Compositions that bind viral proteins that are specifically expressed during the latent stage of the viral life cycle are disclosed. These compositions bind the latent viral proteins while the viral proteins are expressed in their cellular host, and provide a means for targeting cells that harbor latent virus. In a preferred embodiment the compositions are antibodies which bind the extracellular region of the latent viral protein, most preferably LMP-2A, an EBV latent protein, which are conjugated to a diagnostic or cytotoxic agent or immobilized to a solid support for removal of the infected cells. These antibodies are capable of distinguishing cells expressing EBV DNA from cells which are not expressing EBV DNA. Compositions that can be used to elicit production of these antibodies, or as a vaccine, are also disclosed. Methods for generating diagnostic or cytotoxic reagents and vaccines based on the viral epitopes that identify cells harboring latent virus are also disclosed. The antibody conjugates can be used in diagnostic assays to identify cells expressing latent viral protein and people who are harboring latent viral particles. The antibody conjugates can also be used to remove the infected cells or to kill the infected the cells. Alternatively, or in addition, the viral proteins or portions thereof can be used as a vaccine to induce an immune reaction by the host to kill the infected cells. These methods can be used to detect or treat patients harboring latent viruses like EBV and who are at risk of developing a disease such as an autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

This is in the area of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of latent viral infections, such as infections with DNA viruses like Epstein-Barr virus.
Epstein-Barr virus has been known for more than three decades. Epstein-Barr has been associated with cancer and several autoimmune diseases. Since there is evidence implicating Epstein-Barr virus in infectious mononucleosis, B cell lymphoma (in immunocompromised hosts), Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and some cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma, there have been efforts to provide a vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus (Morgan, A. J., et al. J. Med. Virol. 29:74-78 (1989); Morgan, A. J. Vaccine 10:563-571 (1992); Morgan, A. J. Development of Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccines (R. G. Landes Company, Austin, Tex. (1995 by Springer-Verlag, Heidleberg, Germany)); Krause, P. R. & Strauss, S. E. Infect. Dis. Clin. N. A. 13:61-81 (1999)). Recombinant vectors expressing gp340/220 in a bovine papillomavirus vector or in an adenovirus vector protected five of six cottontop tamarins from lymphomas that otherwise occur after infection with Epstein-Barr virus (Finerty, S., et al. J. Gen. Virol. 73:449-453 (1992)). A subunit of the gp340/200 in alum only protected three of five cotton top tamarins from lymphomas (Finerty, S., et al. Vaccine 12:1180-1184 (1994)), suggesting that this strategy might not be especially effective. A trial of an Epstein-Barr virus vaccine of gp340/220 in a Vaccinia virus vector has been reported from China and failed to protect a third ofthose immunized from infection (Gu, S. et al. Dev. Biol. Stand. 84:171-177 (1995)), consistent with the primate data. Khanna, et al., J. Immunol. 162:3063-3069 (1999) reports on the potential use of gp350/gp85 CTL epitopes in vaccine design to protect against EBV. However, as they note, evidence of neutralizing antibodies does not always correlate with protection against infection. Their research is focused on structural antigens, gp350 and gp85, from which they synthesized specific peptides to use as vaccines. They observed higher CTL reactivity to lytic antigens as compared to a latent antigen, LMP-1. Jackman, et al., Vaccine 17:660-668 (1999) also reported on studies using gp350. Gu, et al., Dev. Biol. Stand. 84:171-177 (1995) reports on a clinical trial based on live recombinant vaccinia virus expression gp350 as an immunogen, but there were safety concerns.
Another method of vaccine development has been considered. Cytotoxic T cell epitopes have been mapped for several different EBV antigens in persons of specific HLA haplotypes. For example, trials are underway to evaluate the usefulness of immunization with an EBNA-3 peptide which is a dominant CTL epitope in HLA-B8 restricted persons (Schmidt, et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:9478-82 (1991)). Efficacy of these vaccines is currently unknown.
A variety of additional therapies against Epstein-Barr virus have been attempted. These include inducing the lytic cycle in cells latently infected by virus (Gutierrez, M. I., et al. Cancer Res. 56:969-972 (1996)). Patients with the Epstein-Barr virus related lymphomatoid granulomatosis have been treated with interferon-alpha 2b (Wilson, W. H., et al. Blood 87:4531-4537 (1996)). Cycloheximide and acycloguanosine have been demonstrated to be useful in vitro (Ishii, H. H., et al. Immunol. Cell Biol. 73:463-468 (1995)); however, only limited further evaluation of this therapy has proceeded due to the limited clinical benefit of acycloguanosine in primary EBV infection.
Therapy with a T cell line has been attempted (Kimura, H. et al. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 103:192-298 (1996)), as has adoptive transfer of gene-modified virus-specific T lymphocytes (Heslop, H. E. et al. Nature Med. 2:551-555 (1996)). Data available do not appear to particularly support the use of acyclovir for Epstein-Barr virus infections (Wagstaff, A. J., et al. Drugs 47:153-205 (1994)), though FK506 (a relative of cyclosporine) may have some benefit (Singli, N., et al. Digestive Dis. Sci. 39:15-18 (1994)). Monoclonal antibodies have been used to treat the virus-induced lymphoproliferative syndrome (Lazarovots, A. l., et al. Clin. Invest. Med. 17:621-625 (1994)) with modest early success.
Therapeutic strategies directed against the latent phase of the viral infection have been considered. Among these is the consideration of the use of T cell epitopes of particular HLA-restricted cytotoxic T cells (e.g. see Morgan, A. J. Development of Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccines (R. G. Landes Company, Austin, Texas (1995 by Springer-Verlag, Heidleberg, Germany), pp 109-115; or Bames J. Pharma Weekly 1:11 (1995)). The latent membrane proteins have not been shown to be accessible on the outside of the cell.
Epstein-Barr virus is most similar to the other members of the Herpesviridae family. Although only gamma herpesvirus which infects humans, all human herpesviruses have linear double-stranded DNA, an icosadeltahedral capsid, a tegument which surrounds the capsid and an envelope containing viral glycoprotein spikes on its surface. All human herpesviruses remain with and survive in the host after primary infection.
Cytomegalovirus, in a manner similar to Epstein-Barr virus, is able to establish latency in peripheral immune cells; however, the exact cellular location is still in dispute (Mocarski, E. S. "Cytomegaloviruses and their replication" Fields Virology, third edition (eds. B. N. Fields, et al., Lippincott-Raven (1996)), 2447-2480). Human CMV has been treated with a host of antiviral agents, including leukocyte interferon, interferon stimulators, transfer factor, acyclovir and nucleoside inhibitors, as well as combination therapy with interferon and ara-A (reviewed by Alford, C. A. Antiviral agents and viral diseases of man 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 433-86 (1984); Ho, M. Cytomegalovirus. biology and infection: current topics in infectious disease New York: Plenum Press; 105-18 (1982)). Very little to no clinical benefit has been demonstrated with these therapies and overwhelming toxicities are present (Alford, C. A. Antiviral agents and viral diseases of man 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 433-86 (1984)).
Gancyclovir (through its nucleic acid chain-terminating activity) and foscarnet (through inhibition of viral DNA polymerase directly) have both been used with success (Snoeck, R., Neyts, J., De Clerq, E. Multidisciplinary approach to understanding cytomegalovinis disease Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica: 1993, 269-78). Both of these drugs have been used with some success in the prophylaxis of invasive CMV in the post-transplant setting. However, drug toxicity and no evident decrease in overall mortality limits their standard use for all patients (Goodrich, J. M, et al. Ann. Intern. Med. 118:173-8 (1993); Reusser P, et al. J. Infect. Dis. 166:473-79 (1992)).
Passive immunoprophylaxis remains very controversial. Newer drugs targeting the CMV protease and DNA processivity activity are under development (Digard, P., Chow, C. S., Pirrit, L., Coen, D. M. J. Virol. 67:1159-68 (1993); Ertl, P. F., Powell, K. L. J. Virol. 66:4126-33 (1992)).
Vaccine development for CMV has met with only limited success. Initial studies were performed using an attenuated laboratory strain of CMV (Elek, S. D., Stern, H. Lancet 1:1-5 (1974); Plotkin, S. A., et al. Infect. Immun. 12:521-27 (1975)). These British studies showed limited immunity which decreased with time (Plotkin, S. A. , et al. J. Infect. Dis. 159:860-65 (1989)). Safety issues concerning immunization of slightly immunocompromized subjects and women of childbearing age have also limited excitement over these studies. Subunit vaccines for CMV prevention are also under consideration. Early studies with the major envelope glycoprotein, gB, are under way (Plotkin, S. A., et al. Rev. Infect. Dis. 12:827-38 (1990); Spaete, R. R., Transplant Proc. 23:90-96 (1991)) and show some early promise.
Human alphaherpesviruses, including herpes simplix-1, herpes simplex-2, varicella-zoster and human herpesvirus 8, primarily establish latency in the sensory ganglia. Substantial evidence is present for the chemotherapy of the herpes-simplex viruses with specific anti-viral therapy, such as acyclovir, gancyclovir and forcarnet (reviewed Rickinson, A. B., Kieff E., "Epstein-Barr virus", Fields Virology 2397-2446 (1996)). Numerous vaccines for HSV-1 and HSV-2 have been developed with poor success (reviewed by Whitley, R. J. "Herpes Simplex viruses", Field's Virology 2297-2330 (1996)). Two new approaches are of interest. One is based upon the production of adequate amounts of recombinant HSV-2 glycoproteins B or D to be used either separately or together as a subunit vaccine (Ashley, R., Mertz, G. J., Corey, L. J. Virol. 61:253-8 (1987); Zarling, J. M., et al. J. Virol. 62:4481-85 (1988)). Concerns with these studies include the use of Freund's adjuvant or a lipophilic muramyl tripeptide, neither of which is acceptable human adjuvants. The second method is to genetically engineer a live, attenuated recombinant HSV that combines type 1 and type 2 genomes without the putative neurovirulence sequences (Meignier, B., Longnecker, R., Roizman, B. J. Infect. Dis. 162:313-21 (1990)).
Varicella zoster also establishes latency in sensory neurons. This virus in its typical primary infection of the juvenile host is only treated with supportive measures with full recovery usually within one week. However, life-threatening primary and recurrent infections are encountered in immunocompromized hosts. These overwhelming infections are usually treated with acyclovir. Gancyclovir and famcylovir are used for treatment of resistant strains. A live, attenuated varicella vaccine is in common use; however, long-term efficacy studies for this vaccine are still pending.
The human herpesvirus-8 is the other alpha herpesvirus. Only recently identified and characterized, neither therapy trials nor vaccine development has yet begun.
The problem within latent viral infections is the ability to identify, target, and treat cells harboring latent virus. For example, the Epstein-Barr virus produces certain proteins during the latent stage of its life cycle. These proteins have not been shown to be antigenic in an expression system that would enable immune system recognition. One of these proteins is LMP-2A. Antibodies have been raised against LPM-2A and immunofluoresence used to show that LMP-2A is located in or near the membrane (Longnecker, R. and Kieff, E., J. Virol. 64:3219-2326 (1990)). These workers established that their antiserum bound to LMP-2A isolated from the cell, but it was not established that the extracellular part of LMP-2A was antigenic, i.e., could elicit antibody production or was accessible to be bound by antibody (or any other external ligand). In fact, these workers concluded that their antibodies recognized the intracellular portion of LMP-2A because the antibodies were LMP-2A specific and it is the LMP-2A intracellular region which differentiates LMP-2A from LMP-2B. (Actually, these two Epstein-Barr virus proteins are in large part identical and appear to vary because splice junction variation gives LMP-2A a longer amino terminal cytoplasmic tail than is found in LMP-2B.)
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods to target cells that are infected with a virus, such as a DNA virus like a herpes virus, in the latent stage of its life cycle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide strategies to target cells containing Epstein-Barr virus in a latent state.
It is another object of the present invention to provide strategies to treat or prevent diseases linked to these latent viruses.
It is another object of the present invention to provide vaccines based upon the structure of proteins expressed during the latent life cycle of a virus, such as Epstein-Barr virus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods for the development of therapeutics to treat diseases linked to Epstein-Barr virus by targeting cells latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus.
It is a further object of this invention to provide diagnostics which will identify people with latent viral infections, such as infections with Epstein-Barr virus.
It is a further object of this invention to provide diagnostic tests which will help distinguish those with a disease from those without a disease by differences in the immune responses to a DNA virus, such as Epstein-Barr virus.

