A single die MR array composed of a plurality of MR elements, wherein each MR element is composed of a number of serially connected MR segments. The MR elements are arranged and configured so as to produce a variety of MR array geometries. In one form, an MR array is formed to provide angular sensing schemes wherein angular measurement redundancy is incorporated therein. In a second form, an MR array is formed to provide angular sensing schemes wherein angular measurement redundancy and reference redundancy are incorporated therein.

The present invention relates to magnetoresistor arrays used for magnetic position sensors.
The use of magnetoresistors (MRs) and Hall devices as position sensors is well known in the art. For example, a magnetically biased differential MR sensor may be used to sense angular position of a rotating toothed wheel, as for example exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,835,467, 5,731,702, and 5,754,042.
In such applications, the magnetoresistor (MR) is biased with a magnetic field and electrically excited, typically, with a constant current source or a constant voltage source. A magnetic (i.e., ferromagnetic) object moving relative and in close proximity to the MR, such as a toothed wheel, produces a varying magnetic flux density through the MR, which, in turn, varies the resistance of the MR. The MR will have a higher magnetic flux density and a higher resistance when a tooth of the moving target wheel is adjacent to the MR than when a slot of the moving target wheel is adjacent to the MR.
Increasingly more sophisticated spark timing and emission controls introduced the need for crankshaft sensors capable of providing precise position information during cranking. Various combinations of magnetoresistors and single and dual track toothed or slotted wheels (also known as encoder heels and target wheels) have been used to obtain this information (see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,016, 5,731,702, and 5,754,042).
The shortcoming of MR devices is their temperature sensitivity. They have a negative temperature coefficient of resistance and their resistance can drop as much as 50% when heated to 180 degrees Celsius. Generally, this led to the use of MR devices in matched pairs for temperature compensation. Additionally, it is preferable to drive MR devices with current sources since, with the same available power supply, the output signal is nearly doubled in comparison with a constant voltage source.
To compensate for the MR resistance drop at higher temperatures, and thus, the magnitude decrease of the output signal resulting in decreased sensitivity of the MR device, it is also desirable to make the current of the current source automatically increase with the MR temperature increase. This is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,102 in which an active feedback circuit automatically adjusts the current of the current source in response to temperature variations of the MR device. It is also known that air gap variations between the MR device and ferromagnetic materials or objects will affect the resistance of MR devices with larger air gaps producing less resistance and decreased output signals.
Single element magnetic field sensors composed of, for example, an indium antimonide or indium arsenide epitaxial film strip supported on, for example, a monocrystalline elemental semiconductor substrate, are also known. The indium antimonide or indium arsenide film is, for example, either directly on the elemental semiconductor substrate or on an intermediate film that has a higher resistivity than that of silicon. A conductive contact is located at either end of the epitaxial film, and a plurality of metallic (gold) shorting bars are on, and regularly spaced along, the epitaxial film. Examples thereof are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,153,557, 5,184,106 and 5,491,461.
Most noncontacting magnetic angle position sensors use a Hall sensor and a rotating magnetic field. Since the Hall sensor output signal is proportional to the normal component of the magnetic field, its output is a sinusoidal function of the angle of rotation. Only within a relatively small angular range is the output proportional to the angle of rotation. Depending on the required accuracy, this range may be as small as xc2x130 degrees with a xc2x11.3% full scale error and, practically, never greater than xc2x150 degrees with almost a xc2x110% full scale error. Another approach relies on varying the air gap between a Hall sensor and a magnetic target. This allows a greater angular range. However, it is an inherently error prone method due to the high degree of non linearity in the relation between the magnetic field strength and the air gap.
Compound semiconductor MRs, such as those manufactured from lnSb, InAs, etc., are simply two-terminal resistors with a high magnetic sensitivity and thus, are very suitable for the construction of single die MR array geometries suitable for use as large range angular position sensors (in most cases one terminal of all the MR elements can be common).
Ultimately, such MR arrays could be integrated on the same die with appropriate processing circuitry. For example, if the MR array was fabricated on a Si substrate then the processing circuitry would be also Si based. For higher operating temperatures, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) could be used. A potentially lower cost alternative to the SOl approach would be to take advantage of the fact that MRs are currently fabricated on GaAs, a high temperature semiconductor, and thus, to fabricate the integrated processing circuitry from GaAs (or related lnP) using HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor) or HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) structures. This technology is now easily available and inexpensive through the explosive growth of the cellular phone industry.
Accordingly, what remains needed is a compact and inexpensive die having at least one array of magnetic sensing elements and configured so as to produce a variety of array geometries suitable for specialized angular sensing schemes capable of self compensation over wide ranges of temperature and air gaps, wherein an array is defined as having three or more MR elements.
The present invention is a compact and inexpensive single die having at least one MR array composed of a plurality of MR elements, wherein each MR element is composed of a number of serially connected MR segments. The MR elements are arranged and configured so as to produce a variety of MR array geometries suitable for specialized angular sensing schemes.
The present invention is a noncontacting large angular range (approaching 180 degrees) angular magnetoresistor position sensor array incorporated on a die capable of self compensation over wide temperature ranges and air gaps.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an MR array is formed of a plurality of MR elements, wherein each MR element is composed of a plurality of uniformly arranged, serially connected MR segments. The arrangement is such as to provide an MR array suitable for angular sensing schemes wherein angular measurement redundancy is incorporated therein.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an MR array is formed of a plurality of MR elements, wherein each MR element is composed of a plurality of uniformly arranged, serially connected MR segments. The arrangement is such as to provide an MR array suitable for angular sensing schemes wherein angular measurement redundancy and reference redundancy are incorporated therein.
According to a preferred method of fabrication, an indium antimonide epitaxial film is formed, then masked and etched to thereby provide epitaxial mesas characterizing the MR elements. Shorting bars, preferably of gold, are thereupon deposited, wherein the epitaxial mesa not covered by the shorting bars provides the MR segments. The techniques for fabricating epitaxial mesas with shorting bars are elaborated in U.S. Pat. No 5,153,557, issued Oct. 6, 1992, U.S. Pat. No 5,184,106, issued Feb. 2, 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,461, issued Feb. 13, 1996, each of which being hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an MR die comprising at least one MR array according to the first and second aspects of the present invention which is capable of detecting angular movement of a ferromagnetic or magnetic target in relation to the MR array.
This and additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following specification of a preferred embodiment.

Magnetoresistor sensor die with an array of MRs


The cross direction tensile strength of a carded web is increased by 30% to 50%, without a decrease in machine direction tensile strength, by realigning the fibers of the carded web at least partially in the cross direction. In the preferred embodiment, an air blower manifold is arranged above a scrambler roll onto which a carded web is transferred from a doffer roll at the output end of a conventional card. The air blower manifold has a plurality of louvers spaced across the width of the web in the cross direction for realigning the fibers in the cross direction. The increase in cross directional tensile strength is obtained in the resulting bonded, hydroentangled, and other nonwoven fabrics.

