An electric discharge detection circuit includes an x-ray tube, a power supply that applies a high voltage to the x-ray tube, a tube voltage that detects the voltage applied to the x-ray tube, a differentiation circuit that differentiates a signal output from the tube voltage detector, a zero-crossing comparator that discriminates the polarity of an output signal from the differentiation circuit; a re-triggerable one-shot pulse generating circuit that generates one-shot pulses at a regular period, using the pulse output from zero-crossing comparator as the trigger, a counter that is input with the one-shot pulse output and counts the pulses to output from the zero-crossing comparator while operation is enabled period, an x-ray cut-off circuit that terminates the generation of high voltage when it receives the carry output and a display that displays the occurrence of an electric discharge phenomenon upon receipt of the carry output.

The present invention relates to an electric discharge detection circuit used in fluorescence x-ray analyzers.
An x-ray tube voltage applied to an x-ray tube can be monitored by resistance division of the output from a high voltage power supply used for an x-ray tube with a high resistance and a high withstand voltage. Whether there is an electric discharge phenomenon or not is determined by the detecting the electric voltage in proportion to the tube voltage obtained through the aforementioned method, i.e. a sharp drop in the monitored level of the X-ray tube voltage.
A filter circuit is typically used for eliminating high frequency noise originating from the x-rays. A sharp drop in the monitored tube voltage output level, which is input to the differentiation circuit through the filter circuit, is detected by comparing the voltage level outputted from this differentiation circuit with a specified reference voltage level by means of a comparator. However, the degree to which the monitored level of tube voltage drops is not stable, making it difficult to set constant values for the differentiation circuit and the reference voltage.
For example, when the constant used for differentiation is set to be small or the reference voltage is set too high, electric discharge phenomenon may not be detected if the extent to which the monitored tube voltage output level has dropped is relatively moderate. If the analyzer is used continuously for a long period of time without detecting any electric discharge, overload current that flows into high voltage circuits may damage various high voltage parts and units, including the connectors and the power supply. Moreover, the high frequency current that flows inside the device while the electric discharge taking place may have a detrimental effect on the workings of electronic circuits and may also damage the electronic parts.
On the other hand, when the constant used for differentiation is set to be large or the reference voltage is set at a low level, insignificant fluctuations in tube voltage that actually have no relation to electric discharge may be erroneously detected as an electric discharge phenomena. Furthermore, a variety of electrical and electronic parts are assembled in the fluorescence x-ray analyzer. If an output such as a surge caused by these internal parts is superimposed on the tube voltage monitor, the filter circuit located in front of the differentiation circuit may not be able to eliminate it, and as a result, the analyzer may misjudge it to be a cause of electric discharge phenomenon. If the analyzer responds hypersensitively to the changes in the monitored tube voltage output level, the safety circuit will be activated frequently and may stop the analyzer whenever x-rays are generated, thus reducing its measurement throughput capacity.
Thus, advantages of the following embodiments include preventing malfunctions caused by noise, and furthermore, providing a highly reliable electric discharge detection circuit for an x-ray analyzer.
To solve the problems described above, the present invention provides an electric discharge detection circuit, comprising: an x-ray tube; a power supply to generate a high voltage applied to the x-ray tube; an x-ray tube voltage detector to detect the high voltage applied to the x-ray tube; a differentiation circuit to differentiate the signal output from the tube voltage detector, a zero-crossing comparator that discriminates the polarity of the output signal from the differentiation circuit; a re-triggerable one-shot pulse generating circuit to generate a one-shot pulse at a regular period, using the pulse outputted from the zero-crossing comparator as a trigger; a counter having the one-shot pulse output from one-shot pulse generating circuit input as an operation enable signal, to count pulses output from the zero-crossing comparator while operation is enabled; an x-ray cut-off circuit to send a command signal to the power supply to stop the generation of high voltage when it receives a carry output from the counter; and a display to display the fact that an electric discharge phenomenon is occurring upon receipt of the carry output from the counter.
According to this structure, an electric discharge phenomenon that occurs in an x-ray generating system is displayed in the form of a pulse train. These pulses act as the trigger to generate one-shot pulses at a regular period that is input to the counter as an operation enable signal. The counter counts the pulses input while operation is enabled and outputs a carry when the pulse count reaches a preset value. The display receives this carry output displays the electric discharge phenomenon and notifies this fact to the user. An x-ray cutoff circuit that also receives this carry output simultaneously sends out a command to the power supply to switch off its high voltage output. Since the one-shot pulse generating circuit is re-triggerable, it will keep on outputting the operation enable signal to the counter as long as the pulse train is generated continuously within the set period. On the contrary, if only a single pulse is generated, the counter will not reach its xe2x80x9ccount-upxe2x80x9d state since it will be reset immediately after the expiration of the set period. As a result, only electric discharge phenomena that are persistent will be detected, thus allowing for prevention of electric discharge from causing critical damage to the analyzer.


A planar laser gain medium and laser system. The novel laser gain medium includes an active core having a high aspect ratio cross-section with a fast-axis dimension and a slow-axis dimension, signal claddings adapted to form reflective boundaries at fast-axis boundaries of the core, and a material adapted to minimize reflections at slow-axis boundaries of the core. In an illustrative embodiment, the laser gain medium is an optical fiber. The core and claddings form a waveguide adapted to control modes propagating in the fast-axis direction. When the laser gain medium is employed as a laser oscillator, a high reflectivity mirror and an outcoupler are positioned at opposite ends of the core to form a laser resonator adapted to control modes in the slow-axis direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to laser systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for generating and amplifying laser energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
High energy and high power laser systems generate optical beams for applications such as laser weapons, industrial lasers for materials processing, and long range lidar/ladar systems. (Energy and power are related, but fundamentally different, physical parameters. The challenges in scaling lasers to higher energy and power are often similar, but not always so. The present invention can be adapted to either energy or power scaling. Throughout the remainder of this discussion, the term power will be used with the understanding that this invention can also be used to increase energy.) One of the most challenging problems for scaling laser output power has proven to be beam quality reduction, which arises from the increased cross-sectional area of the active medium, as well as from thermal effects, optical damage, and nonlinear processes that are initiated in the laser materials at high optical intensities.
Solid-state lasers (SSLs) have many packaging advantages when compared to liquid or gas lasers. Diode pumped SSLs appear to be among the most power-efficient efficient laser designs. In general, there are two alternative routes to diode-pumped SSL systems today. Bulk active elements for SSL applications are shaped as rods or slabs, or, recently, as planar waveguides (PWGs) that allow for a large beam cross-section to eliminate optical damage and to provide a more favorable thermal geometry. Bulk elements are usually made of a heat conducting crystalline material to facilitate cooling. Large size crystals, however, suffer from poor optical quality, and are expensive to manufacture. This factor limits the power scalability of crystalline bulk systems.
Active elements of SSLs can also be made from glass. Glass is inexpensive, clear, isotropic and a low-absorbing material. Cooling bulk glass elements is complicated, however, because of the low thermal conductivity of glass.
The optical fiber configuration solves this thermal management problem: the large surface-area-to-volume ratio can maintain a low core temperature even at high lateral gradient. Fiber lasers have proven to be more power-effective SSL devices than bulk rods or slabs. They include a small active core that provides for excellent spatial overlap between absorbed pump power and the signal beam and ensures heavily saturated operation, both of which make fiber lasers highly efficient. Moreover, fibers can be designed to minimize power lost due to fluorescence and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). In addition, fiber designs are compact, flexible, and lightweight. Exceptional power efficiency and significant packaging benefits have positioned fiber lasers as one of the most promising candidates for high power laser applications, including airborne high-energy weapons and lidar/ladar sensors.
On the other hand, the small cross-sectional area of fibers, which is advantageous for beam quality, heat dissipation, and gain saturation, becomes a real problem if one wishes to scale the output power to higher levels. Optical damage and nonlinear optical effects both arise at high light intensity. So, when attempting to increase laser output while maintaining high beam quality (BQ), the dilemma of choosing between bulk crystal or glass active elements and fiber gain elements has not yet been resolved.
Considering the specific case of fiber-based lasers and amplifiers, the applicability of traditional active fibers for building high-energy laser and long distance lidar/ladar sources is limited. Single transverse mode operation is typically necessary for high intensity on target, for accurate pointing, and for beam control, but such operation usually requires that the core diameter be small. However, if the core is too small, optical damage can preclude reliable operation. In modern silica glass fibers, reliable operation requires intensities to be maintained below 2 W/μm2 (200 MW/cm2) for CW (continuous wave) applications and about 2 GW/cm2 for nanosecond-range pulses. Nonlinear phase modulation and various types of stimulated scattering occur for common fibers at power levels of several hundred watts, resulting in spectral broadening, locking longitudinal modes, and degraded coherence. Thermal damage of pump combiners represents another challenge.
Large mode area (LMA) fibers are commonly used for high power fiber lasers to overcome damage and nonlinearity problems. However, the increased core size cannot generally be made to operate only in a single mode, because the numerical aperture (NA) required for single-mode operation at large core sizes is lower than can be reliably achieved. Specifically, in existing fibers, the limited fine control of the core index increment restricts the NA to levels above 0.05. Another problem with the low-NA fibers is that they are sensitive to bending, and this fact complicates packaging. Different guiding-core structures and shapes to spread the mode size have been studied, including the addition of extra refractive index walls between the circular core and cladding. Coiling a fiber to strip out higher-order modes has been proposed and successfully used to select the lowest-order mode for LMA fiber lasers. Such efforts have resulted in the ability to raise the core diameter up to 30-50 μm. For core sizes larger than that, straight rod-like fibers have been shown to be useful for a high quality output beam.
The highest power reported for a nearly single-transverse mode fiber laser is presently about 3 kW. This power level approaches the practical limits estimated to be as high as 5-10 kilowatts for the CW regime. In the q-switched regime with nsec pulse durations, the state of the art is a few mJ, or peak powers of a few MW. Weapons-class applications, however, typically set 100 kW as a threshold for the laser system to become practically significant, and typical ladar sensor applications require peak powers of 10 MW or more. Few solutions have been proposed that can scale the output power of individual fiber lasers to this level. Most known proposed solutions involve combining parallel single-mode or LMA fiber channels. In principle, with this approach, the output power increases in proportion to the number of channels. However, maintaining a high beam quality and achieving a high combining efficiency (which means that the total combined power is equal to the sum of the powers of the individual fibers) have proven to be a challenge when addressing high power lasers.
In spite of extended efforts, fiber combining schemes have never reached the power levels achieved by direct LMA fiber sources. Nonlinear optical, thermal, and gain-saturation affects have so far limited the output power of fiber-combining schemes to a level that is nearly an order of magnitude below that possible with LMA designs. This suggests that fiber combining methods may not be capable of meeting the requirements of the intended applications.
An analysis of the present state of the art suggests that existing methods of raising fiber-laser output powers (either singly or combination) above 10 to 20 kilowatts are not capable of also delivering a high output beam quality.
Hence, a need exists in the art for an improved system or method for generating or amplifying higher output power laser beams than can be achieved with prior approaches, while maintaining high output beam quality.