Assays and therapies for latent viral infection


A typical product overwrap machine includes a crossfeed conveyor, a pusher bar for transferring bread products to a lifting table which moves upwardly to wrap the bread product with a sealing wrap, and the wrapped bread product is sealed by heated rollers. The present invention provides a sensor and control systems operating servomotors or AC drives so that the crossfeed conveyor is operated only when product is detected at a conveyor inlet, and the pusher bar is actuated to move the product from the crossfeed conveyor when product is detected. The control systems detect the width of a pusher bar plate and adjust the separation of flight bars in the crossfeed conveyor to match the size of the installed pusher bar plate, thereby preventing damage to the crossfeed conveyor if there is a mismatch in sizes. Other control systems may be provided to adjust both the width of the pusher bar and the separation of flight bars in the crossfeed conveyor.

Commercial bakeries often package baked bread in an overwrap, which is a plastic sheet wrapper that contains the bread. This overwrap may be the sole airtight packaging for the bread or the bread and its overwrap may be bagged, for example within a plastic bag tied with a twist tie or a clip closure.
A commonly used bread overwrap machine has been manufactured by many corporations such as AMF Incorporated. As shown in FIG. 1, such a bread overwrap machine 10 may, for example, be located in a bakery line 12 after a bread slicer 13 and before a bagger 14. The bread overwrap machine 10 typically has a crossfeed conveyor 16 that picks up individual loaves of bread from the end 15 of a conveyor from the bread slicer 13 and transports them, one loaf at a time, in an end to end (heel to heel) orientation. Each loaf is transported by the crossfeed conveyor in a pocket, formed by a pair of spaced apart flight bars, that moves the loaf from the pick up point 15 to a position 18 in the overwrap machine 10, where it is pushed by a pusher bar onto a reciprocating lifting table. The lifting table moves between a lower position where it receives the loaf of bread, to an upper position where the loaf of bread is removed from the lifting table, at which point the lifting table returns to its lower position. The lifting table, as it lifts the loaf from the lower position to the upper position, lifts the loaf through a web of overwrap material (which is typically a transparent polypropylene film) causing the film to wrap around the loaf of bread, and creates a folds in the film at the end of the loaf. A knife cuts the film as the lifting table reaches its upper position, where the loaf is pushed by an overhead conveyor. The loaves of bread are conveyed laterally through a sealing line such that the folded wrap at the ends of the loaves is sealed by a heated mesh belt or heated rollers along the sides of the conveyor line, as the loaves are conveyed through the machine. A preferred sealing line assembly is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,362, the disclosure of which I hereby incorporated by reference.
The movement of the various components of the overwrap machine are mechanically coupled together and indexed so that the loaves of bread are delivered one at a time to the lifting table. In particular, the movement of the crossfeed conveyor is a periodic movement that is indexed to the reciprocating movement of the lifting table, so that each pocket containing a loaf of bread arrives in the correct position for the loaf to be transferred to the lifting table when the lifting table is in its lower position. The indexed movement is obtained by interacting cam elements.
Such overwrap machines are typically are provided with mechanisms for adjusting the distance between the flight bars which form the pockets for receiving the baked bread, so as to accommodate different size bread products in the line. The mechanism includes two side-by-side endless chains, one chain which has affixed to it the leading flight bars of each set of flights forming a pocket, the other chain having affixed to it the trailing flight bars of each set of flights forming a pocket. The distance between the flight bars of each pocket set is adjusted by moving the two chains with respect to each other. Moving one conveyor with respect to the other changes the spacing between each set of flight bars.
Such bread overwrap machines typically have a maximum processing rate of approximately 65 loaves per minute. The overwrap machines can act as a bottleneck in production where the baking equipment is capable of higher throughput rates, such as rates of approximately 100 loaves per minute for a bread slicer.
It would be desirable to improve the processing speeds of overwrap machines to receive the output of a slicer, to thereby maximize the production rate at bakeries where the baking equipment is capable of higher throughput rates than in conventional overwrap machines. It would also be desirable to provide a more flexible control system for the overwrap machine that the limited "on/off" status typically associated with traditional overwrap machines, and to provide for automated adjustment of machine components and automated response to changes in product, machine settings, or bakery line changes.


A stabilized initiator solution comprising a multi-valent lithiated containing initiator and an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic solvent.

Anionic polymerization techniques have been used to synthesize polymers that are useful in the manufacture of tire components. As is known in the art, certain initiators can be used that impart a functional group to the "head" of the polymer. And, certain terminating agents can be used that impart a functional group to the "tail" of the polymers. These functional groups are believed to have a beneficial impact on the performance of the polymers. For example, certain functional groups can yield lower hysteresis in reinforced rubber vulcanizates prepared using the functionalized polymers.
Telechelic linear polymers include a functional group at each terminus of the polymer (i.e., at the head and tail of the polymer). The polymers are believed to provide advantages deriving from the presence of a functional group at each terminus. These telechelic polymers have generally been synthesized by one of two routes. First, a functional initiator can be employed to initiate polymerization followed by the use of a functional terminator. While the ability to impart a functional group to the tail of a polymer through the use of a functional terminator is generally efficient, difficulties are often encountered when employing functional initiators and therefore lower yields of telechelic polymers are often observed when practicing this technique. A second technique includes the use of divalent initiators such as dilithio compounds. These initiators can produce diliving polymers that can be terminated with functional terminators to produce telechelic polymers. With regard to the latter, the ability to produce linear, high molecular weight polymer having narrow molecular weight distribution has proven to be problematic. It is believed that the lithium atoms of the dilithio initiators tend to aggregate and thereby have a deleterious impact on the polymerization. In order to alleviate these problems, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0326176 proposes the use of multi-functional lithiated amine-containing initiators to produce diliving polymers.
While multi-functional lithiated amine-containing initiators have proven useful and overcome many of the problems associated with prior multi-valent lithiated initiators, there remains a desire for multi-valent lithiated initiators that are stable in aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic solvents and remain stable during polymerizations including continuous polymerizations and polymerizations conducted at higher temperatures.

