An integrated circuit package system comprising: providing a base substrate; attaching a base integrated circuit die over the base substrate; forming a support over the base substrate near only one edge of the base substrate; and attaching a stack substrate over the support and the base integrated circuit die.

Electronic products have become an integral part of our daily lives. Many electronic products with complex integrated circuits are commonly used sometimes without an end user even realizing that there is underlying electronic technology. Even for products that include obvious electronic technology such as cell phones, music players, televisions, or automobiles, the technology itself is not well understood.
With virtually all electronic products, there has been a consistent if not increasing demand for new features, higher speed, more data, improved portability, etc. These demands have driven the development of electronic technology including reducing size, improving utility, or increasing performance of the integrated circuit devices contained within an ever-increasing range of electronic products.
There has been constant pressure within the semiconductor industry to reduce dimensional footprints as well as increase quality, reliability, and performance fueled by consumer demands for smaller, higher quality electronic products that operate faster, with more information, as well as more reliably under broader and sometimes more severe operating conditions and environments.
The integrated circuits are commonly assembled into integrated circuit packages for protection and interconnection to other integrated circuits, integrated circuit packages, printed circuit boards, other subsystems, or systems. The development of integrated circuit packages requires not only compatibility with a wide range of integrated circuits but must also provide integration or combinations not available in a single integrated circuit device.
Many electronic products have taken advantage of including multiple integrated circuit devices or integrated circuit packages within a stacked integrated circuit package. The stacked integrated circuit package provides overall protection from operating conditions, intraconnection between components, and interconnection to a next level subsystem. Using known good components can reduce defects lowering overall costs of the integrated circuit package.
While stacking integrated circuits within integrated circuit packages has improved dimensional densities and footprints it has not been without problems. Integrated circuit and integrated circuit package component dimensions have been limited and restricted by manufacturing methods and equipment. Smaller and more varied components are very susceptible to damage during processing.
Attempts to combine a variety of integrated circuit devices have significantly affected manufacturing costs or working product yields. Damage or often time's breakage can render inoperable a component such as a substrate, interposer, or integrated circuit. The damage or breakage typically occurs during processing when some of the components are being assembled or connected.
Other attempts to prevent damage have included support features between components with significant spaces between them. These configurations describe at least one, or one or more supports but actually depict multiple supports particularly on opposite ends of a component to protect other components mounted centrally. These attempts significantly limit the range of devices that can be combined in a package.
The combinations have been limited to a subset of a broad spectrum of integrated circuit types as well as sizes. Combining these different integrated circuits has also been limited by the wide variety of interconnections, specifications, or interactions resulting in significant limitations and challenges for small, cost-effective packaging.
Despite the advantages of recent developments in integrated circuit and integrated circuit package manufacturing, there is a continuing need for improving integrated circuit device and integrated circuit package connectivity and stacking to provide improved dimensional size of available space and as well as structural integrity, manufacturing yield, and product reliability.
Thus, a need still remains for an integrated circuit package system to provide improved package-in-package stacking integration. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems.
Additionally, the need to save costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures, adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Integrated circuit package system with package integration


A vehicle lighting source adapter includes a holder, terminals, and cables connected to the terminals. The holder has its front end disposed with an insertion plate. The insertion plate includes an upper surface and a lower surface. Each of the upper and lower surfaces is disposed with connection channels and insertion blocks. Each connection channel includes a first fillister and a second fillister. A retainer is disposed to each fillister. Each terminal is inserted into and partially exposed form the first fillister and has its snap portion to be restricted by the retainer.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting source adapter, and more particularly, to a holder having at its front end disposed with an insertion plate, and the insertion plate is disposed with connection channels and insertion blocks to receive insertion of terminals.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Among those vehicle lighting fixtures generally available in the market, LED becomes the most popular today. However, the LED is not compatible with the conventional lamp holder and the vehicle lamp contacts must be revised.
An adapter of the prior art has a flat and straight metal terminal fixed to a holder while the holder is inserted into the lamp holder with the terminal from the lamp holder abutted to that from the holder in a fashion of local plane. Therefore, minute spacing does exist between the terminals due to the process allowances respectively of the adapter holder and the vehicle lamp holder. Consequently, there is the imprecise abutting between both terminals, leading further to a broken circuit due to poor contact.


