A chair comprising a base structure (12) bearing a seat (14), a backrest (16) and a writing tablet (38) movable between a first lowered inoperative position and a raised operative position, in which in the first lowered inoperative position the tablet (38) is parallel to a vertical axis and is inclined relative to a vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chair, so that two or more chairs of the same type can be approached longitudinally to each other with the tablets of two adjacent chairs partially superposed on each other. The writing tablet (38) is also provided with a second lowered inoperative position in which the tablet is inclined relative to a vertical axis and is inclined relative to said vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chair, so that two or more chairs of the same type can also be superposed vertically on each other with the tablets of two adjacent chairs partially superposed on each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a relates to a chair with a writing tablet. Chairs of this kind are normally used as sitting stations for participants in conventions, conferences, lectures and the like. The tablet is normally mounted in articulated fashion on the support structure of the chair and it is movable between an inoperative lowered position and an operative raised position in which it forms a bearing plane which allows the occupant to write or to operate a portable computer.
One of the requirements to be met by chairs meant for use for conferences and the like is to able to fit inside each other when the chair are stowed in conditions of non use.
2. Description of the Related Art
The document EP-A-1266596 by the same Applicant describes a chair with a writing tablet according to the preamble of the main claim. The chair described in this document comprises a writing tablet which, in the inoperative lowered position, is parallel to a vertical axis and is inclined relative to a plane parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the chair, so that two or more chairs of the same kind can be positioned longitudinally close to each other with the tables of two adjacent chairs partially superposed on each other.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,668 describes a chair with a writing tabled that is movable between a horizontal position and a downward and outward inclined position so that two or more chairs of the same type can be mutually superposed in the vertical direction with the writing tablets of two adjacent chairs partially superposed on each other.
The present invention has the object of providing a chair with a writing tablet which can be vertically superposed or fitted longitudinally within other chairs of the same type. The present invention also has the object of providing an articulation mechanism of the writing tablet that is particularly simple and economical.


Examples are disclosed that relate to motion compensation on a single photon avalanche detector (SPAD) array camera. One example provides a method enacted on an imaging device comprising a SPAD array camera and a motion sensor, the SPAD array camera comprising a plurality of pixels. The method comprises acquiring a plurality of subframes of image data. Each subframe of image data comprises a binary value for each pixel. Based upon motion data from the motion sensor, the method further comprises determining a change in pose of the imaging device between adjacent subframes, applying a positional offset to a current subframe based upon the motion data to align a location of a stationary imaged feature in the current subframe with a location of the stationary imaged feature in a prior subframe to create aligned subframes, summing the aligned subframes to form an image, and outputting the image.

A single photon avalanche detector (SPAD) array camera may be used to capture a low light signal, such as in low light conditions, to form an image. Each pixel of a SPAD array sensor is configured to create an avalanche event of electrons upon generation of a photoelectron by a photon incident on the pixel. The avalanche of electrons triggered by the incident photon represents a digital readout of a logical 1 for a pixel, while the lack of an avalanche event triggers a readout of a logical 0 for the pixel. The array of logical 1s and 0s from a single time-gating of a SPAD array sensor represents a subframe of binary image data. The sensor may be time-gated at a relatively high frequency (e.g. approximately 10-200 kHz) to generate a series of binary subframes. An intensity image (grayscale, or color where appropriate color filters are located above pixels) is formed by summing a number of binary subframes based upon an image frame rate of the SPAD array camera (e.g. 30-120 Hz, as examples).

Motion compensation for a SPAD array camera


A method for reducing vibration of a robot arm includes: a step of mounting at least one inertia actuator and at least one vibration signal capturing unit to a processing end of a robot arm; a step of applying the at least one vibration signal capturing unit to detect a vibration generated at the processing end of the robot arm so as to generate a vibration signal; a step of applying a central processing unit to evaluate the vibration signal and coordinates of the processing end of the robot arm so as to capture at least one set of corresponding control parameters for calculating at least one output force; and, a step of having the inertia actuator to apply the output force to the processing end of the robot arm for counteracting the vibration at the processing end of the robot arm.

In the art, a robot arm is featured in excellent ability for more flexible applications and multi-axis machining such as cutting, polishing and grinding. However, since the robot arm can provide less rigidity than a CNC (Computer numerical control) machine tool does, thus a current vibration problem in heavy-duty applications such as cutting is still yet to resolve.
Vibrations of the robot arm would lead to fluttering at the robot arm during the machining process. In particular, vibrations at a processing end of the robot arm would cause series problems in low efficiency, ill surface roughness and the like. In addition, change in a posture of the robot arm would result in variation of the nature frequency of the robot arm itself. Thus, in the industry of metal machining, the CNC machine tool is still the mainstream machining equipment.
If the occurrence of machining vibration at the robot arm can be controlled, and if the dynamic rigidity of the robot arm can be raised, then the machining depth can be further increased, the machining efficiency can be effectively enhanced, and the service life of the tooling can be assured. Therefore, in an ordinary machining process, a damper is usually utilized to reduce the vibration; namely, to reduce the machining vibration. At the same time, since the damping coefficient is increased, the stable zone in the machining stability diagram can be up-lifted, thus the machining depth can be increased, and the machining efficiency can be promoted.
Nevertheless, currently, since the machining application of the robot arm is still in the early stage, thus patents or publications related to vibration reduction upon robot arms are still numbered; in particular, mainly in the passive tuned mass dampers. However, it is understood that the tuned mass dampers can only be used for limiting vibrations at specific frequency. In other words, if the structural resonant frequency is varied, the performance of the tuned mass damper would be remarkably reduced. As such, this type of dampers is not suitable to a system with a varying structural resonant frequency.
Accordingly, it is urgent for the skill in the art to develop a method for reducing vibration of a robot arm that can effectively reduce the vibration at a processing end of the robot arm.