Stabilized multi-valent anionic polymerization initiators and methods for preparing the same


An oven having a partition unit to partition a cooking space into a plurality of independent cooking chambers wherein the partition unit has a heat-insulating structure to prevent heat transfer between the respective cooking chambers. The oven comprises a cabinet, a door to open and close an opened front surface of the cabinet, a partition unit to partition the interior of the cabinet into a plurality of independent cooking chambers, and electric heaters mounted in the cooking chambers. The partition unit includes first and second heat-insulating layers opposite to each other and an air layer disposed between the first and second heat-insulating layers. An inlet and an outlet are formed at the air layer, and a blowing fan is mounted at the inlet. Bent guide members are disposed in the air layer to guide air such that the air uniformly flows throughout the air layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oven. More particularly, to an oven having a partition unit to partition a cooking space into a plurality of independent cooking chambers wherein the partition unit includes a heat-insulating structure to prevent heat transfer between the respective cooking chambers, whereby several kinds of food are cooked at optimum temperatures in the respective cooking chambers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional ovens are classified into a microwave oven to cook food using microwaves, an electric oven to cook food using an electric heater, and a gas oven to cook food using gas heat. Each oven includes a plurality of partitions mounted in a cooking space, which is partitioned into a plurality of independent cooking chambers by the partitions, whereby several kinds of food is simultaneously cooked, and therefore, cooking time is reduced.
An example of ovens each having a plurality of cooking chambers partitioned by a plurality of partitions is disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-0002432.
The above-mentioned conventional oven includes upper, middle, and lower shelves, by which a cooling space of the oven is vertically partitioned into a plurality of cooking chambers, and magnetron assemblies and electric heaters mounted at the side surfaces and the upper part of the cooling chambers, respectively, whereby several kinds of food are simultaneously cooked.
In the conventional oven with the above-stated construction, however, each of the shelves to partition the cooking chambers does not include a heat-insulating structure. As a result, heat transfer is performed between the respective cooking chambers. Consequently, it is difficult to maintain the respective cooking chambers at optimum temperatures, and therefore, it is difficult to cook food under optimum cooking conditions.
When food to be cooked at a relatively high temperature and food to be cooked at a relatively low temperature are simultaneously cooked, for example, heat is transferred from the cooking chamber where the food is cooked at the high temperature to the cooking chamber where the food is cooked at the low temperature via the corresponding shelf. As a result, the temperature of the cooking chamber where the food is cooked at the low temperature is increased. Consequently, the food is not cooked at the optimum temperature.
Furthermore, when food is cooked in one of the cooking chambers, heat is transferred to the other cooking chambers where food is not being cooked via shelves. Consequently, energy is wasted.


A grinding machine to remove markings such as painted lines from a paved surface includes a wheeled carriage to be moved over the paved surface. A grinder is positioned beneath the carriage to contact and grind the paved surface. A suspension acts between the carriage and the grinder to allow the grinder to follow the profile of the paved surface as the grinding machine is moved thereover. A drive is supported by the carriage to actuate the grinder.

Line erasing machines to remove painted lines and other markings from paved surfaces are known in the art. These line erasing machines may be of the walk-behind type which are moved by an operator walking behind the line erasing machine or of the self-propelled riding type on which an operator sits.
Walk-behind line erasing machines have a wheeled carriage beneath which is mounted a grinder having a plurality of radially extending grinding heads to contact the paved surface to be grinded. The grinding heads are maintained in a fixed plane relative to the carriage. A motor is supported on the carriage to actuate the grinder and rotate the grinding heads. A depth adjustment mechanism acts between the grinder and the carriage to allow the position of the grinder relative to the carriage to be adjusted. Conventional depth adjustment mechanisms allow the grinder to be moved to a desired position and then locked into that position. Thus, once the position of the grinder has been set, the plane of the grinding heads remains stationary with respect to the wheels of the carriage.
It is a well known fact that paved surfaces are not flat. Therefore, the grinders are locked in position with grinding heads maintained in a fixed plane relative to the carriage and the line erasing machine is wheeled over an uneven paved surface, one or more of the grinding heads may not be in constant contact with the paved surface as the grinding heads are rotated. This may require the operator to move the line erasing machine back and forth along the paved surface to be grinded until the marking is removed from the paved surface. Alternatively, the operator may stop the line erasing machine and reposition the grinder relative to the carriage by way of the depth adjustment mechanism to bring the grinding heads into contact with the paved surface. In either case, the time required to grind the paved surface is increased.
In addition, in some instances, because the grinding heads remain in a fixed plane relative to the carriage, if the paved surface is sufficiently uneven, the wheels of the carriage may be lifted from the paved surface by the grinding heads as they rotate and contact the paved surface. This may cause the line erasing machine to slide laterally from the marking on the paved surface requiring the operator to oscillate the machine back and forth across the paved surface until the marking is removed from the paved surface. Depending on the steering skill of the operator, the time taken to remove the marking from the paved surface will vary significantly. Accordingly, improved line erasing machines which overcome these disadvantages are sought.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel grinding machine to remove markings from paved surfaces and a novel grinder for the same.

Grinding machine for removing markings from paved surfaces and grinder for the same


A Channel Status Information (CSI) transmission method and apparatus of a terminal are provided for use in a wireless communication system. In the wireless communication system supporting carrier aggregation, the terminal transmits the CSIs of component carriers without conflict of their transmission time points, resulting in an improvement of system performance. In a case where the transmission time points are determined to overlap unavoidably, the terminal transmits the CSI as compressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cellular communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Channel Status Information (CSI) transmission method and apparatus of a terminal in a cellular communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, research has been conducted on the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) as useful schemes for high speed data transmission over a radio channel. In such multiple access schemes, the user-specific data and/or control information are mapped to time-frequency resources without overlap from each other, i.e., maintaining orthogonality, to identify the user-specific data and/or control information.
In a cellular communication system, one of the significant factors for providing high-speed wireless data service is bandwidth scalability for dynamic resource allocation. For example, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system can support the bandwidths of 20/15/10/5/3/1.4 MHz. The carriers can provide services with at least one of the bandwidths, and the user equipment can have different capabilities such that some might support only 1.4 MHz bandwidth, and others might support up to 20 MHz bandwidth. The LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, aiming at achieving the requirements of the International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) service, can provide broadband service by aggregating carriers up to 100 MHz.
The LTE-A system uses more bandwidth than the LTE system for high-speed data transmission. Simultaneously, the LTE-A system should be backward compatible with LTE system for supporting LTE User Equipment (UE). That is, the LTE-A system should be configured such that the LTE UEs can access the services provided by the LTE-A system. The LTE-A system supports up to 100 MHz bandwidth by aggregating two or more LTE subbands or Component Carriers (CC). The LTE-A system aggregates some component carriers and generates and transmits data per component carrier. Accordingly, the LTE transmission process can be used per component carrier to achieve the high speed data transmission of the LTE-A system.
In the LTE-A system supporting carrier aggregation, the Channel State Information (CSI) configuration information should be defined per component carrier and, in this case, the CSI transmission timings of UE for the component carriers should be guaranteed not conflict with each other so as to improve the system performance.
In order to address the above problems, there is a need to provide a CSI transmission method and apparatus of a UE in a wireless communication system supporting carrier aggregation that is capable of protecting conflict of CSI transmission timings, resulting in improvement of system performance. Also, there is a need to provide a CSI transmission method and apparatus of a UE in a wireless communication supporting carrier aggregation that is capable of compressing the CSI to be transmitted when the CSI transmission timings are overlapped unavoidably.

Method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving CSI in cellular communication system supporting carrier aggregation


An article includes a silicon-containing substrate and a modified mullite coating. The modified mullite coating comprises mullite and a modifier component that reduces cracks in the modified mullite coating. The article can further comprise a thermal barrier coating applied to the modified mullite coating. The modified mullite coating functions as a bond coating between the external environmental/thermal barrier coating and the silicon-containing substrate. In a method of forming an article, a silicon-containing substrate is formed and a modified mullite coating is applied. The modified mullite coating comprises mullite and a modifier component that reduces cracks in the modified mullite coating.

The invention relates to an article having at least a modified mullite coating. The invention further relates to a silicon-containing substrate having at least a modified mullite coating. The invention further relates to a silicon-containing ceramic substrate having a modified mullite coating and at least one additional layer of material.
Silicon-containing materials have been proposed for structures used in high temperature applications, such as in heat exchangers and advanced internal combustion engines. For example, silicon-based composite ceramics have been proposed as materials for applications in combustors for commercial airplanes. However, these ceramic materials exhibit poor oxidation resistance in reducing atmospheres and in environments containing salts, water vapor or hydrogen. Hence, it is necessary to apply environmental barrier coatings to the silicon-containing materials to provide protection from environmental attack at elevated temperatures and to apply thermal barrier coatings to extend the life at elevated temperatures.
Mullite has been proposed as a material for environmental barrier coatings as well as thermal barrier coatings on silicon-containing materials. Mullite exhibits low thermal conductivity. It has low density and a high melting point. However, mullite coatings tend to develop cracks perpendicular to substrates and through the thickness of the coating. These cracks are detrimental to the functions of the mullite coating because they serve as transport paths for corrosive species causing severe oxidation and corrosion at the interface between the coating and substrate. Additionally, cracks in the coating concentrate stresses. The cracks apply shear and tensile forces on the substrate to cause substrate fractures.
Since the crack openings increase with increasing distance from the mullite substrate interface, the cracks may be the result of the difference in thermal expansion between the mullite coating and the silicon-containing substrate. FIG. 1 shows differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of mullite, silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si). Thus, thereis a need to provide coatings or layer to silicon-containing substrates that act at least as environmental barrier coatings having reduced cracks.
The present invention is based on the discovery that a modifier component can be added to a mullite coating to reduce cracks in the coating applied to a silicon-containing substrate. The mullite coating with the modifier component is also referred to as a modified mullite coating. The modified mullite coating reduces fracture at the interface of the mullite coating and the silicon-containing substrate.
In one aspect, the invention is an article comprising a silicon-containing substrate and a modified mullite coating. The modified mullite coating comprises mullite and a modifier component that reduces cracks, including through-thickness cracks, in the mullite coating. Preferably, the modifier component comprises a component having a lower thermal expansion than the mullite coating. As a result, the modifier component imparts a lower thermal expansion coefficient to the mullite coating. The article can further comprise an external environmental/thermal barrier coating applied to the modified mullite coating. The modified mullite coating then functions as a bond coat between the external environmental/thermal barrier coating and the silicon-containing substrate.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of forming an article with at least a modified mullite coating. In the method, a silicon-containing substrate is formed and a modified mullite coating is applied. The modified mullite coating comprises mullite and a modifier component that reduces cracks in the coating.


