technologies, currently supports various air interface standards, such as Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), and Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). The UMTS also supports enhanced 3G data communications protocols, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), which provides higher data transfer speeds and capacity to associated UMTS networks.
One problem may occur, for example, in UMTS networks, when a user equipment (UE) in Forward Access Channel (Cell_FACH) or Paging Channel (Cell_PCH) states, for example, moves from one cell to another cell, which causes the UE to trigger a Cell Update procedure in the new cell. For example, as discussed in 3GPP Specification 25.331 (herein incorporated by reference), the cell update procedure (discussed, for example, in section 8.3.1) can be done periodically or can be triggered. The cell update can be triggered, for example, when a UE selects a new cell (e.g., cell reselection), responds to a paging message, fails to transmit a message or receive an acknowledged (e.g., radio link failure), and/or re-enters the service area. In some instances, the UE may have an active signaling connection where parts of a sequence (e.g., a service data unit) are sent between the UE and a network entity using multiple protocol data units (PDUs). When a cell update procedure between the UE and the network occurs before the messages at the UE or network side is sent, UE configuration information associated with the unsent messages does not match the updated UE configuration information associated with the cell update procedure. Subsequent use of stale information (e.g., based on non-current UE configuration information) included in the previously-received PDUs may cause connection problems between the UE and network (e.g., time outs, call drops, call delays, etc).
Therefore, improvements in handling of PDUs in during wireless communication are desired.

UE handling of stale or incomplete PDUs after cell reselection or reconfiguration


Provided is a backflow cascade novel process for producing a lithium-7 isotope. The process comprises an upper backflow section, an extraction section, an enrichment section, a lower backflow section, and a product acquiring section. Upper backflow phase-conversion liquid and lower backflow phase-conversion liquid are respectively added to the upper backflow section and the lower backflow section, and upper backflow phase-conversion liquid and lower backflow phase-conversion liquid of the lithium material are controlled; the product is precisely acquired in the product acquiring section; an organic phase is added to the upper backflow section, and is recycled in the lower backflow section. By means of cascade connection with a high-performance liquid separator, environmental protection, high efficiency, and multi-level enrichment of the lithium-7 isotope are achieved, and a high-abundance lithium-7 isotope product is obtained.

There are two natural isotopes of lithium (Li) in nature, i.e., 7Li and 6Li, which make up 92.48% and 7.52% respectively. The nuclear reaction properties of the two isotopes are quite different, although both two isotopes play important roles in nuclear material field. 7Li is an essential molten salt coolant in thorium molten salt reactors. Since the thermal neutron absorption cross section of 6Li is quite high, which is 941 barns, while that of 7Li is only 0.033 barns, the molten salt reactor requires that the abundance of 7Li is >99.995%. Meanwhile, 7Li of high purity is used to adjust the pH value of primary coolant in pressurized-water reactors and is also used as a heat-conducting agent in fusion reactors. 6Li is a fuel in nuclear fusion reactors, wherein the abundance of 6Li should be >30%. In thorium molten salt reactors or in fusion reactors, lithium isotopes are used as indispensable strategy materials and energy materials, and provide a solution for the development of new energy.
The lithium isotope separation methods reported in the literature comprise: physical methods (such as an electromagnetic method, molecular distillation method and gas diffusion method, etc.) and chemical methods (such as electro-migration, electrolysis, a lithium-amalgam exchange method and solvent extracting exchange method, etc.) (Xiaoan Xiao et al, Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemistry, 1991, 13, 1). In the isotope separation field, physical methods are advantageous for heavy isotopes; while for light isotopes, the chemical methods are of higher efficiency and the physical methods are of low efficiency and great investment.
Since the lithium isotopes are light isotopes, and there is no lithium gaseous state, the lithium isotope separation by physical methods is only in the exploratory stage. With respect to chemical methods, most research in the field only involves determination and improvement of single stage isotope separation factor in the laboratory instead of multiple-stage separation. Meanwhile, in the chemical methods, gas-liquid chemical exchange method is not applicable for lithium, while the solid-liquid chemical exchange method is difficult to achieve a countercurrent multi-stage cascade. Therefore, only a liquid-liquid chemical exchange method can be adopted. When using the solid-liquid chemical exchange method, the crown ether polymers described in applications e.g., CN201210274233.1 and CN201210274356.5, possess a relatively high separation factor, but it is difficult to achieve a countercurrent multi-stage cascade with the solid-liquid chemical exchange method. When the liquid-liquid chemical exchange method is used, the single stage isotope separation factor α of the Sudan I-TOPO system is usually about 1.010 (Chen et al., Atomic Energy Science and Technology, 1987, 21, 433). However, a countercurrent multi-stage cascade has not been reported.
In order to be a practical lithium isotope separation method, it requires not only a large single stage isotope separation factor α of the separation system, but also a multi-stage cascade to be achieved in the chemical process. Thus a special cascade process, in which there is a strict method of controlling reflux, is required. The reflux must be thorough, easy to use and of low energy consumption. A precise feeding and reclaiming process must be achieved. The flow rate and flowing situation in the isotope enriching segment should be calculated and controlled so that a multi-stage cascade form is used to cumulatively enrich lithium-7 isotope products in high abundance.
So far, the multi-stage cascade enrichment process has not been reported in any of the above-mentioned physical or chemical methods. Only the lithium amalgam chemical exchange method has relatively good chemical properties and chemical technology, and has become the only industrial method for producing lithium-7 isotope (Chemical isotope separation principle, edited by Qiu Ling, Atomic Energy Press, 1990, pp 156-181). However, this process requires a lot of mercury which easily becomes volatile and runs off, is harmful to the operators' health and causes serious environmental pollution. Moreover, in this process, the sodium amalgam phase easily enriches 6Li. As lithium amalgam in the extraction column gradually decomposes, the method is difficult to meet the 7Li abundance requirement for thorium-based molten reactors, which is greater than 99.995%. Based on the characteristics and phase inversion requirements of lithium enrichment and separation, it is beneficial to choose organic phases which easily extract lithium and enrich for 7Li.