Method for reducing vibration of robot arm

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices is provided with a diagnosis system for easily monitoring the operation states of various fabrication systems, and controlling them in case of abnormal operation states by means of a sensing signal from the fabrication systems and a control signal from a control system. The fabrication system outputs a sensing signal showing the operation states of the fabrication processes such as temperature, time, pressure, concentration, power, etc. The control system outputs a control signal to the fabrication systems for controlling their operation states via transmit lines connected thereto according to the sensing signal from the fabrication systems or an input signal from a host computer. The diagnosis system analyzes the sensing signal from the fabrication systems and the control signal from the control system so as to assess the operation states of the fabrication systems. The control system and the diagnosis system are connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to a communication modem, and the fabrication systems are diagnosed via a communication network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing facility, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device manufacturing facility with a diagnosis system for controlling the operation state of each fabrication system within the facility according to a corresponding process and its operation state, by connecting the diagnosis system with the fabrication systems via a connector and a communication network.
2. Background of the Related Art
Typically, semiconductor device fabrication involves many processes including oxidation, deposition, ion-implantation, photo-etch, inspection, etc. Each of the above processes is becoming automated using statistical process control (SPC) techniques.
Using SPC, processing data for a specific facility is control-managed, and any abnormality of the facility or the process can be detected using accumulated statistical data. Each fabrication facility has a method of monitoring the processing data which is processed therein. The data from the monitoring is used to establish control limits for regularly inspecting various kinds of fabrication facilities, or for detecting and correcting an abnormal operation in a fabrication facility.
Conventionally, data monitoring has been done by a control facility within the fabrication facility. In the meantime, data monitored during processing must be continuously collected and loaded into the control facility, so that the control limits can be continuously updated. The data collected in this manner is essential for controlling the fabrication facility during its operation, but it is difficult to detect the process flow using the parameters needed by an operator while the process is going on in real time.
FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a conventional data monitoring arrangement in which an oscilloscope 103 is connected to a stepper controller 102 of a stepper 101 so as to temporarily monitor the operation state of an exposure facility in order to detect any abnormality. While the stepper 101 is operated, the signal output from the stepper controller 102 is shown using the oscilloscope 103. However, it is difficult to detect the point at which the abnormality occurs in the facility just by seeing the monitored data. That is, the data are not analyzed, and it is difficult to establish control limits. Therefore, it is difficult to efficiently control-manage the facilities, and to monitor the fabrication facility in real time.
Therefore, additional computational and analytical steps must be carried out in order to read/understand the monitored data.
The present invention is directed to a facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices provided with a diagnosis system for easily monitoring the operation states of various fabrication systems, and controlling them in case of abnormal operation states by means of a sensing signal from the fabrication systems and a control signal from a control system, which substantially overcomes one or more of the problems due to the limitations and the disadvantages of the related art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices with a diagnosis system allowing for a remote operator to monitor the operation states of the fabrication systems, and control them remotely by interconnecting the control system and the fabrication systems by a communication network.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an etch facility with a diagnosis system for monitoring the operation state of an etch chamber and efficiently controlling it in case of an abnormal operation state by providing a diagnosis system to the etch chamber.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an exposure facility with a diagnosis system for monitoring the operation state of an exposure system and efficiently controlling it in case of an abnormal operation state by providing a diagnosis system to the exposure system.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention as embodied and broadly described, the facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices comprises a plurality of fabrication systems for carrying out fabrication processes for manufacturing semiconductor devices including oxidation, deposition, diffusion, ion-implantation, photo-etch, etc., and outputting a sensing signal showing the operation states of the fabrication processes such as temperature, time, pressure, concentration, power, etc. A control system outputs a control signal to the fabrication systems for controlling their operation states via transmit lines connected thereto according to the sensing signal from the fabrication systems or an input signal from a host computer. A diagnosis system analyzes the sensing signal from the fabrication systems and the control signal from the control system so as to assess the operation states of the fabrication systems. The sensing signal can be signals output from a specific board constituted within the various fabrication facilities, and can be signals output from a specific output port of the facility.
The diagnosis system comprises an input unit for receiving a sensing signal from the fabrication systems indicating the operation states of the systems, and a control signal from the control system. An output unit outputs a control signal for controlling the operation states of the fabrication systems according to the sensing signal therefrom. A control means analyzes the sensing signal received by the input unit, assesses the operation state of each fabrication system, and applies a control signal for controlling the operation state of the fabrication system.
The input unit comprises a first input unit with a plurality of input ports for receiving a sensing signal from the fabrication systems indicating the operation state of the fabrication systems; and a second input unit with a plurality of input ports for receiving a control signal from the control system for controlling the operation state of the fabrication systems.
The control means of the diagnosis system comprises a control part for analyzing the operation state of the fabrication systems with a sensing signal from the fabrication systems and a control signal from the control system, and applying a control signal corresponding thereto. A multiplexer selectively transfers the control signal from the control system and the sensing signal from the fabrication systems, which are received via the input unit, to the control part. A first memory device stores the data for the operation state of the fabrication systems. A display part displays the operation state of the fabrication systems analyzed by the control part. A demultiplexer selectively applies the control signal, which is applied from the control part corresponding to the operation state of the fabrication system, to the fabrication systems.
Preferably, the control means further comprises a channel select part for selecting at least one fabrication system among the plurality of fabrication systems, an alarm part for outputting an alarm signal in case of an abnormal operation state of a specific fabrication system, an input apparatus for receiving programs or data from a storage medium which stores,various programs or data, and a second memory device having a program for performing multi-tasking therein so as to control the operation state of the fabrication systems both by the control system and the diagnosis system.
The diagnosis system is connected to the plurality of fabrication systems via a transmit line having a connector, which is able to be connected/disconnected.
In addition, the control system and the diagnosis system are respectively connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to a communication modem, and the fabrication systems are diagnosed via the communication network. The control system and the diagnosis system are respectively connected to a LAN to which a communication modem connected to an Internet (or Wide Area Network (WAN)) is connected, and the fabrication systems are monitored using the Internet.
Preferably, a diagnostic program for controlling the operation of the fabrication systems is provided with a personal computer by which the operation state of the various control systems can be remote-monitored and remote-controlled.
In another aspect of the present invention, an etch system for manufacturing semiconductor devices with a diagnosis system comprises an etch chamber for carrying out an etch process for manufacturing semiconductor devices. A chamber control system outputs a control signal for controlling the etch process and the operation of the etch chamber according to a sensing signal from the etch chamber and an input signal from a host computer. A diagnosis system receives a control signal for controlling the etch process and the operation state of the etch chamber and a sensing signal showing the etch process and the operation state of the etch chamber, diagnoses the etch process and the operation state of the etch chamber, and outputs a control signal to the etch chamber according thereto.
The etch chamber comprises a MFC (Mass Flow Controller) for sensing/controlling the amount of the process gas supplied to the etch chamber, a pressure gauge for sensing the pressure inside the etch chamber, and a power supply source for applying power to the etch chamber.
The diagnosis system comprises an input unit for receiving a sensing signal from the etch chamber indicating the operation state of the etch process and the operation state of the etch chamber, and a control signal from the chamber control system. An output unit outputs a control signal for controlling the operation state of the etch chamber according to the sensing signal therefrom. A control means analyzes the sensing signal received by the input unit, assesses the operation state of the etch chamber, and applies a control signal for controlling the operation of the etch chamber.
The input unit comprises a first input unit with a plurality of input ports for receiving a sensing signal from the etch chamber indicating the operation state of the etch chamber; and a second input unit with a plurality of input ports for receiving a control signal from the chamber control system for controlling the operation state of the etch chamber.
The control means comprises a control part for analyzing the operation state of the etch chamber with a sensing signal from the etch chamber and a control signal from the chamber control system, and applying a control signal according thereto. A multiplexer selectively transfers the control signal from the chamber control system and the sensing signal from the etch chamber, which are received via the input unit, to the control part. A first memory device stores the data for the operation state of the etch chamber, and a display part displays the operation state of the etch chamber analyzed by the control part. A demultiplexer selectively applies the control signal, which is applied from the control part corresponding to the operation state of the etch chamber.
The control means further comprises an alarm part for outputting an alarm signal in case of an abnormal operation state of the etch chamber; and a second memory device having a program for performing multi-tasking therein so as to control the operation state of the etch chamber both by the chamber control system and the diagnosis system.
In addition, the chamber control system and the diagnosis system are respectively connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to a communication modem, and the etch chamber is diagnosed via a communication network.
The chamber control system and the diagnosis system are respectively connected to a LAN to which a communication modem connected to an Internet (or WAN) is connected, and the etch chamber is monitored using the Internet.
Preferably, a diagnostic program for controlling the operation of the etch chamber is provided with a personal computer by which the operation state of the etch chamber can be remote-monitored and remote-controlled.
In another aspect of the present invention, a fabrication facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices with a diagnosis system comprises an exposure system for carrying out an exposure process for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and an exposure control system for outputting a control signal for controlling the exposure process and the operation of the exposure system according to a sensing signal from the exposure system and an input signal from a host computer. A diagnosis system receives a control signal for controlling the exposure process and the operation state of the exposure system and a sensing signal showing the exposure process and the operation state of the exposure system, diagnoses the exposure process and the operation state of the exposure system, and outputs a control signal to the exposure system according thereto.
The exposure system comprises a driving part for driving a stage having a wafer mounted thereon by two motors back/forth and right/left, an aligning part for aligning the wafer mounted on the stage to a certain location, and an exposure part for carrying out an exposure process for the wafer mounted on the stage.
The diagnosis system comprises: an input unit for receiving a sensing signal from the exposure system indicating the state of the exposure process and the operation state of the exposure system and a control signal from the exposure control system; an output unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the operation state of the exposure system according to the sensing signal therefrom; and a control means for analyzing the sensing signal received by the input unit, assessing the operation state of the exposure system, and applying a control signal for controlling the operation of the exposure system.
The input unit comprises a first input unit with a plurality of input ports for receiving a sensing signal from the exposure system indicating the operation state of the exposure system; and a second input unit with a plurality of input ports for receiving a control signal from the exposure control system for controlling the operation state of the exposure system. The control means comprises a control part for analyzing the operation state of the exposure system with a sensing signal from the exposure system and a control signal from the exposure control system and applying a control signal according thereto. A multiplexer selectively transfers the control signal from the exposure control system and the sensing signal from the exposure system, which are received via the input unit, to the control part. A first memory device stores the data for the operation state of the exposure system. A display part displays the operation state of the exposure system analyzed by the control part, and a demultiplexer selectively applies the control signal to the exposure system, which is applied from the exposure control part corresponding to the operation state of the exposure system.
Preferably, the control means further comprises an alarm part for outputting an alarm signal in case of an abnormal operation state of the exposure system, and a second memory device having a program for performing multi-tasking therein so as to control the operation state of the exposure system both by the exposure control system and the diagnosis system.
In addition, the exposure control system and the diagnosis system are respectively connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to a communication modem, and the exposure system is diagnosed via the communication network. The exposure control system and the diagnosis system are respectively connected to a LAN to which a communication modem connected to an Internet (or WAN) is connected, and the exposure system is diagnosed using the Internet.
Preferably, a diagnostic program for controlling the operation of the exposure system is provided with a personal computer by which the operation state of the various control systems can be remote-monitored and remote-controlled.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Semiconductor device manufacturing facility with a diagnosis system


