In a probe system for monitoring and analyzing data flow and associated activities between devices connected in common to a point in a network, in the mode of operation, the probe""s driver runs in a xe2x80x9cKernel modexe2x80x9d on Windows NT for analyzing in relatively low detail packets of data retrieved from the network, whereby programming is provided for operating the Kernel mode driver to monitor the rate of traffic or data packets entering an NIC card buffer, for causing the CPU to respond to an interrupt issued by the NIC everytime a data packet is received at a traffic rate below a predetermined threshold to access data packets entering the NIC card buffer, and to cause the CPU to respond to polling pulses at regular predetermined intervals to access data packets, when the traffic rate exceeds the predetermined threshold, for providing more CPU cycles to analyze the data packets. In another mode of operation, unanalyzed data packets are transferred to a frame memory for relatively detailed analysis via Expert Analyzer software operating the CPU in a User mode, whereby the amount of unanalyzed data in the frame memory is monitored for allocating the percent of CPU time available for Kernel mode processing in inverse relationship thereto.

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for providing network troubleshooting tools for detecting, diagnosing, and repairing network failures, and more particularly relates to a method and apparatus for dynamically optimizing the central processor unit (CPU) cycles for analyzing data retrieved from the network in a manner for eliminating system freeze (inability to move a cursor with a mouse, for example) under high network load, and for allocating CPU cycles available for USER MODE processing in an Expert Analysis configuration, and KERNEL MODE processing, when monitoring networks such as high-speed connection-oriented multiplexing and switching networks (COMSN), including Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks, 100 mbps Full Duplex Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet networks.
Many different types of networks have been developed for permitting computers to communicate with each other in an organized manner. One such network for use within the same building by a plurality of computer users is known as a local area network (LAN). After the development of LAN networks, network systems were further developed for it, permitting computer users over a campus environment, such as those located in a large industrial site, to communicate with one another. To further extend to communicate across wider areas of the country or world, wide area networks (WAN) and/or ATM networks were developed. As these networks have grown in size and complexity, it became increasingly difficult to troubleshoot, maintain, and optimize the performance of such networks, particularly wide area networks.
With the invention of the World Wide Web (WWW), and the associated Internet, the complexities of maintaining such world wide advanced data communications far exceed the complexities of the largest WAN systems or networks. To improve communication over the Web or Internet, the ATM system was developed for providing technology for simultaneously transmitting data, voice and video traffic, and information over high band-width circuits. An ATM system network is one example of a high-speed connection-oriented multiplexing and switching network developed for the WWW. In the prior art, hardware has been developed for ATM systems, in conjunction with associated software platforms, to form a communications architecture based on the switching and relaying of small units of data, typically called xe2x80x9ccellsxe2x80x9d. These xe2x80x9ccellsxe2x80x9d may also be grouped into frames or xe2x80x9cpacketsxe2x80x9d. ATM systems or networks incorporate technology that advances the state-of-the-art to include a protocol structure for effectively integrating voice, data, and video over the same communications channel at virtually any speed. Other known services for providing data communication, such as the Internet, Internet protocol (IP), frame relay, Switched loci Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS), and Ethernet, cannot provide the aforesaid integration of voice, data, and video over the same communications channels, as provided by ATM-based services.
In other words, an ATM network consists of configurable networks between source devices and destination devices, with the network being formed by switches interconnected by links. Typically, cells of data which are 53 bytes in length, also grouped as packets, are routed by the switches. A virtual circuit (VC) is established between source devices and destination devices, and the cells or packets are routed across these virtual circuits. One or a plurality of links and switches typically comprise a virtual circuit. Note that a plurality of virtual circuits can be routed across a single link, the latter not being dedicated to any single virtual circuit.
Network Associates. Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., has been in the forefront of technology for many years in developing and providing software for managing and troubleshooting computer networks. The software is known as Sniffer Software. The most recent Sniffer systems or Aft software readily permit LAN and WAN networks to be rapidly trouble-shooted for resolving problems in the associated network that are interfering with user communication within the network. Network Associates, Inc. (hereinafter NAI), has developed a Sniffer Enterprise Expert System that provides a probe for the rapid detection, diagnosis, and repair of network failures. NAI regularly publishes technical white papers on its public web site. Once accessed, the site can be searched for a listing of associated papers. Certain of these papers may be of interest relative to the present invention, and are incorporated herein as of the date of filing this Application, to the extent they do not conflict herewith.
For the purposes of this invention, a frame is a known data stream that contains a header, a trailer, and data of some type in between the header and the trailer. The combination of the header and the trailer, per frame, specifies the overall length of the frame, including the contents made up of the header and the trailer, as well as the type of data that resides between the header and the trailer within the frame. An ATM Sniffer is a newly introduced product of Network Associates, Inc. that permits a user to extract full duplex or bidirectional individual and successive frames that are being communicated between an ATM host device or switch, and an ATM network to which a number of user devices may be connected. Note that the Sniffer product simply is connected to a subsection of an ATM network, and it is not necessarily extracting frames that are being outputted by a host device(s), but frames that are being communicated over a given network path between a number of devices. Note that for the purposes of this Application, connection to an ATM network means connection to a subsection of the network. These devices are ATM devices. Note that an ATM host device can be an individual personal computer (PC) that has a special card installed in it to permit it to interface with an ATM network for the purposes of communicating data. Also, an ATM edge device is a type of server device that permits an ATM network to be connected through the device to a number of work stations, for example, or other computer devices connected into a network that is connected to the server or edge device. Note that there are a plurality of different types of ATM frames, and the present invention can be utilized with any particular type of frame through appropriate design of the software. However, the present invention is not limited to use in ATM Sniffer products, and can be applied for use in other Sniffer LAN (Ethernet, Token Ring, Gigabit Ethernet, etc.) network analyzers to optimize the allocation of CPU cycles.
In the realm of network analysis, there usually exists a passive station somewhere in the network connection that is able to see all traffic on the portion of the network to which it is connected. This is known as promiscuous mode analysis. Typically a network probe is connected to this network such that it is capable of analyzing each data event on the network. As the capacity of corporate and internet networks increase, there exists a point at which the time required to analyze a single network data event (typically a received packet) exceeds the amount of time between such network data events. Therefore, the network analysis probe must employ some method of throttling the CPU to insure that the probe does not spend all of its CPU cycles analyzing data. For this type of probe, it is usually important for it to respond to the particular user interface employed to view the data objects that are created by the network analysis component of the probe. From experiments with a 400 MHz Pentium II computer, it has been determined that 90% of the CPU cycles can be allocated to network analysis. This leaves 10% of the CPU cycles for all user interface software processes.
As previously mentioned, network analyzers are employed for use for monitoring and troubleshooting many different types of networks. Examples of such networks with analyzer probes shown installed for such monitoring and troubleshooting purposes are shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Note that these Probes can be other than an NAI Sniffer Expert System.
In FIG. 1, an Ethernet shared media LAN (local area network) is shown to include an xe2x80x9cEthernet 10/100xe2x80x9d, for providing bidirectional communication between two user stations 102 and 104, a server station 106, and a printer 108, in this example. Also, an analyzer probe 110 is connected to the Ethernet 100 for monitoring and analyzing data flowing through the network 100. Note that personal computers are one example of the user stations 102 and 104, and the server 106.
In FIG. 2, two Ethernet shared media LAN networks, in this example each include three users 102, 104, and 105, and a printer 108, communicating over an Ethernet 10/100 network 100, are each connected to a common 10/100/1000 Ethernet switch 112, that in turn provides bidirectional communication with the latter via an FDX Uplink 114 (Full Duplex), to a server 116, and via a Gigabit uplink 118 bidirectional communication with a second server 120. Also as shown, in this example, an analyzer probe 122 is connected between the Ethernet switch 112 via two FDX Uplinks 114 for monitoring data flowing between Ethernet switch 112 and server 116. Similarly, another analyzer probe 124 is connected via two Gigabit Uplinks 118, as shown, for monitoring data or communication between Ethernet switch 112 and server 120.
In FIG. 3, an example is shown of use of analyzer probes 300, 302, and 303 for monitoring data communications or traffic associated with an ATM network 304. A router 306 is connected via a DS3 North American Standard Physical Transmission Interface for digital transmission using TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) operating at 44.736-Mbps to probe 300. Another DS3 physical transmission interface is used to connect probe 300 to an ATM switch 308. The ATM switch 308 is connected via an optical carrier level OC-12 having a transmission speed of 622.8 Mbps to an ATM Network 304. The network 304 is also connected via an optical carrier level signal OC3 having a transmission speed of 155.2 Mbps to probe 302, the latter also being connected by another OC-3 carrier level signal link to an ATM switch 310. The switch 310 is also connected via another standard physical transmission interface DS3 to a router 312, and via a DS1 standard physical transmission interface operating at 1.544 Mbps to another router 314. The ATM network 304 is also connected via yet another DS3 digital transmission physical interface to another ATM switch 316, the latter also being connected via a DS1 standard physical transmission interface to the analyzer probe 303. The probe 303 is connected by another DS1 digital transmission interface to yet another router 318. In the example of FIG. 3, router 312 is associated with New York City, router 314 with Baltimore Maryland, router 318 with Dallas Texas, and so forth. Note as previously mentioned that the present invention is not limited for use with ATM networks, but can be used with many different networks, for example such as other high-speed connection-oriented multiplexing and switching networks.
In summary, the network examples of FIGS. 1 through 3 are shown as examples of typical connection types that are supported by network analyzers or analyzer probes, as indicated. FIG. 1 shows a typical shared media LAN, in an Ethernet configuration. FIG. 2 is an example of the typical switched Ethernet network with a full-duplex uplink or Ethernet trunking uplink to a shared server. Lastly, FIG. 3 shows a typical ATM network carrying data between multiple WAN sites. As shown in FIG. 3, three analyzer probes 300, 302, and 303 are inserted at various points in the network to analyze full-duplex ATM links between ATM switches 308, 310, and 316, routers 306, 312, 314, and 318, and the ATM network 304.
With further reference to FIG. 3, the following table identifies the types of connections shown therein, in relation to their expected maximum event rates, respectively:
As shown in Table 1, the per-packet time is very short for many of the networks or network connection types. For example, for a personal computer or CPU that includes a 400 MHz microprocessor, a single instruction can be executed in 2.5 nanoseconds. Accordingly, for the fastest link or connection shown, approximately 140 CPU instructions can occur between packets, which is insufficient to permit analysis of a single packet. Accordingly, in order to provide sufficient CPU instructions to user interface components, it is necessary to provide CPU throttling of the analysis subsystem.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for throttling CPU cycles, when required for providing more efficient use of and a greater number of CPU cycles during times of heavy traffic on a network, for permitting an analyzer probe to monitor and analyze a greater number of data packets retrieved from the network being monitored during such times of heavy traffic or data transfer in the network. This is accomplished, in a first embodiment of the invention, through use of a method and apparatus that includes two modes of operation. The first mode of operation provides a device driver in an analyzer probe connected in a network to respond to every receive interrupt generated by a network interface adapter card buffer during times of low traffic or data transfers in the monitored network, for transferring data packets received from a receive buffer of the network interface adapter to a RAM buffer for analysis. In the second mode of operation, when the rate of traffic is greater than a preset threshold, the receive interrupts from the network interface adapter card are ignored, and replaced by polling at regular intervals of the receive buffer of the network interface adapter for transferring packets to the RAM buffer of the analyzer. Accordingly, under heavy traffic conditions, through use of the present invention, fewer packets are lost by the analyzer. In this manner, more CPU time is made available for performing processing not associated with the analyzer probe.
In a second embodiment of the invention, when the time spent by the CPU in processing received data packets, in the first or second modes of operation, exceeds a predetermined percentage of the total CPU time available between operating systems ticks, data packet processing is terminated, to free the CPU to perform other processing. In a Windows NT operating system, for example, the first and second modes of operation are operated in a Kernel mode, and when data packet processing is terminated as indicated, the CPU transfers to a User mode.
In a third embodiment of the invention operating concurrently with the first and second embodiments of the invention, whenever an Expert Analyzer Software process is activated, the percentage of CPU available time allocated to Kernel Mode processing is made dependent upon the percentage of unanalyzed data in a frame capture memory operable in a User Mode. As the percentage of unanalyzed data in the frame capture memory increases from one range to a next range, the percentage of CPU time allocated to Kernel Mode Frame Processing is progressively decreased.