Backflow cascade novel process for producing lithium-7 isotope

Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences


A mirror base cover for an exterior rear view mirror assembly of a motor vehicle is described, which is provided with an opening for a part on the mirror base side of an articulated connection of a base bracket, which is preferably housed in an exterior rear view mirror housing, to a mirror base, which is covered by the mirror base cover. The opening has a larger design than is necessary for the part on the mirror base side of the articulated connection. A section of the opening remaining between the edge of the opening and the part on the mirror base side of the articulated connection is closed by a mirror base cap assembly. The mirror base cap assembly consists of a mirror base cap, only partly covering the remaining section of the opening, and a seal, moulded onto the mirror base cap, overlapping a gap remaining between the mirror base cap and the edge of the opening. The mirror base cap extends at least partly to the edge of the opening, so that contact between the mirror base cap and the edge of the opening is made, at least in places.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mirror base cover for an exterior rear view mirror assembly of a motor vehicle with an opening for a part on the mirror base side of an articulated connection of a base bracket, which is preferably arranged in an exterior rear view mirror housing with a mirror base, covered by means of a mirror base cover, whereby the opening is larger than is necessary for the part on the mirror base side of the articulated connection, and a section of the opening remaining between the edge of the opening and the part on the mirror base side of an articulated connection is closed by a mirror base cap assembly, which consists of a mirror base cap partly covering the remaining section of the opening, and a seal moulded thereon, which overlaps a remaining gap between the mirror base cap and the edge of the opening, wherein the mirror base cap extending at least partly to the edge of the opening, so that contact between the mirror base cap and the edge of the opening is made, at least in places.
2. Description of the Related Art
An exterior rear view mirror assembly for a motor vehicle consists, for example, of a mirror base arranged on the motor vehicle, which can be covered by a mirror base cover, and an exterior rear view mirror arranged on the mirror base. The mirror base can be produced from die-casting material, for example, which is resistant to the forces and moments which occur. The exterior rear view mirror includes an exterior rear view mirror housing, which, among others, houses the base bracket assigned to the mirror base.
The mirror base and the base bracket are hinged together, so that the exterior rear view mirror can be pivoted about a hinge axis in relation to the mirror base from an operating position to a folding point and vice versa. In this process, bearing means can be provided between the mirror base and the base bracket, in order to keep wear and tear and frictional forces, which arise during the pivoting movement, as low as possible.
Preferably, the base bracket is also produced from die-casting material, which is resistant to the occurring forces and moments, for example, from the same material as the mirror base. An adjusting device for a mirror glass, driven by an electric motor, for example, is arranged on the base bracket. The adjusting device acts on a backing plate, on which the mirror glass is arranged. The mirror glass can be mounted onto the backing plate by means of an adhesive connection, for example. The backing plate can be guided to and/or mounted on the adjustment device and/or the base plate.
On its rear side, facing away from the direction of movement of the motor vehicle in the operating position, the exterior rear view mirror housing comprises an opening, through which the mirror glass is visible, or in which the mirror glass is arranged. In order to ensure that the mirror glass is adjustable, a distance is kept on all sides between the mirror glass or backing plate and the walls of the exterior rear view mirror housing surrounding the opening, so that a gap is given around the mirror glass between the walls of the exterior rear view mirror housing surrounding the opening.
Additionally, the exterior rear view mirror can comprise a turn signal indicator, a module for a driving assistance device, such as blind spot monitoring, a lane departure warning, approach monitoring, or similar, or a combination thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the exterior rear view mirror can also comprise sensors for detecting driving and/or surrounding conditions, such as for example, temperature, brightness, degree of pollution, lighting situation, for example, in order to automatically heat the mirror glass, or to dim electro-chromatically, for example.
A known object in the development and production of motor vehicle parts is a simple, time-saving assembly. For example, for covering the mirror base, it can be intended that the mirror base cover comprises an opening precisely assigned to the articulated connection between the mirror base and the base bracket. On one hand, the accuracy of fit is necessary in order to achieve the exact positioning of the mirror base and exterior rear view mirror with the mirror foot cover, and on the other hand, to maintain small gap dimensions, in order to prevent the entry of spray water, for example.
Since the mirror base cover presents a relatively large component, which is usually produced in an injection moulding process, dimensional deviations and tolerances can result in the opening and the articulated connection not corresponding at least in such a way straightaway, whereby the assembly is made more difficult. This leads to unnecessarily high assembly effort, possibly connected with undesired rejections.
In precise production of the mirror base cover, the connection between the mirror base and the mirror base cover to be made in assembly is also difficult. Among others, the difficulty is due to the connection of the mirror base and mirror base cover, for example, by a screw connection, taking place before the mirror base is slotted into or pushed into the mirror base cover. In the process, the opening provided in the mirror base cover for the articulated connection between the mirror base and the base bracket, housed in the exterior rear view mirror, must align with the part on the mirror base side of the articulated connection, at least in the intended stop position of the slotting connection. If the part on the mirror base side concerns, for example, a shaft arranged rigidly on the mirror base, with an extension along the hinge axis, the assembly alone is difficult due to the relatively large dimensions of this shaft in comparison to the inside dimensions of the space surrounded by the mirror base cover. In addition, the complex geometry of the mirror base and the mirror base cover makes it impossible for the direction of movement of the mirror base and mirror base cover whilst being slotted together to conform with the longitudinal axis of the shaft and the central axis of the opening. Therefore, so that they can be slotted together, a complicated rotational movement must be carried out at the same time, in order to be able to pass the pins through the opening provided during assembly. Amongst others, this rotational movement, in connection with slotting together, represents a considerable time factor in assembly of an exterior rear view mirror assembly.
In order to rectify this problem, it is known that the opening has a larger design than is necessary for the part of the articulated connection on the mirror base side. A part of the opening remaining between the edge of the opening and the part of the articulated connection on the mirror base side is covered by a mirror base cap assembly. The mirror base cap assembly consists of a mirror base cap made of a rigid, hard component. Between the edge of the opening and the mirror base cap or the external contour of mirror base cap, a seal made of an elastic, soft component is provided, which prevents the entry of spray water and/or dirt, for example, in the space surrounded by the mirror base cover. The seal is moulded around the mirror base cap. The mirror base cap assembly can be produced in addition e.g. in a two-part of multi-part component injection moulding process. When installing the mirror base cap assembly, the seal is formed elastically at the same time as sealing the gap between the mirror base cap and the edge of the opening.
A disadvantage of this is that the seal is deformed whilst maintaining its volume, whereby there can be contact between the seal and the exterior rear view mirror, or the part of the articulated connection on the exterior rear view mirror side between the mirror base and the base bracket. In a pivoting movement of the exterior rear view mirror in relation to the mirror base from an operating position to a folding point and vice versa, about the hinge axis of the articulated connection between the mirror base and base bracket, there is therefore a synchronisation of the mirror base cover assembly. Therefore, undesired signs of wear, the entry of liquid and/or dirt, as well as a disadvantageous impression of quality, can occur.