A cleaning device for cleaning a marine streamer towed underwater and related methods are provided. The cleaning device includes a housing configured to be attached to the streamer, a motor mounted inside the housing, a propeller configured be rotated by the motor and to drive the housing along and relative to the streamer in a towing direction, and a controller configured to control the motor and the propeller.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to cleaning devices for streamers used in marine seismic surveying and, more particularly, to autonomous cleaning devices and related methods for cleaning marine growth and other contaminants deposited on the streamers towed underwater.
2. Discussion of the Background
Marine seismic surveying investigates and maps the structure and character of geological formations under a body of water using reflection seismology. Reflection seismology is a method of geophysical exploration especially helpful in the oil and gas industry. In marine reflection seismology, the depth and the horizontal location of features causing reflections of seismic waves are evaluated by measuring the time it takes for the seismic wave to travel to receivers. These features may be associated with subterranean hydrocarbon reservoirs.
A typical marine seismic surveying system is illustrated in FIG. 1. A vessel 100 tows a seismic source 102 and plural streamers such as 106, each streamer carrying an array of seismic receivers 104 (e.g., hydrophones). It is desirable to maintain the streamers at predetermined horizontal cross-line distances (i.e., along an axis perpendicular to the towing direction T), and at predetermined depths (e.g., 10 m) relative to the water surface 108. The seismic source 102 is configured to generate a seismic wave 110 that propagates downward (down, up and vertical being defined relative to gravity) toward the seafloor 120 and penetrates the formations 125 under the seafloor 120 until it is eventually reflected at discontinuity locations such as 122a and 122b. The reflected seismic waves 130a and 130b propagate upwardly and can be detected by one of the receivers 104 on the streamer 106. Based on the data collected by the receivers 104, an image of the subsurface formation is generated by further analyses of the collected data.
To maintain the streamers at a desired position (i.e., such as to have predetermined cross-line distances and predetermined depths), conventionally, a horizontal position control device 140 is attached to the streamer, most frequently at the front of the streamer 106, close to the towing vessel 100. Separate conventional depth control devices 145 (e.g., floaters) may be employed to maintain a depth of the streamer.
Streamer Rescue Devices (SRDs) 150, which are configured to help recover portions of streamers that have been accidentally severed, are placed typically at regular intervals along the streamers (e.g., every 300 m for a streamer of about 12 km). An SRD is activated to generate signals when the respective portion of the streamer sinks below a predetermined depth (e.g., 48 m) and/or pressure increases above a predetermined level (e.g., 70 psi).
Significant amounts of bio-fouling settlement accumulate on the exterior surface of the streamers. These accumulations can obscure the reflected seismic wave and significantly increase the streamer drag. The rate of accumulation and the impact of the bio-fouling and other contaminants depend on factors, among others, such as the geographic location, the water temperature, and the season. The gooseneck barnacle is the most common bio-fouling organism found on the marine streamers.
Cleaning such contaminants from the exterior of the streamers is desirable and beneficial. For example, a cleaning device 160 with brushes or other cleaning tools may be moved along the streamer to clean contaminants from the exterior thereof.
A conventional cleaning device, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,754,018, typically includes one or more cleaning elements (e.g., brushes) and a mechanism configured to attach and to roll the cleaning device along the streamer in order to clean the exterior of thereof. The cleaning device may include buoyant bodies. The frame of the cleaning device may be designed to pass over the SRDs and the depth control devices while moving along the streamer (e.g., the frame may have a center clearance).
A conventional cleaning device 165 described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,833 and illustrated in FIG. 2 has two vanes (e.g., 170a and 170b) attached to a cylindrical body 175 formed by two half cylinders 177 engaged on one side by hinges 179 and on another by any suitable releasable fastener (not shown). Brushes 180 are attached inside the body 175 via inserts 185 to reach the outer surface of the streamer 106. The vanes are angled with respect to longitudinal axis of the body 175 to provide both thrust and torque to the body 175.
Most conventional cleaning devices are passive devices that are moved relative to the streamer by the water flow. They are deployed at the front of the streamer (i.e., close to the towing vessel) and picked up at the end of the streamer, after a cleaning operation along the streamer. The cleaning devices are then manually repositioned for another cleaning operation along the same streamer or another streamer. Human intervention in retrieving and repositioning the cleaning devices is a source of inefficiency and renders the cleaning of the streamer expensive.
An active cleaning device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,919. This cleaning device includes a turbine rotated by the water flow caused by the movement of the streamer through the water, and a drive element configured to convert the rotation of the turbine into motion of the cleaning device along the seismic streamer. The drive element includes wheels or other mechanisms that are in contact with and moving relative to the streamer. In order to reverse the motion from upstream (i.e., in the towing direction) to downstream (i.e., in a direction opposite to the towing direction) the pitch of the turbine blades is changed. This cleaning device has the disadvantage that the turbine and the drive train to wheels can be damaged by seaweed or fish line entangled on the moving parts dragged through the water. Additionally, since the drive elements are constantly in tight frictional contact (e.g., loaded by spring suspension) with the streamer, it may at times be difficult for the cleaning device to roll over the contaminants deposited on the streamer's outer surface, and it occasionally may be even impossible to pass obstacles with larger diameter, such as, weights or bird collar overmolds that are often seen along streamer sections.
In recent years, new positioning devices for streamers (named "birds") have been developed. The birds are inserted between streamer section ends, along the streamer and are able to develop forces to adjust both a depth and a horizontal location. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,871 discloses a bird having three fins attached to an outer shell of the bird's body. The fins are mounted to individually rotate around their respective transverse (i.e., perpendicular to the towing direction) axes of rotation. One fin, which normally has its rotation axis along gravity, is free to rotate and is ballasted or linked to a ballast, performing a roll and/or orientation stabilization of the bird while in motion. The other two fins are controlled to rotate around a respective rotation axis at individual rotation angles, so as to develop desired horizontal and vertical forces while dragged through the water, steering the bird toward an intended position of the streamer.
While being superior to older positioning devices for streamers, these birds are sometime also bulkier. The conventional cleaning devices are rendered obsolete, because the birds are too large for the cleaning devices to pass over them. Therefore, there is a need to develop cleaning devices for streamers designed to operate when birds or other obstacles are present on the streamers.

Active cleaning device for seismic streamers and related methods


A saving box has a cylindrical box body with a closed bottom, a plurality of coin reservoirs each having a different diameter and formed on the closed bottom at proper spaces in a predetermined direction in order of diameter, a sorting disc acting as an upper surface of the box body and provided with a plurality of openings corresponding to the coin reservoirs, a guide sleeve formed within the box body at a central portion thereof and having a vertical groove, an operating rod engaging with the vertical groove and extending upwardly of the box body, a coil spring disposed within the guide sleeve and normally biasing the operating rod upwardly, a moving blade slightly contacting an upper surface of the sorting disc and engaging a spiral groove formed in an outer peripheral surface of the operating rod, an outer surface disc overlaid on and spaced away, by a predetermined distance, from an upper surface of the moving blade and having a coin insertion port, and a soft formative substance having a proper form mounted on the surface disc, an upper extension end of the operating rod being in opposite relation to an inner surface of a top portion of the soft formative substance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a saving box in which various kinds of coins are sorted and saved separately.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many types of saving boxes in the sense of structure and design are heretofore known. Since there are so many types of them already known to us, it seems that there is almost no new area where further development is to be made. As a method for sorting coins, there are shape sorting, weight sorting, and material sorting, wherein the coins are sorted in accordance with shape, weight and material.
From our long experiences that the saving boxes are regarded as something very familiar to our daily life, we learn that saving boxes, which are simple in structure, easy to handle, and unique in appearance, tend to receive more attention than those which are elaborated in-technique and complicated in structure.


A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor device module, and a heat conductor. The semiconductor device module is on the substrate. The semiconductor device module includes an interposer substrate, one or more semiconductor device chips, a covering resin, and a metal film. The one or more semiconductor device chips are on a first surface of the interposer substrate. The covering resin is in contact with the first surface of the interposer substrate and the one or more semiconductor device chips and encloses the one or more semiconductor device chips. The metal film is in contact with the covering resin and covers the covering resin. The heat conductor is in thermal contact with the substrate and the metal film, and has a higher thermal conductivity than the covering resin.

A semiconductor component having an electronic component mounted on an interposer substrate and a sealing resin sealing the electronic component is known. The semiconductor component is mounted on a substrate via a terminal. Heat dissipation from the semiconductor component occurs by heat being transferred to the substrate via the terminal. However, the heat dissipation from the semiconductor component may not be sufficient, and therefore it is desirable to achieve further heat dissipation from the semiconductor component.

Semiconductor device with improved heat dissipation


A circuit arrangement for producing an output voltage with a first polarity with respect to a reference-earth potential from an operating voltage with a second polarity with respect to the reference potential. The circuit arrangement operates on the basic principle that a first capacitor is charged, by means of a voltage rise on a coil after current has been removed from it, to a voltage which is positive with respect to the fixed reference-earth potential. During the on-phase of a transistor, the first capacitor charges a second capacitor to a voltage which is negative with respect to the fixed reference-earth potential and can be picked off from the outside. An electrical resistor is connected between the circuit output connection and the control line of the transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a circuit arrangement for producing an output voltage of opposite polarity to the operating voltage, and a circuit arrangement which operates at a particularly low current level.
It also relates, in particular, to a circuit arrangement which, in an electronic device supplied with a battery voltage (for example), in a mobile radio set (mobile telephone) or a portable computer (laptop), produces a negative voltage from a positive voltage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Circuit arrangements of this type are generally known. They are used, for example, in mobile radio sets which are supplied with a battery voltage and have one or more MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) Chips (for example, an MMIC power amplifier) based on MESFET technology, to produce a negative gate bias voltage for the MESFET(s). In the case of a first circuit variant, using which a negative voltage can be produced in a battery-powered electronic device, an AC voltage is produced by means of an oscillator or multivibrator, and is subsequently rectified. In the case of mobile telephones, it is likewise possible to produce a negative voltage by rectifying a received radio-frequency signal which is applied to the input of an MMIC power amplifier.
However, both of these methods have disadvantages. For example, in the case of the option mentioned first, an additional AC signal is produced by the oscillator in the electronic device which can adversely affect the operating characteristics of the device. For example, adjacent components in the electronic device, such as microprocessors, can be influenced, and this can lead to malfunctions.
In the case of the second method mentioned, it is particularly disadvantageous that the MMIC power amplifier is not switched on until after the radio-frequency signal has been applied, and can be operated only at relatively high signal levels.