Method and apparatus for generation and amplification of light in a semi-guiding high aspect ratio core fiber


A switch is turned on when a shutter button is pressed down. An LED, provided on the front face of a unit body, is lit up to indicate a photographing moment in response to the turning of the switch on. When the shutter button is released, the switch is turned off and thereby the LED is turned off. In another embodiment, an indication member shifts to indicate the photographing moment in response to the shutter operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens-fitted photographic film unit that is capable of indicating a photographing moment.
2. Background Arts
Recently, various types of cameras, such as a lens-fitted photographic film unit and a compact camera, have been on the market. Many of such cameras are provided with flash devices for illuminating subjects by emitting flashlight under photographing circumstances with insufficient light amount. In flash photographing, it is possible for the subject person to know the photographing moment by seeing the flashlight. However, there is a problem in non-flash photographing that the subject person is not able to know whether the photographing is finished or not, since the subject person is not able to know the photographing moment without the flashlight. To solve this problem, a camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Number 2000-98486, for example, indicates the photographing moment by outputting sounds before or at the moment of photographing.
However, this camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Number 2000-98486 increases its manufacturing cost for the necessity of having a sound device therein. Since a moderate price is one of the features of simple cameras such as the lens-fitted photographic film unit having a simple photographing mechanism, it is not a practical solution to provide the simple cameras with the sound output device.


A dispenser cabinet for holding and dispensing paper toweling or other paper sheet material includes a front dispenser cabinet portion and a rear dispenser cabinet portion. Hinge receptacles are attached to both left and right side walls of the dispenser cabinet portions and hinges are selectively alternatively positionable in the hinge receptacles to allow the hinge connection between the dispenser cabinet portions to be changed between left and right side walls.

It is of course well known to provide a hinged interconnection between a front dispenser cabinet portion or cover and a rear dispenser cabinet portion, the latter being attachable to walls or other vertical supports.
It is also known generally to provide a pivotal interconnection between the dispenser cabinet portions at either the left hand side or right hand side thereof. Conventionally this hinge arrangement is permanent, typically being installed during manufacture.
At the location of installation of these prior art dispenser cabinets it may be found that the left or right hand hinging is inappropriate if certain building features exist. For example, a room corner may be the desired location of installation and the dispenser cabinet must be properly hinged, either right or left, to enable the dispenser cabinet to be properly opened for replenishment of the contents or for other reasons.
A patentability search directed to this invention located the following prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,836, issued Aug. 8, 2000, U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. US 2009/0066201, published Mar. 12, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,147, issued Aug. 16, 2005.


This specification discloses a communication method, and a system. The method includes: receiving, by a first control network element, analysis information of a network data analytics network element NWDA, and generating a policy based on the analysis information; sending, by the first control network element, the policy to a second control network element, where execution of the policy is controlled by the second control network element; receiving, by the first control network element, an execution result of the policy that is sent by the second control network element, and determining, based on the execution result, whether the analysis information is invalid; and sending, by the first control network element, an invalidity notification message to the NWDA when the first control network element determines that the analysis information is invalid, where the invalidity notification message is used to instruct the NWDA to generate new analysis information.

In a network structure of a communications standard, especially a fifth-generation mobile communications network architecture, a network architecture related to policy control includes a network data analytics (NWDA) network element. The NWDA can analyze big data, and can send analysis information obtained through analysis to a policy control function (PCF) network element in the network architecture. The PCF can generate a policy based on the analysis information sent by the NWDA, and can send the generated policy to a policy control execution network element, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a session management function (SMF) in the network architecture. The policy control execution network element can control the policy to be executed.
Currently, the analysis information of the NWDA is determined based on data obtained by the NWDA. Because obtaining the data is time-consuming, the NWDA needs to take a relatively long time to generate new analysis information. Consequently, accuracy of a policy generated based on the analysis information is affected.

Communication method, related device, and system


The invention concerns a method for identifying a ligand capable of selectively modulating a functional cascade involving a target, and uses thereof for high-throughput screening of molecules of interest, in particular therapeutic (medicine). Said method comprises at least the following steps: a) identifying an antibody or an antibody fragment comprising at least one of the variable domains of an immunoglobulin chain, capable of binding to said target and modulating said functional cascade involving said target; b) screening from a bank of molecules, ligands modulating the bond between said target and the antibody or antibody fragment identified in a); and c) identifying among said modulating ligands obtained in b), those capable of modulating said functional cascade.

The present invention relates to a method for identifying a ligand capable of selectively modulating a functional cascade involving a target molecule or target, and also to uses thereof for high-throughput screening of molecules of interest, in particular therapeutic interest (medicament).
Recent advances in the fields of genomics and proteomics, which have led to the identification of a considerable number of new potential therapeutic targets, have opened up very interesting perspectives in the pharmaceutical field.
However, the discovery of new medicaments involves developing methods for high-throughput screening of libraries of molecules which are effective, i.e. which make it possible to isolate, from a restricted number of selected molecules (hits), molecules which are active in vivo on the pathology intended to be treated (leads).
In fact, functional tests (in vitro in cell culture or in vivo in an appropriate animal model) which make it possible to verify the activity of the hits selected during the screening are not generally adaptable to high-throughput.
Since most eukaryotic proteins are multifunctional and involved in several functional cascades, the molecules isolated must be capable of specifically modulating the property of interest of the target without affecting its other activities, the modulation of which could have detrimental effects for the cell. Consequently, the screening must be highly specific in order to restrict to a maximum the number of hits identified, so that only a small number of them have to be tested in functional tests in vivo.
These screening methods must also be easy to carry out and be applicable to any target.
With this aim, screening methods based on the identification of molecules (mimotopes) that mimic the interaction between the target and a peptide or an oligonucleotide (aptamer) have been proposed.
Screening methods using aptamers and/or peptides are illustrated in Lapan et al., Expert Opin. Ther. Targets, 2002, 6, 507-516; Green et al., BioTechniques, 2001, 30, 1094-1110; Burgstaller et al., Drug Discovery Today, 2002, 7, 1221-1228; PCT international applications WO 98/19162 and WO 03/059943 and American U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,145.
In a first step, aptamers/peptides capable of binding to the target are selected in vitro, and then their modulatory activity with respect to the target is verified by means of a functional test in vitro in an appropriate cell system or in vivo in an appropriate animal model.
In a second step, the aptamers/peptides that have a modulatory activity on the target are used in competitive binding assays for identifying hits capable of displacing the existing binding between the aptamer/peptide and the target. The modulatory activity of the hits with respect to the target is subsequently verified by means of a functional test in vitro in cell culture or in vivo in an appropriate animal model, so as to isolate "lead" molecules.
These methods have been validated with targets such as the BB isoform of human platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF BB) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Rev protein.
The inventors have given themselves the aim of developing alternative screening methods. They have shown that substitution of the modulatory aptamers or peptides with modulatory antibodies or antibody fragments, in the screening methods as described in the prior art, makes it possible to identify molecules capable of selectively modulating a functional cascade involving a target (metabolic cascade, activation cascade, signaling cascade, etc.).
Antibodies have the advantage of recognizing any region of a protein, specifically and with a high affinity (of the order of 1 nM). In particular, they can recognize the surface sites of this protein and are therefore very advantageous for specifically inhibiting the regions of proteins involved in functional cascades via protein-protein interactions; it has in particular been shown that antibody fragments (scFv) directed against the SH2 domains of the Syk protein tyrosine kinase are capable of specifically inhibiting, in vivo, the phospholipase C-γ2 pathway (PLC-γ2; Dauvilliers et al., J. Immunol., 2002, 169, 2274-2283). Consequently, the mimotopes isolated by means of a screening method using antibodies or antibody fragments should have the same properties, in particular in terms of affinity/specificity for the target.
For example, the inventors have screened a library of 3000 molecules using an antibody directed against the SH2 domains of the Syk protein tyrosine kinase and capable of inhibiting the PLCγ-2 pathway; among the 10 ligands of the Syk protein that they selected, at least one was an inhibitory molecule in vivo, acting on the PLC-γ2 pathway, without impairing the Ras pathway, which is also dependent on the Syk protein.
Conversely, it has not been demonstrated that aptamers and peptides are capable of recognizing any surface epitope of an antigen. By virtue of their small size, peptides and aptamers are more suitable for interacting in the cavities of targets rather than at the surface, which is favorable for inhibiting an enzymatic activity but not very advantageous for inhibiting functional cascades.
Moreover, a certain number of recombinant monoclonal antibodies are used in therapeutic treatments. Mention may, for example, be made of cetuximab (anti-EGFR), rituximab (anti-CD20), infliximab (anti-TNF), etc. These antibodies are either chimeric antibodies, most commonly mouse/human, or humanized antibodies. These antibodies are difficult to produce and are very expensive. The screening method proposed by the inventors makes it possible to substitute these antibodies with chemical molecules having the same inhibitory properties, that are easier to produce at a much lower cost (by at least a factor of 10).

