Template and method of making high aspect ratio template, stamp, and imprinting at nanoscale using nanostructures for the purpose of lithography, and to the use of the template to create perforations on materials and products.

The miniaturization of CMOS devices has hitherto been governed by a trend—often called Moore's law—in which electronic components shrink in size by half every 2 years. The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has established a projected growth curve according to this model. The demands for speed, high integration level, high performance and low production costs attendant on such a rate of progress are very stringent. Consequently, the problems associated with the demand in decreasing feature size have escalated and among many problems, lithographically transferring pattern at the nanoscale is eminent. Hence there is a need to search for alternative solutions to the problems that will ultimately impede the progress of silicon technology in the immediate future. This means that devising new method of low cost, mass production compatible pattern transfer solution is critical to sustaining the projected rate of growth. Lithography is an important process when manufacturing integrated circuits, and is used to transfer patterns from layer to layer. Today's widespread used optical lithography technology is approaching its fundamental limits governed by the optics, wave length, lens etc. and has to rely on expensive equipment to coup up with present demands. One alternative to such traditional lithography method is nanoimprint lithography described in patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,905, where a stamp with nanoscale features is pressed into a thermoplastic polymer. In this particular patent, the stamp was made by etching the substrate to create the patterns to be transferred and typical metal, dielectric or semiconductor bulk material are used for creating the mold. The stamp is sometimes labeled mould, mould, die or template, and nanoimprint lithography is sometimes referred to as "imprint lithography". The polymer is heated while imprinted with the stamp. After cooling the stamp is removed from the polymer, which now has imprinted nanoscale features. This process is described in FIG. 1, where the stamp 100 has protrusions 102. These protrusions are typically manufactured from silicon based material.
A wafer 105 with a layer 104 to be patterned and a deposited resist layer 103 is also seen in the FIG. 1A. FIG. 1B shows the stamp pressed toward the polymer coated wafer, which has been heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the polymer. After cooling, the stamp is lifted and depressions 107 are present in the now patterned resist layer 103, as seen in FIG. 1C. Plasma etching is utilized to remove the unwanted residuals to achieve 108 of the polymer layer, see FIG. 1D. Using the polymer as a mask, the layer 104 (into 109) is patterned by etching and the result is seen in FIG. 1E. The remaining polymer is removed, as seen in FIG. 1F. Instead of etch back processing, a lift-off processing can be used. Then the metal layer is deposited on top of the patterned resist layer, and the unwanted parts of the metal layer (which is on top of the resist) are removed by lifting off the resist.
Today's nanoimprinting stamps suffer from poor releasing mechanism from the resist layer. However, several improvements of the technique have been presented in patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,580 where they have described the use of an anti-sticking material applied to the stamp, to improve the release properties. To increase the releasing properties even further, in WO2006/028282 carbon nanowalls are used on the mold. Another improvement of stamps life time was described in the patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,596 by using SiC substrate as stamp material. A third improvement of the stamp is described in paten U.S. Pat. No. 6,943,117 where Ultra violet radiation (UV) imprint lithography is introduced in order to avoid pressure and issues due to contacting during standard nanoimprint. In this method a transparent substrate is used and implementing high pressure is avoided. However, the method is limited to working only for UV transparent substrates.
A grown nanostructure is an object of intermediate size between molecular and microscopic (micrometer-sized) structures. The last decade a number of different types of nanostructures have been investigated. One important aspect of the nanostructures is its anisotropic properties, meaning the properties vary substantially in different direction of the structures. For example, carbon nanostructures are considered to be one of the most promising candidates for future developments in nano-electronics, nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS), sensors, contact electrodes, nanophotonics, and nano-biotechnology. This is due principally to their one dimensional nature, and their unique electrical, optical and mechanical properties. Carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers have been considered for both active devices and as interconnect technology at least because their electrical and thermal properties and their strength. For example, the high electron mobility of carbon nanotubes (79,000 cm2/Vs) surpasses that of state-of-the-art MOSFET devices. Finally, high E-modulus (representing the strength of a material) of individual nanostructures as high as 1 TPa have been reported along its axis. However, the E-modulus in transverse axis is orders of magnitude smaller. Therefore, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers are a good choice for applications where high strength is required.
However, to our knowledge, no one has recognized the use of grown nanostructures as apparatus for manufacturing template/mold/apparatus for imprint technology to provide high aspect ratio, recyclable, reworkable templates/mold/apparatus with a resolution covering from macro scale down to a nanometer scale. Furthermore, the possibility of developing a lithographic method that combines imprint technology and nanostructure growth technologies to replace the conventional lithography technologies used in industries has never been recognized.
Moreover, a template with nanostructures has never been used for perforating a substrate.

Template and method of making high aspect ratio template for lithography and use of the template for perforating a substrate at nanoscale


A two-step nucleation W-CVD process has been developed to suppress volcano formation which usually appears at W/TiN boundary. The process using different combination of spacing of W-CVD chamber between the shower head and heater and chamber pressure has been used to form an uniform nucleation layer (with uniformity of 5-6%). An uniform nucleation layer can prevent WF.sub.6 penetration during W-bulk deposition. Moreover, the reaction between WF.sub.6 and Ti can be suppressed. The formation of volcano at the clamp area around the wafer edge can be effectively reduced.

Use of a blanket tungsten chemical vapor deposition (W-CVD) for contact hole filling has increasingly gained attention in recent years because of its resultant superior step coverage and low resistivity in ultra large scale integration (ULSI) technology. However, the adhesion of a tungsten film to other insulating film, such as a silicon oxide film, a phosphosilicate glass (PSG) film, or a borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) film, is extremely poor. Therefore, TiN or TiW film has been utilized as an adhesive layer to overcome this disadvantage. Relevant documents may be found in the following references: D. C. Smith, Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. IEEE VLSI 1985 (IEEE, New York, 1985) P.350; Hee-Seok Choi and Shi-Woo Rhee, J. Electrochem. Soc, 141, 475 (1994); Nathan Desatink and Brian E. Thompson, ibid., 141, 3532 (1994); Pei-lng Lee, John Cronin, and Carter Kaanta, ibid., 136, 2108 (1989); J. E. J. Schmitz, Chemical Vapor Deposition of Tungsten and Tungsten Silicides (Noyes, Ridge Park, N.J., 1992); R. V. Joshi, D. Moy, S. Brodsky, A. Charai, L. Krusin-Elbaum, P. J. Restle, T. N. Nguyen, and C. S. Oh, Appl. Phys. Lett. 54, 1672 (1989); and K. Suguro, Y. Nakasaki, S. Shima, T. Yoshii, T. Moriya, and H. Tango, J. Appl. Phys., 62, 1265 (1987).
The adhesive layer TiN is usually formed by a rapid thermal nitridation (RTN) of a sputtered Ti film, where the Ti sputter system uses a 2 mm clamp ring around the wafer edge. If a tungsten film is deposited onto this specific ring area where BPSG exists, peeling of the tungsten film usually occurs. To avoid this problem, a W-CVD chamber has been equipped with a 5 mm shadow ring. However, formation of nucleation is not totally completed under the shadow ring area. During a later step of CVD tungsten bulk deposition, the remaining WF.sub.6(g) penetrates the RTN-TiN barrier layer and further reacts with the underlying Ti residual, forming some cone shaped TiFx.sub.(g) bubbles. Hence, the volcanic formation occurs at the W/TiN boundary, causing particle contamination and device failure.

Tungsten chemical vapor deposition process for suppression of volcano formation


The present invention relates to a power supply device and a power supply system including the same. The power supply device includes a first connector to receive an input alternating current (AC) voltage, a second connector to output a first output AC voltage to a grid, a third connector connectable with a plug of an external electronic device, a voltage conversion unit to convert a first direct current (DC) voltage stored in a battery into an AC voltage, and a controller configured to control the first output AC voltage based on the input AC voltage not to be supplied to the grid when grid power outage occurs while the first AC voltage is output to the grid, and control the input AC voltage to be output to the third connector as a second output AC voltage, or control the input AC voltage to be converted into the first DC voltage and the first DC voltage to be supplied to the battery. Thereby, the input AC voltage generated by the solar module may be utilized when grid power outage occurs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply device and a power supply system including the same, and more particularly, to a power supply device capable of utilizing the input alternating current (AC) voltage generated by a solar module even if voltage outage occurs in a grid and a power supply system including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As existing energy resources such as petroleum and coal are depleted, attention to alternative energy sources to replace the existing energy sources has recently increased. Among alternative energy sources, a solar cell has come into the spotlight as a future generation battery, which directly converts sunlight into electrical energy using semiconductor devices.
A solar module may refer to connection of solar cells in series or in parallel for photovoltaic power generation.
Methods for providing power to a grid using a direct current (DC) voltage generated by the solar module have been proposed.
Research has been conducted on various methods for stably utilizing a DC voltage generated by a solar module when grid power outage occurs.