A portable instrument for locating leaks through the wall of a chamber uses a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) type detector. The instrument includes a gas sampling probe into which a continuous sample of gas is drawn by a small suction pump. The sample is conducted from the probe through a flexible conduit and through a gas sample chamber. The gas sample chamber contains a source of light or infrared radiation and a detector. A narrow pass band filter is interposed between the source and the detector, and the pass band of the filter is centered on an absorption band of the test gas that is to be detected. When the test gas is present, it absorbs some of the radiation. The detector produces an electrical signal representative of the concentration of the test gas. The detector is connected to a signal processing circuit that responds to rapid changes of test gas concentration but ignores slow changes in concentration, thereby reducing the false alarm rate. The sampling is done at atmospheric pressure and the system does not require a high vacuum system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of instrumentation and specifically relates to apparatus and method for locating regions in the external wall of a chamber through which a gas, vapor or liquid is leaking.
2. The Prior Art
The helium leak detection technique remains today, many decades after its invention, unequivocally as the best technique ever devised for leak detection, especially for detecting very small leaks or leaks that require quantification in terms of leak rate. The art of helium leak detection is well developed, and the success of the technique results from the ability of helium to penetrate very small passages and from the ability of the mass spectrometer detector to sense extremely small quantities of helium.
The heart of the helium leak detector is the mass spectrometer. A typical mass spectrometer consists of an evacuated chamber into which a gas sample, which may include helium, is drawn. The sample is drawn transversely through an energetic electron beam that flows from a negatively charged filament to a positively charged collector plate. The electron beam knocks electrons from the molecules of the sample gas, whereby the molecules become positively charged ions. These ions are accelerated by an electric field and then passed between the poles of a strong magnet which causes the ions to follow curved paths. The radius of the curved path depends on the mass of the ion and on the strength of the magnetic field. For a particular magnetic field strength, helium ions will pass through a narrow slit in a plate and impinge on a detector, while ions of other masses will miss the slit and will fall on the plate and will not be detected. In this way the mass spectrometer selectively responds to the presence of helium molecules in the evacuated chamber.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,844 issued Jul. 17, 1984 Burkhart describes three major methods of using a helium leak detector to find leaks through the wall of a chamber that is being tested. In the first method, the chamber is placed in communication with a mass spectrometer. Next, the chamber is evacuated and thereafter helium gas is applied to selected regions on the exterior of the chamber. The mass spectrometer operates in high vacuum, and the minute amount of helium leaking into the chamber does not disturb the high vacuum.
In the second method, the chamber to be tested is filled and pressurized with helium and then placed in an evacuated chamber containing a mass spectrometer. The existence of a leak can be discovered, but not its location. The minute amount of helium leaking out of the chamber being tested does not disturb the high vacuum in the evacuated chamber.
The helium leak detector is the leak detector of choice when these first and second methods are used. The vacuum pumps needed to evacuate the chambers also produce the vacuum necessary for operation of the mass spectrometer. The present invention is not intended for use in the first and second methods.
Instead, the present invention is intended for use in what Burkhart refers to as a third method, namely, sampling at atmospheric pressure. In Burkhart's third method, the chamber to be tested is filled and pressurized with helium gas. The chamber remains surrounded by air. A gas sampling probe is moved across the exterior surface of the chamber, drawing a sample of gas through the probe into a vacuum chamber that includes a mass spectrometer.
When the sampling is done at atmospheric pressure, certain shortcomings of the conventional helium leak detector are exposed and the comparative advantages of the present invention come into sharp focus.
The mass spectrometer must operate in a high vacuum; otherwise the filament will burn up and the ions will be scattered from their proper trajectories.
To maintain the necessary high vacuum requires a mechanical roughing pump, a cold trap, and a molecular diffusion pump, along with the ancillary instrumentation. In contrast, the present invention requires none of these cumbersome components.
Sampling at atmospheric pressure compromises the high vacuum required by the helium leak detector. To ameliorate this problem, the volumetric flow rate of the gas sampled must be severely curtailed, resulting in longer transport delays and reduced sensitivity.
As recognized by Gevaud et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,106 issued Oct. 13, 1981, the slow flow rate of the sampled gas combined with the transport delay of the sample in traveling from the gas sampling probe through a conduit and into the vacuum system implies that the gas sampling probe must be moved rather slowly across the surface of the chamber under test so that the leak alarm signal can be correlated with the position of the probe to permit accurate determination of the location of the leak.
Thus it is seen that the helium leak detector, notwithstanding its superiority when the sample is collected inside a vacuum chamber, has serious limitations for use in a portable system for sampling at atmospheric pressure. These limitations are the need for a high vacuum system and the limited sampling flow rate.
The present inventors recognized that these limitations of the helium leak detector could be avoided if a sensitive, quickly-responding gas detector could be found that does not need to be operated in a vacuum.


An electrical connector assembly using conventional signal pins is adapted for use with impedance-controlled cables by dividing the body of the connector into one or more separate channels. Each channel is defined by a perimeter providing electrical shielding. A separate impedance-controlled wire or cable can be terminated at conventional signal pins installed in an insert located within a particular channel. A transition region between a connector plug or receptacle and an incoming wire or cable preserves the correct impedance characteristics of the cable.

1. The Technical Field
The invention relates generally to electrical connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to electrical connectors adapted for connecting impedance-controlled wires and cables.
2. The Prior Art
Impedance-controlled electrical connectors for connecting impedance-controlled wire and cable are known in the art. Special families of impedance-controlled connectors, such as Triax, SMA, BNC, N, MHV, and others, have been developed for this purpose. Typically, such connectors are used for connecting multi-axial cable, although such connectors also can be used for connecting other types of impedance-controlled wire and cable, including, for example, shielded wire pairs and quads.
Also, some general purpose connectors, such as those according to Military Specification MIL-38999, have been adapted for connecting impedance-controlled wires and cables. Such general purpose connectors having conventional connector pins typically are used for connecting wiring and cable that does not have stringent impedance control requirements. Notwithstanding, custom inserts have been developed to allow impedance-controlled wire and cable to be connected using such a general purpose connector.
An example of a prior art general purpose connector having such special inserts is illustrated in FIG. 1. Prior art connector 20 comprises a connector shell 22 having a conventional insert 24 comprising a conventional dielectric material. Various conducting elements penetrate the dielectric material 24, including conventional connector pins 26, a custom coaxial cable insert 28, a custom triaxial cable insert 30, a custom paired wire insert 32, and a custom quad wire insert 34. Each of custom inserts 28, 30, 32, and 34 is specially made for use in connection with connector 20. Such custom inserts typically are made using special dielectric material and they typically include special ground shields. As such, these custom inserts are costly to fabricate and to integrate with a conventional, general purpose connector.
It would be desirable to provide an electrical connector for use in connecting impedance-controlled wires and cables which uses conventional, low-cost materials and fabricating techniques.
The present invention is directed to an electrical connector assembly, preferably comprising a plug and a receptacle, for connecting impedance-controlled wires and cables, as well as wires and cables not having strict impedance control requirements. In a preferred embodiment, each of the plug and receptacle comprises an annular shell which is open at each end and which defines an interior region and an inner and outer surface. Preferably, the shell is cylindrical, having a circular cross section. In alternative embodiments, the shell can have other cross sections, such as oval, rectangular, pentagonal, etc. A divider extending axially through the interior region of the shell divides the interior region of the shell into two or more channels. Both the shell and the divider are made of a material which provides electrical shielding and the necessary structural characteristics. Any number of metals would be suitable for this application, as would be known to one skilled in the art. The shell and divider can be fabricated monolithically, e.g., cast as a single piece or machined from a solid block of material. Alternatively, the shell and divider can fabricated as separate components and subsequently welded, keyed, press-fit, bonded, or otherwise joined together.
Preferably, each of the channels defined by the shell and divider contains an insert made of a conventional or other dielectric material, although one or more of such channels can be hollow. The insert preferably is shaped to conform to the shape of the channel, and preferably is securely positioned within the channel. Preferably, one or more conductors penetrate each such insert, although one or more of such inserts can lack conductors. One end of each such conductor preferably is configured to be terminated to a conductor of a wire or cable feeding into the connector, as would be known to one skilled in the art. The other end of the conductor preferably is configured as a pin or a pin receptacle for mating with a corresponding receptacle or pin, respectively, as would be known to one skilled in the art. Corresponding pairs of connector plugs and receptacles can be keyed to ensure proper alignment of corresponding dividers, pins, and pin receptacles when a connector plug is connected to a corresponding connector receptacle.