Method for identifying a ligand capable of selectively modulating a functional cascade involving a target, and uses thereof for high-throughput screening of molecules of interest

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique


A variable optical axis type bottle inspecting apparatus is disclosed. The bottle inspecting apparatus comprises illuminating means for illuminating a bottle continuously conveyed on rotation, an optical system for forming an image of lights transmitted through the bottle, photoelectric converting means for photoelectrically converting the transmitted light image of the bottle, optical axis changing means for changing the optical axis of the optical system with respect to the photoelectric converting means so that the transmitted light image of the bottle continuously conveyed is formed consecutively on the photoelectric converting means, and inspecting means for inspecting the sidewall of the bottle for defects, based on the transmitted light images photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric converting means. In the variable optical axis type bottle inspecting apparatus, the optical axis of an optical system is varied relatively to photoelectric means, whereby images of lights transmitted through a bottle on continuous move are formed consecutively on photoelectric means. This makes it possible that a bottle on continuous move is followed with the optical path not bent orthogonal. Consequently the apparatus can be miniaturized as a whole.

This invention relates to a variable optical axis type bottle inspecting apparatus for detecting defects on a bottle on rotation.
Glass bottles containing liquors, beverages, foods, etc. have to be inspected for any defect whether the bottles are newly made or have been recovered for reuses. The bottles are inspected on portions, i.e., the body or sidewall, bottom, top of the mouth, and threaded bottle neck. A bottle being inspected is conveyed continuously at a high speed while being rotated. Conventionally a mirror is inserted in an optical path and is moved so as to enable a camera to follow the bottle on continuous move.
But a problem with the bottle inspecting apparatus including the mirror is that the optical path is bent substantially orthogonal which makes the apparatus large-sized.

Variable optical axis type bottle inspecting apparatus


A phase-change random access memory device is provided. The phase-change random access memory device includes a plurality of memory blocks, a main word line, a plurality of local word lines and a plurality of section word line drivers connected between the main word line and each of the plurality of local word lines and adapted to adjusting voltage levels of the plurality of local word lines in response of voltages applied to the main word line and block information. The plurality of section word line drivers include at least one first section word line driver and at least one second section word line driver. The first section word line drivers include pull-down devices while not including pull-up devices.

1. Related Field
The disclosed methods and systems relates to a phase-change random access memory device, and more particularly to a phase-change random access memory device with a reduced layout area.
This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0020654 filed on Mar. 3, 2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Description of the Related Art
Phase-change random access memories (PRAMs) store data using a phase-change material, such as any number of chalcogenide alloys, capable of taking either a crystalline state or an amorphous state based on specific applications of heating and cooling. The resistance of a crystalline phase-change material is relatively low compared to the resistance of the amorphous phase-change material. The crystalline state is referred to as a set (or "0") state, and the amorphous state is referred to as a reset (or "1") state.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional phase-change random access memory (PRAM) device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional PRAM device 1 includes a plurality of memory blocks (BLKk; k=0˜n), a plurality of main word lines (MWLp; p=0˜m), a plurality of local word lines (LWLk; k=0˜n) and a plurality of section word line drivers (SWDk; k=0˜n).
The plurality of section word line drivers (SWDk; k=0˜n) are arranged between each of the plurality of memory blocks (BLKk; k=0˜n). The section word line drivers (SWDk; k=0˜n) adjust the voltage levels of the plurality of local word lines (LWLk; k=0˜n) in response to voltages applied to the respective main word lines (MWLp; p=0˜m). As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of section word line drivers (SWDk; k=0˜n) are comprised of inverters having of PMOS transistors 10 pulling-up the voltage levels of the plurality of local word lines (LWLk; k=0˜n) and NMOS transistors 20 pulling-down device the voltage levels of the plurality of local word lines (LWLk; k=0˜n).
Since the conventional section word line drivers (SWDk; k=0˜n) use inverters in such a manner, its layout area can be considerably large. That is, since it is desirable to use PMOS transistors 10 and NMOS transistors 20 arranged together, an isolation area (as required under relevant design rules) must be provided between each of the PMOS transistors 10 and NMOS transistors 20 to reduce the possibility of latch-up. In addition, since the PMOS transistors 10 occupy a much greater area than the NMOS transistors 20, it is necessary to reduce the number of PMOS transistors 10 used in product design to avoid an increase of the layout area.

Phase-change random access memory device


There is provided a process for fabrication of a SIMOX substrate wherein oxygen ions are implanted into a single crystal silicon substrate and then subjected to a high-temperature heat treatment to form a buried oxide layer and a surface single crystal silicon layer, wherein the single crystal silicon substrate used has a mean resistivity of 100 xcexa9cm or greater, and there is conducted a step of maintaining a temperature of from 800xc2x0 C. to 1250xc2x0 C. for a predetermined time in the final stage of the high-temperature heat treatment, as well as a SIMOX substrate wherein the mean resistivity of the substrate obtained by the process is 100 xcexa9cm or greater.