Method and apparatus for real-time protocol analysis using an active and adaptive auto-throtting CPU allocation front end process


Systems and techniques for performing resolution enhancement on target patterns based on holographic imaging technique (HIT) are described. During operation, an electronic design automation (EDA) tool can compute an in-line hologram of the target patterns based on parameters associated with a photolithography process that is used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing process is to be used for printing the target patterns on a semiconductor wafer. Next, the EDA tool can determine the mask patterns based on the in-line hologram.

Technical Field
This disclosure relates to electronic design automation (EDA). More specifically, this disclosure relates to resolution enhancement techniques (RETs) based on holographic imaging technology (HIT).
Related Art
Rapid advances in computing technology have made it possible to perform trillions of computational operations each second on data sets that are sometimes as large as trillions of bytes. These advances can be attributed to the dramatic improvements in semiconductor design and manufacturing technologies, which have made it possible to integrate tens of millions of devices onto a single chip.
As semiconductor design enters the deep submicron era, the computational efficiency and quality of results of RETs is becoming increasingly important. If an RET is computationally inefficient or produces poor quality of results, it can increase the time-to-market and/or decrease yield, which can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue. Hence, it is desirable to improve the computational efficiency and/or the quality of results of RETs.

Resolution enhancement techniques based on holographic imaging technology


A system and method for a device reporting optimization includes a processor and associated memory and a network interface for data communication with a multifunction peripheral. Reporting schedule data is sent from the memory the multifunction peripheral via the network interface. The processor receives a plurality of service file sets from the multifunction peripheral via the network interface in accordance with the scheduled reporting. The processor determines a timing of receipt of each of the service file sets relative to timing specified the reporting schedule data and generates updated reporting schedule data in accordance with a determined timing. The processor then sends the updated reporting schedule data to the multifunction peripheral via the network interface.

Document processing devices include printers, copiers, scanners and e-mail gateways. More recently, devices employing two or more of these functions are found in office environments. These devices are referred to as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) or multifunction devices (MFDs). As used herein, MFPs are understood to comprise printers, alone or in combination with other of the afore-noted functions. It is further understood that any suitable document processing device can be used.
Multifunction peripherals are powerful, complex devices that include a substantial array of mechanical parts under direction and control of an embedded computer, referred to as a controller. MFPs are typically used in a network environment, such as a local area network (LAN) and are shared for use by multiple individuals or employees. As is to be expected, over time MFPs may require servicing or repair. Servicing may include routine maintenance, addition, replacement or removal of document processing features or hardware. Maintenance may also include configuration changes or software changes or updates. Maintenance may require that a technician be dispatched on site.
In modern day office environments, MFPs are frequently supplied by a distributor who provides, under contract, any device maintenance that may be needed. In such a business model, user costs may be associated a device lease and service agreement. In some instances, some or all of a user's cost may be based on monitored device usage, such as copy count or print page count.
For the reasons noted above, it is desirable to have current information as to a MFPs status and usage.

System and method for optimized network device reporting


A method is provided of reducing lockout time of a gas turbine engine which includes: an inlet, a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and an exhaust duct, where the compressor and the turbine are carried on a turbomachinery rotor and each include an array of blades mounted for rotation inside a casing of the engine. The method includes: operating the engine at a first power output; shutting down operation of the engine without substantially reducing the power output beforehand, wherein thermomechanical changes occur in the engine subsequent to shutdown that tend to reduce a radial clearance between at least one of the blades and the casing; and subsequent to shutting down the engine, (1) heating the casing and/or (2) pumping an airflow of ambient air into the inlet and through the casing, past the rotor, and out the exhaust duct, so as to reverse at least partially the thermomechanical changes.

This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines and more particularly to methods for operating such engines during a shutdown period.
A gas turbine engine includes a turbomachinery core having a high pressure compressor, a combustor, and a high pressure or gas generator turbine in serial flow relationship. The core is operable in a known manner to generate a primary gas flow. In a turboshaft engine, another turbine disposed downstream of the core (referred to as a low pressure, "work", or "power" turbine) extracts energy from the primary flow to drive a shaft or other mechanical load. One common use is to couple the gas turbine engine to an external load such as a pump, compressor, or electrical generator.
For efficient operation, the turbomachinery in a gas turbine engine depends on maintaining small but definite radial clearances between the tips of the rotating blades and the stationary annular casing that surrounds them. The casing is generally more "thermally responsive" than the rotor, i.e. it generally expands or contracts at a greater rate than the rotor during a change in engine power output, and the associated temperature change. As a result the blade clearances tend to open or close during changes in engine power output. For this reason, gas turbine engines are generally shut down by gradually reducing the output power level, so that the radial clearances can stabilize.
However, operational reasons can require that the external load be removed and that the engine be shut down immediately, without being able to gradually reduce power. This is referred to as a "hot shutdown". When a hot shutdown occurs, the engine components cool rapidly. In general the casing cools down faster than the rotor, causing the case to compress against the rotor blades and close the airflow clearances in the compressor. Also, once the engine stops rotating natural convection patterns cause the upper portions of the rotor to heat up and expand more than the lower portions. This causes bending or bowing of the rotor that further reduces radial clearances at specific locations. The combined effect of case shrinkage and rotor bowing cause the rotor to become "locked", a condition in which the rotor and casing actually contact each other.
When the engine experiences a hot shutdown, the engine must be restarted or undergo a hot crank within a short time after the shutdown (for example about 10 minutes) in order to prevent the rotor from locking up. If the rotor locks up, the engine cannot be restarted until after the passage of a "lockout period", in order to avoid rotor and casing damage. This period is undesirable for a number of reasons including the cost and physical inconvenience of not having the engine in service.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of operating a gas turbine engine that minimizes or eliminates the lockout period after a hot shutdown.


