A method for fragmenting an incoming packet for transmission as a first outgoing packet and a second outgoing packet includes storing a payload of the incoming packet in a plurality of storage units beginning in a first storage unit, transmitting the first outgoing packet being formed according to a predetermined portion of the payload stored in the first storage unit, and after transmitting the first outgoing packet, transmitting the second outgoing packet being formed according to a remaining portion of the payload stored in the storage units.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to data communications, and more particularly, to fragmenting an incoming packet for inclusion in a first outgoing packet and a second outgoing packet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As stated in Requests for Comments (RFC) document number 2516, which is incorporated herein by reference, modern access technologies are faced with several conflicting goals. It is desirable to connect multiple hosts at a remote site through the same customer premise access device. It is also a goal to provide access control and billing functionality in a manner similar to dial-up services using Point to Point Protocol (PPP).
FIG. 1 shows a typical distribution of Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) broadband access to multiple hosts through a single customer premise access device. An ADSL modem 102 of a service provider 104 is connected to a client-side ADSL modem 106 at a particular location through a telephone connection 107, which is typically implemented as twisted pair telephone wire. As an example, FIG. 1 shows that the particular location has two separate customers. A first customer 108 and a second customer 110 both receive broadband connectivity from the client-side ADSL modem 106. The client-side ADSL modem 106 is a single customer premise access device, which provides access to the first customer 108 through a first gateway 112 and to the second customer 110 through a second gateway 114. The first customer 108 has an internal Ethernet network 116, and the second customer 110 has an internal Ethernet network 118.
By using Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) between the client-side ADSL modem 106 and the first and second gateways 112, 114, the service provider 104 is able to do access control, billing, and type of service adjustments on a per-customer, rather than a per-location, basis. However, the PPPoE connection between the client-side ADSL modem 106 and the first and second gateways 112, 114 also increases the complexity of the distribution system 100. For example, the Maximum Receive Unit (MRU) negotiated by the PPP-LCP (Link Control Protocol) in the client-side ADSL modem 106 is typically 1492 bytes, while the Maximum Transmit Unit for the first and second Ethernet networks is typical 1500 bytes. Because of this, when transmitting packets, such as Internet Protocol (IP) packets, from the customer Ethernet networks 116, 118 to the service provider 104, packet fragmentation is required.
FIG. 2 shows an example of IP packet fragmentation performed at the first gateway 112 according to the prior art. Please note that the IP packet fragmentation operation performed at the second gateway 114 is the same as that described in FIG. 2. An incoming Ethernet frame 200 includes a 14-byte Ethernet header, and a 1500-byte Ethernet payload comprising an incoming IP packet 202. The IP packet 202 includes a 20-byte IP header and a 1480-byte payload. As shown in FIG. 2, the incoming IP packet 202 is fragmented by the gateway 112 into a first outgoing IP packet 204 and a second outgoing IP packet 208. The first outgoing IP packet 204 includes a 20-byte first outgoing IP header and a 1472-byte first IP fragment, and is included in a first outgoing PPPoE frame 206, which additionally includes a 14-byte Ethernet header and an 8-byte PPPoE header. The second outgoing IP packet 208 includes a 20-byte second outgoing IP header and an 8-byte second IP fragment, and is included in a second outgoing PPPoE frame 208, which additionally includes a 14-byte Ethernet header and an 8-byte PPPoE header. As shown in FIG. 2, to make room for the 8-byte PPPoE header, the 1480-byte incoming IP payload is fragmented into the 1472-byte first outgoing IP fragment and the 8-byte second outgoing IP fragment.
FIG. 3 shows the usage of a plurality of buffers internal to the gateway 112 when fragmenting an incoming IP packet as shown in FIG. 2. As an example, FIG. 3 shows twelve buffers (Buffer 1 to Buffer 12), wherein each buffer provides 128-bytes of data storage. A 14-byte outgoing Ethernet header (Eth) and an 8-byte PPPoE header for the first outgoing PPPoE frame 206 are generated and stored in Buffer 1. Additionally, as well known to a person skilled in the art, the original 20-byte IP header has the MF, Offset, Length, and Checksum fields modified in accordance with the first fragment (Fragment 1), which is stored starting in the last 86-bytes of Buffer 1 through to the first 106-bytes of Buffer 12. When transmitting the first outgoing PPPoE frame 206 and the second outgoing PPPoE frame 210, the gateway 112 transmits the data in the buffers in order from Buffer 1 to Buffer 12. When reaching the last 8 bytes (Fragment 2 as indicated by the Copy point in FIG. 3) the gateway 112 needs to generate a new Ethernet header and PPPoE header. Additionally, the IP header stored in Buffer 1 needs to have the MF, Offset, Length, and Checksum fields of the IP header stored in Buffer 1 modified in accordance with the last 8-bytes (Fragment 2). Afterwards, the new Ethernet header, the new PPPoE header, the modified IP header, and Fragment 2 are transmitted as the second outgoing PPPoE frame. At this point, the gateway 112 no longer needs the information stored in Buffers 1 to 12 and these buffers can be freed for use in storing a next incoming packet or for use in another task. In other words, the IP header in Buffer 1 must be preserved until after the second outgoing PPPoE frame is sent. As such, the method of fragmentation according to the prior art involves inefficient use of the available gateway 112 buffer resources.

Method for fragmenting an incoming packet into a first outgoing packet and a second outgoing packet


The specification discloses a mobile transparent window apparatus and method for use in a photochemical vapor deposition system having a reaction chamber with a quartz window integral with the top surface thereof, which prevents undesirable deposits on the quartz window and thereby enhances the efficiency and rate of the deposition process. The apparatus comprises: (a) a film of a predetermined material that is drawn across the internal face of the quartz window within the reaction chamber, the predetermined material being characterized by being transparent to a selected wavelength of radiation, being stable at the elevated temperature required for the photochemical vapor deposition, and possessing sufficient mechanical strength to be moved across the quartz window; and (b) means for moving the film across the internal face of the quartz window.

In the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits and devices, a layer of silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) is often used as a passivation layer to prevent contamination of the device by air, moisture, mobile ions, and other impurities which might cause corrosion and degredation of device performance. A silicon nitride layer may also be used as a mask during such processes as ion implantation, ion diffusion, and metal deposition.
Silicon nitride layers have been prepared using a photochemical reaction, i.e. a chemical reaction which is induced or initiated by radiation. One process for depositing a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer uses a photosensitized reaction between silane (SiH.sub.4) and hydrazine (N.sub.2 H.sub.4), as discussed by M. G. Collet, in the article entitled "Depositing Silicon Nitride Layers at Low Temperature Using a Photochemical Reaction," in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society: SOLID STATE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 116, No. 1, January 1969, pages 110-111. In such a process, mercury (Hg) is excited by radiation of a particular wavelength (2537 Angstroms) to form mercury in an excited state (Hg.sup.*). The Hg.sup.* then collides with the SiH.sub.4 and the N.sub.2 H.sub.4 to cause these molecules to form radicals which then react to form Si.sub.3 N.sub.4. Further studies of this process, as well as of a fast-flow system which uses a mixture of SiH.sub.4 and ammonia (NH.sub.3), are reported by C. H. J. v. d. Brekel and P. J. Severin, in an article entitled "Control of the Deposition of Silicon Nitride Layers by 2537 A Radiation," in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society: SOLID STATE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 119, No. 3, March 1972, pages 372-376.
In order to improve upon the films prepared in accordance with the teachings of the above references, since these films were found to have a high incidence of pin-holes, a process for the preparation of low temperature photonitride films of high quality and free of chemically bonded oxygen was discovered and set forth in copending application Ser. No. 910,704, assigned to the present assignee now U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,751 classified 427/94. By the process of the latter invention, a silane getter technique is used to remove oxygen and moisture from the nitrogen-containing reactants, in conjunction with a mercury vapor photosensitized reaction of a predetermined vapor mixture of silane, ammonia, and hydrazine at temperatures from 100.degree. C. to 300.degree. C.
In the above prior art processes, however, the photochemical vapor deposition process is initiated by the transmission of ultraviolet radiation (2537 A) through a quartz window which forms the top of the vacuum deposition chamber. During the deposition process, the quartz window also becomes coated with the deposited material (e.g., silicon nitride). This coating thus diminishes the transparency of the window, which diminishes the amount of radiation which can enter the deposition chamber to initiate the photochemical reaction, and thus impedes the rate of deposition. It is the alleviation of this problem of diminished window transparency to which the present invention is directed.
Certain vacuum systems, such as for the deposition of aluminum, have used a window assembly comprising a clear Teflon film that is manually advanced in order to permit the operator to visually monitor the deposition as it occurs in the chamber. Such a system is described in the catalog of AIRCO Temescal of Berkeley, California, entitled "Viewvac Viewing Ports Model VV400." In such a system, the window is provided for convenience and is not an integral part of the deposition reactions and process.