An in-plane switching (IPS) mode liquid crystal display (LCD) device having a color filter on TFT (COT) structure therein and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed to improve picture quality by decreasing the reflection of external light above the data line, to obtain the economic efficiency, simplify the manufacturing process by forming a light-shielding layer of a metal material, and to solve the problem of decreasing aperture ratio after bonding lower and upper substrates to each other. The device includes first and second substrates facing each other, gate and data lines crossing each other on the first substrate to define a pixel region, a first common line parallel to the gate line, a thin film transistor at a crossing portion of the gate and data lines, an insulating interlayer on an entire surface of the first substrate including the data line, color filters in the pixel region, wherein at least one of the color filters completely covers the data line, a planarization layer on the entire surface of the first substrate including the color filter layers, a second common line along the gate line and the thin film transistor; common electrodes completely overlapping the data line, and arranged at one direction in the pixel region, and a pixel electrode in contact with a drain electrode of the thin film transistor and formed between the common electrodes at fixed intervals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method for manufacturing the same that improve picture quality by decreasing the reflection of external light.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
With development of an information society, demands for various display devices have increased. As a result, efforts have been made to research and develop flat display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), electroluminescent display (ELD), and vacuum fluorescent display (VFD). Some types of flat display devices have already been applied to displays for various equipment. Among these flat display devices, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices have been most widely used because of its advantageous characteristics such as having a thin profile, light weight, and low power consumption. The LCD devices provide a substitute for a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). In addition to mobile type LCD devices such as a display for a notebook computer, LCD devices have been developed for computer monitors and televisions to receive and display broadcast signals. Despite the various technical developments in LCD technology having applications in different fields, research in enhancing the picture quality of the LCD device has, in some respects, lacked as compared to other features and advantages of the LCD device. In order to use LCD devices in various fields as a general display, the key to developing LCD devices depends on whether the LCD devices can provide a high quality picture, such as high resolution and high luminance with a large-sized screen, while still maintaining its light weight, thin profile, and low power consumption.
In general, the LCD device includes an LCD panel for displaying a picture image, and a driving part for applying a driving signal to the LCD panel. The LCD panel includes first and second glass substrates bonded to each other at a predetermined interval, and a liquid crystal layer injected between the first and second glass substrates. The first glass substrate (also called a TFT array substrate) includes a plurality of gate and data lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes, and a plurality of thin film transistors. The plurality of gate lines are formed on the first glass substrate at fixed intervals in one direction, and the plurality of data lines are formed at fixed intervals perpendicular to the plurality of gate lines. The plurality of pixel electrodes are respectively formed in a matrix configuration in pixel regions defined by the plurality of gate and data lines crossing each other. The plurality of thin film transistors are switched on/off according to signals of the gate lines for transmitting signals of the data lines to the respective pixel electrodes. The second glass substrate (also called a color filter substrate) includes a black matrix layer that excludes light from regions except the pixel regions of the first substrate, an R/G/B color filter layer displaying various colors, and a common electrode to obtain the picture image. In the case of an IPS mode LCD device, the common electrode is formed on the first glass substrate. A predetermined space is maintained between the first and second glass substrates by spacers, and the first and second substrates are bonded to each other by a sealant pattern having a liquid crystal injection inlet. The liquid crystal layer is formed using a liquid crystal injection method, in which the liquid crystal injection inlet is dipped into a container having a liquid crystal material while maintaining a vacuum state in the predetermined space between the first and second glass substrates. That is, the liquid crystal material is injected between the first and second substrates by an osmotic action. Then, the liquid crystal injection inlet is sealed with a sealant.
The LCD device is driven according to optical anisotropy and polarizability of liquid crystal. Liquid crystal molecules are aligned using directional characteristics because the liquid crystal molecules each have long and thin shapes. In this respect, an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal to control the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules. If the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is controlled by the electric field, the light is polarized and changed by the optical anisotropy of the liquid crystal, thereby displaying the picture image. In this state, the liquid crystal is classified into positive (+) type liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and negative (−) type liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy according to electrical characteristics of the liquid crystal. In the positive (+) type liquid crystal, a longitudinal axis of a positive (+) liquid crystal molecule is parallel to the electric field applied to the liquid crystal. In the negative (−) type liquid crystal, a longitudinal axis of a negative (−) liquid crystal molecule is perpendicular to the electric field applied to the liquid crystal.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating parts of a general Twisted Nematic (TN) mode LCD device. As shown in FIG. 1, the general TN mode LCD device includes lower and upper substrates 1 and 2 bonded to each other at a predetermined interval, and a liquid crystal layer 3 formed by injecting a liquid crystal material between the lower and upper substrates 1 and 2.
The lower substrate 1 includes a plurality of gate lines 4, a plurality of data lines 5, a plurality of pixel electrodes 6, and a plurality of thin film transistors T. The plurality of gate lines 4 are formed on the lower substrate 1 in one direction at fixed intervals, and the plurality of data lines 5 are formed perpendicular to the plurality of gate lines 4 at fixed intervals, thereby defining a plurality of pixel regions P. Subsequently, the plurality of pixel electrodes 6 are respectively formed in the pixel regions P defined by the plurality of gate and data lines 4 and 5 crossing each other, and the plurality of thin film transistors T are respectively formed at crossing portions of the plurality of gate and data lines 4 and 5. Also, the upper substrate 2 includes a black matrix layer 7 that excludes light from regions except the pixel regions P, an R/G/B color filter layer 8 for displaying various colors, and a common electrode 9 for displaying a picture image. The thin film transistor T includes a gate electrode protruding from the gate line 4, a gate insulating layer (not shown) on an entire surface of the lower substrate 1, an active layer on the gate insulating layer above the gate electrode, a source electrode protruding from the data line 5, and a drain electrode opposite to the source electrode. Also, the pixel electrode 6 is formed of a transparent conductive metal material having the increased light transmittance, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO).
In the aforementioned TN mode LCD device, liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 3 positioned on the pixel electrode 6 are aligned according to a signal applied from the thin film transistor T, and light transmittance through the liquid crystal layer 3 is controlled by the alignment of the liquid crystal layer 3, thereby displaying the picture image. Also, the liquid crystal molecules are driven according to an electric field perpendicular to the lower and upper substrates, thereby obtaining increased light transmittance and high aperture ratio. The common electrode 9 of the upper substrate 2 serves as a ground, whereby it is possible to prevent liquid crystal cells from being damaged by static electricity. However, the TN mode LCD has disadvantageous characteristics such as a narrow viewing angle.
In order to solve this problem, an IPS mode LCD device has been proposed. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a general IPS mode LCD device. As shown in FIG. 2, a pixel electrode 12 and a common electrode 13 are formed on a lower substrate 11. Then, an upper substrate 15 is bonded to the lower substrate 11 at a predetermined interval therebetween, and a liquid crystal layer 14 is formed between the lower and upper substrates 11 and 15. The liquid crystal layer 14 is driven according to an electric field parallel to the lower and upper substrates 11 and 15 between the pixel electrode 12 and the common electrode 13.
FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B illustrate the alignment direction of liquid crystal when a voltage is turned off/on in the IPS mode LCD device. FIG. 3A illustrates the IPS mode LCD device when the voltage is turned off. For example, when an electric field parallel to the lower and upper substrates is not applied to the common electrode 13 or the pixel electrode 12, there is no change in alignment of the liquid crystal layer 14. In more detail, the liquid crystal molecules are twisted at 45° with reference to the pixel electrode 12 and the common electrode 13. FIG. 3B illustrates the IPS mode LCD device when the voltage is turned on i.e., when an electric field parallel to the lower and upper substrates is applied to the common electrode 13 and the pixel electrode 12. Accordingly, the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 14 is changed. In more detail, the alignment of liquid crystal layer 14 is twisted more at 45° as compared to the alignment of liquid crystal layer when the voltage is turned off. In this state, the horizontal direction of the common and pixel electrodes 13 and 12 is identical to the twisted direction of liquid crystal molecules.
As mentioned above, the IPS mode LCD device has the common electrode 13 and the pixel electrode 12 on the same plane. Thus, it has advantageous characteristics such as a wide viewing angle. For example, along a front direction of the IPS mode LCD device, a viewer can have a viewing angle of 70° in all directions (i.e., lower, upper, left, and right directions). Furthermore, the IPS mode LCD device has simplified manufacturing process steps, and reduced color shift. However, the IPS mode LCD device has the problems of low light transmittance and low aperture ratio because the common electrode 13 and the pixel electrode 12 are formed on the same substrate. Also, in the case of the IPS mode LCD device, a rapid response time is required, and it is necessary to maintain a uniform cell gap due to a small misalignment margin.
FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are perspective views illustrating the operation of the IPS mode LCD device when the voltage is turned on/off. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the electric field parallel to the lower and upper substrates is not applied to the pixel electrode 12 or the common electrode 13, the alignment direction 16 of the liquid crystal molecules is the same as an alignment direction of an initial alignment layer (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4B, when the electric field parallel to the lower and upper substrates is applied to the pixel electrode 12 and the common electrode 13, the alignment direction 16 of the liquid crystal molecules corresponds to a direction 17 of the applied electric field.
Hereinafter, a related art LCD device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an IPS mode LCD device according to the related art, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines I-I′ and II-II′ of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a plane view illustrating another IPS mode LCD device according the related art, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines III-III′ and IV-IV′ of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a plane view illustrating another IPS mode LCD device according to the related art, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines V-V′ and VI-VI′ of FIG. 9.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a gate line 61 including a gate electrode 61a is formed on a transparent lower substrate 60. Then, a common line 61b including a common electrode 61c and a first storage electrode 61d is formed in parallel to the gate line 61 within a pixel region. After that, a gate insulating layer 62 of SiNx or SiOx is formed on an entire surface of the lower substrate 60 including the gate line 61 and the common line 61b. Also, an island-shaped active layer 63 is formed on the gate insulating layer 62 above the gate electrode 61a. In order to define the pixel region, a data line 64 is formed on the gate insulating layer 62 perpendicular to the gate line 61. The data line 64 includes source/drain electrodes 64a/64b overlapped with both sides of the active layer 63. The plurality of common electrodes 61c are formed as one body with the common line 61b parallel to the data line 64 within the pixel region. Then, a pixel electrode 64d extending from the drain electrode 64b are formed between the common electrodes 61c, and a second storage electrode 64c extending from the pixel electrode 64c is formed on the common line 61b and the first storage electrode 61d. In the aforementioned structure, the drain electrode 64b and the pixel electrode 64d are formed on the same layer as the second storage electrode 64c in one body. After that, an upper substrate 50 is formed opposite to the lower substrate 60. The upper substrate 50 includes a black matrix layer 51 that excludes light from regions except the pixel regions of the lower substrate 60, and an R/G/B color filter layer 52 corresponding to the pixel regions of the lower substrate 60. The black matrix layer 51 is formed to cover the interval between the data line 64 and the adjacent common electrode 61c. Furthermore, the black matrix layer 51 is formed as a large dimension because of the bonding margin of the lower and upper substrates corresponding the data line 64, the gate line 61 and the thin film transistor TFT.
However, the IPS mode LCD device according to the related art has the following disadvantages. The opaque common line (electrode) and the pixel electrode are formed at predetermined portions of the pixel region, thereby lowering the aperture ratio. Also, the black matrix layer is formed to have a large dimension because of the bonding margin of the lower and upper substrates to prevent light leakage between the gate line and the common line, whereby the aperture ratio lowers.
In order to improve the aperture ratio, another IPS mode LCD device according to the related art will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a gate line 81 including a gate electrode 81a is formed on a transparent lower substrate 80. Then, a common line 81b including a common electrode 81c and a first storage electrode 81d is formed in parallel to the gate line 81 within a pixel region. After that, a gate insulating layer 82 of SiNx or SiOx is formed on an entire surface of the lower substrate 80 including the gate line 81 and the common line 81b, and an island-shaped active layer 83 is formed on the gate insulating layer 82 above the gate electrode 81a. In order to define the pixel region, a data line 84 is formed on the gate insulating layer 82 perpendicular to the gate line 81. The data line 84 includes source/drain electrodes 84a/84b overlapping both sides of the active layer 83. At this time, a second storage electrode 84c is formed on the common line 81b and the first storage electrode 81d. The plurality of common electrodes 81c are formed as one body with the common line 61b parallel to the data line 64 within the pixel region. First and second contact holes 87a and 87b are formed in the drain electrode 84b and the second storage electrode 84c. An insulating interlayer 85 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate including the data line 84 in state of forming first and second contact holes 87a and 87b in the drain electrode 84b and the second storage electrode 84c. Also, a pixel electrode 86 is formed between the common electrodes 81c to be connected with the drain electrode 84b and the second storage electrode 84c through the first and second contact holes 87a and 87b. In the aforementioned LCD device, the pixel electrode 86 is formed of a transparent conductive layer. Also, the drain electrode 84b is formed on the same layer as the second storage electrode 84c, and on the different layer from the pixel electrode 86. Next, an upper substrate 70 is formed opposite to the lower substrate 80. The upper substrate 70 includes a black matrix layer 71 that excludes light from regions except the pixel regions of the lower substrate 80, and an R/G/B color filter layer 72 corresponding to the pixel regions of the lower substrate 80. The black matrix layer 71 is formed to cover the interval between the data line 84 and the adjacent common electrode 81c. Furthermore, the black matrix layer 71 is formed as a large dimension because of the bonding margin of the lower and upper substrates corresponding to the data line 84, the gate line 81 and the thin film transistor T.
The IPS mode LCD device explained in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 has the following disadvantages. In the IPS mode LCD device of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the pixel electrode is formed of the transparent material, whereby it is possible to improve the aperture ratio as compared with that of the IPS mode LCD device explained in FIG. 5. However, because the common line (electrode) is formed at the predetermined portion of the pixel region, the aperture ratio lowers. Furthermore, the black matrix layer is formed as a large dimension because of the bonding margin of the lower and upper substrates to prevent light leakage between the gate line and the common line, whereby the aperture ratio is lowered.
In order to improve the aperture ratio, another IPS mode LCD device according to the related art will be described as follows. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a gate line 101 including a gate electrode 101a is formed on a transparent lower substrate 100, and a first common line 10b is formed in parallel to the gate line 101 within a pixel region. Then, a gate insulating layer 102 of SiNx or SiOx is formed on an entire surface of the lower substrate 100 including the gate line 101 and the first common line 101b, and an island-shaped active layer 103 is formed on the gate insulating layer 102 above the gate electrode 101a. In order to define the pixel region, a data line 104 is formed on the gate insulating layer 102 perpendicular to the gate line 101. The data line 104 includes source/drain electrodes 104a/104b overlapping both sides of the active layer 103. A storage electrode 104c is formed as one body with the drain electrode 104b and overlaps the first common line 101b. An insulating interlayer 105 is formed on the entire surface of the lower substrate 100 including the data line 104. The insulating interlayer 105 has a contact hole 106 on the drain electrode 104b and the storage electrode 104c. Also, a pixel electrode 107c is connected to the drain electrode 104b and the storage electrode 104c through the contact hole 106. The pixel electrode 107c is parallel to the data line 104 within the pixel region. Simultaneously, a second common line 107a is formed on the gate line 101, and a common electrode 107b is formed between the pixel electrode 107c and the data line 104 adjacent to the pixel region. The common electrode 107b is formed as one body with the second common line 107a. The pixel electrode 107c, the second common line 107a and the common electrode 107b are formed of a transparent conductive layer on the same layer. The first common line 10b and the second common line 107a are connected to each other in a non-display region, and the same common voltage is additionally applied to the first common line 10b and the second common line 107a. Then, an upper substrate 90 is formed opposite to the lower substrate 100, the upper substrate 90 including a black matrix layer 91 that excludes light from regions except the pixel regions P of the lower substrate 100, and an RIG/B color filter layer 92 corresponding to the pixel regions P. Although not shown, the lower and upper substrates are bonded to each other with a sealant in state of forming a liquid crystal injection inlet between the lower substrates.
In the IPS mode LCD device explained with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the common electrode and the pixel electrode are formed of the transparent material, whereby it is possible to obtain the high aperture ratio. However, because the color filter layer is formed on the upper substrate, it may generate misalignment problems between the pixel region and the color filter layer when bonding the lower and upper substrates to each other. As glass substrates become large, the position difference is increased between the pixel region of the lower substrate and the color filter layer of the upper substrate. In order to overcome these problems, it is necessary to obtain a design that resolves the misalignment problem. In case of the design for solving the problem of the misalignment, the aperture ratio lowers after bonding the lower and upper substrates to each other.
Accordingly, a COT-structure (Color filter On TFT array) LCD device forming a color filter layer on a lower substrate is recently developed in order to overcome the problem of the position difference between the pixel region of the lower substrate and the color filter layer of the upper substrate. The COT-structure LCD device according to the related art will be briefly described. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI′ of FIG. 9 and illustrates a related art IPS mode LCD device having a COT structure therein. That is, a gate line ('101' of FIG. 9) including a gate electrode ('101a' of FIG. 9) is formed on a lower substrate 100. Then, a gate insulating layer 102 is formed on an entire surface of the lower substrate 10 including the gate line, and an island-shaped active layer ('103' of FIG. 9) is formed on the gate insulating layer 102 above the gate electrode. In order to define a pixel region, a data line 104 is formed on the gate insulating layer 102 perpendicular to the gate line, the data line 104 including source/drain electrodes ('104a' and '104b ' of FIG. 9) overlapping both sides of the active layer. Then, an insulating interlayer 105 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate including the data line 104, and R/G/B color filter layers are formed on the insulating interlayer 105 of the respective pixel regions. If the R/G/B color filter layers are overlapped above the data line 104, it decreases the planarization effect of an organic insulating layer formed on the color filter layer. Accordingly, it is necessary to obtain a sufficient margin 'c' in due consideration of accuracy when forming the color filter layer. For example, when forming the color filter layer, position accuracy is about ±3 μm, whereby it requires the minimum margin 'c' of 6 μm on the designing process, and it generates a maximum interval of 12 μm on the practical manufacturing process. That is, the color filter layer overlaps both sides of the data line 104, and the color filter layer is not formed above the center of the data line 104. After that, the organic insulating layer 109 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate to flatten the surface of the substrate, and a contact hole ('106' of FIG. 9) is formed in the drain electrode ('104b' of FIG. 9). Also, a pixel electrode 107c is formed in parallel to the data line 104 within the pixel region and connected to the drain electrode through the contact hole. Simultaneously, a second common line 107b is formed between the pixel electrode 107c and the data line 104 adjacent to the pixel region. When the second common line 107b is formed above the data line 104, the second common line 107b is wider than both sides of the data line 104 in the extent of 'a' and 'b', wherein 'a' is formed in the same width as 'b'. The second common line 107b is formed at a width of approx. 4 μm.
However, the IPS mode LCD device having the COT structure has the following disadvantages. As shown in FIG. 11, the color filter layer is not formed above the predetermined portion of the data line to prevent the decrease of the planarization effect, thereby decreasing a contrast ratio by the reflection of the external light in the predetermined portion of the data line having no color filter layer. In order to solve this problem, a resin BM may be formed above the predetermined portion of the data line having no color filter layer. However, the resin BM is expensive, has low electrical characteristics due to its low resistivity, and generates the problem of impurity contamination on the particle source.