The present invention relates to an SOI substrate comprising an oxide layer buried near the surface of a silicon substrate, with a single crystal silicon layer (hereinafter referred to as SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) layer) formed thereover. More specifically, it relates to a process for fabrication of an SOI layer by SIMOX (Separation by Implanted Oxygen) technology.
SIMOX wafers and bonded SOI wafers are known as the primary types of SOI wafers that have single crystal silicon layers formed on insulators such as silicon oxide. SIMOX wafers are SOI wafers obtained by implanting oxygen ions into a single crystal silicon substrate by implantation of oxygen ions, and subsequently performing annealing treatment for chemical reaction between the oxygen ions and silicon atoms to form a buried oxide layer. Bonded SOI wafers, on the other hand, are SOI wafers obtained by bonding two single crystal silicon substrates, one of which is oxidized but the other is not, and thinning one of the two wafers.
Among such SOI wafers, SIMOX wafers are characterized by especially excellent layer thickness uniformity because the SOI layer thickness can be controlled by the oxygen ion implantation depth. In a SIMOX wafer, the SOI layer can be formed to a thickness of 0.3 xcexcm or smaller, and satisfactory thickness control can even be achieved with SOI layers of approximately 0.1 xcexcm thickness or smaller. In particular, SOI layers with thicknesses of 0.1 xcexcm and smaller are generally applied for formation of fully depleted MOS-LSIs, where the film thickness of the SOI layer itself is directly proportional to the threshold voltage for the MOSFET operation; the SOI layer thickness uniformity is therefore an important quality for high-yield fabrication of high-performance devices. From this standpoint, SIMOX wafers with excellent SOI layer thickness uniformity are promising as next generation MOSFET wafers.
Since a MOS-LSI fabricated on a SOI substrate is electrically insulated from the substrate body in the device-formed region by a buried oxide layer as the insulator, it is possible to achieve excellent characteristics including improved radiation resistance or latch-up resistance, low power consumption operation and super-high speed operation. As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 9-64320, electrically separating the device-formed region from the substrate can reduce the effect of the junction capacitance between the device-formed region and the substrate, thereby providing an advantage for high-speed devices such as baseband processors.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 9-64320 proposes increasing the resistivity value of the support substrate of the SOI substrate to 50 xcexa9cm or greater, as a technique for further improving the characteristics of a super-high frequency device formed on the SOI substrate. It is explained that the SOI substrate is produced by a xe2x80x9cbonding methodxe2x80x9d whereby a high-resistance single crystal silicon substrate manufactured by a floating zone method is used on the support substrate side and a low-resistance single crystal silicon substrate manufactured by the Czochralski process is used on the device-formed side, and bonding is performed after thermally oxidizing each of the surfaces to form oxide films of the desired thickness, after which the silicon substrate on the device-formed side is polished to a desired thin thickness.
Although the high-resistance support substrate for the bonded SOI substrate proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 9-64320 can be easily manufactured by the aforementioned floating zone system, this type silicon substrates contain no oxygen, and therefore their mechanical strength is insufficient, slip tends to occur, and it is difficult to fabricate large-diameter substrates with diameters of 8 inches (200 mm) or greater.
Moreover, polishing of the silicon layer to serve as the device-formed section in an SOI substrate obtained by a bonding method results in deterioration of the film thickness uniformity, such that silicon layer thicknesses of about 0.1 xcexcm cannot be formed with satisfactory layer thickness uniformity.
In attempting to solve the former problem, utilization of single crystal silicon substrates by the Czochralski process can be considered. A single crystal silicon substrate obtained by the Czochralski process has excellent mechanical strength due to an oxygen concentration of approximately 1018 cmxe2x88x923, while large-diameter substrates of 8 inches (200 mm) and larger can also be manufactured. Furthermore, by adjusting the impurity addition during crystal growth it is possible to manufacture a single crystal silicon substrate with a resistivity of 100 xcexa9cm or greater. (For discussion on the relationship between resistivity and impurity concentration in silicon substrates, see, for example, xe2x80x9cPhysics of Semiconductor Devices (2nd Edition)xe2x80x9d ed. by S. M. Sze, (1981), John Wiley and Sons, Inc., p.32.)
In attempting to solve the latter problem, fabrication of SOI substrates by the SIMOX process has been considered. In the SIMOX process, the SOI structure is formed by oxygen ion implantation and high-temperature heat treatment, but since the oxygen implantation depth can be controlled by the ion acceleration energy, it is characterized by giving excellent layer thickness uniformity of the SOI structure obtained after high-temperature heat treatment, thereby allowing manufacture of silicon layers with satisfactory layer thickness uniformity even with thicknesses of around 0.1 xcexcm.
However, since single-crystal silicon substrates obtained by the Czochralski process contain trace amounts of oxygen, heat treatment at relatively low temperatures of about 500xc2x0 C., which is employed for sintering or the like after Al interconnect formation in device fabrication steps, results in generation of a thermal donor (or oxygen donor) and lowers the resistivity of the substrate to a level of about 10 xcexa9cm. (Thermal donors are discussed, for example, in xe2x80x9cSilicon Sciencexe2x80x9d, Chapter 7, Section 3, edited by the USC Japan Semiconductor Technology Research Society.) In order to reduce this effect it is necessary to reduce the oxygen content of the silicon crystals, but because the molten silicon melt is retained in a quartz crucible in the Czochralski process, it is impossible to completely avoid dissolution of oxygen from quartz into the silicon melt, such that a natural limit exists for the range of reducing the oxygen concentration in the crystals. Consequently, when using a silicon substrate according to the ordinary Czochralski process, a reduction in the resistivity occurs due to the thermal donor after heat treatment at low temperature even if the resistivity is high immediately after fabrication of the substrate, such that the high resistivity cannot be maintained.
Moreover, since oxidation, or heat treatment corresponding to oxidation, is carried out at a high temperature of 1300xc2x0 C. or greater in most cases in the SIMOX process, the oxygen solubility limit in the silicon substrate increases in response to the treatment temperature. Thus, the oxygen concentration of the substrate after SIMOX fabrication increases even when the oxygen concentration of the substrate material is drastically lowered, creating a problem in that reduction in the resistivity due to thermal donor generation cannot be avoided during low-temperature heat treatment in the device manufacturing steps.
The present invention overcomes these problems associated with SOI substrates with high-resistivity silicon substrates and their manufacturing methods, by providing higher quality high-resistivity SOI substrates.
The present inventors have newly discovered that by carrying out a step of maintaining a temperature of from 800xc2x0 C. to 1250xc2x0 C. for a minimal predetermined time in the final stage of high-temperature heat treatment following oxygen ion implantation during fabrication of an SOI substrate by the SIMOX process using a single crystal silicon substrate with high resistivity, it is possible to lower the oxygen concentration in the substrate which has increased during the high-temperature heat treatment, and thus maintain high resistivity even after low-temperature heat treatment in the subsequent device manufacturing steps. In other words, the present invention relates to an SOI substrate and fabrication process therefor which solve the aforementioned problems by way of the following means.
Specifically, the invention provides a process for fabrication of a SIMOX substrate wherein oxygen ions are implanted into a single crystal silicon substrate and then subjected to high-temperature heat treatment to form a buried oxide layer and a surface single crystal silicon layer, the process being characterized in that the single crystal silicon substrate used has a mean resistivity of at least 100 xcexa9cm and no greater than the intrinsic resistivity of the single crystal silicon, and there is a step of maintaining a temperature of from 800xc2x0 C. to 1250xc2x0 C. for a prescribed time in the final stage of high-temperature heat treatment.
Preferably, the aforementioned SIMOX substrate fabrication process is characterized in that a temperature of from 800xc2x0 C. to 1200xc2x0 C. is maintained in the final stage of high-temperature heat treatment.
More preferably, the aforementioned SIMOX substrate fabrication process is characterized in that the temperature is maintained for a period of 4 hours or longer in the final stage of high-temperature heat treatment.
The aforementioned SIMOX substrate fabrication process is also preferably characterized in that the single crystal silicon substrate is manufactured by the Czochralski process.
Preferably, the aforementioned SIMOX substrate fabrication process is characterized in that the single crystal silicon substrate used has a mean resistivity of at least 500 xcexa9cm and no greater than the intrinsic resistivity of the single crystal silicon.
The SIMOX substrate is preferably a SIMOX substrate fabricated by the process as described above, and is characterized in that the mean resistivity of the substrate section after low-temperature heat treatment of the SIMOX substrate is at least 100 xcexa9cm and no greater than the intrinsic resistivity of the single crystal silicon.
More preferably, the SIMOX substrate is a SIMOX substrate fabricated by the process as described above, and is characterized in that the mean resistivity of the substrate section after low-temperature heat treatment of the SIMOX substrate is at least 500 xcexa9cm and no greater than the intrinsic resistivity of the single crystal silicon.

Process for fabrication of a SIMOX substrate


The invention relates to an area light decorative element (1) comprising an optically activatable symbol body (2) at least partially formed of a transparent optically activatable first material (9) and configured to emit visible light in response to the optically activatable symbol body (2) being excited with electromagnetic radiation in a predetermined first frequency range, a light element (3) consisting of a transparent material, wherein the optically activatable symbol body (2) is arranged in the light element (3), a touch-sensitive surface (4) disposed in a first area (5) of a surface of the light element (3) above the optically activatable symbol body (2) for detecting a touch of a user in the first area (5), and an illumination unit (6) which is arranged to emit visible light in a predetermined visible frequency range (22) into the light element (3) and, together with the visible light, also to emit electromagnetic radiation in the predetermined first frequency range into the light element (3).

Decorative surfaces are also increasingly being equipped with operating functions. These operating functions must be identifiable by means of a symbol.
The symbols for identifying operating positions for activating the operating functions for decors that may be illuminated may only be executed statically up to now. This means that the symbols themselves are not implemented luminously. However, it would be advantageous to have symbols that may be illuminated depending on the ambient light. However, a combination of area light decorations with touch operation and situationally illuminated symbols has not yet been feasible.
From DE102013006147 A1, a decorative element is known in which a luminous body comprises a plurality of light elements which may be excited by an electromagnetic radiation to emit light. The luminous body is configured purely as a decorative element.
From DE102017124365A1 a vehicle switch is known, which comprises a luminescent structure to display a symbol on the switch. However, such a switch is not suitable as an area light decorative element, as only the symbol is illuminated.
A light system is known from DE102017126795A1 by which, for example, a luminescent structure in a window of a vehicle is excited to light up by a light strip.
Area light decorative elements are preferably arranged in a vehicle in such a way that the interior of the vehicle is accentuated or uniformly illuminated. To achieve this, it is advantageous if the area light decorative element is arranged at certain positions of the vehicle. This may lead to a conflict, as vehicle operating elements often have to be arranged in corresponding areas. If area light decorative elements are combined with switches or a touch-sensitive sensor system, it is still necessary to mark the area to be touched so that operation by a user is possible. Since the area light decorative element emits light per se, this is usually achieved by marking an area that is touch-sensitive by the fact that no light is emitted in this area, or by the fact that less light is emitted in this area, which may be done, for example, by shading the decorative element with an appropriate symbol.

Area light decorative element with optically activatable symbol body

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A manufacturing apparatus for a disc cartridge including a cartridge case accommodating a disc and having apertures for receiving a head, and a shutter of a U-shaped cross-section slidably fitted to the cartridge case. In the path for conveying the shutter, there is provided an opening jig which opens the open end of the shutter and maintains the open end of the shutter in an open condition, until the shutter is fitted to the cartridge case.