Disclosed is a source driver integrated circuit with an improved slew rate by disposing a switching unit, which operates as a resistance component during display driving, before the feedback line of an output buffer. According to the source driver integrated circuit with an improved slew rate, a switching unit, which operates as a resistance component when a signal is transferred, is disposed in the feedback loop of an output buffer, so that the resistance component is not shown to a panel load, thereby improving the slew rate of an output signal. In addition, the improved slew rate makes it possible to easily implement an image through a display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a source driver integrated circuit, and more particularly, to a source driver integrated circuit with an improved slew rate wherein a switching unit operating as a resistance component in a procedure of transferring an output signal of an output buffer to a panel load is disposed in a feedback line loop of the output buffer, and thus the slew rate of the output signal can be improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a connection structure of a panel and a conventional source driver IC in a liquid crystal display.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional source driver IC 100 of a liquid crystal display includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) unit 110 configured to convert digital data including an RGB signal into analog data and to output the analog data, an output buffer unit (e.g. amplifier) 120 configured to transfer the output of the DAC unit 110, and a pad unit 130 configured to output analog data which is outputted from the output buffer unit 120.
Meanwhile, the analog data outputted from the output buffer unit 120 passes through the pad unit 130, and then is transferred to a panel 200 via data lines 140.
In this case, digital data including an R signal is inputted through a first data line DL1, is converted into analog data by a first digital-to-analog converter 111, and then passes through a first output buffer 121 and a first pad 131, so that the analog data including the R signal is inputted to a first panel load 210 of the panel 200, and thus the panel 200 is driven with R data.
In the same sequence as described above, G analog data is inputted to a second data line DL2, and B analog data is inputted to a third data line DL3, so that data lines are driven in the RGB sequence.
FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a part of the conventional source driver IC in a liquid crystal display, illustrated in FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the outputs of a first output buffer 121 and a second output buffer 122 in the conventional source driver IC of the liquid crystal display pass through a switching unit 150, and are outputted to a first panel load 210 and a second panel load 220 through data lines DL1 and DL2, respectively.
In a first driving mode, the first digital-to-analog converter 111 outputs and transfers a first polarity voltage having a positive polarity to the first output buffer 121, and a second digital-to-analog converter 112 outputs and transfers a second polarity voltage having a negative polarity to the second output buffer 122.
Subsequently, a 1-1st switch SW1-1 and a 2-1st switch SW2-1 in the switching unit 150 are turned on, while a 1-2nd switch SW1-2, a 2-2nd switch SW2-2, and a charge-sharing switch SW3 are turned off. Accordingly, the output signal of the first output buffer 121 is transferred to the first panel load 210 through the 1-1st switch SW1-1 and the first data line DL1, and the output signal of the second output buffer 122 is transferred to the second panel load 220 through the 2-1st switch SW2-1 and the second data line DL2.
In a first charge-sharing mode, a charge-sharing process is performed to reduce power consumption caused when the polarity is reversed between the data lines DL1 and DL2. In this case, the 1-1st switch SW1-1, the 1-2nd switch SW1-2, the 2-1st switch SW2-1, and the 2-2nd switch SW2-2 are turned off, while the charge-sharing switch SW3 is turned on. Accordingly, the first panel load 210 receiving the output signal of the first output buffer 121 and the second panel load 220 receiving the output signal of the second output buffer 122 share charges, which are accumulated in the respective panel loads 210 and 220, through the charge-sharing switch SW3.
In a second driving mode, the 1-1st switch SW1-1, the 2-1st switch SW2-1, and the charge-sharing switch SW3 in the switching unit 150 are turned off, while the 1-2nd switch SW1-2 and the 2-2nd switch SW2-2 are turned on.
Accordingly, the output signal of the first output buffer 121 is transferred to the second panel load 220 through the 1-2nd switch SW1-2 and the second data line DL2, and the output signal of the second output buffer 122 is transferred to the first panel load 210 through the 2-2nd switch SW2-2 and the first data line DL1.
In a second charge-sharing mode, charges accumulated in the respective panel loads 210 and 220 are again shared. That is to say, the 1-1st switch SW1-1, the 1-2nd switch SW1-2, the 2-1st switch SW2-1, and the 2-2nd switch SW2-2 are turned off, while the charge-sharing switch SW3 is turned on. Accordingly, the first panel load 210 and the second panel load 220 share charges, which are accumulated in the respective panel loads 210 and 220, through the charge-sharing switch SW3.
The source driver IC drives the liquid crystal display while repeating the operations from the first driving mode to the second charge-sharing mode, as described above.
FIG. 3 is a view explaining a problem in the feedback structure of the conventional source driver IC.
Generally, in a source driver IC, the switching unit 150 performing a switching operation for an output signal operates as a resistance component when transferring an output signal from the output buffers 121 and 122 to the panel loads 210 and 220. Therefore, the feedback structure of the source driver IC illustrated in FIG. 3(a) may be simplified and expressed as FIG. 3(b).
Referring to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), it can be understood that, in the feedback structure of the conventional source driver IC, the switching unit 150 operating as a resistance component is disposed outside the feedback line (FL) loop of the output buffers 121 and 122.
Accordingly, the switching unit biased toward the panel load operates as a resistor, so that the slow rate of an output signal transferred to the panel load is reduced. In addition, the reduced slew rate makes it impossible to easily implement an image through the display.

Source driver integrated circuit with improved slew rate


A capacitance type semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor includes a beam-shaped movable electrode displaceable in a predetermined direction in response to application of a dynamic quantity to a support substrate, and beam-shaped fixed electrodes which are fixedly supported on the support substrate and disposed so that the side surface thereof faces a side surface of the movable electrode. The applied dynamic quantity is detected on the basis of variation of electric capacitance between the side surface of the movable electrode and the side surface of the fixed electrodes. Countermeasures are included to prevent sticking between the fixed electrodes and the movable electrode.

A capacitance type semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor is generally equipped with a beam-shaped movable electrode formed from a semiconductor, which is supported so as to be displaceable in a predetermined direction in accordance with an applied dynamic quantity relatively to a support substrate, and a beam-shaped fixed electrode formed from a semiconductor, which is fixedly supported on the support board and also disposed so that the side surface thereof faces the side surface of the movable electrode.
In the capacitance type semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor as described above, when the movable electrode is displaced in response to application of a dynamic quantity, the applied dynamic quantity is detected on the basis of variation in electrostatic capacitance between the side surface of the movable electrode and the side surface of the fixed electrode. Here, the dynamic quantity is acceleration, an angular velocity, pressure or the like.
Such a capacitance type semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor as described above has been proposed in, for example, JP-A-11-326365 hereinafter referred to as "Patent Document 1"). The acceleration sensor has such a comb-shaped structure that plural movable electrodes are disposed in a comb-shaped arrangement and also plural fixed electrodes are disposed in a comb-shaped arrangement so as to be respectively fitted in the gaps between the teeth of the comb-shaped arrangement of the movable electrodes
When a smaller dynamic quantity is required to be detected by the capacitance type semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor as described above, there may be used a method of increasing the length of the beam-shaped movable and fixed electrodes to increase the confronting area between these electrodes, so that the initial capacitance is increased and thus sensitivity is enhanced.
In the case of this method, however, the electrodes are weak in rigidity and sag because the electrode length is increased, so that a phenomenon that the movable and fixed electrodes are brought into contact with each other and become stuck to each other, referred to as sticking, is liable to occur. Such sticking causes operation failure of the sensor, etc., and thus it must be avoided.
There is henceforth increasingly required a sensor that can detect a smaller dynamic quantity with high sensitivity, and thus the movable and fixed electrodes are required to be increased in length.
However, in this case, the movable and fixed electrodes are more liable to sag, and thus sticking is more liable to occur.
Here, when the movable and fixed electrodes are increased in length, it may be simply considered that the rigidity of the electrodes could be enhanced by increasing the width of each of these electrodes. However, the increase in width of both the movable and fixed electrodes causes increase in size of the substrate area constituting the sensor. Therefore, this is not preferable.