Nonwoven fabrics are conventionally manufactured from webs of staple fibers which are provided, through various bonding techniques, with structural integrity and desired fabric characteristics. Dry-laid techniques in which nonwoven webs are mechanically, chemically and/or thermally bonded are among the most widely utilized processes for manufacturing nonwoven fabrics.
Conventional nonwoven process lines employ carding apparatus to process staple fibers for use in nonwoven fabrics. In the carding process staple fibers are opened, aligned, and formed into a continuous sliver or web free of impurities. An exemplary carding apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,118 to Ruffo et al.
The art has recognized that fiber orientation within nonwoven web materials employed in dry-laid processes correlates to physical properties in the bonded and processed nonwoven fabrics. Fibers in carded webs are characterized by machine direction ("MD") and cross-direction ("CD") web axes. MD and CD fiber orientations respectively refer to orientation in the process and cross directions on nonwoven process lines. The predominance of MD fiber orientation yields fabrics which have correspondingly enhanced MD and diminished CD tensile strength.
To provide uniform tensile strength characteristics in nonwoven fabrics, the art has introduced techniques which randomize the fibers in the web prior to bonding. For example, it is known in the art to employ airlay systems to randomize carded web materials. Such systems typically include disperser mechanisms which disperse fibers from a mat composed of fibers into a turbulent air stream for randomization and collection on web forming screens. Such apparatus have proved satisfactory in producing randomized web materials, however, this approach requires mechanically complex apparatus which is quite expensive and can be limited in width and speed. Exemplary airlay systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,900,921 to Zafiroglu and 4,089,086 to Contractor et al.
Another approach of the art is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,358 to H. H. Schiess in which web fiber orientation is modified through adjustment of the angle of interface between a card cylinder and doffing belt in a conventional card. The card cylinder is positioned to rotate in a plane which is angularly offset from the machine direction of the card line and doffing belt to impart cross-directional mechanical movement of the web fibers and enhanced fiber randomization. This approach requires use of complex apparatus and retooling of conventional process lines.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the art has long recognized a need to enhance CD tensile strengths in nonwoven webs but has not proposed an entirely satisfactory means of achieving this objective. There is need in the art for an apparatus and process which can be integrated with conventional nonwoven production lines without requirement of extensive and costly retooling.
Accordingly, it is a broad object of the invention to provide an apparatus for enhancing fiber uniformity and CD tensile strength in carded nonwoven webs which is of simple design, can be integrated with conventional nonwoven production lines, and is adaptable to accommodate the different widths and configurations of such conventional nonwoven production lines.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and process for realigning fibers in carded nonwoven webs which obtain improved production line efficiencies and process speeds.
Another object of the invention is to produce carded nonwoven webs having tensile strength characteristics which are improved over the prior art scrambler webs.

Apparatus and method for use in-line with a card to enhance tensile strength in nonwoven materials


A cryopump is regenerated by roughing the cryopump during purging. Purging and roughing is carried out in first a high temperature mode and then a lower ambient temperature mode. In the lower temperature mode, the cryogenic refrigerator is turned on. If the system fails a rough test after roughing at the lower temperature, it is repurged with the rough valve open.

Cryogenic vacuum pumps, or cryopumps, currently available generally follow a common design concept. A low temperature array, usually operating in the range of 4 to 25K, is the primary pumping surface. This surface is surrounded by a higher temperature radiation shield, usually operated in the temperature range of 60 to 130K, which provides radiation shielding to the lower temperature array. The radiation shield generally comprises a housing which is closed except at a frontal array positioned between the primary pumping surface and a work chamber to be evacuated.
In operation, high boiling point gases such as water vapor are condensed on the frontal array. Lower boiling point gases pass through that array and into the volume within the radiation shield and condense on the lower temperature array. A surface coated with an adsorbent such as charcoal or a molecular sieve operating at or below the temperature of the colder array may also be provided in this volume to remove the very low boiling point gases such as hydrogen. With the gases thus condensed and/or adsorbed onto the pumping surfaces, a vacuum is created in the work chamber.
In systems cooled by closed cycle coolers, the cooler is typically a two-stage refrigerator having a cold finger which extends through the rear or side of the radiation shield. High pressure helium refrigerant is generally delivered to the cryocooler through high pressure lines from a compressor assembly. Electrical power to a displacer drive motor in the cooler is usually also delivered through the compressor or a controller assembly.
The cold end of the second, coldest stage of the cryocooler is at the tip of the cold finger. The primary pumping surface, or cryopanel, is connected to a heat sink at the coldest end of the second stage of the cold finger. This cryopanel may be a simple metal plate or cup or an array of metal baffles arranged around and connected to the second-stage heat sink. This second-stage cryopanel also supports the low temperature adsorbent.
The radiation shield is connected to a heat sink, or heat station, at the coldest end of the first stage of the refrigerator. The shield surrounds the second-stage cryopanel in such a way as to protect it from radiant heat. The frontal array is cooled by the first-stage heat sink by attachment to the radiation shield or, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,810, through thermal struts.
After several days or weeks of use, the gases which have condensed onto the cryopanels, and in particular the gases which are adsorbed, begin to saturate the cryopump. A regeneration procedure must then be followed to warm the cryopump and thus release the gases and remove the gases from the system. As the gases evaporate, the pressure in the cryopump increases, and the gases are exhausted through a relief valve. During regeneration, the cryopump is often purged with warm nitrogen gas. The nitrogen gas hastens warming of the cryopanels and also serves to flush water and other vapors from the cryopump. Nitrogen is the usual purge gas because it is relatively inert, and is available free of water vapor. It is usually delivered from a nitrogen storage bottle through a transfer line and a purge valve coupled to the cryopump.
After the cryopump is purged, it must be rough pumped to produce a vacuum around the cryopumping surfaces and cold finger which reduces heat transfer by gas conduction and thus enables the cryocooler to cool to normal operating temperatures. The roughing pump is generally a mechanical pump coupled through a fluid line to a roughing valve mounted to the cryopump.
Control of the regeneration process is facilitated by temperature sensors coupled to the cold finger heat stations. Thermocouple pressure gauges have also been used with cryopumps. Although regeneration may be controlled by manually turning the cryocooler off and on and manually controlling the purge and roughing valves, a separate regeneration controller is used in more sophisticated systems. Wires from the controller are coupled to each of the sensors, the cryocooler motor and the valves to be actuated. A cryopump having an integral electronic controller is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,930.
The typical regeneration process takes several hours during which the manufacturing or other process for which the cryopump creates a vacuum must idle. Substantial efforts have been made to reduce that regeneration time.