Liquid crystal display device and method for manufacturing the same


A semiconductor device, comprising: a first semiconductor layer disposed on a substrate; a second semiconductor layer disposed on the first semiconductor layer; a lower insulating film disposed on the second semiconductor layer; a p-type electroconductive oxide film disposed on the lower insulating film; an upper insulating film disposed on the oxide film; and a gate electrode disposed on the upper insulating film, wherein the lower insulating film under the gate electrode has a depressed portion.

Nitride semiconductors GaN, AlN, and InN and mixed crystals thereof have a wide band gap and have been used in high-power electronic devices and short-wavelength light-emitting devices. Regarding high-power devices, various technologies related to field-effect transistors (FETs), in particular, high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been developed.
HEMTs manufactured using such nitride semiconductors have been used in high-power high-efficiency amplifiers and high-power switching devices.
HEMTs manufactured using such nitride semiconductors have an aluminum gallium nitride/gallium nitride (AlGaN/GaN) heterostructure on a substrate and include a GaN layer as an electron transit layer.
The substrate may be made of sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), or silicon (Si).
GaN has a band gap of 3.4 eV, which is higher than the band gap of Si (1.1 eV) or GaAs (1.4 eV), and has a high breakdown voltage. GaN has a high saturated electron velocity and allows high-voltage and high-power operation. Thus, GaN may be used in high-voltage devices for high-efficiency switching devices and electric vehicles. In order to reduce a leakage current in transistors, a device having an insulated gate structure that includes an insulating film under a gate electrode is disclosed.    [Patent document] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-359256    [Patent document] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-199481
It is desirable that power switching devices be capable of normally-off operation, during which no electric current flows through a semiconductor device unless a gate voltage is applied. Normally-off operation involves a shift of the gate threshold voltage in the positive direction. Thus, structures including a p-GaN cap layer or a gate recess have been investigated.
However, a structure including a p-GaN cap layer has a problem that crystals are difficult to grow. A structure including a gate recess has a problem that it is easily damaged by etching and that it is difficult to control the depth of the gate recess.
In an insulated gate structure that has an insulating film under a gate electrode to reduce gate leakage current, the insulating film between a semiconductor layer and the gate electrode blocks an electron channel and shifts the gate threshold voltage in a negative direction. It is therefore difficult to perform normally-off operation.
The formation of a p-type NiO film on a semiconductor layer as an insulating film under a gate electrode has been studied to realize normally-off operation and reduced gate leakage current. However, NiO has a narrower band gap than SiO2 or Al2O3 and insufficiently reduces gate leakage current.