Mobile transparent window apparatus and method for photochemical vapor deposition


A component with an unlock mechanism is unlockably locked with respect to another component by a resilient snap tooth engaging in a hole defined in the other component. To unlock the components from each other, the unlock mechanism is pulled between the components to force the snap tooth out of the hole against its resiliency. The unlock mechanism has a slant surface that slides against a slant surface of the snap tooth to displace the snap tooth out of the hole in response to the movement of the unlock mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for locking a component on another component with a snap locking tooth, the device having a mechanism for unlocking the components quickly from each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various components need to be locked on other components, but should be unlocked therefrom when desired. Lock devices used to unlockably lock two components are required to be low in cost, simple in operation, and free of undue stresses. To meet such requirements, one known lock device for detachably locking two components to each other comprises a resilient snap tooth on one of the components. When the components are to be locked on each other, the component with the resilient snap tooth is moved toward the other component until the resilient snap tooth snaps into a hole defined in the other component. Once the resilient snap tooth enters the hole, the resilient snap tooth is engaged by an edge of the hole, keeping the components locked.
To unlock the components from each other, the resilient snap tooth is pried out of the hole with a tool by the user, and, at the same time, the component with the resilient snap tooth is pulled away from the other component. Since the tool is manually inserted from outside the other component into the hole, difficulty is sometimes experienced in smoothly getting the resilient snap tooth out of the hole depending on the position and orientation of the hole. It has often been necessary to reposition or reorient the components so that the hole and hence the resilient snap tooth can easily be accessed by the tool. However, repositioning or reorienting the components may not be easy especially when they are heavy and/or bulky.

Snap tooth lock device with quick unlock mechanism

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Aspects described herein generally relate to a modular device core that includes an interface for obtaining one or more signals based on attaching the modular device core to a mounting housing or a display module. A processor of the modular device core can be configured to modify one or more parameters for operating the modular device core based on the one or more signals.

Use of computing devices is becoming more ubiquitous by the day. Computing devices range from standard desktop computers to wearable computing technology and beyond. The field of wearable devices has grown in recent years with the introduction of fitness bands and smart watches, some of which can interface with a nearby mobile device via short range communication technology (e.g., Bluetooth) to provide information thereto and/or to obtain and display information therefrom for consumption by a user wearing the fitness band or smart watch. These types of wearable computing technology range in functionality from fitness-type devices that display information relevant to fitness, such as step-tracking information, heart rate (e.g., via an integrated heart rate monitor/pulse detector and/or by interfacing with a separate heart rate monitor), distance, etc., to watches that are essentially mobile devices, or extensions of mobile devices, which can execute mobile applications for more robust processing/display of information. As such, wearable computing technology is becoming more and more complicated, and hence more and more expensive, in an attempt to be all things for all people.


A first communications device (1002) and a method therein for Device-to-Device (D2D) communication with a second communications device (1004) using a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) or a second RAT. The first and second communications devices are operating in a communications network (1000). The first communications device transmits 5 the second communications device, by means of the first RAT, information relating to a proximity service provided by the second RAT. Thereby the information enables the second communications device to determine whether to use the first RAT or the proximity service provided by the second for D2D communication with the first communications device.