A golf club is comprised of a head including a hollow body having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall arranged for impacting a golf ball. A bore is disposed in the head adjacent a heel end thereof behind the body front wall extending downwardly from the body top wall toward the body bottom wall. A hosel having a generally lengthwise passage is inserted into the bore. The hosel passage is oriented at a predetermined angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the bore, and a tip end of a shaft is received in the hosel passage so that the shaft is disposed at a desired orientation with respect to the head. The hosel is selected from a plurality of hosels with passages disposed at different predetermined angles relative to the bore longitudinal axis. This allows adjustment of the desired orientation of the shaft so that the golf club may be custom fit to a particular golfer.

This invention relates generally to golf clubs and, in particular, to a golf club commonly referred to as a "metal wood".
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,224 to R. Zeider discloses a metal wood having a shaft attached to a head by a hosel tube. The shaft may be positioned in different orientations with respect to the head by repositioning the hosel tube relative to head. This repositioning of the hosel tube is accomplished by providing an opening in the head through which the hosel tube passes that is larger than the hosel tube. The hosel tube is tilted into a desired position and then welded to the head. Thus, shaft orientation may be adjusted.

Golf club with different shaft orientations and method of making same


In accordance with the example embodiments there is at least a method and apparatus to determine a measurement configuration for a mobile communication device, wherein the measurement configuration is specific to the mobile communication device; associate a reporting configuration for the mobile communication device; and send the measurement configuration and the reporting configuration to the mobile communication device to trigger the measurement and the reporting at the mobile communication device. Further, in accordance with the example embodiments there is at least a method and apparatus to receive a measurement configuration and a reporting configuration from a network node; and trigger a measurement and a measurement report based on the measurement configuration and the reporting configuration from the network.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Certain abbreviations that may be found in the description and/or in the Figures are herewith defined as follows:
3GPP3rd Generation Partnership ProjectASN.1Abstract Syntax Notation OneIEInformation ElementMDTMinimization of Drive TestsPDCPpacket data convergence protocolQCIQoS class identifierQoSQuality of serviceRRCRadio Resource ControlRRMRadio Resource ManagementUEUser EquipmentULUplink
The Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol is part of different telecommunication systems. The RRC protocol provides connection establishment and release, broadcast of system information, radio bearer establishment, reconfiguration and release, RRC connection mobility procedures, paging notification and release and outer loop power control functions. An RRC protocol can be in different states including an RRC idle mode (no connection) that has lower energy consumption, and an RRC connected mode. The RRC protocol operates to configure the user and control planes according to the network status of a link of a telecommunication system.
Operations that can be performed while a UE is in a specific RRC state pertain use of the telecommunication system's resources. Network optimization, that is, the placement and configuration of resources so as to maximize the area in which coverage is provided and the quality of service provided by that coverage, contributes greatly to the efficient use of resources. One way in which operators carry out network optimization is through a Minimization Drive Test (MDT), in which a UE with specialized measurement capabilities, which provides the network with assistance information for coverage and QoS optimization. A UE receiving a service throughout the network is able to collect measurements performed with a UE and pass the measurement results with RRC signaling to the network. A service provider may instruct a UE to perform an MDT (e.g. periodically) for a service provider to gather information such as radio measurements and use this information to assist network optimization.
The example embodiments as described herein relate to novel types of MDT measurement reporting which can utilize an extension of RRC signaling.

Method for triggering freestanding radio resource control report


The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for reviewing a defect with high throughput by detecting the defect to be reviewed with high sensitivity, comprising: an optical microscope; a correction means; and a scanning electron microscope which reviews the existing defect on the sample; wherein the optical microscope has: an optical height detection system which optically detects a vertical position of an upper surface of the sample placed on the stage; an illumination optical system which illuminates the defect with light; an image detection optical system which converges and detects reflected light or scattered light generated from the defect illuminated by the illumination optical system to obtain an image signal; and a focus adjusting means which adjusts a focus position of the optical microscope based on the vertical position of the upper surface of the sample, which is detected by the optical height detection system.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for reviewing a defect occurring on a sample such as a semiconductor wafer in a process for manufacturing a semiconductor, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for reviewing a defect detected by an external optical inspection apparatus by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in detail.
When a defect such as a foreign material is existed on a semiconductor substrate (wafer) in a process for manufacturing a semiconductor, a circuit failure may occur. The circuit failure includes insufficient insulation and a short circuit occurring in a wiring connection. In accordance with a semiconductor device miniaturization, a minute defect may cause a capacitor to be insufficiently insulated or a gate oxide film to be broken. Defects may be introduced into a sample in various states due to various causes. For example, a defect may be introduced into a sample from a movable part of a carrier device, a human body, a chemical or a material, or may be a product generated by reaction with a process gas present in a process device. To avoid the problem, it is necessary to change process conditions or improve equipment for manufacturing semiconductors, by detecting a defect occurring on a semiconductor substrate in the manufacturing process and finding the source of the defect.
In a conventional method for detecting the source of a defect, an external optical inspection apparatus specifies the position of the defect, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or the like reviews the defect in detail and classify the defect. Then, information of the defect reviewed in detail and classified is compared with information present in a database, and the cause of the defect is estimated based on the comparison.
The external optical inspection apparatus is an optical foreign material inspection apparatus or an optical appearance inspection apparatus. The optical foreign material inspection apparatus is adapted to detect light scattered from the defect to specify the position of the defect. The optical appearance inspection apparatus is adapted to detect a bright field optical image of a semiconductor substrate by using lamp light or laser light as illumination light to compare the optical image with reference information thereby specifying the position of the defect on the semiconductor substrate.
Such reviewing methods are disclosed in JP-A-2001-133417 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,373 B1, JP-A-7-325041, JP-A-2003-7243, JP-A-5-41194, JP-A-2005-156537 corresponding to US 2005/0122508 A1 and JP-A-2007-71803 corresponding to US 2007/0057184 A1.
To detect a defect present on a semiconductor substrate by using an optical foreign material inspection apparatus with high inspection throughput, laser light is irradiated on the semiconductor substrate with a large spot to scan the substrate and detect the defect. This results in the fact that information on the position of the defect, which is obtained based on the position of the laser spot to scan the semiconductor circuit, includes a large error component.
When the defect is reviewed by a scanning electron microscope in detail with higher magnification (a smaller visual field) than that of an optical system of the external optical inspection apparatus based on rough position information of the defect with the error component, the reviewed defect may not fall within the visual field of the scanning electron microscope. To cause the defect (to be reviewed) to fall within the visual field of the scanning electron microscope, the defect is searched while the visual field of the scanning electron microscope is changed. This takes a long time since the visual field is small, resulting in a reduction in the throughput of the scanning electron microscope and an increase in the time for analyzing the defect.
JP-A-2001-133417 discloses an apparatus for reviewing a defect arranging both a scanning electron microscope and an optical microscope to solve the abovementioned problem. In the apparatus described in JP-A-2001-133417, the optical microscope redetects a defect and specifies the position of the defect, and the scanning electron microscope reviews the defect in detail. It is general that when a numerical aperture of an objective lens provided in the optical microscope is increased in order to detect a foreign material with high sensitivity, a focal depth of the optical microscope is reduced. This results in difficulty in the focusing operation of the optical microscope. In JP-A-2001-133417, it touches about a focusing operation of the optical microscope. JP-A-2001-133417, however, does not provide a sufficient description of the focusing operation of the optical microscope. JP-A-2005-156537 describes a focusing method. In the focusing method described in JP-A-2005-156537, a position in a Z-direction at which in a plurality of dark field images detected by moving a Z-stage step-by-step in predetermined displacements in the Z-direction, a luminance value of the detected dark field image is the maximum is deemed as a just-in-focus position. In the focusing method, however, when a numerical aperture of an objective lens provided in an optical microscope is increased, a focal depth of the optical microscope is reduced. This results in the fact that it is necessary to reduce the displacement of step-by-step for acquiring a dark field image. The throughput of the focusing operation is therefore reduced.
In addition, it is difficult to detect a foreign material on a metal film with high sensitivity by an optical microscope as a defect present on a semiconductor substrate, even when the numerical aperture of an optical system provided in the optical microscope is large.