Capacitance type semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor


Disclosed herein are a capacitive type touch detection means and a detection method using a new scheme, which detects a touch signal using a difference between voltage magnitudes detected by a touch detector according to whether a touch is generated, when an alternating voltage is applied to a line equivalent capacitor formed between a sensing pad which is detecting a touch signal and a non-sensing pad adjacent to the sensing pad. The touch detection means includes: a sensing pad configured to generate the touch capacitance Ct between a sensing pad and the touch input means; an alternating voltage configured to be applied to a line equivalent capacitor Ceq formed between the sensing pad and a non-sensing pad adjacent to the sensing pad; and a touch detector connected to the sensing pad to detect a difference in voltage generated according to whether the touch is generated by the touch input means.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a means and a method for detecting a capacitive type touch input of a touch input means like a finger of a human body or a touch input means having a conductive property similar thereto, and more particularly, to a capacitive type touch detection means and a detection method for applying an alternating driving voltage to one side of a sensing equivalent capacitor formed between a sensing pad and a non-sensing pad and detecting a difference in voltage generated from a touch detector depending on a touch to acquire a touch signal.
Discussion of the Background
Generally, a touch screen panel is attached on display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED), an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) and is one of the input devices which generate signals corresponding to positions where objects such as a finger and a pen are touched. The touch screen panel has been used in wide applications such as small portable terminals, industrial terminals, digital information devices (DID), etc.
Typically, various types of touch screen panels have been disclosed. However, a resistive type touch screen panel having simple manufacturing process and low manufacturing costs has been most widely used. However, since the resistive type touch screen panel has low transmittivity and is applied with a considerable pressure, the resistive type touch screen panel is inconvenient to use, has a difficulty in implementing a multi touch and a gesture cognition, leads to a detection error, etc.
On the other hand, a capacitive type touch screen panel may have high transmittivity, cognize a soft touch, and implement better multi touch and gesture cognition, and as a result has gradually expanded its market share.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the existing capacitive type touch screen panel. Referring to FIG. 1, transparent conductive layers are formed on upper and lower surfaces of a transparent substrate 2 made of plastic, glass, etc., and voltage applying metal electrodes 4 are formed at four corners of the transparent substrate 2, respectively. The transparent conductive layer is made of transparent metals such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and antimony tin oxide (ATO). Further, the metal electrodes 4 formed at four corners of the transparent conductive layer are formed by being printed with conductive metal having low resistivity such as silver Ag. A resistance network is formed around the metal electrodes 4. The resistance network is formed in a linearization pattern to equally send out a control signal to the whole surface of the transparent conductive layer. Further, an upper portion of the transparent conductive layer including the metal electrode 4 is coated with a passivation layer.
In the capacitive type touch screen panel as described above, a high-frequency alternating voltage is applied to the metal electrode 4 and thus is applied over the whole surface of the transparent substrate 2. In this case, when the transparent conductive layer on an upper surface of the transparent substrate 2 is lightly touched with a finger 8 or a conductive touch input means, a change in current is sensed by a current sensor embedded in a controller 6 while a predetermined amount of current is absorbed into a body and current amounts at each of the four metal electrodes 4 are calculated, thereby cognizing touched points.
However, the capacitive type touch screen panel as illustrated in FIG. 1 is based on a method for detecting a magnitude of micro current. As a result, the capacitive type touch screen panel needs an expensive detection apparatus and therefore a price of the capacitive type touch screen panel goes up as well as the capacitive type touch screen panel is hard to implement a multi touch for cognizing a plurality of touches.
To overcome the above problems, the capacitive type touch screen panel as illustrated in FIG. 2 has been mainly used in recent years. The touch screen panel of FIG. 2 is configured to include a lateral linear touch detection sensor 5a, a longitudinal linear touch detection sensor 5b, and a touch drive IC 7 analyzing a touch signal. The touch screen panel is based on a method for detecting a magnitude of capacitance formed between the linear touch detection sensor 5 and the finger 8 (FIG. 1) and scans the lateral linear touch detection sensor 5a and the longitudinal linear touch detection sensor 5b to detect a signal, thereby cognizing the plurality of touched points.
However, when the touch screen panel as described above is installed on a display device such as an LCD, the touch screen panel is hard to detect the signal due to noise. For example, the LCD uses a common electrode. In some cases, an alternating common voltage Vcom is applied to the common electrode. Further, the common voltage Vcom of the common electrode acts as noise at the time of detecting the touched point.
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which the existing capacitive type touch screen panel is installed on the LCD. A display device 200 has a structure in which a liquid crystal is sealed between a TFT substrate 205 and a color filter 215 disposed thereover to form a liquid crystal layer 210. To seal the liquid crystal, outer portions of the TFT substrate 205 and the color filter 215 are bonded to each other by a sealant 230. Although not illustrated, polarizing plates are attached to upper and lower portions of a liquid crystal panel and back light units (BLUs) are additionally installed thereto.
As illustrated, the touch screen panel is installed on the display device 200. The touch screen panel has a structure in which the linear touch detection sensor 5 is put on the substrate 1. A protection panel 3 for protecting the linear touch detection sensor 5 is attached on the substrate 1. The touch screen panel is bonded to an edge portion of the display device 200 by an adhesive member 9 such as a double adhesive tape (DAT) and forms an air-gap 9a between the adhesive member 9 and the display device 200.
In this configuration, when a touch is generated as illustrated in FIG. 3, a capacitance such as Ct is formed between the finger 8 and the linear touch detection sensor 5. However, as illustrated, a capacitance such as common electrode capacitance Cvcom is formed between the linear touch detection sensor 5 and a common electrode 220 formed on a lower surface of the color filter 215 of the display device 200 and an unknown parasitic capacitance Cp is also applied to the linear touch detection sensor 5 due to a capacitance coupling between patterns, manufacturing process factors, etc. Therefore, a circuit like an equivalent circuit of FIG. 4 is configured.
Here, the existing touch screen panel detects a variation of Ct which is a touch capacitance to cognize a touch and components such as Cvcom and Cp act as noise in detecting the Ct. In particular, the Cp by the capacitance coupling between the patterns is ten times as large as the Ct which is the touch capacitance, and therefore touch sensitivity may be degraded due to the Cp.

Capacitive type touch detection means and detection method


A moving apparatus includes: robot guiding rails extended in a first direction to guide the working robot, and including first and second ends; first rollers included at a vicinity of the first end of the robot guiding rail and having a rotation axis in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; hook arms included at the vicinity of the first end of the robot guiding rail, and including hooks extended in the first direction and facing upwardly; hook latches included at a vicinity of the second end of the robot guiding rail, positioned at a position corresponding to the hook arm, and latched by the hooks of the hook arms at lower sides thereof; and docking guiding rails included at the vicinity of the second end of the robot guiding rail, extended in the first direction, and having an upper surface for guiding the first roller.

A size of a vessel is much larger and more complex than a general structure, such that the vessel goes through a process of manufacturing a lot of members and base materials in the unit of a block, and then assembling them. When a ship block is manufactured, operations, such as welding, painting, and an examination, are performed by using a working robot, and a self-controlling moving apparatus for moving the working robot within the block by using a wire has been developed.
An operation for one block is performed by dividing the one block into a plurality of cells, installing one self-controlling moving apparatus in each cell, and moving and loading the working robot into the self-controlling moving apparatus. In order to move and load the working robot from one moving apparatus into another moving apparatus, first, the moving apparatus needs to be docked through an entrance formed between the cells. A docking means in the related art generally uses an engagement method of a bolt and a nut.
However, in the method of using the bolt and the nut, when a foreign material is caught in a screw portion, the docking may be difficult, and a space occupied by a docking module in the entrance is large, so that a clearance space in which the working robot is movable may be decreased.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Moving apparatus and docking method between moving apparatuses