Communication devices such as terminals are also known as e.g. User Equipments (UE), mobile terminals, stations (STAs), wireless devices, wireless terminals and/or mobile stations. Communications devices are enabled to communicate wirelessly in a wireless communications network, such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), or a cellular communications network sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system or cellular networks. The communication may be performed e.g. between two communications devices, between a communications device and a regular telephone and/or between a communications device and a server via an Access Point (AP) operating in an access network and possibly one or more core networks, comprised within the wireless communications network.
The above communications devices may further be referred to as mobile telephones, cellular telephones, laptops, or tablets with wireless capability, just to mention some further examples. The communications devices in the present context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the access network, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), with another entity, such as another communications device or a server.
The communications network covers a geographical area which is divided into geographical subareas, such as coverage areas, cells or clusters. In a cellular communications network each cell area is served by an AP such as a base station, e.g. a Radio Base Station (RBS), which sometimes may be referred to as e.g. "eNB", "eNodeB", "NodeB", "B node", or Base Transceiver Station (BTS), depending on the technology and terminology used. The base stations may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB, micro eNode B or pico base station, based on transmission power, functional capabilities and thereby also cell size. A cell is the geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the base station at a base station site. One base station, situated on the base station site, may serve one or several cells. Further, each base station may support one or several communication technologies. The base stations communicate over the air interface operating on radio frequencies with the communications devices within range of the base stations. In the context of this disclosure, the expression Downlink (DL) is used for the transmission path from the base station to the communication device. The expression Uplink (UL) is used for the transmission path in the opposite direction i.e. from the communications device to the base station.
In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), base stations, which may be referred to as eNodeBs or even eNBs, may be directly connected to one or more core networks.
3GPP LTE radio access standard has been written in order to support high bitrates and low latency both for uplink and downlink traffic. All data transmission is in LTE controlled by the radio base station.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 is a set of Media Access Control (MAC) and PHYsical layer (PHY) specifications for implementing Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6, 5, and 60 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE Local Area Network (LAN)/Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) Standards Committee (IEEE 802). The base version of the standard was released in 1997, and has had subsequent amendments. The standard and amendments provide a local area wireless computer networking technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a network. A WLAN is sometimes referred to as a WiFi network.
Recently, there has been rise in the use of different radio technologies, such as WLAN technology according to the IEEE 802.11 and the 3GPP LTE radio access technology, to provide a distribution medium for device to device communication between communications devices within the proximity of each other.
Wireless connectivity may be provided over so-called social channels. By the expression "social channels" when used in this disclosure is meant communications channels enabling communication among people sharing similar interests e.g. interested in selling or buying specific services, interested in common hobbies etc. For instance, the Wi-Fi Alliance has been working on the so called Wi-Fi Direct and Neighbour Awareness Networking (NAN), both of which enables Device-to-Device (D2D) communication between communications devices. The NAN is sometimes also referred to as Wi-Fi Aware. In such a setting, communications devices may scan the social channels to discover other communications devices such as other wireless devices or wireless Access Points (APs). The NAN enables power efficient discovery of nearby information, such as information relating to communications devices, people, and access points, and of nearby services, by means of D2D communication. The NAN will make it easy for a user to find services available in the area that match preferences set by the user, and it is optimized to work well even in crowded environments. More details is be found at http://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-aware and https://www.wi-fi.org/wi-fi-nan-technical-specification-v10 (Section 1 and 2 covers Introduction and Architecture of NAN).
A communications device capable of NAN is sometimes herein referred to as a NAN communications device or a NAN device. The NAN device may be defined as a mobile handset and/or laptop or any other communication device certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi Aware program. The communication between several NAN devices is based on the IEEE 802.11n physical layer which operates at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz carrier frequencies. The NAN is defined with a new MAC mechanisms to support a formation of a cluster, such as a cluster formation, to support master selection within a cluster, cluster discovery and acquiring synchronization within a cluster, cluster selection and merging, NAN service discovery protocol etc. The NAN protocol supports the formation of the cluster and the maintaining of a time synchronization within the cluster based on transmissions of one or more NAN synchronization beacons.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a communications network according to the prior art. The communications network comprises a station (STA) acting as a NAN Master, e.g. a NAN STA Master, and four stations, e.g. stations STA1-STA4. The NAN master device, i.e. the NAN device acting as the master device within a cluster, transmits one or more NAN discovery beacons, cf. FIG. 2 which will be described below, to announce the existence of the cluster to one or more neighbour communications devices, e.g. to one or more of the stations STA1-STA4, which are not part of the cluster. A cluster comprising one or more NAN devices, e.g. a NAN master device and one or more NAN slave devices, may be referred to as a NAN cluster. Further, the one or more NAN devices within the cluster transmit one or more NAN service discovery frames to either publish or subscribe to one or more services within a cluster.
As also illustrated in FIG. 1, D2D communications between the different STAs STA1-STA4 is provided in the communications network.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the transmissions of NAN Discovery beacons from a NAN device, e.g. the NAN STA Master of FIG. 1, to announce the existence of a cluster. Further, FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the announcing of the synchronization timing and service discovery by means of the NAN Sync beacons and the NAN Service Discovery frames, respectively.
The NAN Discovery Beacon frame is a modified IEEE 802.11 Beacon management frame transmitted outside NAN Discovery Windows to facilitate discovery of NAN clusters. Each NAN device in a master role shall transmit the NAN Discovery Beacon frames.
Further, the NAN synchronization beacon is a modified IEEE 802.11 Beacon management frame transmitted inside NAN Discovery Windows used for NAN timing synchronization.
Furthermore, the NAN Service Discovery frames enable the NAN devices to look for services from other NAN devices and to make services discoverable for other NAN devices. More details may be found in the NAN Release 1 specification: https://www.wi-fi.org/downloads-registered/Neighbor_Awareness_Networking_Technical_Specification_v1_0_0.pdf/Neighbor%2BAwareness%2BNetworking%2BTechnical%2BSpecification%2Bv1.0/29731
The NAN service discovery frame is a public action frame and it utilizes the Vendor Specific Public Action frame formats defined in the IEEE specification with the Wi-Fi Alliance Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) and the Wi-Fi Alliance OUI type indicating the NAN operation. As mentioned above, the NAN device transmits NAN service discovery frames to either publish or subscribe to services within a cluster.
One or more NAN Information Elements are carried in one or more NAN discovery beacon frames. The NAN Information Element is a Vendor Specific Information Element with the Wi-Fi Alliance OUI and a Wi-Fi Alliance OUI type to indicate the NAN operation. The NAN master device transmits, to one or more neighbour communications devices which are not part of the cluster, one or more NAN discovery beacons to announce the existence of the cluster.
It is envisioned that future Wi-Fi technologies may also support data transfer capability along with the existing capability to publish and/or subscribe to the services. The new technologies may support concurrent operations with other Wi-Fi or 3GPP technologies.
The 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 12 includes D2D communication to enable communication between nearby communications devices. Communication based on proximity between communications devices is provided using a function referred to as Proximity Services (ProSe). The ProSe comprises two types of communications. Firstly, the ProSe comprises a direct communication between two communications devices. The direct communication is sometimes referred to as a direct mode communication. Secondly, the ProSe comprises a routed communication between two communications devices, wherein the communication is routed via the AP e.g. a base station. The routed communication is sometimes referred to as a routed mode communication or a locally routed mode communication since the AP, e.g. the base station, may be used as a relay. The ProSe is the services that may be provided by the 3GPP communications system when communications devices are located in proximity to each other. Thus, the ProSe provides the communications device, e.g. a user equipment (UE), with parameters to access the functionality, allocate and/or map application identifiers, store a reference point towards an application server, other ProSe Functions, home subscriber server (HSS) and UE. The 3GPP communications system enablers for ProSe comprise the following functions (see 3GPP TS 23.303 V13.0.0): Evolved Packet Core (EPC) level ProSe Discovery, EPC support for WLAN direct discovery and communication, Direct discovery, Direct communication, and UE-to-Network Relay.
The ProSe, see 3GPP TR 22.803 V12.2.0, assumes use cases, wherein an operator network controlled discovery and communication procedure takes place between communications devices that are located in proximity with each other, under continuous network control, and are under the 3GPP network coverage, for:
1. Commercial and/or social use
2. Network offloading
3. Public Safety
4. Integration of current infrastructure services, to assure the consistency of the user experience including reachability and mobility aspects.
Additionally, the use cases comprise:
5. Public Safety, in case of absence of the E-UTRAN coverage. This may be subject to regional regulation and operator policy, and limited to specific public-safety designated frequency bands and terminals.
Details on the ProSe, based on 3GPP TR 22.803 V12.2.0, will be described below.
Data Paths for the ProSe Communications
As currently specified, a default data path scenario is when two communications devices located in proximity, e.g. close proximity, with each other are communicating, and their data path, e.g. their user plane data path, goes via the operator's communications network. By the expression "close proximity" when used in this disclosure is meant that two communications devices are able to send and receive data, signals and/or beacons to and from each other. When the expression "close proximity" is used for ProSe it means that the two communications devices are within the same cellular cell coverage or within the same geographical neighbourhood. Further, when the expression "close proximity" is used for WLAN NAN it means that the communications devices are located within the range of the WLAN i.e. in the order of tens or hundreds of meter. The typical data path for ProSe communication is shown in FIG. 3, wherein the communication between a first communications device denoted UE1 and a second communications device denoted UE2 goes via a respective base station denoted eNB1 and eNB2, respectively, and via a Serving Gateway (SGW) or a Public Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) of e.g. a core network.
In a ProSe communication scenario, when two communications devices are located in proximity with each other, they may be able to use a direct mode communications path or a locally-routed communications path.
For example, in a 3GPP LTE spectrum, the operator may move the data path, e.g. the user plane data path, off the access network and the core network onto one or more direct links between the communications devices. FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a direct mode data path in the communications network, e.g. in an Evolved Packet System (EPS), for communication between the first communications device UE1 and the second communications device UE2.
Another example is when the data path is locally-routed via one or more of the base stations, e.g. the first base station eNB1 and/or the second base station eNB2. FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a locally-routed mode data path in the communications network, e.g. the EPS, for communication between the first communications device UE1 and the second communications device UE2 when both communications devices UE1, UE2 are served by the first base station eNB1.
Control Paths for the ProSe Communication
For the ProSe Communication scenarios depicted in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, several control path scenarios may apply. Examples of potential control paths for different situations will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6-8.
FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example control path for network-supported ProSe communication between the first and second communications devices UE1, UE2 when being served by the same base station, e.g. the first base station eNB1.
When the first and second communications devices UE1, UE2 involved in the ProSe Communication are served by the same base station, e.g. the base station eNB1 as illustrated in FIG. 6, and network coverage is available, the system, e.g. a core network node or a base station, may decide to perform ProSe Communication using control information exchanged between the respective communications device UE1, UE2, the serving base station, e.g. the base station eNB1, and the core network, e.g. an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), as shown by the solid arrows in FIG. 6. For example, the control information exchanged may relate to session management, authorization, and/or security. For charging, signalling modifications should be minimized with respect to the existing architecture. The communications devices UE1, UE2 may in addition exchange control signalling via the ProSe Communication path as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 6.
FIG. 7 schematically illustrates an example control path for network-supported ProSe communication for the first and second communications devices UE1, UE2 when being served by different base stations, e.g. by the first base station eNB1 and the second base station eNB2, respectively.
When the first and second communication devices UE1, UE2 involved in the ProSe communication are served by different base stations, e.g. by the first and second base stations eNB1, eNB2, respectively, and when network coverage is available, the system, e.g. the core network node or the base station, may decide to perform the ProSe Communication using control information exchanged between the respective communications device UE1, UE2, the respective base station eNB1, eNB2, and the core network, e.g. the EPC, as shown by the solid arrows in FIG. 7. In this configuration, the first and second base stations eNB1, eNB2 may coordinate with each other through the EPC or communicate directly for radio resource management as shown by the dashed arrow between the eNBs in FIG. 7. For charging, signalling modifications should be minimized with respect to the existing architecture. The first and second communication devices UE1, UE2 may in addition exchange control signalling via the ProSe Communication path as shown by the dashed arrow between the first communications device UE1 and the second communications device UE2 in FIG. 7.
If network coverage is available to a subset of the communications devices comprised in the communications network, one or more Public Safety communications devices may relay radio resource management control information for communications devices that do not have network coverage. By the expressions "Public Safety communications device" and "Public Safety UE" when used in this disclosure is meant a communications device, e.g. a UE, that the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) has configured to be authorized for Public Safety use, and which is ProSe-enabled and supports ProSe procedures and capabilities specific to Public Safety. The UE may, but need not, have a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) with one of the special access classes {12, 13, 14}. Further, the expressions "Public Safety communications device" and "Public Safety UE" are used interchangeably in this disclosure.
FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an example control path for Public Safety ProSe communication for the first and second communications devices UE1, UE2 without network support, e.g. without support from the communications network.
When network coverage is not available, the control path may exist directly between Public Safety UEs, e.g. between the first communications device UE1 and the second communications device UE2 when they are public safety UEs, as shown with the solid arrow in FIG. 8. In this configuration, the Public Safety UEs may rely on pre-configured radio resources to establish and maintain the ProSe Communication. Alternatively, a Public Safety Radio Resource Management Function, e.g. a Public Safety Radio Resource Controller, which may reside in another Public Safety UE, e.g. a third communications device UE3, may manage the allocation of radio resources for Public Safety ProSe Communication between the first and second communications devices UE1, UE2 as shown with the dashed arrows in FIG. 8.
LTE ProSe Discovery
A ProSe discovery process identifies that a first ProSe-enabled communications device is in proximity of a second ProSe-enabled communications device. By the expression "ProSe-enabled communications device" when used in this disclosure is meant a communications device enabled for ProSe communication, e.g. a communications device capable of ProSe communication. The ProSe discovery process uses an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), e.g. with or without an E-UTRA Network (E-UTRAN), or the EPC and comprises two discovery models. The first model is referred to as Model A and involves one communications device announcing "I am here" and the second model referred to as Model B involves one communications device asking "who is there" and/or "are you there", see 3GPP TS 23.303 V13.0.0.
The LTE ProSe versus the IEEE NAN
While the IEEE NAN is targeting the use cases of social gaming, music sharing, group chatting, friend finder, home appliances control etc. promising affordable access to lots of different types of communications devices, the LTE ProSe is designed with the requirements of public safety and commercial consumer applications in mind and evolving toward a wider range of applications such as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communications, e.g., Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications (see RP-151109 Feasibility Study on LTE-based V2X Services) or other latency- and reliability-demanding applications. Differences in the technologies and the targeted applications may mean that the IEEE NAN and the LTE ProSe may be preferable for different type of communication needs even if it is a part of the same commercial application.
Enabling or disabling the LTE ProSe may be subject to the user and/or operator preferences (ETSI TS 122.278 Section 7A.1). Similarly, the IEEE NAN is also expected to be either enabled or disabled by the user similarly to its predecessor Wi-Fi Direct, which is already deployed, as a part of mobile handsets and other portable devices. User preference on selecting the IEEE NAN and/or the LTE ProSe may be based on associated monetary cost, power consumed by the respective radio links, user perception and/or user choice about preferred radio technologies, etc. This means that even if the communications devices support both technologies, these technologies may not always be active simultaneously.
Mobile handsets supporting the IEEE NAN Release 1 are expected to be out in the market by end of 2015. The LTE ProSe functionality will be offered by the network operator and it is expected that the first release will include the support of the ProSe services within the network operator and not across operators, which will limit the number of services that may be offered by the LTE ProSe, as compared to services that may be offered by the NAN across operators.
Also, it is expected that, the NAN services being offered using unlicensed spectrum will continue to be free of cost. On the contrary, the LTE ProSe, at least for the initial phase, is expected to use licensed spectrum of the operator network. In this case, users need to pay for the ProSe. This may result in more services that are being offered within the NAN, as compared to the number of services being offered by the LTE ProSe.
Furthermore, the NAN based D2D communication is limited by lesser mobility, and by the dependence on the link quality in the unlicensed spectrum. On the contrary, the LTE based ProSe offers wider and more reliable access to the proximity service, mobility within and across cells and communication in the licensed spectrum, yet, as mentioned, still with some cost and constraints due to the potential operator involvement.
Research into discovering the neighbour devices is currently being conducted within the single radio access technology e.g. within the Wi-Fi and within the 3GPP.
The IEEE Pre-Association Discovery Procedures
One of the amendments to the IEEE 802.11 standard defines a pre-association discovery protocol that may be used between the communications device, e.g. a wireless station (STA), and an Access Point (AP) for service advertisement and service discovery. The standardization is on-going within the IEEE 802.11 Task Group aq (TGaq). The TGaq has specified a mechanism by which the STA and the AP may advertise and discover services in a pre-association state without the need to carry lengthy association and authentication procedures, which results in low latency for the discovery of the service. FIG. 9 schematically illustrates frame exchange for the pre-association service discovery procedure.
The AP advertises, in Action 901, a Service Hash element in one or more Beacon frames that it sends out periodically. The Service Hash element carries hashed information on all the services that are supported by a Basic Service Set (BSS) served by the AP. When a communications device, e.g. a STA, reads the Service Hash element, it tests, in Action 902, whether the service it is interested in is present in the hash by for example using a Bloom filter mechanism of testing for a false positive match. The Bloom Filter provides a probabilistic representation of an available set of services in the BSS or in an external network reachable via the BSS. If the communications device, e.g. the STA, determines that the probability of the service being present in the hash is rather large, the STA queries, in Action 903, further information from the AP via a Probe Request frame, indicating the particular service, e.g. a service named Y as indicated in FIG. 9, that is being queried for. The AP then provides, in Action 904, additional information, e.g. in a Probe Response, on that particular service. In response to the received additional information, the STA transmits, in Action 905, to the AP, a Pre Association Discovery (PAD) Service Information (SI) Request comprising the service name Y and an SI Query Request. The PAD is a discovery service provided to allow non-AP STAs, in a pre-association state, to discover information concerning services that are offered by a Primary BSS (PBSS), a BSS or an external network. This information may allow a STA to choose during network selection, which PBSS or BSS, e.g. which communications network, to associate with to obtain services. The AP may transmit, in Action 906, to the STA, a PAD Service Information Response comprising the service name Y and a SI Query Response. Thereafter, in Action 907, an association procedure is accomplished between the STA and the AP.
A drawback with the prior art is that when two or more RATs are available it may be difficult for a communications device to decide which RAT is the best RAT to use.
A further drawback with the prior art IEEE 802.11 NAN and 3GPP LTE ProSe technologies is that they are specified by different standardization bodies with major differences in terms of targeted use cases and services, as well as in terms of technical aspects, which may affect the user experience.