Purge and rough cryopump regeneration process, cryopump and controller


A portable stationary bicycle trainer comprises a main frame having a top end and a bottom end and having handlebars attached to the top end thereof. A support member having a first end and a second end is connected at its first end to the main frame. A plurality of pedals are rotatably engaged to the main frame at a position adjacent to the first end of the support member. An arcuately shaped base having varied topography that simulates outdoor variable-grade terrain is connected to the bottom end of the main frame and the second end of the support member. The portable stationary bicycle trainer simultaneously provides the user with leg exercise and core muscle strength training.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an exercise stationary bicycle and, in particular, to a lightweight portable stationary bicycle trainer for simulating travel across outdoor variable-grade terrain while simultaneously providing the user with leg exercise and core muscle strength training.
2. Description of the Related Art
Core muscle strength training plays a crucial role and is essential in achieving maximum beneficial results during exercise. Core muscles comprise the muscles of the upper and front part of a user's body, including the obliques, abdominals, sides, and hip flexors.
Several different types of stationary bicycle trainer devices are currently available to allow users to simulate outdoor riding conditions. However, the majority of bicycle trainers are designed with a heavy base to provide a stable, adjustable, yet unmovable apparatus. Many are fully contained, highly adjustable units having a manually or computer modulated resistance device. Though effective for building strength in the legs, these units can be ridden without stimulating the muscles in the upper body or abdomen.
Spinner classes—indoor cycling classes where participants engage in a group workout on exercise bicycles—attempt to integrate movement into the routine by standing for periods and adjusting the resistance. But these do not address the changes one would see in lateral issues or incline issues and are unnatural in their body positions.
When one considers the dynamics of riding on mountain trails or the requirements of efficiency for road riders, bicycle trainers currently available limit the true benefits one can derive from a workout. Without core strength, riders are limited in their ability to right themselves from a fall or accurately position themselves to overcome an obstacle. Leg strength and cardiovascular gains may still be had with traditional trainers, but the less obvious core strength that a user gains outdoors is lost.
The present invention corrects the shortcomings of the currently available stationary bicycle trainer devices. In the present invention, a user's muscles (both her core and leg muscle groups) are worked more intensely than is done during the activity itself, e.g., bike riding, through the use of a lightweight base platform that is more dynamic than a bicycle. Coupled with variable resistance and/or the addition of weights, a total weight style workout is achieved through the simultaneous exercise of leg and core muscle groups.
A truly portable stationary bicycle should be lightweight and easy to transport from one location to another. The user should be able to use a portable stationary bicycle in the same space occupied by a conventional chair. Accordingly, there is a need for a lightweight, compact, easy to use, assemble and disassemble, and easy to transport portable stationary bicycle.


A polyarylene sulfide resin particulate has a mean particle diameter from more than 1 μm to 100 the uniformity is 4 or less, the melt viscosity measured at temperature of 300° C. and shear rate of 1216 sec−1 is 150 to 500 Pa·s, and the recrystallization temperature, defined as temperature of the heat generation peak at the time of crystallization when cooled from 340° C. to 50° C. at 20° C./min using a differential scanning calorimeter, is 150 to 210° C. The polyarylene sulfide resin particulate is suitable as a material powder for producing a three-dimensional molding by a powder sintering three-dimensional printer can be provided efficiently.

A technique called Rapid Prototyping (RP) is known as a technique to form a three-dimensional object. With that technique, each layer is formed along a cross-sectional shape sliced to shape an object with respect to the laminating direction calculated with data (STL (Standard Triangulated Language) formatted data) which describes a surface of three-dimensional shape with collective triangles. To shape a three-dimensional object, it is possible to employ a known method such as Fused Deposition Molding (FDM), the UV curing ink jetting method, Stereo Lithography (SL), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and ink-jet binder method. Above all, it is advantageous to employ the Selective Laser Sintering which sequentially repeats a thin layer formation process to develop the thin layer with powder and a cross-section shape formation process to bind the powder with the formed thin layer by irradiating a laser to a shape corresponding to the cross-section of a shaped object, because the SLS is suitable for precision shaping more than other shaping methods and doesn't require support members. JP 2004-184606-A discloses a method of manufacturing an artificial bone model from powder mixture of synthetic resin powder of 30 to 90 wt % and inorganic filler of 10 to 70 wt %. Such a technique is promising as a method of manufacturing a complicated shape being hardly manufactured by a conventional molding method represented by injection molding and extrusion molding.
Conventional powder materials used with a powder sintering three-dimensional printer are made of thermoplastic resin such as polyamide 11 and polyamide 12 having a low melting point. Therefore, a three-dimensional molding shaped by a powder sintering three-dimensional printer can only be used as model or prototype requiring strength or heat resistance less than that of mounted members.
PolyArylene Sulfide (which may be abbreviated to PAS) such as PolyPhenylene Sulfide (which may be abbreviated to PPS) has excellent characteristics such as heat resistance, barrier characteristics, chemical resistance, electric insulation and moist heat resistance desirable for engineering plastics, and is used as various electric/electronic parts, machine parts and automotive parts, film, fiber and the like, manufactured mainly by injection molding or extrusion molding. However, currently available PAS doesn't have characteristics desirable for the powder sintering three-dimensional printer.
JP-H7-62240-A discloses a manufacturing method of PAS resin particulate, having a high melt viscosity, but has a broad particle size distribution and a high uniformity being not desirable for the powder sintering three-dimensional printer.
JP 2005-14214-A discloses a method of preparing PPS resin particulate having a narrow particle size distribution by cooling and precipitating the PPS dissolved in a solvent at a high temperature. However, such a method cannot shape a three-dimensional molding having a sufficiently high strength because of low melt viscosity of the PAS resin.
Accordingly, it could be helpful to efficiently prepare a polyarylene sulfide resin particulate as a powder material desirable to shape a three-dimensional molding with a powdery sintering three-dimensional printer.

Polyarylene sulfide resin particulate and method of producing same


An encryption circuit that operates with substantially zero delay. Using programmable keys and polynomials, the encryption algorithm can be constantly changed to thwart any unintended receiving parties from decoding the data. A key (101) and a polynomial (102) are loaded into registers. The key is then loaded into a shift register and shifted through XOR gates (106) at a programmable rate. The other input of the XOR gates come from the result of ANDing (103) a disable signal, the polynomial register (102), and the last stage of the shift register (104). Eight bits of the shift register outputs are XOR'ed with the input data to be encrypted. The output of these XOR gates (105) is the encrypted data.

Businesses typically transmit data using radio communications and telephonic communications. This data may be related to the operations of the business or businesses and should be kept secret. Data transmitted in this manner can be received by competitors of the intended party and used for the competitor's gain and/or the intended party's detriment.
One solution to this problem is to encrypt the data before transmission and decrypt the data after reception. The encryption is typically done with an encryption circuit using a key and polynomial that manipulates the data. An example of an encryption circuit is illustrated in FIG. 1. The data to be encrypted is clocked through the shift registers serially. Certain shift register outputs are fed back to be logically exclusive OR'ed with the output of the previous stage. The polynomial is determined by which stages are fed back. The key determines the initial state of the shift register. The output of the circuit is the encrypted data that is a representation of the original data but gives no indication as to the original data. When the encrypted data is received, it is typically decrypted using the same circuit and therefore the same key and polynomial used to encrypt the data.
Ideally, only the intended party will have the key and polynomial used to encrypt the data and therefore have the ability to decrypt the data. Because the polynomial doesn't change, however, a competing party with the knowledge and facilities for breaking the code has plenty of time to decipher it. An additional problem is that if the polynomial is changed by moving the feedback paths, the data with the shift registers must be shifted out using the old encryption before the new encryption can begin. Also, the serial shifting of data to be encrypted creates a delay between the time the data is input to the circuit to the time it is output as encrypted data. This creates a need for an encryption circuit with substantially zero delay that uses programmable keys and polynomials to make decryption more difficult for unintended parties.


Provided are a method and apparatus for performing logged measurement in a wireless communication system. A terminal receives measurement setup and a terminal selection parameter from a base station. The terminal determines whether to apply the measurement setup on the basis of the terminal selection parameter. If it is determined that the measurement setup is to be applied, the terminal performs measurement logging on the basis of the measurement setup.