Transfer capability is improved without having to extend a longitudinal space of a platform of a cluster tool downward. In a platform PF, a first transfer robot 16L includes a transfer main body 48L that is slidable on a left guide rail 46L, a transfer pedestal 50L that is slidable in an offset direction (X direction), and a slider type transfer arm 52L that is rotatable within a horizontal surface while being movable straight in a direction parallel to a radius of a rotation circle and supports one piece of a semiconductor wafer W. A second transfer robot 16R has the same configuration and operations as the first transfer robot 16L except that an operation or moving direction of each component of the second transfer robot 16R is vertically symmetrical to that of the first transfer robot 16L.

A cluster tool type is well-known as a type of a vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum transfer chamber. In the cluster tool type apparatus, a plurality of process chambers, where predetermined processes are performed at a depressurized state, are disposed around a vacuum platform so as to promote consistency, connectivity, or compositeness of processes. The cluster tool type is also referred to as a multi-chamber type, and is typically employed by a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Generally, in a cluster tool, one target object is sequentially transferred to the plurality of process chambers so that the same type or different types of vacuum process is continuously performed on the target object. In the semiconductor device manufacture, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition), sputtering, dry etching, dry cleaning, etc. are the representative vacuum processes performed in the cluster tool.
Since the transferring of the target object throughout the plurality of process chambers is performed through the platform, the interior of the platform always maintains a depressurized state. In order to transfer an unprocessed target object from an atmosphere space to the platform, and to transfer the target object, on which a series of vacuum processes have been finished, out from the platform to the atmosphere space, a load lock chamber of an atmosphere/vacuum interface is also connected to the platform through a gate valve. A vacuum transfer apparatus for receiving/delivering a substrate between each process chamber or the load lock chamber, and the vacuum transfer apparatus at a depressurized state is formed inside the platform. Such a type of vacuum transfer apparatus includes a stretchable transfer arm so as to transfer the target object from and to each process chamber or the load lock chamber, and may rotate the transfer arm according to an access point.
However, in the vacuum processing apparatus of the cluster tool type, a layout, wherein the width size of the entire apparatus, when viewed from a load port side through which a target object cassette is inserted or ejected, is reduced or maintained while the platform is extended long in an inner depth direction thereby installing additional process chambers along the long side of the platform to increase the number of installed chambers in the entire apparatus, has become a trend as a method to advantageously deal with increasing size of a semiconductor wafer (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).
As such, when the number of installed process chambers increases, the burden of the vacuum transfer apparatus increases, and thus a transfer capability of a vacuum transfer apparatus side failing to follow an entire process capability of a processing apparatus side has become a problem.
In this regard, a conventional cluster tool forming one vacuum transfer robot inside a platform uses a method of setting a module cycle time to have substantially the same length, wherein the module cycle time is obtained by adding a stay time of one target object staying in each chamber, to accompanying busy times when a function of a module is stopped due to the target object before and after the stay of the target object with respect to a plurality of process modules connected to the platform, of the vacuum transfer robot, which has two transfer arms, circling the plurality of process modules in the same order as each target object makes a round, and of transferring out (pick) a target object that has been processed through access into each process module by using one of the two transfer arms and alternately transferring in (place) another target object instead of the target object that has been processed by using the other transfer arm (for example, refer to Patent Document 3).
Although, such a circulating pick and place method effectively functions when a process time of each process module is sufficiently long compared to a transfer time, since a transfer operation of the transfer robot has a time to spare, when the process time is short, it becomes difficult for the transfer robot to respond, and thus transfer efficiency or throughput decreases. Meanwhile, if a post-process (for example, purging, cleaning, or the like), which is performed in the process module immediately after the target object that has been processed is transferred out (picked), takes a long time, the transfer robot has to wait in front of the process module until the post-process is completed so as to perform a place operation with respect to the possessed unprocessed target object, and thus throughput of the overall system remarkably deteriorates due to this long standby time.
Also, due to the trend of the increasing number of installed process modules (process chambers) as described above, performing all substrate transfer operations in the platform by using one vacuum transfer robot has reached the limit.
In Patent Document 4, in order to remove the limit to the transfer capability of the platform using one vacuum transfer robot in the cluster tool, the present inventor suggests a vacuum processing apparatus, wherein two movable stages or two arm mechanisms in a common narrow transfer space are moved in an up and down direction and a horizontal direction by two movable stage driving mechanisms in the platform so that the two movable stages or two arm mechanisms switch the locations with each other in the up and down direction in a horizontal state without interfering with each other.    (Patent Document 1) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. hei 8-46013    (Patent Document 2) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-12720    (Patent Document 3) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-190894    (Patent Document 4) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-265947

Vacuum processing apparatus and vacuum transfer apparatus


A male luer medical connector includes a needle having a distal portion with a hole opening and contained in the cavity of a resilient seal. The needle has, apart from its distal portion, an additional hole. The seal and needle are shaped so that when the connector is connected, the compressed seal forms with the needle, immediately upstream of the upper level of the additional hole, a sealed cavity for receiving by way of passage in the additional hole a part of the fluid contained in the needle; and when the seal is released the cavity contains fluid when the lateral hole opening into the needle is sealed, and the portions of the seal, downstream and upstream of the cavity respectively, as well as the additional hole, are shaped so the downstream portion closes a lateral hole while the same cavity continues to discharge the fluid into the needle.