The present invention provides novel polymers and chemically-amplified positive-acting photoresist compositions that contain such polymers as a resin binder component. Preferred polymers of the invention include one or more structural groups that are capable of reducing the temperature required for effective deprotection of acid-labile moieties of the polymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new polymers and use of such polymers as a resin binder component for photoresist compositions, particularly chemically-amplified positive-acting resists.
2. Background
Photoresists are photosensitive films used for transfer of images to a substrate. A coating layer of a photoresist is formed on a substrate and the photoresist layer is then exposed through a photomask to a source of activating radiation. The photomask has areas that are opaque to activating radiation and other areas that are transparent to activating radiation. Exposure to activating radiation provides a photoinduced chemical transformation of the photoresist coating to thereby transfer the pattern of the photomask to the photoresist coated substrate. Following exposure, the photoresist is developed to provide a relief image that permits selective processing of a substrate.
A photoresist can be either positive-acting or negative-acting. For most negative-acting photoresists, those coating layer portions that are exposed to activating radiation polymerize or crosslink in a reaction between a photoactive compound and polymerizable reagents of the photoresist composition. Consequently, the exposed coating portions are rendered less soluble in a developer solution than unexposed portions. For a positive-acting photoresist, exposed portions are rendered more soluble in a developer solution while areas not exposed remain comparatively less developer soluble.
In general, photoresist compositions comprise at least a resin binder component and a photoactive agent. Photoresist compositions are described in Deforest, Photoresist Materials and Processes, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York, ch. 2, 1975 and by Moreau, Semiconductor Lithography, Principles, Practices and Materials, Plenum Press, New York, ch. 2 and 4, both incorporated herein by reference for their reaching of photoresist compositions and methods of making and using the same.
More recently, xe2x80x9cchemically-amplifiedxe2x80x9d resists have become of increased interest, especially for formation of sub-micron images and other high performance applications. Such photoresists may be negative-acting or positive-acting and generally include many crosslinking events (in the case of a negative-acting resist) or deprotection reactions (in the case of a positive-acting resist) per unit of photogenerated acid. In the case of positive chemically resists, certain cationic photoinitiators have been used to induce cleavage of certain xe2x80x9cblockingxe2x80x9d groups pendant from a photoresist binder, or cleavage of certain groups that comprise a photoresist binder backbone. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,075,199; 4,968,581; 4,883,740; 4,810,613; and 4,491,628, and Canadian Patent Application 2,001,384. Upon cleavage of the blocking group through exposure of a coating layer of such a resist, a base soluble functional group is provided, e.g., carboxylic acid or imide, which results in different solubility characteristics in exposed and unexposed areas of the resist coating layer.
Also recently interest has increased in photoresists that can be photoimaged with short wavelength radiation, including exposure radiation having wavelengths of about 250 nm or less, or even about 200 nm or less, such as wavelengths of about 248 nm and 193 nm. Such photoresists offer the potential of forming images of smaller features than may be possible at longer wavelength exposures.
While currently available photoresists are suitable for many applications, current resists also can exhibit significant shortcomings, particularly in high performance applications such as formation of highly resolved sub-micron and sub-half micron features.
For example, many current chemically-amplified positive resists require use of relatively strong photogenerated acids and/or use of a relatively high temperature post-exposure bake (PEB) treatment to conduct the desired deprotection reaction.
However, in many instances, use of photoacid generators that produce weaker photoacids and use of relatively low PEB temperatures (e.g. 110xc2x0 C. or less) would be a significant advantage. For example, if the desired deprotection chemistry could be carried out with a weaker acid, a wider range of photoacid generators could be potentially employed. Moreover, the industry continually seeks use of lowered post-exposure-bake temperatures because of uniformity considerations.
It thus would be desirable to have new photoresist compositions, particularly positive resist compositions that can be effectively imaged at short wavelengths, particularly sub-200 nm wavelengths such as 193 nm. It would be particularly desirable to have new chemically amplified positive photoresist compositions that employ photoacid generators that produce weaker photoacids and that can be activated with relatively low PEB temperatures.
The present invention provides novel polymers that contain repeating units that include acid-labile moieties that undergo a deprotection or cleavage reaction in the presence of photogenerated acid. The invention also includes photoresist compositions that comprise a photoactive component and a resin binder component that includes such a polymer with acid-labile moieties. Preferred photoresists of the invention are chemically-amplified positive resists that are imaged with deep UV wavelengths, including sub-300 nm and sub-200 nm wavelengths such as 248 nm and 193 nm.
Polymers of the invention include one or more structural groups that preferably are capable of reducing the temperature dependence of deprotection of the polymer""s acid-labile moieties. That is, preferred polymers include moieties that can provide anchimeric assistance with photoacid-induced cleavage of the acid-labile leaving groups of the polymer. Such anchimeric assistance, also known as neighboring group participation, typically involves stabilization of a carbocation intermediate generated during deprotection of the polymer""s acid labile groups.
Preferred polymer moieties that can provide anchimeric assistance in a photoacid-induced cleavage reaction will exhibit a value, A, of anchimeric assistance that is greater than the value, A, of achimeric assistance provided by pendant polymer moieties of xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)Oadamantyl, xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)Onorbornyl, or xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)O cyclohexyl, with the same model compounds used to determine the value A of the preferred polymer moiety of the invention as well as the value A of xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)Oadamantyl, xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)Onorbornyl, or xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)O cyclohexyl. The A of anchimeric assistance is defined to mean herein the value A as measured by the following rate constant ratio:   A  =            k      -              k        0                    k      0
wherein that value A is the measured anchimeric assistance, k and ko are observed rate constants of test and model compounds respectively. The model compound is chosen to be as structurally akin to the test compound as possible. Thus for example, to determine value A for polymer moieties of xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)Oadamantyl, the condensation product of adamanylacrylate could be the test compound and the model compound could be the condensation product of t-butylacrylate and having approximately the same molecular (Mw) and dispersity as the test compound of the adamantylacrylate polymer. Again, that same model compound would then be used to determine the value A for the preferred polymer moiety being considered. For a discussion of such determination of anichimeric assistance values, see N. S. Isaacs, Physical organic chemistry, ch. 13, particularly pages 646-650 thereof(2d edition, 1995, Longman Scientific and Technical, Essex, U.K.), incorporated herein by reference.
More specifically, pendant photoacid-labile groups that contain esters of bridged alicyclic groups will be suitable, particularly acid-labile esters of optionally substituted isobornyl. Other suitable bridged acid-labile esters include e.g. esters of fenchol, pinenol, 3,2,0 bridged-systems and 2,2,1-bridged systems. Esters of optionally substituted heteroatom-containing groups are also preferred, particularly bridged heteroalicyclic groups such as thio and oxo isobornyl and norbornyl derivatives. Also preferred are acid labile groups that are esters of optionally substituted small-ring alicyclic groups, e.g. optionally substituted cycloalkylgroups having 3 or 4 ring carbon atoms such as cyclopropylmethylene and cyclobutyl esters. Optionally substituted alkenyl esters are also preferred, particularly allyl-esters and xe2x80x9chomo-allylxe2x80x9d-esters, such as alkenylesters of the formula xe2x80x94(Cxe2x95x90O)O(CH2)1 or 2xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CH2 and which may be optionally substituted at available positions.
Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that such photoacid-labile esters are capable of stabilizing a carbocation intermediate generated during photoacid-induced deprotection of a polymer""s acid labile groups. For example, isobornyl groups and heteroalicyclics can form a stabilized delocalized carbocation. See Schemes I, II and III below. Small-ring alicyclics and alkenyl esters can form a stabilizing allylic cation during a deprotection reaction. See Scheme IV below.
Preferred polymers of the invention are substantially free of any phenyl or other aromatic groups to provide increased transparency at short exposure wavelengths, particularly sub-200 nm wavelengths such as 193 nm. References herein that a polymer is xe2x80x9csubstantially freexe2x80x9d of phenyl or other aromatic groups mean the polymer has less than about 3 or 4 weight percent aromatic groups, based on total weight of the polymer. Even more preferred are polymers that have less than about 1 or 2 weight percent aromatic groups based on total weight of the polymer, and still more preferred are polymers that are completely free of aromatic groups.
Polymers of the invention may suitably contain units in addition to the above-mentioned acid-labile groups. For example, polymers of the invention may contain units that are essentially unreactive under typical lithographic processing of a photoresist containing the polymer as a resin binder component. Thus, for instance, polymers of the invention include pendant substituted and unsubstituted alicyclic groups such as alicyclic groups having 5 to about 18 carbons, e.g. substituted or unsubstituted isobornyl, norbornyl, 2-methyladamantyl, cyclohexyl, etc.
The invention also provides methods for forming relief images, including methods for forming a highly resolved relief image such as a pattern of lines where each line has essentially vertical sidewalls and a line width of about 400 nm or less, or even about 250 or 200 nm or less. The invention further provides articles of manufacture comprising substrates such as a microelectronic wafer or a liquid crystal display or other flat panel display substrate having coated thereon the photoresists and relief images of the invention. Other aspects of the invention are disclosed infra.
As stated above, polymers of the invention in general comprise repeating units that include acid-labile moieties that undergo a deprotection reaction in the presence of photogenerated acid. The repeating units contain structural groups that are capable of reducing the temperature required for effective deprotection of the acid-labile moieties.
More particularly, preferred polymers comprise esters of bridged alicyclic groups that can stabilize a carbocation intermediate generated during a deprotection reaction. Isobornyl methacrylate units are particularly preferred. Without wishing to be bound by theory, such isobornyl units are believed to form an intermediate during the deprotection, reaction that includes a delocalized carbocation as exemplified in the following Scheme I:
Esters of heteroatom-containing alicyclic groups are also preferred, particularly bridged heteroalicyclic groups as exemplified by the thionorbornyl and oxonorbornyl derivatives depicted in the following Schemes II and III. Again, without wishing to be bound by theory, thio derivatives as exemplified in Scheme II are believed to be capable of forming a stabilized sulfonium ion derivative, and oxo derivatives as exemplified in Scheme III are believed to be capable of forming a stabilized oxonium ion intermediate. It also should be appreciated that geometric relationships can be essential, e.g. the thionorbornyl group should be in the endo form shown in Scheme II to facilitate the photoacid-induced cleavage reaction.
Also preferred are esters of small-ring alicyclic groups, particularly cycloalkyl having 3 or 4 ring carbon atoms such as cyclopropylmethylene and cyclobutyl esters. Alkenyl esters are also preferred. Such alicyclic and alkenyl groups are exemplified by the groups shown in the following Scheme IV:
Again without being bound by theory, it is believed the groups shown in Scheme IV above form a single stabilized allylic cation intermediate upon reaction of the acid labile group with photogenerated acid, thereby lowering the energy required to effect the deprotection reaction and enhancing the reaction rate. In Scheme IV above, the depicted R1, R2 and R3 groups suitably may be e.g. independently hydrogen; optionally substituted alkyl such as C1-6 alkyl, more preferably C1-3 alkyl, particularly methyl or ethyl; and the like; and x may be 0 or 1.
As mentioned, polymers of the invention may suitably contain other units in addition to the above-discussed acid labile esters. For instance, polymers of the invention may contain units that are essentially unreactive under typical lithographic processing of a photoresist containing the polymer as a resin binder component. Thus, for instance, polymers of the invention may suitably include pendant substituted and unsubstituted alicyclic groups such as alicyclic groups having 5 to about 18 carbons, e.g. substituted or unsubstituted isobornyl, norbornyl, 2-methyladamantyl, cyclohexyl, etc. As discussed above, for polymers used in photoresists imaged with short wavelength radiation (e.g. less than about 200 nm such as 193 nm), aromatic groups are less preferred because they decrease transparency of a resist. Polymers of the invention also may include units of other pendant groups such as pendant nitrile groups. The polymers of the invention also may comprise other acid labile groups such as alkyl esters e.g. t-butyl oxycarbonyl groups or cyclohexylcarbonyl groups, or acetate-type acid labile groups as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,257 to Sinta et al.
More specifically, suitable copolymers of the invention include those of the following formula I:
wherein
L is a stabilizing portion of a photoacid-labile group as discussed above such as optionally substituted isobornyl, fenchyl, pinenyl, 3,2,0 bridged-system, 2,2,1-bridged system, heteroalicyclic (e.g. having 1 to 3 ring members and 1 to 3 ring members such as the groups exemplified in Schemes II and III above), small ring alicyclic or alkenyl (such as xe2x80x94(CH2)1 or 2xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CH2);