A system for bonding layers (1) of different chemical compositions, such as bonding a thermal barrier layer to a metal substrate on a surface of a gas turbine component. A substrate (4) made either of a ceramic material or particularly of a metal super-alloy may be bonded to an outer layer (16) such as a ceramic by means of a fine-grained intermediate layer (7) bonded to the substrate (4), and a coarse-grained layer (10) bonded to the intermediate layer (7) to create a studded surface (9). The fine and coarse layers (7, 10) provide a transition between the substrate (4) and the outer layer (16) for improved bonding between them. The studded surface (9) may provide at least a 20% increase in bonding surface area for the outer layer (16). Additionally, a medium-grained layer (13) may be applied to the studded surface (9) before applying the outer layer(16).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,110 discloses a layer system in which coarse particles are present in an outer layer. The coarse particles project out of the outer surface and serve to increase the abrasive resistance. The coarse particles have a different chemical composition than the layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,534 discloses a layer system which includes at least three layers and in which coarse particles are arranged on a layer of finer particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,444,331 shows a bonding layer which has been roughened in order to achieve improved bonding of thermal barrier coating and bonding layer.
However, layer systems still suffer from poor bonding of the layers to one another or of the layer to a substrate.


Methods and apparatus for detecting electrical short circuits in fuel cell stacks are provided. The methods involve supplying a reactant and an inert gas to a fuel cell stack and measuring the open circuit voltage of fuel cell assemblies in the fuel cell stack. The sensitivity of the methods can be adjusted to detect an electrical short circuit having a resistance at or below a particular threshold short-circuit resistance value, by using a suitable reactant concentration in the method. The methods can include determining a set-point reactant concentration that can be used to detect an electrical short circuit having a resistance at or below a particular threshold short-circuit resistance value.

Electrochemical fuel cells convert reactants, namely fuel and oxidant, to generate electric power and reaction products. Electrochemical fuel cells generally employ an electrolyte disposed between two electrodes, namely a cathode and an anode. The electrodes each comprise an electrocatalyst disposed at the interface between the electrolyte and the electrodes to induce the desired electrochemical reactions.
Solid polymer fuel cells (also referred to as polymer electrolyte membrane or PEM fuel cells) employ a solid polymer electrolyte, or ion exchange membrane. The membrane is typically interposed between two electrode layers, forming a membrane electrode assembly ("MEA"). The membrane is typically proton conductive and acts as a gas barrier, isolating the fuel and oxidant streams from each other on opposite sides of the MEA. The MEA is typically interposed between two plates to form an individual fuel cell. The plates act as current collectors, provide support for the adjacent electrodes, and typically contain flow field channels for supplying reactants to the MEA, and in some cases for circulating a coolant. Fuel cell assemblies are typically compressed to ensure good electrical contact between the plates and the electrodes, as well as good sealing between fuel cell components. A plurality of fuel cells may be combined electrically, in series or in parallel, to form a fuel cell stack. In a fuel cell stack, a plate may be shared between two adjacent fuel cell assemblies, in which case the plate also separates the fluid streams of the two adjacent fuel cell assemblies. Such plates are commonly referred to as bipolar plates and may have flow channels for directing fuel and oxidant, or a reactant and coolant, on each major surface, respectively.
The fuel stream which is supplied to the anode may be a gas such as, for example, substantially pure gaseous hydrogen or a reformate stream comprising hydrogen and other components, or a liquid such as, for example, aqueous methanol. The oxidant stream, which is supplied to the cathode, typically comprises oxygen supplied as, for example, substantially pure gaseous oxygen or a dilute oxygen stream, such as, for example, air, which may also contain other components such as nitrogen, argon, water vapor, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Various sealing mechanisms are used to fluidly isolate the fuel and oxidant streams from one another in the fuel cell.
As well as serving as a gas barrier between the anode and cathode, the membrane electrolyte material is also electrically non-conductive (or has a high electrical resistance). If the membrane electrolyte in a fuel cell is intact, typically substantially no electrical current flows from one electrode to the other through the membrane electrolyte. However, electrical short circuits across individual fuel cells can cause damage to the fuel cell and can be a significant cause of early fuel cell stack failure. Manufacturing defects can result in low resistance points between the two electrodes or plates. This can occur, for example, if there are irregularities in the bipolar plates; if the electrode material penetrates the membrane electrolyte; if electrically conductive particles are introduced between the plates during stack assembly; and/or if edge connection occurs between the bipolar plates. The likelihood of short circuits tends to increase when thinner membranes are used (for example, to reduce protonic resistance in fuel cells and increase power density), or when thin metallic bipolar plates that can deform easily are used. Such short circuits result in electron transfer from anode to cathode, and an oxygen reduction reaction can occur between oxygen that is present at the cathode and protons that are conducted through the membrane. This can result in parasitic losses, reduced hydrogen utilization, and a reduction in the efficiency of the fuel cell system.
When a fuel cell with such a short circuit is supplied with reactants, during conditioning or operation, the voltage across the defect can cause a significant amount of current to pass through it, and can result in a hot spot. The localized heat that is generated can burn and cause irreversible damage to the membrane and/or other fuel cell components.
Fuel cells can be checked for short circuits, for example, during quality control testing after manufacture and assembly, during routine maintenance, and/or during testing to evaluate the condition of fuel cells in a fuel cell stack during their lifetime in a product.
One method for detecting electrical short circuits across a fuel cell is to apply a small potential across the anode and cathode and measure the resulting current. When using a potentiostat, the current setting is preferably limited to reduce the chances that current flow through low resistance defects will result in high current, and damage the membrane. In a fuel cell that is substantially free of electrical short circuits, the measured current will be zero or extremely small. If there is a short circuit across the cell, the applied potential will result in measurable or significant current flow. This method is simple and can be used to identify and quantify the magnitude of a short circuit across a fuel cell. However, this method is generally not practical or suitable for detecting and locating short circuits in a fuel cell stack, primarily because most stack cell voltage monitoring (CVM) systems can measure individual cell potentials, but are not suitable for conducting large currents given the small size of the contact probes.
Another technique for detecting short circuits in fuel cells involves supplying hydrogen and nitrogen to the fuel cell anode and cathode, respectively, and performing Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) to detect low resistance across the fuel cell based on the slope of the I-V curve. While LSV is an accurate detection method, it is generally not practical or suitable for detecting and locating short circuits in fuel cell stacks, again primarily because it requires potential control and current supply which is not feasible with conventional CVM systems.
On-going research and development is significantly improving the cost, performance, and durability of fuel cell systems. Advancing from lab scale development towards production scale manufacturing requires important steps to be taken by the fuel cell industry, including (i) design modification of fuel cell systems to make them suitable for mass production; and (ii) development of manufacturing processes suitable for use in mass production; and (iii) the development of associated Quality Control (QC) methodologies for testing individual components as well as assembled fuel cell stacks.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and reliable method of detecting electrical short circuits in individual fuel cells, and particularly in fuel cells in situ in a fuel cell stack. Methods that provide a rapid indication of an electrical short circuits and that identify which fuel cells in the fuel cell stack have an electrical short circuit would be particularly desirable.


A laser marking system includes a high power fiber laser with a double clad fiber having a doped core surrounded by an inner pump cladding and providing an optical output for marking; a high power laser diode source for pumping the double clad fiber laser via an input into the inner pump cladding; an optical scanner coupled to receive the marking output from the double clad fiber laser to scan the output over a surface of an article to be marked by sweeping the marking output in one, two or three dimensions to form strokes, the completion of which comprises indicia to be marked on the article surface; and a controller to control the operation of the scanner synchronized with the modulation of the laser diode pump source to initiate the marking output and sweep and modulate the marking optical output in one, two or three dimensions to form strokes comprising the indicia. A main advantage of the fiber laser marking system over CO2 and YAG laser marking systems is the ability to provide modulation via the semiconductor laser diode at the input to the marking laser rather than having to modulate the optical power beam at the output of the marking laser, such as through an acusto-optic modulator, which provides for a pulse of non-uniform stability across the pulse width with a substantial decrease in the amount of power in the modulated beam output. Also disclosed is circuitry to dampen the ON-time rise of a current signal input for operation of the laser diode pump source to improve the ON-time quality of the marking optical output created by the double clad fiber marking laser.