The document EP 1 890 760 describes a medical connector with a first end known as the "upstream end", intended to be connected to a catheter connected to a patient; and a second end, referred to as "downstream end", intended to be interlinked with a device for sampling or injection of liquids through a male luer connector. In this document, reference is made to the terms "upstream end" and "downstream end" regardless of the direction of the flow of liquid.
In practice, this connector has a chamber supported at its base by a connector constituting the upstream end of the connector itself. The free end of the chamber, opposite the base, is intended for receiving, by friction, the tip of a male luer connector. The passage of the liquid between the catheter connected to the upstream end of the connector and the end of the male luer is ensured through a needle secured by the body of the joint. The needle extends to the chamber and opens into the terminal end of said chamber.
The needle is sheathed and maintained in the cavity of a resilient seal that has, in the thickness of its free terminal end, a slit or a similar opening allowing the needle to pass through when the resilient seal is compressed in the connected position vis à vis the connector.
In practice, this type of connector is used both for blood sampling and the injection of parenteral bags. In both cases, once the operation is completed, the catheter is cleaned with saline or alcohol.
However, the connector described above, which produces adequate results, can be improved.
The return of the resilient seal to its original position upon disconnection from the connector causes negative pressure at the terminal end of the needle. This phenomenon thus generates a suction of liquid present in the catheter, and leads at the same time to the pumping of the patient's blood to the base of the catheter, which causes obvious hygiene problems. The catheter clogs and creates a biofilm that might be infected.
To solve this problem, the document WO2008/052140 describes a connector whose needle has two longitudinal slits in which, when not connected, protrusions on the inner wall of the resilient seal are created. Insofar as these protrusions are only formed on part of the circumference of the seal, the liquid from the uncovered slits flows from both sides of the slits, in the upstream as well as the downstream direction. In other words, during connection, the entire volume between the barrel of the needle and the inner wall of the resilient seal is filled with liquid. Given the presence of flanges over the entire height of the resilient seal, a residual volume of liquid between the flanges on either side of the lateral holes will remain in the disconnected position. This stagnant fluid cannot be purged to the extent that the holes are clogged after disconnection. As a result, there is an obvious risk of contamination.
The document WO2006/013433A1 describes a similar connector except that the lateral holes are never closed. As previously described, because of the shape of the resilient seal, a residual volume of liquid remains between the wall of the seal and that of the needle after disconnection.