X is nitrile; optionally substituted alicyclic typically having 3 to about 8 carbons such as isobornyl, norbornyl, adamantyl, cyclohexyl or cyclohexanone; optionally substituted heteroalicyclic such as tetrahydropyranyl, tetrahydrofuranyl and the like; optionally substituted alkyl, typically having from 1 to about 10 carbons; etc.
R is optionally substituted alkyl, preferably having from 1 to about 20 carbons, more preferably 1 to about 15 carbons; optionally substituted alkenyl, preferably having from 2 to about 20 carbons, more preferably having from 2 to about 15 carbons; optionally substituted alkynyl, preferably having from 2 to about 20 carbons, more preferably having from 2 to about 15 carbons; optionally substituted alkanoyl, preferably having from 1 to about 20 carbons, more preferably having from 1 to about 8 carbons; or optionally substituted heterocyclic having 1 to 3 ring members and 1 to about 3 hetero atoms such as tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydropyranyl, piperidinyl or pyrrolindinyl; and the like;
Z is a bridge group between polymer units, e.g. alkylene preferably having 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, more typically 1 to about 3 carbons and optionally substituted by alkyl having 1 to about 3 carbons, halogen, etc.; and
a, b and c are the mole fractions or percents of the respective polymer units. Generally, a is in a range of from 1 to 100 percent, and b and c each independently vary from 0 to about 99 percent. Typically, a copolymer of the invention will contain at least about 2 to 3 mole percent of units with an L group, more typically at least 5 mole percent of such units.
Preferred polymers of Formula I include those where the only polymer units correspond to the general structures depicted in the Formula, where the sum of a, b and c is about 100 percent. However, preferred copolymers also may comprise additional units wherein the sum of such mole fractions would be less than one hundred.
The above-mentioned optionally substituted groups (including substituted groups L, R, Z, R1, R2 and R3 moieties) may be substituted at one or more available positions by one or more suitable groups such as halogen (particularly F, Cl or Br); C1-12 alkyl; C1-12 alkoxy; C2-12 alkenyl; C2-12 alkynyl; aryl such as phenyl; alkanoyl, e.g. a C1-12 alkanoyl such as acyl; nitro; cyano; and the like. Typically a substituted moiety is substituted at one, two or three available positions.
In the above formula, Z groups suitably will be substituted or unsubstituted alkylene preferably having 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, more typically 1 to about 6 carbons, or more preferably 1 to about 3 carbons and optionally substituted by alkyl having 1 to about 3 carbons, or Z is a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl or alkynyl, preferably having 2 to about 10 carbons and optionally substituted by alkyl having 1 to about 3 carbons. Preferred Z groups include ethylene optionally substituted by C1-3 alkyl such as methyl.
In the formula, it will be understood that alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl each may be cyclic or straight or branched non-cyclic chains, unless otherwise specified. Exemplary cyclic groups include cyclohexyl, isobornyl, norbornyl, adamantyl and the like. Suitable heterocyclic L groups of formula I include isobornyl, norbornyl, adamantyl and the like that contain a N, O or S atom, particularly O or S atom, as a ring member such as thionorbornyl and oxonorbornyl depicted in Schemes II and III above. In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, polymers of the invention include those that comprise acid-labile groups (including, L with reference to formula I defined above) that contain essentially any alicyclic group, generally having from 5 to about 20 carbons, but with the exclusion of adamantyl, norbornyl, cyclohexyl and/or a tricyclic [126.96.36.199] decane skelton.
Polymers of the invention can be prepared by a variety of methods. One suitable method is free radical polymerization, e.g., by reaction of a plurality of monomers to provide the various units as discussed above in the presence of a radical initiator under an inert atmosphere (e.g., N2 or argon) and at elevated temperatures such as about 50xc2x0 C. or greater, although reaction temperatures may vary depending on the reactivity of the particular reagents employed and the boiling point of the reaction solvent (if a solvent is employed). For example, for synthesis of an isobornyl ester polymer, isobornyl methacrylate or isobornyl acrylate can be polymerized under free radical conditions, e.g. in refluxing isopropanol in the presence of a free radical initiator such as 2,2xe2x80x2-azobisisobutyronitrile. For synthesis of a polymer containing esters of a 2,2,1-bridged system, suitable monomers for polymerization include (1-oxybicyclo 2,2,1 heptanyl)-4-methacrylate and (7-thiabicyclo 2,2,1 heptanyl) 2-methacrylate. Additional monomers (such as monomers containing alicyclic groups, monomers that contain nitrile groups or monomers containing other acid labile groups such as t-butyl or other alkyl acrylate units) can be copolymerized to provide the desired polymer. Such other monomers include e.g. optionally substituted vinyladamantane, vinylisobornyl, vinylnorbornyl, isobornylmethacrylates, adamantylmethacrylates, oxocyclohexyl methacrylate, methacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile, t-butyl acrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid, itaconic anhydride, etc.
Suitable reaction temperatures to conduct a free radical polymerization for any particular system can be readily determined empirically by those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. A reaction solvent may be employed if desired. Suitable solvents include ketones such as acetone, alcohols such as propanols and butanols, aromatic solvents such as benzene, chlorobenzene, toluene and xylene, and ethers such as tetrahydrofuran. Dimethylsulfoxide and dimethylformamide are also suitable. The polymerization reaction also may be run neat. A variety of free radical initiators may be employed to prepare the polymers of the invention. For example, azo compounds may be employed such as 2,2xe2x80x2-azobis-2,4-dimethyl-pentanenitrile, 2,2xe2x80x2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and 1,1xe2x80x2-azobis(cyclohexanecarbonitrile). Peroxides, peresters, peracids and persulfates also can be employed. See the examples which follow for exemplary conditions.
Preferably a polymer of the invention will have a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 1,000 to about 100,000, more preferably about 2,000 to about 30,000 with a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) of about 3 or less, more preferably a molecular weight distribution of about 2 or less. Molecular weights (either Mw or Mn) of the polymers of the invention are suitably determined by gel permeation chromatography.
As discussed above, polymers of the invention are highly useful as the resin binder component in chemically-amplified positive resists. Photoresists of the invention in general comprise a photoactive component and a resin binder component that contains the above-described polymer.
The resin binder component should be used in an amount sufficient to render a coating layer of the resist developable with an aqueous alkaline developer.
The resist compositions of the invention also comprise a photoacid generator (i.e. xe2x80x9cPAGxe2x80x9d) that is suitably employed in an amount sufficient to generate a latent image in a coating layer of the resist upon exposure to activating radiation. Generally, sulfonate compounds are preferred PAGs, particularly sulfonate salts. Two specifically preferred agents are the following PAGS 1 and 2:
Such sulfonate compounds can be prepared as disclosed in European Patent Application 96118111.2 (publication number 0783136). Briefly, PAG 1 can be prepared by reaction of a mixture of potassium iodate, t-butylbenzene and acetic anhydride with sulfuric acid added dropwise to the mixture with ice-bath cooling. The reaction mixture is then stirred at room temperature for approximately 22 hours, water added with cooling to about 5-10xc2x0 C. and then washing with hexane. The aqueous solution of diaryliodium hydrogensulfate is then cooled to 5-10xc2x0 C. and then (+/xe2x88x92)-10-camphorsulfonic acid added followed by neutralization with ammonium hydroxide. Sulfonate PAG 2 above can be prepared by those same procedures, except approximately molar equivalents of t-butyl benzene and benzene would be reacted together in the first step with acetic anhydride and KIO3.
Also preferred are the above two iodonium compounds complexed with other counter anions than the above-depicted camphorsulfonate groups. In particular, preferred counter anions include those of the formula RSO3 where R is adamantane, alkyl (e.g. C1-12 alkyl) and perfluoroalkyl such as perfluoro (C1-12alkyl), particularly perfluoro counter anions of perfluorooctanesulfonate, perfluorononylsulfonate and the like.
Other suitable sulfonate PAGS including sulfonated esters and sulfonyloxy ketones. See J. of Photopolymer Science and Technology, 4(3):337-340 (1991), for disclosure of suitable sulfonate PAGS, including benzoin tosylate, t-butylphenyl alpha-(p-toluenesulfonyloxy)-acetate and t-butyl alpha-(p-toluenesulfonyloxy)-acetate. Preferred sulfonate PAGs are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,742 to Sinta et al.
Further preferred PAGS include imidosulfonates such as compounds of the following formula:
wherein each R1 and R1xe2x80x2 are each independently hydrogen or C1-12 alkyl, more preferably hydrogen or methyl; and R is as defined above, i.e. camphor, adamantane, alkyl (e.g. C1-12alkyl) and perfluoroalkyl such as perfluoro(C1-12alkyl), particularly perfluoro counter anions of perfluorooctanesulfonate, perfluorononylsulfonate and the like.
Triphenylsulfonium salts are also preferred PAGS for use in the photoresists of the invention, including compounds of the following formula:
wherein each R1 is independently hydrogen or C1-12alkyl; each m is independently an integer of from 0 to 5, and preferably each m is 0, 1 or 2; and R is as defined above, i.e. camphor, adamantane, alkyl (e.g. C1-12alkyl) and perfluoroalkyl such as perfluoro(C1-12alkyl), particularly perfluoro counter anions of perfluorooctanesulfonate, perfluorononylsulfonate and the like.
Other known PAGS also may be employed in the resists of the invention.
A preferred optional additive is an added base, particularly tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH), or a lactate salt of TBAH, which can enhance resolution of a developed resist relief image. The added base is suitably used in relatively small amounts, e.g. about 0.01 to 5 percent by weight relative to the photoactive component (PAG).
Photoresists of the invention also may contain other optional materials such as anti-striation agents, plasticizers, speed enhancers, etc. Such optional additives typically will be present in minor concentration in a photoresist composition except for fillers and dyes which may be present in relatively large concentrations such as, e.g., in amounts of from about 5 to 30 percent by weight of the total weight of a resist""s dry components.
The compositions of the invention can be readily prepared by those skilled in the art. For example, a photoresist composition of the invention can be prepared by dissolving the components of the photoresist in a suitable solvent such as, for example, ethyl lactate, a glycol ether such as 2-methoxyethyl ether (diglyme), ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether; and 3-ethoxy ethyl propionate. Typically, the solids content of the composition varies between about 5 and 35 percent by weight of the total weight of the photoresist composition. The resin binder and PAG components should be present in amounts sufficient to provide a film coating layer and formation of good quality latent and relief images. See the examples which follow for exemplary preferred amounts of resist components.
The compositions of the invention are used in accordance with generally known procedures. The liquid coating compositions of the invention are applied to a substrate such as by spinning, dipping, roller coating or other conventional coating technique. When spin coating, the solids content of the coating solution can be adjusted to provide a desired film thickness based upon the specific spinning equipment utilized, the viscosity of the solution, the speed of the spinner and the amount of time allowed for spinning.
The resist compositions of the invention are suitably applied to substrates conventionally used in processes involving coating with photoresists. For example, the composition may be applied over silicon or silicon dioxide wafers for the production of microprocessors and other integrated circuit components. Aluminum-aluminum oxide, gallium arsenide, ceramic, quartz or copper substrates also may be employed. Substrates used for liquid crystal display and other flat panel display applications are also suitably employed, e.g. glass substrates, indium tin oxide coated substrates and the like.
Following coating of the photoresist onto a surface, it is dried by heating to remove the solvent until preferably the photoresist coating is tack free. Thereafter, it is imaged through a mask in conventional manner. The exposure is sufficient to effectively activate the photoactive component of the photoresist system to produce a patterned image in the resist coating layer and, more specifically, the exposure energy typically ranges from about 1 to 300 mJ/cm2, dependent upon the exposure tool and the components of the photoresist composition.
Coating layers of the resist compositions of the invention are preferably photoactivated by an exposure wavelength in the deep U.V. range i.e., 350 nm or less, more typically in the range of about 300 nm or less, typically about 150 to 300 or 450 nm. A particularly preferred exposure wavelength is about 248 nm. As discussed above, polymers of the invention also will be useful for resists imaged at wavelengths less than about 200 nm, such as 193 nm.
Following exposure, the film layer of the composition is preferably baked at temperatures ranging from about 70xc2x0 C. to about 160xc2x0 C. Thereafter, the film is developed. The exposed resist film is rendered positive working by employing a polar developer, preferably an aqueous based developer such as an inorganic alkali exemplified by sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium silicate, sodium metasilicate, quaternary ammonium hydroxide solutions such as a tetra-alkyl ammonium hydroxide solution; various amine solutions such as ethyl amine, n-propyl amine, diethyl amine, di-n-propyl amine, triethyl amine, or methyldiethyl amine; alcohol amines such as diethanol amine or triethanol amine; cyclic amines such as pyrrole, pyridine, etc. In general, development is in accordance with art recognized procedures.
Following development of the photoresist coating over the substrate, the developed substrate may be selectively processed on those areas bared of resist, for example by chemically etching or plating substrate areas bared of resist in accordance with procedures known in the art. For the manufacture of microelectronic substrates, e.g., the manufacture of silicon dioxide wafers, suitable etchants include a gas etchant, e.g. a chlorine or fluorine-based etchant such a CF4 or CF4/CHF3 etchant applied as a plasma stream. After such processing, resist may be removed from the processed substrate using known stripping procedures.