First communications device, a second communications device and methods therein for device-to-device communication


A portable mixer having an open-top, semicircular mixing trough supported by a base fixedly mounted to the mixing trough. The base is provided with a pair of spaced-apart box channels extending through the base for receiving forklift tines. A paddle is positioned within the mixing tub, and is mounted in cantilever fashion to an axle with the paddle mounted in depending relation to the axle. The axle is carried by a bearing located outside the trough and the axle is aligned with the axial center of the semicircular trough. An actuating system is used to rotate the axle back and forth causing the paddle to sweep back and forth within the trough.

This invention relates to a portable mortar mixer to be used by contractors and builders.
Mechanical mixers for mixing or churning materials are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 54,597 to Quick; U.S. Pat. No. 78,706 to Wood; U.S. Pat. No. 506,404 to Kyte; U.S. Pat. No. 1,714,588 to Bushnell; U.S. Pat. No. 2,784,950 to Bakewell; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,910 to Estis.
None of the known mixers are portable. What is needed is a portable mortar mixer which can be transported from job site to job site easily, and also can be lifted to a position at a building site adjacent where the workman is using mortar. The advantage of the present invention is that it can be operated and used where the operator is located thereby eliminating the need to transport mixed mortar to the workman.
Further, known mixers have an axle holding the paddle, which axle extends across the entire mixing tub. What is needed is a paddle mounted to the axle in cantilever fashion so that the paddle can be moved to one side and the mixing tub cleaned without interference of the axle.
Further what is needed is a mortar mixer where the axle bearings are located outside the trough where mixing occurs so that the mortar does not interfere with the operation of the bearings.
A portable mixer having an open-top, semicircular mixing trough supported by a base fixedly mounted to the mixing trough. The base is provided with a pair of spaced-apart box channels extending through the base for receiving forklift tines. A paddle is positioned within the mixing tub, and is mounted in cantilever fashion to an axle with the paddle mounted in depending relation to the axle. The axle is carried by a bearing located outside the trough and the axle is aligned with the axial center of the semicircular trough. An actuating system is used to rotate the axle back and forth causing the paddle to sweep back and forth within the trough.