This invention relates generally to a laser marking system and more particularly to fiber laser marking systems operated cw or pulsed for marking surfaces of objects with information or data, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cindiciaxe2x80x9d which includes, for example, alphanumeric information, letters, words, personal or company logos, tradenames, trademarks, data or batch codes, numbers, symbols, patterns, article coding or identification, personalized signatures, and the like.
Laser marking systems have been in existence as early as 1971 for marking indicia on surfaces of articles. A major use of laser marking of articles is for marking an article or product or a product package particularly with respect to high volume manufacturing lines, so as to take advantage of marking these goods xe2x80x9con-the-flyxe2x80x9d. This type of marking provides data about the product, such as, date of manufacture, shelf life, factory origin, model and/or serial number, product tracking and the like. The use of lasers to provide marking indicia is preferred since it does not generally affect the integrity of the article or product or its packaging and the marked indicia is not easily removable.
An example of traditional laser marking systems are cw or pulsed CO2 lasers and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), e.g., Nd:YAG lasers where the marking is accomplished by the heat of the applied laser beam. The wavelengths of the pulses produced by these systems are within the visible or infrared spectrum. A pattern or indicia to be marked is formed by using a mask through which the laser beam passes or by a focused laser beam which is moved or scanned to produce the desired indicia or pattern. Such lasers are also employed for engraving, soldering and welding wherein, the case of marking, the surface layer of the material is melted, ablated or vaporized to produce discernible indicia or pattern. Also, this type of article marking may be accomplished by use of a chemical reaction at the article surface to be marked where certain coating agents on the surface of the article, which may be visibly transparent, but undergo a visible contrast change under the influence of a laser beam or laser pulses.
CO2 lasers have been principally employed for marking plastic surfaces, such as IC packages. The laser beam from the laser is directed through a copper stencil to form the indicia on the plastic surface. However, due to the shrinkage of IC packages over the years, CO2 lasers, in many cases, are no longer suitable since high quality indicia with good visibility is no longer satisfactory for this particular application. However, low cost, lower marking quality CO2 systems employing low cost X-Y galvanometer devices are still employed for applications not requiring high quality marking.
YAG lasers are extensively employed today for IC package marking as well as many other marking applications. YAG lasers have shorter wavelengths of operation permitting the marking of indicia on harder surfaces, such as ceramic material. The beam in the YAG marking systems is steered or scanned in one, two or three dimensions by means of a pair of displaceable mirrors mounted for rotation to displace a laser beam in orthogonal directions to form a two-dimensional scan of the beam on the surface to be marked, such as, for example, a X-Y galvanometer device or a X-X galvanometer device operated under computer control. Examples of two-dimensional scanners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,225,923; 5,329,090; 5,719,372; and 5,724,412. Indicia is scribed onto the surface of an article to be marked with fine resolution and marking clarity on comparatively smaller surfaces, such as in the case of smaller IC packages. A specific example of a YAG laser system for this type of marking is the scanning Nd:YAG laser called the Laser Marker SL475E, manufactured by NEC Corporation of Japan. The marking parameters of this system are as follows: (1) Laser Oscillator: SL114K, (2) Laser Type: cw Nd:YAG laser, (3) Output: 50 W or above, (4) Number of Marked Characters: 40, (5) Marking Method: One stroke or vector, (6) Power at Marked Surface: 1 W, (7) Scanning Speed: 100 mm/sec., (8) Bite Size: 30 xcexcm; and (9) Q-Switch Frequency: 3 kHz.
The disadvantage of these CO2 and YAG laser marking systems is the need in most instances for separate, expensive refrigerated chillers or water cooling units and corresponding cooler controller and power supply to maintain cooling of the cw operated laser diode arrays for pumping the YAG rod or cw operated CO2 marking lasers. The chillers are required in CO2 marking lasers due to the low efficiency in converting lamp pump light into a cw laser output.
Further, the modulation of these marking lasers is generally accomplished by means of modulating their optical output beams, such as with an acusto-optic modulator, to produce appropriate pulses for forming marking strokes or vectors that, together, form intelligent indicia on the article surface. As a result, as much as 20% to 30% of the power in the modulated output is lost due to this type of external modulation. The cw operation of these types of lasers is a waste of energy, requires continual maintenance of the lasers, and reduces their overall lifetime utility. In the pulse mode, there is a large pulse-to-pulse variation in YAG marking lasers, as they lack uniformity in the energy applied to the marking surface. Moreover, the external modulator, beside its high loss, does not last long in the field and needs to be replaced, and is an added and continuing cost to the laser marking system, along with its RF driver. Further, the YAG laser systems used for marking require first pulse suppression, i.e., when the laser is turned off the light has to be xe2x80x9cbled offxe2x80x9d. Also, these systems with their associated cooling units and large power supplies and large laser head takes up a consider amount of floor space in a manufacturing facility.
What is needed is a less expensive marking laser system that provides marking xe2x80x9cpower-on-demandxe2x80x9d, i.e., is not continually required to be continuously pumped for accomplishing the marking process, and taking up minimal floor space.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide a fiber laser system that provides indicia marking power-on-demand.
It is an object of this invention to provide a laser-pumped fiber laser marking system that is more compact and smaller in size than previous laser systems for marking surfaces to produce visible indicia on the surface.
It is another object of this invention to provide a laser marking system requiring no first pulse suppression.
It is another object of this invention to provide a first high power laser marking system employing a double clad fiber as the marking laser wherein its optical power output is modulated to form the marking indicia by modulation or switching ON and OFF of its pump laser, e.g., a semiconductor laser diode source.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a laser marking system that achieves high powers for surface marking accomplished with shallow surface depth significantly less than about 27 xcexcm.
According to this invention, a laser marking system comprises a high power fiber laser consisting of a double clad fiber having a doped core surrounded by an inner pump cladding and providing an optical output for marking; a high power laser diode source for pumping the double clad fiber laser via an input into the inner pump cladding; an optical scanner coupled to receive the marking output from the double clad fiber laser to scan the output over a surface of an article to be marked by sweeping the marking output in one, two or three dimensions to form strokes or vectors, the completion of which comprises indicia to be marked the article surface; and a controller to control the operation of the scanner synchronized with the modulation of the laser diode pump source to initiate the marking output and sweep and modulate the marking optical output in one, two or three dimensions to form strokes comprising the indicia. The system is capable of useful modulation rates from about 20 kHz for high contrast marking on a variety of different materials with peak pulse outputs, for example, of around 1 kW to about 5 kW, and up to cw operation especially adapted for marking thin, surface-mount packages. A main advantage of the fiber laser marking system over diode pumped and flash lamp pumped YAG laser marking systems is the ability to provide modulation via the semiconductor laser diode at the input to the marking laser rather than having to modulate the optical power beam at the output of the marking laser, such as through an acusto-optic modulator, which does not provide for a uniform pulse in terms of optical power across the pulse width and substantially decreases the amount of power in the modulated beam output. Also disclosed is circuitry to dampen or decrease the ON-time rise of a current signal input for operation of the laser diode. pump source to improve the ON-time quality of the marking optical output created by the double clad fiber marking laser.
It is believed at this writing that the fiber marking laser system disclosed herein is the only continuous single mode - fiber marking laser system commercially available in the market place.
In the laser marking system of this invention, the optical power provided for marking is power-on-demand, i.e., the diode pump lasers for the fiber marking laser are turn on and off as power is needed for forming marking strokes and vectors by means of sweeping the marking output during its ON-time period. Since the laser diode pump is not operating cw, the lifetime of the pump source is extended comparatively over the same period of time of usage.
Another advantage of the fiber laser marking system of this invention is that the modulated laser diode source can be modulated in a random ON-time period fashion with pulses produced from the fiber marking laser of any length, of any selected height at any time, i.e., when necessary on demand. In Q-switched YAG lasers, the pulsed output is limited by the Q-switch in that it can operate only with period pulse of approximately of the same pulse width.
A further advantage of the fiber laser of this invention over diode pumped YAG marking systems is that the laser diode pumping of the fiber laser occurs along the length of the fiber such as, for example, anywhere between about 20 meters to about 50 meters long, which is a length greater than one hundred times that of a YAG rod, which, may be, for example, 1 cm. to 3 cm. long. As a result, the heat generated in a laser diode pumped YAG is much greater and can readily cause thermal lensing in the YAG rod resulting in distortion of the YAG single mode operation either by laterally shifting the mode in the YAG rod or by operating in other modes other than the fundamental mode. This shifting and multiple mode operation is caused by changes in refractive index of the YAG rod because of nonuniformity of heat developed along the length of the rod due to differences in the optical power along the rod length. This phenomena can result in pulse-to-pulse variations in pulse power and in mode quality if the pulse width length or the pulse height is varied from pulse to pulse in operation of the YAG marking laser. In the use of a single mode fiber marking laser of this invention, no mode distortion occurs since the mode core waveguide of the fiber, which is in the range, for example, of 3 xcexcm to 6 xcexcm in diameter, continually maintains single mode operation.
Another feature of the fiber marking laser system of this invention is its reliability to maintain the intensity level of optical marking output by means of its feedback for controlling the current level in operation of the laser diode pump source. Thus, if there is a detection in the intensity of the marking output, the feedback control provides for increase of the current to the driver circuit for the pump laser source to increase the marking output of the fiber marking laser to its original intensity level.
A further feature of the fiber marking laser system of this invention is a continuous single mode marking output that is flexible in that the output is directly coupled to the optical input of a scanner without need of initial alignment or subsequent realignment in the field as is true in the case of YAG laser marking systems wherein periodic realignment of the YAG marking laser optical cavity and output relative to scanner input is necessary.
The efficiency and effectiveness of the fiber laser marking system over YAG marking systems is substantial in that (1) the number of laser diode pump lasers is significantly less in number enhancing system reliability, (2) the optical conversion efficiency is significantly higher, (3) the power of operation is much lower, such in the range of only 2 volts to 5 volts DC, (4) no consummables are required for replacement such as laser diode pump sources or flash lamps which burn out comparatively faster in YAG systems due to their cw operation, and (5) improved reliability of the particular laser diodes used as pump sources due to their higher wavelength of operation, e.g., 915 nm for the pump sources used in the systems of this invention versus 810 nm employed in YAG pump systems.
Other objects and attainments together with a fuller understanding of the invention will become apparent and appreciated by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Laser marking system and method of energy control