According to one representative embodiment, a method of treating aortic insufficiency comprises delivering a support structure to a position around the leaflets of a native heart valve. An expandable prosthetic heart valve can be advanced into the native heart valve and into the interior of the annular body. The prosthetic heart valve can be expanded into contact with the leaflets of the native valve, thereby causing the leaflets of the native valve to be frictionally secured between an inner surface of the annular body and an outer surface of the prosthetic heart valve. A delivery apparatus for delivering the support structure can include a first shaft that is allowed to move in a proximal direction relative to a second shaft, when the second shaft foreshortens as a result of an adjustment mechanism being actuated to increase the curvature of the second shaft.

Prosthetic heart valves have been used for many years to treat cardiac valvular disorders. The native heart valves (such as the aortic, pulmonary, and mitral valves) serve critical functions in assuring the forward flow of an adequate supply of blood through the cardiovascular system. These heart valves can be rendered less effective by congenital, inflammatory, or infectious conditions. Such conditions can eventually lead to serious cardiovascular compromise or death. For many years the definitive treatment for such disorders was the surgical repair or replacement of the valve during open heart surgery, but such surgeries are dangerous and prone to complication.
More recently a transvascular technique has been developed for introducing and implanting a prosthetic heart valve using a flexible catheter in a manner that is less invasive than open heart surgery. In this technique, a prosthetic valve is mounted in a crimped state on the end portion of a flexible catheter and advanced through a blood vessel of the patient until the valve reaches the implantation site. The valve at the catheter tip is then expanded to its functional size at the site of the defective native valve, such as by inflating a balloon on which the valve is mounted. Alternatively, the valve can have a resilient, self-expanding stent or frame that expands the valve to its functional size when it is advanced from a delivery sheath at the distal end of the catheter.
Balloon-expandable valves are commonly used for treating heart valve stenosis, a condition in which the leaflets of a valve (e.g., an aortic valve) become hardened with calcium. The hardened leaflets provide a good support structure on which the valve can be anchored within the valve annulus. Further, the catheter balloon can apply sufficient expanding force to anchor the frame of the prosthetic valve to the surrounding calcified tissue. There are several heart conditions, however, that do not involve hardened valve leaflets but which are still desirably treated by valve replacement. For example, aortic insufficiency (or aortic regurgitation) occurs when an aortic valve does not close properly, allowing blood to flow back into the left ventricle. One cause for aortic insufficiency is a dilated aortic annulus, which prevents the aortic valve from closing tightly. In such cases, the leaflets are usually too soft to provide sufficient support for a balloon-expandable prosthetic valve. Additionally, the diameter of the aortic annulus may continue to change over time, making it dangerous to install a prosthetic valve that is not reliably secured in the valve annulus. Mitral insufficiency (or mitral regurgitation) involves these same issues, but affects the mitral valve.
Self-expanding prosthetic valves are sometimes used for replacing defective native valves with non-calcified leaflets. Self-expanding prosthetic valves, however, suffer from a number of significant drawbacks. For example, once a self-expanding prosthetic valve is placed within the patient's defective heart valve (e.g., the aorta or mitral valve), it continues to exert an outward force on the valve annulus. This continuous, outward pressure can cause the valve annulus to dilate further, exacerbating the condition that the prosthetic valve was intended to treat. Additionally, when implanting a self-expanding valve, the outward biasing force of the valve's frame tends to cause the valve to be ejected very quickly from the distal end of a delivery sheath, making delivery of the valve very difficult and potentially dangerous to the patient.
The size of the prosthetic valve to be implanted into a patient can also be problematic when treating aortic or mitral insufficiency. Specifically, the size of a prosthetic valve used to treat aortic or mitral insufficiency is typically larger than a prosthetic valve used to treat aortic or mitral stenosis. This larger valve size makes the delivery procedure much more difficult and dangerous to the patient.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved methods, systems, and apparatus for delivering expandable prosthetic heart valves (e.g., balloon-expandable prosthetic valves). Embodiments of the methods, systems, and apparatus desirably can be used to replace native heart valves that do not have calcified leaflets (e.g., aortic valves suffering from aortic insufficiency). Furthermore, embodiments of the methods, systems, and apparatus desirably enable precise and controlled delivery of the prosthetic valves.

Retaining mechanisms for prosthetic heart valves


A trailer stand positionable by a shunt truck is disclosed. The trailer stand includes a leg assembly having a front pair of legs and a back pair of legs, the front pair of legs connected by a front cross support and the back pair of legs connected by a back cross support, a wheel assembly having a wheel assembly frame that has a first end and a second end, the first end connected to the back pair of legs, the second end retaining an axle, the axle rotatably retaining at least two wheels, a stepped assembly having a front end, a back end, a top, and a bottom, the front end connected to the front cross support, the back end connected to the back cross support, the top of the stepped assembly providing a plurality of landing areas for an end of the semi-trailer, and a lifting frame.

When a freight semi-trailer is set down on its landing gear, the semi-trailer is freestanding, i.e., without a mechanical connection between the kingpin of the trailer and the shunt truck. Associated pneumatic and electrical connections between the truck and trailer are disconnected so that the brakes of the freight trailer are locked. The trailer is left adjacent to the dock opening, supported at the front end using only the trailer's landing gear.
When docked, semi-trailers require stabilization especially as they are being loaded and unloaded. For semi-trailers that will be loaded or unloaded with a very heavy load or using a forklift, a trailer stand is required to distribute load in case of collapse of the trailer's landing gear. When loading and unloading cargo from a freestanding freight trailer, the movement of the forklifts and loads along the floor of the semi-trailer causes the semi-trailer to move as well. Significant movement can result in the trailer separating from the dock or possibly tipping over. The landing gear of the freight trailer is not designed to accommodate the weight of a fully loaded trailer, let alone the dynamic forces generated by a forklift moving through a partially loaded trailer. The high center of gravity associated with most trailers makes the likelihood of tipping over a real possibility. Tipping of the trailer can result in damage to any goods within the trailer, the trailer itself, and the forklift, as well as injury to, or death of, the operator.
Some current trailer stands provide a stabilizing device having a pneumatic jack that is operable and positionable through the hydraulic system of the shunt truck. This type of device requires the operator to hook up, make positioning adjustments, and disconnect the device, while on the bed of the shunt truck. This leaves the operator in a vulnerable position between the cab of the shunt truck and the semi-trailer.
There is a need for an easy-to-use, reliable trailer stand support that inhibits a trailer from tipping over which does not require direct operator interaction to engage the stand with, or disengage the stand from, the trailer.