The present invention relates to a disc cartridge, for example, a magnetic disc cartridge or an optical disc cartridge, which rotatably accommodates a disc for recording information therein in a cartridge case, and more specifically, to an apparatus for producing a disc cartridge provided with a shutter, made of a synthetic resin, for opening and closing a aperture formed in the cartridge case for inserting a head there through.
A disc cartridge of this kind is already known, an example of which is shown in FIG. 5 in the form of a disassembled perspective view of the cartridge.
FIG. 5 shows a magnetic disc cartridge, in which a flexible magnetic disc 2 is rotatably accommodated in a cartridge case 1 constructed by connecting an upper case 1a and a lower case 1b both made of a synthetic resin. The magnetic disc 2 is formed with a hub 3 at the central portion thereof, which is exposed to the outside through a hole 4 formed at the center of the cartridge case 1. Through this hub 3, the magnetic disc 2 is rotated at a predetermined speed by a driving device.
The above-mentioned cartridge case 1 is formed with rectangular apertures 5, for allowing access of a magnetic head to the disk 2, on the upper and lower surfaces thereof at predetermined positions. About the peripheral region of each of the apertures 5 is formed a shallow recess 6 of a rectangular shape, to which a shutter 7 having a U-shaped cross-section is slidably fitted.
The shutter 7 comprises two flat plate portions 9a, 9b opposing each other and an end plate portion 10 connecting the flat plate portions 9a, 9b with each other at respective edges thereof, and is formed with rectangular windows 8 having almost the same size and shape as the apertures 5. The shutter 7 when mounted on the cartridge can is kept elastically urged by means of a built-in spring (not shown) towards a position such that the apertures 5 are closed. When the shutter 7 is moved against the elastic force of the spring, and is stopped by the stepped portion of the recess 6, the apertures 5 and the windows 8 are registered or aligned with each other and the apertures 5 are opened, thereby making it possible to insert a magnetic head for access to the disk 2.
The shutter 7 is made from metal or a synthetic resin. In the case of metal, the sliding surface of the recess 6 may be scratched by the edges of the shutter 7 when the shutter slides over the surface of the recess 6, and there may be produced scratched chips of synthetic resin which may be deposited on or adhered to the magnetic disc and which are apt to cause errors in recording or in reproducing. When, for preventing this trouble, a large clearance is arranged between the cartridge case 1 and the shutter 7, dust may easily intrude from the outer circumference through the peripheral region of the shutter 7 and may adhere to or be deposited on the magnetic disc 2, thereby also causing errors in recording and reproducing.
On the other hand, in the case when the shutter is made from synthetic resin, there is no problem relating to the scratching of the surface of the recess 6, in contrast to the case when the shutter is made from metal. Therefore, the shutter 7 can be elastically pressed so as to be in close contact with the surface of the cartridge case 1 (recess 6), and the intrusion of dust from the peripheral region of the shutter 7 can be effectively prevented. However, there is still another problem.
The motion of the shutter 7 is limited by stepped portions of the recess 6 of the cartridge case 1. However, when the shutter 7 is shaped such that the flat plate portions 9a, 9b extend as diverging outwards, as shown in FIG. 6A showing a side view of the shutter 7, the end A is widely opened, and the flat plate portions 9a, 9b may ride over the stepped portions, thus allowing the shutter 7 to be moved beyond the limited movable range thereof. As a result, there occurs a problem that a positional deviation is produced between the opening portion or aperture 5 and the window 8, and it become impossible to insert a magnetic head in a suitable manner.
The same problem occurs when the flat plate portions 9a, 9b, which were parallel to each other at the time of fabrication, suffer deformations due to repeated use, and the open end A opens even wider, as shown in FIG. 6A.
Further, when the shutter is so shaped that the flat plate portions 9a, 9b converge towards the open end a as shown in FIG. 6B showing a side view of the shutter 7, there occurs a problem that the open end A become extremely narrow, and the sliding resistance between the shutter 7 and the recess 6 of the cartridge case 1 undesirably increases.
Therefore, it is desirable from a point of view relating to the functional features of the shutter such as movable range-controllability or slide resistance that the flat plate portions of the shutter slightly contact or are convergent to be close to each other with a slight gap therebetween at the free ends, i.e. open end A of the shutter 7.
However, it is not easy to fit the shutter 7 having a contacting open end A as mentioned above to the recess 6 of the cartridge case 1.
Therefore, there is required a fitting process. In one of the conventional processes, opening jigs are inserted through the open lateral sides B and moved towards the open end a relative to the shutter 7, to open the end A and then the shutter 7 fitted to the recess 6 of the cartridge case 1 with the open end A maintained in a relatively widely opened condition. In another conventional process, the flat plate portions 9a, 9b are both pulled outwards by sucking forces of a vacuum suction device, and the shutter 7 fitted to the recess 6 of the cartridge case 1 with the shutter maintained in a relatively widely opened condition.
In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, in order to fit a shutter 7, having an open end A slightly contacting or slightly opened, to the cartridge case 1, it was required to use opening jigs or a vacuum suction device. As a result, the work for mounting or fitting the shutter became complex and required a long time, thereby deteriorating the efficiency of the work.

Manufacturing apparatus for a disc cartridge


A dumpster for holding waste material has a cup-shaped body, a lid and one or more hooking means, which are suitable to connect the dumpster to a waste collection device; the dumpster has one or more openings obtained in the body or in the lid and has one or more inserts, each of which is suitable to close a corresponding opening; each insert comprises a plate made of translucent material and is provided, in turn with a fixing system; the fixing system having at least one damping means suitable to attenuate vibration movements of the plate.

A dumpster of the type described above generally comprises a cup-shaped body made of an opaque material that conceals the contents of said dumpster.
The dumpster of the type described above has the drawback of preventing the refuse collector from being able to see how full the dumpster is. Therefore, dumpster emptying operations are performed regardless of how full the dumpster is and, in particular, they are even performed when the dumpster is empty or not very full.
The use of a dumpster of the type described above involves high operating costs, in that it requires the use of equipment and labour even when not necessary.


A power electronics inverter includes a housing which forms a cold plate with coolant passages. The housing encloses an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), and a DC Link capacitor. The capacitor comprises a bus-bar which exits from a bottom side of the capacitor, and the bus-bar is positioned adjacent to the cold plate. The cold plate forms a cooling passage which underlies the IGBT and the capacitor bus-bar. Thermally conductive gap pads are located between the capacitor bus-bar and the cold plate.

A power electronics inverter normally includes key components such as an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a DC Link capacitor, and cold-plate. In the working environment of a vehicle, the maximum ambient operating temperatures are 85° C. (outside of the inverter). The air inside the inverter is considerably warmer, due to waste heat from the operation of electronic components. A challenge with these components is to minimize the internal hot-spot temperature of the capacitor. The useful lifetime of a film-based capacitor's can be approximately doubled by lowering the operating temperature by 10° C. An alternative way to extend the capacitor's useful lifetime is to increase the amount of film, which enlarges the capacitor.
Such a capacitor has a set of electrically conductive bus-bars (typically made of copper) that are mechanically fastened to the terminals of the IGBT. In most known configurations, the bus-bar leads of the capacitor egress one side of the capacitor and their length is kept as short as possible to minimize inductance. See FIG. 1.
There are three primary heat sources that affect the hot-spot temperature of a capacitor, which is typically found deep in the central areas that are furthest from its surface. Heat is generated internally inside the capacitor during its normal operation. The medium surrounding the capacitor (typically hot air) will affect the capacitor's internal temperature. The IGBT in an inverter generates a large amount of waste heat. As a result, most high-power electronic inverters utilize a liquid-cooled cold-plate to conduct the heat from the IGBT out of the inverter. However effective the cooling of the IGBT may be, the internal components will be electrically driven until they are operating at temperatures in the neighborhood of 150° C. The electrical connections between the internal IGBT components and the capacitor must be capable of carrying a large amount of current. Copper is one material that is used to carry the current. Copper also has a high thermal conductivity value and is consequently capable of transferring heat between the IGBT and capacitor. Since the IGBT is hotter than the capacitor, the heat flows into the capacitor, which affects the hot-spot temperature.

Power electronics inverter with capacitor cooling


The invention relates to a positioning device with an X-beam (6) and two parallel Y-beams (2,3) in the shape of an H. On each Y-beam a motor driven carriage (4,5) is provided. Between these carriages an X-beam is coupled. On the X-beam a carriage (9) with a positioning head (10) is provided. The coupling (7) between one end of the X-beam and the carriage (4) on the first Y-beam (2) comprises two leaf springs (19,20) perpendicular to each other, the intersecting line of said leaf springs forming an imaginary rotation axis (28) of the coupling. The coupling (8) between the other end of the X-beam and the carriage (5) on the other, second Y-beam (3) comprises one leaf spring (29) oriented in the Y-direction and having a relatively great stiffness in the Y-direction and a relative small stiffness in the X-direction. Advantage of these couplings: no play, frictionless, possibility of small angle correction for the positioning head.

The invention relates to a positioning device comprising an X-beam on which a carriage provided with a positioning head is movable in an X-direction, a first Y-beam on which a first carriage is movable in a Y-direction, a second Y-beam on which a second carriage is movable in the Y-direction, while a first end of the X-beam is connected to the first carriage of the first Y-beam by means of a first coupling, and a second end of the X-beam is connected to the second carriage of the second Y-beam by means of a second coupling such that the X- and Y-beams are oriented in an H-arrangement, said device further comprising drive means for separately driving the carriages on the Y-beams and the carriage with the positioning head on the X-beam.
Such a positioning device is known from EP-B1-0 109 718. The couplings between the X-beam and the carriages on the Y-beams are formed therein by pivot shafts oriented in a Z-direction which connect the parts to one another with rotation possibility. To enable a rotation of the X-beam about the Z-axis, one end of the X-beam is constructed as a sliding coupling in the X-direction. A positioning device is used for accurately positioning the one part, which is supported by the positioning head of the carriage on the X-beam, with respect to another part, which is supported by a machine part which is usually stationary. This is, for example, a component which is to be placed on a printed circuit board. The ever continuing miniaturization of components leads to ever stricter requirements being imposed on the accuracy with which components are to be positioned with respect to one another.