Method and apparatus for reviewing defect


A package has a base substrate that is a metal plate electrically connected to one electrode of a UV-ray light emitting diode and a cover substrate that is a metal plate electrically connected to the other electrode and that is stacked on the base substrate. A plurality of packages are mounted on a header such that center lines of the base substrates extending in their widthwise directions are aligned to each other. The cover substrates are arranged asymmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of the base substrates so as to traverse the center line. When mounted on the header, the packages are arranged such that positions of the cover substrates are staggered with respect to the center line. Moreover, the base substrate of one of the adjacent packages and the cover substrate of the other adjacent package are connected together by a connection plate fastened to the base substrates and the cover substrate by connection screws.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package made of metal that houses a semiconductor element and a semiconductor device constituted by electrical connecting a plurality of packages.
2. Related Art
In general, in order to connect a multiple of semiconductor devices of the same type in series or parallel, lead wires for interconnecting terminals of the semiconductor devices or a conductor pattern for connection formed on a printed wiring board where the semiconductor devices are to be mounted are used.
A technique of providing a package housing a semiconductor element with a joint section having a plurality of linearly-arranged terminals and linking the terminals together by use of a harness, and the like, has also been proposed (see, for instance, JP-A-2007-109879).
Incidentally, when several semiconductor devices are connected together by use of lead wires, there arises a problem of connection work involving the expense of laborious efforts and an increase in the likelihood of false connection. Further, use of a printed wiring board leads to a reduction in the likelihood of false connection but requires a step of processing a conductor pattern of the printed wiring board, which in turn raises a problem of an increase in the number of steps.
The risk of false connection will be small, so long as the technique described in JP-A-2007-109879 is adopted. However, a joint section having terminals used for connecting harnesses to respective packages must be formed, which raises a problem of a significant increase in the number of steps employed during manufacturing.

Package and semiconductor device for preventing occurrence of false connection


A probe for a coordinate measuring machine has a stationary first part and a second part which can move relative to said first part. The second part can be a feeler pin or a feeler pin extension of the probe. A damping member for damping vibrations of the moveable second part has a magnet arrangement for producing a magnetic field, and has a conductor element. The magnet arrangement is designed such that there is a change in direction of the magnetic field along a path of movement of the conductor element.

The present invention relates to a coordinate measuring machine and more particularly to a probe for such a coordinate measuring machine. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a damping mechanism for damping vibrations in such a probe.
Coordinate measuring machines are used to measure the shape of an object to be measured with a high degree of accuracy. A typical application is the measurement of machine-produced workpieces in the course of quality control during production. The shape of the object is measured by moving the probe to defined points of the object by means of the moving frame, and then determining the current position of the probe or of a feeler element connected to said probe. It is particularly known to scan the object using a feeler pin which is fixed to the probe in order to initiate a read-out operation of the spatial coordinates.
The feeler pin is generally mounted such that it can move in or on the probe. In what is called switching probes, the feeler pin opens a contact when it touches the shape of the object to be measured, with this contact causing the coordinates to be read out. In measuring probes, the deflection of the feeler pin from its rest position is also determined, and this allows a particularly high degree of measurement accuracy.
However, mounting the feeler pin such that it can move may lead to the feeler pin itself vibrating when the probe is moved. The natural vibrations cause disturbances when the probe approaches the object and may lead to measurement inaccuracies. For this reason, it is known to damp the feeler pin of the probe, or more generally to damp the moving part or parts within a probe, by means of a damping member which is arranged in the probe, in order to reduce the vibrations, if not completely eliminate them.
DE 197 31 005 A1 discloses an eddy-current brake as a damping member. This is a magnet arrangement with an air gap where a metallic conductive element, such as a copper sheet, is arranged. When the copper sheet moves in the magnetic field, eddy currents are induced in the copper sheet and, these eddy currents lead to a magnetic field being generated. The induced magnetic field interacts with the outer magnetic field and thus creates a damping effect ("braking effect"). In one exemplary embodiment of this document, the probe is constructed from spring parallelograms which are placed one above the other and in each case permit one direction of movement of the feeler pin. Each spring parallelogram is provided with its own eddy-current brake. In another exemplary embodiment, a single eddy-current brake is provided which damps the feeler pin in the z-direction and in the x-direction. In this exemplary embodiment, a second separate eddy-current brake would be required for damping in the y-direction if necessary.
The principle of the eddy-current brake for damping vibrations in a probe is also known from DE 44 24 225 A1, with the probe again being constructed from spring parallelograms which are placed one above the other and each having their own eddy-current brake.
DE 101 00 350 A1 also discloses a probe comprising spring parallelograms which are placed one above the other, in which a friction brake whose friction force can be adjusted is used as the damping member. U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,788 discloses using a rubber cylinder or, alternatively, glass dust as the damping element. Furthermore, DE 101 47 614 A1 discloses using a viscous damper, that is to say a viscous medium, as the damping element in a coordinate measuring machine.

Probe for a coordinate measuring machine

Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH


Disclosed herein is a process to produce a film comprising poly(vinyl alcohol), wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) solution has been purified utilizing an ion exchange resin. An approximate 50 micrometer thick film produced from the purified aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solution has an APHA color value of 50 or less after the film has been heated at 150° C. for 60 minutes.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) homopolymer and copolymers, collectively referred to hereinafter as poly(vinyl alcohol) polymers, or by the abbreviation PVA or PVAs, are produced via hydrolysis of the corresponding ester of the homopolymer or the copolymer, i.e., poly(vinyl acetate), abbreviated herein as PVAC or PVACs. This hydrolysis of the polyester to the corresponding polyalcohol is typically conducted using either an acid or a base catalyst. The hydrolysis process may be catalyzed by strong acids or strong bases, and is known as hydrolysis, saponification, or alcoholysis, depending on the particular reaction conditions and the catalyst used. Reactions using base are generally preferred due to greater efficiency and reaction rate. Unfortunately, however, residual base from the hydrolysis of the ester tends to destabilize the PVA after isolation, and/or during subsequent processing and end use of poly(vinyl alcohol).
Bases are difficult to remove completely from the PVA since they tend to be strongly absorbed thereby. Base instability may be countered by neutralization of any base remaining before PVA isolation, typically using weak acids such as acetic acid to produce the corresponding salt of the base. The use of acetic acid to neutralize any residual base however results in the production of basic salts such as sodium acetate which are somewhat more amenable to washing out or otherwise separate from the poly(vinyl alcohol). Such salts themselves, while less destabilizing than the base itself, are still somewhat destabilizing to the PVA, particularly vis-a-vis recent more demanding uses of PVA.
Films comprising PVA are utilized in a variety of applications as laminates and the like where optical clarity is desirable. In addition, films utilized in such applications are preferably colorless, and maintain a clear-colorless appearance under a variety of conditions. Japanese Patent Number JP 11080483 is directed towards poly(vinyl alcohol) films comprising ammonium salts of acids having a pKa1 of less than or equal to 4.5, which when cast to form a film, show no discoloration (i.e., yellowing) after heat treatment at 200° C. for 10 min.
In addition, to maintain optical clarity, it is desirable to reduce or eliminate metallic residues which act as ash precursors. Such metallic residues include the basic salts resultant from the hydrolysis used to produce the PVA. Ash, as used here, refers to the oxide, hydroxide or related complex that results from heating metallic residues. Ash in the final PVA film results from thermal processing of the PVA in producing the film, or other object.
Ash precursors such as the basic salts in general, and sodium acetate (NaOAc) in particular, can amount to several percent of a PVA if steps are not taken to reduce the salt concentration. The presence of such residues is thought to reduce the otherwise exemplary properties of PVA in terms of clarity, yellowing, weatherability, physical properties, and the like. There is therefore a strong incentive to reduce the presence of various salts, in particular sodium acetate, to very low levels of less than about 0.2 weight percent in the PVA.
Various attempts directed to removal of NaOAc include Japanese Patent Number 45033425, directed to removal of residual NaOAc by contact of saponified poly-(vinyl alcohol) or copolymer thereof with NaOH over a strong acidic cation exchanger. In this example, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (40:60 mole ratio) was dissolved in MeOH, NaOH is added, and the PVAc is saponified to PVA. A portion of the saponified solution was stirred with 30 g acid-form of Amberlite IR-120 (a strong cation exchange resin gel), followed by separating the resin, concentrating to 40 weight % PVA, and drying at 80° C. for 1 hour to yield saponified copolymer containing 0.01% NaOAc.
Japanese Patent Number 02163130 is directed to removal of metal ions in non-electrolyte polymer aqueous solutions using ion exchange resins. In this example, aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) was passed through a column filled with activated Diaion SK1B (a strong cation exchange resin gel) and Diaion SA10A (a strong anion exchange resin gel) to produce an aqueous solution containing <0.01 mg/L Na ion. A film of the PVA produced demonstrated an electrical conductivity of 3 μS/cm, compared to 330 μS/cm for the control.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,319,070 and 5,425,879 are directed to removal of metallic, ash-producing residues which remain in poly(vinyl alcohol) polymer after preparation from poly(vinyl acetate) by contacting a slurry of the poly(vinyl alcohol) polymer with ion-exchange resin particles, removal of the ion-exchange resin particles from the poly(vinyl alcohol) polymer particles by differential particle separation, and removing the liquid from the polymer and drying the polymer. The poly(vinyl alcohol) polymer remains in the solid state throughout, thus dissolution and re-precipitation of the PVA are avoided.
In the article entitled: Study of the Separation of Aqueous Mixtures of Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Sodium Acetate by Ultrafiltration, (Karamyan, D. R.; Voskanyan, P. S.; Movsesyan, R. A., Erevan. NII "Plastpolimer", Yerevan, Armenia, Plasticheskie Massy (2001), (5), 39-40, Russian); an aqueous PVA solution was effectively purified from sodium acetate by ultrafiltration practically without polymer loss. Hollow fiber membranes can be used for solution separation, for suspension processing tubular ultrafiltration membranes with pore size ≦0.55 μm are preferable.
Czechoslovakian Patent Number 275541 is directed to purification of crude partially aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) copolymers containing NaOAc and colored impurities by contacting with a cation and anion exchangers while stirring at 10-60° C.
Ion-exchange resins (IERs) are known in the removal of metal residues from PVA, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,948. In the examples, an aqueous solution of the PVA is mixed with a strong cationic exchange resin gel, which is then removed by filtration.
Accordingly, removal of NaOAc and other basic salts from PVA is an area of interest in the art. However, a need exists for a continuous process for removing basic salts from aqueous, homogeneous solutions of PVA. Furthermore, in view of the ever increasing uses of PVA which require optically pure, non-yellowing PVA films, a continuous process of producing PVA which produces a non-yellowing PVA film is also desirable.