Methods of forming fine patterns are provided. The method includes reinforcing a hydrophobic property of a hard mask layer using a surface treatment process to form a neutral layer, forming a block co-polymer layer on the neutral layer, and phase-separating the block co-polymer layer into first domains and second domains.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of fabricating a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to methods of fabricating fine patterns.
2. Related Art
In fabrication of electronic devices such as semiconductor devices, many efforts have been focused to integrate more patterns in a limited area of a semiconductor substrate. That is, attempts to increase the integration density of the electronic devices or the semiconductor devices have typically resulted in formation of fine patterns. Various techniques have been proposed to form the fine patterns such as small contact holes having a nano-scaled critical dimension (CD), for example, a size of about a few nanometers to about several tens of nanometers.
In the event that the fine patterns of the semiconductor devices are formed using only a photolithography process, there may be some limitations in forming the fine patterns due to image resolution limits of lithography apparatuses used in the photolithography process. Methods of forming the fine patterns using a self-assembly property of polymer molecules may be considered as a candidate for overcoming the image resolution limits of optical systems used in the photolithography process and for overcoming a limit to wavelengths of light sources of optical systems used in the photolithography process. However, the methods of forming the fine patterns using the self-assembly technique may be in development. Thus, there may be still some difficulties in employing the self-assembly technique at a production level to form the fine patterns of highly integrated semiconductor devices.


An in-situ porous inorganic material with a skeleton structure of aluminum borate whiskers, and a whisker-reinforced metal-matrix composite material including the porous inorganic material as a reinforcement, has aluminum borate whiskers distributed uniformly and randomly therein. Each of a plurality of the aluminum borate whiskers is bonded to at least another one of the aluminum borate whiskers at a bonding site, which is formed from aluminum borate common to and constituting part of each one of the aluminum borate whiskers bonded at the bonding site. A process of producing the in-situ porous inorganic material includes the steps of firing a compact of mixed powder including an aluminum compound, a boron compound, and a nickel compound and thereby in-situ synthesizing the aluminum borate whiskers.

Ceramic whiskers comprising silicon nitride, silicon carbide, alumina, aluminum borate, potassium titanate, titanium oxide, etc. are excellent in mechanical characteristics, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, heat insulating properties, wearability, and electrical insulating properties and have been their use has been extended into many fields such as WRM, WRP (whisker reinforced plastic), and WRC (whisker reinforced ceramic).
On the other hand, with recent developments in of the automobile industries and the aircraft and aerospace industry, there has been an increasing demand for high-strength and high-modulus metallic materials which are light and excellent in heat resistance and wearability. Due to the increase in cases in which conventional aluminum alloys cannot meet the demand, reinforcement of metal with heat-resistant fibrous materials or whiskers has been attempted, and many proposals have been made on metallic materials reinforced by this method, i.e., metal-matrix composite materials.
Whiskers comprising silicon nitride, silicon carbide, alumina, aluminum borate, potassium titanate, titanium oxide, etc. can be exemplified as the typical reinforcements which have hitherto been used for production of metal-matrix composite materials. Since it is difficult to disperse extremely fine whiskers in a molten metal uniformly, whisker-reinforced metal-matrix composite materials have generally been obtained by previously forming whiskers into a porous body called a preform and infiltrating a molten metal into the pores of the preform.
A whisker preform has conventionally been prepared by dispersing whiskers and a binder in water and filtering the aqueous dispersion with suction, followed by drying and calcination. The conventional process has several problems. Firstly, whiskers, which are light and fine, are liable to scatter when dispersed in water and, if inhaled, may endanger workers' health. A strict countermeasure should be taken against scattering. Secondly, while a whisker dispersion is filtered, the whiskers having a needle shape are unavoidably oriented in a specific direction or localized (unevenly distributed), and the orientation and localization remain in the resulting preform. Needless to say, a uniform reinforcing effect cannot be expected from a preform having whiskers oriented or unevenly distributed. Thirdly, since the physical properties of a preform, such as strength and heat resistance, are considerably influenced by the binder used in combination, the excellent properties essential to whiskers cannot be taken full advantage of. Fourthly, it is difficult to obtain a preform having the density and dimensions as originally designed because of considerable change in volume occurring during filtering up to the completion of firing. Another problem is that the whisker preform is extremely expensive because, for one thing, the whiskers as a raw material are expensive.
The above-mentioned problems have been pointed out with respect to not only a whisker preform itself but various products utilizing a whisker preform, and have made it difficult to take full advantage of the excellent properties of whiskers. Furthermore, when the conventional whisker preform is used for reinforcement of metal, it has the following problems. Since the bonding strength among whiskers in a preform is not so strong, the preform tends to be deformed or broken when a molten metal is infiltrated therein. The binder in a preform tends to react with a molten metal, e.g., aluminum, to cause reduction in strength.
JP-B-6-33193 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined published Japanese patent publication") discloses a process for producing rigid mullite whisker felt, the process having succeeded in solving the problems associated with preparation of whisker preforms as far as mullite whisker is concerned. The disclosed process comprises heating a green compact comprising a mixture of AlF.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 in an anhydrous SiF.sub.4 atmosphere at about 700 to 950.degree. C. to form rod-like topaz crystals from AlF.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2, and further heating the topaz crystals at about 1150 to 1700.degree. C. to convert the topaz crystals to needle-like single crystal mullite whiskers. According to this process, since mullite whiskers are grown by the reaction in a compact, the mullite whiskers are bound to each other during the growth, and a whisker felt is completed on the completion of whisker growth. Therefore, the whisker filtering process for forming a whisker preform, which is accompanied with many difficulties, is unnecessary, and the resulting product is therefore free from the above-described drawbacks arising from filtering.
However, this process, while seeming advantageous, is not easy to carry out because of the involvement of additional cost for the equipment and the process control due to the calcination in a toxic anhydrous SiF.sub.4 atmosphere. Besides, the product is limited to mullite materials, and the applicability of the technique is limited. A process for producing whiskers other than mullite whiskers in which whisker formation and formation of a porous body are carried out at the same time is unknown.

Porous inorganic material and metal-matrix composite material containing the same and process therefor


A sheet folding apparatus including a folding roller, a positioning member, a push member, and a shift member. The folding roller including a pair of rollers to rotatably engage with each other to form a folding nip. The positioning member to support a first end of a printing medium which is fed along a folding path and to arrange the printing medium in an initial folding location. The push member to move to an insertion location to push the printing medium on the folding path into the folding nip, and to move to a retreat location. The shift member, located at an exit of the folding nip, to selectively guide the printing medium to a guide path to return the printing medium having passed through the folding nip to the folding path, the guide path being provided around at least one of the pair of rollers.

A sheet folding apparatus folds a sheet-type medium (hereinafter referred to as 'paper') in various forms. The sheet folding apparatus may be used in a finisher with respect to paper which is discharged from a copier, a printer, etc., or may be a stand-alone apparatus.
The sheet folding apparatus may fold paper once, or two or more times. Two or more pairs of rollers may be used to fold paper two or more times. Pairs of rollers that number as many as the number of times paper is folded are used.

Sheet folding based on a single folding roller

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.


An LCD device includes a plurality of gate lines and data lines cross-arranged on a lower substrate to define a plurality of pixels, a pixel electrode disposed in each of the pixels, a plurality of common electrode blocks pattern-formed that generate an electric field with the pixel electrode and sensing a touch of a user, a plurality of sensing lines, a plurality of pad parts arranged to be separated from each other at predetermined intervals along a corresponding sensing line, and having a line width thicker than the sensing line, and a contact part disposed between a corresponding pad part and a corresponding common electrode block, and electrically connecting a corresponding sensing line and the common electrode block. When the sensing lines are electrically connected to one of the common electrode blocks, the sensing lines are electrically insulated from the other common electrode blocks.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly, to an LCD device that includes a sensing electrode for sensing a user's touch.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, since LCD devices are driven with a low operating voltage, the LCD devices have low power consumption and are used in portable devices. Accordingly, the LCD devices are widely applied to various fields such as notebook computers, monitors, spacecrafts, airplanes, etc.
LCD devices include a lower substrate, an upper substrate, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. In the LCD devices, the alignment of liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer is adjusted with an electric field, and thus, light transmittance of the liquid crystal layer is adjusted, thereby displaying an image.
In the LCD devices, a mouse or a keyboard is generally used as an input means. However, a touch screen that enables a user to directly input information with a finger or a pen is much applied to navigation systems, portable terminals, appliances, etc.
Hereinafter, a related art LCD device using a touch screen will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically illustrating a related art LCD device.
As seen in FIG. 1, the related art LCD device includes a liquid crystal panel 10 and a touch screen 20.
The liquid crystal panel 10 displays an image, and includes a lower substrate 12, an upper substrate 14, and a liquid crystal layer 16 formed between the lower substrate 12 and the upper substrate 14.
The touch screen 20 is formed at a top of the liquid crystal panel 10, and senses a user's touch. The touch screen 20 includes a touch substrate 22, a first sensing electrode 24 formed at a bottom of the touch substrate 22, and a second sensing electrode 26 formed at a top of the touch substrate 22.
The first sensing electrode 24 is widthwise arranged at the bottom of the touch substrate 22, and the second sensing electrode 26 is lengthwise arranged at the top of the touch substrate 22. Therefore, when a user touches a certain position, a capacitance between the first and second sensing electrodes 24 and 26 is changed at the touched position, and thus, the touch screen 20 senses the position at which the capacitance has been changed, thereby sensing the user's touch position.
However, since the related art LCD device has a structure in which the touch screen 20 is separately formed at the top of the liquid crystal panel 10, due to the touch screen 20, the entire thickness of the related art LCD device increases, a manufacturing process is complicated, and the manufacturing cost increases.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A torque converter having a lockup clutch or a coupling device, for selectively providing a mechanical connection between a drive unit and a drive train. The lockup clutch (C) or coupling device has a driving part connected to the drive unit and a driven part connected to the drive train. The torque converter also has a control system for applying a first pressure in a sense to cause frictional engagement between the driving part and the driven part and a second pressure in a sense to cause disengagement of the driving part and the driven part. A differential between the pressures is progressively controllable by the control system so as to control the relative positioning between the driven part and the driving part.