Portable mortar mixer with oscillating paddle and scraper


A linear wall drain that includes a removable faceplate and is adapted to be secured to a recessed front wall, the faceplate including at least one magnet that is affixed to a front surface of the recessed front wall and at least one magnet affixed to a rear surface of the faceplate such that the two magnets will removeably hold the faceplate to the recessed front wall when the two magnets are aligned.

Drains have been used in bathroom environments for many decades. They are typically connected, via a trap, to a water disposal system such as a city sewer system or to a septic tank or field positioned in the vicinity of the facility.
One type of drain that has become increasingly popular is a linear drain configuration. Linear drains, such as those used in a shower, have become popular for aesthetic reasons. This is due to the fact that a linear wall drain will "hide" the drain pipe while allowing water to escape from the shower via an elongated opening that would typically be located at the base of a wall. This elongated opening is not overtly apparent and when viewed from an angle (e.g., from eye level), it fades from view, especially when darker colored tile or marble is used to cover the surfaces of the shower. It is aesthetically pleasing to cover the linear wall drain with the same tile or marble that is used to cover the surfaces of shower such that the wall drain is substantially invisible on casual inspection.
A drawback of linear wall drains is the difficulty in keeping the drain clean and clear of debris. Most wall drains have pan into which the water from the shower will fall and then exit through an opening in the bottom of the pan. But the pan, as well as other parts of the linear drain can become dirty and need to be wiped down and sanitized as well has having debris removed that may become lodged therein. This is a difficult task where the opening to the linear wall drain is designed to be very low profile so that it is difficult to see on casual examination. This in turn means that the linear opening will be very narrow and just big enough to allow for the free flow of water from the shower into the pan. Such and opening does not allow for access for cleaning the pan in any meaningful way.
One approach has been to provide a face plate that can be removed to open a larger area so that the interior of the linear drain can be accessed. One configuration provided by Quick Drain USA allows for a tile cover to be detachably affixed to the face of the linear drain as shown. http://www.quickdrainusa.com/products/wall-drain/walld48/ A major drawback of this design, however, is that the device is difficult to install. For example, the magnets are shown positioned on an outer face of the "TileIn Cover", which are then covered by "Transition Tape." This is then supposed to be covered by "Thin Set" and then the "Tile" to be placed over that. This renders the magnets inaccessible underneath the tile. Additionally, the uneven surface that the magnets present make it difficult to set the tile in a smooth and even manner.
Another problem with that configuration is that when face plate is removed, it is important that the opening granting access to the interior of the drain present only smooth (e.g., rounded or beveled) edges for the device otherwise when a person puts their hand into the drain, they will cut their hand. Additionally, it is also important to minimize any edge or surface that could present a collection point for debris.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Linear wall drain with removable access panel


A ferroelectric memory device of an MFIS FET structure using a yttrium oxide film as a buffer film and a manufacturing method of the memory device are provided. The MFIS FET includes a p-type silicon substrate, a field oxide film formed in a device isolation region of the silicon substrate, a gate yttrium oxide film formed on the surface of the silicon substrate, a gate ferroelectric film formed on the gate yttrium oxide film, a gate TiN electrode formed on the gate ferroelectric film, and an n-type source/drain region formed in the silicon substrate of both sides of the gate TiN electrode. In this way, single crystals of the gate yttrium oxide film are easily formed resulting in the formation of a good-quality ferroelectric film on the yttrium oxide film.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and a manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ferroelectric memory device in which a ferroelectric film is used for a gate insulating film and a manufacturing method thereof.
Recent advances in thin-film technology have produced nonvolatile memory devices using ferroelectric films (i.e., ferroelectric memory devices), which can perform high-speed read/write operations by using the polarization reversal and retention characteristics of the ferroelectric film. Since the polarization reversal of a ferroelectric film is caused by a transition at the atomic level, a ferroelectric memory device operates 10.sup.4 -10.sup.5 times faster than other types of nonvolatile memories (e.g., EEPROM or flash memory devices) and thus can achieve read-cycle speeds comparable to that of a DRAM device, i.e., in the hundreds of nanoseconds. Also, since polarization reversal only requires a low supply voltage, e.g., two to five volts, the memory device does not require the higher supply voltage, e.g., ten to twelve volts, necessary for EEPROM or flash memory read operations.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of conventional ferroelectric memory devices: one which detects the amount of charge stored in a capacitor and one which detects a change in the resistance caused by the spontaneous polarization of a ferroelectric.
The first type comprises two transistors and two capacitors or of a single transistor-capacitor pair. Memory devices of this type are widely adopted in DRAM devices and are generally formed of CMOS transistors, with a thick interlayer insulating film separating the transistors from a ferroelectric capacitor formed on top. In this structure, although the impact of the ferroelectric electrode material on the underlying CMOS device can be reduced, a destructive read-out problem persists in that the stored data is ultimately destroyed by being read. This destructive read-out becomes of greater concern as the number of read/write operations in a memory device increases.
The second type of ferroelectric memory device endeavors to overcome this destructive read-out problem. An example of the second type of ferroelectric memory device is called a metal-ferroelectric insulator semiconductor field-effect transistor (MFIS FET). Such a device provides for nondestructive read-out, which makes it appropriate for increased read/write operations. In principle, this type of memory device, which has a single transistor compared to a DRAM having both a transistor and a capacitor, reduces the cell area without altering the cell structure in accordance with typical MOS FET scaling rules. Moreover, its read time need not be as long as that of a flash memory which is a nonvolatile memory, and data can be retained after a read-out operation. The memory device employs a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure using a ferroelectric film as a gate insulating film, in which a read-out operation is performed by forming an inversion layer in a channel region of a transistor. The inversion layer is formed by controlling the potential on a silicon interface based on the polarization retention of a ferroelectric.
However, there are additional problems encountered with the use of the MFIS FET. The major problem derives from the fact that in the MFIS FET a ferroelectric film is formed directly on a silicon semiconductor substrate. When an oxide ferroelectric film, such as PZT (PbZr.sub.x T.sub.1-x O.sub.3), is formed directly on a silicon substrate, oxygen atoms are injected from the oxygen-rich ferroelectric film into its interface with the silicon substrate, thereby resulting in the formation of a superfluous thin film, e.g., an SiO.sub.2 film. As a result, either the composition ratio of the ferroelectric film is locally destroyed, or a higher operating voltage is required. Furthermore, charged particles are injected into the film by trap levels resulting from stress of the ferroelectric film, thereby erasing the charge produced by polarization retention. Also, if the film is formed at a high temperature, constituents of the ferroelectric are apt to diffuse into the silicon substrate and alter the characteristics of the field effect transistor. In addition, if a non-oxide ferroelectric, e.g., BaMgF.sub.4, were used instead of an oxide ferroelectric, fluorine ions are apt to penetrate into the gate insulating film, resulting in the elimination of the polarization characteristics.
Accordingly, since a ferroelectric film is not compatible with a silicon substrate in terms of lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient, it is very difficult to form a high-quality ferroelectric film on the silicon substrate. Furthermore, to form the source/drain regions by self-alignment, a film showing tolerance to a thermal process at approximately 1,000.degree. C. would be required.
In an effort to solve the above problems, an MFIS FET in which a PbTiO.sub.3 film is deposited on a CeO.sub.2 film and aluminum is used for the electrodes has recently been reported. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional MFIS FET using a CeO.sub.2 film.
Referring to FIG. 1, the MFIS FET includes a p-type silicon substrate 1, a field oxide film 2, a source/drain region 3, a CeO.sub.2 film 5, a PbTiO.sub.3 ferroelectric film 6, and an aluminum gate electrode 7. In this device, the hetero-epitaxial growth of PbTiO.sub.3 ferroelectric film 6 is realized by using the CeO.sub.2 film 5 as a gate insulating film. Since the forming of the gate electrode in this structure occurs after high-temperature process of forming the ferroelectric film, aluminum can be used as the electrode material and the structure becomes suitable for integration. Thus, the MFIS FET can be applied to a memory device.
However, although the CeO.sub.2 film 5 shown in FIG. 1 exhibits little lattice mismatching (approximately 0.35%) with a (111) substrate, it has no great advantage with respect to a (100) substrate. Furthermore, the electrical characteristics of this MFIS FET have not been completely verified.