Some embodiments provide a method for proxying ARP requests. At an MFE that executes on a host computer operating at a first site to implement a distributed router along with at least one additional MFE at the first site, the method receives, from a router at a remote second site, an ARP request for an IP address associated with a logical switch that spans the first site and the remote second site, and to which both the distributed router and the router at the remote second site connect. The method determines whether a table that includes IP addresses for a set of DCNs that use the distributed router as a default gateway includes the IP address. When the IP address is in the table, the method proxies the request at the host computer. When the particular IP address is not in the table, the MFE does not proxy the request.

Today, multiple sites (e.g., datacenters, virtual networks, physical networks) can be connected through virtual private networks (VPNs). Virtual machines (VMs) at these sites can be migrated between the sites (e.g., from a remote site to a local site) and communicate on stretched segments (e.g., logical switches). In order to ensure Internet Protocol (IP) traffic is properly routed to the appropriate VMs as the VMs migrate from site to site without re-configuring the migrating VMs, the default gateway IP address for the VMs should remain the same before and after the migration. To do so, the default gateways (e.g., routers, distributed logical routers, etc.) must each use the same IP address. A network management system at each of the sites can configure the VMs to use one of the gateways as a default gateway. Since the VMs are connected through a VPN that is reachable by each of the default gateways, the learnt gateway MAC will oscillate between the different MACs of each of the default gateways. This oscillation, in turn, will interrupt traffic, and thus may result in traffic failures.


A semiconductor device is provided with an electrically conductive gate having an enhanced gate profile. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate that extends along a first axis to define a length and a second axis opposite the first axis to define a height. A channel region is interposed between opposing source/drain regions, and a gate stack is atop the semiconductor substrate. The gate stack includes an electrically conductive gate atop the channel region. The electrically conductive gate includes sidewalls extending between a base and an upper surface to define a gate height. A gate length of the electrically conductive gate continuously increases as the gate height increases from the base to the upper surface.

The present invention relates in general to semiconductor device fabrication methods and resulting structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to optimized gate stack fabrication methods and resulting structures for field effect transistors (FETs).
Semiconductor devices include a gate stack formed atop the channel region of the device. Either a gate-first or gate-last fabrication technique is performed to form the gate stack. A gate-last technique, also referred to as a replacement metal gate (RMG) process, includes first forming a sacrificial gate (i.e., dummy gate) atop the channel region, and then, as one of the final fabrication processes, replacing the dummy gate with a metal gate forming a pair of spacers on sidewalls of the sacrificial gate.

Semiconductor device including optimized gate stack profile

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A medical sling made from material that is suitably shaped for use in a medical application has sides, portions of which are smoothed to prevent abrasion of surrounding tissue.

Surgical prosthetic mesh has been used to treat or reinforce tissues or organs which have been damaged, prolapsed, weakened, or otherwise herniated, such as in the conditions rectocele, cystocele, enterocele, vaginal prolapse, and protocele, for example. A prolapse refers to the slipping down of an organ or organ part from its normal position. For example, a prolapse of the rectum refers to the protrusion of the inner surface of the rectum through the anus. Rectocele is the prolapse of the rectum into the perineum. A prolapse of the uterus refers to the falling of the uterus into the vagina due to stretching and laxity of its supporting structures. Vaginal vault prolapse refers to the prolapse of the cephalad extreme of the vaginal canal toward, through, and beyond the introitus. Cystocele (i.e., vesicocele) is a hernia formed by the downward and backward displacement of the urinary bladder toward the vaginal orifice, due most commonly to weakening of the musculature during childbirth. However, any abnormal descent of the anterior vaginal wall and bladder base at rest or with strain is considered cystocele. Enterocele is a hernia of the intestine, though the term is also used to refer specifically to herniation of the pelvic peritoneum through the rectouterine pouch (i.e., posterior vaginal, rectovaginal, cul-de-sac, or Douglas' pouch hernia).
Surgical mesh may also be used to suspend tissues or retract body organs temporarily, e.g., during surgery. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,300 describes the use of a cardiac sling for supporting the heart during surgery; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,294 describes the retraction of body organs such as the uterus or bowel during laparoscopic surgery; U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,921 describes the use of a medical anastomosis sling for the use in repair or regeneration of nerves.
Synthetic mesh materials utilized as slings for the treatment or reinforcement of patient tissues for these and many other conditions can cause patient complications such as erosion, due at least in part to the sharp tangs on the edges of the mesh, which are formed during the manufacturing process or afterward (for example, when a physician cuts or shears or otherwise shapes the material). These tangs can cause an irritative effect which can lead to an erosion when they contact surrounding tissue. Thus, a need exists for a sling which minimizes irritation and erosion of the tissue surrounding the tissue which it supports.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), which primarily affects women, is a condition which is successfully treated using surgical slings. Stress urinary incontinence is generally caused by two conditions that may occur independently or in combination, namely, intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) and hypermobility. In ISD, the urinary sphincter valve, located within the urethra, fails to close properly (coapt), causing urine to leak out of the urethra during stressful actions. Hypermobility is a condition in which the pelvic floor is distended, weakened or damaged, causing the bladder neck and proximal urethra to rotate and descend in response to increases in intra-abdominal pressure (e.g., due to sneezing, coughing, straining, etc.), resulting in insufficient response time to promote urethral closure and, consequently, in urine leakage and/or flow.
Biological factors that can affect hypermobility include: poor endopelvic fascia muscle tone (from age or limited activity), endopelvic fascia muscle stretch/tear from trauma (e.g. childbirth), endopelvic fascia/arcus tendenious (muscle/ligament) separation (lateral defect), hormone deficiency (estrogen), concombinant defects (cystocele, enterocele, ureteral prolapse), and vaginal prolapse. Traditional treatment methods include bladder neck stabilization slings in which a sling is placed under the urethra or bladder neck to provide a platform preventing over distention. An emerging alternative treatment is the placement of a mid-urethral sling. Such a sling placement takes advantage of the hypermobillty condition by providing a fulcrum about which the urethra and bladder neck will rotate and provide a "urethral kink" to assist normal urethral closure.
Slings are traditionally placed under the bladder neck to provide a urethral platform limiting endopelvic fascia drop while providing compression to the urethral sphincter to improve coaptation. The mid-urethral placement location provides mechanical stability to a less moveable anatomical structure. Bladder neck slings have traditionally been affixed in the desired location using a bone anchoring method. Mid-urethral slings, being placed in a low mobility area, have demonstrated the effectiveness of an anchorless approach. Recognizing that minimal tension, if any, is necessary, a physician need only place the sling under the mid-urethra secured through the endopelvic fascia to permanently secure the sling in position. The sling permits immediate tissue security through the mesh openings and mesh tangs to initially maintain sling stabilization. As healing occurs, the endopelvic fascia and rectus fascia tissue re-establish vascularity and regrow into and around the knit pattern of the mesh. The sling in this procedure provides a fulcrum about which the pelvic floor will drop (taking advantage of the hypermobility condition of the patient) and a urethral "kink" or higher resistance to obstruct urine flow during high stress conditions.
Thus, while tangs can contribute beneficially to SUI treatment, they can also cause patient complications such as erosion of the vagina or urethra.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An image synthesizer of an image editing apparatus not only stores image data of two or more source images and includes a display device for displaying an image according to received image data, but also is provided with an address generator which, controlled by a data processor, transmits address signals sequentially to have a synthesized image of these source images displayed such that the individual source images appear superposed and transparent to each other. Each pixel of the display device displays only one of the source images and area densities of pixels displaying each of the source images very over the two-dimensional screen of the display device. When one of the source images is superposed on top of another, a pattern is stored in a pattern memory such that pixels displaying one of the images are scattered into the area of the other image according to the pattern such that the boundary between source images can be made controllably less conspicuous.

This invention relates to an image synthesizer and more particularly to an image synthesizer of an image editing apparatus for editing, creating and displaying a new pictorial image by processing two or more sets of image data.
When an image editor of this type is used to synthesize a new image from two or more original source images, the conventional procedure has been to operate its keyboard, while watching the superposedmutually transparent display of these source images, to adjust the two-dimensional positional relationships among them. In connection with such a procedure, one method of superposingly synthesizing two mutually transparent images A and B, for example, is to read out pixel values of these images A and B respectively stored in different image memories M.sub.a and M.sub.b by means of a data processor to calculate their average values and to display such average values calculated individually for each pixel. Another method is to read out pixel values, for example, of the image A stored in a display memory M.sub.v and those of the image B stored in an image memory M.sub.b by a data processor to calculate their average values and to display such average values after rewriting the display memory M.sub.v by these calculated average values.
With either of these exemplary methods, data processing becomes extremely time-consuming because averages of two or more sets of image data must be calculated for all pixels in the superposed area. In the case of a composite image requiring no transparency in superposition, the averaging process is carried out only for pixels in boundary areas between different images to make the boundary lines less conspicuous but the amount of calculations to be carried out is still significantly large. By the second of the two methods described above, furthermore, there is the disadvantage of losing one of the source images because its image data stored in the display memory is replaced by the newly calculated average values. In order to make this image restorable, its data must be temporarily saved and this means that an increased memory capacity is required.