3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) is an improved version of a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) and is introduced as the 3GPP release 8. The 3GPP LTE uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in a downlink, and uses single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) in an uplink. The 3GPP LTE employs multiple input multiple output (MIMO) having up to four antennas. In recent years, there is an ongoing discussion on 3GPP LTE-advanced (LTE-A) that is an evolution of the 3GPP LTE.
The Minimization of Driving Tests (MDT) is a test in which service providers perform tests for coverage optimization using terminals instead of using vehicles. Coverage is changed depending on the position of a base station, the deployment of surrounding buildings, and use environments of users. Accordingly, a service provider needs to perform a driving test periodically, and thus lots of costs and resources are consumed. The MDT is a test in which a service provider measures coverage using terminals.
The MDT may be divided into a logged MDT and an immediate MDT. In accordance with the logged MDT, a terminal performs MDT measurement and then transfers logged measurement to a network at a specific point of time. In accordance with the immediate MDT, a terminal performs MDT measurement and transfers the measurement to a network when a report condition is satisfied. In the logged MDT, MDT measurement is performed in RRC idle mode, but in the immediate MDT, MDT measurement is performed in RRC connected mode.
As measurement in various RRC modes, such as MDT, appears, it is necessary to configure a measurement configuration more flexibly.

Method and apparatus for performing logged measurement in a wireless communication system


Self-adhesive wound suture plaster with a carrier material, especially in strip form, of an elastic knitted or woven fabric, sheet or nonwoven, which is characterized in that the carrier strip extends under the action of a pulling force and, after this action of force has ended, virtually returns completely to the original length.. Preferably, the carrier strip undergoes a length extension of between about 2 and 10% under the action of a pulling force of 5 N/cm, a length extension of between about 5 and 15% at 10 N/cm and a length extension of between about 15 and 30% at 20 N/cm.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a self-adhesive wound suture plaster with an elastic carrier material.
(2) Description of Related Art
Wound suture plasters are used for closing or fixing skin lesions. They consist in general of a strip-shaped carrier material which is coated wholly or partially with an adhesive composition, and, when they are used, they are stuck across the wound in order to hold the edges of the wound together. The intended result is that, in contrast to stitched wound edges, hardly any visible scars remain after complete healing.
As carrier materials for such wound suture plasters, the most diverse woven fabrics, nonwovens or sheets have hitherto already been proposed or used. Some of these materials, on the one hand, may be adaptable and highly permeable to air and water vapour but are unyielding, such as, for example, according to German Utility Model No. 7,032,197, and some are, on the other hand, made to be elastic and very yielding during the wound healing process, such as, for example, according to European Published Application No. 28,452, European Published Application No. 230,373 and German Offenlegungsschrift No. 3,524,315.
Although these elastic wound closure strips of polyurethane sheet, embossed nonwoven or polymer material cut at an angle to the main stretching axis yield plastically during the healing process of a wound, which process is as a rule characterized by a more or less extensive swelling of the tissue due to oedema formation, and thus prevent damage to the tissue caused by undue compression, their tensioning force is too low to ensure closure of the wound in an optimum manner. After the swelling has subsided, an undesirably wide scar forms as a rule over the wound fissure region as a result of the plastic extension of these products.
It was the object of the invention to develop a wound suture plaster which completely adapts itself to the physiological healing process of a scar and, at any time during this process, ensures tension-free but firm cohesion of the edges of the wound.


Phase change ink comprising an ink vehicle that includes at least one amphiphilic molecule. The amphiphilic molecule is capable of co-crystallizing into the at least one wax monomer to form functionalized spherulites which are then capable of hydrogen bonding to other similarly functionalized spherulites to form a bonded network of spherulites. Increased adhesive and cohesive strength of the ink on paper can result, thereby generating a robust image.

The present disclosure generally relates to phase change inks, particularly phase change ink compositions containing an amphiphilic molecule, and the use of such inks in methods for forming images, particularly their use in ink jet printing.
The inks herein are advantageous in adhesive and cohesive strength, while being able to achieve robustness and flexibility.

Phase change ink containing amphiphilic molecule


An electrical connector box having a thin cross section by positioning the fuse receptacle and connector receptacles to the lateral sides of the case. An internal circuit block is located over the lower case; a relay module, on which multiple relays are installed on an insulator board, is located on the internal circuit block at the central region of the case; and a fuse module, on which multiple fuses are installed; and connector modules, on which multiple connector receptacles are respectively installed, are located externally around the perimeter of the relay module. An upper case covers the relay module, fuse module, and connector modules, and the fuse module and the connector modules are externally exposed in the horizontal direction between the lower case and the upper case.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector box, and more particularly to an electrical connector box including improved positioning of a relay module, fuse module, and connector module provided therein to reduce the height dimension of the electrical connector box.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 2000-92660 is an example of a prior art automotive electrical connector box structure. The electrical connector box, as illustrated in FIG. 7, includes horizontal bus bars 5A through 5D alternately located between respective insulator boards 4A through 4D in a stacked configuration, tabs 5a that bend from bus bars 5A-5D at required locations, connector receptacle 6, relay receptacle 7, and fuse receptacle 8 extending outward from upper case 2 and lower case 3.
The electrical connector box 1 described by the JP 2000-92660, however, includes connector receptacle 6, relay receptacle 7, and fuse receptacle 8 which house electrical components such as connectors, relays, and fuses, and positions the receptacles on the external sides of upper case 2 and lower case 3 so as to project upward and downward therefrom, thus creating a structure that makes it difficult to reduce the height of the electrical connector box.
Further, Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 2002-27634 describes electrical connector box 100 that, as shown in FIG. 8, includes multiple relays 101 fixedly mounted to baseboard 102 within a case, and tabs 104 which connect to the conductors of electronic baseboard 103 and extend horizontally into connector receptacle 105.
Electrical connector box 100, however, as described by JP 2002-27634, utilizes tabs 106 that connect to wires 'w' of the internal circuit by extending into connector receptacle 108 on the external side of upper case 107. Because the plug-in connector that joins to wires 'w' of the internal circuit must be inserted from the top of upper case 107 (lower region of FIG. 8), it becomes difficult to reduce the thickness of the electrical connector box, and thus electrical connector box 100 exhibits the same shortcoming as previously described electrical connector box 1.
In particular, in applications where the electrical connector box is located within the instrument panel in front of the front seat, it is preferable that space be provided between the electrical connector box and instrument panel in order to provide a crush space that allows the instrument panel to bend inward in order to reduce the shock of collision should a quick stop result in the passenger striking the instrument panel. The space between the electrical connector box and instrument panel must be maintained even though the space within the instrument panel is limited. A problem exists in that no effort has been made to form the electrical connector box to thinner cross section.


To provide an electric motor control system and an electric power steering apparatus that torque of the electric motor can be increased for ensuring of steering performance even at the time of abnormality occurrence. The controller is provided with 2 sets of control systems which control a supply current to each set of the windings. When abnormality occurs in one set of the windings and the control system, the electric motor control system sets 0 to supply current to all phase or partial phase windings of abnormality occurrence set, and increase supply current to normal set of the windings up to an irreversible current that increase an irreversible demagnetizing factor of the permanent magnet more than the normal time.