In an optical transmission system comprising a transmitter, a receiver, and a transmission line that connects the transmitter and the receiver, a dispersion compensator is disposed in the receiver. The transmitter comprises an E/O (electro-optical signal converter) and a post-amplifier. An optical signal that has been RZ-coded is supplied to the E/O. The transmitter pre-chirps the optical signal. The pre-chirp is performed by red-chirp of which the value of the chirping parameter α is positive. When the pre-chirp is performed, the non-linear effect of the optical signal on the transmission line can be canceled. In addition, with the RZ coded signal, the inter-symbol interference can be alleviated. Thus, the total dispersion amount of the dispersion compensator can be suppressed. In addition, the power of the optical output can be increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical transmission system using an optical fiber cable as a transmission line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical transmission systems have been developed for large transmission capacity and long span transmission. For accomplishing the large transmission capacity, the increase of bit rate and wavelength division multiplexing system have been studied. For accomplishing the long span transmission, optical amplifiers are used. The optical amplifiers are categorized as for example a post-amplifier that raises the transmission power, a pre-amplifier that raises the sensitivity of received power, and an in-line amplifier that functions as a repeater. These optical amplifiers have been developed as products. With the optical amplifiers, the difference of levels of a received signal and a transmitted signal becomes large and the allowable loss of an optical fiber cable becomes large.
On the other hand, with optical amplifiers, the optical input level to the optical fiber cable becomes high. Thus, a new problem called non-linear effect has taken place. As an example, when the level of an optical signal that is input to the optical fiber cable is large (for example, +8 dBm for a dispersion shifted optical fiber cable and +10 dBm or more for a single mode optical fiber cable), a frequency (wavelength) shift takes place at a leading edge and a trailing edge of a pulse of the optical signal due to the optical Kerr effect (the refractive index varies depending on the intensity of light) (this phenomenon is referred to as self phase modulation). In this case, even if the spectral width of an optical signal before the transmission is narrow, the spectral width becomes wide through transmission. In addition, due to the influence of the dispersion of the optical signal on the transmission line, the waveform of the received signal becomes degraded. In other words, the upper limit of the power of transmission optical signal depends on such an influence.
Moreover, since the velocity of light that propagates in an optical fiber cable depends on the wavelength thereof, after an optical pulse with a particular wavelength is transmitted through an optical fiber cable, the pulse width may be expanded or compressed. This phenomenon is referred to as chromatic dispersion in optical fiber cable. Thus, after an optical signal is transmitted through an optical fiber cable of an optical transmission system, the waveform of the received signal varies due to the chromatic dispersion. Depending on the degree of the chromatic dispersion, a transmission error takes place. Thus, the transmission distance may be restricted due to the chromatic dispersion.
So far, transmission deterioration due to the chromatic dispersion on the optical fiber cable is prevented using a light source with a narrow wavelength width. However, in recent years, due to high bit rate of 10 Gb/s and the non-linear effect of an optical fiber cable, the transmission deterioration cannot be prevented using a light source with a narrow wavelength width.
To solve such a problem, an optical transmission system with a dispersion compensation has been used. However, since the cost of the dispersion compensator is high and the dispersion compensation amount varies corresponding to the transmission distance, there need be a variety of products. Thus, it is difficult to use the optical transmission system with a dispersion compensator.
In such a conventional technology, as a pre-chirp of the transmitter, a blue chirp (chirping parameter α<0) is used. In addition, a dispersion compensator is placed on the receiver side (between a pre-amplifier and an optical-electrical signal converter (O/E)) (namely, post compensation is performed). However, in this system, since the compensation is inflexibly performed, the loss of the dispersion compensator becomes large. The loss cannot be ignored when the transmission distance becomes long. In addition, since the input level of the optical signal becomes low, the receiver sensitivity degrades. Moreover, since the tolerance of the dispersion compensation amount for proper transmission characteristics is narrow, dispersion compensators should be prepared corresponding to the transmission distance. Thus, many types of products should be prepared. To solve such a problem, a system in which a red chirp (chirping parameter α>0) is used as a pre-chirp on the transmitter side and dispersion compensators are disposed on both the transmitter side and the receiver side was considered. FIG. 1 shows a basic structure of this system.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outlined structure of a conventional optical transmission system.
The optical transmission system shown in FIG. 1 comprises a transmitter 160, a transmission line 164 (composed of an optical fiber cable), and a receiver 165. The transmitter 160 comprises an E/O (electric-optical signal converter) 161, a dispersion compensator 162, and a post-amplifier 163. The E/O 161 converts an electric signal into an NRZ coded optical signal. The post-amplifier 163 amplifies the optical signal and sends the resultant signal to the transmission line 164. The receiver 165 comprises a pre-amplifier 166, a dispersion compensator 167, and an O/E (optical-electric signal converter) 168. The pre-amplifier 166 amplifies weakened light that has been transmitted through the transmission line 164. The dispersion compensator 167 compensates for the dispersion of the optical signal that has been transmitted through the transmission line 164. The O/E 168 converts an optical signal into an electric signal.
In the conventional optical transmission system, the transmitter 160 red-chirps an optical signal as a pre-chirp. In addition, the transmitter 160 uses an NRZ coded signal as an optical signal. The dispersion compensator 162 in the transmitter 160 compensates for a predetermined dispersion amount of an optical signal so as to cancel the dispersion of the optical signal propagated on the transmission line 164. The post-amplifier 163 amplifies the intensity of an optical signal so that it can be transmitted for a long distance.
The pre-amplifier 166 in the receiver 165 amplifies a weakened optical signal propagated on the transmission line 164 so that the optical signal can be detected. The dispersion compensator 167 adjusts the dispersion compensation amount corresponding to a dispersion amount of the transmission line 164 detected by the receiver 165 so that the receiver 165 can correctly detect the optical signal. Thus, the dispersion compensator 167 in the receiver 165 can adjust the dispersion compensation amount. The O/E 168 converts an optical signal into an electric signal. The O/E 168 sends the received signal to an electric signal processing unit (not shown) disposed downstream thereof so as to demodulate the electric signal and extract data from the optical signal.
Thus, in the system shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter 160 red-chirps an optical signal. In addition, both the transmitter 160 and the receiver 165 have respective dispersion compensators.
In this compensation system, the dispersion compensation on the transmitter side is effective. The transmitter compresses pulses corresponding to the chirping and the characteristics of the dispersion compensator. Thus, inter-symbol interference due to the increase of the pulse width on the transmission line is alleviated. In addition, since the red-chirping is used, the influence of the non-linear effect (SPM) on the transmission line is canceled. Thus, the deterioration of the waveform of the transmission signal is smaller than that in the case of the blue-chirping. Thus, since the tolerance of the compensation amount is wide, the number of types of dispersion compensators can be reduced.
However, as a problem of the system, since the dispersion compensation amount is large, many dispersion compensation optical fiber cables that are expensive should be used. Thus, the cost of the system becomes high. In addition, since the transmitter and the receiver require respective dispersion compensators, the size of the system becomes large.

Optical transmission system and dispersion compensator


A wind turbine blade had a suction side surface and a pressure side surface. A plurality of vortex elements are formed on at least one of the suction side or the pressure side surfaces. The vortex elements have an upwardly inclined wind face and a downwardly inclined slip face, with the wind face and slip face meeting at a generally open-ended U-shaped ridge that defines side horns. The side horns decrease in height from a forward most portion of the ridge to the suction side surface or pressure side surface.