A high-frequency wiring board of the present invention is characterized in that W1 greater than W2 and S1xe2x89xa7S2 are satisfied in which W1 is a line width of a portion having a predetermined characteristic impedance of a line conductor, W2 is a conductor width of the line conductor in proximity to a connection of one end of the line conductor to a through conductor, S1 is an interval between the portion having the line width W1 of the line conductor and a same plane ground conductor, and S2 is an interval between the portion of the one end of the line conductor in proximity to the connection to the through conductor and the same plane ground conductor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-frequency wiring board for connecting and mounting a high-frequency integrated circuit or a high-frequency circuit device such as an IC and an LSI used in a high-frequency band such as a microwave band and a millimeter waveband, and specifically, relates to a high-frequency wiring board which has a through conductor for signal transmission with an improved high-frequency signal transmission characteristic.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional high-frequency wiring board which transmits a high-frequency signal of a microwave band and a millimeter waveband, there is such a high-frequency wiring board that is shown in a section view of FIG. 8 and a plan view of FIG. 9, for example.
In FIGS. 8, 9, reference numeral 11 denotes a high-frequency wiring board, reference numeral 12 denotes a dielectric layer, a first line conductor 13 and a second line conductor 14 are disposed to upper and lower faces of the dielectric layer 12, and one ends of the first and second line conductors 13, 14 are electrically connected to each other by a through conductor 15. Moreover, same plane ground conductors 16 are disposed to the upper and lower faces of the dielectric layer 12, and the same plane ground conductors 16 are electrically connected to each other by a plurality of ground through conductors 17.
This high-frequency wiring board 11 has such a drawback that because of stray capacities at connections of the first and second line conductors 13, 14 and the through conductor 15, a mismatch of characteristic impedance is caused, with the result that reflection loss of a high-frequency signal increases and a transmission characteristic deteriorates.
Hence, as a technique of matching characteristic impedance of the connections of the line conductors and the through conductor, such a technique that, by widening intervals between the line conductors and the surrounding same plane ground conductors in proximity to the connections to the through conductor, decreases stray capacities to enable matching of characteristic impedance of the connections of the line conductors and the through conductor and enable improvement of a high-frequency signal transmission characteristic is proposed, for example (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-100993 (2000)).
However, the aforementioned conventional high-frequency wiring board has such a problem that in a case where the intervals between the line conductors and the surrounding same plane ground conductors are widened in proximity to the connections to the through conductor, a wavelength of a high-frequency signal is short in a frequency band such as a microwave band and a millimeter waveband, the connections of the line conductors and the through conductor are converting portions of electromagnetic field modes, and thereby unnecessary radiation of electromagnetic waves is caused from between the line conductors and the same plane ground conductors, with the result that a transmission characteristic deteriorates more as a frequency becomes higher.
The present invention was made in view of the aforementioned problem, and an object thereof is to provide a high-frequency wiring board which enables matching of characteristic impedance at a connection of a line conductor and a through conductor and inhibition of unnecessary radiation of an electromagnetic wave from between the line conductor and a same plane ground conductor and which allows obtaining a good high-frequency signal transmission characteristic even in a high-frequency band such as a microwave band and a millimeter waveband.
The invention provides a high-frequency wiring board comprising:
a first line conductor which is formed on a main face of one dielectric layer of a dielectric board formed of a lamination of a plurality of dielectric layers so that one end thereof exists within the main face of the one dielectric layer;
a second line conductor which is formed on a main face of another dielectric layer in substantially parallel with and in alignment with the first line conductor so that one end thereof opposes to the one end of the first line conductor in a vertical direction;
a through conductor which is formed so as to pierce the dielectric layers and electrically connects the one end of the first line conductor to the one end of the second line conductor; and
a same plane ground conductor which is formed at a predetermined interval around the first and/or second line conductor,
wherein W1 greater than W2 and S1xe2x89xa7S2 are satisfied in which W1 is a line width of a portion of the first and/or second line conductor surrounded by the same plane ground conductor, W2 is a conductor width of a portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to a connection of the one end of the first and/or second line conductor to the through conductor, S1 is an interval between the portion having the line width W1 of the first and/or second line conductor and the same plane ground conductor, and S2 is an interval between the portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to the connection to the through conductor and the same plane ground conductor.
The invention provides a high-frequency wiring board comprising:
a dielectric board consisting of one dielectric layer;
a first line conductor disposed on one main face of the dielectric board, the first line being formed such that one end of the first line conductor exists in the one main face;
a second line conductor disposed on another main face opposite the one main face of the dielectric board, the second line conductor being formed substantially in a line and substantially in parallel with the first line conductor so that one end of the second line conductor opposes to the one end of the first line conductor at a distance in a thickness direction of the dielectric board;