With regard to the above electric motor control system, the technology described in PLT 1 is already known. In the technology of PLT 1, a supply current to 2 sets of the windings provided in the electric motor is controlled by 2 sets of control systems. In the technology of PLT 1, when abnormality occurs in one set, a supply current to the windings of the abnormality occurrence set is set to 0, and drive of the electric motor is continued by performing electric power supply to the normal set of the windings.

Electric motor control system and electric power steering apparatus therewith


A method and apparatus provides a method for polishing a surface of a substrate with a polishing pad. The surface of the substrate is polished using the polishing pad. The surface of the substrate is deformed in response to changes in the polishing pad, wherein deformation of the surface of the substrate increases uniformity in polishing of the surface of the substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, and in particular to chemical mechanical polishing of substrates. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for actively adjusting conditions used in chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate to improve polishing uniformity of the substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In certain technologies, such as integrated circuit fabrication, optical device manufacture and the like, it is often crucial to the fabrication processes involved that the workpiece from which the integrated circuit, optical, or other device is to be formed have a substantially planar front surface and, for certain applications, have both a planar front surface and back surface.
One process for providing such a planar surface is to scour the surface of the substrate with a conformable polishing pad, commonly referred to as "mechanical polishing". When a chemical slurry is used in conjunction with the pad, the combination of slurry and pad generally provides a higher material removal rate than is possible with mere mechanical polishing. This combined chemical and mechanical polishing, commonly referred to as "CMP", is considered an improvement over mere mechanical polishing processes for planarizing or polishing substrates. The CMP technique is common for the manufacture of semiconductor wafers used for the fabrication of integrated circuit die.
Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is performed in the processing of semiconductor wafers and/or chips on commercially available polishers, such as the Westech 372/372M polishers. The standard CMP tools have a circular polishing table and a rotating carrier for holding the substrate.
Difficulties exist ensuring uniformity of polishing of a substrate, such as a silicon wafer using CMP processes. For example, in FIG. 1, a portion of CMP tool 100 is illustrated. CMP tool 100 includes a wafer carrier 102, which provides a vacuum and back pressure through plenum area 104 and holes 106. A vacuum is employed to cause surface 108 of substrate 110 to adhere to wafer carrier 102. CMP tool 100 also includes a primary polish pad 112, which is coupled to primary platen 114. Both wafer carrier 102 and primary platen 114 rotate during CMP processes to polish surface 116 of substrate 110. During rotation, rebound, and other dynamics involving primary polish pad 112 results in deformities of primary polish pad 112, as shown in section 118 of primary polish pad 112. These deformities, resulting from factors, such as pad rebound, result in lower polish rates near edge 120 of substrate 110. Higher polish rates occur just inside edge 120 of substrate 110. In particular, valley 122 and valley 124 result in less polishing occurring in section 126 and section 128 of polish surface 116. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for CMP that provides for more uniformity of the substrate surface from polishing of the substrate.

Method and apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing


An adjustable stand for rotatably and releaseably supporting a flat panel display is disclosed together with a display device usable with the stand. The display includes a boss projecting from a rear surface thereof, which boss is received in an arc-shaped channel in a plate portion of the stand. The stand further includes two hingedly connected legs and selective locking devices for controlling the angle between the legs, thereby allowing the stand hold the display in a variety of orientations with respect to a horizontal support surface.

Flat panel displays, which may comprise, for example, liquid crystal displays ("LCD's"), are becoming increasingly common and are often used as monitors for personal computers, replacing the bulky cathode ray tube ("CRT") monitors that have heretofore been used. When used for this purpose, the displays are normally rectangular and are mounted on a user's desk in front of a keyboard with the long dimension of the rectangular panel oriented horizontally in what is commonly referred to as "landscape" orientation. Flat panel displays are thinner and lighter than CRT's and thus take up far less space on a desktop or workspace. Their light weight also allows them to be positioned more easily than CRT's, and supports are known that allow such flat panel displays to be tilted or to be rotated between a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation wherein the longer dimension of the screen is vertical. An example of a tiltable display is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,368, and an example of a rotatable displays is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,850.
Flat panels displays are also used in PED's where they are integrated with a digitizing tablet using, for example, electromagnetic resonance technology and a pen-like input device. A PED allows a computer user to move a screen cursor, click on icons, draw in an application, or otherwise interact with a computer operating system or its resident applications by means of a pen that is moved to the appropriate location on the screen. The screen cursor follows the location of the pen, and pressing the tip switch of the pen to the display or pressing a switch on the pen causes a desired action to occur. The location of the pen on or above the display screen may be determined by a number of different technologies, such as electromagnetic resonance (as in tablets made by Wacom Technology Company), resistive, capacitive or other touch-sensitive films, and other sensing technologies that are well known in the art. PED's may be connected to a separate computer unit through a wired or wireless connection, or may be integrated with a computer as in so-called Tablet PC's or hand-held Palm brand electronic organizers. When the digitizing tablet in the PED is able to detect the amount of force with which the pen is pressed against the surface of the display (e.g. by means of a tip pressure sensor in the pen, or if the touch-sensitive film is able to detect the amount of pressure applied to it with the pen tip), varying the pressure applied with the pen can affect the appearance of the image created on the screen, allowing the user to work with the PED in much the same way he works with pen and paper.
One example of a PED is available from Wacom Technology Company under the brand name "Cintiq 15X." This device includes a screen mounted in a housing and a leg projecting from the housing rear that allows the screen to be inclined at a small angle when the PED is used for drawing or at a larger angle when the device is used primarily as a display. However, the leg is not removable, making the device difficult to support on one's lap, and does not permit the screen and housing to be rotated.
For greater comfort while drawing, and to facilitate accurate curves and pencil strokes, traditional artists and animators working on paper often rotate the paper, adjust its incline on a stand, or hold it on their lap. Such users may also wish to use a PED in a similar manner or to rest the lower edge of the PED in their lap and the back side against a desk or table. Stands are known that allow a flat panel display to be rotated or tilted, but these stands usually support displays at some distance above a surface so that they can be viewed as a monitor and cannot readily be disconnected from a display to allow the display to be used apart from the stand. And, while such supports are generally adequate for supporting a flat screen in a generally vertical display orientation or in a relatively horizontal drawing mode, they do not allow a display to be removed for lap use. It would therefore be desirable to provide a stand for a display that accomplishes these objectives and that also allows the display to be rotated between landscape and portrait orientations and to be readily detached so that the display device can be used as a tablet on a person's lap.