Power supply device and power supply system including the same


A yeast cake device for reorienting yeast cakes by a tumbling operation has a single reciprocating part. The reciprocating part is a reciprocating ram having an upper arm and a lower arm. The upper arm serves to push articles to be tumbled across a first shelf. The tumbling occurs from the first half and onto the lower arm of the reciprocating ram. Upon retraction during a backstroke of the reciprocating ram, the article supported by the lower arm brings the article into engagement with the first shelf such that the article remains stationary while the lower arm moves beneath the article. During retraction, the center of gravity of the article lies beyond a free edge of the lower arm such that the article tumbles for a second time through a 90 degree revolution and onto a second shelf. During another stroke, the lower arm again engages the article so as to push the article onto a conveyor belt. In another embodiment, the upper arm is sufficiently longer to need no other articles present to tumble any other articles. In still another embodiment, the lower arm and the second shelf are not present, instead the conveyor belt is located under the first shelf and either a 90 degree rotation or a 180 degree rotation is caused.

This invention relates to an apparatus for reorienting yeast cakes by a tumbling operation and delivering the tumbled yeast cakes to a conveyor.
This invention may also be adapted for use in tumbling any regular rectangular prismatic articles selectively through a rotation of either 90 degrees or 180 degrees.
It is well-known and conventional in the packaging and assembly industries to rotate articles being processed. In some cases, the articles being processed must be rotated about an axis of the article in order to continue the manufacturing or packaging steps. In the packaging industry, for example, a package may be formed about an intermediate article and then folded along what is at that moment the top of the intermediate article. In packaging, it is not desirable generally to display articles with the folded portions of wrapping face-up. Therefore, these articles must be tumbled 180 degrees in order to rotate the folded side to the bottom position. In a manufacturing process, articles must be rotated or tumbled in order to bring a particular side into engagement with a particular machining or packaging step.
The prior art tumbling devices as described above have several drawbacks. Prior art tumbling devices generally are made of relatively complex, multi-stage devices requiring multiple conveyors, handlers, and support shelves. Furthermore, the prior art tumbling devices generally use more than a single reciprocating part and therefore are subject to breakdown, high maintenance requirements, and heavy capital investment requirements compared to the tumbling device of the present invention. Also, the prior art tumbling devices cannot tumble yeast cakes gently enough to avoid damage to the edges and corners of the yeast cakes.
When a stream of articles to be tumbled enters a tumbling area, it is convenient to tumble a plurality of articles simultaneously. It is also desirable that the tumbled articles then be immediately conveyed away from the tumbling area in as simple a step as possible. Some of the prior art tumbling devices cannot tumble a plurality of articles simultaneously.
Examples of prior art devices wherein multiple shelves and multiple conveyor belts are used to tumble articles include: Lewallyn in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,048; U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,072 to Skiba, Jr.; Straight in U.S. Pat. No. 1,602,719; U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,120 to Neiheisel; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,387,674 to McIntire.
Lewallyn shows a carpet sample bevelling apparatus and method having multiple conveyor belts and multiple shelves. Here, relatively thin carpet samples are conveyed generally on edge. Conveyor belts are used to convey the samples from position to position so that, by a series of step conveyor belts, the sample is tumbled as it leaves a higher step conveyor belt to a lower step conveyor belt. As noted in the above, this type of device is generally complex, requires generally high maintenance, and requires a high capital investment initially. In Lewallyn, additional processing steps, i.e. bevelling, are used and therefore the overall device must be complex.
Skiba, Jr. shows a machine for package turnover and orientation. The packages or articles turned are rotated through approximately 180 degrees to present the package in position for further processing. Included are a plurality of pairs of chambers formed from sheet material and each chamber is a platform which is progressively retracted after the packages have been severed from web material. Under the influence of gravity, each package in turn tips during its departure from the associated chamber. A plurality of guides which generally form a chute-like path guide the article to a conveyor belt which takes the articles away for further processing. However, a single reciprocating part is not used to tumble the articles, nor is the device a simple one. In this instance, a chute is required as well as a means for separating packages formed from webbed material. Thus, the device and apparatus disclosed in Skiba, Jr. does not rotate packages through 180 degrees in a simple, reciprocating device but rather requires a multi-level conveyor chute which is only adapted to handle a single article at a time. Further, no provision is made in Skiba, Jr. for processing and conveying away a plurality of articles arranged in a linear column upon a conveyor belt.
Straight discloses a tile cutting machine including an endless conveyor together with an off-bearing mechanism for tile cutting. The tile as it is delivered from a horizontal position, is conveyed to a second conveyor belt in a vertical position. A gripper device is used to grip each tile as it passes by and rotated approximately 90 degrees releasing the tile upon a second conveyor belt which conveys the tiles away. However, no simple reciprocating member is shown for tumbling articles 180 degrees. Here, tumbling does not occur, but rather a guided movement through an arc of approximately 90 degrees takes place. The device of Straight is generally complex and capital intensive initially as compared to the present invention, and requires a relatively high degree of maintenance.
Neiheisel shows an article inverter which tumbles articles through a 180 degrees rotation. A stationary shelf is employed as an intermediate impact member in the tumbling operation. A first conveyor is used to provide articles to a series of idler rollers, a first roller being equal in width to that of the first conveyor but the remaining rollers being shorter and terminate at a point which bisects the article to be turned at a point inwardly of its center of gravity. Thus, the article is turned under the influence of gravity about its center of gravity such that it rotates as it falls. This device is generally complex in that the series of rollers and the conveyors belts provided, as well as the intermediate tumbling shelf, requires movement of a plurality of articles including movement of each individual roller and therefore relatively high maintenance requirements are present. Also, a single reciprocating part is not used to tumble the articles. Furthermore, the tumbling operation disclosed by Neiheisel takes place during a single tumbling step which incurs relatively large impact forces since the fall of the tumbled article is not broken at a 90 degrees rotation but rather the tumbling article continues on through the entire 180 degrees rotation in a single step. Thus, the tumbling is less well controlled and the impact forces are correspondingly larger.
McIntire discloses a cleat turner and grading table. Here, articles are rotated through a 90.degree. rotation. Here, two separate conveyor belts are used together with an upwardly-sloping surface which provides an initial height through which the articles to be tumbled can fall. The articles to be tumbled fall by being pushed across a sharp corner of the upwardly-sloping surface and fall upon the second conveyor belt. Articles arriving on the first conveyor belt are used to push leading articles up the upwardly-sloping wall so that they are forced to tumble upon the second conveyor belt. However, no rotation through 180 degrees is taught or suggested by McIntire. Furthermore, no reciprocating member is shown in McIntire to complete rotation of articles through 180 degrees. Although the device of McIntire is generally simple, only a 90 degrees rotation is accomplished.
Other types of tumbling devices are also known. One example is that disclosed by Hinchliffe in U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,287. Here an apparatus for inspecting objects employs a plurality of stationary members cooperating with a plurality of pivotably rotating members. A single elongated article is rotated and moved forwardly along the stationary portions of the apparatus by the moving portions of the apparatus. The moving portions of the apparatus have a jagged tooth section such that while moving upwardly the articles to be rotated are not supported directly under their center of gravity but rather tend to tip about one of the jagged portions and rotate through an angle of less than 90 degrees. During subsequent steps, the moving portion deposits the article upon the stationary portion. The process is repeated until all four sides of the article can be inspected. However, the device of Hinchliffe is generally complex and requires a relatively large capital investment. Moreover, no single reciprocating part is used to accomplish a rotation through 180 degrees. Also, in Hinchliffe, the article repeatedly falls and is lifted again so that its overall path is that of a level zig-zag line. Thus, no overall fall through a vertical height is employed in Hinchliffe. Furthermore, the maintenance requirement of the device in Hinchliffe would be substantial due to the large number of moving parts.
Another type of package turnover device is shown in Renney in U.S. Pat. No. 2,370,325. There, packages of gum are rotated through a 180 degrees rotation by a device which includes various blocks disposed along a level horizontal supporting table along with a pair of conveyor belts which convey articles to be tumbled by frictional gripping action between the opposed conveyor belts. Thus, forward motion of gum packages is caused by opposite gripping forces exerted by moving conveyor belts which advance the gum package articles along a generally level path. Interposed in this generally level path is an initial drop from a first surface to a second surface which causes tumbling rotation of the gum package article through 180 degrees. A second block elevated above the second surface causes further tumbling of the gum package article through an additional 90 degrees rotation. However, the device of Renney does not use a single reciprocating member to tumble an article through 180 degrees, but rather uses a complex pair of conveyor belts straddling a central support shelf and article path. Thus, maintenance requirements would generally be high in the device of Renney due to the requirement that the articles tumbled be gripped along opposing sides. Furthermore, a relatively large capital investment would be required by the device of Renney in that motive force for the two rotating conveyor belts is required, as well as precise alignments between all of the parts to insure the proper frictional gripping action which is still not sufficiently strong as to prevent tumbling of the articles. Also, no net drop in height occurs of the articles to be tumbled in Renney, which also differs from the present invention.
A further type of device is that shown in Miguel in U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,141. A bale destacker is disclosed which employs a chute, side-gripping conveyor means, and an initial vertical drop to rotate bales through 90 degrees. However, the device of Miguel is generally complex and does not in any event rotate the bales 180 degrees. Furthermore, a plurality of articles cannot be simultaneously tumbled so as to be conveyed away in a linear row of articles but rather single articles must be delivered.