An automatic transmission of a vehicle commonly includes a torque converter for coupling the transmission to the vehicle's engine. The torque converter provides a fluid coupling which allows the engine to spin somewhat independently of the transmission so that the transmission can slow or stop without stalling the engine. Beneficially, the torque converter also provides a magnification of torque from the engine to the transmission when accelerating from a halt. However, at higher vehicle speeds where the speed of the transmission catches up to the speed of the engine the fluid coupling is less efficient than a rigid coupling between the transmission and the engine, and results in increased fuel consumption.
It has been proposed to provide a torque converter with a lockup clutch which provides a selectively operable direct connection between the engine and the transmission to eliminate slippage and to improve fuel efficiency. The lockup clutch has a driving part which is driven by the engine and a driven part which is in direct connection with the transmission. The driving part and the driven part are able to be brought selectively into frictional engagement so as to provide the direct driving connection between the engine and the transmission, and are able to be brought selectively out of frictional engagement when the direct connection is not desired, for example when the vehicle is at a standstill.
The applicant has determined that by providing more accurate control of the lockup clutch better fuel economy may be achieved.


An apparatus for detachably holding the ends of two cords together has a first retaining rod and a first cord retaining hook on one end of the first retaining rod. A securing clamp is attached to the first retaining rod. The securing clamp has a rod receiving member, a rod receiving channel in the rod receiving member, a threaded clamping channel in the rod receiving member and a clamping screw threadingly engaged with the threaded clamping channel. A second retaining rod is releasingly and slidingly engaged within the securing clamp and releasingly engaged with the clamping screw. A second cord retaining hook is on one end of the second retaining rod. The clamping screw has a knurled gripping head.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device to retain the connection of two extension cords. The device reduces the chance that the male connection of one cord will be pulled loose from the female connection of another cord and disrupt the flow of electricity. It also allows the male and female connections of the same cord to be mated together in a secure manner to facilitate storage, transportation and security.
2. Description of the Related Art
The construction worker and the Do-it-yourselfer share a common problem. As time passes and they are deeply engrossed in the job, the need to move their tool a little further arises and all-of-the-sudden there is no longer any power to the tool. The extension cords that were being utilized have separated at their connections. Various devices have been devised to try to reduce this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,638 to J. J. Darrey on Sep. 28, 1971 for an Extension Cord Coupling Clamp describes a clamp assembly having two spring-loaded clamps connected by a threaded length adjuster rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,738 to H. B. Tillotson on May 27, 1980 for an Electrical Connector Retaining device shows a retaining bail positioned on the male end of a cord that clamps over a resilient locking sleeve positioned near the female end of a cord.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,626 to P. S. Barton on Apr. 17, 1990 for a Cord Plug Coupling describes a device for holding the male and female ends of two cords together utilizing a hook and loop fastener.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,634 to M. J. Chiarolanzio on Dec. 3, 1991 for a Snap Lock Extension Cord and Power Tool Connector shows a specially constructed male and female cord end with the male end having a locking finger that interfaces with a locking port of the female end.
The present invention is adjustable and is designed to fit any combination of electrical plug connectors and equipment cords. It is simple to place on the cords and easy to adjust to the correct length to accommodate existing connector configurations.


The present application describes a through-hole component insulator and assembly process which has the advantages of preventing solder from contacting the metal case of a through-hole component without an addition step or additional material from the standard fabrication process for a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board of the present invention includes a printed ink spacer disposed beneath the through-hole component wherein the printed ink spacer is included with a standard silk-screen artwork layer in the printed circuit board design stage. The printed ink spacer raises the through-hole component from the printed circuit board surface to prevent solder from contacting the metal case of the through-hole component during the printed circuit board soldering stage. Using a silk-screen artwork layer which includes at least one printed ink spacer in the artwork, the printed ink spacer is deposited during deposition of a standard printed design on the printed circuit board fabrication.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fabrication of printed circuit board assemblies and in particular printed circuit boards having through-hole components packaged in metal cases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printed circuit boards for electronic circuits are widely used in almost every electronic field today. Printed circuit board assemblies are comprised of a printed circuit board and electronic components which are positioned on and electrically connected to circuitry formed on the printed circuit board. Printed circuit boards as manufactured have a continuous foil of conductive material adhered to at least one of the surfaces of a core of dielectric material. The continuous conductive foil on the printed circuit board is thereafter patterned using conventional techniques to remove portions of the conductive material so as to form a predetermined circuit pattern. Holes are punched or drilled through the circuit board at predetermined locations with the holes generally being in registration with selected solder pads formed as part of the circuit pattern etched in the conductive foil. Electronic components are then mounted at predetermined locations on the printed circuit board. The electronic components are temporarily secured in place until they can be permanently soldered in place.
Generally, when manufacturing printed circuit board assemblies leaded components, wherein the electronic components have leads extending from the casing for connecting the component to the circuitry of the board, the components are mounted on the surface of the board opposite the side where the circuitry is normally formed and the leads of the component are inserted through the preformed holes in the printed circuit board. The leads are then mass soldered to the circuitry of the printed circuit board by methods such as dip or wave soldering. Mass soldering of leaded components is a relatively straightforward process in that the leaded components are mounted on the top surface of the printed circuit board, which does not enter the solder bath, while the bottom surface having the circuitry defined thereon with the leads in registration with the solder pads is immersed in the solder bath for soldering.
The holes may also be plated through-holes which extend the full thickness of the board and open to solder pads on both surfaces on the board. Electronic components designed to mount to PCBs by means of plated through holes typically have depending metal leads which are spaced apart and sized to fit into corresponding plated through-holes and extend a small distance beyond the undersurface of the PCB. Conventionally, through-hole devices are connected to the PCB by machine wave soldering--i.e., the solder side of the circuit board is passed across a wave of molten solder. If two clean metal surfaces are held together and dipped into molten solder, the solder will wet the metal and climb up to fill the gaps between the adjacent surfaces. This phenomenon is the result of capillary action. Capillary action causes the molten solder to fill the annular space between the component lead and the walls of the plated through-hole. Upon cooling and solidifying, the solder forms a fillet around the lead and the ends of the plated through-hole.
There is a problem, however, with through-hole components packaged in metal cases. As the printed circuit board travels over the wave solder to solder components to the printed circuit board, solder wicks up the through-hole and shorts to the metal case on the top side of the board. Some components are designed with a stand-off feature built into the component itself in order to prevent the problem of shorting during soldering, however, many are designed to sit flush with the surface of the printed circuit board at the time of wave soldering. Industry practice solves this problem by installing an insulator (i.e. tape or any other pre-cut spacer) between the component and the board so that the component is raised from the printed circuit board surface and solder will not short to the component package. This method, however, requires additional material and labor to be added to the assembly process of the printed circuit board assembly in order to place the spacer underneath the component, therefore increasing manufacturing time and costs.

Printed circuit board manufacturing method for through hole components with a metal case


A modulating device including: a first convertor configured to generate a converted analog signal by analog conversion on a input digital signal, a modulator configured to generate a modulated signal by quadrature modulation, a phase shifter configured to generate a phase shift signal by phase rotation, a demodulator configured to generate a demodulated signal by quadrature demodulation, a second convertor to generate a converted digital signal by digital conversion, a calculating circuit configured to estimate a the first direct current offset based on the input digital signal and the converted digital signal, the first direct current offset being a noise of digital current component generated between the input digital signal inputted to the first convertor and the output signal inputted to the demodulator, and a correcting circuit configured to correct at least one among from the input digital signal to the output signal based on the first direct current offset.