Positioning device with H-drive having spring coupling between beams


A method for treating autoimmune thyroid disease is disclosed. The method comprises administering a molecule of molecular weight below 700 that inhibits the binding of the nonadecapeptide IPDNLFLKSDGRIKYTLNK (SEQ ID NO:1) to HLA-DRβ1-Arg74. Such compounds are found in the class of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids represented by formula I

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), including Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), are among the most common autoimmune disorders, afflicting up to 5% of the US population. They are characterized by infiltration of the thyroid by lymphocytes reactive to thyroid antigens and production of thyroid-specific antibodies. Complex interaction of genetic susceptibility factors, environmental triggers, and epigenetic alterations leads to the breakdown of tolerance, resulting in autoimmune thyroid diseases. Currently, there is no satisfactory therapy except for hormone replacement therapy in Hashimoto's thyroiditis or thyroid suppression or ablation in Graves' disease. We have identified a specific HLA-DR pocket sequence that is strongly associated with autoimmune thyroid disease. The presence of arginine at position 74 of the DRβ chain renders the individual highly susceptible to autoimmune thyroid diseases, while glutamine at position 74 is protective. The presence of DRβ1-Arg74 (from here on we refer to the HLA-DR3 containing arginine at position 74 as HLA-DRβ1-Arg74) results in a more positively charged P4 pocket. With this structural change in the pocket, the selectivity and binding of pathogenic peptides is affected, conferring higher risk for disease activation.
Besides the HLA genes, two thyroid-specific genes, the thyroglobulin (Tg) and thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) genes also contribute to the etiology of autoimmune thyroid disease. Thyroglobulin is the most abundant thyroidal protein, and it is the precursor to thyroid hormones T3 and T4. All forms of autoimmune thyroid disease (including both Grave's disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis) are characterized by the development of Tg antibodies in the majority of patients, and mouse data suggest that Tg is the primary target of the autoimmune response in autoimmune thyroid disease. Jacobson et al. [J Biol Chem 284, 34231-34243 (2009)] showed that the DRβ1Arg74 pocket facilitates the presentation of pathogenic Tg peptides to T-cells and identified four peptides (Tg.1951, Tg.2098, Tg.1571, Tg.726) that showed strong and specific binding to DRβ1-Arg74 but much weaker binding to the protective-Gln74.
In view of the important interaction between these Tg peptides and the HLA-DRβ1-Arg74 peptide binding pocket, the person of skill will recognize that blocking the presentation of these peptides to autoreactive T-cells that escaped tolerance could be used to treat autoimmune thyroid disease. Such a targeted therapy could prevent the continuous activation of T-cells against thyroid antigens that is necessary to maintain the autoimmune response in autoimmune thyroid disease and might reverse it. Described herein are small molecule inhibitors that can block Tg peptide presentation by HLA-DRβ1-Arg74 as a potential new treatment modality for autoimmune thyroid disease.

Small molecule inhibitors of HLA-DR3 binding for treating autoimmune thyroiditis


A speed-up spindle unit including a non-rotative housing having a fixed ring, a sun roller secured to a high speed spindle rotatably carried in the housing and a plurality of planetary rollers rotatably carried in such a manner as to be in contact with the fixed ring at one peripheral end and the sun roller at the opposite peripheral end so that the planetary rollers individually rotate about their own axes while they revolve about the sun roller, thereby transmitting a torque from the planetary rollers to the high speed spindle through the sun roller.

The present invention relates to a speed-up spindle unit for connection to main shafts of machine tools, and, more particularly, to a speed-up spindle unit suited for rotating a small diameter cutting tool at high speeds.
Various types of speed-up spindle units have been proposed and, for example a planetary gear mechanism is connected between an input shaft connected to the main shaft of the machine, and a high speed spindle (an output shaft) having a chuck is attached to a forward end of the spindle. The planetary gear mechanism increases the speed of rotation of the input shaft so that the high speed spindle rotates at high speeds.
One of the disadvantages of the speed-up spindle unit having a planetary gear mechanism is relatively low rigidity which is likely to cause vibrations in the working tools. Another disadvantage is that its capacity for carrying loads is small.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a speed-up spindle unit having a high rigidity structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a speed-up spindle unit having a torque transmitting stability.


Provided is a strap rolling device for quickly and easily coiling items such as cargo straps. The apparatus comprising a base plate, a manual crank assembly, a strap reel assembly, a gear assembly and a chain for the gear assembly. The manual crank assembly is attached to the base plate, and is used to turn the gear assembly. The gear assembly enhances the rotational motion of the manual crank assembly, and is attached to the strap reel assembly, allowing the strap winder to perform the task of winding a cargo straps in a more efficient manner than can be done without gears. The apparatus contains hardware for mounting the device directly to a flat-bed truck with a clamp, or, in another embodiment, for mounting the device onto a stake hole.

The present invention relates generally to straps used to hold down cargo on trucks or trailers, and in particular to an apparatus for winding straps and cords after they have been used.
Strap rollers are well known in the art. They range in configurations from crank handles built into strap rollers to simple spool crank configurations. However, there are no strap rollers which employ a geared mechanism to increase the rate at which straps are rolled up for storage.
While known prior art continues to fill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not disclose a geared strap roller apparatus.
Cargo straps are used with trucks and trailers to hold cargo in place while it is being transported. Truck drivers and other who deliver freight often work long hours, and, once their cargo is delivered, must roll up the cargo straps for their next use. Drivers are oftentimes exhausted at the end of a delivery, and must deal with less than ideal weather conditions. A device that rolls straps up more quickly than conventional methods is a boon for drivers, as any time saved when one is tired, or outdoors in inclement weather, is welcome progress.
Accordingly there is a need in the art for a device which can improve the speed at which one is able to roll cargo straps for storage.
The present invention addresses this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.


The present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous closure/connector assemblies for use with a dispense assembly. The closure/connector includes a closure body as well as a cap seat adaptor for operable connection to the closure body. The cap seat adapter has a proximal end and a distal end and is configured for fluid communication with a source of material to be dispensed. The closure/connector also has a cap for connection to the distal end of the cap seat adaptor. A pressurizing gas inlet fitting adapted for connection to a pressure source is also included as a part of the closure/connector. The closure/connector assembly, in conjunction with the dispense assembly, is configured for the secure transport and dispense of the material to be dispensed.

Numerous manufacturing processes require the use of ultrapure liquids, such as acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, dopants, inorganic, organic, and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals. Such industries require that the number and size of particles in the ultrapure liquids be controlled to ensure purity. In particular, because ultrapure liquids are used in many aspects of the microelectronic manufacturing process, semiconductor manufacturers have established strict particle concentration specifications for process chemicals and chemical-handling equipment. Such specifications are needed because, should the liquids used during the manufacturing process contain high levels of particles or bubbles, the particles or bubbles may be deposited on solid surfaces of the silicon. This can, in turn, lead to product failure and reduced quality and reliability.
Storage and dispensing systems that are used to store, ship, and dispense the liquids described above, as well as other liquid-based contents, typically include a container of some kind, and/or a liner, a cap that may be used to seal and protect the contents of the storage system when the contents are not being dispensed, and a connector that may be used to dispense the contents from the container. The connector that is used during dispense is typically uniquely configured to provide a particular type of dispense. Accordingly, the connector that is used during dispense will have an effect on several aspects of the dispense, for example, whether the dispense is a pump or pressure dispense, what the rate of flow of dispense may be, and/or how much residue may remain in a liner or container after dispense.
In order to dispense the contents of a container, the sealing cap must be removed and the connector must be attached. Contaminants may be introduced into the system when the system is exposed to the outside environment during the process of removing the cap and attaching the connector.
Further, caps and connectors are often times relatively expensive. Many times, caps and connectors are made to be used repeatedly. Repeated use of caps and/or connectors, however, requires extensive washing and/or sterilizing prior to subsequent uses, which may be time consuming and/or expensive. Additionally, no matter how well a cap and/or connector may be cleaned, there is still the possibility that the cap and/or connector would not be completely cleaned and may thereby introduce contaminants into the contents of a container upon subsequent use. Accordingly, there is a need for a relatively inexpensive cap or closure that may function as both a closure for the system during storage and/or shipping, as well as a connector for use during dispense. There is also a need for a cost-effective combination closure/connector that may be used a single time.

Closure/connector for liner-based dispense containers


There is disclosed an instrument for cutting bandages which has a handle and a base guide foot section. The base guide foot has a nose section which extends past the edge of a blade positioned within the instrument. The base guide unit has an enlarged portion on its bottom area which permits the instrument to ride on only a small area and be pivoted on the area when in use. In one version the instruments has a removable blade unit which can be installed and removed without being contacted by the installer thereby reducing possibility of contamination.