General Dynamics Information Systems, Inc.


A electrohydraulic stop device contains a piezoelectric actuator (P) which acts on two coupled hydraulic stroke transformers having identical transmission ratios. Essential components of the stop device are the pressure piston (DK) driven by the actuator (P), the lifting piston (HK) mounted axially displaceably in a cylindrical bore (ZY) of the pressure piston (DK), and a chamber (KB), into which open inflow and outflow ducts (B2, G2, B3, G3) for the medium to be shut off. By activating the actuator (P), the dumbbell-shaped lifting piston (HK) can be displaced virtually without delay in the pressure piston bore (ZY) and the inflow or outflow ducts (B2, B3) be closed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a shutoff and stop valve, in particular for fuel injection systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In all areas of hydraulic control and regulation technology, stop and shutoff valves that switch quickly and without delay are required. The dynamic properties of fuel injection systems could also be improved considerably and their design simplified by means of quick-acting shutoff valves.


A method for generating an acceleration profile for a valve operating cam of an internal combustion engine varies an adjustment point of an initial draft acceleration profile curve such that a determinant of a set of equations defining valve motion constraints and scaling factors is forced to zero. The equations may then be solved for values of the scaling factors which are applied to the initial draft acceleration profile curve to generate a desired profile which satisfies valve motion constraints.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to methods for designing the profile of a cam for actuating a valve mechanism. More specifically, the invention relates to generation of an acceleration profile for a valve operating cam of an internal combustion engine, the profile satisfying a plurality of valve motion constraints.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Internal combustion engines use a well-known cam shaft system with a plurality of cams for opening and closing various valves associated with individual combustion cylinders of the engine. A conventional cam-actuated engine valve arrangement is shown in FIG. 1. Cam 101 rotates in the direction shown by arrow 113 so as to move cam follower or tappet 103 and push rod 105 against rocker arm 107 which, in turn, causes motion of spring biased valve 111 in an opening or closing direction for controlling communication with cylinder volume 115 with an input or output conduit 113. Valve 111 is biased to a closed or sealed position with respect to conduit 113 by biasing valve spring 109. Zero degree cam angle rotation is defined as when cam nose 101a is in a vertically upward direction as shown in FIG. 1 wherein valve 11 would be in a fully open position.
At the very beginning of the cam design process, a cam designer may be presented with design parameters, such as overlap volume, intake valve closing volume, exhaust pseudo flow velocity and blow down volume. Additionally, manufacturing constraints such as the smallest radius of curvature that can be ground with a specific grinding wheel play a roll in the design process.
Computerized techniques allow designers to specify how the valve is to move by specifying the valve acceleration. These computerized techniques then determine the shape the cam needs to take in order to deliver the desired valve acceleration profile as the cam makes a total rotation.
Unless a design engineer is extremely lucky, the initially selected acceleration profile for the cam will not meet all of a plurality of valve motion constraints without adjusting the initial profile. Prior techniques for transforming draft acceleration curves into an acceleration profile that meets all valve motion constraints are known, wherein a plurality of scaling constants are sought to scale the various acceleration pulses formed by the acceleration curve such that the valve motion constraints will be satisfied. In known systems, there are four valve motion constraints but only three scaling constants due to the nature of the acceleration profile curve. Hence, a fourth design variable is chosen to be an adjustment design point acceleration value of the design engineer's choosing.
The constraint satisfaction problem has conventionally been solved as a non-linear four-dimensional root-finding problem. The adjustment acceleration value and the three scaling constants have in the past been adjusted by generic root-finding software in an effort to determine values of these four design parameters that yield an adjusted trial curve that meets all constraints to within an acceptable error tolerance. There are problems with this known approach. First, sometimes the known approach does not succeed or it does not deliver a highly precise solution. Secondly, this known optimization approach is more computationally expensive than can be tolerated during interactive design within many popular computing environments (e. g., Matlab/Simulink). Hence, a faster approach is needed.

Method for producing a constraint-satisfied cam acceleration profile


A process for manufacturing a disk shaped component comprising fabricating a disk shaped component using a composite material having at least a first material and a second material, wherein the first material is disposed at and proximate to a center portion of the disk shaped component and the second material is disposed at and proximate to a rim of the disk shaped component, wherein the first material comprises a first coefficient of thermal expansion, a first stress value and a first oxidation resistance, and the second material comprises a second coefficient of thermal expansion, a second stress value and a second oxidation resistance, wherein the first coefficient of thermal expansion is greater than the second coefficient of thermal expansion, the first stress value is greater than the second stress value and the first oxidation resistance is less than the second oxidation resistance.

Disk shaped components are generally subjected to two major types of loading during operation. The first loading type is the centrifugal force due to disk rotation. The second loading type arises from temperature gradient in the radial direction of the disk. The relative magnitudes of these two types of loading depend upon the rotation speed, density of the disk material and the severity of the temperature gradient. In general, the centrifugal load tends to generate more stress than the thermal load, but the thermal load could also have a significant impact upon the disk's mechanical integrity.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, for purposes of example, the disk shaped component may be a turbine disk commonly used in various engines. In FIG. 1, a turbine disk 10 is enclosed within a turbine support casing 22 of a gas turbine engine 20. The turbine disk 10 includes rotor blades 24 mounted thereto and disposed within a hot combustion gas stream 18 between two vanes 26, 28. The turbine disk 10 is normally cooled by compressor bleed air 12 flowing from the disk bore 14 to the disk rim 16, where the air is discharged into a hot gas stream 18. With the rim 16 being heated by the hot combustion gas stream 18, the temperature gradient in the disk 10 is such that the rim 16 is hotter than the disk bore 14. The hotter rim 16 would expand more than the relatively cooler bore 14 assuming the same coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for the two regions. The mismatch in thermal growth generates tensile thermal stress at the bore 14 and compressive stress at the rim 16. Since the tensile stress due to centrifugal force tends to peak at the disk bore 14, the combined thermal and mechanical stress reaches a maximum also at the bore 14.
Under both loading conditions, peak tensile stresses occur at the disk center or disk bore and therefore reinforce each other, creating the worst stress situation in the disk. For the bored disk, the peak stress is twice that for a solid disk. Although it would be ideal to always utilize a solid disk, it is often necessary to have a bore in a disk in order to pass cooling air or integrate a shaft of a front drive from, e.g., generator, propeller, etc., as illustrated in FIG. 1. These circumstances sometimes make it difficult to meet the requisite disk mechanical integrity requirements, especially for materials of relatively low strength.
Therefore, there exists a need for lowering the thermal stress of a bored disk in order to improve the overall mechanical integrity.

Low transient and steady state thermal stress disk shaped components


According to the present invention, a base material for a printed circuit board includes: an insulating base film; and a metal layer that is layered on at least one surface of the base film and that includes copper as a main component, wherein in a content per unit area in a region of 100 nm or less from an interface of the metal layer with the base film, Cr<0.1 mg/m2, and Ni<0.1 mg/m2, wherein an arithmetic mean roughness (Sa) of the surface of the base film on which the metal layer is layered is less than 0.10 μm.

A base material for a printed circuit board in which a metal foil is layered via an adhesive layer on the surface of an insulating base film is known. Also, in response to recent size reduction of electronic components, a base material for a printed circuit board in which a metal layer is directly layered on the surface of a base film is also proposed. As such a base material for a printed circuit board, a base material for a printed circuit board in which a seed layer is layered on the surface of a base film using a sputtering method is proposed (see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-37214).
The base material for a printed circuit board described in the above described publication includes a base film made of a polyimide film and a seed layer (underlayer) layered on the surface of the base film. The seed layer is formed by layering a nickel-chromium alloy layer and a copper layer on the surface of the base film in this order by a sputtering method.

Base material for printed circuit board and printed circuit board

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC PRINTED CIRCUITS, INC.


A plasma processing system having a plasma processing chamber comprising at least one of a chamber wall and a chamber liner is disclosed. The plasma processing system includes a plurality of ground straps disposed around a circumference of a chamber surface, the chamber surface being one of the chamber walls and the chamber liner of the plasma processing chamber. The plasma processing system further includes at least a first impedance device coupled to at least a first ground strap of the plurality of ground straps, wherein a second ground strap of the plurality of ground straps is not provided with a second impedance device having the same impedance value as the first impedance device.