A voice recognition apparatus and a method for providing response information are provided. The voice recognition apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an extractor configured to extract a first utterance element representing a user action and a second utterance element representing an object from a user's utterance voice signal; a domain determiner configured to detect an expansion domain related to the extracted first and second utterance elements based on a hierarchical domain model, and determine at least one candidate domain related to the detected expansion domain as a final domain; a communicator which performs communication with an external apparatus; and a controller configured to control the communicator to transmit information regarding the first and second utterance elements and information regarding the determined final domain.

1. Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a voice recognition apparatus and method for providing response information, and more particularly, a voice recognition apparatus for providing response information corresponding to an utterance voice of a user, and a method for providing response information thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
When an utterance voice of a user is received, a related art voice recognition apparatus analyzes the received utterance voice of the user to determine a domain intended by the user, and provides response information on the utterance voice of the user based on the determined domain.
However, as services of domains (related area) and services that should be provided in such a related art voice recognition apparatus becomes more diverse and complicated, there emerges a problem that the voice recognition apparatus determines a domain not intended by the user, and provides response information on the utterance voice of the user based on the determined unintended domain.
For example, when an utterance voice "what kinds of action movies are there?" is received from the user, a television (TV) program and/or a video on demand (VOD) related domain may be determined with reference to such an utterance voice, whereas a conventional voice recognition apparatus detects only one domain from among a plurality of domains without considering the possibility of such multiple domains. For example, the utterance voice "what kinds of action movies are there?" from the user may include the user's intention regarding the action movie provided in the TV program. However, the voice recognition apparatus may arbitrarily determine the VOD related domain from the user's utterance voice regardless of the user's intention, and may provide response information regarding the user's utterance voice based on the determined VOD related domain. As such, in a conventional voice recognition apparatus, there often occurs cases where response information not intended by the user is provided, and thus, the user must put up with the inconvenience of having to provide a further detailed utterance voice in order to be provided with the response information intended.

Voice recognition apparatus and method for providing response information


According to this invention, there is provided a method of forming a groove wiring layer, including the steps of forming a metal oxide film, consisting of a metal oxide having a decrease in standard free energy smaller than a decrease in standard free energy of a hydrogen oxide or of a carbon oxide, on an insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, and reducing the metal oxide film to form an electrode-wiring layer consisting of a metal which is a main component constituting the metal oxide. In this manner, an electrode-wiring layer having high EM and SM resistances without causing an increase in electric resistivity caused by an impurity or the like can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to an improvement of a method of forming an electrode or a wiring layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as the integration density of a semiconductor device has been increased, the thickness and width of a wiring layer have been decreased, and a multi-layered wiring structure has been developed. An Al alloy containing aluminum (Al) as a main component has been conventionally used as a wiring material due to its low wiring resistance and its high workability.
However, even when the sectional area of a wiring layer is decreased, a signal current amount required for the wiring layer is not reduced. For this reason, a current density is increased, and disconnection of the wiring layer disadvantageously occurs due to electro-migration (to be referred to as EM hereinafter). In addition, as a multi-layered wiring is developed, the wiring layer receives complex heat hysteresis. For this reason, disconnection of the wiring layer disadvantageously occurs due to stress migration. (to be referred to as SM hereinafter) caused by a thermal stress acting on the wiring layer. In a device, although the high-speed operation and low power consumption of a switching element are strongly demanded, Al cannot easily satisfy the demand because of its material properties.
Noble metals, such as copper (Cu) and silver (Ag), having a resistivity lower than that of Al and a melting point higher than that of Al, have received a great deal of attention and have been examined as next-generation materials.
The electric resistivities, melting points, and self-diffusion coefficients of Al, tungsten (W), Cu, and Ag are shown in Table 1. In this case, the diffusion coefficient D (cm.sup.2 /sec) of a metal is expressed by the following equation: EQU D=D.sub.O exp (-Q/k.sub.B T)
where k.sub.B represents Boltzman constant, the unit of D.sub.0 is cm.sup.2 /sec, the unit of Q is eV, and the unit of T is K. In Table 1, D.sub.0 and Q are represented.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Electric Melting Self-diffusion Resistivity Point Coefficient Element .mu..OMEGA. .multidot. cm .degree.C. DO(cm2/sec) Q(ev) ______________________________________ Al 2.61 660 1.71 1.48 W 5.30 3382 1.90 6.07 Cu 1.72 1083 0.20 2.04 Ag 1.47 960 0.46 1.91 ______________________________________
According to Table 1, the melting point and self-diffusion coefficient of the noble metal, such as Cu or Ag, are more than those of Al, but the resistivity of the noble metal is lower than that of Al. In general, it is known that a wiring material having a high melting point and a large self-diffusion coefficient has excellent EM and SM resistances. The EM resistance is improved for the following reason. The switching speed for the device is determined by the product of the wiring resistance: R and the capacitor: C. That is, since the self-diffusion coefficient of the noble metal, such as Cu or Ag, is sufficiently smaller than that of Al, atomic diffusion in crystal grains and a crystal grain boundary, and on the surfaces of a wiring layer as paths is reduced.
In this manner, the noble metal, such as Cu or Ag, is more excellent than Al in reliability and electric resistivity, and an RC delay caused by a long wiring layer can be relaxed by applying a noble metal wiring layer to a device. For this reason, a decrease in switching speed can be suppressed. In addition, power consumption in a wiring portion can be decreased and the reliability of the wiring layer can be improved.
when Cu is used as a wiring material, a metal wiring layer is conventionally formed by the following method. That is, as shown in FIG. 1A, an oxide film 302 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 301 consisting of, e.g., silicon. As shown in FIG. 1B, a Cu film 303 is formed on the oxide film 302 by sputtering. As shown in FIG. 1C, a resist pattern 304 is formed on the Cu film 303 by using a photoresist technique. Finally, the Cu film 303 is patterned by RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) using the resist pattern. 304 as a mask so as to form a Cu wiring layer.
However, the method of this type has the following problems.
When a Cu wiring layer is to be formed, since there is no halide having a high vapor pressure at about an atmospheric temperature, RIE must be performed at a high temperature of 300.degree. C. or more. The resist pattern 304 is degraded during etching of the Cu film 303 because the heat resistance of the resist generally is about 200.degree. C. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1D, a pattern width is decreased or the surface of the wiring layer is deformed, so a Cu wiring layer having a predetermined shape cannot be formed.
A Cu film has no acid-resistance because a passivation film is not formed on Cu unlike on Al film. For this reason, when ashing of the resist pattern 304 is performed by oxygen to remove the resist pattern 304, as shown in FIG. 1E, the surface and inside of a Cu wiring layer 305 are oxidized, and the electric resistivity of the Cu wiring layer 305 is increased. In addition, Cu atoms 306 in the Cu wiring layer 305 are diffused in a deep portion of the oxide film 302 because Cu is diffused in an oxide film at high speed, so that an operation error occurs in the element. The adhesion properties between the wiring layer and an insulating interlayer or a passivation film are disadvantageously degraded.
As a method of solving the problems caused by ashing, a method of forming a so-called buried wiring layer is proposed. According to this method, a groove serving as a wiring layer is formed in the substrate surface, and a wiring material is selectively grown in the groove by CVD.
However, when an organic source is used as a source gas for selective CVD, impurities such as carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and oxygen atoms are mixed in the buried wiring layer, and a low resistivity which is the original characteristic of the material cannot be obtained.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor metal wiring layer by reduction of metal oxide


To provide a stethoscope apparatus that can contribute to medical cares that can eliminate anxieties of a patient as much as possible.

In medical practices, a physician frequently employs a stethoscope for diagnosing patients. Owing to the diagnosis with a stethoscope, from biological sounds of patients such as vesicular breath sounds, bronchial breath sounds, low tone continuous sounds, squawks and bubbling rales, various pathologies can be grasped. Owing to the biological sounds from a stethoscope, not only pathologies of a heart and a respiratory system, but also various pathologies of other organ and bowel can be grasped.
Recently, there is a stethoscope in which biological sounds are electrically converted and amplified, followed by outputting with a speaker or the like (Published Application in JP: JP-A No. 2005-52521 (paragraph No. [0011] and FIG. 1).

Abstract: A stethoscope apparatus 10 according to the embodiment integrally mounts a speaker 9 and a microphone 8; accordingly, the speaker 9 can reproduce sounds obtained with the microphone 8. For instance, when a physician explains the pathology and so on to a patient with the patient allowed hearing sounds from a speaker, the patient can be diagnosed at ease more than ever.


Generally, a low-profile planar core structure for use in magnetic components and related processes are presented herein. More specifically, the planar core structure provides a relatively large winding area that reduces heat dissipation, reduces leakage inductance, and allows for a low-profile design. The planar core structure has a center core that is elongated along a horizontal axis. Furthermore, conductors may enter and exit the planar core structure without increasing its height.