Stand for supporting a display in multiple orientations and a display used in combination with said stand


An image forming device comprises an image-processing unit which performs a predetermined image processing of an input image data. An output unit prints an image on a copy sheet based on the image data after the image processing. A Z-folding device is connected to the output unit and performs a Z folding of the copy sheet. A control unit controls the image-processing unit and the Z-folding device so that the image data is rotated in a direction conforming to a Z-folding direction specified by a user, and the Z folding of the copy sheet is controlled with the rotated image data.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, an image processing method, a program and a recording medium, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, such as a laser beam printer, a digital copier or a digital multi-function peripheral, that is equipped with the Z-folding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the spreading of the computers and the printers, abundant document data are created individually. And the sheet forms of various sizes, such as A4, A3, B4, and B5, are used for printing the created data.
To bind up the two or more sheets of such various sizes carrying the printed data into one volume, it is necessary that the sheets of the reference size are set up, the sheets of the size larger than the reference size are folded to match the reference size, and the punch holes are formed and the staplers are fastened.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-020163 discloses the Z folding mechanism in which the sheet folding position can be easily changed and the sheets are folded certainly at the desired folding position.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-141793 discloses the print card creation device which uses the roll in which the continuous paper extending in the direction of the length and having the fixed width is wounded around the cylindrical core, and forms the image on the card-like medium such as the greeting card. With the print card creation device, the print card suitable for the double folding or triple folding can be provided.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-092307 discloses the image processing device in which the size of the output sheet form and the folding setting are inputted, the position of the folding line or frame is set up based on the input folding setting, and the size of the output image and/or the arrangement of the folding are set up based on the line or the frame.
In the conventional Z-folding device described above, only the folding of the sheet sizes A3 and B4 is possible and all the sheets in which the sheet feeding is possible are folded. However, when the printing is performed with the sheets of various sizes, or when the copy sheets of various sizes in which the data is printed are created, the user is not uncertain at which position the sheets being printed or copied are folded, where the punch holes or the staplers are formed, and in which direction the paper is delivered.

Image forming apparatus, image processing method, program and recording medium


The present invention is a liquid protectant which protects and extends the life of anti-reflective, hydrophobic (water repellent) and mirror coatings and all types of plastic lenses from scratches, abrasions and xe2x80x9cwear-offxe2x80x9d of the coatings by upgrading the performance of cleaning liquids and provides the highest level of protection against abrasion as well as optical clarity, ease of cleaning and anti-static properties. The present invention apparatus and method of producing the same is used to both clean and coat all types of optical lenses which includes a coating in the nature of an optical lens coating which bonds to the exterior surface of an anti-reflective coated optical lens to create a barrier between the anti-reflective coating and the cleaning surfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cleaning solutions and coating solutions which are used to both clean and coat optical lenses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, lenses incur the greatest surface damage, abrasion and the xe2x80x9cwear-offxe2x80x9d or cracking and peeling of the anti-reflective and hydrophobic and mirror coatings during the cleaning process. This is due to the fact that most lense cleaning formulations available on the market today are still made of simple formulas comprised of diluted solutions of surfactants in water and alcohol. An anti-reflective coated lense cleaned with a regular alcohol based cleaner will end up with a xe2x80x9csqueakyxe2x80x9d clean surface that ultimately is worn off by the friction generated through the rubbing process. In addition, static build-up generated by the friction will have a magnetic attraction effect on new dust particles contributing to future abrasion.
Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved solution which both cleans and covers and protects the anti-reflective and hydrophobic (water repellent) and mirror coating in all types of lenses with added anti-static properties.
The present invention is a liquid protectant which protects and extends the life of anti-reflective, hydrophobic (water repellent) and mirror coatings and all types of plastic lenses from scratches, abrasions and xe2x80x9cwear-offxe2x80x9d of the coatings by upgrading the performance of cleaning liquids and provides the highest level of protection against abrasion as well as optical clarity, case of cleaning and anti-static properties.
The present invention apparatus and method of producing the same is used to both clean and coat all types of optical lenses which includes a coating in the nature of an optical lense coating which bonds to the exterior surface of an anti-reflective coated optical lense to create a barrier between the anti-reflective coating and the cleaning surfaces.
Further, the present invention is an optical lense cleaning preparation for use with eyeglasses, sunglasses, camera lenses, computer screens and cd roms.
It has been discovered, according to the present invention, that by combining a combination of novel chemicals, as will be discussed hereafter, the present invention creates a protective cleaning and coating surface which will stand up to the most rigorous testing.
For use of the present invention, it has been discovered that by adding chemicals which are improvements over the standard alcohol based cleaner, significant properties to both protect and clean lenses are achieved.
It has been discovered that a combination of deionized water to function as a solvent, polydimethylsiloxane (of low viscosity) which functions as a gloss and water repellant, ethoxylated fatty alcohol which functions as a surfactant, mixed parabens and sodium parabens which functions as a preservative, and silica which functions as a thickener and to reduce abrasiveness, combines to create a very novel and improved solution which can be used to clean and thereafter temporarily coat anti-reflective, hydrophobic and mirror coatings on all types of lenses which are used with eyeglasses, sunglasses, camera lenses, computer screens, and cd roms.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a new and improved liquid cleaning preparation which will also serve to coat lenses so that lenses retain their anti-reflective, hydrophobic, and mirror image coatings while being cleaned and at the same time coated with a protectant to enhance the life of the optical features of the lens.
It is a further object of the present invention to avoid the problems associated with prior art cleaning formulas comprised of diluted solutions of surfactants in water and alcohol so that lenses will be cleaned in a safe manner without scratching and without creating abrasions or opportunity for dust to attach onto the lens.
Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims.

Apparatus for and method of producing liquid to clean and coat surfaces


A method for use in a voice mail reply apparatus having first and second memories for storing audio information, including the steps of storing a voice mail message in the first memory, starting the playback of the voice mail message from the first memory and simultaneously storing the voice mail message in the second memory while the voice mail message is being played back, interrupting the playback of the voice mail message from the first memory, recording a response in the second memory, and sending the voice mail message and the response stored in the second memory to the voice mail originator.

The present invention relates to a voice mail reply command system for use in office voice mail systems and personal telephone answering machines. More particularly, the voice mail reply command system is useful in circumstances where the person leaving the message asks a series of questions, and the person receiving the message wants to answer during the message playback.
Currently, there are a variety of systems for recording telephone messages when a telephone call is not answered. These systems include voice mail systems used primarily in offices, and telephone answering machines used primarily by individuals in their homes.
Telephone answering machines originally used analog cassette tapes to record messages but with the progress of digital technology many now use digital solid-state memories. These digital telephone answering machines allow their designers to be more creative by including the date and time the message was received ("date and time stamp") and allowing the user to delete selected messages without disturbing others, for example.
Recently, devices and systems that can find out the telephone number of the caller have been developed and are available in most areas in the United States. These systems are known as "caller ID" systems and can be used to store the telephone number of the caller.
When a user receives a message it is common for the message to have several questions or segments that require comment. Currently, the person receiving the message must manually take notes and initiate a second call to respond to the call, thereby making the process cumbersome, time consuming, and inefficient.


A method and apparatus for determining color blend of a computer graphical object involves providing a plurality of interactive control points, with each of the control points having an associated color value; and calculating a color value of each portion of the object depending on its relative position to the control points. Preferably, the number of control points is two. Preferably, the position or associated color value of each of the control points can be interactively altered and the method further comprises the step of recalculating the color values of each portion of the object when the control points are altered. Preferably, the portions of the object having a projection outside a line taken between the two control points are determined to have a color substantially the same as the closest one of the control points (5,6).