a through conductor formed so as to pierce the dielectric board, for electrically connecting the one end of the first line conductor to the one end of the second line conductor; and
a same plane ground conductor formed at a predetermined interval around the first and/or second line conductor,
wherein W1 greater than W2 and S1xe2x89xa7S2 are satisfied in which W1 is a width of a line portion of the first and/or second line conductor having a predetermined characteristic impedance, W2 is a width of a portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to a connection of the one end of the first and/or second line conductor to the through conductor, S1 is an interval between the line portion of the first and/or second line conductor and the same plane ground conductor, and S2 is an interval between the portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to the connection to the through conductor and the same plane ground conductor.
The invention provides a high-frequency wiring board comprising:
a dielectric board formed of a lamination of a plurality of dielectric layers;
a first line conductor disposed on one main face of one of the plurality of dielectric layers, the first line being formed such that one end of the first line conductor exists in the one main face;
a second line conductor disposed on one main face of another one of the plurality of dielectric layers, the second line conductor being formed substantially in a line and substantially in parallel with the first line conductor so that one end of the second line conductor opposes to the one end of the first line conductor at a distance in a lamination direction of the dielectric layers;
a through conductor formed so as to pierce the dielectric board, for electrically connecting the one end of the first line conductor to the one end of the second line conductor; and
a same plane ground conductor formed at a predetermined interval around the first and/or second line conductor,
wherein W1 greater than W2 and S1xe2x89xa7S2 are satisfied in which W1 is a width of a line portion of the first and/or second line conductor having a predetermined characteristic impedance, W2 is a width of a portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to a connection of the one end of the first and/or second line conductor to the through conductor, S1 is an interval between the line portion of the first and/or second line conductor and the same plane ground conductor, and S2 is an interval between the portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to the connection to the through conductor and the same plane ground conductor.
According to the invention, by the aforementioned construction, regarding the line conductor in proximity to the connection between the line conductor and the through conductor, the conductor width of the one end of the line conductor, that is, the width W2 is made to be narrower than the width W1 of the line portion having a predetermined characteristic impedance, whereby it is possible to decrease a stray capacity at the connection of the one end of the line conductor and the through conductor, and it is possible to match characteristic impedance of the connection of the line conductor and the through conductor. Moreover, the interval S2 between the portion in proximity to the connection of the one end of the line conductor to the through conductor and the same plane ground conductor is made to be narrow to be equal to or less than the space S1 between the portion having a predetermined characteristic impedance and the line width W1 of the line conductor, that is, a line portion, and the same plane ground conductor, whereby it is possible to confine an electromagnetic field at the connection, which is a converting portion of an electromagnetic field mode. Therefore, it is possible to inhibit unnecessary radiation of an electromagnetic wave from between the line conductor of the portion in proximity to the connection of the one end of the line conductor to the through conductor and the same plane ground conductor. As a result, it is possible to realize a good high-frequency signal transmission characteristic in a high-frequency band such as a microwave band and a millimeter waveband.
Further, in the invention it is preferable that a conductor length L of a portion having the conductor width W2 of the portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to the connection of the one end of the first and/or second line conductor to the through conductor is equal to or less than one quarter of a wavelength of a high-frequency signal transmitted through the first and second line conductors and W1xe2x89xa62xc3x97W2 is satisfied.
In the invention it is preferable that a conductor length L of the portion of the first and/or second line conductor in proximity to the connection of the one end of the first and/or second line conductor to the through conductor is equal to or less than one quarter of a wavelength of a high-frequency signal transmitted through the first and second line conductors and W1xe2x89xa62xc3x97W2 is satisfied.
According to the invention, the length of a characteristic impedance matching portion at the connection of the line conductor to the through conductor becomes short enough to a wavelength of a high-frequency signal, and a change of the line width of the line conductor from W1 to W2 is limited within a predetermined range, whereby it is possible to inhibit deterioration of a transmission characteristic due to reflection of a high-frequency signal and so on. As a result, it is possible to realize a good high-frequency signal transmission characteristic even in a high-frequency band such as a microwave band and a millimeter waveband.
According to the invention, in a high-frequency wiring board which has a through conductor for signal transmission, it is possible to match characteristic impedance at a connection of a line conductor and a through conductor and inhibit unnecessary radiation of an electromagnetic wave from between the line conductor and a same plane ground conductor, and it is possible to provide a high-frequency wiring board which can transmit a high-frequency signal with a good transmission characteristic even in a high-frequency band such as a microwave band and a millimeter waveband.