Device and manufacturing method for a ferroelectric memory


A method for heating a blast furnace stove includes combusting fuel in a combustion chamber in the stove, providing combustion gases from the combustion chamber to heat refractory material in the stove, recirculating exhausted combustion gases into the combustion chamber, enriching the combustion chamber with oxygen sufficient for maintaining combustion in the combustion chamber without damaging the refractory material in the stove.

The present invention relates to a method for heating a blast furnace stove for use with a blast furnace.
The combustion air supplied to a blast furnace is typically preheated using a stove, comprising refractory material which is heated using a burner. When the material is hot enough, combustion air is passed through the stoves to pre-heat it before injection into the blast furnace. Usually, several stoves are operated in parallel and cyclically so that at least one stove is operated for heating combustion air while the refractory material of at least one stove is heated.
Conventionally, the top gas leaving the blast furnace has a temperature of around 110-120° C. and contains about 20-25% each of CO and CO2. Typically, 3-5% H2 and some H2O will also be present, but the other major constituent of the top gas is N2 (typically 45-57%). The gas constitutes a low grade fuel, having a relatively low heating value, and is commonly used to fuel the stoves.
The top gas is normally combusted using air-fuel burners in the stoves. In order to ensure the necessary high air blast temperatures needed by the blast furnace, it is well known to enrich the top gas with a high calorific value gas, such as coke oven gas or natural gas. The combustion of such additional fuel leads to larger overall emissions of carbon dioxide from the plant, and is therefore not desirable.
It is also known to oxygen enrich the combustion air used in stack burners. Usually, the enrichment levels needed to reduce or eliminate the need for additional, high-calorific fuels are such as to result in a final oxidant oxygen content in the combustion air of around 28-30%.
Such methods may in some cases render peak flame temperatures high enough to damage the refractory material of the stove.
The blast furnace itself is a highly efficient counter-current reactor that has evolved over many years. It is approaching the limits of thermodynamic efficiency. Moreover, the blast furnace and its ancillary equipment, such as stoves, are the largest energy consumers in an integrated iron and steel works. Furthermore, the energy consumed in iron making is the dominant factor determining the carbon consumption of the integrated steel making process, and therefore the emissions of carbon dioxide. Therefore, it would be desirable to increase thermal efficiency of blast furnace stoves.
In addition to the problem of high peak temperatures mentioned above, too low flame temperatures or heat input rates will lead to long heating cycles, which is undesirable. In other words, the flame temperature needs to be moderated.

Apparatus and method for heating a blast furnace stove


A liquid crystal display device includes pixels having pixel electrodes and a common electrode. A liquid crystal material is held between the pixel electrodes and common electrode. Pixel switches are provided to supply video signals to the pixel electrodes. A plurality of memories are provided to store the video signals in a digital form supplied from the switches to the pixel electrodes. Connection controllers connect the memories to the pixel electrodes and periodically reverse polarities of the video signals output from the memories to the pixel electrodes with respect to potential of the common electrode. A potential setting terminal is provided and auxiliary capacitor lines connected to the potential setting terminal constitute capacitive coupling with the pixel electrodes. Separation circuits are provided to keep the auxiliary capacitor lines in an electrically floating state by electrically disconnecting the auxiliary capacitor lines from the potential setting terminal while the connection controllers connect the memories to the pixels.

Liquid crystal display (LED) devices have the advantages of being light weight, thin, and consuming low power, and as a result LCDs have been used for display devices for compact information processing terminals, such as mobile phones, electric dictionaries, etc. Since those compact information processing terminals are usually driven by batteries, it is quite important to reduce power consumption from a view point of making their operation time longer. In the case of a mobile phone, for instance, its power consumption must be as little as possible, at least in the standby state. As a method to comply with such a requirement, Japanese Patent Application Tokkaihei 58-23091 discloses an image display device with a digital memory provided for each pixel to hold a video signal. In this device, a significant reduction of power consumption can be made by suspending the operation of peripheral driving circuits except a control circuit to control the polarity of video signals supplied from the digital memory to pixel electrodes.
Meanwhile, mobile phones have been equipped with color halftone and moving picture display devices for internet, TV phone, etc. and further require high definition display devices with lower power consumption. In order to meet such requirements, a liquid crystal display device has been proposed to provide each pixel with a switch for selecting either one of two modes of operation: a normal display mode using ordinary thin film transistors and a still picture display mode using a digital memory. In this liquid crystal display device, where an area per pixel is made small to achieve high definition display, the digital memory provided for each pixel is necessarily so small in size that the digital memory restricts the driving capability of each pixel. In the case of such a restriction, it is quite difficult to secure a sufficient tolerance for dispersion of device characteristics depending on the device production process. Where the driving capability of a digital memory is lower than its designed values with respect to an electric capacitor of a liquid crystal and its auxiliary capacitor, a point defect takes place at a pixel mistakenly driven by that digital memory in the still picture display mode. This results in a lower yield rate of the liquid crystal display device.


The disclosure is a plural process to perform a solder ball attaching process that corresponds to the final of a ball grid array package manufacturing process. For example, flux and solder balls are exactly attached on solder ball pads of base frames on which base tapes having a number of land pattern groups are adhered. In the above state, the base frames are inserted into an adjacent reflow device to make the solder balls be attached on the solder ball pads. After the flux of the solder ball pad, on which the solder ball is attached, is removed, the base frames are stored in containers. To perform the base frame storing process in a very small space, the transfer course of the base frames is in the form of loop.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solder ball attaching system and method for micro ball grid array packages, and more particularly, to a solder ball attaching system and method, which is capable of performing a solder ball attaching operation inside a single equipment successively.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, semiconductor products, which play a pivotal role for development of industry extending into electric, electronic, machine and aerospace industries, have been developed steadily in the technology.
To manufacture such semiconductor products, it must go through a semiconductor chip manufacturing process for manufacturing a semiconductor chip, a semiconductor chip packaging process for protecting the friable semiconductor chip and signal input-output between the semiconductor chip and an external equipment and a testing process.
Actually, the development of the semiconductor chip manufacturing technology and the improvement of performance of equipments of precision process for manufacturing the semiconductor chip have made the manufacture of a highly integrated semiconductor chip possible. Moreover, in the semiconductor chip package process, the development of the semiconductor packaging method and the improvement of efficiency of process equipment for manufacturing the semiconductor package have made the increase of efficiency of semiconductor products and the miniaturization of the semiconductor products.
Especially, a ball grid array package, which is mainly used for the highly integrated semiconductor products having lots of input/output terminals, has been disclosed. The ball grid array package is easier in treatment than a PGA(Pin Grid Array), in which signal input/output between the external device and the semiconductor chip is performed by I/O pins arranged in matrix type. Moreover, the ball grid array package, which is small in size, is what is called "chip scale package" that the whole size of the semiconductor product is about 120% of that of the semiconductor chip, and uses solder balls as input/output terminals in place of pins.
The ball grid array package, in state that the semiconductor chip is attached on a printed circuit board forming circuit pattern on both sides or on a non-circuit side of a flexible board having the other side forming the circuit pattern, connects a bonding pad of the circuit pattern and the semiconductor chip in various way, for example, a beam lead bonding, a wire bonding or others.
At this time, the circuit pattern is connected to a portion of a circuit pattern called as "solder ball pad" and performs electric signal input/output with the external device through the solder ball pad.
The semiconductor chip is wrapped with molding resin to protect it from external shock and force and a solder ball is attached on the solder ball pad by a solder ball attaching process for connection with the external device.
At this time, the solder ball attaching process is divided into a solder ball seating step that the solder ball is coated with a water-soluble flux and the solder ball is temporarily seated on the flux, a reflow step that the solder ball is melted and attached on the solder ball pad in a furnace of high temperature and a cleaning step for removing water-soluble d-solvent.
The solder ball seating step, the reflow step and the cleaning step are performed by a solder ball attaching equipment group. The solder ball attaching group includes a solder ball seating equipment for the solder ball seating step, a reflow equipment, a cleaning equipment and a loader equipment for storing the cleaned ball grid array package. The equipments are arranged in series and independently operated to perform their own step.
However, each of the unit equipments included in the typical solder ball attaching group are located closely with the related equipments, but as there is a long distance between the unit equipments, the area where the solder ball attaching equipment group occupies is very large.
Moreover, the solder ball seating equipment, the reflow equipment, the cleaning equipment and the loader equipment included in the solder ball attaching equipment group perform only their own process but not perform connection between the previous step and the next step. Therefore, the connection between the steps depends on an operator.
Furthermore, as the unit equipments of the solder ball attaching equipment group are arranged long and the operator must perform the connection between the steps, the operator's line of movement becomes long, thereby fatigue to the operator is accumulated, the period of time required to attach the solder ball on the ball grid array package becomes long, and the steps are not performed consecutively.
Additionally, even though the solder ball seating equipment is out of order and thereby the insertion of the ball grid array package into the reflow equipment and the cleaning equipment is delayed, as there is no connection between the steps, heating of the reflow equipment and cleaning solution feeding of the cleaning equipment are continued, thereby the equipments are easily deteriorated.
Moreover, additional loader equipment is required for storing the ball grid array package finishing the solder ball attachment. After starting the solder ball attaching process, as the operator must directly transfer all unloaded containers to the loader equipment, the automatization of the solder ball attaching process is difficult.
Furthermore, to transfer the ball grid array package from one step to another step, the ball grid array package must be discharged out from the unit equipment and inserted into the next equipment. If the ball grid array package is discharged out from the unit equipment and inserted into the next equipment, there may cause a bad process, for example, the solder ball to be attached drops down from the solder ball pad. Even though such problem is continued, investigation of the factors leading to the bad process is very difficult.
Additionally, as the unit equipments of the solder ball attaching equipment group perform independently their own step, it is difficult to control the whole solder ball attaching equipment group and thereby lots of time is required for the process and the bad process occurs frequently.