Generally, magnetic components use magnetic materials for shaping and directing magnetic fields in a manner designed to achieve a desired electrical performance. Magnetic components are readily used in a wide variety of electronic equipment such as computers, televisions, telephones, etc. In operation, magnetic fields may act as the medium for storing, transferring, and releasing electromagnetic energy. Transformers are one specific example of a magnetic component, and typically comprise two or more windings of conductors (e.g., copper wire) wound around a bobbin with a magnetic core inserted through the bobbin. The bobbin may generally be made of a molded plastic or any other suitable dielectric material. The conductors may be wound around the bobbin a predetermined number of times and in a predetermined configuration to achieve specific electrical characteristics. For example, the number of windings (e.g., a primary winding and a secondary winding) and the number of turns for the conductors in each winding may be a function of the intended application for the transformer.
To form the magnetic field in the transformer, a core assembly having high magnetic permeability may be inserted into the bobbin. Often the core assembly is made in two pieces, each having an "E" shaped cross-section that may be inserted into opposite ends of the bobbin. The transformer assembly may then be held together by various physical means such as a spring clip, tape, or an adhesive.
Transformers generally operate on the principle that a change in current flowing through a first winding conductor, which is isolated from a second winding conductor, creates a magnetic flux that causes a change in the current flow in the second winding conductor. The ratio of current in the two winding conductors may generally be related to the relative number of windings of each conductor. This may in turn create a voltage that may be the product of the number of turns multiplied by the change in magnetic flux.
As electronic manufacturers are constantly striving to develop components that are smaller and less expensive, there is a need for magnetic components that meet these requirements. Constricting the size of magnetic components presents unique design challenges, as the devices must still accommodate special features that are required by the manufacturability and electrical performance characteristics of a particular application. In space-constrained applications that require magnetic components to be small in height and capable of being mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), planar type magnetic devices (e.g., planar transformers) may be used. Planar transformers are typically made using copper lead frames and flat copper spirals instead of copper wire wound around ferrite cores as described above. The spirals may be etched on thin sheets of dielectric material and stacked on flat ferrite cores to form the magnetic circuit. Although planar transformers are useful in that they can be relatively small in size, they have a number of drawbacks (e.g., cost, efficiency, current carrying ability, etc.) that make it desirable to have alternative designs available. It is against this background that the planar core structure described herein has been developed.


Natural language translation device contains a bus, an input interface connecting to the bus for receiving a source sentence in a first natural language to be translated to a target sentence in second natural language one word at a time in sequential order. A two-dimensional (2-D) symbol containing a super-character characterizing the i-th word of the target sentence based on the received source sentence is formed in accordance with a set of 2-D symbol creation rules. The i-th word of the target sentence is obtained by classifying the 2-D symbol via a deep learning model that contains multiple ordered convolution layers in a Cellular Neural Networks or Cellular Nonlinear Networks (CNN) based integrated circuit.

An ideogram is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept. Some ideograms are comprehensible only by familiarity with prior convention; others convey their meaning through pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Each ideogram can represent a word in a natural language including, but not limited to, a Chinese character, a Japanese character, a Korean character, an English word, etc.
Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence. In machine learning, a computer or computing device is programmed to think like human beings so that the computer may be taught to learn on its own. The development of neural networks has been key to teaching computers to think and understand the world in the way human beings do. Many deep learning networks such as Cellular Neural Networks or Cellular Nonlinear Networks (CNN) have been developed in the past decade.
Natural language translations using a computer system have been around for a while. Prior art approaches predominantly rely on recurrent neural networks (RNN) to capture the semantic meaning of a piece of text before converting it from one natural language to another. RNN are complex and thereby difficult to implement in a semi-conductor chip. Accordingly, it would be desired to have improved methods and systems for translating natural language using a CNN based integrated circuit without RNN.


A processor implemented method for spreading data traffic across memory controllers with respect to conditions is provided. The processor implemented method includes determining whether the memory controllers are balanced. The processor implemented method includes executing a conditional spreading with respect to the conditions when the memory controllers are determined as unbalanced. The processor implemented method includes executing an equal spreading when the memory controllers are determined as balanced.

The disclosure relates generally to conditional memory spreading for heterogeneous memory sizes.
In a symmetric multiprocessing computer system with processors and input/output (I/O), cache and memory hierarchy is designed to provide low latency and high bandwidth. When it comes to volatile, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (e.g. dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs)), there are several factors to consider when designing the cache and memory hierarchy: intrinsic memory latency and performance (e.g. unloaded latency), queuing, and background operations (e.g., refresh/scrubbing/periodics). Queuing can adversely affect memory bandwidth. To minimize queuing, memory spreading can be included in the cache and memory hierarchy design.
In general, the symmetric multiprocessing computer system utilizes internal memory resources by spreading equally data traffic to portions of the internal memory resources. While evenly spreading data traffic across memory controllers often works for uniform DIMM sizes, when mixed DIMM sizes are used, this contemporary equal spreading can cause an unbalanced use of the internal memory resources, as each portion of the internal memory receives the same amount of data traffic regardless of availability and/or capability. The unbalanced use of the internal memory resources often results in uneven and inconsistent workload behaviors of the internal memory resources, along with pathological queuing issues as internal memory resources fill up that degrade memory performance.

Conditional memory spreading for heterogeneous memory sizes

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An air conditioning system for a vehicle may include a cooling module including a cooling duct, a cooling-side inlet formed in a first end of the cooling duct, a cooling-side indoor outlet and a cooling-side outdoor outlet formed in a second end of the cooling duct, and an evaporator core provided in the cooling duct, a heating module including a heating duct, a heating-side inlet formed in a first end of the heating duct, a heating-side indoor outlet and a heating-side outdoor outlet formed in a second end of the heating duct, and a plurality of condensers provided in the heating duct, and a cooling blower and a heating blower respectively provided in the cooling duct and the heating duct, in which the plurality of condensers provided in the heating duct and the evaporator core provided in the cooling duct are coupled on a single refrigerant circuit.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of an air conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to the configuration of an air conditioning system which is capable of more efficiently performing air conditioning under specified driving conditions.
Description of Related Art
Generally, vehicles are provided with an air conditioning system for cooling or heating a passenger compartment. The air conditioning system aims to maintain the temperature of the passenger compartment of the vehicle in a pleasant and comfortable condition.
A cooling apparatus of the air conditioning system includes a compressor that compresses refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, an expansion valve that converts the refrigerant, which has been condensed and liquefied by the condenser, into a high-temperature and high-pressure state, and an evaporator that uses evaporation latent heat of the refrigerant to cool air. Such a cooling system typically reduces the temperature of air and adjusts the absolute humidity.
A heating system for vehicles uses, as a heat source, coolant that is in a high-temperature state by absorbing heat from an engine to reduce the temperature of the engine room. The heating system typically includes a heater core and a pump for circulating coolant of the engine. Generally, such a heating system increases the temperature of air and adjusts the relative humidity.
Although conventional air conditioning systems use a cooling apparatus to supply cooled air to a passenger compartment and use coolant of an engine to supply hot air thereto, modifications in structure of the systems may be required depending on vehicle driving conditions. Particularly, in the case where there is no coolant for the engine, it is difficult to configure the conventional air conditioning system, and the system is inefficient.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Air conditioning system for vehicle including two condensers and a control door within a duct to selectively control airflow through said two condensers


An electric power control apparatus for a vehicle includes a first determination section determining an activation of a jump start, a second determination section determining a connection of an external power source having a higher voltage than a battery voltage of the vehicle, a third determination section determining whether the engine switches to an engine start completed state, a keep section keeping an electric power generation unit of the vehicle in an electric power generation deactivated state when determining that the engine switches to the engine start completed state, a fourth determination section determining a disconnection of the external power source, and an instruction section instructing an immediate activation of the electric power generation to the electric power generation unit when determining the disconnection of the external power source.

Performances of vehicle batteries deteriorate over time. Thus, in some cases, a jump start needs to be carried out for starting the vehicle with deteriorated battery by temporarily connecting the deteriorated battery with an external power source. In this case, for starting the engine, a power supply to a starter is supplemented by a power source, such as a battery of another vehicle.
For example, as disclosed in JP 2001-107768 A, by connecting the battery of another vehicle with the battery of the subject vehicle using a booster cable, the electric power from the battery of another vehicle can be supplied to the starter of the subject vehicle for starting the engine.
When carrying out a jump start to the subject vehicle, a high voltage external power source, such as a battery voltage of 24 volts, which is usually used in a truck, may be connected to the subject vehicle. Suppose that the 24 volt battery voltage is still supplied to the subject vehicle after the engine start. In this case, when the electric power generation device of the subject vehicle starts an electric power generation operation, an abnormal current may flow through the electric power generation device and the abnormal current may cause damages to the electric power generation device. Suppose that the 24 volt battery voltage is removed from the subject vehicle after the engine start and the electric power generation operation of the electric power generation device is in a deactivated state at a removal time of the 24 volt battery voltage. In this case, since the external power source is removed from the battery, the battery voltage output may be decreased and an engine stall may occur caused by the voltage decrease at the battery terminals.