In a recent years, as computers have become ever more powerful, there has been a proliferation of software application packages for designing and creating complex full-color images that can be subsequently printed out using color printing devices. The quality of such images created readily achieves, or surpasses, that capable of being achieved even with photographic images. Consequently, an industry has developed around the creation of such images employing a large number of graphic artists and the like whose occupation is to create complex and appealing images for general public consumption.
The complex images created by software application packages (such as Adobe's Photoshop and Illustrator (Trade Marks), Quark's Express (Trade Mark) and other packages of the same ilk) generally consist of a large number of substantially independent objects which are often independently created by the graphic artist. One attribute sometimes found in such software application packages is the ability to create blends between a first color and second color and to apply the blend to any of the objects.
By way of example, a circle 1 is shown in FIG. 1 which is a simple object from which other more complex objects can be made up. This object 1 has a predefined blend from a first dark color 2 to a second lighter color 3.
Although such blends are known in software application packages such as the ones mentioned above, such conventional software application packages disadvantageously do not allow for the manipulation of a blend. For example, they do not enable a fine alternation of a blend to a slightly different color.

Canon Information Systems Research Australia Pty Ltd


In a semiconductor substrate, a method of forming a shallow isolation trench having a doped sidewall is disclosed. A shallow trench having nearly vertical walls is formed in the semiconductor substrate. A doped silicon layer is selectively grown on a sidewall and a portion of the bottom of the trench. The dopant from the silicon layer is then driven into the substrate by a suitable method such as annealing. The trench is subsequently filled with a dielectric material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of forming shallow semiconductor device isolation trenches.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Semiconductor integrated circuit devices, especially very large scale integrated circuits ("VLSI"), such as high density memory products like Dynamic Random Access Memories are becoming more and more dense, i.e., more transistors in a given area. These products are continually requiring smaller and smaller transistors. In high density VLSI's, it is necessary to electrically isolate adjoining transistors. Isolation trenches filled with a dielectric, normally Silicondioxide, are presently being used to isolate adjacent transistors and other devices which require isolation. In the state of the art VLSI's, the minimum feature size has reached submicron level. It is, therefore, extremely desirable to make isolation trenches as small and as reliable as possible.
Shallow trench isolation has been proposed as a means to achieve reliable submicron isolation trenches. In CMOS technology, an inherent difficulty in obtaining adequate N-Channel MOSFET behavior when using trench isolation is controllability of current conduction along the trench sidewalls. Higher dopant concentration on the trench sidewalls compared to the trench top and or bottom will generally suppress early transistor turn-on by increasing the threshold voltage of the parasitic edge transistor.
In CMOS Technology, P-type substrates containing N-wells therein are commonly used. NMOSFETS are formed in the P-substrate while the PMOSFETS are formed in the N-wells. In a CMOS device, NMOSFETS and PMOSFETS are isolated from each other by a shallow trench which isolates the P-substrate and the N-well. Likewise, isolation trenches separate NMOSFETS from NMOSFETS, and PMOSFETS from PMOSFETS on the same substrate. However, any sidewall dopant used must be absent from the portion of the trench which is in the N-well. The two trench sidewalls which define width dimensions of a MOSFET also act as parasitic transistors electrically connected in parallel with the normal planar transistor. For the NMOSFET, these parasitic sidewall transistors have a lower threshold voltage (Vt) than the planar transistor. This Vt difference is due to a higher fixed positive charge generated at the silicon substrate and silicon dioxide sidewall interface and/or an unfavorable P-dopant (generally boron) segregation constant. The latter factor results in the surface P-type dopant concentration being depressed below its bulk value during the trench oxidation step. For PMOSFETS, the sidewall parasitic devices have a higher Vt (larger negative value) than the planar device as the effect of higher fixed positive charge and a favorable segregation constant of phosphorus will act t increase the threshold voltage.
A configuration without sidewall doping would upset the off state of the NMOSFET, i.e., when biased with a gate voltage below Vt. The lower Vt of the parasitic sidewall transistors provides a parallel conduction path which allows undesirable excess current to flow from source to drain terminals in this off state. To counteract this problem, the Vt of parasitic sidewall NMOSFETS must be increased. A practical means of achieving this is to dope the trench sidewalls with the P-type dopant by some means.
The level of transistor off-current is especially important in circuits containing dynamic design. It may be possible to reduce the level of off-current leakage by two orders of magnitude with inclusion of sidewall doping. In addition, sidewall doping may be beneficial in suppressing the inverse narrow width behavior of threshold voltage often observed in shallow trench isolation.
The shape of the trench corners is also of concern for thin gate oxide reliability. Round active area corners are desired to minimize electric field intensification and/or oxide thinning at these corners. Both of these phenomena contribute to high oxide leakage current of transistors built with shallow trench isolation. Rounding of the trench corners is commonly done by additional thermal oxidation steps. The present invention, however, enables one to achieve the desired degree of roundness without any additional oxidation step.
For the foregoing reasons, in the art of making semiconductor devices, it is very desirable to make shallow trenches. Various trench sidewall doping methods for shallow trenches have been proposed. However, each of these methods has drawbacks relating to either the controllability of the dopant or higher manufacturing costs because specialized equipment may be required. For example, Fuse et al., "A New Isolation Method with Boron-Implanted Sidewalls for Controlling Narrow Width Effect," IEEE Transaction Electron Devices, February 1987, discloses implanting trench sidewalls using large-tilt angle of the ion beam. Large-tilt angle is not easily implemented on commercially available implant machines because they are usually preset at a 5-9 degree beam angle incident to the silicon wafer surface to reduce ion channeling. Implantation of vertical trench sidewalls done at this low incident beam angle results in only the lower portion of the trench sidewall receiving dopant. To ensure symmetrical device behavior, all four sides of the trench must be implanted at the desired angle. The wafer must be rotated three times, which results in lower throughput during manufacturing. Although ion implanters with variable tilt angles have recently become commercially available, they are more expensive than the conventional fixed angle ion implanters, and they still require repositioning or rotation of wafers during ion-implantation of the regions such as trench sidewalls. Shibata et al., "A Simplified Box (Buried--Oxide) Isolation Technology of Megabit Dynamic Memories," IEDM Technical Digest, 1983, utilizes tapered trench sidewall profiles which allows the conventional low incident angle of the ion beam to implant a greater portion of the trench sidewall. But, when tapered trench sidewalls are used, it is difficult to maintain consistent trench profiles during subsequent resist-etch processing steps. Also, the transistor width is decreased because of resist erosion during the trench etch. Furthermore, vertical trench sidewalls are more desirable because they enable narrower trenches and thus providing higher density.
Diffusion from CVD doped oxide and/or doped polysilicon are methods which dope the entire trench sidewall. The film can be either boro-silicate glass (BSG) or in-situ boron doped polysilicon. The film is deposited over the entire wafer surface, i.e. trench bottom and sidewalls and usually must be removed using a conventional resist patterning/etch from locations where no dopant is desired After heat treatment, which transfers dopant into the trench sidewall, the diffusion source is again removed so that normal processing can continue. In the case of the doped oxide diffusion source, precise control of dopant in the oxide is critical to controlling silicon surface doping concentration after drive-in. This degree of control is often not achievable with conventional low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) of oxide.
Diffusion from a doped polysilicon source suffers from difficulty of removing the polysilicon after drive-in since the polysilicon must be directly deposited on the trench which is formed in a single crystal silicon wafer. Complex chemical etchants are required to remove the polysilicon but not the crystal silicon.
Doping using electron cyclotron resonance plasma has been used in the art, but it is presently considered impractical due to the unavailability of equipment and/or high implementation cost.
The present invention overcomes a number of disadvantages of the prior art methods by providing a method of making shallow isolation trenches having properly doped sidewalls, wherein the desired doping of the trench sidewalls and the bottom surface is done by selectively forming a properly doped silicon (polysilicon or epitaxial) layer thereon. Oxidation of the trenches, dielectric fill and etch back of the wafer, and the formation of the N-Channel and P-Channel MOSFETS are done by conventional methods.