Plasma has long been employed to process substrates to form electronic devices. For example, plasma enhanced etching has long been employed to process semiconductor wafers into dies in the manufacture of integrated circuits or to process flat panels into flat panel displays for devices such as portable mobile devices, flat screen TVs, computer displays, and the like.
To facilitate discussion, FIG. 1 shows a typical capacitively coupled plasma processing system having an upper electrode 102, a lower electrode 104 on which a wafer 106 may be disposed for processing. Lower electrode 104 is typically disposed inside of the plasma chamber of which chamber wall 108 is shown. The region between upper electrode 102 and lower electrode 104 above wafer 106 is known as a plasma generating region denoted by reference number 110 in the example of FIG. 1. There is typically a plurality of confinement rings 112, which are substantially concentric rings disposed around and above lower electrode 104 to define and confine the plasma for processing wafer 106. These components are conventional and are not further elaborated here.
To process wafer 106, a process gas is introduced into plasma generating region 110, and RF energy is supplied to one or more of upper electrode 102 and lower electrode 104 in order to facilitate the ignition and sustenance of plasma in plasma generating region 110 for processing wafer 106. In the example of FIG. 1, a powered lower electrode and a grounded upper electrode are employed as an example set up to generate the plasma although this set up is not a requirement and both electrodes may be provided with a plurality of RF signals, for example. RF energy is provided to the lower electrode 104 from RF power supply 120 via an RF conductor 122, which is typically a conductive rod. The RF delivery path follows the direction of arrows 134A and 134B in the cutaway FIG. 1 to allow the RF energy to couple with the plasma in plasma generating region 110. RF current returns to ground following the direction of arrows 140 and 142 in the example of FIG. 1. Again, these mechanisms are known and are conventional in the field of plasma processing and are well known to those skilled in the art.
In the ideal situation, the RF delivery current (delineated by arrows 134A and 134B) and the ground RF return current (delineated by arrows 140 and 142) are symmetric in the azimuthal direction around the chamber. In other words, given a reference orientation on the wafer surface, the ideal situation would see the RF delivery and RF return current being symmetric at any angle theta from a reference radius on the wafer surface. However, practical limitations due to chamber construction and other processing realities may introduce non-symmetry into the chamber, which influences the azimuthal uniformity of processing results on wafer 106.
To elaborate, when the chamber components are not symmetric around the center of the chamber (as viewed from the top of the chamber) for example, the non-symmetry of chamber components influences the RF flux lines, the pressure, plasma density, RF delivery current, or RF ground return current such that the azimuthal non-uniformity of the process may result in non-uniform process results on the processed wafer.
FIG. 2A depicts various factors affecting the symmetry of components within the chamber and/or affecting the wafer symmetry relative to the chamber center, which may in turn affect the azimuthal uniformity of the process results on the wafer surface. With respect to FIG. 2A, there is shown a top view of chamber 200. There is shown chamber wall 202, within which there is disposed a lower electrode 204. A wafer 206 is shown disposed slightly off-center relative to lower electrode 204. As such, the processing center is offset from the center of the substrate, introducing azimuthal non-uniformity of processing results on substrate 206.
As another example, lower electrode 204 may be offset from the center of chamber 200, which may introduce non-symmetry and azimuthal non-uniformity of process results even if wafer 206 is centered correctly on lower electrode 204. Since the lower electrode 204 is charged relative to the grounded chamber wall 202, the different distances between the edge of the lower electrode 204 and chamber wall 202 around periphery of lower electrode 204 introduces variations in the parasitic coupling between the charged lower electrode and the grounded chamber wall, which in turns affect the plasma density at different locations on wafer 206, thereby introducing azimuthal non-uniformity.
Further, the RF delivery conductor (122 of FIG. 1) may be offset relative to the chamber enclosure, likewise introducing variations in the parasitic coupling between the RF conductor and the grounded chamber wall, thereby affecting the azimuthal uniformity of processing results on the wafer. Still further, the presence of certain mechanical components, such as the cantilever arm 208 that supports lower electrode 204 inside chamber 202, presents an impediment to the exhaust gas flow, which typically flows from the plasma generating region around the edge of the lower electrode to be exhausted toward the bottom of the lower electrode (150 and 152 of FIG. 1). The impediment of the gas flow due to the presence of the cantilever arm would affect the local pressure in the region of the lever arm, thereby affecting the plasma density and in turn affecting the azimuthal uniformity of the process results. Still another factor affecting azimuthal uniformity is the presence of wafer loading port 210, which exists on only one side of chamber 200.
FIG. 2B is a side view of the chamber to illustrate that certain inherent characteristics of the chamber design also introduce non-symmetry and therefore affect the azimuthal uniformity of the process results. For example, one side 252 of the lower electrode 204 may be provided with components such as gas feed, coolant tubes, and the like, which components change the inductance that is presented to any current traveling along the surface of lower electrode 204. Some of these components may not be present on another side 254 of the lower electrode 204. As such, one side of the wafer, which rests on lower electrode 204, may experience a different process result relative to the other side of that wafer, again introducing azimuthal non-uniformity. Further, the fact that the RF feed and/or exhaust current path is a sideway feed in the direction of arrow 220 means that the RF return current has variable-length azimuthal path to return to the power supply depending on whether the RF ground return current is measured on the inside path 222 or the outside path 224
The differences in the lengths of the RF ground return paths introduce different inductances along the ground return paths, which also affect the impedances of the ground return paths. These variations thus create non-symmetry and azimuthal non-uniformity of the process results.
When the process requirements are fairly liberal (for example, when the device sizes are large and/or device density is low) azimuthal non-uniformity is a lesser concern. As device sizes become smaller and device density increases, it is important to maintain uniformity not only in the radial direction (from the center to the edge of the wafer but also in the azimuthal direction at any given angle theta from a reference radius R on the wafer surface. For example, some customers nowadays require that azimuthal non-uniformity be at 1% or even below the 1% threshold. Accordingly, there are desired improved methods and apparatus for managing azimuthal non-uniformity of process results in a plasma processing chamber.

Methods and apparatus for correcting for non-uniformity in a plasma processing system


The present disclosure relates to a data processing method and apparatus, a terminal and an access point computer, which can achieve an effect that the terminal accesses multiple access points at the same time. The method includes: receiving an application access request; determining a target access point corresponding to the application access request according to a mapping relationship between the access point and an application server obtained from a blockchain network; sending a software defined perimeter SDP authentication request to the target access point; and after the SDP authentication succeeds, performing interaction of application data through a data channel established with the target access point, wherein the data channel has a period of validity of a preset time length.

The software defined perimeter (Software Defined Perimeter, SDP) technology is a set of network security isolation framework that can be dynamically configured on demand and is formulated by the CSA (Cloud Security Alliance) to replace the traditional physical isolation facilities or devices. The SDP establishes a cryptographic-based perimeter protection mechanism, the perimeter that can be deployed anywhere, such as on a network, in a cloud, on a hosting center, on a private enterprise network, or deployed in these positions at the same time. Only devices authenticated and authorized by the SDP can access protected services and facilities, before any device is authenticated and authorized by the SDP, the protected services are invisible to attackers, and the attackers can hardly initiate attacks to the invisible services.
At present, the SDP technology can perform security access in a one-to-one manner, that is to say, a user terminal can only connect to one access point at the same time, and can only access the services protected by this access point at the same time. However, in practical applications, an enterprise may have many services and need to provide multiple access points, but the one-to-one traditional access manner cannot access all services of the enterprise at the same time. Or, multiple enterprises provide multiple services, and different enterprises need to provide different access points, but the one-to-one traditional access manner cannot access the different services of the different enterprises at the same time.

Data processing method and apparatus, terminal, and access point computer


A thermal property measurement apparatus capable of directly measuring thermal conductivity distribution in a ROI within a target only by measuring the temperature distribution that already exists in the ROI without generating other temperature fields artificially. The thermal property measurement apparatus includes a temperature detector for measuring temperatures at plural positions in the ROI, a distance controller for controlling a distance between the temperature detector and the target, a scanner for changing a relative position therebetween, a stage for putting the object thereon, a recorder for recording measured temperature data, position data and time data, a determination unit for determining whether at least one of thermal conductive phenomena and convection phenomena is dealt with or not, a processor for calculating thermal conductivity distribution in the ROI from the recorded data and temporal changeable references of the thermal conductivity in the ROI, and a controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the method and apparatus for thermal property estimation (thermal properties measurement) particularly, using noncontactly measured temperatures for objects or living things.
2. Description of a Related Art
FIG. 5 shows the general thermal property estimation apparatus. In this apparatus, temperature distributions are generated in the object 4 by thermal source 13, and the generated temperatures at the plural positions are measured using the temperature detector 12 (thermocoupler etc). Then, by data processor 16, the generated heat fluxes are modeled using the finite difference method or finite element method, and the internal thermal conductivity distribution in an ROI (region of interest) is estimated using sensitivity theorem. Here, the ROI is the target region of unknown conductivity.
However, this apparatus requires the external thermal sources for realizing the temperature distributions. This causes the problem that disturbs the already existing temperature field.
Furthermore, this apparatus requires vast calculation amounts because the conductivity distribution is estimated by updating the estimate using the sensitivity theorem such that the measured temperature data equal to the calculated data using the estimate. Furthermore, for the calculation of the temperatures, the boundary conditions of the temperature and/or heat flux are required; then it was impossible to obtain the estimate of the conductivity distribution only from the internal temperature measurements in the ROI.