Hollow profile elements are formed by shaping a starting workpiece that consists of multiple layers of a material having a large width-to-thickness ratio, e.g., woven fabrics or laid materials. The layers are joined by seams to define elongated pockets or channels. Shaping tools are inserted into these channels to form the profile elements with a desired cross sectional shape, which can be constant or varied. The shaping tools employ one or more endless belts that extend in closed loops around guide rollers; the belts are driven so that during the shaping process sliding friction is substantially eliminated between the material of the workpiece and the respective shaping tool.

This invention relates to a method of producing hollow profiles from multilayer starting materials, such as woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, laid materials, webs or the like, having a large width-to-thickness ratio, in a continuous process. The invention also relates to hollow profiles which are produced in accordance with the method of the invention, the form of which is determined by features of the production process.
Methods of producing hollow profiles from multilayer woven fabrics, laid materials, knitted fabrics or webs are known wherein these starting materials are shaped by being drawn onto mandrel-shaped tools or other shaping tools along with the occurrence of sliding friction. The cross-sectional geometry of the shaping tool or tools then determines the clear cross-section of the hollow profile which is produced or rather of the channels in the hollow profile which is produced.
Also known are processes for manufacturing hollow profiles in which the shaping is effected by pressure impingement on the channels or pockets which are already formed in the starting materials. The expansion and the final geometric shape of the hollow profiles can, in such cases, possibly also be influenced by external limitations. In the case of starting materials having an open surface, i.e. one permeable to gas and liquid, it is known to employ the latter method by introducing thin-walled foil tubes or sleeves into the channels or pockets of the starting materials, upon production or subsequently, to enable their expansion by pressure impingement thereon. After the shaping process is completed, these inserts can remain as "lost cores" in the hollow profiles or they can be removed.
In the various known methods, just mentioned, it is also known to wet or to impregnate the starting materials prior to or during the shaping process with a matrix, such as a synthetic resin or plastics material, and to cause this matrix, after shaping of the hollow profile structure has been effected, to harden, e.g. by the supply of heat, and thus to stiffen this structure.
The known methods can be used to produce hollow profiles which have only one coherent cavity (hollow space) or profiles which have several separate cavities.

Method and apparatus of producing hollow profiles from multilayer starting material


A method of fabricating a hyperabrupt junction varactor diode structure comprises the steps of forming a non-uniformly doped n-type, hyperabrupt cathode region in a layer of semiconductor material and depositing, by ultra high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHVCVD), a p-type anode region onto a surface of the hyperabrupt cathode region. The deposition process is performed at relatively low temperature (i.e., below 600xc2x0 C.). The anode region and the hyperabrupt cathode are joined at a junction between them such that an impurity concentration level of the hyperabrupt region increases in a direction toward the junction. During the forming step, n-type impurity ions are implanted at an implantation energy level substantially less than 300 keV, preferably between from about 10 to about 70 keV, with the implanted ions being thermally activated at a relatively low temperature (between from about 700 to about 800xc2x0 C.).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to varactor diodes and, more particularly, to a method of forming a varactor diode having a hyperabrupt junction profile.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor, charge carriers (electrons or holes) diffuse from a high carrier-density region to a low carrier-density region. For this reason, charge carriers diffuse across the junction of an unbiased semiconductor diode to create a depletion region of ionized atoms, i.e., atoms which have lost their mobile carriers. Once this built-in potential Vbi has been established by the initial diffusion, it acts as a barrier to further diffusion.
If a reverse bias is imposed across the diode, the depletion region widens to expose a region of negative charges (due to acceptor atoms) on one side of the junction and a region of positive charges (due to donor atoms) on the other. The width of the depletion region is a function of the impurity doping levels of the diode junction. For example, if both sides of the junction are equally doped, the depletion region will extend an equal distance from the junction. With unequal doping levels, the depletion region will extend farther into the side which has the smaller impurity concentration.
The electric field is found by integrating the negative and positive charges. In contrast, the potential drop across the junction is found by a second charge integration or, equivalently, an integration of the electric field. If the doping concentration is constant, the electric field in the depletion region peaks at the junction and decreases linearly to the edges of the depletion region. In this case, the potential drop across the depletion region has a quadratic form.
If the reverse bias is increased to a breakdown voltage VBR, a large reverse current results because the electric field at the junction exceeds the dielectric strength of the diode""s semiconductor material. Covalent atomic bonds are ruptured, a large number of minority carriers are released and the diode is said to avalanche. The electric field and potential drop of depletion regions has been discussed by many authors (e.g., Singh, Jasprit., Semiconductor Devices, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, 1994, pp. 192-208). In contrast with diodes that are purposely intended to operate in breakdown, varactor diodes are generally configured to avoid breakdown over an operational reverse-bias range.
In a varactor diode, each side of the diode junction is conductive and the depletion region acts as a dielectric so that a reverse-biased semiconductor junction has the structure of a capacitor, i.e., two conducting regions separated by a dielectric. The capacitance depends directly on the junction area and inversely on the width of the depletion region, i.e., C=(∈A)/d in which c is the dielectric constant, A is the junction""s cross-sectional area and d is the width of the depletion region. The diode capacitance decreases with increased reverse bias because this change in bias causes the depletion width to increase. The capacitance ratio over a specified reverse bias range is generally referred to as the tuning ratio.
Varactors find utility in a variety of electronic circuits. For example, a varactor diode in a resonant circuit can control the frequency of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) or the amplifier frequency in a receiver. Typically, VCOs and receiver amplifiers are tuned smoothly across their operating bands. Varactor diodes for these applications usually exhibit a junction capacitance that is proportional to an exponential power of the reverse-bias voltage Vr, e.g., C varies as (1/Vr)xc2xd. Abrupt-junction varactor diodes have uniform doping on each side of the junction with an abrupt transition at the junction. It will be appreciated from the aforementioned inverse square root relationship, as the applied voltage is increased by a factor of 4, the junction capacitance in an abrupt junction varactor diode will decrease by a factor of 2:1. Another way of expressing this relationship is that over the range of 1 to 4 volts, the capacitance-tuning ratio of an abrupt junction varactor diode is 2:1.
As more and more applications have been identified which require either faster tuning/frequency hopping speeds or low voltage operation, recent emphasis has been placed on the finding ways to increase the tuning ratios of varactor diodes so as to enable larger swings of capacitance or reactance with the same or reduced applied voltages. Such emphasis has culminated in the development of so-called hyperabrupt junction varactor diodes. In a conventional hyperabrupt-junction diode, the doping level increases as the junction is approached from either side, yielding an exponential relationship in which C varies as (1/(Vr+h)k, in which Vr is the biasing voltage, h is the height of the Schottky barrier, the parameter k defines the doping variation as a function of the distance with respect to the surface. Thus, as opposed to the abrupt junction case described above where the exponent k is exactly equal to one-half, a hyperabrupt profile is obtained when the exponent k is greater than xc2xd.
In FIG. 1A, there is shown one type of conventional hyperabrupt junction varactor diode generally indicated at 10 and comprising a cathode defined by an epitaxial layer 14 of semiconductor material (e.g., Si or GaAs) doped N type on an N+ substrate 12. A variably doped hyperabrupt region 16 is defined beneath an anode region 18, the latter being provided with an ohmic contact 20 of, for example, PtSi, to an overlying anode metalization layer 22.
While the conventional structure depicted in FIG. 1A is capable of producing hyperabrupt varactor diodes having capacitance-voltage tuning ratios of up to 12:1, these structures have demonstrated a high degree of variability on both a unit-to-unit and a lot-to-lot basisxe2x80x94even from the same vendor. Moreover, it has proved difficult to move past a tuning factor of 12:1. The capacitance-voltage response of a conventional hyperabrupt varactor structure, as exemplified by FIG. 1A, is depicted in FIG. 1B. For purposes of comparison, the capacitance voltage response of a conventional varactor is also shown in FIG. 1B.
The inventors herein are the first to appreciate that the aforementioned limitations in repeatability and tuning ratio are directly attributable to the processes which have heretofore been employed in the fabrication of hyperabrupt structures. Returning briefly to the conventional structure shown in FIG. 1A, it will be recalled that the variably doped hyperabrupt cathode region 16 directly underlies the anode region 18. In the illustrative structure of FIG. 1, the hyperabrupt region 16 is N-type while the anode is P-type. High energy ion implantation of phosphorous, either singly or multiply charged, is the generally accepted mode of creating hyperabrupt region 16 in the N-type cathode layer 14. By way of illustrative example, this ion implantation may be accomplished either through the already existing P+ anode region 18 or, alternatively, directly into the cathode layer 14 with a subsequent P+ implant or diffusion to form the anode structure. In either case, the implantation of hyperabrupt region 16 must generally be performed at very high energy levelsxe2x80x94either on the order of 150 keV to 350 keV in conjunction with multiply charged phosphorous ions (P++) to result in an effective singly charged level of 300 keV to 700 keV, or substantially higher implantation energy levels using a MeV implanter with single charged phosphorous ions. The implant(s), either the hyperabrupt cathode implant region 16 alone or in conjunction with the anode implant region 18, are then thermally activated via a furnace or a Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) heat cycle. The resulting hyperabrupt doping profile typically realized in the exemplary structure of FIG. 1A is depicted in FIG. 1C.
A principal disadvantage associated with both of the aforementioned techniques for defining the hyperabrupt region resides in the half-width of the Gaussian implant profile. Having a junction in depth, it has heretofore been impossible to satisfactorily form a high ratio hyperabrupt profile by implantation because the exponent k depends on the Gaussian distribution of the implantation used. Unfortunately, the higher the energy or effective energy, the larger the standard deviation of the ion scatter and the more graded the corresponding N-type hyperabrupt region.
An additional source of undesirable variation in the doping profile of the hyperabrupt region 16 is the high temperature heat cycle (typically 900-1100xc2x0 C.) associated with the electrical activation of the implanted cathode and anode regions 16 and 18. The high temperatures to which the structure is subjected causes the dopants to become substitutional rather than interstitial in the lattice, thereby promoting solid state diffusion and, ultimately, leading to a further flattening of and greater variability in the resultant junction profiles. Lastly, the simultaneous diffusion of the P+ anode 18 and the N-type hyperabrupt region 16 adversely affects the control of the doping concentration at their interface. It is difficult enough to control this crossing point of two exponential functions without adding the variation introduced by the unwanted diffusion of the ion implantation regions.
The aforementioned deficiencies are addressed, and an advance is made in the art, by a hyperabrupt junction varactor diode structure which comprises a cathode formed by a substrate of n-type semiconductor material having an epitaxial layer of n-type semiconductor material disposed thereon. The structure further includes an anode formed by deposition of a layer of strongly doped p-type semiconductor material onto a surface of the epitaxial layer, the anode being thereby joined to the cathode at a junction between them. The cathode further includes a non-uniformly doped n-type hyperabrupt region that extends from the junction into the epitaxial layer. The impurity concentration level of the hyperabrupt region increases in a direction toward the junction.
The non-uniformly doped hyperabrupt region is defined directly within the epitaxial layer of n-type semiconductor material. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this is achieved by a relatively low energy (i.e., on the order of 10-70 keV) singly charged ion implantation followed by a low temperature thermal activation step via, for example, rapid thermal annealing at a temperature that is preferably between from about 700xc2x0 to 800xc2x0 C.
In accordance with an especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, the p-type semiconductor material is grown epitaxially over the hyperabrupt region by UHVCVDxe2x80x94at a temperature that is preferably below 600xc2x0 C. Epitaxial growth at such low temperatures avoids, or at least minimizes, diffusion of the anode material or atoms thereof into or through the hyperabrupt implanted region.