Inductive sensors measure the near surface properties of conducting and magnetic material. A sensor may have primary windings with parallel extended winding segments to impose a spatially periodic magnetic field in a test material. Those extended portions may be formed by adjacent portions of individual drive coils. Sensing elements provided every other half wavelength may be connected together in series while the sensing elements in adjacent half wavelengths are spatially offset. Certain sensors include circular segments which create a circularly symmetric magnetic field that is periodic in the radial direction. Such sensors are particularly adapted to surround fasteners to detect cracks and can be mounted beneath a fastener head. In another sensor, sensing windings are offset along the length of parallel winding segments to provide material measurements over different locations when the circuit is scanned over the test material. The distance from the sensing elements to the ends of the primary winding may be kept constant as the offset space in between sensing elements is varied. An image of the material properties can be provided as the sensor is scanned across the material.

The technical field of this invention is that of nondestructive materials characterization, particularly quantitative, model-based characterization of surface, near-surface, and bulk material condition for flat and curved parts or components using eddy-current sensors. Characterization of bulk material condition includes (1) measurement of changes in material state caused by fatigue damage, creep damage, thermal exposure, or plastic deformation; (2) assessment of residual stresses and applied loads; and (3) assessment of processing-related conditions, for example from shot peening, roll burnishing, thermal-spray coating, or heat treatment. It also includes measurements characterizing material, such as alloy type, and material states, such as porosity and temperature. Characterization of surface and near-surface conditions includes measurements of surface roughness, displacement or changes in relative position, coating thickness, and coating condition. Each of these also includes detection of electromagnetic property changes associated with single or multiple cracks. Spatially periodic field eddy-current sensors have been used to measure foil thickness, characterize coatings, and measure porosity, as well as to measure property profiles as a function of depth into a part, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,232,951 and 5,239,689.
Conventional eddy-current sensing involves the excitation of a conducting winding, the primary, with an electric current source of prescribed frequency. This produces a time-varying magnetic field at the same frequency, which in turn is detected with a sensing winding, the secondary. The spatial distribution of the magnetic field and the field measured by the secondary is influenced by the proximity and physical properties (electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability) of nearby materials. When the sensor is intentionally placed in close proximity to a test material, the physical properties of the material can be deduced from measurements of the impedance between the primary and secondary windings. Traditionally, scanning of eddy-current sensors across the material surface is then used to detect flaws, such as cracks.
For the inspection of structural members in an aircraft, power plant, etc., it is desirable to detect and monitor material damage, crack initiation and crack growth due to fatigue, creep, stress corrosion cracking, etc. in the earliest stages possible in order to verify the integrity of the structure. This is particularly critical for aging aircraft, where military and commercial aircraft are being flown well beyond their original design lives. This requires increased inspection, maintenance, and repair of aircraft components, which also leads to escalating costs. For example, the useful life of the current inventory of aircraft in the U.S. Air Force (e.g., T-38, F-16, C-130E/H, A-10, AC/RC/KC-135, U-2, E-3, B-1B, B-52H) is being extended an additional 25 years at least [Air Force Association, 1997, Committee, 1997]. Similar inspection capability requirements also apply to the lifetime extension of engine components [Goldfine, 1998].
Safely supporting life extension for structures requires both rapid and cost effective inspection capabilities. The necessary inspection capabilities include rapid mapping of fatigue damage and hidden corrosion over wide areas, reduced requirements for calibration and field standards, monitoring of difficult-to-access locations without disassembly, continuous on-line monitoring for crack initiation and growth, detection of cracks beneath multiple layers of material (e.g., second layer crack detection), and earlier detection of cracks beneath fastener heads with fewer false alarms. In general, each inspection capability requires a different sensor configuration.
The use of eddy-current sensors for inspection of critical locations is an integral component of the damage tolerance and retirement for cause methods used for commercial and military aircraft. The acceptance and successful implementation of these methods over the last three decades has enabled life extension and safer operation for numerous aircraft. The corresponding accumulation of fatigue damage in critical structural members of these aging aircraft, however, is an increasingly complex and continuing high priority problem. Many components that were originally designed to last the design life of the aircraft without experiencing cracking (i.e., safe life components) are now failing in service, both because aircraft remain in service beyond original design life and, for military aircraft, because expanded mission requirements expose structures to unanticipated loading scenarios. New life extension programs and recommended repair and replacement activities are often excessively burdensome because of limitations in technology available today for fatigue detection and assessment. Managers of the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) are often faced with difficult decisions to either replace components on a fleet-wide basis or introduce costly inspection programs.
Furthermore, there is growing evidence that (1) multiple site damage or multiple element damage may compromise fail safety in older aircraft, and (2) significant fatigue damage, with subsequent formation of cracks, may occur at locations not considered critical in original fatigue evaluations. In application of damage tolerance, inspection schedules are often overly conservative because of limitations in fatigue detection capability for early stage damage. Even so, limited inspection reliability has led to numerous commercial and military component failures.
A better understanding of crack initiation and short crack growth behavior also affects both the formulation of damage tolerance methodologies and design modifications on new aircraft and aging aircraft. For safe-life components, designed to last the life of the aircraft, no inspection requirements are typically planned for the first design life. Life extension programs have introduced requirements to inspect these "safe-life" components in service since they are now operating beyond the original design life. However, there are also numerous examples of components originally designed on a safe-life basis that have failed prior to or near their originally specified design life on both military and commercial aircraft.
For safe-life components that must now be managed by damage tolerance methods, periodic inspections are generally far more costly than for components originally designed with planned inspections. Often the highest cost is associated with disassembly and surface preparation. Additionally, readiness of the fleet is directly limited by time out of service and reduced mission envelopes as aircraft age and inspection requirements become more burdensome. Furthermore, the later an inspection uncovers fatigue damage the more costly and extensive the repair, or the more likely replacement is required. Thus, inspection of these locations without disassembly and surface preparation is of significant advantage; also, the capability to detect fatigue damage at early stages can provide alternatives for component repair (such as minimal material removal and shotpeening) that will permit life extension at a lower cost than current practice.
In general, fatigue damage in metals progresses through distinct stages These stages can be characterized as follows [S. Suresh, 1998]: (1) substructural and microstructural changes which cause nucleation of permanent damage, (2) creation of microscopic cracks, (3) growth and coalescence of these microscopic flaws to form 'dominant' cracks, (4) stable propagation of the dominant macrocrack, and (5) structural instability or complete fracture.
Although there are differences of opinion within the fatigue analysis community, Suresh defines the third stage as the demarcation between crack initiation and propagation. Thus, the first two of the above stages and at least the initial phase of Stage 3 are generally thought of, from a practical engineering perspective, as the crack initiation phase.
In Stage 1, microplastic strains develop at the surface even at nominal stresses in the elastic range. Plastic deformation is associated with movement of linear defects known as dislocations. In a given load cycle, a microscopic step can form at the surface as a result of localized slip forming a "slip line". These slip lines appear as parallel lines or bands commonly called "persistent slip bands" (PSBs). Slip band intrusions become stress concentration sites where microcracks can develop.
Historically, X-ray diffraction and electrical resistivity are among the few nondestructive methods that have been explored for detection of fatigue damage in the initiation stages. X-ray diffraction methods for detection of fatigue damage prior to microcracking have been investigated since the 1930's [Regler, 1937; Regler, 1939]. In these tests, fatigue damage was found to be related to diffraction line broadening. More recently Taira [1966], Kramer [1974] and Weiss and Oshida [1984] have further developed the X-ray diffraction method. They proposed a self-referencing system for characterization of damage, namely the ratio of dislocation densities as measured 150 micrometers below the surface to that measured 10-50 micrometers below the surface. The data obtained to date suggest that in high strength aluminum alloys the probability of fatigue failure is zero for dislocation density ratios of 0.6 or below. However, it is generally impractical to make such measurements in the field.
Electrical resistivity also provides a potential indication of cumulative fatigue damage. This is supported by theory, since an increase in dislocation density results in an increase in electrical resistivity. Estimates suggest that, in the case of aluminum, depending on the increase in the density of dislocations in the fatigue-damage zone, the resistivity in the fatigue-affected region may increase by up to 1% prior to formation of microcracks. These estimates are based on dislocation densities in the fatigue-damage zone up to between 2(1011 cm−2 to 1012 cm−2 and a resistivity factor of 3.3(10−19 ((cm3 [Friedel, 1964].