Thermal properties measurement apparatus


Disclosed is a clock-and-data recover circuit in which a data sampling circuit, a phase comparator, a phase controller and a phase interpolator make up a loop. The data sampling circuit samples serial input data, and the phase comparator receives an output from the data sampling circuit to detect the phase relationship between clock and the data. The phase controller outputs a phase control signal based on the result of phase comparison of the phase comparator to output a phase control signal. The phase interpolator receives a multi-phase clock composed of plural clock signals with different phases and supplies a clock signal having the phase interpolated based on the phase control signal, to the data sampling circuit. The clock and data recovery circuit further includes a second phase interpolator and a second data sampling circuit. The phase controller generates and outputs a second phase control signal to the second phase interpolator. The second phase interpolator receives the multi-phase clock and outputs a second clock signal having the phase interpolated based on the second phase control signal and supplies the second clock signal to the second data sampling circuit. The second data sampling circuit samples the input data based on the second clock signal from the second phase interpolator. Preferably, the second phase interpolator has a variably set threshold level for sampling the data.

With recent development of the semiconductor technology, the data transfer between LSIs has become to be performed by high-speed serial transmission. As an interface for converting transmit parallel data to serial data, outputting the serial data over a transmission line, and converting received serial data into parallel data, a circuit termed SERDES (SERializer and DESerializer) has come into wide spread use. This SERDES circuit will now be described with reference to FIG. 1. The SERDES includes a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit 10 for generating an internal clock signal, a transmit circuit 11, and a receive circuit 12, as shown in FIG. 1.
The transmit circuit 11 includes a parallel-to-serial converting circuit 13 for serializing parallel data. The receive circuit 12 includes a clock and data recovery circuit 14 for extracting a clock synchronized with the received serial data from the data and for outputting the extracted clock signal (recovery clock) and the data, and a serial-to-parallel converting circuit 15 for converting the data into parallel data.
FIG. 19 shows an illustrative configuration of a clock and data recovery circuit described in Patent Document 1 of the present Assignee. Referring to FIG. 19, this clock and data recovery circuit includes a phase detector 201, integrators 202 and 203, a pattern generator 204, a mixer 205 and a phase interpolator 206. The phase detector 201 detects the phase relationship between input data and an extracted clock. A block made up of the integrators 202 and 203, pattern generator 204 and the mixer 205 generates a phase control signal for the phase interpolator. The phase interpolator 206 generates the extracted clock. The above-described loop takes charge of recovery of the clock and the data. As for the configuration of the clock and data recovery circuit, reference is made to, for example, the disclosure of Patent Document 2.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2005-5999A
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2002-190724A

Clock and data recovery circuit and SERDES circuit


A gas-generating apparatus includes a cartridge including a reservoir having a first reactant and a reaction chamber, and a receiver that can include a flow control device. The receiver is adapted to receive the cartridge and to transport the first reactant to the reaction chamber after connection with the cartridge. The flow control device is adapted to stop the transport of reactant when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches a predetermined pressure.

Fuel cells are devices that directly convert chemical energy of reactants, i.e., fuel and oxidant, into direct current (DC) electricity. For an increasing number of applications, fuel cells are more efficient than conventional power generation, such as combustion of fossil fuel, as well as portable power storage, such as lithium-ion batteries.
In general, fuel cell technology includes a variety of different fuel cells, such as alkali fuel cells, polymer electrolyte fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells and enzyme fuel cells. Today's more important fuel cells can be divided into several general categories, namely: (i) fuel cells utilizing compressed hydrogen (H2) as fuel; (ii) proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells that use alcohols, e.g., methanol (CH3OH), metal hydrides, e.g., sodium borohydride (NaBH4), hydrocarbons, or other fuels reformed into hydrogen fuel; (iii) PEM fuel cells that can consume non-hydrogen fuel directly or direct oxidation fuel cells; and (iv) solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) that directly convert hydrocarbon fuels to electricity at high temperature.
Compressed hydrogen is generally kept under high pressure and is therefore difficult to handle. Furthermore, large storage tanks are typically required and cannot be made sufficiently small for consumer electronic devices. Conventional reformat fuel cells require reformers and other vaporization and auxiliary systems to convert fuels to hydrogen to react with oxidant in the fuel cell. Recent advances make reformer or reformat fuel cells promising for consumer electronic devices. The most common direct oxidation fuel cells are direct methanol fuel cells or DMFC. Other direct oxidation fuel cells include direct ethanol fuel cells and direct tetramethyl orthocarbonate fuel cells. DMFC, in which methanol is reacted directly with oxidant in the fuel cell, is the simplest and potentially smallest fuel cell. It also has promising power application for consumer electronic devices. SOFC convert hydrocarbon fuels, such as butane, at high heat to produce electricity. SOFC requires relatively high temperature in the range of 1000° C. for the fuel cell reaction to occur.
The chemical reactions that produce electricity are different for each type of fuel cell. For DMFC, the chemical-electrical reaction at each electrode and the overall reaction for a direct methanol fuel cell are described as follows:
Half-reaction at the anode:CH3OH+H2O→CO2+6H++6e−
Half-reaction at the cathode:1.5O2+6H++6e−→3H2O
The overall fuel cell reaction:CH3OH+1.5O2→CO2+2H2O
Due to both the migration of the hydrogen ions (H+) through the PEM from the anode to the cathode and the inability of the free electrons (e−) to pass through the PEM, the electrons flow through an external circuit, thereby producing an electrical current. The external circuit may be used to power many useful consumer electronic devices, such as mobile or cell phones, calculators, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, and power tools, among others.
DMFC is discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,008 and 5,945,231, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Generally, the PEM is made from a polymer, such as Nafion® available from DuPont, which is a perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer having a thickness in the range of about 0.05 mm to about 0.5 mm, or other suitable membranes. The anode is typically made from a Teflonized carbon paper support with a thin layer of catalyst, such as platinum-ruthenium, deposited thereon. The cathode is typically a gas diffusion electrode in which platinum particles are bonded to one side of the membrane.
In another direct oxidation fuel cell, borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) reacts as follows:
Half-reaction at the anode:BH4—+8OH—→BO2—+6H2O+8e−
Half-reaction at the cathode:2O2+4H2O+8e−→8OH—
In a chemical metal hydride fuel cell, generally aqueous sodium borohydride is reformed and reacts as follows:NaBH4+2H2O→(heat or catalyst)→4(H2)+(NaBO2)
Half-reaction at the anode:H2→2H++2e−
Half-reaction at the cathode:2(2H++2e−)+O2→2H2O
Suitable catalysts for this reaction include platinum and ruthenium, as well as other metals. The hydrogen fuel produced from reforming sodium borohydride is reacted in the fuel cell with an oxidant, such as O2, to create electricity (or a flow of electrons) and water byproduct. A sodium borate (NaBO2) byproduct is also produced by the reforming process. A sodium borohydride fuel cell is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,956, which is incorporated herein by reference. Therefore, the known chemical hydride reactions that use aqueous metal hydride have about 9 to 12 weight percentage storage expectancy, and the liquid and the catalyst used in the wet chemical reaction system need to be closely monitored. Additionally, it is difficult to maintain the stability of a metal hydride solution over a long period of time, because according to the formula t½−pH*log(0.034+kT), which provides the half life of the reaction, the reaction of hydrolysis always occurs very slowly. Furthermore, if the solution is stabilized, the reactivity is not complete.
In a hydride storage method, the reaction is as follows:Metal+H2→hydride+heat
However, storage expectancy of such a reaction is only about 5 weight percentage. Additionally, such reactions can be expensive and difficult to package.
Another known method to produce hydrogen is a dry hydride reaction. Dry reaction, generally, involves the following reaction:X(BH4)→H2, where X includes, but is not limited to, Na, Mg, Li, etc.
Again, dry reactions have several disadvantages, such as having a storage expectancy of only about 10 weight percentage, and the need to closely monitor the pressure.
An additional method to produce hydrogen gas is by a pressure storage method using the formula PV=nRT, wherein P is pressure, V is volume, n is a number of moles, R is the gas constant, and T is temperature. This method requires constant pressure monitoring.
One of the most important features for fuel cell application is fuel storage. Another important feature is regulating the transport of fuel out of the fuel cartridge to the fuel cell. To be commercially useful, fuel cells such as DMFC or PEM systems should have the capability of storing sufficient fuel to satisfy the consumers' normal usage. For example, for mobile or cell phones, for notebook computers, and for personal digital assistants (PDAs), fuel cells need to power these devices for at least as long as the current batteries and, preferably, much longer. Additionally, the fuel cells should have easily replaceable or refillable fuel tanks to minimize or obviate the need for lengthy recharges required by today's rechargeable batteries.
One common disadvantage of the known hydrogen gas generators is that once the reaction starts, the gas generator cartridge cannot control the reaction. Thus, the reaction will continue until the supply of the reactants run out or the source of the reactant is manually shut down. Moreover, the known hydrogen generators may not work when positioned in a certain orientation and are relatively large in size. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved hydrogen generators and the reactants producing hydrogen.