Method of fabricating a variable capacity diode having a hyperabrupt junction profile


A high-performance high-density CMOS SRAM cell (MC) having first and second cross-coupled inverters each defined by serially connected complementary MOS transistors (TA/TC; TB/TD) serially connected between Vdd and circuit ground to form a first inverter with a first data node (1) between the two transistors (TA/TC) of the first inverter, and, in a similar manner, to form a second inverter with a second data node (2) between the two transistors (TB/TD) of the second inverter. The gates of transistors of each inverter are connected together and cross-coupled to the data node of the other inverter. An access transistor (TE) is connected between a bit line (BL) and the first data node (1) to provide data access thereto. A diode (D) is connected between the data node of one of the inverters and the common gate connection of the other inverter to facilitate the xe2x80x9cwrite onexe2x80x9d operation. The diode (D) can be implemented in dual work function polysilicon topologies by selectively doping adjacent regions of the single gate level polysilicon with an appropriate polysilicon doping type and concentration for each transistor type to form a PN junction (16) in the polysilicon (18). A window or opening (20) is formed in the silicide strapping layer (18) to enable the PN junction (16) operation.

The present invention relates to an improved memory cell organization and, more particularly, to an improved CMOS static RAM cell that provides improvements in functional performance while concurrently allowing higher-density integrated circuits.
In the design and fabrication of integrated circuits, one of the primary design imperatives is to increase functional density by decreasing feature size and packing more circuits closer together. As a consequence of more closely spaced circuit features, parasitic loading with the interconnect grids linking the circuits is commensurately reduced to improve circuit speed. Since power density increases with increased functional density, applied voltages and intra-circuit voltages have been decreased in order to address the heat dissipation problem associated with the increased functional density associated with smaller feature size and increased circuit packing.
The functional throughput rate is a figure of merit having units of gates-hertz per square centimeter. The functional throughput rate is essentially the product of the functional density (in gates per square centimeters) and the maximum circuit frequency (in hertz) and is used as a measure of the progress achieved in advanced microcircuit design and technology. Increased functional density, that is, obtaining the same function within a smaller chip area, is clearly the motivation driving attempts to design circuits to accomplish the same function with fewer transistors.
The present invention is directed to CMOS static RAM and is best appreciated in the context of the six transistor (6T) memory cell configuration of FIG. 1 and the five transistor (5T) configuration of FIG. 2.
FIG. 1 illustrates a standard 6T CMOS static RAM cell defined by MOS transistors TA, TB, TC, TD, TE, and TF; of these transistors, transistors TA and TB are PMOS transistors while the remaining transistors are of the NMOS type. Transistors TA and TC are serially connected between Vdd and ground to form a first inverter with a data node 1 between the two transistors, and, in a similar manner, transistors TB and TD are likewise connected between Vdd and ground to form a second inverter with a data node 2 therebetween. The gates of transistors of each inverter are connected together and cross-coupled to the data node of the other inverter. The transistor TE is connected between the bit line BL and the data node 1 to provide data access thereto, and the transistor TF is connected between the complementary bit line BLC and the data node 2 to similarly provide data access. The gates of the data access transistors TE and TF are connected to respective word lines WL; ancillary circuitry including differential-input sense amplifiers are not shown in FIG. 1.
The cross-coupled inverters of the 6T memory cell of FIG. 1 have two stable states functioning to store either a binary one or a binary zero. More specifically, the data access transistors TE and TF are gated into conduction by an appropriate voltage applied to the respective word lines while a binary high is impressed on data node 1 via the bit line BL and a binary low is impressed on the complementary bit line BLC. The transistor TD conducts to pull the data node 2 toward ground (binary low) while the data node 1 goes high. The opposite data state can be achieved by reversing the signals applied to the bit lines BL and BLC. The 6T memory cell of FIG. 1 is bi-directionally symmetrical, this is, currents, voltage levels, and time durations are the same for either stable state.
As is know in the art, an increase in functional density can be achieved by eliminating one data access transistor and eliminating the assoicated bit line. As shown in FIG. 2, the data access transistor TF and the bit line BLC have been eliminated to provide a five transistor (5T) configuration. Data to and from the 5T memory cell is controlled by gating the word line WL of the single access transistor TE to the single bit line BL and data node 1.
In contrast to the six transistor cell of FIG. 1 (which typically uses differential input sense amplifiers), the five transistor cell of FIG. 2 uses single-ended sense amplifers to read the status of data node 1. Prior to a data read, the bit line BL is initialized to a pre-determined voltage reference level (i.e., a mid-range voltage Vdd/2). The data access transistor TE is then turned-on by an appropriate voltage applied to its gate to access the voltage at data node 1 to allow the cell transistors to establish a difference or delta voltage on the bit line DL which is then read by the sense amplifier.
Unlike the six transistor cell of FIG. 1, the five transistor cell of FIG. 2 does not possess symmetry as between writing a binary one and a binary zero to the cell. More specifically, when writing a zero to the memory (that is, writing to the latches when the word line WL is active (i.e., high) and with the bit line BL driven low so that the zero state (data node 1 low and data node 2 high) is stored in the cell).
When effecting a zero write, the data access transistor TE is biased into its highly conductive ohmic or linear-mode (i.e., Vgsxe2x88x92VT greater than Vds) so that the conductive data access transistor TE can now sink any current that flows through the transistor TA and thereby drive the voltage at the data node 1 below the switching threshold of the inverter formed by TB and TD thus causing the latch to set in the zero state.
Conversely, when writing a one to the latch (that is, writing the latch when access transistor WL is active (high) and with the bit line BL driven high so that the one state (node 1 high and node 2 low) is stored in the latch) a condition occurs that can hinder driving the data node 1 sufficiently high to cause the desired switching. FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but shows (in bold line illustration) a voltage divider defined between the bit line BL, the data access transistor TE, the transistor TC, and ground with the data node 1 representing the mid-point of the voltage divider. When writing a one to the memory cell, the access transistor TE is operating in its highly resistive saturation-mode (i.e., VGSxe2x88x92VT less than VDS) and so the voltage divider formed by the transistor TE (in its saturation-mode) and the transistor TC (in its linear-mode) has difficulties driving the voltage at data node 1 high enough to exceed the switching threshold of the inverter formed by transistors TB and TD to cause the latch to set to the desired one state.
Various techniques have been developed to address this xe2x80x9cwrite onexe2x80x9d problem in 5T SRAM cells; each technique also generates specific drawbacks when addressing the xe2x80x9cwrite onexe2x80x9d problem including:
(a) bi-level word line clocking schemes have been used for gating the access transistor TE using a boosted word line WL voltage during the write operation so that the access transistor TE always operates in its linear-mode (i.e., in its ohmic or triode region);
(b) asymmetric cell designs that skew the switching thresholds of the inverters forming the latch to facilitate the write-one operation;
(c) multiple device threshold voltages or dynamic device threshold voltages used selectively within the SRAM cell design to enhance the write-one operation; and
(d) providing the access device with a significantly wider channel to compensate for the limited channel conductance of its saturation-mode operation.
Each of these options require either a more complicated device process, more complicated device design, or more complicated operational and clocking schemes, or a combination of each of these solutions. The use of a larger-channel access transistor is in a technical direction opposite from the very design precepts that favor the 5T cell design, viz., increased functional density.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention, among others, to provide a high-performance high-density CMOS SRAM cell.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a high-performance high-density CMOS SRAM cell having increased functional and operation density.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a high-performance high-density 5T CMOS SRAM cell having increased functional and operation density.
In view of these objects, and others, the present invention provides a high-performance high-density CMOS SRAM cell having first and second cross-coupled inverters each defined by serially connected complementary MOS transistors serially connected between Vdd and circuit ground to form a first inverter with a first data node between the two transistors, and, in a similar manner, to form a second inverter with a second data node therebetween. The gates of transistors of each inverter are connected together and cross-coupled to the data node of the other inverter. An access transistor is connected between a bit line BL and the first data node to provide data access thereto. A diode is connected between the data node of one of the inverters and the common gate connection of the other inverter to facilitate the xe2x80x9cwrite onexe2x80x9d operation. The diode can be implemented in dual work function polysilicon topologies by selectively doping adjacent regions of the single gate level polysilicon with an appropriate polysilicon doping type and concentration for each transistor type to form PN junctions in the polysilicon. A window is formed in the silicide strapping layer to enable the PN junction operation.
The present invention provides a CMOS SRAM cell that provides the same performance as prior designs but with fewer transistors and with a smaller cell size for increased functional density.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like reference characters.