Mr. Farr, one of the inventors, has a medical condition which requires his legs be bandaged. Regularly the old bandages are removed and new bandages applied. The doctors and nurses use a pair of scissors to remove the bandages and instructed him how to remove the bandages himself. He found the use of scissors to be tedious and sometimes painful. Upon inquiry, he was informed by both doctors and nurses that scissors were the only instrument they were aware of suitable for removal. He thought there should be a better way.
Mr. Farr conceived of the idea of using a razor blade, but finding a way to make it safe proved difficult. He discovered there was a device for removing bandages from horses legs. The device consisted of two plastic handles glued together with a blade clamped between them. There is an extended portion, with a nose, in front of the blade for lifting the bandage to start the cut.
It was found the device would remove the bandages but the doctor objected to the device on several grounds including, the device could not be sterilized, also while satisfactory for the tough skin of a horses leg the device was unsatisfactory for removing bandages from a human, particularly if there were sore or tender portions under the bandages, another objection was the blade was not removable, further the handle was so shaped that manipulating the device would be difficult. The doctor informed Mr. Farr the device would be a great benefit to doctors, nurses and patients alike if he could invent a device which overcome these objections. Mr. Farr and Mr. Leatherman have accomplished this task.


The present disclosure concerns a transport apparatus for transporting a rotor blade of a wind power installation on a transport vehicle comprising a plurality of successively arranged and pivotably interconnected wagon elements. The transport apparatus may include a blade root carrier adapted to attach to a first wagon element for carrying the rotor blade in a region of a rotor blade root thereof on the first wagon element, a central carrier adapted to attach to a second wagon element for carrying the rotor blade in a central region thereof on the second wagon element, and a blade tip damper for making an elastic connection between a third wagon element and the rotor blade in a region of a rotor blade tip thereof for damping oscillations of the rotor blade tip.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure concerns a transport apparatus for transporting at least one rotor blade of a wind power installation. In addition the present disclosure concerns an aid for improving the transport of a rotor blade of a wind power installation. In addition the present disclosure concerns a transport arrangement which transports at least one rotor blade of a wind power installation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern wind power installations are nowadays frequently a so-called horizontal axis rotor with a hub which generally faces into the wind (a windward rotor) and to which one or more and in particular three rotor blades are fixed. Such a rotor blade has—and this will also be taken as the basic starting point hereinafter—a rotor blade root for directly or indirectly fixing it to the hub. At the side remote from the rotor blade root the rotor blade has a rotor blade tip. In the region between the rotor blade root and the rotor blade tip the rotor blade is at least predominantly flat and has two sides which can be referred to as the suction side and the pressure side. In addition there are two edges which can also be referred to as the leading edge and the trailing edge. In accordance with its definition the leading edge faces substantially into the wind and is generally rounded whereas in normal operation of the wind power installation the trailing edge faces substantially away from the wind and is very thin and sometimes even a sharp edge to achieve an advantageous flow break-away effect.
Such rotor blades are nowadays of lengths of up to 60 m and greater lengths are certainly to be expected. Lengths of 35 to 40 m are nowadays certainly usual.
As state of the art, attention is generally directed at this point to the following documents: DE 36 04 496 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,405 B2, EP 1 813 473 A2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,435 B1 and WO 2006/000230 A1.
As far as possible such a rotor blade can be fixed and transported on a special transporter like a low loader on the corresponding load surface. If the length of the transporter is not sufficient the use of a transporter with a trailer can be envisaged. In that case the rotor blade is fixed and supported with its rotor blade root in the region of the tractor and the trailer is used in the region of the rotor blade tip. The trailer should then flexibly adapt to resulting movements of the rotor blade in the transport process. Such a trailer is therefore coupled to the tractor only by way of the item being transported—in this case the rotor blade.
The use of a transport vehicle with trailer is extremely complicated and is also often undesirable for other reasons. Particularly for transporting a rotor blade on the railways the use of a vehicle with a plurality of successively arranged and pivotably interconnected wagon elements is desired.
Such wagon elements, in particular railroad wagon cars, while moving, particularly on bends, perform movements relative to each other which do not have to correspond to the movements of a rotor blade supported thereon for transport thereof. In other words, to transport it, a rotor blade which is substantially longer than each of the specified wagon elements cannot be readily fixed at the same time on a plurality of wagon elements. The movement of the wagon elements relative to each other could lead to considerable stresses on the rotor blade and it could be damaged.
For that reason, a rotor blade can be arranged by means of special carriers which are respectively arranged on a wagon element, but in that case allow relative movements between the fixed rotor blade and the respective wagon element. Thus the rotor blade can be arranged with the rotor blade root on a carrier on a wagon element, that carrier permitting a rotary movement between the rotor blade and the wagon element. A further carrier can carry the rotor blade in a central region on another wagon element, in which case that second carrier permits both a rotary movement and also a translatory movement relative to that wagon element. In that respect it is to be noted that the wagon element on which the rotor blade root is mounted and the wagon element on which said middle region is supported does not have to be directly adjacent wagon elements but it is rather also possible to arrange a further wagon element between those two.
In that case the rotor blade tip is floating freely in space and is basically held only by the rotor blade itself. While travelling and depending on the respective boundary conditions involved, in particular the route but also the speed of travel, the rotor blade tip will move in relation to a wagon element, in the region of which it is for example disposed. Although it is assumed that at least when the situation is considered as virtually stationary, the movement of the rotor blade tip relative to said wagon element is so slight that the tip does not exit the internal region of the wagon element which is also referred to as the railway loading gauge (i.e., the region in which all items being transported have to be disposed when being transported), that nonetheless cannot be guaranteed because, for example, possible oscillation amplitudes to be expected are not accurately known.


A flow classifier having a flow CAM having plural flow entries, a search key generator for generating a search key of a format which differs by a flow condition, and a table holding a flow search result corresponding to an address of respective flow entry of CAM, in which access is made to CAM by the search key of a variable format including at least one header information item extracted from a packet header and the flow search result is obtained from the table in accordance with the address of the flow entry coinciding with the search key outputted from CAM to thereby constitute high speed formation of flow classifying by a variety of flow conditions.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packet forwarding device and a device for flow classifying for connecting a plurality of networks, further in details to a device for flow classifying and a packet forwarding device utilizing Content Addressable Memory (CAM).
(2) Description of the Related Art
According to a packet forwarding device, for example, a router for constituting Internet Protocol (IP) network, there is needed a flow classify function for classifying a flow to which a packet belongs from header information of a received packet. Here, a flow signifies a series of packets specified by a combination of an identifier (port number) of an input port or an output port of a packet, an IP address included in a header of a received packet, a protocol identifier, a Type of Service (TOS), and a priority and the like. The packet forwarding device carries out a flow control of determination of necessity or unnecessity of packet drop (filtering determination), determination of a packet forwarding priority (QoS: Quality of Service) for ensuring communication quality and the like for respective flow classified by a flow classifying portion.
In recent years, in order to deal with a rapid increase in IP traffic, there is investigated high speed formation of flow classifying. For example, there is disclosed "A flow identification method using content addressable memory" (Related Art 1) utilizing Content Addressable Memory (CAM) in Proceedings of Plenary Cession of the Society of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, 2000, SB-4-2.
In the case of flow classifying using CAM, as shown in FIG. 2, a search key KEY is generated by a flow controller 61 and is given to CAM 62. As shown in FIG. 3, CAM 62 is stored with a plurality of flow entries 620-1 through 620-n each describing an item value constituting a flow condition and an address of the flow entry having the flow condition in coincidence with the search key KEY is outputted. The flow controller 61 is provided with a context table 63 instructing a forwarding control to be executed to an input packet corresponding to the flow entry address of CAM 62, forwarding control instruction corresponding to an output address of the CAM, is read from the context table 63 and the input packet is processed in accordance with the instruction. According to CAM, a classifying time period of entry does not depend on a number of registered flow entries and therefore, the flow classifying can be constituted by high speed formation by utilizing CAM.
According to the related art 1, when all the items (field) necessary for flow classifying, for example, a source IP address 601, a destination IP address 602 and a protocol 603 are extracted as search key information from header information of the input packet and there are present a plurality of flow entries in coincidence with the search key in CAM 62, it is proposed to give a priority to the entry having the youngest address. Further, according to the related art 1, it is proposed to register the entry for flow classifying having a long bit width and the entry for forwarding control having a short bit width in one CAM and search simultaneously the flow identifying entry in coincidence with the flow classifying condition indicated by a search key and the entry for forwarding control in coincidence with a higher specific item of the flow identifying condition.
According to the IP network, in order to correspond to novel technologies of expansion of IP address by Ipv6 (RFC2460, Internet Protocol Version 6(Ipv6) Specification, R. Hinden et al), MPLS label stack (RFC3032, "MPLS Label Stack Encoding" E. Rosen et al) by MPLS Fast Reroute (draft-haskin-mpls-fast-reroute-05. text,"Method for Setting an Alternative Label Switched Paths to Handle Fast Reroute" D. Haskin et al), there is a tendency of expanding a bit length of a search key (for flow condition) at a flow classifying portion of a packet forwarding device and constituting a variety of flow conditions.
As a countermeasure against a case in which the bit length of the flow condition is increased and exceeds a search bit width capable of being provided by CAM, for example, in Proceeding of Plenary Cession of the Society of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, 2000, B-6-21, there is proposed "A flow identification method for Ipv6 using context addressable memory" for finding an entry in coincidence with the flow classifying condition by dividing the search key in two and executing twice search of flow entry search by the first half key and front entry search of the latter key.
According to the related art 2, as shown in FIG. 4, CAM is divided into a flow entry region 62A for the first half and a flow entry region 62B for the latter half and a class field 621 and a rule number field 622 of the first and the latter halves are given to the respective flow entries. Further, in search result holding tables 63 (63A, 63B), there are designated necessity for the later search 631, a rule number 632 and action 633. According to the first half key KEY-A and the flow entry of the first half, the rule number field 622 becomes Don't Care value, as a result of CAM search by the first half key KEY-A, the rule number is specified from the search result holding table 63A and by CAM search by the latter half key KEY-B applied with the rule number, an action to be executed to the input packet is determined.
Further, according to JP-A-2001-156840 (Related Art 3), there is proposed a flow classifying device in which there are extracted specific fields capable of constituting a flow condition, for example, a source address, a destination address, a protocol, and Type of Service (TOS) included in an IP header, and a source port and a destination port included in TCP or UDP header, a flag bit for masking previously registered in a search flag table corresponding to an input logical link number, is applied to these field items, thereby, for the respective input logical link, effective data is left only to an item (field) necessary for flow classification, there is generated a search key in the form in which an item which is not needed for flow classification is substituted for an ineffective value and access is made to CAM for a flow search table by the search key.
However, the above-described Related Art 2 proposes one resolution measure when the bit length of the search key is increased and does not intend to shorten the bit lengths of the search key and the flow entry. Further, according to the related art 3, by adopting general purpose search key format including all the items of header information which can constitute the flow identifying condition and masking an item of header information which is not needed of the respective input logical link, checking of the search key and flow entry is facilitated, similar to the related art 2, it is not intended to shorten the bit lengths of the search key and the flow entry.
When a variety of the flow classifying conditions are dealt with by the search key of the same format for general purpose in this way, the bit length of the search key is increased to face the problem of pin neck and deficiency in capacity of CAM in CAM 62 and LSI 61 for flow control.