A method for assessing the suitability of seismic data for quantitative amplitude analysis, where the concern is excessive residual normal moveout (RNMO). The invention uses a near offset stack and a far offset stack, the time difference between the two, a mute pattern, a reflection shape assumption for the RNMO, and a waveform and frequency for the far stack traces to generate a formula that estimates far stack amplitude error caused by RNMO. The formula can be used to compensate the far stack amplitude where the error is not so great as to require reprocessing of the data. The method can also be applied to interpreted amplitude maps.

This invention relates generally to the field of seismic prospecting and, more particularly, to seismic data processing and interpretation. Specifically, this invention improves the ability of geoscientists to perform quantitative AVO (Amplitude Versus Offset) analysis on seismic data for exploration, development and production scenarios by allowing the interpreter to correct post-processed seismic amplitudes that are corrupted due to the stacking of non-flat gathers. The corrected amplitudes allow accurate construction and manipulation of AVO attributes.
In many settings, hydrocarbons can be directly detected from seismic data by a trained observer. Where hydrocarbons are present, the density and velocity of a typical reservoir is reduced, which in most cases increases the magnitude of the reflection coefficient and hence the resulting seismic reflection amplitudes. The effect can often be seen as a bright spot on routinely processed seismic data. Such bright spots are one type of direct hydrocarbon indicator, or xe2x80x9cDHIxe2x80x9d. DHI is the name given to nearly any characteristic of seismic data that is sensitive to, and often diagnostic of, fluid type. Conventional DHIs are those that can be found in conventionally processed seismic data, i.e., full or near-offset stacks.
DHIs have several limitations. First, high porosity in the reservoir is necessary if reflection coefficients are to be increased to the detectable threshold. Sandstones at depths greater than ten thousand feet and carbonate reservoirs at any depth seldom have such porosity. Second, the difference in velocity and density between water and oil may be slight, and free gas may be required to produce DHIs in many geologic settings. Unfortunately, a small amount of gas has the same amplitude effect as a large amount, and many wells drilled on DHIs produce only fizz water. Most importantly, the presence of hydrocarbons is only one of a great many things that can cause amplitude and phase changes in seismic reflections.
One method of overcoming the limitations of conventional DHIs is to analyze prestack (or multi-offset/multi-angle) seismic data. When a compressional wave impinges obliquely on an interface, part of the energy is converted into shear waves. Since the amount of energy that is converted to shear waves depends on the angle of incidence (or offset, the horizontal distance between seismic source and receiver), compressional reflection amplitude also depends on angle or offset. This is the basis for AVO analysis.
AVO depends strongly on pore-fluid type and amount, as well as on the type of rocks above and below the reflecting interface. From a geophysical perspective, AVO is determined by contrasts in impedance and Poisson""s ratio or ratio of P-wave to S-wave velocity. Class 1 reservoirs have a high impedance contrast, class 2 reservoirs have a near-zero impedance contrast, and class 3 reservoirs have a low impedance contrast. By exploiting more than one physical property of the reservoir, one can extract reservoir information that is not contained in conventional DHIs extracted from fully stacked data.
A difficulty with AVO analysis is the need to analyze more information than simply the stacked data. The process is often simplified by fitting AVO signatures or curves with a line and then working with only that line""s slope and intercept. Since two points describe a line, AVO analysis may be performed on two partial stacks of the seismic data, one at far offsets and one at near offsets. Each partial stack combines several, adjacent seismic traces with a common mid-point but different, consecutive offsets. The far and near stacks give two points from which a linear amplitude relationship with offset may be estimated.
Accurate seismic information is critical for quantitative AVO analyses. However, even with a state-of-the-art AVO processing stream, non-flat gathers, due to inadequate normal moveout correction, may have been stacked to form partial stack seismic data (i.e. near and far stack volumes). (When reflections with different offsets but from the same reflector point are combined [stacked], a correction called the normal moveout correction must be made to compensate for the different travel times caused by the different path lengths.) This sub-optimal stacking manifests itself in many ways. The offset stack volumes are not aligned in time, and seismic amplitudes are reduced due to the destructive interference of traces within the partial stack.