Turbine blades are the primary elements of wind turbines for converting wind energy into electrical energy. The working principle of the blades resembles that of an airplane wing. The blades have the cross-sectional profile of an airfoil such that, during operation, air flows over the blade producing a pressure difference between the sides. Consequently, a lift force, which is directed from a pressure side towards a suction side, acts on the blade. The lift force generates torque on the main rotor shaft, which is geared to a generator for producing electricity.
The lift force is generated when the flow from the leading edge to the trailing edge creates a pressure difference between the top and bottom surfaces of the blade. Ideally, the flow is attached to the top surface from the leading edge to the trailing edge. However, when the angle of attack of the flow exceeds a certain critical angle, the flow does not reach the trailing edge, but leaves the surface at a flow separation line. Beyond this line, the flow direction is generally reversed, i.e. it flows from the trailing edge backward to the separation line. A blade section extracts much less energy from the flow when it separates.
Flow separation depends on a number of factors, such as incoming air flow characteristics (e.g. Reynolds number, wind speed, in-flow atmospheric turbulence) and characteristics of the blade (e.g. airfoil sections, blade chord and thickness, twist distribution, pitch angle, etc). The detached-flow region also leads to an increase in drag force, mainly due to a pressure difference between the upstream attached-flow region and the downstream detached-flow region. Flow separation tends to be more prevalent nearer the blade root due to the relatively great angle of attack of the blade flow surfaces in this region as compared to the blade tip.
Hence, in order to increase the energy conversion efficiency during normal operation of the wind turbine, it is desired to increase the lift force of the blades while decreasing the drag force. To this purpose, it is advantageous to increase the attached-flow region and to reduce the detached-flow region by moving flow separation nearer the trailing edge of the blade. This is particularly desirable nearer to the blade root in order to increase the overall lift generated by the blade.
It is know in the art to change the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blades by adding dimples, protrusions, or other structures on the surface of the blade. These structures are often referred to as "vortex generators" and serve to create local regions of turbulent airflow over the surface of the blade as a means to prolong flow separation and thus optimize aerodynamic airflow around the blade contour. Conventional vortex generators are typically sheet metal and defined as "fins" or shaped structures on the suction side of the turbine blade. Conventional vortex generators are not, however, without drawbacks. Vortex generators create drag and tend to be noisy.
Accordingly, the industry would benefit from an aerodynamic vortex generator design that creates less resistance and noise and is thus particularly useful nearer to the blade root for increasing the lift generated by this region of the blade.

Wind turbine blades with aerodynamic vortex elements


The invention relates to a torsional damper (210) in a clutch disc arrangement (200) arranged to indicate damping performance of the torsional damper (210). The torsional damper (210) comprises a driven plate (211), an output hub (212), intermediate friction plates (213) arranged on either side of the driven plate (211) and a resilient member (214) arranged to press the intermediate friction plates (213) against the driven plate (211) or against the output hub (212) with a pressure force. The intermediate friction plates (213) and the resilient member (214) are rotationally fixed to the output hub (212) or the driven plate (211) forming a rotationally fixed stack (213, 214, 212; 213, 214, 211). The rotationally fixed stack (213, 214, 212; 213, 214, 211) comprises a detection friction plate (215) rotatably decoupled from the rotationally fixed stack (213, 214, 212; 213, 214, 211) and arranged in the rotationally fixed stack (213, 214, 212; 213, 214, 211).

Ignition-induced irregularities in rotational speed of a crankshaft generate torsional vibrations in the powertrain of vehicles driven by an internal combustion engine. The vibrations in the powertrain in turn cause disturbing noises in the vehicle body and rattling in the transmission. To reduce these torsional vibrations, it is common to provide a clutch disc arrangement with coil springs that allows a limited degree of rotation between the crankshaft and the transmission input shaft. However, at the resonance frequency of the powertrain, the torsional vibrations are amplified rather than attenuated by the coil springs. Therefore, it is known to supplement the coil springs with a torsional damper in the hub of the clutch disc arrangement. The torsional damper comprises a driven plate arranged to transform rotational movement from the crankshaft to the transmission input shaft when the driven plate is engaged in the clutch. The driven plate is connected to an output hub connected to the transmission input shaft. The driven plate is connected to the output hub via intermediate friction plates arranged on either side of the driven plate. The torsional damper comprises a resilient member arranged between the output hub and the intermediate friction plates to apply pressure on the intermediate friction plates such that the intermediate friction plates are pressed against the driven plate. The torsional damper effectively reduces the vibrations at the resonance frequency by means of friction between the driven plate and the intermediate friction plates. However, as the surfaces of intermediate friction plates wear, the damping performance is reduced. This is usually not detected until the driver of the vehicle is disturbed by noise caused by the vibrations or during a regular service. At that stage, the vibrations might already have caused unnecessary wear or damage to the clutch disc arrangement and to the gearbox.
There is thus a need for a method removing the above mentioned disadvantage.


A method for providing at least a part of a building includes the steps of prefabricating a module by assembling four walls extending between a floor and a roof to form a rectangular cuboid shape; providing at least one compartment within the cuboid shape; providing waterproof layers on the interior walls and floor of the compartment for creating a wet area within the module; arranging technical installations within the cuboid shape; and providing interior equipment within the cuboid shape. The method further includes the steps of prefabricating a plurality of panels and slabs; and connecting these panels and slabs to a lateral side of the module for providing a further rectangular cuboid shape forming a panel-built room.

It is today a known procedure to use different kinds of prefabricated elements when erecting a building complex. Already in the 1960's, and perhaps even before that, the concept of building prefabricated modules was used. The modules could e.g. include a bathroom, a kitchen or the like. This module would then be compatible to be installed in a building complex; cf. for instance GB-A-1,213,009.
EP-A-462,790 discloses a building system which comprises rooms formed from prefabricated room units, wherein the units include walls and a ceiling. The room units are arranged in rows where each row has adjacent pairs of room units and where each pair of units is structural mirror images of each other. Even though the elements are prefabricated there is still a lot of work to be done with the interior before the building may be ready to use as e.g. a hotel. The work at the construction site is time-consuming and expensive since many workers must be hired to finish the interiors. Hence, this known system involves high costs which probably is the main reason why it has not been put into practice.
US-A-2005/0108957 describes a prefabricated module which is intended to be used in a multi-storey building. The modules may contain a bathroom, a kitchen, a staircase or a combination of the previous mentioned and may be stacked on top of each other and then installed concurrently with the surrounding structure. One module may be configured to have a dual room layout which means that the module will include e.g. two bathrooms which are a mirror image of each other. Additionally, each module has a vertical shaft which includes features like water supply, waste sewage and ventilation shaft. This known system is complicated and suffers from the same problem as the costly system described above.
As to background art, WO-A-2006/13653 could be mentioned as well since it discloses a prefabricated service pod. However, this publication does not suggest low-cost prefabrication based on non-complex structures. Hence, the proposed service pods are not suitable for building projects of the type today's market demands.
Prefabricated elements for buildings do not only include service pods and the like, but also various types of wall and panel elements. An example of such an element is disclosed in EP-A-565,842. However, this known element only constitutes a part of a building and the publication does not suggest any overall solution to the problem of how to construct an entire building which meets today's requirements of low-cost construction projects to be performed under time pressure.
The choice of building method normally depends on which type of house to be built and for what purpose. Although known building methods may differ in many ways, most of them are time consuming. As construction time is a crucial factor for the cost efficiency of the building, there is always a need for improving the erecting methods, especially for large and complex buildings such as multi-resident buildings or the like.
WO-A-2008/102152 describes a method of constructing a building with prefabricated modules, wherein each module defines a room with e.g. a bathroom area. The modules may be identical or of two different types, and they are configured to be stacked upon each other to form a multi-storey building.
WO-A-00/34593 discloses a building method using two different kinds of modules, i.e. a U-shaped module and an L-shaped module. The modules are combined on site to form the bearing structure of a multi-storey building. Since the modules are not pre-fabricated there are many partial challenges with this building method. Particularly, the proposed building method is disadvantageous since all the different parts of the partial modules must be manufactured with high precision to fit each other. More parts and partial modules will increase the risk of making a mistake in the production or the assembly. Many parts of different sizes and shapes also become a problem when transporting them to the erection site. The space of the transportation may then not be optimized for the parts packed in it. The proposed method is thus not very flexible since the different shapes of the modules require specially adapted logistic resources.
Another example of a building method is described in CA-A-2,046,217. In this document a solution is proposed involving a building unit which comprises at least four dwelling units which are supposed to be connected to each other, horizontally or vertically. The dwelling units comprise modules which include different types of interior depending on its location and purpose.
In view of the building methods previously presented there is still a need for an improved method which allows a reduced erecting time.

Method and system for construction of a building


In a furnace (boiler) installation where oxides of nitrogen are to be reduced to elemental nitrogen by treatment with a reactant such as a solution of urea, the desired amount of reactant (dependent on furnace specifics) is determined by comparing the fluorescent light intensity of a sample of the treating solution to the fluorescent light intensity of a calibration standard representing the desired amount of reactant concentration; in the case of non-comparison the concentration of reactant in the treating solution is altered until the intensities are substantially identical.