Upon receiving signals to be transmitted, conventional wireless communication devices that conduct communication with wireless signals convert, to modulation signals, signals to be transmitted received as local signals and then transmit the converted signals by using a quadrature modulation circuit to perform quadrature modulation on the local signals that become carrier waves. Modulation systems for performing quadrature modulation use quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and the like. However, a DC offset is produced as noise due to imperfections of the elements in the abovementioned quadrature modulation circuit and the DC offset is added to the modulation signals.
Accordingly, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-079693 describes a technique for calculating a DC offset of a quadrature modulation circuit, for example, by providing a feedback circuit that provides feedback by using a quadrature demodulation circuit to perform quadrature demodulation on modulation signals, and by switching inputs and non-inputs of the modulation signals to the feedback circuit. Moreover, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-077285 describes a technique for calculating a DC offset of a quadrature modulation circuit by using, for example, a frequency converting circuit to convert modulation signals to IF signals and then by using an ADC to perform digital conversion to provide feedback.


A graphene light-emitting device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The graphene light-emitting device includes a p-type graphene doped with a p-type dopant; an n-type graphene doped with an n-type dopant; and an active graphene that is disposed between the type graphene and the n-type graphene and emits light, wherein the p-type graphene, the n-type graphene, and the active graphene are horizontally disposed.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to light-emitting devices and methods of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to light-emitting devices using graphene and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphene refers to a two-dimensional (2D) thin film having a bee hive shaped structure that consists of a one-carbon-thickness of single layer. Carbon atoms are chemically bonded to each other by a sp2 hybrid orbital to form a 2D carbon hexagonal net plane. An assembly of the carbon atoms having the planar structure is graphene, and a thickness thereof is as small as 0.3 nm equivalent to one carbon atom.
As a method of preparing graphene, mechanical exfoliation, chemical exfoliation, heat treatment of SiC, chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial synthesis, organic synthesis, etc. may be used. Furthermore, lithography may also be used to micro-pattern graphene.
Due to very different characteristics of graphene from existing materials, studies for applying graphene into electronic devices are being actively performed.

Graphene light-emitting device and method of manufacturing the same


This document describes techniques and apparatuses for implementing an object-detecting backlight unit for a display device. An object-detecting backlight unit includes two or more light sources configured to provide light to a display to form an image, and a light sensor configured to receive reflected light when an object is near the display and determine that the reflected light originated from a region of the display. The reflected light is caused by light from the image reflecting off of the object back towards the display. The backlight unit is configured to detect a position of the object based on the region of the display from which the reflected light originated.

Display devices, such as televisions, laptop computers, tablet computers, and smart phones, may use a modulating display panel, such as a liquid crystal display, in combination with a backlight to display images to users. Increasingly, users want to use display devices that are interactive, such as devices equipped with touchscreen surfaces or cameras that capture user gestures. However, the region near, or just in front of, the display is not covered by touchscreen devices or cameras. For example, typical touchscreen devices capture data when the user physically touches, or is inherently close to touching, the display. Cameras, on the other hand, typically do not have a field of view that is wide enough to capture objects or user gestures close to the display. In addition, hardware costs may prohibit manufacturers from equipping some display devices, such as televisions, with a touchscreen or a camera.


An image receptor support device having a more comfortable patient engagement side is described. The patient engagement side has a concave central portion, a rounded left portion and rounded right portion. A patient may more comfortably position their body against the interceptor support device and more effectively position a body part over and image receptor. An image receptor support device may be configured for mammograms, for example. An image receptor support device may comprise a comfort material such as a foam or elastomer that is compressible and not cold to the touch. A concave central portion may be centrally located between the left and right side or offset. In addition, the bottom surface of the patient engagement side may be recessed from the top surface. A patient engagement side may be configured to be a detachable interface with an existing image receptor support device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image receptor support device and particularly those used for mammogram systems.
2. Background
Mammograms have become routine diagnostic requiring the placement of a woman's breasts over an image receptor. X-rays pass through the breast tissue to create an image for examination. An image receptor support device, sometimes referred to as a Bucky plate, provides the support and patient interface surface for conducting this procedure. An image receptor support device typically comprises a substantially x-ray transparent material that allows the x-rays to pass through to the image receptor. An image receptor may be a physical sheet or a digital receptor. AN image receptor may be configured to slide into an image support device. Many women put off or completely refrain from scheduling mammograms as they find the procedure to be very uncomfortable. Image receptor support devices are not configured with a woman's comfort in mind. They are typically a rectangular plate having relatively sharp edges. Women must press hard against the support device for proper positioning of the breast, and this rectangular shaped image receptor support sometimes causes bruising along the patient's rib cage and/or abdomen. In addition, the sharp edges of the rectangular shaped image receptor support can be very uncomfortable as it presses into the patients skin. Furthermore, the image receptor support device is typically cold to the touch making the procedure more uncomfortable. Patients confined to a wheelchair often find it particularly difficult to position themselves properly against an image receptor support device.


A system and method for booking a performance venue. The system comprises a booking engine enabling communication between at least two of a performer, a consumer, and a venue agent, the at least two of a performer, a consumer, and a venue agent using at least one client station connected to the booking engine over a communications link. The system also comprises a market module associated with the booking engine for selling performer endorsement entities to at least one consumer and for selecting a particular venue from a group of at least one venue.

We all have enjoyed the thrill and excitement associated with anticipating and attending a live concert or performance. Whether one's preferred music is classical, jazz, rock and roll, heavy metal, Latin, R&B, rap, or country, the process of standing in line for tickets to a favorite act and anxiously awaiting the night of the performance ranks as one of the most exciting and memorable events in one's life. No matter how difficult it may be to secure tickets or how long one has to wait for the night of the show to arrive, these and other burdens and inconveniences are quickly forgotten when one enters the electrified venue and experiences the long-awaited performance.
However, not everyone involved can expect such a positive experience leading up to the performance. The performers, for one, have to deal with, among other things, promoting show dates and securing an attractive venue, all while rehearsing and practicing to ensure a successful and satisfying performance. To make matters worse, the responsibility of promoting ticket sales and attracting a strong and reliable crowd may rest—at least partly, and sometimes completely—on the shoulders of the venue agent, an individual that most performers would agree does not usually have the best interests of the performers in mind. Typically, venue agents represent the venues and thus tend to pursue well-financed, popular acts that historically produce revenue. Indeed, for most performers—particularly local, upstart talents that have yet to achieve fame and fortune—the process of booking a venue and dealing with venue agents can be (and usually is) a frustrating and disappointing experience.
The present day booking process underscores the difficulty local and startup performers encounter in securing a venue. Under the present process, a performer must usually book and confirm a venue three months before the desired performance date. Typically, this involves convincing a venue agent to schedule a performance at a desirable date and time. For well-financed and popular performers, booking a venue does not usually present a problem as most venues are willing to schedule profitable acts. For smaller, local performers, however, the situation is completely different. Because such performers tend to not be well known and lack a reliable fan base, venue agents hesitate in scheduling them out of fear that they will not draw a sufficient crowd, resulting in a financial loss. For those smaller acts that do get scheduled, the venue agent may offer dates and times with little exposure or that are inconvenient to the performer, such as week days or nights or afternoon or early evening hours. Further, a venue agent may require the performer to pay a non-refundable fee before a date and time are offered.
Another problem with the present booking process concerns a venue's handling of ticket sales. Usually, any revenue that is generated from such sales is taken in by the venue on the day or night of the performance. Accordingly, the performer will typically not get paid until after the performance, and then only if there is sufficient revenue remaining after the venue covers its expenses and takes its promised share. It is not unusual therefore for performers to end up empty-handed. Clearly, the present booking process gives venues significant power and leverage when it comes to scheduling performers, particularly when the performers are local and not well-known.
What's more, many venues lack incentives to provide fans and performers with clean and comfortable environments. Realizing that many performers do not have many options as to where they can perform, venues spend little or no money enhancing or renovating their facilities. As a result, this can and usually does result in venues that are less than desirable to fans and performers alike.
Under current booking practices, therefore, performers are at a significant disadvantage because they are not able to present venue agents with an expected fan base or revenue. Thus, there is a need for a booking system and method that empowers performers by enabling them to create a marketable entity—i.e., a fan base—that gives them increased leverage in negotiating and booking performance venues.
Additionally, there is a need for a system and method that enables performers to selectively determine which venue(s) they will engage.
Moreover, there is a need for a system that allows performers, consumers, and venues to interact and communicate in an efficient and reliable manner, and which enhances the booking process for start up performers hoping to build a reliable marketable fan base.
Further, there is a need for a system and method for selling a predetermined number of tickets to consumers before proceeding with negotiating and booking a performance date and time with a venue.
Moreover, there is a need for an effective way for performers to leverage the excitement and enthusiasm of their existing fan base.

System and method for booking a performance venue