Surface mounted and scanning spatially periodic eddy-current sensor arrays


A P-type substrate is immersed in a solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) which etches exposed portions of the substrate to form trenches with sidewalls at an angle of 54.7 degrees with respect to the top surface of the substrate. A vertical boron implant is then conducted which implants boron ions into the angled sidewalls of the trenches. A layer of oxide is then deposited over the substrate surface to fill the trenches approximately flush with the surface of the substrate. NMOS transistors may then be formed in the islands surrounded by the trenches so as to be isolated from other NMOS devices. The boron doping of the sidewalls prevents the inversion of the sidewalls due to any charged contaminants in the deposited oxide. This avoids parasitic leakage currents between the N-type source and drain regions of the NMOS transistors which abut the sidewalls of the trenches.

Numerous techniques have been used to isolate active devices (e.g. transistors, diodes) formed in a same semiconductor substrate. One technique is forming an active device in a well or tub which provides junction-isolation, whereby the well or tub is electrically isolated from adjacent areas by a reverse biased pn junction.
A very different type of isolation technique is to physically etch a trench in the semiconductor substrate, where this trench surrounds an active device. This trench isolation of an active device from other active devices outside the trench inherently results in a degree of electrical isolation between the active devices.
Trench isolation has been found advantageous in high density MOSFET applications, since these trenches can be predictably formed to submicron dimensions.
One problem which has been recognized in isolating MOS devices with trench isolation is the formation of a parasitic leakage path in a trench-isolated NMOS device due to the inversion of P-type trench sidewalls by positively charged contaminants in deposited oxide which fills the trenches. Deposited oxide is frequently contaminated with positive ions (such as sodium) which draw electrons in the P-type substrate to the P-type sidewalls of the trenches and thereby create an N-channel conducting path between the N-type source and drain regions of the NMOS transistor.
It is known to prevent this parasitic leakage path between the source and drain regions of an NMOS transistor by increasing the P-type doping concentration in the sidewalls of the trenches. Known techniques for doping the generally vertical sidewalls of the trenches include an angled field implant where P-type boron ions are implanted into the vertical trench-sidewalls at a large implantation tilt-angle. Such a process is described in the article entitled "A Practical Trench Isolation Technology with a Novel Planarization Process," by G. Fuse, et. al., IEDM 87.
Another method to dope the substantially vertical trench sidewalls is to deposit a P+ polysilicon or borosilicate glass (BSG) film into the trenches, where the boron in these films is then out-diffused into the sidewalls. This boron diffusion source may then be removed by a conventional etching process. The resulting P-type doping concentration in the sidewalls will thus prevent any parasitic leakage path between N-type source and drain regions along the sidewalls. Such a sidewall doping process using a deposited film is described in the article entitled "A Variable-Size Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) Technology with Diffused Sidewall Doping for Submicron CMOS," by B. Davari, IEDM 88.
Both the above doping techniques for the sidewalls of trenches have significant drawbacks. The tilted ion implantation technique described above produces nonuniform concentrations of dopants in the sidewalls of deep or narrow trenches, since the ion trajectories will be blocked by the surface of the wafer which surrounds the deep or narrow trenches. Further, in this tilted implantation process, opposing sidewall faces must be doped using opposite tilt angles, which requires shifting the angle of the ion beam relative to the wafer after one sidewall face is doped. The second method, using a deposited film as a P-type impurity diffusion source, requires additional and time-consuming steps to deposit the diffusion source, out-diffuse the impurities, and remove the diffusion source. Further, the resulting dopant concentration is difficult to accurately predict.
What is needed is a more reliable and faster method for etching trenches to isolate active devices and for doping the sidewalls of these trenches to prevent parasitic leakage currents between regions of an NMOS transistor.


A personal dosimeter for measuring the average concentration of a gaseous contaminant over a given period of time is provided. The dosimeter comprises a sealed pouch having a reaction chamber, which contains a gas-collecting medium, and at least one compartment. Each compartment can be separately sealed and can contain a different reagent, the seals being individually breakable such that the reagents can be separately released into the reaction chamber. Into the pouch is sealed a gas diffusion device that permits the contaminant to diffuse into the reaction chamber where it is collected in proportion to its ambient concentration.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a personal dosimeter for registering gaseous contaminants in the atmosphere. More particularly it is related to a self-contained dosimeter capable of integrating the exposure level of a gaseous contaminant over a given period of time.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
In response to the increasing concern about the health of workers who are exposed to harmful pollutants in the air, it has become necessary to monitor the concentration of the air-borne contaminants. One development for this purpose involved a rather large air pump which would force air to be sampled through a filter, trapping particulate contaminants. This obviously is unavailing for the monitoring of gas contaminants and, even for particles, is not accurate to determine concentration of the particles in the sampled atmosphere.
Personal sampling devices which are worn by individual workers and which passively collect the contaminants have also been used. For example, a device which utilizes the molecular diffusion of the gas to be monitored to collect the sample has been described in American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, Volume 34, pages 78-81 (1973). This device, however, requires that the collecting medium be removed therefrom, and carefully treated with reagents which must be exactly-measured at each analysis.
The disassembly of the device and use of cumbersome reagents required for each analysis are disadvantageous.
Therefore, there remains a need for a personal dosimeter for gaseous contaminants which accurately integrates, that is, indicates the average concentration of the gaseous contaminant over a given time period, and which easily lends itself to analysis without removal of the gas-collecting medium or bothersome addition of other elements.

Self-contained gaseous contaminant dosimeter