It is known by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,208,386 and 4,325,924 to treat flue gases with urea [CO(NH.sub.2).sub.2 ] in the presence of oxygen to reduce noxious NO.sub.x (x=1 or 2) to elemental N.sub.2. The equations are elementary and need not be here discussed in detail other than to note that by-products of the treatment include water and carbon dioxide. Under ideal stoichiometric conditions one mole of urea reacts with two moles of NO.sub.x, but the actual molar flow will vary for many reasons explained below. The variation may be as much as 0.5 to 2 moles of urea per mole of NO.sub.x.
The treatment with urea helps to prevent so-called acid rain in that if NO.sub.2 is released to the atmosphere it can combine with atmospheric moisture to form nitric acid, HNO.sub.3. The treatment also helps avoid photochemical smog due to release of NO.sub.x to the atmosphere.
It is customary to dilute the urea with water, achieving a useful concentration in a solution which can be sprayed (atomized) into a furnace combustion column at a suitable point to reduce NO.sub.x to nitrogen. However, urea in solution imparts a high surface tension to the water. Consequently, in the preferred form of treatment, a surfactant is added to the urea solution. The surfactant reduces surface tension and therefore aids atomization (finer droplets) when the solution is sprayed into the stream of combustion gases before they attain the stack. The surfactant enlarges the spray pattern, promoting penetration and resulting in more effective contact with the combustion atmosphere.
Transportation of water is expensive and consequently the usual practice is for the manufacturer of the urea treating agent (solution) to ship a concentrated solution with a lower water content than actually required. The user, the operator of the combustion plant or facility, will therefore usually add dilution water. Dilution may also be done by a distributor. The amount of dilution will depend in part upon the estimate of the stoichiometric amount of urea needed for treatment of NO.sub.x in the flue gas. The stoichiometric amount of urea is the primary basis, but the amount of dilution will vary from plant to plant, and indeed can vary from day to day at any given plant. This is so because equilibrium of the chemical reactions involved is fuel dependent, temperature dependent and combustion rate dependent. The process is also dependent on oxygen concentration and the presence of reducing species such as carbon monoxide.
The necessary reaction to form N.sub.2 normally occurs within a narrow temperature band. The band is about 1700.degree.-2000.degree. F. Certain additives may lower the range. The reactions are rapid and less residence time is required for high temperatures than for low temperatures. If the temperature is too low ammonia (NH.sub.3) can result, known as "ammonia slip." Usually the best reaction takes place at about 1800.degree. F. where ammonia slip is slight. If the temperature is too high, NO.sub.x can actually be regenerated. To reduce these counterproductive possibilities, to minimize formation of ammonia and carbon monoxide, and to achieve other advantages evident from the discussion above, various chemicals in small amounts may be added along with the surfactant, especially chemicals which serve as scale inhibitors, keeping the equipment clean and preventing blockage of the spray nozzles.
Indeed, as will be explained, the boiler or furnace may be monitored to determine the heat pattern or profile to be expected for the stream of combustion gas so that the point of urea injection (flue gas temperature point) and urea concentration can be selected to assure superior reduction of NO.sub.x.
There are other chemical treatments besides urea for reducing NO.sub.x to N.sub.2 and the present invention could be applied thereto as well. In other words, there are other reactants which will react with NO.sub.x in the essential reduction process resulting in innocuous N.sub.2.
To use more reactant than needed can be wasteful if not counterproductive. On the other hand, when there is a drastic or sudden change in combustion parameters, the dilution may be too great, requiring a large dosage (increased concentration) of the treatment chemical used for reduction. The primary object of the present invention is, therefore, to enable a specified or needed concentration of a reactant in a water solution, for reducing NO.sub.x to an acceptable level, to be achieved at a plant where fuel when burned will release NO.sub.x to the stack. A related object of the invention is to enable the concentration of the needed reactant in the treating solution to be readily monitored and controlled to meet the required NO.sub.x reduction for specific performance of the furnace.
The supplier of a urea treating agent that will contain specialized additives will produce a concentrated solution for economy reasons mentioned. This concentrated solution will typically be concentrated far beyond the needs of the furnace operator and therefore will be diluted by the end user either prior to filling a holding tank or by direct in-line mixing as will be described below. The supplier or distributor or ultimate user can add a known amount of the tracer to the concentrated solution and then undertake a needed dilution, using a calibration standard under and in accordance with the present invention.

Controlling concentration of chemical treatment for flue gas reduction of the oxides of nitrogen


This invention relates to nitrogen-containing aromatic 5-membered ring-condensed benzazepine derivatives represented by the general formula (I) ##STR1## (symbols in the formula have the following meanings; ring B: a nitrogen-containing aromatic 5-membered ring having at least 1 nitrogen atom and optionally one oxygen or sulfur atom, which may optionally have substituent(s), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 : these may be the same or different from each other and each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, an amino group which may optionally be substituted by lower alkyl group(s), or a lower alkoxy group,. A: a single bond; a group represented by the formula --NHCO--(CR.sup.3 R.sup.4).sub.n --, PA1 n: 0 or an integer of from 1 to 3, PA1 R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 : these may be the same or different from each other and each represents a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group (provided that R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 may together form a lower alkylene group having 2 to 7 carbon atoms), and PA1 ring C: a benzene ring which may optionally have substituent(s)) and salts thereof; to pharmaceutical compositions which contain these compounds as an active ingredient and to intermediates which are useful in synthesizing these compounds. The compounds of this invention are useful as arginine vasopressin antagonists.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a peptide which consists of 9 amino acid residues and is synthesized and secreted in the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system. As antagonists of the arginine vasopressin, peptide type compounds and non-peptide type compounds have been synthesized. For example, a compound disclosed in JP-A-2-32098 is known as the peptide type compound (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"). On the other hand, 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzazepine derivatives represented by the following general formula have been disclosed in EP-A-0514667 and JP-A-5-132466 as non-peptide type vasopressin antagonists. ##STR2## (As for symbols in the above formula, see aforementioned patent publications.)
Also, International Patent Publication No. 91/05549 disclosing the compound represented by the following general formula, and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzodiazepine derivatives and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepine derivatives disclosed in JP-A-4-154765 are known. ##STR3## (As for symbols in the above formula, see aforementioned patent publications.)
Although various studies have been made as described above, creation of novel arginine vasopressin antagonists having more excellent profiles is still now an important clinical object.
On the other hand, almost no compound is known as a compound having a nitrogen-containing aromatic 5-membered ring-condensed benzazepine skeleton, which is the basic structure of the compound of the present invention, and only processes for the synthesis of a few compounds having such a ring structure have been reported in J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1 (1978) No. 8, 862-70 and Org. Prep. Proced. Int., 25 (5), 602-6 (1993), but their structures are clearly different from the structure of the compound of the present invention. In addition, use of these compounds as pharmaceutical preparations have not been known.

Condensed benzazepine derivative and pharmaceutical composition thereof


A high space resolving power of the scanning type probe microscope combined with an element analysis and the chemical bond condition analyzing ability of an Auger electronic spectroscopic method, and the energy analyzing results of the Auger electron generated by the high energy electron projection are considered, whereby it is possible to determine the three dimensional coordinate of the atomic nucleus of one atom of the surface, analyze the element thereof and analyze the chemical bond condition. While during the inherent operation of the scanning type probe microscope which may observe the atomic order image or in stopping the operation thereof, a super short AC or DC high voltage pulse is once or repeatedly applied between the probe and the sample, so that valent electron spherically symmetrically distributed about a nucleus or an internal shell electron of the sample is excited, and an energy analysis and a counter analysis of a photon or an Auger electron discharged in accordance with the excitation is performed. A determination of a three-dimensional coordinates of a nucleus for every one atom of the surface of the sample, the element analysis thereof, and a measurement of a surface distribution concerning a chemical bond condition analysis are carried out to obtain an atomic image of the surface of the sample including element and chemical bond information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is made for further developing the application range of a scanning type probe microscope through which a sample surface may be observed substantially in an element order by utilizing a tunnel effect between a probe and a sample. The present invention relates to an element analyzing method with a scanning type probe microscope which may determine a three-dimensional atomic nucleus coordinates for every one surface atom, analyze the element and analyze a condition of chemical bonds, which will become important in a semiconductor industry, a biotechnology industry and the like. The present invention also relates to a super short pulse high voltage applying method in a scanning probe microscope that may repeatedly apply a super short pulse high voltage between a probe and a sample for realizing the above-described element analyzing method.
For example, according to the present invention, it is possible to inspect and specify the surface element distribution and the impurity element distribution in the atomic order in a silicon wafer, gallium arsenic wafer and a ULSI. The invention contributes to the development of the semiconductor industry. Also, the invention contributes to realizing atom craft by the atom maneuver, is available for the surface atomic structure analysis for contributing realization and discovering a mechanism of a high temperature super conductor, and is useful for the determination of the atomic nucleus array of DNA or the like in the life science, the element analysis and the chemical bond condition analysis, leads to a way to the replacement of DNA such as composition of new DNA, severing and combining DNA and contributes to the development of the biotechnology industry.
2. Description of the Related Art
The method which may perform the most minute area/polarity surface layer analysis among the conventional element analysis and chemical bond condition analyzing technology is a scanning type Auger electron spectroscopic analysis. Even by the up-to-date technique, the measurement range is several tens of nm in diameter and several nm in depth. It is impossible to measure the surface atom one by one.
On the other hand, with the scanning type probe microscope (SPM) such as a scanning type tunnel microscope (STM) and an atomic interactive force microscope (AFM), it is possible to perform the real space resolving power in the atomic order. It is however not always easy to perform the interpretation of the measurement result. In the scanning type tunnel microscope, a bias voltage is applied between the probe and the sample arranged at an interval of about 10 .ANG.. While keeping the tunnel current flowing through the probe and the sample by controlling the interval between the probe and the sample (in Z direction), the probe scans along the concave and convex of the sample surface (XY surface), so that an atomic image of the sample surface may be depicted from the control voltage of the piezoelectric element in the Z direction. Also, in the scanning type atomic interactive force microscope, the interval between the probe provided at a "lever" having a small spring constant and the sample is shortened to such an extent that the interatomic force (repulsive force) is applied between the two components (2 to 3 .ANG.). The probe scans along the convex and concave of the sample surface. As a result, the "lever" is deformed in response to the convex and concave of the sample surface. It is therefore possible to depict the atomic image of the sample surface by measuring the deformation of the atomic order by the STM, a laser beam reflective measuring method or a light interference measuring method.
However, the above-described bias voltage applied between the probe and the sample is limited to a low voltage DC or a low voltage low frequency AC of several Vs, and there is no case where the super short pulse high voltage is applied. Even the conventional scanning type probe microscope having the real space resolving power in the atomic order mainly measures the electron condition or the like of valence electron. The meaning of observing the electron image is not the observation of the position (coordinate) of the atomic nucleus.

Element analyzing method with a scanning type probe microscope and super short high voltage pulse applying method using the element analyzing method