Hydrogen generating fuel cell cartridges


In a reduction-type projection exposure apparatus provided by the present invention, a spatial filter having a predetermined complex amplitude-transmission distribution is fixed approximately at the pupil position of a projection lens thereof or at such a position that the spatial filter conjugates with the pupil. The complex amplitude transmittance of the spatial filter is controlled by a multiple-interference effect of the multi-layer coating forming the spatial filter or by the surface reflection occurring on the surface of the film which constitutes the spatial filter and has an index of refraction different from the air. The filter can thus be prevented from absorbing light, incurring neither thermal damage nor damage due to dissipated heat. As a result, the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus offers excellent resolution and an outstanding depth of focus.

The present invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus. To describe it in more detail, the present invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus that can effectively prevent thermal damages and improve the depth of focus and the resolution.
In order to enhance the integration densities and increase operational speeds of a variety of solid-state devices such as LSI chips, miniaturization of circuit patterns is under way. At the present time, the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus, which has an excellent mass-productivity characteristic and displays superior resolution, is widely used in the creation of circuit patterns.
The resolution of the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus is proportional to the exposure wavelength but inversely proportional to the numerical apertures (NA). The depth of focus of the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus is, on the other hand, proportional to the exposure wavelength but inversely proportional to the square of the NA. Accordingly, increasing the NA and shortening the wavelength are effective techniques for improving the resolution. In the case of the conventional reduction-type projection exposure apparatus, these techniques have been used for achieving the enhanced resolution.
Increasing the NA and shortening the wavelength, however, inevitably make the depth of focus extremely short, giving rise to a problem described below.
As the integration density of an LSI chip becomes higher, dimensions of a variety of circuit patterns such as interconnections are getting miniaturized. The structure of a semiconductor device such as DRAM goes three-dimensional, introducing more and more steps and a higher and higher degree of unevenness on its surfaces. When projecting a mask pattern on the surface of a semiconductor substrate using a reduction-type projection exposure apparatus with a reduced depth of focus described above, therefore, some of the lower or upper portions of the steps or uneven profiles on the surface of the semiconductor substrate inevitably protrude out off the rang of the reduced depth of focus. As a result, it becomes difficult to create fine patterns over the entire surface of an LSI chip with a high degree of accuracy.
With the conventional techniques of increasing the NA and shortening the wavelength as described above, it is thus impossible to satisfy the needs for high resolution and a sufficient depth of focus simultaneously. As a result, some means for solving the problems are strongly demanded.
In order to achieve high resolution while, at the same time, retaining the required depth of focus, the present inventor discovered, at an early time, a so-called pupil filtering technique of installing a spatial filter, which has a special complex amplitude-transmission distribution at the pupil position of the projection lens, for improving the depth of focus and the resolution of the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus described above. Extended abstracts of this pupil filtering technique are explained on page 534 of the Japanese Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies, Issue No. 2 presented to the 38th Spring Meeting held in the year of 1991.
The outline of the pupil filtering technique is shown in FIG. 2. Reference numeral 1 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a reticle having a pattern to be created whereas reference numeral 2 is the projection lens of a reduction-type projection exposure apparatus. Reference numeral 3 is a spatial filter. The known reduction-type projection exposure apparatus prints the image of a predetermined pattern created on the reticle 1, onto a resist film on the substrate through the projection lens 2. Note that the resist film itself is not shown in the figure. The spatial filter 3 is fixed at a pupil position 4 or at an aperture step which determines the numerical aperture of the projection lens 1. The spatial filter 3 has a complex amplitude-transmission distribution expressed by Equation (1) as follows: EQU T(r)=cos (2.pi..multidot..beta..multidot.r.sup.2 -.theta./2).times.circ(r) (1)
where .beta. and .theta. are appropriate constants.
Equation (1) expresses the complex amplitude-transmission distribution as a function of radial-direction coordinate r. In this case, the radial-direction coordinate r is normalized by a maximum radius of the pupil or the aperture.
A resultant image can thereby be obtained by adding the amplitudes of two images A and B, to be created at two different positions +.beta. and -.beta. in the optical direction, with the amplitudes treated as vectors having a difference in phase corresponding to the constant .theta.. As a result, a deep depth of focus and high resolution can be retained even if the NA is increased and, on top of that, the wavelength is shortened.
However, the pupil plane conjugates with a secondary illumination plane (effective source plane) of the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus. Accordingly, the illumination-intensity distribution of the secondary illumination source is redisplayed as it is. The secondary illumination source, which serves as the exit plane of an ordinary fly-eye lens, is a collection of point illumination sources having a sharp peak intensity focused by an effect of the fly-eye lens. Therefore, the light is also concentrated into spots on the lens pupil, resulting in a locally increased illumination intensity. An amplitude attenuating filter made of a photo-absorption material fixed on such a pupil plane dissipates heat because the amplitude attenuating filter absorbs light. Accordingly, the amplitude attenuating filter is thermally damaged, giving rise to a problem that the amplitude attenuating filter can no longer be used. In addition, the dissipated heat causes the substrate of the filter or the projection lens to partially expand. The expansion results in a distorted shape or, change in the index of refraction.
Accordingly, the optical characteristic of the reduction-type projection exposure apparatus deteriorates. As a result, there is the possibility of difficulty in creating a fine pattern with a high degree of accuracy.
It should be noted that patent application related to the present invention are those with an Ser. No. 07/622,606 filed on December 5, 1990, Ser. No. 07/765,060 filed on Sep. 24, 1991 and Ser. No. 07/846,158 filed on Mar. 5, 1992.


An apparatus and method for distributed, non-invasive assessment of the functional state and state of adaptive response of a subject under test. The functional state tests may include heart rate variability, differential ECG, omega brain wave, jump and stimulus response tests. A plurality of data collection (and result display) units are provided, and collected data is propagated over the internet or another network to a centralized processing computer that performs the functional state assessments and returns the results.

The human body is constantly being stressed (The Stress of Life, Hans Selye, Md., McGraw Hill, rev. ed., (1978)). Positive adaptation to stress can lead to an improved physical state (e.g., athletic training), while a breakdown in adaptation can result in the onset of significant medical conditions (e.g., heart attack, etc.).
Monitoring changes in a person's functional state and state of homeostasis provides an understanding of that person's adaptation to stress. In order to see changes in a person's functional state and state of homeostasis, testing must be done on a frequent basis and must include test of the major systems in the human body. These include the systems that regulate cardiac activity, energy metabolism, the central nervous system, the gas exchange and cardio-pulmonary (circulatory) system, the detoxification system and the hormonal (adrenal) system.
Various invasive and non-invasive tests are known for assessing the functional state of a person. Invasive tests include blood tests and biopsies, etc., that damage tissue in carrying out the test. Disadvantages of invasive tests include pain, tissue damage, risk of infection and inability to perform the test with high frequency (due to the associated tissue damage). Invasive tests also tend to be relatively expensive and often require a visit to a medical facility (as opposed to home or field use).
Pseudo-invasive tests include tests that are not literally invasive, but which cannot be repeated with high regularity due to deleterious effects on the body. Examples include X-rays (excess radiation) and VO2 maximum treadmill tests which require a person to run to exhaustion (this may be difficult or impossible for person in a weakened physical state to perform regularly). With the exception of direct tissue damage, pseudo-invasive tests tend to suffer from the same disadvantages listed above for invasive tests.
Non-invasive tests tend to have much lower incidence of tissue damage or the like and, therefore, they can be practiced with higher frequency. Examples include temperature and blood pressure testing. While non-invasive tests are beneficial in that they can be practiced more regularly and tend to be less expensive, they are also disadvantageous in that they tend to provide a limited, direct measurement of a physical condition parameter. For example, a blood pressure reading simply states the current blood pressure, but does not provide information on what body system or systems are functioning improperly and causing the blood pressure to be high or low.
In order to better assess a person's health and adaptive response, it is desirable and part of the present invention to obtain and generate more information about that person's current functional state. This can be done in part by making indirect assessment of a person's health based on directly measured parameters. It can also be done by testing a greater number of body systems and/or strategically selecting or designing tests that provide comprehensive assessment data from a small number of tests.
A need thus exists for an apparatus and a method that provide a combination of non-invasive tests that more comprehensively, efficiently and inexpensively assess a person's current functional state and their state of adaptive response.
The art of physical and functional state assessment is also limited in that the equipment required for certain test, for example, cardiac and brainwave analysis, tends to be expensive and stand alone, requiring a "subject under test" (SUT) to travel regularly (and at great distances in rural areas) to the site of the machine for testing. This also necessitates a greater number of machines, one at each hospital or assessment facility, which in turn results in a greater overall expense for machines purchasing, increased cost per test to recuperate the purchasing cost and increased insurance rates, etc.
Thus, a need also exists for a distributed testing arrangement that permits SUTs to be tested where they are (eliminating unwanted travel and energy use) and drives down the overall cost of assessment and assessment equipment, among other advantageous.

Distributed apparatus and method for non-invasive measurement of functional state and adaptive response