Device for flow classifying and packet forwarding device with flow classify function


Embodiments of the present disclosure set forth methods for determining a probability of retransmitting a packet in a time slot for a source node in a wireless network. Some example methods include determining whether transmission of the packet in the time slot is successful, measuring a number of time slots accumulated since a most recent successful transmission of the packet by the source node, and determining a first value of the probability based on a second value associated with the number of time slots accumulated.

A wireless network may include a plurality of nodes, including a source node configured to transmit a packet and a destination node configured to receive the packet. After having successfully received the packet, the destination node may acknowledge the reception by sending a confirmation of receipt to the source node. In some circumstances, when two or more packets are transmitted in the same time slot by different source nodes, the transmission of the packets may be unsuccessful. To establish whether such unsuccessful transmission occurs, the source node waits to receive the confirmation of receipt from the destination node for a period of time. If no confirmation is received within this period of time, the source node may deem the transmission to be unsuccessful and initiate the retransmission of the packet in a successive time slot with a certain probability, which sometimes is referred to as a retransmission probability. There are existing approaches that attempt to assign the retransmission probability to one or more source nodes in a wireless network, but these approaches are faced with challenges introduced by the various traffic characteristics on the source nodes.

Packet retransmission optimization in wireless network


The present invention relates to a zinc-diffused nickel alloy coating for corrosion and heat protection and to a method for forming such a coating. The coating method broadly comprises the steps of forming a plain nickel or nickel alloy coating layer on a substrate, applying a layer of zinc over the nickel or nickel alloy coating layer, and thermally diffusing the zinc into the nickel alloy coating layer. The coating method may further comprise immersing the coated substrate in a phosphated trivalent chromium conversion solution either before or after the diffusing step. The substrate may be a component used in a gas turbine engine, which component is formed from a steel material.

The present invention relates to a steel substrate having a zinc diffused nickel alloy coating thereon and to a method for forming same.
Steel products are subject to damage from atmospheric corrosion and must be protected. This is often accomplished by applying a protective coating such as an organic film (paint) or a metallic coating (electroplate). Steel is also subject to heat oxidation at high temperatures and, if it is to be subjected to this environment, it must be protected via an appropriate coating. Electroplated or sprayed metal coatings or metallized paints are often used to provide resistance to high heat environments, such as those found in gas turbine engines. Problems arise when both heat and atmospheric corrosion protection are needed. Coatings resistant to high heat generally do not impart effective atmospheric corrosion protection, while typical coatings capable of preventing atmospheric corrosion offer little thermal protection beyond 420xc2x0 C. (approximately 790xc2x0 F.)
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coating which provides both heat and atmospheric corrosion protection.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for forming the above coating.
The foregoing objects are attained by the coating and the method of the present invention.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a corrosion and heat protective coating on a substrate is provided. The method broadly comprises the steps of forming a nickel base coating layer on the substrate, applying a layer of zinc over the nickel alloy coating layer, and diffusing the zinc into the nickel alloy coating layer. If desired, the coated substrate may be immersed in a phosphated trivalent chromium conversion solution either before or after the diffusing step.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a steel substrate having at least one surface and a zinc diffused nickel alloy coating on the at least one surface is provided.
Other details of the method and the coatings of the present invention, as well as other-objects and advantages attendant thereto, are set forth in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals depict like elements.

Zinc-diffused alloy coating for corrosion/heat protection


A polarizer includes a polarizer main body, a first barrier layer disposed above the polarizer main body and/or a second barrier layer disposed below the polarizer main body. The first barrier layer and the second barrier layer include silicon nitride (SiNx).

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polarizer and a liquid crystal display including the polarizer.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display ("LCD") is a widely used type of flat panel display ("FPD"), and the LCD typically includes two display panels on which field generating electrodes, such as pixel electrodes and a common electrode, are disposed, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two display panels. In the liquid crystal display, voltages are applied to the field generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the liquid crystal layer. The electric field determines orientations of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and controls polarization of incident light to display an image.
A transparent glass substrate or a transparent plastic substrate may be used as a substrate of the liquid crystal display, and two polarizers may be disposed on the liquid crystal display with the liquid crystal layer thereby interposed between the two polarizers. The light incident to the liquid crystal display is typically polarized in one direction while passing through one of the two polarizers, and is thereby transmitted or blocked while passing through the other of the two polarizers after the polarization of the light is changed while passing through the liquid crystal layer.
A plastic substrate is firm and lighter than a glass substrate. However, temperature and moisture resistance of the plastic substrate are lower than temperature and moisture resistance of the glass substrate. Accordingly, a polarizer for a glass substrate cannot typically be used for the liquid crystal display including the plastic substrate.

Polarizer and liquid crystal display device having the same


A 3D semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. An active pillar is formed on a semiconductor substrate, and an interlayer insulating layer is formed so that the active pillar is buried in the interlayer insulating layer. The interlayer insulating layer is etched to form a hole so that the active pillar and a peripheral region of the active pillar are exposed. An etching process is performed on the peripheral region of the active pillar exposed through the hole by a certain depth, and a space having the depth is provided between the active pillar and the interlayer insulating layer. A silicon material layer is formed to be buried in the space having the depth, and an ohmic contact layer is formed on the silicon material layer and the active pillar.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments relate to a three dimensional (3D) semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor integrated circuit device having a wrap-around contact structure and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
Memory devices are generally provided as internal semiconductor integrated circuit devices of computers or other electronic apparatuses. Typical examples of memory devices include random access memories (RAMs), read only memories (ROMs), dynamic RAMs (DRAMs), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), flash memories, and variable resistive memory devices. Variable resistive memory devices include programmable conductive memory devices, resistive RAMs (ReRAMs), and phase-change RAMs (PCRAMs).
Nonvolatile memory devices may be used in broad electronic applications to provide high integration density, high reliability, and low power consumption.
Variable resistive memory devices may include a plurality of memory cells arranged in matrix form. The memory cells may include an access device such as a diode, a field effect transistor (FET), or a bipolar junction transistor (BJT). The access device may be coupled to a word line extending along a row of an array. Memory elements in the memory cells may be coupled to a bit line extending along a column of 1o the array. In this manner, the access device of the memory cell may select a word line coupled to a gate and the memory cell may be accessed through a row decoder which activates the rows of the memory cell.
Currently, a transistor having a 3D vertical channel structure is used as the access device of the memory cells to increase integration density. As is well-known, a transistor having the 3D vertical channel structure may include a pillar-shaped active region, a gate formed on an outer circumference of the active region, a drain formed in an upper portion of the active region, and a source formed in a lower portion of the active region or formed in a semiconductor substrate which is in contact with the lower portion of the active region. A heating electrode, a variable resistance layer, and a bit line are sequentially formed to be electrically coupled to the drain of the transistor, and thus the resistive memory cell is completed.
To obtain ohmic contact between the drain and the heating electrode, a silicide layer is formed between the drain and the heating electrode. Currently, endeavors for improving the operation current in the variable resistive memory device continue, and thus, technology for improving contact properties between the drain and the silicide layer or between a lower electrode and the silicide layer has been suggested.

3D semiconductor integrated circuit device and method of manufacturing the same