Method of forming trench isolated regions with sidewall doping


A nonmagnetic semiconductor device which may be utilized as a spin resonant tunnel diode (spin RTD) and spin transistor, in which low applied voltages and/or magnetic fields are used to control the characteristics of spin-polarized current flow. The nonmagnetic semiconductor device exploits the properties of bulk inversion asymmetry (BIA) in (110)-oriented quantum wells.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor device electronics in the areas of semiconductor-based logic, magnetoresistive devices, and magnetic sensor technology. The present invention includes a spin resonant tunnel diode and spin transistor that operate by controlling spin-polarized current flow using low applied voltages and/or magnetic fields (for magnetic field sensing only), and which are fabricated using traditional III-V semiconductors (i.e. no magnetic materials). These devices represent an improvement over conventional semiconductor device technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prospect of developing semiconductor electronic devices that exploit electron spin has motivated a broad research effort into the spin-related properties of semiconductor materials. Semiconductor spintronics has been identified as an emerging research direction for logic applications due to possible improvements in power consumption, which represents a fundamental limitation in scaling for silicon-based CMOS technologies beyond the next decade. Spin-based devices may also be applied to other semiconductor technologies (e.g. memory, optoelectronics, and quantum computation) with the possibility for enhanced performance and functionality (e.g. nonvolatility, high-speed, and high scalability).
Several spintronic device concepts have been proposed; however, the majority of these rely on magnetic metals or magnetic semiconductors (e.g. diluted magnetic or paramagnetic semiconductors). However, devices relying only on nonmagnetic materials are more attractive for practical application because they are more easily integrated into traditional device architectures, and they avoid the complex fabrication issues associated with the incorporation of magnetic materials (e.g. low magnetic solubility, low-temperature growth, conductivity mismatch, interface quality). Devices that avoid magnetic semiconductor materials also offer greater promise for operation at or above room temperature. Furthermore, devices in which the electron spin state is controlled using applied electric fields (rather than external magnetic fields) are favorable because electric fields may be modulated at high rates. Additionally, stray field effects are much less problematic for device operation when only electric fields are used.
An effective approach in developing spin-based semiconductor devices that do not require magnetic materials is to exploit the spin-orbit interaction in traditional III-V semiconductors, by which an electron with a non-zero momentum will experience an electric field also as an effective magnetic field (or pseudomagnetic field). The electric field causing this pseudomagnetic field may originate from a variety of sources, for example, (i) internal electric fields associated with the polar bonds in III-V semiconductors (bulk inversion asymmetry, BIA); or (ii) extrinsic electric fields introduced through asymmetric layer growth, differences in interface potential on two sides of a semiconductor quantum well layer, or the application of an electric bias to a gate above the semiconductor (structural inversion asymmetry, SIA, also known as the Rashba effect). Each of these sources of electric fields contributes to the total pseudomagnetic field experienced by the electrons. In a spin-based device, this pseudomagnetic field may be used to manipulate electron spin dynamically, through the application of a controllable electric field using a between spin control efficiency and spin relaxation; and (ii) being constrained to ballistic device geometries.

Non-magnetic semiconductor spin transistor

Abstract: The nonmagnetic semiconductor device may also be used as a nonmagnetic semiconductor spin valve and a magnetic field sensor. The spin transistor and spin valve may be applied to low-power and/or high-density and/or high-speed logic technologies. The magnetic field sensor may be applied to high-speed hard disk read heads.

Abstract: The spin RTD of the present invention would be useful for a plurality of semiconductor spintronic devices for spin injection and/or spin detection.


An electrical connector set having mating male and female connectors is provided with a first lock preventing separation, the first lock consisting of standard bayonet slot on one member and a mating key on the other member and a secondary locking mechanism consisting of a rotatable spring lock ring affixedly carried by one of the members and is positioned interior a rotatable and axially movable collar carried by the associated member. The spring ring has at least one radially urged spring finger and the collar has at least one opening dimensioned to receive the spring finger. The spring ring includes an increased thickness area in an axial dimension which is engaged against an undersurface configuration of the collar so that as the collar is rotated with respect to the spring ring it will undergo axial movement. When the spring finger is positioned in the collar opening locking the collar against rotation, the collar will be positioned in its forward most axial position abutting an end surface of the mating connector preventing the mating connector from undergoing an axial movement necessary to initiate disconnection of the bayonet lock. A tool is required to press the pin against the spring radially inwardly of the collar opening to allow the collar to be manually rotated to an axially withdrawn position which will then allow disengagement of the bayonet lock.

Power connector sets used for high electric power connection generally consist of male and female connector members which are often provided with locking devices which interact between the two members to prevent accidental separation of the two members.
A standard type of lock is a bayonet lock where one of the members carries a key or projection which can be inserted into a groove or slot in the other member during coupling of the two members, the slot being L-shaped or J-shaped or otherwise configured. A known bayonet configuration is one that requires the key to move axially in the slot to a first axial position at or near an end of the slot before permitting rotation to occur and upon rotation requires, or allows, the key to undergo a slight axial movement in the opposite direction such that the key bearing connector cannot be rotated again with respect to the bayonet slot carrying member without the members undergoing relative axial movement towards one another.
The use of bayonet slots in coupling electrical connectors together is well known and is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,692 where a straight L-shaped bayonet slot is used which does not require retro axial movement to occur before rotation from the unlocked to the locked position.
While such bayonet connections are effective in preventing separation of the connector members when the key has been rotated into the circumferentially extending slot at the end of the axial entrance slot of the bayonet slot, they do not protect against unauthorized disconnection either intentionally or by vibration causing relative rotational movement between the connectors.
For this reason it has been proposed to provide a secondary lock which prevents the rotation of the key in the bayonet slot from its locked position in the absence of a determined secondary lock unlocking action. Preferably the determined unlocking action may require a tool to disengage the secondary lock. Such a combination of a bayonet slot and a secondary lock requiring use of a tool for intentional unlocking is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,730. The secondary lock as shown in that patent incorporates an axially spring biased pin in one of the connector members, which, upon rotation of the key in the bayonet slot, will project into a radially outer diameter open slot which is also open to an axial said face in the other member, the pin having a degree of projection less than the length of the radially open slot. The pin will prevent rotation of the two connector members by engagement of the pin with the walls of the slot. A pry tool can be used to abut the end of the pin in the slot to push it back against the spring and out of the open slot to allow rotation of the key member with respect to the bayonet slot member.
While the use of an axially projecting pin secondary lock overcomes many of the problems associated with unintentional disconnection of the connector set, it would be an improvement in the art to provide an alternative secondary locking member.