This effect is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D using synthetically generated seismic traces. FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C each depict a gather of nine traces (traces No""s. 39 through 47) having a common reflection point, each figure with a different amount of residual normal moveout (xe2x80x9cRNMOxe2x80x9d) and representing traces that might be stacked to form a far (partial) stack. The nine traces are plotted sequentially vs. depth as measured by the travel time for seismic wave propagation in the medium. Normal moveout (xe2x80x9cNMOxe2x80x9d) correction has already been applied to these data, as a seismic processing step. The NMO correction is key to the efficiency of common mid-point stacking. The recorded travel time for each trace depends on its offset. The greater the offset, the farther the energy must travel from source to receiver, and hence the greater the travel time. The NMO correction is a processing step intended to adjust the two-way travel time of reflections in each trace to be the same as that of its corresponding zero-offset trace. The NMO correction is calculated using the travel times for a given offset and a known or assumed seismic wave velocity. In practice, the effectiveness of the NMO correction varies, and residual normal moveout (RNMO) is a measure of the amount of under- or over-correction.
In FIG. 1A, the NMO correction is perfect. The peaks and troughs from each trace are aligned at the same depth, or vertical travel time, as indeed they should after normal moveout correction because they represent reflections from the same subterranean point. The perfectly flat reflections of FIG. 1A have 0 milliseconds (ms) RNMO.
FIGS. 1B and 1C show cases where the seismic processing has not fully flattened the data. In FIG. 1B, trace No. 47 images the reflections approximately 0.01 seconds, or 10 ms, deeper than trace No. 39. In FIG. 1C, the difference is approximately 16 ms. Thus, RNMO=10 Ms for FIG. 1B, and RNMO=16 ms for FIG. 1C.
FIG. 1D shows an expanded view of the normalized stacked amplitude for each of the three RNMO cases, covering the travel time range 0 ms to approximately 47 ms. Curve 1 represents the normalised sum of the traces in FIG. 1A, curve 2 corresponds similarly to FIG. 1B, and curve 3 corresponds to FIG. 1C, with the amplitude being progressively smaller because of increasing destructive interference (cancellation) between traces at increasing RNMO. Only curve 1 has preserved the correct amplitude. The other two curves have smaller amplitudes than they should, due to inadequate flattening (NMO correction) of the seismic data. In addition to reduced amplitudes, curves 2 and 3 also suffer from phase delay compared to curve 1.
Because travel times are greater at large offsets, the corresponding NMO corrections are also greater. Greater NMO corrections tend to produce greater RNMO, and consequently the resulting amplitude distortion tends to be greater for the far stack than for the near stack.
The seismic interpreter typically receives a far and a near stack volume of data from the seismic processor. The interpreter also gets xe2x80x9cmute windowxe2x80x9d information, which is the description of which traces are included in the two partial stacks and at what travel times, e.g., trace No""s. 39-47 in the far stack example of FIGS. 1A-1D. Due to data handling and storage limitations, the interpreter receives little else from the volumes of seismic data that are originally acquired. Currently, there is no established method for assessing how much RNMO amplitude error exists in the partial stack data. Even if this error somehow could be assessed, the only recourse currently in the case of flawed data would be to request reprocessing of the data, an expensive measure to undertake. The present inventive method allows the interpreter to make a quality control assessment of partial stack data, and, for moderate amounts of error, actually correct the associated amplitudes without reprocessing in order to proceed with quantitative analysis such as AVO.
In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for estimating amplitude error in a far-offset partial stack of seismic data due to inadequate normal moveout correction, given a near-offset partial stack and the mute pattern used to define the near and far stacks. First, the time difference between the near stack and the far stack is calculated. Then, a reflection shape approximation for the residual normal moveout is selected. Using the mute pattern and the results of the first two steps, time differences between individual traces in the far stack and the far stack trace are calculated. Next, a waveform and frequency representative of the far stack traces is determined. Then, the previous information is used to determine a formula that yields the amplitude compensation factor, and hence the amplitude error, for the far stack amplitude.
The amplitude error calculated by the present inventive method provides the seismic interpreter with a quality control tool to use preceding AVO analysis or other applications sensitive to amplitude accuracy. If the error is greater than approximately 50%, the data may have too much RNMO to be corrected by anything other than reprocessing of the data. For lesser amplitude errors, the amplitude error estimates from the present invention may be used to compensate the far stack amplitudes without reprocessing of the data.
The present inventive method may also be used to correct or QC seismic data in the form of interpreted amplitude maps.

Method for post processing compensation of amplitude for misaligned and misstacked offset seismic data