High-performance high-density CMOS SRAM cell

BAE Systems Information and Electronics Systems Integration, Inc.


The invention provides a printing data management system which realizes unitary control and management of printing data including parts data like pictures and photographs used in reproduction and assembled data so as to improve the efficiency of prepress process. The system is provided with an edit device for editing various process control data, which includes: discrimination data for identifying a target print from other prints; and instruction data, file management data, and individual progress data generated corresponding to each of plural jobs. An operator can readily control the progress of each job throughout the prepress process based on this process control data. The system of the invention also allows efficient information storage and retrieval.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for managing printing data including parts data representing pictures and photographs image reproduction data representing a one-page image used in prepress process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A computer-aided prepress system consists of various devices, which generally include a reading scanner, an text editing device, a block-copy production apparatus, and a page make-up apparatus. Desirable printed matter is created with such devices according to the following process. Various parts data including picture data and character data are generated with the reading scanner and the text editing device. The parts data are then integrated to image reproduction data representing a one-page image with block-copy production apparatus and page make-up apparatus. Printing plates are produced from the image reproduction data, and the desired printed matter is printed with the printing plates by a printing machine. In such a prepress system, some devices have a storage unit which stores printing data in an off-line medium such as a magnetic tape or an optical disk. Printing data, or parts data, generated with a reading scanner is immediately stored in a magnetic tape of the storage unit, and the magnetic tape is successively transferred to other devices for editing, lay-out, or further processing. Namely, transfer of printing data is attained through the off-line media like magnetic tapes.
Picture image data, especially of a full-color image, has a large data volume and thereby requires a large capacity of a storage unit. For example, image data representing one full-color picture image of size A4 requires the capacity of 60 MB (Mega Bites). Any device in the printing system which treats the printing data including a picture image requires a storage unit of a large capacity, even if the device does not change the printing data itself. This results in the increased price of each device in the system and sometimes prevents desirable extension of the system.
Incidentally, in the current prepress system, an operator checks the progress of the prepress process without reading the printing data stored in a magnetic tape with a prepress device. Such direct access method is troublesome and time-consuming.
Some printing data needs to be stored for a certain time period so that they can be used in reprinting, reimpression, or partial use for other prints. Such printing data stored in magnetic tapes are classified according to a register book including names of clients and dates of prints, and held in a cabinet. Printing data required for reprinting or reimpression is retrieved manually according to the contents of the register book. This data management system is also troublesome and consumes much time for information storage and retrieval.

Print management system utilizing separate storage units for storing image, edit, and control information relating to prepress jobs thereof


The application discloses the control of switches, such as metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) devices, during surge events. The switch controllers and methods for operation thereof discuss methods for providing driving signals to the switch for adjusting the mode of operation based on the voltage and/or current thresholds as sensed by the system and/or by the switch controller.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to switch devices and controllers, and more specifically, to methods and systems that may manage switch devices during power surges in an adaptive manner.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to certain aspects of art that may be related to aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it may be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Switch devices may be used in electrical systems to couple and/or decouple power supplies and an electrical load. Systems may employ automatically driven switching circuitry and/or switch devices, such as transistors, to implement electrical converters, such as traction converters and rectifiers that may convert alternating current (AC) electricity to direct current (DC) electricity and buck converters that may change an output voltage of a DC power supply with reduced loss. In certain situations, the switch devices may be subjected to electrical stress during electrical surge events, which may occur due to fluctuations in the power supply and/or imbalances in the load. The electrical stresses may lead to excessive power dissipation and electrical stress in the switch and/or in the system, which may lead to thermal failure of components and/or the system.

Switch controller for adaptive reverse conduction control in switch devices


Methods and apparatus relating to a hardware and file system agnostic mechanism for achieving capsule support are described. In one embodiment, content associate with a capsule are stored in a non-volatile memory prior to a cold reset. A capsule descriptor may also be constructed, prior to the reset, which includes information about the physical location of the capsule content on the non-volatile memory. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Some computing platforms may use a facility called capsule construction to communicate data back to a platform BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), so that the BIOS may achieve a variety of different functions such as firmware updates. One limitation of this facility is that communication of data presumes the ability to pass information that is stored in memory and initiate a non-memory-destructive reset (also referred to as a "warm" reset), so that the underlying BIOS can then read the associated data from the memory to initiate the variety of functions. However, one problem that is encountered is that more and more platforms (including desktop, mobile, server, and even the MID (Mobile Internet Device) or embedded platforms) are unable to guarantee that memory would not be perturbed across a reset, thus greatly limiting this kind of functionality.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hardware and file system agnostic mechanism for achieving capsule support


Slots or apertures are formed in the connector shroud of a T/R module in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the connector so as to allow plating solution to flow freely through the entire inner portion of the connector, particularly the rear portion, during fabrication of the T/R module. The slots are formed prior to the shroud being brazed on to the module substrate. By allowing plating solution to flow through the connector, the interior of the connector can be more thoroughly plated, thereby improving the yield of the assembly while reducing cost.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the fabrication of transmit/receive (T/R) modules used in connection with the aperture of an active electronically scanned array, and more particularly to the plating of RF connectors brazed onto the front side of high temperature co-fired ceramic (HTCC) substrate of a T/R module package.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The process of brazing RF connectors onto the side of an HTCC package involves re-flowing the high temperature alloy of copper and silver (Cusil) to provide a robust mechanical attachment of the center pin and shroud of the RF connector to a substrate member of a T/R module shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,986, entitled "Dual channel Transmit/Receive Module For An Active Aperture Of A Radar System". The materials involved in this operation, Kovar for the center pin and shroud and Cusil brazing material, are prone to corrosion and therefore require gold plating to prevent corrosion in any non-hermetic environment. Plating of this part involves first nickel plating and then gold plating. Any non-plated area on the center pin area can result in corrosion of the center pin and loss of the RF signal, resulting in a catastrophic failure of the entire T/R module package.
The present state of the art for fabrication/assembly of a connector onto a T/R module package typically involves brazing the center pin and shroud of the connector as stated above. The shroud is currently an elongated solid structure including a plurality of generally cylindrical apertures through which the center pins project and which is required to connect the ground signal of the mating structure, i.e., the connector. During the plating process, the module package is placed in plating baths of nickel followed by gold. For proper plating, i.e., complete plating to occur, the solution must flow throughout the interior of the connector shroud. However, this does not often occur due to the inherent physical features of the inner walls of the connector shroud. It has been found that due to the lack of good plating solution flow throughout the interior of the RF connector, a relatively large number of packages have been rejected because of unplated areas around the connector center pins. The pins do not have proper plating, for example, where the pin is brazed to the ceramic package. This plating deficiency occurs as a result of a lack of flow of the plating solution within the connector.
Since plating is performed at the end of the package fabrication process, a rejection of the package results in a loss at the most expensive point in the process of a finished product. Thus an unreasonable number of failures in a production system using this type of RF interconnect can result in a relatively large increase in the overall cost of acceptable or "good" T/R module packages.

Plating of brazed RF connectors for T/R modules


A stalk reducer bar and an assembly that supports, transports, and rotatably drives a stalk reducer bar in typical environments in which an area of vegetation is to be trimmed are provided. The stalk reducer bar reduces the size of cut stalk segments such as grass stalks segments generated during a lawn mowing operation and includes a carrier body. The carrier body includes a further working portion having a plurality of projections and angular movement of the carrier body in the cutting plane operates to bring the first blade section into stalk cutting engagement with stalks extending from the surface supporting organic matter thereon and operates to bring the plurality of projections of the further working portion into shredding engagement with cut stalks.

Grass cutting operations are regularly performed on expanses of manicured grass such as, for example, a lawn of a residence, a commercial facility, or the like. Such grass cutting operations may include not only trimming or cutting the grass to a uniform height but also include collecting the cut grass clippings as well as collecting twigs, leaves, and other organic or non-organic items that may be present on the lawn during the grass cutting operation. For a number of reasons, including the desire to avoid adding to the size of landfills and the desire to more fully reap the ecological benefits of further utilizing the nutrient value of cut grass clippings, grass cutting operations increasingly omit the step of collecting the cut grass clippings and instead seek to leave the cut grass clippings "in place"—that is, distributed on and among the freshly cut "below cut level" grass of the lawn.
Manufacturers of grass cutting equipment have responded to this evolving grass cutting approach by offering motorized lawn mowers as well as specialized lawn mower blades that, it is claimed, operate to handle the cut grass clippings in a way that does not interfere with the grass cutting operation and/or promotes effective distribution of the cut grass clippings on the lawn. For example, lawn mowers are commercially available that are equipped with mulching blades operable to mulch the grass into relatively fine clippings such that these clippings will allegedly migrate downwardly into the "below cut level" grass and thus not mar the appearance of the lawn with unsightly clumps or clusters of cut grass clippings. In addition, it is also possible to outfit a lawn mower with shredding blades with custom shaped tines or cutting edges that allegedly shred leaves, twigs, and other organic matter into reduced size pieces that will migrate downwardly into the "below cut level" grass.
However, some mulching blades fail to properly shred leaves or organic matter as mulching blades are designed specifically to mulch grass and have only secondary shredding capability. In addition, some shredding blades fail to provide an adequate mulching of the grass itself although adequate to shred leaves or other non-grass organic matter. Mulching blades often require the deck of the lawn mower (the enclosed volume in which a cutting blade rotates) to be closed to thereby retain large grass particles within the deck until cut into finer pieces. A mulching blade of this type is intended to lift, cut, mulch, and distribute the finely cut grass clippings. However, a number of factors such as the forward (translational) movement of the lawn mower, the lack of effective upward suction, the increasing dullness of the mulching blade, and interaction of the upstanding grass blades with the rotating blade can all detract from the capability of a mulching blade to effectively cut grass in a manner that results in a uniformly cut lawn and adequately mulched cut grass clippings.

Stalk reducing bar and mower having a stalk reducing bar


An dabigatran etexilate intermediate of Formula-6a, and the use in the preparation of dabigatran etexilate thereof.

Dabigatran etexilate and process for its preparation was first disclosed in WO 98/37075. The disclosed process involves the reaction of 1-methyl-2-[N-[4-amidinophenyl]aminomethyl]benzimidazol-5-yl-carboxylicacid-N-(2-pyridyl)-N-(2-ethoxycarbonylethyl)amide hydrochloride (herein after referred as dabigatran hydrochloride) with hexylchloroformate in presence of potassium carbonate in tetrahydrofuran/water provides 1-methyl-2-[N-[4-(N-n-hexyloxycarbonylamidino) phenyl]aminomethyl]benzimidazol-5-yl-carboxylicacid-N-(2-pyridyl)-N-(2-ethoxy carbonylethyl)amide (herein after referred as dabigatran etexilate) and further conversion to its mesylate salt is not disclosed. The purity & yield of dabigatran etexilate prepared as per the disclosed process is not satisfactory, and also the said process involves chromatographic purification. As the chromatographic purification is expensive and difficult to implement on the large scale. Hence the said process is not suitable for commercial scale up.
Moreover, the said process involves the usage of dabigatran hydrochloride, which degrades to form impurities and results in the formation of dabigatran etexilate with low purity. In view of intrinsic fragility of dabigatran hydrochloride, there is a need in the art to develop a stable salt form of 1-methyl-2-[N-[4-amidinophenyl]aminomethyl]benzimidazol-5-yl-carboxylicacid-N-(2-pyridyl)-N-(2-ethoxycarbonyl ethyl)amide, which enhances the purity of the final compound.
The process for the preparation of mesylate salt of dabigatran etexilate and its polymorphic forms was disclosed in US 2005/234104. The disclosed process involves the reaction of dabigatran etexilate with methane sulphonic acid in acetone to provide dabigatran etexilate mesylate. The purity of the obtained crystalline dabigatran etexilate mesylate was not satisfactory i.e., around 97-98% by HPLC. There is no specific purification process disclosed for the purification of dabigatran etexilate mesylate.
Hence there is a need in the art to develop an improved process for the preparation of dabigatran etexilate mesylate with a high purity and yield. And also there is a necessity to provide a purification method for dabigatran etexilate mesylate as well as the isolation, characterization and synthesis of impurities formed in the preparation of dabigatran etexilate and its salts.
Dabigatran etexilate mesylate as prepared by the prior art processes may contain 2-(N-(3-ethoxy-3-oxopropyl)-2-((4-(N′-(hexyloxycarbonyl)carbamimidoyl)phenyl amino)methyl)-1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-5-carboxamido)pyridine-1-oxide (herein designated as "N-oxide impurity"); 3-(2-((4-(N′-(hexyloxycarbonyl)carbamimidoyl)phenylamino)methyl)-1-methyl-N-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-5-carboxamido) propanoic acid (herein designated as "Acid impurity") as impurities and represented by the following structural formula:

Other than the above impurities, two more impurities are observed in HPLC at 0.845 RRT and 1.278 RRT respectively. The impurity at 0.845 RRT is herein designated as impurity-X and impurity at 1.278 RRT is herein designated as Impurity-Y. In the present invention N-oxide and acid impurities were isolated and characterized.

Process for the preparation of benzimidazole derivatives and its salts


An agricultural implement includes a header or platform suspended from a main frame by a suspension permitting movement of the header between a lowered working position and a raised transport position. The suspension includes single-acting float cylinders and a single-acting lift cylinder controlled by an electrohydraulic control system including a programmable microprocessor in which a signal representative of a minimum acceptable float pressure may be set. The microprocessor contains an electronic switch that couples a warning device lead to ground to effect energization of the warning device in response to the microprocessor receiving an electronic signal representative of a float circuit pressure below the minimum acceptable float pressure. In one embodiment, the microprocessor contains a timing device which is triggered whenever a control switch is connected to energize a "lower" signal lead the timing device being set to time out when sufficient time has elapsed to ensure that the header has reached its working position. The timing device works to suppress the signal representative of the float circuit pressure so that a premature energization of the warning device does not occur when a low float pressure is due to the header being elevated from the ground. In another embodiment, a normally open mechanical switch is connected in series with the electronic switch and is closed only when the header reaches its working position. Replenishing of float pressure to a desirable level may be done either manually or automatically once the low pressure warning device has been energized.

The present invention relates to platform or header suspensions for crop harvesting implements and more specifically relates to platform suspensions using hydraulic float cylinders for carrying a majority of the weight of the platform during crop cutting operations.
Platform or header suspensions are known which utilize one or more hydraulic cylinders coupled in a closed hydraulic system so as to be in parallel with an accumulator. Float is adjusted by adding or removing oil from the system. This latter function in some systems is accomplished electrohydraulically with a rocker switch in the cab of the machine. Systems like this typically display the float system pressure on a gauge in the cab. This reference is used to monitor float pressure or to return to a float pressure setting used previously.
If the system pressure is too low, an excessive amount of platform weight is carried by the platform skid shoes or gauge wheels. This can result in premature wear on the shoes, or mechanical damage to the platform or to components linking the platform to the traction unit. Low pressure can result from internal leakage during storage periods, from intentional discharge, for example, when one platform is exchanged for another, or from unintentional discharge from inadvertent operation of the discharging switch by an operator unfamiliar with the system. Because an operator may become preoccupied with other tasks during mowing operation and not notice the pressure gauge or not know what the desired float pressure should be, a warning system is needed to let the operator know that the system is operating at an unacceptably low pressure.

Low pressure warning for hydraulic system of platform float suspension